Its a great honor and privilege really that Shaykha Fariha al-Jerrahi, master for Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order, is scheduled to be in Boulder this coming 20th July to lead Sufi Zikr or Divine Remembrance.

The Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order is a community of dervishes within the Halveti-Jerrahi Tariqat, in the lineage and spirit of Sheikh Muzaffer Ashki al-Jerrahi and Sheikh Nur al-Anwar al-Jerrahi, may God sanctify their souls.

.: About the Program: Remembrance through chant, poetry, movement.

.: Date: Sunday, July 20th at 4 pm.

.: Place: Boulder, Colorado at Naropa, Arapahoe Campus (21st and Arapahoe) in PAC (Performing Arts Center) Auditorium with Shaykha Fariha and the Boulder dervishes. check via google map.

Invitation: Our planet is in crisis due primarily to our belief in separation. There is a great need for human consciousness to undergo a transformation that will allow us to express our oneness with all that is. The Sufi path is one of love for the sacred nature of life. All Lovers of Love are welcome.

My intimate love affair with and for Nur Ashki Jerrahi sufi order started with the introduction to Shaykh Nur (Lex Hixon)'s beautiful writings. Specially his books, Atom from the Sun of Knowledge (1993) and Heart of the Koran (1988) belongs to my all time favorites list. Also Shaykh Nur as well as Shaykha Fariha's direct teacher, Shaykh Muzaffer Effendi, May God ennobles their souls, who was very influential in bringing the light of sufi path of divine love to the west - was another great teacher to whom my heart felt attracted. I truly immersed myself while reading the book, Lifting the Boundaries: Muzaffer Efendi and the Transmission of Sufism to the West.

When hearts gets attracted to hearts, some hidden doors are open somewhere. While living in Singapore for academic purpose, co-incidentally a Jerrahi dervish and khalifa (representative) of Nur Ashki Jerrahi Order - Mustafa Abdul Wadud just moved in there and began the regular gatherings for the circle of zikr. Thanks to God's beautiful plan, I was blessed to be present at the Meshk Ilahi gatherings of Nur Ashki Jerrahi order there in Singapore.

Different sufi orders due to cultural diversity have different styles of zikr. To my limited experience, among different sufi zikrs, I always found the Jerrahi sufi zikrs specially 'sweet' and 'beautiful'. It was reinforced again here in Boulder at Nur Ashki Jerrahi Tekke where I participated sufi zikr led by Habiba Ashki al-Jerrahi. The same sweetness of the ilahis simply touches the heart so deeply! There the Jerrahi Dervishes meet every Thursday night at 7:30 pm for dhikrullah.

While listening to her enlightening talks for sometime from the Nur Ashki website and on other occasion in sufi conferences recorded audios, I developed a deep fondness and love for Shaykha Fariha. Infact my one of the major intention to go to New York was to be able visit the Dergah where she holds the regular zikrs and to see and listen to her. Now its a great rejoicing news that she is coming here in Boulder. Alhamdulillah! May God continue to bless her and her work.

Shaykha Fariha was born into a socially committed, eclectic Catholic family in Houston, Texas in 1947 and has lived at various times in Los Angeles, Mexico and New York, where she currently resides. At the age of 19 she began a conscious search for God. Ten years later she met her teacher, Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak of Istanbul. Through Shaykh Muzaffer she also met Lex Hixon, who became his disciple in the same year. At the passing of the Master, she became the disciple of Lex Hixon, by this time called Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi.

Shaykh Muzaffer came to the West to meet Nur and to plant the seeds of Sufism in the hearts of the American lovers. From this transmission Nur envisioned a radical and illumined path of the heart which he called Universal Islam. When Shaykh Nur passed in 1995, Fariha took on the role of guiding the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order. Through this lineage, she and her representatives offer the nectar of teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, which guide the seeker to self-knowledge and immersion in God. The sacred practices of zikr, prayer, charitable living, fasting and retreat are all embraced.

According to her "Islam is like clear water poured into different vessels. It takes the color and shape of each vessel." She conducts spiritual and educational meetings for her sufi dervishes across the USA in 16 states. Every Thursday, Fariha with her husband Ali and the dervishes invite all seekers into the circle of zikr at the Masjid al-Farah in New York City. Contact address.

:: Resources
. Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order
. Teachings
. Audio Talks, Sohbet and Khutbas with Shaykha Fariha
. Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order of Singapore, Halveti-Jerrahi Tariqat
. Meshk Ilahi - the islamic sacred hymn tradition in Singapore

Excerpt from a Romaninan newspaper, Evenimentulzilei article, called "Ode to America," written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu. via God, Faith and a Pen blog of Dr. Hesham Hassaballa.

~ An Ode to America ~

"Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs.

Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, or the Secret Service that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about. Instead the Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand. After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion, they started singing: 'God Bless America!'

I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put into collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy. What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace, I thought things over, I reached but only one conclusion... Only freedom can work such miracles."

- by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii meaning "Ode To America") on September 24, 2002 in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei ("The Daily Event" or "News of the Day")

Dr. Hesham, a Chicago pulmonologist and prolific author, adds in his blog post commenting on the article,

"... Yes, America can always do better. There is still bigotry in this country, especially against Muslims. So much so, in fact, that to call Obama a "Muslim" is considered a smear by his campaign. There is still inequality and injustice; there is still poverty, hunger, and homelessness, in the richest country in the world.

Still, as I reflect on this Fourth of July, I must remind myself of what is right about America. I must remind myself how truly blessed I am to be an American. I must remind myself how, truly, there is no other country in the world I would rather call home. May God continue to bless America for ever and ever and ever. Amen."

Creation is the product of synchronizing our energy with the universe. Once we experience the whole and recognize it, we become aware that we are nothing but the Divine Creative Force.

- Rassouli, a contemporary visionary artist, mystic and poet who's masterful works have also been compared with Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

He calls his unique painting technique Fusionart, a style that Rassouli has created and registered and is presently teaching to many artists in Southern California. Fusionart's main theme is cosmic unity. The painting style is derived from mysticism, near-eastern spirituality, and a foundation in European painting techniques. Rassouli represents this concept through illumination of the Divine Creative Light coupled with its manifestation reflected on his canvas in the form of feminine power and beauty. Thus his vision of art and creativity is impregnated with the concept of 'Creative Light coupled with the Divine Beauty'.

one of the most common thread among mysticism of all traditions from ancient religion of Indus valley (or hinduism) to islamic mystic school of tasawwuf or sufism is the enlightenment and realization of the questions: Who is the Real Doer, Who is the Real "I", Real Being?

in the islamic mysticism, the deepest core of mysteries revolve around the question of our identification of self (Nafs) and its illusory nature. gnostics of all ages ultimately arrived at the enlightenment of heart where it was show to them that our individual "i" is a phantom, is a great veil. Gautama Buddha's 'Nibban' (in original pali language) or 'Nirvana', literally meaning Passing Away nevertheless addresses the same reality.

On the subject matter of the phantom 'i' and the Real "I AM" islamic mystic scholars have discussed in length in the context of sacred scripture of Quran (also written as Koran), in sacred sayings of the Prophet (hadith Qudsi) where Divine speaks in First Person and also in the context of the ecstatic utterances of the seekers of the Truth, saints of God (awliya Allah).

... the first major development of the concept of divine speech was the work of the sixth imam of Shi'ah, Jafar al-Sadiq (d. 148/765). Respected for his peity and wisdom by all Islamic sects, Jafar was regarded especially highly by the Sufis, who took his Qu'ran commentary as the basic for their growing body of mystic Qur'anic literature. In his excergesis of the thoephany experienced by Moses on Mt. Sinai, Jafar found the key to the nature of divine speech in the words by which God identified Himself. According to Jafar when God said to Moses, "I Am I, your Lord. (Inni Ana Rabbuka)". (Quran 20.12), Moses then realized that:

it is not proper for anyone but God to speak of Himself by using these words inni ana, "I Am I." I was seized by a stupor (dahsh), and annihilation (fana) took place. I said then: "You! You are He Who Is and Who will be Eternally, and Moses has no place with You nor the audacity to speak, unless You let him subsist by Your subsistence (baqa) and You endow him with Your attribute." ... He replied to me: "None but I can bear My speech, none can give Me a reply; I Am He Who speaks and He Who is spoken to, and you are a phantom (sabah) between the two, in which speech (khitab) takes place."

One of the striking things about this comment is that it reveals selfhood as an exclusively divine prerogative. Only God has the right to say, "I". This important point would later be stressed by Sufis such as Abu Said al-Kharraz (d. 279/892) and Abu Nasr al-Sarraj (d. 378/988). A further aspect of Jafar's comment that greatly influenced Sufism was the use of the terms "Annihilation (fana)" and "subsistence (baqa)," which refer to the disappearance of the human ego and the manifestation of the Divine Presence.

This would later be articulated by the Sufi Dhu al-Nun, who was the first Sufi editor of Jarar's Quranic commentary. Finally Jafar interprets Moses' experience of the divine speech as an event occuring within the consciousness of a human being. One must agree with Nwyia that Jafar has described:

Precisely that which the Sufis designated by the technical term of shath or theopathic locution. Moses heard himself the Inni Ana Rabbuka, Bistami will say Subhani (glory be to Me!) and Hallaj, Ana al-Haqq (I Am the Truth), but the phenomenon is the same; in none of theses cases is the subject of the sentences either Moses, Bistami or Hallaj, but it is God who speaks by and through the human consciousness.

3.
Is it You or I?
That would be two gods in me;
far, far be it from You to assert duality!

The 'Hu' (Beingness) that is Yours in my nothingness forever;
my "all" added to Your "All" would be a double disguise.

But where is Your essence, from my vantage point
when I see You,
since my essence has become plain in the place
where I am not?
And where is Your face? It is the object of my gaze,
whether in my inmost heart or in the glance of my eyes.

Between You and me there is an "I am" that battles me,
so take away, by Your infinite grace, this "I am"
from in between.

- Mansur al-Hallaj, may God sanctify his station.

The book is the first in-depth study in English of the important and impact of ecstatic utterances (shathiyat) in classical islamic mysticism. It makes available an important body of mystical aphorisms and reveals not only the significance of these sayings in sufi tradition, but also explains their controversial impoact.

This study describes the development and interpretation of shathiyat in classical sufism and analyzes the principal themes and rhetoric styles of these sayings, using as a basis of the authoritative Commentary on Ecstatic Sayings by Ruzbihan Baqli of Shiraz.

And whosoever withdraws himself from the remembrance of the Universally Merciful One, We assign for a devil who becomes his comrade. And lo! they surely turn them from the Path, and yet they deem that they are rightly guided;

At length, when such a one returns, he says: O would that between me and you there were the distance of the East and the West; an evil comrade!

When you have done wrong, it will avail you nothing, that Day, that you shall be partners in the doom!

What! can you then make the spiritually deaf to hear or guide the blind in spirit and him who is in manifest error?

