The Bowl of Saki

[Jitendra Hydonus]

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[guest587]

Verily, he is victorious who has conquered himself.

    Bowl of Saki, March 17, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Our greatest enemy is ourself. All weakness, all ignorance keeps us from the truth of our being, from all the virtues hidden in us and all perfection hidden in our souls. The first self we realize is the false self. Unless the soul is born again it will not see the kingdom of heaven. The soul is born into the false self; it is blind. In the true self the soul opens its eyes. Unless the false self is fought with, the true self cannot be realized.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_5.htm


The soul is a bird of paradise, a free dweller in the heavens. Its first prison is the mind, then the body. In these it becomes not only limited, but also captive. The whole endeavor of a Sufi in life is to liberate the soul from its captivity, which he does by conquering both mind and body.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/V/V_45.htm


If a man has control over himself, he will smile and be patient even if he is exposed to rages a thousand times. He will just wait. He who has spiritual control has great control; but he who has it not can control neither spiritual nor physical events. He cannot control his own sons and daughters, for he never listens to himself first. If he listened to himself, not only persons but even objects would listen to him.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_14.htm


There is a poem by the great Persian poet Iraqi in which he tells, 'When I went to the gate of the divine Beloved and knocked at the door, a voice came and said -- Who art thou?' When he had told, 'I am so and so', the answer came, 'There is no place for anyone else in this abode. Go back to whence thou hast come'. He turned back and then, after a long time, after having gone through the process of the cross and of crucifixion, he again went there -- with the spirit of selflessness. He knocked at the door; the word came, 'Who art thou? ', and he said, 'Thyself alone, for no one else exists save Thee'. And God said, 'Enter into this abode for now it belongs to thee'. It is such selflessness, to the extent that the thought of self is not there, it is being dead to the self, which is the recognition of God.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIV/XIV_2_22.htm

[guest587]

Happy April 1st, 2023!

April Fools is a great way to humble our ego, remembering that life doesn't have to be so serious. We can transmute the hate into joy, the fear into laughter.

And, the bowl of saki is also a fantastic ego-humbler!

When one praises the beauty of God, one's soul is filled with bliss.

    Bowl of Saki, April 1, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

"Why does God need praise from me? Who am I that I should offer Him praise?" True, we can never praise Him enough; never can our praise be sufficient, but our souls are blessed with the impression of the Glory of God whenever we praise Him. The soul could praise God every moment and yet wanting to praise Him yet more, it is constantly hungering and thirsting to find the Beauty and Perfection of God. By the praise of God the soul is filled with bliss; even to utter the name of God is a blessing that can fill the soul with light, joy and happiness as nothing else can do.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/archives/prayer.htm


There is a necessity for praise in prayer, praise of the beauty of God, for man must learn to recognize and praise the beauty of God as manifested in all His creation. In this way he impresses beauty on his soul, and he is able to manifest it in himself, and he becomes the friend of all and is without prejudice. For this reason the Sufi cultivates his heart. The emblem of the Sufi is a heart between two wings, meaning that when the heart is cultivated man can soar up into the heights of heaven.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/V/V_34.htm


The only secret of attaining happiness is to learn how to appreciate our privileges in life. If we cultivate that sense of appreciation we shall be thankful, we shall be contented and every moment we shall offer our thanks to God, for His gifts are many and enormous. When we do not see them it is because our wants cover our eyes from seeing all with which we are blessed by Providence. No meditation, no study, nothing can help in that direction, except one thing, and that is to keep our eyes open to appreciate every little privilege in life, to admire every glimpse of beauty that comes before us, being thankful for every little love, kindness or affection shown to us by young or old, rich or poor, wise or foolish. In this way, continually developing the faculty of appreciating life and devoting it to thanksgiving, we arrive at a bliss which no words can explain, a bliss which is beyond imagination: the bliss that we find ourselves having already entered the kingdom of God.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VIII/VIII_2_39.htm


The two important things in life are the praise of God and the pursuit of God. The praise of God is important, and it gives bliss in life, but it is not the real attainment. The all-important work in life is the attainment of God. God cannot be explained. Any attempt to do this always ends in failure. The knowledge of Him can only be attained in the silence and in solitude, and how to do this cannot be explained better than in the words of the Urdu poet Zahir, 'He who attaineth best the peace of God, his very self must lose.'

