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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > Mysticism
Dark Eyes, Lady Blue tells the story of Sister Maria of Agreda's
remarkable life. Maria was born in Agreda, Spain, in 1602, and
vowed there as a nun at age seventeen. From birth to her death in
1665, she never left the small town. Yet her accomplishments had a
lasting impact in Spain and as far away as the American Southwest,
where she is celebrated to this day. Although cloistered in
Agreda's Monastery of the Immaculate Conception, Maria grew to be a
renowned mystic, a widely read author, and an advisor to the King
of Spain. She experienced religious ecstasy that inspired her
visionary writings and - quite remarkably - communications with the
Jumano Indians of what would later become the states of Texas and
New Mexico. When Spanish missionaries met the Jumano Indians, their
chief expressed a desire to be baptized because of the supernatural
visits from the mystical ""lady in blue."" This fresh telling of
Maria's story is one that will appeal to readers young and old and
provides an unforgettable perspective on early American exploration
of Texas and New Mexico.
'There are certain words which possess, in themselves, when
properly used, a virtue which illumines and lifts up towards the
good' The philosopher and activist Simone Weil was one of the most
courageous thinkers of the twentieth century. Here she writes, with
honesty and moral clarity, about the manipulation of language by
the powerful, the obligations of individuals to one another and the
needs - for order, equality, liberty and truth - that make us
human. One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great
Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of
thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to
stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.
First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
'Your soul each moment struggles hard with death - Think of your
faith as though it's your last breath. Your life is like a purse,
and night and day Are counters of gold coins you've put away' Rumi
is the greatest mystic poet to have written in Persian, and the
Masnavi is his masterpiece. Divided into six books and consisting
of some 26,000 verses, the poem was designed to convey a message of
divine love and unity to the disciples of Rumi's Sufi order, known
today as the Whirling Dervishes. Like the earlier books, Book Three
interweaves amusing stories with homilies to instruct pupils in
mystical knowledge. It has a special focus on epistemology,
illustrated with narratives that involve the consumption of food.
This is the first ever verse translation of Book Three of the
Masnavi. It follows the original by presenting Rumi's most mature
mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets.
A pathbreaking history of Sufism, from the earliest centuries of
Islam to the present After centuries as the most important
ascetic-mystical strand of Islam, Sufism saw a sharp decline in the
twentieth century, only to experience a stunning revival in recent
decades. In this comprehensive new history of Sufism from the
earliest centuries of Islam to today, Alexander Knysh, a leading
expert on the subject, reveals the tradition in all its richness.
Knysh explores how Sufism has been viewed by both insiders and
outsiders since its inception. He examines the key aspects of
Sufism, from definitions and discourses to leadership,
institutions, and practices. He devotes special attention to Sufi
approaches to the Qur'an, drawing parallels with similar uses of
scripture in Judaism and Christianity. He traces how Sufism grew
from a set of simple moral-ethical precepts into a sophisticated
tradition with professional Sufi masters (shaykhs) who became
powerful players in Muslim public life but whose authority was
challenged by those advocating the equality of all Muslims before
God. Knysh also examines the roots of the ongoing conflict between
the Sufis and their fundamentalist critics, the Salafis--a major
fact of Muslim life today. Based on a wealth of primary and
secondary sources, Sufism is an indispensable account of a vital
aspect of Islam.
A comprehensive manual for living a spiritual life, based on a
verse-by-verse commentary on India's timeless scripture - from the
author of its best-selling translation. (The ebook The Bhagavad
Gita for Daily Living 9781586381455 includes all three volumes in
this series.) The Bhagavad Gita is set on the battlefield of an
apocalyptic war between good and evil. Faced with a dire moral
dilemma, the warrior prince Arjuna turns in anguish to his
spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental
questions of life. Easwaran points out that Arjuna's crisis is
acutely modern. The Gita's battlefield is the struggle for
self-mastery that every human being must wage. Arjuna represents
each of us, and Sri Krishna is the Lord, instructing us in eighteen
chapters of lofty wisdom as we face the social, environmental, and
global challenges that threaten our world today. Easwaran is a
spiritual teacher and author of deep insight and warmth. His
verse-by-verse commentary interprets the Gita's teachings for
modern readers, explaining the Sanskrit concepts and philosophy and
applying them with practicality, wisdom, and humor to every aspect
of our work, our relationships, and our lives. With everyday
anecdotes, stories, and examples, he shows that the changes we long
to see in the world start with the transformation of our own
consciousness. The practical exercises recommended by Easwaran to
achieve transformation are part of a spiritual program he developed
for his own life. They are accessible to people from all
backgrounds and cultures. Urging us to adopt a higher image of the
human being, he assures us that peace and unity are within reach.
Each volume of this series covers six chapters of the Gita. Each
may be read on its own, but all three volumes together form an
in-depth, verse-by-verse explanation of this ancient scripture and
its relevance today. Each volume includes instructions in
Easwaran's eight-point program of passage meditation. Volume 1: The
first six chapters of the Gita explore the concept of the innermost
Self and source of wisdom in each of us. Easwaran explains how we
can begin to transform ourselves, even as householders engaged in
busy lives. Volume 2: The chapters in this volume go beyond the
individual Self and investigate the Supreme Reality that underlies
all creation. Here, Easwaran delves into the unity of life, and
builds a bridge across the seeming divide between scientific
knowledge and spiritual wisdom. Volume 3: The final six chapters
put forth an urgent appeal for us to begin to see that all of us
are one - to make the connection between the Self within and the
Reality underlying all creation. Global in scope, the emphasis is
on what we can do to make a difference to heal our environment and
establish peace in the world. Easwaran's commentary is for all
students of the Gita, whatever their background, and for anyone who
is trying to find a path to wisdom, love, and kindness in
themselves and our troubled world. Written as an authoritative,
accessible guide to a much-loved scripture, it is a handbook for
finding peace and clarity within. This second edition incorporates
revisions made across all three volumes following the author's
final instructions.
'Joking is teaching, so take care to listen - Don't look at just
the joke's form of expression. To jesters every serious thing's
hilarious, While to the wise hilarious jokes are serious' Rumi is
the greatest mystic poet to have written in Persian, and the
Masnavi is his masterpiece. Divided into six books and consisting
of some 26,000 verses, the poem was designed to convey a message of
divine love and unity to the disciples of Rumi's Sufi order, known
today as the Whirling Dervishes. Like the earlier books, Book Four
interweaves amusing stories with homilies to instruct pupils in
understanding of God's meaning. It has a special focus on the
mystical knowledge of the spiritual guide, elaborated through
stories such as Solomon's freeiration to the Queen of Sheba, and
animal fables. This is the first ever verse translation of Book
Four of the Masnavi. It follows the original by presenting Rumi's
most mature mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming
couplets.
A journey from Burning Man to the Akashic Field that suggest how
5-MeO-DMT triggers the human capacity for higher knowledge through
direct contact with the zero-point field
- Examines "Bufo alvarius" toad venom, which contains the potent
natural psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT, and explores its entheogenic use
- Proposes a new connection between the findings of modern physics
and the knowledge held by shamans and religious sages for millennia
The venom from "Bufo alvarius," an unusual toad found in the
Sonoran desert, contains 5-MeO-DMT, a potent natural chemical
similar in effect to the more common entheogen DMT. The venom can
be dried into a powder, which some researchers speculate was used
ceremonially by Amerindian shamans. When smoked it prompts an
instantaneous break with the physical world that causes out-of-body
experiences completely removed from the conventional dimensions of
reality.
In "Tryptamine Palace, " James Oroc shares his personal experiences
with 5-MeODMT, which led to a complete transformation of his
understanding of himself and of the very fabric of reality. Driven
to comprehend the transformational properties of this substance,
Oroc combined extensive studies of physics and philosophy with the
epiphanies he gained from his time at Burning Man. He discovered
that ingesting tryptamines unlocked a fundamental human capacity
for higher knowledge through direct contact with the zero-point
field of modern physics, known to the ancients as the Akashic
Field. In the quantum world of nonlocal interactions, the line
between the physical and the mental dissolves. 5-MeO-DMT, Oroc
argues, can act as a means to awaken the remarkable capacities of
the human soul as well as restore experiential mystical
spirituality to Western civilization.
'You don't seek guidance from those drunken men, So why insist they
mend their rags again? God's lovers stand beyond all faiths, as
they Are shown by God Himself a higher way.' Book Two of Rumi's
Masnavi is concerned with the challenges facing the seeker of Sufi
enlightenment. In particular it focuses on the struggle against the
self, and how to choose the right companions in order to progress
along the mystical path. By interweaving amusing stories and
profound homilies, Rumi instructs his followers in a style that
still speaks directly to us. In this volume, stories such as 'Moses
and the Shepherd', 'The Foolhardy Man who Trusted a Bear's Good
Intentions' and 'Mo'awiya and Satan' are among the most popular in
the entire Masnavi. The most influential Sufi poem ever written,
the six books of the Masnavi are often called 'the Qur'an in
Persian'. Self-contained, as well as continuing the journey along
the spiritual path, Book Two is here translated into rhyming
couplets in the style of Jawid Mojaddedi's prize-winning
translation of Book One. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years
Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of
literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects
Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate
text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert
introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the
text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
The Deoband movement-a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that
quickly spread from colonial India to Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, and even the United Kingdom and South Africa-has been
poorly understood and sometimes feared. Despite being one of the
most influential Muslim revivalist movements of the last two
centuries, Deoband's connections to the Taliban have dominated the
attention it has received from scholars and policy-makers alike.
