The Concept of Nothingness
Title: C8LKM18
Tracking ID: C8LKM18
Language: Kashmiri
Skill: Listening
Proficiency Level: 3+/4
Functional Objective: Demonstrate your comprehension
Topic: Science/Technology
Items
Explanations
‫کرن‬
ُ ‫د‬،‫بو‬
to create.
‫د‬،‫ناسو‬
Profitless
‫بریم‬
‫آ ُگر‬
‫سرفروش‬
‫بے ِکنار سپدان‬
‫سدرس ۢو ۡر گژیتھ‬
ۨ ‫راون ِکس عالمس‬
ۢ
‫منز‬
‫سوز‬
‫ۡکن دیوان‬
‫جہۨ ار‬
mirage, illusion
origin
one who is ready to die for some greater cause, Brave-heart, Martyr,
ready to die. ( see vocabulary notes for further information)
to become helpless( see vocabulary notes)
to drown in a sea. here to get overwhelmed or overpowered
in the universe of lostness, in a state of loss of identity
Peace of mind, A kind of bliss usually associated with music.
listen to something carefully
Powerful, very strong
‫ۡڈہیتھ نیوان‬
‫وحدت‬
‫بقا‬
‫کرتھ‬
ۢ ‫ۡپہراو‬
flush out
Oneness of God
Progress
Guards, Governs
Items
Explanations
‫کرن‬
ُ ‫د‬،‫بو‬
"To create"
‫د‬،‫ناسو‬
"Profitless"
‫بریم‬
‫آ ُگر‬
‫سرفروش‬
‫بے ِکنار سپدان‬
‫سدرس ۢو ۡر گژیتھ‬
ۨ ‫راون ِکس عالمس‬
ۢ
‫منز‬
‫سوز‬
‫ۡکن دیوان‬
"Mirage," "illusion"
"Origin"
"Ready to sacrifice one's life"
"To become helpless" (see Learn More, Vocabulary 4)
"To drown in a sea" (see Learn More, Vocabulary 5)
"In universe of 'lostness'" (see Learn More, Vocabulary 6)
"Peace of mind"
"Listen to something carefully"
‫جہۨ ار‬
"Powerful"
‫ۡڈہیتھ نیوان‬
"Flush out"
‫وحدت‬
‫بقا‬
‫کرتھ‬
ۢ ‫ۡپہراو‬
"Oneness of God"
"Progress"
"Guards," "governs"
Content:
This is a speech that analyzes the concept of "nothingness" with reference to Sufi thought.
Notes:
1. The understanding of “nothing” varies widely between cultures, especially between Western and Eastern
cultures and philosophical traditions. For instance, Shunyata (emptiness), unlike "nothingness," is considered
to be a state of mind in some forms of Buddhism. Achieving “nothing” as a state of mind in this tradition allows
one to be totally focused on a thought or activity at a level of intensity that they would not be able to achieve if
they were consciously thinking. A classic example of this is an archer attempting to erase his mind and clear
his thoughts to better focus on his shot. In some Eastern philosophies, the concept of "nothingness" is
characterized by an egoless state of being in which one fully realizes one's own small part in the cosmos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None#Philosophy
Prompts
Model responses
Hints
What is the overall purpose of the
speech?
The purpose of the speech is to
analyze the concept of
“nothingness” which is of pivotal
importance to a sufi poet .
What concept does the speaker
focus on? Note the title. Read the
Notes for background information.
According to the speaker, what
does "nothingness" entail?
The speaker explains that Sufis
use “nothingness” and
“something” in the same meaning
: it is in the state of non-being that
"everything" is found due to the
guidance of the Divine Light.
Listen to how the speaker relates
the concept of "nothing" to
"something", "everything" and
finally to "the Divine Light".
Why is listening to God’s voice
very important for a Sufi ?
According to the speaker,
listening to God is the source of
ultimate power for a sufi: he
comes to know all the secrets of
the visible and the invisible world
and reaches the state of oneness
with God. in "Nothingness" gives
birth to "existence", and a Sufi
finds himself as the reflection and
the origin of all creation.
Note the expressive language
used by the speaker when
describing the experience of
hearing God's voice (e.g., "when
rhythm of a Sufi’s heart matches
the external music from God").
What is meant by understanding
Wahdat , Kasrat, Fanah ti Bakah,
Alimay-Aab?
How can you characterize the
tone of the speaker?
The speaker is very involved and
describes a sufi’s experience in a
powerful and enthusiastic way
showing that life for a Sufi
becomes meaningful only after
achieving the state of divine
revelation.
tol oll fthht eto
fflroe l tcef a
:ate lseclffettf
-el“‫بے ِکنار سپدان‬
( ”netac faeeat
lrtmeto
lsoclmlhh llhehlff
tc lrtmeto otoahhh
eefrtttlrole
‫ سدرس ۢو ۢیر‬,)fctm
aecaf ece “‫گژھان‬
)olof ”oaorlaat
ect tle et oll
aeahll “trlat( ,
‫صداے سرور‬
” ac ac
ۡ
) terl tf oll tce(,
‫” ۡڈہیتھ‬leol te aatele“
,)fhlfl tlo ( ‫نیوان‬
‫پرواز کران‬
ac aa aacat “‫ۡوول‬
tl lt ( ” tlh
‫ ۡپہراو‬,)fhelf
ellcaa “‫ۡک ۢرتھ‬
),lacef(, ”naceol
.lor
What is the message of the
speaker?
The speaker analyzes the
experiences of a Sufi and
concludes that through the
experience of nothingness, or
indifference to existence, can a
person achieve the state of union
with God , enlightment and
Consider the conclusion: "This
light is the beginning and the end
and this light is the desire,
purpose and gain of all the
creation and is the only way to be
under God’s grace. " Visit the
Notes and the Learn More for
ultimate fulfillment .
Prompts
Model responses
additional information.
Hints
What is the overall purpose of the
speech?
The speech aims to analyze the
concept of "nothingness," which is
of pivotal importance to a Sufi
poet.
What concept does the speaker
focus on? Note the title and read
the Notes for background
information.
According to the speaker, what
does "nothingness" entail?
The speaker explains that Sufis
use "nothingness" and
"something" in the same meaning;
it is in the state of non-being that
"everything" is found, due to the
guidance of the Divine Light.
Listen to how the speaker relates
the concept of "nothing" to
"something," "everything," and the
"Divine Light."
Why is listening to God's voice
important for a Sufi ?
According to the speaker, God's
voice provides the source of
ultimate power for a Sufi. Through
it he comes to know all the
secrets of the visible and invisible
worlds and reaches the state of
oneness with God. Nothingness
gives birth to existence, and a
Sufi finds himself as the reflection
and the origin of all creation.
Note the expressive language
used by the speaker when
describing the experience of
hearing God's voice (e.g., "when
the rhythm of a Sufi's heart
matches the external music from
God"). What is meant by
understanding Wahdat , Kasrat,
Fanah ti Bakah, and Alimay-Aab?
How can you characterize the
tone of the speaker?
The speaker describes a Sufi's
experience in a powerful,
t ot ah aooltoet
enthusiastic way, showing that life
for a Sufi becomes meaningful
only after achieving the state of
divine revelation.
What is the message of the
speaker?
The speaker analyzes the
experiences of a Sufi and
concludes that, through the
experience of nothingness or
indifference to existence, one can
achieve the state of union with
God, enlightenment, and ultimate
fulfillment.
oll hatolaol oll
felanlc lflf,
ttoeto afflroe l
tcef ate
lseclffettf, flrl
,‫ بے ِکنار سپدان‬af
,‫سدرس ۢو ۢیر گژھان‬
‫ ۡڈہیتھ‬,‫صداے سرور‬
ۡ
,‫ پرواز کران ۡوول‬,‫نیوان‬
ot ,‫ ۡپہراو ۡک ۢرتھ‬ate
elolcmetl htlc
.atf lc
Consider the conclusion: "This
light is the beginning and the end
and this light is the desire,
purpose, and gain of all the
creation and is the only way to be
under God's grace." Visit the
Notes and the Learn More
sections for additional information.
