Manual of The Warrior of Light. Пауло Коэльо

warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

       The warrior of light sometimes fights with those he loves.

      The warrior of light sometimes fights with those he loves.

      The man who defends his friends is never overwhelmed by the storms of life; he is strong enough to come through difficulties and to carry on.

      However, he is often faced by challenges from those he is trying to teach the art of the sword. His disciples provoke him into fighting with them.

      And the warrior demonstrates his abilities: with just a few blows he disarms his students, and harmony returns to the place where they meet.

      ‘Why bother to do that, when you are so much better than they are?’ asks a traveller.

      ‘Because in challenging me, what they really want is to talk to me and this is my way of keeping the dialogue open,’ replies the warrior.

       Before embarking on an important battle, a warrior of light asks himself: ‘How far have I developed my abilities?’

      Before embarking on an important battle, a warrior of light asks himself: ‘How far have I developed my abilities?’

      He knows that he has learned something with every battle he has fought, but many of those lessons have caused him unnecessary suffering. More than once he has wasted his time fighting for a lie. And he has suffered for people who did not deserve his love.

      Victors never make the same mistake twice. That is why the warrior only risks his heart for something worthwhile.

       A warrior of light respects the main teaching of the I Ching: ‘To persevere is favourable.’

      A warrior of light respects the main teaching of the I Ching: ‘To persevere is favourable.’

      He knows that perseverance is not the same thing as insistence. There are times when battles go on longer than necessary, draining him of strength and enthusiasm.

      At such moments, the warrior thinks: ‘A prolonged war finally destroys the victors too.’

      Then he withdraws his forces from the battlefield and allows himself a respite. He perseveres in his desire, but knows he must wait for the best moment to attack.

      A warrior always returns to the fray. He never does so out of stubbornness, but because he has noticed a change in the weather.

       A warrior of light knows that certain moments repeat themselves.

      A warrior of light knows that certain moments repeat themselves.

      He often finds himself faced by the same problems and situations, and seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making any progress in life.

      ‘I’ve been through all this before,’ he says to his heart.

      ‘Yes, you have been through all this before,’ replies his heart. ‘But you have never been beyond it.’

      Then the warrior realises that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.

       A warrior of light is never predictable.

      A warrior of light is never predictable.

      He might dance down the street on his way to work, gaze into the eyes of a complete stranger and speak of love at first sight, or defend an apparently absurd idea. Warriors of light allow themselves days like these.

      He is not afraid to weep over ancient sorrows or feel joy at new discoveries. When he feels that the moment has arrived, he drops everything and goes off on some long-dreamed-of adventure. When he realises that he can do no more, he abandons the fight, but never blames himself for having committed a few unexpected acts of folly.

      A warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.

       Warriors of light always have a certain gleam in their eyes.

      Warriors of light always have a certain gleam in their eyes.

      They are of this world, they are part of the lives of other people and they set out on their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals. They are often cowardly. They do not always make the right decisions.

      They suffer over the most trivial things, they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle.

      They are not always quite sure what they are doing here. They spend many sleepless nights, believing that their lives have no meaning.

      That is why they are warriors of light. Because they make mistakes. Because they ask themselves questions. Because they are looking for a reason – and are sure to find it.

       The warrior of light does not worry that, to others, his behaviour might seem quite mad.

      The warrior of light does not worry that, to others, his behaviour might seem quite mad.

      He talks out loud to himself when he is alone. Someone told him that this is the best way of communicating with the angels, and so he takes a chance and tries to make contact.

      At first, he finds this very difficult. He thinks that he has nothing to say, that he will just repeat the same meaningless twaddle. Even so, the warrior persists. He spends all day talking to his heart. He says things with which he does not agree, he talks utter nonsense.

      One day, he notices a change in his voice. He realises that he is acting as a channel for some higher wisdom.

      The warrior may seem mad, but this is just a disguise.

       ‘The warrior of light chooses his enemies.’

      According to a poet: ‘The warrior of light chooses his enemies.’

      He knows what he is capable of; he does not have to go about the world boasting of his qualities and virtues. Nevertheless, there is always someone who wants to prove himself better than he is.

      For the warrior, there is no ‘better’ or ‘worse’: everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path.

      But certain people insist. They provoke and offend and do everything they can to irritate him. At that point, his heart says: ‘Do not respond to these insults, they will not increase your abilities. You will tire yourself needlessly.’

      A warrior of light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to fulfil.