Our limited self is a wall separating us from the Self of God.
Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Related Material by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Compiled by Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist – wahiduddin.net
In order to reach spiritual perfection the first thing is to destroy this false self. First this delusion must be destroyed. And this is done by the ways taught by the great teachers, ways of concentration and meditation, by the power of which one forgets oneself and removes one’s consciousness from oneself, in other words rises from one’s limited being. In this way people efface themselves from their own consciousness, and place God in their consciousness instead of their limited self. And it is in this way that they arrive at that perfection which every soul is seeking.
( from the Sufi Message Series, Volume VI – The Alchemy of Happiness: The Aim of Life )
Real Justice cannot be perceived until the veil of selfishness has been removed from our eyes. The least spark of selfishness will prevent us from being just; we will continue to have a partial interest, because we will be looking after our own interest. Whatever furthers our own interests, we will call our right and our justice.
The prophets and the holy ones have all recognized the Justice of God as the only real Justice. What is the nature of the Justice of God? It cannot be read in scripture; it cannot be learned from a book; it can only be learned from the Self within after selfishness has been removed. Our limited self is like a wall separating us from the Self of God. God is as far away from us as that wall is thick.
( from the Sufi Message Series, Volume VII – In an Eastern Rose Garden: The Desire of Nations )
Commentary by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad)
Samuel L. Lewis
All spiritual training and discipline has no other purpose than this, to escape from this limited thought of self, to rise above the mind-mesh, to become free from all limitation. It is our own thought of self which confines us to limitation. Laying this aside, we lay all burdens aside. Do not try to cease to think of self; think of God and let that thought draw all other thoughts. This is the way to liberation.