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Sayings of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Bowl of Saki

September

9-1:
Joy and sorrow both are for each other. If it were not for joy, sorrow could not be; and if it were not for sorrow, joy could not be experienced.

9-2:
Self-pity is the cause of all life's grievances.

9-3:
How can the unlimited Being be limited? All that seems limited is in its depth beyond all limitations.

9-4:
Pleasure blocks, but pain clears the way of inspiration.

9-5:
There is no source of happiness other than that in the heart of man.

9-6:
Happy is he who does good to others; miserable is he who expects good from others.

9-7:
One virtue is more powerful than a thousand vices.

9-8:
The soul is either raised or cast down by the power of its own thought, speech and action.

9-9:
Love is the divine Mother's arms; when those arms are spread, every soul falls into them.

9-10:
It is the fruit that makes the tree bow low.

9-11:
In order to learn forgiveness, man must first learn tolerance.

9-12:
The first step towards forgiveness is to forget.

9-13:
The only way to live in the midst of inharmonious influences is to strengthen the will power and endure all things, yet keeping fineness of character and nobility of manner, together with an everlasting heart full of love.

9-14:
Devotion to a spiritual teacher is not for the sake of the teacher; it is for God.

9-15:
To become cold from the coldness of the world is weakness; to become broken by the hardness of the world is feebleness; but to live in the world and yet to keep above it is like walking on the water.

9-16:
God alone deserves all love, and the freedom of love is in giving it to God.

9-17:
Love has the power to open the door of eternal life.

9-18:
Love has its limitations when it is directed towards limited beings, but love directed to God has no limitations.

9-19:
The teacher, however great, can never give his knowledge to the pupil; the pupil must create his own knowledge.

9-20:
One thing is true: although the teacher cannot give the knowledge, he can kindle the light if the oil is in the lamp.

9-21:
Will power is the keynote of mastery, and asceticism is the development of will power.

9-22:
Real generosity is an unfailing sign of spirituality.

9-23:
There are two kinds of generosity, the real and the shadow; the former is prompted by love, the latter by vanity.

9-24:
It is better to pay than receive from the vain; for such favors demand ten times their cost.

9-25:
The kingdom of heaven is in the hearts of those who realize God.

9-26:
In order to relieve the hunger of others, we must forget our own hunger.

9-27:
It is when man has lost the idea of separateness and feels himself at one with all creation, that his eyes are opened and he sees the cause of all things.

9-28:
To fall beneath one's ideal is to lose one's share of life.

9-29:
The wise of all ages have taught that it is knowledge of the divine Being that is life, and the only reality.

9-30:
When the stream of love flows in its full strength, it purifies all that stands in its way, as the Ganges, according to the teaching of the ancients, purifies all those who plunge into its sacred waters.