Discourses of Rumi

FIHI MA FIHI V 161ideal. When there is a sail, the wind can carry usto mighty places. When there is no sail, all wordsare merely wind.The lover-beloved relationship is very pleasant;everything between the two is sheer informality.All formalities are for the sake of others. I wouldgive a great exposition of these words, but thehour is late, and one must labor very hard and digout rivers to reach the pool of the heart. In thismatter proofs cannot work. Here one must be aseeker of love, not an observer.It might seem that I exaggerate the relationshipof the lover, but this is not true. In fact, I see thatdisciples should give up their own purpose for thesake of their master’s form.Thou whose form is fairer farThan a thousand purposes are.Every disciple who comes to the master mustfirst abandon his or her own purpose, being inneed of the master.Baha al-Din asked the question: “Surely theyshouldn’t abandon their own purpose for the sakeof the master’s form, but for the sake of the master’spurpose?”