As
human beings we stand on the threshold between two realities: the world of
material existence and the world of spiritual Being. The "knowing heart" is the
sacred place where these two dimensions meet and are integrated.
In
Sufi teaching the human heart is not a fanciful metaphor but an objective organ
of intuition and perception. It is able to perceive all that is beautiful,
lovely, and meaningful in life—and to reflect these spiritual qualities in the
world, for the benefit of others. Every human heart has the capacity and the
destiny to bring that world of divine reality into this world of appearances.
The
Sufis, mystics of Islam, have been educators of the heart for some fourteen
centuries. Their teachings and methods are designed to help us awaken and
purify the heart, to learn to listen to our deepest knowing. In
The
Knowing Heart,
Kabir
Helminski presents the Sufi way as a practical spirituality suitable for all
cultures and times—and offers insights that are especially valuable for our
life in today's world. In cultivating a knowing heart, we learn to experience a
new sense of self, transform our relationships, and enhance our creative
capacities. Most important, we learn how to meet the spiritual challenge of our
time: to realize our sacred humanness.