Bahauddin-Father of Rumi

Why Sufis Wear Graveclothes  (1:293-294)

As constellations bless the nightsky (25:61), we live in a house whose interior illuminates, with outside a dark roof.  This bright within pitchblack is the truth and why Sufis wear graveclothes outermost, so they won't seem self-absorbed.  We're dead, they call out to the street.  We have no part in anything happening here, yet every grief is ours.   ***

Doubting  (1:131)

Their knowing fails in the unseen.  They doubt and stay blind to that reality (27:66).  You can explain this world to a man who has been stone-blind from birth, but he will remain confused.  His ignorance has no power to conceive the beautiful face of this world.  The beauty simply remains what it is, in its glory.  So when you are told about spirit, the hereafter, and you stay unsure, your doubting does not change, nor do the qualities or the fact of spirit and soul.

I was talking about the beautiful young women and the paradisal gardens with a wise man, my elder.  He said, if you are preoccupied with these things now, you will continue to be in the unseen.    Move instead toward the divine mystery, and only that.  I replied that I see the paradise rivers through God, so they are always changing and giving various pleasures.

With you wherever you are (57:4).  Ask for what you want.  Then dissolve like honey in milk.  The doors will open, and you will see that you are already living inside the presence.

by Sheiks Muzaffer

*A man was passing by a mental hospital.  He called out to one of the patients peering through the windows.  "How many madmen are there in the hospital?"  Looking the questioner up and down, the inmate replied, "Why don't you leave us alone?  But tell me, how many sane people are out there?"

((The precondition is to know yourself.  He who does not know cannot find, and he who does not find cannot be.))                  --Sheikh Muzaffer


*Everything in the world has an end and a goal.  The end is maturity, and the goal is freedom.  For example, the fruit grows on the tree until it is ripe and then falls.  A farmer sows grain in the ground and tends to it.  It begins to grow, eventually seeds , and again becomes grain.  It has returned to its original form.  The circle is complete.  Completing the circle of existence is Freedom.   ---Nasafi


*Today I am in such a shape
That I can't differentiate
The load from the donkey.
 I am in such shape today,
That I don't know which is the thorn
And which is the rose.

My love put me in this shape today.
I don't know who is the Lover
Or who is the Beloved.

Yesterday, drunkenness led me
To the door of the Love.
But today I can't find
The door or the house.

Last year I had two wings,
Fear and Hope.
Today, I don't know of wings,
Don't know how to fly,
Don't know of my lost fears

     ---Rumi

blog address

If you have a love for the writings of Rumi and or Sufi Poetry, I encourage for you to check out http://www.sunlightgroup.blogspot.com/   ...Enjoy. 

Rumi quote

Let us choose one another as companions!
Let us sit at each other's feet!
Inwardly we have many harmonies--think not
That we are only what we see...

The Guest House by Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture,
Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing,
And invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.

---The Essential Rumi----

The Presence of the Beloved is Most Sweet

In Spring, if I am parted from the beloved's presence
What care do I have for the garden?
What use is that greenness?
Or if thorns grow instead of fruit?
From the clouds, let stones fall instead of rain.

It is much more pleasant for me to be with you than where they would give me property and positions.  If I were to go to Tabriz they would give me a position and acclaim.  But being together with you is much more pleasant for than these.  If those who promise wealth and positions don't listen to my words and can't understand them, what pleasure would it bring?  It's pleasant to be with some who can understand.

--Shams of Tabriz.

Lord's Prayer - One of my favorite prayers

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed by thy Name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who
trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
(For Thine is the Kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever and
ever. Amen )

words for the mind and spirit

If you wish for a pearl
you must leave the desert
and wander by the sea;
and even if you never find
the gleaming pearl, at least
you won't have failed to reach the water

--Sama'i--

A sheikh said, "if you wish to become a saint, change your
character into the character of children." "Why?" he was asked.
"Children have five qualities," he answered,"and if adults had
these same qualities, they would attain the rank of saints."

1. They do not worry about their daily bread
2. When they fall sick, they do not complain night and day
about their misfortune.
3. Whatever food they have, they share
4. When they fight or quarrel, they do not keep grudges
in their hearts, but make up quickly.
5. The slightest threat makes them frightened and brings
tears to their eyes.

---al-Ghazzali---

Oh heart, sit with someone
who knows the heart;
Go under the tree
which has fresh blossoms

---Rumi---



Fasting is a way to save on food.
Vigil and prayer is a labor for old folks.
Pilgrimage is an occasion for tourism.
To distribute bread in alms is something for philanthropists.
Fall in love:
That is doing something!

---Ansari---

Dear Friend,
Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it clean of
the veil of dust that has gathered upon it, because it is
destined to reflect the light of divine secrets.

----al-Ghazzali---

For thirty years I sought God. But when I looked carefully
I found that in reality God was the seeker and I the sought.

---Beyazid Bistami---

When you come upon the essence, do you still want the form?
When you have drunk of the water of life, do you still need the
glass to contain it?

---Reshad Feild----

Knowledge of the Men of Heart

The knowledge of the men of heart lifts them up; the
knowledge of the men of body, weighs them down.
When knowledge comes from the heart, it is a friend;
when knowledge comes from the body, it is a burden.
God said, Like an ass laden with books ( Q 62:5);
knowledge that comes not from Him is burdensome.
Knowledge that does not come directly from God is
like the rouged cheeks of a crone.
Nevertheless, if you bear this burden in the right
spirit, it will be removed and you will obtain spiritual joy.
So long as you do not carry this burden out of pride or
selfish desire, you will discover the source of knowledge
within you.
When you mount upon the steed of true knowledge,
the burden will fall from your shoulders.
Unless you drink His wine, how will you be free from
selfish desires, O you who seek no more of Him than His
name?
What does His name suggest? The ideas of Him. And
the idea of Him guides you to union with Him.
Do you know a name that doesn't refer to the thing
named? Have you ever plucked a rose from the letters
R,O,S,E?
You say His name, now seek the reality behind the
name! Look for the moon in the sky, not in its reflection
in a lake.
If you want to go beyond names and letters, erase the
self with one stroke.
Be like a polished sword, free from tarnish. Work to
become a polished mirror, free of rust.
Cleanse yourself of all the attributes of self, so that
you may see your own pure and untarnished essence!
Behold in your own heart all the knowledge of the
prophets, without books, without learning, without teacher.

( Mathnawi 3445-61 )

Sema of the Soul

Someone said: "You've given a bad name to the people of knowledge with this sema."

I said, "Don't you know that except through them good from bad and muslim from kafir doesn't become manifest?"

He was saying, "You reach God through dancing?"
I said, "You, too, dance; you'll reach God."
Two steps and he arrived.

---Rumi's Sun


A MOON FACED MIRROR

From her face, a masterpiece
was left upon the moon---
A trace was left from that angel-face
upon the moon.

No, no! What is the moon in comparison?!
The soul became her servant,
and only she remains
The moon, last night,fell down upon her pillow.
Out of jealousy, I struggled desperately.
I beat my hands and feet upon the floor.

Who is the moon to deserve to sit with you?!
You are the beauty who has wondered the world,
whom everyone admires..

---Rumi's Sun- Shams of Tabriz


BEING WITH THE FRIEND

When you know me, if you see me, why are you remembering those sorrow?
If reaching ease is within my hand and ability, why are you
getting stressed out? If you are with me, why are you preoccupied
with yourself? If you are my friend, why are you befriending your self?
Years pass, and with but a single person do we become true friends and
reach a peace of mind.

Years are needed so that a stone, under the sun,
may turn into a ruby in Bedashan
or a carnelian in Yemen;
months are needed so that a cotton seed,
under the soil,
may become clothing for one who is naked
or a martyr's shroud.


If you see me, why do you keep looking at yourself? If you are
remembering me, why do you keep remembering your self (nafs)?
Words of advice, and the business of remembering them indicates
you are remembering your self--you are remembering them indicates
you are remembering your self-you are remembering being. If
there is ease somewhere, then God is there--then what place could
there be for advice or words?

==Rumi's Sun - Shams of Tabriz

Verses from Mevlana's Mathnawi

It was Mary's painful need that made the infant Jesus
begin to speak from the cradle.
Whatever grew has grown for the sake of those in need,
so that a seeker might find the thing he sought.
If God most High has created the Heavens,
He has created them for the purpose of satisfying needs.
Wherever a pain is, that's where the cure goes;
wherever the poverty is, that's where provisions goes.
Wherever a difficult question is,
That's where the answer goes;
wherever a ship is, water goes to it.
Don't seek the water; increase your thirst,
so water may gush forth from above and below.
Until the tender-throated babe is born,
how should the milk for it
flow from the mother's breast?

"Risking the Journey"

Your difficulties and discussions indicate that you want to learn by means of information, but one has to walk and struggle on the path. Let's say, for a hundred years you have talked about the way to Aleppo and Damascus, but you can never bring the goods of Aleppo here unless you endure the difficulty and dangers of the journey. You must undergo the concern and fear of having your property plundered by robbers;only then can you arrive.

Someone asked "Should the student prefer the way of discussion first, so that later walking on that path might be easier?"

He answered, "I have already told you the story of the way to Aksaray and given you information about the journey. You didn't go there; I am with you. And from now on, you yourself pay attention to see which way is safer--which way is most free of thieves, wolves and other dangers.""

And then, what about the path to Malatya or the path to Ilbistan?"

From the book "Teachings of Shams of Tabriz-Rumi's Sun"

ASLEEP TO THE WORLD

Every Night You free our spirits from the
body's snare and erase all impressions on
the tablets of memory.

Our Spirits are set free every night from
this cage, they are done with audience and
talk and tale.

At night prisoners forget their prison,
at night governors forget their power.

There is no sorrow, no thought of gain or loss,
no idea of this person or that person.

Such is the state of the mystic,
even when he is not asleep.

God says, "You imagine them awake while
they slept."

He is asleep, day and night,
to the affairs of this world.
like a pen in the hand of the lord.

God has shown forth some part of his state,
inasmuch as the vulgar too
are carried away by sleep:

Their spirits one into the Wilderness
that is beyond words, their souls and
bodies at rest.

Till with a whistle You call them back
to the snare, bring them all again to
justice and judgment.

At daybreak, like israfil,

He bids them return from yonder
to the world of form:

The disembodied spirits He confines anew
and causes each body to be laden
with its good and evil works.

There Is No Place Like Home

In the beginning, there was a man,
but he was lonely.
And Heavenly Father placed mankind with him,
but they were still lonely.
And Heavenly Father gave them animals of all kind,
but they were still lonely.
So, Heavenly Father placed blooms
of all colors around them,
but, they were still lonely.
All the delights of this earth did not
satisfy their loneliness and longing,
And, the Stars appeared in the dark sky one by one,
pointing the direction to their home and
to the divine source.

And at last they were allowed to return home.

"How Wonderful The Way You Left This World"

At last you've departed and gone to the Unseen.
How wonderful the way you left this world.

You opened your wings, broke out of your cage,
and took off for the world of the soul.

A favoured falcon, caged up by old woman world,
but when you heard the falcon drum, you escaped
to the rose garden

A love-sick Nightingale among owls,
when the scent of roses reached you, you flew
to the rose garden.

This tainted wine gave you a hangover,
but now you've gone to Eternity's tavern.

Like a well-aimed arrow, you sped from this bow
and flew straight for the target of bliss.

This spirit-snatching world tried to lead you
astray with false signs, but you ignored them;
instead, you left for the Signless.

Now you are the sun, what use is a crown?
Now you've gone from the middle, what need of
a belt?

I hear tales of those who gaze on the soulwith
blind eyes. Why soul-gaze when you are from
the Soul of souls?

O heart, what a rare bird you are! In your quest
for the Divine, you took off and flew straight
to the spearpoint like a shield.

The rose flees when autumn comes, but you--
O fearless rose - dallied in the autumn wind.

You fell like rain from heaven on this worldly roof,
and ran in all directions until you escaped down
the gutter.

Be silent, and thus free from the pain of speech,
Don't go to sleep, now that you're in the arms of
the Friend.

