Peace

“To know your soul and therefore your lord, you need to work through all the shadows and images of the self or ego. [On this path] there are two main types of euphoria. One is the eureka of a special discovery, breakthrough or insight, which brings about discernable joy. Such insight occurs when conditioned consciousness goes beyond thought into the creative vistas of pure consciousness. The other type of euphoria is deep, calm, and without outer excitement. It relates to the permanent presence of pure consciousness. This transcendental state reveals self awakening and spiritual maturity: when thoughts cease and shadows disappear, one is engulfed in the ocean of light.

“There is no end to the levels of self-knowledge and enlightenment, until this light of oneness shines through all dualities, cements the union between self and soul, and establishes unity in consciousness as it was at the inception of creation.

“To know this and put it into practice is the object of spiritual education. The result is personal transformation. The ultimate miracle is the amazing possibility that everything is in the one and the one is latent within all.

“Every self is eager to find its own way to the discovery, for there are as many pathways to light as there creations seeking that light. The master then sang, ‘Passion for god has bewildered me; thus I am alien and a stranger in this world. When I appear god vanishes, and when god appears I vanish.’” — Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri