#Javad Nurbakhsh

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Sara Ogren - Illus.

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All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One.

- Black Elk

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The emergence and blossoming of understanding, love, and intelligence has nothing to do with any tradition, no matter how ancient or impressive-it has nothing to do with time. It happens on its own when a human being questions, wonders, inquires, listens, and looks without getting stuck in fear, pleasure, and pain. When self-concern is quiet, in abeyance, heaven and earth are open.

- Toni Packer

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The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this.

- Javad Nurbakhsh

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May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me.

- Plato

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Ahimsa is the highest duty. Even if we cannot practice it in full, we must try to understand its spirit and refrain as far as is humanly possible from violence.

- Mahatma Gandhi

[Guillaume Gris]

[eyeoftheheart]

“Once, a lover came to the Beloved’s house. The lover knocked on the door. “Who is it?” the Beloved asked. The lover answered, “It is I, Your lover.” “Go away,” said the Beloved, “for you are not really in love.” Years passed, and again the lover came to the door of the Beloved’s house and knocked. “Who is it?” asked the Beloved. This time the lover answered, “It is You.” “Now that you are I,” replied the Beloved, “you may come in.”

― Javad Nurbakhsh, The Path: Sufi Practices

[khaleesiii88]

“A grain of true piety is better than a thousand bushels of prayer and fasting”

Hasan al-Basri

[wisdom-and-such]

“From pre-eternity to post-eternity is but a single breath, A breath free of all these melodies high and low.

Treasure this breath, this moment you now enjoy, Spending it in happiness: there is no time for sorrow.

Once this moment has passed, it is gone forever. Your time is less than the very least you can imagine.

If you spend this moment laughing, the world will be all laughter. But if you fall into depression, the world will be all sorrow.

Don’t give your heart to this unstable, transitory world With all its ups and downs, its twists and turns.

Lighten another’s heart; be light of heart yourself, For the highest gain in the world is this.

Take care, Nurbakhsh, not to hurt any heart, For this is more valuable than any crown or throne.”

One Breath

Sufi Poetry by Dr Javad Nurbakhsh

[rest-in-being]

" The Sufi is a lover of God, and like any other lover, he proves his love by constant remembrance of his Beloved. This constant attention to God has two effects: one outward .... and the other inward. " - Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

[dustedmagazine]

Wadada Leo Smith — Trumpet (Tum)

Photo by Petri Haussila

Braithwaite & Katz · Wadada Leo Smith - Albert Ayler

In his self-published book from 1973, notes (8 pieces ) | source | a new | world | music: creative music, Wadada Leo Smith touches on some of the concepts he employs in his music as follows. “each single rhythm-sound, or a series of sound-rhythm is a complete improvisation. in other words, each element is autonomous in its relationship in the improvisation. therefore, there is no intent towards time as a period of development. rather, time is employed as an element of space: space that is determined between the distance of two sound-rhythms… just as each sound-rhythm is considered an autonomous element in an improvisation, so, too, must space and space/silence be considered.” While that concept of “sound-rhythm” has been central to Smith’s music over the last five decades, it is particularly key to his solo recordings. Starting with his first release, Creative Music - 1 (Six Solo Improvisations) in 1971, by my count one of the first solo improvised trumpet recordings, Smith has continued to probe solo recordings as luminous settings for his explorations of sound and space.

The 3-CD set Trumpet is his most recent, part of the Finnish Tum Label’s celebration of Smith’s 80th birthday. Tum label-head Petri Haussila invited Smith to record for a week during the summer of 2016 in his hometown of Pohja on the southern coast of Finland. The recordings took place in St. Mary’s Church, a medieval stone structure and Smith reveled in the experience. In an interview in Downbeat, he reminisced “We would get up in the morning, have breakfast, go to the church, record. Have a slight lunch, record and go home — have a sauna. Then, I would go to my room to work on whatever I’m going to do the next day. It’s almost like not being in an ordinary community — definitely a way to maintain my focus and my creativity.” That relaxed focus comes through in the 14 pieces captured over the three discs, with homages to friends and influences including Albert Ayler, Miles Davis, Leroy Jenkins, James Baldwin, Amina Claudine Myers and Reggie Workman. 

Unlike his earlier solo recordings, Smith sticks solely to trumpet, leaving aside flugelhorn, percussion and vocals that were integral to his earlier work. The trumpeter’s instantly identifiable tone sets the stage on the opener, “Albert Ayler,” reflecting on the dedicatee’s multiphonic surges and open sense of melody, aptly capturing Ayler’s spirit without even obliquely referencing his compositions. “Rashomon: Parts 1 — 5” takes the conceit of Kurosawa’s film, recasting five improvisations which transpose and transform the same long-tone thematic material into a diversity of compact musical statements. “Metallic Rainbow (For Steve McCall)” is another homage that pays respect without direct reference. Smith and McCall were early collaborators, and his tribute hangs shimmering resonances of tones evoking the way the drummer worked with layering reverberations with affecting abstract lyricism. 

