A warning to those who read the spiritual books of the fathers and those who wish to undergo the mental Jesus prayer

This “Warning” was compiled about a century and a half ago by the Venerable Optina Elder Macarius (Ivanov). It is addressed to those who want to undergo the mental Jesus Prayer, but do not have skilled mentors and leaders. However, the creation of Elder Macarius can equally be addressed to all Christians - as advice not to look for high spiritual talents and the same states in themselves, but to humbly walk the path of fulfilling Christ’s commandments, relying in everything on God’s will. Citing the testimonies of the great ascetic fathers, the elder convinces: an untimely desire for a “high”, “contemplative” life is fraught with delusion, insanity, and often not only mental, but also physical death. At the same time, the Monk Macarius, who himself experienced the path of mental work, in no way seeks to turn away the monks and pious laymen of his day from the saving prayer commanded by the holy fathers in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He only states: the measure of the novice is oral prayer, not accompanied by any “artistic methods,” information about which is contained in the patristic works. A contemporary of Elder Macarius, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), writes very definitely about this in his instructions on the Jesus Prayer: “When practicing the Jesus Prayer, novices should maintain only the most reverent attention, one conclusion of the mind in the words of the prayer. (...) Here is my (novice) covenant for you: do not look for the place of your heart. Do not try in vain to explain to yourself what the place of the heart means; This is satisfactorily (at one time) explained by experience alone. If God wants to give you this knowledge, He will give it in due time. Engage exclusively in the prayer of repentance with all care; try to bring repentance through prayer” 1. The Monk Macarius also explains in what spiritual state the Jesus Prayer should be performed, what the active life of a Christian should be like, and what kind of spiritual fruits a person praying in the name of Christ must strive to achieve. We believe that the “Warning” of the Optina Elder will also be useful to modern Christians striving to pursue a spiritual life; it will help them avoid various intrigues of the enemy of the human race and not become victims of delusion or a wrong “opinion” about themselves. A warning to those who read the spiritual books of the fathers and those who wish to undergo the mental Jesus prayer There were two reasons for writing this warning. The first and main reason was explained by the translator of the fatherly writings from Hellenic-Greek into the Slavic language, an experienced worker of prayer, the Moldavian elder Paisius Velichkovsky in his letter to the elder Theodosius, Archimandrite of the Sophronium Hermitage, where he writes: “I spiritually inform Your Shrine that the printing of patristic books in both Greek and Slavic languages ​​inspires me with both joy and fear. Joy - because they will no longer be given over to complete oblivion, and those who are zealous for their salvation will have the opportunity to acquire them more freely. Fear - because I am afraid and trembling that they may be offered not only to monks, but to laymen - like any other book available for sale. Those same (lay people) who, without the guidance of those experienced in doing experimental prayer, unintentionally set about going through it conveniently can become victims of delusion. And because of delusion, there would be no blasphemy from the foolish against this holy and immaculate work, attested by many great holy fathers.” (Having presented the former example of blasphemy against prayer, the elder continues): “This is what I have already said before, I fear and tremble: let delusion not befall those who unintentionally go through mental work, let delusion not be followed by blasphemy, and blasphemy be doubt about the truth of the teachings of our God-bearing fathers. That is why the God-bearing fathers, regarding this frequent prayer (Jesus), place its beginning and foundation in true, unfeigned obedience. From obedience comes humility. And it protects the ascetic from all kinds of delusion that threaten those who pass this path on their own. And how is it possible, without obedience, guided only by one’s own mind - to which delusion will inevitably follow, to such a terrible and terrible thing, that is, to this prayer, without any instruction, to force oneself and to avoid the many different charms of the enemy, to this prayer and to its ascetics in a very cunning way? Completely impossible." 2 Another reason for the warning was a manuscript by an unknown writer, which explains various prayerful actions and spiritual consolations, which were vouchsafed to the Siberian elder Basilisk. In this manuscript, the author wrote an indifferent conviction for the passage of mental and heartfelt prayer, setting the main goal in this endeavor to be the search for high gifts and spiritual consolations, which can lead to very dangerous consequences in relation to the deception of the enemy. Although this manuscript is still in a few hands and is known to few, it is impossible to keep silent about it; it is written convincingly; evidence adapted from the books of the fathers; and the dangerous side on this subject is silent, so that someone who does not fully know the teaching of the holy fathers can easily be carried away by such a conviction, and especially who has not happened to see or hear from others about those who have been damaged mentally through such an activity. In order to see the truth more clearly, let us present on Wednesday the testimonies of the holy and God-bearing fathers about whether the mental practice of the Jesus Prayer is accessible to many and whether the goal of seeking spiritual gifts and consolations through this practice is correct and safe. From a consideration of the entire teaching of the Holy Fathers, it is clear that those who practice the Jesus Prayer in a correct and lawful manner are actually sometimes granted from the Lord great spiritual gifts and the revelation of the sacraments, and various spiritual consolations, the grace of God providentially acting in the souls of humble and worthy prayer-bookers; but very few achieve this. Saint Isaac the Syrian says: Just as out of many thousands there is hardly one who has fulfilled the commandments and everything legal with a small deficiency and has achieved spiritual purity, so out of a thousand perhaps only one (of those who have undergone mental work) will be found worthy, with great caution, to achieve pure prayer, break this limit and receive this sacrament, because many could not be worthy of pure prayer; very rare ones were honored; and the one who has achieved that sacrament, which is already behind this prayer, barely, by the grace of God, remains from generation to generation 3. From these words of Saint Isaac it is clear that “if, according to the presented conviction, everyone indifferently takes up mental prayer, with the goal of achieving high gifts and spiritual consolations, then many must inevitably fall into one of two extremes: either they will be caught in the delusion of the enemy by false sensations and seductive dreams, or they will not receive any success, they will be recklessly embarrassed because of high spiritual prayer, according to the word of the saint Isaac the Syrian is honored alone by countless people” 4. The holy and God-bearing fathers wrote about great spiritual gifts not so that everyone would foolishly strive to receive them, but so that those who lack them, hearing about such high gifts and revelations received by the worthy, would realize their deep weakness and great lack, and involuntarily bow to humility, which, more than all works and virtues, is necessary for those seeking salvation. “Just as the poor, seeing the royal treasures, recognize their poverty even more: so the soul, reading the stories about the great virtues of St. fathers, becomes more humble in his thoughts” 5. And in another place this saint says: “To be amazed at the labors of these saints is a commendable thing; it is saving them to be jealous; and to suddenly want to become an imitator of their life is a reckless and impossible thing.” 6 And Saint Isaac the Syrian says: “If you say that some Fathers wrote about what spiritual purity is, what health is, what dispassion is, what vision is: then they did not write so that we would expect this ahead of time; for it is written that the kingdom of God will not come without waiting 7 (Luke 17:20). And in those who had such an intention, they acquired pride and downfall. And we will bring the area of ​​the heart into order by deeds of repentance and a life pleasing to God; The Lord comes by itself if the place in the heart is clean and not defiled. What we seek “with observance,” I mean God’s lofty gifts, is rejected by the Church of God; and those who accepted this earned themselves pride and downfall. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but an illness of the soul. And how can we strive for the high gifts of God, when the divine Paul boasts of sorrows, and considers fellowship in the sufferings of Christ to be a high gift of God” 8 (that is, patience with sorrows and suffering). Saint Isaac says the same thing in another place: “Every person who, before perfect training in the first part (that is, the active one), moves on to this second (that is, the speculative), attracted by its sweetness, not to mention his laziness, experiences the wrath (of God) because he did not first put to death “his fishes that are on the earth” (Col. 3:5), i.e., he did not heal the weakness of his thoughts by patient exercise in making the reproach of the cross, but dared to dream in his mind about the glory of the cross (...) Whoever’s mind is defiled by shameful passions, and who hastens to fill his mind with dreamy thoughts, his lips are blocked with punishment for the fact that, having not first cleansed his mind with sorrows and without subduing carnal lusts, but relying on what the ear heard and what was written in ink, he rushed straight ahead. forward, to walk a path full of darkness, when one’s own eyes are blind. For even those whose eyesight is sound, being filled with light and having acquired leaders of grace, are in danger day and night, while their eyes are full of tears, and they continue their service in prayer and weeping all day long, even night, because of the horrors that await them on the way and the terrible rapids they encounter and images of the truth that turn out to be mixed with the deceptive ghosts of it. They say: “What comes from God comes by itself, but you won’t even feel it.” This is true, but only if the place is clean and not defiled. If the apple of your spiritual eye is unclean, then do not dare to fix your gaze on the solar (mental) globe, so as not to lose this small