In the time before time was counted as men count it now, the birds of the world gathered in great assembly. The Hoopoe, crowned with wisdom, spoke unto them:
"Beyond the seven valleys lies the Simurgh, the King of Birds. Who among you will make the journey?"
Ten thousand birds rose in answer. But the Hoopoe warned them:
"The first valley is the Valley of the Quest, where you must abandon all you believe you know. The second is the Valley of Love, where reason burns away like morning mist. The third is the Valley of Knowledge, where every certainty dissolves. The fourth is the Valley of Detachment, where desire itself must die. The fifth is the Valley of Unity, where the many become one. The sixth is the Valley of Bewilderment, where wisdom and foolishness are the same. The seventh is the Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self is extinguished utterly."
Hearing this, many birds fell away. The nightingale spoke of her love for the rose and would not leave. The hawk spoke of his throne with the king and would not descend. The owl spoke of his treasure of gold and would not abandon it.
But thirty birds remained. Thirty birds crossed the valleys. In each valley, some perished. Through fire and flood and the death of all they knew, they pressed forward.
And when at last the thirty birds reached the court of the Simurgh, they found no king upon a throne.
They found only a mirror.
And in the mirror, they saw themselves — si murgh, thirty birds — and understood at last: the seeker and the sought were never separate. The journey was not toward something external but toward the recognition of what always was.
Teaching 1
That which you seek, you already are. But to know this, you must die to everything you believe yourself to be.