Dorotheus (Gazsky) (died at 6 in. ) - was born in Antioch, received a good education. Entering the monastery, he became a disciple of the elders Barsonophius the Great and John the Prophet .. He was a hermit, and a circle of disciples formed around him, for which he founded a monastery. His main work “Spiritual Teachings” the recording of instructions to monks is one of the central works of ascetic literature, which absorbed the previous tradition. "Teachings", written in simple and unsophisticated language, is a kind of ascetic "ABC", which solves the main issues of spiritual life and monastic feat. In Russia, the book of spiritual teachings of Abba Dorotheus by the number of lists was the most common, along with the “Staircase” of St. John and the works of St. Ephraim the Syrian . “How to Grow Spiritually” is a brief summary of the teachings of the Monk Abba Dorophei .. It will be useful not only to monks and those who wish to enter the monastic path, but also to all who wish to live piously and grow spiritually.