Spiritual Mentor Research Articles

Motif of the Way and Spiritual Pilgrimage in Zen Art

Buddha’s teachings are deep in insight, beyond verbal communication. The only way to free yourself from the power of words and concepts is, according to the words of Buddhist researcher Anagarica Govinda, by replacing our singletrack logic with a multidimensional symbol. The language of symbol, sound and gesture, used in art, opens up the possibility to comprehend the world in non-rational ways. In Zen, it becomes the means of transmission of the truth, residing deep in the heart. The dynamic nature of reality is, as is known, one of the main spiritual orientations of Buddhism. The motif of the Way, the road, the movement, the transition manifests itself in one way or another in Zen art, for the world itself is a stream, a process of becoming, not a state of being. The article emphasizes the disclosure of the inner meaning and philosophic implications of some of the most representative and significant motifs, bearing the wisdom of the lived experience of many spiritual mentors. Another emphasis in the article is made on research of what the images and symbols manifest in different fields of Zen art (painting, poetry, gardening, tea ceremony). Artistic creativity is regarded in Zen context as a spiritual discipline. The image in art becomes one of the means for the transformation of consciousness. Although this theme is one of the most significant and cross-cutting for Zen culture, there are no scientific studies on this topic in Russia. This certain fact identifies the urgency and practical value of the article.

Identity Values and Cultural Memory in Contemporary Kyrgyz Cinema

The study examines the subject of several fiction feature films awarded at the first Bishkek International Film Festival (November 17-21, 2023). These films exalt the identity values and the cultural memory of Kyrgyz people and of other neighbored Central-Asian peoples, in order to put the question: “Which are conceptually these identity values?” and “Which are the narrative situations and the hero types that better emphasize them?” After identifying several such identity values, the study focuses on the motif or even the archetype of the abandoned child, a frequent motif in the films mentioned above. Through an effort to mature his conscience, but also with the support of an adult spiritual mentor, the abandoned child morally rises above the adults who abandoned him due to negligence or selfishness, becoming himself their potential spiritual savior. The study starts from the premise that a local and relatively young cinema industry, like the Kyrgyz one or generally the Central-Asian one, which hasn’t yet axiologically dissolved into the current of globalization, cannot be correctly and plenary understood without a deep knowledge of the cultural and civilizational background that generated it. Film analysis is therefore interwoven with anthropological analysis and cultural theory.

Youth religiosity as a subject of philosophical reflection

The authors of the article consider the religiosity of youth as a social phenomenon that ensures the continuity of ethno-confessional traditions and values, the transformation of healthy faith and reason in the sphere of sociocultural life. The contradictions of traditional and modern, national and universal (mass culture) are established, which is reflected in spiritual and moral life, religiosity, as an opportunity to search for national identity. In this regard, this work aims at a social analysis of the traditional problem of faith and reason, the scientific understanding of which will provide an opportunity for the formation of healthy faith, tolerance, spiritual and moral improvement of the lifestyle of the population. The key objective of the research is the socio-political analysis of the new meaning of spiritual and cultural life in the context of faith and reason as a prevention of religious puritanism and extremism. The authors sought to show the reflection of constitutional reforms in the principles of a social, secular, democratic state in Uzbekistan and their implementation in the context of human rights and freedom of conscience as conditions for preventing religious extremism. The religiosity of the peoples of the East is largely connected with the warning about the Day of Judgment, which is reminded by spiritual mentors at every meeting or service, which allows us to conclude that faith in Islam stands guard over the Day of Judgment, which will become a holiday for the true believer.

Value-Based Concepts of the Art of Oratory

The relevance of the scientific article is that we, having separated from the “Soviet and post-Soviet” envi-ronment, are in search of ourselves, trying to fill the space of the yesterday's axiological cognition with the values of new content, seeking to find our place in the Western and Eastern realms. Indeed, the teachings of Hodja Ahmet Yassawi, who occupies a great place in our spiritual world, are very relevant now. His words “Know thyself first” seem to be very significant. Then there are Kazakh biys and orators — spiritual mentors of the society, erecting barriers to the decline of the moral space of society. And if so, Kazakh oratory is one of the majestic spiritual universes that formed the system of values. The heritage left by them to descendants is priceless, and centuries-old history is a witness to it. Spiritual culture originates in the samples of folk wis-dom and advanced teachings. People define their relationships, principles of communication and other types of contact primarily on the basis of folk wisdom. Thus, in this article we will consider the problem of com-mon human values, which are in close interrelation with each other, in two hypostases. First, we will analyze the characteristics that are given in oratory to a person (negative-positive) from the perspective of human atti-tudes and traits. Secondly, we aim to take a deeper look into the spiritual and axiological consciousness, into its inner aspects and mysteries.

Огюст Конт и режим Второй империи

The article analyzes the doctrine of the late Comte in his attitude to the Bona­partist regime. Although Comte experienced a short-term fascination with Napoleon’s personality in his youth, from the Restoration period he spoke of the empire in a negative way. At the same time, the coming to power of Louis Bonaparte seemed to him a favorable omen for the fate of positivism. Through public lectures on the philosophy of human history allowed by the new regime, he set the task of influencing public opinion. The Bonapartist coup met the full approval from the founder of positivism, and he did not renounce this kind of as­sessment even later. The transformation of republican power seemed inevitable to him: from parliamentarism to dictatorship. In this regard the dictatorship was conceived as a transitional stage to a true positivist regime. The idea of centra­lizing power impressed Comte, so he interpreted the coup as a logical conse­quence of the entire previous history of France. This was more than an episode. But then the philosopher became disappointed with Bonapartist politics. The presi­dent proclaimed an empire, which, in the opinion of the philosopher, acted only as a metamorphosis of an obsolete monarchical principle. But Comte did not refuse to adhere to the “republican dictatorship”, he spoke of the need for a posi­tivist triumvirate to come to power, personally outlined by him. He assigned himself the role of a spiritual mentor of secular power, the high priest of the new, scientific religion of Mankind. Both the philosopher and the emperor saw their mission as helping to end the era of revolutions. But the ways of its implementa­tion were thought so differently that there was no way to synchronize the two political positions

Bimbingan Rohani Islam Untuk Meningkatkan Efikasi Diri Santri; Studi Kasus Layanan Pendidikan Pesantren Krapyak Yogyakarta

This study aims to analyze spiritual guidance in increasing the self-efficacy of students in Islamic boarding schools. In the context of Islamic boarding schools, students' self-efficacy has an important role in building balanced character and personal development. This must be seen holistically that self-efficacy is a belief possessed by individuals to have the ability to manage and perform actions in order to achieve certain goals, while Islamic spiritual guidance itself is a process of conveying Islamic values ​​to someone carried out by spiritual mentors so that they can strengthen faith and soul. Therefore the method of spiritual guidance becomes necessary in implementing psychological self-efficacy improvements, especially for students who live in Islamic boarding schools. The focus of the research carried out is the method in Islamic spiritual guidance, two methods are carried out (1) the direct method; (2) indirect method. This type of research uses descriptive qualitative research. Sampling used purposive sampling, while the data collection technique used was in-depth interviews, observation and documentation. The research was conducted at the Islamic boarding school Al-Munawwir Krapyak Yogyakarta with the results showing that spiritual guidance service methods can improve students' self-efficacy.

Explaining the protective effect of spirituality on Diathesis-Stress: based on the Sound Heart Model

Introduction: Medicine maintains humans' health and restores health through science and practice. Health staffs are responsible for diagnosis, treatment of reactions to the life events in all aspects of health. Holistic treatment pays attention to physical-psychological-social and spiritual health disorders. Areas covered: Psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology confirms effect of psychological conditions on the function of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Diathesis-stress model considers vulnerability and stress as the cause of disease. Expert opinion: The sound heart theory, considers the goal of spiritual interventions as maintaining and improving spiritual health. Spirituality as protective factor transforms traumatic experience of life events into spiritual experience with secure attachment to God. Based on the theory protocol, spiritual communication, spiritual knowledge enhancement, spiritual skills training and motivation are necessary to achieve spiritual health and gain the courage in facing life crisis. Feeling of refuge in God, secure attachment to God and positive image of God act as protective factors which cause a change in attitude towards stress. The implementation of spiritual health services is one of the important duties of trained therapeutic team with clinical competence and licensed. They can provide spiritual scaffolding and model-oriented education with spiritual self-care in the position of spiritual mentors.

