LOVE
“Be A Lover, A Lover.
Choose Love That You Might Be A Chosen One.”
“There is no salvation for the soul
but to fall in Love.
Only Lovers can escape
out of these two worlds.
This was ordained in creation.
Only from the heart
can you reach the sky;
The Rose of Glory
can grow only from the heart.”
“Know that it is the waves of Love
that turn the wheels of Heaven.”
“If you want to live, die in Love;
Die in Love if you want to remain alive!”
“On the day of resurrection
the heart devoid of love will not pass
through the gate.”
“If You Knew the Secret of Life, You Too Would Choose No Other Companion, but LOVE..."
“A Lover doesn't figure the odds.
He figures he came clean from God
as a gift without a reason,
so he gives without cause
or calculation or limit.
A conventionally religious person
behaves a certain way
to achieve salvation.
A lover gambles everything, the self,
the circle around the zero!
He or she cuts and throws it all away.
This is beyond any religion.
Lovers do not require from God any proof,
or any text,
nor do they knock on a door
to make sure this is the right street.
They run,
and they run.”
“Although I may try to describe Love, when I experience it I am speechless.”
“The Way You Make Love is the Way God Will Be With You.”
"The Time Has Come to Turn Your Heart into a Temple of Fire.
Your Essence is Gold Hidden in Dust.
To Reveal its Splendor,
You Need to Burn in the Fire of Love..."
“Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded.
Someone sober will worry about things going badly.
Let the lover be.
There are lovers content with longing.
I’m not one of them.”
"Come on Sweetheart,
Let's adore one another,
before there is no more of you and me...
Once you think of me, dead and gone,
...you will make up with me,
you will miss me,
you may even adore me.
Why be a worshiper of the dead?
Come and make up now.
Since you will come and throw kisses at my tombstone later,
Why not give them to me now?
Come. Come and make up now."
“Love’s nationality is separate from all other religions,
The lover’s religion and nationality is the Beloved (God).”
“Love is the Reality, and poetry is the drum
that calls us to that.
Don't keep complaining about loneliness!
Let the fear-language of that theme crack open
and float away.
Let the priest come down from his tower,
and not go back up!”
“To those who asked what love was he answered thus:
“Be like me and know; whether in light or darkness, until you have been like this you can’t completely know love.”
“At night, I open the window and ask the moon to come and press its face against mine. Breathe into me.
Close the language-door and open the love-window. The moon won't use the door, only the window.”
THE HEART
“Tend to Your Vital Heart,
And All that You Worry About Will Be Solved.”
“...That which seems worthless - the Heart in
ruins - is the most precious thing.
Do not debase It - even though distressed,
the Heart Is Most Precious In Distress.
The ruined Heart attracts God's attention.
How happy is the soul that practices caring for it!
Comforting the wretched Heart
in its time of need and pain
is more valuable to the Creator
than performing the outer pilgrimage.
The ruined Heart are God's stores of treasure;
great treasures are buried in these ruins..."
“Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune;
every success depends upon focusing the heart”
“Fools venerate the mosque and endeavor to destroy them
that have the Heart in which God dwells.
That mosque is phenomenal; this Heart is Real, O asses!
The true mosque is naught but the Hearts of the spiritual captains.
The mosque that is the inward consciousness of the saints is the place of worship for all:
God is there."
"In fact, God does not regard your outward form and wealth,
but does regard your heart and good deeds." - (A Prophetic Saying)
He (the Prophet) said,
"He (God) does not regard your (outward) form:
therefore in your devising, seek you the owner of the Heart."
(God says),
"I regard you through the owner of the Heart,
not because of the (external) marks of prostration (in prayer)
and the giving away of gold (in charities).
Since you have deemed your heart to be the Heart,
you have abandoned the search after those who possess the Heart.
The heart into which if seven hundred heavens, like these Seven Heavens,
should enter, they would be lost and hidden from view.
Do not call such fragments of heart as these "the Heart."
