Knowledge and Cognition: The Teachings of Philosophers and Mystical Sufi Masters “The Knowledge Series “

By Dr. Roham Ghassemi

We all want peace, tranquility and knowledge, but how do we learn it? Who truly knows the answer? Most of the time, we hear beautiful, attractive promises and words from different individuals claiming they can show us the path to peace, tranquility and knowledge. However, we seldom see any true results. Yet, if we really seek it wholly and look closely and patiently, the wise have provided us with the clues, so that we may need to discover the right path to begin learning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798369410752

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 by Dr. Roham Ghassemi.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 12/21/2023

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

851215

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Knowledge and Cognition

Chapter 2 Knowledge and Cognition, Origin and Philosophy

Zoroaster

Hermes Trismegistos (700 – 800 BC)

Pythagoras (570 – 495 BC)

Buddha (563 BC to 480 BC)

Lao-Tzu (l. c. 6th and 5th Century BC)

Confucius (551 – 479 BC)

Socrates (469 – 399 BC)

Plato (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC)

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 – 180 AD)

Augustine of Hippo (Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 354 – 430 AD)

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (480 – 524 AD)

John of Damascus (676 – 749 AD)

Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi known in the West as Alpharabius (872 – 951 AD)

Ibn-Sīnā [Avicenna] (970 – 1037 AD)

Umar Ibn Ibrahim Nishaburi, Omar Khayam (1048 – 1131 AD)

Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (1217 – 1274 AD)

Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274 AD)

Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321 AD)

William of Ockham, Ockham also spelled Occam (1285 – 1347 AD)

Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626 AD)

Ṣadr ad-Dīn Muḥammad Shīrāzī, known as Mullā Ṣadra (1571 – 1635 AD)

Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650 AD)

Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662 AD)

Baruch Spinoza, Bento (1632-1677 AD)

Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz (1646 – 1716AD)

John Locke (1632 – 1704 AD)

François-Marie Arouet, M. de Voltaire (1694 – 1778 AD)

David Hume (1711 – 1776 AD)

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804 AD)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832 AD)

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882 AD)

Carl Jung, Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961 AD)

Chapter 3 Knowledge, Cognition, and science

Cognition, Knowledge and Decision making

Scientists Look Beyond the Individual Brain to Study the Collective Mind.

The human heart has hidden treasures.

Is it all in the Brain or the Heart?

The Heart’s Electromagnetic Field Is Your Superpower

Chapter 4 Cognition, knowledge and Sufism

Oveys Gharani, Awais bin Bashir (Oveyss)

Hasan Yasar al-Basri (642 – 728 AD)

Rabae Adavye (Rabia El Adwiya),

Jafar ibn Muḥammad ibn Ali al-Ṣadiq (Arabic, 702 – 765 AD)

Ibrahim ibn Adham also called Ibrahim Balkhi (718 – 782 AD)

Shaqiq al-Balkhi (810 – 194 AD)

Junayd of Baghdad (Persian 830 – 910 AD)

Abul-Hassan Kharaqani (Persian 963 – 1033 AD)

Najm ad-Din Kubra (Persian 1145 – 1221 AD)

Abusaid Abolkhayr (Persian, 967 – 1049 AD)

Abu Ismail Abdullah Al-Ansari (1006 – 1088 AD)

Shihab ad-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi (Persian, 1154 – 1191 AD)

Nizami Ganjavi (Persian, 1141 – 1209 AD)

Aṭṭar of Nishapur ( 1145 – 1221 AD )

Ibn Arabi (Arabic, 1165 – 1240 AD)

Jalal al-Din Muḥammad Rumi (Persian, 1207 – 1273 AD)

Ala al-Dawla Simnani (Persian, 1261 – 1336 AD)

Shah Nimatullah or Shah Nimatollah Wali, (Persian, 1309 – 1411 AD)

Mahmoud Shabestari (Persian, 1288 – 1340 AD)

Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (Persian, 1312 – 1384 AD)

Shams-od-Dīn Moḥammad Ḥafez (Persian, 1325 – 1390 AD)

Mir Damad (1561 – 1631/1632 AD)

Baha al‐Din Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al‐Amili, Sheikh Bahai, (1547 – 1621 AD)

Molana Mirghotbedin Mohammad Angha was born (1887 – 1962 AD)

