St Anthony and Advaita

February 27, 2004

Dear Advaitins,

Pranams .

My mother was very much attached to St Antony. There was a church in Kolar Gold

Fields where we lived. She used to send a huge pot of rice and curds for

distribution to the poor at the church .

We were always thinking that St Antony hailed from Italy. When my wife and I

were in Italy in 1964, we visited the Church of St Antony at Padua and got a

remembrance for my mother.

But recently, poring through an interesting book on the early forms of

Christianity in Byzantium, I chanced on something about St Antony. The talks

that the author had with a monk there has a lot of Advaita in it. I reproduce it

below for your interest.

ST ANTHONY – THE COPTIC ORTHODOX MONASTERY AT BENI-SUEF IN EGYPT ( near the Red

Sea )

( Excerpts from the book FROM THE HOLY MOUNTAIN …a journey in the shadow of

Byzantium … by William Dalrymple , HrperCollins Publishers 1997 )

St Antony , a semi-literate Egyptian farmer from the nearby town of Beni Suef ,

rejected the world of violent sensuality and grasping materialism in Alexandria

and Bien Suef, and set off into the desert to found his monastery.

St Antony first fled to the site of the present monastery in the late third

century A.D. in an effort to escape the attentions of a stream of adoring

Graeco-Roman intellectuals from Alexandria, Through no fault of his own, the

saint had become the darling of Alexandria’s fashionable intelligentsia, who

revered him for his earthy asceticism and his reputed power over demons.These

Alexandrian sophisticates had turned up in streams at St Antony’s cave, causing

the baffled hermit – a painfully shy man who had retreated into the sand dunes

with the express purpose of avoiding other human beings – to flee from his

admirers further and further into the desert.

When his fan club pursued him to the site of the present monastery, located as

it was in the middle of some of the most inhospitable sand-wastes in the entire

Middle East, the saint realized that he was never going to shake off his

followers. He decided instead to organize them into a loose-knit community of

hermits, over which he kept watch from a cave a safe distance further up the

mountain.

So was born Christian monasticism; and with incredible speed the idea spread. By

the early fifth century some seven hundred monasteries filled the desert between

Jerusalem and the southern border of the Byzantine Empire; they flourished to

such an extent that travelers reported that the population of the desert now

equaled that of the towns.

The story of St Antony’s life, which was written within a year of his death by

Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, was soon translated into Latin by Evagrius

of Antioch for ‘ the brethren from overseas’; within twenty years it was being

read and copied in distant Gaul. Not long afterwards, St Augustine, sitting in

Hippo in North Africa, records that he was profoundly moved by a story he heard

from two secret policemen from Trier ( now a part of Germany ), having read The

Life of St Antony, decided to leave their comfortable posts to become monks in

Egypt. A century later monasticism was flourishing all over the West, and had

become especially popular in Italy and southern France. By 700 it had reached

even the Highlands of Scotland; around that time an image of St Antony under a

palm tree was sculpted by Pictish monks on the windswept promontory of Nigg,

near Inverness, hundreds of miles beyond the Roman Empire’s northernmost border.

The Monastery of St Antony – which unlike most of its medieval Western

imitators, is still flourishing – lies in the desert some three hundred miles

south-east of Cairo, fifty miles inland from the barren shores of the Red Sea. …

Until forty years ago St Antony’s could only be reached by a three-week journey,

and it depended for all its supplies on a monthly camel caravan.

The monastery is so well camouflaged against its khaki backdrop that it is

almost invisible until you drive up directly underneath it. Then , less than

half a mile from your destination, the whole complex comes slowly into focus :

out of the sand rises a loop of camel-coloured walls pierced by a series of

pepperpot mud-brick bastions. Above these stand two enormous towers – the

gatehouse and the Byzantine keep – beyond which you can see the tops of dusty

palm trees shivering in the desert wind.

Inside the walls, the monastery looks more like some African oasis village than

it does Tintern, Rievaulx, Fountains or any of the great medieval monasteries of

Europe. Streets of unglazed mud-brick cottages with creaking wooden balconies

lead up to a scattering of churches and chapels; occasionally a small piazza

filled with a sway of date palms breaks the spread of cells.

The monastery’s simple mud-brick buildings were constructed in the fourth

century in a manner as crude and earthy as the buildings of Byzantine Alexandria

must once have been refined and beautiful. This contrast was not accidental. St

Antony, and the monks who followed him into the Egyptian desert were consciously

rejecting everything that Alexandria stood for : luxury, indulgence, elegance,

sophistication. Instead they cultivated a deliberate simplicity – sometimes even

a willful primitiveness – and their way of life is reflected in their art and

their architecture.

In contrast to medieval Western monks, the Egyptian desert fathers also tended

to reject the concept of learning, the worship of knowledge for its own sake. St

Antony was particularly scathing about books, proclaiming that ‘ in the person

whose mind is sound there is no need for letters’, and that the only book he

needed was ‘the nature of God’s creation: it is present whenever I wish to read

His words’. Many of St Antony’s Coptic followers emulated his example,

preferring a life of hard manual labour and long hours of prayer to one of

study.

St Antony’s charm and power is communicated far more effectively in the simple

aphorisms attributed to him in The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Here he

emanates wisdom and good rustic common sense, encouraging his followers to live

simply, not to fuss unnecessarily and to ignore the opinions of the world.

There are two ( examples ) :

‘Abba Pambo asked Abba Antony: “ What ought I to do ?” and the old man said to

him: “ Do not trust in your own righteousness, do not worry about the past, but

control your tongue and your stomach “’

And again :

‘ When Abba Antony thought about the depth of the judgements of God, he asked, “

Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to

extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do

wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?” He heard a voice answering

him, “ Antony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to

the judgements of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about

them. “’

As the last light was fading gradually from the sky outside, I asked Fr

Dioscuros about his motives for becoming a monk and why he had left the comforts

of Alexandria for the harsh climate of the desert.

‘Many people think we come to the desert to punish ourselves, because it is hot

and dry and difficult to live in,’ said Fr Dioscuros. ‘ But it’s not true. We

come because we love it here.’

‘What is there to love about the desert?’

‘We love the peace, the silence. When you really want to talk to someone you

want to sit together in a quiet place and talk, not to be in the midst of a

crowd of other people. How can you talk properly in a crowd? So it is with us.

We come here because we want to be alone with our God. As St Antony once said: “

Let your heart be silent, then God will speak.”’

‘But you do seem to punish yourselves deliberately: the hot , coarse robes you

wear, the long Lenten fasts you all undertake….’

‘Ah,’ said Fr Dioscuros, ‘but you see fasting is not punishment. It is a tool,

not an end in itself. It is not easy to communicate with God on a full stomach.

You want to go to sleep, not to sit in church praying. To pray successfully it

is better to be a little hungry.’

‘But doing without possessions: isn’t that a punishment?’

‘No, it’s a choice. For myself I have begun to get rid of many of the things

which clutter up my cell. Last week I threw out my chair. I don’t need it. Now I

sit on the floor. Why should I bother with extra food, with spare clothes, with

unnecessary furniture? All you need is a piece of bread and enough covering for

the body. The less you have , the less you have to distract you from God. Do you

understand?’

I smiled, uncertainly.

‘Well,’ just look around this room. When I am in here I think that the chair is

in the wrong place, I must move it. Or maybe that the lamp is out of oil, I must

fill it . Or ….or that that shutter is broken and I must get it mended. But in

the desert there is just sand. You don’t think of anything else; there is

nothing to disturb you. It should be the same in a monk’s cell. The less there

is, the easier it is to talk to God.’

‘Do you find it easy?’

‘It is never easy, but with practice I find it less difficult,’ said Dioscuros.

‘The spiritual life is like a ladder. Every day if you are disciplined and make

the effort you find you will rise up, understand a little better, find it a

little easier to concentrate, find that your mind is wandering less and less.

When you pray alone in your cell without distraction you feel as if you are in

front of God, as if nothing is coming to you except from God. When you succeed –

if you do manage to banish distractions and communicate directly with God – then

the compensation outweighs any sufferings or hardships. You feel as if something

which was dim is suddenly lighted for you. You feel full of light and pleasure:

it is like a blinding charge of electricity.’

