In all temptations, retreat to spiritual heart, there is nowhere else to go
A heartfelt conversation about the essential.
Those who seek wisdom read many books, filling their minds with knowledge. Those who seek salvation recite the brief Jesus Prayer and free themselves from thoughts. An elder once said: “First, hold the name of God on your tongue, and then let it descend into your heart.” Much knowledge brings sorrow to the soul, while childlike simplicity leads it to peace and eternal joy. The depth of faith is measured not by our bookish knowledge about God but by our love for Him. For the intelligent, there is only the world and its things; for the wise, there is only God, in whom there are neither things nor the universe. Foolishness wants to know and understand everything, while wisdom remains silent, being a child of stillness. Wisdom does not come from books, and truth is not born of the mind.
Reading wise books is good, but it is even better to understand your spirit in silence, to learn to sense your spiritual heart, awaken your spiritual intuition, and strengthen your resolve to strive for salvation. Everyone views the world through the keyhole of their mind, and everyone sees it differently. Do you think reasoning and reflecting on God lead to salvation? No, salvation comes through humility, self-awareness, and constant remembrance of God. Of all virtues, humility leads to salvation the fastest.
The one who finds themselves in God finds peace and an unshakable tranquility.
No temptation can unsettle someone who has abandoned their self-centeredness and discovered themselves in God. Instead of battling bad thoughts, keep your mind in your heart, and the thoughts will vanish on their own. When we gather our attention and strive to hold it in the place of the spiritual heart, thoughts slow down. We simply observe to ensure the mind does not become distracted by them.
A person lives out their personal fate, while the world follows a collective destiny where everything is predetermined. We do not choose our fate; we only choose salvation or ruin. God does not answer our prayers through thoughts; He places grace in our hearts, which carries the answer. If you hear an answer from “god” in the form of thoughts, know that you are in great danger.
Beauty, like God, is simple. Therefore, we must also learn to view everything simply, without inventing or imagining anything. Simplicity opens the gates of the heart. Whatever you do, and whatever you achieve, everything must lead to one thing: sacred peace in God. Thoughts pull us into the hustle of the world, while thoughtlessness leaves us alone with the boundless, immortal spirit. If you have found Christ within yourself, there is nothing more to seek. Quietness of heart and mind is the best path to salvation. When your mind starts troubling you, occupy it with prayer and slow, calm breathing, and it will settle down on its own.
Enter into yourself as deeply as you can and remain there for as long as you have strength.
Solitude can be external and internal. External solitude humbles the body; internal solitude humbles the mind. Both help you return to yourself through repentance and humility. The first step is to learn not to react emotionally to everything. Strive to attain dispassion, for within it lies the key to immortality. What can trouble someone who has said to God, “Thy will be done”? Do not cling to the world, and you will live in God.
Hermits once asked an elder:
“Elder, in short, what does it mean to be dispassionate?”
The spiritual father smiled and said:
“To be dispassionate means to be someone who wounds no one with the harshness of their heart and who harbors no attachments in their own heart.”
Being able to see yourself from the outside is a significant achievement on the path to dispassion. The peace of mind overcomes any situation. Die to the mind, and you will live by the spirit. Just as eternal life is more important than temporary life, so attention to the inner self outweighs attention to the outer. Externally, remain with people, but internally, never separate from God.
A spiritual seeker approached an elder with a question:
“Father, what does it mean to ‘die before your death’?”
“It means that for your true spiritual self, full of love, wisdom, and grace, to be reborn, your egoistic mind – your personal ‘I,’ which has long deceived you by convincing you that your ego is your true self – must die,” the elder replied.
“Does this mean physical death?” asked the seeker.
“By no means! It only feels like death to the ego. What comes to life is your image and likeness of God – your immortal, incorruptible, grace-filled self, which will have no end. It transcends all forms and concepts of the mind and every word, for it is beyond all sensory perception yet is felt by you as the blessed spirit in Christ.”
