The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
RUMI 'The Guest House'
O thou dweller in my heart,
open it out, purify it, make it bright and beautiful,
awaken it, prepare it, make it fearless,
make it a blessing to others,
Mohandes K Gandhi BOOK OF PRAYERS
You who want knowledge, seek the Oneness within There you will find the clear mirror already waiting
Hadewijch II from WOMEN IN PRAISE OF THE SACRED
'This longing you express is the return message.'
RUMI trans. Coleman Barks THE ESSENTIAL RUMI 'Love Dogs'
How is it possible to remain peaceful in such a violent world?
You have to want to lose your appetite for violence or aggression. And to do that, you have to lose your self-righteousness. You have to realize that you cannot continue to have your habitual reaction to something, especially if your reaction ends with violence-physical or verbal-against yourself or somebody else, or even against the government of your country or the terrorists or whomever. You have to accept in your gut that the habitual reaction is poisonous not only to you but to the rest of the world.
Pema Chodron