TEACHING AN ASS

    "IDIOT! DOLT! BLUNDER HEAD!"
shouted the owner of an ass as he kicked
it on its way. "What use are you to me? What
use are you to anyone? On your way, you have
lived your life in vain!" He kept up the tirade,
kicking and cudgelling the ass, which quietly
continued, as best it could, on the journey.

They passed a wise man. "What is the point of
this abuse?" he asked. "The beast cannot learn
much from you. It is not made that way. Stop
the noise, therefore, and you learn from the
beast instead."

"Learn from this creature?" spluttered the man.
"What can this brute possibly teach me?"

"For a start: patience and silence in the presence
of an ass."

                                                       SAA'DI

FOR A SINGLE TEAR

                              I
                Know of beauty
            That no one has ever
                        Known.

          How could that be possible
               When I may seem
             So new in infinite time?

    It is because God belong to only you!

               Did you hear that?
     Did you hear what Hafiz just said?

          God belong to only you!

      It is the only reasonable payment
                   For a single
                      Tear.


                                               HAFIZ

THE TWO POEMS

Many centuries ago, on the road of Athens, two poets
met, and they were glad to see one another.
And one poet asked another saying, "what have you
composed of late, and how goes it with your lyre?"
   And the other poet answered and said with pride,
"I have but now finished the greatest of my poems,
perchance the greatest poem yet written in Greek. It
is invocation to Zeus the Supreme."
    Then he took from beneath his cloak a parchment,
sating, "Here, behold, I have it with me, and I would fain
read it to you. Come, let us set in the shade of that white
cypress."
     And the pot read his poem. And it was long poem.
     And the other poet said in kindness, "This is a great
poem. It will live through the ages, and in it you shall
be glorified.
    And the first poet said calmly, "And what have you
been writing these late days?"
      And the other answered, "I have written but little.
Only eight lines in remembrance of a child playing in
garden." And he recited the lines.
       The first poet said, "Not so bad; not so bad."
        And they parted.
        And now after two thousand years the eight lines of
the one poet are read in every tongue, and are loved and
cherished.
        And though the other poem has indeed come down
through the ages in libraries and in the cells of scholars,
and though it is remembered, it is neither loved nor read.

                                                        KAHLIL GIBRAN

THE WORLD COMPARED TO A WAX TOY

Once someone asked a dervish to portray
The nature of this world in which we stay.
He said: "This various world is like a toy-
A coloured palm-tree given to a boy,
But made of wax-now knead it in your fist,
And there's the wax of which its shape consist;
The lovely forms and colours are undone,
And what seemed many things is only one.
All things are one-there isn't any two;
It isn't me who speaks; it isn't you."

                                             ATTAR

BISMILLAH

It's a habit of yours to walk slowly.
You hold a grudge for years.
With such heaviness, how can you be modest?
With such attachments, do you expect to arrive anywhere?

Be wide as the air to learn a secret.
Right now you're equal portions clay
and water, thick mud.

Abraham learned how the sun and moon and the star all set.
He said, "No longer will I try to assign partners for God."

You are so weak. Give up to grace.
The ocean takes care of each wave
till it gets to shore.
You need more help than you know.
You're trying to live your life in open scaffolding.
Say Bismillah, "In the name of God,"
as the priest does with a knife when he offers an animal.

Bismillah your old self
to find your real name.

                               RUMI

THE SEED MARKET

Can you find another market like this?
Where,
with your one rose
you can buy hundreds of rose gardens?

Where,
for one seed
you get a whole wilderness?

For one weak breath,
the divine wind?

You've been fearful
of being absorbed in the ground,
or drawn up by the air.

Now, your water bead lets go
and drop into the ocean,
where it came from.

It no longer has the form it had,
but it's still water.
The essence is the same.

This giving up is not a repenting.
It's a deep honoring of yourself.
When the ocean comes to you as a lover,
marry, at once, quickly,
for God's sake!

Don't postpone it!
Existence has no better gift.

No amount of searching
will find this.

A perfect falcon, for no reason,
has landed on your shoulder,
and become yours.

                                            RUMI

ARE WE LOST IN PERCEPTIONS AND THE INTERPRETATIONS?

When we don't cover up the world with words and
labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life
that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead
of using thought,  became possessed by thought. A
depth return to your life. Things regain their newness,
their freshness. And the greatest miracle is the experiencing
of your essential self as prior to any words, thoughts,
mental labels, and images. For this to happen, you need to
disentangle your sense of I, of Beingness, from all the things
it has become mixed up with, that is to say, identified with....
        The quicker you are in attaching verbal or mental labels
to things, people, or situations, the more shallow and lifeless
your reality becomes, and the more deadened you become to
reality,the miracle of life that continuously unfolds within and
around you. In this way, cleverness may be gained, but wisdom
is lost, and so are joy, love, creativity, and aliveness. They are
concealed in the still gap between the perception and the
interpretation. Of course we have to use words and thoughts.
They have their own beauty- but do we need to become
imprisoned in them?
       Words reduce reality to something the human mind can grasp,
which isn't very much. Language consist of five basic sounds
produced by vocal cords. They are the vowels a, e, i, o, u. The
other sounds are consonants produced by air pressure s, f, g, and
so forth. Do you believe some combination of such basic sounds
could ever explain who you are, or the ultimate purpose of the
universe, or even what a tree or stone is in its depth?  

REF:A NEW EARTH BY ECKHART TOLLE

MAHMOUD OFFERS AYAZ THE COMMAND OF HIS ARMIES

One day Mahmoud's unconquered armies made
A splendid pageant drawn up on parade;
And on a mountain-side to watch the show
Of elephants and soldiers spread below,
The king and his two favourite courtiers stood,
Hassan, the slave Ayaz, and Shah Mahmoud.
The serried soldiers, jostling elephants,
Seemed like a plague of locusts or of ants;
More armies at that moment filled the plain
That all the world has seen or will again,
And Mahmoud said: "Ayaz, my child, look down-
All this is yours, dear boy; accept the crown."
The great king spoke-Ayaz seemed quite unmoved,
Lost in his private thoughts; Hassan reproved
The youth and said: "Where are your manners, slave?
Think of the honour that our king just gave!
And yet you stand there like an imbecile,
And do not even murmur thanks or kneel-
How can you justify such gross neglect?
Is this the way you show your king respect?"
Ayaz was silent till this sermon's end,
Then said: "Two answers came to me, my friend.
First then, a slave could grovel on the ground
Or gabble thanks and have the heavens resound
With some self-advertising, long address-
And climb above the king or say far less;
But who am I to interpose my voice
Between the king and his asserted choice?
The slave is his, and regal dignity
Demands that he decide and act, not me.
If in his praise I see both worlds unite,
It is no more than such a monarch's right,
Can I-unworthy to be called his slave-
Comment on how he chooses to behave?"
And when Hassan had heard him speak he said:
"Ayaz a thousand blessings on your head;
Your words convince me and I now believe
That you deserve the favour you receive-
But what's the second of your answers, pray?"
Ayaz replied: "Hassan, I cannot say
Whilst you are here-you do not share the throne.
This mystery is for king alone."
The king dismissed Hassan. "There's no one here,"
He said; "now make your hidden secret clear."
Ayaz replied: "When generosity
Persuades my sovereign lord to glance at me,
My being vanishes in that bright light
Which radiates from his refulgent sight;
His splendour shines, and purified I rise,
Dispersed to nothing by his sun-like eyes.
Existence has deserted me, so how
Could I prostrate myself before you now?
If you see anyone or anything,
It is not me you see-it is the king!
The honour you continually renew
Are offered, given and receive by you;
And from a shadow lost within the sun
What kind of service could you hope for? None!
That shadow called Ayaz must disappear-
Do what you wish; you know he is not here."

