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Moksha
by Jon KaryThe door lies just ahead
the clouds have finally lifted.
Twilight dims
as dawn rising
begins to warm the earth beneath my feet.
Through the luminous portal now
the Way is broad and clear.
A pale light begins to glow
calling me
onward
Home
(We are home to the Light from which we come)
A flower now grows
where a body once stood
awaiting the final fall
that will feed
the field of life-
~fanaa~
01/26/2009
Author's Note: "Moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष )- is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence. In Hindu philosophy, it is seen as a transcendence of phenomenal being, a state of higher consciousness, in which matter, energy, time, space, causation (karma) and the other features of empirical reality are understood as maya.
Liberation is experienced in this very life as a dissolution of the sense of self as an egoistic personality by which the underlying, eternal, pure spirit is uncovered. This desireless state concludes the yogic path through which conditioned mentality-materiality or nama-roopa (lit. name-form) has been dissolved uncovering one's eternal identity prior to the mind/spirit's identification with material form. Liberation is achieved by (and accompanied with) the complete stilling of all passions — a state of being known as Nirvana."
"Fanaa (ÝäÇÁ) is the Sufi term for extinction.
It means to annihilate the self, while remaining physically alive. Persons having entered this state are said to have no existence outside of, and be in complete unity with, Allah.
Fanaa is similar to the concepts of nirvana in Buddhism and Hinduism or moksha in Hinduism which also aim for annihilation of the self. Fanaa may be attained by constant meditation and by contemplation on the attributes of God, coupled with the denunciation of human attributes.
It is a sort of mental, yet real, death. The person of the "Way" experiences it freely; it is the final passage which leads to the summit of the Stages. It liberates one from all contingency outside of their spiritual quest; the ultimate aim is the Truth. Three degrees may be distinguished here: fanâ' of acts, attributes and essence.
The Sufi fanâ in its triple manifestation does not have an exclusively negative effect or action; it is the annihilation of everything contingent, whether this be in the form of action, attribute or essence; more precisely, it is the annihilation of everything that is not God, and God is the supreme object of all good, all beauty.
Fanâ' thus conceived is an internal state which requires from the Sufi a sustained and permanent effort of concentration to break ones fetters and take on the demands and calls of truth, by ones acts, ones moral virtues, ones whole being. That implies perfect control of oneself: in words, deeds and thoughts.
It is at this price that one attains an interior spiritual state where one becomes the pure and clear mirror in which the lights of Truth are reflected in all their splendour."
(source: wikipedia)
Posted on 01/26/2009
Copyright © 2010 Jon Kary
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Vikki Owens on 01/26/09 at 12:12 PM the last stanza reminds me of 'where the red fern grows'...which has nothing to do with the rest of the poem (wonderful by the way)...but kind of calls up that everlastingness that was the closing of that book... |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 01/26/09 at 12:57 PM Nicely done Jon. And the last stanza reminds me of one of my favoite pieces - The Rubaiyat. The verse -
And this reviving Herb whose tender Green
Fledges the River-Lip on which we lean--
Ah, lean upon it lightly! for who knows
From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen!
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| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 01/26/09 at 01:12 PM Another gorgeous snapshot, man. The author's note at the end makes it even more interesting. |
Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 01/27/09 at 09:44 AMthis poem gives to me the desire to
feed
the field of life
trusting calming strength
Jon, bless you. |
| Posted by Julie Adams on 01/29/09 at 10:46 AM I love that you titled this Moksha, Jon, it so very well labels the ideas your poem describes...this piece floats across the page, airy and yet heavy in depth and introspection...the flower image at the end is gorgeous, and gently reminds me of my mother's wish, to be buried under a rose bush...stunning poem!!! peace to you always, jewels |
| Posted by Sarah Wolf on 01/30/09 at 05:28 PM Amazing Jon! Simply amazing... |
| Posted by Paul Lorenz on 02/12/09 at 09:34 AM ...still wrapping my mind around this one...you are the provocateur... |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 11/01/09 at 08:27 PM Embracing the mystery with grace and a forward looking that is actually inviting. The random length of lines gives a free flowing sense. "the field of life" - to this gardener, this line is rich and nostalgic. |
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