Caravanserai Magazine Archive

1990-12-30T18:16:00.000+03:00

Caravanserai Magazine 1990 No.5

Dear Fellow Travellers,

Welcome once again to the circle of friends around the fire, here at the Caravanserai. This issue, our conversation is more sober; the end of September and the beginning of October saw several well-known Sufis pass away, two on the same day. Of these, only one, Munira van Voorst van Beest, was known personally to me, but I am certain I will miss her.

For years, Munira was the Biographical Department, presiding over vaults and filing cabinets full of memories in the little house across the road from Fazal Manzil in Suresnes. Murshid gave his message before the tape recorder, and so the archives are filled with many versions of his words, some taken down in short hand, some written out in long hand after the lecture, still others typed from notes since destroyed. Not surprisingly, they vary considerably, and that variation was a sign of human weakness Munira would not accept. Murshid said what he said; any other version had no right to exist.

I last saw Munira, a tall woman with a glittering eye and relentless concentration, last August, after the Summer School, and she took the opportunity to spear Caravanserai with the intensity, I could say, of a hunting heron. The article by Murshid in issue number four on the divinity of art, where had it come from? No source was given—had I come across a paper she did not have? Her eagerness was all the sharper because the first few words were the same as a lecture on which she had been working, but then it became something else entirely. Her curiosity was alight.

Alas, my reply did not satisfy her. I could tell her that it came from a book called 'Supplementary Papers,' but the original date or location of the lecture was not given. She wondered if perhaps it was a combination of several lectures, partly because it was somewhat longer than the typical talk by Murshid. In that case, she would be looking at tracking down several sources, and might even have stumbled across some missing paragraphs from something already catalogued. Eventually, we passed on to other topics, but the matter was not forgotten. Two days later, she telephoned as early as she thought decent to tell me exultantly she had found it. "I went down this morning, and just opened a file, and there it was!" A lecture in 1920, perhaps at Wissous, taken down by Dr. O.C. Gruner. I'm afraid that with that, her interest fell off sharply, because she did not much care for what Dr. Gruner did to Murshid's prose. No change was really acceptable to her, and Dr. Gruner imposed his own style so freely in an effort to spread the Message farther that she found him mostly beneath notice Munira was a specialist, and like most specialists, she was not particularly accommodating. She could be unmoving and difficult; especially when it came to a matter of principle, and by the end of her life, her principle was exclusively the preservation of Murshid's 'voice' for the centuries to come. It may be hard to reconcile her scholarly stubbornness with the Sufi's proverbial ability to have more than one point of view, but she had found work she was uniquely fitted for, and she devoted herself completely to it. After years of practice she could read Sakina Furnee's faint pencil shorthand, on now yellowing paper as easily as if it were clear text. She knew the hands and minds of a the principal note-takers, and knew how to relentlessly strip away their own personal inclusions from the original inspiration, the words of Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Unfortunately, there is no-one else quite as keen and stubborn as Munira, not yet, anyway, and she will be sorely missed.

Nawab Pasnak

This Issue:

The God Ideal and the Spirit of Guidance
Hidayat Inayat Khan

Murshid's Words: On Brotherhood
Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Modern Sufi Views of the Afterlife
Nuria J. Lawrence

The Present
Karamnavaz van Bylandt

Poetry From South Africa
Padmani Burt /Peter Philip

Mysticism in Daily Life
Wali van Lohuizen

Earth and Sky - M

A Search Into the Meaning of the Universal Worship
David Murray

Music: Song to the Madzub
Noorunnisa Inayat Khan

Obituaries

Back Pages

One article in this issue deserves a brief note, that of the late Karamnavaz van Bylandt on The Present. Karamnavaz was a Dutch mureed of many years, and served for some time as the executive supervisor of the Sufi Movement. This article is a reprint of a talk given at an eariler Summer School, passed on to Caravanserai by Murshid Karimbakhsh Witteveen.

1990 Volume 5. Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan on the Spirit of Guidance and the God-Ideal"

1990-12-29T18:37:00.000+03:00

When referring to the subject of the Spirit of Guidance, one of the many questions which might arise is the following: Was Buddha a Buddhist? Was Christ a Christian? Was Mohammed a Mohammedan? And, when confronted with this question, one's line of thought is directly challenged if one's heart is not open to the call of the Message of Unity which has been interpreted in so many ways by the followers. These interpretations have been moulded along the ages into dogmatic frameworks which fitted into the cultural and social conditions of various civilizations, resulting in what is generally understood by the term, 'religion.' Unfortunately, religion, which is meant to express the basic principles of a God-Ideal, is so often misleading in ways which divide humanity into controversial beliefs instead of inspiring such understandings as 'Spiritual Liberty' and 'Spirit of Guidance' in all religious impulses and expressions.

It is the nature of man to try to discover what is behind the veil of the universe, and this explains why man has the tendency to reach higher and higher in whatever be the aspiration, either material or spiritual. Therefore the seeking for God, either consciously or unconsciously, is the natural outcome of our longing to experience higher spheres.

In this context, we intuitively presume the help of divine guidance, as we also presume different experiences of these higher spheres with all their secret appeals, notwithstanding the diversity of approaches to the Divinity, arising from different levels of understanding of the source of all creation. Numerous interpretations of these concepts were formulated by idol worshippers, the first pioneers of religion, who required tangible, materialized representations of the abstract ideals of worship. However, a more advanced approach to an all-mighty and all-pervading God is adopted by those who worship abstract ideals, making God thereby intelligible at a much more mystical level of understanding.

Whether God exists is a question that arises in every mind, and there may sometimes be moments when even the greatest believer in God questions his own belief. In various periods of history there have existed different conceptions of God. People in all ages, seeking for the deity of the time, have pictured God in some form or other, but the human heart is an accommodation which conceives the idea of God pictured according to one's own mentality. For instance, the Buddha of China had Chinese eyes, while the Buddha of India had the likeness of an Indian sage. We cannot conceive of an angel as different from the human form, except for the two wings which have been added so that it may have a more heavenly appearance. Similarly, it is natural that God has been pictured in various human forms, because in fact there could not be a more perfect conception than the human personality, which is a gift of God.

People have called God 'He,' recognizing the powerful aspect of the deity. They have also called God 'She,' recognizing the mother principle and the beauty of the deity. This again has resulted in the blossoming of many gods and goddesses throughout history. In fact, though, the many gods and goddesses were never meant to be other than representations of the attributes of the one and only God. Sadly, this was the cause of many wars, fought to save the honour of misinterpretations of the one God.

The purpose of being born on earth could perhaps be to discover that very perfection which is within ourselves; however good, pious, kind or religious one may be, if we have not found the purpose for which we are born, we have not fulfilled the object of our lives. That object could perhaps be understood as the discovery of the Divine Presence, which is the real essence of our very being.

Of course, there are as many 'truths' as there are seekers after Truth, but beyond all futile displays of theological knowledge and dogmatic doctrines, the Inner Truth or 'Spiritual Guidance' is constantly shining, and thereby assuring the feasibility of our impulses, providing that we are conscious of that true guidance. This explains why it is really only we ourselves who can rightly judge our own thoughts and our own feelings inasmuch as we are aware of the inner reminder or 'Conscience,' which is at the same time the Light of Spiritual Guidance and the result of the cause and effect of all our impulses and actions. Therefore, unless we proceed as a pupil to ourselves rather than as a master to others, our virtues and our religious convictions are fruitless. By boasting of them, one makes a fool of oneself, besides fooling others and even attempting to fool God in one's impertinence. Belief is not an acquisition nor is it the result of an accomplishment nor the consequence of being won over or converted. Belief is an inner discovery; belief comes only when one is taken by surprise—so to speak—finding oneself inhabited by an inner guidance which is from that moment secretly and sacredly cherished.

Millions of people pray each day, but unless their conscience is at peace, and unless their prayer is the outcome of the tuning of the heart, the prayer is not really sincere, whatever might be the motivation, either fear of God or doctrinal obligations, or even as a source of self-confirmation when the conscience is disturbed. Prayer can only be an expression of sincerity when it is an offering emerging from the depth of the heart, unrestricted by concepts of duality such as 'God and I’. Only then does one realize that it is in the love of mankind that God is born in man, and at the same time, man is born from the love of God: Love, human and Divine. Man came into existence from the All-Pervading, where the concept of individuality has no reality in the way we understand reality, but while growing up our thinking develops more and more in lines of thought such as 'I am, this is mine, I want to have, I want to be.' This specific T concept denotes complete unawareness of the reality of the true being which is so much vaster than the little T could ever be; and which is only a fragmentary understanding of the entire picture, limiting the self to just a grain of dust within the net-work of the Universe. Besides, in the Universe, there is really nothing else to be acquired than just all that which is already there, hidden as a pearl in the depth of our heart.

It is the ‘I’ concept, with all its false identifications, which makes us unhappy and unsatisfied in life so long as that ‘I’ is our Master. In fact, all that one longs for is, in reality, just only the result of an unconscious wish for self-assertion, which has such a strong hold on the mind each time one thinks in those limited conceptions that one makes of the true self. Self-assertion either crushes the heart under the weight of unhappiness, or, when the heart is loaded with the thought of the self, it raises the head high with false pride, resultating in all those confusions which arise when we are confronted with conflicting opinions about good and bad, or right and wrong. The more we give in to the want for self-assertion, that much more ego-power is required in the game, and consequently, the more enslaved we become to our own self; whereas, conversely, when the need for self-assertion does not disturb our inner peace, we can then dedicate our aspirations to higher ideals.

The ego is not something tangible, although it does motivate powerful impulses in the sphere of mind, from whence it governs our personality, and to the extent that one is isolated within the very limited dimensions of the self, is a handicap to all prospects of happiness. When seen from another angle, however, it is obvious that without the strength of an ego-drive one would not be able to survive amidst the hardships of this demanding world. Paradoxically, one finds oneself confronted with the negative consequences of one's own ego, whereas without the power of that same ego one would not be able to accomplish those things which one plans, nor would one reach to the desired goals. Perhaps the answer to this paradox could be found in the knowledge of the secrets of the Alchemy of Happiness. Happiness becomes a reality when all feelings of duality such as 'Thine and mine' are overcome, and the heart is freed from all individual limitations, after experiencing the burning of the flames of self-denial. The Alchemy of Happiness is the process through which the iron rod of the ego is melted, transformed into gold and moulded into beautiful jewellery: the art of personality. It is only then that happiness becomes a source of inspiration in all occupations, either material or spiritual, and that 'unreality' vanishes when exposed to the brilliant light of the Spirit of Guidance which is constantly present at all levels of consciousness.

"This is not my body, this is the Temple of God."

1990 Volume 5. Hazrat Inayat Khan. "The Work of our Movement on the lines of Brotherhood"

1990-12-28T18:42:00.000+03:00

Words of Murshid

The following is an excerpt from Complete Works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, Original Texts: Lectures on Sufism, 1923II. It is the fruit of meticulous labour by the late Munira van Voorst van Beest of the Biographical Department, assisted by Sharif Graham, and is published by East-West Publications. We regret that space does not permit the full explanation of the abbreviations in the annotations, but Sk. refers to Sakina Furnee, one of Murshid's secretaries; Gd. refers to Murshida Goodenough; Hq. t. means a typewritten document from Headquarters; Sr. refers to Sirdar van Tuyll van Seerooskerken.

Sakina's undated longhand reporting, which may be her shorthand transcription; the latter, however, has not been found in the archives.
Summer 1923'

2The Work of our Movement 3on the lines3 of Brotherhood.

This line of work is really speaking the fulfilment of every activity of our Movement.

One activity of our Movement is the esoteric School in which people are initiated, and they4 advance grade by grade individually developing the5 soul towards the attainment of spiritual realization.6 There is another activity which is 7a devotional activity,7 which is called8 Church of All or the Universal Worship, and9 it is a religious activity; religion, not in '°the sense of a sectarian activity.10 On the contrary, a religious activity which brings souls to that11 true religion which stands above all sects. But whether we strive'2 the path of religion or we journey through the path of mysticism, it is for one object: that we may be best fitted to live the ideal of brotherhood. If a person was ,3such a great'3 mystic that he was the greatest Master, or if a person was so pious and religious that he was the greatest saint and yet'4 if he did'5 not live the idea'6 of brotherhood, ,7it was of not great importance whether17 spiritual realization is realized'8 in the'9 practical20 life by observing the idea21 of brotherhood. At this time when the world needs the idea21 of brotherhood more than 22at any other time22 in the history of the world, it is our privilege and destiny to do all we can to bring about the23 ideal of brotherhood24 in our own lives first and then25 to spread26 outside27 in the world. Any problem or28 theory or doctrine intellectually29 studied is of no value unless it is30 practised. Ten thousand people crying3' out "brotherhood" and one person living it, is32 equal or perhaps33'34 better. Brotherhood is not a materialistic ideal,35 it is a spiritual ideal. The materialist36 cannot understand 37what brotherhood is in its real sense of the word.37 For38 the39 reason is40 that the materialist36 can 41go as far as saying41 "another brother42 is as good as me43 and therefore my happiness is in sharing all the44 good with another". But the spiritual person says "another45 person is me. His happiness is my happiness46," and therefore this47 highest ideal of brotherhood which spiritual realization can teach, materialism cannot teach. Therefore 48inspite of all48 that this49 activity which is50 going on 5'in the world just now5' to bring about a world brotherhood52 is not53 being successful, because the life of brotherhood which is its very breath, is the realization of the same God in oneself as well as in another.54 The work of the spiritual man is to forget his false self, and 55what does he realize by forgetting?55 56He realizes the true self,57 the realization of God, and that self is not only in himself56 but in his neighbour also.

There is no doubt, every man more or less loves the ideal 6 of brotherhood. 58l do not say58 of a person who is not 59in his right mind,59 but a normal person, he60 cannot deny61 the idea16 of brotherhood being62 the only idea16 which can be called 63religion or spirituality.63 64But the question is in practising it. It is easy to know it intellectually,64 65but when it comes to practise66 it, it becomes67 very difficult. It needs sacrifice, it needs humbling68, it needs endurance, it needs patience, it needs forgiveness, it needs that brotherly sympathy for every soul who69 stands next to us, and65 it is the power of love alone which will raise man through the pettiness, 70smallness71 of human nature to rise to that 72high ideal of brotherhood which is72 the true aristocracy73 of the human soul.

Instead of the blank, Sk. afterwards filled In "purpose". As usual Sk. did not keep herself a copy of her reporting, which she sent to Hq. Evidently she did not remember that she had taken down the word "aristocracy" In her Ih.r. and she added "purpose" In Sr.tp. copy.

74Now the question is that75 how can we set to work about it? We have only taken our first step in this direction, many steps more we have to take. The first step is that wherever our Movement is established, there we have one day or two days in a month when we have such meetings of World Brotherhood. In this meeting we have the lecture given by our own members or by our friends, a lecture on the problems of our every day life and its relation to spiritual ideal. Therefore this meeting platform gives scope to members and to friends who have some ideas to suggest for the well-fare of humanity, that they may bring their idea before their friends, and in this way by hearing the ideas of different friends and on these most important questions, we shall be able some day to make our thoughts more distinct as to the working of this idea and thus we shall be able to set forward our blessed Movement in order to accomplish our sacred ideal, the service of man and God.74

Notes:

1. Sk.lh.r.: over It was added In Gd.hwr, "Summer 1923 (Rep. by S. Furnee)"; Sr.: "Sunday, July 15th 1923"
2. Sr.: "About" added
3. Hq.t.: "In the Line" Instead of "on the lines"
4. Sr.: "they" omitted
5. Ibid.: "their" Instead of "the"
6. Ibid.: "perfection" Instead of "realization"
7. Ibid.: "devotional and" Instead of "a devotional activity"
8. Ibid.: "the" added
9. Ibid.: "and" omitted
10. Ibid.: "a sectarian sense" Instead of "the sense of a sectarian activity"
11. Sr.: "the" Instead of "that"
12. Ibid.: "In" added
13. Ibid.: "so great a" Instead of "such a great"
14. Ibid.: ", still" Instead of "and yet"
15. Hq.t.: "does"
16. Sr.: "Ideal" instead of "Idea" or vice versa
17. Ibid.: "It would not avail much". Instead of "It was of not great Importance whether";
Hq.t.: "it Is not of great importance If"
18. Sr.: "Is attained" Instead of "Is realized"; Hq.t.: "Is not realized"
19. Sr.: "the" omitted
20. Hq.t.: "dally" Instead of "practical"
21. Sr., Hq.t.: "Ideal"
22. Sr.: "ever before" Instead of "at any other time"
23. Ibid.: "this" Instead of "the"
24. Ibid.: "of brotherhood" omitted
25. Ibid.: "thus" instead of "then"
26. Sr., Hq.t.: "it" added
27. Sr.: "outside" omitted
28. Hq.t.: "as"
29. Sr.: "intellectually" omitted
30. Ibid.: "be" Instead of "Is"
31. Ibid.: "calling" instead of "crying"
32. Hq.t.: "are"
33. Sr.: "even" Instead of "perhaps"
34. Hq.t.: "the one is" added
35. Sr.: "Ideal" omitted
36. Hq.t.: "materialistic" instead of "materialist"
37. Sr.: "brotherhood" Instead of "what brotherhood is In Its real sense of the word"
38. Hq.t.: "For" omitted
39. Sr.: "the" omitted
40. Ibid.: "is" omitted
41. Ibid.: "say" instead of "go as far as saying"
42. Hq.t.: "brother" omitted
43. Ibid.: "I" Instead of "me"
44. Sr.: "my" Instead of "the"
45. Ibid.: "that other" instead of "another"
46. Ibid.: "mine" Instead of "my happiness"
47. Sr., Hq.t.: "the" Instead of "this"
48. Sr.: "inspite of all" omitted
49. Hq.t.: "the" Instead of "this"
50. Sr.: "now" added
51. Ibid.: "In the world Just now" omitted
52. Hq.t.: "the attempt" added
53. Ibid.: "not" omitted
54. Sr-.: "the others" Instead of "another"
55. Ibid.: "what does he realize by forgetting?" omitted
56. Ibid.: "And so to realize the true self which is God, and this true self not only in him" instead of "He realizes the true self, the realization of God, and that self is not only In himself"
57. Hq.t.: "that Is" added
58. Sr.: "I don't say this is true" instead of "I do not say"; Hq.t.: "This Is not said"
59. Sr.: "sane" Instead of "In his right mind"
60. Sr., Hq.t.: "he" omitted
61. Sr.: "that" added
62. Ibid.: "is" instead of "being"
63. Ibid.: "religious or spiritual"
64. Ibid.: "The question is how to practise this ideal which Is easy to know" instead of "But the question Is In practising It. It Is easy to know It Intellectually"
65. Ibid.: "The difficulty Is that practice needs sacrifice, needs humility, needs endurance, needs patience, needs forgiveness, needs brotherly sympathy for every soul who stands near one"
66. Hq.t.: "practising"
67. Ibid.: "is" Instead of "becomes"
68. Ibid.: "oneself" added
69. Ibid.: "that" Instead of "who"
70. Hq.t.: "the" added
71. Sr.: "smallness" omitted
72. Ibid.: "this Ideal" Instead of "that high ideal of brotherhood which Is"
73. Ibid.: "answer" in his hwr. copy; a blank In his tp. copy;
74. Ibid.: this last paragraph Is not Included
75. Hq.t.: "that" omitted

1990 Volume 5. Nuria J. Lawrence. "Modern Sufi Views of the Afterlife as Expressed by Hazrat Inayat Khan"

1990-12-27T22:50:00.000+03:00

As a mystical movement, Sufism is more concerned with inner experience than outward form. This is largely because of the feeling that there is a separation between words and meaning, making words tools, not ends in themselves. As Rumi expresses it, "Have you ever picked and held a rose from R, O, S, E? You say the NAME. Now try to find the reality it names."

In keeping with this tradition, Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan feels no obligation to express his ideas in the logical pattern of theology. This does not mean that he is illogical, but that his logic is one of symbolism. His ideas often appear to be a contradictory mixture of many different religions and mythologies. Upon closer examination, however, it is apparent that his ideas are unified by sentiment and personal experience. His views of the afterlife are presented as part of a larger body of mystical thought, meant to improve the condition of the present life by awakening the hearer to the purpose of existence.

The key to understanding any view of the afterlife is in comprehending the underlying view of the nature of the human being. It is thus appropriate to begin with an examination of Hazrat Inayat Khan's idea of the soul.

In The Soul, Whence and Whither, a wide variety of images is used to describe the soul, from a ray of the divine sun, to an exhalation of God, to Intelligence caught by mind and body. In general, Pir-o-Murshid's conception of the soul can be understood as energy that needs a medium in which to function before it becomes recognizable. The soul descends from God into a series of different spheres. At each stage it picks up more layers or 'veils,' as the raw energy attracts 'bodies' of mind, individuality and the physical body. The goal of every soul is to reverse the process by stripping away the veils until it is once more in a state of union with the Divine. Because the perception of individuality is regarded as ultimately illusory, personal survival is not an issue.

The first stage on the return journey of the soul is the death of the physical body. The soul inhabits a physical body on earth because the body has a magnetism that traps the soul. This magnetism is limited and will eventually be dissipated, like a clock that has run down. Death as we know it occurs when, as Murshid says, "this body loses that power of keeping together by which it holds the soul which functions in it. It gives way, and the soul naturally departs, leaving the material body as one would throw away a coat which one no longer needs."

Immediately after death, the soul experiences a period of shock and inactivity. It had become accustomed to identifying itself with the body, and the sudden withdrawal into itself produces an impression of horror. This is especially true if the person had been afraid of death, for, as Pir-o-Murshid says in The Soul, Whence and Whither, "if there remains anything of death with the soul which has passed away from this earth, it is the impression of death according to the idea it has had of death. If the soul has had a horror of death, it carries that horror with it; if it has had agitation at the thought of death, it carries that feeling with it."

The length of time that the shock lasts varies according to the fear of death the person had before dying; the greater the fear, the longer the time. Hazrat Inayat Khan refers to this state as purgatory, similar to the Christian idea in that it is a period of purification. However, it differs from the Christian conception in that it is seen as a purification from a single idea, that of death, and not from sin. Because of this, it is a state that all souls go through, whether they are on their way to heaven or hell.

For Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, heaven and hell are not separate places, but separate states of mind. They exist in the jinn sphere, which is a world created by the mind, and the next phase after purgatory. When the soul has been purified of the idea that it is dead, it regains energy and reawakens in the world of ideas. This is compared to a dream world, except that one can never waken from it. The jinn sphere contains all of the things that the soul was familiar with on earth, including people and day-to-day activities. The soul lingers in a mental body similar in form to the one left on earth, but 'finer,' with "an incomparably longer life than the physical body." This body, like the physical body, is subject to discomfort. In the world of the mind, Pir-o-Murshid declares that discomfort consists of impressions ".. .of illness, sadness, of misery which the soul has experienced while on earth and has taken into the spirit world." Eventually, this body also decomposes and the soul moves on to the next sphere.

"After the jinn sphere, the soul moves on to the sphere of angels...

Because the world of the jinn plane is not physical, there are fewer limitations, and desires are much more easily met in this sphere. This is not always pleasant. As John Hick, theologian and author of Death and Eternal Life, points out, "We might discover that some of our desiring was repugnant to our better nature." For Hazrat Inayat Khan, it is our desires that create heaven and hell. "Owing to its delusions," he writes, "[the soul] takes upon itself all the conditions that the mind has to go through after death. Therefore the experience after death of the soul that has not attained to liberation is very depressing. If the mind is not much attached to the earthly life and has gathered up the satisfaction of its deeds, it enjoys heaven; if the contrary is the case, then it experiences hell." The progress of the soul is not automatic, and it is possible for a soul to remain in its hell for the duration of its stay in this sphere, by dwelling on negative impressions. However, Murshid says, "If [the soul] knows how to throw them off, he need not take them with him," and many souls learn how to 'throw them off during their time in this sphere. All souls are bound for the same destination, union with God, and in the afterlife, Murshid explains, "the soul finds itself in clearer spheres, therefore it knows its way better than it had known before when on earth."

In this Sufi way of understanding the afterlife, the 'Day of Judgement' of the Western traditions is interpreted metaphorically. The realization of the true nature of ourselves and our desires becomes our 'day,' for as Murshid writes in The Sufi Message of Spiritual Liberty, "Our day is when we are awake, our night is when we are asleep. When the illusionary [ego-centred] life has proved to be not so real as for some time we had thought it to be then comes the day when things appear as clear as in daylight. To some few this happens in this world, but to all in the hereafter."

The worlds created by the soul in the sphere of the jinn are by and large self contained. Hazrat Inayat Khan refers to the soul as "a person here [on earth] and a planet there." It is difficult to know exactly what he means by this. It could be that he means this quite literally, but it is more likely that it was meant figuratively. Each soul creates an individual mind world for itself, filling it with its own particular images brought from life on the physical plane. The self-containment is not complete, however; separate souls may not experience the same world, but, like planets, they do exist in the same realm and can influence each other by "their power of magnetism and by their power of attraction," as Murshid says. They may also communicate with
each other if they wish, or with people still living on earth.

While the jinn sphere is thus not completely isolated, it is not vital for the progress of the soul that there be interaction with other beings and realms. This is especially true for followers of the mystical path, whose goal is generally a subjective experience of God, or rather, an experience of God that goes beyond distinctions and differences. The mystic looks for God within the true self, and the knowledge of the self which a projected mind world would provide could greatly enhance growth, not limit it.

After the jinn sphere, the soul moves on to the sphere of the angels. The angelic sphere is also generally referred to as heaven, but unlike the mind-world, it is not a self-created world. It is a joyous state because the souls are close to the presence of God. Everything belonging to the jinn sphere is left behind, including thoughts. All that the soul retains are feelings and vibrations. The body in this sphere bears little resemblance to the earthly body, due to the changes undergone in each sphere. "When the soul is on its way to the physical plane," Pir-o-Murshid says, "its bodies grow, develop and become more distinct, and as the soul advances towards the goal, so its bodies become more ethereal, luminous but indistinct." It is made up of a special kind of light that is "Light and Life in one." It is visible, intelligent and even audible, for as Murshid says, "The soul, apart from the body and mind, is a sound, a note, a tone, which is called in Sanskrit 'Sura.' If this note is inharmonious and has dissonant vibrations [the result of failing to cast off negative impressions in the previous sphere] it is called...asura, out of tune. The soul, therefore, in the heaven of the angels has not got sins or virtues to show, nor has it a heaven or hell to experience. It does not show any particular ambition or desire; it is either in tune or out of tune."

The angelic sphere is a realm of music, in which each soul attains greater harmony. Even in this sphere, some souls remain undeveloped. The comparison to music allows for the discordant notes, because there are so many souls that each will find harmony with someone. Furthermore, as Pir-o-Murshid points out, the disharmony gradually fades: "The inharmonious people follow the harmonious even as far as in heaven. But as the soul goes farther it improves, it becomes more and more in tune. At the same time the vibrations of every soul are different, one is more harmonious than the other, but they all fit in to the one music of heaven, for the reason that in music you do not want all notes alike; all different notes are necessary.. .There is a chance of harmony at every step even as far as in the heavens, for life is progressive, and therefore there is always hope of improvement."

Eventually the soul leaves this plane and achieves union with the Divine, completing its journey to and from manifestation. This stage is not described by Murshid, because it is a mystical union and thus beyond words.

One of the philosophical advantages of this scheme is that no one is excluded from it. There is a certain amount of predestination involved, in that it is part of the soul's nature to journey towards reabsorption. However, in all of the steps along the way, the soul has both the choice and the ability to make the experience pleasant and further its progress.

Another interesting feature of Hazrat Inayat Khan's explanation is that it can work on two levels. On what might be termed the horizontal level, there is also what could be considered a vertical dimension to the soul's experience. Because this is an explanation based on mystical practice, there is no need to wait until the end of the journey to experience the Divine Presence. "They can go to God even from here," says Pir-o-Murshid, "for God is nearer to them than any sphere of angels or anything else." Through various esoteric practices such as zikar and meditation, the soul can achieve union with God no matter which plane the body inhabits. Each soul goes through the horizontal journey because, "The joy of life is the joy of the journey. If one closed one's eyes and was put immediately on the top of the Himalayas, one would not enjoy it so much as the tone who would climb from height to height, see the different scenery, meet with different people and breathe the different atmosphere and air."

If the purpose of manifestation is for the Divine to come to know itself, once having put on many veils, it is natural that the manifested souls will undergo many different experiences as the veils are dropped. It is also desirable for the soul to experience the vertical journey, so that it is able to appreciate and learn from the other journey. It is this learning that gives meaning to life. In Aqibat, Life After Death, Murshid says, "The work of the Sufi is to take away the fear of death. This path is trodden in order to know in life what will be with us after death. As it is said in the Qur'an 'Die before death.' To take off this mortal garb to teach the soul that it is not this mortal but is that immortal being, so that we may escape the great disappointment which death brings, this is what is accomplished in life by a Sufi."

By providing an image of reality in which the individual is ultimately illusory, Hazrat Inayat Khan avoids many of the philosophical problems associated with personal survival. For many people, the eternal existence of an identifiable ego provokes an existential nausea. In a scheme such as Murshid's, existence is given meaning and purpose—to know the Divine—without the weighty responsibility of eternal individuality.

1990 Volume 5. Karamnavaz van Bylandt. "The Present"

1990-12-26T23:48:00.000+03:00

The subject of this talk is ’the present’ this day which is hedged between yesterday and tomorrow. We can't change yesterday and what tomorrow shall bring, we don't know. But today we have in our hands, we can do something with it. Before us lie possibilities, opportunities, a choice of action. We can make or mar today. It is really a solemn thought when we come to think of it. George Fox felt it when he said "Ye have no time but the present, therefore prize your time for your souls' sake!"

Our Murshid admonishes us in the Gayan, "Every moment of your life is more valuable than anything else in the world." It has the sound of an urgent appeal. Why so urgent? Because today is passing, tomorrow it is gone. This sense of the impermanence of the present has been felt and expressed all through the ages.

In their terse, lapidary way, the old Romans said carpe diem, pluck the day. During the troubled days of the renaissance in Florence, when dagger and poison often menaced life, the poet Poliziani said, "Chi vuol esser lieto sia, di doman non c'e certezza." Let him who wants to be cheerful know, there is no certainty about tomorrow. It may sound cynical, but there is wisdom underneath.

What are we going to do with today? Are we going to let it come over us as it comes, submit ourselves to get ruffled and annoyed, or are we going to meet the outer world, the people around us in a positive way? In a positive way—that means looking things in the face and seeing what we can do about it. What we can do about it, what we can give out. In other words, are we going to think, to speak and to act in a way productive of harmonious results? We all know the saying, "What 14 one sows, one reaps," but we have the tendency to apply this saying to others rather than to ourselves.

We are fortunate in that, as mureeds, we have been given practices, which we might consider as the frame of our day. Are we not invited at the beginning of the day to purify ourselves, breathing in the power out of divine space which fortifies and revivifies us and enables our soul to expand? It is the very thing to help us to stand positively against the disturbing influences which are always present in the world around us.

Recently I happened to come across a beautiful text from a Sanskrit scripture which I should like to read to you as it stresses in a marvellous way the importance of being conscious of today. It is called The Salutation of the Dawn...

Look well to this day for it is life:
the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the verities of your existence:
the bliss of growth,
the glory of action,
the splendour of beauty.
For yesterday is but a dream
and tomorrow only a vision,
but today well lived
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day!
Such is the salutation of the dawn!

When we try to make the most of today, one of the effects will be that, more than before, we shall find our-selves to live in the present. What is the present? We can consider it in two ways, in the first place from the point of view of time, and in the second place from that of space.

Seen as time, it is that mysterious zero-point which glides away between our fingers. While we are here together, every moment is disappearing into the past. "Time, I have never seen thee, but I have heard thy steps," says Murshid in the Gayan.

The Sufi poets have often reminded their hearers that they should live in the present: "O my beloved, fill the cup that clears today of past regrets and future fears," sings Omar Khayyam. Murshid has commented on these verses (in Sufi Teachings, vol. VIII of the Collected Works). "Make the best of this moment," says Murshid. "It is now that you can clearly see eternity— if you live in this moment. But if you keep the world of the past and of the future before you, you do not live in eternity, but in a limited world...In other words," concludes Murshid, "live neither in the past nor in the future, but in eternity."

We may well ponder these words a moment together, and ask ourselves how much of our time we spend living uselessly in the past or pointlessly in the future. I say uselessly and pointlessly, for of course there is such a thing as remembering with a purpose and preparing the future by trying to visualize it.

So we are to live neither in the past nor in the future, but in eternity. One would have expected Murshid to say, 'in the present,' 'now,' but by saying 'in eternity,' Murshid has given us a precious clue. Could 'now' be eternity? What is 'now'? Now is this fleeting moment between past and future which passes too quickly to hold it. We can look at the past, we can try to pierce the hidden future, but the present escapes our grip. Still we feel that the present is a very real thing, it has a reality different from the past and it is somehow more substantial than the future. Could that be so because it is the only moment during which we can live in eternity?

To live in eternity. From the context, it is clear that it does not mean living forever, for an infinite length of time. Sometimes Murshid uses the term everlasting to express that idea, in contradiction to eternal. To live in eternity is living out of time, it is a different quality, one might say it is living in a different dimension.

How do we live in eternity? To answer that question it is perhaps best to ask ourselves if we ever had experiences of living out of time. I think we all have moments when 'time was not'. The experiences may vary, but they shall undoubtedly prove to have this in common, that in every case we were completely absorbed in what we did or saw or heard. It may have been before a splendid sunset, a landscape, or just a flower, or listening to music which, as the saying goes, 'transported' us, taking us into another world, or it may have been some artistic occupation or scientific pursuit, or deep thought, which made us forget time, forget ourselves and made us live concentrated in something else. Our practices— meditation—may lead us to that experience.
One speaks of 'entering into a subject,' or 'losing oneself in the contemplation of beauty'—expressions which point the way of how to get out of time and into eternity.

We may not all be artists, or scientists intent on discovering the secrets of nature, but there is one thing we all can do, and that is to try to live more in the present, to live consciously in the present, which really means doing what we do, with full attention and concentration. For instance: Nazar! Thankfulness! But also taste, enjoy your food! Eat it consciously.

In this way we make of our daily life, of our daily task our concentration—just doing the thing before us and not to rush ahead to live in the future! This means in the first place never to hurry. Hurry is a deadly foe to concentration, a destruction to rhythm. "He who believeth, hurrieth not," says the prophet Isaiah (Is. 28:16). When we put aside hurry and return to an even rhythm, the quality of our work improves, we seem to be able to enter more profoundly into a subject; somehow time seems to widen.

In the Gayan there is a strange sentence which touches upon the mysteries of time. It goes, "It is our perception of time which passes, not time itself, for time is God and God is eternal."

It is our perception of time which passes, and the way it passes varies very much. We all know how time may drag and how time can fly. Conventional time, measured by the rotation of the earth round the sun, is the same for all of us, but, as science has found, there is also something like a biological time for each individual. For instance, the time wounds take to heal differs according to the individual. Health, and especially the age of a person, are factors which determine this biological time. The same wound heals three or four times faster in a child than in the case of an aged person. Also the perception of time varies greatly according to age. The day of a child is much longer than that of an adult or an old person. I am sure we all can recall how vast was the expanse of a day spent in the country when we were young, and how at the end of the school term seemingly endless summer holidays opened before us. An explanation of this phenomenon might be that the child lives more in the present, his mind is more open and therefore his days are full of moments of eternity.

We may do well to remember in this context the words Jesus said to his disciples: "Except ye be converted and becomes as little children, ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 18) Or, in the version of Saint Luke, "Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall in no wise enter therein." The Kingdom is a state of consciousness into which we may enter, if we become simple and receptive as little children. Simplicity and receptivity are the condition requisite to enable us to change our consciousness so that we may receive the Kingdom into it. We have to think again with the eyes, with the immediate perception of a little child.

It is not outside our power to become as little children, nor is it outside our power to change our perception of time. We have seen that, when we are collected in our thought, the time seems to widen.

Living in eternity is experiencing an expansion of consciousness escaping out of normal perception of time into a spiritual world, where the value of time is different. St. Peter says in hi; second Epistle General ((II 3:8), "Beno1 ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand year: and a thousand years as one day." Ian reminded here of a saying of Murshid that one day of meditation is more that a year of study, and one hour in the presence of the Murshid still more.

Earlier in this talk I said we could consider the present from the point o view of time, as indeed we have don't so far, but we can also look at the present from the point of view of space—the present. What is present before us, or rather what surrounds us?

What surrounds us? In the first place, the material universe which stretches out on all sides, in all directions, into infinity. But we are also surrounded by a mental world. Our space is filled with all kinds of vibrations, good and bad, vibrations of love and hate, of serenity and fear. We get a small illustration of this, when we tune in our radio on one station after another.

We are also surrounded by invisible beings. In the prayer Saum, we say, "Lord God of the East and of the West...and of the seen and unseen beings." Do we not feel sometimes the presence of our dear departed? Do we not feel that our revered Murshid is still there and sometimes near us? For many Roman Catholics, the saints are felt as living presences who respond to their appeals. Are guardian angels just a sweet invention, or living realities?

Of all that surrounds us, we perceive only very little, an infinitesimal part, and our individual perceptions vary greatly. Some people have more acute senses than others, people's awareness, their interests differ. Where one person will just see a few houses, a painter will be struck by the beauty of a particular combination of line and colour. The same impressions we receive, are relayed to our individual brains, where they are translated and made intelligible to our individual minds and hearts. We vary in background, past experience, knowledge, education, and so on, so it is logical that our perceptions of the present vary greatly.

