Rather, he says and does what this excellent condition suggests. Praktikos 68Ī man who has established the virtues in himself and is entirely permeated with them no longer remembers the law or the commandments or the punishment. One who is perfect does not practice self-control, and one who has attained apatheia does not practice patient endurance, since patient endurance pertains to one who suffers, and self-control to one who is disturbed. This ‘life of apathea’ is a life in which external teachings and the struggle with vices are swallowed up by the freedom of the Spirit. This, the desert elders teach, is the fully human life we are created to enjoy and that Christ came to restore in us. Where there is freedom from the thoughts, there is awakened life in God. The purpose is to open the possibility of deeper participation in the life of God. The goal of working with the eight thoughts is not just to be free of the afflictions of the thoughts. In the desert teaching, apathea and the corresponding purity of heart are the gateway to higher, more intimate spiritual knowledge of God. When our minds and hearts are freed from their obscuring influence, we come to see God. The ‘density’ of thought obscures the direct perception of spiritual reality. From this detached freedom, we become able to perceive the presence of God, which is deeper, more subtle, and more profound than any of the thoughts. Apathea, in the desert understanding, bears a close connection to Jesus’ Beatitude, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ Purity (or cleanness) of heart means that our heart does not grasp for or attach itself to any thought but remains free as the thoughts rise and fall in consciousness. In apathea, the soul becomes stable, tranquil, still and peaceful. The desert monastics speak of the state of apathea, or ‘freedom from the passions (or suffering).’ This state is the soul’s restoration to its original state in the Garden of Edenand is the goal of the desert training on the eight thoughts. While transforming our relationship with each thought brings a particular gift, there’s a greater gift that comes from changing our relationships with all eight of the thoughts. Recognizing and releasing Pride frees us from selfishness and opens our capacity for true humility.Īpathea and Purity of Heart – The Goal of the Desert Training Letting go of Vainglory brings the gift of authenticity and freedom from the oppression of social pressures. Releasing thoughts of Anger awakens compassion and the capacity to suffer in solidarity with others.Įnduring through thoughts of Acedia gives rise to equanimity and steadfastness of heart. Letting go of Greed leads to contentment and awareness of the abundance of spiritual riches available to us.įreedom from Dejection gives access to joy that cannot be shaken by external circumstances. Growing freedom from Lust awakens the capacity for affectionate, selfless love. Transforming our relationship with Gluttony gives access to temperance, and trains us in the ability to notice our relationship with all thought. This is another way of saying that, by following the way of Christ, we can open to God re-forming us and become ‘a new creation.’ When we heal our relationship with each thought, we are offered a corresponding virtue or spiritual gift: We are ‘sons and daughters of the Most High.’ By purifying our relationship to thought, we begin to recover access to the divine attributes that are a part of our original human nature. As we continue with the celebration of the Easter season, I’d like to reflect on the gifts of this teaching, what happens when we faithfully practice the discipline of the eight thoughts, and its relationship to the whole journey of transformation in Christ.Ī central guiding insight behind the teaching on the eight thoughts is that we are not our thoughts. Through the season of Lent, we’ve explored the teachings of the desert monastics on the ‘eight thoughts’ and purification of the heart.
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