"Inside the Time; A Sufi Path" Volume 1,2,and 3 is the culmination
of studying and travelling with Sufi Master Adnan Sarhan.
I wrote the book, almost as therapy, to gain a better grasp
on the experience that altered my life and many other lives
so profoundly. Adnan was the one to introduce the veil to
me. His work is a deeply ancient and mystical tradition
blended with dance, movement, creativity and a lifestyle that gives
satisfaction to the yearning to know why we are here, and for what
purpose. It gives freedom to the creative expression to
become the vehicle to connect
with the divine. And it brings the striving towards
higher consciousness, as a reality, into everyday life.
"Inside
the Time", is the experience of a
student who encounters the
deep science
of soul that runs like a river through the history and practise of
Sufism, under the guidance of a very creative Sufi Master.
For
samples of the book see below.
"The Sufi method taught by Adnan is a creative science that
explores how expanded our beings can become by methods based on simple
breathing,
chanting, dancing, whirling and movements. The art of timing and atmosphere,
capacity and concentration, create an experience that leads to the
transformation of being. Its effectiveness relies primarily on the
depth and skill of the teacher, and the desire of the student.
It is bringing to life the relationship between good deeds, positive thought,
action and behavior, and the spiritual realms of existence. Within this science,
the whole spectrum of human thought and behavior acts as a sign of the depth
and capacity of the student to connect with the unseen world. In this light nothing
is separate, nothing is unseen, no thought, no action exists independently, and
each is a determinant as to how much we are offered a glimpse of the hidden reality.
It is such a leap to conceive of a hidden world, when all our faculties are engaged
in the management of what we see, feel and discern through our physical senses
and intellect. In Sufism, this hidden world is often described by saying that
this world is a mere shadow of it. That the light of the sun is a candle in comparison
to the radiance of the reality of God. At times, the work has given to me experience
that has shown the world, in its density and mass, to be some form of reflection.
It comfortably veils us from a reality that could suddenly dismantle this world,
as easily as it maintains it. What is a real connection to such a force? What
is it if everything our senses discern is, by time, decayed and renewed? Why
would there be such a calling within the nature of humankind to seek the divine
if there is not an answer laid out within the fabric of our being? And within
the historical events of the prophets whose unique powers, methods and lives
have drawn us closer to the reality of a divine world governing and interconnected
with this one?
The denial of a practical approach to the divine has led to disintegration of
unity, in the minds of the people, in the way of living, and given life over
to the restless dissatisfaction of seeking fulfillment in pursuits that are temporary
and shallow. In the Sufi work seeking the divine through practice activates a
power within the universe that is called spirit. Spirit is purity. Purity distills
and refines the essence of experience and form. Through it we adhere to what
brings evolution and consciousness, unity and ecstasy. It is what allows us to
see the inner nature of reality and to cultivate the purification of the soul.",
Inside The Time, A Sufi Path, Vol 1, pg 22-23
"Purity, by degrees, is a perpetual evolution described by
the masters in Sufism as having trials in every station, holding
the seeker in
states of contraction and expansion, according to divine will. I see
Adnan in each situation, approaching it with an openness of heart,
and an enthusiasm that has an extraordinary effect of giving the moment
consideration above all else. In his talks, he will often speak of
how the past is dead, and the future is yet to exist. How the moment
is the abode of God and God is not in heaven - God is in the moment,
the moment is in God. In Adnan this truth extends into a natural activation
through his behavior, his concerns, and his approach to people. Existing
without being driven by a desire removes the way we manipulate our
perceptions to sustain our desires. In purity, the freedom to see without
attachment opens the way we connect to existence. The capacity to recognize
the faith that extends out from us like an umbilical cord into the
hidden reality. Acknowledging that connection as the foundation of
our being, bypasses the anxious and crooked road of relying on the
world of form, to bring satisfaction. The tenuous fragility of expectation
and desire that twists us in corruption is removed. Instead, the contentment
of needing nothing more than what is necessary to assist our spiritual
pursuit begins to tie each strand of detail into one woven robe. It
becomes the cocoon to hold the timeless and infinite transfiguration
of the being."
Inside The Time, A Sufi Path,
Vol 3, pg 62-63