Newsletter 0036

THE LOVER - THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR

The way of the lover is that of the peaceful warrior, whose journey home is transformed by the glance of the  Beloved

From the gentlest and most cautious of beginnings we will one day be ready to drop everything and run towards the Master - despite the lure of the world ,our

confused egos, our failure and the blackest of  separations.

 Master Rumi speaks of this preparation that the mystics  themselves have gone through, and that we too must go  through the preparation that will enable us to face  his light.

Says Rumi, The bodies of holy men and women have the ability to endure the unconditional light that can tear mountain  ranges to pieces.

 Joseph is taking a walk  In the beginning his light is gentle we are drawn to  the light of his eyes and our life is never the same .

 Then we begin to see our Master in our daily life

 As Rumi says so sweetly:

 The light of Josephs face, when he passed by a house  would filter through the lattice and make a radiance on the wall. People would notice and say " Joseph  must be taking a walk".

All that is positive in us is a reflection of our  Master.

 Each remembrance in simran, every moment we devote to  hearing the Sound even the smallest memory of him even  the tiniest desire to turn to him to see him tells us  that our Master is taking a walk.

He is passing by our window, his light has filtered through the lattice of our mind, and we are seeing its reflection. But Rumi, like all mystics doesnt stop with satisfaction  in reflections. He continues:

Its fortunate to have a window that faces that way! Open it up and stay at the opening so you can have  more delight in Joseph!

 The window that faces the beloved  Of all of the millions of life forms in this creation  in this particular life - in no more than a six hour play  we have been given the human form and initiation- the  window of the eye centre that faces our Beloved.

 Every being has this window but without the Master it is closed curtained and shuttered. To open it we must  receive initiation and give our attention to it ... the

hard incessant work of attention, the love play of  attention.

Rumi tells us the work of love is to open that window and look incessantly on the beloved.

You can do it . You already have the precious mixture that will make you well.... Use it.

The Saints keep no secrets., they tell us exactly how to make rapid spiritual progress, how to become a  lover.

Their desire is to take us out of this creation as quickly as possible... If they seem to  work slowly we only need to look to ourselves and our own non-action.

 Let the four birds go

On the path of love we move in one direction alone - towards him.

Right now we are like the four birds of  earth water fire air , tied together and each one  attempting to fly in its own direction, towards its own desired end.

Meanwhile the soul with its nostalgia for the Lord is left pining.

Says Rumi:

Consider how the soul must be, in the midst of these tensions, feeling its own exalted pole

 My longing is more profound ... these birds want the sweet green herbs and the water  running by

 I want the infinite ...  I want wisdom

 These birds want orchards and meadows

 I want a vast expansion

 They want profit and the security of having enough food

 We understand that the bird of our earth element is interested in money and security.

The bird of our water element focuses on lust and all its craving.

 The bird of our fire element goes to anger, rivalry  and thoughts of violence

 The bird of our air element is possessive jealous and  attached .

These four birds are tied by the strong  twine of ego.

 Rumi says

 God breaks the wings of our intention and then give you another,

 cuts the rope of contriving so you will remember your  dependence.

 But sometimes your plans works out you  feel fullfilled and in control

 That is because if you were always failing you might  give up.

 But remember it is by failures that lovers stay aware of how they are loved.

  He says:

 A lover doest figure the odds

 A lover gambles everything, the self, the circle  around the zero.

A lover cuts and throws it all away

 Lovers run and they run.......

 Ours is the way of the peaceful warrior who's action is  to remember him with every breath, to our last breath...

  Kabir says:

  "Try hard to conceal love

 But it cannot be concealed

 once it has taken hold of a person

 Even if one does not talk about it

 The eyes disclose it"