Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Lessons from the Bamboo Hut.

Throughout my nights of Virgil,(actually hard to sleep), I sat and meditate in my bamboo hut and contemplated upon my past and present status of being who i am. The bamboo floor makes it most uncomfortable to sleep and this actually forced me to stay awake despite my being so tired and worn out from the physical labor that i did during the day time clearing the whole area of the organic farm. The words of The sheikh, Qadir Al-Jilani came to mind as i sat there tossing and turning in my mind, "Secluson and solitude should be viewed as states of both exterior and interior withdrawal. The exterior state of seclusion is when a man decide to withdraw himself from the world, imprisoning himself in a space away from other people, so that people in the world are saved from his undesirable character and existence. he also hopes that in so doing the source of his undesirable existence, his ego and the base desire of his flesh , will be separated from their daily nourishment and the satisfaction of things they are used to. Further he hopes that this isolation will educate his ego and his appetites, permitting the development of his inner spiritual being." These words reminded me of why or what i was attempting to do being where i was. The prophet of Allah was quoted as saying," The faithful is he from whose hand and tongue the other faithful are safe."... FromThe Secret of Secrets, by Hadrat Sheikh Qadir Al-JIlani.
 I finally decided to pray the 'tahajub' or night prayer of two rakaats. After this i found my self in a state of bliss and quietude and my thoughts became more lucid and clear revealing some answers to my inquiries about myself. it came in the form of how Islam and Buddhism has so many connections when one connects the dotted lines. Most significant of all was the fact that in Islam one has to end in a state of emptiness of being in order to unite with Al-Hak, or the Owner, the One that all things return to.
In Buddhism the Buddha expounded the cessation of all, including the idea of having a 'self'. he was said to have uttered" I, Am No More." when He departed this life. The Buddha's teachings was for this Life and how to navigate oneself free from its bondage of ignorance to Liberation from its cycle of life and death. Islam is a religion of Unity of The One, none truly exist but Allah hence one has to become empty or nothing before one can become united with the Creator. 
To be contd;   

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