This article is about Religion and the Depth And Breadth Of Viewing Existence.
* Why Tranquility Is Essential
* Why Civility Is Indispensable
* Why Open-mindedness is Crucial
* Why Tranquility Is Essential
"هل الإنسان مسيّر أم مخيّر؟"
"Is Man totally unable to control things in Existence, or is he totally able to select what to do or say." A well-known point that, historically, has been widely discussed.
(This is a point related to discussions on Destiny. Please see details in the section on Destiny in Imam Al-Ghazali's Aqeedah: here).
If I understand the religious, and especially the Sufi view, then what appears to me is the following:
-1-
Total all-surrounding Knowledge, and Absolute Control over every thing appearing in Existence, is only God's Privilege.
However,
- As a Creature appearing in Existence, one can only experience and see as available, limited information and limited control. And that's the basic reason for the constant situation everyone finds him or her self in: Facing choices and needing to select between them. And there are always 'bad' or 'good' decisions. Because there will always be information that is beyond any creature's reach, regardless of what level of awareness of available information one might be at. And while some things might appear as under one's control, many things remain totally out of control for anyone within creation.
So,
- It seems that a fine and optimal point of spiritual awareness is where there is a realization of God's Total Knowledge and Absolute Power (Omniscience and Omnipotence), and at the same time, that is balanced with respecting the Divine Wisdom of why things appear as they are; And Why does one always face choices and must bear a responsibility for one's deeds and sayings.
That appears to be the basis why a deeply spiritual person would not typically be found questioning Why things appear as they do, and why one still has a responsibility to wisely select how to respond to any given situation.
-2-
Tranquility, Calmness and steadfastness have always been distinguishing qualities of advanced believers. Maybe such qualities are based on a basic and straightforward realization: It is like, no matter what may appear in creation, it is probably like clouds that no matter how they might appear, there is an unwavering certainty about a clear sky beyond them; that clouds can't stay still and they are bound to move on and be replaced by other clouds or a clear sky, and that a cloud is always fully and totally penetrable. Its very nature gives it away.
It might sound puzzling or even doubtful when some people unfamiliar with the deep religious literature hear that deeply religious people do not hate or that they are never obsessed with any worldly thing (positively or negatively). And maybe given the above background, a simple answer would be : "Hate what?" or, "Be obsessed with what?". Since nothing exists by itself or can sustain its own existence, or has any chance of permanency or staying still, even for a single moment, and every thing in creation cannot but have to change and move on toward its end destination, whatever it might be.
It might not be untrue to say that such an attitude is actually a straightforward outward manifestation of a deep religious experience better known in Islamic literature as Oneness of Being: True Existence is only God's existence. Creation is about transitory Appearances. Intensity of emotions indicate the level of being overwhelmed by Creation, and the depth of tranquility and serenity reflects the level of awareness about the importance of the Balanced view, it is merely an indication of a wider and deeper view of existence. That's where Wisdom and its many fruits start to be realized: Being part of Appearances, and dealing with them competently yet being Aware and Polite before God's Presence.
Attention and focus can be on Appearances, but another option known since ancient times is to direct attention toward Who is Permanent, does not change, and has absolute power over everything: God. The guidelines regarding the Path to know God, even in different cultures, clearly emphasize milder manners, pure hearts, and utter tranquility as essential. I have talked about "Positive Detachment" many times on the site, it seems to be the balanced way in which, as I understand, worldly affairs are not ignored and competently managed, without signs of any obsession or being overwhelmed, whatsoever.
But knowing or understanding that such a level of awareness does exist, and truly experiencing it (I would guess pretty rare to happen), are two different things. It appears that "Reaching" the Clouds is not a simple task to begin with. Lifting off does not appear to be easy with a burdened awareness that is overwhelmed with views limited to worldly and material things. A "Grounded" status, appears to be the norm for many.
