597. Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri

Sufi mystic and visionary Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri is an enlightened spiritual master. His life and works serve as a reminder that spirituality is a science and an art vitally relevant to our times. Shaykh Fadhlalla grew up in an environment where religious scholars, as well as Sufi and mystics, were part of his formative experience. His love and understanding of the universality of the Qur'anic message have imbued him with respect for other religions and spiritual paths.

Websites:

shaykhfadhlallahaeri.com

zahrapublications.pub

Books mentioned during the interview:

Son of Karbala: The Spiritual Journey of an Iraqi Muslim

Sufi Encounters: Sharing the Wisdom of Enlightened Sufis

Spectrum of Reality: Sufi Insights

The Garden of Meaning

Some points discussed in this interview:

Shaykh Fadhlalla’s childhood:

His curiosity and interest in science.

Seeing the underlying sameness in different cultures and religions.

Not being satisfied with earthly comforts.

Integrating individuality with universality, inner with outer, physicality with spirituality.

Luck and good fortune vs. divine orchestration.

Life as preparation for infinite life.

Nature provides the most amazing flow of guidance, but we are not attuned to it anymore, and our material fears and anxieties consume everything.

Calibration between the physical reality and the ‘quantum field’ makes a “huge difference in the quality of life and the ease of flow”.

Different kinds of ‘mind’: Low, Normal, Super, and Supra.

Shaykh Fadhlalla’s shift from occasional to abiding awakening.

Awakenings can be dramatic (abrupt) or subtle (gradual). In any case, refinement is ongoing. Life’s challenges may still touch you, but won’t overwhelm you.

We are moving very rapidly to greater universality, acceptance, tolerance, and respect.

The benefits of contemplating the vastness of the universe.

Shaykh Fadhlalla’s two highly spiritual fathers – his biological one and his guru, Swami Chinmayananda.

The 3-day limit for grieving in the Muslim tradition.

All religions come from the same light.

“The arc of the rising consciousness is clear.”

Love of nature as a spiritual path.

“You are essentially a cosmic being on a short journey on this earth.”

Suffering can be an incentive to see God.

Karma and reincarnation in Islam and Sufism.

Spiritual and other forms of leadership is shifting from male to female. Female saints in Islamic history.

Liberation within limitations.

Some quotes:

“The ultimate treasure, without measure, is your own soul”

“Every home needs its own inner ashram.”

“Within every human being, there is sacred light. If I don’t interfere too much, if I put my shadow away then the light will lead me.”

“The master within, my own soul, the divine presence.”

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded May 1, 2021

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview

00:03:45 - The Curiosity of a Child

00:07:51 - The Dichotomy of Earthly and Spiritual Desires

00:11:57 - The Inner and Outer Self

00:15:55 - Preparation for Infinite Life

00:19:44 - The Filter of the Brain

00:23:28 - The Shift into a Higher Consciousness

00:27:16 - The Progress of Consciousness

00:30:58 - The Influence of Consciousness on Animals

00:34:36 - Awakening to the Higher Within

00:38:38 - Reverencing the Divine Light within us

00:42:15 - Learning from a Spiritual Teacher

00:46:01 - Celebration of the Soul's Journey Beyond

00:49:57 - The Decline of Fundamentalism and the Rise of Universal Spirituality

00:53:48 - The Emergence of Spirituality and Technology

00:57:27 - The State of the Garden Within Me

01:01:22 - Losing the small self