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Nonduality Highlights: Issue #3471, Saturday, March 14, 2009, Editor: Mark
As life unfolds itself to man, the first lesson he learns is
humility.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Every moment of our life, if we can see wisely, contains some
fault or error, and asking pardon is just like purifying the
heart and washing it white. Only think of the joy of humbling
yourself before God! ... humbling yourself before that Spirit,
that Ideal, who is the true Father and Mother, on Whose love you
can always depend -- it is a spark of His love which expresses
itself in the earthly father and mother -- and in whatever manner
you humble yourself before Him, it can never be enough. To humble
your limited self before His Perfection, that is to deny
yourself. Self denial is not renouncing things, it is denying the
self, and its first lesson is humility.
This is self-denial: that a man says, 'I am not, Thou art;' or
that an artist looking at his picture, says, 'It is Thy work, not
mine;' or that a musician, hearing his comosition, says, 'It is
Thy creation, I do not exist.' That soul then is in a way
crucified, and through that crucifixion resurrection comes. There
is not the slightest doubt that when man has had enough pain in
his life he rises to this great consciousness. But it is not
necessary that only pain should be the means. It is the readiness
on the part of man to efface his part of consciousness and to
efface his own personality, which lifts the veil that hides the
spirit of God from the view of man.
As life unfolds itself to man the first lesson it teaches is
humility; the first thing that comes to man's vision is his own
limitedness. The vaster God appears to him, the smaller he finds
himself. This goes on and on until the moment comes when he loses
himself in the vision of God.
- posted to SufiMystic
It's the ego that causes separation. When I am full of ego, I
become strong within myself. I become totally separate. So the
more you like yourself as a person, the bigger your ego is. You
say, "Well, I'm not supposed to like myself?". You're
supposed to love yourself, but what self are we talking about?
We're not talking about your body self, because that comes and
goes. We're talking about your permanent self, that has always
been here. And your permanent self is me, is you, is the world,
is the universe, is everything. That's your permanent self.
- Robert Adams
It's not what we don't know that hurts us, it's what we know for
certain that just ain't so.
Mark Twain
Keeping Quiet
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourelves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead in winter
and later proves to be alive.
Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
- Pablo Neruda
Enough
Enough. These few words are enough.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here.
This opening to the life
we have refused
again and again
until now.
Until now.
- David Whyte