Gatha with Commentary

Etekad, Rasm U Ravaj:
Superstitions, Customs and Beliefs

Series I

of

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

by

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

(Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 1

Belief and Superstition

GATHA: Every country seems to have certain beliefs which are called beliefs by the believers and superstitions by those who do not believe. They are beliefs which arise from some subtle experience of life, and some spring from intuition, and they are believed by some who are inclined to believe and mocked at by some who cannot understand their meaning, and often by those who do not wish to trouble themselves to discover the truth in them.

TASAWWUF: If we consider the invocation as above, we must take into account a multitude of beings and also One Being who is the Creator of everything and Who at the same time is trying to express Himself fully or not so fully through everything and everyone. According to Qur’an it is accepted that God made man in his image, but also that He had His representatives on earth. Also that every Nation has had its guidance, and often its prophets and messengers. The difference here between Sufism and Orthodox Islam is that the Orthodox accept only the surface meaning of the words and do not think deeply that this is so, and that this being so, there are various shades of Divine Guidance and Light in and through all peoples.

It is overlooked that there are subtle experiences and that these experiences happen among all peoples of various grades of evolution and express themselves in various institutions, showing varying effectiveness of the activity of the several grades of Light in and through all beings. This is particularly true of those who either resort to trance (or subconscious activity) or those who naturally have some subtle sense operating through the physical organisms. This is not yet studied by Science but there are glimmerings of it and when the subtle and psychic sciences are more fully developed much will be made clear.

The rise of the psychic and psychedelic experiences show the existence of more subtle faculties. Even if these are dangerous (and they are not always dangerous) we must understand what they are. And there are whole races and groups which rely more on subtle or dream or visionary experience than on the sense-data and impressions.

And when we come to the intuitive aspects, they are beyond the analytical reason. Yet if we study the discoveries and inventions of men we must admit that there is something more than reason that leads man into new avenues of expression, activity and research.

GATHA: It is easy to laugh at things and it takes patience to endure and tolerate things that cannot appeal to one’s reason. And it is difficult to investigate the truth of such beliefs, for something more than reason is required to probe the depths of life.

TASAWWUF: In the years since the presentation of the teachings there has been the rise and expansion of scientific investigation in several directions. For instance the more Anthropologists have lived among people of different cultures, especially lesser cultures, the more they have come to appreciate the points of view of literate and non-literate peoples of different outlooks and development.

There is also the slow recognition of the subtle and psychic aspects of life. As curiosity is a tool of the scientists, it often leads to a conflict between what is called “reason” and the experiences of curiosity. No doubt this was the beginning of the so-called war “between science and religion,” that the scientists were moved by intuition and curiosity and the religionists, or rather the orthodox, were moved by tradition and reason. Each was right according to its stand and both stands are limitations.

GATHA: Those from whom the beliefs come naturally could not give the explanation of those beliefs to everybody, for the man who is capable of believing a thing is not necessarily capable of understanding it by an analytical explanation.

TASAWWUF: Reason has often been identified with analysis. There are many philosophies, all conflicting because the analysts are like the six blind men who, examining the elephant, each in his own manner, came to very different conclusions. The conclusions were right if analysis alone were permitted, but they are no conclusions at all; they lead to conflicts. The analytical method always leads to conflict and misunderstanding; each assumes that his own point of view is right and each ignores his limitations.

If we come from different cultures we find a logic which is consistent and firm but which does not explain the ways of strangers. Even plants, taken to different environments and having changes of food, weather and other factors, change. Unity is not uniformity.

GATHA: There are natures which would be willing to believe a thing if it is for their good, if it comes from someone whom they trust, but it is for them too much trouble to go deeply into the matter.

TASAWWUF: The evolution in communication has brought many to accept some universal point of view. When we are universal, we do not readily accept that any group is necessarily wrong; each group may be conditioned, and the rational scientist will study the conditioning.

The traditional people assume a point of view from which they measure all else. This is found in all ages and places. But it is a limitation. A point of view may be necessary to bring stability, but it also leads to the establishment of many points of view, all necessarily different. Something must be done to bring them together.

It is not only time and place, but there are differences in depth; there are different stages and states of consciousness. Some of these may be very common among some people, some may be rare and some may be wholly absent. Thus among the chemical elements there are varying degrees of radioactivity, magnetism, electrical conductivity, etc. The same may be applied to the subtle and psychic aspects of life.

GATHA: For some among them it is better that they should not have an analytical knowledge of a belief, for to some the belief is helpful but the explanation confusing. It is a certain grade of evolution that enables man to understand a certain belief, and a man must not be told what he is incapable of understanding, for then, instead of helping him, it puts him off.

TASAWWUF: The difficulty is in the analytical outlook. It has taken possession of Western man and is also his limitation. Thus the Roman Catholic Church has taken a stand against too much analysis and has substituted instead ritual, institutions, and sometimes a blind faith. No doubt a blind faith is a limitation but an analysis is also a limitation. It frees one from the blind faith but it does not lead to the knowledge which is desired.

When one is freed from the blind faith it may be, as in the case of the French Revolution, that there is a removal of restraint. With restraint removed there is lack of consideration not only for institutions but for other people. It may be wrong for institutions to impose their beliefs on people but it is even worse when a small group of persons impose beliefs and requirements on others.

GATHA: There is great deal of psychic law which can be traced in such beliefs, and in time such beliefs turn into customs.

TASAWWUF: The Teaching was brought at the time the psychic sciences in the West were just beginning to develop. All the great religions teach in some way the existence of three vehicles (sometimes more). But the teaching stops at that point. As no teaching limits the faculties of man, those who have some kinds of dreams, visions, extraordinary or extrasensory faculties find they cannot conform to the customs around them. And these limiting customs are also superstitions and not only superstitions but negative and privative. And being negative or privative, they may be much worse than the strange and unusual customs and habits of those who are different and therefore called “exotic.”

The rise of scientific Anthropology came when men looked into the customs of Totem and Exogamy and then to other customs. They found a rationale in each and this led to increased human consideration though points of view were often very different.

GATHA: There is a vast field of knowledge in the customs of Indians. India is a country where beliefs have existed for thousands of years unchanged, and some beliefs have become customs.

TASAWWUF: This is to some degree true of all peoples. But India has both a literature and a fairly stable geography which means we can trace the traditions much more easily. Besides the Indians being a philosophical people, they have records, written and unwritten about them.

Thus in 1896 a man named Rose, connected with the Royal Asiatic Society, wrote on The Customs and Superstitions of the Castes and Tribes of Punjab and N. W. India. These not only put many items on record but included a vast amount of material on the effect of Sufism on these people.

GATHA: At first sight an intellectual person who cannot see any further than the surface of things is apt to think that people in India are full of superstitions. Their whole life seems based on them; not only in religion do they have beliefs, but even in their domestic affairs. In their everyday life every move they make, every word they say, is in accordance with some underlying belief.

TASAWWUF: The first step is in the examination of customs. And we can see also in the Island of Bali which retains a great many ancient Indian traditions, that every aspect of life is based on some interpretation of Dharma. It is not always the same as we find in parts of India but there is the same general rationale behind it. And when we look into it, not only does there seem to be some system, some harmony, but even certain types of joy not always common to other people on earth. So it may have been that to maintain and increase Joy, which is to say Ananda, that these institutions were given to humanity.

Once we recognize any sort of rationale among these peoples, the Indians, we might go further and find also there is a certain rationale among many or among all peoples.

GATHA: No doubt a tendency of taking interest in superstition should always be avoided, for the more thought one gives to superstitions the more he seems to be drowned in the ghosts of superstitions.

TASAWWUF: This is true for the ordinary person. There are those who are curious and there are those who always look for something new and there are those who wish to be free from the binding customs of their own culture, so they look elsewhere. But this looking without guidance can often lead to difficulties, even to mental illnesses.

GATHA: Wherever the superstitious man looks he gets an impression of some fear, some doubt, some suspicion, which generally leads to confusion.

TASAWWUF: Superstitions may be called the shadow side of the subtle and psychic. Thus Mohammed has said that visions are given by God and dreams by the devil. They appear superficially to be alike. But in the visions the background is light and in the dreams, the light is thrown on darkness.

Impressions which strike the lower centers are still valid as impressions. But these impressions are secondary, they are the effects of shadows not of light. So often we have predictions which many accept and along with them fears and turmoil. And hardly one of these negative impressions ever seems to carry truth with it. So there have been many predictions of earthquakes, terror, war. Indeed when World War II started, a certain well-known prognosticator committed suicide because what happened was so entirely different from what he had been saying that he could no longer face the world.

It generally happens from the negative psychics, who use the trances negatively without any higher guidance that they make all sorts of predictions, saying they come from spirits or guides. What brings fear, what brings turmoil, trouble, can often itself be worse than the fear, or turmoil or trouble. For it muddles the minds of men. Even if predictions turn out correctly, muddling itself is dangerous.

GATHA: But for the wise a disregard of superstitions is not satisfactory, for by wisdom one becomes capable of understanding them, and to understand them is better than to mock at them and even to believe them.

TASAWWUF: In 1962 there was a confluence of many planets in one sign and the story came out in the western part of the world that multitudes of people in India were thoroughly upset. But it never occurred that the story of the Indians being upset had more negative impression on the people of distant lands than on the majority of Indians who paid no attention to it. And there is some question as to whether the superstitious outlook was not greater among the non-Indian people who accepted without any corroborating evidence the supposed influences on the Indians. Yes, some Indians reacted but that may be true among all peoples.

No doubt there were subtle and psychic results connected in some way with the confluence of planets and the forces involved. But to understand them we should have to study them dispassionately.

GATHA: For the one who believes in superstitions is, so to speak, in the water, and knows he is in the water; but who mocks at them is in the water, but does not know that he is in the water.

TASAWWUF: We all live on three planes. Our awareness of each of them may be different. We easily recognize physical blindness; we sometimes recognize mental blindness; but there are forms of blindness which persist because we do not know about them at all. When the celebrated H.G. Wells was a young man he wrote a novel about the misadventures of a mountain climber who found himself in a country of the blind. They could not understand him, and he could not understand them.

The same is true about faculties and customs which have bases we do not understand. It is also true that many peoples have institutions, beliefs, and customs which seem so clear to them, but which foreigners do not understand, sometimes cannot comprehend.

GATHA: By understanding them man is capable of swimming in the water, and by mastering them he walks on the water. The man who knows all things and acts according to his knowledge becomes the master of life.

TASAWWUF: The Sufi never derides anybody. He accepts all things as natural. A rose might be very unhappy in a garden of violets, and a mushroom may not flourish in bright sunlight. It is doubtful whether any race of people can be called insane; they merely live very differently from some others. All persons and people alike are the beloved ones of God.

It is fortunate now that scientists are both more tolerant and more understanding. Actually tolerance brings understanding and understanding brings tolerance.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary                                                             Series I: Number 2

Belief

GATHA: The term “belief” is used for an idea that one believes and for which one cannot give a reason. Such ideas, when of an ordinary nature, are termed superstitions, and when they are of a sacred nature they are called beliefs.

TASAWWUF: The subject of “belief” is discussed in the literature and also in the Gathas. One way of distinguishing between superstition and belief is that in a sense the superstition comes from a shadow of reality. Superstitious people do not live in pure knowledge. They often accept blindly. Therefore others also call them “prejudiced.”

The Sufi does not try to break down religious views of anybody, although he may feel it his duty to turn all hearts toward the living God. Even less does he try to change customs. The result is that in some parts of the world people’s customs have been retained along with the pursuit of what are called the Five Pillars. The orthodox are not always so tolerant, but those who go into strange lands to propagate religion see no reason to alter anything if it does not conflict with belief in God, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and donations of alms. Indeed, Sufism teaches that uniformity is not unity.

GATHA: Often man confuses belief with truth. Many people, without understanding their belief, hold it is not a truth, but is the truth, and thereby ignore every other belief which seems to them different from the truth they possess.

TASAWWUF: It is only in recent times that some scientists and other more enlightened persons, feeling that large masses of people may not have been misled, are merely looking at life from other points of view. It is not always necessary or even proper to change them; it is always valuable to adjust oneself to a more sympathetic outlook.

Words are not truth, nor are facts truth. The rise of the branch of studies called “semantics” has resulted in a form of a science of meaning which presumably places experience above vocabulary. While this is so, the persistence of the ego outlook precludes a world of universal understanding, tolerance, and compassion.

GATHA: In reality, belief is not the truth, nor is truth a belief. When a person has risen to the understanding of the truth it is no more a belief for him, it is a conviction.

TASAWWUF: The ancient Greeks used to divide people into the ignorant who lived in darkness, they said; the believers who lived half in the light and half in the darkness; and the wise who lived in the light. No doubt much has been said of belief and believers. Little has been said about the Gnostics and the wise. People who live in the light can understand those who live half in the darkness. People who live half in the darkness can see they are better off than those who are totally in darkness, that is, the ignorant.

Mystical knowledge is the result of the experience of those who live in the light. The heart-light is penetrating. But although the wise see, they also tolerate.

GATHA: The beliefs of a sacred nature, which come in the realm of religion, are as steps towards the goal which is called truth; and when a man stops at a belief, the belief holds him and he holds the belief. Neither can the belief push him onward nor can he advance. In many cases belief, which should serve as wings on which to soar toward the height, becomes as nails fixing man onto the earth.

TASAWWUF: This is the position of the orthodox of all faiths, and also of some who have orthodoxy but no faith. It is this which has limited spiritual evolution and often causes dissatisfaction, especially among the young. With the advance of education and beyond education into science and technology, a binding belief may become a limitation worse than ignorance. Both the Gathas and Gathekas explain this, and it is also a theme in The Unity of Religious Ideals.

With the great advances in communication enabling all people to contact all other people, it is necessary both to tolerate and to understand all customs, superstitions and beliefs.

GATHA: Every belief in the beginning is a step in the dark, but as man approaches the goal then every step is more and more illuminated. Therefore there is hope for the believer, but the case of the unbeliever is hopeless.

TASAWWUF: By unbeliever here is meant the skeptic rather than the ignorant. The skeptic ties himself down. And very often when the skeptic is converted or transformed, in the beginning he may be more intolerant of those who retain his earlier fixed point of view.

Mohammed has taught “Everyone is born a believer.” So we find in children of all races and cultures a trustful nature. If this had not been so there would not have been any family institutions. The child has a natural trust for its parents—we see this even in some animals. This trust is a wonderful thing.

The unbeliever is generally unaware of the heart side of life. If we look into his nature we find often that he is more bound than various classes of so-called superstitious believers.

GATHA: There are souls who are capable of believing, even capable of understanding belief, who yet for some reason or other are not trying to believe, and reject a belief before the understanding comes. The wise course in life would be to try to become a pupil, a pupil of one teacher as well as a pupil of all beings; it is then that one will become the pupil of God.

TASAWWUF: Some can see this in the absence of light in the eyes. Others can see this in the lack of radiance in the aura or in some other manner. Those who cannot see may often feel it. It is not necessary to change such persons. It merely shows their time has not yet come.

Those who think they are ready for the spiritual path only show their readiness when they are ready to accept a single teacher. This is the first step. If they are not ready to have a single teacher they usually prove to be unready.

But the question also comes how to tell a true teacher. The false teacher will instruct so that the pupils learn as if through himself alone. He is intolerant, consciously or unconsciously. The true teacher may seem to bind the pupil, but really he is trying to liberate the pupil. Therefore in Sufism one is taught to learn from everyone and everything, for everyone and everything is a manifestation of Allah.

In Sufism disciples are led to the stage called fana-fi-Sheikh; that is to say, the pupil learns to find the teacher in all things and in all experiences. He may imitate the teacher, or he may feel the teacher, or he may devote himself to the disciplines offered by the teacher, all have the same result.

Another aspect of this is reverence. Reverence shares with belief the pious attitude. But in belief there is the egocentric outlook and in reverence the ego is removed. Therefore it is said in Salat “Thy light is in all forms, Thy love in all beings.” Salat offers the means of the fulfillment of this teaching.

GATHA: Then the wise course would be to investigate the truth of belief instead of giving up one’s belief, also to be patiently tolerant of another until one sees from his point of view the truth of his belief.

TASAWWUF: Lord Buddha has given the teaching that no one must accept anything unless it is clear to himself. It is unfortunate that many who call themselves Buddhists pride themselves because Lord Buddha said it. They do not put it into practice. They establish and accept an orthodoxy the same as others. This has resulted in the establishment of various religions, schools, and sects dividing mankind. The wise test their teaching.

The other aspect often comes through patience, to be tolerant of others whether there is agreement or not. This tolerance often proves to be the way to greater understanding.

TASAWWUF: If a man were in charge of an art class, he would have the students draw from a model. Each would sit in a different place, have a different view and because of this, even if the styles were similar, the drawing might not be so similar because of the forced acceptance of a different place from which to draw. Thus differences and distinctions would be natural and normal.

Then the eyes might be different, some might be near-sighted and some far-sighted and there might be other differences. And perhaps there might be a jinn-soul in the class whose sensorium was different and whose abilities were different. All of these and other factors would bring out differences; there may be many reasons for differences. And their normalities are based on differences.

Therefore the wise man tries to understand others just as the art teacher would, and then he can understand them. He does not have to agree with them, but he comes to comprehend them.

GATHA: When man sees only from his own point of view, he sees with one eye and the other eye is closed. The complete view is in seeing from both points of view, however contrary they may be.

TASAWWUF: It is not always easy to see from another’s point of view. Man has become used to a certain outlook, his own outlook. Age and experience may fixate that outlook; there is nothing wrong about it. It is natural. The natural and social sciences have the term “environment,” that people become influenced by outer surroundings and thus are different. The same applies to plants and animals. It was noticed much by Darwin and all the evolutionists.

One of the differences between much of science and much of religion has come because there is more scope in these sciences than in some religions to account for differences. The same is true when we examine the more progressed sciences as against those which do not change. It is as Jesus has said, “In my Father’s abode are many mansions, therefore I go to provide a place for you.” The spiritual person has a place for everybody, saint, and sinner. It may not always be the same place, but it is some place. This is also a theme found in folklore and so it is not always the sinner who goes to hell or the saint that goes only to heaven. There is a place in God for everybody.

The wise also see a place for everybody. The learned are also beginning to comprehend this. And in the developed criminology, crime-lawyers see from the points of view of even the most despicable (assumedly) human beings.

GATHA: It is this tendency which will balance things and will give the right idea of things. In order to view a building one must stand in the street and view it, instead of standing inside it and wanting to see the outside.

TASAWWUF: The subject of tolerance is also taught in the Gathas. It is only the beginning when one can appreciate the tolerance. That is the first step. One must grow until there is more attunement. Each religion has this teaching and each religion has ignored it. The clergy teach that they alone have the tolerance, the broad view, that others are narrow. And when this system of finding differences becomes part of a person’s consciousness, he also does the same with everybody. This is the cause not only of differences, but of hostilities, politics, and war.

GATHA: In understanding beliefs one must be able to neutralize one’s spirit, and to the extent to which it is neutralized man becomes capable of seeing the belief in its right sense. When man says on hearing something from another, “That is not what I believe,” he shows his weakness, he shows his incapacity to view the belief of the other from the point of view of that other.

TASAWWUF: Sufism has been called the religion of love, harmony, and beauty. Religions teach that they have inherited tolerance or love or human consideration but the intellectual consideration, the motifs themselves are not love or harmony nor beauty. No doubt man begins by identifying words with things; sometimes he finds that the words are not the things they represent. But he is still not free. If he identifies his thoughts with realities he is still under delusion and limitation. He is not free.

GATHA: Knowledge comes by readiness to learn it, and when we refuse it in life it is by lack of readiness. No matter from what source knowledge may seem to come, it is from one source in reality, and when the mind becomes a free receptacle, knowledge flows freely into the heart.

TASAWWUF: The tendency of the generality is to centralize on one’s point of view. Knowledge of names and forms is part of learning; it is not all of learning. It does not explain why there are so many cults, religions, philosophies, ideas. Yes, when knowledge is limited to names and forms, there may be agreement. But this is only the part of mind concerned with memory. There are also imagination and thought; they belong to mental operations.

But beyond that there is the free flowing and this comes with the development of the intuitive factor (Kashf) which transcends without contradicting the operations of mind.

GATHA: There is some truth hidden in every religious belief, and often is it of greater value than it may seem to be.

TASAWWUF: It is hardly possible for any religion to grasp hold of the hearts of men unless there were some truth in it. The basis of nearly all religions has been some form of human consideration and harmony. True, it is also concerned with the relation between the seen and unseen. But the fact is that the religions accept the unseen and sometimes have more in common concerning the unseen than the leaders wish to impart.

The Universal worship accepts each religion as if it were the vehicle for some aspect of truth. When the Scriptures are read, very often one finds the same or similar lessons in one or more of them. And the end may be as in Sir Richard Burton’s “Kasidah” that all are right and all are wrong. They are right in what they proclaim; they are wrong in what they deny to others.

GATHA: And believing in a thing without understanding is a first step forward to knowledge, and refusing to believe when a belief is presented means taking a step backward.

TASAWWUF: We can see the first in the young, that if it were impossible to present a belief it would be impossible to develop understanding. Consciously or unconsciously all people all over the world know this.

But there are also those who develop minds of stone and hearts of iron. They even verbally would accept such a teaching, it seems right and yet they do not incorporate it in their lives. They may expect others to conform but they call it “liberty” when it assumes that they do not have to conform.

GATHA: When a person is content with his belief that is a comfortable state of being, but it is the understanding of the belief which is ideal.

TASAWWUF: That is why the mystic accepts disciplinary exercises, to awaken his understanding. As the heart grows soft, so to speak, it also obtains the sympathy which enables it to see from the point of view of others. This does not mean the giving up of another; it means the increase of outlook, attitude and growth.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary                                                             Series I: Number 3

Customs—Part 1

GATHA: There are many customs that have existed in different countries for ages which have psychical significance, and yet scarcely anybody knows about it. Customs in the form of greeting one another, and asking after one another’s health, even such habits as that of talking about the weather, arise from a psychical basis.

TASAWWUF: The psychical sciences have often been limited to an investigation of unusual sense habits and strange abilities. These may be said to manifest the jinn or gandharva aspects of life. But it is also true that much in man’s nature is hidden from the sense, and yet it manifests with or without explanation.

The British anthropologist, Sir James Frazier, made a very complete study of the customs both of ancients and moderns in different cultures. These appeared in the monumental The Golden Bough. It awakened scientists to the fact that they did not always know much about other people; that there are many cultures and points of view and perhaps each has some strong rationale behind it. Then the science of Anthropology developed and it brought tolerance where none had existed before.

Thus the subject of shaking hands; the tipping of the hat to others; bowing; keeping quiet; and many other customs may have long histories behind them and also quite vivid explanations.

GATHA: This shows that the ancient people, in the East or in the West, had more magic in their lives than the man of today. The world has lost the magical charm, so to speak, which was the inheritance of the human race, owing to the ever-increasing material life and the ignorance of things that are beyond matter. It is of late that science is discovering some psychological truths in human life.

TASAWWUF: Magic, like science, is based upon human experience. It may have its own rationale and sometimes the rationale is excellent. It all depends upon the point of view. Much magic is based on sympathy and there are some aspects of sympathy that even the scientists themselves call “sympathetic vibrations.”

As the science of Anthropology has grown, curious seekers have found that there are many phenomena that can not be explained by a particular tradition. When they have investigated further they often find such a logic that they had not deemed possible. Yet the phenomena corroborate the beliefs and superstitions of peoples of other cultures. Even Christianity started that way; it seemed to manifest a superior magic and by that superior magic won many adherents even when its devotees were cruelly persecuted.

We can find some magic among all peoples once called primitive. It is part of the nature of man, and of the universe which man inhabits.

GATHA: The process that science follows in discovering these truths is contrary to that of the mystic. The scientist wishes to climb the mountain from the level ground. They mystic, by way of meditation, tries to reach to summit of the mountain and from there he sees the whole beauty of the mountain. Therefore, naturally, the horizon before the eyes of the mystic is incomparably wider that the horizon before the scientist.

TASAWWUF: Nevertheless the scientist wishes to climb; perhaps his very profession impels or compels him to climb. There are other branches of human culture which do not assist in widening any horizon. Many wish to keep things and outlooks as they are. Only while the scientist is sure of the instruments he uses in the world without, the mystic also becomes sure of his mind and consciousness and his inner faculties.

In another sense it seems that the scientists follow an Aristotelian approach, although this is not necessarily so. And it would seem that the mystics follow more what the West calls a Platonic approach. And certainly in the meditations and esoteric exercises it is the universal that is placed before the individual. And when one has reached a universal point of view he is better able to understand all particular points of view. But the particularists, so to speak, are not always capable of understanding one another.

GATHA: Yes, the scientist may see things clearly, distinctly, and in detail, whereas the mystic has a general idea of things. Often the vision of the mystic is vague in comparison with the analytical examination of a scientist. And yet, while the mystic sees through objects, the scientist can reach as far as their surface.

TASAWWUF: There is now a growing acceptance of the limitations of analysis. There are points of view involving synthesis, integration and wholeness. All these in a sense belong to philosophy. Yet they can become and often do become the tools of science. For man is beginning to understand his limitations and is working knowing he has these limitations. And this helps him to broaden the horizon. So too meditation and intuition are becoming more and more the tools of science and of the general culture of the western world.

GATHA: Owing to the greater activity in Western life all things change more quickly in the West, while in the East changes come very slowly. Therefore, one finds many customs of ancient origin in the East which show the development of Eastern people in psychical things.

TASAWWUF: It may come as a surprise that the two oldest and most literate of all cultures have the most complete compendium of psychic traditions; that is, the Chinese and Hindus. With all the differences the Western world has some empathy with the Hindus, and it takes a long time even to examine many of the customs and habits of the Chinese, covering all phases of life.

As the literary people do not live much among those of quite different outlooks on life and as they also include largely fiction writers who have great influence on readers, it is often that false impressions are given on the folk “mores” of peoples far away. At the same time when a subject such as mysticism is discussed, often prowess is given only to people far away. The result is that a conflict goes on in the minds of men and with that, ignorance.

The Christian Bible also refers to the psychic body but the translators have erred, owing to their ignorance of things unseen. So each religion has failed to give the full import of its own teachings and this in turn has stimulated the growth of materialism.

GATHA: Even the ordinary customs, such as that of shaking hands, or rising from one’s seat to receive someone, bowing, bending, waving the hands, or clapping the hands, have a psychical significance.

TASAWWUF: The explanations of these are given in the psychic science which will be added to the other sciences as man becomes aware both of open and latent explanations. There is nothing that has not a meaning. Man has two nervous systems, in a sense, a conscious and an unconscious one. The psyche of man is just as much under laws on its levels as the physical body is on its levels.

GATHA: When two people shake hands with one another magnetism is exchanged between them and a balance of life force is made between them. The one who lacks strength, energy or magnetic power gains, and through the one from whom they overflow they are used for a better purpose.

TASAWWUF: All practices given by a teacher to a pupil help build up the psychic energy, sometimes in a latent or potential sense, sometimes in an active sense. This is very true for those who go on the path of healing and a great deal of knowledge along this line is contained in the volume on Health. But the very first exercises given to a talib help him to increase energy and through the rays of the sun, the waves of the air, and the all-pervading power in space, this is so.

It is a pity when people confine the significance of prayer and esotericism to the mental aspects of it only. The Sufi prayers and all exercises have meanings, not only esoteric, but even in the simplest sense. And when man can draw from the all-pervading power in the space both he and everyone he meets benefits.

There is a law of entropy wherein heat-energy always flows from a warm body to a colder one. This is one law which cannot be reversed on the physical plane, scientists teach. But in the psychic world it is not always so, and there are people who take advantage of the magnetisms of others to draw from them. In the worst form this is known as “black magic” but often consciously or unconsciously people try to benefit from the magnetisms of others.

In the physical world we can see the linking of electrical batteries and magnets and how they work in chains. There is a law here also as in gravitation that movement is always toward balance and equilibrium as if to restore a level.

Spiritual teachers always try to increase the forms of magnetism in disciples. This is done sometimes according to certain practices. The philosophy of it also appears in the literature and behind each statement there is a method. The teacher may impart these methods to the disciples but not to the average person. So while the philosophies drawn from literature are valuable the real value comes when each item becomes a reality to the student.

Now also this is being done in the Dervish dancing that magnetism is imparted and sometimes from the teacher, and sometimes teacher and pupil working together draw from the space; and sometimes it is as Jesus Christ has said, “When two or three are gathered together in my Shem (meaning Light,

Power, Magnetism, etc., and not just ‘name’) there am I in their midst.” So everybody benefits from the right use of psychic power.

GATHA: By rising to show respect to a person, and by walking a few steps to receive a person, a man makes himself ready to withstand the forces of the one who is coming. By standing up and walking a step or two, he makes his pulsation regular, and puts his circulation in order, thus making himself psychically ready to defend himself, if the one who is coming should happen to be a foe, and ready to meet him harmoniously on the same level, physically, mentally, and morally, if he happens to be a friend.

TASAWWUF: The unconscious operation of psychic law manifests in the folk customs. Moving face to face is as a movement toward union and harmony, but if one turns the body, that is already a divergent step, whether it is a habit, or a step toward drawing a sword or use a pistol or any weapon. In such cases the harmonious balance is broken. So also in the greeting to embrace in various ways, each little movement has a significance.

The conscious side may be seen in the physical arts such as Tai Chi, Judo, etc., found among the peoples of the Far East. While strange to the Western World, they should not be regarded as spiritual. They help in both physical and psychic development and naturally broaden the outlook of the participant, just as the outlook of the Asian is broadened by joining in western games and sports.

Spiritual teachers, particularly in Sufism, avail themselves of the spiritual laws in various ways of greeting and blessing. The blessing itself is above the psychic but benefits from the psychic as it does from the physical. The blessing is one of the highest forms of the transmission of cosmic and psychic energy.

We can also see this in the prayers, that each movement is associated with the words and thoughts. If we look further the same principles are found in the prayers of all nations.

When the disciple rises before the teacher, that involves psychic force. When the teacher lifts the pupil, that also, only more. When we pray, “Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our lives” it also signifies that everything has meaning.

GATHA: Bending the head in a bow quickens not only the circulation in the head but also the magnetic current in it, for the head is the chief moral and spiritual factor in man.

TASAWWUF: The prayers of all religions have this principle and not always just in words but also in actions. Those people who say and do not do what they say lose a great opportunity. But when speech, thought, and action are united there is great benefit.

In Zikr in particular the head is moved in various ways. The teacher may not explain the meaning. If he did so the disciple would be caught in the mental aspect. It is by moving the head, sometimes up and down or the reverse, sometimes from right to left and the reverse; sometimes in a circle and in combination of these movements that the devotee benefits in both the seen and unseen aspects of his personality. Then when the certain thoughts or concentrations are given by the teacher the benefit is increased as is taught in the lessons on Esotericism.

GATHA: You will always find that a person with a tendency to bow is thoughtful, and it often happens that the one who keeps his head erect and avoids bowing is foolish.

TASAWWUF: Therefore bowing is involved in many forms of prayer, and not only for the sake of devotion, but for humility and self-abnegation. Some people make a great art of bowing and they benefit from it. Thus the Japanese who delight in bowing can hardly be said not to be a thoughtful people; indeed they have contributed much to the universe of thought.

The subject of bowing is also discussed in lessons on Esotericism and Devotion. Man naturally bows when he listens with the intent of learning but when he wishes to be skeptical he may hold his head firm. Also if one does not wish to be influenced by a speaker he may hold his head firm.

Therefore the teacher imparts practices to the disciple as he needs them. Besides when the magnetic qualities of the teacher or speaker become evident, by their very nature they cause the listener to bow. And if a pupil is hard to reach, the wise man does not preach or tell him anything. He just gives him a psychic exercise which will produce the result desired, and generally this also involves moral benefit.

