Dec 21 2010

An American Poet from Balkh

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

Green (small)2

The Green Mosque is almost the only building left standing in ancient Balkh, Mother of Cities.

B2

The most popular poet in America was born here in AD 1207.

Can you make a mirror out of straw and mud?

But sweep away mud and straw

and a mirror may be revealed!

Everything that exists is an empire of delight.

Jesus was delighted by the love of God.

His donkey was delighted by oats.

You entered this world as a nameless star

and now you ask me

“How can I find my way through the night?”

Forget your name

and let the love inside you light up the sky!

9 comments

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  2. …Rumi sig line she had for a while:

    “we come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust”

    I don’t think this was it exactly; I think it might have been…

    “we come spinning out of nothingness, scattering like star dust”

    Hey, otb, if you see this, please correct it!!! Thx.

  3. …. who had a son with him after his death.  Alas, not a good ending for those two, either.


    Also home to Zoroastrianism

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z…

    In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil originates from Him. Thus, in Zoroastrianism good and evil have distinct sources, with evil (druj) trying to destroy the creation of Mazda (asha), and good trying to sustain it. Mazda is not immanent in the world, and His creation is represented by the Amesha Spentas and the host of other Yazatas, through whom the works of God are evident to humanity, and through whom worship of Mazda is ultimately directed. The most important texts of the religion are those of the Avesta, of which a significant portion has been lost, and mostly only the liturgies of which have survived. The lost portions are known of only through references and brief quotations in the later works, primarily from the 9th to 11th centuries.

    In some form, it served as the national- or state religion of a significant portion of the Iranian people for many centuries. It first dwindled when the Achaemenid Empire was invaded by Alexander III of Macedon, after which it collapsed and disintegrated[2] and it was further gradually marginalized by Islam from the 7th century onwards with the decline of the Sassanid Empire.[3] The political power of the pre-Islamic Iranian dynasties lent Zoroastrianism immense prestige in ancient times, and some of its leading doctrines were adopted by other religious systems.

    And Buddhist.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B…

    The chinese pilgrim Fa-Hein (c.400) found the Hinayana prevalent in Shan Shan , Kucha , Kashgar, Osh, Udayana and Gandhara. Hsuan-tsang also notices that Buddhism was widely practiced by the Huns rulers of Balkh who claimed descent from Indian royalties. [6]

    In literature, Balkh has been described as Balhika, Valhika or Bahlika. Balkh town became popular to other Buddhist countries because of two great Buddhist monks of Afghanistan-Tapassu and Bhallika. There are two stupas over their relics. As per a popular legend, Buddhism was introduced in Balkh by Bhallika, disciple of Buddha and the city derives its name from him. He was a merchant of the region and had come to Bodhgaya. First Vihara at Balkh was built for Bhallika when he returned home after becoming a Buddhist monk. H. Tsiang visited Balkh in 630 when it was a flourishing centre of Hinayana Buddhism. People called the city ‘Little Rajagriha’ since it housed many sacred relics.

    • RUKind on December 22, 2010 at 05:15
    • #

    Where else do you get content like this?

  5. …I found this:

    Rumi, ‘The Milk of Millenia’

    We are all made from stardust. The particles that we are made from have existed and changed and evolved for aeons. In the entire Universe, there are only 10, to the power of 80, atoms. In every human mind there are more potential connections than there are atoms in the Universe.

    Bits of me today, yesterday were rice and chicken. Bits of me now, weeks ago were scrabbling around in the dark. Today, those same particles feel conscious.

    Is it that they were always conscious? Is every atom imbued with consciousness and that consciousness evolves as those atoms ebb and flow through existence?

    Or, is it that those atoms only have consciousness when they take our human form? Do these physical building blocks only see and feel when they are combined with whatever spirit lies within?

    Does it matter? Either way, whatever your answer might be, it’s remarkable isn’t it? Either we are all part of one infinite consciousness or we each have the infinite potential to animate the Universe.

    The quantum of our existence is so great that all we can do to see it in context is to understand it with each moment. Today, I am what I am today. I am time-and-space and I am waiting for nothing.

    Thank you.  Amen!  

  6. where did these photos come from?  They’re great.

    We had a hell of a time getting photos for Korengal Valley, finally got this together:

    http://gramterry.info/?page_id=70

  7. Lovely lines of poetry, incredible photos. Such blue beauty on the day after the Solstice.  Are we feeling the Emerging Light yet, Jacob?  Sigh.

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