Today – 24 years since the death of the monk paisija Athos. Elder paisios especially loved in Russia — books of his sermons were sold in huge numbers. We offer to your attention the interview of the elder Paisius about how we are trying to make their lives easier, actually complicate it.
- Elder paisios of the Holy mountain: How to overcome anger?
- Paisios of the Holy mountain: People become like robots
- Elder paisios of the Holy mountain: Spiritual laws
- Elder paisios of the Holy mountain: the life, teachings, creation, the miracles (+Video)
- What he is, the monk paisios of the Holy mountain?
“What lucky people those who live in palaces and enjoy all the benefits,” say the people of this world. However, blessed are those who have managed to simplify my life, to free themselves from the stranglehold of this worldly improvement from a wide range of amenities equal to many of the difficulties and get rid of terrible anxieties of the current era. If the person does not simplify his life, he will suffer. While simplifying it, he’ll get rid of this mental anxiety.
Once in Sinai, the visiting German said one very smart a boy to a Bedouin: “You are a smart kid and is capable of dostigaet education”. — “Well, what then?” — asks him the same. “Then you’ll be an engineer”. — “And then?” — “Then otkryval a workshop for car repairs”. — “What then?” — “Then it will increase”. “And then what?” — “Then animal other masters — collectivist for a great working staff.” — “So, what, says he, the boy, first I will have a headache, then I’ll add to it another, and then another? Isn’t it better as it is now — to have a calm head?” Headache, for the most part, derives from such thoughts: “Do one thing, do another”. And if thoughts were spiritual, then the person would experience spiritual solace and not suffered to be a headache.
Now in conversations with the worldly people I also emphasize the value of simplicity. Because most of what they do is not necessary, and consuming emotion. I tell people on starkness and austerity, I do not cease to cry, “Simplify your life to disappear emotion”. And the majority of divorces starts with this. People have a lot of work they need to do so much that the head is spinning. Work and father and mother and children are left without prizora. Fatigue, nerves, even a small trifle leads to a big scandal, and then automatically follows a divorce. People get already. However, simplifying your life, they will be full of energy and joyful. Yes, emotion is a living death.
Once I happened to be in luxurious house. During the interview, the hosts told me: “We live like in a Paradise, but other people need”. — “You live in hell,” I replied. “Bezumna, this night thy soul istiot from you” (LK.12:20), the Lord said to the foolish rich man. If Christ asked me, “Where you take place in any dungeon or in the house like this”, I would have said: “In some dark prison”. Because the dungeon would go for me. It reminds me of Christ, of saints, martyrs, ascetics, hiding in “propastekh the earth” (Heb.11:38), she would remind me about monastic life. The dungeon would be a bit similar to my cell, and I would have rejoiced. And what reminds me your home and what benefits I would get from him? Therefore, prison comforts me a lot more not just any mundane interior, but beautifully decorated monastic cells. A thousand times better to live in prison than in a house like this”.
Another time I was staying in Athens with his friend, and he asked me to meet with one father of many children, but only until dawn, because at another time it once. This man came joyful and unceasing slavoslovyaschie God. He had a lot of humility and simplicity, and he asked me to pray for his family. This brother was thirty-eight years, and he had seven children. Children, he and his wife, plus his parents — only eleven souls. They all huddled in one room. With his usual simplicity he said: “Standing-we put everything in the room, but when I go to bed, not enough space is cramped. But now, Thank God, made a canopy for the kitchen and it became easier. Because we have, otcenka, there is a roof over my head — the other is out and all live under the open sky”. He worked Gladilina in Athens and lived in Athens and to get to work on time, left the house before dawn. Of long standing on the feet, and overtime he had developed varicose veins, causing his feet concern. But much love to the family has forced this man to forget about aches and ailments.
In addition, he reproached himself, saying that he has no love that he’s not doing a decent Christian good deeds, and could not recommend it enough to my wife for what she does good deeds, cares not only about children but also about the father-in-law, do all the washing in the neighborhood and the elderly, doing some spring cleaning in their homes, and even “the soup cooks them!” The face of the good man glowed with the grace of God. He had within himself Christ and was filled with joy. And the room in which they huddled, too, was filled with heavenly joy. Those who are in Christ will be filled with anxieties. They will not fit in the eleven rooms of the two, whereas here, eleven souls with Christ fit in one.
How much would a lot of places any people — even spiritual people — they still will not be enough space, because they themselves did not have enough place to Christ, because He did not fit in them completely. If I lived in Farash women looked at the luxury that is present even today in many monasteries, then they would exclaim: “God will send fire from heaven and devour us! God left us!” Harasiuki’ve done the job in a jiffy. Early in the morning they drove the goats, then cleaned house, then went to the chapel or going somewhere in the caves, and the one that could read a little, read daily life of the Saint. Then began to do prostrations with the Jesus prayer. But other than that they still worked, tired. The woman had to be able to sheathe the entire house. And sewn by hand. Manual sewing machines in the city was rare, and in the village they were not even more. Well if all Farasi had one sewing machine, And men they sewed clothes — very comfortable and knitting socks on the needles. Everything was done with taste, with love, but at the same time and they left because all they had just. Secondary parasites didn’t care. They experienced the joy of monastic. And if, say, you notice that the blanket is lying on the bed roughly, and told them: “I quilt”, in the answer heard: “You is that stopping to pray?”
Today, people are not familiar with this monastic joy. People believe that to experience hardship, to suffer they should not. And if people thought a little nuns, if they had lived easier and be calm. Now they suffer. In their souls — the anxiety and despair: “so-and-so managed to build two multi-storey buildings!” Or: “so-and-so had managed to learn five foreign languages!” — or something like that. “And I — say — not even his apartment, and a foreign language I don’t know any! All, I am lost!” Or someone having a car, begins to worry: “another car is better than mine. And I have to buy the same”. He buys a new car, but she did not in joy because someone else has a better one. He is buying the same and yourself, and then learns that the other has a private aircraft, and again is suffering. It never ends. Whereas another person, who also has no car, praise God and rejoice. “Thank God! he says. — Well, let me not have a car. Because I have strong legs and I can walk. And how many people have legs amputated, and they are unable to care for themselves, can’t walk, need in someone’s care!.. And I have my own legs!” In turn, people are lame says: “what others who do not have both legs?” — and happy, too.
The ingratitude and rapacity of the great evil. The man enslaved by something tangible, always enslaved by the excitement and mental anxiety, because he trembles in fear, as if he had not taken away his wealth, then feels fear for his life. Once I came a rich man from Athens and said, “father, I have lost contact with their children. I lost my children.” — “How many children do you have?” — I asked. “Two,’ he replied. — Nurtured them to the bird milk. Had everything I wanted. Even on the car they bought.” Then from the conversation, it became clear that he had his own machine, the wife — its and each of the children — their own. “Queer people — I told him, instead of to solve their problems, you only increased. Now you need a big garage for the cars, repair them you have to pay four times more, not to mention the fact that you and your wife, and your children at any time run the risk of crashing. And if you’ve simplified your life, the family would be cohesive, one would understand the other, and all these problems you wouldn’t have. Blame for what happens to you lies not in your children and yourself. It’s you to blame for not teaching them different.” Single — family- four car garage, your mechanic, and everything else! Surely one can’t go somewhere early and the other later? All this comfort leads to difficulties.
Another time for me to kalevu came another head of the family — this time of five — and said: “father, we have one car, but I’m about to buy two more. So it will be easy.” — “And how you are going to be harder didn’t you think? — I asked him. — One car you left in some alley, and where are you going to put three? You will need a garage and a warehouse for fuel. Instead one danger you will be exposed to three. You better do one car and limit your expenses. And time to look after children you will have, and you yourselves will become peaceful. To simplify the entire Foundation.” “Yes,” he says, ” I didn’t think about.”
— Geronda, one man told us how he twice could not silence the anti-theft alarm in your car. Once due to the fact that the car flew fly, and at other times he violated the instructions theft deterrent when getting into your own car.
These people have a Martyr’s life, because they do not make your life easier. Most facilities entail inconvenience. Worldly people are choking on a lot. They filled our lives with many amenities and made it difficult. If you don’t simplify your life, even one convenience creates a whole bunch of problems.
In childhood we cut the edges of the coil from under the thread, inserted in the middle of a wooden stick and staged a wonderful game that brought us real joy. Little kids love toy cars more than their father bought a Mercedes. Ask some girl: “What do you want — a doll or a multi-storey big mansion?” You’ll see, she will answer: “a Doll”. The vanity of the world in the end know even small children.
— Geronda, what is most helpful to understand the joy that brings simplicity, austere?
— The realization of the deepest meaning of life. “Seek first the Kingdom of God…” (Matt.6:33) Easy and all the correct attitude to things begins with this.
Blessed elder paisios of the Holy mountain. “The word”. Volume I. “With pain and love for contemporary man”. Publishing house “Holy Mountain”, Moscow, 2008