To find this peace the first step is to identify our different faculties. These are:
The Body: A physical tool - connects us to the world [through it's pleasures]
The Mind: Corroborator of the heart
The Heart: A guide for us - a compass
The Soul: The soul I think connects us to God like a baby to their mother's womb. Thus the purpose of the soul I understand is to connect us to HIM. [Thus it connects us to the total view of reality, something more encompassing than the heart, mind or body. The heart for example may at times be too tender to allow us to connect with reality and to acknowledge it's potential for brutality.]
If these faculties are not clearly identified and thus not understood they will leave a person vulnerable to the outside world.
One example of what can happen if the heart is not identified is shown below:
Somebody once said to another: When you go to a party do you prepare something to say? How else are you so comfortable at speaking to everybody at the party?
For the first person the socializing process was missing the element of the heart's guidance and thus suffered a lack of spontaneity.
The first person was trying to intellectualize the process and this was her mistake. Thus because she did not identify her heart she was vulnerable.
Having identified our faculties however is not enough to secure us from vulnerability or to bring peace within.
The final step is a HARMONY among them. I mean by this, that while a faculty/faculties are 'affirmed' NONE should be 'negated'. To demonstrate this I have discussed three examples below [This explanation is in terms of the faculties and their 'affirmation' and 'negation'.]
In the first example I will take you back to the question about the party. By trying to find a solution through intellectualizing alone seems to show that the person asking the question was not aware of her heart. While affirming the mind she would be in trouble at the party as long as she negated her heart.
Another example is of a man in the company of a lewd woman. The lewd woman would affirm his body but negate his soul [See the function of the soul above]. Here the soul serves a counter-check to the body. But alas, the body serves a counter-check to the soul [as well]!
The soul has the power to carry a person into a land very esoteric and it is the body that has the power to bring him back into the world and live among men. It serves to remind him of a world outside his hermitage. A world more encompassing and rich that has the power to be more fulfilling than the hermitage alone [, however fulfilling that hermitage might be!].
[And so it sounds like a brilliant idea to get married!]
Thus it is that harmony must exist between the 4 faculties. None should be negated.
Comment by Ramla:
I must say I appreciate your intellectual honesty. The fact that you don't... mince your words.
Speaking of vulnerability... Ah! One of those things where the Truth if the matter is upside-down vis-a-vis the 'common reality'. The common reality or belief or understanding may be that knowing your heart's truth makes you 'invulnerable'. The Truth, the very sign of the heart being affirmed (and 'followed') is vulnerability. The heart is connected, thus open and, thus, vulnerable. The opposite of that is a heart that is closed, hardened, and cynical. It is a heart not realized. Yet.
My reply:
The vulnerability that the heart exposes a person to will later protect him from danger. Thus by opening your eyes you see more clearly in a way that a cynical, hardened heart can not. By being able to 'see' you can protect yourself better.
Alas [in connection with my earlier post] it makes you aware of more choices. And choice as somebody said is the difference in this world between the powerful and the powerless.
Reply by Ramla:
A sense of vulnerability, a softness, a tenderness... a humbleness with respect to all existence is a sure sign that the heart has opened. It is a heart, surrendered. Willing to take It All in.
... Once again, amusingly, the Truth becomes the opposite of what would be common: once one is vulnerable, then they will understand the real Truth: THIS is real strength. THIS is real protection from harm. None can be harmed -- i.e. their soul cannot be damaged by the 'outside', by the 'Other' -- when they have opened the Self up to the Other, making them One. 'One' is benevolently disposed. One shall not hurt Oneself.
If you know what I mean, which I trust you do. :)
My reply:
I do and it is very well said and yet there should be a pause to take caution.
The system of cause and effect that exists is very just. If a person however close to God makes a mistake he will be punished for 'that' mistake.
Thus a bad cause has a bad effect just like a good cause has a good effect.
Maybe the prime example of this is what happened to Satan!
Thus we must always seek His guidence and His mercy.
Thus I think I have made sense of God's jalali traits - they are there to maintain order in the universe.
The beauty of this order, science has already revealed to us and so has the Prophet! [The former at the emperical level the latter at the vertical - man's search for peace and the potential/power unlocked within]
The Body: A physical tool - connects us to the world [through it's pleasures]
The Mind: Corroborator of the heart
The Heart: A guide for us - a compass
The Soul: The soul I think connects us to God like a baby to their mother's womb. Thus the purpose of the soul I understand is to connect us to HIM. [Thus it connects us to the total view of reality, something more encompassing than the heart, mind or body. The heart for example may at times be too tender to allow us to connect with reality and to acknowledge it's potential for brutality.]
