Path: Supernews70!Supernews69!not-for-mail From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva) Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.sufi,alt.islam.sufism,talk.religion.misc,alt.consciousness.mysticism,alt.religion.gnostic Subject: KMcfarland: Sufism, Purpose of Study and Research Date: 7 Jan 1998 21:24:34 -0800 Organization: Access Internet Communications, Inc. Lines: 45 Message-ID: <691nui$4km$1@shell.accesscom.com> Reply-To: vv60@dial.pipex.com NNTP-Posting-Host: 20016@205.226.156.10 X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 (NOV) Xref: Supernews70 alt.magick.tyagi:14640 alt.sufi:2517 alt.islam.sufism:3200 talk.religion.misc:340590 alt.consciousness.mysticism:15617 alt.religion.gnostic:8792 [from tariqas@world.std.com: E Jason ] Purpose of Study and Research (Notes by Mr Ken Mcfarland from Syed Idries Shahs book The Commanding Self) Most people who study, approach the task with an existing body of knowledge and a set of ideological scripts. When studying Sufi material, people try to learn methods and techniques in order to supplement and strengthen their existing knowledge and beliefs. This approach may glean some ostensibly useful information but the quest of Sufi material cannot be apprehended in this manner. To understand the Goal, it must be experienced. People do not want to make any fundamental changes in their knowledge or self-structure. This would be perceived as a loss of self. Rather, people are motivated to study Sufi material to 1) acquire that which they perceive will validate and enhance the self. This is the intellectual equivalent to wearing makeup and jewelry. 2) experience excitement and joy in the imagined scenes of self-aggrandizement, adoration, and power believed to arise out of acquisition of esoteric and privileged knowledge 3) acquire special and unknown knowledge for amelioration or avoidance of intrapsychic conflict and pain. Many people want to experience transcendence to higher states of consciousness. Often they learn phrases and slogans that seem to reflect personal growth. "Know thyself" is one such frequently spoken phrase. But this phrase requires the speaker to give up denial and bring defensive scripts, together with the vulnerabilities which are defended, into the light of awareness. The reality is that few have the inclination or courage to operationalize this dictum. To be truly competent in an endeavor one must begin at the most fundamental level and examine assumptions, analyze the obvious, acquire the requisite skills, eschew the superfluous, and develop an experiential relationship with the goal of the effort. This is especially true within the domain of the Sufi enterprise. -- (emailed replies may be posted); http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi; 408/2-666-SLUG join the esoteric syncretism in alt.magick.tyagi; http://www.abyss.com/tokus -- (emailed replies may be posted); http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi; 408/2-666-SLUG join the esoteric syncretism in alt.magick.tyagi; http://www.abyss.com/tokus