Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy [[Alexei Osipov|A.I. Osipov]] analyzes<ref name="piligr"/><ref name="apol">[http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/apologetics_osipov_e.htm A.I. Ospiov. Apologetics.]</ref> the teaching on the prayer by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) and points out that the prayer should have three properties: attention, reverence, repentance. Also humility should be the basis of the prayer as St. Ignatius says: "Today I read the declaration of St. Sisoes the Great, which I always particularly liked. A [[monk]] said to him: 'I am in constant memory of God'. St. Sisoes responded to him: 'That is not great; it will be great when you consider yourself to be worse than any creature.' St. Sisoes continues: constant memory of God is a very elevated activity!! However, this height is very dangerous, when the ladder to it is not founded on the solid rock of humility" <ref name="apol"/> (Holy Fathers use the words "memory of God" as a synonym for the Jesus prayer)<ref>[http://www.bogoslov.ru/en/text/2588738.html Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware). The Jesus Prayer in St Gregory of Sinai. 1971.] Metropolitan Kallistos writes: secondly, it is manifested to us in obedience through the methodical and unceasing invocation of the Lord Jesus, that is, through the memory of God. ... The second way is that of inner prayer, and it is characterized above all by the ‘memory of God’, that is, by the continual invocation of the Name of Jesus.</ref>.
Several dangerous practices of the Jesus Prayer can be named that contradict the teaching of the Holy Fathers. If at least one of the following exists:
#the person prays without keeping the attention in the words of the prayer and imagines heavenly hosts, Lord Jesus,<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 28. St. John writes: "Make the effort to raise up, or rather, to enclose your mind within the words of your prayer; and if, like a child, it gets tired and falters, raise it up again."</ref><ref>St Gregory of Sinai. On Stillness: Fifteen Texts. Different Ways of Psalmodizing. Ch. 10. St. Gregory writes: "Unceasingly cry out: 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy', and do not allow yourself to retain any concept, object, thought or form that is supposedly divine, or any sequence of argument or any color, but concentrate solely on the pure, simple, formless remembrance of Jesus."</ref>
#the person does not use the prayer for repentance but seeks for some "spiritual feelings", "consolation by grace",<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 28. St. John writes: "And even if you have climbed the whole ladder of the virtues, pray still for the forgiveness of sins".</ref>
#the person does not truly repent of some sins, i.e. he does not want to completely give up some sinful habits for which the consciousness condemns him,<ref name="joseph"/><ref name="ioann"/><ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.ioann.org/pisma/molitva.html Letters of elder John (Krestiankin). On Prayer.] Elder John (Krestiankin) writes to some person who has demonic attacks because of the previous devotion to heretic and demonic teachings. Elder John says that when someone starts to pray with Jesus prayer while keeping the passions in the soul and in the heart - that can cause mental damage. So elder John advises that person to reduce the prayer rule.</ref>
he/she can fall into prelest.
During practice of the Jesus prayer, the person always encounters an opposition from the demons through the thoughts. They attempt either to make the person abandon the prayer or to make the prayer unpleasing to God, i.e. to drive the person into pride and prelest. There is even such wrong opinion that one can fall into prelest because of the Jesus prayer. This opinion is denied by Valaam elder John (Alexeev): "One falls into prelest not because of the prayer but because of pride, self-conceit and following own will".<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://valaam.ru/ru/letters_john/2651/ Letters of schema-hegumen John. On Jesus prayer.]</ref> This following own will includes neglecting Confession and advice of the spiritual father, as elder Joseph the Hesychast notes: "It is not just a matter of saying the prayer, but it is also a matter of being attentive. You must be vigilant with your thoughts, masterfully controlling them. Otherwise, they will take control of you and in the end you will become the laughing-stock of the demons. I have never seen a soul make progress in the prayer without frankly confessing secret thoughts".<ref>[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/309-noetic-prayer-is-incompatible-with-concealment-of-thoughts Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Monastic Wisdom, From letter 55.]</ref>
