Guest guest Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- The Sum of Perfection By John of the Cross(1542 - 1591) English version by Ivan M. Granger Creation forgotten,Creator only known,Attention turned inwardIn love with the Beloved alone. -- from For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics, by Roger Housden Amazon.com / Photo by bran.deann. / ============ Thought for the Day: Religion is not to close your mind,but to open your heart. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Suzin Green & Sura Hearts on Fire Listen - Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -Where else is the mystic path stated so succinctly yet so blissfully? These four lines by St. John of the Cross contain all the instructions necessary."Creation forgotten... Attention turned inward" To forget creation is the heart of self-restraint and concentration. Instead, the awareness turns inward, the senses are withdrawn. St. John of the Cross is reminding us to drop all attachment to the constant activity and sensory input of phenomenal reality, of manifest creation.Doing this, creation is seen as having no fundamental reality of its own; it is only an expression or emanation of God. It is like watching a movie. The movie may seem real while we are caught up in the story, but if we pause, look around the auditorium, we can see that the movie is actually streaming through the darkness in a funnel of light. It's source is really the projector. "Creator only known." Remembering this on every level, one is only aware of the Creator. Creation itself then becomes simply a reflection of the Divine. Knowing only the Creator, the Divine fills all of perception -- that is true meditation.Seeing through the insubstantial nature of mundane reality, one is filled with ecstatic, uncontainable love and bliss.. This is not a surface happiness directed at exterior objects or people, but for all of creation and, more fundamentally, for the life that brings that creation into existence. "In love with the Beloved alone."The original Spanish verse has a fluid, chant-like rhythm that's difficult to reproduce in English translation:Olvido de lo criado,memoria del Criador,atencion a lo interiory estarse amando al Amado.IvanPS - Check for my translation of this poem in For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics, edited by Roger Housden (due out in November 2009). Roger Housden's contemplative collections of poetry are always worth reading. 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. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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