The Garden of Truth: The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam's Mystical Tradition | 
 enlarge | Author: Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.38
You Save: $6.57 (44%)
New (41) Used (9) from $8.36
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 136040
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 006162599X
Dewey Decimal Number: 297
EAN: 9780061625992
ASIN: 006162599X
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. SHIPS WITH CONFIRMATION DELIVERY. From Our Bookstore to Your Home.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The headlines are filled with the politics of Islam, but there is another side to the world's fastest-growing religion. Sufism is the poetry and mysticism of Islam. This mystical movement from the early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the desire for heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the love of God as the only valid form of adoration. Sufism has made significant contributions to Islamic civilization in music and philosophy, dance and literature. The Sufi poet Rumi is the bestselling poet in America. But in recent centuries Sufism has been a target for some extremist Islamic movements as well as many modernists. The Garden of Truth presents the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought. In a world threatened by religious wars, depleting natural resources, a crumbling ecosystem, and alienation and isolation, what has happened to our humanity? Who are we and what are we doing here? The Sufi path offers a journey toward truth, to a knowledge that transcends our mundane concerns, selfish desires, and fears. In Sufism we find a wisdom that brings peace and a relationship with God that nurtures the best in us and in others. Noted scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr helps you learn the secret wisdom tradition of Islam and enter what the ancient mystics call the "garden of truth." Here, liberate your mind, experience peace, discover your purpose, fall in love with the Divine, and find your true, best self.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Parabola Magazine Review 33:2 (Summer 2008) September 11, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If the garden of truth is symbolic of that paradise proximal to the Divine Essence, then Sufism is that multifaceted way within the Islamic tradition that preeminently reaches to that garden. Among those in the West, Sufism is often thought of as a kind of quasi-universalistic mysticism, as with Hazrat Inayat Khan or Idries Shah, as a kind of "mystical dancing", as with the famous whirling dervishes, or as a way of ecstatic passion, as with the various translations and mistranslations of the poetry of Rumi. Among contemporary Muslims, Sufism, while quietly embraced by many, is too often rejected by the more strident voices of that community: by puritanical fundamentalists as an "innovation" and deviation from their understanding of pure Islam, by modernist reformers as an embarrassing medievalism best buried and forgotten. Like the blessed tree "neither of the east nor of the west" (Qur'an 24:35), the reality of Sufism is something quite different from either of these understandings. Moreover, this reality, far from being a mere historical curiosity, is one that speaks to our essential human condition, here and now. It is, simply, a way leading back to the Eternal, one that shall remain open until the end of historical time.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr is one of the world's leading scholars of Sufism, Islam and world philosophy. Now in his seventy-fifth year, he has authored more than fifty works and hundreds of articles and has received numerous honors in the fields of religion and philosophy. He has also been, since his boyhood in Tehran, intimately involved in the spiritual reality of Sufism. The present work may be understood as the seamless conjoining of both these threads of concern: at once scholarly and vitally engaged, it is not so much a book about Sufism as a book of Sufism, a Sufi treatise in the tradition of classical Sufi works, but composed in a contemporary language. The result is an elegant, accessible summary of the Sufi way, by turns deeply informative and profoundly moving.
The work is composed in six movements: leading with the fundamental existential question of our present situation and possibilities, it moves to a consideration in turns of the ways of knowledge, love and action as they manifest within the context of Sufism, then to a detailed description of the various facets of Sufi life, and finally, coming full circle, to a discussion of what Sufism may offer to the contemporary individual in search of a path of return to the Divine. Two capping appendices detail both the historical manifestation of Sufism as well as the tradition of theoretical Sufism in the context of realized gnosis. Ultimately, in what could well be taken as a Sufi epigram, everything comes back to Divine Unity: that which we are called to know and to realize is the One, that Divine beauty that calls us to love is that of the One, the virtues that we are called to embody are those of the One. To return to the One is to become one oneself, and in that wholeness is the garden.
Living in the Garden of Truth January 25, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book by the renowned Sufi scholar, Seyyed Hossein Nasr. It is a book I wish many fundamentalist Christian and Muslims would read because it is a lucid and loving explanation of the inner religion of truth where both Muslims and Christian could find harmony in the oneness of God.
Sufism is the mystical part of Islam and its deepest truths correspond to the truths put forth by mystics of other religions. When people go beyond the outer religious practices and rituals they find the oneness of Life.
Nasr covers the subject of Sufism brillantly as he is more than an outer scholar. There is too much to review, but some of the topics he writes about are the role of love and beauty in the spiritual life, the goal of Sufi practices, and spiritual masters and disciples. He also writes about various Sufi saints and schools of thought in different areas of the world.
