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Thread: Advaita and Sufism

  1. #1

    Advaita and Sufism

    Namaste All,
    Strange title but
    I find astonsihing similarities between Advaita and Sufism. And sometimes, I feel it is similar to Bhakti teachings. Sufi state of 'fanah' sounds very similar to Moksha where the separate identity of lover and beloved cease to exist.

    Some Sufi quotes:

    "I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God".
    Sufi Proverb


    I am the first, I am the last
    None other, have I ever known
    I am the wisest of them all
    Bulleh! do I stand alone?
    Baba Bulleh Shah

    When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about ideas, language, and even the phrase, "each other" doesn't make any sense.
    Rumi


    What is unfortunate is, such exalted ideals, beautiful Bhakti teachings, few terrorist want to do bloodshed rather than focusing on these teachings. I will go through some more sufi teachings and come back with other resources later.


    Jai Shri Krishna

  2. #2
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    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    Sufis suffer from persecution, and even face murder by mainstream muslims, if they are too liberal.
    I could experience this firsthand because i was once in my youth studying with a Sufi Pir from Chistiya Silsila who was attacked by fanatics all the time, because of his universal and tolerant idea. This man was a real saint.
    Some of the attackers where Sufis from other lineages for instance the more orthodox Naqshibandi amongst others.
    They appeared when he held discourses and interrupted them shaking fists and shouting etc.
    Chisti like to do meditaton similarly to Nada Yoga and so they use music for meditation, the Pir i was studying with accepted Hinduism as well as all other religions, which chisti generally do, but because some Muslim hate the use of music, chistiya are often attacked simply because of listening to music-small things like that matter a lot, sadly there is little acceptance and tolerance even among different lineages within Sufism and even within the lineages people tend to be tight about minor differences.
    And on top of the internal differences Sufis have to deal with a lot mainstream oppression.

  3. #3

    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    Sad!!!

  4. #4
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    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    I am neither a mullah nor a Brahmin;
    nor even a page of the Koran .
    not for me the scripture of Gita ,
    I am neither east nor west, neither earth nor sky .
    I am a Jogi




    we are , what are we?

    we do not know what we are,

    sometimes we are blessed,

    sometimes we are accursed,

    sometimes we fast and pray,

    sometimes we become light hearted,

    sometimes we say only I exist,

    sometimes we say we do not exist,

    sometimes our hearts are calm,

    sometimes we weep,

    sometimes we say we are realized,

    sometimes we say who are we,

    "Sachoo" we are that eternally ,

    what other contract can we make .


    Sachal Sarmast [1739- 1829]

    Do I hide my nature, and show myself as another ?

    Sinful it is to know others, all form is God .- Sachal Sarmast


    An addition:
    What i wanted to convey with this quote was that Sufism is not as close to Advaita vedanta as one may think at first sight, rather to siddha mata or nath panth. Sachal sarmast is describing the sahaja (natural, inborn or spontaneous) state of the Siddha mata - the return to stainless innocence (Niranjan) achieved by attending to ones own funeral, he is therefore in the state of amritva, where form (shakti/prakriti) is perceived entwined in a state of union with god (shiva/purusha), called samarasya (union in similarity of parts) not advaita moksha where form does not equal god.
    Last edited by MahaHrada; 01 December 2008 at 12:34 PM.

  5. #5

    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    "We live in a world, which has been forced to shrink through the forces of globalization including the unprecedented communications revolution. People of diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds are thrown together to co-exist, at best in uneasy suspicion, or at worst, in outright hostility.

    Thought leaders in our contemporary context speak of focusing on our commonalities to promote a message of unity and hope. This onerous mission cannot be left to national governments or international organizations. Individuals and groups have a part to play too!

    The Institute for Spiritual Wisdom is just such an international group of individuals. Inspired and motivated by the writings and teachings of Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai, ISW stands for the ideal of human equality, justice and unity. Its work is based on the esoteric philosophy of the holy Qur'an, the final revelation of God.

    In our current times, Islam is the most misunderstood of global faiths. The debate around the faith of over a billion Muslims is monopolised by extremists or apologists. ISW's mission is to present and promote a viable alternative, namely the esoteric or batin of the Divine message: “Human beings are created from the Single Soul.”

    Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai's over a hundred books deal with the essence of the Qur'an. His prolific prose and poetry, written over five decades, celebrate the unity that underlines our obvious diversity.

    ISW welcomes participation in its mission to break down barriers caused by ignorance and to replace them with bridges of knowledge that bring human beings closer to their real essence and through this to each other."

    http://www.monoreality.org/

  6. #6
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    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    Quote Originally Posted by amra View Post
    "We live in a world, which has been forced to shrink through the forces of globalization including the unprecedented communications revolution. People of diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds are thrown together to co-exist, at best in uneasy suspicion, or at worst, in outright hostility.

