The Sayings of Hazrat Inayat Khan
Hazrat Inayat Khan
2020
Indifference! My most intimate friend, I am sorry I have always to act against thee as thy opponent. My modesty! Thou art the veil over my vanity. My humility! Thou art the very essence of my vanity. Vanity! Both saint and sinner drink from thy cup. Vanity! Thou art the fountain of wine on the earth, where cometh the King of Heaven to drink. Peacock! Is it not thy vanity that causeth thee to dance? My bare feet! Step gently on life's path, lest the thorns lying on the way should murmur at being trampled upon by you. My ideal! I imagine at moments that we are playing see-saw; when I rise up, thou goest down below my feet; and when I go down, thou risest above my head. My self-dependence! Thou makest me poor but at the same time rich. My beloved ideal! When I was looking for thee on the earth, wert thou not laughing at me in heaven? My feeling heart! I so often wish thou wert made of stone. My limitation! Thou art as a mote in the eye of my soul. Money! Thou art a bliss and a curse at the same time. Thou turnest friends into foes and foes into friends. Thou takest away anxiety in life and at the same time givest it. Waves: We are Upsaras of the ocean. When the wind plays music we dance; earth's treasure is not of our seeking; our reward is Indra's one glance. Time! I have never seen thee, but I have heard thy steps. Time! In my sorrow thou creepest; in my joy thou runnest; in the hours of my patient waiting thou standest still. Time! Thou art the ocean, and every movement of life is thy wave. Sky! Thou art a sea whereon the boat of my imagination sails. My thoughtful self! Reproach no one, hold a grudge against no one, bear malice against no one; be wise, tolerant, considerate, polite and kind to all. My independence! How many sacrifices I have made for thee, and yet thou art never satisfied. My simple trust! How often thou has disappointed me, yet I still go on following thee with closed eyes. My moods, what are you?--We are the waves rising in your heart. My emotion, where do you come from?--From the everflowing spring of your heart. My imagination, what are you?--I am the stream that feeds the fountain of your mind.
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