((D 3051:A2:395)) Rumi

writings from Divan-i Kabir of Rumi

Beautiful works and beauties those we see in the world take the souls of sensible people to their creators. It is as if Allah (God -Elohim) makes their works bearers and burdens them the souls and hearts, and drags them towards Himself. ***


Though love seems to be born from me outwardly, do not believe in it. The truth is; love was not born from me; on the contrary, I was born from it. ***


I am his pigeon. Even if he sends me away, where can I fly except for around the roof of his house? ***


The front and back of humanity road became wet with blood. Watch out do not slip. The number of people who steal human beings is more than the ones those steal gold.**


Find yourself but be careful! Do not let yourself be stolen! But what can you do? An openeyed and talented thief lies in The Way of Truth, and waits for you. ***


Smile with the light of world and become the wedding ceremony of universe! Get rid of its pain and lament, and attain safety! For,patience is the key of troubles. ***


Shine out your light to everyone and everything without hesitation as the sun. ***


Our death is an eternal wedding ceremony. ***


God, take me from myself and let me transcend myself! Since, there is freedom for me then there is salvation! I am servant of those who got rid of existence and transcend their egos. ***


One day there will not be any time. Strive, try, pray, fulfill humane tasks, and get rid of the condition of times. ***


All of those who come from the non-existence to the realm of existence do not know why they exist and why they were created. It is as if they became drunk because of the existence and forgot where they came from. ***


You cannot see but you have many hidden enemies. You resorted to tricks to get rid of them but it was in vain. They have beaten you. ***


Speak less and close your lips; have the behavior of speaking without lips! For, when the world passes away, neither teeth nor lips and tongue exist! ***

The fault you see in another lies within yourself...

(These are from the book "The Essence of Rumi" ..)

"The Sufis' profound understanding of human psychology is illustrated in the following extract from the Sixth Discourse which, although written over 700 years ago, offers a succinct analysis of the modern psychological phenomenon know as "projection":

If you perceive a fault in your brother, the fault that you see see in him lies within yourself. The things of this world are like a mirror in which you see your own image, for "The believer is the mirror for his fellow believer."Get rid of the fault in yourself, because what distresses you in others lies within you.

An elephant was led to a well to drink. When it saw itself in the water, it shied away, it thought it was shying away from another elephant, not realizing that it was shying away from itself.

You are not offended by negative qualities such as injustice, hatred, envy, greed, harshness, or pride when they are within yourself. But when you see them in another, you feel offended and shy away. A person does not find his own scab or abscess repellent; he will dip his infected hand into the stew and lick his fingers without feeling the least bit squeamish. But, if he sees a tiny cut or abscess on another's hand, he has no stomach for the stew that man's hand has been dipped in. Negative qualities are just like scabs and abscesses; you are not offended by them when they are within yourself, but when you see the least hint of them in another you take great offence. Just as you shy away from another, so you should excuse them when they shy away from you, offended. The pain you feel is his excuse for shying away, because your pain comes from seeing the same faults he sees. The Prophet said, "The believer is the mirror for his fellow believer." He did not say, "the unbeliever is the mirror of the unbeliever. This was not because the unbeliever is not a mirror for others, but because he is unaware of the mirror of his own heart."

Two kinds of Intelligence -Rumi from Mathnawi

There are two kinds of intelligence. The first is the one you acquire through learning, in the manner of school children, from books and teachers, from reflection and memorizing facts, from forming concepts and from the study of subjects that are new to you. In this way your intelligence surpasses that of others, but in reality the retention of all this knowledge in your mind is a burden.

In your quest for knowledge you have become little more than a tablet on which one records information. Yet there is another kind of tablet, another form of intelligence.

This other intelligence is the gift of God; it flows from within you, from the depths of your soul. Unlike the first kind of intelligence, the water of divine knowledge never stinks with stagnation. It doesn't matter if it is prevented from flowing into the outside world, for it pours forth from the heart in an unending flow.

On the other hand, acquired intelligence is like the water supply entering a house from the outside; it if gets blocked, the house ends up without any water. So, seek the fount of knowledge within you! ( M IV:1960-8)

This is Love

This is love: to soar towards the heavens,
every moment, to tear aside a hundred veils.
The first move, to let go of life.
The last step, to walk without feet.
To regard this world as invisible,
and to disregard the eye of the self.

"O heart", I said, "you are blessed
to enter this circle of lovers,
to see beyond what eye can see,
to enter the windings of the breast.
O soul, how did you begin to beat?
O soul-bird, speak the language of birds,
for I understand your hidden meaning."

My soul replied, "I was in the Workshop
the day this house of water and clay was fired.
I was fleeing from the phenomenal world,
even while it was being created.
When I could resist no more, I was dragged down,
and, like a ball of clay, I was moulded into form.

A Sleep and A Forgetting

One who has lived many years in a city,
As soon as he goes to sleep,

Beholds another city full of good and evil,
And his own vanishes from his mind.

He does not say to himself
“This is a new city: I am a stranger here”,
He thinks he has always lived in this city
And was born and bred in it.
What wonder, then, if the soul does not remember
Her ancient abode and birthplace?


Since she is wrapped in the slumber of this world,
Like a star covered by clouds


Especially as she has trodden so many cities
And the dust that darkens her vision
Is not yet swept away…

---Rumi-----

Topic of Service

Service is a form of worship--and also a powerful method of self-transformation. Most service that we offer is selfish; it is service for the sake of reward: money, praise, or fame. Service to the Sufis is "for God's sake", without any thought of reward. This kind of service comes from when we remember that we are a part of God's creation, and that by serving creation , we are serving our Creator--not for a heavenly reward but out of love and gratitude. ************



Years ago, the mother of one of the Ottoman Sultans was devoted to charity. She built mosques and a great hospital and had public wells dug in parts of Istanbul that were without water. One day, she went to watch the construction of the hospital she was having built, and she saw an ant fall into the wet concrete of the foundation. She lifted the ant out of the concrete and set it on the ground.

Some years later she passed away. That night she appeared to a number of her friends in their dreams. She was radiant with joy and inner beauty. Her friends asked her if she had gone to Paradise because of all her wonderful charities, and she replied, "I am in Paradise, but it is not because of those charities. It is for the sake of an ant."

***

I once had a brother in Iraq. I would go to him when times were bad and say, "Give me some of your money." He would throw me his purse for me to take what I wanted. Then one day I came to him and said, "I need something." He asked "How much do you want?" And so the sweetness of brotherhood left my heart.
--- al-Ghazzali ---
***

Sufi Humor-Hodja jokes

When I grew up in Turkey as a child, we always heard of the tales of Nasreddin Hodja, his jokes were always about life and thought provoking. If you visit Turkey today, and ask anyone, they will all know of Nasreddin Hodja (pronounced as hoja)and most likely tell you a tale. The tradition of Sufism includes endless funny stories, usually on and about ourselves. The book that I am getting these stories from, encourages the reader to identify one's self in every story, to acknowledge that you too could be as foolish or as lacking in discernment as the characters in these classic tales. These stories are from traditional (old ) Turkish story collections.
p.s. The word Hodja ( Hoja) also is a word used to identify a teacher.

Enjoy, Peace and Blessings

************

"I can see in the dark," boasted Hodja one day while sitting in a tea shop."

"If that's true," said his friends, "why do we sometimes see you carrying a light at night?"

"Well," he replied, "I only use that lamp to prevent other people from bumping into me."
***
One day a friend asked Hodja for a loan, saying that he would repay him the following week. Hodja didn't believe him but gave him the money anyway. Much to his surprise, the man kept his word and repaid him.

A few months later the same man wanted another loan from Hodja, and he said to him, "You know my credit is good. Last time, I repaid you promptly."

"You're not going to get the money this time,"said Hodja. "You deceived me last time by repaying me when I thought that you wouldn't. I am not going to let you fool me again."
***
Hodja wanted to learn how to play the lute. So he approached a music teacher and asked him, "How much do you charge for private lute lessons?"

"Three silver pieces for the first month; then after that, one silver piece a month."

"Oh, that's very fair, " exclaimed Hodja. "I'll start with the second month".
***

One day a poor hungry man was passing through the streets with only a piece of bread in his hand. As he passed by a restaurant, he saw some delicious-looking meatballs frying in a pan. He waved his bread over the pan for a few seconds, and then he ate it. The restaurant owner had seen what he did and grabbed him by the neck and dragged him before the judge, who happened to be Hodja.

The restaurant owner demanded that this poor peasant pay for the price of the meatballs.
Hodja listened carefully and then took two coins from his pocket and told him, "Come and stand by me a minute." The restaurant owner obeyed, and Hodja shook his fist so that the coins made a rattling sound in the man's ear.

"What are you doing this for?" he asked

Hodja replied, "I have just paid you for the meatballs. Surely the sound of money if fair payment for the smell of food."

***
One day a friend visited Hodja and said, "Hodja, I want to borrow your donkey."
"I'm sorry, " replied Hodja, "but, I've already lent it out to someone else."
As soon as he said this, the donkey brayed.

"But Hodja,I can hear the donkey! It's in the stable."

Shutting the door in this friend's face, Hodja told him with dignity, "A man who believes the word of a donkey above my own doesn't deserve to be lent anything!"

***
One day Hodja was heartbroken over the loss of his dear wife. All his neighbors and friends tried to encourage and comfort him by saying, "don't worry about her, Hodja we'll help you to find and even better one."

A short while later his donkey died as well. Hodja seemed to mourn the donkey even more than he had his wife.

Some of his friends noticed this and approached him concerning this matter, and he replied, "When my wife passed away, all my friends promised me that they would find an even better one for me, but so far no one has offered to replace my donkey."
***
For some reason the people of Aksehir became very angry with Hodja and wanted to expel him from the town. They complained to the magistrate so that he was forced to summon Hodja. He said to him, "Hodja, the people of this town don't like you. They all want you to move."
"It is I who don't like the people here," replied Hodja. "As far as I'm concerned, they can all leave."
"But they are many and you are one," said the magistrate.
"Well, because they are many it is even easier for them. They can all work together and build a village wherever they decide to go. But how can I, all alone and at my age, build a new home and cultivate a field in the country?"

***

Thoughts of Wonder

The Prophet Abraham grew up among idol worshippers. He sought to find God. He looked at the brightest stars and said, " You are my Lord." Then the full moon came out . It was far bigger and brighter than any of the stars. Abraham looked at the moon and said, "You are my Lord." Then the sun came u, and the moon and stars disappeared. Abraham said, "You are the greatest, You are my Lord." Then night came, and the sun disappeared.
Abraham said, "My Lord if the One who changes things and who brings them back. My Lord is the One who is behind all changes."
--- Sheikh Muzaffer ---

It is said that when you take only one step toward Him, He advances ten steps toward you. Bu the complete truth is that God is always with you.
--- Muhammad ---

One day a dervish came to Attar's Pharmacy. He saw the clutter and display; he smelled he heady scent of herbs and perfumes; then he heaved a deep sigh and began to weep.
Disturbed by such odd sight, Attar asked the dervish to move on.
The Dervish replied, "all right Sir. My load is light, nothing more than this old garment I am wearing. But you, Attar, my heart aches for you! When the time comes for you to depart, how are you giong to carry all these goods?" ---Farzan ---

***
When you see my funeral, don't say, "What a separation!"
It is time for me to visit and meet the Beloved.
Since you have seen my descent, hen do see my rising.
Why complain about the setting of the moon and the sun?
Which seed that went under the earth failed to grow up again? -----Rumi ------

***

Is Something Missing?

Anyone can say anything.
Eyes look without obstruction,
and the nose, it sniffs everything.

Lets go where they want to. Hands reach.
The mind respects nothing. Even the heart
is unsure where to stand. This is how
things are. Is something missing?

A human being can walk in different ways.
Delibaretly, as though going somewhere,
or strolling with no purpose, or marching,
or limping, or pretending to be a gorilla
with arms hanging down.

He or she can curse you or trust you, comfort you,
or act without considering anything or anyone.
Truth and lies, both glitter in the eyes.
He or she can hear and enjoy and embrace
the language coming in, but to understand everything
with divine wisdom is hard.

There is one clear truth, the pure loving.
When people do not have that, they are
disconnected. Words are just words,
and good actions are done for wrong reasons.

Paint on a red dot like the dancing Shiva,
but if you don't know how to open your heart
with modesty, dignity, and respect for others,
it's just collecting more honors and robes.

It's easy to explain the condition of being human,
what's missing and what's here, but if
you don't know a God exists,
it's foolishness.

To know this and act accordingly is difficult.
Saying the words is easy.

--- Bawa Muhaiyaddeen ---

Love all and hate none.
Mere talk of peace will avail you naught.
Mere talk of God and Religion will not take you far.
Be a blazing fire of truth,
be a beauteous blossom of love
and be a soothing balm of peace.
With your spiritual light, dispel the darkness of ignorance;
dissolve the clouds of discord and war
and spread goodwill, peace, and harmony among the people.
Never seek any help, charity, or favors
from anybody except God.
Never go to the courts of kings,
but never refuse to bless and help the needy and the poor,
the widow, and the orphan, if they come to your door.
This is your mission, to serve the people...
Carry it out dutifully and courageously,
so that I , as your spiritual teacher,
may not be ashamed of any shortcomings on your part
before the Almighty God and our holy predecessors
in the Sufi Order
on the day of Judgment.

--- Hazrat Khuaja ---

Happy is the who is able to escape from the lower self and feel the gentle breeze of friendship. His heart is so full of the Beloved that there is no longer room for anyone else. he Beloved flows through his every vein and nerve. Every atom of his body is filled with the Friend.

The true lovers can no longer perceive either the scent or the color of their own selves. They have no interest in anything other than the Beloved. Their heart is attached neither to throne or crown. Greed and lust have packed their bags and left their street. If they speak, it is to the Friend. If they seek, it is from the Friend. They no longer take themselves into account, and live only for love. They leave the raw and turn to the ripe, abandoning completely the abode of the self.

---Jami---

Sufism

About Sufism (Gathered from Books on Sufism)



Sufism offers one a path to Self-realization, or God-realization. Sufism is about Love, Devotion and a way of knowledge. Sufism has been described as the mystical core of Islam and date its appearance to the beginnings of Islam, at about 9Th Century A.D. However, according to many Sufis, the essential Truths of Sufism exists in all religions.

A person who practices Sufism is called a Sufi, or dervish, or faquir. Sufi has several meanings in Arabic, "pure" and "wool". Sufis wore simple cloaks in addition to seeking inner purity. Dervish is a Persian word, relating to "door" , because, in the old times Dervishes used to go from door to door begging for food or a place to stay. It also means one who is at the threshold (between awareness of this world and awareness of the Divine ). Faqir is Arabic for a poor person. In Sufism this does not refer to those poor in worldly/material goods, but to those who are "spiritually poor" that is, those whose hearts are empty of attachment to anything other than God. They realize that they have nothing, that they can do nothing, that they are nothing without God. They rely on nothing in this world, only on God.

Although, Sufism is most prominent in Middle East. Today, Sufis are scattered among all nations of the world.

These are the Tenets of Sufism:

I believe in God,
And in God's angels,
And in the Holy Books,
And in God's Messengers,
And in the Day of Resurrection,
And in destiny,
That all good and bad come from God,
And that there is life after this life.


Sufism maintains that you don't have to look for God anywhere but in your heart. Sufis believe in four great Books: The Torah, brought by Moses, the Psalms of David, the Gospels inspired by Jesus, and the Koran revealed to Muhammad. Sufis also believe that in addition to these scriptures, there have been hundreds of shorter scrolls revealed to the prophets. Each prophet bringing the same truth from the same Divine source, and therefore we have to believe in all of them. Those prophets who have brought a book are known as Messengers.

***
Huston Smith calls Sufis the "impatient ones", those who are not willing to wait to be reunited with Divinity at death but hunger for union now. "Why the rush?" the rest of us might inquire. Who looks forward with equanimity to his or her own death?
If you accept the premise that life and death are both gifts, then the prospect of death can become more a source of wonder than a cause of fear. It is difficult for us to think this way in our American culture, because we are phobic about death, just as the ancient Egyptians were. We make our dead look as good or better than they did in life, and preserving their flesh in soft padded container, only to bury them like anyone else. For this reason it is difficult to see death as a gift in our American culture, unless if we change our thoughts and beliefs.

What do you take with you into the city of death? Not a suitcase, not a purse, not even the pictures in your wallet. Nothing goes with you except the sum of what your life has been.

A sufi teaching says, "Die before you die," one interpretation is that you should strive to learn what you woiuld be shown at death while you still have time to make use of this knowledge, that is, while still alive in a body. The wisdom we achieve on death reveals the true value of what is important and what is not. How much richer life becomes if we are able to gain this perspective beforehand.

***


If you could get rid
Of yourself just once,
The secret of secrets
Would open to you.
The face of the unknown,
Hidden beyond the universe
Would appear on the
Mirror of your perception.
--- Rumi ---


****

There are hundreds of books on Sufism, and reader of these blogs are encouraged to seek them if it is desired.

The Stone grows old.
Eternity is not for stones.
But I shall go down from this airy space, this swift
white peace, this stinging exultation;
And time will close about me, and my soul stir to the rhythm
of the daily round.
Yet, having known, life will no press so close.
And always I shall feel time ravel thin about me.
For once I stood
in the white windy presence of eternity.