Личностный и социальный идеал согласно Поучениям преподобного Аввы Дорофея

Introduction. Christianity, which developed in special historical conditions on the territory of Byzantine Gaza, gradually formed a unique school of spiritual mentoring in the region, associated with the names of outstanding ascetics. At the same time, a regional ascetic literary tradition was developed. Theoretical analysis. Dorotheus of Gaza, an outstanding Christian teacher of the early Byzantine period, formulates his own critical view of contemporary social norms, human nature and the causes of human vices, contrasting them with the lifestyle of a Christian ascetic. Abba Dorotheus pays considerable attention to the psychology of spiritual development and the struggle with the passions. This article examines and summarizes the main motives in the teachings of Abba Dorotheus, through which he defines the personal and social ideal of Christian asceticism. Conclusions. It is concluded that the teachings of the saint Dorotheus of Gaza are aimed at the formation of not only a personal, but also a social ideal, and monasticism, as interpreted by Abba Dorotheus, is not an anti-social movement, but should contribute to the formation of a new, just community based on the principles of communitarianism and liturgical unity. It is emphasized that achieving this goal does not imply political, military or intellectual confrontation with the outside world.

Письма шейха Сайфуллы-кади Башларова из частного собрания муфтия Габдурахмана Расули: исторические и источниковедческие аспекты в контексте духовных связей суфийских шейхов Северо-Восточного Кавказа и Волго-Уральского региона на рубеже ХIX–XX вв.

This study is a brief source analysis of a previously unknown collection of letters in Arabic addressed by Dagestani Sheikh Sayfullah-Qadi Bashlarov to his spiritual mentor Sheikh Zainullah ash-Sharifi (Rasulev). The letters were discovered in the manuscript collection of Sayfullah-Qadi Bashlarov’s successor (mazun) the Sufi sheikh Hassan-hilmi al-Kakhi. At request of Gabdurakhman Rasulev, the son of Sheikh Zainulla Rasulev, who probably kept their autographs, the letters were copied by Da-gestani Alim Kurbanali al-Muni, who lived in the town of Troitsk for a long time, The letters con-tain unique information from the biographies of Sheikhs Sayfullah-Qadi Bashlarov and Zainullah ash-Sharifi. The study of such sources helps to show true relations between those two outstanding Muslim intellectuals and, in general, enriches the source base for studying the history of cultural contacts between Muslim peoples of the Volga-Ural region and the North Caucasus as parts of the Russian Empire during the second half of the 19th–early 20th centuries.

Theological and Historical Aspects of the Epistolary Legacy of Schema-hegumen Ioann (Alekseev), St. Ioann of Valaam, the Valaam Elder

The article introduces the personality and epistolary legacy of Schema-hegumen Ioann (Alekseev), who pursued asceticism at the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour from 1901 to 1958. After the revolution, the territory on which the monastery stood became part of independent Finland. Consequently, the Elder spent most of his life detached from his homeland. During the Winter War of 1939–1940 between the Soviet Union and Finland, the brotherhood was evacuated deep into Finland, where they founded the New Valaam Monastery. From 1945 to 1957, the monastery was under dual jurisdiction: administratively, it was under the Finnish Church Administration, while canonically, it belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate. Since 1938, Schema- hegumen Ioann had been fulfilling the duties of the spiritual father of the monastery, giving guidance to Russian-speaking pilgrims. At the New Valaam Monastery, the ascetic became widely known as an experienced spiritual mentor. His spiritual disciples included priests, laypeople, former members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the artistic community, and ordinary individuals. Many of them received spiritual guidance from him through correspondence, which was eventually published In 1956, a collection of his letters in Russian was released at New Valaam. From 1961 to 1963, the letters were published in the émigré journal L’Eternel (The Eternal) in France. In the USSR, the Elder’s letters became known in 1958 in samizdat (underground press) format, reproduced using typewriters. In 1985, a portion of the letters was presented in the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”. The collection has been reprinted multiple times and translated into other languages. In Russia, starting from 2000, the Valaam Elder’s letters have been published almost every year, becoming a kind of “handbook for the modern Christian”. Schema-hegumen Ioann did not aim to construct a logically refined theological system; his service was focused on caring for those in spiritual need. When expounding on fundamental doctrines, he relied on the Gospel and the teaching of the Fathers of the Church. His theology was not an intellectual discipline or a theory of the world’s order but an experiential communion with God, rooted in personal transformation experience. In his letters, he sometimes touched upon the issues of the contemporary church life and politics. The article highlights and analyzes the principal theological and historical aspects of the epistolary legacy of the Valaam ascetic.

