Islam – Soul Needs

Correcting teachings that misrepresent Islam – a contribution by Dr Hesham A. Hassaballa

I often wonder why the real scholars and the ‘good guys’ don’t stand up to throw off the (apparent?) control by fundamentalists.

If you go to some sites it seems as though Islam is teaching that anyone who is not a member of Islam is something close to less than human. The issues that surround the status of non-Moslems centre around terms such as kufr and kafir in the Qur’an.

Dr Hassaballa himself was surprised when he did some research;

In the Name of God the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

During an extensive conversation about the relationship of a Muslim with non-Muslims, the issue of who exactly is a kafir , or one who “denies the truth” (frequently translated as “infidel”), came up. Yet, when I delved deeper into the meaning of the words kufr and kafir in the Qur’an, I learned that these words have a much deeper, more profound meaning. And it has nothing to do with “being infidels.”

The late Muhammad Asad (God’s Mercy be upon him) eloquently defined the meaning of kufr and kafir in the Qur’an:

This meaning is easily grasped when we bear in mind that the root verb of the participial noun kafir (and of the infinitive noun kufr) is kafara, “he (or “it”) covered (a thing)”: thus, in Quran 57:20 the tiller of the soil is called (without any pejorative implication) kafir, “one who covers”, i.e., the sown seed with earth, just as the night is spoken of as having “covered” (kafara) the earth with darkness. In their abstract sense, both the verb and the nouns derived from it have a connotation of “concealing” something that exists or “denying” something that is true. Hence, in the usage of the Quran – with the exception of the one instance (Quran 57:20) where this participial noun signifies a “tiller of the soil” – a kafir is one who denies (or “refuses to acknowledge”) the truth” in the widest, spiritual sense of this latter term: that is, irrespective of whether it relates to a cognition of the supreme truth – namely, the existence of God – or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine writ, or to a self-evident moral proposition, or to an acknowledgment of, and therefore gratitude for, favors received…………………………………….

In the last part of Asad’s statement lies my rediscovery of the meaning of kufr. A kafir can refuse to acknowledge the favors given to him or her, i.e., be ungrateful. In fact, the opposite of the word shukr, or “gratitude,” in Arabic is none other than kufr. The Qur’an explicitly uses the word kufr to mean “ingratitude”:

To read Dr Hesham A. Hassaballa ‘s article go to
http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0604-2982

The article ends with this striking paragraph;

This is truly amazing. For so many years of my life, I had always thought a kafir was an “unbeliever.” I realize now how primitive and naive such a belief truly is. The Qur’an is such a profound book, with so many layers of understanding that are waiting to be discovered. The more I delve into the Qur’an, the more I want to keep swimming in its words and meanings. And the more I understand why God asks the question, ” Will they not, then, ponder over this Qur’an? – or are there locks upon their hearts?” (Quran 47:24).

For me this a fine article, for which many thanks. Still it would be nice to know that I am not an infidel – perhaps there is another article for Dr Hassaballa to write?

Are you a green parrot or a drop from the ocean? – a view on reincarnation and Oneness

A useful site on Hindu teachings presents two analogies.

The first is the ‘drop and the ocean’ analogy in which

The soul is compared to a drop of water and liberation to its merging into the vast ocean which represents the Supreme Soul (God).
According to the advaita schools, the soul and God are equal in every respect, and liberation entails realisation of one’s Godhood. Thus, one’s mistaken sense of individuality is dissolved, and one merges into the all-pervading Supreme.

The second is the ‘green parrot analogy in which

The individual soul is compared to a green bird that enters a green tree (God). It appears to have “merged”, but retains its separate identity.

The personalistic schools of thought maintain that the soul and God are eternally distinct and that any “merging” is only apparent. “Oneness” in this case refers to:

unity of purpose through loving service realisation of one’s nature as brahman (godly) but maintenance of one’s spiritual individuality.

Liberation involves entering God’s abode, though many schools teach that those souls who have become free from material contamination are already liberated, even before leaving the material body

The two analogies are to help explain two views’ on the process of attaining ‘moksha’ a freeing or liberation from samsara, the endless round of repeating cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth (reincarnation);

practically all schools consider it a state of unity with God, the nature of such unity is contested. The advaita traditions say that moksha entails annihilation of the soul’s false sense of individuality and realisation of its complete non-difference from God. The dualistic traditions claim that God remains ever distinct from the individual soul. Union in this case refers to a commonality of purpose and realisation of one’s spiritual nature (brahman) through surrender and service to the Supreme Brahman (God).

REINCARNATION and ARE THE TWO VIEWS RESOLVABLE?

Firstly I should say that the conventional understanding doesn’t work for me. Instead I see reincarnation as every moment in which I prompt myself to return to the ‘body of my true Self’, away from any egoistic, lower self, attachment.

Oak trees produce acorns but the don’t become again the acorn from which they grew. Life is progressive in terms of the after-life. But in this world every time we repeat the same ego-driven mistakes we ‘reincarnate’ ourselves into our lower self.

In unitive meditation we merge with the Whole, but not as a co-equal partner with the Godhead – the finite cannot claim to comprehend the Infinite. That which we become at-one with is Creation not the Creator.

On this subject listen to the 8thC Chinese poet known as Li Po;

“The birds have vanished from the sky,

and now the last clouds slip away.

We sit alone, the mountain and I,

until only the mountain remains.”

If the ego is sufficiently quietened for us to be ‘absorbed’ it is a unity with Creation not the Creator.

To the Chinese poet I would add a Baha’i perspective the holds that in the afterlife we commune with souls with whom we have associated;

13. As to the question whether the souls will recognize each other in the spiritual world:

This fact is certain; for the Kingdom is the world of vision where all the concealed realities will

become disclosed. How much more the well-known souls will become manifest. The mysteries

of which man is heedless in this earthly world, those he will discover in the heavenly world, and

here will he be informed of the secret of truth; how much more will he recognize or discover

persons with whom he hath been associated. Undoubtedly, the holy souls who find a pure eye

and are favored with insight will, in the kingdom of lights, be acquainted with all mysteries, and

will seek the bounty of witnessing the reality of every great soul. Even they will manifestly

behold the Beauty of God in that world. Likewise will they find all the friends of God, both those

of the former and recent times, present in the heavenly assemblage.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Bahá’í World Faith, p. 367 –
This Baha’i extract is from Dr Bill Huitt’s excellent compilation HERE

IN CONCLUSION

The two views illustrated by ‘the green parrot’ and ‘the drop-ocean’ analogies are resolvable via this perspective. In so far as we mirror the higher Self and quieten the ‘chattering monkey’ of the lower self we attain Moksha, Nirvana, Heaven. This is a moment by moment switching until we are enabled to maintain a more constant connection with the higher Self. Experiences of unity are sublime, ineffable, bliss-full but we are not then at-one with the Godhead, just sufficiently ego-less to feel at-one with the rest of Creation! We get close to God in this limited sense through living a life that obeys the Covenant of eternal verities found in the mystical heart of all great faiths.

