Since ancient times, there has been a saying in Rus': “They don’t go to someone else’s monastery with their own charter.” The statutes of different cenobitic monasteries were indeed very different from each other. But, despite all the differences, there were a number of general strict rules that formed the basis of order in any movie. These rules included a mandatory common meal: everyone from the abbot to the novice had to eat at a common meal and nothing, not even drinking water, do not keep them in your cells.

This rule greatly distinguished the monastery from a special monastery, where everyone ate separately, according to their personal income, and also from a suite, where the monks received food from the abbot, but each prepared their own food separately and ate in their own cells, with the exception of major holidays.

The rules of conduct at a common meal were also the same for all monks. The first and most important thing is to always remain satisfied with the proposed “food”: “whatever they put in, don’t grumble about it.” Food and drink were provided to everyone the same and in equal quantities. The monks began to eat only after the abbot “laid his hand on the food or drink.” Everyone sat silently and listened attentively to the reader, who, with the blessing of the abbot, read the lives of saints or the works of the holy fathers. For laughing and talking in the refectory at the Volokolamsk Monastery, they were punished with a penance of 50 bows or one day of dry eating. Only the abbot, the cellarer and the servants were allowed to speak at meals, and then only about what was necessary.

At the table, everyone looked in front of him, and not to the sides; he did not take anything from another brother and did not place his own in front of him, so as not to lead his neighbor into the sin of gluttony. Those who showed inappropriate curiosity or concern for another monk, according to the regulations of the Volokolamsk Monastery, were punished with one day of dry eating or a penance of fifty prostrations to the ground. The monk had to know “his content” (his measure) and “not to ask”, as well as “not to ask for consolation (consolation, some kind of delicacy - E.R.) or burnt snacks” (that which was burnt and was not served on table). If the refector himself (serving at the meal) offered an addition or some additional dish, he was supposed to quietly and humbly answer: “God’s will, sir, and yours!” If the monk did not want more, he said: “I have enough, sir” (that is, enough for me, sir).

Even if the monk was sick and could not eat what all the brethren were eating, he did not dare to ask, but waited for the servant himself to ask him what he wanted. Hearing the question, the sick monk answered: “Give, for God’s sake, this or that.” If he didn’t want anything at all, then he said: “I don’t want anything, sir” ( RSL. Und. No. 52. L. 365).

The following situation could well have happened in the monastery: the minister, out of forgetfulness or wanting to test his brother’s patience, carried the monk around, that is, did not give him any food or drink. There are many such stories in ancient patericons; In a similar way, the elders tested the patience of not only novice monks, but also experienced ascetics. The Monk John Climacus observed in the monastery of St. John Savvait how the abbot called to him at the beginning of the meal the eighty-year-old elder Lawrence, white with gray hair. He approached and, bowing to the ground to the abbot, took the blessing. But when the elder stood up, the abbot did not say anything to him, and he remained standing in place. Lunch lasted an hour or two, and Elder Lavrenty still stood without answer or greeting. The Monk John Climacus writes in his “Ladder” that he was ashamed to even look at the elder. When lunch was over and everyone got up, the abbot released the elder (Ladder. p. 30).

According to monastic rules, if a monk was surrounded at a meal, he had to sit humbly at the table and not ask for anything. And only in case of extreme hunger or

thirst could tell the employee: “They didn’t give me, sir” ( RSL. Und. No. 52. L. 365 vol.). But this is only as a last resort.

Monks were forbidden to be late for meals without a blessed reason. In the Volokolamsk monastery, those who were late were punished with a day of dry eating or bows, numbering 50. If a monk did not have time for prayer at mealtime for some worthy reason, then, upon entering, he stood silently and waited for the servants to set something for him. And if they didn’t, then he humbly chewed bread and salt and waited while all the brethren ate.

The most severe punishment was assigned to those who brought something of their own into the meal or, conversely, took it out, hiding it at lunch or dinner. A monk of the Volokolamsk monastery who came to the meal with his “essence” received a penance of one hundred prostrations to the ground. If one of the monks took something at a meal without the blessing of the abbot or cellarer and repented of it, then he did not dare to touch the shrine: eat the antidor, “the bread of the Mother of God,” the prosphora until he received forgiveness. If a monk was convicted of sin by other monks, he was punished with dry eating for five days. In case of repeated repetition of such a sin, the monk was expelled from the monastery or put in prison in iron shackles (VMC.

September. Stb. P. 12).

Apart from lunch and dinner, the monk was not allowed to eat or drink anything, not even berries in the forest or vegetables in the garden. If he was thirsty, a monk could, after asking the elder for a blessing, go to the refectory and drink water there. If after lunch or dinner a monk needed to visit another monk or elder in his cell, and he wanted to treat him to some “eating, or drink, or vegetable,” then the monk had to refuse such consolation: “I dare not, sir, compel me, for God’s sake.” The elders taught the newcomers that such hospitality is not brotherly love, but an enemy (demonic) attempt to lead the monk into sin; true monastic brotherly love consists in loving everyone equally and withdrawing from everyone ( RSL. Und. No. 52. L. 368 vol.).

It would seem a simple rule - eat only at a common meal. But from the lives of the saints it is clear how much strength the abbot needed to keep this order inviolable. In the Volokolamsk Monastery, those who were found guilty of such a sin were deprived of their shrines until they received forgiveness from the abbot. And having received forgiveness, the monk had to make a hundred prostrations in his cell in order to completely blot out the sin. If the monk did not repent, but was convicted by someone else, then the punishment increased threefold: the monk received penance of three hundred bows or “ate dry” for three days. If this happened again, he was expelled from the monastery.

However, there have been cases when gluttons were miraculously healed of sin. And this kind of punishment turned out to be the most effective. Two monks from the monastery of St. Paul of Obnor at one time left the monastery and labored for a long time in the monastery of a special charter. Then they returned to their monastery, but did not abandon their old habits. One day the monks decided to prepare food for themselves in their cell. One stayed to cook the pot, and the other went to the refectory to secretly get bread. When the second monk returned, he saw that his friend was lying on the floor, and foam was flowing from his mouth. The frightened monk instantly realized his sin and mentally appealed to the Monk Paul of Obnor, asking them to forgive. As proof of his repentance, he grabbed the ill-fated pot and, throwing it over the threshold, began kicking it with the words: “I will never do this again for the rest of my life” (VMC. January. Stb. 547). Another monk of the same monastery was undergoing obedience in a kvass brewery and decided to prepare kvass for himself. Taking a bucket of wort, he carried it to his cell, but he had to walk past the tomb of St. Paul of Obnor. Here his arms and legs suddenly weakened, he screamed out of fear and began to beg the monk for forgiveness. He ran to his cell safe and sound, but without the bucket, and the next morning he repented to the abbot. These stories ended happily, but here is another monk of the Obnorsky Monastery

Mitrofan remained crippled until the end of his life because he secretly ate and drank in his cell. One day, when Mitrofan was standing in church at a service, suddenly his arms and legs weakened, and he fell. The brethren served a prayer service to St. Paul and St.

Trinity, after which the monk felt better and was able to repent. As a result, he was able to move, but one arm and leg were never healed, as a warning to the rest of the brethren.

(Ibid. Stb. 540).

In order to prevent idle curiosity, dissatisfaction and not to lead the monks to the sin of secret eating, the monks were not allowed to enter the refectory during the day without doing anything and blessing. At the refectory there were so-called shegnushi - pantries in which kvass and all sorts of foodstuffs were stored. At the appointed time, the monks gathered on the porch of the shegnushi to drink kvass, but long standing at the shegnushi or idle conversations were prohibited. In addition, it was also not allowed to enter the shegnusha itself. Shegnusha communicated with the refectory through a service passage, which was intended only for service workers. The monks entered the refectory either from the courtyard through the porch, or through the church doors, if the refectory was built at the church.

About meal time

Meal times probably varied among different monasteries. But you can imagine an approximate routine based on the meal at the Moscow Novospassky Monastery. This schedule was entirely determined by the divine service: the more significant the holiday, the earlier the meal began on that day. On Sundays and great holidays, lunch was served quite early - at the end of the third hour of the day (that is, around ten in the morning according to our calculation), since on these days, according to the rules, dinner was also allowed. On Saturdays, lunch began a little later - at the beginning of five o'clock in the afternoon (that is, at the beginning of twelve, if sunrise on that day was around seven in the morning). On major holidays, the meal took place at six o'clock in the afternoon, that is, around one o'clock in the afternoon (according to our calculation). On minor holidays or fast days, when there was only one meal, it was served in the middle of the day - at nine o'clock, that is, around four in the evening (according to our calculation) or even later. At the same time - at nine o'clock in the afternoon - lunch began during the Nativity Fast (in reality this meant about five or six in the evening) and during Peter's Fast (about two o'clock in the afternoon, if you count from sunrise).

In monasteries there were always two meals at different times. The monks and the abbot ate at the first, the cellarer, the reader and all the servants who served the monks at meals ate at the second (last) one: the large porter, the “lesser porters”, the cup-keeper (the monk in charge of drinks and the cellar), the collar (a kind of clerk; the one who “managed affairs”), as well as the monks who were late for the meal. Weak or sick monks ate in their cells or in the hospital during their first meal. Large and smaller porters brought food to them, and specially assigned servants served them in hospitals. If the sick monk wanted to taste something else during the day, then, with the blessing of the abbot and the cathedral elders, he was served by a large porter: taking food from the under-cellar and drink from the cup-bearer, he brought it to the sick person. Also, the bearer, with the permission of the abbot, carried food to those monks who, for some reason, did not have enough food at the common meal.

During the second meal, those servants who were responsible for preparing food also had lunch and dinner: the podkelarnik (assistant cellarer), who was in charge of the warehouse of kitchen utensils and the tent from which food was distributed to part of the brethren - apparently, the “second shift” and for guests; “cooking vytchiki” (howl - share, area; vytchik - the one who is responsible for a certain part of the cooking process); shtevar (we can definitely say that he cooked jelly, maybe also cabbage soup?); podchashnik (assistant of the cup maker); refectories. All these servicemen ate in the closet. Separately, the last meal was served for the laity, servants, monastery artisans, and Cossacks, who were served by the refectories. In addition, in the monastery refectories, according to general rule of all monasteries, they always fed the poor. There was even such a thing as “recorded beggars,” that is, those who were assigned and regularly fed at the monastery. In the 16th century, in the Volokolamsk monastery, from 20 to 50–60 “recorded beggars” or “as many as God will send” passing by were fed daily.

Refectory interior

In monasteries they liked to set up refectory chambers at churches. This was convenient: warm air from the basement of the refectory it was supplied to the church and heated it. Such a church was called warm, “winter”, and all monastic services were usually held in it. winter time of the year. In the 16th century, in rich monasteries, stone single-pillar refectories were built: cylindrical vaults rested on a large pillar in the center of the chamber. One of the first such refectories at the church was established in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in 1519. It was a rectangle, the eastern wall of which separated the church and the refectory. In this wall there was a door through which the monks, after church service, could immediately go to lunch. An iconostasis was always installed on the eastern wall, so that the refectory itself was like a church, and some services, as we saw above, took place in it. In the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, in the iconostasis of the refectory there was a Deesis, to the left and right of the door there were local icons, and above the door there was a large cross “The Crucifixion of the Lord”, on a pillar there was an image of Hodegetria with saints and saints (according to the inventory of 1601). A large copper chandelier hung in front of the Deesis, and a stand-up candle stood in front of the local icons. The lighting in the rather large chamber was so poor. In the refectory there were tables, decorated with tablecloths (regular days and holidays had their own tablecloths), and benches. According to some researchers, six people sat at each table in the Kirillovsky refectory, since some dishes were prepared and served specifically for six people: on Easter, “six eggs in brine,” they baked “brother’s six bread” ( Shablova. About the meal. P. 27).

The quality of the dishes used at meals depended on the wealth of the monastery. They liked to paint wooden utensils: plates, brotins, ladles; spoons and ladle handles were decorated with carvings. The monastery inventories list spoons and ladles different shapes: spoons - turnip (similar in shape to a turnip, resembled a flattened ball decorated with cuttings from a fish tooth, “burled”; ladles - burl (made from burl - a growth on a birch), onion, elm (elm is one of the most flexible trees, except utensils were made from it into rims, runners, etc.), “shadar”, “small Tver”, “tin”, copper, “with what yeast is scooped”, “skortsy” (skobkari) - ladles hollowed out from the rhizome of a tree and covered drying oil. In the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, the monks ate from birch plates, dishes; kvass was poured into ladles into stavtsy (stavets - a cup similar to a glass, a cylindrical “vessel with a flat bottom” - see: Zabelin. P. 90) or bratina (bratina - a large cup in the shape of a tub with an overhead lid). Stops (large metal glasses without a handle, expanding at the top) were also used for drinking. The brew was brought in “rassolniki” (a deep dish with a lid), “suddah”, “on a bowl”; drinking - in “copper yandova” (yandova - a copper vessel, tinned inside, with a handle and stigma), bowls.

Favorite dishes

An invariable dish of the monastery diet was cabbage soup, which was eaten almost every day: both on fasting and non-fasting days (except for days of dry eating), on holidays. Shchi was cooked from fresh white cabbage, “borscht” (that is, with borscht - pickled beets), with sorrel (sorrel), seasoned with pepper, and served with eggs on Easter and other holidays. Sometimes cabbage soup was replaced by tavranchug - a special soup made from fish or turnips, or "ushnoye" - fish soup.

If the statute allowed two “cooked foods,” then the second “cooked food” was usually porridge. The monastic table is aptly characterized by the old Russian proverb - “cabbage soup and porridge are our food.” Porridge could be replaced by another “food”: “broken peas” or “gyzheny” peas (pea grounds), cabbage, pea or sour noodles. The meal was most varied on non-fasting days and holidays.

The most important and favorite product was, of course, fish. The fish table of rich monasteries was very diverse. In the glaciers of Kirillo-Belozersky

In the monastery in 1601, barrels of “sudochin, hazel, pike”, salmon, black caviar were stored; “long sturgeons” from the Volga and Shekhon sturgeons (from the Sheksna River) also lay here. In the dryers above the glaciers there was a stock of dried and dried fish: “bream, ulcer, pike, sterlet”, salmon, many bunches of elm (red fish sinew), small ones and smelt, and “I pray for Zaozersk”.

In the everyday life of the Novospassky Monastery, salmon, white fish, sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon, pike, pike perch, sushi, sterlet, black and red caviar - whitefish are mentioned. Sterlet in this monastery was considered a “common fish”; it was served mainly to monastery servants and wanderers ( CHOOIDR. 1890. Book. 2. S. 2).

Fish dishes were also very varied, but the favorite was fried fresh fish, which was served in frying pans on great holidays. In addition, the fish was baked on racks, boiled and served with broth, mustard and horseradish. Freshly salted fish was a rare treat and was served only a few times a year, even in such a rich monastery as Joseph-Volotsky. The favorite fish dish of the monks of the Kirillo-Belozersk monastery was “crushes”. The cellarer's notes specifically mark the days when “the krusha live on the brethren.” It is difficult to say what this dish was, but judging by the fact that the word “krushkiy” in the old Russian language means brittle, crispy, apparently it was thinly cut fish, fried until crispy. When the “crushes” were fried, they were covered with canvas, apparently to protect them from splashes of boiling oil.

Among the fish dishes in the monastery everyday books, “sturgeon heads”, fried bream “with body with broth and pepper”, “ladozhina with vinegar”, pies with vyaziga, “loaves” with fish, black caviar with onions and red with pepper are also mentioned. In the Novospassky Monastery they cooked several types of porridge with fish: porridge with pieces of salmon, porridge with smelt, porridge “with vandyshi” (small fish), porridge “with head” (with heads and cartilaginous parts of fish), porridge “with navels”, “ porridge on my ear" ( CHOOIDR. 1890. Book. 2. P. 2).

The monastic table was significantly diversified by various types of pies (with cheese, cabbage, carrots, peas, porridge, mushrooms), loaves (broken with carrots, turnips), rolls, pancakes, pancakes, “brushwoods”.

The favorite drink in monasteries was traditionally kvass; on holidays it was drunk at lunch and dinner and before Compline. In addition, in the Volokolamsk monastery, starting from the Presentation and until the very feast of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary (October 1), the brethren were allowed to drink kvass at noon (except for the first and Holy weeks, as well as the fast days of Great Lent). On Candlemas, according to folk signs, the sun turns towards summer, the day lengthens significantly, so the brethren received permission for an additional cup of kvass. “And from the Intercession to Sretenievo days at noon they do not drink kvass, the day is short,” says the everyday life book of the Volokolamsk Monastery (Gorsky. p. 394).

