Rising Above "I"
... and Discovering Ever-Lasting Peace
The greatest problems of life are often caused by the self-created
sense of "I", "me" and "mine". Whenever we strive for "me", "my
desire", "my preferences", we fail to find lasting peace or enduring
satisfaction.
Ever-changing Forms
All that appears as "my life" is merely a small fragment of a
great play wherein all of creation is continually changing from
one form to another form. If we become attached to any specific
form, then we will eventually bring needless suffering upon ourselves.
Forms come and forms go. That is the way of this world. This
is the reality: a fish eats a smaller fish, an animal eats the fish,
a snake eats the animal, another animal eats the snake... and so
it goes, with each physical form coming into being for only a brief
moment before being transformed into some other form.
Even within our own bodies the forms are ever changing
as invader cells of bacteria and virus are killed by our immune
system cells. These changes of form are not the destruction of life,
rather it is merely life changing from one form to another form.
The form changes, but Life itself goes on.
Don’t grieve,
anything you lose comes
round in another form.
The child weaned from mother’s milk
now drinks wine and honey mixed.
God’s joy moves
from unmarked box to unmarked box,
from cell to cell.
As rainwater, down into a flowerbed.
as a rose, up from the ground.
Now it looks like a plate
of rice and fish,
now a cliff covered
with vines,
now
a horse being saddled.
It hides within these,
until one day it cracks them open.
Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks
If we willingly and joyfully go along with these inevitable changes,
then we can abide in everlasting peace. But if we resist the changes,
then we will only find great suffering.
So, this is our choice: Shall we choose to resist the true nature
of ever-changing life and thereby throw ourselves into despair?
Or shall we willingly and joyfully go along with the ever-changing
nature of this world, thereby discovering eternal happiness?
All that truly exists is the Holy One constantly changing from
one form to another form. The forms are not "ours", and we cannot
control the coming and going of these forms... all that we can do
is enjoy the great mystery as it unfolds before us.
When we clarify the whole matter of dissolution and what is
prior to the world of words, we can live here in tranquility.
These physical forms are only momentary displays of the wonder
and glory of the Ever-present, All-knowing One, the One whose
existence is known to us through these ever-changing signs.
In this world, things are contrasted and become distinguished
from one another by means of their opposites. Thus by means
of these changes of form, we can become aware of the signs of
the One who is changeless and formless.
We are the signs of the presence of the Holy One; we are
the instruments through which the Holy One manifests in this
world; we are here to radiate the loving-kindness, harmony
and beauty of the Holy One.
Emptiness and Longing
Yet, despite our sacred purpose, many people suffer from
a hollow feeling, an emptiness, which is a sign, calling us
to rise above our ordinary daily concerns and to discover the
One Cause that is behind all causes, the One Power behind all
powers. All too often we forget to acknowledge the One who gives
us life, the One who has arranged all things, and our deep inner
longing is but a faint recollection of the One whom we have
forgotten.
Sadly, most people are living a life filled with "I", "me"
and "mine", and only seldom see the wonder and glory of God
all around them. All of this creation is but a sign of the wonder
and glory of the One who has created it all.
When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.
When actions come
from (the self),
the feeling disappears.
Don't let others lead you.
They
may be blind,
or worse, vultures.
Reach for the rope of God.
And what is that?
Putting aside self-will...
Don't insist on going
where you think you want to go.
Ask
the way to the Spring.
Your living pieces will form a harmony
Rumi: We are Three, Coleman Barks
For those who merely see "things" around them, then it is
indeed very difficult to remain connected to the Divine. However,
for those who see the Divine in every person, in all of nature,
in every molecule, in every particle, then Divine remembrance
comes naturally and joyfully.
In this world, all things are contrasted and become distinguished
from one another by means of their opposites. Thus our inner
longing and lack of peace call to us to become aware of, and
help us to recognize, the wondrous presence of the One who is
Ever-present, Ever-satisfied and Ever-peaceful.
Strive then to see the hand of the Creator in all of creation,
and to see all of these works as signs of the wonder and glory
of the One who has created it all. When viewing creation from
such a perspective, the Divine connection is ever-present, the
false sense of "self" is diminished, and love, harmony and beauty
are all-pervading.
Meditation
Meditation has many different forms, with some specific form
being most suitable for each particular individual. Meditation
is highly recommended by many spiritual teachers, and the end
product of all the different forms of meditation is liberation
from our excessive preoccupation with "I", "me" and "mine",
leaving us free to more clearly understand who and what we really
are.
What are we?
So, what then are we?? We are the signs of the presence of
the Holy One; we are the instruments through which the
Divine Presence manifests in this world; we are here to radiate the loving-kindness,
harmony and beauty of the Holy One.
Yes, that is our task: to freely and joyfully radiate love,
harmony and beauty into this world of never-ending changes of
form. When we abide in that reality, rather than our own
preferences,
we find that we are emissaries of the One, sent on a glorious
mission of beauty, wonder and joy.
with love,
wahiduddin
posted August 06, 2007
Life and Teachings
-- Longmont, Colorado -----