The Wisdom of the Sages: Rumi

Rumi, Persian Poet Born in 1207

I have always been fond of Rumi’s poetry. He so often inspires me that I wish to share his wisdom with you. I do not think you will be the same after reading his poetry; I hope he will inspire you.

Who was Rumi?

He was many things, but among them he was: a wealthy nobleman of Persia, a mystical poet, a theologian, a law professor, a scholar.

One of the major influences on his life was “a poor wandering and wild holy man by the name of Shams” (Shiva). Shams was a mentor to Rumi and they were close friends in spite of the differences in their ages and lifestyles. Shams was a Sufi mystic and is credited with originating the dance of the dervishes or Darwish. The Darwish meditate as they whirl, saying God’s name.

According to Rumi scholar and translator Shahram Shiva, Rumi’s work deals with the human condition. Rumi’s poetry verbalizes “the highly intimate and often confusing world of personal growth and soul evolution in a very clear and direct fashion.”

Rumi wrote over 70,000 poems which, according to Shavi, were “collected in two epic books named, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi and Masnavi (Massnavi, Mathnawi)” (Shiva).

Rumi’s poetry is filled with wisdom that we would do well to follow. So many people want to give us advice. We read books, watch videos, listen to podcasts — all to discover what we should do and what we should be — how to live this life that we have so that it is not in vain.

Rumi wrote his poems long, long ago, but they offer some of the best advice you can find even after nearly 800 years.

Rumi writes about life and the spirit; he shares his wisdom with us. As he learned from his mentor Shams, we should learn from Rumi.

Here is what Rumi wishes to tell you:

So often we live our lives as though we are doomed, but Rumi reminds us to be optimistic and expect success.

Not sure what it is you are supposed to do in your life? Rumi recognizes that our hearts know us better than our brain does. He advises you to follow your passion.

If you don’t know what your passion is, you will discover it because, according to Rumi:

One reason that we do not know what we want is because we are too busy, too talkative, too loud. Rumi tells us:

We are not trained to listen. We must learn to listen.

Sometimes, on our way through this life, we encounter problems and interference, and then we fail to listen so we struggle and suffer. The poet tells us:

Once our heart is broken open, we will open our ears and hear the message our heart has to tell us:

Once we hear our hearts speak to us, we must follow it because:

Sometimes, we run too slow and trip or lose our way. Then, we must do more than run to find our way, so Rumi cheers us on, saying:

The way may be hard; it may be dark; we may feel unsure whether we are going the right way. We may hope for an easier way to learn the truths we need to know, but the poet tells us:

To discover what we can do in this life, we must stop limiting ourselves. Rumi claimed that:

This is the beginning of a series of posts in which I will search the wisdom of the past and present to share with you. My hope is that the messages from the sages of the ages will guide us and lead us to live happier, more creative, and more useful lives.

Do you have a favorite philosopher, writer, or thinker you would like me to examine? Let me know.