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/V/V_38.htm



   ~~~ When one praises the beauty of God, one's soul is filled with bliss.

[guest587]

The soul is first born into the false self, it is blind; in the true self the soul opens its eyes.

    Bowl of Saki, April 21, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

"The lions could not harm Daniel because of the harmony of his will with the universal Will. The lions represent the destructive elements in the human mind. They represent wars, disappointments, rivalries, jealousies, envy, passions, and so forth, in different horrible guises. Our ego is the lion of lions, and if this is conquered, then these external lions -- different egos around us -- are conquered also, and wherever we go, with anyone, whether foolish or wise, good or bad, we now have peace."

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_5.htm

[guest587]

Every moment has its special message.

   Bowl of Saki, April 26, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Every step in evolution makes life more valuable. The more evolved you are, the more priceless is every moment; it becomes an opportunity for you to do good to others, to serve others, to give love to others, to be gentle to others, to give your sympathy to souls who are longing and hungering for it. Life is miserable when a person is absorbed in himself; as soon as he forgets himself he is happy. The more he thinks of himself, his own affairs, work and interests, the less he knows the meaning of life.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VIII/VIII_2_1.htm


If we only understood that every moment in life, every day, every month, and every year, has its particular blessing; if we only knew life's opportunity! But the greatest opportunity that one can realize in life is to accomplish that purpose for which man was sent on earth. And if he has lost that opportunity, then whatever he may have accomplished in the world, whether he has gathered wealth, possesses much property, or has made a great name for himself, he will not be satisfied. Once one's eyes are opened and they begin to look at the world, they will find there is a greater opportunity than they had ever thought before.

Man is as poor as he is, as limited as he is, as troubled as he is; yet there is nothing in this world which could not be accomplished by man if he only knew what thought can do. It is ignorance which keeps a person from what they ought to accomplish. One should know how to operate his thought, how to accomplish certain things, how to focus the mind on the object that should be accomplished. If one does not know, then he has not made use of his mind but has lived like a machine. If people knew the power of feeling, and realized that the power of feeling can reach anywhere and penetrate anything, they could achieve whatever they might wish. ... Every person is a captive in some form or other; one's life is limited in some form or other; but one could get above this limitation by realizing the latent power and inspiration of the soul.

Kabir, the great poet of India says, 'Life is a field and you are born to cultivate it. And if you know how to cultivate this field you can produce anything you like. All the need of your life can be produced in this field. All that your soul yearns after and all you need is to be got from the field, if you know how to cultivate it and how to reap the fruit.' But if this opportunity is only studied in order to make the best of life by taking all that one can take and by being more comfortable, that is not satisfying. We must enrich ourselves with thought, with that happiness which is spiritual happiness, with that peace which belongs to our soul, with that liberty, that freedom, for which our soul longs; and attain to that higher knowledge which breaks all the fetters of life and raises our consciousness to look at life from a different point of view. Once a person has realized this opportunity, they have fulfilled the purpose of Life.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VI/VI_16.htm



   ~~~ Every moment has its special message.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I’m happy to see Hazrat Khan expresses the same idea here as I have in the past about ‘old souls’. Regardless if you know your amount of evolution/ old soul status you remain with that state of awareness until you have become more evolved or have regressed in your state of evolution. Anyone can be living and not have an awareness of how long they have been on this earth or for that matter how many times they have been here. But as long as we are in time we do measure times existence. Once beyond time there obviously would no longer be the necessity to measure times existence.

Sometimes it is an accomplishment to feel good about ourselves and recognize that we have succeeded in our souls evolution and that perhaps we no longer need to be treated badly or bullied by the ignorance of others in their treatment of us when in fact we may just be attempting to help them.

