An Offering to Contemporary Monasticism

16 hrs. 7 min.

Religion

Language Russian

Author Ignaty Bryanchaninov

Narrator Denis Gavrilov

Description

“An Offering to Modern Monasticism” — the “spiritual testament” of Saint Ignatius, an invaluable gift to modern monastics, a work based on the teaching of the Church Fathers. The book contains counsel for monks about spiritual struggle and “working” to overcome the “narrow path leading to Life,” as well as rules for the external conduct of those living monastic life.

Contents:

01 Preface
02 Rules for a monk’s external conduct
03 Introduction:
Spiritual “doing” is natural to a human being, and forms an inseparable part of his
04 Chapter 1.
On the study of the Gospel commandments and life according to the Gospel commandments
05 Chapter 2.
Human beings will be judged at the Judgment of God according to the Gospel commandments
06 Chapter 3.
Monastic life is life according to the Gospel commandments
07 Chapter 4.
On the fragility of monastic life, when it is not founded on the Gospel commandments
08 Chapter 5.
On keeping oneself from temptations
09 Chapter 6.
For a God-pleasing life in silence, a God-pleasing life in human society must come first
10 Chapter 7.
On keeping oneself from the good belonging to fallen human nature
11 Chapter 8.
On enmity and the struggle between fallen nature and the Gospel commandments
12 Chapter 9.
On reading the Gospel and the writings of the Fathers
13 Chapter 10.
On caution when reading the Fathers’ books about monastic life
14 Chapter 11.
On hermit life
15 Chapter 12.
On life in obedience to an elder
16 Chapter 13.
On life by counsel
17 Chapter 14.
The purpose of monastic life is the study of God’s will, its assimilation into oneself, and submission to it
18 Chapter 15.
Love for one’s neighbor serves as a means of attaining love for God
19 Chapter 16.
Humility before one’s neighbor serves as a means of attaining love for one’s neighbor
20 Chapter 17.
On prayer
21 Chapter 18.
On preparation for prayer
22 Chapter 19.
On attentiveness during prayer
23 Chapter 20.
On the cell rule
24 Chapter 21.
On prostrations
25 Chapter 22.
On applying the cell rule to the monastery rule
26 Chapter 23.
On the Jesus Prayer
27 Chapter 24.
On practice with the Jesus Prayer
28 Chapter 25.
On unceasing prayer
29 Chapter 26.
On spoken, mental, and heart Jesus Prayer
30 Chapter 27.
On contemplation of God
31 Chapter 28.
On remembering death
32 Chapter 29.
The narrow path has been established by God Himself for His true servants
33 Chapter 30.
Sufferings are especially the lot of monks of the last time
34 Chapter 31.
Sources of monastic sufferings
35 Chapter 32.
On the necessity of courage in temptations
36 - 41 Chapter 33.
The teaching of the holy Fathers on the narrow path
42 Chapter 34.
On sobriety
43 Chapter 35.
On the usefulness and harm of bodily ascetic practices
44 Chapter 36.
On zeal of soul and spirit
45 Chapter 37.
On almsgiving
46 Chapter 38.
On non-possessiveness
47 Chapter 39.
On human glory
48 Chapter 40.
On grudge-bearing
49 Chapter 41.
The meaning of the word “world”
50 Chapter 42.
On keeping oneself from acquaintance with the fair sex
51 Chapter 43.
On fallen angels
52 Chapter 44.
The first model of fighting fallen angels
53 Chapter 45.
The second model of fighting fallen angels
54 Chapter 46.
On dreams
55 Chapter 47.
On the kinship among one another, both in virtues and in vices
56 Chapter 48.
On the special resistance of fallen spirits to prayer
57 Chapter 49.
On keeping the inner eye of the soul free from everything harmful to it
58 Chapter 50.
On repentance and tears
59 Conclusion.
On the applicability of the set rules to the situation of contemporary monasticism