Kvass was prepared in several varieties. In the Volokolamsk monastery, barley and oat kvass were used as the most popular kvass, and on more solemn days - “sychenaya”

From syty (sweet wort, which was prepared from flour and malt) and honey. There was also “treacle kvass”, which was served on great holidays. Molasses kvass was made from pure, unheated honey - gravity flowing down from the honeycomb. Monastic kvass was valued not only as a tasty, but also an extremely “energy” drink, necessary to maintain strength. Thus, on days of extended services (on the twelfth holidays and days with an all-night vigil), priests, deacons, headmen (choir monks) and the usher received additional bowls of honey kvass “in the cellar,” and psalm-readers received “fake kvass.” The same kvass was given to large ministers and sick brethren in hospitals. The rest of the brethren received “similar cups.” “Good” kvass was a consolation on holidays. So, on the holidays of the Dormition, St. Kirill of Belozersky, the Introduction, on the days of the king’s angels and members royal family at lunch an additional health bowl was given for the birthday boy with honey kvass ( Shablova. About the meal. P. 31).

Honey kvass was fermented in two ways: 1) with hops and yeast; 2) simple soft roll ( Right there. P. 41. Note. 23). In the first case, the result was intoxicating kvass, in

Located in picturesque mountains covered with dense forests, the Shaolin Monastery is not only the cradle of Chan Buddhism, but also one of the centers of the development of Wushu in China. Beauty of nature, Fresh air and peace, so necessary for meditation, active martial arts and medicine are excellent conditions for healthy image the lives of monks, searching for methods of “nurturing life” and prolonging it.

1. Constantly staying in the Chan state

For one thousand four hundred years, starting from 495 AD, when the monastery was founded, its inhabitants strictly observed the norms of Chan Buddhism bequeathed by Damo: daily prolonged meditation, “improving the heart and nurturing the nature,” striving “for emptiness.” . A person who meditates strives for peace, plunging into a “state of peace,” he finds “emptiness,” that is, he gets rid of all extraneous thoughts, forgetting about everything around him and not feeling himself.

Extraneous thoughts, according to Chinese medicine, give rise to “seven feelings (emotions)”: joy, anger, sadness, thoughtfulness, grief, fear, anxiety. Violent emotions or, conversely, their complete suppression harm the “five dense organs” and are the root cause of various diseases. Excessive anger affects the liver, joy affects the heart, sadness affects the spleen, grief affects the lungs, and fear affects the kidneys. So, meditation is the first secret of longevity of Shaolin monks.

2. Combination of orthodox Buddhism with martial arts training

It is well known that in monasteries there are strict rules, according to which a person taking monastic vows must be merciful, do good deeds, and must not raise a hand against a person. Therefore, monks are prohibited from practicing martial arts. Shaolin took a different path. From the first day of its foundation, tall and strong monks demonstrated their skills in the field of fist fighting, since the practice of living, developing and spreading Buddhism required knowledge of martial arts, and only healthy and strong monks were able to keep their monastery intact. This is the second secret of longevity.

3. Knowledge of medicine

Martial arts training was accompanied by a large number of injuries. Therefore, the abbots of the monastery, willy-nilly, had to deal medical practice, develop own recipes and methods of treatment. Starting from the era of the Sui dynasties, the monastery began to send representatives to the mountains to famous healers to study the intricacies of medicine, especially healing wounds. Their number was constantly increasing. Monastic doctors began to engage in therapy and gradually formed a full-fledged hospital at the monastery. In order to improve the effectiveness of providing assistance to victims, the abbots required that every Wushu practitioner have the necessary medical knowledge in four areas: the causes of diseases, treatment, prevention and medicines. Possessing knowledge of medicine, the monks studied the issues of longevity and developed methods for prolonging life. Thus, the medical secrets received by the monks from their mentors contributed to the development of the principles of longevity. This is the third secret of longevity of Shaolin monks.

SHAOLIN METHOD OF LIFE EXTENSION

Above we focused on three features of the Shaolin method of life extension. However, this method has much in common with the methods of “nurturing life” of other schools and directions. Known for his research into methods of “nurturing” and prolonging life, the monk Xuan Gui in his writings outlined the main directions of the Shaolin school, the essence of which boils down to the following:

• “nurturing life” through meditation;
• sunbathing;
• hardening by cold, heat and wind;
• healing the spleen with proper nutrition;
• cold water baths;
• prolonging life with the help of qigong;
• losing weight by walking;
• strengthening the body with “hard” exercises;
• prolongation of life with the help of medical secrets;
• cleansing the body with massage;
• healing with the help of wushu.

These directions constitute complex method“nurturing” and prolonging life, incorporating the long practice of Shaolin, the invaluable experience of other schools, a method that has proven its effectiveness in preventing diseases and promoting health.

Principles of nutrition

Basic food

Chinese traditional medicine has long noticed close connection between nutrition and human health. The treatise "Lingshu" says: “The top heater turns on and lets in five flavors of cereal. Qi is what gilds the skin, strengthens the body, nourishes the hair, and irrigates like fog and dew. With the intake of food, the body is filled with qi. Getting into the bones, it has a beneficial effect on them, making them flexible. Saliva is a fluid that nourishes the brain and moisturizes the skin. The qi enters the middle heater, combines with the liquid and turns red. It turns out to be blood."

This excerpt from an ancient treatise demonstrates the important role food plays in the functioning of the human body, which, when entering it, contribute to the formation of the nutritional substances necessary for a person - qi, blood and saliva. These nutritional substances support normal metabolism, continuously circulating, ensuring the vital functions of the body.

Digestion of food is carried out mainly by the stomach and spleen. Therefore, the ancients said: “The spleen is the basis of post-uterine life, the source that generates qi and blood.”

The Ming era monk Beng Yue, combining the principles of traditional Chinese medicine with his own experience, he created his own original approach to the issue of “nurturing life”, developed the daily diet of monks and nutrition during illness.

Ben Yue wrote: “The basis of nutrition is the five grains, vegetables and fruits. Medicinal herbs should be taken with food year-round. Nutrition should be orderly. Eating at the same time will allow you to live a hundred years.”

He believed that nutrition should be regular, varied, food should be fresh, that food should be taken at a certain time and in certain quantities, that one should not consume large amounts of liquid, overeat or undereat.

In Shaolin there are strict rules according to which food is taken three times a day. Every monk is obliged to strictly follow these rules.

It is forbidden to eat anything after the third meal. Breakfast at the monastery starts at six in the morning and includes two cups of thin porridge. Lunch happens at half past twelve and consists of steamed pampushka or flatbread and liquid stew in a bowl. limited quantities, at six in the evening - dinner, including one or one and a half cups of hodgepodge with noodles. Breakfast should not be heavy, at lunch you need to eat as much as you should, and at dinner - a little less. Food should be varied. Monks are forbidden to eat meat and drink wine. Violators are punished with burning sticks and expelled from the monastery.

Meal schedule

BREAKFAST
Time: 6 hours.
Main food: porridge made from chumiza or corn with the addition of sweet potatoes or potatoes.
Quantity: 2 - 2.5 cups (100 g of rice or flour).

DINNER
Time: 11 o'clock.
Main food: Flatbread made from a mixture of wheat and corn flour and filled with dates or persimmons.
Quantity: 1 flatbread (250g), plus white radish, doufu (bean curd), golden bean noodles.

DINNER
Time: 6 pm. Main food: bean flour noodles.
Quantity: 1 - 1.5 cups with seasonal additions: alfalfa, celery, Chinese cabbage etc.

Tea ration

Shaolin monks regularly drink medicinal tea, brewing it from herbs depending on weather conditions associated with the changing seasons. Drinking this tea helps to improve the stomach, lift the “spirit” and prolong life.

Spring tea : 30 g of field mint, 30 g of reed rhizome, 10 g of licorice, 30 g of Laurera's gentian, brew with boiling water and drink instead of tea 4 - 5 times a day, one glass, brewing a new portion every day. This infusion has an anti-infective and detoxifying effect, a good prophylactic against skin diseases, for example, furunculosis.

Summer tea : 18 g of platycodon grandiflora, 10 g of licorice, 30 g of Japanese honeysuckle, brew with boiling water and drink instead of tea. This infusion has a detoxifying effect, relieves fever, is good for the throat, and is a good prophylactic against the flu. In the summer, you can also drink small quantities of fresh golden bean juice, obtained by squeezing the beans brewed with boiling water and crushed with added sugar.

