The Way of the Parrot To illustrate the way of the Sufi and clarify its principles, MowlanaRumi, well known in the Western world, told this story: There was a merchant who owned a beautiful parrot in a cage. As he was about to travel on business to India, the parrot said to him: “I would be very grateful if, once in India, you gave my greetings to the fellow birds that live there and if you told them that I live here in a cage.” The merchant accepted this hatmless request. Once in India, he went to a big tree where a colony of multi-colored parrots lived, birds very similar to his own. As promised, he delivered the greeting. As soon as he had finished speaking, one of the parrots fell to the ground and remained there, inerl. Our merchant was very impressed by this. As he came back home, very embarrassed and very sorry that he might have caused the death of a beautiful Indian parrot, he told his own bird what had happened. At that moment liis parrot fell off its perch, apparently subject to a sudden cataleptic stroke. Our merchant took the bird out of the cage and left it on the ledge of the window, meaning to bury it later in the garden. He was aghast when he saw the beautiful bird fly away to the nearest tree and express its gratitude with these words: “You told me about your experience witl, rny fellow birds in India, and you have passed on their message, telling me how to get out of my prison. Without knowing it, you have extended to me the secret of my liberation. Thank you, my friend!” This little story, like many Sufi stories, is rich in symbols and teachings. To be taught how to free itself, the soul (the paruot), which is prisoner of the body (the cage), tries to contact other spirits (the Indian parrots) that are free from all earthly bounds and living in the other world (India). At this stage, the soul, which has no other way to communicate directly with the beyond, must use its capacity of deduction as a communication tool (the merchant). The method indicates the necessity to annihilate egotism and egocentrism.The Teachings of a Sufi Master Because of this small storv. the wav of the Sufi is called “the way of the parrot.
By:Dr. Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh