Murshida conner talksmessagespoems sufism reoriented. Exploring a number of issues relating to the dynamic tensions between religious globalization processes and specific sacred localities, this book looks. An account of this sort of learning is available in. A scholarly work, published first in 1970, it is still pertinent to today. The way of the sufi includes chapters on sufism in the west, classical authors, sufi masters, teaching stories and other topics. The questions and answers were contrived and irritating,there was no direction to them but. The path of sufism is often described as the one the true seeker of. His latest book, aspects of islam, is published by darton, longman and todd. While exploring the spiritual and psychological processes of transformation, this book offers practical guidelines to help the seeker.
Some hold the notion its essence has also been expressed via other religions and metareligious phenomena, while others believe sufism to be totally unique within islam. Upon meeting, the two men immediately went into private retreat together and emerged 90 days later in a transformed condition. In memoriam rene guenon shaykh abd alwahid pallavicini 253258 a. His initial work from 1990 to 2000, including his first eleven books, was to make the sufi path more accessible to the western seeker. Nov 16, 2016 western sufism is sometimes dismissed as a relatively recent new age phenomenon, but in this book mark sedgwick argues that it has deep roots, both in the muslim world and in the west. This reflects the unbalanced conditionings of intellect and emotion in the collective societies of the modern braininajar european and the brainless emotional muslim. What was offered was a generic spirituality that is the birth right of all. A fascinating book which broadly succeeds at bringing together an eclectic group of topics in one volume, which covers lofty theoretical grounds such as a new ontological, epistemological and methodological approach for ir, as well as more empirically grounded studies of. I found this book easy to read and understand and both writing and content. For many western spiritual seekers, sufism is often misunderstood and. This chapter is a comparative study of wellknown transnational sufi orders, haqqani and suleymanci naqshbandi, as well as the khaniqahi nimatullahi. It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. Sufism for the western seeker, published in 2011, was nominated by foreword magazine for adult non fiction religious book of year book of the year award, placing 4 th honorable mention and is a must read. Pdf in john hinnells and jamal malik eds sufism in the west.
Western sufism is sometimes dismissed as a relatively recent new age phenomenon, but in this book mark sedgwick argues that it has deep roots, both in the muslim world and in the west. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism. The gnostic view of sufism has been very popular with modern scholars, both western and eastern. Aug, 2007 in 1244, the sufi poet, jalaluddin rumi, met a wandering seeker named shamsitabriz. Adelstein is copresident, chair of the department of spiritual ministry and sufi studies and a faculty member for the university of sufism and the institute of medical spiritual healing. South america tour, cities of bolson and mendoza, buenos aires, argentina, and santiago, chile taught sufi meditation muraqabah to spiritual seekers january 2007. The gulshani order of ultraterrestrial contact with. The seeker can learn from the sufis, even become one and yet remain independent of these specific religious trappings. Apr 09, 20 in recent years sufism has undergone something of a revival as a spiritual alternative to other manifestations of islam. Shahs book, written at the urging of his friend robert graves, was published in 1964 and attracted both much interest on the part of open minded and receptive readers and opposition from a small number of orientalist scholars who had missed the important content in sufism during their studies. This makes it especially useful for those who are familiar with the western intellectual tradition or world religions.
The above questionanswer was taken from my book, sufism for western seekers, available for order on. The second series of books, 4 starting from the year 2000 with the signs of god, are focused on a spiritual teachings about oneness and how to bring them into contemporary life, with the final book in this. The sufi circle a monthly online spiritual study community. With the increasing muslim diaspora in postmodern western societies, sufism. Sufism is mainly two things, beliefs and practices. Sufism reoriented, founded and chartered by avatar meher baba, is unique in the western world in providing a lineage of illumined american spiritual teachers. Sufism and kabbalah comparative mysticism conceptual. Bitkoffs book, sufism for the western seeker was nominated by foreword magazine for the adult non fiction religious book of year book award and placed 4th in the competition receiving honorable mention. In this personal, semibiographic spiritual guide, sufism itself is redefined as being older and broader. His aim is to provide a unifying concept to sufi thought and practice, introducing the newcomer to its depths and diversity while also sharing its simplicity. It is necessary to present the reality of sufism as did the authorities of old but in a manner ac cessible to the presentday serious western seeker or western educated muslim seeker, even if such a person has no previous knowledge of the subject.
