The Way of the Prisoner: Breaking the Chains of Self Through Centering Prayer and Centering Practice - Softcover

Críticas

February 2004

A marvelous treatise on a valuable tradition of contemplative prayer, this is also a moving account of the author's experience of incarceration and spiritual renewal.-- (05/02/2006)

Review by Rev. Doug Girardeau, Diocese of Easton Maryland, May 2004

[Excerpted]

I received an Easter gift this year which I would like to share. Just before Lent began my former teacher at Virginia Seminary, Dick Busch, strongly suggested that I read and review a book written by his friend Jens Soering. The book is entitled, The Way of the Prisoner. It is a contemporary contribution to the history of Christian thought that stretches from the Pauline prison epistles to the writing of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin King. The context of being in jail seems to evoke a certain degree of depth and candor that is not always present in other religious literature. In addition to his prison experience, Soering also displays a broad knowledge of Eastern and Western spirituality. He uses this knowledge to reinforce and illuminate the truths he is trying to teach.

I would encourage the reader not to miss this spiritual autobiography of this prisoner. He notes that while he is in prison for life, we all have aspects of our lives that imprison us.

This is a book about prayer and practice and my teacher said he had been drawn to the regular practice of centering prayer just like the author. Since a student is not greater than his teacher, I returned to this practice, too. That is the real Easter gift to me.

-- (05/02/2006)

Review by Antonia Ryan, OSB, October 2004

Kierkegaard said that we are all in a state of despair. The problem is, most of us don't know that we're in despair, and so we never examine ourselves as we truly are.

In The Way of the Prisoner, inmate Jens Soering tells his own story of peeling away the layers of self and turning his darkness into something positive. Specifically, Soering was able to "break his chains" through the contemplative Christian discipline of Centering Prayer. The way out of despair--what he calls "the way of the prisoner"--is to follow the example of Jesus, whose own cross transformed him, liberated him and brought him to new life.

Such a movement is not the norm for those in prison, according to Soering: "During 17 years in 11 different penitentiaries, I have seen pain produce despair more frequently than hope." He started writing The Way of the Prisoner in January 2001 on the day his last appeal was denied. This blow, he says, "came close to extinguishing that little flame of 'Jens' that had struggled so hard to stay lit with the divine Fire."

Soering sent his manuscript to Cistercian Fr. Thomas Keating, one of the foremost practitioners of Centering Prayer, and the monk passed on the book to his own publisher. The book is part philosophical and theological discussion part how-to contemplation guide, part spiritual memoir, part reflection on the need for prison reform. Its unifying principle is the process of lectio divina. Chapters are structured into lectio, meditatio, oratio and contemplatio, "these four movements from self to God, as a reminder of our rich Western contemplative tradition."

Book One describes the biblical foundations of Christian contemplation, giving exegesis on the temptation of Jesus by the devil (Luke) and other scriptural types for contemplative prayer. This portion also discusses human models of contemplative thought like the Buddha, Antony of Egypt, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Later, Soering weaves in his own experiences to show how the fruits of contemplation might be seen in an individual life.

Between Books 1, 2 and 3 are two "Intermezzos," or interludes. The first tells the details of the 1985 murder case in which Soering was involved. It provides an important piece to the book. Throughout Way, he advocates that the self is an illusion, that there is no self. It is hard to understand why this seems so vital to him until we are able to see where the "self" led this particular individual.

In the next intermezzo, Soering describes the most satisfying fruits of his faithful contemplation practice. Up until this point in the book and in his life, he has dismissed the idea of mystical experience. " 'Visions' struck me as figments of overwrought imaginations, as (particularly beautiful) distractions of the mind." Then (February 2003, on the book's timeline) he realized he was wrong. Soering says of his surprise spiritual breakthrough:

"Contemplative prayer does indeed work incrementally, but along with the strip-mining, it appears that God also secretly drills deep shafts and carves huge subterranean caverns. In the fullness of time, when those hollows are large enough, the land above caves in with a spectacular crash, transforming the surface geography all at once."

The mystical insight Soering relates in this intermezzo will strike fellow contemplatives as true to their own experiences of God's vastness.

The last part of the book moves into what Soering calls "Centering Practice"--how Centering Prayer must move a person outward to help others. The author describes his own prison situation and the ways he has been challenged to practice compassion for his fellow prisoners. It isn't always easy. He tells of molested children-turned-rapists stalking other inmates and men whose only pleasure is a cigarette, drugs or a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Soering also tells of his own escape from a prison rapist, his experience in a Victorian-era English prison and his stay at a prison in Virginia where the window glass was frosted over because, according to officers, "The view overlooking the valley was considered too beautiful for inmate eyes."

These glimpses into prison life are fascinating, absorbing and sad. Soering can also be funny. About distractions in prayer, he observes, "My self ... loves nothing better than to disrupt my prayers with particularly clever ways of phrasing sentences for this book."

Other parts of Way are slower going, such as some of the biblical exposition or the step-by-step Centering instruction; Soering spends pages on the process of breathing. But though they take longer to absorb, these spiritual passages really are the heart and purpose of the book. They stay in the mind for a long time, prompting many--the author hopes--to take up the practice of Centering Prayer, find their way out of their own prisons and, like him, be "able to find God sparkling in my tears."

-- (05/02/2006)

A Lifer's 'Way' Promotes Centering/Practicing Prayer

Review by James Gray, OSB, The Prairie Messenger.

Gray is a Benedictine Monk of St. Peter's Abbey in Muenster, SK. The Prairie Messenger has been published by the Benedictine Monks of St. Peter's since 1904.

"My hope is that you will take courage from my story." A German diplomat's son, Jens Soering has been in jail since April 30, 1986, arrested for the double murder of Derek and Nancy Haysom. Though he did not murder the Haysoms, Jens, 18, confessed guilt to protect his girlfriend Elizabeth Roxanne Haysom, 19, who was implicated in the crime. In January 2001 the US Supreme Court refused to hear Soering's attorney's final habeas corpus petition.

The details of the murder, the subsequent imprisonment for over a decade and a half to the time of writing this book are only part of the arresting account Soering provides of his journey of faith as a lifer. As devastating and despairing as his prison experience was, Soering came to love the Christian scriptures, became a Catholic and a convinced advocate of centering prayer.

"I practice contemplation," he writes, "with a practically fanatical dedication." No doubt that dedication served him well in overcoming his "flirtation with suicide" and revealing to him the basic importance of kenosis or self-emptying (see Phil. 2:5ff.). He insists that centering prayer must include centering practice, self-giving service to others. "Without centering Practice, self-giving service, centering prayer alone degenerates into spiritual self-indulgence."

Combining the intriguing elements of a criminal court case, exposing the dehumanizing impact of prison life and advocating a prayer discipline that leads to contemplation, this book should have wide appeal. Soering admits that "it is by no means light bedtime reading." For those serious about their spiritual growth, however, he hopes it will function as a modern counterpart to a spiritual classic of an earlier century, The Way of the Pilgrim.

Serving as a unitive thread throughout the book is Soering's concern for an individual's spiritual maturity. He roots that in the kenosis or self-emptying of Christ, the necessary condition for interior growth. He believes that the practice of centering prayer is "an attempt to come to terms with Christ's really quite terrifying call . . . to be flogged bloody, nailed to a stake and speared through the ribs" (Mt 10:38). The chains of prison life are to some degree present in each person's life. Soering urges others to show personal concern for the imprisoned.

Detailing his own personal encounter with God through centering prayer, Soering concludes that the essence of contemplation is "an effortless, simple presence to the Presence" arriving at a "general loving attentiveness to God" (St. John of the Cross). Distancing himself from "tales of woe from the dungeon," Soering hopes that his true story as a lifer will indicate "the meaning and the spiritual necessity" of the suffering in our own lives.

In addition to the theory and practice of centering prayer found throughout the book, Soering adds an Appendix on The Method of Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating. Prior to that is his open letter to the governor of Virginia requesting the parole and return to Canada of Miss Haysom, "conditional upon her institutional behaviour and her full acceptance of responsibility for her crime."

The book's subtitle, Breaking the Chains of Self Through Centering Prayer and Centering Practice, is fulfilled in Soering's remarkable and inspiring progress in true self-discovery through service to others-- (05/02/2006)

Reviewed by Stefanie Weisgram, OSB, Vol. 17, 2004

This book is full of riches. In fact, it is three books in one: it contains the story of Jens Soering leading to his present situation and discovery of Centering Prayer; it shows in detail how he has applied Centering Prayer to his own life; and it shows how readers can adapt Centering Prayer and Centering Practice to their own lives to break the chains that bind them as prisoners to the self.