ray, i.e. simple faith, and humility, and heartfelt confession, and small deeds within your power, and not to be cast out into the single region of spiritual beings, which is total darkness, that which is outside of God and is a semblance of hell, as the one who was not ashamed to come to the wedding in unclean clothes was cast out” 9 . Here Saint Isaac clearly showed that those who seek sweet spiritual sensations in prayer with longing, and especially those who prematurely strive for spiritual vision and contemplation, fall into the delusion of the enemy and into the realm of darkness and darkness of meaning, being abandoned by the help of God, and handed over to the demons for reproach, for their proud search for more than their own measure and dignity. After the pitiful story about Malpata and Asina, seduced by the devil, Saint Isaac says: “It was not in vain that I said this here, but so that we may know reproach from demons who thirst for the destruction of the saints, and not untimely desire the heights of intelligent living (mental visions - note), otherwise we will be ridiculed by our crafty adversary: for even now I see that young men, filled with passions, fearlessly talk nonsense and teach about mysteries dispassion." Regarding people who are filled with passions and enter into the study of the relationship between the corporeal and the incorporeal, and do not differ from the sick who teach about health, one of the saints wrote: “Blessed Paul, when he learned about the disciples who neglected the commandments and did not overcome the passions, but lusted after the bliss of contemplating the mysteries, which is possible after purification, said to them: first put off the old man of the passions, and then desire to put on the new man, renewed by the knowledge of the mysteries in the likeness of the Creator (Col. 3:9-10), and do not lust after that vision of mine and the other Apostles, effectively accomplished by grace; because God “has mercy on him, but he hardens him when he wants” (Rom. 9:18). For who can resist His face, or resist His will? God sometimes gives freely; sometimes it requires works and purification, and then sends a gift; and sometimes, even after work and purification, he does not give it here, but keeps it in order to bestow contemplation in his place” 10. Saint Gregory of Sinai, a zealous teacher of smart work, writes in his chapters on silence: “Near and around newcomers and self-initiated demons usually spread networks of thoughts and destructive dreams and prepare ditches of downfalls, since their city is still under the rule of the barbarians. And there is nothing to be surprised if one of them gets lost, or goes out of his mind, or accepts and accepts delusion. (...) There is nothing marvelous in the fact that beginners make mistakes even after much work. (...) The memory of God, or mental prayer, is higher than all works; but he who shamelessly and boldly desires to come to God and confess Him purely, and who is forced to acquire Him within himself, is conveniently killed by demons, if this is allowed to happen to them. (...) The Lord, merciful to us, seeing how quick we are to high things, often does not allow us to fall into temptation, so that everyone, realizing his arrogance, turns to real action on his own, before he becomes a reproach and a mockery for demons, and weep for people. (...) For it belongs to the strong and perfect to always fight with demons alone, and to constantly turn the spiritual sword on them, “which is the word of God” ( Eph. 6, 17); the weak and beginners use flight as a stronghold, with reverence and fear, refusing confrontation and not daring to enter into it first, and thus avoid death (spiritual)” 11. This Saint also says that not everyone should and can be taught to do mental prayer, as he wrote in 15 chapters. “Those who do not keep up psalmody at all also do good, if they succeed. Such people have no need for psalmody, but must remain in silence, unceasing prayer and contemplation if they have achieved enlightenment. For they are united with God and should not tear their mind away from Him and plunge it into confusion (or into a crowd of thoughts). (...) It is not possible to teach others this rite (that is, the unceasing Jesus Prayer). There are 12 novices who are simpletons and illiterate – yes; because obedience for the sake of humility is capable of all virtue. The disobedient, whether they are simpletons or scholars, are not taught this science, lest they fall into delusion; for an arbitrary person cannot avoid conceit, which is usually accompanied by delusion, as St. Isaac. Some, without thinking about the harm that may come, teach everyone who happens to keep the memory of God (that is, the Jesus Prayer) through their efforts so that the mind learns this memory and loves it, which is impossible, especially for those who are accustomed to living according to their own rite. For since their mind is unclean due to negligence and arrogance and is not cleansed with tears, they see shameful images of thoughts rather than prayer, while the unclean spirits nesting in their hearts, being disturbed by the terrible name (of God), grind, wanting to destroy the one who offends” 13. Moreover, one should know that mental prayer requires no little attention, effort and work. Whoever wishes to go through this work in his mind, Saint Simeon the New Theologian prescribes the following: “After (establishing in your heart) perfect obedience, which, as we said, you should have to your