Obviously the title is a misnomer. Who can dare to speak and say with a definitive gesture that this is what a mystical tradition is for. That would be a terrible case of misappropriation. However hopefully as I get into the title you will see why I chose it. The Science of States It is…
Often enough, people look for a spiritual “final solution” to all of life’s ills. This results in numerous forms of fundamentalism: Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist in flavoring. Secular ideologues have also promised utopian solutions to all of our problems. All of these approaches tend to one or another form of absolutism, and all…
Indications of Spiritual Narcissism Introduction Sufi literature often overlooks the fact that persons require a modicum of self-esteem to maintain their basic human dignity. In a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad it is said, “respect is the right of every believer.” Such respect also entails the esteem of another to be fully functional, and this…
“Say ye: ‘we believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no difference between one and another of them, and we bow to God.’ “Chapter 2, Verse…
One of the most painful part of being a dervish is watching all your ideas and expectations get ripped to shreds. One cannot as Shah Nimatullah has said hold an opinion to sit in the circle of the Friend. Please don’t think it means that I can’t believe that the Knicks wont do well the…
I’ve been meaning to say some words on religion. Sometimes I think we have a toss the baby out with the bath water mentality. We have seen without a doubt the abuses of religion. I think human history in a large part has been shaped by conflicted expressed through ideology especially religious ideology. But nowadays,…