From Zen we learn

The great Master Dogen said,

“To study the Buddha Way is to study the self,

to study the self is to forget the self, and

to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.”

To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is to recognize the unity of the self and the ten thousand things.

A limited at-one-ness – through seeking the True Self within – and enjoying endless dualities of this world are the two wings through which we fly spiritually (including spirituality as intellectuallity).

It is certainly true that ‘all is God’ but our reality and our powers are devolved not co-equal.

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Go HERE
to visit the ISKCON site from which I took inspiration for this article.

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Interspirituality, the 21stC version of perennial wisdom, celebrates the Oneness behind the jostling exclusivist-ic world-views!

Is everything energy? – GuruStu says so!

Is non-duality good and duality bad?

Thanks for the discussion and your question about non-duality and teachers of non-duality.

From a quick listen to Rupert Spira so far it seems to be high quality teaching. The design of his site is exquisite! See HERE

As with other luminaries e.g Tolle and Wilber I would make the following comment;

In brief non-duality & duality are both gifts of life (God if you prefer or the Whole) – both are essential, both are ongoing. We need to work both wings in complementary harmony. The goal of life is not to eliminate duality, but to have strong, complementary synergistic experiences of duality and non-duality! Harmony requires diversity and vv.

The separate self is good – hallelujah! The small self is good – without it we would have no mastery of self. Without it no comedians would lift our spirits. Without it no artist would create.

As the great Zen Master Dogen said,

“To study the Buddha Way is to study the self,

to study the self is to forget the self, and

to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.”

To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is to recognize the unity of the self and the ten thousand things.

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This is an enormous field – see the work by Jerry Katz HERE (1000+ very long pages!) and HERE

I tried to build some of these ideas into the 60 Seconds Meditation (for galloping frenetically-busy people) – HERE

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Or as Stuart GuruStu Rosen HERE put it
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Exquisitely beautiful Baha'i chant in English

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

“Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my Best-Beloved, and by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path, O Thou the Goal of my desire! Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of my being, and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O Thou Who art my God! Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except Thee, O my Master, and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring me joy, O Thou Who art the most manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!” – Bahá’u’lláh

(From album entitled – Luke Slott “Create in Me a Pure Heart”)
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Would you like to start a One Garden Interspirituality group in your area?

The ‘One Garden’ – A General Introduction for newcomers to the One Garden Groups

GENERAL INFORMATION

Game, set & match! – If you have realized the Oneness behind the diversity you are already a ‘member’ of the ‘One Garden’ – welcome home!

AIM & PURPOSE OF THE ‘ONE GARDEN’ COMMUNITY – to celebrate, experience, explore & practice oneness/Oneness – from within the enlightenment teachings of great spiritual teachers – in a frame work of perennial wisdom or Perennial Philosophy (see below) context .

In our meetings we use mainly contemplative dialogue but start and end with short silent meditations. On a daily basis group members practice according to what they choose – some may still be happily within mainstream faith communities, some might be refugees from painful experience in mainstream religions, some have simply realized that behind the myriad world-views there is Oneness.

We see the overall spiritualizing process as 2 ‘wings’ that together enable spirituality.

i) All spiritually alive people use the first wing to stay connected to the Whole i.e.

– it requires that the ‘ego & mind’ be quietened, (this is our heart-centre & right-brain).

ii) The second wing with which we fly spiritually is dialogue (left-brain, head-centred).

We achieve a sense of connection with the Whole, (it ebbs and flows, unless you are one of the great masters), via mindfulness – or more correctly mind-less-ness!

The two wings need to be in harmony – if one wing is overdeveloped we flap and go round in circles and never fly upwards at all!

OUR MAP-MAKERS: As map-makers of the ‘territory’ we have Eckhart Tolle, Aldous Huxley, Wayne Teasdale & Ken Wilber – and for a popular historical perspective – Karen Armstrong.

Other great teachers: Thich Nhat Hanh, Christian Contemplatives, Shaikh Kabir Helminski, Abdu’l-Baha,, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Quaker Universalism, Deng Ming-Dao, Albert Einstein, Prof John Miller (great champion of Holistic Education) – and ‘wonder-full’ poets & philosophers!

All are ‘gate-keepers’, or pointers as Buddhist teachers say, to realizing ourselves in the ‘One Garden’!

If you like reading see suggested reading list below

WEEKLY – BUT NO NEED TO ATTEND EVERY WEEK – each session is ‘stand alone’. You don’t have to buy books or read lots – materials provided.

WHO IS IT FOR?: For all on a path to realizing their true self .

HOW’S IT WORK? – each week we have a topic/question: One way we work is simply to put ‘spiritual jewels’ next to each other e.g. by juxtaposing these two pieces by Rumi & Abraham Joshua Heschel;

1 Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing – by Rumi

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing,

there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,

the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase each other

doesn’t make any sense.

AND

2 Concepts & Amazement – a quote by A J Heschel

“Concepts are delicious snacks with which

we try to alleviate our amazement.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel – Who is Man p.88

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EXAMPLE TOPIC: Being at-one

EXAMPLE QUESTION: Where & how and through what are we one?

DEVISING THE AGENDA: One way we use is following a short period of silence and a short introduction including quotations the group, we work in pairs, and consult to generate the questions that will make up the agenda for the main group dialogue. Sometimes we have free-flowing dialogue or ‘rounds’.

THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY

“Most of the great wisdom traditions agree on an age-old model which says about both the Cosmos and about our human nature:

1. Spirit, by whatever name, exists.

2. Spirit, although existing “out there,” is found “in here,” or revealed within to the open heart and mind.

3. Most of us don’t realize this Spirit within, however, because we are living in a world of sin, separation, or duality-that is, we are living in a fallen, illusory, or fragmented state.

4. There is a way out of this fallen state (of sin or illusion or disharmony or non-integration), there is a Path to our liberation.

5. If we follow this Path to its conclusion, the result is a Rebirth or Enlightenment, a direct experience of Spirit within and without, a Supreme Liberation, which

6. marks the end of sin and suffering, and

7. manifests in social action of mercy and compassion on behalf of all sentient beings.”

The above is KW’s model of The Perennial Philosophy.

RP’s shortest model = ‘Awaken: Detach: Serve’

Namaste & all good wishes – Roger

NB We contribute a minimum of £3.00 where a room is hired – OR just £1.00 toward running expenses handouts, MeetUp fees, travel etc. – thanks.

More ‘One Garden’ quotes HERE –http://universalistspirit.wordpress.com/quotes/nonduality-flavoured-quotes/

The Perennial Philosophy model

a) Shortest version (RP) = Awakening:Detachment:Service

b) A Christian-Buddhist comparison (Very short version)

There is something bigger than us – the Mysterious Whole
We either are (West), or seem to be (East), separated from it (Victims?)
Through various means we can become reunited with it (or realize that we already are).
Once the separation is overcome, we will lead larger, richer, fuller lives.

In Christian terms, the four steps are:

God
Sin
Faith (or works)
Salvation

In Buddhist terms:

Nirvana (the state of the Absolute)
Illusion or Ignorance
Practice (devotion or meditation)
Enlightenment

TO COME AND ENJOY THE DISCUSSION IN THE ‘ONE GARDEN’ GROUPS YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ – I PROVIDE ALL THAT IS NEEDED AS A HANDOUT

If you prefer videos check out the stunning range on YouTube by Tolle, Teasdale, Wilber, Thich Nhat Hanh, Karen Armstrong & especially the dialogue between Wayne Teasdale and Ken Wilber

BUT IF YOU LIKE READING:-

On my personal journey I wanted a heart connection with those who both described the territory of the One Garden and those who lived it as well as taught it. Below are those who became my ‘gatekeepers’ to the One Garden – the map-makers and the teachers.

a) THE MAP-MAKERS OF THE TERRITORY OF THE ONE GARDEN

First I strongly recommend you read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now – that is enough!

Want more – then read The Mystic Heart by Wayne Teasdale or Aldous Huxley’s The Perennial Philosophy

Then Ken Wilber and Karen Armstrong

b) THE ‘GATEKEEPERS’ WHO POINT TO THE ‘ONE GARDEN’, AND THEIR SUGGESTED KEY BOOKS

COMMUNITY TEACHER BOOK TO START WITH

Taoism Deng Ming-Dao 365 Tao

Hinduism Ved Vyasa The Bhagavad Gita

Buddhism Thich Nhat Hanh Happiness

Judaism Abraham Joshua Heschel Who is Man

Christianity Wayne Teasdale The Mystic Heart

Sufism (Islam) Shaikh Kabir Helminski Living Presence

Baha’i Abdu’l-Baha Paris Talks (I will put together a compilation)

HUMANISTS – see HERE

Aldous Huxley The Perennial Philosophy

Albert Einstein (A compilation – see online)

All seem to me to point to the One Garden, and the books listed provide a gateway into the One Garden.

You might like to start with the tradition with which you are most familiar.

As a first step in reading, if you want, I suggest you reread The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

I know there are more teachers – but the above is all I can handle – along with some extracts from from poets and philosophers!

IF YOU WANT TO PRACTICE: Listen to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh: “ Smile, Breathe, Go mindfully.”

His teachings on practices from over 60 years are gathered into one book ‘Happiness: essential mindfulness practices.’

Eckhart Tolle’s book on practice is called Practicing the Power of Now

There is also a summary of practices taught by ET – see HERE

If you a) practice – Smile, Breathe, Go mindfully” – and b) read and the bell hasn’t rung – practice some more – or worst case scenario – take up fishing!

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OUR THREE WEB-SITES

1) ”One Garden’ – dedicated site for the, ‘One Garden’ groups – is HERE

2) Soul Needs: peace through realizing oneness = celebrating the human spirit via;

i) THE ARTS – especially (street) photography,

ii) PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & human-centred studies,

iii) SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISM,

iv) INTERFAITH inter-spirituality & Perennial Wisdom, including the ‘One Garden’ project.

v) WHOLE-PERSON LEARNING, radical renewal of child education + healing for adults – (via a) to d)!) – –

vi) THE NEW PROJECT – ‘HEALTH MATTERS’ – surviving IPF as long as possible!

NB Usually posts for all ‘6 Projects’ start or end up on the ‘Soul Needs’ site – RP

3) The ‘Quotations Treasury’ – just quotations – http://quotationstreasury.wordpress.com/

Stages or levels of progress in spiritual development

‘ONE GARDEN – Masters of Wisdom’ – Session 5 – 5th Feb 2013 Cafe Coho 10am – updated

Two juxtaposed passages today, one from Hinduism, one from Baha’i – plus links to other great sources. I consider myself a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Jew, a Christian, a Moslem and a Baha’i – and a Humanist and sometimes even an a-theist! See my One Garden videos course on a page – HERE

In Sufism, or Islam generally, or Hinduism or Buddhism – in fact in all of the great faiths there are descriptions of the stages of spiritual development. These are the way-stations on our spiritual journey. For the true, sincere & committed seeker these describe the challenges through which the seeker can achieve her or his desire to reflect the name, attributes and qualities of God.

*HINDUISM – The Bhagavad Gita is one such piece of scripture – text & chanting in English HERE My favourite passage from the Bhagavad Gita as many of you know is this;

“Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the

individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the

self same tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the

tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.

“The individual self, deluded by forgetfulness of his identity with the

divine Self, bewildered by his ego, grieves and is sad. But when he

recognizes the worshipful Lord as his own true Self, and beholds his

glory, he grieves no more.”

It’s my favourite because it encapsulates a complete answer to the question that I laboured so long to answer, “What is it to be fully & positively human?” My 80,000 answer, a doctoral dissertation, is HERE (Ahhh the joys of brevity!) It also answers the question, “What is reality?” AND provides the heart of The Perennial Philosophy/the mystical core of all of the great faiths traditions.

BUDDHISM – I suspect that 8 and four etc are more the stages in Buddhism – but what joy there is in the pure forms of its teachings – see HERE on mindfulness.

JEWISH – with Abraham Joshua Heschel as the ‘gate provider’ – see HERE

SUFI – For a fascinating way into a Sufi presentation of 7 stages see HERE

CHRISTIAN – Haven’t yet found a really good co-equivalent from within Christianity – but I suggest you explore this fascinating site – HERE

*BAHA”I – SUMMARY OF THE SEVEN VALLEYS

1 The Valley of Search The valley of search is described as the first step that a seeker must take in his path. Bahá’u’lláh states that the seeker must cleanse his heart, and not follow the paths of his forefathers. It is explained that ardour, and patience are required to traverse this valley.

2 The Valley of Love – The next valley is the “Valley of Love” and in this valley the seeker is compared to a moth who has found a flame. Bahá’u’lláh writes that the heart of the seeker is touched, and the seeker has fallen in love with God.

3 The Valley of Knowledge – The knowledge referred to in this valley is the knowledge of God, and not one based on learning; it is explained that pride in one’s knowledge and accomplishments often disallows one to reach true understanding, which is the knowledge of God. It is explained that the seeker, when in this valley, begins to understand the mysteries contained within God’s revelation, and finds wisdom in all things including when faced with pain and hardship, which he understands to be God’s mercy and blessing. This valley is called the last limited valley.

4 The Valley of Unity

The next stage is the valley of unity, and it is explained that the seeker now sees creation not by its limitations, but sees the attributes of God in all created things. The seeker, it is written, is detached from earthly things, is not concerned with his own self and has no ego; instead he praises God for all of creation.

5 The Valley of Contentment

The next valley for the seeker is the valley of contentment, where it is explained, that the seeker becomes independent from all things, and even though he may look poor or is subjected to suffering, he will be endowed with wealth and power from the spiritual worlds and will inwardly be happy. Happiness is explained to be the attribute of the true believer, and it cannot be achieved by obtaining material things, since material things are transitory.

6 The Valley of Wonderment

In the valley of wonderment the seeker, it is written, is struck dumb by the beauty of God; the seeker becomes conscious of the vastness and glory of creation, and discovers the inner mysteries of God’s revelation. Being led from one mystery of creation to the next, it is explained that the seeker continues to be astonished by the works of God.

7 The Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness

The final valley is the valley of true poverty and absolute nothingness and it is the furthermost state that the mystic can reach. The seeker, it is explained is poor of all material things, and is rich in spiritual attributes. It is explained that it is the state of annihilation of self in God, but not an existential union: the essences of God’s self and the mystic’s self remain distinct, in contrast to what appears to be a complete union in other traditions.

The sentence underlined is the Baha’i argument – the finite cannot apprehend the infinite.This is the best overall plain language model I’ve found so far. If you find others let me know! NB The above summary is to be found on WikiPedia

FULL TEXT of THE SEVEN VALLEYS (+ The Four Valleys) –

the above is only a ‘cold’ summary – read the real thing online –

full text HERE

NB The introduction is long – I suggest you go straight down to the ‘Valley of Search’

* PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION including Fowler’s Stages of Faith

Faith is seen as a holistic orientation, and is concerned with the individual’s relatedness to the universal. Fowler defines faith as an activity of trusting, committing and relating to the world based on a set of assumptions of how one is related to others and the world.

Stage 0 – “Primal or Undifferentiated” faith (birth to 2 years), is characterized by an early learning of the safety of their environment (i.e. warm, safe and secure vs. hurt, neglect and abuse). If consistent nurture is experienced, one will develop a sense of trust and safety about the universe and the divine. Conversely, negative experiences will cause one to develop distrust with the universe and the divine. Transition to the next stage begins with integration of thought and languages which facilitates the use of symbols in speech and play.

Stage 1 – “Intuitive-Projective” faith (ages of three to seven), is characterized by the psyche’s unprotected exposure to the Unconscious.

Stage 2 – “Mythic-Literal” faith (mostly in school children), stage two persons have a strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe, and their deities are almost always anthropomorphic.

Stage 3 – “Synthetic-Conventional” faith (arising in adolescence; aged 12 to adulthood) characterized by conformity to religious authority and the development of a personal identity. Any conflicts with one’s beliefs are ignored at this stage due to the fear of threat from inconsistencies.

Stage 4 – “Individuative-Reflective” faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties) a stage of angst and struggle. The individual takes personal responsibility for his or her beliefs and feelings. As one is able to reflect on one’s own beliefs, there is an openness to a new complexity of faith, but this also increases the awareness of conflicts in one’s belief.

Stage 5 – “Conjunctive” faith (mid-life crisis) acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems. The individual resolves conflicts from previous stages by a complex understanding of a multidimensional, interdependent “truth” that cannot be explained by any particular statement.

Stage 6 – “Universalizing” faith, or what some might call “enlightenment“. The individual would treat any person with compassion as he or she views people as from a universal community, and should be treated with universal principles of love and justice.

CONCLUSION: Whether the stages are 7 or 8, or any number, the stages go through Awakening: Detachment from ego & Service – & the final stage is always ‘no-self’. There are many paths to the top of the mountain but reality at the summit is One.

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS

Have you found what you are looking for?

How do you know? – what are your criteria to know that you have found what you are looking for?

Do you recognise any stages in your journey so far?

Do you recognize your journey in any of the models you have so far seen?

How far and it what ways do you need to a) have a satisfactory notion of what it is to be human, b)

Please add any other questions you feel the group should discuss?

Namaste – Roger

TABS: spirit, spiritual, spiritual progress, personal development, Sufi, sufism, Islam, Baha’i, perennial philosophy, search, love, knowledge, unity, contentment, wonderment, true, poverty, absolute nothingness, no-self, the void, spirit and form, formlessness, mysticism, mystical oneness, oneness, One Garden, One summit, reality, ultimate reality, awe, wonder, wonderment, happiness, joy, God, truth, beauty, goodness, service, attachment, detachment, awaken, awake, awakening, awakened, heart, journey, seeking, changeless faith of God, the mystic, mystical bond, infinite, finite, infinite God, Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Sufi (Islam),

Kabir Helminski on Individuality Spiritual Transformation

A beautiful talk on Spiritual Transformation by Kabir Helminski;

Kabir’s sweet, gentle, loving and wise teaching is my Islamic gateway into the ‘One Garden’, the Islam-inspired path to the One Summit – interfaith inter-spirituality at its best!

Some biographical background is HERE

TAGS: interfaith, interspirituality, Kabir Helminski, inter-spirituality, Universalism, oneness, Islam, Sufi, One Garden, Onesummit, InSpirit

ONENESS: developing our selves via the dance of oneness and duality

In development

Oneness is the experience of, and the concept of, all things being ultimately ‘subsets’ of One infinite energy system – matter and energy being infinitely transformable into each other within the oneness we also call the Whole.

EXPERIENCE

Experience is infinitely more important than conceptualization, as the great A J Heschel teaches us ;“Concepts are delicious snacks with which we try to alleviate our amazement.”. Awe, wonder, amazement, experience of the ineffable are what Heschel leads us back to. For him they are the reality of being human – concepts are delicious snacks but leave us still longing for the ‘real thing’

Experiencing oneness is simple – it’s the experience of no-self, as described e.g. by Ken Wilber in his early book No Boundaries.

Experiencing oneness is what you get when the boundaries through which you define your ‘self’ melt away – as in this poem;

“The birds have vanished from the sky,

and now the last clouds slip away.

We sit alone, the mountain and I,

until only the mountain remains.”

(8th Century) Chinese poet Li Po

Whilst concepts are vital to our development in this dualistic world we need to be relieved frequently of the burden of self via such experiences of Oneness – to gain a yin-yang balance.

The challenge is to die before we die. Experience of Oneness is also called the mystical. Everyone’s account of such experience is different. Fundamentalism is the attempt to eliminate this inevitably diversity. To do this is rather like one of the six blind men, who experienced an elephant, say the one who got the tail, imposing his experience on everyone else.

We can’t have that kind of certainty and uniformity. Karen Armstrong says fundamentalism is lust for certainty. Terry Eagleton puts fundamentalism as fear of annihilation. Tolle and others show us that it is only by identifying with something less that the Whole are we led into forms of exclusivity, the worst aspects of which lead to Sunnis murdering Shia and vice versa, Protestants murdering Catholics and vice versa.

Dieing before we die is as Tolle, and others, teach to stop identifying with forms and allow ourselves to ‘disappear’ into the formless Whole – at least until the laundry needs doing, or wood needs chopping and water carrying. If only all Moslems knew, really knew, what Rumi and Ibn al-Arabi, for example, say about these deeper aspects of spirituality, reality and what it is to be human. There are also Christian co-equivalents of course and of course they are largely peripheralised by the churches and the church power-mongers.

Awareness of that Whole stays with us as ‘presence’ via very simple practices such as those taught by the great and beloved Thich Nhat Hanh. He, and Buddhism as a whole, teaches mindfulness – as simple as breath consciousness. Happiness is mindfulness that enables concentration that engenders insights that allow us to let go negatives. Letting go negatives is largely the same as dieing before we die.

The true mysticism at the heart of the great world wisdom traditions shows us that in spite of cultural differences the essentials are the same – many paths; one summit, many gateways; one garden. The account of this is called perennial philosophy – a somewhat stupid name because its not philosophy per se. It’s really the practices that enable us to a) awaken, b) disolve the illusory ego and b) learn to better serve others. That is it’s not about conceptual snacks but primarily it’s about the awe, wonder and the ineffable.

-0-

THE CONCEPT
Now for the concept. Now I/we are inevitably going to stumble over words!

Whether you see One as Gaia, the Whole, God etc is a matter of choice/accident/tradition/geography/education. For me they are all pointing to the same reality.

If you choose to see the ‘One’ as God, God doesn’t have to be some inane anthropormorphised version! God forbid!

Buddhists don’t talk about God because there is no point in talking about that which is beyond talk, concepts, language and mind. That’s why Zen masters ‘point’! And talking about ‘it’ is to not talk about it – because you can’t talk about that which is non ‘it-able’. By non-’it’able I mean you break any perception into subject and object. You can’t thingify the Whole/Oneness/God. You can’t turn the Whole/Oneness/God into an it, an object, a thing – therefore there can be no me and it, no subject and object. Why? Because it is then no longer the Whole – and in any case any one person’s take is finite and subjective!

The other reason I suspect that the Buddha avoided talk about God-stuff is that ordinary people lead themselves or others into nonsense and then into imposing nonsense and then into cruelty and murder of other human beings. Hence the insanity of man on man violence – caused by what Tolle admirably calls the ‘collective pain-body’

-0-

The oneness we achieve is not a unification.

A unification suggests that the two bodies that become united are somehow on an equal footing. We are finite Whole/Oneness/God is infinite, the finite can ‘know of’ Whole/Oneness/God, but not ‘know’ in the sense of completely understanding. This is why many religionists say a Messenger or ‘Manifestation’ is necessary to act like an electrical transformer to knock down the infinite current of the Whole/Oneness/God to a level of current that we as finite forms of consciousness can take in without getting blown apart.

The ‘know of’ versus ‘know’ distinction can be approached via a sun analogy. We feel the warmth of the sun and see by its light but could never embrace it in its entirety. Correspondingly we can experience the warmth of God’s love and the light of God’s knowledge by reflecting them in our own being, behaviour and words. Such teachings as this are to be found at the heart of ll true wisdom traditions – Sufism, Buddhism. It is important to find a teacher or several who is the real McCoy and will not lead us into negatives. Tolle as far as I can tell is as sound as the perfect Buddhist bell!

Metaphors, analogies and allegories always have limitations. The best I know is the ‘drop and the Ocean’ analogy.

But the drop is simply a ‘liquid mote’ thrown off from the infinite Ocean (i.e you or me). This mote, you or me, suffers from the illusion of separate, self-generated, independent existence – until it wakes up – to Oneness. That is scary

As the beloved Thich Nhat Hanh says, “We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” Thich Nhat Hanh SL p504. Hence his re-presentation of Buddhist philosophy as ‘interbeing’. As Abdul-Baha also says, “All is one”.

Oneness is a matter of our being willing to stop asserting, for a while, that we have separate, independent identity. Our eternal existence derives from God’s existence, not from our identifying with David Beckham’s aftershave or Cheryl Whatsit’s latest bit of twaddle – or our self-assertion that I am a ‘writer’ or a ‘teacher’ or whatever.

Our salvation and assured eternal existence derives from the particular admixture of those virtues, names and attributes of God with which we have been endowed via our parentage. That admixture exists at birth in potential form. It gets manifested via the degree of
excellence of the parenting and education we receive plus in adult life the effort, the will, we exert to reflect those virtues, names and attributes. That is our eternal soul. That is our heaven, our oneness in this life and the next.

The oneness is to let go and let be.

The being that is ‘let be’ here is God, because there is nothing other than God – the ‘Sun’, the Sun’s rays (the Holy Spirit) and the Creation that the sun’s rays illuminate (make apparently real as part of God’s learning ‘machine’ for us) is all that there is.

Creation is not separate from the Creator. We as the apex of Creation are not separate from the Creator – but along with everything else we are His emanation. The emanation of His Creativity is permanent because He is eternal.

In development

Interfaith inter-spirituality and Spiritual Federalism – a videos course on a page

Interfaith as Spiritual Federalism gateways and teachers to feeling at one with the great wisdom traditions – an interfaith inter-spiritual & Perennial Philosophy ‘course on a page’!

I came a long time ago to the understanding that there are many paths but one summit. I wanted a deeper sense of connection with other wisdom traditions. I wanted to feel the kind of nourishment that believers in those wisdom traditions feel. I wanted a gateway and a teacher that would give the connection I desired.

One key idea to come out of this is Spiritual Federalism – is the next goal for interfaith work? It’s an alternative to conversion mania. The world may have ended by the time the Christians have converted the Jews or Muslims the Christians or the Baha’is everyone else. Indeed conversion mania may bring the world to its end! Spiritual Federalism is simply the idea that if you are comfortable in your current wisdom tradition so be it. But if you have a universal heart and wish to reach out to find the oneness behind the various traditions you are like an American citizen – you belong to your State, Texas for example, but you are also, via federalism, an American.

These are the Paths, the Teachers, the Teachings and a video introduction for what I have to date;

Interspirituality, Perennial Wisdom, Universalism and Integral Studies – great teachers who show the oneness beyond the diversity (some of these teachers apply to more than one category!)

THE PATH – Inter-religious/mystic

THE TEACHER – Bro Wayne Teasdale

THE TEACHING – Book

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

THE PATH – Perennial Wisdom

THE TEACHER – Eckhart Tolle

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO 1 VID 2

-0-

THE PATH – Universalism

THE TEACHER – Karen Armstrong

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

THE PATH – Integral Studies

THE TEACHER – Ken Wilber

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

-0-

8 Major wisdom traditions

1 THE PATH – Sufism

THE TEACHER – Shaikh Kabir Helminski

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

2 THE PATH – Baha’i Faith

THE TEACHER – Abdu’l-Baha

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

3 THE PATH – Christianity

THE TEACHER – Brother David Stendahl-Rast

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

4 THE PATH – Buddhism

THE TEACHER – Thich Nhat Hanh

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

5 THE PATH – Hinduism

THE TEACHER – Eknath Easwaran

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

6 THE PATH – Judaism

THE TEACHER – Abraham Joshua Heschel

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

7 THE PATH – Quaker Universalism

THE TEACHER – QUG

THE TEACHING – US articles

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

8 THE PATH – Taoism

THE TEACHER – Deng Ming-Dao

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Two more important figures

THE PATH – ’Science+ mysticism’

THE TEACHER – Albert Einstein

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

-0-

THE PATH – Holistic Education

THE TEACHER – Prof John P ‘Jack’ Miller

THE TEACHING – Books

VIDEO Intros. – VIDEO

CONCLUSION: Through these teachers I am an inter-faith-ist, an inter-spiritual-ist, a Universalist, an intermystical-ist, a student of perennial wisdom, a Traditionalist i.e. someone committed to the mystical core of all true wisdom traditions.

I therefore am at least a Muslim, a Baha’i, a Christian, a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Jew and a Taoist – light is light in whatever in shines – providing men, and its usually men, have not obscured the light with a black shade of their own making!

-0-

UPDATED July 15th

MEDITATION: take a 60secs time-out

Take a 60 second time – out of the day’s hustle and hassle.

Light a candle – as the Chinese proverb says

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”

At work or home or out and about:-

“Light is light for us all whatever the source.”

Every now and then through the day be silent and still, starting with

just a few moments.

Enjoy three conscious breaths.

By just doing the three conscious breaths you can be still and silent –

without words muddying the water of consciousness.

If words must come in say with Zen master Thich Hahn’ teaching;

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Let your breath breathe you – bringing you back home to Wholeness and anchoring you in the now.

Let whatever thoughts or feelings emerge arise to the surface.

As you breathe see your mind as a movie-theatre.

Witness each thought or feeling that arises

entering onto your inner movie screen, left or right, up or down.

Don’t resist or chase any thought or feeling just witness them.

Say to each thought or feeling that arises

“Hello. Welcome. Thank-you. Goodbye.”

Then see the thought-feeling exit left, or right, from the movie-theatre.

Smile.

Breathe the breathing.

Let the breathing Breath breathe you.

Sense the Whole to which we all belong.

Invite the quietness.

Be still.

Smile.

Breathe into your stillness.

Give thanks.

Return slowly to the here-and-now.

-0- END -0-

–

SHORT COMMENTARY

On returning to our world of dualities we find concepts –

“Concepts are delicious snacks with which

we try to alleviate our amazement.”

( A J Heschel)

As a whole we should fly with two wings – the nonduality of ‘oneness via unitive meditation‘ and the duality of ‘me and my concepts & things‘.

Both wings are needed.

When meditatively, we are in amazement/awe/wonderment we are at-one, nondual, ego-less or ego-quietened. We rest as Awareness. I = no-self Awareness.

When we return to thought as in thought-forms ‘I-me’, ‘I-IT’, ‘I-we’, ‘I-thou’.’ In thought-forms – we always have duality, subject and object, twoness.

Neither is bad, together they are wings though which to fly spiritually.

Work only one wing and we are crippled – flapping on the ground going round and round in circles.

Nonduality is where we let go and instead let be the Universe, the Source, the Whole, Ultimate Reality, God (choose your preferred term). We rest as Awareness. “I = no-self Awareness.”

Duality is where we chop wood, carry water, do the laundry, feed the kids, earn a living………………….

Hooray for our two wings of being!

We are a being with Being.

The core of all Traditions is One.

There are many paths upward but only One Summit.

“Theologians may quarrel, but the mystics of the world speak the same language.” – Meister Eckhart

-0-

Updated 6/06/2017

How I got zapped by 3 truth-tellers in one week – one atheist, one social network site and one Saudi intellectual!

Pat Condell, the social network site MLIA (My Life is Average) and the

Saudi intellectual Abdallah bin Bakhit –

the 3 truth-tellers that zapped me in 1 week

As someone interested for half a century in truth and reality it is unusual to discover three disparate gateways to these great human concerns in one month.

The first I have previously mentioned – Pat Condell. That was the truth, reality and art that I found in the work of an atheist. Beware it is strong – and you have to listen hard beyond the ‘abuse’ and anger to certain spiritual truths that are/should be preeminent in many religions – the Golden Rule, Justice, not imposing your world-view on others, hating the act (where appropriate) and not the actor etc

Pat Condell’s talks are here as MP3s and he also has a channel on YouTube. That was surprising because that half century has led me to a broadly mystical view of reality and human reality – as say in Ken Wilber and Eckhart Tolle.

How is it that I appreciate Pat Condell so much – as someone who gathers light and inspiration from (parts of) all religions – including Islam? Briefly, because it would be quite a long appreciation, he is energetically opposing the corruption I see in virtually all religions and, given his belief system, he is a quality of truth-teller almost entirely absent from those who inhabit religious communities. Not only that he also (seems to) possess, in good measure, the values, qualities and attributes that so many people of religion claim to have – but don’t. ‘Seems to’ because even truth-telling atheists have to walk the talk – but I suppose persistence in the face of dozens of death-threats means he most definitely is walking the talk.

The second addition to truth-telling in and around the human condition came from the MLIA – My Life is Average site. Now it would be easy to dismiss this because it is whimsical, trivial and of no great importance but I think it has struck, uniquely, a chord that belonged only to self-deprecating comedians – and its brevity, as with Twitter, is essential. Here are four examples at random;

Today, while voting on submissions, I stumbled across a story beginning with a “today” that was not capitalized. Offended, I clicked “no”. MLIA.

Today, Billy Mays yelled at me through the TV and told me to buy Oxyclean. I yelled back at him that I wasn’t going to. MLIA.

Today, I told my friends I needed to show them a hillarious Youtube video. I played it for them and when nobody started laughing I said, “Oh this is the wrong one.” Then I pretended like I couldn’t find the right one. MLIA

Today, I made a triple-chocolate sundae and I felt fat. So I topped it off with sugar-free hot fudge and I felt like I was making healthy choices. MLIA

How can I possibly mention in the same breath great human beings and this site of small happenings in the lives and consciences of the people on MLIA – many of them are youngsters?

Again I must be brief. Our moral lives are in the decisions we make. Most are minor ones, most are known only to ourselves. Many are to defend our self-image, or the self we would aspire to – if only we were a bit more courageous. But what of the bishops and popes and mullahs who are full of cant and deceit and pomposity, and worse still, lacking in compassion and fellow-feeling and a sense of justice?

Now in this time when many are rightly concerned about the rise and spread of extremist Islam I next want to re-tell a story about Muhammad.

One day a parent came to Muhammad to ask Him to verbally chastise their child who was prone to eat too many dates. To the surprise of the parent, given the task was small and the child was there, Muhhammad told the parent to return the next day. On the next day the child was told not too eat too many dates. When asked why a return that day was necessary Muhammad said that it was because on the previous day he had eaten (rather too many) dates!

The story may not be ‘true’ – but the truth of the story is true – and it would be true if it were in the tradition of Hausa people or Inuit or Jewish people.

Now I remain someone whose belief system is broadly-speaking that of a mystical humanist or humanist mystic or universalist. However I was never zapped by three such disparate ‘tellers of truth’ in quite the same way as in this most recent week – Pat Condell, the contributors to MLIA and the third of these disparate additions to truth-telling in my life the Saudi intellectual Abdallah bin Bakhit.

From Abdallah bin Bakhit I learned the true value of secularism for religious communities – as well as what it takes to be courageous in a state of maximum suppression. If you haven’t watched his video yet it’s here;

PS If you want to see the kind of courage it takes to be a balanced intellectual like Abdallah bin Bakhit in Saudi Arabia check this out – Kill the Owners of Satellite TV Channels, As the Law Prescribes

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Something’s Gotta Give: Islam in the West

This is an intro to the work of Dr Rachael Kohn and to a particular Australian ABC transcript – SEE end of this i.e. MY COMMENT to go to source;-0-What’s required to foster better relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in the West? Two Muslims – Irshad Manji & Mehmet Ozalp – give their points of view.

Transcript

Irshad Manji is the author of The Trouble With Islam. She calls for change in Islam to conform with the values of Western democratic societies. Mehmet Ozalp is the President of Affinity Intercultural Foundation, which recently held a conference in Sydney on “Islam and Its Relations with the Other.”MUSIC

I’ll just give you a minute or two to pretty much observe the domes, observe the calligraphy, the Qur’anic verses, the patterns on the wall and so forth, just for you to have a bit of a look, and then I’ll start hopefully explaining some of them.

Rachael Kohn: An Open Day at Gallipoli Mosque in Auburn, New South Wales.Hello, and welcome to ‘Something’s Gotta Give: What does it take for Muslims and other Australians to foster a better relationship?’ This is The Spirit of Things on ABC Radio National, with me, Rachael Kohn.

With the dress requirements there is dress requirements both for males and females. OK, and I’m just going to go through the minimal requirements for both a male and a female. The minimal dress requirement for a male is from the navel to below the knee area; that is the minimal requirement for a Muslim male. The minimal requirement for a Muslim female is exposure of hands, face and feet. Now some say don’t include feet on that list, but you do have certain areas where opinions will differ. Now for a Muslim woman, she is required when she comes to a certain age, usually the age of puberty, to pretty much dress the way that I’m dressing, to start fulfilling the dress obligations, or the dress requirements that is expected of her. OK. Now one of the sole reasons why we do it, OK, which is probably one of the most commonsense reasons, is because it’s a commandment from God.

Rachael Kohn: In the larger community, you could say there’s a stand-off between Muslims and non-Muslims. Fear, disdain and ignorance have kept both sides at arm’s length. For Mehmet Ozalp, a second generation Australian Muslim, education is the answer. We’ll hear more from him later in the program.MUEZZINRachael Kohn: My first guest goes much further, in calling for a reform of Islam itself. Irshad Manji, a Canadian Muslim visiting Australia for the Melbourne Writers’ Festival, believes that it is not only Islam, but democracy, free thought and human rights, which are at stake. When I spoke to her earlier in the year about her book, The Trouble With Islam, Irshad revealed that her life had been threatened on many occasions for speaking out as she has. I’m pleased to say there was no need for bodyguards when she came to the ABC.Irshad Manji, welcome to The Spirit of Things.Irshad Manji: Thanks for having me.Rachael Kohn: It’s great to have you back on the show again. Six months ago, your book had recently come out, The Trouble with Islam; since then I think you’ve been interviewed all over the world, I doubt if you’ve been home for very long in Toronto. How many copies has the book sold?Irshad Manji: Well there are different countries in which it’s been released. I don’t have exact sales figures for any one of those countries; things change, but I’m really happy to say that the book made it to The New York Times bestseller list in the US; it has been on the best seller list for months in Canada, which is my home country, and by this time in September, it’ll be out in 20 countries, and I’m really happy to say, if I may just throw this in as well, that the book is being translated into both Arabic and Urdu, Urdu being the major language spoken in Pakistan. Now that doesn’t mean however that it’ll be published in the Arab world. No publisher has been found to touch this book with a 10-foot pole in the Arab world. So you know, it’s young Muslims from the Arab world who have said to me, ‘Forget the publishing powers-that-be, don’t let the vision be hidebound to them. You get the book translated into Arabic, you post that PDF on your website, make it free of charge to download, and Irshad, when you do that’, they’ve told me, ‘you will get an even bigger audience than you ever anticipated, because if we can read the book in relative privacy, then that means we can read it in relative safety and start discussing these ideas in a way that we couldn’t if we had the book in our hands and were harassed for doing so.’ Very interesting point.

