Transcript Sufism - ICP India

Hyderabad January 2012
International Interfaith Conference
on
Mysticism: East and West
A Search for Meaningful Religious Experience
KEYNOTE
Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood
President
Interfaith Coalition for Peace
Mysticism
“Initiation" to spiritual truths and
experiences in pursuit of
Communion with or Consciousness Awareness of
the
Ultimate Reality, Divinity,
Spiritual Truth or God
through
direct experience, intuition,
instinct or insight.
Usually centers on practices intended
to nurture those experiences.
Explores the
Awakening, Purification and
Illumination of the Self;
Discusses voices and visions; and
Delves into Manifestations from
Ecstasy and Rapture to the
Dark Night of the Soul.
Evelyn Underhill
British Author
The Holy Spirit
resides in each of us,
good and evil alike
Wa nafkhal feehi mir-roohee !
32.8
I HAVE BREATHED
IN HIM
(THE HUMAN BEING)
MY SPIRIT
The manifestations of Khudi spell
Prophethood
The solitudes of Khudi spell
Godhood
Khudi = Selfhood
Devotion
Contemplation
Yoga
Namaz
(Daily Me’raj)
Budhism
Attainment of Nirvana,
connection to ultimate reality
Christianity
Spiritual Enlightenment
Spiritual Vision
Love of God,
Union with God
(Theosis)
Hinduism
Liberation from cycles of Karma,
Experience of ultimate reality
(Samadhi),
Innate Knowledge
(Sahaja and Svabhav)
Islam
Imbibing
God’s qualities
in self
Jainism
Liberation
from
cycles of
Karma
Judaism
Abnegation of the ego
(Ein Sof)
Sikhism
Liberation from cycles of Karma
Arthur Schopenhauer
18th C German Philosopher
We see all religions at their highest point end in mysticism and
mysteries, that is to say, in darkness and veiled obscurity.
These really indicate merely a blank spot for knowledge,
The point where all knowledge necessarily ceases.
Hence for thought this can be expressed only by negations, but
for sense-perception it is indicated by symbolical signs, in temples
by dim light and silence,
In Brahmanism even by the required suspension of all thought
and perception for the purpose of entering into the
deepest communion with one's own self,
by mentally uttering the mysterious Om.
Mystic Experience
A (purportedly) super senseperceptual or sub sense-perceptual
experience granting acquaintance of
realities or states of affairs that are
of a kind not accessible by way of
sense perception, somatosensory
modalities, or standard
introspection.
Attributes
Ineffability
Paradoxicality
Perennialism
Sufism
Inner mystic dimension
A science whose objective is the
preparation of the heart and turning
it away from all else but God
A science
through which
one can know how
to travel into the
Presence of the Divine,
purify one's inner self
from filth, and beautify it
with a variety of praiseworthy traits.
Reaction against excessive
worldliness
Spanned several continents and
cultures over a millennium
Modern
Sufis
often perform
Zikr
after the conclusion
of prayers
Safā means "purity”
Another origin
Sūf means wool, referring to the simple
cloaks the early ascetics wore
Ahl aṣ-ṣuffah
(People of the bench)
who were a group of
impoverished companions of
Prophet Muhammad
who held regular gatherings of zikr
Greek word sofia meaning wisdom
To enter the way of Sufism,
the seeker begins by finding
a teacher, as the connection
to the teacher is considered
necessary for the growth of
the pupil.
The teacher, to be genuine, must have
received the authorization to teach from
another Master of the Way,
in an unbroken succession (silsilah)
leading back to Sufism's origin with Muhammad
Transmission of the divine light from
the teacher's heart to the heart of
the student
Bahauddin Naqshband Bukhari
who gave his name to the Naqshbandi Order,
served his first teacher for 20 years.
The extreme arduousness of his spiritual preparation
is illustrated by his service, as directed by his teacher,
to the weak and needy members of his community
in a state of complete humility and tolerance for many years.
The Meylevi Order
instructed its pupils to
serve in the kitchens of a hospice for
the poor for 1,001 days prior to
being accepted for spiritual teaching
Rabia Basri was a Sufi
known for her love and passion for
God,
expressed through her poetry.
Bayazid Bastami
was among the first theorists of
Sufism
Devotional styles and traditions
reflect the perspectives of different masters and the
accumulated cultural wisdom of the orders.
All of these concerned themselves with the
understanding of
Subtle Knowledge (gnosis),
Education of the heart to purify it of baser instincts,
Love of God,
and approaching God through a well-described
hierarchy of enduring spiritual stations (maqâmât)
and more transient spiritual states (ahwâl).
Manuals
English translation
Kashf al-Mahjûb of Hajveri and
Risâla of Qushayri
Al-Ghazali’s Treatises
Revival of Religious Sciences
and
Alchemy of Happiness
Between the 13th and 16th c.
A lodge
KHANQAH
known as a
would be endowed through
a pious foundation in perpetuity
to provide a gathering place for
Sufi adepts,
as well as lodging for itinerant seekers of knowledge.
The same system of endowments could also be used to pay for a
complex of buildings, such as that surrounding the Süleymaniya
Mosque in Istanbul, including a lodge for Sufi seekers, a hospice
with kitchens where these seekers could serve the poor and/or
complete a period of initiation, a library, and other structures
Current Sufi orders include
Ba 'Alawiyya, Chishti,
Naqshbandi, Nimatullahi,
Oveyssi, Qadiria Boutshishia,
Qadiriyyah, Qalandariyya,
Sarwari Qadiri, Shadhliyya and
Suhrawardiyya.
Sufism is also popular in African
countries such as
Morocco and Senegal
Algerian Sufi master Emir Abd al-Qadir
Amadou Bamba and Hajj Umar Tall in subSaharan Africa Sheikh Mansur Ushurma and
Imam Shamil in the Caucasus region
René Guénon,
the French scholar,
became a sufi in the
early twentieth century
Doctrine of "subtle centers" or
centers of subtle cognition
(known as Lataif-e-Sitta)
Addresses the matter of the awakening of
spiritual intuition in ways that some
consider similar to certain models of
chakra in Hinduism.
In general, these subtle centers or latâ'if
are thought of as faculties that are to be
purified sequentially in order to bring the
seeker's wayfaring to completion.
Ja’far al-Sadiq
(both an imam in the Shia tradition and a respected
scholar and link in chains of Sufi transmission)
Held that human beings are dominated by
a lower self called the nafs,
a spiritual intuition called the qalb or spiritual heart,
and a spirit or soul called rooh.
These interact in various ways, producing
spiritual types of the tyrant (dominated by nafs),
person of faith and moderation
(dominated by the spiritual heart), and
the person lost in love for God (dominated by the ruh).
Robert Frager
A Sufi Teacher
Trained psychologist, born in the United States,
wrote extensively on Sufism and psychology
A Sufi gathering engaged in Zikr
Some Sufis draw inspiration from this
Tradition of the Prophet
Says God:
When I love My servant,
I am his hearing through which he hears,
his sight through which he sees,
his hand through which he grasps, and
his foot through which he walks.
The seeker must also,
turn away from
sins, love of this world, the love of company and
renown, obedience to satanic impulse, and the
promptings of the lower self.
The seeker must also be trained to
prevent
the corruption of those good deeds which have
accrued to his or her credit by overcoming the
traps of ostentation, pride, arrogance, envy, and
long hopes
(meaning the hope for a long life allowing us to
mend our ways later, rather than immediately,
here and now).
Largely seen as
Symbol of
Tolerance and Humanism
Non-dogmatic and Flexible
Golden Chain of Naqshbandi Order
Tomb of Baba Ghulam Farid
Mithan Kot
Grave of Ma Yuanzhang
Sufi Grand Master in China
Wali Tomb
Sudan
Rumi Museum
Turkey
Rumi
(1207-1273)
brought about a
paradigm shift
in the
Mystic Focus
The poetry of
Rumi, the Immortal Reed Player of Konia
has been
compiled, translated, interpreted,
appreciated and propagated by
E. G. Browne
R. A. Nicholson
and
A. J. Arberry
Ascension (Me’raj)
During the conversation between
God and the Prophet
The Prophet
sought God’s Blessings
for
not only himself but for
all those who are pious
(who do good deeds)
Rumi’s
new mystic dimension
Man’s obligatory perseverance to
help out the needy
and consider this service
as divine intoxication
In Christianity
this dimension is known as
Praxis
Rumi’s
mystic creativity
was echoed
and propagated
by
Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal
Poet Philosopher of India
in early 20th c.
They piloted
a wholesome fusion
of the
physical
with the
metaphysical
Love, Warmth and Music
juxtapose
with the
Heavenly & the Divine
When man considers himself to be clay,
God’s light dies in his heart.
When Moses casts off his Self
His hand becomes black
and his rod a piece of rope
Come out of the monasteries and,
while still gripped with the love of God,
Proactively persevere to help out those in need,
just like Imam Husain did in Karbala.
Confining yourself to the monasteries
you will be engaged in lamentation of the past
with a heavy heart
Giving you momentary personal satisfaction.
