From tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Sun Jul 7 07:22:58 1996 Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 09:49:24 -0400 (EDT) From: tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Reply-To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com Subject: tariqas-digest V1 #29 tariqas-digest Tuesday, 25 June 1996 Volume 01 : Number 029 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Fred Rice Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 07:08:31 +1000 (EST) Subject: Re: Rod Poesy Dear Kaffea Lalla, Assalamu alaikum, > >Dear Friends > >Rod Poesy died this afternoon. I know healing sometimes is going home. > >Thankyou for all your love towards our family. Love Kaffea Lalla. My heart goes out to you in this time.... may God bless Rod Poesy where he is now.... I would like to share a short passage from Ibn Arabi.... Ibn Arabi wrote: Verification shows that the forms of the cosmos -- which belong to the Real in respect to the name the "Nonmanifest" -- are the forms of a dream to the Dreamer. The interpretation of the dream is that those forms are His states, nothing else. In the same way, the forms of a dream are the states of the dreamer, nothing else. Hence He sees only Himself. [W. C. Chittick, "The Sufi Path of Knowledge," p. 120.] Ibn Arabi says, essentially, the material world we are in is like God's dream. Ibn Arabi also quotes the Prophet (s.) as saying, "People are asleep, and when they die they awake." This suggests to me that when we die, not only do we wake up, but we wake up not to His dream (which is this material world), but perhaps to His Presence. Allah knows best.... Much love, Fariduddien ------------------------------ From: maarof@pc.jaring.my Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 06:13:32 +0800 Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others On Mon, 24 Jun 1996, informe@best.com wrote: >I'd like to ask Tariqas members for their thoughts about how their romantic >and spiritual lives have interacted. > Assalamualaikum Dear Hamza First, thanks for sharing your experience about finding a spiritual guide when I post the question sometimes ago. About this topic... I don't know ... it seemed like asking that Kung Fu master on TV ... and most probably he raised an eyebrow when posed that question. The stereotype image of sufi man is probably like that of the TV character (kungfu monk) but in real life, sufis -- men or women -- are so ordinary. The extraordinary things about them, they are generous in matter of the heart and faced life with a sense of dignity and accept life as it is. As for my experience. I'm married. My wife's name is Ruhaida and our daughter Nur Harlifa (10) and son, Muhammad Khairi (7). She's not interested in sufism and in lot of things she is very different from me... but that's the way it is. I don't think I'll ever try to get her into sufism, or anything she's not interested in. salam maarof ------------------------------ From: Frank Gaude Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 16:15:05 -0700 Subject: Re: False Face Hello, dear ones! CWoodsong@aol.com wrote: > > >From the prologue, /Mad Bear/, Doug Boyd: > > The story of False Face was among the first of many tales and legends I heard > from Mad Bear. [...] > He knew all the ways of the Creator. [...] > "And then he heard the voice of the Creator whom he knew as the Great Lord of > the Universe. [...] > "'You are never without me,' the Great Spirit answered in a gentle voice, > 'for I am always with you.' Thanks, woodsong! some powerful medicine you give us. Did you know that those who have only positive thoughts have no need of Medicine Shields? I wonder, looking at names, if False Face, Creator, Great Lord of the Universe, Great Spirit, all equate to Great Mysterious, the un-nameable, that which stands behind Allah? Peace, tanzen ------------------------------ From: Lilyan Kay Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 16:59:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others asalaam-u-aleikum I am curious, do women do this, or is this a guy thing? That is, choosing a mate who does not have any interest in, let alone share, that which is the guiding principal of their life. I ask this because I cannot imagine doing it, cannot think of many examples of other women who have done it, but do know of many men who have. I don't mean relationships that started before this happened and continued to flourish around the changes, but am speaking of actually choosing this from the outset. On the one hand, I want to ask "why"?, but on the other hand perhaps it expresses a more healthy and realistic expectation (i.e. not expecting one's partner to be everything). Or maybe it is a gender specific behavior and I