Seven Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins, or cardinal sins, were vices listed in the early 6th century in order to educate Christian followers and guide them away from sin. As listed by both Pope Gregory the Great and Dante Alighieri, the Cardinal Sins are:

1). Luxuria (Lust)

2). Gula (Gluttony)

3). Avaritia (Greed/Avarice)

4). Acedia (Sloth)

5). Ira (Wrath)

6). Invidia (Envy)

7). Superbia (Pride/Hubris)

I'm not too sure about the whole "people fighting these sins off from fear of being dismembered and thrown into vats of oil where snakes will bite your toes off while you roll a heavy stone up a hill and each time you reach the top the stone rolls off leaving you in a nonproductive state of pain." I guess, apart from lust, sloth and glutonny, the rest of the sins (greed, wrath, envy and pride) are actually just essential components of the nafs (ego). Lust, sloth and gluttony seem more like "physical sins" - the lack of control over the body. Maybe once we begin controlling our human bodies effectively and ridding ourselves of the nafs, we can come closer to finding some spiritual connection.

Wikipedia: Seven Deadly Sins
Essay: "The Seven Deadly Sins at Work" by Andrew D. Carson

Lataif-e-Sitta

Lataif-e-Sitta translates as "the Six Subtleties" - six spectrums of awareness, six states of being. Lataif-e-Sitta is a concept Sufis draw from religious texts. The Lataif-e-Sitta are:

1). Nafs - Ego:

The ego is often sourced as the main and most difficult obstacle in spiritual pathways. To overcome the ego (Zul-n-Nafs) is to overcome the self, to repel a self-centered lifestyle, and to focus away from passion, greed, and other desires. By ridding ourselves of the nafs, we find the true self, the unperturbed Ruh-i-Insaan, away from the corruption of the nafs and Earthly desires.

2). Qalb - Heart

The spiritual heart is the crux of love, the gateway of transcendence. Here, two fources are found colliding: the nafs (ego) and the ruh (spirit). Once the nafs is removed, the ruh finds peace and love within the qalb, and strives for transcendence.

3). Ruh - Spirit

The Ruh is the spirit in manking, corrupted by the nafs and ego-self. The Ruh can only be found by purifying the qalb from the nafs with counter-conditioning methods: prayer, meditation, zhikr, etc. It is "the dormant spiritual faculty" and awaits illumination (Tajliyyah-i-Ruh).

4). Sirr - Secret

Sirr, literally translated as "the Secret", is the divine command. It is attained through zhikr (remembrance) of the Divine and awareness of the divine (and not the mundane Earthly attractions). Together, the Ruh and Sirr form the "Ruh-i-Insaan", the Human Soul.

5). Khafi - Latent Subtletly

Khafi represents intuition; the divine intervention of guidance.

6). Akhfa - Obscure Subtletly

Akhfa is also known as "Nuqta-e-Wahida", the point of unity in which revelation may pass. Idries Shah, author of "The Way of the Sufi" and "The Sufis", asserts that this last center "is only accessible to those who have developed the others, and belongs to the real sage."

More Info:
The nature of the Nafs
"The Way of the Sufi"by Idries Shah