Sufi parable from Rumi When the Caliph was pointed at one girl and told that it was Layli, he asked her:
“Are you really the same Lily who drove poor Kais crazy?” But, for the life of me, I don’t find any beauty in you!
In response, the young maiden whispered:
“To see my beauty, you must be Majnun.” You must look at me through his eyes and be faithful to me in both worlds. You should get drunk from one of my touches and, being in this sweet intoxication, not desire to sober up. Such madness gives us insight and the ability to see the Truth in all its splendor. If all your thoughts revolve around what will be your loss and what will your gain, then I feel very sorry for you, because you will never know bliss and will see only the shadow of life!
So we often spend our lives chasing shadows and ghosts and do not see Truth and Beauty.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru