monks

"Abba Longinus said: “Once you become distressed [ill], say: ‘Be distressed then and die; but if you ask me for something to eat other than at mealtime, I will not even provide you with the daily ration.’”"

"Some monks called Euchites once visited Abba Lucius at Enaton and the elder asked them: “What is your handiwork?” “We do not have anything to do with handiwork, they said, “but we ‘pray without ceasing’ [1 Thess 5:17] as the Apostle said.” “Do you not eat?” said the elder. “Yes,” they said, and the elder said: “Who prays for you when you are eating?” Again he said to them: “Do you not sleep?” “Yes,” they said, and the elder said: “Who prays for you when you are asleep?” and at this they did not find him an answer. And he said to them: “Forgive me but, look: you do not do as you say. I will show you that I pray without ceasing while toiling at my handiwork. I soak a few rushes for myself then, sitting down with God, I braid them into a rope, saying: ‘Have mercy upon me O God according to your great goodness: according to the multitude of your mercies blot out mine offences’” [Ps 50:1], and he said to them: “Is that not prayer?” “Yes,” they said, and the elder said: “When I remain working and praying all day long, I make sixteen coins more or less. I put two of them at the door and eat with the rest. He who takes the two coins prays for me while I am eating and when I am sleeping and, by the grace of God, to ‘pray without ceasing is fulfilled for me.’”"

"Abba Carion said: “I have performed many physical tasks, more than my son Zachariah, but I have not achieved his stature in his humility and silence.”"

"Abba Carion said: “A man who stays with a youth comes to grief if he be not strong. If he be strong he does not come to grief; however, he does not progress.”"

"A brother asked Abba Cronios: “In what way does one arrive at humble-mindedness?” The elder said: “Through fear of God.” The brother said to him: “And through what action does one arrive at fear of God?” The elder said: “In my opinion, let him withdraw himself from every affair and dedicate himself to physical toil, to the best of his ability bearing in mind his departure from the body and the judgment of God.”"

"Abba Poemen said to Abba Joseph: “Tell me how I may become a monk.” Said the elder to him: “If you want to find repose both here and there, say in every situation: ‘I, who am I?’ and do not pass judgment on anybody.”"

"Abba Joseph said to Abba Lot: “You cannot become a monk unless you become altogether like a flaming fire.”"

"Abba Lot visited Abba Joseph and said to him: “Abba, to the best of my ability I do my little synaxis, my little fasting; praying, meditating, and maintaining hesychia; and I purge my logismoi to the best of my ability. What else then can I do?” The elder stood up and stretched out his hands to heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said to him: “If you are willing, become altogether like fire.”"

"A brother asked Abba Joseph: “I want to come out of the coenobion and live alone.” The elder said to him: “Stay wherever you see your soul experiencing repose and not being damaged.” The brother said to him: “I experience repose both in the coenobion and living alone; what do you want me to do?” The elder said to him: “If you experience repose both in the coenobion and living alone, put your two logismoi as though in a balance and do that which is the more likely to be to your benefit and [to which] your logismos prompts you.”"

"They used to say of Abba Isaac that he used to eat ashes from the thurible used at the Eucharist with his bread."

"Abba Isidore of Pelusium used to say: “A life without a word is more advantageous than a word without life; for the first, even in silence, is advantageous, while the second is a trouble-maker when it cries out, whereas if life and word run together they constitute the portrait of all philosophy.”"

"They used to say of Abba John Colobos that, having withdrawn from the world to be with an elder from Thebes at Scete, he was living in the desert. His abba took some dry wood, planted it and said to him: “Irrigate it every day with a bottle of water until it bears fruit.” Water was a long way from them, so one had to go in the evening and return at dawn. After three years [the dry wood] became alive and bore fruit. The elder took its fruit and brought it to the church, saying to the brothers: “Take and eat some fruit of obedience.”"

"They also used to say of him that he once braided cord for two baskets and stitched it together as one basket but didn’t realize it until he approached the wall, for his logismos was occupied in contemplation."

"They also used to say of him that [the wages of] all the labor he expended on the harvest, he would take and bring to Scete saying: “My widows and orphans are at Scete.”"

"Abba Theodore of Enaton said: “If God were to lay to our account our lack of attention in prayers and our distractions in psalm-singing, we could not be saved.”"

"At the time of the Dharmasvamih’s visit to Vajrasana, the place was deserted and only four monks were found staying (in the Vihara). One (of them) said, “It is not good ! All have fled from fear of the Turushka soldiery”. They blocked up the door in front of the Mahabodhi image- with bricks and plastered it. Near it they placed another image as a substitute. They also plastered the outside door (of the temple). On its surface they drew the image of Mahesvara in order to protect it from non-Buddhists. The monks said, “We five do not dare to remain here and shall have to flee.” As the day’s stage was long and the heat great, said the Dharmasvamin, they felt tired, and as it became dark, they remained there and fell asleep. Had the Turushkas come, they would not have known it. At daybreak they fled towards the North following the rut of a cart, and for seventeen days the Dharmasvamin did not see the face of the image (i. e. the Mahabodhi image). At that time also a woman appeared, who brought the welcome news that the Turushka soldiery had gone far away."

"Vikramasila was still existing in the time of the Elder Dharmasvamin 1 2 and the Kashmir Pandita*, but when the Dharmasvamin visited the country there were no traces of it left, the Turushka soldiery having razed it to the ground, and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganga."

"His visit to India falls in the reign of Iltutmlsh (1211-1236 A.D.) of the “Slave” dynasty. Chag lo-tsa-ba witnessed the constant Muslim incursions which followed the conquest of Bihar and Bengal by Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Muhammad between 1193 and 1204-5. Bands of Turushka (Gar-log or Qarluq) soldiers roamed about the country side. Chag lo-tsa-ba describes the defensive measures taken by the inhabitants of Pattala (Pa-ta of our text) in Tirhut. He found Vajrasana in Magadha deserted. Chag lo-tsa-ba describes his meeting with the Raja Buddhasena, whom he calls the ruling Raja of Magadha who had his residence at Vajrasana. Buddhasena is known to Taranatha who adds that the local Sena kings to whom Buddhasena belonged, professed allegiance to their Muslim overlord.. 1 At Vajrasana, Chag lo-tsa-ba found Sravakas in control of the temples. The great Vihara of VikramaSila, one of the seats of Tantric learning, was still existing in the time of Chag dGra-bcom, the uncle of the author (1153-1216 A.D.) and of the Kashmir Pantjita Sakyafrlbha dra (1145-1225 A.D.), who had come to Magadha in about 1174 A.D. and who had been invited to Tibet by Khro-phulo’tsa-ba in 1203 A.D. 1 When our author Chag-Jo-tsa-ba Chos-rje-dpal visited Magadha, there were no traces of it left, the Turushka soldiers having razed it to the ground and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganga. The sack of VikramaSila must have taken place about 1 199 or 1200 A.D. at the time of the conquest by Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Muhammad. The Vihara of Odantapuri, which was also destroyed at the time of the conquest, is mentioned only twice as the residence of a Turushka military commander. From the account of Chag lo-tsa-ba it appears that the great Vihara of Nalanda, though largely deserted and damaged, was still standing in 1235-6, and that scholastic activities continued, notwithstanding the constant perils of the time. At Nalanda Chag-lo-tsa-ba studied with the venerable Pandit a Rahulasribha- dra and witnessed the arrival of Turushka soldeirs. This Rahu- laSribhadra is mentioned by Taranatha in his rGya-gar-chos - byuh, or “ History of Buddhism in India”*, who says that “In the reign of Buddhasena there lived in Nalanda a great Pantjita Rahula- Srlbhadra, who had some seventy students.”"

"In the account of the Tibetan pilgrim Dharmasvamin, who visited eastern India in the years 1234-36, the Vihiira of Uddandapura is mentioned twice as the residence of a Turushka military commander. Of Vikramashila 'there were then no traces left, the Turushka soldiery having razed it to the ground, and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganges' .206In Nalanda, Dharmasvamin observed about eighty small viharas which were damaged by the Turushkas, 'and there was absolutely no-one to look after them, or to make offerings', although two of them were in a serviceable condition."

"Two [Muslim] soldiers were in the ferry boat, which was taking Dharmasvamin across the Ganga…They demanded gold from him. Being a simple person or a simpleton, Dharmasvamin threatened to report them to the king, forgetting that Hindu and Buddhist kings were at this time unable to protect themselves, much less their subjects. This threat made the Muslim soldiers wild and they snatched away the begging bowl of Dharmasvamin. Two Buddhist lay passengers tried to assuage the Muslim soldiers by offering them precious things, but the soldiers replied, “We do not want your wealth; we want this Tibetan.” The matter was eventually compromised by Dharmasvamin offering a Pana [typically a gold coin]…Had the fellow passengers not intervened, Dharmasvamin would have been carried away as a slave, and Indian history would have lost this important source-book."

"If I ask Him to receive me, Will He say me nay? Not till earth, and not till heaven Pass away."

"The range of his sympathies and interests makes Handlyng Synne the best picture of English life before Langland and Chaucer."

"There ys no solas undyr hevene Of al that a man may nevene That shuld a man so mochë glew As a gode womman that loveth trew."

"No thyng ys to man so dere As wommanys love yn gode manere. A gode womman is mannys blys."

"He felle dede doun colde as ony stone."

"Als thai haf wryten and sayd Haf I alle in myn Inglis layd, In symple speche as I couthe, That is lightest in mannes mouthe. I mad noght for no disours, Ne for no seggers, no harpours, Bot for the luf of symple men That strange Inglis can not ken."

"And thy traveyle shalt thou sone ende, For to thy long home sone shalt thou wende."

"For a story which is nat pleynli told, But constreynyd undir woordes fewe For lak off trouthe, wher thei be newe or olde, Men bi report kan nat the mater shewe."

"Trouthe wil out maugre of fals enuye, Rihtwysnesse may nat ben hid certeyn, As for a tyme it may been ovirleyn."

"Harde to likke hony out of a marbil stoon, For ther is nouthir licour nor moisture."

"Odyous of olde been comparisonis."

"For he owre englishe gilte with his sawes, Rude and boistous firste be olde dawes, That was ful fer from al perfeccioun And but of litel reputacioun Til that he cam, and thorugh his poetrie, Gan oure tonge firste to magnifie And adourne it with his eloquence: To whom honour, laude and reuerence."

"For love is mor than gold or gret richesse; Gold faileth ofte; love wol abyde."

"Woord is but wynd; leff woord and tak the dede."

"A prowde hert in a beggers brest, A fowle visage with gay temples of atyre, Horrible othes with an holy prist, A justice of juges to selle and lete to hyre, A knave to comande and have an empire, To yeve a jugement of that never was wrought, To preche of pees and sette eche man on fyre, It may wele ryme but it accordith nought."

"Who lesethe his fredam, in faith! he loseth all."

"A voluminous, prosaick, and drivelling Monk."

"He is the first of our writers whose style is cloathed with that perspicuity, in which the English phraseology appears at this day to an English reader…Whether his subject be the life of a hermit or a hero, of saint Austin or Guy earl of Warwick, ludicrous or legendary, religious or romantic, a history or an allegory, he writes with facility."

"In images of horror, and in a certain terrible greatness, our author comes far behind Chaucer. Whether they were not suited to the genius or the temper of Lydgate, I do not determine; but it is certain that, though they naturally seemed to present themselves, he has almost generally chose to avoid them: yet is there frequently a stiller kind of majesty both in his thought and expression, which makes one of his principal beauties."

"Comparable with Chawcer, yet more occupyed in supersticious and odde matters than was requesite in so good a wytte."

"Also Johnn Lydgate Wryteth after an hyer rate; It is dyffuse to fynde The sentence of his mynde, Yet wryteth he in his kynd, No man that can amend Those maters that he hath pende; Yet some men fynde a faute, And say he wryteth too haute."

"For hit ys oft seyde by hem that yet lyues He must nedys go that the deuell dryues."

"The wheel of Fortune tourneth as a ball; Sodeyn clymbyng axeth a sodeyn fall."

"He as a kyng is crowned in Fairie, With sceptre and suerd, & with his regalie Shal resorte as lord and souereyne, Out of Fairye & regne in Breteyne, And repaire ageyn the Rounde Table."

"For princis ofte, of furious hastynesse, Wil cachche a quarrel, causeless in sentence, Ageyn folk absent, thouh ther be non offence."

"There is no rose Spryngyng in gardeyns, but ther be sum thorn."

"Off oure language he was the lodesterre."

"A wikked tonge wol alway deme amis."

"All is not golde that outward shewith bright."

"We hear from the saints who experienced prayer power that prayer gives wings to humans lifting them up so they can fly."