Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullet Magnet  In my unending quest for information about religions, I find Sufism particularly seducing. I was wondering if anyone here practices it or know about it and can share some information about it. Then answer some more acute questions.
Thanks, |
sensei,
my knowledge on sufism is very limited and quite holed up (mbakhwash), forgive my inaccurasies, biases, generalizations and prejeduces but who cares: it's just more nuances right,
sufi's or sufism is considered a branch of islam. however in some fundamentalist circles theyre regarded very negatively and more like blasphamours than practicing muslims.
i think theyre mystical in their approach to God and religion. From my experience with one sufi who i had the pleasure of meditating with, he seemed to be highly openminded, open to other religions, other thoughts, dogmas interpretations, nothing seemed solid for him. it all just flowed and he trusted the flow (and this is my assumption) even if he didnt understand it. he believed in God, the existence of God but not in the tangible way portrayed by my experience living in a predominantly sunnite country in the middleeast. He has indian, tanzanian and yemeni roots. which beckons the question of travelling or seafaring and trade back in the day. (which corroborated the relationship between sufism, india and the arab world.
I think sufism is a result of the expression and interaction between the indian and arab traders, seafarers and travellers in the day. Its sort of a fusion between hindu mystiscm, buddhist meditation and code and under the Koranic umbrella. Perhaps the latter was a prerequisite for their practise i do not know.
A few years earlier my mothers cousin in paris gifted me in christmas a buddhabar compilation (II) and there was track by Deepak Chopra and Demi Moore called desire. the words were infuriatingly seductive. it spoke of love, desire, sacrifice, killing the ego and melting into the other; at first i thought it was a passion, The passion between a man and a wome, between two lovers (and it could be) but it called intrigued me to the point where i got googling on it, and the name
Rumi kept popping up.
after investigating further, i found more poetry for rumi, this mysterious man of iran and turkey in the 1300's. his poetry was saturated with the theme of love and
melting the ego in this love but it wasnt necc the love of a man or woman, but a more universal love, that of God, thus of all God's children and manifestations. (you would understand further why i pursued this more
)
turns out
Rumi, is the heart and father of Sufi'sm. In fact the sufi school of thought centered in turkey is found after him. the rest of what i know is limited to Google, Wikipedia and his writings infatuated by God, the Love of God, and the Transcendance of ego, life, pain by awakening to this love.
but i will come accross my sufi friend again when the time is right, and i'll pick his brain (for you ;) LoL) further (see how brab7ak jmeeleh :D) lol
all in all it has the right amount of selflessness, mystery, sensuality Sprituality and non-ego to keep me hooked for a while
and ill end by quoting my sufi friend telling me of a story his experience with a sufi master: the master looked at the young student, brushed his finger on the floor and raised it saying:
"you see this spec of dust, it is nothing, and you are like this spec of dust: Nothing"
Regards brother
Sufism: what is it and what are the key teachings? -
5th October 2006
6th October 2006
Rabi'a -
12th October 2006
