The Way of a Pilgrim: And the Pilgrim Continues His Way

Rating:
Summary: Profound Spiritual Practice
Review: If you want to understand more about why the Jesus Prayer works, turn to modern mystics such as Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now." Behind the compulsive thinking of the mind is your natural state of peace and joy. The constant repetition of a holy thought (from any tradition or no tradition) is repeated often enough to quiet or still the compulsive thinking of the mind so that eventually this state of connectedness to the Source (God, Totality) awakens. Many spiritual practices recommend the use mantras extensively for "mind protection." The faith of this man, and the intensity of his endeavors shows the results of this simple but profound spiritual practice. I have taken up this practice in addition to the very simple practices recommended by Eckhart Tolle and am finding increasing joy and peace and happiness in my life.

Rating:
Summary: Profound Spiritual Practice
Review: If you want to understand more about why the Jesus Prayer works, turn to modern mystics such as Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now." Behind the compulsive thinking of the mind is your natural state of peace and joy. The constant repetition of a holy thought (from any tradition or no tradition) is repeated often enough to quiet or still the compulsive thinking of the mind so that eventually this state of connectedness to the Source (God, Totality) awakens. Many spiritual practices recommend the use mantras extensively for "mind protection." The faith of this man, and the intensity of his endeavors shows the results of this simple but profound spiritual practice. I have taken up this practice in addition to the very simple practices recommended by Eckhart Tolle and am finding increasing joy and peace and happiness in my life.

Rating:
Summary: Seek and ye shall find!
Review: If you wish to start a journey within.
If you wish to stop the constant chatter of an out of control
mind.
If you wish peace.
If you seek the stillness, calmness and strength that you
know lives in your heart that seems to be just outside your
grasp.
If you seek to become that which you truly are, which happens
not to be who you think you are.
If you want the only thing that is worthwhile.
Then read this book.
If you want your life to change forever, then "live this book".
This is a book from the heart to the heart.
That is all that matters.
No matter what you believe or what you think you believe
read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Profound Spiritual Practice
Review: Not as earth shattering or life changing as some people claim. I still recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Not as earth shattering or life changing as some people claim. I still recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Enormously uplifting for those of any religion (or lack ther
Review: Really quite good. Refreshing, in its modesty and simplicity (no tricky fiction techniques). For those curious, it is the book read by Zooey (or is it Franny?) in JD Salinger's "Franny and Zooey." Certainly a worthwhile read even for those not into "Christian" Literature.

Rating:
Summary: I wonder who wrote it?
Review: Sergius Bolshakoff in his book "Russian Mystics" writes that there is a manuscript copy in the St. Panteleimon Monastery in Mount Athos. Writing in 1956 he adds that this copy is longer than the existing printed version with five extra episodes and a postscript.
The first printed version came out in Kazan in 1884 and was called "Sincere Tales of a Pilgrim to His Spiritual Father". The introduction of this version tells it to be a reproduction of manuscript which Paisius, abbot of St. Michael of the Cheremissi, found and copied on Mount Athos. Paisius died in 1883.
Bolshakoff writes further that he found the above when he was studying the correspondence of Fr. Jerome Solomentsev. He concludes that the pilgrim perhaps visited Mount Athos and wrote or dictated his story for Fr. Jerome.
However, the above is not the whole history. Bolshakoff found further new information on the pilgrim from two letters of Staretz Ambrose of Optino to a nun who was a prioress of a convent and who had read the manuscript of the Tales before it was printed in Kazan.
Bolshakoff: "In his letter Staretz Ambrose writes: "You write that you came across a manuscript which indicates a simple method to learn the Prayer of Jesus, vocal, mental, and of heart. This manuscript was written by a peasant from the province of Orel who was taught the Prayer of Jesus by an unknown Staretz. You write that the manuscript of this peasant ends in 1859. Shortly before that time we heard from our late staretz, Father Macarius, that he was visited by a layman who had attained to such a high degree of spiritual prayer that Fr. Macarius did not know what to tell him. This layman, in order to receive advice, described to our staretz various states of prayer. Fr Macarius could only tell him: 'Be humble' be humble'. Afterwards he told us about this experience with astonishement. I thought at the time that this concerned the Orel merchant Neumuitov who was a great man of prayer, but I think now that he might well be that peasant of whom you write." (p. 236)

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful map of easy steps toward salvation.
Review: The book Franny was reading and Zooey has read in Salinger's Franny and Zooey, a stunningly simple yet insistent explanation of the way of praying "The Jesus Prayer": "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." This prayer repeated incessantly is reputed to bring joy and let you "see God" in Franny's words. Get it. Pray it. It works.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful map of easy steps toward salvation.
Review: The book Franny was reading and Zooey has read in Salinger's Franny and Zooey, a stunningly simple yet insistent explanation of the way of praying "The Jesus Prayer": "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." This prayer repeated incessantly is reputed to bring joy and let you "see God" in Franny's words. Get it. Pray it. It works.

Rating:
Summary: A Blessing In Surprising Ways
Review: THE WAY OF THE PILGRIM AND THE PILGRIM CONTINUES HIS WAY is a story about the "Jesus Prayer" which has been known and practiced in the Eastern Orthodox Church for a long time.

After learning more about the current notoriety of the "Jesus Prayer" from the internet, I am again reading about it solely for its teachings about the subject of prayer in general. The tale of the Russian pilgrim is truly proving to be a blessing to me in surprising ways.