>>507580552Last winter I fasted for 40 days, toward the end of which I had the gracious experience of lacking the desire to sin. I had no preconceptions or goals of spirituality, but I know what sin is, and my thirst for it dissipated. I realized that all of my life's faults and shortcomings could be attributed to sin. I wondered, how does one deal with the problem of sin when not fasting? The answer of course is religion. Whether real or not, it is the most powerful antidote to sin. I resolved to start going to church.
Then, I reflected on Rene Guenon's teachings about the importance of submission to God. Christians don't do this. Jews don't submit, they do the opposite, self-exaltation. Muslims pray on their face, the ultimate submission. Literally the word "Islam" means submission to God. When fasting, I was completely humbled, in mind spirit and body. The ego is fantastically diminished. Submission to God five times a day has this effect too. No surprise that among religions, Muslims are the best at fasting.
I called a Muslim pal (every Muslim I've been friends with has been pure of spirit and very kind) and he told me about Islam for three hours. He told me to next to read the Quran.
I read the Quran. Yes there's the Abrahamic stories, and the Christian stories, but the main focus running through the whole thing is God. By the end, I had a totally new conception of God. Not some superstitious Christian belief of some entity, but a feeling of knowledge, or gnosis. I'm still taking baby steps, but I believe Islam is the true path to spirituality, self-love and happiness
