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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > Mysticism
In The Glance of the Medusa, Laszo F. Foeldenyi offers a
mesmerizing examination of the rich history of European culture
through the lens of mythology and philosophy. Embracing the best
traditions of essay writing, this volume invites readers on a
spiritual and intellectual adventure. The seven essays bear
testimony to Foeldenyi's encyclopedic knowledge and ask whether it
is possible to overcome our fear of passing away. In doing so, they
illuminate moments of mystical experience viewed in a historical
perspective while inviting readers to engage with such moments in
the present by immersing themselves into the process of reading and
thinking. Rather than providing firm answers to burning questions,
The Glance of the Medusa highlights the limits of definition,
conjuring up situations in which Man partakes of unutterable
experiences-such as passion, pleasure, fear, poetry, or
disgust-suggesting that moments of ecstasy cannot be pinned down or
captured, only drawn a little closer.
"Mysticism After Modernity" offers a truly postmodern
interpretation of the great mystics and their writing, thus
appealing to readers across a wide range of disciplines. Don
Cuppitt argues that extensive modern literature about mysticism has
rested on a mistake - the belief that their can be meaningful
experience prior to language. The mystics have been perceived as
first having had profound experiences that they then put into
words. However, in postmodern thought experience does not give
meaning to language; on the contrary, language gives meaning to
experience. And when the mystics are seen as having been primarily
writers, our understanding of them is revolutionized.
The Habad school of hasidism is distinguished today from other
hasidic groups by its famous emphasis on outreach, on messianism,
and on empowering women. Hasidism Beyond Modernity provides a
critical, thematic study of the movement from its beginnings,
showing how its unusual qualities evolved. Topics investigated
include the theoretical underpinning of the outreach ethos; the
turn towards women in the twentieth century; new attitudes to
non-Jews; the role of the individual in the hasidic collective;
spiritual contemplation in the context of modernity; the quest for
inclusivism in the face of prevailing schismatic processes;
messianism in both spiritual and political forms; and the direction
of the movement after the passing of its seventh rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in 1994. Attention is given to many
contrasts: pre-modern, modern, and postmodern conceptions of
Judaism; the clash between maintaining an enclave and outreach
models of Jewish society; particularist and universalist trends;
and the subtle interplay of mystical faith and rationality. Some of
the chapters are new; others, published in an earlier form, have
been updated to take account of recent scholarship. This book
presents an in-depth study of an intriguing movement which takes
traditional hasidism beyond modernity.
Sufism is a growing and global phenomenon, far from the declining
relic it was once thought to be. This book brings together the work
of fourteen leading experts to explore systematically the key
themes of Sufism's new global presence, from Yemen to Senegal via
Chicago and Sweden. The contributors look at the global spread and
stance of such major actors as the Ba 'Alawiyya, the 'Afropolitan'
Tijaniyya, and the Gu len Movement. They map global Sufi culture,
from Rumi to rap, and ask how global Sufism accommodates different
and contradictory gender practices. They examine the contested and
shifting relationship between the Islamic and the universal: is
Sufism the timeless and universal essence of all religions, the key
to tolerance and co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims? Or
is it the purely Islamic heart of traditional and authentic
practice and belief? Finally, the book turns to politics. States
and political actors in the West and in the Muslim world are using
the mantle and language of Sufism to promote their objectives,
while Sufis are building alliances with them against common
enemies. This raises the difficult question of whether Sufis are
defending Islam against extremism, supporting despotism against
democracy, or perhaps doing both.
This is the first complete book about the Babylonian Kabbalah,
which many people are talking about on the Internet. Assyria in
Northern Iraq is the home of Palace Art from the Courts of the
Assyrian Empire, where the Tree of Life was routinely shown on
walls, tended by winged genies. It represented the King and the
Land. It is also arguably a spiritual map and the basis of the
Jewish Kabbalah, which was developed later. Many authors have
asserted that the Kabbalah came from Egypt but this book shows that
its early roots lie in Assyrian Court Art. There are also
fascinating parallels to Asiatic Shamanism. All points to Asia, not
Africa, as the home of the archetypal Sacred Tree image.
"The heart is where the human soul and God meet. This is what
teachings from Scripture and the mystics reveal: the heart is the
temple of God within us and within the heart we hold the power to
live a truly divine life. But how do we harness the tremendous love
the heart is capable of generating? In Eternal Heart, Carl
McColman, author of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, invites us
to create an optimistic, visionary, and imaginative path to
personal happiness and fulfillment. Weaving together teachings from
the biblical tradition, literature of the mystics, and Buddhism,
McColman engages us in profound, practical exercises for
cultivating fuller, more abundant, and more satisfying lives. The
path of Christian Mysticism is a path of action. By unlocking the
mysteries in our hearts, we discover a source of power deep within
us: a power for spiritual growth, and for creating meaningful
relationships and working together to change the world for the
better."
This is a fascinating and ground-breaking analysis of the extent to
which various major Sufi figures contributed to the mystical
philosophy of Ibn al-'Arabi. While recent scholarship has tended to
concentrate on his teachings and life, little attention has so far
been paid to the influences on his thought. Each chapter is
dedicated to one of Ibn al-'Arabi's predecessors, from both the
early and later periods, such as al-Bistami, al-Hallaj and
al-Jilani, showing how he is discussed in the works of the
'Greatest Master' and Ibn al-'Arabi's attitude towards him. As
Abrahamov makes clear, Ibn al-'Arabi was greatly influenced by the
early Sufis as regards his philosophy and by the later Sufis in
matters of practice. This naturally raises the question: How
original was Ibn al-'Arabi's teachings?
How has the Ismaili branch of Shi'i Islam interacted with other
Islamic communities throughout history? The groups and movements
that make up Islamic civilisation are diverse and varied yet, while
scholarship has analysed many branches of Islam in isolation, the
exchanges and mutual influences between them has not been
sufficiently recognised. This book traces the interactions between
Ismaili intellectual thought and the philosophies of other Islamic
groups to shed light on the complex and interwoven nature of
Islamic civilisation. Based on a broad range of primary sources
from the early medieval to the late nineteenth century, the book
brings together different disciplines within Islamic Studies to
cover polemical and doctrinal literature, law, mysticism, rituals
and philosophy. The main Ismaili groups, such as the Fatimids,
Nizaris and Tayyibis, are represented, as well as lesser known
traditions such as that associated with the mountain region of
Badakhshan in Central Asia. Religious syncretism, particularly in
the Indian subcontinent and in Yemen, is considered alongside
cultural interactions as reflected in the circulation of books in
Fatimid markets, and various literary and mythical traditions, some
still little explored. The chapters include contributions from
leading experts in the field shed new light on the close and
complex relationships very different Islamic groups and movements
have enjoyed throughout the centuries.
For millennia, hundreds of books have been written on Plato's
dialogues and philosophy. In this book, Carol Dunn makes the case
that the major modern scholars interpret Plato with an overwhelming
focus on understanding the rational content of the dialogues, but
omit or neglect the project of their purpose. Once they have mined
the individual dialogues for their meaning, they neglect to share
what readers can or should do with the knowledge gained from their
investigations. The author makes the case that Plato is engaged not
only in thinking but also, and more important, in doing-that what
we do with the knowledge is crucial, because it can determine the
meaning and purpose of our own life. She saw that he was not merely
engaging in rational philosophical discussion, but that the
dialogues of Plato, especially up to the Republic, embody the
Socratic exhortation for each individual to "take care for the
soul." The dialogues therefore embody both a rational philosophy
and a system of spiritual/religious principles and doctrines whose
purpose is to lay out-in a public forum-the path a true disciple
needs to take to have a personal and direct experience of spiritual
illumination, or enlightenment. This book is not just for scholars
of Plato's philosophy, but for anyone who wishes to penetrate an
ancient, though largely overlooked, path to initiation.
Sufism formed one of the cultures of resistance which has existed
in the social fabric of Persia since antiquity. Such resistance
continues to manifest itself today with many looking to Sufism as a
model of cooperation between East and West, between traditional and
modern. 'Sufism in the Secret History of Persia' explores the place
of Sufi mysticism in Iran's intellectual and spiritual
consciousness through traditional and contemporary Sufi thinkers
and writers. Sufism in the Secret History of Persia examines the
current of spirituality which extends from the old Iranian worship
of Mithra to modern Islam. This current always contains elements of
gnosis and inner knowing, but has often provided impetus for
socio-political resistance. The study describes how these
persisting pre-Islamic cultural and socio-religious elements have
secretly challenged Muslim orthodoxies and continue to shape the
nature and orientation of contemporary Sufism.
200 verses of Qur'an and over 250 texts from the Prophet's
biography (sira), his Attributes (shama'il) and unique aspects
(khasa'is), the spiritual poetry of the Companions and Awliya, and
commentary of the Qur'an and Hadith on the Light of the Prophet Mu
ammad (upon whom be peace) and his Inheritors. When I beheld his
lights shining out, I placed in awe my hand before my eyes, In fear
for my sight at the beauty of his frame; and now I look at him only
to my capacity. His light has made all lights drown in his lights.
-Hassan b. Thabit About the Author Dr. Gibril Fouad Haddad is a
disciple of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani at the hands of his
deputy Shaykh Hisham Kabbani for over two decades in the United
States and Syria, and holds scholarly licenses (ijaza) from 150
shaykhs. Dr. Haddad has authored three dozen books and hundreds of
articles in Islamic hermeneutics, doctrine, hadith, biography and
heresiology. He resides in Brunei Darussalam.
2012 Reprint of Original Three Volume s First Published from
1905-1907. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced
with Optical Recognition Software. This is a collection of
Crowley's early esoteric writings and poetry and comprise the first
collected edition of his writings. Aleister Crowley, born Edward
Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The
Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, mystic,
ceremonial magician, poet and mountaineer, who was responsible for
founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. In his role as the
founder of the Thelemite philosophy, he came to see himself as the
prophet who was entrusted with informing humanity that it was
entering the new Aeon of Horus in the early 20th century. Born into
a wealthy upper class family, as a young man he became an
influential member of the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn after befriending the order's leader, Samuel Liddell MacGregor
Mathers. Subsequently believing that he was being contacted by his
Holy Guardian Angel, an entity known as Aiwass, while staying in
Egypt in 1904, he "received" a text known as 'The Book of the Law'
from what he believed was a divine source, and around which he
would come to develop his new philosophy of Thelema. He would go on
to found his own occult society and eventually rose to become a
leader of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), before founding a
religious commune in Cefalu known as the Abbey of Thelema, which he
led from 1920 through till 1923. After abandoning the Abbey amid
widespread opposition, Crowley returned to Britain, where he
continued to promote Thelema until his death. Crowley has remained
an influential figure and is widely thought of as the most
influential occultist of all time. Includes: Volume 1. Aceldama.
The tale of Archais. Songs of the spirit. The poem. Jephithah.
Mysteries. Jezebel, and other tragic poems. An appeal to the
American republic. The fatal force. The mother's tragedy. The
temple of the holy ghost. Carmen Saeculare. Tannhauser. Epilogue.
Appendix. -- Volume 2. Oracles. Alice: An adultery. The Argonauts.
Ahab and other poems. The God-eater. The sword of song. Ambrosii
magi hortus rosarum. The three characteristics. An essay on
ontology. Science and Buddhism. The excluede middle; or, the
sceptic refuted. Time. Epilogue. Volume 3. The star and the garter.
Rosa mundi, and other love-songs. The Sire de Maletroit's door.
Gargoyles. Rodin in rime. Orpheus. Epilogue and dedication.
Appendix A. Bibliographical note. Appendix B. Index of first lines.
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.
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.
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Dala'il Al-Khayrat
(Paperback)
Imam Muhammad Ibn Sulayman Al-Jazuli; Compiled by Ali Elsayed
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R583
R512
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Original Arabic, transliteration and translation. It is said that
the author of Dala'il ul-Khayrat, Imam Muhammad al-Jazuli, went on
a journey. He found himself in great need of water for making
ablutions required before prayers. He came upon a well but could
not reach the water far below, as there was no bucket and rope. He
became very worried . A young girl saw this and came to his
assistance. She spat into the well whereupon the water rose to the
top of its own accord. Seeing this miracle, he asked the girl, "And
how is that possible?" She replied "I was able to do this due to my
invoking excessive blessings upon Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be
Allah's blessings and peace." Having thus seen the benefit of
invoking blessings upon the Prophet, Imam Jazuli decided to write
Dala'il ul-Khayrat. In it, he compiled litanies invoking peace and
blessings upon the Prophet. It is by far the most popular and
universally-acclaimed collection of prayers upon the Prophet, used
throughout the Muslim world and recited individually and in groups,
in homes and in mosques, silently and aloud.
Recorded talks and sayings by Inayat Khan in their unedited and
most authentic version.
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