27 posts tagged “warrior of the light”
By Paulo Coelho
The seventh and last cardinal virtue: Equilibrium
With this column we bring to a close the series of seven cardinal virtues composed of three theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Love) and four classic virtues (Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Equilibrium).
According to the New Testament (which appears not to agree very much with this particular virtue): These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Apocalypse 3: 14-16)
In a Zen story: A
fervent Buddhist lady made every effort to love others. But every time
she went to the market, a merchant made indecent proposals to her.
One
rainy morning, when the man bothered her once again, she lost control
and hit him on the face with her umbrella. That same afternoon, she
sought out a monk and told him what had happened.
"I am ashamed," she said. "I couldn't control my hate."
"You
did wrong to hate him," answered the monk. "The next time he says
something, fill your heart with goodness. And hit him again with your
umbrella, because that's the only language he knows."
Dear Friends,
Today is the fourth episode of Paulo Coelho's travel
throughout Siberia. As you will see he has reached the famous Baikal
Lake - a place where shamans dwell.
Paulo shares many fascinating thoughts about nature, the soul of the world and the mission of a writer.
Enjoy and share!
Aart
"A book can also link people. It does not change people, but it provokes a reaction"
Paulo Coelho is starting a week in which he will take us along the Transiberian railway.
Here's the first episode of this week-long journey!
Enjoy and Share!
Aart
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According to the dictionary: from the Latin amor: strong affection that drives us towards the object of our desires; inclination of the soul and heart; affection; passion; exclusive inclination; theological grace.
In the New Testament: So faith, hope and love endure. These are the great three, and the greatest of them is love. (Corinthians 13:13)
According to etymology: the Greeks had three words to designate love: Eros, Philos and Agape. Eros is the healthy love between two persons that justifies life and perpetuates the human race. Philos is the sentiment that we dedicate to our friends. Finally, Agape, which contains both Eros and Philos, goes far beyond "liking" someone. Agape is total love, the love that devours those who feel it. For Catholics, this was the love that Jesus felt for humanity, and it was so great that it shook the stars and changed the course of the history of men. Those who know and feel Agape realize that nothing else in this world has any importance, only loving.
For Oscar Wilde:
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
(Ballad of Reading Jail, 1898)
Continue...
Paulo Coelho
The second cardinal virtue: Hope
According to the dictionary:
a tendency of the spirit to consider something as probable; the second
of the theological virtues; expectation; supposition; probability.
In
the words of Jesus: Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or
store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not of more account than they? But which of you with all his worry
can add a single hour to his life? Why should you worry about clothing?
See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin, and yet I tell
you, Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them.
But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not so much more surely
clothe you, you who have so little faith? (Matthew, 6: 26-30)
For the ancient Greeks: In one of the classic myths of the Creation, one of the gods, furious at the fact that Prometheus stole fire and in doing so gave men their independence, sends Pandora to marry her brother Epimetheus. Pandora brings along a box, which she is forbidden to open. However, just as happens to Eve in the Christian myth, her curiosity gets the better of her: she raises the lid to see what is inside, and at this moment all the troubles of the world spill out and spread all over the Earth. Only one thing remains inside: Hope, the only arm to combat the misfortune that has scattered throughout the world.
Continue...
Paulo Coelho
www.warriorofthelight.com
"by Paulo Coelho"
First we spoke in this space of the seven capital sins. The series enjoyed a wide repercussion among readers, which made me very happy. But what about the seven cardinal virtues?
The sins come before the virtues. As a wise man said, he who has not sinned has no merit in his virtue – because he has not overcome any temptation. Most holy men of any religion generally lead a dissolute or apathetic life before they dedicate themselves to the spiritual quest.
So, since the series on sins has come to an end, and following the logic of the path of Light, we shall dedicate the next columns to the seven cardinal virtues, beginning with Faith. They are derived from the sum of three theological virtues, plus another four based on Plato which were adapted by Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas (there are many divergences regarding the four complementary virtues, so I have decided to choose the more conventional list).
According to the dictionary:
from the Latin word fide: confidence; religious belief; conviction with
regard to someone or something; firmness in fulfilling a commitment;
credit; intention; theological virtue.
According to Jesus Christ:
The apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith." And the Lord said:
"If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you could have said to this
mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and planted in the sea,' and
it would have obeyed you!" (Luke, 17: 5-6)
According to Buddhism: "We are what we think. Through thought we build and destroy the world.
"We are what we think. Your imagination can do more harm than your worst enemy.
"But once you control your thoughts, no-one can help you so much, not even your father or your mother." (Extract from Dhammapada, a collection of some of Buddha's principal teachings)
Continue...
Paulo Coelho
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/warrioroflight
In this case the title of the newsletter is not right. Since in the previous Warrior of Light Online I said refused to write about the reasons why men love woman (I would be considered a male chauvinist South-American writer who despises the liberation movement of the opposite sex), a reader called Julia decided to do it for me. So now we have the feminine version of why we love women. Of course, I don't agree with everything, but this is a (relatively) free tribune. Let's see what Julia has to tell us:
We men love women because they still feel they are adolescents even after they grow old.
Because they smile every time they pass a child.
Because they walk down the street erect, always looking straight ahead, never turning round to say thanks or return the smile or compliment we make when they pass by.
Because they are bold in bed, not because they have a perverse nature but because they want to please us.
(Continue)
Paulo Coelho
What type of music do you listen to – classical, jazz, rock… Does your mood or feelings influence on what you want to listen to at any given moment?
Any music at any time. I am a music freak.
A favorite record, playing the radio – do these elements accompany your work? Or do you need complete silent?
Music is so powerful that I cannot write listening to anything else but the noise of my fingers in the keyboard of the computer. If I listen to music, I will be away from my desk, taken into the universe of notes and compasses.
Paulo Coelho
http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com
