I've had one experience like that, from the bottom of the stairs to the top, when I heard my daughter scream upstairs, One second I was at the bottom with my wife, the next I was at the top, and she was only 1/4 the way up. I could never replicate it again either.
I remember something a guy said on TV once that struck a cord with me. “Man is such a creature that he only finds his true self in extremes, extremes of this, extremes of that”
Narrue and IndraMudra... It's pretty obvious that I'm not being clear about this. I mean a number of overlapping traits such as undivided attention, strong focus, utter goal-orientation, filtering out extraneous concerns and sensory inputs, silencing the chattering voice in the back of one's head and removal of doubt. It's not religious even though many religious traditions teach it as part of their spiritual instruction. It's not supernatural. There are purely mechanistic, secular approaches to the same end. If you're not getting in your own way you are a lot more effective.
I would not say it was religious neither would I say it was supernatural as how can anything operate outside the laws of nature and yet occur in nature? I however would not say it was purely physical. I would say that it is based in internal force which is in my view nothing to do with religious or spiritual things. I often wonder when Christians talk about the holy ghost entering their bodies that they may be confusing internal occurrences with religious things. I have had similar things happen to me, the difference being that I would simply describe what happened as internal energy whilst others might say it was the Holy Ghost or something religious.
The Wise have debated about this for millennia without coming to any sort of conclusion. We probably won't either. Suffice it to say that English doesn't have a good vocabulary for talking about such things.
Agree with you and disagree with you on this one. That a satisfactory conclusion will be reached in this thread, I doubt it. That the vocabulary in the English language is not sufficient to express such things, not true.
Hi Tellner, Though I seek clarification, the spiritual meaning underlying your post is “crystal clear” to me. Let me say this: you are not short of English words or terminologies nor your spiritual knowledge. If I may summarize my understanding in brief: 1- The old saying "His strength is as the strength of ten because his heart is pure" is true. My understanding according to my Islamic view is IMAN (Faith) 2- A big secret is that it doesn't really matter what it's purely full of - But it works pretty much as well if it's greed, hatred or lust: My knowledge says it is a ”freedom of choice grace by god to man” 3- It's best if what fills the soul is something good like the Love of G-d or passion for excellence. My knowledge says it is a ”Makrifatullah or knowledge of GOD and knowledge Mukasyafah” 4- training methods which can cultivate that purity of intention and purpose a. Taqlid & Knowledge b. Contemplation & Meditation c. Knowledge of Muamalah 5- It makes a person much more dangerous: Self destruction (Physical & next world) 6- This is one of the reasons why the traditional guru-murid relationship includes careful vetting and moral instruction. a. To uphold God’s trust and to fight for the truth b. Iman > Jihad > Hijrah (Faith > struggle & sacrifices > migration or shift) Please do not hesitate to correct me if I am totally out of your understanding.
Exactly right. The words change, but the basic truth is universal. It might get dressed up in different language depending on a person's background.
The True STRENGTH in Silat! Hi All, Please allow me to elaborate in brief and share my understanding with members of this forum at large: [The old saying "His strength is as the strength of ten because his heart is pure" is true. My understanding according to my Islamic view is IMAN (Faith)] Allah SWT tells us that by His will, a small force can defeat a larger one. [Translation: When Talut set forth with the armies, he said: ‘Allah will test you at the stream – if any drinks of this water, he goes not with my army. Only those who taste not of it go with me- a mere sip out of the hand is excused.’ But they all drank of it, except a few. When they crossed the river, he and the faithful one with him, they said: The day we cannot cope with Goliath and his forces.’ But those who were convinced that they must meet Allah said: “How oft, by Allah’s will, has a small force vanquished a big one? Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere. Surah 2, Al-Baqarah verse 249 Another illustration strength of faith is the story of the Battle of Badr in which the Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] with a force of 313 men came face to face with an enemy force of a thousand. [Translation: “O Prophet! Rouse the believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred, if a hundred they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers: for these are people without understanding.” Surah 8, Al-Anfal verse 65 Based on the above, it is evident that the enemies of those who believe will be defeated. When and how, only Allah SWT knows.
Close, and as I said, my personal belief is that love of G-d is the best thing one's heart can be full of. A parent's love for her child, duty, and personal integrity are all good ones. But it doesn't have to be something so wholesome in order to work. A passion for revenge, hatred, a mind filled with lust, overwhelming greed or any number of other bad things can focus the will, unite the mind, silence the "monkey brain" and purify intention. The same methods can train the minds of evil people and make them very strong in their wickedness. If you get out of your own way and have an undivided spirit you become much more formidable even if the direction you're pointed in is a destructive one.
Following your line of thinking it’s possible to fall into the trap of extremist belief and behaviour i.e. the non-believers will be defeated by the believers, the non believers are wrong and the believers are right, the non believers are evil and the believers are good, the non believers must be defeated and the believers must prevail, the non believers are weak and the believers are strong. As a matter of interest what is it that the believer must practice and believe in? Are we talking about a connection to god? To connect to something you must be similar to that which you seek to be connected with e.g. if you want to tune into a particular radio channel you must resonate with that frequency i.e. you must match that frequency being sent out. To resonate with a thing is to know that thing! True and certain, certain and most true, that which is like knows that which is like onto that i.e. like can only know like. If you want to know God you must be like God. God is infinite and man is finite, God is an Ocean and man is a cup. Can you fit the ocean into a cup, can the finite know the infinite, is it possible for man to really know God? Some people have a connection to nature and mistake it for a connection to God. Ninth gate, not yours to pass!
6 Pillars of Iman (Rukun Iman) Hi Narrue and Others, Quote: Narrue As a matter of interest what is it that the believer must practice and believe in? For the purpose of non-muslim, hereunder is a brief understanding of what is IMAN: A man appeared with very white clothes and very black hair, with no signs of travel on him and asked Prophet (PBUH): “What is IMAN?” The Prophet (PBUH) replied: “IMAN is that you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in the predetermination of good and evil.” Noble Prophet (PBUH) informed his companions that this was the Angel Gabriel who came to teach them their religion (Bukhari, etc) It is good to receive your response and manifestation of your personal view for the interest and knowledge at large. The more views received will provide alternatives and enable each and every one to progress with: Thinking, Understanding, practice and finally teach to others of similar line of thoughts. With regards to the practices, I rather leave the subject matter to individual’s interpretation, choice of knowledge and faith Other points in your post, e,g: • To connect to something you must be similar to that which you seek to be connected with • To resonate with a thing is to know that thing! As a matter of fact, I have covered the subject matter relating to the above points of yours. Perhaps, you are not familiar with the terminologies used. It will be briefly shared in my subsequent post/s if you care to follow.
IndraMuda, I'ts not the art but it's the teacher and/or spiritual teachings added to the style. Practicing Silat or any other fighting, sport or method doesn't make a person have a better personality! I know a lot of So called select, chosen, high ranking Silat Pesilat's that are as evel as evil comes! I even think that some of the more esoteric spiritual training called as Chi-Kung, Tenaga Dalam or Ilmu can have a negative effect on ones personality! Sincerely, Teacher: Eddie Ivester
Good and Evil (Freedom of Will) Hi ICT and Others, Nice to know and good to have your views in this thread! Quote: A big secret is that it doesn't really matter what it's purely full of - But it works pretty much as well if it's greed, hatred or lust: My knowledge says it is a ”freedom of choice grace by god to man” The IDEAS which lead to the operation of WILL are of two kinds: 1. Those which lead to GOOD ACTION, and; 2. Those which lead to EVIL ACTION. The first is known as INSPIRATION and the second as SEDUCTION. These two types of ideas are due to different elements in the nature of man, known as: 1. The Divine, and; 2. The Satanic These elements in the nature of man are under the direct influence of forces in the cosmos known as: 1. Angelic force, and; 2. Satanic force which are created to help or hinder the working of the universe. The divine influence which enables the HEART to receive the good idea is called THE DIVINE AID, and if the heart accepts the evil idea it is called the FORESAKEN In this way the heart of man is between the pull of the angelic and the satanic influences. By nature the heart is equally susceptible to the angelic as well as the satanic influences. The divine element is guided by intellect or reason and the satanic element is led by appetition that is self assertion. In summary: man has always two roads open before him, the road of success and fruition, and the road of loss and ruin. The messenger of God (PBUH) is his guide, and the lower self and Satan is his waylayer. According to his intelligent he either takes the prophet as his leader or his selfish soul, and chooses for his destination either the supreme triumph or the uttermost humiliation. For those who practice Silat (as truly defined by Khazanah Warisan Kebudayaan dan Bangsa Melayu), it is the knowledge and practice of , as in the word “-ILAT”, that establishes / guided the pesilat’s Good and Bad qualities as “guarantee’s by Allah SWT.” It also establishes the pesilat’s relationship with Allah SWT, Man, Cosmos/Universe and all other creator’s creations either visible nor invinsible.
Hi IndraMuda, We believe that we must work at a higher level than the heart, as this can become polluted and corrupt. The highest level to operate from is the Spirit, to which we all have access to. Things like silat, and indeed any physically demanding activity, can tame our lower nature, but can never truly remove it. This is why we must strive to live in the Spirit each day, as it takes more than our own deeds and actions to overcome it. Remember, we cannot do these things in our own strength, and we must give it over to the Creator. Living from the heart is not enough, we must live from the Spirit. Cheers, Wali
Firstly I agree with Eddie, don’t confuse high rank or select persons in Silat for good hearted or spiritual masters. Physical and internal aspects of martial arts can be mastered by good and evil equally well and there are those who may be considered as select because of this knowledge but are far from pure or good persons. In the west we often talk about animal instinct by using the phrase a gut feeling or I felt it in the pit of my stomach. When talking about human nature we might say something like I feel it in my heart that it is the right thing to do or say, that person has broke my/ that person’s heart or speaking from the heart. When talking about divine inspiration or inspiration in general we often say I had a flash of inspiration, that work is illuminated, he is illuminated. Those who are divinely inspired are often depicted in art with a light, fire or halo around their head. We can see from the above that the human body may be considered as having three important centres, the head, the heart and the pit of the stomach. Each centre connects us to one of the three realms of existence, the upper, middle and lower. Animal nature belongs to the lower realms, Human nature belongs to the middle realms and Spiritual nature belongs to the upper realms. We as humans occupy a middle realm. We are not as advanced spiritually as other beings (I’m not talking about aliens btw ) above us but neither do we operate as low as the animals. We have choice and what you decide to do is up to you. You can either go up or down. There is a teaching about the physical shape of the human heart. It is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Wide at the top so that it should be open to things from above and narrow at the bottom so that it should be closed to things from bellow. We may chose to eat fruit from the top of the tree, the midsection of the tree or fruit that has fallen to the ground and may be infected by maggots. You are what you chose to eat. The fruit at the top of the tree receives much sunlight but is difficult to reach. The fruit hanging from the lower branches of the tree received less light but are easy to reach. The heart is like a judge who listens to both the good and bad and makes a decision. It is our human nature and directly relates to it. As humans we need three types of food to be healthy. Physical food and nourishment is absorbed by the intestine and we were attached to our mothers via the umbilical cord our navel at the pit of our stomach being the point at which that took place. The Earth supplies us with all these requirements and if we lack them we will soon become physically sick and die. Socially we need fellow humans though sometimes they break our hearts. History tells us that people who have been imprisoned or secluded socially from fellow humans often go mad. All humans are connected via our hearts. Humans naturally look up to the heavens for spiritual sustenance and to be complete as humans we also need that spiritual food, inspiration, illumination. So far you will have noticed that I have talked about the three centres in the human body, the three realms of existence and the three foods we all need to be healthy. If we are going to talk about how we may progress spiritually or become more spiritualised as humans I think it would be worth considering body, soul and spirit because people often mistake or don’t know the difference between the spirit and the soul. What is the difference between Spirit and soul? Is it possible as humans to manipulate our spirit or change it for the better, can you directly improve your spirit? How can a human operate at the level of spirit, the highest nature of the human? What does it mean to have a pure heart?
Science of mind & spirit (Spiritual Entities) Hi Narrue, Wali and Others, Doctors (Mind & Spiritual psychology) divide the soul into three main parts: Animal nature belongs to the lower realms • Nafs or The concupiscent self or selfish self Human nature belongs to the middle realms • Qalb or The Heart or The Intelligent self Spiritual nature belongs to the upper realms • The Spirit or The Intuitional self The heart is like a judge who listens to both the good and bad and makes a decision. • Quote: My earlier post In this way the heart of man is between the pull of the angelic and the satanic influences. By nature the heart is equally susceptible to the angelic as well as the satanic influences. Physical food: • Body We need fellow humans: • Divine Rituals & Ethical system Spiritual food, inspiration, illumination: • Faith What is the difference between Spirit and soul? • Spirit: Intuitional Self / Intellect / Reason • Soul (Ruh) Only Allah knows: “I have made him and breathed into him of My Spirit.” 15:29 Is it possible as humans to manipulate our spirit or change it for the better? • Manipulate NO. For the better, YES. Can you directly improve your spirit? • YES, with Specific Knowledge How can a human operate at the level of spirit, the highest nature of the human? • Only Allah’s Will. What does it mean to have a pure heart? • Fear of Allah (Takwa). "DON'T ACT AS GOD"
I disagree. Surely it is God's will for us all to operate at this level. Anything less would imply that God favours some over others in this. He has given us free will. It is how we excercise this free will, and choose to live in the Spirit that determines this. I don't suscribe to the 'It's God's will' reasoning, and see this is a copout from many people. God has nothing by good intentions for us, so if we fail to reach a certain standard in anything, we cannot attribute it to 'God's will'. As a Christian, I believe we all fall short of God's glory anyway, which is why Christ died for us on the cross, to bridge this gap between man and God. Without this acceptance, we will always be lacking. But anyway, this thread is getting way to religious for me, so I'll be sticking to purely physical silat posts from now on. Cheers, Wali
Those who state that it is possible to change or improve the human spirit prove that they don’t know the difference between spirit and soul. Those who do know would never make such a statement. Those who talk about Gods will or say God wants this, would like that or it is gods will that this should happen prove that they don’t know about the nature of God. Think about it, what does will arise from?