He also writes some about jihad, which is a worrisome subject to many because some fundamentalists use it to justify violent actions including killing others. Nasr makes it clear that the greater jihad is to conquer one's one ego and to become spiritually victorious by reaching the garden of truth. If you see everyone as part of the oneness, why would you want to hurt anyone else? Violence only begets violence, but love can amplify itself and is eternally satisfying.
What I like about Sufism are the explanations of the oneness of God. For example, Only God can say "I", everyone else should say "we", as in we are the body of God.
There is too much profound thought in this book to summarize here. I just highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in helping Christians and Muslims to understand each other as beings who are part of the same, one and only, Creator of the universe. Clifford J Mikkelson, the onenessguy. Gospel of One, Letters of Aul
You can enjoy the perfume by just opening this book ... January 18, 2008
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Many books have been written on the above topic but the words in this book are poetic and comes from author's heart: a heart that not just knows but have seen the vision. This book provides a beautiful blending of authentic Sufi view and its higher vision from which this teaching originates. Nasr is a master to use contemporary language to explain authentic Islamic thoughts of higher knowledge of the heart; his use of perennial philosophy perspective to explain classic Islamic esoteric teaching is marvelous.
This book require some understanding of the Sufi path; it can appeal to any serious seeker on the path of any authentic and traditional religion. Read it with open mind and heart.
A beautiful Book January 15, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This review was originally written for this book, but somehow found itself linked to Dr. Nasr's collected papers, edited by Chittick. "The Garden of Truth" is an absolutely beautiful book. Although it might be called a primer, it is deep and rich and filled with sentences that make you stop and ponder and contemplate the wonders of the inward and outward aspects of the Divine. The chapter on love and beauty alone is pure gold. What I also liked about Dr. Nasr's narrative is his respect and appreciation for other mystical traditions, both East and West. His is no narrow view. I am a Jungian analyst by profession, but an amateur Sufi, amateur meaning one who does something for the sheer love of it. This book has deepend that love.
A Review By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat January 2, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Seyyed Hossein Nasr is professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University and the author of many books including The Heart of Islam. This erudite, enlightening, and wide-ranging overview of Sufism is the result of 50 years of both scholarly study and existential participation in Islam's mystical tradition. He notes at the start of this survey:
"The Sufi tradition contains a vast metaphysical and cosmological set of doctrines elaborated over a long period by masters of gnosis. It contains methods of spiritual realization that address nearly all the different spiritual possibilities on the levels of action, love, and knowledge. It has preserved over many centuries going back to the Prophet a regular chain of transmission of initiatic power (walayah/wilayah) and the grace (al-barakah) necessary for the spiritual journey. And above all, it can enable men and women to reach a state of sanctity."
Nasr believes that Sufism is uniquely qualified to help spiritual seekers in the West appreciate other religions and to serve as an antidote to Islamic fundamentalism. With its rich blend of mystical poetry, its diverse literature, its spiritual ethics, and its many musical masterworks, this path of the heart speaks to all those who yearn for a closer intimacy with God, a richer interior life, and a spiritual repertoire of practices that give life depth and meaning.
The book is divided into sections on:
* What It Means to Be Human (Who Are We and What Are We Doing Here?)
* Truth (The Knowledge That Illuminates and Delivers from the Bondage of Ignorance)
* Love and Beauty (The Fire That Attracts and Consumes, the Peace That Calms and Liberates)
* Goodness and Human Action (To Do His Will, to Conform to the Divine Norm)
* How Do We Reach the Garden of Truth? (The Path to the One)
* Access to the Center (Sufism Here and Now)
* The Sufi Tradition and the Sufi Orders (Reflections on the Manifestation of Sufism in Time and Space)
* The Tradition of Theoretical Sufism and Gnosis
The Sufi path leads from the deserts of forgetfulness, selfishness, and separation to the Garden of Truth where individuals can realize their true identity. According to Nasr, followers of the path are expected to be God's servant and always grateful, no matter what the circumstances. The author acknowledges that the road to the Garden of Truth involves acquiring and realizing unitive knowledge and being immersed in love and beauty. Sufis are known as "people of the heart," and intimacy with God means acting with humility, charity, nobility, sincerity, and truthfulness. Another practice is imitation of the Prophet Muhammad, who modeled a glorious way to live. Sufi masters talk about the importance of adab, a form of courtesy and kindness which pervades everything one does, from greeting people to eating to sitting in a gathering. Shaykhs help dervishes learn the spiritual disciplines and virtues, which are the ornaments of the soul.
According to Nasr, the integration of the contemplative life and the active life is the hallmark of Sufi spirituality. In these uncivil times, we need more people who have been trained in the spiritual efficacy of loving actions. A life of beauty is a life where attention, being present, gratitude, peace, and compassion are manifested at home and at work. Sufism also nurtures the spiritual arts which in turn can transform our lives both privately and publicly. The Garden of Truth by Seyyed Hossein Nasr is a very helpful illumination of this beautiful path.
|
|
|