‘But you don’t have to come to the middle of the desert to find an empty room

free of distractions. You can find that anywhere: in Cairo, or Alex, or London

…’

‘What you say is true,’ said Fr Dioscuros with a smile. ‘You can pray anywhere.

After all, God is everywhere, so you can find him everywhere.’ He gestured to

the darkening sand dunes outside: ‘But in the desert, in the pure clean

atmosphere, in the silence- there you can find yourself . And unless you begin

to know yourself, how can you even begin to search for God ?’

Warm regards and pranams

Mohan

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February 27, 2004

For our benefit, history does seem to repeat itself.

This wonderful account of St. anthony's life ( I have just taken a

few key excerpts from Mohanji's post) seems to have played itself

again in the hills of Arunachala. The similarity with Bhagwan

Ramana's life and teachings is striking- especially the last line - '

Unless you begin to know yorself, how can you even begin to search

for God'

Many Thousand Namaskarams to all advaitins

S

advaitin, S Mohan <mohanirmala> wrote:

> Dear Advaitins,

> St Antony first fled to the site of the present monastery in the

late third century A.D. in an effort to escape the attentions of a

stream of adoring Graeco-Roman intellectuals from Alexandria,

Through no fault of his own, the saint had become the darling of

Alexandria's fashionable intelligentsia, who revered him for his

earthy asceticism and his reputed power over demons.These Alexandrian

sophisticates had turned up in streams at St Antony's cave, causing

the baffled hermit – a painfully shy man who had retreated into the

sand dunes with the express purpose of avoiding other human beings –

to flee from his admirers further and further into the desert.

>

> When his fan club pursued him to the site of the present monastery,

located as it was in the middle of some of the most inhospitable sand-

wastes in the entire Middle East, the saint realized that he was

never going to shake off his followers. He decided instead to

organize them into a loose-knit community of hermits, over which he

kept watch from a cave a safe distance further up the mountain.

>

Here he emanates wisdom and good rustic common sense, encouraging

his followers to live simply, not to fuss unnecessarily and to ignore

the opinions of the world.

>

> >

> And again :

>

> ` When Abba Antony thought about the depth of the judgements of

God, he asked, " Lord, how is it that some die when they are young,

while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are

poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are

the just in need?" He heard a voice answering him, " Antony, keep

your attention on yourself; these things are according to the

judgements of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything

about them. "'

>

> `But doing without possessions: isn't that a punishment?'

>

> `No, it's a choice. For myself I have begun to get rid of many of

the things which clutter up my cell. Last week I threw out my chair.

I don't need it. Now I sit on the floor. Why should I bother with

extra food, with spare clothes, with unnecessary furniture? All you

need is a piece of bread and enough covering for the body. The less

you have , the less you have to distract you from God. Do you

understand?'

>

> I smiled, uncertainly.

>

> `What you say is true,' said Fr Dioscuros with a smile. `You can

pray anywhere. After all, God is everywhere, so you can find him

everywhere.' He gestured to the darkening sand dunes outside: `But in

the desert, in the pure clean atmosphere, in the silence- there you

can find yourself . And unless you begin to know yourself, how can

you even begin to search for God ?'

>

February 28, 2004

--- asridhar19 <asridhar19 wrote:

> For our benefit, history does seem to repeat itself.

> This wonderful account of St. anthony's life ( I

> have just taken a

> few key excerpts from Mohanji's post) seems to have

> played itself

> again in the hills of Arunachala. The similarity

> with Bhagwan

> Ramana's life and teachings is striking- especially

> the last line - '

> Unless you begin to know yorself, how can you even

> begin to search

> for God'

Namaste all,

A few years ago, on our way back from a visit to

Arunachala, my wife and I stayed a while in Syria. My

wife is a student of the Desert Fathers' tradition of

non-duality. I took her north of Aleppo where many of

the desert mystics once lived. We went to a remote

ruined church which had been built around the pillar

of Simon Stylites. This man had also been hounded by

questioners and had sought refuge atop a pillar where

he stayed for many years, but still people came from

all over Europe to ask him questions...such is the

power ot truth to attract.

