Sufi Metaphysics

In order to better cope with the pressures and stresses of the current day, modern psychology is anxiously seeking to find new therapies to address the increasing disorders within the human psyche. In the process new fields of research, such as humanistic and transpersonal psychology, curiously appear to borrow more and more from the wisdom of the ages. This volume, containing eighteen articles by noteworthy expositors of the perennial philosophy such as Huston Smith, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Frithjof Schuon, presents the spiritual psychology of the wisdom traditions as a much-needed antidote to the current impasse in modern psychology.

Some Endorsements for Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy:

“[Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy] is more than an anthology. It is a wisely crafted collection of classic and contemporary scholarship noting that what many are seeking is what has always been, a perennial philosophy, that remains foundational. As one of the authors, Tage Lindbom, properly notes, ‘Secularization is a fish in troubled waters.’ This book claims the waters and is essential reading for all those who may have forgotten or are simply ignorant of the rich foundation provided by the perennial philosophy.”
—Ralph W. Hood, Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association, co-founder of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion and co-author of The Psychology of Religion

“A necessary and bracing critique of the assumptions and limitations of contemporary Western psychology, this generous volume is also a passionate call and learned guide towards a truer perspective that embraces man's spiritual nature.”
—Gabor Maté, M.D., and author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

“Knowing the nature of the mind is perhaps the most difficult undertaking, especially in today’s world. To comprehend the nature of mind one needs to turn to the domain of religion and spirituality. Yet the truth of the mind and its complexity cannot explicitly be defined in words. Inner or transcendent wisdom sees the mind’s own nature without the duality of the seer. Suchness (tathatā) of mind is only experiential and not expressible. The words used to describe thought are themselves a product of thought, which is conditioned and limited. Thus, differences and contradictions are unavoidable. Therefore, a comparative study of different viewpoints and commentaries is immensely important to awaken the inner intelligence to see the mind as it is. Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy: Studies in Comparative Religion edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is an outstanding effort in this direction.”
—Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, author of Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism and Today’s World

“The rise of psychology has impacted the study and practice of spirituality, the experiences and attitudes relevant to ultimate human values that transcend ordinary behavior. Each chapter of this remarkable book demonstrates this interaction in a unique and provocative way. But rather than using psychology to reduce and ‘psychologize’ spiritual topics, its authors demonstrate how directives from the spiritual traditions can enhance and even illuminate the enduring importance of psychology in the 21st century.”
—Stanley Krippner, Saybrook University, co-author of Spiritual Dimensions of Healing

“The work at hand is a thinking and debating man’s delight. If you have any interest at all in attempting to include an educated and enlightened view of man’s higher functions in your purview of the world, you will learn from and enjoy this collection of essays. If you already have some knowledge in this area, brace yourself: you may see some of your favorites sharply criticized. A thought-provoking work.”
—Bruce W. Scotton, University of California, San Francisco, co-editor of Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology

“This book, superbly edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, is a masterful critique of the field of psychology and its loss of the sacred ground in which it once was rooted. It offers depth psychologists an opportunity to contemplate timeless truths echoed through the centuries by perennial philosophers who have always claimed psyche is subordinate to Spirit. Although ignored in depth psychology’s early years due to prejudice and lack of understanding, this is a message today’s psychotherapists must take seriously. Human beings need a deeper and wider transpersonal vision of who and what we are, which the saints and sages of the world’s spiritual traditions have always pointed to. In psychotherapy with a therapist committed to such a vision, patients penetrate into their unconscious depths and not infrequently awaken to the Ground of all Being. Their suffering itself occurred because they had turned away from Spirit. Above all, this volume passionately calls upon depth psychology to remember its origin in the perennial wisdom at the core of the great religions. There is something of a polemic in these pages. It deserves to be considered by depth psychologists of all persuasions.”
—Bryan Wittine, Transpersonal psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst

“This anthology from Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is a must reference for anyone who is interested in psychology and its relationship to spirituality, and in developing an inclusive dialogue between disciplines that favor an integral outlook on the person and his or her potential. Selections in this anthology will inspire us to reexamine the metaphysical underpinnings of psychology, and remind us how important it is to rise above science’s attempt to reduce the human being to an epistemic object.”
—Sangeetha Menon, National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bangalore, India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Beyond Experience: Consciousness in Bhagavad Gita

“This anthology has some of the most discerning essays and reviews on spirituality and psychology, which provide much-needed care and caution to all those engaged in bringing them together or who wish to do so in future. Therefore, it is a must-read for all those who teach, research, consult, or study in such frontier areas as transpersonal psychology, states of consciousness, mind-body relation, holistic health, Indian psychology, and so on. It will be an invaluable textbook for courses in these and other related areas. I congratulate the editor of the book.”
—Kiran Kumar K. Salagame, University of Mysore (India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Psychology of Meditation: A Contextual Approach

“One of the finest collections of essays on the Perennial Philosophy—a must-read for all psychologists who are engaged with spirituality and transpersonal psychology. The essays which critique modern psychology (including transpersonal psychology, and the framework of Carl Jung), in the light of the Perennial Philosophy are a revelation and make compelling reading. The book serves as a corrective to the excesses of modern psychology, and to this end Sotillos has done a commendable job. I for one will include the book in some of the graduate courses that I teach.”
—Suneet Varma, University of Delhi, co-editor of Foundations of Indian Psychology

“To its credit modern science by-and-large is becoming more cognizant of the essential connection between spirituality and psychological health and well-being and most of all its positive implications within the field of psychology. While there is ample data to document this in a plethora of academic journals and books, this new book Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy adds a novel contribution to the dialogue between psychology and spirituality, which captures many nuances that for the most part go unnoticed within these discussions, and last but not least, it provides a keen eye of discernment to understand this intricate relationship on a deeper level that is crucially needed. This work will be a valuable asset to students and long term mental health practitioners and professors alike who seek to better understand the relationship between psychology and spirituality.”
—Harold G. Koenig, Duke University, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, co-author of The Handbook of Religion and Health

This paper investigates premodern conceptions of spaces of otherness, particularly within the context of Persian Sufi poetry. Abbasid-era travel literature describing monasteries, as well as real hostilities between Muslims and Christians, gave symbolic dimensions to spaces of antinomian activity in thirteenth-century eastern Iran. Making use of Edward Soja’s thirdspace, as well as Jorge Luis Borges’s “the Aleph,” this paper pays particular attention to the pseudo-hagiographical narrative of the “Shaykh of Ṣanʿān” in the poem Manṭiq al-Ṭayr (Speech of the Birds).  In this account, by the Persian poet Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār (d. 1221), Byzantium contrasts with the Kaʿba in Mecca, just as the wine-house, the Christian church, and the ruins contrast with normative spaces wherein expectations of decorum can lead to ostentatious and insincere modes of worship. By creating magical spaces of infidelity, spaces devoid of piety, ʿAṭṭār conveys themes of losing oneself to a carnal and ultimately divine Other.


Issue 89:1 (March 2021), pp. 272-297.

Bir yâr-ı bâki isterim


Kalp ve ruhta bir âlem-i nur bulursun
O âlemin anahtarı, marifetullahı aşk
Vahdâniyet sırları Ma'allah Lüb berk..
Kalbi söylettirmek, ruhu işlettirmektir...


Güvendiğin hayat yalnız bir dakika an
Bir âşiredir, belki bir ân-ı seyyâledir an
Meyyit olan mazi, müstakbel, bugün an
Kalbin bağırır ağlar bir yâr-ı bâki isterim...

Geniş dünyan kabirden daha dar
Sırat köprüden daha müsaadesiz
Senin zamanın ve ömrün berkten
Hayatın çaydan daha sür'atli akar

Katı kalplerde mana yok ki kırılsın
Bî-kem ü keyf'te farklı sücud olsun
Köpeğe altın tasma taksan ne olur
Menzil duvarları şişeden kırık hayal

Darr olmuş dünyana berr gerek berk
Şişe şişeyi görünce genişler severek
Sağ duvar yıkık geçmiş zaman mazi
Solda gelecek mâdum gayr-ı mevcut

Gayet kısa ve dar hazır zamanı açar
Berk şimşek yıldırım kanatlar açarlar
Hakikat hayale karışır; hayal yanarlar
Rüya mâdum dünyayı var mı sanırlar

Mevtten kaçsan da bir ecel değişmez
Hayat zannettiğin hâlât, anda dakika
Evvelinde içindeki eşya ölüydü zaten
Zarfın içindeki o dakika ademdir, hiçtir...

