It's a Beautiful Day!

I arise facing East,
I am asking toward the Light,

I am asking that my day
Shall be beautiful with light,

I am asking that the place
Where my feet are shall be light,

That as far as I can see,
I shall follow it aright.

I am asking for the courage
To go forward through the shadow,

I am asking toward the light!



Mary Austin


Seek and ye shall find
Ask and it shall be given.

Toward the One
United with All!

Subhuti said: "If I understand correctly, one who wishes to reach perfect wisdom should study the way things are in the world and should practice the perfections fully and in depth but should not believe them to be ultimately real, nor should he make concepts and doctrines out of them."

The Buddha replied: "Just so, Subhuti. The one who contemplates existence in this way knows the nature of the conditioned and of the unconditioned and makes himself an expert in pointing out the truth to others, both with words and without words."

Subhuti asked: "But is this just for the wise and the intelligent?"

"No, indeed," replied the Buddha. "This is open to all, even to the dull witted and to those who can't pay attention. The door is open to anyone who wants to tread this path--but not to the person who is lazy and indifferent."

-Prajnaparamita


I LOVE this! Clear Vision can be had be even simple minded souls like me :)*grins*

Now if I can just avert my laziness.

Today's Daily Word - Tuesday, November 18, 2008
www.dailyword.com

Patience

I am patient, kind, and loving.
A tiny seed must be nurtured and given time to develop into its full potential. I, too, develop in my own time, producing the fruits of Spirit I am meant to produce.
I remember to be patient with myself, allowing time for my God-given talents to be revealed. Words from a familiar prayer help me remain calm and assured:
Prayer of Faith
I now am wise, I now am true, Patient, kind, and loving too.All things I am, can do, and be, Through Christ, the Truth that is in me.
Saying this prayer reminds me that the loving presence of God within gives me the wisdom and strength to meet any situation.
"But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance."--Luke 8:15



I don't often manifest the Divine attribute of Patience, but I believe that as a Daughter of God, it is alive and well inside of me.

Affirming myself as a Daughter of God and Heir to Their Divinity is the first step in manifesting All that I wish to become.

What a blessing!

"The sun neither rises or sets; it is our conception. When the earth turns its back to the sun, it is night; when the earth turns its face to the sun, it is day."
--Hazrat Inayat Khan

I have heard it said that when we feel that God has left us, we should examine who it is, indeed who has moved...

In actual fact, even so, we cannot move away from God because we are ever enveloped in Divine Light. We may only shut our eyes to the light for a time.

Alhamdulillah!

"Can you allow the Love of God to be your entire Reality?
It would be easier than the effort it takes to uphold the reality you now experience."
--The Voice for Love

La illaha illa 'lahu!

In the Sufi translation:

*There is no reality but the One Reality.*

There is only one thing to say:

Namaste'
*I behold the Beauty of God in You as I behold the Beauty of God in Me."

Namaste', Namaste!

All Love for Love,

Always!!!

Hakima

ALLAH!

To be Hu-Man

The following quote is part of an article in the latest issue of EnlightenNext magazine:

When spirit took the leap from formlessness to form, from nothing to something, from being to becoming, it emerged from emptiness as the creative impulse—the urge to become, the desire to exist. This creative impulse expresses itself at all levels of the human experience. Any human being can locate it at the lowest level of their being—at the gross physical level—as the sexual impulse, which is really the presence or movement of the big bang as a biological imperative. But at higher levels of being, humans are the only life forms we know of that are compelled to innovate and to create. We can see this especially in individuals who are pioneers in their fields, whether they are great philosophers, musicians, artists, politicians, or poets. Most individuals who are deeply talented are driven by a sense of urgency, an ecstatically urgent sense that “I must bring into life this potential that I see and experience in the depths of my own being. This must come through me.” If we get to know them, we will usually find that truly great human beings are driven by a passion that transcends their separate self-sense.... And in the way I understand it, the highest expression of this creative impulse is the urge to evolve at the level of consciousness itself.
--Andrew Cohen


I'm fascinated by the phrase:

"...driven by a passion that transcends their separate self-sense.... "

Sufi tradition says that before the worlds and humankind were God said, "I was a hidden treasure and desired to be known..." Thus became humankind (interesting at this point to note that the Sufi pronoun for God is "Hu" as in hu-man).

