Jelaluddin Rumi was born in the region today known as Afghanistan in 1207. His family fled the Mogul invasion to Konya, Turkey where he spent most of his life.
Rumi following in his father's ancestoral line became a scholar until his meeting with the wandering dervish, Shams of Tabriz. Of this meeting Rumi said, "What I had thought of before as God, I met today in a person."
After Shams, Rumi's other strong influences were Saladin Zarkub, the goldsmith, and later his scribe, Husam.
His poetry filled with a longing to be with the Friend, Him, or You. Are these mysterious pronouns the names of God, Shams, or who? This is for you, the reader to ponder.
Rumi founded the Mevlevi Order of dervishes, better known as the Whirling Dervishes of Sufism. Through a turning movement, body posturing, mental focus, and sound, the dervish achieves ecstasy through union with God. Once a secret society, today the Mevlevi tour the world allowing audiences to witness the ceremony of their sacred dances and music.
It is also interesting to note that similar to other major religions, Islam frowns upon dancing and using words such as "gamble," "drunk," and "wine" which you find throughout Rumi's and other great Islamic and Sufi poets writings. Obviously they mean "drunk" on God's grace, but that's not to say they wouldn't be outcast by religious fundamentalists today.
Here is an excerpt from a review of A Gift of Love -
Endocrinologist-turned-spiritual-teacher Dr. Deepak Chopra hopes that the release of the new CD set A Gift of Love -- Deepak & Friends Present Music Inspired by the Love Poems of Rumi, "may open the door for some people to experience the ecstasy of love, the only balm which can truly fulfill some of our deepest longings."
It's an interesting equation: our deepest human longings, the experience of ecstasy and the love poems of Rumi. Dr. Chopra clarifies, "Our unfulfilled longings result in addiction which, I believe, is the #1 problem in our culture today. And addiction is just a second-class substitute for the true experience of ecstasy."
The experience of ecstasy is what Chopra and Donna D'Cruz, president of raSa Records, which just released the album as its label debut, are hoping buyers will feel. To provide this experience, Chopra and D'Cruz have gathered an ensemble of some of World Music's most rapturous performers. They weave a sensual, Middle Eastern-inspired musical tapestry as background for Rumi's sensuous poetry.
"Rumi's poetry is an expression of
universal love," says D'Cruz. "And for me, the new translations by Deepak and
Fereydoun Kia on A Gift of Love feel even more languid, poignant and personal
than earlier ones." Chopra says Rumi's poetry "expressed the deepest longings of
the human heart for its beloved, for the transcendent intimacy that's the source of the
divine." ...
"The possibility of opening these doorways to our inner experience of ecstasy is the reason we think people will want to own this special collection," notes D'Cruz. "Not too many CDs suggest such a possibility,"
Click here for the full review
Some Rumi Links -
Life of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
The Still Point of Ecstasy plus a few links to Rumi sites
Paintings inspired by the poetry of Rumi
Info about 'A Gift of Love' at the Chopra website
Review of the book 'Heartwood' - poems by Rumi, photgraphy by William Guion
Article which mentions his work
A little search I made in June 2002 ... :)
