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Philokalia-Nikiphoros the Monk Nikiphoros the Monk 20/12/2016 12:00 πμ
Introductory Note

Nikiphoros the Monk, often known as Nikiphoros the Hesychast or the Athonite, lived in the second hah" of the  thirteenth century. He was bom in Italy, so St Gregory Palamas tells us,^ and was originally a Roman Catholic. But,  rejecting what Palamas terms the 'kakodoxy' of the Latin West, he travelled to the Byzantine Empire, where he  embraced the Orthodox faith, becoming a monk on the Holy Mountain of Athos. Here he dwelt in 'quietness and  stillness', according to Palamas - presumably this means that he lived in a small hermitage, not in a fully -organized  cenobium - and eventually he withdrew to the 'most isolated parts' of the mountain. Like Theoliptos of  Philadelphia, he was fiercely opposed to the unionist policy of Michael VIII, ~ and he has himself left an account of  the imprisonment and exile that he suffered in consequence during 1276-7.^ Probably he died before 1300.





[V4] 192

Nikiphoros the Monk

(13th century)

(Volume 4, pp. 192-206)



The present work. On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart, is mentioned by Palamas, who writes:  'Seeing that many beginners were incapable of controlling the instability of their intellect, even to a limited degree,  Nikiphoros proposed a method whereby they could restrain to some extent the wanderings of the fantasy. '"* The  'method' in question is closely similar to the psychosomatic technique recommended in The Three Methods of  Prayer, attributed to St Symeon the New Theologian.^ Nikiphoros is sometimes styled the 'inventor' of this bodily  'method', but Palamas does not actually assert this. It is more

' See Triads, I, ii, 12 (cf below, p. 341); II, ii, 2-3. Compare Daniel Stiemon, in Dictwnnaire de Spiiitualite xi (1981), cols 198-203; Antonio  Rigo, 'Niceforo I'Esicasta (XIII sec.): alcune considerazioni sulla vita e sull'opera', in Olivier Raquez (ed.), Amore del Bella: Studi sulla Filocalia  (Magnano. 1991), pp. 81-119.

^ See above, p. 175.

'Edited by V. Laurent and J. Darrouzes, Dossier grec de I'union de Lyon (1 273-1277) (Archives de I'Orient Chretien 16: Paris, 1976), pp. 486-  507; cf. pp. 82-8.

" Triads II, ii, 2.

' See above, pp. 72-3.

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Introductory Note

probable that the 'method' had long been traditional on the Holy Mountain and elsewhere, handed down orally  from teacher to disciple, and that Nikiphoros - along with the author of The Three Methods - did no more than  provide the first written descriptions of this technique.

The main theme of the work On Watchfulness is the need to return into oneself, to descend with the intellect  into the depths of the heart, and to seek there the hidden treasure of the inner kingdom. After a short anthology of  texts, underlining the importance of keeping guard over the intellect, Nikiphoros concludes by suggesting the  physical 'method' as a practical way of 'entering the heart' and so achieving this state of spiritual watchfulness. As  in The Three Methods, the psychosomatic technique, so it seems, is to be practiced before actually commencing  the Jesus Prayer. Nikiphoros insists that it is highly desirable to have personal direction from an 'unerring guide',  but then recommends the 'method' for those who cannot find such a spiritual director. Most modem Orthodox  writers adopt a different view, and consider it dangerous to use this technique except under the immediate  instruction of an experienced teacher.

St Gregory Palamas concedes that Nikiphoros has written 'in a simple and unsophisticated manner'.' Statements  about making the intellect descend into the heart, Palamas insists, are not to be interpreted literally, for our mental  faculties are not located spatially inside the physical heart 'as in a container'." But there is none the less the genuine  correlation - what has sometimes been termed a relationship of 'analogy-participation' - between our physical  modalities and our mental or spiritual state: 'After the fall our inner being naturally adapts itself to outward  forms. '^ Nikiphoros was therefore correct, Palamas concludes, in suggesting specific ways whereby our bodily  energies can be harnessed to the work of prayer.

' Triads, II, ii, 3.

^ Triads I, ii, 2 (see p. 334).

