Maxims for the Spiritual Life

Maxims for the Spiritual Life

     For those few of you who enjoy reading my Orthodox blogs—a lot of folks read my strength-training blog; not so many my other two—please forgive my long delay in Orthodox blogging.

     One of the reasons for my lack of posts on Blue Jean Theosis is because I want to make sure that I actually have something to say.  I love Orthodox spirituality—and the great joy of my life has been my entrance into the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church—and I would love to do more writing on Orthodox hesychastic spirituality and its intersection with modern life, but I have often felt that my writing fails to capture the essence of my thoughts, and not just the essence of my personal thoughts, but also the “fragrance” or mindset of the Holy Fathers of the Church.  (Along a similar vein, I must confess “despondency” as my greatest sin, or at least the one I’m most frequently aware of, for we must confess our sins committed not just in “knowledge” but in “ignorance” as well, as the Divine Liturgy so often reminds us.)

     Having said that, I hope this is the first of what will be a more continual line of posts, even if the posts are rather short.  Although I often feel as if I don’t have much to write about from a unique perspective, perhaps there are those of you who will find some comfort and solace from what I have to say, even though it comes from such a broken person such as myself.  (For more on “brokenness” see my previous post “Paradox and Mystery”.)

     Earlier this morning—I’m currently “snowed in” from work even though I live in Alabama, which means I’ve had the luxury this morning of surfing the internet—I came across these 55 “maxims for the spiritual life” from Father Thomas Hopko.  Father Hopko is the Dean Emeritus of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, and apparently this is a much-published, much-read series of maxims, but I had never seen them before until I came across them on Father Stephen Freeman’s “Glory to God for All Things” blog, so perhaps others have not read them either.

     If we were to focus on these basics each year, each week, each day of our lives, we would surely be on the road to salvation.  With that being said, here they are:

1. Be always with Christ.


2. Pray as you can, not as you want.


3. Have a keepable rule of prayer that you do by discipline.


4. Say the Lord’s Prayer several times a day.


5. Have a short prayer that you constantly repeat when your mind is not occupied with other things.


6. Make some prostrations when you pray.


7. Eat good foods in moderation.


8. Keep the Church’s fasting rules.


9. Spend some time in silence every day.


10. Do acts of mercy in secret.


11. Go to liturgical services regularly.


12. Go to confession and communion regularly.


13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start.


14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person.


15. Read the scriptures regularly.


16. Read good books a little at a time.


17. Cultivate communion with the saints.


18. Be an ordinary person.


19. Be polite with everyone.


20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home.


21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby.


22. Exercise regularly.


23. Live a day, and a part of a day, at a time.


24. Be totally honest, first of all, with yourself.


25. Be faithful in little things.


26. Do your work, and then forget it.


27. Do the most difficult and painful things first.


28. Face reality.


29. Be grateful in all things.


30. Be cheerful.


31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small.


32. Never bring attention to yourself.


33. Listen when people talk to you.


34. Be awake and be attentive.


35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary.


36. Speak simply, clearly, firmly and directly.


37. Flee imagination, analysis, figuring things out.


38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance.


39. Don’t complain, mumble, murmur or whine.


40. Don’t compare yourself with anyone.


41. Don’t seek or expect praise or pity from anyone.


42. We don’t judge anyone for anything.


43. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything.


44. Don’t defend or justify yourself.


45. Be defined and bound by God alone.


46. Accept criticism gratefully but test it critically.


47. Give advice to others only when asked or obligated to do so.


48. Do nothing for anyone that they can and should do for themselves.


49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice.


50. Be merciful with yourself and with others.


51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath.


52. Focus exclusively on God and light, not on sin and darkness.


53. Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins peacefully, serenely, because you know that God’s mercy is greater than your wretchedness.


54. When you fall, get up immediately and start over.


55. Get help when you need it, without fear and without shame.

Judging our Neighbor, Judging Ourselves

     Growing up in an evangelical church, as a child I can often remember Sunday school teachers, preachers, or even my mother (on occasion) saying that we should “hate the sin, but love the sinner.”  This was meant to be helpful, to allow me – and others growing up in the culture of the “Bible Belt” – to love others as Jesus loved (and loves) them.  The problem, however, is that it too many times allows us to pass judgment on others.  (And, I must add, that I don’t think many of my loving teachers and “elders” meant for this saying to work in such a way.  It’s one of those sayings that’s meant to be used in a loving way, but this use of it doesn’t take in the psyche of our fallen nature, or it doesn’t admit how truly prideful and broken we are, incapable of using such a saying in a constructive manner.)  The fact is that we – in our human and sinful nature – will end up passing judgment on our neighbor for his or her sins, for it is almost impossible for us (because of our own sinfulness) to separate the sin from the sinner.

     The Orthodox Church takes a different approach to judgment.  It allows judgment to remain where it should: with God.  Judgment (and salvation, for that matter) are God’s domain, not ours.

     Here are some words from Abba Dorotheos[1] on not judging others:

The Publican and the Pharisee

     It is one thing to speak evilly or reproach, it is another to judge, and yet another to belittle. To reproach means to say of someone that he lied, or got angry, or fell into fornication, or did some other such thing. Such a one has spoken evilly of his brother, that is, he has spoken with passion concerning his brother's sins. But to judge is to say that the man is a liar, an angry man, a fornicator. Here he has judged the very disposition of that man’s soul, he has pronounced a sentence on his whole life by saying that he is such a thing, and he has judged him as such; and this a serious sin. For it is one thing to say "He became angry," and another thing to say, "He is an angry man," and as I have said, to thus pronounce a sentence on his whole life. The sin of judging is so much more serious than any other sin that Christ Himself said, Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye (Luke 6:42), and the sin of one's neighbor is like a mote—a sliver; while judging is like a beam. So serious is judging, surpassing every other sin.

