Chapter 2

Life According to Rules

We have already seen in part the need for these rules. We must not forget that this need is not such that it is merely better than others, but is essentially necessary. Rules are the safest fence of the salvific life.

Without rules it is impossible to preserve constancy of zeal, firmness of intention, and to acquire strength of will. Zeal, as a vital force, is sustained and strengthened by exercise; but in the absence of exercise it inevitably weakens and exhausts itself. When rules are established, then with their proper arrangement there is always something for pious occupation, something that reminds one of the new life and engages one’s attention with it. The transition from task to task is a continuous friction of the spirit, one and the same, in one tone, according to one pattern. By this the fire of zeal is unceasingly kindled. But without rules there will be gaps, lulls, pauses, deviations; and life will not be unified, and effort will be weakened, and zeal must grow cold. That is why Saint Isaac the Syrian says (Homily 85, p. 534) that darkening of the intellect, inner turmoil, slothfulness, and all disorders in life depend on the fact that no definite order or structure has been established for it. Otherwise everything will depend on presence of mind; but can one rely on it? It is an intermittent breath of wind. When you want to, everything is done quickly; when slothfulness attacks, you won’t accomplish even a little. But when a rule is established, whether you want to or not, you do it, and you will do it unceasingly.

Rules are necessary for the development and formation of the faculties. A new life has begun; consequently, all the faculties must be given a corresponding direction. But all these things are foreign to the soul, differently disposed, and so it is necessary to define exactly how to act with them in the new spirit, just as a new recruit is shown every little movement until he becomes accustomed.

Without rules there will be no evenness of formation and development. What a dry stick is to young plants, rules are to pious occupations. When a measure is set for everything and one follows not the inclination of the heart but the established rule, one will not occupy oneself with one thing more and another less, but as much and in the way that has been prescribed. Therefore there will be no greater success in one part than in another, but everything, proportioned to one another, will be harmonious according to one design, to the measure of the preordained perfection.

And in general, what happens without rules and a plan or design? When building a house, they draw up a blueprint; when starting a war, they write a plan; when arranging a trial, they provide a program. Every task has its own rule, measure, weight, and number. What do regulations mean—military, educational, judicial, and so on? A rule, an order, a blueprint for action. Without this, no kind of active life can be established or organized: in them the characteristic features of a particular sphere of activity are imprinted. The same is true in the ascetic Christian life. If it has its own character, then it must also have its own order. Therefore in them a special need is always felt. Anyone disposed to the work immediately requires instruction on how and what to do. Without rules he goes as if in darkness, groping his way, with indecision, with fear. With them he goes boldly, without doubting, hoping. So then, what do those seeking salvation do? They always ask: how should I live, what should I do and how? All the accounts of patristic traditions consist of them. Entire Paterikons are composed of such questions and answers—now about fasting, now about vigil, now about prayer.

However, one must also compose the rules themselves according to rules. Concerning this, it is necessary to note:

1) Whoever has a spiritual guide, for him the guide himself will draw up the rules. The disciple is a humble, unquestioning executor. Whoever is deprived of this blessing must, with all caution, immerse himself in the patristic writings and the experiences of their lives; and what is found there, after consultation with whomever one can, should be adopted as rules of practice.

2) In determining them, one must exercise great circumspection and strict discernment, so as not to inflict harm instead of benefit, destruction instead of edification: not all things are for all people. Age, strength, past life, upbringing, life circumstances, measure of abilities, character, and so on—all this must be taken into account, and rules must be set accordingly. A scholar and a soldier, a merchant and a civil servant cannot act in the same way.

3) It must be remembered, however, that these rules, for all their outward diversity, must in their totality express the spirit of life and ascetic struggle in one form or another. For example, the rules of bodily practice are various, but in their essence there must be one thing—the denial of the flesh, its constraint. What is valuable is not the outward form, but this inward reality—the spirit with which something is done.

4) The law that must be observed in applying rules is moderation, an all-round proportionality to the person’s strength. This is the universal praise given them by all: there is no price for moderate practice. It is necessary to arrange things so that there is no room in them for either laxity or excessive strictness. The latter exhausts without benefit and wears one out; while the former makes one lazy and quenches the zealous spirit. A moderate rule, however, keeps the spirit in fitting fervor.

5) From this law another flows of itself: namely, gradualness. The spirit matures and grows strong through exercise and demands more difficult tasks: the measure of the rules must increase proportionately. Fasting, prayer, and labor gradually ascend from strength to strength. The rules governing them must also be raised gradually. To stand still is almost the same as falling back—this is the greatest danger.

6) Therefore it is clear that the best guide in constructing rules is experience. Test, and hold fast to what you find profitable. Thus by experience they learn the measure of food, prayer, and so on. And one should not make a final decision until experience establishes how it is best for something to be: this is safer. There will be no theoretical arrogance or incongruity with actual life, and therefore no need to depart from the rules—which is very harmful.

7) One must only add to this sincerity and conscientiousness, keeping in view the goal—laboring for salvation and pleasing God, without any indulgence of self-pity. One must firmly hold in mind that everything lenient is spiritually delusional. The true measure of a beneficial rule is a certain difficulty in it. It sobers, strengthens, and keeps one vigilant; but as soon as laxity appears, flee from such a rule as from a plague.

8) Nor should we lose sight of the fact that rules must embrace the whole of life, in all its scope, in all its manifestations: body, soul, and spirit, both external activity and internal, domestic and civic, personal and social. The whole person must be surrounded, embraced by rules. Only under this condition will there be both the required evenness of development and the purposeful spirit of the rules, or tone.

9) Now it is already evident of itself in what mutual subordination all the rules must stand. Specifically: the bodily must be subordinated to the soul, the soul to the spiritual, and the external to all of these. These rules must stand in balance and in mutual harmony. As soon as the rule of one area interferes with another, one must immediately suspect that it is not in its proper form—that is, it must either be abolished or changed. And indeed, whoever rises to the contemplation of the whole order will rarely err in choosing a rule and determining its measure. Just as for a skilled architect or painter the measure of one part often serves as an indication for constructing the entire plan of a house or human figure, so it is with these rules. Whoever builds does not allow anything to deviate from the overall plan and style. In this lies the whole art of the rule-maker. The goal of everything is the spirit, which must be in God.

10) The totality of all such rules constitutes the rule of ascetic practice. Since ascetic struggle corresponds to the forms of actual Christian life, and Christian life appears in two forms—public and monastic—there must be a distinct general rule and a distinct monastic one, and here again—one for the cenobitic life and another for the eremitic.

11) Acting according to these rules is ascetic struggle, presupposing exertion of strength, labor; skill in them is ascetic virtue. From this it is clear that there is no Christian life that is not ascetic, not laborious, not by the sweat of one’s brow. Whoever refuses ascesis turns away from life. This habituation is the goal; in it is the fence, the safeguarding of life. Ascetic virtues are the firm, unshakable wall of the truly Christian life. They say: “a rule for a time.” No, labor in rules is for a time, but rules are unceasing. Only with time will they become flesh and blood and be fulfilled willingly, lovingly, whereas at first they are done with compulsion. This is why we must treasure the ascetic virtues! Never cast aside in negligence what you have acquired. Guard even the smallest thing: it will lead to something greater. Once you are strengthened in something, you are already secure on one side.

In order that the rules outlined in the manner shown may lead to the desired good and fulfill their purpose, you must conduct yourself in relation to them as follows:

1) When the entire plan of action has been drawn up and the whole set of rules has been defined, turn to God with fervent supplication, that He may give His blessing for their constant, beneficial, and God-pleasing fulfillment. Reject all boasting, self-conceit, and fanciful appropriation in advance of the perfection that is to come through them. Draw near with timidity, fear, and apprehension—lest you be put to shame by falling away and breaking your rule.

2) Make a covenant with your heart not to depart from the rule you have laid down, no matter what labors and sacrifices it may require. Therefore, afterward do not allow even a thought about abandoning one thing or changing another: let it stand as it is.

3) To this end, receive them with faith that they are pleasing to God, and consequently as a law of conscience, as the will of God specifically required of you, and thus consider the breaking of rules a transgression. Better not to resolve at all than to resolve and then fall away. Through this an unstable character is formed, always ready to do things one way or another.

4) Therefore struggle against temptations directed against your rules. At first the enemy especially attacks through them. And as soon as he succeeds in even a small thing, he hopes that he will succeed in other things as well. The Holy Fathers laid down their lives for them. Standing firm in them is the repulsion of the enemy, a victory. And this has already been learned by experience: that one cannot become established in any rule without struggle, as long as it is truly beneficial. A rule without struggle is useless, deceptive, false.