THE GUEST HOUSE
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
— Jelaluddin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks
In this beautiful poem the Guest House by Rumi the great spiritual master, the 13th century Persian poet, and Sufi mystic referring to our emotions that arise during insight meditation and how to treat them when they arise, observe them and let them fade away at their own term. They are there for specific reasons, they come, take our attention, and they go. Therefore we have to treat them with love and respect, without any judgment or attachment.
The poet Rumi said it all at that time! This is exactly what we do now when we practice mindfulness meditation. We go within, notice our thoughts, emotions, and sensations, acknowledge them, accept them, let them be, and let them fade away from our minds…
This poem by Jalaluddin Rumi never goes old, every time I read it, it reminds me to surrender myself to this moment and live freely and happily!
The poem also portrays the scenes of our lives, we all have ups and downs in our lives, his advice is not to take them seriously, they come in the form of experience to teach us the lessons we have to learn in this life in order to become awake!
Namaste
Gita Nilforoush
Published Oct 26, 2016
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