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Merton & Sufism: The Untold Story: A Complete Compendium (1)
This comprehensive collection includes essays by scholars, Merton's own Sufi poems, book reviews of Sufi texts, as well as edited transcriptions of his lectures on Sufism.
343 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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April 16, 2024
“The Sufi path, in which the adept plays the active role as wayfarer upon the way that finally leads to the Beloved, like the hero in quest of the Holy Grail, while remaining passive before the grace of Heaven, was certainly attractive to Merton who was himself moving in this direction. He also thirsted for the kind of structured mystical life which the Sufi path offered in which the active and passive modes of the mystical life could be balanced on the basis of a reality that transcended the accidentality of individual existence. Sufi literature is replete with symbols on whose wings the soul is able to journey from this lowly realm to the celestial abode. Merton had become ever more interested in mystical symbols and this aspect of Sufism was therefore of great appeal to him. Furthermore, being a fine writer with great literary gifts, he was dazzled by the literary beauty of much of Sufi literature and the richness of Sufi poetry, not to mention other arts such as music associated with Sufism.
There is perhaps no other mystical tradition that has produced so much first-rate poetry as Sufism. The greatest poets of Persian, Turkish, and most other Islamic languages were Sufis. As for Arabic, which possessed a powerful poetic tradition before the rise of Islam, the most universal poetry is that written by Sufis. Merton felt perfectly at home in the world of Rumi and Hafiz, Ibn ‘Arabi and Ibn al-Farid, or for that matter Yunus Emre or Shah ‘Abd al-Latif of Sindh. Also Merton turned more and more to an appreciation of the spiritual significance of nature of which Taoism, Zen, and Sufism speak so often. The Sufi perspective which views nature as the self-revelation, unveiling, and theophany of God and which sees all phenomena as Divine Signs (vestigia Dei), as a number of earlier Christian mystics had also asserted, was deeply attractive to Merton who found in this view of Sufism—which saw the supernaturally natural barakah (grace) flowing through the arteries of the cosmos and refused to separate nature completely from the grace of the supernatural—a profound confirmation of his own most intimate vision of creation as God’s handiwork and the theater for the manifestation of His qualities.
Sufism combines the paths of action, love, and knowledge while providing a diversity of paths for the realization of the One in order to be able to cater to the needs of the differences in nature and temperament of those who wish to undertake the spiritual journey. As the esoteric dimension of the last major religion of the history of present humanity, Sufism contains within itself all the different possibilities of esoterism, resulting in the incredibly rich and diverse aspects of the Sufi tradition. This trait was not at all lost on Merton who had also studied Buddhist and Hindu contemplative disciplines in addition to Christianity before turning to Sufism. Merton felt deeply enriched in the profuse garden of Sufism, where he could find something of great beauty in whatever direction he cast his vision.
Finally, it must be remembered that by turning seriously to the study of the spirituality of other religions, including Buddhism which is non-theistic, Merton was acknowledging the truth of the “transcendent unity of religions” to use the term made famous by Frithjof Schuon. Merton saw in the classical Sufi tradition in the writings of such figures as Ibn ‘Arabi and Rumi a clear assertion of this truth, which goes back to the explicit teachings of the Qur’an itself. He was also aware that its contemporary formulation and exposition especially in the hands of René Guénon and Schuon also issued from the background of Sufism. This universalism of Sufism, reflected in so much Sufi poetry, was of deep interest to Merton who saw in it the confirmation of a truth that he had come to discover after a long period of study and contemplation. What would have happened if Merton had been able to come to Persia and to continue his study of Sufism, only Heaven knows. In any case that was not to be. Perhaps he would have written major works of Sufism in its relation to Christian spirituality. But even what he did write and the thoughts that he did express to friends reveal the inner sympatheia he had towards the Islamic spiritual universe.” (Seyyed Hossein Nasr, p. 11 - 12)
***
“One of the most common terms that is used to designate what I have just named “Sufism” in Islamic texts is ma‘rifah (or ‘irfan), a term which means simply “knowledge” or “recognition.” However, the term connotes a special, deeper knowledge of things that can only be achieved by personal transformation. Often the goal and fruit of this type of knowledge is explained by citing the Prophet’s saying, “He who knows [‘arafa] himself knows his Lord.”
In short, ma‘rifah demands knowing one’s own innermost self, and this self-knowledge is the prerequisite for knowing God. The texts tell us repeatedly that ma‘rifah cannot be found in books. In fact, it is already present in the heart, but it is hidden deeply beneath the dross of forgetfulness and ignorance. Recovering this knowledge from the heart is the most difficult of tasks. The famous theologian, philosopher, and Sufi al-Ghazalt (d. 1111) compares the heart to a pond, fed by a hidden spring that has been clogged by mud and debris, so that the pond receives water only from rain.
