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A Sufi Essay
Floating_Abu
Veteran
I did not read the whole piece but in case anyone is interested:
Love's Universe, by Kabir Helminski
The School of Love
We are all students in the school of love, although it may take us a long time and much suffering to admit this fact. Something obstinately refuses to see the obvious. Its amazing how stubborn and slow we are, and how often we still forget. We forget whenever we think ourselves more important than others, whenever we see our own desires and goals as more important than the feelings and well-being of those we love. We forget whenever we blame others for what we ourselves have been guilty of. We forget whenever we lose sight of the fact that in this school of love it is love that we all are trying to learn.
Yunus Emre, the first and greatest Turkish Sufi poet, says, "Let us master this science and read this book of love. God instructs; Love is His school."
We have all been failures in love. This is our conscious starting point. Only a saint is an expert and complete lover, because only a saint has been freed by God of what stands in the way of love.
We can practice meditation and seek spiritual knowledge for years and still overlook the central importance of love. One of the subtlest forms of egoism is when we engage ourselves in a practice to be more spiritual than others, when we turn spirituality into an arena for our ambition. But loves eventually forgives even that.
I do not really know if this modern world is further from the truth than many civilizations that have preceded it. Yet so much of what occupies our attention is a fiction, and through these fictions we live a life of delusion, of separation, of selfishness, of loneliness. Behind our sadness and anxiety is a simple lack of love, which translates into a lack of meaning and purpose.
Unless we look with the eyes of love we cannot see things as they are. We have searched for love in all the wrong places: in building ourselves up, in making ourselves more special, more perfect, more powerful. Love's substitutes are driving the world. We strive after anything but love, because love is so close we overlook it.
Full link:
http://www.sufism.org/books/sacred/loveuni.html
Love's Universe, by Kabir Helminski
The School of Love
We are all students in the school of love, although it may take us a long time and much suffering to admit this fact. Something obstinately refuses to see the obvious. Its amazing how stubborn and slow we are, and how often we still forget. We forget whenever we think ourselves more important than others, whenever we see our own desires and goals as more important than the feelings and well-being of those we love. We forget whenever we blame others for what we ourselves have been guilty of. We forget whenever we lose sight of the fact that in this school of love it is love that we all are trying to learn.
Yunus Emre, the first and greatest Turkish Sufi poet, says, "Let us master this science and read this book of love. God instructs; Love is His school."
We have all been failures in love. This is our conscious starting point. Only a saint is an expert and complete lover, because only a saint has been freed by God of what stands in the way of love.
We can practice meditation and seek spiritual knowledge for years and still overlook the central importance of love. One of the subtlest forms of egoism is when we engage ourselves in a practice to be more spiritual than others, when we turn spirituality into an arena for our ambition. But loves eventually forgives even that.
I do not really know if this modern world is further from the truth than many civilizations that have preceded it. Yet so much of what occupies our attention is a fiction, and through these fictions we live a life of delusion, of separation, of selfishness, of loneliness. Behind our sadness and anxiety is a simple lack of love, which translates into a lack of meaning and purpose.
Unless we look with the eyes of love we cannot see things as they are. We have searched for love in all the wrong places: in building ourselves up, in making ourselves more special, more perfect, more powerful. Love's substitutes are driving the world. We strive after anything but love, because love is so close we overlook it.
Full link:
http://www.sufism.org/books/sacred/loveuni.html
0
Comments
as buddhists we talk so much, but when we shut up the heart smiles.
all the answers and everything we ever wanted in right in our hearts.
what we long for be it money, partners, security, bliss, life is right in the heart.
it's always been there and we just cast it aside because it was so simple.
why did form come from emptiness? it was an expression of love.
All the best,
Todd
Thankyou very much for your comments. Yes, the lesson is love, and yes the price and outcome will have to be love.
My own experience is reading may touch the heart, inspire and help us soar, but it is in the daily practice, that things could become possible. My own tradition is Zen Buddhism and in that a meditation practice, and kindness is emphasised. I do think it is possible to 'understand' things, but I do not know how far and deep and intimately that can go without a sustained, patient practice of contemplation, reflection, meditation and stillness.
In silence we trust.
Best wishes,
Abu
On your book recommendations, I mainly skim from Rumi, and many of the Sufi mystics like Kabir but I understand Thomas Merton also has reflections. A website which contains many snippets or quotes from across the world is: http://pbase.com/1heart If you search that site, there are various pictures and messages from all traditions.
I would agree you Abu. Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions.
My best to you,
Todd
Every human being is the creation of love and a beloved child of the universe. And every human being is free to turn its back on love. Water says to the dirty, “Come here.”
The dirty one says, “But I am so ashamed.”
Water says, “How will you be made clean without me.”
—Rumi, Mathnawi II, 1366-7;
...just another snippet from the article Floating Abu linked us to. Great Stuff!
The URL, though, has now changed. Just do a google search for:
Love's Universe, by Kabir Helminski
(I tried linking the url, but it changed to this thread.)
Rumi again:
Abstitively, posolutely Sublime!
The Hatcheck Girl (p. 197)
Why
Are there
So few in the court
Of a perfect
Saint?
Because
Everytime you are near Him
You have to leave pieces
Of your
Ego
With
The hatcheck
Girl
Who won't give them
Back-
Ooouch.
Where Is the Door to the Tavern? (p. 222)
Where is the door to God?
In the sound of a barking dog,
In the ring of a hammer,
In a drop of rain,
in the face of
Everyone
I see.
And Love Says (p. 333)
And love
Says,
"I will, I will take care of you,"
To everything that is
Near.
I just ordered a couple of books on Rumi and actually another book by Ladinsky with more poems by Hafiz.
Love this stuff!!
Meanwhile let's dance . . .
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
Take an axe to the prison wall.
Escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly born into color.
Do it now.
You're covered with a thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quiteness is the surest sign
that you've died.
Your old life was a frantic running
from silence.
The speechless full moon
comes out now.
w
Here is another on how to batter fish . . .
Awakened by your love,
I flicker like a candle's light
trying to hold on in the dark.
Yet, you spare me no blows
and keep asking,
"Why do you complain?"