The Gift of Wholeness

Human beings have a deep hunger to regain a conscious connection with their own wholeness. We are collectively tired of the forces that isolates us within our ego-oriented life, that offer us only a fragmented sense of our self. We long to regain our wholeness and natural sense of being. And yet as a culture we seem to have lost our way. As we move faster and faster down the track of self-absorption, we encounter more feelings of inadequacy. We have lost touch with the simplicity of being and sadly look to material wealth to fill this void. Even spiritual seekers are only too often preoccupied with achieving, developing, becoming something other than what they are. With more and more effort we chase the illusive image of what we think we need. Wholeness is always present. If we do not know that our own wholeness is present, we won’t recognize it or open to it when it is offered. Wholeness can be difficult to recognize because it is complete; it does not function through comparison, through the opposition of light and dark. It is difficult to recognize wholeness through our ordinary modes of perception, by defining it against what it is not. Wholeness is so lacking in all the attributes of success and achievement that we do not value it. It is so completely different from the hierarchical power structures that have dominated our collective landscape for so long that we do not know how to assess it. It does not play power games or try to achieve anything. And wholeness does not give position or preference. Nobody is higher up the ladder, whether this ladder is of worldly success or spiritual achievement. Rather each person is complete in herself, and in her natural sense of completeness is able to participate fully in the life of the whole. Just to recognize that this wholeness is present is the first step; then we must realize that it is given, that we do not have to achieve it. The only requirement is to leave behind the patterns of conditioning that tie us to hierarchical models of achievement and failure. This is done by admitting that we are tired of this model, tired of the demands of success, exhausted by the struggles of failure. We are so conditioned by the idea that we have to struggle for what we want that it can be revolutionary to realize that we are being given something that only requires our acceptance and participation. Before, we had to work to regain our wholeness: we had to turn inward, meditate, purify ourselves, do battle with the ego and patterns of conditioning. Now our wholeness is being given to us without restriction. No initiation is needed; there are no loevels to be achieved. A quality of oneness is being made freely available to humanity. We just have to accept the gift. What had been hidden within us, accessible only to those who made the inner journey, is now being made visible. The oneness that is our essential nature is being revealed. The work of those committed in service is to make this known so people can recognize what they are being given and make use of this opportunity. We need to know that a consciousness of oneness is present, not as a distant promise or an abstract idea, but as a reality that exist within and around us. What had been a secret, accessible only to initiates, is being made available to everyone. The internet is a relatively new model of universal consciousness in which knowledge, or information, is readily available to anyone, anywhere. All that is required is a computer and a connection and one has instant access to a unified body of knowledge and the potential for interconnecting with everyone else who is on the internet. The unified connectivity presented by the internet has been long known to the mystic, who in meditation has access to a dimension of oneness in which everything is simultaneously present, and all knowledge is accessible. The experience of samadhi or superconscious state, happens on this plane of oneness. But the internet presents a model of a unified consciousness that is accessible on a more physical plane, to anyone who has access to a computer. As we stand at the beginning of this new era, we can use the tools and opportunities that are being given to further our material domination of the planet and our own ego-driven desires. Those who have the more direct access of these tools and understand their potential have the possibility of becoming immensely wealthy – wealthy on a global scale. Alternatively, we can step aside from these patterns of the past that are based upon competition and domination and begin to recognize the real potential of what we are being given. We can use our access to oneness for a higher rather than lower purpose. We can enable something to be given to the whole of humanity, and also to the planet of which we are the guardians. We can help the seeds of oneness reveal their real potential, to flourish and grow, and so enable certain fundamental changes to take place to the whole of life[] (Llewellyn Vaughan Lee. “Working With Oneness”. The Golden Sufi Center. California, 2002. p. 9-12)

