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Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart Paperback – June 1, 1995
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- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherThe Golden Sufi Center
- Publication dateJune 1, 1995
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100963457446
- ISBN-13978-0963457448
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About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Sufism
The Transformation of the Heart
By Llewellyn Vaughan-LeeThe Golden Sufi Center
Copyright © 2012 The Golden Sufi CenterAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-9634574-4-8
Contents
Introduction,1. The Longing of the Heart,
2. Sufi Practices: The Dhikr and Meditation,
3. Polishing the Mirror of the Heart,
4. Dreamwork,
5. The Relationship with the Teacher,
6. Uniting the Two Worlds,
7. Abiding in God,
Appendix,
Notes,
Bibliography,
Index,
Acknowledgments,
CHAPTER 1
THE LONGING OF THE HEART
If the eight Paradises were opened in my hut, and the rule of both worlds were given in my hands, I would not give for them that single sigh which rises at morning-time from the depth of my soul in remembering my longing for Him. Bâyezîd Bistâmî
AWAKENING TO THE PAIN OF SEPARATION
The journey back to God begins when He looks into the heart of His servant and infuses it with divine love. This is the moment of tauba, "the turning of the heart." The glance of the Beloved awakens the memory of the soul, the memory of our primordial state of oneness with God. The memory of this union makes us aware that we are now separate from the One we love, and so ignites the fire of longing. The exile remembers his real Home and begins the long and lonely journey back to the Beloved.
Without the glance of the Beloved there would be no longing for God and no spiritual journey. It is only because He wants us that we turn away from the outer world and set out on the ancient journey of the soul back to its source. Someone once asked Râbi'a, "I have committed many sins; if I turn in penitence towards God, will He turn in mercy towards me?" "Nay," she replied, "but if He shall turn towards thee, thou wilt turn towards Him."
The moment of tauba can be the glance of a teacher, as when Rûmî fell at the feet of Shams. It is rarely so outwardly dramatic, but the presence of someone who is spiritually awake can trigger a response of the heart, bringing into consciousness a hidden homesickness for one's real Home. Then in an instant the inner orientation of the individual changes. A doorway to the beyond has been opened, through which we glimpse the soul's deepest desire. Once this desire is awakened we are left with a sweet and terrible longing for what we have seen:
The world is full of beautiful things until an old man with a beard came into my life and set my heart aflame with longing and made it pregnant with Love. How can I look at the loveliness around me, how can I see it, if it hides the Face of my Lover?
For some their longing is awakened by a teacher, while others may be awakened by a dream, a saying, or a piece of music that strikes the heart's primal chord. It may be a moment in nature when, for an instant, the door between the two worlds opens, or even a shock that momentarily frees us from the grip of the ego and the mind. In whatever way the Beloved wills, He comes to us, for this longing is always a gift of God, sent to the exile inviting him to set out Home.
The awakening of longing is the initial awakening of the heart. We hear His call not with the outer ear but with the ear of the heart. This call is always present because each and every atom sings the song of remembrance, every particle of creation desires to be reunited with the Creator. His call is at the core of creation; without it the world would disintegrate. It is the centripetal pull which balances the centrifugal, expansive energy of creation. We feel this inner gravitatio
Product details
- Publisher : The Golden Sufi Center; Paperback edition (June 1, 1995)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0963457446
- ISBN-13 : 978-0963457448
- Item Weight : 11.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #958,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #377 in Sufism (Books)
- #946 in Dreams (Books)
- #8,064 in Meditation (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D., is a Sufi Teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujadidiyya Sufi Order. Born in London in 1953, he has followed the Naqshbandi Sufi path since he was 19. In 1991 he moved to Northern California and became the successor of Irina Tweedie, author of "Chasm of Fire" and "Daughter of Fire." In recent years the focus of his writing and teaching has been on the subject of Spiritual Ecology — a spiritual response to our present ecological crisis. Author of several books, Llewellyn lectures in the United States and Europe. He has also been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on Super Soul Sunday, and featured on the PBS Global Spirit series. For further information, please see: www.goldensufi.org and www.workingwithoneness.org
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According to the book's definition, "Sufi is a name given to a band of mystics who are lovers of God". The goal in Sufism or a Sufi is to become one with God by mediating and chanting (dhikr). Some of the concepts are similar to other spiritual teachings such as "Divinity of humans" (Holy Spirit or God living in every human like Unity teachings), "The real reason of unhappiness or feelings of unfulfillment is the result of separation from God" ("A Course in Miracles") ," Living in the world but not of it" (Bible) and "Living in the presence of God every moment" (Marianne Williamson's writings)
After finishing it, I was terribly disappointed by the book which is terribly dry, abstract and repetitious. ( "The mind and the ego can never grasp an experience of total unity in which there is no distinction between observer and observed, but the heart's experience of His unity is reflected into our ordinary consciousness." )I learned more about Sufism from a three minute video of Jonathan Brown from Georgetown University, a video clip of a documentary about Sufism by PBS on the internet and Rumi's official website maintained by his descendants(Mevlana Rumi), than reading this book.(Mevlana Rumi's website also has a list of recommended books in English. If you click on each book's web link, it takes to Amazon.com, where you can buy the books.)
However, my major disappointment about this book was the dedication of one third of the book, fifty pages, to Carl Jung and his dream work while briefly mentioning Rumi, two pages, the first person comes to mind in many circles talking about Sufism. (Since I did a lot of reading about Jung years ago, I did not buy this book to learn about Jung but Sufism) Not to mention, there was no coverage of Omar Khayyam or Al-Ghazali "whose influences extended beyond Muslim lands and Western philosophers and theologians" according to my internet research.
In this age of separation, alienation and strife, we need more enlightened spiritual teachers like Llewelly and his message of universal love and unity. ("God is all there is, everything is God's expression of Himself and God is love."/ "Whatsoever you turn, there is the face of God") One can't help but admire his command of the English language when he talks, brilliance, level of spiritual enlightenment, and dedication of spreading the message of universal love (Sufism) to masses. I wish he would write the way he talks because if readers, who don't know much about the subject matter unlike him, don't understand the book, the message is not going to reach the target audience. (I highly recommend watching his an hour long video called "We Are All One" on the internet to really appreciate him.)
This book is very important. It ushers you (readers) into understanding Sufism.
I live in Java, the land of spiritual, and I learnt mysticism in my family. I also read many books about Physics, theoretical physics and cosmology.
I read about Hinduism; The Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and others. All of these is to understand the ultimate truth of Reality.
Yet Sufism blew my mind away and reshaped what I have learnt to something more meaningful, and everything now felt so right, perfect, and doubtless.
The Science of physics and the spiritual-the mystic are ONE. Literally.
I see the nature and people in it differently. I have no fear nor doubt. Very calm. Very peaceful. Full of love. The Love of God.
My brothers and sisters, let there be no hatred in this world. Only Peace and Love. Because we are One. One of God.
La Illaha illallah. There is no God but God.
The gentleness in this man made me want more. I immediately downloaded Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart on my Amazon Kindle. At the same time I ordered the paperback from Amazon as well. The book is well written, gentle in nature, and on my bedside table. I whole heartedly recommend it.
I love the feel of a book in my hand and owning a copy
of the book. I read to know that I am not alone and this
was one book that taught me a whole lot...We are more alike
than different. The book gives a history of the Islam belief
and the Muslim true culture. It also tells us that we
are looking for the same thing...Love...Love for God, Love for
others, and Love for self. Reading this book gave me hope for
my belief...We Are One...One In God.
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