A book to return to
Know Yourself
The main takeaway
The book invites you to examine the feeling of being a separate self and consider its teaching of one divine reality.
The short summary
Know Yourself: An Explanation of the Oneness of Being explores what it means to exist. Its central claim is that every apparent person and thing has the same ultimate reality: God. Self-knowledge means recognising that unity. Cecilia Twinch translated the Arabic text into modern English. It circulated under Ibn ‘Arabi’s name; Beshara notes that many scholars attribute it to Awhad al-din Balyani. This overview draws on the publisher’s introduction and two authorised extracts.
One idea at a time
Key takeaways.
Idea 1
Look beneath the labels
A name, occupation or personality describes a person. The book directs attention to the deeper question of being: what makes that person exist at all?
Idea 2
Understand its claim of oneness
The text presents God as the single reality of everything that appears. Its language treats the self and the world as expressions of that reality.
Idea 3
Recognition changes the view
In the publisher’s extract, understanding clears a mistaken belief about separation. The teaching describes an insight into what has always been present.
An everyday example
Three shapes, one clay
Imagine a cup, a bowl and a jug made from the same clay. Their shapes and uses differ; each is clay. This original teaching picture introduces the book’s idea of oneness. Its claim extends to all existence, so the picture has limits.
Sources and credits
Ideas credited to Awhad al-din Balyani · translated by Cecilia Twinch. This page uses original wording and an original everyday example.
A short overview of a Sufi teaching, based on authorised extracts and publisher context. The clay picture is an original analogy. The claim about divine reality is a spiritual and philosophical position. The book appears under both Ibn ‘Arabi and Balyani in catalogues; the attribution history is credited above.
Beshara Publications: title, translator, attribution history and authorised extract Chisholme: authorised extract from Know Yourself, translated by Cecilia Twinch Beshara: reading approach and extract from the introduction