Access to Knowledge

In the past an individual had to go through many levels of initiation before he was allowed to help with the spiritual work for humanity. The training was long and arduous, and many failed to reach the required degree of purity and selflessness. Although no one was excluded, many slipped by the wayside, and their path remained within the sphere of individual development. This has changed. Instructions have been given by those who look after the destiny of humanity to allow anyone who is sincere to have access to the secrets of initiation, to be given an understanding of the energy structure of the world, in order to help in this time of transition. Of course there is the danger that this knowledge will be misused, that even sincere seekers will be misled by the subtle intrigues of the ego and its desires. This does not matter. This danger has already been taken into account by those who look out for humanity. We are being given the opportunity to take the next step in our development as human beings, to take more responsibility for ourself and our planet. True spiritual work is always an individual effort, and this will not change. Just as true maturity is an individual step, so is spiritual evolution. Only as individuals standing on our feet can we make a valid contribution to the collective. Otherwise we remain caught in the collective and its patterns of co-dependency that block any real change or development. Taking responsibility for our inner and outer life is necessary if we are to participate creatively in the life of the whole. The knowledge that is being made available will necessarily confront us with our own inadequacies and a pull to retreat into the familiar patterns of the past. For example, many spiritual seekers are identified with the notion of a spiritual journey that needs to be completed, an inner work that needs to be accomplished. It is not easy to step aside from such long-held beliefs, particularly those that engender spiritual well-being. Those spiritual practitioners who have achieved some degree of spiritual position which supports them will have the most to lose. The spiritual security that comes from having been on a path or engaged in spiritual activities for a number of years can also be a hindrance to change. Christ tells a story about the owner of a vineyard who went out in the early morning to hire some men, agreeing to pay them a penny for a day’s work. Then three hours later the owner went to the marketplace and hired some more men, offering to pay them what was right. He did the same at noon and at three in the afternoon. Then, an hour before sunset, he went again to the marketplace, and finding others idle, offered them work in his vineyard. At the end of the day he told his steward to pay each man a penny for his work, beginning with those who were hired last. When each was paid a penny, those who had worked from the early morning complained that those who had just been working one hour before sunset were paid the same as those who had worked all day. But the owner answered, saying that he had given them what he had promised. They should take their penny and go, and he would give to the last the same as to the first. Each of those who works in the vineyard of the Lord is given a penny, a symbol of his own wholeness. This is the gift for spiritual work: we are given ourselves. It is given to all those who participate. Those who have worked since dawn and “borne the heat and burden of the day” may complain, but they do not understand that to participate in the work of the whole for even an instant is to be given access to one’s own wholeness. This is the experience that is now being offered to all who are drawn into the sphere of spiritual life. As a culture we are so identified with patterns of hierarchy and their levels of exclusion that we overlook the primary truth that the dimension of oneness is all-inclusive. The moment we turn our focus away from our own ego-self and participate in the work of the whole, we step into the circle of our own wholeness. There are no levels of initiation: one is either in or out. And someone who has just begun on the path is given as much access as someone who has been engaged in spiritual practice for many years.[] (Llewellyn Vaughan Lee. “Working With Oneness”. The Golden Sufi Center. California, 2002. p. 6-9)

Friends of God

Since the very beginning of humanity there have been spiritual masters who have kept watch on the world and for the world. These masters and their disciples have worked to keep humanity aligned with the currents of energy, of love and wisdom, that come from the inner planes. These masters also work to keep the energy flowing and balanced, in accordance with the need of the time and the laws of the inner world. In the Sufi tradition there is a spiritual hierarchy of the awliya (Friends of God), which consists of a fixed number of evolved beings, without whom the existence and well-being of the world cannot be maintained. At the top of the hierarchy stands the pole (qutb(, “the Master of the Friends of God,” who is the axis around whom the exterior and interior universe turns. Under the pole come seven pegs, below which come the forty successors (al-abdal). If one of these Friends of God dies another is waiting to take his place, so that the number is maintained. Traditionally the Friends of God work in hiding, veiled from the world. This enables them to continue their work without the disturbance that recognition could bring. Ibn Arabi, the great thirteenth-century Sufi master, tells the story of when he was in Fez. There he met a Sufi called al-Ashall (literally “the withered” because he had a withered hand). Ibn Arabi had been in his company a number of times without knowing his spiritual station, until he had a vision in which it was revealed to him that al-Ashall was the pole of the time. The next day he was invited to someone’s garden to meet with a group of Sufis, among them al-Ashall. Nobody talked to this man, who was a foreigner. But during the conversation the pole came to be mentioned, and Ibn ‘Arabi said, “My brothers I am going to tell you some amazing things about the pole of your time.” He then turned towards the man who during his sleep had been shown to him by God to be the pole…This man said to Ibn ‘Arabi, “Say what God has revealed to you, but do not reveal his identity!” The Friends of God have been working with the energy structure of the planet for centuries, but have kept this knowledge hidden, as it could easily be misused. These masters of love and wisdom are now working to help humanity align with the changes that are currently taking place, changes that begin first on the inner planes before they come into manifestation. Energy patterns are becoming accessible to consciousness, and humanity needs to know how to use this energy for spiritual benefit rather than just material gain. In the past few decades spiritual teachings that used to be known only to initiates have been given to the world. This has helped to create an environment receptive to the changes that are about to take place. Many sincere spiritual practitioners have used this knowledge to work on themselves and thus become inwardly receptive to what is being given. Many spiritual techniques that have been made available are essentially a process of purification that helps the individual become aligned with her true nature. This is a necessary first step in the process of spiritual awakening. We need to be aligned with our real Self in order to manifest the higher destiny that belongs to the soul. The real work begins only when we are aligned with our essential nature, because it is only then that the higher energies of the inner world can manifest without being distorted. Those who have made the step away from their ego-self into the faster-spinning vortex of their real Self are now needed to work for humanity. The work that needs to be done cannot be performed by just the few Friends of God and their disciples. The forces of materialism are so powerful and dense that on their own, the masters of wisdom cannot pierce through. They need the help of all those who carry a commitment to humanity within their hearts. The inner wisdom of the Self, a wisdom of love and unity, needs to be brought down to a lower plane of manifestation. This requires a collective spiritual effort.[] (Llewellyn Vaughan Lee. “Working With Oneness”. The Golden Sufi Center. California, 2002. p. 4-6)

On Making a Living, Sustenance and Satisfaction with One’s State

Know this: If you forget the truth and do not apply it in your life, you will leave the path sooner or later, for forgetfulness of the truth shows lack of trust in God, and lack of the peace brought by satisfaction with one’s lot. Trust in God shows your knowledge that you are unable to do anything by yourself, and that you know very little. Therefore you are humble: you count on Him, the All-Powerful and All-Knowing. That will give you peace of heart. The evil of your ego may tell you: “So sit where you are, and let Him feed you!” To think this way is unlawful; fear it, for it is a sin. Do not listen to your ego, yet take care of its needs. In this life you will have to be with others who push you as your ego pushes you, and there will be people of power among them. Try to be with those you know, for in this life it is hard to know who is a foreigner and who is a native. Don’t settle in one place. Keep moving. Try not to know anyone or let anyone know you. If you find someone insinuating himself close to you or sneaking up on you, bringing you things, your ego will tell you: “It is God who has made him discover your need and put that generosity in his heart.” Do not take what he brings. If you took anything, give it back, for that person has been watching you and is trying to buy you by satisfying the needs of your ego, not your true need. This is not sustenance sent by God. Even if you are about to die, don’t accept this kind of gift. If something unwanted and unexpected is brought to you, examine yourself closely, what you have and what you lack. If you feel pressure or discomfort in acceptance, do not accept that thing. Return it to the one who brought it. If, in addition to the feeling of discomfort, you also suspect that it is unlawful, neither accept what is brought nor the one who brought it. If you feel no pressing hunger and if what is brought to you comes to you unexpectedly, if you feel no discomfort in taking it and if it is lawful, take the minimum you need and return the rest. However, do not stay in that place anymore. If the one who brought you this gift happens to be among the rich and powerful and insists upon your staying, leave. If he indicates to you places of worship where you could go, in lands where he has connections and influence, you need not refuse. All these exercises will strengthen the truth in you. Know that if you do not follow this advice, you will be tyrannizing yourself. Do not listen to the talk of the idle “Sufi”, who sits and does nothing and say “My Lord is sufficient for me,” for he has suffered all the things about which I have warned you. Do not be idle, for the best and the most lawful sustenance that comes from God is that which you have gained with your own two hands. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