Creativity does not happen alone. Whether it be in the co-creative process with Spirit or with the Spirit in other Hu-man Beings, evolution appears to be a community effort.

Alhamdulillah!

and as always...

ALA!!!

Hakima

April 17, 2008

It is the surface of the sea that makes waves and roaring breakers; the depth is silent.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

The bubbles are to be found on the surface of the sea. The depth of the sea is free from bubbles. The commotion is to be seen on the surface, the depth of the sea is still. The mind is the commotion of that something that is within us, that something which we call heart. The happiness, knowledge, pleasure and love that is stored in our innermost being is in our profound depth. Changing emotions and passions, dreams, ever-rising thoughts and imaginations, all belong to the surface, as the bubbles belong to the surface of the sea.

from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/II/II_41.htm


It is an effective visualization of mine when things are stormy and tumultuous to imagine myself as a pearl in an oyster at the bottom of a very deep ocean.

When I allow the shell of the oyster to open and I look up with pearly eyes, I see activity over me...fish swimming, sometimes eating each other, reflections of waves crashing against themselves over me, and far, far above the ocean itself, the moon looking back with the same pearly, opaque eyes as mine...I am a beautiful part of all that I see, but I am not the activity itself. I simply sit and sit in my gooey, ishqy oyster throne and be...

All Love,

Always!!!

Hakima

April 14, 2008

How humble is God?


God is the tree in the forest that allows itself to die
and will not defend itself in front of those with the ax,
not wanting to cause them shame.


And God is the Earth that will allow Herself
to be deformed by man’s tools,
but SHe cries, yes, God cries,
but only in front of Her closest ones.


And a beautiful animal is being beaten to death,
but nothing can make God break His silence to the masses and say,


“Stop, please stop, why are you doing this
to Me?”


How humble is god?


Kabir


wept

when


I




knew.


Kabir
Love Poems From God
Twelve Sacred Voices From
The East and West
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky


Divine Humility.

Just enough.

ALA!!!

Hakima

April 13, 2008

As a young girl, whenever I went out the front door of my house, I heard my mother call to me,

"Remember who you are, Pamela"

and my father would echo,

"Remember Whose you are"

In Sufi tradition, we use a practice called zikr, which means: remembrance

La illaha illa 'llahu!

There is no god, but the One.

and we go on further to connect with That One in Divine Belonging:

Toward the One
the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty
United with All the Illuminated Souls
Who form the embodiment of the Master,
the Spirit of Guidance.

Who are the illuminated souls? I am learning that illumination comes in various forms, but is essentially One...All who live and breath, All who have lived and breathed, All who will live and breathe...All Belong...

Passover is about belonging...it is about setting a sign at the door of one's own heart as a sign of eternal living...a sign to oneSelf, a sign to the One Self.

I say "Shema" and mean this:

Shema: means to hear, but also to ‘understand’, to ‘guard’, to ‘nail down with nails’, and to then ‘act upon by following understanding with righteousness’. It's very root is Divine Light.

Yisroel: Those who struggle to Remember, in order to Ensure the Divine Essence prevails upon the world.


Eloheinu: The original is written, Aloheinu. The sound, “Ah” represents the feminine aspect the Divine, El represents the Masculine:

Aloheinu: The One Breath of the Universe, Ruach, or Ru

Ehad: Oneness which is produced through activity. “Uniting separate threads’; To be bound together, like
cords in a rope; To Unite, to join together, to be a Unity.


Therefore the most Holy prayer, Shema, which is to spoken by many three times
each day, may be better understood and read as:

“Hear! Understand!
Guard These Words!
And Act Upon Them!

Struggle to Remember!
The Divine Essence of the Universe.

Our Oneness Is! Bound together! For Eternity!


O, Remember!
Divine Being!

The One Breath
Of The Universe!”

Amen, Amin, Ameyn!

Shalom!

ALA!!!

Hakima

April 11, 2008

Today's Daily Word - Friday, April 11, 2008
The Fool's Journey or Moronic Path is viable...

