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Tales of Nasrudin -- why I like Muslims but detest Islamists

My first wife was a practicing Sufi and I had the extreme pleasure to meet her friends, many Muslims in the bunch. A warmer and more cordial group of people you could never meet. I took part in the spiritual practices and can honestly say that this is a very viable and active religion. A key practice of Sufism is the conscious act of "Polishing your Heart" -- making it shine as a mirror that reflects your love out to the rest of the world. The pig-fucking sons of monkeys that are grabbing the headlines these days have no relationship with Sufism or Muslim. These are a distinct and psychotic minority -- a sub-culture of fear, lust and envy that should have died out hundreds of years ago but were kept alive by the theocrats and dictators that needed willing idiots to perpetuate their personal lush life of corruption. They live in palaces while the willing idiots fester in hate and kill themselves to perpetuate the "cause". One of the teaching methods of Buddhists is the Koan -- a riddle with two levels. One outside and perceived as a common joke and one inside and enjoyed as a subtle teaching when discovered. Sufis use the same technique -- these are usually told as tales of Nasrudin - here are a few:

There was once a small boy who banged a drum all day and loved every moment of it. He would not be quiet, no matter what anyone else said or did.

Various people who called themselves Sufis, and other well-wishers, were called in by neighbors and asked to do something about the child. The first so-called Sufi told the boy that he would, if he continued to make so much noise, perforate his eardrums; this reasoning was too advanced for the child, who was neither a scientist nor a scholar. The second told him that drum beating was a sacred activity and should be carried out only on special occasions. The third offered the neighbors plugs for their ears; the fourth gave the boy a book; the fifth gave the neighbors books that described a method of controlling anger through biofeedback; the sixth gave the boy meditation exercises to make him placid and explained that all reality was imagination. Like all placebos, each of these remedies worked for a short while, but none worked for very long.

Eventually, a real Sufi came along. He looked at the situation, handed the boy a hammer and chisel, and said, "I wonder what is INSIDE the drum?"


'If you want truth', Nasrudin told a group of Seekers who had come to hear his teachings, 'you will have to pay for it.'
'But why should you have to pay for something like truth?' asked one of the company.
'Have you noticed', said Nasrudin, 'that it is the scarcity of a thing which determines its value?'


Nasrudin's oldest son was looking for a wife.

'Which qualities are you seeking?' Nasrudin asked the youth.

'Intelligence rather than beauty,' replied the young man.

'If that is the case,' said the Mulla, 'I have an excellent way of finding you the perfect bride.'

He told the youth to follow and went into town. When they reached the main square, Nasrudin started to cuff his son and shout:
'How dare you do exactly as I say? This is the punishment fit for one who obeys!'

'Leave him alone!' hissed one young woman. 'How can you beat him for being a model son?'

'This is surely the woman for me, father,' said Nasrudin's son.

'Best to have a choice,' replied the Mulla and led the way to the neighboring town. Here, he acted out exactly the same scene. But this time, a young girl began to cheer him on:
'That's right! Hit him! Only a fool obeys blindly!'

'Son,' said Nasrudin, with a smile, 'I think we have found you an intelligent bride.'

If we can get past the problems with this pissant group of people who have hijacked a subtle and elegant spiritual practice, the Middle East will open up once again like a Rose and we will welcome these people into our hearts. I would love to have sorbet in Tehran. Unfortunately, this will take some continuity, will and stones on the part of the people of the West so that this message is driven home with enough force to break the cycle of madness. If it does not happen now, it will happen at some time in the future because the terrorism will continue to escalate until something is done. (Thinking General "Black Jack" Pershing in the Philippines which actually only bought about 50 years of peace there...) Posted by DaveH at July 7, 2005 10:08 PM | TrackBack