The veil...

The wisdom and justice of God are within us, and yet they are far away, hidden
by the veil of the limited self.

Bowl of Saki, May 14, by Hazrat Inayat Khan




Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Whenever wars have occurred, whenever there has been bloodshed in the world,
whenever there have been revolutions and upheavals in life, all the various
disasters that have taken place are due to these same causes: on the one side
man's selfishness, and on the other his lack of understanding of the law of
nature and the law of happiness.

Our limited self is like a wall separating us from the Self of God. God is as
far away from us as that wall is thick. The wisdom and justice of God are within
us, and yet they are far away under the covering of the veil of the limited
self. Whoever has arrived at that realization of the nature of God's justice is
able to see all things in a different way from others. His whole outlook on life
becomes different. ...

Man has now become cold, ignorant, and blind to the law that life depends on the
happiness of those with whom we live. The whole of life is one. In all these
different names and manifestations life is one. The true thought is, 'If my wife
is not happy, if my children, my neighbors, my servants are not happy, how can I
ever be happy?' An insult given to someone will one day return. How simple it
is. Yet how difficult for man to understand! It is simple to him who observes
life keenly. It is difficult to him who is absorbed in himself.