The Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi

by Andrew Harvey

Englishman Andrew Harvey was born in South India, where be lived until the age of nine when he was sent to England to be educated. He attended Oxford, and at age twenty-one received England's highest academic honor, becoming the youngest Fellow of All Soul's College in its history. A prolific writer, Harvey is the author of over ten books, including Journey to Ladakh (1983). He collaborated with Sogyal Rinpoche on the bestselling Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (1991), which presents the Tibetan Buddhist view of death and the nature of the mind. Despite his success as a scholar, educator, writer, and poet, Harvey experienced intense dissatisfaction at the disparities and inequities of the patriarchal, rationalist Western tradition and longed for the spiritual richness of his boyhood in India. In 1977 he returned to India and immersed himself in its culture, philosophy, and spirituality, studying at the ashram of the Bengali mystic Sri Aurobindo. The next year Harvey traveled to Pondicherry to meet Kamala Reddy (Mother Meera), an Indian woman then only seventeen years old who her followers believe is an avatar, a living incarnation of the Divine Presence. With Mother Meera Harvey underwent a series of profound mystical experiences, but remained reticent to commit to her as his spiritual mentor. He returned to the West and taught in the United States for the next seven years while continuing to make regular pilgrimages to India. There, Harvey studied with the Tibetan Buddhist Master Thuksey Rinpoche. In 1986 he presented himself to Mother Meera and lived for a year at her home in Germany. His critically acclaimed Hidden Journey: A Spiritual Awakening (1991) describes his work with theDivine Mother, and brought international attenion to master and disciple. Based now in Paris, Harvey is the subject of a 1993 documentary, The Making of a Mystic. The Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi follows Harvey's Love's Fire (1988) and Speaking Flame (1989), two re-creatio

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality, Mysticism, Nonfiction, Philosophy

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Andrew Harvey is an author, religious scholar and teacher of mystic traditions, known primarily for his popular nonfiction books on spiritual or mystical themes, beginning with his 1983 A Journey in Ladakh.

From Wikipeadia

Reviews

[John Tissandier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rumi is one of the world’s greatest poets. This book is welcome because it goes into his poems in great depth. Rumi was a very passionate poet and in keeping with that this is a fiery dance of a book, which is trying to achieve a lot more than merely getting us to appreciate Rumi. Andrew Harvey wants us to WAKE UP - the world really needs that. The book should come with a health warning, because the author believes there is an 80% chance the world will end soon.

Although the book focuses on Rumi and the Sufi tradition, the author (being an experienced traveller on the spiritual path) mentions many other mystical teachers and traditions. At one point he says that Spem in Alium “is the greatest piece of music I know”. It’s a piece of music I love and if you don’t know it then I recommend you go and listen to it. The point of it and the wonderful poetry of Rumi is that it’s not just about art, it’s something much deeper that takes us to the very Heart and source of what we are.

[John Pendrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece of a book. Putting it down made me feel the sun going out on my cherry blossom. I walk in the garden, see your face in my tree and immediately start reading again.
You can be intoxicated with these words and have no regrets except to return.

How could the soul not take flight
When from the glorious Presence
A soft call flows sweet as honey,
And whispers, "Rise up now, come away."
How could the fish not jump
Immediately from dry land into water,
When the sound of water from the ocean
Of fresh waves springs to his ear?
How could the hawk not fly away,
Forgetful of all hunting to the wrist of the king
As soon as he hears the drum
The king’s baton hits again and again,
Drumming out the signal of return?
How could the Sufi not start to dance,.....

[Arthur Rosenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always hard to say which translation of classic material is best, both because it is inherent in the definition of a classic work to lend itself to multiple interpretations, and because unless you can read the original you have little to go on in assessing accuracy or even whether the spirit of a work has been captured. Having said that, I can say that Harvey's is my very favorite rendition of Rumi.

[Neelesh Marik]

O What a dance! A dance in the kaleidoscopic swirl of divine imagery. In the the infinite tenderness of grace, and the rapturous subtlety of truth's whisper. Amidst the 'astounding lucid confusion' of it all.



The never-ending dance between form and emptiness, between concept and paradox, more so as the mind is subsumed under the wordless thrill of experience. As the sound of the 'mystic water' that is drenching the universe like a rainfall of light makes the heart leap in the helplessness of ecstasy - the author's own state of consciousness, mirroring that of his subject himself, brings this resonance to our ears if we choose to listen.



So where is my own Shams-Ud-Din of Tabriz?!

[Yun Rou · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are other good books on Rumi, but none that I can think of that so clearly convey the feeling of the great love poet. Really, this work is just a delicious treat from beginning to end, and if it doesn't inflame you with the power of poetry, doesn't reveal how words can convey strong feelings in a special and enduring way, then perhaps nothing can.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Jessica Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a glorious, burning gem that will set your mind and heart alight. It perfectly captures the true meaning of love and the mystic's vision of unity. Harvey interprets Rumi's poetry with such fierce passion it is impossible to read this book without having an emotional apocalypse. Read full review: http://jessicadavidson.co.uk/2013/12/...

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second time around for this book. It is not a book just to read, It is ancient wisdom to re-member as well as an inspiring enlightened discussion into Rumi's poetry and purpose.

[Amy Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harvey shares Rumi's life and poetry and spiritual guidance.

[Mark Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sometimes enlightening but also frustrating book. A note on my own biases: I love Rumi's poetry, but I apply it to my own life strictly through an entirely secular lens. What Harvey explains well in this book is the deep mystical, Islamic, Sufi background of Rumi's poetry. I have a new appreciation for Rumi's style and what his ultimate goals were with language and the spiritual truths he wanted readers to uncover. As for Harvey: He's a bonafide woo-woo mystic, and I try to say that with as little disapproval as possible. Harvey himself subscribes fully and passionately to a non-dualistic spiritual worldview and he promulgates this in every chapter to the point of nausea. His fervor is somewhat of an advantage for understanding Rumi: If Rumi was crazy (and the author insists he was), then a similarly crazy person is an ideal interpreter.

Each chapter is a breakdown of one or more poems with Harvey's commentary. I enjoyed the organizational style: The poem is stated, and then sections are restated and repeated as Harvey commentates. The poem is then repeated in its entirety at the end of the chapter at which point the reader is presumably more enlightened on its meaning. I learned a lot about some of Rumi's intentions from this commentary. So why the 2 star review? Harvey incessantly takes his commentary off into the mystical woo-woo weeds. Some of this is unavoidable as is appears that reflects who Rumi was as well. Harvey's goal is Rumi's goal: To force the reader into spiritual awakening, or at least spiritual unrest. As a secular reader, Harvey's oppressively repetitive language on this point (spoken directly to the reader, not just in commentary on Rumi) was at best annoying and at worst frustrating and distracting. A note on language: I find the term "God" terribly distracting. If it's meant to mean a higher spiritual truth, I sorely wish Harvey would have omitted the term. However, I would not be very surprised if Harvey were also a believer an actual invisible man in the sky.

I received insight on how to read Rumi from this book. Despite his annoying rants, some of the spiritual and intellectual explications just wouldn't have been as poignant without Harvey's own mystical lens. In my continued reading and study of Rumi, however, I'd really rather have a more clear-headed, more detached author who can tease apart Rumi without an agenda. I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who wants background on Rumi's poetry - the gems are too deep in the muck.