I was told that at one stage a new aspirant was under a vow of silence, but the the time I got there he was 'A servant of God' and near the second week, after a year of his training he was granted a novice position.
This was a culturally, nominally religious Jewish man, who had practiced in the Thai Forest tradition for 15 years, before having some sort of miracle which brought him to Christianity. First to a less than satisfactory group of Benedictines, and then straight to the Greek Orthodox monastery where I was. He took some vows and they brought him right in, chrisimated him, and he's officially Orthodox now, working on becoming a monk.
We had a lot to discuss as you can imagine.
He's the person there I got to know the best through our similar wanderings through the Dharma, and in part, the influence it still had in our lives.
The ascetic practices and the mindfulness cross over quite easily into Orthodox mystic practice, which is to simply say All Orthodox practices, since it's not separate. As I mentioned most converts came through the 'eastern door, if you will.
There was minimal talking there. Most speak is to get work done, liturgy, or edifying speech about things that matter of a spiritual nature.
There were plenty of days I only said about 15 words.
There was profound external silence.
No phone ringing, no humming fridge, no traffic, no radio, no tv, no cursing etc...
But in THAT silence, as those sentiment fell away, there arose inner noise.
When the distractions are gone, what is in us arises...
Just like any form of meditation... after about 15 mins we start to notice it's really noisy in there.
And after just a day, it was easy to be led astray down tangents.
Mindfullness is call Watchfullness in the Orthodox tradition, but the practice is essentially the same.
This is what the Jesus Prayer is all about.
Concentration at times. Contemplation at others, and prayer in another.
It's a shield against the battering of these thoughts.
This is where the 'spiritual warfare' happens.
Bravely facing these thoughts, we stand midst the thoughts, with out shield.
The goal not to slay them, per se, but to see them, soften the blow with the shield, experience them to some degree and repel them. In time and with stronger practice we can see them. But it's enough to just stand in their midst and take a step forward when we can, penetrating the darkness, with the light of our practice.
Yes.... all sorts of stuff comes up. From sexual fantasy, the ever obvious...
To fleeing... running away... doubt, fear, questioning... hardships, pride, ego....
But so do moments of peace, quiet, joy, humility, charity, forgiveness, strength, courage....
And they too can rise out of the fog, just as easily as the 'bad'....
Bad thoughts are good ones just waiting to be see in the light of change.
Like the belt in a dark room is a snake without the proper lighting.
This practice was most of my days there.
Not deep dark thoughts maybe.... but just that being present, remember to talk rightly about good things and matters of the spirit that help each other grow. To practice using humble speak. To not be proud. To give thanks with my words.
Simply said.... resisting self-willed-egotism in all things.
Being near people who have practiced this for decades, and longer than I've been alive, in some cases, was energizing for sure.... but also humbling, greatly. How little do I really know....
There is a Zen proverb that says, "Only speak if you an improve the silence."
And truly, in times, words were spoken that improved the silence...
Not broke the silence, per se, as I said, it was 'loud' at times inside.
Rather this speaking broke ground for the silence to grow and deepen.
So it was an honour to hear some of these Monks speak.
Fore when they do, there is so much more in their language than words.
I thought as much, just checking.
Like I said, hikes and all... surrounded by nature, it was easy to be outside without 'going' to walk in it... it was in the country, very silent. To be there was to be present in nature.
In the early morning there were cool breezes, peeper frogs and crickets babbling, you could hear them in the open windows of the church and out the windows in the evening. Owls in the forest, who-WHOing in the mid-night.
Bees that hummed like a symphony tuning up, while working the the garden.
The stillness, where you could hear blades of grass rustle in the breeze.
The work wasn't separate from the peace of nature. It was all one.
Work was play. Play was prayer. Prayer was meditation. Meditation was being present....
And there was a lot to stand in the middle of and be absorbed into.
It wasn't a dichotomous time, really.
Once on a feast day, in the afternoon I took an extended walk with the Novice, but while we were enjoying the country side, we also enjoyed each other's company, and talked of deeper matters.
All things were done prayerfully....
So to 'get away' from it all, would be missing the point.
Our life is our Testement, our Gospel, the Mission which we preach.
Simply through our being.
And it happens whether we think about it or not.
Actions are louder than words, always.
So if we are centered in the meaning of that Gospel, which literally means truth, we can better radiate the connectedness we experience, and share that with others.
And it's my belief that when we live intentionally connected to the world around us, to others, love and compassion beings to grow and bloom naturally.
So being connected to the truth of our life. I feel, is to preach, which is to act with, in and through love and compassion.
And in the words of a Saint:
"Preach the Gospel always, and when needed, use words"
In the monastery we meditate on the Truths that promote live giving energy into the world, and they so happen to find word for that Truth in the Christian Bible.
I'll save the expounding on the literal translations of certain buzz words.
I tried to boil it down a bit for you.
But simply said... living heedless isn't life giving.
Being aware we falter and striving to do better for our self and others it life giving.
And simply said, it's held that Jesus taught and lived a way of Life, not Death.
And like I said... I'm going to just share it how it happened, more or less.
So don't feel I'm preaching, please and search for the meaning of what I'm saying behind some of the buzzier words.