It's simply slow.

But if progression is not a goal, then perhaps direction is...

Perhaps not. The Sun shines on the Backs of Fools as well as the Faces of the Wise.

Guidance

Attuned to Spirit, I act with wisdom and grace.

A homing pigeon that has been set free miles away from its loft will instinctively return to its nest—its source of food and safety. Even when blown off course by the wind or delayed by the weather, pigeons trust their instinct to lead them home.

I have a homing intuition—a wisdom of my heart from Spirit—my source of inspiration and guidance. I am continually guided along my right path as I trust Spirit within to lead me in the right direction and guide me at every turning point.

If I wander from the path or get confused, I pause and listen for the inner guidance that speaks to my heart. Attuned to Spirit, I act with wisdom and grace. I move forward, confident that I am on the right course to my next destination.

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end.” —Psalm 119:33

The Pillar of Cloud

John Henry Newman (1801–1890)

LEAD, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,—
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet! I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years!

So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.


Turning right is my job...
Leading me onward is God's...

ALA!!!

Hakima

April 10, 2008

“As there is water in the depths of the earth, so there is truth at the bottom of all things, false or true. In some places, one has to dig deep; in other places, only a short distance; that is the only difference. But there is no place where there is no water. One may have to dig very, very deep in order to get it; but in the depths of the earth, there is water, and in the depths of all this falsehood that is on the surface, there is truth. If we are really seeking for the truth, we shall always find it.”
--Hazrat Inayat Khan


In
my soul
there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church
where I kneel.

Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist.

Is there not a region of love where the sovereignty is
illumined nothing,

where ecstasy gets poured into itself
and becomes
lost,

where the wing is fully alive
but has no mind or
body?

In
my soul
there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque,
a church

that dissolve, that
dissolve in
God.

--Rabia of Basra

Before I took bayat (initiation), I had a dream—

I found myself in the darkness of Universal Space. There was illumination and that illumination was me.

As I walk-floated along, I imagined a structure, a mosque, a temple larger than I had ever seen before. It had white columns, but no walls. There was no celing and there was no floor. At some distance there was a large podium that looked like an empty throne. I approached it and felt myself falling, prostrated in prayer. When I was fully horizontal, I saw that rose petals had appeared underneath me, like a prayer rug. I could smell their essence.

That was it. I stayed in that devoted position…and I have not since left.

ALA!!!

Hakima

April 3, 2008

The more living the heart, the more sensitive it is; but that which causes sensitiveness is the love-element in the heart, and love is God. The person whose heart is not sensitive is without feeling; his heart is not living, it is dead. In that case the divine Spirit is buried in his heart. A person who is always concerned with his own feelings is so absorbed in himself that he has no time to think of another. His whole attention is taken up with his own feelings. He pities himself, he worries about his own pain, and is never open to sympathize with others. He who takes notice of the feelings of another person with whom he comes in contact, practices the first essential moral of Sufism.

--Hazrat Inayat Khan

It is a paradox...

Because Empaths are ultra-sensory, there is a tendency to become self-absorbed, in both pleasure and pain...

The remedy is releasing oneself from one's own pleasure or pain and then sharing the pleasure or pain of another in the act of service...and thereby coming to a better understanding of the sensory experience that was released...

If you love something...let it go...
It will return, a hidden treasure.

Like dandelions:

Dandelions
by Howard Nemerov

These golden heads, these common suns
Only less multitudinous
Than grass itself that gluts
The market of the world with green,
They shine as lovely as they're mean,
Fine as the daughters of the poor
Who go proudly in spangles of brass;
Light-headed, then headless, stalked for a salad.
Inside a week they will be seen
Stricken and old, ghosts in the field
To be picked up at the lightest breath,
With brazen tops all shrunken in
And swollen green gone withered white.
You'll say it's nature's price for beauty
That goes cheap; that being light
Is justly what makes girls grow heavy;
And that the wind, bearing their death,
Whispers the second kingdom come.
—You'll say, the fool of piety,
By resignations hanging on
Until, still justified, you drop.
But surely the thing is sorrowful,
At evening, when the light goes out
Slowly, to see those ruined spinsters,
All down the field their ghostly hair,
Dry sinners waiting in the valley
For the last word and the next life
And the liberation from the lion's mouth.

