Wednesday, December 17, 2008

December 17, 2008 EMAIL RE: RUMI

Good morning, My Dear Friends! This sun is just coming up over the eastern sky and I sit in the shop outside of Jangjubling Monastery playing with little Kavya, Sunil's daughter; he and his father-in-law and brother-in-law, Vivek, run this little post which fills with monks eating parantha and drinking tea! I love coming here where we all belong to the same family ; Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist and some without religion or caste We share this communion with smiles and attemps to communicate with each other. The beautiful Maria from Denmark, a wonderful being who speaks and studies Tibetan here at university in Copenhagen leaves to return home Friday, but to return to Songsten Library in about 6 months. She also studies with different monks here and at my nunnery, Samten Ling. Bon Voyage to a dharma friend.

I remembered this date: DECEMBER 17 is know as RUMI'S WEDDING DAY - the day he died, and this reference is not to make death itself the point of his Enlightenment, but to remember that he who had overcome death in life, had achieved the ultimate awareness - passing through the illusory doors to the Oneness he experienced with his great teacher, Shamz of Tabriz. Today, is a celebration of all paths that teach that there is something beyond all of this and it is here we are all joined. Rumi's relationship with his Teacher was all consuming and contains all the elements of what we, in Buddhism, call Guru Yoga - the necessary surrender to the outer teacher who then guides us to the place where student and teacher merge into the expanse of Truth, or Bliss, or the Great Void! Into Light - returning to Love!

One simple poem that I quote over and over that Rumi leaves us and reminds us of in these desperate times is this:

Out beyond the ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field; I'll meet you there.

It is the ground state, this awareness , and it is within each of us and we only need turn inward, and turn and turn again - the endless returning that perhaps the Dervishes of the Mevlani line, founded by Rumi, demonstrate to us -

and in turning - foreground, background merge - thee and thou merge

The appearances of separation - merge

There is no demographic demarcation that can identify us anymore - we belong to each other completely as LOVE, LOVER AND BELOVED.

Even if you'v broken your vows a thousand times, come, come, yet again, come, Rumi invites - rededicate yourself to the truth wtih each breath. Return to ths awareness in each interaction. Return to this celelbration each morning and each evening. Return - to the Truth -

Ours is a caravan of endless Joy! Thank you Rumi and to each of you in the States, frantically preparing for your Christmas celebrations - may it be filled with Light.

Behind me, Kavya's sweet voice with her new words reminds me to turn within to my own innocence and my own "newness,"

I'll meet you there.

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