My Favorite Rumi Quote

Rumi is one of my all-time favorite poets.  There is so much wisdom, depth, and BEing in his work.  I am grateful for his work almost every single day.   One of my favorite quotes is:

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field.  I will meet you there."

This is just a single quote of a much larger (and beautiful) poem called The Great Wagon.  You can read the full poem here. 

I have been using this quote as a guide post in my life for years, with great results.

I believe that the ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, while necessary in the world to some extent, have primarily become constructs by which we judge self and other.  When we step outside of this framework, we access curiosity, possibility, wonder, connection, and acceptance (just to name a few!).   I often start my workshops, coaching sessions and satsangs with this quote.  Just to remind everyone that there is a different choice - that we don't have to show up in the dogmas of our childhoods, cultures or ancestors.  We can show up in the field of awareness, and that is infinitely more powerful.  

I love playing in the world.  This is a wonderful concept to begin a playful experiment with.  As much as possible bring your awareness throughout your day to every judgment of right and wrong that you have.  During the day, you might think things like;

• That sounded stupid
• He shouldn't have said that
• She shouldn't wear that
• They don't get it
• I should be more confident
• I should say yes
• I know the answer (for that person/situation)
• I know what you should do

If you pay attention to how these thoughts feel, you might notice that they are hard, limited, contracted, and dense.  I always say that they feel like styrofoam.  When you notice yourself thinking in right/wrong judgements, try on new thoughts.  Thoughts are like jeans, you can just try them on and see how they feel.  If they feel good, keep them.  If they feel bad, put them back on the rack.  Possible thoughts to try on in these situations are:

• I wonder what they meant by that?
• Why was that comment valuable? 
• What can I appreciate about that?
• What am I feeling or needing in this moment?
• What might be in their heart?
• What are they feeling or needing in this moment?
• What would be different if I accepted this right now?
• How can I release my resistance in this moment?
• What can I learn right now?  from them?

When you pay attention to how these thoughts feel, you might notice that they are open, curious, expansive and light.  ​I'd suggest practicing this for a few weeks, and see what impact it has on your life.  If it has a positive impact, yahooo!, you've discovered a new way of being that improves your life.  

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