What is Real Love? - A Sufi perspective

[iSok]

An interesting lecture I watched this morning, found it full of wisdom, not just for believers but for non-believers also.
Saw a few atheists responding in a positive way, so thought why not post it here.

Hope you enjoy.

What is Real Love - A Sufi perspective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjPx_clZf7U&feature=related

[Crow]

I liked Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's presentation style, a lot of his words ran off me like water on ducks back solely due to the spiritual aspect and the metaphors slightly lacking. Overall I found it nice because of his positive outlook and I agree with love being tolerating and accepting another person for all there different aspects but disagree that its a virtue of spirituality, however ultimately it didn't really do anything for me and really didn't like when he appears to gloat in his words (that weren't that great).

As he talks about TV, messages, and love I thought I would post this link - How TV Ruined Your Life - Love

[penfold]

Thanks so much for sharing this.

I'm teaching a class on religious experience later this week, and in particular the nature of the "I-thou" experience (as opposed to the "all is one" experience - the numinous vs the mystical). Will be playing this to them.

[iSok]

I liked Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's presentation style, a lot of his words ran off me like water on ducks back solely due to the spiritual aspect and the metaphors slightly lacking. Overall I found it nice because of his positive outlook and I agree with love being tolerating and accepting another person for all there different aspects but disagree that its a virtue of spirituality, however ultimately it didn't really do anything for me and really didn't like when he appears to gloat in his words (that weren't that great).

As he talks about TV, messages, and love I thought I would post this link - How TV Ruined Your Life - Love

Yeah, I liked his presentation as well. There's a deep theology (particulary Islamic) you have to understand before you can understand
what he is talking about. But as a Muslim I found it nice that I found someone with a 'us' mentality instead of the 'we vs them' mentality.

@Penfold,

You're welcome, hope it'll come to good use.

[Crow]

Yeah, I liked his presentation as well. There's a deep theology (particulary Islamic) you have to understand before you can understand
what he is talking about. But as a Muslim I found it nice that I found someone with a 'us' mentality instead of the 'we vs them' mentality.

Yeah that is something I have observed when talking and listening to those with a theological perspective. To truly relate with a person of a spiritual nature you need to have the same outlook for example I read the Qur'an about 4 years ago and didn't find anything that made me think it was anything beyond a mix of philosophy and political writing coated with mystic stylings, I certainly didn't approach it from a critical perspective but more of a neutral observational perspective but the point being I didn't get the same thing out of it that millions of others do.

It wasn't that I didn't think his underlying message was wrong in fact it had a lot of similarities to my own but the spiritual/divine aspect I thought was unnecessary and could have got the same message across without it. This was the main reason it didn't particularly make any impact as it was the spiritual implications of his words that diluted them for me.

Yeah the 'us' mentality was nice to hear not just from an Islamic view but from a religion born of Middle Eastern origin in general. I haven't really looked much into the Sufi branch of Islam but my yoga teacher is Sufi and has a very similar positive 'we' attitude.

[iSok]

Yeah, I liked his presentation as well. There's a deep theology (particulary Islamic) you have to understand before you can understand
what he is talking about. But as a Muslim I found it nice that I found someone with a 'us' mentality instead of the 'we vs them' mentality.

Yeah that is something I have observed when talking and listening to those with a theological perspective. To truly relate with a person of a spiritual nature you need to have the same outlook for example I read the Qur'an about 4 years ago and didn't find anything that made me think it was anything beyond a mix of philosophy and political writing coated with mystic stylings, I certainly didn't approach it from a critical perspective but more of a neutral observational perspective but the point being I didn't get the same thing out of it that millions of others do.

It wasn't that I didn't think his underlying message was wrong in fact it had a lot of similarities to my own but the spiritual/divine aspect I thought was unnecessary and could have got the same message across without it. This was the main reason it didn't particularly make any impact as it was the spiritual implications of his words that diluted them for me.

Yeah the 'us' mentality was nice to hear not just from an Islamic view but from a religion born of Middle Eastern origin in general. I haven't really looked much into the Sufi branch of Islam but my yoga teacher is Sufi and has a very similar positive 'we' attitude.

In case you are interested you could read a book about Islamic beliefs and philosophy.
(The Vision of Islam - Sachiko Murata / Islam and the destiny of man - Charles Le Gai Eaton / Understanding Islam - Frithjof Schuon) are very good books in my opinion.

I'm also looking deep into sufism, reading a few books written Imam Al-Ghazali.
Would recommend them also for atheists, there is a lot of wisdom to be found in.

[Will37]

I haven't watched this yet but I will.

I have mixed feelings about Sufism.  I've read some of Al-Ghazzali and find him brilliant and his Alchemy of Happiness a master piece but I feel like a lot of what is today presented as Sufism, particularly by western converts to Islam, is really western new age fluff wrapped in an Islamic blanket.  Not at all saying that's what I expect this video to be.  Just a general observation.