In A Holy Book I Have

In A Holy Book I Have

In a holy book I have there are pages

from the Bible and the Koran.

And pages from the sutras and from the

Upanishads, the Torah, and the Gita.

And pages of things that unknown saints

wrote in collaboration with the heavens

that people have never seen.

And pages of the wisdom of animals

and young singing while they played

and pages of plants and pages of sounds

and pages of earths.

Yes, it is all there in my soul

anything ink has ever persevered

anything that stone ever begged

to have carved on it

anything any instrument gifted from its mind

anything a brush left for us to see

any space sanctified by dance

I know it all.

And anything that will ever be

written in your heart. You –

the eyes or ears or cells

that now hear this.

In a holy book I have, in a sacred text I always carry,

is the face of everyone who will ever be.

            There is something sacred about this poem. Hafiz is saying that anything beautiful - religious words, animals, children playing, art, music – is holy. Isn’t this true? Beauty is anything that brings us joy (a sunrise), comfort (resonating music), hope (kind words from those we love). Is anything more sacred?

            Close your eyes. The color you are seeing is called eigengrau, German for “intrinsic gray” or “own gray”. Now hink of what is sacred to you. Who or what did you see? Sacredness, holiness, beauty, they all serve to unite us closer with our soul.  Whatever you feel blessed for, whatever washes you with compassion, whatever cleanses your soul, and ignites your heart, keep that in your pocket in a sacred text you carry.

                                                          Enjoy this Christmas tune!

Josh Groban, Believe

Once a Young Woman Said To Me

Once a Young Woman Said To Me

Once a young woman said to me,

“Hafiz, what is the sign?

of someone who knows God?”

I became very quiet,

and looked deep into her eyes,

then replied,

“My dear, they have dropped the knife.

Someone who knows God has dropped

the cruel knife

that most so often use upon their tender self

and others.”

Daniel Ladinsky, a notable scholar of Hafiz, says that there are two stories he keeps very close while working on verses, this is one of them. His interpretation is as follows: “Drop the knife. Those are profound words to me, for they encapsulate and distill the essence and goal of spiritual aspirants. Surely every human wants to avoid suffering, though self-caused afflictions are complex. There is a poem where Hafiz says, “I have found the power to say no to any actions that might harm myself or another.” Think about that a moment. My take is that one’s experience of God – one’s joy, one’s creative potential – is in direct proportion to the ability to no longer harm oneself and others physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.”

Meher Baba, an indian spiritual master, 

whom Landinsky lived with for a 21-year period in western India 

Could Be Lifted

Could Be Lifted

If you knew the end of your story,
nothing on any page - 
not one of your dramas, 
could bother you as much. 

If you knew of the glorious end of your journey,
at least half of your attention could be lifted 
from anything you now focus on that may cause you pain. 

His hand is like that, when it is realized near,
it will always, always 
turn your gaze 
in the direction of more light. 

                  I've always liked the New Living Translation version of Jeremiah 29:11, one of my favorite Bible quotes: "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good, to give you a future and a hope." Did you read this poem as Hafiz speaking of the end of your life? As in, now you're hunting for someone to love, for your career to begin, for this, for that, but if you knew the wonderful person God has destined to meet you, if you knew of the degrees you would go on to get, if you knew of the way your son would wear a Spiderman costume and how your husband would dance in the refrigerator light, you would be content waiting and be less worried? Or did you read it as the "ultimate" end/"ultimate" beginning - the idea that everyone in heaven will be pain-free, that your Earthly life will be of little significance? What is the glorious end of your journey? And moreover, do glorious journies really have ends? The more I blog, the more I realize each of Hafiz's poems is filled with such depth. What is the direction of light? The sun and beauty of nature? The energy of a good idea? The face of the one you love?

The Dash, Linda Ellis

Listen To This Music

Listen To This Music

I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath

moves through –

listen to this music.

I am the concert from the movement

of every creature singing

in myriad chords.

And every dancer, their foot I know and lift.

And every brush and hand, well,

that is me too,

who caresses any canvas or cheek.

How did I become all these things,

and beyond all things?

It was my destiny

as it is yours.

            Hafiz’s “music” is about destining towards the peak of life. Become who you are through every person or passion that has touched your life and added a fiber to your being; undoubtedly then you will harbor the orchestra he describes inside your soul. The following Billy Joel song, For The Longest Time, seems to reflect on the joy of finding someone who makes you very happy. This is a “truth” many people have experienced. Conversely, sometimes they forget that even though such encounters may end, if they’ve struck a chord within you, there will “still be music left to write”. As Billy Joel sings: “If you said goodbye to me tonight/There would still be music left to write/What else could I do/I’m so inspired by you”.

The Stairway of Existence

The Stairway of Existence

We are not in pursuit of formalities

or fake religious laws,

for through the stairway of existence

we have come to God’s door.

We are people who need love,

because love is the soul’s life,

love is creation’s greatest joy.

            Perhaps Hafiz is saying you can find God through Love. I’ve always believed that a life conducted with morals and led with the pursuit of love is a “good” one. I think all religions have this as their chief aim, belief in love the verb, not the noun. Go out and spread love, go out and be love. This gives life to the soul.

            Moreover, the greatest joy you will ever experience will be tied to this emotion, this action. If you are very lucky, when the fields of your life turn gray, you will have left a lasting legacy to the world. Conversely, for most of us, the legacy we leave will be through the people we loved and the people who loved us.

San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk (1908-1912)

Claude Monet

A Suspended Blue Ocean

A Suspended Blue Ocean

The sky

is a suspended blue ocean

the stars are the fish

that swim.

The planets are the white whales,

I sometimes hitch a ride on,

And the sun and all light

have forever fused themselves

into my heart and upon

my skin

there is only one rule

on this wild playground,

Earth

for every sign I have ever seen

reads the same.

They all say,

“Have fun, my dear;

my dear, have fun

in this divine

wonderful game.”

            Tonight is Barbara Walters’ final 10 Most Fascinating People broadcast. It got me thinking about exactly what kind of life’s work you must pursue to achieve such notoriety. Some followed their passions (Simon Cowell, Maya Angelou), believed in themselves (Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling), and legitimately changed the world (Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa). Others (Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Tom Cruise, Kanye West) simply ended up with promising entertainment years or scandalous drama. So what is the secret? Maybe it really is just this: “Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun in this divine wonderful game.”