Beauty

Beauty and ugliness in human beings have little to do with outward form.

At its core, ugliness is the idea that the self is significant, that the other exists to satisfy, gratify and serve the self; to meet the self's expectations. A self obsessed with itself is mind-less, unconscious and blind to what surrounds it.  It suffers from an illusion of separation, alienation and  lack. It is ungrateful and selfish.  It is afraid of loss, it has sharp edges and boundaries.  And because of its sharp edges, selfishness and ingratitude, it is repulsive to Existence, it finds itself repelled by Existence, despite any beauty of its outward form.

Beauty is the opposite: it is the mindful, conscious appreciation of and gratitude for the generosity, intricacy and mystery that surrounds the self.  It is a self that knows its reality of interconnectedness, a self that knows it suffers no lack, a self that is aware of its fullness and serves and gives from that fullness.  It is a self that has nothing to lose or to fear, so it is soft, receptive and at ease with Existence.  Existence embraces and loves back such a self.  Existence finds it beautiful.

photo credit: from the internet

Giving And Receiving

 

 

Existence came about because of a Creative Force that is Generous. Nature gives of itself. The nature of every creature is to give of itself. Therein lies its wholeness and fruition. To withhold the self damages the self. To withhold from the self what is given generously by nature and Existence is to be ungrateful and also to damage the self. This giving and receiving is the product of the moment and seeing things as they are (or as best we can) in that moment.

photo credit: http://freerangestock.com/

10 THINGS THOSE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR SUFI PRACTICE UNDERSTAND

1.    When you’d rather do anything in the world but meditate:

 

 

2.    When you feel intimidated by those in your circle who have memorized way more surahs than you can count:

 

 

3.    When you feel intimidated by those in your circle who have read every sufi text in every language known to man and can recall minute historical details from them at the drop of a hat:

 

 

4.    When you want to kill the disciplined person in your circle who prays, meditates and does wird daily:

 

 

 

5.    When that one person who drives you up the wall, drives you up the wall, and you rue the day you signed up for all this struggle and self-restraint:

 

6.    When no one tells you how hard it is to be on the path until your life starts to fall apart and only then your shaykh gives it to you straight:

 

 

7.    When your life continues to fall apart and you realize this is not going to get any easier:

 

 

 

8.    When you ask your shaykh a question and he gives what sounds like a profound answer but you have no clue what it means:

 

 

 

9.    When you know that you construct your own misery but still wish you could blame someone else for the way you feel:

 

   

 

10. When you go for days without getting angry,  and congratulate yourself on being well on your way to enlightenment, only to have another meltdown:

 

 

 

  with apologies and respect to my beloved shaykh, fellow travelers and the people whose photos i've used.

10 THINGS YOU UNDERSTAND IF YOU ARE ON THE SUFI PATH

 

1.    When people think you have joined a cult.

 

2.    When people think you worship graves.

 

 

3.    When people think that they can behave outrageously but you won’t say anything.

 

 

4.    When you find excuses for not doing your practice.

 

 

5.    When your friends or relatives called sheikh think they are the same as a sufi master.

 

6.    When people think your shyakh should have a magic spell to neutralize the Taliban.

 

 

7.    When people think that you’re wasting your time praying, meditating and doing dhikr.

 

 

8.    When people think you don’t live in the real world.

 

 

9.    When people think you’re  superhuman.

 

 

10.                       When people think your shaykh is superhuman.

 

 

 

 

with all due respect for all the people whose photos have been used in these memes. photos obtained from the internet.

 

 

 

 

Kindness