Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book I — Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life·Chapter XVII. Of A Religious Life
XVII. Of a religious life
On entering the monastic-religious life. Si vis pacem habere et veram, find peace nowhere but in the monastery rightly entered. The chapter addresses the religiosi in the technical canon-law sense, but the discipline applies to every Christian's interior cloister.
Source context
- Theme
- external religious observance versus inward transformation of the soul
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Pauline ChristianityPaul's contrast between letter and spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6) establishes the same structural distinction between outward religious form and inward renewal that Kempis articulates in this chapter.
- Rhineland Mysticism (Meister Eckhart, Tauler)Eckhart and Tauler consistently subordinate liturgical practice to Gelassenheit — inward detachment and surrender — reflecting cross-tradition congruence with Kempis's insistence that outward observance profits nothing without interior conversion.
- Vedanta (Bhakti stream)The Bhagavad Gita's distinction between ritualistic karma-kanda and the inward discipline of devotion (bhakti) offers cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's depreciation of mere ceremonial religion apart from genuine love of God.
Chapter XVII. Of A Religious Life
OF A RELIGIOUS LIFE
It behoveth thee to learn to mortify thyself in many things, if thou wilt live in amity and concord with other men. It is no small thing to dwell in a religious community or congregation, and to live there without complaint, and therein to remain faithful even unto death. Blessed is he who hath lived a good life in such a body, and brought it to a happy end. If thou wilt stand fast and wilt profit as thou oughtest, hold thyself as an exile and a pilgrim upon the earth. Thou wilt have to be counted as a fool for Christ, if thou wilt lead a religious life.
2The clothing and outward appearance are of small account; it is change of character and entire mortification of the affections which make a truly religious man. He who seeketh aught save God and the health of his soul, shall find only tribulation and sorrow. Nor can he stand long in peace, who striveth not to be least of all and servant of all.
3Thou art called to endure and to labour, not to a life of ease and trifling talk. Here therefore are men tried as gold in the furnace. No man can stand, unless with all his heart he will humble himself for God's sake.
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