March 5, 2014
There is another soul in your soul.
You seek for that Soul.
In the mountain of your body,
there is a highly valuable element.
You seek for the mine of that element.
O mystic, who looks around,
if you search for the Beloved
Don’t look for the Beloved outside.
For the Beloved, look inside.
(adapted from Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought: A Mevlevi
Sufi Perspective by Sefik Can, p. 157)
***
The soul points the way to the Soul. For most of us, so much of our lives are consumed with the external that we don’t give a genuine consideration to what lays within us, to the soul and what that points to and emanates from. One of the recurring messages of Sufi teachings is to seek the Beloved within. The idea of this advice is easier to embrace than the genuine living of this invitation, because even the idea is outside the heart.
When we talk about the heart in the mystic context, that innermost place of pure essence, we are talking about something that is beyond words. Yet the light of the heart, the fragrance of its omniscience, illumines every outward thing we perceive and conceive. The wisdom of spiritual teachings, particularly mystic paths, counsel us to abstain from certain outward things since the pull of their distractions powerfully pull away from and veil the heart. But certain outward things can be engaged in a way that points us to and clears the path to the heart.
There is another soul in your soul.
You seek for that Soul.
There is a myriad of conceptions of what is the soul, even within various Sufi traditions. This is partly because the whole of what the soul is cannot be described in words. But I’ll offer some information regarding the Islamic understanding of the soul for the sake of examining Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s words.
Islam holds that Allaah, the Absolute, is the Creator of everything in the universe. This doesn’t include just physical creations, but also subtle creations such as experiences. In every creation the Absolute gives something of Itself. This is necessary because without at least a subatomic “sliver” of the Beloved, a thing cannot exist. This “lifeforce” manifests in individual and unique ways to be what we call “soul.”
Souls are eternal yet the fate of destiny’s play upon the soul can be influenced within this realm of time and space. Souls can also be good or evil as the Beloved is the Creator of both. Yet in traditional Islam, this “being” is not absolutely fixed. Particularly for humans, whose souls are granted free will, a person can fluctuate from being good and evil, although one quality tends to be more dominant overall. Souls are usually good when we sincerely (and I stress sincerely) seek the Beloved. In this state, souls are often described as angelic or pure souls. When we seek anything other than the Beloved (such as worldly and ego-based pleasures and concerns), our souls are usually evil. Souls in this state are often described as animal or carnal souls. Some traditions hold that at birth our free will and discretion are placed firmly between these two states.
No two souls in all of creation are the same. Each being is distinctly unique although emanating from the pervading Oneness that is the Beloved. Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi shares in another poem:
First, know creation is in various forms;
Souls are as various as the letters from Alif to Ya.
In this variety of letters there seems disorder,
Though in fact they agree in an integral unity.
(adapted from E.H. Whinfield, M.A.’s translation of
Masnavi i Ma’navi: Teachings of Rumi, p. 88)
[*Note: Alif and Ya are the first and last letters of the Arabic alphabet.]
This integral unity is sometimes referred to as the Soul of souls or Spirit. Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi shares: “Souls are seen, the Soul of souls (Allaah) is hidden.” ( Masnavi, p. 116) Souls are distinct and perceivable yet the Absolute is indivisible and invisible. A metaphor: the eye sees in part, an object within light, but cannot see the indivisible light that illumines objects. But seeing the object indicates the presence of light. In this way, we can realize a (divine) knowing of that which cannot be seen.
In the physical world, objects are usually seen by an external light. In the realm of spirit, spiritual “objects” are usually seen from that Light within. The Soul within your soul illuminates the soul to exist and be seen, as well as allowing the house of the soul (the mind and body) to exist and perceive. If you study and observe your soul (and its qualities) to see how it indicates the reality of the Soul, this is what Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi encourages us to seek. A seeking that can unfold by its own grace simply by understanding and observing our own (individual) soul. Or even if the soul is presently too subtle, we can observe the traits of our mind and body to see how these point to the soul. This goes beyond ideas and knowledge to a deeper (divine) knowing that is revealed...
In the mountain of your body,
there is a highly valuable element.
You seek for the mine of that element.
The body, our (mis)identification with it through ego, is hard and difficult to penetrate. Many spiritual practices, particularly mystic ones, seek to drill through the hard rock of body-oriented identification and behavior to mine for something more precious. For many precious gems, mines must be dug very deep beyond the surface before reaching treasure. In ancient days, mines were dug with hand tools -- going deeper little by little even if they extended miles beyond the surface. Restraint, patience, perseverance, and faith are qualities that are called forth to tunnel through the veils of our ignorance: our unrestrained ego, pleasure seeking habits, confused identification with the mind and body. But if we endure with our pick shovel (spiritual practice), digging deeper inch by inch, we will reach the depths of the heart wherein awaits an indescribable treasure. Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi says the following to indicate what that is:
The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) said that Allaah has declared,
"I am not contained in aught above or below,
I am not contained in earth or sky, or even
In the highest heaven. Know this for a surety, oh beloved!
Yet am I contained in the faithful one’s heart!
If ye seek me, search in such hearts!"
(Masnavi, p. 60)
The Beloved is the treasure that rests in the depth of our hearts. Even if we seek the Beloved in the heart of another faithful person, such as a master, it is only to encourage and demonstrate a way to recognize (through surrender) the Beloved in our own heart. Some say when we genuinely realize this principle, not just as an idea but as a way of living, that is when the spiritual life really begins. Then the closing words of Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s poem take on a deeper meaning:
O mystic, who looks around,
if you search for the Beloved
Don’t look for the Beloved outside.
For the Beloved, look inside.
Deep inside you will find not only your soul but the Soul of souls. And when this is found... ah, what words can describe what is found when this is found.
