A Night of Music and Rumi’s Poetry

By Doug Marman

The public was warmly invited to a night of hypnotic music by renowned musician Sina Bathaie, along with other musicians and readings of Rumi’s poetry. It took place at a public library in the center of Toronto, on November 30, 2019. The room was filled to the brim with visitors. About 140 lovers of Rumi and music gathered to share the evening together.

The event took place to introduce our newly published book The Hidden Teachings of Rumi. For more about the book, click here.

The evening was MC-ed by Ali Sartipi, who introduced all of the performers and speakers.
Sina Bathaie graced the night with music on his Santur
Mrs. Lili Nabavi, reads Rumi’s poems in their original Farsi, so everyone can hear how beautiful they are as Rumi composed them. Farzad Khalvati then followed up by reading the English translations.
Reza Houshvar plays his original composition, inspired by Rumi’s poetry, on a traditional Persian instrument, the Tanbur

One visitor who came out of her interest in Rumi, wrote:

“Well the universe heard my heart’s call. In my notifications I received a suggested event called ‘A Night of Music and Rumi’s poetry’. I made up my mind to attend.

“It was a well-attended beautiful gathering of lovers. Lovers of poetry, ancient scriptures and their enlightened meanings to aid us on our journey and life purpose. Lovers of symbolism expressed through artistic drawings, paintings and photos. Lovers of enchanting music that struck our hearts’ chords and played to the depths of our soul that took us to another time and space.

I was fascinated to find another book of insightful teachings that has been translated into English from Sanskrit. The name of the book? It’s the same as the hymn that my mom plays—Sukhmani: The Secret of Inner Peace.

With all my heart, thank you to every beautiful soul that was involved in hosting and performing at this magical and uplifting event.”

Farzad Khalvati, one of the authors of The Hidden Teachings of Rumi, reads poems from the book, while his brother, Behzad, plays piano
Special thanks to all the helping hands that made A Night of Music and Rumi’s Poetry possible

It’s All Poetry: Lessons From the Spiritual Path

By Doug Marman

I gave the following talk at a library just north of Toronto on September 29, 2019. The talk is called: “It’s All Poetry: Lessons From the Spiritual Path.”

Since we were children, we have all been taught how to understand the world using our mind. However, the spiritual path is different; it can’t be learned this way. This talk describes how the secret of the spiritual path draws us in, little by little, until we see how poetic life really is. This is a discovery that emerges through personal experiences. No one can give this wisdom to us. It comes to those who walk the spiritual path.

The talk lasts for about one hour and ten minutes. It is followed by questions and answers that last another 40 minutes.