Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book III — On Inward Consolation·Chapter XXVIII. Against The Tongues Of Detractors
XXVIII. Against the tongues of detractors
On bearing the slander and detraction of others. Christ Himself was detracted by men; how then shall His disciple expect to escape? The disciple's rest in God's witness rather than men's, and the freedom this brings from the tongue's power to wound.
Source context
- Theme
- interior equanimity under slander and the discipline of silence before detractors
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Stoic philosophy (Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius)Stoic teaching holds that the wise person's inner citadel is impenetrable to external opinion, making endurance of slander a mark of philosophical maturity — a cross-tradition congruence with Kempis's counsel to hold the tongue and preserve inner peace against detractors.
- Hesychast tradition (Eastern Orthodox asceticism)Hesychast practice prescribes guarding of speech and withdrawal from reactive engagement with critics as a precondition for interior stillness, exhibiting cross-tradition congruence with this chapter's identification of silence as the soul's protective armor.
- Sufi ethics (maqam of sabr — patience)The Sufi station of sabr requires the wayfarer to bear reproach without retaliation, treating accusation as a purifying trial — a cross-tradition congruence with Kempis's framing of detraction as an occasion for spiritual strengthening rather than worldly defense.
Chapter XXVIII. Against The Tongues Of Detractors
AGAINST THE TONGUES OF DETRACTORS
"My Son, take it not sadly to heart, if any think ill of thee, and say of thee what thou art unwilling to hear. Thou oughtest to think worse of thyself, and to believe no man weaker than thyself. If thou walkest inwardly, thou wilt not weigh flying words above their value. It is no small prudence to keep silence in an evil time and to turn inwardly unto Me, and not to be troubled by human judgment.
2"Let not thy peace depend upon the word of men; for whether they judge well or ill of thee, thou art not therefore any other man than thyself. Where is true peace or true glory? Is it not in Me? And he who seeketh not to please men, nor feareth to displease, shall enjoy abundant peace. From inordinate love and vain fear ariseth all disquietude of heart, and all distraction of the senses."