Knowing of his story since childhood, I had always

regarded him, in my ignorance, to be a madman. So when

we came to the foot of the pillar which now is only

about fifteen feet high, I decided to clamber up and

sit on the top and play the fool. As I grasped the

stone an overwhelming sense of peace and unity flooded

through mind and body, leaving a sincere respect for

this man whose spiritual work from so long ago still

permeates that place. With my ignorance dissolved, any

desire to sit atop the remains of the pillar vanished.

I mention this because, even if this is just the play

of the gunas leaving a predominance of sattva, it is a

reminder for us that all the spiritual offerings on

this site will carry that same light. Who knows who

will find their way here in years to come.

If anyone wants to know more of Simon Stylites you can

find this at:

www.traditionaction.org/SOD/jo55sdsimenol-5.htm

Best wishes

ken knight

New Photos - easier uploading and sharing.

February 28, 2004

--- asridhar19 <asridhar19 wrote:

> For our benefit, history does seem to repeat itself.

> This wonderful account of St. anthony's life ( I

> have just taken a

> few key excerpts from Mohanji's post) seems to have

> played itself

> again in the hills of Arunachala. The similarity

> with Bhagwan

> Ramana's life and teachings is striking- especially

> the last line - '

> Unless you begin to know yorself, how can you even

> begin to search

> for God'

Namaste all,

A few years ago, on our way back from a visit to

Arunachala, my wife and I stayed a while in Syria. My

wife is a student of the Desert Fathers' tradition of

non-duality. I took her north of Aleppo where many of

the desert mystics once lived. We went to a remote

ruined church which had been built around the pillar

of Simon Stylites. This man had also been hounded by

questioners and had sought refuge atop a pillar where

he stayed for many years, but still people came from

all over Europe to ask him questions...such is the

power ot truth to attract.

Knowing of his story since childhood, I had always

regarded him, in my ignorance, to be a madman. So when

we came to the foot of the pillar which now is only

about fifteen feet high, I decided to clamber up and

sit on the top and play the fool. As I grasped the

stone an overwhelming sense of peace and unity flooded

through mind and body, leaving a sincere respect for

this man whose spiritual work from so long ago still

permeates that place. With my ignorance dissolved, any

desire to sit atop the remains of the pillar vanished.

I mention this because, even if this is just the play

of the gunas leaving a predominance of sattva, it is a

reminder for us that all the spiritual offerings on

this site will carry that same light. Who knows who

will find their way here in years to come.

If anyone wants to know more of Simon Stylites you can

find this at:

www.traditionaction.org/SOD/jo55sdsimenol-5.htm

Best wishes

ken knight

New Photos - easier uploading and sharing.

February 29, 2004

Namaste Mohanji,

I got to read this post of yours only today. It is a beautiful piece

and appeals to me both for its message of renunciation / simple

living as well as for its information about Christian history (-

ancient and medieval history being a subject for which I have

developed an interest recently). Thank you for posting it.

With regards,

Chittaranjan

advaitin, S Mohan <mohanirmala> wrote:

> Dear Advaitins,

> Pranams .

> My mother was very much attached to St Antony. There was a church

in Kolar Gold Fields where we lived. She used to send a huge pot of

rice and curds for distribution to the poor at the church .

> We were always thinking that St Antony hailed from Italy. When my

wife and I were in Italy in 1964, we visited the Church of St Antony

at Padua and got a remembrance for my mother.

> But recently, poring through an interesting book on the early forms

of Christianity in Byzantium, I chanced on something about St Antony.

The talks that the author had with a monk there has a lot of Advaita

in it. I reproduce it below for your interest.

>

> ST ANTHONY – THE COPTIC ORTHODOX MONASTERY AT BENI-SUEF IN EGYPT (

near the Red Sea )

>

> ( Excerpts from the book FROM THE HOLY MOUNTAIN …a journey in the

shadow of Byzantium … by William Dalrymple , HrperCollins Publishers

1997 )

>

> St Antony , a semi-literate Egyptian farmer from the nearby town of

Beni Suef , rejected the world of violent sensuality and grasping

materialism in Alexandria and Bien Suef, and set off into the desert

to found his monastery.