Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 From Ivan- A Sufi Poem-his notes are always worthwhile- at the foot. Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- One Light By Mahmud Shabistari(1250? - 1340) English version by Andrew Harvey What are "I" and "You"?Just latticesIn the niches of a lampThrough which the One Light radiates."I" and "You" are the veilBetween heaven and earth;Lift this veil and you will seeHow all sects and religions are one.Lift this veil and you will ask --When "I" and "You" do not existWhat is mosque?What is synagogue?What is fire temple? -- from Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from the Sufi Wisdom, by Andrew Harvey / Eryk Hanut Amazon.com / Photo by Spigoo / ============ Thought for the Day: A helping handis a holy thing. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Kemper Crabb Live at Rivendell Cafe Listen - Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -Mahmud Shabistari lived in Persia (Iran) during the time of the Mongol invasions of the region. It was a time of massacres and religious sectarianism. Yet it is also during this time that the Golden Age of Persian Sufism emerged.Shabistari's Secret Rose Garden (the Gulistan-i Raz, which can also be translated as The Rose Garden of Mystery) is considered to be one of the greatest works of Persian Sufism.In the Secret Rose Garden, Shabistari expresses a viewpoint of Sufi realization similar to the perspective of the great Sufi philosopher Ibn Arabi, but expressed through the rich Persian poetic tradition.The value of Shabistari's work was recognized almost immediately. Many commentaries on the work by other Sufi mystics soon began to appear. The Secret Rose Garden quickly was regarded as one of the central works of Sufism.--"I" and "You" -- What is Shabistari talking about here? "I" and "You" is the normal perception of separation. Here "I" stand, and "You" are a separate entity over there. It is the perception of duality in which we see the entire universe as a fragmented existence of separated beings and objects. On the one hand, that perception allows one's self to feel supremely important in contrast to all else, but it also isolates us and imprisons us in a physicalized notion of reality. Even when we touch, we never quite make contact. The heart ever yearns for real unity.To show us the way out of this perceptual trap, Shabistari has given us an image to contemplate: a lamp surrounded by latticework. The lamp shines with a single light, but the lattices divide up the radiance into several individual shafts of light. He tells us the world of separation between "I" and "You" is like that -- one light divided into many rays.Think about this image a little more. So long as we look outward, we continue to only see separated beams of light reaching through the air patterning the wall. But the moment it occurs to us to instead follow the light, we turn around and discover the single light that is its source. Finally seeing that single light, we then know that there has only ever been that one light. Does the lattice somehow create many lights of the one light? No. It is still the one light, but expressing itself through the many beams. To prove this to ourselves, all we need do is remove the latticework ("lift this veil"), and then the light shines everywhere, undivided. And the whole time the light itself has never changed its action or nature.Shabistari makes an interesting shift in the second verse. The separation of "I" and "You" is expanded to be understood in the realm of the world's religious divisions. And the metaphor of the lamp's lattice has become a veil (which, of course, covers the face of the Beloved). Even the many sects and religions are one -- when we finally look inward toward the light that shines at the heart of each tradition. To one who has lifted the veil and witnessed the underlying Beauty, the distinctions of each tradition and theology no longer separate them. Instead, we can say that the best of each religious tradition adorns the Face differently -- but it is the same Face.Lift this veil......and separation is lost, the soul's isolation ends. And every place becomes a place of worship.Ivan Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary... 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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