IHMN

A man who had spent many years trying to puzzle out meanings went to see a Sufi and told him about his search.

The Sufi said, 'Go away and ponder this –IHMN
The man went away. When he came back, the Sufi was dead.

'Now I shall never know the truth!' moaned the puzzler.

At that the moment the Sufi's chief disciple appeared. '

If,' he said, 'you are worrying about the secret meaning of IHMN, I will tell you. It is the initials of the Persian phrase 'In Huruf Maani Nadarad' – which means, 'These letters have no meaning.''

Khufiyya movement - a Chinese form of the Arabic "Khafiyya", i.e. "the silent ones" - refers to its adherents' emphasis on silent dhikr (invocation of God's name). The Khufiyya teachings were characterized by stronger participation in the society.

Ma Laichi (Chinese: 马来迟) (1680's-1760'a), also known as Abu 'l-Futūh Ma Laichi, was a Chinese Sufi master, who brought the Khufiyya movement to China and created the Huasi menhuan (Sufi order) - the earliest and most important Naqshbandi (Islamic Spiritual) order in China.

'I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth.' Zechariah 13/5

24:1 Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.
24:2 In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.
24:3 I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud.
24:4 I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar.
24:5 I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep.
24:6 In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.
24:7 With all these I sought rest: and in whose inheritance shall I abide?
24:8 So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.
24:9 He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.
24:10 In the holy tabernacle I served before him; and so was I established in Sion.
24:11 Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power.
24:12 And I took root in an honourable people, even in the portion of the Lord's inheritance.
24:13 I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon.
24:14 I was exalted like a palm tree in En-gaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a pleasant field, and grew up as a plane tree by the water.
24:15 I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odour like the best myrrh, as galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
24:16 As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honour and grace.
24:17 As the vine brought I forth pleasant savour, and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.
24:18 I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him.
24:19 Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits.
24:20 For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
24:21 They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
24:22 He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss.
24:23 All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.
24:24 Faint not to be strong in the Lord; that he may confirm you, cleave unto him: for the Lord Almighty is God alone, and beside him there is no other Saviour.
24:25 He filleth all things with his wisdom, as Phison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits.
24:26 He maketh the understanding to abound like Euphrates, and as Jordan in the time of the harvest.
24:27 He maketh the doctrine of knowledge appear as the light, and as Geon in the time of vintage.
24:28 The first man knew her not perfectly: no more shall the last find her out.
24:29 For her thoughts are more than the sea, and her counsels profounder than the great deep.
24:30 I also came out as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden.
24:31 I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed: and, lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.
24:32 I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off.
24:33 I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages for ever.
24:34 Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom.

ECCLESIASTICUS- This Book is so called from a Greek word that signifies a preacher: because, like an excellent preacher, it gives admirable lessons of all virtues. The author was Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem, who flourished about two hundred years before Christ. As it was written after the time of Esdras, it is not in the Jewish canon; but is received as canonical and divine by the Catholic Church, instructed by apostolical tradition, and directed by the spirit of God. It was first written in the Hebrew, but afterwards translated into Greek, by another Jesus, the grandson of the author, whose prologue to this book is the following:

Woman Wisdom, by H. Peter Aleff

Sophia
Proverbs Chapter 8
-- BibleWiki--

1: Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

2: She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

3: She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

4: Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

5: O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

6: Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

7: For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8: All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
9: They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

10: Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

11: For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

12: I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

13: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

14: Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

15: By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

16: By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

17: I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

18: Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

19: My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

20: I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

21: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

22: The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

23: I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

24: When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

25: Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth

26: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

27: When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

28: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

29: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

30: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

31: Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

32: Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

33: Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

34: Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

35: For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

36: But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Reproach to the Gainsayers.

Doctor Kunwrath faciebat
23 Decembris. Anno 1597. octava vespertina.


Spirit Divine, blest be thy state,
That art in Salt incorporate
And in the Worlds true virgin wombe
A pure Quintessence art becomme.
Lord have mercy upon us.

Gods wondrous eternal power,
Man in this world may discover,
Who wth the greate worlds flesh & blood
Clad itselfe for our Eternall good.
Lord have mercy upon us.

Who earst the whole world didst surround
Now in old Chaos seede art found
Soe art becomme a body small
Susteyning all things naturall.
Lord have mercy upon us.

This is the greate Light of Nature
That giving the world a new Lustre
And shining in ye darksome night
To make us true Children of Light
Lord have mercy upon us.

Thou Spirit of God true God art
Yet in the world a stranger wert
Which led us out from Errors place
And made us heyres of Natures grace.
Lord have mercy upon us.

On Earth he was in meane Consort
Us in great mercy to Comfort
And make us rich in true wisdome
That like new borne Babes we becomme.
Lord have mercy upon us.

All this on us good God bestow
Then Lord shall we they greate workes shew
And wisdomes Babes their voyce shall raise
Singing to thy Eternall praise.
Lord have mercy upon us.

"ascending smoke, sacrificial speech acceptable to God.”
“Happy is the one who follows the advice of God.”
“Without the breath of inspiration from God, no one finds the great way.”

--Heinrich Khunrath--

"Deus Lux Solis, vel Deo Laus Semper" which can be translated as: "God is the light of the sun" or "Praise to God forever" (also, "Praise always to God")

Nature is the daughter of Time

-pictured- of the story of the Blind Men and the Elephant

fanaa- passing away
baqaa- levels of God
marifa- knowledge
latif-e-gitta- six subtleties
nafs- breath
qalb- maintaining good heart
sirr- total negation of ego
ruh- the effort of being created in God
khafi- primordial knowledge
akhfa- unity

Apostle Thomas- only disciple to travel outside of the Roman Empire, through Persia into India.

Gospel of Thomas

(33) Jesus says:
(1)"What you will hear with your ear {with the other ear} proclaim from your rooftops.
(2) For no one lights a lamp (and) puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place.
(3) Rather, he puts it on a lampstand, so that everyone who comes in and goes out will see its light."

(39) Jesus says:
(1) "The Pharisees and the scribes have received the keys of knowledge, (but) they have hidden them.
(2) Neither have they entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to.
(3) You, however, be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves!"


(50) Jesus says:
(1) If they say to you: ‘Where do you come from?’ (then) say to them: ‘We have come from the light, the place where the light has come into being by itself, has established [itself] and has appeared in their image.’
(2) If they say to you: ‘Is it you?’ (then) say: ‘We are his children, and we are the elect of the living Father.’
(3) If they ask you: ‘What is the sign of your Father among you?’ (then) say to them: ‘It is movement and repose.’"

(58) Jesus says: "Blessed is the person who has struggled. He has found life."

(82) Jesus says:
(1) "The person who is near me is near the fire.
(2) And the person who is far from me is far from the kingdom."

(83) Jesus says:
(1) "The images are visible to humanity, but the light within them is hidden in the image.
(2) {} The light of the Father will reveal itself, but his image is hidden by his light."

(105) Jesus says: "Whoever will come to know father and mother, he will be called son of a whore."

quatrains from the poet Sarmad...

- 9/
Although a hundred friends have turned mine enemies,
Owing to the friendship of the one, my mind has become contented.
I have accepted Unity and been freed from multiplicity
At last I became of Him and He of me.

- 18/
Sometimes thou are a cypress, sometimes a hyacinth and sometimes a jasmine,
Now a mountain, a wilderness, and at another time a flower-garden.
Now thou are the light of a candle, now the scent of a rose,
Sometimes thou art in a garden, and sometimes in an assembly.

The ocean of his generosity has no shore.
The tongue is powerless to thank,
the heart too bewildered to understand.
Though my sins are many
his compassion is greater
still--I swim in the sea of disobediencebut I do not drown.

One of the pious saw in a dream a king in heaven and an ascetic in hell. He asked, "What is the cause of the elevation of the one and the debasement of the other, contrary to the people's expectations?

A voice came, saying "This king is in heaven for following dervishes, and the ascetic is in hell from being near to kings"

--Sa'di, Rose Garden, 1258

It is difficult to be called a Muslim; if one is truly a Muslim, then he may be called one.
First, let him savor the religion of the Prophet as sweet; then, let his pride of his possessions be scraped away.
Becoming a true Muslim, a disciple of the faith of Mohammed, let him put aside the delusion of death and life.
As he submits to God’s Will, and surrenders to the Creator, he is rid of selfishness and conceit.
And when, O Nanak, he is merciful to all beings, only then shall he be called a Muslim.
Allah is hidden in every heart; reflect upon this in your mind. The One Lord is within both Hindu and Muslim; Kabir proclaims this out loud.
Be kind and compassionate to me, O Creator Lord. Bless me with devotion and meditation, O Lord Creator. Says Nanak, the Guru has rid me of doubt.
The Muslim God Allah and the Hindu God Paarbrahm are one and the same.

To be Muslim is to be kind-hearted, and wash away pollution from within the heart. He does not even approach worldly pleasures; he is pure, like flowers, silk, ghee and the deer-skin.
One who is blessed with the mercy and compassion of the Merciful Lord, is the manliest man among men. He alone is a Shaykh, a preacher, a Haji, and he alone is God’s slave, who is blessed with God’s Grace.
The Creator Lord has Creative Power; the Merciful Lord has Mercy. The Praises and the Love of the Merciful Lord are unfathomable.
Realize the True Hukam, the Command of the Lord, O Nanak; you shall be released from bondage, and carried across.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib

SHALOK, FIRST MEHL