“‌Non-Duality in Vedanta and Sufism”

دویی از خود برون کردم، یکی دیدم دو عالم را

یکی جویم، یکی گویم، یکی دانم، یکی خوانم

“I dropped all dualities within myself,

Then I found that the 2 worlds were not but ONE.

Now,

I seek        One-ness

I speak    One-ness

I know    One-ness

I sing      One-ness”    Molana Rumi

In the Name of LOVE,

Namaste beloved soul friend,

You might know about the famous poet “ Molana Rumi” or if you’ve been following my posts you read about him and his poetry in my other blogs.

(Molana Rumi is a Sufi master, mystic & Poet of the 13th Century from Persia.)

• Let’s begin with what is Sufism ?

Sufi in Farsi language means “ wise” and at the same time there is no definition for a Sufi. Sufis are people of the heart and the core faith of a sufi is the secret of the heart, which is Love.

Sufism is a spiritual path to mystical union with the Divine. The central truth in sufism is the Unity of being. The central methods are directed to the heart. Only through the Love in our hearts we can know God which is the cosmic Love. It is a way of surrendering. Surrendering the Ego and dying in the identity or the self and the rebirth in Radical Love which is our Godliness.

Sufism is a Love affair with God as the beloved indian master “ Osho” defines it in his series of talks about sufism. 

Now,

• What is Vedanta :

Veda in sanskrit language means knowledge and anta means end. Vedanta means the summon of vedic wisdom or final step on our spiritual journey. 

Vedanta is a school of philosophy which takes its teaching from the Upanishads , the sacred ancient texts in hinduism.  

The message of Vedanta is One-ness of God. 

Vedanta says : Self knowledge is the beginning of Wisdom.

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As you see in this Poem Molana , talks about “ Unity” or “ one-ness”;  in sufism is called  “ Vahdat” and it’s the similar concept in vedanta called :  

“ Advaita” which is non-duality…

As Rumi says : I dropped all dualities within me…

In Advaita Vedanta it is believed that the soul is not different from

 “ Brahman” who is the ultimate God.

Adi Shankara was the most famous Hindu philosopher who lived a thousand years ago and he learned the vedas also the Hindu sacred texts called the Upanishad.  

In his commentaries, he proposed the theory of Advaita, saying that the Upanishad teaches that the individual soul ( Atman) is not different from Ultimate Reality

 ( Brahman).

He also taught that there is only one essential principle called Brahman and everything else is an expression of that one Brahman. Because of this theory of one being, his teachings became popular as the “Advaita” (A = not, Dvaita = two, means not-two or non-dual). Non Duality.

 The way he said this to people was “Atman is Brahman.”

In a similar concept in Sufism , It is believed in “ Vahdat ” also called “ Tohid” which is the unity with God.

“Wahdat-ul-Vojud” in Arabic language is  “ Unity of Being” which states that the only truth in the universe is God and that God exists in All.

As in Farsi language also is “ Hame OO st”, meaning “ He is the only one”.

There are so many talks in different traditions about Non Duality.

But i found it most relevant to me as Beloved Rumi said in his poem,

You will know one-ness only by knowing yourself just as the vedas tells us that Self knowledge is the beginning of  Wisdom…

One day you realize that you are beyond all your dualities and right at the centre of your being you become ONE with the whole…

Only in emptiness can you feel the wholeness and the unity with everything in yourself.

One of my favorite practices which reminds me of this one-ness is the “whirling Dance”. 

As you turn around and dance in your being, suddenly, you, the dancer disappears and only Dance remains. That’s when you see the whole universe in you. All ,one, Dancing in Ecstacy. You and the beloved are one! We are no longer part of the Ocean, we are all the Ocean.

Empty yourself, from yourself and find yourself ONE with the beloved.

Empty yourself from yourself and find yourself ONE with the whole universe.

We are all ONE!

There is no separation…

There is no more Longing…

There comes UNITY…

And this is called “ The dance of One-ness”.

From the magician of the “ Dance Of No Name”, to my beloved soul friends around the globe!

With Love,

Nobieh