                                                        ATTAR

EXPERIMENT BY MASARU EMOTO TO SEE THE EFFECT OF WORDS ON GROWTH

"---- In my previous book, I explained how to put
cooked rice in three glass jars, and to one of the jars
we said "FOOL!" To another we said "THANK YOU."
And we simply ignored the rice in the third bottle.
The rice that was told "THANK YOU" fermented and
had quite a nice fragrance. The rice that was told "FOOL!"
darkened and rotted. The rice that was ignored turned black
and emitted a highly repugnant smell.
      However, that's not the end of the story. I took these same
 jars of rice to an elementary school, and the student said
"THANK YOU" to the rice in all three containers. It wasn't
long before the rice in all three containers fermented and
started to emit a pleasant smell- even the rice that had spoiled.
     This indicates that even that which is dying and decaying
can be brought back to life by caring attention, kind words,
and positive thoughts......"


REF: THE SECRET LIFE OF WATER

ANY EXCUSE WILL DO

   Someone has said, "Where the heart is willing, it will find
a thousand ways, but where the heart is weak, it will find a
thousand excuses."
    It's like the man who asked his farming neighbour if he could
borrow his rope.
    "I'm sorry," said the farmer. "I'm using it right now to tie up
my milk."
     "You can't use a rope to tie up milk," laughed the neighbor.
      "I know that," replied the farmer, "but when you don't want
to do something, one excuse is as good as another."

Benjamin Franklin said, "I never knew a man who was good at
making excuses who was good at anything else."

REF:THE SPEAKER'S SOURCEBOOK BY GLENN VAN EKEREN

WHOM ARE YOU DECEIVING

 I love the story of the man who was promoted into a
management position. He felt very insecure being ushered
into his new office. Nevertheless, he looked proudly at his
new surroundings as he settled into his overstuffed office
chair. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The new
manager, wanting to look busy, picked up the receiver of
his phone. Then he asked the visitor in. When the young man
 entered, the new manager nodded toward him saying, "just a
minute. I have to finish this call." Positioning the receiver, he
continued into the phone, "Yes sir, I can handle that account.
I know it's the largest this company has ever had. You can count
on me. You're welcome sir. Good-bye." The manager put the
 phone down and turned to his visitor. He smiled and asked,
"Now, what can I do for you?" The young man smiled and
answered, "Well I just came in to connect your telephone."

REF: THE SPEAKER'S SOURCEBOOK BY GLENN VAN EKEREN

COOPERATION

There is a story about four men named Everybody, Somebody,
Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done,
and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure that
 Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody
did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's
job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, and Nobody
 realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody
blamed Somebody, when actually Nobody did what Anybody could
 have done.


REF:THE SPEAKER'S SOURCEBOOK BY GLENN VAN EKEREN

ARE YOU A TY COBB OR A MAX CAREY?

     Every baseball fan knows that Ty Cobb was one of
 baseball's greatest players.His record for stealing bases
stood for years. Cobb stole 96 bases the year he set the
record.
     Ask baseball fans if they know Max Carey, and most
 of them will shake their heads and ask, "Who was Max Carey?"
Carey, too, had baseball talent. In fact, one season he attempted
53 stolen bases and succeeded 51 times- an unbelievable 96%.
Ty Cobb stole 96 bases the year he set the record, but he tried
134 times. That is only 71%. Cobb was willing to chance failure,
and because of it, he became legendary in the baseball Hall of
Fame. Max Carey, who played it safe time after time, is not
 remembered today.

Like Ty Cobb you're going to make mistakes. But keep trying
win often enough, people will forget the times you failed. To
succeed you need to take risks. Don't always play safe.

 REF: THE SPEAKER'S SOURCEBOOK BY GLENN EKEREN

GOD ON LINE

It was raining hard in TX. All the phone connections seems
like crawling child. Internet was like a bleak, weak old man;
and my handsome bald husband was coming from Houston.
He is a bad driver at night because he has a record of sleeping
on wheel, if it is dark and quiet; even most romantic or upbeat
song cannot keep his eyes open so thought of C.D. player aid
was also no help. Anxiety and fear was giving me a pounding
heartbeat and his safe coming home seems like a distance thought.
I was worried and didn't know what to do? Right then a sweet voice
from inside whispered, "try God on line this connection is always
strong. Never get effected even in bad weather, does not need
any external device never out of charge. In fact always InCharge,
PowerFull, and connected. This thought was a strong thought
"THE WORD" (what ever name you use to address divine) came
in my heart sweeping all the fears and wiping all the tears replacing
it with trust and smiley face. Right then the bell rang and my hubby was
 on the door.
    Instantly my heart said: "THANK YOU GOD ON LINE."

TWO KINDS OF INTELLIGENCE

There are two kinds of intelligence: one acquired,
as a child in school memorizes facts and concepts
from books and from what the teacher says,
collecting information from the traditional sciences
as well as from the new sciences.

With such intelligence you rise in the world.
You get ranked ahead or behind others
in regards to your competence in retaining
information. Your stroll with this intelligence
in and out of field of knowledge, getting always more
marks on your preserving tablets.

There is another kind of tablet, one
already completed and preserved inside you.
A spring overflowing its spring box. A freshness
in the center of the chest. This other intelligence
does not turn yellow or stagnate. It's fluid,
and it doesn't move from outside to inside
through the conduits of plumbing-learning.

This second knowing is a fountainhead
from within you, moving out.

                                                    RUMI

A SLAVE'S FREEDOM

Loghman of Sarrakhs cried: "Dear God, behold
Your faithful servant, poor, bewildered, old-
An old slave is permitted to go free;
I've spent my life in patient loyalty,
I'm bent with grief, my black hair's turned to snow;
Grant manumission, Lord, and let me go."
A voice replied: "When you have gained release
From mind and thought, your slavery will cease;
You will be free when these two disappear."
He said: "Lord, it is You whom I revere;
What are the mind and all its ways to me?"
And left them there and then- in ecstasy
He danced and clapped his hand and boldly cried:
"Who am I now? The slave I was has died;
What's freedom, servitude, and where are they?
Both happiness and grief have fled away;
I neither own nor lack all qualities;
My blindness looks on secret mysteries-
I know not whether You are I, I You;
I lose myself in You; there is no two."

                                                          ATTAR

SOAP THAT FLOATS

In 1879, Procter and Gamble's best seller was candles.
But the company was in trouble. Thomas Edison had
invented the light bulb, and it looked as if candles would
become obsolete. Their fears become reality when the
market for candles plummeted since they were now sold
only for special occasions.
                               The outlook appeared to be bleak for
Procter and Gamble. However, at this time, it seemed that
destiny played a dramatic part in pulling the struggling
company from the clutches of  bankruptcy. A forgetful
employee at a small factory in Cincinnati forgot to turn off
 his machine when he went to lunch. The result? A frothing
mass of lather filled with air bubbles. He almost threw the
stuff away but instead decided to make it into soap. The soap
floated. Thus, Ivory soap was born and become the mainstay
of the Proctor and Gamble company.
                        Why was soap that float such a hot item at that
 time? In Cincinnati, during that period, some people bathed in
the Ohio River. Floating soap would never sink and consequently
never got lost. So, Ivory soap became a best seller in Ohio and
eventually across the country also.

