PURE MIND Prayer

Everything else can grow slowly — or not at all — and still be complete.

1. Prayer is not talking about God, but standing before God

Nouwen emphasizes that prayer is presence, not performance.
It is not about eloquent words, insights, or feelings—but about placing oneself in God’s presence and remaining there faithfully.

Prayer is described as:

• Not a technique to master

• Not an emotional experience to produce

• Not a way to control God

Instead, prayer is consent—a willingness to be seen as we are.

2. Prayer requires discipline, not inspiration

One of the strongest teachings in this section is that prayer is sustained by discipline, not motivation.

The Desert Fathers taught that:

• We pray whether we feel like it or not

• We show up even when prayer feels dry, empty, or boring

• Faithfulness matters more than fervor

Nouwen stresses that waiting for the “right mood” is one of the main ways prayer disappears from life.

Prayer shapes us precisely when it feels unproductive.

3. The heart must be trained to remain in God’s presence

Left to itself, the mind wanders.
The heart resists stillness.

Nouwen explains that prayer involves training the heart to:

• Return again and again to God

• Stay with God despite distractions

• Let go of the need to do something useful

This training is gentle but persistent—much like returning to the breath.

4. Short prayers anchor the wandering heart

In these pages, Nouwen introduces the Desert Fathers’ use of short, repeated prayers (often called arrow prayers).

Their purpose:

• To recall the heart when it drifts

• To root prayer in the body and breath

• To prevent prayer from becoming abstract or intellectual

Examples include simple phrases such as:

• “Lord, come to my assistance.”

• “God, have mercy.”

• “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

These prayers are not magical formulas—they are anchors of presence.

5. Prayer leads to humility, not spiritual pride

A subtle but important theme:
Authentic prayer does not make us feel superior, enlightened, or special.

Instead, it:

• Reveals our dependence

• Softens judgment

• Deepens compassion

Nouwen notes that those who truly pray often become more aware of their poverty, not less—yet experience this poverty as held in love.

6. The goal of prayer is transformation, not consolation

Finally, Lesson 5 makes clear that prayer’s deepest fruit is conversion of the heart.

Prayer slowly reshapes:

• How we listen

• How we speak

• How we relate to others

• How we live in the world

It is less about escaping life—and more about learning to live from the heart of God.

In essence

Lesson 5 teaches that prayer is a steady, humble practice of presence—
a returning of the heart to God again and again—
until our very way of being is transformed.

I will offer two gentle pieces together—simple practice language and a short guided practice—so you can receive it directly, without deciding anything first.

Lesson 5 — translated into very simple practice language

What prayer is (in lived experience):

• Prayer is being here, not achieving anything

• Prayer is showing up, even when nothing happens

• Prayer is allowing yourself to be seen exactly as you are

What prayer asks of you:

• Come back when the mind wanders

• Stay when it feels dry or empty

• Return again and again, kindly

What prayer slowly gives:

• A softened heart

• Less judgment, more mercy

• A quiet trust that you are held

In short: Prayer is the training of the heart to remain.

A 5-minute guided practice inspired by Lesson 5

You can read this slowly, or record it later if you wish.

Prayer of Simple Presence

Settle into a comfortable position.
There is nothing to fix.
Nothing to accomplish.

Gently notice your body.
Feel where you are supported.

Let the breath come and go naturally.
No need to change it.

Now, silently offer this simple intention:
“I am here.”

Nothing more.

If thoughts arise, that’s okay.
When you notice them, gently return to the body…
and to the breath.

You may use a very short prayer, softly, in rhythm with breathing:

• “Here.”

• “I am here.”

• “God, I am here.” (if that language fits for you)

When the mind wanders—
and it will—
just return.

No judgment.
No correction.

Rest in the act of returning itself.

If the practice feels empty, let it be empty.
If it feels restless, let it be restless.

Stay anyway.

For these moments,
your only work
is presence.

Sit for a few more breaths…
and when you’re ready, gently open your eyes.

A single line you can carry with you

If you want one phrase that holds the whole lesson:

“Faithfulness is the prayer.”

Or, in even simpler form:

“I return.”

You’re doing this in a very honest, grounded way—and that matters.

Beautiful. I’ll shape this carefully and cleanly, so it can stand unchanged and be reused everywhere.
Below are five aligned pieces, all Pure Mind–only, all gentle, all stable.

