The Godoholic

Omar Khayyam

2013-02-19T03:08:00.000-08:00

One great Sufi poet, Omar Khayyam, has written in his RUBAIYAT, his world-famous collection of poetry: "I am going to drink, to dance, to love. I am going to commit every kind of sin because I trust God is compassionate -- he will forgive. My sins are very small; his forgiveness is immense."

When the priests came to know about his book -- because in those days books were written by hand, there were no printing presses.... When the priests discovered that he was writing such sacrilegious things, that he was saying, "Don't be worried, go on doing anything you want because God is nothing but pure compassion and love. How much sin can you commit in seventy years of life? -- in comparison to his forgiveness, it is nothing."

He was a famous mathematician too, renowned in his country. The priests approached him and said, "What kind of things are you writing? You will destroy people's religiousness! Create fear in people, tell people that God is very just: -- if you have committed a sin, you will be punished. There will be no compassion."

Omar Khayyam's book was burned in his day. Whenever a copy was found, it was burned by the priests, because this man was teaching such a dangerous idea. If it spreads among human beings and everybody starts rejoicing in life, what will happen to the priests? What happen to the saints? What will happen to their mythologies of hell and heaven and god? All will disappear in thin air.

At least with me, Omar Khayyam is one of the enlightened Sufi mystics, and what he is saying has immense truth in it. He does not mean that you should commit sin. What he means simply is that you should not feel guilty. Whatever you do -- if it is not right, don't do it again. If you feel it hurts somebody, don't do it again. But there is no need to feel guilty, there is no need to be repentant, there is no need to do penance and torture yourself.
- The Hidden Splendor, Chapter #11

The songs of Omar Khayyam were translated by Western writers, but were not correctly understood. Edward Fitzgerald, who did an admirable rendering of Khayyam's songs, was not a Sufi. He took the word `wine' literally, for example. He also took the word `lover' literally, and did the same with `wineshop'. He read the Rubaiyat and tried to understand it with the help of a dictionary. Omar Khayyam was a Sufi fakir, a Sufi saint. When he speaks of wine he is speaking of the wine about which Kabir is speaking:
AND I'M DRUNK WITH BOUNDLESS YOUTH.

Omar Khayyam is speaking of this too. The wineshop is the temple, the lover is the master, the guru, and the wine is none other than the wine of God. Fitzgerald made a great mistake when he translated the songs of Omar Khayyam literally, and many people in the West thought Khayyam was a drunkard and had written these songs in praise of wine.

Many adaptations of the Rubaiyat were made from these translations of Fitzgerald's and were published all over the world, and so the wineshop of Omar Khayyam became world-famous. This was a great blunder on Fitzgerald's part. But this was bound to happen, because to understand an enlightened person it is necessary to be enlightened oneself. To understand a madman one must be mad, so if you wish to understand an enlightened man you will have to become enlightened yourself. The sign-language used by a dumb person can only be understood by another who is dumb. Fitzgerald did not realize this. If Omar Khayyam were to return to the world he would not be so displeased with anyone as he would be with Edward Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald made Khayyam's name famous throughout the world, but he did it in a very wrong way.
- The Great Secret, Chapter #3

I also forgot the RUBAIYAT. Tears are coming to my eyes. I can apologize for forgetting everything else but not the RUBAIYAT. Omar Khayyam... I can only cry, weep. I can only apologize with my tears, words won't do. The RUBAIYAT is one of the most misunderstood and also one of the most widely read books in the world. It is understood in its translation, it is misunderstood in its spirit. The translator could not bring the spirit to it. RUBAIYAT is symbolic, and the translator was a very straight Englishman, what in America they would call a square, not hip at all. To understand RUBAIYAT you need a little bit of hip in you.

The RUBAIYAT talks of wine and women and nothing else; it sings of wine and women. The translators -- and there are many -- are all wrong. They are bound to be wrong because Omar Khayyam was a Sufi, a man of tasawuf, a man who knows. When he talks of the woman he is talking about God. That is the way Sufis address God: "Beloved, O my beloved." And they always use the feminine for God, this should be noted. Nobody else in the world, in the whole history of humanity and consciousness, has addressed God as a woman. Only Sufis address God as the beloved. And the 'wine' is that which happens between the lover and the beloved, it has nothing to do with grapes. The alchemy which happens between the lover and the beloved, between the disciple and the master, between the seeker and the sought, between the worshipper and his God... the alchemy. the transmutation -- that is the wine. RUBAIYAT is so misunderstood, perhaps that is why I forgot it.
- Books I Have Loved, Chapter #2

Karma and Problems in Life

2013-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Anaheim, California, April 3, 1993
(Originally in English)

Q: Dear Master, when we have problems, how do we know which are fixed karma and which are tests from Master?

M: Actually there is no testing for us; we test ourselves. Just like when we have some hardship, we say, "Oh, God has tested me!" It is not true. It is because of our karma, because of our tendency toward the negative way that we experience hardships. So, the only way is to turn back to the positive, and then we will experience a different way. We can do this through self-discipline or prayer. Then we can turn everything into a better way. Whether it's karma or God testing us, it will become better.

Karma and Prayer

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Harvard Univ. U.S.A. February 24, 1991
(Originally in English)

Q: Can we reduce our karma by praying?

M: Yes, we can if we are sincere enough, because a very sincere and deep prayer is a kind of meditation. We are in a meditative mood and therefore it reaches the deepest recesses of our great store, our merit and our blessing store. And it affects our karma; it cleanses it. Only if you are truly sincere and deeply longing for forgiveness, does it help.

Karma of a Couple

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
San Paolo, Brazil, June 18, 1989
(Originally in English)

Q: How does one understand the karma of a couple?
M: If the couple is in harmony, then they have a good karma. If the couple is in strife every day, then you know what kind of karma that is. It is easy to understand, no? If it's in harmony, then be happy. If it's not in harmony, then try to adjust and be tolerant to avoid next time coming back again as a very undesirable karmic couple.

Tolstoy had a very terrible wife. You know Leo Tolstoy of "War and Peace"? He had a terrible wife, so it is told. Every day she nagged, cursed, scolded, and even beat him and threw him out sometimes. One day, his friend couldn't bear it any longer, so he asked Tolstoy, "Why don't you kick that devil out of your house and then you'll have peace?" Tolstoy said, "Shhhhh! Don't talk so loud. Last life, I did that already. Therefore, it got worse this time. I don't dare to do it."

The more you struggle, the worse the situation becomes. So just accept anything as given by God, try to get through it, and train yourself in patience, tolerance, and loving thy enemy. Even as wise a man as Tolstoy couldn't deal with his terrible wife, so we ordinary beings had better keep silent. Silence!

Cause of Actions

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Hong Kong, February 20, 1992
(Originally in English)

Q: Suppose I'm doing something; how do you know it's karma causing me to do it or if I'm making new karma?

M: It's hard to tell now because we are very deep into the trouble, so just try your best to avoid what you can avoid and to finish what you have to finish - what you cannot avoid. Also, you can tell sometimes whether it's new or old karma like this: if something happens to you and you cannot avoid it no matter how much you dislike it, that is old karma. Surely the force of karma is forcing you to do these things. If there is something you can avoid, but you like to do it by your own will, then you know you are creating trouble, new karma. You know that it is wrong and you can avoid it but you still want to do it, then you know you're getting into trouble. If it's a good thing, of course you do it and forget it, thinking that it's God, Who is doing a good thing to benefit others through you, and then it's fine. But if you know it is a wrong thing and you still deliberately want to do it even though you can avoid it, that is new karma and surely you'll have trouble.

Karma and the Environment

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Harvard University, February 24, 1991
(Originally in English)

They asked me, because I'm Aulacese, (I was born in Au Lac), apart from promising that I will help people like the refugees and offer some kind of symbolic help, if I have any kind of plan to raise the standard of living of Au Lac, make the people richer, for example, or stabilize the economic and political situation. I said, "Yes, I have a plan. I tell all the Aulacese people to practice the Quan Yin Method, and then the country will change."
But I have no plan in the physical way because we cannot change the environment if our karma has not changed. Our environment is the result of our karmic pattern. If the environment could be changed through an enlightened Master's power, then the Buddha would have changed it long ago. When He was still on Earth, His country was at war also, and the people are still in poverty even up till now. So, they can't blame me if I don't change the Au Lac people's situation. The Buddha couldn't and even Jesus couldn't; They were greater in history and had more followers than I. If They couldn't do it, how can I?
We have to change our way of thinking, our conceptions, and then the environment will change. The kingdom of God is within us. This means if we know the kingdom of God within, then everything is the kingdom of God; if not, we cannot have the kingdom of God without. That's what the meaning of the "kingdom of God" is: God is within. Also, it is said in the Bible, Seek you first the Kingdom of Godand all other things shall be added unto you. And we seek all the other things first and ask the kingdom of God to be added unto them, to be one of those things only, and that is a perverted view.
So, there is no plan necessary for Au Lac except that the Aulacese or any country's citizens should change their viewpoint. They should raise their level of understanding and know the true conception. And that's the only plan that we should endeavor to bring forth.

