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Anonymous Creator

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“Ξάφνου μ' ένα χαμόγελο θυμόμουν τους πατέρες Διόνυσο και Γαβριήλ, τους αδερφούς Θεοφύλακτο, Χρίστο και Πολύκαρπο, τους γενάτους, μακρυμάλληδες, καλημαυχοφόρους οικοδεσπότες και προστάτες μου στην Κρήτη κατά την διάρκεια του πολέμου, που ‘βάζαν τις ρακές, έσπαγαν καρύδια, έλεγαν τραγούδια του βουνού, έλυναν κι έδεναν πιστόλια, μου έκαναν ατελείωτες ερωτήσεις για τον Τσόρτσιλ και ροχάλιζαν κάτω από τα λιόδεντρα, ενώ οι αχτίδες του ήλιου έπεφταν κάθετα στο Λιβυκό Πέλαγος.”

“Ο χρόνος σ΄ένα μοναστήρι περνά με ανησυχητική ταχύτητα. Εκτός από τις μεγάλες γιορτές της Εκκλησίας, δεν υπάρχουν άλλα ορόσημα που να τον χωρίζουν πέραν του κύκλου των εποχών. Και διαπίστωσα ότι οι μέρες, και σύντομα οι εβδομάδες, περνούσαν σχεδόν απαρατήρητες. Η ταχύτητα της παρέλευσης του χρόνου είναι ένα φαινόμενο που το προσέχει κάθε μοναχός: έξι μήνες, ένα χρόνος, δεκαπέντε χρόνια, μια ζωή, σύντομα τελειώνουν.”

“Meditation periods in monasteries can be as long as fifty minutes or more, but this is appropriate only if it does not cause too much discomfort and if one is able to maintain concentration for that long. During intensive Zen retreats, called sesshin, practitioners sit for twelve hours or more per day. But don't let this scare you off, just as it should not scare off beginning joggers to know that some super-athletes run double marathons. Always start where you are. After all, where else could you start?”

“In all monasteries, there can be found examples of monks who have ordained for the two reasons that the average Korean presumes most common: failure in love or laziness. Any organization as large as the Buddhist church will be certain to attract its share of seeming undesirables. But one point that monks often made to me is that regardless of the initial motivation that prompts a man to assume a religious vocation, continued involvement in the monastic life may remold that motivation into an entirely exemplary one. Indeed, there is no way of predicting from a monk's background his ultimate success in the religious life. I knew several monks from devoted Buddhist families who ordained out of strong personal faith but were unable to adjust to the difficult lifestyle of the monastery and ended up disrobing. Finally, as monks reiterate time and again, it is not why a man initially wants to become a monk that determines the quality of his vocation, but how well he leads the life once he has ordained.”