Spiritual Master Research Articles

IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH: D̲J̲ALĀL AL-DĪN RŪMĪ'S CONCEPTION OF HAPPINESS WITHIN THE MATHNAWĪ-I MA’NAWĪ

This article investigates the notion of happiness as presented in Mawlānā D̲j̲alāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s (d. 672/1273) Mathnawī-ī Ma’nawī, examining the intersection amid the scholarly discourse on the subject within the Sufi literature. Rather than a momentary sentiment, Rumi identifies happiness as the state of existence once experienced in the primordial realm. Having separated from the divine presence, the condition of human beings on earth would consist of pain and unhappiness. Since the worldly material is transitory, the happiness achieved through them is likewise. Therefore, Rumi encourages the individual to take a voluntary spiritual journey (sulūk) from the self (nafs) to the soul to be united with the divine (tawḥīd) to obtain celestial happiness once again, all while living in the terrestrial world (ʿālam al-s̲h̲ahāda)—the Mathnawī being a manual for the devotees on the path. This education provides an understanding for the individual of the nature of the objects, self-awareness, and divine enlightenment through the inner transformation of the self. Traversing through the stations and the states of the journey with the guidance of the spiritual master (murs̲h̲id), one purifies the ego (nafs) and eventually reaches the grade of contentment (riḍā). This stage signals the achievement of self-realization, wherein individuals grasp the divine spirit inherent in their existence and relish living in harmony with divine will, thereby, happiness. If the seeker reaches the state of self-annihilation (fanā‘), then the layers of nafs are completely unveiled (kas̲h̲f, leading to the gnosis (ma‘rifa). In this state, through celestial love, one begins to see Divine manifestations around them—placing true happiness as an intimate communion with the ultimate Truth (al-Ḥaḳḳ). This connection brings about a profound sense of genuine and celestial happiness. Through the Mathnawī’s elaborate narratives and poetic reflections, Rūmī encourages the reader to embark on a path of spiritual enlightenment. In contrast, happiness arises as the natural product of a life aligned with divine will, marked by a harmonious balance between the dual nature of human beings. This scholarly analysis highlights Rūmī’s significant contribution to the discourse on happiness within the Sufi tradition,h highlighting his contribution to the discourse within the Sufi literature and the enduring relevance of his teachings in our contemporary scholarly expedition for authentic gratification and the human condition.

Siddhar Nilai

Only two things are in action in this Universe. One is energy and the other is matter. Whenever a tiny [only 4.4 %] of the energy manifests, then creation of matter starts. When the matter returns to its original nature, then destruction begins. In 1905, Albert Einstein showed that matter and energy are equivalent. But before Einstein, the great Tamil Siddha MAYAN found that matter is energy and energy is matter. According to accepted physics, energy is the capacity to do work. Also, the conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. But one form of energy can be converted into another form of energy. Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa. Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans Recently, it has been found that Our species, Homo sapiens, has now spread to all parts of the world but it’s generally believed that we originated in Africa by about 200,000 years ago. We interacted with local archaic human populations as we colonized the globe. Those Africans migrated to the then Lemurrian continent also called as Kumari Kandam in Tamil literature and history. Those Tamil people were much advanced in all the types of arts and sciences. It is preached from the mouth of a Spiritual Master to the ear of the disciples that the Kumari Kandam spiritually realized Siddhars formulated the first type of yoga on earth. According to this school of thoughts, yoga is the unification of cosmic energy with bioenergy. In this brief work, the author attempts to unlock some treasures of Kumari Kanda yoga for the benefits of the entire humanity.

Religious Knowledge Production and Digital Affordances

Abstract: This essay revisits a research trend that examines the impact of digital media on religious authority, concentrating on a specific genre of authority related to religious knowledge production, specifically “embodied knowledge” within Muslim intellectual history, pedagogical practices, and epistemology. Fundamental to the discussion is the potential decline of embodied knowledge, which is traditionally acquired through direct interaction with a living scholar or spiritual master. The essay emphasizes the increasing prevalence of disembodied knowledge facilitated by digital media’s expanding affordances. This shift signifies a transition in knowledge transmission from direct engagement with scholars to digital interfaces. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence within the broader knowledge economy, including the religious sector, a growing number of students of religion are turning to digital platforms for their learning. Concomitantly, Muslim scholars, educators, and preachers, some of whom may have unverified credentials, are leveraging these technologies to attract students and, at times, monetize their online popularity. This migration from embodied to disembodied pathways of learning and teaching has garnered significant attention from scholars researching this phenomenon.

Jernail Singh Anand's Mahabharat: The Battle of Words - A Modern Epic: Rewriting of Traditional Wisdom

Jernail Singh Anand's Mahabharat: The Conflict of Words - A Modern Epic is a modern epic that rewards the conventional understanding of the conflict and its aftermath. It is the follow-up to the ancient Indian epic, Mahabharata. The author retells the epic from the perspective of Draupadi, the heroine who was treated dishonorably at the Kuru king's court, to bring the Pandavas—the primary protagonists of the War—and their spiritual master, Lord Krishna, to the forefront. The book casts doubt on the legitimacy and relevance of the Bhagavad Gita. This sacred text forms the basis of the Mahabharata, given today's violent, conflict-ridden, and unequal world.
 Additionally, the novel draws parallels with other epics that focus on the ideas of honor, devotion, and love, including the Ramayana and Troy. The central theme of Anand's writing is dishonor, particularly in light of Draupadi's humiliation at the hands of King Dhritrashtra. The action of this sequel moves beyond Kurukshetra's real battlefield and into the reader's imagination. In a biased conversation with Lord Krishna, the author expresses worries about the state of modern society and makes an effort to justify its purported deviations from the predestined path of justice.

Commemoration and devotion in the resurgence of contemporary Sufi communities in their homeland and western settings: descendants and followers of a medieval Sufi Saint in Syria and Cambridge, Ontario

ABSTRACT This article examines the resurgence of contemporary Sufi communities in Islamic and Western settings. Focusing on the descendants and followers of Shaykh ʿAqīl al-Manbijī, a medieval spiritual master and saint (d. 1155) in their Syrian homeland and Cambridge, Ontario, the examination offers insights into the confluence of three dimensions. The first refers to the hagiographical and historical traditions that perpetuate the memory and legacy of the long-gone shaykh and nourish the sacrality of his shrine. The second highlights the significance of the rituals performed by communities of the shaykh’s descendants and their followers in Syria to revitalise the spiritual tradition that centres on him and evoke a sense of collective identity. The third dimension, spatiality, fleshes out the role of the devotional spaces as arenas for commemorating the venerated shaykh and manifesting the beliefs and traditions that hold the homeland communities together. The form and location of the mosque established by his descendants in Cambridge and its use as a public devotional space and an Islamic learning centre allow us to see how the saint’s memory is inscribed, his spiritual tradition perpetuated and disseminated as an integral part of Islamic religiosity in a Western environment.

INDIA IS A SPIRITUAL LEADER: MYTH OR REALITY

<p><span>There is a buzzword in the world about India’s being a spiritual leader. The patriot classical Hindu protagonists are advocating vehemently for (re)establishing its old and golden image to the people, especially the students and youths in this vast country and the world as a whole. India just completed the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsab (Nectar Festival of Freedom) by commemorating its 75th year of Independence (from 1947 to 2022). India, henceforth, decided to celebrate the next twenty-five years as the “Amrit Kaal” i.e., golden period (from 2022-2047). During this quarter century, the vision of India is to achieve a technology-driven and knowledge-based economy, reminisce with respect to the Indian struggle for independence and the sacrifice of the freedom fighters, and promote India’s heritage, culture, literature, and language. When the government of India upholds and prioritizes the promotion of its age-old tradition, culture, language, spirituality, and philosophy, a critical group of scholars and thinkers put up multiple problems and crises facing India in the present time. Therefore, a debate is going on regarding the issue of India’s role as a global leader as well as the spiritual master. The criticism and counter-arguments by scholars and social thinkers are neither wrong nor anti-national. This is the beauty and fine characteristic of modern Indian democracy, where every citizen enjoys the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression, though with certain restrictions as enshrined in the Constitution. In the run of this debate, the Prime Minister and his team are determined to take India to such a height that every man on this earth can have a taste of its spiritual and philosophical honey juice. Now the question is - are Indian culture, heritage, philosophy, and spirituality so rich and exuberant? What are there in India’s philosophy, and spirituality, and the teachings of Indian sages and saints? Do they have created any impact ever upon the minds and activities of people anywhere in the world? Can India really show the path to the global leaders and general people to end war and conflicts, and bring forth peace and prosperity? This article seeks to examine all these questions and finally explores if the acclaim of India as a spiritual leader is appropriate or absurd.</span></p><p><span><strong>Keywords:</strong> India, spiritual leader, Indian philosophy, Indian scriptures, <em>Amrit Kal</em>, Indian <em>yoga</em>.</span></p>

Role of Spirituality in the Mental Health

The paper strives to elucidate the complex yet intimate relation between spirituality and mental health from contemporary perspectives. The diverse and constantly evolving views that spiritualists and mental health professionals have held toward each other over last century are discussed with special accent on the transpersonal spiritual framework within psychology. The role of spirituality in promoting mental health and alleviating mental illness is highlighted. The paper is concluded with an increasing need to integrate spirituality within the mental health field albeit there are several impediments in achieving the same, which need to be worked through circumspectly. Even though spirituality is different from religion it is often confused with the same. In fact, the historical negativism toward spirituality emanated from it being considered synonymous with religion. To put it succinctly, a person may be both religious and spiritual, or he may be religious and not spiritual, or he may be spiritual but not religious. Spirituality is more concerned with direct experience of latent higher consciousness within oneself, i.e., the internal space, whereas religion is an institutionalized set of beliefs, practices, and guidelines that an individual adopts and follows. Many spiritual movements arose as a rebellion against dominant religions of their times, for instance Buddhism and Jainism from Hinduism, Sufism as a critique against orthodox Islam. Historically, every religion has had its basis in direct spiritual experience of a spiritual master and only later after his teachings were consolidated and formulated in the form of a doctrine that people started following.

Worlding Encounters: Indian Spirituality and Anti-Colonialism in the Life and Thoughts of “the Mother” (Mirra Alfassa)

AbstractColonialisms of the nineteenth century resulted in lasting encounters between the East and West. Indian spiritual and religious renaissance, along with social reform movements during this period (inspired by Bhakti or personal devotion to God and self-realization in Vedanta teachings), attracted several western seekers and thinkers to India. Among them was Mirra Alfassa (February 21, 1878–November 17, 1973), a French woman, who was attracted to Eastern philosophy. She joined the revolutionary turned spiritual master, Sri Aurobindo, at Pondicherry, a French enclave, and continued to live in post-independent India for 26 years after 1947. In this paper, we trace Mirra Alfassa's journey from a spiritual seeker to being anointed as “the Mother”, the head of the Aurobindo Ashram. We explore how her pursuit of internationalism, cosmopolitanism, and universal values aligned her with the cultural, religious, and spiritual dimensions of India's nationalist movement and postcolonial nation-building. We hope to contribute to the wider discussions about women in international thought and how such international collaborations (as in the case of Mirra Alfassa) worked to achieve the nationalist goals for political, social, and cultural revival both during and after the independence movement in India.

Catholics on the Barricades: Poland, France, and “Revolution,” 1891–1956 by Piotr H. Kosicki

Reviewed by: Catholics on the Barricades: Poland, France, and “Revolution,” 1891–1956 by Piotr H. Kosicki Mikołaj Kunicki Catholics on the Barricades: Poland, France, and “Revolution,” 1891–1956. By Piotr H. Kosicki. (New Haven: Yale University Press. 2018. Pp. xxviii, 424. $40.00. ISBN: 9780300225518). Writing a transnational historical monograph about Polish and French intellectuals, lay activists, and ecclesiastical figures alike, who formed the twentieth-century “Catholic avant-garde,” the personalist current, is not an easy task. First, the collective biography of these figures is likely to appeal to highly specialised audiences; [End Page 213] secondly, the current climate around the Roman Catholic Church, with its internal conflicts, sexual-abuse cases, and the Vatican’s inconsistent approach toward international and social affairs may diminish some readers’ appetite for the story of Catholic revolutionaries who sought a just society, engaged in dialogue with Marxism and its Stalinist branch, and paved the way for the groundbreaking Vatican Council II. Fortunately, Piotr Kosicki’s book is a tour de force, expertly researched, elegantly written, and likely to be compared with and favorably contrasted against such titles as Zeev Sternhell’s Neither Right nor Left (1983/1987) and Tony Judt’s Past Imperfect (1992). Kosicki begins his story in the 1890s with Catholics’ reactions to Marxism, capitalism, and nationalism and concludes it in the mid-1950s, when Polish and French personalists and Catholic socialists faced the end of Stalinism, liberating themselves from the ideological corsets (if not straitjackets) of anti-Germanism, Soviet-sponsored and one-sided, anti-Americanist peace activism. The liberating effect of the thaw coincided with the death of Pius XII and the subsequent convocation of the Second Vatican Council. The book’s French characters illustrate the vicissitudes of Catholic thinkers and activists, including Jacques Maritain, Emmanuel Mounier, or worker-priest Jean Boulier, and impact they made in France and beyond. Their Polish counterparts constitute an equally diverse company of groups and individuals who adopted the personalist core, tried to implement and modify it in prewar, wartime, and postwar communist-dominated Poland, often paying for their actions with their lives, imprisonment, or moral compromises. The book focuses mostly on the Polish part of the story, giving the fascinating portrayals of fascists and nationalists turned into pro-communist “progressive” Catholics (Bolesław Piasecki and his entourage of Dziś i Jutro millieu). We also meet their young adept, Catholic radical Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the first Polish democratic prime minister after the collapse of communism, and a young cleric and priest named Karol Wojtyła, better known as John Paul II. Lastly, Kosicki pays close attention to the Cracow-based disciples of Mounier from the Tygodnik Powszechny weekly that were turned down by their spiritual master, vowed to abstain from the communist-dominated political life preserving their integrity and defending independent culture, and later joined forces with Mazowiecki and gay catehumen Jerzy Zawieyski to form the Znak circle of more independent Catholic activists in the post-Stalinist era. For Kosicki, the link between the Polish personalist groups and the Solidarity movement, which served as an icebreaker of communism in the 1980s is obvious. However, the autor is at his best while discussing less-known and researched phenomena such as the peculiar nature of French intellectuals’ involvement in the Soviet-sponsored Peace Movement; the role of anti-Germanism shared by both the French and the Poles in cementing their collaboration with Moscow; and the opposition of Esprit editors to European integration in the 1950s. Kosicki’s work does not contain any flaws or errors. If anything, I view it a bit apologetic toward John Paul II, one of the protagonists of this book, much revered in the past, and currently under posthumous re-examination. Another issue concerns the real [End Page 214] impact of intellectual Catholicism on Polish religiosity, which under the tutelage of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, also a frequently evoked figure, moved away from open Catholicism. Lastly, I would advise the author to pay more attention to the 1968 anti-Semitic campaign and the effect it had on the collapse of the Znak group. Still, Piotr Kosicki authored an excellent work, which will top the readingg lists of students of Polish and European history...

A Focus on Truth: Thomas Merton's Uncensored Mind by Patrick W. Collins

Reviewed by: A Focus on Truth: Thomas Merton's Uncensored Mind by Patrick W. Collins Robert Inchausti A Focus on Truth: Thomas Merton's Uncensored Mind. By Patrick W. Collins. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021. 197 pp. $19.95. Based on the five volumes of Thomas Merton's selected correspondence, the ten essays that make up this book chart the evolution of Merton's thoughts on a variety of religious subjects—everything from interreligious dialogue to the priesthood, ecumenicalism, church authority, liturgy, and monastic renewal. They are united—Collins tells us on the very first page—by Merton's "unending search for what is real and true, not just in books but in living experience and practice" (1). As each essay unfolds, we see Merton evolve from a young convert thrilled by the "answers" he has found in the liturgy and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church to a seasoned monastic and spiritual master who has arrived at questions not so easily answered by the "verbal formulas" that satisfied him as a young convert. The chapter "On Spirituality," for example, starts with Merton's youthful aspiration to "be a saint" as he spelled it out in the Seven Storey Mountain, then jumps to this passage from a letter he sent to Catherine de Hueck Doherty ten years later: "After so boldly advertising to the world that I was out to become a saint, I find I am doing a pretty bum job of it. . . . But it is certainly a wonderful thing to wake up suddenly in the solitude of the woods and [End Page 85] look up in the sky and see and see the utter nonsense of everything, including all the solemn stuff given out by professional asses of the spiritual life: and simply to burst out laughing, and laugh, and laugh with the sky and the trees because God is not in words, not in systems, and not in liturgical movements, and not in 'contemplation' with a capital C, or in asceticism or anything like that, not even in the apostolate. Certainly not in books. I can go on writing them, for all that, but one might as well make paper airplanes out of the whole lot" (16–17). Collins follows this selection up with passages from Merton's correspondence with John Harris, a schoolteacher in England, and the Anglican scholar Etta Gullick. In both of these exchanges Merton defends contemplation against its facile popularizers in the late sixties and against those churchmen who reduce it to a species of rare and extreme piety not for public consumption. Near the end of this essay, Collins cites Merton's letter to Dom Francis Decroix in which Merton admits that when he entered the monastery in 1948, he had a lot of "answers," but now—twenty years later—he has only just begun to seek the right questions. "And what are those questions?" Merton asks. "Can man make sense out of his existence? Can man honestly give his life meaning merely by adopting a certain set of explanations which pretend to tell him why the world began and where it will end? Why there is evil and what is necessary for a good life. My brother, perhaps in my solitude, I have become as it were an explorer for you, a searcher in realms which you are not able to visit—except perhaps in the company of your psychiatrist. I have been summoned to explore a desert area of man's heart in which explanations no longer suffice, and in which one learns that only experience counts" (49–50). Each of the chapters in the book have a similar kind of progression as Merton corrects his own youthful simplifications, deepens his commitments, and qualifies his claims. On some topics, however, Merton retains his original positions now clarified and deepened by personal experience. Other times, he forges ahead into new territory or owns up to a new, honest, and hard-won befuddlement. Taken together, this multiple highlight reel of Merton's subtlest and most intimate spiritual turns of thought, throw light on the discerning operation of his mind and demonstrate for us what it means for a Christian contemplative to "focus...

