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An impure dog was resting on the breast of a schaïkh, who did not withdraw the hem of his robe. Someone said to him: “O thou who art so worthy of praise for thy devotion! why dost thou not keep away from this dog?”—“This dog,” replied the schaïkh, “has an impure exterior; but in reality, this impurity is not apparent within me. What is manifest outwardly in him is hidden within me. Since my inner self is like the dog’s outward appearance, how could I feel aversion towards him, seeing that he resembles me? When the least thing obstructs thy path, what matters it whether thou art halted by a mountain (koh) or by a straw (kâh)?”
Source Mantic uttaïr, The Schaïkh and the Dog, §1 · 📖 Read the full passage
✨ To meditate on today
According to Attar, a schaïkh, that is, a spiritual master, lets a dog rest against him, for he knows that the impurity visible in the animal also exists, hidden, within himself: how could we despise one who resembles us? Today, when you feel a judgment about someone rising in you, remember your own weaknesses and offer them a gesture of gentleness instead.
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