Rumi

One of my favourite poets: Maulana Jelaluddin Rumi

Draw it now from Eternity's Jar

Come, come, awaken all true drunkards!

Pour the wine that is Life itself!
O cupbearer of the Eternal Wine,
Draw it now from Eternity’s Jar!
This wine doesn’t run down the throat
But it looses torrents of words!
Cupbearer, make my soul fragrant as musk,
This noble soul of mine that knows the Invisible!
Pour out the wine for the morning drinkers!
Pour them this subtle and priceless musk!
Pass it around to everyone in the assembly
In the cups of your blazing drunken eyes!
Pass a philter from your eyes to everyone else’s
In a way the mouth knows nothing of,
For this is the way cupbearers always offer
The holy and mysterious wine to lovers.
Hurry, the eyes of every atom in Creation
Are famished for this flaming-out of splendour!
Procure for yourself this fragrance of musk
And with it split open the breast of heaven!
The waves of the fragrance of this musk
Drive all Josephs out of their minds forever!

- Rumi



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Maulana Jelaluddin Rumi, Muslim Sufi Poet

The Agony and Ecstasy

The Agony and Ecstasy of Divine Discontent:
The Moods of Rumi

In the orchard and rose garden

I long to see your face.

In the taste of Sweetness

I long to kiss your lips.

In the shadows of passion

I long for your love.

Oh! Supreme Lover!

Let me leave aside my worries.

The flowers are blooming
with the exultation of your Spirit.

By Allah!

I long to escape the prison of my ego

and lose myself
in the mountains and the desert.

These sad and lonely people tire me.

I long to revel in the drunken frenzy of your love
and feel the strength of Rustam in my hands.

I’m sick of mortal kings.

I long to see your light.

With lamps in hand
the sheiks and mullahs roam
the dark alleys of these towns
not finding what they seek.

You are the Essence of the Essence,

The intoxication of Love.

I long to sing your praises
but stand mute
with the agony of wishing in my heart.

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Maulana Rumi, Muslim Sufi Poet

O Love

O Love, O pure deep Love, be here, be now,
Be all – worlds dissolve into your
       stainless endless radiance,
Frail living leaves burn with your brighter
        than cold stares –
Make me your servant, your breath, your core. 

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Buddha

The fool thinks he has won a battle when he bullies with harsh speech,
but knowing how to be forbearing alone makes one victorious.
Samyutta Nikaya I, 163

Things are not what they appear to be: nor are they otherwise.
Surangama Sutra

                                                                              

Develop the mind of equilibrium.
You will always be getting praise and blame,
but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:
follow the calmness, the absence of pride.
Sutta Nipata

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Buddha

A brahmin once asked The Blessed One:
"Are you a God?"
"No, brahmin" said The Blessed One.
"Are you a saint?"
"No, brahmin" said The Blessed One.
"Are you a magician?"
"No, brahmin" said The Blessed One.
"What are you then?"
"I am awake."

See the truth, and you will see me.

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Zen Poem

Sacred-Texts         Buddhism  Zen

No-Mind

Versified questions and replies between T'ang emperor Shun-tsung (順宗) and Ch'an master Fo-kuang Ju-man (佛光如滿 Bukkõ Nyoman):

佛從何方來         From where did the Buddha come,

滅向何方去         To where did the Buddha go?

既言常住世         If the Buddha is still around,

佛今在何處         Where can be the Buddha found?     Shun-tsung

佛從無爲來         From non-activity the Buddha came

滅向無爲去         To non-activity the Buddha disappeared.

法身滿虚空         Cosmic reality his spiritual body is,

常住無心處         In no-mind the Buddha will appear. Ju-man

山河與大海         Great mountains, rivers and seas,

天地及日月         Heaven and earth, sun and moon.

時至皆歸盡         Who says there is no birth and death?

誰言不生滅         For even these meet their end soon.  Shun-tsung

生亦未曾生         Birth is also before birth,

滅亦未曾滅         Death is also before death.

了見無生處         If you have attained no-mind,

自然無法説         Naturally there will be nothing left.  Ju-man

(The Complete Book of Zen 242-3)

"Emperor Soon Zong of the Tand dynasty asked the Zen master Ru Man, in poetic style:" (The Complete Book of Zen 242)

(In The Complete Book of Zen, the longer verses are used partly to make quatrains. The original verses run as follows (the verses used in the above poems are emphasized):

Shun-tsung asked: 佛從何方來、滅向何方去、既言常住世、佛今在何處。

Ju-man replied:

佛從無爲來、滅向無爲去、法身滿虚空、常住無心處。有念歸無念、有住歸無住、來爲眾生來、去爲眾生去。清淨眞如海、湛然體常住、智者常思維、更勿生疑慮。

Shun-tsung asked:

佛向王宮來、滅向雙林滅、住世四十九、又言無法説。山河與大海、天地及日月、時至皆歸盡、誰言不生滅? 疑情猶若斯、智者善分別。

Ju-man replied:

佛體本無爲、迷情妄分別、法身等虚空、未曾有生滅。有緣佛出世、無緣佛入滅、處處化眾生、猶如水中月。非常亦非斷、非生亦非滅、生亦未曾生、滅亦未曾滅、了見無生處、自然無法説。)

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Zen Poem

Sacred-Texts        Buddhism  Zen

Cutting the Spring Breeze

乾坤無地卓孤筇

喜得人空法亦空

珍重大元三尺剣

電光影裡斬春風

Throughout heaven and earth there is not a piece of ground where a single stick could be inserted;

I am glad that all things are void, myself and the world:

Honored be the sword, three feet long, wielded by the great Yüan swordsmen;

For it is like cutting a spring breeze in a flash of lightning.

(Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 255 n.2)

"Tsu-yüan (1226-1286) came to Japan when the Hõjõ family was in power at Kamakura. He established the Engakuji monastery, which is one of the chief Zen monasteries in Japan. While still in China his temple was invaded by soldiers of the Yüan dynasty, who threatened to kill him, but Bukkõ was immovable and quietly uttered the following verse:" (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 255 n.2)

Wu-hsüeh Tsu-yüan (無學祖元 Mugaku Sogen; also known as Fo-kuang Kuo-shih 佛光國師/Bukkõ Kokushi, 1226-1286)

Variant character in the last line 電光影裏斬春風 (裏 instead of 裡)

There is not a room in the whole universe where one can insert even a single stick;

I see the emptiness of all things—no objects, no persons.

I admire the sword of the Great Yüan⁴⁰ three feet in length:

[When it cuts at all,] it is like cutting the spring breeze with a flash of lightning.

(Zen and Japanese Culture 201-2)

⁴⁰The Mongolian dynasty (1260-1367) that invaded China and replaced the Sung dynasty. (Zen and Japanese Culture 202) [元 Yüan; 宋 Sung]

The heaven and earth afford me no shelter at all;

I'm glad, unreal are body and soul.

Welcome thy weapon, O warrior of Yuan! Thy trusty steel,

That flashes lightning, cuts the wind of Spring, I feel. (The Spirit of Zen 95)

Wu-hsüeh Tsu-yüan's poem is reminiscent of a poem by Seng-chao (僧肇 Sõjõ), a disciple of Kumarajiva, the founder of the San-lun (三論 Sanron) Sect of Buddhism. On the verge of death by a vagabond's sword, Seng-chao expressed his feelings in the following verse:

In body there exists no soul.

The mind is not real at all.

Now try on me thy flashing steel,

As if it cuts the wind of Spring, I feel. (file ZenHistory)

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Zen Poem

Buddha, Madras

Sacred-Texts      Buddhism Zen

Oblivion

幽鳥語如篁 A bird in a secluded grove sings like a flute.

柳搖金線長 Willows sway gracefully with their golden threads.

