POEMS BY RUMI WHAT IS PRAISED IS ONE, SO THE PRAISE IS ONE TOO, MANY JUGS BEING POURED.

INTO A HUGE BASIN. ALL RELIGIONS, ALL THIS SINGING, ONE SONG. THE DIFFERENCES ARE JUST ILLUSION AND VANITY. SUNLIGHT LOOKS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ON THIS WALL THAN IT DOES ON THAT WALL AND A LOT DIFFERENT ON THIS OTHER ONE, BU T IT IS STILL LIGHT. WE HAVE BORROWED THESE CLOTHES, THESE TIME-AND-SPACE PERSONAL ITIES FROM A LIGHT, AND WHEN WE PRAISE, WE POUR THEM BACK IN. THE INDIAN TREE A LEARNED MAN ONCE SAID, FOR THE SAKE OF SAYING SOMETHING, "THERE IS A TREE IN INDIA IF YOU EAT THE FRUIT OF THAT TREE, YOU WILL NEVER GROW OLD AND NEVER DIE." STORIES ABOUT THE TREE WERE PASSED AROUND, AND FINALLY A KING SENT HIS ENVOY TO INDIA TO LOOK FOR IT. PEOPLE LAUGHED AT THE MAN. THEY SLAPPED HIM ON THE BA CK AND CALLED OUT, "SIR I KNOW WHERE YOUR TREE IS, BUT ITS FAR IN THE JUNGLE AND YO U'LL NEED A LADDER!" HE KEPT TRAVELING, FOLLOWING SUCH DIRECTIONS AND FEELING FOOLISH, FOR YEARS. HE WAS ABOUT TO RETURN TO THE KING WHEN HE MET A WISE MAN. "GREAT TEACHER, SHOW ME SOME KINDNESS IN THIS SEARCH FOR THE TREE" "MY SON, THIS IS NOT AN ACTUAL TREE, THOUGH IT HAS BEEN CALLED THAT. SOMETIMES IT'S CALLED A SUN, SOMETIMES AN OCEAN, OR A CLOUD. THESE WORDS POINT TO THE WISDOM THAT COMES THROUGH A TRUE HUMAN BEING WHICH MAY HAVE MANY EFFECTS, THE LEAST OF WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE! IN THE SAME WAY, ONE PERSON CAN BE A FATHER TO YOU AND A SON TO SOMEONE ELSE, UN CLE TO ANOTHER AND NEPHEW TO YET ANOTHER SO WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR HAS MANY NAMES, AND ONE EXISTENCE. DONT SEARCH FOR ONE OF THE NAMES. MOVE BEYOND ANY ATTACHMENT TO NAMES." EVERY WAR, AND EVERY CONFLICT, BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF SOME DISAGREEMENT ABOUT NAMES. IT IS SUCH AN UNNECESSARY FOOLISHNESS BECAUSE JUST BEYOND THE ARGUING THERE IS A LONG TABLE OF COMPANIONSHIP, SET AND WAITING FOR US TO SIT DOWN.