1. Pure Mind–Only Version (Foundational Language)

PURE MIND — The Practice of Returning

Pure Mind is not something to achieve.
Pure Mind is what remains when we stop trying.

The practice is simple:

• Feel the body

• Allow what is here

• Rest as awareness

When the mind wanders,
Pure Mind does not correct it.

Pure Mind returns.

Nothing is excluded.
Nothing is forced away.

Resting as Pure Mind means:

• No fixing

• No improving

• No becoming

Just being here, as this moment.

The practice is not staying perfectly present.
The practice is returning, again and again.

This returning is Pure Mind.

2. 30-Second Emergency Prayer (Pure Mind)

This is for moments of freeze, panic, despair, or overwhelm.

PURE MIND — Emergency Return

Stop.
Feel your feet.
Feel your hands.

Silently say:
Pure Mind.

Nothing to do.
Nothing to fix.

Whatever is here
is allowed to be here.

Breathe once.
Breathe again.

Pure Mind is here now.

Stay for one more breath.

3. Black-and-White Printable Page (Ready for DOCX / PDF)

Title (centered):
PURE MIND — THE PRACTICE OF RETURNING

What this practice is
Pure Mind is simple presence.
It is not effort.
It is not concentration.
It is not improvement.

Pure Mind is what is already here
when we stop trying to change ourselves.

The practice

1. Feel the body

2. Allow what is present

3. Rest as awareness

When the mind wanders,
gently return.

No judgment.
No fixing.

A single guiding phrase

Pure Mind — I return.

When the practice feels empty or difficult
Stay anyway.
Faithfulness is enough.

Footer (optional, consistent across sites):

Pure Mind is not edited, optimized, or commercialized.
It remains simple, stable, and unchanged.

4. Audio-Ready Script with Exact Pauses (≈4 minutes)

This is recording-ready.

PURE MIND — Returning

(5 seconds silence)

Settle into the body.
(4s)

Feel where you are supported.
(6s)

Let the breath move naturally.
(6s)

Silently say:
Pure Mind.
(8s)

There is nothing to do.
(6s)

Nothing to improve.
(6s)

If thoughts arise,
notice them…
and return.
(10s)

Return to the body.
(6s)

Return to awareness.
(8s)

Silently:
Pure Mind — I return.
(12s)

Rest here.
(10s)

Whatever is present
belongs.
(10s)

One more gentle breath.
(6s)

And when you’re ready,
open your eyes.
(5s)

5. Placing This as a Core, Protected Practice Across Your Work

Here is the single rule that protects it:

Core Protection Rule

This Pure Mind practice is foundational and may not be edited, optimized, expanded, branded, or reframed.

Where it belongs:

• As a “Begin Here” or “Return Here” page

• As the opening or closing practice of courses

• As a stand-alone refuge practice

• As the emergency grounding across all sites

How it should be labeled:

• Foundational

• Unedited

• Core Practice

• Always Available

What should not be added:

• No promises

• No outcomes

• No selling language

• No psychological analysis

• No spiritual hierarchy

This keeps it clean, trustworthy, and timeless.

This is a quiet, strong foundation. You have placed it well.

Downloads

• Download the DOCX

• Download the matching PDF

• Download WordPress Classic HTML

• Download the SSML file (for TTS tools)

• Download audio production notes

Notes on the two remaining items you requested

• Wallet-size emergency card: included as the final page in the DOCX/PDF (“WALLET CARD”).

• Female-voice audio version: I can’t directly generate a voiced MP3 in this environment, but I did provide:

  • the audio-ready script with exact pauses (in the DOCX/PDF + HTML), and

  • an SSML file with precise <break> timings (works with many TTS services), plus

  • clean recording/production notes for a human voice actor or your preferred voice tool.

If you tell me which voice tool you use (e.g., ElevenLabs, Polly, Azure, etc.), I’ll tailor the SSML/settings to that platform’s exact format.

You’re very welcome, Ross.
It’s been a quiet privilege to help you shape something so steady and kind.

What you’ve created here has a settledness to it — the sort of practice that doesn’t ask anything from the person who comes to it, and because of that, it can truly be trusted. That’s rare, and it matters.

Whenever you are ready, I am here to:

• extend this gently into other parts of your ecosystem, or

• simply sit with the next small refinement, one breath at a time.

Until then — may this Protected Core #1 continue to be a place you can return to, exactly as it is.