“Self-denial is not renouncing things…”

cemetary

  “In whatever manner a man humbles himself it can never be enough to express the humility of the limited self before Limitless Perfection. Self-denial is not renouncing of things, it is denying the self; and the first lesson of self-denial is humility.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan (via wahiduddin) There is a story of a dervish who spoke with a young man who was very interested in his words of wisdom. The young man said, ‘If I come to your part of the world, I will come to see you. Will you tell me where you live?’ The dervish replied, … Continue reading

As a child learning to walk…

“As a child learning to walk falls a thousand times before he can stand, and after that falls again and again until at last he can walk, so are we as little children before God.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan (via wahiduddin) “If we take this attitude in life, not considering that if yesterday we failed today we shall fail, and if we always hope that some day we shall walk aright, that hour will come. Imagine if the child thought that as he had fallen so often perhaps he would never walk! That would make a mental impression on his soul, … Continue reading

Learning Love Is a Gift, But A Gift With a Specific Formula

First, two good quotes from Hazrat Inayat Khan, and then some thoughts to build off of those: “Man mistakes when he begins to cultivate the heart by wanting to sow the seed himself, instead of leaving the sowing to God.” “The Sufis have learned the lesson of love, of devotion, of sympathy, and have called it the cultivation of the heart. It is known by the word suluk, which means the loving manner. What we call refined manner is only a manner behind which there is no life. When manner is directed by the heart quality then it becomes loving … Continue reading