If these faculties are not clearly identified and thus not understood they will leave a person vulnerable to the outside world.
One example of what can happen if the heart is not identified is shown below:
Somebody once said to another: When you go to a party do you prepare something to say? How else are you so comfortable at speaking to everybody at the party?
For the first person the socializing process was missing the element of the heart's guidance and thus suffered a lack of spontaneity.
The first person was trying to intellectualize the process and this was her mistake. Thus because she did not identify her heart she was vulnerable.
Having identified our faculties however is not enough to secure us from vulnerability or to bring peace within.
The final step is a HARMONY among them. I mean by this, that while a faculty/faculties are 'affirmed' NONE should be 'negated'. To demonstrate this I have discussed three examples below [This explanation is in terms of the faculties and their 'affirmation' and 'negation'.]
In the first example I will take you back to the question about the party. By trying to find a solution through intellectualizing alone seems to show that the person asking the question was not aware of her heart. While affirming the mind she would be in trouble at the party as long as she negated her heart.
Another example is of a man in the company of a lewd woman. The lewd woman would affirm his body but negate his soul [See the function of the soul above]. Here the soul serves a counter-check to the body. But alas, the body serves a counter-check to the soul [as well]!
The soul has the power to carry a person into a land very esoteric and it is the body that has the power to bring him back into the world and live among men. It serves to remind him of a world outside his hermitage. A world more encompassing and rich that has the power to be more fulfilling than the hermitage alone [, however fulfilling that hermitage might be!].
[And so it sounds like a brilliant idea to get married!]
Thus it is that harmony must exist between the 4 faculties. None should be negated.
Comment by Ramla:
I must say I appreciate your intellectual honesty. The fact that you don't... mince your words.
Speaking of vulnerability... Ah! One of those things where the Truth if the matter is upside-down vis-a-vis the 'common reality'. The common reality or belief or understanding may be that knowing your heart's truth makes you 'invulnerable'. The Truth, the very sign of the heart being affirmed (and 'followed') is vulnerability. The heart is connected, thus open and, thus, vulnerable. The opposite of that is a heart that is closed, hardened, and cynical. It is a heart not realized. Yet.
My reply:
The vulnerability that the heart exposes a person to will later protect him from danger. Thus by opening your eyes you see more clearly in a way that a cynical, hardened heart can not. By being able to 'see' you can protect yourself better.
Alas [in connection with my earlier post] it makes you aware of more choices. And choice as somebody said is the difference in this world between the powerful and the powerless.
Reply by Ramla:
A sense of vulnerability, a softness, a tenderness... a humbleness with respect to all existence is a sure sign that the heart has opened. It is a heart, surrendered. Willing to take It All in.
... Once again, amusingly, the Truth becomes the opposite of what would be common: once one is vulnerable, then they will understand the real Truth: THIS is real strength. THIS is real protection from harm. None can be harmed -- i.e. their soul cannot be damaged by the 'outside', by the 'Other' -- when they have opened the Self up to the Other, making them One. 'One' is benevolently disposed. One shall not hurt Oneself.
If you know what I mean, which I trust you do. :)
My reply:
I do and it is very well said and yet there should be a pause to take caution.
The system of cause and effect that exists is very just. If a person however close to God makes a mistake he will be punished for 'that' mistake.
Thus a bad cause has a bad effect just like a good cause has a good effect.
Maybe the prime example of this is what happened to Satan!
Thus we must always seek His guidence and His mercy.
Thus I think I have made sense of God's jalali traits - they are there to maintain order in the universe.
The beauty of this order, science has already revealed to us and so has the Prophet! [The former at the emperical level the latter at the vertical - man's search for peace and the potential/power unlocked within]
Ramla,
ReplyDeleteI love your gentle yet probing search for truth and the attributes of the heart in strength...as well as your understanding on many levels of the ONE! Thank You.
And this entire blog as well as the replies back and forth need somehow to be recorded for many others. The dialectic style itself is so alive.
Also, I love this description of the Soul's attributes:
"The soul I think connects us to God like a baby to their mother's womb. Thus the purpose of the soul I understand is to connect us to HIM. [Thus it connects us to the total view of reality, something more encompassing than the heart, mind or body. The heart for example may at times be too tender to allow us to connect with reality and to acknowledge it's potential for brutality.]"
I hope this many-layered and many-colored dialogue and parts goes on for awhile since the clarity, depth and beauty are so enriching here and tie-in to my own reminiscing these days...
Many who marry are happy and many have many more troubles being married so now looks like the time to recognize and carry with you all you are saying as well as the components of such ease of communication as you share here...