1.He is the Seer and also That through which He sees.
- Ibn Arabi
Creatures rise and creatures vanish;
I alone Am Real, Arjuna,
looking out, amused, from deep
within the eyes of every creature.
- Bhagavad Gita
.. wakana Rabbuka Baseeran.
and thy Lord is ever Seer.
- The Quran 25:20
That which makes the eye See,
but which can not be seen by the eye,
That alone IS God,
Not 'what' people worship.
- Upanishad
2.Sufi teacher, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (1916 - 2004), blessed be his heart, gives a beautiful meditation on Divine Glance (equivalent eastern term 'Darshan') with explanation in his book Awakening: A Sufi Experience. I quote from the book:
"Rather than focusing on the objects in front of you, keep your eyes aimed at infinity; this causes any thing in your line of vision to fall out of focus and appear as blur, as if everything were intermeshed with everything else.
You can also open and close your eyes rapidly, like a shutter in a camera. In this practice you don't "see" as you normally would, but cast light forward into the physical realm, imagining your eyes and your body as extensions of the Universe.
Then think of yourself, "My glance is the Divine Glance. It has been greatly limited by my perspectives - but it is the Divine Glance radiating luminous intelligence." As you exhale, imagine that you are a state of awaiting, rather than actively looking.
When I was in Royal Navy during World War II, I spent four hours every night watching for German U-boats. I was taught then that my eyesight had to be totally neutral and receptive. The same technique can be applied here. Think of the Divine Glance as having a penetrating effect. The Sufis call it the light of intelligence that sees into the nature of things.
With diligent and intelligent practice, you will begin to grasp a kind of halo around objects in your environment. Take for example, a flower. Instead of looking at each petal, gaze at the flower as a whole, entering into its spirit. Eventually you see its aura, sensing the reality that lies just behind its physical representation as a single blossom. Or, you can do this practice with a person, glimpsing the luminescent countenance of his celestial counterpart transpiring through the feature of his or her face.
The poet Hafiz says, "If only you could see yourself through my eyes, you'd realize how beautiful you are!"
This is the privilege I have often as a teacher, watching the faces of those I am guiding in meditation.
Indeed, this is an esoteric practice that can be used in a tangible way to commune more deeply with life, nature and people. Suppose, for example, you are walking through a lovely, green forest in a state of ecstasy, thinking, "Yes, my eyes are the eyes through which God sees His own body."
Such a perspective awakens an entirely new dimension that facilitates a more mystical participation with nature, rather than that of detached human "observer".
This was the experience of St. Francis, who, rather than merely observing the leaves and trunks of the trees when walking through the forest, entered into the very consciousness of the trees. It was what led him to proclaim: "That which you are looking for is looking at you."
Further, you realize that your glance is the Divine Glance, yet greatly diminished (until realized fully)."
You can also open and close your eyes rapidly, like a shutter in a camera. In this practice you don't "see" as you normally would, but cast light forward into the physical realm, imagining your eyes and your body as extensions of the Universe.
Then think of yourself, "My glance is the Divine Glance. It has been greatly limited by my perspectives - but it is the Divine Glance radiating luminous intelligence." As you exhale, imagine that you are a state of awaiting, rather than actively looking.
When I was in Royal Navy during World War II, I spent four hours every night watching for German U-boats. I was taught then that my eyesight had to be totally neutral and receptive. The same technique can be applied here. Think of the Divine Glance as having a penetrating effect. The Sufis call it the light of intelligence that sees into the nature of things.
With diligent and intelligent practice, you will begin to grasp a kind of halo around objects in your environment. Take for example, a flower. Instead of looking at each petal, gaze at the flower as a whole, entering into its spirit. Eventually you see its aura, sensing the reality that lies just behind its physical representation as a single blossom. Or, you can do this practice with a person, glimpsing the luminescent countenance of his celestial counterpart transpiring through the feature of his or her face.
The poet Hafiz says, "If only you could see yourself through my eyes, you'd realize how beautiful you are!"
This is the privilege I have often as a teacher, watching the faces of those I am guiding in meditation.
Indeed, this is an esoteric practice that can be used in a tangible way to commune more deeply with life, nature and people. Suppose, for example, you are walking through a lovely, green forest in a state of ecstasy, thinking, "Yes, my eyes are the eyes through which God sees His own body."Such a perspective awakens an entirely new dimension that facilitates a more mystical participation with nature, rather than that of detached human "observer".
This was the experience of St. Francis, who, rather than merely observing the leaves and trunks of the trees when walking through the forest, entered into the very consciousness of the trees. It was what led him to proclaim: "That which you are looking for is looking at you."
Further, you realize that your glance is the Divine Glance, yet greatly diminished (until realized fully)."
3.Footnote about the post and a case of synchronocity:
generally i try to keep a continuous flow, some relationship between the materials posted and shared here. if i'm posting something in the blog, i love to find something that is relational to the previous post and inspiring, resourceful to follow up with.
after one or two hours of compiling, writing and posting about Darshan and the experience of Darshan with Mother Meera, i was waiting to meet an appointment with a friend at a coffeeshop in downtown Boulder, which had a bookstore adjacent to it (or a bookstore with coffeeshop). the friend somehow missed the appointment, so i walked to the bookstore and deciding to browse books.
the particular book, Awakening: A Sufi Experience was among 3 books i picked up to glance through. as i opened this very book, the random page and chapter that appeared was talking exactly 'Divine Glance' and this meditation was given there (the section i shared above including the quote from Ibn Arabi). it brought a smile to my face because what could be more appropriate to followup with, than this theme. the Universe never fails to keep us amazed with assorted mix of synchronocities and bounties!
after one or two hours of compiling, writing and posting about Darshan and the experience of Darshan with Mother Meera, i was waiting to meet an appointment with a friend at a coffeeshop in downtown Boulder, which had a bookstore adjacent to it (or a bookstore with coffeeshop). the friend somehow missed the appointment, so i walked to the bookstore and deciding to browse books.
the particular book, Awakening: A Sufi Experience was among 3 books i picked up to glance through. as i opened this very book, the random page and chapter that appeared was talking exactly 'Divine Glance' and this meditation was given there (the section i shared above including the quote from Ibn Arabi). it brought a smile to my face because what could be more appropriate to followup with, than this theme. the Universe never fails to keep us amazed with assorted mix of synchronocities and bounties!
fabi ayyi ala i Rabbikuma tukajjiban.
then which of the bounties of your Lord will ye deny?!
- Surah of The Compassionate One, The Quran
then which of the bounties of your Lord will ye deny?!
- Surah of The Compassionate One, The Quran
# Resource:
. Universel: A Course of Meditation
. Awakening the glance of the dervish | an audio meditation
. More audio meditations
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