Why bring this out? In order to make clear that our present, that what we perceive of reality, is that which each of us, for himself, is conscious of, at a given moment.

Can we see more of reality than we do? Can we see deeper into reality? Can we be conscious only of a number of ever-changing phenomena or is it possible to penetrate behind the surface, behind the screen and know what produces the phenomena? Can we change our consciousness? Widen our consciousness?

We can indeed, with an effort of will, detach our consciousness from our material surroundings and live in our thoughts, in the mental world. And we may, by means of prayer and meditation, try to enter the spiritual world. We shall find that by leaving the surface, so to speak, by entering interior space, our consciousness already embraces a larger horizon—widens, in other words.

We have seen that while we can measure time on earth by hours and days and years, we cannot measure the present, the interior time—you remember, one day with the Lord is as a thousand years. Well, it is the same with space. When we enter interior space, the values of distance change. Two people on earth may be separated by many miles, by seas or continents, but they may be close together in thought—we all have heard and perhaps exercised telepathy—and earthly distance does not prevent two people from being close together in love, or one in spirit, as the saying goes.

In the Bible we find remarkable references to interior space linked with love. It is in the Epistle to the Ephesians and goes as follows: "that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth and length and depth and height..."

Out of time, out of space, into eternity.

All through the ages, people have felt, more or less dimly, that at the back of the continually changing present— changing in time and in space—there is something more real, something not changing, something immovable, something to depend upon, something eternal. And in answer to this feeling, to this aspiration, holy men, sages, prophets, mystics, messengers from above, whose consciousness was open to the spiritual world, have come to tell us about the way to that underlying substance, under and behind the fleeing and changing present, the way to the Eternal with Whom there is no shadow of turning.

They have told us about the real presence behind the present, namely God's presence, in and behind His manifestation. They have told us about His omnipresence.

The prophet Isaiah (6:3) lifts up his voice: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." The first Sunday of this summer school we heard quoted from the Quran, "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth declares the glory of God." But nowhere perhaps the omnipresence of God is brought home to us more forcibly than in those well-known words in the Acts of the Apostles, "For in Him we live and move and have our being." (17:28)

It is up to us to realize this marvellous truth, which becomes especially marvellous when we remember that God is love.

I feel I should now repeat and complete the quotation from the Epistle to the Ephesians, "that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."

Between past and future, the present.
Between past and future, eternity.
Between past and future, the presence of God.

We find it all in the prayer Murshid has given us, Salat. Past and future: "the first cause and the last effect, Alpha and Omega," and in between the Presence. "We adore Thy past. Thy presence deeply enlightens our being, and we look for Thy blessing in the future."

1990 Volume 5. Padmani Burt Honeydew. "Beloved Master, Did You Pass This Way?"

1990-12-25T20:45:00.000+03:00

Thoughts at Grand Canyon - 1980

I scan in noonday hush Grand Canyon's awesome majesty
And feel Eternity is throbbing through my soul:
I humbly stand on gravel old as time itself -
A precipice of sacred soil beloved of Navaho.
An eagle's beating wings for just one timeless moment half obscures the sun
As she soars towards a distant plume of smoke
Drifting like silent incense from a scrub fire far below.
No wind or cooling breeze to interrupt the Painted Desert's insects' lazy drone
As they buzz the age-old trees on moonscape rock -
Compared with Nature, Man is just a grain of sand and nowhere could he feel more totally alone.
The dryness of the desert's burning heat is somehow soothed by mighty Colorado's onward sweep.
The craggy torrents changing face from churning 'Dirty Devil' to 'Bright Angel's' calm.
Powerfully echoing is the chasm stark and deep,
Where narrow trails twist steeply down the gorge to lead intrepid ponies whose strong backs
And willing hearts have carried generations of adventure-seeking souls
As they pick their slippery way on time-worn tracks.
It was not long ago that You, Beloved Master, walked a piebald mare
along Grand Canyon's trails
To recharge the inner spheres where-e'er you rode...
A photograph records that blessed day,
When with regal dignity You reined your mount,
Whose noble head perceived the honour she had earned -
Could I be standing there? Beloved Master, did you pass this way?
For in this breathless hush my sharpened sense detects Your presence and like a compass needle starts to move:
Excitement rises in my heart for here I feel
I surely must confront You face to face and prove
What all Mureeds have always known: You're with us still!
Past and future become the timeless 'now';
An imprint on the desert's memory revives a fleeting glimpse of robe and staff -
Records in space when Pir-o-Murshid blessed this canyon's crust
And left behind the lasting mark where His sandals stirred the dust...Beloved Master, you surely passed this way!

1990 Volume 5. Peter Philip “La Verna"

1990-12-24T20:49:00.000+03:00

Easter Weekend 1990

Tyre hum background to tentative 'getting to know you' conversation.
Turn off. Then a dusty, narrow, twisting sand-stony road.
Speech-shaken and rattled.
The paved driveway. Peace?
La Verna at last!

The spartan accommodation provided a shock for the city seasons.
Swallow hard, help sort it out.
New arrivals, new introductions to my new family-to-be.
Strangers still, but not strange.

Confraternity. The start of the togetherness?
The laughter. The quiet. The sharing, the explaining,
the listening, the talking.

And always Murshid's words...

The Chapel. Cool blue light with red-purple tones of stained-glass sunlight.
Yellow and red roses, sweeter for their surprising scent.
Rain-cleared, morning-fresh air, sunshine healing,
Peaceful-pure.
The river-rich, brown-hued sparkle of reflected light.

And always Murshid's words.

Zikar-stunned senses stumbling into sudden understanding.
I softly smile at my past stupidities!
Sufi circles. Awkwardness all swept away singing into the dancing darkness of candle-lit friendship smiles.

And always Murshid's words...

My initiation. Long held convictions confirmed, my path is now started, the fikar feels right! Pray God I fulfil His purpose.

And always Murshid's words,
Leading, Guiding and Showing the way...

Confused crush, catholic service. "Christ is risen?" Continue confraternity, and then, altar yellow-decked,
the candles lit, we confirmed that
Christ in us IS risen from the limitation, into the limitless eternity of God's Love.

Dona nobis, dona nobis pacem.
Our torch in the darkness, our rock in the weariness of life.

And always Murshid's words...

Too soon the end-off AGM. After all this reality the return to illusion is an unwelcome prospect. But this Easter is my breath, always to be recalled in my gentle times, to relive the rhythm of real friends, and to rest in the Love I experienced.

And Murshid's words:
"The answer to every question is God.'

1990 Volume 5. Wali van Lohuizen. "Mysticism in Daily Life"

1990-12-23T22:08:00.000+03:00

In the spirit—and sometimes in the wording— of Hazrat Inayat Khan's philosophy, this paper will try to explain three issues. One is that mysticism is a divine gift to each human being and a human potential for a better life. Another is that this potential lies in the expansion of consciousness, consciousness being the carrying force in life. The third is that mysticism is not something other-worldly; rather it is a way of life. Mysticism should be completely integrated into daily life. To make a start, some consideration will be given to the question, what is mysticism like.

Mysticism is generally considered to be an exceptional condition of the human mind experiencing a state of union with the One, generally either in terms of God or of a Saint or Messenger or another spiritual or religious ideal. Some include in this definition the ecstatic experience of an individual losing himself in a rapture caused by concentration, meditation and prayer towards the Ideal.

Question 1: Is mysticism indeed limited to some individuals who are exceptionally gifted in this respect, or is it rather a potential of all human beings?

Many scholars have noted the striking similarity of the mystic experiences of followers of different religions, irrespective of the fact that Christians unite with God the Father, or Christ, while Hindus unite with Rama or Krishna. Research has virtually excluded the possibility of widespread falsification, or pure imagination (see William James). Psychologists, however, may maintain that mysticism is a process of the mind, an imagination; though containing full reality, this is not Reality, but just the reality of an individual's mind.

Question 2: Is mysticism the actual unification of one's soul with the Ideal, through God's grace poured upon the individual?

Based on a keen study of the lives of well-known mystics, and particularly of their own reports on their experiences, scholars like Evelyn Underhill conclude that generally this realization of Unity is a final stage of a process, the mystical way or the mystical quest. This process may take quite some time. In exceptional cases, it may happen in a few hours but generally a good deal of one's lifetime might be involved.

Question 3: Is this process something that can be done only outside the world of daily affairs, or can one follow this path while being in the world integrating one's inner and outer life into one whole?

Let us summarize and reformulate the three questions:

1. Is mysticism limited to some gifted (or even abnormal) individuals, or is it rather a genuine human potentiality (stronger in some, weak in many) carrying in itself the seed of spiritual development, of perfecting the heart, mind and body?

2. Is the actual mystical process of transformation something that happens to one's mind, to one's heart, or to one's soul? Is it transcendent or immanent in character?

3. Is treading the spiritual path/undergoing the spiritual process only possible under the condition that one parts
with the world by retreating into solitude, either in a monastery, a khankah, a vihar or in nature itself? Or is there, on the contrary, a chance of progress on this path by mutually integrating one's inner and outer lives, sharing all odds with one's fellowmen? Should the adept just focus on his/her personal development, or is he/she a social being deriving spiritual development from the way one deals with the others?

I will try to answer these questions mainly by referring to the spirit of the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Mysticism in his teachings is not restricted to a certain occult science. It is the knowledge of being—or rather, of Being. It is learnt by the 'analysis' and the 'synthesis' of the whole life, both seen and unseen; its method is living and meditation.

Prior to mysticism is 'psychology,' the knowledge of human character and human nature rather than a certain system of psychology. It is learned by the 'analysis' and 'synthesis' of all we can feel in human nature and character; its method is thinking.

Prior to both is 'philosophy,' the knowledge of things perceived by intelligence, by intuition, rather than a certain philosophical system. It is learned by the 'analysis' and synthesis' of things perceived by the five senses; it is the study of things.

"These are the three steps to the altar of divine wisdom."

Mysticism as a Divine Gift and as a Human Potential

Mysticism is nothing new or secret; it is what your soul knows already, but it is veiled by mind and body, by our sensations and emotions, by our experiences in the world. Therefore mysticism is the process of unveiling.
The origin of mysticism lies in intuition: "First there was intuition, then reason and logic."

Mysticism is neither a creed, nor a principle, nor a dogma. These are man-made things.

A mystic is born a mystic: look at his temperament, his outlook on life. It is a certain type of mind. There are the souls who are pure, gifted with a mind and heart with a great potential for love, harmony and beauty. Yet mysticism may be acquired, for the roots of love, harmony and beauty are inborn qualities in each and every human being. The human soul is light itself. It is a ray of the Divine Sun, a spark of Divine Light. Therefore mysticism can be developed and acquired, and that is a greater achievement even, and a blessing of happiness to both the person and his surroundings.

Mystics do not belong to the East not to the West, there are as many born here as there are born there. In the East, though, the mystic may be welcomed, while in the West he is considered to be a stranger. But do not mix up occultism with mysticism, as you will not consider every clever person to be wise.

What is mysticism? It is the finding of the self, of the Self., This in itself is indicative that mysticism is a basic human quality. What is this self? "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you." In that search, the mystic finds himself. Mysticism therefore teaches communication with the self and thus enables you to communicate with life.

What is a mystic? He has developed qualities considered to be genuinely human, and he does so to a greater extent than the normal human beings do. A mystic is more responsive, observant, perceptive, outgoing, appreciative, sympathetic and harmonious. He has developed gentleness, mildness and kindness, bearing fruit and giving it to all, willing to serve all who need his service. He can endure and he will stand firm. He acquires insight and is inspired. And he shows innocence and simplicity, love for all and sympathy; he is God-conscious. He has centred his mind on the cosmos, when his consciousness is no longer an individual consciousness. A mystic shows equilibrium and balance, as for example between beauty and power. He has his head in heaven but his feet stand firmly on the earth. He uses reason, but love and harmony are his instrument and goal. Therefore he is religion.

Mysticism is the development of the heart quality, and what is more human than the heart? The heart is at the basis of the formation of a person. The heart is the depth of the spirit, the deepest depth of man's being.

At present, less importance is given to sentiment, relying more on intellect. It even seems that the intellectual person is more balanced because he is supposed to be less emotional. But we confuse emotion with sentiment, with the finer feelings perceived by the finer organs. Therefore the intellectual person proves unbalanced if he has not developed the sentimental side. He then becomes sceptical, doubting, unbelieving and even destructive. The problem is that there is no power in the heart to balance it. Therefore devotion is the best thing to cultivate in the heart for spiritual realization. Where is it to find God? In the loving heart of a kind human being. We need patience to get this sentiment to be developed. It is the widening of the heart, the awakening of the inner feeling. We need repose to sense this sentiment, it is only in silence that you can hear the finer vibrations. Repose, thoughtfulness, balance, consideration are all aspects of one and the same thing: the finer sentiment residing in the depth of the human heart.

Concluding, the mystic tendency is a basic human quality which occurs in every single individual, the intensity of which will vary to a great extent. We may compare it with music. Only a few people are talented musicians or composers; many have a strong feeling for music; some others do not care for it at all. Yet the musical feeling proves to be innate, as through careful education each individual can develop musicality to a greater or lesser degree.

Of course the term 'education' must not be associated with schools and courses, but rather with a call appealing to the heart and the soul. And a silence must be created, both literally and metaphorically.

When the lips are closed, then the heart begins to speak.
When the heart is silent then the soul blazes up, bursting into flames
And this illuminates the whole life.

Mysticism: The Expansion of Consciousness

The consciousness is the intelligence; the intelligence is the soul; the soul is the spirit; and the spirit is God. Therefore consciousness is the divine element, consciousness is the God-part in us. And it is through consciousness that we become small or great, and through consciousness we either rise or fall, and through consciousness we become narrow or we expand."

Raising the consciousness is thus the striving of the mystic, and the culmination of life. The best means is to have an ideal, the Ideal: the God-ideal. This functions as a stimulus, as a pulling power, as an inspiration, as a beloved, as the Beloved. Life is as the sea: the rising and falling of the waves. Rising means to constantly climb towards one's ideal, falling means that one remains beneath one's ideal. In the selection of one's strivings one can strengthen the raising forces and 'unforce' the falling power. The work of the mystic is to expand the scope of life, to make its range as vast as possible. If you slip, and try to go on, you will become more sure-footed. Slipping is natural. Do not lose courage, do not allow your consciousness to be impressed by it; fix your gaze on the ideal; sympathize with it; love it.

The moral of the mystic thus is the love principle— towards the Ideal and therefore (!) towards his fellowmen. It is the lesson, T am not, you are!' By expanding the consciousness from oneself to the person we are sympathizing with, we 'forget' ourselves a little bit, we will understand his point of view, and thereby grow in wisdom. It is the first step on the path of unification, towards Unity. Inwardly we may touch that one life everlasting, dissolving into it, becoming conscious of that One Spirit, being the existence, the only existence. Outwardly we feel in touch with all we see, we feel at one.

Mysticism is an outlook on life: the same things which previously we would look upon as being alien or even inimical now gradually merge, they tend towards harmony and beauty, because we fall in love, we sympathize.

It is also an outlook because by discovering the inner dimension one finds that what seemed to be real is unreal, and what looked like otherworldliness is a Reality encompassing all and everything: all-pervading, omnipotent, omnipresent, the Only Being.

The God-ideal is both the stepping stone and the goal. One must have something before one to love, to worship, to adhere to, to look up to, to raise high, and therefore be raised high oneself. In order to attain this ideal, one must prepare oneself, primarily by mental purification: relaxation/repose, concentration, contemplation, meditation, that is, in the last instance, to purify oneself, to free oneself, to open oneself to the light of Truth. Divine prayers are both the beginning and the end; the beginning because they tune and focus body and mind on the Divine Perfection; the end because only after complete purification does communication become possible. It is then that the soul, being of Divine light, can reflect its Origin and Goal. It is then that one's ideal is larger than that covered by a name. Through love and devotion alone one can forget oneself. The ideal is always more than our imagination, and even more than our realization. Therefore a devotee has always scope for expansion, for advancement.

Concluding, the mystic process is not just a psychological process, but may be likened to alchemy: through the development of the Spirit, our whole being is transformed.

"Let me forget myself, Lord, that I may become conscious of Thy Being."
'When the human heart becomes conscious of God it becomes like the sea;
it extends its waves to friend and foe; spreading further, it attains perfection."
"The mystic contemplates upon the Being of God,
and so raises his consciousness
above the limitations of time and space
and liberates his soul
by lifting it to the Divine spheres."

Mysticism in Daily Life

A mystic has his head in heaven and his feet firmly on the ground. That is the typical approach of Hazrat Inayat Khan. A real mystic should prove to be an inspired artist, a wonderful scientist, an influential statesman. A mystic without knowledge (and practice) of worldly affairs is a half mystic. Therefore, there are many half and quarter-mystics; these differ amongst themselves. Real mystics do not. Why not?

Those on the spiritual path are prompted by the ever-flowing stream of sympathy. Their fellow-creatures are made in the image of God. All of us are part and parcel of the Divine Consciousness, of the Divine Mind. Life is a great symphony. Our duty is to play our own part, and to contribute to the creation of divine harmony in the world. Without harmony there can be no happiness. Harmony is the first principle to be observed. This is not easy, as we will not bend, out of pride, self-consciousness and self-will. Many good people are not harmonious: their goodness does not work out, its results are not up to the intentions. Sacrifice is necessary, and a great effort.

When someone is angry, it may satisfy us to be angry, too. Is it not so!?! However, let us rather try to discover the joy of smiling when the other one is angry! What difference in experience this is. It is as not giving fuel to the fire. And the same applies to jealousy, hate, prejudice, bitterness.

The process of mystical development is the annihilation of the false ego in the real. The true ego, which is the ego of the Lord, has become a false ego in ourselves (false+less true). The soul has conceived a false idea of itself. The ego appears in different degrees of intensity, the most intense being the egoistic one: he is hard on others (and also on himself), he becomes blind to justice and devoid of life, and therefore of love. He sees in everyone a pronounced ego, and derives from it the idea that the other one is egoistic: his ego is hurt by the sight of others...

All methods to bring about better conditions for humanity will fail if the psychology of the ego is not studied from a mystical point of view.

Therefore the way of action in the midst of the world is of utmost importance in mysticism. For that very reason, life in the world is necessary if one wants to go the spiritual path. Few know the effect of their actions. Each thought, word and deed creates a power in itself. What is the guiding principle when deciding for an action? Is it consideration? Refinement? Patience? Thoughtfulness? Yet these are the qualities resulting in a harmonious way of life. Here is the test whether we are indifferent and independent to the needs and wants of our false ego.

And what about being observant, responsive, appreciative, sympathetic, outgoing, gentle, mild, kind? Traditionally, these qualities are supposed to develop under strict control of the senses and the mind, through discipline and self-containment. But what is the mystic's way of control and discipline? Love, sympathy, devotion, being natural, giving time and scope for expansion, for settling, for growth. The sign of saintliness is not in power of words, or a high spiritual position; it is the continuous springing of the fountain of love and sympathy gushing from the divine fountain in the human heart. Turn that fountain on, and it will purify your heart, making it transparent. Therefore the mystic's moral is love. It first manifests in reciprocity. When the heart grows it can sustain more and carry heavier loads, manifesting in beneficence. And when the false ego loses its power, love manifests in renunciation. Or to put it in a more down to earth way: to develop a sense of seeing the right proportions, weights and measures. What is 'right' will depend upon one's spiritual development, that is, the dimension in which one sees things.

Mysticism culminates in brotherhood. This is an inner inclination (although we generally show the opposite). Mysticism makes one more tolerant towards opinions, more able to rise above divisions, to assimilate, to understand, to appreciate and admire. What is brotherhood? Being respectful to all beings, having sympathy towards everyone, understanding the conditions of the other one through sympathy and respect, and thus being tolerant and forgiving, culminating in the feeling of being united with the other one, with everybody, not only in God but even in himself.

By mysticism understanding, sympathy and brotherhood can be established both within oneself and amongst others.

Can a person reach perfection by love alone, without meditation? Or by meditation alone, without love? Hazrat Inayat Khan states as an answer to this question: "Man meditates because he cannot really love. When one really understands 'love,' it is too sacred to utter. People fall into love, few only rise in love." Ecstasy does not come through seeing spirits and other phenomena. It comes only when the heart is tuned to that pitch of love which melts it, makes it tender, gives it gentleness, makes it humble. Love manifests in love of all, making man a fountain of love, pouring out over humanity that love that gushes forth from his heart.

It is not necessary to be unconscious of the world while being conscious of God. Even social conditions and human interrelationships cannot really improve unless the mystical outlook becomes widespread. Religion is not confined to a shrine on Sunday: it is daily life, and in daily life one's realization of religion is tested. Mysticism is the only common basis and foundation for religions to meet, understand and unite, while keeping their own creed, form and traditions.

To Sum Up

1) Mysticism is a genuine, essential human potential.

2) The mystical process is a process of expanding consciousness of the soul, transforming heart, mind and body; it is both transcendent and immanent.

3) Treading the Sufi path is to be a social being, contributing to the symphony of love, harmony and beauty.

There is one God, one Truth, one Religion, one mysticism. Mysticism is not a branch of philosophy, knowledge, etc. It is the very stem. Many houses of worship, yet one God. Many scriptures, yet one Truth, many methods, yet one Faith, the annihilation of the false ego in the real, which raises the mortal to immortality, and in which resides all perfection.

The Sufi message is the message of love, harmony and beauty.

The mystic makes his heart an instrument for the Divine Being. His heart reacts to the Divine Light, his heart is liquid. The condition of the heart of man depends on his reflection of the Divine Light. In our hearts there are moments of a calmness so great that it charges the whole atmosphere, or moments when the power in man rises to wash away all troubles and worldly affairs.

"Mysticism without devotion is like uncooked food: it can never be assimilated."
"The fire of devotion purifies the heart of the devotee and leads unto spiritual freedom."
"The aim of the mystic is to keep near to the idea of Unity and find out where we unite."
"Mysticism is an experience."

Everything is summed up in the invocation prayer:

Towards the One,
the perfection of love, harmony and beauty,
the only Being;
united with all the illuminated souls
who form the embodiment of the Master,
the spirit of Guidance.

1990 Volume 4. "Earth & Sky: M" аn arbitrary selection of gods, humans and other unclassified beings

1990-12-22T22:46:00.000+03:00

Manitou

An Algonquin word for spirit or supernatural power. It was believed that everything had its own manitou; some were for man to dominate, such as those of the wood and fire and rock, whereas others man looked to for help, such as the manitous of the sun, wind, rain, etc. The Great Spirit, misrepresented by Longfellow in his epic poem "Hiawatha" as 'Gitchee Manitou,' is 'Kitcki Manitou’ the uncreated Father of Life and Light, above all powers. Most North American tribes had such a Supreme Being, although they were not monotheistic in the same way as Jews, Christians and Muslims. As an example of the ceaseless mutability of the world, and the human ability to see things from many points of view, the Shawnee tribe uses essentially the same word, 'manedo’, not for spirit but for snake, and in compound forms for evil, monstrous beings, and even for Satan.

Manjusri

One of the manifestations of the Adibuddha, that is, the primary, unoriginated, omniscient Buddha, source of the Buddhas of the various ages. Manjusri is the personification of the wisdom from which all Buddhas spring; he is traditionally portrayed seated on a lion, with a sword of vajra (as hard as adamant, as clear as emptiness and as powerful as a thunderbolt) which destroys all ignorance. Manjusri is better known in China and Tibet than among southern Buddhists, and in Nepal, he is considered the giver of civilization. He has many names; 'Manjughosa,' probably the most ancient, means 'pleasant voice.'

Marduk

Following the period of Hammurabi's conquests, ca. 2000 BC, Marduk or Baal Merodach was the principal god of Babylon, god of the city of Babylon itself and the hero of the Akkadian creation myth. Marduk was tall, had four eyes and four ears, and fire came from his mouth. Tiamat, the dragon-mother of the gods, received a complaint from Apsu, the watery Abyss, that her children were too noisy, and so she determined to destroy them. The elder gods were afraid to confront her, but Marduk, the youngest of the gods, agreed to be their champion if he were given supreme authority. The council of the gods agreed, but to test him, they first placed a garment before him. By the power of his words alone, Marduk annihilated it, and then recreated it, perhaps because he spoke with a tongue of flame. In his ensuing battle with Tiamat, he was successful, throwing the four winds into her maw so that she was unable to swallow him, and then shooting an arrow through her open mouth into her heart. The victorious Marduk took the tablets of destiny from Tiamat's consort, Kingu, and thus became the most powerful of all beings. Splitting Tiamat's body in two, he raised up one half to become the heavens, and used the other half to form the earth. From the blood of Kingu, he formed mankind to be servants of the gods. The city of Babylon was built by the other gods out of gratitude to their chief, and the entire epic was read and re-enacted in that city every New Year's Day.

Mayauel

The Mexican goddess of pulque or fermented drink, she seems to have been deified not by the priestly Aztec aristocracy, but by a grateful peasantry. The story goes that Mayauel, a farmer's wife, was tending the agave patch, when she encountered an unusually bold mouse; when she tried to shoo it away, the mouse only laughed at her. Mayauel observed that the mouse had been drinking the juice of the agave plants, and so she and her husband collected some juice and put it aside while they went out to the fields to work. When they returned in the evening, the juice had fermented. Upon tasting it, they discovered the happiness of intoxication. Mayauel is represented seated on a cactus plant (although the agave is not, strictly speaking a cactus but an aloe) but she is also shown carrying a loop of cord, as a sign that she helped women in childbirth. Rather than being the celestial, inhuman figure that many goddesses are, Mayauel seems rather to be the type of the wise, down-to-earth, practical and observant woman who was venerated by simple hearts for the various ways she eased their lives.

Mithras

Mithraism is often presented by European scholars as 'the religion which could have been ours,' and with good reason; from the second to the fourth century AD, Mithraism and Christianity competed in Rome, and there are enough similarities between the two to make the victory of either one plausible. Mithras was the Persian god of light, truth and justice, the principal assistant to Ormazd or Ahura Mazda in his battle against the forces of darkness. He is identical with Mithra, and an apparent elaboration of the Vedic Mitra, god of the sun or the light of day, and one of the Adityas. Mithras was typically portrayed as a young man slaying a bull. In a highly complex, symbolic picture, he wears a tunic, trousers and pileus or cap, and sits partly astride the semi-prone animal, holding its head back with his left hand gripping the nostrils, while with his right hand, he plunges a dagger into its throat. A dog and a snake lick up the blood, and a scorpion grips the bull's testicles. The slaughter is commonly depicted in a cave, which is lit by two torch-bearers. In addition, there is usually a crow, along with trees or plants, while the tail of the bull sprouts an ear of corn. The symbolism is difficult to decode precisely, because the Mithraic tradition was largely oral and secret, and what records existed were destroyed by zealous, if not jealous, Christians. Interpreted according to Zoroastrian mythology, however, it signifies the sacrificial death of the great generative power of the universe, which thereby assures the continued fertility and renewal of the world.

Over the centuries, the worship of Mithras was remarkably wide spread, and adapted to the cultural needs of the times. He was lord of daylight in India, for example, but the lord of wide pastures in later Zoroastrianism. For the Roman legions, who helped to spread his cult throughout the empire, he was the bull-slaying, cave-dwelling hero-god. In every case, though, he was also a god of light.

For several centuries, the cult of Mithras was a serious rival to the newly born Christian faith, and it was only when the Emperor Constantine officially adopted Christianity that the matter was decided. The struggle was all the more remarkable in that the two have many beliefs and practices in common. The birth of Mithras was celebrated on December 25th, for example, and his rebirth was at the time of the spring equinox. Both had baptism for the remission of sins, the symbolic meal of communion (including consecrated wine), and beliefs in redemption, salvation, rebirth in the spirit and the promise of eternal life. Early Christian apologists claimed that Mithraists had caricatured their faith, but it seems likely that the two traditions arose separately, in a fascinating example of parallel evolution. They may indeed have borrowed some elements from each other, but it is now impossible to tell who took what from whom.

What set the worship of Mithras apart, though, was a strongly developed inner school, cloaked in secrecy, full of symbol, ceremony and initiatic rites. The rites included everything from the beating of drums and the unveiling of statues to the ritual slaughter of a bull on a grating, while the initiate crouched below, so as to be drenched with the animal's blood. Although exclusive and hierarchical, the Mithraic school did teach such useful virtues as self-mastery, the transmutation of sexual energy into psychic energy, and the concept of a mystical path. If the cult of Mithras lost out to the upstart Christianity, it is perhaps only because it lacked the magnetic charm of Jesus' divine personality.

Moon

In many, but not all, traditions, the Moon is seen as female. Inasmuch as it does not shine of its own light, but reflects the light of the {usually} masculine sun, this seems a reasonable interpretation, and Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan has commented that if there were no moon to catch the relentless outpouring of the sun, its fire would eventually consume the whole universe. However, in the Andaman Islands the waxing moon is regarded as masculine, while the waning moon is feminine. This belief also has its reason, and finds delightful support in the 'solar/lunar' arrangement of our own bodies; the waxing moon is the 'right-hand moon' because the orientation of the crescent is the same as the curve between thumb and index figure of the right hand, and the waning moon is the 'left-hand moon.'

Moses

Prophet and lawgiver to the Israelites, the story of Moses is well-known: how as a baby he was found by Pharaoh's daughter floating in a basket among the bulrushes; how he confronted Pharaoh and eventually led the enslaved Israelites to freedom, parting the sea as he went; how he brought the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai not once but twice, and so forth. There is no doubt that the message he transmitted has had a profound effect upon our world, forming one of the cornerstones of western civilization. Some scholars have suggested, though, that Moses was in fact not an Israelite but an Egyptian. The name Moses seems to be Egyptian, possibly meaning 'child,' and he was perhaps a member of the royal family of Ikhnaton, or a priest of Ikhnaton's monotheistic religion. Thus monotheism may have come into Judaism from Egypt!

Moses gave the Message in the form of law, because that is what was needed at the time, but as Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan said, "Love is above law." Therefore, with no disrespect intended, Moses is often employed in Sufi tales to represent inflexible legalism, as opposed to the freedom of mystical understanding—as for example in the story Pir-o-Murshid tells of Moses and the Shepherd. Moses, it is said, one day overheard a shepherd praying in a very rustic manner: "Oh, God," he was saying, "if only You were here, I would sit You down in the shade, and comb Your hair for You, and bring you a delicious drink of cool water." Moses could not let this simple view of the Deity go unchallenged. "Who do you think you're praying to?" he demanded. 'God isn't thirsty. He doesn't need your water. He doesn't need you to comb His hair. He is the Lord of the Universe, Creator of all, Commander of legion upon legion of angels and archangels, before whom a simple shepherd should tremble!" At this, the shepherd hung his head, and promised never to pray so again. Later, though, when Moses went up the mountain to talk to God, he was surprised to hear the Lord say, "Moses, We are not pleased with Thee. When the shepherd prayed to his shepherd-god, he felt close to Us, and We were close to him. Now, he feels We are far away and unreachable, and that was not Our wish."

And it was Moses' turn to hang his head...

1990 Volume 5. David Murray. "A Search Into the Meaning of the Service of the Universal Worship. A Geometric Pursuit into its Form and Symbolism"

1990-12-21T22:49:00.000+03:00

Universal Worship in our last issue provoked strong and sharply divided reaction. Some readers congratulated us on it; others deplored it. Those who disliked it objected to several points, which deserve consideration. There was a feeling in some readers that the language or tone of David's notes implied a definition rather than an exploration; that is, that David was presenting his geometry as an absolute reality. This was an unfortunate misunderstanding; David himself considers the geometry as a sort of metaphorical spatial symbolic search for meaning in the Universal Worship, and makes no claim to having discovered a particular truth. Another objection had to do with the substance of his article. In the Universal Worship Guidebook, complied after the death of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, it states that the candles stand in the form of a crescent, whereas, in the first article, David's geometry appears to depend upon arranging the candles in a straight line. There was concern, therefore, that Caravanserai was attempting to alter the form of the Universal Worship. This was not our intention, and if in fact anyone gained that impression we earnestly wish to erase it. In view of the criticisms, it may seem foolhardy to present a further deve1opment of this geometrical conception. However let us stress that this is merely a personal exploration, presented with the hope that it may spark the interest of other geometrically-inclined Sufis. In this article, the dot of Divine Origin evolves into the star and crescent, symbols at the core of the Sufi emblem; furthermore, the candles follow the accepted crescent shape. Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan once wrote that in the future all ritual and ceremony would become a play. If the ceremony of the Universal Worship is to remain free of dogma, we must be able to appreciate it from many points of view and the following is humbly offered in that spirit.

—The Editor

The dot is the most important of all figures, for every figure is the extension of the dot. It is the beginning. It is the One and All.

From the dot comes the line. From the line comes the cross. The vertical line represents Divine aspiration. The horizontal line represents material manifestation.

From the line and cross come the circle. The circle symbolizes the unity of the Divine and the material. It symbolizes motion, circular and spiral, in and out, the breath of life.

From the dot and circle come the Divine geometries, the mandalas. The eight-pointed star is derived from two squares set at an angel to each other, implying revolution and setting this symbol into dynamic motion. It corresponds to the musical scale of eight notes. It represents music as the universal language.

The mandala is a 'vehicle' on which the ceremony of the Universal Worship can travel to its destination.

Inside the eight-pointed star can be found a square, representing the altar of the Universal Worship. The vertical and horizontal lines bisect the square, symbolizing the known and unknown, the seen and the unseen. The centre of the square, the dot, represents the Divine at the centre of all things.

When projected into the third dimension, the dot (Divine Source) is located above the square (the altar). Joining the dot to the corners of the square creates a pyramid. The square plane represents man. The pyramid represents the relationship between God and man. The dotted back half of the square represents the unseen and the bottom pyramid, a reflection of the one above, represents the unknown.

A crystal has been formed encompassing all aspects of the Divine and material. This crystal represents the power of transformation. It transforms single while light to the spectrum and vice versa. Thus it is the symbol by which we can understand the One in All and All in One.

The altar for the Universal Worship is the half square at the centre of the mandala.

On the surface of the altar is located a crescent moon shape, symbolizing both the receptacle and the reflection.

It is within this crescent that the candles representing the world religions are placed. The candle representing the Divine Light is located at the back of the altar under the symbolic dot.

The crescent moon is created by the intersection of the circles relating to the geometry of the square and the circle of the mandala.

As the service of the Universal Worship proceeds, the pyramid over the altar becomes more solid, the unity of God and man closer to realization.

In front of the altar, described by the inner circle of the crescent, is a five-pointed star mandala, the symbol of illumination and the symbol of man.

As the pyramid becomes more solid, the centre point of the five-pointed star, the heart of man, becomes a receptor point for the energy of the Divine realization.

This point of reception is the location of the blessing at the culmination of the service. The star, symbolizing man with outstretched arms, also represents the blessing.

The solidification of the pyramid over the altar coincided with the giving of the blessing—the instantaneous link between man and God.

A large crescent shape is formed using the mandala circle as the inside circle of the crescent. In the service of the Universal Worship, the crescent represents those who are attending the service, the receivers of the Divine illumination, as represented by the five-pointed star, the point of the blessing as transmitted by an attending cherag.

The cherag giving the blessing is the messenger of the time, representing the heart of man in direct contact with the Divine.

Hence the symbol of the star in the crescent moon, when understood how derived, is a significant symbol of the Universal Worship. The practice of all religions as one has the power of Divine realization.

The Universal Worship is one such form, and to the Sufi, is a symbol of Sufism itself.

1990 Volume 5. Pirzadi Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan. "Song to the Madzub"

1990-12-20T23:55:00.000+03:00

Growing up in a family where the atmosphere was saturated with music, it would be only natural for the first child of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan to express her deepest feelings musically. This composition came to her at the age of fifteen, a few weeks after the passing of her father, and is dedicated to him. 'Madzub' denotes someone who is God-realized, but who hides the realization so he may go untroubled among the crowd. The photo shows Noor-un-nisa playing the vina in the home of Sirdar van Tuyll van Seerooskerken in The Hague.

Song to the Madzub

At Thy Feet, O Madzub, I come to seek for Rest,
In the Fire of Thy Glance, may this yearning Soul be blessed.

Thy Footprints of Crushed Thorns are strewn with Pearls Divine,
And Lo! Their Glory unveils these dazzled eyes of mine.

Through Life's Test, may this heart, O Thou Living Shrine,
As a Lotus once bloom, bloom in these Rays of Thine.

At Thy Feet, O Madzub, I come to seek for Rest,
In the Fire of Thy Glance, may this yearning Soul be blessed...

1990 Volume 5. Obituaries (Remembered)

1990-12-19T00:24:00.000+03:00

Murshid Fazal Inayat Khan

Murshid Fazal Inayat Khan, eldest son of Hidayat Inayat Khan and once the leader of the Sufi Movement, died suddenly on September 26th, 1990, in England.

Of Murshid Fazal's passing, Jemaluddin Buwalda, the General Secretary of the Movement, wrote, "The leadership of the Sufi Movement wants to express its thankfulness for what Murshid Fazal in his own way has done for the Movement. He has immediately given up everything when he was called to lead the Movement. He has devoted himself wholeheartedly and with deep commitment to this difficult task, and was willing to resign when this opened the way to greater unity in the Sufi work. At the same time this has given him the opportunity fully to develop his own approach to Sufism.

