Comments on: Mysticism Sufi

By: Pandora

Pandora — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:42:47 +0000

The trick with dandelions, is to kill them before they have flowered… once they have flowered … it is too late … the seeds will plant.

(A gardener)

By: Julian Bates

Julian Bates — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:48:55 +0000

Can someone define VANITYfor me please? Not so much the dictionary definition, all formal with little experiential understanding,but something with a juicy definition, a Felt one -with an example or 2.

As a child, it meant being -over-concrened’ with what you look like; recently, it seems equated with egoism and what-people-think-of-you..(?).

Do I have a block with it cos I don;t see my own clealry enough.mmm
But help, please….
thanks… (I say, anticipating:)

Julian

By: misty

misty — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:18:18 +0000

tara, i also love the story you shared! =)

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:56:28 +0000

Tom,

I guess we both share the same understanding of the story we just focused on different aspects of it. And yes vanity is a weakness, but I think this was a rhetorical question; right?:)

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:52:51 +0000

Jack,

Thank you! For sharing that little bit of history. It is really interesting, and it just reaffirms the meaning of the story. It’s all about perspective!

By: tom

tom — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:02:40 +0000

Maria,

I completelely agree with you, but is vanity not a weakness ???
yes he is wise because he understands human nature, the mind, it may be our nature to have a certain amount of vanity within, but this is definately a weakness within us all, is it not ???

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:04:37 +0000

Maria,
Years ago when I worked in the turf grass industry, I was told that the dandelion was not native to North America (it comes from Europe and Asia), but was sent here by Queen Elizabeth I of England. It was meant to be a present to brighten the days of the colonists, as a green for salads, an ingredient in medicines, and to make wine. Only later when Americans decided to grow turf grass lawns did dandelions become weeds. They were once tall plants, but adapted to being mown and now grow low to the ground in most places.
As you observe, it is funny how our perspective determines what we make of our lives. Similarily, our view of things changes them too.
Accepting things as they are and adapting to them rather than bending them to our will, or mind set, is probably the most difficult thing we do in this life.

By: Gauri

Gauri — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:40:37 +0000

The story about Dandelions speaks beautifully about acceptance, how different qualities often come intricately mingled in one other, and how it is wise and noble to accept the differences without being overtly critical or selective…
The story about the garden tells me a lot about how at times we personally try to manipulate or undo the very things we fell for initially. Then we look back with sorrow at the disagreeable change we ourselves sought. I seem to behave as that man quite often, the story showed me a mirror, gladly so…

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:49:47 +0000

The message in the third story is nice and simple “Actions speak louder than words” It’s what you do that defines you, what you are is a more elusive concept, you can be many different things to many different people and for the most part we often spend our lives trying to define ourselves. Who am I? That’s the question that drives our life. We could just accept we are, and let this precise moment of our existence define us, and so every time we act, we redefine ourselves by our actions.

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:43:03 +0000

The story about the garden to me also speaks of people’s perception. This story reminds me of something from my own life’s experience. I have been living in the US for 27 years, but I was born in Cuba. I remember when I was little we went to this tourist place “El Valle de Vinales” and there was a beautiful meadow full of small yellow flowers next to a small convent like place called “La Ermita”, I found it so beautiful, I was about 8 years old and I still remember it. I never knew the name of these small yellow flowers. When I came to this country I saw the same yellow flowers in some parks and gardens and I learned they are called dandelions, and that they were not really flowers, but weed and therefore undesirable. Who knew?! In a marriage and I have been married for 25 years, and yes to same man, sometimes you get roses and sometimes you get dandelions, but the roses may turn out to be more harmful, (after all they do have thorns) than the dandelions, the secret is to appreciate both, and if the dandelions need to be weeded out do it, together, but sometimes you can just let them be and appreciate them for what they bring and not for what they are.

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:24:25 +0000

Tom
I disagree with your assessment of the situation in the story been an example of how people exploit other’s weaknesses. Nasrudin was a wise man. He had observed and learned about the nature of people. We are not just talking about people in power, but just people. We all possess vanity to a certain degree; it’s the vanity that feeds our ego. The Sultan had a choice. Nasrudin took a gamble based on his knowledge of people’s nature. He was not certain of the outcome but based on his experience about people he predicted the sultan’s reaction, took a gamble and won. Isn’t that what we all do? We access the situations of our lives based on our previous experiences and tried to manipulate the outcome to fit our purpose.

By: Rob T-P

Rob T-P — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:11:58 +0000

I’ve always wondered reading your books whether there was any Sufi influence going on in the background. After seeing this I am definitely going to sign up for your Warrior of the Light Newsletter.

We are waves whose stillness is non-being.
We are alive because of this, that we have no rest.

Abu-Talib Kalim

Rob

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:37:47 +0000

Paulo,
As usual, as a Christian, it’s so good to see you portray Muslims in a light other tham as mad bombers and terrorists. Just as all westerners (and non-Muslims) are not good people, so are not all Muslims; but too often in the West we see only the negative shown about the Muslim “world/faith.” It is good to see that there is beauty and goodness in all people and faiths as you regularly show.
Gods blessings on you for your contributions to the growth of knowledge, awareness, and the spirit of peace in this world.

By: tara

tara — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:59:39 +0000

Nadia had a wise gardener. But sometimes, although we may not know it, it is the weeds which make a garden beautiful… and it is the inconveniences that teach us about love.

There was a man who was walking in the countryside one day, when he came upon a wild, untended piece of land. It enchanted him! He thought he must have discovered a secret garden. It did not have any feature which was particularly remarkable, but for some reason he found it enticingly beautiful and decided to make his home there. So for some years the man lived in his garden and gradually he made many changes to make it even more attractive. He pulled up the weeds and planted expensive flowers; he cut back the branches that strayed out of place and tied things with canes to make them grow straight; he kept the grass cut short and laid a path of stones so that it would be easy for him to walk through his land. Then one morning he woke up and looked at his garden and found himself feeling very confused. “Why have I spent so many years tending this garden?” He asked himself, “All the time and the money I have spent to make it look it look beautiful! But what has the garden ever given me but thorns in my skin and mud beneath my finger nails, a bad back and stiff knees. And it is such an ordinary garden, there is nothing very special about it at all!” With this the man broke down and wept for he felt old and tired and angry and believed all his energy to have been wasted.

The trees, which had been watching things all along, whispered among themselves “this man has forgotten the land he fell in love with, and he has forgotten himself! God created perfection and this man though himself to be better than god! Now he is learning a lesson!

By: tom

tom — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:47:25 +0000

I love these three stories !!!
Especially the first one, its a way of using the evils of the world to do good. Is that morally right though ??? should you exploit others weaknesses to help others. I know he was rich and they were poor, there just seems to be one small hole in his plan, what if the minister tells the sultan !! That wise man would not be so wise without his head…