will never get it. Lily ------------------------------ From: Ellen L Price Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 18:31:00 -0700 (MST) Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others On Mon, 24 Jun 1996 informe@best.com wrote: > >Hamza, > > Do you have to join her in watching TV? Is this an excuse on your > >part not to do something more productive? If you were doing something > >more productive and interesting with your time would you be a better > >example to your partner? When you sit and watch TV with her do you > >communicate anything with her, or do you both just simply disappear? > >Ellen > > Sometimes we talk while it is going on. I'm there because it is something > she wants to do that we can do together; I'd rather be off writing or > fooling with the computer in other ways, but it's time we can share. > Unfortunately as you suggest it's not very involving as people. We do > massage each other every night - in her case, very important for her pain > and mobility. But lately I have been feeling more like a caretaker than a > boyfriend. > > To me, a romantic relationship is a sort of third party that gets > investments - emotional, physical, spiritual - made in it over time. There > has to be some goal above and beyond just escaping from an unpleasant > present time. At this point in my life the spiritual component seems the > most vital. > I agree that a relationship has to have some goal beyond just exaping from an unpleasant present time. Two people can have other goals, it could just be making a life together, if they enjoy each other's company. The spiritual component of your life, of course, has to be paramount, but that is your life. A story from Rumi comes to mind of a young seeker who goes looking for a Sufi master he has heard of who lives in a remote village. He arrives at the village and asks for the master's house. The house is pointed out. He goes to the door and knocks. A woman answers the door in a very unpleasant manner. When the young man asks for the master she tells him in a rude manner that the master is out in the woods cutting wood, points him in the right direction and slams the door in his face. The young man, totally bewildered by this experience, wanders into the woods to find the master. When he finally finds the master he asks him as politely as he can about the woman who answered the door, wanting to know who she was and what she was doing in the master's house. The master replied, "She is my wife." The young seeker questioned further, curious as to why such an esteemed master would have such a wife. The master replied, "It is because of her that I am what I am. She has helped me to build my character and made me strong. If I can deal with her, I can deal with anything." These are not exact quotes, but I have always loved this story. It illustrates how our mates are supposed to help us overcome our own failings. Too often we criticize in others what is really in ourselves. The other acts as a mirror reflecting back what we do not want to see in ourselves. If you want to analyze your relationship, analyze what it is that brought you together. What do you have in common? What do you like doing together; are there good conversations; pleasant meals; is she able to help you in any way; what does she contribute, or is all the giving one way going from you to her? Does she expect you to entertain her, or do you expect her to entertain you? These are all questions just to think about. I'm sure you can come up with others. It does sort of sound as though you feel that her seeming lack of interest in things spiritual is a reflection upon you, however, if she is a totally materialistic person who only has animal interests and creature comforts in mind, then perhaps she is not the right person for you, but perhaps she has her own approach to spirituality. I hope these questions and comments are of help. I hear the pain in your plea and I sympathize with you. We were born to be social creatures. There is no monkery (cloistered life) in Islam. Ellen ------------------------------ From: Ellen L Price Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 18:36:45 -0700 (MST) Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others On Mon, 24 Jun 1996, Keeper of the Dragon Flagon wrote: > >Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 05:03:19 -0700 > >From: informe@best.com > > >I'd like to ask Tariqas members for their thoughts about how their romantic > >and spiritual lives have interacted. > [snip] > > I just got divorced myself after 11 years of marriage because we realized that > our paths were diverging and decided we were better off going 'solo' for a > while. I have found I enjoy the solitude most of the time, but have this part > of me that still feels empty and lonely. When I read some of the medieval > Persian tales of Love and Romance, it makes my heart flutter, because I yearn > to be in stories like that. > --------------------------------------- > Brett W. McCoy "Unix was never designed to keep > Istvan Dragosani people from doing stupid things, > istvan@gnn.com because that policy would also keep > Disciple of the Eastern Mysteries them from doing clever things." > of both Love and War -- Doug Gwyn Done been there; done did that! Living a solitary existence in the desert I can salute the Persian tales of Love and Romance, along with the heart flutters. Ellen ------------------------------ From: Frank Gaude Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 18:49:14 -0700 Subject: Healing Web Page Hello, everybody! With permission, WWW page http://www.idola.net.id/inyp/life/barzakh/sufihl-e.htm is posted below. The ASCII here is a poor reflection of the actual Web page. Also http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5739/ is interesting to both see and read. The glories of East and West meet! Thanks to brother Michael Roland, a mere 14 Earth hours ahead of me on the other side of our lovely planet. Love, Harmony, and Beauty, down the lines, Web or ASCII, until there be time no more, tanzen ========================================================= SUFI HEALING METHOD - The Sufis are high rank spiritual teachers within Islam, where one of their responsibilities is to maintain and transmit the hidden, deeper knowledge contained in the Holy Qur'an. For the Sufis, the supreme object of life is to serve and obey God, to emulate His divine attributes, and thereby to earn His pleasure. Among the services to humanity which the Sufis consider superior to all others is the healing of the sick. Their method is called The Sufi Healing. God sends three kind of illnesses: illness to test someone, illness caused by one's sins in the past, and illness which will cause one's death. Humans can only cure the first and second. While for the third one, humans can do nothing to stop it. There are four kind of healing methods known to us: + modern + traditional (accupuncture, herb remedies, etc.) + spiritism (yoga, magnetism, hypnotism, breath exercise, etc.) + spiritual power Sufi healing methods can be regarded as an Islamic therapy practiced exclusively by the Sufis for centuries. The basic principle in Sufi Healing is that the True Healer is God Himself: the Sufis only act as mediators. Witch or voodoo doctors are also preferred by some people to cure their illness. Many of them are using help from jinns or evil spirits. This method is different from Sufi Healing which does not seek help from jinns or evil spirits. The physical healing methods of the Sufis derive first from the Holy Qur'an and second from the traditions and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Sufis use four methods in their treatment of diseases: prayers, traditional medicine or therapy, fasting and zikr, and using specific things. Prayers in Islam are known as salaat, a specific practice combining body movements and reciting of Qur'nic verses and supplications, which must be performed five times a day. While the true purpose of salaat and fasting is to reach God's proximity, it also gives spiritual nourishment and harmonizes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life. Traditional medicine or therapy (water therapy, aromatherapy, etc.) are also sometimes used by the Sufis depending on the condition of the patient. The obligatory fast for Moslems is in the month of Ramadan, but optional fasts can also be performed at other months. If done properly fasting raises one's spiritual state and also improves one's health. Zikr, simply translated as Divine remembrance, is also practiced as a method to cure mental or physical illness. It is performed by repeating holy verses or God's attributes either individually or in a group, usually under supervision of a Sufi teacher. The Sufis also combine the using of God's attributes and holy verses with prayer in a specific and complex method. The formulations may be written on a paper, bone, or leather, which is called "wifq". Those formulations are then put in a glass of water to be taken by the patient, buried in the ground, or carried around by the patient. They can also be spoken aloud, taken to heart, or transfered through many other ways. The formulations can be applied not only to cure mental or physical illness, but also to solve family, financial, or social problems. This last method uses power from God's angels for constructive purposes, and it is not the same as with voodoo, black magic, or witchcraft which use the power from jinns or evil spirits. This homepage only gives a short introduction to Sufi Healing. Those interested in knowing more about Sufi Healing, or Sufism in general, are encouraged to read these books: Shaykh Hakim Moinuddin Chishti. The Book of Sufi Healing, New York: Inner Traditions International, Ltd., 1985. Idries Shah. The Way of The Sufi, London: The Penguin Books, 1974 R.A. Nicholson. Revelation of The Veiled, London: Luzak & Co., 1970 Annemarie Schimmel. Mystical Dimensions of Islam, The Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1975. Martin Lings. What is Sufism?, Allen and Unwin, 1975. Created by BARZAKH WebDesign E-mail: barzakh@idola.net.id Last update: June 15, 1996 ------------------------------ From: jabriel@peoples.net (Jabreil Hanafi) Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 22:38:48 -0500 Subject: Wahid Wahid Each bead is a Jewel connected within a string of mines and veins scattered across space on spinning clods of clay containing emeralds, opals diamonds, lapis lazuli, and every stone not known. Ninety nine times infinity in all they say. If one understood the Greatest Name Allah each name would open and inside would find just another universe containing whirling dervish worlds spun around singing songs to life and dancing before the Beloved But no name ever existed that could describe the One they are only veils no similitude or partner could stand inside outside or be contained by the dull blade of geometry or any other model or mosaic pattern which describes a reality making blind fools of us all. This is why Faith is the Daughter to religion, and Allah neither has Daughter or Son Yet there are fools who bow down to saints claiming a thing called god realization an elevated state leading lemmings blind and dizzy intoxicated by a source with little discernment, no discretion just a hankering to nurse the horrible wounds of lies and bleeding abandonment. Remember the mirror is only a device the reflection remains backwards always don't be fooled and call yourself a son of God your sisters will not hear of it. The love for Allah leaves the moth scorched by the Oneness and the light from the shadow of Wahid the creation cannot know the Creator there can only be a taste and the wine is really poison it is very strong and it requires that one singularly die before it reveals the solar systems in each bead, and lets you hold them in your hand. Jabriel - ----------------------------------------- Jabriel Hanafi Pivotal Point Dynamics ------------------------------ From: informe@best.com Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 21:31:22 -0700 Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others Lilyan wrote: >I am curious, do women do this, or is this a guy thing? That is, choosing >a mate who does not have any interest in, let alone share, that which is >the guiding principal of their life. I ask this because I cannot imagine >doing it, cannot think of many examples of other women who have done it, >but do know of many men who have. > >I don't mean relationships that started before this happened and >continued to flourish around the changes, but am speaking of actually >choosing this from the outset. You know, I never felt like I made a conscious choice, at that point. We had been on a few dates, then I stayed over one night, and the next, and the next. Four months later I panicked and asked to be alone for a month to sort out my feelings. After a month of solitude, I felt very good, and when I saw her again, she was utterly miserable. I felt sorry for her and knew that I could make her feel better, so we started up again. [This, like my other postings on the subject, was the way I experienced it. If you had been a fly on the wall, you might have seen it differently. Apply this disclaimer to all my postings...] Since you mentioned that your husbands were "poor marriage material", if I remember it right, can you explain the differences between good and bad? If you think we should take this to private email, that's fine, either way is OK. Hamza ------------------------------ From: maarof@pc.jaring.my Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 15:35:30 +0800 Subject: Re: Several Adams (Re: Ibn Arabi's dream) Assalamualaikum Dear Farid, I found this piece which might be an interest to you and others in the list. >From _Tafsir Al-Azhar (Juzu' 1)_ by Prof Dr Hamka: (please excuse my translations :) pp160-161. Al-Alusi in _Tafsir uhul Ma'ani said in _Jamiul Akhbar_ (a book in Shiah Imamiah), it is said before Allah created Adam, there existed 30 Adams. The distance between one Adam to another is 1,000 years. After 30 Adams had passed, the world experienced a calamity for 50,000 before God made our Adam. Ibnu Buwaihi wrote in _Kitab at-Tauhid_, reporting from Imam Jaafar as-Shadiq in a long Hadis, he said: Maybe you thought Allah did not make any humans except you. He has made 1,000 Adam (Alfu Alfi Adamah) and you are the last of that Adams. Al-Haitsam in his lecture in _Kitab Nahjul Balaghah_: "It was reported by Muhammad al-Baqir and he said: Before our father Adam, there was 1,000 or more Adams." These are the opinions of Imams of the Shiah. Jaafar as-Sadiq and Muhammad al-Baqir are two of the 12 Imams. Among the sufis, As-Syaikh al-Akbar Ibnu Arabi said in his famous book al-Futuhat al-Makkiyah, 40,000 years before Adam there existed other Adams. (About Allahyarham Dr Hamka: He is a great Indonesian muslim. He wrote the ensiklopedik Tafsir Al-Azhar when he was in prison in the 60's. The reason he was put into prison because he disagreed with *the brief war* between Malaysia and Indonesia in the 60's. He is very respected in Malaysia.) salam maarof ------------------------------ From: CWoodsong@aol.com Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 00:39:45 -0400 Subject: Re: Healing Web Page Thanks tanzen and Michael, > Among the services >to humanity which the Sufis consider superior to all others >is the healing of the sick. Their method is called >The Sufi Healing. Why is this service superior to all others? Do Sufis consider this 'Sufi Healing' superior to other Ways? >There are four kind of healing methods known to us: > + modern > + traditional (accupuncture, herb remedies, etc.) > + spiritism (yoga, magnetism, hypnotism, breath exercise, etc.) > + spiritual power This seems quite simplistic, as most 'methods' use a combination of all these, yes? How does spiritism differ from spiritual power? What is the source of this power? >Sufi healing methods can be regarded as an Islamic therapy practiced >exclusively by the Sufis for centuries. The basic principle in Sufi >Healing is that the True Healer is God Himself: the Sufis only act >as mediators. So this is 'spiritual power'? >Witch or voodoo doctors are also preferred by some people to cure >their illness. Many of them are using help from jinns or evil spirits. >This method is different from Sufi Healing which does not seek >help from jinns or evil spirits. Of the many witches i know, NONE of them use the help of evil spirits. (I do not know what jinn are). >Traditional medicine or therapy (water therapy, aromatherapy, etc.) >are also sometimes used by the Sufis depending on the condition >of the patient. With 'enough' faith, this is all unnnecessary? >The Sufis also combine the using of God's attributes and holy >verses with prayer in a specific and complex method. The >formulations may be written on a paper, bone, or leather, >which is called "wifq". Those formulations are then put >in a glass of water to be taken by the patient, buried in the >ground, or carried around by the patient. They can also be >spoken aloud, taken to heart, or transfered through >many other ways. hmmm... this is interesting... can anyone tell me more about this? >The formulations can be applied not only to cure mental or >physical illness, but also to solve family, financial, or >social problems. If this cure comes from a 'healer' and not from the patient herself, how is 'transformation' acheived? It seems, to me, almost trivial to seek 'healing' of financial problems... when the Earth Mother is crying... >This last method uses power from God's angels for constructive >purposes, and it is not the same as with voodoo, black magic, >or witchcraft which use the power from jinns or evil spirits. Witchcraft, also known as Wicca, is of the Light. >This homepage only gives a short introduction to Sufi Healing. >Those interested in knowing more about Sufi Healing, or Sufism >in general, are encouraged to read these books: I'll look for them. Thanks. blesssings! woodsong ------------------------------ From: Hudoyo Hupudio Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 19:10:19 +0700 Subject: Re: False Face At 06:21 PM 6/23/96 -0400, Woodsong wrote: >From the prologue, /Mad Bear/, Doug Boyd: > >The story of False Face was among the first of many tales and legends I heard >from Mad Bear. .[...SNIP...] >"False Face felt a moment of great pain, and then he had a sudden awareness. >There was no contest. There had never been any contest. This was another of >his countless lessons. But this was the ultimate lesson and he had arranged >it -- he and His Own Self -- so that he could be free from the desire to be >a separate, independent something in it's own right. So that he could be >free from being apart and alone." ... > > <>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>> Dear Woodsong: That is a very beautiful story. It contains what I would call an archetypal theme. I'd love to hear/read the other stories by Mad Bear. Are they contained in a book? If they are, could you please inform me about the book (title, publisher etc.)