He is the author of several additional titles including a commuters guide. He became rector of syarif hidayatullah state institute for islamic studies iain, jakarta, in 1998, and conducted drastic institutional reform in order to modernize islamic education. Read with energy and an open but not glib mind, it can be an avenue for experiential learning. In fact, although the first significant western sufi organization was not established until 1915, the first western discussion of sufism was printed in 1480. Aldous huxley had popularized the term perennial philosophy in his book of the same. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines the.
East, successive spiritual seekers of a universal and eter. The book also explains the progression of the mystical way towards enlightenment, with a coherent explanation of its fundamentals and practices. The second series of books, starting from the year 2000 with the signs of god, are focused on a spiritual teachings about oneness and how to bring them into contemporary life, with the final book in this series. This book is a great source of information and history on sufism. Classical sufi texts, which stressed certain teachings and practices of the quran and the sunnah. Sufism in the west 1st edition jamal malik john hinnells rou. In the instance of new age sufism, faddish imitations of esoteric islamic traditions are adopted by western spiritual seekers. Sufism for western seekers is not a historical or theological work about sufism written for the academic market. This was his first book length study of islamic topics after his initiation into the darq w sufi order in morocco in 1934. Jan 04, 2010 helminskis 1998 book, the rumi collection threshold books, covers a wonderful range of the poets work, with translations by all his chief western translators helminski notes the interesting fact that the original meaning of translate was to relocate a saints body or relics from one place to another. The author asserts that neoplatonism links western and islamic sufism.
Instead of being mutually corrective through understanding, they are in mutual conflict through misunderstanding like two split races of runaway biological robots per gurdjieff, the armenian nonmuslim sufi. It opens with an important chapter on the study of sufism in the western world and its limitations. Order in north america david damrel 7 seekers on the path. He describes movements like the current day turkish gulen, with its over foreign schools, including over 100 in america spreading its sufi influenced message.
Apr 19, 2006 although sufism has always provoked considerable interest in the west, no volume has so far been written which discusses this aspect of islam in terms of how it is practised in western societies. Bringing together leading international authorities to survey the history of islamic mysticism in north america and europe, this book elaborates the. Before reading sufism for western seekers, my knowledge of sufism was basic at best. The spiritual practices of rumi books for mind, body. This book describes learning in 2 modern western mystical sufi schools, which were independent of. Unfortunately i found this book irritating right from the beginning. Currently, western sufism is a brain without a heart, and eastern sufism is a heart without a brain.
This book investigates the development of sufism in western societies, with a regional focus on north america and europe. This book explains how ancient egypt is the origin of alchemy and presentday sufism, and how the mystics of egypt camouflage their practices with a thin layer of islam. Dec 25, 2019 throughout the book youll be intimately introduced to the giants of christian mysticism like, teresa of avila, meister eckhart, john of the cross, william blake a dozen other god seekers. This story chronicles learning in two modern western sufi schools. Bitkoff has proven his ability to offer americans an ancient teaching which has otherwise been viewed as seemingly complicated and places this book on the shelf ofa a. International sufi conference, morocco attended as a representative of isca, by invitation of his excellency king of morocco muhammad ix july 2009. The book also explains the progression of the mystical way towards enlightenment, with. Sufisms origins in islam place its study firmly in the terrain of western. Poetry chaikhana stewart bitkoff muslimsufi poetry. The work is divided into two parts, the first provides an introduction to the general subject of mysticism and its relation to metaphysics, psychology. Top 10 books to read on mysticism seekers of unity. Philadelphia spirituality examiner, wisdom magazine, new age journal. The authors personal journey and humor make this book a ray of spiritual sunshine.
One obvious reason would be that he would not want the superficial western seekers identifying the evolutionary processes and principles of the sufi way with things like the silly pseudochanneled ramtha as found in the judi pope koteen book, ufos and the nature of reality, which tries to make an ultraterrestrial ramtha sound like a new age. The transformation of the heart gives a clear and accessible outline of sufism. She is a murshid murabbi ruhi, sufi spiritual guide in the shadhilyya sufi tradition, a rank given to her by her guide, sidi muhammad aljamal. Yet this ancient path of spiritual knowing is much broader and older, available through all religions and independent of islam and these orders. Aadil farook 225238 art as it is, and art as it should be. Sufism in the west chapter 10 the cambridge companion to. Throughout the book youll be intimately introduced to the giants of christian mysticism like, teresa of avila, meister eckhart, john of the cross, william blake a dozen other god seekers. Sufism for western seekers secures fourth place, receives. A catalogue record for this book is available from the british library. Jan 04, 2016 while recognizing the complexity of all religions, independent scholar peter samsel wants to simplify sufism in his book a treasury of sufi wisdom, which includes a collection of and commentary on sufi works. Instead, this book is recommended for anyone seeking an easily relatable introduction to mystical thought and spiritual selfhelp practices from someone who has spent his life on a spiritual journey. To begin, i think one must focus on the beliefs, for. They render sufism as islamic or muslim mysticism, and understand by that term the attempt of the people believing in islam to know the mysteries of life and the world. This book chronicles learning in 2 modern western sufi schools.
He was an accomplished and versatile scholar, and his wideranging erudition shines through the book. Review of sufism for western seekers 9780615562803. This book is a first hand account of spiritual knowing in two modern. For many western spiritual seekers, sufism is often misundersto. For many western spiritual seekers, sufism is often. Announcing the launch of a new book on sufism sufi experience. But this book is not just about the sufi way, it forms a part of the sufi way in our time. Sufism for the western seeker is his most recent book, and chronicles learning in 2 modern western sufi schools. For many western spiritual seekers, sufism is often misunderstood and viewed as an islamic mystical tradition presented through various sufi.
Written for the beginner as well as the intermediate traveler, sufism for western seekers helps equip its reader with the necessary psychospiritual exercises and tools required to awaken dormant human faculties. The vision and promise of sufism, islam mystical tradition prof. Apr 27, 2020 her first book, the taste of hidden things. This book describes learning in 2 modern western mystical sufi schools, which were independent of islam and the traditional sufi orders.
This is a preliminary work that draws on indepth qualitative interviews to examine the process of selfrepresentation and localization of sufism in australia and indonesia. Desai was multilingual and had written numerous works in english, baba raised this with him in the same letter, emphasizing the importance of a high standard of editorial excellence for. Sea without shore is a practical manual for those travelling the path of sufism or islamic mysticism, which strives, in. For many western spiritual seekers, sufism is often misunderstood and viewed as an islamic mystical tradition presented through various sufi orders. Stewart bitkoffas book sufism for western seekers, which was nominated by foreword magazineas 2011 adult non fiction religious book of the year, was just awarded fourth place receiving honorable mention in the overall competition. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. In addition, the current perception of sufism by many nonmuslims and muslims alike is that of an apostate branch of islam shunned and even persecuted by the orthodox sunni and shia establishment. Western sufism pdf download full download pdf book. Besides this book, he is the sole author of more than 10 books, and coauthor and editor of a great many more books and academic papers. Not surprisingly, with the popularity of new age spirituality there has been increased interest in sufism among western seekers. Both represent attempts to respond to the islamist challenge without recourse to politics or the military. In the east, where the unfolding of consciousness and the experiences and protocols of spiritual development have been a focus of living experience for millennia, there is a shared. The seeker can learn from the sufis, even become one and yet remain independent of these specific religious forms. If an eastern muslim seeker aspires to higher human development and union with the divine, he or she will need to embrace the sufi way and be extremely cautious and stealthy in the necessary studies of zen, yoga and theosophy to fillin the knowledge blanks that are missing in the usual sufi formulations.
The arrival and reconfiguration of sufism in the west is an interesting coda to greens book. Sufi spiritual techniques pdf download full read book page. A guidebook for western seekers from the outset, it was meher babas wish that an english version of the biography be prepared for readers in the west. Similarly, in western academia, sufism has been the subject of a range. The second trend involves high concept meanderings in revisionist islamic, european, and american history. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines. The spiritual practices of rumi reveals the esoteric practice that rumi and shams were engaged in. Branding of spiritual authenticity and nationalism in. Path of the spiritual traveler in everyday life at.
They go hand in hand, as without beliefs, the practices are nullified and belief without practice is a weak and hollow one. In 20, sara published her latest work, perspectives on early islamic mysticism, the world of al. Followed in 2008 by her comprehensive sufi anthology. Nielsen, mustafa draper and galina yemelianova 6 aspects of the naqshbandihaqqani order in north america 115 david w. Bitkoff is an avid student of sufi mysticism and the perennial philosophy.
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