INTRODUCTION

When a young philosopher reached Mount Athos, he had already read several treaties upon orthodox spirituality and he knew very well “The Heart Prayer’s Small Filocalie (selection of Christian-orthodox saint parents’ writings – translator’s note)” and “The Russian Pilgrim’s Stories”. Furthermore, he had been seduced by all these but not yet convinced. During a vacation in Greece, he assisted to a profoundly emotional Mass that spontaneously inspired him to spend a couple of days on Mount Athos, in order to find out new details about Heart’s Prayer and about hesychasts’ inner listening method. Hesychasts are completely silent and isolated from the world, looking for “Hesycha” or inner profound peace that reveals God.
 
In order to better understand the following, we will tell you, with all necessary details, about this young philosopher’s meeting with Father Seraphim, who lived alone in a hermitage nearby Saint Pantelimon, on Mount Athos. We will add our young philosopher was at that time a little disappointed as he did not find the monks on Mount Athos at the “height” he expected. It is important to add that, even though he had read enough books on Christian meditation and prayer, he had never really prayed or done a certain form of meditation. This is why, as he was travelling on Mount Athos, his greatest desire was not an additional speech upon prayer and meditation, but a real and vivid initiation that would allow him to better understand, from the “inside”, through personal and direct experience.

Father Seraphim, who was a hesychast anchorite, had a bizarre reputation among the monks around him. Some often accused him of spontaneously levitation, others sustained he used to scream and others considered him a common illiterate peasant who had hysterical episodes; still, many people worshiped him as a true abbot inspired by God’s Holy Ghost, who was capable of giving the most wise advice. Moreover, Father Seraphim could read people’s souls that came to him like an open book.

Many of those who came to the door of his hermitage had the unpleasant surprise  of being examined in the most indecent manner, to the bottom of their souls, by Father Seraphim: he would examine them with a weird gimlet attention, from head to toes, without saying any words, for five minutes. Those who calmly resisted to this examination, without running away, could hear the severe diagnosis of the spiritual X-ray in the end: “As I noticed, He went in you lower than your chin”. “He has not even entered you”. “Oh, what a miracle! It is amazing…I can see He went down to your knees in you!”

In all these situations, Father Seraphim obviously spoke about God’s Holy Ghost and the more or less profound level where He (God’s Holy Ghost) touches the area of the head, but not the one of the heart or of the belly…His essential criteria of evaluating people was always the incarnation level (complete coverage of certain parts of the physical body and being) of the Holy Ghost in the man situated in front of him. The perfect man (in other words entirely transfigured by the Holy Ghost) was for him only the one whose body was entirely filled, from head to toes, with the godly presence of the Holy Ghost. “I have not seen this miracle but in a man only, Abbot Siluan” he said. “He is fully God’s man indeed, filled with grandness and humility at the same time”.
 
The young philosopher did not find himself at all in this high position and in his case, God’s Holy Ghost was “down to the chin”. When he asked Father Seraphim to tell him about the secret of Heart’s Prayer and hesychast inner listening, the latter almost started to scream. The former was not intimidated or discouraged by the situation. Later on, as he humbly insisted, Father Seraphim told him: “Before I tell you about the secret of Heart’s Prayer, you must learn to meditate like a mountain” and after that he showed him a nearby high mountain top. “Starting today, ask him how it prays. When you know how he does it, come back to me.”

Meditating as profoundly as a mountain
 

Meditating as a bird

Father Seraphim said one day to the young philosopher: “The stable position, the consequent orientation towards God’s light and profound respiration, naturally rhythmic as the ocean do not form hesychast meditation, yet. You must learn to meditate as a bird now”. And taking his hand, he took him to a small cell where two turtle-doves had built a nest on top. Their gleeful chitter delighted him at first but ended up annoying him. He thought they chose to whisper sweet love whispers exactly when he prepared to sleep.

The young man, baffled, asked the monk about the meaning of all those and for how long the comedy would continue. The mountain, the poppy and the ocean were all right (even though, someone from outside could ask himself about the connection between those and Christianity), but to come to those languishing birds as meditation master, that was much too much!

Father Seraphim explained then patiently that in the “Old Testament” the word that expressed the state of meditation had the root “haga”, which was translated in Greek as melete - meletan and which in Latin was translated as meditari – meditatio. The original term’s root meant “to murmur in whisper”. The same root often expressed the animals’ cry, for instance, lion’s roar (Isaia, 31,4), sparrow’s chitter and dove’s babble (Isaia, 38,14), as well as bears’ snarl.