And when I die, mingle my ashes with dandelion seeds, and toss us to the winds...
Liberated from and again to be swallowed by the lion's mouth.

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 31, 2008

In emulation of their Shaikh, the Chishtis take to heart the hadith,
"If someone visits a living man and gets nothing from him to eat,
it is as if he had visited the dead."

When asked "What is worship?," Muinuddin Chishti, founder of the Chishti Order, responded,

"To listen to the plight of the oppressed, to help the needy, and to fill the stomachs of the hungry. The man who does these three things may consider himself a friend of Allah. First he should have generosity like a river; secondly, kindness like the sun and, thirdly, humility like the earth. The man who is blessed is the man who is generous."

Muinuddin became legendary for his embodiment of this philosophy. It is said that so many meals were cooked every day in his kitchen that every impoverished person in the whole city could eat until satisfied. His custom was continued by his successors — any surplus at Chishti khanqahs was distributed to visitors and the needy.

***********************************

"Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti (1142-1236), founder of the Chishti Order, was a Persian from Khorasan, but settled among the Hindus of Rajasthan. His followers adopted the saffron color of the robes of the Hindu sages for their own coarse robes, and generally interchanged ideas and rituals with and even adopted the habits of the Hindu sadhus (mendicants)."

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
--James 1:27

ALA!!!


Hakima

March 25, 2008

With no apparent beauty that man should Him desire…

These words of Isaiah were on my mind as I searched for an image of Maryam of Nazareth…and then I found this one by Bruce Eagle. It rather reflects the inner beauty of the mother of our Lord and is what I imagine to be a more true picture of the fairest maid in Galilee.

I have been tuned in to the Maryams of the Bible since I was a very small girl...
Maryam, Moses' sister, who danced,
Maryam who bore the Being of our Lord within,
Maryam, who sat at His feet--the very feet she dried with her hair
(there are some who believe that it was another Maryam. I have some indicators that it was this one.)
Maryam, who bore the disciples James and John (was it the same as She who bore our Lord?)
Maryam, called Magdalene, who kissed Him on the Mouth and met Him in the transcendant time between Earth and Heaven.

...a very strange attunement, indeed for a dutiful and studious Mormon girl who only knows of them through the Spirit rather than by tradition and culture.


I bow to their Spirit now.

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 23, 2008

I became intrigued with old runs of the still popular television series, “Lost.” I have to watch old runs because I don’t have regular TV—my way of keeping out of the trends, but I got caught up in this particular one, mostly because of the very fine looking men who are regulars… Whew!!! Lord let me be lost on that island…LOL!!!

Seriously, lost is not a concept I totally grasp. No matter where I go, there I am…sound familiar? No? Yes? I read the following two poems today…they are so closely related that their synchronicity seem to me, messages from the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed be She:

First a reminder from my friend, Nancy:
Unbreakable, O Lord,
Is the love
That binds me to You:
Like a diamond,
It breaks the hammer that strikes it.

My heart goes into You
As the polish goes into the gold.
As the lotus lives in its water,
I live in You.

Like the bird
That gazes all night
At the passing moon,
I have lost myself dwelling in You.

O my Beloved --
Return.

~*~Mirabai

And then a message deep in a box I unpacked today:

Lost
--David Wagoner

Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying, "Here."
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.

Tonight is my second night in my own apartment, living alone, but not without love…Seeking solitude, but not isolation…grateful to ever be found as one of those lost in the Heart of the Beloved One.

...and so it is...

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 20, 2008

A mind unshaken when touched

by the worldly states,

sorrowless, stainless, and secure,

this is the blessing supreme.

Those who have fulfilled all these

are everywhere invincible;

they find well-being everywhere,

theirs is the blessing supreme.

-(adapted from) Mangala Sutta

An unshaken mind: the key to serenity and ultimately, Nirvana. My dad had me memorize this poem before I graduated from high school and stepped out into the world, and while I don't always acheive this state of mind, it is my deepest aspiration:

IF
If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;I

f all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Long hence have the years gone by that I can remember the entire poem word-for-word, but I do have the first two lines emblazoned as a mantra in my heart and when times get stressful--and that has made a world of difference.