GATHA: Man’s life depends upon rhythm, rhythm in his breath, in the pulsation, in the beats of the heart and head, and it is irregularity of the rhythm of his heart on his pulse that shows disorder in his health. It is regularity of rhythm that keeps man in a fit state to go on through life.

TASAWWUF: This theme is considered in the lessons on breath and also the teaching on spiritual music such as is found in The Mysticism of Sound. It has been said, “Breath is the first lesson and the last.” This shows the difference between metaphysics and mysticism; the metaphysician will hold the truism that breath is the first lesson and the last and the mystic will learn how to breathe and also how to advance along the line of breath and the evident and subtle energies in the breath itself.

GATHA: And when people applaud a speaker, a singer, a player, it is a suggestion for him to continue his rhythm, physical, mental or moral.

TASAWWUF: For such rhythms produce intoxications and these intoxications often bring relief: in many instances diseases have been cured by such simple methods. For as the breath changes, so do the energies change and as the energies change one may pass from ill health to good health. But the same applies to the psyche, so to speak, as well as to the physical body.

RYAZAT: One may practice the clapping of hands to ascertain the effects and often by changing a rhythm in this manner one will feel better, be the disturbances physical, emotional, or mental.

GATHA: Even the waving of the hand in parting from a friend suggests the same meaning: continue to be in a fit state to live and enjoy life.

TASAWWUF: In shaking hands the magnetism may be directly felt. But magnetism is not limited to the physical; subtle magnetism does not depend on touch. It depends on the atmosphere and the waving the hand can convey more subtle magnetism for there is more feeling in it and less depends on the physical.

There are, or course, other means, such as raising the right hand in greeting or departing. The right hand signifies power (Jelal) and in wishing health and strength this is also a sign.

GATHA: There is a custom in the East that when a person is yawning a friend by his side claps his hands or snaps his fingers. Yawning naturally makes the rhythm slow, it is going down, so to speak, and the clapping of the hands and snapping of the fingers on the part of the friend is suggestive of continuing the same rhythm as before.

TASAWWUF: Audiences in the East do not applaud as in the West. They feel such applause itself induces change in rhythm. Besides a player or dancer has introduced his own rhythm with his own magnetism.

In the opposite direction the person who is yawning has either failed to respond to the constructive rhythm of the moment or there is no such constructive rhythm. Then the friend can produce it.

GATHA: Different peoples have different customs, and customs that one is not in the habit of seeing seem not only strange and meaningless but often also ridiculous. It is the work of the seer to see into things and it is this way of viewing which is called insight.

TASAWWUF: The instructions in Kashf, insight, are imparted to the disciple as soon as he is able to receive them. Actually, as Lord Buddha has said, all of us have the latent enlightenment, the ability to see and understand. Only the soul is, so to speak, asleep, and it is necessary to waken it. It becomes awakened by its own exercising, which is beyond the function of mind. And when the soul is active, with or without the mental covering, it perceives the reason and the reasoning behind every custom. And now Science also is becoming interested and the scientists involved develop both empathy and insight.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 4

Customs—part 2

GATHA: There are different customs in greeting, and in every custom there is some suggestion that explains the meaning behind it. The Hindus greet by joining the palms of the hands, which has the significance of perfection, since the right hand represents the positive power and the left hand the negative power, and when the positive and negative are joined together this sums up in perfection.

TASAWWUF: In Sufism there is more consideration of the positive and negative forces and how they operate through the body than in most other schools. Besides in Sufism there is no particular advantage in knowing the philosophy or theory of it. It does not help much to have just the mental view. And if we go further into such arts as Tantra Yoga or indeed many kinds of Yoga, and also into the science and art of the Mudras, we see examples of it. But actually these latent forces are in operation all the time, only in Yoga is man aware and in the daily life not so aware.

For the palms joining bring a unity out of duality and a movement of them also sets the magnetic forces into operation. For if we look more deeply and regarded the human body as an instrument of electricity and magnetism or both, we could see movements similar to those investigated by the scientists. Indeed it is the same laws working.

The union of currents, whether by breathing or movement, is always operational.

GATHA: The idol of Buddha, which is worshipped by millions of people in the world, signifies perfection—sitting cross-legged with the two palms joining, the eyes closed—all of which shows that the negative and positive powers are united and made into one.

TASAWWUF: When they are made into one, meditation becomes easier. There are two aspects here, the aspect of the devotee before his Lord; and the lesson to be learned by imitating or being merged into the Lord, so to speak. In that way the wonderful atmosphere of the idol becomes the wonderful atmosphere of the devotee.

GATHA: The greeting of the Chinese is the clasping of the hands, either touching the clasped hands of the other, which means that the perfection of power from both should meet.

TASAWWUF: This is one illustration of the psychic lore of the Chinese also. The Hindu brings his hands together vertically and the Chinese horizontally. The significance is the same but when the Chinese touch the pairs of clasped hands it involves action and action is much more important with the Chinese than with the Hindus. This is one of the differences in their cultures.

GATHA: And for the same reason the Arabs shake hands with both hands, for giving one hand is like giving half of one’s magnetism, but by giving both hands you show that you keep nothing back.

TASAWWUF: The Arabs are also more strict about keeping the hands clean, so they wash them before prayers and even at other times. But the clasping of both hands is sometimes seen among other peoples too. And when this is done not only hostility but even misunderstanding tend to disappear.

GATHA: The Persians touch the heart, which suggests the friendly feeling expressed from the bottom of the heart, that the greeting is not merely superficial, that it comes from the very depth of feeling.

TASAWWUF: This suggests also that a tender person may do the same. We introduce hand-shaking into other lands but we do not think always of acting their customs. But now is coming a time when many peoples will adopt customs of each other. In this way brotherhood will come. Brotherhood does not come when some groups intellectually proclaim brotherhood; that is nothing. It is by sharing, whether in eating together or in prayer or by respecting each other’s customs and showing willingness to adopt them or at least understand them.

GATHA: Among a great many people belonging to different parts of the world there is a custom of greeting by embracing one another, and no doubt there is a great psychical meaning in this. The two arms are the two directions of magnetic power, positive and negative, and in the breast is the center of these powers. And the custom is that they embrace twice, distinctly on the right and left sides. This is also the exchange of Prana, the very life, the centre of which is in the breast.

TASAWWUF: This custom is found in particular among the Islamic people who also say, “As-salaam aleikum,” peace be with you. Sometimes in Europe we see the kissing of both cheeks but not always the embrace and not always the greeting of peace. Among the Hebrew people and some Christians there is the greeting of peace without the touching of bodies. In this instance there is not so much psychic exchange.

No doubt the world would be better off if more people did this. Those who greet with an embrace or kiss are less likely to go to war, and are more likely to wish to have peace. There is a delusion that if the mind only considers the world “peace” enough or discusses subjects which are supposed to bring peace, there will be benefit. Yes, but it is a limited benefit. But when people act, when they use the senses and the touch to promote good-will they are adding psychic power to otherwise empty thought.

GATHA: There is a custom in Persia and in India when a younger person greets an older one, he bows his head, bringing it closer to his breast, and the older person, taking his arms, raises him up, as if the younger person wanted from the elder love, light, and life, and the elder person gives it to him and raises him with it. It also suggests a sentiment of modesty and humility on the part of the one, and help and encouragement on the part of the other.

TASAWWUF: We are now seeing that there is such a need, that the young people want that love which is love and not just a modification of animal instinct. They want the love that flows from the depths of personality. They do not get it from empty words or empty customs. There has to be some living act.

The sense of touch can be used both as a means of magnetism and of love beyond physical and subtle magnetism. And when actions are from heart the heart magnetism enters the procedures, then love become effective.

GATHA: Customs have sometimes been much exaggerated, and yet, if the sentiment is a true one, no external expression can ever be an exaggeration.

TASAWWUF: We see at the one end all sorts of folk customs have been incorporated into the Dharma of India and little insignificant things have been confused with the great moral and spiritual teachings. In this way superstitions abound because the emphasis is wrongly placed. Spirituality does not exclude anything but it sees a place and a value for all things.

As the world gets closer together the wise of all nations will examine and adopt the most expressive customs, one from another.

GATHA: Among people of religion and culture in all periods of civilization, there has been a custom of kissing the hand. The custom has originated from a natural instinct in life. What smells good the animal wants to bite first and everything that interests the infant it puts in its mouth first. That shows that the lips are the most sensitive part in man, and they are capable of giving and taking that life which may be called magnetism. Therefore the greatest fondness that one man shows to another in greeting can be shown by kissing the hands; this custom can be seen all over the world, in the East and in the West.

TASAWWUF: Psychic energy is involved with the breath. In Nayaz breath is also taken in and out of the mouth. A variation is to blow using the lips. This shows that the lips also are instruments of psychic activity, as are the hands and sometimes the sense of touch. Some people express affection by rubbing noses; others by putting the lips on the cheeks and breathing inn instead of out. All these show affection.

Of course, the lips are also involved in speech and poetry. Power, affection, beauty, love, and other beneficent qualities are involved in the breath.

The kissing of the hand has usually been involved with reverence, thus the bowing before royalty and even more so in bending to kiss the Pope’s toe.

GATHA: If a skeleton plan of man’s spirit be drawn one can draw it as a sun in the midst, and five rays shooting out all around; one straight upwards, two at the sides rising upwards, and two downwards, and it is this which makes the five-pointed star; Man’s head, two arms and two legs are the outward expressions of these rays.

RYAZAT: In the beginning the five-pointed star is used in concentration. When the mureed advances further, he can stand as the star, he can move as the star, he can feel the star’s radiance go through his whole body. This will be effective in increasing the light which is seen in the aura. This also means a further development in psychic power and radiance.

TASAWWUF: These lines collect and disperse psychic power. This is also a symbol of the divine light. This light in its highest form has been called Nuri Mohammed.

Mystics take advantage of these channels to replenish power. The above practice may be used when ennui follows inspiration; it thus restores and furthers inspiration.

GATHA: The idea of the Hindus in touching the holy feet of the Saint, is to reach first the rays that can first be reached, and one reaches these first two rays, the other three rays naturally fall over his head, when the saint puts his arms over his head and bends his head while blessing, looking at the center of the head of the one who is blessed.

TASAWWUF: Arms, legs, head, eyes, and breath are avenues of magnetism which may be used in blessing. When a devotee bows before the teacher he not only expresses humility, but prevents his own light or shadows thereof from falling upon the teacher. This both protects the teacher and also enables the devotee to get the full benefit of the teacher’s blessing.

Among the Hindus there was a custom that the Brahmins would not permit the shadow of a Sudra to fall upon them. Sudras had to stand at a distance. But even at that sudras were sometimes used to prevent untouchables (harijans) from coming anywhere near those of higher caste. No doubt this involved psychic law, but it is contrary to the whole spirit of divine creation and human brotherhood. When a devotee bows, his hands and head touch the ground, he thus receives magnetism and blessing from the earth itself. That is why the earth has been known also as the divine mother.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary                                                             Series I: Number 5

Hanuman

GATHA: There is a custom in the East of offering oil to Hanuman, the idol that is pictured in the image of a monkey, and that idol is worshipped by pouring oil upon it. This custom can be seen also at Indian weddings; maidens anoint with oil, the head, the shoulders, arms, hands, knees, and feet of the bride, and bridegroom. One sees this custom in some churches, for instance, in the Catholic Church. In Russia there was a custom of anointing the Tsar’s forehead with oil on the day of his coronation.

TASAWWUF: The oil customs are very ancient. We find them also among the Jews and oil was used for many purposes. This was generally olive oil which comes from the living plant, which is the fruit of the plant. The word “anointed” in a sense means “oiled” and it was also used in a ceremony for those who might be called “god’s elect.” The words Christ and Messiah also mean “anointed” or “oiled.”

The oil has the property of protecting the emanations which pour from the body and thus it preserves the magnetism. Oil is not only a non-conductor or insulator for the physical electricity; it is also an insulator for the subtle electricity and magnetism.

GATHA: Oil has the significance of softening. Leather, iron, or steel is made softer and smoother by putting oil on it. Anointing, as it is done in India, is a psychical suggestion to the bride and bridegroom that the hands and feet of each are ready to serve the other, and that they shall not show themselves stiff one to the other, that if there were any hardness in their nature it should be softened, since harmony is the blessing of a home.

TASAWWUF: Ceremonies are generally offered without explanation. It is the unexplained which may be called “superstitions.” And sometimes the ceremonies are used for their own sake; in this case they become magical. To say that something is magical does not mean to say it is good or bad, merely that it is effective.

Usually the explanation is lost; only the ritual remains. So there are many customs that have lost their rationale. But in the beginning no doubt they made sense. After a while the customs and the elements thereof become folk symbols which also does not mean they are good or bad, only their origin has disappeared from the minds of men.

There are many articles which can be softened by oil and also in this sense characters maybe softened. And in softening a Hanuman it means to change the animal nature in us to human nature.

GATHA: It teaches that forgiveness is required for becoming friends and keeping friendship; as one’s mate is not so flexible and docile as one’s own imagination conceives.

TASAWWUF: Throughout history marriages have been arranged and there are all kinds of institutions. Often bride and groom do not know each other at all. When those who are acquainted become married, there is a different basis for promoting harmony. But when two strangers marry, it is necessary to soften and harmonize them. Even in the fields of chemistry and metallurgy there is something like that operation. Alchemy includes the subtle side of chemistry but it also applies to all forms and beings in the universe.

GATHA: The idol of Hanuman is suggestive of primitive nature in man, and in the pouring of oil in the service of Hanuman there is a lesson for the worshipper to learn. However great your evolution may be, regard and consideration for the primitive nature is necessary, for all adjusts itself in the wider scheme of nature.

TASAWWUF: It is first necessary not to confuse the ceremony for the truth behind it. Many people are charmed by ritual and some think that the ritual is the goal in itself—there is a whole school in India that has this outlook. It is a limited one. And the word “nature” includes all the beings of the mineral, vegetable, and animal worlds and perhaps more. A ceremony based on nature in this sense, is symbolic until man becomes consciously aware of its deeper meanings. When the ritual is used for its own sake, it is a superstition.

Hanuman is pictured as a king of monkeys in the Ramayana. He also symbolizes the divine attributes in the lower aspects of manifestation. Yet in another sense he partook of the nature of the Jinn or Gandharva in his character, prowess and success.

GATHA: When man stands with his hands folded in humility before the image of a monkey, there is in this some lesson for him to learn: that life is such that with all your evolution you lack something if you have no regard to the primitive nature that is in man.

TASAWWUF: This is often misunderstood. Some people say that compassion begins with man’s attitudes toward animals. It is not wrong;, it is however, a short view. Man must first learn to have regard for his own animal nature. It is not necessary to regard all the activities of alimentary and reproductive organs as evil. One must have regard for them and use them in accord with spiritual law. As Mohammed has said, “There is no monkey in Islam.”

When a man stands with folded hands in humility he is repressing his own ego. However he so stands, this is of value to the devotee. Many say they surrender only to God; this is not surrender at all. This may promote great pride and selfishness. It is when man actually bows and becomes attentive to and listens to others that he benefits from humility.

Outside of religion we may find many instances of people waiting before royalty, before judges, before those of importance with such an attitude. When that attitude is also taken towards one’s fellow man in general it is of real benefit. If man can bow before a statue of a monkey, he ought to learn even more to stand before his fellow man who is more alive in a sense than a monkey. Besides a living being is always more alive than a statue.

GATHA: Christ has taught, “Resist not evil” and “If one sue Thee for thy coat, give him thy cloak also.” This teaches the same lesson, that life becomes difficult without regard and consideration for the primitive nature. By resentment one partakes of it, by rebelling against it one gives fuel to that fire. One should soften it in oneself and in another by wisdom, patience and gentleness.

TASAWWUF: This teaching which is also found in many Scriptures has not become important in religion. One of the differences between Sufism and Orthodoxy is that in Sufism the ego must be overcome and mastered but not destroyed. Religion has the tendency either to bolster the ego or to blanket it out entirely. Asceticism no doubt served its purpose and there are aspects of restraint and Brahmacharya which can be most helpful. But the whole of the body is the temple of the divine spirit. There is no part of it that did not manifest excepting because of divine wisdom.

Man has to learn the middle path between the sensual life and one of absolute restraint. As Buddha taught, both of these lead to exaggerated egotism. Each part of the body has its purpose. And in one sense all the attention paid to the beautification and adornment of the feminine body are aspects of the same attitude shown in this pouring oil before Hanuman.

The softening of the ego is the main topic of Moral Culture before mureeds and non-mureeds. This has not yet become part of the general culture and that is why there is constant turmoil.

GATHA: The anointing of the forehead of the king signifies that he should have an easy expression, not frowning brows and a puckered face, but a smiling forehead, as the Persian phrase is.

TASAWWUF: It is easy enough to tell people that they should have a smiling forehead and not frowning brows; but how can man be changed? He only can be changed if someone set the example. Therefore the teacher tries to show all tenderness and mercy toward the disciples and if he cannot do it himself, he gives them the instruction, which, if followed, can lead toward the desired goal.

When one considers Christ or Mohammed or Buddha, for instance, he also considers their natures. As he considers their natures he may become more like them. The practices of Sufism both by teacher and pupil help to raise the mortal part of man to immortality by attuning him to the chain of perfect teachers and also to help the devotee to himself become an instruction of the divine faculties.

GATHA: Poor and rich, all must come to the king in their troubles and difficulties, and his glance must comfort them and bring ease.

RYAZAT: The Tawajjeh is a practice by which the Murshid, with his glance, helps to bring out the perfections in the depths of the personalities of disciples. It is also a means of attunement whereby the mureed may obtain the blessing and the qualities of the Murshid insofar as they benefit him. But no literature about glance, no discussion is of any value. It must be an operation, not a metaphysic.

TASAWWUF: There are people who are poor and rich in worldly goods and intellectual attainments but in the spiritual development all grow as if little children who have yet to attain to maturity.

GATHA: The great lesson one can learn from this custom is that the great education in life is to soften one’s feelings, one’s thoughts, words, and actions, that they may give ease to ourselves and that we may create an atmosphere of ease that may benefit all who come in contact with us.

TASAWWUF: The first aspect of this is philosophy. Then there is the practice and if the teacher is unable to guide the pupils in this direction he is not a good teacher. And if the pupils harden themselves so that they do not respond they are not good pupils. So the process of softening, given in a ritual or symbolically or becoming a custom is only the crystallization of a great teaching. As man becomes soft before God the Divine Light finds accommodation in his personality.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary                                                             Series I: Number 6

Bells and Gongs

GATHA: The secret of the religious custom of having gongs and bells in temples and churches lies in the great science of the Hindus, which is Mantra Yoga. In the first place, this custom unites several religions, since bells are rung in Christian churches, in the temples of the Hindus, and in Buddhist pagodas.

TASAWWUF: The deep secret of this value is a subject of The Mysticism of Sound and Music and related studies. Actually there is something in the nature of music itself which produces a sort of intoxication. There are various forms of intoxication and they all take one from the denseness of the earth. However they lead in many directions and it is in accord with the types of sound and music that the effects are obtained.

Gongs and bells have different natures from the ordinary string and wind instruments in that there is not always a clear sound involved and their tones are like harmonies in themselves. Because of their size gongs often give out low notes and bells high notes. They have extensive series of overtones and echoes and the resonance continues long after they have been struck. These resounding chords have a strange effect, often very beneficial, that the mind, charmed, is unable to carry on its discursive thinking. That is why there are so many stories of people being enchanted.

As gongs and bells and other instruments do clear the atmosphere this is of great benefit to devotional ceremonies.

GATHA: Many think that it is a call to prayer, but from a mystical point of view it is something more than that. The idea of the mystic is to make his heart capable of resonance, that every voice that rises on earth or descends from heaven may have its re-echo in his heart.

TASAWWUF: Anybody who listens attentively to gongs or bells will find they induce the spirits of thoughtfulness, devotion, quietude, and even peace or joy. They stop the earthly vibrations. They take the mind away from selfishness. They imbue the consciousness with the presence of something more than the immediacy. This facilitates prayer and meditation and worship in general.

GATHA: The Sufi prepares himself by his exercise of Zikr and Fikr to make his heart capable of producing that resonance which may be caused on earth or descend from heaven. When the centers of the body and the faculties of the mind are prepared to produce that resonance, then they respond to every sound, and every time the bell is rung it has its re-echo in the heart of the mystic, and every center of his being begins to think of God and to feel God.

TASAWWUF: This can come by Nature and it also comes in development. That music does something to the consciousness can be seen in the study of peoples who live closer to nature, who are part of nature. No doubt they have more rhythms and also more dancing. And sometimes their worship, so to speak, is in the form of singing and dancing and also poetry.

But it is also true as the heart becomes more tender it also becomes more sensitive. And one can feel this even from a distance, hearing the church bell or the temple gong, a resonance goes on in the heart. Also in the esoteric development each center comes to life and also responds.

The Islamic worship generally precluded music. In the times of the Prophet music was mostly used for sensual purposes only by the Arabs. This had to be stopped. But there is a whole art of Qur’anic recitation and one can feel its effect. Resonance is often the way to spiritual enlightenment.

GATHA: Vibration is a greater stimulant than wine. Wine gives intoxication to the brain, but vibration produces ecstasy in the heart. Therefore Sufis have called it wine.

TASAWWUF: One can see in the circles of the Sufis, that when they chant Zikr many enter the state of ecstasy or Wujud. This helps raise the consciousness above the denseness of the earth. Those who have not had this experience often look down upon it. But it is good to make the young especially aware of a universe beyond the immediate world, and once they have this awareness they begin to see the values in the spiritual sciences. They have had an experience and this is of inestimable value.

Now also the dance is being used to build up the same effect. Singing, chanting and dancing the Name of God or the epithets of Allah are of the greatest value in awakening the soul from sleep, so to speak.

GATHA: The custom of having flowers in the house of prayer and the custom of burning incense in the place of worship also exists in almost all the religions and has existed in almost all periods. Color and beauty also have a power, an influence upon the mind and body, and those who can enjoy the beauty of color and the delicacy of the flower receive help by way of the eyes. Its effect opens the heart, which then responds to the blessing from above. This shows that the beauty of the earth can best be used to obtain the blessing from heaven.

TASAWWUF: There is a Hadith that Mohammed said he was very fond of perfumes. One can understand this of a man who lived mostly in the desert where there are not many flowers. There is no question that this sort of person would have enjoyed the flowers, both those that look beautiful and have pleasant odors. Besides the teaching is that God is beautiful. If we make it an empty theology, there is not much sense in it. The word “beauty” without any context has no value of itself.

We find that flowers and garlands are used in many holy shrines and places of worship all over the world. In general the devotee is moved by beauty and in turn becomes a patron of the arts. The greatest arts have often been associated with the purest forms of religion.

GATHA: The perfume of flowers or incense has a deeper effect still, because color or beauty are only reflected upon the heart through the eyes, but perfume and incense, rising through the breath, touch the heart, making it capable of spiritual exaltation.

TASAWWUF: In the Upanishads it is taught that the devas, the angelic beings, live upon the odors and perfumes, in other words, upon the smells. And it is easily seen that many people who are highly emotional otherwise, suddenly calm in the presence of both flowers and incense. There is something in the soul of man that responds and this response is more vivid than any philosophy on the subject.

RYAZAT: Bring in fragrant flowers and have the disciples meditate. Or if there are no flowers around use incense for this purpose. This operates so easily it is often overlooked, yet people readily recognize the truth of it. Also if there is any disharmony this sort of meditation can work wonders.

TASAWWUF: As the student advances on the Path he is given concentrations on the colours and on things that emit odors, and thus becomes more sensitive to them. As he becomes more sensitive his advancement in all directions is made easier.

GATHA: But nothing has a greater influence on the human soul than sound. Therefore hymns are sung in all churches, prayers are offered, and chants are recited, all in order to wake the spirit within to life, which enables the soul to respond to the perfection of God.

TASAWWUF: There is an Indian traditional science called Tattva Vada which deals with the cycles of colours and forms. And it is said that Sound is conveyed by the Akasha, the Ether, from which all other emanations come and to which they return. And in the deep devotions also one can realize the Saute Surmad which is the origin and goal of all sounds and which has been called the “soundless sound” because it is not dependent upon sensorium for man to become aware of it.

We can summarize that every sense has a power of intoxication and that this intoxication has the contrary effects of drawing many deeper into matter, and also elevating man above matter. The problems of sex and gluttony are due to man’s being more immersed and being unable to control his appetites. But at the same time the very senses which are often blamed for man’s fall, can be also the means of raising him.

People who have never experienced spiritual intoxication are often the most critical about it. They see that man can become the slave of intoxication but they are usually unaware that man can become the slave of his own nufs, the ego.

The very word “Allah” may prove to be the most elevating of sounds. This can only be known by those who recite, and never by those who are critical or abstain.

We can see the effects of dancing, marching, and other movements of the body under the influence of sound and music. If these can result from the music of certain levels, how much benefit can come when the master of the music is able to raise the consciousness of others; or the forms of music are able to raise the consciousness of others. The first step no doubt is in the gongs and bells used for devotion, but there is no end to attainment along this line.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary                                                             Series I: Number 7

The Custom of Drinking to the Health of Friends

GATHA: This custom has a psychological meaning. Wine has an influence that takes away the worries and anxieties of life and makes one unconscious of one’s environment, and this only may be called the proper condition for concentration.

TASAWWUF: The symbolic and mystical significance of wine is discussed in the studies on “Naqshibandi, Symbology.” And there is not always the agreement, whether it is wine that is meant or the state of Intoxication. This is called Sukr by the Sufis and this word is no doubt of the same origin as the word Shikoh in the Hebrew. But the Hebrews and other peoples have come to restrict its meaning to a particular form of intoxication which usually lowers the level of consciousness instead of raising it; and restricts the world of emotional expression.

Nevertheless, the term “intoxication” has been used to apply to all states wherein man is no longer bound by his immediacy. Among the ancient Greeks there was the Bacchic worship and the Dionysian rites. As ordinarily pictured it showed people under the influence of alcohol which is the potent agency in wine. But it was also used to depict the state of consciousness needed for the initiation in the Mysteries, Lesser and Greater, and for advancement along that line. Unless one could enter into some state of trance, he was not considered worthy for entrance into what might be called the “kingdom of heaven.”

GATHA: Those who cannot concentrate will realize by studying the condition of their mind that they are either worried or anxious about something or they are conscious of the environment of their life; it is that which keeps them back from concentration.

TASAWWUF: Concentration, especially in the form practiced by the Sufis, raises the consciousness of devotees until they are masters of all names and form. This is called Murakkabah and is the special concern of disciples at many stages of growth and is also one of the means by which they arrive at the God-consciousness. But it is not a mental or abstract consideration of the subject; it is the direct experience which is needed by all.

Concentration is often difficult because one is disturbed by noises and sights outside oneself. But it is even more difficult because man is unable to control his thoughts and emotions. Thought and emotions may be controlled by rising above them to peacefulness which is called Sobriety or by finding the greater vitality in a super-ego life and this is called intoxication.

GATHA: All those who have become great in the worldly, artistic, or spiritual aspects of life, have arrived at their destination by the power of concentration.

TASAWWUF: There is no doubt some difference between the artistic and spiritual concentration. In both instances some area of the unseen part of personality comes to the fore. It is awakened. But ordinarily after the artistic creativity has run its course the person is tired, he is worn out and that is why so many artists also resort to drugs or alcohol. On the other hand the devotee experiences no such set-backs. When he practices concentration it expands his consciousness and when the consciousness is expanded there are no set-backs, there is no reaction to the state reached.

In fact as the art and science of Murakkabah are taught they can be of most use to the artist, no matter what his field of endeavor is. And we can still see this in some Islamic countries where the practice of spiritual concentration has retained the folk-arts to this day. Most intellectuals go to the philosophers and clergy, but as those who sought the teachers of Gurdjieff found out, it was the humble artisan who often was the best instrument for the divine inheritance.

GATHA: It is by concentration that a person from being poor becomes wealthy, it is by concentration that one invents things the world has never known, it is by concentration that one arrives at a desired position in life, and it is by the power of the concentration that man enters the world unseen.

TASAWWUF: It is here also that there is a difference between ordinary philosophy and metaphysics and mysticism. The metaphysical person will see the words and accept them but cannot always practice them. And if we study the lives of those who accumulated (material) fortunes we see that they have not only practiced forms of concentration, they have been very one-pointed, they have used patience, endurance, and many virtues. And in this respect some of the wealthy are better equipped to become mureeds than some of the poor. They already have some of the equipment.

The repetition of Wazifas and other disciplines help one in the external pursuit but Murakkabah helps both in the internal and external pursuit. It no doubt requires considerable patience to reach the state of conscious perception and activity wherein the worlds unseen are as important as the visible world.

GATHA: The custom of drinking somebody’s health therefore proves to be based on a psychological idea, the idea that one holds a wish in one’s mind at a time when one’s mind will is in a state of concentration, so that during the time that the mind is in that state the thought of the friend’s health will be predominant.

TASAWWUF: Drinking to someone’s health is a wish. Wishes can become true by the exercise of will-power. Also by the constant repetition which is a form of concentration. The repetitive method is suggestive and it has an effect on the mind.

We can find that ever since the institution of Agriculture became important that the people found the use of intoxicants derived from grapes and grains and there was always the tendency to drink together. Social drinking is in some respects superior to individual sobriety when man keeps himself apart from his fellows. It is out of this that communion came. Besides in the preliterate peoples there was a sense of reality of the unseen spiritual existence and this came to the fore through many folk customs.

GATHA: There is a custom of touching glasses, which is supposed to be a promise of friendship. It can be defined symbolically in this way that the cup is the symbol of the heart, for in the heart there is the capacity of holding the divine love, which is the sacred wine.

TASAWWUF: When the mind of man is caught in symbols while he is aware of something more than materiality he is still bound by the ego. He has not become that which his mind is examining.

And this is true also of the Tarot studies that the Cup is a symbol and it remains a symbol and often an empty symbol.

The cup has become an important symbol. There are folk-stories about the Chalice of Antioch and the Cup of Jamshyd, and they were no doubt based on the existence of real cups and real ceremonies. But even more this is true of Lord Buddha’s begging bowl.

But as the intellectual people are stuck there and do not so easily identify the symbol with the living heart, it is necessary to awaken the world to the existence of the heart-life and the heart-sciences. We may thus start with a symbol or an institution. When we come to the depths of meaning of it, we come to the spiritual realities.

RYAZAT: Concentrate on the Heart-symbol but use it now as the Cup of Glory from which each can drink and each can share.

GATHA: So the cup touching the cup means heart united with heart. According to the mystical view it is two becoming one.

TASAWWUF: We find this in many marriage customs in different parts of the world. Often the bride and groom drink from the same vessel. This means partaking of the same life. In the Hebrew marriage the groom crushes the glass under his feet. It really means he is crushing his own ego under the spell of love. As people do not go into the depths of customs and superstitions after a while they give up the ceremonies. But in the depths marriage means that two hearts are to be drawn as one and this occurs best when the ego is crushed.

No doubt the ideal is an angelic love. But human capacity is much greater. And when the hearts of humans are united they can accomplish what the angels cannot. Therefore in all this one learns to feel the impulses of the heart and the hidden life which is in the heart comes to manifestation. In this is the fulfillment of human destiny and the purpose of life. In this also one rises above his dissatisfaction which came from his own limitations.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 8

The Origin of the Custom of the Seclusion of Women

GATHA: The custom of the seclusion of woman has its source in mystical thought. There used to be mystical orders of people in the East who contemplated in solitude and lived in seclusion. The magnetism and power of the influence that they developed by seclusion was in itself a marvel.

TASAWWUF: We can find this in the history particularly of the Hindus and Beni Israel. The prophets of the latter are outstanding. They were a special class who lived apart from society. Their later successors were even called “holy men,” but while the words remain, the relation of holiness to seclusion has not so been studied.

In the case of India we can find it specially in the life of Rama and of the very great sages of whom we have historical and literary records. It is not always explained clearly why they went into solitude. And there are many stories both in India and in the Islamic lands of the great prowess of those who have lived in seclusion. Although Mohammed was opposed to asceticism we see in Fariduddin Attar’s work on the lives of saints, how they all benefited from seclusion.

GATHA: This gave power to their gaze, power in their word and influence in their atmosphere. This custom of seclusion was then imitated by the kings and people of high rank.

TASAWWUF: This also brings out the difference between the metaphysician and the mystic. Information is not knowledge; knowledge depends upon participation.

Murshids and Pirs as well as all advanced mystics use the Glance, they have the knowledge of the Power of the Word, and they carry their own atmosphere. All of these are used in spiritual training with or without the interposition of speech.

Disciples are often sent into seclusion (Khilvat) to develop the innate faculties. But in general seclusion is used by all people on the spiritual path at some time or another.

In Khilvat, one is protected both by being excluded from gaze and from gazing. Usually one is not only in silence but in seclusion. This helps to protect the magnetism. We lose most magnetism through speech but also through gaze as well as touch and all sense-activities. Meditation helps restore vitality. So do breathing exercises and other disciplines. But the best help of all comes when one can go into seclusion.

GATHA: They had two ways of veiling themselves when away from home. One was to put a covering over the back of the head, which was made to hang down in front, so that the eyes could be half covered; and the other was to put a veil over the face. It is a sort of mantle that they put on their head. Every prophet of Beni Israel had this. In the ancient pictures of the prophets of the Semitic race one will always see the head covered with a mantle. In the Hindu race also many orders of Buddhists and Yogis wore a mantle over the head.

TASAWWUF: Examples of this have been preserved in many lands. In China the veil is put over the bride’s face, while in Europe it is thrown backwards. Sometimes both bride and groom are veiled. Often they are veiled only in the sense that they are kept from each other. This not only made marriage a sort of sacred mystery, it gave even more importance to the glance so that the first glance both from and to both bride and groom might be very magnetic.

GATHA: The veil which the kings also used, which was called Makna, later became customary in the East and ladies of high rank wore what is called in Turkish the Yashmak. For thousands of years it has been the custom among the Parsis that during their religious services the priest covers his head with a turban together with a mantle, and the Parsi women have kept the custom of covering the head with a white cloth, though it is less observed at the present time.

TASAWWUF: It is very usual that when a monarch adopts a custom first the people of high rank and then others adopt this custom. But more customs have come from the religions than otherwise and more have psychic import. And even when the reasons are not known or explicit, there is something instinctive which produces customs and keeps them observed for centuries. It is only with the disappearance of the monarch and nobility, the movements from ritual in religion, and the change of the generality at large which has caused many of these customs to disappear, or if retained, people no longer know the reasons.

GATHA: In India, among Hindus as well as among Musselmans, there is a custom at weddings of veiling the faces of bride and bridegroom with a veil of jasmine flowers.

TASAWWUF: This indicates that beauty is veiling and beauty is revealing. And in the West the Christian brides and later the non-Christian brides also carried flowers. And the including of the beautiful helps to make the marriage become more beautiful.

Although Islam started out in the desert as a religion of simplicity and in India there are a multitude of traditions, when the two faiths came together each adopted a number of elements of the other. And while it would seem that the former desert-dwelling Muslims adopted the use of flowers from the Hindus, it is also true that the Hindus adopted many of the forms of clothing from their Musselman invaders. It is often hard to distinguish origins and it is not always important.

GATHA: Under all these different customs of veiling the head and face, one finds a mystical significance. Man’s form is considered by Sufis as consisting of two parts, the head and the body, the body for action and the head for thought.

TASAWWUF: Psychic power manifests more through the head because of the expressive eyes, lips and tongue, as well as from the effect of radiance itself. People who have paid more attention to the whole figure have not always gotten the pleasure of looking at the nude body as one would expect. It does not always have radiance and sometimes otherwise. But it is easy to stimulate the radiance of the head and face and this is one of the factors in many forms of mysticism.

GATHA: Since the head is for thought its radiance is incomparably greater than that of the body, and the hairs are as rays of that radiance in the physical form. It is a constant outpouring of light that one observes in man’s life.

TASAWWUF: There have been many customs about hair, that usually it is the woman who has the long hair and the man who has the short hair. This is partly due to the natural fact that women’s hair is usually longer. Also there have been occupations of the men in which long hair interfered. But sometimes it is otherwise and in the continent of Africa there are tribes in which the women’s hair is always shorn and sometimes men wear their hair at varying length.

Then there has been a revolt of womankind, to go out into the world and no longer be secluded in the household. But this change was followed by women wearing their hair short and also dressing as men. This movement has no sound basis for it, although to interfere would be to limit man’s liberty. Nevertheless it produced a counter-movement in which men began to wear their hair longer. And sometimes this has gone to ridiculous lengths that some people whose ancestors wore their hair long object to the restoring of this custom.

It is not necessarily important and the Sufi discourages arguments over it as he discourages arguments over whether people should be vegetarians or not. Nevertheless, there is the sound fact that the hair possesses radiance and many of the messengers of God (Buddha excepted) wore longer hair than we find as a custom and even Buddha did prior to his departure from the palace.

GATHA: Every action of looking, or breathing or speaking, robs so much of the radiance out of man’s life. By preserving this radiance the mystic develops within him that influence, power, and magnetism which in the average person are wasted.

TASAWWUF: If one were protected so as not to look, and if one kept quiet so as not to speak, he would find that in a short time his whole psyche would be replenished. Every breath man takes brings in the essence of revitalization. If the breathing is done with concentration on God, or better yet, if one learns to breathe as if the body were the temple of God, then the dividing line between the ego-self and the universe would gradually disappear and each breath would bring in both vitality and revitalization. And if no words come out, then the magnetism of the breath is retained. And if nothing is lost in sense-activity or thought-activity the whole personality may be transformed.

GATHA: For instance, closing the eyes, which is a custom among mystics, not only helps in concentration and repose of mind, but during the moment when the eyes are closed, it preserves the radiance from flowing out. These customs were helpful to the kings and commanders for developing their power and influence, and they were valued for ladies of rank for preserving their beauty and charm.

RYAZAT: Therefore in the Sufi meditation the eyes are kept closed, and so long as one can do exercises without falling into sleep, the closed eyes, preserving magnetism, are most valuable, and profitable.

TASAWWUF: If the body were studied as an instrument of a form of cosmic electricity, it would be wise to find out where the energy- activity is and also where the leaks and losses are. Light, in a sense, is a form of electricity and magnetism, and electricity and magnetism are, in a sense, forms of light. And if the breath be used to draw in energy by doing this while the mind is free from thought, then the whole personality becomes unified and acts as if an instrument of God.

The custom for generals and kings is that of Jelalic preservation; and for ladies that of Jemalic preservation. There is a difference owing to the relation of the Jelal to the Sun and the Jemal to the Moon, that there are different rhythms and different factors.

GATHA: We learn by this that a life but little exposed to the outer world, whether through seclusion, or silence, or a perfect state of repose, with closed eyes, clasped hands and crossed legs has a great influence.

TASAWWUF: Each of these elements should be considered by itself. The practice of seclusion prevents one from exposure to inimical persons or forces or ideas and also prevents the unnecessary loss of psychic power. Silence also preserves energy, and what is more, breathing with the divine breath while being in silence can produce a revitalization and even a resurrection.

The state of repose is found in Meditation and Concentration and other forms of esoteric training. And when it is done with closed eyes, and the proper breath, we have the restoration of strength to body, mind, and heart.

Clasping of hands and crossing of legs produces the balance. Then there can be neither too much Jelal nor Jemal (nor Yin nor Yang, etc.) and this balance makes it possible for the forces of perfection from Kemal to exercise influence through the body and personality.

Toward 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.

 Gatha with Commentary                                                 Series I: Number 9

The Custom of the Seclusion of Women—part 2

GATHA: The custom of the seclusion of the mystics remains only in the mystical orders, but one finds the seclusion of women prevalent only in the East.

TASAWWUF: Mystical orders have temples and shrines but also in many of them the devotees go into caves. In Tibet sometimes a special structure is built for this purpose. And if we pass from the study of one group to another we find often similar institutions, although this is not always admitted. For there is one single truth behind all things.

But this truth, so to speak, has been misapplied in part in extending it too far to half the human race, that is, the womankind. And often small reasons are offered based on selfishness or egocentricity, and not on the cosmic outlook. Still we find that even in Christianity there has been a form of this institution of the seclusion of women from time to time.

GATHA: When a custom takes root in a section of society, certainly it can be used and abused as people may choose.

TASAWWUF: It is not only seclusion but sometimes we have what many would consider a very horrible institution, the binding of women’s feet as in China. Each group has its own, often very selfish reasons for its customs, but at the same time there is often a sound reason in the beginning.

GATHA: No doubt jealousy, which is in human nature, is a proof of love, but jealousy can be the source of a great many crimes.

TASAWWUF: In Gayan it says: “It is one thing to love and another thing to own.” When the individualistic point of view is stressed, this gives unlimited scope for nufs, the ego. The ego can always find some justification. So in the studies in “TASAWWUF: Series 1,” there is a sharp criticism of the misapplication of Logic and Reason with which the ego disguises itself.

GATHA: Man has always guarded the treasures that he values most in all sorts of coverings, and since that which man can love most is woman he has often ignorantly tried to guard her in the same way as all things of value and importance. And the custom of seclusion has been in his hands a means that has enabled him to control his household in the manner he likes.

TASAWWUF: There a few passages in Qur’an that justify some of the factors which later lead to the seclusion of women in Islam. And although Mohammed, as a Messenger of God, did not claim royal prerogatives he either requested or God requested through him that special provisions be made concerning his family. In his time this referred only to his family and not to the women as a whole.

Besides, not a very careful study has been made of the place of womankind in the various societies. Each age is likely to look back and presume its own institutions existing in earlier times.

The Bible teaches that God made man and woman and both in His Image. But the part that women could play in the Hebraic religion was very small. It was only after many centuries, too, that women were given much consideration in Christianity. And no doubt the teachings of the Christian Paul on this subject have ample justification behind them.

We cannot evaluate a particular set of customs unless we look at the whole world. This is a modern undertaking and conclusions are often reached without considering all facts and factors.

GATHA: However, it is not true that this custom was the outcome of the teachings 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 dances were going on among the peasants of his land, he said that women must be clad properly.

TASAWWUF: The wearing of proper clothing is an entirely different subject. But excuses from one source are often used to justify man’s actions in quite different directions. The growth of the Islamic state was very rapid. Peoples of all kinds of customs were readily conquered or accepted Islam without being conquered. Customs and traditions not contrary to the Five Pillars were preserved and often integrated into Islamic Society. Then as in turn the Omayyeds and Abbasides set up their monarchical states, the simple institutions of earlier times were changed and in the efforts toward uniformities, gradually many changes entered and became customs which did not originate with the Prophet.

Besides, he was a man of great simplicity and democracy. He even cooked meals for the women of the household and took on many responsibilities which his successors, becoming monarchs, stopped or dropped.

The condition of womankind in the whole Mediterranean area was not always far removed from slavery. There were castes and classes and many kinds of customs. Some of their elements were preserved as also earlier institutions of the Arabs as they lived before their introduction into Islam.

The whole institution of religion, on the whole, has placed womankind either in second place, or in a different category. In one sense men are solar characters and women lunar characters and even their ways of receptivity of the divine light are different. There have been different paths for the spiritual development of men and women.

GATHA: In the other place that when the ladies of the Prophet’s household were returning home after taking care of the Prophet and his army during a battle, they were disinclined to look at the battlefield and show themselves to their enemies; and the only thing that could be advised by the Prophet was that now that peace had been made if they did not like to show themselves, they might veil their faces.

TASAWWUF: This was an elective act. The prophet taught: “There is no compulsion in Islam” and “the Merciful inclines to the side of Mercy.” But religion, becoming concealed and fixed in its theology, often disregards the teachings of the Founder. This is not only true of Islam but of all the religions and is one of the basic factors in the revolt against religion. The revolt may often be a protest of the deepest part of man’s consciousness.

The orthodox often imitate some of the patterns in the life of the Prophet externally without examining the deepest reasons. And as orthodoxy became more entrenched it became degraded. Then folk habits and other elements of behavior enter in the name of religion and remain while the spirit of Rahmat subsides. This is the same as decay of Dharma.

GATHA: In India one sees the custom that an aged woman covers her face, a widow covers her face and a bride veils her face.

TASAWWUF: There are many good reasons for coverings, for particular periods. When these become universal, the spirit of Love, Mercy, and Compassion subsides. Man attributes Perfection to God but in such a way it has little meaning or effectiveness. The attributes of Allah are there to become also the living attributes of mankind, to manifest in his everyday life.

We can find all kinds of customs in the Dharma Shastras and these Shastras have overshadowed the Sutras, just as in Islam the Hadith overshadow the Qur’an: the legal codes overshadow the Hadith and folk-practices overshadow the legal codes.

GATHA: There is some little psychological meaning in it. It is the nature of every soul to wish to hide its sorrow, and by veiling her face the widow veils her sorrow from others.

TASAWWUF: Everything begins with a justifiable base. Sorrow is something which should be confined; joy is something which should be shared. Often there is the extreme that there are paid mourners. And again it has been inherited even from ancient Egypt, to beware of the possible immanence of death and keep in mind that whatever we have from and of this world is only temporary.

GATHA: And the veil one sees on the face of the aged woman is there for the reason that in age the emotions become more visible and one has little control so as to hide them from others, and when the heart has become softened, at every little touch, however gentle, it is easily moved, and the covering is as a shield over it.

TASAWWUF: In ancient times in many lands women and men alike spent more of the latter part of their lives in the spiritual quest. They had partial or total seclusion and sometimes it took the form of living in the woods, the desert and the uninhabited places which are called “jungles.” Many customs remain in the literature but we do not always see them in practice. Many other customs are in practice that we do not always find in the literature.

GATHA: On the face of a bride the veil is for the preservation of her charm, of magnetism; at the same time the finest beauty in human nature is modesty, in whatever form it appears.

TASAWWUF: The subject of the preservation of charm has been given little study. And when selfish man is moved by outer considerations he puts a certain price on it as if for himself. He is not always considerate of the young woman.

In many religions there is no social intercourse between man and women unrelated by marriage or blood excepting sometimes in business dealings and not always too much then. And in many parts of the land, especially in the Latin countries, there is the institution of the duenna, an older woman who looks after the young women, married or unmarried, to protect their modesty.

When we read the “Thousand and One Nights” and other Oriental tales we get some idea about seclusion, its benefits, its abuses, and the type of woman involved. By keeping away from society young women do preserve and even increase the magnetism of charm, and this is a great gift to bring to a wedding, much greater than a dowry. However, there are certain limitations here due to the existence of castes and classes and it is not so readily recognized that all people, rich and poor, high and low, male and female, are alike the beloved ones of God.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary                                                           Series I: Number 10

The Custom of the Seclusion of Women—part 2

GATHA: From the physical as well as the occult point of view, woman is more impressionable than man.

TASAWWUF: The word for woman in Hebrew originally meant the responsive one. The body of the woman tends to be curvilinear and of the man to be rectilinear. But when we look more deeply, man, the male is more connected with solar currents and woman, the female, with lunar currents.

In modern times there have been movements toward freedom, rather than toward perfection. There is no doubt that many men should become more responsive and women more direct, but the responsiveness of the male should not interfere with his positive nature, nor the affirmations of the woman with her faculty of impressionability.

GATHA: The task of woman as a mother is more important than that of man in any position. Woman molds the character of the child with her thought and feeling, and as she is susceptible to outward impressions, her impressions always have their influence on her child.

TASAWWUF: The movement toward female liberation should add to their horizons without detracting from her basic function. Many women become executives in commerce, finance and other fields, and in so doing lose their tenderness and responsiveness. With that they usually become less happy, often miserable, even when most successful and famous.

There is nothing to prevent wives and especially widows from obtaining commanding positions after their basic functions have had suitable outlets. The grandmother is considered as a special person in the traditions of many lands.

GATHA: During the period before motherhood very great care must be taken, for any word spoken to a woman then goes to the depth of her being and re-echoes in the soul of the child. If a word makes her bitter for a time or cross for a moment, it can create bitterness or crossness in the child.

TASAWWUF: While this applies to women on the way toward motherhood, it also applies to some extent to all women. Among some Islamic people, for instance, it is considered very wrong to speak to women in a strong or loud positive voice. King Louis XIV of France, despite his being a despot, often spoke only tenderly to all women regardless of rank or function.

GATHA: Especially during that period woman is more sensitive and susceptible to all impressions, beautiful or ugly. Anything striking impresses her soul deeply. A color, the lightning, thunder, a storm, all make impressions upon her. The conditions of life, misery or joy, tell on her more than on others. In consideration of this the custom of seclusion has been kept in the East, and it still exists among certain communities.

TASAWWUF: The custom of keeping expectant mothers in seclusion has scientific, psychological, and occult reasons for it. But it has been used to keep many women in seclusion and sometimes in such a way that they cannot become mothers at all. In other words it has supported tyranny rather than tenderness. Our work is to utilize the custom and practice of seclusion to protect womankind and more than that to help guide souls coming toward manifestation.

The abuse has been seen in Islamic countries where wives have been kept entirely shut up. And in India with the practice of child marriage. The whole spiritual purpose of life is aborted by such customs.

While Khilvat is the Sufi term for seclusion generally the word Purdah means a “curtain” and in some sense women have been kept behind curtains. In some places the curtains are still used so that the voices of the women are heard by the men and the voices of the men by the women without their seeing each other. This gives scope to the minds of womankind without any harm done. When the Purdah-curtain is abolished at first it causes emotional disturbances. But ultimately this need not be so. There is an innate purity in all of us and when it is given its opportunity it expresses itself more.

GATHA: No doubt there is another side to consider: that home and state are not two separate things. 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 outer life? No doubt these ancient customs, even with their psychological importance, often make an iron bar before the progress of the generality.

TASAWWUF: Thus there are two extremes to be avoided. One is that woman should be excluded from playing any leading role outside the home. The other is that women are even superior to men in certain fields of endeavor because of their very natures. There have been civilizations in which women actually took on the leading roles, as among some Berbers. There are other cultures in which they have been excluded from playing any important role in life at all. Both of these do not take into consideration all aspects of life. And no doubt a balance can be found giving women full freedom without turning them into warped males.

GATHA: In the East, for the maid and mistress both, there are days set apart for rest in every month, in all different religions, among Hindus, Parsis and Mohammedans. The life in the world is a continual battle, and a hard battle one has to fight, if one has any fineness of feeling, any decency of manner. The position of woman in this battle is worse than that of man. It greatly robs her of her womanly fineness and delicacy of sentiment.

TASAWWUF: In some lands the differences between men and women have been ignored. The danger is this robs womankind of charm and grace and otherwise alters her nature. Of course sometimes this turns humankind into a sort of glorified animal. But mostly the harm is psychological; psychological problems arise, and there is a general absence of joy and bliss.

It is not always that women lose their balance by increased creative activity, especially as scientists and artists. But there has been a marked change as to the value of purity and virginity. Often they count for so little and when this happens also there is a depletion of charm and grace. For human beings are much more than social animals or mere material entities.

GATHA: Man is more dependent upon woman than woman upon man. From the first moment any child, whether boy or girl, opens his eyes in the world, he seeks the protection of woman. Woman, as his mother, sister, daughter or wife, is the source of his happiness, comfort, and peace.

TASAWWUF: This is even true among some animals. And logical and psychological reasons and excuses do not provide substitutes for the hard facts of life. For every woman was created for a certain purpose and when she is taken away from her purpose in life, though there may be some ego-satisfaction, there is not that ebulliency of joy which comes to everyone who is working out his true destiny in life.

Social and psychological philosophies are not substitutes. Reasons and excuses do not bring joy. And arguments against what is not practiced are of no avail. While many social experiments are tried in many directions, the western world has not even tested the practices of seclusion to ascertain whether they are valuable or not.

GATHA: In whatever way man may express it, whether by a crude custom such as the seclusion in the East or in many different ways, to shield her from the hard knocks which fall on every soul living in this world of selfishness, is the first duty of a thoughtful man.

TASAWWUF: There was once an age of chivalry in which the first duty of man was to protect womankind. Many often traveled many miles on this sort of mission. It became important historically. Indeed that age has been looked upon as ideal. It was not thoroughly ideal for it held some women in idealization and others in contempt. Yet it also helped to break down the barriers between the sexes which had been made artificially in Christianity as in all religions. Indeed religion has been used as an excuse to keep womankind in subjection.

      No doubt there are many reasons for it and some appear in Scriptures and some in traditions. Nor are there many ways by which women can and have become the instruments of God as men have. For all the Messengers of God have been males, but there have been women prophets and saints.

      Meditation as an institution, and not just a daily or general practice, has many benefits. It is the balm of the soul far more than sleep may be. And very often industrial organizations have provided rest rooms for women which is very good for them and results in increased productivity and also emotional balance.

      It is not necessary that men and women be alike. It is even worse if they are strangers, one to the other. There is something more than a middle path between the two, when we adopt the wide view, fitting different persons and groups into their proper functional places but leaving room for all.

      In Sufism and other mystical philosophies, the existence of several planes and bodies, and the instructions to make both men and women aware of these different planes and bodies will result ultimately in the solution of problems and complexes considered in this discussion.

Gatha with Commentary

Etekad, Rasm U Ravaj:
Superstitions, Customs, and Beliefs

Series II

of

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

by

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

(Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 1

“Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood”

GATHA: There is a remarkable phrase in the Bible, where it says, “Eat My flesh and drink My blood.” What does He mean by saying this? He means in the first place that what a living being loves most is his food, what he loves most he eats. It has been proven in ferocious and dreadful famines, by people eating their own children, that food is dearer than their own child.

TASAWWUF: There is a certain cell of the body, of the whole flesh and of each cell. How do we know that the cells do not live upon the body, or the body upon the cells? And in the teachings on the problems of vegetarianism it is brought out that life lives upon life.

When the body takes in the dead food we have the tamasic condition. There are degrees of vitalities in all creatures and in eating also, one partakes or does not partake of psychic and vital vibrations, each according to its kind.

We are also here concerned with the mysteries. There were many kinds of mysteries before the time of Jesus Christ and some even later. In the mysteries there was concern with eating, even with what some have called “god-eating” for the “god,” so to speak, would have higher psychic energies and vitalities and the consumer would benefit from them.

GATHA: The words of Christ therefore, “Find out, what it is in Me that you love, which may become your nourishment, which may become your food. It is not this, My flesh and blood; this will not be sufficient to satisfy your appetite.”

TASAWWUF: In fana-fi-sheikh the disciple keeps before himself the form of the teacher whom he loves, perhaps idealizes. He may wish to assimilate the qualities of the Murshid or absorb the teachings which the Murshid offers so that he may develop these qualities in himself. And then as he advances he learns to absorb the qualities of Saints, of Masters, of God himself. It is all processes of growth, of absorption.

But to absorb, even to eat from Jesus Christ would mean more than consuming the physical body. Indeed we do not consume any body—a bread or wafer is offered and this symbolically and superbolically represents the body of Jesus Christ.

In the Upanishads it is taught that the devas live on the odors and essences and do not eat the solid foods; their savors are sufficient. And it is also true in the same and also in another sense that love is the life itself. When one has the love, one has the life and one can demonstrate it and find it demonstrated.

GATHA: “There is another part of My being, which is in abundance and can nourish My numberless devotees. Therefore before trying to eat My flesh and blood, try to find out on what plane I really exist and what is My true being.”

TASAWWUF: In the Christian communion sometimes this is a ritual and many believe the ritual is sufficient. No doubt it is sufficient on the external plane. But Christ is on all planes and penetrates all parts of the universe. Therefore in the Catholic churches this is given along with meditation. Sometimes indeed the meditation becomes more important than the ritual, for it is through the meditation that the realization usually comes. Otherwise we should be seeing innumerable examples of spiritual awakening just by partaking of a ritual. But that is only the first step.

When there is the meditation one uses the mind and one also uses the heart. And the mind may awaken and the heart may awaken and when the life is consciously aroused on all planes, then the ritual is fulfilling itself, but not otherwise.

Besides this there is another aspect and that is connected with it, that Christ becomes the resurrection and the life actually to those who partake of him. When we really understand the meaning of the “blood of Christ” we are dealing with the blood of life and the blood of resurrection. Therefore in Sufism every effort is made to awaken the inner spirit. By the awakening of the inner spirit there is the true communion.

GATHA: The lives of all the great saints show that not only their adversaries and opponents but also their near and dear friends have proved to be among their worst enemies. There is a creature which loves its mate so much that it eats it.

TASAWWUF: We find this among the Arachnids and also the Mantis. Spiders and scorpions only love in a strange sense, or perhaps it is that appetite itself grows out of love. And so they have a strange, to us, form of communion in their marriage.

But this is also true among people, and especially those known as sadists and masochists, that they have to have a strange kind of satisfaction which does not come from equality, but from the desire to possess or be possessed by the beloved.

In Gayan it states that one’s greatest enemies are often those near and dear to one, but the greatest enemy of all is one’s own self. We find this, especially in times of problems, that those close at hand have their own problems and they expect help from the teacher and it is proper that they so expect. But at the same time this becomes a burden, and some teachers find the spiritual life one of continual crucifixion.

When we study the Scriptures we find that Peter who had been so close to Jesus Christ, in the time of trial was not so faithful. And Buddha’s own kin caused him much anguish. And Mohammed in his day had to stand against every kind of struggle in which some of his kin fought against him and some did not take sides.

It is of little value to look back and condemn those who did not prove true. If one does that he or she also will be tried by life and this often happens, perhaps always happens. It is not by finding any fault in the previous behaviors but how each one acts and operates in the times of their own trials, or in the trials of those near and dear, and most of all in their relations with their teacher.

GATHA: Now as to the question: what it is that Christ speaks of as His flesh and blood. His flesh is the knowledge of God and His blood is the love of God; because it is love that has a tendency, so to speak, to excite the circulation, and it is knowledge which has the tendency to strengthen, making man firm, of which flesh is the symbol.

TASAWWUF: The Hebrew word which became known as “flesh” originally meant the universal vehicle of life, or we might say, plasm. In plasm, spirit manifests through form, the form being the result of the hardening of spirit. The knowledge man has is that of names and forms, and this comes mostly in a state of sobriety.

In ecstasy one finds the spirit of God and this is the drinking of blood. In sobriety one finds God in form, and thus the eating of flesh. It is both in the Purusha (personality) and Prakriti (form) that God manifests; He is the seen and unseen, the known and unknown, in all forms and behind all forms. This is offered as prayer and becomes therefrom meditation, and from this meditation the realization.

GATHA: One thing without the other would be abnormal. For instance flesh without blood, or blood without flesh, both are not normal conditions. What gives normal health to the body and to the soul is flesh and blood both.

TASAWWUF: Therefore both ecstasy and sobriety can be of value in the spiritual life. They meet in exaltation. Ecstasy without exaltation means that one is seeking a state of drunkenness for its own sake. But sobriety, while maintaining balance, does not of itself usually bring progress, excepting through pain and hardship.

There is a balance between ecstasy and sobriety which enables man to face life with all its hardships and all its glories and by that to see God in all things.

We pray to have sustenance to our bodies, hearts and souls, and at the same time use the very techniques which make this possible. The breath is the channel to heaven from earth and also from earth to heaven as was symbolized in Jacob’s ladder. The path of spiritual development is a path also of breath development; breath development brings us closer to God and propinquity to God develops the breath. There is no end to this development.

GATHA: In the religious custom of the sacrament of bread and wine this secret is symbolically expressed.

TASAWWUF: It was a very ancient ritual to have forms of sacraments and communion. In some religions the devotees were said to have “eaten their god.” A sacrament itself indicates that there is a depository of Baraka, or blessings, either in the ritual or in the elements or both. And this custom brought people nearer to their god and also nearer to each other. It was much more satisfactory than the use of aphorisms or phrases which people are prone to repeat instead of transforming themselves or being transformed.

In some aspects of Christian ritual it is said that the elements are transformed, but the real value comes when the devotee is transformed, when he is reborn, when he experiences new life, new vitality, and when he can get rid of what some have said is the “old Adam.” Offered as a ritual it can nonetheless become a truth, when it is experienced.

Sir James Frazier, one of the fathers of modern Anthropology, has detailed this in “The spirits of Corn and Wine” and other sections of his monumental The Golden Bough. By this one can see that the basic symbology is very ancient and has been used by different peoples but always toward the same end of spiritual transformation and development.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 2

Customs of Courtesy (Formerly “The Glance”)

GATHA: There was a custom in the old aristocratic times, which is observed even now in the East, and somewhat in the Western part of the world, of taking steps backward when leaving someone who was respected. It was not only a custom but it had a psychological point of view. When two people are talking to one another, facing each other, a current of sympathy is established which chiefly runs through the breath and through the glance, and, necessarily, one of the two is expressive, the other receptive. When their backs are turned that current is broken, and the idea of the people of old was to retain that current, which they thought was valuable, as long as possible.

TASAWWUF: We have to consider here many factors. According to all the Scriptures, but very seldom in the exoteric religions, man has three bodies, three vehicles. They may be called physical, subtle, and causal or spiritual. The names do not matter so much; the teachings do matter, but the substitution of ego-salvation for divine worship has degraded and even desecrated all faiths.

According to the Sufi teachings it is the soul that sees and it uses the various vehicles or bodies. Each of these has different ranges of magnetism and these magnetisms contain properties and qualities which cannot always be verbalized or even expressed in thought. But all can be felt.

Part of the work of the Message is to restore the Psychic Sciences which include various aspects of magnetisms, the properties involved, their effectiveness and importance. But the chief element here is not the psychic sciences per se, or the magnetisms, but the development and use of Kashf, insight, which makes them objectively effective and valuable in peoples’ lives.

When people meet au face, to use the French term, there is not only thought and speech but feeling expressed and this can be noted by the eyes. And when there is an expressive and a responsive person, or expressive and responsive groups, all the different currents come into play. Therefore very often people sit down to tea together and perhaps several times before establishing either personal or business relationships. By that time their vibrations have been acquainted and once there is this vibrational exchange, then social, commercial or personal affairs can run more smoothly.

Once the commentator had been taken to the Royal Cemetery in Japan. He was told that no non-Asian had ever been brought there and only one Asian and that Asian was not very respectful. They went to the tomb of the former Emperor and made obeisance. Then all the Japanese disappeared.

The commentator was a disciple in Sufism. He had been trained by both Hazrat Inayat Khan and Ruth St. Denis to employ Insight to read from the ethers, so to speak. To many the terms “Ether” or Akash are transcendental, but non-conscious. But to the mystic, they are very conscious. And as is taught in “Cosmic Language” one learns to read effectively from the “space” and all vibrations.

So being alone, the commentator stood before the shrine of the Empress, bowed; meditated; walked forward until some 30 paces from the tomb; bowed, meditated, bowed again, and walked backward facing the tomb until at the original place, bowed again, meditated, and gave a final bow and waited. Then the three Japanese came forward from their hiding places and told him they had been watching him and he had done what was absolutely correct. So he was taken in turn to the Stupa for Lord Buddha on the mountain; to an esoteric Shingi-Ghingon temple; to the top of the mountain where some pictures were taken; and later was a guest of honor at the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, an honor never before bestowed on a simple person, or on non-Asians excepting of the highest grades.

Actually the same thing had happened before when he met Roshi Sogen Asahina at the Engaku-ji in Kamakura, a most famous Zen temple. The two just glanced at each other and became one—or nothing or transcendent. This has happened many times to and with mystics, but is seldom an experience of metaphysical book-writers who may become famous and wealthy, but who do not bestow understanding on themselves or on the human race.

Darshan is an extension of this practiced by many spiritual teachers. It has been used effectively and not effectively since the time of Lord Buddha. It was fundamental to the life and work of the Buddha, but the secret has been lost. For with all the philosophical teachings of anatta, selflessness, the selfhood persists in fact, even when philosophically denied.