Autumn tea : 20 g of hanging forcisia, 10 g of bamboo leaves, 10 g of licorice, 3 g of dandelion, 10 g of foxglove root, brew with boiling water and drink instead of tea. This infusion promotes the formation of saliva and has detoxifying, antipyretic, diuretic and carminative properties.

Winter tea : 3 g raw ginger, 3 dates, 30 g black tea leaves, 3 onion stalks, boil and drink instead of tea. This decoction helps improve the functions of the intestines and spleen.

Longevity tea for any time of year: 30 g polygonum multiflorum, 30 g Chinese chamomile, 35 g hawthorn, 250 g thick honey. Boil the first four ingredients in a clay pot for 40 minutes, drain the broth, and squeeze the juice out of the resulting solid mass. Pour water into the pot, transfer the pomace and boil, drain the broth. Repeat the procedure 3 times. Drain all the decoctions together (you should get 500 ml). Add honey and stir until smooth. Place the resulting product in a porcelain vessel and seal tightly. Take 1 tablespoon daily after meals, diluted in half a glass of boiled water. This drink can be consumed all year round. It helps replenish qi, nourish the blood, improve the functions of the stomach and spleen.

Wild plants in the monks' diet

• Lemon yellow daylily, or common dandelion. It is collected in the spring when it blooms. Dig out whole, wash and cut into small pieces. Then add salt and knead slightly. It can be added to other dishes. Daylily helps eliminate heat and has a detoxifying effect. As the monks say, eating this plant for one month relieves skin abscesses and furunculosis for a whole year.
• Shepherd's Purse. In spring, this plant covers large areas around the monastery. Fresh young leaves are eaten. They can be added directly to noodle soup, or they can be eaten by brewing them with boiling water, adding salt, vinegar and a small amount of sesame oil. Shepherd's purse is very nutritious and pleasant to the taste. It helps replenish blood and improve the health of the spleen. With long-term use, it eliminates yellowness of the face, relieves thinness, weakness in the limbs, dizziness and blurred vision.
• Field mint. It grows in abundance near the monastery, filling the air with a pleasant aroma. In spring and summer, monks collect its stems and leaves, wash it, cut it into pieces, salt it and lightly knead it. Eating mint helps improve vision, clear the head, and eliminate fever.
• Purslane . Purslane is collected in summer and autumn. It is dug up entirely, washed and doused with boiling water. Eat with salt and oil. Pancakes are also made from it with the addition of flour and donuts. Purslane strengthens the stomach, normalizes intestinal function, and is recommended for indigestion and dysentery.
• Wormwood hairy. Young shoots of wormwood are collected in early spring, washed, mixed with salt and flour and steamed. Wormwood helps eliminate heat.
• Willow. In early spring, young shoots of willow are collected, boiled in boiling water, removed and eaten, adding salt and oil. Young willow shoots can also be mixed with flour and steamed.
• Japanese thistle. Young thistle leaves are collected, washed and eaten raw with salt and butter or boiled in noodle soup. Thistle has a hemostatic effect.
• Chinese yam. This plant helps to “replenish” the kidneys, stops bleeding, strengthens the spleen and lungs. The monks collect it in late autumn and eat it boiled.
• Tarot. It is dug up in early spring and late autumn and boiled with white radish. Taro helps to “replenish” the kidneys and blood.
• Hawthorn. Hawthorn fruits are collected at the end of autumn, washed, boiled and pureed. Hawthorn puree has a sour taste, is rich in vitamins, strengthens the stomach and improves digestion.
• Chestnut. Monks collect and eat boiled chestnuts in the fall. They taste sweet, strengthen the stomach and replenish the spleen.
• Gingo. This plant normalizes breathing, strengthens the lungs and kidneys. It is collected 3 - 5 pieces per day, peeled and boiled with crushed sugar. Both fruits and decoction are used as food.

Vitamins and longevity

From the point of view of modern dietetics, the foods consumed by Shaolin monks can be divided into cereals, root vegetables, legumes and nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Cereals are one of the main products constantly consumed by humans. They are rich in carbohydrates, which contribute to the body's production of thermal energy, as well as protein. Cereals are eaten mixed or together with legumes, which allows them to complement each other and to some extent compensate for the lack of amino acids in them. The amount of protein in cereals is approximately the same, they are important source for the human body. Cereals also contain a large amount of vitamins, calcium, iron, and coarse fiber.

Root vegetables supply the human body with thermal energy and contain many vitamins and minerals.

Legumes and nuts contain high amounts of protein and fat, especially soy. Their protein content is higher than that of vegetables and grains. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, phosphatides, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

Vegetables and fruits are rich in microelements, necessary for the body person. Leafy vegetables, for example, contain many B vitamins and carotene, as well as calcium, iron and inorganic salts. In addition, the moisture and fiber they contain promote digestion (see table).

Shaolin monks eat a variety of grains, mainly processed grains, as well as beans, vegetables and nuts. They set their diet depending on the time of year and their own condition, which allows them to receive a complete set nutrients, well combined with each other. This is the main way to maintain health and longevity. It is especially important that the monks abstain from meat.

DeEn /magazine "Qigong and Sports", No. 2 1995/

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Monastery life

The moment a worldly person decides to put on an angelic image and change his usual clothes to a monastic robe, his life turns into a path along which, step by step, he tries to get closer to God. And in order for this path of monastic life to be the most successful, the holy fathers developed an excellent “program” for everyday spiritual life - the charter. The communal rule that prevails today in the monasteries of Russia, Greece and on Mount Athos comes from the studite tradition. This tradition was brought to Athos by St. Athanasius of Athos (961), who later became abbot of the Great Lavra. The rules of the Athonite community harmoniously combine hesychasm, prayer and obedience. That is why the reviving Nikolaev Malitsky Monastery, when choosing a monastic charter, chose the Athos tradition.

LIFE

For Malitsa monks it is quite simple. In a communal (cinenial) monastery, everything is common, including meals. There are separate, so-called “decent” tables in the refectory if you need to receive guests and honor them with your presence.

The monastery monk has a room - a cell with a bed, pillow and mattress, a water jug ​​with a cup, two wardrobes for clothes and books, icons, a table, a reading lamp and a chair. Judging by the size of the cell (3.5 x 1.90 meters), one can imagine how many things will fit there. Monks who are studying can ask for a CD player or cassette recorder in their cell. If a radio receiver is built into the tape recorder, it is broken out. In general, if a monk needs even such a small thing as toothpaste, he turns to the abbot of the monastery. Without a blessing, a monk literally will not bring even a needle into his cell. Moreover, most monks inspect their cells every few months in order to find items that can be gotten rid of. Every thing eats up time. The more things you have, the more time they take away from the main goal of life.

The monk's clothing - a sign of repentance and humility - consists of a cassock, leather belt, trousers and skufia. Expensive, silk or colored fabrics are not blessed - wool and suit fabric are used. At services, monks are required to wear a Greek cassock and klobuk (kamilavka with markings). Linen can consist of two or three shirts and trousers. Shoes and jackets can be workable and clean. Any clothing in excess of the above is considered excess.
The monks do not earn their own means of living, at their own request, since they are fully supported by the monastery, and they receive everything they need from batteries to medicines with the blessing of the abbot. Of course, the reviving monastery accepts donations from various individuals and organizations. Due to the lack of trade and developed economy, the monastery does not have constant material income. There is also no bookstore, so apart from candles in the temple, “experienced” pilgrims will not be able to purchase anything.

What all monks have in common is a cell, but in it they are “tenants,” or guests for the time allotted by the Lord for repentance. Life on earth is temporary: there is no need to worry about conveniences. A cell for monks is a coffin where one should think about death. Monks in general look at life, the body and the world as if they were looking at a coffin: life is bitter and short on earth, but infinitely sweet in heaven.

CELL RULE.

Each monk has his own appearance, spiritual world and internal routine, therefore the confessor has a special approach to each monk. At the same time, the life of the monastery is still subject to strict regulations and flows strictly according to the schedule. Long before dawn, no later than an hour before the start of the morning service, at a quarter to five, the monks wake up to fulfill their cell rule. For the great, the service begins an hour earlier. Personal monastic rule is performed primarily using the rosary. The monks always have them with them. Bundle by knot they repeat the most important ascetic prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” The monks read the night prayer or canon every night, and every night they ask the Lord God for help in the fight against human passions and worldly thoughts.

