PROFESSOR ABDUL AZIZ SAIDAbout | Reflections
PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION
Personal transformation was central to Abdul Aziz Said’s life and to the man, the teacher, and the scholar-activist he was. For his own transformative journey, Said chose the path of Sufism. However, his writings on transformation have universal appeal and application.
Said believed in the existence of higher levels of knowing and consciousness and urged they be developed in addition to the rational, conceptual mind. He viewed personal transformation as the expansion or shift of an individual’s consciousness to recognize, among other things, that being “separate selves” is an illusion. This is the realization of oneness: the belief in a Divine unity and love that connects all life. However, he stressed that this does not mean repressing individual uniqueness.
Professor Said was confident we each have the power to decide how we want to grow spiritually and personally. The specific choices and desires we cultivate, both inwardly and in our outer life, are what determine the kind of person we will become. We can choose, as Said did, to cultivate the qualities of generosity, kindness, empathy, and love – to “evolve” and dedicate our lives in many different ways to improve the lives around us.
In his classes, Said discussed the importance of personal transformation emphasizing that by saving that part of humanity over which we have the most control –ourselves – and working on our own personal character, we acknowledge that humanity is worth working to perfect. He also believed that personal transformation was intrinsically linked to positive transformation on a global level. He wrote:
Personal transformation is both the model for and the catalyst of global change. I envision a spiritual revolution taking place. As they do spiritual work and come to realize the Divine unity and love connecting them, people from different paths and at different stages of development will begin to grow society as a worldwide organic formation that is an outer reflection of their inner peace. This may take lifetimes.
Professor Said may not have realized he was writing about himself. He was an example of a person who went through a meaningful transformation that in turn led him to work with like-minded individuals to improve human rights, to strengthen international humanitarian organizations, and to resolve international conflicts peacefully.
Selected Writings
A Paradigm of Spiritual Engagement | Abdul Aziz Said | “Building an Alliance of American Contemplatives”, October 2009
A View on Transformation | Stephen Hallmark and Abdul Aziz Said | circa early 1970s
Become Conscious of the Unconscious | Abdul Aziz Said | April 2013
Peace Through Spiritual Growth | Abdul Aziz Said | Minding the Heart, forthcoming
Consciousness: Working for Social Change: Virtues to Avoid and Temptations to Seek | Abdul Aziz Said | July 2012
Idea of Transformation | Abdul Aziz Said | June 2002
Knowing Without Boundaries | Abdul Aziz Said | Minding the Heart, forthcoming
How to Deal with Negative Thoughts | Abdul Aziz Said | April 2012
Peace Through Me | Abdul Aziz Said | circa 1995
Peace, the Inside Story | Abdul Aziz Said | circa late 2000s
Transformation is the Rule. It is Natural. | Abdul Aziz Said | 2009
The Road to Peace | Abdul Aziz Said | “Interfaith Prayer at the National Cathedral”, October 2001