Eric; I have only placed this text here because I would like you to know that many times I respond to your thread here I have responded at other places as well that apply to what Hazrat Khan has said.

Every moment has its special message.

   Bowl of Saki, April 26, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Every step in evolution makes life more valuable. The more evolved you are, the more priceless is every moment; it becomes an opportunity for you to do good to others, to serve others, to give love to others, to be gentle to others, to give your sympathy to souls who are longing and hungering for it. Life is miserable when a person is absorbed in himself; as soon as he forgets himself he is happy. The more he thinks of himself, his own affairs, work and interests, the less he knows the meaning of life.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VIII/VIII_2_1.htm


If we only understood that every moment in life, every day, every month, and every year, has its particular blessing; if we only knew life's opportunity! But the greatest opportunity that one can realize in life is to accomplish that purpose for which man was sent on earth. And if he has lost that opportunity, then whatever he may have accomplished in the world, whether he has gathered wealth, possesses much property, or has made a great name for himself, he will not be satisfied. Once one's eyes are opened and they begin to look at the world, they will find there is a greater opportunity than they had ever thought before.

I just don't think old souls exist, and these definitions are all temporary meant to help the individual feel good about themselves or provide some clarity or drive where understanding is needed. We've exhibited "young soul" and "old soul" behavior in a single lifetime- thanks for resurrecting this thread, it was nice to find mccoy saying the same thing- it would appear him and I agree.

And, as I wrote in the other post, How old would I be if I didn't know how old I am?

The concept of old would then become meaningless and I'd be timeless. Not young, nor old, just existing.

Like your musings. We still would be aware of the body transforming and its limitations as time unfolded. ... wonder if you would tell us more about your experiences while here in the states? And tell us how our two cultures may be different. You are welcome to chat about it anywhere you prefer. It’s just nice to have you back again here for awhile and wonder about you and your life. My prayers recently always include you.

I respectfully disagree with your assessment about others. To say, "if someone is inordinately interested in ones age means they have no understanding about old souls" has not been true with my personal experience. Personally I don't believe "old souls" actually means anything. The phrase old soul is a bit of a misunderstanding if you really think about it. Neither having been born or having ever really died, how can being ageless make you old?
Yogananda once described tapping into something as, "ever-new bliss." Is that the real nature of our Soul?

I think labels will always be to the benefit for SELF and the intimate journey with it.

I think it's important to make the distinction because people are so forgetful of their true nature- so ready to identify with the physical body and its little pings and tingles- they forget their larger body, the all encompassing One...

That's where I'm at in life. Personally, I don't care to humor others who think themselves old souls or young souls... I look at it as all Soul and all a part of the journey. God Bless <3

[guest587]

This is a good one...

When souls meet each other, what truth they can exchange! It is uttered in silence, yet always surely reaches its goal.

    Bowl of Saki, April 29, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Truth comes to man's soul, and yet truth is not the exclusive property of creed, caste, or race. We are all the children of God, the Father-Mother Spirit of all that exists. And we ought to have such a feeling of brotherhood that we exchange helpful thoughts with one another all the time. We can take love and guidance from one another. Speech is not as great a help as contact; but the privilege of meeting one another is great. When souls meet, what truth they can exchange! It is uttered in silence, yet surely always reaches its goal.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_14.htm


In everyday life we are confronted with a thousand troubles that we are not always evolved enough to meet, and then only silence can help us. For if there is any religion, if there is any practice of religion, it is to have regard for the pleasure of God by regarding the pleasure of man. The essence of religion is to understand. And this religion we cannot live without having power over the word, without having realized the power of silence. There are so very many occasions when we repent after hurting friends, which could have been avoided if there had been control over our words. Silence is the shield of the ignorant and the protection of the wise. For the ignorant does not prove his ignorance if he keeps silent, and the wise man does not throw pearls before swine if he knows the worth of silence.

What gives power over words? What gives the power that can be attained by silence? The answer is: it is will-power which gives the control over words; it is silence which gives one the power of silence. It is restlessness when a person speaks too much. The more words are used to express an idea, the less powerful they become. It is a great pity that man so often thinks of saving pennies and never thinks of sparing words. It is like saving pebbles and throwing away pearls. An Indian poet says, 'Pearl-shell, what gives you your precious contents? Silence; for years my lips were closed.'

