On Becoming Your True Self\xa0
Ibrahim Ansari\xa0
To become your true self you will need tools, clarity on the objective, and perspectives on the big and little picture.\xa0
Sufism is a well-developed system aimed at learning and knowing your Self. At this moment there are too many selves. Some you know, some you hide. In this case, we are looking for the one connected to the Universe, Allah, God, Truth, Ultimate Reality, Divine, Buddha \u2014- whatever you call the feeling of Connection.\xa0
We need something and someone who is really there to guide us out of our bad habits (Nafs) and towards a connection to the Divine, or Reality (Haqqiqah)\xa0
First, we have to acknowledge that whatever power we have is, in reality, not ours. It is something given, and we are responsible for what we do with this energy.
\xa0Secondly, there are many bad habits blocking that original, pure energy we were given to our True Self. We face a vicious intelligence guarding those bad habits. This guardian knows us so well that it can sabotage, camouflage, rationalize and subtly manipulate us into thinking we are in control. In truth, we are not in control. We are out of control whenever we get angry, or when we judge others, gossip, backbite, smoke, drink, swear- whatever we learned from our parents, guardians, teachers and culture.\xa0
So the first thing we have to do in order to clear the way to our True Self, is to witness the Nafs at work. We see it whenever we react to others, in the knee-jerk responses to the news and politics, ricocheting off our close family members, and at work and on the job with others.\xa0
We will need to learn a new kind of martial art that will allow us to fight these old and inherited loops of behavior. This is where Sufism is a fantastic partner in your journey to knowing your True Self. Sufism offers a number of tools depending on the degree and duration of the reviled habit.\xa0
You cannot do this by yourself. I\u2019ve tried. You may clear a couple of the cobwebs, but in reality it only delays the development and growth. The monumental problem is... you. You are in the way.\xa0
All right, we are close to clarifying our first goal. When you know the habit you want to Change we move into the first warrior position.\xa0
First position is called Change. Change is rewiring your brain. For this neurophysiological rewiring to happen requires Effort. Effort requires Work. Work means you develop an Intention to want to change. Work means you will clamber outside your comfort zone and perhaps experience some stress, anxiety, fear, embarassment and unwillingness. For Work to achieve its goal of Change we will need Time. Usually if you allow yourself 2- 4 months of focused work the habit will change.\xa0
Second position: A sense of humor. To avoid taking yourself seriously and getting bogged down in what might look like failure at first, keep a good sense of humor about the whole thing. To get lighter and dump these noxious habits overboard, laughing at yourself and these demons takes away their power. Watch comedies, even take a crack at doing a stand-up routine, or take a class in Improvisational Theater. It\u2019s a great way to get to know your inner characters, to let them out and laugh at them.\xa0
Third position: Practice. Maintaining the intention of work through focus and de
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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