The Busy Guest House

Rumi’s poem The Guest House compares our human body to a guest house and our emotions to unexpected guests. The poem encourages us to embrace all these visitors without judgement or resistance, acknowledging they have been sent by the Divine. In this busy guest house, every experience has a purpose and is of spiritual significance. We are learning to single-mindedly make the most of this great opportunity of having a human life – a chance to realize the true reality – that of our home with the Lord.

The poem reflects the Sufi philosophy and teachings, focusing on the spiritual journey and exploration of the inner way.

This being human is a guest house,
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

The poem sets the stage by describing the busy guest house of the human body, where every morning various experiences arrive bringing forth expected or unexpected emotional responses, much like guests arriving in our homes, sometimes expected and sometimes unexpected.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

Here, we are encouraged to welcome these experiences with openness and curiosity, they all bring a new opportunity to learn. Each of these guests should be received with open arms, regardless of whether they bring us joy or sorrow. Rather than resisting or denying those we don’t like, we learn to embrace them all as God’s will, treating them equally and gracefully, regardless of their nature.

The Sanskrit phrase ‘Athiti Devo Bhava’ translates to “A guest is akin to God.” The term represents the belief that every guest is not just a mere visitor but a manifestation of the divine. So, every life experience we have, and every emotion we go through, is coming from God. Acceptance is how we learn to live in His will, and this may be slow process, but gradually we learn to embrace all things with humility, compassion, and love.

Of course, on our journey to acceptance, we can still struggle with the concept of God’s will, wondering why God would allow certain events to happen, or why we go through hardships. At these times we can remind ourselves that we cannot possibly understand God’s will until we are able to see the bigger picture. Eventually, our approach begins to change, to the point where should life throw us a curve ball taking away everything that provides us with comfort and security, we may welcome even visitors such as these with honour and respect, understanding that the discomfort of such experiences serves a higher purpose. The divine is clearing out the clutter in our guest house for some new delight, and God, who is all-loving, knows what is best for us. These new delights further our connection with the Divine.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Here Rumi advocates we greet negative emotions with laughter and acceptance; invite them in with laughter. Accept that they too are God’s will. By accepting God’s will, we surrender to whatever God sends and fully trust His divine plan. This trust allows us to see life objectively; we stop seeing these experiences as positive or negative. We appreciate His plan – that every moment has a purpose and is shaping our spiritual journey. As Baba Ji often reminds us – we are spiritual beings going through a human experience.

Rumi concludes:

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

The poem ends by encouraging us to cultivate gratitude for all we encounter. The divine is at work orchestrating every tiny detail of our life. In Philosophy of the Masters (Abridged) Rabia Basri says, “One should lose the faculty of distinction between the pleasure and pain that comes from the Lord and regard both of them as His gifts.”

Nurturing this attitude of welcoming these life experiences matures us naturally; we relinquish our attachments and desires for specific outcomes as we learn to flow with the divine plan. Grace develops within us, imbuing an attitude of gratitude and acceptance, whereby we can recognize that all our experiences, whether positive or negative, contribute to our spiritual growth and fulfilment.