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

God. And the first followers of Jesus, who professed His Teaching, – not a religion, which it became later – they lost fear of this life. They began to feel and understand that God is very near to them, closer and dearer than anyone, and that He is eternal... Such a true freedom of people terribly frightened authorities. Therefore, the latter began collecting and painstakingly revising written sources of Jesus’ Teaching available at that time. Much was destroyed after selecting the information necessary for making of a new religion, propagated already by authorities, what they call it, ‘top-down’.
“Therefore, many written sources, containing true words of Jesus, did not fit in the collections of ‘new ideology for masses’. But in spite of all deliberate omissions, contrivances, and egoistic ambitions of people, being at power on the upper strata of religion at different times, these written sources have been existing, and they still exist!
“Now then, in the Gospel of the very Andrew the First-Called it is written that since Pontius Pilate’s people had saved Jesus after crucifixion, Jesus spoke to Pontius Pilate. It was owing to Pontius Pilate’s appeal that Jesus decided to leave for the East. Before the departure he distributed regions among the apostles, where they were to go and preach the Teaching.”
“Weren’t they drawing lots of some sort, who goes where,” remarked Nikolai Andreevich.
“No, there were no lots as such. That is a guesswork of people. Apostles... By the way, the word ‘apostols’ is translated as ‘messenger’ from Greek. So, disciples-messengers of Jesus were very different, and of course they varied one from another in terms of their spiritual progress. Jesus allocated various regions with corresponding peoples and tribes among the messengers on the basis of their spiritual maturity. Those, who were somewhat stronger, received more difficult regions or those of especial importance for further spiritual awakening of mankind. Those who were somewhat weaker received less difficult ‘areas’. In general everyone was assigned a burden within one’s power...”
Sensei stopped for a while and then pronounced: “Too significant it was for many human souls both at that time and in the future that the spreading of this Teaching should be trusted to a simple lot of human mind...
“He enjoined Andrew, as one of the strong apprentices, to visit with homily Thrace, Scythia, Sarmatia. But most importantly to reach the Borysthenes mountains and lay blessings upon those lands, where the Holy Spirit shall condescend in a thousand years’ time, establishing His Abode there. Jesus gave Andrew lotus seeds and enjoined him to lay this burden into that land as a gift for the Holy Spirit. His words became a rebus, set by Jesus, for Andrew as well as for those, who came across this description afterwards. Few realized why Jesus had given him exactly the lotus seeds, even if those seeds were merely a symbol.”
“And, really, why?” asked Andrew with surprise.
But Sensei only smiled enigmatically and evading direct answer, said: “Any seed is first of all... well, to make it more clear for you, let’s put it figuratively: it is a ‘microchip’ which has vast memory. It is able to carry not only the matrix of a future plant, but also a huge amount of other information. I’ll tell you more about it some time later. In addition to all that, those seeds happened to be in the hands of Jesus himself – the Son of God. Plus, those were the seeds of lotus, germinating ability of which lasts for millennia... Hence, draw your conclusions.”
Sensei became silent. And we just sat there, looking at him, and trying to latch, with those little wits of ours, on the ‘conclusions’ about what exactly was there so special about that event. Andrew, apparently trying to make ends meet in his mind full of confusing questions, enquired: “How was Andrew the First-Called able to find a place Jesus had told him about?”
“Easily,” said Sensei simply. “In the ‘good news,’ or, speaking Greek, in euangelion, Andrew described not only the true life of Jesus, but also his journey during the fulfilment of his mission. It is there that he mentions that after reaching the Borysthenes (the Dnieper river was called the Borysthenes at that time), Andrew recognized this place right away. For it turned out that Jesus had described it with high precision. It seemed that Jesus was well aware of those mountains, though He had never mentioned to have been there.”
“Did He really happen to be there?” inquired Yura.
“He is the Son of God, you know,” answered Sensei with a smile. “And God is everywhere.” After a pause he continued his narration: “After all, the Gospel of Andrew the First-Called was disallowed, because it by no means fit in making of the new religion. There were generally two reasons for that. Firstly, the Gospel was too freedom-loving and upright, for there were true words of Jesus in it, so to say, from his own lips. Besides, Jesus’ conveyance of his Teaching was too simple, wise, and easy to understand. Andrew also described many details of his Teacher’s real life such as that in his youth Jesus had been in the East, which, again, did not fit in churchly dogmas. In addition to that, mentioning of the lotus seed completely nonplussed ‘their majesties censors’. For it gave a scent of such religions as Buddhism and Hinduism. Nobody wanted to admix such a clear foreign symbolism to their religion. So it became another stumbling block, a reason for argues and discord among those, who decided in which ‘tones’ the religion’s ideology was to be sustained. That is why the Gospel of Andrew the First-Called was taken away, so to say ‘out of sight’.
“Of course, there were versions of Andrew’s the First-Called Gospel passing among various early Christian groups, but they were mostly written by followers of Andrew the First-Called about the Teaching of Jesus.”
“What happened to the Gospel of Andrew the First-Called? Was it destroyed?” asked Andrew.
“Well, they tried, of course,” Sensei chuckled seeming to recall some curious event. “But as it is said such things can neither be drawn in water nor burnt in fire, even if human foolishness desires it very much... But these are merely the petty details of life... Many years after Andrew the First-Called had accomplished his Teacher’s request, the words of Jesus came true. A city of Kiev sprang up in that place – the ‘mother of Russian cities’, the capital and cradle of Slavs unification in Kievan Rus. As for the place, where Andrew the First-Called ‘laid’ the lotus seeds, the Holy Spirit himself descended into a human body and established his Abode there.”
“What do you mean by ‘the Holy Spirit descended into a human body’?” asked Kostya.
“Well, simply speaking, the leader of Shambala came in a body of Agapit.”
“The leader of Shambala himself?” repeated Andrew with amazement.
Sensei smiled.
“Yes. He has to visit human world, so-to-say, duty-bound, at least once in twelve thousand years. While during significant events for mankind even more frequently, almost once in every thousand years, especially at the beginning and concluding stages of another civilization.”
Kostya only opened his mouth to ask something, when Sensei, looking at him, anticipated with an answer: “‘Civilization’ is meant here from the point of view of Shambala... But perhaps we deviated from the subject a little. Let us return to those events that took place one thousand years after Jesus... Several years after Agapit had left the Athos, the hegumen had another advice from God. In his vision there came Archangel Gabriel himself and enjoined him to send Antony to Rus. It was in 1051.
“Upon arriving that time, Antony did not visit Christian monasteries; although in any of them they would gladly offer shelter to a respectable elder from the Mount Athos. Antony purposefully came to the place, which he had accidentally stayed at, visiting Kiev the first time, and which had been indicated by Agapit before his departure. He settled down on a hill near Dnieper in the same cave. And began to lead a solitary life, waiting for Agapit and abiding in incessant prayers unto God, especially the one, which had been leading him from his youth up. Although he was often in need of food and worked physically every day, deepening the cave; yet he was really happy again. For he was one on one with God as earlier in his remote youth, when he had been living in the caves of the Athos.
“Local villagers soon got to know about him. Antony become famous among them for what Agapit had taught him at the Athos – his gift of sagacity, miracle-working, healing, and praying. People began coming to him: one for treatment, another for blessing, while the other with a will to stay with him, gaining in spiritual exploits. So, by the time Agapit arrived, besides Anthony there were several inhabitants living in the cave, who had been made monks at their instance by the elder. By that time they enlarged and deepened the cave in joint efforts and made monastic cells for themselves.
“Antony greeted his friend from way back with great joy. Seeing such respectable regard of the elder for Agapit, the rest of the fraternity treated him with the same distinction. Agapit kept surprising Antony by his mysterious and in many respects enigmatic personality. When Agapit came to Kiev Antony witnessed his secret meeting with Yaroslav the Wise himself. Agapit passed four valuable handwritten books and three manuscripts for his ‘library’. Three of those books were encrusted with precious stones. While the fourth one, though it looked modest, evidently was very ancient. Antony was astounded. Every book was a real masterpiece and was worth a whole fortune. As for the manuscripts... Even one manuscript in those days was valued at a fabulous price. To afford such a luxurious and truly royal gift, only a person of at least ‘blue royal blood’ could do that. Not only this astonished Antony then. Above all was the fact that Agapit and Yaroslav were freely conversing with each other! Yaroslav talked to him in such a way as if he had known Agapit well, like they were good old friends, and that was despite considerable difference in age and Yaroslav’s high grand-prince standing.
“Following that memorable meeting, amazed at what he had seen, Antony hastened to propose Agapit to become the head of the fraternity, the elder of which he was. However, Agapit was willing to leave everything the way it was and become a simple monk. He asked Antony to keep his meeting with Yaroslav a secret. And wished to take monastic rank, so that not to stand out among the rest of the fraternity.”
“Say!” an exclamation escaped Kostya. “But he was a Bodhisattva! And he chose to be a simple monk?!”
Sensei looked fixedly at him and distinctively pronounced: “Any power for a Bodhisattva is but an empty word. A Bodhisattva serves only God. Unlike humans he knows, what is being ‘here’ and what is being ‘there’.”
Kostya became a bit confused and apologetically murmured: “Well, I did not mean it in that way... I meant...” at that point he has evidently found an appropriate argument, “I mean, one ought to rest sometimes with all that work. As far as I know simple monks worked like beavers in those days.”
Sensei answered him: “For a Bodhisattva there is no rest as such from human point of view. He knows the meaning of time and is able to appreciate it. Agapit was an influential and strong personality, of course. However, he consciously escaped the power, rule over the fraternity, and devoted his full spare time to real aid to people. By the way, later on when the number of the fraternity grew, Antony passed governing to Barlaam and became a simple monk by the example of Agapit.”
“What kind of help did Agapit