Care & Feeding of the Spiritual Heart

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Transcript

 Care and Feeding of the Spiritual Heart: with a short introduction to Sufism

shaykh ibrahim ansari

Beyond Mindfulness is Heartfulness.

What is Sufism?

Before I begin speaking from a Sufi point of view, you are probably wondering exactly what is Sufism?

There are some who say that it has always been here. It is commonly believed that every Prophet, like most religions, draws from the underground river of Sufi wisdom. In this sense, it predates Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam as well as the sciences, psychology and health. 

The sacred texts from those and other religions contain elements of the simple but profound principles of Sufism, also known as Tasawwuf. The materials from those sacred texts and teachings provide the same brief to the various cultures throughout time and around the world. It is always  the same information, but adapts to the specific needs of the people. 

For example, Rumi, the well-known poet of the 14th century, is the founder and spiritual master of a Sufi school called the Mevlevi. The meditation of ‘Turning’ became part of the training. My mentors are Murshid Taner Ansari and Murshida Muzeyyen Ansari, the Ansari branch of Qadiri Rifai (aka AQRT) 

Sufi training currently resides in Islam, that religion being the latest update to the message, as well as containing the most current tools to help connect us to the Divine.

Sufism is not a religion. It is an ancient but still relevant way to learn how you and the Divine connect. The project of clearing away what is NOT you is person specific, and therefore cannot be generalized. It adapts to the precise culture, language and environment it settles in. 

The communication is carried orally by those who undergo the rigorous training, which often takes several decades, and have received permission to continue the carrying on of the original teachings.

Some vocabulary I will be using:

Allah - That intelligence and love that permeates the universe, flows in our veins and hearts, and spins in the quantum states. Also understood as Love.

Nafs - Attachments and habits that interfere with our true self.

HU - The essence of Allah (spirit)

Zikr - Remembrance of the Divine

Adab - Doing what is most appropriate in this moment.

Just a quick side note: Wikipedia and other knowledge collectors almost always mention that Sufism is a mystical form of Islam or some buzzword. It is not. The ‘magical’ fascination of ‘mysticism’ is a distraction and misunderstanding of what the main message has always been: Learn who you truly are.

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Care and Feeding of the Spiritual Heart

Out of all the glorious things that are priceless, exquisite and rare, the most precious of all silver, gold and jewels in our possession is our heart. Our body is doing Zikr to stay alive: Pounding out the message ALlah, ALlah. Breathing we are saying HU. We have been given two incredible gifts from our loving Creator: our spiritual heart that is connected to the source of Creation, and Choice. We have the freedom to choose to be with our heart and Allah, or not.

If we choose to be with Allah, there are certain hurdles to overcome, and part of earning our closeness to the Divine requires us to deal appropriately with our Nafs.

Now could be the moment when we finally understand this choice, when we can finally leave adulthood and enter the new world of maturity.

An adult has a serious list of duties and responsibilities, and takes them - and themself - seriously. Worry, stress, and concern for the bottom line varies day by day. 

However, when we seek maturity, it is when we understand our place in the universe better. We no longer take ourselves so seriously that we cannot play, seek beauty and exhibit gratitude for these precious few moments in a kaleidoscopic world of ever-changing surprises and challenges.

To be able to hear your heart, because it does speak to us, we have to silence the brain long enough to hear what the heart wants. Notice that the word ‘hear’ is in the spelling of ‘heart’. 

Everybody always asks, “How do I know it’s my heart speaking and not my brain, nafs or imagination?”

If it is your nafs or brain, the subject or object will usually start with ‘I’ or include ‘me’.

“I want… I need… Please make me rich…” A constant nagging noise.

There is no selfishness with the heart. When it is pleased, we feel a sense of purpose and meaning to our life.

The heart will not argue, try to persuade, or want anything illegal or contrary to the moral code. It revels in love, and is pleased when there is happiness, compassion, awareness and adab present. It lives and exists with Allah’s Love, and, by following its hints, we can become fulfilled. It gives us purpose.  

