'Slave' implies that one is unable to do otherwise because of the emotion (ie. one is unable to stop oneself being controlled by the emotion)

But the Sultan was able to contain his anger and let the Dervish go, but the Dervish put himself in a dangerous position by being too proud and not bowing to the Sultan.

Could the deeper moral of the story be that we are all slaves of a type, but are unable to recognise it?

Is that kind of single-minded focus on effectiveness right or wrong? When and why?

Simple: single minded focus is right when it's effective, wrong when it's not. 8)

This story reflects the Buddhist idea of upaya, or skillful means. The dervish was able to offer a turning word to the sultan, who experienced a kind of epiphany in understanding the dervish.

Turning words are often not gentle. Mu Chou awakened his student Yunmen by breaking one of his legs. And Yunmen was forever grateful.

What's the trick here? It's knowing when the student is ready, is completely absorbed in the attainment of spirital transcended wisdom and is this close to really getting it.

Great teachers know this; the dervish's skill was to instantly assess what kind of man the sultan was, and where he was on his path to spiritual awakening. Very likely the dervish bowed to a thousand sultans, real and petty, before encountering the subject of this story.

So the dervish was a great teacher. You and me*, on the other hand, would get our asses kicked by the Sultan, arrested for breaking legs, etc. Slitting a guy's chest down the middle and cracking his ribs open seldom does him any good - unless you're trained as a heart surgeon. Same deal here. Kids, don't try this at home.

[* unless of course there are any transcendent masters reading this post, in which case, you know who you are].

MIRACLES by Sufi Saints-Dear sir, we all know that sufi wisdom is true knowledge- but maybe few believe that sufi saints help create miracles without any ostentation- they work best in silence and humbly- claiming that God does everything. Our Hindu sufi saint- Jogi Sain Babaji whose holy ashes are kept at his dargah in powai in mumbai- india - after leaving this world at 100 years of age- once was very pleased with his devotee- AC- and said ask what you wish for- AC was in distress and about to leave dubai for ever as his business in dubai was failing terribly .Jogi sain babaji told AC to wait for a few more months things should improve. It will be interesting for everyone to know that Jogi baba"s blessings was so powerful that AC"s business improved so well that he is now one of the best known businessmen in dubai-uae and he owns his own bungalow in dubai even though indians cannot normally own properties in dubai town (they can hoever now own properties in designated free zone areas of Emaar- in dubai.) Jogi sainji has done many miracles - saving a doctor who was declared clinically dead by his doctor wife- Jogi sain babaji"s guru was the revered saint - Hazrat Nasir Mohammed saheb fakir sufi al Qadri-R.A. whose dargah is at Jalalani sharif in sindh- pakistan - www.sufijalalani.com- regards- hiro bachani

B"H
Joe, you're at your best - like a philharmonic conducter, you've put together a symphony of wisdom and truth. The superb Sufi story of the sultan and the dervish is almost exact to a Midrashic tale brought down also in the Zohar. The name of the game is to free ourselves from the garbage of this world and to seek truth. Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and Marilyn Monroe had all the fame and money a person could want, yet, since they failed to find truth, they committed suicide. In helping people find truth, The Winds of Change is making the world a better place. I'm proud to have you for a friend, Joe. May The Almighty bless you always, and all of the WOC readers, wherever they may be. Warm regards from Ashdod.

Almost everyone we know seeks within his own heart an alchemical formula that could help to convert everything we touch into gold like having the midas touch. MIRACLES MONEY WEALTH HEALTH SUCCESS HAPPINESS WELLNESS!!!!! But will more wealth guarantee more happiness? The real secret of happiness is to be contented. Those who are on the spiritual path of our sufi saints feel that the Naam initiation that we have received from our guru is like having the philosopher"s stone- parasmani- with us which helps to clean our heart of the dross and dirt of worldly life- cleaning the mirror of our heart so beautifully enabling us to see our real self within us- that is the radiant form of our guru, sufi saint, i.e. ourselves- this is the actual goal of our life that is to attain self realization in this world itself. Our guruji jogi sain babaji gave us the Naam- name of god- which we breathe in and out by a special technique. He learned this from his master- hazrat sainji nasir mohammed saheb fakir sufi al qadiri r.a. whose shrine is at jalalani sharif in sindh pakistan- www.sufijalalani.com - Our master has promised is that if we practice the naam technique perfectly then even we can perform miracles like the great sufi saints, gurus - so that we all get more money, wealth, happiness, and a real feeling of wellness- what more could we ask for-