Sham’s rules of love

Shanti chose his favourite rules from The forty Rules of Love of Shams of Tabriz

I have been reading a text called ‘The forty Rules of Love’ of Shams of Tabriz (1185-1248), Jalal ad-Din Rumi’s Master, and I fell in love with some of these ‘rules’, the ones I understand because of their simplicity, the ones I love and love to live, the ones which make my heart starts singing immediately when I hear them.

It’s my joy to share my selection of 13 (out of these 40) ‘rules’ with you and, if you choose to do so, with all Osho’s lovers of the Sufi Path reading Osho News.

1: How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we.

3: You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined to a mosque, synagogue or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactly his abode is, there is only one place to look for him: in the heart of a true lover.

5: Most problems of the world stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstanding. Don’t ever take words at face value. When you step into the zone of love, language, as we know it, becomes obsolete. That which cannot be put into words can only be grasped through silence.

7: Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighbourhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given, but also for all that he has been denied.

8: Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to look at the end of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be shortsighted as to not being able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full.

10: The midwife knows that when there is no pain, the way for the baby cannot be opened and the mother cannot give birth. Likewise, for a new self to be born, hardship is necessary. Just as clay needs to go through intense heat to become strong, love can only be perfected in pain.

12: There are more fake gurus and false teachers in this world than the number of stars in the visible universe. Don’t confuse power-driven, self-centered people with true mentors. A genuine spiritual master will not direct your attention to himself or herself and will not expect absolute obedience or utter admiration from you, but instead will help you to appreciate and admire your inner self. True mentors are as transparent as glass. They let the light of God pass through them.

13: Try not to resist the changes which come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?

14: God is busy with the completion of your work, both outwardly and inwardly. He is fully occupied with you. Every human being is ‘a work in progress’ that is slowly, but inexorably moving toward perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art, both waiting and striving to be completed. God deals with each of us separately, because humanity is fine art of skilled penmanship, where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture.

20: We were all created in his image, and yet we were each created different and unique. No two people are alike. No hearts beat to the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same, he would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughts on others is an amount to disrespecting God’s holy scheme.

23: The human being has a unique place among God’s creation. “I breathed into him of my spirit,” God says. Each and every one of us, without exception, is designed to be God’s delegate on earth. Ask yourself just how often you behave like a delegate, if you ever do so. Remember, it falls upon each of us to discover the divine spirit inside, and live by it.

24: Hell is in the here and now. So is heaven. Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy or fight someone we tumble straight into the fires of hell.

29: Destiny doesn’t mean that your life has been strictly predetermined. Therefore, to live everything to the fate and to not actively contribute to the music of the universe is a sign of sheer ignorance. The music of the universe is all-pervading and it is composed on 40 different levels. Your destiny is the level where you play your tune. You might not change your instrument, but how well to play is entirely in your hands.

You can read all 40 rules here: sufipathoflove.com