Spiritual Healing
When speaking of life, elders often say that it has two aspects:
1. Life
2. Servitude
Servitude itself has two dimensions:
1. Illusion
2. Reality
Ladies and gentlemen, sit as you would for prayer. Keep your neck straight. Close your eyes, allowing eyelids and the pupil to remain still.
Principle: There is a principle at work here a spiritual equation. When we close our eyes, by closing we mean that a veil covers the pupil. In fact, from a creative perspective, there are two veils: one descending, and the other ascending. To understand this equation scientifically, we must examine both the inner and outer workings of the eye. Thinking of the eyes as a camera helps to solve the mystery.
A camera has two coverings over its lens, an upper and a lower shutter. It is understood that the eye is like a camera. In a camera, if one wishes to capture an image, the shutter is essential. Without a shutter, if the lens remains constantly open, after half a minute, writing imprints upon the inner surface of awareness. We do not perceive it outwardly, yet inwardly it remains present.
The conscious act of seeing works like this: when a person looks at a scene, the eyelid blinks. With each blink, the whole scene or part of it, is transferred to the screen of the mind. Another blink, and another fragment is transferred. In this way, what we call seeing is the mind receiving reality in successive fragments.
If blinking were to cease, this process of fragmentation would be suspended, yet impressions would still be conveyed. Someone accustomed only to conscious modes of perception assumes that nothing is being seen yet they are still seeing.
Respected ladies and gentlemen, in this editorial, certain mysteries may unfold while remaining within the bounds of metaphysical knowledge. The purpose of this reflection is to explore what seeing truly is. If the eye is a camera and the eyelashes are shutters, then why do we assume that without the fall of the shutter (eye lashes) we cannot see, when in fact we still see?
You have read about wakefulness. Beyond wakefulness lies the world of dreams. In dreaming, the process of seeing appears reversed. The eyes are closed, yet one sees within. What is this inner seeing? Close your eyes and practice.
1. First, bring to mind the unseen image of your office. You will discover that we see not only with open eyes, but also with closed ones.
2. Second, when thirst arises, without using the eyes, the mind presents the image of water upon its inner screen. This inner seeing cannot be denied at any level.
3. Third, when you set out from home for your office, whether you notice it or not, its image forms upon the inner screen of your mind. If that image does not arise within, you will not be able to reach the office. Reflect upon this sentence deeply and an inner window will open. Through that open window, scenes become visible.
Honoured teachers and respected readers, does the eye see outwardly, or does it see inwardly? This question cannot simply be dismissed.
To understand it, try this exercise: Stand before a mirror. You will notice that your reflection appears reversed. But when that reversed image is confined within space, it appears upright to you. Consider this carefully. Why do we see ourselves reversed in the mirror, when the mirror sees us as we are? Or must we accept that between the illusion of seeing and not seeing lies a hidden reality?
This piece of writing is a reflection of a spiritual school of thought. In essence, the question is simple: where do we see? Is it outside, even though we see even with closed eyes too? And where do we reside? Although we cannot see without the physical body, what we ultimately witness it’s the act of seeing that takes place within ourselves.
Life unfolds in two ways. One is the state of seeing with open eyes, confined within space. Whatever we perceive, we perceive within spatial limits. Even sleep, what we see is experienced within a form of space.
Yet deeper reflection compels us to ask: when we see something, do we truly see it? Do we in fact witness the seeing of it, rather than the thing directly? If we return to the example of the mirror, we realise that we do not see the object itself; we see the mirror’s rendering of it.
With due respect to eye specialists, this faqir make a request. Close your eyes. Lift your face upwards and think of the sky as a screen. Note down whatever appears to you. When the eyes are closed, it seems that nothing can be seen. Yet if sight does not awaken within, outward vision would not function either. Consider a blind person; even with closed eyes they receive, feel, and respond, in some cases so much so that they must perform ablution.
Thus, two perspectives of vision emerge. The first perspective is the eyelids are closed and fused together. Now, observe the stars in the sky, count them, and send your observations to the magazine.
Let us express this reality differently. The body is a hub of activity. Within this activity exist wakefulness, thought, imagination, and even seeing during sleep. What, then, is the true definition of sight?
I do not intend to enter into a technical debate about the physiological mechanisms of the eye. Science has advanced tremendously, yet it has not fully unravelled the mystery of vision. When the eyes are closed, the eyelashes joined, the eyeballs motionless, and yet the act of seeing continues – how can we claim to have a complete understanding of the working of the eye?
In the noble Quran – revealed by the Creator of the universe to His Beloved, the Mercy to all worlds, the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – the way sight works expressed in these words:
“Eyes perceive Him not.”
In other words, it is not the eye that sees; rather, perception shapes its understanding from what lies before it. In order words, it is comprehension that gives meaning to what is seen.
Dear readers, peace be upon you all.
You are my elders, my friends, my children, and my future generations. Come, let us sit together. Let us open the window of reflection and strive to understand.
My God keep you happy and in His care. I am but a humble friend, a faqir, awaiting your affection, your companionship, and your kindness.
May God Protect You.
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DIN AZEEMI
Articles of 'MESSAGE OF THE DAY' from Qalandar Shaoor Monthly
