gospel of Thomas 103

Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain, and arm himself before they invade."

Reading this verse from the Gospel of Thomas, the interpretation that comes to my mind, is that Jesus is referring to those things that derail us from our spiritual path; that take us away from our essence, from being centred in our being in the present moment.

Each of us is susceptible to distractions of one sort or another – these are the brigands. And if we have no awareness of our particular vulnerabilities in this regard, then we are defenceless.

There are many things that might take us away from our true nature. There may be habits and that habitual way of living. We may be prone to jealousy or envy. We might love to distract ourself with idle entertainment. Or perhaps we might numb our consciousness with alcohol or other drugs. There are many things that can cause us difficulty. And the key is not to be angry with ourselves because these things are in us.

But if we can gain a good awareness of those traits – those habits and recurring patterns of behaviour that are specific to ourself – then we can at least be a little bit more prepared for them. With greater awareness, we can see them coming. As Jesus alludes to in this parable, we can be like that man who knows where the brigands will enter. So he can arm himself. He can be prepared and fend them off before they invade.

And so it is with our mind, our psychology, once we are aware of our patterns of behaviour. Where we happen to be most often derailed, we can with practice, catch those things, with awareness, before they invade us, just as they're trying to enter. And that awareness alone will take much of the power out of those brigands.

But one key to this whole process is not to be judgemental, not to be angry with oneself, or disappointed with oneself; but always to treat oneself with a tenderness and compassion; and understanding that this is a process, and we are likely to fall short many a time before we are finally immune to these brigands. Many times they will come to us unexpectedly and overwhelm us. Many times we will see them coming and still not manage to fend them off. But by and by, with practice, we will reach the point where more often than not, we will see the brigands coming, and be able to deter them before they do any damage, before they invade. And eventually, with patience and a little luck, the brigands might well stop calling at our house.