Our hearts go out to the members of his family and to all his mureeds."

Shaikha Shanti van Broekhuizen

Shaikha Shanti van Broekhuizen passed away in South Africa on September 26,1990, after an illness of several years. Shanti was the Representative of the Sufi work in South Africa for many years, and mureeds there and around the world are grateful for her work.

Murshida Helena Passos Rist

Murshida Helena Passos Rist passed away on October 2nd, 1990, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was the National Representative of Brazil, and worked with great dedication for many years on behalf of the Message. In spite of heart trouble and failing eyesight, she worked until the end on Portuguese translations of the works of Hazrat Inayat Khan, completing the Gayan and ten of the volumes. She will be greatly missed by the Brazilian mureeds.

Munira van Voorst van Beest

Munira van Voorst van Beest, principal worker in the Biographical Department, passed away on September 25th, 1990 in Suresnes, France. In earlier years, she had been a member of the Dutch diploma tic corps, but in later life devoted her energies to sorting out the archives in the Biographical Department. Moved by a deep loyalty to Murshid's exact words, she began to compile the annotated 'Complete Works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan,' in which she was assisted by Sharif Graham. Although that work has been fairly begun, it is far from finished, and her skill and devotion will be sadly missed.

Murshid Sharif Jansen

Murshid Sharif Jansen passed away in early December, after an illness of some duration. He had been active for many years, leading a centre in Sydney Australia, and bringing many mureeds to Sufism. His presence will be missed by the Sufis of Australia, but his work on behalf of the Message will continue, under the guidance of Halim and Halima Oerton.

1990 Volume 5. "Back pages"

1990-12-18T00:31:00.000+03:00

Summer School in Holland

The 1990 Summer School at Murad Hassil was the best one ever, according to some sources. Certainly it was well attended, with strong interest both from Holland and other countries. Although largely dedicated to mureeds, a portion of the Summer School was open to interested people, and attendance during some of these days passed 120. This year there was a large contingent from South Africa, who brought their own sunshine with them, as well as a sizeable group of German Sufis, and smaller numbers of Italians, Swiss, Swedes, Turks and other nationalities. As in the past, there were classes in the Zikar of Inayat Khan, symbology, healing and the Universal Worship., as well as sacred readings and daily walking Zikar. There were two excellent concerts, and a very interesting presentation by Walia van Lohuizen on art and spirituality, which began with a composition by Murshid-zade Hidayat Inayat Khan. The Summer School concluded with a moving ceremony, in which nearly twenty people were welcomed into the Brotherhood activity.

The dates for the 1991 Summer School have not been set yet. For information, contact the nearest National Representative, or the General Secretariat in The Hague.

Highlights of the International Council

The annual meeting of the International Council was held prior to the commencement of the Summer School in Holland. Some of the highlights include:

Petra-Beate and Wakil Schildbach, from Berlin, report that, with the unification of their country, they are now able to carry the Message into areas previously closed to them. "Spiritual liberty" is a theme especially appropriate to the times.

Speaking for Julian Grindon-Welch, who was unable to attend, Virya Best noted that the Sufi Movement in England remains small, partly because of many other spiritual groups active there. There are, for example, eleven Sufi organizations alone, not to mention many Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and new age groups. Nevertheless, with only 16 active mureeds, England was able to contribute £240 to the International Fund, and £750 to the Book Publishing Fund. She also gave a brief summary of the work in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro there are classes, Universal Worship and healing activity; four new healing conductors have been inducted, and one member has moved to Belo Horizonte on Minas Gerais, and started a healing group there. One of the most important aspects of the Sufi work there has been the translation into Portuguese of Murshid's work but this has been severely hindered by an annual inflation rate of more than 3,000%.

Latifa Grotepas noted that the Sufi work in South Africa grows steadily and slowly. There is a new centre in East London, and there was a long weekend gathering at Easter. The biannual South African summer school is planned for next April or May, dates not yet certain.

Indra Pedrazzoli reported that Italy continues with only the centre in Milan, but as the works of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan are starting to appear in Italian, she hopes this will help to spread the Message.

Reporting from Canada, Nawab Pasnak said that the centres there are growing slowly, and that major contributions to the Movement include the organization of the Rocky Mountain Sufi Camp, and the publishing of Caravanserai. He also noted a continuing friendship with the Sufi Movement in Mexico, which may soon have another centre.

Karima Sen Gupta [see 'Swiss Movement'] said that one major difficulty in producing the German-language Sifat was obtaining news from other centres and countries.

Wali van Lohuizen reported that there were three new centres in the south of Holland, and that two Brotherhood meetings had been held at Murad Hassil in the last year, each drawing about 120 people. He also noted that Karimbakhsh Witteveen had been invited as a Sufi and an economist to take part in an Amsterdam conference, "Spirituality, Science and Art in a Changing Economy." Other major speakers included Fritjof Capra, David Boehme, Rupert Sheldrake and the Dalai Lama.

Childhood Memories

This summer saw the simultaneous publication, in English and Dutch, of a small volume of childhood memories by Murshid-zade Hidayat Inayat Khan, called Once Upon a Time. It is a highly personal collection of reminiscences, which give a fascinating glimpse into what was certainly a most extraordinary household. In Hidayat's words, the vignettes are offered, "in an earnest longing to communicate some aspects of the fairy-tale atmosphere that prevailed in those days, when our Beloved Father was with us."

Once Upon a Time has been warmly received, and a second, expanded English edition should be available by the New Year. The Dutch version was compiled by Munir Rooke; the English version is published by Wine Press, of the Sufi Movement in Canada. Both versions are available through the General Secretariat.

Letter from Switzerland

In Switzerland we have two Sufi centres, one in Basleat the northwest border, the other one 350 km away, in the opposite corner, near Lugano and the Italian border. There are also a few individual mureeds in various parts of the country. Basle is a very old centre, existing for many decades—in fact, since before the Second World War. It is a small but active centre. We meet every week for classes, meditation, healing and zikar. We have a Universal Worship service every second month, in a beautiful big room of a Yoga school. Lugano is a quiet young and vivid centre, which also has regular meetings every week, and a Universal Worship once a month. There is a close connection with the Sufi Centre in Milano, and they occasionally have joint activities.

In February of this year, we took part in a large 'Esoteric Faire' at Zurich. It was an interesting experience. Many people came to our stall and we had a lot of god talks with interested people. We were also able to hold a Universal Worship service in one of the Congress halls, which was very well attended. We plan to do it again next year to become more known in Switzerland.

In May we had the first meeting for all Swiss mureeds near Lugano, in which the mureeds of Italy also joined. Karimbakhsh and Ratan Witteveen came from Holland and we spent four very beautiful and inspiring days together.

From the Basle centre the German language Sufi magazine 'Sifat' is edited and sent not only to Switzerland, Germany and Austria, but also to a number of other countries where German speaking mureeds live. From the centre near Lugano, the Italian language Sufi magazine, 'Gemme sul Sentiero' (Jewels on the Path) is edited.

With hearty greetings and love, Karima Sen Gupta

Dargah News

When Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan passed away, his body was placed in a tomb on the outskirts of Delhi. In recent years, this dargah has been the focus of a great deal of effort toward restoration and expansion, but to accomplish anything in India is not always easy. After many months of patient queuing, meeting and pressing forward, it is now permitted for the Dargah Foundation in India to receive donations from abroad, and to have its own bank account, which will of course simplify the financing of the various projects underway there. Donations to the Dargah, to help the interreligious work connected with the Dargah, and to help the poor in the neighbourhood may all be made either to the Hazrat Inayat Khan Memorial Stichting or to the Dargah Fund, both of them care of Karimbakhsh Witteveen, General Secretariat. Please specify the intended use of your donation, if it is important to you.

It is also reported that the Dargah is somewhat easier to reach now. A new access road has replaced a very muddy alley leading to the dargah, which used to keep some would-be visitors away. The road was built by the city of Delhi at the direction of the Lieutenant-Governor, after repeated requests and visits. There is also a new wall around the dargah, improving its appearance.

October saw the release of the last of the 'orange volumes' in the Indian edition. Now all of the 'Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan' (not to be confused with the 'Complete Works' volumes), including an index volume, are available in low-cost paperback format. These are not for sale in bookstores outside of India, but they are available to mureeds and centres through the General Secretariat. This publishing project is particularly useful inasmuch as Sufism in India is given a scholarly acceptance not always found in the west, and these volumes will no doubt appear regularly in bookstores there.

Finally, Wali and Wali; Lohuizen report that the Urs, anniversary of Murshid's passing marked this year by a day and long seminar on The Sufi Ideal in Life - Mysticism as an Integral Force. Some fifty people attended and ten papers were delivered from western Sufis and six from ans. Another major seminar is being planned for 1992.

Healing Activity

Work is underway to produce g lines for healing conductors and Healing Activity, similar to the t lets available for the Universal Worship. This compilation is being by Salim Lange, in close collaboration, with Ratan Witteveen and Murshid-zade Hidayat Inayat Khan. Hopefully the revised and updated guide will be available by spring.

Murad Hassil

It was reported in these pages last' that the walls of Murad Hassil, Universel at Katwijk, Holland, been recovered, and that the next m project here would be the construe of a mureeds house. The covering to seal and insulate the building, which was being endangered by storm driven salt-spray. The mureeds' house is to provide accommodation for pilgrims or those on retreat. Although plans now ready, progress on this much needed addition has been delayed provincial authorities. Specifically because the Universel is located within a very important water preserve, and every precaution is needed to keep the groundwater from being contaminated, the authorities have raised questions about the drains, and want expensive work done to strengthen them. However, the Murad Hassil committee feels that this work is unnecessary. Subhan van Lohuizen has been endeavouring to reassure the authorities, but this summer the situation still remained unclear.

It was also noted this summer that the dome on the Universel was in need of repair. The translucent synthetic is wearing thin in places, but it is hoped that a protective plastic coating can be applied which will not diminish the light entering the main hall.

As for the covering, one sad but unavoidable consequence was the disappearance of the shell mosaic flying heart donated by South African Sufis when the Universel was first built. Now, Karimbakhsh Witteveen has asked artist and sculptor Mussavir Achterberg to design a new flying heart for the outside of the building. Mussavir has completed one design already, but it proved difficult to execute; the design shown here was conceived for wrought iron, and the technical problems of fixing hundreds of kilos of metal to the outside wall proved too taxing. We look forward, however, to seeing Mussavir's design on the walls of Murad Hassil at the next Summer School, perhaps in paint or mosaic.

Publishing News

As reported here earlier, the re-issue of the 'Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan' series, commonly known as the orange volumes, is proceeding, but more slowly than first envisioned. Volume II is in production, as is Volume VIII, now revised and so much expanded that it will be printed as Volumes VIII and XIV. Students will be happy to know that these new editions will each be indexed. The next to be revised will be Volume VI.

In other languages, the Italian edition of Mental Purification should be out by this autumn, and a companion edition of Health is planned, as well as a condensed audio-tape version of both books. For Dutch Sufis, there is a new cloth-bound translation of Gayan, Vadan, Nirtan. Ameen Carp reports that a German distributor has been found, and they are now ready to begin translation.

Finally, the Indian paperback series is now complete. For more details, see 'Dargah News.'

Canadian Retreats

Rocky Mountain Sufi Camp, the annual gathering at Lake O'Hara was well attended this year. Special guests included Hidayat and Aziza Inayat-Khan, and mureeds were offered detailed lectures and practice sessions on concentration and breath, as well as the opportunity to do the Zikar of Inayat Khan each night. Dates for the 1991 camp are June 5th to 11th, and some reservations have already been received. If you are interested in this Sufi event, please write for information now, as space is strictly limited to sixty people.

***

Rocky Mountain Sufi Camp is also looking for someone interested in working with children. This is a challenging job, requiring love of children, creativity and a dedication to the Sufi Message.

***

And finally, last August, Sufis in the Vancouver area held a four day zikar retreat. The retreat was held on a wilderness island, part of an eagle preserve, and was attended by about fifteen mureeds from Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. The retreat was praised enthusiastically by all, and there are plans to repeat it next year, perhaps in July.

1990-06-30T14:35:00.000+04:00

Caravanserai Magazine 1990 No.4

Published semi-annually on behalf of the Sufi Movement by the Sufi Movement in Canada, a registered non-profit society. Editor in chief: Nawab Pasnak; Design & Layout: Sufia Sill;

Editorial Board: Virya Best, Ameen Carp, Joan Gaisford, Hidayat Inayat Khan, Nawab Pasnak, Karima Sengupta, Karimbakhsh Witteveen.

This Issue:

The Divinity of Art
by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Teachings of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan on Symbology
interpreted by Hidayat Inayat Khan

Now You See It Now You Don't
by Nawab Pasnak

The Symbolism of the Kaaba
by Nuria J. Lawrence

The Geometry of the Universal Worship
by David Murray

The Sufi Message Spreading for 80 Years
Reprints from The Sufi Quarterly, 1950

Journal of Hazrat Inayat Khan's Journeys in the West

"Sufi Hymns" by Hidayat Inayat Khan

Saum (in Italian)
translated by Indra Pedrazzoli

Earth &Sky: W

Back pages

Dear Fellow Travellers,
Our fourth issue is concerned with three interrelated topics: symbols, the sacredness of art, and the 80th anniversary of the coming of the Sufi Message to the West.

There is a great deal that can be written about symbols and their use in spiritual teaching. From a certain point of view, though, everything in manifestation is symbolic, and the artist who knows this can produce art that will inspire generations. We are happy, therefore, to have an in-depth article by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan on the Sacredness of Art, but it cannot be emphasized enough that what he says is not for artists alone, or rather that, from Murshid's point of view, we are all artists. Although much can be accomplished through prayer and meditation and esoteric study, if one could assimilate this one article and put it into practice, one would instantly become an embodiment of the Sufi Message.

We mark the anniversary of the Sufi Message with two reprints from the Sufi Quarterly, one detailing Hazrat Inayat Khan's journeys during his stay in the West, and the other giving the first person accounts of several mureeds from the time of Murshid or shortly thereafter. These accounts are, naturally, highly personal, and show an interesting range of response to the powerful presence of the Murshid.

The next Caravanserai will be out in November of 1990. We are grateful to those who have sent us news of local Sufi activities. Please send us more — news, articles, art, poetry or stories. As we sit around the warm fire, listening to the words of many travellers, let us hear your voice, too.

Most hearty regards to all, and best wishes for your travels in the future, from the inn where Sufis meet...

Nawab Pasnak

1990 Volume 4. Hazrat Inayat Khan. "The Divinity of Art"

1990-06-29T21:43:00.000+04:00

People belonging to different faiths very often make the mistake of considering art as something outside of religion. The fact is that the whole creation is the art of the Creator, and one sees the perfection of His art in divine man. This shows that the source of the whole creation has the spirit of art at the back of it.

In all ages man has developed his artistic faculty, and he has tried to progress in art. But, in the end, where does he arrive? He remains far from touching either the beauty of nature or the art of creation. Man's art always fails to equal the art of God.

This shows that the source of every soul is the spirit of art, and art is spirit, that everything which has come out from that spirit has manifested in the form of art Did man look more at nature — at the heavens, the beauty of the stars and planets, the waxing and waning of the moon, the different shades of colour which we can see in the sky — the more would man always marvel at the art at work behind it all.

When one is alone with nature, near the sea, on the river bank, among the mountains, in the forest, in the wilderness, a feeling comes over one which is never felt among a crowd, not even if one were in the crowd for years. In one moment a feeling becomes born, as soon as one is face to face with the true art of God. It then seems as if the soul had seen something which it has always admired and worshipped, and now the presence of that mighty Creator, the Artist, is realized through seeing His art. Many experience this, but few will express it. None can come back from such an experience without a deep impression, without something having been awakened to consciousness through having seen the divine art.

This shows that this creation, this manifestation which is before us, has not been made mechanically, has not been created blindly or unconsciously; but as a great poet of Persia, Sa'adi, says, 'The more one looks at nature, the more one begins to feel that there is a perfection of wisdom, a perfect skill, behind it, which has made it, and it will take numberless years for mankind to imitate that art. In fact mankind will never be able to attain it perfectly."

Whoever studies the kingdom of flowers, of vegetables, of minerals, the birds, the insects, the germs, and the worms, the animals and their forms and colours, and the beauty which each form suggests, will surely recognize as did the prophets of old that the world is created by the Spirit, that divine Spirit Who has created it with eyes wide open; and showing perfect wisdom behind it, and perfect skill in it, and a sense of beauty so perfect that man must always be incapable of achieving it.

But now the question comes, "What is man?" Man is the miniature of God, and man has inherited as his divine inheritance the tendency to art. Therefore any one with intelligence and with tender feeling — which goes to make a person normal — must admit the beauty of art. He is born with that tendency. A child is born with the love of art, as is proved by the infant being attracted to toys and beautiful colours. Lines attract him. And the first thing which he begins to like or desire is colour and movement. This is the time of his life during which he is impressed by artistic things. When a person loses his sense of art, it is just as when the heart has become blind. It cannot see the art anymore because of the clouds of all manner of ugliness and undesirableness, and all that one does not like to look upon. All such thing and impressions cover his heart and his soul, and make him, so to speak, blind to beauty, blind to art. But this is not the normal condition. The normal state of a sound mind in a sound body with tender feeling is love of beauty, is to admire art.

No doubt very often man does not live a natural life. That is, his business or profession or responsibility holds him. Some work or some thought for the needs of the body, for bread and butter or any other every-day need holds him and absorbs the hold of his thoughts, so that he becomes useless for the discovery of the beauty and joy and happiness of life. Hence, as we see around us today, life is becoming so difficult and so full of anxiety and trouble and responsibility. From morning till evening man is just loaded with his responsibilities, toiling day and night. He has never a moment to think of the beauty of art. Since art is the first step which leads man to the cause of art, how can a person who has never admired or understood the beauty of art hope to admire or understand the Artist?

So God remains unrecognized, and not through the fault of God, but through the fault of man.

The Creator in the role of an artist has created his beautiful art, which is not far from human eyes. But man is so engrossed in thoughts and occupations which have nothing to do with that art. All his time and thought and effort are devoted to occupations which never allow him one moment to think of art and admire it and understand and appreciate it. Naturally, then, he remains as if his eyes were covered over from the vision of the Artist The real purpose of human life was not that man be born to toil for bread and butter; the real purpose of human life was not that man should be avaricious and compete with his fellow man and hate him and view another with prejudice and use the whole of his time in a kind of spirit of rivalry and competition, in which there can be no harmony or joy or peace. With the necessarily ever-increasing avariciousness there is an absence of that beauty for which the soul so constantly longs.

It would be no exaggeration to say that all these disagreeable things which go on in this world — wars, diseases and the like — all come from the lack of artistic attitude in life, the lack of a sense of beauty, and the lack of that vision which unites the whole humanity in one centre; and this centre is God. When man closes his eyes to beauty, he will never think of looking for the beautiful, although beauty is constantly beside him. Behind the beauty, as Qur'an says, God is. "God is beautiful and He loves beauty." The natural tendency to love and admire beauty is a divine inheritance; it is the spiritual thing which leads to spirituality. Through this tendency one accomplishes one's spiritual duty in life. When that tendency has gone and religion is left without art, then the religion may be perhaps useful for an inartistic society, but it turns into a sort of formality. One does one thing, one does another. As one does weekday work, so one also does Sunday duty.

If God is not to be connected with beauty, in what form shall man idealize Him? In what form could man think of Him? In what form should he see Him? He would be kept away from Him. So when religion is covered in its form and when man keeps art aloof instead of promoting it, man's life becomes empty, for his occupation necessarily keeps art out of his life to a great extent. If then when he goes to a religious place he also finds no art there, his visit comes to be exactly like a visit to any other place in daily life to which habit may take him. There is nothing to pierce through him; there is nothing to awaken that impulse which arises from the earth to Heaven; there is nothing to make him think even for that one moment that God is beautiful and that by beauty we reach out to God.

Man very often separates nature from art. He considers nature different from art; he considers the one superior and the other inferior. But in reality art is that which, by divinely inherited tendency, plays its role through man. God working in nature with His hidden hands has created nature, and He shows His art in that nature. In the other aspect of art which we call 'art,' God produces beauty through the human hand and the human mind, and so finishes that which has been left over to be finished and has not yet been finished in nature. Therefore in one respect art is a step forward to nature, although compared with nature art is so limited. Nature is unlimited. But at the same time, art is an improvement of nature.

Seen metaphysically, the artistic spirit of God is satisfied by fulfilling its artistic tendency through the art of the human being. Therefore those who consider art from a higher point of view recognize the artistic impulse not only as a human impulse, not only as brain work, but as a true artistic impulse, as an inspiration in itself.

But in order to prepare the mind for the artistic impulse, what is necessary? Does one need some kind of learning, or some kind of study? Is there some preliminary study to be made first? No. It requires a tuning, a bringing of ourselves to an object to whose beauty the human heart can respond, to a beauty which the heart can appreciate. When the heart can concentrate upon beauty, then it works itself up to a certain pitch, for inspiration is not a thing which one can pull upon to obtain as by pulling a rope. Inspiration is a thing which comes only when the heart is tuned to that object, when it is in a position to receive it. Therefore inspired artists have been divinely gifted, and the spirit of art is one, thought the arts are so many. When the heart is tuned to the proper pitch, it is not only capable of producing or appreciating one kind of art and beauty, but all kinds.

Thus there can be an art in architecture. A gifted architect can produce a great deal of beauty in his work. So too with drawing, with embroidery, with the work of dyeing, of sewing. In fact there is nothing which man does which cannot have art in it if he knows how to attune himself to that pitch which enables the art to be expressed. Poetry is an art in the same way. Unless a person is tuned to the proper pitch, he may write poetry all his life and yet it will not please either him or anyone else. So with a painter, or a musician (violin, piano, any instrument); he will not please himself or anyone else during his whole life unless he has become tuned to that pitch.

This shows that the question as to what grade of evolution a person has attained comes in every walk in life. Whether a person be a painter, or sculptor, or architect, or designer, or singer, or dancer, whatever walk he may follow, there is no better source of inspiration in nature, whence to draw inspiration from above, than by means of art. The more cultivated the sense of art is in man, the more able he is to respond to the beauty of art, and the more able he is to produce or create something beautiful in himself. The more he comes into touch with that spirit Who is constantly helping every soul toward beauty, the more man can produce. Everything that helps man to approach the beauty of God is sacred. Therefore art can become religion. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is no better religion than art itself.

When one has reached to that degree of understanding, when one has reached that knowledge of art by which he can become profited, when the heart is once tuned to that pitch by which one can understand and appreciate art, and when one has changed one's outlook upon life so as to see in the beauty of art the beauty of the divine Being, then one can progress in the true art.

From this we learn that consciously or unconsciously that which our soul is really seeking is art; and yet at the same time man very frequently avoids this very thing that he is really seeking. The right way and the wrong way are so near to one another. The only difference is that a person is journeying along the right way when at every step he can say, "I see the signs that support and help me to go on further and promise that the goal is before me." When he is journeying along the wrong way every step tells him, "I am not in the right way, I must go back; I am not on the road on which I ought to be." Consciously or unconsciously every soul seeks for beauty, and at each step of our lives we think that beauty is receiving us as we go, that beauty meets us at every step on our path, then the soul is satisfied, is full of hope, knowing that the road he is on is his proper road, and that some day or other he will arrive at his goal. The person who thinks at every step of his journey, "I am not on a right road, I do not like this; I am not pleased with that," is making no progress. The beauty he is looking for, he is ever leaving behind. He is travelling in quite another way from that which he is expecting.

So we see that whether our road is right or wrong depends on our appreciation of the artistic side of life or on our lack of it. But by saying this, one does not wish it to be understood that everyone must necessarily practice to become an artist, or learn some branch of art. It is only to say that there is a spark of artistic faculty in every soul. There is not a single soul who has not got this spark. Some have more, some have less. Yet that spark does not have to be used by everybody to that extent which is called 'artist' No. But we must exhibit and utilize that faculty in our everyday life. A person with the artistic faculty is sure to show it in everything he does, even in dusting a room or keeping it tidy, or in keeping a machine in order. In all these directions can a person show art. One does not require a palace before one can begin to manifest art If one really has the love for beauty, one can show the artistic faculty in quite small things.

Besides this there is the fact that the soul manifests outwardly that which it expresses inwardly, so that it is the beauty which man has within himself which he expresses without. Man shows his artistic faculty in his manner towards his friend and towards his surroundings. A person who has no sense of art is called 'rude,' inconsiderate,' 'thoughtless,' 'foolish,' 'simple-minded,' 'crude,' 'coarse.'

A person does not need to have much money in order to be able to express his art. He can express it in various circumstances. He may be the poorest man in the world and yet he can express the beauty of his soul in whatever state he may be place. Beauty will not be hidden; One shows one's art in one's words. When one is in business, or in the family, or among friends, one does not know how many times during the day one hurts the feeling of others; one does not even notice them. Even though one were very learned or experienced, the lack of art would still manifest Even a loving, kind and good person will never be able to express the goodness which is hidden in his heart if art is lacking.

When Jesus Christ taught in the Sermon Upon the Mount, "Blessed are they who are gentle, who are meek, humble, poor in spirit," what lesson does it teach us? It is this lesson of art The lesson is, 'produce in one's personality.' Even so called artists, musicians, poets, painters, if they have not fostered art, if art is not impressed on the soul, and if the soul has not expressed the beauty of art, they do not know art; they are profane, they claim to be something they are not.

Having thought much upon this subject, and being specially interested in art, I have come in contact with artists of different countries both in the East and West. It has always proved that those who have really attained some greatness in their art were those who showed glimpses of art in their personality. It showed in the words they spoke, in the way they received me, and in the manner in which they spoke with me; their tenderness of heart, their friendliness, their interest in my affairs. Every sign of art could be seen in such personalities. Even if not an artist literally, a painter , a singer, a poet, whatever the real occupation, it does not matter as long as one has realized beauty in that occupation, and has perceived beauty around one and has collected around one all that one finds beautiful. All this must be expressed in return, an it is that which is true art.

In the Hindu language, there are two attitudes mentioned by the philosophers, namely, 'hamsadi;' and 'suhradi.' The former attitude is that of a bird of paradise, a mythical bird of the Hindus called Hamsa. If you put milk mixed with water before Hamsa, it will drink the milk and leave the water behind. The suhradi attitude is that of the people. It is the tendency of looking to find where there is any dirty spot and wanting to sit in it Such is the tendency of man. One person is always looking for what may be wrong in people, and is delighted to hear something wrong about them, and is very interested in discussing their faults and hearing of their being disgraced or insulted in some way. Such persons are always wanting to see the evil around them, in whatever form it may be. This pleasure grows until the whole life becomes a burden, for the presence of evil produces its bad impression, and bad thoughts collect around him, for they are reproduced just as a gramophone record produces sounds. Such a person becomes the gramophone record for the evil he collects; he utters it, he retains the bad feelings within; he spreads them abroad whithersoever he goes. Nobody likes him, nor does he like anyone either; the time will come when he cannot even like himself.

Another kind of character is he who overlooks all that does not seem to be harmonious; he looks only for good in every person, and finds some good even in the worst person in the world. This person seeks for good, wishes to see it wherever he can find it, and in this way constantly gathers good impressions.

And what is 'good?' Good is beauty. What is Beauty? Beauty is God. What is virtue? Virtue is beauty. What is beauty is also virtue. One does not have to learn in a book or a scripture or from some other person what is good and what is bad. We can learn from our own sense of art. The greater one's sense of art, the more it will show what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad.

As soon as the senses begin to develop and understand what it is that takes away beauty and what it is that imparts beauty, then such a one gathers beauty as one gathers flowers. Such persons welcome others with beauty, they express beauty, they impart it to others. Others love them. They love others. They live and move and have their being in love, just as it is said in the Bible, "The live and move and have their being in God." So a person who lives and moves and has his being in love will certainly also live and move and have his being in God.

This may be called, 'the divine art,' for which a person may study and strive. But besides this there is the art which every person must look for and develop in his own nature. The Message of Sufism to the western world has this as its chief object, to awaken the spirit of the world from this thought of antagonism and mutual hatred, and to bring about the feeling of human brotherhood; so that all humanity may meet with one another, whatever be their nation, race or religion, in one place, in one centre, namely, the thought of God. And in order to rise to this ideal, and in order to tune our soul to this pitch, so necessary from beginning to end, it is necessary to seek the path of beauty, and to recognize in beauty the Being of God.

God bless you.

1990 Volume 4. Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan on the Subject of Symbology"

1990-06-28T21:46:00.000+04:00

The ancient methods of religious education were given in symbolical terms, resulting in the preservation of truth in all its essence, de-spite the various dogmatic interpretations which have blossomed abundantly all through the ages. The wise at all times have taught humanity using the art of symbology in ways appropriate to the cultural evolution of mankind in each period of religious history. One could say one of the secrets of this method is the psychological effect of veiling and unveiling beauty, to the extent it is visible to our understanding, although it would seem that words may be inadequate to express the real beauty of the truth behind the symbols invoked.

Various symbols originally inspired by the mystery of the five elements became more and more the object of adoration by sun worshippers, water worshippers and nature worshippers. This led to later elaborations of symbols in various places in the world, specifically China, India and Egypt, and in various religions, particularly Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity.

The symbol of the cross not only pictures pain and suffering, but also refers to the path of crucifixion, which is the toll that the seeker on the inner path is confronted with when possessed by truth, a toll which is followed by resurrection. But in fact, for those who can see through symbols, both crucifixion and resurrection are illusions, known by the ancient Hindus as maya, a Sanskrit word which is the root of the word myth. Studies made in ancient traditions reveal that the symbol of the cross existed among the Brahmins long before the coming of Christ, and that it is from this symbol that the two sacred lines of the cross were conceived, the horizontal called trissoun and the vertical called chakra. The mystical explanation of these lines is that the vertical line represents all activities in life and the outgoing energy directed toward their realization, whereas the horizontal one symbolizes obstructing forces consequent to human limitation.

Every mystic and every artist knows the value of the vertical and horizontal lines, which are skeletons of every form. Geometrical symbols such as the dot, the circle, the pyramid and many others also take a mystical and artistic significance insofar as we direct our consciousness to the secret power which is latent in line and shape, and which can produce great effects on both the observer and the environment.

The dot is of course the essential of all figures, for in the extension of the dot resides the source of every line. Obviously the extension in either direction, horizontal or perpendicular, determines the angle and orientation of every form, be it top, bottom, right or left. In Sanskrit, the dot is called bindu, which means source and origin of all creation. Paradoxically, however, in mathematics the dot also means zero or nothing. The dot is therefore nothing and everything at the same time, mystically expressing that everything there is, is everything and nothing at the same time. The dot can also develop into the circle, in which there is infinite movement (moto perpetuo), therefore a symbol of the entire manifested universe. The triangle symbolizes the beginning, the continuation and the end. It is the sign of life seen from three aspects. From this originated the symbol of the Trinity, known by the Hindus as Trimurti, that is to say, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the creator, the sustainer and the destroyer. Later, it was known by the Christians as the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

The Egyptian symbolism is one of the most ancient forms of worship, from which many others have arisen. The Egyptian symbol of two wings with a disk in the centre, and two snakes on the right and left, also illustrates the three aspects of the power of the spirit, one being the sound of the universe, another the colour of the elements and the third being action. In this symbol, the centre, which illustrates the bright light of the spirit, is flanked by the two snakes, which represent the direction that the light of the spirit can take in life, either receptive or creative (or, when the two directions are uncontrolled, destructive). This same concept is referred to in the Hindu philosophy of the kundalini, with its two opposite forces, ida and pingala, which the Sufis call jelal and jemal. Mystics also call these two forces the sun force and the moon force, found on the right and left of the body. Furthermore, these two forces are projected alternately (and in some cases appropriately) through the right and left nostrils, in accordance with the immediate activity. The secret of all success resides in the knowledge and the use of the energy appropriate to the activity in which one is occupied, whether it be material or spiritual. This knowledge is called pranayama by the Hindus, and kasab by the Sufis.

The Sufi emblem seen on the Altar of All Religions is in the shape of a heart with wings, symbolizing that true nature of the heart, which knows only the notion of freedom and does not allow itself to be confined by limitations and boundaries, flying upwards into the light of the Spirit of Guidance, illustrated by the symbol of the five pointed star seen within the heart. The crescent moon in the emblem illustrates the receptive and expressive aspects of the heart which reflects and radiates Divine Light at all levels of consciousness.

The Dove which symbolizes the characteristics of the mission entrusted to the Messenger from Above, is also pictured in the shape of a flying heart representing the traveller of the skies peacefully dwelling in higher spheres while being at the same time committed to earthly boundaries, carrying messages from place to place.In the fulfilment of God's Message to mankind, the bringer of the Message is never really separated from the Divine origin, even while amidst the commitments and limitations of human attachments experienced all along the flight from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven in answer to the Call.

1990 Volume 4. Nawab Pasnak. "Now You See It Now You Don't. The elusive nature of symbols"

1990-06-27T21:49:00.000+04:00

Driving down a city street, my attention is momentarily diverted by something — perhaps the flight of a woodpecker, or the sight of friend on the sidewalk. When I return my attention to the road, where it belongs, I see that the traffic light in front of me has turned red, and without an instant's reflection, I hit the brakes.

The red light is a symbol, conveying something to me beyond the simple physical information of light of so many angstroms, at such and such intensity. It is also powerful; the information of the need to stop seems to travel from my eye to my foot without passing through my 'conscious' mind. (Of course, if my mind were truly conscious, there would be no need for sudden stops — would there? Or would there?)

On the spiritual path, symbols are a way of encoding wisdom, a way found by the wise of leaving maps and traffic signals for others who wish to follow the same path. In the words of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, "A symbol is an ocean in a drop." In this context, symbols have a particular beauty, in that the more we contemplate them, the more they disclose. They seem to be alive, and like living plants, respond to cultivation. They reward our attention with deeper and deeper insights into the truth which they both reveal and conceal. Moses taught the Hebrews how to sacrifice, for example, not because there was a need of the odour of burnt flesh in heaven, but as a lesson of humbleness and a way of re-uniting their spirits with Yahweh. It is no exaggeration to say that any progress towards real humanity has come about through the agency of such symbols, working in the inner and outer realms.

The transforming strength of a symbol, though, comes partly from its identification in the eyes of the worshipper with that for which it stands. A devoted Christian will offer as much respect to the cross as to the Christ for which it stands, and may learn thereby to sacrifice his own ego for the sake of an ideal. Muslims turn to the physical Ka'aba as a sign of the all pervading God, and are thereby united as one single brotherhood in prayer. We may say, therefore, that the faithful one who can actually see the vast ocean through the silver globule trembling upon a leaf is truly blessed. The humble one who bows before an idol, and knows in it the power of the One to whom all worship is addressed, has truly set foot upon the spiritual path. Such a devotee does not need to know the weight of the idol, nor when it was set there. In fact, such knowledge might even break his faith — not because his faith is of no value, but because it has not yet widened to the point where it can accept such knowledge. In the mind of such a worshipper, the idol and that for which it stands are inseparable; factual details would only disturb that impression.

In our present day, we have the advantage of much knowledge, and it poses some problems to our symbolical education. We live in a world of many cultures, many ways of seeing things, and it is nothing to us to hear in one day the music of Africa, of Russia and of South East Asia, or to study in one semester the sacred stories of Moses, Zoroaster and Buddha. Ours is not a monolithic culture; there is scarcely room on the planet for such a thing any more. We share each other's breath, we hear each others thoughts, we see each other's dreams whether we choose to or hot. Furthermore, so many of the dreams today are material ones, that the spiritual symbols are sometimes lost from view.

Taken rightly, such a multiplicity of forms and fashions can be an invitation to development. Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, for example, grew up in the rich culture of Baroda, where Sikhs, Hindus, Parsis and Muslims lived and worked side by side, where many languages were spoken and many faiths flourished, and his unique presentation of Sufism bears the sign of this cosmopolitan up-bringing. Taken another way, though, such a diversity can not only produce an air of bland indifference and superiority ("Oh, yes, that. We saw that last year in California."). It can confuse the vision and distract the heart. When we see so many sets of symbols streaming by, each one, according to its followers, offering 'Truth,' (true comfort, true fidelity, true cleaning power, true God) how can we believe in any of them? And if we should have some little belief, it might well be shattered by the sight of devotees doing violence to fellow humans in defence of their chosen symbol.

If we were only aware of it, the Truth behind these symbols has no need of defence. The Truth is so large and free and all pervading that for us to put ourselves forward as its protectors is like the ant defending the elephant. We would do better service to try to live the truth, to let go our ant-like scurrying, and enter the elephant's majestic calm.

But how is this possible? Let go — how? Enter — how? The ant scurries because it has the limitation of a small horizon, while the elephant sees much further without even moving. Our dilemma is that we have, on the one hand, the followers of various systems, whose horizon is limited to little but their own symbols — and therefore have perhaps not yet touched the innermost heart of those symbols — and on the other hand those who see many symbols, and therefore, thinking themselves to be elephants and not ants, remain unmoved by any symbol whatsoever. The world is very much in need of spiritual awakening, but can it be accomplished now through symbolic education? Or is this a tool which is no longer relevant? Should we put all the symbols aside and try to find truth in an empty room?

We could try. In fact, the notion of an empty room (although of course itself a symbol) is appealing. To sit quietly in a clean, bare room, empty of every representation, and wait for truth to appear. Just to sit and breathe. We need not speak, for speech is symbols. So are thoughts: words and pictures representing experience; put them away. Unform your feelings; no desires to obscure the ebb and flow. Just be still.