Söz olmaya ağızda çiğnediğin sakızın..
Şahit Ruhun, gönül özel temaşagâhın..
Hayatî dinamon, gönlün ruh seyyahın..
Rehber gönül, halvethânende ortağın..

Sonsuz yolculukta gönlüne anlat derdi..
Ruhuna tak gönlünde kanatlı o tüyleri..
Kolu kanadı, soluğu o gönlün motorun..
Hep o rûhânîlerle atbaşı gönüllü ruhlar..

Gönül şehsuvarında yok hiç ten kaygısı
Canın Cânan'la melek kanatları duyulur
Sesi berk koşar gibi şimşek yanık çakar
Gönül yüzünde kaldır peçeyi kalp gözüm...

Açılır bir gün gönül gözleri, başın döner..
Ne sihirli besteler ne şarkılar sunar aşk
Gönül ilahî sırlara açık öyle bir ufuktur ki,
Her zaman meleklerin hay-huyunu duyar...

Rûhânî sır burcuna erer Sidre ile Kâbe..
Aşk ile iç içe bir vahit haline gelir Ravza..
Firdevs'e örtü olur Evvel ve Âhir renginde..
Zâhir ve Bâtın"ın boyasına boyanır aşkım...

Tüm hisler çakan yıldırımda dehşete düşer..
Ruh hayretler yaşar, beyan biraz geri çekilir..
Gönül can diliyle konuşmaya durur samimi..
Safi her şey sonsuzun büyüsü ile büyülenir...

Sabrı gösteren gönül ruhu ile tam görüyor..
Vudda ufkun nurlarıyla dilinin bağı çözülür..
Gönül bahçesinin meyvelerinde ruh zevki..
Gönül dünyânda o çöllerde sular bulursun...

Rü, Waterloo
29 Temmuz 2021

EY SEVGILI.. EY GAMZELIM..

Ey Sevgili

Senin kalbinden sürgün oldum ilkin

Bütün sürgünlüklerim bir bakıma bu sürgünün bir süreği

Bütün törenlerin şölenlerin ayinlerin yortuların dışında

Sana geldim ayaklarına kapanmaya geldim

Af dilemeye geldim affa layık olmasam da

Uzatma dünya sürgünümü benim

Güneşi bahardan koparıp

Bir tuz bulutu gibi

Savuran yüreğime

Ah uzatma dünya sürgünümü benim

Nice yorulduğum ayakabılarımdan degil

Ayaklarımdan belli

Lambalar eğri

Aynalar akrep meleği

Zaman çarpılmış atın son hayali

Ev miras değil mirasın hayaleti

Ey gönlümün doğurduğu

Büyüttüğü emzirdiği

Kuş tüyünden

Ve kuş sütünden

Geceler ve gündüzlerde

İnsanlığa anıt gibi yükselttiği

Sevgili En sevgili Ey sevgili

Uzatma dünya sürgünümü benim

Bütün şiirlerde söylediğim sensin

Suna dedimse sen Leyla dedimse sensin

Seni saklamak için görüntülerinden faydalandım

Salome'nin Belkis'ın

Boşunaydı saklamaya çalışmam öylesine aşikarsın bellisin

Kuşlar uçar senin gönlünü taklit için

Ellerinden devşirir bahar çiçeklerini

Deniz gözlerinden alır sonsuzluğun haberini

Ey gönüllerin en yumuşağı en derini

Sevgili En sevgili Ey sevgili

Uzatma dünya sürgünümü benim

Yıllar geçti sapan ölümsüz iz bıraktı toprakta

Yıldızlara uzanıp hep seni sordum gece yarılarında

Çatı katlarında bodrum katlarında

Gölgendi gecemi aydınlatan eşsiz lamba

Hep Kanlıca'da Emirgan'da

Kandilli'nin kurşuni şafaklarında

Seninle söyleşip durdum bir ömrün baharında yazında

Şimdi onun birdenbire gelen sonbaharında

Sana geldim ayaklarına kapanmaya geldim

Af dilemeye geldim affa layık olmasam da

Ey çağdaş Kudüs (Meryem)

Ey şiirini gönlünde taşıyan Mısır (Züleyha)

