"Enjoy Me."

Just these two words He spoke
changed my life,
"Enjoy Me."


What a burden I thought I was to carry -
a crucifix, as did He.


Love once said to me, "I know a song,
would you like to hear it?"


And laughter came from every brick in the street
and from every pore
in the sky.


After a night of prayer, He
changed my life when
He sang,


"Enjoy Me."


St.Theresa

The Treasure must not be disturbed,

It is not necessary to become totally preoccupied
with worldly affairs. We should take things
easily, and not get caught up in bondage to them,
lest in becoming disturbed we might distress
something greater. The Treasure must not be disturbed,
for if this world should worry, That Other
will transform it, but if That Other is vexed (may
we seek refuge with God!) then who will transform
That?


RUMI

A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe'; a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compasion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely but striving for such achievement is, in itself, a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.


Albert Einstein

Make your days holy

Be sure that you make your days very long. With each new day and each fresh moment, make sure that the time is longer, fuller and richer with added holiness. So it must be with every day that comes. You must continually extend the days by filling them with more holiness and more purity. This is the secret of a long life. When you start each day, at first the day is very short. The spiritual accomplishments you need to achieve this day weigh heavily upon you. It takes great determination not to be discouraged as you feel the weight of the devotions you have to undertake this day. But be courageous and don't lose heart. Make a start even if at first things

seem heavy and strained and difficult. If you are determined enough they will become easier and you will find that you can accomplish what you must in God's service. With every hour that

passes see to it that you enrich that hour and lengthen it with extra holiness. Do the same with every new day of your life. Let each day be filled with more holiness than the day before. Then you will be blessed with length of days. The root of this skill in living lies in cultivating true fear of Heaven.

Such fear is the foundation of a long life. It can bring you great wealth, the wealth of holiness. And through this wealth it is possible to attain profound understanding. There are certain paths of Torah, which possess a degree of profundity, which can only be attained, with the help of great wealth. This is the reason why so many of the greatest of the Tzaddikim were extraordinarily wealthy, such as Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the compiler of the Mishnah, and Rav Ashi, the compiler of the Talmud. The source of this wealth is in `length of days,' which is attained through awe

R Nachman

It is not good for men to get all that they wish to get. Whatever our desire wishes to get, it purchases at the cost of soul."

-Heraclitus

benefit of good moral habits

Once the Blessed One lived at Saavatthi, in the Jeta Grove, in Anaathapindika's monastery. At that time, the venerable Aananda approached the Blessed One and asked:
"What, Lord, is the benefit of good moral habits, what is their reward?" — "Non-remorse, Aananda, is the benefit and reward of good moral habits."
"And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of non-remorse?" — "Gladness, Aananda."
"And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of gladness?" — "(Deep inner) joy (piiti)." "And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of (deep inner) joy?" — "Tranquillity." "And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of tranquillity?" — "Happiness." "And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of happiness?" — "Concentration of the mind." "And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of concentration?" — "Realistic knowledge and vision."
"And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of realistic knowledge and vision?" — "Revulsion and dispassion."
"And what, Lord, is the benefit and reward of revulsion and dispassion?" — "The knowledge and vision of deliverance.
"Hence, Aananda, good moral habits have non-remorse as their benefit and reward; non-remorse has gladness as its benefit and reward; gladness has (deep inner) joy as its benefit and reward; joy has tranquillity as its benefit and reward; tranquillity has happiness as its benefit and reward; happiness has concentration of the mind as its benefit and reward; concentration has realistic knowledge and vision as its benefit and reward; realistic knowledge and vision has revulsion and dispassion as its benefit and reward; revulsion and dispassion have the knowledge and vision of deliverance as their benefit and reward. In this way, Aananda, good moral habits lead step by step to the highest."

freed of five fears

"There are, monks, four powers. The power of wisdom, the power of energy, the power of an unblemished life, and the power of benevolence.
"And what, monks, is the power of wisdom? As to those things which are good and held to be good, bad and held to be so; blameless and blameworthy, and held to be so; dark and bright, and held to be so; fit or unfit to be practiced, and held to be so; which are worthy and unworthy of noble ones, and are held to be so — to see all these things clearly and to consider them well, this is called the power of wisdom.
"And what, monks, is the power of energy? As to those things that are bad, blameworthy, dark, unfit to be practiced, unworthy of noble ones, and which are held to be so — to rouse one's will, to make an effort and stir up one's energy for giving up all these things; and as to those things that are good, blameless, bright, fit to be practiced, worthy of noble ones, and which are held to be so — to rouse one's will, to make an effort and stir up one's energy for gaining all these things — this is called the power of energy.
"And what, monks, is the power of an unblemished life? Herein, monks, a noble disciple is unblemished in his deeds, unblemished in his words, unblemished in his thoughts. This is called the power of an unblemished life.
"And what, monks, is the power of benevolence? There are four ways of benevolence; by gifts, by friendly speech, by helpful acts and by bestowal of equity. This is the best of gifts: the gift of Dhamma. And this is the best of friendly speech: to teach again and again Dhamma to those who wish for it and who listen attentively. And this is the best of helpful acts: to arouse, instil and strengthen faith in the unbeliever; to arouse, instil and strengthen virtue in the immoral; to arouse, instil and strengthen generosity in the niggard; to arouse, instil and strengthen wisdom in the unwise. And this is the best bestowal of equity: if a stream-winner becomes equal to a stream-winner; a once-returner equal to a once-returner; a non-returner equal to a non-returner; and an arahant equal to an arahant. This, monks, is called the power of benevolence.
"And this (concludes) the four powers.
"Now, monks, a noble disciple endowed with these four powers has left behind five fears: the fear for his livelihood, the fear of disrepute, the fear of embarrassment in assemblies, the fear of death, and the fear of an unhappy future destiny.
"A noble disciple (thus endowed) will think: 'No fear do I have for my livelihood. Why should I have fear about it? Have I not the four powers of wisdom, energy, unblemished life and benevolence? It is one who is foolish and lazy, of blameworthy conduct in deeds, words and thoughts, and who has no benevolence — such a one might be in fear for his livelihood.
"'No fear do I have about disrepute or about embarrassment in assemblies, nor have I fear of death or of an unhappy future destiny. Why should I have these fears? Have I not the four powers of wisdom, energy, unblemished life and benevolence? It is one who is foolish and lazy, of blameworthy conduct in deeds, words and thoughts, and who has no benevolence — such a one might have all these fears.'
"Thus it should be understood, monks, that a noble disciple endowed with the four powers has left behind five fears."

mindfulness of death

Once the Blessed One was staying in the Brick Hall at Naadikaa. There he addressed the monks as follows:
"Mindfulness of death, monks, if cultivated and frequently practiced, brings great fruit, great benefit; it merges in the Deathless, ends in the Deathless. And how, monks, is it cultivated (in that way)?
"When, monks, the day fades and night sets in... or when the night is spent and the day breaks, a monk should reflect thus: 'Many might be the causes of my death: a snake or a scorpion or a centipede may sting me, and through that I may die. This would be a hindrance to me. Or I may stumble and have a fall; or the food I ate may cause illness; or bile, phlegm, or piercing (pains of body-) gases may upset my health; humans or non-humans may assault me; and through this I may die. That would be a hindrance to me.'
"Then that monk should further reflect thus: 'Do I harbor in myself any evil and unwholesome qualities, which are still undiscarded and would be a hindrance to me if I were to die tonight or during the day?'
"If, on reflection, that monk realizes that those evil, unwholesome qualities are still in him, then he should, with strong resolve, apply all his effort, vigor and exertion, (together with) mindfulness and clear comprehension, for the sake of discarding them.
"Just as a man whose turban or hair is on fire will, to extinguish the fire, with strong resolve, apply all his effort, vigor and exertion, (together with) mindfulness and clear comprehension; even so should that monk resolutely apply all his effort... for discarding his evil and unwholesome qualities.
"But if, on reflection, that monk realizes that there are in him no such evil and unwholesome qualities that might be a hindrance to him if he were to die tonight or during the day, then he may well feel gladness and joy. By day and night he should train himself in everything that is beneficial.
"If, monks, mindfulness of death is cultivated in that way, and is frequently practiced, it will bring great fruit, great benefit, and it will merge in the Deathless, will end in the Deathless."

Greed is the root of heedlessness,
A cause of strife is greed.
Greed into enslavement drags.
A hungry ghost one will in future be.
The Buddha who greed’s nature fully knows
I worship Him, the Greed-free One.

