The river

In the valley of Kadisha where the mighty river flows, two little streams met and spoke to one another.

One stream said, "How came you, my friend, and how was your path?"

And the other answered, "My path was most encumbered. The wheel of the mill was broken, and the master farmer who used to conduct me from my channel to his plants, is dead. I struggled down oozing with the filth of laziness in the sun. But how was your path, my brother?"

And the other stream answered and said, "Mine was a different path. I came down the hills among fragrant flowers and shy willows; men and women drank of me with silvery cups, and little children paddled their rosy feet at my edges, and there was laughter all about me, and there were sweet songs. What a pity that your path was not so happy."

At that moment the river spoke with a loud voice and said, "Come in, come in, we are going to the sea. Come in, come in, speak no more. Be with me now. We are going to the sea. Come in, come in, for in me you shall forget you wanderings, sad or gay. Come in, come in. And you and I will forget all our ways when we reach the heart of our mother the sea."

Excerpted from 'The Wanderer' by Kahlil Gibran

We are One

I honor you...
I honor the place within you
where the entire universe resides.
I honor the place within you
of love and light, of peace and truth.
I honor the place within you where,
when you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me,
there is only one of us.

Religion

“Religion is a ploughed field, sown and irrigated by the desire of someone who aspires to paradise or by someone who fears hell.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Teaching

“Before teaching others begin by educating yourself. Teach by example before teaching by words.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Love

“Love does not possess nor would it be possessed; for Love is sufficient unto Love”
Excerpted from “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran

The Anthem of Humanity

I have existed from all eternity
and behold I am here,
and I shall exist till the end of time
for my being has no end.

I soared into limitless space
and took wing in the imaginal world,
approaching the circle of exalted light;
and here I am now mired in matter.

I listened to the teachings of Confucius,
imbibed the wisdom of Brahma,
and sat beside Buddha
beneath the tree of insight.
And now I am here,
wrestling with ignorance and unbelief.

I was on Sinai when Yahweh shed
His effulgence on Moses,
at the River Jordon
I witnessed the miracle of the Nazarene;
and in Medina I heard the words
of the Messenger to the Arabs.
And here I am now,
a captive of confusion.

I beheld the might of Babylon,
the glory of Egypt,
and the grandeur of Greece;
and I still see the weakness,
degradation, and pettiness
in all those works.

I sat with the sorcerors of Endor,
the seers of Assyria,
the prophets of Palestine;
and I persist in singing the truth.

I memorised the wisdom
revealed to India,
the heartfelt odes wrought
by the inhabitants
of the Arabian peninsular,
and the music that embodies
the sentiments of the Western people;
yet still I am blind and do not see,
deaf and do not hear.

I endured the brutality
of grasping conquerors,
suffered oppression
at the hands of tyrannical rulers,
and was enslaved by despots:
yet a power remains
whereby I struggle against the days.

I saw and heard all that
whilst still a child,
and shall see and hear the exploits
of youth and their consequences;
then I shall grow old,
and achieve perfection,
and return unto God.

I existed from all eternity
and behold I am here;
and I shall exist till the end of time,
for my being has no end.

from “The Vision Reflections on the Way of the Soul” by Kahlil Gibran

The life cycle

“You were dead, and He revived you;
then He will cause you to die, and
He will revive you; then unto
Him shall ye return.”
The Qur'an, 2:26