The holy fathers call night prayer an “arena,” since every night battles with dark forces are fought in cells through prayer. And the faster the monk approaches God, acquiring virtues, the stronger the attack from dark forces. Personal prayer and teaching is one’s own feat in the cell.

The cell rule is performed standing, with the sign of the cross and small bows from the waist at each prayer. For schema monks it consists of 12 rosaries (centurions) with small bows and one with great bows, for robed monks it consists of 6 rosaries (centurions) with small bows and 60 great bows, and for new monks and novices of 3 rosaries with small bows and 33 great bows. Prostrations to the ground are left only on Sundays throughout the year, and on Bright Week.

WORSHIP

Divine services have always been and continue to be the center of all monastic life.

The liturgical charter that the modern Malitsky monastery adheres to was compiled by the ancient holy fathers - the Holy Mountainers. According to its rules, it is more suitable for a desert-hermit life. At the present time, due to special living conditions, this charter is not observed as strictly as before. But the modern rule, developed by life, is also not easy. It can be said with certainty that in Russia there are hardly a dozen monasteries that follow such a charter. Church services are, of course, daily. In total, divine services take the monks about seven hours a day, taking into account the monastic cell rule.

The main places of worship in the Malitsky monastery are the large Church of the Intercession, which plays the role of a catholicon (καθολικὸν - the cathedral church of the monastery), and the “old temple” paraklis (παρεκκλήσ) - a small-sized house church in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, located in the southern wing of the fraternal corps. Usually, daily services of the daily circle are performed in the old (house) church, and in the new one - Pokrovsky, much larger in size - they are served on major holidays and Sundays throughout the year.

The midnight office begins at a quarter to six. This part of the service is always performed in the dark, and only the glare from the burning lamps illuminates the walls of the temple. In a side corner illuminated by a lamp, one of the monastic readers reads the sequence of the Midnight Office. The atmosphere is peaceful, prayerful: in the muted light of lamps illuminating the golden backgrounds on the icons, black-clad figures of monks and novices silently appear, traditionally crossing themselves and bowing towards the altar and both choirs; They take the morning blessing from the abbot and disperse to the stasidiums.
On weekdays, the entire service is read and sung “quickly”; instead of longer Byzantine chants, “everyday” is used.

After the midnight service, if it is read in the Church of the Intercession, the priest opens the curtain of the Royal Doors of the vestibule and everyone moves to the main church, where matins and hours will be performed.

Along the walls of the entire temple, monks and lay people are located in stasidiums. Thanks to this distribution, a large number of people can be accommodated in the temple without creating fuss or noise.

A quarter of an hour before the start of the Divine Liturgy, a monk dressed in a robe walks around the monastery and, with blows on a portable wooden beater (τάλαντον), calls workers and pilgrims to the temple one step at a time. Then he immediately hits the iron beater (rivet), after which, if there is a holiday, there is a short ringing in the bell tower.

The liturgy on ordinary days lasts about an hour. The moments of the liturgy considered the most important - the initial exclamation “Blessed is the kingdom”, the great entrance, the epiclesis, the exclamation “Holy to the Holies”, the time of Communion (from the exclamation “With the fear of God” to the exclamation “Always, now and ever...”) - are marked by the fact that that at this time everyone comes out of the stasidia and bows deeply.

The frequency of confession in the Malitsky monastery is not stipulated by a single rule and is determined by the spiritual need of each monk. Confession is usually performed in one of the chapels of the cathedral or in the cell of the confessor. The confessor in the monastery is the abbot. All brethren receive Holy Communion at least once a week (usually on Tuesday and Saturday or Sunday; monks and clergy receive communion every day.

At the end of the liturgy, if there is a celebration of a saint, a dish with kolivo is placed in front of the proskynitarium (lectern for the icon), the troparion and kontakion to the saint are sung, the serving hieromonk censes the kolivo and reads a prayer for his blessing; the same thing happens on days of remembrance of the dead (with the singing of funeral troparions instead of the festive one). At the end of the liturgy, the antidoron is distributed to the faithful.

Services in the monastery are performed in limited quantities. Basically this is baptism and funeral service. The frequency of confession of the brothers is determined by their desire. The abbot blesses them to come to him at least once a week, not necessarily for confession - just for a conversation. While the abbot is outside the walls of the monastery, all services are performed by the second monastery priest.

Immediately after the completion of the Divine Liturgy, usually around 9.30 am, tea follows.

OBEDIENCE

After tea, the monks retire for a while to rest, after which they go to their daily obediences, that is, to work. All monks, including the abbot, go to obedience, since common work is fundamental in every cenobitic monastery. And no matter how difficult or unpleasant obedience may be, the monk accepts it as sent by God, like the Cross, the bearing of which is the path to salvation.

In the Malitsky monastery, various obediences are performed: secretary, sacristan, librarian, ecclesiarch, sextons, singers, readers, bell ringers, icon painters, in the kitchen - cooks and refectories, carpenters, builders, cleaners, gardener, beekeeper, gasman, driver, tour guide, etc. d. In addition, fathers should be involved in general works(panginyah), such as watering and harvesting crops, cleaning the territory, preparing for the patronal feast, etc. The monastery has several farmsteads, where brothers and parishioners also work. The pious laity provide great assistance to the monastery; they work selflessly for the Glory of God, helping the brethren in almost all obediences. Often it is necessary to attract electricians, plumbers and other specialists from the “world”.

The word obedience (“diaconima”) in Greek comes from the verb "diakono", which means: "service of love." An offering of love also means remaining in prayer and in the memory of God.

Therefore, during obediences, the brethren say the Jesus Prayer. Be sure to pray out loud so as not to be distracted and not talk to each other. Those who are engaged in mental work, for example, office workers or guides working with pilgrims, do not pray out loud.

Any obedience has an established order. If circumstances permit, they perform it for a year or two, then give another. Sometimes they leave it for another year. The person performing it must address all questions to his leader (the chief of obedience) or, if necessary, directly to the abbot. This achieves a lot: it does not allow the imagination to rush around and offer solutions, clears the mind of complex and simple thoughts, focuses attention on prayer, teaches one to seek advice and cut off one’s will. To question is to be saved. If there is obedience, there will be humility - the basis of obedience itself.

In konoviya, monastic duties are performed responsibly. Where at least a few people live, there are already a lot of worries. There is no less work to ensure the life of a monastery than in any human society. And only unquestioning obedience and precise diligence can provide a monk with well-being and peace of mind.

For perfect obedience and cutting off thoughts and will, from the first day of life in the Malitsky monastery, monks are required to learn to do any work accurately and consistently. The rules, briefly formulated by Fr. Joachim from the monastery of St. Anna: talk like a monk, look like a monk, eat like a monk, sleep like a monk, think like a monk, pray like a monk, perform obedience like a monk - the fathers try to observe always and everywhere.

MEAL

There is a meal at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon. 5 minutes before it starts, all the inhabitants are notified by rhythmic knocking on an iron beater. The refectory in the monastery is located next to the Intercession Church, inside on the eastern side, there is the abbot’s table; along the walls there are tables for monks and pilgrims; A pulpit with a book stand in the form of a golden eagle for the reader is attached to the western wall, significantly higher than the floor. While eating, the teachings of St. fathers or lives of saints.

The meal depends on the day of the week and preparation for the Communion of the Holy Mysteries. The monks themselves eat little, since food is secondary to them. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - simple, lean food. During fasting, only plant foods are eaten; there is not even olive oil on the tables. Eating fish on a fast day is no small sin. The inhabitants eat food twice a day, never consuming meat or wine. On ordinary days, there is soup, potatoes or pasta, rice, salad, vegetables and fruits on the tables. From drinking - Herb tea, dried fruit compote and water. On holidays and Sundays, salted or baked fish, eggs and cocoa can be served.