Molana Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha

Molana Saleheddin Ali Nader Shah Angha

Chapter 5 Conclusion Knowledge and Guidance

Suggested Reading

This is by the Grace of my Lord

Your heart is the size of an ocean, go find

yourself in its hidden depths. (Rumi)

CHAPTER ONE

Knowledge and Cognition

Introduction

When we observe the universe, we see how peaceful it is, how tranquil it is. The reason is knowledge, the reason is stability. The universe is all knowledge. Is it possible to have stability and tranquility in the vast universe which expands from nowhere to nowhere, with no beginning and no end, then we should see the same tranquility and stability In the smaller units - from the atom to human societies - since they are part of the universe. Sufism and Knowledge 12, Professor Nader Angha.

The words of the wise throughout history have been the rays of light for us to think about existence and to figure out how to think of a better life and better experience in life. Throughout history, we have studied and read about different philosophers and wise men and their sayings about essential words and definitions. If we pay attention when we read their work, they help us look to find our own ray of light and unique path.

I always wondered how easier we can make sense of the word of the wise and their teachings if there was a chronological order in each subject they refer to. This could help the reader, or the seeker, follow the subject instead of having to read hundreds of pages from each of them individually and still not have a clear and complete answer on most subjects.

We are going to focus on our topics which are knowledge and cognition. They are topics of most important philosophical and scientific conversation, which may help every individual with better research and results in different fields they are interested in.

On an individual level, it may also help with many unanswered questions or missing pieces of the puzzle within us. Such questions could distract one from being present with life and having awareness and a better process of thinking about themself and the world around them.

Knowing how lack of knowledge could lead to many disorders in an individual’s cognition has become a focus in psychology in the recent era. Many psychologists now are practicing with Cognitive Behavior Theory and different style of therapies based on Beck’s Cognitive Theory.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, MBCT, is a modified form of cognitive therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices that include present moment awareness, meditation, and breathing exercises. This therapy was formulated to address depression. Using these tools, the mindfulness-based therapist teaches a client to be in the here and now and break away from negative thought patterns that can cause a decline into a mood-disordered state; this therapy can help a person fight off a difficult frame of mind before it takes hold. (Psychologytoday.com)

Studying cognition and using cognitive behavior therapy CBT is becoming more and more important in science. In my book, Substance abuse treatment and cognitive behavior therapy, I demonstrated theory and research showing the benefits of CBT.

Using CBT, self-cognition, and self-evaluation can help individuals develop self-efficacy to overcome substance abuse and make better life choices. This investigation aimed to examine the current literature on substance abuse treatments, cognitive behavioral theory (CBT), self-efficacy theory, self-evaluation, and self-cognition strategies to identify components of the above that are empirically important and might logically be included in a substance abuse treatment program.

It’s been my privileged to be guided by my teacher about the importance of research. I was taught to start from the source of any one subject and the meanings of each word and then move to the philosophical and scientific meanings and explanations throughout history to the present. That would be the base of research on each subject and then you may discover the definition through focus, awareness, and meditation. He says, The universe is all knowledge. If it is possible to have stability and tranquility in the vast universe which expands from nowhere to nowhere, with no beginning and no end, then we should see the same tranquility and stability in the smaller units- from the atoms to human societies- since they are part of the universe. Sufism and knowledge, Professor Nader Angha.

We are going to see why we separate ourselves from the universe and see what other paths have been offered by the wise, which we pay less attention for experiencing tranquility and stability.

We all want knowledge, and every human is on a journey to know; some use it to make a living; some make their life mission to acquire true knowledge, which starts with knowing oneself, and one’s Self.

This is part of the humble journey of myself seeking answers to questions I have had by learning about knowledge and cognition to get to peace and tranquility. At first, I never thought this would become my life’s journey to self-cognition by reading hundreds of books and many years of research in different schools and universities. But I soon realized in order to know, you must want it with everything you are. You need to study and learn day after day, year after year. What you are about to read is my limited effort on what I have learned and organized so far about the subjects here.

You may want to know the answers to the same questions; maybe you just remembered you used to think about these questions as well.

Who am I?

Where did I come from?

Where am I going?

Yes, we have heard this repeatedly, and we know that there are songs and movies about I, asking the question, who am I?. In fact, however, they are mostly just made to make money, either referring to some self-interest or superficial imaginary aspect of those words without any meaning!

