There is a story Attar has written of Persia which explains this idea beautifully. There was a king and he had a beautiful parrot. The king and queen loved it, was pet and talked with it when had a moment free. Was kept in golden cage. No end of attention given to it, queen loved it, king admired it. One day when king was going to forest he asked parrot, "Going to same forest from where brought you, have any message to give to others in forest?" Parrot said, "Very kind of you, king, pray tell them that I am kept in the cage and am very kindly treated. But my constant yearning is to see myself flying free in that sphere and among you all." The king said, "Yes, I will give your message".

When king came to forest saw many parrots same tree from where had taken this little parrot. Looking up and said to parrots that, "Your brother is with me and it has sent you a word that we pay a great attention to it. But it yearns to be with you and to free in this sphere. But does not think that will ever have opportunity. So send you its love." No sooner the parrots heard it, they one after another began to drop on the earth and the king was deeply touched and moved by it. Said, "What sympathy, parrots after to hear of the pain of one of them, all of them so touched that dropped on earth". The king left the soil immediately to give this message to his parrot. Said, "O, parrot, what foolish thing to do, to send such message, dropped one after another on ground, dead". And parrot heard it and heaved deep sigh and looked up to sky and dropped.

King commanded that servants may take this parrot for its burial in golden tray, and when parrot was taken out flew and sat on roof. King was surprised. Said, "This was the lesson you brought me, brothers are not dead, are living, sent me the message". It means that in order to be free, you must first die. The rituals of the old ceremonies all have this secret as the greatest secret, and it is this which is taught through ceremony, philosophy and mysticism. This is the main secret of all those things.

But is it really dying? No, it is playing death. No one dies really. What dies is death; what lives is life. Life lives, death dies. Therefore the art of the mystic is to learn how to play death. Call it meditation, call it contemplation, call it concentration, call it worship of God, it is all playing death. And what is it in man that must die? It is not his real self; it is the false conception that he has of himself. It is that false conception which brings about all limitation. Man is not really limited as he seems to be. But because there is a cover over his soul, that cover makes him limited. That is why he sees no further. His world is himself, his own environments, his conditions, his impressions, his experiences, all concerning. That is all he knows; he knows – nothing beyond. Therefore what is to be crucified in man is that false self, not real self, and resurrection follows crucifixion. In that way soul experiences its freedom.

One might ask, "How is it to be achieved? How can one play death?" And the answer is that we have played life and we play life every day. For what is it? The life from morning till evening, if is not a play? The more we study it, the more we shall find it. the world is subject to change. Conditions that alter, situations that change from moment to moment. If it is not a play, what is it? Of course, if one thought it a play, one would not take it seriously. But if we are able to play life, we are able to play death also. Is playing after all.

There is story of a dervish. A young man met this dervish and was very interested in deep and wonderful talk with dervish. Said, "Would so much like to see again". "Yes, can I?" "Where?" "In village not far." "Where?" "There is little place near village." "Name?" "Is called the place of liars." Amazed man spoke such words of truth in place of liars. Did not think much, went asking for place. No one knew where place of liars. Understand about dervish near graveyard. First question ask was, "What did make you say place of liars?" Said, "I will show place of liars, come". And he said, "Now look here, here is the grave of a general, was called a general when lived. Here grave of the slave, who was slave when lived. King, crown, and throne, priest, greatest at that time, where are all? Buried under stone, that is the end." Were they not liars? Did not tell a lie? Did they not play life? When we are able to play life, death too. By playing death the eyes become open; the soul which becomes captive by the folding of the eyes, that soul begins to soar upwards once the eyes are unfolded.

People say that, "Here is a dead man". But in reality it is the living man. For in order to live, one must die. And what must die? The death must die, and life must live.