Third eye

Trends that have emerged in the epistemological field (of divine and non-divine origin) have commonalities due to the focus on the spiritual dimension of human existence, like the eye of the heart in Islamic Sufism that has similarities with the third eye on Yoga. The most important similarities are the effect of Zikr in the opening of the eye of the heart and the third eye, the need to get Zikr from Sheikh/Guru, solitude, the necessity of observing certain conditions before and during Zikr, steps of Zikr, and the manifestation of the unseen after the opening of the eye of the heart and the third eye. However, there are some differences, too. In Yoga, the physical location of the third eye is determined in the body, but in Islamic Sufism, the eye of the heart is a non-physical concept. In Islamic Sufism, the extent of manifestation of truths that one sees with the eye of the heart is fully described and symbolized, but in Yoga, a brief description is given.

Religious tourism is a kind of tourism that nowadays is defined by the elements of the spiritual motivation of the tourists rather than the destination of this tourism. This paper aims to introduce The Eye of Insight Islamic mysticism and Third Eye in the philosophy of the East and to investigate the importance of opening these eyes in creating the sense of spirituality for the tourists. Results showed that both in Islamic mysticism and in the philosophy of the East, human perfection has been depicted as a journey from material world to the world of meaning. In this regard, seekers are recommended to open eyes of their hearts in order to contemplate on nature and explore the meaning hidden in it. Relying on such an approach helps the tourists correct their attitudes toward nature based on this ideology and is effective in the individual and ethical perfection of the tourists. It has also abundant effects in collective and global scale since it can prevent the negative effects of the view that considers nature as a means for enjoyment and consumption which is frequently seen in mass tourism. This approach is also useful in sustainable tourism and protection of natural resources.