On Monasticism, by Evagrius the Monk, Teaching How One Should Struggle and Keep Stillness
The Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah: “Do not take a wife, and do not have sons or daughters in this place… they shall die a grievous death” (Jer. 16:1–4). The Apostle says the same: “He who is married is anxious about the affairs of this world, how to please his wife, and he is divided. Likewise the woman who is married is anxious about the affairs of this world, how to please her husband” (1 Cor. 7:33–34). From this it is clear that the prophet speaks of “dying a grievous death” not only concerning sons and daughters born in marriage, but also concerning those sons and daughters born in the heart — that is, carnal thoughts and desires — which in the painful and feeble wisdom of this world shall perish and shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. “He who is unmarried,” says the Apostle, “is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:32), and he will always bring forth flourishing and immortal fruits of eternal life.
Such is the monk, and such the monk ought to be, who has neither wife nor sons nor daughters. He ought to be a soldier of Christ, free of possessions and free of care, without any vain thought or deed, as the Apostle says: “No soldier on service entangles himself in the affairs of this life, if he wishes to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Tim. 2:4). Let the monk dwell above all in this, who has left behind all the affairs of this world and hastens toward the beautiful and lofty attainments of stillness — the tokens of victory.
How beautiful and good is the struggle of stillness! How truly fair and kind it is! “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Mt. 11:30). A joyful life, a sweet labour. Will you, beloved, take upon yourself the life of stillness as it truly is, and hasten toward the attainments of stillness? If you wish it, leave behind the sorrows of the world and the principalities and powers that are in them — that is, become as one bodiless, free of passion, without any desire, so that all manner of misfortunes may be foreign to you and you may keep stillness well. If you do not thrust them from you, it will be impossible to live thus.
Eat little, and choose simple food, not the kind that brings much trouble. And should the thought come to you to prepare better food for travellers, reject it and do not listen to it at all; the enemy creeps in with it to tear you away from stillness. You know how the Lord Jesus reproved those souls who are anxious about this, and said to Martha: “You are troubled and anxious about many things, but one thing is needful” (Lk. 10:41) — to listen to the divine word, and then you shall receive everything without difficulty. And He adds: “Mary has chosen the better portion, which shall not be taken from her” (Lk. 10:42).
You have also the example of the widow of Zarephath, and what she offered the prophet. Even if you have only bread, or salt, or water, with these you may feed a traveller and receive the reward of hospitality. And if you have not even these, then receive the traveller with a kindly disposition and speak a good word to him, and you will likewise receive the reward of hospitality. For it is said that a kind word is better than a gift.
This is what you should know about almsgiving. See that you do not desire to possess wealth in order to give it to the poor. There is something deceptive in this also, which often leads to vainglory, and the intellect casts itself into numerous entanglements. The Lord Jesus bears witness in the Gospel concerning the widow who surpassed the intention and the power of the rich by two mites. The Lord says that “all of them cast in as a gift to God out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had” (Lk. 21:4).
And concerning clothing I say: do not desire to have superfluous garments, but only such as are necessary for your body. “Cast your care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps. 54:23; 1 Pet. 5:7). It is said that the Lord will feed you. Whenever you have need of clothing or food, be not ashamed to receive from others when they bring it to you, for shame is a sign of pride. And when you have something superfluous, give it to one who has not. God wills that His children should work out their salvation in this manner. That is why the Apostle writes to the Corinthians concerning those who have suffered want: “…that at this present time your abundance may supply their lack, and that their abundance also may one day supply your lack, so that there may be equality, as it is written: ‘He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack’” (2 Cor. 8:14–15).
Therefore, having all that is needful for the present time, do not be anxious about the time to come — not for a single day, nor a week, nor a month. When it comes, it will give you all that you need, if you seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mt. 6:33).
Consider that peace of soul is better than peace of body. Do not desire to live with people who love possessions and bear malice against others. Live either by yourself, or with brothers who do not love possessions and bear no malice. For he who lives with people who love possessions and bear malice against others will himself learn their evils and will begin to serve the demands of men and vain talk and all other evils: anger, sorrow, frenzied deeds, and excessive entreaties concerning kinsfolk and friendship with relatives. See that these do not lead you away from the good. For this reason avoid frequent conversations, lest they take away the silence of your cell and draw you into their trouble. “Follow Me,” said the Lord, “and let the dead bury their dead” (Mt. 8:22).
Do everything, do all things, that you may keep stillness and remain free of care, and strive to abide in the will of God and in the battle with the unseen. Be like a good merchant who ventures all for the sake of silence, and in every way keeps himself in silence and in want. Moreover, I tell you: love a foreign land. It will free you from the temptations that await you in your own country and will enable you to enjoy the benefits of silence. Avoid the life of the city and patiently endure the life of the desert. This is what Saint David says concerning it: “Behold, I fled afar off and dwelt in the wilderness” (Ps. 54:8). If possible, do not go into the city at all. There is nothing good there, nothing needful, nothing profitable for your life of stillness. “I have seen,” says the same saint, “lawlessness and strife in the city” (Ps. 54:10).
So seek out silent and secluded places. Do not be afraid of their sounds; and even if you see demonic apparitions there, do not be afraid and do not flee from a place that is profitable for you. Endure fearlessly, and you shall behold the great works of God — His intercession, His providence, and other assurances of salvation. “I waited,” says that blessed man, “for Him who saves me from faintheartedness and from the storm” (Ps. 54:9). “For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and the whirl of desire perverts the innocent mind” (Wis. 4:12). This is why there are many temptations. Fear sin, and be steadfast in your cell.
