Yes, it is a brilliant collection of the spirituality of the Holy Elder! Every last word of it. Also, St Silouan's devoted disciple, Elder Sophrony of Essex has been glorified a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The theology of the Optina Elders as well as that of the Athonite Rus' monasteries and sketes is heavily influenced by the spirituality of Saint Paissy Velichkovsky of Poltava. There is much written about Paisian spirituality (in fact, Blessed Basil VVelichkovsky, the Redemptorist EC martyr, is a descendant of St Paisius). His genius was such that many monasteries across ten national Orthodox Churches and ethnic groups adopted his Paisian spiritual rules to their existing monastic traditions. That rule, among other components, included: 1)Avid practice of the Jesus Prayer; 2) a full celebration of the daily Eastern Offices; 3) Reading and study of Patristics; 4) Manual occupation by monastics and a number of others. in this way, he renewed Orthodox spiritual life an not a few Catholics have greatly benefited fromhis teachings. An entire school of monasti Elders and saints arose in his school of spirituality, including the Optina and Glinsk Fathers.
