Pearls of Wisdom....342

1. He that was born in the dark water of material
    wealth, how could he tell the freedom of open
    country from the dismal prison of the well?
    When you relinquish the ego for fear of God,
    the elixir of His fountain will arrive.

2. Relying upon the promise of "tomorrow,"
    many people have wandered around that
    door, but that tomorrow never comes.

3. When you experience pain,
    ask God for forgiveness.
    By the command of the Creator,
    it be eliminated.
    For when He decrees, pain becomes joy,
    and fetters become freedom.

4. Hardship may dishearten at first,
    but every hardship passes away.
    All despair is followed by hope;
    all darkness is followed by sunshine.

5. When clutches of the "self" break away,
    they clap their hands and break into dance
    as their imperfections fade away.
    The musicians within strike the tambourine,
    and the seas burst into foam at their ecstasy.

6. Wisdom is the table, not bread or meat.
    Wisdom is the light, food for the soul.
    No nutriment can compare to the nourishment
   of light. Nothing can nourish the soul but light.
   Rid yourself of material needs and be set free.
   Taste the original victual, the dainty morsel of
   light. [Mawlana Rumi]