From tariqas-approval@facteur.std.com Fri Jan 5 17:35:20 1996 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.11/8.6.5) with ESMTP id RAA29566 for ; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 17:35:20 -0800 Received: from europe.std.com (europe.std.com [192.74.137.10]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.11/8.6.5) with ESMTP id RAA20536 for ; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 17:35:19 -0800 Received: by europe.std.com (8.6.12/Spike-8-1.0) id UAA18839; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 20:12:14 -0500 Received: from world.std.com by europe.std.com (8.6.12/Spike-8-1.0) id UAA18815; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 20:12:11 -0500 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA08307; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 20:06:42 -0500 Received: from jobe.shell.portal.com (jobe.shell.portal.com [156.151.3.4]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.11/8.6.5) with ESMTP id RAA18121 for ; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 17:05:28 -0800 Received: (tyagi@localhost) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.11/8.6.5) id RAA27280 for tariqas@world.std.com; Fri, 5 Jan 1996 17:05:26 -0800 Message-Id: <199601060105.RAA27280@jobe.shell.portal.com> Subject: Individual vs. Communal Approaches to Spiritual Growth To: tariqas@world.std.com (Tariqas Elist) Date: Fri, 5 Jan 1996 17:05:25 -0800 (PST) From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (Haramullah) Orientation: House of Kaos, St. Joseph, Kali Fornika, US -- Kali Yuga X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 4094 Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@facteur.std.com Status: RO 49960105 Assalam alaykum, my kin. I have returned after an absence from this elist in response to request from my brother Habibullah as he thought I might find this particular subject valuable to discuss (he was correct :>): He wrote: |...individual vs. communal/group approaches to spiritual growth. I'm unsure that there is really a clear differentiation between the two, since even within the community/communal group we have our own process of individual growth with which to contend. However, the context within which we discover Allah may make a difference to us and may prove more or less helpful to our overall growth depending on what form of spiritual practice we take up. |...this issue may be at the root of some fundamental differences |in approach by people involved in Sufi and other spiritual path(s). The issue might also be a *symptom* of other fundamental differences. One example is the attitude by Sufis toward monasticism, specifically toward withdrawing from the world as part of a spiritual path. Most Sufis whom I've met online and off agree that this is not part of the Way of Allah, as the Sufi, it is said, may retire temporarily from society but will always return to bring forward the fruits of hir retirement to the greater community. This notion of 'returning the wisdom to the community' appears to be very important to many mystical traditions, including that of Sufism. It describes a dynamic between the student and hir culture, and yet it does not say in what form this returning should take: whether it be through a designated spiritual community of which she is part, or through other means more tangental (Internet? :>). |My hypothesis is that some of us, partly from being "Westerners," partly |from our own psychological states, tend to approach spirituality from the |point of individual experience -- and to be threatened by truly becoming |part of a collective entity (afraid of losing our identity or control, |perhaps). Yes, differences of culture may very well be the underlying fraction- point, manifesting over the issue of group v. individual spirituality. However, my brief exposure to Sufi sheikhs and texts indicate to me that there are said to be 'lone' or 'wandering sufis' who from time to time drop in to the wider Sufi community (perhaps somewhat like the Green Man or various saints are said to instruct intermittently when the Will of Allah moves them). |Others of us, partly from being from more traditional |cultures, partly from our own psychological states, tend to approach |spirituality from the collective/communcal point of view -- to see our |growth as intricately related to the growth of others in our group, and |perhaps to the leadership of a "master" -- and to be threatened by truly |pursuing our individual experience (afraid of losing our identity as part |of the group, or the control that comes from the group, perhaps). Not only this but the way of the individual may be fraught (especially in the US or other developed nations) with peril, the hazards of modern society (strange cults, idolatry, etc.) being a sort of trap which could prove very dangerous to those without *some* guide (sheikh). I have been told that Allah or various other entities may guide the individual sufi, and yet we must understand that this is a special and unusual class of individual, moved by the Will of Allah to ways we can perhaps never hope to understand or connect. There is also the tradition that says that ALL Sufis (no exceptions) must in some way connect to the 'Golden Chain' of teachers, the line from Abraham and Adam down through the ages to today's world, which usually requires we become initiated to the guidance of a living sheikh to fulfill this requirement. There are traditional and metaphysical influences that may determine the safer path, and this is usually by connecting with a tradition (but not always, some say). I will have more to write in response to one or two other posts. Wonderful topic! Alaykum assalam, my kin. Haramullah tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com