And in this silence is the source of all symbols. Touching this, we begin to understand what they truly might mean. Washed in this silence, we begin to see there is meaning hidden behind everything — not only religious symbols, but objects, people, clouds, events — all.

If we need the teaching of a particular symbol, it will be nourished by our visits to the empty room. If we need the illumination of a new symbol, it will only come from our sojourn there. It is a great paradox (as what is not on the spiritual path?) that the wealth contained in symbols becomes accessible to us to the extent that we enter the silence of meditation, where there are no symbols at all.

1990 Volume 4. Nuria J. Lawrence. "The Symbolism of the Ka'aba"

1990-06-25T21:51:00.000+04:00

There is both physical and mystical meaning in the hub of the Muslim world.

The Ka'aba is the centre of the Muslim world. For modern Islam, it focuses dialogue between the many different Muslim nations, as each year more than a million of the faithful make the pilgrimage here. The importance of the Ka'aba and Mecca in the development of Islam can be divided between the physical significance, and the mystical interpretation given to the centre by Islamic Sufis such as Ibn 'Arabi.

A cubic structure located in Mecca, the Ka'aba is said to have been built by Abraham. Sura II of the Koran refers to Abraham and Ishmael raising up the foundations of the house, and Sura XXIII tells of God settling "for Abraham the place of the House. The Abrahamic origin of the Ka'aba is stressed in modern Islam, but there are other legends that associate it with Adam and the creation of the world, legends that give rise to the notion of the Ka'aba as physical centre or navel of the world.

The physical orientation of the Ka'aba supports this interpretation. Its four corners point very nearly in the cardinal directions, and the major and minor axes correspond to the risings and settings of the sun, moon and Canopus, the brightest star in the southern hemisphere. Pre-Islamic Arabs had a well established astronomy, and it was believed that winds blew in directions defined by various astronomical phenomena. The four walls of the Ka'aba are aligned so that these astronomically defined winds would strike them head on, and it has been suggested that the Ka'aba was therefore constructed as an architectural microcosm of the pre-Islamic universe.

This interpretation does harmonize with some of the legends connecting the building to Adam. There are different accounts of Adam's involvement, but all of them seem to have their source in the earlier noted Sura II. This passage, which speaks of raising up the foundations of the house, could be interpreted to mean that Abraham built upon the pre-existing foundation of a now vanished building. Which building? According to legend, to the original Ka'aba, built by Adam and destroyed during the flood.

In one version of this legend, when Adam was thrown out of paradise, Gabriel showed him the foundation which had been laid on the 'seventh earth.' Stones were brought from four (or sometimes five) sacred places to build it There is some discrepancy about which mountains the stones were taken from — some accounts include the Mount of Olives and Mount Sinai — but the actual mountains are not as important as the synthesis they represent: Islam, following the 'seal of the prophets,' must somehow incorporate the traditions preceding it. It is perhaps only natural that the sacred building of the religion of unity is itself an embodiment of the unity of Semitic faiths.

The idea of synthesis can also be seen in another legend regarding the reconstruction of the building under 'Abdu '1-Muttalib, the grandfather of Prophet Mohammed. "The Ka'aba being considered too low in its structure, the Quraish wished to raise it; so they demolished it and then they rebuilt till the work reached the place of the black stone. Each tribe wishing to have the honour of raising the black stone into its place, they quarrelled amongst themselves. But they at last agreed that the first man who should enter the gate of the enclosure should be umpire. Muhammad was the first to enter, and he was appointed umpire. He thereupon ordered them to place the stone upon a cloth and each tribe by its representative to take hold of the cloth and lilt it into its place. The dispute was thus ended, and when the stone had reached its proper place, Muhammad fixed it in its situation with his own hand."

The meaning of this story is clear: Prophet Mohammed came to unify the tribes, both politically and religiously, and the Ka'aba is a symbol of this unity. Muhammad helped to rebuild it, to bring the Arabs back to the 'true religion' from polytheism.

The sanctuary not only unified Islam, it also unified the universe. In one version of its origin, Adam was shown a vision of a "building roofed with one great ruby and supported by columns of emerald," the reflection cast by the heavenly centre, the throne of God. The heavenly counterpart, while the most perfect version, was not the only one, for according to 'Abd Allah ibn Abbas, 'This Ka'aba is one dwelling among fourteen dwellings." There was thought to be a sanctuary in each of the seven heavens and earths, directly in line with the one in Mecca, thus placing the Ka'aba firmly at the central point of the universe.

This centrality is not only legendary, for the Ka'aba is the centre of the Muslim world in a very physical sense. Five times each day, every Muslim turns and faces Mecca and the Ka'aba to pray. In medieval times, there were various methods employed to determine the appropriate direction. Some were based on highly technical mathematics, but the variety of mosque orientations suggest that these calculations were seldom used. Systems based on astronomical alignments were more widely employed, perhaps because there were simpler for the layman to understand, and thus could be used by travellers or those without access to a mosque.

Another possible explanation, and one that accords with the mystical interpretations of the Ka'aba developed in about the same period, is that the use of astronomical alignments placed the worshipper in the same relationship to the universe as was the Ka'aba itself, owing to its own astronomical alignment. If the Ka'aba was the centre of the universe, and the spot on earth closest to Allah, then by aligning oneself to the heavens in the same manner, one could participate in this special position as if present at the Ka'aba itself. This could also be the reason for not adopting a generic qiblah such as the Christians have, wherein by facing east one is deemed to be facing Jerusalem, regardless of orientation. (The Christian scheme may also be open to a mystical interpretation, however — that in facing the east, one is facing the returning sun/son.) Each Muslim, therefore, was required to align himself with God, or to entrust himself to someone who knew the proper alignment.

The personal orientation to the reflection of the Throne of God, the centre of the world, provides the bridge to understanding the mystical symbolism of the personal orientation to the Throne of God, the centre of the person. Just as a person trained in the ways of the skies could show a devotee the qiblah, but it was the devotee himself who had to stand correctly, so a person trained in the ways of the heart could show his mureed the way to turn towards God, but the actual turning was the responsibility of the mureed.

Turning inwards, towards the heart, is the essence of Sufi doctrine and practice, for the heart is the connection with God, the point at which the transcendent and immanent meet. To quote one hadith qudsi, "My earth does not encompass Me, nor does My heaven, but the heart of My servant, the man of true faith, does encompass Me." There has been a traditional rejection of intellectualism as a means of reaching gnosis of God. While a certain amount of intellectualism had its place, Sufis like Al-Ghazzali have declared that it must be balanced by mystical understanding. The intellect must be transcended, and attention focused on the heart.

Mysticism traditionally makes extensive use of symbolism as a means of conveying information in a concise form that cannot easily be otherwise expressed. Once someone has experienced the inner reality of the heart, as Fritz Meier says, "every commission and omission, every event and phenomenon, everything he perceives in life and the world, appears to him as a pars pro toto, vehicle of a meaning and an idea, an allusion to a secret which can be found by inner contemplation. We call such vehicles of meaning, which all things now become, symbols the visible part of a whole whose other half was invisible or absent".

For some Sufis, the Ka'aba fulfilled just such a function, becoming a metaphor for the relationship between God and man, between the person and the heart Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240 CE) was perhaps the most explicit in his formulation of this symbolism, developing it from his own experience at the Ka'aba, described in the preamble to his book Meccan Revelations.

During a pilgrimage in 1201 CE, as he was performing the tawaf, or ritual circumambulation, Ibn 'Arabi passed the Black Stone and encountered a mysterious youth, who told him, "I am knowledge, the known and the knower; I am wisdom, the wise man and his wiseness." The youth could be seen as a manifestation of Ibn 'Arabi's higher self, the spark of the divine sought in mystical contemplation. He enjoins Ibn 'Arabi to "behold the secret building before it is too late, and thou wilt see how it takes on life through those who circle round it and walk round its stones, and how it looks out at them from behind its veils and cloaks!" Ibn 'Arabi answers with a poem:

I see the building animated by those who circle round it.
And there is no self-animation, except through a physician with effective power.
But this is rigid matter which neither feels nor sees,
Which is without understanding or hearing!
A lord spoke: This is our duty
Imposed on us all our lives by religious dogma.
I answered him: That is what thou sayest. But hear
The discourse of him to whom science has been revealed by the rite! [the higher self]
Thou seest only solid mineral, without life of its own,
Harbouring neither benefit nor harm.
But for the eye of the heart it contains visibilities
If the eye have no weakness or flaw.
To this eye it is so sublime when it reveals its essence,
That no creature can withstand it...

When Ibn 'Arabi entered the Ka'aba with the youth, he was told, "I am the seventh at the stage where spiritual growth and the secrets of existence, of the individual, and of the Where are encompassed." This has been interpreted to mean that the seven circuits of the Ka'aba signify the acquisition of the seven divine attributes as consciousness ascends to the sphere of the Self.

The Ka'aba thus becomes the point of union between the human self and the cosmic self. Expressed geometrically, two concentric circles are formed, the larger of which represents the cosmic self, and the smaller the human self, both being centred on the Ka'aba.

The tawaf therefore becomes an opportunity to combine the esoteric and exoteric. The tawaf, though, occurs only after the pilgrim has reached Mecca. The long and arduous journey to reach this point is part of the symbolism surrounding the Ka'aba.

However, the journey is not seen in solely symbolic terms. The physical journey is also an opportunity to practice obedience to the law. It is possible that the external benefits of the Hajj applied more to the regular Muslims than to the Sufis. However, both ideas can be found in Sufi thought. Stories about the performance of the Hajj show both esoteric and exoteric elements.

On the exoteric end of the spectrum is Fariduddin 'Attar (1140 — 1234 CE) who tells several stories of pilgrimages, including that of one performed by Bayazid Bastami.

On his way to Mecca, Bayazid encounters a poor man, who asks him how much money he has with him for the journey. When Bayazid tells the man that he has two hundred dinars, the man asks for the money to feed his children, telling Bayazid that he will be benefited by circumambulating him seven times. Bayazid does as he is told, "and lo! he gained immensely in his spiritual experiences, and his later words which were ecstatic effusions were so enigmatic and erratic that it became difficult to understand them."

While the circumambulation of a person instead of the Ka'aba becomes the focus of later stories, this version seems meant to emphasize reliance on God, and the ascetic aspect of the pilgrimage. It can be related to a story about Shaqiq of Balkh, also recorded by Attar.

It is related of Shaqiq of Balkh that he once said to his disciples,
"I put my confidence in God and went through the wilderness with only a small coin in my pocket. I went on the Pilgrimage and came back, and the coin is still with me."

One of the youths stood up and said to Shaqiq:

"If you had a coin in your pocket, how could you say that you relied upon anything higher?"

Shaqiq answered:

"There is nothing for me to say, for this young man is right. When you rely upon the invisible world there is no place for anything, however small, as a provision!

A similar idea can be seen in the story of one of Rabi'a's pilgrimages, during which her donkey died. She refused the help of her fellow pilgrims because, "she had set forth for the Hajj not under their shelter but under the Lord's." They left her, and she prayed: "O master of the worlds! I am a desolate, meek and poor woman. You first invited me to Thy House, Ka'aba, and now killed my donkey, leaving me alone in the wilderness." At this, the donkey revived, and she continued on her way.

While this reliance on God is primarily external, it also implies a spiritual dimension. Relying on no-one but God means that every pilgrim must make the journey essentially alone. In Rabi'a's case, this is true of the external journey. Bayazid, travelling with many people, even prayed to be left alone on one of his pilgrimages. But with hundreds of people on the physical pilgrimage at the same time, this is not always possible. The solitude of the journey is thus primarily inner in nature. The existential knowledge of the higher self can only be achieved by each individual by his or her self.

Both the solitary nature of the journey and the relationship between the external ritual and internal spirit are expressed in the following account of another of Rabi'a's pilgrimages.

Next time when Rabi'a proceeded on a pilgrimage to Ka'aba, and was passing through the wilderness, she observed that Ka'aba, the House of God, was coming to welcome her. Seeing it, she said "What shall I do with the House? I want to meet the Master of the House — the Lord Dost not the Lord say that he who advances a step towards Him, He goes out to meet him seven steps? I cannot be pleased with seeing the Ka'aba; I seek His vision.

At this time Ibrahim Adham was also on his way to Ka'aba, and it was his practice to offer prayers at every step on his way. Thus it had taken him fourteen years to reach the Ka'aba. On his arrival, he found that the Ka'aba had disappeared He was very much disappointed. The Divine Voice thereupon told him, The Ka'aba is gone to meet Hadrat Rabi'a.' When the Ka'aba returned and Rabi'a arrived leaning on her staff due to old age, Ibrahim approached her and said 'Rabi'a, why do you by your queer acts create hue and cry in the world?' Rabi'a replied 'I do nothing of the sort; rather it is you who, to gain publicity, thus reach Ka'aba in fourteen years.' Ibrahim admitted that he did offer prayers at every step of his journey. Rabi'a said, 'You covered the way by saying prayers, whilst I have covered the way through meekness and humility.'

The message of this is obvious: while ritual may eventually take one to God, it is not as effective as heart-felt sincerity. The external elements are not enough by themselves, they must be infused with spirit. With this story, 'Attar is leaning towards the internal emphasis, but still maintains the separation inherent in Rabi'a, who does not (in this story, at least) express a desire to unify with God, merely to see Him. 'Attar would thus seem to be a bridge between the early devotional balance of external and internal, exemplified by Rabi'a (717-801 CE), and the monistic tendencies of his close contemporaries, Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi.

These latter thinkers developed the idea of the mystic as the point at which the external, ritual and the internal, spiritual meet. For them, the mystic has no choice but to infuse his every action with meaning, for once he recognizes himself as an aspect of the self of the cosmos, all other aspects take on a new significance. Thus the true mystic is incapable of engaging in any merely ritual activities. To reach the true Ka'aba of the heart, one has to be personally involved in the deepest sense.

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the difference in emphasis is to give a later version of Bayazid's pilgrimage. In this version, he meets the head of the saintly hierarchy, who tells him,

"Of a truth that is God which your soul sees in me,
For God has chosen me to be His house.
When you have seen me, you have seen God
And have circumambulated the real Ka'aba.
To serve me is to worship and praise God;
Think not that God is distinct from me.

Taken from the Masnavi by Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273 CE) this rendition exemplifies Rumi's monism. As a result of his belief that nothing exists save God and that individual existence was ultimately illusory, he held that God could be found within each person. He saw the Ka'aba as unnecessary. If, as the Koran says, God is closer to man than his jugular vein, then there is no need to travel to Mecca to find Him.

We take long trips.
We puzzle over the meaning of a painting or a book,
when what we're wanting to see and understand
in this world, we are that.

It was Rumi who founded the Mevlevi Order of Dervishes, also known as the Whirling Dervishes.' If Rumi saw the person as the house of God, a living Ka'aba, perhaps the famous spinning is an adaptation of the tawaf. If the circumambulation of the Ka'aba as the heart of the world is symbolic of its function as the seat of God, then circumambulation of the inner heart could be equally symbolic of the same function.

Regardless of whether this is the source for the practice of turning or not, the idea that the real Ka'aba is the heart is an idea that Rumi shares with other Sufis. Muhammad b. al-Fadi is credited with saying:

I wonder at those who seek His temple in this world; why do they not seek contemplation of Him in their hearts? The temple they sometimes attain and sometimes miss, but contemplation they might enjoy always. If they are bound to visit a stone, which is looked at only once a year, surely they are more bound to visit the temple of the heart, where He may be seen three hundred and sixty times in a day and night. But the mystic's every step is a symbol of the journey to Mecca, and when he reaches the sanctuary he wins a robe of honour for every step.

According to one legend, seeing the Ka'aba as a mystical symbol has the capacity of bringing man back to the status of Adam in paradise.

Before the fall, Adam was said to have been so tall that he "could hear the song of the heavenly hosts around God's throne." When he was expelled from paradise, he was shortened, and "lamented to God that the higher spheres were now closed to him. God then sent down the tent around which Adam now performed the tawaf, following the example of the angels." This experience can be seen to transform us into pre-fall Adam.

The Ka'aba can be seen in many lights. In the mythology surrounding its origin, it is the centre, the point nearest God. It plays a pivotal role in the legends surrounding the saints, the people closest to God. As a mystical symbol, it shows us how we can become one with God. Through all of these, the Ka'aba functions as a link to a past in which it was possible to commune with God, and a reminder to the present of the responsibility to reawaken that possibility in the future.

The orientation of the Ka'aba. The direction
one must face was established by astronomy and convention. Thus, Muslims in China faced
north-west while praying.

1990 Volume 4. David Murray. "The Geometry of the Universal Worship"

1990-06-24T21:58:00.000+04:00

The Divine light candle takes the prominent position on altar, at the back. Directly above it. Is visualized a small yellow globe. This is symbolic of the Divine Source.

Horizontally are lines which emanate from the divine light candle, at 90 to each other, to the corners of the altar, and project out into the space of the room.

A triangular space is created representing outstretched arms symbolizing unity and blessing from the Divine Source. It encompasses all those on earthly plane to relate them to the divine source.

The candles representing the various religions are located directly on the emanating lines. The Attending cherags are located just behind these lines. The Cherags, the candles, all support the geometry which is the all encompassing geometry of blessing.

On ground in front of the altar is a symbolic bowl. The bowl is a worthy symbol. It is receptor. It represents the earthly reception of the Divine Source. It is a point of attention and is to be concentrated on during the service of the universal Worship.
It is a point source of energy which grows and becomes very powerful during the service because of the attention and because of its geometric relationship to the symbolic divine source above the Divine Light candle.

One can imagine a direct line between the Divine Source above the altar and the Divine reception at the plane of the floor in front of the altar.

It actually represents a two-way transmission – the earthly reception of Divine Grace, and the Divine Receiving earthly attentions.

One can also visualize the gradual evolution of a pyramid over the altar. (see pic 6) the pyramid is one of basic geometric symbols for Unity.

Half of the pyramid is in the room and half is behind the altar, hidden. The top point of the pyramid symbolizes the Divine Source, or Unity. The base represents all that aspiring to Unity.

The manifest qualities of the pyramid are directly related to the receptor point of energy in front of the altar. The pyramid becomes more and more solid as the Universal Worship service progresses. It represents the strength of the Divine Transmission.

The pyramid solidifies as the receiving and giving intensifies over the course of the service. We can imagine the void over the altar becoming more and more solid with positive energy.

The Cherags devote their attention while sitting, or while reading to the point of the Divine reception in front of the altar imaging it becoming more powerful.

During prayers, the attention is placed on the point symbolically representing the divine source.

These attentions are essential for the energy to flow as it should.

The blessing at the end of the Service is given from the point of Divine Reception at the floor plane.

The blessing is given at the pinnacle of the energy build-up during the service. By this time a clear path has been created between the Divine source and the Divine Receptor.

A direct Divine Transmission of blessing occurs.

The Cherag imitates the geometry of the Universal Worship by creating a triangular space with the arms outstretched. The pyramid over the altar becomes full and the ideal of Unity is achieved.

The mystical qualities of the pyramid

The crystal cleanses, purifies, heals, unifies the pyramid and its invisible mirror image symbolizes the encompassing of all into one ideal.

1990 Volume 4. "The Sufi Message spreading through the World for Eighty Years"

1990-06-23T22:03:00.000+04:00

This September 13th, 1990, Hejirat Day, will mark the 80th anniversary since Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan set sail from India, to bring the Sufi message to the West. In his own words, "I tried to think where I was going, why I was going, what I was going to do, what was in store for me. 'How shall I set to work? Will the people be favourable or unfavourable to the Message which I am taking from one end of the world to the other?' It seemed my mind moved curiously on these Questions, but my heart refused to ponder upon them even for a moment, answering apart one constant voice I always heard coming from within, urging me constantly onward to my task, saying: Thou art sent on Our service, and it is We Who will make thy way clear.' This alone was my consolation.

"This period while I was on the way, was to me a state which one experiences between a dream and an awakening; my whole past in India became one single dream, not a purposeless dream, but a dream preparing me to accomplish something toward which I was proceeding. There were moments of sadness, of feeling myself removed further and further from the land of my birth, and moments of great joy, with the hope of nearing the Western regions for which my soul was destined And at moments I felt too small and little for my ideals and inspirations, comparing my limited self with this vast world But at moments, realizing Whose work it was, Whose service it was, Whose call it was, the answer which my heart gave moved me to ecstasy, as if I had risen in the realization of Truth above the limitations which weigh mankind down."

In the seventeen years that followed, two things certainly were constant: incessant travel, and encounters with loving, _,; receptive hearts. The following articles detailing Pir-o-Murshid's journeys in the West, and giving the first-hand accounts of several of his mureeds, are reprinted from "1910-1950, Forty Years of Sufism," a special issue of the Sufi Quarterly published in the fall of 1950.

An Old Mureed Remembers

On September 13th, 1910, Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan sailed from India, a Living Lamp Whose rays were even then reaching a slumbering Western world. His brother, the late Shaikh-ul-Mahshaik Maheboob Khan, and His cousin, our Representative General, Pir-o-Murshid Mohammed Ali Khan, accompanied Him.

That same week, my own life began to change. So radically that I did not recognize myself. A new wisdom guided my actions. Sometimes, it seemed to be altogether a dream A year later — to the week — my old life fell suddenly apart and, as a direct consequence, I met Murshid. Six days later, I was initiated.

In those bygone days, when the earth bloomed where He passed, I do not recall hearing much talk of 'The Message.' I had merely become — as I understood it — a disciple of 'Sufism.' During the few weeks before I had to leave New York — and Murshid — I learned little about its teachings, for nothing had been written then.

I was amazed when, long afterward, I learned of the incredible wealth of teaching gathered up in the sacred papers; of the beautifully written books to illuminate our way; I wonder sometimes if we are all grateful enough for this treasure. It was a prodigious work He achieved for us in His few days on earth.

It surprised me, also, to discover that later mureeds must have protested at having to devote a half-hour to practices. I protested, too, but in those old days my evening practices alone required over two hours!

All that I received of Sufism, with the exception of four stories, was communicated by Murshid's Presence — 'on the current of the breath,' as we say, now — talking of life in general. Now and then a point of metaphysics was explained. These were the moments when, in my spiritual backwardness, I felt I was really getting something!

All mureeds know the stories Murshid told me — the boy who could not learn 'Alif,' and fled into the jungle; the young mureed who was not scandalized when his Murshid went to worship in the temple of the Goddess Kali; and — of course — the epic love of Leila and Maynun. What mureed of His day ever hears those names without seeing the ecstatic look of the Great Murshid!

During those first weeks away from my Murshid — weeks that were destined to stretch into eleven years — there occurred what seemed to me, even then, a sort of miracle. I had done no mystical, no philosophical reading, up to that time. A gift copy of Emerson's 'Essays' had been opened once — and put back to languish on the shelf. It was meaningless. But, one evening, I picked it up again. Dawn was breaking when I laid it down — another devotee. How had I failed so utterly to understand? His words seemed, now, to blaze with meaning, and the word 'illuminated' clarified the experience for me. These were first fruits of Bayat.

I was privileged to dine several times in the home of Hazrat Inayat before I went away. What was probably the supreme blessing of my entire life occurred on one of these unforgettable occasions. I did not know then that the glance of a seer falling upon a person could confer the greatest grace. So, when I chanced to look over, that evening, and meet the glance of my Murshid, I did not even faintly suspect that a divine impression had been made on my ignorant heart Yet it must have been so, for long years afterward, while doing a certain practice, I suddenly saw again, in memory, my Murshid sitting across from me at dinner, looking at me as He had looked so long ago. Every night, thereafter, I summoned the picture, and one night, as I rested in the benediction of that compassionate glance, a deep stillness fell upon me, and in that blissful instant I realized Whose dinner-guest I had been.

I saw then that, in those earliest days — when I had no idea that there had ever been or ever would be any Messenger but Jesus — I was, even then, in the very Presence of the Messenger for today. Even then, though he was just twenty-nine, Hazrat Inayat's full destiny was upon Him.

Once, I must have said something that caused Him to ask, His eyes twinkling, "But how old do you think your Murshid is?" I said politely — thinking Him much older — "Oh, in the forties?" He laughed. How He could laugh! I regarded Him more closely, then...No, not a mark of time. What had deceived me was the 'divine manner' — Ahklak Allah! The Weight borne by the Message Bearer always lent Him a majesty of Presence that touched even His youth.

A picture of those early times that did not include a glimpse of the Master's lifelong companions would be incomplete. 'Maheboob! Ali Khan!' I hear His beloved voice calling them to share some moment — they must always share everything.

Those two were an unending source of amazement to me. Here were two greatly talented gentlemen, fine musicians, young — and yet — they had only one thought in the world — Hazrat! It was obvious that He was their very being! It seemed unnatural. "Why, they look at him, and hang on his words as if — as if he were God," I protested inwardly.

"He is lovable, but what is so remarkable about him?"

This phenomenon must have provoked me to make some comment — forgotten now — but I recall His brother's reply: "He is a Perfect Man." "No one is 'perfect,'" and we both laughed.

Since then, they have both had to shoulder the Cross, to stand firm against those forces that are fiercest where the Light is brightest. The selflessness that I once deplored has provided great Channels through which The Messenger guides The Message on its earthly way.

Munira Nawn

When the cry of the disciple has reached a certain pitch, the Teacher comes to answer it.
GAYAN

These words of our beloved Master explain best the situation, when Murshid came to Oslo in November, 1924, and gave his lectures. The weather was misty and uncomfortable — my mind and body suffering from still deeper darkness.

When Murshid gave his first lecture, we were sitting there looking at him spell-bound in the first silence, and a wish clear and distinct arose, as it were, from my innermost being:

"If only I could come into contact with such a noble personality!" — but in such a realization, doubts of it being possible also enter and tend to prevent one from making any move to go to Him.

But the thought and wish once being clear it seems as if the destiny will arrange the rest.

I happened to come to Murshid with two friends endowed with more courage than myself; and as I was sitting there, intensively listening to his talk with the others, and to his laughter so refreshing and uplifting and had quite forgotten myself, he suddenly turned to me, saying, "Have you not any question?" Question!! No. He gave me a glance and this glance made me feel, as if a new page had been turned in my life and made me realize wonderfully the Grace of God. As Murshid says: "Grace is all sided," so has all good come since that time. And when later, I read in Vadan, "Souls unite at the meeting of a glance," it struck me that these words best explain the experience of our meeting with our Murshid.

When Shaikh-ul-Mahshaik Maheboob Khan later gave me the Sufi name of 'Rahmat,' and explained it 'The Grace of God,' I felt, and feel it to be a connection with the first experience. An experience such as for which we can never be thankful enough and I pray: "Let me never forget to be thankful."

Rahmat Rasmussen

Not belonging to those fortunate ones who have met Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, I had often wondered how it would have been to have met Him face to face. Most likely I would not have recognized what He was, or else, it seemed to me, that it must have been something so great — too great, perhaps, for a human heart to bear and yet go on bearing.

Then, at the Summer School, it happened to me that our Blessed Shaikh-ul-Mahshaik Maheboob Khan asked me in an interview: "Have you met Pir-o-Murshid?" "No," I answered, "I haven't." I could, however, not help feeling a little curious, when, at my next interview, he asked me that same question: "Have you met Pir-o-Murshid?" I again answered with regret: "No, I am sorry." But at the third interview he still asked: "Have you met Pir-o-Murshid?" It dawned upon me that he wished to make clear to me what I had pondered upon, and this time I only answered: "Not on this plane."

By now, I have had the great privilege and blessing to be a mureed for nearly 23 years, and when looking back I ask myself what life would have been like if I had not by the Grace of God come in contact with the Sufi Movement. At that time I was in great need of help both physically and mentally; life seemed a barren desert, and that it would have continued to be. Through the wonderful teachings of our Master Hazrat Inayat Khan and the help and guidance of our blessed leaders Shaikh-ul-Mahshaik Maheboob Khan and Pir-o-Murshid Ali Khan I was restored to a health I had never experienced before. Though life has not at all been only a dance on roses I have experienced the words of our Master Hazrat Inayat in his poem to His Murshid, which ends

All ill came from my yet unworthy self,
All good from thy Inayat which I seek.

In limitless gratefulness to God and the Master.

Bashiran Bjerke

Ten minutes

The writer was invited to translate Murshid's Oslo lectures. He recounts:

...Outside Inayat Khan's room at the Grand Hotel was a winding queue of curious enthusiasts, among whom an old friend, who promptly attached himself to me upon hearing my errand. We could go in together, he said, and thus ease the queue (and ease your waiting time, too, my fine-feathered friend, thought I, but his proposition was altruistically put. I could not turn it down).

Wondering how I would be able to get in my pot shots of practical questions about the lectures amid the heavy spiritual artillery lire I expected from my friend I entered the room a worried man.

Inayat Khan looked up at us with laughing eyes.

"Shall we have silence?"

The gentle, sincere, almost apologetic tone of his voice contrasted the startling sense of his words. With a graceful bow he asked us to sit down. We seated ourselves in opposite comers of a sofa and he sat down between us and closed his eyes. So did we.

I woke up, refreshed when a bell rang. The interview was over. My friend opened his eyes too. We rose, shook hands with our host, left.

"I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask him," said my friend as we walked out. A thoughtful frown creased his forehead "The funny thing is, I can't remember a single one of them now. They couldn't have been so important. But I feel fine!"

I translated Inayat Khan's talk the next evening, after it had been given in full, without taking notes. My memory had always been good — but not that good!...

Shamcher Beorse

1990 Volume 4. "Journal of Hazrat Inayat Khan's Journeys in the West"

1990-06-22T22:11:00.000+04:00

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan's first address to the Western world, to the people of America, was held at Columbia University at New York, when he had arrived from Bombay after a lengthy journey by sea, which indeed had seemed a gulf between the life that had passed and the life which was to begin.

It found a great response; what however was painful to Pir-o-Murshid and his brothers throughout their interesting tour of the States was, that their Indian music was merely considered as entertainment by the Westerners and everywhere generally they were conscious that their music to the Western people is like "a museum of antiquities, which one would not mind looking at once for curiosity, for a pastime, but not like a factory, which produces new goods to answer people's demands and upon which the needs of many people's life depends."

Proceeding from New York to Los Angeles, Pir-o-Murshid there again spoke at the University, and then to a very large audience, at the Berkeley University of San Francisco, where he met with a very great response. They were welcomed there by Swami Trigunatita and Swami Paramananda, who requested Hazrat Inayat Khan to speak at the Hindu Temple, where he was presented with a gold medal and an address. After their return to New York by way of Seattle, Pir-o-Murshid gave some lectures at the Sanskrit College, where he made the acquaintance of Baba Bharati as well as of Mr. Bjerregaard, the only student of Sufism known in New York, who became a mureed and afterwards, on Pir-o-Murshid's request, wrote a book called "Sufism and Omar Khayyam."

A young Hindu, Rama Swami, joined them in New York and acted as tabla player to them, until in 1914, he remained in Russia; later continuing his musical work successfully in India.

In 1912 Pir-o-Murshid and his brothers went to England.

There they met R. Tagore, and Murshid gave a lecture at the Indian Club. In music, they again found little response there; but they were 'really impressed' by the English character, for Occidental standards. Mr. Fox Strangeways, who Hazrat Inayat Khan supplied information about Indian Music for his book, advised him, — the French being foremost, — to see France. And indeed, their visit to France first, since leaving India, gave them the desire once more to expound Indian Music. There were many who showed interest and sympathy to the philosophy and art of India and Inayat Khan gave several lectures at different places, on music and philosophy.

From France they proceeded their journey to Russia, where Murshid met with a great response generally — Russia reminded him of his country, and "the warmth that came from the heart of the people kept us warm in that cold country," and where, but for the climate, they would have settled at least some years.

Murshid's book on "Spiritual Liberty," was translated and published there, (also published later in France and England.) Amongst the friends he made was Count Serge Tolstoy, son of the great Tolstoy, who became representative of the Musical section of the Sufi Order.

They met many Tatars, Persians and inhabitants of Kazan there, amongst them Bey-Beg, the leader of their Moscow Community, and the ambassador of Bokhara, who urged Murshid very much to go with him to meet the amir of Bokhara, but as his work was destined to the West, he felt he could not have gone East now.
Returning through Petersburg to Paris, they had, by the outbreak of war, to leave for England, where they were to stay until 1920, travelling being confined to England itself, where Murshid lectured at such places as Southampton, Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate, etc.

It was in these years that the Sufi Movement as such was established, and the Sufi Publishing Society started to publish a first regular edition of Inayat Khan's Sufi Books.

In 1920 they left England for France, whence Murshid proceeded for a first visit to Switzerland, where he established the Sufi Headquarters at Geneva, and also lectured at Lausanne and Vevey.

Returning to France he settled there in the neighbourhood of Paris first at Tremblaye, in 1921 at Wissous and then at Suresnes.

On the soil of France Murshid always felt at home, and he always admired the sociability and courtesy of the French, seeing under the surface of democracy some spirit of aristocracy in their nature; and never did Murshid, since they left home, feel more inclined to practice his music than in France.

In 1921 Hazrat Inayat Khan visited Holland for the first time.

"People in Holland," he characterizes them, "being of democratic spirit, are open to ideas appealing to them. Though they are proud, stern and self-willed, I saw in them love of spiritual ideals, which must be put plainly before them. Dutch people, I found by nature straightforward, most inclined toward religion, lovers of justice and seekers after truth. They hunger and thirst after knowledge, and are hospitable and solid in friendship." Murshid was also invited to Belgium in that year, where he spoke at Antwerp and Brussels.

Pir-o-Murshid made a private tour through post-war Germany; he had been invited there already in 1914 by the German delegates to the Paris Sorbonne congress, and now many also said it was a great pity he did not come before the war. Berlin, Frankfurt, Weimar, Jena, Hagen and Darmstadt, were the places Murshid visited, whilst enjoying "the country's most exquisite beauty of nature."

After the Suresnes meetings 1921, a Summer school was arranged at Katwijk, a small place in the dunes of the Dutch seashore, not far from The Hague. The lectures published later as "The Inner Life" were amongst those given there and the place bears the remembrance of one of the happiest and most sacred occasions in Pir-o-Murshid's life.

For this reason, in later years, Sufis have often assembled there in the dunes in recognition of the joyous associations it held to Pir-o-Murshid and his mureeds, in particular during the Summer school
at The Hague in 1949 and 1950, many mureeds form various countries assembled there privately as well as together under the direction of Pir-o-Murshid Md. Ali Khan.

In the autumn of 1922 Murshid was again in Geneva which hence was to feature prominently and regularly on his yearly programme of travelling. Murshid Talewar Dussaq having been appointed General-Secretary and where now the yearly conferences were to be held, besides Murshid's lectures and classes there.
In March 1923 Hazrat Inayat Khan set on a journey to America again. By the time he arrived at his New York destination, the whole of the United States had heard of the Hazrat's arrival through the newspapers, embarrassing many people with their country's entrance formalities, which questioned Pir-o-Murshid on himself and his work. "And," Pir-o-Murshid says: "I, whose nation is all nations, whose birthplace was the world, whose religion was all religions, whose occupation was search after truth, and whose work was the service of God and Humanity — my answers interested them, yet did not answer the requirements of the law." But they were much impressed and all was arranged to the utmost satisfaction, and thus Pir-o-Murshid's was an exceptional arrival.

In New York Pir-o-Murshid gave a series of lectures on philosophy; thence proceeding to Boston, to lecture on metaphysics, he was pleased to see Dr. Coomaraswamy in charge of the Art Museum, thinking it was the only Hindu who occupied a fitting position in the States. Boston seemed to Pir-o-Murshid a miniature of England in the States — the people reserved, cultured and refined. Thence Pir-o-Murshid visited Detroit, where the Message met with much response, and after a short visit to Chicago, he proceeded to California, where the journey from

Los Angeles to San Francisco by car though nature's beauty was "a heavenly joy indeed" to him.
After giving series of lectures in San Francisco, he visited at Santa Rosa Luther Burbank, the famous horticulturist, who was busy at the time trying to take away the thorns from the cactus. "My work is not very different from yours, Sir," Pir-o-Murshid remarked, "for I am occupied taking away thorns from hearts of men." "Thus," Pir-o-Murshid added "we come to realize how real work through matter or spirit in the long run brings about the same result, which is the purpose of life."

Hazrat Inayat Khan visited Santa Barbara on his way to Los .Angeles, where many people responded to the Message. On the way back, Pir-o-Murshid lectured at Chicago, at Detroit, at New York and then at Philadelphia — response had been great, but inevitably the time of departure came, Europe again was awaiting another tour, another course. In Suresnes and Geneva people were assembling to receive their Murshid's instruction again.

A queer aspect of American appreciation was the attitude of the press followed for that matter by the press of Europe, in their tendency to treat lightly everything spiritual, in order to please the multitude, not feeling or meaning to do harm to the spiritual truth. Indeed "they only think they are doing good to both; bringing the speaker to the knowledge anyway and at the same time amusing the mob, which is ignorant of the deeper truth. Their main object is to please the man in the street. The modern progress has an opposite goal to that which the ancient people had. In ancient times people's thought was to reach the ideal man. Today the trend of people's thought is to touch the ordinary man. Nevertheless, the devotion, appreciation and response I had during my stay in the US all encouraged me and made me feel happy."

After the Summer school, from Geneva Pir-o-Murshid also visited and lectured at Morges, at Lausanne, as Basel, at Zurich, at Rapperswill, proceeding from Switzerland to Italy — to Florence with its fascinating nature and to Rome — then going North again in support of the centres of Paris, and those in Belgium.