spiritual father, do all your other deeds with a clear conscience, as if you were before the face of God: for without obedience it is impossible to have a clear conscience. You must keep your conscience clear in three respects: in relation to God, in relation to your spiritual father and in relation to other people, as well as to things and objects of the world (everyday). In relation to God, you have a duty to keep your conscience clear, not allowing yourself to do anything that you know does not appease God and is unpleasant to Him. In relation to your spiritual father, do only what he commands you, and do not allow yourself to do anything more or less than that, but walk according to his intention and according to his will. In relation to other people, you keep your conscience clear, not allowing yourself to do anything to them that you yourself hate and that you do not want them to do to you. And in relation to things, you have a duty to keep your conscience clear, always using them as you should - namely food, drink, clothing. And in short, do everything as if you were before the face of God, and in no matter do you allow yourself to be convicted and wounded by your conscience because you did not do it well.” 14 Who has the opportunity and will to live according to this instruction of St. Simeon the Theologian, he, without a doubt, with humility and hope for God’s help, can touch upon learning how to do heartfelt prayer, using at the same time other advice of the holy fathers, that is, dissolving prayer with the memory of death, the memory of a previous life and the recollection of one’s sins by sight (except for carnal ones, since remembering them is harmful), so that by all means he will acquire and maintain contrition of spirit and humility, and crying, “for we have war with proud demons” 15, says Rev. Philotheus of Sinai. The doer of this must also keep in mind the true purpose of prayer, and not the one presented by the mentioned writer, that is, the search for gifts and spiritual consolations. Truly, the righteous ascetics did not seek gifts, but, on the contrary, some of them prayed to God that the gifts already given would be taken away from them. “If some of them,” says Saint Isaac the Syrian, “received gifts, they accepted them out of need (for the common benefit) or out of their simplicity” 16. Saints Callistus and Ignatius write: “Do not seek before the time what will happen in its time” 17 . And in another place these saints, citing evidence from the book of Saint Isaac about the Divine manifestation in us and essential grace-filled enlightenment, warn the inexperienced, saying this: “This is Jerusalem and the kingdom of God, hidden within us, according to the word of the Lord (Luke 17:21). This region is a cloud of God’s glory, into which only the pure in heart will enter to see the face of their Master. Only let him not seek the manifestation of God in himself, so as not to accept the one who truly is darkness, and falsely presents himself as light” 18. What is the true purpose of prayer? Saint Cassian the Roman, in his letter to Leontin, the abbot, writing about his conversation with Abba Moses, says that the saint sets the purity of the heart as the goal of spiritual life, that is, cleansing it from passions. How is this goal achieved? By keeping the commandments of God; and through this, when someone has put off the old man, that is, the passions, he is worthy of pure and spiritual prayer, according to what was said by Saint Isaac the Syrian: “A person is worthy of it (that is, spiritual prayer) when, by keeping the commandments of the Lord, which resist sin, he is put off from sin both internally and externally. Whoever loves these commandments and uses them according to order, it will become necessary for him to free himself from many human affairs, i.e. to be stripped of the body and to be outside of it, so to speak, not by nature, but by necessity. Whoever leads life in the image of the Lawmaker (that is, following his example), and is guided by His commandments, it is impossible for sin to remain in him. Therefore, the Lord promised in the Gospel to the one who kept the commandments to create an abode with him” (John 14:23) 19. In Macarius of Egypt's book of Seven Words we read: “And if someone, not having prayer, forces himself only to pray in order to receive grace-filled prayer, and does not force himself to humility, love and observance of the other Lord’s commandments, then sometimes, at his request, grace-filled prayer is given to him, even partly in peace and joy, but in morals he is likened to the same thing to which he was previously similar. For he does not have meekness, because he did not seek it with difficulty, and did not prepare himself to be meek; does not have humility, because he did not ask or force himself to do so; does not have love for everyone, because he did not care about this, and did not seek this intensely in prayer. For everyone who forces himself and forces himself, even against the desire of his heart, to pray, must also force himself to love, and to meekness, and to all patience and generosity, according to what is written, with joy; (...) and in the same way one must force oneself to humiliation, to consider oneself the worst and lowest of all” 20. In the same book and in that word it is also said that such a person is always close to falling: “If someone forces himself to pray until he receives gifts from God, and does not force himself to this, that is, to humility, love, meekness