Thought
One
I
could be talking about Kabir, Shirdi Sai Baba, Jalaluddin Rumi,
Bulleh Shah …and I would be speaking about Sufis and Sufism
They were/are all Mystic Men of God.
A
Sufi is a Dervish standing at the threshold…a Fakir devoid
of all attachments and ignorance…
They
strive to remove the veils of ignorance and unite with their
Beloved.
This
Divine Unity is known as Tawhid.
'Sama'
happens when the spirit gets intoxicated with 'God'
This
experience is so intense that some Sufis pass away while
experiencing this stage.
Music is an integral part of Sufi devotion.
They call it Samai Hakani. The latter makes them get into a
rapturous situation when all dance together in a sort of
mystic/spiritual trance.
'Zikir'
is basically remembrance of God.
With
every 'dum' (breath) one is urged to take the name of God.
Without
the name of the Lord a breath is a waste.
Sufis
celebrate death. 'Urs' is the death anniversary. The chaddar
(sheet of flowers) that is offered at the 'dargaah' is
symbolic of the nuptial bed. The meeting with the Almighty.
Bulleh
Shah, Meerabai and Guru Nanak, according to me, were Sufis!
I
believe that they used to 'compose' in trance and render their
compositions in ecstasy. Sufis want to experience God now!
They live in the 'now'.
Sufis
believe in the 'Sahaj Maarg'
Sahaj
Marg literally means the 'Easy Path'. It is a path to
which Sufis totally surrender…they allow themselves to
'flow'… It is not as easy as it sounds…
Spirituality is a way of life for them. They take to the
practice of Naam jap (Repetition of Name)
Kabir
and Nanak believed that:
The
Nam and the Lord are not different.
One
who realizes the Nam realizes God. Nam goes beyond all senses
and it cannot be comprehended by the intellect nor seen with
the eyes but can only be realized by repetition.
Senses
or intellect cannot contact the Divine, the soul can. Yet a
Teacher is very necessary.
After
initiation, when the disciple concentrates on his third eye,
his consciousness gradually withdraws itself from the nine
portals of the body and enters the spiritual world. This
process of withdrawing to the eye center has been termed
'dying while living'
Recognizing
God through self-realization has been the main concern of
Sufis.
Sufis
ponder on:
Who
is the Creator?
What is the Truth?
What is the meaning of life?
However
Karma or ones destiny has to be endured.
Attachment
and hate, friendship and enmity, pride and resentment are
strong feelings that form grooves on the mind and in course of
time become the cause of further effects (karmas). The
constant struggle against negative tendencies and desires is
known as 'Jihad bin nafs'
According
to Sufism, there are three ways to escape the effects of
Karma: acceptance, surrender to God/Guru and the Simran of the
Name.
Sufis
believe that the world is to be contemplated upon, not become
a slave to…
One
must remain true to ones nature…
Self
realization is possible when one meditates, has faith and
lives in an environment of tolerance, love and friendliness.
He
who has conquered the five inner regions is the true warrior…He
who gives up his ego saves his soul.
Guru
Nanak stated: Man jeetey Jag jeetey
He
who conquers his mind, conquers the world.
Thought
Two
Meet
Guru Nanak, Kabeer, Shaikh Ali Hujweri, Al-Beruni, Sheikh
Nizamuddin Auliya, Dara Shukoh, Sheikh Qadiri, Mirza Mazhar
Jani-I-Jahan, Jalal-Al-din Rumi…
Kabir says "To control the mind, those who are realized,
have given three techniques, one is repetition of the name
(with full attention), Contemplation and listening to the
sound.
Simran
or repetition, has to be done in a way that it continues even
though the devotee is engaged in regular activity.
Such
repetition brings the soul to the eye center and opens the
tenth door. The practice of repetition is said to be perfect
when the practice becomes involuntary and happens
automatically. The mind then gives up wandering, its attention
now moves inwards.
Kabir
says:
"If
he tries to find himself he finds God
and if he tries to find God he finds himself."
"Let no one go searching for Him,
still your mind, meditate on Him,
for He, Ram, fills each particle of the creation".
…not
confined to idols, symbols nor does He dwell on snow capped
peaks, nor in churches, temples and mosques. The Kingdom of
God is within…
Kabir's
longing for the Lord was the longing of a lover for her
Beloved.
Kabir
has described himself as the 'bride of the Lord'.
The
use of the senses is to utilize it, for Spiritual benefit and
uplift.
I
(Shakun) used to sing a Sindhi kalaam: "Je Allah saan
milan chaaheen, jeeyare paan khey maar" which means
that if 'you want to become one with the Lord, continue to
live while dead"
Shaikh
Ali Hujweri states: 'The follower of Sufism is he who seeks to
reach the rank of being dead to self and alive to truth by
means of struggle…'
According
to Al-Beruni the Sufi theories of the soul are similar to
those in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra.
Sheikh
Nizamuddin Auliya's description of his conversation with Yogis
shows that he was impressed with their 'Shiva and Shakti'
theory.
Dara
Shukoh, the ill fated Moghul prince tried to prove that Hindu
and Muslim mysticism met at many points…
Sheikh
Qadiri learnt Sanskrit so that he could read Hindu Scriptures…
Mirza
Mazhar Jani-I-Jahan accepted Rama and Krishna as prophets.
Jalal-Al-din
Rumi states: Every prophet and every saint hath a way, but it
leads to God: all the ways are really one.
I
am neither Christian, nor Jewish, nor Muslim. Doing away with
duality, I saw the two worlds as one. I seek One, I know One,
I see One, and I call One.
Last verse by Rumi from "The Life and Thought"
Translated
by Aneela Khalid Arshed
Rumi
said:
"The
life of this world is nothing but the harmony of
opposites...one can achieve it through the language of
silence..."
According
to Osho the Baul belongs to no religion...He is a simple
human being. His rebellion is total. He does not belong to
anybody; he only belongs to himself. He lives in a no man's
land: no country is his, no religion is his, no scripture is
his...Existence is his only abode...Dance is his religion,
singing is his worship-but everything has to come out of deep
feeling...He leaves the world to itself. He does not
interfere, meddle with it. He starts changing himself. His
revolution is absolutely inner...Love is their worship, love
is their prayer, love is their meditation...
Read
Guru Nanak
Shirdi
Sai Baba
