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

The madman

It was in the garden of a madhouse that I met a youth with a face pale and lovely and full of wonder. And I sat beside him upon the bench, and I said, “Why are you here?”

And he looked at me in astonishment, and he said, “It is an unseemly question, yet I will answer you. My father would make of me a reproduction of himself; so also would my uncle. My mother would have me the image of her seafaring husband as the perfect example for me to follow. My brother thinks I should be like him, a fine athlete.

“And my teachers also, the doctor of philosophy, and the music-master, and the logician, they too were determined, and each would have me but a reflection of his own face in a mirror.

“Therefore I came to this place. I find it more sane here. At least, I can be myself.”

Then of a sudden he turned to me and he said, “But tell me, were you also driven to this place by education and good counsel?”

And I answered, “No, I am a visitor.”

And he answered, “Oh, you are one of those who live in the madhouse on the other side of the wall.”

Excerpted from 'The Wanderer' by Kahlil Gibran

Builders of bridges

In Antioch where the river Assi goes to meet the sea, a bridge was built to bring one half of the city nearer to the other half. It was built of large stones carried down from among the hills, on the backs of the mules of Antioch.

When the bridge was finished, upon a pilar thereof was engraved in Greek and in Aramaic, “This bridge was built by King Antiochus II.”

And all the people walked across the good bridge over the goodly river Assi.

And upon an evening, a youth deemed by some a little mad, descended to the pillar where the words were engraven, and he covered over the graving with charcoal, and above it wrote, “The stones of this bridge were brought down from the hills by the mules. In passing to and fro over it you are riding upon the backs of the mules of Antioch, builders of this bridge.”

And when the people read what the youth had written, some of them laughed and some marveled. And some said, “Ah yes, we know who has done this. Is he not a little mad?”

But one mule said, laughing, to another mule, “Do you not remember that we did carry those stones? And yet until now it has been said that the bridge was builded by King Antiochus.”

Excerpted from 'The Wanderer' by Kahlil Gibran

The love song

A poet once wrote a love song and it was beautiful. And he made many copies of it, and sent them to his friends and his acquaintances, both men and women, and even to a young woman whom he had met but once, who lived beyond the mountains.

And in a day or two a messenger came from the young woman bringing a letter. And in the letter she said, “Let me assure you, I am deeply touched by the love song that you have written to me. Come now, and see my father and my mother, and we shall make arrangements for the betrothal.”

And the poet answered the letter, and he said to her, “My friend, it was but a song of love out of a poet's heart, sung by every man to every woman.”

And she wrote again to him saying, “Hypocrite and liar in words! From this day unto my coffin-day I shall hate all poets for your sake.”

Excerpted from 'The Wanderer' by Kahlil Gibran

At the fair

There came to the Fair a girl from the country-side, most comely. There was a lily and a rose in her face. There was a sunset in her hair, and dawn smiled upon her lips.
No sooner did the lovely stranger appear in their sight than the young men sought her and surrounded her. One would dance with her, and another would cut a cake in her honor. And they all desired to kiss her cheek. For after all, was it not the Fair?
But the girl was shocked and started, and she thought ill of the young men. She rebuked them, and she even struck one or two of them in the face. Then she ran away from them.
And on her way home that evening she was saying in her heart, “I am disgusted. How unmannerly and ill bred are these men. It is beyond all patience.”

A year passed during which that very comely girl thought much of Fairs and men. Then she came again to the Fair with the lily and the rose in her face, the sunset in her hair and the smile of dawn upon her lips.
But now the young men, seeing her, turned from her. And all the day long she was unsought and alone.
And at eventide as she walked the road toward her home she cried in her heart, “I am disgusted. How unmannerly and ill bred are these youths. It is beyond all patience.”

Excerpted from 'The Wanderer' by Kahlil Gibran

Awake if you can

“Jaise Til Mein Tel Hai, Jyon Chakmak Mein Aag
Tera Sayeen Tujh Mein Hai, Tu Jaag Sake To Jaag”

Just as seed contains the oil, fire's in flint stone
Your temple seats the Divine, realize if you can

Crossroads

"Man is born as a seed; he can become a flower, he may not. It all depends on you, what you do with yourself; it all depends on you whether you grow or you don´t. It is your choice — and each moment the choice has to be faced; each moment you are on the crossroads." ~ Osho

What is right?

‎"What is my definition of right? That which is harmonious with existence is right, and that which is disharmonious with existence is wrong. You will have to be very alert each moment, because it has to be decided each moment afresh. You cannot depend on readymade answers for what is right and what is wrong." ~ Osho

Reason for happiness

"No one can be a reason of your happiness except you yourself."

Suffering

Truth of life:
There is suffering in the world
Suffering arises from craving and attachment
Suffering can be eliminated
Right views and the middle way are the key to eliminate suffering

Contentment

"The mind is incomprehensible and exceedingly subtle; it wanders where ever it desires. Therefore, let the wise watch over their minds. A well guarded mind brings contentment." ~ Buddhist quote

Gold and rock are same

"Even if a person accumulates a pile of gold as higher as Mt. Everest, he would not be satisfied. That is why the sage views gold and rock as the same." ~ Buddhist Quote

The palace and the hut

Part One: As night fell and the light glittered in the great house, the servants stood at the massive door awaiting the coming of the guests; and upon their velvet garments shown golden buttons. The magnificent carriages drew into the palace park and the nobles entered, dressed in gorgeous raiment and decorated with jewels. The instruments filled the air with pleasant melodies while the dignitaries danced to the soothing music. At midnight the finest and most palatable foods were served on a beautiful table embellished with all kinds of the rarest flowers. The feasters dined and drank abundantly, until the sequence of the wine began to play its part. At dawn the throng dispersed boisterously, after spending a long night of intoxication and gluttony which hurried their worn bodies into their deep beds with unnatural sleep. Part Two: At eventide, a man attired in the dress of heavy work stood before the door of his small house and knocked at the door. As it opened, he entered and greeted the occupants in a cheerful manner, and then sat between his children who were playing at the fireplace. In a short time, his wife had the meal prepared and they sat at a wooden table consuming their food. After eating they gathered around the oil lamp and talked of the day's events. When the early night had lapsed, all stood silently and surrendered themselves to the King of Slumber with a song of praise and a prayer of gratitude on their lips.

Cause and effect

How long can the lava retain its heat after leaving the volcano?
If you remove sun from the sunrays,
there are no more sunrays.
If you remove gold from the necklace,
there is no more a necklace.
Where is the question of an effect without the cause?
If you remove cause from the effect, then nothing remains.

Excerpted from 'Frozen Thoughts' Vol. 10: Issue 8 (February, 2011)

Novel or Life

"The chapters of the life need to unfold them on themselves. The more you try to flip the pages to unfold the mystery of life, more mysterious it becomes.....Treat life like a Mystery Novel read it only when the turn of the... page comes, don't flip pages to unfold the mystery, lest you might have to revisit the pages you flipped but didn't read.... " ~ Mayank

No one owns anyone

“No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it.” ~ Alchemist Paulo Coelho