Jesus holds a special place in Islamic mysticism (Sufism). In Sufi literature, he is an exceptional being and the Perfect Master. The Quranic Jesus is a symbol, sign and concrete embodiment of mercy and compassion and the fruits of the realization of the True Self. In the Quran, Jesus is described "as a sign for mankind and a mercy from Us." Ibn Arabi, the great mystic and philosopher, states that Jesus was his first master and the reason he entered the path of Sufism. Jesus is the embodiment of the divine breath that Gabriel deposited in the womb of Mary. He is not said to have a spirit but in fact 'is' spirit. [1]
Merry Christmas to our Christian friends worldwide, including those born in Muslim majority countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: [1] Source: Dr. Javid Nurbakhsh. "Jesus in the eyes of the Sufis." (Photo: The trial of Ibn Rushd (Averroes)) Until the 18th and 19th centuries, in the West there was no real distinction between a scientist and a philosopher, and many of the great scientist-philosophers were also theologians. Science in the West gave philosophy a way of empirically testing theories and concepts, whilst philosophy helped to develop the scientific method used today. [1] It is no secret that the advancement in science in the Western world could not have existed without philosophy, which dates back to ancient Greece’s biggest philosophers, Plato and Aristotle.
However, while in the Western world philosophy was embraced, in the Near East, it was sidelined. In the 11th to 13th century, the domination of western Asia by Seljuqs led to the eclipse of philosophy (falsafeh) in the eastern lands of Islam. The caliphate, supported by the Seljuqs, preferred the teaching of kalam (science of discourse) in the madrasahs (schools) to philosophy. [2] The most famous attack against falsafeh came from the Sufi theologian, Ghazali, who dealt with philosophical themes himself and even composed treatises on formal logic. In his book, Tahafut al-falsafah (Incoherence of the Philosophers), he sought to demolish the views of the philosophers, such as Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Farabi, accusing them of deviating from Islam in their denial of the creation of the world, God’s knowledge of particulars and bodily resurrection. Ibn Rushd (Averroes), the celebrated Andalusian philosopher, attempted to respond to Ghazali’s attack with his book “The Incoherence of the Incoherence” but was only mildly successful. Ghazali’s attack has been portrayed by Western orientalists as the final blow to falsafeh and science in the Near East, but the truth is that though “Islamic philosophy” in the West did come to a sudden end at the time, philosophical thought did not disappear completely in the Muslim world, but took refuge mostly in philosophical Sufism and philosophical theology instead. [2] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: [1] Martyn Shuttleworth (Sep 4, 2009). Philosophy of Science History. Retrieved Mar 09, 2018 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/history-of-the-philosophy-of-science [2] Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. “Islamic philosophy from its Origin to Present: Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy." State University of NY Press. 2006. https://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Philosophy-Its-Origin-Present/dp/0791468003 (Photo by Gregory Colbert) Did you know that the practice of muraqaba (meditation), widely used in the Islamic mystic (Sufi) tradition, can decrease depression? In a study conducted at five middle schools in Belgium, involving about 400 students, Professor Flip Raes concluded that “students who follow an in-class mindfulness program report reduced indications of depression, anxiety and stress up to six months later. Moreover, these students were less likely to develop pronounced depression-like symptoms.” Another study, from the University of California, studied patients with past depression, reports that mindfulness meditation decreases ruminative thinking and dysfunctional beliefs. Another study concluded that meditation may be as effective as antidepressant drugs in treating depression and anxiety. [1] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: [1] Giovanni. "Scientific Benefits of Meditation - 76 Things You Might be Missing Out On." Live and Dare. https://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/ Mystic traditions tell us that every one of us has a biological mechanism for individual enlightenment toward higher consciousness—a potential force that once aroused can produce a variety of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual effects. The ancient yogic texts described a life energy called prana present in all living beings; corollary energies have been described in many other cultures such as chi in Taoist tradition, tumo of Tibetan yogis, quaumaneq of Eskimo shamans and incendium amoris and photismos of Christian mystics. A life force that is a normally dormant can get activated and awakened under certain conditions to strength or purify an individual’s prana to transform them and