Jewel, Spirit and Mud

8th October, 2021
15th October, 2021
22nd October, 2021
Time: 19:00 AEDT / 10:00 BST

An online Zoom seminar series in three sessions on the makeup of the human self according to Ibn ‛Arabi with Avi Abadi. Each session will last 75 minutes.

Contact: markvtemple@gmail.com

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Seminar Description

In commenting on the Wisdom of the Heart, Mu’ayyid al-Jandi* writes: “[Apart from certain of the envoys and mystics,] none addressed the question of the self’s reality, its uniqueness, its essence, its established entity, its unknowability, its being of the Real and of Creation, its servanthood and its lordship.”

In principle, this seminar is a commentary on that sentence, the key assumption being that each of the eight properties Jandi mentions refers to a mode of the human self as it occurs in a degree of being. The seminar will also attempt to show that, regardless of the discoveries made in the field of neuroscience, arguments as to the nature of self have not changed in essence since Jandi’s day.

The seminar will run over three weekly sessions and will include presentations and study of passages from Jandi’s commentary on the Fusus al-Hikam.

*  Mu’ayyid al-Jandi (d. 1291?) was the foremost disciple of Sadruddin Konevi, the adopted son and heir of Ibn ‘Arabi. He wrote the first full commentary on the Fusus al-Hikam at the behest of his teacher.

Avi Abadi has been a student of the work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi for forty odd years. For several years he was the Director of Studies at the Beshara School (now known as the Chisholme Institute). He has led numerous seminars supported by the Beshara Trust, and presented the Beshara Lecture in 2018.

Booking

Cost: FREE via Zoom

Contact: Mark Temple at markvtemple@gmail.com

‘Truth is One but the wise speak of it differently’

(Rig Veda)

7th September 2022 – 31st May 2023

5 x 5 weekly modules over three terms. Wednesday evenings from 7-8.30pm GMT/BST

This course will introduce participants to four major traditions of human wisdom – the philosophies of ancient Greece and India, Christian wisdom and Islamic Mysticism. Students will have the opportunity to explore how these traditions might converse with one another and consider what light they have to shed on the issues the world faces today.

Contact: admin@beshara.org

What is Beshara?

July 13, 2019 (2pm – 5pm)
The October Gallery, London

An afternoon exploring the meaning and principles of Beshara. Open to all.

The Alchemy of Human Happiness: Study Group

January 25th, 2020 (2–5pm)
The October Gallery, London UK

The first of a series of study groups on a new translation of a seminal work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi.

The Letters of Bulent Rauf

Weekly from 19th November 2022

Saturdays 18:00–19:00 CST
Sundays 11:00–13:00 AEDT

A reading group for online study of the Letters of Bulent Rauf.

Impersonal Compassion

Weekly on Fridays from 2nd July, 2021
19:00 AEST / 10:00 BST

An online seminar in three one hour sessions on the distinction between non-theistic and theistic spirituality according to Ibn ‘Arabi with Avi Abadi.

Contact: Mark Temple at markvtemple@gmail.com

St Martin and the beggar

The Practical Wisdom of Ibn ‘Arabi

13th January – 3rd March, 2026
Tuesdays at 19:00 – 21:00 GMT (8 sessions)

Exploring Ibn ‘Arabi’s great metaphysical vision and its many implications for our conduct in everyday life. No previous knowledge is required, all texts provided.

This course is now fully booked. To join a reserve list or to receive notification of a future possible iteration of the course, email besharacourses3@beshara.org

Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries

Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries

Weekly on Saturdays (starting March 2026)
13:30–15:30 GMT online via Zoom

An opportunity to study and explore a recent translation of a seminal work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi: Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries.

Contact: Michael Cohen, london@beshara.org

The Kernel 246

Kernel of the Kernel

Weekly from 19th September 2026
Saturdays
14:00–15:00 GMT

Online study of The Kernel of the Kernel, a selection of key passages from Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi’s Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, translated into Turkish with commentary by Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1652-1728AD). Translated into English by Bulent Rauf.

Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries

October 6th – 7th, 2018
The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, UK.

A residential weekend studying one of the major works of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi. Facilitated by the co-translator Cecilia Twinch.

The Secret of God's Most Beautiful Names

The Secret of God’s Most Beautiful Names

Weekly from Saturday 26th April 2025 (USA) / Sunday 27th April 2025 (Australia)

Weekly on Saturdays (USA)
18:00–19:30 CDT online via Zoom

Weekly on  Sundays (Australia)
09:00–10:30 AEST online via Zoom

An opportunity to study and explore a recent translation of a seminal work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi. Participation is free but it will be necessary to purchase the book.

This is an existing study group timed for participants in the Pacific Rim. There is room for a few additional participants who would like to join the group.

Contact: Mary Boyd-Brent, mboydb3.11@gmail.com

Ibn ‘Arabi Study Retreat: Abraham and Isaac

September 4 – 10, 2017
Chisholme Institute, Scottish Borders, UK

Study of chapters from Part One of the new, fully annotated translation of the ‘Fusus al-Hikam’ (2018).

The Beshara Lecture 2016

Saturday, 4 June 2016

Delivered at St Ethelburga’s Centre, London, by Professor Alan Williams (University of Manchester).