Through practice of the pillars of Islam, purification of self, and remembrance of God, one gradually removes the debris and mud from the bottom of the pool. Eventually, the hidden spring opens up and finishes the task of purifying the water. Then one has no need to go outside of self in search of God, for the water of the divine life and knowledge flows freely in the heart.” (p. 22, William C. Chittick)
***
“What differentiates the Sufi approach from that of philosophy and dogmatic theology is mainly that the Sufi authors rely on ma‘rifah—the direct knowledge of self and God that flows freely in the purified heart. In contrast, both the theologians and philosophers affirm the necessity of ‘ilm, which one can translate as knowledge, science, or learning. They insisted that the primary means of gaining knowledge was reason, and the theologians added that reason had to submit to the givens of revelation. Like the theologians and unlike the philosophers, the Sufis gave pride of place to the Qur’an and the Hadith, but they also held that the only way truly to understand the revelatory message was the inner purification that made a person worthy to be taught directly by God Himself. They like to quote the Quranic verse, “Be wary of God, and God will teach you” (2:282). Since “being wary of God” (taqwa) is designated by the Qur’an itself (49:13) as the highest human attribute in God’s eyes, this verse was a powerful scriptural support for the Sufi position. Abu Yazid al Bastami, a ninth-century figure looked back upon as the “sultan” or chief authority of those who receive their knowledge directly from God (Sultan al-'Arifin), is reported to have said to certain scholars who were objecting to his formulations of Islamic teachings, “You take your knowledge dead from the dead, but I take my knowledge from the Living who does not die.”” (p. 23, Chittick)
***
“The description of three stages on the Sufi path. The first is the initial sobriety that is achieved through repentance and awakening, when the aspiring seekers turn away from the follies of this world and come to their senses after having been drunk and besotted with the trappings and goals of ordinary life. After long and intense struggle on the path of self-discipline and purification, the travelers are opened up to the effusions of divine love, mercy, and knowledge. They are so overcome by drunkenness that they lose their rational capacity and tend to express themselves in ecstatic and paradoxical language. But this is not the final stage. Neither the Prophet nor the vast majority of the great Muslims who followed in his footsteps can be said to have been intoxicated. Practically all of them had reached the furthest stage, which is sobriety after drunkenness. This is the return to the world after the journey to God. Through the journey, the seekers undergo total transformation, and now they return to the world with helping hands. They began as stones, they were shattered by the brilliance of the divine light, and now they have been resurrected as fine jewels—beautiful, luminous, and fixed in the divine attributes.” (p. 26 - 27, Chittick)
~ Merton & Sufism: The Untold Story: A Complete Compendium
There is perhaps no other mystical tradition that has produced so much first-rate poetry as Sufism. The greatest poets of Persian, Turkish, and most other Islamic languages were Sufis. As for Arabic, which possessed a powerful poetic tradition before the rise of Islam, the most universal poetry is that written by Sufis. Merton felt perfectly at home in the world of Rumi and Hafiz, Ibn ‘Arabi and Ibn al-Farid, or for that matter Yunus Emre or Shah ‘Abd al-Latif of Sindh. Also Merton turned more and more to an appreciation of the spiritual significance of nature of which Taoism, Zen, and Sufism speak so often. The Sufi perspective which views nature as the self-revelation, unveiling, and theophany of God and which sees all phenomena as Divine Signs (vestigia Dei), as a number of earlier Christian mystics had also asserted, was deeply attractive to Merton who found in this view of Sufism—which saw the supernaturally natural barakah (grace) flowing through the arteries of the cosmos and refused to separate nature completely from the grace of the supernatural—a profound confirmation of his own most intimate vision of creation as God’s handiwork and the theater for the manifestation of His qualities.
Sufism combines the paths of action, love, and knowledge while providing a diversity of paths for the realization of the One in order to be able to cater to the needs of the differences in nature and temperament of those who wish to undertake the spiritual journey. As the esoteric dimension of the last major religion of the history of present humanity, Sufism contains within itself all the different possibilities of esoterism, resulting in the incredibly rich and diverse aspects of the Sufi tradition. This trait was not at all lost on Merton who had also studied Buddhist and Hindu contemplative disciplines in addition to Christianity before turning to Sufism. Merton felt deeply enriched in the profuse garden of Sufism, where he could find something of great beauty in whatever direction he cast his vision.
Finally, it must be remembered that by turning seriously to the study of the spirituality of other religions, including Buddhism which is non-theistic, Merton was acknowledging the truth of the “transcendent unity of religions” to use the term made famous by Frithjof Schuon. Merton saw in the classical Sufi tradition in the writings of such figures as Ibn ‘Arabi and Rumi a clear assertion of this truth, which goes back to the explicit teachings of the Qur’an itself. He was also aware that its contemporary formulation and exposition especially in the hands of René Guénon and Schuon also issued from the background of Sufism. This universalism of Sufism, reflected in so much Sufi poetry, was of deep interest to Merton who saw in it the confirmation of a truth that he had come to discover after a long period of study and contemplation. What would have happened if Merton had been able to come to Persia and to continue his study of Sufism, only Heaven knows. In any case that was not to be. Perhaps he would have written major works of Sufism in its relation to Christian spirituality. But even what he did write and the thoughts that he did express to friends reveal the inner sympatheia he had towards the Islamic spiritual universe.” (Seyyed Hossein Nasr, p. 11 - 12)
***
“One of the most common terms that is used to designate what I have just named “Sufism” in Islamic texts is ma‘rifah (or ‘irfan), a term which means simply “knowledge” or “recognition.” However, the term connotes a special, deeper knowledge of things that can only be achieved by personal transformation. Often the goal and fruit of this type of knowledge is explained by citing the Prophet’s saying, “He who knows [‘arafa] himself knows his Lord.”
In short, ma‘rifah demands knowing one’s own innermost self, and this self-knowledge is the prerequisite for knowing God. The texts tell us repeatedly that ma‘rifah cannot be found in books. In fact, it is already present in the heart, but it is hidden deeply beneath the dross of forgetfulness and ignorance. Recovering this knowledge from the heart is the most difficult of tasks. The famous theologian, philosopher, and Sufi al-Ghazalt (d. 1111) compares the heart to a pond, fed by a hidden spring that has been clogged by mud and debris, so that the pond receives water only from rain.
Through practice of the pillars of Islam, purification of self, and remembrance of God, one gradually removes the debris and mud from the bottom of the pool. Eventually, the hidden spring opens up and finishes the task of purifying the water. Then one has no need to go outside of self in search of God, for the water of the divine life and knowledge flows freely in the heart.” (p. 22, William C. Chittick)
***
“What differentiates the Sufi approach from that of philosophy and dogmatic theology is mainly that the Sufi authors rely on ma‘rifah—the direct knowledge of self and God that flows freely in the purified heart. In contrast, both the theologians and philosophers affirm the necessity of ‘ilm, which one can translate as knowledge, science, or learning. They insisted that the primary means of gaining knowledge was reason, and the theologians added that reason had to submit to the givens of revelation. Like the theologians and unlike the philosophers, the Sufis gave pride of place to the Qur’an and the Hadith, but they also held that the only way truly to understand the revelatory message was the inner purification that made a person worthy to be taught directly by God Himself. They like to quote the Quranic verse, “Be wary of God, and God will teach you” (2:282). Since “being wary of God” (taqwa) is designated by the Qur’an itself (49:13) as the highest human attribute in God’s eyes, this verse was a powerful scriptural support for the Sufi position. Abu Yazid al Bastami, a ninth-century figure looked back upon as the “sultan” or chief authority of those who receive their knowledge directly from God (Sultan al-'Arifin), is reported to have said to certain scholars who were objecting to his formulations of Islamic teachings, “You take your knowledge dead from the dead, but I take my knowledge from the Living who does not die.”” (p. 23, Chittick)
***
“The description of three stages on the Sufi path. The first is the initial sobriety that is achieved through repentance and awakening, when the aspiring seekers turn away from the follies of this world and come to their senses after having been drunk and besotted with the trappings and goals of ordinary life. After long and intense struggle on the path of self-discipline and purification, the travelers are opened up to the effusions of divine love, mercy, and knowledge. They are so overcome by drunkenness that they lose their rational capacity and tend to express themselves in ecstatic and paradoxical language. But this is not the final stage. Neither the Prophet nor the vast majority of the great Muslims who followed in his footsteps can be said to have been intoxicated. Practically all of them had reached the furthest stage, which is sobriety after drunkenness. This is the return to the world after the journey to God. Through the journey, the seekers undergo total transformation, and now they return to the world with helping hands. They began as stones, they were shattered by the brilliance of the divine light, and now they have been resurrected as fine jewels—beautiful, luminous, and fixed in the divine attributes.” (p. 26 - 27, Chittick)
~ Merton & Sufism: The Untold Story: A Complete Compendium
November 18, 2010
Most of the essays are outstanding especially when Merton is teaching his novices.
December 17, 2021
A simple look at the book doesn’t show its merits, some of the great minds present some articles, which each one has a fountains of information about sufism and god.
January 17, 2012
This is not an easy read. Check out videos on YouTube of Sufi dancing. You can definitely see how Rumi's love of God connects to the whirling dance as divine worship.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews