CONTENTS: The Philosopher's Stone . The Rubaiyyat . Sufi . Inner Senses . The Great Manifestation . The Music of the Spheres . The True Essence . Information and Knowledge . God as an Object of Our Imagination . On Judging the Impression Made . Anwar-i-Suhaili...

The Philosopher's Stone   It is reported that Rumi, as a demonstration, endowed an ordinary stone with such characteristics that those who saw it thought that it was a ruby. taken to a jeweller, it was sold for over a hundred thousands dirhams.    But talking of transmutation, Rumi himself said:    'Using the stone of the philosopher to convert copper into gold is indeed wonderful.    'More wonderful still is the fact that, moment by moment, the philosopher's stone (man) is converted into copper-by his own heedlessness.' -Idries Shah, Thinkers of the East.

The Rubaiyyat   In childhood once we crouched before our teacher, Growing content, in time, with what he taught; How does the story end? What happened to us? We came like water and like wind were gone.  -Oman Khayaam.

Sufi   A person whose heart is unholy will be deprived of eternal bliss, and he will be incapable of deriving intuitive knowledge. He who has purified his heart through devotional love will earn an edge over others in respect of enjoying spiritual bliss. The mroe the attraction for worldly gain diminishes, the more the joy of heavinly bliss enhances.  -Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah, Sufi.

Idries Shah Inner Senses   A certain Sufi was asked:    'Why is it that people have no inner senses?'    He said:    ' O man of high promise! If they had no inner senses, they would not even appear to be people at all. When people lack inner sense, they behave in a completely destructive or totally passive manner. Being aware of an inner sense is another matter.' -Idries Shah, The Magic Monastery.

If you want to know by way of an ocular demonstration how the predication (Hukm) of t he Great Manifestation penetrates the universe, then think upon a grain of pulse, every part of which is connected with the other part. When you throw it into water, the water gradually runs through every part of it, so that the form of pulse does not disappear or differ from what it originally was, and there is a natural increase in all directions. The place of its every part in connection and relation to the other part, however, remains the same as it originally was. Similar is the case in the universe where all the heavenly and earthly causes, as well as the causes of will of creatures possessing the power of will, are following their natural cause. Every cause is connected with its effect. Just as the moisture of water has penetrated every part, similarly a fresh light from teh Great Manifestation has permeated every cause and effect, and has removed every cause from its real causality and instead has made its apparent causality remain.    -The lamahat and Sata'at of Shah Waliullah of Delhi, Sufism and the Islamic Tradition.

Hazrat Inayat Khan The Music of the Spheres   By this title I do not mean to encourage any superstition or any idea that might attract people into fields of curiosity. My aism is to direct the attention of those who search for truth towards the law of music that is working throughout the universe, and that in other words may be called the law of life: the sense of proportion, the law of harmony, the law that brings about balance, the law that is hidden behind all aspects of life, which holds this universe intact and works out the destiny of the whole universe, fulfilling its purpose.   -Hazrat Inayat Khan, The Music of Life.

Sufism  teaches that all knowledge is humanity's legacy, but that one does not receive it until one truly seeks it. And, until it si fully experienced in one's own lifetime, the reality of the message of each Prophet will never be known. My father, Hazrat Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha, describes humanity basic conundrum as follows:   Our own internal and spiritual ignorance causes neophytes not to try to know their true essence, which is the most sublime secret of nature. They are not even willing to discover and cognize their own essence. Instead, they always visualize an imaginary, far away goal, a goal which is ambiguous and unreal.    -Molana Salaheddin Ali Nader Shah Angha, Sufism: The Reality of Religion

Information and Knowledge   However much you study, you cannot know  without action.    A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man.    Empty of essence, what learning has he-    Whether upon him is firewood or book?   -Saadi of Shiraz.

We can... take (God) as an object of our contemplations, not only in our innermost hearts but also before our every eyes and in our imagination, as though we saw Him, or better still, so that we really see Him.  -Ibn 'Arabi

The Idiot and the Browing Camel   An idiot looked at a browsing camel. He said to it: 'Your appearance is awry. Why is this so?'    The camel replied: 'In judging the impression made, you are attributing a fault to that which shaped the form. Be aware of this! Do not consider my crooked appearance a fault.    'Get away from me, by the shortest route. My appearance is thus for function, for a reason. The bow needs the bentness as well as the straightness of the bowstring.    'Fool, begone! An ass's perception goes with an ass's nature.' -Hakim Sanai the Illuminated, Sage of Ghazna

Branches   The barren branches may appear inelegant: They are, to the cook, the means to make his fire.   -Anwar-i-Suhaili       Provision and Life   They have fixed our nutrition and arranged our life-span. More than this, and ahead of this, efforts will not be productive.   -Anwar-i-Suhaili