The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way

by New Sarov

Considered one of the greatest classics of Russian Orthodox Spirituality, *The Way of a Pilgrim* and its sequel *The Pilgrim Continues His Way* have been translated into all of the major languages of the world. This translation is unique in that it is the only one in English translated by an Orthodox Christian, familiar with the nuance and profound depth of Orthodox spirituality.

Genres: Religion

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Scott Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

[Phil Krogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here’s this homeless guy who wanders from place to place with only his Bible and dried bread in a knapsack. One day he goes to church and hears the verse “Pray without ceasing.” He doesn’t understand how this is possible because of all the other things a man must do to make a living. He seeks out and attends sermons on prayer but does not hear an explanation. He then wanders for a long time and meets a devout spiritual teacher and asks him how is it possible to pray without ceasing. He still does not hear a satisfactory answer. At this point the pilgrim is so troubled that he cannot sleep at night. He wanders some more and comes upon a monastery and asks the abbott the same question. Same unsatisfactory answer. At this point I suspected that the story would continue endlessly like this, wandering from place to place and never finding an answer, but he comes upon a monk who does, in fact, guide him to the answer. And the answer is: [SPOILER DELETED]
Although I do not deny the veracity of his and other pilgrims’ spiritual experiences, I could not shake the thought that what if he heard and was troubled by the verse “if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.”