September 28, 2010

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN - The Prophet Mohammed On The Seclusion of Women


From Sacred Readings From The Gathas, Hazrat Inayat Khan:
Superstitions Customs and Beliefs
1:9 The custom of the Seclusion of Women (1)

The custom of the seclusion of the mystics remains only in the mystical Orders, but one finds the seclusion of women prevelant in the East. when a custom takes root in a section of society it certainly can be used and abused a s people may choose. No doubt jealousy, which in human nature is a proof of love, can be the source of a great many crimes. Man  has always guarded the treasures that he values most and, since that which a man can love most is a woman, he has often through ignorance tried to guard her in the same way as all things of value and importance. The custom of seclusion has been in his hand a means that has enabled him to control his household in the manner he likes.

However, it is not true that this custom was the outcome of the teaching of the Prophet. There are only two places in the records where an utterance of the Prophet on the subject is to be found. In one place it is told that, when some coarse dancing was taking place among the peasants of his land, he said that women must be properly clad; in the other, that when the ladies of the Prophet's houshold were returning home after taking care of the Prophet and his army during a battle, they did not wish to look at the battlefirel and to show themselves to their enemies. The only advice that the Prophet gave was that now that peace had been made, if they did not like to show themselves, they might veil their faces.

Home is the miniature of the state, and if woman performs a part equally important at home, why must she not perform an equally important part in the outward life? No doubt these ancient customs, (i.e. the seclusion of women) even with their psychological importance, often make an iron bar before the progress of the generality.



*photo 80th Urs of Hazrat Inayat Khan, at his Dargah,
The Basti, New Delhi, India 2007

September 17, 2010

Sufism is the only tool which could retain peace in the world: Israel Ambassador in Ajmer

Dearest Family,

May All Love Surround You!

Thought some of us might not have seen this.... 

About Sufism, as spoken by the Israel Ambassador, while visiting the Darga of Moinuddin Chisti.....

with all love,
and gratitude,
Neshamah



TNN, Sep 3, 2010, 12.04am IST
 
AJMER: Israel Ambassador to India Mark Sofer on Monday evening offered a chadder' at the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddhin Chisthi here.  He also particiapted in the roza iftaar' organized in the dargah.
 
"From thi s place, I want to give the message that sufism is the only tool which could retain peace and harmony in the world," said the ambassador.
 
"At this time, when talks between Israel and Palastine are moving ahead in Washington, I want to clear our stand of cooperation and harmony."
 
The visit of the ambassador is the first visit by any official of Israel to dargah in history. Talking to media persons, he said that only sufism can help to solve problems and which can help us to grow together. "Judaism and Islam are basically sister religions and both teach us love and peace. The sufi is found in both religions and even the kabbalah system is found in Judaism," said Sofer.
 
Talking on terrorism, Sofer said that people who are dying in these terrorist attacks all over the world are mostly Muslims. "Those who are spreading terror and deaths are not Muslims." Osama Bin Laden is not a Muslim but is extremist and terrorist," added Sofer.
 
"India is a big country and people living here are Indians whether Muslim or Hindu or Sikh."  In 26/11, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs were killed and this cannot be an act of any Muslim...  "We cannot blame any community for spreading terrorism."
 
On terror threats on Chabads -- the community centre of Israel -- in India, he said that this is the concern of Indian government.  He said that in 26/11 and in Pune bomb blast, Indians were killed in numbers.  Sofer was welcomed by Anjuman -- an organization of khadims and he wrote in his message that he wanted and pray for peace and har mony in Pakistan, Afghanistan and in South Asia. He wrote that he wanted that the message of Sufism spread in the world. He was also delighted to come to the dargah.
 
Talking on India-Israel relations, he said that Israel is bringing irrigation technology to Rajasthan and there are talks over treatment of saline water in the state. "Two companies of Israel have MoUs with Rajasthan government to improve the dairy farming.  "Rajasthan is mostly arid and the major problem is water. The technology can help us to improve the situation," he said.
 
"The work of government of different countries is not only to deal politically but also to see that somehow the life of human beings improve by cooperation," he said.

