God exists.
God is Love. So there is the creation, because Love entails lovers. Creation is the lover. The meaning of life is Love.
The creation is infinite mercy. Mercy is always delivered by a merciful agent. So there must be God, because God is the infinitely Merciful. The Quran urges us to contemplate creation as the proof of God. The many small signs are proofs. But extend your contemplation to the whole of creation. Another name for the Cosmos is Beloved Mercy. And so there must be a Merciful Lover.
——
the sign of that dreamscape
in speech you might ascend
but it’s only through the judgement
that we all can make amends
you’re to blame if it all falls apart
but the guide never leaves the fort
check the time cause deeds are numbered
it’s your robe of days to be bought
from the logic on the left
to the love on the right
that’s the pleasure of the path
it’s the form of the flight
the kiss from the other side
seduction from below
flee from all of that so you might abide
what you reap is what you sow
so to be saved hold to your garment
the wives and what your right hand possess
that’s the code to identify
the soul’s balanced benefit
from the logic on the left
to the love on the right
that’s the pleasure of the path
it’s the form of the flight
Hi Tailor,
It’s funny I just read this line today, “contemplate creation as the proof of God” in “Duties of the Heart”, by Rabbi Bachya Ibn Pequdah.
LOL
Best Wishes,
Choni
Choni, my dear friend! So lovely to hear from you again! I have not read it — is there a good translation in English you could recommend? I actually attempted to friend you via facebook, but there are about 100 Chonis, none of which look at all like a Chef
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts regarding my recent “4 rivers” piece — particularly with respect to the four realms within Kabbalic thought.
I was re-reading the Zohar recently on the various punishments for Samael as a means of unifying the name of God. I will ask you about this anon, no doubt
Love and Light,
The Tailor
Hi Tailor,
I somehow was not alerted to your response. It’s been well over a year. I ask forgiveness. You’ve seem to have gone through some spiritual evolution between April 2010 and now. However, by the Creator everything’s in the right time. Today, you can simply google “Duties of the Heart” and many Jewish and secular book dealers are selling a now popular two volume set with facing English translation. The only drawback of this translation is that it’s a translation of a translation. The work was originally written in Medieval Andelusia in Arabic by Rabbi Bachya Ibn Pekuda. It was soon after masterfully translated into Hebrew by Yehuda Ibn Tibbon. Through this translation it became available to a wider Jewish audience. It’s a work of Jewish religious piety, mostly about refining the heart to serve G-d. There’s an older English translation (circa 1960s) which I really prefer because it had at least worked with the Arabic original. However, I did not see it on-line. It’s eclipsed by the newer version. Yet, if you were to visit a large public library or a synagogue library you’d probably find it. It has a pale (jade) green cover. There’s tantilizing speculation that Rabbi Bachya Ibn Pekuda may have been a Jewish version of a Sufi. I don’t know enough to tell one way or the other.
Best Wishes,
Choni