One would be hard pressed to find someone who does not want to acquire knowledge.

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Where am I going to go after here?

Firstly, we, as conscious humans, desire to know the answers to these questions to be at peace with ourselves, our lives, and our surroundings. When we think of these questions, are we satisfied with ordinary responses or with others’ definitions and explanations? Maybe! But for most people, finding meaning and having their own life experience is the only thing that truly satisfies them. This makes sense because others’ definitions, explanations, and experiences, even if correct, cannot convey to me how they have experienced them.

Think of a bottle of red wine, for example, that I received from a friend coming back from Moldova. If I want to describe the taste of this specific wine to another friend, I will say it is a full-body red wine made from the sour, red grapes of Moldova in Eastern Europe. It tastes a bit bitter and has a deep, sweet blackberry aftertaste. Would this description describe this exact wine, or is it a general description for many similar red wines?

Does this explanation convey the real taste of that glass of wine to anyone reading these words? Can anyone taste or smell the wine I’m talking about? How about the color of it?

That goes for almost everything in life we like to know about! We must have first-hand experience of it to know what it means to feel a certain taste, smell, color, joy, comfort, and many other meanings that come along with experiencing something on my own first-hand, to say, "I know it!"

Now, how do I know who I am, and what do we mean by knowing I? Is it important to know? Is it important enough to personally seek and search to find the answer? Or can just hearing others personal experiences and thoughts answer my question?

I always had that question, and I always looked for an answer to it.

That questioning has always been my attitude towards life, to look for words of wisdom to give me clues and direction to know myself and my abilities at different levels. That is why I always felt my life is a learning journey.

There’s always so much to learn from a journey, and there is always the desire to learn more, to be a better version of yourself, and to know yourself better.

Defining topics for everyone are created by defining fractions of time and space, that point may be less than a second even. If these topics are carefully attended to, such a topic, when developed by true research, will form the most important pillar of each being, and it may end up fulfilling them on every level of their life.

Legend has it that after watching an apple fall from a tree, Issac Newton asks, Why did the apple fall straight and not sideways or upward?

That led him to discover Universal gravitation, the Laws of motion, which formed the dominant scientific viewpoint for centuries until the theory of relativity superseded it. Newton accomplished all of this in a fraction of a second.

Every individual can discover something special if we only believe in our abilities and believe that is a part of self-discovery that one may have, that may happen at any point in our lives. Such important discoveries, I think, should be shared with others just because it may be a small ray of light for another individual to be sensible and aware of the signs around them. This may lead to paying more attention to the vast knowledge that lies within us and is waiting to be discovered.

In essence, this is what the message of all Prophets has been through time: Know the ‘being’ who is everlasting and not restricted to the body, to desires, and all the action and reaction that takes place continuously. Know the ‘being’ who is your true identity, the source of your becoming, the source of knowledge, so you may leave in peace and balance, so you may know your eternity. Sufism and knowledge, Professor Nader Angha.

We will discuss words and meanings to see how we can benefit from them.

Here are the words we are focusing on mainly:

• Meaning

• Knowledge

• Cognition

The process of learning the meaning of words is important. This process helps us understand the importance of considering the word when we learn about any subject of study or any subject to live by. It is a most useful practice to provide ourselves with a chance to better understand the meanings of words we use. This understanding then can affect the way we prioritize our needs and wants.

Every scientist aims to understand their research subjects better to better understand their qualities and characteristics.

Learning to understand everything with a little more depth or meaning may become a simple hobby, or even second nature.

Just imagine buying a car. Won’t you be a bit more satisfied with your choice of car buying if you learned about the type of car you’re looking to buy for a few hours or days? It is obvious, by learning, we are not referring to bits of each piece of information here and there without research for organized and factual sources. For example, we examine the size, shape, handling, fuel economy or hybrid, price, and safety.

The more we learn about the car, the better choice we will have in choosing a car that provides us with peace and comfort.

Now, we may agree that knowing more about everything we do helps us make better choices, making us feel more secure, more at peace, and comfortable with our choices. Everyone is looking to have comfort with peace and tranquility.

Let’s take another example, success: we are all raised to go to school and go through life to succeed.

This concept of success for people may range