Ey ipeklere yumuşaklık bağışlayan merhametin kalbi

Sevgili En sevgili Ey sevgili

Uzatma dünya sürgünümü benim

Dağların yıkılışını gördüm bir Venüs bardağında

Köle gibi satıldım pazarlar pazarında

Güneşin sarardığını gördüm

Konstantin duvarında

Senin hayallerinle yandım düşlerin civarında

Gölgendi yansıyıp duran bengisu pınarında

Ölüm düşüncesinin beni sardığı şu anda

Verilmemiş hesapların korkusuyla

Sana geldim ayaklarına kapanmaya geldim

Af dilemeye geldim affa layık olmasam da

Sevgili En sevgili Ey sevgili

Uzatma dünya sürgünüm benim

Ülkendeki kuşlardan ne haber vardır

Mezarlardan bile yükselen bir bahar vardır

Aşk celladından ne çıkar madem ki yar vardır

Yoktanda vardan da ötede bir

Var vardır

Hep suç bende değil beni yakıp yıkan bir nazar vardır

O şarkıya özenip söylenecek mısralar vardır

Sakın kader deme kaderin üstünde bir kader vardır

Ne yapsalar boş göklerden gelen bir karar vardır

Gün batsa ne olur geceyi onaran bir mimar vardır

Yanmışsam külümden yapılan bir hisar vardır

Yenilgi yenilgi büyüyen bir zafer vardır

Sırların sırrına ermek için sende anahtar vardır

Göğsünde sürgününü geri çağıran bir damar vardır

Senden umut kesmem kalbinde merhamet adlı bir çınar vardır

Sevgili En sevgili Ey sevgili

Sezai Karakoç.