On Eating

Eat the food a poor person would eat and leave the table without being full. Do not drink while eating and be sparing in the amount of water your drink. Do not accept special treatment while you eat; do not put on airs and affectations. Do not ever show your hunger. Measure the amount of food you eat so that you only partially satisfy your need. Your bites should be neither large nor small. Remember God at each bite, and chew well before you swallow. Each time you swallow, give time for the food to descend in your stomach and praise the Lord. The practice of the faithful while eating is not to listen to the appetite of the flesh but to eat whatever is in front of one. Eating is a form of worship, so your movement should be controlled. Do not look right and left or think of your errors and shortcomings: be in a state of thankfulness. If there are people sharing the meal with you, avoid looking at them, at what they eat and how they eat, and try to be the last to serve yourself. If someone comments on why you eat so little, be polite but do not respond. If you explain and apologize, beware of being hypocritical. Do not leave the table until it is cleared. Eat only at mealtimes: to eat in between is gluttonous. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

On Ablution

First wash your hands, intending to pull them away from the affairs of this world. Then wash your mouth, remembering and reciting God’s name. Wash your nose wishing to inhale the perfumes of the divine. Wash your face feeling shame, and intending to wipe from it arrogance and hypocrisy. Wash your forearms trusting God to make you do what is good. Wet the top of your head feeling humility and wash your ears wishing to hear the address of your Lord. Wash from your feet the dirt of the world so that you won’t stain the sands of Paradise. Then thank and praise the Lord, and send prayers of peace and blessings upon our Master, who brought the cannon of Islam and taught them to us. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

First, You Must Search Out Your Master!