and other virtues to the same extent, then sometimes God’s grace comes to him through his prayer and petition; because God is good and merciful, and gives to those who ask Him what they ask. But, without preparing and accustoming himself to the virtues listed above, he either loses grace, or accepts and falls, or does not succeed from arrogance; because he does not devote himself wholeheartedly to the commandments of the Lord. The abode or resting place of the Spirit is humility, love, meekness and other commandments of the Lord" 21 . And again this saint says: “If humility and love, simplicity and goodness are not closely connected in us with prayer, then prayer itself, or better yet, this guise of prayer, can bring us very little benefit” 22. The mentioned writer, urging people to undergo mental prayer, visually exposes the spiritual structure and way of life of only selected ascetics who have already cleansed themselves of passions, but how in the beginning the spiritual struggle with passions is carried out through prayer, he is silent about that. In the superscript to the book, Rev. Nile of Sorski says: “Put on one side the commandments of Christ, on the other – the everlasting prayer: “Forgive us our debts.” And take it as an immutable rule: do not break a single commandment. That is: do not indulge lust, do not be angry, do not condemn, do not slander, do not lie, do not talk idlely, love your enemies, do good to those who hate, pray for those who do evil; also - to avoid lust, love of money, lustful thoughts, sadness, vanity and contempt, and simply all sins and evil thoughts. And with that, begin to learn smart work, paying careful attention to how many times every day, despite the accepted rule, you break the commandments, what sins, passions and evil thoughts you are wounded by.” 23 This place, firstly, shows how smart work should be coupled with keeping the commandments of God, which the mentioned writer does not say affirmatively anywhere, but only makes little narrative mention at the end of his epistle. Secondly, it shows that the doer of prayer does not suddenly enjoy the desired fruits, although the mentioned persuader and quick one promises success in this. From the teachings of the holy fathers it is clear that learning to do smart things requires a lot, not only labor and achievement, but also time. Saint John Chrysostom writes: “This is not a matter of one or two days, but many years and a long time, and feat, and considerable labor is necessary before the enemy is driven out and Christ dwells” 24. St. Hesychius and Nicephorus the monk, although many details are presented on how the training of smart work should take place at the beginning, but those who have not yet experienced it should mainly adhere to the instructions of the monk. Callista and Ignatius, because they gradually lay out the guidance for undergoing smart work, putting ahead many preparations for it. Firstly, these saints say that the beginning of any work according to God is living according to the commandments of the Savior and that whoever wants to live according to God must be directed towards fulfilling all the commandments of God, especially keeping peace with others and having love for everyone. Further they write that first of all one must choose a spiritual mentor and have complete obedience to him and cut off one’s will before him. Having exhibited signs of true obedience, they also explain that the worker of this, with the Orthodox faith, must be filled with good deeds, avoid rumors and embarrassment, sadness and care, be silent and silent, and thank God for everything; to recognize one’s weakness and to bravely endure temptations, with hope in God and expectation of spiritual benefit from Him; during the changes that occur, do not despair, but with faith and patience expect changes for the better, and especially plunge into the depths of humility, from the bottom of your heart considering yourself the most sinful and most indecent of all people, because humility covers many of our weaknesses and, more than other virtues, appeases God for us. These saints also advise to be careful with spiritual consolations. They also wrote a chapter on Divine and feigned consolation, where it is exposed how the crafty enemy maliciously and subtly tries to seduce with false consolations not only inexperienced, but also skilled ascetics, bowing them into some subtle sleep, so that they cannot distinguish the consolation of the false from the true. The main sign of delusion is when a person mistakes false sensations of joy or consolation from the enemy for blessings, or accepts false advice as true. Why, in order to avoid harm, do these saints advise, in this case, to ask the one who can teach not only from Divine Scripture, but also from experienced Divine enlightenment. If there is none, then it is better not to accept consolation, but to humbly resort to God, from a pure heart, considering oneself unworthy of such dignity and vision. Although the Apostle Paul mentions joy among other fruits (Gal. 5:22), one must be very careful not to be carried away by a false sense of joy, as St. Climacus, saying: “With the hand of humility, reject the coming joy, as unworthy of it, so as not to be deceived by it, and not accept a wolf instead of a shepherd” 25. True and unadulterated joy, as can be seen from the Apostle’s very calculation of spiritual fruits, also belongs to a great spiritual measure. Just as the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin from something less, that is, from the fear of God, and ascend gradually; in the same way, spiritual fruits begin not with the highest, but with the lowest, that is, abstinence in everything and meekness, which will be followed by living faith, all mercy towards one’s neighbor; then the goodness that the Prophet Habakkuk and St. Isaac the Syrian: “The good eye will not see evil” 26. Further, long-suffering in sorrows and temptations, internal and external, and peace from thoughts and all passions. If someone dissolves his prayer with these virtues, called fruits by the Apostle, and has achieved spiritual joy in due time, he can enjoy it worthily and righteously, being filled with humility and love, which, according to the Apostle, “never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8). By the way, let's talk about charm in general; St. Gregory Sinait writes: “But you, if you are kindly silent, hoping to be with God, never accept anything sensual or spiritual, outside or inside, even if it is the image of Christ, or an Angel, or some Saint, or if the light is dreamed or imprinted in the mind. The mind itself has a natural power to dream and can easily construct ghostly images of what it desires, among those who do not heed this, it is dangerous, and thus cause harm to themselves. (...) Then pay attention, lest you believe anything, being carried away by it, even if it were something good, before questioning the experienced and fully examining the matter, so as not to suffer harm; but be always dissatisfied with this, keeping your mind colorless, formless and ugly. Often what was sent by God as a test for the crown turned to the detriment of many. Our Lord wants to test our autocracy, where it is heading. But he who sees something mentally or sensually and accepts it without questioning the experienced, is easily - even though it is from God - deceived or has to be deceived, as he is quick to accept thoughts. God is not indignant at the one who carefully listens to himself if, out of fear of deception, he does not accept what is from Him without questioning and due testing, but rather praises him as wise. For it is no small task to comprehend the truth clearly and to be pure from that which is contrary to grace; because the devil has a custom, especially for beginners, to present his charms under the guise of truth, transforming his evil into the spiritual” 27 . And Simeon the New Theologian says: “While standing on this path, those who see the light with their bodily eyes, smell incense with their nose, hear voices with their ears, and the like are deceived. Some of these became enraged and wandered from place to place in a frenzy. Others were deceived by accepting the devil, who was transformed and appeared to them in the form of an Angel of light, but they did not recognize him, and remained incorrigible to the end, not wanting to hear advice from any brother. Some of these took their own lives, having been prompted to do so by the devil; others threw themselves into the abyss; others hanged themselves. And who can retell the various delights with which the devil deceives them, when they are innumerable? 28. Those who, without cleansing themselves of passions, raise their minds to heaven and imagine heavenly goodness and the ranks of Angels, etc., are especially susceptible to this delusion, as it is written by Simeon the New Theologian in the same chapter above: “When someone, standing in prayer and raising his hands and his eyes and his mind to heaven, holds divine thoughts in his mind, imagines the blessings of heaven, the ranks of angels and the abodes of saints, and briefly collects everything heard in the Divine Scriptures in his mind, and then talks about it - during prayer, in vain to heaven, and thereby moves his soul to the lust and love of God, and sometimes even brings out tears and cries. At the same time, little by little (the one praying like this) begins to boast in his heart, without realizing it; It seems to him that what he does is from the grace of God as a consolation to him, and he prays to God to grant him to always remain in such work. And this is a sign of delusion: for good is no longer good when it does not happen in a good way and as it should” 29 . What does it mean when it doesn’t happen in a good way and as it should? Saint Simeon, in response, cites evidence from the book of Saint Climacus, who likens the images of attention and prayer to a ladder of four degrees, and says: “Others tame passions and humble themselves; others sing, i.e. pray with the lips; others practice mental prayer; others ascend into contemplation... Which, continues St. Simeon, - they undertake to ascend these steps, they do not start from the upper ones in order to descend to the lower ones, but from the lower ones they go to the upper ones - they step on the first, then on the second, then on the third and finally on the fourth. And, firstly, you need to strive with your mind and tame your passions, and secondly, practice psalmody, i.e. pray with the lips, because when the passions diminish, then prayer naturally gives pleasure and sweetness even to the tongue and is considered acceptable before God; thirdly, pray intelligently, and fourthly, ascend into contemplation. Whoever goes through all this in order, each in its own time, can, after his heart has been cleansed of passions, fully indulge in psalmody, and resist thoughts, and look at heaven with sensual eyes or contemplate it with the eyes of the soul, and pray purely in truth, as