Guest guest Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 From Ivan- a poem we can post with his permission. See his notes at foot, always worth reading. Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- His Living Proof By Abdul-Qader Bedil(1644 - 1721) English version by David and Sabrineh Fideler The eternal mysteries,following wisdom's lead,brought forththe human formas their living proof.As long as the drophadn't emerged from the sea,the oceandidn't noticethe depths of its splendor. -- from Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition, Translated by David Fideler / Translated by Sabrineh Fideler Amazon.com / Photo by alainf1 / ============ Thought for the Day: Holiness is born of love,not discipline.Discipline only increasesyour capacity to love. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Zakir Hussain Magical Moments of Rhythm Listen - Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -Abdul-Qader Bedil is also respectfully referred to as Abu Al-ma'ani ("father of meaning")Bedil.Abu Al-ma'ani Bedil wrote extensively -- poetry, philosophy, wisdom stories, and riddles -- and most of his writings remain with us today. He advocated religious tolerance and taught a doctrine the Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud) similar to Ibn Arabi.Although not widely read in Iran or much of India today, Abu Al-ma'ani Bedil's work has been hugely influential upon Persian Sufi thinkers and poets in Afghanistan, as well as a rich source of material for classical music in the area.---The "human form" in this poem is not so much a reference to human physical body as to human consciousness. Abu Al-ma'ani Bedil is saying that humanity was created by God to be a living witness to Divinity. This is the "living proof." He is not stating that the human body itself somehow proves the existence of the "eternal mysteries;" rather, it is through the witnessing consciousness of humanity that the Divine knows Itself in fullness. Abu Al-ma'ani Bedil makes this more clear with the metaphor of the second verse: It is only when the "drop" emerges from the "sea" that the "ocean" can envision "the depths of its own splendor."In other words, Abu Al-ma'ani Bedil is giving us an answer to that fundamental spiritual question: Why does separation exist within the universe? If all is One, if everything fundamentally exists in God, why is there this devastating sense of separation and duality? The answer many mystical traditions give is that Eternal Unity divides mundane perception into the duality of seer and seen as a way to deepen the full knowledge of Being. Humanity, in this sense, has as its most important role that of witnessing Divinity. From this viewpoint, you could say that humanity becomes the eye of God. Human consciousness becomes a reflection of the Divine consciousness, a mirror in which the Eternal Unity can view Itself.But there is an added twist to the common perception of duality. When one fulfills the role of witnessing God beyond the dizzying and sometimes heartbreaking multiplicities of the dualistic universe... the dualism fades away, revealing itself as having been an elaborate illusion. In truth, everything has always been One from start to finish. So we have a circular game of awareness: unity seeks self-knowledge through duality, but self-knowledge returns us to unity. The drop no matter how high it is flung into the air, eventually falls back into the embrace of the ocean and merges once more. Even high above the waves, the drop is water. And once returned to the ocean, it is still water (but no longer imagines itself to be a separate drop).IvanPS - A warm thank you to everyone for the many kind and concerned notes I've received about my mother's health. She is now out of the hospital and we are discussing the best care and treatment for her... Support the Poetry Chaikhana Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you! Click here You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you! Click here A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. 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