Page 107 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible

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reacting to their negativity. Rather cultivate upeksha by appearing dumb and deaf. Do not oppose them. This discourages these types of personalities from having fun at your expense. Also, if others target you in an irrational way, become indifferent rather than reacting. Staying quiet does not mean that you are a spineless jelly sh; it means you are utilizing the sublime art of suppressing negative impressions and allowing the positive ones to ourish.
The Mystic Intoxication of Divine Love
There was once a devotee of God in the Middle East who prayed every evening on a mat outside his home. One night, as shadows enveloped the earth and darkness gradually descended, a woman stumbled over his prayer mat while he was reciting his prayers. Furious at the disturbance, he shouted, “You there! Look what you’ve done! You have de led this prayer mat by stepping on it with your muddy, soiled feet!”
Surprised by this outburst, the woman cried, “Who are you? Can you really be a lover of God? Is God so uninteresting to you? How it is that Divine Love does not enrapture your mind? In this worldly love, my mind is so enchanted with the thought of meeting my lover that I am unable to see anything. That is why I did not see you or your prayer mat. You are supposed to be a devotee of God! Yet you are more captivated by your ragged prayer mat than you