To understand what is spiritually wrong with centering prayer we must look at it origins. It began as an extension of contemplative prayer by a few Trappist monks for the laity which was heavily influenced by Eastern religions in the 1970’s much in the same way as Thomas Merton was in the 1960’s. With that it has become a pseudo-prayer for those in society to experience what monks practice in the monastery. It was hoped that Buddhists, Hindus and Zen practioners would be lured into Christianity, but you did not see the likes of Alan Watts or the Dalai Lama convert to Catholicism in great numbers. In fact, it allowed Protestants, among others, to borrow meditative techniques from Catholics without becoming one and blur the distinction between them. Protestants are fond of saying that they aren't that much different than us Catholics.
One thing to consider is that 15 minutes of centering prayer a day is not commiserate with what a contemplative monk practices during the day. The difference is that the former has its focus on the self for a few moments where the latter chooses God to meditate on for the entire day. To empty oneself so God will speak to them sounds good in theory, but lacks practicability. God will not speak to an ‘'empty vessel’. What He communicates to us is through our prayers to Him. Jesus taught us how to pray and specifically gave us an example to follow. Anything beyond this is heretical as espoused by Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) in recent times. These monks who initiated this ‘prayer of emptiness’ claim as their defense that neither Pope has mentioned them or their methods by name. To me this is a weak response inspired by Satan. If you read the Vatican’s document “Jesus Christ-The Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the New Age” it is clear that centering prayer is emphatically ‘New Age’.
Trappist founders of centering prayer, Fr. Thomas Keating, Fr. William Meninger and Fr. M. Basil Pennington, deflect criticism by saying centering prayer is an extension of that practiced by the Desert Fathers, monastic Lectio Divina and the mystical writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Nothing could be further from the truth for Fr. Keating himself says “The method consists in letting go of every kind of thought during prayer, even the most devout thoughts.” Here we see the influence of Transcendental Meditation and the denial of Christ-centered prayer.
Now Trappists in the past 100 years have come up with innovative ways to support themselves. Most of these do so by engaging the outside world. Cistercians of the Strict Observance, from which centering prayer originated, is a misnomer. They have been known to promote anything or anybody that could produce income for their respective Abbey. For example, access to Father Thomas Merton in his day was as easy as contributing financially to the monastery by way of the guestmaster. I have indeed witnessed such behavior. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Abbé de Rancé of La Trappe would have been appalled. It is no wonder centering prayer has become a welcomed addition to many monastic retreats.
Still further, from a traditional point of view, is that monastics who allow this type of prayer to take root in their abbeys forsake their contemplative heritage for what is new. They are seduced by outside influences that betray their vocation. Monks should be in the world, but not of the world where popular novelties offer temptations that enslave humanity. It is hoped that the Trappist Order will soon experience a spiritual renewal.
There is no doubt that centering prayer has become popular. So much so that it has become an enterprise. Contemplative Outreach exists to serve those who thirst for a contemplative experience no matter what their religious background might be. What they fail to realize is that centering prayer is not meditation, but a psychological response to a spiritual yearning. It is erroneous to say that anyone, regardless of their station in life, can enter into contemplative player. If this was so, there would be no need for contemplative vocations. The concept of centering prayer is to manifest oneself in silence for 20 minutes. This is hardly long enough to achieve any semblance of contemplation, especially for a neophyte. In lieu of this it should be noted that a lot, if not most, leaders of centering prayer are not qualified and/or have experience to do so. Centering prayer has already become the realm of Satan and confirmed by the many variations that have flourished, e.g., Gnostic Centering Prayer. I can't help to think if this type of pseudo-prayer appeared to the masses in the last century it would have been declared heretical. In comparison, it is not dissimilar to Quietism.
The above documents in addition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Prayer (#2558-2565) should be your guide to Christian prayer. Contemplative prayer is the highest form of prayer outside of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Vocal and mental prayer precede it and must be mastered to some extent before acquiring the Grace of the Holy Spirit to reach higher forms of contemplation. There are several books that instruct those who wish to achieve a higher level of prayer. Two of them are by Guigo the Carthusian-Scala Claustralium (The Ladder of Monks) and St. Theresa of Avila’s Autobiography. We can experience God’s Love through elementary meditation, and oftentimes, that is all He requires of us. As St. Paul says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” – Colossians 4:2.
Brother Mordecai