Kayla Sawyer - Phenomenology of Prayer

 After reading Phenomenology of Prayer I learned a lot about how to pray and why we, and others, pray. Another quote I found in Phenomenology of Prayer that I really love is about the connection between prayer and attention:

"The connection between prayer and attention is crucial, because as a discipline attention clears my vision of vestiges of the ego so that a humble, compassionate, and just regard for others can occur. Simone Weil insists that without the discipline and the waiting of attention we close ourselves off from the truth and grace of the world, and consequently run the risk of embracing a counterfeit world, a world primarily of our own liking and making: 'Attention alone--that attention which is so full that the 'I' disappears--is required of me. I have to deprive all that I call 'I' of the light of my attention and turn it on to that which cannot be conceived."

The quote talks about dissolving the ego so that you can pray to your full compassionate self. By releasing your ego, you can be humble and have a deep regard for others, which is a big necessity within praying. By doing so, we can embrace our world rather than shaping it into what we want it to be. I really love this quote because it talks about embracing the world through prayer rather than being blinded by your ego.

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