Why Rumi?

I am sure everyone has a lot of favourite authors, but one that tends to spark a welcome wave of inspiration and renewal every time people read his work is Rumi. He was a 13th century author (1207-1273). Though his original works were written in Farsi, they have also been translated into other languages and are still enjoyed by people in many countries today - even seven centuries after his death! Such timeless writings hold true gems of wisdom that we can rediscover and savour each time we ponder them.

With that thought in mind, we love to share five of Rumi's quotes that we believe are truly brilliant and have impacted many lives. They are our personal favourites and we've shared a few thoughts about why they speak so strongly to our heart - but don't take our word for it; ponder them yourself and let them speak to you. What insights do they hold for you?

"Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth."

This quote immediately moves us into that fabulous state of passion and joy that can only come from following one’s heart! Every time you read it you feel like kicking off your shoes, grabbing a notebook and pen and heading out to the back yard to write and create.

On a deeper level, this quote reminds us that our true happiness comes from having a purpose in life. Something that makes us feel like we're doing worthwhile work - even if it's only worthwhile to us. And we love the phrase, "kneel and kiss the earth" - it brings to mind thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for, well - everything. The world around us and all of its inhabitants!

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy."

So many of us forget this simple wisdom in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. We're so focused on what we have to do, need to do, almost forgot to do - that we end up living from our harried minds rather than the deeper place that makes everything so sacred.

Try an experiment yourself to feel the power in Rumi's words: Choose one task, big or small and do it from your soul. Take a walk and make a point of moving your body slowly and reverently. Brush your hair as if it were made of spun glass that might break if you tug too hard. Revel in the sensation of the brush bristles massaging your scalp and softening your hair. Even simple activities, when done in a conscious spiritual state, can awaken you in such profound ways that you'll never be the same.

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

Nowadays we are becoming more aware of the power of our own thoughts and the role they play in forming our physical reality, and this quote is very revealing in that context! Every time I read it I'm reminded that lack does not exist except in my own mind. Whatever I think I don't have enough of, I simply need to awaken to the ways I am blocking it from my perception. When I do that, suddenly it's all there right before my eyes, as it always was - if only I had been willing to see it. This can apply not only to love but money, good health, joy, inner peace, and so much more.

"The universe and the light of the stars come through me."

I don't think Rumi was bragging about his own greatness with this line, but rather sharing the insight that all of us "give birth" to our reality (our own universe, really) through our perceptions. He also may have been referring to inspiration - I've often said that written words "come through me" at times, especially when I'm "in the flow" and the words just come out with little editing on my part.

"Burdens are the foundations of ease and bitter things the forerunners of pleasure."

What a powerful message is contained in this gem! So often we resent the difficult moments in life and forget that they provide an important service for us. Not only do they lay a foundation and pave the way for better times later; they help us to become stronger, better people so we can appreciate those pleasant experiences when they arrive.

When I think back to some of the more difficult times I've had in life, I'm truly grateful for them now. They taught me a lot about myself and contributed greatly to the person I've become. I try hard to remember that when I find myself in tough situations these days - which makes them easier to bear.

In fact, that's what we love so much about quotes like Rumi's; they offer a moment of reprieve, a glimpse of grace, and a gentle reminder that the difficult moments will pass and the sun will shine once again. What more could we ask for?

Rumi is associated by his profound love for the beloved--infuse the spiritual quest with a companionship that makes it seem less lonely and more like an immortal love affair. "There is a with-ness in Rumi's sense of soul," But Rumi's appeal is universal. He certainly makes sense to modern yogis; as Barks says, "Ramana Maharshi and Rumi would agree: the joy of being human is in uncovering the core we already are, the treasure buried in the ruin." Yet Rumi wouldn't be content to appeal to just one type of audience. In one memorable couplet, he says plainly, "What was said to the rose that made it open was said / to me here in my chest." The marvel of Rumi is that the voice that speaks to the rose speaks through him to us.

How to get the most from your Rumi Yoga practice

One of the Rumi Yoga's educational aspects is to provide invaluable information for those who are interested primarily in their self-development. From start, Rumi mentions ways in which a person should lead her life so she could stay in the right track.  Before learning anything new however, Rumi emphasizes that a person should learn first as how to listen (beshno). This, certainly, does not mean that listening is an easy task yet it is one of the first commandments for those who are on their way to change their lives and visions towards perfection.

While listening is the main factor in helping the person in her journey, being patient is what one has to learn next (al-sabr-mefta-hol-faraj). Change for the best is not a procedure which could happen overnight. Thus the person should realize that since miracles only happen through Almighty's intervention, daily hard work(kar az kar bar mijizad dar jaahan) and having patience is the much needed requirements for this internal journey.

There are many ways to interpret what it means to be patient.  For one, it is vital that the person realizes that we have certain capacity in learning (gar berizi bahr ra dar kuzei-chand gonjad ghesmate yek ruzei).  Thus, one ought not expect to grasp everything written in our educational program in a short period of time. It is important to understand, then, that even if one reads the most important books, meet the wisest people and hears them speak about the secrets of creation and life, she only learns based on her present capacity.  One cannot rush to be wise and should have patient for the road is harsh and the destination unknown.

Rumi's work is not certainly a theoretical book but a manual to act upon as how one ought to live.  If we think that it is enough to read and discuss his work theoretically without applying its lessons into our own lives, we are mistaken.  We should try to remember the story of the navigator whom was saved because knew how to swim.  Furthermore, we should not forget that all Masnawi's stories are told for their heroines have, in fact, certain characteristics that also exist in each of us.  So, they are told by Rumi so we can recognize them in ourselves (nagdeh hal mast an) with the hope to minimize the improper characteristics and maximize the proper ones.

Rumi's work does also contain rules which one, if dedicated, learns to apply in every facet of her life.  The most important rule, however, is that no rule is universal in its application to all situations.  This means that Rumi does not teach commandments such as "don't steal, don't lie, etc.", but rules which one could use to recognize a particular situation at its best and then act upon its particulars accordingly.  That is why his work, indeed, is full of paradoxes now that according to Rumi,  no one rule shall be applied to every circumstance and each person.  Rules have their own merits and deserving attention based on where the person is standing and what she is doing.

From the above, we can deduct further that everything is relative and there is neither good nor evil in this world in its absolute sense.  By viewing the world as such, we are, in fact, able to escape from the dogmatism that Rumi always warn us about.  Dogmatism have two edges which are similar but in different ways.  Blind-in-one-eye and crossed-eye are not similar yet both are shortcomings which will affect our vision in seeing clearly and concisely.  Thus if we cling ourselves either to one or the other side of the spectrum, we fail in keeping the balance (mizan).

After our ears, the eyes are the organs which need to be fixed.  We conduct our lives based on the vision that we have about ourselves and our surroundings.  As Rumi says "pishe cheshmat dashti shisheye siah-vin chenin donya kabudat minemud".  Since it seems unlikely that we could have control over and above external circumstances, it is essential to search for the origins of our own hopes, wishes, illusions and the reasons for our inquiries.  In each step of the journey then, when we, little by little, learn about ourselves, we become more capable to create harmony between our internal desires with external events.

"Know thyself" is what Rumi commands us to do.  By dividing our being into different facets (nafs, aghl, and ruh), he intends to aid us in knowing ourselves better.  If we are successful in realizing that we are not, in fact, one person but that we have so many "I"s hidden inside us, we could then, be able to choose the best part of ourselves in order to control over our vision and perspective in life.  Each of us could be resembled as a house with a lot of people living in it.  And, of course, it will be a disaster if the servant rather than the owner rules the house.

The house needs everyone to work in their own places.  So, of course, no one can be thrown out of the house.  There has to be a union between all of them once the person learns the function and the place of each.  That is why Rumi insists that one cannot kill the ego but that she should constantly struggle to have it under control (Ejdeha-e Baghdad).  Furthermore, the person should acknowledge the importance of the mind but also realizes that mind, if not developed, is like a machine that serves primarily for survival purposes (kanizak).  It is true, however, that even when it is developed (Belgheis), is only able to do certain tasks well (it can take Mohammed only to the seventh sky).

The whole issue results then in identification, recognition, union and balance of different parts of our being.  Rumi in different stories of the king, one at the beginning and one at the end, briefly, summarizes what he means by the steps that one has to go through in order to achieve this union.  At the end of Masnawi, he says that God (King) has already assigned a series of functions for each of the parts (vasiat).  God knows that the only way to get close to Him is through the soul (the third Prince), but one has to go through the journey and be transformed from a king who is in love with his own mind (kanizak) to a king who has now produced three sons (aghl, ego, del), each of which, equal to one another in importance, greatness, in search for knowledge and in loving God.

The last stage of this journey is, in fact, to let go of one's ego and mind which cannot have access to the truth (Faana).  So when the two older princes die, in fact, one should not think that something horrible has happened.  Since the spirit is the only thing in us that is from God's own essence, the last union will be the one between it and Him (del be del rah daarad).  It is then when the person whose spirit has control over his ego and mind, can use God's own mind (daughter) to be original.  Now, connected to the sea of wisdom, she has the free-will to become a fountain of creativity and take advantage of insights (cheshmeheye darun).

The last note, however, should be about the danger that it always follows the person in this journey (div).  It is very dangerous for the person to believe that she knows the "Truth" and that there is nothing else to learn.  As Rumi says in the last story of Masnawi, it may very well be that in the same way that your good characteristics grow, your abominable ones also, hidden from you, are growing.  So one should be extremely cautious and always watches the other side of the coin as well.