All of existence is the Theater of Tawhid, the drama of Oneness. The price of admission to this theater is adab. We have considered adab many times before. Understood as spiritual courtesy, it is the essence of the Sufi path, but there is a much higher understanding of this basic practice. Adab is to live from our essential nature, which is the mirror of God’s essence and qualities. When we have attained that, we do not search for faults outside ourselves, we see the perfection of each moment. To live from our essential nature is the true Din. “Din” is usually translated as religion, but its meaning is how we transact with reality. To live from our innate nature, our fitrah, is to be aware of the meter of the heart where the divine intelligence reflects. Someone who has polished away superficial opinions and judgments can listen to the heart, witness the manifestation of attributes in the heart and thus respond appropriately to every situation. This is the real adab, the true spiritual courtesy in relation to reality.
What makes us acceptable and loveable is to see the Truth (Haqiqat) in human beings, to see them as manifestations of God’s meaning and qualities. When we can see others in this way we will not be drawn into negativity and anger. We will learn from every situation.
We will learn as much from the negative situations as from positive situations. I don’t say this lightly or without an awareness of how deep the disappointments and betrayals of life can be. We will learn from life, rather than be defeated by it, to the extent that we can remember to see the Truth manifesting through every detail of life, every relationship, every condition.
All of existence is a book to be read. Every thing, every being is, in a sense, a word of God.
(Kabir Helminski)
No comments:
Post a Comment