Eastern and Western Mysticism

Body and Soul in the Poetry of Shah Latif and Walt Whitman

It is calculated that literature and philosophy are the foundation stones in any nation and country of the world. By this way, literature and philosophy shape the directions of thinking and mode of progress on those basis nations set their goals and move onward. In this context, if seen the Eastern and the Western poles of the world, the above dictum comes true. Today’s Eastern nations are mostly relying on the spiritual philosophy and the Western world especially America is enjoying the materialist progress. Every pole is developing to its own sides and directions. Islam Confucianism and Buddhism provided the basis for Eastern and Asian thinking and philosophy and several materialist thinkers laid the basis of American materialist development. What we see America and the East today is the result of those philosophies. Both the sides can be understood through its classical literature and philosophy. In this context the nineteenth century well-known American Poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892) can be referred to know the actual context of American development and progress in materialism. Because Walt Whitman has been claimed as America's first "poet of democracy", a title meant to reflect his ability to write in a singularly American character. A British friend of Walt Whitman, Mary Smith Whitall Costelloe, wrote: "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass... He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him."

The literary critic, Harold Bloom wrote, as the introduction for the 150th anniversary of Leaves of Grass: “If you are American, then Walt Whitman is your imaginative father and mother, even if, like myself, you have never composed a line of verse.” These some examples prove the importance and influence of Whitman in American political, philosphical, and cultural development. Because three themes are prediminately are found overtly in his poetry: (1) American people and American democracy (“enmasse”) (2) sex and senses; and (3) death.

On the other hand our great mystic poet Shah Latif (1689-1752) is one of representative poet of Islamic and eastern philosphies. On the one hand, one will find the Hindu mortification philosphy in his poetry and on the hand Islamic faith and eternity abudently. Both the poet have different world view which is also seen in todays world as well. At the Western side as is seen today is much selfishness and self development in the materialist philosphy as Whaitman says:

Come, I will make the continet indissoluble…

I hear America singing, the varied carlos I hear;

Above both examples illustrate the selfishness and betterment of oneself which is essence of todays American and Western priority. Whereas Islamic and Eastern philosphy emphasize the eternal and universal well-being and welfare. Shah Latif prays from God:

O my lord, bestow prosperty on Sindh for ever,

O my sweet friend, shower blessings on all the world.

Above quoted both the overviews are representative thinking of Eastern and Western philosophies. Eastern philosophy is immersed in the Quranic teachings and prophet hood that is ‘rehmat ul aalmin’ (Blessing for the whole worlds). Apart from the whole universe one’s existence is meaningless and not so appreciated.  In the same context there is opposite mystic experience at Eastern and Western thinking. It is in regard of Whitman who is deemed as the ‘mystic’ and ‘transcendentalist’ poet of America. it is conceived that mysticism is believing in the existence of the soul, in the existence of God or Divine Spirit, in the immortality of human soul, and in the capacity of human being to establish an intercourse or communication between his spirit and the Divine Spirit. Whitman believes in it as;

Wisdom is of the Soul, is not susceptible to proof, is its own proof.

But the actual difference is their treatment to attain that loftiness of the Soul and communication with the Divine Spirit. Western thinking conceives the Divine spirit and eternal Soul within physical existence as Whitman says:

I said that the soul is not more than the body,

And I have said that the body is not more than the soul.

This philosophy seeks both the things within; one who wants to attain body pleasure may experience the existence of soul and at the same time one who wants ths Soul experience it amy get pleasure from body. Because Whitman at another place says

If any thing is Sacred, the human body is sacred

This illustration of the poetry displays that western mystic experience is not beyond the human body and sensual pleasure. On the other hand Islamic and Eastern mysticism believes the attainment of communication with the Divine Spirit is hidden in the mortification of human physical pleasure and senses. Because the body and the soul are two different existences and physical understanding of the Divivne spirit is deceptive and limited. In this world the true human and his soul is imprisoned and its salvation lies beyond the bodily attainments as Latif depicts:

O Lord, by the will this decree,

With her Marus that Marui be,

Life engoaled was the fate that I took.

That I should live miserable here,

‘Body here, sold with Thee’, Saith the Book.

At another place he says:

The Divine knowledge has separated life from the body,

I cannot take a single breath without beloved,

Now it is only God that is in my soul.

This philosophy unlike western or Whitman’s thinking considers the body and soul two different things and varied experiences. One can not achieve the lofty spiritual goal with physical capabilities which are bound to serve transitory appearance and that is used to abrogate and abnegate to reach the Beloved or Divine Spirit. For that purpose lover has to sacrifice the body and physical desires as Latif says:

Until you make your body slanderer than the needle,

How would beloved insert in his eyes like antimony.

Whereas the love and achievement of beloved at western thinking is exaltation of physical and bodily worship as Whitman says:

Without shame the man I like knows and avows deliciousness of his sex,

Without shame the woman I like knows and avows hers.

Further he says in the context of physical exaltation of man and woman:

--

Have you ever loved the body of a woman?

Have you ever loved the body of a man?

If any thing is sacred the human body is sacred..

It is clear denial of the Spiritual and Soul exaltation in the western material thinking which according to Eastern mysticism is the place of Divine and Beloved Worshipping and the mortification of human sense. In eastern thinking ‘self’ or physical existence is great hurdle in achieving the true Spiritual love that is why it is abnegated.

So long you perceive your ‘self’ there cannot

Be true prostration,

Discard your being and then offer prayer.

And bodily desires are negated and it is deemed also the pleasure of mystical love unlike western thinking which is altogether opposite;

Black threads on our wrists, gold is sign of mourning,

Hunger we prize, starvation is a pleasure.

This illustration depicts the denial of physical needs and pleasure to attain the spiritual pleasure and love. But attainment of love at Whitman is the attainment of Sexual/bodily desires and experience as he says:

Love-thoughts, love-juice, love-odor, love-yielding,

Love-climbers, and the climbing sap,

Arms and hands of love, lips of love, phallic thumb of love, breasts of love….

Whitman further explains the experience of his physical love and expresses his satisfaction in it as:

I am satisfied- I see, dance, laugh, sing,

As the hugging and loving Bed-fellow sleeps at my side

Through the night, and withdraws at the peep of the

Day, with stealthy thread..

On the other hand the human senses at Shah Latif are insufficient to see the beloved and observes the true presence of the beloved in absence, existence in nonexistence everything in nothingness. He says:

Don’t try to discern appearance of the beloved you are seeking,

Only that be called conversation with him which is not a face to face

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Those who abnegated self and were merged in Allah,

They do not observe method of standing, genuflexion and prostration,

When they were nonexistent only then they reached existence.

It can verily be perceived from the above some illustrations of classical poetry of the poets that today’s materialist America can be seen in its classical thinking and philosophy and today’s spiritual Asia and East can be seen in its own peculiar philosophy.  Islamic and eastern believes in the purity of soul and the west believes in non purification of soul. Thus today postmodernist understanding is rightly pointing out the death of belief system and religion. The Western world discarded the concept of Christian Virginity and today there is no marriage-contract and no virginity. Though they achieved the great peaks of material development yet the spiritual salvation and soul satisfaction is beyond their access.