3 stars
I am conflicted and befuddled by this book. The author is so concerned about finding out how “to pray without ceasing” that he journeys to ask monks, priests and scholars how to do it. The problem I have with the whole concept of the book is this… He is so focused on the command that he forgets the grace of Jesus and the privilege of prayer.
I surely do not have the answer this man was seeking, but I do have the grace of Jesus and the understanding that there are no legalistic requirements in the New Testament. I commend and understand the attitude of wanting to do right by God and follow His commands; however, I just think the author is missing the point entirely. I'm not sure if I can recommend this book or not.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own. #TheWayofThePilgrim #NetGalley #Dover #IxiaPress

Het is een Orthodox boek maar dit boek geldt voor iedereen, vooral voor alle Christenen die meer over Jezus gebed willen leren. Het is een erg leerzaam boek en ik raad u zeker aan om het te gaan lezen.

I want to be mystical but I just get bored.

I read The Way of a Pilgrim before Franny & Zooey. I haven't read A Pilgrim Continues.., but the former was an interesting journey.

The anonymous confessions of an early 19th century Russian aestetic to his spiritual adviser, THE WAY OF A PILGRIM is a classic of Orthodox Christian spirituality and contains within its humble account a message accessible to every reader. Far from being a highfaultin' work of theology, its theme is simply the ability of any individual to dwell in the presence of God.

The author of the account speaks of how one day in a sermon he heard St Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing", and he wondered how that might be possible. When he asks the question of the abbot of a nearby monastery, the wise old monk introduces the pilgrim to the tradition of the prayer of the heart, or "Jesus prayer". The pilgrim wanders all over Russia, as far as Irkutsk in the east of Siberia. His account gives us an enjoyable account of Russian peasant life of the time. As he journeys about, he reads much of the Philokalia, the classic compendium of mystical writings by Orthodox saints. Essentially, the Jesus prayer is an attempt to come closer to God through ceaseless repetition of the phrase "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." In the initial steps of his prayer life, the pilgrim says this first hundreds and then thousands of times a day. But the Jesus prayer is no mantra, having intrisic value in its, nor is it "vain repetition". Rather, the prayer is meant to guide the Christian into a ceaseless longing for God in his heart. Without that centering in the heart, speaking the words of the prayer is an empty gesture.

The work is an important representation of Orthodoxy to non-Orthodox, and it dispells two popular misconceptions about the Church. One is the accusation made by some Protestants that Orthodoxy is ritualism mediated by a priest, and does not teach a personal relationship by God. You could hardly have a greater relationship with God than calling upon him every waking (and sleeping) hour. The other misconception is that Christianity has no mystical tradition comparable to the East, but THE WAY OF A PILGRIM, once you get past its rather staid prose, will reveal profound teachings on prayer and meditation that the hippest Hindu or Buddhist fads are the palest reflections of.

The book does have a sequel, "A Pilgrim Continues His Way", which is published together with THE WAY OF A PILGRIM in some editions. I have not read this yet, and I say that if you can't find an edition with it, don't worry, as the main text has more than enough to keep you occupied. THE WAY OF A PILGRIM is a common introductory reading recommended by Orthodox priests to inquirers and converts in English-speaking countries, and I can heartily recommend it. I should note however that the Philokalia, to which the author often refers, was written for monastics and is generally considered dangerous to read without the guidance of a spiritual father.

Finally finished this amazing book. I do not know why it took months. It is definitely one of my favorite books.

An Orthodox wanderer travels Russia learning how to pray the Jesus Prayer. He meets many people who help guide him on his path.

My favorite character is the Professor. I learned just how common and timeless certain problems of mine are. But the best part is actually being givensolutions for my problems.

There is also an amazing appendix with selections from the Philokalia which discuss the Jesus Prayer.

This will definitely be one of my books I constantly re-read.

This took me way too long to read, and I know it was written hundreds of years ago but it definitely could have been shorter. I did learn some good stuff about prayer, but it was hidden under a lot.of.religious philosophizing and seemingly random anecdotes.

As a Catholic reading this book, I have actually solved the schism, you’re welcome.

A very beautiful book on meditative prayer, some parts I was a bit “I’m not sure about that one m8” but overall very good. -1 for antisemitism (it was written by a Russian in the 1800s so take it with a grain of salt)

Thanks to Barrett for making me think of putting this one on here. Read this one about five years ago, and enjoyed it immensely. It was the first book I had ever read on Orthodox spiritual life, and it was a major blessing to me. The faith of the peasant in the story to persevere and seek to learn what true prayer was reminded me of our connection with the great cloud of witnesses. Furthermore, I have learned much from the Jesus Prayer, and still use it frequently in times of stress or just to say a simple prayer. The Jesus Prayer has been brought into American consciousness by Franny and Zooey by Salinger, which I happened to read when I was already interested in the Jesus Prayer. Since then, I have listened to several talks by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on the Jesus Prayer, and these have further encouraged me to keep praying it. (For those who don't know, the Jesus Prayer is some variant of, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.) It can often be used with breathing exercises as an excellent way to remind ourselves through prayer that we are God's and that He is in control of our lives.