When you have friends, avoid frequent conversation with them. And when you understand the harm that comes from such conversations, you will not approach them at all. You should have friends who contribute to your way of life. Avoid conversing with wicked and wrathful people, and do not live with any of them, and do not accept their evil counsels, for they are not joined to God and do not abide in Him. Let peaceable men, spiritual brothers, holy men be your friends. Thus the Lord calls them, saying: “Behold My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother” (Mk. 3:34–35).
Do not dwell with those who are ceaselessly anxious, and do not go to feasts with them, lest they draw you into their temptations and tear you away from the art of silence, for such a passion is in them. “My eyes,” says David, “are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me” (Ps. 100:6). When someone who lives by the love of God comes to you and invites you to eat with him, then go if you wish, but return at once to your cell. If it is possible, apart from such occasions always spend the night in your cell, so that the grace of silence may always be with you and the rule of the cell may be carried out without hindrance.
Do not desire delicious food and every kind of luxury. When you are often invited somewhere, decline, for it is not profitable for you to be often outside your cell. Such absence takes away grace, darkens the thought, and dries up desire. Look at a vessel of wine: when the wine stands in one place and is not disturbed, it settles, becomes strong and fragrant; but when it is carried back and forth, it becomes cloudy and unusable, because the sediment rises from the bottom. Compare yourself with it, and hasten to preserve what is profitable for you. Avoid the gathering of many people, so that thoughts do not enter your intellect and cloud your stillness.
Attend to your handiwork and labour at it, if possible day and night, “so as not to burden anyone” (2 Thess. 3:8), as the Apostle says, and also that you may have something to give to another; and thereby you will slay the spirit of despondency and all hostile desires, for the spirit of despondency attaches itself to idleness. “The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing,” says the wise Solomon (Prov. 13:4).
When you give or receive, you cannot avoid sin; therefore, when you sell or buy something, suffer small losses, so that in setting a price out of self-interest you may not suffer harm to your soul, and begin to quarrel, and break an oath, and fail to keep your word, and thus dishonour and shame the dignity of your own will. Reasoning thus, be cautious in giving and receiving. And when you choose what is best, and this is possible for you, entrust your affairs to some faithful man, so that, remaining thus with a peaceful soul, you may have good and joyful hopes.
The way of stillness prompts me to teach thus. I will explain to you what should be treasured in it; and you, listen to me and do as I bid you. Sitting in your cell, gather your intellect; remember the day of death, beholding at that time the lifelessness of the body; consider the suffering, take up the labour, know the vanity of this world, and meekness, and vigilance, so that you may abide in silence and not grow faint. Remember the present state in hell; consider how hard it is for the soul there, in what bitter silence it dwells, or in what fierce groaning, in what fear and suffering, in what expectation of endless anguish of soul and unending tears. Remember the day of resurrection and of appearing before God. Consider the fearful and terrible judgement; remember what awaits sinners there — shame before God and His Christ, before angels, archangels, principalities and all people, and all the torments: the eternal fire, the undying worm, Tartarus, darkness, and besides all this the gnashing of teeth, the terrors and the other torments.
Remember also the blessings prepared for the righteous: boldness before God the Father and His Christ, before angels, archangels, principalities and all people; the Kingdom and its gifts, joy and delight. Remember both the one and the other. Considering the judgement of sinners, lament, weep and sigh, fearing lest you find yourself in such a state. Considering the blessings prepared for the righteous, rejoice, be glad and exult, and hasten to attain these and to estrange yourself from the former. Take heed that you never forget these things, whether you are keeping silence in your cell or elsewhere; remember them constantly, and through them you will avoid impure and harmful thoughts.
Fast before the Lord as much as you are able. Fasting cleanses your iniquities and sins, adds honour to the soul, sanctifies the intellect, drives away demons and prepares your dwelling with God. When you eat once a day, do not desire to eat a second time, lest you incur great expense and disturb your discernment. Then you will be able to do good works generously and to mortify the passions of your body. But when other brothers come to you and you must eat a second and a third time, do not be sad and do not sigh; on the contrary, rejoice, show obedience in their need, and eat a second and a third time, and thank God that you have fulfilled the law of love — and God Himself will care for what is profitable for you. It happens also that one must eat twice or thrice or more because of bodily weakness; do not let your thoughts be saddened by this. Even if we are unable to complete all the bodily labours of our life, we must give way in some of them in order to recover and return to our former labours.
As for abstaining from food, the Word of God has forbidden no food. The Lord said: “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; as the green herb I have given you all things” (Gen. 9:3). And again: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person” (Mt. 15:11). Refusal of food is a work of our own desire and of the soul’s effort.
Endure with love the vigil and the sleeping on the ground and all other forms of patience, contemplating the glory that shall be revealed to you with all the saints. “The sufferings of the present time,” says the Apostle, “are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).
When you are sorrowful, pray as it is written; pray with fear and trembling, with pain, persevering and watchful. Thus ought we to pray, especially because of our evil enemies. For when they see us standing at prayer, then they too diligently set upon us, placing in our intellect such things as we would not wish to recall at prayer or to think about, so that they may capture our intellect and make our prayers and supplications empty and vain. Truly vain and useless are prayer, petitions and supplications when they are not performed as is fitting, with fear and trembling, with vigilance and alertness.
If someone comes before a king and asks for something with fear and trembling, and with prudence, then with how much greater fear and trembling ought we to stand before God, the Lord of all, and before Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and offer prayer and petition. For to Him the whole multitude and choir of angels, serving with fear and glorifying with trembling, send up an unending hymn, together with His eternal Father and the all-holy and coexistent Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.