Poems of Rumi, tr. by Coleman Barks
Excerpts from Open Secret, Unseen Rain, Feeling the Shoulder of the Lion, & This Longing
Inspirations: on the Path of Blame
There are three steps to achieving eternal life by dying to the world. The first step is to protect oneself against the love, the ambition, the lust, the pleasures of this world, whose attractions pull us down to it and whose illusions distract us from Truth.
Awakened Dreams
When I closed my eyes, I found myself among a few hundred students seated before a teacher of majestic presence. As I shifted my position, I put my hand on my head and was surprised to feel a twisted lock of hair at the top of my head. Then I remembered that I was Chinese. Suddenly, I remembered many other things as well.
The Drop That Became The Sea
Excerpt from The Drop That Became The Sea, by Yunus Emre (Threshold Books, 1989)
Forty Days
Today for some reason I'm crying a lot again. I have also suffered a major relapse: my obsession makes itself conspicuous again, overshadowing everything else! And I really thought I'd outgrown that! But I suppose that would be too simple, such a sudden change after being stuck for so long. Hz. Mevlâna says: "There is that in me that has to be told 50 times a day, Stop hunting, step on this net". I suppose that's how it is, the relapse is something that says to me: Stop hunting, it doesn't work the way that you imagine.
The Sema Ceremony
An illustrated description of the sequence of events in Sema, the central ritual of the Mevlevi Sufi order.
Al-Mudhill: The Humiliator
Al-Mudhill: The Humiliator; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
Al-Muhsi: The Appraiser
Al-Muhsi: The Appraiser; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
Al-Muhaymin: The Guardian
Al-Muhaymin: The Guardian; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.
Al-Mughni: The Enricher
Al-Mughni: The Enricher; from Asma al-Husna -- The Most Beautiful Names of God, published by Threshold Society.