Enemy Within - Reflections on the Human Self (Nafs)

[usman.khawar]

Yes, that's where the Theistic (As in overall creator God) Religions and Buddhism part company. In Buddhism The Gods are seen as merely part of the Wheel of Life.

I have to say though, that the psychological view Usman has described is similar to the Buddhist view of the self as a struggle between the positive and negative urges of the self. The Buddhist view does not contain the symbology of satan and the Divine though.

I feel I can pop a bit of Buddhism in precisely because of this correlation. I'm not intending to highjack Usman's thread.

what i think about budha other than what i said about him is that he was a genious man. he found the reality( Lord) but didnt name Him. why? i think the answer is hinduism. hinduism made idols of everything. hinduism absorbs many religions by making idols. budha was afraid to give name to lord that hinduism will make another idol for him and absorb it . but bad luck to him people make his idols. budha name the reality by the light/knowlege.
i like to listen what u wanna to say. it was better if u guys raise questions after reading some pages to fully understand for the topic which was started.

I think 21st century science is compatible with many religions, not only the Muslim religion. This was not the case with science a hundred years ago and it may not be the case with science in the future.

Thanks for responding to my question!

you think , but what i saw that people are fed up by the religions as religions contradict with what are facts explained by the science. about islam i have expalined in " why i beleive in God" that how islam doesnt contradict with facts n science. if you like to read.

Ego is not a dirty word, people.

you are liberal to say anything to people.. but m sure if u read the article and try to understand then may b u get a lot about it

[G L Wilson]

you are liberal to say anything to people.. but m sure if u read the article and try to understand then may b u get a lot about it

I am free to say anything I wish, could the same be said of you, usman.khawar?

[usman.khawar]

Ego is not a dirty word, people.

just assume for a while there is a God, God who have started all these universes and earth with His intention. intention is necessary for all this thing.

its His intention/order/wish which is applying everywhere resulting in happenings. now what i think that our self ( the packet of instincts, wish, intention) try to stand before what is coming from upword planing.

. so i beleive as much difference is low as much the frustration would be low. in other words if i have to define frustration/depression/anger etc , then i would say

" Frustration is the difference between the two plans. Plan of Lord and plan of self ."

I wrote this in another discussion in the post wilson which u have started with the name of know thyself. by this explanation i think there are two type of ego. self's ego and Lord's ego. i often say a sentence " let the happnings do happen" by this sentence i always means that whatever Lord does is always better in reward then what i do. some sufi says that if u withdraw from your ego its like a drop emerge in ocean is not remain mere a drop rather become ocean.

[billl]

This is a very common observation, and makes a very good point about spirituality/meditation/mysticism, etc. But Wilson was still correct. Calling individuals "drops" is propaganda. We are a lot more interesting than drops, and the human ego is nothing to be ashamed of, not something we should be seeking to eliminate or denigrate unconditionally.

[usman.khawar]

This is a very common observation, and makes a very good point about spirituality/meditation/mysticism, etc. But Wilson was still correct. Calling individuals "drops" is propaganda. We are a lot more interesting than drops, and the human ego is nothing to be ashamed of, not something we should be seeking to eliminate or denigrate unconditionally.

i dont know why some people leave the context of the sentences bill. anyway who said that the self will be eleminated. i have expalined it already , didnt i ?
like i said before as below: you will see its not eleminating rather its refinement procedure. most beneficial. :

After the completion of its training and the adoption of new habits and tendencies, the Nafs is eager to stamp its individuality and distinguish itself from others. With the passage of time and growth of knowledge the Nafs begins to develop love and affection for this new approach and internalises it as a permanent and freely chosen practice. This developmental stage of the Self’s thought, leads to the desire to seek the friendship of God. The ideas of this new ‘world’ and the discovery of new horizons prevent the Self from abandoning this choice for divine longing. All the while, its original instincts are striving to pull it back to its days of ignorance (Jahiliyya). However, the strength and fortitude of the new practices keep it steadfast on the path towards God. Further, through the mercy and support of God, tranquillity and inspiration descends upon the Self. This unexpected blessing is one that the Human Self has never tasted before. It is now that its purpose in life becomes (crystal) clear and its beliefs and thoughts clarified. Indeed, (ultimate) consciousness is attained.

[usman.khawar]

how to train , well ist of all how to find it or recogonize it? i think read the article plz slowly with consideration. its not rocket sceince.

