Loh o Qalam [1]

Lecture 1



The Presented & the Acquired Knowledge

Before embarking on the journey of learning this spiritual knowledge, it must be kept in mind that the knowledge we intend to learn, in the coming days, is the Presented one. Presented Knowledge (Ilm-e-hazoori) is the knowledge that enables us to enter the world of the Unseen and makes us to acquaint with the Unseen. It is that knowledge, which is a sort of direct information, bestowed upon the mind of the person learning this science, that is, the unconscious stimuli start functioning in that person.

Functioning of the unconscious stimuli means that an impression of the stated thing is created upon the screen of the mind. When, for instance, the teacher of the Presented Knowledge, utters the word ‘pigeon’, an outline of a pigeon is formed in the memory or upon the screen of the mind. And, when the word sinks deeper in the mind, a pigeon with all its detailed features is actually witnessed sitting there upon the screen of the mind.

Similarly, when the teacher mentions something about a star or a planet, a bright star is actually felt twinkling upon the mental screen. And, when the spiritual teacher tells about the Paradise, the information, which we have already had about the Paradise, start displaying in our mind in the form of a mental picture. We see that the Paradise is a garden with waterfalls, brooks and streams of sweet and clear water and beautiful sweet smelling flowers of every type and
colors. And, it is such a scenic place, which is beyond any comparison with the worldly scenes of beauty and charm.

It is a brief description of the Presented Knowledge.

The difference between the Presented and the Acquired Knowledge (Ilm-e-hasooli) is that in the latter case when a teacher teaches to draw a picture to his students, he demonstrates to draw a picture on a graph and tells that if these many squares of the graph are used in this way, an eye would be formed, if these many squares are brought under the pencil, a nose would be formed and, if these many squares are used, an ear would be the outcome. The more the interest and willingness of the student to learn to draw a picture in the squares of a graph, the more successful artist he becomes because of the teacher’s guidance, or to say, the basis of the Acquired Knowledge is that any particular ability can be activated in a person by proper training.

Opposite to this, the Presented Knowledge holds that everybody has the innate ability of drawing picture, making chair and tailoring dress. The work of the teacher is only to get that innate ability activated in a person and the more that ability is put to use and practiced, the more expert he becomes in that field.

Further explanation of this thing is that whatsoever existing in the world, or that ever existed or which will exist ever henceforth, is flowing upon thoughts. Something exists for us when we happen to receive information about that thing, or in other words, a thought about that thing comes to our mind, and if no information about that thing is received from within our self or no thought about that thing comes to our mind then that thing does not exist for us. When a person wants to be an artist, first of all it occurs to him that he should be drawing a picture. Similarly, when a person wants to be a carpenter, this thought comes to his mind that he should be going for carpentry.

It is true for every science and art of the world in the same way. Every science or art begins with a thought or an idea about that particular field of knowledge. Only after having a thought about learning something we become interested in that particular direction and we start searching for a teacher or guide who could help us in developing that faculty. And, the teacher, keeping our interest and quest in view, activates that particular ability in us.

His Divine Grace, Qalander Baba Auliya in the Loh-o-Qalum has stated that all that a teacher could do is to be an instrument in awakening the desired ability. Just as abilities for all the arts and sciences are there in a person, in the very same manner, the ability to learn and achieve the ‘Spiritual Science’ is also there in a person. When a person learns to draw a picture he is called an artist, when he learns to make furniture, he is known as a carpenter and if a person invents something, he is given the name of a scientist. And, if a person manages to get his spiritual potentials activated with the help of a teacher, he is called a spiritual person.

The methods of awakening and activating the potentials of the spiritual person have been disclosed in ‘Loh-o-Qalum’.



Dreaming and Awakening

In the light of this brief description of the Presented and the Acquired Knowledge it is not very difficult to conclude that for knowing, understanding and recognising the soul, the Presented knowledge is the only true and reliable source. The Acquired Knowledge cannot lead us to the soul. If someone tries to comprehend the soul by means of the Acquired Knowledge, he tends to go astray due to the logical and intellectual arguments. Everybody tries to have his own conjectural views about the soul. Few say, man evolutes from apes. Some said man is the son of the sun. Some associate man’s creation with the creation of fish. And, comparatively more intelligent people when, upon analyzing the available/prevalent doctrines, cannot find any factual reality, tend to consider material life everything, ignoring the soul altogether.

Or, to say, whosoever attempted understanding of the soul by means of Acquired Knowledge, failed to reach any real and final conclusion but, whosoever had an access to the soul by means of the Presented Knowledge was liberated from doubts and dubiety and it enters into his certitude that this body of flesh and bones is merely a fiction and a hypothetical thing. The real thing is that which is taking care of this physical body and if that thing detaches itself from this body, the body becomes inactive and starts perishing.

At the moment we have to resolve, what is man? What do we know of him? How do we identify him? And, what is his actual position in this universe?

Man, according to our worldly knowledge, is a figure made of tissues and muscles over the skeleton of bones. Metaphorically, using the medical terms, it could be said that there is a skeleton of bones covered with cotton, bandages and plaster. The cotton is the simile for flesh, bandages are tissues and muscles and the plaster indicates the skin. But, this physical body of flesh and bones is devoid of any movement of its own. There is something else which is responsible for the movements of this physical body.

Suppose there is a figure of tiger made of clay, which is lying in a place where it is accumulating dust. When a person looks at that clay tiger, he does not mention anything about the dust covering that tiger and tells that he sees a tiger. Just as the dust gathered upon the tiger is merged into the identity of the tiger, similarly, the soul, too, has gathered upon itself a fabric of flesh and bones, which is made by it from the lights and the figure so produced is called the ‘body’.

His Divine Grace, Qalander Baba Auliya explains this thing giving the example of the dress worn by the physical body. According to him the movements of the dress are related to with the body wearing it and when the dress is taken off, it cannot exhibit any movement at its own. It is not possible for the dress, which is placed to look like a lying person, to move, no matter how forcefully it is commanded to do so. But, if someone wears this dress, then every movement of the body will automatically be transferring to the dress. And, similar is the case of this physical body, which is a robe of the soul.

As long as this dress is upon the soul, it is moving and, when this dress is taken off by the soul, it takes the form of discarded attire. It is our routine observation that when a person expires, he cannot offer any resistance to anything done against him. Death means that the soul has taken off its dress and discarded it in such a manner that it cannot attract its attention any more. This making of the dress by the soul is not limited for this material world only rather the soul makes a new dress for itself at every descent, in every zone and at every place and the soul expresses its movements through the dress that it prepares for itself.

Not only the movements of the soul are exhibited by means of this dress, the dress is developed, guarded and reared by the soul. If in one zone this dress is composed of putrefaction and foul smelling materials, in another it is weaved of the light waves and yet in other zones it is made up of noor and Beatific Visions. When the soul prepares this dress using the matter, due to the innate properties of the matter, the spatio-temporal limitations remain in force for this dress (body). Or, in other words, the material dress functions within the confines of time and space.



Quest for the Soul

The exact position of the dress, the physical body of flesh and bones, is witnessed when we expire, that is, we are dead. After one is dead, the physical body is not different than a discarded dress.

In order to have better realization of this thing, we have to look for a state, which is identical or similar to death, in our life whether it is only momentarily or for a longer duration. This is also necessary because it cannot be taken as an example if it is not persistent and constant. When this is searched in the stages or days and nights of our life, the only state that is similar to death, is the state of sleep.

It is a proverbial statement that a sleeping person resembles a dead one. The only difference between these two is that in the state of sleeping the soul remains in touch with its dress and guards its dress actively, whereas, in the case of a dead person, it disconnects itself from its dress permanently. Or to say, it passes away after taking off this dress. The sleep is such an activity of our life, which leads us to the potentials of the soul.

We live our life in two alternating states of wakefulness and sleep. In the state of wakefulness, our eyes remain open, our conscious mind is active, we are seeing everything, listening to every type of sound, we are feeling and we are moving around as well, in such a manner that the dress of the soul is also moving along.

In the other state of life, which is known as sleep, we see things, hear sounds, feel things, witness ourselves moving around but the dress of the soul, the physical body, is not moving along. This phenomenon is a proof of the fact that the soul is not constrained to move along with the physical body. It does move around even without the body of flesh and bones. The movements performed by the soul without involving the physical body are termed as dreaming.

There exist various doctrines about the dreams. According to some, these are merely thoughts, which are displayed during the sleep. One dreams only such things about which one remains occupied during one’s wakefulness. Some say, the dreams are only reflections of our unfulfilled wishes. When a wish is not fulfilled and remains incomplete then it is fulfilled in a dream. Likewise, many things are said about dreams and everybody, according to his knowledge and thinking approach, has said one or the other thing about dreams. But, nobody can deny this thing that soul can move around without using the medium of the physical body just as it does so when the physical body is used as a medium of it's locomotion.

If anybody feels like raising this objection that the movements witnessed and enacted in dreams or, dreaming by itself, is merely an artifice of thoughts and imaginations then this objection can very easily be ruled out because every one of us do see one, two or more such dreams that after awakening, the effects of the seen things or the acts performed in the dream leave their impressions upon the dreamer. The most explicit example, in this regard, is that of the wet dreams, in which one experiences the same sexual ecstasy with which one is familiar in a state of awakening. Resulting a wet dream, taking a bath becomes obligatory just as it becomes mandatory when the sexual intercourse is performed during wakefulness. Religion does not allow us to offer Prayer unless one has not taken bath after witnessing a wet dream just as is compulsory when the act of sexual intercourse is performed during wakefulness.

This also is our observation that we see some dreadful thing in a dream and upon awakening the fright of the scary thing is still gripping us. The heartbeat becomes faster, even in the state of dreaming, upon seeing a terrifying scene just as it does so in the state of wakefulness. Similarly, when a charming [funny?] scene is witnessed in a dream, it leaves a hilarious [joyous?] effect just as one enjoys the pleasure in the state of awakening upon seeing a beautiful scene.

This is a brief comparison of the activities of the dreaming and wakefulness.