A Short Spiritual Ladder

The Instructions to Beginners of Elder Hilarion of Sarov and Valaam (+1841)

 

1. Prayer

The chief and beginning of all virtues is prayer, of which the Apostle has said: “Pray without ceasing.” That is, always call upon the name of God, whether when conversing, when sitting down, when walking, when working, when eating, or whenever doing anything else. At all times and in every place it is fitting to call on the name of God; for thus the temptation of the enemy is destroyed, writes Chrysostom. “Beat the enemies,” says St. John of the Ladder, “with the name of Jesus,” and a stronger weapon you will not find either in heaven or on earth.

Prayer is the banishing of sorrow and depression, the blossoming of meekness and angerlessness, the manifestation of joy and thanksgiving, and the obtaining and multiplying of countless good things.

I hope that you will prosper in virtues, and this will be the case above all if you live in heedfulness and not neglect the prayer of Jesus. For it is the chief and beginning of all virtues. There is nothing that so much guards against the entry of the evil demon than prayer (the mental prayer of Jesus) and fervent entreaty.

Light in a house is from a burning candle, but the light in the mind is prayer. Every temptation and disturbance of the enemy are consumed by prayer. From prayer is born the fear of God, and it, according to the Scripture, is the “beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Having this fear, the Prophet cried out: “I beheld the Lord ever before me” (with the eyes of my mind), “for He is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken” (Ps. 15:8). Then declaring the benefit from it, he says in praise: “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; in his commandments shall he greatly delight” (Ps. 111:1); “surely nigh unto them that fear Him is His salvation” (Ps. 84:9). The fear of the Lord is the father of heedfulness (to the mental prayer of the heart), and heedfulness is the mother of inward response. Those who pay heed to their salvation (doers of mental prayer), do not pay heed to the shortcomings of their neighbors. It is such ones who prosper.

Concerning silence it is said: “O silence, chariot that leads to heaven!” The beginning of the cleansing of the soul is silence in the Lord (exercise in the mental prayer of Jesus)… The ears of one who is silent (who prays with the mind) hears wondrous things.

2. Self-reproach

One should learn self-reproach, that is, mentally to blame yourself and not others; to reproach yourself and not others, and call yourself foolish and worthless, sleepy and negligent, slothful and careless.

He who has self-reproach has repose, writes Abba Dorotheus, and is never troubled; if there occur, to such a one, sickness, insults, persecutions, and any other kind of misfortune, he ascribes this to his own sins and gives thanks to God. If the superior reprimands or scolds such a one, he accepts all for the good and counts it as something from God.

Pride comes to dwell in a man when he does not yet know himself perfectly, and so: know yourself and by all means possible flee from pride and vainglory as a great harm of the soul. You cannot banish these from yourself by any way except by ceaseless self-reproach and belittlement of oneself.

3. Self-knowledge

Self-knowledge is to consider oneself incapable and unworthy of all higher responsibilities. To know oneself is to consider oneself worthless, sleepy, negligent, and slothful, and so on; it means to pay no attention to the sins of others, but to look at one’s own and to repent of them always; it means to be discerning with regard to oneself and to judge oneself, and not to interfere in anything outward, apart from one’s own duty. Test yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, writes the Apostle.

4. Meekness

Concerning the heavenly virtues of meekness and humility, the Lord Himself teaches us, saying: “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11:29). Learn not from angels, nor from men, but from Me, He says: that is, from the Higher Wisdom.

Outward meekness shows itself in this way: Let your walk be meek, your sitting be meek, your glances be meek, your words be meek; let all this be yours, for from these the true Christian is manifest. The dress of a man, his laughter and walk, declare of him.

Meekness of soul according to the inward man is: the restraint of anger, the taming of wrath, and when one is grieved by another, he does not take revenge even when he could, and accepts offenses without offending in return.

Meekness means not to offend anyone by word or deed or command, but to win the heart of everyone by one’s manner, according to the Lord’s words: “Upon whom shall I look, but upon him who is meek and silent?” And according to the words of the Prophet, the Lord will guide the meek judgment (in sound understanding) and will teach the meek His ways. For the Lord is well-pleased in His people, and will raise up the meek unto salvation. The meek will inherit the earth, and will delight in an abundance of peace. (Ps. 36)

And as to what kind of man receives repose and peace from meekness, Chrysostom writes: There is nothing stronger than meekness, nothing more powerful; it preserves our soul in constant quiet, and strives to lead it as into a harbor, and is the cause of every kind of satisfaction for us; and nothing else can give the soul repose and great quiet as well as meekness and humble-mindedness. This is the most honorable of all crowns for one who acquires these virtues; it is more profitable than all dignity and glory.

An upright soul, says St. John of the Ladder, is a co-dweller with humility, while an evil soul is a slave of malice. The souls of the meek are full of knowledge, but the understanding of an angry soul is covered by the darkness of ignorance.

The meek soul receives words of wisdom; for many are exalted and glorious, but to the humble are opened mysteries, writes Sirach.

He who hates those who grieve him hates meekness, and he who flees from those who grieve him flees from the repose which is in Christ – in the words of Abba Dorotheus.

God reposes in meek hearts, but an agitated soul is the dwelling place of the devil; a meek soul is the throne of simplicity of heart, but an angry mind is the slave of malice.

5. Humility

One must strive above all to acquire humility. Humility is a true awareness of one’s own nothingness, and a despising of oneself. When one, knowing his own infirmity, sinfulness, and worthlessness, is not in the least puffed up in his mind, but considers himself to be worse than all, the most sinful and the least of all, and as under the feet of everyone: then he is humble.

If the humble man has any degree of virtue, he attributes it not to his own strength, but to God’s help, in agreement with the words of Jesus Christ, Who said: “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants” (Luke 17:10). “Without Me,” the Lord says, “ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Humility is to understand oneself to be nothing. The best helps in avoiding temptations are meekness with humility of spirit and constant vigilance of mind.

Great is the height of humility, according to the words of St. Macarius, and eminent are the dignity and honor of humble-mindedness. There is no one higher than a humble man, or one more glorious than he who is poor in Christ; and there is no other path leading to heaven, into eternal life, than that of humility, according to the testimony of the Truth.

Where there is no light, everything is covered with darkness; and where there is no humble-mindedness, all of our works will be abominable before God, says St. John of the Ladder.

In the humble, God rejoices, but from the proud He is driven away; where there is humility, the glory of God shines forth.

Pride is hostile to Christ, but humility is pleasing to Him, in the words of Dimitry of Rostov.

Although one may have done numberless good deeds and performed all of the virtues, if he thinks highly of himself, he is the poorest and most wretched of all, in the words of Chrysostom.

The true good fortune of man in this life, according to St. Ambrose, consists of humility, not of exaltation.

Nothing makes the heart so contrite and the soul humble as to be solitary in mind and silent before everyone. Humility is the foundation of Christianity.

Pay careful heed to this also: If you begin to preserve yourself diligently according to this instruction, the envious demon will not endure this and will either raise against you (a trial) from the chief of temptation in order to test your humility and firmness, or will arm against you those who are false and live negligently; and they will begin to reproach you, mock you, and perhaps to strike you, to despise you, hate you, and thereby to cause you many sorrows. But in such a case, all the more cling to silence and humility. Keep unceasingly the prayer to the Lord Jesus upon your lips and in the depths of your heart, so that you might not murmur at all against them or be grieved in the least. Accept everything with gratitude, thinking to yourself: How can I, wretched one, become angered against my brother for nothing? And at the same time ceaselessly remember your own sins; for if you yourself have not struck your neighbor, then you reproached him or spoke evil of him, mocked and wounded him by slanders, and by offending your neighbor you rose up against Christ the Saviour and wounded Him.

Therefore, you must with all your heart acknowledge yourself worthy to endure more than you do. Remember the words which Christ the Saviour spoke about doing good to one’s neighbor, and which should be equally applied to every offensive word and deed against one’s neighbor: what you do to your neighbor, He says, you do to Me. At the same time remember His sufferings even unto death, His most great goodness, and His love for us that endures our unrighteousness, and judge how easy it is for you to bear for His sake small sorrows, and this with His sure help, if you really desire it.

If you will judge soundly in this way, and will endure temptations with love, you will quickly obtain the help and consolation of Christ the Saviour.

6. Obedience

Strive to go through holy obedience with fervor, without complaining, and renouncing your own will. Strive to do your specific duties with heedfulness and discernment, as if they were placed upon you by the Lord Himself, as it is written: Having the abbot as God Himself, and the brethren as angels of God. He who submits to the head, that is, the abbot, imitates the angels; but he who opposes him makes a place for the devil in his heart. Lord have mercy! Terrible is this word, as St. Ephraim the Syrian writes.

Christ the Saviour gave us an image in Himself. He humbled Himself, was obedient even unto death; being reproached, He did not return reproaches; suffering, He did not threaten. But one who talks back is a sharp two-edged sword: he strikes himself with one side, and his neighbor with the other.

Be well disposed and have warm love towards all the brethren. Let your heart, eye, and face be joyful, filled with spiritual reverence; be firmly attached to the whole brotherhood in your soul, and serve all sincerely, without any hypocrisy. Do not allow yourself to think that you will receive praise from anyone for this; but imagine that you are serving God and His angels – a service which you are totally unworthy. But glory be to God that the Lord has vouchsafed you this service!

Watch carefully lest there arm itself against you the proud and vainglorious thought that in serving the brethren you are doing everything excellently; strive as much as possible not to allow the unprofitable, evil, and soul-destroying thought of vainglory to act in you, for it enters the soul of a man subtly, so that sometimes he does not notice at all how his thoughts are becoming puffed up and are preparing a fall for him.

Do always what you are commanded to do, or what you have previously been blessed to do constantly, or what you are asked to do; but do not dare to undertake anything in general yourself, no matter what it might be. At handiwork or obedience, as much as your strength allows, keep on your lips, in your mind and thoughts, silent with the most precious, soul-saving silence. Strive likewise as much as possible to pay heed to yourself, to keep vigilant in heedfulness to your own soul and feelings in the midst of whatever handiwork or obedience you may be occupied with. If anyone is with you on the same obedience, bow low to him with humility and pray quietly. Receive a blessing, work as mentioned above with prayer, with love, with fervor, and with full attention. Work as not before men, but entirely as before God and His angels, for you do not work for men, but labor for God Himself. Keep in mind that everyone who does the work of God negligently is cursed and a pleaser of men; and preserve yourself as much as possible from carelessness and the pleasing of men.

7. The Conscience

One should have a pure and open conscience, as the Apostle says: I struggle to have my conscience ever pure before God and men; “for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willingly to live honestly” (Heb. 13:18). Just as it is impossible for rain to fall without clouds, so it is impossible to please the Lord without a good conscience. Therefore we reveal to our fathers not only what we say, but even what we think; for what is revealed is light, while what is unrevealed is darkness. At one time we are to be judged not by the book of knowledge and understanding, but by the book of a pure conscience.

Beloved, carefully examine yourself and your conscience: whether there be some sin, if not in one thing, then in another; if not in something great, then in something small; whether you be guilty, if not in deed, then in word and thought.

As for your sinning brother, you do not see his thoughts, nor his contrition of heart, and so how can you judge him? I think that it is sometimes better to fall oneself and get up, than to judge one’s neighbor, because one who has sinned grows hard in fantasies about himself and in pride.

When you sin in the daylight hours, you should, according to opportunity, confess immediately. After the evening meal, you should go to your spiritual father, bow down to him as to Christ Himself, reveal to him the condition of your soul for the course of the past day, examine yourself in everything you have done in deed, or have thought badly, or said, or allowed yourself against your conscience, or about which you have been vainglorious or proud, or if you have offended someone or been offended yourself against your neighbor, or complained, or judged your brother. Strive to make note of and accuse even the most subtle thoughts which have violated the purity of your conscience. If you cannot remember everything, then write down on paper what you should confess.

After such a careful and true confession, having received remission and forgiveness as from God Himself, and having kissed the icon and cross, bow down to the ground before your father and go in silence to your cell, giving heartfelt thanks to God that He has vouchsafed you confession and peace of conscience.

For want of a spiritual father, according to need, you can confess what troubles your conscience to a brother of the monastery, or to some other person close to you who lives in a God-fearing way and has spiritual understanding, and you can ask his prayers and blessing. And if you do not have such a one near you, then, confessing to God in the hearing of the angels and archangels, with tears, with accusation and reproach and great heartfelt regret, beat your breast and, if your conscience reproaches or accuses you of anything, lay a certain spiritual chastisement on yourself, and do this until you have the opportunity to confess all this to your spiritual father.

Towards your spiritual father or instructor, to whom you should confess your deeds and thoughts, have love, unwavering faith, and such respect that you judge him in nothing and are not troubled if others should accuse and judge him. And if it should seem to you that he sins, do not be troubled or lessen your faith towards him; reproach yourself, and not him, as much as you can and say to yourself these words: I, a sinner, have looked upon my father with impure eyes and make judgments about him out of my own impurity; and because of this I do not see his purity.

Accuse yourself in this way, and pray fervently for him to the Lord God for his uprightness. And if in actual fact he has stumbled, think thus: The Lord God has allowed temptation to come upon him, but how can I, a sinner, judge him, not seeing his deeds or his repentance? Can I see into his soul? Even if he has sinned, perhaps he has already repented entirely and received from God perfect cleansing. Do not let out of your heart and thoughts also these words: “To his own master he standeth or falleth” (Rom. 14:4), and who am I to judge?

8. Silence

Silence, in the words of St. Arsenius, is the root of sinlessness, and therefore it is very needful for beginners to possess it.

Be silent until questioned; speak little, and then quietly, and do not speak without need.

He who guards his lips, watches over his soul; but he who is bold with his lips, dishonors himself.

Silence gathers, but much talking scatters.

The wise one teaches: Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. The silent one has much understanding.

9. The Will

Do not do your own will, do not invent anything out of your own understanding, and thereby you will be delivered from complaining and will cast off your own will as a shameful garment; for your own will is more harmful than all evil deeds.

The obedient have all been saved, but the self-willed have been harmed, and many have perished.

The fall of a silent one is the forsaking of prayer; but for a novice it is the following of his own understanding.

And I know no other fall for a monk, says Abba Dorotheus, than the following of one’s own understanding.

And Peter Damascene says: Let us know, regarding our monastic work, that we can be saved anywhere if we leave off our desires.

10. Forgiveness

When you, being human, sin in any way, repent of it before God and if you are reproached by anyone, then without any excuses, quickly, with a prostration, ask for forgiveness, saying: I ask for forgiveness, I sinned, I am at fault.

It is good, teaches Abba Dorotheus, to reply to any accusation: Forgive me.

If anyone reproaches, grieves or offends you in any way, do not become angry against that brother; but going away, pray to God for him in this way: “O Lord, forgive him”; and ascribe this insult to the demon, for it is the demon who teaches us to offend one another.

Never lie to anyone in any way, and do not hold any kind of evil in your heart; for he who hates those who grieve him, hates meekness, and he who flees from those who grieve him flees from repose which is in Christ. He who rejects chastisement hates himself; while he who accepts accusation loves his own soul – the words of Sirach.

11. Patience

Strive as much as possible, with God’s help, to acquire patience in the bearing of deprivations and sorrows. Ask, knock, seek day and night, and you will obtain from Christ the Saviour the help and strength of patience, if you desire it with your whole soul and heart.

One must train oneself in generous patience, so as to endure without complaint all that happens to us. We will possess patience when we accept everything that happens to us, both what is joyful and what is sad, without distinction, as from the hand of God.

In your patience possess ye your souls, Christ instructs us. Be patient, slave of the Lord, and you will possess your soul which you have ruined by sins.

In patience is the assembly of all the virtues by which our souls are saved, as St. Ephraim says: He who acquires patience touches on every virtue; for he rejoices in sorrows, is well tested in misfortunes, is glad in perils, is ready for obedience, is filled with love, gives praise when provoked, is humble when reproached, is unwavering in misfortunes.

He who has acquired patience has acquired hope, and such a one is adorned with all good deeds.

Regarding the many other virtues, such as faith, hope, and love, read yourself the holy books and listen to instruction, through which you will become wise and will inherit eternal good things in Christ Jesus our Lord. May we all receive these things through His help and Divine grace. Amen.

 

Source: The Orthodox Word, July-August, 1980, Vol. 16, No. 93.