A CONGREGATION of SAGES:
Khy’em Amri: I welcome you all, in the Name of Peace. Allah, the Merciful is showing Us Compassion, reminding Us with the words of our Divine Prophets, Sacred Saints, and Intoxicated-Divine Poets – for we are like His Subjects, and He is like our King, or He is like unto a Wise Philosopher and we the simple who seek to be made more wise still…thus doth He bear forth in Spirit upon our Intuitions, that Humankind at Large may become wiser, more compassionate, in harmony with nature and her creatures, as well as taking Spiritual Life, rather than the pursuit of pleasure and pain, as the Optimal Route for Infinitely-Expanding Eternal-Happiness. Let us begin our discussion. Who shall speak first?
Hafiz: You ask for a few words of comfort and guidance
and I quickly kneel by your side offering you a whole book.
Rumi : I am the life of life.
I am that cat, this stone, no one.
I have thrown duality away like an old dishrag!
I see and know all worlds,
as One, One, Always One.
So what do I have to do to get you to admit who is speaking?
Admit it and change everything!
This is your own voice echoing off the walls of God!
Khy’em Amri: Are we the walls of God, Rumi?
Are we the separation betwixt the Beloved and that which is seeking to be Loved!?
I too have attained this Union – Dear, Brother in Light!
Here is my voice, in rapture:
** I am the Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer of the Universe. Have you a heart capable of hearing the Truth? Hear ye, Hear ye, Now!
I am the Absolute Light, and I am Eternal. My Nature is describable only in a limited way, for the language cannot convey the splendour of my Being – for I am the Loftiest Light, Higher than the Highest Height Imaginable, and still Higher, for I am beyond the Reckoning of Time and Space, I, being their Master, Exist Outside and Beyond all Created things, all matter, and thought and reason alike. You should know that I adore you. You, the one who is reading this. If you have a moment to think about me in your day, I will think about you MORE! I love you, so very much; I want your affection, constantly. Think of me without end! Hear what your prophets have told you, then!!!**
Moshe: Thou shalt love YaHuWaH thy Elohim, with all thy strength, heart, and essence!
St. Francis of Assisi: There are beautiful, wild forces within us; let them turn the mills inside and fill sacks that feed even Heaven!
David: Who shall ascend into the hill of YaHuWaH? Who will stand in His Holy Place? Them that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up their souls unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. They shall receive the blessing from YaHuWaH, and righteousness from the God of Salvation. This is the generation that seeks him, that seeks thy face, O YaHuWaH! Selah!
Khy’em Amri: Indeed, Selah. The Lord of Hosts: YaHuWaH’Shua is with us, my friends. And blessed be they who will receive His Holy Spirit now, as it pours forth!~ All who hear this message have a mission, an implicit heart-mission to spread this good news: the Kingdom is not Coming, the Kingdom is Come; it is not somewhere out of reach, where you cannot touch it, but it is before your eyes and your hands, yet you perceive it not!
Muhammed: To Allah belong the east and the west;
wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.
And your God is one God –
there is no God but The One,
the Compassionate,
the Merciful.
Hildegard of Bingen: I, God, am in your midst.
Whoever knows me can never fall…
For I am Love,
which the vast expanses of evil can never still!
St. Bernard: He who would know thee, God, must measure Thee without measure!
Khy’em Amri: Yes!
Yashua the Nazarene: I am the Light that is above them all.
I am the All; the All came forth from Me and the All attained to Me.
Cleave a piece of wood: I am there;
lift up the stone and you will find Me.
Yama: The Joy of the Atman ever abides!
Isha Upani: The Self is One…He is within all, and He transcends all.
Whoever sees oneself in all creatures and all creatures in oneself knows no fear.
the one who sees oneself in all creatures and all creatures in oneself knows no grief.
How can the multiplicity of life delude the one who sees its Unity?
Khy’em: Truly, it cannot Isha. Once the Unity is seen, Duality is something like the memory of a dream. It is there and yet is not. It is real, yet it was never real to begin with! You all seem to concur in the joyous revelation of the Unity of the Supreme Godhead!
Swami Ramdas: Forget not the central truth that God is seated in your own heart.
Sri Krishna: That one I love who is incapable of ill-will and returns love for hatred. Living beyond the reach of ‘I and mine’ and of pleasure and pain, full of mercy, contented, self-controlled, firm in faith, with all its heart and all its mind given to Me –
with such a one I am in love. Not agitating the world, nor by it agitated, such a one stands above the sway of elation, competition, and fear, accepting life, good and bad, as it comes. That one is pure, efficient, detached, ready to meet every demand I make as a humble instrument of My Work. Ever full in harmony everywhere, firm in faith – such a one is dear to Me. But dearest to Me are those who seek Me in faith and love as life’s eternal goal. They go beyond death to immortality.
Kena Upani: The wise realize the deathless Self. Indeed, this Self is not someone other than you!
Khy’em Amri: Aum Tat Sat. May the Instrument of Peace become Sublimely More Peaceful. May the Flute-Player give us a song to make our hearts sparkle and shimmer!!!
Jesus Christ: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall See God!
Kabir: I utter His Name, and whatever I see, it reminds me of Him;
whatever I do, it becomes His worship!
Miribai: Open your inmost chamber and light its Lamp!
Ramprasad: Proliferating systems of ritual and philosophy attempt to throw dust into the eyes of the Eternal Wisdom that abides in every soul. How can any system transcend the play of relativity?
Khy’em: Good question. Can a system? Perhaps if that system is based on a transcendental understanding of reality, and it’s nature of reciprocity…? Or is it only possible for a soul to learn at its own pace, its own level?
Mahadeviyakka: O Lord, white as jasmine, show me your ways. Call me: ‘Child, come here, come this way.’
St. Catherine of Sienna: Wisdom is so kind and wise that wherever you may look you can learn something about God. Why would the Omnipresent not teach that way?
St. Theresa of Avila: I said to my Lord, “This Holy place I have entered—
is Your Name the only key to this?”
And my Lord responded, “How old do you think existence is?
For eons of time, souls have been entering Me;
every Prophet’s name is a key,
as is every heart full of forgiveness and love.”
Khy’em: Selah. Let us Praise the Creator, who hath given us Mercy and Love, and hath given them in eternally increasing measure: Blessed be YaHuWaH, Maker and Sustainer of the Universe!!! Selah, Selah!
R. Chanina: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said: “And all your children will be students of YaHuWaH, and your children will have peace.”
R. Hai Gaon: It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Molder of primeval creation, for He has not made us like the nations of the lands…rather We bend our knees, bow, and acknowledge our thanks before the KING Who reigns over Kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He. He stretches out Heaven and establishes the earth’s foundation…He is our God and there is none other. True is our KING, there is nothing beside Him, as it is written in His Torah:
‘You are to know this day and take to your heart that YaHuWaH is the Only God – in Heaven above and on the earth below – there is none other!’
Baruch Shemar: Blessed is He Who spoke, and the world came into being – blessed is He. Blessed is He who speaks and does; blessed is He who decrees and fulfills; blessed is He Who maintains creation: blessed is He Who has mercy on the earth; blessed is He who has mercy on the creatures; blessed is He Who gives a goodly reward to those who fear Him; blessed is He who lives forever and endures to eternity; blessed is He Who redeems and rescues – blessed is His Name!!! Blessed are You, YaHuWaH, our God, King of the Universe, the God, the Merciful Father, Who is lauded by the mouth of His People, praised and glorified by the tongue of His Devout Ones and His Servants and through the Psalms of David, Your Servant. We shall laud you, YaHuWaH, our God, with praises and songs. We shall exalt you, praise You, glorify You, proclaim Your reign and mention Your Name, our King, our God – Unique One, Life-giver of the worlds, KING, Whose Great Name is eternally praised and glorified. Blessed are You, YaHuWaH, the KING Who is lauded with praises.