The second disc starts with the meditative musings of “Malik el-Shabazz and the People of the Shahada,” a reverent celebration of Malcolm X’s spirituality. “The Great Litany,” which follows, is a meditative dive into the teachings of a 13th century Sufi saint, a five-part study in tranquil stillness and reflection. Pieces dedicated to explorers Leroy Jenkins and Amina Claudine Myers touch on Smith’s roots in the AACM community in Chicago. The Jenkins tribute calls up the music the two made with Anthony Braxton in the late 1960s, with slowly considered pacing and the meticulously restrained placement of notes while the piece for Myers is imbued with tranquil admiration. 

The central part of the final disc are two suites. The first, “Discourses on the Sufi Path,” is Smith’s obeisance to Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh whose writings have been core to the trumpet player’s understanding and practice of Sufism. The five lissome studies build upon each other with grace, introspection, and elation. “Family — A Contemplation of Love” is a soulful celebration of the family unit, tying his solo investigations outwards toward social engagement. These four pieces are some of the most lyrical of the set, with clarion playing calling up his deep-rooted knowledge and indebtedness to the lineage of jazz trumpet. The closing “Trumpet” is a compact summation of all that preceded, reveling in the tone of the instrument resonating in the stone church. Tum Records has ambitious plans for the rest of the year, with releases by his Great Lakes Quartet, a trio with Vijay Iyer and Jack DeJohnette, a multi-disc set of Smith’s string quartets and a set of duos with drummers. Whatever comes, this one is an auspicious start to the series. 

Michael Rosenstein

[ibrahimloveallah]

LA PRIERE DU SOUFI

"Les gens prient pour s'attirer la compassion et la grâce de Dieu. Dans leurs prières, ils supplient Dieu de les combler de Sa Bienveillance et non de Sa colère. Mais le soufi est celui qui est amoureux du Bien-Aimé. Peu lui importe que le Bien-Aimé soit bienveillant ou courroucé. Comment alors le soufi pourrait-il prier pour quelque chose lorsque tout ce qu'il voit est le Bien-Aimé et non le revêtement extérieur ?

Celui qui prie Dieu pour quelque chose, le fait à partir d'un être, on en vient à considérer cette manière d'implorer Dieu comme une marque de sa personne devant l'Excellence Absolue. Cependant, celui qui est transporté par l'amour ne peut pas être conscient de sa propre existence devant l'Absolu, puisque cela serait une sorte d'infidélité envers le Bien-Aimé.

Bayazid a dit:

Du temps de mon initiation à l'Amour

J'ai eu honte de demander quoique ce soit a Dieu excepté Dieu lui même

Même à mes prières quotidiennes requises par la religion

J'ajoutais ceci:" Ô Dieu, tu sais ce que Bayazid désire".

Dans les termes de Rumi:

"Je connais un groupe de saints,

Ils gardent "leur" bouche fermée pour prier."

Etant donné que le soufi desire ce que Dieu veut, et ne prie pas en partant de son être, comment pourrait-il prier dans le but d'obtenir quelque chose? En réalité, comment se peut-il qu'"Il" prie? Par conséquent, lorsque le soufi prie, "il" ne prie pas et de là "il" ne prie pas dans l'intention d'obtenir quelque chose."

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Extrait du livre "Dans la tarverne de la ruine", Dr Javad Nurbakhsh, 1986.

[lavidauna2-blog]

EL SILENCIO DEL RETIRO

He dejado mi casa y mis Amigos y me he apartado en un rincón,

tomando como compañía la noche oscura.

Rompí con los inquietos, y, abrazando el recuerdo del Amigo,

en el regazo del silencio permanecí aquietado.

Soy un extraño para el conocido y no tengo ser propio,

busqué una órbita lejana, más allá de cualquier universo.

Y me perdí en el valle de la no-existencia, lo mismo que Moisés,

y, como él, perplejo, busco la llama de la zarza.

Como alguien que perdió la caravana,

busco por todas partes el polvo que levanta algún jinete.

Era una imagen en el agua, y me anegó la ola de la no-existencia,

y de la mano del Océano me llegaron los pies para escaparme

            de mí mismo.

He perdido a Nurbakhsh, pero ya no pregunto por Nurbakhsh,

para que nadie diga que ando ocupado en él.

JAVAD NURBAKHSH

[meusgrifos]

“One Breath”, by Javad Nurbakhsh

From pre-eternity to post-eternity

is but a single breath,

A breath free of all these melodies

high and low.

Treasure this breath,

this moment you now enjoy.

Spend it in happiness: there is

no time for sorrow.

Once this moment has passed,

it is gone forever.

Your time is less

than the very least you can imagine.

If you spend this moment laughing,

the world will be all laughter.

But if you fall into depression,

the world will be all sorrow.

Don’t give your heart to this unstable

transitory world

With all its ups and downs,

its twists and turns.

Lighten another’s heart;

be light of heart yourself,

For the highest gain in the world

is this.

Take care, Nurbakhsh,

not to hurt any heart,

For this is more valuable

than any crown or throne.

[farhanjamil89]

Sufism is a path towards the Truth where the provisions are Love. Its method is to look solely in one direction, and its objective is Allah. At the end of the Sufi path, nothing remains but Allah.

[Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, In the Paradise of the Sufi]

[andiikristianto]

Akal dan Cinta

Akal berkata, “Kau tak akan mencapai tujuan tanpa bantuanku.”

Cinta menjawab, “Selama kau belum terbakar oleh apiku, kau tak akan mencapai Eksistensi Sejati.”

Akal adalah jebakan manusia dalam perburuannya di dunia material, mengejar kenikmatan-kenikmatannya, sementara cinta adalah tali pengikat Tuhan, yang menarik orang kepada kebenaran-kebenaran dunia spiritual dan Sumber Keesaan.

Akal bekerja di atas dasar pengetahuan, penalaran, dan hafalan; sementara cinta bekerja di atas dasar wawasan yang dalam, kemurahan Ilahiah, dan perasaan.

Akal mencoba mengetahui lautan dan setetes air dengan membedakan keduanya, sedangkan cinta mengubah setetes air menjadi laut.

Javad Nurbakhsh

[ellechonilustrado]

Tengo un proyecto muy especial que compartirles, este sábado 12 de octubre a las 18hrs tenemos música sufí. El concierto será en el espacio “Ekam Yoga”, arriba del lechón.

Los sufíes han dicho a lo largo de los siglos: "Todo lo que se puede definir no es sufismo". De hecho, en realidad, todo lo que los maestros sufíes han dicho sobre el sufismo a lo largo de la historia son explicaciones relacionadas con sus propias moradas y estados espirituales, y no hay una definición general de este.

La esencia del sufismo es la Realidad absoluta. La definición del sufismo es el conocimiento certero y la realización de esa Realidad. (En la taberna, paraíso del sufí. Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh)

Se puede decir, muy sintetizadamente, que el sufismo es la escuela de la realización espiritual, que se ocupa de la iluminación interior y no del razonamiento; que incluye revelación y contemplación divina, y no lógica. El sufismo implica, interiormente, amor por el Ser Absoluto y, exteriormente, servicio a la creación, que es la luz del Ser de Dios. Cualquier otra cosa no es sufismo.

Sufí es la persona amante de la Realidad divina, quien por medio del amor y la devoción se encamina hacia esa Realidad o Perfección.

Algunos de los aspectos sociales y éticos más importantes de la Orden Nematollahi son: el profundo respeto por las personas de todas las creencias y culturas; rechazo de la vida solitaria, dando preferencia a la internalización en compañía de otros; dedicar la vida al servicio de todas las criaturas de Dios; o el ejercicio de alguna actividad constructiva, desaconsejando la inactividad.

Con respecto al papel de la música en el sufismo, el músico Amir Koushkani señala: "La música sufí es el pensamiento y la experiencia sufí reflejada en una dimensión musical significativa y trascendente, cuya consumación es la paradójica idea sufí de que la verdadera creación solo tiene lugar dentro de la aniquilación de el "yo". Tal filosofía mística se ha inspirado y formado dentro de la poesía sufí, representada por poetas sufíes como: Rumi, Shah Nematollah Wali, 'Attar o J. Nurbakhsh.”

Es con esta perspectiva que la Orden Nematollahi ofrece un concierto de música sufí, al que asistirá Amir Koushkani, intérprete iraní, compositor y maestro de varios instrumentos tradicionales persas. Koushkani estará acompañado por Pepe Maza, un cantante de flamenco sufí que ha crecido en el ambiente tradicional flamenco, impregnado de esta rica expresión artística desde la infancia.

Además, Federico León, percusionista residente en San Miguel de Allende. Nació en la Ciudad de México y pasó algunos años de su juventud en Guadalajara. Adquirió experiencia y conocimiento de ritmos africanos y otros ritmos con diversos maestros. Federico está familiarizado con una amplia gama de estilos y domina los ritmos africanos y toca el yembé, que es un tambor de mano africano.

Esperamos su grata presencia. La entrada es gratuita, pero agradeceremos cualquier donación voluntaria.

