Contents

Preface

About the first prayer

About the second prayer

About the third prayer

Preface

The three essences of the image of prayer and attention by which the soul is elevated or brought down: it is elevated by using them in a timely manner, and it is brought down by using them at the wrong time and meaninglessly. Sobriety and prayer are connected like the soul and the body: one does not exist without the other. They are connected in two ways. First, sobriety resists sin, being a kind of advanced scout, and then prayer immediately destroys and exterminates shameful thoughts bound by guards (protection), which attention alone cannot do. This is the door of life and death, that is, attention and prayer, which if we purify it with sobriety, we improve, but if by carelessly reducing (weakening) we defile it, we become unfit.

So, since we said that attention and prayer are divided into three [parts], the properties of each of these [parts] should also be explained, so that whoever wants to achieve life and wants to accomplish [them] (work) firmly chooses the best from these differentiated states, so that, holding the worst in ignorance, he does not miss the best.

About the first prayer

The properties of the first prayer are as follows. When someone stands in prayer and raises his hands and eyes together with his mind to heaven, and the mind imagines divine thoughts and imagines heavenly beauties, angelic ranks, the abodes of the righteous; to put it simply, he collects everything that he has heard from Scripture in his mind during prayer – he incites his soul to divine lust, clearly peering into the sky. It also happens that tears flow from his eyes, and little by little he begins to boast in his heart, to be lifted up, to consider what is happening as divine consolation and to pray so that he can always remain in such action. These are signs of delusion, for good ceases to be good if it is not done properly. This means that if such a person becomes silent forever, then it is impossible for him not to go [crazy]. If by chance he does not fall into this passion, then it is impossible for him to acquire virtue or achieve dispassion. This attention is deceived by those who sensually see light, smell certain incense, hear voices and much more of the same [kind]. Some became completely possessed by demons, wandering in a state of insanity from place to place and from region to region. Others, not recognizing “who was transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) and becoming proud, were deceived, henceforth remaining incorrigible to the end, not accepting any admonition from people. Others committed suicide and became suicides, prompted to do so by their deceiver: some threw themselves off a cliff, others hanged themselves. And who would tell about all the differences in devilish charm? Already from these words [a reasonable person] can find out what kind of profit is born from the first attention. If someone manages to avoid these misfortunes thanks to community life (this happens to hermits), they thereby go through their entire lives without success.

About the second prayer

The second prayer is this. When the mind sets off [on the road], gathering from the feelings and guarded by the external feeling, gathering with all thoughts and vainly [trying] to forget them, sometimes experiencing thoughts, sometimes listening to prayers to God uttered with the lips, sometimes attracting captive thoughts to itself, at other times and, overwhelmed by passion, again begins to forcibly return to itself – then it is impossible for someone at war to ever be pacified or crowned with a victorious wreath. In fact, such a person is like a man fighting in the night, who, although he hears the voices of his enemies and receives wounds, it is impossible for him to clearly see who they are, where they came from, how and for what they are wounded, because the culprit of such damage is the darkness of the mind. Thus, the warrior will not escape crushing from mental foreigners and, while working hard, he will still be deprived of his reward. At the same time, hidden by vanity, he imagines himself to be attentive and, being in the power of this [vanity] and being its toy, sometimes even blames others for not being like that, and exalts himself, setting himself up as a shepherd of the sheep and becoming like a blind man who promises to show the way to the blind.

These are the images of the second prayer, by which the hardworking can learn about its harm. However, the second is as much superior to the first as a full moon night is better than a starless and hopeless night.

About the third prayer

So, let’s start talking about the third prayer: a strange and incomprehensible thing, and for the ignorant it is not only incomprehensible, but almost incredible; a matter not found in many people. It seems to me that even this benefit disappeared along with obedience. For obedience leads one’s beloved away from this present evil age, reveals him to be carefree and impartial, and makes [him] easily and immediately flow towards the desired path, if only he can find a reliable guide. For what transient thing will the mind of one mortified by obedience reject for every worldly and bodily addiction? By what concern will he be distracted by entrusting all care of soul and body to God and his father, no longer living for himself and not “desiring the day of man” (Jer. 17:16)? From here, the circumstances of [God] apostate forces comprehended by the mind, like ropes entangling and surrounding the mind with thousands of thoughts, break through, so that one who finds himself free, powerfully fighting and exploring the enemy’s plans, skillfully expels [them] and sends up prayers with a pure heart. This is the beginning of solitary living. Those who begin differently will be crushed in vain. The beginning of the third prayer does not come from looking at grief, raising hands, gathering thoughts and calling for help from heaven: all these, as we said, are signs of the first deception. But again, it is not from the second [misconception] that the mind takes its first fruits, paying attention to external feelings, but not seeing internal enemies. Such, as we said, is struck, not struck; is wounded, and does not know [by whom, where, how and why] he is being taken captive, and is unable to repel those who captivate him. All the time “on the back”, or rather on the face, “sinners are building [the] sinners” (Ps. 129:3) and filling it with vanity and conceit.