Ey Gamzelim en Sevgili


Bende sen, sende ben vardır

Simanda gülen gamzen hoş

Her mevsim açan gülü vardır

Hayakıl Nur benden içeru hoş


Dönen döngüde sönmez vardır

Karınca gibi sessiz yürü yeşilim

Kafessiz, zincirsiz ruhun vardır

Derini değiştir yılan gibi yeşilim


Zehir içsen şifa Rauf aşk vardır

Anka kuşuma dur durak yoktur

Sıcak ye kumu yangının vardır

Sert kemiği yiyene ölüm yoktur


Yanan ateşi içinde aşkın vardır

Mağaranı o düşmana açamaz

Ölümü sevenlere cennet vardır

İşrakı ışığından kimse kaçamaz


İçinde yanan İbrahimi aşk vardır

Kutsal aşk iksiri yağmur bitmez

Aslan yüzlüye Şir simalın vardır

Özgür çılgın kuşlara yol bitmez


Kuşların hazinesinde altın vardır

Midas'ın kulaklarına Habir sevda

Tüm açarları bilen bir Alim vardır

Nefsi öldürene teslim kara sevda


Avcıları avlayan Nur avcı vardır

Dünya formlarında formasız Rü

Cisme hapsi ret eden yar vardır

Kafesi, zinciri tanımaz özgür Rü


Işıklar ışığına kanat çırpan vardır

Gurur tuzağına düşmez izzetlim

Düşmanları zelil eden Sufi vardır

Cebrail avazını işitir on devletlim


Bir Tahminah bir Zal Rüstem vardır

Külli akla sefere gider cüzi aklı kuş

Kızıl sima ile buluşan kartal vardır

Şah Namah Kaf dağına yolcu kuş


Yağma olsa dünya malın aşk vardır

Sayma sayı aklını bırak ey gamzeli

İçindeki sende bende onda O vardır

Sema etsen müziğe danscı gamzeli


Beyzanur'a Yusuf'a Süleyman vardır

Oniki doğursan Meryem ışığını verir

Soğuk suyu içen al bal dudak vardır

Yeşil yeşil incim Bedevi kalbini verir


Hatun eteğinde diz çöken Er vardır

Erlik davasında ırmak ırmak yağar

Yarasan ezik, zümrüdü anka vardır

Mert meftun gönle bade bade yağar


Ey Gamzeli! En Sevgilim en vardır

Benden içerü benden bir deli fişek

Kim ne derse desin bir Leyla vardır

Kristal topunda kristal kafa şimşek


Rü, Waterloo

30 Kasım 2021

Şöyle böyle kendimi anlatırsam lütfen şaşmayın. Ben aşk içinde evreni aydınlatan, süsleyen güneşim; bir çiğ tanesiyim bir güneşin arzusuyla ayaktayım; yokluk iksirinin kaynağıyım, Anka bilgisiyim; hiçim ve hiç olmaktan daha aşağıdayım; ben Hz Mevlana’nın eşiğinin tozunun zerresiyim. Hem heba, heyula hem hiç ender hiç manada bir maddesiz eseri ruhtayım. Hem bir sûret miyim bir ma'nâ mıyım bilmem. Habir haberim her şeyi bilen Alim'e kul bende bir habiri ruhta hem şarkta hem garbtayım. Belâ bu ya, kim bu diyenlere bir lokma, uğuldayan temizleyici bir sinek ile hem yastayım hem fastayım. Kimim neyim, ankâ mıyım bilmem ama aslında biliyorum hiç çaktırmayın. Hep sevgilinin ağzından konuşan ruhum ama noktasından, böyle bir Anka'yım ateşler içinde küllerinden, hiç şan şöhret istemem desen Kaf'tayım.
Kaf dağı, Allah’a yakınlık ve vahdet makamını ifade eder. Anka, yeniden doğmanın, yanarak yenilenmenin, değişimin, ölümlü varlığın ölümsüz varlığa, maddî varlığın ruhsal varlığa dönüşümünün sembolüdür. Mevlana gibi kamil insan rehberi olanlar arş Kaf’ında Cebrail ana kuşuna benzerler. Sidre ağaçtır. Gönül kuşa benzetildiğinden onun ruhsal yönü vardır.  Anka kuşu o ağaçta yuva kurar ve kalıcı olur aşkta. Cebrail ise oradan öteye yükselemez. Sadece anka kuşu aşkı varsa öteye geçebilir. Allah aşkına Nura kavuşur. Ev edna noktası burasıdır. Bir insanın zaman, mekân, şekil, suret kayıtlarından kurtulup salt ruh haline gelmesi sadece hakiki aşk ile olur. Habir anka kuşu gibidir. Salt ruhtur. Habir, Latif, Habir, Alim, Maruf, Rahim ve Vedüd, Rahman kuşları ile ilgilidir. Sadece ya Zül Celali vel ikrama aşık olabilir ve onu da erkeği olarak seçen dişi bir safi ateş kuşudur.

Sonsuz gerçeğin üstünde bir sis, duhan ve toz bulutu hayaller, hülyalar, rüyalar vardır. Tüm evrende 73 bin alemde eşyanın suretlerinin havi, hayalî ve düşüncel bir aslî maddesi vardor ve hepsi esir maddesi perdesi, zarı veya duvarı, peçesi örtülü sarılmıştır. Sadece 18 bin alem müslümandır. Aristo felsefesinde cismanî varlıkların şekilsiz olan bu aslî maddesine heyula, İslam felsefesinde ve tasavvufta heba denilmiştir. İbn Arabî hem bu toz bulutunu hem evrenin maddi varlığını heba, heyula, Anka gibi isimlerle ifade etmiştir. Madde aslında yoktur, her şey Allah'tır varlığın birliğinde. Yokluk fakat büyük anlamlılık ifadesiyle sevgilinin ağzı da Anka’ya benzer. 

Masallara konu olan Simurg yani Zümrüdü Anka Kuşu, yeniden doğuşu ve sabretmeyi simgeliyor. Ona inanan kuşlardan nefsine hakim olan, kendine ve başaracağına inanan, egosunu eğitebilenler Simurg’un mertebesine yükselebiliyor. Efsaneye göre kuşların hükümdarı olan Simurg, bilgi ağacının dallarında yaşar ve her şeyi bilirmiş. Bu kuşun özelliği gözyaşlarının şifalı olmasıymış.
Kuşlar Simurg’un kendilerini kurtaracağını düşünürmüş. Simurg’un bir diğer özelliği de efsanesinin farklı kültürlerde de yer alması. İranlılar’ın Simurg adını verdiği kuş Arap kültüründe Anka, Türkler tarafından Tuğrul Kuşu adı ile anılıyor. Ayrıca eski Yunan mitolojisinde kalın tüylü ve kartaldan biraz büyük bir kuşun varlığına inanılıyor Yine bir efsaneye göre Simurg yuvasının içinde ölümünü bekliyormuş. Yanarak ölmüş ve efsaneye göre küllerinden yeni bir Anka Kuşu olarak doğmuş. İşte bu yüzden de pek çok dinde yeniden varoluş, diriliş sembolü olarak benimseniyor. Anka, tasavvuf ve edebiyatta teklik-çokluk gibi iki zıt kavramı ifade ediyor. Ayrıca yükseklerde uçması ve kolay avlanamayışı yüzünden ulaşılması çok zor durumları ifade etmek için kullanılıyor.