Review: Ces enfants oubliés: Grandir dans une communauté sectaire (These Forgotten Children: Growing Up in a Sectarian Community), by Lorraine Derocher

These Forgotten Children is both a recovery guide aimed at those who have grown up in sectarian communities, and an instruction manual for people wishing to assist those individuals. Directed at parents, grandparents, educators, service providers, law enforcement, and other leaders, the book features advice from ten adult survivors of secte membership interviewed by the author—seven intensively—as well as reflections from dozens more with whom she was in contact, and insights from former cult members gleaned from books and articles.A member of McGill University’s Centre for Research on Children and Families, Lorraine Derocher has published extensively on the subject of cult membership, with a special focus on its effects on children. In contrast to her other publications, These Forgotten Children is clearly written for a general, rather than scholarly, audience. Call-outs, text boxes, lists, and other graphic elements break up the text and allow casual readers to dip into and out of the book.Chapter 3, however, addresses scholarly definitions of religion, new religious movements, and sectes (knowns as cults in English). Derocher debunks a list of common negative cult stereotypes, asserting, for example, that a guru is simply a spiritual master, not the head of a dangerous or criminal cult, and emphasizing that brainwashing is not a theory recognized by the scientific community. Nevertheless, she wishes to retain the word secte to describe a certain type of religious group, which she defines as an ideological movement, religious or not, closed in upon itself and that is opposed, in varying degrees, to the values of modern society (49). According to Derocher, a potentially dangerous secte does not merely separate itself from society, but rather effects a complete rupture by embracing a totalistic way of life at odds with the wider culture.Although the book advises parents and secte members, former and current, throughout, its concluding chapters present specific recommendations to those in the therapeutic community, government officials, and other leaders. In this way, it extends the research, and child advocacy work, of its author.

The Charles Secrétan’s Philosophy of Freedom

The article is dedicated to the unknown in our country philosophy of Swiss thinker Charles Secrétan (1815–1895). Secrétan’s thought is illustrated with the translation of two letters extracted from Renouvier and Secrétan’s Correspondence (1910). Kant’s philosophy of religion and morals was its starting point as well late Schelling’s philosophy. But though Secrétan started with this intellectual heritage, he did not accept all Kant’s and Schelling’s doctrines. This conclusion is relevant even in relation to Alexander Vinet, his senior friend and spiritual master too. Therefore for the deep understanding of Secrétan’s philosophy of freedom it is necessary to pay attention to the historical and cultural context of the Swiss federation and the canton Vaud especially.

