Zen and Sufism

A stream, from its source in far-off mountains, passing through every kind and description of countryside, at last reached the sands of the desert. Just as it had crossed every other barrier, the stream tried to cross this one, but it found as it ran into the sand, its waters disappeared. It was convinced, however, that its destiny was to cross this desert, and yet there was no way. Now a hidden voice, coming from the desert itself, whispered, "the wind crosses the desert, and so can the stream." the stream objected that it was dashing itself against the sand, and only getting absorbed; that t

"BY HURTLING IN YOUR OWN ACCUSTOMED WAY YOU CANNOT GET ACROSS. YOU WILL EITHER DISAPPEAR OR BECOME A MARSH. YOU MUST ALLOW THE WIND TO CARRY YOU OVER TO YOUR DESTINATION." "BUT HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?" "BY ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE ABSORBED IN THE WIND." THIS IDEA WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE STREAM. AFTER ALL, IT HAD NEVER BEEN ABSORBED BEFORE. IT DID NOT WANT TO LOSE ITS INDIVIDUALITY. AND ONCE HAVING LOST IT, HOW WAS IT TO KNOW THAT IT COULD EVER BE REGAINED? "THE WIND," SAID THE SAND, "PERFORMS THIS FUNCTION. IT TAKES UP WATER, CARRIES IT OVER THE DESERT, AND THEN LETS IT FALL AGAIN. FALLING AS RAIN, THE WATER AGAIN BECOMES A RIVER." "HOW CAN I KNOW THAT THIS IS TRUE?" "IT IS SO, AND IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE IT, YOU CANNOT BECOME MORE THAN A QUAGMIRE, AND EVEN THAT COULD TAKE MANY, MANY YEARS;…

Uwais was asked, 'how do you feel?' he said, 'like one who has arisen in the morning and does not know whether he will be dead in the evening.' the other man said, 'but this is the situation of all men.' uwais said, 'yes, but how many of them feel it?'

The Koran says there are three basic qualities which have to be in the heart of the seeker. The first is khushu. khushu means humility, humbleness. The second is karamat. karamat means charity, sharing, the joy of giving. And the third is sijd. sijd means truthfulness, authenticity, not to pretend but to be whatsoever you are. These three are the three pillars of Sufism. Humility does not mean the ordinary so-called humbleness. The ordinary humble person is not egoless. He carries a new kind of ego -- of being humble. He thinks he is humble, 'Nobody is as humble as I am. I am the topmost in humility.' But he goes on comparing. The ego has not changed, the ego has only taken a new posture, a new gesture, more subtle. First the ego was very gross. When you go on bragging about your money. It is very gross. One…

A certain sufi teacher was explaining how a false sufi had been unmasked. "a real sufi sent one of his disciples to serve him. The disciple waited on the imposter hand and foot, day and night. Presently everyone began to see how the fraud loved these attentions, and people deserted him until he was completely alone."

ONE OF THE LISTENERS TO THIS STORY SAID TO HIMSELF, "WHAT A MARVELLOUS IDEA! I SHALL GO AWAY AND DO JUST THE SAME THING." HE WENT TO WHERE A BOGUS DIVINE WAS TO BE FOUND, AND PASSIONATELY DESIRED TO BE ENROLLED AS A DISCIPLE. AFTER THREE YEARS, SUCH WAS HIS DEVOTION THAT HUNDREDS OF DEVOTEES HAD COLLECTED. "THIS SAGE MUST INDEED BE A GREAT MAN," THEY SAID TO ONE ANOTHER, "TO INSPIRE SUCH LOYALTY AND SELF-SACRIFICE IN HIS DISCIPLE." SO THE MAN WENT BACK TO THE SUFI FROM WHOM HE HAD HEARD THE STORY AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. "YOUR TALES ARE NOT RELIABLE," HE SAID "BECAUSE WHEN I TRIED TO PUT ONE INTO PRACTICE, THE REVERSE HAPPENED." "ALAS," SAID THE SUFI, "THERE WAS ONLY ONE THING WRONG WITH YOUR ATTEMPT TO APPLY SUFI METHODS. YOU WERE NOT A SUFI." Sufism is psychology in the true sense of the word.…

Maneesha has also asked a question: our beloved master, you have been speaking on the empty heart of zen. Last night we spent an evening listening to rumi's expression of the sufi heart. Could you talk of the difference between the two?

The reality is that what the Sufis call the heart is just part of their mind. The mind has many capacities: thinking, feeling, imagination, dreaming, self-hypnosis -- these are all qualities of the mind. In fact there is no heart as such; everything is being done by the mind. We have lived with this traditional division, that imagination and feeling and emotions and sentiments are of the heart. But your heart is just a pumping system. Everything that you think or imagine or feel is confined into the mind. Your mind has seven hundred centers and they control everything. When Zen says empty heart it simply means empty mind. To Zen, heart or mind are synonymous. The emphasis is on emptiness. A mind that is empty becomes the door to the divine that is all around -- but first it has to be empty. Sufism is a beautiful imagination. Zen…