Dolayısıyla insan-ı kâmil ve mürşid-i kâmil ile Cebrail (ruhu’l-kuds) arasında da teşbih ilgisi kurulmuş olur. Kemal: tamlık, noksansızlık demektir. Noksansız olan, kemal-i mutlak Allah’tır. Böylece, tasavvufi manada kemale ermek, Allah’a ermek, Tanrısallaşmak anlamı taşır. Böyle kıyaslamalar ve benzetmelerle söylenen ifadelerde, Anka ve Simurgun yüceliğin, erişilmezliğin, ölümsüzlüğün, Allah’a yakınlığın, kemale ermişliğin, marifetin simgesidir.  Anka, tekliğin, tek başına yaşayışın, başka bir şeye ve kimseye ihtiyaç duymadan kendi kendine yetmenin, kanaatkârlığın sembolü olmuş efsanevi bir kuştur.  Cebrail sidretü’l-münteha’dan öteye geçemediği halde Anka, arşa kadar ve arşın da ötesine gidebilir. Ama bu Anka insan-ı kâmilin gönlüdür 

Simurg’un yuvası Elburz dağında, Anka’nın yuvası Kaf dağında bulunur. Bu bakımdan çoğu zaman Anka, Kaf ile birlikte anılır. Kaf tasavvufi sembol olarak Allah’a yakınlık makamı anlamını kazanmıştır. Kaf dağının zümrüt dağı olduğuna inanılır. Bu bakımdan yeşildir. Anka’nın da renginin yeşil olduğu düşünülür. Simurg’un hâkim renk yeşil olmak üzere otuz renk olduğu inancı vardır. Yeşil renk canlılık, dirilik, tazelik, yenilenme ve dirilme ifade eder.

Contemporary approaches to integrating "self" and the "other"—such as multiculturalism, cultural diversity, race relations, inclusiveness strategies, or identity politics—are flawed from the perspective of traditional thought. At their core, modernist ideologies are inimical to and destructive of all human diversity. The new face of antipathy to pluralism is becoming more deceptive as it grows less focused on respecting diversity and more on promoting ideological uniformity and the erection of a global monoculture. This essay argues that it is from a metaphysical perspective that human diversity can be fully understood and can seek to reconcile the dichotomy of "self" and the "other".

This extensive review explores the nature of human individuality through a broad spectrum of themes which all relate in an unwavering manner back to the fundamental question of “Who Am I?” The paradox of being fully human is that it depends on transcending the human condition itself. Integral individuality exists at the intersection between the horizontal and the vertical or the human and the Divine. Modern psychology, especially humanistic and transpersonal psychology has, much to its credit, done a great deal to facilitate the rightful place of the human within the spiritual dimension; yet, to date, it has been unable to situate what human individuality is. In fact, modern psychology has grossly overlooked that each of the spiritual traditions of the world has its own corresponding and complete psychology or rather pneumatology (“science of the Spirit”). It is by turning to the integral psychology of the perennial philosophy that human identity can be recovered.

Far from being a school or a sect, Sufism is an ideology, a mode of life, a set of principles, and a 'faith in practice.' Sufism has been addressed and presented by scholars countless times. It has been primarily defined as either Islamic mysticism or as the spiritual dimension of Islam. Yet, as much as mysticism is ineffable as much as the published research is full of tangled definitions that only scholars can comprehend. The traditional approach to the study of Sufism makes the topic burdensome and mentally unattainable to the learned public. This article explains Sufism without using complex terminology or intense presentations of mystical states and stations. It is a scholarly attempt that is ultimately designed to provide a straightforward definition of Sufism. It presents Sufism in a threefold manner, as a synthesis of three Islamic principles: Islamic spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism. Each of the three dimensions is explained in an Islamic context to demonstrate the validity of the Sufi trends as being purely Islamic. Spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism are all discussed within the frame of Tradition, that is, the Qur'ān and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad.