The Sufis have a practice of Tawajjeh wherein the teacher uses the glance very deliberately to help the disciple. This is less ritualistic and more personal than the Darshan. When Hazrat Inayat Khan applied it to the commentator, it had such a dramatic effect that no one would believe it. More than forty years have passed and there is the same vitality, the same magnetism which was imparted by the first Pir-o-Murshid in the West, which proves its effectiveness and also demonstrates the hollowness of ego claims to the contrary.

GATHA: There was another custom of courtesy of the ancients which still exists in certain places, that in order to show respect to someone they bent their knees.

TASAWWUF: The Hebrew prayer book still states that to God every head must bow and knee must bend. But when we go to various parts of the world either the practice is discontinued or it has become so ritualistic as to lose its effectiveness.

One of the most effective factors in the Islamic religion comes from the Islamic practice of Sajda, in which every head must bow and knee must bend. This is a most effective psychic way of promoting first humility and then selflessness. Holding the head down causes one to become humble whether one says it or not. And bending the knee and placing the forehead on the ground promotes selflessness by itself. And when effective words are added this helps the devotee to self-effacement.

GATHA: This had a psychological reason: that every influence of love, affection, or sympathy, benediction, or blessing, is poured through the glance, through the breath, and through words, and if the receiver was taller than the bestower, the influence would go into the ground instead of touching the person.

TASAWWUF: There in the Hindu rituals no one was permitted to sit but below the teacher. Once a Hindu musician came to San Francisco. A Sufi wished to see him, but he declared he was too busy. When the interview was granted, the Sufi said: “You have lost all your money and your prestige. So I am going to be your Guru and sit above you. You have no choice.” The Hindu musician, the very famous Dilip Kumar-Roy not only assented but accepted all the suggestions. Within a short time he recovered his prestige and more money than he had lost. He returned to India and became a saint. He is a great master of psychic influences through music and the atmosphere. Great intellectual people then came and sat at his feet. And later the Sufi also sat at his feet in India.

It is not enough to say that the eyes are the windows of the soul; anyone can say that. But the wise know how to use the eyes as the instruments of the soul itself to pour out all the energy and magnetism and thus actually communicate love, affection, sympathy, or blessing. These are all part of the Sufi’s equipment, and not symbolically only, but actually and effectively. So if the teacher sees the need of the disciple or anyone, by this means he can communicate the answer for the needs. It is like a ritual and it is much more than a ritual.

GATHA: Especially the influence of the glance, which surrounds one with sympathy and good wishes, has, mostly, a downward direction, and it is naturally so with the breath also.

TASAWWUF: The water element, and especially the water element combined with the etheric element, moves downward but with the finer vibrations, and also with the finer emotions, especially when heart-concentration is practiced. The mystic who is full of heart naturally sends the divine light out to others according first to his own capacity to be positive and then according to the capacity of others to receive.

The Divine Light which pours from the soul has all the virtues of the Sifat-i-Allah. Thus the teacher by his kindly glance can awaken in the disciple any of the desired attributes and this is most effectively done with silent communion.

GATHA: In the salutation made by putting one knee on the ground, the knee resting on the ground expresses readiness to receive the command and the knee that is up is ready to go forward to carry it out.

TASAWWUF: This was also a part of heraldry and chivalry in the West. There is a tradition also that it was brought to the West by Arabs who were under Sufic influences. But there are natural psychic laws as well as physical laws. And when a feeling is uppermost also the body will act that way. It cannot be otherwise. Nevertheless, as mankind again studies the psychic laws, he may begin anew to act as some peoples of former times did. And the absence of such behavior, often in the name of democracy, simply lowers both psychic and moral standards.

GATHA: But besides their psychological influences, different manners of courtesy have been the outcome of human progress in the direction of refinement. And yet progress in every direction is like a wave in the sea—it rises and falls. So it is with manners.

TASAWWUF: This whole subject of manners is given considerable study in “Gathas III” on Saluk. This, in turn, has been based on Arabic and Sufic manners not too different from chivalry. But the main thing to learn is both human consideration on the one hand and the effectiveness of one’s own insight on the other, when this heart is able to come to the surface and function on and from the surface.

There was an early novel by the British writer (who lived so long in India) Flora Annie Steel, called King Errant. It is about the Emperor Babar who established the Moghul dynasty. He was a highly moral man and became a great devotee and a deep disciple in Sufism. His life exemplifies the relation between customs, sincerity, devotion, and success. They may all come together.

GATHA: This seems to be the time when the wave is coming back. However, doing a thing is one thing, and understanding it is another thing. Whether one does a certain thing or does not do it, that is another question, but in the understanding of all things lies the purpose of life.

TASAWWUF: One finds in the practices of many religions the bending of head and bowing of knee; also the use of the glance. And when the Soto School of Zen began to establish itself in the West it also felt it was necessary to rely on ceremonies, although we usually regard Zen as something quite different. And when the ceremonies were established they closely followed the psychic laws, and the movements might have brought about the same effectiveness had there also been the understanding.

It is not necessary to change anything. But it is important to awaken understanding. And it is the teacher by his effective glance, who also may awaken understanding in pupils and the generality.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 3

Customs of the Marriage Ceremony

GATHA: India, the land of mysticism and philosophy, has symbolism in all its customs. Even in the marriage ceremony everything that is done as a custom or rite is symbolical.

TASAWWUF: There is a certain truth in the Kabbalistic interpretations of Pardes, or four degrees: literal, analogic, symbolical, and esoteric or mystical. Since the middle of the nineteenth century with a revival of interest in esoteric and occult matters there has been much stress on symbolism and very often it is confused with the mystical. The difference is that the mystical is the direct experience of human kind, while the symbolical reflects this in the daily life, particularly of those who have not had the deep experience.

The rise of a deep interpretation, or the revival of an ancient method by Sri Aurobindo, has placed more stress on the psychic than on the deep mystical. This is helpful to a point; beyond that it is not helpful because it does not reach the highest grades of potential experience and interpretation.

GATHA: Both bride and bridegroom wear on their hand a pearl-embroidered heart.

TASAWWUF: Although other faiths look down on Hinduism or Dharma as it may be called, there are two important points here: (a) the equality of the souls of men and women; (b) the emphasis on heart rather than on property adjustments to establish marriage. The great mistake, not to say sin, of Western religions, is that while verbalizing that marriages are made in heaven, they are too often earthly contracts, presumably sanctified by a religious ceremony but they are earthly contracts nonetheless. The true marriage must be the binding of hearts, not of properties.

GATHA: They wear saffron-colored garments for the ten days that the wedding ceremony lasts.

TASAWWUF: The interpretation of saffron is given below. A ceremony of ten days must be more effective than a rapid religious or non-religious ceremony of a few short minutes or even a few hours. Besides there is too much gaiety which is not in the least connected with the place of the soul, or even of the spirit in marriage. So we are facing fundamental changes in this respect, changes which are bringing East and West closer together.

GATHA: They are anointed during the wedding ceremony on their heads, shoulders, elbows and chins, and on their knees and feet. The bridegroom has a sword in his hand during all those ten days.

TASAWWUF: The meaning of the sword is offered below. The importance of the anointing is given in other lessons. It has both a symbolical and actual meaning. Symbolically it stands for softening but actually it is used by masseurs and others of like profession to rid the body of tension and so it also affects the mind by assisting toward easiness.

GATHA: On the last day of the wedding both the bride and bridegroom are veiled with a low-flowing veil made of jasmine flowers and trimmed with roses, and after the conclusion of the marriage ceremony they are unveiled.

TASAWWUF: The subject of the veiling and Purdah is discussed elsewhere in the Gathas in Series I, and in other places. Besides, it is better that both bride and groom do not concern themselves with other persons or extraneous matters during the ceremony. This is an aid to concentration.

GATHA: Now the meaning of this veil of flowers is that a new phase of life begins for them. They are no more the same as before; new responsibilities, new hopes, and a new life they have to begin.

TASAWWUF: This is also explained as part of the ceremony and the atmosphere is such that often it becomes very binding, not by compulsion but because of the very atmosphere. And although no doubt it is highly emotional, it points in the direction where both bride and groom should go.

Flowers play a great part in the ceremonies of India, not only of the Hindus but of the Muslims and Sikhs.

GATHA: The meaning of the sword in the bridegroom’s hand is that the bridegroom shall uphold the honour and dignity of his family, of his wife, that he shall stand in arms to defend the honour and dignity that the union of bride and bridegroom has completed. And the heart on the hand denotes that both of them shall let their action be directed by their heart.

TASAWWUF: This stress on inner rather than upon outer considerations, along with the Hindu idea that we live in an eternity, helps to bind bride and groom together. No doubt it is a test but also when we consider that there usually is a check to see compatibility through horoscope-casting and other devices, often two persons who have been complete strangers are drawn together by psychic and super-physical factors, as well as social and other signs of compatibility.

There may be a question, why is consideration given to Indian marriage customs and not to others. There can be consideration given to others and the studies in Anthropology are to be encouraged. For Allah has created all sorts of people and given them freedom to adopt many customs. And many of these customs are also based on conscious or unconscious adaptations of psychic law.

But it must be understood, especially when the marriage vows are either disregarded or have no ultimate sanctity, or are disregarded because they have no ultimate sanctity, that we must look for the best in all peoples. There are many rocks, many minerals and man adopts from each those things which are most valuable to him in one or more respects. And when the world becomes truly scientific, it will also adopt from the customs of various people those elements which are most valuable both for the social life and for the ongoing existence.

Marriage rites have been introduced also into the Universal Worship. It is possible that some day these may become more prevalent. But the establishment of another, and so divisive, institution is not necessarily helpful. Still there will also be a turn toward spirituality, and we can deeply study Rasa Shastra and other works to take life seriously.

So much attention has been paid to diet. Dietetics is gradually becoming a science, a true science. Efforts are being made in the same directions by psychologists. But the sex-life which involves the etheric element (akasha) is not so well known or studied. Although there are many references to it in the Tibetan literature, this part of their teachings has been largely overlooked. When man studies the Akasha and its relation both to the worldly and cosmical existence, there will be a turn in a right direction, the direction of the promotion of life itself.

The true battle is always against the perturbations of ego. It is easy to discern external enemies and it is right to discern external enemies. But the sword must be used against lust, malice and anger, as well as against external enemies.

As to heart, that is most important. Both before and after marriage mystics encourage joint meditations and concentrations on, with, and through heart. This can be on the heart alone or on the complete Sufi symbol. If there is any sign of confusion or uncertainty the devout concentrations will help—both the devotion and the symbol are most valuable in concentration.

GATHA: The anointing means that the hands and feet and head of either shall be ready to serve the other when occasion arises, that they shall not be stiff at any time when their service is called for.

TASAWWUF: In general the Asian peoples take these things more seriously than the western people. In the western marriage too often simply the bride and groom are concerned; in the East, the families, and the clans, much of society is concerned or chooses to be concerned. So the young people, often unacquainted with each other, are given long instructions—there is no rushing into marriage—and in this instruction they are expected to learn many customs, some social, others religious and spiritual, and often the social at least partly religious and spiritual.

The use of oil and unguents to keep the body soft is also being adopted in the West and by those concerned either with beauty or health. And consciously or unconsciously customs are being adopted. And some day the whole world will know more of the values of oils and unguents. This was introduced into the Gathas as a means of teaching Western people what they needed to know.

GATHA: Saffron color, in the East, is considered to be the color of all sorts of good luck. It is the imperial sign. Love letters are written in saffron color. The invitations for the wedding are written in this color, for this color represents light.

TASAWWUF: It is also, more or less, used for robes of holy men, and adapted for symbolical purposes in rituals. No doubt there have been slight changes from religion to religion and group to group. Some of these ideas are presented in the study of the Sun as symbol.

It is not necessary to go to extremes. There are those who talk about the purity of this color or that; all colors are pure, and each has some internal and external significance. But we must not be led away by this. Still there is the color adopted as for light and this is to be continued.

GATHA: Light in heaven and gold on earth, both are yellow. Therefore yellow is preferred to all other colours to become the omen on some good occasion in life.

TASAWWUF: Many clairvoyant people see this and have highly evaluated the golden or yellow auras above all else. This also appears in the name and word, Zardusht. There is no question but that this Messenger of God emitted that color so that people could both see and feel it.

There was once a remarkable clairvoyant who came to San Francisco to explain auras and their light and color, and the significance thereof. A number of socially prominent people came, all expectant. And not a single one had a brilliant color. When they remonstrated, the clairvoyant said, “Not only do I see what I see but I shall be telling you what you have been doing. You do not hide from me, you do not hide from God; You merely hide from those who have the incapacity to see.”

It was very fortunate she did not tell about those who had the brilliant colors or the Yellow or Golden light. The audience would not have understood it. This audience is the type that has been running from one teacher to another incessantly and is never satisfied. They seek miracles, not awakening.

No doubt also yellow can be adopted as a background and wall coloring and covering for those needing mental help, especially in the way of encouragement. It is, in a sense, the Sattvic color.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 4

The Horse

GATHA: The horse has been considered a lucky animal in all ages, for the horse represents energy, strength, activity, and life.

TASAWWUF: All the higher animals exemplify the movement toward the incarnation of one or more of the Divine Attributes (Sifat-i-Allah) in the material world (Sifat). We do not find many of such attributes in any particular beast. But we find one or more somewhere, exemplifying the truth (Haqq) of the universe. And we can study the animals to ascertain how these Attributes do function.

The Swedish mystic, Emanual Swedenborgh wrote The Economy of the Animal Kingdom in which some consideration is given for the purpose of each creature. Unfortunately here as elsewhere more concern has been given to the individual and less to his teachings so that whatever wisdom, be it human, be it divine, has come into the world, it becomes lost. And one can write endlessly about the perturbations of nufs, the ego, and this will not be clearly understood until we become aware that all movements toward individualization and making persons rather than teachings prominent, only keep the world back from progressing toward the light.

We can find in the studies of Astrology and Symbology the roles of animals in occult sciences. And in ancient India the most important ritual was the Horse Sacrifice. There is both an esoteric and exoteric evaluation of it.

GATHA: The horse was conspicuous in Greek art, as also in the art of the ancient Persians. In the courts of Eastern kings in the East there used to be Chama, fans made of horse hair; and the horse’s head was used as a decorative emblem in the palaces, and before every entertainment something was spoken about the horse first. The comedians of India have that custom still existing: the first item of their program is an imitation of a horse.

TASAWWUF: We find the same thing in the West and the phrase, “My kingdom for a horse” from one of Shakespeare’s immortal plays, has entered into the English language. The writer of Gulliver also used the horse to illustrate his wisest teachings.

The horse has become the most beloved of all animals, and in the desert dwellers, such as the Mongols and Arabs, the horse is both most beloved and also much used in their respective economies. Also there are many references to the horse in the teachings, to illustrate aspects of the divine wisdom.

GATHA: The story of a horse is always interesting. A sportsman and a thinker, who differ so much in their likes, unite in the admiration of the horse. The Prophet Mohammed admired the horse as one of the objects worth attaining in life.

TASAWWUF: The horse has been used as a symbol of fire, of spirit and of the Jelalic characteristics. In other respects it has some jinn-like qualities.

The horse has in many ways been regarded as man’s best friend—not the merely verbal references to the dog—but there are many stories and historical references. There is that of Alexander and Bucephalus; of Rama; and in so many epics. And in China the horse has been depicted in sculpture and in pottery more than any other animal.

GATHA: The most interesting part of the Ramayana is where Lahu, the son of Rama, goes in pursuit of Kalanki, the ideal horse. In the sacred book of the Hindus, Mahabharata, it is Krishna who is the charioteer of Arjuna. Hasan and Husein, the great martyrs of Islam, whose day has been celebrated year after year for ages, are presented with their beautiful horses called Duldul.

TASAWWUF: The story of Lahu is presented in the literature also. Lahu failed to catch the horse from behind but he met it from the front and was successful. Indeed that is the way in which many problems in life are controlled, by meeting them face to face. Also in this way we control temper and many obstacles; also happiness is ours until we pursue it and then it seems to fade away.

The charioteer in many respects represents the person who has control of his own animal nature. He is called in the “Gita,” master of great care. But it really means one who can control his impulses and lower nature.

GATHA: The horse is the symbol of the mind. When the mind is under control it is like a horse broken in, when it cannot be controlled it is like a restive horse, when the rein is not well in the rider’s hand it is like a wild horse roaming in the wilderness.

TASAWWUF: We find among the Greeks the horse as a sacred symbol and there was some question whether it was under the control of Pallas Athene who represents mind, especially mind in its higher aspects, or Poseidon. Whatever his place in mythology and in mythological religion Poseidon means “lord of form” and also the Lord of the Universe. And in this respect the horse, as mind, must become subject to him.

The Greeks also used the horse in many of their legends. The steed Bellerophon—which means master of light and sound—rode upon Pegasus, the winged horse, to slay the Chimaera, a monster really symbolizing nufs, the ego. Jesus Christ is pictured riding an ass rather than a horse, but here again it means being master of the lower nature, the animal side of existence.

The story of “The Thief of Baghdad” by the Afghan, Achmed Abdullah, also used the horse, as a flying steed, to enable man to climb to the heavens. This is really a variation of Burrak who carried Mohammed into the higher realms.

GATHA: Then the horse is the symbol of life, representing its energy, activity and beauty.

TASAWWUF: These are three aspects of existence. Here it means that the symbol covers the Jelalic, Kemalic, and Jemalic aspects of existence.

GATHA: The horse, with its strength and activity, is harmless, useful, intelligent, has feeling, and is different than the donkey.

TASAWWUF: We can see the horse as symbol and we can also use it in concentration to awaken the similar qualities which may be embedded in human nature. But if the horse is so used, one may say will this not lead to idolatry? No, because the horse is not divinized, it is always pictured as representing the best in the lower creation, and even as the Centaur, it is not a creature of worship at all.

GATHA: The horse is the comrade in war, and is the dignity of great warriors.

TASAWWUF: The word “chivalry” as also the term “cavalier” meant one who rode on horseback. It was the source of many customs, and especially of courtesy and some forms of morality. The one who rode on a horse was not only accepted as a superior person, but he was expected to adopt the characteristics of a superior person. And we can see this from the first great Moghul Emperor Babar, and in customs extending to the west of Europe. And this behavior pattern became the basis for much that is in poetry, song and literature, all stemming from the same general source.

GATHA: The unity that is established sometimes between the soul of the rider and the spirit of the horse is most wonderful.

TASAWWUF: Anyone who has ridden much on horses can understand this. After a time it becomes possible to communicate and commune. Sometimes even the touch of a stirrup or reins may be more than necessary and after that one can come to a stage where a sort of telepathy is in operation and that suffices to direct the horse, if the rider will; or also to let the horse direct the rider if he is lost.

There have been stories such as that of the Elberfeld Horses who seem to have developed deep telepathy or logic, showing innate but unrecognized abilities. This is a subject for further scientific consideration.

GATHA: The horseshoe is considered lucky in all countries, for it reminds one of the horse, and conveys the impression of the horse’s vigor, activity, life, and beauty.

TASAWWUF: There are two magnetisms that get into such a shoe; one is the magnetism of the metal and the other the more vital living magnetism from the horse. They are both in the shoe.

When shod the horse does not touch the ground directly, his shoe touches the ground and also gets the magnetism of earth.

There are many stories about horseshoes also which are found in folk-lore; while interesting and entertaining they belong rather to the studies of myths and legends.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 5

Oracles Among the Ancient Greeks

GATHA: In ancient Greece often questions were asked of an oracle, which were answered by a woman, who sometimes gave a plain answer and sometimes one the meaning of which was veiled. It was the same thing that today is called a spiritualistic séance, a mediumistic answer, the interest of which is alive in all ages though in different forms. Among all the occult and mystical interests the interest in the medium has a very great attraction for the average mind.

TASAWWUF: The oracle is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and also there is a Jewish prayer, rather ignored, praying for the return of the Oracle. The oracle has been mostly a woman because women are more receptive than men, and even in modern times a number of women have become famous as professional oracles although no doubt their proficiency is not great.

There are generally two unwholesome attitudes to be found. One is the skeptical type. These people refuse to believe and they are also hunting for fraud and anything they do not accept is called fraud. And yet there are scientists who have investigated, very proficient men in laboratory techniques and they believe there is some evidence for the spiritualistic phenomena.

And there is an opposite type that accepts because it wants to accept; or as it is said, “the wish is father of the thought.” And while sometimes they do encounter phenomena there is the tendency to exaggerate, and also to ascribe more prowess to certain personalities with or without objective proofs.

If we pass to studies in Anthropology we find that there are all kinds of presumable mediums in different parts of the world. And no doubt they do see and hear what the average person does not see and hear. But what are the limits to sight and hearing? How much have they been measured? And what about different kinds of light of which science is becoming more and more aware? How much do these reach the sensorium of man?

There is no doubt that there is a state of trance in which both the consciousness and senses are lowered, but being lowered they can see what is not so evident to the ordinary man.

GATHA: A woman was often chosen for this work, on account of a woman’s sensitiveness, which always exceeds that of man, and this is the secret of intuition in human nature.

TASAWWUF: Intuition, of course, goes much deeper than psychic perception, for it may come from the whole feeling and not from a partial sight. We speak of “speaking the word that is put into the mouth as the light filleth the crescent moon.” Even among esotericists this has not always been taken literally and seriously. But there is no doubt man has many functions and also part of the work of the Sufi training and discipline is to reawaken these hidden functions.

The Oracle was retained in the Hebrew temples and the first holy women of Christianity were temple oracles, pure souls whose inner sight did not diminish. And some of the items in the Christian Protoevangelion, especially concerning Saint Mary, have a truth in them. But so long as mankind wishes to limit prowess to a few, faculties which could be developed and used remain dormant. So part of the work of the New Age is to reawaken these faculties and use them for the benefit of humanity.

Even in Japan an Oracle was used for a long time but as in ancient Greece, the political interventions and intrigues degraded it all into a ritual and often a base and useless ritual. The problem then becomes how can we restore the Oracle, as the Jewish prayer says, and this can be done.

GATHA: Especially a celibate woman was chosen for this purpose, as in her is to be found more susceptibility to intuition.

TASAWWUF: When there is any indulgence in sexual activity there is interference with the free flow of Akasha, the etheric element, out of which all the other elements come and which is also the vehicle for the universal light, however diffused. Functioning with this element takes one beyond some of the limitations of the time-space scope. But to preserve susceptibility and function one must also keep the etheric element, not use it at all.

The ether also facilitates fine breathing and fine breath stimulates finer sight, hearing and insight. And as womankind is more under the lunar influences, if there is sincerity and adherence then the sight and insight become practical and easy functions. And when such young women are trained, whenever a question is put to them they can answer easily even without going into a trance. But going into the trance protects them from the material influences.

The Frenchman, Fabre D’Olivet, made a deep study of this, particularly in his Hermeneutic Interpretation of the Social State of Man. He explained the metaphysical differences between man and woman, and also showed how this influenced society in its beginnings and in its later development.

The intuitive faculty is nature. If young children were to be trained in its use, it would open the door to higher development and to the blessings (Baraka) which God has bestowed on humankind.

GATHA: The question was supposed to be asked of a god, a god who was distinguished by a particular attribute, of poetry, of the sun, or any other attribute.

TASAWWUF: Among the ancient Greeks the God Apollo stood for all of these and it was the priestesses of Apollo especially who were trained to function in this manner. The priestesses were training to get into the trance and concentrate on the God. This was a most ancient custom and it was even more highly developed in earlier Egypt. Their gods were like realities to them which could be contacted in other states of consciousness, when the self did not dominate the mental operations.

Oracles were trained under tutelage. All people may become receptive to the Divine Light, and when they have spiritual teachers, they can be given the instructions and learn the esoteric sciences, and with them develop faculties dormant or latent because of prevailing culture.

Every human being may become responsive and especially responsive to the Divine Light. The Hebrew people knew that there was a positive and a negative way. The negative way was by trance and devoid of devotion. The positive way was also by a sort of trance but in this trance the higher forces were contacted. So it would appear also that in the higher state predictions could be made, either in plain words or in poetic fashion, drawn by the oracles’ responsiveness to higher light. This also is discussed in “Cosmic Language” and its commentaries, with the hope that man may regain faculties that were lost or covered by different cultures.

No doubt Christianity has made serious mistakes in blocking responsiveness to cosmic light and the accompanying functions. In his last days the celebrated British philosopher, Aldous Huxley, was recovering the history of those who had finer faculties, usually condemned in their times and sometimes perhaps even rightly condemned. But there is so much to man, and we can only recover all the lost faculties, or develop high ones, by more serious consideration to the omnipresence of the Divine Light and man’s innate ability to attune to it.

Rituals also help, and there has been a revival of ritual by many groups, with the best of intentions. Sometimes these rites have been very valuable, but there is also a glamour that has been confusing. Sufis never separate the occult from the devotional, and this also purifies the use of rituals which can be used in both ignorant and selfish manners.

GATHA: The secret of all this is that the priests, by their hypnotic power and suggestion, wakened in the woman that particular attribute, of the Spirit within, Who is the possessor of all knowledge, especially that pertaining to the attribute with which He is identified.

TASAWWUF: The acceptance of the Unitary God should not blind us to the values in earlier polytheism. There was no harm in accepting each attribute of God as if a separate divine personality. And there are occult sciences like Astrology which grew out of men’s experiences, that to them the gods and goddesses were very real and could be contacted. Even in Homer we find that. But before his time the occult sciences and arts were practiced and maintained in Egypt for a long time. And along with them moral codes, rituals, and a devotional spirit which kept the religion pure.

It is possible to restore the Ancient Wisdom by giving children a suitable guidance and teaching them in responsiveness and showing them how to use this responsiveness and impressions to beneficial effect. And if there are signs of clairvoyance or clairaudience or other faculties, by giving a suitable religious instruction, these faculties can be developed without any need for hypnosis, but with the proper use of suggestion.

Another will be needed, and that is the serious regard to the sexual life. It is not a question of restriction but of choice. One cannot both utilize the etheric magnetism and keep it reserved for functions on higher planes, at the same time. A choice has to be made. And when it is seen that the gain is much greater by achieving inner development, there will again be a manifestation of higher faculties.

GATHA: God is already in the heart of every person, only to wake Him and make Him rise, He should be called upon.

TASAWWUF: We have that in the prayer “Khatum.” It cannot be taken too seriously. The subjects of impression and insight have been discussed many places in the literature as well as in the sacred teachings. This is necessary to impress devotees with man’s grand possibilities.

But is it not enough to have words. Words by themselves only indicate. There are spiritual exercises, both active and passive, which help man become more awake to his infinite possibilities. We do not any longer have to pray to a god over a particular faculty; we are finding Allah with all the faculties. Or, as Jesus Christ has said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens and then all else will be found.” Because that is the very meaning of the term “heavens,” the universe of infinite light, life, and blessings.

GATHA: He then, so to speak, takes birth from the heart of a sensitive woman, whose innermost can easily be touched.

TASAWWUF: All parts of the human body may be responsive to the divine light. Kundalini Yoga gives some idea of it, but this Yoga—if it can be called that—seems more concerned with psychic and nervous centers and thus while responsive to the subtle light are not always so responsive to the spiritual light which is deeper and finer.

The heart and the bloodstream are the ocean within man and not only symbolically, but carry light and are responsive to light as no nervous center alone can be. And once the heart is responsive to the divine light, then the soul becomes awakened. This indeed is the explanation given to the Sufi Symbol. That the heart responsive to the light of God can illuminate the whole world.

Therefore it is possible to take a young virgin, and train her to heart responsiveness. This can be in two directions, inner and outer. In the inner direction, the oracle can be trained to refinement and sensitivity to record all visions and impressions. And under the spiritual guidance can become so responsive to the divine light as to function easily while in the flesh.

There is also another side in the development of the love nature. We have examples with young women in the Roman Catholic Church that sometimes they develop both love and purity and while in that state have the divine visions. But now how to make use of this to help the humanity? This will become the work of the oracles in future times.

GATHA: God has many attributes, He has many ears and many tongues to speak with, and through every form he answers whenever one reaches Him.

TASAWWUF: This has been expressed many times. We can see it among the ancients who had a separate god for anything and everything, and they were right in this. For by devotion and concentration inner faculties did then awaken which later became covered.

Then again we find in “Cosmic Language” and “The Bestowal of Blessing” that every form has a subtle side to it and one can learn that subtle language. The more one listens, so to speak, to impression and inner responses, the more one will find that truth in them which can lead to a greater comprehension of the Divine Wisdom both in the seen and unseen.

GATHA: Spiritualists call Him a spirit, but even through the spirit of an individual, dead or living, when God is called upon, God answers.

TASAWWUF: It becomes no more a matter of philosophy or belief, but of function. One can see the light in everything. There is a transcendental esoteric science called Mushahida and in that one trains oneself to respond to the divine light and wisdom in every aspect of being, within and without.

And in this sense God answers prayers. It is not that one prays or begs, it is that whenever one invokes anything on any plane in any direction, there is immediately a vibrational play and to this play there is a counterplay. It is in this counterplay that there is the answer, although not so easily observed. But it is there.

GATHA: Those who play with spiritualistic séances would give it all up in a moment if only they knew that God always answers whenever He is called upon.

TASAWWUF: In Gayan it is said that the question contains the answer. Any impression on the universe brings a counter-impression. This is not only evident in the study of Samskaras, it is part of the universal law. And by skillful practices of meditation and inner looking one will find that the universe is always answering, prayer or not prayer, petition or wish or not petition or wish. The answer is always in the question; then it becomes a matter of how to look. And by concentration upon the Divine Light and Wisdom and responsiveness to it, the doors of holiness are opened.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 6

The Greek Mysteries (1)

GATHA: The little that is known of the Greek mysteries has been very variously interpreted. Some have supposed them to have been a course of agriculture, taught secretly, others a mummery carried on for centuries by the priests. What is known with certainty is the high esteem in which they were held and the strict secrecy which attended them. The word means silence; to be initiated was “to be made silent.”

TASAWWUF: The word “mystery” was derived from a Greek verb “muein” which meant, to be silent, or to close the mouth. The same root came from a more ancient hieroglyphic mu, which meant the mouth, or the closed lips. Our English mute came from the same source.

The lower mysteries were for the entire populace; the greater mysteries for the initiates. In each silence was required. The lower mysteries united all the people who otherwise were free to worship at the temple of any god, but in the mysteries all were united. And besides in the mysteries there were moral instructions which were not always part of popular or ritualistic religion.

In the higher mysteries there were special concentrations and also requirement to enter into trance or ecstatic states. To induce these there were not only magical rites, but also the partaking of certain vegetables which we might now call “psychedelics.” But also grains were used and evidently the ancients had some knowledge of the subtle as well as physical properties which belong to them.

Ancient sciences and arts were taught in a different fashion from those of recent times. People were not so intellectual. They were more impressionable. They were more impressionable, and response to impressions were respected. Sometimes the ritual, sometimes the architecture, sometimes the joining in partaking of foods or feasts effected the subtle side of a person’s consciousness. And often the use of light and darkness also effected the psychic condition of the devotees.

There was also a connection with agriculture. There is no doubt that much of the advance in agriculture may have come through the god-man appearing on earth to instruct in the arts and help in food supplies. No doubt the Egyptian Osiris was of this class.

In the Hebrew traditions mention is made of the Nabatean Agriculture. These people who lived to the south and east of Judea seem to have successfully tamed the desert for some centuries, then suddenly disappeared. It was said they had some inner secrets which made this possible. But in the Sufi mysteries called Ziraat it is the mind which is the “field” and also we find in other teachings the term “field” is used to allude to the whole mind world.

Mysteries have appeared among peoples in many parts of the world. They have in common the element of silence and also esotericism. Also processes like purgation and purification and also attainment or awakening. In the lower mysteries these might be symbolic but in the higher mysteries there had to be some experience, call it “trance,” call it “illumination.” It had to be real.

GATHA: Access to the lesser mysteries was easy. Tens of thousands were initiated. The temples in which the rites were practiced were under the protection of the state. In them were enacted the lives of the gods in whose name the mysteries were celebrated, and great use was made of music.

