Discourses of Rumi

210 V DISCOURSES OF RUMI“Teacher, look! A fur coat has fallen into thewater, and you are cold. Take it!”The teacher in dire need and coldness jumpedin to catch the fur coat. The bear quickly plungedits claws into the teacher’s back. The bear in thewater thus caught the teacher.“Teacher,” the children shouted, “either grabthe fur coat or let it go and come out!”“I am letting the fur coat go,” answered theteacher, “but the fur coat isn’t letting me go. Whatshould I do?”How can God’s love let you go? We should bethankful that God does not let us go. When achild is small it knows nothing but milk and itsmother. Yet, God does not leave the child there,but leads it on to eat bread and to play, and in thismanner draws it on to the stage of reason. So tooin this world—which is in its infancy comparedwith that other world—God does not leave youhere, but brings you on so you can realize thatthis is infancy and nothing at all. I am amazed atthe people who must be dragged to Paradise inchains and fetters.