Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism

This little book says that it brings together the Christian and the Sufi traditions of the Prayer of the Heart. This is a mammuth task for a small book like this! I would rather call it an introduction to the similarities in the Christian Prayer of the Heart and the Sufi Zikr, with the accent on telling what the Sufi Zikr is at best. There is no real difference in these two practises. All practise is based on repetition (which helps to make us perfect), and indeed these two forms of praying are very repetitive. Both have as their aim to be able to stand in the presence of God, and unite with Him through the heart. That the Naqsbandi silent Zikr is closest to the Christian Prayer of the Heart (at its highest level) is an excellent observation by Llewellyn, who writes from his own experience. I found one particular paragraph very beautiful and relating to my own experience: "When love reveals its real nature we come to know that there is neither lover nor Beloved. There is no one to pray and no one to pray to. We do not even know that we are lost; we return from these states of merging knowing only that we gave our self and were taken. Our gift of our self was accepted so completely that we knew nothing of the encounter. We looked towards our Beloved and were taken into love's arms, embraced in oneness, dissolved in nearness. For so many years we had cried and called out, and when the Beloved finally came the meeting was so intimate there was nothing left of us to witness it." Fully recommended as an angle on the Prayer of the Heart!

A beautiful guide to spiritual maturity.

I just finished this book as part of my research for my Master's thesis. It is amazingly beautiful in its simplicity of relaying the deeply intimate and inspirational relationship of prayer to mystic union with Spirit (or what ever you call God). I highly recommend Prayer of the Heart. It is a quick read yet I have underlined much of the text and marked up all the margins. It has footnotes for those who wish to research further and it combines mystics from both Christianity and Islam as well as the author's own experience to allow readers of both faiths to relate to the teachings about going within in prayer to find God.

What a gem this small book is, detailing the similar ways these two faiths approach prayer, as well as how to find the divine within you and all around you. My copy is filled with underlined parts on virtually every page. Sample: "In every moment, in every event of your life, the Beloved is whispering to you exactly what you need to hear and know." It is one of those rare spiritual books I will consult in the future again and again. Highly recommended. ~Tom Rapsas, author of Life Tweets: Inspirational & Spiritual Insights That Can Change Your Life.

Interesting little book about how to be mindful & meditate/pray.

I don’t want to give a long drawn out review. As a Gnostic, this book has really touched my heart. I find myself in a different place these day after reading. I’m 75% done with it, but will be rotating it in with other books. Yes, my review is very generic because what I experienced with the readings may be different from yours. But I will close with this, IMO the road to God (however you understand God for yourself) is wide. For me I have found great comfort.❤️🌈

Clear, challenging and inspiring. It helped to give a boost to my own practice by clarifying the stages of prayer. The internal work that is taking place beyond the intellect to comprehend or be aware of. He reaffirmed my belief that at the heart all spiritual beliefs unite and the differences fall away or become insignificant. They affirm our own PATH to the heart.

I was looking for more indepth guidance about prayer. A lot of what is in this book I had read in one of his other books. Although Llewllyn Vaugh-Lee is a wonderful teacher, I did not gain as much from this book as I did from some of his other works.

If a book begins with imagery and insights so beautiful it makes you cry, it must be a good one. I've been praying the Prayer of the Heart for more than 3 years, and all this time searching for some kind of modern reference to it, someone to connect the Christian and Sufi traditions in a way relevant to my practice. I also wanted help in learning how to teach it to others, and how to apply it's benefits in daily life. Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee has provided the perfect book -- insightful, relevant, profound, concise, and heart-felt.

A most uplifting and insightful book enabling deeper connection to the One of which we are all part.

Thoughtful and well written book, comparison of Christian and Sufi prayers helpful

Beautiful book! A gentle and sensitive exploration of real prayer

A most beautiful and inspirational book about praying from and with our hearts.