The Inner Source Digest – Unit: 15

June 1958
Issue: 15
EMRE’s Conversations: 15

(Notes saved from the conversations at 10.11.1956):

Q. – What does Ego mean?

            Emre – Ego can be described like this: First of all the flower of a fruiter arises before its leaves. The flower spreads a light smell. When we taste, it has neither sweetness nor sourness. But it includes both poison and antidote as hidden. The object which is poison is actually acid, I mean the sourness. If we eat much the fruit when it is green and sour it makes us sick and even kill.  The acid of fruit remains until the end of maturity. During this time tree also doesn’t want to give it to us. If we try to pluck, it resists. This is also a holy grace.  When you touch the fruit, if it drops suddenly into your hand, that shows its maturity. The resistance of tree to give its fruit to us before its maturity is because of unmatured fruit is harmful for us. 

            The ego of a child is similar to the tree with flowers.  The sourness of a fruit is similar to the ones just after the childhood state, I mean immaturity. Maturity is so sweet both for the fruit and the human.

            Some people come and go as immature. They always say “I” , they are always child.

            The ones who understands that there is a maturity, a truth under this Ego, are in the way towards to this maturity. 

Let’s think that what is the reality of ego? Do we have any might while saying “ I”? We are unaware of the moment succeeding this one. We are obliged to our selves. So, what is the usage of the claim in saying “I ”.

            But when the human gives up his/her claim of ego and starts to think about the cure of his/her trouble this shows that he/she gets rid of the ego and unites with the higher ego; the eternal one which belongs to God.  This ego is a comfortable, tormentless immortal ego. It’s a being without day and hour.

            The mind can’t understand this eternity. He/she says if the death is nonexist, so to where my mother, father and grandfather gone? He/she says “ If they died, I will also die”.  This body is a cloth of our inner being. When the cloth is old, it would be thrown.

            We aren’t ourselves unless giving up our ego and hand in to God. Otherwise we can’t be saved from being restricted by this body. If we dissolve us in God’s Being instead of the desire of the self, we will understand that the ego which we assume to have, actually belongs to God.

            In Koran, there is an order saying “ kill your “self” . To prevent misunderstanding it is also said “ die before your death”.

            It is said that “ You killed us twice and resurrected twice. “ And another time it is said that “believers don’t die !” The mind can’t understand those words unless it evolves.

            Absence of us is surely necessary. We are going continually to the nonexistence voluntarily or involuntarily. Ali says: “ You men, are assuming yourself as a small entity; however all of this huge cosmos reside inside of you as being rolled up! “. So, we have to give up all of those rolled up beings except God. Because Hazrat Ali had said this for all of us. Those words are the spiritual food for all of us. The verse in Koran also means this: “ I’ve blown the human from my spirit.” So now He blows as a spiritual food. He also listens from some of us, if we listen. Can a dead one smell? Because Koran says “dead” for all of us. The ones who intend to smell the truth is at the beginning of being revived. This realm is a bazaar having all of the existences.  Everyone needs something but we need our Beloved. If we kill everything during this in life in body, we can go to the other World together with God. Otherwise we stay here because of the branches of our desires. Do the prophets try so hard if we wouldn’t have another life other than this? Do the saints make themselves hang and skin out if there was nothing to tell us for the sake of their lives?

            In order to see the rotation of this wheel we need to get down this wheel and watch it from back. Otherwise everybody understand this according to his/her own mind.

            Q.- We hear that there are many sheiks demanding money from their followers who seek spiritual help. Does this fit who is following the way of God and claims themselves as evidence?

            Emre – Rumi (Mevlânâ) calls them with the attributes of devil, scamp, donkey.  Koran orders: “ obey the ones who doesn’t demand payment even thanks. “

            Whatever, there exist such traps of this way. The one who becomes intellectual will be saved from those traps.

            Once upon a time there was a dervish who is in continuous travel.  Along many years of travel he feeded himself by begging. Someday no one gives him nothing. He is starving. He goes to the river side to take some amount of sand. He puts them in small packages ad starts to sell them by saying that they are grass of flea. There are someones who buy it. They ask:  

—How much is this?

—Two coins.

—OK, Give me one pocket.

Man eats fill with this Money. There remains last pocket. Someone comes and asks:

—What’s this?

—It’s a grass of flea.

The customer opens the pocket and sees it is actually pieces of sands. He asks:

—How can it be used?

—You will catch the flea.

—Then?

—Flea has one eye; you will put one of the piece of sand onto its eye. Then it will become blind and can’t see you.

—Hey men, how such a fraud is this; when I catch the flea, I can kill it also.     

Dervish says:

—You are wise; this medicine doesn’t fit you.

The ones who begs despite of their healty body are thief. Otherwise it can be tolerated if someone looses his/her health but without fraud.

Dervish lodges and hermitages had been closed just because of this reason and it is from God. There were some good ones in them but it was a necessary decision.

At one time people had come to Adana in order to work from all over the area and 4. Army. They had been working at summer and returning back to their home at spring. Some of them bought a donkey if they have enough money, the others bought it sharing the cost. So, two of them buy a donkey and start to travel. Sometimes they ride the donkey, sometimes they walk because of their pity. The donkey is female; when they arrived their home it gives birth. How do they share it? One of them says: “ let me pay its value as more than half,  take the colt also; give me the donkey. “The other accepts the offer. One of them takes the donkey, the other one the colt. They go on different ways.

Just some time later donkey gets sick and die. The owner is very upset. He says “at least I hollow to bury it near the way.” After he buried, he starts to cry. During this time a horseman passing through the way asks him:

—Why are you crying?

The man suddenly thinks about a fraud.

—“I’ve seen in my dream last night that there is a place of pilgrimage. I am fixing the place in order not the Saint to be run over.”  The horseman gives him approximately the same amount of donkey’s price. When the man sees that this job is profitable, starts crying repeating the same fake story to the others. He earns both the price of donkey and even money to organize the environment in order to built a tomb. Then he becomes a tomb keper.

—What is the name of this senior dervish?

—He is a dervish with ears!

And the man is called as “Sheik of Dervish with Ears”.  He sends the money he earned to his home.  

     Then he proceeds in this job, and starts to write some amulets. It seems that his friend had the same experience. When they separate the colt dies. He also builds a tomb with the aid of a similar lie. When the first man hears this, he says to the ones who told this subject:

—Don’t believe him; it is actually a colt of our Dervish with Ears.

    As a result, those type of men are profane!

The perfect man who became absent in God has the ability of resurrect a dead one with his breath, but he never interfere God’s job. Their magnificance is understood by their character to hold back from using their ability despite of having full might to resurrect.

They want to give this might to everyone but they prefer to give it in return to their effort. This effort must be in God’s sake. Because no one appreciates the thing which is earned without an effort. 

While Sultan Mahmut were pacing disguisedly, sees a begger in front of a bakery. His attitude shows that he is actually wordly-wise and unable to work. He has mercy for this blind begger; he whispers to him:

—“Let me send you a goose to eat”. Man says “ok”. Sultan Mahmut comes to the palace orders to the cooks to fill a goose. He also inserts one-two handful golden. He sends it to the begger with his loyal help. The man who brought the goose says the begger: “A benefactor send you a fried goose.” Then he gives it and leaves. When the loyal help leaves, a crafty help comes near the begger and says:

—Whats that?

—A benefactor send me a goose.

—So, can you eat all of it?

—No, I can’t.

—If it is so, let me give you double price of this goose, give it to us; we are crowded.

Man says ok.

He doesn’t beg a few days long because of this money. Sultan is glad because of this. But after then he sees the same man in same place. He thinks that he is such a greedy.  He asks him:

—I’ve send you a fried goose, didn’t you take it?

— I took but some one came and said : “You can’t eat all of it, let me pay you for 2-3 times of its value”  he paid, took the goose and left.