At the meal after short prayer the brethren eat in silence for no more than 15 minutes. At this time, the Lives of Saints or spiritual teachings are read. Sometimes in front of the abbot’s table you can see a monk performing a punishment for an offense - bowing. During the meal, the abbot rings the bell three times: after the 1st blow, it is allowed to drink, after the 2nd, the reader stops reading, descends from the pulpit and accepts the blessing from the abbot, and the meal (if it is a Sunday) brings the abbot ukrukha (leftover bread) for blessing. , after the 3rd blow, the eating stops, everyone stands up, then prayers of thanks are read. Several prayers are added before the prayers of thanksgiving. petitions pronounced alternately by the abbot and the reader. After the meal, the abbot stands on the right side of the exit with a raised blessing hand; the cook, the reader and the refectorian freeze in a bow opposite the abbot (on the left side of the exit), asking forgiveness from the brethren for possible errors in their service. Thus, everyone leaving the refectory “falls” under the blessing of the Father Superior. After the meal, the fathers again disperse according to obedience.

VESPERS

An hour before the start of Vespers, after monastic labors, rest is allowed. This helps the brethren to have strength to pray for evening worship. Twice, in half an hour and a quarter to a quarter, the sound of a wooden beat again calls all the inhabitants to the temple. Vespers, preceded by the reading of the 9th hour, begins at 5 pm. It lasts about an hour and ends with a daily funeral litany, performed in the narthex. The evening meal follows immediately after the service.

Dinner often consists of the same dishes and in the same quantities as at lunch, only cold. Only sick people are allowed to take food out of the refectory. Infirm brothers from among the laity living in the monastery and bearing a certain obedience are allowed to drink tea with a piece of bread in the evening. You can sometimes drink tea in your cell and during obedience, but you must definitely take a blessing for this. In general, blessings are taken for any action, even the most insignificant.

After dinner, the brethren immediately go to the temple to celebrate Compline. On it, a prayer canon is sung to the Mother of God in front of the Vatopedi icon “Consolation and Consolation”, and then the abbot anoints everyone with oil from the lamp burning in front of the holy image. Also during Compline, an akathist to the Mother of God is read daily. This Svyatogorsk feature is never omitted, since Mother of God is the guardian not only of Her earthly destiny - Holy Mount Athos, but also the Mother of all monks in general. Compline ends with prayers for the coming sleep. At the end of the service, to the Byzantine singing of the Theotokos troparion “To the beauty of your virginity...”, all the monks venerate the icons and take a blessing from the abbot for the coming night.

After Compline (at 19.15) there is a short period of time, about an hour, when there is an opportunity to talk with each other. But then conversations with anyone, including pilgrims, are not blessed, so as not to fall into idleness and condemnation. Talking a lot is harmful; it negatively affects monastic work. Monks have no special need to communicate with each other: if a monk is attentive to himself, observes the monastic rules and does not hide his thoughts from his confessor, grace consoles him and he has no great need to speak. Evening silence should prepare your mind for night prayer.

After Compline, monks are also strictly forbidden to enter the cells of pilgrims without a blessing. Radio and television are prohibited in the monastery. No one leaves the monastery without a blessing.

HYGIENE

The ancient founders of monasticism were indifferent to the body for the sake of saving the soul. Thus, the father of monasticism, St. Anthony the Great (251-326) ate bread and salt, lived in caves, without observing hygiene. Previously, monks in Svyatogorsk monasteries were forbidden and considered a sin to wash their hair, comb their hair or beard, or go to the bathhouse. Very strict ascetics did not wash their faces, washing only with their own tears. Nowadays, the rules regarding personal hygiene have relaxed. Monks are allowed to bathe, and treatment with medication is mandatory. There is a monastery doctor who often comes to the monastery and regularly examines each monk and worker. If found serious symptoms, then hospitalization is performed in regional hospital. Health is God’s gift, and the monastery takes it very seriously.

Some rules have remained unchanged: do not expose your body unless absolutely necessary, even your arms while working. Among monks, seeing a person, for example in shorts, with bare legs (not to mention women) is considered great indecency.

DREAM

Monks sleep in clothes: in cassocks, loosening the belt, in thin cloth skufs and socks, so as to always be ready for prayer, obedience and for the Last Judgment. Sleep occupies exactly the same place in monastic life as eating: monks sleep as much as necessary in order not to lose their sanity and be able to fulfill their obediences. Usually it is 5-6 hours. It should be noted that the dormitory regulations are specially written in such a way that meal times are never combined with rest and sleep times. This is very important point from an ascetic point of view.

The pilgrims living in the monastery gradually accustom themselves to a strict routine. They also have to get out of bed long before dawn for church services, and in order to understand and experience the whole essence of monastic reality, this really needs to be done.

The day is divided into approximately 3 eight hours, reserved for prayer, work and rest. Ancient Greek The verse describes the daily work of a monk this way: (Γράφε, μελέτα, ψάλλε - στέναζε, προσεύχου, σιώπα) “Write, study, sing, sigh, pray, be silent.”

Lent traditionally attracts the attention of not only believers. Many are trying to time the next stage of weight loss to coincide with this time or try out a new diet based on vegetarian principles. Those who are thinking about proper nutrition on the eve of fasting will be interested in the experience of the monks of Mount Athos and the features of their diet on fasting and fasting days.

Research shows that Athonite monasticism is one of the healthiest communities in the world. Monks live a long time, practically do not get cancer, do not suffer from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Side effect The diet adopted here becomes a natural loss of excess weight.

Each monastery almost completely provides itself with everything necessary. Not much is purchased on the mainland. The monasteries are surrounded by vegetable gardens, orchards, vineyards, apiaries and olive groves. Organic fruits collected during the season form the basis of nutrition for the inhabitants of the Holy Mountain. The monasteries also have their own small piers for fishing boats. As a rule, boats go to sea before one holiday or another. The catch - and it can be significant - is cleaned, cut up and eaten at lunch.

The monastic meal is a religious ritual that takes place twice a day, morning and evening. The monks eat in silence, while reading Holy Scripture(with comments from the Father Superior). Typically, a meal lasts about twenty minutes; its completion is announced by a bell signal given by the abbot. Although the monks view food as a source of “replenishment of strength,” their table is varied, and Lenten dishes are delicious. Typically these are soups, greens, legumes and pulses, salads, bread and fruits.

The diet is unchanged. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are fast days, when animal proteins, wine and vegetable oil. Food is cooked in water. Despite the strict restrictions, the Lenten day menu is quite wide. Often what is not eaten in the morning is eaten, slightly modified, in the evening.

The remaining days of the week (unless a holiday falls on them) are considered fast days. The range of permitted foods is expanding to include fish, cheese, eggs, yogurt and red wine.

Breaking the fast after fasting is a joyful event when there is abundance on the table: fish, pies, sweets and even ice cream. The monks sincerely rejoice at these delicacies, but, remaining true to their principles, they use them in in moderation.

Principles of the Athonite diet
If you are looking to radically change your lifestyle and diet, bringing it closer to a healthy one, we recommend that you listen to the following advice, based on the centuries-old experience of Athonite monks.
Minimize your consumption of salty foods and processed foods.
Minimize your consumption of butter and cream.
Minimize your intake of sugar and drinks high content sugar, or better yet, give them up.
Drink as little fruit juice as possible.
Snack only on fruits, vegetables, nuts and dry crackers.
Eat organic whenever possible.
Exercise regularly physical exercise(walking briskly for 30-40 minutes a day will help you maintain normal weight).
Drink as much water as possible.
Adjust your diet to suit your lifestyle. If necessary, shift fast and fast days.

Fast days

On fasting days, you shouldn't just eliminate certain foods—you should eat as little as possible. You will have to significantly reduce your usual portion.

In fact, on fast days you will eat a strict low-fat vegetarian diet. Try to choose vegetarian dishes to your liking and exercise self-discipline. When you go to bed, you will feel a slight feeling of hunger, and this is a good sign.

No limits. Remember that on fasting days you should limit the amount of food you eat as much as possible. Restrictions do not apply to:

• fruits;
• herbal/fruit teas;
• water;
• spices, herbs and peppers - add them to lenten dishes to improve the taste.

With restrictions. On fasting days, you can eat the following foods, but in small quantities. The maximum portion should not exceed the amount of food that fits in folded palms.

In moderate quantities the following are acceptable:

• potato;
• pasta;
• cereals: rice, bulgur, couscous, quinoa, barley, pearl barley and oatmeal;
• unhealthy crackers, oat cookies, breadsticks;
• fruit juices (no more than 2 glasses per day);
• avocado (no more than half a day);
• legumes: green peas, lentils, beans (chickpeas, beans);
• olives and olive oil;
• seasonings and sauces (chili, ketchup);
• dried fruits, nuts and seeds (no more than a handful per day);
• tea and coffee (without milk and sugar);
• salt (as little as possible).

