Hi there,

Recently I’ve been reading A Gradual Awakening” by Stephen Levine. I find it helpful to read anything on spiritual practice even if it is different from my own. Sometimes the differences can shock the mind into a new understanding. These are some of my thoughts.

In his book, Levine describes a Buddhist mindfulness practice which requires the correct balance of awareness, concentration and energy.

He tells us that: 

• Too much energy and we spin out in thoughts.
• Too much concentration without sufficient energy and the mind dreams off.
• When awareness is present but energy and concentration are weak, understanding stays superficial.

I picture this as having a vigilant awareness of the monkey mind that is always trying to distract us from our mindfulness and meditation. This awareness is without attachment. You observe your thoughts without getting hooked into them.

This vision reminded me of Adnan’s work and how it differs.

I am no expert on Buddhist mindfulness and only share my impressions to highlight what I think is unique about this Sufi path to spirit.

For example, Levine’s description of the mind “dreaming off” when there is insufficient energy had me wondering about the sleep Adnan’s students fall into after a particularly powerful workshop sequence of chanting, slow movement or drumming. Is this lazy meditation -- a lower consciousness that arises from lack of sufficient energy or effort or something else?

At my very first Adnan workshop, I was surprised to see his students flop down on their blankets and fall sleep after 45 minutes of slow movement and breathing. I, instead, sat up ramrod straight, legs crossed, feeling superior. 

However, I soon learned that this sleep was part of Adnan’s Sufi practice. It is a special kind of sleep that enabled integration and absorption of his work. If you have ever opened your eyes during this rest time you would have seen Adnan sitting at the front of the room fully alert and intense in his stance. In these moments, I suspect he was transmitting spiritual energy to his sleeping students.

What could be more wondrous than acquiring spiritual development while sleeping! 

In one of these sleep times I had a mind opening dream:

 I am driving up a steep hill in a VW bug. Suddenly the road makes a sharp right hand turn. Unable to respond quickly enough, my front tires slipped over the edge of a cliff high above the desert floor. My car is balanced between the road and the air. Slowly, I ease the car in reverse and lift my foot off the clutch. Instead of moving backwards onto the road as I had intended, the car lurches forward and over the edge. As the car plummets to the ground below, I feel myself slip out the top of my head while observing the desert floor below. I wake up with a start. I am back in my body lying on my blanket. I feel goose bumps. The dream reminded me about the importance of surrendering to whatever happens to me while doing this work.

Levine also wrote about the necessity of maintaining awareness and concentration in meditation. He describes a focused attention on the breath and detached awareness of thoughts as they arise and float away. 

In my early years of Sufi practice, I put much effort into staying focused especially while chanting in the woods. Even though Adnan assured us it was ok to lie down when we felt tired, I was determined to sit up and chant as long as I could. I would rest only a short time and then sit back up to chanting some more.

Gradually I gave up this “efforting” and relaxed into whatever arose from my chant. My effort was a product of my ego and its obsession with doing it right in order to progress more rapidly in the work. This pushing does not promote progress, it actually detracts from chant and the spiritual work. 

Since pushing and exerting were my way of showing up in the world, Adnan’s way to spirit was particularly suited to me. Letting go and letting be were the lessons I needed to learn.

In one of Adnan’s books of student reports, there is a story about a woman who tried to escape her drug addictions by joining a Buddhist community. Every morning the practitioners woke up in the wee-hours of the night to chant. They had simple meals and were discouraged from conversation. It was a strict regime. For a time, she did well. Then one day her composure shattered and she ran away from the community and back to her drugs. It was only when she met Adnan and followed his work that she was able to fully release her addictions and find peace.

There is nothing wrong with discipline. You need discipline to keep doing the spiritual work, to change your habits and you thoughts. However, too much discipline can backfire. Adnan often told us, “Sometimes you must give the dog (the animal self) a bone.” It is ok to indulge in the body’s desires once in a while, because otherwise we may overdo and run away. This is probably why Adnan instituted the “day off” at Sufi Camp. 

I love this aspect of Adnan’s Sufi practice. It accepts that we are human and even uses our senses to take us into the moment. We do not focus on one thing, like the tip of our nose. We focus on the changing movement, music and the breath. The monkey mind is captivated by the next movement and the next.

The work focuses on the spiritual state we seek, not the distractions of our thoughts. Our thoughts fall away as we move and breathe, from moment to moment. There is no need to fight them or even notice them.

Please understand, I do not intend to discourage anyone from doing Buddhist mindfulness. I believe we choose the path that fits our own needs. 

One night following a few years of Sufi practice, I pondered whether Adnan’s work was the right path for me. I woke up suddenly to the sound of Adnan calling my name. It was so real, so insistent that is was difficult for me to accept that he was not physically present. At some level, maybe he was present. I took this as a confirmation of my path and never again questioned doing Adnan’s work.

Is the Sufi work your choice?

Join me tomorrow for Sufi Class Sunday, October 13, 8:00 am PDT.

The Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88050735178?pwd=zkrVoc4Mtg0pSXtAAWmoCrHWQb2qb1.1

Next Tuesday's class will be taught by Paloma at her link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89999494833?pwd=V2pOS28yYUdXM3hkaW1rVWIvSjBUdz09

Don’t forget to use the password SUFI all in caps if you are asked for the password.

Be brilliant,

Dr. Michelle

Life Transformation Coach

Empowering Women to Reinvent Their Life After Loss

Secrets of Life and Death

https://www.facebook.com/secretsoflifeanddeath.com