Crossing Boundaries, Infinity of Desire, and Turtles
Crossing Boundaries: Essays on the Ethical Status of Mysticism discusses the relationship between the "unitive, ascetic, and ecstatic tendencies of mystical traditions and the more mundane but ethically pressing realms of society, custom, and civilized life." So what has mysticism got to do with ethics? G. William Barnand and Jeffrey Kripal try to answer this question and address few other debates.
A central idea of mysticism is "crossing boundaries" -- transcending realities. Therefore, does such transcendence ignore the social and ethical realities? The collection brings together some of finest scholars on this subject dealing with mystic ideas in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. One interesting article that I would like to mention here is The Infinity of Desire: Love, Mystical Union and Ethics in Sufism that concerns Abu Yazid Al-Bistami, a persian sufi born in 804 CE.
While I was growing up in Chittagong, Bangladesh, we used to live in an area named after him, because his followers claim that his shrine is there. I remember seeing throngs of devotees (both Muslims and Hindus) that would come from far away to see his shrine and feed the Bostami Turtle that are believed to be "supernatural creatures who did not obey the order of Bayazid and took this shape after gaining his wrath". According to wikipedia:Interestingly enough, there is a shrine in Chittagong, Bangladesh that local people believe to be Bastami's tomb as well. This seems unlikely to be true, as Bastami was never known to have visited Bangladesh. However, Sufi teachers were greatly influential in the spread of Islam in Bengal and this might explain the belief. The Islamic scholars of Bangladesh usually regard the tomb at Chittagong attributed to him as a jawab, or imitation.
One explanation is the local legend that Bayazid did indeed visit Chittagong. At the time of his return, he found that his local followers did not want to leave. Overwhelmed by the love of his local followers, he pierced his finger and dropped a few drops of his blood on the ground and allowed his followers to build a shrine in his name where his blood drops fell.
In any case, it was interesting to read this article not for the above reason, but it did bring back some memories. Bistami's mystical undertakings are fascinating, specially his ideas on transgression and love. No writings of his survived, so these are second hand accounts. This following excerpt is from one Bistami's compiler, Sahlaji (d. ca. 1085 C.E.):I plunged into ocean of malakit (the realm of pure ideas) and the veils of deity (lahut) until I reached the throne, and lo, it was empty; so I cast myself upon it and said, "Master, where shall I seek thee?" And the veils were lifted up, and I saw that I am I, yea, I am I. I turned back into what I sought, and it was I, no other, into which I was going."
This Miraj like ascension account can also be found in some Jewish mystical tradition, which some scholars suggest that Bistami might have studied and also he might have some contact with Vedantic ideas:Bistami dreams he ascends the heaven carried at first on a green bird. In the course of the journey he is faced with an unprecedented trial. Angels of intimidating size spread out before him gifts of every kind and mastery of the heavens and all knowledge. At each heaven, he loweers his eyes, knowing he is being tested, and responds to the angels' offer (wiht some minor variants): "dear/great one (azizi), my desire is not in what you are showing me." A fire then flares within his heart-secret (sirr) reducing the majestic angels to the size and likeness of a gnat or mosquito before Bistami and astonishing them. After his sincerity is proven through such testing, he proceeds to the next heaven. (R.C. Zaehner, Hindus and Muslim Mysticism, as quoted in _The Infinity of Desire_ by Michael Sells)
A central idea of mysticism is "crossing boundaries" -- transcending realities. Therefore, does such transcendence ignore the social and ethical realities? The collection brings together some of finest scholars on this subject dealing with mystic ideas in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. One interesting article that I would like to mention here is The Infinity of Desire: Love, Mystical Union and Ethics in Sufism that concerns Abu Yazid Al-Bistami, a persian sufi born in 804 CE.
While I was growing up in Chittagong, Bangladesh, we used to live in an area named after him, because his followers claim that his shrine is there. I remember seeing throngs of devotees (both Muslims and Hindus) that would come from far away to see his shrine and feed the Bostami Turtle that are believed to be "supernatural creatures who did not obey the order of Bayazid and took this shape after gaining his wrath". According to wikipedia:Interestingly enough, there is a shrine in Chittagong, Bangladesh that local people believe to be Bastami's tomb as well. This seems unlikely to be true, as Bastami was never known to have visited Bangladesh. However, Sufi teachers were greatly influential in the spread of Islam in Bengal and this might explain the belief. The Islamic scholars of Bangladesh usually regard the tomb at Chittagong attributed to him as a jawab, or imitation.
One explanation is the local legend that Bayazid did indeed visit Chittagong. At the time of his return, he found that his local followers did not want to leave. Overwhelmed by the love of his local followers, he pierced his finger and dropped a few drops of his blood on the ground and allowed his followers to build a shrine in his name where his blood drops fell.
In any case, it was interesting to read this article not for the above reason, but it did bring back some memories. Bistami's mystical undertakings are fascinating, specially his ideas on transgression and love. No writings of his survived, so these are second hand accounts. This following excerpt is from one Bistami's compiler, Sahlaji (d. ca. 1085 C.E.):I plunged into ocean of malakit (the realm of pure ideas) and the veils of deity (lahut) until I reached the throne, and lo, it was empty; so I cast myself upon it and said, "Master, where shall I seek thee?" And the veils were lifted up, and I saw that I am I, yea, I am I. I turned back into what I sought, and it was I, no other, into which I was going."
This Miraj like ascension account can also be found in some Jewish mystical tradition, which some scholars suggest that Bistami might have studied and also he might have some contact with Vedantic ideas:Bistami dreams he ascends the heaven carried at first on a green bird. In the course of the journey he is faced with an unprecedented trial. Angels of intimidating size spread out before him gifts of every kind and mastery of the heavens and all knowledge. At each heaven, he loweers his eyes, knowing he is being tested, and responds to the angels' offer (wiht some minor variants): "dear/great one (azizi), my desire is not in what you are showing me." A fire then flares within his heart-secret (sirr) reducing the majestic angels to the size and likeness of a gnat or mosquito before Bistami and astonishing them. After his sincerity is proven through such testing, he proceeds to the next heaven. (R.C. Zaehner, Hindus and Muslim Mysticism, as quoted in _The Infinity of Desire_ by Michael Sells)