“The Heart leads you into the neighborhood of the men of Heart (the saints);
the body leads you into the prison of water and earth."
“Which Heart does not contain your Love?
It is an infidel; it cannot be a Muslim.”
THE SOUL
“If the beautiful one is not inside you,
Then what is that light hidden under your cloak.”
“Do you know why the mirror of your soul reflects nothing?
Because the rust is not cleared from its face."
“In this world, there is nothing so wondrous as the Sun.
But the Sun of the Soul sets not and has no yesterday.
Though the material Sun is unique, we can conceive of other suns like it.
But the Sun of the Soul, transcending these heavens,
has nothing like It that exists, in the physical or in the subtle...”
“The senses are the tools of the mind
and the mind is the tool of the Spirit
When the mind becomes confused, it is
Spirit that brings back clarity and harmony
Our desires and thoughts spread over the soul
as weeds spread over the surface of a pond
The ego thrives in muddy water while
the mind needs clarity and transparency
Let the mind become the master
and the senses its obedient servants
A master who puts his senses to sleep is able
to perceive the unseen emerging from Spirit
Even in his waking state he dreams
dreams that open the gates to Divine Truth.”
“Do you know what you are?
You are a manuscript oƒ a divine letter.
You are a mirror reflecting a noble face.
This universe is not outside of you.
Look inside yourself;
everything that you want,
you are already that.”
“I will find new meaning in every joy and sorrow
In that silence, I will hear the...voice of spirit,
and freed from this world, I will see another world
where the end is another beginning.”
“I love my friends neither with
my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case heart might stop, Mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forgets.”
THE CREATOR
“Now be silent.
Let the One who creates the words speak.
He made the door.
He made the lock.
He also made the key.”
“Be quiet and let the Master of Speech talk.
Don't try to dress up your own nightingale- song
to sell to this Rose!
Be all ear.”
“In consequence of a fractured leg,
God bestows a wing.
Likewise, from the depths of the pit,
He opens a door of escape.
God said, "Don't consider whether
you're up a tree or in a hole:
Consider Me, for I am the key of the way.”
“You are the explosive Force
that causes our dammed-up rivers to surge forth.”
“O’ You who make demands within me like an embryo,
since You are the one who makes the demand,
make its fulfillment easy;
show the way, help me,
or else relinquish Your claim
and take this burden from me!
Since from a debtor You're demanding gold,
give him gold in secret, O King!”
“The Prophets have wondered to themselves,
‘How long should we keep pounding this cold iron?
How long do we have to whisper into an empty cage?’
Every motion of created beings comes from the creator.
The first Soul pushes, and your second soul responds.
So don't be timid.
Load the ship and set out!
No one knows for certain whether the ship will sink or reach harbor.
Just don't be one of those merchants who are afraid to risk the ocean.
This is much more important than losing or making money!
This is your connection to God.
Think of the fear and the hope that you have about your livelihood.
They make you go to work diligently every day.
Now consider what the Prophets have done:
Abraham wore fire for an anklet.
Moses spoke to the sea.
David moulded iron.
Solomon rode the wind.
Work in the invisible world at least as hard as you do in the visible.
Be companions with the Prophets, even though no one here knows that you are.
Not even the helpers of the qutb, the abdals.
You can't imagine what profit will come!
When one of those generous ones invites you into the fire, go quickly!!!
Don't say, ‘will it burn me? will it hurt me?’”
“The looking itself is a trace
of what we're looking for,
but we've been more like the man who sat on his donkey
and asked the donkey where to go!
Be quiet now and wait.
It may be that the ocean One, that we desire so to
move into and become,
desires us out here on land a little longer,
going our sundry roads to the shore.”
“You're all mixed up.
For the sake of position,
you come with reverence before the blind
and wait in the hall;
but in the presence of one who can see,
you behave with disrespect.
No wonder you've become fuel for the fire of desire.”
“You and I have spoken all these words,
but for the way we have to go,
words are no preparation.
There is no getting ready, other than grace.
My faults have stayed hidden.
One might call that a preparation!
I have one small drop of knowing in my soul.
Let it dissolve in your ocean. There are so many threats to it.
Inside each of us, there's continual autumn.
Our leaves fall and are blown out over the water.
A crow sits in the blackened limbs
and talks about what's gone.
Then your generosity returns: spring, moisture, intelligence, the
scent of hyacinth and rose and cypress.
Joseph is back! And if you don't feel in
yourself the freshness of
Joseph, be Jacob! Weep and then smile. Don't pretend to know
something you haven't experienced.
There's a necessary dying, and then Jesus is breathing again.
Very little grows on jagged rock.
Be ground. Be crumbled, so wildflowers will
come up where you are.
You've been stony for too many years.
Try something different. Surrender.”
LIGHT
“If ten lamps are present in one place,
each differs in form from another;
yet you can't distinguish whose radiance is whose
when you focus on the light.
In the field of spirit there is no division;
no individuals exist.
Sweet is the oneness of the Friend with His friends.
Catch hold of spirit.
Help this headstrong self disintegrate;
that beneath it you may discover unity,
like a buried treasure.”
“Sometimes I feel like a king,
sometimes I moan in my own prison.
Swaying between these states
I can't be proud of myself.
This "I" is a figment of my imagination.”
“Come, Come!
whoever you are,
wanderers, idolators,
worshippers of fire!
Even if you have broken your vows a thousand times!
Come and yet Come Again!
Ours is not a caravan of despair.”
“Out beyond the ideas of wrong doing and right doing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to
talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase "each other"
doesn't make any sense..."
“The Faithful are many, but their Faith is one;
their bodies are numerous, but their soul is one.”
“Instead of looking down at the six
feet of road immediately
ahead, look up: see both worlds, the face of the king, the
ocean shaping and carrying
you along. You've heard descriptions of that sea. Now
float, trust; enjoy the motion.”
“How long will you hide
your beautiful
festive smile?
Teach your laughter
to a flower
manifest an eternity
Why do you think
the door to the sky
is closed on your face?
It allures and invites
your magical touch
to open and arrive
An entire caravan
is waiting in ecstasy
for your coming and leading
Come on my friend
use your talisman and
harness all their souls
Today is the day to unite
with your longing beloved
wait no more
for an unknown tomorrow
A tambourine is in a corner
begging your playing hands
a flute is sitting dormant
begging your happy lips”
“Why are you turning round in circles,
what are you looking for?
The Beloved is here, why search in the desert?
If you look deep in your heart
you will find Him within yourself.
You have made the pilgrimage and
trod the path to Mecca many times.
You rave about the holy place
and say you've visited God's garden
but where is your bunch of flowers?
You tell stories about diving deep into the ocean
but where is your pearl?
Your troubles may turn to treasures,
but what a pity you have not discovered
the Mecca that's inside.”
PAIN & SORROW
“Every midwife knows that not until a mother's womb softens from the pain of labor, will a way unfold and the infant find that opening to be born. Oh friend! There is a treasure in your heart, it is heavy with child.
Listen. All the awakened ones, like trusted midwives, are saying, 'welcome this pain', it opens the dark passage of Grace. "
“How often you ask,
What is my path?
What is my cure?
He has made you a seeker of Unity,
isn't that enough?
All your sorrow exists for one reason -
that you may end sorrow forever.
The desire to know your own soul
will end all other desires.”
“How does
a part of the world
leave the world?
How does wetness
leave water?
Dont' try to put out fire
by throwing on more fire!
Don't wash a wound
with blood.
No matter how fast you run,
your shadow keeps up.
Sometimes it's in front!
Only full overhead sun
diminishes your shadow.
But that shadow
has been serving you.
What hurts you,
blesses you.
Darkness
is your candle.
Your boundaries
are your quest.
I could explain this,
but it will break
the glass cover
on your heart,
and there's no fixing that.
You must have
shadow and light source
both.
Listen,
and lay your head
under the tree of awe.
When from that tree
feathers and wings
sprout on you,
be quieter than a dove.
