Discourses of Rumi

FIHI MA FIHI V 71into another essence, since you never really knewthat person deeply, and never penetrated thoroughlyinto their essence, how are you going torecognize them?The lesson to be learned from this is that wemust see one another very well indeed. We mustpass beyond the good and bad qualities that arepresent temporarily in everyone, and must enterinto the other’s very essence. We must see withexceptional clarity that these qualities peopleobserve in one another are not their original qualities.The story is told of a man, who said, “I knowthat fellow very well. I will give his distinguishingmark.” His friends said, “Please do.” The mananswered, “He was a muleteer of mine. He hadtwo black cows.” People talk in this same way. “Iconsider So-and-so my friend. I know them.” Yetevery distinguishing mark they give is just like thetwo black cows. Those are not distinguishingmarks. Those marks are of no use whatever.So, we must pass beyond the good and evil inothers and enter into their essence to see what