                  Like Proctor and Gamble never give up when things
go wrong or when seemingly unsurmountable problems arise.
Creativity put to work can change a problems and turn it into
a gold mine.

REF:THE SPEAKER'S SOURCEBOOK BY GLENN VAN EKEREN

A GOLDEN COMPASS

Forget every idea of right and wrong
     Any classroom ever taught you

                       Because
An empty heart, a tormented mind,
    Unkindness, jealousy and fear

    Are always the testimony
You have been completely fooled!

     Turn your back on those
Who would imprison your wondrous spirit
      With deceit and lies.

     Come, join the honest company
          Of the King's beggars-
Those gamblers, scoundrels and divine clowns
     And those astonishing fair courtesans
       Who need Divine Love every night.

        Come join the courageous
             Who have no choice
     But to bet their entire world
                  That indeed,
              Indeed, God is Real.

   I will lead you into the Circle
Of the Beloved's cunning thieves,
         Those playful royal rogues-
Those ones you can trust for true guidance-
              Who can aid you
      In this Blessed Calamity of life.

                      Hafiz,
      Look at the Perfect One
        At the Circle's Center:

He Spins and Whirls like a Golden Compass,
            Beyond all that is Rational,

             To show this dear world

               That Everything,
             Everything in Existence
                Does point to God.

                                         HAFIZ

IF YOU THINK

 If you think you are beaten, you are.
 If you think you dare not, you don't!
If you want to win, but think you can't,
       It's almost a cinch you won't

 If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
      For out in the world we find
 Success begins with a fellow's will;
       It's all in the state of the mind.

   Life's battles don't always go
 To the stronger and faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
   Is the man who thinks he can.

                                         WALKER D. WINTLE

TEMPORARY SETBACK- NOT PERMANENT DEFEAT

Someone once challenged Thomas Alva Edison by reminding him
that he failed twenty-five thousand times while experimenting with the
storage battery. "No, I didn't fail," the brilliant inventor replied. "I
 discovered 24,999 ways that the storage battery does not work." In his
lifetime Edison received 1,093 patents for inventing devices such as the
phonograph, motion pictures, the electric pen, waxed paper, and, of course,
the incandescent lamp.

                  Failure was no stranger to Edison. Yet he refused to accept it as a
permanent defeat. His long, remarkable career was inspired by the desire to
make things work. At the time of his death, Edison left some 2,900 notebooks
crammed with notes of his work ideas.

REF:THE SPEAKER'S SOURCEBOOK BY GLENN VAN EKEREN

DON'T QUIT

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled
to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was an evening to
remember-black tuxedos and long evening dresses, a high-society
extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening were a mother with
her fidgety nine-year-old son. Weary of waiting, he squirmed constantly
in his seat. His mother hoped her boy would be encouraged to practice
the piano if he could just hear the immortal Paderewski at the keyboard.
So-against his wishes- he had come.
                As she turned to talk with her friends, her son could stay
seated no longer. He slipped away from her side, strangely drawn to the
 ebony concert grand Steinway and its leather tufted stool on the huge stage
flooded with blinding lights. Without much notice from the sophisticated
audience, the boy sat down at the stool, staring wide-eyed at the black-and-white
 keys. He placed his small, trembling fingers in the right location and began to play
"Chopstick." The roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces
turned in his direction. Irritated and embarrassed, they began to shout:
                 "Get that boy away from there!"
                  "Who'd bring a kid that young in here?"
                    "Where's his mother?"
                    "Somebody stop him!"

           Backstage, the master overheard the sounds out front and quickly put
together in his mind what was happening. Hurriedly, he grabbed his coat and
rushed toward the stage. Without one word of announcement, he stooped over
behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a counter-melody
to harmonize with and enhance "Chopsticks." As the two of them played together,
Paderewski kept whispering in the boy's ear, "Keep going. Don't quit, son. Keep on
playing. Don't stop. Don't quit."

                   And so it is with us. We hammer away on our project, which seems about
as significant as "Chopsticks." in a concert hall. And about the time we are ready to give
 it up, along comes the master, who leans over and whispers, "Now keep going. Don't quit.
Keep on. Don't stop. Don't quit" as He improvises on our behalf, providing just the right
touch at just the right moment.

                                                                CHARLES SWINDOLL

THE DRUNK AND THE CONSTABLE

A man whose job it was to keep the peace
Beat up a drunk, who fought for his release
And cried: "It's you who's tippled too much wine;
Your rowdiness is ten times worse than mine-
Who's causing this disturbance, you or me?
But yours is drunkenness that men can't see;
Leave me alone! Let justice do its worst-
Enforce the law and beat yourself up first!"'

                                                   ATTAR

THE PUPIL WHO ASKED FOR ADVICE

There was a pupil once who begged his sheikh:
"Give me some good advice, for pity's sake!"
The sheikh cried: "Leave me- go on, get away,
And if you itch for what I've got to say,
First wash your face- musk can't drive out a stink;
Words are no good to someone sick with drink!"

                                                                   ATTAR

THE KING WHO STOPPED AT THE PRISON GATES

A king returned once to his capital.
His subjects had prepared a festival,
And each to show his homage to the crown
Had help to decorate the glittering town.
The prisoners has no wealth but iron gyves,
Chains, severed heads, racked limbs and ruined lives-
With such horrific ornaments they made
A sight to greet their monarch's cavalcade.
The king rode through the town and saw the way
His subjects solemnized the happy day,
But nothing stopped the progress of his train
Till he approached the prison and drew rein.
There he dismounted and had each man told
That he was free and would be paid in gold.
A courtier asked the king: "what does this mean?
To think of all the pageantry you've seen-
Brocade ans satin shinning everywhere,
Musk and sweet ambergris to scent the air,
Jewels scattered by the handful on the ground-
And not so much as once did you look round;
Yet here you stop-before the prison gate!
Are severed heads a way to celebrate?
What is there here to give you such delight?
Torn limbs and carcasses? A grisly sight!
And why did you dismount? Should you sit down
With all the thieves and murderers in town?"
The king replied: "The others make a noise
Like rowdy children playing with new toys;
Each takes part in some festivity,
Careful to please himself as much as me-
They do their duty and are quite content,
But here in prison more than duty's meant.
My words is a law here, and they've plainly shown
This spectacle was made for me alone.
I see obedience here; need I explain
Why it is here I'm happy to draw rein?
The others celebrate in pompous pride,
Conceited, giddy and self -satisfied,
But these poor captives sacrifice their will
And bow to my commands through good and ill-
They have no business but to spend each breath
In expectation of the noose and death,
Yet they submit- and to my grateful eyes
Their prison is a flower-strewn paradise."
Wisdom accepts authority and waits;
The king paused only at the prison gates.

                                                            ATTAR

A KING WHO PLACED MIRRORS IN HIS PALACE

There lived a king; his comeliness was such
The world could not acclaim his charm too much.
The world's wealth seemed a portion of his grace;
It was a miracle to view his face.
If he had rivals,then I know of none;
The earth resounded with this paragon.
When riding through his streets he did not fail
To hide his features with a scarlet veil.
Whoever scanned the veil would lose his head;
Whoever spoke his name was left for dead,
The tongue ripped from his mouth; whoever thrilled
With passion for this king was quickly killed.
A thousand for his love expired each day,
And those who saw his face, in blank dismay
Would rave and grieve and mourn their lives away-
To die for love of that bewitching sight
Was worth a hundred lives without his light.
None could survive his absence patiently,
None could endure this king's proximity-
How strange it was that man could neither brook
The presence nor the absence of his look!
Since few could bear his sight, they were content
To hear the king in sober argument,
But while they listened they endure such pain
As made them long to see their king again.
The king commanded mirrors to be placed
About the palace walls, and when he faced
Their polished surfaces his image shone
With mitigated splendour to the throne.

If you would glimpse the beauty we revere
Look in your heart-its image will appear.
Make of your heart a looking-glass and see
Reflected there the Friend's nobility;
Your sovereign's glory will illuminate
The palace where he reigns in proper state.
Search for this king within your heart; His soul
Reveals itself in atoms of the Whole.
The multitude of forms that masquerade
Throughout the world spring from the Simorgh's shade.
If you catch sight of His magnificence
It is His shadow that beguiles your glance;
The Simorgh's shadow and Himself are one;
Seek them together, twinned in unison.
But you are lost in vague uncertainty....
Pass beyond shadows to Reality.
How can you reach the Simorgh's splendid court?
First find its gateway, and the sun, long-sought,
Erupts through clouds; when victory is won,
Your sight knows nothing but the blinding sun.

                                                          ATTAR

BIRDSONG FROM INSIDE THE EGG

Sometimes a lover of God may faint
in the presence. Then the beloved bends
and whispers in his ear, "Beggar spread out
your robe. I'll fill it with gold.

I've come to protect your consciousness.
Where was it gone? Come back into awareness!"

This fainting is because
lovers want so much.

A chicken invites a camel into her hen house,
and the whole structure is demolished.

A rabbit nestles down
with its eyes closed
in the arms of a lion.

There is an excess
in spiritual searching
that is profound ignorance.

Let that ignorance be our teacher!
The Friend breathes into one
who has no breath.

A deep silence revives the listening
and the speaking of those two
who meet on the riverbank.

Like the ground turning green in a spring wind.
Like birdsong beginning inside the egg.

Like this universe coming into existence,
the lover wakes, and whirls
in a dancing joy,

then kneels down
in praise.

                                               RUMI

REF:ESSENTIAL RUMI

DYING, LAUGHING

A lover was telling his beloved
how much he loved her, how faithful
he had been, how self-sacrificing, getting up
at dawn every morning, fasting, giving up
wealth and strength and fame,
all for her.

There was a fire in him.
He didn't know where it came from,
but it made him weep and melt like a candle.

"You've done well," she said, "but listen to me.
All this is the decor of love, the branches
and leaves and blossoms. You must live
at the root to be a true lover."
                                            "Where is that!
Tell me!"
                "You've done the outward acts,
but you haven't died. You must die."

When he heard that, he lay back on the ground
laughing, and died. He opened like a rose
that drops to the ground and died laughing.

That laughter was his freedom,
and his gift to the eternal.

As moonlight shines back at the sun,
he heard the call to come home, and went.

When light returns to its source,
it takes nothing
of what it has illuminated.

It may have shone on a garbage dump, or a garden,
or in the center of a human eye. No matter.

It goes, and when it does,
the open plain becomes passionately desolate,
wanting it  back.

                                                       RUMI

REF: THE ESSENTIAL RUMI

A STORY ABOUT ALEXANDER THE GREAT

When Alexander, that unconquered lord,
Who subjugated empires with his sword,
Required a lengthy message to be sent
He dressed up as the messenger and went.
"The king gives such an order," he should say,
And none of those who hurried to obey
Once guessed this messenger's identity-
They had no knowledge of such majesty,
And even if he said: "I am your lord",
The claim was thought preposterous and ignored.
Deluded natures cannot recognize
The royal way that stands before their eyes.

                                                      ATTAR

THE TWO DOCTORS

A Dr. Cheer and a Dr. Gloom
Were summoned to the same sickroom.
"He'll die," said Gloom, "I greatly fear."
"He'll get well," said Dr. Cheer.
The man agreed to follow Gloom,
And soon was lying in his tomb.
"Just as I thought," said Gloom. Said Cheer,
"If he'd hired me, he'd still be here."
They both did well by the patients doom,
Dr. Cheer and Dr. Gloom.

REF: SELECTED FABLES

THE LION IN LOVE

Ages ago when beasts could speak
Some hoped to join the human clique
Notably lions. And with reason-
They equalled men, in that far season
In brain and brawn, and what was more
Could really roar.

Thus when a lion of high degree
Was passing through a meadowy
Place and saw a shepherdess
Whom he was avid to posses,
He went at once to ask her father.
That good man balked: for he would rather
Have had his pretty daughter marry
Someone less scary.

It seemed hard lines to let her go,
But then he thought if he said 'no'
He might wake up to find some morning
That she'd eloped without a warning.
He knew his child was ever keen
For people with a kingly mien,
And had her cap set, that was plain,
Fpr a long mane.

Afraid to bring things to a head
By ousting him, the father said:
"My daughter is delicately fashioned.
As soon as you become impassioned
You'd likely wound her with your claws.
So kindly have on all four paws
The talons trimmed. One other issue:
If this young girl is going to kiss you
With any ardor, she must be
Freed of all anxiety.
So for your own enjoyment, while
You're at it, let them file
Your teeth." The lion, love-demented
Consented.

Behold him now without his teeth,
Without his claws, an empty sheath!
With all his native weapons gone
The helpless lion was set upon
By hounds that easily outmatched him.
They dispatched him.

Ah love, whoever bows to you
Should bid his sanity adieu!

REF: SELECTED FABBLES

THE DEVOUT SLAVE

A negro had a slave devout and wise
Who at an early hour would wake and rise,
Then pray until the sun came peeping through.
His master said: "wake me up early too,
And we can pray together till the dawn."
The slave said: "just before a baby's born,
Who tells the mother 'Now your time draws near?'
She knows it does- her pain has made it clear;
If you have felt this pain you are awake-
No other man can feel it for your sake.
If someone has to rouse you every day,
Then someone else instead of you should pray."
The man without this pain is not a man;
May grief destroy the bragging charlatan!
But one who is entangled in its spell
Forget all thoughts of heaven or of hell.

                                                   ATTAR

GREETING GOD

                 I hear
The nightingale greeting
                  God.

                 I hear
The rain speaking to the roof
             Of my heart.

Like a winter blanket of snow gently
            Tucking in the earth

I let a great yearning within my ken
               Lay down next
                   To Him

                     I hear
    A sorrowful lover being true
No matter what, even if the Beloved seems
                    Cruel,

                   Tonight
There is a jeweled falcon singing in a
     Blessed pain using the tongue
                        Of
                     HAFIZ

I COME BEFORE DAWN

Muhammad says,
                           "I come before dawn
to chain you and drag you off."
It's amazing, and funny, that you have to be pulled away
from being tortured, pulled out
into this Springs garden,
                                     but that is the way it is.
Almost everyone must be bound and dragged here.
Only a few come on their own.

Children have to be made to go to school at first.
Then some of them begin to like it.
                                               They run to school.
They expand with the learning.
                                               Later they receive money
because of something they're learned at school,
and they get really excited. They stay up all night,
as watchful and alive as thieves!

Remember the reward you get for being obedient!

There are two types on the path. Those who come
against their will, the blindly religious people, and those
who obey out of love. The former have ulterior motives.
They want the midwife near, because she give them milk.
The others love the beauty of the nurse.

The former memorise the proof texts of conformity,
and repeat them. The latter disappear
into whatever draws them to God.

Both are drawn from the source.
Any moving from the mover,
Any love from the beloved.

                                         RUMI

WOW! TO THE CREATOR

-In crocodilians, chelonians and some lizard species, the sex of
the young depends on the temperature at which the eggs are
incubated. Higher temperatures tend to produce more males, and
lower temperatures more females.


-A giant tortoise can support a one-tonne weight- about a weight
of an average car.


-Nile crocodiles allow small birds, such as spur-wing plovers, to
walk into their open mouths to pick food from between their teeth.


-Crocodiles often swallow stones to help them grind up their food.
The stone also probably act as ballast, enabling the reptile to float
without tipping over.

-After eating a huge meal, such as a leopard. a python may not need
to eat again for up to 12 months. One rock python was recorded
as going for 2 years and 9 months between meals.

WOW! TO THE CREATOR

-Some moth species drink the tears of
hoofed animals such as cattle, deer, horses,
tapirs, pigs and elephants.


-The largest locust swarms can contain up to
50 billion insects. and over1,000 sq km of land.
Such swarms can devour enough crops in a single
day to feed around half a million people for a whole
year.


-At night, scorpions are said to be able to use the
stars to navigate and orient themselves.


-The Australian water-holding frogs survives long
desert droughts by shedding the outer layers of its
skin to form a cocoon that it fills with water.


-When it find water, a thirsty desert tortoise may
drink more than 40% of its own body weight in
water in just over an hour.

THE VIGIL

Don't go to sleep one night.
What you most want will come to you then.
Warmed by a sun inside, you'll see wonders.
Tonight, don't put your head down.
Be tough, and strength will come.
That which adoration adores
appears at night. Those asleep
may miss it. One night Moses stayed awake
and asked, and saw a light in a tree.

Then he walked at night for ten years,
until finally he saw the whole tree
illuminated. Muhammad rode his horse
through the night sky. The day is for work.
The night for love. Don't let someone
bewitch you. Some people sleep at night.

But not lovers. They sit in the dark
and talk to God, who told David,
"Those who sleep all night every night
and claim to be connected to us, they lie."

Lovers can't sleep when they feel the privacy
of the beloved all around them. Someone
who's thirsty may sleep for a little while,
but he or she will dream of water, a full jar
beside a creek, or the spiritual water you get
from another person. All night, listen
to the conversation. Stay up.
This moment is all there is.

Death will take it away soon enough.
You'll be gone, and this earth will be left
without a sweetheart, nothing but weeds
growing inside thorns.

I'm through. Read the rest of this poem
in the dark tonight.
                        Do I have a head? And feet?

Shams, so loved by Tabrizians, I close my lips.
I wait for you to come and open them.

                                                 RUMI

WOW! TO THE CREATOR

-The smallest shark is the dwarf lantern shark.
  at just 20 cm long. It is so small that it could
  lie curled up in your hand.

-Walking fish: The tripod fish is one of the deepest-
  dwelling of all fish, found more than 6000 m below
  the surface. It 'walks' along the soft mud of the
  seabed on the long spines of its two lower side fins
  (pelvics) and lower tail. It probably eats small shrimp
  and similar shellfish.

-Insect Senses: Insect eyes are of two different types.
 Compound eyes, which are made up of many tiny lenses,
  are good at detecting movement. Simple eyes only register
  light and dark. An insect's antennae, or 'feelers', function as
 organs of touch, smell, and taste.


-pseudo scorpions often attach themselves to the legs of insects,
 such as house-flies, crane flies and beetles, to hitch rides.
 They can also walk backwards.


-

JESUS ON THE LEAN DONKEY

Jesus on the lean donkey,
this is an emblem of how the rational intellect
should control the animal -soul.
                                    Let your spirit
be strong like Jesus.
                         If that part becomes weak,
than the worn-out donkey grow to a dragon.

Be grateful when what seems unkind
comes from a wise person.
                                      Once, a holy man,
riding his donkey, saw a snake crawling into
a sleeping man's mouth! He hurried, but he couldn't
prevent it. He hit the man several blows with his club.

The man woke terrified and ran beneath an apple tree
with many rotten apples on the ground.
                                                          "Eat!
You miserable wretch! Eat."
                                            "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Eat more, you fool."
                                "I've never seen you before!
Who are you? Do you have some inner quarrel with my soul?"

The wise man kept forcing him to eat, and then he ran him.
For hours he whipped the poor man and made him run.
Finally, at nightfall, full of rotten apples,
fatigued, bleeding, he fell
                                     and vomited everything,
the good and the bad, the apples and the snake.

When he saw the ugly snake
come out himself, he fell on his knees
before his assailant.
                             "Are you Gabriel? Are you God?

I bless the moment you first noticed me. I was dead
and didn't know it. You've given me a new life.
Everything I've said to you was stupid!
I didn't know."
                         "If I had explained what I was doing,
you might have panicked and died of fear.
Muhammad said,
                           'If I describe the enemy that lives
inside men, even the most courageous would be paralyzed. No one
would go out, or do any work. No one would pray and fast,
and all power to change would fade
from human beings,'
                                so I kept quite
while I was beating you, that like David
I might shape iron, so that, impossibly,
I might put feathers back into a bird's wing.

God's silence is necessary, because of humankind's
faintheartedness. If had told you about the snake,
you wouldn't have been able to eat, and if
you hadn't eaten, you wouldn't have vomited.

I saw your condition and drove my donkey hard
into the middle of it, saying always under my breath,
'Lord, make it easy on him.' I wasn't permitted
to tell you, and I wasn't permitted to stop
beating you!"
                   The healed man, still kneeling,
"I have no way to thank you for the quickness
of your wisdom and the strength
of your guidance.
                          God will thank you."

                                           RUMI

WOW! TO THE CREATOR

-Some hot springs have superheated water.
 The water is under such great pressure as
 it spurts from cracks in the rock, that is hotter
 than boiling. Yet some tiny life-forms called
 bacteria can live in it.


-On a hot, sunny day, the water in a rock pool
 can reach more than 50 degree centigrade. Yet
 in winter it can be almost freezing. Rock pool
 animals must be very tough to withstand such
 extremes.


-The biggest pearl was found in a giant clam and
 was 12 cm across. One oyster had eight small
 pearls inside,


-The giant squid has the largest eyes of any animal.
 They are up to 40 cm across- about the size of a
 soccer ball.

REF:THE MILES KELLY BOOK OF LIFE


-

A THANKFUL HEART IS THE WAY TO HAPPINESS

'Why do people go through life looking for happiness?
Dogs and cats look for food and comfort, but they
certainly don't go to all the trouble that people do in
their continual search for happiness. I suppose the reason
 is that we are the only ones who can align ourselves
with the hado of happiness.
      Many years ago, I had a discussion with Dr. Ravi Batra,
a well-known international economist, and he said something
that has stuck with me:

          "Why do you think people continually search
            for happiness? The reason is because we
            people have a link to unlimited existence. But
            many of us make a serious mistake. We set up
            conditions for happiness based on riches and
            fame, momentary pleasures, and things that are
            limited and always changing.
               There are those who are rich beyond most
                of our imaginations, and yet they continue
                to want more as they strive in vain to find
                happiness. The reason it's in vain is because
                they are looking to find unlimited happiness
                in limited money and riches.
                    Unless we can become one with the
                 unlimited existence, we will never find true
                 happiness. This requires that we raise our
                 consciousness."

      All that can be seen with a human eye is of this limited
world.Sooner or later, the material trappings will end, and
as long as that is how we define happiness, our hearts will
always feel hollow.
         Of coursee I understand that casting aside all desire
is not possible or even advisable. In fact, desire is not
what's preventing us from finding happiness. An appropriate
amount of desire is needed to make people strive for something
better, and it's what made it possible for human society to
rise to its current level. The problem arises when we become
slaves of our desires.----
      When you align your soul with the hado of appreciation
and love, a small drop of happiness will seep into your heart
and spread throughout your body. This will link you to the
vibration of happiness, and happiness will become a part of
your daily life. And this is the secret for finding happiness
right now wherever you are.

REF:THE SECRET OF WATER

THERE IS VALUE IN UNHAPPINESS

----Life  is not all happiness. As long as there is life,
there will be sadness. All our high hopes can be easily
deflated, but another way to look at this is to realize
that unhappiness is the path on the way to happiness.
     We exposed water to the words "Happiness" and
"Unhappiness". As expected, the the water exposed to
"happiness" formed beautiful round crystals that would
make a precious ring. But what about crystals formed
from water exposed to "unhappiness"? We expected to
find deformed and broken crystals, but the crystals were
rather beautiful hexagonal crystals that looked like they
had been cut in half. It looked as if the water was trying
its best to form crystals. It would seem, then, that
unhappiness is not really the opposite of happiness.
Unhappiness, in fact, is the process required for the
creation of happiness.
            Happiness and unhappiness are like two ends
of the same rope, and sometimes you hold one end of
the rope and everything goes your way, and other times
you have the other end of the rope and nothing goes
your way.
          Such is life. We all want to be happy every day
and never have to experience sadness. How unnatural
that would be! Like the waves that rise and fall, if water
never falls, then it could never rise or flow ahead.----
-----You can never own only one side of a coin. If you
want to find happiness, then you have to be ready to accept
what comes with it. Such is fate of all those who live in this
world.
        But we can still have hope and look forward to the future.
In fact, do you think you would be able to have hope if
everything went exactly as you wanted it to? Your ability
to be happy no matter what and no matter when depends
entirely on what's going on in your heart.

REF: THE SECRET LIFE OF WATER
BY MASARU EMOTO

WOW! TO THE CREATOR

-One species of cockroach can go for about 3 months
without eating, surviving off its body fat.It can even live
for 40 days with neither food nor water.


-The bombardier beetle can twist the end of its abdomen
to squirt a boiling, irritating liquid in almost any direction.
The liquid evaporates immediately it is sprayed. Forming
a gas that briefly blind the enemy and enables the bombardier
beetle to run away.


-Most cicadas are the loudest of all insects. The song of some
species can be heard more than 400 miles away.The sound of
thousand's of cicadas in a single tree can be louder than a
pneumatic drill.


-Many flowers have patterns of lines on them that reflect
ultraviolet light. Although the patterns are not visible to the
human eye, these 'honey guides' direct bees and other insect
to the nector.


-Worker honeybees communicate the location of food to the
rest of the hive by 'dancing'. The dances may be circular or
in a figure of eight (8), accompanied by waggles of the abdomen
and high-pitched buzzing.


-Ant communicate with the help of their feelers (antennae).
which are sensitive to touch and scent. They also leave scent
trails behind them to let the other ants know exactly where to
find the food source.Each ant colony has a unique smell that
helps the members to identify each other. This also helps the
ants to detect an intruder in the nest.

FROM SAND AND FOAM BY KAHLIL GIBRAN

-You cannot consume beyond your appetite. The other
 half of the loaf belongs to the other person, and there
should remain a little bread for the chance guest.


-Generosity is not in giving me that which I need more than
you do, but it is in giving me that which you need more than
I do.


-You are indeed charitable when you give, and while giving,
turn your face away so that you may not see the shyness of
the receiver.


-You may judge others only according to your knowledge
of yourself. Tell me now, who among us is guilty and who
 is unguilty?


-You cannot judge any man beyond your knowledge of him,
and how small is your knowledge.


-How mean am I when life gives me gold and I give you silver,
and yet I dream myself generous.


REF: KAHLIL GIBRAN AN ILLUSTRATED ANTHOLOGY
BY AYMAN A EL- DESOUKY.

WOW TO THE CREATOR

-Arthropods have paired limbs, which can be specialized
as legs; pincers, paddles or almost any other form.

- On a warm day, a large oak tree takes up about 1140 l
of water from the soil. As much as 98% of this water is lost
through the tree's leaves by evaporation.


-The Arctic poppy is the flower that blooms the nearest to
North pole.


- The world grows enough wheat in a year to fill a line of
trucks stretching a quarter of the way to the Moon.


-  A drug made from the Madagascar periwinkle, a perennial
plant, helps children to fight the cancer leukemia.


- Male seahorses have the babies. They don't exactly give birth,
but they store the eggs in a pouch on their belly. When the eggs
are ready to hatch, a stream of miniature seahorses billows out
from the Male's pouch.


-In some tropical swamps the water can be more than 40 degree
Centigrade far too hot for us to bathe in. Decaying plants make
the water acidic- it would rot our clothes in a couple of days.
Yet fish and other creatures live here.

REF: THE MILES KELLY BOOK OF LIFE

-

WOW! TO THE CREATOR

-Early fish were the first animals to have brains in their heads.
Other creatures had nerve connections and sensory organs
spread around their body. Or concentrated in more than one
 place.

-Flying reptiles had hollow bones; so that their bodies were
as light as possible. This means that their bones become
fossilized only rarely- usually when they fell into a lake or sea.

-Together, the world's plants produce a combined total of about
150 billion tonnes of sugar each year by photosynthesis.

-Venus fly-trap (plant) sometimes catch small frogs, and the rajah
pitcher (plant) is said to eat mice.

-The deadly nightshade plant is poisonous to humans, but birds and
rabbits can eat it without harm.

-Some lotus seeds have sprouted after being in a dormant (resting)
state for 400 years.


REF: THE MILES KELLY BOOK OF LIFE

THE BASKET OF FRESH BREAD

The Prophet Muhammad said,
                                     "There is no better companion
on this way what you do. Your actions will be
your best friend, or if you're cruel and selfish,
your actions will be a poisonous snake
that lives in your grave."

                                     But tell me,
can you do the good work without a teacher?
Can you even know what it is without the presence
of a Master? Notice how the lowest livelihood
requires some instruction.

                                       First comes knowledge,
then the doing of the job.And much later,
perhaps after you're dead, something grows
from what you're done.

                                  Look for help and guidance
in whatever craft you're learning. Look for a generous
teacher, one who has absorbed the tradition he's in.

Look for pearl in oyster shells.
Learn technical skill from a craftsman.

Whenever you meet genuine spiritual teachers,
be gentle and polite and fair with them.
Ask them questions, and be eager
for answers. Never condescend.

If a master tanner wears an old, threadbare smock,
that doesn't diminish his mastery.

If  a fine blacksmith works at the bellows
in a patched apron, it doesn't affect
how he bends the iron.

                               Strip away your pride,
and put on humble clothes.
                                If you want to learn theory,
talk with theoreticians. That way is oral.

When you learn a craft, practice it.
That learning comes through the hands.

If you want dervishhood, spiritual poverty,
and emptiness, you must be friends with a sheikh.

Talking about it, reading books, and doing practices
don't help. Soul receives from soul that knowing.

The mystery of spiritual emptiness
may be living in a pilgrim's heart, and yet
the knowing of it may not yet be his.

Wait for the illuminating openness,
as though your chest were filling with light,
as when God said,
                           'did we not expand you?'
                                                      (Qur'an 94:1)

Don't look for it outside yourself.
You are the source of milk. Don't milk others!

There is a milk fountain inside you.
Don't walk around with a empty bucket.

You have a channel into the ocean, and yet
you ask for water from a little pool.