Reading Soering's book takes real discipline. He challenges the reader, at times with a specialized vocabulary, with a detailed organization, and with his personal history, and with his understanding of Centering Prayer. It is well worth the effort it will take to follow all of these. It is important to realize that the book really begins with the Foreword, Preface, and Introduction. Neglecting these may frustrate the reader. Above all, the Introduction must be read. It sets the stage, gives a helpful overview, and explains some of the difficulties readers might encounter.

I highly recommend taking seriously Soering's suggestion that the reader first read Soering's personal story contained in clearly identified sections. This will cut distractions when reading Soering's detailed account of his Centering Prayer experience and how it became his desire to encourage others to follow that practice. It will also be helpful to read the "Brief Postscript on Centering Terminology" at the conclusion of the text and also the appendix containing a brief and accurate outline of Centering Prayer as developed by Thomas Keating, OSCO. This will be especially helpful for readers not familiar with Centering Prayer. For readers familiar with the practice, reading Keating's outline may help in understanding just how Soering adapts Centering Prayer in and to his own circumstances.

In writing his book, Jens Soering wants to share what has helped to transform his own life and help others to do the same. In his words, he wants readers to learn this way of breaking the fetters that bind us all as prisoners, no matter what those fetters might be. He wants us to see that if he can do it, so can we. He says, "My aim is to give you all the spiritual tools you need to revolutionize your life, to introduce you in depth to these tools' history and theory and to give you beginning, intermediate and advanced training in their use" (xxix). He realizes that the book may be difficult for some, but he also believes it is worth the effort it will take to learn Centering Prayer. I agree with Soering.

While the journey Soering describes is solitary, it is possible to draw on the collective wisdom of the Western contemplative tradition, which Soering does. First, however, he rightly begins with the instruction Jesus left us in Scripture. Soering relies here on the pattern of lectio divina of ancient monastic tradition. This consists of four parts: lectio: in which we listen to the Word of God in Scripture; meditatio: where we reflect on the message this Scripture reading brings today; oratio: by which we respond to God through prayer; and contemplatio: where we rest in Christ's peace. This is the outline Soering then uses throughout his book, detailing each of these with examples.

Soering is always encouraging; he knows the pitfalls, the distractions, the lonelienss, and the sheer drudgery of what he encourages readers to do. His tone shows the truth in his claims for Centering Prayer in the course of his life. It is obvious that he has learned and grown through his own efforts with Centering Prayer, and his only desire is to help others do the same. Perhaps in time he will be able to restrain his desire to give the reader all of the fruits of his labor and write a simpler book for beginners that will encourage without perhaps overwhelming them. For this reason I recommend The Way of the Prisoner especially to readers already familiar with Centering Prayer. To beginners I recommend reading the book slowly by sections rather than all at once in a hurry. Then relax in God's presence, open to whatever gift might come your way. Centering Prayer does take effort, but it cannot be hurried or forced. What comes is a gift. Soering understands this.

-- (05/02/2006)

Reviewed by James A. Wiseman, OSB, St. Anselm's Abbey, Washington, DC, October 2004

The previous issue of this bulletin carried a feature article by Jens Soering on mysticism in the Abrahamic religions and Buddhism. The book here under review is his first, although his second book, on prison reform, will be published this year and still a third book, The Convict Christ, should appear in 2005. This is in itself a remarkable achievement for someone who is serving two consecutive life sentences in the Virginia prison system.

In a certain sense The Way of the Prisoner could be considered two books in one. The more important and lengthier parts deal with Centering Prayer and Centering Practice, while two Intermezzos discuss how the author came to be imprisoned and how, on ...

Reseña del editor

Centering Prayer is a modern adaptation of the ancient practice of contemplative prayer, a process of inner purification and an opening of the mind and heart to God. In this remarkable book, Jens Soering, an inmate in a Virginia prison, tells how Centering Prayer and its corollary, Centering Practice--contemplative prayer in action--enable him to survive the daily pain of prison life. Through a moving true story of personal redemption that shocks and inspires, Soering shows how we can all transform our crosses, our prisons (literal or metaphorical), into the means of our salvation.