"Have they not traveled in the land, so that they should have hearts with which to understand or ears with which to hear? For surely it is not their eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in their chests.
Holy Qur’an (22:46)
Sufism is the school of Self Knowledge. In essence, it is a method, a way, a discipline, that teaches each person the science of exploring his or her being, unearthing his or her hidden talents and potentials, and discovering the reality of his or her being in existence.
In the teachings of Sufism, the human being is considered as the perfect image of existence—the macrocosm and the microcosm – from the physical and magnetic to the metaphysical and spiritual, his or her being manifests the absolute knowledge of existence.
Whatever exists in this universe also exists in the human being. Amir al-Mo’menin Ali (peace be upon him) said over 1,400 years ago:
Do not ponder that you are a microcosm,
Contained within you is the macrocosm,
And you are the Clear Book of Existence.
Sufism teaches that the human being is like a complete ‘book". To read one’s book one must learn its alphabet. Learning the alphabet of one’s spiritual book is the first step in the journey of self knowledge, which leads to the knowledge of God. Hazrat Mir Ghotbeddin Mohammad Angha, Pir Oveyssi has said:
"If only the alphabet of the one spiritual book were revealed to man, and the secret of the soul discovered, he would need none of the words sealed in silent books, and yet would know the story whole."1
According to the teachings of the M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi School of Sufism, "the human body is equipped with 13 electromagnetic centers whose function is vital to the well-being of individuals, as well as their metaphysical and spiritual life. The most important of these centers resides in the heart." 2
Molana Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, in the book entitled Sufism, The Reality of Religion, states: "The importance of the heart is repeated throughout the Holy Qur’an and Holy Bible. For example, prayer in Islam begins with the Sura al-Fatiha (1:1-7): "in the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful—O God lead us to the Straight Path…" It is by straightening the connection between the heart and the brain that the brain is illuminated."3
Molana Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha teaches that the most important source of energy in the body resides in the heart, and has referred to it as the "Source of Life in the Heart." In his book Message from the Soul, he wrote the following:
"Search for truth in your heavenly double, at a third point in the heart, the point of union of the two worlds, one delicate and one harsh, between sleep and wakefulness. The source of life in the heart is the light of knowledge and certainty, and the very knowledge itself. And because it is all knowing, it is the source of all appearances and possibilities. It is the essence and the body of all things. Everything is brought to perfection by it."4
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The point of union of the two worlds is ‘dormant’, for lack of a better term. Through meditation and prayer, it is "awakened" and the pathway between the heart and brain thus becomes ‘illuminated’.
The Teacher, called the Arif, teaches that reading the alphabet of our being becomes possible through self-discipline, purification, concentration and meditation, as well as through prayer. The Sufi Meditation called Tamarkoz, literally means "concentration" and refers to the concentration of abilities. It creates a state of equilibrium, balance and harmony. Tamarkoz includes powerful and precise methods of inward cognition and self-discovery, such as Movazeneh exercises. Movazeneh is the Sufi art of balancing and harmonizing the body and mind. Tamarkoz aligns, balances, and activates the energy fields of the body, so the seeker becomes receptive and in harmony to realize his/her hidden abilities.
1. Hazrat Mir Ghotbeddin Mohammad ANGHA,
From Fetus to Paradise: The Evolutionary states of Man, M.T.O. Publications, Verdugo City, CA, USA, p 176.
2. Hazrat Nader Angha,
Theory "I", M.T.O. Publications, Riverside, CA, USA, 2002, p 142.
3. Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha,
Sufism The Reality of Religion, M.T.O. Publications, Riverside, CA, USA, 2000, p 55.
4. Hazrat Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha,
Message from the Soul, reprinted in
The Mystery of Humanity: Tranquility and Survival, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1996, pp. 63-64.
