International Interfaith Conference on

Mysticism: East and WestA Search for Meaningful Religious Experience

Hyderabad January 2012

KEYNOTEDr Syed Zafar Mahmood

PresidentInterfaith Coalition for Peace

Mysticism“Initiation" to spiritual truths and

experiences in pursuit of Communion with or Consciousness Awareness of

the

Ultimate Reality, Divinity, Spiritual Truth or God

through

direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight.

Usually centers on practices intended to nurture those experiences.

Explores the Awakening, Purification and

Illumination of the Self; Discusses voices and visions; and Delves into Manifestations from

Ecstasy and Rapture to the Dark Night of the Soul.

Evelyn UnderhillBritish Author

The Holy Spirit resides in each of us,

good and evil alike

I HAVE BREATHED IN HIM

(THE HUMAN BEING)

MY SPIRIT

Wa nafkhal feehi mir-roohee !32.8

The manifestations of Khudi spell Prophethood

The solitudes of Khudi spell Godhood

Khudi = Selfhood

Devotion

Contemplation

Yoga

Namaz (Daily Me’raj)

BudhismAttainment of Nirvana, connection to ultimate reality

ChristianitySpiritual EnlightenmentSpiritual VisionLove of God,Union with God (Theosis)

HinduismLiberation from cycles of Karma, Experience of ultimate reality (Samadhi),

Innate Knowledge (Sahaja and Svabhav)

IslamImbibing

God’s qualities in self

JainismLiberation from cycles of Karma

Judaism Abnegation of the ego

(Ein Sof)

Sikhism Liberation from cycles of Karma

Arthur Schopenhauer18th C German Philosopher

We see all religions at their highest point end in mysticism and mysteries, that is to say, in darkness and veiled obscurity. These really indicate merely a blank spot for knowledge, The point where all knowledge necessarily ceases. Hence for thought this can be expressed only by negations, but for sense-perception it is indicated by symbolical signs, in temples by dim light and silence, In Brahmanism even by the required suspension of all thought and perception for the purpose of entering into the deepest communion with one's own self,

by mentally uttering the mysterious Om.

Mystic ExperienceA (purportedly) super sense-

perceptual or sub sense-perceptual experience granting acquaintance of realities or states of affairs that are of a kind not accessible by way of sense perception, somatosensory

modalities, or standard introspection.

Attributes

IneffabilityParadoxicalityPerennialism

SufismInner mystic dimension

A science through which one can know howto travel into thePresence of the Divine, purify one's inner selffrom filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits.

A science whose objective is the preparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God

Reaction against excessive worldliness

Spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium

Modern Sufis often perform Zikr after the conclusion of prayers

Safā means "purity”

Another origin Sūf means wool, referring to the simple

cloaks the early ascetics wore

Ahl aṣ-ṣuffah (People of the bench) who were a group of

impoverished companions of Prophet Muhammad

who held regular gatherings of zikr

Greek word sofia meaning wisdom

To enter the way of Sufism, the seeker begins by finding a teacher, as the connection to the teacher is considered necessary for the growth of the pupil.

The teacher, to be genuine, must have received the authorization to teach from another Master of the Way, in an unbroken succession (silsilah) leading back to Sufism's origin with Muhammad

Transmission of the divine light from the teacher's heart to the heart of

the student

Bahauddin Naqshband Bukhariwho gave his name to the Naqshbandi Order,

served his first teacher for 20 years. The extreme arduousness of his spiritual preparation

is illustrated by his service, as directed by his teacher, to the weak and needy members of his community

in a state of complete humility and tolerance for many years.

The Meylevi Order instructed its pupils to serve in the kitchens of a hospice for the poor for 1,001 days prior to being accepted for spiritual teaching

Rabia Basri was a Sufi known for her love and passion for

God, expressed through her poetry.

Bayazid Bastami was among the first theorists of

Sufism

Devotional styles and traditions reflect the perspectives of different masters and the

accumulated cultural wisdom of the orders. All of these concerned themselves with the

understanding of Subtle Knowledge (gnosis),

Education of the heart to purify it of baser instincts, Love of God,

and approaching God through a well-described hierarchy of enduring spiritual stations (maqâmât)

and more transient spiritual states (ahwâl).

Manuals English translation

Kashf al-Mahjûb of Hajveri and

Risâla of Qushayri

Al-Ghazali’s Treatises

Revival of Religious Sciences and

Alchemy of Happiness

Between the 13th and 16th c.

A lodge

known as a KHANQAH would be endowed through a pious foundation in perpetuity to provide a gathering place forSufi adepts, as well as lodging for itinerant seekers of knowledge.

The same system of endowments could also be used to pay for a complex of buildings, such as that surrounding the Süleymaniya Mosque in Istanbul, including a lodge for Sufi seekers, a hospice with kitchens where these seekers could serve the poor and/or complete a period of initiation, a library, and other structures

Current Sufi orders include

Ba 'Alawiyya, Chishti, Naqshbandi, Nimatullahi,

Oveyssi, Qadiria Boutshishia, Qadiriyyah, Qalandariyya,

Sarwari Qadiri, Shadhliyya and Suhrawardiyya.

Sufism is also popular in African countries such as

Morocco and Senegal

Algerian Sufi master Emir Abd al-QadirAmadou Bamba and Hajj Umar Tall in sub-

Saharan Africa Sheikh Mansur Ushurma and Imam Shamil in the Caucasus region

René Guénon, the French scholar, became a sufi in the

early twentieth century

Doctrine of "subtle centers" or centers of subtle cognition (known as Lataif-e-Sitta) Addresses the matter of the awakening of spiritual intuition in ways that some consider similar to certain models of chakra in Hinduism. In general, these subtle centers or latâ'if are thought of as faculties that are to be purified sequentially in order to bring the seeker's wayfaring to completion.

Ja’far al-Sadiq (both an imam in the Shia tradition and a respected

scholar and link in chains of Sufi transmission)

Held that human beings are dominated by a lower self called the nafs,

a spiritual intuition called the qalb or spiritual heart, and a spirit or soul called rooh.

These interact in various ways, producing spiritual types of the tyrant (dominated by nafs),

person of faith and moderation (dominated by the spiritual heart), and

the person lost in love for God (dominated by the ruh).

Robert FragerA Sufi Teacher

Trained psychologist, born in the United States, wrote extensively on Sufism and psychology

A Sufi gathering engaged in Zikr

Some Sufis draw inspiration from this Tradition of the Prophet

Says God:When I love My servant,

I am his hearing through which he hears, his sight through which he sees,

his hand through which he grasps, and his foot through which he walks.

The seeker must also, turn away from

sins, love of this world, the love of company and renown, obedience to satanic impulse, and the

promptings of the lower self. The seeker must also be trained to

prevent the corruption of those good deeds which have accrued to his or her credit by overcoming the

traps of ostentation, pride, arrogance, envy, and long hopes

(meaning the hope for a long life allowing us to mend our ways later, rather than immediately,

here and now).

Largely seen asSymbol of Tolerance and Humanism Non-dogmatic and Flexible

Golden Chain of Naqshbandi Order

Tomb of Baba Ghulam FaridMithan Kot

Grave of Ma YuanzhangSufi Grand Master in China

Wali TombSudan

Rumi MuseumTurkey

Rumi(1207-1273)

brought about aparadigm shiftin the Mystic Focus

The poetry ofRumi, the Immortal Reed Player of Konia

has been compiled, translated, interpreted,

appreciated and propagated byE. G. Browne

R. A. Nicholsonand

A. J. Arberry

Ascension (Me’raj)During the conversation between

God and the Prophet

The Prophetsought God’s Blessings

fornot only himself but for

all those who are pious (who do good deeds)

Rumi’s new mystic dimension

Man’s obligatory perseverance to help out the needy

and consider this service as divine intoxication

In Christianitythis dimension is known as

Praxis

Rumi’s mystic creativity was echoed and propagatedby Dr Sir Mohammad IqbalPoet Philosopher of India in early 20th c.

They piloteda wholesome fusion

of the physical with the

metaphysical

Love, Warmth and Musicjuxtaposewith the

Heavenly & the Divine

When man considers himself to be clay, God’s light dies in his heart.

When Moses casts off his Self His hand becomes black

and his rod a piece of rope

Come out of the monasteries and, while still gripped with the love of God,

Proactively persevere to help out those in need, just like Imam Husain did in Karbala.

Confining yourself to the monasteries you will be engaged in lamentation of the past

with a heavy heartGiving you momentary personal satisfaction.

.

سے مجھ داستاں کي غربت مري کوئي سنےنے ميں اوليں پيمان قصہ بھلايا

ميں جنت رياض طبيعت ميري نہ لگينے ميں آاتشيں جام جب کا شعور پيا

کو مجھ جستجو کي عالم حقيقت رہينے ميں نشيں فلک خيال اوج دکھايا

ايسا کچھ پسند تغير مزاج ملانے ميں کہيں فلک زير نہ قرار کيا

کبھي کو مورتوں کي پتھر سے کعبے نکالانے ميں نشيں حرم بنايا کو بتوں کبھيپہنچا پر طور ميں تکلم ذوق ميں کبھينے ميں آاستيں زير ازل نور چھپايا

لٹکايا کو مجھ نے اپنوں پہ صليب کبھينے ميں زميں کر چھوڑ سفر، کو فلک کيا

برسوں رہا چھپا ميں حرا غار ميں کبھينے ميں آاخريں جام کبھي کو جہاں ديا

نے ميں زميں سر کي يوناں کبھي کي پسندسني نہ صدا مري دم جس نے ہند ديار

نے ميں چيں ملک و جاپان خطہء بساياعالم کبھي سے ترکيب کي ذروں بنايانے ميں ديں اہل تعليم معني خلافکو زمينوں سينکڑوں کيا لال سے لہو

نے ميں ديں و عقل پيکار کے چھيڑ ميں جہاںکي ستاروں جب نہ حقيقت آائي ميں سمجھ

نے ميں ديں گزار راتيں ميں خيال اسي

رباني سرود کر آا ميں ہند سنايا

تلواريں کو مجھ کي کليسا نہ سکيں ڈرانے ميں زميں گردش مسئلہ سکھاياپر زمانے کيا ہويدا راز کا کششنے ميں بيں دور عقل آائنہ کے لگا

کو مضطر برق ، کو شعاعوں اسير کيانے ميں زميں سر يہ جنت غيرت بنادي

! کي ہستي راز آاہ ملي نہ خبر مگرنے ميں نگيں تہ کو جہاں سے خرد کيا

آ�خر و� پرست مظاہر چشم جو ہوئينے ميں مکيں �سے ميں دل خانہء پايا تو

O you, listen to my travelogue of painstaking perseverence; I had conveniently forgotten about my original promise. I was no longer enamoured of the garden of paradise, thus I preferred to tread into worldly difficulties. I considered the idea of sitting in the skies as futile and I did my best to understand the reality of the world. Though I've been working on various options, yet I could hardly get full satisfaction anywhere under the sky.

Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal’s

Sarguzasht-e-Aadam

Adam's Trevologue

Sometimes I expelled the stone idols from the Kabah, though at an earlier moment I had installed these inside the sanctuary.

Fired by an urge to talk to God, I once climbed mount Toor, and I also took out the light of spirituality from under my arm. Once I was crucified on the cross by my own kith & kin; then I had to travel from earth to the sky. There was a time when I used to contemplate inThe cave of Hira; consequently I presented to the world the ultimate solution. I came to India and sang the Godly sarod; At another occasion I opted for the land of Greece.

When the Indian ambiance didn't appropriately respond to my call, I made myself comfortable in the region of China & Japan.

I took a turn and switched over from puritanist extreme to interpreting the universe through configuration of particles. Once I committed the blunder of unleashing the controversial debate between religion and science;it spilled blood bath over hundreds of lands. When I couldn't follow the secret of the stars, I used to remain perplexed in the solitude of night. Swords of the church could not discourage me from teaching the world that earth revolves round the sun and not the vice versa.

I telescoped the canvas of my wisdom and exposed the secret of earth's gravitational force.

I captured the atmospheric waves and dovetailed them with the phenomenon of lightening; thus, I initiated a concept of parallelism between paradise and earth.

Nonetheless, alas ! I could not untangle the secret of life.

Then I began taking a macro view of the universe.

Ultimately, my inner soul won over my delusion; and I found all the answers to my quest right therein the interior of my heart.