I am in love with no other than myself,
and my very separation is my union…
I am my beloved and my lover;
I am my knight and my maiden.
– Ibn ‘Arabi
Lord, where shall I find you?
Your place is lofty and secret.
And where shall I not find you?
The whole earth is full of your glory!
You are found in our innermost heart,
yet you fixed earth’s boundaries.
You are a strong tower for those who are near
and the trust of those who go far.
I have sought to come near you;
I have called to you with all my heart;
and when I went out towards you,
I found you coming towards me.
– Judah Halevi
In the market, in the cloister – only God I saw.
In the valley and on the mountain – only God I saw.
Him I have seen beside me oft in tribulation;
In favor and in fortune – only God I saw.
In prayer and fasting, in praise and contemplation,
In the religion of the Prophet – only God I saw.
Neither soul nor body, accident nor substance,
Qualities nor causes – only God I saw.
I opened mine eyes and by the light of his face around me
In all the eye discovered – only God I saw.
Like a candle I was melting in his fire:
Amidst the flames outflashing – only God I saw.
Myself with mine own eyes I saw most clearly,
But when I looked with God’s eyes – only God I saw.
I passed away into nothingness, I vanished,
And lo, I was the All-living – only God I saw.
– Baba Kuhi of Shiraz
A kind of optical delusion
April 3, 2014 Leave a Comment
A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe’; a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison.
– Albert Einstein