Source. . .
http://tinyurl.com/SufismPeace







__

September 14, 2010

Hazrat Inayat Khan-- The Prayer For Peace - - Temple Murad Hasil, Katwijk, NL

Send Thy peace, O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting, that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may think, act and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may be contented and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that amidst our worldly strife we may enjoy Thy bliss.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may endure all, tolerate all in the thought of Thy grace and mercy. Send Thy peace, O Lord, that our lives may become a divine vision, and in Thy light
all darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, our Father and Mother, that we Thy children on Earth may all unite in one family.

September 13, 2010

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN - We Begin The Second Hundred Years -- What Is This Message, the 'Cause' Of The Day? - - In Honor of Hejirat Day

The Religion of the Heart

from Religious Gatheka #1 by Hazrat Inayat Khan



If anybody asks you, "What is Sufism? What religion is it?", you may answer:

"Sufism is the religion of the heart, the religion in which the most important thing is to seek God in the heart of mankind."

There are three ways of seeking God in the human heart. The first way is to recognize God the divine in every person, and to care for every person with whom we come in contact, in our thought, speech, and action. Human personality is very delicate. The more living the heart the more sensitive it is; that which causes sensitivity is the love element in the heart, and love is God. The person whose heart is not sensitive is without feeling; his heart is not living, but dead. In that case the divine spirit is buried in his heart.

A person who is always concerned with his own feelings is so absorbed in himself that he has no time to think of another. His whole attention is taken up with his own feelings: he pities himself, worries about his own pain, and is never open to sympathize with others. He who takes notice of the feeling of another person with whom he comes in contact practices the first essential moral of Sufism.

The next way of practicing this religion is to think of the feeling of the person who is not at the moment before us. One feels for a person who is present, but one often neglects to feel for someone who is out of sight. One speaks well of someone to his face, but if one speaks well of someone when he is absent, that is greater. One sympathizes with the trouble of someone who is before one at the moment, but it is greater to sympathize with one who is far away.

The third way of realizing the Sufi principle is to recognize in one's own feeling the feeling of God, and to realize every impulse that rises in one's heart as a direction from God. Realizing that love is a divine spark in one's heart, one blows that spark until a flame may rise to illuminate the path of one's life.

The symbol of the Sufi Order, which is a heart with wings, is symbolic of its ideal. The heart is both earthly and heavenly. The heart is a receptacle on earth of the divine spirit, and when it holds the divine spirit it soars heavenward; the wings picture its rising. The crescent in the heart symbolizes responsiveness; it is the heart that responds to the spirit of God that rises. The crescent is a symbol of responsiveness because it grows fuller by responding more and more to the sun as it progresses. The light one sees in the crescent is the light of the sun. It gets more light with increasing response, so it becomes fuller of the light of the sun. The star in the heart of the crescent represents the divine spark reflected in the human heart as love, which helps the crescent toward its fullness.

The Sufi Message is the message of the day. It does not bring theories or doctrines to add to those already existing, which puzzle the human mind. What the world needs today is the message of love, harmony, and beauty, the absence of which is the only tragedy of life. The Sufi Message does not give a new law. It wakens in humanity the spirit of brotherhood, with tolerance on the part of each for the religion of the other, and with forgiveness from each for the fault of the other. It teaches thoughtfulness and consideration, so as to create and maintain harmony in life; it teaches service and usefulness, which alone can make life in the world fruitful and in which lies the satisfaction of every soul.
 

photo: Hazrat Inayat Khan,

Courtesy Archives Sufi Movement

September 12, 2010

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN - - - In Honor of Hejirat Day In Honor of Hejirat Day

SANGATHA II

Wasiat, Precept

The Prophetic Mission

The prophetic mission has had in all ages difficulties and trials to go through. It was not only that the Masters had to go through difficulties and trials, but also those who sincerely followed them and stood for the Cause. One reads in the life of Jesus Christ how it began with trials and difficulties, how the youth of the Master had been full of trials and difficulties, and they who followed him, what difficulties they had. The same thing happened at the time of Moses.

It was so also at the time of Mohammed. The difficulties had no end and how his pupils and defenders sacrificed their lives one reads in his life.

