Many paths lead to the eternal Heavenly Abodes, and different and different glory awaits all who walk in them, according to the measure of podvig in faith and good works. "Glory to the sun," says the Apostle, "and glory to the moon, and glory to the stars: for star differs from star in glory. The same is true of the Resurrection of the Dead (1 Cor. 15:41-42). One of these paths in patristic theology is indicated in "mental work." The exponent of this path and its experienced planter and teacher was the Monk Gregory the Sinaite. In his instructions, he reveals one of the most important forms of asceticism – the continuous purification of the soul in complete silence of thoughts, unceasing contemplation of God, in deep mental prayer. The Monk Gregory inseparably unites "mental work" with active love for God and man. He addresses his teaching primarily to experienced ascetics (especially when it concerns higher contemplation), but it can be usefully accepted by all those who seek salvation. "Mental Work" by its very name shows that it is not so much about external asceticism, active asceticism, as about the inner structure of an Orthodox Christian – the continuous purification of the soul in complete silence, in the silence of both thoughts and feelings, in the filling of the entire inner man with God-thinking. The spiritual force that unites silence and contemplation of God is a constant exercise in mental prayer - a prayer that is not noticed by an inexperienced eye, invisible or incomprehensible to an "external" person. This "doing" found its vivid expression in hesychasm, a spiritual movement that was finally formed in the fourteenth century. (There are well-known hesychast disputes between the "Palamites" and the "Barlaamites.") The Monk Gregory himself did not personally take part in the hesychastic disputes, since he had lived a little earlier (only the last years of his life fell on this time), but the Monk Gregory Palamas, who stood at their origins (with whose name the hesychastic disputes are connected) was his direct follower.

Biography

St. Gregory of Sinaite - Teacher of "Mental Work"

Information about the life of Saint Gregory in the Russian language is available in two editions of his life: in the "Athonite Patericon", where a translation from the Greek life is given, written by Nicodemus Agiorite (the Athonite), and the life of the monk, described by his disciple Saint Kallistos, Patriarch of Constantinople.The Monk Gregory was born at the end of the sixties of the thirteenth century in the village of Kukula (Asia Minor). In his youth, he was captured by the Ottoman Turks, who attacked his native village. He was ransomed from captivity by the Laodicean Christians, who were greatly impressed by the performance of church hymns by the captives released by the Turks to the temple nearest to the military camp. Later, the life of the monk is connected with the places of monastic settlements: the island of Cyprus, Mount Sinai, Palestine, the Cretan Desert, Athos, the Paroria Hermitage (near the border between Bulgaria and Byzantium), again Athos, Paroria. Of these places, Mount Sinai and Mount Athos should be especially noted. On Sinai the monk was tonsured into the minor schema. Here he led a truly ascetic life, for which he received the name of Sinaite. Self-sacrificing obedience, humility, fasting, almost vigilant prayer (sometimes on the top of Mount Sinai, where the God-seer Moses was remembered), diligent reading of the Holy Scriptures, daily confession to the abbot of all his sinful thoughts, monastic work, and in the intervals - copying the holy books with the skill of a calligrapher... In the "Philokalia" we read that, having come to Athos, the monk found there "many fathers, who were adorned with knowledge and purity of morals, but were diligent only about the active life, but they were so little informed about the preservation of the mind, precise silence and contemplation, that they did not even understand these names". And so Saint Gregory, seeing all this, was inflamed with "zeal and began to teach sobriety, mind-watching and mental prayer not only to the silent, who lived in solitude, but also to all the Cynovites". The Monk Gregory died in the middle of the fourteenth century (presumably in 1346). Just as during his lifetime Saint Gregory taught inner work, so after his death his works "beautifully and fully depict the active method of prayer of the heart." Five works of the monk have survived to our time. These works are as follows: Very useful chapters arranged in acro verses (137 chapters).Other chapters: On Passionate Change. About a good change. On Temptations in Sleep (7 chapters).A detailed discourse on silence and prayer, moreover, on the signs of grace and delusion, and on the difference between fervor and energy, and how easy it is to fall into delusion without a guide (10 chapters).On silence and the two forms of prayer. How prayer should be performed. About breathing. How the Psalms Should Be Sung. About prelest. On Reading (15 chapters) On how a silent person should sit during prayer and not finish it hastily. How the prayer should be read. How the mind should be restrained (from distraction). How it is necessary to eliminate thoughts. How to sing psalms. To a certain inquirer concerning the bridling of the belly. In the middle of our century, all of them were retranslated from Greek into Russian by Archimandrite Veniamin Milov (later Bishop of Saratov and Balashov, † 02.08.1955). The text of this typewritten translation is kept in the library of the Moscow Theological Academy and is used in this work.

Theology

St. Gregory of Sinaite - Teacher of "Mental Work"

Considering the above-mentioned works, we see that they are addressed not so much to those who have just embarked on the path of salvation, as to those who are already skilled in the matter of perfection - ascetics, experienced in the struggle with sin and in the acquisition of virtues. This explains his frequent instructions about silence, contemplation or contemplation of God, mental prayer - the highest inner self-perfection with the constant action of God's grace. At the same time, St. Gregory warns the ascetic against possible errors and temptations, so that he does not mistake the action of an evil force for Divine actions, teaches him to distinguish the first from the second and immediately cast off the filth creeping into the soul. And that St. Gregory sometimes addresses his words even to those who are unskilled in the matter of salvation, this is convincingly evidenced by his division of all ascetics into three categories: novices – "such are satisfied only with the beginning"; they are characterized by "activity", average - they reach an "average degree of enlightenment"; they should beware of falling into carelessness, which will return them to their former self – they will become "novices again", and the perfect – equal "in deeds" to the novices and the middle, but they too can fall and change "into their former state, because of carelessness and self-conceit." "The boundless God," says the Monk Gregory, "is in all things known and comprehended threefold. He contains all things and provides for all things through the Son in the Holy Spirit. And there is not one (Person of the Holy Trinity) Who, outside or apart from the others, is thought, named, and confessed anywhere." The Holy Trinity is a simple, uncomplicated Unity. "Trinity in One" is an almost verbatim repetition of the statements of St. Gregory the Theologian. The personal, or, according to St. Gregory the Sinaite, the "immutable and immutable attributes of the Most Holy Trinity" are unbegottenness, begottenness, and procession. "The Father is unbegotten and without beginning, the Son is begotten and co-originated, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is given through the co-existent Son." The analogy of the Holy Trinity in man is the mind, the word, and the spirit. "The mind is the Father, the word is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is truly the Spirit."Man is created in the image of the Holy Trinity - "bears the vague image of the ineffable Trinity". By his disobedience he accepted death and decay - "the soul gave itself over to the passions", and the body "became like dumb cattle". It is possible to get out of this state through the purity of virtues and the "essential wisdom of contemplation." There are three kinds of virtues: active, natural, and divine. "Active (represent the result) of free choice, natural - of internal disposition, Divine - grace". There are only four most important virtues: "courage, prudence, chastity and truth". At the last Judgment, all will inherit retribution "according to their own works." "Who has labor, he has rewards." Both rewards and eternal punishments will be different - according to the "habits and manifestations of passions and virtues." The beginning of good is faith, and especially Christ is the stone of faith," the monk reflects. Searching for this faith, acquiring it, "the monk enters the depths of silence," as if he leaves all his own desires in the name of spiritual unity with God. The characteristic beginning of silence is "withdrawal from ordinary cares." Its foundation is "humility and patience." Without this basis, "he who leads a silent life always has self-conceit as the same age as his carelessness." In turn, "nothing contributes so much to the contrition of the heart and the humility of the soul as reasonable solitude and perfect silence." St. Gregory singles out the "three virtues of silence," which generate and protect each other. These are abstinence, silence and humility. To the above-mentioned virtues of the silent man is added vigilance, and his "God-pleasing occupations" are indicated by three: prayer, psalmody, and reading. "The above-mentioned virtues," concludes St. Gregory, "not only embrace all (the others), but also enter into the composition of one another." The monk is also strict with regard to the food of the silent. Only at the tenth hour from the beginning of the daily podvig does he allow to refresh oneself - to taste a little bread and wine. "Of the food supplies that can be found, it is (permissible) to use not as much as nature whimsically requires, but to use (it is necessary) with self-restraint only provided by Providence." Silence gives birth to contemplation," teaches St. Gregory and discusses the contemplation of God. The monk places a high value on the contemplation of God, the memory of God, Who alone gives power to fulfill His commandments (Deuteronomy 8:18). A true philosopher is one who has a contemplative mind, who through contemplation has united with God, has become His friend, has come to love "the original, creative and true Wisdom above all other friendship, wisdom and knowledge", who "clearly and immediately has in himself a supernatural union with God". There are eight objects of contemplation: the visible, beginningless, uncreated God, the cause of all that exists, the Trinitarian One and the pre-existent Godhead.The order and order of rational forces.The structure of the existing.The house-building descent of the Word.The universal resurrection.The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.Eternal torment.The Heavenly Kingdom." Four (of the first objects of contemplation) are past and already been, and four (last) are future and not yet realized."

Mental Prayer

St. Gregory of Sinaite - Teacher of "Mental Work"

The main occupation of the silent contemplative is mental prayer, that is, the prayer of the mind, inner prayer, constant prayerful remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, constant prayerful appeal to Him, the union of the inner man with His most holy name. St. Gregory places mental prayer above all deeds. Through prayer, spiritual wisdom is obtained. "Wisdom is the power of intelligent, pure, angelic prayer." Prayer instills in a person a sense of Heaven, warms and gladdens the mind, inflames the soul "for the inexpressible love of God and people." It brings down the grace of the Holy Spirit upon the human soul. Through prayer, "every good is acquired." That is why the "separation" of the silent person from it is considered by St. Gregory to be his downfall. Although it is extensive, it should be quoted in full, for it best reveals what the Holy Father of the Church sees in it. "

And what is much to say, prayer is God, who works all things in all, because one is the action of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who works all things in Christ Jesus." Already for beginners, prayer is "like a fire of joy" bursting out of the heart, and for the perfect, it is like a fragrant light, "acting (in the soul)."The beginning of mental prayer is the mysterious "action, or purifying power, of the Holy Spirit" in unity with the mysterious "sacred action of the mind." The signs of its beginning are different for different people "who seek correctly": for some "like a rising light", for others "like a trembling joy", and for others as a mixture of joy and fear (trembling), as "indescribable contrition", peace and love for all, the movement of the "living heart", the beating and breath of the Spirit, "inexpressibly turning from us to God". The last, highest stage of mental prayer is "ecstasy and rapture of the mind to God." Describing this, St. Gregory testifies: "Astonishment is the complete elevation of the powers of the soul to the known, which is peculiar to the glorious glory (of the Divine). Or again: amazement is the pure and complete aspiration of the mind to the infinite power abiding in the light. Ecstasy, on the other hand, represents not only an admiration for the heavens of spiritual powers, but also a complete "frenzy" of the senses themselves. Zeal (for God)... is a spiritual intoxication that arouses the desire (for salvation)."In an ecstatic state, the silent person ascends like an angel to the contemplation of the formless Trinitarian Unity and the mysteries of the economy of our salvation. He acquires a faculty inaccessible to natural reason to contemplate the true essence of things; he is restored to the primitive (forefather Adam) enlightenment and the ability to see the grace-filled light. It is in prayerful ecstasy that the contemplation of the Divine light - "essential spiritual light" - predominantly occurs. All creation is seen as luminous, and the very bodies of the men of prayer radiate a wondrous luminosity.Speaking of "mental prayer," St. Gregory also instructs how to perform it correctly. "Mentally or spiritually," he teaches, "cry out continuously: 'Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.'" The Jesus Prayer was read by different fathers in different ways. Some of them pronounced it thus: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." Others read only the second half of it: "Son of God, have mercy on me." St. Gregory accepts both customs, but does not recommend "changing the invocation of the name" often. "Having read half [of the prayer] many times, you should not often change it [for the first] out of laziness. And plants that are transplanted frequently do not take root." "The memory of Jesus" should be combined with breathing. "Restrain the breath of the 'lungs,'" the Holy Father exhorts, "so as not to breathe unnecessarily, since hearing sighs flying out of the heart darkens the mind, scatters thoughts and, expelling the mind from the heart, consigns it to the captivity of oblivion or imperceptibly attunes it to concern for others." "For this reason it is proper to pray in two ways: both with the mouth and with the mind." If the prayer is read orally, then it must be remembered that it should be read quietly, calmly, so that the voice does not confuse the feelings and does not prevent the mind from maintaining concentration. "Until the mind, learning in [this] work, receives the power of the Spirit and is perfected, until then it learns to pray unreservedly and firmly. Then [that is, in the power of the Spirit] there will be no need to say [prayer] orally, and it is impossible, because there is enough strength to perform the [prayer] exercise with one healthy mind." Gathering the mind in the heart, one should bow the head, "as if from fatigue"; You can sit on a bench, and if you are exhausted, on the "bedding". "But when I labor [in prayer] and often feel pain in my head and shoulders, endure it, seeking the Lord in your heart with tension and zeal." Although St. Gregory urges us to "constantly keep unceasing prayer," at the same time he points out "how easier it is to pass through the interval of night time" for beginners, and for the intermediate, and for the perfect. In accordance with the state of the ascetics, he divides all night time into "three orders." The first "order" [rule] requires half of the night to sleep, and the other half to be awake. The second is to stay awake for one or two hours, then sleep for four, get up for matins, pray for six hours until morning. Then one should "observe the order of study by the hour", that is, the first hour to pray, the second to read, the third to sing; the fourth is to pray, the fifth is to read, the sixth is to sing; the seventh is to pray, the eighth is to read, the ninth is to sing; and only after the tenth - to refresh oneself with food, and after the eleventh - to rest, "if need manifests itself"; at the twelfth hour, "sing vespers." The last, third "order" consists in all-night standing [at prayer] and in watchfulness."

