F RITHJOF   S CHUON   A rchive


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Selected Books by
Frithjof Schuon

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Extract from “Closing the Eyes and Pronouncing the Name”

When the faqīr closes his eyes and pronounces the Name—in any circumstances, but before God and not before men—he manifests or realizes something very great; for these two actions or attitudes represent the whole Way.

To close the eyes is in fact to exclude the world, and to pronounce the Name is to affirm God. Excluding Māyā and affirming Ātmā.

Closing the eyes is the Nafy of the Shahādah (lā ilāha); pronouncing the Name is the Ithbāt (illā 'Llāh). Extinction of the accidents on the one hand; appearance of the Substance on the other. This is Faqr and Dhikr; and this is why these two elements contain the whole Way.

Nafy (or Faqr): “I am black . . .”; Ithbāt (or Dhikr): “. . . but beautiful”. And likewise: “I sleep, but my heart waketh.”

Referring to the quaternary Haqq, Qalb, Faqr, Dhikr, we shall say: Faqr combines Haqq and Qalb, for passive Perfection (Faqr) is realized as a result of Truth (Haqq) and through the Heart (Qalb); similarly, Dhikr combines Haqq and Qalb for the same reason, but applied to active Perfection (Dhikr).

And referring to the ternary Makhāfah, Mahabbah, Ma'rifah, we shall say: the operative coincidence Faqr/Dhikr may take place through Fear or Effort, through Love or Grace, or through Knowledge or Evidence, or again through all three at the same time and apart from any dimensional or modal intention.

In certain sacred images—notably those of the Buddha—the human Word or deified Man has the eyes closed and the breast naked: this is the non-manifestation of what is outward and the manifestation of what is inward; non-manifestation (or extinction) of the world and manifestation (or exteriorization) of the Heart or Self. To the interiorization of what is outward responds the exteriorization of what is inward; the first act corresponds to Faqr, and the second to Dhikr.

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