His most sincere devotee, Ali, on hearing that there was a plot made by his adversaries to assassinate him on a certain night, managed to get the Prophet away that night from home, and he slept in the bed of the Prophet that evening, that any danger that was to come on the Prophet he might take on himself.

And the bravery that the Prophet had shown at different times, that gives the proof what the prophetic mission means, and the pictures of its difficulties and trials.

Three times Mohammed was exiled from Mecca, and among those folk, his relatives and the lives of many devoted followers of the Prophet were sacrificed in this struggle. For they did not want to have one person left in Mecca who believed in the Message. They did not exile only Mohammed, but all his pupils, and not one single paper of his writings might be left in Mecca.

One day in exile, on the way, they heard the noise of many horses coming; and the Prophet had one disciple with him and there was a party of riders following them in order to assassinate the Prophet. When they heard they sat behind a large rock, but Siddiq, the pupil of the Prophet, was trembling. He said, "But they are many." The Prophet said, "And what are we?" The pupil said, "We are only two." "No," said the Prophet, "We are three, I, you, and God."

With this courage and strength the Prophet endured the struggle that the prophetic mission brought in his life. And do not think that Buddha or Krishna went smoothly through their prophetic lives and had no struggles; there were wars and battles and troubles of all sorts.

The Message in Our Time

Now, when we come to the Message which it has been the destiny of the Sufi Movement to give and spread, it has not less difficulties, it has difficulties of its own kind. In many ways the difficulties are similar, the difficulties with friends and the difficulties with foes. And therefore if we shall say that history repeats itself, it will never be an exaggeration. But at the same time we see that during all the times whenever the prophetic Message was given to the world there have been real sincere friends who have proved to be so during all difficulties and trials, whose names have been engraved in the history of the religion of the world, having stood through all difficulties and trials which have fallen upon the prophets, and after thousands of people came and turned their back to the prophet, they have not so, they have stuck.

When Jesus Christ was asked, "What is the evidence of your prophecy?" he said, "The devotion of my disciples." He did not say that it was his power of miracle or his qualification that was the evidence. No, for it is the friend of God who is the friend of his disciples, and that friendship, as my Murshid has once said, the friendship in the path of Truth and God, is greater than any friendship in the world. I should be very happy and I am happy to feel that among my mureeds there are some souls whom I can count upon in my times of difficulties and trials. I have not the slightest doubt about this.

But there is something which I should like to bring to the minds of my mureeds, and that is the importance of every moment of our lives in the world, how precious and invaluable is every moment of our lives, since we are blessed to strive in the path of serving God and humanity in giving the Sufi Message. We cannot, therefore, put off something which we can do today until tomorrow.

The Present Need

And now the greatest need that we have before us is the need of workers. Some of my mureeds may perhaps feel, "There are some who have already a charge given, it is their duty to work. We are only simple mureeds, why should we work hard? Perhaps when we shall be appointed to some certain work, then we will do it." But they must not think like this, they must know that, whatever be their position in life, if they at all intend to serve the Cause, they can serve it in some way or other.

And if they only know the greatest need of serving the Cause at the moment when it has come as an answer to the cry of humanity, and if they only knew every moment that is being lost, what loss it is, they would feel in the same way as I feel very often, my heart full of anxiety and eagerness for the way that the Movement is progressing and spreading. If I see this and at the same time the work that we have to accomplish, I cannot help being very much discouraged. If it was not for my trust in God and in His Message, it would have been most difficult for me to carry on the work. And now every day the time of the Message is becoming more precious, and I wish that my mureeds will remember that saying that "Life is an opportunity," and if this opportunity is lost, that which will be accomplished will be accomplished, but that privilege is lost.

Remember that I do not ask of my mureeds to give as a return for all they receive their service to the Cause, because that would be commerce, that would be business; but I wish that such mureeds who really have sympathy, devotion, feeling for their Murshid and the Cause, that they should understand how best they can be serviceable to the Cause. Imagine, there is one Murshid and a Message to be given to the whole world, how many places will he go to, one person limited in a physical body? Do you, then, not think that we want several speakers in our Movement?