Thanks Abba!

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 19, 2008

"Where are all the believers in Christ?"

The question was posed today in a public forum with the rally cry for believers to stand up and be counted.

As a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (more commonly known as Mormon), I find it an interesting question. When I was Mormon many so-called Christians would ask if I were a Christian and then would try to convince me that I wasn't when they found out that I was Mormon.

If I ever labeled myself as a Christian it was based on the idea that I believed that Jesus was actually a being on this earth and whether or not I met the standard set by his example (ie "Follow me"):

--Love God with all my heart, mind and soul.

--Love my neighbor as myself.

As a Mormon, I went for a very long time without understanding the full extent of the meaning of Grace. I don't suppose that I understand it now...Still, that didn't mean I wasn't under the effects and blessing of that Grace...this I know, he loves me and believes in me, whether or not I reciprocate. I suppose that makes everyone Christians.

I don't think numbers matter.

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 18, 2008

"Whenever there is fear, it is because you have not made up your mind."

This is bringing me to a "face-the-mirror" moment and helping me to lift the veil that has been covering it. What am I so afraid of? I'm not afraid that I won't like what I see...rather, that what I see will be much more than I could have possibly imagined.

The time has come...

The Walrus and The Carpenter

Lewis Carroll

(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.


I apologize profusely for my obscurity. I know EXACTLY what all this means.

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 17, 2008

EVERY child
comes with the message
that God is not yet discouraged
of man.


From: Stray Birds
By Rabindranath Tagore


Today is my beloved’s birthday! Alhamdulillah!

YEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

I think that if you were born on this day, it might be your destiny to look at the world with the rookiest of eyes. Perhaps it is your calling to help the world do that too so that it can get ready for Spring…born again…fresh and anew!

Potential

I am expressing my inner Christ qualities in creative, loving ways.

Everywhere I turn, I see the potential for growth and understanding. A bird sits upon her nest, innately aware of the potential that lies within each tiny egg she nurtures. Babies awaken in the morning ready to fulfill their curiosity about life. Children are expressing the love that leads them in being beloved friends, and to be future spouses and even leaders of nations. Adults share important lessons of a lifetime with the young.

I, too, am revealing my inner Christ potential each and every day. Within me is a wellspring of potential to create and love, to express and spread joy, to encourage myself and others.

I am expressing my inner Christ qualities in creative, loving ways.

“He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus.”—Acts 18:25
--from the Daily Word, March 17, 2008
The Buddha's teaching is all about understanding suffering--its origin, its cessation, and the path to its cessation. When we contemplate suffering, we find we are contemplating desire, because suffering and desire are the same thing.

Desire can be compared to fire. If we grasp fire, what happens? Does it lead to happiness? If we say: "Oh, look at that beautiful fire! Look at the beautiful colors! I love red and orange; theyre my favorite colors," and then grasp it, we would find a certain amount of suffering entering the body. And then if we were to contemplate the cause of that suffering we would discover it was the result of having grasped that fire. On that information, we would hopefully then let the fire go. Once we let fire go then we know that it is not something to be attached to. This does not mean we have to hate it, or put it out. We can enjoy fire, can't we? It is nice having a fire, it keeps the room warm, but we do not have to burn ourselves in it.


--Ajahn Sumedho, Teachings of a Buddhist Monk

It’s hard to not touch the pretty colors and refrain from embracing the warmth of the fire.

Our greatest enemy is ourself. All weakness, all ignorance keeps us from the truth of our being, from all the virtues hidden in us and all perfection hidden in our souls. The first self we realize is the false self. Unless the soul is born again it will not see the kingdom of heaven. The soul is born into the false self; it is blind. In the true self the soul opens its eyes. Unless the false self is fought with, the true self cannot be realized.
--Hazrat Inayat Khan

from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_5.htm

It is windy, but a very beautiful day!

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 16, 2008

March 16, 2008
Palm Sunday



Estaferallah

On the path
we battle the lure
of ego.