O seeker who wishes to find salvation, the first thing you must do is to search out a master who will see your faults and show them to you. You may travel far and wide trying to escape yourself, but it is a master who will save you from slavery under the tyranny of your ego. Do it now, because whatever one has now is better than the best one imagines one will have tomorrow. When you find him you must behave like a dead body in the hands of the one who gives it its last ablution. You must be ready to accept your master as he is. Never criticize or find any fault in him, even if he acts against religious canons. No man is faultless. All men err and sin and are not safe from wrong. You are not a judge seeking someone guilty; you are someone guilty seeking a judge who is just. Do not hide anything from your teacher, an idea or an intention, be it bad or good. Do not ever sit where he sat. Do not wear anything he wore. Place yourself across from him with dignity and good manners, like a slave in front of his master. When he asks you for something or orders you to do something, open your ears and use your mind to understand exactly what he wants. Don;t do anhything without being absolutely sure that it is what he willed. Don’t seek the reasons why he wills what he wills. If you have to ask something from him, do not expect or insist upon an answer. You must tell him your dreams, but do not insist on an interpretation. Don’t listen to people who talk against him, for it will produce opposition to him within you. If you know people who oppose him, leave them alone: neither fight with them nor keep their company. Leave them to God, who will see to them. Love those who praise your master and serve their needs as you would your own. If your master divorces his wife, don’t ever marry her or have anything to do with her. Even with the best of intentions, never enter his house without his permission. You must stay as close as possible to him without making yourself noticed. If he wishes to consult with you do not ask any questions or enter into discussion with him. Do not wish anything that he does not wish. If something comes to mind, keep it to yourself: do not exteriorize it. Follow the path he has indicated for you. It is thus that you will keep your noble station, the station achieved by the dignity of good behavior. That is the tie between you and him. When you consult him about a matter concerning yourself, do it if he approves, do not do it if he disapproves – but if he told you to do it and gets angry at you for doing it, stop doing it. This change of mind is for your good, yet he will regret it. Remembering later that you bore no fault in it, he will find himself responsible and feel pain. He will try to repair what he did to you and at the same time you will keep your dignity and your good conduct. Beware: bad feelings toward the master are only found in students who are lazy, who do not do what they are supposed to do, and had the wrong intentions to begin with. Don’t oppose any of the master’s actions or ask his reasons. Always be obedient. Be humble towards students whom your master favors above you. Even in his absence, sit properly, stand properly and talk properly in accordance with good behavior, as if he were there and looking at you. Do not walk in front of him unless it is dark. Do not look him in the eye – if you do, it will reduce your respect for him and take the beautiful feeling of shame from your heart. Don’t sit in front of him unless it is necessary, but wait behind the door, so that you can be there immediately when he wants you. Do not go anywhere, even if it is to visit your father, without his permission. When you come into his presence the first time, kiss his hand and remain standing until he asks you to sit. Protect his property. If you bring him something to eat, bring what he likes, in the amount he likes, the way he likes it. Don’t stare at him while he eats. When he finishes, clear the table immediately. If there is anything left on his plate and he asks you to eat it, do so, for there is blessing in it. Don’t be envious of what he eats and don’t count his mouthfuls. Work hard always, that is what will please your master. Always wish good for him and expect good from him. Yet beware that he might trick you, for sometimes masters purposely do this to test their students. Be heedful and very careful when you are with him. If you do something inappropriate in his presence, thinking that he will not see it, know that he sees it very well for he sees everything you do and whatever passes inside you. He merely pretends that he does not, because he does not wish you to be punished. On the other hand, if he chastises you and punishes you and hurts your feelings, accept it without resentment. As long as he is pleased with you and approves of what you do, your love and respect for him will increase. And as long as your humbleness and obedience toward him increase, your presence will grom in his heart and your state will improve. When your master is on a journey, keep the times when you usually meet him, and at the place where he sits, salute him inwardly as if he were there. It is not for you to ask him where or why he travels. When he consults you about a matter, know that he is not asking your opinion because he needs it, but as a sign of appreciation and kindness. Your answer should be, “You know best.” Above all beware of opposing what he wishes to do. Even if you are absolutely sure that what he is doing is wrong, help him to do it and keep your thoughts to yourself. On the Sufi path one advances only as one’s master advances. Your hand is in the hand of your master, and the hand of your master is in the hand of God. Talking, discussing and interpreting are not going to get you anywhere. The path to truth is to follow instructions without interpreting them, for the understanding of secrets belongs to those who know them. If you say, “I think he means this or I suspect he wants that.” Trying to interpret your master’s orders, you are really only trying to escape from doing what you must: best sit and cry over your failure! All disasters that befalls a student comes from interpreting the indications of the master. This all is the play of the ego. The mind, the true Reason, does not accept interpretation, it is not either this or that. There is an origin and a reason for every order; the true intelligence is anxious to fulfill it. Even if you know what should be done next, don’t do it or even think about it until your master so instructs you. Accept your master’s every action, his whole way of living. The way he eats, drinks, sleeps, and behaves is his business, and you should have no opinions or comments on it. For your own sake, enter your master’s life only when invited. Don’t say, “Master, shall we eat together at home?” or “If you are not coming to such and such a place, should i go?” Youa re then trying to make him ask you to eat with him – indeed, to lie down with him! Instead of bringing you together, this will drive you apart, for it will decrease the love and appreciation and respect for you in his heart. If these feelings disappear, the tie is broken and that student will never find salvation or peace. Whoever says otherwise knows neither the path nor himself. O seeker, see to it that your relations with your master are as I have described: may God so will. Know also that the beginning of this path is repentance. You must try to make even your enemies pleased with you. Forget their tyranny and shed tears for the time that you have spent fighting anything but your ego. Be a friend to knowledge: there is no one who is free from fault and sin. To make public accounting of the wrongs you have done in the attempt to show your master that you are repenting is in itself hypocritical and dangerous. The true sign of repentance is to leave what you have been doing, and from there on to be heedful, sincere, industrious, and pure. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)