The Mountain of Silence

My own journey through 'the Mountain of silence’ has been quite different from that of Kyriacos Markides, who wrote this book. In it, he shares some of his conversations with Father Maximos, a wise Greek Orthodox monk, as well as some of his own experiences in a monastery in Cyprus as he continues on the journey homeward to his childhood faith which he had abandoned as a social scientist. The book ends with his own reflections on Eastern Christianity while comparing it to the Western version which ironically most of us Asians have inherited through Roman Catholicism and Protestantism; and details his visit to Mount Athos in Greece, one of the holiest sites in Eastern Orthodoxy, home to thousands of hermits and monks from all over the world.

I found the book to be quite an interesting introduction to the Eastern Orthodox Church, with a lot of dialogue on issues that Western rationalism (and even Western Christianity itself) may consider very bizarre e.g. encounters with early Christian saints, Mary, and even Jesus himself, time warps, and physical attacks by demons. Along with these are unfamiliar thoughts e.g. positive and negative energies, hell as a temporary place, hermits, breathing exercises, and chants (I couldn’t help comparing some of these experiences to the Eastern mystical religions and the modern charismatic movement!). Two points particularly stood out for me throughout the book.

One of them is the mystical side of Christianity, which the Western world attempted to snuff out in the post-Enlightenment era but seems to be making a comeback through the charismatic movement. I have been quick to reject much of this side of Christianity due to my unhelpful experiences with Charismatic churches, much to the detriment of my own spirituality as a Christian. Having such biased feelings towards the Charismatic Church (which I admit is a failure on my part), I thank God for the more healthy respect that I have for Eastern Orthodoxy, which I hope will help me get rid of those biases and lead me back to a more balanced faith by bringing together the mystical and the rational, as well as help me to appreciate the Charismatic Movement more. Kyriacos Markides sums it all up wonderfully:

That in fact both the Hesychast approach to God on one hand and the philosophical approach to God on the other may be two sides of the same Christian coin. One dominant in the East and the other dominant in the West. Christianity, has two lungs. One is western, meaning rational and philosophical, and the other Eastern, meaning mystical and otherworldly. Both are needed for proper breathing.

He also quotes Gregory Palamas, a 14th century monk and Saint:

The theology that is based on intellectual constructs and not on the direct experience of God is philosophy and not theology. It is a human creation that offers neither real knowledge of God nor peace to the heart

The second point is Eastern Christianity’s emphasis on humility and submission to authority, which both go hand in hand. Father Maximos couldn’t stress enough on it. It is the pathway to experiencing God’s grace. Every monk must submit to his elder, even if the elder may be misusing his power or asking the monk to do something foolish. The monks look at it as part of their own spiritual training. Humility is the test of true sainthood. I realize my own folly in criticizing certain churches (or church leaders) whenever I have disagreed with them. My disregard for church authority (or any other form of authority) is just a sign of pride and my own spiritual immaturity.

First, you must always consider others wiser and better than yourself, and second, you must never take credit for whatever achievements you may attain but attribute everything to the Grace of God. ~ Father Maximos

As Aporetic mentioned in his comments, there is much that we can learn from Eastern Christianity.