Pir-o-Murshid's journeys in 1924 started in January, when he visited England, then Switzerland (Geneva, also Bern and Lausanne) and Italy and again through Belgium he went to Holland. Summer-school and meetings proceeded at Suresnes and Geneva, and Pir-o-Murshid set out upon another journey to Germany — Munchen and Berlin — and from there visited Sweden, there meeting Archbishop Soderblom. Here he greatly enjoyed the beauty of the country and the character of the people, which in Scandinavia seemed to Murshid to show less in their development the strains and stresses which those of Central Europe and US had to undergo; he proceeded to Norway, lecturing at the University of Christiania (as it then was) and at Bergen and to Denmark, where Hazrat Inayat lectured at Copenhagen and Aarhuus, returning from his Scandinavian tour through Germany (Berlin), Holland, Belgium (Brussels and Liege) and France, where lectures had been arranged at the Sorbonne and at Musee Guimet.

1924-25. Pir-o-Murshid was "delighted as ever" again to visit Switzerland, "the land of beauty and charm." From Geneva he travelled to and spoke at different centres — Bern, Lausanne, Zurich, Rapperswill, Basel. Then again he proceeded to Italy, lecturing in Florence at the British Institute, at the Biblioteca Filosofica, etc, and in Rome. Travelling back to France he visited Nice, giving several lectures and being warmly received.

In March Hazrat Inayat Khan paid a hurried visit to Germany, first to give lectures at Berlin and then to give a series of lectures at Munich, before returning to Paris where he had to lecture at the Sorbonne again. In April he crossed from there to England, to deliver addresses at Bournemouth and Southampton.

In the summer and autumn, the Suresnes and Geneva meetings — as usual by now — were awaiting Pir-o-Murshid's presence.

Late in 1925 Hazrat Inayat Khan set our upon another American tour, arriving at New York on December 6th. During the whole first week newspaper reporters rushed at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where he was staying and in the auditorium in which he lectured, with again the same result in their actual reporting. Nevertheless the series of lectures was a success. Subsequently Hazrat Inayat Khan lectured at Detroit where also he had a very interesting meeting with Mr. Ford, who was much impressed by him and said, "If you were a business-
man, you certainly would have made a success, but I am glad that you are as you are!"

Going west, Murshid spoke at San Francisco (at Fairmonts, Oakland, Berkeley etc). One lady asked the same question (about reincarnation) which she had asked and which had been answered in 1910 and 1923. "I repeated the same answer...but obviously it seemed that it was drowned once more in the noise of her question." Thence Murshid proceeded to Santa Barbara, to Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, La Jolla and San Diego; lecture at Pasadena was arranged in no less a place than the Church of Truth. Pir-o-Murshid felt, "the Church was already Truth, what more have I to say? But still I tried my best to say a little," and the audience, including the clergy, responded very well.

After the Summer school had been held at Suresnes, Pir-o-Murshid taking leave of his family members there, proceeded to Geneva, to attend the meetings as usual and subsequently departed for India. He arrived in Delhi in the first days of November. As is described on another page he did not find a quiet time there: he was urged to give series of lectures again at Aligarh College, at Delhi University, and at Lucknow. After his return from the latter place, in the last of December, Pir-o-Murshid left Delhi for Ajmer, going there upon the completion of his task in the West as he had gone years before, when that very visit had become so great an inspiration to him for his eventual destiny and again he enjoyed the Sama Music and the marvellous serenity of that sacred shrine. The fatal cold he contracted there brought him back to Delhi, where he was staying at 'Tilak Lodge,' a house on the bank of the Jumna river and where his earthly destiny reached its term.

He did not return to Baroda, and it would appear that it could hold but little attraction for him then, with Maula Bekhs' House empty and the Maharaja frequently abroad.
But in India itself too, the Message, Murshid's Sufi Message of Spiritual Liberty had been diffused — and Pir-o-Murshid's native country had received it in its earliest and last stages.

1990 Volume 4. The Music of Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Sufi Hymns"

1990-06-21T00:24:00.000+04:00

Continuing the musical tradition of his family, Hidayat Inayat Khan studied violin from an early age, and later performed throughout Europe. He has taught music and conducted professionally. He is also an accomplished and award winning composer, with three symphonies, a symphonic suite and numerous shorter works to his credit.

1990 Volume 4. "Saum"

1990-06-20T00:28:00.000+04:00

Sia lode a Te, Supremo Iddio,
Onnipotente, Onnipresente, Che tutto pervadi, Unico Essere.
Prendici tra le Tue Braccia Paterne,
Sollevaci oltre la densita della terra.
Adoriamo la Tua Bellezza,
A Te liberamente ci abbandoniamo,
Dio Clemente e Misericordioso,
Ideale Signore di tutta Vumanita.
Te solo noi adoriamo; a Te solo aspiriamo.
Apri il nostro cuore alia Tua Bellezza,
Illumina Vanima nostra di Luce Divina,
Oh Tu, Perfezione dAmore, dArmonia e di Bellezza!
Onnipossente Creatore, Tu Che ci sostieni, giudichi e perdoni le nostre manchevolezze,
Signore Iddio d'Oriente e d'Occidente, dei mondi superiori e inferiori,
E degli esseri visibli e invisibli,
Riversa su di noi il Tuo Amore e la Tua Luce,
Sostenta il nostro corpo, il nostro cuore, la nostra anima.
Facci strumento del fine voluto dalla Tua Saggezza,
E guidaci sul sentiero della Tua propria Bonta.
Awicinaci a Te in ogni attimo della nostra vita,
Finche in noi si riflettano la Tua Grazia, la Tua Gloria, la Tua Saggezza, la Tua Gioia e la
Tua Pace.

Amen.

Translation graciously provided by Indra Pedrazzoli, Milano.

1990 Volume 4. "Earth & Sky: W"

1990-06-19T00:44:00.000+04:00

Ordinarily, this feature looks at human and divine personages (if one may say such a thing) but as this issue is devoted to symbology, we are happy to present a small collection of human and sacred symbols, drawn from diverse traditions.

Wall

Walls are naturally associated with doors, gateways and thresholds; in spiritual matters, they signify the boundary between inner and outer, seen and unseen, while on earth, they help to separate sacred and profane space. Philosophically, it might be asked, would any space be sacred if it were not separated from the profane? But walls are more than mere markers — they also suggest protection, and there is a strong tradition of guardians connected with walls and gates. Such guardians are said to prevent the unready, the unwary or the uninitiated from seeing what they should not, either for the protection of the seeker or of that which is sought. It may be, though, that such sights are self-secret, as is suggested in the well known Sufi story of the wall. According to this tale, there was once a people who lived beside a high wall, but although they had lived there as long as any of them could remember, none of them knew what was on the other side. At last, they determined to send one of their number over the wall to find out what was there. The one selected climbed a long ladder to the top of the wall, looked at what lay beyond, and promptly dived to the other side and was never seen again. This of course did not satisfy the people's curiosity, so they selected another. He too climbed the ladder, looked over, and was gone. When the people selected a third seeker, though, they decided to tie a rope around his ankle lest he also try to escape. Like the first two, he climbed the ladder, looked at what lay beyond, and was about to leap from their view when the people hauled him back to their side of the wall. Their cleverness was in vain, though, for they found that the one who had looked beyond the wall had now completely lost the power of speech.

Wandering

To wander is to travel aimlessly, without predetermined path destination. It might sound better to be a pilgrim, that someone with a known goal, but sometimes much can be accomplished when the goal or the route has not been defined, chivalry, the 'knight errant' was one who set out on an adventure, usually a search for the Holy Grail, not knowing when would take him, a condition still evoked in the knight's move chess. Such wandering is also symbolized in mystic mazes labyrinths which were built throughout Europe in earlier time the path to the goal is not direct, and, depending on the nature of the maze, may require special knowledge to complete. Buddhists, though, wandering connotes samsara, the ignorance that sends sentient beings through the cycle of birth and de until the wheel of illusion is broken and the stillness of nirvana, is attained at last.

Water

Such a large symbol that almost anything said about it is incomplete. Water dissolves, purifies, regenerates and revivifies, sustains, but it may annihilate as well. It is usually (but r always) lunar, especially as the ocean, which responds so read to the moon. It stands for the Great Mother, the womb creation, and therefore, for life and fertility, but it can also stand for unconsciousness, forgetfulness, destruction and chaos. Eve culture and every religion has found great meaning in water. Walking upon water means to rise above the emotions and circumstances which traditionally drown us — every bit as much a miracle as to physically walk upon the surface of the waves. ' the Hebrews, wisdom and the law have been seen as a spring water, while in Islam, water signifies mercy. In the Taoist tradition, water embodies the doctrine of wu-wei, yielding at the point of resistance, thus surrounding, passing on, and event ally wearing away even the hardest rock. Water in its different forms has meaning, too. The spring, for example, has always been regarded as divine inspiration. Dew, on the other hand stands for benediction. Deep water is often seen as the home the dead or of supernatural beings, particularly among Celt peoples, and it is from this belief that many people still throw coins in fountains — though they may, themselves, be unaware of the reason. Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan often used the metaphor of rain when he spoke of the Message, coming as it does from above and given to all, without distinction. In Nature Meditations, he offers the following meditation on rain: Send the shower of Thy mercy and compassion on humanity. Pir-o-Murshid also called upon the properties of water to describe two types of belief, likening fixed belief to ice, and fluid, adaptable, progressive belief to flowing water.

Wax

When warmed, wax becomes pliable and malleable, and takes whatever shape is offered it Therefore wax represents mutability, and even insincerity. In fact, the word 'sincere' means literally 'without wax.' In this sense, it is the opposite of the symbol of the wall. However, wax has other properties, too. It resembles fat, and so may be said to contain life substance; also, it burns with a clear flame, leaving no residue, which suggests a kind of purity and wholehearted commitment Perhaps it was this aspect Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan had in mind when he described some hearts as being like wax. By this he did not mean they were insincere, but rather that they were easily softened by the fires of love, and, if a proper wick were supplied, could be kindled to give a beautiful light.

Wine

As anyone who has savoured a glass of good wine can attest, it easily symbolizes revelation, truth and life — but as anyone who has overindulged can add, it can also signify death. Specifically, red wine may represent the blood of life sacrificed; also, fire, and divine wisdom. Perhaps all three of these meanings are evoked when Sufi poets call to the inn-keeper for yet another cup of wine; to the Sufi, wine represents divine ecstasy, a divine and fiery wisdom which can only be reached when the ego has been sacrificed on the altar of the heart. Wine and water, as a pair of symbols, are solar and lunar, and may represent divine and human nature, respectively, which would add a new dimension to the story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding feast.

Wings

The Sufi emblem of the flying heart is composed of several elements, among them, outspread wings. It is notable that wings have been used extensively in depictions of divine and supernatural beings in the West and Middle East, but, with the exception of the winged dragon and the Garuda, very little in the Far East. Wings are active, mobile and solar; they represent divinity, and particularly the protection of the tireless and all pervading God, and the power of the spirit to transcend the limitations of earth. In the Zoroastrian tradition, Ahura Mazda was shown as a winged disk, as were the Sumero-Semitic sun gods Shamash and Asshur. Hermes, as Messenger of the Roman Gods, had a winged cap and sandals, while Cronos, representing the flight of time, had four wings, two in flight and two at rest, signifying perpetual movement and vigilance.. In both Hebrew and Christian traditions, angels and archangels, also heavenly messengers, have wings. Of course, so does the Devil, but this fallen angel is usually given wings of skin, like a bat, rather than softly feathered ones. In the Buddhist tradition, two wings (not ascribed to any particular being) stand for wisdom and method. Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan tells us that the wings of the Sufi emblem stand for indifference and independence, through the cultivation of which the heart may become responsive to the ever-present light of God, and thus achieve liberation.

Woodpecker

In spite of having wings, usually signs of good omen, the meaning given to this shy, hard-working bird has not always been positive. It is said to be prophetic and magical, and a guardian of kings, as it looked after Romulus and Remus, legendary founders of Rome. It was sacred to Jupiter, Mars and Silvanus, among others. Christians, though, have seen it as representing the Devil, and the undermining effects of heresy. To North American aboriginals, the woodpecker, armed with a hard and heavy beak with which it strikes many blows, was seen as a bird of war.

1990 Volume 4. "Back pages"

1990-06-18T00:48:00.000+04:00

Message on the Move

Murshid Karimbakhsh and Murshida Ratan Witteveen recently returned from a Sufi tour which included visits to Italy and India, where they lent their energies to the ongoing work there. At the same time, Murshid-Zade Hidayat and Aziza Inayat Khan circled the globe, stopping at New Zealand, Australia and India, [see 'Southern Sufis' for more details] After a brief rest, Hidayat and Aziza will be on their way to North America, to help focus the Rocky Mountain Sufi Camp in Canada. Upon their return, they will have little more than a month to prepare for the Summer School at Murad Hassil in Holland.

Southern Sufis

The Sufi work has been progressing quietly for years in the south Pacific, but the recent visit of Murshid-Zade Hidayat and Aziza appears to have pushed interest to a new level. In New Zealand, in addition to the established centres of Ameen Tonkes in Upper Hutt, and Salima Love in Plimmerton, the Sufi Movement now welcomes the centres of Halima MacEwan, 15 Percy Graham Dr, Tuakau, and Chris and Shirin Wheeler, 25 Lancaster Rd, Beach Haven, Auckland. It is also reported that another large centre in Auckland may be recognized shortly.

In Australia, the tiny volcanic island of Norfolk, over a thousand kilometres east of Brisbane, now has a Sufi contact in the person of Mrs. Gaye Evans, Minister of Culture for the area. Her address is 7 Lagstaff, Norfolk Island 2899, via Australia.

New Australian Rep

It has been announced that Hakim Oerton has been welcomed as the new National Representative for the Sufi Movement in Australia.

Hakim and his wife Hakima have a centre in New South Wales.

Hakim replaces Sharif Jansen who was the National Representative for many years, but has now stepped down for reasons of health. It was also recently announced that Sharif has been acknowledged by the Sufi Movement as a Murshid of the Inner School.

'Gandhi' to Play Far East

The Symphony Orchestra of Singapore recently acquired the score to the Gandhi Symphony (Op. 25) by Hidayat Inayat Khan, with the intention of adding it to the orchestra's repertoire. No performance date has yet been set.

More News From the South

On the 8th of September, 1989, when Mr. Gordon Oliver was installed as Mayor of Cape Town, he called upon the citizens to make theirs a city of love and light. The thoughts sound like those of a Sufi, and they should — two days later, Mr. Oliver was ordained a cherag in the Universal Worship. Congratulations, Cape Town.

The Sufi Movement has been active in South Africa for decades, and now has centres in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Potgietersrus. The same newsletter which brought news of Gordon Oliver also told of Magda Thesen's offering to the Universal Worship of African religions. In place of the Zoroastrian scripture, she read the following:

Hear all ye people: I am your father.
I am the one who shines even in the very centre of the centre;
I am the one from yesterday and the day before yesterday.
I am the one from here, and the one from there;
I am the one from there although I am here.
My name is Ever-Coming I still come
The Glimmering Glimmer;
The Beaming Beam; The Glowing Glow,
Right to the centre of my innermost
being is the glow.

We offer to the omniscient God our
reverence, our homage and our gratitude
for the Light of the Divine Belonging.

Summer School 90

The International Summer School will take place at the Universel Murad Hassil in Katwijk from August 5 to August 21. A comprehensive program has been organized, including work in all five of the recognized activities of the Movement: Esoteric Studies, Universal Worship, Healing, Brother/Sisterhood and Sacred Element Rituals.

The Summer School is principally for initiates, but from August 18-21 includes a seminar for interested persons. There will also be t days of retreat, on August 16 & 17

So far as possible, all lectures will be translated into Dutch, French, German and Italian. Some programs during the seminar will be given ii both English and Dutch.

The Summer School is very generously offered to foreign visitors for only the cost of meals, DG 20 for a hot luncheon and simple evening meal. Accommodation may be had in nearby boarding houses or hotel or in some instances with Dutch mureeds.

1989-01-30T11:49:00.000+03:00

Caravanserai Magazine
1989 No.3

Published semi-annually on behalf of the Sufi Movement by the Sufi Movement in Canada, a registered non-profit society.

Editor in chief: Nawab Pasnak; Design & Layout: Sufia Sill
Editorial Board: Virya Best, Ameen Carp, Joan Gaisford, Hidayat Inayat Khan, Nawab Pasnak, Karima Sengupta, Karimbakhsh Witteveen

This Issue:

The Mystical Meaning of Breath
by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Teachings of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan on Esotericism
interpreted by Hidayat Inayat Khan

The Role of Women in Sufism
by Petra-Beate Schildbach

The Aptitude of Women for the "Lamb's War"
by Nuria J. Lawrence

"Like a Pearl in the Heart"
by Ameen Carp

Tales Told and Retold: Once Upon a Time
by Hidayat Inayat Khan

Murshid's Words
by Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh Mahmood Khan

The Altar of the Heart
by Nawab Pasnak

About Three Day's Retreat
by Roshan Buwalda

Poems by Sharif Bryan Robinson

Earth & Sky: C

The Music of Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh Pyromir Maheboob Khan

Notes on the Symbology of the Sacred Element Ritualby
Sufia Carol Sill

Back pages

Dear Fellow Travelers,
In putting together this third issue of Caravanserai, I have the strong and happy impression that it is our best yet. In part this may come just from experience. Perhaps we are getting better at making a magazine! But I also believe that it reflects a vigorous surge of activity and expression that is pouring forth from Sufis around the world. I felt this very strongly at the International Summer School last August, where the fragrant perfumes of work in different cultures and languages mingled delightfully. And if this perception is correct, it is certainly not before its time. As evidence of this blooming, we have in our pages three articles arising from the Summer School, including a very informative lecture by Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Mahmood Khan and some interesting reflections on her own retreat by Roshan Buwalda; two articles about women — Women and Sufism by Petra-Beate Schildbach, and a look at the role of women in Quaker theology by Nuria Lawrence, an article which has much relevance to Sufi thought; we have a powerful condensation by Hidayat Inayat Khan of the thoughts of Murshid on esoteric study, as well as a talk by Murshid on breath; we conclude our two part series by Sufia Sill on the Elements; we also are privileged to have a song by Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Maheboob Khan and some fine work by the English poet, Sherif Bryan Robinson. My personal favorite, though, is Murshid-Zade Hidayat's personal memories of his childhood in our Tales Told and Retold section. By any standard, this was a most extraordinary childhood, and as Murshid-Zade says, its priceless worth becomes brighter as it recedes in the past. The recollections, therefore, are almost too tender to put in print, but at the same time they communicate too much through words and atmosphere to be veiled, and we are grateful to be able to include them.The next Caravanserai will be out in May of 1990. As always, we would be very happy to hear from anyone as to the events — personal or Sufic — in your area. We like articles, but we like news, too. And art. And music. And poetry. As good students of the Sufi path, we'll appreciate anything — if only you'll actually send it to us... Warmest regards, hearty greetings, and best wishes for your travels from the Caravanserai...

Nawab Pasnak

1989 Volume 3. Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. "The Mystical Meaning of Breath"

1989-01-29T12:24:00.000+03:00

The breath is what connects us with God, and the breath connects us also with manifestation. We are conscious that the breath reaches a certain distance without, and we are conscious that it enters into our bodies a certain distance, but we are not conscious how far without it goes, nor are we conscious how far it enters into our bodies.

As long as the breath is in the body, the body is alive; and when the breath has left the body, the body becomes a useless thing. This shows us the importance of the breath.

It reaches within to every part of the body. The hair has a little sensation in the root. If one hair is pulled, we feel pain. The nail has a little feeling in it. If it is cut, we feel it. But when the hair and nail are cut off, they have no sensation. This shows us that the more any part of the body is connected with the breath, the more sensation it has. Those parts that are most connected with the breath have the most feeling.

There is no aim that cannot be accomplished by the breath, and if we fail to accomplish our aim, it is because we have a thousand different aims before us, not one alone. It becomes very difficult in the world where attacks come from a thousand sides. The breath goes out to meet an attack from one side, and instantly it has to turn to another side to face another attack. It would have to turn to every side in the same moment, and this it cannot do. This is the reason of the failure even of the sages and saints and mystics.

There is no other aim worth attaining than God. Other objects may seem valuable for a moment, but in reality no object is of value save God, to realize Him, to reach Him and to be blessed. But in order to train ourselves, we may set some object before us and keep it before us until, by the breath, we have attained it. We must keep our mind fixed towards one point, as the needle of the compass is turned towards one point. The difficulty is to keep the one object of our desire before us. When we are aiming at this, another illumination calls us from here, another intellect from there, another wisdom from a fourth side. If we turn to these, the object before us may remain as an imagination, but in reality it is gone.

By concentrating on the breath, a person can tell what element is passing through him at the moment, and by consulting the breath he can tell the present and future.

As the books, precepts and doctrines of his religion are important to the follower of a religion, so the study of the breath is important to the mystic. We ordinarily think of the breath as that little air that we feel coming and going through our nostrils; but we do not think of it as that vast current that goes through everything, that current which comes from the Consciousness and goes as far as the external being, the physical world. In the Bible it is written that first the word was, and from the word all things came. And before the word was the breath, which made the word. We see that a word can make us happy, a word can make us sorry. There is a story that once a Sufi was healing a child that was ill. He repeated a few words, and then gave the child to the parents, saying, "Now he will be well." Someone who was antagonistic to this said to him, "How can it be possible that by a few words spoken anyone can be healed?" From a mild Sufi an angry answer is never expected, but this time he turned to the man and said, "You understand nothing about it. You are a fool." The man was very much offended. His face was red. He was hot. The Sufi said, "When a word has the power to make you hot and angry, why should not a word have the power to heal?"

Behind the word is the much greater power, the breath. If a person wishes to study the self, to know the self, what is important is not the study of the mind, of the thought, the imagination, nor of the body, but the study of the breath. The breath has made the mind and the body for its expression. It has made all, from the vibration to the physical atoms, from the finest to the grossest. The breath, the change of the breath can make us sad in the midst of happiness, it can make us joyful in the saddest, the most miserable surroundings. That is why, without reason, in some places we feel glad, in other places a melancholy comes over us. It is the air that makes us so. You may say, "How can the breath make all this? How could it make the body?" I have seen people become in the course of years as their breath is. What exists in the breath is expressed in the form. As the breath is, so the child becomes.

All the elements are in the breath, according to the direction which the breath takes; the earth, water, fire, air and ether. We can taste them in the breath. There are five directions, four outward and one inward. You may say, "What influence can the direction have?" I will say, "If you take a ball and throw it in every direction, the ball will not go equally far at every throw. It will go sometimes farther, sometimes not so far." The direction of the breath makes an effect even in our words. Sometimes we say, "Yes, I see," directly. Sometimes we say, "Yes," sarcastically, "I see," and our head is thrown back, the breath comes obliquely, the effect is quite different. If you say, "We cannot feel, perceive the elements in the breath; we do not know where they are," I will say, "This is a science. It cannot be understood in a moment. It is a study."

You will say, "Is the direction the only thing that has influence upon the breath?" There are two other forces that influence it, the rise and fall. In the jets of water in a fountain, some of the jets rise very high, others less high, others rise only a few inches, according to the force by which they are predestined. So it is with breath.

Regarding the control of the breath, it must be said that reading books cannot give this to anyone. For this, practice is needed. Reading the theory of music cannot make anyone a composer, a singer or a piano player. Ask the composers, the singers, the violinists how much they have to practice. The practice of the breath is very difficult and very arduous. We see the yogis sitting for hours in the same position, standing in the same position, practicing for hours in the night or before dawn. By the control of the breath all things are gained. If a man is a great writer, it is because his breath holds the thoughts that are in his mind. Sandow, by the control of breath, developed ideal muscles. Before the control of the breath is learnt, there is the control of the body. This is gained by the practice of postures and positions. If a small child is trained once in the day to sit still for five minutes or four minutes, not to run about, that gives control. If it is trained not to begin to eat at dinner until everybody eats, that gives control.

The ways of the control of the breath are many. It must be done by the realization of the self. But as long as we think that this body is our self, we cannot realize our self. And often we think not only that our body is our self, but we think that our overcoat is our self. If it is miserable, we think that we are miserable; if it is very grand, we think that we are very grand. It is natural that that which is before our view, we think our self. We always remember the words of our great poetess, Zeb-un-Nisa. She says, "If thou thinkest of the rose, thou wilt become the rose. If thou thinkest of the nightingale, thou wilt become the nightingale. Thou art a drop, and the Divine Being is the whole. While thou are alive, hold the thought of the whole before thee, and thou wilt be then whole."

The mystic always consults his breath, in the evening and in the morning, to know whether it is harmonious with the sun, with the moon and the planets. He is always conscious of the breath. For this the Sufi gives a lesson, to be always conscious of the breath. My spiritual teacher, my murshid, once said, "People say that there are many sins and virtues, but I think there is only one sin." I asked, "What is that?" He said, “To let one breath go without being conscious of it." This is done by concentration.

We say that the hand is in control when it can grasp something and hold the thing in its grasp. The fingers, we say, are in control when they move up and down the piano; when they strike B when B is wanted; they do not strike E. Control is in repose and activity both. Sometimes we find that we have become angry, we have become impatient, we have lost control of our mind. Before control of the mind is lost, the control of the breath is lost.

More than a thousand times since I have been in the West, people have said to me, "We cannot control our mind. We cannot keep our mind fixed on one point." The first step is to lessen the activity of the mind. When the thoughts come more slowly, this is the first step. And the first thing is to control the breath, to make it slow and regular. By this the breath of the body is improved, and the health of the mind.

In the Qur'an, it is said, "Surely, we revealed it on the night of Power." What was that night of power to him whose whole life was revelation? It was the sending of breath within. It is natural that we always look outward. The breath is directed outward. We see what is outward, we hear what is outward, we taste what is outward, we are touched by what is outward. When the breath is sent within, then a person sees what is within, he hears what is within, he tastes within, he is touched by what is within. When this is done and the breath is purified, the mystics see in it forms and colours which reveal to them the past, present and future. They know the past, present and future of every person whom they see.

But if the control of breath tells him the past, present and future, that is too little. That is not worthwhile. It must tell him more. It must bring him to that unlimited existence from this limited being, to that immortality from this mortal being.

In the account of the miraj it is said that a buraq was brought for Prophet Mohammed to ride, an animal like a horse with a human face. This buraq was the breath, the horse whose rein is in the rider's hand.

If a person exercises the breath and practices concentration with a scientific idea only, he soon becomes tired. He thinks, "Why take so much trouble, for what result?" If it is done with the thought of God, with the repetition of the names of God, then a happiness comes, a bliss, by the thought of the idealized God, in Whom is all perfection, all beauty, the Friend to Whom we can tell our sorrows, all our sorrows, all our troubles. Sa'adi says that in the thought of God there is this blessing, that it draws us every moment nearer to Him.

God bless you.

1989 Volume 3. Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Teachings of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan on Esotericism"

1989-01-28T12:41:00.000+03:00

The following is a condensation, from a number of sources, of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan's teachings on inner culture and development. Murshid-Zade Hidayat completed his interpretation in 1988. It appears here with minor revisions.

If anyone asks what is esotericism, what are its tenets, what are its principles, what are its dogmas and doctrines, the answer is that if esotericism were to be tangible, then it would not be esotericism. Esotericism must be considered as being something which is beyond understanding, and therefore one would be at a loss to discuss comparative doctrines, dogmas and principles as they may be known in some doctrinal schools, because as already mentioned, esotericism has none, and believes that wisdom does not fit into preformed conceptions.

Inner consciousness is revealed when closing one's eyes to one's limited self, and opening the heart to that God Who is all in all, Who is intelligible and yet at the same time beyond human comprehension. It is the consciousness of God Who is never absent which gives illumination to the soul on its journey through this world of attachments.

What is looked for in the esoteric school of the Sufis? It is a gradual unfoldment of the soul; it is the light shining within oneself which gradually illuminates all around us; it is the joy that one feels in experiencing all the beauty of a sublime horizon which spreads out more and more each day; it is the feeling of greater energy, courage, hope and inner security; all of which makes life become more worth living.

The esoteric exercises which one practices must be considered as a winding, a winding which keeps the inner mechanism going. And if one cannot continue the practices in a regular way, one fails to keep the inner mechanism at a right pitch and in an appropriate rhythm.

A thought which is automatically repeated continues all along in one's subconscious through day and night, notwithstanding sleep or any occupation in which one is involved, and this unconscious persistence of thought brings a beneficial result. One example of this is combining the rhythm of breath with the steps taken while walking and continuously repeating a chosen word (mantram or wazifa) which is pronounced on each step. This practice can bring a much greater benefit than just repeating a sacred word at an appointed hour, and the result is that one reorients one's lines of thought in the direction which corresponds to the significance of the word which one has chosen to repeat.

The breath is the current which runs through all planes of consciousness, channelling life in its physical and mental aspect of our being. Neither body nor mind are in themselves one's life, but it is the breath which unites spirit and matter. The breath could be pictured as an elevator which takes one from one floor to another, as well as being a transmitter sending out thoughts and feelings along the wave-lengths of one's concentration. Breath is in itself all mystery there is.

Impurity of breath turns body and mind impure, whereas purification of breath gives purity to both mind and body. This brings us to the question, how can breath be purified? From a mystical point of view, it is said that when the breath is intentionally focussed on the earth element, the aspect of the breath which corresponds to that element discharges itself of the pollution of the earthly vibrations of the ego, and in return the breath receives the pure energy of the earth element. A similar process occurs with the vibrations of the other elements in the breath — water, fire, air and ether — which render back to the breath purified energy after one has exhaled upon any of these elements the pollution of one's conscious self. Purification of the breath through concentration upon the elements not only offers spiritual help on the esoteric path, but also promotes physical health and vitality as well.

Development of breath does not necessarily mean development of volume, but refers essentially to length of exhalation, fineness of inhalation and ability to direct the breath mentally. The volume of the breath is specially important for athletes, who must master their muscular effort, and for singers, who require a voluminous breath in order to produce a powerful voice, but this is not what is meant when referring to the development of the breath from an esoteric point of view.

Mahadeva, who was the king of the yogis, has said that there is nothing on the face of the earth that cannot be accomplished by mastering the breath. The training of the breath is the first and the last step on the esoteric path. It is of essential importance for the development of physical well-being, as well as providing the support of spiritual thought, in the same way that a copper wire may carry an electric current.

Thought is a power which can be kept under control by directing it upon a given subject, which is understood as being concentration; otherwise, it wanders at its leisure, improvising without any reasonable intent. This wandering can be either constructive, from the point of view of the mind world, which is called imagination, or that same thought could just be running from one subject to another without any logical or constructive consequence, which denotes mental instability. Obviously, it is the power of will which determines the condition of thought.

The will power constitutes, therefore, the intensity of concentration, as well as being the instigator which retrieves the fragments of thought from the storehouse of our memory. It also is the power which holds those fragments together, making out of them one vision, either to concentrate on as a single object, or to elaborate upon, creating from it an unlimited pattern. The will power develops the ability of concentration, whereas conversely, exercising the power of concentration develops the power of will.

One could perhaps say that concentration is the training of the mind by holding in thought the characteristics of a chosen object, whereas contemplation is a more intense level of thought. Contemplation begins when the object of concentration has taken hold of the mind, which is yet still conscious of its individuality, meaning that the principle of duality still applies.

Now, coming to the mystical experience of thought, this is realized through meditation, which can also be considered as a training of the mind. The purpose of this training, however, is to obtain passivity of thought in the loss of self-consciousness, where the principle of duality is now transcended.

The whole universe is based on the principle of rhythm, of which motion is the expression, and since we are ourselves a miniature universe, it is clear that rhythm is the basis of all motion within us. Rhythm, like an inner pendulum, secures the continuity of our breathing, and therefore it is obvious that the quality of the working of our mind and body depends upon the rhythm and the characteristics of our breath.

1989 Volume 3. Petra-Beate Schildbach. "The Role of Women in Sufism"

1989-01-27T12:43:00.000+03:00

Caravanserai is grateful to Petra-Beate for arranging the translation of her original German text, which has been slightly condensed for publication.

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,
It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to speak to you; the more so as the subject is, I would almost say, exciting: the role of women in Sufism.

On the one hand, it is as up to date as never before to talk about the status and the role of women. How much is said about this subject nowadays — in different fields and from most different directions — by more or less competent persons!

On the other hand, this subject gives me again the opportunity to speak to you about Sufism, this oldest teaching of wisdom of all, and yet a teaching which is especially the message of our time. Therefore Sufism offers the chance to bring into focus the role played by women when spreading the Sufi Message. And this is what I should like to illustrate in the following.

When preparing this speech I realized that if it is to deal with the role of women, then the role of men cannot be simply disregarded. If men and women should not be regarded in the metaphysical sense anyhow as one, inseparably one, then both belong together so closely that we cannot speak of the one without mentioning the other.

Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, to whom I shall refer later on in more detail, said, "There is a pair of opposites in all things; in each thing there exists the spirit of the opposite."

Here we have one of the many contradictions which belong to the essence of Sufism. Sufism, the teaching of the Oneness in the totality, speaks of opposites. But Sufism is not a teaching which is carefully adjusted and made handy or palatable; it is rather a process, a path, which in itself, step by step, means contradiction and accepts contradiction. Inayat Khan almost tenderly called this the music of the Sufi Message. When he was asked whether Sufism differs from other teachings of wisdom, philosophies, religions, ideologies and creeds, he smiled and answered, "The difference is that it casts away all differences."

By looking more closely at the lives of eight outstanding personalities — all women, as you can imagine — I should like to illustrate some aspects of Sufism for which these women have been living examples.

Let us go back in the history of humanity. Many women have conveyed the Sufi Message; many were known to the world; far more remained unknown. But let us commemorate one woman representative for many others, who was an ardent admirer of God, a mystic, an ascetic, and yet completely human, human almost in its perfection, almost reaching the divine.

Rabia

Rabia, who lived in the 8th century in Basra, came from a very poor family. She was the fourth daughter of a day-labourer. Presumably, the father was anything but happy to have yet another daughter, a new burden, and she did not even receive a name of her own. Instead, she was simply called Rabia, which means the fourth, the fourth child.

She lost her parents while still a small child, and then was seized by a wicked man, who sold her into slavery. Later, she was released and became a preacher of Sufism, a saint. Her grave is located near Jerusalem.

Farid-ud-Din Attar — who was the author of a book of stories of Sufi saints and mystics and to whom we also owe The Conference of the Birds — tells how one night Rabia, still in slavery, prayed in her room: "O God, Thou knowest that the desire of my heart is in conformity with Thy command and that the light of my eye is in serving Thy court. If the affair lay with me, I would not rest one hour from serving Thee; but Thou Thyself hast set me under the hand of a creature."

So she prayed. And her slave-owner who had watched her through a window saw a light appearing above her head. A light, that filled the whole room. Seeing this, he was frightened and the following day he set her free. From this time on, Rabia spent day and night serving God.

Once, when Rabia had fasted for seven days and not slept for seven nights, she was very hungry. In the evening, a visitor brought her food. Rabia accepted the dish, put it on the floor and went to fetch a candle, but when she returned, the cat had overturned the dish. Then Rabia went to get some water to break her fast. By the time she came back, the candle had gone out. So she wanted to drink the water in the dark, but the jug slipped from her hands and was broken.

Rabia sighed deeply and said, "O God, what is this Thou art doing with Thy helpless servant?" Then she heard a voice: "O Rabia, if you wish, I can give you all goods of the world. But then I would take away from your heart the longing for Me; for both cannot live together in one heart."

When she was asked, "Do you love God?" she answered, "Yes," and when she was asked, "Do you hate the devil?" her reply was, "No." "Why not?" She said, "Because the love for God leaves no room in my heart for any hatred against the devil."

So much in short about Rabia, this Sufi mystic who was intoxicated with God.

Let us now jump to the beginning of this century, to Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, who came from an Indian princely dynasty, and who brought the teaching of Sufism to the Western world. What we owe him, perhaps only later generations will be able to understand fully. Inayat Khan himself emphasized his deep gratitude towards the women who helped him to spread the Sufi Message.

The Begum

I would like to start with his wife, Ora Ray Baker, called Begum. She was the niece of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Against the strongest resistance of her guardian, and after overcoming various other difficulties, with a heart full of love, she followed Inayat Khan from the United States to England, where they married.

Maybe the saying of Inayat Khan — "Through the loving heart of woman manifests Thy Divine grace," — originates from that time.

According to the basic conviction of the Sufis every person has to play his destined role in the fulfillment of God's plan with His creation. The Begum played her role — as the wife of a dervish and mother of four children — with an admirable courage.

In his autobiography Inayat Khan summarized the life of his wife as follows: "In spite of the vast difference of race and nationality and custom, she proved to be a friend through joy and sorrow, proving the idea, which I always believed, that outer differences do not matter when the spirit is in attunement. The tests that my life was destined to go through were not of a usual character, and were not a small trial for her. A life such as mine, which was wholly devoted to the Cause, and which was more and more involved in the ever growing activities of the Sufi Movement, naturally kept me back from that thought and attention which was due to my home and family. Most of the time of my life I was obliged to spend out of home, and when at home, I have always been full of activities; and it naturally fell upon her always to welcome guests with a smile under all circumstances. If I had not been helped by her, my life, laden with a heavy responsibility, would have never enabled me to devote myself entirely to the Order as I have. It is by the continual sacrifice that she has shown her devotion to the Cause."

About the role of women in general Inayat Khan wrote in his book Rasa Shastra, "Each sex is made of the element of the opposite sex; the female born of the seed of the male, and the male moulded in the womb of the female."

And from this follows, "The sexes are dependent upon each other; but of the two, the male is more dependent upon the female than she is upon him. Her position in the scheme of nature is a more responsible one; and the greater the responsibility of a being, the greater is the dependence of the others upon that being. An infant is entirely dependent on the mother from the time that the seed is conceived, to the moment of its breathing the air of the earth.

"The mother can also quiet the child in the first days of its life, because the child is a part of the mother, and therefore the rhythm of the mother's spirit is akin to the rhythm of the child's spirit. The soul that has come from above is received and is reared and taken care of by the mother; and therefore the mother is its best friend. If there is anything that the father can do, it is to help the mother or the guardian to educate the child."

In this connection, the question arises: Principally speaking, should the father or the mother educate the child? Inayat Khan's answer is, "A man's life demands all his attention in his work; the mother is born with the sense of duty towards her child, and therefore the mother has the first right to educate it."

The role of the mother as educator has a wonderful and most important effect: by educating her child, at the same time she educates herself. "The calmness, the quietness, the tenderness, the gentleness, everything the mother cultivates in her nature at that particular time when the infant is nursed, the infant will receive as a lesson in its cradle."

Perhaps I should add a few words — please do not feel alarmed, but it is relevant to our subject — about prostitution from the Sufi point of view. In Inayat Khan's book, Rasa Shastra, we find the following, "East and West, women show the same unrelenting attitude of sternness towards the prostitute; and one reason is that in all countries women are the main upholders of religion, and no great religion has ever permitted prostitution. But the chief reason for this sternness is undoubtedly the truth, unconsciously known to everyone, that although the human being who has never had an ideal is to be pitied, the woman who had had an ideal and has allowed the circumstances of life to break it, has herself thrown away her soul. And it is hard for any woman to tolerate the thought that another woman should be born without an ideal of womanhood."

It is woman's task to keep high the ideal of divinity. It is also for this reason that one always applies a higher standard to what a woman thinks, says and does. Every woman is finally the trustee of all mysticism, as female, as mother, as priest, as prophet, as deliverer of the message, also of the message of Love, Harmony and Beauty.

And let me quote just one word by Inayat Khan to the subject of feminism. "Woman, whom destiny has made to be man's superior, by trying to become his equal, falls beneath his estimation."

Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan

The third woman I should like to talk to you about now, is the oldest daughter of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, Noor-un-Nisa, whose name means Light of all Women. Her life seems to me a symbol for a Sufi saint of our time. Noor-un-Nisa was born in Moscow, on January 2, 1914, according to the western calendar. Her first public appearance took place when, on their way back from Moscow to Leningrad, the young parents together with Noor-un-Nisa were surrounded by an angry crowd. "Inayat Khan took the baby from his wife's arms, holding her out for them to see. Every eye travelled from the dark-skinned, priestly figure in the golden robe to the white baby in his arms. ... There was a scraping sound ... and the little party left."

Certainly an important preparation for her specific role in life was the time when Inayat Khan returned to India, and a short time later left this earth. Noor-un-Nisa was then 14 years old. On her shoulders lay the whole responsibility for the family: for her own mother, who, bowed down with grief after the passing away of her beloved husband, lived a totally retired life; and for the two younger brothers and the younger sister. She accomplished this task quite naturally, without complaining. At the same time she was an exceptionally gifted artist. Later she studied at the Musical College in Paris, was a composer and a writer of children's books. She retold the truly heartrending Jataka tales, all dealing with the ideal of the Bodhisattva, that is, one who gives his life for others.

When World War II broke out, Noor-un-Nisa went to England with her family, and here begins the final, essential part of her short life. She volunteered as a radio operator between occupied France and England, and for five months worked behind enemy lines to keep the two countries in contact.

Almost inevitably, she was betrayed and the Gestapo arrested her. To the bitter end, though, she showed unimaginable strength of mind. When a German officer offered to ease the circumstances of her imprisonment on condition that she promise not to try to escape, she refused. Even the least compromise with the enemy was unthinkable to her. After a year's captivity in various prisons she was transferred to the concentration camp in Dachau. In this concentration camp only men were detained, so on her arrival in the evening she was tied to the outer fence of the camp and the following morning she was beaten half to death and then burned.

A brief outline of her, to me, deeply moving life. The consistency with which she followed the path destined for her should make us thoughtful, could challenge us.

So far we have talked about the role of the woman as mystic — of Rabia; as wife mother and educator — of the Begum; and then as martyr, the self-sacrificing woman — of Noor-un-Nisa. Let us now turn to the role of the woman as priest, as instrument for the spreading of the Sufi Message.

Surely it is not in the least surprising that in the days of Inayat Khan women held the spiritual highest ranks in the Sufi Movement. Inayat Khan called them the foundation upon which the building of the message could be erected. In their lives they embodied something which is so rare in the west: the spirit of true discipleship, the total, unselfish devotion to the great cause.
I should like to talk to you in short about four women of the so-called first hour of the Sufi Movement.

Rabia Martin

Ada Martin — later she received the Sufi name Rabia — met Inayat Khan in the United States in 1911 and became his first mureed (disciple) in the West. Inayat Khan wrote about this occurrence: "I saw among the audience a soul who was drinking in all I said, as the Hamsa, the bird of Hindu mythology, who takes the extract from the milk, leaving the water. So this soul listened to my lecture on music and grasped the philosophical points which appealed to her most.... I saw that there was some light kindled in that particular soul.... I knew that she received the call. I had a vision that night, that the whole room became filled with light, no trace of darkness was to be found. I certainly thought that there was some important thing that was to be done next day, which I found was the initiation of Mrs. Ada Martin, the first mureed on my arrival to the West. Since her initiation she has entirely devoted her life to spiritual contemplation and the service of humanity."

After Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan left the United States for Europe, she took the main burden on her shoulders, to spread the Sufi Message in America. The fact, that today we find flourishing centres there, we owe to her pioneer work.

Sherifa Goodenough

Miss Sherifa Goodenough became the most valuable assistant to Inayat Khan during his first years in England. She protected him from the hard and soft blows coming from both his friends and foes; she shared his daily bread with him and proved to be a true friend in need.

She was the daughter of a British general and the Countess Kinsky. Her mundane way of living came to a sudden end when she met Inayat Khan during the First World War. From that moment she concentrated all her energy on the study of the spiritual path, and eventually Inayat Khan made her the Silsiliah Sufiya of the Sufi Order.

As one of Inayat Khan's four secretaries, she took down his lectures and teachings, collected them and saved them from any misuse for the following generations. Her personality, her meekness, her patience, her kindness, at times more than human, were unusual. She gave lectures and lessons herself, travelled a lot, wrote books, edited monthly publications and, above all, she won many new friends and mureeds for the Sufi Movement.

Sophia Saintsbury-Green

Let us now focus our attention on the third outstanding woman, Miss Sophia Saintsbury-Green, also from England, whose work for the Sufi Movement in the West during the first years of its existence was of the greatest importance.

She came from an old British family. When she was still young she was already interested in philosophy. She found the fulfilment of her life when she met Inayat Khan. In London in 1921, Inayat Khan introduced the Universal Worship, one of the five activities of the Sufi Movement. This service, which expressed the hope and longing of all the prophets, had come to him as divine inspiration. Inayat Khan ordained Sophia Green as first Cheraga, meaning lamp or light. It was one of her main tasks to make known this Universal Worship, the Church of All and of All Churches (as was the original term), first in England, and later in the other countries in which the Sufi Message was passed on.

Fazal Mai Egeling

Next, let me talk to you about a woman called by Inayat Khan 'holy soul,' Fazal Mai Egeling.

"After 12 years of wandering and homeless life in the West," Inayat Khan wrote in his autobiography, "with a large family to look after, in addition to having my laudable object to carry out, I was provided at last with four walls at Suresnes, thanks to the kind sympathy of my Dutch mureed, Mevrouw Egeling. ...This saintly soul came into my life as a blessing from above, whom I called Fazal Mai, which means Grace of God, and after her name the house was named. Her hand, as the hand of Providence, became my backbone, which comforted me, and raised my head upwards in thanksgiving, the head which so long was hanging in humiliation, owing to the utter lack of means."

Inayat Khan asked Miss Egeling to live with his family in Fazal Manzil, which she did; for many, many years she celebrated the Universal Worship there and, above all, she intensified the fourth activity of the Sufi Movement, the Spiritual Healing.

To this day, this blessed home Fazal Manzil has been one of the main meeting places in the world for all seeking souls. In the Oriental Room, in which Inayat Khan meditated so often, initiated many mureeds and in his prayers raised the world, the same spiritual atmosphere and the transforming vibration of Inayat Khan are still as alive as in his days. Also, in the garden of Fazal Manzil one can still feel that Inayat Khan sat here with his mureeds, teaching them the mysteries of the spiritual path with so much love and patience.

Helen Wasner

At the end, very briefly, I should like to remember a woman who, very quietly, did so much for the Sufi Message and the Sufis, especially in Berlin: Helen Wasner. Initiated as a mureed by Inayat Khan, she first worked in Munich and later in Berlin. During the darkest time in Germany, when the Sufi-Bewegung because of its universality and in consequence its standing up for the Hebrew religion, was officially forbidden, she held aloft the light of truth and conveyed the idea of love, harmony and beauty. Without her commitment, today's existence of and today's work for the Sufi-Bewegung in Berlin would not have been possible.

To sum up, I think one can say that these women, like so many others, stood firm at the posts assigned to them by divine providence and played their role, either to spread the Sufi Message or to work at many other places mentioned, courageously and with deep devotion.
Let me quote Inayat Khan a last time. "However much qualified men proved to be in the work, the valuable service that women have rendered to the Cause has been incomparably greater. The way how some of them have worked unceasingly with sincere devotion and firm faith, has been a marvel to me. If it was not for some women as my collaborators in the Cause, the Sufi Movement would never have been formed."

1989 Volume 3. Nuria J. Lawrence. "The Aptitude of Women for the 'Lamb's War'"

1989-01-26T12:46:00.000+03:00

Quaker theology has some striking similarities to Sufi thought

While striving to attain recognition as social, political and spiritual equals, many women have indiscriminately pushed aside the ideas and institutions of men, some of which should not be dismissed so easily. One victim of this process has been religion, seen by many women as oppressive and undesirable. Granted, many of the world's great religions are male dominated in practice, but must they be so in theory? Or can their teachings also be interpreted in ways that are inclusive of both male and female? This question is of particular importance to Sufis as believers in unity and in the unity of religious ideals, for the concept of universality becomes meaningless if it excludes half of the human race. Fortunately, there are many traditions that have interpreted the teachings of the masters in ways that include women. A good example of this can be found in the Society of Friends, (more commonly known as the Quakers) who have seen the teachings of Christianity through the eyes of the mystic. Interestingly, (and perhaps expectedly) not only does Quaker theology include women as spiritual equals, it also bears marked similarities to the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Historically, the Quakers have been extraordinary in their theological acceptance and social support of women. Some of the most important and influential leaders in the women's rights movement in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were Quakers. Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott were both from Quaker homes, and aided the movement considerably by their own efforts and by encouraging others such as Elizabeth Cady Staton. It is important to realize that these women were activists not in spite of their religious conviction, but to a large degree because of it. As we shall see, both the mystical theology and the internal structure of Quakerism were particularly suited to producing and sustaining such women.

Begun largely as a result of the work of George Fox in England during the mid-seventeenth century, Quakerism was one of many new religious sects to arise in the period surrounding the English Revolution. The Reformation in Europe, reinforced by the anti-Catholic leanings of the revolutionary government of Cromwell, encouraged a return to a simpler and more personal style of religion. The return to scripture as the "highest authority for individuals and societies" was bolstered by the increased availability of the Bible in the vernacular. In fact, during this period, it was common practice for churches to chain a copy to the pulpit, there for all to read. For those who were able, reading the words of Christ for themselves produced some startling insights, especially about the way in which God related to humanity.

A key element of Quaker theology is the belief that the spirit of God can be found residing in the innermost part of every person, regardless of gender. This inner presence, which Sufis might call the Spirit of Guidance, the Quakers refer to by many names, such as: ‘Teacher within,’‘Inner Light,’ and ‘The Seed.' Although it can be found in every person, this presence is not seen so much as an intrinsic aspect of the individual, as it is an ‘internal other,’ suppressed by the ego and only fully realized through a two-part struggle. In the eyes of the Quakers, salvation is the realization of the Inner Light, and the story of creation is used as a metaphor to show the means by which this could be achieved.

The first part of the struggle — often called the 'Lamb's War,' or 'Convincement' — is the attempt to come to terms with the inner light on a personal level; to recognize the presence of the divine within oneself, and to allow that divine aspect to take precedence over the individual ego in thought, feeling and action. As we ourselves may have experienced, this is a task requiring great patience and courage, for introspection can reveal unpleasant things about the illusory self, and there is a great tendency to avoid self-knowledge by becoming preoccupied with external distractions. In order to focus the concentration inwards, the Quakers generally meet in silence, the collective meditation broken only if someone feels the call to "speak out at meeting" and share an inspiration. As well, members are strongly encouraged to keep a journal in which they record their spiritual progress, examining successes and defeats, and the ways in which the former are attained. Some of the most profound and beautiful Quaker literature comes from these journals, and those of George Fox are often referred to as authoritative doctrine.

In his journal, George Fox explains his personal experience of meeting the internal other in terms of the creation story. He compares the light of the divine presence to the flaming sword guarding the entrance to paradise, for once his ego was revealed and slain, he "knew nothing but pureness, and innocency, and righteousness, being renewed up into the image of God by Christ Jesus, so that [he]...was come up to the state of Adam which he was in before he fell."

Essential to the Quaker's acceptance of women as spiritual equals was their re-interpretation of the creation story as a metaphor for the process of convincement. Unlike many literal interpretations, Eve does not burden all women with the guilt of the fall from grace. Instead, the guilt is shared — both Adam and Eve were with God in a state of innocence, or absence of ego, and were guilty of turning their attention away from God, by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, after which they both developed an ego and were expelled from Eden. What was the fruit of the tree of knowledge? Perhaps "the ability to distinguish between good and evil" meant to stop being able to see all things as a manifestation of God, and to start seeing some things as being separate from, or even opposed to God. Salvation is the release from that illusion.

While the experience of the ‘Lamb's War’ is necessary for all, women were traditionally thought to have a special aptitude for this process, as they had been socialized to be receptive to an ‘internal other’ through their role as mothers. In the words of Carol Stoneburner, a twentieth-century commentator and herself a feminist Quaker, "to become aware of, willing to affirm, and creatively react to the natural seed of the other growing within could be a profoundly altering experience. A woman thus learned to accommodate and respond to the other... Pondering this natural mystery, her perspective as a person was altered." Or, in the words of Hazrat Inayat Khan, "Thy divine compassion radiates in fullness through the heart of the mother." While attributing this special aptitude of women for spiritual enlightenment to a biological function could be regarded as sexist, it is important to remember that the Quaker philosophy was developed in the seventeenth century, when the reproductive role was considered, if not the only, the most important one for women. The Quakers, like the Sufis, focused more on the receptive qualities than on the biological function, and even childless women were thought to have some advantage over men who had been encouraged to focus on the external.

The most remarkable thing about this doctrine was the idea that women were capable of any spiritual experience of value. At the time, women were generally not highly regarded, and although the experience of George Fox when he went to Nottingham in 1646 and met people who "held women have no souls, ...no more than a goose," was perhaps an extreme case, it reflected the prevailing attitude that women's souls were inferior to men's because of Eve's role in the fall from grace. The new meaning that the Quakers gave to the creation story meant that women were seen as spiritual equals, both before the fall and after the process of salvation. This opened the doors for women to play an active role in the shaping of their own religious experience, and enabled them to take part in the second stage of the Lamb's War, the transformation of society.

This second part of the struggle was the outward manifestation of the new-found grace. Because of their belief that the spirit of God is indwelling in all people, the Quakers rejected the mediation of a professional priesthood to administer the sacraments. In fact, they regarded the sacraments themselves as unnecessary abstractions of everyday activities, and encouraged members to actively participate in the sacramental qualities of all life, rather than submissively receiving artificial intervention from the Church. The rejection of a traditional priesthood meant that the Quakers had to rely exclusively on lay-people, both men and women, to carry out the work of the group.

Continuing the creation metaphor, Quakers strongly believed that they had a responsibility to transform larger society into a "new creation" by caring for others as beloved of God. Originally the primary concern was for their own members, who often experienced severe repression and hardships due to intolerance. The period of the Restoration was particularly difficult for the Quakers, when many of the members were imprisoned for their beliefs. It was at this time that the Society appeared in America, as some of those fleeing persecution joined together in the colonies.

However, as time went on and the Quakers became more established, the persecution lessened, and they were able to turn their concern outwards, focusing their attention on all the poor and oppressed, including natives, slaves, and the powerless — especially women. The concern for the well-being of others demanded direct involvement from all, whether it was preaching, providing a safe haven, or lobbying for new legislation. Because they saw women as spiritual equals, they did not agree with those who, like Luther, thought that woman's role in the Fall ‘nailed’ her to the home, and Quaker women were able to take an active part in missionary and reform work, even when it meant travelling outside the home for long periods of time.

The situation of the Quakers then was not entirely unlike that of the Sufis now: lacking a professional ministry and with few buildings, they relied on the dedication of the members to spread their ideas. For Sufis, this means opening our homes and hearts to travellers as we exchange information and experiences, and the same was true for the Quakers. In an exciting time, with plenty of things happening and lots more to be done, the houses of the members became important centres of organization and activity. If the horizons of Quaker women were broad compared to her non-Quaker counterpart, it was at least partly due to the experiences of either travelling herself, or opening her home to others.

The use of the home for such purposes had, by the nineteenth century, changed the way in which it was regarded. As a result, even single women could meet the world on their own terms in their own homes. As Susan B. Anthony commented, "the charm of all these women's homes is that their owners are ‘settled’ in life; that the men, young or old, who visit them, no more count their hostesses’ chances in the matrimonial market, than when guests in the homes of the most happily married women. Men go to these homes as they do to their gentlemen's clubs, to talk of art, science, politics, religion and reform... They go to meet their equals in the proud domain of intellect, laying aside...their conventional 'small talk' for the ladies."

She knew what she was talking about; her own home served as the first headquarters for the American Suffrage Movement, and her married friend, Lucretia Mott, was well versed in combining public and private life. One popular story tells of a dinner party that Susan attended at Lucretia's house: there were many people at dinner, and the conversation about politics and reform matters was so engrossing that when the meal was finished, Lucretia went to the kitchen and brought a wooden bucket and soap to the table. The discussion continued, and Lucretia was able to continue her active participation while she washed the dishes and Susan dried them.

For married women, the integration of public and private spheres permitted them to fulfil their family obligations in full partnership with their husbands, raising children in an environment that taught them the equality of the sexes by observation. According to Lucretia Mott, "In the true married relationship, the independence of husband and wife are equal, their dependence mutual, and their obligations reciprocal." The Quaker marriage was very much a partnership as a result of the belief that "the inward light formed the bond of unity between a man and his wife who loved each other because they first loved God."

The theology of the Society of Friends created an environment of mutual respect and support from which women were encouraged to strive for justice and equality in the larger world. Just as recognition of the presence of the inner light enabled marriages to become a creative partnership instead of an oppressive institution, it enabled the Quakers to hope for and work towards the establishment of the ‘new creation,’ a better world for everyone. Sufis know this inner light as the Spirit of Guidance, and it was the mission of Hazrat Inayat Khan to show us the wonders that can be accomplished if we are only willing to listen to and obey that spirit. Differences will be resolved — not only between man and woman, but between Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim. As we live the words of Salat and recognize that the divine light "is in all forms, [its] love in all beings; in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child, in a helpful friend, in an inspiring teacher..." all of humanity will be drawn together in bonds of unity, all of us loving each other because we first love God.

1989 Volume 3. Ameen Carp. "Like a Pearl in the Heart"

1989-01-25T12:52:00.000+03:00

When we ask ourselves what fundamental religious indications Hazrat Inayat Khan has given to the seeker of unity with his Creator, it is probably to be found in that lovely ‘Raga’ in the Gayan:

I searched, but could not find Thee; I called Thee aloud, standing on the minaret; I rang the temple bell with the rising and setting of the sun; I bathed in the Ganges in vain; I came back from Ka'aba disappointed; I looked for Thee on the earth; I searched for Thee in the heaven, my Beloved, but at last I have found Thee hidden as a pearl in the shell of my heart.

For a Sufi, God is everywhere, in nature, in all created beings, in the unmanifested life as well. In fact, is it not one of Hazrat Inayat Khan's revealing thoughts that God as manifested is only a small part of God's entire being. In other words, God is manifested (creation) and non-manifested (non-created), and the larger part of God is non-manifested. It makes us realize how immense, yes, how unfathomable God's being is.

But where can we truly find God? Where do we experience Him most deeply? It is this question which occupies the seeker constantly. And then the answer of the Sufi master unquestionably is: try to find God in the depth of your own being, in the depth of your heart.

To experience God in His manifold creation is a constant joy, certainly in His manifestation of beauty in nature, in music, in art. But in order to develop faith and the strength of inner conviction, one has to seek the path within, as in fact all masters and mystics have said. Jesus himself pointed at this: seek the kingdom of God that is within you. This is not an easy path to tread, as it requires so much patience, perseverance and idealism.

How do we do this? Hazrat Inayat Khan, in his book Mental Purification, calls the process 'mystic relaxation.' It is a training how to make the body and its senses obey the will, how to still the mind, how to purify our feelings. Then, by the passiveness of the mind the condition is created so that we can begin to receive what the Creator wishes to give to us. This is something not to be conquered by the will but to be achieved by submission to the Divine Being. In the continuous effort to keep the heart open (notwithstanding the problems of doing so) the devotee begins to experience a feeling of light, or a glowing feeling, of purity, of joy. This experience is an encouragement to keep the attention even more concentrated on the presence in the heart. We know that it is there; we also know that other seekers have been privileged to come closer to it, to experience a real and lasting contact with that Presence which is all there is. It is this which the Sufis call 'Hu,' as no description can be given of the Being we call God. Even words like omnipresent, omnipotent, all-pervading, are only general indications of the One and only Being, Whose breath and Whose spirit we are. It is in the shell of the heart that we find it hidden, like a precious gleam of light. And then we understand that while we were making all our efforts to find God in the holy places, in the temples and churches, in pilgrimages, in many hours of study, it was there, waiting for us to be found, to be discovered when the time was right, hidden as a pearl in the shell of our heart.

1989 Volume 3. Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Tales Told and Retold"

1989-01-24T13:13:00.000+03:00

Once Upon a TimeExcerpts from the unpublished childhood memories of Hidayat Inayat Khan

These few remembrances which I am humbly venturing to put into words, are offered herewith in an earnest longing to communicate some aspects of the fairy-tale atmosphere that prevailed in those days, when our Beloved Father was with us. But it is of course very difficult to evoke such remembrances without repeatedly experiencing an outburst of emotions, especially those which were awakened in our hearts, ever since our Father departed from this world, at a period in our lives when we were still so very young.

As the years went by, our childhood intuition revealed more and more to us the tragic importance of what we had really lost, by the absence of a Father with such a most luminous magnitude; a Father whose loving guidance, experienced in our young years, was always based on that high God Ideal which was the soul force of his constantly inspiring example.

Ever since those early days of once upon a time, the memory of such a precious example awakened each day anew an untarnishable longing to hear our Father's voice silently saying, "Your Abba's loving presence is always there, hidden in your lonely hearts."

Murshid's Children

Each time that one of us was born, our Father's first tender approach to the new-born baby was to call it Pir-Zade or Murshid-Zade, meaning son of Pir or son of Murshid. The daughters were called Pir-Zadi or Murshid-Zadi, meaning daughter of Pir or daughter of Murshid.

Later, when we were older, our Father often asked us, "Have you really behaved today as a Pir-Zade or as a Murshid-Zade? Have you really thought of the responsibility which you have as a son or daughter of Murshid?"

When we were naughty, our Father reminded us of that responsibility which we had, rather than scolding us, and on hearing those words, we immediately stopped all naughtiness, with sincerest feelings of shame.

I must admit that I was called Murshid-Zade in a scolding more often than the other children, because I was always naughty. However, it did happen sometimes that I was good, and on those occasions, my Father called me "Murshid-Zade-Guru, Mera Beta." Naturally, these very loving words always touched me most deeply, and were for me the most precious reward that could ever have been received.

Murshid's Majestic Personality

Murshid was also like a Father to some of his disciples. To others, he was the 'Murshid,' the Spiritual Guide. But all, whether consciously or unconsciously, responded to the 'Breath of the Message,' as symbolized by Murshid's sublime radiance. His approach was with a smile. His words communicated happiness. His piercing glance was like a torch in the darkness. His loving presence was ever-uplifting.

Murshid used to say, "I don't want to ever see my mureeds having a long face." In fact, it really was impossible for anyone to have a long face in Murshid's presence for longer than a few moments. Murshid would always turn an imaginary tragedy into a comedy, but he also saw the tragic side of an apparent comedy.

One could best illustrate Murshid's loving personality as being a living example of tremendous intensity in all aspects of human expression, of Nobility and Majesty.

Murshid often went for short walks around the block, dressed very characteristically in a long black cloak, and with a kingly topi on his head. He also carried a walking stick with a very beautiful silver handle, and his black shoes were always spotlessly polished.

Murshid's 'topi,' as he called it, was specially made for him by our Mother, according to the design which he made himself, a cross-model between the very noble Persian hat and the real, old aristocratic Russian one, which had much impressed him during his visit to Moscow, where our sister Noorunissa was born, before the war of 1914.

Murshid's shervani, or Indian costume, was also specially made for him by my Mother. It was a cross-model between the Indian and the Russian traditions, which Murshid had also designed himself. It was black, like the topi, buttoned all the way down on the right side, with a high collar and a plaited rope around the waist, ending with tassels at both ends.

Murshid's majestic appearance impressed so much the people of Suresnes that they used to stop in the streets and salute him, thinking that he was a king. When he entered the tram, everyone stood up, offering most respectfully their seat. Wherever he went, people called Murshid 'Le Roi.'

A Workman Digging in the Street

One day, while Murshid was going out through the gate of Fazal Manzil, holding my hand tight so that I would not run wildly across the road, as I often did, he was most astonished to see a workman digging a deep ditch just in front of the house, under pouring rain, and with hands and clothes covered with mud.

Murshid walked toward the workman and gently took off his hat to him; and then, while shaking hands, Murshid said, "Bonjour, Monsieur." But obviously the poor workman was absolutely spellbound at the thought of being greeted by the 'King' in such a most friendly way, and he stood there for a while, completely panic-struck, till Murshid walked a few steps away down the road, where some mureeds were waiting and had seen what had happened.

Surprisingly enough, instead of showing their feelings of understanding for the precious example of sympathy, kindness and humility which Murshid had so beautifully illustrated, those who had just seen Murshid's friendly approach, said to him as he came toward them, "But Murshid, you just can't do that here in the West. Don't you know that you are not supposed to shake hands with a workman?"

Murshid became of course very sad, and with deep emotion in his voice, he just only said to them, "Are we not all children of one and the same Father?" After which, all walked away in silence.

Many years later, while I was walking up that same road, an elderly man came running behind me, all out of breath, asking, "Who was that King who lived in the large house just there, up the road?" And while pointing to the house, he told me that years and years ago, he had been digging in a ditch; when suddenly the King came out of the gate, and, "Although he had never seen me, he shook hands with so very much compassion, while also lifting even his hat in such a most noble way. And," he added, "although I am just a workman, and have never learned to read or write, nor did I ever believe in God, yet at that moment, I really felt as though Heaven was being offered to me, by the grace of that kind King. There were flashes of light in his eyes, which I still always see so clearly ever since, even after so many years. The mysterious magic, which that King performed on me that day has protected me during my whole life, and has given me the strength and the courage to endure all the cruel hardships in this world; but more than anything else, those moments have been the happiest that I have experienced."

Then, with tears in his eyes, he asked me, "Who was that King? Do you perhaps know who he was and where he is?"

"Yes," I said, "He certainly was a King; perhaps a Heavenly King; and now, from out of Heaven, he constantly sends us sparks of heavenly light, shining as flashes of blessings, always present in our hearts, whenever we open our hearts to his loving guidance."

Then I told him that I was the little boy who was holding my Father's hand while we came out of the gate together; and I retold him the whole story with all the details which he himself had experienced; after which we both fell in each other's arms with tears rolling down our cheeks.

1989 Volume 3. Shaikh-ul-Mahshaikh Mahmood Khan. "Murshid’s Words"

1989-01-23T13:47:00.000+03:00

A lecture by Shaikh-ul-Mahshaikh Mahmood Khan at Summer School, Katwijk, 1989

Murshid speaks not only as an illuminated mystic, but with the joy and the powerful intuition of a poet.

When Hazrat Inayat Khan in 1920 left England for the continent, it meant that he took leave of not only the English language area, but also of the Indian community living in England, whose religious interests and occupations were being rapidly politicized under the pressures left by the First World War. That was a current that he definitely did not wish to be involved in, which also ran completely counter to his ideal of religious unity, since religions were falling apart during nationalist influences. And he entered a new circle in France, which also meant that his teaching was aimed at a western view, where the contact with eastern countries, especially with India, was far less. In continental Europe's contacts with the colonial countries of the day, they were facing different languages; North Africa was French speaking, Indonesia was Dutch speaking, there was not that meeting with people from the east, acquainting themselves with Murshid's teaching in English and raising questions.

Now, this you know, all of you, today, it is completely changed. All of you, in whatever Sufi centre you are, may be approached by people coming from India, coming from any Islamic language area, and asking you, well, what does this mean, what does that mean? And then you have to be able to give a sensible answer. Because after all, if one is a mureed, one becomes a representative of Hazrat Inayat Khan's Sufism, and at least these kind of immediate questions that come up ought to be answered.

Now, I'm coming to a wonderful illustration of this, which many of you will recall from previous years, the name of the prayer, Saum. When anybody from the east reads the word Saum for that prayer, they say, 'What is this? We know Saum as a religious duty, fasting. Saum is 'fast.' Now, what has this prayer to do with fasting?' Well, you can say this prayer invokes a certain religious duty, it is one of the obligations which, in religion, have their own place, give the identity to that religion. But then of course, in the first place, Saum is a very meditative prayer, it is not so much a religious prayer as a mystical experience, and in the second place, well, what about this name? Does it mean that you have so much to turn inward, away from the world that that prayer becomes a kind of a fast of its own or something?

Well, here we have to remember that in works like Gayan, Vadan, Nirtan, Murshid speaks not only as an illuminated mystic but also with all the joy and the powerful intuition of a poet, and indulges in a word play with a word like 'saum,' evoking on the one hand the religious observation, of whatever kind never mind, the religious observation of prayer, but on the other hand, the English word 'psalm,' a sung prayer, as you find in the Bible, so that you have psalm from English, mixed with saum from Arabic, to produce this word which we find in the Gayatri above the prayer, which therefore is a word play.

Now, the term 'Gayatri' itself... As you know, the whole terminology of the Gayan, Vadan and Nirtan derives from the Indian musical tradition; here again Murshid's musical and poetic joy of expression finds very beautiful and very stimulating expression. I think most of these names don't offer any particular reason for comment. This is one point I would like to impress on you though: what is called Gayatri, really 'that which is sung,' 'that which is recited,' therefore the prayer which you address to God, has another name outside India. Murshid chooses this name, typically Indian and typically musical and typical of Hindu religious tradition, but you find its counterpart outside of India in Sufi orders elsewhere, in the so-called order prayers, the prayers particular to a special order, mostly deriving from the one who founded that order, or another honoured or venerated soul who was part of it, and there it is called 'wird,' with plural 'awrad.' It will be useful for you if people from outside India come and ask you, ‘Now what does this mean, this Gayatri, what is that supposed to mean? We see some kind of thing, this looks like some kind of prayer, and you call it Gayatri, now what does this mean, what is this supposed to be?' Then, if you tell them it is a 'wird,' they are 'awrad,' it will be perfectly clear what is meant by that in this context. Wird, that's the typical, special mystical prayer, not a ritual or a symbological prayer, no, it is typically that esoteric prayer, that inward prayer, as done in the mystic orders. Wird, with plural, awrad.

Now, there is one instance of Murshid's poetic understanding which is a very interesting one in the very first verse in the Gayan. Let me read it to you. You know the first chapter heading in the Gayan is Alapa. Alapa means 'extemporization.' It is a kind of introduction with which every Indian musical piece starts.

When a glimpse of Our image is caught in man,
When the heaven and the earth are sought in man,
Then what is in the world that is not in man?
If one only explores him, there's a lot in man.

Now, if you read this, there are two curiosities in this. First, that the rhythm is very uneven, and, one would have thought, quite unnecessarily so, because there is the possibility here of putting a word here or a word there, and you would have, well, a very evenly running rhythm, and we know that Murshid, we can see that from the original texts, we know that Murshid drafted and redrafted many of these sayings as they are in the Gayan, you find them in the notebooks, all done and tried out, so why did he leave this rhythm to run so unevenly? So unevenly, in fact, that the first person, I think it might have been Murshida Green, who wrote an introduction to this book, writes very apologetically, 'you know of course, Inayat Khan, well, English was not his language,' and then she said very elegantly, 'which will sometimes be apparent by the slight loss of the rhythm, a slight unevenness of the rhythm.' So she feels she must really apologise for what Murshid was doing there, otherwise that he might have done it better.

That’s one thing. Now, the second thing, let me take that at the same time, is that in this poem, the first three sentences are very stately in expression, the feeling is that all the majesty of God is infused in these words, and then the fourth sentence comes, ‘If one only explores him, there's a lot in man,’ well, that's not only, with that note of exploration, really rather nineteenth century matter-of-fact, but 'there's a lot in man' is actually a very popular way of expressing. Of course Murshid loved popular expressions, but he knew very well to distinguish between the very elevated utterance of the first lines and this very popular utterance of the last lines.

Why is it? Well, now, this is one tradition you find in first Arabic, and then therefore much Islamic literature, where there is a stately poetry of three lines, and ended in an extremely popular punch line in the popular tongue. That's called 'muwasha,' especially developed in those societies where you spoke two languages. Muwashas are especially famous, for instance, in the European context in Arab Spain, in Moorish Spain, where they love to make a poem of four lines, three lines in highly classical Arabic, and the fourth done in very popular, very amusing Spanish, and I mean, really popular language, after these three stately lines before. You can imagine what effect this kind of thing has in love songs, either human or divine. So, the point is, that this poem of Murshid's, with its surprising mode of expression, faithfully follows one of the oldest literary traditions we know.

That’s one thing. Now, why that irregularity of the rhythm which worried Murshida Green so much? Well, what is an alap? An alap is, exactly, the introduction to a piece of music which does not yet include the rhythmic part. That's a purely free improvisation on the theme it’s going to introduce, and, I don't know if all of you have heard that, but the tablas are not yet being played, there is just the soloist, the instrumentalist or the singer, who just improvises along. Now, if you don't deliberately spoil the rhythm of your poetry, it’s not going to be an alap. For it to be an improvisation, you must be very careful that it has no rhythm.

So, there you are. No reason for apology. It only requires an understanding of what Murshid was doing. In many cases when people ask, and we do ask it quite a bit when we work on researching these texts, why did Murshid say what he did? Well, quite often, he did mean to say what he did, and it’s just we who no longer understand what he intended. The playfulness of his utterance, the poetic taste of his mode of speech, also sometime the combination of a somewhat nineteenth century, somewhat philosophically tinged English expression suddenly included in his Indian English utterance, all make Murshid's speech very stimulating, but also require a great deal of attention in order to really understand the background from which he spoke.

1989 Volume 3. Nawab Pasnak. "The Altar of the Heart"

1989-01-22T13:49:00.000+03:00

A sermon given during a Universal Worship service at the close of Summer School, 1989

Beloved Ones of God,
It is a great blessing for us to meet here, in this atmosphere of beauty, and hear from the various scriptures the Divine Message as it has been given at different times and places around the world. Each time the Message has come, it has been like a vibrating musical tone, sounding through the ages. When we listen to these notes with deep attention, the illusion of time and space may be wiped away for us, and we have the precious opportunity to become one with all the countless sincere worshippers who have trained their hearts according to these and other expressions.

And it is a great blessing for the world that these various notes of the Divine Message are sounded together here, as they are at every Universal Worship, making most beautiful music. Throughout history, there has been a Divine call to humanity, an urging to the human spirit to rise up, to return, as the Sufi poets would say, to its home in the heart of the Beloved. To fit the circumstances and satisfy the conceptions of the day, it has been called by various names and followed different forms, but in reality the Message is not limited to any name or form. How could it be? The Divine Presence is beyond any description, the source of all, omnipresent and all pervading. Therefore, although we may now call it the Sufi Message, it no more belongs to the Sufis than does the rain that falls. It belongs to all, for it is sent to all. Whether we hear it or not, the message is going on, everywhere, within us and without us, with or without our participation, and has been doing so since the dawn of creation. It may be found not only in the words of an inspiring teacher, but also in the gesture of a kind friend, in the innocence of a child, and even in the flight of a bird or the fall of a leaf in the sacred book of nature, if only we are able to see it. Indeed, the divine call is not unnatural or supernatural — it is perfectly natural, and we can hear it best in nature. The Koran says, "The very birds praise Him as they wing their flights." Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan has said, "The Sufi, when the eye of his soul is opened and his sight is keen, reads in the manuscript of nature the divine law, which has been read from the same source and taught by the Teachers of humanity to their followers." He goes on, "The Sufi has, in all ages traced in the Vedanta, the Zend-Avesta, the Kabbala, the Bible, the Koran and all other sacred scriptures the same truth which he reads in the incorruptible manuscript of nature, the only Holy Book, the perfect and living model that teaches the inner law of life."

Those are the words of Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, and we may remember that it was while he was alone in nature at this very spot that he was himself inspired, and we are fortunate to have that natural spot still preserved today as a holy place of pilgrimage.

Therefore, as we may trace that divine call in every name and form, and in the nature that surrounds us, there cannot be much importance in what we call it. If, for the time being we call it the Sufi Message, it is perhaps because the word Sufi, in one of its interpretations, means wisdom, and surely the only wisdom there is lies in searching for the origin of this irresistible call.

It is also known as the Sufi Message because the Sufis, just now, are privileged to present the unity of all religious ideals through this beautiful, deeply symbolical ceremony, the Universal Worship. In the history of the world, it has never before been seen that the scriptures of different religions have been placed side by side on an altar with all respect and reverence. It is a sign of the growth of tolerance in the human spirit that this is now possible, at least in some parts of the world, and it marks the way that humanity must travel in the future, led by the Spirit of Guidance.

Of course, when we consider these sacred readings from different times and places, we find that they are not so very far apart, and it does not seem so unusual to place them side by side. In the Upanishads, we heard that the soul of man becomes like a lamp, an image which the Master Jesus Christ also used when he said, 'when your eye' or your way of seeing, 'is sound, your whole body is full of light.' It is the same light spoken of in the Zoroastrian scriptures: when the faithful man has mastered thought, speech and action, each mastery producing a new paradise of harmony, then his soul at last enters the endless lights. And it is the same Divine light which the Gayan speaks of when it says, 'the heart that reflecteth the Divine light is illuminated.'

Needless to say, in holding this service, our responsibility to the faithful and to the Divine Presence is a solemn one, and we take every effort to make this moment sacred. We bring beautiful flowers which we have perhaps grown with care in our own gardens, we light candles and incense, we move with care, we play uplifting music — all so that this altar may be regarded as holy, and the ceremony performed here may be filled with significance.

But this altar is not the only one. Here before you stands the visible altar, but there is also an unseen one, upon which the external form is modelled, and that is the worshipper's heart. No matter how we prepare it, if this altar that we can see is not founded upon the altar of the heart, it can have very little meaning. If our hearts are not inspired by the Spirit of Guidance that speaks through every faith, then what can we gain by placing books side by side on a table? If our hearts do not respond to light, then what virtue can there be in lighting candles? If our hearts are not intoxicated by the source of beauty, then what benefit can there be in graceful words and music?

The Sufi looks at the vessel in which he journeys through life and says, 'This is not my body, this is the temple of God.' Perhaps he begins by saying this as a statement of faith, but in the end, it becomes an unshakeable conviction. And if this is the temple, where must the altar be? If there is any worship at all, it must begin here, within us. Then, when our hearts are open, this atmosphere and beauty may be found wherever we worship, whether it be in a beautiful Universel such as this, or in a humble home, or in the wilderness, with perhaps only a rock for an altar, or even nothing at all. The altar we can see matters very little; it is the human altar, the living heart, pouring forth its longing for the Divine Presence, eager to recognize the Message in every form, which is the sign of the true Universal Worship. And if we show respect to this altar we can see, how much more respect should we show for the hearts of fellow-worshippers of every faith and creed?

Let us try, therefore, to carry these feelings with us when we leave. Although the altar of candles and books and incense will pass from our sight, let us keep the inner altar of our hearts alight with the joy of the Divine Message, so that our life's path may be illuminated. Let us keep our inner sight turned toward the altar of our ideal, so that we may perceive the worshipping heart in every being we meet. Let us listen with deep attention to the tone of the Message resounding within our hearts, the tone which harmonizes all faiths together, so that in time it may be heard in every thought that rises in our minds, in every word which passes from our lips, and in every action that we undertake. Then we could truly be privileged to call ourselves Sufis.

1989 Volume 3. Roshan Buwalda. "About Three Days' Retreat"

1989-01-21T13:51:00.000+03:00

Three days of silence produce some interesting reflections.

What do you think about when you hear the word retreat? Perhaps your first thought is: maybe it is just the right thing for me, I am very much in need of silence and of turning inward, but I am afraid that I will not be able to sit still and to keep my thoughts away for such a long time! Maybe we are allowed to walk around? Make music? Or sing a song? Of course one can do all these things and much more: during a retreat something is happening to you and I will try very carefully to tell you about this.

Because I hold silence with so many other people, it is not difficult to drop the daily thoughts. The mind becomes quiet, the breath becomes slower, deeper, more intense. We concentrate on prayer. I come across the phrase, 'Comforter of the broken hearted...' This directs my thoughts to a book about a poor Norwegian woman who had to give away her new-born baby because she was too poor to bring it up herself. She had to sell her milk to a rich lady, who did not want to nurse her own baby for fear of getting old, wrinkled breasts... 'Comforter of the broken hearted...' She felt this divine comfort, she was always grateful for life, although she had to work from dawn till late at night to serve her employers if she wanted to go to bed with a full stomach. She used to say: me and my hands belong to God!

After a long silence my feelings want to express themselves. My body starts moving softly: Divine intelligence is taking over the flowing movements that follow. Without the direction of the will, there is a feeling of an expanded state of consciousness in which I am being uplifted, floating and moving on a level of spontaneity. No tensions are left in my body. It seems as if the body has become a rag-doll. My whole being is in complete surrender...yoga...meditation in motion.

We have our meals together in silence. The first day everybody is very seriously occupied with his or her silence. The following days this finds its expression in a change of consciousness in our beings. Observation becomes more intense, we all see things as they really are! Things that one hardly notices in daily life constantly attract one's attention. I open a small plastic container of butter to spread on my bread, and to my great surprise I see a nice decoration on it that looks like a flower... How beautiful!

Somebody breaks his plastic fork. At once he receives two new ones — one for breaking tomorrow! We explode with laughter, but we do not speak! Constantly we are laughing about silly things...we feel so free and happy! The flowers are laughing at me a moment later when I sit in the hall again. They have a very subtle radiation, full of colours. The Divine Light candle shows that the Beloved One is omnipresent. I become deeply conscious of this, listening to the singing of Murshid Musharaff Khan, a beautiful voice, full of love, harmony and beauty. A voice which deepens and perfects the silence.

bear and a The second day I notice that my sense become sharper. Rarely have I seen the colours so deep, red so red, yellow so yellow and green so green... When I look around me, standing on the terrace, the view dissolves into an 'endlessness,' for it looks as if the dunes are repeating themselves for hundreds of miles, rising and falling in waves of yellow sand, in a melancholy satisfaction. The dunes seem to be confirming the relative unimportance of human beings on this earth. They are the pure earth-element yellow in colour, and they feel closely related to the green-dune grass, filled with the water element. Together they form a symbiosis.

After a wonderful, refreshing walk I arrive on the beach where I let the cosmic rays penetrate my being; I feel that I become one with the cosmic balance. Slowly I lie down on the sand and listen to the rolling of the waves, coming and going. I feel their vibrations travelling towards me through the sand. It is as if the earth underneath my body is slowly beginning to respond to these vibrations, this insistent beating of the waves. As if the earth wants to open herself for a secret message knocking at her door, the door of her deepest core, the core of the mountain. I sit up and suddenly remember a deep experience which I once had in South Africa. I was up early, walking on the beach, dawn had just arrived with its soft, indulgent light. I saw the moon in the dawning sky above the sea, it was a full moon! Its soft light reflected on the water underneath. When I turned around I saw the sun which had just risen above the horizon, greeting the moon, which was exactly opposite, in a straight line! I stood perplexed half way between sun and moon. I felt as if I was the centre of the cosmic balance and experienced this as a deep symbol: the full moon receives its light from the sun. Hazrat Inayat Khan presents this as the symbol of the Messenger. The soft light of the full moon is the messenger to man, who cannot assimilate the enormous power of God, the sun, but who receives inspiration and revelation through the voice and the words of the Messenger. I experienced that deep cosmic balance there, just as I feel it now, here on the beach in Katwijk. Feeling that balance is not dependant on such an experience. It can always be felt if you are only open to it! Besides, all of us must sometimes have experienced such a deep cosmic balance — for instance after a hurricane, when silence is returning, or after a big thunderstorm. This is the balance that preserves man and nature.

In this period of evolution — in view of the overpowering and destructive forces in nature as well as in humanity — we should be more and more conscious of this balance. The awakening of this consciousness will be an evolution for all mankind, because only that gives meaning to all the restlessness, doubt and destruction that prevail in people and nature at this moment.

A while later I silently drink my bambu coffee. Near the staircase, two persons are gesticulating with their hands and fingers and miming with their faces. After all, one needs this form of communication if one has to say something important! It also happens several times that somebody taps you on the shoulder in order to say 'wait a moment.' A short written notice is handed over to tell you what is expected of you. These things are fun to watch. Late in the evening we drive home with four guests.

Early in the morning I greet our guests with the palms of the hands together touching the forehead. I receive their greetings in silence and so we make our round through the garden privately, admiring and observing the flowers and plants one by one, every day there is a miracle to be seen! That miracle in nature I also observe the next day when I retire a while into the valley after sunset, the atmosphere radiating an unbelievably tender twilight. I watch some seagulls floating over my head, on calm impassive wings; their feathers delicately overlapping each other, they seem to be covered with silver sequins in the sunset glow. Head and neck outstretched, they seem to reach for the future, longing for that which the Divine Presence will bring them, be it pleasure or disaster. They cry out their last greeting to the Lord, full of gratitude for another beautiful day now almost faded away behind us. In full darkness the silence is really complete, but only for a short moment. I close my eyes, ready to turn within, but things that are happening around me distract me. True enough, there is nothing to be seen anymore, but I hear a noisy rabbit, very nearby, nibble at the dune grass. The silence has come alive! Alive with all kinds of different noises of small animals and insects around me! As if all of nature is in a profound experience of prayer, a prayer of gratitude and glory to the Lord. I am deeply moved and out of the depth of these noises I gradually perceive the sound of the zikar, a continuous Huuuuuuu... all-pervading.

Man will find in the end of his search along the spiritual line that all beings including trees and plants, rocks and mountains, oceans and rivers, are prayerful; and that all attain to that spiritual summit which is the real longing of every soul. [Aphorisms]

The evening has become night, a night full of life and light! A moment later I blow the ants off my hand, and deeply moved by the 'silence' of the night, I return step by step to the Universel.

The next morning, the retreat has ended. We talk to each other, without putting our heart into it. We want to keep the silence as long as possible, but already at home during breakfast we see so much humour around us that we soon start making jokes. I go to the kitchen to fetch something and my thoughts are still with a joke. I ask one of the guests who is in the kitchen at that moment what am I looking for here?

"The Truth," is the apt and profound reply!

1989 Volume 3. Sharif Bryan Robinson. "Poems - Words of His Loving"

1989-01-20T13:54:00.000+03:00

By Fire-Light

— from an admiring thought at tea

Now,
Beauty's quietness
falls all round the room,
and in the radiant silence
my heart breaks forth in song.

Then,
you were here.
We laughed and loved awhile,
and in Life's glorious music
Love's new song was born.

Far,
her joyous notes
ring forth their magic spell;
and all the boundless Universe
awakes with cosmic dance.

He,
whose life we are,
of manifested thought in space;
the Lover true weaves patterns
of His earthly dreams.

Peace,
heart's radiance pure,
and Joy, the very breath
of love sublime, enfold you
in Life's loving, mine.

Dear,
my love and daily dream
in passing hours,
I look into His heart
to see your face among His flowers.

That
so from out
this Dream of Life may rise
such thought, such joy, such loving,
to make His Paradise.

Life's Caravan

The Caravan moves on,
The song is sung,
Its tale is told;
But in the quickened heart — Life's magic lamp —
Is left new life for old.

And in the sacred lamp
Love's gift burns on
To bless your way:
Immeasurable its potency — the food of gods —
The light to set you free.

Its fragrance is a bridge
By which the traveller
May cross with joy
To realms as yet unknown — by hidden paths
And sing Love's song with tone.

However dark the night,
Silent the way,
My song sings on.
In Him we find our part — and flowers bloom —
Within your living heart!

The Song of the Earth

The Summer Days are over,
And far have fled the songs of joyous birds.
Night air cools and chills the waters of the distant shores.
Moorland sheep draw slowly to the warmth of valley,
And see the gentle bubbling stream sing her evensong
And part in the twilight, united ever by her loving waters.
The lovely flowers close their eyes,
and cast their faces to the earth
That unseen and unknown be this bitter winter season.
The moon hides behind the shadowy clouds,
lest light awaken wounds of grief once more.
Even the owl alert is silent,
as heart's light is extinguished for the while.
And all the earth lies still,
awaiting dawn, another day, another spring,
When light and life awake again, and all hearts sing!

Psalm 30: 'Heaviness may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.'

Elected Silence

Fall now great Silence,
and pulse within this little heart,
Singing for ever
His radiant Song of Joy.
Within His Peace
springs like gentle waters.

In each I see
the shine of His Face,
And feel again
the pulse of His Heart;
For all the loves
expressed are but
Words of His Loving!

1989 Volume 3. ""Earth & Sky”: C"

1989-01-19T14:01:00.000+03:00

Names and Forms, known and unknown to the world.

Saint Christopher

It is difficult to know if there ever was a historical Christopher, although the building of a church in his honour at Chalcedon as early as 450 AD suggests that he may have been a martyr in Asia Minor, perhaps in the third century. Nothing else is known, however, and the Roman Catholic church has removed him from the roll of saints for lack of real evidence. The story of Saint Christopher, though, is still filled with meaning, and it is possible that he was only ever meant as an allegorical figure. The legend of Saint Christopher is that he was of massive size, and wished therefore to serve only the mightiest of masters. Both an earthly king and Satan disappointed him, and so at last, in search of a better master, he retired to a well-travelled ford which he helped wayfarers to cross. One night, carrying a child across the river, he found his burden becoming so heavy that he could hardly bear it. "It is no wonder," the child told him, "for you have been bearing the whole world. I am Jesus, the Christ, the king you seek."

Naturally, because of his supposed work at the ford, Christopher has become the patron saint of travellers, and in medieval times, it was believed that those who looked upon his image would come to no harm during that day.

Coyote

Many cultures have had trickster gods, and Coyote was a North American native version common to a number of tribes. The canine quadruped of the same name is found everywhere on the Great Plains and in the northern forests, and has a distinct combination of qualities: shrewd, curious, elusive, seemingly indestructible and eternally hungry. The trickster-god Coyote is the same: sly, self-serving, appearing when least expected, impossible to catch. Although he is credited with creating the world or some parts of it, he is not a lofty dweller of the skies, but a being who mingles freely in the affairs of humans, a lusty, earth figure who is fooled as often as he fools.

For the Crow Indians, for example, in the beginning there was only water and Old Man Coyote, and he made the world we have today, with the help of some ducks who brought him mud from the bottom of the water. The White Mountain Apaches, though, tell a story of how Coyote tricked Sun out of his tobacco, and then was tricked, in turn, by the Apache people. They did this by offering Coyote a wife. In celebration, Coyote gave away tobacco, but he found out at dawn that the 'wife' was only a boy dressed up as a girl. It was too late, though — the Apache people have sacred tobacco to this day. Throughout the myths of the world, there are intriguing parallels. The Crow story has resonance with both the creation story of Genesis, and the story of Noah and the flood. In the Apache story, Coyote is similar to Prometheus, who stole fire from the Sun and gave it to humanity.

Cupid

It is difficult to reconcile the chubby, frolicking, infantile figure now associated with this name with it origins. Cupid (cupido, 'desire'), also known as Amor and Eros, was the classical god of love, and specifically sexual love. The Greeks told two stories of his origin. One was that he came from Chaos at the beginning of time, brought about the union of the primal father and mother, Uranus, 'sky,' and Gaia, ‘earth’ and supervised all subsequent unions of gods and humans. The other version was that he was the strong, handsome and athletic son of Aphrodite and Ares. The child-like version of Cupid dates from Hellenic and Roman times, when it was the tradition that the god's influence came as arrows fired into the heart. There were two kinds of arrows, though, some tipped with gold, and some with lead. The gold arrows naturally created passionate desire where they struck, but the ones tipped with lead caused the victim to turn away from those who might desire him or her.

The most well-known legend of Cupid, or Eros, is the deeply symbolic story of Psyche. Briefly, Psyche was a mortal girl of unearthly beauty who provoked the jealousy of Aphrodite. The goddess sent her son to punish her by causing her to fall in love with a monster, the ugliest creature imaginable. Instead, though, Cupid/Eros accidentally pricked himself with one of his own arrows, and fell in love with her himself. Without telling his mother, he had her wafted by the west wind to a palace in a secret valley. They lived there quite happily, Cupid coming to her only at night to disguise his divinity, until Psyche's sisters found her and persuaded her to learn her husbands true identity. Needless to say, this brought their happiness to an end, and Psyche had to endure much suffering and four symbolic tests, even descending into Hades, before Zeus finally re-united the two, granting Psyche immortality with a draft of nectar. Eros and Psyche then had a daughter whom they named Voluptas, 'pleasure.'

If there is a parallel between Coyote and Prometheus, there seems also to a be a parallel between Cupid and the trickster Coyote — as anyone who has felt the illogical, unreasonable dart of passion might agree.

1989 Volume 3. The Music of Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Pyaromir Maheboob Khan. "The Sun will shine" (Scores)

1989-01-18T14:03:00.000+03:00

This song was written by Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Maheboob Khan after the passing of Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan between the years 1927 and 1932. It is one of a collection of thirteen songs published by East-West Publications, and Caravanserai is grateful to Shaikh-ul-Mashaik Mahmood Khan for his kind permission to include it here.

1989 Volume 3. Sufia Carol Sill. "Notes on the Symbology of the Sacred Element Ritual"

1989-01-17T15:01:00.000+03:00

The following notes on the Symbology of the Sacred Element Rituals were written (mostly in 1985) for my own exploration, to develop and evolve my understanding of this work. Some aspects of the writing are still unclear, but I felt the exploration could be shared with others. I trust you will forgive my inconsistencies and stumblings as I attempt to word the unwordable. — SCS

Let us gather together again

Like ripples, the waves spread in all directions as the remembrance links with the past to create the future. It has been done so many many times it becomes one thing/one action continuous over all time. This resonant gong must continually be struck by the peoples of the world. If it is not done, then the foundation of creation begins to crumble. Rebuilding requires more effort and is much more difficult than maintenance.

The process of symbology naturally assists the reconstruction. Western society and industrialized nations have worked out the impulse which the last rising of element symbology encouraged. Now comes another rising, another thunder, another striking of the powerful evolutionary impulse. Guided by devoted workers, the resonance will straighten and align all the forces which are now deformed and which have lost touch with their original face. Weak births, natural and unnatural dangers — the problems which conscious working in element symbology will help to solve is a long list of the woes of humanity.

The cure will come by realignment of and with the elements, the basis of our bodies and our minds.

Those involved in this effort vow to help humanity. They sacrifice themselves, to be reworked by God, so that the new flesh, the new mind and emotions can become more and more of service.

All words concerning symbology

All words concerning symbology are simply exploratory and are not in any way certain or permanent. A problem of describing this work in words is that it becomes conceptually framed, leading away from its true meaning.

The emotional balance required of initiates is impossible to describe in words. The exploration in this work brings to the surface human intentions, translated personally as feelings and ideas. Behind these personal interpretations, which are both central and peripheral, the human intentions — metahuman, ancient, and destined to fulfilment — surface in order that they may begin again their true force.

All ceremonies aside, it is in the total love of humanity that the Sacred Element Ritual is acted out, for without this love the understandings are cold and can become calculating. This leads to magic. And it is not the love of "God" or "light" or any abstraction. It is pure sweet fierce love of God light as humanity. This means each one is loved totally as God in a particular human form. It is not a separating out, a loving of God and a hating or ignoring of the personality. The whole thing is total, without the personality God would have no means of manifestation, no place in which to work.

The true symbolical working makes this fierce love inevitable. Gratitude overflows. The conductor loves all like a mother loves her variety of children. To those who wish to involve themselves, she gives all she can to encourage and strengthen, so that these too can develop this fierce protective all-encompassing love.

This love springs spontaneously from understanding human nature as it is based in the action and interaction of the elements. It is the celebration of this relationship enacted symbolically in the ceremony which gives to the soul an accurate symbolic picture of its true condition.

The symbolical activity is a connected revival

The symbolical activity is a connected revival of the ancient Greek mystery schools [see Gathas, 5. Oracles among the Ancient Greeks, 6. The Greek Mysteries, 7. The Greek Mysteries (2). 8. The Greek Mysteries (3)]

The Greater mysteries and the inner initiations correspond to the Zirat, which is the Sufism of all ages, (with or without the name). Those who wish to take the Message in a symbolical form discover a history which reveals itself through inner insights, as and when it is needed.

This study heightens all activity of each element in the nature of the initiate. Those involved find their nature shifting and changing more frequently than before, but there is greater awareness and ability to control these shifting moods. They are seen as they are, not with emotional identification. And in this way others are also more easily understood. Life is seen as living art, in which balance and equipoise are constantly being sought, found, and transformed again and again.

Human ecology

Just as the Universal Worship showers the unified blessings of all masters, saints and prophets (as in the Invocation, in the form of the Spirit of Guidance of all these) through the inner blessing of its sacred directing of symbols and uniting the devotion of the World's Great Religions. The power and beauty of these forces as they have created the dynamic civilizations of the world. The Sacred Element Ritual has a similar task, but one which is not as clearly visible.

That task is to unify those impulses which were present as pre-religious dynamic forces. Of course, the religious impulse is common to all humanity in all times. But the pre-religious impulse is that which contains the knowledge of the forces of the manifest and unmanifest world. The wisdom of Solomon and of all the prophets was only this understanding.

The Sacred Element Ritual is a symbolical method of gathering and transmitting this wisdom in the way which is appropriate to these times, when it is needed. The transmitting or expressing occurs simply, almost as an undercurrent or as an overshadowing — in which subtle changes of vibration are made to occur in harmony with those present. This harmony gives to all a remarkable peace in the soul, and a strong sense of basic humanity, with all the exquisite human virtues of love, compassion, gratitude, humility, gentleness, dignity, honour, and many more, including wisdom.

How does this rebalancing occur? Why is it not seen? It requires complete inspiration in the Sufi Message and the subsequent interpretation of the Message in beauty becomes the supreme symbolical representation of the human spirit.

How is this possible? It occurs in a spontaneous way because Pir-o-Murshid lnayat Khan has prepared deeply the unseen world for this occurrence. In the Sacred Element Ritual, the potent beauty of the Sufi impulse becomes clear and predominant, with many people active in developing humanity through self-discipline, love and service.

The breath of those who perform the Sacred Element Ritual becomes naturally harmonious. It is in this harmony of the breath, the lights of the breath, that the power of this activity is seen. The working out of this unseen power impulses humanity to create new forms.

As to those who dedicate themselves to service through the self-discipline of the love engendered through this work, the transparency of the physical vehicle becomes more and more evident as time goes by. Those involved in Symbolical activity as disincarnate incarnations are transparent vehicles, fully conscious of the simultaneous beauty of both worlds, seen and unseen, inner and outer. They are not a secret priesthood, nor are they a secret society.

The symbols are their own protection, revealing themselves only to those who can comprehend them. The conductor of the Ritual has a special function and a sacred responsibility. But in no way does this set her/him apart as a special person, someone more than and less than human. No — there is instead an amplification of human virtues and qualities, while progress through the stages of life on earth is made more and more interesting.

Participation in Symbolical activity, in the transforming of all through beautiful recognition, is a demanding lifelong dedication. In its aspect on earth, this effort involves ceremony, training, and art and education for humanity at large. The art and education is specifically tailored for the times in which it is given, with attention to the needs of humanity and the required development. These provide outer mysteries which cover and uncover themselves.

The understandings and responsibilities given to those entrusted with the work of symbology cannot be put into words. Those offering this service offer all without even knowing what the outcome will be, as through creative perception the world is made new.

To express the Sufi Message through symbology is no greater or lesser than any of the other vehicles established to carry on the Sufi effort in the west. But the way of working in the Sacred Element Ritual requires tremendous subtlety and grace combined with a will of steel, all in a heart of pure golden love. It is a demonstration of humanity. The outpouring of deepest poetry, music, art, and dance convenes to produce the mystical inner temple in each one.

By insight the history of element symbology is revealed. Naturally it is correspondent to the history of science — an evolution building on the work of previous thinkers, but the vital difference is that this present effort absorbs and synthesizes all that has gone before. That is, it does not discredit or throw out work that is no longer applicable, as in science. Over time, each new wave of symbology is created spontaneously and works with the elements as evolved through previous workers — with all as a total unified synthetic whole. Humanity — a great experiment evolving God; Sacred Element Ritual — one way of approaching the effort consciously.

Although the ceremony appeals to many, the symbolical work itself appeals to very few. When it begins, the initiate feels 'at last I have found it' but this sense soon erodes, leaving darkest emptiness.

Once the emptiness has turned all into a capacity, the play of the elements begins to be seen. The understanding of life begins also, and the direction of life's purpose is unmistakable, undeniable. The initiate becomes the embodiment of his or her life's purpose. All else is extraneous and soon falls away.

It could be said that the Sacred Element Ritual will develop into a lasting form of the Sufi Message — carrying it through dark times when the worded message could seem old-fashioned to a visually oriented non-print non-linear society. It is natural in mysticism that the literate mind shifts out to make the open mind possible. But negation of the literate mind only does not at all open the total mind, instead we have a more closed system with dogmas held in icons. The open mind is actually a balanced mind, allowing the full resonance of images all play-space and giving mental constructs exposed scaffolding.

It is in caring, in compassion that the open mind is truly seen. For this mind is so open it includes and expresses the depth of the heart also. The error of analysis of mental function is that the heart is rarely included. But the heart is a vital part of all mental functioning — not in the sense of the mind as interpreter of feeling, but more in the idea of the heart as generator of thought.

Feeling, sympathy, loving-kindness, these are the attributes of a thinking person. The total open mind gives rise to sensitivity, to love, to consideration of others. The open mind expresses a loving heart. The grace of God is in the inner voice which expresses this love as a beautiful atmosphere.

Ecological balance

The temperament, or nature, gives each person their basic outlook and basic element balance. Then life experience and interactions cause rises and falls in these balances.

The person who is concerned only with the element balance is working only with the mind and body. There is also a greater balancing. It is essential that the basic balance be maintained not only because this is the optimal natural human condition, but because at that point the person is able to fulfil life's purpose. The activation of other ecologies begins and the inner dynamic and balance comes into play, with the so-called higher aspects of the element-vibrations (or angels) taking over the play.

As long as the mind and body are out of balance, there is little chance that the greater human virtues will be able to consistently manifest. In such a condition humanity remains at a barely evolved level until individuals take it upon themselves to balance the varied elements consciously. This work of conscious tuning of the vehicle is so deep and reveals all about the nature of life and of the world, it is a life's work in itself.

At each of the stages in a person's life this ecology shifts through great upheavals and rebalances in different order, creating a new condition, requiring other actions on the part of the person to retune the fine instrument again and again. Then there comes a profound change which is irreversible. The ecological balance has been relatively maintained for a period of time long enough that the organism intuitively recognizes the subtle differences and will spontaneously rebalance autonomically. At such a point, training has been completed. Retuning is necessary, but requires little effort and is only a reminder.

It is possible to remain in basic equilibrium under most average conditions. At this time, external life conditions also are in a relatively equal state, and in a cooperative symbiotic harmony with the balanced elements of the human being. Others also sense and respond to this balance, which radiates out a definite positive life signal, and life calls forth from this person all the human qualities which can then be seen fully without impurities on a consistent and continuous basis.

This state is not static, or stiff, but is like a continuous improvised symphony of body, mind, emotions and circumstances which continues throughout life.

At the same time as this balanced ecology is functioning in total harmony, the inner life comes more and more to the threshold of experience until it is one with the outer life and is experienced in the symphonic totality as the melodic theme. When attended to, the theme also reveals that which accumulate to be the refining process. It is not a sudden overnight occurrence. To be fine and strong as steel wire is no small feat. And then to walk unassisted along that self-created wire is an act of human daring.

The Element Ritual is a circus, it is a school, it is present day alchemy, it is human ecology. Ultimately all ideas, metaphors, and symbols fade. Human life becomes expressive of the divine in magnetic purity. Evolution is assisted. The mystery itself fades in the magnitude of the ONLY BEING. Then the goal of all universal play is achieved as divine ecstatic delight. The joy is in the privilege of participation.

Training, Ceremony, Art and Education

Symbolical activity appears to be divided into three main aspects: the training (which is inner), the ceremony, and art and education (outer and for humanity at large).

The training is an inner growth involving a greater understanding of human ecology using the breath, other indicators of the elements, and inner initiations.

The ceremony is a celebration and a service, a play of death, a devotion, a dance.

The Art and Education aspect is the outer gift to society at large.

These three aspects are interdependent and often simultaneous. They are all both inner and outer at the same time as well. Thus the training is not only inner work, but involves the total environment of the adept as well as the inner centres.

Everything is always seen and known in relation, in context, as interactive and interdependent. Nature, or human nature, is studied both within and without, and 'the universe in man' becomes more and more visible as a living reality.

Identification and analysis give way to synthesis.

Poetically, the human being is described and known to contain and express all things, all elements, all of nature and what appears beyond earthly nature. All animals, all weathers and climates, all varieties of vegetation, all forms of fruit and flower, all types of terrain and water formations are seen in humanity. All angelic qualities, all powers of mind, all virtues and aspirations, all capabilities for tremendous evil, all good and wisdom — it is there in the human capacity. Looking outward, we see the picture of humanity as the world, looking within, we see the universe in ourselves. It is one life.

Symbology reveals life, unveiling the secret of the pine tree, the meaning of tears. It shows the stars of the intellect, the fire of the heart, the supreme elegance of grace and gratitude. In Symbology, the Sufi Message is known, seen, felt and heard in and through all things, events, and circumstances, but most especially in all beings. In a most natural way, Symbology reveals the innermost secret of humanity simply and without pretense.

The Sacred Element Ritual exemplifies and deepens the Sufi thought that there is one holy book, the sacred manuscript of nature, and the idea that nature is the only teacher. Of course, our present idea of nature, and of what nature is, is limited by the earth element, for just as the breakthrough came into ecological understanding, so our idea of nature must break to include (re-include again) ourselves, humanity, inextricably and totally involved in nature's cycles. As this effort is the worship of God in human nature, the elements and their play only offer a helpful vocabulary. Understanding the elements is not the focus. It is the understanding and refinement of human nature which is involved, not the abstraction of element, colour, direction, etc.

These ideas can be seen and known and as they come to form in the consciousness of the adept, the vocabulary of the elements gives a great richness and appreciation to life. Just as in music, it can be felt and understood on various levels. One unschooled in music may feel and understand its communication heart to heart, while another technician may be so involved analyzing the musical form and performance that the intent and contact of the music are lost. Better yet, to experience music from the point of view of a composer which requires technique, appreciation, skill in expression and inspiration. Then is expressed the song of the soul.

Just so in life: the art of personality reaches its peak in the human being who is a composer of life, using the elements in beautiful control to express this art of life — or is it allowing the elements play through disciplined improvisation?

The Symbolical Activity is not simply the study of the interaction of the elements. That is only a useful alphabet, a stimulus to understanding. The action of this study helps open the adept to the perception of the presence of God in humanity, as humanity, and all. There is little worth in the analysis of all things as earth, water, fire, air, and ether [and even the subtle analysis of the breath] without the inner perception of the divine ideal.

On earth, in manifestation, love, lover and beloved are caught in their own web. The web of perceptions elaborated by thought can never penetrate itself to become pure insight. Insight, intuition, wisdom, all come from within, from beyond the web. It is only from such a viewpoint that the alphabet of the elements can be effectively known and understood — as a help to understanding life and humanity — as an aid to synthesis rather than analysis.

The love of humanity, the service of God through man, the gentleness of purity, do not need analysis of the elements. The understanding of symbols is awakened spontaneously, without analysis of the elements. The Message itself is passed from person to person without analysis of the elements. Subtlety is the most necessary attribute of mind when dealing with these questions.

Of course, the heritage of ancient wisdom has always included the basic understanding of the elements, their attributes and their manifestation.

In healing body and mind, in everyday life, in controlling or mastering circumstances, the applied knowledge of the elements has proven invaluable down through the ages. In our times there is not much difference, for an understanding of the action of the elements helps in our understanding of life and ourselves. But to develop this awareness fully, it must, paradoxically, be abandoned. In the Sacred Element Ritual, each element is honoured, but what is left is exalted humanity — each human being as a unique beautiful manifestation of God.

1989 Volume 3. "Back pages"

1989-01-16T15:07:00.000+03:00

Dargah Efforts Continue

The area immediately surrounding the Dargah of Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan has at last been cleared of tenants. This has been a long term project, as it was necessary in some cases to help the tenants find better accommodations, and make other changes in their lives. It was necessary, however, to make improvements to the Dargah and its environs.

The next step in the efforts to make the Dargah an oasis of spiritual peace is to find land some distance away for the activities of the Hope Project, which, among other things, helps feed under-nourished children. There are a number of bureaucratic problems involved in acquiring land in India, though. Government permission is required to open a bank account to receive contributions; there is a risk of squatters occupying the land; and litigation with regard to the land tides is always a possibility.

Amongst other work in India, Wali van Lohuizen reports that last April there was a two day, Urdu language seminar, ‘Sufism and its Social Relevance in the Indian Context,’ to which both he and Walia van Lohuizen presented papers. Wali's was on the subject of 'mysticism in daily life,' while Walia wrote on the subject of 'moral culture.' The seminar was organized by Sheikh Saleem Ahmed of the Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khanan Memorial Society, a near neighbour of the Dargah of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan in New Delhi.

International Council Meets

On August 9th of this year, just before the opening of the Summer School, Sufis from around the world came together at Murad Hassil for the meeting of the International Council. Although not every country in which the Movement is active could attend, there were delegates from England, Canada, Italy, South Africa, Switzerland, India, and The Netherlands. A report was also heard from Brazil.

The meeting was opened by Murshid-zade Hidayat, who said that a sincere feeling of brother-sisterhood sets the tone for our energy in doing the work of the Movement. After sending loving greetings to all those unable to attend, he concluded, saying that the watchword for our work is Courage.

The Council provides a forum where workers can compare notes and discuss issues they face in their various countries. In South Africa, for example, Latifa Grotepas reported that the four centres are very well attended, and that regular performance of the Confraternity is seen as a valuable method of supporting the Sufi Message. In England, Virya Best noted that the work of the Movement is somewhat hampered by the multitude of other Sufi organizations, as well as by certain fundamentalist sects which actively oppose any teaching not according to their own form. On the other hand, Wali van Lohuizen reported that there is no opposition to our efforts in India, where he and Walia were invited to participate in a seminar organized by another Sufi group.

The meeting also heard that some small headway is being made in other countries. Karima Sen Gupta announced that she has received some inquiries from Poland, arising from the German-language newsletter, Sifat. As well, Jemaluddin Buwalda noted that the General Secretariat receives inquiries from around the world, recently including a number from Nigeria.

Improvements Made to Murad Hassil

Murad Hassil, the Universel built at Katwijk, has had some exterior renovations done, which should make the structure more weather proof. The original construction of grey concrete block was not completely impervious to the fierce North Sea gales, and the gradual impregnation of the blocks with water and salt was posing some danger. Now the building has been steadied in a waterproof insulation, and painted.

The extensive work was accomplished thanks to a legacy from Ms. Iman Kunst, a 'Mela Tela' organized by local mureeds, and other donations, including a sculpture by Mussavira van Pallandt, which was to have been sold to the City of Amsterdam.

The renovation has changed the colour of the Universel from its original, weathered grey to a light cream, viewed by some as a loss and by others as an improvement. One consequence of the work which all regret is that the sea-shell flying heart mosaic, donated by the Sufis of South Africa when the building was first erected, has been covered up. Alternatives were considered, but it was concluded that the rescue of the mosaic would have been just too costly.

The next major improvement at Murad Hassil will be the building of a mureeds' house, offering accommodation to pilgrims or those on retreat, which should be completed within the year.

Rocky Mountain Dates Set

The dates for the 1990 Rocky Mountain Sufi Camp have been set. The camp will run from Tuesday, June 5th to the following Monday, the 11th. This marks a departure from previous years, in which the camp ran from weekend to weekend. Camp organizers regret any inconvenience this may cause, but report the change arises from a modification in policy by the lodge where the camp is held.

This will be the 11th annual camp held at Lake O'Hara, which is under the guidance of Murshid-zade Hidayat Inayat Khan. The isolation, the limited size of the gathering, and the rugged beauty of the alpine setting all contribute to a harmonious atmosphere which has been shared by Sufis from as far away as Holland and New Zealand. The camp not only helps refresh the spirits of those who come, but has also served to incubate a number of important developments, among them the Sacred Element Rituals, first choreographed here by Sufia Sill.

