Formerly, as well as other great seekers of truth, the direct realization of the divine was not just the ultimate goal put the needs to an even deeper experience of the divine.

This blog includes excerpts from my book entitled The Lover's Gaze: Rumi's Guide for Lovers and Spiritual Seekers. In it I try to provide balanced (not too literal, yet not diverging from the original Persian) translations and commentary on the poetry and practical philosophy of Rumi, the Persian Sufi Mystic and Poet. The translations in this blog are copyrighted. If you wish to use them send me an email and I will need to verify usage then send you a formal email of permission of usage.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009
Rumi is born
September 30, 1207 marks one of the significant milestones in the development of human thought. Ruby was born to a family of scholars. He himself was a renowned scholar. When he encountered his master, Shams, he gradually and systematically began to shed the artificial burden of erudite scholars. This was not necessarily a conscious decision on his part. By analyzing his writings we see that this process was an inner transformation that was based grounded in experience. He was not merely the adoption of a worldview, but rather letting go of the ego. This letting go of the ego, is characteristic of many traditions of mystical philosophy. In Taoist traditions this is marked as a wuwei or nonaction, as it is often translated to. It is actually the relinquishing of our bondage to the results of the action we perform. In the Vedic tradition this moksha or liberation occurs when one is no longer bound by the fruits of action as depicted in the Bhagavad-Gita.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Companion
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Painter
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Rumi on Love - part 3 - Love makes Mountains Dance
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Rumi on Love: Part 2, Love Heals all Ailments
[23] Khosh bash ey eshgh e khosh sodaye ma
Ey tabibe jomle ellathaye ma
May you
always be joyous ---
my beloved --
the one who benefits us all
my physician --
the one who heals all our ailments
The beloved has a characteristic that benefits all who come in contact or who interact in some way.
The beloved also is the healer of all ailments; such is the power of love.
Thus, strive to keep the beloved joyous!
The Sun appears as testimony to the Light
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Rumi on Love: Part 1, The Fire of Love
Rumi speaks of Love within his masterpiece, the spiritual couplets -- the Masnavi Maanavi.
He defines loves, swoons in love and is ecstatic with love; love of the Divine.
In these series I will focus on his verses relating to Love. We'll start with the first book of the Masnavi and move ahead, and let Love guide us through Love's mysteries.
The very first appearance of Love comes in verse 10:
[10]Atashe esgh ast kandar ney fetadJoosheshe Esgh ast kandar mey fetad
The fire of Love found its way to the fluteWhat fell in wine, was the churning of Love
Rumi is saying that the melancholy despair of the reedflute is there, because love had
wisped its way into the flute. Love, has fire, that fire has generated the wind that
creates the sound of the flute. That wind arose from Love and its tale of longing,
as the Masnavi starts with the story of the longing of separation of man from the Divine.
Wine, bubbles only because Love accidentally fell into it. The fiery drive of Love causes the drink to bubble and churn. This bubbling enthusiasm, this bubbling bliss as other seers such as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi describes the bliss of pure consciousness, is the bubbling of pure love. Love that is the subject and object. Love that is the Lover, and the Beloved is the love Divine, love of the Divine.
and gos on in verse 13 to remind us that
[13] Ney hadise rahe por khoon mikonadGhesehaye eshghe majnoon mikonadThe reedflute tells a story of a path full of tribulations... stories of those madly in love
The way of love, is a way of tribulations. Literally, Rumi calls it a path full of blood marks along the way. And yet the Lover does not give up: madly in love, they proceed despite tribulations.
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