Rumi Events, 18th and 20th Dec
We held a small gathering in honour of the Islamic mystic poet Jelaluddin Rumi on Friday evening in Leeds, and then a full day's practice in Manchester on Sunday as a Zen Peacemakers Day of Reflection. Our theme for the day was 'The Voice of the Heart', and in honour of Rumi we explored and reflected on elements of Sufi practice, especially in the manner of the Mevlevi tradition (famous as the 'Whirling Dervishes'). We also had silent Zen meditation, Council Circle, and we read together from the book "A Deeper Beauty" by Paramananda, a member of the Western Buddhist Order. One of our guests, Amitashuri, told stories from her trip through Turkey and Iran, and sang to us in Farsi! This is the third year our UK Zen Peacemakers group has been able to celebrate the anniversary of Rumi's death (known as his 'Wedding Night', his day of union with Reality). He died on 17th Dec 1273 in the city of Konya in Anatolia.