love's universe

8/12/2019 Love's Universe

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Week 1: Returning-Taking Responsibility of Self

Mahmoud Mostafa

Taking Responsibility of Self from a Sufi perspectiveIn Sufism, the concept of repentance is different from our conventional

understanding of it. Repentance is not based on guilt, shame, or fear ofpunishment. Repentance is a process of returning from forgetfulness to

remembrance of our true self. When we are born, we enter into theworld and begin our amazing journey bac to our source. With every

moment we are getting closer to our destiny and with each breath we

are returning. Repentance is the process of actively surrendering to the!ivine Will and of opening to the ocean of mercy and compassion that

we are immersed in.

"ne of the results of living in the world is that we accumulate things. Weaccumulate objects, we accumulate habits, we accumulate biases, weaccumulate assumptions and we accumulate beliefs. #hese things sprout

deep roots within us and they form our structure of interpreting theworld and our relationship to it. #hese things define us, and we are

gradually owned by them. We become increasingly attached to the world

and to worldly concerns and we e$perience separation from the truththat is at the core of our being. We become enslaved to our egos,

trapped in an endless cycle of avoiding pain and seeing pleasure. Webecome dominated by doubt, fear, greed, and wishful thining only

occasionally relieved by fleeting moments of beauty, peace, and love.#hese brief moments of truthfulness cause longing in our hearts toreturn but in the absence of understanding, we imagine that the way to

happiness is to pursue more accumulation. #his condition is dominant inthe world. #his is the condition that Sufis call heedlessness.

Repentance is the active process of returning from this heedless sleep.It is the process of our gradual emancipation from the chains of our

egos.

We must tae responsibility for ourselves in order to e$perience

repentance. It taes courageous honesty and humble sincerity to beable to truly repent. Repentance brings understanding and

understanding transforms us and enables our return. %onesty andsincerity are the two wings that carry us on our journey bac to our

Sustainer. With honesty we come to now ourselves as we truly are

without denial, without rationalizations, without wishful thining.


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%onesty melts away our sense of self&importance and opens us up to

receive wisdom and guidance. With sincerity we come to now the real

meaning of service and unconditional love. With sincerity we learn howto genuinely relate to the world. Sincerity taes away our pretending

and game&playing and enriches our lives with meaningfulness. ' greatteacher once said, ()ou will now that you are honest when your opinion

of yourself no longer matters to you. 'nd you will now that you are

sincere when the opinion of others about you no longer matters to you.*

+.

y the mercy of -od, aradise has eight doors/

one of those is the door of repentance, child.'ll the others are sometimes open, sometimes shut0

but the door of repentance is never closed.

1ome seize the opportunity2 the door is open0carry your baggage there at once.

3I4, 5678&5679:

We suggest this four step approach to woring with this selection2

Read this selection, out loud if possible, seven times.

!well upon the phrase or sentence that touches you.

's yourself what relevance or application this has to yourself.

;inally, sit in the afterglow of these reflections and open yourself to whatever

newinsight or message the !ivine might have for you.

Week 1:

reathe out all tension, an$iety, fear, negativity, and psychological idols0

breathe in -odthere is no god?0 breathe in (il 'llah* >but -od? Sufis

view this as the @uintessential proposition of the 'brahamic tradition.

5.#hough your life has almost passed, this present moment is its root2

if it lacs moisture, water it with repentance.

-ive the =iving Water to the root of your life,so that the tree of your life may flourish.

y this Water past mistaes are redeemed.y this Water last yearAs poison is made sweet.

34, 5555&555B:We suggest this four step approach to woring with this selection2

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C.' thorn in the foot is hard to find.

What about a thorn in the heartD

If everyone saw the thorn in his heart,when would sorrow gain the upper handD

3I, +65&C:







B.ewareE !onAt allow yourself to do

what you now is wrong, relying on the thought,

F=ater I will repent and as -odAs forgiveness.F#rue repentance flashes inside and rains tears.

Such lightning and clouds are needed.Without the lightning of the heart

and the rain storms of the eyes,

how shall the fire of !ivine wrath be calmedD%ow shall the greenery grow

and fountains of clear water pour forthD3II, +865&68:







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Personal Account about Taking Responsibility of Self

I didnAt thin of myself as a racist. I held a self&image of one whoaccepts people for who they are and being of Muslim faith and 'rab

heritage, I saw myself as a committed supporter of e@uality and

acceptance for minorities in 'merica. I held on to this self&image foryears until I met Sidi 'hmad. I loved him immediately and was fond of

visiting him and spending time in his company listening to his wisdomand delighting in his beautiful voice.

