Hafiz

God was full of Wine last night,
So full of Wine

That He let a great secret slip.

He said:

There is no man on this earth
Who needs a pardon from Me -
For there is really no such thing,
No such thing
As Sin!

The Beloved has gone completely Wild-
He has poured Himself into me!

I am Blissful and Drunk and Overflowing.

Dear world,
Draw life from my Sweet Body.

Dear wayfaring souls,
Come drink your fill of liquid rubies,
For God has made my heart
An Eternal Fountain!

Hafiz

GREAT POEMS

O Master, You are so gracious. After all these years You still
Remember who I am: the one who wears the dust of Your door like a crown.

Tell me, who taught You to be so generous to Your slaves?
Don't worry, I won't tell those spies who are watching Your every move.

O Holy Bird, please bless this path I'm on,
For I'm new to this traveling, and it's a long way I have to go.

O morning breeze, take my prayers to the Master,
And tell Him that each day I am on my knees at dawn.
I yearn for the day when I will leave this house and head out on the road.
When that day comes, friends will wonder where I've gone.

O give me the secret map to the place where I can drink wine with You,
For in that place only can I be drunk, and in my drunkenness be free.

Only great poems can capture the hearts of those who don't read;
So poets, sing! Let the God-of-Oceans fill your mouth with pearls.

O Hafiz, if you are seeking the pearl of union, do this:
From tears, make yourself an ocean and then dive!

Hafiz (1310-1369),Drunk on the Wine of the Beloved: Poems of Hafiz

KABIR

f

I talk to my inner lover, and I say, why such rush?
We sense that there is some sort of spirit that loves
birds and animals and the ants –
perhaps the same one who gave a radiance to you
in your mother’s womb.
Is it logical you would be walking around entirely
orphaned now?
The truth is you turned away yourself,
and decided to go into the dark alone.
Now you are tangled up in others, and have forgotten
what you once knew,
and that’s why everything you do has some weird
failure in it.

– Kabir

Motivational Poem -
Life Is....
by Mother Teresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

It was lecture time and the Master said, "The

genius of a composer is found in the notes of his

music; but analyzing the notes will not reveal

his genius. The poet's greatness is contained in

his words; yet the study of his words will not

disclose his inspiration. God reveals himself in

creation; but scrutinize creation as minutely as

you wish, you will not find God, any more than

you will find the soul through careful examination

of your body."

At question time someone asked, "How then

shall we find God?"

"By looking at creation, not by analyzing it."

-Anthony de Mello, Awakening: Conversations with the Masters

Beloved, what do you want of me?
I contain all that was, and that is, and shall be,
I am filled with the all.
Take of me all you please --
if you want all of myself, I’ll not say no.
Tell me, beloved, what you want of me --
I am Love, who am filled with the all:
what you want,
we want, beloved --
tell us your desire nakedly

~ Marguerite Porete (1260-1310), quoted in Women in Praise of the Sacred

Without Brushing My Hair

The

Closer

I get to you, Beloved,

The more I can see

It is just You and I all alone

In this

World.

I hear

A knock at my door,

Who else could it be,

So I rush without brushing

My hair.

For too

Many nights

I have begged for Your

Return

And what

Is the use of vanity

At this late hour, at this divine season,

That has now come to my folded

Knees?

If your love letters are true dear God

I will surrender myself to

Who you keep saying

I

Am.

~ Hafiz, The Garden of Heaven: Poems of Hafiz (Dover Thrift Editions)

"Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only they could see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time, there would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed... I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other."

- Thomas Merton, The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton (New Directions Paperbook)

"An active life is perfectly in keeping with Self-realization and divine service. What is needed is a total dedication of your entire life to Him. In all situations maintain a steady consciousness of Divinity within and about you. Do not harass your mind with thoughts of weakness. Infinite strength is within you. Drawing inspiration and power from this source, be cheerful and contented at all times. Let the name of the Lord dwell ever in your mind!”

- Swami Ramdas, The Essential Swami Ramdas (Library of Perennial Philosophy)

Be not perplexed

Be not perplexed,
Be not afraid,
Everything passes,
God does not change.
Patience wins all things.
He who has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

- St. Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection

Good People,

Most royal greening verdancy,
rooted in the sun,
you shine with radiant light.

In this circle of earthly existence
you shine
so finely,
it surpasses understanding.

God hugs you.
You are encircled
by the arms
of the mystery of God.

~Saint Hildegard of Bingen,
Meditations with Hildegard of Bingen (New Age Mystics)

"Lost in the Sky of Love"

The shadows of evening fall thick
and deep, and the darkness of love
envelops the body and the mind.
Open the window to the west, and be
lost in the sky of love;
Drink the sweet honey that steeps the
petals of the lotus of the heart.
Receive the waves in your body: what
splendor is in the region of the
sea!
Hark! the sounds of conches and bells
are rising.
Kabir says: "O brother, behold! the
Lord is in this vessel of my body."

~ Kabir, The Mystic in Love : A Treasury of Mystical Poems by Gross, Shelley

"The Pot is a God"

The pot is a God. The winnowing
fan is a God. The stone in the
street is a God. The comb is a
God. The bowstring is also a
God. The bushel is a God and the
spouted cup is a God.

Gods, gods, there are so many
there’s no place left
for a foot.
There is only
one God. He is our Lord
of the Meeting Rivers.

By Basava (1134 - 1196); English version by A. K. Ramanujan,
SPEAKING OF SIVA

“Life, in every condition can be lived in freedom and joy, provided the soul within remains unattached to external forms of life.”

- Swami Ramdas
The Essential Swami Ramdas (Library of Perennial Philosophy)

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day, runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measure.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore

...the Truth reveals itself as divine intoxication.
No matter what is happening, you experience a high state.
Someone may be yelling at you, and you think, "Listen to that -
the glory of God!" In everything and everyone you experience
only intoxication, ecstasy.
Some people experience the answer as absolute enlightenment,
complete serenity.

~Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, p.4


Buy this book: Kindle My Heart: Wisdom and Inspiration from a Living Master

With his mind completely harmonized by yoga,
The yogi sees the inner Self abiding in all beings.
He sees the same Truth everywhere,
He sees the same God everywhere.

~Bhagavad Gita

We forget that God is present as the witness of all that we do, all that we see,hear,taste,touch and smell,all the movements and manifestations of our lives.When we forget this and act in a contrary way,for the time being, we are atheists.For us,God does not exist.

~ Swami Chidananda

Away! the great life calls; I leave
For Beauty, Beauty's rarest flower.

~A.E.



Buy this book:
Three mystic poets: A study of W. B. Yeats, A. E., and Rabindranath Tagore

I AM NEITHER HINDU NOR CHRISTIAN

I am neither Hindu nor Christian,
Neither Jew nor Hebrew,
Neither Mussalman nor Parsee,
Niether Aiyer nor Ayengar.

I am not of the East,
Iam not of the West.
I am all-pervading Immortal Soul,
I am Satchidananda Brahman,
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss Absolute.



-- Sri Swami Sivananda