     And that Pharisee praying and thanking God for his own virtues did not lie; he was telling the truth, and was not for this that he was condemned—for we should thank God when we have been vouchsafed to do something good, as He has helped us and worked with us to do it. The Pharisee was not condemned, as I said, for thanking God, enumerating his virtues, and he was not condemned for saying, I am not like other men (Lk. 18:11); but when he turned his attention to the publican and said or like this publican. Then he was given over to condemnation, for he condemned a person and the disposition of his soul—to put it briefly, his whole life. Therefore, the publican rather than the Pharisee went away justified.

     Nothing is more serious, as I have said many times, nothing worse than judging, having contempt for or despising our neighbor.

On Judgment Remaining in God’s Domain

     Why do we not rather judge ourselves and our own sins, which we know so well, and about which we have to give an answer before God? Why do we usurp God's right to judge? What do we demand from His creature, His servant? Ought we not to tremble when we hear about what happened to that great elder, who upon hearing of a brother falling into fornication said, "Oh, he has done badly!" Or do you not know about the terrible story related in the Patericon? For an angel brought [Isaac the Theban] the soul of someone who had fallen into sin, and said to him, "Here is the person you have judged. He has just died. Where do you order him to be put, into the Kingdom or into eternal punishment?" Could there be anything more terrible than this burden? What else could the angel mean by these words than, "Since you want to be the judge of the righteous and the sinners, what do you command for this poor soul? Shall you have mercy on him, or give him over to tortures?" The holy elder, stunned by this, spent the rest of his life in moaning and tears and measureless work, praying to God to be forgiven this sin, and all this after having fallen face to the ground before the angel and been forgiven, for the angel said to him, "You see, God has shown you what a serious sin is judging, so that you would never do it again. This signified forgiveness but the soul of the elder would not be consoled or cease its lamentations until he died.

     So what is it we want from our neighbor? Why are we so concerned about the burden of others? We have plenty to be concerned about, brothers! Let each one of us attend to himself and his own sins. God alone has the authority to judge, to justify or to condemn, inasmuch as He knows the state of each one of us and our upbringing and our gifts, our constitution and abilities, and it is for him to judge each of these things according to the knowledge that He alone has. For God judges the affairs of a bishop in one way and those of a secular governor in another. His judgment is different for an abbot or for a disciple; he judges differently the aged and the young, the sick man and the healthy man. Who could understand all these judgments except the One who has created everything, formed everything, knows everything?

     I remember once hearing the following story: a slave ship put in at a certain port where there lived a holy virgin who was in earnest about her spiritual life. When she learned about the arrival of the ship she was glad, for she wanted to purchase a little girl. She thought to herself, "I will take her into my home and bring her up in my way of life so that she knows nothing of the evils of the world." So she sent and enquired of the master of the ship and found that he had two small girls who he thought would suit her. Whereupon she gladly paid the price of one of the children and took her home. The ship's master left the place where the saint dwelt. He had not gone very far when he was met by a harlot, totally depraved, who saw the other small girl with him and wanted to buy her; the price was agreed and paid, and she took her away. Do you see this mystery of God? Do you see His judgment? Which of us could give explain this? The holy virgin took one of these little ones to bring her up in the fear of God, to instruct her in every good work, to teach her all that belongs to the monastic state and, in short, all the sweet fragrance of God's holy commandments. The harlot, having taken the unfortunate child, made her an instrument of the devil. For what could this plague teach her but the ruin of her soul? What can we have to say about this terrible fate? Both were small, both were sold, neither knew where they were going; one is found in the hands of God and the other falls into the hands of the devil. Is it possible to say that what God asks from the one he asks also from the other? How could that be! Suppose they both fell into fornication or some other deadly sin; is it possible that they both face the same judgment, although they fell into one and the same sin? Could this be possible? One learns about the Judgment and about the Kingdom of God day and night, while the other unfortunate knows nothing of it, never hears anything good but only the contrary, everything filthy, everything diabolical? How can He allow them to be judged by the same standard?

     Wherefore a man can know nothing about the judgments of God. He alone is all-seeing and can judge the sins of all as He alone knows. Truly it happens that a man may do some sin out of simplicity, but he may have something good about him which is more pleasing to God than his whole life; and you sit in judgment and burden your own soul? And should it happen that he has fallen away, how do you know how much and how well he fought, how much blood he sweated before he did it? Perhaps so little fault can be found in him that God can look on his action as if it were just, for God looks on his labor and all the struggle he had before he did it, and has pity on him. And you know only his sin, then how God spared him; are you going to condemn him for it, and destroy your own soul? And how do you know what tears he has shed about it before God? You may well know about the sin, but you do not know about the repentance.

