If you want God to work within you,
the truth must work within you.
If you want the truth to work,
God's qualities must work within you.
For those qualities to work,
compassion must work within you.
If you want compassion to work,
justice must work.
If you want justice to work,
conscience must work.
If you want conscience to work,
love must work.
If you want love to work,
God's qualities, speech, actions
and all that is true must work.
When those actions come into being,
God's Power will work.
When that Power works,
this is what is called wisdom:
Duty without selfishness.
Prayer without self.
Regarding the live of others
as one regards one's own life.
(M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Lovers of God
You are a Sufi when your heart is as soft and as warm as wool.
- Traditional
Sufism is a path of love. The Sufi is a traveler on the path of love, a wayfarer journeying back to God through the mysteries of the heart.
- Traditional
Sufism is a path of love. The Sufi is a traveler on the path of love, a wayfarer journeying back to God through the mysteries of the heart.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Right Attitude of the Mind
When speaking of the question of the mental development of humanity, I should like to say that what is mostly needed in these critical times in the world is the right mentality. Every kind of the generation follows the wrong mentality means the attitude of mind. Wrong mentality is the wrong attitude of mind.
It is upon attitude of mind that the life of men depends - his rise, his fall, his success, his failure, his happiness, or unhappiness, all are mostly caused by the mentality. In these times when commercialism is reigning over the world and when competition has become the central theme, when one is desirous of getting the best of another, then man sees nothing else but his own benefit for which he struggles along through life.
Now the question is what causes the wrong mentality? The wrong mentality is like an obsession, which is caused by a certain absorption in certain direction of this dense earth. If one is entirely absorbed in collecting wealth, he does not think for one moment of anything else in life. His whole mind is concentrated upon it, his every effort is directed to it. Then he knows nothing else but this object which blinds him, making him regardless of all virtues of love and beauty to his fellowmen, of righteousness, of his obligation to his dear ones, those who are near him, and his relation and duty to God.
Not only one thing, there are many such things - love of power, of rank, of position, fighting for all things of this world. When a man is fully absorbed he loses his balance. But by this it does not mean that earthly comfort, convenience or advantage is not for a man. It is all for man if he does not lose his poise over it, if he does not allow himself to be wholly absorbed in it. To have a right mentality, does not mean that a person should leave the life of this world. If he left it, it would not be the right mentality. Right mentality is to have a direction through life which leads to the object of one's mind, of one's heart, of one's soul.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
It is upon attitude of mind that the life of men depends - his rise, his fall, his success, his failure, his happiness, or unhappiness, all are mostly caused by the mentality. In these times when commercialism is reigning over the world and when competition has become the central theme, when one is desirous of getting the best of another, then man sees nothing else but his own benefit for which he struggles along through life.
Now the question is what causes the wrong mentality? The wrong mentality is like an obsession, which is caused by a certain absorption in certain direction of this dense earth. If one is entirely absorbed in collecting wealth, he does not think for one moment of anything else in life. His whole mind is concentrated upon it, his every effort is directed to it. Then he knows nothing else but this object which blinds him, making him regardless of all virtues of love and beauty to his fellowmen, of righteousness, of his obligation to his dear ones, those who are near him, and his relation and duty to God.
Not only one thing, there are many such things - love of power, of rank, of position, fighting for all things of this world. When a man is fully absorbed he loses his balance. But by this it does not mean that earthly comfort, convenience or advantage is not for a man. It is all for man if he does not lose his poise over it, if he does not allow himself to be wholly absorbed in it. To have a right mentality, does not mean that a person should leave the life of this world. If he left it, it would not be the right mentality. Right mentality is to have a direction through life which leads to the object of one's mind, of one's heart, of one's soul.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Attaining the love of God
The man who realises God as a friend is never lonely in the world, neither in this world nor in the hereafter. There is always a friend, a friend in the crowd, a friend in the solitude, or while he is asleep unconscious of this outer world, and when he is awake and conscious of it; in both cases the friend is there in his thought, in his imagination, in his heart, in his soul.
And the man who makes God his Beloved, what more does he want? His heart becomes awakened to all the beauty there is within and without. To him all things appeal, everything unfolds itself, and it is beauty to his eyes, because God is all-pervading, in all Names and all Forms, therefore his Beloved is never absent, because the whole tragedy of life is the absence of the Beloved. And one whose beloved is always there, when he has closed his eyes the Beloved is within, when he has opened his eyes the Beloved is without. His every sense perceives the Beloved. When a person arrives at this realisation then he, so to speak, lives in the presence of God.
This shows that the inner life does not consist in closing the eyes and looking inward. The inner life is to look outwardly and inwardly and to find one's belief everywhere. But God cannot be made a Beloved unless the love element is awakened sufficiently. The one who hates his enemy and loves his friend, he cannot call God his Beloved, for he does not know God. When love comes to its fullness, then one looks at the friend with affection, on the enemy with forgiveness, on the stranger with sympathy. There is love in all its aspects expressed when love rises to its fullness, and it is the fullness of love which is worth offering to God.
The whole imagery of the Sufi literature in the Persian language, written by great poets, such as Rumi, Hafiz and Jami, is the relation between man as the lover and God as Beloved. It is not easy to develop in the heart the love of God, because when one does not see or realise the object of love one cannot love. God must become tangible in order that one may love Him, but once a person has attained to love God he has really entered the journey of the spiritual path.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
And the man who makes God his Beloved, what more does he want? His heart becomes awakened to all the beauty there is within and without. To him all things appeal, everything unfolds itself, and it is beauty to his eyes, because God is all-pervading, in all Names and all Forms, therefore his Beloved is never absent, because the whole tragedy of life is the absence of the Beloved. And one whose beloved is always there, when he has closed his eyes the Beloved is within, when he has opened his eyes the Beloved is without. His every sense perceives the Beloved. When a person arrives at this realisation then he, so to speak, lives in the presence of God.
This shows that the inner life does not consist in closing the eyes and looking inward. The inner life is to look outwardly and inwardly and to find one's belief everywhere. But God cannot be made a Beloved unless the love element is awakened sufficiently. The one who hates his enemy and loves his friend, he cannot call God his Beloved, for he does not know God. When love comes to its fullness, then one looks at the friend with affection, on the enemy with forgiveness, on the stranger with sympathy. There is love in all its aspects expressed when love rises to its fullness, and it is the fullness of love which is worth offering to God.
The whole imagery of the Sufi literature in the Persian language, written by great poets, such as Rumi, Hafiz and Jami, is the relation between man as the lover and God as Beloved. It is not easy to develop in the heart the love of God, because when one does not see or realise the object of love one cannot love. God must become tangible in order that one may love Him, but once a person has attained to love God he has really entered the journey of the spiritual path.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
Saturday, December 8, 2012
To Make God a Reality
The first and principal thing in the inner life is to establish a relation with God, making God the object with which we relate ourselves, such as Creator, Sustainer, Forgiver and Beloved. In every relation we must place God before us and become conscious of that relation so that it will no more remain an imagination; because the first thing a believer does is to imagine. He imagines that God is the Creator and tries to believe that God is the Sustainer, and he makes an effort to think that God is a Friend, and an attempt to feel that he loves God. But when this imagination would become a reality then exactly as one feels for one's earthly beloved sympathy, love and attachment, so one must feel the same with God. However greatly a person may be pious, good or righteous, yet without this his piety or goodness are not a reality to him.
The work of the inner life is to make God a reality, so that He is no more an imagination, that this relation that man has with God may seem to him more real than any other relation in this world, and when this happens then all relations, however near and dear, become less binding. But at the same time by that a person does not become cold, he becomes more loving. It is the godless man who is cold, impressed by the selfishness and lovelessness of this world, because he partakes of those conditions in which he lives. But the one who is in love with God, the one who has established his relation with God, his love becomes living, he is no more cold, he fulfills his duties to those related to him in this world much more than does the godless man.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan, Katwijk, The Netherlands, 1922)
The work of the inner life is to make God a reality, so that He is no more an imagination, that this relation that man has with God may seem to him more real than any other relation in this world, and when this happens then all relations, however near and dear, become less binding. But at the same time by that a person does not become cold, he becomes more loving. It is the godless man who is cold, impressed by the selfishness and lovelessness of this world, because he partakes of those conditions in which he lives. But the one who is in love with God, the one who has established his relation with God, his love becomes living, he is no more cold, he fulfills his duties to those related to him in this world much more than does the godless man.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan, Katwijk, The Netherlands, 1922)
Friday, December 7, 2012
Why do people have short lives?
Why do people have short lives?
In the ancient times people lived longer because they lived a natural life. Now they live for a short time because their lives are divided by man-made laws.
The birds and animals in the forests do not know physicians and doctors and do not know prescriptions. Why? They eat when they are hungry, sleep when they desire to sleep, and they drink when they feel thirsty. They do not eat when they do not like to eat.
When a person is not eating when the hour has come, then everybody in the family will ask, "Why do you not eat, what is the matter with you, what has gone wrong?"
From all sides they will come and ask you, "Do you not want to eat, it is not good for you not to eat."
And then there is grandmother coaxing that you must eat when you are not feeling it.
Or you must eat this or that, and the doctor tells you that you must not eat much of this, and that you must eat much of that.
The only thing to consider is that what you like, that it is the best thing for you to eat, your love for it, your liking for it makes it a medicine for you.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
In the ancient times people lived longer because they lived a natural life. Now they live for a short time because their lives are divided by man-made laws.
The birds and animals in the forests do not know physicians and doctors and do not know prescriptions. Why? They eat when they are hungry, sleep when they desire to sleep, and they drink when they feel thirsty. They do not eat when they do not like to eat.
When a person is not eating when the hour has come, then everybody in the family will ask, "Why do you not eat, what is the matter with you, what has gone wrong?"
From all sides they will come and ask you, "Do you not want to eat, it is not good for you not to eat."
And then there is grandmother coaxing that you must eat when you are not feeling it.
Or you must eat this or that, and the doctor tells you that you must not eat much of this, and that you must eat much of that.
The only thing to consider is that what you like, that it is the best thing for you to eat, your love for it, your liking for it makes it a medicine for you.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
Life is a Journey
We are all on the journey, life itself is a journey.
No one is settled here, we are all passing onward, and therefore it is not true to say that if we are taking a spiritual journey we have to break our settled life, there is no one living a settled life here, all are unsettled, all are on their way.
By taking the spiritual journey you are taking another way, one which is easier, better and more pleasant. Those who do not take this way, they will also come in the end, the difference is in the way. One way is easier, smoother, better; the other way is full of difficulties, and as life has no end of difficulties from the time one has opened one's eyes on this earth, so one may just as well choose the smoother way to arrive at the destination at which all souls will some time arrive.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
No one is settled here, we are all passing onward, and therefore it is not true to say that if we are taking a spiritual journey we have to break our settled life, there is no one living a settled life here, all are unsettled, all are on their way.
By taking the spiritual journey you are taking another way, one which is easier, better and more pleasant. Those who do not take this way, they will also come in the end, the difference is in the way. One way is easier, smoother, better; the other way is full of difficulties, and as life has no end of difficulties from the time one has opened one's eyes on this earth, so one may just as well choose the smoother way to arrive at the destination at which all souls will some time arrive.
(Hazrat Inayat Khan)
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Meaning of Islam
My love you my grandchildren. You are young children who have yet to grow up, and there are certain things you must do in order to progress correctly. you must live like human beings, you must acquire the qualities of God, and you must put those qualities into action. Therefore, I am going to tell you a little story to explain the meaning of Islam. This is just a very short explanation.
Islam is the word God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad Mustafar-Rasul, the last prophet. Islam means brotherhood. Islam means unity. Islam is the state in which there is no enmity, no fighting, and no opposition. That state is called Islam.
Iman is a state of perfect faith, certitude and love of God. Iman is the state in which the heart has completely surrender to God and all trust has been placed in Allah, both for what has already happened and for what is still to come. You must think about this.
Islam does not mean war or fighting; it is a state of brotherhood in which all lives are equal. To establish and build a state of equality is Islam. Islam means a state of peace and equality in which all living creatures live as one family. In Islam the king and beggar are equal, the rich and poor are equal. It is a community in which there is neither color nor racial prejudice. That state of equality and peacefulness is Islam.
God created six kind of lives, countless numbers of them, and they are all free. God made His kingdom to be shared by all. Paradise, firdaus, the world of the soul and the kingdom of God are for everyone equally. Everyone can take whatever they like from His kingdom. Everyone has a right to live in this world. The sun, the moon, the stars, jinns, fairies, angels, heavenly beings, creatures of the sky, and creatures of the earth - everyone has the right to live peacefully in this world. That complete plenitude is called Islam.