it should be” 30. All these testimonies from the teachings of the holy and God-bearing fathers were written out of the desire to benefit others and to warn the inexperienced and weak, so that they do not recklessly and impudently strive beyond their measure to undergo mental work, so that they do not fall into the delusion of the enemy, and there will be reproach to demons and crying among men, as stated above. But this was by no means written in order to deter and turn away from this work anyone who, in the mind and according to the teaching of the holy fathers, wants to undergo it. We rejoice over those who can reasonably and worthily unite with the Lord through this blessed work; For those who have not achieved this and are forced to go through this work, we advise them to read the fatherly books with due attention, so that they will know the truth and delusion, and the bait of the enemy, and keep themselves from undertakings beyond their measure. It is decent and useful for many to remember the word of St. Isaac the Syrian, who advises using the image of prayer in accordance with the way of your life and according to the measure of your spiritual structure, saying: “Your prayer should be consistent with your life” 31. And in another place: “It is difficult to teach anything lofty to a beginner and an infant of (spiritual) age” 32. It is not in vain that the Apostle commands first to pray verbally, as it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Therefore we offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of the lips of those who confess to His name” (Heb. 13:15). Likewise, the Monk Peter of Damascus teaches us to first go through active prayer, explaining that contemplative prayer is granted later, by the grace of God, not according to the will of man, but according to the will of God, when his heart and mind find themselves able to accommodate it, as he says in the 2nd book: “Give prayer to the one who prays” (1 Samuel 2:9), that is: to the one who prays well with bodily prayer, God gives mental prayer, and to the one who carefully abides in it - formless and unformed, out of pure fear of God. And again, to the one who does this well - knowledge of creation and from it - admiration of the mind for Theology and the good action of the future, God grants to the one who “abolishes himself from everything” (Ps. 45:11) and learns in this by deed and word, and not by hearing only” 33. Seeker of unceasing prayer. Instruction of St. Ignatius on the Jesus Prayer for beginners. – Published by the “Burning Bush” brotherhood with the participation of the “Church” publishing house. – M, 1991. We have given the letter of the Venerable Elder Paisius in a modern Russian translation: the original language may not have been equally understandable to everyone. (This letter was published in the book of the life and writings of Elder Paisius in the first edition of 1847, on pp. 265, 266, 267. - note by Venerable Elder Macarius.) Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 16. - “Rule of Faith” M., 1993. Venerable Father John, “The Ladder”, 26, ch. 211. St. Petersburg. 1995. Option: “...with discretion.” Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 55. - “Rule of Faith” M., 1993. Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 2. - “Rule of Faith” M., 1993. “Philokalia”, vol. 5. Chapters by Rev. Gregory of Sinaita. “Admonition to the Silent”, ch. 7. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993. Not by simple custom so named, but in obedience to the spiritual father, with the cutting off of their will and reason. – approx. Rev. Elder Macarius. “Philokalia”, vol. 5. Chapters by Rev. Gregory of Sinaita. “On Prayer and Silence”, ch. 8. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993. Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. “Creations”, vol. 2, word 68. – Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Sergiev Posad, 1993. “Philokalia”, vol. 3. Chapters by Rev. Philotheus of Sinai “On Sobriety”, ch. 13. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993. Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 36. – “Rule of Faith”. M., 1993. “Philokalia”, vol. 5. Chapters of Callistus the Patriarch and his associate Ignatius Xanthopoula, ch. 59. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993. Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 21. - “Rule of Faith” M., 1993. Venerable Macarius of Egypt. “Seven Words”, Homily 13. – “Spiritual Conversations”. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1994. Venerable Macarius of Egypt. “Seven Words”, Homily 3, ch. 5. – “Spiritual conversations.” – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1994. These words of St. Nil of Sorsky are given here in translation into modern Russian. These words are from the “Word to the Monks” by St. John Chrysostom is also given here in translation into modern Russian. “The Ladder”, Word 7, ch. 57. – St. Petersburg. 1995. Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 21. - “Rule of Faith”, M., 1993. “Philokalia”, vol. 5. Chapters by Rev. Gregory Sinaite. “Admonition to the Silent”, ch. 7. – Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Sergiev Posad, 1993. Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. “Creations”, vol. 2, word 68. – Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Sergiev Posad, 1993. Abba Isaac the Syrian “Ascetic Words”, Homily 5. – “Rule of Faith” M., 1993. Peter Damascene. “Creations”, Slovo 24. – M., 1993. You might be interested in: