Book Announcement: The Illuminated Prayer: The Five-Times Prayer of the Sufis (Coleman Barks, Michae
Posted Jul 4, 2009

Book Announcement: The Illuminated Prayer: The Five-Times Prayer of the Sufis (Coleman Barks, Michael Green, Michael Green)

Synopsis
The Prayer is a drawing of the curtain, an invitation to a secret place that is discovered and explored. . . .

According to tradition and the testimony of Sufi mystics, The Prayer—or Salat—was first taught by the angels, who themselves practiced it in celestial adoration. The Prayer is God’s gift to all humankind, and in this gorgeously illustrated volume, its simple, archetypal practice unfolds like a fragrant, many-petaled flower, joining words and movements into a single luminous event that engages our entire being.

These ancient rituals are presented here as a gift for anyone with a heartfelt desire to set aside for a moment the concerns of every day and enter a sacred time and space in which to explore the beckonings of the spirit. The authors take us through the words, movements, and hidden meanings of the Call to Prayer, the Ablutions, The Prayer itself, and the Peaceful Embrace afterwards. Faithful practice lends a sacred rhythm to each day and creates a psychological force that helps us nurture and express a profound inner harmony.

This first, marvelously accessible interpretation of The Prayer also offers a compelling introductin to the wisdom and teachings of the beloved contemporary Sufi master Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, who brought new life to this mystical tradition by opening a passage to its deepest, universal realities. It is the loving handiwork of two of Bawa’s best-known students, Coleman Barks and Michael Green, who also created The Illuminated Rumi.

Like a jewel given extra brilliance by its setting, The Prayer is surrounded by the wisdom and understanding of the thirteenth-century Sufi master Rumi, whose generous poetry has become anessential canon for modern-day seekers in the West. The final gift is the Primeval Kalima, the core practice and most profound teaching of the Sufi, the “open secret” that leads to Divine Luminous Wisdom.

Biography

Coleman Barks published his first book of poetry, The Juice, in 1972. From the late seventies to the present time, he has been known for his translations of the thirteenth-century mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. He has published versions of other mystical poets as well as his own poetry, and he has collaborated with a variety of artists, dancers, and musicians in the presentation of his material. He is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Georgia.

Michael Green is a critically acclaimed artist/author, who is working to create a new kind of sacred art for our time. “Some of the most luminous images of our civilization,” said the Woodstock Times about The Illuminated Rumi. His other books include Zen & the Art of the Macintosh, Unicornis, The Book of the Dragontooth, and The I-Ching Records. He lives in Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley.

available at Barnes and Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Illuminated-Prayer/Coleman-Barks/e/9780345435453 and Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0345435451/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books