A Story of Agapit Pechersky by Anastasia Novykh (reading strategies book .txt) 📕

Anastasia Novykh

A Story of Agapit Pechersky

An extract from the book “Sensei of Shambala”, Book II, by Anastasia Novykh

There was no other day in our lives so saturated with unforeseen events like this one. After grand water exercises we flaked out in deep sleep. It was not until the late evening sunset that we woke up. The heat finally receded. There reined silence. The sea was calm. Such a sheer bliss!
Those who had woken up earlier, gathered wood for evening campfire. Having cooked a friendly dinner and got over with all our living affairs, we made ourselves comfortable by the campfire, sipping lovely tea. The first stars came out in the blue overhead. We enjoyed our sitting in a close circle of friends, as always awaiting such an interesting and such a useful for our souls talk with Sensei. After speaking on everyday matters, Volodya was the first to change conversation to “eternal themes”.
“Sensei, you promised to tell us about a Russian bodhi,” he reminded.
“Well, since I did,” replied Sensei and, after keeping a short silence, enquired: “Did you happen to hear about the saint by the name of Agapit?!”
Some of us shook our heads.
“No,” replied Victor for all.
For some reason the name Agapit sounded familiar to me. I began to rummage my memory, trying to recollect where I could have possibly heard this name, by the way not long time ago.
“Agapit, Agapit,” uttered Nikolai Andreevich thoughtfully, evidently recalling something. “Wait a minute... Is it by chance somehow connected to ancient medicine?”
“Ancient Russian medicine,” qualified Sensei. “He was a distinguished monk of Kiev Pechersk monastery and a healer living in the 11th century. The fame of his gift of healing severe diseases spreaded well beyond Kiev. This is not the most essential point of his biography, though.”
Sensei became silent lighting a cigarette. Suddenly it dawned upon me, where I could have heard that name. My uncle’s acquaintance told me about Agapit. It was right the time when my mum and I visited uncle Victor in Moscow, where I went into hospital for a check-up.
“Oh, I know who he is, too!” enthusiastically uttered my person to a large amazement of my friends. “My uncle knows a scientist, who was a member of a scientific group that studied Pechersk relics. He told us that they had been conducting some sort of biochemical, roentgenological, bacteriological, and also... I don’t remember how it is called in science… Anyway, some kind of research that allows to reconstruct appearance and constitution of a person from his bones...”
“Morphological and anthropometric,” prompted Nikolai Andreevich.
“Exactly!” and already addressing myself directly to him for help, I murmured: “And those.., when they find out about illnesses...”
“Aetiological.”
“Right,” nodded I. “So, owing to these investigations they managed to reconstruct true appearance of some Pechersk saints from the Near Caves, including those of Agapit. By the way, his relics caused a whole commotion among the scientists. It all started with discovery that Agapit’s relics emit some kind of incomprehensible background or field, in general an unknown type of energy. Then various experiments were conducted. For instance, water placed near his relics changed its structure, and plants increased their growth, becoming even more robust and ‘healthy’ afterwards. Some protective properties against radiation were detected. Even in the premises, where the relics were located, they discovered something that has strong bacteriological effect for air. Plain water that was placed near Agapit’s relics changed its properties over time. Further investigations showed healing effect on animals and people. People’s wounds healed faster and diseases cleared up. Sick animals recovered quickly. And the most important, they discovered some strange cyclic recurrence of the relics’ ‘background’. Sometimes this ‘field’ became more intensive, rapidly and manifold. In general, it behaved like a living organism... Here, that's all!” Having delivered all the information known to me at the moment, I fell silent.
“Wow, cool!” Andrew gave a whistle.
“Well, what would you want,” said Sensei, ”Agapit was a Bodhisattva.”
“Wait,” uttered the psychotherapist, “but he belonged to the Christian religion. A Bodhisattva seems to be of the Buddhist East.”
“I explained the initial meaning of the word Bodhisattva to you once, do you remember? This word comes from Shambala. Similar to a human being, a Bodhisattva belongs to God. While religion and different teachings is simply a business run by people trading in God’s name.”
“Alright. Then I have another question. Suppose Agapit was a bodhi, then, considering his level of knowledge... I mean, why is the founder of Kiev Pechersk monastery, this first spiritual center of the early Rus, considered to be Antony, not Agapit, who lived at his time?”
Sensei grinned.
“Rather, it was Antony, who lived at time of Agapit... As to your question, you’ve left out a small detail. Bodhisattvas rarely act as leaders in a human society. Of course, if it is not connected to a certain mission, that is, such as the one bodhi Issa had. Usually it is their apprentices and disciples who become leaders. And Bodhisattva, as a rule, remains incognito to the broad masses.”
“Why so?” wondered Tatyana.
“It is because a Bodhisattva, considering his non-interference into human affairs, may only advise how to reorganize the society for a better, spiritual way. While the reorganization itself is a matter of will and doings of peoples themselves, that is, for instance, their apprentices and disciples.
“Do you want to say that Antony was Agapit’s disciple?” Nikolai Andreevich saw the light.
Sensei nodded. The doctor thought for a moment and then asked confused: “How is about the general opinion that Agapit was Antony’s disciple? It was based on something, wasn’t it?”
