Bliss In Practice

Today I stumbled upon an interesting article written by Raj Ragunathan PhD in Psychology Today. The article begins with a recollection of the movie The Matrix. At the turning point of the movie, Morpheus asks Neo which pill he would like – the blue pill which will return him to his normal life thinking what he has experienced was all just a dream, or the red pill where he stays in Wonderland and sees how deep the rabbit hole is. All Morpheus is offering is the Truth, nothing more. We all have a vested interest in knowing the truth. But what if the choice given was between knowing the truth and being happy? Dr Ragnauthan and Yaacov Trope conducted a series of studies testing whether happy or sad participants would be more willing to process negative information about caffeine. The test results revealed that participants in a negative mood were more likely to process positive information about caffeine thereby "repairing" their mood (i.e., becoming more "...

Let's consider hunger. Look at the way we think about hunger. We use hunger to refer to many different aspects of our lives. We hunger for food, we have a sexual appetite, we hunger for justice, we hunger for divine grace. Sura Al Ma'ida lists things that are appropriate to hunger for. Halal food, chaste believing women, wudu and cleanliness, justice in covenants and oaths and the light of divine teachings. Allah (swt) says “All good things are lawful for you” He is spreading a feast before us. He says eat from this table. Then the sura makes a juxtaposition and talks about the things that feast on you, things that eat you up inside such as: cowardice, jealousy, anger, hypocrisy, pandering and excess. Let's take a look at the story of Cain and Abel inserted into the middle of the sura. It acts as a pivot point between the two descriptions. What does it have to do with hunger? Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. So they both produced food. Good but...

I've been making this bread since I was 18. It's so easy and perfect along side a homemade chicken or potato soup. It uses slow acting yeast and I recommend that you take the time and use it. The quick yeast just doesn't do the bread justice. Also, find the best sharp cheddar you can. Also very worth it. Makes 2 loaves 1 pkg yeast 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 tbs sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1/4 tsp dry basil crushed 2 cups whole wheat flour 3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached white flour 2 tbs melted butter 1 1/2 cups warmed milk 1 egg 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated Soften the yeast in the lukewarm water with 1 teaspoon sugar. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar, salt, pepper, basil, and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. Beat the egg with the softened butter, warm milk, and Tabasco sauce. Add it to the flour mixture and stir, then add the yeast and stir again until it is smooth. Add the remaining whole wheat flo...

When the soul lies down in that grass the world is too full to talk about Ideas, language, even the phrase eachother doesn't make any sense. - Rumi Similarities. Current talk in scientific circles are exploring the possibility of two matching pairs of eyes somewhere in the world. Lots of people might note “you have your mother's eyes” which seems true on the surface, but if you check it yourself closely in a well lit room you'll see the variation in tone and colour that are unique to you. Science has not proven that there are two people in this world that have the exact matching set of eyes. Not even identical twins. Eyes are not a uni-faceted instrument. Eyes let us see the world around us and eyes let us reflect our thoughts and feelings about what we see. Eyes are both lens and mirror. Our pupils contract when we view something ugly or distasteful. Our pupils expand to let in something beautiful and...

My research surrounding Khidr resulted in some fairly interesting points I wish to share with you. I will be examining the section of the Qu'ran Sura Al-Kahf lines 60-82. The historical character Al-Khidr reaches into the mists of time. He has associations with Elijah, St George, Kothar-wa-Khasis, The Green Man and even Anahita. Khidr runs deep like the ocean. His name translated means “verdent one” the colour of the sea at its depths and he is sometimes pictured standing on a fish, another important universal symbol. In this sense we can analyze Khidr as an aqueous archetype. “ Moses said to his servant, “I will not rest until I reach the place where the two seas meet even if it takes me years!” but when they reached the place where the two seas meet they had forgotten all about their fish which made it's way into the sea and swam away. ” (Al-Kahf 60-61) Although we can understand Moses' meaning in a literal sense, we can also explore it on a figurative leve...

"We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down"                                                                                                            - Kurt Vonegut

As promised, here is the sum of my research on Sura Al-Kahf regarding the 7 sleepers. If you see anything that is incorrect, may Allah forgive me and let me know so that it may be corrected. Sura Al-Kahf is an astonishing compendium of human existence. Each line, each word can be analyzed and understood on many levels. My approach to understanding suras and this sura in particular stems from my training in English literature and my knowledge of Roman Catholicism along with whatever my mind can muster. Not only is the story of the sleeping youth an historical report attached to a primary lesson, it speaks to us about our natural disposition as human beings and the care, love and protection Allah wa'tallah gives us as our Father, our Lord. I began my research by examining two historical texts: Gregorius Turonensis “Passio Sanctorum Martyrum Septem Dormientium apud Ephesum” Liber in Gloria Martyrum (6 th cent.) , ch. 94 and Jacobus de Voragine “Historia de Septem Do...