' Triads I, ii, 8 (see p. 338). For the phrase 'analogy-participation' see J. -A. Cuttat, The Encounter of Religions.- A Dialogue between the West  and the Orient, with an Essay on the Prayer of Jesus (New York/Toumai, 1960), pp. 92-3.

Contents

On Watchfulness and

the Guarding of the Heart VOLUME 4: Page 194

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On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart

If you ardently long to attain the wondrous divine illumination of our Savior Jesus Christ; to experience in your  heart the supracelestial fire and to be consciously reconciled with God; to dispossess yourself of worldly things in  order to find and possess the treasure hidden in the field of your heart (cf Matt. 13:44); to enkindle here and now  your soul's flame and to renounce all that is only here and now; and spiritually to know and experience the kingdom  of heaven within you (cf. Luke 17:21): then I will impart to you the science of eternal or heavenly life or, rather, a  method that will lead you, if you apply it, painlessly and without toil to the harbor of dispassion, without the danger  of being deceived or terrified by the demons. Terror of this kind we experience only when through disobedience we  estrange ourselves from the life I am about to describe. This was the fate of Adam when he violated God's  commandments: associating with the serpent and trusting him, he was sated by him with the fruits of deceit (cf. Gen.  3 : 1 -6), and thus wretchedly plunged himself and all those who came after him into the pit of death, darkness and  corruption.
You should, then, return; or - to put it more truly - let us return, brethren, to ourselves, rejecting once and for all  with disgust the serpent's counsel and our deflection to what is base. For we cannot be reconciled with God and  assimilated to Him unless we first return or, rather, enter into ourselves, in so far as this lies within our power. For  the miracle consists in tearing ourselves away from the distraction and vain concerns of the world and in this way  relentlessly seizing hold of the kingdom of heaven within us.

That is why the monastic life has been called the art of arts and the science of sciences. For this holy discipline  does not procure us what is corruptible, so that we divert our intellect from higher to lower things

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and completely stifle it. On the contrary it offers us strange, indescribable blessings, that 'the eye has not seen,  and the ear has not heard, and man's heart has not grasped' (1 Cor. 2:9). Henceforward 'we wrestle not against flesh  and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world' (Eph. 6:12). If,  then, this present age is one of darkness, let us flee from it. Let us flee from it in our thoughts so that we may have  nothing in common with the enemy of God. For if you choose to be a friend of this present age you are an enemy of  God (cf. Jas. 4:4). And who can help an enemy of God?  

Let us therefore imitate our fathers and like them let us seek the treasure within our hearts. And when we have  found it let us hold fast to it with all our might, both cultivating and guarding it (cf. Gen. 2:15); for this is what we  were commanded to do from the beginning. And if another Nikodimos should appear and begin to argue, saying,  'How can anyone enter into his own heart and work or dwell in it?' - as the original Nikodimos, doubting the Savior,  said, 'How can someone who is old enter the second time into his mother's womb and be bom?' (John 3:4) - let him  in his turn hear the words, 'The Spirit blows where He wants to' (John 3:8). If we are full of disbelief and doubt  about the practice of the ascetic life, how shall we enjoy the fruits of contemplation? For it is practice that initiates  us into contemplation.

Doubters of this kind cannot be convinced without written evidence. Hence for the benefit of many I will include  in this discourse passages from the lives of the saints and from their writings: reading them should dispel all doubt. I  will begin at the beginning with St Antony the Great, and then continue with his successors, selecting and setting  forth their words and actions as best I can, so as to confirm what I have been saying.  

From the Life of Our Holy Father Antony  

Once two brothers were on their way to visit St Antony, but on the journey their water gave out and one of them  died and the other was near to dying. Unable to go any further, he too lay down on the ground

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From the Life of Our Holy Father Antony

and awaited death. But Antony, seated on the mountain, called two monks who happened to be with him and said  to them urgently, 'Take a jar of water and go as fast as you can along the road leading to Egypt: two men were on  their way here, but one has just died and the other will also die if you don't hurry. This was revealed to me as I was  praying.' The monks set off; and finding the one man dead they buried him, while they revived the other with water  and brought him to the elder. It was about a day's journey off. Should you ask why Antony did not speak before the  first man died, I would say that the question is inapt: the decision about death rested not with Antony but with God,  and He allowed the first man to die and sent a revelation to St Antony about the second. The miracle happened to St  Antony, and to him alone, because while seated on the mountain he kept his heart watchful, and so the Lord showed  him what was happening a long way off

Do you see how through watchfulness of heart St Antony was able to perceive God and to acquire the power of  clairvoyance? For it is in the heart that God manifests Himself to the intellect, first - according to St John Klmiakos -  as fire that purifies the lover and then as light that illumines the intellect and renders it godlike.  

From the Life of St Theodosios the Cenobiarch  

St Theodosios was so deeply wounded by the sweet arrow of love, and was held so fast in love's fetters, that he  fulfilled in actual practice the exalted commandment, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and  with all your soul, and with all your mind' (Matt. 22:37). Such a state can be attained only by so concentrating the  soul's natural powers that they aspire to nothing other than the Creator alone. So great were these spiritual energies  in his soul that when exhorting someone he often inspired awe; yet when giving  

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From the Life of St Theodosios the Cenobiarch

rebukes he was always gentle and tender. Who else could talk with so many people and be of such service to  them, or could so concentrate their senses and turn them inwards that in the midst of tumult they lived with greater  serenity than did those in the desert'? Who else could remain just the same whether among crowds or dwelling  alone? It was by thus concentrating the senses and turning them inwards that the great Theodosios came to be  wounded by love for the Creator.

From the Life of St Arsenios

St Arsenios made it a rule never to discuss things in writing and never to send letters. This was not out of  weakness or incapacity - how could it have been, seeing that he could speak eloquently with as much ease as others  displayed when speaking in a normal way? But it was due to his long habit of silence and his dislike of self-display.  For the same reason he took great care when in church or at any other gathering not to look at other people or to be  seen by them; he would stand behind a column or some other obstruction and hide himself from view, remaining  unseen and not mixing with others. This holy man and earthly angel acted like this because he too wanted to keep a  strict watch on himself and to concentrate his intellect inwardly so that he could raise himself towards God without  impediment.
From the Life of St Paul of Mount Latros

Although the divine Paul always lived in the mountains and in desert places, and shared his solitude and his food  with wild animals, there were nevertheless times when he went down to the Lavra in order to visit the brethren. He  counseled them, exhorting them not to be fainthearted and not to neglect the assiduous practice of the virtues.

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From the Life of St Paul of Mount Latros

but to persevere with all attentiveness and discrimination in their efforts to live according to the Gospels and in  their courageous fight against the spirits of evil. He also taught them a method by which they could expunge  ingrained passion-imbued dispositions as well as counteract new seeds of passion.

You see how this holy father teaches his uninitiated disciples a method through which they could ward off the  attacks of the passions? This method was none other than the art of keeping watch over the intellect, for it is only by  keeping such watch that we can ward off the passions.  

From the Life of St Savvas

When St Savvas saw that a monk had thoroughly mastered the rules of monastic conduct, and was already able to  keep watch over his intellect and fight off demonic thoughts - had indeed banished from his mind all memory of  worldly things - then, if this monk was physically weak and ill, St Savvas allowed him to have a cell in the Lavra.  But if such a monk was vigorous and in good health, he told him to build his own cell.

Do you see how the divine Sawas, too, required his disciples to keep watch over the intellect and only then  permitted them to dwell by themselves in their own cells? What are we doing who idly sit in our cells without even  knowing whether there is such an art as keeping watch over the intellect?

From the Life of Abba Agathon

One of the brethren asked Abba Agathon which is the better, bodily asceticism or the guarding of our inner state.  The elder replied: 'Man is

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From the Life of Abba Agathon

like a tree: bodily asceticism is the leaves, the guarding of our inner state the fruit. Since, according to the  Scriptures, "every tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matt. 3:10), it is clear  that all our efforts should be devoted to producing the fruit, that is, to keeping watch over our intellect. But we also  need the shelter and canopy of the leaves - bodily asceticism.'

How astonishing it is that this saint denounced those who fail to learn how to keep watch over the intellect and  who boast only of their bodily asceticism: every tree, he said, which does not produce fruit - by which is meant  keeping watch over the intellect - but only has leaves, that is, bodily asceticism, is cut down and thrown into the fire.  How terrible, father, is your verdict.

From Abba Mark's Letter to Nicolas

If, my son, you wish to acquire within yourseh" your own lamp of noetic light and spiritual knowledge, so as to  walk without stumbling in the dark night of this age; and if you wish your steps to be ordered by the Lord, delighting  in the way of the Gospel - that is, desiring with ardent faith, with zeal and prayer, to practice the commandments of  the Gospel - then I will show you a wonderful spiritual method to help you achieve this. It does not call for bodily  exertion, but requires spiritual effort, control of the intellect, and an attentive understanding, assisted by fear and  love of God. Through this method you can easily put to flight the cohorts of the enemy. If, then, you wish to triumph  over the passions, enter within yourself through prayer and with the help of God. Descend into the depths of the  heart, and search out the three powerful giants - forgetfulness, sloth and ignorance - which enable the rest of the evil  passions to infiltrate into the self-indulgent soul, and to live, energize and flourish there. Then through strict  attentiveness and control of the intellect, together with help from above, you will track down these evil giants, about  which most people are ignorant; and so you will be able to free yourself from them by means of strict attentiveness  and prayer. For when, through the action

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From Abba Mark's Letter to Nicolas

of grace, zeal for true knowledge, for mindfulness of God's words and for genuine concord is diligently planted  and cultivated in the heart, then the last traces of forgetfulness, ignorance and sloth are expunged from it.

Observe how admirably different spiritual teachings concur, and how clearly they explain the meaning of prayer.

From St John Klimakos

A hesychast is one who strives to enshrine what is bodiless within the temple of the body, paradoxical though this  may sound. A hesychast is one who says, T sleep but my heart is watchful' (Song of Songs 5:2). Close the door of  your cell to the body, the door of your tongue to speech, and your inner gate to evil spirits. Ascend into a  watchtower - if you know how to - and observe how and when and whence, and in what numbers and what form, the  robbers try to break in and steal your grapes. When the watchman grows weary he stands up and prays; then he sits  down again and manfully resumes the same task. Guarding against evil thoughts is one thing, keeping watch over  the intellect is another. The latter differs from the former as much as east from west, and is far more difficult to  attain. Where thieves see royal weapons at the ready they do not attack the place lightly. Similarly, spiritual robbers  do not lightly try to plunder the person who has enshrined prayer within his heart.

Do you see how these words reveal the wonderful inner work of this great father? We, on the other hand, walk in  darkness and as though in some midnight brawl tread these soul-saving words of the Spirit underfoot, spuming them  as though willfully deaf But now in the passages that follow see what the fathers set down for us as guidance in the  attaining of watchfulness.

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From St Isaiah the SoHtary

When a man severs himself from evil, he gains an exact understanding of all the sins he has committed against  God; for he does not see his sins unless he severs himself from them with a feeling of revulsion. Those who have  reached this level pray to God with tears, and are filled with shame when they recall their evil love of the passions.  Let us therefore pursue the spiritual way with all our strength, and God in His great mercy will help us. And if we  have not guarded our hearts as our fathers guarded theirs, at least in obedience to God let us do all we can to keep  our bodies sinless, trusting that at this time of spiritual dearth He will grant mercy to us together with His saints.

Here then this great father encourages those who are very weak, saying that, even if we have not guarded our  hearts as the fathers have done, let us at least keep our bodies free from sin, as God demands, and He will be  merciful to us. Great is the compassion and sympathy of such a father.

From St Makarios the Great

The most important task for an ascetic is to enter into his heart, to wage war against Satan, to hate him, and to  battle with him by wrestling against the thoughts he provokes. If you keep your body outwardly chaste and pure, but  inwardly are adulterous where God is concerned and profligate in your thoughts, then you gain nothing from  keeping your body chaste. For it is written, 'Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery  with her in his heart' (Matt. 5:28). In other words, you can fornicate through the body, and you also fornicate when  your soul communes with Satan.

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From St Makarios the Great

This great father seems to contradict the words of St Isaiah quoted above. Yet this is not the case, for St Makarios  exhorts us also to guard our body in the way that God requires. But he asks us to keep pure not only our body but  our spirit as well. Thus he too enjoins what the Gospel commandments stipulate.

From St Diadochos

He who dwells continually within his own heart is detached from the attractions of this world, for he lives in the  Spirit and cannot know the desires of the flesh. Such a man henceforward patrols the fortress of the virtues, posting  them as watchmen at all the gates. The assaults of the demons are now ineffective against him.

Rightly does the saint say that the assaults of the demons are now ineffective - ineffective, that is, when we dwell  in the depth of our own hearts, and the more so the longer we dwell there. But I lack time to cite here extracts from  all the fathers, so I will add one or two more and bring this work to a close.

From St Isaac the Syrian

Strive to enter the shrine within you and you will see the shrine of heaven, for the one is the same as the other, and  a single entrance permits you to contemplate both. The ladder leading to that kingdom is hidden within you, that is,  within your soul: cleanse yourself from sin and there you will find the steps by which to ascend.

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From St John of Karpathos

A great effort and much toil are needed in prayer before we can reach a state in which our mind is no longer  troubled, and so attain the inward heaven of the heart where Christ dwells. As St Paul says, 'Do you not realize that  Christ dwells within you, unless you are worthless?' (cf 2 Cor. 13:5).

From St Symeon the New Theologian

After the devil and his demons had brought about man's exile from paradise and from God by making him  transgress, they found they could inwardly derange - to a greater or lesser extent - anyone's reason whenever they  wanted to. The only defense against this is the ceaseless mmdfulness of God, for if such mmdfulness is stamped on  the heart through the power of the cross it will render our thought steadfast and unshakeable. This is a state to which  the spiritual contest of every Christian who enters the arena of Christ's faith should lead, if he is not to struggle in  vain. For it is to achieve this state that God's athlete embraces all the various forms of ascetic practice. He embraces  them so as to call down God's mercy upon him, that Christ may restore him to his original status and may be set as a  seal on his mind. This accords with St Paul's words, 'My little children, for you I again bear the pangs of birth, until  Christ is formed in you' (Gal. 4:19).

Have you grasped, brethren, that there is a spiritual art or method swiftly leading whoever pursues it to dispassion  and the vision of God? Are you convinced that every external form of asceticism is regarded by God as the foliage  of a fruitless tree and will be of no benefit to the
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From St Symeon the New Theologian

soul that is not capable of guarding the intellect? Let us then strive not to die fruitless, and thereafter repent to no  purpose.

Question: From what has been said we have learned not only of the practice of those who live in accordance with  God's will but also that there is a certain fonn of action that speedily frees the soul from passions and unites it to  love for God, and that everyone who engage in spiritual warfare must adopt this form. About these things we have  no doubt and are quite convinced. But we are anxious to know what exactly attentiveness is and how we may  acquire it, for of this we are altogether ignorant.

Response: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who said 'Without Me you can do nothing' (John 15:5), having  invoked His help and assistance, I will do my best to show you what attentiveness is and how, if God wills, it may  be attained.

From Nikiphoros Himself

Some of the saints have called attentiveness the guarding of the intellect others have called it custody of the heart,  or watchfulness, or noetic stillness, and others something else. All these expressions indicate one and the same thing,  just as 'bread' and 'a round' or 'a slice' do; and you should read them in this sense. As to what attentiveness itself is  and what its characteristics are, this you can now learn in more detail.

Attentiveness is the sign of true repentance. It is the soul's restoration, hatred of the world, and return to God. It is  rejection of sin and recovery of virtue. It is the unreserved assurance that our sins are forgiven. It is the beginning of  contemplation or, rather, its presupposition, for through it God, descrying its presence in us reveals Himself to the  intellect. It is serenity of intellect or, rather, the repose bestowed on the soul through God's mercy. It is the  subjection of our thoughts, the palace of the mmdfulness of God, the stronghold that enables us patiently to accept  all that befalls. It is the ground of faith, hope and love. For if you do not have faith you cannot endure the outward  afflictions that assail you; and if you do not bear them gladly you cannot say to the Lord, 'Thou art my helper and  my refuge' (Ps 91:2).

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From Nikiphoros Himself

And if the Most High is not your refuge you wiU not lay up His love in your heart.