? Thank you very much, dear Woodsong. And thank you for the sharing. Hudoyo ------------------------------ From: Keeper of the Dragon Flagon Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 09:00:23 Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others >Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 16:59:43 -0700 (PDT) >From: Lilyan Kay >I am curious, do women do this, or is this a guy thing? That is, choosing >a mate who does not have any interest in, let alone share, that which is >the guiding principal of their life. I ask this because I cannot imagine >doing it, cannot think of many examples of other women who have done it, >but do know of many men who have. I think that may owe to the Western preoccupation with physical shape, rather than developing a relationship from the inside out (I am not, by the way, putting such a judgement upon the relationship described in the originating post for this thread, since I do not know either person or the stoy of how they came to be together). >I don't mean relationships that started before this happened and >continued to flourish around the changes, but am speaking of actually >choosing this from the outset. I have seen it happen many times over myself. >On the one hand, I want to ask "why"?, but on the other hand perhaps it >expresses a more healthy and realistic expectation (i.e. not expecting >one's partner to be everything). Or maybe it is a gender specific behavior >and I will never get it. That might be it also. I have met many men who have virtually no intellectual interest in their chosen partner. I have a very dear friend of mine (the closest thing I have ever had to a little sister) who is going through this situation. She is very spiritual and just brimming over with love for everyone and everything, which her husband takes to mean she wants to sleep around. Not only that, he is very anti-spiritual to the point that he doesn't even want her to leave, say, a pack of Tarot cards lying around in his presence. She isn't asking him to participate, but just accept her for who she is! - --------------------------------------- Brett W. McCoy "Unix was never designed to keep Istvan Dragosani people from doing stupid things, istvan@gnn.com because that policy would also keep Disciple of the Eastern Mysteries them from doing clever things." of both Love and War -- Doug Gwyn ------------------------------ From: Well333@turbonet.com (Jacquie Weller) Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 06:30:06 +0100 Subject: Masters Dear God I must admit that I seek only You And the clear truth You hold. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath Religious masters said, "You are breaking the law. They didn't know the living scriptures of the heart. They only knew the words in books. Don't send me a master that would kill the poetry Or who is much too serious and frowns at everything And barks in righteousness. Send me, if You desire One who knows how to love and smile And dance... But you should know God You are the Ultimate Master The wisdom of all wisdom In You I completely trust. Kaffea Lalla ------------------------------ From: JHulvey@aol.com Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 09:50:11 -0400 Subject: Re: Spirituality and Significant Others In a message dated 96-06-24 20:00:16 EDT, you write: >I am curious, do women do this, or is this a guy thing? That is, choosing >a mate who does not have any interest in, let alone share, that which is >the guiding principal of their life. Just before my ex-husband and I split up, he made a big show of wanting to be more spiritual (less violent would have been just fine!). As soon as it became clear we were divorcing, he ridiculed me for the same thing. His true feelings were probably somewhere in between. Now I'm re-married. My husband Ross (who was alone for a long time before I came along) isn't interested in studying Sufism per se, yet I can solidly say he shares the guiding principle of my life, but not in the same form. He is a very compassionate and clear-headed person. It's a matter of encouragement, support, and harmonisation --let's not forget love! One Ross's friends, of whom I've become quite fond, became interested in Sufi studies about 4 or 5 years ago through seeing books sitting around at our place. . He's always on the lookout for his "Sufi teacher"; and says (only 1/2 joking) my husband is probably our teacher. But then, he says the same thing about my dog, a Basset hound who's the soul of love. (Hope no one is offended..) Jules ------------------------------ End of tariqas-digest V1 #29 ****************************