Priest George Maximov
Rating: 8,9|Votes: 10
Excerpts from his diary supplement our understanding of how St. Nicholas related to Buddhism. Here observations are also marked by the fact that they were made by a practicing missionary.
Deacon Giorgi Maximov
Rating: 9,6|Votes: 10
Of the tens of thousands of Japanese converted to Orthodoxy thanks to his labors, a significant portion were former Buddhists, and amongst his assistants were former Buddhist monks (Bhikkhu), for example, Paul Savabe. The saint studied Buddhism during the first eight years of his time in Japan, when, in his words, he “strove with all diligence to study Japanese history, religion, and the spirit of the Japanese people.”
Olga Rozhneva
St. Anthony of Optina replied to a question about the choice of the monastic life, that one can be saved both in a monastery and in the world. And he reminded us that the enemy may give zeal for virtues that are beyond our strength, while, on the other hand, he may instill neglect and carelessness towards deeds that are within our power.
Stanislav Minakov
Rating: 10|Votes: 5
Alas, Russian society did not heed the remarkable clairvoyance and warning of Fr. Nicholai (and not only of him), and therefore underwent the onerous punishments of the twentieth century.
Kristina Polyakova
Rating: 9|Votes: 5
One of the main problems faced by Christians and especially monastics today is that people are not used to restraining themselves, to enduring, or forcing themselves to do anything, to assume obligations, first and foremost to prayer. For some reason we stubbornly and persistently chase after sin, but good deed—alas!