 Sultan understood that there is no chance other than the fortune; but he wants to try it again:

—Let me send you a watermelon but you need to eat.

When he returned to the palace he orders the help to fill the watermelon with golden. Then again the loyal help bring the watermelon to the begger. Again the crafty help also watches them. When the loyal one goes away, he comes near the begger:

—What will you do with this big watermelon? Let me buy you a smaller one and also give some money, then I can eat it with my family.  Begger says “ok”.

The other day sultan sees that he keeps on begging and he asks with worry:

     —Didn’t you take the watermelon which I’ve send?

     —Thanks, I’ve took it; but watermelon was so big, I replaced it with a smaller one and Money.

Sultan brings him to the palace. And explains him his identity. He lead on him to the treasure. Gives him a shovel and says:

—Let’s take golden with this shovel, as much as you can. When the begger hear the voice of goldens, he is baffled and hold the shovel wrong, then goldens are poured. He could only get one golden from the big treasure. Then Sultan Mahmut says:

—If God doesn’t want to give what can Mahmut does? In order to get something, one must make an effort.

The revelation related with the conversation:

Notes from a conversation saved at 13.10.1956:

Q. –There is a verse saying “Everything comes from God”.  So, it means that if we are evil, the one who made us evil is also God.

Emre – This word is said to The Prophet Mohammed. We could say it, if we would be in a same position with him.

God’s words are understood by the people with their own mind and wish. There are words which can be in various meanings. The word is evaluated according to its own activity. We also cognize the words of God according to our mind. For this reason, The Prophet Mohammed says that “the one who interpret Koran according to his own thought is infidel”. None of the prophets says “ Our evil is from God so lets do all type of evil”. All of the religions and holy books aims to lead the people to follow the right way.

The pleasure comes just after the completion of sins and evils. For this reason it is necessary a training of love and knowledge till to take off this form. If we give rein to our mind, it follows the side which it prefers.

Don’t load the actions of self to God. God doesn’t accept the loads. God is universal will, but we are partial will. When we reach that state, and be absent in affinity, all of those conversations and objections will end. We are talking because we have a being separated from God. As being apart we can’t understand His word.

Q. – In medicine there exist a subject of alcoholism. There are intellectuals between the alcoholics. They can’t use their will despite of they know its harm for their body. So do the morphinomaniacs. They beg to the druggist in order to get morhine. Even they behave dishonorable. They can’t use partial will.

Emre – Why don’t you behave like them? Why don’t you use alcohole or morhine?

Q. – …

Emre – Therefore you are using your partial will and you don’t use them. They have wasted their partial will.  If they used this will to divine knowledge, their will would increase instead of being wasted.  The same way if they used their will in not to have alcohole, they wouldn’t used to it.  

Doctor gives morphene in order to cease the feeling of pain.  Pain is the keeper of body. If we have headache, this pain shows us danger; it points a trouble in body.  Keepers also informs fire, theft. Who wants to send away the keeper? The thief. So they are the thieves who intend to drowse and dismiss the keeper of body. Isn’t there a punishment for the thief? Their punishment is begging to the druggist.  

If we say that “everything comes from God” , then we will be the denier of divine light and fire of God.

God creates man as clear without favoritism as said in hadith “all ones have been borned in the nature of Islam”. God creates the man and leaves him alone with his own will as guide.  Look, we will be apart from each other just after a moment but you can’t be separate in mind; you will talk about this matter till to death.

But don’t say this; don’t load the sin to God. Hazrat Ali said: “ I will be slave of the one who thought me one letter. “ He begs the one who thaught him the spiritual knowledge. But alcoholic kisses the feet of druggist after his addiction to alcohole.  But we can say that this man also can be saved from this situation if he intends to be saved and uses his will. God will help him.

But the one who says  “lack of will comes from God like everything “ can’t be saved. In this way he/she sentences himself/herself; he/she spoils himself/herself.      

Muhiddînî Arabî, says profane for the ones who say “everything comes from God. “

Q. – What is profane?

Emre – Profane is the one who evaluates the illicit and permissible (halal) as same. They also attribute everything to God. There are some people who even want the enemies of them are elevated. But the others have no mercy, they want downfall of everyone. Some hodjas have stupified us saying “everything comes from God”. This results in terrible trust in God, leading us to laziness. 

Did it also happened in Europe? When someone decides to work, the doors would be opened to him/her.  We are the reason and master of skill and art of those new weapons seen. We taught them all of these. How we taught? When we ran after them, they feared of us. This fear made them to invest rifle which is better than sword. Then they improved them; now they are flying in the sky. And we are looking them from the ground.

God says: “There is nothing for man but his own work.”  (Necm/39) This is the law. 

The one who works doesn’t harm someone. Beside that both his/her own nation and humanity profit by him/her. Hardworking people is always honest. In many regions of Europe, there has been no lie, robbery, illicit. Why? Because laziness is being terminated. Laziness is the mother of all evil.  

Q. – In Europe even birds do not run away from the people.

Emre – You know famous Râbia Adviye. One day Hasan Basri looks for her. She was not at home. He asks to her husband where she is? He says: “she went to this side” . Hasan Basri also goes to that side. He sees Râbia sitting under a tree with a lot of birds on her head, shoulder, all over her body. When Hasan comes, they all run away. Hasan Basri asks:

—Why don’t run away those birds from you but run away from me? Râbia asks him:

—When did you eat meat?

—I ate kebap just before.

—I didn’t eat meat since 90 days. Because of that, they don’t run away from me…

Birds don’t run away from us also when the attributes and actions of betrayal and claim comes to the end. Animals have wisdom more than us. They aware what we don’t aware; they see our inside.

They see and know because they don’t have the tools I mean language to reveal the divine secret.

Q. – Is the whole job contemplation in this path? 

Emre – Yes, it is similar to the contemplation of a student when he/she returned to home after getting the lesson. But the lesson can be listened either by love or anger. If we listen with love, after a while those we’ve heard would get out from our mouth and eye.

We call the students in a school as “talebe”.  It means “the one who demands” in Arabic. The student who fully demands and listens, passes the class.  The one who says “I know!” never mind can’t learn. With this information he/she can only reach him/her self. The one who is saying “I don’t know”, is on the way of God, delivering his /her hand to his tutor. In this way each of our organs, our hands, ears would be delivered to the God’s ruling. Then he uses them just as He wishes. We need to deliver our all beings to God as much as possible; but after cleaning up.

Now we came here and then we will leave after a while. The subject is to be resqued from the mundane worries. It is not useless. May you talk to the sister; no need to talk someone other than her.

The notes from a conversation at 19.03.1956:

Some sheiks advises obey and telling one’s beads.  There occur many states in disciple during this telling the beads. But because of the lack of Sheik’s ability of being absent in Being surrounding him, Sheik can’t control the disciple and he/she faces a lot of awful states then the poor one becomes insane. Because of his/her bond with the Sheik, he also becomes insane. There are many people who go mad because of the imperfect sheiks. Sultans used to build both mosque and mad house together; you said before; they already had known this state.

All types of perfection occurs in three different ways: one is with narration; I mean by listening from the ear. The other is mental. This is also through narration.  That means a guide is needed. Then the last one is perfection through cycle: just like what The Prophet Mohammed did. This is very hard. You burn by force, you don’t care the world. When he sits, he seems a human like us but He cycles everything, every state. He is sun with the sun, water with the water. The one who doesn’t pass those cycles can’t give advise to obey. But if he touches love, it makes difference. In this case, passing through this cycle also is not necessary. It’s ok. when you realized that “I am Himself”. There is no differentiation in love.

After love there occurs a wisdom so that this is the real one. This wisdom isn’t word-of-mouth wisdom. Some of the gnostics who is imperfect says that “ I am God”. How such an unawareness is this. How can a servant be God? But God becomes a servant by invading his/her beloved servant.

Master (Develioğlu) used to tell time to time. But it’s hard to hear.  One can’t hear unless giving the ear to him.

He ussually have said:

— May you sell yourself to me my son!  And I was thinking that : “How do I sell?

While saying those words he used to be faded. When he saw that I didn’t understand, he used to say:

 —You already sold but you don’t know.

Again I couldn’t understand and bored. Then he used to say:

— May you say “The One who is saying through my mouth and seeing though my eye is Develioğlu Hâfız Halil! “ .

I used to think for months but couldn’t understand. Some time later, I’ve seen that my hands are just like his hands, my face is just like his face! Each of my side is He! Then I realized that I am sold to him.

The way of self-denial is fast but love is preferrable!

If you leave yourself just as a first step, the second step arrives God.

We see water as in unified form but it consists of drops. We also are the drops of people side by side. Just like the flow of water we also are flowing to the nonbeing. The waters of a river is being dried by sun and absorbed by ground. It is necessary to find the middle and flow to the ocean.

The air which we breath had been come and gone to the mouth of such many people and animal. This water had been wandered such many mouths. For the ones who admire and deal with the worldly things, Hazrat Ali says: “World is a carrion; the ones who demand it are dogs.“

The Other World is also World. This word is also valid for the Other World. There is also a hadith saying that : “For the ones who belong to the other World, World is illicit, and for the ones who belong to the World, the other World is illicit. But both of them is illicit for the lovers. “

Man can only be saved by love. It’s seen that how knowledge is effective in salvation! Look, Devil is in such a condition despite of his instruction of angels four hundred thousand years long.

Knowledge is also a path but it is needed to hand in the knowledge to its owner. Niyazî,  Mevlânâ,  Muhiddinî Arabî also had fallen in love at the end. So, love is such a different thing. You can see a scholar is being lost in his/her pride of his/her knowledge. Beside that a shepherd can go beyond the mountains of existence.  May help us Hazrat Love, attain!

Saved by: Şevket Kutkan

EMRE’anectodes, jokes, instantaneous answers:

*Emre – The direction of everybody is towards to God. Everybody is walking to God with the steps of his/her own belief, own opinion. Everybody has right to say everything; they can get angry, they can damn. In which direction they walk, their direction is towards to us. They are coming to us either with steps of damn, or steps of getting angry.

*Emre- People deals with imaginations in youth, and past in oldness. What a pity…

*Q – They say it’s needed to cry upon entering the tariq.

*Emre – May the one entered cry; but may the ones who left, lough and play.

*Emre – There is no time for the world without war. Fire is necessary. Can even the body live without fire?

*Emre – For human worshipping is to forget him/her self. If someone worships fire, it isn’t also for nothing before God. This is not enough but better than worshipping world, money, goods. This is at least a way but money, property is dead end.

*Emre – From the Perfect One, God says “I “! but He says “I” without self, without name. If we take Him to our heart, I mean bond to Him during this state of nonbeing, we will be saved.

Mansur says “I am God” but he can’t say “ I am Mansur”. If he says, this is devilment.

*Emre – Knowledge, ethic and religion are the levels of love.  Love is beyond all of them.

The sufic explanation of Nasreddin Hodja jokes
The father of my son dead

Someday Hodja, was walking around with fully black dresses. The ones who see this weird state of Hodja, have asked:

—My Hodja, why did you weared those fully black clothes? Hodja have answered seriously:

—The father of my son dead. I am in his mourning.

Explanation:

Hodja is trying to tell about the physical and the spiritual beings of people. His physical being is the father of his son which consists of blood and flesh. Beside, his spiritual being have been absent in God. With this word, Hodja tries to tell the people that he has the secret of “die before you die” . In this way, he understood that the physcal body is transient/mortal and he killed the desires of his self. But he says this in order to wake up them, not because of this proud.

He is trying to say “Near God, is there any value of my being? Now it is also died “ His black wearings and mournings are used to explain them this fact.