Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for January 15, 2018

Private Room

You think of your mind as a private room

Somewhere to go to be alone

But the doors of your mind are open wide

And the uninvited just wander in.

Fleeting Impulses,

Faster than thought.

Shoot out your hand to strike or grab.

Use your voice to shout strange words.

Or turn your gaze to something lost

Or a treasure to be found.

Urges, nagging you to cut, smoke, inject or drink

To steal, and fight, and wreck, and burn.

Or maybe to call a wandered friend

Or repair a broken family bond.

Whisperers reveal hidden things

Words of knowledge, wisdom and truthOr lies, doubts, self-loathing and fears

Encouraging words, flattering words

Words of hatred and revenge.

Inspirations: Born fully-formed.

Whole novels, grand paintings, and sculpture

Instruments of pain and torture

Science, maths and medicine

Crime and warfare and terror.

Fantasies: intoxicating dramas in your mind

Old conflicts endlessly replayed

And new ones forever rehearsed

Dreams of money, fame, sex, and power

With emotions as real as life,But as substantial as cotton candy.

Passions: Strong emotion without cause

Lust and anger, jealousy and resentment

Thoughts clouded by smoke from blazing blood.

They come and they stay,

And we think they are us

We are their victims, their puppets

But, we have a choice.

The master became victim

So victim could be master

And our room can be cleared

And the door can be guarded

Then we decide who shares our mind.

Who guides our hand

And speaks with our voice.

And freedom and peace are ours.

Nope. Some emotions are better left out.

A quote from Jesus,“Do not give dogs what is sacred, do not throw your pears to pigs,”(Matthew 7:6) is one of the many starting points for disagreeing with Rumi. Our freedom to choose what we invite into our soul is also our obligation to do so, daily.Thanks for posting this Gavin; its nice to have an occasional quote on this site that I can heartily and completely disagree with.

I find I can agree with Rumi in that I need to learn to respect each emotion that arises, though this doesn’t mean I would act on them or become involved with them. If I choose to deny or “stuff” them, the emotions will still be there, waiting to pop up unexpectedly.

Gotta love Rumi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_gU-jdHqxM