Anyone ever heard of sufism?

[Gunnar]

I went to interview Ray hayward about his school (www.tctaichi.com) and he told me that he studied sufism. He first told me that it was a form of Islamic mysticism. I was like, "word?" Then I went home and looked it up. Basically it's living and breathing every breath with compassion. Pretty cool stuff really. Has anyone heard of it?

Gunnar

[unkokusai]

Yup

[Christopher M]

If you are interested in it, there may be a branch of Sufi Order International (http://www.sufiorder.org/) nearby where you can attend activities. Hazrat Inayat Khan's books are highly recommended and available over Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/).

For some convenient introductions to Sufism see Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism) and Kheper (http://www.kheper.net/topics/Islamic_esotericism/Sufism/Sufism.htm).

The sublime works of the great Sufi poet Rumi are available widely; for instance, here (http://www.khamush.com/).

[IronFist]

What a loss, loss, loss, loss it is
to remain sober among the intoxicated and the unconscious.

:confused:

[cerebus]

Yeah, it sucks being the only sober one at a party! Don't recognize the exact quote myself, but that definitely sounds like Omar Khayyam. :p

[Chang Style Novice]

British folk singer/songwriter/guitarist/godd@mn musical genius Richard Thompson is a sufi.

[Oso]

Originally posted by Chang Style Novice
British folk singer/songwriter/guitarist/godd@mn musical genius Richard Thompson is a sufi.

huh, no ****?

[cerebus]

When I was in my 20s, I found the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam to be a great excuse for getting drunk & reading mystic poetry.... often. :D :D :D

[Serpent]

I still justify my drinking with it! ;)

[Chang Style Novice]

Oso -

F'reals. He and his (then) wife Linda converted in the early or mid 70s. You can see them in the traditional garb on their album covers from that time. I actually looked it up after noticing this topic, and it's a little more complicated than just 'he's a sufi.' In one recent interview on Amazon.com he says he's been a muslim for over 25 years, and although he no longer really considers himself part of the sufi movement, although he's still very interested in the philosophy.

The Pakistani ecstatic musical style 'qawwali' as exemplified by the late great UStad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is also rooted in Sufism. Um, I think.

*why isn't there a smiley for "I may be talking out of my ass"? I'm sure it would get used a LOT!*

[SifuAbel]

The Sufis by Idries Shah.

Good book.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385079664/qid=1093753345/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-7357901-4457464

[Oso]

CSN,

interesting. I'm not a big fan but 'Vincent Black Lightning' is one of my fav songs. Del McCoury does a good cover. So does a singer songwriter from down your way who used to live here: Beth Wood. Check her out if you see her billed anywhere. I'm pretty sure she was from Austin. Try to get her to do Aretha's 'Dr. Feelgood'....mmmm, yummy

warning, a song (G at worst) starts playing

http://www.bethwoodmusic.com/

anyway...



isn't the term 'whirling dervish' somehow related to sufiism and weren't the dervishes some sort of fighter?

(yep, could use that TOOMA smiley about now.)

[Chang Style Novice]

My distant memory of dervishing is that it's a sufi technique for reaching an ecstatic state. Nothing to do with fighting; you just whirl and whirl and whirl until you're dizzy and high and stuff.</TOOMA>

[SifuAbel]

It was more than just whirling. They did synchronized movements in pattern to induce a reaction in the brain. A "stopping of the world" .

Similar to the reaction those japanese kids had with the light effects that sent them loopy. The main difference is in process and mental training. A sufi would say that the japanese kids had a great opportunity , but where wisked away not able to see into "the eye of the storm".

[Nick Forrer]

Originally posted by Oso
CSN, interesting. I'm not a big fan but 'Vincent Black Lightning' is one of my fav songs.

Yeah its a good un. Check out 'bees wing' - in the same mould i.e. folk ballad with finger picking at 200 mphs but slightly 'sweeter' and less fatalistic

Also any of the early fairport convention stuff is worth checking out

The BBC did a recent excellent doc. on Mr Thompson in which he talked about his religious views (amongst other things). They showed some archive footage of a sufi commune.

[Shaolinlueb]

sounds like a weird sushi dish.:o

[Tak]

Rot at the core spreads outward.

The real question is: have you ever heard of Zensunni-sufi, and, if so, will you turn BL into an axlotl tank?

[Oso]

Originally posted by Nick Forrer
Yeah its a good un. Check out 'bees wing' - in the same mould i.e. folk ballad with finger picking at 200 mphs but slightly 'sweeter' and less fatalistic

Also any of the early fairport convention stuff is worth checking out

The BBC did a recent excellent doc. on Mr Thompson in which he talked about his religious views (amongst other things). They showed some archive footage of a sufi commune.

if you haven't heard Del's version check it out, it's pretty dang fast.

but, I liked the fatalistic bit :D

actually, the part that first caught me about the song was:

''red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme"

especially since the first time I heard it was from that redheaded singer, Beth Wood, I pointed out up thread............................................ .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ......whupps, kinda got lost for a second. :D