Category Archives: Comparative Religion

Comparative Religion, Metaphysics, Modern Living, Uncategorized

More ‘Bubbameises'(Grandmothers’ tales) from the Buddhists

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Despite all the controversy around it ,I like the term “fake news”. However,there is not only political fake news.There is also medical and spiritual fake news as well.This article addresses the latter type.We may well address the other types and many more in future articles.

Since Buddhism, especially the Mindfulness type, has become the lingua franca of  “progressive” spiritual seekers -many of whom refuse to entertain the notion of a Creator-I think it is especially important to underline the mythology that accompanies it-what we are referring to here as “bubbameises’-the tales of grandmothers- in our title.

Now,the first myth promulgated by the Buddhists in the last century was that Buddhism is not a religion.One of the primary culprits in this marketing scheme was the Dalai Lama himself. The Buddhists being”clever ones’ no doubt,understand that much of the West has turned against its religious authorities and institutions and therefore are adverse to any notion of religion.There is an interesting precedent for this kind of salesmanship in the history of religion and that is the approach of Paul of Tarsus.He understood that the Romans and Greeks all around them would never accept Mosaic law ,which was the religion being practiced by Jesus and his apostles.So he declared that it was enough to accept Jesus Christ as saviour and thereby threw overboard the entire Judaic legal tradition.I will allow the reader to draw the appropriate conclusions as to what that might mean for Christianity and its relationship to the tradition of Judaism from which it sprang.

So the Dalai Lama and many other Buddhists tell us that Buddhism is not a religion and the progressive liberals, liking the sound of this atheistic statement, swallow it “hook,line and sinker’. But is it true?!

Even without a degree in theology or Comparative Religion it is easy to understand that religion is not only a belief in God.Religion has institutions,beliefs,a hierarchy, a set of practices,moral teachings,people who self-identify as Buddhists. etc.,etc.So Buddhism,in fact,has ALL the characteristics of a religion-its particular theology aside.Even at the level of concepts there are several that come very close to the idea of God.Enlightenment itself-‘nibbana’ as the Buddhists call it can be translated as God-consciousness as can Boddhicitta(Buddha-Consciousness).So they do frequently refer to an Ultimate Reality but do not like calling it God. With a little reflection, there should be little doubt in peoples’ minds that Buddhism is a religion by any sensible definition of the term and has always been considered as such.

The second mythology is that Buddhists are universally gentle people who do not harm anyone.I think the current situation in Burma and the treatment of the Rohingya Muslims should disabuse anyone of that notion quickly.It always seemed to me impossible that one group of people,religious or otherwise,could remain consistently non-violent.It doesn’t correspond to any historical evidence about humanity anywhere.In fact,the violence and murders perpetrated in the Sri Lankan civil war were mostly done by the Singhalese who are also uniformly Buddhists.But somehow that passed under the radar and the Tamil tigers got most of the blame.Another good marketing job!

This being said,my real purpose and the trigger that provoked this article was a conference I attended this week given by a monk in the Kadampa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism entitled “Meditation and Anxiety”. The ‘hal’ (spiritual state) in the conference room was pleasant and peaceful.The people involved appeared sincere and had a certain luminosity about them.And I generally enjoyed the presentation.The only thing I felt called upon  to pursue with the presenters was the translation of the word ‘mind’ in English to ‘esprit’ in French =-a translation I thought somehow inadequate.So I talked about it with one of the organizers-an intelligent fellow with a good command of both languages.The discussion was civil but not really clarifying.In any case,this is a point of semantics and not that relevant.

However,as the week drew on, I began thinking.”One minute,here”. There was almost nothing in the presentation about anxiety.Yes they talked a lot about inner peace and the importance of the inner state for happiness but the question of anxiety was never raised directly.I happen to know that there are specific teachings about this by Buddhist teachers like Jack Kornfield and Jon Kabat-Zinn but nothing was said about that.(These were Tibetan teachings and the other mentioned authors are more in the Vipassana lineage so perhaps there is a sectarian divide-even within the Buddhist tradition itself.)

