(Divine Providence Series)
October 30, 2014
The oyster-shells are not all of the same value;
Some contain pearls, and others worthless stones.
It is needful to discern the bad from the good,
Just as much as to sift wheat from straw.
The people of this world exist in order to manifest
And to disclose the “hidden treasure.”
Read, “I was a hidden treasure wishing to be known;”
Hide not the hidden treasure, but disclose it.
Your true treasure is hidden under a false one,
Just as butter is hidden within the substance of milk.
The false one is this transitory body of yours,
The true one your divine soul.
Long time this milk is exposed to view,
And the soul’s butter is hidden and of no account.
Stir up your milk assiduously with knowing,
So that what is hidden in it may be disclosed;
Because this mortal is the guide to immortality,
As the cries of revellers indicate the cup-bearer.
(adapted from Masnavi i Ma’navi,
translated by E.H. Whinfield, p. 310 - 311)
***
One of the themes of the above poem is discernment, which is a vital aspect of Divine Providence. All things are not of the same value, and to the extent that we honor the distinction between pearls and worthless stones, we are better suited to utilize and fulfill the purpose of Divine Providence.
The oyster-shells are not all of the same value / Some contain pearls, and others worthless stones. This is a call to look beyond the surface of things to determine the value, and the basis of such discernment can be compared to sift[ing] wheat from straw. For example, two bags of gold equal in monetary value may not be of the same value in spiritual / mystic terms. The wise look beyond the “shell” of the manifestation of the gold to what’s within the “oyster” of this gold. Are the contents, the seeds from which the gold manifest, things that turn us toward the Beloved? These include divine attributes, which have nurturance like wheat: they foster remembrance of the Beloved and are truly pearls. When the oyster shell is broken, expended, or fades away -- as it will within this world of impermanence -- these contents are still of value. They point us to an unending flow of beneficence that reveals the Nearness of the Beloved. For example, if an act of wisdom is the seed of the gold, even after the gold is spent that wisdom remains as a pearl.
But if the contents are things that turn us away from or discourage remembrance of the Beloved, these are like straw that has been stripped of the nurturing grain. These worthless contents can include ego-based attributes, such as ambition or pursuit of pleasure. They are not completely without value: you can eat straw and it will temporarily fill the belly even if there is no nutritional value to it. But after the straw has been expended from the body, just like when the gold is spent, these contents still leave us in need.
It is important to note that discernment looks beyond the surface. Too often in terms of providence, we look only at the manifestation of things: limiting our perception of Divine Providence to oyster shells, not their contents (their seeds). So often, what a thing emanates from it will return to: what emanates from self-effort often returns to self-effort, and the need to exert more effort once manifestations have been utilized. In the same vein, what emanates from wisdom often returns to wisdom and the flow of beneficence that effortlessly manifests from wisdom being an aspect of Absolute Wisdom -- just as a ray of light is never separate from Light. These dynamics are rarely revealed in the shells of manifestation, they appear to be hidden behind the alluring preoccupations the senses have with manifestation (the created world). Try not to see an object placed before your open eye? The eye, if it is functioning properly, will see it even if there something hidden within or beyond it.
When we surrender to discernment, we come to see that it deepens and expands of its own accord if we don’t get in the way. In traditional Sufism, ethics remains an uncompromising pillar and guidepost. With our behavior firmly within the space of ethics, when we mindfully engage something we don’t have to discern if it’s a pearl. If the mind is restrained and focused (undistracted), it will be obvious if what we are engaging is nurturing a remembrance of the Beloved or not. And even with the outflows of such engagement, discernment occurs of its own accord if we (namely, the mind) don’t get in the way of its revelation. I remember a teacher who said discernment is that which we truly are (Absolute Truth) distinguishing that which we are not (what we appear to be or misidentify with). Discernment plays out similarly with Divine Providence revealing that which turns and opens us to That until we are open enough to have That reveal Itself directly.
As discernment deepens, it reveals that: The people of this world exist in order to manifest / And to disclose the “hidden treasure” -- the Ultimate Treasure, the Ultimate Pearl. Read, “I was a hidden treasure wishing to be known.” This is a well known hadith (saying) of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) stating words declared by the Beloved. These words speak to the Will of the Beloved, that we Hide not the hidden treasure, but disclose it. Hiding is not just in acts of explicit concealment: anything that turns us away from the Beloved is hiding the hidden treasure, even if such is done with the best of intentions. For some people this can even include spirituality. Although spirituality often intends to turn people toward the Beloved, if a person is more concerned with being “spiritual” than being turned toward the Beloved, that person’s spirituality is his hiding the Beloved. And it is the Beloved that makes Itself a hidden treasure: Your true treasure is hidden under a false one, / Just as butter is hidden within the substance of milk. It is the Beloved that hides Itself within the substance of creation. The reason why cannot be fully explained in words, but open to this treasure for yourself, let It be disclosed, and see if any questions about why It was hidden linger.
In being made aware of this dynamic, we should be attentive to how we engage the things of creation. In navigating the false treasure of this transitory body of yours, / The true one your divine soul can be revealed. The false treasure is not just the body but also the things we associate with the body via the senses and (mind-based) attachments -– including the ego. Are we engaging the false, impermanent treasures to find the more lasting treasure of the divine soul? One can describe the soul as that innermost spark of the Beloved that is everlasting and sustains our individual manifestation of what we call life. Long time this milk is exposed to view, just resting in this open revelation, reveals how the soul's butter is hidden and of no account. When we realize how something is hidden, it is indirectly revealed. And yes, even the soul’s butter is of no account: it is true but not (Absolute) Truth Itself. It is a spark of the Beloved not the full Oneness of the Beloved Itself. When this “fullness” is revealed we realize why even the soul, which turns us toward the Beloved, is of no account to resting in the full revelation of the Beloved Itself.
So how is this to be done? If we pursue this through self-effort, it will return us to self-effort and being in need of unending effort to find the Beloved which hides Itself. And if the Beloved hides Itself, do we think we can really find It? Instead, Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi counsels: Stir up your milk assiduously with knowing, / So that what is hidden in it may be disclosed. Knowing, not effort, is better suited to what is hidden revealing Itself. And when we rest in knowing, not as ideas and facts but revelations realized, it stirs up the whole of our lives. For example, one who rests in a knowing of Love will not be able to live as one did prior to knowing Love -- one’s whole life is forever transformed.
Discernment turns us in the direction of knowing, and knowing reveals our Nearness to the Beloved as a genuine revelation of Divine Intimacy. When we rest in this knowing with great care and perseverance (being assiduous), it opens us to a knowing of the Beloved Itself. And I stress carefulness and endurance, because a single careless act can turn us from knowing; and so many people fail to reach the fruits of knowing simply because they give up too soon. In this way, this mortal [existence] is the guide to immortality, which points to that which is even beyond unendingness. We will be brought beyond ideas, words, and expressions to the cries of revellers [which] indicate the cup-bearer: the greatest Treasure, the Beloved.