“Shall I show joy or sorrow?” (Poem 31). Pain of loss – a study of Paulinus of Nola’s works

Unfortunately, Paulinus of Nola is not a very appreciated Father of the Church today, because he did not contribute much to the development of the dogmas of the early Church, and yet his contemporaries respected him and indicated him as an example and referred to his conversion and spiritual path. He was regarded as a spiritual master. Therefore, when discussing the issue of passiones, and above all the pain after the loss of loved ones, it is worth and should refer to the preserved works of Paulinus: his letters and poems. He himself experienced the tragic death of his brother, the premature death of his only son, and finally the death of his wife Therasia. All this allows us to find in his works an answer to the question of how to deal with emotions after the departure of a loved one and about a Christian interpretation of experiencing death and mourning. Thanks to the analyzes of the surviving Paulinus’ texts and their results, presented in this article, we can see that Paulinus, although educated on the classical models, shows the Christian understanding of mourning contained in the title question: on the one hand, he emphasizes its human side and the sadness over the passing of a loved one, on the other hand, he emphasizes the supernatural joy of salvation and being with God. In his works, Paulinus also shows other aspects of experiencing death, which together create a rich phenomenon expressed by four Stoic passiones: spes - metus - gaudium - dolor.

The View on Virtue and Vice by Sulṭān Walad: A Comprehension of Iblīs

This article aims to reveal the Sulṭān Walad’s practical thought as a spiritual master and administrator of the Mevlevī order, examining his opinion about Iblīs (Satan). Basically, his writings were intended to preserve and transmit the tradition of his father, Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, to future generation of the Mevlevī order. A lot of his interpretative works confirm that he puts the highest priority on further comprehension of Rūmī’s thought. Therefore, it is expected that Sulṭān Walad’s works are based on the thoughts of his father Rūmī and his original mind is more or less restrained. However, unexpectedly, his arguments about Iblīs shows clear distinction from his father’s thoughts. This article focuses on their opinions on Iblīs, analyzing their differences on their theory of vice and virtue. From Sulṭān Walad’s attitude toward Iblīs, we could observe that he considered carefully on vice and virtue as a spiritual master and administrator of the Mevlevī order. Not only did Sulṭān Walad inherit his father’s thought, but he tried to reshape his father’s legacy adjusting to the reality of the order.

Followers Of Humanity: Khusrao And Kabir

The conflict between religion and the world has intensified man's curiosity about the true purpose of life. This credit has been with the people and the properties, both Hindu and Muslim, and when the followers of both the Dharmas have focused on one center, it has been the center of humanity. This axis has given the idea of ​​unity in abundance. Mixed civilization has been given priority and spirit of equality has been nurtured. This conflict may be between Aryans and Dravidians, Buddhists, Jains, Brahmins or Hindus, Muslims but this conflict has also paved the way reconciliation and unity. Human love, tolerance and brotherhood have been promoted..One of the most popular saint poets of India, Hazrat Amir Khusrau was a truly multifaceted creative genius. While it is common knowledge that he created Khayal and Qawwali not many know that he wrote in more than a dozen styles of creative expressions. Till date he remains a great mystic, a Sufi saint, a Sufi poet. His works were source of pride and happiness for many. On the other hand, one of the most loved and revered mystics of India, Saint Kabirdas was a fearless poet, reformer, critic, devotee and spiritual master all rolled into one. His works continue to inspire people from all walks of life beyond the divides of age, nationality, religious preferences and cultural differences.

A Treatise on Practical and Theoretical Sufism in the Sokoto Caliphate

Abstract This article presents an annotated translation of The Exposition of Devotions, a short text by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muṣtafā (1218–1280/1804–1864) about his spiritual master and maternal uncle, Muḥammad Sambo (1195–1242/1782–1826). Muḥammad Sambo was the son of ʿUthmān ibn Fūdī (also known as Usman dan Fodio), the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, one of the largest pre-colonial polities on the African continent. While modern scholarship has tended to focus on the political, legal, social, and economic dimensions of the jihad movement that created the Sokoto Caliphate, this text provides a brief, but detailed account of the spiritual practices and discussions amongst Usman dan Fodio’s clan (the Fodiawa), demonstrating the centrality of the Akbarī tradition in technical discussions, as well as the unique developments of this tradition in thirteenth/nineteenth century West Africa. The work begins with an account of a dream of the then-deceased Muḥammad Sambo that occasioned its composition, and after a brief discussion of the status of dreams and their importance, gives an account of Sambo’s spiritual method and practices. The short treatise concludes with the author’s summary of Sambo’s responses to several technical and highly esoteric questions posed to him by the author, illustrating the profound mastery and unique perspectives developed on these topics by the Fodiawa. Combining oneirology, hagiography, practical and theoretical Sufism, this short treatise is an illuminating window into the spiritual and intellectual traditions of the founders of the Sokoto Caliphate.

Syiir Tanpo Waton and The Spirit of Indonesian Religious Moderation

This research is aimed to dismantle and to reveal the religious moderation values from a local legacy of a Muslim cleric/kyai’s reflective thought written in a Javanese-Arabic poem (syiir) “Tanpo Waton” authored by KH. Muhammad Nizam As-Shofa, a local kyai and a spiritual master of the Naqsyabandiyyah Kholidiyyah sufi order. What remains interesting in this syiir is that it has been inaugurated by the national figure of pluralism as well as the fourth president of Indonesia, KH. Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) through his popular melodious chanting. This is a qualitative-descriptive research. Data collection in this study uses documentation, with a content and discourse analysis technique through the lens of religious moderation concept as the currently Indonesian grand narrative campaign for religious harmony. The analysis then entails the production of data in which there are textual and contextual meaning implied within the syiir which emphasizes how important it is to stick with the values of religious moderation for building Indonesian harmony and strengthening national unity within diversity. The religious moderation narrative within the syiir indeed embeds the values of nationalism, tolerance, non-violence and local wisdom respect. Such values are among the pivotal elements to teach and disseminate towards Indonesian generations for the sake of Indonesian harmony.

Gender, kinship and relatedness in fifteenth-century Tibet: The biography of Chokyi Dronma (1422–1455) through anthropological eyes

ABSTRACT A 15th century Tibetan biography offers a rare glimpse into the life of the Tibetan princess Chokyi Dronma (1422–1455), who experienced marriage, childbirth, the death of her daughter and eventually became a Buddhist nun and a famous spiritual master. Recognised as an emanation of the Buddhist deity Dorje Phagmo, she became the founding figure of Tibet’s most famous female reincarnation line. Written close to the events by one of her fellow monks and rich in daily life details, this account offers an ideal opportunity to explore gender and kinship practices among Tibetan rural elites of the time. It also gives a rare insight into the hurdles that women faced when they decided to challenge social and cultural conventions to pursue spiritual aims. An anthropologically informed study of this manuscript offers a unique opportunity to explore kinship terminology and practices as well as particular instances of kinship politics at a time in which marriage alliances were essential for the relationships among Tibet's regional polities. It also offers useful insights into kinship networks that underpinned patronage practices, highlighting the often mis-recognised importance of women (including their role in printing projects). Finally, it enables the exploration of Tibetan spiritual kinship and reincarnation contributing to wider debates in the anthropology of kinship and relatedness. Substances and spiritual principles appear to be symbolic fields connecting past and present – they constitute the backdrop for practical negotiation not only in Chokyi Dronma’s biography but also in many other historical sources and ethnographic cases.

Reinterpretations of the Shakespearean Universe In Terms of the Commedia Dell’Arte

Through our study we will try to cast light on two distinct theatre laboratories, each with its own dominants, with its alchemy and, obviously, with its own alchemist (the director, the guide, the spiritual master). We will take a journey into two parallel stage universes: Carlo Boso’s lab, which I call the French Artistic Legion, and Muriel Manea’s workshop, which draws a dynamic relationship between the beauty and ugliness of the Balkan space. The two approaches are put in a ritual context, highlighted in the analysis of the stage process. Two different productions of the same text, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by W. Shakespeare, with similar types of training and the requirement of an artistic discipline, while having the ability to give up dogma. Carlo Boso brings the masks of the commedia dell’arte in a stylistic and energetic agreement with Shakespeare›s universe, while Muriel Manea, using the aesthetics of beauty, but also of ugliness, builds an authentic world, preserving the essence of that created by Shakespeare.

Surrender to Another Person: The Case of a Spiritual Master

The experience and posture of surrender has been espoused by religious traditions as key to spiritual life and development for millennia. Within psychology, on the other hand, surrender’s position has been likened to an “unwanted bastard child,” and its research has been neglected. Moreover, when occurring in the context of a relationship with another person, the terms “submission” and “obedience,” laden with negative connotations, have been commonly used. We propose that psychologically and spiritually developmental surrender is a common experience both when it occurs in relationship to “reality,” the Self or God, and in the context of relationship with another person, as in love, sex, patientship, followership, and discipleship. We focus on surrender to a spiritual master, which is in some respects the most extreme form of surrender to another person and the most challenging for the modern secular worldview to accept and suggest that, with all its complexity and potential pitfalls, it can be a powerful enabler and facilitator of the search for the sacred, self-transcendence, and spiritual integration.