Того самого преподобного отця нашого Григорія Синаїта глави про безмовність: Про те, як подобає безмовному сидіти й творити молитву

Того самого преподобного отця нашого Григорія Синаїта глави про безмовність Про те, як подобає безмовному сидіти й творити молитву

1 Часом задля трудности варто сидіти на стільці16, часом трохи на постелі, щоб відпочити. Тобі треба сидіти витривало, заради Того, хто сказав: “Будьте в молитві витривалі” (Кл. 4, 2), – і нешвидко вставати, аби не занедбати біль від труду, умового взивання і частого занурення ума в серце. Так каже пророк: “Туга нас огорнула, біль, як у породіллі” (Єр. 6, 24). Отож, схили голову та збери ум у серці, і коли серце твоє відкриється, призивай на поміч Господа Ісуса. Коли болітимуть твої плечі й натомиться голова, потерпи це витривало й ревно, шукаючи в серці Господа: “Царство Небесне здобувається силою, – каже Господь, – і ті, що вживають силу, силоміць беруть його” (Мт. 11, 12).Цими словами Господь каже, що ревність і такі подвиги – це справді подви ги, адже терпіння й витривалість у всякому ділі – це мати болів17 душевних і тілесних. Про те, як подобає проказувати молитву

2 Отці говорили так: один промовляє: “Господи, Ісусе Христе, Сину Божий,помилуй мене”, – повністю. Інший – наполовину: “Ісусе, Сину Божий, поми

16 Все це сказано про звичайний спосіб безмовного життя, хоч незначне й може бути на вибір, як і інші речі, котрі знайдеш у цій книзі Добротолюбія, пристосовані до звичаїв, клімату, розуміння і навиків, до них належить і спосіб дихання і інші речі.

17 Тут болями названо не виснаження й самокатування, а добровільна здержливість і сми рення з покаянням, що відриває нас від житейських сластей і приводить до Бога. луй мене”, – що й зручніше, через немічний ще ум і молодість. “Ніхто не може сказати: Господь Ісус, як лише під впливом Духа Святого” (1 Кр. 12, 3), – чисто й досконало, а німує, як немовля, бо не може ще вимовляти слово за словом. Не подобає часто змінювати призивання імен через лінощі, треба вимовлятиїх повільно, щоб вони закарбувалися в умі. Ще слід сказати таке: одні навча ють проказувати молитву устами, а інші – умом, а я кажу, що і так треба, і так. Коли ум знемагає проказувати молитву та втомлюється, тоді говорять уста,і тому обома слід молитися – і устами, й умом, однак покликати слід безмов но і не стурбовано, щоб голос не підносився, турбуючи почуття та уважність, поки ум, звикнувши в ділі, добре вправиться і прийме силу від Духа, щоб могти кріпко і всяко молитися. Тоді не треба буде промовляти устами, і це навіть буде неможливо, бо вистачає ума, щоб досконало творити це діяння. Про те, як слід утримувати ум

3 Знай, що ума ніхто не може сам стримувати, якщо його не стримає Дух. Адже він нестримний не від природи, не тому, що завжди рухливий, а черезнедбалість став скитальцем, звикнувши до цього від початку. Ми, пересту пивши заповіді, відпали від Бога, Котрий відродив нас, згубили єдність з Ним і втратили духовне відчуття Його. Відтоді ум відійшов від Бога й, ухиляючись від Нього, тиняється всюди, як полонений. І не може він ніяк зупинитися, хіба що підкориться Богові і Бог його стримає. Тоді ум з’єднається з Богом у веселості й молитиметься до Нього часто і витривало, та сповідатиметься Богові духовно повсякдень, коли согрішимо, а Бог прощає все відразу тим, що просять у смиренні й сокрушенні і повсякчас призивають Його святе ім’я. Каже-бо Давид: “Прославляйте Господа і призивайте ім’я Його” (Пс. 104, 1). І зітхання, коли стулювати уста під час дихання, стримує ум, але часткововін усе-таки розсіюється. Коли ж стане відчутною дія молитви, тоді вона во істину тримає ум у собі й веселить, і виводить із полону. Хоча буває, що й ум молиться і перебуває в серці, а думка витає, переймаючись іншими речами.Думка ж не кориться нікому, крім досконалих у Святому Дусі і тих, що досяг ли зібраности ума в Христі Ісусі. Про те, як належить відганяти помисли

4 Ніколи початківець не зможе відігнати помислів, якщо не віджене їх Бог. Тільки сильні можуть боротися з ними й відганяти їх, та й вони не самі відсебе це роблять, а з Богом підіймаються на битву проти помислів, як зодяг нені в увесь Божий обладунок. Ти ж, коли приходять помисли, замість зброї призивай часто й витривало Господа Ісуса, і вони втечуть, бо не зносять вони сердечної теплоти, котра походить від молитви. Вони тікають від неї, як від вогню. “Ісусовим іменем, – каже Ліствичник, – бий супостатів, бо наш Бог – вогонь, що знищує гріх”. Скорий на поміч Господь, Він відплатить за тих, що всією душею покликають до Нього вдень і вночі. Хто не має дії молитви, той перемагає їх іншим способом, наслідуючи Мойсея, коли той устав і здійняв до неба руки й очі (Вих. 17, 11), – тоді Бог відганяє їх. Тоді, знову сівши, такий починає терпляче молитву – так робить той, хто ще не здобув сили молитви, але може молитвою вплинути на тілесні пристрасті, себто зневіру і блуд –найтяжчі й найлютіші пристрасті, – часто встаючи, здіймає руки до неба, про сячи допомоги проти них. Але чинить так недовго, щоб не підпасти омані,і знову сідає, аби ворог не захопив його ума якимись мріями, показуючи ніби то відображення істини. Тільки чистим і досконалим властиво, щоб їхній ум угорі, і внизу, і в серці, і всюди залишався непогрішний і неушкоджений. Про те, як подобає співати

