The Sum of Perfection

[Freed]

The Sum of Perfection by John of the Cross

* * * * *

'The Sum of Perfection '

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Creation forgotten,

Creator only known,

Attention turned inward

In love with the Beloved alone.

* * * * *

(Original Spanish)

Olvido de lo criado,

memoria del Criador,

atencion a lo interior

y estarse amando al Amado.

* * * * *

English version by

Ivan Granger

[Freed]

Commentary on 'The Sum of Perfection' by Ivan M. Granger

Where else is the mystic path stated so succinctly yet so blissfully? These four lines contain all the instructions necessary.

The parallels with -- and probable influence of -- Sufi mysticism is obvious, with the poem's reference to God as the Beloved. (We must remember the rich Islamic influence in Spain. When the southern part of the peninsula was controlled by the Muslim Moors, it was the center of philosophy, mysticism, and science throughout the Mediterranean world. This certainly touched the spirituality of subsequent Spanish mystics like John of the Cross.)

But, this poem could just as well be entitled The Sum of Yoga. Compare this brief verse with the eight limbs of Yoga in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras:

Discipline

Restraint

Posture

Breath Control

Sense-Withdrawal

Concentration

Meditation

Ecstasy

When you read this verse by John of the Cross with attention, you will see all of the Yogic path contained within it.

The original Spanish verse has a fluid, chant-like rhythm that's difficult to reproduce in English translation:

Olvido de lo criado,

memoria del Criador,

atencion a lo interior

y estarse amando al Amado.