БЕССТРАСТИЕ

1. What is the virtue of dispassion? Monastic life is a path; the goal of the path is to achieve peace. On this path, on the path of virtues, there are falls, there are enemies, there are changes, there is abundance and diminishment, fruits and barrenness, sadness and joy, painful lamentation of the heart and peace of mind, success and loss. But dispassion is alien to everything mentioned. It has no disadvantage. It is in God, and God is in it. For dispassion there are no enemies, no fall. Neither disbelief nor any other passion bothers him. It does not feel any difficulty in preserving itself, it is not bothered by any desire, it does not suffer from any enemy warfare. Great is his glory, his dignity is inexpressible. Far removed from it is any mental structure that is outraged by any passion. It is the body that the Lord Jesus took upon himself; it is the love that the Lord Jesus taught. (Abba Isaiah) 2. Is dispassion subject to wavering from enemy attacks? Dispassion is no longer subject to wavering from the attacks of the enemy. It accepted the reward for the struggle - the honor of victory. It remains in peace and is not afraid of the separation of the three parts united by the peace of God. These three parts are: spirit, soul and body. When these three parts, through the action of the Holy Spirit, form one whole, then they are no longer separated. (Abba Isaiah) 3. What elevates a monk to the haven of dispassion? Abba Ammonius conveyed the saying of another father that dry eating and abstinence from pleasant food, combined with the cultivation of love, soon leads the monk into the haven of dispassion. Abba Evagrius said that one of the Fathers said: Dry eating and uniformity in the amount of food, with a spiritual disposition of love for everyone, soon lead a monk into the haven of dispassion. 4. Who achieves dispassion - is it the one who is devoted exclusively to bodily achievements or the one who cares about the structure of the inner man? Dispassion is acquired not by those who devote themselves exclusively to bodily exploits, but mainly by those who care about the structure of the inner man and cut off the desires of fallen nature: these are the ones who receive the crown of virtues. (Abba Isaiah). 5. Is it possible to recognize yourself as dispassionate when sin, albeit in small things, defeats you? As long as sin overcomes you, even in small things, do not recognize yourself as dispassionate. (Abba Isaiah) 6. Can one who loves human glory achieve dispassion? It is impossible for one who loves human glory to achieve dispassion; envy and zeal live in him. (Abba Isaiah).