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Australian Centre For Sufism


 

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Sufi Teachings:

Remarks on Evil,
Suffering, and the
Global Pandemic


Metaphysics and Art
in The Irfan of
Ibn Arabi


What Makes You
Who You Are


Spiritual Psychology
On the Path of Sufism
Part One


Moulana Rumi's
Masnavi: Book II
The Story of Moses
and the Shepherd


Turning to Light,
Not Chasing the Shadow


Moulana Rumi's
Masnavi: Book I
The Story of the Merchant
and the Parrot - Part Three


Moulana Rumi's
Masnavi: Book I
The Story of the Merchant
and the Parrot - Part Two


Moulana Rumi's
Masnavi: Book I
The Story of the Merchant
and the Parrot - Part One


The Spiritual Message of
Rumi for the Searchers
of our Time & His
Transformative Teachings
in the Masnavi


The Purpose of Life

Excerpts from
Henry Corbin on
Mundus Imaginalis


Second Part of Excerpts
from Man of Light in
Iranian Sufism


An Introduction to
Henry Corbin
    and
First Part of Excerpts
from Man of Light in
Iranian Sufism


A Brief Spiritual Reflection
On The Current Pandemic


The Interior Life In Islam

The Qur'an as the
Lover's Mirror


On The Cosmology of Dhikr

Ibn 'Arabi On
Proximity And Distance


Why Do Muslims Fast?

Knowledge of Reality and
Ignorance of Reality -
What is Knowledge
of Reality?


Knowledge of Reality and
Ignorance of Reality -
Seeing Versus
Not Seeing


Knowledge of Reality and
Ignorance of Reality -
Journeying In
The Spiritual Path


Book of Theophanies

The Month of Ramadhan

Sufi Psychology:
The Isolation and
Transformation
of the Nafs


To Be Or Not To Be

Imposter Or
Mistaken Identity?


Moulana Rumi -
The Mirror of Divine Love


The Transformative Power
of the Fear of God


Test of the Hardship

The Theatre
of Life


Peace and the
Inner Jihad


Sufism and the
Paradox of Self


Surrender

Faith and Action

What is Tasawwuf
(Sufism)?


Listening for God:
Prayer and the Heart

 



Bismillaah ir Rahmaan ir Rahiim
In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The Compassionate



A BRIEF SPIRITUAL REFLECTION
ON THE CURRENT PANDEMIC

By Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Human life on this earth is transient and cannot but be combined with dangers, disasters and tragedies great or small. The sacred scriptures of various traditions are there to remind us of this truth and to guide us to draw the right lessons from these occurrences. Traditional humanity lived in a world in which the cosmic ambiance participated in the moral and spiritual principles that governed human life. Even in the West, where the idea of a totally secularised cosmos, devoid of life and any spiritual significance, was first propagated, and where nature was reduced by the modernistic worldview to an “it,” a dead but complicated machine, until recently many would assemble in churches or public squares during natural disasters to recite together the beginning of the Gospel of John in Latin, In principia erat verbum... Similar events can be seen to this day in the Islamic world, Hindu India and elsewhere. How quickly has modern man forgotten the underlying principles of such practices.

Nature is, however, alive with an independent life of its own and its own harmony and rhythms whether we see it as such or not. Sooner or later it reacts to human iniquity and teaches man a lesson, as the Qur'an asserts in so many verses. Nature teaches us a spiritual lesson. Fortunate are those who are able to learn from it. Theologically speaking, modern man suffers from the sin of pride, of hubris. Let us hope that the present global crisis will teach us how to overcome that hubris, how to live with greater humility and compassion, not only towards other human beings but also towards all beings, all creatures great and small. The present crisis can be an occasion for spiritual awakening and be seen as a gift from God to open our eyes again to the spiritual realities that so many have forgotten.

The present crisis affords us an opportunity to turn more inward, to turn to introspection, to become more familiar with our inner self, to view nature as our spiritual friend and a realm of reality governed not by blind forces and laws but by the Divine Will. Decades ago, Frithjof Schuon wrote a message that is so timely a propos our present situation. In his book, Light on the Ancient Worlds, he stated,“Man is astonished at the calamities of this world, without it occurring to him that they may be acts of grace, since they rend, like death, the veil of earthly illusion and thus allow man to die before dying and so to conquer death.”

When the earth suddenly opens up under our feet, we have but two choices: Either to sink into the abyss below or to grow wings and fly into the illimitable sky. Let us grow wings and fly, remembering the Qur'anic verse, Kullu man 'alayha fan wa yabqa wajhu rabbika dhu’l-jalali wa’l-ikram, which can be rendered as,“All other than Him perish, and there remains the Face of thy Lord, Possessor of Majesty and Generosity.” That Face is also in a sense the face that we turn to God. May the present tragedy aid us to turn not our back but our face to Him.


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_________________________________


Sufi Teachings:

Remarks on Evil, Suffering, and the Global Pandemic

Metaphysics and Art in The Irfan of Ibn Arabi

What Makes You Who You Are

Spiritual Psychology On the Path of Sufism - Part One

Moulana Rumi's Masnavi: Book II
The Story of Moses and the Shepherd


Turning to Light, Not Chasing the Shadow

Moulana Rumi's Masnavi: Book I
The Story of the Merchant and the Parrot - Part Three


Moulana Rumi's Masnavi: Book I
The Story of the Merchant and the Parrot - Part Two


Moulana Rumi's Masnavi: Book I
The Story of the Merchant and the Parrot - Part One


The Spiritual Message of Rumi for the Searchers of our Time &
His Transformative Teachings in the Masnavi


The Purpose of Life

Excerpts from Henry Corbin on Mundus Imaginalis

Second Part of Excerpts from Man of Light in Iranian Sufism

An Introduction to Henry Corbin         and
First Part of Excerpts from Man of Light in Iranian Sufism

A Brief Spiritual Reflection On The Current Pandemic

The Interior Life In Islam

The Qur'an as the Lover's Mirror

On The Cosmology of Dhikr

Ibn 'Arabi On Proximity And Distance

Why Do Muslims Fast?

Knowledge of Reality and Ignorance of Reality - What is Knowledge of Reality?

Knowledge of Reality and Ignorance of Reality - Seeing Versus Not Seeing

Knowledge of Reality and Ignorance of Reality - Journeying In The Spiritual Path

Book of Theophanies

The Month of Ramadhan

Sufi Psychology: The Isolation and Transformation of the Nafs

To Be Or Not To Be

Imposter Or Mistaken Identity?

Moulana Rumi - The Mirror of Divine Love

The Transformative Power of the Fear of God

Test of the Hardship

The Theatre of Life

Peace and the Inner Jihad

Sufism and the Paradox of Self

Surrender

Faith and Action

What is Tasawwuf (Sufism)?

Listening for God: Prayer and the Heart


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________________________________________________

For further information contact the
Australian Centre for Sufism and Irfanic Studies (ACS)
Phone: (02) 9955 SUFI (7834)
or email: acs@australiansuficentre.org


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