Saturday, July 21, 2018

Rumi Revealed - Silence of Love


Chapter from the book RUMI REVEALED
translated by
Rassouli....
Literary editor and poetic expression in English by 
Naomi and Rassouli....

Chapter: Silence of Love

"God is the name given to the infinite, eternal, energy that is always creating and that which is beyond boundaries, beyond time, beyond place, beyond words, and beyond all comprehension. While God is not known through the mind, we discover a deep well and a fountain of love inside our hearts through which God may be experienced in a divine touch igniting us with divine love.

Silence is the ultimate presence of God to all that is created, and silence is our presence to all that has not yet been created.

We keep a vigil of love in reverent silence in response to the overwhelming gift of love that has offered us life. Unable to hold it inside, we break out in praise and celebration of the beauty of that love.

Rumi embodied the expression of love in a way that brought heaven to earth. He became part of the great mystery, the unity, and the oneness that awakens the heart from a deep sleep to reveal the divine truth of who we are.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” is a powerful metaphor alluding to the great silence rather than spoken words. In the beginning, there was no one to speak. It was a process unfolding in silence or a divine decree that manifested in a creative result. This is an indication that the divine power, or the power of creativity, is a profound intention arising from silence. Mystics consider this process the manifestation of love. Everything that has been created flows from the word of life itself.

The Infinite is expressed through Silence.

The greatest of human achievements have not evolved from the words expressed by a person manifesting greatness, but from the depth of the silence of pure intention.

The essence of love and creativity exists in silence and not in the words that are derived from the rational mind. Every word evolves from silence, every sound proceeds from silence, and every thing that is created has originated from silence. All become the living word of life itself.


Words can sometimes dissipate power rather than strengthen it. In many cases, the loss of power is the result of talking about the intention before it has resulted in manifestation.

There are two kinds of speech and two kinds of silence. Speech is either fact or deception, and silence is the result of achievement or neglect. When truth is spoken, words are better than silence, but when words are fabricated or untrue, silence is better than speech.
Al Hajwiri

Life is illuminated when the lips are closed, and the heart begins to speak. Silence enhances power. It is the pride of the humble and the humility of the proud. It is the zenith of merit for the brave and the haven of security for the coward. Silence is the wisdom of fools and the discretion of the wise.

Silence is the basis for the development of character. It is the mystery and the voice within the heart that leads to reverence, patience, self-control, endurance, and courage.

Two actions are identified with foolishness:
Silence when it is time to speak
and talk when it is time to be silent.
Saadi

Rumi has given more value to “silence” for those on the path of enlightenment than other mystics. Many of the poems in the Divan of Shams end with the words, “Be silent” or some other descriptive phrase about being silent. His most mystical poems and those with deeper meanings often reflect the importance of silence. Perhaps some of the best advice in his poetry is when he tells himself to be silent as he feels the emergence of the rational mind interfering with his ecstatic state. He usually stops the poetry and goes into silence when that happens.

Poetry to Rumi is the prelude to silence.

To Rumi, nothing is worth saying if what is said is not spoken out of love that flows freely through the heart to guide what is being said. In fact, poetry to him is conversation with love. It is in silence that love most easily finds the way to the heart. It is in silence that love is given the freest passage. The expression of the message then has the perfect clarity of truth. If we open our mouths to speak, and our words do not come from love, then we should say nothing.

Silence is pure essence, while talking is like a cover surrounding the essence. The deep ecstasy of the spiritual journey harbors the beauty that is hidden inside. Silence has many concealed advantages, and the simplest one is that it relieves apprehension and doubt and frees a person to embrace an inner peace.

I am a mirror! I am a mirror! I am not a person of words.
I am revealed when your eyes become listening ears.

There is a sacred silence inside everyone where a divine conversation can be heard. Be silent and listen to the whispers of love within the heart that long to be expressed and feel the tranquility and freedom love can bring.

Mystics who have received the divine wine
have learned many secrets and kept silent.
All who are truly aware of the mystery
have closed and sealed their mouths.
The Masnavi

Careless thoughts can take the form of words, and they pour out of the mouth every day. Thought has an energy that is carried with the words. If the thought is negative, it goes out like an arrow and finds its mark in whoever might be in its path. The words find soft vulnerable flesh, and they can sting and cause pain, leaving wounds that can harm and steal the joy from the life of another person.

Man has the creative power to send out thoughts that inspire, that heal, and that warm the heart. Love is the cure for those wounds. Love has the healing power to help anyone forgive cruelty, to heal the inner wounds, and to find a way to transform the negative hurt that is carried inside.

A deep silence overcomes me,
and I wonder why I ever thought
to utter words.

An important reason for silence is to “conceal the mystery.” Revealing the secrets among those who don’t have the capacity to receive and understand them often leads to adversity and conflict. Rumi’s advice is to be so careful that we even hide the secrets from the walls and the doors. The mystery is to be revealed only to those who are capable of holding the deeper truths silently within their hearts.

What matters in life is what is true and the moments that are real, moments when love is felt and experienced, when a connection is made through love, whether it is with another person, or when feeling the presence of Divine Love. Pure love is everything, and it flows from a deep and sacred silence that protects and guards the mystery.

What is underneath the command to say nothing or to be silent is the longing for love, the patience of waiting for it, the silence of the vigil, the hope that it will come, and the faith that love will anoint our expression in whatever form it presents or manifests itself in each one of us.

Silence is the dwelling place of creation.
It holds the mystery and surprise of all that is created."

(One of the most important chapters!)





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