Write Spirit

Ancient wisdom and modern inspiration

I COBBLED THEIR BOOTS

I COBBLED THEIR BOOTS

How could I love my fellow men who tortured me?

One night I was dragged into a room
And beaten near death with
their shoes

striking me hundreds of times
in the face, scarring me
forever.

I cried out for God to help, until I fainted.

That night in a dream, in a dream more real than this world,
a strap from the Christ’s sandal
fell from my bleeding
mouth,

and I looked at Him and He
was weeping, and
spoke,

“I cobbled their boots;
how sorry
I am.

What moves all things
is God.”

 

 

 

Translation by: Daniel Ladinsky

From Poetry of St John of the Cross

 

The poem is from “Love Poems From God” and are translated by Daniel Ladinsky, well known for his poetic versions of Hafiz.

St John of the Cross is widely regarded as one of the great mystical poets who lived in Spain during the 16th Century. As a young Carmelite friar John met St Teresa of Avila and became profoundly moved by her radiant spirituality. In 1577 St John was kidnapped and  imprisoned for his support of the reforms to the Carmelite movement. For several months he suffered appalling conditions and regular beatings, amounting to torture. However throughout this experience he came even closer to the divine and amidst the beatings and squalor experienced visions and ecstasy’s. This poem is based on one such vision during his imprisonment.

This poem is from “Love Poems From God” and are translated by Daniel Ladinsky, well known for his poetic versions of Hafiz.

Emancipation Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln

On this day October 6th 1862 Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the defining speeches in American’s history.

It was a speech announcing the unconditional end of slavery

"And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all
persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward
shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and
naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. And I hereby
enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary
self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for
reasonable wages."

Poem – Drink Your Tea

 

Drink Your Tea

by Thich Nhat Hahn

 

Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
as if it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves
– slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future;
Live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life.

 

 

Thich Nhat Hanh is a vietnamese Buddhist monk who has written many poems and teaches a form of engaged Buddhism.

 

Photo by: Bipin: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

The Wish Fulfilling Tree

 

"A young aspirant was sitting at the foot of a tree in the summer heat. Fortunately or unfortunately, the tree he happened to be sitting under was the Kalpataru tree, the tree that fulfils all desires, but he did not know this.…"

…..

Read complete story: "The Wish Fulfilling Tree" from Gopal’s Eternal Brother And Other Stories for Children
by Sri Chinmoy

" So, as George Bernard Shaw said, "There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, the other is to get it." In this story, the young aspirant got it!"

 

Photo by: Pavitrata: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

 

Sri Aurobindo – Extract from play

Sri Aurobindo was a poet, philosopher and Spiritual Master.

In Sri Aurobindo’s early life he threw himself heart and soul into politics and the Indian independence Movement.

However at various times and particularly during a spell in prison, very powerful spiritual experiences came to Sri Aurobindo. These spiritual illuminations encouraged him to leave the political struggle to others and concentrate only on his future spiritual mission.

 

Extract from Play on Sri Aurobindo

(Bombay. After his address at a meeting of the Bombay National Union, Aurobindo returns to the residence of a friend. Standing on a balcony he looks out on the city.)

Aurobindo: “I see the whole busy movement of Bombay as a picture in a cinema-show, all unreal and shadowy. The entire material world is quite unsubstantial, void. Ever since I had the experience of the vacant state of Nirvana the silent Infinite alone has become real to me.”

enter Lele

– From “Descent of the Blue” – A Play by Sri Chinmoy on the life of Sri Aurobindo

See Bande Mataram translated by Sri Aurobindo.

See: Biography of Sri Aurobindo

 

The Great Pyramids of Egypt


"…We see the Pyramids from several miles away, as they rise up behind the palm trees, looking very sharply defined, altogether splendid, awe-inspiring and simultaneously very soft and veiled. They floated in a thick haze, which took from them every appearance of lifeless stone and made them seem merely like airy creatures from a dream – things which, even as we watched, would turn into rows of indistinct arches, or perhaps delicate columns and ever and again transformed themselves into all the lovely forms of architecture, only then to fade delightful away and melt into the trembling air. "

By:Mark Twain (1)

Photo by: Zbigniew Kosc

Zbigniew has many more fasinating photo collections. I particularly like the ones of the Greek Monastries.

Thanks to ursi and Eso Blog for pointing out these photo collections

Quotes on Silence

 

Our human mind says,
"Silence is emptiness; it is sheer emptiness and nothingness."
But our aspiring heart knows that silence
is the fulness and plenitude
of our Eternity’s Height and Infinity’s Light. (1)

By: Sri Chinmoy

Silence gives us joy.
This is totally true.

 

The inner world
 Is full of
Silence and beauty.

 

The outer world
  Is full of
Sad misunderstanding.

 

Silence itself is joy.
This truth comes down
From the loftiest Heights.

 

The silence – room is not fierce–
It is all – loving
And all – protecting.

 

The silence of meditation
Is power beyond measure.

 

References

(1) From a talk on Silence by Sri Chinmoy

(2) Other Quotes from Seventy Seven Thousand Service Trees vol. 36 by: Sri Chinmoy

Photo by Pavitrata Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

External Links

 

My Country Awake – poem by Tagore

My Country Awake

Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

by Rabindranath Tagore

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