CS-0212 - "Life can be full of blessings when one knows how to receive
them."
"There is a story in the Bible about ten virgins--the five wise virgins
and
the five foolish. It was said that the bridegroom was to come, and they
were
to light their lamps; and five were in time, and brought the oil, and
lighted their lamps; and the other five waited until the bridegroom came,
and when the bridegroom came, then they went to the five who had lighted
their lamps and asked of them oil, and were refused. This story is a
symbolic expression of receiving the Message of God. By virgin is meant
the
soul which is awaiting illumination, innocent and responsive to the light;
and by five is meant the multitude. And there are two cl***** of people;
one
class is those who have prepared themselves and made ready to receive the
Message of God, which is pictured as the bridegroom; and the five foolish
are that class in mankind who wait and wait until the Message has come and
gone. In all ages there have been these two kinds of souls--one kind who
are
called in the Scriptures believers, the others who are known as
unbelievers.
In every age the prophecy has been made by the Messenger of the time as
to
the next advent. Sometimes it is said: I will come," and sometimes: "He
will
come." "I will come" has been told to those who would recognize the same
Spirit of Guidance in every coming of the Messenger; "He will come" has
been
told to those to whom name and form make a difference, and who cannot
recognize the same Spirit in another name and another form. For example,
the
coming of Jesus Christ was the coming of that Spirit which was expressed
in
this parable as the bridegroom, and how few at that time recognized Him,
and
how few received illumination! Only those whose lamps were ready to be
lighted. Oil in this parable is love, and the light is wisdom. And when
their lamps were lighted, then so many came afterwards; but that blessing
and privilege which had come with the Personality of the Master had then
gone. They had to take the benefit of the light that came from the lamps
of
those whose lamps were lighted, but the chance of lighting their own lamps
was lost.
The same is with all things in life. Every moment in our lives is an
op****tunity which brings a benefit and blessing. And the one who knows how
to be benefited by it, and how to be blessed by it, receives the benefit
and
the blessing. Everyone seems living and awake, but few souls really are
living and awake. There are op****tunities of benefit and blessing on every
plane of one's life--on the physical plane, on the mental plane, on the
spiritual plane--and every op****tunity is invaluable. But often one
realizes
the truth when it is too late. There is no greater and better op****tunity
than the moment that can give a spiritual illumination, a moment when one
can receive the blessing of God. It is a priceless moment. Who knows it
and
understands it and tries to be benefited by it is blessed." The Sufi
Message
of Hazrat Inayat Khan - THE UNITY OF RELIGIOUS IDEALS - PROPHETS AND
RELIGIONS - Gatha 2 -The Sufi's Conception of God - The Ten Virgins
A Fikr Practice (silent breath meditation)
On the in breath
"The clouds of doubt and fear"
On the out breath:
"are scattered by Thy piercing glance"
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