""You shall be perfect, even as your Father Who is in the heavens is perfect."" (Mt 5:48) These words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ represent one of the most daunting of the commandments he has given his followers. But how are we to accomplish such a lofty task, living in a world full of turmoil, distractions, and challenges to our spiritual progress? In simple but powerful language, Discussion at a Monastery addresses questions about the meaning of Orthodox Christian monasticism, and of the spiritual life in general, based on the real-life experiences of a contemporary Greek Orthodox monk and his fellow spiritual laborers. Far from being suited only to monastics, however, this profound little book contains deep spiritual insights that will illumine the souls of all readers. At the same time, it will challenge anyone who is interested in developing a clearer understanding of the nature of the spiritual life-which is fundamentally a life of prayer-to first develop a clearer understanding of his or her own inner nature. "Monk Macarius is a monk of the Holy Cenobitic Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Penteli, Attica, Greece."