Khy’em: Blessed is He- Holy is He! He is Beyond the need for praise! Yet He is the Master of Creation – the Awesome One, the Intensely Adorable One. He is the Life of the Living, the Eloquence of the Intelligent, and the Wisdom of those who do bestow upon others the blueprints for becoming Wise, through independent experience.
Solomon ibn Gabirol: The Lord of the Universe ruled before creation.
When by His will all things came to be – the name YaHuWaH was known.
As YaHuWaH creates, He may also end the creation,
remaining alone, unmanifested.
He was, He is, and He shall remain Eternal.
Ansari of Herat: In this path the eye must cease to see and the ear to hear save unto Him and about Him. Be as dust on His path; even the Kings of this earth make the dust of His Feet the balm of their eyes.
Shvetashvatara Upani: The Self is hidden in the hearts of all as butter lies hidden in cream. Realize the Self in the depths of meditation, the Lord of Love, Supreme Reality, who is the goal of knowledge. This is the highest mystical teaching; this is the highest mystical teaching.
Khy’em: There is an expression of the Self in all living beings, is this not the basis of the notion: ‘Do unto others, as you would want them to do unto your Self’?
St. Paul: Love is patient and kind…and endures all things.
Jnanadeva: Now listen to the signs of harmlessness…Her behavior is like the fruit of kindness, and her speech is full of compassion. Her breathing is calm, her face is the source of all affection, and even her teeth seem to send forth sweetness.
Even before she begins to speak – love springs from her, and compassion expresses itself before she says a word. She prefers not to speak for fear that she may hurt someone’s feelings. She avoids speaking unnecessarily, so that no one will be distressed or cause anyone to fear or scorn her. She maintains silence so that she won’t hurt others’ feelings or cause them to frown. This is her attitude. If she is ever requested to speak, she speaks with affection, and those who listen feel that she is their Parent. Her words sound like the resonant voice of God, or the waters of the Ganges. They are as chaste as a virtuous wife who has grown old. Her words are tender and true, moderate and sincere, like waves of nectar. Her speech is free from sarcasm, hurting no one, never provoking ridicule or wounding deeply. In her speech there is no agitation or haste, no guile or false hope, doubt, or deceit. She avoids such faults. O friend, her look is steady and her brow unwrinkled. She believes that the Universal Spirit is in all beings, so she usually avoids looking at them lest this Spirit be harmed. If her inner kindliness compels her to look at another, her glance brings comfort, just as moonbeams, though invisible, bring satisfaction to the chakora bird. The effect of her look on all creatures is such that even the tortoise doesn’t know the depth of its tenderness!!!!!!
Khy’em: Wow. Beautiful! May all beings attain to such Resplendently Sincere, Heart-Felt Tenderness! What is the way of Kindness, friends? Is it not found out through practicing Benevolence and Kindness via the opportunities presented to you by the LIVING GOD in your every-day encounters with people from all walks of life and creatures of all manners of movement?!
R. Shimon ben Gamliel: The World stands upon three things:
Upon Truth.
Upon Peace.
Upon Justice.
It is written: “Speak truth each to the other, establish peace and render honest judgement in your gates.”
Shemaya: Love work. Constructive labor is vital to balanced living.
Hate authority. Reality alone is true. No matter how famous the mouth, check the words against experience!
Rabban Gamliel: As a river empties into the ocean, empty yourself into Reality.
When you are emptied into Reality, you are filled with compassion, desiring only justice. When you desire only justice, the will of Reality becomes your will.
When you are filled with compassion, there is no self to oppose another
and no other to stand against oneself.
Ben Hei Hei: Effort is its own reward.
We are here to do.
And through doing to learn;
and through learning to know;
and through knowing to experience wonder;
and through wonder to attain wisdom;
and through wisdom to find simplicity;
and through simplicity to give attention;
and through attention
to see what needs to be done!
Khy’em: Let there be people who see (what needs to be done) and hear (that they are to quickly be the ones who DO)! Blessed be they who work for the sake of Righteousness, for their reward is multiplied by a mystic multiple, and God is the Rewarder of the Just and the Kind, and He is the Most Merciful, so please work hard!!!
