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The Pearl of Wisdom
"Wisdom Study Version"
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From the book, "The Pearl of Wisdom" or "Guru Mani",
by His Holiness, M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
(may God be pleased with Him, and with Us)
About The Book "The Pearl of Wisdom"
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Chapter 15
- Original Version -
"Charity"
Go To "Wisdom Study Version"
Go To "Wisdom Outline" of "Original Version" - For "Chapter 15"
Go To "Wisdom Review" of "Expanded Version" - of "Chapter 15"
His Holiness Teaches Us:
Disciple:
Swami, glorious Guru, Dharma (Charity) is generally spoken of in the world. How many kinds of charity are there? Swami, please explain this to me.
Guru:
Son, listen. I shall tell you. Dharma (Charity) is a glorious thing. It is a living pulse for the bliss of Moksha (Ultimate Reality). Son, great men, ancient people, Nabis (Prophets),
men of God's grace and even the Beloved Allah All Mighty, Himself have extolled the virtues of Dharma to the world.
Charity is a gift to Him who is born as a Human. Great men have sworn that the tree of Charity will protect you from the difficulties and hardships of life like a tree providing nourishment to a dead tree, pouring water on it and helping it to grow again.
But the world has forgotten this.
Today Charity is being classified as follows:
1) Charity is performed to exhibit it to the world.
2) Charity is for self-acquirement, for one's own name, fame, glory, and title
3) Charity is performed with a melting heart of tranquillity and compassion, saying,
"O God,
I have nothing in my hand.
O Compassionate One,
Gem of My Eye, O God,
Protect me!"
Charity is fetching water in a brass vessel with eyes of compassion, smiling teeth, a face blooming like the white lotus flower and resonating with the words of grace to offer this water of Dharma, which at a draught will appease the body and mind.
Charity is to worship the Incomparable One and to glorify Him with both hands raised, or sometimes reclining and performing the ritual prayer. This is the True Dharma.
Son, gem of my eyes, Listen. Charity or an offering will be performed according to a man's reasoning power.
In this way, Charity has Four Different Meanings to the Human created by God, for in truth those who are devoid of kindness, devoid of generosity, devoid of Charity, and who possess an unkind heart (which in truth is the "form of the satan") do not know how to give Charity. They think of Charity with the above 3 mentioned shades of meaning.
O Son, Manu-eesan (Man the Divine), even if He is blind in both His eyes, will laugh on hearing about this type of Charity. Manu-eesan (Man the Divine), who is created by God laughs and say,
"It is Charity without Compassion"
O dear Son, listen further, Manu-eesan (Man the Divine) is,
"Truth born as Human,
Growing as Human,
Knowing Himself"
Manu-eesan (Man the Divine) is discarding this language (the ABC language of this world) and elevating God's Words of Truth with joy.
Among these four characters (of arrogance, karma, illusion, & True Man), Manu-eesan (Man the Divine) or True Man is the most exalted. He is on the Correct Path, with Undiminishing Charity and Plenitude of Heart.
To Manu-eesan (Man the Divine),
There is "No Word"
Called "Charity"
You will ask "Me",
"Why is there No Word called Charity
for True Man?"
Let "Me" tell you.
Swamis, yogis, mystics, humans, kings, poets, professors, scholars, aalims, ulemas, masthans, and yet others, others who are with hearts of kindness and absorbed in grace will open their wondrous mouths and call,
"Brothers, give us Charity.
All that are in the four lands.
Come, let us eat well.
Offer Charity for your own good"
So they say.
But those who know, those who are enlightened in kindness, those who are immersed in happiness, those who have melting hearts, those who understand the universe, those who glorify Allah saying "Al-hamdu lillah" (all praise and praising belongs to Allah and to Allah alone), and those who have Clarified Bliss, know this is not Charity.
There is nothing (like this) in such Men. And if you intensely gaze at the Heart's Point you will see (that this is true), My Disciples, Gems of My Eyes.
Disciple:
Swami, then what is True Charity? What is that which They Give. Please teach this to me in detail.
Guru:
Listen, I shall tell you the subtlety of this.
God created Man. He created the totality of all other Creations for Man. God created the earth. In the earth, He created gold. In the earth filled with gold, He created the nine varieties of precious stones. He created the brilliant (stones). He created every variety of gems of priceless value.
He created the sea, He created numerous things. He opened up places whose value is beyond comprehension. He created the mountains. Inside the mountains, He created innumerable gems and He kept them there.
The forest, the mountain, the hill, the river, gold, property, the body, the life-force, the house, the threshold, the cattle, the calf, the storied-house, the Arsh (Throne of Allah), the Kursi (Eye of Wisdom), Louhill and Mouhill (Divine Tablets), Kalam (pen), paradise, hell, and the fourteen worlds, all belong to the Immovable Graceful One.
The Enlightened Ones burst into laughter if we offer something as Charity, because what right have we to claim anything, when man's life and body belong to Him?
These True Mystics realize that God is the Only Wealth, and the Possessor of the "One Thing". Those Soulful, Blissful, True Mystics keep Their Eyes Open day and night and weep in ecstasy. They are absorbed in Him. They are merged with Him.
This is the fourth type of Charitable State.
Soothsayers, not realizing themselves, unmindful of the future, and blissfully fulfilling their mind's decree, say with greed,
"Ah! Ah! And Ka! Ka".
My possessions, my house, my pleasure .
There is no more sorrow.
This is incomparable pleasure.
Look! There is no heavy sorrow on my head"
They say this repeatedly and feel comforted.
Nevertheless, listen, Young Brothers. Forgetful of the Unknown Great All-Mighty Ruler they cheat other lives, reduce wages to the minimum, assault the poor, employ them till dawn and then chase them away at dawn. They take things with craftiness, sell at the bazaar, devalue the heart, make collections round the country, keep in hunger those whom they see or hear of, and those who work for them.
They lend money on interest, procrastinate their time, cheat, insult, usurp to themselves the life-time earnings of the poor, harass them with acts of misdeeds, amass wealth in this manner, increasing their financial power and offer charity to the undeserving.
This is unkind Charity. Do you observe this without any hesitation? You should express contempt for this type of Charity, My Son.
It is in this manner that Charity is being practiced in this world.
But if a Human born as Human, regards other lives as His Own, and with happiness, sympathy, charity, submission, devotion, duty, patience, and tranquillity comes forward with purity of heart, there will be no poverty, no want, and no powerful people.
A person who knows this will realize that everything belongs to Him, and that there is nothing of his own. Nothing at all!
"Body, Property, and Life,
All Three belong to Him,
And there is nothing at all that is mine.
O God, Gems of My Eyes,
Give Us All Your Grace"
"O Lord, My Ruler,
Many Things that Belong to You
Grow for the Redemption of all Your Things.
I am Your Slave today and forever"
So Saying, you must sing the praises of God, O Disciple, Gems of My Eyes.
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