So one moment,here.If the talk is entitled “Meditation and Anxiety” but there is no mention of anxiety ,what is going on?There is only one possible answer I believe to that question.More marketing! Many,many people are struggling with anxiety in modern times so anything suggesting a possible solution would be attractive.In fact one of my motivations to attend the conference was to help out a neighbour’s boyfriend who was struggling with anxiety but there was no material in the conference which would have been of help to him unless he wanted to become a Buddhist monk-highly unlikely I figured!

There was another bit of bit of “fake spiritual news”in the conference that was working on my Truth detector.They repeated on several occasions the idea that”happiness can only come from a peaceful mind”. That sounded very obvious and unobjectionable until I thought about it some more.One minute here! That’s not true either!Happiness is one thing and ‘peace of mind’ is another.I think for the moment of those tennis players whether Federer or Djokovic or Serena Williams and how absolutely tense and anxious they look during the game and then how happy they are if they win.No correlation between peace and happiness.I,myself,when I examine my own experience, have been happy at times while feeling agitated and I have been peaceful but bored at other times .Happiness is one thing and peace is another.

So why are they making this statement? Because they know that Westerners are obsessed with “being happy.”There are even              University departments like at Harvard devoted totally to studying happiness( The Happiness Project).The marketers are hot on our trail once again!

But there is an even deeper problem in Buddhism and that involves the relationship between the inner and the outer.The theme repeated over and over again in the conference was that what really counts is the inner state.There is an irreconcilable cleavage between the two in Buddhist philosophy-an absolute dichotomy.This involves an incomplete conception of reality which does not acknowledge the interaction between the two and therefore the need to act in both dimensions not just one.Interestingly ,we can see a connection here between the lack of a Creator-God and this disconnect.If there is no Creator-God,then there is no Creation or created things per se.In fact the Buddhists claim there IS no reality to this world .It is only sets of aggregates like sensory perception and physical sensation and thoughts.For them ,the reality of this world is an illusion of the mind.In this way, there is no interaction,no dialectic between the outer and the inner.A truly bad place to begin if we want to manage our lives properly!

So the Buddhists who are so proud to claim The Middle Way,the Way of Balance, are actually in a state of serious imbalance.And you can see the manifestation of this all the way back to the beginning of the tradition when the Buddha left his family, never to return, to do intense meditative practices.Is that a balanced example for all of us?! If we think it’s all about the internal,we might accept that.But if we are truly aiming for balance in our lives,this cannot be the way, Think about it in your contemplations. Not in your meditations- where thought is dismissed lol.Salaams,Sufi Ibrahim

Comparative Religion, Islam, Spiritual Practice

Balance!

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I may have said this before but it bears repeating.It has been one of the solid pillars of my spiritual path.The first page of the first teaching I received in Islamic Sufism said the following:”In this path we walk on two legs-Shariah and Haqiqat.Translated liberally that means Divine Law and rules ,duality if you wish, and Absolute Consciousness.If you have only the latter which has been the case with numerous”Enlightened” beings you can go seriously astray in behaviour.I don’t think I need to name names for people to be able to reference that.On the other hand, if you have only shariah(rules and rituals) your religion becomes dry and lifeless and may even lead to extremism in order to get some energy going.So you need both.They are complementary and synergistic.Together you get the all-important balance.

Comparative Religion, Islam, Spiritual Practice

Buddhism Re-examined

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The fatal flaw of Buddhism ,as opposed to the Western traditions,is its emphasis on Willfulness as opposed to Surrender. If you need a concrete representation of this difference , look at the most fundamental position in practice-sitting erect vs. the most important position in Islamic practice-sajda(prostration) or in Christianity-kneeling.

Now within the domain of willfulness, Buddhism has a lot to teach us about attaining higher states. However, within the domain of surrender, its concepts are woefully inadequate -especially in terms of where all phenomena originate from. What this may imply in terms of our position in the hereafter I will leave to God to decide. That being said, many of the Buddhist nde experiences including the iconic one of the Burmese monk who converted to Christianity, are negative in nature!

