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Within the eye of the eye by Ayn al-Qozat Hamadani (1098 - 1131) Timeline English version by Peter Lamborn Wilson and Nasrollah Pourjavady Original Language Persian/Farsi Muslim / Sufi 12th Century Within the eye of the eye      I placed an eye           polished and adorned                with her beauty but suddenly fell      into the Quarter of Perfection           and now am freed from sight,                from even the eye of contemplation.     -- from The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry, Translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson / Translated by Nasrollah Pourjavady Amazon.com	Recommended Books The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry, Translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson / Translated by Nasrollah Pourjavady Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition, Translated by David Fideler / Translated by Sabrineh Fideler Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom, by Andrew Harvey / Eryk Hanut Tales of the Dervishes: Teaching Stories of the Sufi Masters over the Past Thousand Years, by Idries Shah
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

What does Hamadani mean that he is freed "from even the eye of contemplation"?

When you allow yourself to so completely yield to the blissful state that only the glow of bliss remains, there is no "you" left from which to witness the world. Perception continues, but without a point of reference -- there is that which is seen but no eye that sees.

To be "freed from sight" does not mean that perception stops; perception continues. But the mental process of parceling reality, sifting it into categories and rejecting those elements that don't fit, all of that stops. Everything shines and is unified. The perception of separation ceases. So you are freed from the common "sight" of a shattered, dualistic creation; seeing, instead, a radiant, unsevered wholeness.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
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