[Sunlight] Float, Trust, Enjoy

~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Float, Trust, Enjoy

Muhammad said no one looks back and regrets leaving the
world. What's regretted

is how real we thought it was! How much we worried about
phenomena and how little

we considered what moves through form. "Why did I spend my
life denying death? Death

is the key to truth!" When you hear lamenting like that,
say, not out loud, but

inwardly, "What moved you then still moves you, the same
energy. But you understand

perfectly now that you are not essentially a body, tissue,
bone, brain, and muscle. Dissolve

in this clear vision. 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.

-- Mathnawi VI: 1450-66
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Soul of Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 2001

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Prophet has said truly
that no one who has passed away from this world
feels sorrow, regret, or disappointment because of dying
but rather feels a hundred regrets for lost opportunities,
saying to himself, "Why didn't I keep death in mind--
death which is the storehouse of every good fortune and provision;
why, through seeing double, did I make the object of my life's attention
those fantasies that vanished at that fated hour?"
The grief of the dead isn't because of death;
no, it's because they focused on phenomenal forms
and didn't perceive that these are only the foam,
moved and fed by the Sea.

~ ~ ~ ~

Râst goftast ân Sepahdâr-e bashar
keh har ânkeh kard az donyâ gozar
Nistesh dard o darigh o ghabn-e mawt
balkeh hastesh sad darigh az bahr-e fawt
Keh "Cherâ qebleh na-kardam marg-râ
makhzan-e har dawlat o har barg-râ
Qebleh kardam man hameh `omr az haval
ân khayâlâti keh gom shod dar ajal"
Hasrat-e ân mordegân az marg nist
zânast k-andar naqsh-hâ kardim ist
Mâ na-didim in keh ân naqsh ast o kaf
kaf ze Daryâ jonbad o yâbad `alaf

-- Mathnawi VI: 1450-1455
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

------------------------------------

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[Sunlight] Float, Trust, Enjoy

[Sunlight] Looking to beginnings or to ends

~

From the Fihi ma Fihi:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some people have regard to beginnings and some
to ends. Those who look at the ends are powerful and
great because their sights are on finalities and results.
Those who look at the beginnings are even more select.
They say: "What use is there of looking at the ends?
When wheat is sown in the beginning, barley will not
grow in the end. When barley is sown, wheat is not going
to grow." Their view is then on the beginning.
There is another group more select still who look
neither to the beginnings nor to the end. They do not
think of beginnings or ends; they are absorbed in God.
Another group is absorbed in the world and look not to
beginnings or ends out of extreme heedlessness; they
are fodder for hell.

-- from Rumi's "Fihi ma Fihi"
translated by W. M. Thackston, Jr.
Signs of the Unseen (Discourses of Rumi)
Threshold Books, 1994

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

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[Sunlight] Looking to beginnings or to ends

[Sunlight] "Where did it all go?" -- Ghazal 840

~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

where did it all go
the dancing the love and the music
could it be that none was there
or it was but all
went to the vanishing point

it is better not to be skeptic
look at Moses' magic cane
one minute a cane the next a dragon

or was it a dragon first
and as it devoured the world
within its existence
it changed to a cane

every situation is
like an arrow
when it is gone my friend
seek and find it in the target

though a pearl
has stolen a grain of sand
from the nearby shore
a wise diver will seek it out
in the depth of the ocean floor

-- Ode (Ghazal) 840
Translated by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

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[Sunlight] "Where did it all go?" -- Ghazal 840

[Sunlight] Pride and humility

~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sword is for the one whose proud neck is held high;
no blow falls on the shadow thrown flat upon the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tigh bahr-e ust ku-râ gard nist
sâyeh k-afgandast bar vay zakhm nist

-- Mathnawi IV: 2759
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

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[Sunlight] Pride and humility

[Sunlight] "This body is a guest-house"

~

Today, Sunlight offers excerpted lines from Rumi's "Mathnawi",
Book Five, in versions by Coleman Barks and Kabir Helminski,
accompanied by the translation by Reynold Nicholson:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Guest-House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture.

Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice -
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Mathnawi V, 3644-46, 3676-80, 3693-95
Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
Castle Books, 1997

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Guest House

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.

-- Mathnawi V: 3644-6, 3676-88, 3693-6, 3700-1
Version by Kabir Helminski
"The Rumi Collection"
Threshold Books, 1998

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This body, O youth, is a guest-house: every morning a new
guest comes running (into it).
Beware, do not say, "The (guest) is a burden to me," for
presently he will fly back into non-existence.
Whatsoever comes into thy heart from the invisible world is
thy guest: entertain it well!

Every day, too, at every moment a (different) thought comes,
like an honoured guest, into thy bosom.
O (dear) soul, regard thought as a person, since (every) person
derives his worth from thought and spirit.
If the thought of sorrow is waylaying (spoiling) joy, (yet) it
is making preparations for joy.
It violently sweeps thy house clear of (all) else, in order that
new joy from the source of good may enter in.
It scatters the yellow leaves from the bough of the heart, in
order that incessant green leaves may grow.
It uproots the old joy, in order the new delight may march
in from the Beyond.
Sorrow pulls up the crooked rotten (root), in order that it may
disclose the root that is veiled from sight.
Whatsoever (things) sorrow may cause to be shed from the
heart or may take away (from it), assuredly it will bring better
in exchange.

(Whenever) the thought (of sorrow) comes into thy breast
anew, go to meet it with smiles and laughter.

-- Translation by Reynold A. Nicholson
"The Mathnawi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi"
Published and Distributed by
The Trustees of The "E.J.W. Gibb Memorial"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

------------------------------------

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[Sunlight] "This body is a guest-house"