Revival from Below offers an important corrective, reorienting our
understanding of Deoband around its global reach, which has
profoundly shaped the movement's history. In particular, the author
tracks the origins of Deoband's controversial critique of Sufism,
how this critique travelled through Deobandi networks to South
Africa, as well as the movement's efforts to keep traditionally
educated Islamic scholars (`ulama) at the center of Muslim public
life. The result is a nuanced account of this global religious
network that argues we cannot fully understand Deoband without
understanding the complex modalities through which it spread beyond
South Asia.
Sufism and Early Islamic Piety: Personal and Communal Dynamics
offers a new story about the formative period of Sufism. Through a
fresh reading of diverse Sufi and non-Sufi sources, Arin Shawkat
Salamah-Qudsi reveals the complexity of personal and communal
aspects of Sufi piety in the period between the ninth and
thirteenth centuries. Her study also sheds light on the
interrelationships and conflicts of early Sufis through emphasising
that early Sufism was neither a quietist or a completely individual
mode of piety. Salamah-Qudsi reveals how the early Sufis'
commitment to the Islamic ideal of family life lead to different
creative arrangements among them in order to avoid contradictions
with this ideal and the mystical ideal of solitary life. Her book
enables a deeper understanding of the development of Sufism in
light of the human concerns and motivations of its founders.
'The pen would smoothly write the things it knew But when it came
to love it split in two, A donkey stuck in mud is logic's fate -
Love's nature only love can demonstrate.' Rumi's Masnavi is widely
recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever written, and has been
called 'the Koran in Persian'. The thirteenth-century Muslim mystic
Rumi composed his work for the benefit of his disciples in the Sufi
order named after him, better known as the whirling dervishes. In
order to convey his message of divine love and unity he threaded
together entertaining stories and penetrating homilies. Drawing
from folk tales as well as sacred history, Rumi's poem is often
funny as well as spiritually profound. Jawid Mojaddedi's sparkling
new verse translation of Book One is consistent with the aims of
the original work in presenting Rumi's most mature mystical
teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets. ABOUT THE
SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made
available the widest range of literature from around the globe.
Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship,
providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable
features, including expert introductions by leading authorities,
helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for
further study, and much more.
This is the first ever translation into English of a seminal work
from the Sufi tradition. This title focuses on the Divine Name
Allah and the virtues and transformative power of its invocation.
Written by the renowned Sufi master Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari in
the twelfth century the work is divided into two parts.---Part One
looks at the Name of Allah, its letters and their meanings. While
in Part Two the author turns to the more practical question of the
role of invocation, both in general and of the Name Allah
specifically. Ibn Ata Allah discusses the virtue of invocation and
establishes that it is the supreme act of worship. The reader comes
to understand that, by emulating the Qualities of God as expressed
in His Names and invoking His Supreme Name Allah with awareness of
its meaning and significance, the Sufi can cleanse his heart and
until it becomes a worthy abode for God.
If the western world knows anything about Zen Buddhism, it is down to the efforts of one remarkable man, D.T. Suzuki. The twenty-seven-year-old Japanese scholar first visited the west in 1897, and over the course of the next seventy years became the world's leading authority on Zen. His radical and penetrating insights earned him many disciples, from Carl Jung to Allen Ginsberg, from Thomas Merton to John Cage. In Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist Suzuki compares the teachings of the great Christian mystic Meister Eckhart with the spiritual wisdom of Shin and Zen Buddhism. By juxtaposing cultures that seem to be radically opposed, Suzuki raises one of the fundamental questions of human experience: at the limits of our understanding is there an experience that is universal to all humanity? Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist is a book that challenges and inspires; it will benefit readers of all religions who seek to understand something of the nature of spiritual life.
Unearthing a hidden treasure from the golden age of Ottoman
scholarship, this examination presents original, expert Arabic
observations on the light verse of the Quran. Presented in English
for the first time, the study reveals profound insights into this
famous and mysterious content along with a detailed account of the
original author's life and works, an analysis of his featured
commentary, and a critical edition of the Arabic text. The
investigation constitutes an exemplary bilingual resource for the
study of Quranic exegesis, making it an ideal companion for
students and teachers of Islamic studies as well as those
interested in Islamic philosophy, mysticism, and the Quranic
disciplines. Shedding light on the nature of philosophical and
mystical discourse in the Ottoman world, this well-researched
volume brings greater depth to an enigmatic aspect of Islam's
central religious text.
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