Athonite Elders' Precepts – (Every time pray as if for the first time...)

Translated from Russian

Athonite Elders' Precepts –
Every time pray as if for the first time...

1. While living on earth, live as if in heaven – without any attachments and in constant prayer.

2. Each and every time pray as if for the first time, or else pray as if for the last time.

3. Contemplating God is not always possible, but you can always supplicate Him.

4. It is good to supplicate God for forgiveness of your sins; then thoughts of condemnation go away as alien to this doing.

5. All the spiritual struggle is for humility and patience [sake], and when humility and patience do come, then heed and prayer come, as well.

6. Pernicious to seclusion is to judge about people or listen in to gossip about them – the mind loses peace and prayer for long time.

7. If you think about the world – you shall not avoid bitterness, and if you think about God – [you shall not avoid] sweetness.

8. For the smart one bowing is hell, and for the good one – Paradise.

9. You want to be smart? – Study books. You want to be good? – Pray.

10. Pondering and reflection are for the life in body, while faith and prayer are for life in God.

11. Self-pity during fasting means to pity your evil will and bad habits that lead a merciless war against us and hinder prayer.

12. The more languishing and whining our ill will for us going against it, the more the soul rejoices and cleanses, and the more it grows up in living fervent prayer.

13. Utter just a single prayer in [such] a way as if you have never prayed before it or after it, ennclosing your whole self in it. Only in this way prayers open up the heart.

14. Non-absent-minded prayer is true prayer, which – little by little – strengthens up in the heart and purifies it; absent-minded prayer – like peelings exactly – is carried away by the wind of thoughts [intentions].

15. No matter how much time you may be engaged in prayer, heedful prayer is the best.

16. Pray like this: I'll say at least one prayer but with full heeding and repentance , then – another and another. Thus comes the skill to pray in full heed.

17. When the heart prays in full heeding, it is quick to warm up.

18. Constantly resist the evil will with prayer, although this is difficult, but it attracts grace to the soul; and never comply with the dictates of evil will in thoughts and actions, so as not to become their prisoner in eternity.

19. If we get used to comply with all our bad thoughts and desires, especially the seemingly trifle ones, then we'll become slaves of evil at first in trifles, and then – in all our life.

20. Never dream – for dreams are but a step away from slavery to sin.

21. Unless the heart refuses to be a slave to bad habits, incessant prayer shall never take root in it.

22. If one treats all people with prayerful compassion and mercy, then hostility, envy and hatred go away, and prayer is strengthened and love comes to men.

23. Humility and love for people come into the heart, when it learns to pray for them and endure all inconveniences and sufferings that they cause.

24. There is freedom of heartand there is liberty of heart. The former is from the Holy Spirit and [from] prayers, the latter is from Satan and evil thoughts and desires.

25. The more frequent the wind shakes a tree, the deeper its roots grow into earth; the more sorrows a heart experiences, the stronger it keeps to God and [to] prayer.

26. The heart finds God when between one prayer and another not [even] one thought intrudes into it.

27. No communication and talks could [ever] give what seclusion and prayer do.

28. Ranting and absent-mindedness render the mind excited, irritable and spiteful; while silence and prayer – [make it] light[-weight], pure, and joyful.

29. If love and trust in your selfgrow, then growing also is hostility and hatred towards people; if hatred and mistrust in self grow, then love for people grows, and prayer and charity become its manifestation.

30. Prayerful power of the mind is acquired in silence, while in ranting it is lost in vain [aimlessly].

31. Spiritual joy shall come only when you free yourself completely of sin and are vouchsafed pure prayer.

32. Prior to the coming of pure prayer what joy can there be? Only weeping, mourning, and repentance.

33. Duration of spiritual warfare, absebt-mindedness and drowsiness in prayer depend on the degree of non-humbleness, stubbornness, and impenitence of the soul.

34. To let your very heart grow in prayer is the first requirement of the soul.

35. If you yourself suffer – you shall abide with prayer and with Christ, and if you cause suffering to others – you shall remain with despair and withthe devil.

36. There are two states in spiritual life and man is free to choose any of the two: either in earthly "paradise" with the body and in hell with the soul and without prayer; or in earthly hell with the body, but with the soul in Heavens and with unceasing prayer.

37. The greatest sorrow and hardest work [of all] is to cut thoughts off, and this is indeed [in itself] trampling on yourself in prayer.

38. Prayer is labor, but creative labor, and only such prayer satiates the soul with grace.

39. This is why the monk has been given a spiritual sword – in order to cut apiece in the heart all images of the world that pop up in prayer, no matter how dear and beloved those may be.

40. A mind depraved by desires and attractions is a source of death, but a mind transformed by prayer and grace is the source of Immortality and Life Eternal.

41. There is no non-being, but what there is one needs to get to know with the help of prayer and the grace of Christ.

42. He who fights with thoughts – can be re-enslaved by them, and he who already abides beyond thoughts in the grace of Christ is invincible.

43. There may be Freedom only in Holiness, devoid of any sin, and therefore Freedom is perfect purity and Holiness, which are bothacquired by prayer.

44. Give not free rein to your mind, abide in prayer – andyou shall acquire humility and shall learn to obey the will of God.

45. It's scary to start living tomorrow! Begin to live anew today – in prayer and penance.

46. Immediately one's own will is put an end to – right away there open up the will of God and constant prayer.

47. He who receives griefs and illnesses with joy and thanks God for them in prayer – stands above the one doing good deeds.

48. If one begins and ends each day with prayer, then living on earth would not be that shameful.

49. Abiding in prayer and heeding to oneself strengthens the power of the soul, while abiding in absent-mindedness and thoughts-in-vain makes the soul licentious and will-less. 
 50. Praying means opening up the inner peace of the soul, which is attained as eternal life in God's life-giving silence. 

51. A prayer of repentance that leads to humility brings in God's help and growth in grace and wisdom.

52. When on the spiritual path a man takes a U-turn, then one's soul begins to petrify, prayer goes away and one gets worse than it was.

53. Which is better – to plunge people into the mundane vanity of this world , or to help them climb unto Heavens through prayer?

54. If you grumble not upon the arrival of sorrows and diseases, but take a firm hold onto prayer, then you'll be comforted upon the arrival of grace and shall raise up thanks to God.

55. If you get ready to endure afflictions – no matter how long they may last – do not be dejected, keep [hold] onto prayer and through praying these sorrows shall flash past faster than you [hold] planned to endure them.

56. If your life is marked by full uncertainty and insecurity – it means you have not yet learned to make use of prayer, for prayer implants you living into God.

57. A lot of fun debilitates the soul; a lot of grieving enfeebles the heart; a lot of excitement upsets the mind and confusion arises in the spiritual life.

58. It is best to abide in prayer, and then the soul and the heart strengthen up, the mind calms down, while things come into order and God begins living in the heart.

59. If you ponder about your deeds – the mind is distracted and there will be no success, but if you pray for your deeds – the mind is strengthened and the help of God descends unto your deeds.

60. The best of all is to pray for Salvation of your soul and God shall append all the rest to it.

61. Don't be greedy for deeds and vanity, rather be greedy for prayer and Salvation of the soul.

62. He who grows strong in worldly vain activities grows weak for prayers.

63. A monk without prayer is like unsalted salt.

64. What is the monk's strength in? – In that that he unflinchingly follows the [path of] prayer.

65. A monk – exhausted by fasting and abstinence – enjoys the power of mind and purity of heartin which prayer has found its abode.

66. A monk enjoying abundant food and vain activities takes no notice that he has been robbed and burgled, for he lacks the main thing – prayer.

67. Shall not the joy of that one who only builds externally — buildings and walls – soon turn into sorrow and tears when the internal has not been built – the unceasing prayer?

68. Complaints for a monk – this is that same grumbling, for he who knows that his true possession [aqnd fortune] is in prayer has no need of complaints and grumbling.

69. The one who seeks prayer – finds, along with the prayer, a cell and a forest; and the one who seeks a cell and a forest – hoping to find in them prayer – finds neither the one nor the other.

70. Were you to help the world on your own efforts, then you'll lose both peace and health; if you help the world through prayer – you will yourself be saved and you will help others be saved.

71. While you keep silent – you have prayer; it takes just for you to begin speaking – [and] you have words only.

72. While you pray – God lives within you; it takes just for you to [come to] think about anything else – and there will remain in you only your thoughts.

73. Some people pray to God only when they are in trouble , while others - like also to thank Him for deliverance from trouble.

74. If you learn to not only ask God for help, but also to thank Him for the help received – you will acquire unceasing prayer.

75. If you pray – then you exist; if you do not have prayer – you have not yet been born.

76. When your mind comes to grips with the spirit of anger, prayer is thenalready to be alive in your heart, if not – zealosly learn to master prayer in humility and you will acquire unceasing prayer.

77. Learn to overcome evil through prayer even in small things, otherwise you shall not win in the big battle against evil.

78. Seek not to immediately get to grips with the enemy one on one, be able to defeat the enemy initially within the fortress – in your heart, deflecting the countless thoughts.

79. When you learn to defeat the enemy within your heart, you will be able to confront him wherever you may be, and whatever temptations you may run into.

80. If you let in a thought in your heart – you get connected to this thought; if you you cut the thought off through prayer – you get connected with God.

81. Thoughts have come – so a trouble has come, too; ifyou cut thoughts off through prayer – peace shall come.

82. THe who seeks peace, loses it; he who seeks unceasing prayer shall find it.

83. [Even] If you cross the world far and wide – you will find nothing better than prayer, and when you do find prayer – you'll also find all its unspeakable blessings.

84. If you try to to take prayer by force – you will lose it; if you seek prayer in humility – you will find peace and quiet and prayer shall become inseparable from your heart.

85. Little birds cannot flutter wings long in flight: having gathered speed, they give their wings a little rest. Take their example for yourself in beginner's prayer.

86. Eagles may soar long in the air without moving their wings. Take their example for yourself in constant prayer.

87. A skilled worker can do any job, not forgetting the lunch; a skillful monk can perform any obedience, not forgetting the prayer.

88. A skillful carpenter, fascinated by work, forgets about the inconveniences; a skillful monk who has mastered prayer forgets about himself and about all the world.

89. The more a musician forgets about the audience, the better he plays; the more a monk forgets about the world, the better his prayer.

90. A farmer to have abandoned his field may not be called a farmer; a monk who who does not look after purifying his heart in prayer and repentance may not be called a monk.

91. Heaven and earth get connected in the heart where all that is infected by sin – evil thoughts, desires, and passions – get cut off and destroyed by unceasing prayer.

92. A soul nurturing envy has no solace in prayer, for prayer holds onto humility and love of neighbor.

93. A fox rejoices having stolen through a hole into a hen-coop; the devil, too, rejoices having made it into the mind through thoughts.

94. Fox does not come close to the henhouse if there is a guard dog and the owner is on the watch; also the devil, too, does not come close to the mind if it is guarded by heed and prayer.

95. When we forget to compel ourselves to prayer work, then we for a long time forget about the Kingdom of Heaven and about ourselves until the Lord of Mercy wakes us up from that lulling by tribulations.

96. To keep hold of unceasing prayer in one's heart – this is plowing the heart; to pray in repentance – this is sowing; a prayer with humility and fear of God – this is growths shooting up; and Love filling up all the heart – this is the fruit of prayer – good, profuse, and perfect.

97. Monks are different: some exert all powers to acquiring unceasing prayer, others care about decorating the churches and monasteries, still others just wear monastic raiment.

98. To become genuinely kind is possible only to the one who fully defeats all the power of evil and stands in good, being strengthened by the help of God and prayer.

99. When a monk takes a stop in his movement toward God and in acquiring unceasing prayer, he slides back and standing up after that is very difficult.

100. When a man starts thinking that what he has acquired on the spiritual path – and especially in prayer – is enough for him, he loses even what he had.

101. If you only take from life and give back nothing, you will not gain the main thing – prayer.

102. You should give up yourself entirely to prayer, and if not so – then this is a prayer no longer.

103. Never lose prayer under the onslaught of bad thoughts, desires and passions – and you shall gain unshakable support in Christ.

104. Perpetrate sin in thoughts – and you will draw other, still more evil thoughts; destroy sin in thoughts through prayer – and you will in fact destroy sin and have peace with God.

105. Pride is a disease of the soul, humility is its health, and prayer is the best of medicine.

106. The same a seriously ill man needs good medicines, and not quotes from the medical manual, the one who is in severe spiritual warfare needs above all prayer and not his knowing of spiritual books.

107. As a patient operated by a surgeon cannot argue with the surgeon during surgery, so thoughts cannot resist the Jesus prayer when it cuts thoughts off from the heart.

108. He who seeks unceasing prayer planning on benefits, receives no benefit, nor prayer itself.

109. He who seeks unceasing prayer for love of Christ, acquires all goods that unceasing prayer brings along.

110. To him who lives in unceasing prayer there are no insuperable difficulties.

111. He who neglects the acquisition of unceasing prayer wastes his time and life.

112. He who rushes with all forces at acquiring unceasing prayer – still being on the earth – finds life eternal.

113. He who seeks to acquire unceasing prayer must be willing to die for the sake of purity of heart and chastity.

114. If a man rushes to not accepting unchaste prilogs [the beginning of a thought – the first degree of sin's entering the soul] even in thoughts – he is not far from acquiring unceasing prayer.

115. He who strives after acquiring unceasing prayer and does not protect one's heart from impure thoughts and passions – exposes himself to great danger and loses God's help.

116. Always search for the reasons for failure in acquiring unceasing prayer within yourself and be grateful to those who, by their advice help you heal from mental infirmities.

117. For the acquisitgion of unceasing prayer there are no adverse circumstances and conditions.

118. Overcome all obstacles through a ceaseless effort to find unceasing prayer – and the help of God will not forsake you.

119. Always strive to achieve the main goal – the acquisition of unceasing prayer and Salvation, and the Lord shall append to it all the rest.

120. Do not exchange your spiritual for trifles – transient earthly goods, for these will rob you and shall leave you naked and helpless – without prayer and without Salvation.