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."

Spiritual Healing

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

St. Gregory of Sinai not only teaches about obstacles in "mental work," but, most importantly, also indicates ways to overcome obstacles, means of spiritual healing.Just as the beginning of thoughts lies in the weakening of the "primitive memory" of God and even the loss of it, so the beginning of the struggle against them lies in the return of the "primordial" simplicity, in the healing of memory. Memory is cured by "uninterrupted and strengthened prayer remembrance of God, which, having dissolved with the spirit, is directed from natural objects to supernatural ones." "When the mind is disturbed by the incessant mental crying... then he should be given a little rest, freeing him from the constraint of silence into the expanse of psalmody." But standing at the psalmody should not be prolonged ("a short prayer is standing at the psalmody"), for it behooves the mind to dwell "all day" in mental prayer. Even if despondency overwhelms you, you should read "two or three psalms and touching troparia without singing, because, as Climacus says, they do not sing." In order to arouse greater zeal, the Psalms should be changed daily, "so that the mind does not lose the pleasure of this monotonous singing." But St. Gregory notes that in the teaching of the Holy Fathers there is no single view on the order and duration of psalmody. Some say that one should sing many psalms, others - little, and still others - "one should not sing at all". What does St. Gregory recommend? "You," he says, "in order to avoid confusion, do not sing often, nor give up singing at all, because of the subsequent weakness and carelessness, but imitate those who sing a little, because measure in everything is the best." It is appropriate to sing a lot for those who go through an "active life" and do not know contemplation. But this is not characteristic of the silent, "who have enough strength to be in God alone and, praying to Him with their hearts, to refrain from thoughts." Those who do not know the contemplative life need prolonged psalmody; others, who have come to know it to some extent, need a little mental rest in the singing of the Psalms; For those who have an "active mind" and struggle with the admixture of thoughts, St. Gregory recommends reading the works of the Holy Fathers of a predominantly ascetic nature. "Being active," he writes, "read active writings... Always read about silence and prayer in the Ladder, in St. John, in St. Maximus, in the New Theologian, in his disciple Stephatus, in Hesychius, in Philotheus of Sinai, and in those who [wrote] about the same thing." It is necessary to read with reverence, calmly, distinctly, judiciously - spiritually, without vanity or "sound pleasure". And again, St. Gregory, as in the psalmody, calls for moderation in reading: "Let not thy reading be insatiable, for measure is the best in everything." This virtue destroys the passions: disobedience, contradiction, self-gratification, self-justification and fatal self-conceit. Conquering these passions, obedience leads to a "small ladder" - the shortest path to the heavenly Royal Palaces. "Who is the first (disobedience. - K. S.) conquers by obedience, he cuts off the rest with one blow and quickly rises to heaven." The whole sea of passions can be crossed unconditionally by non-acquisitiveness and abstinence, which St. Gregory calls a light and swift ship. "Thanks to it, man, always seeing himself as an instrument of the Divine power, accomplishes with its help the amazing works of God." True humility is alien to ostentatious humble speeches, humble self-reproaches, a humble appearance... There are two true humilities: 1) to consider oneself the most sinful, the most disgusting, the inferior of all, and 2) to assimilate all one's good deeds to God. "The first is the beginning, the second is the end (of humility)." And there are seven ways leading to humility, which are born of each other and mutually enter. These are: "Silence, humility, humility, humble clothing, self-abasement, contrition of spirit and attribution of oneself (everywhere) to the latter." People "without humility are like those who build a house in winter or without cement."In order not to fall into delusion, one needs prudence, one must understand inner work - not to quickly and frivolously accept anything sensual and even spiritual "outside or inside" oneself. Before accepting the good and rejecting the evil, one must consider and spiritually evaluate one and the other. "When, while doing a deed," teaches the monk, "outside or within yourself you see light, or fire, or some image – whether of Christ, or an Angel, or someone else, do not accept it, lest you suffer harm. Do not concentrate your attention on what you yourself imagine figuratively, and do not allow it to be depicted by the mind. All this is from the outside - inappropriate and imaginary leads to spiritual temptation."Signs of the true state of the ascetic are unshakable love for God, joy in the heart, silence, joy, warmth of heart. "Warmth does not come from the right or left side, but flows into the heart like a spring of water from the Life-Giving Spirit." If instead of warmth there is an "uneven burning", instead of heartfelt joy – pleasure, self-conceit, vanity, if the heart doubts what is coming – one should not accept it – all this is not from God. "And if you notice your mind being drawn by some invisible force to the external or upward, do not believe it, and do not allow the mind to be carried away, but immediately compel it to your work. "That which appears from God," said St. Isaac, "comes by itself, and at what time, you do not know... Spiritual taste clearly and unmistakably shows everything as it is." Demons change, they can take on the appearance of various saints, but they cannot arouse anything good: meekness, affability, humility, cessation of passions. Their actions are determined: pride, arrogance, fear, all evil. By these actions it is discerned whether the light shining in the soul is from God, or from the power of evil. "If you see the impurities of insidious spirits, – teaches the monk, – do not be amazed, do not dwell on them... but... In the name of Jesus, strike your enemies, for there is no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth." It is impossible to study the science of virtues on your own. Those who tried to achieve this themselves usually fell into self-conceit, into self-deception. If the Son does nothing of Himself, but as the Father taught Him, so He does (John 5:19-20), and the Spirit will not speak of Himself (John 16:13), that is, who has reached such a great height of virtues, at which he would not need to be secretly led by someone else?" asks St. Gregory. But this "outsider" may not be everyone. The right to guide others is possessed only by those "who have been given Divine discernment," "discernment of spirits," "spiritual discernment," who themselves have experienced "labors in active virtue" and are not mistaken "neither in words, nor in deeds, nor in thoughts." St. Gregory confesses that it is "no small effort" to find such a leader. But he who "earnestly strives in silence to attain pure prayer" must find it and go to the goal "by asking" it "in great trembling," completely subordinate his will and under his guidance observe strict fasting, abstinence, vigilance, kneeling, motionless standing, unceasing prayer, true humility, "wise silence, as if seasoned with salt, and patience in everything." Without the grace of God, without God's help, it is impossible not only to expel passions, but also to "restrain oneself with one's mind [from distraction]." None of the novices will ever cast out thoughts unless God removes them. Only those who are strong in spirit can reject thoughts, but they also achieve this "not of their own accord, but move to resist them with God, as clothed in His full armor." St. Gregory considers the absence of grace in a person to be spiritual death. Separated from grace, the soul "becomes widowed and now and in the next age becomes the abode of the passions, not to say [stronger] - a den of demons." Even virtues without grace are dead. "And those who appear to have virtues in perfection and exercise them [often] have only the shadow and phantom of the beautiful, and not the image of the truth." And with the help of God's grace, great things are accomplished. Its effects are manifold: purification of the soul, warming it, strengthening it "in joy and gladness", mortification of bodily movements... A person who has been cleansed of sinful thoughts and passions, having rejected delusion, having submitted his will to experienced spiritual leaders, who has embarked on the path of salvation with constant prayer and the help of God's grace, "will receive again what he seeks, especially if he seeks it with humility."

Western Holy Fathers

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

St. Gregory of Sinai not only teaches about obstacles in "mental work," but, most importantly, also indicates ways to overcome obstacles, means of spiritual healing.Just as the beginning of thoughts lies in the weakening of the "primitive memory" of God and even the loss of it, so the beginning of the struggle against them lies in the return of the "primordial" simplicity, in the healing of memory. Memory is cured by "uninterrupted and strengthened prayer remembrance of God, which, having dissolved with the spirit, is directed from natural objects to supernatural ones." "When the mind is disturbed by the incessant mental crying... then he should be given a little rest, freeing him from the constraint of silence into the expanse of psalmody." But standing at the psalmody should not be prolonged ("a short prayer is standing at the psalmody"), for it behooves the mind to dwell "all day" in mental prayer. Even if despondency overwhelms you, you should read "two or three psalms and touching troparia without singing, because, as Climacus says, they do not sing." In order to arouse greater zeal, the Psalms should be changed daily, "so that the mind does not lose the pleasure of this monotonous singing." But St. Gregory notes that in the teaching of the Holy Fathers there is no single view on the order and duration of psalmody. Some say that one should sing many psalms, others - little, and still others - "one should not sing at all". What does St. Gregory recommend? "You," he says, "in order to avoid confusion, do not sing often, nor give up singing at all, because of the subsequent weakness and carelessness, but imitate those who sing a little, because measure in everything is the best." It is appropriate to sing a lot for those who go through an "active life" and do not know contemplation. But this is not characteristic of the silent, "who have enough strength to be in God alone and, praying to Him with their hearts, to refrain from thoughts." Those who do not know the contemplative life need prolonged psalmody; others, who have come to know it to some extent, need a little mental rest in the singing of the Psalms; For those who have an "active mind" and struggle with the admixture of thoughts, St. Gregory recommends reading the works of the Holy Fathers of a predominantly ascetic nature. "Being active," he writes, "read active writings... Always read about silence and prayer in the Ladder, in St. John, in St. Maximus, in the New Theologian, in his disciple Stephatus, in Hesychius, in Philotheus of Sinai, and in those who [wrote] about the same thing." It is necessary to read with reverence, calmly, distinctly, judiciously - spiritually, without vanity or "sound pleasure". And again, St. Gregory, as in the psalmody, calls for moderation in reading: "Let not thy reading be insatiable, for measure is the best in everything." This virtue destroys the passions: disobedience, contradiction, self-gratification, self-justification and fatal self-conceit. Conquering these passions, obedience leads to a "small ladder" - the shortest path to the heavenly Royal Palaces. "Who is the first (disobedience. - K. S.) conquers by obedience, he cuts off the rest with one blow and quickly rises to heaven." The whole sea of passions can be crossed unconditionally by non-acquisitiveness and abstinence, which St. Gregory calls a light and swift ship. "Thanks to it, man, always seeing himself as an instrument of the Divine power, accomplishes with its help the amazing works of God." True humility is alien to ostentatious humble speeches, humble self-reproaches, a humble appearance... There are two true humilities: 1) to consider oneself the most sinful, the most disgusting, the inferior of all, and 2) to assimilate all one's good deeds to God. "The first is the beginning, the second is the end (of humility)." And there are seven ways leading to humility, which are born of each other and mutually enter. These are: "Silence, humility, humility, humble clothing, self-abasement, contrition of spirit and attribution of oneself (everywhere) to the latter." People "without humility are like those who build a house in winter or without cement."In order not to fall into delusion, one needs prudence, one must understand inner work - not to quickly and frivolously accept anything sensual and even spiritual "outside or inside" oneself. Before accepting the good and rejecting the evil, one must consider and spiritually evaluate one and the other. "When, while doing a deed," teaches the monk, "outside or within yourself you see light, or fire, or some image – whether of Christ, or an Angel, or someone else, do not accept it, lest you suffer harm. Do not concentrate your attention on what you yourself imagine figuratively, and do not allow it to be depicted by the mind. All this is from the outside - inappropriate and imaginary leads to spiritual temptation."Signs of the true state of the ascetic are unshakable love for God, joy in the heart, silence, joy, warmth of heart. "Warmth does not come from the right or left side, but flows into the heart like a spring of water from the Life-Giving Spirit." If instead of warmth there is an "uneven burning", instead of heartfelt joy – pleasure, self-conceit, vanity, if the heart doubts what is coming – one should not accept it – all this is not from God. "And if you notice your mind being drawn by some invisible force to the external or upward, do not believe it, and do not allow the mind to be carried away, but immediately compel it to your work. "That which appears from God," said St. Isaac, "comes by itself, and at what time, you do not know... Spiritual taste clearly and unmistakably shows everything as it is." Demons change, they can take on the appearance of various saints, but they cannot arouse anything good: meekness, affability, humility, cessation of passions. Their actions are determined: pride, arrogance, fear, all evil. By these actions it is discerned whether the light shining in the soul is from God, or from the power of evil. "If you see the impurities of insidious spirits, – teaches the monk, – do not be amazed, do not dwell on them... but... In the name of Jesus, strike your enemies, for there is no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth." It is impossible to study the science of virtues on your own. Those who tried to achieve this themselves usually fell into self-conceit, into self-deception. If the Son does nothing of Himself, but as the Father taught Him, so He does (John 5:19-20), and the Spirit will not speak of Himself (John 16:13), that is, who has reached such a great height of virtues, at which he would not need to be secretly led by someone else?" asks St. Gregory. But this "outsider" may not be everyone. The right to guide others is possessed only by those "who have been given Divine discernment," "discernment of spirits," "spiritual discernment," who themselves have experienced "labors in active virtue" and are not mistaken "neither in words, nor in deeds, nor in thoughts." St. Gregory confesses that it is "no small effort" to find such a leader. But he who "earnestly strives in silence to attain pure prayer" must find it and go to the goal "by asking" it "in great trembling," completely subordinate his will and under his guidance observe strict fasting, abstinence, vigilance, kneeling, motionless standing, unceasing prayer, true humility, "wise silence, as if seasoned with salt, and patience in everything." Without the grace of God, without God's help, it is impossible not only to expel passions, but also to "restrain oneself with one's mind [from distraction]." None of the novices will ever cast out thoughts unless God removes them. Only those who are strong in spirit can reject thoughts, but they also achieve this "not of their own accord, but move to resist them with God, as clothed in His full armor." St. Gregory considers the absence of grace in a person to be spiritual death. Separated from grace, the soul "becomes widowed and now and in the next age becomes the abode of the passions, not to say [stronger] - a den of demons." Even virtues without grace are dead. "And those who appear to have virtues in perfection and exercise them [often] have only the shadow and phantom of the beautiful, and not the image of the truth." And with the help of God's grace, great things are accomplished. Its effects are manifold: purification of the soul, warming it, strengthening it "in joy and gladness", mortification of bodily movements... A person who has been cleansed of sinful thoughts and passions, having rejected delusion, having submitted his will to experienced spiritual leaders, who has embarked on the path of salvation with constant prayer and the help of God's grace, "will receive again what he seeks, especially if he seeks it with humility."

Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan