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Tawazu...


True pleasure lies in the sharing of joy with another.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Man's selfishness shows itself in wanting to get the better of his fellow man. If we developed humanity we should do differently. We should be satisfied with a slice of bread if there were another in need, but as it is, it happens that even when we are fed ourselves, we do not wish anyone else to share the food. The human heart can only be really satisfied by knowing that the other person is happy. True pleasure lies in the sharing of joy with another. From the day that we realize this we begin to act as human beings.

A person who, alone, has seen something beautiful, who has heard something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has smelt something fragrant, may have enjoyed it, but not completely. The complete joy is in sharing one's joy with others. For the selfish one who enjoys himself and does not care for others, whether he enjoys things of the earth or things of heaven, his enjoyment is not complete.

Tawazu in Sufi terms means something more than hospitality. It is laying before one's friend willingly what one has, in other words sharing with one's friend all the good one has in life, and with it, enjoying life better. When this tendency to tawazu is developed, things that give one joy and pleasure become more enjoyable by sharing with another. This tendency comes from the aristocracy of the heart. It is generosity and even more than generosity. For the limit of generosity is to see another pleased in his pleasure, but to share one's own pleasure with another is greater than generosity. It is a quality which is foreign to a selfish person, and the one who shows this quality is on the path of saintliness.


1 comment:

Unknown said...


The new year approaches.

On the news children cry out for their missing fathers as war rages on...such suffering over naught. It makes me weep so.

Where is the joy this season of light and love?

It lives in our hearts and it lives in our hopes and dream(s).

This dream in which we are all sharing can be so much better!

Why do we choose suffering over love? Give joy to others and

joy will abound.

~~Imagine~~ sung by Eva Cassidy https://youtu.be/kGnfqRR509M

Blessings to all this new year and may there be peace on earth and peace in our hearts and minds.

Namaste`