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1 " It is not Sufism if it does not perform its function for you. A cloak is no longer a cloak if it does not keep a man warm. "
― Idries Shah , Thinkers of the East
2 " They asked Abboud of Omdurman: 'Which is better, to be young or to be old?' He said: 'To be old is to have less time before you and more mistakes behind. I leave you to decide whether this is better than the reverse. "
3 " Ali, Son of the Father of the SeekerAli said: 'None may arrive at the Truth until he is able to think that the Path itself may be wrong. This is because those who can only believe that it must be right are not believers, but people who are incapable of thinking otherwise than they already think. Such people are not men at all. Like animals they must follow certain beliefs, and during this time they cannot learn. Because they cannot be called “humanity”, they cannot arrive at the Truth. "
4 " People change and needs change. So what was Sufism once is Sufism no more. "
5 " Never follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion. "
6 " You will always have doubts, but only discover them at a useful time for your weakness to point them out. "
7 " When you feel least interested in following the Way which you have entered, this may be the time when it is most appropriate for you. "
8 " If you forsake a path, it is because you were hoping for conviction from it. You seek conviction, not self-knowledge. "
9 " Do not dwell upon whether you will put yourself into the hands of a teacher. You are always in his hands. "
10 " Debating whether one trusts or not is a sign that one does not want to trust at all, and therefore is still incapable of it. "
11 " Sufism is that which succeeds in bringing to man the High Knowledge. "
12 " What you are pleased to call Sufism is merely the record of past method. "
13 " Counsels of BahaudinYou want to be filled. But something which is full has first to be emptied. Empty yourself so that you will fill properly, by observing these counsels, which you can do as duties to yourself:FirstNever follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion. "
14 " WisdomSufian said: 'The wisdom which is invisible but which sustains is a hundred times better than the appearance of wisdom, for that has itself to be sustained. "
15 " The Book of Wisdom. Simab said: 'I shall sell the Book of Wisdom for a hundred gold pieces, and some people will say that it is cheap.' Yunus Marmar said to him: 'And I shall give away the key to understanding it, and almost none shall take it, even free of charge. "
16 " En los países en donde no hay caballos, a los burros se les llama caballos. "
17 " Si eres mezquino, practica la generosidad como un correctivo, no como una virtud. "
18 " La comprensión y el conocimiento son sensaciones completamente diferentes en el reino de la Verdad a como son en el reino de la sociedad. "
19 " Alí, hijo del padre del buscadorAlí dijo: “Nadie puede llegar a la Verdad hasta que sea capaz de pensar que el sendero mismo pueda estar equivocado. Esto es así porque aquellos que sólo pueden creer que debe ser correcto no son creyentes, sino gente incapaz de pensar de un modo diferente del que ya piensan. Esta gente no son hombres, en modo alguno. Como animales, deben seguir ciertas creencias, y durante este período no pueden aprender. Y puesto que no pueden llamarse 'humanidad', tampoco pueden llegar a la Verdad. "
20 " Nunca sigas ningún impulso para enseñar, sin importar lo fuerte que pudiera ser. El mandato para enseñar no se siente como un impulso. "