Beg for that love expansion. Meditate only
on THAT. The Qur'an says,
                                           'And He is with you'
                                                                    (57:4)

There is a basket of fresh bread on your head,
and yet you go door to door asking for crusts.
Knock on your inner door. No other.
Sloshing knee-deep in fresh riverwater, yet
you keep wanting a drink from other people's waterbags.

Water is everywhere around you, but you see only
barriers that keep you from water.
The horse is beneath the rider's thighs, and still
he asks, "Where's my horse?"

                                Right there under you!"Yes, this is a horse, but where's the horse?"
                                   Can't you see!
"Yes, I can see, but whoever saw such a horse?"

Mad with thirst, he can't drink from the stream
running so close by his face. He's like a pearl
on the deep bottom, wondering, inside his shell,
where's the ocean?
                               His mental questionings
form the barrier. His physical eyesight
bandages his knowing. Self-consciousness
plugs his ears.
                      Stay bewildered in God,
and only that.
                     Those of you who are scattered,
simplify your worrying lives. There is one
righteousness: Water the fruit trees,
and don't water the throne. Be generous
to what nurtures the spirit and God's luminous
reason-light. Don't honor what causes
dysentery and knotted-up tumors.

Don't feed both sides of yourself equally.
The spirit and the body carry different loads
and require different attentions.
                                          Too often
we put saddlebags on Jesus and let the donkey
run loose in the pasture.
                                Don't make the body do
what the spirit does best, and don't put a big load
on the spirit that the body could carry easily.

                                                                  RUMI

REF:THE ESSENTIAL RUMI
TRANSLATIONS BY COLEMAN BARKS WITH
JOHN MOYNE.

CENTRALITY OF CREATION (EPISTLES OF THE BRETHREN OF PURITY)

"-----Plants, you must know, live upside down. Their heads point towards the center of the earth,
their bottoms to the circling spheres. Man is just the opposites. His head is in the heavens, and his
feet point to the earth's center, wherever he stands on the earth's surface- north, south,east, or west-
and whichever way he faces. Animals are in between, neither upside-down like plants nor right-side-up
like man.Rather, their heads face one way, horizontally, and their tails the other, as they turn this way
and that and go about theur business.
      This order or scale of plants, animals, and humans, as we've described it, is divinely ordained, an
expression of God's wisdom and sovereign providence, a sign and a testimony for all with eyes to see,
who ponder the mysteries of creation. All who probe the true natures of things and scan the horizon to
learn from the portents they find there will see that the power of the Universal Soul shed their influence
on the world from the highest circling sphere to the deep core of the earth.Some flow straight down from
the outermost sphere to the earth's center, some return from the center, rising towards the encircling sphere,
and some are broadcast in all directions across the heavens. Every ray is filled with God's hosts, charged with preserving the world and managing its creatures, governing the whole, and other tasks whose inmost
working are known but to God, exalted be He.------"

REF: EPISTLES OF THE BRETHERN OF PURITY

HEIRARCHY OF CREATION (EPISTLES OF THE BRETHREN OF PURITY)

----You must know, dear brother, God aid you and us with His sustaining
spirit, that mineral substance are the lowest things that come to be.
They include all bodies that arise as composites of the four elements:
fire, air, water, and earth. Plants, too, are compounded of these elements.
But nourished by the elements, they can grow, expanding in all three dimensions:
length, width, and depth. Animals share with plants the functions of nourishment
and growth but are distinguished by locomotion and sensitivity. Man share these
traits with plants and animals but adds his own distinctions: reason and discernment.

REF: EPISTLES OF THE BRETHERN OF PURITY
EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY LENN E. GOODMAN AND RICHARD MCGREGOR

COME CLOSER YOUNG MAN (MASTER AND THE DISCIPLE)

---Then they asked for permission to see the Shaykh, and when he gave them permission he ordered
the young man to perform a complete ablution and to dress in his finest clothing, so when the young man
set about those preparations, his heart was joyful that his need would be fulfilled on the very day, and
that this preparation which he had been ordered to undertake was sign pointing to the good that would
come to him subsequently.-------
Next (the Shaykh) ordered the young man to come close to him, so he approached and came nearer.
Then (the Shaykh)  came even closer and began to speak of what cannot be comprehended by imagination,
what pens cannot expresss, and what has not occured to the heart of any mere mortal (bashar). This is
among those things which must not be mentioned in the schools of sermons and should not be openly
expressed in the contents of books, because of its tremendous worth- for it is only unveiled to those
who are worthy of it.
Now, when (the Shaykh) had fulfilled his duty and had led (the young man) out of wandering in the
wilderness to the end of his guidence, then his way (madhhab) became pure, his drinking-place became
sweet, and he came to know his Lord. Then his consecration was accomplished, through glorifying
what God made sacred. He held firmly to the solid connection (with God) circled around the age-old
House, fulfilled his devotion through remembrance (of God), and completed his pilgrimage with (God's)
greatest sign.-------

 REF:THE MASTER AND THE DISCIPLE BY JA'FAR B. MANSUR AL-YAMAN
EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY JAMES W. MORRIS

SECRET NAME (MASTER AND THE DISCIPLE)

--(The narrator continued) Then he turned his gaze toward the young man and said:
'O brave youth (fata) you have been honoured by a newly arriving intimate friend,
and you have been greeted by a visitor (a soul like yours) ,so what is your name?'
'Ubayd Allah ("the little servant of God"), son of the servant of God,' he answered.
'That is your description,' replied the Shaykh, 'but we have already been informed
about you.'
'I am Hurr ("freed-man"), son of the servant of God,' the young man replied.
'Then who set you free from being owned, so that you become free?' inquired the Shaykh.
'This Knower set me free,' said the young man, pointing with his hand toward the Knower
who had called him (to the way).
'But do you think,' continued the Shaykh, 'that if he is also owned and not your owner,
does he have any right to set you free?'
'No, he doesn't,' replied the young man.
'Then what is your name?' repeated the Shayth.
(The narrator) continued: Then the young man hung his head, bewildered and unable to
respond.
'O brave youth,' pursued the Shaykh. 'how can we recognise something that has no name,
even if it has been born?'
'I have been born to you,' replied the young man, 'so you name me!'
'That is only after the fulfilment of seven days (of waiting), the Shaykh responded.
'But why must that be postponed until after seven more days?' asked the young man.
'In honour of the new-born infant,' replied the Shaykh.
'But what if  the new- born should die before the seven days are finished?' the young man continued.
'Nothing will harm him,' replied the Shaykh, 'and after that he will be named.'
'Then will this name by which you'll have named me be my own?' asked the young man.
'In that case you would be what is worshipped,' replied the Shaykh.
'But then how should we speak of it?' asked the young man.
'The Name is your owner,' the Shaykh answered, 'and you are owned by it. For you cannot
penetrate further than your own (spiritual) rank. Now depart until you period of waiting (is over).' ----

REF:THE MASTER AND THE DISCIPLE BY JAFER B. MANSUR AL YAMAN
EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY JAMES W. MORRIS

THE SHEIKH AND THE DOG

A dog brushed up against a sheikh, who made
No move to draw his skirts in or evade
The filthy stray- a puzzled passer-by
Who'd noticed his behaviour asked him why.
He said: "The dog is filthy, as you see,
But what is outside him is inside me-
What's clear on him is hidden in my heart;
Why should such close companions stay apart?"
If inward filth is slight or if it's great,
The outcome is the same disgusting state-
If straws impede you, or a mountain-top,
Where is the difference if you have to stop?


