Selections from
The Philokalia
St Diadochos of Photiki (c.400-c.486)
From
On Spiritual Knowledge and
Discrimination: One Hundred Texts
1. All spiritual
contemplation should be governed by faith, hope and love, but most of all by
love. The first two teach us to be detached from visible delights, but love
unites the soul with the excellence of God, searching out the Invisible by
means of intellectual perception.
9. Some,
then, of those who practice the solitary life are consciously illuminated by
spiritual knowledge, yet do not speak about God. But when wisdom, with fear of
God, is given to someone at the same time as spiritual knowledge – and this
seldom happens – it leads him to express outwardly the inner energies of this
knowledge within him; for spiritual knowledge illuminates men through its inner
energy while wisdom does so through being expressed outwardly. Spiritual
knowledge comes through prayer, deep stillness and complete detachment, while
wisdom comes through humble meditation on Holy Scripture and, above all,
through grace given by God.
14. He who
loves God consciously in his heart is known by God, for to the degree that he
receives the love of God consciously in his soul, he truly enters into God’s
love. From that time on, such a man never loses an intense longing for the
illumination of spiritual knowledge, until he senses its strength in his bones
and no longer knows himself, but is completely transformed by the love of God.
He is both present in this life and not present in it; still dwelling in the
body, he yet departs from it, as through love he ceaselessly journeys towards
God in his soul. His heart now burns constantly with the fire of love and
clings to God with an irresistible longing, since he has once and for all
transcended self-love in his love for God. As St Paul writes: ‘If we go out of
ourselves it is because of God; if we are restrained, it is for your sake’ (2
Cor.5:13).
16. No one
can love God consciously in his heart unless he has first feared Him with all
his heart. Through the action of fear the soul is purified and, as it were,
made malleable and so it becomes awakened to the action of love. No one,
however, can come to fear God completely in the way described, unless he first
transcends all worldly cares; for when the intellect reaches a state of deep
stillness and detachment, then the fear of God begins to trouble it, purifying
it with full perception from all gross and cloddish density, and thereby
bringing it to a great love of God'
19. The
qualities of a pure soul are intelligence devoid of envy, ambition free from
malice, and unceasing love for the Lord of glory. When the soul has these
qualities, then the intellect can accurately assess how it will be judged,
seeing itself appear before the most faultless of tribunals.
22. The deep
waters of faith seem turbulent when we peer into them too curiously; but when
contemplated in a spirit of simplicity, they are calm. The depths of faith are
like the waters of Lethe, making us forget all evil; they will not reveal
themselves to the scrutiny of meddlesome reasoning. Let us therefore sail these
waters with simplicity of mind, and so reach the harbour of God’s will.
26. When the
sea is calm, fishermen can scan its depths and therefore hardly any creature
moving in the water escapes their notice. But when the sea is disturbed by the
winds, it hides beneath its turbid and agitated waves what it was happy to
reveal when it was smiling and calm; and then the fishermen’s skill and cunning
prove vain. The same thing happens with the contemplative power of the
intellect, especially when it is unjust anger which disturbs the depths of the
soul.
28. In every
way, therefore, and especially through peace of soul, we must make ourselves a
dwelling-place for the Holy Spirit. Then we shall have the lamp of spiritual
knowledge burning always within us; and when it is shining constantly in the
inner shrine of the soul, not only will the intellect perceive all the dark and
bitter attacks of the demons, but these attacks will be greatly weakened when
exposed for what they are by that glorious and holy light.
73. When a
person is in a state of natural well-being, he sings the psalms with a full
voice and prefers to pray out loud. But when he is energized by the Holy
Spirit, with gladness and completely at peace he sings and prays in the heart
alone. The first condition is accompanied by a delusory joy, the second by
spirited tears and, thereafter, by a delight that loves stillness.
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St Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
From
First Century on Love (composed
626 AD)
10. When in
the intensity of its love for God the intellect goes out of itself, then it has
no sense of itself or of any created thing. For when it is illumined by the
infinite light of God, it becomes insensible to everything made by Him, just as
the eye becomes insensible to the stars when the sun rises.
11. All the
virtues co-operate with the intellect to produce this intense longing for God,
pure prayer above all. For by soaring towards God through this prayer the
intellect rises above the realm of created beings.
19. Blessed
is the intellect that transcends all sensible objects and ceaselessly delights
in divine beauty.
25. God, who
is by nature good and dispassionate, loves all people equally as His handiwork.
But He glorifies the virtuous man because in his will he is united to God. At
the same time, in His goodness He is merciful to the sinner and by chastising
him in this life brings him back to the path of virtue. Similarly, a man of
good and dispassionate judgement also loves all people equally. He loves the
virtuous man because of his nature and the probity of his intention; and he
loves the sinner, too, because of his nature and because in his compassion he
pities him for foolishly stumbling in darkness.
42. He who
loves God lives the angelic life on earth, fasting and keeping vigils, praying
and singing psalms and always thinking good of every man.
63. We carry
about with us impassioned images of the things we have experienced. If we can
overcome these images we shall be indifferent to the things which they
represent. For fighting against the thoughts of things is much harder than
fighting against the things themselves, just as to sin in the mind is easier
than to sin through outward action.
69. Shun all
suspicions and all persons that cause you to take offence. If you are offended
by anything, whether intended or unintended, you do not know the way of peace,
which through love brings the lovers of divine knowledge to the knowledge of
God.
76. Humility
and ascetic hardship free a man from all sin, for the one cuts out the passions
of the soul, the other those of the body. This is what the blessed David
indicates when he prays to God, saying, ‘Look on my humility and my toil, and
forgive all my sins’ (Ps.25:18).
88. When during prayer no conceptual image
of anything worldly disturbs your intellect, then know that you are within the
realm of dispassion.
96. We do
not know God from His essence. We know Him rather from the grandeur of His
creation and from His providential care for all creatures. For through these,
as though they were mirrors, we may attain insight into His infinite goodness,
wisdom and power.
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St Peter of Damaskos (12th
century ?)
From
Book 1: A Treasury of Divine
Knowledge
According to
St Basil and St Gregory, he who knows himself – who knows, that is to say, that
he stands midway between nobility and baseness, in that he has a soul capable
of spiritual knowledge and a mortal, earthly body - never exults or despairs.
Rather, with a feeling of shame before his noetic soul he rejects everything
shameful and, knowing his weakness, he shrinks from all sense of elation.
Thus he who knows his
own weakness as a result of the many temptations and trials that he undergoes
through the passions of soul and body, understands the measureless power of God
and how He redeems the humble who cry out to Him through persistent prayer from
the depths of their hearts. For such a person prayer becomes a delight. He
knows that without God he can do nothing (cf. John 15:5), and in his fear lest he fall he strives to cleave
to God and is amazed as he considers how God has rescued him from so many
temptations and passions. He gives thanks to his Saviour, and to his
thanksgiving he adds humility and love; and he does not dare to judge anyone,
knowing that as God has helped him, so He can help all people when He wishes,
as St Maximos says.
From
“Introduction”
The
first of these forms of discipline consists in stillness, or in living a life
without distraction, far from all worldly care. By removing ourselves from
human society and distraction, we escape from turmoil and from him who ‘walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour’ (1 Pet. 5:18) through idle talk and the
worries of life. ……..For in our gratitude we are encouraged because we have
come to see what we could never have hoped to perceive had we lived outside our
cell. Having recognized our own weakness and the power of God, we are filled
with fear and hope, so that we neither lapse through ignorance because we are
too sure of ourselves nor, when some misfortune befalls us, fall into despair
because we have forgotten God's compassion.
From
“The Seven Forms of Bodily Discipline”
The
fifth form of discipline consists in spiritual prayer, prayer that is offered
by the intellect and free from all thoughts. During such prayer the intellect
is concentrated within the words spoken and, inexpressibly contrite, it abases
itself before God, asking only that His will may be done in all its pursuits
and conceptions. It does not pay attention to any thought, shape, colour,
light, fire, or anything at all of this kind; but, conscious that it is watched
by God and communing with Him alone, it is free from form, colour and shape.
Such is the pure prayer appropriate for those still engaged in ascetic
practice; for the contemplative there are yet higher forms of prayer.
From
“The Seven Forms of Bodily Discipline”
St
John of Damaskos affirms that the bodily virtues – or, rather, tools of virtue
- are essential, for without them the virtues of the soul cannot be acquired.
But one must pursue them in humility and with spiritual knowledge. If they are
not pursued in this way, but only for themselves, then they serve no purpose,
just as plants are useless if they do not bear any fruit.
From
“The Bodily Virtues as Tools for the Acquisition of Virtues of the Soul”
The man of faith acts, not as one
endowed with free will, but as a beast that is led by the will of God. He says
to God: ‘I became as a beast before Thee; yet I am continually with Thee’ (Ps.
73:22-23). If Thy desire is that I should be at rest in Thy knowledge, I shall
not refuse. If it is that I should experience temptation so as to learn
humility, again I am with Thee. Of myself, there is absolutely nothing I can
do. For without Thee I would not have come into existence from non-existence;
without Thee I cannot live or be saved. Do what Thou wilt to Thy creature; for
I believe that, being good, Thou bestowest blessings on me, even if I do not
recognize that they are for my benefit. Nor am I worthy to know, nor do I claim
to understand, so as to be at rest: this might not be to my profit.
I do not dare to ask for relief in
any of my battles, even if I am weak and utterly exhausted, for I do not know
what is good for me. ‘Thou knowest all things’ (John 21:17); act according to Thy knowledge.
From
“How to Acquire True Faith”
We
must remember, too, that stillness is the highest gift of all, and that without
it we cannot be purified and come to know our weakness and the trickery of the
demons; neither will we be able to understand the power of God and His providence
from the divine words that we read and sing. For we all need this devotion and
stillness, total or partial, if we are to attain the humility and spiritual
knowledge necessary for the understanding of the mysteries hidden in the divine
Scriptures and in all creation. We must also remember that we should not use
any object or any word, or engage in any activity or thought, that is not
necessary for the life and salvation of soul and body; and that, unless we
exercise discrimination, not even what appears to be good is acceptable to God,
and that unless they are rightly motivated even good works are of no use to
anyone.
From
“Spurious Knowledge”
Again,
we must marvel how through little strokes of colour paintings show us so many
wonderful things performed over so many years by our Lord and all His saints,
making them look as if they had only just been performed. This comes about
through God's providence so that by becoming eyewitnesses, as it were of these
things, our longing for God may grow even greater.
From
“The Difference between Thoughts and Provocations”
From
Book 2: Twenty-Four Discourses
Life
is hope free from all anxiety, wealth hidden from the senses but attested by
the understanding and by the true nature of things.
From
“Hope”
In this life, all things go in
pairs: practice and spiritual knowledge, free will and grace, fear and hope,
struggle and reward. The second does not come until the first has been
actualized; and if it seems as if it does, this is illusion. Just as someone
who lacks horticultural knowledge, on seeing the flower and thinking that it is
the fruit, rushes forward to pick it, not realizing that by picking the flower
he destroys the fruit, so it is here: for, as St Maximos puts it, ‘To think
that one knows prevents one from advancing in knowledge.’ Hence we ought to
cleave to God and to do all things with discrimination.
Discrimination comes from seeking
advice with humility and from criticizing oneself and what one thinks and does.
From
“The Remembrance of Christ’s Sufferings”
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St Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
From
One Hundred and Fifty-Three
Practical and Theological Texts
140.
You should always direct your intellect towards God, whether asleep or awake,
eating or talking, engaged in your handiwork or in any other activity. Thus you
will fulfil the saying of the prophet, ‘I have set the Lord always before me’.
70.
Those who simulate virtue and who, because of the sheepskin of the monastic
habit, appear to be one thing outwardly but are something else inwardly –
steeped perhaps in iniquity, jealousy, ambition, and foul pleasures – are
revered by most people as saintly and dispassionate; for in most people the
soul’s eye is unpurified, and so they cannot recognize these imposters by their
fruits. Those, on the other hand, who are full of devoutness, virtue and
simplicity of heart, and who are truly saints, are judged by most people to be
like other men; and they pass them by with disdain, counting them as nothing.
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St Gregory Palamas (1296-1359)
From
To the Most Reverend Nun Xenia (written
c.1342-6)
It is now
that the intellect becomes simple matter in God’s hands and is unresistingly
recreated in the most sublime way, for nothing alien intrudes on it: inner
grace translates it to a better state and, in an altogether marvellous fashion,
illumines it with ineffable light, thus perfecting our inner being. And when in
this manner ‘the day breaks and the morning star rises in our hearts’, then
‘the true man’ – the intellect – ‘will go out to his true work’ ascending in
the light the road that leads to the eternal mountains.
From
In Defence of Those who Devoutly
Practise a Life of Stillness (written 1337-9)
7-8. This
control of the breathing may, indeed, be regarded as a spontaneous consequence
of paying attention to the intellect; for the breath is always quietly inhaled
and exhaled at moments of intense concentration, especially in the case of
those who practice stillness both bodily and mentally. Such people keep the
Sabbath in a spiritual fashion and, so far as is possible, they rest from all
personal activities; they strip their soul’s powers free from every transient,
fleeting and compound form of knowledge, from every type of sense-perception
and, in general, from every bodily act that is under our sway…….
In those who
have made progress in stillness all these things come to pass without toil and
anxious care, for of necessity they spontaneously follow upon the soul’s
perfect entry into itself.
From
Three Texts on Prayer and Purity
of Heart (c.1330s)
3.
The intellectual activity consisting of thought and intuition is called
intellect, and the power that activates thought and intuition is likewise the
intellect; and this power Scripture also calls the heart. It is because the
intellect is pre-eminent among our inner powers that our soul is deiform. In
those devoted to prayer, and especially to the single-phrased Jesus Prayer, the
intellect’s noetic activity is easily ordered and purified; but the power that
produces this activity cannot be purified unless all the soul’s other powers
are also purified.