bring them closer to self-knowledge. This force has been referred to as Kundalini, Shakti, the Odic force, the Holy Spirit, The Peral of Great Price, the Serpent Power, the Rod of Aaron, the Sacred Fire, and Osiris. Western scientists have linked this energy, which mystics have experienced for centuries, to near-death experiences (NDEs), the profound spiritual or mystical experiences that some persons report as they approach or start to cross the threshold of death. [1] The concept of this force exists within Islamic mysticism (Sufism) as well, and some have referred to it as “the fire of separation,” which creates baraka, the Muslim spiritual blessing which is the initiation that awakens the lataif or chakra centers in the human nervous system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] Source: Greyson, Bruce. Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. Article: “Some Neuropsychological Correlates of the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome.” Do you know that the practice of meditation, widely used in the Islamic mystic (Sufi) tradition, increases the number of gamma waves in your brain? An experiment involving a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks revealed that meditation on compassion and love can increase the number of gamma waves in your brain. Ed Yong, a writer for Atlantic, describes gamma waves this way: “When a crowd starts to applaud, each person initially does so to their own rhythm, but in some cases those claps can synchronize with hundreds of thousands or millions of hands striking in unison. Something similar happens in the brain. When a single neuron fires, it sends an electrical pulse down its length. But large networks of neurons can fire together, creating regular cycles of electrical activity that resemble the synchronized applause of rapturous crowd. Formally these are called neural oscillations; more colloquially, they are brain waves.” [1] Scientists classify these waves based on how frequently neurons fire in a single second. If neurons fire 30 to 90 times, the waves are called gamma waves and are linked to higher mental abilities such as sensory perception and increased focus and memory. [1] When focusing on love and compassion, the Buddhist monk’s brain works in a coherent manner, showing that neuronal structures fire in harmony. This phenomenon in the monk’s brain was the largest seen in humans. Neuroscientists say this could explain the heightened sense of consciousness, bliss, increased cognitive functions and intellectual acuity caused by meditation. [1] ---------------------------------------- Source: [1] Yong, Ed. "Beating Alzheimer's With Brain Waves." The Atlantic. Dec 7, 2016. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/12/beating-alzheimers-with-brain-waves/509846/ Photo: www.pixabay.com Do you know that you can calm your mind with meditation, which is widely used in the Islamic mystic (Sufi) tradition?
As psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert discovered, almost half of the time we operate while our mind is wandering on other things. We spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around us or might never happen. This “stimulus-independent thought” or “mind wandering” appears to be the brain’s default mode of operation. As the psychologists write, “Although this ability is remarkable evolutionary achievement that allows people to learn, reason and plan,” it comes with an emotional cost. In other words, “a human mind is a wandering mind, and a wondering mind is an unhappy mind.” You can check out the entire study here. "Interdependence is a living practice. Courtesy, manners, and right action are the expression of a practice that allows brotherhood to find expression. It is most characteristic of the Way of Love.
"This practice begins with respect. "We can respect the carpet that is walked on, the cup that is drunk from, the candle that bears light. In times past a dervish wouldn't 'put out' a candle; he would 'put it to rest.' A dervish, knowing that the word dervish also means 'threshold,' always paused in remembrance before stepping over the threshold. In this respect for inanimate things is the recognition of an identity between the observer and what is observed. Although the material world is not taken as the final reality, it is considered a manifestation of the Spirit and therefore worthy of respect. "If the material world deserves our gratitude and respect, if the Sufi kiss the tea glass from which they drink, how much more respect do they owe to other creatures and beings?" ------------------------------------------------ Source: Quoted from: Kabir Helminski, Founder of Threshold Society and a Sheikh of the Sufi Melvevi Order in Turkey, website. https://sufism.org/. Illustration: By The original is located at Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, digitalized by Institutul de Memorie Culturală cIMeC Bucureşti, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1197101 |
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AuthorSaghi (Sasha) Archives
May 2019
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