The Need for Speakers

It is very easy for a person to say, "Well, I do not think that I have a gift of speaking, I cannot help it." All comes with belief. When you have the belief that you can speak, you can speak. When you trust in what Murshid says, when Murshid says, "Go and speak," that is enough for you. When the Prophet said, "Go and defend the Message," they went with their swords and risked their lives. If Murshid says, "Go before the people and speak of the Message," it is perhaps not so very difficult as going with a sword and fighting.

We ought to be thankful that today there is no need of taking sword, but at the same time the sword of words is necessary. Besides that, we want people to be engaged in translating the different books and Gathekas and different literature, that they may be heard by those who do not understand the English language. Then there are others who have some social influence; they, in their own society, among their friends, can spread the interest, in order that the Message may take root in the heart of people of their class. I shall be going out in different countries, I shall need some people to go and create interest. I will need some people, after I have given the Message to gather people together, form a group and to continue the work there.

I do not mean to say that you should all leave all your home responsibilities and activities in order to give all your time to the Message. Some of you may be able to do it, some not. But in some way or the other all my mureeds can help. If only they thought that their help is needed and badly needed, at this time when the Message should spread through the whole world. Now, for instance, I may be going to Italy, there may be some among you who may to going there too; I may be going perhaps to the North of Europe, may be that some of you may be going there. If it happens that you go before my going, you may, by visiting that place, create interest, so that I will have a facility when I shall be there; and perhaps you may be there at the time that I shall be there.

Holding the Atunement

You can be so useful to me in a place where there is nobody. Some of you may be staying after I have visited the place. You can always keep that gathering intact as long as you are there, and then give it in the hands of someone else. Then, besides this, one can always do something with one's friends; the one who wishes to serve the Cause, has every chance doing things for it. When travelling in the trains one can do so much, making a voyage in the ship one can do a great work. It all depends upon the idea that the Message must be given to any part of the world.

And I am sure if for one moment you gave thought to what difficulty it must have been in the life of the Murshid to have brought the Sufi Message to the point where it is now, something which was not known in the Western world -- have I not spoken before three people for six months continually? Have I not gone where people have called me, whether appreciative or not, poor or rich, to spread the Message when there was no trace of our Sufi Movement, no organization, no one knew, no friends except God? Even this feeling can create in your heart that sympathy for your Murshid. And now the time has come that your devotion can best be expressed in serving the Cause.

September 11, 2010

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN -While I Was Roaming Through The Forest - - In Honor of Hejirat Day In Honor of Hejirat Day


While I was roaming through the forest, a thorn pricked my bare foot and cried, "Ah, you have crushed me." 
I felt sorry and I asked its forgiveness. 

A wasp flying in the air stung my arm and cried, "Ah, you have caught me in your sleeve." 
I felt sorry and I asked its forgiveness. 

My foot slipped and I fell in a pool of muddy water. The water cried, "Ah, you have disturbed me." 
I felt sorry and I asked its forgiveness. 

I absently happened to touch a burning fire, and the fire cried, "Ah, you have extinguished me." 
I felt sorry and I asked its forgiveness. 

I asked my gentle self, "Have you received any harm?" 
Be thankful," said she, "that is was not worse."

photo: Murshid in Sufi Garden
Courtesy of the Sufi Movement


September 10, 2010

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN - THE MYSTERY OF BREATH - Come Take A Glass Of Wine With A Mystic - - In Honor of Hejirat Day In Honor of Hejirat Day

Volume VII - In an Eastern Rose Garden

THE MYSTERY OF BREATH

To a mystic the subject of breath is the deepest of all the subjects with which mysticism or philosophy is concerned, because breath is the most important thing in life. The very life of man is breath. He lives in the presence of breath, and in the absence of breath man is called a corpse. After death the organs of the body are just the same as before; the only thing that is lacking is breath.

Breath is that within ourselves which keeps all the parts of the body in connection with one another, working together, depending upon one another; it is that which enables man to move, to put his muscles into action, to keep the whole mechanism of the body at work. There is no other force or power concerned with all this than the power of breath.

