Look inward for solutions

This is a story that invites reflection on the inner search for answers.

An insightful person was once seen looking for a lost key under a streetlight.

Neighbors gathered to help with the search, but without success. Eventually, someone asked where the key had actually been dropped so the search could be better focused.

“Inside the house,” the insightful person replied.

Perplexed, the neighbors asked why the search was taking place outside.

“Because there is no light in the house,” came the answer, “and out here the light is bright.”

The neighbors laughed, and the moment became a lesson.

“Friends,” the insightful person continued, “you laugh because you are intelligent. But consider this: when joy or peace of mind is lost because of disappointment or hardship, was it lost out there in the world—or within the heart?”

There is a tendency to blame external circumstances and to seek solutions where the light feels comfortable and visible. Yet peace and joy are not lost in the outer world; they are dimmed within. Looking inward can feel difficult, as the light there seems faint. However, when compassionate awareness becomes a lifelong practice, that inner light gradually grows brighter. Shadows soften. Clarity emerges. And one moves closer to rediscovering the radiant, divine Self that was never truly lost.

(This story comes from Imam Jamal Rahman’s book ‘Spiritual Gems of Islam’)

Working through fear, anger and envy with mystic poet Rumi

"Fear is the non-acceptance of uncertainty. Embrace uncertainty, and it transforms into an adventure."

Mystic Rumi met with another mystic Shams and they engaged in discussion:

Rumi asked, "What is envy?" Shams responded, "Envy is the non-acceptance of the good in others. Embrace their goodness, and it becomes an inspiration." Rumi probed more profoundly, "And what about anger?" Shams imparted his wisdom, "Anger dissipates when we accept things beyond our control, transforming into tolerance." Finally, Rumi sought to understand the nature of hatred. "What is hatred?" he asked. Shams' profound reply echoed through the depths of Rumi's being, "Hatred is the non-acceptance of a person as they are. Embrace them unconditionally, and it blossoms into love."

Mostamand , Farid. Rumi Teaching: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Personal Growth (p. 31). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Existential search with Victor Frankl

'When we set up pleasure as the whole meaning of life, we insure that in the final analysis life shall inevitably seem meaningless. Pleasure cannot possibly lend meaning to life. For what is pleasure? A condition.'

'A science teacher in a junior high school was once explaining that the life of organisms, and so of man also, was “in the final analysis nothing but” a process of oxidation, of combustion. One of his students suddenly sprang to his feet and passionately threw at him the question: “If that’s so, then what kind of meaning does life have?” This boy had correctly grasped the truth that man exists on a different plane of being from, say, a candle that stands on the table and burns down until it sputters out.'

Frankl, Viktor E.. The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy (p. 27). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Being in the present moment

Theoretically, we know how important it is to live in the present, but the truth is that our awareness is often interrupted because our minds are busily flitting back and forth between past regrets and future anxieties. Living in those worlds of past and future, we miss out on the opportunities and gifts of the present moment, what Sufis call the divine party that is always happening in the now.

Does the commitment to living in the moment mean that we should forget the past and ignore the future? Of course not! We need to learn from our past experiences and plan for future needs. The problem comes when we allow ourselves to flit from one tense to another without being conscious of where we are right now. Our minds are everywhere and nowhere—a psychological displacement that is both physically and spiritually exhausting. What is called for is a clear intention to focus consciously on the issue at hand and give ourselves permission to dwell on it for a specific amount of time.

(This story comes from Imam Jamal Rahman’s book ‘Spiritual Gems of Islam’)

Negative Spiral Loop

The vibrations of feelings affect our souls. An abundance of life-affirming feelings stirs the soul and prompts us to act in positive, uplifting ways. An excess of unpleasant feelings bruises the soul, especially if these feelings flow from what Sufis call negative imaginary scenarios in the landscape of our minds and hearts. If through our fertile imagination we continuously play out these negative scenarios internally, they manifest on some level of reality. The subconscious cannot distinguish between real and imagined scenarios, so it absorbs and reacts to the negativity as if it were real, triggering a downward spiral of depression and hopelessness. Thus it is critical to become aware of these negative imaginary scenarios swirling in our minds and to intervene immediately.

(This story comes from Imam Jamal Rahman’s book ‘Spiritual Gems of Islam’)

Know yourself with Al Ghazali’s

Alchemy of Happiness

Nothing is nearer to you than your own self. If you do not know yourself, how will you know anything else?

Nor will you advance on this path if your awareness of what is within you goes no further than this — that when you are hungry, you eat; when you are angry, you strike. The beasts share that much knowledge with you.

True self-knowledge is something deeper. It means to know what you really are, and where you have come from; why you are here and where you are going; and in what your true happiness and misery lie.