That reminds me of another...
http://twitter.com/BahaiThink
Monk: "Master! I've finally done it! I've gotten rid of everything!"
Master: "Very good! Now, get rid of that, too."
Monk: "But Master, you don't understand. I've already gotten rid of everything."
Master: "Very well. If you won't get rid of it, then carry it with you."
but:
I don't want this computer to go, or my television to go. My wife doesn't want the dishwasher to go. We also want the clothes washer and dryer. I don't know, getting rid of this stuff is hard when you're used to them being there! But we do need to get rid of some stuff, it is just hard to decide what to get rid of. Maybe if we had a great mass transit system, we could get rid of one of our cars...
About all I can say is, there are none so blind as those who will not see. It's your own interpretation that prevents you from seeing what is right there in front of your face. I don't blame you for this. Given what Islam has become, it's entirely understandable. But if you can't see past what it has become to grasp what the pure teachings are . . . well, then you will never see what's really there.
Or, to put it in Buddhist terms:
The student came to the master one day in a state of great excitement. "Master!" he cried. "I've done it! I've finally gotten rid of everything!"
"Well done," the master replied. "Now, get rid of that, too."
Crestfallen, the student objected, "But master, you don't understand. I've gotten rid of everything!"
"Very well," the master replied. "If you won't get rid of it, then carry it with you."
The quotes I presented didn't talk about what God loves or doesn't love. They talked about God giving love to be shared, and somewhat about how it can be shared. All the love that we have for each other is, in reality, God's love for us channeled through us to others.
I suspect that once upon a time there were Muslims who knew this. Today, they may be in short supply. But I'm sure there are still some of them out there.
http://twitter.com/BahaiThink
Monk: "Master! I've finally done it! I've gotten rid of everything!"
Master: "Very good! Now, get rid of that, too."
Monk: "But Master, you don't understand. I've already gotten rid of everything."
Master: "Very well. If you won't get rid of it, then carry it with you."
but:
I don't want this computer to go, or my television to go. My wife doesn't want the dishwasher to go. We also want the clothes washer and dryer. I don't know, getting rid of this stuff is hard when you're used to them being there! But we do need to get rid of some stuff, it is just hard to decide what to get rid of. Maybe if we had a great mass transit system, we could get rid of one of our cars...
About all I can say is, there are none so blind as those who will not see. It's your own interpretation that prevents you from seeing what is right there in front of your face. I don't blame you for this. Given what Islam has become, it's entirely understandable. But if you can't see past what it has become to grasp what the pure teachings are . . . well, then you will never see what's really there.
Or, to put it in Buddhist terms:
The student came to the master one day in a state of great excitement. "Master!" he cried. "I've done it! I've finally gotten rid of everything!"
"Well done," the master replied. "Now, get rid of that, too."
Crestfallen, the student objected, "But master, you don't understand. I've gotten rid of everything!"
"Very well," the master replied. "If you won't get rid of it, then carry it with you."
The quotes I presented didn't talk about what God loves or doesn't love. They talked about God giving love to be shared, and somewhat about how it can be shared. All the love that we have for each other is, in reality, God's love for us channeled through us to others.
I suspect that once upon a time there were Muslims who knew this. Today, they may be in short supply. But I'm sure there are still some of them out there.
