“When you pray, go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.”
Connect with God in silence!

Prayer is going within myself and meeting God.
But doing so is not easy.
Because our inner selves are not as quiet as we think.
So, no matter how much you pray, there are many cases where you cannot develop a relationship with God.
But there is a way to pray that allows us to enter this noisy inner world quietly.
It is centering prayer.


Centering prayer leads us to encounter God in silence and rest in Him.
This prayer comes from the biblical passage, “When you pray, go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6).
Traditional Christian spiritual masters have taught us how to pray by looking at this passage of Scripture.
Father Thomas Keating has modernized the teachings of these masters and published Open Mind, Open Heart for beginners in Centering Prayer.


This book has been consistently loved since its publication in 1997, and has guided countless people to the path of encountering God and rest.
This time, Catholic Publishing House presents a completely revised version of this book, translated by a new translator, to help those new to centering prayer understand it.
We've refined the book's content, revised the titles of each section, and added a clean design composition to maximize visual comfort.
Read "Open Your Mind, Open Your Heart" to discover helpful teachings and guidelines for developing a deeper faith relationship with God.
It will serve as an important guide as we embark on our spiritual journey.


What is the essence of contemplative prayer? It is the path of pure faith.
Nothing else.
You don't necessarily have to feel it, but you have to prepare yourself to approach it.
Centering prayer practice is one way to do that.
― From the text

Inner silence is one of the most empowering human experiences.
In fact, there is no experience that gives us more assurance than the experience of God's presence and love.
Such revelation speaks to us as nothing else can.
“You are a good person.
“I created you and I love you.” God’s love allows us to enjoy the most positive meaning of these words.
This heals the negative feelings we have about ourselves.
---From "Letting Go of Even the Best Ideas"

God embraces us with both arms.
With his left arm he humbles us and corrects our mistakes.
With His right arm, He lifts us up and comforts us with the assurance that we are loved by Him.
If you want to be fully embraced by the Lord, you must accept Him with both arms.
We must accept both the arm that allows suffering for purification and the arm that brings the joy of unity.
When you feel physical pain or are embroiled in a psychological struggle, think of God holding you especially tight.
Trials are an expression of burning love, not rejection.
---From “God’s Presence Takes Place Within Us”

Trying to grasp God's presence is like trying to grasp air.
You can't take a piece of air and hide it in a desk drawer.
We cannot just take a piece of God's presence and hide it in the closet or keep it in the refrigerator until the next prayer time.
Centering prayer is a practice of letting go of everything, even one's own identity.
This does not mean that we should not use the good things of this world.
Anything that diminishes the free flow of God's grace and prevents us from enjoying His presence is attachment or addiction.
---From “Things that hinder the heart that waits for God”

If there is a barrier within our soul that prevents us from opening ourselves to God, God's love begins to teach us what it is.
As we let go of them, we become increasingly exposed to God's presence and enjoy His presence.
The inner workings of contemplative prayer lead to a natural transformation of the entire personality.
The purpose is not limited to improving your morality.
It changes the way we perceive and react to reality.
This process signifies a structural change in consciousness.
---From “How Does God Heal?”

The basic principles for dealing with them in centering prayer are as follows:
Do not resist any thought, do not cherish any thought, and do not react emotionally to any thought.
When any image, feeling, reflection, or experience catches your attention, return to the sacred word.
Don't judge centering prayer based on how many thoughts come to mind or how much peace you experience.
The only criterion for judging this prayer is the long-term fruit it produces: whether it leads to greater peace, humility, and love in our daily lives.
When we reach a deep inner silence, we begin to relate to others beyond superficial aspects such as social status, race, nationality, religion, and personality.
---From "Who are you, Lord?"

The root of prayer is inner silence.
We may think of prayer as putting thoughts and feelings into words.
But this is only one expression.
Deep prayer is putting thoughts aside.
This is opening our entire being—mind, heart, body, and feelings—to God, who is the absolute mystery beyond words, thoughts, and emotions.
We do not resist them or suppress them.
We accept them as they are and move beyond them, not by effort, but simply by letting them pass.

---From "The Power That Leads Us"

For Saint Gregory, contemplation is both a fruit that can be produced through contemplation of the word of God in Scripture and a gift from God.
It is rest in God.
In this rest or silence, the mind and heart do not actively seek God.
Instead, you begin to taste and experience what you have been looking for.
This brings about a state of equanimity, a state of deep inner peace.
This state does not mean that all activity is halted.
It is a combination of a deliberate effort to pay attention to God and a loving experience of God's presence.
---From "The Path of Spirituality"

Obedience is unconditionally accepting God as He is, as He appears in our lives.
God's will is not immediately apparent.
A meek heart will enable us to listen to all signs that reveal God's will.
We develop the discernment to discern the evidence of God's will and to discern what God requires of us here and now, in the light of the inner drawing of grace.

---From “Human effort depends on grace”