‫سنے کوئي مري غربت کي داستاں مجھ سے‬
‫بھاليا قصہ پيمان اوليں ميں نے‬
‫لگي نہ ميري طبيعت رياض جنت ميں‬
‫پيا شعور کا جب جام آتشيں ميں نے‬
‫رہي حقيقت عالم کي جستجو مجھ کو‬
‫دکھايا اوج خيال فلک نشيں ميں نے‬
‫مال مزاج تغير پسند کچھ ايسا‬
‫کيا قرار نہ زير فلک کہيں ميں نے‬
‫نکاال کعبے سے پتھر کي مورتوں کو کبھي‬
‫کبھي بتوں کو بنايا حرم نشيں ميں نے‬
‫کبھي ميں ذوق تکلم ميں طور پر پہنچا‬
‫چھپايا نور ازل زير آستيں ميں نے‬
‫کبھي صليب پہ اپنوں نے مجھ کو لٹکايا‬
‫کيا فلک کو سفر‪ ،‬چھوڑ کر زميں ميں نے‬
‫کبھي ميں غار حرا ميں چھپا رہا برسوں‬
‫ديا جہاں کو کبھي جام آخريں ميں نے‬
‫سنايا ہند ميں آ کر سرود رباني‬
‫پسند کي کبھي يوناں کي سر زميں ميں نے‬
‫ديار ہند نے جس دم مري صدا نہ سني‬
‫بسايا خطہء جاپان و ملک چيں ميں نے‬
‫بنايا ذروں کي ترکيب سے کبھي عالم‬
‫خالف معني تعليم اہل ديں ميں نے‬
‫لہو سے الل کيا سينکڑوں زمينوں کو‬
‫جہاں ميں چھيڑ کے پيکار عقل و ديں ميں نے‬
‫سمجھ ميں آئي حقيقت نہ جب ستاروں کي‬
‫اسي خيال ميں راتيں گزار ديں ميں نے‬
‫ڈرا سکيں نہ کليسا کي مجھ کو تلواريں‬
‫سکھايا مسئلہ گردش زميں ميں نے‬
‫کشش کا راز ہويدا کيا زمانے پر‬
‫لگا کے آئنہ عقل دور بيں ميں نے‬
‫کيا اسير شعاعوں کو ‪ ،‬برق مضطر کو‬
‫بنادي غيرت جنت يہ سر زميں ميں نے‬
‫مگر خبر نہ ملي آہ! راز ہستي کي‬
‫کيا خرد سے جہاں کو تہ نگيں ميں نے‬
‫ہوئي جو چشم مظاہر پرست وا آخر‬
‫تو پايا خانہء دل ميں اسے مکيں ميں نے‬
Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal’s
Sarguzasht-e-Aadam
Adam's Trevologue
O you, listen to my travelogue of painstaking perseverence;
I had conveniently forgotten about my original promise.
I was no longer enamoured of the garden of paradise,
thus I preferred to tread into worldly difficulties.
I considered the idea of sitting in the skies as futile
and I did my best to understand the reality of the world.
Though I've been working on various options,
yet I could hardly get full satisfaction anywhere under the sky.
Sometimes I expelled the stone idols from the Kabah,
though at an earlier moment
I had installed these inside the sanctuary.
Fired by an urge to talk to God, I once climbed mount Toor,
and I also took out the light of spirituality
from under my arm.
Once I was crucified on the cross by my own kith & kin;
then I had to travel from earth to the sky.
There was a time when I used to contemplate in
The cave of Hira;
consequently I presented to the world
the ultimate solution.
I came to India and sang the Godly sarod;
At another occasion I opted for the land of Greece.
When the Indian ambiance didn't appropriately respond
to my call,
I made myself comfortable in the region of China & Japan.
I took a turn and switched over from puritanist extreme
to interpreting the universe through
configuration of particles.
Once I committed the blunder of unleashing
the controversial debate between religion and science;
it spilled blood bath over hundreds of lands.
When I couldn't follow the secret of the stars,
I used to remain perplexed in the solitude of night.
Swords of the church could not discourage me from
teaching the world
that earth revolves round the sun and not the vice versa.
I telescoped the
canvas of my wisdom
and exposed the secret of
earth's gravitational force.
I captured the
atmospheric waves
and dovetailed them with the
phenomenon of lightening;
thus, I initiated a concept of
parallelism between
paradise and earth.
Nonetheless, alas !
I could not untangle
the secret of life.
Then I began
taking
a macro view of
the universe.
Ultimately, my inner soul won
over my delusion; and I found
all the answers to my quest
right there
in the interior
of my heart.