A Provocative Statement
I am going to start out with a rather provocative statement - something which goes to the heart of the difference between the spiritual perspective and most religious or theological approaches to life. More specifically, salvation does not equal Self-realization; rather, pursuit of the former is, at best, only a preliminary step in the quest for the latter.
To be pre-occupied with the attainment of heaven (or the avoidance of hell) tends to be an obstacle to making much progress on the Path to Essence. The former not only mistakes the periphery for the Center, but, as well, confuses spiritual cost-benefit analysis with gnostic love which cannot be attained through the portals of a reward and punishment orientation.
This is not because the words 'heaven' and 'hell' refer to metaphysical figments of imagination, but because, from a mystical vantage point, the purpose of life has never been about heaven and hell, but, instead, is about coming to understand, on the basis of direct experience, who, in essence, we are, and what unique spiritual capacity each of us has through which to participate in the Divine passion play of Creation.
Tasawwuf is the preferred term used by Sufi masters to make reference to the Way or Deen of mystical science. In the West, and even in many parts of the Muslim world, this Path is known as 'Sufism', but this latter term is problematic from the outset because the Way, Path, or Deen is not an 'ism' - that is, it is not a theoretical, conceptual system which is being projected onto reality, but, rather, tasawwuf is the means that, if diligently and sincerely pursued, permits, God willing, a 'merging of horizons' (to borrow a term from hermeneutics) with different dimensions of Truth and the Real.
Contrary to what many might suppose, the term 'mystical science' is not an oxymoron - that is, a contradiction in terms. In fact, if anything, true mysticism is a far more rigorous, comprehensive, and exacting process of seeking truth and understanding concerning the nature of reality than is any modern science.
Furthermore, contrary to the confusions which have shaped much of the mentality of today's world, the 'occult' is not a synonym for the 'mystical'. The two are focused on entirely different realms of Being, and the intention, purpose, nature, methodology, and understanding of each are at opposite ends of the spectrum of possibilities from one another.
Similarly, spirituality should not be conflated with, or confused for, spiritualism. The latter is predicated on the belief that it is possible for the living to make contact with the dead through the agency of a medium, whereas the former is rooted in the knowledge that it is possible for human beings to come to realization of the true nature of the Self through the help and guidance of a mystical master.
Tasawwuf is the mystical Path that, God willing, is intended to take one to the very Core of one's being. In fact, the mystics always have tried to remind us, even before Shakespeare, that 'there is more to heaven and earth than is dreamt of in our philosophies'.
The spiritual potential of human beings runs far deeper than theologians suppose, and, in fact, these dimensions entailing the incredible depth and richness of life's potential is what scares many theologians because that Reality reduces, to relative insignificance, the very limited concerns and interests which characterizes the 'work' of many theologians. Indeed, like the days of old, the latter group tends to fear that if one travels too far using the maps of the mystics, then, one will fall off the edge of the universe into a bottomless abyss of 'who knows what'. However, since they have never made the journey, they really are in no position to comment intelligently on what lies at journey's end.
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