Tag: Alireza Nurbakhsh

Archives 88 – Detachment

by Alireza NurbakhshLAURENT_CHEHERE©FlyingHouses_Web

Having worldly possessions and comforts is not incompatible with the state of detachment in Sufism. It is not the possessions that obscure our vision.

Perspectives on Climate Change

87Discourse-3MonkwithdogsDiscourse by Alireza Nurbakhsh

Without wishing to make a claim as to what is possible in the realm of science and technology or in the context of the global community of nation states,

Editors’ Note

Editors' Note MapIn December 1972, Apollo 17 gave us one of the most powerful photographs of the 20th century. It was called “The Blue Marble” and it was the first fully illuminated image of the earth taken from 45,000 kilometers away in space. For the first time people could visually comprehend something that mystic traditions have intimated for millennia—the earth as a unified, “absolute” being. The individual ego paled in comparison to the beauty of the earth floating in a vast cosmic ocean. The image continues to inspire contemplation of our existence within a delicate interconnected, interdependent ecological system.

It is too easy to forget the importance of nature to our spiritual nourishment, to forget our commitment to serve all living things—not just other human beings. However, as this issue of SUFI attests, there are remarkable people whose connection to nature translates to active engagement, who seek to adapt to nature’s creative ebb and flow, and for whom service to all of creation is at the heart of spiritual practice. Among the foremost of these are the Kogi people, whom Maria Gutierrez meets at the “Heart of the World” while traveling in Colombia. Les Sponsel reviews the case for a revolution in consciousness in his introduction to the field of spiritual ecology. The threads of his call to action are beautifully taken up by eco-activist and Jain monk, Satish Kumar, in conversation with Llew Smith and Annie Stopford. Wendy Tremayne shares her vision of a modern sustainable lifestyle, underpinned by Sufi principles, and Planetary Collective explores the power of wonder and awe in reconnecting us to a state of unity in CultureWatch.

Alireza Nurbakhsh’s discourse, “Perspectives on Climate Change,” goes to the heart of how taking a spiritual stance towards the world could lead us to overcome the distractions of “right” and “wrong” and change our collective behavior for the better. Andy Goldsworthy’s photo essay reminds us of the constant state of change, evolution and transformation all around us and within us at every moment, summing up anew ecological paradigm with its title: Shaking Hands with Nature.
—The Editors of SUFI

The Illusion of Self

Discourse_Water_DANCE_2

by Alireza Nurbakhsh

Each of us tends to think of him- or herself as a distinct being, a “self” that is both separate from other people and separate from our bodies and our perceptions, thoughts and feelings.

Archives Issue #79

THIS ISSUE IS PART OF AN EARLIER SET OF ISSUES #1 – #79

THE MASTER-DISCIPLE RELATIONSHIP REVISITED – Discourse by Alireza Nurbakhsh

SUBSTITUTIONARY PRAYER AND THE STIGMATA OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI by Dorothy Buck

STUDENT-SELF AND TEACHER-SOUL by Mark Nepo

THE QUESTION OF SHIBLI’S INSANITY by Kenneth Avery

SPEAKER, VOICE AND AUDITION IN THE KORAN AND MATHNAWI by Ahmet Karamustafa

WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO PONDER – A CONVERSATION WITH PROFESSOR JOHN MCGUCKIN Interview by Llewellyn Smith and Christine Herbes

POETRY from Dr Javad Nurbakhsh, Joy Ladin, Jeni Couzyn, Shamshad Khan, Elizabeth Peacock, Hafiz, and Peter Valentyne

ARTWORK Featured cover photo Detail of wood caring, Jameh mosque, Yazd, Iran, 12th Century ©iStockphoto.com/syagci

BOOK REVIEWS An Emerald Earth: Cultivating a Natural Spirituality and Serving Creative Beauty in Our World by Felicia Norton and Charles Smith

Print and digital subscriptions available. Buy SUFI now.