Chapter 60
On the Remembrance of God and the Jesus Prayer
60.2.1 May the mercy of God be with you!
60.3.1 Prayer is an inner work. Everything done outwardly in connection with it does not belong to the essence of the matter, but is merely external form.
60.4.1 Whatever appears to be good from this outward form only seems good, but is not. So you should pay no attention to this at all.
60.5.1 What you’re doing, it’s better to abandon. The chief thing you must practice is remembrance of God, or walking before God in his presence. Strive to acquire the habit of always being in the awareness and feeling that you stand under God’s eye, which penetrates the whole depth of your heart and sees all your inner movements.
60.6.1 The Jesus Prayer stands among the means to success in acquiring the habit of walking before God. Everything you need to know about the practice of this prayer is found in the book on Unseen Warfare. Look there and see.
60.7.1 The main thing here is to stand with attention in the heart and cry out to the Lord, who is present everywhere.
60.8.1 It’s better to stand than to sit. It’s better not to think at all about breathing, the position of the head, and so on... But turn all your attention to the interior disposition.
60.9.1 The root of a good interior disposition is the fear of God. You must make it constant... It will keep everything in tension and won’t let either the limbs or the thoughts grow lax, building up a vigilant heart and a sober thought. But you must always remember and feel that success in spiritual life and in all its manifestations is the fruit of the grace of God. Spiritual life in its entirety comes from the Most Holy Spirit of God. We have our own spirit too, but it is powerless. It comes into power when grace overshadows it.[1]
60.10.1 Be saved!
60.11.1 Your well-wisher, Bishop Theophan.
60.12.1