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Ananda
3115 Posts |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 04 2012 : 09:29:37 AM
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just to clarify that Sheikh Belgacem is from the Sufi tradition....he lives in Tunisia....and recently one of his students (Yassine)was here in beirut/lebanon....i was deeply attracted to the magnetic presence of Yassine...and i kept on seeing him almost everyday during those few days he stayed in beirut although in the beginning i was very reluctant to see him even for one time....why i went everyday? i really dont know....we did Zikr (chanting of the divine name) only once...the other days were very "normal" days we would just sit silently,or watch a hollywood movie or have dinner all together...ie normal life ...yet there is a magnetic presence, the mind shuts down and you feel you dont know anything....
sufism is very different from traditional islam...in fact traditional islam view sufism as heresy....i was amazed by the talks of Yassine..all his talks are very similar to bhakti and jnana yoga.....
Yassine was asked:what do sufis believe in?
Yassine replied: sufis are not men who believe...they dont believe in anything...sufis experience,they dont believe
also in sufism there is no need to be muslim...anyone can come and join the satsang...also one does not have to follow the traditional muslim practices like praying 5 times per day or fasting......to the sufi these rituals are empty shells....in short sufism,yoga,christian mysticism,kabbala,zen etc.....all are similar spiritual practices although they might come from rigid traditional institutional religious backgrounds of islam, hinduism ,christianity,judaism and buddhism |
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gatito
United Kingdom
179 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2012 : 10:10:25 AM
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I love what I've seen and read of the Sufi Path.
I'm fortunate enough to be going to attend a turning ceremony soon, it's something I've wanted to experience for many years.
You're very fortunate to have this Path on your doorstep. It's one I wanted to explore myself but I couldn't find it in the West at the time. |
Edited by - gatito on Feb 04 2012 10:24:57 AM |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2012 : 11:38:59 AM
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Thanks dear Maheswari
It's not on our doorstep dear Gatito... Yassine and I have been speaking online for almost 5 years now and I had to go to Tunis to see my sheikh. If I didn't feel Yassine's presence even from distance I wouldn't have been speaking with him throughout all these years. But I must admit that meeting him in person this year totally caught me off guard and was much much more than I could Imagine the beauty of two Truth lovers meeting together
If you want to contact Yassine, he is available on email or by phone and he lives in Stockholm, Sweden. Beloved Yassine is the middle man between us and the sheikh in Tunis. If you want his contact info, you may send me a personal message.
By the way, I am still doing my AYP practice of deep meditation and still teaching it to others as well. Suffism and AYP can be mixed together.
Much love,
Ananda |
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gatito
United Kingdom
179 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2012 : 3:17:36 PM
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quote:
It's not on our doorstep dear Gatito...
Ooops! The danger of making assumptions! .
I found nothing of the Sufi Way in the West when I looked for it a few years ago, although that was before the internet.
I do understand clearly that there's no exclusivity with AYP. I'm not only attending the Mukabele but I'm also hoping to go to some some Sufi Advaita satsangs.
My wife and I also attend Buddhist satsangs.
At the heart of all these traditions (and others) is the same thing (I believe).
For example, the Night Journey sound very much like a kundalini "experience" to me the way I've heard it described.
There are many roads home and I've looked into more than one but only here have I found what I believe to be a complete and integrated set of practices. That doesn't mean to say that they don't exist elsewhere - but as it's taken me fifty years to find AYP, I don't feel any need to go elsewhere to find anything. Nowadays, I just enjoy exploring other traditions to find the common ground and to share the silence.
With Love |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2012 : 4:46:03 PM
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dear Gatito
yes Yassine said that the night journey of the prophet Mohamed is kundalini experience......so the night journey which is taken literally in rigid interpretations of muslim religious texts is in fact an allegory ....like all allegories found in all religions...that is why sufis are not liked by religious men because sufis explain the hidden meaning behind the allegory....same struggle is found in all kinds of spirituality and their respective conservative religious roots...
me too i love to explore other traditions to find the common ground...since my teenage years i was into comparing religions and different kinds of spirituality...i even took an elective course during university years about comparing all religions known to mankind ...as it is said all roads lead to Rome...personally i am not stopping yoga nor ayp nor jnana nor hatha yoga nor hindu chanting nor any other practice i am doing lolll (and nor amaroli my new baby practice ) ... i am just adding a new dimension to the journey
Om Namah Sivaya
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gatito
United Kingdom
179 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2012 : 5:48:34 PM
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Yes, the Truth is there in the hearts of all people and therfore when it shines out it shines with the same Light.
I'm really looking forward to finding out more about the Sufi Way when I meet the Mevlevi.
I've heard that for the participants in the turning, it is that they stand still and the Universe turns around their centre of Stillness. There was a sense of something very special when I saw this on film, so I'm really looking forward to being in the same room when it happens and sharing in the moment.
By comparing the Ways and finding the common ground, we all learn and move forward. Forget the differences
I also love the writings of Rumi and Gibran (whenever I see Lebanon next to your posts I'm reminded of the latter's contribution to my understanding of life)
With Love |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Feb 05 2012 : 05:57:02 AM
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| in 2005 i was in Istanbul....i saw the Mevlevi whirling dervishes...it was amazing....but not all sufis do whirling....or am i mistaken? |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Feb 05 2012 : 06:15:38 AM
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| yes we did it with Yassine...men and women together....it was very powerful...after it my entire body was shaking with energy for at least one hour ...nothing uncomfortable... |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Feb 05 2012 : 07:34:32 AM
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Dear Maheswari,
I would just like to point out that Yassine is much open minded and different in his approach than those in Tunis. Things should be the way we are sharing them with Yassine but in Tunis it's the traditional way... Men and women are separated and no one speaks like Yassine does but in private... And rare are the ones who do so also...
Bhakti work is really tiresome... Time to let go a little...
Salam |
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My Sheikh Belgacem
