The same venerable father of ours, Gregory of Sinai, chapters on stillness: How one who keeps stillness should sit and pray
How one who keeps stillness should sit and pray
1. Sometimes, because of the hardship of the labour, it is right to sit on a stool, and sometimes for a while on your bed, so as to rest. You must sit patiently, for the sake of Him who said: «Persevere in prayer» (Col. 4:2), and you must not be quick to rise, so as not to neglect the pain that comes from the labour, from the calling of the intellect and from the frequent descent of the intellect into the heart. So says the prophet: «Anguish has taken hold of us, pain as of a woman in travail» (Jer. 6:24). And so, bow your head, gather your intellect within your heart, and when your heart opens, call upon the Lord Jesus for help. When your shoulders ache and your head grows weary, endure it patiently and fervently, seeking the Lord in your heart: «The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force», says the Lord, «and the violent take it by force» (Matt. 11:12). By these words the Lord teaches that fervour and struggles such as these are true struggles, for patience and endurance in every work are the mother of pains, both of soul and of body.
Note: everything said here concerns the customary manner of the life of stillness; the details may be a matter of choice, as with other things you will find in this book of the Philokalia, which are adapted to local custom, climate, understanding and habit — and among these are the manner of breathing and other such things.
Note: by «pains» here is meant not exhaustion or self-torture, but voluntary self-restraint and humility with repentance, which tear us away from worldly pleasures and lead us to God.
How the prayer should be said
2. The fathers spoke of this in various ways. One says the whole: «Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me». Another says half of it: «Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me», which is easier for an intellect that is still weak and untried. «No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit» (1 Cor. 12:3) — that is, purely and perfectly; the beginner is mute like an infant, for he cannot yet pronounce word after word. One should not change the invocation of the names too often out of slothfulness; the words should be said slowly, so that they may be impressed upon the intellect. And this too must be said: some teach that the prayer should be said with the lips, others with the intellect; but I say that it should be said in both ways. For when the intellect grows faint in saying the prayer and becomes weary, then let the lips speak; and therefore one should pray with both, with the lips and with the intellect — yet calling quietly and without agitation, so that the voice is not raised, disturbing the senses and the attention, until the intellect, grown accustomed to the work, is well trained and receives power from the Spirit, so as to be able to pray strongly and in every way. Then there will be no need to speak with the lips, and it will even be impossible, for the intellect alone suffices to accomplish this work perfectly.
How the intellect should be held
3. Know that no one can hold his intellect in check by himself unless the Spirit holds it. For it is unrestrained not by nature, nor because it is always in motion, but because through negligence it has become a wanderer, having grown used to this from the beginning. Having transgressed the commandments, we fell away from God who had given us birth; we lost our union with Him and lost the spiritual perception of Him. From that time the intellect departed from God and, turning aside from Him, wanders everywhere like a captive. And it can in no way come to rest unless it submits to God and God holds it fast. Then the intellect will be united to God in gladness and will pray to Him often and patiently, and will confess to God spiritually every day whenever we sin; and God forgives all at once those who ask in humility and contrition and who call upon His holy name at all times. For David says: «Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His name» (Ps. 104:1). Sighing, too, when the lips are closed during breathing, restrains the intellect — yet in part it is still scattered. But when the energy of prayer becomes perceptible, then it truly holds the intellect within itself and gladdens it and leads it out of captivity. Yet it happens that the intellect prays and abides in the heart while the thought roams, occupied with other things. And thought submits to no one except those who are perfect in the Holy Spirit and who have attained the gathering of the intellect in Christ Jesus.
How thoughts should be driven away
4. A beginner will never be able to drive away thoughts unless God drives them away. Only the strong can fight with them and drive them away, and even they do not do this of themselves, but rise up with God to battle against the thoughts, clad in the whole armour of God. As for you, when the thoughts come, instead of weapons call often and patiently upon the Lord Jesus, and they will flee; for they cannot endure the warmth of the heart which comes from prayer. They flee from it as from fire. «With the name of Jesus», says the author of the Ladder, «lash your adversaries, for our God is a fire that consumes sin». The Lord is quick to help, and He will vindicate those who with all their soul call upon Him day and night. He who does not yet possess the energy of prayer overcomes them in another way, imitating Moses, who stood up and lifted his hands and eyes to heaven (Exod. 17:11) — and then God drives them away. Then, sitting down again, he takes up the prayer with patience: this is what one does who has not yet gained the power of prayer, yet is able through prayer to act against the bodily passions, namely despondency and unchastity, the heaviest and fiercest of the passions; rising often, he lifts his hands to heaven, asking for help against them. But he does this only for a short while, so as not to fall into delusion, and sits down again, lest the enemy seize his intellect with some fantasy, showing him what seems to be an image of the truth. It belongs to the pure and perfect alone that their intellect, whether above or below, in the heart or anywhere else, remains unerring and unharmed.
How one should chant
5. Some say a little, others a great deal, and others again that it is not necessary at all. Do not chant too much, for it is burdensome; but do not abandon chanting altogether, lest slackness and carelessness set in: imitate rather those who chant a little. The best thing is to know the measure, as the wise say. To chant a great deal is the business of the active, for the sake of understanding and labour, and not of those who keep stillness — for them it is enough to pray to God in their hearts, avoiding thoughts. Stillness, according to the author of the Ladder, is the rejection of thoughts, whether of the senses or of the mind. When the intellect exhausts all its strength on prolonged chanting, it will not be able to pray earnestly and perseveringly. «At night», says the author of the Ladder, «give much time to prayer and little to chanting» — and this is what you should do. When you are sitting and feel that prayer is at work in you and does not cease to move in your heart, never leave it and do not get up to chant psalms until it leaves you of itself. For otherwise you will leave God within and begin a conversation with Him from without, descending from the heights to what you have cast down; and so you will bring confusion into the soul and disturb the stillness of the intellect. Stillness must act according to its name: it must be held in peace and quiet. For God is the peace that is above all turmoil and noise. It would be fitting that our chanting, in accordance with our way of life, should be angelic and not carnal. When we chant with a loud voice, this is a sign of the voice of the senses, given to us because of our slothfulness and ignorance, so that we may draw nearer to the true. And those who do not know that prayer, as the author of the Ladder says, is the source of the virtues that waters the gardens, the spiritual powers, love to chant much and without measure, and always to perform numerous feats, and they do not cease until they pass over from manifold action with pain into contemplation, having acquired the state of prayer which is at work within them. The activities of those who keep stillness are of one kind, and those who live in a community are of another. Let each be saved in that to which he was called. This is why I am afraid to write, because of the weak, for I see you among them. Whoever persists in praying just as he has heard or read perishes, because he has not found a guide. He who has tasted grace, let him chant in moderation, as the fathers said, and labour more in prayer. And he who has grown slack — that is why he needs to chant, or to read the writings of the fathers on the practice. A ship does not need oars when the wind fills the sails; the breath of the Spirit is enough for it to cross the salt sea of the passions. But when the ship comes to a standstill, it must be set in motion with oars, or towed by boats. And when some, who love to argue, remind us of those holy fathers who kept all-night vigils standing and chanted the psalms unceasingly, we shall answer from the Scriptures that not all ascetics had everything in perfect order, whether from lack of zeal or from lack of strength. But what is small is not always small for the great, and not everything great is perfect for the small; for the perfect, however, all things are fitting. And not everyone has always, now or ever, been a doer, and not everyone has followed this path or endured it to the end. Many passed over from action to contemplation and ceased from all action, keeping the Sabbath according to the spiritual law and rejoicing in God alone, filled with divine food; and it was not given to them to chant or to learn anything else. Through grace they were at times in rapture, partially reaching the very edge of what they desired, as a pledge. And others saved themselves unto death by action, awaiting their reward in the age to come. Some, when they died — whether they had received the tidings, or after death — breathed forth a sweet fragrance as a sign that they were saved; they, like everyone else, had the grace of baptism, but because of captivity or the ignorance of the intellect they were not united with it, and so lived, having it hidden within themselves. Others practised the first and the second, that is, both chanting and prayer, and so lived, having abundant grace which is always in motion, and knew no obstacle in anything. And others, remaining simple, kept stillness to the end and were content with prayer alone, being united with the one God. The perfect, as we have already said, can do all things in Christ who strengthens them — to whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.