Mystics know that it is regularity of breath that brings good health; that irregularity of breath is the cause of all illness. Many teachers and students of physical culture know that it is not the exercises and practices of this culture that cause the muscles to develop, that impart strength and vigor to the body. They know, as did the ancient mystics in India, that it is a matter of the breath. To practice for one moment with the help of the breath will do more than a whole day's exercises carried on without considering the help of the breath. In the latter case the muscles cannot be developed, whereas in the former case the physical body is easily developed with little physical practice. That this is true, is easily shown by looking at the porters at railway-stations in India. If physical labor were the only thing needed to develop muscles, would they not all be veritable Sandows?1

In India we can study particularly well how men work with heavy things. Sometimes a man will carry on his shoulder a burden that it would ordinarily be impossible for a man of his physique to carry. Yet such a man cannot only lift it, but he will walk with it. And when one watches him one will find that the secret lies in his way of breathing. If he did not breathe correctly he could not possibly carry such a weight over the shortest distance. There was in India a man called Rama Muti. He could lift elephants and stop motorcars running at speed. When this man, who was not extraordinary in build, was asked where he got his gigantic strength, for he looked like an ordinary human being, not like a monster, he said, 'You know, and yet you do not know. The secret lies in the breath, which is all power.'

As man cannot see it he does not believe in the possibility of breath giving power. He attaches importance only to the things he can see hear and touch. He is so material that he cannot see anything beyond what his physical eyes are able to see. He is like a blind person who can only feel and not see. He cannot see that strength is something greater than a rock. How difficult it is for a man to perceive the truth of the Bible saying, which says that faith will remove mountains. He thinks that mountains are stronger than faith. He wonders how faith can be stronger than the rocks and the mountains. Man cannot lift the mass of a mountain; surely the mountain is stronger than faith! The idea is too subtle, too fine for him to understand.

And it is the same with all other fine and subtle things in life. So much more importance is given to the study of the material sciences, while the spiritual, the higher knowledge, is neglected. More importance is always given to the development of bodily strength. Therefore, when a man goes to the seaside, often the first thing he does is weigh himself, so he can find out how many pounds he has gained during his holiday. He never thinks how little time it will take to lose all the pounds again. The weight he has gained at the seaside he will lose again. He does not understand that it is energy that makes a person move and feel active and in good health, not the bodily weight. Is it not true that the addition of weight to the body makes him feel lazy and comfort seeking, and often results in illness? And yet how pleased how many people are when they have gained in weight!

Then we consider the mind, we find that breath has to do with mind also. The mystic knows that the breath which we perceive by inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils is not the essential breath, but only the result of a current which runs not only through the body, but also through all the planes of man's existence. That which the nostrils feel is the result of the activity of breath. Were it not so we could not explain how the mind, which is so much vaster and finer than the body, and is a separate element, can possibly exert an effect on the body, and the body on the mind.

Every passion, every emotion has its effect upon the mind; and every change of mind, however slight, has its effect upon a man's body. Physicians in all ages have recognized that consumption is often the outcome of constant worry.

What keeps mind and body connected? What keeps the mind always active? What gives the mind its vigor to create imaginations, to create thoughts, and not only to create them but to retain them by the faculty we call memory, to keep the knowledge gained by the faculty we call reason, to possess emotions, which can sometimes be felt and sometimes not felt? Where does the mind keep all these things? What force can it be that is behind them all? Is it not the breath? That is why the mystic studies and realizes and masters the breath, in order to master not only the physical body but also the mind.

From the mystical point of view, it is evident, that there is some strength, some current, some affinity, which runs through and binds together all the trees and plants in a forest, and which also causes the desert to be without them; which causes the coal-mine to have coal, the gold-mine to have gold, the sulphur-mine to have sulphur in them. This strength, or force, draws all these elements together.

So it is too with the tides of the sea. It accounts for the waters running in the same direction, where at first they tended towards the south, the east, the west, or the north; it accounts for the surface of the waves keeping a rhythm. Wherever we look, be it the changes of the seasons, the changes of the weather, or even the constant circles which the earth describes on its journey, all these show the same underlying current, the current of the whole of nature, which is the real breath. The whole universe is going on with a certain rhythm; there is a current, which keeps the whole universe going. It is one breath, and yet it is many breaths.

There is a tide which has a cycle of forty days, and a tide which has a cycle of seven days, and another of thirty days; and yet at every moment waves are rising and falling. There is a wave under the wave, and a wave over the wave. There is a tide that turns twice a day, and also a tide, which turns once a month. So is it with breath: one breath, and yet many breaths.

Then consider how the trees keep together. One tree, and yet its branches and its fruits and its flowers all turn in different directions. Every branch takes a different direction, and yet all keep together. What is it that directs the vigor and the strength of one branch and not the others in that direction, for they are all attached to the same tree-stem? Is it not that life-current which runs through it that directs their ways? As long as it runs through a tree it produces fruit and flowers.

So it is with animals and birds and man. The same current of life runs through all. Man is the ideal being, as the scripture says. He is ideal because intelligence is given to him to perceive the secret of this breath, whereas from animals and birds it is hidden. The life of all creatures is mysterious and full of wonder, but man alone is blessed with the intelligence, which conveys the power of understanding the secret of the breath. If there is anything more lasting than our transitory life it is this, the secret of our being. It is by this that man is able to master life both here and in the hereafter.

Having understood this truth, mystics have been able to teach that the religion of all religions is the knowledge of self, for the knowledge of self brings the knowledge of life. This life-current which runs through the center of mans being, attaching mind to body and all other planes of existence as well, it is this that is all-important. It passes from man's innermost being out to the body, which is the instrument whereby man is able to experience life on the surface. When he has knowledge of this man begins to realize, 'I am not as small as I had thought, not as weak as I had thought; I am much stronger on other planes. I can live much longer than I could on the physical plane. I can see myself on all the different planes by means of that inner knowledge called the breath.'

Therefore, to the mystic breath is like a lift, a lift in which he rises up to the first floor, and then to the second, and then to the third floor, in fact wherever he wishes to go.

The mystery of the Sphinx, and the mystery of Buraq, which is mentioned in the life of the Prophet Muhammad, has to do with this. When the Prophet reached the court, or gate, of God, the Buraq was sent. The Buraq was an animal with wings, and the Prophet rode upon it in order to reach the gate of the highest heaven. He passed through gate after gate as he passed the seven heavens. In the end he arrived at he gate of the highest.

What does this allegory mean? The body of this Buraq is this physical body. The wings represent the ability of the breath to reach far and yet retain its physical connection with the body. The Prophet mounting upon its back represents any soul who treads the spiritual path. Whoever has courage, whoever has faith, whoever has confidence, whoever has trust, whoever has patience and hope and perseverance, can tread this path and make use of the vehicle of the breath.

If we read the history of the Buddha, who was a yogi, we shall find that without yoga and without spiritual meditation, which is accomplished by breath, no one in this world has ever attained spiritual perfection. The healing power of Christ, the magnetism of Muhammad, the miraculous power of Moses, the charm of Krishna and the inspiration of Buddha – all these were attained by breath. And how did they attain them if there were not a current passing between us on the earth and the source of energy, the source of power and magnetism?

Is it not plain that breath conveys even the words, which go out from our lips to the ears of the hearer? The voice is breath. The word is breath. Without breath speech cannot be produced. And yet a person may easily accept this and acknowledge that it is true that it is breath that does this, but he will not willingly believe that thought also is breath. He can see the movement of air, which arises from speech, and he wonders if it is meant that thought also causes a movement in the air. This is because he does not understand that a life-current runs through it all, and that is breath. It is easily seen when it manifests itself upon the physical plane, but on the higher planes it is not seen. Yet, it extends higher than the planes. If there is anything that connects man with God, if there is anything that connects the mortal with the immortal, it is this bridge, which we call breath. It is a bridge whereby to pass from the world of mortality to the world of immortality. It is the bridge whereby immortality passes down to mortality. That life, which seems mortal is really the ray of immortal life. What seems mortal is only the shell. It is not life that is mortal, it is the cover that makes it seem mortal.

From the time when man first perceived that there was a secret in breath, he has wanted to use his understanding of the secret in order to be able to perform wonders and reach the spirits, to master the elements, read thoughts, convey thoughts, and to perform any psychic or occult phenomena. But to seek to do these things is to give pearls to buy pebbles. How wasteful to spend life in gaining these powers when breath is the rope that takes us from this mortal plane to immortality, that saves us from the struggles and worries of this transitory life, and leads us to the happiness and joy and peace for which every soul longs! If breath can accomplish these pearls, will it not also accomplish the small things, the pebbles, the worldly needs? Yes, it will. After all, to have performed a few wonders is nothing.