Don't even open your mouth
for even a coo.”
“Darling, the body is a guest house;
every morning someone new arrives.
Don't say, "O, another weight around my neck!"
or your guest will fly back to nothingness.
Whatever enters your heart is a guest
from the invisible world: entertain it well.
Every day, and every moment, a thought comes
like an honored guest into your heart.
My soul, regard each thought as a person,
for every person's value is in the thought they hold.
If a sorrowful thought stands in the way,
it is also preparing the way for joy.
It furiously sweeps your house clean,
in order that some new joy may appear from the Source.
It scatters the withered leaves from the bough of the heart,
in order that fresh green leaves might grow.
It uproots the old joy so that
a new joy may enter from Beyond.
Sorrow pulls up the rotten root
that was veiled from sight.
Whatever sorrow takes away or causes the heart to shed,
it puts something better in its place especially
for one who is certain
that sorrow is the servant of the intuitive.
Without the frown of clouds and lightning,
the vines would be burned by the smiling sun.
Both good and bad luck become guests in your heart:
like planets traveling from sign to sign.
When something transits your sign, adapt yourself,
and be as harmonious as its ruling sign,
so that when it rejoins the Moon,
it will speak kindly to the Lord of the heart.
Whenever sorrow comes again,
meet it with smiles and laughter,
saying, "O my Creator, save me from its harm,
and do not deprive me of its good.
Lord, remind me to be thankful,
let me feel no regret if its benefit passes away."
And if the pearl is not in sorrow's hand,
let it go and still be pleased.
Increase your sweet practice.
Your practice will benefit you at another time;
someday your need will be suddenly fulfilled.”
POWER
“I'm Tired Of Living With Cowards,
I Want To Live With Lions.”
“To Change, You Must Face the Dragon of Your Appetites
with Another Dragon:
The Life-Energy of The Soul.”
“Don't Be Satisfied With Stories,
How Things Have Gone With Others.
Unfold Your Own Myth.”
“I only speak of the Sun
because the Sun is my Master
I worship even the dust at His feet.
I am not a night-lover and do not praise sleep
I am the messenger of the Sun!
Secretly I will ask Him and pass the answers to you.
Like the Sun I shine on those who are forsaken
I may look drunk and disheveled but I speak the Truth.
Tear off the mask, your face is glorious,
your heart may be cold as stone but
I will warm it with my raging fire.
No longer will I speak of sunsets or rising Moons,
I will bring you love's wine
for I am born of the Sun
I am a King!”
“Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.
Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.
Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
“There is a secret medicine given only to those who hurt so hard they can't hope.
The hopers would feel slighted if they knew.
You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust.
You were born with ideals and dreams.
You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don't.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.”
“The sea is calling on you,
jump off the boat and submerge
yourself in my fine waters.”
“Roar the lion's knowledge.
Write with gold ink so whoever reads this
will feel the ocean's light around them
and grow in the spirit.”
“Forget safety.
Live where you fear to live.
Destroy your reputation.
Be notorious.
Inside you, there’s an artist you don’t know about…
say yes quickly, if you know,
if you’ve known it
from before the beginning of the universe.”
BEAUTY
“The beauty you see in me
is a reflection of you”
“The glowing jewel says,
"Don't be fooled by my beauty -
the light of my face comes from
the candle of my spirit.
Every jewel says to you, "Be not satisfied with my beauty,
for the light in my face derives from the candle of my awareness!”
“When you hear dirty story
wash your ears.
When you see ugly stuff
wash your eyes.
When you get bad thoughts
wash your mind.
and
Keep your feet muddy.”
“Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
“That which God said to the rose,
and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty,
He said to my heart,
and made it a hundred times more beautiful.”
"When I am Silent,
I fall into the place where Everything is Music."
“I want to sing like the birds sing,
not worrying who listens or what they think.”
“Feel yourself being silently drawn
by the stronger pull of what you really love.”
“Be like a tree,
Let the dead leaves
Drop.”