Monday, March 12, 2012

Mystical Mondays ~ Rumi on humming and camels



Translations by Daniel Ladinsky

This is not the first statement I have come across on mindfulness that included flowing water, but the camel is new, as is the humming.  May the sound of a human humming forever bring us back to the present moment.  and I hope that we one day notice this humming, which emerges from those who are truly aware, flowing from our true selves.



THE CHANCE OF HUMMING

A
Man

standing on two logs in a river
might do all right floating with the current
while humming in the
now.
Though
if one log is tied to a camel,
who is also heading south along the bank –at the same pace-
all could still be well
with the
world

unless the camel
thinks he forgot something, and
abruptly turns upstream,then

uh-oh.

Most minds
do not live in the present
and can stick to a reasonable plan; most minds abruptly turn
and undermine the

chance

of

humming.

Rumi

Rumi also recommended that we practice looking at those we love who have uttered something nonsensical with eyes that make the speaker feel brilliant.  Good luck.  Margaret and I have been failing all week, but laughing along the way.

8 comments:

  1. Eileen MacMillan ConwayMarch 12, 2012 at 7:44 PM

    thank you, I DO like Rumi and I had not seen this poem before!

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    Replies
    1. I do believe Rumi will make two more posts before a new mystic comes to my Monday posts

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  2. Nice poem. I really like that. If we could live in the now wouldn't it be something. If I can hold a moment of now every so often during the day I feel lucky. Most of the time I'm riding the camel in the wrong direction before I realize I'm actually on the logs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, like being on a raft floating downstream in the past or future as the present moment moves upstream

      Delete
  3. there are a lot of m's in that title.
    hummmmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Replies
    1. thanks for stopping by, I guess it is like when you become aware of a moment in time and capture an image of it to share at your website

      Delete

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