Comparative Religion, Islam, Sufism

The ‘wali’(saint) and the ‘arif’(knower of the Absolute)

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Let me restate this in terms you may be able to relate to, Jafer. It took me a long time to figure this one out but I was determined to make sense of everything I was seeing and hearing,! You can be a ‘wali’ of Allah( a saint) without being an ‘arif’( knower of Allah experientially). The contrary is also true shocking as it may seem to the ordinary Muslim. You can be an arif without being a saint! It’s part of the mystery of existence!?In Hindu/ Buddhist terms, you can be bothnEnlightened(arif) and corrupt. The History of gurus on America is full of such cases.As real Sufi aspirants , we are aiming to be both. In Vedantists terms, we want to be complete on both the dual and the non-dual planes. In Islamic terms, we walk on two legs- the leg of haqiqat( Ansolute Truth) and the leg of Shariah( the Divine rules )  . That was one of the very first teachings I received on the Shadhuli way and it will be my goal to the very end, inshallah,Salaams, Ibrahim

Comparative Religion, Spiritual Practice, Sufism

The Logistics of Daily Sufi Practice-Touching base with Allah

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Our Prophet saws has instructed us to “seek knowledge even if you have to go to China” Intriguing statement as he, himself, had never travelled there nor do I know of any residents or visitors in Madinavthat were of Chinese origins. We are left wondering what he truly meant. Let us assume for the moment that he was Divinely inspired to underline the wisdom of the Chinese. That might be hard to believe in the current atmosphere in China which seems to be totally obsessed with the material world and productivity within it.

We do know ,historically,about the traditions of Taoism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism each of which contained their own wisdom. In the contemporary world probably the two best-known traditions of Chinese wisdom manifest in Tai Chi and Chiqong which I have studied to a certain extent and now integrate into my daily practice and encourage others to do so. There is now scientific evidence that it contributes to both mental and physical well- being. For the skeptics, they can experience this in an immediate way if they undertake the practice. So I encourage them and you to do so.

Another thing that the Chinese are fond of is numerology. And their favourite number seems to be nine although they appear to like all the odd numbers.This fits well with the Sufi daily practice which I have been developing which includes touching base (remembrance of God) nine times every day.So what are these nine times?

1) Each of the salat times involved in basic Islam. People might object that these are Shariah practices and not Sufi ones. But actually the distinction is more semantic than real. You can generate ‘hal’ and ‘nur’ through these prayers just like with Dhikr providing your intention is getting close to Allah. Just look at your inner state after you have accomplished your prayers with awareness. You may be surprised to find that they are not simply obligations but also stepping-stones to the Divine!

2) The Tahhajud prayer (also called Qiyam)before the dawn prayer in the last third of the night. The Naqhshbandis have a very nice protocol for this which I can share with those who are interested . This is a particularly holy time and all the spiritual traditions including the Hindus, Buddhists and Christians benefit from it.

3)The wird al   Aam in the mid-afternoon with the Dhikr of the name after it.

4)The sequence of the Loch Kelly spacious awareness meditation followed by the Dhikr of the Name and Mindfulness of the breath in the evening and lastly

5) The nine phases of Roger Jhanke Chiqong in the morning after breakfast

So there it is- the full program. Nine points of touching base with Allah.Time to get cracking and apply the program. Allah be with you .

Comparative Religion, Modern Living, Psychology

Socially Conditioned Reflexes

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(On reading Surat Yasin)Democracy teaches us to respect other peoples’ opinions.The Quran,and Holy books in general,teach us to respect the Truth! What a difference! Most peoples’ opinions are just socially conditioned reflexes.(You see that clearly in travelling.Most people just espouse the socially approved discourse of their milieu.And how different that can be from one place to the next!)That is why we need serious guidance,not politically correct platitudes.

Comparative Religion, Modern Living, Psychology

The Fabulous Fours!