5 Some say – a little, others – a lot, and still others – that it is not necessary at all. And do not sing too much, because it is burdensome, but do not leave singing at all, so that relaxation and carelessness do not set in, and imitate those who sing a little. The best thing is to know the measure, as the wise say. And to sing a lot is the business of the active, for the sake of understanding and work, and not of the speechless – it is enough for them to pray to God in their hearts, avoiding thoughts. Silence is, according to Listvychnyk, a rejection of sensual and conditioned thoughts. When the mind exhausts all its strength for prolonged chanting, it will not be able to pray earnestly and perseveringly. “At night,” says Listvych nyk, “give a lot of time to prayer and a little time to singing,” that’s what you should do. When you sit and feel that prayer works in you and does not stop moving in your heart, never leave it and do not get up to sing psalms until it leaves you by itself. And then you will leave God inside and start a conversation with Him from the outside, descending from the heights to what you have thrown down. Yes, you will bring chaos into the soul and disturb the silence of the mind. Silence must act according to its name, to have it in peace and quiet. After all, God is the peace that is higher than the hustle and bustle. It would be appropriate if our song, according to the way of our life, was angelic and not carnal. When we sing with a loud voice, this is a sign of a conditioned voice, given to us because of our laziness and ignorance, so that we get closer to the true. And those who do not know that prayer, as Listvychnyk says, is a source of virtues that waters gardens, spiritual forces, likes to sing a lot, without measure, and always perform numerous feats and do not stop until they pass from numerous actions with pain to contemplation, having acquired the condition of prayer, which works within them. The activities of the silent ones are different, and those who live in Kenovia are different. Whoever was called to what, let him be saved in that. That’s why I’m afraid to write because of the weak, because I see you among them. Anyone who perseveres in praying as he heard or read perishes because he did not find a mentor. He who has touched grace, let him sing in moderation, as the fathers said, and work harder in prayer. And who has become lazy, that is why you need to sing or read the writings of the fathers about actions. The ship does not need oars when the wind blows the sails, the blows of the Spirit are enough for him to cross the salty sea of ​​passions. When the ship stops, it must be set in motion with oars or pulled with boats. When some who like to argue remind about those holy fathers who did all-night standing and incessant psalmsing, then we will answer from the scriptures that not all ascetics had everything going perfectly due to lack of zeal or lack of strength. But what is small is not always small for the big, and not everything big is perfect for the small, but everything is convenient for the perfect. And not everyone has always, now or ever, been a doer, and not everyone followed this path or endured it to the end.Many passed from action to contemplation and ceased all action, keeping the Sabbath according to the spiritual law and rejoicing only in God, filled with divine food, and it was not given to them to sing or learn anything else. Thanks to grace, they were sometimes in rapture, partially reaching the edge of desires, as a guarantee. And others saved themselves to death by action, expecting a reward in the next age. Some, dying, whether they accepted the announcement or after death, exhaled a fragrant aroma as a sign that they were saved; they, like everyone else, had the grace of baptism, but because of captivity or ignorance of the mind did not connect with it and so lived, having it secretly in themselves. Others practiced in the first and second, that is, in singing and prayer, and thus lived, having abundant grace, which is always moving, and knew no obstacles in anything. And others, remaining simple, remained silent until the end and contented themselves only with prayer, uniting with the one God. The perfect, as we have already said, can do everything in Christ, who strengthens them, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. About how you like to eat What can I say about the stomach – the queen of passions? When you can, kill him and make him half-dead and do not indulge him. It rules over me, beloved, and I serve it as a slave and companion, to it – the helper of demons and the abode of passions. Through it we fall, and rise when we master it. Because of him we fell away from the first and second divine dignity. For when we fell into corruption from the beginning, Christ made us new again. And now we have fallen away from God, because we did not keep the commandments, which preserve and multiply grace in the improvement of the soul, although we ourselves do not understand this and exalt ourselves, thinking that we are with God. Different bodies need different amounts of food, as Father said. One needs a little, and the other needs a lot to sustain his strength. Let the silent person always eat less, not to the point of satiety, because a heavy stomach clouds the mind, and then he cannot persevere and cleanly recite the prayer; from the fumes of numerous dishes, the ascetic falls asleep, he wants to fall asleep, and from this, countless dreams attack his mind in his sleep. For someone who wants to gain salvation and forces himself to live silently for the sake of the Lord, one liter of bread18 and three or four cups of water or wine a day is enough, and he eats little by little at the right time from all the dishes that are available, without overeating. Thus, wisely consuming a little bit of food, one avoids pride and does not neglect God’s very good creations – this is how prudent people behave. And it is useful for those with weak faith and soul to abstain from food, the apostle even orders them to eat vegetables (Rom. 14:2), because they do not believe that God will save them. What shall I say to you, that you ask for a hard rule for yourself, even though you are old? Young people can’t keep measures and quantities, but how can you stand it? When you fall, repent and rebuke yourself, and start again, and never stop doing so, falling and getting up, and always rebuke yourself, and not someone else, and you will have peace, wisely gaining victory by falling, as the Scriptures say.However, do not exceed the limit that we have marked for you, and it will be enough for you, because all other foods do not strengthen as much as the consumption of bread and water strengthens. That is why the prophet says, having all other food for nothing: “Son of man, eat your bread by weight and drink water in moderation” (Ezek. 4, 9 et seq.). Food has three limits: restraint, satisfaction of hunger and satiety. Temperance consists in feeling hunger after eating, appeasing hunger in not wanting to eat and not burdening yourself with food, and fullness in being a little heavy. And he who eats, when he is full, opens the door through which fornication enters. You, knowing this for sure, choose what is within your power, without crossing the line. What the apostle says about the perfect is also typical: “I am used to being full and hungry… I can do everything” (Phil. 4, 12-13). About delusion and other things

