800th Anniversary of birth of Mevlana Rumi

Today is being celebrated as the 800 birth anniversary of Mevlana Jalalud-din Rumi. Rumi is one of the most famous Sufi masters and poet par excellence. The day is being celebrated all over the world especially in Afghanistan (where he was born) and Turkey (where he spend most of his life). UNESCO has named 2007 as the year of the Mevlana. Many celebrations are being held all over the world and one such celebration is taking place today in Konya, Turkey the location of the Mausoleum of Rumi, where 300 Dervishes would be performing!! One of the things in my list of 'Things to do before I die' is to visit Konya. I have always been drawn to Rumi's poetry and hence today's post is dedicated to his remembrance.
To commemorate today's special occasion I am sharing a poem by Rumi with you. The great thing about Rumi's poetry is that the themes are so universal and timeless that they still hold true for us today as they did to the people in his time. I have posted earlier too about Rumi so I am not going to bore you by repeating it all once again but you could check it here and here.
I think with the proper exposure a lot of people would find solace in his teachings of universal brotherhood, tolerance and love. Most people would equate Sufism with Islam and the bad publicity that Islam has been getting of late due to senseless acts by fanatics seem to put people off Sufism too but in my opinion it is the most accepting and universal of all the mysticism that I have read about. Sufism is not a religion it is the spiritual mysticism of a way of life which is pure and beautiful.

My heart, sit only with those
who know and understand you.
Sit only under a tree
that is full of blossoms.
In the bazaar of herbs and potions
don't wander aimlessly
find the shop with a potion that is sweet
If you don't have a measure
people will rob you in no time.
You will take counterfeit coins
thinking they are real.
Don't fill your bowl with food from
every boiling pot you see.
Not every joke is humorous, so don't search
for meaning where there isn't one.
Not every eye can see,
not every sea is full of pearls.
My hart, sing the song of longing
like nightingale.
The sound of your voice casts a spell
on every stone, on every thorn.
First, lay down your head
then one by one
let go of all distractions.
Embrace the light and let it guide you
beyond the winds of desire.
There you will find a spring and nourished by its see waters
like a tree you will bear fruit forever.

Rumi: The Hidden Music
by Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin

Video credit: Draytonpark
Photo credit: Obieglad

Religion the opium of the masses

I try to steer away from posting things about religion and politics on my blog because it's a more personal sort of a blog. But then it also about the things that affect me. I have been watching some shows on CNN about Christianity which were kind of disturbing for me. The first one was God's Warriors by Christiane Amanpour. The showed talked about the conservative nature of the Christian collation in US. The development of them as a political force in US and their 'agenda' particularly against homosexuality, abortion, and teaching of the theory of evolution in schools. This was something I was already aware of but was rather disturbing was Teen mania movement started by Ron Luce. These so called 'ministries' help people deal with the corruption from pop culture and media of 'secular nature'. The students who go into the ministries have to follow rules like no access to secular music, internet etc, girls are not allowed to wear skirts which fall above their knees!! They hold these concerts called Battle Cry and the last one was held in one of the most liberal city in US i.e. San Francisco where as expected they had confrontations with people who don't agree with their agenda. I agree that every person has the right to follow their religion but why wear it on your sleeve and impose Taliban like laws on young minds thus sending them down the path of religious fanaticism. Hasn't the world already seen enough bloodshed in the name of religion. Will we ever learn our lessons??!
Another story that formed a part of the show was about a family with 5 children who were being home schooled because the parents wanted to protect their children from the corruption prevailing in the secular public schools. Such was the extent of brainwash of the children that when the reporter asked the eldest child who was about 8 or 10 as to what Jesus wanted for him he said that Jesus wanted him to be home schooled??!!!
After seeing these disturbing stories I thought of posting yesterday about it but thought I rather not and then today I saw a news piece on CNN about Tom Monaghan (the founder of Dominos Pizza chain) who has founded Ave Maria a planned community in Florida with a Catholic University at it's core. This was supposed to be a safe haven from the corrupting secular nature of the rest of US and it was planned that the community would not air TV channels which showed pornography, pharmacists would not be allowed to sell contraceptives and birth control pills etc. The founder got in trouble after making these comments and hence had to later back track. The whole thing reminded me of the The Stepford Wives!! Tom said that he decided to sell off his business empire and all that he thought was ostentatious because he thought that the greatest sin was pride (which he realized after reading a book by C.S. Lewis). The question that came into my mind at that time was that isn't believing that my religion or belief system is better or superior to others also a form of pride!!
I fail to understand why most religions are always trying to prove the supremacy of their religion over the others and that their messiah as the only one who'd be able to take you to salvation when the world comes to an end. Why has this agenda over shadowed all the other teachings dealing with brotherhood, love, compassion, forgiveness and live and let live? Why can't religion be a more personal matter and why do we have to make such a spectacle out of it all. And does all this ostentatious and grand celebration of religion ever help anyone connect with their inner self and find peace and sanctuary from this madness and stress of our daily life?