“As you can see, we do not have bears here, on Mount Athos. This is why I took you to these turtle-doves. Their teaching for you is the same, anyway. You must meditate with your neck, too, using it not only for breathing, but for murmuring in whisper God’s name day and night.

When you are happy, you hum a song without even noticing, or you murmur a couple of meaningless words and finally, that murmur makes vibrate your whole being in a simple and calm joy.

Profound meditation means letting the turtle-dove’s chatter echo in you, means to let the song that appears in your heart rise and overflow in you, as the flower’s scent surrounds you…Meditation also means breathing while singing inside, without external sounds.

Without trying to find the profound meaning, I suggest you keep on repeating, murmuring, humming, making deeply and fully vibrate in you these words that fill with love for God the hearts of the monks on Mount Athos: Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison”. The young man was not very delighted as he had known the meaning of the Greek words for a long time: “Lord, have mercy”.

As he intuited the state very well, Father Seraphim smiled: “Yes, this is one of the meanings of the expression too, but there are others like: “Oh my Lord, I beg you to send Thy Holly Ghost upon me! May Thy divine blessing come over me and everybody! May Thy name be eternally blessed!” and so on. But I have told you it is not the right time to insist on meanings as they will reveal to you, sooner or later, when the time is right. For now it is enough to become sensitive and very attentive to the secret and elevating vibration that these words awake in your heart and body. Then harmonize this vibration with the rhythm of your breathing. When too many thoughts bother you, use this invocation only, breathe as deep as you can, keep your spine straight and still and you will find out the road to Isyhia, the inner profound peace that God gives to those who love Him.”

Soon enough the young man was already familiarized with that expression (”Lord, have mercy”). After a while, he was even able to say it from within his heart, not only his lips.

Then he did not try to mentally understand the meaning of the words and their continuous repetition brought him a profound, ecstatic peace that was completely unknown to him before. He gradually discovered what must have been Apostle Toma’s inner attitude, when he saw Jesus resurrected. It is known he said then: “Kyrie eleison, My Lord and God”.

This simple invocation suddenly deepened him in a state of intense respect towards everything existing but in a state of overwhelming adoration for what was hidden at the root of each existence. Father Seraphim said: “Now, it is good to know you are not very far from meditating like a man. This is why I want to teach you the meditation of Abraham, now”.

Meditating as Abraham

Father Seraphim’s teaching was natural and therapeutic. As Filon from Alexandria said, ancient monks were actually “therapists” (“healers”). Before leading someone to true illumination, their role was, first of all, to cure human nature fast and to completely harmonize it so that it could receive God’s Elevating Grace that did not contradict nature, but restored and fulfiled it. 
 
The mountain, the poppy, the ocean, the bird taught the young man to re-become aware, to resume life’s different live levels that human being knew once or, in other words, the different kingdoms that created the Macrocosmos: the mineral, the vegetal and the animal one. Man – as anyone can realize looking carefully around and inside him – has lost contact (resonance) with everything is good and divine in Macrocosmos: the rock, the plants, the animals and this bad state triggered discomfort, diseases, insecurity, loss of love, unhappiness and anxiety.

He became a foreigner in his universe due to that great sin. Profound meditation means, first of all, spontaneous and sincere praise of the universe, as Saint Parents said “all things and beings learned how to pray before us”. Man, as a being privileged by God, is the only location in the universe where praying becomes real and totally aware of itself.

This is why man is here, to consciously give names to things and beings that other creatures just babble…Together with Abraham, we enter a brand new and much higher level of conscience that is called faith or unconditional adhesion of both intelligence and heart towards this “You” that Exists, that secretly  looms to those capable of intuiting Him, everywhere in multiplicity.

This is Abraham’s experience and meditation in short. Thus, we understand there is always something more and greater behind the stars, a mysterious and overwhelming presence, very difficult to define, which nobody can name precisely but which contains in it all names…all forms…all forces…all aspects…all energies…and something secret and untouchable in addition.

In the great mystery (God) we suspect, there is something beyond universe that cannot be noticed outside it, though. The difference between God and Nature is the difference between the blue of the ski and the blue of a look. Abraham was not looking for the colour but for the look…

After he learned the straight posture, the rooting, the positive orientation towards God’s light, the silent breathing of the ocean and the secret inner song, the young man was invited to completely and truly awaken his heart. “Now learn that you are one of God’s beings, understand that what really characterizes your heart is the fact that it personalizes all things, all beings, even the Absolute, which is the source (the Final Spring) of everything that lives and breathes. Understand that all that exist call Him: “My God, my Creator” and they let themselves be penetrated by His Presence. Meditating as Abraham means, actually, always maintaining the contact with the Unique Presence (God) beyond the most various appearances. This profound form of meditation aims to all concrete details of the daily life. Remember the episode with the oak from Mamre.

Abraham was sitting at the entrance of a tent, in the warmest moment of the day. He had just received the visit of three strangers, there; later they would prove to be God’s messengers. Meditating as Abraham means practicing hospitality full of devotion and humility, giving a glass of water to the thirsty one. This will not disturb you from your silence; on the contrary, it will bring you closer to the source (the endless Spring). Do not limit yourself to just awaken in you God’s profound peace and light, but fill your heart with love towards all beings on Earth.

Saying that, Father Seraphim read the young man a long passage from “Genesis” that described Abraham’s interposition by God. In front of God, the One that is, was and always be, he says: “Do you really want to suppress the sinner along with the right one? If there are only fifty right and good persons in a city, will You destroy them together with the whole town, too? Or will You forgive the whole city for the sake of those fifty?”

Little by little, Abraham had to reduce the number of the right persons, so Sodom would not be destroyed. “Oh, God, do not be angry. Maybe we will find at least ten right persons there.” (“Genesis”, 18,16). Profoundly meditating as Abraham means interposing for people’s life with love and compassion, without ignoring their sins, constantly and faithfully invoking the divine compassion.

This type of meditation shortly frees the heart from judgements and different damnation; it will always invoke God’s forgiveness and blessing no matter the effort given for contemplation.

“Meditating as Abraham means more than that” – Father Seraphim’s voice trembled with emotion. “It means reaching the ultimate sacrifice; even the self sacrifice”. He read the young man another passage from “Genesis”, here Abraham was capable of sacrificing his own son, Isaac. “Everything comes from God and everything belongs to God only” murmured Seraphim. “Everything is from Him and everything is for Him. Abraham’s meditation will lead you to a total detachment from your ego and from everything it has most precious. Search within the closest to your soul, the thing or aspect with which you identify yourself most. For Abraham, this was his son, Isaac. If you are also capable of giving it to God, totally abandon yourself, in full faith for the one that transcends intellect and (apparently) common sense, everything will be given back to you, a hundred times more. God always takes care of His children. Meditating as Abraham also means to fill your time, heart and conscience with God’s presence. Remember that Abraham had only his son in his heart when he climbed the top of the mountain. When he went down, his heart was with God only.

To learn the lesson of the sacrifice means to discover that nothing, ever, belongs to “you”. Everything belongs to God only. This means the death of the ego and the revelation of the Immortal Self. Meditating as Abraham means fully and faithfully fusing with the Eternal and Almighty (God), which transcends the universe (Macrocosmos), means to practice hospitality with joy and love, to interpose (by praying) for everybody’s salvation, to often forget yourself and break any attachment in order to discover that the One that lives in the depths of your heart, as the entire universe, is “The one that exists because it truly exists” (God).

Meditating as Jesus

Father Seraphim came to give advice to his young student less and less often. He telepathically felt the progresses the latter made in both arts of meditating and praying. He even saw his disciple with his face in tears a couple of time, meditating as Abraham and arduously praying for the people: “Lord, I humbly beg Your Divine Grace; otherwise, without Your help, what would become of them?”
 
One day, the young man came especially to talk to Father Seraphim. He asked him: “Father, why you have not spoken to me about Jesus yet? What was His prayer, His form of meditation? I know they only talk about Him in all High Masses and church services. In the prayer of the heart, as “Filocalia” describes it, His name is often invoked. Why you are not telling me anything about Him?”

Father Seraphim seemed very troubled, as if the former asked for the revelation of his heart’s most intimate secret. The higher the received divine revelation is, the greater the humility it needs to be transmitted further. Father Seraphim confessed he did not feel that humble to communicate such a secret: “Only the Holly Ghost can teach you that. Nobody but the Father knows who really the Son is and nobody knows who the Father really is but the Son and those to whom the Son decides to reveal Himself”. (Luke, 10, 22).

