spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
Interestingly enough, there are a number of Persian Suhrawardi’s who were instrumental in the proliferation of Sufism in Islam. There was even a Sufi order that was created by a Suhrawardi. But I’ve been studying the work of Shihab al-din Suhrawardi, a 12th Century Sufi mystic who is also known as the Shaykh al-Ishraq (“Master of … Continue reading Sufi Mystic Suhrawardi by William Klein
Every classroom I’ve had the honor to teach in has been a black hole for the Internet. I ask my colleagues if they’re having problems with the Internet? “Nope.” Look to the left of my classroom and to the right. “Problems?” “Problems?” “Nope.” “Nope.” My tech friend just scratches his head, befuddled by why this is … Continue reading Making Peace with My Personal Black Hole of Uncertainty: “That’s a Good One”
The great Sufi mystic Rumi was in the throes of a dervish ceremony called a sema; a ritual dance ceremony that he created. A fellow Muslim came to him, knocked on his door and told him it was “time for evening prayer.” Rumi without missing a beat or twirl said, “We are praying.” Every major religion has … Continue reading A Dervish of Prayer by William Klein
A friend of mine worked at a funeral home and told me the heart is the most resilient organ in the human body. It is the hardest organ to destroy. We are fascinated by the virtues of the heart – so much so that we can see its presence in symbols, art, poetry and in … Continue reading Percy Shelley’s Unburned Heart by William Klein
“Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’ doesn’t make sense any more.” Rumi I love the quote posted above. A friend of mine used to quote the first two lines … Continue reading The Space Within
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