A beautiful collection of sayings, dialogues and stories from early Christian ascetics and mystics of the first few centuries of Christianity--men (and women too) who left "the world" to go out into the desert wilderness in imitation of the life of Jesus Christ.
Not only did these "sayings" have significant influence on Eastern Christianity, on Coptic Christianity and on the Hesychastic movement within the Eastern Church, there is also a tremendous resonance in this work with many ideas and aspects of Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism (see the reading list below with links to book reviews here on this site). It's quite striking. The more I read about religion the more I see commonalities everywhere, all the time.
This is a book to be read a few pages a day, slowly and meditatively. It puts you in a calming place, in a place of a healthy, humble daily routine. The stories and anecdotes deal with universal questions: how to live a good life, how to behave, how to deal with the temptations of the world, how to live a life of quiet virtue and asceticism, how to avoid the traps of attachment, and so on. Some are funny, some are sad, some offer examples of great humility and beauty.
One final aspect of this book that a reader can't help but note is the deep respect that young monks show to their elder monks. And the elder monks usually respond by saying how little respect they deserve compared to the virtues of their elder monks. We stand on the shoulders of giants, whether we're aware of it or not.
There are a lot of versions of this book, many are available free in the public domain. The Amazon Kindle version I read is available for a nominal price.
I read this book (very) gradually over nearly two years. It became a mentally restful, near-daily habit, and I wouldn't be surprised if I pick it up again in a few more years once "the world" starts to tempt me again.
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