But you, if you want to lay the beginning of such a luminous and sweet work, try to start from here. Following the strict obedience described above, you need to do everything conscientiously, for without obedience there is no clear conscience. And you must preserve your conscience first before God, then before your [spiritual] father and, thirdly, in relation to people and objects. Before God you must preserve your conscience, so that you do not do what you know does not serve God. Before your [spiritual] father you must maintain your conscience to do – neither adding nor subtracting – everything that he tells you at his own discretion. You need to maintain a conscience towards people, so as not to do to others what you yourself hate. As for objects, you must beware of abuse in every thing – food, drink and clothing; to put it simply – to do everything as before the face of God, without being convicted of anything by conscience.

[Now], when we have cleared and prepared the path to true attention, let us talk, if you wish, clearly and briefly about its properties. True and unfalse attention and prayer consists in the mind keeping the heart in prayer, always turning within it [the heart] and from that depth sending prayers to the Lord. Then, “having tasted that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:9), the mind no longer erupts from the abode of the heart, since it itself says together with the apostle: “It is good for us to be here” (Matthew 17:4), and, constantly surveying those places, attacking the enemy thoughts sown [there], pursues [them]. Of course, to the ignorant, such a life will seem too harsh (cruel) and uncomfortable – and indeed it is difficult, so that it takes the breath away not only from the uninitiated, but also from those who have firmly withstood the test, but have not accepted and sent joy deep into their hearts. Those who have tasted this joy and felt this sweetness in the throat of the heart can themselves exclaim with Paul: “Who will separate us from the love” of Christ (Rom. 8:35), and the following. After all, our holy fathers, having heard the words of the Lord: “From your heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and this defiles a person” (Matt. 15:19-20) and His admonition to cleanse the inside of the cup, so that the outside also becomes clean (Matt. 23:26), labored in guarding the heart, not thinking about any other exercise in virtues, knowing for sure that along with this activity they would easily master any other, but without it virtue cannot stand. Some fathers called this [doing] “silence of the heart”, others – “attention”, others – “guardianship of the heart”, some – “sobriety and contradiction”, others – “examination of thoughts and guarding of the mind”, but they all equally cultivated the soil of their hearts, thanks to which they received divine manna for food. Ecclesiastes speaks about this: “Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart blameless, and forsake the anger of your heart” (Eccl. 11:9-10). “If the spirit of the possessor rises up against you, do not leave your place” (Eccl. 10:4). Having said “place,” he meant the heart, just as the Lord says: “From the heart come evil thoughts” (Matt. 15:19), and again: “Do not be lifted up” (Luke 12:29), and again: “How narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life” (Matt. 7:14), and: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), that is, those who have not acquired any thought about this age. And the Apostle Peter says:
“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), etc. And Paul writes extremely clearly about guarding the heart to the Ephesians: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12), etc. And how much our divine fathers spoke in their writings about guarding the heart is clear to those who diligently study these [creations]. But first of all, you must acquire three things and thus begin [the path] to what you seek: carelessness about unreasonable and prudent [blessed] things, that is, deadness towards everything; a clear conscience, being preserved so that your own conscience does not reproach you; impartiality, not inclined to anything [from] this age or the body itself.

Then, sitting down in a silent cell and alone in [any] one corner, try to do what I tell you.

Close the door [of the mind] and lift up your mind from everything vain, that is, temporary. Then, resting your braid on your chest, directing your sensual eye with all your mind to the middle of the womb, that is, the navel, then restrain the desire for nasal breathing so as not to breathe often, and mentally explore the womb inside in order to find the place of the heart, where all spiritual forces usually reside. And at first you will find darkness and impenetrable thickness, but, constantly struggling in this work night and day, you will find, oh miracle! – unceasing joy. For as soon as the mind finds a place in the heart, it immediately sees what it never knew. In the middle of his heart he sees the air and himself, all bright and full of reasoning. From now on, by calling on Jesus Christ, he expels and destroys the thought as it appears, before it is completed or formed. From that time on, the mind, remembering demonic malice, arouses natural anger and, in pursuit, defeats mental enemies.

Other things you will learn, with God’s [help], to guard your mind, keeping Jesus in your heart. After all, says [Abba], “sit in your cell, and this will teach you everything.”

QUESTION. But why can’t the first and second storage perfect a monk?

ANSWER. Because he does not go through them according to rank. After all, John the Climacus established them with a ladder, saying this: “Some belittle passions; others sing psalms and indulge in psalmody most of [the time]; some [patiently remain in prayer; others spend [life] rushing into the depths of contemplation. Let, he says, the problem be studied in the image of a ladder.” Consequently, those who want to walk up the stairs do not step from top to bottom, but from bottom to top, climbing first to the first step, then to the next, and in order to all [the rest]. And in this way it is possible to rise from the earth and ascend to heaven. So, if we want to come “to become a perfect man of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), then we will begin along the established ladder, [as] befits like infants, according to [the order of] children’s ages, so that, going little by little, we reach the measures of both husband and elder.

The first age of monastic degree is the diminishment of passions, which is characteristic of beginners.

The second stage of spiritual maturation, which transforms a youth into a young man, is attachment to psalmody. For after the repose and diminishment of the passions, psalmody becomes sweet for the tongue and is counted [as merit] by God, for it is impossible to “sing to the Lord in a foreign land” (Ps. 136:4), that is, in a passionate heart.

The third stage of spiritual growth – from a young man to a man – is diligence in prayer, which is characteristic of those who have succeeded. After all, prayer differs from psalmody, just as a perfect man differs from a youth and a youth, according to the degree to which we ascend.

These [three are followed] by the fourth stage of spiritual growth – the stage of the gray-haired old man, that is, the unwavering attention of contemplation, which is characteristic of the perfect. The journey is complete and the staircase has reached its end.

This means that since these [steps] are so laid down and proclaimed (established) by the [Holy] Spirit, it is impossible for a baby to mature and ascend to the state of a gray-haired [old man] otherwise than by starting from the first step, as we said, and, having successfully passed through [all] four, to achieve perfection.

The beginning of progress towards the light for those who wish to be spiritually reborn is the diminishment of passions, or the preservation of the heart, for otherwise it is impossible for passions to diminish.

In second place is the intensification of psalmody, for when passions subside and diminish thanks to heartfelt resistance to passions, the desire for reconciliation with God inflames the mind. From this time (therefore), the strengthened mind, pursuing, expels with the help of attention the thoughts that fan the surface of the heart. And again, as usual, he cleaves to second attention and prayer. Then the spirits swirl—and the spirits of passions are accustomed to disturb the depths of the heart—but with the invocation of the Lord Jesus Christ they disintegrate and disappear like wax. Having been expelled from there, they disturb the surface of the mind through the senses; therefore, even if a lull is felt (or: he [the mind] feels) soon, it is still impossible to completely avoid them and not fight. This is characteristic of one who has come to [measure] “a perfect man” (Eph. 4:13), who always remains in solitude and continuous heartfelt attention.

Then the one who has acquired attention rises little by little and becomes gray-haired in wisdom, that is, he ascends to contemplation of what is [the lot] of the perfect.

So, it is precisely the one who goes through [all] this in due time and measuredly, after expelling passions from the heart, and can indulge in psalmody and legitimately defend himself both from thoughts awakened by the senses and from disturbances on the surface of the mind, and also, when he needs it, to direct the sensory eye to heaven along with the spiritual and truly pray purely, and even then in isolated and rare [cases] because of the [demons] lurking in the air. In fact, all that is required of us is that the heart be purified by storage; if, according to the Apostle (Rom. 11:16), “the root is holy”, then it is clear that “both branches” and fruit. Anyone who wants to raise his gaze and mind to heaven [otherwise] – in addition to the method we spoke about – and imagine something intelligible, sees, as if in a mirror, ghosts rather than the truth. For because the heart is impure, the second and first attention do not prosper. After all, just as when building a house we do not first lay the roof and then the foundation (since this is impossible), but, on the contrary, first the foundation, then the structure and finally the roof, so the thoughts are here: first, by preserving the heart and diminishing passions in it (lit. out of it), we lay the spiritual foundation of the temple; then, pushing away with our second attention the pressure of evil spirits awakened by external feelings, rather avoiding war, we establish the walls of the spiritual house over the foundation; and then, with the help of perfect closeness to God or hermitage, we extend the roof of the house and thereby complete the spiritual dwelling in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen.