The Conference of the Birds

The Conference of the Birds is a Sufi Connection Manual/Alignment Manual.

Notes

The book is a story about a conference of birds who are attempting to build up the courage and fortitude to travel to visit the Simurg, which is a sacred bird analogous to The Fabric of Consciousness. In the story, the birds overcome several Connection Obstacles, including obstacles that prevent them from initiating the journey, and obstacles they encounter along the way. In the story, most birds die on the journey without ever achieving union, but a small handful to attain their goal and achieve enlightenment and union with The Fabric.

The book identifies several Connection Obstacles including attachment to transient objects, attachments to love objects, self-doubt and low self-esteem, "vacillating disposition" (i.e., lack of discipline, persistence, and focus), attachment to material wealth, egotism, depression, fear, and so on. It offers several short "teachings" designed to get individuals to overcome the limitations that prevent them from moving forward towards [spwiki]connection[/spwiki] (here the journey of the birds to see Simurg).

The book also identifies several orientations that help properly align and individual to make the journey easier, including humble service, self-sacrifice, self-annihilation (or a healthy Bodily Ego), magnanimity, justice, fidelity,

"“Know ye then,” said the Hoopoe, “that the Simurg once removed the veil from His face, so that it shone resplendent like the sun and cast millions of rays around. By his grace, these rays were turned into birds. We are, therefore, the sparks of the Simurg. When you realize this mystery, your relationship with the Simurg will be as clear to you as day-light.

"Thereupon the birds lost themselves forever in the Simurg. The shade thus vanished in the Sun. Neither the traveller remained, nor the guide, nor the path. Finding the Simurg they found themselves and the riddle of I and Thou was solved. </ref>

Footnotes

References