                                                      ATTAR

THE LOVER WHO SAVED HIS BELOVED FROM DROWNING

A girl fell in a river-in a flash
Her lover dived in with a mighty splash,
And fought the current till he reached her side.
When they where safe again, the poor girl cried:
"By chance I tumbled in, but why should you
Come after me and hazard your life too?"
He said; "I dived because the difference
Of 'I' and 'you' to lovers makes no sense-
A long time passed when we were separate,
But now that we have reached this single state
When you are me and I am wholly you,
What use is it to talk of us as two?"
All talk of two implies plurality-
When two has gone there will be Unity.

                                                 ATTAR

THE DEATH OF SOCRATES

When Socrates lay close to death, a youth-
Who was his student in the search for truth-
Said: "Master, when we've washed the man we knew
And brought your shroud, where should we bury you?"
He said: "If you can find me when I've died,
Then bury me wherever you decide-
I never found myself; I cannot see
How when I'm dead you could discover me.
Throughout my life not one small particle
Had any knowledge of itself at all!"'

                                            ATTAR

GABRIEL AND THE UNBELIEVER

One night in paradise good Gabriel heard
The Lord say: "I am here" and at His word
The came another voice which wept and prayed -
"Who knows whose voice this is?" the angel said,
"It comes from one, of this at least I'm sure,
Who has subdued the self, whose heart is pure."
But no one in the heavens knew the man,
And Gabriel swooped toward the earth to scan
The deserts, sea and mountains- far and wide
He searched, without success, until he cried
For God to lead his steps. "Seek him in Rome,"
God said. "A pagan temple is his home."
A worthless idol ruled his hopes and fears.
Astonished, Gabriel turned and said: "Tell me,
Dear Lord, the meaning of this mystery;
You answer with your kindness one who prays
Before a senseless idol all his days!"
And God replied: "He does not know our Way;
Mere ignorance has led this man astray-
I understand the cause of his disgrace
And will not coldly turn aside My face;
I shall admit him to My sanctuary
Where kindness will convert his blasphemy";

                                                                 ATTAR

THE STORY OF KING MAHMOUD AND THE WOODCUTTER

King Mahmoud went out hunting. In the chase
His courtiers flagged, unequal to the pace.
An old man led a donkey whose high load
Of brushwood slipped and fell into the road.
The old man scratched his head; the king came near
And said: "Do you need help?" "I  do, that's clear,"
The old man said; "if you could lend a hand,
You won't lose much. I see that you command
Your share of grace- such men are always good."
The king got down and helped him with the wood,
His flower-like hands embraced the thorns; and then
He rode back to his waiting lord again.
He said to them: "An old man will appear,
Riding a piled-high donkey- lead him here;
Block all the paths and highways to this place;
I want him to confront me face to face."
The winding roads were blocked up in a ring,
Of which the center was the waiting king.
The old man mumbled as he rode alone:
"Why won't he go...this donkey's skin and bone.
Soldiers!...Good day, my lord!" and still the way
Led pitilessly on; to his dismay
There rose ahead a royal canopy,
And there was no escape that he could see.
He rode, for there was nothing else to do
And found awaiting him a face he knew.
"I made a king hump wood for me," he cried;
"God help all sinners now, I'm terrified."
"What troubles you, my man?" inquired the king.
"Don't play with me, you took in everything,"
The old man said; "I'm just a wretched fool
who day and night must scour the plain for fuel;
I sell the thorns I get and buy dry bread-
Give me some scraps, and blessings on your head."
The king replied: "Old man, I'll buy your wood-
Come name a price you think is fair and good."
"My lord, such wood cannot be cheaply sold;
It's worth, I reckon, ten full bags of gold."
The courtiers laughed: "It's worth two barley grains.
Shut up and sell, and thank you for your pains."
"Two grains, my friends, that's true- but this rare buyer
Can surely manage something rather higher?
A great one touched these thorns- his hand brought forth
A hundred flowers; just think what that is worth!
A dinnar buys one root- a little gain
Is only right, I've had my share of pain;
The wood itself is worthless, I agree-
It is that touch which gives it dignity"'

                                                       ATTAR

PROCESS OF BEING GUIDED IN "THE MASTER AND THE DISCIPLE"

....The Knower answered: Surely God did not created the (human) creatures as fully grown men
and as (divine) knowers. He only created them as infants, small and ignorant, not knowing anything,
so that they only become big after having been small, and only come to be knowing after they were
ignorant. Thus their smallness is a precondition for their becoming big and their ignorance is a sign
pointing toward knowledge. The same is true of (spiritual) knowledge: One can only attain its essence
on the basis of preceding, lower form of knowledge which hearts can more quickly assimilate and the
understanding can more easily grasp, so that the first stage (of that process of spiritual growth) is
established in (people's) minds and they are humbled enough to carry out the duties (required by that),
and so that their hearts come to open up to the essence (of that knowledge) and their intellect are
able to bear its goal. That is God's accustomed way regarding His servants, So it is not necessary for us
to depart from the opinions of (this) religious community, nor do we need to follow other than (His)
accustomed way in our process of being guided........

 (From JA'FAR B. MANSUR AL-YAMAN  "Kitab al- Alim wa'l-ghulam" Edited and Translated
by James W. Morris)

SAYINGS OF KAHLIL GIBRAN

-It was but yesterday I thought mt self a fragment quivering
  without rhythm in the sphere of life.
  Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic
  fragments moves within me.


-They say to me in their awakening, "You and the world you
  live in are but a grain of sand upon the infinite shore of an
  infinite sea."
  And in my dream I say to them, "I am the infinite sea, and
  all worlds are but grain of sand upon my shore."


-When God threw me, a pebble, into this wondrous lake
  I disturbed its surface with countless circles.
  But when I reached the depth I became very still.


-Once I knew a man whose ears were exceedingly keen,
but he was dumb. He had lost his tongue in a battle.
I knew now what battles that man fought before the great
silence came. I am glad he is dead.
The world is not large enough for two of us.


-Remembrance is a form of meeting.


-We measure time according to the countless movement of
 countless suns; and they measure time by little machines in
 their little pockets.
 Now tell me, how could we ever meet at the same place
 and the same time?

KAHLIL GIBRAN (1883-1931)

Kahlil Gibran was a poet, philosopher and artist. He was born in Lebanon.
The millions of Arabic speaking people are familiar with his writings in
Arabic language. His poetries have been translated into more than twenty
languages. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited in the great capitals
of the world. In United States, which he made his home during last twenty years
of his life, he began to write in English. "The Prophet" and other books on his
poetries are loved by many Americans and seen as expression of reflecting
inside of human mind and soul. His message was Universal and reflects
fundamentals of all pure souls regardless of from which religion they belong.
Some of the treasures by Kahlil Gibran are, The Prophet, Prose Poems,
The Tear and a Smile, Jesus the son of man, Sand and Foam, The forerunner,
The Madman, The Earth Gods, and Spirits Rebellious ect. Today Kahlil Gibran
is not among us but, his words still light ups our mind and soul.

       "I came to say a word and I shall say it now. But if death prevents me,
         it will be said by Tomorrow, for Tomorrow never leaves a secret in
         the book of Eternity.
               I came to live in the glory of Love and the light of Beauty, which
         are the reflections of God. I am here, living, and I cannot be exited
         from the domain of life, for through my living word I will live in death.
               I came here to be for all and with all, and what I do today in my
         solitude will be echoed Tomorrow by the multitude.
                What I say now with one heart will be said Tomorrow by thousands
          of hearts."

                                                                                   KAHLIL GIBRAN