Sufi Principles of Meditation

A clear vision of the fundamentals of religion comes about through the application of their derivative principles, and the derivatives are corrected by comparing them against their original sources. There is no way to the station of contemplation (mushahidah) of [internal] states except by esteeming as great the means and principles that God has esteemed to be great. ―Al-Jurayri in Al-Risalah: Principles of Sufism by Al-Qushayri

Sufi Principles of Meditation

The science of meditation is founded upon universal principles and laws. Just as physical nature develops in accordance with specific causes and conditions, likewise our true, spiritual nature is realized through precise actions and methods, since everything in the cosmos is established through the law of causality.

Meditation is a means of acquiring information about ourselves and why we suffer, so that we can radically transform negative internal states. By removing psychological conditions we have created within ourselves that trap our true potential and fill us with affliction, we can access the essential nature of reality, free of illusion, speculation, doubt, or theory.

Countless practitioners throughout the world have verified the results of meditation, which are characterized by the following psychological qualities: serenity, peace, insight, compassion, cognizant love, altruism, profound concentration, comprehension, purity, and happiness for others. While these qualities are natural and inherent to the consciousness, they are dependent upon specific causes for their realization.

This course explains the principles of meditation through the literature of Samael Aun Weor, Al-Qushayri, Ansari, Hujwiri, Rumi, Ibn 'Arabi, and other Sufi mystics / masters, due to the clarity, simplicity, universality, and depth of their teachings. We invite students of any religion, tradition, or system to realize the true purpose and realities of meditation within him or herself.

Related Books: The Revolution of the Dialectic, Tarot and Kabbalah, Treatise of Revolutionary Psychology

Practical Foundations

The science of meditation is based upon observable facts: what we can verify through repeatable experimentation and practice. Discover the foundations for how to study, approach, and experience the state of meditation. This lecture explains the three levels of meditative instruction within Sufi schools, the path of ethics, as well as the psychological qualities of genuine realization and spiritual conduct from the prophetic tradition.

Essential Principles

The state of meditation is experienced when spiritual principles and divine laws are fulfilled. Similarly, meditation can only be understood through the harmonious balance of daily study and practice. See how through a profound exploration of the Qur'an and the three forms of certainty, the steps for acquiring genuine, experiential wisdom, and the means to recognize such states within one's life.

Stations

There exist infinite degrees, qualities, or levels of consciousness, defined within Sufism as the stations in the spiritual path leading to divine realization. Through profound works of meditation, practitioners can permanently establish themselves within these higher degrees of being, known within universal Gnosticism as initiations. Discover how to enter and travel the path through an exploration of the Tree of Life and the Sufi scriptures.

States

Sufism describes varying levels of direct experience and contemplation of divinity. While stations are the result of inner effort and initiatic work, mystical states, profound experiences, and the ecstasies of the soul result from divine blessings. Learn how through an explanation of Kabbalah and the testimonies of the Sufi masters.

The Present Moment

"The best act of worship is watchfulness of the moments." ―Al-Wasiti

Meditation is based upon alert novelty, awareness, watchfulness, vigilance, and directed attention in the moment we find ourselves in. Without comprehending our psychology from instant to instant, it is impossible to experience the fruits of meditation: serenity, transformation, and the internal states of liberation.

Breath

"And by the night as it closes in, and by the dawn when it breathes..." ―Qur'an 81:17-18

Breath is an essential dynamic in every mystical tradition, especially Sufism. By combining breath with spiritual longing, aspiration, and conscious love, the practitioner elevates solar or creative forces from within one's sexual organs, up the spine, to illuminate the mind. In this manner, meditators master the three types of soul in the Qur'an, so as to acquire perfect serenity and illumination.

Contraction and Expansion

Everything in nature functions in accordance with rhythms, tempos, ebbs, and flows. The same with the consciousness. Through concentrating one's attention on internal states and expanding one's awareness of external phenomena, meditators learn to access a significant range of their conscious potential. By comprehending how consciousness can both focus and amplify our understanding, we establish a foundation for overcoming the psychological causes of affliction.

Absence and Presence

Divinity's presence is personal, conscious, and intimate to each practitioner. While some have experienced glimpses of their innermost Being, few know how to practically develop and sustain such profound states on a daily basis. Meditation is the direct perception of reality without conditions, yet to maintain and deepen such a connection requires that the meditator abandon forgetfulness, distractions, and dreams.

Repentance

Repentance, as the first state and station of the spiritual path, is the doorway to enter genuine knowledge of divine reality. Rather than constituting a stale moral code to adhere to through blind obedience, repentance is the conscience and remorse of the consciousness when recognizing its own faults. Through acknowledging mistakes, the meditator can practically work towards their elimination from the psyche, so as to achieve internal purification and clarified perception of the truth.

Striving

"And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs." ―Qur'an 47:31

The spiritual path is realized through psychological work upon the lower soul: nafs, defects, vices, or egos. By comprehending desires, the practical meditator develops genuine effort to affect profound transformations, defined by states of vivid intensity, clarity, awareness, and serenity. In this way, the consciousness wages a holy war against the internal causes of suffering, solely equipped with the weapons of intelligence, patience, equanimity, and compassion.

Renunciation

“Whosoever wants to die in the Lord must wash their feet in the waters of renunciation.” ―Samael Aun Weor, The Aquarian Message

To ascend to higher levels of being, meditators must renounce inferior behaviors that produce the conditioning of the consciousness. To experience internal states of liberation, spiritual practitioners should fulfill the causes of their fruition: virtuous actions born from comprehension and understanding. Renunciation is the key to mystical aspiration, since it signifies the abandonment of suffering’s causes and the embodiment of genuine religious principles through adherence to divine law.

Retreat and Seclusion

All meditative traditions emphasize the necessity of spiritual retreat: temporarily leaving behind the distractions of modern society to cultivate a rich internal life. This is with the express purpose of developing enough stability of concentration and clarity of perception so as to effectively deal with the problem of suffering. Through studying and applying effective techniques and the principles of meditation, the practitioner learns how to refine and perfect their spirituality.

Silence and Serenity

Internal equanimity and suspension of thought is the prerequisite for meditation: a state of perception that is inaccessible to ordinary senses. When the mind is silent, serene, and receptive, the consciousness awakens to its authentic divine reality. To acquire experiential knowledge of heavenly mysteries, the body, heart, and mind must be put to rest while our Essence, the innate capacity to perceive, gains greater stability, penetration, and focus upon its object. In this way, the consciousness stabilizes, sustains, and understands the significance of any given phenomenon with lucidity.

Remembrance

Realizing the most elevated truths is based on recollecting the divine presence within. While elusive, mysterious, and perplexing to the mind, remembrance of divinity possesses distinct qualities and characteristics that are unique, definable, and recognizable to the consciousness. Not only that, but there are proven techniques to deepen these inner states. Learn how through the Sufi and Gnostic wisdom.

Certainty and Insight

Many people attempt meditation but are not able to discriminate what they perceive. Fortunately, there are extensive teachings and traditions that explain the degrees of meditative certainty: how one knows what is known based upon repeated, verifiable, and sustainable facts. Learn how to master the power of insight into specific problems, situations, and conditions of mind, gaining confidence in truth born from experience.

Awareness, Unveiling, and Witnessing

Divinity communicates through the language of symbols, metaphors, and scriptural allegories. However, the methods to interpret and decipher such codes are found within the study and application of three essential principles: Imagination: the perception or awareness of non-physical imagery, Inspiration: the joyful recognition or unveiling of divine symbolism, and Intuition: the contemplation or witnessing of its meaning. Discover how the Sufis and Gnostics practically advance within these three degrees of inner mystical experience.

Gnosis, Subsistence, and Love

The path of meditation culminates in the direct experiential knowledge of divine love. Through familiarization with mystical ecstasies, the practitioner learns how to subsist within the Being: a continual and unfaltering state of remembrance and the omniscient perception of our multidimensional nature. This is the degree of masters, initiates, and prophets, which beginners can sample and taste when they learn to abandon the conditioning of the egotistical self. By studying and witnessing the highest aspects of the Tree of Life, we gain faith in our true identity and state with inviolable conviction, “There is no god but God!”