Who are the monks, where do they live and what clothes do they wear? What makes them choose this way? difficult path? These questions are of interest not only to those who are planning to enter a monastery. What is known about people who voluntarily renounced worldly pleasures and devoted themselves to worship?
Monastery - what is it?
First, it’s worth figuring out where the monks live. The term “monastery” came into our language from Greek. This word means "alone, lonely" and is used to refer to communities or people who choose to be alone. A monastery is a religious gathering of people who have taken a vow of celibacy and withdrawn from society.
Traditionally, the monastery has a complex of buildings, which includes church, utility and residential premises. They are used depending on the needs of the community. Also, each monastery determines its own charter, which all members of the religious community must follow.
Nowadays, several types of monasteries have survived in which monastic life. The Lavra is a large monastery that is part of the Orthodox Church. Kinovia is a Christian community that has a community charter. An abbey is a Catholic church that is subordinate to a bishop or even directly to the pope. There are also monastic villages called deserts, which are located far from the main monastery.
Historical reference
Knowing the history of the origin of monasteries will help you better understand who the monks are. Nowadays, monasteries can be found in many countries of the world. It is believed that they began to appear since the spread of Christianity, which happened in the third century AD. The first monks were people who left cities into the wilderness and led the life of ascetics; then they were called hermits. Egypt is the birthplace of monasticism; it was in this country that the first cenobia appeared in the 4th century thanks to Pachomius the Great.
Soon after this, monasteries arose first in Palestine, and then in European countries. The first monastic communities in the West were created through the efforts of Athanasius the Great. The fathers of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in Rus' were Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk.
Who are monks: general information
It's time to get to the fun part. Who are monks is a question that fascinates many people. This is the name given to those who voluntarily rejected worldly joys and devoted their lives to worship. Monasticism is a calling, not a choice; it is not surprising that only a select few become monks, while everyone else leaves the monastery walls.
Becoming a monk is available not only to men, but also to women. The latter can also settle in a monastery after making the necessary vows. There were times when there were no monasteries or monasteries. This practice was introduced in 1504, it was then that joint monasteries were abolished in Rus'.
Life of monks
The above describes who the monks are. What kind of life do people lead who have followed their calling and dedicated themselves to God? To be tonsured does not mean that a person ends life on earth. It continues to satisfy the need for sleep and food. Of course, each monk has his own duties, working for the benefit of people or the monastery, which is called obedience.
Obedience is the work that the inhabitants of the monastery do when they are free from worship. It is divided into economic and educational. By economic work we mean that which is aimed at maintaining order in the monastery. What kind of work the monk is engaged in is decided by the abbot. Educational work- these are prayers.
Every minute of such a person is devoted to the service of God. He is not bothered by earthly goals and ideals. The monk’s day is spent in prayers, which become for him a kind of meaning of life.
Vows
It's no secret that monks take vows. What is the monastic vow of celibacy? A person who makes such a promise not only gives up the opportunity to get married. This vow implies that gender no longer matters to him. The bodily shell remained in the world that the monk left; from now on, only souls are important to him.
Also, a servant of God must take a vow of non-covetousness. By saying goodbye to the world, the monk also renounces the right to personal property. This implies that he cannot own anything, even a ballpoint pen. A person gives up property because he no longer needs it. Everything that the monks use, such as books, is the property of the monastery.
What is the monastic vow of obedience? This means that a person completely rejects his desires. His only goal from now on is unity with the Lord, to whom he offers prayers hourly. However, willpower remains with him. In addition, the monk is required to unquestioningly follow the orders of the abbot. This is not a sign of submission and servility, but rather helps to find peace and joy in the soul.
How to become a monk
Becoming a monk is a long journey that not every applicant succeeds in completing. Many people realize that they are not able to part with the benefits of civilization, to give up the opportunity to have a family and property. The road to becoming a servant of God begins with communication with a confessor, who gives a person who has decided to say goodbye to worldly life, useful tips.
Next, the applicant, if he has not yet abandoned his intention, becomes a laborer - an assistant to the clergy. He must constantly be in the monastery and follow its rules. This gives a person the opportunity to understand whether he is ready to spend his life in prayer and physical labor, say goodbye to the benefits of civilization, and rarely see his family. On average, a future monk follows the path of a laborer for about three years, after which he becomes a novice. The duration of this stage is determined individually; a person is still free to leave the monastery walls at any time. If he passes all the tests with honor, he will be tonsured a monk.
About the ranks
Residents of our country are accustomed to calling the clergyman “priest.” This common word is acceptable, but you need to know that in the Orthodox Church there is a strict hierarchy of orders. To begin with, it is worth mentioning that all clergy are divided into black (taking a vow of celibacy) and white (having the right to start a family).
Only four Orthodox ranks are available to married people: deacon, protodeacon, priest and archpriest. Many people prefer this path because they do not want to completely abandon worldly life. What kind of monastic rank can a person who decides to do this receive? There are many more options: hierodeacon, archdeacon, hieromonk, abbot, archimandrite and so on. A monk can also become a bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, or patriarch.
The highest monastic rank is patriarch. Only a person who has taken a vow of celibacy can be awarded it. There are cases when family clergy, whose children have already grown up, with the consent of their spouses, go to a monastery and renounce worldly life. It happens that their wives do the same, as evidenced by the example of Saints Fevronia and Peter of Murom.
Cloth
The clothing of the monks also arouses keen interest among the public. A cassock is a long robe that reaches to the heels. It has narrow sleeves and the collar is buttoned tightly. The cassock is an undergarment. If worn by a monk, the item should be black. Cassocks of other colors (gray, brown, white, dark blue) can only be afforded by family clergy. Traditionally, they are made from wool, cloth, satin, and linen.
Of course, the clothing of monks is not only a cassock. The outer garment of a person who has dedicated himself to God is called a cassock. Traditionally, it has long and wide sleeves. Black cassocks are most widespread, but you can also find white, cream, gray, and brown versions.
It is impossible not to mention the monastic headdress - the hood. It appeared in the church environment a long time ago, initially it looked like a soft cap made of simple matter. The modern cap is covered with a black veil that extends below the shoulders. Most often you can find black hoods, but there are also products made in other colors.
Who can't become a monk
Entering a monastery is a decision that not every person can implement. It is believed that people cannot give up their worldly life if they are kept from this commitment to others. Let's say the candidate has small children, elderly parents, and disabled relatives. Also, those who are being treated for a serious illness should not think about tonsure. This is due to the fact that the person would have to give up quality medical care.
That’s it, let’s go home, it’s already late, and Dimka’s car is scrap,” said the head coach of the motorcycle racing club. Everyone began to load theirs into the truck, including Dimkin, who was practically beyond repair. And Dimka is actually not Dimka, but Natasha is the only girl in the motorcycle racing team. They simply called her according to her last name - Demina. That day, Natasha made a motorcycle jump from a mountain, which almost cost her her life. The car crashed to pieces, and Natasha received several scratches, flying out of the motorcycle and successfully landing in the snow.
Natasha was accepted into motorcycle racing thanks to her persistence. The coach liked it male character this short girl who was barely 15 years old. All her friends were happy with her bold choice, and only one person did not approve of it - it was Natasha’s mother Galina. She knew many of the guys well who had previously been fans of this extreme sport. Some former motorcycle racers became young disabled people, and several were no longer alive. The daughter did not want to listen to Galina’s objections, so the mother had no choice but to pray to God for her independent child.
TO Christ's faith Galina contacted after sudden death brother Having lost him, she realized that there is another world where her brother continues to exist, and a person’s life does not end with the grave. The woman found consolation only in the only city church at that time, where burning sorrow receded and peace reigned in her soul. So gradually, thanks to prayers for her brother, Galina acquired the priceless beads of the Orthodox faith. Soon and appearance her - the head of a department of a large enterprise - has changed: high heels and fashionable hairstyles were forgotten, clothes became more modest. This, of course, did not please the schoolgirl daughter, who was accustomed to the fact that her mother was the most beautiful woman. That's why she didn't want to share her religious views with her mother.
During the summer holidays, the motorcycle club planned numerous trips to training camps and competitions. Natasha actively prepared for them, and her mother prayed earnestly. The mother's heart ached in anticipation of trouble and looked for an opportunity to protect the child. The Lord responded to the prayer of a suffering heart and suggested through good people how to avoid the impending temptation: pilgrimage - a trip to holy places for a while summer holidays. Galina warmly thanked God and in May announced to her daughter that in the summer they would go on a big pilgrimage to holy places.