Similar warning to those who follow own will is expressed by St. Gregory of Sinai: [[Paisius Velichkovsky]] says that though Jesus Prayer purifies man from all passions and keeps him safe from delusions, a man can fall into delusion if he practices the Prayer "it is impossible for all according to be taught this discipline (i.e. unceasing prayer). Obedient<ref> Not own will, not according to the simple custom called sopower of the teaching of the Holy Fathers, but those who are in obedience to without counsel and questioning of the spiritual fatherexperienced" and because "being arrogant, passionate, and weak, with lives without obedience and submission". And the cutting off reason of their delusion is not the Prayer, but "following own will and mindpride of the ones who follow own will. "<ref>{{in lang|ru}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Makarij_OptinskijIlarion_Alfeev/predosterezhenie-chitajushhim-dukhovnye-otecheskie-knigi-i-zhelajushhim-prokhodit-umnujusvjashennaja-iisusovutajna-molitvutserkvi/ St. Macarius of Optina. A warning to those reading spiritual fatherly books and those who wish to practise the noetic Jesus Prayer.]</ref> illiterates and simples can be trained in it – yes – since obedience for the sake of humility is capable of all virtue. But the disobedient, whether simple or educated, are not taught this science lest they fall into prelest. For those who are a law unto themselves cannot escape conceit, which is usually followed by prelest as St. lsaac says4_4 Metr. But some people, not thinking of the harm they may do, teach every newcomer the efforts they themselves make to keep remembrance of God, in order that the mind should become accustomed to this remembrance and begin to love it-which is impossible, especially for those accustomed to live as they choose. For, since their mind is impure owing to negligence and arrogance, and is not cleansed with tears, they mostly see images of shameful thoughts instead of prayer, while the impure spirits rooted in their hearts gnash their teeth, disturbed by the terrible name Hilarion (of GodAlfeev), and strive to destroy the man who thus wounds them. Therefore, if a man, who acts on his own, hears or reads in books about this doing and wishes to practise it, he will suffer one of two things: if he forces himself to efforts he will fall into prelest and will remain uncured or, if he does not make efforts, he will remain unsuccessful his whole life". <ref>St. Gregory of Sinai. Instructions to hesychasts. On silence and prayer. 8. in: Writings from the Philokalia on the Prayer Holy Secret of the HeartChurch. TranslCh. by E. Kadloubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer4.]</ref>
At A warning to those who follow own will is also expressed by St. Gregory of Sinai: "it is impossible for all to be taught this discipline (i.e. unceasing prayer). Obedient<ref> Not according to the simple custom called so, but those who are in obedience to the same timespiritual father, with the cutting off of their own will and mind. {{in lang|ru}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Makarij_Optinskij/predosterezhenie-chitajushhim-dukhovnye-otecheskie-knigi-i-zhelajushhim-prokhodit-umnuju-iisusovu-molitvu/ St. Macarius of Optina. A warning to those reading spiritual fatherly books and those who wish to practise the noetic Jesus Prayer.]</ref> illiterates and simples can be trained in it – yes – since obedience for the sake of humility is capable of all virtue. But the disobedient, whether simple or educated, are not taught this science lest they fall into prelest. For those who are a law unto themselves cannot escape conceit, which is usually followed by prelest as St. lsaac says. But some people, not possible thinking of the harm they may do, teach every newcomer the efforts they themselves make to succeed keep remembrance of God, in order that the mind should become accustomed to this remembrance and begin to love it-which is impossible, especially for those accustomed to live as they choose. For, since their mind is impure owing to negligence and arrogance, and is not cleansed with tears, they mostly see images of shameful thoughts instead of prayer , while the impure spirits rooted in their hearts gnash their teeth, disturbed by the terrible name (of God), and strive to destroy the man who thus wounds them. Therefore, if a man, who acts on his own, hears or reads in books about this doing and wishes to practise it, he will suffer one of two things: if he forces himself to efforts he will fall into prelest and will remain uncured or, if he does not make efforts, he will remain unsuccessful his whole life". <ref>St. Gregory of Sinai. Instructions to hesychasts. On silence and prayer. 8. in: Writings from the person neglects Philokalia on the Prayer of the Heart. Transl. by E. Kadloubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer.</ref> Similar to the fight with passions, last words is said by as St. [[Macarius the Great]] saysabout not making efforts in the fight with passions: "if someone compels himself to the prayer until he attains the gift from God, and does not force or bother himself in the same measure to humility, love, meekness and to other virtues: sometimes the grace of God happens to him by his prayer and petition; because God is merciful, and he gives what is requested to those who ask of Him. But, without having prepared and accustomed himself to the virtues mentioned above, either he loses the grace, or he receives and falls, or does not succeed from arrogance; because he does not commit his will to the commandments of the Lord".<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Makarij_Velikij/sem-slov/ St. Macarius the Great. Seven Treatises. 1. 14.]</ref>
===False unceasing (self-moving) Jesus prayer===