It seems that, for many, "Things as they are" and one's personal perception of them rarely match, if ever. Maybe such a match happens at the stage of awareness known as Fanaa (total obliteration of one's consciousness of one's world and of oneself). "Think out of the Box" might be recommended. But what about a View where all "Boxes" were shattered, and indeed the issue becomes How to best express oneself within the limits of a Box of a certain language in a certain culture at some place and age? Idealism is often contrasted with Realism. Maybe the two are actually inseparable, regardless of which aspect anyone might find him or her self leaning toward emphasizing. I wonder if the situation a Sufi faces is that of a deep and broad perfectly idealistic Vision, based on which there is an erection of a fine Thought framework and an Applied practical approach, that is tightly intertwined with the Real World, at some time and place, in hope that the eternal Essence is seen and understood, regardless of particular developments in a given culture at some time and place, a background that can be a sort of an available canvas on which there is an attempt to depict the essential ideas. How clear it is possible to see signs or traces of the essential ideas, regardless of what community is being noted, probably reflects how broad and deep a View is.
Anyway, Faith is what a religious person has. And levels or shades of awareness are fine and infinite, and everyone has a highest possible level that he or she can reach. And the lucky ones might be granted the chance for a lift off.
- Having a negative view about some things in life is possible. There are negative aspects about life. However, I think it is being biased, to confine attention to and focus on such things while disregarding or dismissing positive aspects about existence. That's missing the balanced view. On the other hand, pretending that things everywhere are all lovely, nice and perfect, is not part of a balanced view either.
If I understand Sufis, a sign of having a balanced view is calmness when viewing events, that appears to be based on the 'pendulum' (see the side note on Hekam #37: here) moving very slightly, or better still, it is totally still.
- The whole point of this section is to encourage to always try to maintain the broadest possible view and a positive attitude and a fine hopeful yearning toward the best for one's life and everyone around him or her. Because it does not have to be a lonely journey. Moving together with best wishes for oneself, one's family and friends, one's community, nation and indeed all mankind.
It is notable how a possible negative global event, that does not recognize differences in cultures or thought systems or ethnicities, can remind everyone how dependent on each other, even across national boundaries, we actually are. Coordinated efforts and synchronized policies were viewed as vitally needed, to ensure protection of a cover of safety and well-being, that cannot be divided, and that we all share.
I think that Religion, which essentially is about a Path to know God, can help develop a broad, calm and open-minded view of existence, which in turn can be quite beneficial for humanity.
* Why Civility Is Indispensable
- When physiologically seen, Man shares many body parts and their functions like in many animals. The clear exception is having an extraordinary Brain size to Body size ratio. But there is something else that is unique to Man: Ability to adopt high moral values and selecting to have fine behaviors; Ability to be Civil. And it is not without a good reason, it is not an empty and superficial thing, it is not just something that is good for survival. It is about selecting and striving to purify the Heart, which is absolutely essential on the Path to know God.
Selecting to have finer civil code is indeed important for a better civil society, and of course that is acknowledged and recognized, but it may not be exactly the same as realizing why that is not just something a society has to do, but a very natural and something about developing a deep transformation needed at the personal as well as the community levels, for something valuable and precious: Advancement on the Path to know God.
Maybe better levels of width and breadth of viewing Existence do not just coincide with high levels of Purity of Heart.
- An important aspect of civility is how one sees and treats a particular person, especially when that person differs from ones' breed or creed.
There have always been and always will be some features distinguishing one community from another, and that is just natural. However, it is the breadth and depth of viewing existence that determines if seeing and treating 'others' can be awkward, or fine and graceful.
- Probably every community on earth had sometime in the past had some problem with another community. So, how to deal with that, right now? Carrying over negative sentiments generation after generation does not look like the better way to live life.
Religion teaches that Life has a valuable meaning and a precious goal: to Know God. And advancement on the Path requires the best efforts to gain Purity of Heart, High moral values, Calmness and an Impeccable Character. The signs of someone genuinely on the Path to know God, are not hard to spot. Distractions in life can be many, and it might be best to try to widen one's view of existence and to try to gain the ability to see distractions, as they are, and to try to figure a fair and constructive way to restore focus back to the Path to know God.
* Why Open-mindedness is Crucial
Regardless of surroundings, age, or place, the urge (a) to better awareness about existence, and (b) to improve ability to deal with various things in Life, is probably Man's most basic and instinctive urge, from the moment one has started one's particular Life.
Contemporary Scientific Efforts represent a possible level of development of Awareness and Dealing with different aspects of Life in modern times.
Can it can get better?
I think that, whether they are mundane or spiritual issues, open-mindedness is crucial.
Purity of Heart -> Tranquility -> Depth and Breadth of A View -> Better Understanding Of Existence -> Better Ability to Select between Options.