Mom, what a pilgrimage! I have competitions and training camps! - Natasha was indignant.
“I have already bought tickets, and we are going,” Galina answered, “ancient shrines are waiting for us.”
I'm not going anywhere! I’ll lie down on the bed and not go anywhere!
“It’s okay,” my mother answered, “I’ll take you and the bed!”
And the daughter had no choice but to listen to her mother. Natasha still hoped that she would be able to return home in a week, having come up with a plausible reason. But the Lord had a completely different plan.
The beauty of worship, spirit-bearing elders, holy caves... The ancient monastery captivated a Soviet schoolgirl
The first place where the pilgrims came was the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. This ancient monastic monastery captivated the Soviet schoolgirl. The beauty of the divine service, the spirit-bearing elders, the holy caves - all this influenced Natasha so much that there was no talk of leaving. He and his mother visited Father John (Krestyankin), Father Adrian, and were honored with spiritual conversations with the monks of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery. AND Orthodox faith for Natasha it presented itself in a completely different form: ridiculed at school, prohibited in the state, faith was in full swing here. It was she who turned out to be an inexhaustible source of aspirations and ideals that filled the young hearts of that time. The young pilgrim was so amazed by the “feast of faith” of this holy monastery that she ardently regretted that she was not a guy and could not stay here forever.
But the Lord, according to the word, kisses the intention, and already in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Natasha visited the elder, who told her that over time she would live in a nunnery. What's happened monastery, it was clear to her, but the female one was a big mystery to her. After all, on the territory of the USSR at that time there were only four convents - two in Ukraine, one in Estonia and one in Latvia. Mom decided to help Natasha solve her riddle, and from the Lavra they immediately went to Latvia, to the Trinity-Sergius Convent of Riga. And here the young Komsomol member again found herself at a celebration of faith: the amazing Mother Abbess Magdalene, the kind monastery sisters, liturgical singing- all this told Natasha that her place was right here, in the nunnery. But the summer holidays flew by quickly, and mother and daughter returned home.
But at home everything is the same: at school they laugh at believers, in the state religion is far from welcome, and most importantly - a motorcycle. In early September, Natasha again rushed to her favorite motorcycle club, where, having met the head coach, she heard menacing words from him: “Where you have been all summer, come back there!” This sharp phrase, like a hammer, shattered Natasha’s love for motorcycles, and Galina’s heart was at peace. were heard by God.
Soon the words of the Lavra elder were fulfilled, and Natalia went to the monastery
Time passed, Natalia’s life went on as usual: school, medical school... After the wonderful pilgrimage, there was no time in the bustle of days to think about faith. Moreover, they had a very friendly yard: boys and girls, almost the same age, lived alone big family and were like brothers and sisters to each other. All the guys were escorted into the army almost simultaneously. And then the prickly word “Afghan” appeared in the life of the court. And yesterday's street guys gradually began to return from the army - some with a crippled body, some with a crippled soul, and some did not return at all. It was impossible to recognize yesterday's merry fellows and jokers in the young old people. Such a strange and terrible metamorphosis greatly influenced Natalia. She was already convinced in practice, and not in theory, how fickle the world is and how short human life. And she started going to church services. For her, as once for her mother, the truth was fully revealed that a person’s life does not end on earth, but continues in eternity. Soon the words of the Lavra elder were fulfilled, and Natalia went to the monastery, followed by her mother Galina.
In the early 1990s, the Russian Orthodox Church many ancient and ancient monasteries were transferred. All of them were in a deplorable state and required a lot of effort and money to restore. Natalia settled in one of these monasteries. The first nuns of this ancient monastery fell on the shoulders of unfeminine concerns: they had to clear the rubble from the churches, restore the monastery buildings and massive walls, and move a lot of bricks in any weather. In the summer - develop vegetable gardens in virgin lands, manually mow, turn and harvest hay. At that time, there was one bath for the entire convent, in which feed was steamed for the cows in the morning, clothes were washed at lunch, water was collected in the evening, and the sisters had only the night to wash. And in such difficult conditions, the hearts of the sisters of the ancient monastery being restored from the ruins burned with love for God. They all understood that they were doing a great work - God's work, and from this they were accompanied by constant spiritual joy. As the elders say, when a monastery is opened or restored, great grace is given to the first inhabitants.
In the monastery, Natalia experienced grief for the crippled Afghan children, or rather, it did not pass, but grew into prayer. It was in God that she found solace and peace of mind. Monastic life was in full swing: an ancient prayer monastery, cheerful sisters, responsible obediences... In addition, Natalia discovered that she was able to do her work quickly and efficiently and still have time to help other sisters. This was a wonderful discovery for her, because often in a monastery they assign obedience not to what you can do well, but precisely to what you first need to learn.
This was a real spiritual attack: everyone around them tried to persuade the novice not to return from the hospital to the monastery
But still, the loads that the young novice had to bear aggravated her injuries received in the motorcycle club, and she had to go to the hospital. The tests were disappointing: the injuries gradually turned into a serious illness in which a person loses the ability to walk. “The body’s predisposition,” the doctor sighed. And at that moment a real test began for Natalia: all the doctors and nurses tried to persuade her to leave the monastery, painting the darkest prospects; Relatives called, cried into the phone, begged not to ruin their youth. This was a real spiritual attack, when almost all the people around him tried to turn a person away from his chosen path with gloomy prospects and tears. The novice prayed fervently and asked God for help. The Lord was not slow to respond: Natalia’s mother, Galina, arrived, and the first thing she heard from her suffering child was: “Mom, take me to the monastery!” Galina took her daughter back to the monastery, where other doctors were found who really helped Natalia improve her health.
Several years passed, and Natalia took monastic vows. Now the nun Theodora began to live in the monastery. Over time, her illness began to manifest itself in some lameness, but this was not an obstacle to her zeal for God: Mother Theodora fulfilled all her obediences as an exemplary officer, and at the same time she always tried to help her neighbors, was among the first to come to the temple and strictly followed the monastic rule. When they write about holy monks in patericons, their lives seem unattainable. And when before our eyes there is such a person who puts into practice everything that is written and puts the theory from the lives of saints into practice, it becomes clear that we can be much closer to God than we think.
It seems that Theodora's mother was able to overcome great difficulties in the beginning monastic path, The Lord gave her the ability to comfort her sisters in difficult situation. She always tried to encourage the new young sisters, she always had sweet consolation in stock for those who began to lose heart. Having treated the man, she unobtrusively began to tell various interesting stories from the lives of the elders, from the lives of the saints, and the despondent novice understood that her problem was not a problem, and after a strong storm the sun was shining brightly. It was enough for her to say a few words, and the person stopped being upset. Even Mother Theodora’s mother, who took monastic vows after her daughter, noticed this and never ceased to be amazed at how her daughter could encourage a person with a few words. It was enough for Mother Theodora to say: “We are monks!” - and the monastery sister began to look at the problem from a completely different angle, getting rid of the paralyzing despondency.
One day, Mother Theodora spoke about the Monk Dositheus, who was a novice of Abba Dorotheus, who through his obedience achieved holiness in just five years and was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. After the story, she sighed and said: “Reverend Dosifei achieved holiness in five years, but I have been living in a monastery for many years, and, apparently, I am far from holiness, since the Lord does not take me.” Another time she told the monastery sisters about how one young man came to her and began to boast that he was born on Intercession. To which the elder answered him: “Being born on the Intercession is not so important, but if you die on the Intercession, this is the mercy of God!” This story of Mother Theodora turned out to be prophetic: she died on Pokrov Holy Mother of God.
That year, the terrible flu took a huge toll on itself. But we can safely say about nun Theodora: the Lord took her!
She refused the operation with these words: “You can’t replace all the joints - God endured and told us to.”
After the burial of Mother Theodora, the sisters began to sort out her things and in the nightstand they found an x-ray, which clearly showed that on one leg the head of the femur was completely destroyed and the bone with sharp edges entered the joint. A sister who knew Mother Theodora closely said that she refused the proposed operation with the following words: “You can’t replace all the joints - God endured and told us to.” That is, Mother Theodora, being kind to her neighbors, was not just strict, but merciless to herself. She was a real ascetic! As the surgeon said, people with this diagnosis sit in a wheelchair if they can still sit. But the Lord, for his love for Him and ardent zeal, gave Mother Theodora strength and His gracious help. With such a disease, which only a few knew about, she not only looked after herself, but also zealously carried out obedience and helped her neighbors! The sisters of the monastery, having discovered this secret, which Mother Theodora carefully kept for many years, could only say: “The power of God is made perfect in weakness” and “all things are possible to the believer.”
T How the Lord shows us that He stands at the door of our heart and knocks. One day, knocking on the heart of a young Komsomol member, He saw it open to Himself and filled it with His grace. And the Soviet girl, far from religion, became a kind nun who showed us a holy example of self-sacrifice and love for others.
The revival of church life in the Russian Orthodox Church, which began in 1988, in connection with the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', is especially clearly visible in the revival of monasticism. Since this time, old monasteries have been restored in our Church and new ones have been founded, many people, mostly young, have entered monasteries, wanting to work for the One God far from the bustle of the world.
The Orthodox Church people firmly know that monastic life is an expression of the inner essence and spirit Christian life. That Orthodox monasticism carefully preserves the way of life and way of thinking of the apostles and first Christians.
Many books have been written about monastic life, which the Orthodox people have always loved, read and continue to read. But for people new to the Church, it is possible and necessary to give a brief answer to questions regarding monasticism: why do people go to monasteries, what is the essence and purpose of monasticism, and what degrees of monastic life exist.
As the schema-abbot of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery Savva writes in his book “Answer to Questions about Monasticism”: “Monasticism is a reasonable and free feat of man, a struggle to achieve Christian perfection.” In monastic life, the commandment of Jesus Christ is fully realized: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
So, going to a monastery is not a goal, but a means to work on oneself, to correct one’s imperfections. As schema-abbot Savva writes: “The life of monastics is an internal, secret struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil; this is secret work on oneself, on one’s heart, expelling passions and vices from it.”
Monks undertake various labors and feats: abstinence, fasting, vigil, virginity, chastity, poverty, obedience, humility, patience with inconveniences and sorrows in order to cleanse their mind, will and heart from passions and attachments that obscure God in the human soul. But the main thing in monasticism is prayer, the mother of all virtues. Monks try, as far as humanly possible, to pray always, in every place, in all circumstances, unceasingly, remembering the words of the Apostle: “Pray without ceasing!” (1 Thess. 5:17). It is absolutely clear that it is almost impossible to accomplish this amid the hustle and bustle of the world. And for the sake of achieving pure prayer, continuously performed in the heart, a person goes to a monastery.
Such a spiritual life, internal work on oneself, the struggle with one’s passions, prayer - this, as the holy ascetic fathers write, is the art of the arts and the science of the sciences. And as in the study of any science, here too there are different stages of its study and different degrees of perfection.
In monastic asceticism there are basically three states or degrees. The initial degree is preparation for a feat - novitiate; the second is monasticism itself; and the third - the highest accomplishment of the feat - schema-making.
Monastic tonsure, that is, entry into monasticism and its various degrees, is sanctified by the Church through its prayers and sacred rites. The tonsure is reminiscent of the Sacrament of Baptism, because the main action during tonsure is cutting the hair, which is also done at Baptism. Just as in Baptism, the person tonsured is given a new name. Just as the Sacrament of Baptism gives birth to a new life of grace, so tonsure into monasticism introduces a person into the most perfect way of Christian life.
There are three ranks (rites) of tonsure:
- into the ryassophore (or monasticism),
- into the mantle (into the small schema),
- into the schema (into the great schema).
Being tonsured into the ryassophore (or monasticism) is the shortest of them. At the same time, the tonsured person does not take monastic vows. After the established prayers, a cross-shaped tonsure of the hair of the person being tonsured is performed and a new name is given. After this, they put on a cassock and kamilavka. Such a monk is called a ryassophore monk or simply a monk. (Ryasophor is a cassock bearer.)
In women's monasteries, if the monastery's monastery tonsure is performed by the abbess of the monastery, then the novices tonsured in this way are called ryassophore novices, but if the celebrant is in the rank of bishop or in the rank of priesthood, then those tonsured are called nuns.
To be tonsured into the mantle (small schema) takes much longer. First, the tonsured person is tested with many questions in order to verify the firmness and voluntariness of his intention to accept the feat of monasticism. Answering all questions in the affirmative, the person tonsured and takes monastic vows:
- Until death, maintain obedience to the abbot and the elder brethren, do not leave the monastery and do not abandon fasting (monasticism);
- Until death, maintain non-covetousness (poverty), put aside earthly cares and endure all sorrow and hardship of monastic life for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven;
- Until death, preserve yourself in virginity and chastity and reverence.
Then the tonsured person is given instructions on the rules of monastic life, and he swears to fulfill all the vows of monasticism.
This is followed by the rite of cruciform tonsure of the hair and the naming of a new name. Then the tonsured person puts on monastic attire: paraman, cassock (tunic), cassock, belt, mantle, hood, sandals, and he is given a rosary. After reading prayers and litanies for the newly tonsured and reading the Apostle (Eph. 6:10-17) and the Gospel (Matthew 10:37-38); 11, 28-30) the person being tonsured is given a cross and a lighted candle.
The tonsure into the schema (great schema) is performed in the same way as into the mantle, only it happens more solemnly and for a long time. This tonsure is already an image of death for earthly life and the beginning of heavenly life. When tonsured into the schema, the person being tonsured receives a new name and puts on the schematic clothes: kukul and analav.
Familiarization with monastic life is also very useful for the laity – the faithful children of the Orthodox Church. This helps them always remember and preserve their vows given in the Sacrament of Baptism: vows of negation from Satan and faith in Christ, as well as union with Him, that is, following Him. All Christians are called to remember that the goal of Christian life, in the words of St. Seraphim of Sarov, is “acquiring (receiving) the Holy Spirit” in the human heart. But this is impossible without attentive life and prayer. “The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
What is the difference between a monk and a monk, aren’t they the same thing?
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:
In all old dictionaries and encyclopedias Enoch And monk– synonyms. IN Encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: “A monk is the same as a monk, actually “lonely” (monk), a direct translation of the Greek monahos.” In the Complete Church Slavonic Dictionary (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko): “Monk - monk, monk. The name comes from the fact that otherwise must lead his life from worldly behavior. To be a monk is to lead a monastic life.” Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language (edited by A.N. Chudinov. St. Petersburg, 1902): “Monk (from monos - one). A monk, a monk who has renounced the light.” In Pandects (XI century) The monk of the Black Mountain (near Antioch) Nikon the Montenegrin gives the following definition: “A monk will be called, because he alone talks to God day and night.” The word monk is used in the same meaning in Russian literature. For example, F.M. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov”, book six is called “Russian Monk”. It's about about the hieroschemamonk elder Zosima.
However, in the practice of modern Russian Orthodox monasteries, a difference has arisen between the words Enoch And monk. The first is a resident of the monastery who has not yet taken vows, but has the right to wear part of the monastic robes. A monk is someone who has been tonsured into a mantle and taken monastic vows (minor schema).
The rite of monastic tonsure, as already mentioned, was named among the sacraments by Dionysius the Areopagite, St. Theodore the Studite and other ancient church authors. In the text of the rite itself it is also called a sacrament. Like Baptism, tonsure into monasticism is a dying to the former life and a rebirth into a new being; like Confirmation, it is a seal of chosenness; like Marriage, it is a betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom - Christ; like the Priesthood, it is a consecration to the service of God; like the Eucharist, it is union with Christ. As at Baptism, during tonsure a person receives a new name and all his sins are forgiven, he renounces a sinful life and pronounces vows of allegiance to Christ, throws off his worldly clothes and puts on a new robe. Being born again, he voluntarily becomes a child in order to grow “into a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
Monasticism, by its design, is an imitation of the way of life of Christ. Gospel Christ reveals itself to us as the ideal of a perfect monk: He is unmarried, free from family attachments, has no roof over his head, wanders, lives in voluntary poverty, fasts, spends his nights in prayer. Monasticism is the desire to get as close as possible to this ideal, the striving for holiness, for God, the renunciation of everything that keeps one on earth and prevents one from ascending to heaven. “A monk is one who, being clothed in a material and mortal body, imitates the life and state of the disembodied... A monk is one who has a purified body, pure lips and an enlightened mind... Renunciation of the world is... rejection of nature for receiving benefits that are above nature... A monk is one who is in continuous admiration of the mind for God... A monk is a continuous light in the eyes of the heart... The light for monks is angels, and the light for all people is monastic life, therefore Let the monks try to be a good example in everything" (John Climacus).
