Sufism &Beyond

Language: EnglishPages: 148Back of the BookFor millennia the sages of the East have proclaimed that the world is illusion ( Maya). Is it possible to make sense of this notion? Drawing on theoriese of sensory perception from physics, psychology and biology, the author shows that all products of perception are artifacts. The most dramatic of these artifacts is the familiar notion and experience of being an individual a separate self. In spiritual growth the power of this artifact; is diluted. Enlightenment is an event or process in which the artifact of the self is completely shattered.The book discusses the precise set of mechanisms through which the artifact of the separate self arises and is perpetuated. It considers the enormous implications of the psychological existence and non-existence of the separate self. The author argues that the primate-human brain, rooted in the me-thou dichotomy, based on deep illusion, has outlived its usefulness and must now be transformed if the species is to survive. This illusion can be gradually dispelled. The book shows how we can set ourselves free.New Sufi thought, in the spirit of the Renaissance, is a framework where art, science, philosophy and authentic spiritual impulse merge into a single unified, potent sense and sensibility the ingredients of a meta primate mind.Ali Ansari is a writer, poet and engineer. He holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and has taught at several universities in the Unites states and India. He has been engaged in contemporary adaptations of Sufi work and has drawn on both ancient and modern sources in developing his system. He lives in India and conducts frequent workshops. About the AuthorAli Ansari was born in India where he did his undergraduate work in Mechanical Engineering. He moved