Photo Credit: SpYderDelusion

Shiva

At times when things are just not going the right way or when you feel that things are beyond your control I find it easier to just do my part and leave the rest onto a higher power. Most times things work out for the best. In my most desperate times I find solace in visiting a secluded place of worship. In India where religion is an important part of most people lives it's hard to find a religious place which is not bustling with human activity. I know two places in my city which are comparatively quiet and peaceful. Today I went to both those places to thank Him for all that I have and pray for the rest to fall in place. This picture is of Shiva and is from one of those temples.

Shiva is the god of the mystics and the sadhus who would renounce everything and go into the Himalayas to meditate and achieve Nirvana. He is the only God form the pantheon in Hinduism who can be historically traced in some form from before Aryans came to the Indian Subcontinent. In the Indus Valley civilization he was found on a seal called the Pashupati seal surrounded by animals. Later he took the form of Rudra and then finally in the Later Vedic age as Shiva the destroyer forming part of the trinity including Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver. One of his most famous form is Nataraja i.e. the dancing Shiva performing the Tandav or the dance of the destruction. He is also worshiped in the phallic form called a Lingam. The river Ganga is said to have originated from his hair (hence the religious importance attached to it) and his consorts are the goddess Parvati and Sati. Ganesha is one of his sons.
Shiva is worshiped along with Goddess Kali for attaining Tantric abilities. The Kamasutra is attributed to Nandi (the bull that Shiva rides) after he spied on a marathon lovemaking session between Shiva and his consort Parvati. Rudraksha a berry from which a rosaries are made are said to be the tears of Shiva and are known for their spiritual power.
Of all the temples I have been to the most beautiful temple that I have seen are the various temple in Bali especially the breathtaking Tanah Lot.


















But the temple that I can never get out of my head is the Shiva temple on Harsh hill, Sikar in Rajasthan. It was just the most peaceful place I have been to nestled on the top of a hill with some very basic but beautiful architecture. The temple was crowded with Langurs who roamed about freely without attacking the pilgrims. I reached the temple at dusk and the atmosphere was beyond anything I could say in words. The temple was surrounded by these wind turbines which were a new addition and in a way portrays the paradox affecting India of the present which is leaping into the future trying to keep in touch with the rich culture of the past.

The paradox of our age

We have bigger houses
but smaller families;
more conveniences,
but less time;

We have more degrees,
but less sense;
more knowledge,
but less judgment;
more experts,
but more problems;
more medicines,
but less healthiness;

We've been all the way to
the moon and back,
but have trouble
crossing the street
to meet the new neighbour.

We built more computers
to hold more information
to produce
more copies than ever,
but have less communication;

We have become long on quantity,
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods
but slow digestion;
Tall man but short character;
Steep profits but
shallow relationships.
Its a time when there is much
in the window,
but nothing in the room

.....His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Video Credit: AlJazeeraEnglish

Hazrat Amir Khusrau

My Beloved

Your Arrival

I have received a message
that my beloved will arrive tonight
I will lay my head on the path
that he will tread

The deer of the desert hold
their head up in surrender
Await the huntsman to
come and make them his prey

My love for you will forever draw you
towards me
You may not have come to my funeral
but surely you will come to my grave

My life hangs on my lips...
come, keep me alive,
For what will be the use of your coming
when I am no more

You came once and stole Khusrau's
patience, faith and heart..
What will happen to him if you
reappear two or three times.


Your Beauty

O wondrous eyes full of languor,
O wondrous tresses wavy and long
O wondrous wine worshiper
O wondrous mischievous one

He draws the sword, I bow my head,
I prepare myself to die
Wondrous in his beneficence and
wondrous my submission

And as I die, my soul departs, I behold
your face
Wondrous you are in benevolence
wondrous you are O protector

Khusrau, keep the truth within
for here disbelief prevails
Wondrous is the source of mystery
and he who knows the secrets.

Hazrat Amir Khusrau translated by Muzaffar Ali

Photo Credit: Jasmin

Tibetan Buddhism

I am not sure if I am doing the right thing by blogging about all my favourite subjects. I guess this way very soon I would run out of things to write. But then I might as well enjoy the process till it lasts.

Mike left a comment on my blog which got me thinking. The comment was 

When I was younger there was group of Dervishes who came to Australia and i remember that they danced (or whirled) all night long and it made me kind of afraid (your average modern day Christian is one in name only and very rarely has any connection with actual spirituality).

       

I had never been religious or spiritual and it wasn't inculcated in us by our family. We did visit the Gurudwara (Sikh place of worship) rarely but religion was never forced on my sister and me by my parents. That gave me the opportunity to chart my own course and find my own calling in matters of spirituality. There was a time in my life when everything around me was dark and scary. That is the time I was attracted to the teachings of Sufism, Buddhism and even some teaching of Sikhism. 

        

The simple living of the Buddhist Lamas attracted me towards the religion and also the undeniable aura of HH The Dalai Lama. The look on the face of most Lama is that of compassion and tranquility which is so hard to find in life nowadays. But what moved me even closer to the spiritual aspect of Tibetan Buddhism was the music of the monks. It is the most meditative and soothing music ever. I have visited Dharamshala (the seat of the Tibetan government in exile) a few times and have gathered a humble collection of Tibetan music. It's simply divine. 

I am going to post a few pictures from my Dharamshala trips. In one of the pics you can see the prayer flags (pieces of cloth with Tibetan Buddhist prayer written on it) that are ubiquitous in Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetan believe that every time the flag is moved by the wind a prayer is said. And there are these big Tibetan prayer wheels in the temples and smaller ones that can be held in hand (they have pieces of paper with prayers written on them enclosed inside them) and rotated and it is believed that with each rotation a prayer is said. Then there are chimes, bells, Tibetan flute, Tibetan prayer bowl and gongs that form the instrumentation for the music along with deep throat vocal chants. 

The religion has a very simple but powerful spiritual message. It's called the Four Nobel truths

1. The world is full of suffering
2. The cause of all the suffering is desire
3. In order to end the suffering we need to cease our desires
4. The path to cease desire is the Eight fold path

The eight fold path  is very basic but all encompassing. But with time Buddhism too has had to deal with the usual corruption of religion. There have been many sub sects that have come into being and the adoption of Tantric practices along with some other vices has led to the degradation of the religion. Nevertheless the basic spiritual core of the religion remains the same and it's that along with the music which attracts me to the spiritual aspect of the religion. 

Zen Buddhism too deserves a mention here. My knowledge about the Zen is very limited so I an not going to comment on it. Those interested in the history of Tibetan Buddhism (which travelled to Tibet from India) should also read about Bon religion. Bon predates Buddhism in Tibet. The Search of Shangri-La by Charles Allen is a good starting point for Bon. And the numerous books by Shambhala Publication is a good starting point for Tibetan Buddhism.

If you would like to listen to Tibetan Music  that I like you could hear it here and here or through the playlist in the sidebar. Here is a blog of some pictures I took on my trips to Dharamshala. One of the best website to know more about the Tibetan culture is the website of the Norbulingka Institute. If you have questions about any of the photographs I'd be more than happy to answer them. Each has a story or significance behind it.

       

 

The poetry of Rumi

Paintings by: Sufi Art Gallery, Kuta, Bali (email: sufi_art01@yahoo.com)

I bought these beautiful paintings from an Art Gallery in Kuta, Bali during my vacation there in February 2007. 

