A Short and Easy Method of Prayer is a 1685 manual of contemplative prayer by the French Quietist Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, written for laypeople and arguing that the practice of "prayer of the heart" — silent, imageless, surrendered attention to God — is open to everyone and is the proper culmination of all Christian prayer. The book's central method is short and operational: read scripture slowly, attend to the heart's response, abandon the will to God, and remain in stillness.
Guyon composed the treatise as a private manuscript for a small circle; it circulated quickly and was printed in 1685. The text is divided into twenty-four chapters, moving from an argument for the universal call to prayer through practical instruction on silence, self-surrender, and what Guyon calls the presence of God. The Catholic Church placed it on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1688, and Guyon was imprisoned in the Bastille from 1695 to 1703. The book survived through Protestant and Pietist circulation in northern Europe and became foundational to later contemplative streams, including centering prayer.
Prayer is the application of the heart to God, and the internal exercise of love.
Chapter I, "The Universal Call to Prayer"
First lines
This little treatise, conceived in great simplicity, was not originally intended for publication. It was written for a few individuals, who were desirous of loving God with all their heart.
Contents
The Universal Call to Prayer
The Method of Prayer
The First Degree of Prayer
The Second Degree of Prayer
Of Spiritual Aridity
Of Self-Surrender
Of Sufferings
Of Mysteries
Of Virtue
Of Mortification
Of Conversion
Of the Presence of God
Of Rest before God
Of Inward Silence
Of Confession and Self-examination
Of Reading and Vocal Prayer
Of Petitions
Of Defects or Infirmities
Of Distractions and Temptations
Of Self-Annihilation
The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer
Of Internal Acts
Reception
The book sold widely on appearance but drew the suspicion of Bossuet and the French ecclesiastical establishment as part of the broader Quietist controversy around Miguel de Molinos. It was placed on the Index in 1688, and Guyon herself was imprisoned in the Bastille from 1695 to 1703. The text survived its condemnation through underground Protestant circulation in northern Europe and through 18th-century English translations promoted by Quakers and later by Pietists. It became a foundational text of evangelical contemplative streams (Watchman Nee, Jessie Penn-Lewis, the Keswick Convention) and, in the 20th century, was rehabilitated within Catholic spirituality as a precursor to centering prayer.
Frequently asked
What is the method Madame Guyon describes?
She describes "prayer of the heart" — silent, imageless, surrendered attention to God. The practical steps are to read scripture slowly, attend to the heart's inner response, abandon the will to God, and remain in stillness. She argues this form of prayer is accessible to everyone, not just trained contemplatives.
Why was this book condemned by the Catholic Church?
The book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1688 as part of the broader Quietist controversy. Critics, led by Bishop Bossuet, argued that Quietism's emphasis on passive surrender undermined the active moral life. Guyon was imprisoned in the Bastille from 1695 to 1703.
Who later adopted and spread Guyon's method of prayer?
After its Catholic condemnation the book circulated among Quakers and Pietists in northern Europe. It influenced evangelical contemplative figures including Watchman Nee and Jessie Penn-Lewis, and in the 20th century was cited as a precursor to centering prayer within Catholic renewal movements.