One man is perhaps striving all day to earn his own bread so that he may live in a comfortable manner. Another is always worrying about how to maintain himself and his children. Another is thinking, 'What can I do to save my fellow man from his trouble?' If we compare these people, in order to see who is the greatest, we see that he is greatest whose ideal is greatest.

When we consider that great heroes of the past and present, those whom we admire and to whom we look with hope for right guidance, we shall find that what has made them great has been the greatness of their ideal. The lower the ideal, the less the efforts. The higher the ideal, the greater the life. If we use all our intelligence and strength and wisdom to accomplish some little thing, it is only a waste of life. To consider what great things one can accomplish, to seek to do those things, which will be most useful and valuable to others, that is the ideal life. The man who has earned money only to keep himself comfortable, what has he accomplished with his life? If he has just gratified his wish to roam about in a motorcar, to set up a comfortable home, to have people waiting upon him; he cannot be happy, because he has not accomplished anything with his life. He may possess many houses, he may possess much money in the bank, he may make a great name. But, it will amount to nothing in comparison with the man whose power is greater than all wealth, position, or fame. Such a man will be much happier with the small things of the world. He has gained that peace with which the pleasures and transitory joys of this earth offer no comparison.

The one life is like the lips touching a cup of delicious wine. The other life is like drinking the whole cup full of heavenly wine. What a difference between just touching the wine with the lips, and drinking it! The pleasures of life are like touching the wine. The experience of these pleasures is only like a dream, a passing joy. It comes and goes again. One longs for the joy of that little pleasure to stay. But how can it stay? Even if one tried for thousands of years, one could not keep the happiness, which is external. The only way to obtain the eternal bliss, is to do as the mystics do, and to rise by the aid of the breath from plane to plane, finding greater joy and greater happiness.

It resembles the taking of a drug. A person may sit in meditation, and dream and imagine he is very happy. A materially minded person may easily say that a meditative person hypnotizes himself into thinking he is full of joy, but is it not hypnotism when a little world of flattery pleases one, when a little silver and gold produces such a change of expression in one's countenance? The materialist, not understanding this, will laugh at the mystic and call him a dreamer, but if the mystic is a dreamer, what is the worldly man? Is he not a dreamer too? What produces the joy in these things that are of no importance? If it is good to be hypnotized by silver and gold, is it not better when the mystic is hypnotized by his divine ideal of perfection? The silver and gold will certainly be snatched away. At least the mystic's ideal of God will last.

When we consider how this life and our environment can cramp and restrict us, we understand how it is that with all our hopes we still seek solitude, try to be by ourselves, and close our eyes to all the passing things. The life and activity which are directed to experiencing the pleasures of life, the transitory sources of joy and pleasure, all fade away before that which we seek in solitude, where we strive to reach the inner and enduring things. Even if our bed is comfortable, if our house contains all the comforts that the heart can desire, the mind still goes through all manner of torments, and sleep will not come. We may take a little rest, and sit still in order to obtain peace. But the real trouble never goes. It is to drown this trouble that people take drugs and intoxicants, and lose themselves in the pursuit of common things, however undesirable. Everybody strives to obtain some remedy, which will enable him to realize the joy and pleasure and peace, which his inner life unconsciously seeks. But he cannot get it. If he tries to obtain it through drugs or intoxicants, he only becomes a slave to them. If, failing these, he seeks to gain his desire through other vices, he will never find the contentment he seeks.

Come to the mystic, then, and sit with him when you are tired of all these other remedies that you have employed in vain; come and take a glass of wine with him. The mystic wine is the inner absorption, which removes all the worries and anxieties and troubles and cares of the physical and mental plane. All these are now done away with forever. It is the mystic who is at rest. It is he who experiences that happiness which others do not experience. It is he who teaches the way to attain that peace and happiness which are the original heritage of man's soul.



Photo: Hazrat Inayat Khan,

Murshid on the Roof: Fazal Manzil

Courtesy Sufi Movement Archives