Friday, August 19, 2005

Here is my first post, to which you can reply with your comments. I am currently very interested in just what it means to be spiritual, to be a Sufi. I am thinking more and more that it has little to do with what others say it is and really is comprised of one's personal experiences, whatever they may be. Comments?

14 comments:

Jello Dean said...

Everything that is expressed via words are only abstractions which resonate in another's mind based on that person's experiences and preconceptions.

Including this, of course.

molly said...

Oh, i am so glad we are doing this! it really is making my heart sing a lot...
even if i question what i write sometimes, whether i should share my inner journey with everyone out there, somehow it's right...for me...knowing how much intimacy to put into words is something i am grappling with. Love the book cover! Can't wait to see it up-close-and-personal. Come visit me in Atlanta!

Suriya said...

Dear Musawwir
Thank you for agreeing to my suggestion. This is a great idea for your murids to get to know each other and engage in a discussion as well!
Jelaluddin , Hi! sorry I did not get to meet you this time, I am actually at Musawwir's house and have to go clear up stuff cos of guests coming for dinner.
Suriya

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful idea

amber said...

thank you for the comment.i've had some really traumactic things happen so my escape is poetry,,like therapy for me,,i'm just really glad that someone enjoyed it!

molly said...

Jelauddin,
Could i use the words you used in your post on my blog? it is a great way of expressing why i named my blog quintessential sophism.
thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, my name is Alina, I am Phillip's student from Russia. I am so grateful to Phillip because he has been my friend and teacher and part of my life for about 3 years which has affected my life in such a positive way, I have had some struggles and if I had not had Phillip I do not know what my life would be like now. So I realize how important it is to have real friends and hope to make good friends here. I am happy to have a chance to talk to other mureeds of Phillip and share my thoughts with you. I am really glad to have such a chance because I cannot meet you in person because of the distance..but who knows...may be one day I will meet Phillip and you, and it will be one of the happiest days in my life!

Suriya said...

What does it mean to be spiritual?
For me it means to understand that there is an invisible and sometimes intangible part of myself that needs to be nutured and developed and to then have the spiritual experience and the spiritual intelligence that is a result of nuturing and developing this aspect of self.
As to what it means to be a sufi, it is to have an outlook and a methodology of developing tha above using the tools developed by people who over time refined the techniques and processes taught to them by the Prophets the most recent of which is Prophet Muhammad.
The end result ( or the never ending result ) of all this is an ever changing perspective on Haq which one may hope is closer and closer to the Reality of the Real. And is this I am of the same view as Musawir that it is a very personal experience which cannot be adequately expressed in words of any language.

Anonymous said...

It is not at all easy to talk about personal experiences and I feel very brave I do now.Also it is not fair to read your comments and to keep quiet. I am quite new as an initiated Sufi but felt like one for almost 20 years. Poetry would better describe how I feel now... just the feeling to being arrived at home.
to Alina: I am living in Germany, but fortunately we have no borders

Suriya said...

Dear Allina
I am from Malaysia. Indeed I pray you will get to meet Musawwir one day.

Anonymous said...

Dear Beloveds,

How wonderful to read your words. . .even if they can never truly or completely convey your thoughts or feelings. (I have this problem, at least.)

Being spiritual is being, isn't it? Being with awareness.

I'm an initiate, but can't claim to be a "real Sufi." (Well, I could claim, I suppose, but not honestly!) I do feel I am on the Path, though. What that means for me is having something equivalent to a "secret ingredient" in all that nourishes me, in whatever form. I feel that I have a goal, that I have hope, that I have connections. I read books a bit differently because I am on this Path, talk to people a bit differently, respond to everything a bit differently. That extra secret ingredient has an energy boost and lots of good effects.

Yes, it's frustrating to try to contain the experience in symbols on a page (our letters) or vibrations of air through the vocal cords!

Abi-Ru

Jello Dean said...

Hi Suriya!

Sorry I missed you! I hope all is well!

Hi Molly!

It's nice to "meet" you. You can indeed quote me.

Suriya said...

So Jelaludin
What is happening in your life?I m good Insha allah and still vibrating from the energy boosts I got while I was there....

Abi Ru, extra ingredient , so nicely put!

Anonymous said...

For me, I find it in Pir Vilayat's words: "To be of this world, but not in it." To keep true to your beliefs and protect your delicate nature, but also to be strong enough to be able to function in society, giving as much insight to as many who are open to it. What good is having the knowledge, the love, the awakening, if we keep it safe within ourselves or hide in meditation?

Ardvisura (Dawn)