Life is an opportunity...

Life is an opportunity given to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul.

Bowl of Saki, February 22, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

And what is life? Life is an opportunity. To the optimistic person the
opportunity is a promise, and for the pessimistic person this opportunity is
lost. It is not that the Creator makes man lose it, but it is man who withdraws
himself from the possibility of seizing the opportunity.

If there is something that can be accomplished today, we need not wait for it to
be accomplished tomorrow. For life is an opportunity, and desire has the
greatest power, and perfection is the promise of the soul. We seek perfection,
because perfection is the ultimate aim and the goal of creation. The source of
all things is perfect. Our source is perfect, our goal is perfect. And therefore
every atom of the universe is working towards perfection, and sooner or later it
must arrive at perfection consciously. If it were not so, you would not have
read in the Bible, 'Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.'

Kabir, the great poet of India says, 'Life is a field and you are born to
cultivate it. And if you know how to cultivate this field you can produce
anything you like. All the need of your life can be produced in this field. All
that your soul yearns after and all you need is to be got from the field, if you
know how to cultivate it and how to reap the fruit.' But if this opportunity is
only studied in order to make the best of life by taking all that one can take
and by being more comfortable, that is not satisfying. We must enrich ourselves
with thought, with that happiness which is spiritual happiness, with that peace
which belongs to our soul, with that liberty, that freedom, for which our soul
longs; and attain to that higher knowledge which breaks all the fetters of life
and raises our consciousness to look at life from a different point of view.
Once a person has realized this opportunity he has fulfilled the purpose of
Life.