"ne night shortly after spending a weeend retreat with him I wassuddenly awaened from my sleep with the vivid recollection of a long&

buried memory from my childhood. His name was Muhammad and he

was our servant. He came twice a week to clean our house. My motheralways spoke highly of him she admired his honesty! conscientiousness

and dependability. Muhammad was a "ubian from the #gyptian South.He was as dark as the night and $ hated him. $ hated him because he

was black. $ was repulsed by his full lips! and by the rawness of his pinkpalms and soles against his smooth! dark skin. $ was also afraid of him.

$t was the first time we had a man working in our home before he

came we always had maids.Gow after so many years the memory of myfeelings about Muhammad poured out of me as if they had just

happened. I ept up the zhir and went deeper into this opening.

I didnAt now how these negative feelings and prejudices came to me atsuch a tender age. I couldnAt recall hearing any racist tal at home or atschool or anywhere when I was a child. %ow did I form this perception, I

wonderedD %owever I ac@uired it there could be no doubt and no turningaway from it now. I had to face it. I was being shown something

important about myself that I needed to understand. I ased

forgiveness and prayed for courage and continued.

's the reflections about my childhood deepened I started to see howthis prejudice was connected to something much deeper within me. 's

the memories moved to my adolescent and adult life a pattern emerged.I was shown how there was a firmly rooted arrogance in me. I hadcontempt for people. #his contempt was manifest in different ways. I

ridiculed those I thought were not as smart as I, I found fault with thoseI thought were better than me, I harbored negative thoughts about

many people. #his was my way of feeling special and important, by

maing others smaller in my mind.

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#he tears flowed down my chees as I continued to go deeper. I saw the

faces of people I had hurt with my thoughts, with my tongue, and with

my hands. My arrogance had made a petty tyrant of me, although mytyranny was hidden from public view, living mostly in my thoughts and

feelings and only occasionally flaring out in abusive behavior. I saw myhypocrisy in the facade I presented to the world of a devout and humble

person. I ased -od to forgive me and to tae away from me this

arrogance. I ased for true humility and for purity of intention. I ased%im to mae me small in my eyes and to mae me see the good and

beauty in others. I longed so much to feel that everyone was my brotherand sister. #hen the voice resonated in my heart, F%o you see how your

arrogance violates the sacredness of your brothers and sisters&

Muhammad is your brother. %o you see how you transgressed againsthim& %o you see how your arrogance erodes your humanness! how it

defiles your own sacredness&F the voice in my heart was overwhelmingin its decisiveness, in its truthfulness. I felt the compelling, irresistible

power of -od as it opened me up and broe down my defenses. F 'ouimagine yourself to be (ust and compassionate. How can you be so

when you are oppressing yourself and others! how&F I was weeping,

shaen to my core, feeling my utter helplessness and at the same timemy intense longing to be freed from my chains, to be cleansed of the

dross covering my heart.

F$t is love that frees you. %o you see how your love for Ahmad revealed

to you your internal contradiction! your hidden hypocrisy& )pen yourself

to love for it is the surest of footholds! the firmest of hands! and thebest of guides. *hoose love and it will be your way of return to +s, -e

are the Rahman! the Rahim! the -adud and the ahhar! and you arefor +s and unto +s is your return,F

's my tears subsided, a stillness descended upon me and I felt engulfed

in light. I felt safe and protected. I was grateful for the understanding

that was given to me and secure in nowing that -od


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without -od even the Water of =ife is fire.

34, HH7&HH+:







8.If you want a customer who will pay in gold,

could there be a better customer than -od, " my heartD

%e buys our dirty bag of goods,and in return gives us an inner light that borrows from %is splendor.

%e receives the dissolving ice of this mortal bodyand gives a ingdom beyond imagining.

%e taes a few tear drops,

and gives a spiritual spring so delicioussugar is jealous of its sweetness.

If any doubt waylays you,rely upon the spiritual traders, the prophets.

#he !ivine Ruler increased their fortune so greatly,

no mountain could bear what they


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3I, HH50 HH9:







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Week 2: Forbearance

!arrin J Sophia Schultz

/orbearance from a Sufi perspective

What does forbearance mean from the Sufi perspectiveD atientendurance.

#he meaning here is not intended to imply a passive resignation to allthe troubles of life or of the world. In fact, the opposite is re@uired.

;orbearance is an active process with the nowledge that the spiritualtrials and pains we suffer will help us to mature. We forbear in our

internal struggles, the struggle with our egos whims and desires.

atiently enduring the hardships we place on ourselves as a result of ourconditioning, of our ignorance and arrogance.

We show forbearance in the destruction of ideas we hold precious0precious ideas that hold us bac from attaining our humanity. We have

patience in the nowledge that this process can be painful but if we arecommitted to the wor we persist. 01heartache for 23od4s5 sake brings

happiness* >Masnavi oo I0 9+9?, trusting this is the essence offorbearance.

When we trust, when we surrender to the process, our endurancebecomes the wor we use to polish the rust of selfishness and pride

from the mirror of our hearts. Mevlana Kelaluddin Rumi teaches us this

endurance is one of the eys to maturity. We cannot e$pect to merely

feel joy all of the time. #here is a price to pay for the Koy and eace -odgraces us with0 the payment is patient endurance in adversity.(Sometimes! in order to help. 23od5 makes us miserable.F >Masnavi

oo I0 9+H?

#o the degree that we trust and are humble, our pain lessens, our

suffering decreases and forbearance becomes a gift, not a torment. "urlonging for union, for an e$perience of the !ivine, propels us forward.

(%on4t pay attention to your weakness but rather to the intensity of your

longing.*>Masnavi oo 40 +HCB? It is the intensity of the longing that isthe fuel, the force0 the grace that carries us during times of tribulation.

It is the longing that allows us to remember where we are going andwhy we suffer0 we forbear. When we live from a place of (I do not see

reward, I only see being closer to -od* we gain an increased

awareness, humility and an open heart that is ableto see -od


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stronger, more courageous in body, spirit and mind and =ove matures in

our hearts.

~Darrin Schultz

+.

If continually you eep your hope@uivering lie the willow in longing for %eaven,

Spiritual water and fire will continually arriveand increase your subsistence.

'nd if your longing carries you there, it will be no wonder.

!onAt pay attention to your weaness, but to the intensity of yourlonging.

;or this search is -odAs promise within you,because every seeer deserves to find something of which she sees.

Increase this search, that your heart may escape from this bodilyprison.

If your spirit shall not live without the body,

for whom is the blessing promised in the words2in Heaven is your provisionD+

34, +HC+&+HC60 +HB5:


Read this selection, out loud if possible, seven times. !well upon the phrase or sentence that touches you.




Week 2:

reathe out all tension, an$iety, fear, negativity, and psychological idols0breathe in -odthere is no god?0 breathe in (il 'llah* >but -od? Sufis


5.

%ow should Spring bring forth a garden on hard stoneDecome earth, that you may grow flowers of many colors.

;or you have been a heart&breaing roc.

1

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"nce, for the sae of e$periment, be earthE

3I, +++&5:







C.

#o practice patience is the soul of praise2have patience, for that is true glorification.

Go glorification is worth as much.%ave patience2

patience is the remedy for pain.

3II, C+B8:







B.

Sometimes, in order to help. %e maes us miserable0

but heartache for %is sae brings happiness.=aughter will come after tears.

Whoever foresees this is a servant blessed by -od.Wherever water flows, life flourishes2

wherever tears fall. !ivine mercy is shown.

3I, 9+H&57:





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Thursday6 Personal Account about /orbearance

My practice of forbearance is a continual process ever evolving. )earsago, when I first stepped on this Sufi path and heard the phrase from

the LurAan, (#ruly with every difficulty comes ease. #ruly with everydifficulty comes ease. >Surah B 6&8 >#he $pansion? I thought, (%ow

can this beD Surely now that I


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'llah gives me first the pain and then the remedy, in the form of

forbearance& patient perseverance. ;orbearance is self&discipline and the

force behind it is ardor. 'gainst my unrelenting go, despite setbacslie my e$cuses, I use resolve and restraint to (ic butt.F My husband

says you have to use self discipline and e$ercise it lie a muscle. Nse itevery day and it will become stronger. If not, it will atrophy and be of

little use. It hurts to be tough on myself, but I have found that truly the

remedy is in the pain.

;orbearance has helped me create a resolve from deep within, therebyhelping me be self&disciplined. ;rom the footing of this patience and this

sternness with myself, my daily struggles are less burdensome. It is

really true that Fafter difficulty comes ease.F

'nd so, to ;orbear has become the foundation of my life.

P Sophia Schultz

6.

When a feeling of spiritual contraction comes over you,

" traveler, itAs for your own good.!onAt burn with grief,

for in the state of e$pansion and delight you are spending.#hat enthusiasm re@uires an income of pain to balance it.

If it were always summer,

the sunAs blazing heat would burn the garden

to the roots and depths of the soil.#he withered plants never again would become fresh.If !ecember is sour&faced, yet it is ind.

Summer is laughing, but yet it destroys.

When spiritual contraction comes,behold e$pansion within it0

be cheerful and let your face rela$.3III, CHCB&CHC:






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8.

Qnow that this troublesome body is lie a coat of armor2

comfortable neither in winter nor in summer.)et still this bad associate is good for you

because of the patience you must show in overcoming its desires,for the e$ercise of patience e$pands the heart with spiritual peace.

#he patience shown by the moon to the dar night eeps it illumined0

the patience shown by the rose to the thorn eeps it fragrant.34I, +B78&+B79:







H.

%ow many victories are won

without spiritual struggle and patienceD#o show patience for the sae of the cup of !ivine Qnowledge

is no hardship2 show patience, for patience is the ey to joy.3III, 5++&5+5:







Week 3: Single-minded Remembrance

aiuddin McGulty

Single7Minded Remembrance from a Sufi perspective

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#he Sufi saints, and Rumi in particular, continually point us bac to -od.

It is a constant theme in the Sufi writings to emphasize -od


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created by a most&loving 1reator2 (verything perishes e$cept %is

;ace.* 359299:.

Remembrance can bring us face to face with our 1reator, as in our

beginning, and as in our end.

+.

#he eloved is all, the lover just a veil#he eloved is living, the lover with no life of its own.

If =ove withholds its strengthening care,#he lover is left lie a bird without wings.

%ow will I be awae and aware

If the light of the eloved is absentD=ove wills that this Word be brought forth.

If you find the mirror of the heart is dull,#he rust has not been cleared from its face.

3I, CB:







Week 3:reathe out all tension, an$iety, fear, negativity, and psychological idols0breathe in -odthere is no god?0 breathe in (il 'llah* >but -od? Sufis


5.

#he Kesus of your spirit is within you2

as his aid, for he is a good helper.!onAt see from your Kesus the comforts of the body.

!onAt as from your Moses the wish of a haroah.

!onAt burden your heart with thoughtsof livelihood0 livelihood will not fail.

e constant in attendance at the !ivine court.3II, B670 B6C&+:


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C.If your thought is frozen practice remembrance of -od.

Recollection of -od brings thought into movement2mae remembrance the sun for this congealed thought.

34I, +BH6&+BH8:




's yourself what relevance or application this has to yourself. ;inally, sit in the afterglow of these reflections and open yourself to whatever


B.)ou who are ept in pawn to food,

you can be free if you suffer yourself to be weaned.#ruly in hunger there is abundant nourishment2

search after it diligently and cherish the hope of finding it.

;eed on the =ight, be lie the eye,be in harmony with the angels, " best of humanind.

=ie the 'ngel, mae glorification of -od your sustenance.34, 56&59:







Personal Account about Single7Minded Remembrance I used to tae a cooboo approach to Remembrance, adding it lie

seasoning to my day in the hope that my e$perience in life would bemore tasty. ;or a while, I was pleased with the results but over time I

realized my selfishness. ssentially I was grasping for something2 an

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oceanic< feeling, a whiff of the presence of the !ivine, a validation of my

efforts. In the good times, what I was asing for was gratification0 in

the hard times, I wanted assurances.

#here came the occasional breathrough here and there. I believe thiswas a taste of the reciprocity mentioned in the introduction to this

theme/call it a glimpse into -od


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8.

y -od, donAt linger

in any spiritual benefit you have gained,but yearn for more/lie one suffering from illness

whose thirst for water is never @uenched.#his !ivine 1ourt is the lane of the Infinite.

=eave the seat of honor behind0

let the Way be your seat of honor.3III, +87&+8+:







H.=isten, open a window to -odand begin to delight yourself

by gazing upon %im through the opening.#he business of love is to mae that window in the heart,for the breast is illumined by the beauty of the eloved.

-aze incessantly on the face of the elovedE=isten, this is in your power, my friendE

34I, C76&C7H:







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Week 4: dab: !"aracter # !ourtesySipo den oer

Adab6 *haracter ; *ourtesy! from a Sufi perspective

Adab in Sufism is a code of conduct and a discipline practiced by

dervishes in relationship with their teachers, fellow travellers, and thecommunity as a whole. "ur relationships are part of the spiritual

journey, and in our search for the living waters of spirituality, practicingadab T which could be translated as spiritual courtesy T is a great help

as we wor to assimilate and integrate life


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#he words of Rumi only become really meaningful if they find their way

into the story of our own lives. If we want to integrate spirituality into

our daily life, we have to as ourselves the @uestion of how we bring upthe pearls from the deep to the surface. Rumi says in his didactic poem,

the Mathnawi2 (read wrapped in a cloth is but a lump, but it becomesthe joyful spirit in the human body. #here is no transformation in the

cloth0 the soul is transformed by the Waters of =ife.* >M. I, +BHB&H6?

+.Qnow, son, that everything in the universe

is a pitcher brimming with wisdom and beauty.

#he universe is a drop of the #igris of %is eauty,this eauty not contained by any sin.

%is eauty was a %idden #reasure so full

it burst open and made the earthmore radiant than the heavens.

3I, 5987&5:







Week 4:

reathe out all tension, an$iety, fear, negativity, and psychological idols0

breathe in -odthere is no god?0 breathe in (il 'llah* >but -od? Sufis


5.Since in order to spea, one must first listen,

learn to spea by listening.

3I, +85H:





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C.

#he companion of the rophet said,(Whenever the rophet recited verses of the LurAan to us,

at the moment of abundance that chosen Messengerwould as attentiveness and reverence.*

ItAs as when a bird perches on your head,and your soul trembles for fear of its flitting,

so you donAt dare to stir lest that beautiful bird tae to the air0)ou dare not breathe, you suppress a cough,

lest that huma5should fly away0

and should anyone spea sweet or sour words to you,you lay a finger to your lips, meaning, (%ushE*

ewilderment is lie that bird2 it maes you silent0it puts the lid on the ettle and fills you with the boiling of love.

34, C5BB&C567:







B.

4ain, boastful tal repels acts of indnessand tears the branch of mercy from the trun of the tree.

Spea honestly or else be silent,and then behold grace and delight in it.

3III, H6+&H65:






2 ' mythical bird whose shadow brings blessings.

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Personal Account about Adab

racticing adab for me means adhering to principles of awareness,

humility and service, within myself and also when I am interacting withmy brothers and sisters on the Sufi path. 's I attempt to apply and live

by these principles of the Sufi path, I find many things to wrestle with.

;or e$ample, I value discernment T but I notice that my love for others

@uite often becomes covered or obscured by my being too critical. %ow

many times have I noticed that my judgments, opinions are colored by acritical attitudeD

If I don


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=oving&indness is drawn to the saint, as medicine goes

to the pain it must cure.

Where there is pain, the remedy follows2wherever the lowlands are, the water goes.

If you want the water of mercy, mae yourself low0then drin the wine of mercy and be drun.

Mercy upon mercy rises to your head lie a flood.

!onAt settle on a single mercy, " son.ring the sy beneath your feet

and listen to celestial music everywhere.3II, +C9&B5:



!well upon the phrase or sentence that touches you. 's yourself what relevance or application this has to yourself.



8.

#he servant for whom the world lovingly wept

the world now rejects2 what did he do wrongD%is crime was that he put on borrowed clothes

and pretended he owned them.

We tae them bac, in order that he may now for surethat the stoc is "urs and the well&dressed are only borrowers0

that he may now that those robes were a loan,a ray from the Sun of eing.

'll that beauty, power, virtue, and e$cellencehave arrived here from the Sun of $cellence.

#hey, the light of that Sun, turn bac again,lie the stars, from these bodily walls.

When the Sunbeam has returned home,

every wall is left darened and blac.

#hat which amazed you in the faces of the fairis the =ight of the Sun reflected in the three&colored glass.#he glasses of diverse hue cause the =ight to appear colored to us.

When the many&colored glasses are no more,

then the colorless =ight amazes you.Mae it your habit to behold the =ight without the glass,

so that when the glass is shattered you may not be left blind.

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34, 9+&+:







H.

What is soulD Soul is conscious of good and evil,

rejoicing over indness, weeping over injury.Since consciousness is the inmost nature and essence of the soul,

the more aware you are the more spiritual you are.'wareness is the effect of the spirit2

anyone who has this in abundance

is a man or woman of -od.34I, +B9&+67:







Week $: %e&otion

Rahima Mc1ullough

%evotion from a Sufi perspective

#his wee our theme is devotion. #he Sufi path is a path of devotion.

't first glance this seems lie a simple concept. We hear that someoneis (devoted to their family,* or (devoted to their sport.F erhaps we

have listened to >and even sung along with? "livia Gewton Kohn singing(hopelessly devoted to you.*

ut what does it mean to practice devotionD "ne dictionary definesdevotion as0the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal. In another, to be

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devoted is to give all of something, especially your time, effort or love, or

yourself, to something you believe in or to a person* So devotionmeans giving, giving deeply, loyally and ardently, from the heart. ' Sufi

wishes to give herself to the Infinite, to -od, to her or his highest

human potentialities.

We may believe we are devoted to the path and to -od, do our dailypriorities support this beliefD #o what or to whom are we actually

devoted, at this time in our lifeD When we loo at how we spend our

time, and how our priorities manifest during our day, what can we seeabout the actual objects of our devotionD We are also inundated the

demands of family, wor and the distractions of life in our society.!evotion is not only measured by the amount of time we spend in

prayer and meditation or studying sacred scripture and the writings of

the masters, it also manifests itself in how we fulfill our obligations. "urtradition does not call for forsaing the world, rather that we integrate

our spirituality, our devotion into our everyday activities. 1an Iremember my Sustainer as I clean the bathroom or change a dirty

diaperD 1an I manifest compassion and forgiveness while dealing with

an angry co&worer or difficult relationshipD !o I perform my worbeautifully and with attention regardless of how mundaneD "ne step

toward true spiritual devotion is simply taing inventory to see whereour devotion currently lies and if it manifests in all aspects of our lives.

;or some of us that answer may be yes. ut even for the most devoted

among us, we need be constantly woring to purify our devotion. #heego can love and be devoted to something outside itself but this is aconditional love and devotion. #he ego can consciously or unconsciously

become the real object of devotion T cloaed in devotion to -od.

erhaps we become attached to our spiritual wor because of how itfeeds our ego. We feel pious, we e$perience a spiritual high, we receive

attention or we satisfy a sense of duty. If our ego is not gratified withthe results of our spiritual wor, we give up.

#he capacity for the deepest level of devotion is given to us by -race.

#he wor on this path is to transform our ego, to purify our love and

devotion. #he only motivation in true devotion is love, and =oveultimately comes to us from the !ivine. May we be able to grow in the

capacity to give ourselves completely in love, to =ove, in true devotion.

+.

ven though youAre not e@uipped,eep searching2

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e@uipment isnAt necessary on the way to the =ord.

Whoever you see engaged in search,

become her friend and cast your head in front of her,for choosing to be a neighbor of seeers,

you become one yourself0 protected by con@uerors,you will yourself learn to con@uer.

If an ant sees the ran of Solomon,

donAt smile contemptuously upon its @uest.verything you possess of sill, and wealth and handicraft,

wasnAt it first merely a thought and a @uestD3III, +BB6&+BB:






Week 5:

reathe in ()a* >"?0 breathe out (%u* >the (pronoun of !ivine resence*, one

of the most sacred (Games* in Sufi tradition?. #his simple but e$tremelypowerful practice should only be engaged in with the greatest respect and

humility.

5.

Whatever it is you wish to marry,

go, absorb yourself in that beloved,assume its shape and @ualities.

If you wish for the light, prepare yourselfto receive it0 if you wish to be far from -od,

nourish your egoism and drive yourself away.

If you wish to find a way out of this ruined prison,donAt turn your head away from the eloved,

but bow in worship and draw near.

3I, C876&H:





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C.If a spiritual e$planation alone were sufficient,

the creation of the worldwould have been vain and pointless.

If love were only spiritual,the practices of fasting and prayer would not e$ist.

#he gifts of lovers to one another are,in respect to love, nothing but forms0

yet, they testify to an invisible love.

3I, 5856&5H:







B.

veryone who delights in some act of devotioncanAt bear to miss it,

even for a short while.#hat disappointment and grief

are as a hundred prayers2

what is ritual prayer comparedwith the glow of humble longingD

3II, 5H8&H7:







Personal Account about %evotion

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My e$perience with devotion has been difficult. While I no longer

@uestion my devotion to -od and the path to which I was led, I struggle

with manifesting that devotion in my life. I many ways it is similar tomy e$perience with diet and e$ercise. I have read many boos on diet

and e$ercise and could teach on class on all the information I haveac@uired. I feel committed to doing my part to be healthy and strong

for as long as possible. I want so badly to fit into a particular pair of

jeans. ut I


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in comparison all Seven Seas disappear.

34, 5H59&5HC5:







8.

!onAt strive so much to complete your worldly affairs0

donAt strive in any affair thatAs not sacred.

"therwise at the end, youAll leave incomplete,

your spiritual affairs damaged and your bread unbaed.#he beautifying of your grave isnAt done

by means of wood and stone and plaster0

no, but by digging your grave in spiritual purity

and burying your own selfhood in %is,and by becoming %is dust, buried in love of %im,

so that from %is breath, yours may be replenished.3III, +59&+C5:







H.

;or lovers, the only lecturer is the beauty of the eloved2

their only boo and lecture and lesson is the ;ace.