7 Бачиш, я хочу, щоб ти добре знав про оману, аби вберігся від неї, щоб не ходив у невіданні та не зазнав шкоди й не погубив душі. Бо вільна волялюдини легко схиляється до єдности із супротивними, особливо в недосвідчених, бо супротивні найбільше воюють проти них. Поблизу й навколо почат ківців і свавільних біси розтягують сіті помислів, рови падінь і згубу мріянь; їхнє місто під владою варварів. І не варто дивуватися, коли зведений хтось або вийшов з ума, або прийме чи прийняв прелесть, чи побачив щось невластиве для істини, або через недосвідченість і нерозуміння сказав недоречно. Багато хто у своїй грубості говорить про істину і, не знаючи, як правильно сказати,замість одного говорить інше. Він жахає багатьох, і, говорячи безумно, насмі хається, і глузує з безмовників. Нічого дивного нема в тому, що впаде в оманухтось із початківців і після багатьох трудів; таке ставалося з багатьма й те перішніми, і давніми подвижниками, котрі шукали Бога. Отож пам’ять про

18 Three quarters of a pound. God, i.e. the condition of prayer, is higher than any work, it, like love for God, is the head of all virtues. And whoever wants to shamelessly and fearlessly enter into God and confess Him and tries to take possession of Him in himself, if it is allowed to do so, the demons will easily kill him, because he boldly and fearlessly reached for something that exceeds his state, and arrogantly tried to grasp it prematurely. The Lord, according to his great mercy, seeing our great audacity, does not allow us to be tempted, so that everyone knows his high-mindedness, comes to his senses, until he becomes a laughing stock and a laughingstock for demons or a cry for people, especially when someone seeks this strange work with long-suffering humility, asking experienced ones and obeying them. So that you may not imperceptibly eat thorns instead of wheat and bitterness instead of sweetness, and instead of salvation you may not find destruction. The strong and perfect should always fight against demons and hold out against them “the spiritual sword, that is, the word of God” (Eph. 6, 17). And for the weak and beginners, flight with awe and fear will be like a stronghold. Refusing to fight and not daring to fight prematurely, they escape death. As for you, when you keep silence well, hoping to be with God, never accept, seeing something sensually or in the mind, externally or internally – whether it is an image of Christ, or angels, or a saint; whether they appear in dreams or are imagined in the mind. Because the mind itself has a dreaminess in its nature and can easily create whatever images it wants in those who do not pay attention to it, causing harm to itself as well. And the very memory of good and bad causes unexpected feelings in the mind and leads to dreaminess, and because of this, a person becomes a dreamer, and not a mute. Therefore, be careful that you do not believe something, quickly agreeing with it, even if it is good, without asking experienced people and without checking it well. Always resent such things, keeping your mind indistinct, formless, and unimaginative. Many were often hurt by what God sent to get the crown. The Lord wants to test what our free will is inclined to. Whoever sees something in thought or feeling, even if it is from God, is easily led astray – as he is prone to this. Let the chatkivite be attentive only to the activity of the heart as it is not deceptive, and everything else cannot be accepted until the passions subside. After all, God is not angry with someone who watches over himself so as not to fall into error, and will not accept even that which comes from God without checking and asking, and even praises him as wise, although he was angry with some. And he should not ask everyone, but one – who is entrusted to instruct others and who shines with life – himself, “as poor, but makes many rich” (2 Kr. 6, 10) – as the Scripture says. The inexperienced have often harmed numerous foolish ones and have “the sentence of death in themselves” (2 Cor. 1, 9). Not all can instruct others, but those to whom divine discernment is given, as the apostle says. Discernment of spirits, which distinguishes the worse from the better with the sword of the word.Everyone has their own mind and prudence, natural, or practical, or skillful, but not everyone has a spiritual one. That is why the wise Syrah says: “Your counselor is one in a thousand” (Syr. 6, 6). It is no small feat to find an infallible mentor in deeds, words, and understanding. Whether someone is not deceptive can be seen from the fact that his actions and knowledge are confirmed by evidence from the Divine Scriptures and he is humble and wise in what he likes to think about. It is quite hard work – to understand the truth and to be clean from the opposite of grace, because the devil usually shows his delusion under the guise of truth, especially to beginners, showing his