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of needs; from which is born the entire catalogue of evils. It is necessary, therefore, as has been said, to pay close attention and to war against this with great watchfulness; for when this is destroyed, all things that come from it are destroyed along with it.

2.60 (ε') The passion of self-love suggests to the monk that he pity his body and partake of food beyond what is proper, supposedly for the sake of good management and governance, so that, being gradually dragged along, he might fall into the pit of love of pleasure. But to the worldly person 14__242 from this it already suggests that he make provision for himself unto desire.

2.61 (ξα') They say that the highest state of prayer is this: for the mind to be outside of flesh and world, and to be completely immaterial and formless while praying. He, therefore, who preserves this state unharmed, this one truly prays without ceasing.

2.62 (ξβ') Just as the body, when it dies, is separated from all the things of the world, so also the mind, in praying to the highest degree, dying, is separated from all the thoughts of the world. For if it does not die such a death, it cannot be found with God and live.

2.63 (ξγ') Let no one deceive you, monk, that it is possible for you to be saved while serving pleasure and vainglory.

2.64 (ξδ') Just as the body sins through things and has the bodily virtues for its discipline, so that it may be temperate; so also the mind sins through passionate thoughts and likewise has the virtues of the soul for its discipline, so that, seeing things purely and dispassionately, it may be temperate.

2.65 (ξε') Just as nights follow days and winters summers; so vainglory and pleasure are followed by griefs and pains, whether in the present or in the future.

2.66 (ξστ') It is not possible for one who has sinned to escape the coming judgment without voluntary labors here or involuntary afflictions.

14__244 2.67 (ξζ') They say that for five reasons we are permitted by God to be warred against by demons: and the first, they say, is so that, being warred against and warring in return, we may come to the discernment of virtue and of evil; a second, so that, acquiring virtue by war and labor, we may have it secure and unchangeable; a third, so that, progressing in virtue, we may not be high-minded, but may learn to be humble-minded; a fourth, so that, having been tested by evil, we may hate it with a perfect hatred; and a fifth, on top of all these, so that, having become dispassionate, we may not forget our own weakness nor the power of Him who helped us.

2.68 (ξη') Just as the mind of one who is hungry imagines bread and of one who is thirsty, water, so also the mind of the glutton imagines varieties of delicacies; and of the lover of pleasure, forms of women; and of the vainglorious, honors from men; and of the lover of money, profits; and of the resentful, revenge on the one who grieved him; and of the envious, the harm of the one envied, and likewise for the other passions. For the mind, being troubled by the passions, receives passionate thoughts, both when the body is awake and during sleep.

2.69 (ξθ') When desire increases, the mind imagines in sleep the materials productive of pleasures; but when anger increases, it sees things productive of fears. The unclean demons, however, increase the passions, taking our negligence as a collaborator and stirring these up; but the holy angels diminish them, moving us toward the practice of the virtues.

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χρείας· ἐξ ὧν γεννᾶται ἅπας ὁ τῶν κακῶν κατάλογος. ∆εῖ οὗν, ὡς εἴρηται, προσέχειν ἀναγκαίως καὶ ταύτῃ πολεμεῖν μετὰ πολλῆς νήψεως· ταύτης γὰρ ἀναιρουμένης, συναναιροῦνται πάντες οἱ ἐξ αὐτῆς.

2.60 (ε') Τὸ τῆς φιλαυτίας πάθος τῷ μὲν μοναχῷ ἐλεεῖν ὑποτίθεται τὸ σῶμα καὶ συνελθεῖν παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον εἰς τὰ βρώματα, οἰκονομίας δῆθεν χάριν καὶ κυβερνήσεως, ἵνα κατὰ μικρὸν παρασυρόμενος εἰς τὸν βόθρον τῆς φιληδονίας ἐμπέσῃ. Τῷ δὲ κοσμικῷ 14__242 ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη πρόνοιαν αὐτῷ ποιεῖσθαι εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ὑποβάλλει.

2.61 (ξα') Τὴν τῆς προσευχῆς ἀκροτάτην κατάστασιν ταύτην εἶναι λέγουσι· τὸ ἔξω σαρκὸς καὶ κόσμου γενέσθαι τὸν νοῦν καὶ ἄϋλον πάντη καὶ ἀνείδεον ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι. Ὁ οὖν ταύτην ἀλώβητον διατηρῶν τὴν κατάστασιν, οὗτος ὄντως ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεται.

2.62 (ξβ') Ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα ἀποθνῆσκον πάντων χωρίζεται τῶν τοῦ κόσμου πραγμάτων, οὕτω καὶ ὁ νοῦς ἐν τῷ ἄκρως προσεύχεσθαι ἀποθνήσκων πάντων χωρίζεται τῶν τοῦ κόσμου νοημάτων. Ἐὰν μὴ γὰρ τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀποθάνῃ θάνατον, μετὰ Θεοῦ εὑρεθῆναι καὶ ζῆσαι οὐ δύναται.

2.63 (ξγ') Μηδείς σε ἀπατήσῃ, μοναχέ, ὅτι ἔνι σε σωθῆναι ἡδονῇ καὶ κενοδοξίᾳ δουλεύοντα.

2.64 (ξδ') Ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἁμαρτάνει καὶ ἔχει πρὸς παιδαγωγίαν τὰς σωματικὰς ἀρετάς, ἵνα σωφρονῇ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ νοῦς διὰ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν νοημάτων καὶ ἔχει ὡσαύτως πρὸς παιδαγωγίαν τὰς ψυχικὰς ἀρετάς, ἵνα καθαρῶς καὶ ἀπαθῶς ὁρῶν τὰ πράγματα σωφρονῇ.

2.65 (ξε') Ὥσπερ τὰς ἡμέρας διαδέχονται αἱ νύκτες καὶ τὰ θέρη οἱ χειμῶνες· οὕτω κενοδοξίαν καὶ ἡδονὴν λύπαι καὶ ὀδύναι, εἴτε ἐν τῷ παρόντι εἴτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι.

2.66 (ξστ') Οὐκ ἔστιν ἁμαρτήσαντα ἐκφυγεῖν τὴν μέλλουσαν κρίσιν ἄνευ ἑκουσίων ἐνταῦθα πόνων ἢ ἀκουσίων ἐπιφορῶν.

14__244 2.67 (ξζ') ∆ιὰ πέντε αἰτίας φασὶ παραχωρεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολεμεῖσθαι ὑπὸ δαιμόνων· καὶ πρώτην μὲν εἶναί φασιν, ἵνα πολεμούμενοι καὶ ἀντιπολεμοῦντες εἰς διάκρισιν τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς κακίας ἔλθωμεν· δευτέραν δέ, ἵνα πολέμῳ καὶ πόνῳ τὴν ἀρετὴν κτώμενοι, βεβαίαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀμετάπτωτον ἔξωμεν· τρίτην δέ, ἵνα προκόπτοντες εἰς τὴν ἀρετὴν μὴ ὑψηλοφρονῶμεν, ἀλλὰ μάθωμεν ταπεινοφρονεῖν· τετάρτην δέ, ἵνα πειραθέντες τῆς κακίας, τέλειον μῖσος αὐτὴν μισήσωμεν· πέμπτην δὲ ἐπὶ πάσαις, ἵνα ἀπαθεῖς γενόμενοι μὴ ἐπιλαθώμεθα τῆς οἰκείας ἀσθενείας μήτε τῆς τοῦ βοηθήσαντος δυνάμεως.

2.68 (ξη') Ὥσπερ τοῦ πεινῶντος ὁ νοῦς ἄρτον φαντάζεται καὶ τοῦ διψῶντος ὕδωρ, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ γαστριμάργου ποικιλίας ἐδεσμάτων· καὶ τοῦ φιληδόνου, μορφὰς γυναικῶν· καὶ τοῦ κενοδόξου, τὰς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τιμάς· καὶ τοῦ φιλαργύρου, τὰ κέρδη· καὶ τοῦ μνησικάκου, τὴν ἄμυναν τοῦ λυπήσαντος· καὶ τοῦ φθονεροῦ, τὴν κάκωσιν τοῦ φθονουμένου, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν ὁμοίως. Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν παθῶν ὀχλούμενος ὁ νοῦς λαμβάνει τὰ ἐμπαθὴ νοήματα, καὶ ἐγρηγορότος τοῦ σώματος καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους.

2.69 (ξθ') Ὅταν ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὔξῃ, τὰς ποιητικὰς τῶν ἡδονῶν ὕλας ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις ὁ νοῦς φαντάζεται· ὅταν δὲ ὁ θυμός, τὰ φόβων ποιητικὰ πράγματα βλέπει. Αὔξουσι μέντοι τὰ πάθη οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες, συνεργὸν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀμέλειαν λαμβάνοντες καὶ ταῦτα ἐρεθίζοντες· ἐλαττοῦσι δὲ οἱ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡμᾶς κινοῦντες ἐργασίαν.