A Dialogue Across Civilizations: Exploring Sufi Wisdom and Eastern Mind-Heart Traditions in Search of a Path for Humanity—Xuemo in Dialogue (Session Two)

A Dialogue Across Civilizations: Exploring Sufi Wisdom and Eastern Mind-Heart Traditions in Search of a Path for Humanity—Xuemo in Dialogue (Session Two)

On March 1, 2026, while global attention was drawn to the smoke over Iranian skies, scholars from around the world gathered in the cloud, seeking remedies from ancient wisdom traditions to heal the fractures of modern civilization. The second session of  Dialogue between Xuemo and International Scholars, jointly organized by the World Literature Union and the Xue Mo Foundation, successfully concluded today. Centered on the theme “Sufi Wisdom and Literary Expression,” the dialogue invited the renowned Chinese writer Xuemo and several international sinologists and scholars to engage in in-depth discussions on how literature can illuminate the human spirit amid war and existential emptiness.

The dialogue was moderated by senior editor and Peking University Chinese Department alumna Chen Yanjin. In her opening remarks, she emphasized that the purpose of this exchange was to break down geopolitical and cultural barriers and to enhance the cognitive dimension of human civilization through literature as a shared language.

Literature: Against Nihilism and as Comfort for Suffering

During the dialogue, Xuemo reflected on the origins of his creative path. Born in Liangzhou, Gansu Province, China, he witnessed early in life the fragility and impermanence of existence. In his early years, he turned to writing as a way to resist nihilism and sought literary “immortality” through the act of writing itself. However, as his experience deepened, his writing gradually shifted from personal existential concerns to a broader attention to the “suffering of the world.”

“Today, we feel deep sorrow for the suffering of the Iranian people amid the devastation of war,” Xuemo said emotionally when addressing recent international developments. “When medicine cannot resolve birth, aging, sickness, and death, and when politics cannot resolve war and conflict, literature must take on the responsibility of comforting the soul.”

He cited his representative work Eternal Love as an example of literature’s power as “spiritual first aid.” Through the character “Yatou,” the work confronts the despair of terminally ill patients and conveys dignity and love through language. “Human beings cannot eliminate disease, but they can maintain dignity in the face of it; humans cannot eliminate war, but they can preserve compassion amid hatred,” he said. According to reports, the English edition of the book and related courses are being introduced globally via Amazon and online livestreaming, and are even planned to be presented at Oxford and Cambridge this March in connection with activities of the Royal Society.

Convergence of Paths: Sufi Wisdom and Eastern Mind-Heart Tradition

Elham Mirzania, an Iranian-Canadian scholar from Toronto Metropolitan University, offered a deep interpretation of Xuemo’s work from the perspective of Sufi wisdom. She noted that Sufism emphasizes the unity of existence, the dissolution of the ego, and knowing the world through love — all of which strongly resonate with the Eastern “mind-heart” civilization reflected in Xuemo’s writings.

“While reading Professor Xuemo’s works, I often feel a profound cross-cultural spiritual resonance,” she said. “Whether it is the Sufi concept of the ‘heart’ or the Eastern idea of the ‘true mind,’ both emphasize inward inquiry and the activation of the inner spiritual ‘code’ to illuminate the noisy external world.”

Xuemo agreed, emphasizing that all truths converge at their highest level, and differences exist only in labels and conceptual frameworks. He metaphorically described secular life as “the mud in a pond” and transcendent wisdom as “the lotus.” “What matters is not the mud or the lotus,” he said, “but whether there is a lamp within your heart. When the lamp is lit, even mud becomes nourishment; when the lamp is extinguished, even the lotus withers.”

Reconstructing Order: Spiritual Education in the Age of AI

Faced with the rapid development of AI technology and global turbulence, participating scholars expressed deep concern about the future of humanity. Xuemo pointed out that the current human predicament lies in the collapse of external order and the absence of internal order. He called for the urgent integration of “spiritual education” in the age when AI is taking over knowledge production.

“Science has only developed for 200 years, while mind-heart cultivation has a history of thousands of years. We must not let scientism demonize true wisdom,” he argued. Xuemo put forward a forward-looking vision: Sufi-style cultivation and Eastern mind-heart training should be incorporated into modern education systems. Only when individuals awaken, no longer driven by desire or fragmented by concepts, can humanity hope to cease self-destruction.

“Future wars should not be wars of guns and cannons, but wars of poetry,” he said humorously yet firmly. “When every person becomes like Rumi, the world will be filled with love and wisdom rather than atomic bombs.”

Conclusion: A Bonfire Illuminating the Night

At the end of the dialogue, Xuemo concluded with a poetic statement: “Each of us is a lamp, a bonfire. We may not be able to dispel the long night, nor stop the wars driven by desire, but as long as we light this fire in the darkness, those who walk in the night will see hope in its glow.”

As moderator Chen Yanjin noted, this cross-border dialogue was not merely an academic exchange, but a resonance of spirit. It will be recorded in the database of human civilization as one of countless points of light — offering, in a turbulent world, a form of literary and philosophical solace for those seeking peace.