In a previous post (“Be the lament…”) I deliberately exaggerated the rose/nightingale dichotomy as two ways of being in the world, presenting them as mutually exclusive. It was pointed out to me that the contrast was overdrawn (thanks, Tahir). Perhaps we can identify two levels to this issue. At one level, quiet contemplation and active…
To recognize our inner being as double is simultaneously a great and a humble achievement. It is great because all subsequent insights are already contained in this discovery; it is humble because it is only the first and the very basic step in the journey.
Here is an Urdu couplet by the Indian mystic-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal. The words of this couplet are fairly simple and the symbolism is traditional; yet its meanings are fresh and the underlying concepts have a distinctly contemporary flavor. A simple paraphrase follows: In this garden, either be a follower of the nightingale or a disciple…