The heart is connected to Allah. That is why one of our Zikrs includes ya Latif - The Subtle. Connecting with the heart is a finely balanced action. Allah is both obvious with the outer but whispers the secrets of creation through the heart within you. 

This world is in a constant state of transformation. It is easy to get lost in or trapped by any part of it. It is truly marvelous that Allah’s manifestations are exhibited through matter interacting with other matter. Thus it is normal to become distracted and fascinated by matter-stuff. 

It is often difficult to extract our self from the roiling insistence of not just things, but also relationships. Life turns complicated so easily and quickly. Family, work, relationships and career - we often forget to listen to our  heart when everyone is acting from the script they’ve already written.

But when you can, extract yourself from the drama, get away from the script, get off the stage and go sit in the audience. Your heart’s perspective will guide you towards a more moderate and clear through-line.You will find that it can guide you. There are suggestions it will offer if you are looking for them. It is the heart that will help you understand and learn from experiences. This spiritual gravity is what pulls you towards the Divine. 

However, again, you can always choose NOT to learn or grow. That way nothing will hurt, and your life remains the same. That kind of stagnant existence is the other force that is pulling you into the world that is forever metamorphosing. Which means, because you did not choose to change, you will be constantly changed by nature.

We are continually choosing which magnetic pull we wish to be drawn into. There is the world whirlpool that will suck you in and spit you out before you realize it. It is contractive and tends to make you feel small and insignificant. It creates a disconnection leading to depression and meaninglessness.

The spiritual, angelic or Divine energy will also draw you in, but it is gentler and expansive. There is the additional Love bonus that makes the effort and focus embody meaning and substance. 

To keep the heart alive and present, you need to be focused on what kind of nutrients it thrives on. This may require some experimentation and observation. Staying present with the heart feeds the heart. What feeds yours?

You will know when your heart is being nourished when you feel:

Happy

Content

Loving

Present

Sincere

Honest

Caring

Peace

Grounded

Playful

Courteous

Generous

Creative

Understanding and Objective.

Of course, when you are not with your heart you will be: 

Busy, 

Thinking about the next thing to do, 

Worried, 

Stressed,

Afraid of ‘what people will say’. 

Disconnected.

The heart connects us to the micro and macro universes, with all the wonders to explore. We will never be able to see the whole picture puzzle. It is only the heart that can smoothly navigate the swells, riptides, hurricanes and tsunamis.

What is especially interesting is that we see less than 5% of the universe. Most of it is invisible because it is out of the range of our senses. That means that the majority of this wonderful show is unseen. The more we strive for maturity, the more we develop our subtle receptors. Another reason why tuning in to the heart expands your perceptions. 

Everything in this universe vibrates. We hear about 20-20,000 cycles per second. Ascending in these cycles we enter radio waves, the waves that work in the little computers in your pocket. But because the spiritual heart perceives subtle frequencies not decipherable by equipment, the information is accessed through a delicate and practiced focus.

This idea of listening to the heart requires a continual state of sincerity and humility. Sometimes this is known as ‘Surrender’. The heart does not respond well to arrogance and egotism. It prefers empathy, compassion, love, and the struggle needed to practice and grow. It does not need to be ’manifesting’, ambition, fame, wealth or power.

Excerpt From Tao Te Ching

“It (Allah) is unseen because it is colorless; it is unheard because it is soundless; when seeking to grasp it, it eludes one, because it is incorporeal. Because of these qualities it cannot be examined, and yet they form an essential unity. Superficially it appears difficult to understand, but in its depths it is not obscure. It has been nameless forever! It appears and then disappears. It is what is known as the form of the formless, the image of the imageless. It is called the transcendental, its face (or destiny) cannot be seen in front, or its back (or origin) behind. But by holding fast to the Tao (Allah) of the ancients, the wise one may understand the present, because they know the origin of the past. This is the clue to the Tao (Allah).”

Lao Tzu

https://books.apple.com/au/book/tao-te-ching/id861022702

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