A true quest for global wisdom leads to the enlightening teachings of two great thinkers, the Sufi mystic Rumi (1207 – 1273) and the Hindu leader Gandhi (1869 – 1948). They were both born in rich, influential families. They both received excellent education. They both travelled, meeting people from different cultures and absorbing enriching ideas. They were both true globblers, and their honest search for truth and love eventually transformed them into global teachers. Rumi’s students respectfully called him Mevlana (Our Master) and Gandhi became known as Mahatma (Great Soul).

Rumi and Gandhi lived centuries apart. They lived in completely different cultures in completely different regions of the world. But they were both thinking on the same frequency of global wisdom, and it is not surprising that their teachings reveal amazing similarities:

1)      They both admired nature and its magnificence:

• “Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.” – Rumi
• “When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator.” – Gandhi

2)      They were both aware of the beauty of life in all of its diverse forms:

• “Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still.” – Rumi
• “The good man is the friend of all living things.” – Gandhi

3)      They both knew that freedom was a state of mind:

• “Why do you stay in prison
  when the door is so wide open?
  Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking.” - Rumi
• “The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states.” – Gandhi

4)      They both believed in the importance of self-exploration:

• “And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” - Rumi 
• “Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” – Gandhi

5)      They both understood the magic of mindful listening:

• “Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” – Rumi
• “If we have listening ears, God speaks to us in our own language, whatever that language be.” – Gandhi

6)      They both applied the tremendous power of observing the world in silence:

• “Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.” – Rumi
• “In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.” – Gandhi

7)      They both realized the importance of authentic expression:

• “I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”  - Rumi
• “Don’t listen to friends when the Friend inside you says ‘Do this.’” – Gandhi

8)      They both encouraged people to be proactive in their pursuit of happiness:

• “Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love… Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – Rumi
• “Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy.” - Gandhi

9)      They both expressed the simplicity of love and truth:

• “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” - Rumi
• “Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.” – Gandhi

10)   They both understood the value of hospitality:

• “Come, come, whoever you are.
  Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn’t matter,
  Ours is not a caravan of despair.
  Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times,
  Come, come again, come.” - Rumi
• “I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.” – Gandhi

11)   They both showed respect and tolerance towards people from other religions:

• “Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian … each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.” – Rumi
• “It is the duty of every cultured man or woman to read sympathetically the scriptures of the world. If we are to respect others’ religions as we would have them to respect our own, a friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.” – Gandhi  

12)   They both believed in the fundamental truth of all religions:

• “All religions, all this singing, one song. The differences are just illusion and vanity. Sunlight looks slightly different on this wall than it does on that wall and a lot different on this other one, but it is still one light.” – Rumi
• “Each one prays to God according to his own light… I believe in the fundamental truth of all great religions of the world. I believe that they are all God-given and I believe that they were necessary for the people to whom these religions were revealed. And I believe that if only we could all of us read the scriptures of the different faiths from the standpoints of the followers of these faiths, we should find that they were at bottom all one and were all helpful to one another.” – Gandhi

13)   For both of them true beauty meant purity of the human soul:

• “Don’t look at your form, however ugly or beautiful. Look at love and at the aim of your quest… The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.” –Rumi
• “To a true artist only that face is beautiful which, quite apart from its exterior, shines with the truth within the soul.” – Gandhi

14)   They both recognized the importance of listening to one’s conscience:

• “We rarely hear the inward music, but we’re all dancing to it nevertheless.” - Rumi
• “Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone… The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.” – Gandhi

15)   They both inspired people to have the courage to challenge the status quo:

• “Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth.” -Rumi
• “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi

16)   They both fathomed that truth led to happiness:

• “That which is false troubles the heart, but truth brings joyous tranquility.”- Rumi
• “When I despair, I remember that all throughout history the ways of truth and love have always won.” – Gandhi

17)   They both knew that the human heart was superior to the human mind:

• “Reason is powerless in the expression of love.” – Rumi
• “Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.” – Gandhi

18)   They were both aware of the tremendous power of the heart to materialize its dreams:

• “Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more – more unseen forms become manifest to him.” – Rumi
• “Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart desires must come to you.” – Gandhi

19)   They both witnessed that without the inspiration of our Creator, there was no harmony in the human soul.

• “Listen to the reed (flute)
  and the tale it tells.
  How it sings of separation.
  Ever since they cut me from the reed bed,
  my wail has caused men and women to weep.
  Whoever has been separated from his source
  longs to return to that state of union.” - Rumi
• “Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.” – Gandhi

20)   They both learned that love led to God:

• “To Love is to reach God.” - Rumi
• “Where love is, there God is also.” – Gandhi

Rumi and Gandhi spoke the same language, the universal language of peace, tolerance, unity and love. We can also learn this language through world exploration. We can also drink from the oasis of global wisdom, and its enlightening lessons can transform us into more open-minded, more tolerant, and more conscious human beings whose individual journeys through life become more meaningful.

Go Global & Discover Wisdom!