It is vain to try to change the world. Those who
have recognised it have turned their attention inward. There, they have
discovered that the roots of Man's sufferings are related to the
existence of a centre that dreams of itself as an independent and
lasting reality, somehow different from Life's flow. Having shown the
" ego " up as the one responsible for worldly disorders, the sages aim at
its destruction. However, this bloody " I " possesses hooked claws and
hundred of tricks to let us believe it is dying when it is not. The only
way to get rid of it consists in giving close attention to the way it
works. One should answer three questions : who thinks ? How ? And why ?
It is a difficult and often exhausting task, but the only sensible one
if the ultimate aim in Man's adventure is to reveal " IT ".
" IT " is a
handy word. Through its neutrality it prevents the building of an image
of a human-shaped god, and with its undefined aspect it "describes" that
which cannot be described. " IT " points out something that the will
cannot reach but reveals itself at the vanishing point of the " ego ".
" IT " is, perhaps, what the biologist Lyall Watson calls, in Lifetide,
the " Contingent System ". This system, whose existence has not yet been
scientifically proven, could be acting in everything in the universe.
" IT " could also be physicist David Bohm's " Implicate Order ", but
certainly not the Jungian Self that finally proves itself to be an
indefinite extension of the " ego ". Let's say in closing that " IT " is
much more a state of mind (or a state of being) than knowledge.
Part I
" Go upon your way singing, but let each song be brief, for only the song that dies young upon your lips shall live in human hearts. "
Gibran
In the fields
peasants are working
moving slowly
while gleaning
moving slowly
as the flow of time
sometimes
At the seaside
the wind's song is sorrowful
and the languid waves
like tears
of the dying world
In man's mind
thoughts are like swallows
on a stormy afternoon
Must the show
really go on and on ?
Will IT never be revealed ?
We were two friends
gazing at our images
reflected from the depths of a well
when a stone
thrown into the water
Broke our faces
Then a voice said
Even if you often behave
like snakes or moles
there is somewhere
in your beloved obscurity
a hidden freedom
Unceasingly
life is calling you
for it wants you to dance
with the winds and gods
However
how could you feel drunk
by unbounded spaces, if
through fear of whirlwinds
you never dare
to spread your wings ?
Frightened of getting lost
one is already dead
You shout
We want peace !
But is there
at least
a bit of it
in your hearts ?
You shout
we want freedom !
But is there
at least
a bit of it
in your consciousness ?
Perhaps - IT
could give you both
but IT is not
a mere concept
IT must be lived
down to the very roots
of your being
Those who want to " tread on the tail of the tiger " should be warned
Intelligence is needed
but won't help much
knowledge too
which won't help either
intuition will also
be very misleading
and the will
will prove itself
the last obstacle
Asked about the right tool
to be used
a sage simply murmured
Good luck !
Yet another warning...*
" If I knew how painful Love is,
I would have stood at the entrance of the Lane of Love ;
I would have proclaimed with the beat of the drum :
Keep, keep away, keep away !
It is not a thoroughfare, there is only one way in ;
Once entered, I am helpless, I stay here ;
But you, who are outside, look out !
Think before entering how painful it is,
Full of sorrow, to walk the Lane of Love ! "
* Old Persian song quoted by Irina Tweedie.
There are a lot of traps
on the Lane of Love
" Regrets " is one of them
" Hopes " another
Love
sometimes
takes queer shapes
clouds or shells
Love
sometimes
is silent
or... hate-like
While walking in the rain
one's attention was drawn
to a forgotten apple
a golden reminder of summer
still hanging from a barren tree
There are not a million truths
but one
There are few ways
to reach it
and many others
to miss it
The behaviour of an eagle
is not the same
as that of an ass
So it is for Man
his actions depend on whether he is
A king or a slave
Everyone must know
" who " he is !
Gazing at the golden dunes
you sighed
I love this country
Gazing at invisible spaces
I was about to say
this is the land I love
follow me !
Since it is yours too
and mankind's
But my lips remained sealed
It is sometimes
too early
sometimes
too late
Never on time
And we die
without ever
having had a try
The sun is receding
driven away
by evil-doers
The beloved Taoists
who lived from dew
have disappeared
as have the masters of Ch'an
to mysterious countries
But their words remain
an everlasting cure
Life - at an early stage
is black or white
Later
it is black and white
When the storms are gone
it becomes variegated
like a rainbow
About 1100 years ago, the Ch'an master Lin-Tsi was sent to a monastery whose monks were not very interested in " The Great Affair " ( The nature of Buddha ). After several months of walking, the wanderer entered the monastery, went directly to the superior and shouted " Khât ", shook his sleeves and left homeward bound !
It is said that after this intervention, half of the community left for more serious
monasteries...
The same Lin-Tsi said : " All that you meet outside or inside yourselves, kill it ! If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill Him ! If you meet your father or mother, kill them ! "
This is a way of saying that we have to set our minds free of any kind of attachments.
Joyfully lifting a passage from some authors*
" Jesus came down
from heaven to earth
and said he was
the saviour of us all "
If you meet Jesus on the road
kill Him !
" People said it was
a virgin birth "
If you meet the Virgin on the road
kill Her !
" Valleys deep and the mountains
so high "
And so dense
the wall of our illusions...
* Lin-Tsi : Sayings
BJ Harvest : Hymn
Sunny sunday
bells are clanging
The worshipers are leaving the church
a look of concern
masking sombre faces
Lazing
on the path of dreams
they think in one way
talk in another
and act in yet another
They have begged for mercy
that is not what they need
They should be awakened
that is not what they want
A recluse is shedding tears
for he cannot share his wisdom
another wouldn't give a single breath
for the sake of the world
I wonder
if one of them
is a genuine sage ?