via abc.net.au

MY COMMENT:

Ultimately the only force that will contain extremist Islam is true Islam – and the same principle is true of all other forms of extremism.

I wanted to share this resource – many transcripts and audio of programmes presented by Rachael Kohn for Australian ABC. This one is under the category of ‘Fundamentalism’.Go tohttp://www.abc.net.au/rn/spiritofthings/stories/2004/1188988.htm#transcriptto read the full program and to find many others.

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Why isn’t the good and glorious side of Islam featured more? – this is my reply to Taufiq who asked the question.

Taufiq Rahim has an article in the Huffington Post.

He says, “As President Obama looks to foster a new dialogue with the Muslim world, I want to give voice to an Islam that is too often ignored in the media in both East and West.”

This is my reply as someone who shares Taufiq’s hopes.

Dear Taufiq

Thanks for your fine article.

I too, as a religious humanist, am inspired by the gifts of Islam. Who can fail to be moved by Rumi, Ibn-Al Arabi, the exquisite nature of the Alhambra, not to mention all of the science that is the foundation of Western ‘civilization’.

Every day I am the beneficiary of His Holiness Muhammad’s, Revelation, peace be upon Him, and the intellectual and spiritual truths discovered by those numberless great women and men who turned to Him.

But you skate over some very inconvenient truths.

I want to encourage you – and those who sincerely think like you – to try to get the ‘moderate majority’ in Islam to stand up and eliminate the hate-filled extremists who perpetrate such atrocities as 9/11.

Even one suspects that now hundreds or thousands are working towards the next 9/11 or much, much, worse. They are poisoned in their minds and paid for by Moslems in your part of the world – Wahabism or whatever. Only for as long as the security agencies are cleverer will the planned-for atrocities not occur. It is generally agreed that it is a matter not of if but when. (I know there is correspondingly much to be done to change the behaviour of Israel and the US.)

The extremists say they are your fellow believers. There’s the problem for non-Moslems. Is there a moderate majority? If there is why don’t they take control? Do all ordinary Moslems think the same as the extremists – and are simply less active? I know the difference between my friend who is a Quaker or my ex-neighbours who were Catholics and the crazies in the fundamentalist Christian pile. But I don’t know if there is truly a moderate majority in Islam.

I know the faith of sweet, ordinary people – of all faiths – is to be respected. I hear and believe what you say about those in;

the mountains of Tajikistan, the streets of Kabul, the alleyways of Damascus, the villages of South Lebanon, the madrasas of Uzbekistan, the towns of the West Bank, and even in corners of Riyadh.

But given what is happening in the name of Islam are they not victims just as much as the 3,000 who died in 9/11? Is such action not an insult to their faith? Are not more Moslems killed by fellow believers day after day after day? The only currency held in common seems to be hatred, all-consuming hatred. Lighten up. En-light-en up. It would be a relief if the extremists just loved other Moslems – the same of course is true of all fundamentalists.

I share with you the desire that the fruits of Islam be recognized world-wide and the pure faith of ordinary Moslems be honoured and respected as an example to us all. I shrink from the vile hatred so many other ‘believers in the Book’ heap upon Islam.

You say;
My Islam is foremost about reason. It is about harnessing one’s capacity to understand the complexities of this world and beyond. The mind and the pursuit of knowledge are central to comprehending, to the extent that is possible, what is the divine. One also cannot make conscious decisions about right or wrong without exercising his own judgment. Blindly following the edicts of scholars, is not choosing a path except one that is not your own. When I refrain from consuming alcohol, it is not because I am backward, or uncultured. I refuse drugs because they hinder our judgment and our ability to reason, the trait that God endowed us with that distinguishes humankind from all other beings.

Bravo – no religion has given more to the modern world than the massively enhanced re-presentation of the Ancient World’s knowledge. I know that whilst Europe was literally and metaphorically in the Dark Ages parts of the Islamic world had street lighting and the first university – al hamdulillah!

You say your Islam is about the equality of women, tolerance, compassion, humility. I know all you say about these is true of the real Islam – but will the real Islam please stand up!

Equality of women, tolerance, compassion, humility? – tell that to the 74 year-old widow Khamisa Sawadi, convicted and sentenced recently to 40 lashes for meeting with her late husband’s nephew i.e. he brought her shopping! Is this the Saudi version of ‘meals on wheels’ for the elderly?

In actuality, globally, Dear Taufiq your version of Islam is a fantasy. Your version would be called, by those who dominate Islam, a Western-corrupted perversion. Wahabism rules – you don’t! That’s the world’s plight. You are a) just a minority b) part of a group unwilling or unable to become the dominant majority.Transformation lies in the activation of Islam as a 21stC religion.

It’s not about numbers its about which version of Islam dominates globally – and yours doesn’t because as yet the moderate majority, if they exist, are not willing to say, “Enough, no more!”

No one else is going to restore Islam to its rightful place other than moderate Moslems. Not even the sweet charm of Obama, let alone the insane machinations of Bush’s crowd.

The world, including most of the Islamic world, was held in sympathy for a short time because of 9/11. Had America then raised 3,000 scholars of Islam instead of 3,000 cruise missiles, the world could soon have been at peace.

The possibility is still there – but only if moderate, modernized Islam moves to the dominant position.

What are you, and those moderate millions you refer to, going to do to ensure the good guys win? We Kafirs will not be the ones to bring about the change from 8thC Islam to 21stC Islam.

As I write it seems as if Iran – and the rest of the world – is doomed to more craziness.

At least the US has made an effort in electing Obama.

Roger

To read Taufiq’s fine article go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taufiq-rahim/what-is-my-islam_b_214432.html

mgc

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

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