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Sufism is
not easily defined, for it is neither a religion nor a doctrine. It is not made
up of a body of dogma which one must follow, and it does not require its
constituents to rely upon specific, prescribed rituals or techniques as part of
a spiritual practice. It is not distinctive of any particular race, nation, or
church; it has existed across cultures, over centuries. Sufism is a way of
looking at the world and a way of living in the world. Yet even when no
particular form can be precisely defined, it is possible to describe some of
its characteristics |
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Rather than
requiring withdrawal from the world, Sufism practices immersion in life,
bringing one's highest ideals into everyday practice. It is a way for humanity
to awaken to the abundance of life, both individually and collectively, in
every area of human enterprise. Sufism is a contemporary response to the needs
of the time and culture within which it exists. |
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If one asks
what Sufism is, what kind of religion it is, the answer is that Sufism is the
religion of the heart, the religion in which the thing of primary importance is
to seek God in the heart of humanity. |
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There are
three ways of seeking God in the human heart. The first way is to recognize the
divine in everyone and to be considerate toward every person with whom we come
in contact, in our thought, speech and action. Human personality is very
delicate. The more living the heart, the more sensitive it is; but that which
causes sensitiveness is the love-element in the heart, and love is God. The
person whose heart is not sensitive is without feeling. Their heart is not
living; it is dead. In that case the Divine Spirit is buried in their
heart. |
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The one who
takes notice of the feeling of another person with whom s/he comes in contact
practices the first essential moral of Sufism. |
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The next way
of practicing this religion is to think of the feeling of someone who is not
with one at the moment. One may feel for those who are present, but one often
neglects to feel for someone who is out of sight. One speaks well of someone to
his face, but it is better to speak well of him/her when s/he is absent. One
sympathizes with the trouble of someone who is with one at the moment, but it
is more praiseworthy to sympathize with one who is far away. |
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The third
way of realizing the Sufi principle is to recognize in one's own feeling the
feeling of God, to realize every impulse of love that rises in one's heart as a
direction from God, to realize that love is a divine spark in one's heart, to
blow that spark until a flame may rise to illuminate the path of one's life.
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