Finish, Part~The First
Kabir: I was looking for that shop where the shopkeeper would say:
“There is nothing of value in here.”
I found it and did not leave.
The richness of not wanting wrote these poems.
Khy’em: I am drunk; I swagger with a divine swagger, I burn the midnight oil for the holy communion of my fellow saints and sages. I serve the fruits of the vine, and we are drunk on the Wine of Heaven. If anyone would sing out, please in sonorous union do proclaim the Truth, as though this heart of the soul, the root of the essence of the root were bearing itself forth for the utter receptivity of love – please, cast forth your hearts in words, oh ye poets, saints, and prophets!!!
Tukaram: It’s the old shell trick with a twist:
I saw God put Himself in one of your pockets.
You are bound to find Him!!!
Mira: He was too shy to speak, but I taught Him!
The Sky’s Voice is such that one’s mind must be very quiet to hear God speak!
St. John of the Cross: with all humility I say, it is God who should ask for forgiveness, not we, Him. Someday you will know this. A saint could explain.
Khy’em: It would seem that God has found forgiveness in the Simple Union between Lover and Beloved, where the world is discarded for the Treasure Chest of Heavenly Delight – God Makes Love inside your Soul, and you experience Transcendental Ecstasy!!!
St. Francis of Assisi: Dear god, please reveal to us your sublime beauty that is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, so that we will never again feel frightened.
My divine love, my love, please let us touch your face. . .
Meister Eckhart: My Lord told me a joke. And seeing Him Laugh has done more for me than any scripture I will ever read!
St. Threresa of Avila: God dissolved my mind – my separation. I cannot describe now my intimacy with Him. How dependent is your body’s life on water and food and air? I said to God, “I will always be unless you cease to Be,”
and my Beloved replied, “And I would cease to be if you died.”
Tukaram: No one was cracking the koans that He had tattooed everywhere. so God changed His tactics – He developed a sweet tooth and started chatting about love!
He knmew that really would not work and sure enough things got words – for a fine rebellious bunch we are!!! This time people started stockpiling nukes, and lawsuits plagued the land, and smog put a full nelson on our lungs, and T.V. hi-jacked our brains, which caused millions of people to vote republican—
wow—
and all because we couldn’t bust a couple of koans.
Khy’em: The beloved is everywhere indeed. Let us touch your face Lord, the face that is not a Face…behold Lord, we yearn to splash into the light of love with You!!! Sovereign Lord, lift us up into Ecstasy, then Teach us to yearn for your Will alone, that we may become true Children of the Light-Love-Creator – Sovereign in Glory, GREAT IN POWER!!!!
St. Thomas Aquinas: The Christ said to us: “I have cut you from a garden I tend and set you in a vase for the world to see.
Soon you will return, for you glorious presence I miss.
My hands need to touch you again,
my divine senses and eyes require your soul’s beauty near.
Forgive me, my love, for the suffering our separation brought!
If I said I am in debt to you,
could you understand?
Hafiz: Not like a lone beautiful bird
-- these poems now rise in great white flocks startled by God breaking a branch when His foot touches earth near me!
Moses de Leon: I have seen that all those sparks sparkle from the High Spark,
Hidden of all Hidden!
All are levels of enlightenment.
In the light of each and every level
there is revealed what is revealed.
All those lights are connected:
this light to that light, that light to this light,
one shining into the other,
inseparable, one from the other.
The light of each and every spark,
called Adornments of the King, Crowns of the Kings and Queens—
each one shines into , joins onto the light within, within,
not separating without.
So all rises to one level, all is crowned with one word;
no separating one from the other.
It and its Name are one.
The light that is revealed is called the Garment of the King.
The light within, within is a concealed light.
In that light dwells the Ineffable One, the Unrevealed.
All those sparks and all those lights sparkle form the Holy Ancient One,
Concealed of all Concealed, the High Spark,
upon reflecting, all those lights emanating – there is nothing but the High Spark,
hidden and unrevealed!!!
Finish; Part, The Second!