For a moment it is a struggle with oneself; it is controlling an impulse; but afterwards the same thing becomes a power.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/IV/IV_34.htm


Every race and every creed has its principles of right and wrong, but there is one fundamental principle of religion in which all creeds and all people can meet, and that is to see beauty in attitude, in action, in thought, and in feeling. There is no action with a stamp on it saying that it is right or wrong, but what we think wrong or wicked is really that which our mind sees as such because it is without beauty. All the great ones who have come into the world from time to time to awaken humanity to a greater truth, what did they bring? They brought beauty. It is not what they taught, it is what they were themselves. Words seem inadequate to express either goodness or beauty. One can speak of it in a thousand words, and yet one will never be able to express it. For it is something which is beyond words, and the soul alone can understand it. And the one who will always follow the rule of beauty in his life, in every little thing he does, will always succeed.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VI/VI_24.htm

[guest587]

Happy May 1st 

You can have all good things - wealth, friends, kindness, love to give and love to receive - once you have learned not to be blinded by them, learned to escape from disappointment, and from repugnance at the idea that things are not as you want them to be.

    Bowl of Saki, May 1, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Do not expect much from friends. Why must they be as you want them to be? They are not made by you. They are as they are. You must try to be for them what they expect you to be. It matters little if your friend proves to you to be a friend. What matters is, if you prove to be a friend.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XII/XII_III_1.htm


However evolved we may be with our education and experience, yet what are we really seeking? Things from which we cannot derive any lasting gain. From these false things we gain the experience that the things to which we have hitherto attached importance and which we have valued are things that do not last. We learn at length that it would be wise to remember that all these objects and ideals and aspirations which we have in life should be judged according to whether they are dependable or not, lasting or not.

After we have perceived the truth that this or that is not to be depended upon, we find that it is not necessary to renounce them all, to give up everything in life. We can be in the crowd just as well as in seclusion in the wilderness. We can have all good things, wealth, friends, kindness, love to give and love to take once we have learned not to be blinded by them, learned to escape from disappointment, learned to escape from repugnance at the idea that the things are not as we would want them to be. A man can still attend to business, he may attain wealth, he can carry out all those things, but now his eyes are wide open; before, they were blind. This is the teaching of life. ...

It is not the actual literal renunciation which counts, it is the personal abandonment of belief in the importance of transient things. ... If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is better and what is inferior. Even if the choice has to lie between two momentary gains, one of these would always be found to be more real and lasting; that is the one that should be followed for the time. When we take the torch of wisdom to show us our path through life, we will end by realizing what is really profitable in life and what is not.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_15.htm

[guest587]

Those who have given deep thoughts to the world are those who have controlled the activity of their minds.

    Bowl of Saki, May 5, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

He is thoughtful whose mind is directed by his will, whose mind fulfills his intentions, whose mind is under the control of his intention. ... Only those who have controlled the activity of their minds have given deep thoughts to the world. Those whose minds are working mechanically like a machine, or just reflecting the activity of those around them, may appear to be living beings, but the mystic would say differently; for it is not till a person has gained mastery over his mind, till he is above this activity, that he is a ruling power, a true person.

When we think about it, we find that all the things that are accomplished in this world are accomplished by the power of mind. ... Whatever man creates in science, in art, in phenomena or wonder making, in poetry, in music, in pictures, in everything that he brings into being, is all achieved by the power of mind. ... If he does not control his mind, he is not a master but a slave. It lies with his own mind whether he shall be master, or whether he shall be slave. He is slave when he neglects to be master; he is master if he cares to be master.

Mastery lies not merely in stilling the mind, but in directing it towards whatever point we desire, in allowing it to be active as far as we wish, in using it to fulfill our purpose, in causing it to be still when we want to still it. He who has come to this has created his heaven within himself; he has no need to wait for a heaven in the hereafter, for he has produced it within his own mind now.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_16.htm


People pursue spirituality with their brain: that is where they are mistaken. Spirituality is attained through the heart. What do I mean by the heart? Is it the nervous center in the midst of the breast, the small piece of flesh that doctors call the heart? No, the definition of the heart is that it is the depth of the mind, the mind being the surface of the heart. That in us which feels is the heart, that which thinks is the mind. It is the same thing which thinks and feels, but the direction is different: feeling comes from the depth, thought from the surface. When thought is not linked with feeling it is just like a plant rising up from the earth, the root of which has not gone deep. A thought without feeling is a powerless thought; it is just like a plant without a deep root. A tree the root of which has gone deep into the earth is stronger, more reliable, and so the thought deeply rooted in the heart has greater power.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIV/XIV_2_8.htm

[guest587]

Unity in realization is far greater than unity in variety.

    Bowl of Saki, May 6, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

What keeps the soul in perplexity is the threefold aspect of manifestation, and as long as the soul remains puzzled by this, it cannot arrive at the knowledge of the One. These three aspects are the seer, sight, and the seen; the knower, knowledge, and the known. In point of fact these are three aspects of life. One aspect is the person who sees; the second aspect is the sight, or the eyes, by the help of which he sees; and the third aspect is that which he sees. That is why one cannot readily accept the idea that what one sees is the same as oneself, nor can one believe for a moment that the medium by which one sees is oneself, for these three aspects seem to be separate and to be looking at one another's faces, as the first person, second person, and third person of Brahma.

When this riddle is solved by the realization that the three are one, then the purpose of the God-ideal is fulfilled. For then the three veils which cover the One are lifted, then they no longer remain three, and then they are found to be One, the Only Being. As Abdul Karim al Jili, the fifteenth-century mystic, says, 'If you believe in one God, you are right; if you believe in two Gods, that is true; but if you believe in three Gods, that is right also, for the nature of unity is realized by variety.'

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/IX/IX_10.htm


Man's thought has a great power. And when he comes to the realization that everything comes from one source and that everything is developing towards one goal, he begins to see that the source and the goal are God. Then the world of variety is no longer variety to him but unity; it is one.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/IV/IV_29.htm


The power is in unity, but is lost in variety. Thus, for instance, if we hold a thing in our hand, we can hold it with strength, because all five fingers have united to hold the object. But if we try to lift it by one finger, this one finger may drop it, even though the finger belongs to the same hand. In all aspects of life unity is power. All religions show that power is in unity. This is the secret of philosophy.

There are two aspects of unity: firstly, the unity of variety; secondly, unity realizing itself. One is earthly, the other is heavenly. One cannot serve two masters. Unity is the only source of happiness. Unity in realization is far greater than unity in variety.

'When two hearts unite, they can break even mountains.' As two fuse in love, the more does intuition grow, the more does one understand whether the other is happy, or pleased, or displeased, whatever distance may separate them. This is nothing but just the unity of the one person with the other. It is clairvoyance. The mother knows the condition of her son at the battlefront. She can see him in her dreams. Hearts, which are united in love, perceive the state of mind of the loved ones. They do not have to study mysticism or concentration, for they have natural concentration. The mother does not pretend to meditate; love teaches her more meditation than a person who pretends to study it can attain.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_18.htm

[guest587]

The wisdom and justice of God are within us, and yet they are far away, hidden by the veil of the limited self.

    Bowl of Saki, May 14, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Whenever wars have occurred, whenever there has been bloodshed in the world, whenever there have been revolutions and upheavals in life, all the various disasters that have taken place are due to these same causes: on the one side man's selfishness, and on the other his lack of understanding of the law of nature and the law of happiness.

Our limited self is like a wall separating us from the Self of God. God is as far away from us as that wall is thick. The wisdom and justice of God are within us, and yet they are far away under the covering of the veil of the limited self. Whoever has arrived at that realization of the nature of God's justice is able to see all things in a different way from others. His whole outlook on life becomes different. ...

Man has now become cold, ignorant, and blind to the law that life depends on the happiness of those with whom we live. The whole of life is one. In all these different names and manifestations life is one. The true thought is, 'If my wife is not happy, if my children, my neighbors, my servants are not happy, how can I ever be happy?' An insult given to someone will one day return. How simple it is. Yet how difficult for man to understand! It is simple to him who observes life keenly. It is difficult to him who is absorbed in himself.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_23.htm

[guest587]

The realization that the whole life must be "give and take" is the realization of the spiritual truth and the fact of true democracy; not until this spirit is formed in the individual can the whole world be elevated to the higher grade.

    Bowl of Saki, May 21, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

A child should know the moral of give and take; it must know that it should give to others what it wishes to receive from them. The great fault of humanity today is that everyone seeks to get the better of others, by which one is often caught in one's own net.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/III/III_I_5.htm


The mystic learns ... that life is give and take. It is not only that one receives what one gives, but also one gives what one receives. In this way the mystic begins to see the balance of life. He realizes that life is a balance, and if the gain or loss, the joy or pain of one outweighs that of another, it is for the moment, but in time it all sums up in a balance, and without balance there is no existence possible.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_5.htm


Real spiritual democracy we see in Jesus Christ. According to their law, some of the theologians and Pharisees wished to accuse the people who had sinned, but he told them to let him who had never sinned throw the first stone. That was the outlook of democracy. In that, Christ suggested that human nature was everywhere. ... However humble and low a person may be in occupation and evolution, we are none the less interdependent and require his help and service as he needs ours. However much wealth or power or rank we possess, we still depend upon the humblest and poorest person in the world. The realization that the whole of life must be give and take, is the realization of the spiritual truth and the fact of true democracy. Not until this spirit is formed in the individual himself can the whole world be raised to a higher grade of evolution.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_24.htm

[guest587]

The control of self means the control of everything.

    Bowl of Saki, May 28, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Self-control is the most necessary thing to be learned; a person may have great spirituality, illumination and piety, but in the absence of self-control this is nothing. Self-control also is the way of happiness and peace. ... No thought or feeling should arise without our will. When we have gained mastery over the self, we have mastery over all things. ... Self-control is an attribute which distinguishes man from the animal; both have their appetites and passions, but it is man alone who can control them.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VIII/VIII_1_14.htm


The control of the self means the control of everything. What does it mean when we see a person fail time after time, or another person succeed time after time? It is just a matter of holding the reins of our affairs in our hands. When there is no rein there is failure. Failure means that there has been lack of self-control, whether it is a failure in affairs or in health. Illness always comes when a person has lost the control of the self. It is because this is the main theme of metaphysics that Hatha Yoga has been considered of the greatest value. All the miracles and all the wonders that have ever been known in this world have been done by those who have been able to control themselves by abstinence, and therefore to control life. However much was said upon this subject, it would still not express it. To begin with a person is puzzled by it, and he wonders whether he should believe it or not. That is why in the East the adepts never speak of their experiences in the spiritual life. They only tell their disciples to lead it and practice for years. 'That will make it clear to you', they say.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_30.htm

[guest587]

Happy June!!!

Good morning Spiritual Portal!  The sun is rising and it is officially June 1st. I have a very special feeling about this month. One that is a great potential for spiritual development or personal growth. I think even in the midst of worldly drama, this rings especially true for June 2023. We can operate from a place of peace in the midst of chaos. It's available for every Heart. We are all a unique expression of God, come to BE/experience and witness in our uniqueness at this time for the totality of creation. I whole-heartedly believe this idea.

Well, here's a little taste from our wine of wisdom!


 

One's bodily appetites take him away from his heart's desires; his heart's desires keep him away from the abode of his soul.

