Bowl of Saki for January 31

The pleasures of life are blinding; it is love alone that clears the rust from the heart, the mirror of the soul.

Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan


Related Material by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Compiled by Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist – wahiduddin.net

The heart of a human being, as the Sufis say, is a mirror. All that is reflected in this mirror is projected upon other mirrors. When one has doubt in one’s heart that doubt is reflected upon every heart with which one comes in contact. When one has faith that faith is reflected in every heart. Can there be a more interesting study and a greater wonder than to observe this keenly?

There must be no feeling of revenge, of unkindness, of bitterness against anyone in the heart. When such a feeling comes, one must say: this is rust coming into my heart. When all such feelings are cleared off the heart, it becomes like a mirror. A mirror without rust reflects all that is before it; then everything divine is reflected in the heart.

The heart aflame becomes the torch on the path of the lover, which lightens the way that leads to the destination. The pleasures of life are blinding, it is love alone that clears the rust from the heart, the mirror of the soul.


Commentary by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad)
Samuel L. Lewis

Pleasure is the effect upon nufs of the radiations from the mind-mesh, which through the falling current of breath, form the emotions. But all these are of indirect light, which is subject to the elements and becomes controlled by them. To rise above the elements it is necessary to touch the Heart-Plane. This is a realm of pure light not contaminated by the karmic swirl below the mind-mesh. This is the metaphysical explanation, but the explanation to the heart is clear — when it loves, all the rust and dust are purged from its bosom. This is its blessing. Its life is its own blessing — heart is the medicine for heart.