In fourteenth-century England, an anonymous monk wrote a book on mystical or contemplative prayer called The Cloud of Unknowing as a guide for monks in his cloister. In modern times, this work has become a favorite among practitioners of centering prayer.

What is this “unknowing”? It is wordless, direct experience of God, in a state of open heart beyond concepts. Wikipedia gives quite a good summary: “In this work, the author characterizes the practice of contemplative unknowing as worshiping God with one’s ‘substance,’ coming to rest in a ‘naked blind feeling of being,’ and ultimately finding thereby that God is one’s being. Experience, in keeping with the mystical tradition, is considered the ultimate means by which a Christian can and should relate to God, and the practice of contemplation in The Cloud is thus focused on the experience of God by the contemplative.”

Recently someone close to me who calls himself “agnostic” asked me what is the difference between spirituality and religion. My definitions of spirituality as experiential connection with God or Spirit didn’t seem to resonate with him. Then I asked him, “Do you ever see a sunrise over the ocean, or millions of stars at night, and get a feeling of awe?” This he agreed with, and went on to describe not only awe but also questioning where, when, and how the universe came to be and how or why we human beings came to be, and simply not knowing. And knowing that we don’t know, and just being with that not knowing.

I talked about this “not knowing” as a fundamental spiritual experience of open mind, open heart. The Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn taught his students to “keep only don’t-know mind.” In Tibetan Buddhism there are similar teachings about the gap and openness that occurs when conceptual mind suddenly misses a beat. This is where the conversation between my agnostic friend and me reached common understanding. For Christian centering prayer and for the practice of lectio divina (contemplative prayer focusing on a Scripture reading), that openness beyond concepts is essential.

Here’s a link to an edition of The Cloud of Unknowing at Thrift Books: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-cloud-of-unknowing_anonymous/294218/item/8841049/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_high_vol_scarce_%2410_%2450&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAjeW6BhBAEiwAdKltMrt-g91g3lMMTKa-OLeDwXXe3oFH-5EvF49-fmKW-5xOybRWkvr1VxoCTu0QAvD_BwE#idiq=8841049&edition=5664389. It can also be found on Amazon and other sellers.