The Same Holy Mountain

A few weeks ago, I met a Sufi friend of mine for tea at a bakery on a gray afternoon. We sat at a corner table and spent a couple of hours talking about Sufism and Islam and Jesus and the Bible and the "gospel" and Taoism, and about Turkey, his homeland.

We'd been in a few interfaith discussion groups before, but this was the first time we'd had a chance to talk one on one about our respective paths. I ought to be able to give a better accounting of the conversation, but the bulk of it escapes me right now.

I do remember one thing, though. Despite our different paths, I came away knowing he and I have crawled over some of the same spiritual ground. We've worked our way to some of the same wisdom. He comes from one direction. I come from another. But we're both making our way up the same holy mountain.