How one should eat
6. What shall I say of the belly, the queen of the passions? When you can, kill it and leave it half dead, and do not indulge it. It rules over me, beloved, and I serve it as a slave and companion — it, the helper of demons and the dwelling place of the passions. Through it we fall, and when we master it we rise. Because of it we fell away from the first and from the second divine dignity. For when we fell into corruption at the beginning, Christ made us new again. And now we have fallen away from God, because we have not kept the commandments which preserve and multiply grace for the improvement of the soul — though we ourselves do not understand this, and exalt ourselves, thinking that we are with God. Different bodies need different amounts of food, as the father said: one needs little, another much, to sustain his strength. Let the one who keeps stillness always eat less than his fill, for a heavy stomach clouds the intellect, and then he cannot persevere and say the prayer purely; from the fumes of many dishes the ascetic grows drowsy and wants to sleep, and from this countless fantasies assail his intellect in sleep. For one who wants to gain salvation and who compels himself to live in stillness for the Lord’s sake, a pound of bread and three or four cups of water or wine a day are enough; and he eats a little at the proper time from whatever dishes are available, without overeating. Thus, wisely taking a little of each food, he avoids pride and does not despise God’s very good creation — this is how prudent people behave. But for those who are weak in faith and in soul it is useful to abstain from certain foods; the Apostle even bids them eat vegetables (Rom. 14:2), because they do not believe that God will save them. What shall I say to you, who ask for a hard rule for yourself, though you are already old? Young men cannot keep to measures and quantities — how then will you endure it? When you fall, repent and reproach yourself, and begin again; and never cease to do so, falling and rising, and always reproach yourself and no one else, and you will have peace, wisely gaining victory through falling, as the Scriptures say. Yet do not exceed the limit that we have marked out for you, and it will be enough for you, since no other food strengthens as much as bread and water do. This is why the prophet says, counting all other food as nothing: «Son of man, eat your bread by weight and drink water by measure» (Ezek. 4:9ff.). Food has three limits: abstinence, sufficiency and satiety. Abstinence consists in still feeling hunger after eating; sufficiency, in neither wanting more food nor burdening oneself with it; and satiety, in feeling somewhat heavy. And he who goes on eating when he is full opens the door through which unchastity enters. Knowing this for certain, choose what is within your power, without crossing the line. And what the Apostle says of the perfect is also fitting here: «I have learned both to be full and to be hungry… I can do all things» (Phil. 4:12-13).
On delusion and other matters
7. You see, I want you to know well about delusion, so that you may guard yourself against it, and not walk in ignorance and suffer harm and destroy your soul. For a man’s free will easily inclines to union with the adversaries, especially in the inexperienced, since the adversaries wage war against them most of all. Near beginners and the self-willed, and all around them, the demons spread the nets of thoughts, the pits of falls and the ruin of fantasies; their city is under the power of the barbarians. And there is no need to be surprised when someone is led astray, or loses his reason, or accepts or has accepted delusion, or sees something that does not belong to the truth, or through inexperience and lack of understanding speaks out of place. Many in their coarseness speak about the truth and, not knowing how to say it rightly, say one thing instead of another. Such a man appals many, and speaking senselessly he becomes a mockery and a laughing-stock to those who keep stillness. There is nothing strange in a beginner falling into delusion even after many labours; this has happened to many ascetics both of our own time and of old, who sought God.
Note: about three quarters of a pound.
And so, the remembrance of God, that is, the state of prayer, is higher than every work; like the love of God, it is the head of all the virtues. And whoever wishes shamelessly and fearlessly to enter into God and to confess Him and tries to take possession of Him within himself, if he is permitted to do so, the demons will easily destroy him, because he boldly and fearlessly reached out for something beyond his state and arrogantly tried to grasp it prematurely. The Lord, in His great mercy, seeing our great presumption, does not allow us to be tempted, so that each may know his own conceit and come to his senses, before he becomes a laughing-stock and a mockery to the demons or a source of grief to men — especially when someone seeks this strange work with long-suffering humility, asking those who are experienced and obeying them; lest, without noticing it, you eat thorns instead of wheat and bitterness instead of sweetness, and instead of salvation find destruction. The strong and the perfect should always fight against the demons and hold out against them «the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God» (Eph. 6:17). But for the weak and for beginners, flight with awe and fear will be like a stronghold. Refusing to fight and not daring to give battle prematurely, they escape death. As for you, when you keep stillness well, hoping to be with God, never accept anything you may see, whether with the senses or in the intellect, whether outwardly or inwardly — be it an image of Christ, or of angels, or of a saint, whether it appears in dreams or is imagined in the mind. For the intellect by its nature has a certain dreaminess, and in those who do not pay heed to it, it can easily create whatever images it wishes, and so do harm to itself. And the very remembrance of things good and bad produces unexpected impressions in the intellect and leads it into fantasy; and because of this a man becomes a dreamer rather than one who keeps stillness. Therefore, take care not to believe something and agree with it too quickly, even if it is good, without asking those who are experienced and without testing it well. Always turn away from such things, keeping your intellect free of forms, images and fantasies. Many have often been harmed by what God had sent them so that they might receive a crown. The Lord wishes to test to what our free