What not to eat and drink. Perhaps, looking at the list of prohibited foods, you will panic: what should I eat if nothing is allowed! However, if you start preparing food yourself, the problem can be solved.

On fasting days the following are completely excluded from the diet:

• dairy products: milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, cream, cottage cheese;
• meat: beef, pork, lamb, sausages (burgers, sausages, bacon, ham, etc.);
• fish and seafood, including shrimp, squid, fish fingers, etc.;
• eggs;
• chips and snacks;
• cookies, cakes, croissants, pancakes, etc.;
• chocolate, candies and other sweets;
• sugar and sweet drinks (Coca-Cola, lemonade, energy drinks);
• alcohol (wine, beer, cider, strong alcohol, cocktails);
• vegetable oils and fats (including coconut cream and coconut milk);
• mayonnaise and fatty salad dressings.

Most of us, even trying to limit ourselves in consuming fatty and sweet foods, nevertheless gain weight. The reason for this is extra calories. Therefore, try to use high-calorie fats and sugar in small quantities to improve the taste of dishes and exclude foods and drinks that only consist of them from your diet. For example, it's better to eat a serving of zucchini sautéed in olive oil and garlic than a bag of chips. It is better to sprinkle the berries with one teaspoon of sugar than to take several sips of Coca-Cola (one can contains about 8 teaspoons of sugar).

Fast days

These days you can eat more varied than on fast days, but the amount of food should not exceed reasonable limits. You can also drink one glass of alcohol (preferably red wine).

No limits. As on any other day of the Athos diet, you can eat and drink without restrictions:

• fruits;
• vegetables (except avocados and potatoes);
• herbal and fruit tea;
• water;
• spices, herbs and pepper.

In moderation. On fasting days, the range of permitted foods is much wider than on fasting days. You can eat and drink:

• cereals: rice, bulgur, couscous, barley, oats and quinoa;
• legumes: beans and lentils;
• nuts and seeds;
• bread (preferably whole grain);
• crackers, oatmeal cookies, breadsticks;
• pasta;
• potato;
• avocado;
• fruit juices;
• olives;
• Greek (natural) yogurt;
• milk (skimmed or reduced fat);
• cheese (one slice no larger than a matchbox);
• butter (a little);
• eggs;
• seafood;
• poultry meat;
• olive oil;
• alcohol (one glass of red wine 175 ml);
• dried fruits;
• salt (as little as possible).

It is forbidden:

• red meat and meat products (sausages, burgers, ham, bacon, pate, etc.);
• chips and snacks;
• sugar and sweet drinks;
• candies and other sweets;
• cakes, cookies, croissants, etc.

This diet will free you from the “diet” mentality and teach you to appreciate and respect food. One day a week you can eat whatever you want without having to constantly control yourself. Nervousness will disappear from your relationship with food. Instead of saying “never,” you will say to yourself, “Not today.”

Breaking the fast

One day a week you can step away from strict restrictions diet and “feast” - please yourself with what you love. Save this day for going to a restaurant, a festive dinner with friends or with your family.

The beauty of the diet of the Athonite monks is that you don’t have to constantly deny yourself everything. On the contrary, you can go to visit and eat a piece of cake without a twinge of conscience, because you know: tomorrow is a fast day. Breaking the fast days helps solve the problem of feelings of deprivation and guilt typical of other diets.

Most likely, at first you will look forward to Sunday so that you can eat your fill, but gradually you will notice: you are no longer craving fatty and sweet foods, although before you could not live without them. And this is another positive property of the Athonite diet.

Discussion

What nonsense is written. How can fasting days be shifted if these are days on which fasting is observed for the sake of remembering certain events? Monks do not eat meat at all. What yogurt? Vegetables except avocados and potatoes. Why can't avocados and potatoes? Potatoes are the main Lenten dish of the monks. And on Mount Athos they actively eat sea reptiles. There is no mention of them here. In general, fasting and diet cannot be compared. The meaning of fasting is highly spiritual. Don't be ashamed, delete this nonsense. It was written by completely incompetent people. And manipulating inaccurate information and big names to attract readers is ugly!

02/16/2018 06:38:47, Monah Varsonofij

I know how to eat properly during Lent and not gain weight!!! Get all the vitamins and minerals you need, how to use them vegetable proteins!!! Write to me in PM if you are interested.

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Potatoes “in their uniform” in the monastery are jokingly called “in a cassock” - after all, monks do not wear uniforms

Recently, I began to notice that when talking about products and dishes “monastic...”, or “like a monastery...”, people mean: “high-quality”, “real”, “delicious”. Honey, bread, lunch...

Observing this specifically, it struck me that this trend is not only expanding, but is already being used by various product manufacturers, conscientious and not so conscientious. Then I asked: what is modern monastic food, monastic products? What is behind consumer recognition - traditional respect for the religious way of life, which excludes deception and laziness, or the absence of clear government quality guidelines, the same GOSTs, for example?

For answers to these questions, we turned to Father Micah, hieromonk of the St. Daniel Monastery. The path that led this wonderful man to the church was not easy.

Our interlocutor

Hieromonk Micah, in the world Gulevsky Alexander Petrovich, was born on November 22, 1964 in Rostov-on-Don. After graduating from school in 1980. entered the Rostov School of Arts, specializing in “Accordion”, graduated in 1984. 1984-1986 - military service in the Airborne Forces. From 1987 to 1988 Father Micah served as a sexton in the church, and in 1988. entered the seminary, which he graduated from in 1991. In the same year he entered the Trinity-Sergius Lavra as a novice, and in 1992 he was transferred to the Danilov Monastery. Obediences in the monastery: 2 years in the icon shop, for 10 years since 1994. construction of a monastery and apiary in the Ryazan region, since 2004. - cellarer in the Danilov Monastery, currently serving in a honey shop, in 2 monastery stores, as well as in the department for the production of posters of spiritual and patriotic content by modern and classical artists.

Let's start with the fact that Father Mikhei was a paratrooper and knows the concept of a “hot spot” firsthand. Already, while in the monastery, Father Micah performed difficult obediences: establishing a monastery in the Ryazan region, organizing the monastery apiary, the duties of a cellarer in the St. Daniel Monastery itself, and many others that I do not know about.

As a result, we were able to draw a picture from the questions and responses of how a Russian Orthodox monastery lives today: what it produces, what it eats, whom it feeds and how.

AIF.RU: It is known that the absolute majority of monasteries in Rus' were self-sufficient in the production, storage and distribution of products. The monasteries owned gardens, fields, orchards, ponds and apiaries. Also, since ancient times, the tradition of feeding monastic products not only to the brethren, but also to workers, pilgrims, students, and guests has been preserved. Is this tradition alive in St. Daniel's Monastery now?

O. Micah: Since centuries in Rus', monasteries have been not only centers of spiritual life, but also economic ones. Not only did they feed themselves, but they also carried out breeding work, grew new varieties of plants, looked for and found new ways to store and preserve food. For many hundreds of years, monasteries not only fed themselves, but also widely helped those in need. Both in normal times and, especially, in war years, in lean periods, in times of epidemics.

It’s no different in the monastery: today the economy of the St. Daniel’s Monastery feeds up to 900 people every day. We have a little more than 80 brethren, almost 400 lay workers. And also pilgrims, guests of the monastery, those in need - every day the monastery kitchen, with God's help, provides food for all these people.

Most of the products we have are of our own production. This includes flour from monastery fields in the Ryazan region, vegetables, fruits, and honey. We mostly buy fish for now, but we want to dig ponds there, on the lands of the monastery, and start growing fish. We keep cows for butter, cottage cheese, milk. They don’t eat meat in the monastery.

AIF.RU: How did the revival of the monastic economy begin?

O. Micah: The revival of the monastery economy began from the moment it was transferred to the Church in 1983. Over the next five years, the monastery as a whole was restored, and the economy supporting it began to function. However, even now we are only moving towards a truly independent structure that produces, preserves and nourishes.

Until 1917, the monastery had extensive lands, arable lands, apiaries, and ponds. There were many and good products. The monastery sold a lot of things, incl. in their own shops and stores. People have always loved them - both Muscovites and pilgrims. Then everything was destroyed, literally - to the ground.

But over the past 17 years, of course, a lot of progress has been made. If you look back today, you see how much we, with God’s help, have achieved! And we ourselves grow wheat on the monastery lands, grind flour, and bake our famous baked goods. And we grow and preserve all the necessary vegetables: we can them, ferment them, and salt them.

