Rumi was a Sufi mystic poet of the 13th century. The Masnavi is Rumi’s quintessential work which is comprised of six books and serves as a spiritual text for Sufis. The following are my reflections while I contemplated the text of Book IV as translated by Coleman Barks.
Contemplating a mystic poet
Where does it all lead?
Rise up! Break camp. It is time to journey. You are going home to live in joy. You were lost in darkness, but now dawn awakens you. Shadows recede. Clarity emerges. You bathe in the light of a new day. Open your eyes to the moment. Wash out your ears that you may hear. Put your gift to use now. You know the way. Yours is the path that begins here. You are going home to the sea.
Do not hide. Stop wishing for a better tomorrow. You hide in judgment, hoping to find your beloved desire. It escapes you. By using judgment and hope you are ignorant of the moment. Do not hide in judgment. Do not cling to hope. Release these bonds to the past. The moment is elusive, but there is in the darkness of ignorance a glowing ember. The one you seek is waiting for you. When you avoid judgment and hope, the way out of darkness opens to you. To find your way, look within. The ember that burns in your heart ignites in the moment. Look within. You will find your path lit by your own reflection, for you are that which I AM. There is no other.
Who is your enemy? Do you know your attackers? Are they cruel, or do they bring you wisdom? To attack is to separate. Your attackers teach you separation. Do not deny them. To deny them is to miss seeing the whole of the all. Honor them as ones who show you the way. They highlight what you wish to avoid. You will know yourself through the eyes of your enemies. Be grateful that they are your enemies and not your friends. Friends strew the path with rose petals. Enemies prick you with thorns. You bleed. Would you do this to yourself. It is from the dripping blood that you gain strength. Pain awakens you to the reality of the room within. Remember your true nature awaits your return.
To bear anger is to live in separation. The me of the body lives in fear of oblivion and expresses fear as anger. To be angry is to fear loss and annihilation. Be witness to anger. Do not accept it as your reality. Your reality is joy. The world is full of anger. You do not need to drink from its well. Its water cannot slake your thirst. Jesus said that the water from the well is not enough. You must drink from your true nature from within. Your true nature is joy. Joy moves across the waters of the world to calm the rage.
To knock at the door is to ask for nothing. You have announced your willingness to enter, and that is all. Knock and it shall open. Enter and be received. Do nothing. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Listen! You do not know. The voice within knows the way. That voice is your own true nature. Do not be deceived by false gods. From the room within you will find eyes that see and ears that hear. You will know in your heart the way of the path.
Let go of what no longer matters to you. The way of the path is moment by moment. It has no beginning or end. It is now. It is the moment that purifies. The past is dried dung that feeds the fires of the future. Neither the dung heap nor fires are your home. Watch the dung as it dries in the sun to feed the fires. It is no longer yours to handle. Leave it be and it will blow away in the dry winds of change. You have no need for it. Let tomorrow fend for itself like the lilies of the field. Float in the purifying waters of the moment. Let nothing else matter.
Do you live with bitterness? It is a product of grievance growing out of ignorance and fear. Joy is its remedy. To know joy, listen within. You think you know the world, but can the fate of bitterness be all there is? Let the kiss of fate awaken you. Your union with the world is weak. It cannot be sustained eternally. Bitterness is your ordeal, but in that bitterness is a pearl. It is the treasure in your heart that you seek. Crack the shell of bitterness. Open your heart. Bring the pearl to light so that its luster may glow in the sun. Bitterness thrives in the darkness of ignorance and fear. The pearl seeks the light of wisdom and joy. These things are not for you to know with your cleverness. They are hidden until they are revealed from within.
Do not argue with fate. Sit at the edge of the past and do not look back. Let the past go, then do nothing. As the me of the body, you are nothing in existence. As your true nature, you are the whole of the all. In reality, you are I AM. There is no other. Be the one that you are. To see only with worldly eyes is meager sight at best. To have eyes that see the whole of the all is to live from within. Enter the room within. Find vision in darkness. From darkness all is revealed. You are the pearl buried in the field. You are the leaven in the dough. Do not be the unsure lover who sells the field or fails to light the oven. When you do nothing, you act through the wisdom of your true nature and not through the ignorance of the me of the body.
From the room within let wisdom and joy prevail. Release the world. Stop acting out of ignorance and fear. If nothing else, do nothing. You are not even a dot in the cosmos. Why do you make so much of yourself? Because you know within that you are greater than the cosmos itself. Your greatness is not of the world. The me of the body exists. Its fate is death. You are eternal. You have no fate. You are whole, complete, perfect as is. You are that which I AM. There is no other.
From the room within move out into the world. Let joy prevail in the whole of the all. To do so, you first must lay aside all judgment and hope then cross the threshold of the open door that invites you in. To enter is to sit in the still silence letting joy reveal itself as your true nature. Drain yourself of the past. Replace pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow with joy. Dissolve the bonds that bind you to the me of the body. This is not you. You are joy. There is in you that which I AM. Words fail in saying so.
There is consciousness. There is only consciousness. There is no other than consciousness. You are the river of consciousness within. To follow the river is to leave the world behind. Why give thought to pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow when wisdom and joy are close at hand? Soak in the river. Become the water, for you are its flowing. You are the energy of movement that is consciousness expressing existence. Your presence is in the whole of the all. In the whole of the all the light shines eternally. Your soul and my soul are thoughts of separation, but there is but one lamp that shines in all. That light is consciousness.
Awaken to consciousness. The river gathers knowledge from the mountain as it flows through the valley, nurturing your awareness and healing you from the ways of the world. In the valley you lie in union with all the waters that gather from every hillside. Live simply in your awareness. Travel light. Stay close to the ground. Be awake. The course opens before you. Follow your natural flow. Do nothing to hinder your journey to the sea.
Be the master of silence. Do not leave silence unattended. It requires your presence. You have entered the emptiness within. You are the one who hears in absolute nothingness. That which I AM has shown you the way. Its vision has opened the darkness to the light of wisdom. You see fully where others only squint. You are lifted out of the depths into silence. In silence you see with the light of wisdom. You feel your own vibration in the whole of the all. You have never left this place. You have only forgotten. Now you remember. Your inner nature is your true home where you live without words. Remember that you are that which I AM. There is no other.
Your influence on the world is real. You are the expressing of consciousness that is existence. You are consciousness-expressing. Objects in spacetime are the fruit of consciousness expressing the separation you experience as the me of the body. You know existence as the universe. You feel separated and apart when, in fact, you are the whole of the all. This is you. You are consciousness in existence. Live as your true nature and your world will change from ignorance and fear to wisdom and joy.
To gain wisdom and joy, keep to the room within. Remember that which I AM, or twia. Twia knows the way. You cannot go it alone as the me of the body. Ignorance and fear are too heavy a load to bear without twia. Empty your mind. Listen with ears that hear. Twia will guide you without fear on the way of the path. To leave the world and enter the room within is to lose nothing and gain all.
In the room within, you receive abundance that the world cannot provide. Enter the emptiness. Receive its grace. All that is given to you is yours now. There is no separation. You cannot bring wisdom and joy to your true nature. You are wisdom and joy. You cannot bring wholeness to all. You are the whole of the all. Be ready to receive what is yours now. To receive is to remember that you are that which I AM. There is no other.
Tell yourself, “I do not know but that I AM.” Though you live in darkness you are the light. Follow your true nature from within. Twia knows the way and gives you vision to see. Do not rely on your body to know. It is dense and heavy, blinded by dust and torn by brambles. You are light. You are the path before you. Follow the way of twia. Look upon the world with vision from within. You can hide no longer. You are a beacon for all to see in stormy weather. Those who heed will suffer no harm.
Desire draws you deeper into darkness. You may become secretive and impulsive in your pursuits. You move closer to the world of pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow. Wisdom and joy elude you. Peace of heart escapes you. Instead, you live with a heart of passionate ache. What you value so much has worth only in your mind. You have given it meaning by your desire to possess. These attachments keep you from entering the room within. You cannot drag Marley’s chains across the threshold. Approach the door naked without desire or judgment. Abandon all hope. Enter on your knees. Be humble in the still silence. You will meet the one who knows. There is no meaning to this. No purpose to attend to. Do nothing. Receive and be glad. Joy will fill you and be your companion, for you are joy vibrating throughout existence. You are I AM. There is no other.
Vibration forms the cosmos. It is the music of the spheres. Music has unity and harmony. There are highs and lows. But the me of the body is dense. It does not hear. It is ignorant, fearful, and angry. The river in you must wash away bitterness and grievance. Let the river in you flow in harmony with all. The flowing is your true nature. You are vibration in sync with the cosmos. Your body is cosmic dust. It harmonizes with your true nature when your ears are open. To know your true nature is to hear the cosmic symphony. Your natural state is a flowing vibration of energy. You are the harmony of existence in the symphony of the all.
Like a river following its course to the sea, you are the flowing of energy that runs through you. This is the energy of existence. It flows without judgment or hope. It attunes to the lay of the land. It does not contend but slips silently along. The sweet sound it makes is the voice in you. You are the voice that runs silent and deep. You are the flowing. You cannot separate from the river. You are in unity and harmony with all.
You may think you are the me of the body, but this is not your true nature. The words you use to describe yourself fail miserably. The me of the body cannot know beyond its ignorance and fear. You, as your true nature, must play its tune. You are the quiet lilt of the flute making the orchestra whole. Without you the music is incomplete. For you to hear your voice you must empty yourself of the din of the world. The soft tune of the flute is heard best in silence. Leave the world and enter the room within. It embraces you in harmony with the whole of the all. You are not this. You are not that. You are the harmonious flowing of the river of life.
The heart fills with vibration. It comes in through the open door. Join with it in merriment. When spirit enters the body there is joy. Remember joy. Walk with joy into the world. Sing its song for all to hear. Rise with the notes. Transcend pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow. If you stumble into the brambles, rise and brush off the dust. Hold peace in your heart if thorns have pricked you. You are the healing vibration of joy. The deaf will hear your song. The voiceless will sing its tune. They will follow you back onto the way of the path. You are the way. There is no other.
Relax into life’s vibration, which is joy. Let joy seep through the cracks and crevices of existence. In joy you find the way. You cannot enter the room within sitting on your worldly throne of attachments. It cannot be wrestled through the doorway. Removing even one attachment would cause the throne to crumble, so you cling fiercely to them all. Soon, though, you might want to set your throne on the curb as refuse to be hauled away. Get off your throne. Come down from the heights. Live close to the ground. Open your heart to simplicity. To find yourself without this and that will bring you into the moment. In that instant the doorway will be aglow, making the way clear. Clarity of vision will prevail. You will say that you are born anew.
Can you be born again and live in the world? You have found the pearl hidden under dust and brambles. Your light gives luster to your newly acquired treasure. In the light, you find it to be in a string of pearls, which is the unity of this and that, or the whole of the all. You have no desire for more. You might stop occasionally at roadside attractions, but you are not detained for long. The way of the path is clear to you. Body and soul serve your existence, but from the room within your true nature reigns. The throne you once lugged about was hauled out in the trash. You have given up your worldly attachments to live anew.
To carry what is most precious into the room within is to lose it. You will find it set aside. Your true treasure is buried in the field. Do not till the ground. Do not trample on it. Do not search for what you cannot find. Jesus said to sell everything and buy the field. Your treasure lies in the field of your true being. What is most precious to you is your own image. You are lost in your own reflection. Leave it at the door. Enter the room within. Your true treasure is knowing that you are that which I AM.
I AM is the voice within that guides you on the way of the path. You appear to be in the world and walk its path, but your true nature lies within. You are that which I AM. As I AM, the world is yours to shape. Its form comes from you. You give meaning to the ground you till. You must be mired in your own suffering before seeing the same in others. What falls upon one, falls upon all. The ground you cultivate is dull in hue. It is the treasure buried deep that gives it luster. You are a pearl wrapped in clay. What you suffer outwardly remains joy within. You are joy that never ends. You are not of this world, nor have you come far. There is no moment in which you have not been. Do not hang on to what is not yours. Do not tear through the rag pile when the gem is in your own cloak.
Alter your ways. You live in dust and brambles when you could walk the way of the path. Do not search in the world for what you cannot find there. Your struggle will only lead to death. The world is without answers. It only offers words. To know is to enter the still silence of the room within. You no longer are dead. You have touched the hem of the garment and are healed. You have risen like Lazarus to walk among the living. You are whole, complete, and perfect. You have touched the eternal where you are free of the world. Untie the strings that bind you. Be generous in all ways. Hold to your true nature. See in all that which I AM. You are the way. There is no other.
Existence is separated into this and that. This and that are not to be combined. This goes one way, that the other. Remember what cannot be seen. There is union in beauty. Beauty extends far beyond the eye. One dot of beauty in your heart can cover the landscape. What comes from within extends far past this and that. It brings unity to the mountain tops. Leave behind this and that. Enter the valley. It is from the valley that all is born. Return freely before death consumes you. Why walk in the bulrushes barefoot when you can float like Moses in a basket of reeds. Enter the valley riding on gentle flowing water. Rest outside in the garden if you must. Enter when you are ready. Remove yourself from this and that. Return to the womb where all is forgotten. Moses grew to guide his people back to their homeland. Rise up like Moses to receive your destiny. You are I AM. There is no other.
Jesus spoke of the kingdom within. Think of it as a garden of respite and peace while tending to worldly ways. Live from within while walking about the planet. From within all is revealed and awareness becomes your companion. You are lost in the world among the many words pointing to this and that. From within you are aware that you have no words and that you are without form. In that silent, formless room you touch the eternal daily. Awake each day to its still silence. Herein is joy, which is your true companion, for you are joy.
The world offers false hopes. The room within is where you find love without fear. Herein wisdom replaces ignorance. You no longer suffer as the me of the body. To live as the me of the body is to struggle under the weight of Marley’s chains, which are forged from desire and its attachments. You drag them around seeking relief. If only you had more of this and that, you think, then life would be better. Stop! You are fulfilled now. In this moment you are whole, complete, perfect. Do not cling to the illusion of existence. You are not the me of the body and its travails. Turn within. Bow to the wisdom that is your true nature. You have the choice of wisdom and joy over ignorance and fear.
Wear the cloak of silence. It offers comfort without words. It is generous in its embrace. To remove the cloak is to invite death. To wrap in it is to touch the eternal. Silence is your refuge from the ways of the world. In silence you find the sanctuary of your true nature.
You are that which I AM. You know the way without words. You know without hearing. Your heart fills with knowledge. Then the mind says, “that cannot be true; it makes no sense.” Your rational brain has stolen your wisdom. Why do you let in such a thief? Listen to your heart. You have ears to hear. There is a way to live in the world and a way to know from within. To be awake is to know the way within. You know the way by the clarity of your vision. You connect with the wisdom that is I AM.
You are consciousness in existence. You are the expressing that is the whole of the all. Listen to your true nature within and you will know unity and harmony in the world. Do not use the me of the body to hide from your true nature. Your personality dominates your form, giving it supreme importance. You think the me of the body must be nourished and nurtured into greatness. The world is filled with desires and expectations to help you. Bury them now. Free yourself of worldly ways. Grow from the ground of goodness into the tree of life that is you. You are the one. There is no other.
You are blind to your reality and cannot see the way out of the darkness. To see would change your world. Without eyes that see you run from this to that and back again. You walk in an endless circle. You do not see that your tether is weak, that you can break free. Until you see, you are blinded by repentance. The dust of the world blocks your vision. This and that distract you. You regret the way you have come and feel remorse. Do not hope for better. Do not continue giving power to the past. Turn within. Find the vision of that which I AM.
Abundance surrounds you. What is true in separation is even more so in the whole of the all. The abundance of the world brings about desire. Desire begets expectation. Expectations feed pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow. Turn within. Abandon desire at the doorway. Enter without expectation. Herein you are met with joy. Joy is your true abundance. Wisdom is its companion. Herein lies your choice. To live in the world of separation or to live from within. To live from within is to know the whole of the all, which is consciousness in existence. You live without accepting separation as real. Choose to flow with the river of consciousness that courses through you. You are the flowing. Your reality is that which I AM. Open your mind to your possibilities. Live through the guidance of your heart. Follow your natural course. To follow the ways of the world is to be lost and confused. To follow your true nature is to flow naturally to the sea.
You quiver in a ball with a blanket over your head. Get up. Shake it off. You are the light of day in a new land. Step from solitude into the fray. Commune with those around you. Live above sorrow and shame. Guide those who ask the way. Be silent and they will hear. Curb your cleverness. Words do not always serve you well. Become more aware of your surroundings. Be their witness. Observe. Do not react. Draw on the energy that is your own true nature. You may walk in the world with great learning, but true knowledge comes with your awakening. Remove your candle from under the bushel basket. Set it high for all to see their way.
Slip from the world. It carries you away from your destination. Open your heart. A closed heart carries the wrong message. Release Marley’s chains. You need not hold to your attachments to this and that. Do not cheat the thief who steals from you in broad daylight. Give them warning that you are not what you seem. If they care to take from you still, so be it. There is not much here anyway. The world itself is illusion as are you. You are lured by the world’s beauty and then end up on its dung heap. The thief will follow.
There are two edges to the blade of existence. Beware! It cuts both ways. It is difficult to know this from that. Is the dragon that appears from the fire the same as the donkey braying for its mother’s teat? Which is the illusion, if not both. Jesus knew the difference between the this and that of the world and the yin and yang of unity and harmony. He said to give to the world its due but keep for your own your true nature, then he rode the peaceful donkey, nourished by sweet milk, into the fire of the dragon’s lair. He died there, knowing the way.
The spirit in you does not hide. You cover it with your good works and generosity. To practice loving-kindness is to set your spirit free. Unlike good works, loving-kindness has no expectation of reward. It grows from your true nature. Give freely with no strings attached. Let joy wash over you for no reason. Your true nature comes through the heart. When your heart is open to all without attachments, you love without fear. As the world recedes, more of your true nature flows out like a fragrance bringing joy to all.
There is an outer path and an inner path. Follow the way inward. Leave the world to itself. It does not know. You know from within. The room within is your true nature. The path you walk in the world is dusty and barren. Brambles grow in the ditches. When you tumble into the brambles, thorns pierce you. Blood oozes. Wild animals come to gnaw at your wounds. In the end, they suck the marrow from your bones. This does not need to be your fate. You once tasted the sweet dew. You know there is more than dust and brambles. Save yourself. Climb out of the ditch. Brush off the dust. Cleanse your wounds. Find a new way home. You carry the key to your release from the world. It opens the door to the room within. Step in. There is an ember in the darkness that glows through the tiny cracks of your ignorance and fear. Faint at first, it grows with your awareness. Words do not fuel the flame. It blazes in silence. Be aware. Say nothing. That ember is your true nature. It does not need your thoughts. You are the way. You know this truth without saying it. Deny it no longer. Whatever you see in the world is you. This is your fear. You live with fear in ignorance of your true nature. Set yourself free. You are the light of the glowing ember within. Follow its guidance for you are the one. There is no other. What other would there be when all is one? Your first thought is no, this cannot be. You see others all around you. This is the me of the body perceiving separation. To hold to separation is to be seized by the net of existence. To release separation is to flow with the river to the sea.
All has been said (over and over). Say no more. Stop trying. Do nothing. To do nothing is to sit in the still silence of the room within. Herein all is known. Let the way unfold before you. It is through heart, not mind, that you awaken and know. It is in the moment that heart opens to reveal your true nature.
Words point the way, but you do not see or hear. You are not aware. You are sleeping in a dream. You stumble on your way unconsciously. Your actions betray your ignorance and fear. The dust of the world billows with each step you take, making the light seem murky and dim. Stop a moment. Stand still. Let the dust settle. It is nothing to you. You are not of the world. The world is of your own making. You are the one walking the path. Change course. Find the way of your true nature. You can change! Drop your baggage at the door, then enter the room within. Acknowledge your true presence in the world. Release yourself from the me of the body. This is not you. It is your experience of existence and destined for the dustbin. You are not the body or its personality. You are the expressing that is existence. You know existence as the universe, but your true nature lies in the emptiness far beyond your perceptions. Awaken now to the whole of the all. Grow to fill the Tree of Life, with your roots buried deep in the ground of goodness and your highest branches reaching into the crown of consciousness. Honor yourself. You are the one. Do not look elsewhere when there is no other. You are that which I AM. Align yourself with your presence within. See no other than the whole of the all. Feel the emptiness embracing you. It holds you in wisdom and joy. This is the way of the path. Live it fully.
There is no you and some other. There is I AM. I AM is the expressing of separation as existence. You are the energy of existence. You are the flowing of the river, the ringing in the bell, the dancing that is the dance—the expressing that is existence. Words separate. Words create forms. Forms become this and that. Your interest in this and that keeps you from knowing your true nature. You would rather live in separation than give up your identity as the me of the body. You carry this identity even into death as your soul. You cannot imagine that you are anything else. There is a time under heaven for when you will release your worldly identity and remember that you are that which I AM. To remember is to find peace of heart in the moment. It is not some far off thing that must be sought after. Peace is now, in the moment. It comes from knowing joy as your true nature. You are the way. What could there be moment by moment but joy in the world. To live outside the moment is to be awash in thoughts, emotions, and desire, all of which leads to expectations and the folly of pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow. Instead of folly, choose the peaceful presence of joy. The future is illusion, The past is memory. Memories supply you with this and that. The oasis in the distance is a mirage. You are camped by a lovely stream. Why are you thirsty? Drink in the moment. Let it settle your thirst. The guide within is your own true nature. The voice that leads is your own. You are the light that shows the way. You are the way. How many ways can it be said that there is no other. You are the one. You are I AM.
You are what you think you are. The image comes first to mind then is perceived as real in the world. What you see through perception is not reality. The me of the body with its pleasures and pains, happinesses and sorrows is illusion of mind despite its bumps and bruises. It is illusion because it is perception of mind and transitory. Stand in the room within. Look out into the world. You will see that you are skewed in how you have seen what you thought was real. When you remove yourself from the world it changes. Your vision lets you see truly what is real and not. When you untangle from the tendrils of attachment, you are free to be the reality that is your true nature. You are I AM. You are rooted in the ground of goodness spreading your branches to the crown of consciousness. Release your grip on existence. You will set yourself free.
Feed on wisdom and joy moment by moment. Expand your heart to take in the whole of the all. Arrest your appetite for this and that. Do not lose touch with your inner nature, which is I AM. You exist as the me of the body in a world of separation. Separation is illusion, a dream in consciousness of what cannot be real. Your experience of separation is transitory, yet you view it as your reality. This is a misperception. You are only passing through this world. It is not your home. Open your heart to reveal I AM. Let your true nature purify your worldly love so that you may live in joy without fear. You do not remember joy clearly. To remember is to awaken in the room within. This awakening cannot be said. It lies beyond words. You must know the way as your own. Use words, guides, angels, even gods, if you wish, to help along the way. These are separations. They exist, like the me of the body, as illusion. In the end it is you. Think about such things all that you want. The spirit world will serve you until it does not. When you reach the end, there is you. Speculate. Imagine. Give voice to your theories and dogma. They satisfy for now, but they are veils of darkness to be peeled away to reveal the core of your being which is I AM. You live in illusion and are drawn to illusion as the answer. The me of the body is lost in ignorance and fear. It is best not to think about it all. Observe your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Observe the ways of the world. Be the witness. Do not own the illusion of separation. Be silent and you will know what cannot be said.
You are the guide. There is no other to lead you. Submit to the way of the path. Do not resist your mastery of the moment. It is in the moment that you know the way. Stay with your true nature. Do not vary. You see the path in your own light. Follow the way into the room within. Open your eyes to vision from the heart. Follow your own lead as that which I AM. There is no other.