← Home
soteriology

Fana Annihilation

Sufi self-effacement in God — the via by which the lover is unmade as a separate ego and recovered as God's act; specifies the practice/event rather than mystical_union's resulting state.

99 passages · 9 traditions
christian_mysticism: 35 passageschristian_mysticism35sufism: 23 passagessufism23renaissance_hermeticism: 19 passagesrenaissance_hermeticism19western_esoteric: 12 passageswestern_esoteric12taoism: 5 passagestaoism5hermeticism: 2 passageshermeticism2buddhism: 1 passagebuddhism1gnosticism: 1 passagegnosticism1jewish_mysticism: 1 passagejewish_mysticism1
christian_mysticism35
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1a
131 CHAPTER V Concerning ” Existence “ and also concerning ” Exemplars .” I. Now must we proceed to the Name of “Being” which is truly applied by the Divine Science to Him that truly Is. But this much we must say, that it is not the purpo…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1i
364 The ultimate Godhead is reached only by the Negative Path, and known only by Unknowing. The Affirmative Path of philosophical knowledge leads only to the differentiated manifestations of the Godhead: e.g. the Trinity, in Its creative…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter IIa
How it is necessary to be united with and render praise to Him Who is the cause of all and above all. Unto this Darkness which is beyond Light we pray that we may come, and may attain unto vision through the loss of sight and knowledge, an…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | IVa
TRUE HEARING Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 30 .—“Whoso heareth Me shall not be confounded.” The everlasting and paternal wisdom saith, “Whoso heareth Me is not ashamed.” If he is ashamed of anything he is ashamed of being ashamed. Whoso worketh in…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | IVb
No, they are certainly not; for the work of the angels is the will of God, and the will of God is the work of the angels; their service to us does not hinder their joy nor their working. If God told an angel to go to a tree and pluck cater…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Vb
It is necessary, therefore, for all the creatures which issued forth from God to co-operate earnestly with all their powers to form a Man who may again attain that union with God which Adam enjoyed before he fell, and who may again restore…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Vc
Thus happens it to the noble soul which goes to God to school, and learns there what God is in His essence, and what He is in the Trinity, and what He is in man, and what is most acceptable to Him. St Augustine saith that the righteousness…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VIa
SANCTIFICATION 1 1 That is separation from all outward things. St Luke x. 42 .—“One thing is needful.” I have read many writings both of heathen philosophers and inspired prophets, ancient and modern, and have sought earnestly to discover…”
Show all 35 →
sufism23
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEa
HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains, Lamenting its banishment from its home: "Ever since they tore me from my osier bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears. I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs, And t…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Ia
The Prince and the Handmaid. A prince, while engaged on a hunting excursion, espied a fair maiden, and by promises of gold induced her to accompany him. After a time she fell sick, and the prince had her tended by divers physicians. As,…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IV
Another Tyrannical Jewish King. A certain Jewish king, the same who is referred to in the Sura "Signs of the Zodiac," I made up his mind to utterly exterminate the Christian faith, and with that view he set up a huge idol, and issued comman…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Vd
But the light that lights the heart is the Light of God, Which is distinct from the light of reason and sense. At night there is no light, and colors are not seen; Hence we know what light is by its opposite, darkness. At night no colors…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIa
Omar and the Ambassador. The hare, having delivered his companions from the tyranny of the lion, in the manner just described, proceeds to improve the occasion by exhorting them to engage in a greater and more arduous warfare, viz., the st…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIb
They possess freewill and compulsion besides, 4 As in oyster-shells raindrops are pearls. Outside the shell they are raindrops, great and small; Inside they are precious pearls, big and little. These men also resemble the musk deer's bag;…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IXc
When love of God kindles a flame in the inward man, He burns, and is freed from effects. He has no need of signs to assure him of love, For love casts its own light up to heaven. Other details are wanting to complete this subject, But tak…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IXd
I knew of myself what ye thought, But I desired that ye should speak it; As this boasting of yours is very improper, So shall my mercy be shown to prevail over my wrath: O angels, in order to show forth that prevailing, I inspired that pret…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Xb
The courtier who attends in the presence of the king Is served better than the stranger outside the gate. The difference between them is beyond calculation; One sees the light, the other on]y the veil. Strive to obtain entrance within, If…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XVa
Counsels of Reserve given by the Prophet to his Freedman Zaid. At dawn the Prophet said to Zaid, "How is it with thee this morning, O pure disciple?" He replied, "Thy faithful slave am I." Again he said, "If the garden of faith has bloomed…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XVIa
'Ali's Forbearance. 'Ali, the "Lion of God," was once engaged in conflict with a Magian chief, and in the midst of the struggle the Magian spat in his face. 'Ali, instead of taking vengeance on him, at once dropped his sword, to the Magia…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEb
Knowest thou why thy mirror reflects not? Because the rust has not been scoured from its face. If it were purified from all rust and defilement, It would reflect the shining of the SUN Of GOD.6 O friends, ye have now heard this tale, Whic…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Ib
That precious Soul caught my skirt, Smelling the perfume of the garment of Yusuf; And said, "For the sake of our ancient friendship, Tell forth a hint of those sweet states of ecstasy, That earth and heaven may be rejoiced, And also Reason…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY II
The Oilman and his Parrot. An oilman possessed a parrot which used to amuse him with its agreeable prattle, and to watch his shop when he went out. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat upset one of the oil-jars. When the oi…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Vb
Again, know that self-exertion springs from weakness; Relying on other means is a blot upon perfect trust. Self-exertion is not more noble than trust in God. What is more lovely than committing oneself to God? Many there are who flee fro…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIIb
What matters it if it be heathen or true? Why hast thou forsaken thy Beloved? What matters it if she be fair or ugly?" 4 Let me then, I say, make complaint Of the severity of That Fickle Fair One. I cry, and my cries sound sweet in His e…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIIIa
The Harper. In the time of the Khalifa 'Omar there lived a harper, whose voice was as sweet as that of the angel Israfil, and who was in great request at all feasts. But he grew old, and his voice broke, and no one would employ him any lo…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIIIb
O thou who seekest to be contrite for the past, How wilt thou be contrite for this contrition? At one time thou adorest the music of the lute, At another embracest wailing and weeping." While the "Discerner" reflected these mysteries, The…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IXe
The useless thorn desires the autumn, That autumn may associate itself with the garden; And hide the rose's beauty and the thorn's shame, That men may not see the bloom of the one and the other's shame, That common stone and pure ruby may a…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XI
The Lion who Hunted with the Wolf and the Fox. A lion took a wolf and a fox with him on a hunting excursion, and succeeded in catching a wild ox, an ibex, and a hare. He then directed the wolf to divide the prey. The wolf proposed to award…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XII
Joseph a‚Žd the Mirror. An old friend came to pay his respects to Joseph, and, after some remarks upon the bad behaviour of his brethren, Joseph asked him what present he had brought to show his respect. The friend replied that he had long…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XIV
The Chinese and the Greek Artists. The Chinese and the Greeks disputed before the Sultan which of them were the better painters; and, in order to settle the dispute, the Sultan allotted to each a house to be painted by them. The Chinese pro…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XVb
When you are cured of your sickness, O invalid, Then leave out the vinegar and eat pure honey. When the heart is garnished and swept clear of lust, Therein 'The God of Mercy sitteth on His throne.' 5 Then God rules the heart immediately, W…”
← Collapse
renaissance_hermeticism19
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogued
Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialoguec
I can very well conceive, from what you have said, the condition of that heroic enthusiast, who says, "My hopes are ice and my desires are glowing," because he is not in the temperance of mediocrity, but, in the excess of contradictions, hi…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialoguec
Here he shows his love not to be like that of the butterfly, of the stag, and of the unicorn, who would flee away if they had knowledge of the fire, of the arrow, and of the snares, and who have no other sense than that of pleasure; but he…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialoguea
. Tansillo . Thus is described the discourse of heroic love, in all which tends to its own object, which is the highest good; and heroic intellect, which devotes itself to the study of its own object, which is the primal verity, or absolu…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogueb
He forms intelligible conceptions in his own way and proportions them to his capacity, so that they are received according to the manner of the recipient. Tans. And does he hunt through the operation of the will, by the act of which he co…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialoguec
Whence he says, "Come not back to me till thou art mine," and not unworthily may I say with that other— Thou has left me, oh, my heart, And thou, light of my eyes, art no more with me. Here he describes the death of the soul, which by the…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialoguei
And amongst men the same thing is seen, according as some resemble one species of brute beast and some another: these having something of the quadruped, and those of birds, and, may be, some affinity, which I will not explain, but through w…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialoguef
I understand it all; but what is the meaning of, "May I be happy in this governance and with these bonds, and may that light not cease?" Tans. He means, and he proves, that every sort of love, the greater its dominion and the surer its hol…”
Show all 19 →
western_esoteric12
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XVIII (part 1)
p. 213 CHAPTER XVIII Rationality and life. Life as knowledge. Intellect and emotions. Emotion as an organ of knowledge. The evolution of emotion from the standpoint of knowledge. Pure and impure emotions. Personal and impersonal emot…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIX (part 1)
p. 232 CHAPTER XIX The intellectual method, objective knowledge. The limits of objective knowledge. The possibility of the expansion of the application of the psychological method. New forms of knowledge. The ideas of Plotinus. Differ…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXI (part 3)
All attempts to penetrate mentally into that higher, noumenal world, or world of causes, by means of the logic of the phenomenal world, if they did not fail altogether, or did not lead to castles in the air , gave only one result: in becomi…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXI (part 5)
Penetrating there, it first of all renounces its fundamental axioms of identity and difference. In the world of infinite and fluent magnitudes, a magnitude may be not equal to itself; a part may be equal to the whole; and of two equal magn…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXII (part 10)
But it does not bear fruit presently; and, though it blossoms, they fall off; also many a cold wind, frost and snow, puff upon it, before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit. Boehme's books are full of wonderment before these myste…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXII (part 13)
Then the understanding of such a man receives from the Holy Spirit the highest and hidden mysteries which according to the divine Paul, neither the human eye can understand nor the human reason comprehend unaided. (Ii Corinthians ii, 9).…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXII (part 22)
I seemed to be directly under the foot of God, and I thought he was grinding his own life up out of my pain. Then I saw that what he had been trying with all his might to do was to change his course, to bend the line of lightning to which…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXII (part 24)
The comparison of the sensation of woman experienced by man, or vice versa , with the feeling for nature is met with very often. And it is really the same sensation as is given by forest, prairie, sea, mountains, only in this case it is ev…”
Show all 12 →
taoism5
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 56
He who knows (the Tao) does not (care to) speak (about it); he who is (ever ready to) speak about it does not know it. He (who knows it) will keep his mouth shut and close the portals (of his nostrils). He will blunt his sharp points and un…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 124 (part 1)
p. 176 BOOK II. PART I. SECTION II. Khî Wû Lun, or 'The Adjustment of Controversies 1 .' 1. Nan-kwo Sze-khî 2 was seated, leaning forward on his stool. He was looking up to heaven and breathed gently, seeming to be in a trance, and to…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 124 (part 9)
The harmonising of them is to be found in the invisible operation of Heaven, and by following this on into the unlimited past. It is by this method that we can complete our years (without our minds being disturbed) 1 . 'What is meant by h…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 128 (part 9)
257 [paragraph continues] 'I have lost all thought of ceremonies and music.' 'Very well, but that is not enough., A third day, Hui again saw (the Master), and said, 'I am making progress.' 'What do you mean?' 'I sit and forget everything 1…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 128 (part 13)
See what I have said on II, par. 9. 255:1 This also is obscure; but Confucius is again made to praise the Tâoistic system. 255:2 Î- r is said by Lî Î to have been 'a worthy scholar;' but Î- r is an old name for the swallow, and there is…”
hermeticism2
Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1b
For It doth will to be, and It is both Itself and most of all by reason of Itself. Indeed, all other things beside are just bacause of It; for the distinctive feature of the Good is "that it should be known". Such is the Good, O Tat. Tat…”
Corpus Hermeticum 13: The Discourse of Hermes to Tat | Section 1b
Thou seest me with eyes, my son; but what I am thou dost not understand [even] with fullest strain of body and of sight. 4. Tat: Into fierce frenzy and mind-fury hast thou plunged me, father, for now no longer do I see myself. Hermes: I…”
buddhism1
Prajña-pâramitâ-hridaya (Heart Sutra) | Section 1
THE SMALLER PRA GÑ Â-PÂRAMITÂ- H RI DAYA-SÛTRA. ADORATION TO THE OMNISCIENT! The venerable Bodhisattva Avalokite s vara, performing his study in the deep Pra gñ âpâramitâ (perfection of wisdom), thought thus: 'There are the five Skandhas, a…”
gnosticism1
Gospel of Thomas | Logion 61
Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the other will live." Salome said, "Who are you, man, that you ... have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus said to her, "I am he who exists from the undivided. I wa…”
jewish_mysticism1
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXX
LXX. The Final Translation of Enoch . CHAPTER LXX. 1. And it came to pass after this that his name during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of Man and to the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. 2. And he was r…”