Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
We
are following the text "Beyond Sorrow" in which we
explore the nature of suffering and how to manage and move through
difficulties.
The
second essay in the publication is another lengthy one. Again the essence only
will be conveyed here and your are encouraged to follow up with purchase of the
book, or exploration of Sufi Poetry - which is the focus of -
SEPARATION
AND SUFFERING
William
C Chittick.
Mr
Chittick takes the propensity of Sufi poets for using the term 'Beloved' as a
place to lay blame for the torture of their souls. Most Sufi poetry can be read
exactly as if it were, indeed, love poetry between a man and the object of his
desire; but of course, it is raised to the level of spirit and the longing the
seeker ought to have for the sought.
The
Beloved can sometimes be cruel and often is called as such in these writings.
The basic point of such verses is that Man, in his self(ego)existence, cannot
see things as they are. The idea that we bring a 'death to the ego' is often
perceived as being painful and unnecessary, yet it is in the pursuit of 'joys'
that we actually experience torments, for they are distractions from our true
purpose, which is to reside in the divine.
It is said, then, that God makes suffering in order to force Man to look
Higher. There is a flaw, in that Man just does not realise that his hardships
are due to his separation from That.
The
first step towards relief from the angst of life is to recognise this 'pain'
and to acknowledge the Higher. The Sufi philosophy is that the saints and sages
suffer most, as they are fully aware of the condition of being separated from
that which they love most; then there are descending levels of 'pain' according
to how aware each one is, whether they are 'righteous' (second only to saints),
whether the 'excellent' and so on. The more Man suffers, the greater will be
his desire to be relieved of it. To attempt any fleeing or avoidance of the
sufferings placed before us by God is to attempt to flee or avoid God. The only
way to flee from suffering is to seek refuge from one's own ego; in
surrendering that, one must then accept whatever comes before one. The
philosophy then moves into the concept of reproach as being proof of Love; the
very fact that God 'beats us' with one strife or another, it shows that He is
aware of us and Loves us and wishes us to correct ourselves. This is the
essence of reproach.
Unless
Man realises a desire and Love for the work which must be done, both inwardly
and outwardly, he will not perform it at all well. There needs to be a 'pain'
(as in need) in order to accomplish, whether it be for trade or kingship,
religion, science, the arts… whatever it may be, it must entail a level of pain
in the form of a need to follow it and an angst to complete it.
In
all, to be successful in attaining a union with the Beloved and relieving
oneself of suffering, selflessness (egolessness) is an essential component.
