Spiritual


HEART AND SPIRIT, OR RITUAL ?
Sufism (Islamic mysticism) has been called the heart and spirit of Islam by those who perceive its deepest values. It emerged as a reaction against dry Islamic legalism, and is basically the awakening of the heart by means of (inner, mystic) submission. Many Muslims are suspicious of it; the suspicious distrust the emotional and intuitive side of religious experience, with its obvious scope for abuse and ego-tripping. They base their faith (determinedly) on obedience to the correct ritual performance of Islam. Sufis believe not that one should not own anything, but that nothing should own you. They search for the inner spiritual life, purification of the heart, overcoming concern for the ‘small self’, appetites and desires. The aim is union with God.
(review on website, book on Islam, 2006)


	Islamic fundamentalist methodology and interpretation of Shari’ah leads to positions moderate Muslims and Westerners cannot accept. Apostasy, testimony, rights, wives, penalties, capricious arbitrary decisions, austerity all loom large to shock consciences. To the West the importance should be more on compassion, mercy, equity, justice and tenderness, kindness, art, beauty, creativity.


	It is the most elegant Universe I could possibly imagine. My path in living is to remember the present ‘presence’ and become One with it. And its divine Laws.


	Jihad is not an Islamic invention, it is a global definition of valour, and a demand for personal excellent.


	The holy spirit of God has no vanity, fanaticism, or enthusiastic wildness in it. William Law 1750.


THE WEST’S MODERN MINDSET ?
The modern ‘mindset of the West’ veers from glorious spiritual concepts of the relationship with God, a fine appreciation of the dignity of man, awe in the face of the unfolding ‘new knowledge’ micro and macro of Universe and Nature, with its temptations to worship miraculous science and technology, and not the (God-given?) consciousness running through discovery and uncovering….. and down, down into the fleetingness, dangers, corruptions, often depravities of power and violence, fame and money, and loss of the divine dignity and stature of Man.
(friend of author, email 2006 talking of dignities within mindsets)


	Both world communities - of western, eastern orientation – need very wise men, who can be ‘in the world’ yet ‘not of the world’, of practicality in the moment yet allegiance to God, Allah running through their lives. They are in short supply.


	Man is given God’s knowledge, consciousness and bliss, and capacity for awareness of divine being. Embodiment means the soul has arisen into the universe again. With the embodiment has come freedom and laws. Understanding of, and obedience to God’s Will paves the way for the grace of realisation and union (yet there never is separation except under wilful ignorance). Until union (paradoxically never not there, always present) the soul/Man is under the divine laws.


	There is joy and laughter in the Sufi heart, one is free from blind obedience to custom. There are various routes to help bridge the gap between Sufi and God, love being intrinsic to each.


CLAIMS OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH ?
Science and technology have brought mankind great advances but also (swayed minds to) deep cynicism towards the religious and spiritual aspects of life. The ‘scientific method’ has set limitations on what are considered ‘useful and practical’ fields of study. The outer senses perceive and the rational mind analyses (and only the results are ‘worthy of being called the truth’). It is easy to become disillusioned when various religions claim access to ‘absolute truth and goodness’, claims rarely actualised by experience. Yet human nature continues to question; individuals thirst for answers; their search, seeking is not quenched easily by rationalistic philosophical ‘constructs’ nor by ‘literal readings’ or religious texts.
(website, science and faith)


	Religion isn't about believing things - it's ethical alchemy, it's about (learning to) behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness. Traditional faith is not wrong, it leads you to practical compassion. Nobody has the last word on God.


	Our own words are separate (in the reflection of) the essence of our being.


	It is essential that (regarding conflict) periodically we are shocked into a deeper awareness of our divine purpose.


ETERNAL RAY OF DIVINE SUN
Know yourSelf, offspring of God in mortal clothing. I pray you uncover yourSelf. Separate the soul from the body, reason for sensual desires, separate them as much as you can. When the earthly grime has been removed, you will at once see pure gold. Then, believe me, you will revere yourSelf as an eternal ray of the divine sun. You are indeed eternal when you set small value on the transient. You are most virtuous when evil displeases you. Truly the best is found only where no adversity reaches, the beautiful where there exists no disharmony.
(Letters of Marcilio Ficino)


	Spiritually-oriented individuals have little difficulty speaking with one another. The religious-oriented often have great difficulty due to an albeit-unconscious perspective: my way is the right way, if not the only way.


	Modern day Muslims ‘have gone astray’ according to the fundamentalists. They must be led to remembrance to ‘re-embrace’ true Islam. The ‘puritans’ believe their people should be forced to fulfil the strict legal vision which they themselves embrace. Moderation is the ‘enemy’.


	There is only Allah. I am One with the Father. There is only the Creator. That I Am. For Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Sikh, all humankind.


PROBLEMS, SOLUTIONS, SACREDNESS
A Western supporter of Sufism might say “Most problems have more than one solution”. And “Problems are not sacred, they are absurd, in this day and age”. And “We will go our separate ways – or we will strive higher.” And “I try to experience the richness and diversity of the apparent two worlds.”
(amalgam of sayings, one episode, Star Trek – The Next Generation)


	The whole essence and reason for (real, true) jihad is to be prepared to sacrifice one’s own self, in the fight against tyranny and oppression, to help bring about freedom and justice and a just peace (but not as a terrorist).


	To stand up and be counted, to be the focus of opposition to extremism is exceedingly difficult, depending on spirit. We ask where is the Messiah?


	In this age, there is also an astonishing lack of discrimination as to what is sound and what is spurious in matters of the spirit.


THE VEIL OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE
There is a Hindu explanation for the Christian parable of The Prodigal Son. Does Islam have an explanation – I’ve not come across one and I do understand that ‘Father’ is not seen as appropriate in Islam? The Hindu asks what is the inner (psychological and spiritual) meaning of the Christian story. Its seeming simplicity has a veil of True Knowledge for us to understand. The son ‘returns’ and is given is the robe of the dawn of discrimination. The feast for him is the feast celebrating the return from ignorance, separation to wisdom. The second son, faithful, is reminded that he has always been at and had access to his Father’s riches; they were always his, celebration is his natural state, he has always been (is always) in Union.
(website, religious blog, 2006)


	God, Allah, Absolute, Jehovah wants the human heart in its simplicity and directness. Everything follows. One need not worry whether man’s actions are small or big, efficient or inefficient, ‘good’ or ‘bad’. That really does not matter, the real Dedication that He requires is only of the heart.


	The intellectual forms in which Religion finds expression are always inadequate to the Reality with which they deal, and the processes of reasoning over intellectual concepts are always liable to imperfection and error.


	Egoism in the form of ‘I am the doer’, in its narrow individuality, resembles a great black poisonous snake. (Sanskrit, Ashtavakra Gita).


ELEVATE HUMAN VALUES TO SPIRIT
Not a single ‘religion’ is above criticism, and Islam is not the exception. At this point (autumn, 2006) our leaders’ politics of appeasement have opened the doors to Muslims to control the political and religious ‘progression’. But, at this point too, Islam has lost the respect of the civilised world. We need to stop acting under the dictates of ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity’ and multiculturalism’. But Islam as a religion is found impotent to elevate human spirit to values of altruism, forgiveness, love, tolerance, and peace.
(précis, excerpts from website response to Intimidating the West article on website, October, 2006)


	In a similar way to Jesus, Muhammad (pbuh) had once mystically ascended to the (presence of the) throne of God.


	Every spiritual truth however simple becomes distorted when it reaches an ‘unrealised’ person.


	There are myriad ways to spirituality. You've got to find the right one for you. (Islam says Remember, Worship Allah. Hindu/Sanskrit Advaita says there is one certain way: remember yourSelf.


SUFI STAGES TO UNION
There are three stages in the mystical path, according to Sufi Islam. Firstly, purgation and purification. Second is illumination, becoming endowed with love and gnosis. Thirdly, the mystic union which encompasses the beatific vision and loving union.
(merger, several Sufi explanations, Internet, 2006)


	Instead of seeing your own tradition as an idiosyncratic, lonely quest, it becomes part of what human beings do, part of a universal search for meaning and value. This is the kind of scenario that the human mind goes through in its search for ultimate meaning.


	Sectarianism is growing, we are living cheek by jowl with people of other faiths, our world has shrunk to a global village, people are spontaneously reaching out to other faiths. People are reading the Islam Sufi mystic Rumi in droves in the West. Sufism is very popular. What we need in this world right now is less religiosity, more low-key (modest) spirituality.


	The ideal Muslim would be hardworking, punctual, well educated, productive and advanced in understanding. To be backward, ill-informed and undisciplined is inconsistent with the Islamic ideal. Moderate Muslims also value honesty, constancy, creativity, justice and equity, all within the civilising values.


MORE THAN TEXT AND RITUAL
For moderate Muslims, what makes up a religion is more than text and ritual, and what takes place because of text and ritual is not a full manifestation of Divinity. God and God’s Will are too magnanimous to be fully expressed in text and ritual, and what takes place because of them is fully human. The responsibility for what human’s do in God’s name (or that they, in non-activist terms, have as theories, opinions and beliefs in mind - author) must fall on the shoulders of human beings.
(excerpt, book re Islam and extremists, 2005)

print page | reload page | reload site