The One-minutes Sufi-II.pmd - Jaico Publishing House

INTRODUCTION 5Labels do not matter to a Sufi.The Sufi is grounded in ethical principles. Heknows that these principles connect him to his core.He knows that, no matter how much change there isaround him, the ethical principles are changeless.Principles provide an anchor for the Sufi. The questof the Sufi is to listen to his conscience and to followit in both good and trying times. The Sufi knows thathe can never get lost if he follows the true or straightpath.The Sufi is a person of timelessness andplacelessness, living in the world but not of theworld. While he is a mystic, he is not a hermit livingon a mountain somewhere. Rather, he lives abalanced life, avoiding excessive materialism andstriving for spirituality at his core. A Sufi views hisrole in this life as that of an instrument or vesselthrough which he takes with one hand and gives withanother. He goes with the flow, living in the momentbut without losing sight of his vision.My Interpretation of and Approach to SufismSufism is a varied tradition with a long and inspiringhistory. Its practices and doctrines are richly layered,and understanding them in their depths is a lifetime’swork. I cannot explore this tradition in its fullnesshere, nor is it my purpose. I am neither a scholar nora historian. For me, the Sufi is a symbol for a stance