AMIR Koushkani es intérprete, compositor e instructor de los instrumentos de cuerda tradicionales Tar y Setar. Tiene una maestría en composición musical occidental y un doctorado en etnomusicología. Durante las últimas tres décadas, además de concentrarse en diferentes aspectos de la música persa clásica. Ha compuesto ampliamente para teatro, orquesta y varios conjuntos musicales. Recientemente ha publicado un estudio de dos volúmenes sobre el “Avaz persa” en colaboración con el maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian y el profesor Robert Simms.

AMIR Koushkani is a performer, composer and instructor of the traditional stringed instruments Tar and Setar. He holds a Master’s Degree in Western Musical Composition and a PhD in Ethnomusicology. Over the last three decades, apart from concentrating on different aspects of classical Persian music. He has composed widely for theatre, orchestra, and various musical ensembles. He has recently published a two-volume study on the “Persian Avaz” in collaboration with Master Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Professor Robert Simms.

FEDERICO León percusionista. Residente de San Miguel de Allende. Nació en la Ciudad de México y pasó algunos años de su juventud en Guadalajara. Descubrió su amor y pasión por la música, específicamente su amor por las percusiones, a través de viajes por México. Adquirió experiencia y conocimiento de los ritmos africanos y otros ritmos con una variedad de maestros. Federico está familiarizado con una amplia gama de estilos y ha estudiado ritmos africanos y toca el Djembe, que es un tambor de mano africano.

Fredrico Leon is a percussionist, residing in San Miguel De Allendeh. Born in Mexico City, he spent a few years in Guadalajara, which was the beginning of his journey through Mexico, where he discovered his passion for music in general and percussion in particular and pursued this passion by studying percussion with different teachers. Federico is familiar with a wide range of styles and has studied African rhythms and plays the Djembe which is an African hand drum.

PEPE Maza cantante y guitarrista sufí.

El flamenco está emparentado con la música oriental en general y la música sufi en particular. Cuando desde el corazón se escuchan los sonidos de una y otra música hay algo que las hermana. Zyriab el Persa y posteriormente la música sufi de Andalucía juegan un papel fundamental en el nacimiento del Flamenco. Desde pequeño, en mi casa, en mi barrio, en mi pueblo el Flamenco nutrió mi corazón y cuando escuché por primera vez la música sufí comprendí el paralelismo entre una y otra música. Músicas del corazón.

PEPE Maza is a flamenco sufi singer and guitarist. Flamenco is related to oriental music in general and to Sufi music in particular. When the sounds of both musics are heard from the heart, there is something that makes them sisters. Zyriab the Persian and later the Sufi music of Andalusia played a fundamental role in the birth of Flamenco. Since childhood, in my house, in my neighborhood, in my town, Flamenco has nourished my heart, when I first heard the Sufi music I understood the parallels between both musics: music from the heart.

[khaleesiii88]

“Is it not sufficient that we are commanded to worship Him? Should we rather cease to adore Him were heaven and hell assumed non-existent? Should He not rather be adored beyond all mediation?”

- Arabic Proverb

[dhul-qarnayn]

Poem When I sleep, You are the center of my dreams; when I wake up You are the reason for my fervor. O You the possessor of my sleeping and waking, You are both my bewitching trap and my captivator... Poem by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

[honeyandelixir]

Salam, I'm not sure if you've done this in an earlier post but please could you list/recommend your favourite books? Thank you.

Salam! :)

I have a list of fiction books  Here

I can give you a list of non-fiction favorites:

1) Orientalism By Edward Said

2) Culture & Imperialism by Edward Said

3) Sufi Women By Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

4) Field Notes On Democracy By Arundhati Roy

5) In Praise of Love By Alain Badiou

6) A Dialogue By James Baldwin & Nikki Giovanni

7)  Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society By Fatema Mernissi

8) Profit Over People By Noam Chomsky

9) Beauty and Misogyny by Sheila Jeffreys

10) Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd

[lavidauna2-blog]

EL OSCURO CAMINO DE LA VIDA.

Algún día, la cuerda de “tú” y “yo” será cortada de este mundo. El pájaro veloz violentará, algún día, la jaula de este cuerpo.

¡Oh, tú, que vanamente te distraes! ¿Porqué vagabundeas, retrasándote?. Este oscuro camino de la vida no es un lugar para el descanso.

Olvídate del mundo, pues no hay nada que ver, es un cuenco vacío, es una copa frágil.

Tu orgullo es como alpiste para el pájaro; tus pensamientos y tus fantasías no son más que una trampa. ¡Qué cansados están tu alma y tu cuerpo del cepo y del alpiste!.

En plena calma está el sufí que se libró de la cadena de “tú” y “yo”. Ciertamente, el camino de la plenitud es liberarse de ese lazo.

El pájaro del corazón que halló las alas de una aspiración, levantó el vuelo desde su tejado, notando que podía ya volar.

Cuando Nurbakhsh rompió con toda creación, descubrió que, algún día, habría de romper cualquier unión, salvo la unión con Dios.

JAVAD NURBAKHSH