Most if not all of those who attain this greatest of gifts do so chiefly through being taught. To be sure, a few  without being taught receive it directly from God through the ardor of their endeavor and the fervor of their faith;  but what is rare does not constitute the norm. That is why we should search for an unerring guide, so that under his  instruction we may learn how to deal with the shortcomings and exaggerations suggested to us by the devil  whenever we deviate left or right from the axis of attentiveness. Since such a guide will himself have been tested  through what he has suffered, he will be able to make these things clear to us and will unambiguously disclose the  spiritual path to us so that we can follow it easily. If you have no such guide you must diligently search for one. If,  however, no guide is to be found, you must renounce worldly attachments, call on God with a contrite spirit and  with tears, and do what I tell you.

You know that what we breathe is air. When we exhale it, it is for the heart's sake, for the heart is the source of  life and warmth for the body. The heart draws towards itself the air inhaled when breathing, so that by discharging  some of its heat when the air is exhaled it may maintain an even temperature. The cause of this process or, rather, its  agent, are the lungs. The Creator has made these capable of expanding and contracting, like bellows, so that they can  easily draw in and expel their contents. Thus, by taking in coolness and expelling heat through breathing, the heart  performs unobstructed the function for which it was created, that of maintaining life.

Seat yourself, then, concentrate your intellect, and lead it into the respiratory passage through which your breath  passes into your heart. Put pressure on your intellect and compel it to descend with your inhaled breath into your  heart. Once it has entered there, what follows will be neither dismal nor glum. Just as a man, after being far away  from home, on his return is overjoyed at being with his wife and children again, so the intellect, once it is united  with the soul, is filled with indescribable delight.

Therefore, brother, train your intellect not to leave your heart quickly, for at first it is strongly disinclined to  remain constrained and circumscribed in this way. But once it becomes accustomed to remaining there, it can no  longer bear to be outside the heart. For the kingdom of heaven is within us (cf Luke 17:21); and when the  

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From Nikiphoros Himself

intellect concentrates its attention in the heart and through pure prayer searches there for the kingdom of heaven,  all external things become abominable and hateful to it. If, then, after your first attempts you enter through your  intellect into the abode of the heart in the way that I have explained, give thanks and glory to God, and exult in Him.  Continually persevere in this practice and it will teach you what you do not know.

Moreover, when your intellect is firmly established in your heart, it must not remain there silent and idle; it should  constantly repeat and meditate on the prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me', and should never  stop doing this. For this prayer protects the intellect from distraction, renders it impregnable to diabolic attacks, and  every day increases its love and desire for God.

If, however, in spite of all your efforts you are not able to enter the realms of the heart in the way I have enjoined,  do what I now tell you and with God's help you will find what you seek. You know that everyone's discursive  faculty is centered in his breast; for when our lips are silent we speak and deliberate and formulate prayers, psalms  and other things in our breast. Banish, then, all thoughts from this faculty - and you can do this if you want to - and  in their place put the prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me', and compel it to repeat this prayer  ceaselessly. If you continue to do this for some time, it will assuredly open for you the entrance to your heart in the  way we have explained, and as we ourselves know from experience.

Then, along with the attentiveness you have so wished for, the whole choir of the virtues - love, joy, peace and the  others (cf Gal. 5:22) - will come to you. Through the virtues all your petitions will be answered in Christ Jesus our  Lord, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor and worship now and always and  throughout the ages. Amen.



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Το Εμποδιο Ειναι Το Εγώ
 
Το Εμποδιο Ειναι Το Εγώ
Το Εμποδιο Ειναι Το Εγώ
Το Εμποδιο Ειναι Το Εγώ
Finding Peace in Awareness

YOUR MIND/EGO IS THE ONLY OBSTACLE TO YOUR HAPPINESS AND SALVATION

You are at the mercy of your thoughts and emotions because they trigger further reactions, leading to a cycle of negative thoughts and emotions. Reacting on autopilot only leads to misery, as the mind operates on a survival instinct that creates a sense of lack and fear. The key is to not react and find salvation from the mind's delusions. The truth lies in finding peace, letting go, forgiving, and living in the present moment.


Finding Peace in Awareness
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