On Not Judging Others for Your Own Salvation

     Those who want to be saved scrutinize not the shortcomings of their neighbor but always their own, and they make progress. Such was the man who saw his brother doing wrong and sighed, saying, "Woe is me; him today—me tomorrow!" Do you see his caution? Do you see the disposition of his soul? How he swiftly foresaw how to avoid judging his brother? When he said "me tomorrow" he aroused fear of sinning, and by this he increased his caution about avoiding those sins which he was likely to commit, and so he escaped judging his neighbor; and he was not satisfied only with this, but cast himself under his brother's feet, saying, "He has repented for his sin but I do not always repent as I should, nor do I attain to repentance, for I have not the strength to repent." Do you see the divine light in his soul? Not only was he able to escape making judgment but he threw himself beneath his brother's feet as well. And we wretches judge rashly, we loathe and despise if we see something, or hear something, or even only suspect something! And what is worse, we do not let it stop at harming ourselves, but we go and look for another brother and say, "Here is what happened!" We harm him and put vile sin into his heart also and we do not fear the saying, Woe to the man who gives his neighbor something dark and dangerous to drink (Habbakuk 2:15)! But we do the devil's work and are not one bit concerned about it. What else has the devil to do but disturb and harm us? We are found to work with him for our own destruction and that of our neighbor, for a man who harms his own soul is working with, and helping, the demons. The man who seeks to profit his soul is co-operating with the angels. How is it that we fall into this state unless it is because we have no true love? If we had true love, then we would view our neighbor's shortcomings with co-suffering and compassion, as it is said, Love shall cover the multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8). Love thinketh no evil; covers everything and the rest (I Cor. 13:5).

     As I said, if we have true love, that very love would cover all sins, as did the saints when they saw the shortcomings of men. Were they blind and did not see sins? And who hated sin more than the saints? But they did not hate the sinners all the same time, nor condemn them, nor turn away from them, but they suffered with them, admonished them, comforted them, gave them remedies as sickly members, and did all they could to save them. Take a fisherman: when he casts his hook into the sea and a large fish takes the bait, he perceives first that the fish struggles violently and is full of fight, so he does not try to pull it in immediately by main force for the line would break and the catch would be lost in the end. No, he rather plays out the line and, as he says, allows the fish to run freely, but when he feels the line slacken and the first struggles have calmed down, he takes up the slack line and begins, little by little, to draw him in. So the holy fathers, by patience and love, draw the brother and do not spurn him nor become disgusted with him. As a mother who has an unruly son does not hate him or turn away from him but adorns him with love, and everything she does, she does for his consolation; so do the saints always cover, adorn and help the sinner, so that with time he will correct himself, and not harm anyone else, and in doing so they themselves greatly advance towards the love of Christ.

---

[1] Abba Dorotheos was a monk who lived at the end of the 6^th century and into the 7^th.  These words on not judging others comes from his book “Practical Teachings on the Christian Life” as it’s commonly known.

The Rule for Attending to Oneself

The Rule for Attending to Oneself 

Written for a Certain Layman As a Result of His Desire to Live a Vigilant Life in the World 

By St. Ignatius Brianchaninov 

The soul of all practices in the Lord is VIGILANCE. Without VIGILANCE, all these practices are fruitless. He who is desirous of saving himself must so establish himself that he might remain continuously VIGILANT toward HIMSELF, not only in solitude, but also under conditions of distraction, into which he is sometimes unwillingly drawn by circumstances.

Let the fear of God outweigh all other sensations upon the scales of your heart; and then will it be convenient to for you to be VIGILANT TOWARD YOURSELF, both in the silence of yourkellia [cell] and in the midst of the noise that surrounds you from all sides.

A well-reasoned moderation in foodstuffs, diminishing the passionate heat of his blood, tends greatly to facilitate your being able to ATTEND TO YOURSELF; while the impassioning of your blood, stemming, as it does, from an excessive consumption of foodstuffs, from extreme and intensified bodily movements, from the inflammation of wrath, from being heady with vanity, and by reason of other causes, gives rise to a multitude of thoughts and reveries—in other words, to distraction. The Holy Fathers, first of all, ascribe to such a one as is desirous of ATTENDING TO HIMSELF a moderate, evenly-measured, constant abstention from food. (Dobrotoliubiye [Philokalia], Pt. II, Ch. of St. Filofei [Philotheus] of the Sinai)

Upon awakening from sleep—an image of the awakening from the dead, which awaits all men—direct your thoughts to God, offering up to Him the first-thoughts of your mind, which has not yet become imprinted with any vain impressions whatsoever.

Having carefully fulfilled all the needs of the flesh upon arising from sleep, quietly read your customary rule of prayer, taking care not so much for the quantity of your prayerful expression, as for the quality of it; i.e., do it ATTENTIVELY, so that, by reason of your ATTENTION, your heart might be enlightened and enlivened through prayerful feeling and consolation. Upon concluding your rule of prayer, do you again, direct all your strength to the ATTENTIVE reading of the New Testament, primarily the Evangel. In the course of this reading, intently take note of all the instructions and commandments of Christ, so that you might direct all your actions—both manifest and veiled—in accordance with them.

The quantity of the reading is determined by one's strength and by one's circumstances. It is unnecessary to weight-down one's mind with an excessive reading of prayers and Scripture; likewise, is it unnecessary to neglect one's needs in order to practice immoderate prayer and reading. Just as the excessive use of foodstuffs disorders and weakens the belly, so too does the immoderate use of spiritual food weaken the mind and create in it a revulsion to pious practices, leading it to despair. ([St.] Isaac the Syrian, "Sermon 71")

For the novice, the Holy Fathers suggest frequent—but brief—prayers. When one's mind matures with spiritual age, becoming stronger and manlier, then shall one be in proper condition to pray without ceasing. It is to such Christians as have attained to maturity in the Lord that the words of the Apostle Paul pertain:

I DESIRE, THEREFORE, THAT MEN PRAY EVERYWHERE, LIFTING UP HOLY HANDS, WITHOUT ANGER AND REPROACH. (I Tim. II, 8) i.e., dispassionately, and without any distraction or inconstancy. For that which is natural to the man is not yet natural to the infant.

Enlightened, through prayer and reading, by our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, one may then go forth to carry out the affairs of one's daily course, VIGILANTLY taking care that in all one's deeds and words, in one's entire being, the All-holy will of God might prevail, as it was revealed and explained to men in the Commandments of the Evangel.

Should there be any free moments during the course of the day, use them to read ATTENTIVELY some chosen prayers, or some chosen portions of Scripture; and, by means of these, fortify the powers of your soul, which have become exhausted through activity in the midst of a world of vanities.

Should there not be any such golden moments, it is necessary to regret their loss, as though it were the loss of a valuable treasure. What is wasted today should not be lost on the day following, because our heart conveniently gives itself up to negligence and forgetfulness, which lead to that dismal ignorance, so ruinous of Divine activity, of the activity of man's salvation.

Should you chance to say or to do something that is contrary to God's commandments, immediately treat your fault with repentance; and, by means of sincere contrition, return to the Way of God, from which you stepped aside through your violation of God's will. Do not linger outside the Way of God! Respond with faith and humility to sinful thoughts, reveries and sensations by opposing to them the Gospel commandments, and saying, along with the holy patriarch Joseph:

HOW SHALL I SPEAK THIS EVIL WORD AND SIN BEFORE GOD? (Gen. XXX, 9)

One who is VIGILANT toward oneself must refuse himself all reverie, in general—regardless of how attractive and well-appearing it might seem, for all reverie is the wandering of the mind, which flatters and deceives it, while being outside the truth, in the land of non-existent phantoms, and incapable of realization. The consequences of reverie are: loss of VIGILANCE toward oneself, dissipation of the mind, and hardness of heart during prayer, whence comes distress of the soul.

In the evening, departing into slumber—which, in relation to the day just past, is death—examine your actions during the course of that day. Such [self-] examination is not difficult, since, in leading an ATTENTIVE life, that forgetfulness which is so natural to a distracted man is destroyed through VIGILANCE TOWARD ONESELF. And so, having recollected all your sins, whether through act, or word, or thought, or sensation, offer your repentance to God for them, with both the disposition and the heart-felt pledge of self-amendment. Later, having read the rule of prayer, conclude the day which was begun by meditating upon God by meditating, once again, upon God. Whither do they depart—all the thoughts and feelings of a sleeping man? What mysterious state of being is this sleep, during which the soul and body are both alive and yet not alive, being alienated from the awareness of their life, as though dead? Sleep is as incomprehensible as death. In the course of it, one's soul reposes, forgetting the most-cruel earthly afflictions and calamities that have beset it, while it images its eternal repose; while one's body (!!) ... if it rises from sleep will also arise, inevitably, from the dead.

The great Agafon said: "IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SUCCEED IN VIRTUE WITHOUT EXERTING VIGILANCE TOWARD ONESELF." (The Patericon of Skete)

Amen.

Excerpted from The Writings of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov: Ascetic Essays, Volume I, pp. 185-187 (in Russian). Translated into English from the Russian by George Spruksts intrprtr@prodigy.net. English-language translation copyright (c) 1999 by The St. Stefan of Perm' Guild, The Russian Cultural Heritage Society, and the Translator. All Rights Reserved. Permission is hereby granted to use this essay for non-commercial purposes, as long as this entire notice is included therewith.

Peace of Mind Not Contingent Upon Conditions

     The goal of the spiritual life – forgive me for using such a vague term, but despite its inadequacies, and despite is overuse, it’s still a useful term – should be to acquire a peace of mind that is not contingent upon conditions.  Of course, as an Orthodox Christian, this should not be the ultimate goal.  The ultimate goal should be to attain salvation – and salvation for the Orthodox is nothing other than theosis, to attain union with the Uncreated Energies of the Incarnate Logos.

     But I think that theosis often seems too lofty a goal, despite the fact that the means to attain it – humility, fasting, unceasing prayer – are simple things (though simple, obviously, doesn’t equate to easy.)  How does one know that he or she is even moving toward theosis?  The answer, I think, is how at peace one’s mind is, regardless of the conditions in one’s life.

     And on the flip side of this, if you believe you have attained theosis but are not experiencing an inner peace and tranquility not dependent upon conditions, then, sorry, but theosis is not yet in your grasp – in fact, you would be guilty of spiritual pride.

     For the remainder of this article, I would like to discuss the things in one’s daily life that lead to this kind of peace.  Two of the things that I won’t be discussing in this article are fasting and prayer (although I will discuss watchfulness some).  There are plenty of great articles and books available – even if just online – for anyone interested in these subjects, material written by people far more wise than I.  The suggestions, pointers, and subtleties suggested here assume that one is already partaking in a life of prayer, fasting, and watchfulness.  This article also assumes that one is already immersed in the life of the Church: regular attendance of the Divine Liturgy, partaking of the Holy Mysteries (especially the Eucharist and Confession), and contributing to a local parish.

Peace of Mind

     What is peace of mind?  The inevitable thing that many do is to equate peace of mind with happiness, but this isn’t the case.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with being happy (as long as the happiness isn’t coming from some of the lesser forms, such as happiness at another’s expense, or happiness that will cause you un-happiness at a later date), but “being happy” should not be the goal of the spiritual life.  Happiness is fleeting.  It comes and it goes.  Many things will happen in our lives that will not make us happy.  Friends and loved ones die (sometimes tragically), our spouses may leave us, we may lose our job – when things of this nature happen, happiness is not going to be the result.  But we are capable of maintaining an inner peace, a tranquility that transcends our suffering, even in the midst of tragedy.

     Acquiring peace of mind first means that you must be willing to set your priorities on the things that matter – namely, the one thing that matters: attainment of theosis.  (There are a lot of Orthodox, I think, who like the thought of attaining theosis, but they don’t want to do the work that is required.  Their priorities are simply not in the right place.)

     In order to set your priorities, you need to come to terms with the fact that there are things that you should and should not do.  A lot of people don’t like Orthodoxy (or any “religion” for that matter) because they don’t want to be told a list of “shoulds or should nots”.  But the spiritual life – or any disciplined life, no matter whether the discipline is “spirituality” or not – doesn’t work in such a manner.  You should (or should not) do certain things because of the result of your actions.  If you want a life of spiritual peace and of inner tranquility, then not only should you do certain things, but you must do them.

     The first thing that Orthodox need to realize – and I don’t think it’s a subject that is even thought about too much, perhaps because of its seeming simplicity – is that your practice should be of one piece.  In other words, attainment of theosis is not comprised of different steps that you can take, discarding the lower steps as you move toward your goal of union with the Divine.  As you begin on the ladder of Divine ascent, you start with being more kind, more generous, more giving to others, doing your best to practice humility and to bear the cross of the many things that the Lord will place in your life along your journey.  But you don’t drop these things as you climb higher along the ladder.  If anything, you more easily increase them, even developing layers of subtlety that you wouldn’t have done before.  A God-realized elder or saint of the Church sees his passions – and his thoughts that lead to those passions – more clearly as he attains theosis.  Although the path to salvation is often depicted as a ladder, we need to realize that it could be just as easily represented by a wheel (as in the Eightfold Path - see my previous post comparing and contrasting Orthodoxy with Buddhism).

Humility

     One aspect of Orthodox spirituality that clearly distinguishes it from the western forms of Christianity (whether Catholic or Protestant) is that Orthodox spirituality represents a negation of the self.  (Western spirituality is all too often an affirmation of the self – a spirituality that affirms that our thoughts really are what we are, and that we can trust our truest, deepest self.)  And negation of self begins with humility.

     Humility is the most difficult aspect of the spiritual life.  But it’s also the most important because it’s the “springboard” that allows the rest of the spiritual life to flourish.  Humility is – despite our western mindset that wants to say otherwise – one of the most surefire ways to bring about a true peace of mind.  A humble mind does not cling to self and others (whether those others are people or things) as being me, myself, or mine.  Humility allows us to let go of our sense of self – the sense that we are somehow more important than others, and are the real center of the universe.

     Humility does not mean that we revile the self, however – a common misunderstanding, I’m afraid, even among Orthodox.  Listen to these words of Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain:

    

“Humility is the thought and conviction of our heart that we are more sinful than all men and unworthy of the mercy of God. Reviling ourselves doesn’t mean that we have true humility. True humility is when someone shames and abuses us publicly, and we endure it and say, “God ordered that brother to shame me for my many sins.” We should receive everything as a command of God. When someone shames you, say that God commanded him to do it. When someone takes something of yours, God commanded him to take it, in order to make you a monk. When you are removed from a higher place, God changed your place so that you would change from your passions and bad habits. This is true humility. And pride is when we trust in ourselves, in our mind, our strength, when we think we are more capable than someone else, better, more beautiful, more virtuous, more pleasing to God. Then it is certain that we are overcome by the ugly sin of pride, from which may God, who humbled Himself for our salvation, preserve us. Let us humble ourselves, brethren, because a proud man cannot be saved. Let us weep for our sins here, so we can rejoice forever in the next life, for after we leave this world everyone will forget us. Let us not hope in men, but only in God. A man changes. Today he gives to you and tomorrow he asks from you. Today he praises you and tomorrow he condemns you. Let us place our hope in the mercy of God, and we will never go astray.


“Brother, often animals are wiser than men. Let us learn obedience and patience from the ox, humility and meekness from the lamb, cleanliness and industry from the ants and bees. We can learn a lesson for our life from all the animals.


“It’s best for a man to become a clay vessel, which is useful to all people and for all kinds of daily work, for food, water, and so on. Golden vessels are put in safes and locked up in cupboards. For fear of thieves they are seldom used, maybe only once a year. A clay vessel has its daily use and service to man. So also is a humble man who does not seek honors and rank. He remains insignificant even amid men of lower rank, but he benefits, counsels, and helps everyone, and all seek him out and rejoice with him. Humility is a great gift to monks and all Christians!”

Our Thoughts

     Our thoughts – as Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnika would tell us – determine our lives.  If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, calm, tranquil, and full of loving-kindness toward others, then that is how our lives will be lived.  It really is that simple.  Once again, however, simple doesn't always equate to easy.

     In today’s spiritual marketplace – a world that is essentially nothing more than what the late Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa would have labeled “spiritual materialism” – you will find plenty of books that deal with the “power of positive thinking” or stuff of similar ilk.  There is usually some degree of insight to these books – our thoughts are very powerful, after all – but the approach that these books take is misguided at the least ( downright demonic at the worst).  Our thoughts don’t need to become more positive, but they do need to conform to the will of God.  Here is what Elder Paisios has to say about positive thoughts, and then the kind of thoughts that we need to truly nurture:

     “In the beginning, we should willingly try to develop positive thoughts, which will gradually lead us to the perfect good, God, to whom belongs every glory, honor and worship; on the contrary, to us belongs only the humility of our conceited attitude.

     “We must always be careful and constantly question the nature of our thoughts.  When someone is preoccupied and trusts his own way of thinking, he becomes vulnerable to the devil, who is capable of transforming us into sly persons, even when we are honest by nature.”

     For me – and my spiritual struggles to conform to the will of God – it really does begin and end with thoughts.

     Practice watchfulness of your thoughts throughout the day.  Here is what Metropolitan Jonah has to say about inner watchfulness:

     "On an even deeper level, this spiritual principle – do not react – teaches us that we need to learn to not react to thoughts. One of the fundamental aspects of this is inner watchfulness. This might seem like a daunting task, considering how many thoughts we have. However, our watchfulness does not need to be focused on our thoughts. Our watchfulness needs to be focused on God. We need to maintain the conscious awareness of God’s presence. If we can maintain the conscious awareness of His presence, our thoughts will have no power over us. We can, to paraphrase St. Benedict, dash our thoughts against the presence of God. This is a very ancient patristic teaching. We focus our attention on the remembrance of God. If we can do that, we will begin to control our troubling thoughts. Our reactions are about our thoughts. After all, if someone says something nasty to us, how are we reacting? We react first through our thinking, our thoughts. Perhaps we’re habitually accustomed to just lashing out after taking offense with some kind of nasty response of our own. But keeping watch over our minds so that we maintain that living communion with God leaves no room for distracting thoughts. It leaves plenty of room if we decide we need to think something through intentionally in the presence of God. But as soon as we engage in something hateful, we close God out. And the converse is true – as long as we maintain our connection to God, we won’t be capable of engaging in something hateful. We won’t react…"

     The key point, for me, with what Metropolitan Jonah has to say is that we need to “maintain the conscious awareness of God’s presence.”  This is one thing that distinguishes Orthodox spirituality from other forms – for instance, this is a key difference between Orthodox watchfulness and Buddhist mindfulness.  We cannot truly control our thoughts without the Divine’s help.  Saint Hesychius, in the Philokalia, tells us this:

     “The spirit cannot conquer a demonic fantasy by its own unaided powers, and should never attempt to do so... The demons are a sly lot: they pretend to be overcome and then trip us up by filling us up with self-esteem.  But when we call upon Jesus Christ, they do not dare to play their tricks with us even for a second."

The Peace that Passes All Understanding

     As we practice these things – being more humble, kind, compassionate, caring, and conquering our thoughts through inner watchfulness – something will begin to happen to us.  We will develop a peace that –as the Bible tells us – passes all understanding.  And as we live, move, and dwell in this peace, something else will slowly happen: union with God.  But it won’t happen because we forced it, or because we were seeking an “experience” of God (which can often be a dangerous, misleading practice, by the way).  It will happen because you can’t acquire theosis without first acquiring a peace of mind that is not contingent upon conditions.

     

Orthodoxy and the Noble Eightfold Path, Part One

     What follows in this article is not a syncretic blend of Buddhism and Orthodox Christian spirituality.  However, it does use the Noble Eightfold Path as a guide for living the Orthodox way of life.  And—it must be noted—that the Noble Eightfold Path offers a very good vehicle for transmitting the wisdom of a particular religious tradition, whatever that tradition may be.

     Before we get much further, a little backtracking needs to take place on my part.  So here goes…

     Before I started this blog, I had ideas for several blogs—primarily because I thought I had the ideas for several really cool blog titles.  One of them that I thought had a particularly good ring to it was going to be “From East to East.”  (The other one that I really liked was “Hardcore Christianity: Kick-Ass Asceticism for Orthodox Christians Living in the 21^st Century”—but I digress.)  The blog idea “From East to East” had a particular resonance with me for a couple of reasons.  One, I always enjoyed Eastern philosophy—and still do; I think it has quite a lot to offer modern man.  Two, coming to Orthodoxy from Eastern philosophy, I realize how well the religions of the East (primarily Buddhism and Taoism) actually prepared me for Orthodoxy.  For those who come to Orthodoxy from one of the Western forms of Christianity—whether its Protestantism or Catholicism—there are several stumbling blocks that are difficult for many to get around: the nature of Original Sin, and therefore the meaning of Christ’s atonement, and just what the Paschal mystery actually means; the notion of salvation as an ever-ongoing conversion which will lead us to theosis, to name just a couple.  However, if you had already decided that the Western theological concepts have no (or very little) meaning for you—which you surely must do if you are going to take an interest in the philosophy cum religions of the East—then there aren’t very many stumbling blocks (or at least there are different stumbling blocks) that will prevent you from adopting Orthodoxy’s theological underpinnings.  In fact, you will find a concept such as theosis particularly gratifying and satisfying to your intellectual palate—it seems so close to the Buddhist and Taoist understanding of enlightenment; in fact, theosis is often described as enlightenment.  And third, I knew that my understanding of both Eastern philosophy and Orthodoxy (both which are, I must admit, not that in-depth) could help as a sort of catechesis for those readers who, although they are currently practicing Eastern philosophy, still have a yearning for Christ—whether that yearning may be small or large.

     However, I decided against doing several blogs because I thought that I might not have enough material to regularly update each one.  With that being said, I still want to write the occasional article dealing with the intersection of Far Eastern religions and Eastern Christianity.

     Hence, the article you are staring at on your computer screen.

     Before we get to the meat of this article, and what an Orthodox Eightfold Path would look like, I think it’s important to discuss some of the similarities and the differences between Eastern Christianity and the Buddhist religion.  Here are a few (and perhaps we will discuss these and others in more depth in a future article):

• They are both “practitioner’s religions.”  And I think this may be what can best attract followers of Eastern religions to Orthodoxy compared to other forms of Christianity.  What I mean by a “practitioner’s religion” is that—although both of these religions have beliefs, very different and important beliefs—they are rooted in practice.  Buddhists are expected to meditate regularly, practice mindfulness, and train in compassion (to name a few).  The Orthodox are expected to pray daily (in both a contemplative and discursive manner), fast regularly, practice watchfulness (almost the exact same thing as mindfulness), and engage in other ascetic disciplines.
• Neither of these religions have the goal of “getting saved” as the penultimate achievement.  What turns off many Westerners from the Christianity that they were raised in (or exposed to) is the idea that the goal of being a Christian is to just “accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior” and then you’re done.  (And then, of course, you can listen to the ongoing debate over “once saved, always saved” and other such nonsense.)  For the Buddhist, “salvation” is achieved by attaining enlightenment.  For the Orthodox Christian, to achieve salvation is to attain theosis, or union with God—nothing else will cut it.  Theosis is similar to enlightenment, except that union is achieved with a Personal God: our Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Both of these religions have a healthy distrust of the self.  In fact, I can think of no other religions—outside of Orthodoxy and Buddhism—that view the notion of the self in such similar ways.  In Western Christianity, for instance, there is often a lot of talk on how you need to get in touch with your inmost self, or discussion that the ultimate good comes from your inner self.  Only Buddhism and Orthodoxy claim that this is a bunch of hogwash.  Buddhism says that you lack an intrinsic, inherently independent self, while Orthodoxy claims that the self is simply not to be trusted, because the Truth is that you are not what you take “your self” to be.  You are not your body.  You are not your mind.  You are your soul.  As Saint Macarius the Great (c. 300- c.390) said, “The heart is such a small vessel; and yet dragons and lions are there, and there poisonous creatures and all the treasures of wickedness; rough, and uneven paths are there, and gaping chasms.”

     Now, before we get into the Eightfold Path, I want to discourage anyone from trying to practice more than one religion at the same time.  It won’t work, and, to be honest, it does a disservice to both religions.  And to back up my point, I offer the following quote, not from an Orthodox theologian, but from the esteemed Buddhist scholar Bikkhu Bodhi:

     “One approach to resolving this problem that is popular today is the eclectic one: to pick and choose from the various traditions whatever seems amenable to our needs, welding together different practices and techniques into a synthetic whole that is personally satisfying. Thus one may combine Buddhist mindfulness meditation with sessions of Hindu mantra recitation, Christian prayer with Sufi dancing, Jewish Kabbala with Tibetan visualization exercises. Eclecticism, however, though sometimes helpful in making a transition from a predominantly worldly and materialistic way of life to one that takes on a spiritual hue, eventually wears thin. While it makes a comfortable halfway house, it is not comfortable as a final vehicle.

     “There are two interrelated flaws in eclecticism that account for its ultimate inadequacy. One is that eclecticism compromises the very traditions it draws upon. The great spiritual traditions themselves do not propose their disciplines as independent techniques that may be excised from their setting and freely recombined to enhance the felt quality of our lives. They present them, rather, as parts of an integral whole, of a coherent vision regarding the fundamental nature of reality and the final goal of the spiritual quest. A spiritual tradition is not a shallow stream in which one can wet one's feet and then beat a quick retreat to the shore. It is a mighty, tumultuous river which would rush through the entire landscape of one's life, and if one truly wishes to travel on it, one must be courageous enough to launch one's boat and head out for the depths.

     “The second defect in eclecticism follows from the first. As spiritual practices are built upon visions regarding the nature of reality and the final good, these visions are not mutually compatible. When we honestly examine the teachings of these traditions, we will find that major differences in perspective reveal themselves to our sight, differences which cannot be easily dismissed as alternative ways of saying the same thing. Rather, they point to very different experiences constituting the supreme goal and the path that must be trodden to reach that goal.”[i]

     I hope that settles that.  Now, on to the Path:

The Orthodox Eightfold Path

     The Eightfold Path has—as the name implies—eight “limbs” to it.  They are: right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.  They are not meant to follow one after another, as steps that you are to climb.  Rather, they are meant more as spokes on a wheel.  Each spoke relies on the other, and the wheel can really only have its full strength when none of the spokes are missing.

Right View

     This is always the first limb on the path.  In fact, without this limb, the other steps on the path will eventually fall apart.

     For the Buddhist, right view would mean the “Four Noble Truths”.  Or, at least, it would mean the Four Noble Truths as a starting point, though it might also contain the “Three Treasures” of the Dharma: non-self, impermanence, and suffering.  If you don’t believe in the Four Noble Truths, along with the “truths” of non-self, impermanence, and suffering, you can’t rightly call yourself a Buddhist.

     For the Orthodox, right view must mean several different things.  First, it means that we have faith in the Creed, which all Orthodox Christians recite at every Divine Liturgy.  In fact, the minimum that is required of anyone wanting to convert to the Orthodox faith is belief in the Creed.

     But the Creed should also be a starting point.  Another thing we need to have for right view is a “Patristic mind.”  For the Orthodox Christian, to put on the “mind of Christ” is also to put on the “mind” of the Holy Fathers of the Church.  And to put on the “mind” of the Fathers of the Church we need to read and study what they had to say—for what they said in the past is not relegated to some bygone era.  Rather, it is actually applicable to our lives in the 21^st century.  The Patristic teachings need to be looked at seriously, then applied to our current lives.

     In addition to the Fathers of the Church, we need a firm foundation in Holy Scripture.  We need to read scripture, realizing that it too speaks to our lives in these modern times.  Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk says, “Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself is speaking to you.  And while you read, you are speaking and talking to Him.”

     In addition to Scripture, Church Fathers, and the beliefs that we hold to be Truth, we also need to study and read as much as possible from many different traditionally Orthodox sources.  In this way, our mind is slowly transformed into a Patristic, Orthodox mind.

Right Thoughts

     “It’s no mystery that thinking can make us happy or miserable.  Let’s say you’re sitting under a tree one fine spring day.  Nothing particular is happening to you, except perhaps the breeze is ruffling your hair, yet in your mind you’re far away.  Maybe you’re remembering another spring day several years back when you were feeling terrible.  You had just lost a job, or failed an exam, or your cat had wandered off.  That memory turns into a worry.  ‘What if I lose my job again?  Why did I ever say such-and-such to so-and-so?  No doubt this or that will happen and I’ll be out on my ear.  Now I’m really in for it!  How will I pay my bills?’  One worry brings up another, which brings up another.  Soon you feel your life is in shambles, but all this while you’ve been sitting under a tree.”[ii]

     When you have the correct view to begin with, your mind will naturally flow into thoughts that are correct.  And when you practice the other steps on the Path, your mind will naturally flow into what is Good and True.  This is another aspect in which Orthodoxy has the “advantage” over other forms of Christianity.  I know many Protestants who believe they have the correct view, but their internal lives do not show the fruit of such beliefs.  They are no more at peace internally than anyone else.  (In fact, I know atheists who are more at peace than many theists.)

     When Orthodoxy is practiced sincerely and fervently—a life rooted in taking part in all of the Sacraments, in other words, a life rooted in the Church,  along with daily prayer—your mind begins to truly change because you change your thoughts.  Change your thoughts and you change your mind.

     But our thoughts also aid in the rest of our lives.  Our thoughts change how we approach Divine Liturgy, for instance.  When we want to participate in the life of the Church, when we believe that the Body and Blood of our Savior are truly found within the Sacrament of communion, then the liturgy becomes divine.

     And the same goes for the rest of our Orthodox lives.  Here are the words of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnika:

     “Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like.  If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts, and can have neither peace nor tranquility.

      “Everything, both good and evil, comes from our thoughts.  Our thoughts become reality.  Even today we can see that all of creation, everything that exists on earth and in the cosmos, is nothing but Divine thought made material in time and space.  We humans were created in the image of God.  Mankind was given a great gift, but we hardly understand that.  God’s energy and life are in us, but we do not realize it.  Neither do we understand that we greatly influence others with our thoughts.  We can be very good or very evil, depending on the kind of thoughts and desires we breed.

     “If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only toward good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us—in the family, in our whole country, everywhere.”[iii]

Right Speech

     “Think how often you say to yourself, ‘If only I hadn’t said that,’ or something like, ‘When I saw the look on her face, I knew that what I said had hurt her feelings.’  Wrong speech causes us many problems.  We lie and then get caught in it; we say something nasty about a co-worker and get him into trouble; we speak inconsiderately and offend a client or friend; we spend a whole day in meaningless chatter and get nothing done.”[iv]

     You should notice at this point how right view flows into right thoughts, and right thoughts naturally flow into right speech.  In fact, right speech is nothing more than a natural outflow of the other two.  It’s also why it’s impossible to practice right speech if you’re not first practicing the other two steps.

     Many who were raised in a Protestant upbringing (as I was) may notice that Protestants often behave as if doing something or not doing something (we’ll get around to right action momentarily) or saying something or not saying something somehow makes him or her holy.  However, right speech and right action have nothing holy about them if they are not predicated upon right thoughts.  What does it matter if you say or do something “holy” if your thoughts are not peaceful and kind?

     When outlining the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha said that right speech has four qualities: It is always truthful.  It is never malicious or unkind.  It is gentle, not crude or harsh.  It is moderate, not useless or meaningless.[v]

     In Part Two, we will conclude with the remaining five steps on the Path.

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[i] “The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to End Suffering” by Bikkhu Bodhi.  The Buddhist Publication Society

[ii] “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path,” by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.  Gunaratana translates the second step on the Path as “skillful thinking.”

[iii] “Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnika.” 

[iv] “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path,” by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.

[v] ibid