- Quran, The Final Testament, chapter Az-Zukhruf, The Luxury, 43:36-40

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but He sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

- The New Testament, John 8:42-47

To tempt Jesus again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'

- The New Testament, Matthew 4: 8-10

God said to the Satan, "This is a law that is inviolable: you have no power over my bondsmen; except such as who put themselves in the wrong and follow you."

- The Quran, Al-Hijr, Rock City, 15:42

The escape from darkness involves two stages: First, the recognition that darkness cannot hide. This step usually entails fear. Second, the recognition that there is nothing you want to hide even if you could. This step brings escape from fear. When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will also understand peace and joy.

Holiness can never be really hidden in darkness, but you can deceive yourself about it. Darkness is lack of light as sin is lack of love. It has no unique properties of its own.

... by perceiving light, darkness already disappears.

There was a wise man, a great Sufi gnäni (gnostic) who had attained an exalted state. But one day the thought came to him, "Whatever may happen to anyone, I will protect them. I will help them."

Now for many years satan had tried to trip him up but never succeeded. However, the day this thought entered the gnäni's mind, satan saw his opportunity and rejoiced, "Oh ho! Now I can finally get this man." So satan clapped his hands and called for his companions.

All the satans gathered in readiness. "Why did you call us? What do you want us to do?"

"This is our chance to catch one of our enemies, a Sufi's gnäni named Ahamad. I want you to change into a snake with fangs containing a very potent poison made from all eight kinds of evil poisons from the eight directions. With this poison in your fangs you must go to the Sufi's gnäni and say, 'O Ahamad Kabïr, I am in danger. Protect me, take care of me.'

"He will tell you, 'I will take care of you. I will protect you.'

"Then say to him, 'Oh! My enemy is coming right now with a knife to kill me. Save me!'

"And he will answer, 'I will save you.' You must make him swear that he will save you. Make him say, 'Yes, I swear I will protect you.'

"Then pretend to be desperate and cry, 'Oh! Oh! My enemy is after me now! Please save me from him.'

"He will say, 'Coil around my head and I will cover you with my turban.'

"But you must insist, 'No, he will still be able to see me there!'

"Then he might tell you, 'Creep into my robe until your enemy goes away.'

"But you must persist and say, 'He will detect me there too. He will end me!'

"Then he will say, 'Coil around my waist and I will tie my sarong over you.'

"But keep saying, 'He will still detect me!'

"Finally, he will ask you, 'What shall I do with you?'

"Then tell him, 'Open your mouth and I will slide down your throat and stay in your stomach. If you tell me when my enemy has gone, immediately I will come out of your mouth.'

"He will ask you, 'How can I be sure you will do this?'

"Then you have to swear every oath you can. Swear seventy thousand times that nothing will happen to him and that you promise you will come out. Go on repeating this and begging him, 'You promised to save me. Please hurry, my enemy is coming!'"

Now, everything happened as satan had predicted. In the end, the Sufi's opened his mouth and let the snake glide into his stomach. When the snake got inside, it started twisting and turning.

Then satan appeared in the form of an Arab with a sword in his hand. Satan intended to ruin the Sufi's by turning him away from the good path. So, knowing that the Sufi's could never tell a lie or he would lose his wisdom, the Arab asked, "Was there a snake crawling this way?"

The Sufi's said, "It went this way and that way," pointing his hand toward himself.

"Which way?" the Arab cleverly insisted.

"It went through here. It came from there and went in this way," the Sufi's said, pointing in the direction of his mouth.

"He went this way?" the Arab asked, pretending to think the Sufi's was pointing behind him, not at his mouth. "He is my enemy; I must finish him off," he said and then ran in pursuit.

By now the snake was wriggling in the Sufi's stomach. The pain was unbearable, so he said, "Your enemy has gone now. You can come out now. My stomach is hurting. Please come out right away."

Then satan said, "You are a fool. I am in a safe place where no enemy can get to me. Now I am going to spit these eight powerful poisons from my mouth into your heart. They will prick you like needle points and fill your heart with holes. You were talking as if you were God, but now I am going to burn you up with this most potent poison."

The Sufi's said, "But you swore seventy thousand oaths on God that you would come out of me."

"What a fool you are. We have been waiting for you for ages. You have taken people away from us and sent them toward God. For eighty years we have been waiting to get you. Only now do we finally have the chance. If we can just finish you off, our kingdom of hell will flourish."

Again the snake said, "You really are a fool. Wasn't it a snake like me that caused Adam to commit the sin that banished him from the garden of Eden? Now I have come once again to lead you from heaven to hell. Didn't God say at that time, 'The snake will be an eternal enemy to the children of Adam?' You fool. There is no oath that can bind us. There is no good in us and no truth in us. We can swear hundreds of millions of oaths, as many as we want. You are a fool if you believe our oaths. Our work is to achieve our goal, and for this we will do anything or swear anything. God has told you, 'Don't believe them.' Did you ever reflect on what God said? No. That shows what a fool you are. Now we are going to finish you off and take you to hell, just as we did to Adam."

Then the Sufi's said, "You are satan, and what you say is true. Just grant me one favor. Please allow me five minutes before spitting your poison into me. Spare me five minutes until I get to my own place, my own abode, and lie down. Once I get there, you can do whatever you want."

The snake said, "All right, I will grant you that one request. You have five minutes leeway."

The Sufi's returned home, writhing in pain. Just as the snake was about to spit its venom into him, he prayed to God with tears in his eyes and uplifted hands. "O God, I took on the responsibility of protecting people, a duty which belongs only to You. You alone are the Protector. Because of the words I uttered, I gave this satan, who had waited eighty years for me, the opportunity to catch me. O God, please forgive me and protect me."

Then the sound of Allah came. He forgave the Sufi's and said to His angel, "O Gabriel, there is a certain herb in heaven. Pick it and crush it, then go quickly and put it into the mouth of the Sufi's"

Blessed and Mighty Gabriel went to the gnäni and said, "O wise one, open your mouth." He gave him the herb and the gnäni swallowed it. The herb killed the snake and it was excreted piece by piece.

Gabriel then said, "Go bathe and come back." When he returned, Gabriel explained, "You are a Sufi's Why did you let this quality come into you? Instead of saying, 'Allah will protect you,' you began to say, 'I will protect you.' That is why you had to undergo this tremendous difficulty You should have said, 'Rahmän, the Merciful One, will protect you. Allah will protect you.' You know that God is the only Helper and Protector. Allah is the One who protects everyone. But you said, 'I will protect you.' Because of these words you fell into this plight. O Sufi's, go and offer prayers of praise (tasbïh) to Allah for another twelve years."

The gnäni went back and prayed for twelve more years.

Just uttering one little word, "I will help you, I am the one who will protect you," brought about the entire calamity.

2.
However learned a person may be, if he makes a slip in even one word or one thought, the path opens, giving satan an opportunity to enter. So, for whatever is yet to happen, we must hand over the responsibility for it to Allah, saying, "God will protect me, God will take care of me." Whatever the circumstances, we must have patience, inner patience (sabür), and contentment (shakür), and then give all responsibility to God (tawakkul). If we can hand that trust over to God, He will take care of us.

In every word we utter, we should not give even one atom of space for satan to creep in. We must block off every opening through which he might enter. If we have falsehood, envy, jealousy, or anger, satan can enter us. He will set us up to make one or another of these qualities rise in us, and then he will try to enter by way of that quality.

Never give him that opportunity by harboring such thoughts. That is what we have to learn here.

The true state of prayer is to always remember the name of God, without giving room for satan to enter. Nothing else can be called 'praying to God'. If you can remain in that state at every moment, if you can concentrate on God with every breath, then there will be no room for satan to come in. That is what prayer is.

# Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship
# Sufism in the West

+ dedicated to friend and artist, Michael Zulli

( art. wild birds. by Zed )

The nature of creation is that it is progressing always towards beauty. 'God is beautiful, and He loves beauty', says the Prophetic tradition. The nature of the body is to beautify itself; the nature of the mind is to have beautiful thoughts; the longing of the heart is for beautiful feelings. - Sufi Master Inayat Khan

Allah, Al-Musawwir
God, The Shaper of Beauty, The Fashioner, The Grand Artist

Allah, Al-Bari'
God, The Maker of Order, The Maker from Nothing

He... creates every thing and determines its nature in accordance with His own design. - The Quran 25:2

2.
The goal of the practice of mysticism is contact with the Divine through various meditative and spiritual disciplines. In mystical painting, the artist cultivates a meditative state clear from thought, imagination and fantasy. When this clear state has been achieved, images and archetypes are projected from the spiritual Reality. The state of the painter of mystical paintings is very much the same as a state of meditation, a clear open state in which the mind is at rest and into which archetypal images and forms are projected from the suprasensable realm. The mind needs to be at rest so that the mind will not subject the pure images to conscious (common) associations of “logical” color and form relationships.

Only a small fraction of painting can truly be described as mystical. Most of this art would be better labeled as fantasy since it happens within the conscious mind of the artist, the mind being encouraged to free-associate interesting or unique combinations of forms or situations and producing pictures which startle or intrigue the mind of the viewer. They are not “windows” to other realities but rather something which appeals to the curiosity and wonder of people.

True mystics realize that the source of all multiplicity of form, experience, thought and feeling in which we partake is found in oneness, in pure essence. This oneness/essence we call Allah, Lord, God and Beloved. If we choose to align ourselves with this oneness we will receive pure guidance. Depending on the capacity of the receiver, the guidance may be received in visual, musical, poetic or other form. If we choose to pay no attention to the oneness, we lack guidance, our life proceeds in a confused haphazard way.

Since the Oneness is the Source of all things, including our being and life, we cannot make demands upon it. We are completely dependent on it in all ways. If we wish to attract some guidance to us, we must create a receptivity for the Guidance to flow into.

Mystics down through the centuries in various traditions have followed different methods designed to entrap the senses and quiet or clear one’s being of thought, emotion, fantasy, etc.

In the case of mystical painting, images come when they will, with no regard to the situation of the artist. They come as mercy, as a gift. The images come complete or incomplete. If they are incomplete it is simply a matter of waiting for the missing parts to be “sent”.

[>] article credit, sufi art

3.
Mystical expressionism is a new mode of art-making that combines the scientific insights of our new age with humankind’s ancient wisdom. (read in details)

4,
Insight. The original purpose of "the arts" was to guide & document the process of getting aligned to the Great Mystery. Compared to this, the contemporary attitudes of self-expression or holding a mirror up to society, while useful, may be seen as somewhat superficial or indulgent. - Michael Green

5.
My image-art can be characterized as paradoxical space that undermines "point of view". That undermining allows for a tacit glimpse, or intuitive sense, of the transcendental condition of reality- totally beyond and prior to "point of view".

My process of image-art is always purposed to transcend "point of view" and, if the resultant images are received seriously and viewed seriously, they are a means for tacitly feeling the perfectly egoless condition of that which is perceived.

By making image-art, I am making "space" for what is beyond and prior to "point of view" and ego-"I".

My images are about how reality is - and they are also about how reality appears, in the context of natural perception, as a construction made of primary shaping-forces. My image-art is, therefore, not merely "subjectively" or, otherwise, "objectively" based. Rather, the images I make always utterly coincide with reality as it is. Therefore, I have called the process of the image-art I make and do "Transcendental Realism".

My images are created to be a means for the fully participating viewer to locate fundamental light - the world as light, all relations as light, naturally perceived light as absolute light.

Ultimately, when "point of view" is transcended, there is no longer any separate self at all - but only love-bliss-brightness, limitlessly felt, in vast unpatterned joy.

[>] selection From Transcendental Realism, by Adi Da Samraj (Middletown, CA: The Dawn Horse Press, 2007) credit

the esoteric law of mirroring promises this simple spiritual truth: the moments when we become the keeper of a laughing heart, life and everything in our personal universe laugh back at us. the challenge is to sustain those moments and expanding it in whole of life to the extent that it becomes integral element of our being.

in far eastern buddhist iconography the archetypal spiritual figure of keeper of a laughing heart is the image of laughing buddha. inside all of us we carry a laughing buddha too. when we become the keeper of a laughing heart, we are already manifesting the laughing buddha within. may your laughing buddha be-come too!

. Image of his holiness Neem Karoli Baba, the one who embodied a laughing heart in his whole of being. may God sanctify his soul.

God declares: "Neither My heaven nor My earth could contain Me, but the pristine, humble heart of My believing servants can contain Me." - sacred saying mentioned by Al-Ghazali in Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din.

"Truly, God has vessels from amongst the people of the earth, and the vessels of your Lord are the hearts of His righteous servants, and the most beloved of them to Him are the softest and most tender ones" - in the authority of al-Tabarani, related from Abu 'Utbah al- Khawlani.

The real abode of God is in the heart of man; when it is frozen with bitterness or hatred, the doors of the shrine are closed, the light is hidden. - Hazrat Inayat Khan

art credit: Sadiq,
titled: Heart-Space, water color on paper

In the Name of the Transcendent, the Holy

The hermitage of Jesus
.... Is the Sufi's table spread;
Take heed, o sick one,
.... Never forsake this doorway.
- Rumi, Mathnawi

:: The Spiritual Station of Jesus
The gnostics amongst the Sufis distinguished four kinds of sainthood (welayat, literally means friendship with God):
1. that which is the inner dimension of prophethood (nabowwat).
2. that which is confined to (moqayyaedah) a given prophet.
3. that which is absolute (motlaqah) within every prophet.
4. that which is common (ammah) that is, attainable by all who seek it.

The sufis say that the common sainthood began with Adam and ended with Jesus, who is the Seal of Common Sainthood.

:: The Way of Jesus and His Methods



Attar in his Diwan writes:

:: Jesus Patchwork Cloak of Wool

# Credit: Jesus in the Eyes of the Sufis
by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, may God sanctify his Sirr.

# Related:
. Jesus, the Sufi Master
. Jesus, the Murshid
. What Jesus run away from?

I had a vision just as I was awakening several years ago. Jesus was standing before me, and I stood in front of him trying to take the vision in and comprehend what I was seeing. It was that mystical time between sleeping and waking, before I am completely awake. Jesus was wearing the crown of thorns, and there were drops of blood on his forehead where the thorns were piercing his skin.

I reached up to touch him, to feel the blood on his skin, and it was warm and real. I asked him if it is painful all the time. He told me that it was not painful, not anymore, because he was lifted beyond it. We didn't speak aloud, but it was communicated telepathically, in that I knew his thoughts and answers, and he knew mine. It was the communion of love.

Since he was more than just the physical body, I asked if it would be possible if I could look through his eyes to see what he sees. He told me that I could do that. I was to direct my vision and thought to move inside his form and image, and I would be there. So, I did, and I felt myself looking out of the eyes of Jesus, who was now the consciousness of Christ... the spiritual Light of Love. I was aware that it was still my awareness within him, and yet I felt the surrounding warmth and grace of the Pure Love that he was.

Everything I looked at, I saw with indescribable Love.

I stepped out to face him again. I was surrounded by an aura of light, a glow, that was a peace he gave me. I told him how beautiful it was and how much I loved him. He asked if he could focus his presence within me and look through my eyes. I was stunned, but answered immediately, that of course, he could!

I felt the presence of the Christ energy of light within me, and I could feel his gaze through my eyes, and I could feel his breath through my lips, his heart beating around mine. I was exalted by it in a way I could never describe with words. It was ecstasy.

He stepped in front of me with a glowing smile. for he knew what I was feeling. I told him it was the most wonderful moment of my life. I asked if it would be possible to move within his form once more. He laughed gently, and told me yes. I stood silently within the consciousness of Christ giving myself to it as completely as I could. I moved out and let the love I was feeling radiate the beauty of the union I was experiencing. I asked how I could ever thank him for the gift of such love. He told me I already had... and he faded from my sight.

I didn't move for over an hour. I just remained in the stillness and the miracle of what had just happened. My eyes were wide open, still seeing. It was more real than anything that has ever happened to me in my life.

It was years ago when I had that vision, and I can still recall it as if it were happening now in this moment. Of course, it changed my life, and it changed the way I see everything and everyone. I have never been the same. Yet, I have had to live into the creative power and beauty and truth of what I saw and felt through the years.

- a precious and very personal vision, a sacred experience shared by Naomi, may God's love be with her always. it's very kind of her for sharing such profound inner experience and giving permission for sharing. Naomi also writes @ New Mother, New Earth Night Song blog.

# art credit
1. top .. Messiah by Rassouli
2. middle .. The Garden of Gethsemane, 1860 by William Dyce

# Related: Dreaming Prophets
.: Interpretation of Dreams
.: Secret of True Dreams

a baby giraffe
enters the world.

from six feet above
dropped to the ground.

existence just found!

from dark womb world
to realm of bright light.

it just can't help
sudden awakening!

the zen master
with closed eyes
announces slowly:
S a t o r i.

walks Moses
straight to the
burning bush.

totally unprepared perhaps,
sudden awakening
arrives.

the sudden awakening
has got no
r e s i s t a n c e.
either it drops on you
or you drop on it,
by complete (paradoxical) chance.


(c) MysticSaint
Denver Int'l Airport
June 24, 2008

Trivia: Mother giraffe often gives birth while standing so that the newborn's first experience outside the womb is a 6 feet drop! In the birthing process, the embryonic sack usually bursts when the baby falls to the ground.

Satori is a Japanese word used in Zen Buddhism for the phenomenon of Sudden Awakening, that Place where the distinction between Experiencer and experience, Knower and known, is erased, and the separative sense of personal self ("I am me, and you aren't") is extinguished. A similar word Kensho is also cited in Zen to signify the experience of awakening or of self-realization and especially the initial experience of awakening.

.: Satori in Zen Buddhism
.: Six points on Satori
.: Satori
.: Kensho
.: Laughing Buddha, Weeping Sufi
.: Selected poems of Laughing Buddha, Weeping Sufi

a good friend of mine recently shared the following insight which probably has the same theme about people whom we consider an obstruction, shadows, enemies, not-friendly in our life adventure; think again, who they really are for you... my friend wrote:

The author of ‘eat, pray, love’ (elizabeth gilbert) on Oprah was talking about one of her life-changing realisations, regarding the concept of a soul-mate. She mentioned very ‘really’ that her expectations were biased by what she had seen in movies and read from books, as someone who is alike to you as they complete your sentences and bring mostly joys. Yet a soul-mate is really someone who acts as a mirror of your good and bad… someone who enables you to grow from that. It can be someone volatile and quite temporary in your life she said.

sometime we are at a stage of our life, where some of our worst habits / weakness that have been our sole burdens need to be dealt with, yet we feel incapacitated to deal with them alone. we realise that ultimately we do it alone guided by the people that hold the mirror reflecting our own souls… These are our soul-mates.

And as seekers of truth, let’s not be anything less than mirrors to each others souls, which means trust and openness...

3.
Love manifests towards those whom we like as love;
towards those whom we do not like as forgiveness.

- Sufi Master Inayat Khan

It is admittedly difficult to taste the rahma (mercy) lying within the core of the fruit of God's anger (ghadab/ghazab) or severity. So we seek refuge in the Sustainer of humanity, the Possessor of humanity, the God of humanity (Rabb in-nass, Malik in-nass, Ilah-in-nass), remembering that His mercy outstrips and is in fact the foreground for His severity (sabaqat rahmati ghadabi), remembering to seek refuge as did the Prophet Muhammad, may God's mercy be upon him, in God from God (audhu bi-ka min-ka).

1.
Eli, Eli,
lama sabachthani?
- Jesus Christ at the Cross at ninth hour, Matthew 27:46

My God, My God,
why have You veiled YourSelf (from me)?
- a mystical interpretation of mysticsaint

2.
In the end, religion collapses back into mysticism as it recognizes that after we have said all we can say about God, we are still surrounded by an imprenetrable silence. Thomas Aquinas devoted his most rigorous thinking to trying to establish how we could speak about God based on analogies taken from human experiences.

But after our minds have erected the ladder of analogy as high as possible toward God, he concludes, "we remained joined to Him as to One Unknown." Augustine, after writing endless words trying to explain the Trinity, admitted in the end, "I only write in order not to be silent."

Mysticism counsels us to follow the via negativa, to honor the infinite distance that separate the finite and the infinite, to live within "the clouds of the unknowing" (Jacob Boehme), to respect the silence of the Godhead where nobody is at home (Meister Eckhart), to recognize the hiddenness of God (Martin Luther's "deus absconditus"), to understand that we can only speak about God in symbolic, parabolic and poetic way.

We are caught in a paradox called human condition.

If you are beginning to experience metaphysical vertigo, a fear of falling into the endless interlocking mysteries, don't worry. Relax. Yield to the vertigo and the falling will become the flying, the no-thing-ness will become the sanctuary.

- Hymns To An Unknown God, by Sam Keen

Shams of Tabriz: A Fire of Roses
by Zed
medium: graphite

The extra-ordinary spiritual portrait of Shams is by artist and darvish, Zed. During the birthing process of the painting, the artists heart was open to Shams e Tabriz's spirit-guidance. It is not simply a portrait, but embodies a higher meditative quality of the boundless spirit of Shams, the mad lover of God. (for larger version of the art, click on the picture above)

My deep appreciation to Zed for sharing this beautiful art work of heart. May your path and work continue to be guided and blessed.

In 1920, an unknown man appeared in Europe having lived through some extraordinary experiences in the East. His name was George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff.

Meetings with Remarkable Men is the story of his early years. It is the second volume of the All and Everything trilogy, as well as Gurdjieff's personal autobiography, originally published in 1963.

The book takes the form of Gurdjieff's reminiscences about various "remarkable men" that he has met, beginning with his father. They include the Armenian priest Pogossian; his friend Soloviev, Prince Lubovedsky, a Russian prince with metaphysical interests, and a couple of others. In the course of describing these characters, Gurdjieff weaves their stories into the story of his own travels, and also into an overarching narrative which has them cooperate in locating spiritual texts and/or masters in various lands (mostly Central Asia). Gurdjieff calls this group the "Seekers of Truth".

Gurdjieff's referring to Sufis by the term "Seekers of Truth" is much more authentic in a sense because sufism is a terrible misnomer for it has this '-ism' in it. Thus talking about sufis as "Seekers of Truth" as the object of search is not any "-ism" but search of Truth Itself - is a great testimony how well Gurdjieff understood and internalized the way of the sufis, the way of the Truth.

The book was made into a 1979 feature film directed by Peter Brook. The film shot on location in the forbidding, rarely photographed mountains and deserts in Afghanistan. The story involves Gurdjieff and his companions' search for truth in a series of dialogues and vignettes, much as in the book. Unlike the book, these result in a definite climax- Gurdjieff's initiation into the mysterious Sarmoung Brotherhood. The film is noteworthy for making public some glimpses of the "Gurdjieff movements".

G. I. Gurdjieff (Jan 13, 1866 - Oct 29, 1949), the brilliant spiritual master and mystic developed the sacred movement based on ancient temples (sufi tekkes or lodges) dances he witnessed in Central Asia among Sufis whom he called Seekers of Truth. Gurdjieff took the sufi movements to a new height by incorporating principles of cosmic law which he discovered in his extensive spiritual searches throughout Asia and the Middle East.

"Imagine that in studying the laws of movement of the celestial bodies, let us say the planets of the solar system, you have constructed a special mechanism for the representation and recording of these laws. In this mechanism every planet is represented by a sphere of appropriate size and is placed at a strictly determined distance from the central sphere, which stands for the sun. You set the mechanism in motion, and all the spheres begin to turn and move in definite paths, reproducing in a lifelike way the laws which govern their movements. This mechanism reminds you of your knowledge,.

In the same way, in the rhythm of certain dances, in the precise movements and combinations of the dancers, certain laws are vividly recalled. Such dances are called sacred."
- Gurdjieff, Views from the Real World

The Gurdjieff movements are taught as part of the work of self observation and self study. Gurdjieff's teaching mainly addressed the question of people's place in the universe and their possibilities for inner development. He taught that higher levels of consciousness, higher bodies, and inner growth and development is possible.

In his teaching Gurdjieff gave a distinct meaning to various ancient texts such as the Bible and many religious prayers including that of Islamic prayers. He claimed that those texts possess a very different meaning than what is commonly attributed to them. "Sleep not;" "Awake, for you know not the hour;" "The Kingdom of Heaven is Within"... are examples of biblical statements that point to a psychological teaching whose essence has been forgotten.

Gurdjieff taught people how to increase and focus their attention and energy in various ways, and to minimize daydreaming and absentmindedness. According to his teaching, this inner development in oneself is the beginning of a possible further process of change, whose aim is to transform a man into what Gurdjieff believed he ought to be.

2.
"What you cannot discover in your own body, you will not discover in any place of the world..." (Idris Lahore)

Gurdjieff Sacred Movements awaken these deep and estoeric questions:
. Who inhabits this body of flesh and bones ?
. What immensity does exist within the limitations of the body ?
. How to answer this nostalgia of the “higher”, the “better”, and this call for truth that once in a while grabs one’s own soul ?
. How to live more passionately the inner fire ?

Given very precisely by Gurdjieff as a powerful tool for growth, the practice of movements creates exceptional conditions for transforming the body – machine into a place where the forces of intelligence, heart, and action can freely expand, through the development of a certain quality of attention and relaxation.

Osho Boulder Meditation Center presented the Gurdjieff Sacred Dances this June 11 to 15th in Boulder. Amiyo Devienne, who is one of the foremost teachers of the Gurdjieff Sacred Dances in the world today was the teacher in the workshop. She has been teaching the Sacred Movement for 20 years across the world including groups in France, Russia, India and US. It was an honor for me to be given the opportunity to participate in the workshop.

For sometime now as i have read Gurdjieff's writings and teachings, specially his book, Meetings with Remarkable Men really attracted me. Beyond his news ideas, the personality of Gurdjieff has a very strong magnetism that captured me immediately when i read his books for the first time. This workshop thus provided a great window to be part of the actual movements taught by Gurdjieff as he was inspired from ancient sufi orders and estoeric brotherhoods. It was like receiving the spiritual transmission from ageless practices.

The sacred movement teacher Amiyo shared her involvement with Gurdjieff Movement and her inspirations with a brief interview for Inspirations and Creative Thoughts blog, which i wish to share in coming post, God willing.

May God bless the noble soul of G. I. Gurdjieff, the mystic and sanctify his Sirr.

.: graphics collage: Rumi, Shams and Drowned Book
by sadiq, inspired by Mary Oliver's poem

A sacrament is a visible sign of invisible grace. The body is a sacrament.

All our inner life and intimacy of soul longs to find an outer mirror. It longs for a form in which it can be seen, felt and touched. The body is the mirror where the secret world of the soul comes to expression.

The body is a sacred threshold; ... this sense of the body is wonderfully expressed in an amazing phrase from the Catholic tradition: The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. To describe the human body as the temple of the Holy Spirit recognizes that the body is suffused with wild and vital divinity. This theological insight shows that the sensuous is sacred in the deepest sense.

The body is your only home in the universe. It is your house of belonging here in the world. It is a very sacred temple. To spend time in silence before the mystery of your body brings you toward wisdom and holiness.

We should avoid the false dualism that separate the soul from the body. The soul is NOT simply within the body, hidden somewhere within its recesses. The truth is rather the converse.

Your body is in the soul, and the soul suffuses you completely. Therefore, all around you there is a secret and beautiful soul-light.

2.
Recognition of soul-light suggests a new art of prayer: close your eyes and relax you body. Imagine a light all around you, the light of your soul. Then with your breath, draw that light into your body and bring it with your breath through every area of your body.