And now the monastery has more than one apiary - in the Moscow region on the monastery farm, near Ryazan, near Anapa and from Altai, honey is also supplied from the apiaries of the Church of the Archangel Michael. The largest apiary is near Ryazan. Now we have about 300 hives here and during the season we manage to obtain more than 10 varieties of honey in our apiaries. These include sweet clover, linden, buckwheat, and honeys of forest and field herbs. Every new season, before the bees fly out, special prayers are held to consecrate the apiary, and the beekeepers receive a blessing for the upcoming work.

Honey such a product is God's blessing. You need to treat him that way. After all, if you put an apiary, for example, near the road, there will be a lot of things coming out of the exhaust pipes: lead and all sorts of heavy metals. And the bees also collect all this and transfer it to honey. We are responsible before God for the fact that we have apiaries in good, environmentally friendly places, and so we offer pure honey to people.

We love our people and want people to be healthy and beautiful and for children to be born healthy. Beekeeping is a traditional Russian trade. Back in the 16th century they said: “Russia is a country where honey flows.” Honey was made in almost every home. It was also supplied abroad along with wax. All Russian people ate honey. This is a necessary product for every person.

It is now customary for us to eat honey only during illness. Only this is wrong. You should eat honey three times a day: a spoonful in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. Honey contains everything the body needs, including vitamins. After all, honey is a natural product that people have been eating for centuries to improve their health. Warriors of the past always carried honey with them on campaigns. By eating it, they increased their strength before the upcoming battle

They began to revive the tradition of monastery bread. People come for our baked goods from all over Moscow and even from the Moscow region. A variety of pies, prepared according to old monastery recipes, are very popular. Made with soul - and people like it!

Our parishioners and guests of the monastery really appreciate the fact that we use recipes not only from our monastery, but also from other holy places: for example, we have yeast-free bread baked according to Athonite recipes, and there is bread from the sisters from the Serpukhov convent.

AIF.RU: And all this is managed by the small brethren of the St. Daniel Monastery?

O. Micah: Of course not! We are helped by both lay workers and voluntary assistants. There really are few monks, especially those who know how to work on earth. Many came to the monastery from cities, some are not able to do physical labor. But work in honey apiaries is called “sweet hard labor”...

Not everyone knows how much work one has to put in to good products ended up on the table of the monastery.

AIF.RU: Please tell us about the monastery food system. What products and dishes make up the monastery table for the brethren?

O. Micah: We do not come to the monastery to eat deliciously - we come to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven through labor, prayer and obedience. The highest virtues are fasting, prayer, renunciation of worldly temptations and obedience.

By the way, according to the monastery charter, there are about 200 fasting days a year. Fasts are divided into multi-day (Great, Peter the Great, Dormition and Christmas) and one-day (Wednesday, Friday of each week). It was during the days of abstinence from fast food that thousands of original, simple dishes available to the population were developed in the monastery refectories.

Lunch menu for the brethren of St. Daniel's Monastery

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
No post 7	No post 8	Yeley 9	No post 10	Yeley 11	No post 12	No post 13
Vegetable salad Squid salad Sliced ​​cheese	Beet salad with mayonnaise Sliced ​​cheese Salad of cucumbers, eggs and greens. Luke	Vegetable salad Daikon with carrots	Vegetable salad Sliced ​​cheese Salad with shrimp	Vegetable salad Cabbage salad with carrots	Beet salad with mayonnaise Greek salad Sliced ​​cheese	Sliced ​​fish Squid salad with egg
Soup Rassolnik	Cabbage soup	Mushroom soup	Meatball soup	Pea soup	Ear	Borsch
Fried fish Pasta Tomato sauce	Fish fried in egg and breadcrumbs Puree Bechamel sauce	Broccoli with onions and carrots Buckwheat	Fish fried in egg and breadcrumbs Pasta Tomato sauce	Ratatouille Rice Tomato sauce	Fried perch Pasta Tomato sauce	Fried pike perch Mashed potatoes
Compote Milk Sour cream	Compote Milk Sour cream	-	Compote Milk Sour cream	-	Compote Milk Sour cream	-
Tea Cookie Apples	Tea Cookie Apples	Compote Tea Cookie Apples	Tea Cookie Apples	Compote Tea Cookie Apples	Tea Candies Apples	Morse Tea Candies Apples

Dinner menu for the brethren of St. Daniel's Monastery

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
No post 7	No post 8	Yeley 9	No post 10	Yeley 11	No post 12	No post 13
Vegetable salad	Vegetable salad Egg with mayonnaise	Lobio Squash caviar	Crab stick salad	Country salad Vegetable salad	Herring with onions and green peas Vegetable salad	Tomato and onion salad Egg with mayonnaise
Zrazy Millet porridge Sauce	Marinated fish Rice	Potato balls Stewed cabbage	Fish cabbage rolls in sheets	Potatoes with mushrooms and onions	Meatballs with sauce Fried potatoes	Fried fish Rice with vegetables
Compote Milk Sour cream	Compote Milk Sour cream	-	Omelette	-	Compote Milk Sour cream	Compote Milk Sour cream
Cottage cheese casserole	Syrniki	-	-	-	-	Casserole
Tea Candies	Cocoa Candies	Tea Candies Compote	Tea Candies Compote	Tea Candies Compote	Tea Candies	Tea Candies

The main difference between the monastic table and the secular one is that we do not eat meat. In the monastery they eat vegetables, cereals, dairy products, baked goods, fish, and mushrooms. The monastery's storerooms always stock a lot sauerkraut, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms.

The cellarer monitors this, and both the monastic brothers and the lay workers do it. And it goes to everyone’s table without exception. According to the rules, monks eat only twice a day: lunch and dinner. The cellarer of the monastery especially makes sure that the meals are tasty, varied and maintain strength - after all, the interval before meals is long, and no one sits idly by, everyone has their own housework - obedience.

The weekday menu usually consists of fish soup, if allowed on that day, pickle soup, vegetable, mushroom or milk soup and fish with a side dish. For dessert - tea, compote or jelly, pies, cookies. The Sunday menu consists of fish borscht, fried fish with a side dish of mashed potatoes or rice with vegetables, fresh vegetables, sliced ​​fish and products from the monastery farmstead - cheese, sour cream and milk. On the holidays of Christmas and Easter, a festive menu is served at the meal.

We have Father Hermogenes - he was the cellarer of the monastery for more than 10 years, so he even wrote a book about the monastery meal, “The Kitchen of Father Hermogenes.” At the moment, the cellarer in the monastery is Fr. Theognostus. I was a cellarer for several years, and before that I carried out obedience in the construction of a skete, the restoration of the Church of the Archangel Michael, taking care of apiaries, a bakery...

Now I have obedience - I offer monastery products for Muscovites, in a honey shop and 2 monastery stores “Monastic honey” and “Monastic grocery store”, where you can buy our products: honey, beekeeping products, honey jam, an assortment of fish, porridge, monastery baked goods - yeast-free bread, pies, health products: non-alcoholic balms, sbitn, teas, herbs.

I also have an obedience in the department of making posters of spiritual and patriotic content by modern and classical artists.

AIF.RU: We thank you, Father Micah, for your attention and story. We wish you joy in your work!

PRAYERS BEFORE AND AFTER EATINGFOOD

BEFORE EATING

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be your name yes he will come Your kingdom, Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good season, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal’s good will.

AFTER EATING

We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; Do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as You came among Your disciples, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

SECRET PRAYER BEFORE EATING FOOD FOR IMMEDIATE DIET (prayer for weight loss)

I also pray to You, Lord, deliver me from satiety and lust and grant me in peace of mind to reverently accept Your generous gifts, so that by tasting them, I will receive strengthening of my mental and physical strength to serve You, Lord, in the short remainder of my life on Earth.

Editor's note

Dear readers!

On November 28, Orthodox Christians begin the Nativity Fast. This is one of four multi-day fasts in Orthodoxy, which prepares believers for the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ. This fast is less strict than the Great and Dormition fasts, but even here you are asked: what you can and cannot eat, what Orthodox holidays every believer should know about at this time, who is allowed indulgences, is there any benefit to the soul if you observe only physical post? Hieromonk Father Micah will answer these and many others on November 22 at 10:30 live on AIF.RU. These days Fr. You can ask Micah through our website. And then at the meeting you will receive comprehensive answers to them.