영적 멘토링과 일의 의미

Given the significance of work meaningfulness, it is crucial for organizations to understand how to foster and enhance it. This paper focuses on one particular avenue to bolster work meaningfulness: the spiritual dimension of work, specifically spiritual mentoring. Despite the importance of understanding the effects of spiritual mentoring on work meaningfulness, research in this area remains limited. Thus, we attempt to provide an understanding of the spiritual mentoring process that increases the work meaningfulness of protégés. Our sample data was collected from employees across a diverse range of organizations in China. We received complete responses from 152 participants, and the data was analyzed using the structural equation modeling method. Our results confirmed that a protégé's sense of calling mediated the relationship between the mentor’s spiritual mentoring and work meaningfulness. We make several important contributions to the relevant literature by introducing a new perspective, drawing a connection between mentoring and spirituality within the work environment. We investigate the relationship between spiritual mentoring and the meaningfulness of work for protégés, thus broadening the scope of mentoring literature to include spiritual mentoring. Additionally, this study delves into the mechanism linking spiritual mentoring and the work meaningfulness of protégés.

Menghadirkan Kebahagiaan Melalui Kesejahteraan

The article discusses the concept of true happiness and well-being, emphasizing the importance of bringing happiness through well-being in various aspects of life. It highlights three key elements: the heart, mind, and actions. Individuals are encouraged to keep their hearts clean from negative emotions, maintain a positive and optimistic mindset, and engage in actions that benefit others. The document also introduces the Program Pelatihan Intensif (Progsif) conducted by Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Studi Alkitab untuk Pengembangan Pedesaan Indonesia, which aims to provide holistic knowledge and skills to church activists, ministers, and theology students. The program includes spiritual mentoring sessions focusing on the sermon on the mount from Matthew 5-7. The participants' feedback indicates the effectiveness of the program in achieving its goals. Overall, the document emphasizes the integration of theology and technology in promoting well-being and happiness within individuals and communities. In conclusion, the document highlights the significance of bringing happiness through well-being and provides insights into the Progsif program's objectives, activities, and evaluation. The program aims to equip church activists, ministers, and theology students with holistic knowledge and skills, focusing on the sermon on the mount as a key teaching for bringing about happiness and well-being. The feedback from participants indicates the success of the program in achieving its goals. Overall, the document emphasizes the importance of integrating theology and technology in promoting well-being and happiness within individuals and communities.

Toward a Methodology for the Study of Buddhist Fine Art: (using an example of Zanabazar’s works)

The article provides a comparative analysis of different approaches to the study of Buddhist iconography and objects of religious art: scientific academic and traditional Buddhist. Their main goals and objectives, understanding of the fine art style in art history and the Buddhist tradition are considered. The possibility and necessity of using diverse sources of research, or rather, the complex and multidisciplinary principle of working with cult images of Buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities for the most profound and adequate understanding of them, as well as exhibiting them in a museum or other exhibition space, is argued. The ideal model for the development of such a research methodology, in the author's opinion, is the work of the greatest Buddhist master Gombodorjiin Zanabazar (1635–1723), who combined the qualities of both an artist, a highly educated Buddhist adept, spiritual mentor, and a ruler of the state. The types of written and other verbal sources, as well as the types of objects or visual sources that should be used to reveal the theme of Buddhist artistic creativity are considered. It was also made an attempt to formulate the most urgent tasks and promising directions for researchers of Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhists fine arts.

Did Leo Tolstoy Become Don Quixote? Half a Century of Dispute Between Two Geniuses

This article for the first time examines Leo Tolstoy’s interpretation of two «Don Quixotes»: the greatest creation of M. de Cervantes Saavedra and the famous article by Ivan Turgenev «Hamlet and Don Quixote». On the basis of L. Tolstoy’s diaries and letters, the memoirs of his contemporaries, the article analizes the motives of Tolstoy’s contradictory assessments of Cervantes’ work and his immortal creation. These assessments offer a deeper understanding of both the character of L. Tolstoy and his aesthetic, ideological and moral priorities in different periods of his life. A detailed analysis of the writer’s dialogue-polemic with these two authors and with the texts themselves fits into the broad context of Russia’s spiritual life in the second half of the 19th century. L. Tolstoy had an important episode in his youth that became crucial for his work: the spiritual mentoring of another genius of Russian literature, Ivan Turgenev, during the meeting of two writers in 1857, the so-called «Dijon solitude», when Turgenev, proving the high social significance of the ideals of quixotism for the new era, attempted to turn a young Hamlet-type writer (L. Tolstoy) into a selfless Don Quixote type. The title of the novel «Don Quixote», as well the names of Cervantes and his characters are mentioned in Tolstoy’s diaries, articles and letters about 20 times. The novel seems to «test» him until the end of his life: the high assessments of his contemporaries, their perception of Don Quixote as a new Messiah capable of saving humanity, contradict Tolstoy’s understanding of serving good, therefore working on the most important treatise for him, which is the manifesto «What is art?», Tolstoy changes the estimates of «Don Quixote» several times. Firstly, he mentions among his favorite poets, composers and painters the only novel — «Don Quixote», then he indicates its «poor contents». In 1905, Tolstoy finally became convinced of the importance of the idea of self-sacrifice for the sake of high ideals and of the educational significance of the novel, and besides, he admitted that all his sons were «Don Quixotes». More than half a century of Tolstoy’s dialogue with Cervantes and his heroes invariably continued in his mind, and the knight errant will be most vividly reflected in one of the most autobiographical and close to Tolstoy characters — Levin from «Anna Karenina». The circumstances of Leo Tolstoy’s farewell to the Yasnaya Polyana estate and the last journey of the knight of the sad image, as well as the circumstances of their demise, tragically echo.

Explaining the Propositions of the Sound Heart Model as Spiritual Health Theory: Research Methodology

Background: Holistic, community-oriented health services require attention to spiritual health at all levels of prevention, in the spectrum of health and disease, throughout life. Spiritual health services are professional theory-based practice. The purpose of the study is to report the research methods of explaining the propositions of the Sound Heart Model as a Spiritual Health Theory. Methods: The theory was designed by using qualitatively derived theory based on the Concept-Integration method in six stages. An in-depth philosophical review of two decades of research indicated the need for spiritual empowerment. Concept analysis clarifies the concepts of therapeutic relationships and therapeutic content as spiritual communication, knowledge enhancement, skill training, and spiritual motivation. To validate the findings, in addition to Morse et al. suggestions, the findings were reviewed in four specialized national sessions "Chair of Behavioral Sciences", "Narrative Sciences Chair", "Pre-Summit Sessions" and "Summit Session" of "Chairs of Theorizing, Criticism and Scientific Debate" in the “Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution”. Conclusion: Spiritual self-care of parents, teachers and clergy is a priority. Secure attachment to the prophets and following their lifestyle is the basis of spiritual self-care. Spiritual self-care of parents, teachers and clergy creates spiritual mentoring competence. The correct religious behavior of spiritual mentors provides the possibility of model-oriented education. Spiritual communication based on compassion and empathy can create secure attachment, trust and security. Spiritual mentors should provide spiritual training without coercion and violence with "scaffolding". Mentors can facilitate the stages of faith growth and correct cognitive errors by increasing spiritual knowledge. Explaining the spiritual reason for life's sufferings increases resilience against suffering. By teaching "relationship development skills" with nature, self, people and God along with thinking about "the truth of religion", they can create a positive image of God and secure attachment to God. So that people can take refuge in God as a safe haven and feel safe.

Письма иеромонаха Афанасия (Нечаева) иеросхимонаху Ефрему (Хробостову) из Парижа на Валаам (1927-1929)

Letters from Hieromonk Athanasius (Nechaev) to his confessor and elder, Hieroschemamonk Ephraim (Khrobostov) are presented in the publication. They were written from Paris to Valaam in Finland, where at that time the Valaam Monastery was located. Hieromonk Athanasius - the future archimandrite and spiritual mentor of monasticism abroad, the superior of the Three Hierarchs metochion in Paris (1933-1943), dean of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in France, the first spiritual mentor of the future Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (Bloom). His addressee was the fraternal confessor at the Valaam Monastery, and before the revolution, the confessor of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich (the younger) and his family, Hieroschemamonk Ephraim (Khrobostov), - is the respected and authoritative member of the spiritual governing body of the monastery. In the Smolensk skete on Valaam, he daily served a liturgy in memory of the Russian soldiers who died at the front for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. The letters were written during the period of study of Father Athanasius at the St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris and during his service in the monastery-orphanage "Unexpected Joy" in Livry-Gargan near Paris. They deal with many problems of the church life of the Russian diaspora in France and the Russian emigration in general as a phenomenon. Father Athanasius described the causes of jurisdictional disputes in exile, problems at the Theological Institute, conflicts between hierarchs, and more. He was something of a correspondent who kept the Valaam monastery authorities up to date on events. Describing in detail the essence of the disagreements, at some point he apparently got tired of them and plunged headlong into pastoral work, warmly describing the life of the emigrant communities he served. During the cross-over of Metropolitan Evlogy to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Father Athanasius could not reconcile himself to the break with the Russian Church, and believed that it was better to return to Valaam. However, these plans were not destined to come true.

A Woman’s History: A Lifetime of Practising Yiguandao—The Senior Leader of the Subdivision Baoguang Chongzheng

This paper examines a female Yiguandao (一貫道) leader’s lifelong history of practising the faith: Huang Shih-Yen (黃世妍, 1940–), the Elder (qianren 前人) of the subdivision Baoguang Chongzheng (寶光崇正). The journey begins with her conversion to Yiguandao and devotion to its religious practices, followed by her assuming leadership of a subdivision and expanding overseas proselytising missions. Female leaders are not uncommon in modern and contemporary Yiguandao; however, Huang presents a different image from that of conventional female leadership in popular Chinese religions. First, unlike most female leaders who refuse marriage, Huang is a wife and mother; she has shouldered both sacred and secular duties. Second, when she gained leadership, her husband, who was also an Elder of Baoguang Chongzheng, followed and assisted her in managing the temple affairs. Third, she was personally and actively involved in missionary outreach rather than being a spiritual mentor. The materials used to investigate Huang’s life history were predominantly oral history and my own participant observations. This paper illustrates that women’s contributions to religious practices may be on par with their male counterparts, but their stories have been overlooked.

Presenting the Lordship Attributes as an Effort to Build Up the Spirituality of the People of God

Kevin Vanhoozer observes that the loss of imagination that is discipled and disciplined by the Bible leads many Christians to experience a disconnect between the world they live in and the world of the biblical texts they believe in. There is a gulf between known truth and lived practice. The daily lives of Christians do not bring out the resultant Christian character. This article attempts to explain the importance of meditating on the threefold lordship attributes proposed by John Frame—authority, control, and presence—in one’s daily meditation. It argues that one’s theological understanding is crucial in worldview formation and that, through intense meditation, those truths need to be internalized in the heart and mind so that they can be integrated into the practice of everyday life. This article also shows that the three inseparable lordship attributes need to be experienced in the relationship between spiritual leaders and the congregation, for true spirituality is formed not only in personal experience but also in the community. Such a pattern is then offered as a solution to answer challenges related to worship and fellowship during the pandemic and beyond. Through this article, it is hoped that the people of God can better understand the dynamics of their spiritual life, either through personal meditation or fellowship with other believers, either face-to-face or virtual meetings, including the role of a spiritual mentor whom first experiences and thus embodies God’s authority, control, and presence in their relationship with God’s congregation.

C. S. Lewis as Spiritual Mentor by Mail

Lewis’ published correspondence provides a kind of autobiography-in-progress, and it offers a revealing glimpse of his opinions as a literary and culture critic. But perhaps the letters of most permanent value are those which Lewis saw as a part of his Christian vocation: his insights to friends, casual acquaintances and complete strangers about questions of theology, faith, spiritual formation, and even marriage and family relationships. In his later years, letter-writing became a burdensome task for Lewis. In one note, he mentions that he had composed thirty-five letters that day. In another, he mentions that he had just spent nine hours catching up on his correspondence. Yet, for Lewis, answering letters and inquiries, even from children, was not just a courtesy; it was a part of his Christian calling. Noting to one friend that many of those who wrote to him were “in great need of help and often in great misery,” Lewis felt it a duty and a form of ministry to respond to each and every individual inquirer. In another letter, Lewis explicitly identified letter-writing as a part of his vocation, explaining “every human being, still more every Christian, has an absolute claim on me for any service I can render them without neglecting other duties.”

Vladyka Nestor as a spiritual mentor and educator of the Russian emigration in Manchuria

The author attempts to present Nestor (Anisimov), the recognized spiritual leader of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian emigration, as a religious philosopher whose work grows from the depths of Russian culture. It is argued that philosophy is not present in the legacy of Vladyka in its "pure form", but is dissolved in the living tissue of his works. It is noted that the language of the archpastor is peculiar and differs in emotional expressiveness, semantic saturation, symbolic imagery. The main themes of his work related to the fate of Russia, Orthodox-patriotic enlightenment, the national question, and the Russian idea are identified and disclosed. The methods used in the course of the study are hermeneutic, source studies, historical, comparative. It is proved that the ideal in Nestor's political ontology is theocracy, in which the realization of Russia's historical mission as a peacemaker-mediator between the West and the East is possible. It is shown that the eschatology of salvation dominated in the legacy of Nestor over apocalyptic moods, since the bishop believed in the revival of his Fatherland through national unity and conciliar purification from enmity, leading to the division of the Russian world. The author of the article concludes that the religious and philosophical views of the archpastor not only influenced his contemporaries, but are relevant for Russia at the present time, which requires spiritual renewal.