Mystics of the World Religions

[Vouthon]

Dear friends,

I thought it might be a nice idea to have a thread in which people can share quotations from their favourite mystics, spiritual thinkers and holy persons. One can choose to share a saying or passage from a religious writing by a member of one’s own faith or of another.

I expect of course that everyone’s contributions will be embraced with a true spirit of loving-kindness:

“…Christian charity truly extends to all without distinction of race, social condition or religion…”

- Ad Gentes 12 (Vatican II)

Everyone is welcome without exception. I think that even some secular thinkers such as Carl Sagan have uttered words close to mystical knowledge, such that I include them too under my definition of ‘mystic’.

To start us off, here is a marvellous stanza from a poetic masterpiece known as *‘Joseph and Zuleika’ * by the Sufi mystic Jami (1414 - 1492) - the last of the great classic poets of Persia:

“…In solitude, where Being signless dwelt,
And all the universe still dormant lay
Concealed in selflessness, One Being was
Exempt from “I” or “Thou”-ness, and apart
From all duality; Beauty Supreme,
Unmanifest, except unto Itself
By Its own light, yet fraught with power to charm
The souls of all; concealed in the Unseen,
An Essence pure, unstained by aught of ill.
No mirror to reflect Its loveliness,
Nor comb to touch Its locks; the morning breeze
Ne’er stirred Its tresses; no collyrium
Lent luster to Its eyes; no rosy cheeks
O’ershadowed by dark curls like hyacinth
Nor peach-like down were there; no dusky mole
Adorned Its face; no eye had yet beheld
Its image. To Itself it sang of Love
In wordless measures. By Itself it cast
The die of Love. But Beauty can not brook
Concealment and the veil, nor patient rest
Unseen and unadmired; 'twill burst all bonds,
And from Its prison-casement to the world
Reveal Itself. See where the tulip grows
In upland meadows, how in balmy spring
It decks itself; and how amidst its thorns
The wild rose rends its garment, and reveals
Its loveliness. Thou too, when some rare thought;
Or beauteous image, or deep mystery
Flashes across thy soul, canst not endure
To let it pass, but holdst it, that perchance
In speech or writing thou mayst send it forth
To charm the world. Whatever beauty dwells,
Such is its nature, and its heritage
From Everlasting Beauty, which emerged
From realms of purity to shine upon…”

***- Jami (1414 - 1492), Persian poet & Islamic (Sufi) mystic ***

 

[smaneck]

I have a story.

Rumi (the greatest of Sufi mystical poets) was walking with his disciples one day when a Christian approached him and prostrated himself before Rumi. Rumi, to the horror of his disciples, responded by prostrating himself before the Christian. They prostrated to one another for quite some time. Later Rumi disciples asked him how he could possibly prostrate and shame himself before a kafir. Rumi answered, “Had I not done so I would have made Muhammad ashamed before Jesus.”

 

[austinndrury]

Nice idea and concept to share Biblical quotes, in this we always retain the good lines in our mind and which eventually guides us in our daily lives.
“Give me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.”

 

[Vouthon]

“…When will this sort of affection be felt that, inebriated with divine love, the mind may forget itself, making itself like a broken vessel, throw itself wholly on God and clinging to God, become one with him in spirit…? To lose yourself, as it were, like one who has no existence, and to have no self-consciousness whatever, and to be emptied of yourself and almost annihilated, belongs to heavenly not to human love. It is deifying to go through such an experience. As a little drop of water, blended with a large quantity of wine, seems utterly to pass away from itself and assumes the flavour and colour of wine, and as iron when glowing with fire loses its original or proper form and becomes just like the fire; and as the air, drenched in the light of the sun, is so changed into the same shining brightness that it seems to be not so much the recipient of the brightness as the actual brightness itself: so all human sensibility in the saints must then, in some ineffable manner, melt and pass out of itself, and be lent into the Will of God. How will God be all in all if something human survives in man? No doubt the substance remains but under another form, another glory, another power. …”

***- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), Catholic mystic, Cistercian abbot & Doctor of the Church ***

 

[Love4All]

"There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done,
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung,
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, it’s easy;
Nothing you can make that can’t be made,
No one you can save that can’t be saved,
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time, it’s easy;

All you need is Love!
All you need is Love!
All you need is Love, Love, Love is all you need!"

— John Lennon.

 

[gnosisofthomas]

Now, John, who submitted himself voluntarily to Peter as leader or prince of the apostles, did not become his successor after his death, although he outlived Peter by many years. The beloved disciple who listened to the beating of the Master’s heart was, is, and always will be the representative and guardian of this heart: and as such he was not, is not, and never will be the leader or head of the Church. Because just as the heart is not called upon to replace the head, so is John not called upon to succeed Peter. The heart certainly guards the life of the body and the soul, but it is the head which makes decisions, directs, and chooses the means for the accomplishment of the tasks of the entire organism — head, heart and limbs. The mission of John is to keep the life and soul of the Church alive until the Second Coming of the Lord. This is why John has never claimed and never will claim the office of directing the body of the Church. He vivifies this body, but he does not direct its actions.

—Valentin Tomberg

Now it is fitting that the soul regenerates herself and become again as she formerly was. The soul then moves of her own accord. And she received the divine nature from the father for her rejuvenation, so that she might be restored to the place where originally she had been. This is the resurrection that is from the dead. This is the ransom from captivity. This is the upward journey of ascent to heaven. This is the way of ascent to the father.

—Holy Valentinus of Alexandria

O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself, with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

—Baha’u’llah

 

[austinndrury]

Nice idea and concept to share Biblical quotes, in this we always retain the good lines in our mind and which eventually guides us in our daily lives.
“Give me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.”

I hope there was an application for this. SAT Prep

 

[arthra]

THE HIDDEN WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH (Persian only)

***In the Name of the Lord of Utterance, The Mighty.
*
*O YE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MINDS TO KNOW AND EARS TO HEAR!
*
*The first call of the Beloved is this:

O mystic nightingale!

Abide not but in the rose-garden of the spirit.

O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved, and O immortal phoenix! dwell not save on the mount of faithfulness.

Therein is thy habitation, if on the wings of thy soul thou soarest to the realm of the infinite and seekest to attain thy goal.*
**