Category: The Jewelled Garden

 Khwaja Shamsuddin Muhammed Hafez of Shiraz (1315-1390 CE) was a Persian mystic who remains to this day the most popular poet in Iran.  He was a master of the verse Continue Reading →

Here are two poems by Akka Mahadevi, the mystic from Karnataka, India.  For more about her, see this earlier post.  The second poem implies the very typical sort of conversation Continue Reading →

For more about the sixteenth century Punjabi mystic and poet Mira Bai, see this earlier post.  Strange is the Path Do not mention the name of love, O my simple-minded Continue Reading →

Shankaracharya, or Adi Shankara, was a Hindu scholar who is credited as the principal consolidator of Advaita Vedanta, one of the classical spiritual paths of India.  ‘Advaita’ means ‘not two,’ Continue Reading →

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived in the 5th or 6th century CE.  He s traditionally credited with bringing Chan Buddhism to China, the stream that later evolved into Continue Reading →

For more about the Sufi poet, scholar and mystic Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, see this post. He whom thou lovest is between thy ribs; the breaths toss him from side to Continue Reading →

This short passage is taken from the Lankavatara sutra, an important source in Mahayana Buddhism.  It consists of a dialogue between the Buddha and a senior student named Mahamati. For Continue Reading →

Akka [“Elder sister”, an honorific] Mahadevi, (c.1130-1160 CE) was born in Karnataka, India, and was an important female figure in the 12th c. Bhakti movement.  Little is known for certain Continue Reading →

For more about the Sufi poet Saadi of Shiraz, see this earlier post. In the Company of the Wine-maker In the company of the Wine-maker Happy Sufis did I see, Continue Reading →

The following verses are taken from the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, written by or ascribed to Patanjali.  Almost nothing is known about the author; even the dates of Continue Reading →