i-it
- objectification
- Use of an object – an instrumentalization, strictly there for my purpose and serve me, do not care about others
i-thou
- Based on YHWH – who is unpronounceable and undefinable
- Looking at the person and their talents, having mutual respect for one another
transformation
- Love is an action
- It is a spirit that moves in between 2 people, it is intersubjective
Moved through a subject and a subject in an I-Thou relationship - Love only happens in an I-Thou relationship
- The ultimate relationship is with YHWH when you turn and oriented yourself towards him
self transformation
- When we understand ourselves we can know others, grow together and achieve self-transformation
lewis
- four needs love
- Charity – Caritas
- Passionate – eros, falling in love
- Friendship – Phila
- Affection – storage
movement between four types of love
- Move between these four types of love, starts with affection and then move up to charity
- Affection – furthers from God and the source
- The higher you do, the less natural the love is, you become closer to God through working on these loves, building on them and transforming ourselves to become more charitable in our workings and love
Rabi’a and Rumi Sufi Love poetry for the beloved
- seeking union with the beloved
- The beloved is the ultimate
- Developing attributes will help them get closer to God (passion, love, generosity)
- Humans get closer to God by acquiring more attributes and they gain a closer relationship
The Zikher
prayer of remembering to remember
love poetry
veil, polishing mirror, intoxication, annihiliation
the veil
an important garment in the middle east, keeps the sun off, symbolizes a barrier, and the role of the Sufi is to eliminate the barrier
polishing mirror
mirror as the soul, working to acquire attributes to become closer to Allah, when you look in the mirror you can see only a smidge of yourself because you have become extremely close with Allah
intoxication
“drunk with love”, the feelings of being totally in love, the love that Sufi has for Allah (the beloved)
ectasy
self-transformation when you have an out of body experience
euphoria
joy
Annihilation
the union can never happen since you can never be Allah, this is the goal but it will never be attained.
Islam’s call to acquire Allah’s attributes
- Seeking Allah’s love and mercy
- His love is not unconditional – He will withdraw love if you are not following his way or teachings
transendent
- Allah is a transcendent force but is also present in human attributes (love, generosity, and mercy)
- Transcendent – beyond our world and our everything, present in our actions
99 attributes
- Justice, mercy, peace, compassion, etc.
- If you act in his way and in his actions there will be transcendent love
orientation
Oriente your heart (qalb) towards the one and the source (dhat)
heart
qalb
source
dhat
dharma
duty
- doing one’s duty
- ex – going into war
- People on the other side are his friends, does not know how he will kill them
Krishna tells them that they will come back in second life, and if they do their duty in war then they will come back with a high status
karma
your actions that align with your duty – dharma can be the way you become liberated
Gandhi Satyagraha
- truth is God but God is not truth
- Movement of love towards truth – applying love in different situations, love took him from A to B – has to work on it, work on non-violence
