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