"utwardly they are silent,but their penetrating remembrance rises

to the high throne of their ;riend.#heir only lesson is enthusiasm, whirling, and trembling,

not the precise points of law.3III, C9BH&C9B:

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Week ': Transformation

aul =eger

Transformation from a Sufi perspective

$n the name of 3od! the infinitely compassionate and infinitely merciful.

;rom what I have learned from my teachers, transformation is a processwhereby our being becomes more reflective of the divine. #he process

is made possible by a combination of nowledge, effort, sacrifice, andgrace0 with the catalyst of love. ' catalyst is something by which a

process is made hundreds or thousands of time easier.

Much can be said about love and the types of love that we can now,

but we are told that there is a love that emanates to, and supports all of

creation. ;or Sufis, employing this catalyst is largely achieved through

remembrance0 and often Mevlevis describe remembranceU zihr as(polishing the mirror of the heart*. #he heart is polished in distinctiveways in the world


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have met a few individuals whose being was transformed such that they

radiated something that was from a deeper connection with the divine.

#heir e$ample has provided unending inspiration for me to continue myefforts on the path of transformation.

In the wee that we loo at transformation, e$amine a @uestion about

transformation that is meaningful to you. "r see to at least

momentarily be free of a particular attitude or behavior, usingremembrance as an inner polishing. It may be that you can see

something of what is possible in you for the transformational process.

May all our efforts on the path of love be blessed.

+.

1ome, arise from the depths of your heartE)ou are alive and born of the living.

" lovely one, arenAt you suffocatedby this narrow tombD

)ou are the Koseph of the time, the bright sun2

arise from this prison and show your faceE)our Konah has been cooed and absorbed

in the belly of the fish2to deliver him there is no way

but glorification of -od.

3II, C+C5&6:







Week 6:

reathe in ()a* >"?0 breathe out (%u* >the (pronoun of !ivine resence*, one

of the most sacred (Games* in Sufi tradition?. #his simple but e$tremelypowerful practice should only be engaged in with the greatest respect andhumility.

5.

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#he potter wors at the pot to fashion it2

how could the pot become wide or long by itselfD

#he wood is ept constantly in the carpenterAs hand2how else could it be hewn and shaped properlyD

#he water sin is with the water carrier, sillful one,for how else could it be filled or emptiedD

very moment you are being filled and emptied2

now then, that you are in the hand of %is woring."n the day when the blindfold falls from your eye,

how madly will the wor be enamored of the MaerE34I, CCCH&CCB+:







C.

#here are worldly senses to ascend in the world'nd spiritual senses for a heavenly ascent.

=et the doctor care for the former0'nd the health of the latter

is the specialty of the eloved.' robust body gives health to the senses0but the spiritual sense awaens with ruination.

#he spiritual path wrecs the bodyand afterwards restores it to health.

It demolishes the house to unearth the treasure,

and with that treasure rebuilds it better than before.It cuts off the water supplyand cleanses the river bed,

then causes fresh tasting waters to flow.It cuts open the wound and removes the metal,

so the flesh can heal.Who shall describe how the Ineffable actsDI


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's yourself what relevance or application this has to yourself. ;inally, sit in the afterglow of these reflections and open yourself to whatever


B.#he mystery of (die before death*Cis this,

that the prizes come after dying and not before.$cept for dying, no other sill avails with -od, " artful schemer."ne !ivine favor is better than a hundred inds of personal effort2

such e$ertion is in danger from a hundred inds of mischief.

'nd the !ivine favor depends on dying2the trustworthy authorities have put this way to the test.Go, not even the mysticAs death is possible without !ivine favor2

listen, listen, donAt linger anywhere without !ivine graceE#hat grace is lie an emerald, and this bodily self is an old viper2

without the emerald how should the viper be made blindD34I, C9CH&C9B5:






Personal Account about Transformation"ur vision of transformation for ourselves can be somewhat grandiose

and distant. We may picture that when we are transformed we will have

disciples at our feet and every word we utter is golden. We also mightthin that it will happen some day in the future, when circumstances are

more conducive, and then all of a sudden we will discover that we aretransformed.

I have learned that it is the small steps that are built on. I have alsoe$perienced that transformation is not an achievement but rather an

3 Hadith, a saying of the rophet Muhammad.

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engagement in a deeper process. We do not own this process0 rather, it

engages us. #his process re@uires that I set an intention, but it is the

deeper relationship with our sustainer that accomplishes changes in myego, heart and soul.

'n e$ample that I might choose for my self is the intention to not

e$press my anger in certain circumstances, such as in the worplace

with other staff. ;rom my wor on this I have come to see that manytimes my anger comes from an inner judgment by my ego that other

people do not measure up to standards that I have created for them. Ihave also seen that the only healthy way for me to approach this type of

wor is to engage inner prayer. My inner connection for the last several

years has been through the inner prayer of (


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6.

If you put on the armor of a warrior,yet are unable to defend yourself, youAll die.

Mae your soul a shield,bear what -od sends you,

put down the sword.

Whoever is headless saves his head0the selfless cannot be struc.

#hose weapons are your selfish strategy0a defense that wounds your own soul

Since you have not for one moment enjoyed any fruit from those

strategies,abandon them and see always the =ord of bounties.

3II, C+8&H+, C+HC:







8.

#he water says to those who are dirty, (=isten, come here,for my nature has partaen of the nature of -od.

I can accept all your foulness

and render even a demon as pure as an angel.When I become filthy, I return to the Source of the source of purity.

#here I pull the filthy shirt off my head,and %e bestows upon me a clean one once again.

Such is %is wor, and my wor is the same2

the Sustainer of all created beings=beautifies the world.*34, 57B&579:





4 Lur


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H.#hat which -od said to the rose,

and caused it to laugh in full&blown beauty,%e said to my heart,

and made it a hundred times more beautiful.3III, B+5:






Week (: )nity

Qhadim 1hishti

+nity from a Sufi perspective


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"ur tendency is to be caught in the duality. #he ego insists on seeing

the world through its preferences, opinions, and assertions0 it insists it

is the creator of that reality. #his condition of the ego cultivatesdivisions, alienation and separation. We mae gods of our professions,

our possessions, our children, or our self image.

'ttar, the +5th&+Cthcentury ersian poet, invented a story of the s@uint&

eyed person who saw two moons and could not imagine that there wasjust one. We may be s@uint&eyed, seeing only duality, if we do not see

the way to see that there is one Reality.

What is the way to seeD It is Remembrance. (. . . for truly, in the

remembrance of -od hearts find rest.* 3Lur


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Sweet is the oneness of the ;riend with %is friends. 1atch hold of spirit.

%elp this headstrong self disintegrate0

that beneath it you may discover unity,lie a buried treasure.

3I, 8H9&9C:







Week 7:

reathe in ()a* >"?0 breathe out (%u* >the (pronoun of !ivine resence*, oneof the most sacred (Games* in Sufi tradition?. #his simple but e$tremelypowerful practice should only be engaged in with the greatest respect andhumility.

5.

-od has scattered %is light over all souls0happy are they who have held up their sirts to receive it.

#hose lucy ones donAt loo to anything but -od0

without that sirt of love,we miss our share.

3I, H87&5:







C.

'bundance is seeing the beggars and the poor,just as beauty sees a mirror.

eggars, then, are the mirrors of -odAs bounty,

and they that are with -od are united with

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'bsolute 'bundance.3I, 5HB6, 5H67:







B.

If there are a hundred religious boos, they are but one chapter2a hundred different religions see but one place of worship.

'll these roads end in one %ouse2

all these thousand ears of corn are from one Seed.'ll the hundred thousand sorts of food and drinare but one thing if one loos to their final cause.

When you are entirely satiated with one ind of food,

fifty other inds of food become displeasing to your heart.In hunger, then, you are seeing double,

for you have regarded as more than a hundred thousandthat which is but "ne.

34I, C88H&C8H+:







Personal Account about +nity

I feel shy about sharing these e$periences. #hey are deeply personal

and tender. When such e$periences happen they come as a surprise.#hrough the practices of purification, receptivity, remembrance and

'llah


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each other. It was a moment of astonishment. She and I were

enveloped in -od


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#he ;aithful are numerous, but the ;aith is one2

their bodies are numerous, but their soul is one.

esides the understanding which is in the o$ and the ass,the human being has another intelligence and soul.

'gain, in the saint, the owner of !ivine breath,there is a soul and intelligence other than human.

#he souls of wolves and dogs are separate, every one,

but the souls of the =ions of -od are in union.3I4, B7H&B+70 B+B:





;inally, sit in the afterglow of these reflections and open yourself to whatevernewinsight or message the !ivine might have for you.

H.

#he beauty of the heartis the lasting beauty2

its lips give to drin of the water of life.

#ruly it is the water, that which pours,and the one who drins/all three

become one when your talisman is shattered.#hat oneness you canAt now by reasoning.

3II, H+8&9:







A /inal -ord from *amille Helminski

!ear readers, friends of the Way,

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We have e$perienced a journey together, through the lines of RumiRumi? says, (-ratitude is one of the eys tojoy.*

-od willing, we have come to be better ac@uainted with =ove

love's universe

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