Explorations of Emergent Sufism
Puran Lucas Perez
Emergent Sufism
In its purest form Sufism can be seen as the mystical dimension of The Quran. Its core principles and practices are inseparably woven into the brilliant spiritual tapestry originating with Muhammad and illuminated by Sufi teachers from Ibn Arabi to Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and countless others. At the same time, Sufism has always welcomed those who are called to make its transformative processes accessible in whatever time and place it might arise. Fazal Inayat-Khan, my teacher, was one of these. As the founder of The Sufi Way, an offshoot of his grandfather’s (Hazrat Inayat Khan) Sufi Movement, he urged us to explore the interspace of tradition and innovation. We might call this approach, “emergent”—a way of being which reveals itself anew each moment. Without disregarding the importance (and power) of traditional Sufism, this is a way of experiential validation, emphasizing that spiritual ideals are meant to be lived. No matter how fully we might understand a teaching, its realization only happens in the here and now—always emergent, revealing itself in fresh ways. The media and writings offered in this web space are invitations to this dance, to an ever dawning appreciation of “the music” from which Sufi teachings arise.
Videos inspired by the work of Pir Elias Amidon
Emergent Sufism?
In its purest form Sufism can be seen as the mystical dimension of The Quran. Its core principles and practices are inseparably woven into the brilliant spiritual tapestry originating with Muhammad and illuminated by Sufi teachers from Ibn Arabi to Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and countless others. At the same time, Sufism has always welcomed those who are called to make its transformative processes accessible in whatever time and place it might arise. Fazal Inayat-Khan, my teacher, was one of these. As the founder of The Sufi Way, an offshoot of his grandfather’s (Hazrat Inayat Khan) Sufi Movement, he urged us to explore the interspace of tradition and innovation.
We might call this approach, “emergent”—a way of being which reveals itself anew each moment. Without disregarding the importance (and power) of traditional Sufism, this is a way of experiential validation, emphasizing that spiritual ideals are meant to be lived. No matter how fully we might understand a teaching, its realization only happens in the here and now—always emergent, revealing itself in fresh ways. The media and writings offered in this web space are invitations to this dance, to an ever dawning appreciation of “the music” from which Sufi teachings arise.
~~~Puran Lucas Perez