“Its ‘base,’ as you put it, is nothing more than a church version, which in turn had been built on the basis of such books as the ‘Father’s book’...”
“‘Father’s book?” asked Volodya.
“Yes. Or it is also called ‘Kiev Pechersk Paterikon’. This book, written in the 13th century, narrates about life and deeds of holy fathers of Pechersk. In turn it was based on the recordings of Pechersk monastery monk, Nestor the Chronicler, called ‘Hagiography...’ or for example his ‘Russian Primary Chronicle,’ which you should know from school.” Sensei made a pause and, looking at our young group, remarked good-naturedly: “Surely, in case you all did study at school and not just wasted time from beginning till end.”
“Why, yes, we do remember,” boasted Kostya. “I even memorized the date it was written.” And he declaimed, “1113rd to 1115th from the birth of Christ.”
The guys broke into smiles.
“Right!” remarked Sensei. “That is, it was written a certain time after real historical events had taken place and taking into consideration political situation of those days in the country as well as preferences and sympathies of the upper clergy.”
“Indeed!” said Victor mockingly. “It’s hard to find out who was right. Like we used to say among us, after hearing two witnesses on one and the same traffic accident you lose confidence in historians.”
We burst into laughter, and Kostya added some more fun, “That’s like when somebody asked Bernard Shaw after his speech: ‘What shall the history say about this?’ And he replied: ‘The history, sir, will lie as always.’”
“Well, don’t be so flat” responded Sensei to the guys’ laughter. “It is just when describing the past every person is guided first of all by his or her own personal considerations. These personal considerations depend on the person’s spirituality and personal interest, and that’s why it infringes objectivity. Give an assignment to describe the same event to ten people and you can bet that everyone shall communicate it in his own way. For example, a politician will describe it in such a way that seems favorable to him in the view of on-going events of that time. A physician will describe it from the medical standpoint. While an ordinary man will choose everyday point of view, specificating the elements he has personal interest in. That is how a different history is written. Though, in every story you can catch the essential meaning of the on-going events. You ought to get at the root, as they say.”
“As the matter of fact, you are right,” agreed Nikolai Andreevich. “In many cases our view of the present-day history is one-sided indeed. Not to mention distant and almost forgotten past...”
“And considering that people, unfortunately, do not change or, rather, do not want to change..." uttered Sensei with an inflexion of sadness in his voice.
“...the history, therefore, repeats itself,” concluded his thought Nikolai Andreevich.
“Sad to say.”
Sensei looked pensively at the campfire. There was a short silence. As for us, we did not dare to meddle with our enquiries into the dialogue of the two ‘sages’.
“So, what did really happen a thousand years ago?” Nikolai Andreevich inquired animatedly.
“This is certainly a long story...”
“Well, we are not in a hurry,” replied Volodya for everyone, settling himself comfortably at his place and getting ready to listen.
“Well, since you are not in a hurry,” responded Sensei in the same tone, “then listen... Perhaps, the narration about the times, when Bodhisattva Agapit stayed in Russian lands, should begin with the story about Antony. Later you shall understand why...”
It was a warm summer evening. There reigned perfect silence around. The sea waves were inaudibly lapping on the shore, leading us away with their monotonous melodious splashes into the time tunnel of the distant past, which, curiously enough, did not seem so distant as a matter of fact.
“... Before Antony was accepted to monkhood, he was called Antipa. He was born in Lyubech city of Chernigov in 983, five years prior to the baptism of Rus, in the times when Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great ruled in the capital city of Kiev.”
“Is he, by chance, the one who was called the Fair Sun in Russian folk ballads?” Kostya asked.
“Yes, that is he, the grand-son of Grand Princess Olga and Grand Prince Igor,” specified Sensei and continued: “Antipa’s youth bechanced in chaotic times. It was right the time when the Old-Russian state was formed and Eastern-Slavic tribes united. Wars with neighboring countries were waged in the South and in the West. Besides, inner tensions, confrontation among various religions caused additional disturbance. At the same time, so-to-say by a decree from above, paganism has been replaced with Christian canons. Both parties even came to ‘fire and sword’ at that. In short, there was common chaos or, like it would be put nowadays, ‘disorders of the times of change’.”
“Well, as they say, one wouldn't wish it to the worst enemy to be born in the time of change,” said Volodya in a deep voice.
“Exactly. Though, Antipa somehow managed to...”
“Like all of us,” added Victor quietly.
“So, in general Antipa’s youth was quite a ‘lively’ one. What was happening around, to a large extent enabled him to make efforts in sorting everything out not only with the exterior, but in the first place in sorting his own self out. And not simply sorting out, but sorting out thoughtfully. Many people believed in God in those days. And he felt that there is God. But how come there was so much discord going on? Why God admitted such evil? There was some kind of confrontation, unnecessary bloodshed going on. People suffered, their children suffered; diseases, poverty, and death were rife and rampant. Antipa had chances to hear missionaries of various religions. All of them taught of believing in their own God, worshipping Him and praying to Him. The paradox, however, was that they themselves lacked that pure faith, they were speaking about, and they did not perform what they demanded of others.