... you are bringing the soul-light, the shadowed shelter that surrounds you, right into the physical earth and clay of your presence. One of the oldest meditation is to imagine the light coming into you, and then on your outward breath to imagine you are exhaling that darkness or an inner charcoal residue.

When you bring cleansing, healing soul-light into your body, you heal...

That light within is as pure as the lightening's light. It is light that is great and red. It is the light of God that beams jnana (divine wisdom). It is the light of chakras above. It is the light born of constant awareness of the pure sound, Aum. It is the light that is blended from all these lights.
- Tirumantiram, sacred hindu text of tamil origin, 10th century BCE


# related past post: Light is Generous

This true story is from my guide Sidi mentioned in his eloquent book, Music of the Soul. Sidi's full name is Muhammad Sa'id al-Jamal ar-Rifai as-Shadhuli. He is the Head of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. He is also teacher at the Holy mosques at al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.

This story is from the time when he was with his own guide, Sidi ‘Abd ar-Rahman, may God be pleased with them both, in Damascus at zawiyya or sufi lodge.

1.
There was a troublesome man there, everyday who would throw stones at the zawiyya. This was an old man and each time the incident of stone throwing happened, Sidi's guide would say, "Send him mercy. If he wants food, give him food. If he wants clothes, give him clothes. If he wants money, give him money. Give him what he wants."

When Sidi according to the advice of his guide provided him, he would gather his sons and would throw more stones at the zawiyya.

Sidi asked, "What is the wisdom?" Then he would further go to this old man and gave him some food and some money and some clothes from his guide, but at the same time Sidi felt something very strong about this person. His guide said to him, "There are many messages when this old man throws stones at the zawiyya."

Then one day the old man became sick and Sidi's guide sent Sidi to him. When he arrived at his house, he woke up and asked, "Who is there?". Sidi mentioned his name and the old man began to weep and he started to say Astaghfirullah (seeking forgiveness to Allah). And after some days, he came to live in the zawiyya. He became a holy student under the guide.

While Sidi wrote down this story, this man was already one hundred and five years old. Later when Sidi met him in Amman, Jordan, he said, "Sidi, excuse me for throwing stones at zawiyya. But if I had not hit the zawiyya, I would not have reached God. How could I have known the guide and the way, if I had not thrown stones?"

The guide saw the wisdom of his actions and know that this old man was one of his students.

This story has a strong and holy picture, as Sidi mentions later. The picture is of the date tree. Be like this tree, advices Sidi. When any person throws something to hit the date tree, it gives him back sweets. This is the right way.

Sidi continues to advice: If anyone makes something bad for you or speaks in an unkind way, understand Who speaks and Who hits. After this you will know and you can take what you want. Be sweet and give to everyone who wants sweets because after the fire is the garden and after the darkness is light. It is necessary to see within everything, to see where it is coming from and to return it to God. Be polite! Everything is the Face of your God.

Know that the politeness is the greatest door through which you travel to reach your God. Without politeness you cannot reach.

# related:
. Thoughts on Beatitudes | Understanding the deeper meanings

. the wasp that demonstrated what it means "to love thy neighbor"
. Sufi Story | from the life of Hafiz of Shiraz
. Sufi Wisdom: The Story Of The Two Lights

.: art credit. Michael Green's illuminated rumi prints

No assembly ever meets to remember Allah which is not attended by the Angels and not covered by Allah's Mercy and where Allah the Almighty does not remember those among them who are close to Him.
- saying of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him

Above is a hadith or islamic tradition, along with inspiring Quranic verses on remembrance of God, are the basis of the assembly of remembrance or zikr (also written as dhikr) practice as preserved by the sufis, gnostics and also by muslims who don't necessarily call themselves sufi.

Has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of God and of the Truth which has been revealed .. - The Quran 57:16

And remember God in abundance that you may be successful.
- The Quran 62:10

... and certainly the repeated remembrance (Zikr) of God is the greatest. - The Quran 29:45

The sacred tradition of assembly of remembrance was also practiced by Jesus Christ, son of Mary, with his holy companions, peace and blessings be upon them. One such zikr in a circle assembly with praise of God led by Christ himself as the Shaykh is recorded in early Christian Gnostic text, the Apocryphal Acts of St. John. St. John records: Now before he was taken by the lawless, who also were governed by the lawless serpent (satan), he gathered all of us together and said: Before I am delivered up unto them let us sing an hymn to the Father, and so go forth to that which lieth before us. He bade us therefore make as it were a ring, holding one another's hands, and himself standing in the midst. (see Hymn of Jesus)

In Islamic wisdom tradition the practice of remembrance of God in assembly goes back during the time of Prophet Muhammad as recorded by his holy companions. The hadiths record:

In the lifetime of the Prophet it was the custom to celebrate Allah’s praises aloud after the congregational prayers. (Bukhari, v1, b12, n802, narrator Abu Ma'bad)

Ibn ‘Abbas reported: Dhikr (mentioning the name of Allah) in a loud voice after obligatory prayers was (a common practice) during the lifetime of the Apostle of Allah; and when I heard that I came to knew that they had finished the contact prayer. (Muslim, b4, n1211)

[>] Audio
Shaykh Muzaffer Ashki al-Jerrahi (1916 - 1985), rev. Guide of Halveti-Jerrahi sufi order conducting a zikr in assembly of dervishes

# Related posts
. Prophet Muhammad's advice on Zikr, Divine Remembrance
. On the Recollection (Dhikr or Zikr) of God
. A sufi tale | dhikr of la ilaha illa Allah
. On Remembrance of the Divine | Sufi Wisdom