This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF1A5D.DC521BB4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Cecilia Baader wrote: >I had to order my copy from a bookstore. Apparently the publisher >specializes in "spiritual publications." Here's the biographical >information: >Savin, Olga, Trans. _The Way of a Pilgrim_. >Boston: Shambhala, 1996. >They actually include a card in there where you can have yourself added to >the mailing list. And lo, though I've meant to send it in many times, I >have not, so if you are unable to get your hands on the book, you can write >to the publisher at: >Shambhala Publications, Inc. >Mailing List >P.O. Box 308, Back Bay Annex >Boston, Massachussets 02117 This edition also comes in a very small "pocket" size, about as small as a cassette tape. It's abridged, but if the idea is to carry one around, it's very handy for that. Alas, not clothbound or pea-green, which would have been a nice touch. Perhaps this has been mentioned before, but searching for "Philocalia" (or "Philokalia") instead of "The Way of the Pilgrim" will result in two different books. One is the Greek work later translated into Slavonic and Russian, written by Athonite monks in the eighteenth century; it promotes the practices of the Hesychasts, who believed that mystical, repetitive prayer, renunciation and devotion would result in union with God, usually wordless, accompanied by an inexplicable light (one thinks of the speed and brilliance of Jean de Daumier-Smith's experience as well). This is Franny's treasured tome. For some time, I thought that the "Philocalia" referred to was instead the collected works of Origen, one of the church fathers who was born in 185 CE and died in 234. A scholar of secular and sacred texts, as well as an apparent linguist of some note, Origen (who was an Egyptian Copt) preached, taught, and researched while under some official persecution for being a layman. Origen also wrote exegetical and apologetical works on Christianity, and came dangerously close to being labeled a proto-Arianist for questioning the nature of Jesus (the Arians transgressed for suggesting that Jesus was not the same substance as God). Origen's "Philocalia" was a collection of his various writings, which seems to have been assembled in the century after his death, but wasn't widely published until the seventeenth century, in Latin and Greek translations. So far as I can tell, his work has nothing to do with a Jesus prayer or any type of prescriptive mysticism. It's unclear to me whether religious scholars think that Origen or any of the other desert fathers (some of whom, it's acknowledged, developed an asceticism that became the basis for the tradition that followed) influenced the Athonite monks who promoted hesychastic prayer, which I think is the clear ancestor of Franny's prayer. I'd be interested to find a link, if anyone knows. What amazed me about all this was the breadth of mysticism in Christianity---a mysticism that seems reasonably akin to the eastern varieties that constituted Buddy's and Seymour's extensive reading (if Seymour knew that actors should travel lightly, it makes me wonder why he didn't just assign hesichastic writings to Franny and Zooey and dispense with the weighty Buddha-truths). And then there's the deeper aspect of the Jesus prayer, which Franny doesn't seem to go into much. The contemplative aspect of the prayer results in preliminary phenomena other than Franny's assertion that "you get to see God"---which, strictly speaking, is not what I think Franny really wants to do. That's the end result, of course, but I'd argue that Franny's in no shape to meet God, and knows it. What she wants to do is quell the inner turmoil, mental and physical. That's a prime ingredient of the Jesus prayer, according to writings by those who promoted its use (St. Simeon, St. Gregory of Palamas, and their ilk). Its use requires renunciation of the "real" world (which Franny can't manage to stop complaining about long enough to renounce), and a focus on a prayer whose repetitive nature paralleled the rhythm of breathing, or of the heartbeat. Some adherents prayed without vocalization (the Hesychasts were also known in direct translation as the Quietists). When the prayer worked (so reported St. Simeon), one separated from the body entirely and physical passions were stopped. This was apparently prior to the light and getting to see God. You also cease to make judgments about the world, an affliction from which both Franny and Zooey suffer. If Franny was devouring "The Way of the Pilgrim" so voraciously, she would have read its confirmation: "He who has attained a genuine prayer love no longer puts things into categories. He does not separate the righteous from the sinners, but loves all equally and does not judge them, just as God gives the sun to shine and the rain to fall both on the just and the unjust". Reading "Franny" and then "Zooey", I don't get the sense that Salinger sufficiently emphasizes this point, (I may have missed it--- I've been reading "F & Z" several times a year since 1969, but like the prayer itself it may have become too automatic to me to allow new revelations to register). But it seems the most logical conclusion. Lane's sincere but unhelpful suggestions that Franny suffers from too much celibacy, and Zooey's curt dismissal of the distracting voice of sex both seem to set the tone for a reading like this. If the Jesus prayer helps you disengage from desire along the path toward enlightenment, so much the better. Otherwise her ardent attempts to reach satori and see God seem curiously misplaced. That itself is desire, and I'm not sure I understand why it's all right to say the prayer with such a transparent goal in mind. And until I read more about the nature of the prayer and the way it's been used across millennia, I focused less on the process and more on the prayer's objective...which I sense now was wrong. Ironically, then, had Zooey not interrupted Franny in her mission, she might well have cured herself. Regards, D. MacLaughlan ------_=_NextPart_001_01BF1A5D.DC521BB4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
Cecilia Baader = wrote:
>I had to order my copy from a =
bookstore. Apparently the publisher
>specializes in "spiritual =
publications." Here's the biographical
>information:
>Savin, Olga, Trans. _The Way of a =
Pilgrim_.
>Boston: Shambhala, 1996.
