left Quote

JALALUDDIN RUMI
(1207 – 1273)

THE MANY WINES

God has given us a dark wine so potent that,
drinking it, we leave the two worlds....
God made Majnun love Layla so much that
just her dog would cause confusion in him.
There are thousands of wines
that can take over our minds.
Don’t think all ecstasies
are the same!
Jesus was lost in his love for God.
His donkey was drunk with barley.
Drink from the presence of saints,
not from those other jars.
Every object, every being,
is a jar full of delight.
Be a connoisseur,
and taste with caution.
Any wine will get you high.
judge like a king, and choose the purest,
the ones unadulterated with fear….

 

right quotation

In their many different idioms the classical spiritual writers have attempted to throw light on the eternal question of union with God. 
Every month we give you a brief passage from a spiritual classic.