I stumbled upon poetry by Rumi while going through the amazing library at Mr. Big's home. For those who haven't read my earlier post Mr. Big was someone I was in a relationship with (my longest relationship no pun intended). I read a couplet written by Rumi (translated to English from Persian) and the simplicity and deep connotations of the couplet made me a ardent fan of his poetry. The couplet was

"When I die,

lay my corpse to rest,

but do not be at all surprised

if His kiss on my tattered lips

brings me back to life"

The story of Rumi's life cannot be condensed but I'll try to do it for you readers. I may have misunderstood parts of his life but I have formed my opinion about him based on my readings which are not complete. Rumi was the son of a famous religious teacher in Konya, Turkey and inherited his father's Khanaqah (kind of monastery where the disciples called Murid and the teacher called Pir would get together and discuss spirituality).  Rumi was famous and highly respected. One day a  wanderer called Shams of Tabriz came to Konya and met Rumi. Both Rumi and Shams were looking for the other half or the medium under whose influence they would be united with their Beloved i.e. God. In each other they found the medium and became inseparable spending all their time together. Rumi's disciples and his family (wife and son) became jealous Shams and Rumi relationship. One day they forced Shams to leave the city. 

Rumi couldn't bear the separation from Shams and send his son in search of him. Shams was brought back to Rumi but the bliss didn't last for long. One day Shams disappeared (rumoured to have been murdered and disposed off). Rumi kept looking for him until one day it dawned upon him that the one he was looking for was already a part of him.  The couplet he wrote on that occasion was

"Why should I seek? I am the same as

He. His essence speaks through me.

I have been looking for myself!"

That's when he started to write his most famous work Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. It is Rumi's disciples who whirl while in a trance trying to attain unity with God through the medium of music and dance (whirling in this case). Sufis believe music (singing praises of the Beloved i.e. God) is the most potent medium of attaining the union with the beloved called Sama which is like a trance like state. Thus his followers are called Whirling Dervishes. Another form of Sufi music popularised in the Indian subcontinent by the disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro is Qawwali. The greatest exponent of qawwali was Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and now is Abida Praveen you could listen to their music here and here or in my playlist in the sidebar of this blog.

There are many more examples of such close relationships between the Sufi priest and their inspirations (in form of their disciples or just mediums). The story of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro from the Indian subcontinent is one such relationship.

I may not the most accurate information about Rumi and if you are interested you could start by looking at Wikipedia. A good collection of his poetry is at Khamush. Then there are book by Coleman Barks and Andrew Harvey which have translations of Rumi's poetry.

When I read Rumi's poetry it resonated with the feeling of emptiness and the search for the beloved within me. Though it took me some time to realize that while Rumi's search was for the Beloved who would unite him with God; mine wasn't all that pure and pious. But I do believe that once we meet the right person he or she would lead to our and their spiritual growth and maturity. I hope someday I meet my medium, inspiration, beloved. That is the top most priority in my 'Life list'(things I intend to achieve before I die).  Yarravilepaul asked me to try to explain why the poetry means so much to me. I could try but I wouldn't be able to. It's like listening to a song 100 times and feeling nothing and then one day in a particular situation you listen to a song and it resonates so much with your situation or state of mind that it leaves you shaken. Rumi's poetry about Shams always resonates with my current state of mind. I don't know if I am making any sense anymore so I would leave it here and post another beautiful poem by Rumi. It's is addressed from me to the medium, inspiration the beloved or in plain terms Mr. Right. Hope it resonates with you.

If anyone asks you

how the perfect satisfaction

of all our sexual wanting

will look, lift your face

and say,

Like this.

When someone mentions the gracefulness

of the nightsky, climb up on the roof

and dance and say,

Like this.

If anyone wants to know what "spirit" is,

or what "God's fragrance" means,

lean your head toward him or her.

Keep your face there close.

Like this.

When someone quotes the old poetic image

about clouds gradually uncovering the moon,

slowly loosen knot by knot the strings

of your robe.

Like this.

If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead,

don't try to explain the miracle.

Kiss me on the lips.

Like this. Like this.

When someone asks what it means

to "die for love," point

here.

If someone asks how tall I am, frown

and measure with your fingers the space

between the creases on your forehead.

This tall.

The soul sometimes leaves the body, then returns.

When someone doesn't believe that,

walk back into my house.

Like this.

When lovers moan,

they're telling our story.

Like this.

I am a sky where spirits live.

Stare into this deepening blue,

while the breeze says a secret.

Like this.

When someone asks what there is to do,

light the candle in his hand.

Like this.

How did Joseph's scent come to Jacob?

Huuuuu.

How did Jacob's sight return?

Huuuu.

A little wind cleans the eyes.

Like this.

When Shams comes back from Tabriz,

he'll put just his head around the edge

of the door to surprise us

Like this.

From ˜The Essential Rumi€™, Translations 

by Coleman Barks with John Moyne