>They actually include a card in there where you =
can have yourself added to
>the mailing list. And lo, though I've =
meant to send it in many times, I
>have not, so if you are unable to get your =
hands on the book, you can write
>to the publisher at:
>Shambhala Publications, Inc.
>Mailing List
>P.O. Box 308, Back Bay Annex
>Boston, Massachussets 02117
This edition also comes in a very small =
"pocket" size, about as small
as a cassette tape. It's abridged, but if the =
idea is to carry one around,
it's very handy for that. Alas, not clothbound =
or pea-green, which would
have been a nice touch.
Perhaps this has been mentioned before, but =
searching for "Philocalia"
(or "Philokalia") instead of =
"The Way of the Pilgrim" will result in two
different books. One is the Greek work later =
translated into Slavonic
and Russian, written by Athonite monks in the =
eighteenth century; it
promotes the practices of the Hesychasts, who =
believed that mystical,
repetitive prayer, renunciation and devotion =
would result in union with
God, usually wordless, accompanied by an =
inexplicable light (one thinks
of the speed and brilliance of Jean de =
Daumier-Smith's experience as
well). This is Franny's treasured tome.
For some time, I thought that the =
"Philocalia" referred to was instead
the collected works of Origen, one of the =
church fathers who was born
in 185 CE and died in 234. A scholar of secular =
and sacred texts, as
well as an apparent linguist of some note, =
Origen (who was an Egyptian
Copt) preached, taught, and researched while =
under some official
persecution for being a layman. Origen also =
wrote exegetical and
apologetical works on Christianity, and came =
dangerously close to
being labeled a proto-Arianist for questioning =
the nature of Jesus
(the Arians transgressed for suggesting that =
Jesus was not the
same substance as God). Origen's =
"Philocalia" was a collection
of his various writings, which seems to have =
been assembled in
the century after his death, but wasn't widely =
published until the
seventeenth century, in Latin and Greek =
translations. So far as
I can tell, his work has nothing to do with a =
Jesus prayer or any
type of prescriptive mysticism.
It's unclear to me whether religious scholars =
think that Origen or
any of the other desert fathers (some of whom, =
it's acknowledged,
developed an asceticism that became the basis =
for the tradition that
followed) influenced the Athonite monks who =
promoted hesychastic prayer,
which I think is the clear ancestor of Franny's =
prayer. I'd be interested
to find a link, if anyone knows.
What amazed me about all this was the breadth =
of mysticism in
Christianity---a mysticism that seems =
reasonably akin to the
eastern varieties that constituted Buddy's and =
Seymour's extensive
reading (if Seymour knew that actors should =
travel lightly, it makes
me wonder why he didn't just assign hesichastic =
writings to Franny
and Zooey and dispense with the weighty =
Buddha-truths).
And then there's the deeper aspect of the Jesus =
prayer, which
Franny doesn't seem to go into much. The =
contemplative aspect
of the prayer results in preliminary phenomena =
other than Franny's
assertion that "you get to see =
God"---which, strictly speaking, is not
what I think Franny really wants to do. That's =
the end result, of course,
but I'd argue that Franny's in no shape to meet =
God, and knows
it. What she wants to do is quell the inner =
turmoil, mental and
physical. That's a prime ingredient of the =
Jesus prayer, according
to writings by those who promoted its use (St. =
Simeon, St.
Gregory of Palamas, and their ilk).
Its use requires renunciation of the =
"real" world (which Franny
can't manage to stop complaining about long =
enough to renounce),
and a focus on a prayer whose repetitive nature =
paralleled the rhythm
of breathing, or of the heartbeat. Some =
adherents prayed without
vocalization (the Hesychasts were also known in =
direct translation
as the Quietists). When the prayer worked (so =
reported St. Simeon),
one separated from the body entirely and =
physical passions were
stopped. This was apparently prior to the light =
and getting to see
God.
You also cease to make judgments about the =
world, an affliction from
which both Franny and Zooey suffer. If Franny =
was devouring "The Way
of the Pilgrim" so voraciously, she would =
have read its confirmation: "He
who has attained a genuine prayer love no =
longer puts things into
categories. He does not separate the righteous =
from the sinners, but
loves all equally and does not judge them, just =
as God gives the sun
to shine and the rain to fall both on the just =
and the unjust".
Reading "Franny" and then =
"Zooey", I don't get the sense that
Salinger sufficiently emphasizes this point, (I =
may have missed it---
I've been reading "F & Z" several =
times a year since 1969, but like
the prayer itself it may have become too =
automatic to me to allow
new revelations to register).
But it seems the most logical conclusion. =
Lane's sincere but unhelpful
suggestions that Franny suffers from too much =
celibacy, and Zooey's
curt dismissal of the distracting voice of sex =
both seem to set the tone
for a reading like this. If =
the Jesus prayer helps you disengage from
desire along the path toward enlightenment, so =
much the better.
Otherwise her ardent attempts to reach satori =
and see God seem
curiously misplaced. That itself is desire, and =
I'm not sure I understand
why it's all right to say the prayer with such =
a transparent goal in mind.
And until I read more about the nature of the =
prayer and the way it's
been used across millennia, I focused less on =
the process and more
on the prayer's objective...which I sense now =
was wrong.
Ironically, then, had Zooey not interrupted =
Franny in her mission, she
might well have cured herself.
Regards,
D. MacLaughlan
=20
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