will inclines. He who sees something in thought or in feeling, even if it is from God, is easily led astray — being prone to this. Let the beginner be attentive only to the activity of the heart, since that is not deceptive; and let him accept nothing else until the passions subside. For God is not angry with one who watches over himself so as not to fall into error, and who does not accept even what comes from God without testing and asking; rather He praises him as wise, though He has been angry with some. And he should not ask everyone, but one man — one who has been entrusted with the instruction of others and who shines in his life, being himself «as poor, yet making many rich» (2 Cor. 6:10), as the Scripture says. The inexperienced have often harmed numerous foolish people and have «the sentence of death in themselves» (2 Cor. 1:9). Not all can instruct others, but only those to whom divine discernment has been given, as the Apostle says: the discernment of spirits, which distinguishes the worse from the better with the sword of the word. Everyone has his own mind and prudence — natural, or practical, or skilful — but not everyone has the spiritual kind. That is why the wise Sirach says: «Let your counsellor be one in a thousand» (Sir. 6:6). It is no small labour to find an unerring guide in deeds, in words and in understanding. Whether a man is free from delusion can be seen from this: that his actions and his knowledge are confirmed by the testimony of the Divine Scriptures, and that he is humble and wise in the things he loves to think about. It is quite hard work to grasp the truth and to be clean from what is contrary to grace, for the devil is accustomed to show his delusion under the appearance of truth, especially to beginners, presenting his evil as something spiritual. Therefore hasten in stillness to attain pure prayer; you must go forward with great trembling and weeping, asking the counsel of the experienced, 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 age to come. When the devil sees someone living in tears, he does not remain there, for he fears the humility that comes through weeping. But when someone in his conceit dreams of how to reach the heights, and thus acquires the desire of Satan rather than the true desire, then the devil quickly binds him in his nets as his servant. That is why it is a great weapon to hold weeping together with prayer, so that, rejoicing in prayer, you do not fall into conceit; it is better to choose joy in sorrow and remain unharmed. This same prayer, warmth together with the prayer of Jesus, sets fire in the ground of our heart, burns up the passions like thorns, and produces gladness and stillness in the soul; and it does not come from the right, nor from the left, nor from above, but springs up in the heart like a fountain of water from the life-giving Spirit. Seek only this desire in your heart and increase it, keeping your intellect free of fantasies, thoughts and idle talk, and do not be afraid. He who said, «It is I, do not be afraid» (Mark 6:50), is always with us; He whom we seek protects us, and we need not fear or sigh when we call upon God. And when some have gone astray and lost their reason, know that they suffered this because of their self-reliance and their high opinion of themselves. He who submits and asks and seeks God will never be harmed, by the grace of Christ, who wills that all men be saved. And when temptation comes, it is a test and a crown, for God, who allows it, will soon provide His help in the way that He Himself knows. He who lives righteously and leads a blameless life, and flees from the approval of men and from high-mindedness — even if a whole regiment of demons raises temptations against him, it will not harm him, as the fathers say. But he who lives defiantly, by his own judgement, is easily harmed. Therefore the one who keeps stillness must always hold to the royal road. Excess in everything is usually accompanied by conceit, and delusion follows after it. As you barely close your mouth in prayer, restrain the breath not only of the nostrils but also of the intellect, so that pride may not harm you. There are three virtues of stillness which we must carefully guard, always examining ourselves to see whether we are within them, so that we may not find ourselves outside them when forgetfulness robs us. These are the virtues: self-restraint, silence and self-reproach, that is, humility. They protect one another, and thanks to them prayer is born and always grows.
The beginning of the working of grace in prayer is manifested differently in different people — according to how the Spirit distributes the gifts (1 Cor. 12:4), as the Apostle says, according to His will; and it can be seen and known, appearing in us also after the image of Elijah the Tishbite. In some it is like a spirit of fear, which destroys the mountains of the passions and crushes hearts as hard as stones, so that their flesh becomes as though dead from fear. In others there is exultation, that is, joy, which the fathers more precisely called a leaping up. In others there is a peaceful movement of light; and in particular, in those who have made progress in prayer, God is at work, and Christ dwells in their hearts (Eph. 3:17), as the Apostle says, and secretly appears as the Spirit. This is why God spoke to Elijah on Mount Horeb: that the Lord is not in this or in that, not in the particular workings of beginners, but in a subtle trace of light — and there is the Lord (cf. 1 Kings 19:12), who has shown what perfect prayer is.
Question: What should a man do when the devil transforms himself into an angel of light and tempts him?
Answer: For this a man needs much prudence, so as to be able to distinguish good from evil. Do not be hasty to trust what appears to you, but act slowly and test it well; keep what is good and reject what is evil. One must first test and consider, and only then believe. Know that the working of grace is clear, and the devil, though he transforms himself, cannot give meekness, nor stillness, nor humility, nor hatred of the world; he does not quench the passions and the pleasures — for these are all workings of grace. And the workings of the devil are pride, high-mindedness, fear and every kind of sin. By its working you will be able to recognise whether it is God’s light that has shone in your soul, or Satan’s. Endive looks like mustard, and vinegar looks like wine, yet the palate recognises and feels the difference between them. So too the soul, when it has prudence, recognises the gift of the Holy Spirit and satanic fantasy perceived through the senses.