What is the use of expressions and words
August 21, 2014
Someone asked: “Then what is the use of expressions and words?” Rumi answered: Words set you searching. They are not the objects of your quest. If that were the case, there would be no need for all this spiritual struggle and self-sacrifice. Words are like glimpsing something far away. You follow in its trail to see it better, but this doesn’t mean the trail is what you are seeking. Speech is inwardly the same -- it excites you to seek the meaning, even though the words are never the reality.
(adapted from Fihi Ma Fihi,
translated by A.J. Arberry, p. 349 - 350)
***
In this day and age, many are those who revere Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi for “his words,” especially the poetry. Many regard these words as the crown jewels of his greatness. Even some who acknowledge other treasures of Jalaal ud-Diin beyond the words rarely look beyond “his words.” Yet these point to something deeper, to the essence of who he is and a straight path that leads to the Beloved.
Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s guidance regarding this matter is explicit: Words set you searching. They are not the objects of your quest. How many of us, when we encounter Jalaal ud-Diin’s words, seek the meaning in the words? And how many of us neglect his counsel to use the words as signs pointing to something deeper? This is not to diminish the understanding in the words, because sometimes profound understandings can be found in them. But often such understanding is limited to the domain of the mind. And the mind cannot even grasp the Light of Truth in Its fullness, only portents of that Light reflecting on objects our mind can conceive. There is something deeper, as Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi conveys: “Mere words cannot convey this spiritual understanding. Words only reveal what the heart has an ear to hear.” ( Fihi p. 106) Spiritual understanding goes beyond the mind into the domain of the heart. This territory is beyond the reach of words, but divinely attuned words point to and encourage the genuine to seek this. The words are never the reality nor do they contain reality. To realize reality we are wise to not look at what the words mean but the meaning (dare I say, purpose) of the words.
How does one realize what the words are pointing to since, as Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi states, Words are like glimpsing something far away? The opening quote indicates a way when it mentions the need for all this spiritual struggle and self-sacrifice. To the extent we sincerely adhere to the discipline of a spiritual path, we become more open to the meaning of the words. In particular, this means living life within a code of ethics and virtues to restrain the ego and remove obstacles and barriers to the realization of Truth. Jalaal ud-Diin states: “There is no end to words, but they are given according to the capacity of the seeker.” ( Fihi p. 53, emphasis mine) We should remember that Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi rarely, if ever, spoke or wrote down words for a general audience. The majority of what we have of his words were spoken spontaneously to those in his company. So the words given through him were set to the capacity of those present. When his audience was more spiritually mature, there is a greater depth to his words. Yet even when these deeper words reach others not as mature, the meaning of the words becomes evident (or not) in relation to the capacity of the hearer’s / reader’s spiritual maturity.
Let’s use a line from one of Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s poems to explore this. Consider the following:
O babbler, while thy soul is drunk with mere date
wine,
Thy spirit hath not tasted the genuine grapes.
(adapted from Masnavi i Ma’navi: Teachings of Rumi,
translated by E.H. Whinfield, M.A., p. 372)
A drunkard may hear these words and interpret them as advocating drinking the best quality of wine, not that cheap stuff! A scholar may note the metaphors speaking to the idea of seeking the Bliss of the Beloved, not the lesser intoxications of this world. But the mystic who has purified one’s mind (from sense-based pleasures) and restrained the ego to no longer be obstacles to experiencing Oneness with the Beloved; to such an one Jalaal ud-Diin’s words take on a much deeper meaning beyond what the words mean but what they point to.
We should caution ourselves from limiting the meaning (purpose) of the words to ideas, concepts, and lessons. Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi indicates something deeper:
Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws
one person to another, not words. If someone should
see a hundred thousand miracles and divine
blessings, still, without an inner connection to that
saint or prophet who was the source of those
miracles, all these phenomena would come to
nothing. It is this inward element that draws and
moves us. ( Fihi p. 12)
When we encounter the words of Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi are we are honoring that inner bond that draws us to him? Directly to his presence, directly to his heart? Approaching the meaning of the words brings us to oneness with saints, spiritual masters and teachers, and prophets via an inner bond. Through opening to the meaning of the words expressed through these beings, we are brought to their stations: stations of intimate closeness if not complete Oneness with the Beloved. To realize these stations requires unwavering restraint of the ego, for a single ego-based act can draw us from closeness and Oneness into the (illusive) realms of separation and duality. Understanding this, we can see why spiritual struggle and self-sacrifice (which restrain the ego) are important to realizing this element of the meaning of the words.
With spiritual maturity, Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s words can point us to the essence of who he is: a surrendered soul who allows expressions of the Beloved to flow through him. This essence is not limited to his body and mind, nor to space and time. He states:
Neither my coming nor my speaking is an indication
of my love. I say whatever comes into me. If Allaah
wills, It makes these few words profitable so they will
grow within the heart, bringing great rewards. If
Allaah wills not, if even a hundred thousand words
are spoken, they will not lodge in the heart but will
pass by and be forgotten. ( Fihi p. 103 - 104)
The Beloved dwells within the heart. So for Jalaal ud-Diin, and other spiritual masters, the words and expressions they share come from the Beloved through the heart: I say whatever comes into me. The meaning of the words also point to the heart, with the intention that they will grow within the heart, bringing great rewards. What are the great rewards for a mystic, one surrendered on the path of the heart: to be turned toward, brought near, brought to the Beloved. And for those who have completely relinquished the ego and its accompanying mind stuff, the “greatest” reward is to dissolve into Oneness of the Beloved. These states are beyond words, yet words can glimpse and point to these states: the journey to these states being made through spiritual struggle and self-sacrifice. When we embrace the words of a spiritual master in such a manner we come to understand why, as much as the words may be magnificent, they are the lesser part. We need not devalue a master’s words to realize the purpose of the words, yet we should be certain that our embrace and praise of the words do not neglect the more subtle purpose. This purpose leads not only to union with a master, but also to Oneness of the Beloved -- if we cultivate the necessary spiritual maturity. Words from the Beloved through the heart, mind, and body of the spiritual master pointing back through the master to the source of the words: the Beloved Itself.
Allaah is wholly free of form and words. Its speech is
beyond letters and voice. Yet, It delivers Its message
by any letters and voice and tongue It desires. ( Fihi p. 74)
May we all come to appreciate and realize the meaning (purpose) of Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi’s words.