Age & Spiritual practice

2013-02-18T17:48:00.002-08:00

Answered by Quan Yin messenger
(Originally in Chinese)

Q: Is it all right for elderly people to practice the Quan Yin Method?

A: Age has no definite effect on the results of spiritual practice.

However, in order to practice the Quan Yin Method, one must receive transmission of the Method by being initiated by Master. At the time of initiation, Master will erase all the accumulated karma of many lifetimes. If an elderly person's karma changes too quickly, one's behavior, speech, and thoughts may be unable to withstand the sudden impact of Master's blessing power.

Furthermore, it may be difficult for an elderly person to pacify the mind in order to practice because of having eaten a purely vegetarian diet for only a very short period of time, or never before. Also, an older person's body may tire easily or he may not be able to concentrate well enough to do the required meditation, causing frustration. Therefore, people who start their practice at an older age indeed do have more difficulties than younger people.

However, this doesn't mean that elderly people cannot practice. The merciful Master has provided us with the Convenient Method to satisfy the needs of those who sincerely long for liberation in this lifetime, but are unable to receive initiation. Master takes care of all who truly believe in Her omnipresent power whether or not they are fully initiated. In fact, some non-initiated persons have better experiences than initiated ones because their minds are kind and pure, and they completely trust in Master. For instance, a non-initiated person in Mainland China witnessed the soul elevation of his five generations just by sincerely practicing the Convenient Method. Master once said, "Sometimes, a person with great faith can be liberated just by reciting my name." Therefore, elderly people should not be disheartened. Faith is the foundation of all meritorious methods!

How to cope up with depression

2013-02-17T18:11:00.001-08:00

Osho – With every suffering, you are creating the possibility of some ecstasy. The ecstasy will follow right after it. But if you are too engaged with the suffering, you may miss it. If you are ill, after that illness a moment of health, a moment of well-being, will come to you. But you can be too concerned with the illness so that when the moment comes you may miss it – you are too involved with the past illness that is no more.

The moment is momentary; you can miss it very easily. After every pain, the moment comes and visits you. After every suffering, ecstasy comes to your door and knocks; but you go on missing it because the past is so heavy. You are still ill even after the illness has gone. It continues in the memory, it clouds your mind, and you miss that atomic moment.

Remember this: Whenever you are depressed, wait for the moment that the depression goes. Nothing lasts forever; the depression will go. And when it leaves you, wait – be aware and alert – because after the depression, after the night, there will be a dawn and the sun will rise. If you can be alert in that moment. you will he happy that you were depressed.

You will be grateful that you are depressed because only through your depression was this mint of happiness possible But what do we do? We move in an infinite regression We yet depressed. Then we yet depressed because of the depression: a second depression follows. If you are depressed. that’s okay! – nothing is wrong in it. It is beautiful because through it you will learn and mature.

But then you feel badly. ”Why do I get depressed? I should not get depressed.” Then you start fighting with the depression. The first depression is good, but the second depression is unreal. And this unreal depression will cloud your mind. You will miss the moment that would have followed the real depression.

When depressed, be depressed. Simply be depressed. Don’t get depressed about your depression. When depressed, simply be depressed. Don’t fight it, don’t create any diversion, don’t force it to go. Just allow it to happen; it will go by itself. Life is a flux; nothing remains the same. You are not needed; the river moves by itself, you don’t have to push it. If you are trying to push it, you are simply foolish.

The river flows by itself. Allow it to flow. When depression is there, allow it to be. Don’t get depressed about it. If you want to remove it sooner, you will get depressed. If you fight it, you will create a secondary depression that is dangerous. The first depression is beautiful, God-given. The second depression is your own. It is not God-given; it is mental. Then you will move in mental grooves. They are infinite.

If you get depressed, be happy that you are depressed and allow the depression to be. Then suddenly the depression will disappear and there will be a breakthrough. No clouds will be there and the sky will be clear. For a single moment, heaven opens for you. If you are not depressed about your depression you can contact, you can commune, you can enter this heavenly gate. And once you know it, you have learned one of the ultimate laws of life: that life uses the opposite as a teacher, as a back-ground.