There is no revenge in Islam, no falsehood, no sin, no stealing, no murder, no selfishness, no jealousy, no separation of 'you' and 'I', and no pride. All praise and praising must be given to Allah alone, exalted be His name. Islam means giving all trust to God, the Creature of everything, He created the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the soul, and the kingdom of the world as common property for all. Everyone can live there in peace and be treated equally. This is what is called Islam. To maintain this state of common, rightful ownership of the world is Islam. Islam does not claim the earth as its own, it does not claim fire as its own, it does not claim the sun, it does not claim the moon, it does not claim the sky, it does not claim land, nor it claim riches. That is not Islam.
God declares, "To be vengeful is not Islam. Whoever realizes that this wealth is held in common in Islam. And whoever takes this wealth for selfish reasons lives in hell. Whatever man holds onto himself in this world will torture him in hell; whatever he cherishes for himself will take him to hell. If a person wants Me, he must bring Me compassion, love, good intentions, good thoughts, and love for all living creatures. Whoever searches for these qualities, develops them, and brings them to Me will be free in this world and in My kingdom.
To accept all lives is Islam, Islam does not hate or seek revenge or hold grudges. Islam is forgiveness. What is past is past. If some fault was committed, you should forgive, offer salams, embrace, and praise God. That is Islam. If a person does something wrong, that is that, it is forgiven. That is Islam - not to keep a grudge or to be angry or take revenge. That is how Muslims flourished during the time of Muhammad saw, not through vengeance. They grew in a state of unity.
(Bawa Muhaiyaddeen)
Islam is the word God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad Mustafar-Rasul, the last prophet. Islam means brotherhood. Islam means unity. Islam is the state in which there is no enmity, no fighting, and no opposition. That state is called Islam.
Iman is a state of perfect faith, certitude and love of God. Iman is the state in which the heart has completely surrender to God and all trust has been placed in Allah, both for what has already happened and for what is still to come. You must think about this.
Islam does not mean war or fighting; it is a state of brotherhood in which all lives are equal. To establish and build a state of equality is Islam. Islam means a state of peace and equality in which all living creatures live as one family. In Islam the king and beggar are equal, the rich and poor are equal. It is a community in which there is neither color nor racial prejudice. That state of equality and peacefulness is Islam.
God created six kind of lives, countless numbers of them, and they are all free. God made His kingdom to be shared by all. Paradise, firdaus, the world of the soul and the kingdom of God are for everyone equally. Everyone can take whatever they like from His kingdom. Everyone has a right to live in this world. The sun, the moon, the stars, jinns, fairies, angels, heavenly beings, creatures of the sky, and creatures of the earth - everyone has the right to live peacefully in this world. That complete plenitude is called Islam.
There is no revenge in Islam, no falsehood, no sin, no stealing, no murder, no selfishness, no jealousy, no separation of 'you' and 'I', and no pride. All praise and praising must be given to Allah alone, exalted be His name. Islam means giving all trust to God, the Creature of everything, He created the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the soul, and the kingdom of the world as common property for all. Everyone can live there in peace and be treated equally. This is what is called Islam. To maintain this state of common, rightful ownership of the world is Islam. Islam does not claim the earth as its own, it does not claim fire as its own, it does not claim the sun, it does not claim the moon, it does not claim the sky, it does not claim land, nor it claim riches. That is not Islam.
God declares, "To be vengeful is not Islam. Whoever realizes that this wealth is held in common in Islam. And whoever takes this wealth for selfish reasons lives in hell. Whatever man holds onto himself in this world will torture him in hell; whatever he cherishes for himself will take him to hell. If a person wants Me, he must bring Me compassion, love, good intentions, good thoughts, and love for all living creatures. Whoever searches for these qualities, develops them, and brings them to Me will be free in this world and in My kingdom.
To accept all lives is Islam, Islam does not hate or seek revenge or hold grudges. Islam is forgiveness. What is past is past. If some fault was committed, you should forgive, offer salams, embrace, and praise God. That is Islam. If a person does something wrong, that is that, it is forgiven. That is Islam - not to keep a grudge or to be angry or take revenge. That is how Muslims flourished during the time of Muhammad saw, not through vengeance. They grew in a state of unity.
(Bawa Muhaiyaddeen)
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