Customer Reviews

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

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"The Way of the Prisoner" is the perfect book for someone who would like to learn the background of Centering Prayer in the early church, followed by step-by-step instructions on how to practice it, all explained in very clear, simple language. The book is unique because the author, Jens Soering, is serving two life sentences in a Virginia prison, and he briefly describes his own case in order to show the kind of redemption he has found through Centering Prayer. If you have ever thought that you would like to try, or read more about, serious meditating, this book is a wonderful place to begin. The author asks you to commit to two 20-minute sessions a day. As you practice week after week, you begin to see that the self "really does not consist of very much at all. The same old tired hungers, an amazingly small assortment of pet peeves and pleasures, and a handful of thought loops repeating themselves over and over." This book has the power to change your prayer life and touch your heart.

This is a moving account of the author's time in prison, as well as a personal history of his journey thru centering prayer. Having practiced centering prayer only for a relatively short period of time, I found this book answered many questions I had concerning the practice. It also provides a roadmap for the journey ahead: Soering sees centering prayer as a necessary prerequisite for what he calls contemplation, which is direct communing with the "I AM".

I recommend this book along with the must-have Fr. Keating, etc. books, as it sheds a personal light on the practice of centering prayer; as the author stresses repeatedly, we are all prisoners of one form or another.

I have practiced centering prayer for several years. I don't think the book is structured for a beginner, but it is well written and a good personal testimony of the results of prayer and self-denial under the difficult conditions of prison. I would recommend it for someone who is practicing centering prayer.