Contemporary psychology is in a state of confusion, claims this perennialist author and mental health clinician, because it cannot identify the 'self' or 'the unity of the personality'. This is because it "attempts to study what is beyond its epistemological and ontological scope and trespasses upon the domain of metaphysics". Drawing attention to the materialistic biases in contemporary psychology, which focuses on the empirical ‘self’ and its pathology without the normative criterion of a 'healthy personality', the author contrasts contemporary psychology with traditional pneumatology, which acknowledges the transpersonal Self as the source of normative personality.

The article has a two main aims: situating the (post-)Akbarian ideas in the context of Islamic post-classical, esp., post-Avicennian thought and moving the field of the study 'Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī away from the focus on one work, al-Insān al-Kāmil, to the inclusion of a broader specter of writings regarded as minor texts. The article proposes a rhizomatic reading of the sources to reopen the field of analysis. At the same time, the article argues for wah} dat alwujūd as a main element of post-classical Islamic discourse sharing a framework with post-Avicennian thought. Reconfiguring the field of the study of writings on wah} dat al-wujūd this will allow for an analysis of the field not an analysis of selected works. The analysis will be done by a close reading of a set of works focussed on the basmala as one of the most important formulae. This is not an analysis of the letters and its interpretations but much more of the post-classical philosophy and the relation of the Sufism of wah} dat al-wujūd to it. The article discusses the role of the writings of al-Jīlī and Ibn 'Arabī. The analysis of the field of writings of al-Jīlī opens a perspective on wah} dat al-wujūd as an interrelated field of meanings beyond the focus on single works and its possible intertextual references.

In questo lavoro, Shahzad Bashir sostiene che la pratica Sufi del dhikr presuppone un continuum tra mente e corpo, e tra l'individuo e il suo ambiente sociale, in particolare il suo Maestro. Il testo sottolinea inoltre che l'istruzione e la guida di un Maestro situato all'interno di una catena di autorità Sufi è vista come una parte necessaria e integrale della pratica del dhikr.
fonte https://www.themathesontrust.org/library/bashir-moveme14 ntstillness

Over a hundred years have passed since the birth of behaviorism or behavioristic psychology, often regarded as the "first force" in contemporary psychology. Many might assume that "the dark night of behaviorism" has subsided once and for all, especially since the behavioristic paradigm has been superseded by the cognitive revolution and other developments, such as psychoanalysis ("second force"), humanistic psychology ("third force") and transpersonal psychology ("fourth force"). However, this assumption would be incorrect as it initiated one of the most powerful currents of modern psychology in the twentieth century. Thus it launched an assault on the human microcosm by decisively abolishing, if not radically trivializing, the role of the psyche or soul and the spiritual dimension in an unparalleled fashion. Although less known, this destructive paradigm was perhaps even more influential than psychoanalysis that predates its existence but did not emerge into a movement in America until later on, nonetheless behaviorism has had an irrevocable impact on the way that the human psyche was universally understood across the diverse cultures prior to the advent of modernism and the development of modern psychology.

Some Endorsements for Behaviorism: The Quandary of a Psychology without a Soul:

“This very concise, compact, and thoughtful book offers an important reflection on the challenges and downside of behaviorism and the bias behind this influential perspective in psychology and the mental health field in general. It also highlights how psychology in an attempt to be empirical and scientific pushed spirituality and religion off to the side consequences that are still felt in the field today. Worth a read for those with interest in this important area.”
—Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., ABPP is the Augustin Cardinal Bea, S.J. University Professor at Santa Clara University and adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is the author of Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health

“This book critiques behaviorism from both a philosophical and practical perspective. Its unique contribution, in my view, is its inclusion of many direct quotations from the literature which show, in devastating fashion, what happens when psychology is based on mechanistic assumptions and attempts to exclude, the ‘inner life’ of human beings, including the soul. Samuel Bendeck Sotillos does an excellent job of showing how original behaviorism took away almost everything that makes us human and how that dark legacy continues to permeate modern psychology. The book is an excellent reflection on the foundations of modern psychology.”
—David N. Elkins, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Pepperdine University, author of The Human Elements of Psychotherapy, Past President of Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology, American Psychological Association 

