The Conference of the Birds

by Attar of Nishapur

The parables in this book trigger memories deep within us all. The stories inhabit the imagination, and slowly over time, their wisdom trickles down into the heart.

we each tread a path according to our own capacity. It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean.

Attar believes that suffering destroys the ego. And since suffering is born out of love, love is also the destroyer of ego. When the ego is annihilated, the inner eye blinks open.

Attar, Sheikh Farīd-Ud-Dīn, (1145–1220 CE), was born in Nishapur (Nīšāpūr), a city in the northeast region of Iran.

The Conference of the Birds (Manteq al-Tayr) is an allegorical poem about our human struggle, both physical and spiritual.

The central idea in the Sufi movement is that the soul, in the prison of the body, awaits release. Once freed, it returns to the source which is the Creator. This reunion can be experienced while we are still bound by the body through looking inward and through purification.

Important

The birds of the world, representing the mystics, gather and acknowledge the Great Simorgh as their King. Simorgh is a mysterious bird who dwells in Mount Qaf, a mythical mountain that wraps around the world.

The great and perilous journey is led by the Hoopoe, a bird mentioned in the Quran as Solomon’s‡ trusted messenger.

the Beloved is like a great ocean that does not turn away any soul. Some arrive at it as pure drops of water, enter, are absorbed, and become one with the Ocean; others arrive trapped inside themselves, egos intact, and enter the welcoming Ocean as well. However, they sink to its depths and remain there, knowing only themselves, never the Ocean.

Do not read it as the psychoanalytical ego, minted by the nineteenth-century neurologist and father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. Here, ego does not equal identity. The term used in this book comes from the Latin root, ē'gō, meaning “I,” “the self that feels, acts, or thinks.” It is our lower self, the upholder of self-righteousness and self-proclaimed truths.

Important

Although all paths eventually lead to the Beloved, the annihilation of the ego shortens the path to the Source.

Important

Regarding the Divine, the Source can arguably stand for God, Allah, Jehovah, Dios, Jah, or any other Supreme Being by any other name worshipped by various faiths of the world. All these words point to a single Supreme Being and are proxies for an entity or an idea that runs deeper than language.

If you are a fish living in the sea, you can only understand the sky if its reflection becomes part of the water.

No one can describe Simorgh, not even pure spirits. No mind can fathom that Great One who leaves awestruck and dumb both Reason and Soul.

Don’t presume the road is short! Many oceans and deserts lie between the Beloved and us. Only the brave can be Wayfarers in the Path, for the journey is long and the waters deep.

each bird also feared embarking on such a long and distant voyage. Therefore, despite their eagerness, each came up with an excuse to stay.

If you seek a home, seek it near the Beloved. What use is a home without the Beloved close by? If you live by anything other than the Almighty, you will be cast out, even if you are Adam.

My kingship was a fantasy; it was false, for how can one claim dominion over a handful of dust? The only true sultan is the World-Keeping Sovereign. Such a lofty station befits only the Creator.

If a king is rivaled in greatness in his kingdom, how then can he call himself king? Simorgh is the only true Sovereign; no one can match the Simorgh in majesty.

If your heart is flawed by love of gold, you will enter eternity with a face ugly with greed.

Since no one has the capacity to see the Beloved’s face, that Gracious One has given us a mirror to gaze at the reflection of that resplendent Face. That mirror is the heart. Look for the Beloved there.

Important

When you liberate yourself from all you believe and don’t believe, that’s when your ego disappears. Only then will you deserve this journey, only then will you deserve its mysteries.

Important

If a hundred tests rain down on you, don’t panic; expect them on this hard journey.

The sheikh held learning and wisdom inseparable from actions, and he was privy to ancient knowledge as well as to new discoveries and mysteries.

Interesting

love’s foundation is infamy. Whoever shies away from it is unschooled, green and crass in heart and head.”

Truth must be listened to by the heart and the soul, not by what is fabricated from water and clay. The battle between the ego and the heart flares hotter by the hour. Wail, mourn, and lament the sorrow it brings.

Our Glory’s sanctuary emanates such light that it keeps away the sleeping ones. Souls wait a long time before one in a hundred thousand is granted admittance.”

Body is not separate from the soul; it’s a part of it. Soul is not separate from the universe; it’s a part of it.

Purify yourself in your devotion and you will arrive at your destination—albeit slowly.

Your ego is like a wild dog. Feed it and you’re a wavering fool.

“Ragged fellow, which one of us is worthier, you or I?” The Sufi replied: “To claim superiority is not our way—he who praises himself is an ignorant man

So long as you keep company with the wild dog of self, there’s no chance in hell the devil will leave you be. The devil’s charm is your own. Yes, you are your own devil inside yourself.

If you lose yourself for a crumb to this void, how can you hope to find meaning anywhere or in anything? If you pine for such nothingness all life long, then you yourself must be worth a hundred times less than nothing.

Look away from lust for possessions or no Divine breath will grace you. Look away now! Be brave and you’ll be free.

Love of insight and divine knowledge is not love of form and face— that is nothing but feral lust-play. All beauty perishes, eventually. This sort of love is humanity’s undoing.

In a world full of hands that clutch swords, there is nothing within reach but regret.

In the end, death comes even to the phoenix and scatters its ashes to the wind.

Go search for your soul’s mysteries before your life expires. If you fail to find yourself while you’re alive, how can you know your soul after death?

Nothing is permanent. Attach your heart to even one thing and you’ve stripped it of sweet life.

Stop exaggerating your importance, boasting of what a good servant you are. Your authenticity comes clear when tested. Take the test—find out.

When death comes, tell me, how much of your property can you carry on your wings?

The brave Wayfarers of the Path don’t seek or receive justice, though they themselves offer it often.

He did good, but now you are about to do evil. Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. That so-called infidel has shown fidelity and loyalty; where is yours?

Don’t be deluded by the phantasmal light of your ego. Stay vigilant.

Do not be deceived by that false light. You are not the sun. Behave as what you are— an atom. Don’t assume you are more.

If you keep looking for flaws, how will you be able to spot the Unseen? Free yourself from the defects of this world, rejoice in the love of the Absolute Invisible.

Important

Start keeping tab on your own shortcomings and you won’t have time to find fault in others.

Yes

When you descend into the Valley of the Quest, expect trials and tribulations. They will plague you at every turn.

You need patience in this quest. Not everyone is a patient seeker. Not until the quest appears inside you will you know the scent of longing in your blood. But if your quest moves to the outside of you, even if it is toward the Divine, it will remain immature and unripe.

Important

Whatever keeps you from the Path is an idol and will convert you into an idol worshipper.