    Thought leaders in our contemporary context speak of focusing on our commonalities to promote a message of unity and hope. This onerous mission cannot be left to national governments or international organizations. Individuals and groups have a part to play too!

    The Institute for Spiritual Wisdom is just such an international group of individuals. Inspired and motivated by the writings and teachings of Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai, ISW stands for the ideal of human equality, justice and unity. Its work is based on the esoteric philosophy of the holy Qur'an, the final revelation of God.

    In our current times, Islam is the most misunderstood of global faiths. The debate around the faith of over a billion Muslims is monopolised by extremists or apologists. ISW's mission is to present and promote a viable alternative, namely the esoteric or batin of the Divine message: “Human beings are created from the Single Soul.”

    Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai's over a hundred books deal with the essence of the Qur'an. His prolific prose and poetry, written over five decades, celebrate the unity that underlines our obvious diversity.

    ISW welcomes participation in its mission to break down barriers caused by ignorance and to replace them with bridges of knowledge that bring human beings closer to their real essence and through this to each other."

    http://www.monoreality.org/
    Namaste Amra,

    I see that you are the oldest member of this forum. Or is it a mistake? Nonetheless, I perceive the wisdom and the softness gained through the life.

    I greet you with welcome. I also wish to add that it has been my small experience that to live and let live, being full of knowledge of the monoreality may be the happiest stance -- Being in one's own dharma and respecting all diversity as of God's splendour.

    We wish to gain by your experience. However, I have a query for the statement shown below from your post.

    Its work is based on the esoteric philosophy of the holy Qur'an, the final revelation of God.
    • Is there difference in the first and the last revelation?
    • Is not the continous presence of God a revelation for all times?
    • Is it OK to hate others (to the extent of commiting murder), especially those who follow in the footsteps of the first revelation, with the knowledge that the first or last, the revelation is immortal?
    Regards

    Om
    Last edited by atanu; 02 December 2008 at 12:57 AM.
    That which is without letters (parts) is the Fourth, beyond apprehension through ordinary means, the cessation of the phenomenal world, the auspicious and the non-dual. Thus Om is certainly the Self. He who knows thus enters the Self by the Self.

  7. #7

    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    “I am in love with every church
    And mosque
    And temple
    And any kind of shrine

    Because I know it is there
    That people say the different names
    Of the One God.”

    Would you tell your friends
    I was a bit strange if I admitted

    I am indeed in love with every mind
    And heart and body.

    O I am sincerely
    Plumb crazy
    About your every thought and yearning
    And limb
    Because, my dear,
    I know
    That it is through these

    That you search for Him

    By: Great Sufi Master Hafiz (r.a)
    In Remembrance of Allah Do Hearts find rest.

  8. #8

    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    Namaste Brother

    You will have to ask a learned Muslim for the answers to your questions. I just posted the website to show that Esoteric Islam has similarities to Sanatan Dharma. As has been said the truth is one but the ways to approach it are many. So there are valid ways of approach in esoteric islam and christianity not to mention judaism. Rather than condeming the whole tradition as others have endeveoured to do, it may be better to try to sow the seed of, an unorthodox, esoteric un-literalist interpretation of the Quran. A healthy element of doubt, and the creative thinking which will follow will scare the fanatics

  9. #9

    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    O Allah! if I worship you for fear of hell
    Burn me in hell
    If I worship you in hope of paradise
    Exclude me from paradise
    But if I worship you for your own sake
    Grudge me not your everlasting beauty

    Rabia - al basra.

    Not an Advaitic approach but this is what I call 'Nishkam Bhakti' And the best of the Bhakta is always Nishkam.
    Rabia has much in common with Mira bai.

  10. #10

    Re: Advaita and Sufism

    Wesaal-e-haqq talabi hamneshin naamash baash / Bebin wesaal-e-khodaa dar wesaal-e-naam-e-khodaa

    If you search for union with God, be a companion of His Name,
    You’ll see that union with God is in union with the Name of God
    - Khwaja Moiuddin Chisti

    समुझत सरिस नाम अरु नामी। प्रीति परसपर प्रभु अनुगामी।।
    नाम रूप दुइ ईस उपाधी। अकथ अनादि सुसामुझि साधी।।
    - Ram Charit Manas.

    Many similarities in Bhakti and Sufi tradition as well. Great importance or remembering Lord's name: we call it Kirtan, Sufis call it 'Dhikr or Zikr'

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