- Geronda
… Why should we use the koboskini (
the prayer rope) ? What is it all
about ?
- The koboskini ( the prayer rope) is a legacy, a blessing, handed down to us by
our Holy Fathers. The fact it is a legacy makes it greatty valuable. If a
grandfather hands down to someone something of
very little value, he keeps it as an amulet. Much more so, for the
komboskini handed down to us as a legacy by our Holy Fathers! In the old days
there were no clocks, so the monks were counting the hours of prayer with their
koboskini , but the knots were very
simple. Once, an ascetic was working very hard, doing prostrations etc, but the
devil was unbinding the knots of his koboskini. He got weary with his
prostrations, since he could not count them, as the devil was continuously
unbinding the knots. Finally, an Angel of the lord appeared and taught him how to knit the knots, so that
with each knot nine crosses should be formed. The devil, who trembles before
the Cross, could not unbind the knots. So, each knot forms nine crosses, which
symbolize the nine angelic orders.
-Geronda,
what do the 33, 100, 300 knots koboskinia stand for?
-Only the
number 33 is symbolic of Christ’s 33 years on earth. The other numbers simply
help us count our prostrations and our prayer. Some engines have a handle with
a rope. So when you want to start the engine, you pull the rope with force,
until the frozen oil melts. Similarly the komposkini is the rope we ‘’pull ‘’ a few times till the
spiritual oil melts making the spiritual engine start working the unceasing
prayer. Thereafter, the heart starts working on its own. However, even when the
heart starts working the prayer we
should not stop using the koboskini so
as not a prompt others to stop using it while their heart has not started
working the prayer yet.
-Geronda ,
when I hold the koboskini in my hands
and I say the Jesus prayer as a matter
of routine, is there a danger of saying the prayer out of self pleasure ?
-If you are
using the koboskini superficially out of self – pleasure it will not help you even if you peel your
hands. You will simply get tired and cherish the illusion that you are working
on the mental prayer.
-Geronda, I
have not got used to keeping the koboskini.
-You should
keep the koboskini so as not to forget the prayer which you should work
internally in the heart. Above all, whenever you come out of you cell you
should keep in mind that the enemy is ready for attack. Therefore, you should
imitate the good soldier who is always holding his automatic gun in his hands
whenever he gets out of his stronghold. The koboskini is very powerful it is
the monk’s gun, its knots being the bullets moving down the demons.
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