Tag Archives: Sufism

The Sufi Map of the Seven Valleys

by
Osho’s allegory of  Sufi Mystic Al-Ghazzali’s 7 Valleys. It’s about man’s journey of finding oneself and
understanding the paradox of the human condition. Enjoy this masterpiece of story telling.
MAN is a paradox. And man is the only animal, the only being, that is paradoxical – that is man’s
uniqueness. Man’s special being is his innermost paradox. All other animals are non-paradoxical.
A tree is a tree, and a dog is a dog, but man is never in a state of isness. He is always becoming,
growing. Man is always surpassing himself; that is his paradox. And it is at his very core of being.
It is not accidental, it is very fundamental. Once you understand this paradox you have your first
glimpse about human-ness – what man is.
Man is always a project, a becoming. His being consists of becoming – this is the paradox. He is
always between that which he was and that which he is going to be. He is always between his past
and future – a bridge hanging between two eternities, the past and the future. He is a surpassing, a
continuous surpassing. Man is never content with that which he is; he is trying to go beyond, always
trying to go beyond. Whatsoever he is doing, all his effort is basically how to become something
more, something higher, something better.
Man is a progress, a wayfarer, a pilgrim – and his life is a pilgrimage, a non-ending pilgrimage, that
goes on and on. A dog is born, a tree is born…. The tree is born with all its tree-ness and the dog is
born with all its dog-ness. Man is not a given fact; man is born only with a possibility, with a potential.
Man is born as a blank, as a nothingness; nothing is written.
All other beings have a certain essence, a certain soul. In man it is just the reverse. His existence
comes first and then he starts seeking for his essence. In other animals essence comes first, then
existence. They already bring a built-in programme; they never grow, they remain the same. That’s
why they look so innocent, so unworried, so non-tense. Look into the eyes of a cow – how peaceful,
calm, tranquil she is. There is no anxiety no anguish, no clouds. Look into the eyes of a man. They
are always cloudy. They always have anguish, there is always trembling: the trembling of. ’Whether
I am going to make it or not?’ – the trembling of, ’Whether I will be able to find myself or not?’ – the
trembling of, ’Whether I will be fulfilled or remain unfulfilled?’ Continue reading →