“In a word, there is nothing closer to you than you. If you do not know yourself, how can you know anything else? .... you must seek out the truth about yourself: What sort of a thing are you? Where did you come from? Where are you going? Why have you come to this stopping place? For what purpose were you created? What is your happiness and in what does it lie? What is your misery and in what does that lie?”
--Al-Ghazali, The Alchemy of Happiness.
In this 5 week series, Baraka Blue will take us through an exploration of the major themes from al-Ghazali’s seminal spiritual manuals: The Marvels of the Heart and The Alchemy of Happiness.
Session 1: The Life and Legacy of Imam al-Ghazali: The Quest for Enlightenment
Session 2: Know Thy Self: The Levels of the Nafs and the Composite Nature of the Human Being
Session 3: The Heart of the Matter: Illuminating The Spiritual Heart and Its Mysteries
Session 4: How Do You Know?: Practical & Mystical Knowledge; Transmitted & Experiential Knowledge
Session 5: The Vision of Virtue: The Method & Aim of the Spiritual Path
This course will be an exploration of the key terms of Quranic psychology and spirituality and a discussion of the the way to self-mastery and self-realization as articulated by one of Islam’s greatest scholars and mystics.
What is the nafs (ego/self)? The ruh (spirit)? The qalb (heart)? The ‘aql (intellect)?
What are the major diseases of the heart and what are their cures? What practical tools can we implement in our lives to deepen our practice and uncover our true nature.
In the words of al-Ghazali, “He who knows himself is truly happy.” Knowledge of self consists in realizing that we have a heart or spirit which is our true enlightened nature, but which has been covered with dust by the accumulation of passions derived from the lower self and its animal nature. The essence of the human being is likened to a perfect mirror which if polished would reveal one’s true spiritual nature. The key to this polishing is the elimination of selfish desires through spiritual discipline; a surrendering of the ego’s desires to the selfless light of divine guidance results in transformation and sanctification. He writes, “the aim of moral discipline is to purify the heart from the rust of passion and resentment till, like a clear mirror, it reflects the light of God.”
Happiness consists in the transformation of the self, and this transformation consists in the realization of one’s true spiritual nature. The ultimate ecstasy, al-Ghazali contends, is not found in any physical thing, but rather lies in discovering through personal experience one’s identity with the Ultimate Reality.
No prior knowledge is necessary. All ages and backgrounds are welcome.
Taught by Baraka Blue
When: Sundays 7pm. Starting 11/14.
Where: Rainier Arts Center
3515 S Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98118
Space is Limited.
Free course.