Veiled Truth

The truth need not be veiled,
for it veils itself from the eyes of the ignorant.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Excerpts from commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

It is the deaf ears of the heart and the closed eyes of the soul which prevent man from seeing and hearing it. There is a verse of a Hindustani poet which says:

0' self, it is not the fault of the divine Beloved
that you do not see Him, that you do not hear Him.
He is continually before you and He is continually speaking to you.
If you do not hear it and if you do not see it, it is your own fault.

It is for this purpose that every soul has been created and it is in the fulfillment of this that man fulfills the object of God.

Man is the most egoistic being in creation. He keeps himself veiled from God, the perfect Self within, by the veil of his imperfect self, which has formed his false ego. ... and when the ego is absolutely crushed, then God remains within and without, in both planes, and none exists save He.

The Depth of Inner Silence

It is the surface of the sea
that makes waves and roaring breakers;
the depth is silent.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

The bubbles are to be found on the surface of the sea.
The depth of the sea is free from bubbles.
The commotion is to be seen on the surface, the depth of the sea is still.
The mind is the commotion of that something that is within us, that something which we call heart.
The happiness, knowledge, pleasure and love that is stored in our innermost being is in our profound depth.
Changing emotions and passions, dreams, ever-rising thoughts and imaginations, all belong to the surface, as the bubbles belong to the surface of the sea.

To attain peace, what one has to do is to seek that rhythm which is in the depth of our being.
It is just like the sea: the surface of the sea is ever moving; the depth of the sea is still.
And so it is with our life.
If our life is thrown into the sea of activity, it is on the surface.
We still live in the profound depths, in that peace.
But the thing is to become conscious of that peace which can be found within ourselves.
It is this which can bring us the answer to all our problems.
If not, when we want to solve one problem, there is another difficult problem coming. There is no end to our problems.
There is no end to the difficulties of the outer life.
And if we get excited over them, we shall never be able to solve them.
Some think, 'We might wait. Perhaps the conditions will become better. We shall see then what to do.'
But when will the conditions become better?
They will become still worse!
Whether the conditions become better or worse, the first thing is to seek the kingdom of God within ourselves, in which there is our peace.
As soon as we have found that, we have found our support, we have found our self.
And in spite of all the activity and movement on the surface, we shall be able to keep that peace undisturbed if only we hold it fast by becoming conscious of it.

Spiritual knowledge is nothing but this: that there is a constant longing in the heart of man to have something of its origin, to experience something of its original state, the state of peace and joy which has been disturbed, and yet is sought after throughout its whole life, and never can cease to be sought after until the real source has at length been realized.
What was it in the wilderness that gave peace and joy?
What was it that came to us in the forest, the solitude?
In either case it was nothing else but the depth of our own life, which is silent like the depths of the great sea, so silent and still. It is the surface of the sea that makes waves and roaring breakers; the depth is silent.
So the depth of our own being is silent also.

And this all-pervading, unbroken, inseparable, unlimited, ever-present, omnipotent silence unites with our silence like the meeting of flames.
Something goes out from the depths of our being to receive something from there, which comes to meet us; our eyes cannot see and our ears cannot hear and our mind cannot perceive because it is beyond mind, thought, and comprehension.
It is the meeting of the soul and the Spirit.

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Man's Reflection

Man is the picture of the reflection of his imagination;
he is as large or as small as he thinks himself.

Man is the picture or reflection of his imagination.
He is as large as he thinks himself,
as great as he thinks himself,
as small as he thinks himself to be.

If he thinks he is incapable, he remains incapable;
if he thinks himself foolish, he will be foolish and will remain foolish;
if he thinks himself wise, he will be wise and become wiser every moment;
if he thinks himself mighty, he will be mighty. . . .

Whatever is impressed on man's soul,
with that the soul becomes endowed,
and that the soul will become.

The Darkest Hour

In the darkest hour the soul is replenished and given strength to continue and endure.  -- H.W. Chosa

What is a soul?

What is a soul?

It's like electricity -
we don't really know what it is,
but it's a force that can light a room.
Ray Charles

Grow Still And Silent

In his exploration of the movement through the dark night of the soul to union with God, St. John of the Cross used the imagery of a house grown still and silent to describe the soul so centered in God by prayer that it is free to leave self behind and become absorded in the presence of the promised Prince of Peace.
From this inward stillness flows the outward peace for which the world longs.

In Small Matters

Hence it is that the bitterness of the trial is
sweetened by the balm of God's goodness and mercy.
Praise be to God who can so marvelously alternate joy and tears
so as to lead the soul by unknown paths to the attainment of perfection,
a flower which the merciful God causes to bloom
amid the thorns of suffering,
watered by tears of the soul that suffers patiently,
the humbly conforms to the divine will and prays with warmth and fervor.

-- St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Guarding Our Souls

The great danger of the turmoil of the end-time in which we live is losing our souls.
Losing our souls means losing touch with our center, our true call in life, our mission, our spiritual task.
Losing our soul means becoming so distracted by and preoccupied with all that is happening around us that we end up fragmented, confused, and erratic.
Jesus is very aware of that danger.
He says: "Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, 'I am the one' and 'The time is near at hand' Refuse to join them" (Luke 21:8).

In the midst of anxious times there are many false prophets, promising all sorts of "salvations."
It is important that we be faithful disciples of Jesus, never losing touch with our true spiritual selves.

-- Henri Nouwen

The Darkest Hour

In the darkest hour the soul is replenished and
given strength to continue and endure.

-- H.W. Chosa

A Heart Of Grace

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured

by the compassionate actions of its members,

a heart of grace, and a soul generated by love.

-- Coretta Scott King

Ego

The ego seeks the destination;

the soul seeks the journey.

Soul Music

Take time to laugh -- it is the music of the soul.