amin's journal

The most interesting thing about people are their private prayers.

Have started to read the Gospels...Some passages are truly full of light.

It doesn't matter if you are in Boston, New York, or France. There are always people in libraries who break its holy silence.
It's my cherished dream that one day (hopefully soon) I'll be able to have a house in a quite part of the city where I could build my own small study place so that I hear no noise or stupid chatter. I would paint the walls in pale green and make the room in a way that lets in lots of light. I would have wooden bookcases and a dark brown desk. Islamic calligraphy on the walls and a Persian carpet on the floor. How sweet it would be...

In The Conduct of Life, Emerson in his usual self-reliant manner treats the difficulties of learning a foreign language by advising the reader "to read the same dozen pages over and over a hundred times, till you know every word and particle in them, and can pronounce and repeat them by heart." I have decided to follow this advise to the best of my abilities now that I'm learning French. I'm thinking about buying a copy of The Imitation of Christ or Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet since they both have simple prose and sublime depth. This way reading a dozen pages over and over will not be linguistically difficult or intellectually boring.

poetic virtues: simplicity, intensity, honesty
poetic vices: exaggeration, word play, sentamental-ism, false/forced originality

sometimes i think that great teachers are rarer than great artists, philosophers, or scientists. the vocation of true teachers has never been to compose poems, build philosophical systems, or solve complex mathematical equations. the true teacher is the prophet. his vocation is to transform lives by his mere being and exemplary existence. his giving is not secondhand. he does not transform through the intercession of his poems, thoughts, or astronomical discoveries. what he gives he gives of himself. his mere breath inflames the spirit.

I miss Amherst. Those three years have a special place in my life...
I'm reading a book on Imam Ali by Reza Shah-Kazemi. It's an insightful and well written book. I'm also reading a magnificent book on Ghzali by Ebrahim Moosa called "Ghazali's Poetics of Imagination".
Today I was reflecting on the 30 sessions I had with Slavin. It def did me a lot of good. If I had enough money I would certainly see him for 30 more sessions. He made me realize that some of the problems I face daily are actually the manifestations of some other deeper issues and not the problems themselves. However, he did not provide me with enough resources so that I could deal with these deeper issues internally.

going to london tomorrow. haven't been there in seven years...

Have started to read Ibn al-Arabi's Futuhat in the English translation. It's too soon to see what his impact will be on me. In my experiences of reading Ibn Arabi he has never grasped me - or maybe I've not grasped him - the way that Rumi, Hafez, Attar, Ghazali, Shams, or Ansari have penetrated my being. I find him a bit too theoretical; too concerned with metaphysics. However, from time to time there are some insights and hermeneutical readings that struck me. I should give it more time.

Religious language is the highest form of indirect communication. The divine Word is more a matter of metaphore than metaphysics.

turned 26 a few days ago...some reflections

what is your current state of mind...hopeful
who is the greatest love of your life...my brother
what is your most marked characteristic...aloofness
what do you value most in your friends...honesty
what is your greatest extravagance...books
which words or phrases do you most overuse..."nice", "interesting"
which talent would you most like to have...playing a musical instrument
what is it that you most dislike...selfishness
who are your heroes in real life...martyrs, saints, doctors, teachers
who are your favorite authors...rilke, dostoevsky, emerson, nietzsche, kierkegaard, whitman
for me an influential thinker of the past was…rousseau
a current major influence is…william james
what is the trait your most deplore in others...dishonesty
where would you like to live...isfahan (iran) or valais (switzeland)
what do you consider your greatest achievement...to have read [almost] every single word written down by emerson's pen
what is your motto...let go and let god

creative intuition vs critical intelligence

I prefer paperback editions to hardcover books. They are humbler.

Soroush is (trying to be) the Thomas Paine of Islam. A caricature of Paine of course, and like him very immature both intellectually and spiritually.

Discourse
Thought
Reflection
Meditation
Contemplation
Communion
Silence