[billl]

i dont know why some people leave the context of the sentences bill. anyway who said that the self will be eleminated.

I don't know who said that. It wasn't me, and it wasn't you.

(To save you the time of reading the actual posts again, let me just mention that I was talking about the human ego--"self's ego", which you had mentioned--and the elimination OR denigration of that.)

[virginiawang]

"Embosomed for a season in nature, whose floods of life stream around and through us, and invite us by the powers they supply, to action proportioned to nature, why should we grope among the dry bones of the past, or put the living generation into masquerade out of its faded wardrobe? The sun shines to-day also. There is more wool and flax in the fields. There are new lands, new men, new thoughts. Let us demand our own works and laws and worship."
Ralph Waldo Emerson » Nature » Introduction

If I am God, will you worship me?

[usman.khawar]

"Embosomed for a season in nature, whose floods of life stream around and through us, and invite us by the powers they supply, to action proportioned to nature, why should we grope among the dry bones of the past, or put the living generation into masquerade out of its faded wardrobe? The sun shines to-day also. There is more wool and flax in the fields. There are new lands, new men, new thoughts. Let us demand our own works and laws and worship."
Ralph Waldo Emerson » Nature » Introduction

If I am God, will you worship me?

yes i'll but you are not God. Actually the article with which i started the thread is concerned with, that now self (the enemy within,nafs) like to be god. at the end it behaves like pharoh. When Ibrahim went in his court and didnt bowed pharoh said that i m the Lord, Ibrahim said how can u be a lord? my lord is one who give birth and death. pharoh did an intersting thing in reply. he killed an innocent person and gave liberty to guilty one who was sentenced to death. and he said i can do same as ur lord. Ibrahim smiled at him and said my lord rise sun from the west and dawn at east. phorah caught in surprised with no answer. Actually God is so big that we cant imagine Him nor we give any example from His creations that how is look like. we even couldnt imagine the time n space which are his creations. its all not bychance. so perfect and so balanced and unimaginable creations. all by chacne ? well He can be recogonize by His attributes. We can be sure of His existance through His signs in ours and out spread around. Everything is from Him and will return to Him. if his existance can be proved then is there any question like how He looks like , where He lives etc ?


more wool and flax, dry bones of the past..new lands new men new thoughts. let us demand our own works and laws and worship.

it seems good wording to get rid of past experiences. there are many points gather in this statement. one can live like this many lived as well. the question is that has today's new human succeeded to overcome problems/crimes/classles societry with his own laws? man gave so many systems but failed isnt it?. wt is new ? some materialistic progress ? homosexuality? or what ? dont u see land, human chemistry and thoughts are same as in past. worship to whom? burrying head like ostrech in sand is not the solution. ignoring the main questions for our existance on earth is like closing eyes from the reality like pigion who do it after seeing cat at very close.
in Quran Allah says they (non beleivers) will say that these are the stories of old people ,in quran Allah asked , dont they understand? they will say/ask how can Lord will reborn us after death. O prophet told them wt they think that making ist time is more difficult or 2nd time?? do they understand?? dont they see that we rain on death earth and it become alive. we will awake them again certainly. wts the new thoughts ? in quran Allah says they will reach at the point that time(nature) give us birth time kill us, what is nature ? many centuries ago Allah told where would the philosopers reached at the point!! poor nature haha can do everything gave billions colors of life around us, so technical so creative but has no tongue lolzzz cant speak to his creations. i m surprised todays when everyone like to go with arguments n logic when talk about religion ignor the argument. mostly i saw people when accept religion or reject it do it without argument. actually now people dont want to take risks of accepting others strong reasons. may b ego's matter.

[virginiawang]

I can debate with you, but I am not interested here.

[usman.khawar]

I can debate with you, but I am not interested here.

kindly let me know where u'll b interested ?

[usman.khawar]

I can debate with you, but I am not interested here.

We can discuss like friends as well.. i like questions ..

[cafolini]

I have no problem with Muslim submission so long as they are not like Jehova's Witnesses
that visit too often. I would even invite them for a few drinks to see if I can get them to a more realistic and coincident trance.

[usman.khawar]

I have no problem with Muslim submission so long as they are not like Jehova's Witnesses
that visit too often. I would even invite them for a few drinks to see if I can get them to a more realistic and coincident trance.

Jehova's Witnesses
that visit too often, invite where or why?

[cafolini]

Jehova's Witnesses
that visit too often, invite where or why?

Why do cows don't have kittens? Because...because...because.