Robin Amis, Founder of Praxis Research Institute

Praxis Research Institute was founded to bring to the West forgotten spiritual teachings from the inner core of Christianity since its earliest beginnings. These teachings still exist in certain monasteries in places like Mount Athos in Greece, where Praxis founder Robin Amis rediscovered them through more than 60 pilgrimages occurring over nearly half a century.

For his research into the teachings of the Holy Mountain, Mr. Amis received the rare designation of Synergatis’ (fellow worker, and equal to the monks), and was given a document providing “free access, both coming in and going out of the Holy Mountain." This document was still valid forty years later until Mr. Amis' passing in 2014.

Translated:

On behalf of our entire brotherhood of the monastery, we

are issuing a document recognizing Henry Robin Amis, an

English Orthodox Christian, known by the name of Giorgios,

passport number 754517, designating him as a Synergatis

(fellow worker, and equal to the monks), and ask that he be

given free access, both coming in and going out of the Holy

Mountain.

This is issued from the entire community (brotherhood) of the

Monastery of Gregoriou.

(May 18, 1985)

On one of his early visits, Mr. Amis was also given the charge by Fr. Paisios one of the few remaining startzi (Elders), now considered a saint, to bring this teaching, called 'the truth of the heart,’ to the English-speaking world. In Fr. Paisios’ words, translated in Mr. Amis’ book, A Different Christianity:

'You English have served Western man very well with your intellect, giving him many things he needs, the solutions of many problems that have made life easier for everyone.

Now you should do another work: to understand and tell the world of the inner truth, the truth of the heart as well.’

The work of Praxis Research Institute is to make this truth available in as fully practical a form as possible to non-monastics in the Judeo-Christian world.