evil as spiritual. Therefore, hasten in silence to grasp pure prayer, in great trembling and weeping you must move forward, asking the advice of experienced ones, and always weep for your sins, sorrowing and fearing, lest you suffer torment or fall away from God, separated from Him now or in the future. When the devil sees someone who lives while crying, he does not stay there, because he is afraid of the humility that comes through crying. When someone in his high-mindedness dreams how to reach the heights, and thus acquires the desire of Satan, and not the true desire, then the devil quickly binds him with his nets as his servant. That is why it is a great weapon – to hold back weeping with prayer, so that, rejoicing in prayer, you do not fall into high-mindedness, it is better to choose joy in sadness and remain unharmed. The same prayer, warmth with the prayer of Jesus, which puts fire in the ground of our heart, burns passions like a thorn, and causes cheerfulness and silence in the soul, and does not come from the right, nor from the left, nor from above, but sprouts in the heart, like a spring of water from the life-giving Spirit. Find her only desire in your heart and increase it, keeping your mind free from dreams, thoughts and gossip, and do not be afraid. He who said: “It is I, do not be afraid” (Mr. 6, 50), is always with us, He whom we are looking for, protects us, and we do not need to be afraid or sigh, calling on God. And when some turned away, having lost their minds, know that they suffered this because of their own power and high wisdom. He who submits and asks and seeks God will never be harmed by the grace of Christ, who wants all men to be saved. And when a temptation comes, it is a test and a crown, because God, who allows it, will soon provide his help in the way that he himself knows. He who lives righteously and blamelessly leads his life, and runs away from people’s pleasure and high wisdom – even if the whole demon regiment raises temptations against him, he will not harm him, as the fathers say. He who lives defiantly by his own judgment is easily harmed. Therefore, the silent one must always keep the royal way. Excess in everything usually accompanies high-mindedness, followed by delusion. Barely closing your mouth in prayer, restrain the breath not only of the nostrils, but also of the mind, so that pride does not harm you. There are three virtues of silence, which we must carefully guard and always check to see if we are always in them, so that we do not have to find ourselves outside them when forgetfulness robs us.These are the following virtues: self-restraint, silence and self-reproach, that is, humility. They protect each other, and thanks to them, prayer is born and always grows. The beginning of the action of grace in prayer manifests itself differently in different people – depending on how the Spirit distributes gifts (1 Cor. 12, 4), according to the apostle, according to His will, it can be seen and known, which also appears in us according to the image of Elijah of Tesvityan. In some, it is like a spirit of fear that destroys the mountains of passions and crushes hearts as cruel as stones, so their flesh becomes as dead from fear. Others have excitement, that is, joy, which the fathers more accurately called winning. It also exists in the former as insensible and true, namely it is insubstantial and non-hypostatic, and not existent. In others, there is a peaceful movement of light, and in particular, in those who have achieved success in prayer, God works, and Christ dwells in their hearts (Eph. 3, 17), as the apostle says, and secretly appears as the Spirit. That is why God spoke to Elijah on Mount Horeb that the Lord is not in this or that, not in the individual actions of beginners, but in a subtle pattern of light – and there is the Lord (1 Sam. 19, 12), who showed a perfect prayer. Question: What should a person do when the devil turns into an angel of light and tempts him? Answer: That’s why a person needs a lot of prudence to be able to distinguish between good and evil. Do not hastily trust in what appears to you, but act slowly and well tested, leave what is good, and reject what is evil; one must first test and think, and then believe. Know that the action of grace is clear, and the devil, although he is transformed, cannot give me meekness, nor silence, nor humility, nor hatred of the world, he does not quench passions and sweetness – because these are all actions of grace. And devilish actions are pride, high wisdom, and fear, and all kinds of sin. By action, you will be able to recognize whether God’s light has shone in your soul, or Satan’s. Fridax looks like mustard, and vinegar looks like wine, and the larynx recognizes and feels the difference between them. So also the soul, when it has prudence, recognizes the gift of the Holy Spirit and satanic dreaming with conditioned senses.