Estaferallah is that tool.
Concerned not with an external force,
but seeing an inner world
where we allow
the dust of life to gather.

Moving on the way
subtle distinctions arise.
As the Eskimo has a hundred words for snow,
because they live in a world where the subtle differences in snow
are essential,
the seeker encounters the subtle faces of ego.

We have words for these:
arrogance, negativity, cynicism,
false pride and its opposite, self doubt.
And we have the antidotes:
humility, honesty, ordinariness,
honor,
sacrifice, courage, prayer.

Always,
when facing these subtleties,
we have the choice of which way to go:
towards the self importance of the ego,
or towards purity.

With Estaferallah we ask
to always move towards purity,
brushing the dust of negativity
from our hearts.


Today is Palm Sunday, the day of Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem. A good day for readying oneself for the coming of the Beloved. First, clean out the old stuff and then the space you are in is open, ready for creating…like a blank palatte.

Go sweep out the chamber of your heart,
make it ready to be the dwelling place of the Beloved,
when you depart, He will enter,
in you, void of yourself, will He display His beauties.
--Mahmud Shabistari

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 16, 2008

"And what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering? It is that craving which gives rise to rebirth, bound up with pleasure and lust, finding fresh delight now here, now there: that is to say sensual craving, craving for existence, and craving for non-existence. And where does this craving arise and establish itself? Wherever in the world there is anything agreeable and pleasurable, there this craving arises and establishes itself. And what is there in the world that is agreeable and pleasurable? The eye in the world is agreeable and pleasurable, the ear... the nose... the tongue... the body... the mind in the world is agreeable and pleasurable, and there this craving arises and establishes itself. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mind-objects in the world are agreeable and pleasurable, and there this craving arises and establishes itself."

--Mahasatipatthana Sutta: The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, in Thus Have I Heard: The Long Discourses of the Buddha, trans. by Maurice Walshe

This Place Where You Are Right Now
This place where you are right now
God circled on a map for you.
Wherever your eyes and arms and heart can move
Against the earth and sky,
The Beloved has bowed there -
Our Beloved has bowed there knowing You were coming.
I could tell you a priceless secret about
Your real worth, dear pilgrim,
But any unkindness to your self,
Any confusion about others,
Will keep one
From accepting the grace, the love,
The sublime freedom
Divine knowledge always offers to you.
Never mind, Hafiz, about
The great requirements this path demands
Of the wayfarers,
For your soul is too full of wine tonight
To withhold the wondrous Truth from this world.
But because I am so clever and generous,
I have already clearly woven a resplendent lock
Of His tresses
As a remarkable truth and gift
In this poem for you.

--Hafiz

There is an obscure poem recited in the movie, “Joe Versus the Volcano” I used to make fun of it because I did not understand it. Now, perhaps, I still don’t understand it, but I FEEL it and like Hafiz treasure it like a valuable gift:
“Long ago
The delicate tangles of his hair
Covered the emptiness
Of her hand.”

There is a [Hadith] which says: 'Mutu kubla anta mutu', which means, Die before death. A poet says, 'Only he attains to the peace of the Lord who loses himself.' God said to Moses, 'No man shall see me and live.' To see God we must be non-existent.
from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_26.htm
Mutu kubla anta mutu!

Yes! One must die before one can be born again...

Perhaps giving up one's fear of death by putting it into constant practice is one way of releasing the suffering that fear brings with it.
“…we don’t have to sit around and look sweet and sad an anemic in order to believe in God…I like sort of a lusty, husky faith in the Infinite.”
--Ernest Holmes
I absolutely LOVE the idea of a lusty faith...husky has social connotations that I'm re-thinking...for one, it connotes an open abundance and for another it has a raw and raspy flavor to it...like a well used voice or a body that has been happily worked to it's limit.

ALA!!!

Husky, Lusty Hakima

March 14, 2008

No end to the journey

No end, no end to the journey
no end, no end never
how can the heart in love ever stop opening
if you love me, you won’t just die once
in every moment you will die into me
to be reborn
Into this new love die

your way begins on the other side
become the sky
take an axe to the prison wall,
escape
walk out like someone
suddenly born into color
do it now
--Rumi

March 6, 2008

March 6, 2008

87. Gathering Gems

Al-Jame

When you are guided to this pathway, take the opportunity to enjoy the process of gathering, whether of people in your life or the resources you need at this moment. See the process as gathering parts of yourself that you can help you better reflect your purpose in life.

Perhaps life is calling you to help an outer community form a circle. Each voice is another unique gemstone through which the One Being’s light can pass. Your role may be to help all the gems become aware that they are part of the Beloved’s rosary. Or, you may need to gather resources to make a new start in your own life. This pathway can teach you to enjoy and learn from the gathering part of the process, rather than to simply see it as a means to an end. Or, it may be time to gather in a circle of your inner self if it has been a while since you have done so.

--Neil Douglas Klotz, Sufi Book of Life

DON'T BE BITTER MY FRIEND
you'll regret it soon
hold to your togetherness
or surely you'll scatter

don't walk away gloomy
from this garden
you'll end up like an owl
dwelling in old ruins

face the war and
be a warrior like a lion
or you'll end up like a pet
tucked away in a barn

once you conquer
your selfish self
all your darkness
will change to light

"RUMI, Fountain of Fire", ghazal number 3299,
translated 4 December 1991 by Nader Khalili,
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994.



It hurts to be a warrior sometimes...but bitterness with pain?  No thank you...

My life hurts sometimes, but it IS sweet.

ALA!!!

Hakima

Al Malik

March 5, 2008

International Women’s Day

Al-Malik

The 'I Can' Power of the Cosmos

When you are guided to this pathway of the heart, take the opportunity to focus on the "I Can!"—the vision-power—of the cosmos coming through you.
No compromise. No Nonsense Sometimes in life you must decide to go for your own full realization as a human being, no mater what it takes. Usually it takes some great crisis to bring us to this point. Pain is often the greatest motivator when it comes to envisioning an entirely new life. Boredom and a habitual sense of “playing safe” keep this vision –power bottled up within us.
--Neil Douglas-Klotz, The Sufi Book of Life

If you give birth to what is within you
The voices you redeem will redeem you.
If you fail to find and give birth to them,
They become part of what is destroying you.
--The Gospel of Thomas

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.
--Baha’u’llah

The advantage of adversity is that it gives us an opportunity to experience the absolute unity of God as everything. The truth is, we are always one with God; as we build a consciousness of our oneness it will permeate our viewpoint of everything. In this oneness we have the choice to be defeated by our circumstances, or to come out the other side of adversity with greater wisdom, serenity and goodwill.
--Science of Mind, March 2008

Winter Lambs All night snow came upon uswith unwavering intent—small flakes not meanderingbut driving thickly down. We woketo see the yard, the car and roadheaped unrecognizably.The neighbors' ewes are lambingin this stormy weather. Threelambs born yesterday, three moreexpected...Felix the ram looked proprietary in his separate penwhile fatherhood accrued to him.The panting ewes regarded mewith yellow-green, small-pupiled eyes.I have a friend who is pregnant—plans gone awry—and not altogetherpleased. I don't say she shouldbe pleased. We are creation'sproperty, its particles, its clayas we fall into this life,agree or disagree.
--Jane Kenyon

Teete Malkutakh—“Let your vision power, the ‘I Can’ of the cosmos, really come!”
Thy king/queendom come!

Life…it comes as it comes with all of it’s joy and pain. We bear children when it’s not convenient. Tragedy comes at the least expected times. We fall in and love and out of favor with love when we’re certain about how our lives should be arranged and either circumstance places the greatest obstacles in our pathways. There is no avoiding the condition of life…we feel…good or bad…otherwise…What we get is the choice to accept that condition with grace or to meet it in a futile struggle…

If we choose to struggle, our energies, our resources are limited to the extent of the condition against which we are fighting. If we choose grace, simply turning toward the One who imparts Grace, our resources to overcome…to get on the other side of whatever pain or joy faces us…are Infinite.

ALA!!!

Hakima

March 4, 2008

photo: Sunset Pond
Eva Rose Miller
Argentina, 2008

This is my first post on this blog...I am using this as a means to journal and record readings and activities...If one visits, note that the post may lengthen as the day progresses.

