Tag Archives: Poetry

I Am You

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By Farzad Khalvati

A magnificent mountain, a contemplating mind, a man resembling a lotus, the Seeker is meditating the time, hunting for his Self, searching for a clue in the elusive inner world. A harsh silence; “The outer life, as a thought for existence, has given me a perception of my ego but has taken me away from You.” He says inwardly. “Between You and life, I had to choose just one, and how can I complain now that I chose life?”

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The Seeker remembers a man, lost in the darkness of life, seeking for the inner master. After a long journey, he came and knocked at the friend’s door.

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The friend asked him, “Who are you, O trusty one?”
He answered, “I”. The friend said, “Begone, it is not the time for you to come in.
“At a table like this, there is no place for the raw and inexperienced.
“Except the fire of absence and separation, who will cook the raw; who will bring the knowingness to the inexperienced and release him from insincerity?”

The poor man went away, and for a year, in travel.
He was burned with sparks of fire of separation from his friend.
The burned one was cooked; then he returned.
And again, paced to and fro beside the house of his comrade.

He knocked at the door with a hundred fears and respects,
Dreading any disrespectful word might escape from his lips.

His friend called to him, “Who is at the door?”
He answered, “It is you at the door, O charmer of hearts.”

“Now”, said the friend, “since you are I, come in, O myself.
“There is no room in the house for two I’s (egos).”

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Based on Rumi’s Masnavi (initial translation by Nicholson)

Upcoming Talk: Rumi’s Hidden Teachings on Unknown Dimensions of Consciousness

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I invite you to join us in a talk and dialogue on Rumi’s teachings at Richmond Hill Public Library

Facebook Event

Date: Sunday Feb 10, 2019 at 2pm
Address: Richmond Hill Public Library, 1 Atkinson St, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0H5 Map
Title: Exploring the Unknown Dimensions of Consciousness Through Rumi’s Hidden Teachings: Shadow, Projection, and Reflection – Part 1
Speaker: Farzad Khalvati

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“You are a tree with thousands of shadows on every side.
Love your shadows. Don’t cut them off from your being.

Bring the shadows to the light so they will fade away.
Reveal your glowing face like a sunrise.”

– Rumi

Often, we have the impression that the path of self-realization has little to do with our daily lives and interactions. On the surface, self-realization seems so abstract and disconnected from “real” life that it is hard to see that it (self-realization) is, indeed, the only way out of suffering and having a creative and meaningful life. 

Nevertheless, unknowingly, every day, we deal with the innermost dimensions of our awareness, without realizing that the quality of our daily life depends on deep understanding of these unknown dimensions of consciousness such as Shadow, Projection, and Reflection.

With the help of the hidden teachings of Rumi, in this talk, dialogue, and contemplation, we will explore these hidden dimensions of our awareness to become one step closer to self-realization.

 

 

Beauty Behind the Veil – Understanding a Deeper Meaning of Rumi’s Writings

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By Farzad Khalvati, Doug Marman

As the most famous Sufi mystic of all times, Rumi’s poetry and writings have been the source of inspiration for some, and a source of confusion for others. While some scholars and Sufi enthusiasts find deep and meaningful teachings behind his writings (Chittick, 2005), there have been debates among academic scholars who suggest that Rumi’s writings are entirely random and lack any organizational structure (Palmer, 2015). The lack of solid causality and linearity in the construction of Rumi’s writings, such as Masnavi and Discourses (Fihi-Ma-Fihi), have made them notoriously difficult to understand (Arberry, 1995). This might have contributed to an impression that most of Rumi’s work can only be seen as a linguistic artwork and not a foundation for a teaching.

The psychology of learning has mainly focused on linear or analytical thinking where we clearly differentiate between thoughts, understanding, and learning of a subject matter (Sperry, 1952). This gives the impression that learning occurs linearly and hence, it can only digest writings that are presented linearly with strong causal relationships between the consequent elements.

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