TASAWWUF: It was not only in Egypt but in other lands that there were such mysteries. Sometimes they seem to have been borrowed, sometimes inspired, and at other times the appearance of great persons led to their establishment. But it was not only in Egypt, it was in many lands, among many peoples, among many cultures all over the world that there have been such institutions and some of them are still extant.

While we may note that among the Greeks especially there have been monuments which attest to the mysteries, if we study closely various languages we can find words which definitely allude to hidden teachings or to the appearances of beings who have been called “gods” among them. And we can find in Sweden, in Ireland and in other lands references to a divine country and even to peoples like the Goths who in some respects correspond to the Brahmans in being especial conveyors of divine institutions.

Eleusis has been especially studied. Yet its mysteries remain mysteries. One reason is that esotericists ignore the simple facts that the word “Eleusis” itself means path or pilgrimage.

The Greeks had four subjects which they related each to the others: Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy with Astrology, and Music. There were principles common to each and perhaps to all. Their music had some very sound bases. The mathematics were more logical than that of western contemporary music. And they saw psychological and devotional values, too. We are no doubt here compelled to rely on tradition but there are also aspects of ancient Hellenic music which passed to all Mediterranean and some other peoples too.

Music had charms to effect states and stages of consciousness. It could be used medically and psychologically. It also furnished backgrounds for aspirants and adepts.

GATHA: The mysteries were held to remove the fear of death and to give assurance of the survival of the departed. Those who had been initiated were believed to be happy after death, while others led a dismal life hereafter, clinging to their graves.

TASAWWUF: There may have been some truth in it. No doubt those initiated into the Mysteries and particularly into the Great Mysteries were tested by experience and these experiences enabled the devotees to see beyond the immediacy. When he saw beyond the immediacy of vibrations, of the physical sphere, he became aware of another accommodation and in that accommodation he also, relieved of the denseness of earth, had much greater joy.

We can get some glimpses of this in the traditions, in the literature, and also the great epic poems, such as the Odyssey and Aeneid, record the beliefs of the times. And in a sense they had some appreciation of karma, but not always in the full sense as it was known in India.

When we accept immortality, it tends to make us more aware of moral principles and to be also more considerate, one of others. A different attitude is taken concerning the body, and also for all of life, both of this world and of the unseen, which also might be the world to come.

In the Lesser Mysteries much was portrayed by allegory, by ritual and by drama. Some of this was connected with agriculture and also products of farm, field and garden were used, for various purposes. But all stressed immortality, and learned that there was a deeper side to life.

GATHA: The preparatory training for the greater mysteries was very severe. Fasting was undergone, abstinence of all sorts, extremes of heat and cold had to be endured; and the candidates swam through water for days and had to walk through fire.

TASAWWUF: There have been traditions and some records too. Thus, the Frenchman, Gustave Schure has written much, and he may have learned this through his training in occult schools. Unfortunately, the nineteenth century writers stressed such preeminence on the personality of Jesus Christ that much of the ritual and import were lost, being transferred from nature to personality.

Orpheus in his day, and Pythagoras in a later age, passed through the mysteries of Egypt. They strove to revivify and purify them so that they could be applied in the Grecian world (Hellas). Disciples of Pythagoras underwent long silences and kept quiet in the presence of their spiritual superiors. This custom was later revived in some of the Sufi schools. Devotees submitted to these disciplines in order that the mind be purified, becoming more receptive to impressions. Also, by these means, disciples learned to become masters of their lower natures.

Neophytes faced initiations of all the elements, ritually or symbolically. Sometimes in the rituals they had to face the elements themselves—earth, water, fire and air. In the Egyptian initiation the aspirant had to crawl on his hands and knees in the darkness; then he faced the tests of water, fire and air. And later his moral nature had to submit also.

Moses was an initiate of the Egyptian mysteries as well as an adept among the Hindus. His name, “water-born” is symbolic of the spirit. His whole life is really expressive of the trials and triumphs of the initiate. It can be said that on Mount Sinai, which means mount of the moon, he received the tablets of the outer law. And on Mount Nebo, he became the Nabi or Prophet. He reached the highest rank of prophethood.

The Beni Israel exemplify a whole nation of people who had to submit to initiatory tests. Egypt means land of darkness; in other words, samsara. And the movements of these people “Bar-Midbar,” through the desert, is also symbolic of the initiatory tests. Finally they crossed the sacred river, the Jordan, and entered into the Land of Promise.

All humanity consciously or unconsciously passes through such stages. The mysteries brought with them the lessons of the on-going life, to bring to human realization that we live in much more than the herenow, the physical, material life. This outlook has been covered—covered but not lost, and is again breaking out into the clear.

GATHA: The training often lasted many years.

TASAWWUF: There are many mentions of a forty-year cycle. The sojourn of the Beni Israel was for this length. But they moved in a circle, which is symbolic. They did not take a direct path from Egypt to Palestine, a path which might have been geographically easy. And their tests, in facing enemies such as the Amelikites, is also symbolic of the struggle between the lower and higher natures. Indeed Moses may have gotten these teachings from the Hindus who had the Mahabharata traditions,

“Therefore fight, O Arjuna.” Murder and warfare are not to be taken literally; they symbolize the struggles in the inner life of man, especially of the devotee.

The Pythagoreans, and much later the Mevlevis, required disciples to maintain silence for a certain number of nights and added servitude to that. In this way the neophyte could adjust to the atmospheres of the older disciples and also to the sanctuaries. This period of probation is not always fixed, but there are also cyclic principles taught in Esotericism (Ryazat).

GATHA: After initiation, in the beginning all was darkness, dread and dismay; then a marvelous light was seen and shining forms came to meet the initiate. The initiate experienced while on earth the state of the soul dissociated from the body.

TASAWWUF: This was particularly true of the rites of Egypt. In ancient times this land was divided into Khem, which means internal darkness with heat; and Khebt (from which the term “Egypt” is derived) which means white light. The former was the abode of the ignorant, samsara; the latter of the initiate. The Greek mysteries adopted the same general ideas. They were often celebrated in caves and underground passages. In this way the participants were properly impressed.

The Egyptian literature has preserved some of the knowledge but in the hands of non-initiates it is often quite confusing. What is called “The Book of the Dead” should more properly be called “The Book of Release.”

GATHA: A Greek writer says: “Here all instruction ceases, one beholds the nature of things.”

TASAWWUF: We can read some in Lucius and Plutarch. But The Golden Ass of Apuleius has really given some insight into transformations. It is not the instruction, the ritual, it is the methods that were used to give each aspirant an opportunity to enter into another state of consciousness and in that state experience joy or even contact what have been called “the immortal gods.”

We have something like that also in Sufism. The teacher may use Dawk (silent instruction) or Tawajjeh (the glance). And through attunement or Grace the pupil benefits even to entering deeper stages of enlightenment and thus having direct experience.

GATHA: Apuleius, who had received all the initiations of the mysteries, says, “I went to the boundary between life and death, I passed through the four elements.”

TASAWWUF: Yes, the tests of water and earth, fire and air still continue. Not only in the schools of magic and occultism, but in all mystical growth there are transformations, there are experiences. And one obtains mastery either deliberately or through Grace. Eliphas Levi (Bejaim/Constant) has left much literature from the standpoint of ceremonial magic. It has not been given much consideration. It does not lead to God-consciousness, but it can make man aware of the glories and wonders of the universe and of his own potentialities.

There were induced “trances” by which one passed into states of consciousness, above or below normal. There were also certain vegetative products used, symbolically or actually, to induce increased awareness. And thus discovering that there were unseen worlds, one lost the fear of death. Even the Greek term “Hades” means the unseen or unknown, as well as having other interpretations.

GATHA: “I stood on the threshold of Proserpina.”

TASAWWUF: Proserpina, more properly Persephone, was the daughter of Zeus, the Sky-father, and Ceres or Demeter, the earth-mother or Prakriti. Her name indicates she was the vehicle of sound. Her life was divided between the worlds above and below. The search of Ceres-Demeter for Proserpine-Persephone is a reverse symbolism of the search of the soul for its true habitat.

In general the mysteries of the Mediterranean were those of one for life’s renewal. This comes in Spring in the seasons, but the real quest is for the spiritual rebirth.

GATHA: “At the time of deepest midnight I saw the sun shine in the brightest splendour.”

TASAWWUF: The mysteries were held at night. It was literally true that there was a representation of the sun or great light. This shines out in the midst of deep darkness. This symbolizes, no doubt, the indwelling light which is in all of us. But in the Greater Mysteries, one had to have the direct experience; one entered into a state of consciousness when the perception of light was facilitated, and often became an actuality. We all have this indwelling light.

GATHA: “I saw the greater and the lesser gods and revered them near at hand.” The initiate was said to be received, while living on earth, among the immortal gods, and made as one of them.

TASAWWUF: We utilize symbolism. We can pass through symbolism to actuality. In the Christian mysteries it was taught, “The last enemy to be overcome is death.” But it also might be said that the great enemy to be overcome is fear, and this takes on its most outstanding form in the fear-of-death. All the remonstrations against this will not avail. The direct facing of actuality enables man to surmount the shortcomings of his own being. Therefore in the Egyptian mysteries it was taught, “You have nothing to fear but yourself.”

In the Ziraat, or Agricultural ceremonies, the Sufis have restored or preserved a form of the mysteries. These may be given to the world again in the proper time, so that man on the negative side will lose fear of death; and on the positive side have greater experiences into joy and exaltation.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 7

The Greek Mysteries (2)

GATHA: This was really a Sufi institution, though not called by this name, for exactly the same thing is to be found today in the schools of Sufis in India and Persia.

TASAWWUF: The mysteries of God were introduced to the earth with Adam, for Allah has made man in His image and likeness, and in man is found the Divine Light. It is mostly hidden, but even among savage peoples (as they are known) there are signs of mysteries. These are found all over the world in peoples of all grades of evolution.

Sufism has also been called “The Inner School.” It has existed in various ways at various times and in various places. The fiction writer, Talbot Mundy, has included a good deal of tradition in his stories, in particular of the Tros cycle, but in nearly all his works there are traces of something deep. But in ancient times there was no term “Sufi.” There were references to mysteries and mystics and both of these words come from a symbol of the lips closed and sometimes a finger over them signifying silence.

This silence was of various kinds but always of such a nature that man became less conscious of his material surroundings and even of his thought. Then he might realize what is said in Khatum. “Open thou our hearts that we may hear Thy Voice which cometh constantly from within.” This simple saying has been hard to actualize, so filled are we with traditions and customs which we take to be truths. And constant references to unlearning alone does not accomplish it.

Solomon has said, “There is nothing new under the sun” and Jesus Christ said, “I came not to destroy but to fulfill.” Unfortunately the intervention of the priest-craft did much to either compel the mysteries to go underground or to destroy them entirely. Thus the Christian Gnostics were persecuted by the orthodox. The term gnosis (and also the term sophia) appears many times in the Christian Bible, but it has been overlooked, smothered, when self-appraising and self-approving were substituted for divine surrender. As soon as there is an affirmation, the surrender disappears. That is why in the Sufi Zikr one begins with the negation La Illaha. This corresponds to purification in the mysteries.

The Message has come in two portions, exoteric and esoteric; in their simplest senses these mean that which is for the generality and that which is for the elect. On the surface every presentation of divine intervention seems different from every other. But it is not too fundamentally different than saying the seasons are different but they belong to the same year. There is only one Truth.

The Tigris-Euphrates Valley has in all times been the land of the mysteries. The Chaldeans (Kashdim or Kassites) settled there. They have been known as fire-worshippers but more properly were masters of fire. We can go back and forth in history and find traces of mysteries, even from the most ancient times (as, for instance, the times of Abraham). So it is not surprising that when at a much later age the Sufi Orders were instituted, they also had their headquarters in that region.

Jewish traditions refer to that part of the world as the land of magic, but more properly, the land of mysteries, even to this day. Where Abraham lived he established an atmosphere and that atmosphere has never been destroyed though kingdoms and civilizations have come and gone.

Mohammed later picked up threads of mystical traditions. As his inner eyes were opened by Grace, he was able to make use of the continuation of ancient wisdom and organized disciples therein, especially Abu Bakr and Hazrat Ali.

GATHA: The lesser mysteries were Ilmi Rabbali, the mystery of the gods, in other words the mystery of the different attributes of God. For when the proper name of God is repeated a certain number of times some particular effect is produced by it, resulting in a desirable object.

TASAWWUF: In ancient times and in most places there was a god as deification of both places and attributes of perfection. There were divisions among those who worshipped different gods, but the people were all brought together by the mysteries. There was a phrase of early Christian teachings that Christ had come to unite and to go from partial attitudes to complete attitudes and that through him all men might come to the worship of the One God.

True, the Jewish people had a worship of One God, but they had restricted it and almost introduced racial superiority. This is contrary to the Scriptures themselves which hold that there is one law for the Israelites and the sojourners or strangers in their midst; also that God created the whole of humanity in His image. So, subtly, Christianity brought in saint-worship, and then Mohammed brought in the emphasis on the divine attributes as representing God himself.

GATHA: Before Islam the different names of God were considered to be different gods known by different names and identified with different attributes and characteristics. By invoking the names of different gods a person accomplished his object in life, as now Wazifa is practiced by the Sufis.

TASAWWUF: There was a book called Dabistan which has been translated as School of Manners written and published during the Moghul reign in India and perhaps the first book on comparative religion ever produced. And in it there are references to kinds of “god-worship” prevalent at an earlier time. If we look into them we find they seem to be quite logical and scientific on their own level. And they are certainly reconcilable with the general occult traditions found in most parts of the world.

The days of the week, the planets and other forces were recognized, and attunement and self-surrender were part both of worship and daily living. This prepared the worship of the Creator and Sustainer of all. This made it possible to get rid of statues and form-worship, for the statues and form-worshipping were not helping man toward enlightenment and the worship of the One God was.

Both Sufism and other contemporary schools of enlightenment have come to stress unity verbally and even offered some methodology. But in Sufism the whole stress on this and the inner sciences connected with the use of the Wazifas are now helping mankind psychically, psychologically and morally. The next steps come in ritualizing them and in that way the Mysteries are restored, though actually they have never disappeared. It is only that some schools of Sufism that have preserved them have not emphasized the fact.

GATHA: The music which the ancient Greek knowers of mystery had as a means of their spiritual development, the same is used even now in the Chistia schools of Sufis, where the Qawwali meeting, which is called Sama, is held, in which music is played and sung for awakening the emotional nature, which is the secret of revelation.

TASAWWUF: In ancient times there were the mysteries of the silence consecrated to Demeter and Proserpina, and the mysteries of sound and music consecrated to Bacchus. The former were supposed to have come from Egypt, the latter from India, land of Mantra Yoga. The actual sacred words often show they had been used in Semitic lands by the Phoenicians and Beni Israel. The Orphic mysteries were also connected with each of these and later on were properly organized by Pythagoras.

Greek music was very different from later European developments. This was partly because Greek music was associated with geometry and astrology, while European music depended in a sense on certain forms of arithmetic. The Greeks as the Indians also did, studied the effects of different sounds and harmonies in different times and places. Also their psychological values were stressed. Music was not a mere pleasure, and only certain moods were used for entertainment. Indeed, just as jazz was almost unthinkable for sacred music or cantatas and chorales for popular dancing, so the Greeks had definite conventions almost like art and science, for the application of different types of phases and modes.

The Greeks also had their psalms. There were not just beautiful sentiments; they knew how to use words and sounds to elevate the consciousness of devotees. It is most unfortunate that the term “orgy” derived from a Greek word meaning “work” has come to mean terrible animal-like riotous behavior. No doubt this was an excuse on the part of the Christian clergy at a later time to terminate mythological influences.

Music was used in ancient times to elevate hearts. Thus the consciousness could be raised above the denseness of the earth. The gods Apollo and Pan revealed, so to speak, the magic of music. The harp, the lyre, the flute and perhaps all instruments, were sacred. It was only much later that the flute was used or misused in entertaining.

When Mohammed came with his complete consciousness he saw both the evil side and the beneficial side of music. Although he is said to have interdicted music, in actuality it has been used in Qur’anic recital and by many schools of Sufis whose methods have not been given to the Western world. Why do Qur’anic reciters chant rather than orate? In this is a great secret. Moin-ed-din Chisti, who made full use of this “secret,” also restored to the world in full what some have called “the ancient wisdom.” There is nothing particularly noble about the common use of this expression “ancient wisdom.” Anyone who has heard or participated in the Chisti ceremonies will find himself elevated to a noble state of consciousness far beyond the consideration of the word “consciousness” by materialistic or dialectic psychologists or by those who have had psychedelic experiences.

No doubt the use of mantras and wazifas will continue. Each may have a particular kind of music. The Sufi Message was brought to the West to elevate the consciousness of the generality and not to form restrictive corporations with special power to legally elected or selected individuals. The first book A Sufi Message of Spiritual Liberty can only be appreciated when people have experienced the excitations of ecstasy. All the rest is not only not helpful, it becomes a useless hindrance and burden.

There is no substitute for exaltation. To make this a living experience is part of the message of the day. Therefore we are seeing mysteries restored both in ritualistic and non-ritualistic form.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 8

The Greek Mysteries (3)

GATHA: The fasting and abstinence, and all these things, were taught in order to develop the will-power, which results in self-discipline and which is the secret of all mastery; and it is by this power that the kingdom within is attained. Once man has touched his self within, the illusion becomes dissolved.

TASAWWUF: Fasting and abstinence may also be done from self-will. This often helps the body but also can harm the body, for the mere abstinence from food can either weaken the flesh or strengthen the ego. The purpose of abstinence in the mysteries was to strengthen the will. The will cannot be strengthened much by any mental attitudes, even by finding deeper meanings as such in ceremonies and philosophies. To be effective it has to be done, but when it is done for selfish motives it does not necessarily lead to an awakening of higher consciousness.

Ancient peoples had mysteries in some form. We can tell this from literature, tradition, and myth. Actually we find mysteries in some form among many people, and many of these were introduced by some Messenger God has sent from times immemorial. In Egypt they were particularly important, and the Egyptians also had two forms of writing (at least), one for the mysteries and one for public purposes. The translations of sacred Scriptures so far has been under the assuming that it was chiefly a difference in code-writing whereas actually the hieroglyphics had deep meanings not ascertained by linguists and intellectuals.

Many of the mysteries were celebrated in caves or grottoes, or in secret or sacred places. Connected with these is “atmosphere,” a subject discussed at various places in the literature. But atmosphere cannot be understood until one can feel the different kinds of atmosphere; a small amount of the difference is due to chemical causes, such as the presence of certain gases. But these gases are also formed during exhalation and unless purified there is the “Mystery-atmosphere” and many people seek such atmospheres. They are generally furthered by ceremonies and especially rituals which arise out of the understanding of psychic laws.

When Sufism arose (although it has actually existed in all times) the attributes of the One God replaced the various Gods, and so the mysteries, as they are now preserved, often are concerned with the attributes, or even a single attribute. Thus repetition of “Ishk Allah, Mahbood Lillah” with proper ritual, replaces the earlier worship of the God or Goddess of love.

We may learn intellectually which Wazifa or sacred phrase has replaced the worship of each god or goddess. But such concern is intellectual and would not help in that awakening or development which came from the mysteries themselves. The institution of Khilvat or seclusion used by Sufis, has often replaced the mystery-ceremonies which were for groups. But the aftermath, for those successful in Khilvat, or having similar inner awakenings, are definitely continuations of ancient customs.

GATHA: The fear of death is caused by the consciousness of mortality. As long as one is unaware of one’s immortal self one has the fear of death. Once the immortality of the soul is realized and the realization is no longer in one’s imagination but has become a conviction, then one rises above the fear of death.

TASAWWUF: The first obstacle to be overcome is the encouragement of mere intellectual conviction without some participation. As many do not have psychic or super-psychic experiences, there are still rituals and many of these rituals have most definite purposes. They do not always lead to actual enlightenment but they do lead from the attachment to ignorance and the denseness of earth.

The question then arises about the restoration of the mysteries and this also involves the question of purpose. There are many clubs, lodges, esoteric organizations which have rituals, and all of them, even [if] the participants do not fully realize it, have some psychic effects, at least. Many are satisfied therefrom, many feel that these are just introductory, and others again may see little in them but pleasure or beauty. In a sense, all are right from their own levels of understanding.

For any kind of mysteries there would be moral instruction. In the beginning this would be more important than moral requirements, for one aim of the mysteries is to raise the moral level of candidates, and by this we mean the increase of consideration for others. The mysteries are often group undertakings and the strength of a group depends on the relationship of the members of the group, one to another.

Ceremonies would be in accordance with psychic laws. There are many of these principles in the Gatha teachings and elsewhere either by implication or by direct consideration. Devotees learn the relation of sound and color and of the meanings especially of the latter; also of light which is often associated with color.

Now we are restoring many of the mysteries, either in form or purpose through music, poetry, dancing and chanting. And when these are combined with the proper use of color, light and shade, they may have a profound effect on participants and auditors and especially toward experiences in exaltation. It is not to mystify or stupefy but to raise the capacities of each for the assimilation of divine light, wonder and attributes in the consciousness of the daily life.

There has been a suggestion for Sufi Mysteries in the form of Ziraat, and in a sense this is closely connected with the putative stages of growth in the spiritual life. There can hardly be any objection to the performance of the plays of Hazrat Inayat Khan and perhaps of others of equal caliber; or even to the performance of aspects of drama sacred to each particular religion. But the mere element of presumable devotion which is restricted to a particular faith does not belong to universality, and does not always awaken the inner consciousness. The over-emphasis of restricted emotions has, on the contrary, often ended in an emphasis of ego and separativeness.

GATHA: This knowledge is gained fully when an adept is able to detach his soul from his body. It is this state which is called by Yogis Samadhi, and by Sufis Nayat.

TASAWWUF: Actually this may be called the Greater Mysteries. It is often developed, even required by those who take the paths of Mushahida and Mujahida. The former is positive and consists of growing identities of selfhood with Godhood; the latter is negative and works incessantly for the purification of self. But when self is purified the light automatically shines so that in the end both come to the same goal.

Actually these stages of training and purification are for the adepts, those more advanced in the spiritual life. And what is meant by advancement? This means that the divine light has manifested or been assimilated by the personality and also by prowess in kashf, insight.

GATHA: Every soul that treads the path of initiation takes his first steps through the darkness; as Ghazzali says, “The spiritual pursuit is like shooting an arrow through the darkness.”

TASAWWUF: There have been, perhaps there will always be ceremonies associated with the passing from darkness into light. Some of these can be arranged by mechanical contraptions. Indeed these have been said to have been used in ancient Egypt. It does not matter, if the purpose be attained. But the emphasis must be on passing from darkness to light, and those who have progressed somewhat into the light will understand this more clearly. So there is a tradition, “Those who have been in the darkness have seen a great light.”

The different religions have each separately offered this principle, of coming from darkness to light but each has ignored the teachings and possibilities of other faiths. Now we come into an age of universality. We can see that each religion, each Messenger, gave out this teaching and we have to bring them together. For this, seeing the shortcomings of others has been the greatest obstacle.

Many of the ancient mysteries were open to people of all faiths, they were not necessarily restricted to devotees. Besides, initiation is not confined to devotees, nor especially to the orthodox of each religion. Indeed orthodoxy has often become the greatest enemy and obstacle to divine awakening. The awakenings are for all. The Lesser Mysteries are for all and it is for God, not man, to determine both who are ready for the Greater Mysteries and who have become adepts thereof.

GATHA: No doubt as one approaches the goal the light comes; as the Qur’an says, “God is the light of the Heavens and of the Earth.” Then, once the sight has become keen, there is no further instruction needed. One gets insight into the hidden laws of nature, all things seem to speak to the seer of their character, nature and secret. This realization removes the boundary between life and death. One rises above the elements which have formed this mortal abode—the body and mind—for the soul’s experience, when one touches one’s true being, the soul.

TASAWWUF: The Christians say: “They who have been in darkness, have seen a great light. The Hindus pray: “Lead us from darkness into light.” Qur’an distinctly says: “Allah is the light of the heavens and of the earth.” But by this, unfortunately, the devotees of each religion have become self-proud concerning their own affirmations and blind concerning the affirmations of others. And this produces obstacles before the realization of enlightenment. So the Gita says, what is true, that among many devotees few have the realizations.

Our work is to help toward the realizations. We have the literature which has many affirmations and may be called the “shadow of wisdom.” It helps direct mind and ego but by itself it does not produce the wonder. And without some realization, outer as well as inner, the Mysteries are not satisfied. They are only satisfied or fulfilled when the devotee has some realization.

GATHA: It is the soul-realized man who stands above all matter, and in this way the spirit gets victory over matter.

TASAWWUF: This is also the theme of the Christian “Book of Revelation” which is also a book of self-realization. No doubt it is largely in symbolic language, but how else can one express the almost unfathomable? It does deal with victory over the self. This is the true victory. All religions have gone astray in stressing victory over others, and in seeing falsehood only in the wrong doctrines of others.

All doctrines are false in the sense that they must proceed from mind. This is not enough. Even when as true as they can be verbally and intellectually they are not enough to produce the illumination. And when the illumination comes it may express itself in an infinity of fashions and all the restricting groups are wrong. There is no restriction in Allah and there are no restrictions in the way human beings may approach Allah.

GATHA: Under all conditions of life which produce obscurity and confusion the soul-realized man sees the light, and to him all men, of lesser or greater degrees of evolution, are nothing but different forms of the Divine Immanence.

TASAWWUF: This indeed is a deep teaching of all faiths which exotericists, skimming over doctrines, fail to comprehend. The divine light is in all, and nothing has been created without it. Even nufs, which seems to be the essence of shadow and shadowing, is divinely created. And when one has illumination he will find the light coming from every direction; or as the Bible teaches, “In Him there is no darkness at all.”

The Sufi Najat, or deliverance, means that one has actually risen above the distinctions and differences which divide men. One can only know that God alone is when one has the divine attainment. Otherwise it is only doctrine and sometimes not very satisfactory doctrine for the outer and inner may not agree. Only in realization do they agree.

The mysteries inculcated brotherhood at a time nobody thought of brotherhood as a doctrine. Then we have had brotherhood as a doctrine but not as an actualization, and all the doctrines do not necessarily foment the proper treatment of each by each other.

GATHA: In this way the man who has probed the depths of the mystery of life becomes God-realized. When he no longer has his limited self before his view then only he experiences the state of which Christ has spoken: “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

TASAWWUF: Without the realization the words themselves are not perfect. They point, they refer, they indicate, but they do not fulfill. Besides, the mind becomes concerned with a doctrine of flawlessness which is often very far from any doctrine of perfection. For the flawless excludes the imperfect, and the perfect excludes nothing and no one.

Many have spoken of Christ-consciousness and mostly it is deep sacrilege. Christ did not speak of Christ-consciousness, but he did speak of perfection. The Praja-Paramita Sutras of Buddhism indicate that they are Scriptures of perfection. Certainly if one delves deep into them in any fashion their truth will become self evidence. But mere acceptance or verbal repetition can at best only point.

Therefore Sufism tends to bring about that experience to which others only point. Only by treading and attaining is the path accomplished.

Toward 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. 

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 9

The Banshee

GATHA: There is a very widespread belief that in certain families warning of an impending death of a member of the family is given always in the same way. In some families a certain bird is seen by some member of the family before death in others the church bell rings without being tolled, in another one or more flagstones of the pavement of the chapel are seen to be wet while the rest are dry, and the number of wet flagstones tallies with the number of deaths.

TASAWWUF: It is not only death but life that gives many signs. We can find a whole compendium of examples in the monumental The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazier. It is not necessary for students on the spiritual path to study this or similar works. But in our efforts to understand and empathize with peoples of many cultures, such studies can be helpful.

Augury has been an art and has often occupied a great place in social institutions. A criticism has been made against historical Christianity in that any effort to retain any form of psychic science was looked down upon by the priests. Independence of thought was considered an evil. But the peasantry of all lands have retained elements of instinct and feeling that remain. Out of these folklore has come, and sometimes, while beneficial, folklore is not always so.

In so-called advanced societies there has been a growing interest in the early culture of the Chinese and there is no evidence that this was not a true culture. When we look deeply the soul of man always continues functioning regardless of the superficial layers of social endeavor. The rejection of the subtle by the intellectuals and the powerful do not affect the subtle, but they do affect the influence of the subtle upon the gross.

GATHA: In Ireland such warnings are particularly frequent, and often occur in the form of what is called the Banshee, a screech heard by members of the family, but inaudible to others.

TASAWWUF: There are evidences that the influences of the subtle have been stronger in Ireland than in many parts of the world. There are signs that priests and occultists, sages and mystics of earlier ages influenced the people and also held rituals. These have effected the atmosphere and no doubt of suppression can entirely wipe away such influences.

If we study the whole atmosphere of earth we shall find psychic differentiations above, just as we find physical differentiations below. Every exhalation that enters the atmosphere, not only from man but from birds, beasts, insects, all creatures, indeed all vegetation affects the atmosphere in some way. We can study the physical accommodations from the standpoint of the worldly sciences. Someday we may be able to study the psychic and subtle vibrations also. Then we shall understand about atmosphere.

And there are places outside of Ireland, such as in the West Indies and certain islands, where the sensitivity to vibrations is very great, greater than in the civilized (i.e. city-fied) countries.

GATHA: This explains the truth that life is a revelation in all forms and not restricted to any particular form. The death of an individual is apparently the death of one person having its effect to some extent upon that individual’s surroundings and on those concerned with him, yet inwardly the influence of the death of one individual reaches the whole circumference of the universe.

TASAWWUF: We can study it from two circumstances and these circumstances also resemble in some way the two arms of the cross and the meanings thereof. There is a penetrating effect that wherever a person has lived, his vibrations enter the immediate sphere and also the finer spheres as if in the same place. And this is true for all creatures. But where man differs from the lower creatures is that man, made in the divine image, not only has operative finer bodies but every word, thought, and sphere enters the entire sphere.

We can read in the transcendental sacred literature and even in “Mind World” how every person affects and is affected by everything in the universe consciously or unconsciously. Man could hardly be made in the divine image if he operated separately from the creation. The whole creation as each individual knows it, is not separate from himself. No doubt people having mystical experiences react as if he or she were all that is. And we also have some instances where man, usually martyred, gave this out. But they could not feel or say otherwise for that is the condition—if such a word be properly used—of the mystical experience.

The death of the body does not terminate the effect of vibrations connected with the personality. They also continue. We read about this also in “Cosmic Language” and it is pertinent to all psychic studies.

GATHA: No object, no being, is left untouched by it; only this manifests to those who are subject to be more affected by the death of someone they are related to. To them the warning of death takes some form that might be perceptible to them, and, told by them to their relations and descendants, that particular form then becomes a special alarm clock of death for that particular family, and it continues for a considerable time, until someone is born in that family who ignores it absolutely by his disbelief.

TASAWWUF: Yes, there are vibrations, living vibrations which affect every particle of the universe. But they are not always received; not everyone is attuned to them. It is not only a matter of producing phenomena, but also the matter of responding to such events. There must be positive and negative both.

Adepts are often aware of coming events, and so the foreboding of death does not phase them much. Still it is proper to be aware of what is going to happen, to be prepared for eventualities. It is not that belief produces phenomena but it does help in awareness and response.

GATHA: One learns by this that life is revealing by nature; it is man who becomes blinded by nature.

TASAWWUF: We are taught from the very beginning of our interest in Sufism that the purpose of spiritual development is to find our purpose in life, and also to awaken and develop latent faculties. It is not only that there is a purpose in life, it is that God himself has a purpose in and for every one of us, and our awakening is His awakening in us.

All the sacred lessons, also the literature and much else in Sufic writing is for the purpose of bringing man to his fulfillment and perfection. No doubt there are some who have over-emphasized the importance of the phenomena of death. But actually change is going on all the time and we can see signs and from the signs be aware of what is behind them.

