Chapter 4 The Creation of "God's Consolation"

The development of each Trappist monastery was "divided" on the basis of another "mother monastery".Generally, the monastery community is not too large. When the number of monks reaches a certain level, they will send a few monks. With the financial and spiritual support of the original monastery, they will choose a remote wasteland to start from scratch and "split production" Another seminary community comes.The seminary of the Holy Spirit, where our friend Francis is, was "hatched" from the seminary in Kentucky more than half a century ago.Therefore, they are all used to the hardships of the start-up period.I remember Francis telling us that when their founders came to Georgia, they were faced with a wasteland and had no way to start.According to canon, they must eventually achieve self-sufficient existence.So, they wrote to the Georgia Department of Agriculture at the time for consultation.The monks sent soil samples from the Holy Spirit Seminary, hoping that the Ministry of Agriculture could give them some advice on what kind of crops this soil is suitable for.The answer was actually: burn bricks.

However, Yangjiaping is still extremely difficult for the Trappist monks who are used to hard work.They also have a mother seminary in France, but they are not only far away from the mother seminary in France, but also far from their own cultural roots.Although Chinese Catholics have gradually joined the community of this ascetic sect and participated in the creation, there are always not enough people for such a rocky beach.The first Dean Suo Nuo was also the first monk to set foot on Yangjiaping, and he went through the most difficult period. In 1887 he ceased to serve as dean and could return to France.However, he insisted on staying until he passed away silently on the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the monastery. He was the first to lie in the monks' cemetery of Yangjiaping monastery.He was very peaceful when he left.He saw that after ten years of rocky beach, a small neat piece of land had been cleaned up.A circle of large quadrangle courtyards in the style of northern Chinese dwellings with rolling roofs has been neatly enclosed.There is also a fruitful vegetable garden beside the courtyard.The practice community started by five European monks back then has grown into a big family with 72 members, most of whom are Chinese monks.Trappist practices are strictly enforced here.They are still silent, devout, laboring, away from the world.When Brother Sono passed away, the first Chinese Trappist monastery he had worked so hard to create had already begun to take shape.

The secular world often fails to understand monastic life.The "St. Benedict's Rule" established 1,500 years ago is actually trying to institutionalize a way to satisfy people's balance between spirit, mind and physical strength.Those who enter the monastery are those who have pious religious pursuits, and generally there is no problem with their spiritual needs.And religion itself is a difficult subject, involving philosophy, ethics and other human origin and ultimate issues, full of questions that cannot be resolved in a lifetime.The monasteries have huge libraries covering a wide range of subjects.These research topics and research conditions are sufficient to meet people's mental needs.At the same time, labor set up for self-sufficiency is also balancing people's physical activity needs.The Trappists, on the other hand, put more emphasis on penance, that is, to purify one's soul under the conditions of hardship and self-denial.Therefore, it is not particularly surprising that monastic life, which is regarded as uninteresting in secular society, can attract people with special spiritual needs all over the world, even in China.

I think it should be easier for us than others to understand the monastic system, because we are familiar with such an ideal as communism.Seminary life, in practice, was actually very close to the communist ideal of communal life.For example, they jointly own property, each labor according to his ability, and the harvest is distributed according to his needs.In addition, their internal management implements a democratic system, and the major and minor issues encountered in specific life are often decided through democratic voting.The mature monastery system that lasted for more than ten centuries has provided a continuity to the institutional civilization of Western society and preserved a valuable legacy.

What distinguishes the monastic system from some institutions as social ideals, however, is that it is fully self-aware.It understands that monastic life will always be a way of life for a very limited number of people.It does not intend to expand its scope, to force promotion to the society, or even to make no publicity at all.Instead, it emphasizes respect for individual choices and individual wishes.In the Trappist monastery, new monks must go through a very strict training process when they are admitted to the monastery.At the end of each stage, if the desire is not terminated, the novice monk will have an oath, setting a limited time to enter the monastery.The time of this oath of residence is gradually lengthened at the end of each probationary period.Until the final probationary period is completely over, if the determination is made, sign a lifelong oath.Even so, when a monk finally changes his mind, he can still violate his life vows and leave the monastery.According to the length of his stay, the monastery gave him a sum of money as a labor remuneration during this period, allowing him to arrange a new life conditionally.

Yangjiaping Monastery is developing very steadily.After entering the 20th century, they not only added an inner courtyard to the north of the original courtyard, but also built a French-style church in the courtyard according to the Trappist monastery tradition.They cherish the community they have worked so hard to build.Like Trappist monasteries all over the world, the church is their spiritual meeting point.Therefore, even though they only had the original transportation method of rolling wood as bedding, they still transported heavy granite by hand and carved it into pillars with a diameter of one meter each, which became the mainstay of the church arch.

The monks finally have their own paradise.They not only have their own small gardens in the inner courtyard, but also in the ravines, they clear the rocks year by year and plant apricot trees one after another.In spring, the apricot blossoms of Fendai surround the valley, and in autumn monks make the best dried apricots in the area.They have their own brick kiln to support the expansion, and they have their own cattle pen and sheep pen to supply meat and fresh milk every day.The vegetable garden is also expanding, except for the freezing season, the fruits and vegetables are constantly...  Even without the evidence of those old photos, it is not difficult for us to imagine their arduous pioneering road.Because we are familiar with Francis and his Holy Spirit Monastery, as well as his humorous, easy-going, hard-working monk brothers.This is our reliable live reading annotation.

Yangjiaping Seminary lives in seclusion in the mountains, isolated from the world, and only maintains a little distant connection with the church.According to the self-governing principle of the monastery, they create their own frugal, natural and basically closed life.