Category: Background Information
1. Sufism
is generally understood to be the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of
this tradition is generally known as a ṣufi, though some adherents of the tradition reserve this
term only for those practitioners who have attained the goals of the Sufi tradition. Another name
used for the Sufi seeker is dervish.
Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the
heart and turning it away from all else but God." Alternatively, in the words of the renowned
Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad ibn Ajiba, it is "a science through which one can know how to
travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one’s inner self from filth, and beautify it with a
variety of praiseworthy traits."
The Sufi movement has spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium, at first
expressed through Arabic, then through Persian, Turkish, and a dozen other languages. Sufi
orders trace their origins from the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, through his cousin Ali or his
father-in-law Abu Bakr.
According to some modern proponents, such as Idries Shah, the Sufi philosophy is universal in
nature, its roots predating the arising of Islam and the other modern-day religions; likewise, some
Muslims feel that Sufism is outside the sphere of Islam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism
Category: Culture
1. Sufis constitute an integral part of Kashmiri culture, which is rich in mysticism, enriching it with their poetry.
Many Kashmiri Sufis have discussed the concept of “nothingness” and have produced many valuable insights.
They molded the history and culture of Kashmir and contributed remarkably to the evolution and development
of the composite culture of India.
Category: Grammar
1. The Kashmiri language has a flexible syntax; the text at hand is rich with Persian vocabulary, which
gives rise to certain syntactic constructions that are uncommon in day to day speech. Here are a few
examples:
‫ےیظ ر‬
‫ہن ب اوت ھ‬
ۨ ‫ب د ست۔‬
‫ۢاط ر ۢ ر‬
‫ف‬
‫ہن‬
‫ہ یوان۔ رھییتھ م ہز سوزس ۢ ر‬
‫۔ ھھ۔ ۢ ی تھ س ای ت‬
2. One example from the speech that is more Arabic than Kashmiri is:
‫ف ال‬
‫ظۢ ھ ف‬
‫مہزم‬
‫پ اوان۔ ف‬
In this example, ‫ پ اوان‬is the only Kashmiri word, the rest are Arabic. This illustrates the flexibility and
adaptability of Kashmiri.
Vocabulary
The text contains many foreign words and, in addition, many words and phrases that are noncompositional; their combined meaning is different from that of the individual words. Here are a few
examples:
1. ‫ۢاۨمن‬
‫( ہ ا سود ی ا ااممان‬a world which stands on probabilities or losses)
‫ر‬
2. ‫ف ال‬
‫ظۢ ھ ف‬
‫مہزم‬
‫( پ اوان۔ ف‬he/she finds every thing in nothing)
3. ‫( ھ۔ھ ت ھدان‬grows longer) means "reaches a higher level" in the context it is used.
4. ‫( س پدان ۢاہا ب ظ‬a state without a coast) means "helpless" in the context it is used.
5. ‫( گ ژھان رو و سد س‬to drown in the sea) means "is overwhelmed" in the context it is used.
‫( ف‬in a universe of “lostness”) means "totally ignorant" in the context it is used.
‫مہز ۢاۨ مس ر‬
6. ‫اوہ رمس‬
7. ‫( ہ یوان رھییتھ‬flush out) means "comes under heavy influence" in the context is it used.
8. ‫( روو ۢ ن پ واز‬one who flies) means "a person who has special powers."
Pay attention to the language the speaker uses, noting affective words and expressions, such as ‫ۢاہا ب ظ‬
‫ س پدان‬, ‫گ ژھان روی ر سد س‬, ‫ۡداو‬
‫ س و‬, ‫ہ یوان رھییتھ‬, ‫وو ۢ ان پ واز‬,‫ ر‬and ‫ۢ ر تھ رپر او‬,‫ ر‬to determine your
‫ر‬
answer.