ONE MESSAGE

This is a presentation of three poems from my favorite poets who lived during the 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th centuries but their poems carry the same message, message of oneness and peace.

  

12^th Century

1165 – 1240

Mystic, philosopher, poet, sage Ali Ibn Arabi is one of the world’s great spiritual teachers. He was born into the Moorish culture of Andalusian Spain and died in Damascus. His poetry and extensive writings provide a beautiful exposition of the unity of Being. His wisdom has much to offer us in the modern world in terms of understanding what it means to be human.

Light of Sacredness

The inner space inside

that we call the heart

has become many different

living scenes and stories.

A pasture for sleek gazelles,

a monastery for Christian monks,

a temple with Shiva dancing

a kaaba for pilgrimage.

The tablets of Moses are there,

the Qur’an, the Vedas,

the sutras, and the gospels.

Love is the religion in me.

Whichever way love’s camel goes,

that way becomes my faith,

the source of beauty, and a light

of sacredness over everything.

13^th Century

1207 – 1273

Poet, Sufi, and mystic RUMI, known as planetary poet and the first seeker of Truth, was born in Balkh ancient Persia. According to the experts, his words carry a broad range of religious awareness - the meditative silence and no-mind of Zen, the open heart and compassion of Jesus, the stern discipline of Mohammad, the convivial humor of Taoists, the crazy wisdom and bright intelligence of the Jewish and Hassidic masters. He wrote poetry to transform his listeners and readers in order to take them out of themselves and lead them to greater awareness.

Only Breath

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu,
Buddhist, sufi or zen. Not any religion

or cultural system. I am not from the East
or West, not out of the ocean or up

from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any

origin story. My place is place-less, a trace
of the trace-less. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.

14^th Century

1320-1389

The beloved Persian poet, sufi master and mystic HAFIZ was born in Shiraz, Iran and was known as the tongue of the invisible. He came one hundred years after RUMI and in his poems he reveals a God that would never cripple us with guilt or control us with fear. His words are a music that comforts, empowers and enlightens. He invites you to join him in his fantastic applause of life.

I have learned

I
Have
Learned
So much from God
That I can no longer
Call
Myself

A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim
A Buddha, a Jew

The Truth has shared so much of itself
With me

That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even pure soul.

Love has befriended Hafiz so completely
It had turned to ash
And freed
Me

Of every concept and image
My mind has ever known

***

#poets #oneness 

ONCE UPON A TIME, NEPAL

A Temple

Our small plane was flying over the Himalayas, and looking from the window, I was in awe while staring at the beautiful chain of mountains covered with snow against the clear blue sky. At that time I was working with the World Health Organization and I lived in Bangladesh in South Asia. I was on my way to Katmandu, Nepal which was not very far from where I was stationed.

Himalayas

The Federal Republic of Nepal is the world’s largest country by land mass, and is located in Himalayas bordered to the north by China, and to the south, east and west by India. The 27+ million population of the country are mostly Hindu and Buddhist. Nepal is separated from Bangladesh by a narrow stretch of land. The capital city and the largest city of Nepal is Katmandu. The country’s agriculture sector employs about 76% of the workforce.

The Watching Eyes

People love to visit Nepal for its natural beauty and for being almost like a mystical place but they also go there for mountain climbing especially if they are professional mountaineers. The mountains north of Nepal have eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including the highest point of Earth, Mount Everest.

 

A beautiful scenery in Katmandu

My whole experience of being in Nepal felt like a dream especially when I took a tour to see the surrounding skirts of mountains. The air was fresh and cool and I felt I have stepped into a new planet. I saw local women and children in colorful cloths waiting around and talking with each other. When I asked the tour guide about them he said that many of them are relatives of Sherpas who guide the mountaineers.

Sherpas are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal in the Himalayas who are regarded as elite mountaineers and expert in their local terrain. In April 2014 the avalanche of massive chunks of ice and snow killed 16 Nepalese guides, mostly Sherpas. There are reports that many Sherpa climbing guides have left their jobs because of frequent deaths and injuries.

Colorful Spices

I experienced Nepal as a beautiful and colorful country with an spectacular landscape. The diverse and exotic cultures of Nepal attract a lot of tourists. The people of Nepal are extremely kind, serene and helpful in spite of the hardship and apparent poverty. I never forget the view of Himalayas and the country’s beautiful sceneries and temples.

In Katmandu

#Himalayas #Nepal #Katmandu