65. Извлечение из преподобного Пимена о богоугодной жизни, побеждении страстей и насаждении добродетелей

Who brought you to Saint Pimen, what do you want to know about him? But whoever did it, I'm very happy about it. Who Saint Pimen is and how he lived, you will find in the Chetya Menaion on August 27 and also in the book “Memorable Tales of the Ascetic Asceticism of the Holy and Blessed Fathers.” In both places you will find many of his instructions. He was one of the simple and unlearned, but the experiences of spiritual life and the grace of God so enlightened his mind that, based on his subtle and accurate knowledge of the laws of ascent to perfection in the spirit, he should be ranked among the first teaching God-wise fathers. Until you get around to reading about him, I will write down for you the most important points from his teachings and instructions in relation to what I have been explaining to you for so long. The beginning of God's path is repentance and crying for sins. This is what is found about this in Saint Pimen. He saw a woman sitting on the grave and crying bitterly, and said: “If all the pleasures of the world appeared here, they would not free her soul from sorrow. This is how we should always cry” (paragraph 26) 13. In paragraph 27, the same circumstance is described in more detail, and the words of Saint Pimen are given in this form: “I assure you that if a person does not mortify all the lusts of the flesh and does not cry like that, then he cannot become one with God. This woman’s whole soul and life were plunged into sorrow.” He who repents and weeps for his sins naturally moves away from evil and does good. While he is like this, he will not commit evil deeds, but he cannot be free from evil thoughts. Therefore, his removal from evil almost exclusively consists of fighting his thoughts. This is what Saint Pimen has for this. One brother came to Abba Pimen and said to him: “Abba! I have many thoughts, and I am in danger from them.” The elder took him out into the air and said: “Open your bosom and don’t let the wind in!” “I can’t do this,” the brother answered. “If you cannot do this,” said the elder, “then you cannot stop the tide of thoughts. But it’s your job to resist them” (paragraph 28). Resist, but how? First of all, pay attention to yourself and be sober. Thus, one brother, having said about himself that when he meets others, he has fun and returns to himself no longer the same as when he left, he asked what he should do. The elder said to him: “Do you want, when you return to yourself, to find yourself the same as you left? Keep guard over yourself at home, and keep guard outside the house” (paragraph 137). “And in general,” Abba Pimen used to say, “what we need most is a sober mind” (paragraph 135). As soon as you notice something passionate, while watching over yourself, immediately pray and it will go away. One brother asked Abba Pimen about the fight against rebellious thoughts, and the elder answered him: “This matter is like if a person had fire on one side and a bowl of water on the other. When the fire starts to burn, he takes water from the bowl and puts out the fire. Fire is the enemy’s (passionate) suggestions, and water is fervent prayer to God” (paragraph 146). In order to suffer less from passionate thoughts, you need to remove the reasons for their arousal. “Everything passionate must be avoided,” said Abba Pimen. – A person close to what can give rise to passion is like standing over a deep abyss, and a person’s enemy can easily throw him into this abyss. But one who moves away from something that can arouse passion is like one who stands far from an abyss. Let the enemy drag him down to throw him into the abyss, but as long as he is dragged with compulsion, he will cry out to God, and God will help him” (paragraph 59). The main thing is to manage in every possible way not to give in to your thoughts. To encourage this, in the legends about Saint Pimen we read the following. His brother asked him: “Can a person always maintain his thoughts and not yield to the enemy in any way?” And the elder answered: “There is a man who holds ten, but gives in one.” The same brother asked Abba Sisoes about the same thing, and he said: “Indeed, there is a man who is in no way inferior to the enemy” (paragraphs 88 and 89). And one more thing. “Abba Anuvius asked Abba Pimen about unclean thoughts born in the human heart and about vain desires. Avva Pimen answered him: “Will food be glorified by the ax without cutting it?” (Isa. 10:15). Don’t shake hands with them and they won’t do anything.” What will come of such intransigence? Passions will freeze. This was expressed by Abba Pimen to Abba Isaiah when he asked him about unclean thoughts, saying: “If a chest with a dress is left without care, the dress will decay over time; Likewise, thoughts, if we do not actually fulfill them, will disappear over time or, as it were, decay” (paragraph 20). Abba Joseph asked Abba Pimen about the same thing, and he said: “If someone puts a serpent and a scorpion in a jug and closes it, then, of course, the reptiles will die over time; Likewise, evil thoughts arising from demons will die out if we patiently resist them and do not give them food” (paragraph 21). But, moving away from evil by such ruthless resistance to passionate thoughts and desires, at the same time one must do good, instilling in oneself all virtue. Both will soon have their hearts cleansed. And St. Pimen has many lessons about inculcating virtues. Here are the main ones. He cites the saying of Abba John Kolov, who said: “I wish, at least to some extent, to have all the virtues” (paragraph 46). And then he offers his own lesson about this, saying: “When a person intends to build a house, he collects a lot of materials and various kinds of substances so that he can build a house for him. So we must acquire, although to some extent, all the virtues” (paragraph 130). But there are basic and guiding virtues, on which we must therefore direct all our efforts. They are often indicated by Saint Pimen. Here: self-care, attention to oneself and prudence - these are the three virtues that guide the soul (point 35). To prostrate yourself before God, to humble yourself and deny your will - these are the working tools of the soul! (paragraph 36). The Scripture says: “If these three men... Noah... Daniel and Job... as I live Az... tiah... shall be saved in their righteousness... saith... the Lord” (Ezek. 14:14, 20). Noah represents non-covetousness, Job – patience, Daniel – prudence. “If these three virtues are in a person, then the Lord dwells in him” (paragraph 60). Fear of God, prayer and doing good to one's neighbor are the three foundations of perfection (paragraph 160). Abba Pimen forces the layman to say the following: “I don’t know how to speak from Scripture, but I will tell you a parable. One man said to his friend: “I want to see the king, come with me.” The friend answered him: “I’ll go with you half the way.” He also said to the other: “Go, take me to the king.” He said: “I will take you to the royal palace.” He also said to the third: “Come with me to the king.” “Come on,” answered the third friend, “I will take you to the palace, bring you into it, tell the king about you and introduce you to him.” They asked him: “What does this parable mean?” He replied: “The first friend is asceticism, which leads to the true path; the second is purity that reaches to heaven; the third friend is alms, which boldly leads to the King Himself - God” (paragraph 109). When, therefore, on the one hand, concessions to passions are not given, on the other, virtues are implanted, the heart gradually softens (paragraph 182), warms up and accepts the divine fire, which only take care of and you will be safe. Abba Pimen says about this: “When a pot is heated from below by fire, neither a fly nor any other reptile can touch it; when it gets cold, then they sit on it. The same thing happens with the soul: as long as it remains in spiritual activity (burning of the spirit towards God), the enemy cannot defeat it” (paragraph 111). You've had enough of these extracts. You yourself will find from Saint Abba other things that are necessary and valuable for you. I just wanted to use these extracts to renew in your memory everything that I said before. Here is the whole path you have embarked on. No matter what father you read, you will find the same thing in everyone’s essence, although it is different in depiction and explanation. Be smart! God bless you! “Memorable tales about the asceticism of the holy and blessed fathers.” You might be interested in: