"The foundation of all that is good, the return of the soul from the enemy's captivity, the path leading to light and life — all this is contained in the following ways: to gather oneself together, and always fast, i.e., to wisely and prudently make it a rule for oneself to abstain from the womb, to remain in one place without beginning, to be constantly occupied with God.

"Hence the obedience of the senses; hence the sobriety of the mind; hence the taming of the fierce passions aroused in the body; hence the quietness of thoughts; hence the luminous movements of thought; hence diligence in matters of virtue; hence the lofty and subtle conceptions of the mind; hence the tears that know no measure, which flow at all times, and the memory of death; hence pure chastity, quite far from any dreaming that tempts thought; hence shrewdness and foresight; Hence the deep and mysterious concepts that the mind comprehends with the help of divine words, and the inner movements that take place in the soul, the division and distinction of the spiritual, as in holy powers and true visions, as well as in vain dreams.

"Hence that fear on the paths and paths, which in the sea of thought cuts off laziness and negligence, that flame of jealousy, which tramples on every danger, and overcomes all fear, that fervor which despises all lust, and erases it in the mind, and at the same time forgets all remembrance of the transitory; in short, hence the freedom of the true man, the joy of the soul, and the resurrection with Christ in the kingdom.

"But if anyone neglects these two ways, let him know that he will not only injure himself in all that has been said before, but will shake the very foundation of all virtues by neglecting these two virtues. And as if one keeps them within himself and abides in them, they are the beginning and head of the divine work in the soul, the door and path to Christ; so if anyone departs and departs from them, he will come to these two opposite vices, I mean, bodily wandering and dishonorable gluttony. This is the essence of the principle contrary to what has been said above, and they give place in the soul to the passions" (Verse 75, pp. 533-535).

In another place he writes: "Those who are negligent and weak at the beginning of the podvig, not only from these and similar struggles, but also from the noise of the leaves of the trees, come to fear and confusion, and by a little need, hunger in case of lack, and a little infirmity, they are overcome, renounce the podvig, and turn back. True and skillful ascetics are not satiated with cereals and vegetables, even eating dry pasts, they do not agree to eat anything before the appointed hour, but in bodily exhaustion they lie on the bare ground; their eyes can scarcely see from the excessive exhaustion of the body, and if they are close to separation from the body from need, they do not yield victory over themselves, and do not abandon their strong will, because they desire and desire to make a compulsion for themselves out of love for God, and prefer to work for the sake of virtue than to have a temporal life, and in it all repose. And when temptations come upon them, they rejoice more than that, and are still perfected by them. Even in the midst of the difficult labors that lie ahead of them, they do not waver in the love of Christ, but until they lose their lives, they ardently desire to endure the attacks with courage, and do not retreat, because through this they are perfected" (Verse 60, p. 475).

In accordance with these and similar lessons, and in the same way submitting to him who said: "Walk in the royal way, not deviating either to the right hand or to the neck . . . (Proverbs 4:27), — and we set forth to you the middle rule on food, which consists in the following rules:

31) As a ascetic, one should eat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

On the three days of the week, the second, fourth, and sixth, you shall eat the nine, i.e., eat once a day (at 9 o'clock), eating six pounds of bread, three or four cups of dry food, and three or four cups of water, following the 69th canon of St. Gregory. The Apostles, to whom it is enjoined: "If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, or reader, or singer of the Holy Forty Days before Pascha, or on Wednesday, or on Friday, does not fast, let him be expelled, except for an obstacle from bodily infirmity; but if it be a layman, let him be excommunicated." — On Monday, the fast was established after the Holy Fathers.

32) How one should eat on Tuesday and Thursday.

On two days, that is, on Tuesday and Thursdays, twice a day you should eat, eating six ounces of bread, some kind of brew abstinent, and some dry food, and drinking wine, if you drink, three or four cups dissolved with water; In the evening you shall eat three pieces of bread, some dry food, or vegetables, wine and water, and drink one cup. or many or two, when a strong thirst overcomes him.

Thirst, however, greatly helps in tears, having vigilance as a concubine, of which St. Climacus says: "Thirst and vigilance crush the heart; but tears flow from the heart of the broken" (6:13). And St. Isaac: "For God's sake, endure thirst, that He may give you His love to drink."

But if you prefer to eat once on these two days, you will do very good; for fasting and abstinence are the first virtues, the mother, root, source and foundation of all good. "And one of the external sages says: 'Choose the best life, and then the habit will make it pleasant.' And St. Basil the Great: "Where there is a will with firm determination, there are no obstacles." — And another of the God-bearing men: "The beginning of fruitfulness is the flower; and the beginning of an active life is abstinence" (Prov. Nilach. 1, p. 201).

This, as well as what follows, may seem inconvenient or even impossible to others. But whoever takes into account the offspring that flourishes from this, and keeps before the eyes of the mind the glorious state that is usually engendered from this; he acknowledges this to be not difficult, and with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ in his best efforts to do so, and in word and deed he preaches as far as it is possible to do this, in confirmation of this, as if he had applied some kind of seal with them (deeds and words). And St. Isaac says: "Scanty bread at the table of the pure cleanses the soul of the eater from all passion . . . From the table of those who fast, those who are on vigil, and those who labor in the Lord, take for yourself the medicine of life, and awaken your soul from death. For in the midst of them lies the Beloved, sanctifying their food and transforming the bitterness of their meager meal into His ineffable sweetness; but His spiritual heavenly servants overshadow them, and their holy manifestations" (Verse 8, p. 62). Again: "The stench of a fasting man is very sweet, and meeting him rejoices the hearts of the prudent . . . The behavior of the abstinent is pleasing to God." (ibid., p. 63).

(33) How to eat on the Sabbath. Also about vigils, and how it is proper to eat during them.