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#3850 -
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
What is
Sufism?
By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
& David Paquoit
Traveler: When friends ask me what I study, and
I try to explain, I find it hard to put into words, what is
Sufism? Help me understand so I can give a clearer answer?
Master: One of the great teachers offered, 'long
before there was a name (Sufism) there was a reality. Now there
is a name without a reality.' What is meant by this is that there
has always been a way to connect with and experience ultimate
Truth; this spiritual path of learning existed long before
travelers, in the late 1800's, gave this way of learning its
present name- Sufism. At the time, local ascetics wore a
distinctive woolen (Soof) robe and became known for this. Now
this name, or spiritual form, for many followers exists without a
corresponding inner reality. Often today, what you see in the
world represented as Sufism is an empty shell of its former self.
Fools gold exists because there is real gold.
Rumi 1
This ancient Path of spiritual development is based upon
connection with and experience of the Divine. It involves study
with a teacher and the awakening, through direct contact with
Truth of latent spiritual capacity; this is done so the traveler
can help others. This Truth or universal essence, the spiritual
traveler seeks and experiences, is the underlying energy or
fabric of created forms.
If I had known of any science greater than Sufism
I would have gone to it, even on my hands and knees.
Junaid 2
The Sufi's task is to recognize the end at the Beginning.
He has gone beyond. He has rolled up the cosmos
In its turn and obliterated it.
He has reduced and then eliminated the marks
Of selfhood to allow a clear view of Cosmic Reality.
Junaid 3
This Path, existed long before there were religions; this way of
learning is at the heart of the great religions; it is the
underlying spiritual energy that gives everything in the universe
its form and substance. Inside each of us is an aspect of this
wondrous element. Through preparation, practice developing our
inner spiritual awareness, and Grace we unite with and serve
Ultimate Reality every day.
For so long did the Beloved
Face my open heart
That except for His Attributes and Nature
Nothing remained of that heart.
Maghribi 4
My teacher called this Path - the Superhighway to God. For those
who wish to connect with Truth and use their inner spiritual
capacity to help others; this form of learning is available in
every town and city.
Worshipping God is not done with
Rosary beads, prayer carpet, or robe.
Worshipping God is serving others.
Saadi 5
Sufism is not something talked about or described in written
words; it is a universal essence that is experienced and known
through inner spiritual contact. Much like love; no matter how
many words you use- the description is not the same as the actual
experience. And like love which ebbs and flows, Sufism changes to
fit the learner, time and place.
Sufism is a school of spiritual state, not discourse, and a Sufi
is something to become, not something to merely read about. Since
spiritual states cannot be expressed in words, Sufi sheikhs have
declared, "Whatever can be expressed in words isn't
Sufism." As Rumi has stated, "When I came to love, I
was ashamed of all I have ever said about love."
Whatever great Sufis have said in explanation of Sufism was the
result of and appropriate to their particular situation and
states. Such explanation, therefore do not constitute general
definitions of Sufism. Rather they refer to some of its
characteristics.
Javad Nurbakhsh 6
Traveler: This helps a little. Sufism is
difficult to put into words because it is a spiritual experience
and changes with each person. Yet, I have been in love and know
there are different forms of love with many peaks and valleys
that are impossible to describe; and no matter how pretty a poem
or love song, I know it is not the experience of love itself.
Master: Remember, everyone is a spiritual
traveler and in their long journey through this universe,
experiences many wondrous things. Countless experiences go beyond
words and cannot be written down- changing with each moment and
person. This dimension is one of the elements that make life
multi-level and beautiful. If this is too difficult for those who
ask about us to grasp, ask them to define love or even life
itself. As they ponder all the possibilities, then, they will
begin to understand.
Although Sufis live outwardly among people, inwardly they are
constantly occupied with God. Their bodies and mind exist with
others, whereas their hearts are far from them. Externally, they
are congenial with everyone. Inwardly, however, they themselves
are strangers to all. They are at peace with all people, yet
within them selves tranquility is to be found only in Divine
Love. Though they live among people they are truly alone.
Javad Nurbakhsh 7
______________________
Thanks to David Paquoit for supplying the different quotes of the
great Sufi Masters. To reach David go to www.caravanofdreams.wordpress.com .
Also by Dr. Bitkoff, A Commuter's Guide to Enlightenment
(Llewellyn, 2008) and Journey of Light:Trilogy (Authorhouse,
2004); these books are available on Amazon.com or from the
publisher. To contact author go to www.stewartbitkoff.com .
Footnotes
1 Rumi quote found in: Idries Shah, Learning How to Learn:
Psychology and Spirituality in the Sufi Way, Penguin Compass,
1978.
2 Junaid quote appears in: Fadhalla Haeri, The Elements of
Sufism, Barnes and Noble, 1999.
3 Junaid quote appears in: Shaiykh A. Al-Murabit, The Hundred
Steps, Madinah Press, 2nd edition, 1998.
4 Maghribi quote appears online: http://www/nimatullahi.org/sufism/path .
5 Saadi quote appears in Javad Nurbakhsh, The Path: Sufi
Practices, Nimattullahi Publications, 2003.
6, 7 Both Nurbakhsh quotes appear in J. Nurbakhsh, The Path: Sufi
Practices, cited above.