    Bowl of Saki, June 1, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

There are two parts in man. One part is his external self, which the soul has borrowed from the earth; and the other part is his real self, which belongs to his Source. In other words an individual is a combination of spirit and matter, a current which runs from above and attracts to it the earth from below, shaping it in order to make it a vehicle. The human body is nothing but a vehicle of the soul which has come from above and has taken the human body as its abode. Thus an individual has two aspects of being: one is the soul, the other is the body. ... Whether he is in the forest or amidst the world's strife, the soul of man is always capable of rising to the greatest heights, if only he wishes to attain to them. ... Man does not need to trouble about what is lacking outside, for in reality all is within himself.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VI/VI_31.htm


The soul cannot see itself; it sees what is round it, it sees that in which it functions; and so it enjoys the comforts of the shell which is around it, and experiences the pains and discomforts which belong to the shell. And in this way it becomes an exile from the land of its birth, which is the Being of God, which is divine Spirit; and it seeks consciously or unconsciously once again the peace and happiness of home. God therefore is not the goal but the abode of the soul, its real self, its true being.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/I/I_III_2.htm


Plato wrote that we live in a shadow world, where we confuse the shadow of ourselves with reality. This is the Nafs, the false ego, which stands in the light before God, causing, so to speak, a spiritual eclipse. ... The Nafs turns us from the One to the many, enticing us with the things of this world. Then man attaches himself to one thing after another, which brings, at best, momentary satisfaction. Through his spiritual practices the Sufi learns to chain the Nafs, to perceive that it is only a shadow of reality; and finding the sun of truth within his being, looking upon it, one is no longer aware of the shadow. Then the Nafs is not destroyed, but harnessed. The whole of man's being is attuned to God and everything within him serves God.

   ~~~ "Githa II, Dhyana 2", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)


The one and only thing that hinders man from advancing spiritually, or at least from advancing towards the goal for which he is destined and which he is longing to attain, is this: that the mind is so absorbed by the demands and wants of the physical body that it has hardly a moment to give itself entirely to the reflection of the light of the soul.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_22.htm

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The more elevated the soul, the broader the outlook.

    Bowl of Saki, June 3, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Attitude is the principal thing in life. It is not the conditions in life which change life for us, but mostly it is our attitude toward life and its conditions upon which depends our happiness or unhappiness. ... The attitude becomes high and broad when one looks at life from a higher point of view. When the point of view is not high, the range of man's sight becomes limited; man becomes narrow in his outlook on life, and in his feelings, thought, speech and action the same is expressed. Why is God pointed out on high, toward the sky? Why not toward the earth, for God is everywhere? The reason is that within the range of God's sight the whole universe stands as a little grain of corn, as to one that flies in the balloon and looks down from high the whole city comes within the range of his sight, when he stands on earth he sees no further than the four walls which keep the whole world covered from his sight.

What does it mean to become spiritual, or godly? It means to have a higher view of life, to look at life from a higher point of view. It is the high point of view in life which ennobles the soul.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_21.htm


The eyes of the man who neglects his duty to his fellow men, absorbed in life's intoxication, will certainly become dazzled and his mind exhausted before the presence of God. It does not mean that any soul will be deprived of the divine vision, it only means that the soul who has not learned to open his eyes wide enough will have his eyes closed before the vision of God. All virtues come from a wide outlook on life, all understanding comes from the keen observation of life. Nobility of soul, therefore, is signified in the broad attitude that man takes in life.

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/III/III_III_2.htm


The process of spiritual development is an expansion, and this expansion is brought about by the widening of the outlook. The outlook depends upon the attitude of mind. If a mind is focused to thinking of small things, then this process of widening the outlook will not be completed. ... Spiritual progress is the lifting of the consciousness in order that the consciousness may expand to perfection. Therefore it is a continual work of trying to look into a wider sphere. By this attitude a person, without learning to be spiritual, will naturally become spiritual; his outlook on life will become different. Little things that people take to heart will seem to him of little importance; things that people become confused with will become clear to him; things that matter so much to everyone will not matter to him. Many things that frighten and horrify people will not have the same effect upon him; disappointments and failures will not take away his hope and courage. His thought, speech and action, as his outlook becomes wide, so everything he says or does will be different. What we call nobleness, that natural nobleness which belongs to the soul, will blossom.

   ~~~ "Sangatha I, Ta'lim", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)