雲歸山谷静 The mountain valley grows the quieter as the clouds return.

風送杏花香 A breeze brings along the fragrance of the apricot flowers.

永日蕭然坐 For a whole day I have sat here encompassed by peace,

澄心萬虞忘 Till my mind is cleansed in and out of all cares and idle thoughts.

欲言言不及 I wish to tell you how I feel, but words fail me.

林下好商量 If you come to this grove, we can compare notes.

Ch'an master Fa-yen (法眼 Hõgen) (The Golden Age of Zen 238, 321 n.31)

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Ma Lakshmi

SRI LAKSHMI

"Lakshmi ("Good Fortune"), sometimes called Sri ("Prosperity") is the Hindu goddess of love and beauty who brings wealth. She is the wife of Vishnu, and was born from the Sea, like Aphrodite, fully grown and gorgeous.
The tale goes that the Gods were in need of renewal, and a plan was made to churn the great Ocean of Milk to make soma, the divine food that grants immortality, in the same way that cream is churned to butter. This was done on the requisite grand scale by using Mount Mandara as the churning paddle. The great snake Vasuki was wrapped around the mountain and pulled by the Gods on the one side and the Asuras or demons on the other. This produced a lot of heat (much like a bow-type firestarter works) and eventually, though the poor serpent was pretty uncomfortable being yanked this way and that, many great treasures were produced: the hoped-for soma; Parijata, the Tree of Paradise; Varuni Goddess of Wine; the Apsaras; the Sun and the Moon; and finally Lakshmi Herself, seated on an open lotus. Vishnu fell in love with Her immediately and They were wedded.
Lakshmi is a beautiful and much-beloved Goddess, and in fact Vishnu is often referred to with the title "Husband of Lakshmi". She is called the "Lotus Goddess" and is often shown holding one as Her emblem. She is also Goddess of abundance, fertility and wealth. Holly basil is sacred to Her and said to bring children. Lakshmi is sometimes represented as a basket full of rice and is depicted on coins, or with coins falling from Her hands."
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Ma Lakshmi is a benevolent Mother. She didn't hesitate to bless me, when I went to pray to Her at a Temple, in a neighbouring town, last month. She granted all my requests and sent me back home with extra Blessings.
THANK YOU, MA.
Ma didn't mind at the fact that I'm a Muslim. The High-Priest didn't mind, either. No one seemed to care. Everyone was more than happy to be of assistance. Even Allah didn't mind.
I cannot help it. I believe that God/Universe is present everywhere; in every House of Prayer/Worship, just as the 13th Century Muslim Sufi Poet Rumi, believed.
The origin is the same ONE for all of us. You can call it, whatever name you like. No one can change a fact. This fact is the TRUTH.

I'm begining to undestand why my life is, and the way it has been.......I knew about Christianity even before I knew about my own religion. Our live-in cook, was of Christian Faith.He used to tell me all the stories of Christ and Mary. We used to look through the art history books that belonged to my sister, when I was a little girl. Gomez Bhai would tell me all the beautiful stories from the paintings, and I would listen as if they were fairy tales. My sister, then was a student of Dhaka Art College. There were plenty of Westen and Eastern Art History books, at hand. I loved listening to stories.

Then I moved with my parents to a foreign country, where I couldn't have cadbury's chocolate. Unfortunately, then it was the law in that specific country_All types of business transactions were prohibited with the Jewish Community/Origin, around the world.
Guess what? Several years later, in the same country, I along with my parents were invited for dinner, by my dad's friend's family, who were Jewish. I had a hearty meal. The family was very nice and kind. :)

I think I was trained, from my childhood, by God/Universe alone, not to get caught up in one Faith. I am extremely fortunate to have this understanding. I feel that I live in the ocean and not in a well.

13th Century Muslim Sufi Poet____ Jelaluddin Rumi

'Sacred Sufi Scroll'

                                                             

Rumi is one of my favourite poets.

Here is one of his many superb creations....

I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but he was not there;

I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old Pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere.

I searched on the mountains and in the valleys
but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him.
I went to the Kabbah in Mecca, but He was not there either.

I questioned the scholars and the philosophers
but He was beyond their understanding.

I then looked into my heart and it was there where He dowelled, that I saw Him;
He was nowhere else to be found.        

Jaleluddin Rumi

......like Rumi, I believe that God is everywhere, in Hindu Temples, Christian Churches, Pagodas, Kabbah Sharif.....

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......so beautiful!!!!

Steve McCurry

I don't know why, but at every first glance, this photo by the world famous photographer Steve McCurry, looks like a photo of a country in Africa. The image is so beautiful.

In a way, I could be Indian. Well, my grandparents were born in a country that was British India. So, I am pretty familiar with images from that part of the world. Besides, they are every where, these days. 

This particular image seems to me more African than Indian. Then with a second look, yes, the informations sink in. The metal anklets are more deceiving than the desert like climate. Not to miss the earthen ware.I become aware that these beautiful women are anywhere but near the African Continent.

The composition and the colour scheme are simply spectacular.

My confusion of this image is nothing but credit most aptly due to maestro Steve McCurry. I believe only Steve McCurry could make one continent look like another.

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......isn't easy

Hajj 2010

Performing Hajj isn't easy. For anyone who isn't familiar with the religious rules and regulations, it may seem like one more religious duty,

performed by many Muslims, every year.

Thats all. 

I'm affraid, it is lot more than just choosing to perform a yearly religious oblligation.

The time of the Hajj changes every year, as the Islamic calender is based on the moon. So, when the Hajj falls during the summer, the hardship every pilgrim has to endure, becomes pretty unthinkable. Not all pilgrims are born or raised in the Middle Eastern climate. And the summer in Saudi Arabia is not like that of  English summer.

Hajj 2010

The pilgrimage boils down to actual TEST of the FAITH of the followers of Islam.

Nothing more, nothing less. Many become very sick, during Hajj. Elderly pilgrims die. My own uncle became very ill, during this year's Hajj.

Yet, he stayed on, finished all duties as required, like a Momin Muslim.

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There's shanti at Shantiniketan

Looking back at Shantiniketan, after all these years, I can still feel shanti....
Visva Bharati, University founded by Rabindranath Tagore is in Shantiniketan, India.

I had been there several times, trying to get into the Art College of Visva Bharati.
It's an amazing place......almost like fairy tale.....

                                                                One of the Art School Buildings.

One of the many unique features of this peaceful land__
there is no street lighting on the roads. And there are no accidents.........I don't how and why??? No one is hurry to go any where or do anything. Everyone is relaxed and is at peace. Everything gets done as it should be.
I had met Americans studying at Visva Bharati. They had no complaints.
The library had no chairs to sit on. Everyone, including the professors would sit on the floor, put their books on low rise tables and study.

This is a classroom of one the primary schools at Visva Bharati.

The teacher sits on the wooden high rise.

Students sit on the ground.

Want to be part of the nature and study.......???

This is the place.

Everyone takes off their shoes and sandals, at the main entrance of any school or college buildings. They are never stolen even when there's no security.

Honk

Honk, playing at the Globe Theatre, London, November 2010.

I love the eggs....very creative, modern, colourful, kind of similar to Japanese Origami approach....;)))) The pretty lady is suppose to be hatching them....???

The mama birdie is way too big for her eggs, but so what? I bet she'll still do a great job in hatching her them. Thankfully, there aren't too many of them......hahahaha!!!

....curious husky.....????

I know cat to be curious but I didn't know that Husky could be so. Well, at least not my neighbour's dog, Sasha....???

I like dogs but NOT Siberian Huskies. No way Jose!!!! The very site of Sasha scares the hell out of me. God Almighty!!!! Look at this face, mouth, eyes.....

I'll settle for a cup-poodle. I'll cuddle a cup-poodle any time.

The funny part_ Sasha is just as afraid of me.......hahahahaha!!!!!

The other day, Sasha wondered over to my place. The doors were open, I bet she smelled me and wanted to take a peek, while I was completely engrossed in watering my fresh cut flowers.

No one was home. Nothing was home. That's what I thought. Until I heard some strange noise. It was like gentle taps on the flat surface. It wouldn't go away or stop. Then, it was gentle scratch on the wooden floor, and right behind me.

I turned around and to my utter horror I saw Sasha's open mouth, teeth, sharp and light coloured eyes looking at me.

It was not funny.

The poor dog was so frightened, she ran back, stopped, turned around to see what I was doing____yelling the owner's name, closing the door and reopening, hoping someone will hear me and take the dog away........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But Sasha was gone.

She realised that she wouldn't get any pat, treats or hugs and instead all she got was a woman acting weird and noisy :(

Oh! Well!! She tried. She payed me a brave visit.

She reached out.

She didn't bark or jump on her potential new friend.

Strange of all__

There had been guests of neighbours who simply LOOOVEEEEE Huskies and wanted to cuddle Sasha. BUT Sasha wouldn't go near them.......??????

Sasha has made every attempt at every chance to be near me.

:)))))

Vincent's Sunflowers

It was summer.....all the museums in England were packed with tourists, mostly from USA :)

I had to push my way, to be close enough to actually see the paintings....

Squeezed in a crowded room, at the National Gallery, I noticed the painting. I noticed Vincent's Sunflowers. Up until that moment, I knew the painting only through reproductions_ post-cards, art history books and slides.

I had goose-bumps.

Shamelessly I pushed my way through the pack in the room. I had to see the painting. 

I did.

I loved Vincent van Gogh then, I still love him, and I always will.

And I will hear and read, many jokes about him. It's easy to make fun.....there wont be one more like him.

It seems as if, that he knew that he wont live long enough.....he finished a painting a day.......

Every young, unmarried, male Fine Art student of Dhaka Art College wants to be like Vincent. They wish they could___not sell a single painting in a lifetime, die young and then become world famous.

They have enormous sympathy for him.

with love from Kelley :)

I met Kelley, a five year old Vietnamese, for the very first time, when I stopped by her mom's work place, to say hello to all the ladies, working there.
Kelley, cheerful, playful, a little chubby, munching on slices of apple dipped into salt mixed red pepper (I did exactly the same, only with mangoes, at Kelley's age) took few minutes to be friends with me. So, we played, joked, laughed, took pictures.......next thing I see, Kelley shows up with this delightful piece of art work, made only for me, right then and there. WOW!!!!
I played with many children but never received any gift this quick. :)
And not just any gift.....an art work made only for me.
While we played, no one had mentioned gifts, paintings, pictures, drawings........none among grown-ups, me or Kelley. So, it was all Kelley's idea.
SWEET!!!!!



Pluto in Pisces' 11th House (change and friendship) from 2009

"My mother studied Western Astrology. I grew up seeing astrologers always visiting us. I was often requested to prepare special dishes for them. So, Astrology interests me a little bit more than the general rest. "

'Astrology'

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Pluto’s in the 11th house for Pisces and Pisces rising. This house deals with friendships and groups, so your involvement with both of these may undergo substantial changes during the transit. This house also deals with the feeling of belonging. It is possible during this transit to find a sense of belonging one never had before. Others become more involved in social issues, humanitarian causes, mass media, or  idealistic endeavors. This is also the house of step-children and income from business, so some will see changes in this area. Finally, one’s goals and hopes for the future may get a lot of focus and undergo a transformation

?????

There is a saying in Bangla_
'A dog's stomach cannot digest pure butter oil / ghee.'

Even when, one is constantly trying to do one's best, there always will be those who speak ill.
It is not my responsibility to solve every human being's personal problems, in this planet.

:))))