Most of these quotes are taken from the translation of Syncletica's Life by Elizabeth Bryson Bongie. An icon of Syncletica is here.
There is a familiar refrain about the difficulty of the spiritual road, especially at the beginning. Syncletica said it in a way that appeals to me as a life-long camper: “For those who are making their way toward God there is at first great struggle and effort, but then indescribable joy. For just as those who wish to kindle a fire are at first choked with smoke... in this way [they] achieve their purpose.”
And like a campfire, I've noticed that a strong, clean spiritual burn can suddenly start sputtering and smoking again, just when I relaxed to take a nap.
But then I turn to mystics like Hafiz - who had the best view of obedience: "Befriend [the] obedience that ...shouts to our reason, 'O please, o please, come out and play.' For we have not come here ...to confine our wondrous spirits." And Lalla who said: "God does not want meditations and austerities. Through love alone can you reach the Abode of Bliss."
Yea!
But still, these mystics certainly recognized the attachments (and excuses) with which every spiritual seeker must deal, in one way or another.
To the Egyptian desert hermits, the initial spiritual struggle was with fixations on bodily comfort, relationships and possessions. Once these dissipated much worse fixations arose - such as anger, dejection and pride. Synclectica described the first three as like storm waves that batter you (a ship) from without. But the more difficult troubling thoughts are like bilge water that can “overflow and frequently kill the seamen, often when they are asleep and the sea is calm." Ick!
Even in the monastery, I found it hard to resist thoughts that my back hurt, I’d like a snack, and maybe I should take a break and find someone to chat with – all aspects of “gluttony” and “lust” in Syncletica’s lingo. Yet those are easily identified compared to pride that creeps in unnoticed so seekers “drown in calm waters through carelessness of letting go of the rudder.” sigh.
One attractive thing about Syncletica was her insistence that there are many ways to live a holy life other than renunciation. “Just as one diet is not suitable for all animals, so the same instruction is not suitable for all people.” Those best suited to marriage and family life should go that way.
Even for those drawn to renunciation, not all are meant for the most austere. Beginners should start with less austere practices as women who “rush into rejecting their possessions are generally seized with regret.” Only someone who has been tried will be strengthened by owning nothing, sleeping on the ground, fasting and praying always. “Heavy clothing… is washed and bleached by treading and vigorous wringing,” but some people “rubbed a little...disintegrate like torn garments.” They should never try austerity as it would take them away from God not towards.
Syncletica's practical understanding of real people also shows up when she says that despair and pride are twin maladies. Someone puffed up with pride in ascetic achievements may need deflation, but people also need encouragement. Someone paralyzed by thoughts of difficulty and failure needs to be admired and flattered for any small step forward.
I don’t know about you, but I’m much better at deflating myself than praising myself for small steps forward. (“Whoopee, I sat for TEN MINUTES this morning,” versus, “What a failure! I can’t meditate for more than ten minutes.”)
So as a certified total schlepper, I find comfort in Syncletica’s admonition that spiritual discipline is “the ultimate and chief of all evils” because it causes the surest defeat through pride, the “Devil’s ultimate sword.” While having too rigid a discipline is like “scattering a fire by blowing on it too hard.”
Those who become proud of fasting must enter a community where they will have to eat regularly. And anyone who feels pride in her spiritual practice, however great, should remember: “demons have in fact done... more ascetic acts than yours. They do not eat, nor drink, nor sleep. They also spend their lives in a desert – in case you think you are doing something great by living in a cave.”
Something any of us aspiring cave dwellers just have to keep in mind - even those like me whose discipline is basically pitiful.
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