Bourgeault presents a thorough guide for the practice of Centering Prayer grounded in years of experience and a theological, existential, and psychological dive into the contemplative tradition of Christianity and what she calls Nondual Christianity.

Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D., is an Episcopal priest one can tell she has a lot of experience in the mystical Christian tradition. Being close friends with and student of Thomas Keating, Catholic Monk and critical figure within Centering Prayer tradition, she has a vast knowledge and experience of the Christian Contemplative Community.  

What is Centering Prayer? Bourgeault debunks the common misconception of it being meditation from a Christian perspective. It’s not just another practice of mindfulness which she exemplifies by the words of Keating “Centering Prayer is not done with attention but with intention.” She gives the reader a clear understanding of the prayer. It’s simple but connects us with the complexities of the divine.

“Basically, the method of Centering Prayer consists in learning to withdraw attention from our thoughts – those incessant creations of our busy minds – in order to rest in a gentle, open attentiveness to divine reality itself. This gentle releasing of thoughts is known in Centering Prayer teaching as ‘consenting to the presence and action of God.’”    

The book consists of three parts. The first is a short practical course on Centering Prayer. If you are wondering how to sit, what the sacred word is, or view attention, this is the section for you. Being a novice in the practice, I found this part excellent. The reader receives concrete advice on prayer, a walk-through of consciousness, awareness, and the “consenting to the presence and action of God.” This course is divided into lessons, and the seventh one particularly resonates, Putting on the mind of Christ. Bourgeault connects the practice of Centering Prayer to God, and she confirms that Christ is paramount in Centering Prayer.

“It was ten years into my practice before I realized that the theological basis for Centering Prayer lies in the principle of kenosis, Jesus’s self-emptying love that forms the core of his own self-understanding and life practice.”

The concept of kenosis was new to me yet illuminating. Bourgeault explains how the principle of kenosis refers to Jesus and how He emptied himself throughout his life, which is the opposite of the word cling. She makes the case how Jesus himself practiced gentle release by letting go and encourage us to do the same in his teachings. “And it’s this same core gesture we practice in Centering Prayer: thought by thought by thought. You could really summarize Centering Prayer as kenosis in meditation form.”  

When done with the course, Bourgeault moves on to part two – The Way of the Heart and plunges into Nondual Christianity. This section provides an excellent contribution to the Christian contemplative literature. She examines the different meanings of nonduality and shares her use of the term, namely the shift in the structure of perception. The shift is to move from the binary view of ‘perception through differentiation’ to a higher level of consciousness where you perceive from oneness. The former being the self-reflexive consciousness dependent on the dichotomy between the inside and outside, while the latter acknowledges the self as part of the entire pattern of existence. Also worth mentioning is Bourgeault’s discussion on the attention of the heart, referring to the works of Simeon the New Theologian. The attention of the heart refers not to that of affectivity but the conscious presence of our relationship with God.

“That greatest desideratum of the spiritual life, attention of the heart, is achieved, he feels, not so much by concentration of affectivity as by the simple release of all that one is clinging to, the good thing as well as the bad things. He proposes that we start with that bare gesture of letting go.”

In the third part, Bourgeault takes us back in time to the contemplative classic The Cloud of Unknowing – a book on consciousness and Christian mysticism written in the 14^th century by an anonymous author. This section didn’t resonate as well with me as the other parts. Nevertheless, it is a stimulating read and valuable to put the teaching of Centering Prayer into a broader historical context. I put The Cloud of Unknowing on my ‘to read list’ after reading The Heart of Centering Prayer because of the wisdom and growth I think it could bring to my spiritual life.

I found this a very enlightening book. The vocabulary is rich, and the content well chosen. The scope of the book, being just over 200 pages, fits its purpose. Some passages are pretty challenging while spurring, or demanding, high brain activity regarding profound existential, spiritual, and psychological matters. The language is formal yet personal and warm, and a non-native English speaker like myself will have to check the dictionary occasionally.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who seeks to increase their knowledge in Centering Prayer and its practice, implications, and origins. Beginners, as well as experienced practitioners, will find it beneficial. I also believe most will enjoy the frequent sparks of wisdom emerging from the pages.