SUFISM - CONTEMPLATIVE/MYSTICAL/ESOTERIC* ISLAM





The Man of Light


Miraj: Ascension of the Prophet

Click here and here to see a symbolic Ascension (meeraj) sequence

Click here to see a symbolic death-rebirth experience

*This does not mean we neglect the exoteric, or external/outward, aspect.
As the famous Sufi Master Ibn Arabi wrote, "Sharia is Haqiqa." That is, the Divine Law (external conduct) and Essential Reality (to be discovered inwardly) are one and the same.




CONTENTS




THE FLAWLESS HUMAN BEING: A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF AHMET KAYHAN







FIRST STEPS






THE ROYAL ROAD: THREE TEXTS FROM THE MASTER

Two interesting articles by Idries Shah on Sufism:

  • The Fakirs and Their Doctrines
  • The Study of Sufism in the West

  • By Arthur J. Deikman:

  • Sufism and Psychiatry

  • (Note: The appearance here of these articles is due to their introductory nature.)






    (FOR LATER ARTICLES, CLICK HERE.)







    THE CHILD OF THE HEART








    THE BASE SELF, Part 2







    SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND SUFISM








    HERMETICISM: THE MASTER’S COMMENTS










    BEYOND CASTANEDA AND DON JUAN








    ISLAM AND REFORMATION








    STOPPING THE SELF







    THE POEMS OF HAJJI BAYRAM














    THE HOBBIT, TOLKIEN, AND SUFISM







    STAR WARS AND SUFISM






    SEVEN HEAVENS, FIVE PRESENCES







    THE SYMBOLS IN THE FIG CHAPTER













    SUPERHEROES AND SUFISM









    SUPERMAN AND SUFISM







    THE ODE OF UNITY: BEST INTRO TO THE KORAN?







    SUFISM AND ANCIENT EGYPT





    HERMETICISM AND SUFISM



    PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD
    Antidote for depression!



    THE "PEACE PRAYER" OF ST. FRANCIS






    I AM CLOSER TO THEE THAN THEE:
    A Poem by YUNUS EMRE




    TALKING WITH GOD



    SPEAKING WITH THE WORD OF GOD





    THE BASE SELF



    THE PROPHET, THE CAVE, AND THE MATRIX


    THE KORAN AS HOLOTEXT


    AN INVITATION TO PEACE





    BOOKS:


    ... And now, finally (2012):

    The Teachings of a Perfect Master




    Introductory Essay:

    Published in Watkins Mind Body Spirit Magazine, Issue 31 (Autumn 2012)

    THE TEACHINGS OF AN EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN BEING

    ‘Do you want to talk about Sufism, or to be a Sufi?’ he asked. ‘Being seems of greater value than talking,’ I replied.

    The year was 1975, the place Ankara, Turkey. I was talking to one of the Sufi masters of Central Anatolia. This was my first contact with what would turn out to be a discovery of the first order. The Central Anatolian Sufis were, in turn, the spiritual descendants of the 'Masters of Wisdom': the legendary Sufis of Central Asia. In fact, this was the 'course of the Saintlight': the divine spiritual white light that shines on the forehead of each illustrious saint, in a chain tracing its lineage back to the Prophet Muhammad. If you follow a river upstream, sooner or later, you're bound to come to the Source.

    After a prep period of three years, my Sufi master took me to visit Mr. Ahmet Kayhan. He was tall, lean, of arresting appearance, and had had jet-black hair in his youth, which never turned entirely white even in advanced old age. Accomplished Sufi masters have nonverbal ways of communicating their stations to those who visit them, and in a few minutes I became aware that I was in the presence of an extraordinary human being. Little did I realize at the time that this encounter would lead to a lifelong immersion in the Master’s teachings.

    To be in the Master's presence was to be in an enchanted realm: to be simultaneously in this world and out of it. I shall not attempt the impossible here by trying to describe the indescribable, which is what Master Kayhan was. Suffice it to say that if he was human, we are all subhuman; and if we are human, then he was superhuman. Since the overwhelming majority determines the name of the species, we must call him by the latter term. I have to add that this was not immediately perceptible to many: they thought at first that they were in the presence of a very kind, gentle, yet ordinary human being. It was only as they became more familiar with the Master that he would reveal himself, unfolding like the petals of a rose.

    First they would be dazzled. Then, fascinated. That is when they began to fall in love with spiritual perfection personified: the end result of all possible human evolution. And believe me, having seen my share of gurus and New Age personalities, I do not say this lightly.

    We have, it seems, sorely misjudged human potentials. We know they're there, but we don't know where to look for them. Nor do we know how to develop them. Moreover, you understand immediately that what is handed down in this tradition is true. For the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and you have seen the proof of it.

    For years, I waited for the opportunity to tape his words. In 1987 I finally got it. Over the years, though I took scanty notes, I had come to the realization that here was this veritable Amazon River flowing out to sea with no chance of retrieval. Something had to be done to capture every drop of wisdom issuing from his mouth. His words had wings – they had the power to elevate you, whether you realized it or not. The Master encouraged the taking of notes, saying that memory is prone to forgetfulness and that his words should be recorded: ‘The mind forgets, but writing does not forget.’

    I now have been able to (finally!) publish much of my recording transcripts and notes from him. These are arranged topically, giving easy access to what he thought and taught.

    The Master’s discourse redefines Islam for the twenty-first century. In a conversational tone (because taken from his actual conversations), he expounds the purest, highest form of Islam/Sufism, in a way that transcends all Orders and Schools. Before there were any sects, schisms, denominations and the like, there was the reality and the pure teaching of the Prophet. And this is what Master Kayhan endeavoured to teach. A guidance that will assure of us of happiness and success in this dangerous game called life, not to say the afterlife -- is this not a boon for all humanity?

    Click here to view PDF




    Earlier books:








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    The books are available at amazon.com and elsewhere.


    THE STATION OF NO STATION: Open Secrets of the Sufis (Published)
    THE SECRET OF ISLAM: Love and Law in the Religion of Ethics (Published)
    THE BLACK PEARL: Spiritual Illumination in Sufism and East Asian Philosophies (Published)
    POSTSCRIPT to The Black Pearl (Online only)
    ERRATA for Black Pearl

    The Meaning of the Four Books (Online)




    DOWNLOAD The Meaning of the Four Books (ZIP file)
    View "Four Books" as PDF
    DOWNLOAD Science, Knowledge,and Sufism (ZIP file)



     

    NOTE: The earlier sites for "The Meaning of the Four Books" (http://home.att.net/~nungan/sufism) and "Science, Knowledge,and Sufism" (http://home.att.net/~nungan/sufiway) are no longer available. However, they can still be accessed via the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine). Just go to www.archive.org and enter the desired address.