Discourses of Rumi

discourse 49Rumi said: A man was leading the prayers, andchanted from the Koran:“The Bedouins are stubborn in unbelief andhypocrisy.”By chance a Bedouin chieftain was present. Hegave the chanter a good box on the ears. Duringthe second genuflection, the leader of the prayerschanted a different quote from the Koran:“Some of the Bedouins believe in Godand the Last Day.”The Bedouin exclaimed, “Ha! That slap hastaught you better manners!”Every moment we receive a slap from theunseen world. Whatever our plans—one slap andwe take another course. As the saying goes, “Wehave no power of our own, it is all a swallowingup and a vomiting.” The meaning of “swallowing”is descending into this lower world andbecoming a part of it. The meaning of “vomiting”is expelling falsehood out of the heart. For