Where to go in a world full of adversity and lies?
This is the question the little ugly man asks himself. We are no strangers to this question either. »Tread new paths and let go of what you cling to« resounds in his heart. Which paths can we take out of the limited spaces of unwholesome thinking? Of course, we can and should change and shape ourselves and the world around us. But, the deepest change we can ultimately give to the world is most likely that of coming into our own, at the center of our being — that is, where our true home is.
The parable The Bhikku addresses the path that leads to present awareness through conscious inhalation and exhalation, and which is described by many Eastern and Western teachings. The little ugly man's stops on his journey to the holy Bhikku (which means “monk” in Pali) are described in an archetypal way, rendering the monk as an independent authority on the inner cosmos of man. The fairytale-like narrative is the fruit of the author's own journey as well as a tribute to the holy women and men he met on his numerous travels in Southeast Asia.