Hate is the root of turbulence,
And ugliness results from hate.
Through hatred much destruction comes,
To an infernal world one will in future go.
The Buddha who hate’s nature fully knows
I worship Him, the Hate-free One.

Delusion is the root of all this misery,
Creator of all ills is ignorant delusion.
Mind’s blindness from delusion stems,
As a dumb animal one will in future live.
The Buddha who delusion’s nature fully knows
I worship Him, the Undeluded One.

[A traditional devotional Pali text from Sri Lanka. Source unknown.]

Bad Habits

Like (the story of), that harsh and oppressive man of pleasant speech (who) had planted a thorn bush in the middle of the road.

Travelers became his critics.

They told him often, "Dig this up!" (But) he didn't pull it out.

That thorn bush was becoming greater (in size) every moment,

(while) the feet of the people were becoming bloody from its stabs.

Peoples' clothes were torn by the thorns,

(while) the feet of the poor were severely wounded.

When the governor told him, (very) seriously, "Root it up!"

He replied, "Yes, I'll dig it out some day."

For a time, he gave promises about tomorrow and the next day.

(Meanwhile) his thorn bush became (more) strong and bulky in form.

One day, the governor said to him, "O crooked promiser!

Come forward to the task (assigned) by us.

(And) don't crawl back again (from it).

He answered, "O uncle! The days (to accomplish it) are between us, O uncle."

(The governor) said, "Hurry, (and) don't stretch out (paying your) debt to us."

You who are saying, "Tomorrow," should know this:

that with each day that time keeps coming,

That bad and corrupt tree keeps getting younger and

this digger keeps getting old and (also) needy and desperate.

The thorn bush (gains) in strength and rising higher,

(while) the uprooter of the thorn (bush) (gains) in old age and becoming less.

Every day and every moment the thorn bush (is) green and fresh,

(while) the thorn (bush) digger (is) more groaning and dried-up every day.

It is becoming younger, (while) you (are becoming) older.

Be quick, and don't gamble away your time (wastefully).

Know (that) every one of your bad habits

(is like) a thorn bush (which) has stabbed (your) feet many times.

You have been wounded many times by your own (bad) qualities.

You lack sense (and) you've become very senseless.

If, in regard to other people being wounded--

which is because of your ugly disposition

that it is made to reach (them)--

You are thoughtless and unaware, at any rate,

you are not (inattentive) of your own wounds.

(For) you are the (cause of) torment for (both) yourself and every stranger.

Either pick up the axe and strike manfully--

and tear up this gate of Khaybar, like Ali--

Or make these thorns united with the rosebush,

(and) make the light of the friend (of God) united with the fire (of your passions).

So that his (spiritual) light may kill your fire,

(and so that) union with him may make your thorns a rose garden.

RUMI

Seek A Friend of God

The Mathnawi was postponed for a time.
A delay was necessary until blood became (changed to) milk.
Listen well: as long as your luck doesn't give birth to a new child,
blood will not change to sweet milk.

The misfortune of this doorway is (the result of) craving desire and sensual lust; otherwise, there is drink after drink (of spiritual knowledge) here.
Shut this mouth (of yours) so that you may see clearly,
for the throat and mouth (of greed) are the eye-covering (which prevents the seeing) of that (transcendent) world.
O mouth, you are the mouth of Hell.
And O world, you resemble the interval (between death and resurrection).
The eternal Light (is) to the side of (this) lowly world;
the pure Milk (is) to the side of [these bodily] rivers of blood.
If you take a step in (this lowly world) without caution, your milk may change to blood because of mixture.
Adam took a single step in tasting the pleasures of ego- cravings,
(and) separation from the uppermost seat in Paradise became a chain upon (his) base self.
The angels were running away from him as (if he were) a devil.
He shed (so) many tears from (his) eyes for the sake of a (bit of) bread.
Even though the sin which he had acquired was (only the size of) a single hair,
yet that hair had grown in both (of his) eyes.
(Because) Adam was the eye of the Beginningless Light,
(and) a hair in (such) an eye is (like) a huge mountain.
If Adam had asked advice,he would not have (needed to) express apologies (to God) in repentance.
Since, if a discerning intellect is joined with (another) discriminating mind,
it becomes an obstacle to (committing) harmful and sinful actions and speech.
(But) if the base ego becomes friends with another base ego, the partial intellect becomes worthless and useless.
When you become hopeless because of isolation,
(if) you go beneath the shadow of a (spiritual)
you will become a (shining) sun.
Go, (and) seek a friend of God quickly.
When you have done that, God is your friend.
The one who has fastened (his) sight on solitude
has, in the end, learned (to do) that from the Friend.
Solitude from "strangers" is necessary,
(but) not from a (spiritual) friend.
A fur cloak is (necessary) for Winter, not Spring.
When the (discerning) intellect becomes combined with another intellect, the (total amount of) light become increased and the road becomes clear. (However, when) the base ego laughs (happily) with another ego,
the (total amount of) darkness becomes increased and the road becomes hidden.
O man of the hunt! A (spiritual) friend is (like) your (own) eye,
(so) keep it clean of (bits of) twigs and straw.
Take care! Don't make any dust (rise) with the broom of (your) tongue. (And) don't give (your) eye a traveling of (bits of) straw (from the road). Since the (true) believer is the mirror for (another true) believer,
his face is protected from impurity.
A (spiritual) friend is (like) a mirror for the soul in (a state of) sadness.
O (you who are as dear as the) soul, don't breathe upon the face of the mirror!






RUMI

What is soul?

What is soul? (It is) being aware of
(the difference between) good and evil,
happiness with virtue and benevolence,
and weeping because of harm and loss.


Since the (quality of) inwardness is
the secret and essence of the soul,
whoever is more aware is more possessed of soul.

Awareness is (due to) the influence of the spirit:
whoever has more of this belongs to God.




RUMI

God did not give us a spirit of cowardliness but a spirit of power and of love and of self-control

If it is really so that there is something in life that has or can have such power over a person that it little by little makes him forget everything that is noble and sacred and makes him a slave in the service of the world, of the moment; if it is really so that time has or can gain such power over a person that while it adds days to his life it also every passing day measures the greater distance of his life from the divine, until he, trapped in everydayness and habit, becomes alienated from the eternal and the original; if experience has taught us that this has also happend to someone who once had a strong sense of the pesence of the eternal-- then it certainly would be beneficial to recommend every means against this ... God be praised , there are many means, just as the dangers are many . One such means is resolution, because resolution joins a person with the eternal, brings the eternal into time for him , jars him out of the drowsiness of uniformity, breaks the spell of habit, cuts off the tedious bickering of troublesome thoughts, and pronounces a benediction upon even the weakest beginning, when it is indeed a beginning.

Kierkegaard

When You are Sugar

When you are sweet because of sugar,
it is (possible) that sometime the sugar may become absent from you.
(But) when you become sweet as a result of being faithful,
then sugar will never be separated from sugar.
When the lover (of God) finds nourishment from (within) himself
(in the form of) "pure wine,"
the intellect will become lost there, lost, O companion.


The partial is the denier of Love,
although it may appear that it is the companion of (Love's) secrets.
It is smart and learned, but it is not non-existent.
As long as the angel has not become nothing, it is a devil.
It is our friend in (helping us with) words and actions,
(but) when you come to the dominating power of the (spiritual) state, (then) it is nothing.
It is nothing since it did not become nothing beyond (its) existence;
since it did not become nothing willingly,
there are (a great) many (who do so) unwillingly!




RUMI

We are in His hands in Anger and Peace

If we come to (a state of) ignorance, that is His prison.

And if we come to (a state of) knowledge, that is His (lofty) balcony.

If we come to (a state of) sleep, we are His drowsy-drunken ones.

And if we come to (a state of) wakeful alertness, we are in His Hands.

If we come to (a state of) weeping, we are His cloud full of
listening (raindrops).

And if we come to (a state of) laughing,we are His lightning in that moment.

If we come to (a state of) anger and battle, it is the reflection of His Wrath.

And if we come to (a state of) peace and pardon, it is the reflection of His Love.