GATHA: There is no creature in this world so absorbed in the outer life in the world as man; so man, with great capability of knowing, knows least of all creatures. There are birds who give warning of death. Dogs, cats, and horses perceive the coming death of their friend or neighbor or of their master.

TASAWWUF: We are told that a natural life is the best one and instead of fulfilling that natural life, we think about it. We are so concerned with our thoughts and reflections and impressions that we do not fulfill our duties. If we permitted our instincts and impressions to guide us, they might not add much to intellect but they would help us every moment of our lives in the proper pursuit of the needed action every moment. That is why many Sufis have cultivated folk-arts. For in this they can be fulfilling their own inner and outer urges at the same time.

But it is also true that the fulfillment may come in the arts, in agriculture, in commerce and in all pursuits. Only mostly we are mixed up with either the samsara of the world, or our own egos and these both prevent the fulfillment of justice on the one side, and of our lives’ purpose on the other. As soon as we are concerned with “others” and the pulls of society and the generality we are caught in artificialities.

There is no reason why man cannot be civilized, advance in education, invention and the control of nature without impairing his inner life. Animals may depend on their instincts. Man has even greater instincts, though covered, and has insight, which is still greater.

The teachings are that there is a spirit of Guidance in all beings and this includes an innate sense of awareness. It is only the ego that misleads us, that keeps us concerned with its own narrowness which prevents every person from leading a life based on wisdom and sagacity. If there were not this spirit of guidance, the weak and timid creatures would long have been stamped out by the powerful. But a deep study will show that even the prehistoric monsters and large predators have never been able to control the world.

GATHA: If man is open to the knowledge that life reveals continually, his body and mind with his intuitive centers and perceptive faculties can know the secret and meaning of life most.

TASAWWUF: There are two aspects of this: one is that there is the spirit of guidance in all parts of our being. In the lower sense, so to speak, we have it as instinct, and instinct operates throughout the body and also through the autonomous nervous system. Many creatures are safe in sleep without there being any conscious effort at guarding.

Christ has said that men should be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. If we are destructive we only set up the seeds of destruction for ourselves. And if we are aware and sensitive we find we are protected though generally not much thought is given to it. For there was a time when no man seemed safe, when roving tribes thought nothing of utterly destroying those who stood in their way.

But we can also consciously cultivate awareness. One method comes through perfection in Kashf and the other from awakening and using the deeper centers of consciousness in the body. If we are attached emotionally and intellectually to the development of these centers and if we accept the egoistic interpretations of the existence and awakening of these centers we may not progress far into the awakening of the deep consciousness.

The mission of a teacher is to help the pupil awaken centers as he shows capacity there and then to use them following a set pattern or not following a set pattern according to capacities. We have this all in words, in the prayers, in the simple teaching and in the advanced teaching. But if we wish safety we should follow the path of devotion as indicated by, in, and with the prayers. And then by using the devotion along with the awakening and development of the centers, the same guidance which has been in us and unconscious, can become conscious and we can use it for our own protection and development on the spiritual path.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series II: Number 10

The Psychology of the Shadow

GATHA: Among the Hindus there has been an old belief, which is now taken to be a superstition even in India. Every Brahman avoided or in other words took great care to keep himself, his shrine of worship, his food, woman during maternity period and the newborn child away from the shadow of the Shudra or outcast.

TASAWWUF: No doubt beliefs are based on Scriptures, or the words of sages, written or unwritten. But often they degenerate into superstitions. The word “tabu” means both what is sacred and what is forbidden. While the word is derived from Polynesia, we find similar institutions in many lands. Sir James Frazier’s The Golden Bough laid down the first universal study.

India has long been a land where the wise have appeared. There had been great Gurus and Rishis in Vedic times, not that all the great Gurus and Rishis appeared in the long ago, but the impetus from early literature has been very great. There were also great law-givers, especially the one or many known as Manu. These were wise men who had some knowledge of agriculture, economics, physiology, and, in a word, of human art, science, and industry in all the then known forms. Besides this there was a better understanding of what today we might call “psychic law” and “hierarchal law.” The wise, or the legalists who followed them, presented their codes and teachings as if they were of a divine origin. Mostly they were not. But the impressions of them on the generality were almost the same, as if they were.

In the history of India we find at times very great differences in the interpretation of caste, its functions, its place in society and in the world. Naturally, the Brahmans were the most literate and used every opportunity to proclaim themselves with or without privileges based on divine or human sources.

GATHA: Now, the times being different, naturally that belief is seemingly meaningless; but in point of fact there was an occult meaning behind it. Shadow is caused by the wall of a person standing against the sun, the sun which is life-giving to plants and human beings, to animals and to all, and the direct rays of which give all things new life.

TASAWWUF: If we go back in history we can find for example in ancient Egypt, that the shadow was regarded as very important. Only then it had a different significance, perhaps connected with the immortality of the soul. Similar superstitions or beliefs could be found in Europe and other lands which did not have any caste system.

In India the people of earth became sudras; those of water disposition vaisyas; those of fire kshatrias; and the brahmans corresponded to the air element. Besides this, if we follow the Upanishads, all people of mature age became holy men of some sort or another, and these correspond to the etheric element. Castes were not then hereditary, but psychological and mystical. Later they became fixed as always happens when the legal and priestly professions gain authority and power. Then democracy disappears and it would appear that only some and not all mankind were made in the Divine Image.

In Saum one says “Raise us from the denseness of the earth.” It would seem that in all the ancient mysteries it was assumed that the earth element caused defilement. Therefore it was natural to assume that the sudras also would cause some defilement to the twiceborn and especially to the brahmans, not even the glance should fall on them.

Once this division of castes began, and then when it was discovered there were other people, this also led to the establishment of the “outcasts.” These people, though they occupied human bodies, were regarded as sub-human. There was nothing in the most holy Scriptures to justify this. There is nothing in the most holy Scriptures to indicate that any creature other than man could reach the highest grades of exaltation.

No doubt the outcasts were regarded as examples of ego-incarnation. But instead of trying to purify oneself of inner pollutions the emphasis was more and more on trying to prevent outer pollutions. And it may be said that all religions have followed this same mistaken course.

GATHA: Places which are hidden from the sun, flat or mountainous, became the center of all diseases.

TASAWWUF: Thus it has been found that marshes are dangerous places. There mosquitoes and other noxious insects breed. Thence miasmas which contaminate the air. Likewise the dark places hold heavier vibrations and easily become the abodes of wicked people, of conspiracies, etc. People seldom have evil thoughts in the daylight, in the warm sun, in the parks, the meadows, or open high places.

GATHA: The personality that stands in the light of any person, causing thereby hindrance in the life of that person, is an example of this!

TASAWWUF: Many materialists have recognized this. The scientific teachings of the age hold that many noxious germs are destroyed by sunlight. In the sunlight they are destroyed, in the shadows they live and propagate. The sun alone, often prevents, or cures many diseases. People build solariums in which they find comfort. There are rays of the sun which have specific benefits for certain diseases.

It is true in India there are holy men who dwell in caves and perform tapas. By their personalities they are able to purify and elevate the atmosphere. Whenever and however the etheric element properly commingles with the earth, the result is beneficial. The ether is the vehicle of what might be called “pure light.”

Of course there are holy men who build fires and surround themselves with fires even under a bright hot sun. Then no shadow can fall on them and this appears to be very beneficial.

GATHA: The difference between the true teacher and the false—both of whom have always existed in the world—has been distinct. The false one stood in the light of his pupil; the true one showed him the way by standing on the side.

TASAWWUF: This has become even more true as there has been an invasion, so to speak, of the western world by persons from the Orient claiming to be teachers, and many are teachers also in every sense of the word. But the others are either confused or practice what has always been going on, to seek prowess by doubtful means. Still they get followings and that is due chiefly because the traditionalists have not been able to lead others to experiences of light and enlightenment.

The true teacher’s only pride beside his pride or satisfaction in Allah comes when his pupils rise in what Sufis call hal and makam, or state and station. While the hal-experience comes from Divine Grace, the makam or station is the result of effort, and effort and patience often result in the grand development. Besides, one can see in the light of the eyes and countenance of the pupils of the true teachers that something is happening, has happened in the direction of transformation.

The false teacher emphasizes his own greatness. He either praises himself or hints such praise whenever any pupil has some success, but he is apt to blame the pupil for failures. It is not always easy to distinguish the false teacher but in time his prowess will wear out because he does not derive his sanctity from the divine awareness, he does not practice Akhlak Allah.

The statement will always be made, “Judge not,” so it is not important to discuss these matters too much. Still the development of Kashf enables every one to distinguish the true from false and as Jesus Christ has said, “Let your light shine before men.” When the light and love of the pupils is great you can be sure that the teacher is a true one. But if there is just emotionalism without other content or when the teacher relies upon the methods of the advertising profession, we can be sure something is amiss.

GATHA: The psychology of the shadow is very complex. The shadow of an unholy person falling upon food will certainly take away the living substance from it; if it fell upon a person in a negative state, a woman sitting aside, or a child, it would produce exhaustion and lifelessness, also in the souls who are going through a process of recuperation or growth.

TASAWWUF: It is as if everyone carried a magnetic field and this field would be affected by any contact with any other magnetic field from anybody whomsoever. Thus Khilvat or seclusion is often practiced, for this enables a person to be protected in a negative state, and also to build up positivity when exhausted, or when greater magnetism is needed for any purpose whatsoever.

We can find customs all over the world, and also we have considered the reasons for the Seclusion of Women in our studies. The same applies in other aspects to everybody at some time or other. For that reason also little infants should be protected against strangers even if the strangers have positive atmospheres, for it is a different vibration and it also could unsettle the infant.

Atmospheres of sacred rooms should be protected. The more they are used for prayer, meditation and holy purposes, the higher the type of vibration, and in turn this atmosphere can help others. The Mormons or Latter Day Saints have their special tabernacle in Salt Lake City which has been kept pure ever since it was constructed. But the Kaaba at Mecca has been kept most holy for thousands of years and thus persons going on the holy pilgrimage always have emotional if not spiritual experiences in that vicinity.

Food is also a conveyor of vital energy. The more love that goes into its preparation, the more beneficial it is. This is something that cannot be taught by dietetics alone, or by physical chemistry. A subtle chemistry is also involved. Even the thoughts of those who prepare meals have a beneficial or harmful effect upon it.

Sometimes Black Magic has been practiced by evil persons who have knowledge of atmospheres and the misuse of words or sound. But by constantly chanting sacred phrases we can be protected against any sort of evil.

GATHA: Very often a tree standing above a plant, keeping from it the light, hinders the growth of the plant; so is the shadow of the unholy. It can for the moment darken the soul of those passive and receptive of spirit.

TASAWWUF: The life of most plants depends to a great extent upon sunlight. Sometimes artificial light can replace the sun to a certain extent but the vibrations are not always the same. We can see especially in tropical forests that often what is called the floor is quite clean and clear. Although the temperature range is favorable, and the rainfall sufficient, still without the beneficial rays of the sun even the light alone does not suffice for many plants.

Perhaps in a similar way also persons of assumed importance, by controlling the atmosphere through popular consent or through self-will smother the aspirations and thoughts of others, and so keep them also in a kind of darkness. Many social and political revolutions have started and succeeded because of such artificial smothering.

GATHA: No doubt the power of darkness and illusion itself, as shadow, has no existence in reality. However, it is evident; so is the influence of immature souls.

TASAWWUF: Notice the term “immature souls.” All those who smother, who exploit, who use ridicule are immature. Yes, they have an apparent faculty for throwing others into fear. People who may be of no social or public importance can nonetheless repeat the names of God for their own protection or for the benefit of others. Indeed, this may be the best way to benefit others. The seeming powers of tyrants, despots, political characters, and persons of prowess, is shadow-power. If it were real it would stand out in the light. No matter how important these people may seem they are nothing before the majesty of Allah.

In the mental spheres, apparent power arises in darkness due to the activities of nufs. The ego gives rise to thought-forms, and these thought-forms stand before the light of intelligence, producing illusion. Illusion in this sense may be different from ignorance which may be in total darkness. To combat both illusion and darkness in the mental plane it is necessary to produce a furthering capacity for light.

GATHA: The spiritual souls have a contrary influence to this. Their presence is a stimulus to intelligence; their influence is comfort-giving and inspiring. The phenomenon of a spiritual personality is that in his presence the memory becomes keen, the waves of inspiration rise, the clouds of depression clear away, hope springs from the depths of the heart, and the soul within begins to feel living, love manifests through thought and feeling, and all that was once dead lives again.

TASAWWUF: The Gayatri prayers in Vadan—Pir, Nabi, and Rassoul—show one may recognize a true guide and be benefited by a true guide. The spiritual teacher carries an atmosphere with him.

He does not have to resort to harsh words excepting in rare incidents. His very personality may be most effective and also he feels it his duty to increase the love and inspiration of all disciples, and also of the generality.

We suffer from our inner weaknesses. It has been said that others cannot help—it has been said, what does this prove? It proves nothing. Life and experience may produce proof; words, empty or not so empty, are elements of samsara. Adepts soothe the mental agitations of the disturbed. By so calming others and also the surrounding atmosphere they enable human beings to help themselves.

GATHA: This shows that personality is a mystery. It gives life and causes death; it raises one to heaven, and throws another back to the depths of earth. The influence of personality may change one’s life, environment, and all affairs. Its influence can turn the wheel of life to the right or wrong side, turning thereby the trends of all the affairs of life.

TASAWWUF: We may see this from several aspects. First there is the influence of one’s own personality upon one’s self. To a great extent we become what we are thinking, or think we are thinking. We do not have to discuss self-will, but we cannot obliterate it.

Then there are effects of environments. This covers all the earthly and material things, and also the atmosphere wherein we breathe. For we breathe in not only the material gases but also vibrations which are carried by these material gases, vibrations which are physical, magnetic, and psychic.

We are also influenced by others. Especially when we are negative, receptive, responsive, we are changed by what seems to be outside of ourselves. We flow with the tides of life, with the currents predominant among the generality. It is not always necessary to stem such tides; it is important to know when we feel free to act, are free to act, in all circumstances.

Then there is the influence of ourselves upon others. There is no exact boundary to the ego-personality, to its substance, to its influence. Every change in personality affects the whole universe. Changes in thoughts, emotions, feelings, act and react in the boundless ocean of the vibrations in and around us.

In the work called “The Art of Personality And Character-Building” the spiritual principles are presented toward which and with which one may work. And as one’s own personality so develops there is a strength in his atmosphere which will protect him against noxious forces and all evil influences and persons.

GATHA: Very often most innocent, good and pure-minded souls, owing to the lack of positiveness in their natures, become the victims of undesirable personalities—personalities that stand in their lives obscuring the light for which they crave; and this may continue for a long period of time. Once a person is accustomed to being in the shade, then he is then afraid to come out in the sunlight, though inwardly he may be drawn to it.

TASAWWUF: There are often negative and responsive people who either tend to go with the tides of life or who when harangued by an orator accept any kind of condemnation. These are the masochists of the world. They may even be rather angelic otherwise, but angels do not always possess power.

There have been children who are weak, dependent and well-meaning, and kept down by parents, teachers and guardians. The older people may have love but not wisdom. They see growing children as growing bodies not as saintly souls. Until we can recognize that all of us are on some form of spiritual development, education may not always attain its own ends.

The purpose of the Sufi Movement is not to combat the various conflicting schools of psychology and morality; not even to be overconcerned with sadists and presumable black magicians. Our work is to spread the knowledge and love and light of God. By stressing the positive, the affirmative, the true, we help ourselves and all humanity.

GATHA: The denser a person is, the grosser is his shadow. In other words, the more material a person is, the heavier is his influence.

TASAWWUF: No doubt this is connected with the manner of breathing. The subject of breath is very important and has been studied at great length by the adepts of Sufism. It is easily pointed out that persons with refined breath are refined, and with coarse breath are coarse. We can thus change something in others by becoming masters of breath ourselves. The first step no doubt is to protect ourselves, and then having learned how to protect ourselves to use this ability to protect the helpless, the young, the needy, the weak.

GATHA: The whole idea of life is to live freely; to look through space freely, having nothing to hide or conceal; the light of truth to shine from within and the light of the sun without; light all around, no shadow of any kind hindering the light, which is the soul of every being.

TASAWWUF: There is a book called The Shadowless Prophet of Mecca. No doubt everything that is said in this book is correct. But its implications are false. Mohammed definitely said that he was a human being like everybody else and that all his faculties and prowess, excepting his direct communion and communication with Allah, were common to all men. Buddha taught much the same; Christ also. One of the greatest illusions and delusions is to assume the ability to select some great personality as one’s perfect ideal, and then to assume no one else was that ideal’s equal; and then to assume quite falsely that good and evil result from the selection or rejection of that particular personality.

This teaching also appears at great length in the Indian Upanishads. Often as these Upanishads have been communicated to the generality, the presenters, trying to awe the audiences by conceptions of great heroes in the distant past, have obscured the simple truth of the Sun being the light without and the Atman being the light within. This is really a common teaching from all Masters and Adepts. No doubt the time will come when speakers on mysticism may be required to have had mystical experience in a way similar to the requirement of lecturers on the sciences to have had laboratory experience.

The permission being granted to orators to lecture on what they do not know directly has obscured the wisdom-teachings of the age. One of the purposes of Sufic instruction is to enable mureeds to cultivate that Light to its uttermost. As Jesus Christ has said, “Let thy Light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven.” This teaching is in common to all the great religions and perhaps to others. The obscuring of this universal truth will no doubt end with the downfall of the obscurers. When they are out of the way each of us can develop faith and hope and transcendent realization.

Gatha with Commentary

Etekad, Rasm U Ravaj:
Superstitions, Customs, and Beliefs

Series III

of

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

by

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

(Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 1

Toasts

GATHA: There is a custom prevalent everywhere in the Western world of proposing toasts, which is significant of a psychological truth behind it, which is to wish for a certain thing to happen at a time when one’s own wish is being granted, in a smaller or greater form. This shows that the moment when one’s wish is granted is that moment when one is satisfied.

TASAWWUF: Every wish is in a sense a force; it may rise out of self-will or it may stand before us as a goal toward which to strive. There is a saying, “If wishes were horses beggars would ride.” This indicates that a wish to be vital it must be accompanied by action. To wish idly is to waste one’s vitality; to wish and then to act to bring about the accomplishment of that wish is to fulfill a purpose in life.

Some have said that wishing is selfish and indeed it is selfish. There was originally a purpose for this selfishness because there are souls who are so little attached to matter that they do not even seem attached to life. There must be some driving urge within us and indeed God has implanted it there. And when we accomplish something toward which we have been striving we also may wish the good luck for others. And every such wish for the welfare of others acts as a suggestive force bringing encouragement.

Now our own life has movements like that of the worm which is laid out straight and becomes crooked or humped in order to move and then is straight again. We set a goal before ourselves and we are often unhappy until we reach that goal; our life’s ambitions are centered on it. Then, perhaps, after striving we obtain it and are momentarily satisfied and then we become dissatisfied again and seek a new goal and repeat the process. And this goes on and on perhaps until one enters the spiritual path and even afterwards.

GATHA: We should not, therefore, wonder why people go to spiritual souls for their blessing. Those who are spiritually blessed, their innermost wish has been satisfied, and a wish made by them acts as a quick blessing in the life of everyone.

TASAWWUF: The spiritual people are those who have succeeded in their strivings until they reach a stage in which there is no more wishing. For when one gets a glimpse of the Will of God as through the perceptive intuition, and one’s heart has been softened and refined, he will want to accomplish only that which becomes impressed upon his heart and toward all else he will be indifferent. And in this indifference his strength may be found.

And his strength and devotion made him a vehicle for the transmission of blessings either in the orthodox form or in a more magnetic form as Baraka, that some actual energy goes into the personalities of those who seek him so that they are encouraged or healed or benefited in some way. Their minds are calmed and their hearts are soothed and they are thus better able to continue their exertions.

GATHA: But this also teaches one to catch the opportunity of getting the good wish of every person at the moment when his wish is being granted.

TASAWWUF: This may be called the Kemalic moment in someone’s life. These moments come seldom because there may be useless exertion or the direct pursuit in Jemal or Jelal or conflict or lack of exertion. There are not many moments when a culmination or success is reached and those are the moments of the greatest opportunities when we may choose whether to be selfish or unselfish, and also whether to be wise or foolish in either our selfishness or unselfishness.

GATHA: Having known this psychological law, the people in the East look for such an opportunity of offering food to the hungry or a gift to the one who needed it, for the wish that naturally rises from the heart of a person while accepting it will certainly be granted.

TASAWWUF: It has been most unfortunate, that in Christianity those who say “It is more blessed to give than to receive” are the ones who want to receive, not the ones who want to give. In India and other parts of the Orient where the religion is considered most seriously, there is a deep feeling that giving itself is actually a blessing. In Burma, the wealthy are expected to look after the needs of others and actually find some joy in it. And on the other hand those who thus receive give out thanks and the Baraka of their feeling of the moment extends to those who have given through the karmic law. This may be called the sowing of good karma. Besides this, the heart has power over all things.

GATHA: Very few in the world know what great power is hidden in the wish of a person whose heart is in the state of dancing, so to speak—full of joy. We read in the legends of old of sages calling upon their friends, pupils or followers at a certain time and asking them to make a wish, for they knew the moment when the wish could be granted.

TASAWWUF: There are two aspects of this. One is Kemalic, that there are certain times in our lives where the opposite currents we call Jemal and Jelal come together in harmony and at such moments we can draw anything to ourselves. We feel for the time supreme and it is as if no one could oppose us nor any obstacle hinder us. Then we can accomplish things for ourselves or others.

The other is that in the state of expansion we seem to attune ourselves to more aspects of the universe than in the state of contraction. When there is heart ecstasy we find ourselves momentarily masters of all of which we are conscious, we can draw anything to ourselves for we are at least temporarily masters of the kingdom of Heaven. And when we are in such a state no force outside can harm us. Thus when Bayazid entered hal, and when he declared Ani Haqq which was supposedly against the canons of Islam and his disciples attacked him therefore, their knives were turned upon themselves and the Murshid went unharmed because he was in the state of the dancing soul. And when the soul dances everything in the universe seems to harmonize or synchronize with it for one’s very being seems then identified with the Being of Allah.

GATHA: There is a story of Hafiz, that near the home of the Sheikh there were eleven pupils whose name was Hafiz, but among them there was only one who used to engage himself in his night vigils, and the others used to rest all night. One evening the Sheikh called “Hafiz!” There was only one Hafiz awake, all others asleep. The Sheikh was holding the bowl with the thought of the wish to be granted. With his eyes closed he gave it to Hafiz. But then as he knew there were ten more, he again called “Hafiz!” And as all others were asleep, the same Hafiz came again and received the bowl. Eleven times the teacher called, and the same Hafiz went again and again. In the morning ten were disappointed, and that one Hafiz was found blessed with elevenfold blessings.

TASAWWUF: All these persons called “Hafiz” meant the prize scholars who had memorized Qur’an. But while they knew all the words of it, the spirit of revelation had not penetrated their inner being and they had not gotten really beyond Shariat, the outer law. The one Hafiz must have felt the deep love and devotion for Rassoul for he practiced Ryazat and did not need much sleep. His love for Allah was great, and he enjoyed this love far beyond sleep. So he was ready for Baraka, because he had made the accommodation for it. It was not that he was seeking Baraka, or anything; it was that he was seeking God and his love and zeal opened the door of his heart and personality for blessing and thus he received the blessing. The teacher here was in Kemal, which is more normal for the teacher than for the ordinary man.

GATHA: It would not be an exaggeration if one said that even God has a time when He grants wishes. And if one knows that time one certainly becomes benefited and blessed. Since Sufism teaches, look for God in the heart of man, the wise mureeds therefore see the pleasure and displeasure of God in everyone they meet, and they carefully regard the pleasure and displeasure of those they come in contact with, knowing that in doing so they regard the pleasure and displeasure of God.

TASAWWUF: According to the mystical teachings the period between midnight and dawn is the time when there is the greatest strength of attraction so that if one desires anything and concentrates and prays regularly with unselfishness and devotion, those hours and particularly the hour before dawn is the best. The old Hebrew mystics always did their esoteric studies and practices during those hours, and the first prayers of Islam are often given then. Sufis have followed along this line by considering that the very early morning is the best time for practices and devotions and more particularly the time to ask God for the recognition of a wish. What is more, those who have applied themselves accordingly have found that the spirit is much more alert then, that the mind is either quieter or can be soothed more easily and that there is less agitation so that the insight is greater.

It often happens that when one asks God a question then an answer is given which requires exertion on the part of the devotee. This should be considered as the greatest blessing, for the gift which appears to come as the result of exertion is always more highly valued and treasured and kept longer.

Now we should not see anybody as other than the creature of God or the beloved ones of God. Too many people have regarded God as an idealized-thought-being. So they cannot readily discover the pleasure of God. There is one tradition of Jesus Christ that he said “I am found in children up to seven years of age,” and in Salat we pray “Thy light is … in an innocent child.” But it is more than that, the divine light is in all people only it is less covered and defiled in some than in others.

Nevertheless even those most veiled express some spirituality in their lives because wherever there is life there is spirituality. One may think on a certain subject and look elsewhere and the first thing he sees or hears may have a most important bearing on his thought or wish. If we can accept such a superstition as considering the black cat crossing one’s trail bad luck and finding a rabbit’s foot or horseshoe good luck, how much more effective and important are the signs from man, who is so much closer to God than the animals!

GATHA: Besides having one’s wish granted, the joy of giving another happiness, that itself is greater than a wish granted, if one has risen to that plane of human evolution when one can enjoy pleasure with the pleasure of another, when one can feel satisfaction in the satisfaction of another, when one can be happy in bringing happiness to another. No one will give another happiness and not have the same come to him a thousandfold.

TASAWWUF: There is a deep current which runs from heart to heart and connects all the sentient beings of the universe thereby. We feel it mostly when we are in love no matter what form the love takes, whether for parent or child or mate or close friend and most of all for a spiritual teacher. But also whenever the heart expands we feel that surge of life which is also a surge of love. It penetrates the whole universe, it is the sign of the presence of God, it can even be called God.

Some have said that happiness comes from doing good to others. Yes, in a certain sense it is true although from the standpoint of the sage the word “good” is rather indefinite. If by it one means to relieve another from sorrows, to bring comfort, joy, happiness, yes, that is the ideal condition of every heart. Besides, from the occult view, the heart of the seer can touch the hearts and minds of others and feel the life there and extend Baraka and ishk to all souls. Then one cannot keep the happiness to oneself.

Indeed on this point there have been certain religious differences between those who seek salvation and happiness for themselves and consider that they have completed their evolution thereby and those who cannot see the full salvation or happiness unless it is shared with all, or with as many as one can reach. It is this last which is the Sufic ideal.

GATHA: There comes a stage of evolution in the life of man when he feels more satisfied by seeing another person satisfied with food than by his having eaten it himself, when he feels comfortable in seeing another person comfortable, when he feels richly adorned by seeing another person clothed nicely; for this stage is a stepping-stone to the realization of God.

TASAWWUF: Yes, when the heart is open and one touches all hearts, this is natural. For one feels alike the suffering of another and the joy of another and one is not happy when another starves, is in want, and one is not dependent upon things and he gets his enjoyment vicariously, so to speak. For it is nothing but the evidence of the living currents of ishk, and especially when one is in love one feels this. Though for some the state passes or is very limited, in others the state is not evanescent and not so limited. The holy man—and anybody can become holy—is not just an orthodox or pious person, he may not and need not be orthodox or pious. The real holy man is the one who has apparently (not actually) surrendered pleasure for the sake of bringing happiness to all.

Such a person is on the way to partaking of the real holy communion.

Questions and Answers (August 10, 1923)

Q: Would we receive the curses of people as well as the blessings?

A: Yes. One should always think that life is an opportunity. Every moment is an opportunity. Sometimes one can do good by not troubling much oneself; it is just by seizing the opportunity. If one is attentive and brings some pleasure and happiness, it is not always that it costs. What it costs is attention. If one keeps one’s attention fixed upon that idea, and is constantly seeking where one can do some little good to another. By giving one’s place in a bus or tram-car; by just having a little consideration for the aged, a little consideration for someone who is perhaps not honored or respected, if one can offer what a person is lacking in his life without him knowing, that is always a great [words missing]. To do good is the work of the sage. Sometimes people become over-enthusiastic, which does harm. It is a spell, a fit of goodness. That does no good. The real goodness is that which comes spontaneously. A thief is always on the look-out to rob something; so a good person is always looking for an opportunity to do good; he will always find it.

Q: Can you tell something more of the time that God grants wishes?

A:  God grants wishes at two times. One time is when your heart is free from every thought, or feeling, or emotion; in the most peaceful and tranquil condition; at that time every wish that is sown is just like a seed sown in fertile soil. If one had the patience to wait in the great power of God, whatever be the wish, it will certainly be granted. The other time when the wish is granted is when somebody is satisfied, has been made happy by you, and naturally, out of his heart, springs a kind of fountain which pours upon you a kind of blessing. It will be just like rain from above, which in time will bring its fruits and flowers.

Q: Has one the right to wish for oneself?

A: Yes, as long as the conscience says that the wish is right. But there is another stage, when a person has so advanced spiritually that he thinks, “God’s wish is my wish. God knows better than me. I may wish something wrong.” The one who gives his life in that way in the hands of God is greater still.

Q: When a man is poor, but can just live with the means he has, is it then good when he gives away material things, and so makes himself dependent upon others?

A: You see, the question what is good is a very difficult question to decide. Good is peculiar to a person. It all depends upon what that person thinks. When he thinks it is right, it is good. That is the only question.

      The story of Saint Elias, he was an ascetic, and for his food only a loaf of bread was enough every day. He would not keep anything for tomorrow. If he was given four people’s food in one day he would distribute it. If he had still more, he shared it all. Next day he was without. If one said, why did he make himself dependent upon people for the next day? he would say that, “We live in this life interdependent. As long as I do not go to anybody, do not force upon anybody—only people brought it—what does it matter? It is from Him. It is not depending upon others. It all comes from God. It all goes to the creatures of God. What does it matter?” It all depends upon the person and how the person looks at it.

Q:  The great creative spirits, which at this moment are so necessary for working in the world, if they have in their soul a longing for spirituality, how can they keep balance between their busy life and the concentration which is a necessity for the spiritual path? What must they sacrifice?

A:  In the first place I should say that if one object is the seeking of one’s soul, and the other object is life’s necessity, and if one object is to be sacrificed, it is better the one which is necessary, but keep to the soul’s seeking.

      There is another point of view; in order to become spiritual, we should not become unworldly. We can just as well be in the world and yet not be of the world. We can be active in our everyday life, and yet be concentrative. A person who can concentrate well can manage the affairs of the world better. Those who have attained success in business, in worldly affairs, they had their concentration better. Therefore concentration is in no way a hindrance. A success gained through the power of spirituality is more secure and has a stronger foundation. Furthermore, there is one rule of life, which must be understood. That the success is gained by two ways; by the right way and by the wrong way. Wrong way means that which is against the spiritual idea. And when a person has started by one path, he must keep to that path, in order to be successful. And if he finds that perhaps the other path will be better for the success, he will lose. A person who is going the wrong way, if he thinks that the right way will be better, he will lose. The person who is going the right way, he will not lose. His success will perhaps be slow, but it is secure, and he will all through be successful. The other had no danger, but his greatest danger is going into the right path; that is his loss.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 2

Wedding Customs

GATHA: There are superstitions and customs connected with the wedding observed in Europe, such as throwing an old shoe after the newly married couple as they go away, and throwing rice. The rice signifies flourishing, multiplication, prosperity, and Providence, whereas old shoes are the old times passed in life and a new life begun.

TASAWWUF: As has been taught, superstitions are chiefly the shadows of psychic instructions or institutions founded upon psychic law after the meaning of them has gone out and after the intellectual element has disappeared. By application of intuitive ability and insight and a knowledge of practical symbolism one can see the meaning of things from every movement as well as from the content or objects used.