A man asserted
I'll set you free !
Others clung to him
... and became slaves
" I " did not want to be destroyed - you said
But the tiniest sparrow
darting round
in the early morning air
could have lit your way
No cloud is ever destroyed
it simply vanishes
Nothing to lighten the darkness
A dying star
drifting along
that's what you were
when I last met you
Alas ! Time was over
no one could help you anymore
A shy wind - perhaps
will remind the world of you
and will carry
over the centuries
the shameful story of a queen
that should have covered
the world with flowers
Creation is tentative
Poisoned oceans
slowly swelling
white sun
dropping
into a foul mist
We are no longer warriors
carrying out a sacred duty
but dry leaves
left to a vicious wind
Are we about to miss the attempt ?
For priests and politicians
all the good things are in the future
Run! run! my friend !
Dreamers talk about covering the world with flowers. Unfortunately, their words are always seeds of destruction.
Dismal sky
The wind is whistling and
throughout the village
shutters are clapping
Beside the flowered fountain
lies a newly killed pig
still quivering
We were meant to love everything
but... who does ?
Two sparrows on the wall
kissing one another
a third one arrives
and the war breaks out
Beirut 1982
Among debris
a pool of fresh water
children drinking
and laughing
all around
There, IT was living
In a deserted street
an abandoned horse
taking its last breath
There, IT was leaving
Some people claim that the calamities which are threatening us are kindred to natural catastrophies. This ill-considered statement does not take into account Man's responsibility. Are we so much turned to seed ?
Beirut 1983
While I was sleeping
they were fighting - like dogs
covering the hills
with blood and hate
Just as I awoke
they ceased fire
saying
Let's talk about peace !
Meanwhile
how can it take root
and grow
if they remain deaf
to " The Voice of the Eternal Wisdom " ?
Heavy smokes are crawling yet
over the devastated land
The voice calling you
has been silenced
but in the distance
a golden light is shining
Whether a man finds a companion
or not
the Way is lit
Part II
" All that you said and all that you heard
all that you knew and all that you saw
is not even the beginning of what you must know
Destroy your Self
since the ruined house of the world is not your place "
Farîd-ud-Dîn 'Attar
Drawn into a dream
I met a crowd of people
debating very seriously
about the future of mankind
At first
I was brought into it
but later
as they got excited
I edged away
Eventually
a bird woke me up
Hey ! You ! Blackbird !
Could you tell me
what they were all talking about ?
It whistled
but I am certain I heard
About rubbish !
Endless wars
futile talks
leave no room
for wisdom to grow
Leaving regrets behind
the sages withdraw
unto silent depths
Peacefully
gazing at things
growing and dying
I feel so distanced
from Man's world
and I wonder
Why is he so troubled ?
Our transient nature
is a fact
no one can escape
To look at the world
leads to a conclusion
Nothing is perfect
But perfection
in itself
may be a death sentence
as the tide of Life
rises and falls
only between opposites
Full Moon
Moonbeams braking
through the thick mist
soft wind harvesting
the last grape-leaves
A man was walking down there
a shadow on the Earth
One stood
like a tree in winter
stripped and silent
a king among the fields
waiting for nothing
but to lose
its last leaves...
Humility is not a moral virtue
but a state of being
a total opening
to the wholeness of Life
Early this morning
in the pure cold air
the many lights of the landing planes
were star-like
slowly falling
down to Earth
" Where do we come from ? "
" Where are we going ? "
Are in no way
sensible questions
" Who are we now ? " sounds better
Dreaming
among millions of dreams
one plays the game
adding one's own confusion
to the mess of the world
Awakened
Standing away from the tempest
one becomes - now and then
an island
for those on the Way
The Masters' words are like foam
on the crest of the waves
Turning one's back on the Teachings
opening one's mind to silent depths
one enters a blooming garden
whose perfume intoxicates people
Except oneself
There is no saviour
who will open the Gate
Does the ocean die
when a wave
crashes on the shore ?
Staying alone
in the stillness of the nights
having not even
a single thought for Man
a wanderer is watching over
the wealth of the world
However
the universe does not need him
to save its song
Whatever the fate of Mankind
the music will carry on
into eternity
Dedicated to the memory of
Djalâl-ud-Dîn Rûmi
Farîd-ud-Dîn 'Attar
Husayn Mansûr Hallâj
Omar Khayyam
Yunus Emré
and all other like-minded people
A gleam shown in the night
I went nearer and saw
a man whirling round
surrounded by high dancing flames
Who is he ?
I got no answer
but a voice commanded
Burn the memory of the journey
the knowledge and the skills
reduce into ashes
even the longing
of being one with IT
and say
O Servant of servants
make me your servant !
Late last night
a sigh of the moon
roused a lazy wind
Then
this question was answered
What is awakening ?
It simply happens
when - suddenly
you face facts
The last full moon
The land felt drowsy
like a child
after the many games of the day
Two awls took wings
and started flirting
with the moonbeams
Here and there
a cloud was drifting away
to meet another day
With no Self
to question anything anymore
there was room for IT
Then... these words were spoken
Love's like an eagle
flirting - eternally free
with chasms of light
You
who are still crawling
among the shadows of this world
do not cause confusion
in your life anymore
Wake up ! Get up ! Hurry up !
Follow the wake of ITS golden wings
and soar
higher and higher
to the ultimate heights
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