RUMI

Ego

By a keen outlook on life we find that what disturbs us most in life is the ego of another person; it is the ego that has a jarring effect upon life। Those who know the right manner of developing personality know that the first lesson in life is to efface that ego as much as possible. Christ says, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit.' That poorness in spirit is the softening of the ego. When the ego is softened in a person then in the thought, speech, and action of that person there is a charm. Sometimes a person, after going through disillusionment, suffering, torture, shows in his personality some charm, and that charm has come from the softening of the ego. But any virtue that develops naturally, forced by life or circumstances, is not a virtue in the same sense as that which has been developed through one's own effort. Every beautiful action, thought or speech is derived from the effacing of self, or ego. For instance, every manner of courtesy comes from holding the reins of the ego. Beauty of speech always depends on the same effacement of the self, and so it is with thought. As soon as the ego expresses itself without control it hurts the ego of another person. The tendency in the lower creatures to fight is caused only by the ego, and man has this tendency no less than they, but rather more. It is this tendency which brings about disturbances in the life of individuals and in the multitude. The family feuds in ancient times, and now wars, all come from the same source, the ego. The idea of self-denial in Christianity, if rightly considered, expressed the idea of effacement rather than that of renunciation. Those whose contact brings us comfort, ease, peace, always have a softened ego. The greater the person the finer the ego. No example can be better than that of Christ washing the feet of his disciples.


इनायत खान

faith

I wish to tell you of my conversation with a man yesterday, a man who was a great believer, a Frenchman. And then from that he turned into an unbeliever and last he came to me. In conversation he told me that there was a time when he had such a belief, but there came something which has taken away his belief. I said: “I am sorry for your loss”. I said: “I would rather lose and trust than distrust and gain”. He said: “What do you mean then by faith?” I said: “Trust”. He said: “Trust in what?” I said: “First trust in yourself. No one can trust in another if one has not the trust in oneself”.
He said: “If in trusting someone you are disappointed, would you still trust?”

I said: “I would continue to trust. For there is no greater loss than the breaking of the trust and the power that the trust gives is a power which can be equal with nothing”.
The golden words of my murshid which I remember, when he blessed me every day I met him, he said: “May your faith be strengthened”. I was a young man at that time; I doubted if my faith was little, therefore my murshid says it. I sometimes wondered why he does not say: “May you be prosperous, healthy, may you live long. May you make a success, may you be happy, may you attain a very high spiritual attainment”. Why does he say such a simple thing: “May your faith be strengthened”?
And it is now that I am beginning to see what he really meant. It was everything ... In the strength of the faith there is everything. And in the absence of that there is nothing. Nothing in anything. And where is faith, then in everything there is all that is necessary. You see, the presence of God and the absence of God both are the conditions of faith: He is present when our faith allows us to see him present. He is absent when our faith fails us to feel his presence. And what is God? God is all: wealth and health and prosperity and inspiration and success and progress and spirituality and goodness and peace and happiness and wisdom and all. Therefore Christ has said: “Seek ye the kingdom of God first and all else will be added”. I wish that my friends will realize more and more what is meant by our Sufi idea. The more they will realize, the more they will feel that it is more than a religion, more than a philosophy, mysticism, it is the very truth, which is our ideal and which we wish to attain.


Inayat Khan

Father in heaven!

You hold all the good gifts in your gentle hand.

Your abundace is richer than can be grasped by human understanding.

You are willing to give, and your goodness is beyond the understanding of a human heart, because you fulfill every prayer and give what we pray for

or what is far better than what we pray for.

Give everyone his allotted share as it is well pleasing to you, but also give everyone the assurance that everything comes from you ,

so that joy will not tear us away from you in the forgetfulness of pleasure,

so that sorrow will not seperate you from us,

but in joy we may go to you and in sorrow remain with you,

so that when our days are numbered and the outer being is wasting away,

death may not come in its own name , cold and terrible,

but gentle and friendly, with greetings and news, with witness from you,

our Father who is in heaven !Amen.

Soren Kierkegaard

You I choose, of all the world, alone;

Will you suffer me to sit in grief?

My heart is as a pen in your hand,

You are the cause if I am glad or melancholy.

Save what you will, what will have I?

Save what you show, what do I see?

You make grow out of me now a thorn and now a rose;

Now I smell roses and now pull thorns.

If you keep me that, that I am;

If you would have me this, I am this.

In the vessel where you give color to the soul

Who am I, what is my love and hate?

You were first, and last you shall be;

Make my last better than my first.

When you are hidden, I am of the infidels;

When you are manifest, I am of the faithful.

I have nothing, except you have bestowed it;

What do you seek from my bosom and sleeve?

पूरी दुनिया में मैंने तुम्हें ही चुना है

क्या तुम मुझे दुःख में छोड़ दोगे

मेरा दिल तेरे हाथ की कलम है

मैं खुश हूँ या उदास - कारण तुम हो

तुमने जो दिया उसके सिवा मेरे पास क्या है

तुमने जो दिखाया उसके सिवा मैंने क्या देखा

तुम्ही मुझमें कभी कांटा कभी फूल उगाते हो

कभी मुझमें गुलाब की खुशबू है तो कभी कांटे ही कांटे

तुम मुझे जैसा रखते हो वैसा ही हूँ

RUMI

Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
 If any man will come after me, 
let him deny himself, 
and take up his cross, 
and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: 
and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
For what is a man profited, 
if he shall gain the whole world,
 and lose his own soul? 
or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?


Christ

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


Christ

And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
The sower soweth the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  



9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:


10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.                                      13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

When Uthman became caliph, he stepped up
into the pulpit. The people waited to see what he
would say. He was silent and said nothing. He
looked steadily at the people, and a state of ecstasy
descended upon them so that they were unable
to move, and could not tell where they were. Not
by a hundred preachings and sermons could such
an excellent state have been shown to them.
Precious lessons were imparted and secrets
revealed. Until the very end, he only looked at
them like this, not saying a word. Then, just
before leaving the pulpit, he said, “It is better for
you to have a working Imam than a speaking
Imam.”


What he said was the truth. If the purpose of
speaking is to communicate instruction delicately
to uplift the people, that had been accomplished
many times better without words. So what
Uthman said was perfectly correct. During the
time he was in the pulpit he did no external work
visible to the people; he did not pray, he did not
go on the pilgrimage, he did not give alms, he did
not commemorate God, he did not even speak the
caliph’s address. Therefore, know that work and
action are not limited to the outer form only,
rather these visible forms of work are merely a
shadow of that true work of Soul.
The Prophet said, “My Companions are like
stars; Whichever of them you follow, you will be
guided right.” When someone follows a star and
finds their way by it, the star does not speak.
Merely by looking at the star, they discover that
invisible road and reach their goal. In the same
way, it is possible by merely gazing at God’s saints
to find the spiritual path. Without words, without
questioning, without speech, the purpose is
achieved.






Rumi

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

In times of distress everyone calls for help; in

times of toothache, and earache, in doubt, fear

and insecurity. In secret everyone calls out hoping

that One will hear and grant their requests.

Privately, secretly, people perform good deeds to

ward off weakness and restore their strength,

trusting that Life will accept their gifts and

efforts. When they are restored to health and

peace of mind, then suddenly their faith leaves,

and the phantom of anxiety soon returns.

“O God,” they cry again, “we were in such a

terrible state when, with all sincerity, we called

upon you from our prison corner. For a hundred

prayers you granted our requests. Now, freed of

the prison, we are still as much in need. Bring us

out of this world of darkness into that world of

the prophets, the world of light. Why can freedom

not come without prisons and pain? A thousand

desires fill us, both good and deceitful, and the

conflict of these phantoms brings a thousand tortures

that leave us weary. Where is that sure faith

that burns up all phantoms?”

God answers, “The seeker of pleasure in you is

your enemy and My enemy.

‘Do not take your enemy and My enemy for a friend.’When your pleasure-seeking self is imprisoned,

filled with trouble and pain, then your freedom

arrives and gathers strength. A thousand times

you have proved that freedom comes to you out

of toothache, headache and fear. Why then are

you chained to bodily comfort? Why are you

always occupied with tending the flesh? Do not

forget the end of that thread: unravel those bodily

passions till you have attained your eternal passion,

and find freedom from the prison of darkness.”

RUMI

Cheerfulness

Jesus laughed a lot. John wept a lot. John said
to Jesus, “You have become exceedingly carefree
against all the subtle deceits, that you laugh so
much.” Jesus replied, “You have become exceedingly
unmindful of the subtle, mysterious, wonderful
graces and loving kindness of God, that
you weep so much.” One of God’s saints was present
at this incident. He asked God, “Which of
these two has the higher station?” God answered,
“He who thinks better of Me.” In other words, “I
come when you think of Me. Each person has an
image and an idea of Me. Whatever picture he
forms of Me, there I am. I fill that picture where
God dwells. I care nothing for that point of view
where God does not exist. Cleanse your thoughts,
O human, for they are My abode and dwelling
place.”


RUMI