The new age does not intend to revivify old customs nor to ignore them either, only it has been that because none of them have been universal and therefore probably unacceptable to others—here the people not of Europe, using the same psychic principles the Universal Worship had, adopted a suitable variant which may come to be accepted by all. Thus toward the end of the Wedding Ceremony when a Cherag officiates he gives the bride and bridegroom each a handful of corn, saying, “Pour the seed of the Divine Message upon the world.”

Here the prayer acts as a preservative, and it means that in whatever the wedded ones do they might prosper with the aid of God. For the Message is not only the words and studies and practices, it is the everyday life, that every act of the marriage might be sanctified, including the welfare of the couple, the spiritual coming of children and all other acts.

The Jewish people drink wine at their weddings and the groom crushes the wine-glass thereafter. The crushing of the wine-glass beneath his heel also means that the old life is over. It also indicates that the intoxication of the romance is terminated and the couple are to be devoted to the serious things, but that the joy that comes in holy striving may continue.

GATHA: The rings that bridegroom and bride put on each other’s fingers is the sign of bond, which is the real meaning of marriage. The hands of the two joined by the priest is the possession of one another, suggesting that each holds the other.

TASAWWUF: To the initiate the holiness of marriage is something beyond the mere joining of hands. It means that there should be the harmonization of personalities. Some religions use garlands which they twine around both bride and groom. These mean that there should be one life between them and that they should share in all things. A common concentration, such as on the heart, is most helpful during the last stages of romance preparatory to the wedding, but afterwards, in accordance with the prayer, “Pour the seed of the Divine Message upon the world,” the concentration upon the Sufi Symbol of the message is itself better. It will bring bride and groom closer together and restore peace and harmony whenever there are any differences or dissonances arising between them.

The wedding ceremony of the Universal Worship also requires the use of rings which is explained in the prayer of the worship itself. Instead of the bride and groom always facing the altar, they stand before the Cherag but face each other, and this brings the compensation of love and magnetism of all planes between them. After repeating the Invocation the Cherag says: “I unite you both in marriage one to another, that this link (Cherag puts on the rings) may be an everlasting bond, asking for your good health, long life, prosperity, happiness, and the Blessing of God to be with you forever and evermore. Amen.”

The exchanging of rings between bride and groom or the donning of them by both brings a balance which is sometimes lacking when only one party has the ring or amulet, for in this sense, with the blessing, the ring does become an amulet. And rings with symbols may become most powerful if worn with love, humility and reverence. By glancing at the ring and remembering the words of the blessing, Baraka may come to either party when in need, and thus also they may more easily commune at a distance.

GATHA: The custom of the Greek church, where wreaths are put on the head of the bride and bridegroom, is the exchange of thoughts and feelings, and walking three times round the altar is suggestive of God between them, uniting them both with the other in divine link, the link which is everlasting as God Himself.

TASAWWUF: Walking around an altar, or a sacred shrine, always indicates the possibility of a link with God. This is usually an outer act. The initiates strive to find the reality behind this action. In the Universal Worship the outer action is now performed, but the bride and bridegroom kneel down facing the altar and the Cherag gives them the blessing which is contained in the Worship. This blessing is so worded that the words take the place of the ceremony, and thus carry to the thought plane the same suggestions which are psychically impressed through the movements of the rites of the Greek church and other churches which have adopted ceremonials.

GATHA: And the custom of the bride’s kissing the hand of the bridegroom, which is still continued at the time when the rhythm of the world is quite changed, only explains the response from the side of the bride, in which is the secret of nature’s harmony, although what generally happens later is just the opposite, but that brings about the happy medium.

TASAWWUF: That is to say, originally women were held more or less in contempt, or else inferior and they were expected to be responsive, and indeed they are responsive by nature. But the husband also should be responsive to the wife and be stimulated by her, and if she is more intuitive and he more intellectual he should not refuse to follow her advice which can, if trusted, grow into wisdom.

The same acts which began out of courtship and which can degrade into mere physical endeavors, can also, if properly pursued, take on a deeper meaning. For the more the husband sees in the wife the more he will be uncovering in himself and the more gracious the wife is before the husband, the more beauty she will be revealing from her inner being. And it is this constant mutual growth which enables husband and wife to harmonize progressively using the marriage as a means toward a greater life.

The Universal Worship has in its wedding custom or ceremony most important elements. In the beginning it is arranged that the bridegroom sit on the right, the bride to the left. This is because the groom represents Jelal, the positive, and the bride the Jemal, the responsive force of the universe.

The best men are on the right of the groom, representing the potential Jelal capacity and the bridesmaids on the left of the bride representing the potential Jemal capacity. That is to say, out of the marriage can come more strength and ability on the one hand and more beauty and response on the other. The Cherag in the service symbolizes Kemal in which Jemal and Jelal meet, harmonize and ultimately unite.

The Cherag asks the bridegroom if he desires the hand of the maiden in exchange for love, which is to say that the bride represents prakriti, or form, symbolized by hand and the groom purusha or energy which culminates in love. The union of these two brings heaven and earth together.

Then the Cherag asks the bridegroom also if he will keep true to her, serve her and sympathize with her under all conditions throughout life. These words have a deep significance. The love which is on the surface passes in time. It is not only in a physical sense that trueness is meant—and sometimes this is over-exaggerated—but that the man will really be tender and sympathetic under all conditions and forbear to be harsh or critical even when apparently she is wrong and he is right. Silence or agreement on his part will do more to correct her if she is a true woman, than anything else.

Then the bridegroom is asked to consider marriage as a most sacred act. The early Christian church looked upon divorce with horror because at that time they knew the sanctity of the union of bodies, hearts and souls. This was lost afterwards, only the form remaining and that without much vitality because when feudalism was introduced the place of woman in society became very low.

The best men for the bridegroom and the bridesmaids for the bride are the witnesses and they represent angelic forces also who are the witnesses of all things.

The bride is asked similar questions and her response is most important. It is not that she must consider her husband as a divine being but the more she can come to this point of view the more the marriage does both for the parties thereto and for the whole humanity. Children born of such a union will be blessed, the Baraka being gathered for them from the very beginning. And in this sense marriage can be continued as a sacrament, and dharma restored to earth.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 3

Funeral Customs

GATHA: The human body represents the five elements, and nature’s law is that every element returns to its own origin. Naturally therefore the being which is the air part turns into air, the heat is absorbed by the heat—the fire-element has left already. The body belongs either to earth or to water. But the body, which is born on earth, not in the water, and has sought its comfort on earth, not in water, and has also been afraid of the water, an element foreign to it, had better be saved from it and had better be buried.

TASAWWUF: No doubt all races and peoples following all the different religions have their funeral customs and there may have been deep reasons for them. The study of the elements is considered of greatest importance by the Sufis and both the breath as the vehicle of spirit and the body as the vehicle of form-matter are studied as to their elemental constitution. The scientists and physiologists have not yet given much thought to the subject but there are increasing signs that in the future they will do so.

When transition comes, and even before, the fire element departs. The ancients knew this and said that as age came on the fire element lessened and the earth element, in proportion, increased. This would indicate that if one knew how to control the fire element and the physical heat, the body might continue to exist a much longer time. However, if one has not complete mystical and occult knowledge any efforts along these lines might become very dangerous and destructive. Besides, there must be the etheric element to bring balance, and the fire and ether together may properly energize the blood which carries the life force and even the food to every tube, vein and cell of the body.

The air element is connected with the breath and feeds mostly the mind of mind, and when this element is withdrawn the mind cannot function so well in the body, and forgetfulness occurs, and this is one of the reasons why elderly people sometimes do not remember their earlier experiences and acquaintances. The water element also disappears in some people who appear as dry and wizened.

Some people have buried bodies in the water. This causes pollution and is a source of disease. No doubt at sea this is necessary, and if bodies have been cremated and the ashes thrown into the water there is not so much harm. But both the processes of air and cremation are necessarily destructive and life-depriving so that cannot be so energizing.

In the western religions which accept the Bible the idea is that the earth goes back to the earth and soul to God Who made it. This is a safe, practicable belief, for when the bodies are placed in the earth and properly covered they feed the earth and they serve as foods for plants and animals, and as the human vibrations are finer than those of other kingdoms the plants and animals, which derive from the corpses naturally—through the earth—become more refined. But animals which eat corpses like the vultures among the Parsis and dogs among the Tibetans are not so refined.

Nevertheless for them that was the best method because the soil in Tibet is often hard to dig, especially when it is cold and there is ice, or when the wind storms blow about, and it is certain that this method prevents the accumulation of noxious gases and greatly diminishes the chances for fever and epidemic, so we need not condemn such customs.

The prayers and ceremonies connected with the Universal Worship follow the principles of the esoteric teachers although they may not be so explicitly stated. The body is placed in the earth, that the earth element which is the densest may be properly restored, the other elements being not so heavy and they have less difficulty in returning to their source. After all, the element becomes purified when it returns to its own and the easier the method the better it is.

GATHA: Another point of view is that every living being, whether man or animal, has a fear of fire. A powerful animal like the lion is afraid of the fire; the elephant with all its large body and strength runs away from fire. If that is the nature of all living beings, to be afraid of fire, then imagine for a person who is not yet dead to know that as soon as he is dead his body will be put in the fire. Although his mind is separate from the body, yet his mind will have a shock just the same.

TASAWWUF: Therefore Sufis do not favor and have not practiced cremation. The finer bodies do not leave all at once. There have been certain measurements like watching the last breath or the last beat of the heart or the last normal function of the organs. These do not occur together and sometimes the mind ceases to function in the body long before, and sometimes it is quite attached to the body.

Those who have studied corpses right after death have noticed and even seen something arise from the form, like a cloud or light. This shows very definitely that there is a finer body or more than one finer body interlinked with the flesh which need not be released just because someone has pronounced the death moment. There is no exact death moment, it is gradual, and even delicate. And it is sad that persons who are cremated too soon, or rather the spirits of such bodies, suffer as long as there is any connection therewith.

Some of the psychic influences in graveyards are there because there is still attachment between body and spirit, and in persons of low evolution or gross materiality this may be greater than is supposed. We want to extend all love, mercy and compassion, and this requires wisdom. Besides this is not a fire-body. The custom of India was due to many reasons, some of which have been lost. It is said originally that they sought to bring fire down from heaven, and in the most ancient times the adepts could do that. But they lost the power and found it easier to use the man-made fire. This was never intended. But it did save much trouble of burying and establishing graveyards, and so supposed to hasten the elevation of the departed into the higher spheres. So first it was permitted and finally it became a universal custom, and especially along the Ganges River.

This river was originally so sacred that it was respected and not polluted. It also represented a heavenly stream of life. The myths were later materialized and a physical process adopted and so from stage to stage until even gross superstition resulted.

GATHA: The reason of mummies is to suggest that if the body which is dead can be kept along, then the life, which is real life, is eternal. Besides among the ancient Egyptians there was a custom (the same tendency exists in the East) that at every banquet or feast a mummy was brought in. It was brought for a moment and taken away, in order to waken man in the midst of his great joy and enthusiasm and pleasure to the consciousness that there is such a thing as death, that there is some thing awaiting him and that he must not keep ignorant of that truth, absorbed in all the pleasures of the world. But at the same time they put the mummies also in the grave.

TASAWWUF: It is not that we should not have joy, it is that we must not have the wrong kind of joy. The physical body is a vehicle of experiences and action; we also have a body of bliss, and this interpenetrates the coarser bodies and there is an impulse or constant impulse from it even when we are veiled from truth, to experience joy. Then we seek it, but we do not realize the relation of joy to life as a whole.

Now the introduction of the mummy is not for the sake of killing the joy, but to bring balance and seriousness and to make us see, if we can, beyond illusion. Pleasure is intoxication and matter is intoxication, and human relations may be very intoxicating. When we get a glimpse of eternity we are driven for the moment to seriousness. We can learn, however, that because there is a grave, it is not all sorrow there. The Masons apparently teach that death is sorrow and yet they are very persistent in holding on to immortality. There is no real sorrow in death, it is only those who remain who have the sorrow, but if they adhere to it strongly then there will be sorrow for the departed one also.

In the Universal Worship there are burial suras. The first is that “Death takes away the weariness of life; and the soul begins life anew.” There is no need for sorrow, there is rebirth so to speak, and opportunity. We find upon leaving earth that many obstacles are born of dense matter and others out of the dense minds we have fashioned ourselves. But the planes do not make it so, it is not normal to the spheres, it is we who stand before ourselves.

The next Sura is that “Death is the crucifixion, after which follows the resurrection.” And it is mostly that we make our own crucifixion because besides all the difficulties from the outside, without a proper understanding of the life processes and our place in the universe, we do not have the realization, and only when we are deluded, so to speak, by the sloughing of the body, do we come to a better understanding.

“Death is the night after which the day begins.” This is self-explanatory. “It is death which dies, not life.” For the living currents never diminish, the soul is there, it is only that we do not function through the dense body of matter.

“The life everlasting is hidden in the heart of death.” And it is possible to die in this sense any time. The spiritual life enables the talib to uncover his heart and understand—which is much more than a belief—the continuance of the life herenow and hereafter.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 4

The Swan Song

GATHA: They say the swan sings once, just before it dies.

TASAWWUF: It is so to speak, that in this is the fulfillment of life, that the swan has a certain objective in life and that that objective is in some way connected with its breath, that it had a deeper breath which covered the cycle of its whole life and the ordinary breath which it takes momentarily. And in this we also see the idea of a purpose which may be found in the human life, and with the fulfillment of this purpose the life on earth may be completed, although one does not necessarily retire into the afterlife immediately upon the fulfillment of such purpose.

GATHA: The meaning of this is that a fuller expression given to one’s joy puts an end to life, for in the fullest expression lies life’s purpose. In the life of an artist one finished work of art, and in the life of a musician his best piece of music, brings to him the warning of his departure.

TASAWWUF: We can see that illustrated in the lives of many musicians. The classic example is that of Beethoven, having completed his Ninth Symphony, he lost his sense of hearing and with that loss the life energy began to ebb. He lived just long enough to witness the triumph of his greatest work. And now when we study his compositions we can see the genius in him expressing itself more and more in his later years until it seems that he surpassed the whole world, he seemed to surpass even himself.

When Wagner completed his most sacred opera, “Parsifal,” his world work was accomplished. Rafael sojourned just long enough to produce his masterpieces, and Keats and Chatterton were given only a short span of years. And yet everyone does not withdraw upon the completion of his master work. Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci stayed on earth many years and it is said that Fariduddin Attar lived a very long time.

GATHA: Saadi says, “Every soul is born with a purpose, and the light of that purpose is kindled in his heart.” It applies not only to the soul of every person but to the soul of every person but to every living creature, however small and insignificant; even to every object this rule can be applied.

TASAWWUF: In man it works out that when he performs that which is in accord with his purpose he gains in magnetism and vitality, he is open to inspiration, he gains in vigor, he exhibits more life and light in his being. And whenever we do that which is contrary to our dharma we lose vitality and magnetism and vigor. We may even obtain earthly power, but at a price; we may gain fame, but at a price and no matter what we gain, if it is not in accordance with our dharma, with our purpose of life we do not obtain happiness, and happiness is really the lot of every soul.

Each one of us has a definite purpose. It is not true that some are fated to be successful and some cannot obtain spiritual release while on earth. The very structure of the human body shows that the members of it are only partly under the control of fate, that many parts of the body can be controlled by will and that as man grows he can exert his will-power over other members of the body. And the same is true with his mind and with his career, he always has the choice before him, and he may grow and grow.

The ordinary belief is that every creature has two instincts, that of self-preservation and that of perpetuation of the species. The mystics do not disagree with this view, only there may come a question as to what is meant by “self-preservation.” The mystic does not agree with the view that self-preservation is identical with persistence of life in the body. All creatures do try to prolong their physical existence—unless that instinct goes contrary to the other instinct of perpetuation of the species, but the body is not necessarily the “self.” Besides if there were only these two basic instincts, there would be a more terrific struggle for life than even some biologists claim. They may be correct so far as they go but they fail to take into account any general purpose.

The great Swedish philosopher and clairvoyant, Emanuel Swedenborg, wrote at length on this subject and tried to show that each kingdom in creation had a certain place and that all fitted into a cosmic harmony, which meant that nothing was out of place with respect to God and that God perfected all the plans for creation and that nothing was there without a purpose. And when we study the functions of the bees and butterflies, how they fertilize the fruits and grains and flowers, when we learn what functions various bugs carry on, and what damage follows when certain animals are slaughtered or insects destroyed or even some so-called weeds uprooted, we begin to see that everything has its place and until we have wisdom and keen sight, the selfish attitude in the end proves to be the most destructive. We see this in America and China today, that the short-sighted policies with regard to forest and agricultural lands, producing a little more prosperity and revenue at one time has only led to a greater loss at some other time.

GATHA: There is a saying in the East that the elephant dies at the sight of fever. This explains that death robs one of that which one has made oneself. If this be explained in other words, one makes one’s death while making oneself.

TASAWWUF: That is to say, all our ego-creative-activity, no matter how valuable it may be for the while, has only a limited purpose. Christ told his disciples to lay up the treasures in heaven where dust and corruption and decay do not set in. Sufis practice Murakkabah which is called concentration but which is much more than is ordinarily included in the meaning of that word. For by mastery in Murakkabah one may not only achieve success in this world, but one builds for himself a faculty which he can continue to use in the hereafter. It is the faculty, however, which persists, and not the particular gains which come as a result of the use of the faculty.

While on earth we can accumulate property and enjoy pleasure and these things we can not take. Whatever their value be, it is a limited value. And it is these things which die at death. We do not die; we leave the body behind and we leave the properties and wealth behind, and we may be leaving certain pleasures and inclinations behind and that is all. We continue in the hereafter and carry with us all that is in accord with the general purpose of our existence.

GATHA: The heavy flesh that the elephant gathers around itself naturally gives power to the fever that becomes the cause of its death. The same is to be seen in the life of man. Every difficulty, even death, man makes with the making of himself. It is to suggest this idea that Christ has said, “The spirit quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing.”

TASAWWUF: If we take these words of Christ literally it is that the spirit or breath is the source of our gain, the body is not the source of gain. We should live for the development of Purusha, not for the perfection and development of Prakriti. This does not mean that the body need be neglected nor that most of all we should ever lose sight of that supreme principle, Beauty. The body may be given to us to adorn and we should take care of the body and preserve its health, vitality, luster and magnetism. But there is more in life than that. The body is the servant, not the purpose of our being here.

The elephant is an animal which has a tremendous body and it requires a very tranquil breath to maintain the life in that body. The elephant is not an emotional animal. Big people are less emotional than small people; their bodies cannot stand stress and strain, they are more subject to heart-disease and the elephant also is more subject to heart-disease.

Then coming to the other side of the subject that everything we do is the cause of death. Yes, what we make must be unmade, what we attach ourselves to we must detach ourselves from. This is the sway of the universe, and there is the sway of creation and the sway of emancipation. If we continue on in the swing of creation we may become too attached to things and then with all the idealism and moral qualities we shall find ourselves beneath the sway of nufs. And if we are all emancipation, we can become attached to the idea of freedom, that we shall not understand our nature nor our relationship to others and this will bring us pain and travail instead of emancipation. Therefore the right course is to act and continue to act, but to be indifferent as to the results of action, to leave the fruits to God, so to speak.

GATHA: The soul was born to be immortal, but mortality it usually earns for itself.

TASAWWUF: The soul is immortal, but by identifying itself with the body and taking on, so to speak, a bodily consciousness a mortality is created. It is not a reality. Nothing of life is lost by the life being released from the body. It is the form which is lost, not the life. The life continues and we can learn for ourselves that it continues, we can find that freedom from bodily consciousness, we can abandon the self through self-sacrifice and love, and ultimately come to the Perfection of Love in which resides the true immortality.

GATHA: There is nothing that man would have been afraid of if he did not possess something which he is afraid of being robbed of. When the hermit Manchandra said to Gaurakha on their journey through the wilderness, “Gaurakha, I feel afraid.” Gaurakha answered, “Throw away the fear.” Manchandra answered, “How can fear be thrown away?” Gaurakha said, “Throw away that which causes you fear.” Manchandra took out from his wallet two bricks of gold and said, “These bricks of gold, must I throw them away?” “Yes,” said Gaurakha, “What are they”

TASAWWUF: There is nothing in ourselves which is the source of fear. Some scientists have said that fear is an instinct. Perhaps so. But the instinct is either only the undeveloped intuition or it is repulsion at work when the force of attraction is weak. When there is insight there can be no such fear, that fear is born of ignorance.

The other aspect of fear comes from attachment. We are attached to something and we are not strong enough to control the thing; instead of owning it, it owns us. That is the condition of many people today. The spiritual philosophy is not that one should not have possessions; God has placed the whole earth at man’s feet. The spiritual philosophy is that man may possess or control but not be under the emotional sway of anything. If wealth produces fear, hatred, selfishness, attachment, then the wealth is the cause of disease, and should be uprooted. But if man has such self-control that he can manage his affairs and properties and even use them for the good of others, there can be no harm in it, even though sooner or later he may have to abandon all.

GATHA: Manchandra threw them away, and as he went on his face turned pale. Gaurakha looked at him and said, “Why are you sad?” Manchandra said, “Now we have nothing.” Gaurakha said, “We have everything. Look before you, what do you behold?” And he beheld mountains of gold. Gaurakha said, “Take as much as you can, if that is your soul’s striving.” Manchandra’s soul awoke, and he said, “Nothing will I take for I know the riches of possessing nothing.”

TASAWWUF: This life of non-possession has been followed by many spiritual teachers and their disciples and it is not easy to impress upon the worldly the advantage of it. Of course there is an extreme that some people who are spiritual and many people who claim to be spiritual, live upon the bounty of others and the others have to struggle to support them and thus they become parasites upon society. This is the wrong view. Christ told his disciples to provide nothing for themselves but they lived in a society which followed the laws of Moses, making it possible to live that way. Buddha gave similar instructions to his followers, but they lived in India which then accepted the dharma sastras and it was the duty of people to give to holy men. Besides in those days there was more prosperity, the needs were more simple and the people knew the laws by which the fertility of the soil could be increased and there was a greater return. Also in the absence of war there was prosperity.

When there is a totally different social order we have to work differently, but the idea of self-possession becomes a dangerous one to the soul, which becomes attached to things and thoughts and besides the theoretical spiritual loss there is more liability to disease and difficulty. No doubt there is a sort of middle way between the extreme of attachment and the extreme of detachment and society will move in that direction when the spiritual principles are better known. If we could only realize that in the heavens which do exist, there is much less of attachment to property and there is also much greater prosperity, if we want to apply earthly terms to it.

Toward 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. 

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 5

Customs at the Birth of a Child in India

GATHA: For three days from the time that the child is born, and sometimes for six days, no friends are allowed to enter the room where the child is, only some relations who are most esteemed in the family. The meaning in this custom is that the mind of the newborn child is like a photographic plate and the first impression that it receives goes deeper in it and other impressions have less effect. Therefore the impressions of early childhood make the foundation for the whole life.

TASAWWUF: This ought to give us a suggestion for the spiritual people of the future that they see beyond the superstition or the custom of it, and put into practice again the psychic and occult laws. We have paid much attention to hygiene and sometimes mistakes are made. Thus the infant is often bathed right after birth and it has been discovered that with all precaution, instead of this being a protection to the child it deprives it of protection. During any period of puerperal fever, when the child is dependent upon the mother, and the mother is ill, the child that has been bathed is deprived of a protection. The covering over the child at birth is like a protection and this is absorbed often by the body of the infant itself after a short time.

Even before birth the atmosphere may be prepared for the coming of a new soul to earth, and most of all in the attention given to the mother by the prospective father and other near relatives. Birth need not be too solemn or serious and yet birth can be a very sacred event, and it is not wrong even to hold that the birth of every infant is the birth of the Lord Himself.

All the teachings of Sufism in this regard are proven in fact in the life of the infant. Not only does the first breath which it takes in bring to it the keynote of the life-force which will come to it thereafter, but the first thing it sees and the first person who sees it exert a more important influence than may be supposed. If there are any non-relatives who see the child in the first few days, it should only be a god-father and a god-mother and they to bring the blessings. There may be either or both, and a relative may be a god-father or god-mother, only other than giving a blessing they should not linger too long. For every thought held in the presence of an infant, and especially while gazing upon it, exerts a strong influence; the child has no protection against the impressions it receives then.

Many parents, without knowing it, become so interested in the child that they rid themselves of unwholesome thoughts while in its presence. This is an excellent attitude. It nourishes the child and when the heart and mind of the mother are kept free and pure more psychic power is transmitted through the milk.

The period of the days need not follow the custom of India but six days at least is best. We can learn a great deal from the ancient customs of the Hebrews and Persians and Hindus, and we can again put them into practice. The neglect of the bodies of man and woman from the psychic view has been tragic. Hygiene is excellent in its way but it is no substitute for anything else.

GATHA: The mother does not appear before friends for the first six days, even some relations are kept away. The meaning of this custom is that in the negative state in which a mother is at that time, she is too sensitive to be exposed to inharmonious and coarse vibrations.

TASAWWUF: This same attitude can be maintained before birth also. The husband may be harmonious then to the wife and should be willing to set aside his own desires and pleasures to accommodate her. If she is selfish or willful or makes too many demands it will not only be bad for her, the karma of it will appear in an unwillful child. The mother who can be devout and made to feel that she is giving birth to a winged messenger from heaven and not a possession called “child” will be most fortunate.

In the spiritual life much use is made of the eye for conveying deep thoughts and impressions. This may be more unconscious or subconscious than man realizes. When one comes before an expectant mother one should be careful about one’s speech. After birth also it is advisable to keep the mother in purdah. For the talibs Khilvat may be practiced at that time to advantage, not necessarily in the form used for spiritual advancement but in a form of purdah, which can be a great protection. The mother should not read papers and magazines which produce shock or surprise. There would be unwholesome reactions within herself and if her milk is affected the child also would suffer.

We should not be too anxious to see new-born infants and then only with the feeling of blessings—not too much talk, not even of admiration. By doing that we help the child most. It is not an occasion for ego-expression, it is the time of helpfulness.

GATHA: In the case of the child it is not only that his mind is affected, but the first impression even influences the construction of his face and form.

TASAWWUF: We sometimes see children with the faces born of pleasant looking people and children with happy faces, who have happy dispositions when the parents’ characteristics are otherwise. This is because at the moment of birth, or beforehand, those qualities were impressed upon the incoming soul. The child has no protection against them, the child receives them and especially while the child is in the mother’s womb and receiving the breath and blood-supply through the mother, it is entirely negative.

The effect of the first impression at birth can be seen that children may be born looking like one parent or the other parent or like a grandparent or brother or sister and within a short time they may change considerably and look like the other parent or another relative. There is nothing wrong in it, only it shows how sensitive the child is before impressions, and the impressions of these parents and relations can markedly affect the body as well as the mind of the child.

As the mind of the child is, practically speaking, a blank, it picks up the impressions of the atmosphere and these impressions enter the mind, then the brain, then the nerve structure. Lines of nerve force carry the mental impressions and these mould the features of form and face, so that especially as the child grows the lines of the features follow the lines of force in the mind caused by impression.

GATHA: At the birth of a son the occasion is celebrated by the beating of drums and gunfire. This custom no doubt comes from the ancient Rajputs, whose Dharma, or sacred duty, was warfare. This first noise of drums and gunfire was meant as the child’s first experience, or as a first lesson in warfare.

TASAWWUF: There are many customs of many people and there has been the tendency in the past to regard the birth of a son as very important, the birth of a daughter as comparatively unimportant. These tendencies and customs will no longer hold sway, especially as we come to see that so far as the soul itself is concerned, there is no sex. Unfortunately we live in a period where even women are not exempt from warfare and the thoughts of warfare and the principles which the ancients regarded as basic to sex (outside the physical functions) are no longer observed.

We can observe the principles of Jemal and Jelal without destroying or harming anything or anyone. We can free women without turning them into men. So long as women wish to ape men they cannot be entirely liberated for they will fail mostly to surpass men in the arts and trades and professions which have belonged to the men in the past. Women will no doubt have many new duties and opportunities. So there will be no need to rejoice more over the birth of a son than over the birth of a daughter nor to weep more over the birth of a son than over the birth of a daughter. We can rejoice over the coming of a soul to earth and do all we can to make it prosper.

GATHA: An entertainment is given in celebration of the birth of a child, at which there is singing, playing and dancing. It is meant by this that a joyous atmosphere works as a push given to a swing in the life of a child on earth at its commencement.

TASAWWUF: There may be such an entertainment in the house or it may wait until the seventh day at which time the mother may be received back into society and given a proper welcome. There may be more cause for rejoicing at such a time than at a wedding. People have made much fuss over the weddings and paid little attention to the birth of the first child which may be regarded in a certain sense as the culmination of the wedding. People who marry may be adults who have been properly guarded through life; the child has no protection at first. We can give it all protection and blessing.

There is no need to disregard pleasure at such a period. We do not have to be solemn. There are periods of rejoicing in the religious ceremonies, and there are racial festivals, but the birth of a soul on earth is really a cause for universal rejoicing as well as for the rejoicing in the successful duty of parents (for this is one duty of mated peoples). By keeping before the child the note of optimism and joy it often happens that that will remain the child’s keynote and it will in its turn become a source of blessing to the parents.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 6

The Superstitions of the Days Existing in the East

GATHA: In the East the influence of the days of the week is considered by all, learned or illiterate. Every time has its peculiar influence and particular purpose. The mechanism of the cosmos has a certain action and again its reaction on the part of the planets, producing a certain effect in every hour of the day, in every day of the week, in every week of the month, in every month of the year, and in every year of a cycle.

TASAWWUF: There has been a great misunderstanding about astrology. Some say that astronomy is a science and astrology is not. Yet this statement of itself needs proof. In the other material sciences man handles what he observes and he can control the conditions; in astronomy he is just an observer, he depends more on observation than on anything else. In some sciences like anatomy and archaeology he is also an observer or describer, but he can use his sense of touch and also his sense of smell. In the study of astronomy he uses mostly sight and then reason and if it should happen that a certain premise is wrong, he may have to discard many conclusions.

Now astrology may be called a science in another respect because while it begins with the study of the stars it sees or claims to see a certain relationship between human behaviorism and the cycles of the planets. In astrology man is not left out of account. Of course there are many superstitions parading as astrology which have no validity whatever and which have thrown the study into disrepute.

To understand astrology we must in the first place accept the principle that the universe is composed of vibrations and atoms, these vibrations and atoms have certain qualities and properties and the vibrations all have their rhythms or periods. These vibrations, rhythms and periods apply to all things on all planes, although with respect to astrology it is mostly the configurations of the world of thought which have to be taken into account together with the correspondence to physical movements and physical events.

It may be that there are certain thought-rhythms, and thought-movements and atoms have been attracted into those cycles, and thus we see the stars and planets. We think of them mostly as material bodies, we do not know that their courses may be fixed by events of the mental world. They may be measuring mental or spiritual events and indicating the probable material results of those influences; not that it is so, not that there are not other considerations, but there is no question that the affairs of the world without, personal and impersonal, are dependent upon the affairs of the unseen.

There are many cycles from the swing of a single breath to the swing of the most distant stars. Most of these have no particular relationship to our earthly life, but some do, and some can be measured and after being measured, their qualities and characteristics noted. Then the magnetic effects of their positions upon people’s lives can be noted and measured, and this constitutes the basis of astrology.

GATHA: The characteristic of Sunday is godliness. Anything spiritual can alone be successful. Anything else, besides a spiritual thing, something of a worldly nature, begun on Sunday, or continued on that day, must come to naught.

TASAWWUF: This is perhaps behind the Christian practice of abolishing so much business on Sunday. This is the day of the sun and it is a sign of expansion and growth, therefore of inclusion. Business in the ordinary sense is a personal undertaking and what is personal belongs in one category and what is godly belongs in another category, not being directly personal. And by this one means that which is all-inclusive, which does not relate to the earth alone or to the mind, but which first is all-inclusive regarding the self, covering every aspect of one’s life, and also that it extends outward, so to speak, to enfold the affairs of others.

