True devotion is for itself: not to desire heaven nor to fear hell.
Interpretation
True devotion is a selfless act that does not seek reward or escape from punishment.
The quote by Rabia Basri speaks to the essence of true devotion, suggesting that genuine dedication to a belief or practice is not motivated by the desire for heavenly rewards or the fear of hellish consequences. Instead, it emphasizes that authentic devotion is rooted in its own value, encouraging individuals to engage sincerely in their spiritual or moral commitments without ulterior motives.
In practice
In a sermon about true faith, one might quote this to illustrate selfless devotion.
Your prayers are your light; _x000D_ _x000D_ Your devotion is your strength;_x000D_ _x000D_ Sleep is the enemy of both. _x000D_ _x000D_ Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you._x000D_ _x000D_ If you ignore it, if you waste it,_x000D_ _x000D_ You will only turn to dust.
O Beloved of Hearts, I beseech only You. Have pity this day on those who turn to You. My Hope, my Rest, my Delight, this heart can love none other but You.
Great doubt will eventually lead to great awakening.
O God! if I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not thine everlasting beauty.
How many gifts and graces You have given me! How many favors You have fed me from your hand! I look for your love in all directions, then suddenly its blessing burns in me.
Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure _x000D_ _x000D_ Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word_x000D_ _x000D_ My choicest hours_x000D_ _x000D_ Are the hours I spend with You -_x000D_ _x000D_ O God, I can't live in this world_x000D_ _x000D_ Without remembering You
Why should I feel lonely? is not our planet in the Milky Way?
Buddhism notes that it is always a mistake to think your soul can go it alone.
Fascism says what you and I experience as facts or what reporters experience as facts are irrelevant. All that matters are impressions and emotions and myths.
The physical body is acknowledged as dust, the personal drama as delusion. It is as if the world we perceive through our senses, the whole gorgeous and terrible pageant, were the breath-thin surface of a bubble, and everything else, inside and outside, is pure radiance. Both suffering and joy come then like a brief reflection, and death like a pin.
Innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm.
Belief and disbelief have divided humankind into so many sects, blinding its eyes to the vision of the Oneness of all Life.
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