It is necessary for you to know you must become one (in other words, to fully identify yourself) with the Son to pray as the Son and to have, with the One He called His Father and Our Father (God), the same intimate relations as Him, and this fulfilment cannot be but the deed of the Holy Ghost, which will unveil, then, the meaning of all Jesus’ words. The Gospel will start to be fully alive in you and it will teach you to pray as you have to”.

But the young man insisted to know more. Father Seraphim smiled: “All right, but you must know that meditating as Jesus means revising very well all forms of previously learned meditation. You must also know that Jesus was, is and always will be the cosmic man. He perfectly knew how to meditate as the mountain, as the poppy, as the ocean, as the bird. He also knew Abraham’s meditation. His heart did not have borders and that was why he loved his enemies, too.

Remember that Jesus said on the cross: “Forgive them, Father, as they do not know what they are doing”. His hospitality and his benevolence were equal for everybody. He received with love and compassion even the sick, the sinners, the paralyzed, the prostitutes, the ones that would sell Him. During the night, he isolated in Nature’s loneliness to pray and full of love often murmured like a child: “Avva”, that means “Father”…you might find it ridiculous to call the Transcendent, the Infinite, the Unnamed, the one beyond everything, “Father”.

Still, that was Jesus’ main prayer and he said everything by this one word. The Earth and the Sky completely fused in Him, due to His giant Faith. God and man were one and the same in those moments. There is no doubt that you must speak with great devotion and aspiration the word “Father” in the silence of the night in order to understand what it really means…
 
Today, when in this world the relation parent-child have changed so much, in many cases they do not mean a thing, few are those that will understand what I mean here. Maybe now, this image does not correspond to the realities of this world at all.

This is why, I preferred to tell you nothing, to use no image and to wait that Holly Ghost gives you the feelings and the secret knowledge that Jesus Christ had; thus, this unique word “Avva” will not just come out of your lips but from the depths of your heart. Only then will you truly understand what secret prayer and hesychast meditation are.”

And now, go home

Father Seraphim’s young disciple stayed a couple of months more on Mount Athos. Jesus’ simple prayer often impelled him in endless and bottomless abysses, bringing him on the verge of a real ecstatic elation: “I am not the one living now, but eternal Jesus lives in me” he could say as Saint Paul. When he was overwhelmed by those states, he had a continuous delirium of humility in himself and the desire of interposing in others’ favour at the same time. It manifested as a burning desire “that all people were saved from the state they were in and were able to reach the ecstatic plenitude of knowing the Truth”. He became a live flame, burning in the fire of love. “He was burning all the time but he never consumed himself”. He often had sublime luminous visions. Some said they saw him walking on water or remaining still, in ecstasy, a couple of meters above the ground…

One day, Father Seraphim came again and started screaming: “Enough! Take your things now and leave!”. This is how Father Seraphim asked his young disciple to leave Athos and return home to see what he would be left with of his wonderful prayers and hesychast meditations.

The young hesychast disciple left immediately, without questioning the reason he was asked to do that. Back in his country, his acquaintances found him thinner. They did not see anything spiritual or divine in his almost dirty beard and in his casual look. But all that did not trouble him at all, anymore, as he could not forget Father Seraphim’s teaching.

Sometimes, when he felt too agitated, not finding time for himself, he gave up everything for a moment and he went to meditate as a mountain on the patio of a café. When he felt his ego, vanity amplified, he suddenly remembered about the poppy. “Any flower fades” he said to himself then and his heart focused on God’s eternal light again. When sadness, anger, disgust invaded his soul, he retired in solitude and started to breathe rhythmically and profoundly, as the ocean; by doing that, he shortly felt he put himself in unison with God’s Soul and full of humility, he invoked His name, murmuring: kyrie eleison.

When he often contemplated his fellows’ suffering, malice and helplessness, he immediately remembered Abraham’s meditation. When he was defamed or when he had to listen to different infamies about him, he re-found the happiness and innocence of a God’s child by meditating together with Jesus. On the outside, he was like anybody else. He was not up to look like a saint. Seven years after his return from Mount Athos he forgot to practice, for at least once a month, the method of hesychast inner listening. Still, he never did and never will forget to love God every moment and always walk in His presence (God).