"Monk" means "lonely" (from the Greek monos - "alone"). In Rus', monks were called “monks” - from the word “different”, “different”. Monasticism is an unusual, exceptional life, to which few are called; life, completely and without reserve given to God. Monastic renunciation of the world is not a rejection of the beauty of the world and the joy of life, but a renunciation of passions and sin, of carnal pleasures and lusts - of everything that was brought into life after the Fall. The goal of monasticism is a return to the original state of purity and sinlessness that Adam and Eve possessed in paradise. The Fathers of the Church called monasticism the “evangelical life” and “true philosophy.” Just as philosophers strived for perfection on the paths of intellectual knowledge, so a monk seeks perfection on the paths of spiritual achievement and imitation of Christ.
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me,” Christ says to the rich young man (Matthew 19:21). “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it,” Christ says to His disciples (Matt. 16:24-25). “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). These words of the Savior contain the entire “philosophy” of monasticism. It is for those who want to be perfect, who want to follow Christ and give their souls for Him, who want to find treasure in heaven. Like a merchant who, having found a good pearl, is ready to give up all his wealth in order to acquire it, the monk gives up the whole world in order to acquire Christ. And the sacrifice pays off, because the reward is great: “Then Peter answered and said to Him: Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what will happen to us? And Jesus said to them: ...Everyone who leaves houses or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for My name's sake he will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:27-29).
Monasticism existed in the Church probably from a very early time, but it became widespread in the 4th century, when the persecution of Christians ceased. If earlier faith was a feat and a sacrifice, a readiness for martyrdom, now Christianity becomes the state religion, and seekers of feats, thirsty for sorrows and hardships, seeking a “straight path,” rush to the desert to create their own “state within a state” there. The previously barren deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria are populated by monks who turned them into cities: “Monasteries appeared in the mountains, the desert was inhabited by monks who left their property and signed up among those living in heaven... The monasteries in the mountains were like tabernacles filled with the divine faces of the psalmists , lovers of learning, fasters, prayer books... There seemed to be a special area of piety and truth there. There was neither oppressor nor oppressed, there were no reproaches from the tax collector; there were many ascetics, but everyone had one thought - to strive in virtue "(Life of St. Anthony the Great). Soon, monasteries appeared in cities: in the middle of the 6th century, there were 76 monasteries in Constantinople alone.
There were three types of monasticism in the 4th-5th centuries - cenobitic, hermit-dwelling and semi-hermitic. In cenobitic monasteries, everyone lived together and went to church for worship every day and several times a day. The hermits each lived separately, and came to church only on Sundays for the sake of communion of the Holy Mysteries. The middle way is when they lived in small groups of two or three people. “The entire monastic life is contained in three dispensations and forms of ascetic achievement: either in ascetic solitude and hermitage, or in remaining silent with one, many with two, or, finally, in patiently remaining in community. Do not deviate as says Ecclesiastes, neither to the right nor to the left, but follow the royal path. The middle of these ways of life is suitable for many" (John Climacus). Currently, in the Russian Church there are mainly cenobitic monasteries. All three types of monasticism are preserved on Mount Athos.
Monastic vows come down to three main ones: obedience, non-covetousness and chastity. Obedience is the voluntary cutting off of one’s will before God, before elders, before every person. Monastic obedience to God is listening to His will, His plan for man, imbued with boundless trust in God, the desire to be submissive to Him in everything. Many of a person’s troubles come from his desire to always do everything his own way, to reshape a world that is not as we would like, to remake the people around him who are not perfect enough. And the monk gratefully accepts everything as it is: he learns to accept with equal joy from the hand of God both consolation and sorrow, both health and illness, both good people and evil. Living this way, he acquires a special, undisturbed inner peace, unceasing joy in God, which cannot be overshadowed by any external circumstances. “Glory to God for everything,” said Saint John Chrysostom, deprived of his episcopal see, expelled from his fatherland and dying in a foreign land in great suffering. Like Christ, Who “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8), the monk strives to be obedient to God to the point of death, to the cross.
Non-covetousness is voluntary poverty, renunciation of all earthly possessions. This does not mean that a monk should not have anything - no things or consolations on earth: but it does mean that he should not have an addiction to anything. Having internally renounced wealth, he acquires the evangelical lightness of spirit, without being attached to anything.
The word “chastity” is not synonymous with celibacy: chastity as “holistic wisdom,” as life according to the commandments of the Gospel, as abstinence from the voluptuous satisfaction of the lusts of the flesh, is also necessary in marriage. Monastic chastity, which includes celibacy as one of its constituent elements, is a complete aspiration towards God, a desire to compare every act, every thought, every movement of the soul with the spirit and letter of the Gospel. As for celibacy, in the context of monasticism it is a supernatural state. Loneliness is incompleteness, inferiority; in marriage it is overcome by finding another. In monasticism, this other is God Himself.
The Monk Simeon the New Theologian speaks about monasticism as unity with God in one of his hymns:
But if Christ lives in anyone,
So how can you say
That he is alone and alone?
After all, they are with Christ
God the Father and the Holy Spirit Himself.
So how will it be lonely
The one who is connected to the Three?..
He who is with God is not alone,
Even if he lived alone,
Even if he were sitting in the desert
Or was he in the dungeon...
Who through righteous life
He turned the whole cell into the sky,
He contemplates, sitting in it,
Creator of heaven and earth...
He always lives with the Light
Unstoppable, unearthly,
Without leaving Him
And never leaving -
Not during the day, not at night, not in a dream...
Those who will unite with God
Who lives in repentance
Who, moving away from others,
Leads a monastic life...
Their cell is heaven, and they are
Like the sun, for he lives in them
God's never-ending light...
They are only monks,
They are solitary -
Who are alone with Him and alone in Him...
The popular idea of monasticism as an existence devoid of any joy, harsh and gloomy, is deeply incorrect and is based on complete ignorance of the spirit of monasticism. “The monks have joy... quiet, pure, precisely the joy of a virtuous soul,” writes Archbishop Hilarion (Troitsky). “After all, that intoxication, that intoxication with life, which is usually called the “joys of life” - all this is something gloomy, entailing satiety and the disease of a hangover... We, monks, cry out of joy, out of tenderness, and thank the Lord... Every monk knows tears of tenderness, and before these tears, worldly joys seem poor and pitiful... I myself took monastic vows and I think that I will not I will have to experience such joy in my life as (on the day of tonsure)... I was full of joy for two whole months. So everything rejoiced in my soul, it was so joyful... It is not in vain that during tonsure, the tonsured man, taking the cassock, says: “Brother our (name) will put on the clothes of joy and spiritual joy, to put aside and trample upon all sorrows and embarrassment "... The farther from passions, the more joy in the heart. Purity of the heart is inextricably linked with joy."
The rite of monastic tonsure is performed in the church by the bishop or abbot of the monastery. All clothes are removed from the person being tonsured in advance and a long white robe is put on him, in which he stands before the abbot. The tonsured person pronounces his vows and listens to the teachings of the abbot, after which the abbot symbolically cuts his hair and dresses him in black monastic robes. The entire brethren of the monastery approaches the newly tonsured monk, asking: “How your name, brother?” For one or several nights the monk remains in the temple, where he reads the Psalter and the Gospel.
Monasticism is an inner and hidden life, it is the absolute expression of the spirit of Christianity as the “narrow” path leading to the Kingdom of Heaven. Focus on inner life does not mean any selfishness or lack of love for one’s neighbor. Being outside the bustle of the world, the monk does not forget about people, but in the silence of his cell he prays for the whole world. “Some say that monks should serve the world so that they don’t eat the people’s bread for nothing, but we must understand what this service is and how a monk should help the world,” writes St. Silouan of Athos. “A monk is a prayer book for the whole world, and this is his the main thing... Thanks to the monks, prayer never stops on earth, and this is a benefit for the whole world... Venerable Sergius through fasting and prayer he helped the Russian people to free themselves from Tatar yoke. The Monk Seraphim prayed mentally, and the Holy Spirit descended on Motovilov. And this is the work of the monks... You may say that now there are no monks who would pray for the whole world, but I will tell you that when there are no prayer books on earth, the world will end... The world stands on prayers saints."
The Fathers of the Church understood that the renewal of the world and the happiness of people depend not on external circumstances, but on internal activity. Social activity and the vigorous activity of those who wanted to benefit humanity in different eras did not make people happier. True renewal of life is possible only in the spirit. Monks do not strive to improve the world, but to transform themselves, so that the world is transformed from the inside. “Obtain a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved,” said Venerable Seraphim Sarovsky.