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Respond to everyone saying something idle, in conversations not conducive to the goal of asceticism. Be a hearer of good teachings, and by the study of these preserve your heart. Guard your ears from worldly tales, lest by a sprinkling of mire you stain your soul.

Do not grow weary of listening to what is said by others, nor thrust your head into the midst of those speaking; so that you may not be mocked, and make them slanderers. Do not be meddlesome, nor wish to see everything, so that you do not retain the discharge of passions in your mind. See what is needful, 31.644 hear what is needful, speak what is needful, answer what is needful. Do not be rash to sit down by one greater than you. But if you are urged, do not become a fellow-sitter, but looking around here and there, hasten to find a lower seat, so that God may glorify you in your humility. When asked, answer with a fitting and humble voice; when not asked, keep silence. When another is being asked, keep your mouth shut, lest your tongue, being pushed out from a rash heart, run away and strike one of those who are precise in their asceticism, and place you under the bonds of accusations. And when sitting, you shall not cross your leg over the other foot; for this is of inattentiveness and of a restless soul. When conversing with your very least, or when asked something by him, do not make your answers lazily, despising the brother to the dishonor of God. For he who dishonors a poor man provokes his Maker, says the Proverb. Let the word of exhortation leap forth from your other sayings, confirming your love for your neighbor. Let it be also central, and the fullness of the conversation, with a cheerful countenance, that you may give joy to the one conversing with you.

In every good deed of your neighbor, rejoice, and glorify God; for his good deeds are yours, as yours are also his. Refuse the first places at table and the first seats in the assemblies; but pursue the last place, so that you might hear instead: 'Friend, come up higher.' At the table let your left hand not be disorderly, nor let it dominate the right. Rather let it be idle; but if not, at least let it serve the right. At every call to your prayer let your mouth respond, and until the last prayer remain with the rule, considering the omission a great loss. For if when you are eating for the sustenance of your flesh you are disinclined to leave the table before the necessary fulfillment, and you would not easily do this without great necessity; how much more must you remain with spiritual food, and by prayer strengthen your own soul? For as much as heaven differs from earth, and the things in heaven from those on earth, so much does soul differ from body. The soul is an imitation of heaven; for in it dwells the Lord; but the flesh is from the earth, in which dwell mortal men and irrational animals. Therefore, measure the needs of the body against the hours of prayers, and be ready not to obey a thought that pulls you away from the rule. For it is a custom for demons during the hours of prayer, on the pretext of a seemingly reasonable 31.645 cause, to urge us toward withdrawal, so that they may lead us away with a plausible excuse from the saving prayer. Do not say, making excuses, "Oh my head, oh my stomach," putting forward unseen witnesses of a non-existent pain, and for the sake of rest yielding to the intensity of the vigil. But rather have secret prayers, which God sees in secret, and he will reward you in the open. Have as a side-business a most excellent way of life, so that you may find a hidden treasure in the day of need. In the days of your service, along with the labor of the body, have also a word of exhortation for the love of those being served, so that your service may be well-pleasing, seasoned with salt. Do not

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ἀποκρίνου παντὶ ἀδολεσχοῦν τι, ἐν ὁμιλίαις τῷ σκοπῷ τῆς ἀσκήσεως μὴ συμβαι νούσαις. Ἀγαθῶν διδαγμάτων γίνου ἀκροατὴς, καὶ τῇ τούτων μελέτῃ συντήρει σὴν καρδίαν. Φύλαττέ σου τὰ ὦτα ἀπὸ κοσμικῶν διηγημάτων, μήπως ῥαντίσματι βορβόρου τὴν ψυχήν σου σπιλώσῃς.

Μὴ κάμνε ἐνακροᾶσθαι τὰ παρ' ἑτέρων λαλούμενα, μηδὲ βάλλε κεφαλήν σου ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ὁμιλούντων· ἵνα μὴ καὶ σὺ μυκτηρισθῇς, καὶ αὐτοὺς καταλάλους ποιήσῃς. Μὴ ἔσο περίεργος, μηδὲ πάντα βλέπειν θέλε, ἵνα μὴ ἰχῶρας παθῶν τῇ διανοίᾳ σου κατάσχῃς. Χρειωδῶς ὅρα, 31.644 χρειωδῶς ἄκουε, χρειωδῶς λάλει, χρειωδῶς ἀποκρί νου. Ἐπὶ μείζονί σου μὴ προπετεύσῃ καθίσαι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ προτραπῇς, μὴ γίνου συγκάθεδρος, ἀλλὰ περι βλεψάμενος ὧδε κἀκεῖσε, σπεῦσον εὑρέσθαι ὑποβαί νουσαν καθέδραν, ἵνα σε δοξάσῃ ὁ Θεὸς τῇ ταπεινώσει. Ἐρωτώμενος, ἀποκρίνου πρεπούσῃ φωνῇ καὶ ταπεινῇ· μὴ ἐρωτώμενος, ἡσυχίαν ἄγε. Ἑτέρου ἐρωτωμένου, σφίγγε τὸ στόμα σου, μὴ, ἐκ προπετοῦς καρδίας συνωθουμένη ἡ γλῶσσά σου διαδρᾶσα, πλήξῃ τινὰ τῶν ἀκριβούντων τὴν ἄσκησιν, καὶ ὑπὸ τὰ δεσμὰ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων σε καταστήσῃ. Καθεζόμενος δὲ, οὐκ ἐπιτρέψεις τῷ ἑτέρῳ ποδὶ τὸ σκέλος σου· ἀπροσεξίας γὰρ τοῦτο, καὶ μετεωριζομένης ψυχῆς. ∆ιαλε-γόμενος τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ σου, ἢ καὶ ἐρωτώμενός τι παρ' αὐτοῦ, οὐ ποιήσεις ῥᾳθύμως τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, ὑπερφρονῶν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἐπὶ ὕβρει Θεοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ ἀτιμάζων πένητα παροξύνει τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτὸν, φησὶν ἡ Παροιμία. Προπηδάτω ὁ τῆς παρακλήσεως λόγος τῶν λοιπῶν σου ῥημάτων, κυρῶν σου τὴν τοῦ πλησίον ἀγάπην. Τιθέσθω καὶ μέσος, καὶ πληρέστατος τῆς διαλέξεως, ἐν φαιδρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ, ἵνα δῷς εὐφροσύνην τῷ σοι διαλεγομένῳ.

Ἐν παντὶ κατορθώματι τοῦ πλησίον σου εὐφραίνου, καὶ δόξαζε τὸν Θεόν· σὰ γάρ εἰσι τὰ ἐκείνου κατορθώματα, ὡς καὶ τὰ σὰ ἐκείνου. Τὰς πρωτοκλισίας καὶ τὰς πρωτοκαθεδρίας ἐν ταῖς συνελεύσεσι παραιτοῦ· τὸν δὲ ἔσχατον τόπον μεταδίωκε, ἵνα ἀκούσῃς μᾶλλον· Φίλε, προσανάβηθι. Ἐπὶ τραπέζης μὴ ἀτακτείτω ἡ χείρ σου ἡ ἀριστερὰ, μηδὲ καταυθεντείτω τῆς δεξιᾶς. Ἀργείτω δὲ μᾶλλον· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἂν ὑπουργείτω τῇ δεξιᾷ. Ἐν πάσῃ προσευχῆς σου προσκλήσει ὑπηχείτω τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ μέχρις ἐσχάτης προσευχῆς παράμενε τῷ κανόνι, μεγάλην ζημίαν ἡγούμενος τὴν ἀπόλειψιν. Εἰ γὰρ σιτούμενος διὰ τὴν τῆς σαρκός σου σύστασιν δυσαποσπάστως ἔχεις πρὸς τὴν τράπεζαν πρὸ τῆς κατὰ χρείαν συμπληρώσεως, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ῥᾳδίως τοῦτο ποιήσεις ἄνευ πολλῆς ἀνάγκης· πόσῳ δεῖ μᾶλλον τῇ πνευματικῇ σε τροφῇ παραμένειν, καὶ τῇ προσευχῇ ἐνισχύειν τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν; Ὅσον γὰρ διαφέρει ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ τῶν ἐν γῇ, τοσοῦτον διαφέρει ψυχὴ σώματος. Ψυχὴ οὐρανοῦ μίμημα· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ κατοικεῖ ὁ Κύριος· σὰρξ δὲ ἐκ γῆς ὑπάρχει, ἐν ᾗ κατοικοῦσι θνητοὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἄλογα ζῶα. Τοίνυν συμμέτρει πρὸς τὰς ὥρας τῶν προσευχῶν τὰς χρείας τοῦ σώματος, καὶ ἕτοιμος γίνου μὴ ὑπακούειν λογισμῷ ἀποσπῶντί σε τοῦ κανόνος. Ἔθος γὰρ τοῖς δαίμοσι κατὰ τὰς ὥρας τῶν προσευχῶν, προφάσει δῆθεν εὐλόγου 31.645 αἰτίας, ἐπείγειν ἡμᾶς πρὸς ὑποχώρησιν, ἵνα ἀπαγάγωσιν ἡμᾶς εὐλογοφανῶς τῆς σωτηριώδους εὐχῆς. Μὴ εἴπῃς προφασιζόμενος, Οἴμοι τὴν κεφαλὴν, οἴμοι τὴν κοιλίαν, ὀδύνης ἀνυπάρκτου ἀδήλους μάρτυρας προϊσχόμενος, καὶ ἀναπαύσεως χάριν ἐνδιδοὺς τῇ εὐτονίᾳ τῆς ἀγρυπνίας. Ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἔχε κρυπτὰς προσευχὰς, ἃς βλέπει ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ. Ἔχε παρεμπόρευμα πολιτείας ἀρίστης, ἵνα εὕρῃς πλοῦτον ἀπόκρυφον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀνάγκης. Ἐν ταῖς ἐφημερίαις τῆς διακονίας σου σὺν τῷ κόπῳ τοῦ σώματος ἔχε καὶ παρακλητικὸν λόγον πρὸς ἀγάπησιν τῶν διακονουμένων, ἵνα γένηται εὐπρόσδεκτος ἡ διακονία σου ἅλατι ἠρτυμένη. Μὴ