As the camp fills up quickly, early reservations are recommended. For more information on the 1990 camp, write to Akbar Kieken, 787 Ranchview Circle NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T3G 1B1.

Murshid-Zade Hidayat Honoured

Artists Embassy International, an American-based organization, recently announced it had chosen Murshid-Zade Hidayat Inayat Khan as one of eleven select honourees at its 38tii Anniversary Celebration and Art Show Retrospective, to be held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The honour comes as a result of Hidayat's musical compositions, which, according to Artists Embassy International, have contributed to understanding through the arts in San Francisco and the world.

Hidayat's compositions, many on overtly spiritual themes, are well known in the serious musical world. His most recent symphony, subtitled 'The Nehru,' was commissioned by the Government of India. His shorter pieces have frequently inspired choreographers, and in particular the Poetic Dance Theatre Company, affiliated with Artists Embassy International, regularly performs to his music.

Artists Embassy International was founded in 1951 by Aldiya Clark Youngman. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering intercultural understanding and peace through the universal language of the arts.

Summer School Successful

The International Summer School of the Sufi Movement, held at Murad Hassil in Katwijk, Holland last August, was once again a stirring success. In true Sufi fashion, the school retained some traditional aspects while incorporating some new approaches, and the mix appeared to satisfy both mureeds and interested people.

Among the innovations was a three day retreat preceding the Summer School [see Roshan Buwalda's report on this elsewhere in this issue], daily zikar walks conducted by Murshid-zade Hidayat, two performances of the Sacred Element Ritual as choreographed by Sufia and Qadir Voordouw, and the reception of a number of interested people into the Brotherhood Activity.

More established forms included the readings of sacred papers of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, healing ceremonies, regular zikar practice and both formal and informal Universal Worship ceremonies. There were also several excellent concerts, adding artistic grace to the days of study, meditation and exchange.

The Summer School was well attended this year, with mureeds visiting from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, England, South Africa, Canada, the United States and New Zealand as well as the many supporters from Holland. Exact figures are difficult to obtain, as many come for only a few days. On the days open to interested people, however, attendance ran to 120, bringing the main hall near capacity, and far surpassing the capacity of the dining area. Extra tables were set up in the upstairs foyer at meal times, but many diners spilled outside, where the weather was fortunately fine.

Although plans are underway for next year, exact dates have not been announced. Those wishing more information on the 1990 Summer School may write to the General Secretariat.

New Publications Available

The voluminous and wide-ranging teachings of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan continue to generate new books. Readers of Caravanserai will know that the old, orange covered hardcover books in the series 'The Sufi Message of Inayat Khan' are going out of print, to be replaced by the re-edited and expanded paperback series, 'A Message of Spiritual Liberty.' Because new material is being included, though, this will not be uniform with the earlier series. The old volume VIII, for example, will be so much larger that it will be printed as the new volumes VIII and XIV. Ultimately, the new series is expected to number eighteen volumes.

For those devoted to the older series of books, however, they will still be available in an inexpensive Indian paperback reprint. When completed, this will include all thirteen volumes plus a new index. By agreement with the Indian publisher, the series cannot be sold in stores in the west, but it may be distributed through Sufi centres, for the very reasonable price of 14,50 Dutch guilders. Also available from India is the booklet produced for the inauguration of the renovated Dargah, The Radiance of Love, Harmony and Beauty. This booklet sells for 7,50 Dutch guilders. Both it and the 'Sufi Teachings' series may be purchased through the General Secretariat in The Hague.

Some works have also been translated. In Brazil, Helena Passos-Rist has translated Philosophy, Psychology and Mysticism into Portuguese, and published it at her own expense. In Italy, through the efforts of Indra Pedrazzoli, a publisher has brought out Italian editions of In an Eastern Rose Garden and Gayan and Vadan will follow soon.

1988-11-04T22:20:00.000+03:00

Caravanserai Magazine Archive

[1988 volume 1] [1988 Volume 2] [1989 Volume 3]
[1990 Volume 4] [1990 Volume 5]

1988-01-30T23:48:00.000+03:00

Caravanserai Magazine

1988 No.1

Published semi-annually on behalf of the Sufi Movement by the Sufi Movement in Canada, a registered non-profit society.

THIS ISSUE

Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Brotherhood, Compassion, Beloved Ones of God"
Nawab Pasnak. "Faith, Wisdom and the Lesson of Tiresias"
Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. "Science and Psychology"
In Search of Murshid's Words
The Ungratefulness of the World
Sharda Pirani Ameena-Begum Ora-Ray Inayat Khan. "O Beloved..."
Ameen Carp. "Brotherhood"
Virya Best. "Our Debts in Life"
Inayat Khan. "Caravanserai" (Scores)
Back Pages

Editor in chief: Nawab Pasnak Design & Layout: Sufia Sill
Editorial Board: Virya Best, Ameen Carp, Joan Gaisford, Hidayat Inayat Khan, Nawab Pasnak, Karima Sengupta, Karimbakhsh Witteveen

Caravanserai is published by the Sufi Movement in Canada on behalf of the Sufi Movement. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent those of the Sufi Movement or the Sufi Movement in Canada. © 1988 Copyright of all material remains with the originator.

Welcome, fellow travelers,
to the Caravanserai!

In the east, in days gone by, when the hazards of travel were many and the comforts were few, travelers often banded together in caravans for protection. Stopping places for the caravans were called caravanserais, and they were much more than a shelter where there was water and fodder for the pack animals. They were also a place to sit around a fire at night and exchange stories and information about the perils of the paths. In the day, travelers even in the same caravan might see each other only as silhouettes wavering in the heat haze. At night, under the starry sky, they could come together again, and perhaps meet other caravans as well. To the travelers, the caravanserais were a cheerful source of news, companionship and entertainment.

Of course, the caravan has long been used by Sufis as a symbol of the fellowship and guidance mureeds share when they travel together toward the spiritual goal. From that symbol, we have taken the name of this magazine, hoping that it too will serve as a place of information and refreshment for anyone drawn to the Sufi Message.

Caravanserai, published by the Sufi Movement, will bring you stories, poems, interviews, articles on Sufism and news of events of interest to Sufis. We are dedicated to carry on the work of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, who founded the Sufi Movement in 1910 — but that work has a wide horizon, and few topics will be out of place at this fireside. To begin with, we will publish twice a year, but we hope to increase the frequency as we become established.

It must be noted here that Caravanserai is not the first magazine to serve the Sufi Movement. The Sufi, and the Sufi Quarterly were published during the 1930's, and brought many interesting articles to their readers. However, it has been many years since there was a regular publication, and it is hoped that Caravanserai will grow to fill this vacancy.

To succeed, Caravanserai needs your support. It needs your subscription, and it needs your submission, whether news item or article or drawing or perhaps just a letter telling other travelers of the Sufi work in your area. On behalf of Caravanserai and the Sufi Movement, I urge you to fill in a subscription card, and send it today. Even better, send it with an article, or a poem, or a picture. Don't be shy. Let the other travelers hear your story and enjoy your voice...

Nawab Pasnak

Editorial

1988 Volume 1. Hidayat Inayat Khan. "Brotherhood, Compassion, Beloved Ones of God"

1988-01-30T14:18:00.000+03:00

Before venturing to define the deep meaning behind the concept of a Brotherhood of Mankind, it might be wise not to overlook the fact that hundreds of institutions have already had that very same dream. Why should we then believe that our activities in that direction are the first ever made, or the best available in our time? Would it not be preferable to transform our convictions into a reality so that our example of that great Ideal might perhaps inspire brotherly and sisterly feelings in all relationships with others, rather than expecting the same from them? Should we not refrain from intruding upon the beliefs of others with the harsh weapons of our own pre-conceived ideas?

Nevertheless, in working for the accomplishment of that Ideal, it would also be wise to become aware that one of the human tendencies is to level down to one's own radius of understanding all concepts with which one finds oneself confronted. All such concepts are thereby conditioned through the screening-process of obvious ready-made opinions, interpreting experiences according to individual evaluation.

Furthermore, while proceeding onwards on the path of understanding, one might discover sooner or later that mastership starts with discipleship; unfortunately there are more so-called masters than there are pupils. One might also realize that Truth need not prove itself; it is untruth which fights for self-assertion. In fact, that which is said in words and that which is done do not always really prove the true purpose; it is the attitude hidden behind the words and actions which might truly express the innermost intentions, which is communicated either consciously or unconsciously to others through the power of the thoughts and the magic of the feelings.

Let us start therefore by working on ourselves rather than wanting to master others; and let us stop wondering what others could do for us, but rather ask ourselves what we could do for others. What could we really do for others? This question is already answered when realizing that the first effort to be made is to vanquish one's own shortcomings, doubts, fears and worries; and to put into practice the basic principles of Love, Harmony and Beauty, accommodating these to all circumstances, whether one is dependent on others or whether they are dependent upon us ourselves. These principles also apply to all involvement with others, whether or not we appreciate their convictions, as well as to those whose understanding about good and bad does not always correspond to our own. In other words, our first duty to others is to make the best out of ourselves so that we might become some day an example and that they may then pluck the fruits of our experience.

In this connection, it might be useful to remember that an outer gain is not necessarily a real gain; it could eventually prove to be an inner loss. Conversely, a loss is not always a loss; it could reveal some day an unexpected gain. Obviously, one is constantly involved in problems; either one's own or those of others, problems which one handles, knowing that the more of those that are solved, so the more able one becomes to handle the many more which are awaiting our constant attention, as brothers and sisters to one another.

From a religious point of view, it is obvious that various world scriptures mention the Ideal of Brotherhood in terms of compassion, and that this special concept runs like a golden thread, unrestricted by dogmatic interpretations. In fact, compassion is the true origin of religion in its purest aspect, and is the soul force by which religion in all ages represented an outburst of devotional creativity. On this subject our Master explains that a basic tone is heard in all religious streams, and that each of these illustrates the cultural conditions of mankind throughout history. The various tones symbolize therefore the different religions, and the origin of all tones is hidden in the ever-present secret which truly reveals itself when all tones are harmoniously in tune with one another, reproducing thereby according to human interpretations, the music of the Spirit of Guidance.

This symbolical illustration of a cosmic altar of all religions helps us to realize that Truth has always been and shall always be, providing that the ego-mask is dropped and that one is not led into the darkness of the trappings of self-indulgence. Truth was originally seen crystallized in the various ancestral beliefs which in turn gradually influenced the cultural standards of the time. At other periods in history it has been seen crystallized in various religions such as in Hinduism, Buddhism, the religions of Zoroaster and Beni-Israel, as well as in Christianity and in Islam, besides also in all those whether known or unknown to humanity at large.

In other words, whether the holy word was spoken in the East or in the West, it is obvious that the Spirit of Guidance springs forth from one and the same source, and that this light can be discovered in all representations of the Divine Presence. Paradoxically, it is when giving up all wants to reach the inner goal that the goal which was longed for has already been reached. In fact, the longing and the goal itself are one and the same consciousness; just as lover and beloved are one and the same channel through which the Divine Presence becomes conscious, as soon as the concept of duality at the levels of human and Divine are overcome.

It is in this understanding that the Sufi draws the inner strength and the motivation to pass on the "Flag of Compassion" to all those in the world who are in need of experiencing the unfoldment of the wings of the great Ideal of a brotherhood of man, where brothers and sisters of different beliefs are all gathered around an altar of all religions, in a Universal Worship, with the humble longing to bring about a little bit of peace in the hearts of those joining; and who might thereby become inspired to also pass on further the spark of peace in the hearts of others.

In this Universal Worship, the Sufi Emblem which is the symbol of the Spirit of Guidance in all religions is also the emblem of compassion. It is a heart with wings illustrating the true nature of the heart which knows no limitations while on the wing, in its flight toward the Light of the Spirit of Guidance. That is symbolized by the five pointed star in the emblem; whereas the crescent moon represents the receptive and expressive nature of the heart which radiates compassion at all levels of consciousness.

The call of the heart is the basic tone heard in the Sufi Message of Love, Harmony, and Beauty, and which resounds during the entire journey on the path of spiritual understanding. This inner call reveals the secret of the heart's longing for the Light of the Divine Presence; and in this longing, it is compassion which offers the answer to the call, whether human or Divine. This explains why our Master greeted the followers of all beliefs with the words, 'Beloved Ones of God.' This magic formula which communicated the Ideal of compassion in so few words, also inspires us ourselves to become conscious of being Beloved Ones of God; realizing thereby our duties toward God and Mankind.

Therefore, beloved Brothers and Sisters, let us remember that Compassion which is the call of the heart is constantly guiding us in all our efforts to become living Temples of a Message of Spiritual Liberty; and this call is inviting us all to join in a Universal Worship of all religions, in the Fatherhood of God.

1988 Volume 1. Nawab Pasnak. "Faith, Wisdom and the Lesson of Tiresias"

1988-01-29T02:18:00.000+03:00

Caravans are of interest not only to merchants and mystics, but also to scholars. In trying to trace the history of the human family, historians, archaeologists, paleo-anthro-pologists and other learned specialists often rely on the evidence of ancient trade routes. By studying the spread of a certain kind of pottery along these old pathways, for example, they hope to be able to say that some civilization grew out of some other, or show that this group learned writing from that, and then passed it on to others.

Usually the archae-and-other-ologists must study the hardware of a culture — the spear points, the pots, the fragments of corroded bronze. Rarely, we may get a look at the more transient artifacts of pre-literate societies, such as leather, cloth or basketry. Very seldom indeed, though, do we catch even a glimpse of what could be called the software of an old culture. In other words, we may conclude that a certain tribe valued cedar or traded bone buttons for ochre, but we have difficulty knowing just how the people of that tribe adorned themselves, or why they did it that way.

We can be certain, though, that customs and beliefs were passed along the trade routes, just as rope and salt and grain were. Over many years, the rhythm of whole trading caravans shuttling between different groups of people would have a profound effect.

Was there, then, some ancient ur-belief from which all later faiths have sprung? No. It was styles of belief that were exchanged, not the root of belief. The root of belief is universal. If it were not, there would be some people who believed, and others who had no belief. We can see, though, that every culture has a belief, and so does every individual. Even in this age, when faith is regarded by many as an optional lifestyle accessory, yet each one has a belief in something. Instead of looking for the grandfather of all religions, the student of unity should turn instead to the origin of religions, which is in the tendency to faith and aspiration found in the heart of every human.

Solomon the Wise said, "There is nothing new under the sun." It is a phrase often quoted when scientists, after great labour and expense, manage to reproduce artificially something a mosquito, perhaps, does quite naturally, and without spending a penny. But Solomon was not speaking of technology. He was speaking of that for which his name is now synonymous — wisdom. Wisdom has not changed since the dawn of the whole creation.

But surely Solomon had not heard the sutras of Gautama Buddha. Nor could he have known the Sermon on the Mount, nor the Holy Quran. How, then, could he proclaim wisdom complete, before Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed and other great teachers even got on stage?

It is like asking if the rain was different in the time of Solomon, or if the ancients had a different source of light from the sun, or if they breathed a different air. Real wisdom comes from a tuning of the heart and mind and spirit to the infinite wisdom of the seen and unseen universe, which some respectfully call God, others Allah, and still others humbly abstain from trying to name at all. It is the only source of the wisdom which graced Solomon's life, and it must be the same which inspired Rama, Shiva, Buddha, Zarathustra, Jesus, Mohammed, and all the wise souls, known and unknown to the world.

But if the same wisdom inspired each of these Messengers, why has the Message been sent again and again? Wouldn't once be enough? In fact, don't these different Messengers cause a lot of confusion by saying apparently different things? One could imagine the generality asking the Messengers to please get together, come up with one version, and stick to it.

But once is enough, for those who are awake to hear the wisdom pouring forth from these divinely inspired teachers. For those who are ready, a single word kindles an unquenchable flame in the heart. Many of us, however, are still sitting groggily on the edge of the bed — or are even still sound asleep in dream land. And in this material world, even the pure notes of the most finely tuned bell must fall beneath the hubbub of the crowd eventually. If the tones of wisdom, which guide and inspire all those seeking an answer to the mysteries of life, are to remain audible, the bells must ring again and again.

It is also true that the awakened ones have had to work with the (temporary) limitations of those they sought to raise up, and for that reason, they have cast the Message in different forms. It is only the need of the children that has caused so much diversity in the Message. The need is not in the Messengers.

The truly awakened souls hear wisdom speaking in the fall of a leaf, or the unfolding of a bird's wing, or in the silent singing and dancing of the stars. It is the students and the students of the students who have needed more tangible forms of teaching, accommodating their limitations. Therefore, at different times and places, the Message has been given in various forms — but those who study the inner meaning of these teachings will find no contradiction among them. It would be like looking into « different pools of water, and saying, 'In this one I see reflected a tree, and in that one, a mountain — therefore, one holds water, and the other does not.' The water reflects the place where it has fallen, but it is water all the same.

We know that the human race is one. Divisions rise up but they fall away, too. They are temporary, because they are based, after all, on illusion. From space, no borders are visible upon the globe. How, then, could wisdom be the possession of one particular group of people? It cannot. Wisdom is a light within all, waiting to be uncovered, and it matters nothing at all if the student digging to uncover that glow is guided by the whispers of the Master Jesus, or the strong hands of Moses, or the clear gaze of Lao Tzu. It only matters that he or she keep on digging.

But, some might say, in certain places they have a wisdom not known elsewhere. In the west there is material science, but in the east, there is mystical science — isn't there? If there is only material science in the west, how can there be wisdom?

The answer is that mystical science may be, or may once have been more readily accepted in the East, but wisdom is universal, accepted or not, and one proof of this is given in the story of Tiresias.

In ancient Greek legends, Tiresias was a blind sage. He appears in the plays of Sophocles, and in the story of Odysseus as well. When Odysseus was unable to get home after the Trojan wars, he at last sailed to the margin of the underworld, where he made a sacrifice in order to consult the shade of Tiresias. The existence of Tiresias is not that remarkable in itself, since every culture has sages. What is intriguing about Tiresias is the stories of how he came to be blind.

There are two versions to this story. One is that his mother, Chariclo, was a nymph, and a favourite companion of the Goddess Athena. Chariclo and Athena enjoyed bathing at a certain spring, and it happened one day that the youthful Tiresias, out hunting, caught sight of the naked Goddess. Aware of his glance, she instantly covered his eyes with her hand. Her touch struck him blind, but from sympathy for his mother, she gave Tiresias some compensation. His ears were opened, that he might understand the speech of birds; he received a staff able to guide him as well as if he could see; he was given the gift of prophecy and a life seven times as long as an ordinary mortal. One might wonder, if the goddess could do all this, why she did not merely restore his sight, but the story is symbolical, as we shall see in a moment.

The second version of how Tiresias was blinded is more elaborate. It is told that one day, walking on a mountainside, Tiresias saw two snakes coupling. Tiresias, not a member of the ecologically-minded Green Party, struck at the snakes with his staff, happened to strike the female, and was himself turned to a woman on the spot. He (or she) remained female for seven years, until he (or she) happened to again encounter a pair of coupling snakes, struck this time the male, and was restored to his (or her) former state.

Some time later, Zeus and Hera, the divine archetype of the quarreling married couple, were arguing about whether it was the man or woman who gets greater pleasure from sexual intercourse.* They decided to consult Tiresias, inasmuch as he had been both, and presumably would know the answer. Hera had declared that men got more pleasure from sex than women, but when Tiresias stated that women got nine times the pleasure, she was enraged and vengefully struck him blind. This time, it was Zeus who gave Tiresias the compensation of prophecy, being unable to undo his wife's act.

There is ample room in these stories for speculation on such themes as the battle of the sexes, man against nature and the psychology of the ancient Greeks, but these are only the cultural cloak for a profound, mystical symbolism. It is easily grasped in the first version: Tiresias, glimpsing the divine presence unveiled, indeed being touched by the divine presence, becomes blind to the outer world. One who has seen the beauty of the inner world cares no more for the illusion of the outer — but he is more sensitive, not less, and Tiresias' gifts testify to this.

Curiously, the second version tells the same story, though in a slightly different fashion. To anyone interested in such matters, the image of a male and female snake entwined immediately suggests the channels of energy spiraling up the spine, known to yogis and Sufis as Ida and Pingala, or the lunar and solar, or the receptive and expressive forces. Striking the female, Tiresias became that, or in other words, put his breath in that channel. Subsequently striking the male, he opened that channel, and then had both channels open. When both channels of the breath are open and unite in the seat of wisdom, known as the third eye, the mystic is in ecstasy; the seeker forgets himself in God-consciousness. In other words, the tale of the snakes is another way of saying that Tiresias stood before the Divine Presence, and the result was the same — blindness to the outer world, and an awareness of the inner which poured forth as prophecy.

The story of Tiresias is not only a wonderful distillation of truth, but it also shows us that wisdom is known in every culture, hidden in symbols appropriate to the time and place.

Wisdom is neither eastern nor western. It is not exclusive to churches, mosques, nor even Sufi temples, though it is the source of every faith and aspiration. It is everywhere, hidden in every form and every being, waiting patiently to be discovered. But those who have been true to their own aspiration, and looked into the depths of their own hearts first will have more success in seeing the light of wisdom elsewhere.

* I leave it to the reader to surmise how this argument started

1988 volume 1. Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. "Science and Psychology"

1988-01-28T14:20:00.000+03:00

The day when science and psychology will come to a certain understanding, on that day, knowledge will become complete. But when I say psychology, I mean psychology in the sense that 7 mean, not in the sense as is understood by most others. For that psychology which is known as a new philosophy is still in its primitive condition. What I mean by psychology is that which bridges material science with esotericism.

In order to get further in this subject I should mention first that the names 'matter' and 'spirit' are for our convenience. As far as we perceive life as something tangible we call it matter. And what is not as tangible as a substance, but perceivable, then that we call spirit, the knowledge of which we call psychology. But esotericism is that knowledge which is gained not by perception, not by tangibility of substance, but by revelation. And so we can divide the three different aspects of science in these names: science, psychology, esotericism. Science cannot be complete without psychology, nor can psychology be complete without esotericism. It is these three that make knowledge complete. And it is by these that one can hope to understand life more fully.

There is a vast field of knowledge in the realm of psychology. The knowledge of imagination, and the same turning into thought; the knowledge of feeling and the same turning into emotion; the knowledge of passion and the same turning into expression; the knowledge of impulse and its outlet; the knowledge of impulse and its suppression; the knowledge of attraction and the knowledge of its contrary effect; sympathy and antipathy, their origin and source, all these belong to psychology. Therefore psychology is a knowledge of tangible things, yet not of solid things that one can touch. And therefore it is more difficult to explain the laws of psychology in words than explaining the laws of the material science.

A perception must be developed in order to understand psychology better. It is the understanding of a law working behind the screen which is real psychology. It is the understanding of cause and effect in everything, in every action, in every aspect. And it is a stepping-stone towards esotericism, because it is a psychological attitude which leads one to esoteric knowledge. If a person cannot see the truth of esotericism or mysticism it is because he is backward in psychology. If a person is not able to see the hidden law he will not be able to see that hidden love which is called in the Scripture, 'God.' Esotericism therefore is a process of learning quite contrary to the process by which science is learnt. For science is learnt by analysis; esotericism is obtained by synthesis. If a person, while wanting to obtain esoteric knowledge turns things into bits, he is analysing them. As long as he is analysing them, he will never come to the understanding of esotericism.

Psychology needs two things: analysing and synthesizing. And by understanding psychology better, when one has accustomed oneself to synthesize as well as to analyse, then he prepares himself to synthesize only, in order to understand esotericism more fully.

Therefore acquiring esoteric knowledge is quite different from acquiring the knowledge of science. It is like going to the North for acquiring one thing, and going to the South for acquiring another thing. The ancient people therefore made the knowledge of science, of psychology and of esotericism as one knowledge, and they called it alchemy. And it was very convenient to explain to the simple person. They said: turning steel into gold. Therefore many who sought gold in life, they went into the pursuit of learning this alchemy. And some who went to the end, instead of finding gold, they became gold.

There is a story told in the East, which explains this idea in an interesting form. A king was anxious to find some man who really knew alchemy. Many came, but upon examination it was found that they could not make gold. In the end, someone told the king that there was in a village a person living who was simple, most unassuming, but it was said that he had the knowledge of alchemy. The king sent for him immediately, and he was brought in the presence of the monarch. When he was brought to the court, the king expressed his wish to learn alchemy. And the king told him whatever he might ask for it will be given to him.

"No," said the man, "I do not know any such thing as you ask."

The king said, "Everyone told me, everyone said that you are the person who knows it."

"No, King," he said. "You have found the wrong person. I am not the person who knows it."

"Look here," said the king, "I am going to sentence you to spend your whole life in prison."

The man said, "Whatever you wish to do, you may do. You have found the wrong person for what you want."

"Well," said the king, "I will give you six weeks in prison to think. At the end of the six weeks, I am going to have you put to death."

The man was put in prison. And every morning the king came to the prison and said, "Now have you changed your mind? Can you teach me? Now death is approaching, take care, give that knowledge to me."

And the man said, "No, King, go to someone else who has what you want. I am not the person you are seeking for."

And at night, every night, the king went as a porter and swept the floor and dusted the room, and took food for him and sympathized with him, and did everything he could do for him as a servant. The king asked him, "Is your head aching? Can I do something for you? Are you tired? Can I make your bed for you to lie down? Shall I fan you to sleep? It is warm, it is hot!" Everything that a person could do he did at that time.

And so days passed, and then one day remained. The next day was appointed for this man to be beheaded. The king visited him, and told him, "Now you see there is only one day remaining before your death. And this is your last opportunity to save your life."

The man said, "No, King, you are looking for someone else, not for me." But that night, when the porter came, this man put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Poor man, poor porter, you are so sympathetic, I will whisper in your ears a word, a word of alchemy, and that alchemy will change you from steel to gold."

The porter said, "I do not know what you say, alchemy. I only know to serve you. And I am only sorry that tomorrow you will be beheaded. That is the one thing that tears my heart. I only wish that I could give my life to save yours. I would be most thankful."

The alchemist said, "It is better for me to die rather than give alchemy to the unworthy. It is the same thing which I give you just now in sympathy, in appreciation, in love, which I do not give to that king, who will tomorrow take my life. Why is it? It is because you deserve it. The king does not deserve." Then he whispered in his ears the secret words, and instead of making gold, he became gold.

In the morning the king came to give him a last warning. He said, "Now here is your last chance. The moment has come when you must be beheaded."

The man said, "No, no."

The king said, "Yes, you have already given me."

The man said, "Did I give you? I did not give to the king, I gave to the porter."

This beautiful story gives us an insight into the idea. That process through which the king went as a porter, it is that process through which the knowledge of esotericism is to be gained. The other process, when the king demanded, that was not the right way of acquiring that knowledge. That knowledge never comes through that process.

The difficulty of esoteric knowledge at the present time is only this, that man trained in science is not yet capable of attaining to the esoteric knowledge, unless he goes through the process of psychological knowledge. In order to enter the gates of mysticism the first thing for man to understand is what feeling is, what service is, what sympathy is, what sincerity is. It is a great fault of learning today that the sentimental side, which is the most important side, is kept apart. It is like wanting a person to come, but not with his life, but as a corpse. In order to educate a person, it is as if the life should be taken out of him, and he should be turned from a living person to a dead one. Therefore we find the death of heroism, therefore we find the death of idealism, therefore we find the death of souls who have made impressions upon humanity and which have lasted for thousands and thousands of years.

What is to be revived in the present generation is the capacity of feeling. It is the thinking which is developed today, but not the feeling, and only after feeling comes seeing. And it is this seeing which is known in the English word, 'seer.'

Q: What is the best way in education to develop that feeling in children?

A: I think people at home are more responsible for it than at school, because this is the first work of home. But if, at home, such education is given and at school it is spoiled, then of course there is an inharmony. For instance, I will give you an example. When the children were quarreling over one another's toys, a nurse told the children, "You must keep your toy, you must not take away the toy of another child." The nurse taught them, "No, each of you has your own. The one has no right to touch the toys of the other." It was just, but it was not love. Then another one came who knew about it and who said to each child, "No, all the toys belong to all of you. And the best thing is to give one's toys to the other, that you play with each other's toys. Do you not like to see your brother or sister playing with your toy? You ought to be delighted to see that your brother or sister is playing with it." Well, that is the feeling that must be developed. This crude way in which sometimes people want to work up high ideals by troubling and fighting, that is not the way. The best way is the way of love, of harmony, of sympathy. And for that, feeling must be developed instead of thought. The present generation has made a great advancement in thought. But that is not enough. Now what is needed is the battery which stands behind thought, and that is feeling.

1988 Volume 1. In Search of Murshid's Words

1988-01-27T14:08:00.000+03:00

Many have been inspired by the lectures of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, as published in the orange volumes and elsewhere. It is not generally recognized, however, that these lectures were recorded in notes taken at the time and immediately after by dedicated mureeds. The notes were later set down and published, but in the transcription and editing, it was possible for the sense to drift somewhat from Murshid's original meaning — and if the sense remained, it was even easier for the music of Murshid's thought to be changed. For some years, though, the Biographical Department, now under the guidance of Munira van Voorst van Beest, has been diligently reconstructing the lectures and classes through a careful comparison of all the material available. The result is a new series of annotated works, "Complete Works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, Original Texts: Lectures on Sufism." The first volume in the series, "1923 II: July-September," was published this year. These sample pages give some idea of the tremendous work involved in combing through the often handwritten recollections of an event more than sixty years old.

Sirdar's handwritten text, probably copied from his own longhand record.

Suresnes, July 5th, 1923

Address to My Mureeds.1

There are certain things2 most necessary in working for the Cause. The first thing is to keep in mind that our service is for the world and not for a3 section of humanity, and therefore whatever be the particular part of the worker in the scheme of the working of the4 Movement, we5 must keep before ourselves6 the thought that we are working for the whole of human- ity,7 and in the work,8 that9 we are performing our particular part.

10The workers must understand the value of the saying that "life is an11 opportunity." Every moment that is wasted by not making the use12 of the opportunity, is lost; it will never come again.

Therefore13 be on the look-out, that we may not lose the14 opportunity of rendering our service to the Cause which is our sacred ideal.

The thing which is most necessary to consider in the working for our Cause, is to try and understand15 the psychology of the crowd and so to act fittingly in all different situations.

It must be understood by us16 to act with such a hope and courage that no thought of pessimistic nature may enter into17 our minds, to keep them18 away as a germ of decay, absolutely trusting in that19 eternal truth, that success is Truth and Truth is success.

We must know that the Message of Cod will be fulfilled, for it must be fulfilled, and we must think in contributing our service20 to the Message, it is our life's privilege, and we must do everything in our power to avail ourselves of the privilege of serving God and humanity.

Notes:

1. The text of a tp. copy by Sk. Is the same as Sr. In Gd.hwr. a somewhat modified version under the heading "For the Use of the Workers of the Movement" apparently was meant for multiplication and spreading among a group of mureeds.
2. Added: "that the workers of the Movement must realize, which are"
3. "one" instead of "a"
4. "the" changed into "our"
5. "he" Instead of "we"
6. "him" Instead of "ourselves"
7. "world" instead of "of humanity"
8. "work-world" instead of "work"
9. "that" omitted
10. Added: "Secondly"
11. "the" instead of "a"
12. "the best" instead of "the use"
13. Added: "to"
14. "lose no" instead of "may not lose the"
15. Added: "human psychology, the psychology of the Individual and"
16. Omitted this first part of the sentence
17. "in" Instead of "Into"
18. "It" instead of "them"
19. "the" Instead of "that"
20. "services" instead of "service"

From the list in the same book, "Explanation of Abbreviations"

Gd.hwr. version shows the following differences:
Sirdar = Sirdar van Tuyll, an early Dutch mureed
tp. = typewritten
Sk. = Sakina Furnee, later named 'Nekhbakht' by Pir-o-Murshid. She was
one of his secretaries and she took down in shorthand the main part of his teaching.
Gd.hwr. = handwriting of Sherifa Goodenough, who became a Murshida in August '23.

1988 Volume 1. 'Sharda Pirani Ameena-Begum Ora-Ray Inayat Khan. "O Beloved..."

1988-01-26T21:51:00.000+03:00

Poems from Thy Rosary of a Hundred Beads, a collection of poems written 'To Daya, Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan', by 'Sharda Pirani Ameena-Begum Ora-Ray Inayat Khan', after Murshid's death.

In India

Far across the seas to the land divine
Where mystery reigns supreme,
God carrieth there each thought of mine
And every wondrous dream.

Under warm sun, in a golden tomb,
Resteth Thy beautiful form,
Midst the fragrant roses that round Thee bloom,
Sheltered from wind and storm,

With unceasing peace for many an age,
O holy One, Thou art blest,
Numberless souls to pay Thee homage,
And kneel at Thy feet to rest.

When Thou Wert Near

What need had I for the light of the day
Or the moon in the night to lead the way,
O Beloved, when Thou wert near?

What need had I for the summer's warmth
Or the cooling breezes swaying forth,
O Beloved, when Thou wert near?

What need had I for a bright sunny morn
Or the shining stars, the dark sky adorn,
O Beloved, when Thou wert near?

What need had I for the showers of rain?
The fruits and the flowers Thou didst sustain,
O Beloved, when Thou wert near.

O Death

O Death, my comforter art Thou,
The healer of my wounds enow,
Thy yielding glance do I beseech
And for Thy soothing hand I reach.

1 yearn for Thee, years pass me by,
Thou contest not, but from my cry
I hear an echo o'er the hill, “A sacred duty first fulfill.”

1988 Volume 1. Ameen Carp. "Brotherhood"

1988-01-26T00:38:00.000+03:00

Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan designated the activity of brotherhood as one of the main activities of the Sufi Movement. While the Universal Worship expresses the devotional side of the Sufi Movement, and the universal ideal of one religion with many expressions, and the esoteric school gives the pupil the necessary training in the unfoldment of the spiritual potential within him, the brotherhood is the expression of love and respect for the fellow beings with whom we share our life on earth. Murshid Inayat Khan often said, 'What does it help if we achieve mastery, but keep it to ourselves?' His teaching, like that of the great Sufi masters before him, always was: live in the world, accept life with all its duties and responsibilities, but yet be not of the world. Be part of the world, but be not attached to it.

The vision our Master has given to us is of the brotherhood of man in the fatherhood of God. We are not here on earth by chance and we are not only linked with each other by family relationship and friendship, or perhaps a certain comradeship working for a certain ideal. The concept of brotherhood in the Sufi vision of life goes deeper; the Sufis see life on earth as an opportunity given to the soul to be awakened to full consciousness of its divine origins and divine goal. Whether the soul grasps this opportunity depends on the intensity of its longing for reunion with its maker. The more the light of the soul starts to radiate, the more it will attract other souls. The more it becomes conscious of its task, the more it will be aware of the needs of others, realizing that they are on the same path.

In others the seeker recognizes the same light, the same spirit, the same longing, the same origin, the same goal. And in them he will gradually recognize the same divine manifestation that he himself is. God manifesting in man, as God manifests in animals, plants, minerals, planets, the sun, the moon, the infinite space and the infinitely small.

As love grows in the disciple's heart a need is felt to express it freely to all who are near: wife husband, parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, friends; then to further acquaintances, sick people, the elderly, those in need, to neighbours, and to strangers. Then even to those who offend us, criticize us, make life disagreeable. Is love not capable of forgiving those who offend? The circle covered by our growing love increases when our love grows.

In the service of brotherhood, one gives of oneself spontaneously, not asking for a return, nor even thinking about it. One gives because the urge is there to give, one gives service because the longing is there to be of service.

What can we do as Sufis to make this activity of brotherhood a reality? While the Universal Worship, the Inner School and the Healing are well defined, the brotherhood does not have a defined structure: the goal is there, the ideal is there, but the path and the duties one must find oneself. Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan often said in his addresses to world brotherhood workers that he wanted his disciples to work for the prisoners, the sick, the people in need, but no outline was given how to deal with it. This is understandable, because in each country the regulations to visit prisoners are different, the rules to visit sick and elderly people are different.

We are left quite free to develop out our own ways of doing this brotherhood work. Our longing to serve will sooner or later open doors. Our willingness to share that which we have found will blossom in beautiful new contacts. Our desire to be of help will overcome barriers, will surmount resistances, will take away reservations.

We should feel the warmth of the familyhood of mankind. Brothers and sisters we are. All hindrances, limitations, imperfections, differences must go and will disappear once we have decided that we wish to serve.

It is good to contact other Sufis on our travels and learn from them how they work. By sharing experiences we benefit from what another has learned and vice versa. Besides, it is good to discover that there is somehow a network of dedicated workers for brotherhood all over the world. We can easily find the names and addresses in other towns and countries, by asking the national or international secretariat.

Then it is good to discover what other people regard as precious, as holy. Their beliefs, their traditions, their goals are as important as ours. Do not stay in your own corner, but discover the world and come and see how many sided God's manifestation is — and how one!
Then, by sharing meals with strangers, by sharing discomfort, by struggling with foreign languages, customs and beliefs, we discover that we are not different, but fundamentally one. That is the path of brotherhood!

In thinking positively of another, by sending loving thoughts, warm kind feelings, by wanting to share, to serve, to give, we contribute to the family of man, God's family.
Brothers and sisters, the more you think about this expression, and experience it consciously, the more the brotherhood of man in the fatherhood of God becomes a reality. You pray for it, you work for it, you find your destination in it.

May the Message of God spread far and wide, illuminating and. making the whole humanity as one single brotherhood in the Fatherhood of God.