International Interfaith Conference on Mysticism: East and West

1. Hyderabad January 2012 International Interfaith Conference on Mysticism: East and West A Search for Meaningful Religious Experience KEYNOTE Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood President Interfaith Coalition for Peace

2. 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.

3. 'The Mystic Way' Explores the Awakening, Purification and Illumination of the Self; Discusses voices and visions; and Delves into Manifestations from Ecstasy and Rapture to theDark Night of the Soul. Evelyn Underhill British Author

4. The Holy Spirit resides in each of us, good and evil alike

5. Wa nafkhal feehi mir-roohee ! 32.8 I have breathed in him (the human being) My spirit

6. The manifestations of Khudi spell ProphethoodThe solitudes of Khudi spell GodhoodKhudi = Selfhood

7. DevotionContemplationYogaNamaz(Daily Me’raj)

8. BudhismAttainment of Nirvana, connection to ultimate reality

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

10. HinduismLiberation from cycles of Karma, Experience of ultimate reality (Samadhi),Innate Knowledge (Sahaja and Svabhav)

11. IslamImbibing God’s qualities in self

12. JainismLiberation from cycles of Karma

13. JudaismAbnegation of the ego(EinSof)

14. SikhismLiberation from cycles of Karma

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Attributes Ineffability Paradoxicality Perennialism

18. Sufism Inner mystic dimension

19. 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

20. Reaction against excessive worldliness Spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium

21. Modern Sufis often perform Zikrafter the conclusion of prayers

22. Safā means "purity” Another origin Sūf means wool, referring to the simple cloaks the early ascetics wore

23. Ahlaṣ-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

24. 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

25. Transmission of the divine light from the teacher's heart to the heart of the student Bahauddin Naqshband Bukhari who 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.

26. 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

27. RabiaBasri was a Sufi known for her love and passion for God, expressed through her poetry. BayazidBastamiwas among the first theorists of Sufism

28. 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).

29. ManualsEnglish translation Kashf al-Mahjûb of Hajveri and Risâla of Qushayri

30. Al-Ghazali’s Treatises Revival of Religious Sciences and Alchemy of Happiness

31. 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 for Sufi 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

32. Current Sufi orders include Ba 'Alawiyya, Chishti, Naqshbandi, Nimatullahi, Oveyssi, Qadiria Boutshishia, Qadiriyyah, Qalandariyya, Sarwari Qadiri, Shadhliyya and Suhrawardiyya.

33. Sufism is also popular in African countries such as Morocco and Senegal AlgerianSufimaster Emir Abd al-Qadir AmadouBamba and Hajj Umar Tall in sub-Saharan Africa Sheikh MansurUshurma and Imam Shamil in the Caucasus region

34. René Guénon, the French scholar, became a sufi in the early twentieth century

35. 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.

36. 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).

37. Robert FragerA Sufi Teacher Trained psychologist, born in the United States, wrote extensively on Sufism and psychology

38. A Sufi gathering engaged in Zikr

39. 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.

40. 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).

41. Largely seen asSymbol of Tolerance and HumanismNon-dogmatic and Flexible

42. Golden Chain of Naqshbandi Order

43. Tomb of Baba GhulamFaridMithanKot

44. Grave of Ma YuanzhangSufi Grand Master in China

45. Wali TombSudan

46. Rumi MuseumTurkey

47. Rumi(1207-1273)brought about aparadigm shiftin the Mystic Focus

48. The poetry ofRumi, the Immortal Reed Player of Konia has been compiled, translated, interpreted, appreciated and propagated byE. G. BrowneR. A. NicholsonandA. J. Arberry

49. Ascension (Me’raj)During the conversation between God and the ProphetThe Prophetsought God’s Blessings fornot only himself but forall those who are pious (who do good deeds)

50. Rumi’snew mystic dimensionMan’s obligatory perseverance to help out the needyand consider this service as divine intoxicationIn Christianitythis dimension is known asPraxis