#Seed031: The Human Way
Exploring Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy ibn Yaqzan as a Universal Roadmap to Enlightenment
Over the last few weeks, I've been reading Ibn Tufayl’s under-appreciated philosophical tale, Hayy ibn Yaqzan, with my reading circle. Hayy ibn Yaqzan is the coming-of-age story of a boy raised by a doe, who discovers his purpose in this world. This Andalusian medieval work poses the question: what can we know without social constraints? For many students of philosophy, this question isn't new. Descartes, Hobbes, and Rousseau are just a few who asked the same question. Some argue that modern philosophy owes a great deal to the questions posed by Ibn Tufayl. I'd argue that the treatise, instead of providing us a window into a medieval worldview and the assumptions of those times, gives us a roadmap to becoming fully human.
I want to share a few excerpts from Hayy ibn Yaqzan that illustrate a universal vision of human potential. We are currently living in a moment that is questioning the very nature of our humanity. Can our consciousness be transferred to silica? Are we meant to evolve beyond our biological bodies?
I sense that Ibn Tufayl can give us hints by presenting us with a vision of our humanity that is at once honouring our human potential, while placing us within a cosmic web of mutual reciprocity. Interestingly, this vision isn't dependent on a particular religious doctrine but is grounded in a philosophical understanding of God as the Necessary Existent, as discussed by Aristotle and the like. This is what is commonly referred to as the God of the Philosophers. However, unlike the philosophers, who struggle to see God as actively participating in this world, Ibn Tufayl draws the conclusion not only that God exists but that we can come to know and love Him1, and become enlightened humans. Hence, the roadmap to the Human Way.
This is particularly invaluable when it comes to community engagement. I often ask myself why I facilitate community workshops and conversations, and I've come to realize that I am doing what I can to support myself and all people around me in becoming fully human. By fully human, I’m talking about the potential we all have to live an enlightened, virtuous, and fruitful life. Ibn Tufayl offers us this roadmap.
A Note of Caution
In the history of philosophy, it's commonly asserted that the human being comprises a vegetative soul, animal soul, and rational soul. For my readers who may be encountering this for the first time, I ask you to bear with me and take this as a first principle. Ibn Tufayl builds on this and presents the human being as a mirror of the cosmos. What is within is without, so to speak. The human being has a bodily nature, a celestial nature, and a divine nature. The Human Way is to align ourselves harmoniously to each nature.
The Needs of the Body
Our body has needs and if they aren't met, we cannot thrive. It wasn't unusual for mystics to shun the body in an attempt to transcend to higher spiritual realms. For Hayy, however, this rejection of the body seemed counterintuitive. Though recognizing that serving the body could lead to spiritual self-destruction, a balanced approach to sustaining it as a vessel to carry our spirit is nevertheless needed.Ibn Tufayl writes, Hayy “knew also that serving his first likeness, although necessary and per accidens helpful, would hamper his true self. So he made himself a rule to impose on himself no more of this first form of imitation than was necessary to keep the vital spirit on the brink of survival. Necessity called for two things to preserve this spirit: one to sustain it from within and replace what broke down, that is food; and the other to protect it from without and keep off various sorts of harm such as heat and cold, rain, too much sun, and harmful animals.” (109) Hayy saw that discipline, rules, and guidelines would be needed to curb his appetites. Furthermore, he also needed to master crafts that would extend his life. He needed to learn how to grow food, build a shelter, make clothing, and craft tools and weapons. All this would serve the body. Hayy came to realize that industry was a means toward the end of reaching his true self. The spiritual path is not one of worldly rejection but one of self-reliance.
Celestial Becoming
Once Hayy recognized that a competent and skilled human being would build the foundations for the beatific contemplation of the Creator, he began to look beyond the world around him and reflect on the heavenly bodies. A precautionary note must be made here. Given that Hayy had no access to inherited information, his experience of the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets was direct. In other words, he saw them without being told what they are. In them, he saw unconditional giving (e.g., sunlight), pure light, and repetitive circular movement.He knew that once the needs of his body were met, he must become celestial. To do so, he would strive to imitate the three perceived functions of heavenly bodies. “For the first, he imitated their action by never allowing himself to see any plant or animal hurt, sick, encumbered, or in need without helping it if he could.” (115) He came to see his function as caretaker and steward. In his actions, especially in practicing his craft, he adopted the principle of doing no harm. Secondly, in looking at the purity of celestial light, he “made sure always to be clean, washing frequently with water, getting all the dirt and grime off his body, cleaning his teeth, nails, and every nook and cranny of his body—even scenting it as best as he could with plant fragrances and various pleasant-smelling oils.” (116) Again, preparing the grounds for enlightenment required cleanliness. We can all attest to the power of incense and a cle.an space to lay the grounds for meditation and contemplation. Finally, he strove “to fix his mind on the Necessarily Existent Being, cut away the bonds of all objects of the senses—shut his eyes, stop his ears, use all the force at his command to restrain the play of imagination—and try with all his might to think only of Him, without idolatrously mixing any other thought with the thought of Him. Often he would aid himself by spinning around faster and faster.” (116) He used the act of spinning and circular movements in general to reach a sense of ecstatic union with the Creator, which was something he saw in heavenly bodies. At the same time, he noticed the power and place of cyclical meditation, that is, a consistent practice to align oneself with his spiritual nature.
Imitatio Dei
Once Hayy aligned himself to both his bodily and spiritual natures, he started pondering his divine nature. He came to realize that all things are created, and thus there must be a Creator. This is a common worldview amongst indigenous peoples all over the world. However, he was left with the question of how he could know this Creator (whom the translator calls the Necessary Existent). He comes to learn that “to become like Him in His positive attributes is simply to know Him.” He then “set about to eliminate the physical in himself.” (119) In other words, Hayy began to realize the Divine Qualities. He saw that the Creator has life, knowledge, power, will, hearing, seeing, and speaking. Looking within, his spiritual path toward the beatific contemplation of the Creator meant that he would align himself with those seven attributes and work towards eliminating the physical attributes within himself until all that is witnessed is the Creator’s life, knowledge, power, will, hearing, seeing, and speaking. Or enlightenment.
Concluding Remarks
As I mentioned earlier, Ibn Tufayl offers a philosophical tale that can help us realize that humans are more than mere flesh and bones. We are living at a critical moment in time when certain technophile elites are thinking of transposing our consciousness from hydrocarbons (e.g., our brain) to silica, in an attempt to immortalize humans1. If we are mere consciousness booted on matter, then what actually makes us human? I stand by the idea that our tripartite bio-spiritual-divine nature that has the potential for enlightenment is our resistance to transhumanism. Our ability to access what the Sufis call kashf or unveilings of divine knowledge is what grounds us in the Way of the Human. And Ibn Tufayl offers us a roadmap.
For more on the subject of transhumanism and what those elites are actually reading and following, see Chu, Ted. Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential: A Cosmic Vision of Our Future Evolution.
satan is a nature hater. Most likely this trans human effort has or will create the seeds of its on failure Gd willing without much harm to humanity. The name of the movement itself tells you that its founders and promoters has major deficiencies in their tripartite human reality as the human being is the crown of creation. You can’t “ trans” him without major problems . Witness the trans sexual aberration. Destined to die a painful death either slow or fast .