“This is a brief, succinct exposition of Behaviorism, a psychology created by an American John Watson in the early 20th Century which has had a profound impact on Western thinking and has now become increasingly influential right through out the world to the extent that it is no longer questioned. India is one of the few cultures left which actively affirms the transcendental nature of reality and in the coming decades we shall see behaviorism and its adjunct consumerism threaten the sacred tenets of the sanātana dharma. The author analyses this school of psychology in the light of the perennial philosophy. There are ‘four forces’ in psychology today namely, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic and transpersonal. Though behaviorism has been supplanted it nevertheless influences modern thought with its reductionist thinking. It is based on two suppositions: scientism which denies anything that cannot be verified by the five senses and psychologism which reduces an understanding of what is reality to psychological criteria. Mechanized man is reduced to numbers, uniformity, and in distinction from the ‘masses’. Our worth is according to financial currency which is the modern day criterion of what is valuable. It is the triumph of quantity over quality. Guénon called it the ‘Reign of Quantity’ and denotes the degeneration of human values and negates the opportunity of divinity, for Behaviorism denies the reality of the soul and states that humankind is simply a machine that responds to positive and negative stimuli. The behaviorist denies that there is anything more to a human being than behavior. The traditionalist affirms that the human being has a soul who participates in the Divine and has an inherent essence which can transcend the limitations of the human body and mind. 
The author has with profuse citations delved into this malaise and the influence it holds on the modern mind. Though it would mainly interest those in the field of psychology, for the general reader this is a sobering and intelligent exposé.”
—The Mountain Path journal

‘Metaphysics’ is the quest to find the ultimate meaning and purpose of existence. It is about trying to find a decisive and conclusive resolution to the human condition, such that the human condition is fulfilled in some absolute way, and no longer at the mercy of meaningless suffering, or a dreadful sense of uncertainty. All other definitions and determinations of metaphysics are trivial, and irrelevant; and, given the critical importance of the quest for human fulfilment – our lives are not infinite, after all – really quite bewildering. Western philosophy  has never understood this, and its entire intellectual history has been characterised by a persistent debasing of any simple, straightforward and direct quest for objective metaphysical self-knowledge, preferring instead always to indulge either in pedantic squabbling over definitions, distinctions and conceptual manoeuvrings, or in flatulent ‘system building’.

Maria Dakake argues in her article, ‘Guest of the Inmost Heart’ that Sufi women imagined God in domestic terms as the ideal faithful lover, provider, and protector. Based on my research of pious and Sufi women from the 7th to 10th century, I support Dakake’s important observation; but I also suggest it needs to be opened up to more complicated notions of “domesticity” that take into account the connections made between patriarchal social norms and the divine personality as well as the historico-theological context of the women’s sayings on divine love which touch on the problem of anthropomorphism and the push and pull of popular and elite theologies.

This article contains selections from my book in progress on early Pious and Sufi women.

The system of beliefs and practices related to Bektashism seems to have corresponded to a kind of liberation theology, whereas the structure of Bektashi groups corresponded more or less to the type of religious organization conventionally known as charismatic groups. It becomes understandable therefore that their spiritual tendency could at times connect with and meet social, cultural and national perspectives. In turn, when members of the previously persecuted religious minority will acquire a degree of religious and political respectability within society at large, the doctrines of heterodoxy and liberation theology fade into the background. In the end, the heirs of the heterodox promoters of spiritual reform and social movement turn into followers and faithful defenders of a legitimate authority. They become the spokespeople for an institutionalized orthodoxy whose support is sought by the political regime.

The system of beliefs and practices related to Bektashism seems to have corresponded to a kind of liberation theology, whereas the structure of Bektashi groups corresponded more or less to the type of religious organization conventionally known as charismatic groups. It becomes understandable therefore that their spiritual tendency could at times connect with and meet social, cultural and national perspectives. In turn, when members of the previously persecuted religious minority will acquire a degree of religious and political respectability within society at large, the doctrines of heterodoxy and liberation theology fade into the background. In the end, the heirs of the heterodox promoters of spiritual reform and social movement turn into followers and faithful defenders of a legitimate authority. They become the spokespeople for an institutionalized orthodoxy whose support is sought by the political regime.