Obstacles to "smart doing"

St. Gregory of Sinaite - Teacher of "Mental Work"

The true sanctuary of the "intelligent" worker is "the heart that is alien to thoughts." He who is corrupted by obscene thoughts does not have pure reason. Where there are "shameful images of thoughts," there is no prayer. Consequently, one of the first obstacles to "mental work" is thoughts.The beginning of thoughts lies in the weakening of the memory of God, in dreams. In turn, "thoughts precede dreams." The mind itself has a natural ability to dream, to build images, to remember good and evil. Sometimes evil forces fill the mind with images or "themselves take on a form according to [the spiritual constitution] of ourselves. They are attached depending on the inclination of the soul." The deceived silent "becomes a dreamer, not a silent one", turns into an "idle dreamer". The dreaming mind loses the good dispensation acquired from God and "is completely dead." That is why St. Gregory calls to always be indignant at daydreaming and to keep one's mind "formless and formless." There is a tyranny of passions - there is no "contemplation of spiritual light, an undreamy mind and an undistracted one; the true action of prayer, which always flows from the depths of the heart." The "nurse" of passions is self-love. Usually it promotes carelessness, weakens the soul, makes it "sluggish to the path of silence." He divides all the passions into six groups: (1) the passions of irritation, (2) the lusts of the will, (3) the passions of the flesh, (4) the passions of the word, the tongue, (5) the passions of the mind, and (6) the passions of the intellect. These are: Anger, vexation, quarrelsomeness, irascibility, insolence, arrogance, vanity, etc. Covetousness, debauchery, intemperance, insatiability, voluptuousness, love of money and self-love ("more burdensome" than other passions).Fornication, adultery, impurity, licentiousness, injustice, gluttony, laziness, absent-mindedness, attachment to the world, love of life, etc.Unbelief, blasphemy, deceit, deceit, curiosity, double-mindedness, backbiting, slander, condemnation, humiliation, blasphemy, hypocrisy, lies, foul language, Idle talk, flattery, irony, vanity, man-pleasing, arrogance, perjury, idle talk, etc. Self-conceit ("mistress of passions"), arrogance, self-glorification, love of argument, indignation, self-satisfaction, contradiction, disobedience, daydreaming, inclination to fiction, covetousness - attraction to pomp, love of glory and pride ("the first and last of all evils"). Of all the passions, the Monk Gregory singles out eight "superior" (the most important, the most dangerous): the three main ones are gluttony, love of money and vanity, and five related to them are fornication, anger, sorrow, laziness and pride. And even more often St. Gregory warns against two passions – fornication and despondency. He considers these two passions to be extremely severe and heavy, dominating "over the unfortunate soul" and weakening it, making "our nature sluggish, paralyzed, and as if broken by paralysis." And since they are closely combined with each other, St. Gregory sees in this their invincibility, invincibility and invincibility.As if summarizing all that has been said about the passions, St. Gregory writes with a truly monastic concern for the lost and concern for them: "The enthronement in a person through carelessness of at least one of the above-mentioned passions takes up arms against him with the whole host of evils, headed by destructive unbelief, and devastates his soul, becoming, from demonic confusion and noise, as if a second city of Babylon... He then becomes a passionate enemy and accuser of the silent, always sharpening his tongue against them like a razor and a double-edged sword." Inseparable from the passions is prelest, "the great opponent of truths, which now draws to the destruction of people." Prelest is false contemplation, irrational joy, self-conceit - "the ignition of sin." The latter can continue throughout the life of the fallen person. By the "variety of his intrigues and ambushes" the charm is many-sided, why "it is not easily recognized by many and almost incomprehensible". It is often found in daydreaming, behind which there is pride or self-importance. "Excessive pride is followed by prelest," says St. Gregory, and with prelest are inseparable blasphemy, timidity, trembling, "an unnatural frenzy of the mind." Sometimes prelest originates "in relation to actions" in voluptuousness, which usually comes from carnal passion. In this case, there is an "unbridled impulse to unspeakable immorality", the mind of the charmer darkens, falls into a passionate frenzy from the "inflamed influence" - falls into the possession of demons. Under the influence of the "demon of debauchery", the charmer pronounces false prophecies, announces the saints he has allegedly seen and conversations with them. Such persons should not be called prophets, but demon-possessed. "It happens that the demons themselves appear to them, oppressing them with fear, and, having subjected them to the yoke of Satan, forcibly move them to sinful actions, in order to have them captives and slaves destined for torment to the end."