I invite you to join us in a talk on Rumi’s teachings at the University of Toronto Initiative for Iranian Studies, Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations.

Facebook Event

Date: Friday Nov 23, 2018 at 4pm
Address:4 Bancroft Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1C1  Map
Title: Beauty Behind the Veil – A practical approach for understanding a deeper meaning of Rumi’s writings
Speaker: Farzad Khalvati

Abstract

Beauty Behind the Veil – A practical approach for understanding a deeper meaning of Rumi’s writings

By Farzad Khalvati, Doug Marman

As the most famous Sufi mystic of all times, Rumi’s poetry and writings have been the source of inspiration for some, and a source of confusion for others. While some scholars and Sufi enthusiasts find deep and meaningful teachings behind his writings (Chittick, 2005), there have been debates among academic scholars who suggest that Rumi’s writings are entirely random and lack any organizational structure (Palmer, 2015). The lack of solid causality and linearity in the construction of Rumi’s writings, such as Masnavi and Discourses (Fihi-Ma-Fihi), have made them notoriously difficult to understand (Arberry, 1995). This might have contributed to an impression that most of Rumi’s work can only be seen as a linguistic artwork and not a foundation for a teaching. Continue reading →