Toward the One,
the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty, the Only Being
United with All the Illuminated Souls who form the embodiment of the Master,
The Spirit of Guidance.

Bismillah ar Rachman, ar Rahim!
I begin in the name of the One, who is Mercy and Compassion.

It was cold last night, but the down comforter, sleeping bag and words of my murshida kept me warm and brought me through the night in this little hut of a travel trailer I am calling "home" for the time being...It is only a place...truly Home is the abode of the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed be She...and I don't need a yellow brick road to find it...

The Horoscope I receive in my email each morning seemed to fit with some personal adjustments and caveats:

Aries Horoscope (Mar 21 - Apr 19) Your intensity is on the rise, yet you could feel moody and withdrawn today, making this a day of contradiction. You may be bothered by things that wouldn't necessarily bug you on another day. Additionally, you may be annoyed at yourself because you don't want to confront the source of the current irritation. Nevertheless, consciously facing an uncomfortable issue today is smarter than unconsciously losing your temper later in the week.

Intensity is a useful tool when I focus that compressed energy toward goals I wish to accomplish...

There is nothing wrong with moodiness...another useful tool...honestly acknowledging my true feelings can be the first step toward disengaging...loving detachment...

Withdrawing, going within might be the best way to dwell in serenity today...Meditation, prayer, communion with the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed be She...helps me look at personal issues...They are there within...closer than my jugular vein...I would rather confront what needs to be confronted there than externally where folks don't know the true desires of my heart and I am open to false judgement and undue criticism...

At the center of your being, you have the answer
You know who you are and you know what you want.
--Lao-tzu

What happens on the [external] may be a comedy, a tragedy or a love story, but always on our inner stage there is a creative intelligence guiding us as we turn to it. Our intuition and inspiration are the urging of Spirit to be more of who we truly are. When we take our cues from what is within us we will find ourselves not just reacting to the play of life around us but also creating the scenes.
--from Science of Mind

One of the most common reasons we are so tied into making our parents, or others, happy, is that we were not properly mirrored when we were children. We were not honored as individuals in our own right, with a will and purpose of our own, to be determined by our own unfolding. As a result, we learned to look outside of ourselves for approval, support, and direction rather than look within. The good news is that the part of us that was not adequately nurtured is still there, inside us, like a seed that has not yet received the sunlight and moisture it needs to open and to allow its inner contents to unfurl. It is never too late to provide ourselves with what we need to awaken this inner being.
--from the DailyOM Daily Inspiration

No, it is never too late and what is more, we don't even have to "provide" it in the traditional sense...when we awaken to what is...and to who and what we authentically are, it is provided like the lilies of the field that Jesus spoke of.

Man forms his future by his actions. His every good or bad action spreads its vibrations and becomes known throughout the universe. The more spiritual a man is, the stronger and clearer are the vibrations of his actions, which spread over the world and weave his future. The universe is like a dome: it vibrates to that which you say in it, and echoes the same back to you. So also is the law of action: we reap what we sow.

from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/V/V_1.htm

...even those who have risen beyond karmic cause and effect are subject to the Universal Law of reciprocity...it is a Divinely allocated axiom...
in the humble opinion of one who still tosses dust and cries at the irritation...

RUMI - 2381 - poem


LOOK AT LOVE
how it tangles
with the one fallen in love

look at spirit
how it fuses with earth
giving it new life

why are you so busy
with this or that or good or bad
pay attention to how things blend

why talk about all
the known and the unknown
see how unknown merges into the known

why think separately
of this life and the next
when one is born from the last

look at your heart and tongue
one feels but deaf and dumb
the other speaks in words and signs

look at water and fire
earth and wind
enemies and friends all at once

the wolf and the lamb
the lion and the deer
far away yet together

look at the unity of this
spring and winter
manifested in the equinox

you too must mingle my friends
since the earth and the sky
are mingled just for you and me

be like sugarcane
sweet yet silent
don't get mixed up with bitter words

my beloved grows
right out of my own heart
how much more union can there be

ghazal number 2381,
translated March 9, 1992
by Nader Khalili.

ALA!!!

Hakima