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For the desert monks,  sinful thoughts posed a problem. What should one do if unwelcome thoughts of lust, judgement of others, or cruelty spring to mind? Is this a sign that a person is still deeply sinful, despite living an austere lifestyle? This was a serious thorn in their side, and many of the new monks struggled with what to do. Some gave up and returned to society. However, other monks would seek out a teacher, such as the revered monk Poeman. His name meant “shepherd.” Many of Poeman’s sayings have been preserved. Here are two regarding sinful thoughts:

1) A brother came to Poeman and said to him, “Many thoughts come into my mind and put me in danger.” Poeman sent him out into the open air, and said, “Open your lungs and do not breathe.” The brother replied, “I can’t do that.” Then Poeman said to him: “Just as you can’t stop air coming into your lungs, so you can’t stop thoughts coming into your mind. Your part is to resist them.” 

2) Ammon questioned Poeman on the subject of the impure thoughts within the heart, and on the subject of vain desire. Poeman said, “Can the ax do harm unless the woodman is using it? Do not reach out your hand to use those things, and they will do you no harm.”

Rene Descartes told the world, “ I think, therefore I am.” But, who is this “I” which generates thoughts? Most of the time, thoughts occur spontaneously, without willful decision or planning. “ A thought occurred to me…” we say. Meditators know well the unwelcome arrival of thoughts. They are encouraged to think of them as clouds which drift by. We should resist the temptation to grab them and become entangled in them as we pray or meditate. 

For the monks, thoughts of sex, food and other phantoms could come at any time. Like meditators, Poeman told the monks to ignore them. Let them go, without investing in them or acting on them. We are not our thoughts and desires; rather, we are what we do with them. This is a key step towards understanding ourselves, and going beyond an impulsive identity. This clarified mind, which does not indulge every wayward thought, was the goal of the ancient desert monks, and many monks to this day. 

 

-Rev. Stephen Milton, Lawrence Park Community Church, Toronto

Quotation sources: The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks, (London, 2003),99; 101.

 

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