The Arena

Guidelines for Spiritual and Monastic Life

By Brianchaninov Ignatius, Archimandrite Lazarus

Holy Trinity Publications

Copyright © 2012 Holy Trinity Monastery
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-88465-287-8

Contents

Foreword to the Original English-Language Edition,
Introduction,
Part I: COUNSELS FOR THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF MONKS,
1 On the Study of the Commandments of the Gospel and Life According to the Commandments of the Gospel,
2 People Will Be Judged at God's Judgment According to the Commandments of the Gospel,
3 The Monastic Life Is Life According to the Commandments of the Gospel,
4 On the Precariousness of the Monastic Life When It Is Not Based on the Commandments of the Gospel,
5 On Guarding Oneself from Occasions of Sin or Temptation,
6 God-Pleasing Life in Human Society Must Precede God-Pleasing Life in Silence and Solitude,
7 On Guarding Oneself from the Good That Belongs to Fallen Human Nature,
8 Concerning the Enmity and Conflict Between Fallen Nature and the Commandments of the Gospel,
9 On Reading the Gospel and the Writings of the Fathers,
10 On Discretion in Reading the Patristic Books on the Monastic Life,
11 On the Solitary Life,
12 Concerning Life in Obedience to an Elder,
13 Concerning Life under Spiritual Direction,
14 The Aim of the Monastic Life Consists in Studying the Will of God, in Making It One's Own, and in Obeying It,
15 Love for Our Neighbor Is a Means of Attaining to Love for God,
16 Humility in Our Dealings as a Means of Attaining to Love for Our Neighbor,
17 On Prayer,
18 On Preparation for Prayer,
19 On Attention at Prayer,
20 On the Cell Rule,
21 Concerning Bows,
22 On Adapting the Cell Rule to the Monastic Rule,
23 On the Jesus Prayer,
24 On the Practice of the Jesus Prayer,
25 On Unceasing Prayer,
26 On the Oral, Mental, and Cordial Jesus Prayer,
27 On Divine Meditation,
28 On the Remembrance of Death,
29 The Narrow Way Is Designed by God Himself,
30 The Teaching of the Holy Fathers Concerning the Narrow Way,
31 Troubles Are the Special Lot of the Monks of the Last Time,
32 Sources of Monastic Temptations,
33 On the Necessity for Courage in Temptations,
34 On Sobriety or Vigilance,
35 On the Use and Harm of Bodily Discipline,
36 Concerning Animal and Spiritual Zeal,
37 Concerning Almsgiving,
38 Concerning Poverty or Detachment,
39 Concerning Human Glory,
40 Concerning Resentment or Remembrance of Wrongs,
41 The Meaning of the Term "World",
42 On Avoiding Acquaintance with the Opposite Sex,
43 Concerning the Fallen Angels,
44 The First Way of Struggling with the Fallen Angels,
45 The Second Way of Struggling with the Fallen Angels,
46 Concerning Dreams,
47 On the Close Affinity Between Virtues and Vices,
48 Concerning the Special Opposition of the Fallen Spirits to Prayer,
49 On Keeping the Eye of the Soul from All That Is Harmful to It,
50 Concerning Repentance and Mourning,
Conclusion: Adaptations of the Rules for Present–Day Monasticism,
Part II: RULES OF OUTWARD CONDUCT FOR NOVICES,
Introduction: On the Need for Rules,
The Meaning of a Monastery, Rule 1,
On Obedience and Obediences, Rules 2 and 3,
On the Treatment of Sins, Rule 4,
On Prayer and Conduct in Church, Rules 5–18,
On the Duties of Readers, Rules 19–22,
On Movement in Church, Rule 23,
On Bows and Prostrations, Rule 24,
On Uncovering the Head, Rule 25,
On Maintaining Strict Reverence in Church, Rules 26–27,
On Behavior in Refectory and Use of Food, Rules 28–30,
On the Use of Wine, Rule 31,
On Conduct in One's Cell and Reception of Visitors, Rules 32–37,
On Clothing, Rule 38,
On Relations with Brethren of the Monastery, Rules 39–43,
On Leaving the Monastery, Rules 44–49,
On Venerating the Miraculous Icons and Holy Relics, Rule 50,
Conclusion,
Glossary,
Appendix: A Short Biography of St Ignatius (Brianchaninov),
Notes,
Subject Index,
Scripture Index,

CHAPTER 1

On the Study of the Commandments of the Gospel and Life According to the Commandments of the Gospel

From his very entry into the monastery, a monk should occupy himself with all possible care and attention with the reading of the holy Gospel. He should make such a study of the Gospel that it may always be present in his memory, and at every moral step he takes, for every act, for every thought, he may always have ready in his memory the teaching of the Gospel. Such is the injunction of the Savior Himself. This injunction is linked with a promise and a threat. In sending His disciples to preach Christianity, the Lord said to them, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

The promise consists in the fact that the person who fulfills the commandments of the Gospel will not only be saved but will also enter into the most intimate union with God and become a divinely built temple of God. The Lord said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

From these words of the Lord it is evident that the commandments of the Gospel must be so studied that they become the possession, the property of the mind; only then is the exact, constant fulfillment of them possible such as the Lord requires. The Lord reveals Himself spiritually to the doer of the commandments, and He is seen with the spiritual eye, with the mind. The person sees the Lord in himself, in his thoughts and feelings transfigured by the Holy Spirit. On no account must the Lord be expected to appear to the eyes of sense. This is clear from the words of the Gospel that follow those we have just quoted: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." It is evident that the Lord comes to the heart of the person who carries out the commandments and makes his heart a temple and dwelling of God. In this temple is God seen. He is seen not with the bodily eyes but with the mind. He is seen spiritually. This form of vision is incomprehensible to the beginner and cannot be explained to him in words. Accept the promise with faith. In due time you will understand it by blessed experience.

The threat to a person remiss in the fulfillment of the commandments of the Gospel is contained in the prediction for him of unfruitfulness, estrangement from God, perdition. The Lord said: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ... Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love." "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day [the day of judgment], 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart...