What's the meaning of the first part in the Sufi proverb pick up a bee from kindness and learn the limitations of kindness?

Answer 1

This is a classic Sufic metaphor/admonition addressing the mechanical aspects of human nature that are reflected everywhere in the rest of the natural world. It has both intrapersonal and interpersonal meanings. The most important element here is to understand that a bee's intrinsic, mechanicalnature is to sting whoever tries to pick it up, even if the help is done as an act of kindness or even to "save" the creature. The bee is flustered, confused, truly unhandleable, knows no better...and will strike out at whoever or whatever tries to interfere with it...because this is its hard-wired, lower nature from which it cannot escape. And so it is with undeveloped human beings, most all of whom remain asleep and thus are acting mechanically towards one another and life. So, in terms of intrapersonal interactions, one must be ruthless in looking honestly at these aspects of the self. And interpersonally, this is the reason that Sufis classically have kept to themselves, understanding what will happen if they actively try to "help" others too much. They get stung! In truth, conditioned humanity LOVES it's sleep state, its wars, the chemical rush it gets from judging and hating others. To try to too actively "disrupt" another person's mechanical sleep state -- even with an intent of kindness, to save that person from violence to others and self -- is likened to picking up the bee. With this understood, only deeply honest, INNER self-work can bring any truly transformative results...while to intervene from without will only bring about more pain and violence directed toward the intervener. This, in a nutshell is the meaning of this Sufi proverb - D.H.

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What a careful, informative and complete answer! Thanks, DH. I have pressed 'Improve Answer', but I am aware that it can't be improved. I just wanted to point to another dilemma question [Chinese, I believe], which asks, Íf a beautiful butterfly should land on your open palm, do you close your hand to keep it, and thus crush it and destroy its beauty, or do you leave your hand open, accepting the inevitable consequence that it will fly away but preserve its beauty?

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