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The number four comes up often in mystical teachings. There are The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Four Questions at the Passover Seder and The Four Angels that carry the Arsh of Allah.

In this article we are concerned about three sets of fours from more modern teachings;

1) The Four Agreements of the Toltec teachings disseminated by Don Miguel Ruiz.A) Be impeccable with your words( similar to the Buddhist principle of Right Speech) B)Don’t take anything personally( probably the most difficult to follow if not impossible at times) C) Don’t make assumptions. (Actually do-able if you catch yourself quickly and are prepared to be wrong)and D) Always do your best( which most people would claim they are already doing but may not be the case lol)

Nevertheless many people have claimed that they have gotten traction with these principles and it has been beneficial.

The Four Procedures of Non-Violent Communication authored by Marshall Rosenberg

A) Observe(Without judgment- which Rosenberg considers violent) and share your observations

B) Be aware and share your feelings– as distinct from your objective observations

C) Identify your real needs in the situation

D) Make your requests  in terms of these needs.

Again many people including a group of young farmers I know who have succeeded in resolving conflicts for thirteen years! with this methodology, have claimed benefit from this approach.

But the real four principles I wanted to elucidate here come from a Ted Talk given by a former Baptist Christian who was no longer able to follow the narrow-minded teachings she had received and instead embarked upon some intense twitter conversations to get clarity! Intriguing!

The four principles here are about conversing with people who have opposing views to your own.I think they are awesome and intend to try to practice them- on an experimental basis of course lol!

A) Don’t assume ill intent on the part of the other person(“He’s only saying that because he’s a narcissist or she’s only saying that because she’s vain or stubborn”) So also don’t assume the cause is psychopathology of one sort or another-like paranoia or personality disorder,for example.

B) Ask questions.No matter how right you feel you are, try to understand the others point of view.You may or may not be surprised.

C) Stay calm. That’s a tough  but importantone, for me. When I feel unheard I get upset(Won’t go into the psycho -dynamics of that one for the meantime lol)

D) Make your argument Alternatively make your case. This is perhaps the most surprising but nevertheless very important. Don’t be a ‘wus’ and agree to everything.No room for bleeding-heart liberals here! But don’t be a bully either. Personally, I get impatient when what I am saying seems so obvious to me. But I have to learn to slowly but surely develop the argument rather than state the conclusion and get upset when it is not understood.

There is a lot of work for all of us here. And I am looking forward to it. I hope it is useful for you as well! Salaams, Ibrahim

Addendum:( The Fourth Four)

I have recently come across another protocol for dealing with difficult people. This one comes from a book entitled “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents”.(Lindsay Gibson) It is about dealing with the enmeshment in families where parents are unempathic and disrespect their childrens’ boundaries. Some of my clients in counselling have already benefitted greatly  from this approach.

As well, despite the title, this approach can also be used as a general protocol for difficult relationships-with partners, workplace colleagues, siblings and even children-all of whom can be just as emotionally immature as parents! These are the steps in this protocol. As you can see there is considerable overlap with the previous models but there are some distinctive features as well. So have a look:

  1. Become Observational( The same first principle as the Non-Violent Communication of Rosenberg.)This involves staying emotionally detached. Name and accept your own emotional reaction inwardly and coach yourself to detach.The author makes the perceptive  point that in order to do this you have to above all avoid the “healing fantasy” whereby somehow your words are going to change the others behaviour or even more delusionally will change their character and way of being! Good Luck lol
  2. Express and Let go  i.e. don’t become a nag or a brow-beating harasser. Make your point as in the lady Baptist’s idea “Make your case” and then drop it. I learnt this a long time ago from my psychoanalytic teacher. “Don’t worry about the initial reaction to your interpretation” he told us. “Watch the subsequent behaviour”.Many people will go into defensive denial when being confronted but the truth of what is being said will keep working on them.So be observational ,again, in the follow-up period.
  3. Focus on achievable goals rather than relationship enhancement. An achievable goal may just be not getting into a fight or limiting the length of the rant, or being clear that certain behaviours will not be tolerated.
  4. Manage the Interaction: That may involve limiting the duration of the interaction or the topics that can be addressed. The author has another interesting insight here .”Emotionally Immature people cannot deal with another persons persistence”! So you have to be prepared to stand your ground- without becoming aggressive, angry or abusive. We definitely have our work cut out for us here lol!
Comparative Religion, Spiritual Practice, Sufism

Natural and Organic

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Ever since the organic movement has taken root in the hearts of people,there are tricksters out there trying to exploit it.So you get milk producers in California keeping their cows on treadmills indoors the entire time and Mexican farms with depleted soil advertising correctly that their products are organic.Technically they are correct as organic mostly refers to what is NOT in the product(like antibiotics and pesticides) rather than what is in the product like nutrients and a normailty of life-style for the animals.The truth however, is in the tasting.But that is difficult to measure.

An even more common trick ,however,is to label something “natural’. That is what health food stores and Wholefood stores do when the organic produce is not available or not profitable to sell.I have taken to relabelling “natural’ in my own mind as meaning”not organic”.

Then I thought about the deeper meaning of all this.Most people are,in fact, leading “natural” lives-that is they are thinking primarily about survival and secondarily if they have the time about pleasure.In my cynical moments I call this”the reptilian brain’ function.

Why is that? Because we are called upon by our Lord to be”organic” rather than “natural”This”natural’ or ‘normal’ is seriously problematic!.”Natural” is our programming,”organic” is the Path.And, in this path, we often have to oppose our programmed nature to get to our true nature.The name of the game here is “jihad-a-nafs”(struggling with the ego) and in all truth that is the only serious game in town and very few are playing it! That is why our Prophet saws told us that he saw many more people in the fire than in the light.

Think about it.It could change your life!

Comparative Religion, Psychology, Spiritual Practice

The Complementarity of Religion and Spirituality:The Latest Metaphor

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There is a common belief, in the Western World at least, that religion and spirituality are completely separate entities.”Spirituality is good.It is uplifting and energizing.Religion is bad.It causes division and conflict”. That is the basic paradigm.

My first glimpse into the falsehood of this doctrine was during my paticipation in The Sufi Order of the West and its leader Pir Vilayat Khan,for whom I still have great respect and affection.However,there was a bias towards spirituality in that group and religious practice always seemed secondary and non-essential.Then I began, on my own, studying the lives of all the saints that Pir Vilayat extolled-from Ibn Arabi to Jellalludeen Rumi in Sufism to St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa d’Avila in Christianity to Ramakrishna and Raman Maharshi in Hinduism.All of these saints were pious practioners of their own religious faith-whether it be Islam,Christianity or Hinduism.So this dichotomy did not hold up in reality!

Then I arrived at my own Islamic Sufi path in Jerusalem.And the first page of the first teaching I received said the following “In this way we walk on two legs-“Shariah” and “Haqiqat”.Shariah is religion and Haqiqat is spirituality.The two are inseparable!Dossier complete!

Given this conviction I looked around for analogies that might best represent this complementarity.My two favourites were:”The garden and the Fence” and “The setting and the precious stone”.If the garden of spirituality has no fence ,the wild animals will ravage it quickly and nothing will be left for the grower.If the precious stone is missing its setting ,it will be damaged or lost.Both the fence and the setting represent the religious practice.

During one of my prayers yesterday,a new analogy came to me by inspiration.It was about the automobile .If the car is missing the steering wheel or the brakes,the driver is in serious danger,no matter how well-designed the engine is or how refined the fuel.The steering wheel(that keeps us on the straight path) and the brakes(that establish limits) represent the religion.We have seen numerous examples of this play out in the West in the last century-people like Chogyam Trungpa and Rajneesh (Osho) and Da Free John,amongst others, who regularly broke the rules of their own traditions to the detriment of themselves and all of their disciples.Let us take note and learn from those tragedies.

Hope that is helpful to your path.Salaams,Ibrahim