He who knows himself, is kind to others

Do we know our dark side?
‘The Legend of King Ape’ talks about a Buddhist monk who undertakes a dangerous voyage with valuable manuscripts on his back. His fellow travellers were ‘a monkey, a pig and quicksand’ , which symbolise evil powers , our dark side. Dark is what is described as bad, where there is no light.

It is a tremendous undertaking to carry the burden safely across the mountains. Continuously they are confronted with dangerous situations. It comes as a surprise that during this adventure the negative forces undergo a change. They come to a new insight , they convert and in the end even become positive forces that ultimately save the monk. This is not brought about by the holy scriptures on his back or their content, but …

‘The desert the monk crossed’
Each one of us, sooner or later, is confronted with difficulties that can be severe and lead to despair.
We are on ‘quicksand’ , call out and shout and discover that our belief is not enough , it is too weak. What remains is agony of doubt,  desperation, a loud scream. Dark times leave their mark, but also lead to insight, because …

He who went through his own hell… stops with something.
He no longer ‘prescribes’ for someone else. He no longer judges anyone by whom and what he is. He does not construct walls anymore of ‘my values’ that divide, he is no longer caught in a bastion of ‘my norms, standards and criteria’ that call for defence. In short, he no longer ‘stipulates’ what the norm is, because he has experienced, while going through his own hell, that he is accepted for what he is. Unconditionally. Because , notwithstanding his ‘fellow-travellers’, he was not condemned, but rather sustained and forgiven. Or how compassion fell to him. The person who has been allowed to experience this, also becomes compassionate and forgiving to others, it cannot be otherwise, because … he who knows himself, is kind to others.

– Translation from the Bond Zonder Name or Movement Without a Name thought of the month

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Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Wie zichzelf kent, is mild voor een ander

Bhikkhu Vivekananda, a buddhist monk from Germany and a Vipassana-Teacher, walking on the street or being on his way (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Find to read:

1. May we have doubts
2. Dealing with worries in our lives
3. A Glory followed by Despair
4. Within despair
5. The Person Who Cannot Despair
6. Old age
7. Companionship
8. Watch out
9. Fear, struggles, sadness, bad feelings and depression
10. Are you right down in the dumps? Stop digging!
11. Obstacles to your goal
12. Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair
13. The soul has no rainbow if the eyes have no tears
14. Frank risks taking
15. A small trouble is like a pebble
16. Have a little talk with the Potter
17. A great man does not lose his self-possession when he is afflicted
18. Be happy that the thorn bush has roses
19. Your struggles develop your strengths
20. Remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead
21. Crying and trusting ones do not get disappointed
22. Remember there’s a light in the next day
23. Philippians 4:4–7 – Do Not Be Anxious
24. Is God behind all suffering here on earth
25. To Live Gratitude
26. Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
27. Looking at three “I am” s
28. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition
29. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
30. If your difficulties are longstanding, try kneeling
31. A Living Faith #4 Effort
32. In Defense of the truth
33. Some one or something to fear #6 Faith in the Most High

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