In this sense even picnics, parties and other cooperative endeavors are not out of place on Sunday. They are not of a commercial nature, they do not transgress the principle of the day.

GATHA: Monday is a negative day, a day for things of a passive character. To receive teaching, to obtain information, to search for anything, this is the auspicious day.

TASAWWUF: Even the civilized people who do not like the superstitions, speak of “Blue Monday.” This day is under the influence of the moon and is in all respects negative. People at work wait for the mail to come in, they wait for something to happen, they do not feel like starting enterprises even though in a certain sense it is the time to start the serious affairs, yet it is not always done, it requires a certain winding, and there is the absence of momentum because of the negativity. And all disclaiming of superstitious belief does not seem enough to enable man to overcome his lethargy because there is the universal magnetic condition which he feels even when he denounces it.

GATHA: Tuesday is a day of enjoyment, for amusement, joy and pleasure, for picnic, feast and wedding, for music and dancing, and for sports this is a fitting day.

TASAWWUF: In the West this has been the day of Mars, the God of War, but in the East there is no desire for war and the same tendencies which operate negatively in the West are used on their constructive side in the East. Thus this can be a day of complete relaxation. Of course as the West has adopted the principle of rhythm in other respects, and followed the lines of commercialism, it will be very hard to put such principles into practice. They are entirely out of line with customs and it is not necessary to interfere with any customs, although we can study to advantage the customs of others.

GATHA: Wednesday if a day for business. It is a day for taking an initiative, and undertaking. All that is done on this day must bear fruit.

TASAWWUF: In the West this day was dedicated to Mercury, the God of the Market, of exchange, of business, movement, enterprise and travel. People in ancient times used to pray in the temple of Mercury before going on business enterprises, and in ancient Persia where these things were practiced, much was done to pursue the line of successful effort in accordance with occult principles.

GATHA: Thursday is a central day, to make a determination, to decide things, to settle in a new place. It is a day of inspiration, of revelation, because the influence of this day touches the summit.

TASAWWUF: This is the day when Jupiter, so to speak, dominates, which word really means “Sky-Father.” This stands for the principle of utmost expansion and elevation. The principle of Jupiter includes justice, determination, will, and decision. It is erect and elevating, and it carries one on and above one’s surroundings.

GATHA: Friday is a day of power and a day of aspiration. On this day prayer is granted and wishes are fulfilled, thoughts are materialized and dreams become realized. However, this is not the day of sowing; it is the day of reaping. Friday is a day of exaltation.

TASAWWUF: The influence of Venus or Aphrodite is also elevating. It may be regarded as a continuation of the influence of Thursday but it is different, because it is in a sense negative, only it is the spiritually negative day, whereas Monday is the materially and externally negative day. The followers of Islam pray on Friday more than on other days because of this influence.

GATHA: Saturday is a winding day. If loss is wound it continues for days and days; if the mechanism of gain is wound it continues for weeks. It is a day of upliftment to those who raise their soul to a higher pitch, so that the machinery of the spirit may be wound and continued for a long, long time. Every planetary influence that begins on Saturday must always continue its effect upon one’s life.

TASAWWUF: For that reason the Hebrew people and more especially the mystics used to pay much attention to Sabbath. It was considered to be one of God’s greatest gifts to man. That day was sacred in a sense no longer used. For sacredness has come to mean solemn, whereas it should come to mean that which is living, and vital. The Sabbath should be reserved from work because on that day the people would receive the gifts of the spirit and they could not receive the gifts of the spirit if they were busy with mundane affairs. At the time of Christ the Hebrew mystics in Palestine and in Egypt used to spend part of the time in meditation and the rest of the time feasting and rejoicing. It was not particularly a season of solemnity; God was felt to be near.

And in those meditations they would prepare for the future. They received out of the silence the key to the next cycle. And as a result they had a form of knowledge which no longer exists among them. This knowledge formed the basis of their Kabbala.

GATHA: The influence of the day is unavoidable upon every mortal, except upon the souls to whom day and night is the same, those who are beyond the laws of this mortal world.

TASAWWUF: The word for day is Yom in Hebrew and Yaum in Arabic and it meant originally a cycle, a period. The Yom was the masculine letter and the Mem the feminine letter and together they formed a cycle. This cycle might be of any length but it came later on to be identified with the 24-hour period which has its day and night. This was a little different from other cycles which had length and rhythm but not the dual polarity of darkness and light. Of course there are periods of rising and falling influence of planets and of favorable and unfavorable aspects, but these take other things into consideration and are of a little different nature than the day-night cycle.

While the average man is under cyclic law, the initiate is not so bound. He can make his cycles, he can establish his Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, all days, at his own will when he has the knowledge. For with each day there is a specific breath. The breaths of Sunday and Tuesday are in the right nostril, the sun breath being positive, upward, inhalation, and the Tuesday breath being downward, negative in a sense and an exhalation, it being the negative of the positive and the Sunday or the sun breath being the positive of the positive.

The moon current is on the left side and downward being the negative of the negative, and the Venus or Friday breath is upward on the left side being the positive of the negative. The breath for Thursday or the Jupiter breath may come in either nostril or both, is a strong inhaled breath and has the tendency toward contraction. The breath for Saturday, the Saturn breath, is outward, the breath leaving the body which can then rest for a moment, or else the breath stops, for this is either the best or the worst of the breaths and in the spiritual person the etheric element has its greatest influence then.

The breath for Wednesday is in either nostril and has the tendency to cross over, in this way resembling the air breath but being more balanced, and differing from the air breath in that its inhalative and exhalative forces are balanced. Nevertheless the master of Kasab will have less difficulty in controlling this breath than another. Thus the mystic has the power to create his inner days, so to speak, to suit himself and if he finds himself in conflict with the outer world he can adjust himself through control of breath or through resignation of heart.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 7

Unlucky Numbers

GATHA: According to the Orientals, 3, 13, 9 and 18 are numbers which must be avoided in beginning some profitable act. There are some psychological reasons which prove these numbers to be best avoided.

TASAWWUF: There are many people who believe there is a science of numerology, that numbers have significance. They even go so far as to consult number charts and to observe numbers in all sorts of ventures. There are at least two sorts of these people, the one claiming to be interested in occult things, the other more interested in gambling and adventure.

There is no doubt that the ancients put a great stock in numbers. The Pythagoreans had a science of numbers and in the books of Moses and Abraham, considerable use is made of numbers. For instance the years of the life of Adam and of all patriarchs originally had some significance. Bible says, “Even the hairs of your head are numbered.” Thus under karma, numbers are supposed to have significance. And some people become very superstitious and will do little or nothing contrary to their faith in numbers. The gamblers may be even more superstitious without showing any interest in occult matters.

Then there are practical people who put no stock in these things. Yet if we start the study of sciences we shall find that numbers play an important role, though apparently in a quite different way. The music of most nations is based upon the numerical relation of sound vibrations. You cannot ignore the numbers in the pitch of the notes of scales and in the science of harmony, only those people who study harmony within a limited range of sound do not think that the same principles can apply elsewhere. They ignore the possibility.

Recently the chemists have learned that each material chemical element has its number as well as its atomic weight and other properties. Numbers play a most important role in this science. For a long time it was considered an accident, but when Professor Moseley made this discovery instead of being called a superstition it was regarded as one of the greatest triumphs of science. Thus all depends upon a point of view.

GATHA: 3 denotes all. All means everything, and everything means nothing in particular. Things of the world, which are profitable, are something in particular. 3 therefore annuls the distinction. For 3 resolves into 1. One is 3, and 3 is 1.

TASAWWUF: Thus 3 is not 1 in an ordinary sense. The three sides of a triangle form the simplest figure, by three lines you can enclose an area. Thus 3 is the simplest form although there are endless varieties of the triangle. By profit is meant there must be some gain. The number 2 has polarity and the number two constitutes the basis of dualism. The number 1 and the number 3 lack the polarity, and therefore they do not bring us anything. The 1 may start and the 3 may complete, but the 2 brings something.

Tarot is a science which is supposed to be derived from ancient Egypt, and which is the basis of the theosophical study of numbers. In Tarot one learns the meaning of each number, what principle it stands for, how it operates, what are its advantages and disadvantages. The Hebrew people carried this Tarot science further into Gemitria (literally “Geometry”) which is a complex science of numbers related to the words of the Hebrew alphabet. The Sepher Yetsira is an ancient mystical book of the Hebrews which contains the basis of numerical and occult science derived even from the time of Abraham and which can be studied to profit by an awakened person but which will bring confusion to the ignorant.

It is not necessary for Sufi students to pay much attention to these matters but neither are they enjoined to avoid them. For the enlightened can perceive even more in the number than can the ignorant, only they have other ways of ascertaining suitable action, other than the numbers themselves. But if they know the number they do not spend their time and effort overcoming the difficulty of an unfavorable number.

GATHA: Thirteen destroys balance by unbalancing the rhythm, as it cannot be evenly divided. Besides, 12 hours of the day and 12 hours of the night complete the day and the night. So the thirteenth has no place either in the day or in the night. Besides, after 12 o’clock comes 1, and it marks 13. Thirteen is a number which has no accommodation.

TASAWWUF: We can find both in the occult and religious sciences that all the numbers of 1 to 12 have a most important place, and after that number 22 also and number 32 are most important. The Kabbalistic interpretation of the first words of Genesis is “In the arcane principle made He six, made he of the combination of the realms of the vibrations of light and of the atoms of contraction.” The number six was of extreme importance and in the first book of Genesis we can see the importance of all the numbers.

In The Morals and Dogma of Masonry Albert Pike was one of the first ones to perceive and collect all the data on the numbers from the different religions. Madame Blavatsky came after him and did a similar work with a little different outlook, but all of these can be best studied in Tarot because there they are regarded as within man as well as without man. Sufis also have a science which corresponds to Tarot the difference between that the Tarot is associated with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet whereas that of the Sufis has its parallels in the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet. But both show the relationship between what is within and what is without.

GATHA: Among Western people there is a superstition that the thirteenth person at table must die within the year. This also explains that the number 13 has no accommodation. That a person dies, means that the earth accommodates him no longer.

TASAWWUF: In Tarot the 13th card is called “The Hanged Man” and it represents death, also self-sacrifice, also the change from one condition to another. It marks the end or the beginning of a cycle, it does not mean continued action within any cycle. It has a supreme value, however, in its meaning as self-sacrifice.

GATHA: Nine falls short of perfection. Besides it is 3 times 3.

TASAWWUF: 9 has been called the mystic number. It has been associated with all that is above the denseness of earth, with all that pertains to spiritual evolution when this evolution is regarded as something entirely different from material prowess and gain. This is perhaps a mistaken idea of the spiritual. For the spiritual is not the opposite to the material, the spiritual really contains both the material and the non-material.

Sufis show that there are the principles of Urouj and Nasoul, also contraction and expansion and there are movements up and down. The number 9 is an expansive number which is excellent for the imagination but not in accord with practical action. All that expands, elevates, raises, may be associated with the number 9, but it does not seem to harmonize with action and success in worldly endeavor.

GATHA: And so is 18, for 8 and 1 are 9. It has the same effect as 3.

TASAWWUF: In the theosophical arithmetic one adds the digits together and keeps on adding them until they resolve themselves down into a single number which is always of the cycle of 9, 9 being the largest number because 10 is 1 and 0 and when you add them together you get the 1 again. This shows that there are cycles and epicycles and supercycles, with certain relationships the same as there are overtones and undertones in music and in vibrations generally. The number 18 is thus an overtone of the number 9 and it only repeats the 9. The 9 is an overtone of 3 and repeats the 3.

GATHA: All numbers besides 3, 13, 9, and 18 are considered in the East fit to be used.

TASAWWUF: Perhaps there will come a day when people will make use of the numbers again. In the West there has been an influx of faith in numbers through the combined interests in gambling and occultism. But all numbers like the days of the week and such influences really belong in the karmic realm. The master-mind does not depend upon numbers. When we perform Darood we strive to get back to the 1 which includes the all. But we might say that the 1 and the 3 which include all bring the success. No, they do not bring the success unless they are pointed.

In Darood we strive to unite with God and the Illuminated Souls. We do not strive to unite directly with the ignorant, with the weak, with the failures. We do not make ourselves negative to anything or anyone on the earth below, or even in the heavens above. We seek to lay aside our personal will, and in doing that we avoid or transcend the effects of the particular numbers.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 8

The Mysteries of Omens

GATHA: The secret of what we call omen is to be found in the law of impressions.

TASAWWUF: We can take one of several attitudes toward impressions. We can ignore them and this may be most unfortunate because we live and move and have our being in a world of divine wisdom. God is always trying to help us, but we cannot hear the Voice of God by the ordinary means. If the heart is awake we hear or feel it there. Thus we can gain from the spirit of Guidance, but we can also not listen. Then we may be successful or not according as we are in rhythm with the conditions.

But one way of proving that one is in rhythm with the conditions is to observe the signs. Qur’an teaches that God has given us innumerable signs. In the desert the Arab can tell with a nicety that is a marvel to others who has passed, his track and when and what they have been doing, wherefrom they came and whither they go. Some Arabian trackers have been used by the governments as detectives, yet with them it has been power of observation largely.

GATHA: For instance there is a belief that if you are going to do something, if a cat crosses your way you meet with ill luck. It is easy to understand. In the first place the swift action of the cat makes a great impression upon a person; it forms a line before you, a line of action, and that line impressed upon you gives you the thought of a cross. You are intending to go straight, and your line is crossed by a horizontal action against your vertical action, which means in action one’s hands nailed and feet tied. It gives the picture of the idea.

TASAWWUF: One may carry this a step further, that whether in waking life or in dreams, objects pass in front of our path, they carry lines of force in front of us against which we must struggle. A sensitive person can feel these lines. Sometimes in dreams railroad trains or motor cars or other obstacles will swiftly cross our paths; they mean that we have some obstacles to struggle against, the source of which may be in our own weaknesses or may be because of external opposition. We may meet the occasion by the repetition of the proper Wazifas. It is more important to repeat the Wazifas than to give thought to the opposition.

The color black of itself signifies the opposite of life, it indicates non-success in action, it is a color of quietude, and even if it does not cross our path, it indicates slowing down of rhythm. The cat also has been associated with darkness. And whether one believes or not, sometimes when one sees a black cat and holds a Wazifa the animal will not cross the track. It is even possible that the animal will walk by one’s side and accompany one and not cross his path. This shows a turning of the forces of opposition into friendly forces.

Horizontal lines on the hands, face or features always show that one has obstacles, either that one has had to face obstacles in life which one has overcome or that there are forces standing in one’s path.

GATHA: The whole mystery of omens which used to be believed by the ancient people and are now considered to be superstitions, has behind it this mystery of impression.

TASAWWUF: While we are inclined to say that the ancient people were superstitious it is also true that there are multitudes today who believe in omens. They feel there must be something in the impressions. The difference is that the ancient governments gave cognizance to these things. In ancient Rome omens were considered of greatest importance and there were men called augurs who used to make special study of them. It is said that Rome itself was once saved by its sacred geese. The Hindu people and the Chinese also had their systems, the latter of which still persists and it is used to this day and many Western people are becoming interested in it, only the government no longer pays much attention to it. The ancient Greeks had their oracles and the men who interpreted them were called “prophets.” The Japanese government is the only one which has maintained omens through the centuries.

GATHA: Naturally when a person is starting to accomplish a certain work and he happens to see beautiful flowers or fruits, that gives a promise of his desire being fulfilled, of its bearing flowers for him—the sign of success.

TASAWWUF: In the sixteenth century in Europe there were many men, now usually called Rosicrucians, who made a detailed study of the signs of nature, of the movements of birds and insects and of the significance of the various flowers. And it may be true also, that when one has been concentrating and looks up, the first thing that he espies brings a partial answer. If one can control the direction of his thoughts, well and good, but if he is successful only in the inner concentration and has abandoned the fruits of action he regards all signs as coming from God. That which is beautiful is always inspiring.

GATHA: A person going forward with this impression will certainly meet with success.

TASAWWUF: And the same is true if one hears the songs of certain birds and more than that if one gets the inspiration from them. The Hebrew mystics used to say that much depends on one’s interpretation. If one has a vision or a sign or omen and interprets it unfavorably the result will be unfavorable, but if he interprets it favorably he draws to himself the divine blessing and thus makes the success for himself.

GATHA: Whereas if a person sees burning wood, or a sack of coal, which all shows destruction—fire which burns up—a person going to do something impressed by this certainly loses.

TASAWWUF: In that case, if he be impressed, it is best to abandon that line of action, to do something else, to surrender his will in the matter. And this holds so for the dreams. We do not have to distinguish between what is seen within and what is beheld without; the significance is the same, we do not have to make any distinction. And when we have the dreams we should bear them to heart whether the signs are good or unfavorable, for many people, even with the best intentions, are intoxicated at times through self-will and liable to overlook the guidance which is ever at hand.

GATHA: There used to be a custom that when someone in a family was going out to accomplish something, no one must say any word that would hinder his success. They did not even ask the person, “Where are you going?” because even asking raises a question. The question stands before one, Why? Where? A person would become discouraged even in answering. The strength of will with which he is going may be exhausted in answering Why and Where, and then he may not find the energy and power to accomplish what he is going to accomplish.

TASAWWUF: Every word we speak except the words of power and blessing, casts a shadow of some kind. A question shows in a sense a depression in the mental atmosphere while an affirmation shows an elevation in an atmosphere, but either depression or elevation creates an interference with the free flow of magnetism. If man is silent he might hear from God, he might be receiving the intuition and guidance which will help him most. He may be having a concentration or even his imagination may be leading him onward. Then when a question is asked it produces the sense of self and other and from that sense of self and other, doubt may arise.

Many parents unconsciously put obstacles in the paths of their children, many wives unfortunately prove to be sources of hindrances to their husbands by unwanted and unwelcome questions. Of course there are times to ask, and if one’s heart feels a question should be asked, then it should be asked. But at the same time silence and faith help one with a blessing. Also if one has a plan and it has touched his heart deeply he should not mention it to anyone who might discourage him. Another person will dampen his ardor and yet not take away the desire.

God sends all of us impressions and we have a basic duty to fulfill in life. The will-power is increased in silent concentration. If we can keep in Darood we may be successful in a thousand ventures which would otherwise have proven to be failures.

GATHA: This is the inner psychology of mind, the knowledge of which makes things easy. One must not become impressed by holding different beliefs, but one must know the science, the mystery which is hidden behind all such things, which may seem small and little, but their result sometimes is most important.

TASAWWUF: This does not mean that one should become superstitious. One does not have to remember at every moment the significance of every omen or the hindrance caused by walking this way or that. If we walk as do many of the Sufis, keeping the mind thinking upon the presence of Allah and feeling the breath under the feet, we overcome all small things. All the small things are under the breath and when we ourselves are over the breath we can overcome the small things. Also when we do that we can come to learn through the breath which way to turn, which way not to turn, which way to go and what to do and also where not to go and what to avoid. We do not have to think about it at all, we can feel our way and this is the way of guidance to the small, and to the great.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 9

The Influence of Time

GATHA: It has been a custom among the people in the East to start every enterprise with the waxing of the moon, in order to follow the course of nature and to join forces with the increasing power and light of the moon.

TASAWWUF: In ancient times this was a universal custom. People saw in the moon more than a symbol and they made a study of the acts which were in harmony with the waxing movement of the moon and also with the waning movement of the moon. Until recent times and even now we can read in some of the almanacs of the West when to plant certain things, also when to reap. The almanac was originally an idea from the Arabs which was connected with an occult science and when people did not have the modern equipment and did not possess the guidance. And it is significant that even now wine and cheese makers depend upon the movements of the moon and many farmers also, without knowing the reason, and when they act contrary to it there is loss yet they do not want to be called superstitious.

GATHA: The sun represents divine light, the moon represents the human heart. To join forces with the waxing of the moon is like drawing divine light and power in one’s own heart to accomplish a certain thing.

TASAWWUF: Sufis know the state of expansion of heart as bast and the state of contraction of heart as kabz. The heart is always in one of these two states, like a tremendous balloon, so to speak, which inflates a little and deflates a little. The light of every heart comes from the one source and although every heart is in a certain sense different, the light through all hearts is one, and it is the light of life.

The physical sun which we see before us and which is regarded as a tremendous ball of fire may not be where it is supposed to be, or contain what some say it contains. Few ask what causes the sun to stay where it stays, move as it moves and do what it does. The present conception of the world makes life dependent upon not-life, upon death even. The mystic cannot agree with that, he says that life is derived from life, and that death is death. Therefore either the sun is a living body or it is the result of living processes, there is life behind it.

And really if we study the nature of the rays of light they may be much more than is now understood. The scientific conclusions of one day prove to be incomplete in another day. There is even a group called the Fortean Society which spends its time studying the fallacies of the scientists and they have found more in those who are astronomers or concerned with the mysteries of space than with all others. A robe of awe has covered them and there is a certain danger toward priestcraft, that they hide what disconcerts them or what would disprove their conclusions and then they utter diatribes against the astrologers and occultists only, perhaps, to discover later some correspondences between the forces of sun and moon and planet with human life.

Now the heart within the body may have something of that same force which is behind the sun, which is not the sun itself, but which is behind the sun and which the Sufis call Ishk, which is the universal love, gravitation, attraction, which operates on all planes.

GATHA: It is also considered lucky to rise with the sunrise, and better to begin an enterprise with the rising of the sun. This is again an indication to follow nature’s tides. The sun represents divine power; therefore any spiritual action, a prayer-offering or a meditation, a devotional worship, it is more desirable to perform with the sunrise.

TASAWWUF: One can feel this who rises with the sun. Those who get up at dawn can feel the cosmic currents and they get a certain exhilaration and inspiration from them. They can feel that surge of life and one way to increase magnetism is to arise and perform the breathing exercises at some early hour. For then the atmosphere is different and one gets a greater benefit than at a later time, although no doubt one can exaggerate this also.

It has always been a Sufi custom to concentrate at an early hour especially when one is seeking a favor from God. The performance of Sadhana has proven more successful when one is willing to abandon sleep in order to attain the satisfaction of his desire or his ideal. The sun brings power which comes from no other source. Those who have meditated early in the morning often feel the correspondence between heart and sun, that something seems to awaken in the heart, and when that awakens it makes thought and action ever so much easier. When one feels the life and knows that it is part of the universal life, then no one can stand in the way because all must partake of that same universal life.

GATHA: However, the night vigils are performed by the seers and the knowers of truth in the midst of the night, when the old day ends and the new day begins; for that is a time of Kemal which offers to the soul a perfect stillness.

TASAWWUF: There is a difference in these two kinds of vigils. In the former one is concerned more with getting, and in the latter kind of vigil one may not be concerned with anything. The period of Kemal belongs to God and it is only a successful time for things concerned with God, it can prove destructive to mankind. The saint, the sage, the seer, the master, the prophet, who perform some hierarchal duty or assume some greater responsibility, to help humanity, to serve God, must have the mind serene. These are they who have passed the stages of concentration (Murakkabah) and entered contemplation (mushahida).

In mushahida one is not concerned with things at all and yet one may be even more receptive than in Murakkabah. There are so many people in the world anxious to get something for themselves or others, there are too few who can reach the stage when not only will they say, “Not my will but Thy will be done” but that will make the inner preparation possible to receive all from Allah, and devote all energy to Allah. Thus one might say that in the morning contemplation, one should have the concentration, one should be toward the point, in other words, go from bast to kabz, and in the nightly vigils one should shake off all the vestiges of ego, go from kabz to bast. The one who can master the stillness and the harmony both is of course the master mind, and yet the one who can become totally tranquil may receive so easily day or night that he will not have to perfect special concentrations any longer, he will be the master of the science.

GATHA: When the sun is at the zenith that is Kemal also, but it has not the quiet at midnight; and therefore it is considered by those who know things inauspicious for taking up any enterprise.

TASAWWUF: You will hardly find any religious references to the noonday sun. When Christ was in the Garden at Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives, he prayed at night. Mohammed used to go up on Mount Hira at night, and he had his most famous journey to the heavens in the night. Moses always went up onto the mountain after sundown. When the dawn came the prophet would give his blessing to the people, but the day was for work, the night for prayer.

All through the Hebrew Kabbalah we find reference to the use of the period between midnight and dawn as the most auspicious for spiritual things. Those people might sleep between sundown and midnight or even in the day, but the quiet of the night was considered as the time, the only suitable time, for the most serious spiritual studies.

This does not mean that we should all of a sudden change all our customs and habits to those people of yesterday, but we would be very foolish if we could not take advantage of their knowledge and wisdom. We have many duties to do and Sufism is not monasticism or asceticism. But we can learn to make the best use of each part of the day and night, avoiding the physical activity during the night and reserving the period of meditation so that we shall have no excuse to become lazy.

GATHA: As time has influence upon weather, upon the sea, upon trees and plants, so it has a subtle influence upon living creatures.

TASAWWUF: We know the value of time in soothing certain ailments, and that with its passing the unfavorable impressions may be wiped away. But here time is considered in a rhythmic sense, in the sense of days and weeks and seasons and periods and cycles. Of course time is always open, there is no closed cycle, it does not return to itself. But we can watch and mark the rhythms and we can take full advantage of them for every purpose of life. And all that is included in the term “Astrology” is based upon these principles.

GATHA: Man appears to be most independent of the influences and yet man is most under the influence of time; not only his body and mind, but with all his affairs of life.

TASAWWUF: Man has the will-power which enables him to avoid the pressure of circumstance. Animals have no way of escaping the seasons and the storms, but must adjust themselves as well as they may. Man has invented many means of avoiding disaster, and yet he has to be on guard—floods, earthquakes, tidal waves, and storms and all things peril him. And besides that in both his internal and external life he can harmonize or conflict with the rhythms of the conditions.

GATHA: Verily the one who knows the influence of time knows the secret of life.

TASAWWUF: Rassoul King Solomon said, “There is a time for all things,” meaning there is a rhythm for all things and when we have that rhythm time can overcome all opposition.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 10

Planetary Influences

GATHA: Belief in planetary influences has been maintained in all ages by man. However many times a person may have been disappointed in finding truth in the horoscope, yet no one can be thoughtful and deny the fact of the influence that the planets have upon people’s lives.

TASAWWUF: In the first place the very persistence of belief in the influence despite the constant use of logic that is all superstition shows that there must be a deep intuition within men’s hearts that there is some connection between the planets and their career—in other words between the life without and the life within. We do not really know what the planets are. We see certain specks of light in the sky and we say that they are planets and that they are drawn by the sun through the force of gravitation yet strictly speaking we do not know what this gravitation is.

Sufis say that the gravitation is the same as Ishk, the universal attraction which is also life, that life and love and attraction are not so different, although in the sphere of thought they are different and we use different words for them. There is an esoteric view that there are three aspects of light and each aspect of light appears on a different plane, and the mind world is derived in a certain way from the heart world, also from the interplay of the heart world and the physical world, and that the physical world is derived from the mental world, through the outer projection of this world. But the physical plane is composed of the densest particles in the cosmos, and there is no plane more dense than the physical plane.

Now thought to be complete must have action and yet there is a central power behind thought which is the sun of intelligence, and this also has its correspondence in the world of action. Thus this sun of intelligence becomes objectified as the physical sun. This physical sun not only derives its power and light from within, it draws back to itself some of the force manifested in the physical world. In other words not only does sun feed earth in a certain sense, but earth feeds sun.

Those who study concentration learn that through constant effort and repetition certain lines, certain rhythms are set up in the mind world and the atoms of the mind world are drawn along those tracks. The deeper the tracks and the stronger the atomic activity, the more probable the physical result of the mental effort. But there are certain rhythms in the mind world which are based upon universal principles and these rhythms are reflected outwardly into the physical sphere. These are the lines or forces of attraction, and under the influence of gravitation those bodies which we call planets are drawn thereto. The rhythms of these planets are based upon mental rhythms but they can be measured in relation to earthly time. The same principles also affect the life of man and in the planetary movements we have measures of influence, and by watching the stars we can discover not so much the influences of the objective stars upon man as the influence of the inner being of those stars upon the life of man.

GATHA: It is possible that every method is not a correct method of making a horoscope, every book on astrology is not the right book, and every astrologer is not a prophet.

TASAWWUF: There is no question that many people venture into the field of astrology, some of them being frauds or charlatans. They see an easy opportunity for making money by duping people. They seek fame or fantasy and they love complexity, they attract the people who like the complex and mysterious and the more they draw some people into the complex and mysterious the greater the enjoyment on both sides. The intellectual people see this and some of them are repelled although we can see year by year, even month by month and week by week, despite all attacks that more people are becoming interested in astrology because somehow they feel that there is something there behind the false coverings.

GATHA: Nevertheless there is as much truth in the influence of the planets upon the lives of men as there is truth in the effects of drugs upon one’s physical body.

TASAWWUF: Of course we can measure the effects of drugs more readily. But even there the direct effect of the drug is largely upon the mind, and through the mind the influence is exerted over the body. So the influence of the planetary rhythms is basically mental and the principles involved in the various planets and in the twelve houses of the zodiac are the vibrational and atomic influences from the mind-world. And if we study astronomy closely we find occasions where even the material scientists, beginning with the weather, are finding some correspondences, some human relationships in their almost transcendental science.

GATHA: The whole cosmic system is based upon a certain rhythm, a rhythm which relates planets, multitudes and individuals, and manifests as a hidden law governing the action of the whole creation and yet silent and covered.

TASAWWUF: We can study this from two views. One is that there have been and there still are astrologers who have been able, by casting horoscopes, to tell much of the basic character of man, his past, present and future and the influences in his life. Despite all attacks upon astrology this is still done and the astrologers have been far more successful in delineating human nature than have the astronomers. This point is always overlooked by those who oppose astrology. And strictly speaking they can no more stop astrology than they can stop the planets themselves.

It therefore happens that so long as even a few persons are successful in this, the fair-minded will be attracted, those without prejudice will have to assent there must something there even though they do not know what it is. Science does not explain everything. There are physicians who are called scientists, who use methods based on custom and tradition, who want to puncture the skin on every occasion and introduce strange serums and antitoxins into the body, who insist upon all sorts of drugs, who delight in cutting out organs which to them have no use, and these people are accepted by those in authority despite endless failures. But in the end the truth will win, and before many generations have passed it may be that the people will regard medicine as superstition and astrology as science.

Both scientists and philosophers have given much thought upon the relationship between mind and matter. Whether they accept the dualistic or monistic view of the cosmos, they have failed to establish the process which tells how sensation is turned into thought, how the mind and imagination work, what they are, where they are and all about them. A keen observer would continue his studies by investigating all human knowledge which might throw any light upon this subject of the relationship between mind and matter and try to discover if there was anything in the material world which could measure the mental tendencies.

The astrologers find objectively in the heavens the movements of planets as being based upon mental rhythms and the signs of the zodiac as establishment of certain aspects of mental magnetism, forces which pull the mind this way and that, accordingly as the will of man operates in one or the other of them. There are, however, two aspects of it, that the ordinary man cannot control either his houses or his planets and must accept the rhythms of the conditions as they are and be under their influence. The wise man does not avoid these rhythms so much as control them. He can control them by observation, following the dictum of Rassoul King Solomon, “There is time (rhythm) for all things,” or he can by mastery of breath establish the zodiacal background which he needs, within his own being.

But whether he is subject to the law or whether he controls the law, the same persists, that the forces move in regular channels and exert certain influences from the world within upon the world without.

GATHA: There are two aspects that constitute an individual: spiritual and material. The spiritual aspect remains untouched, while the material aspect is moved and turned by conditions brought about by planetary influences.

TASAWWUF: That is to say, the ordinary man is under Nufsaniat or Karma, cannot avoid the external influences even though he denies their existence. Denial of their existence has no more effect than denial of the rain will keep him dry during a storm, or denial of the winter will keep him from getting cold. But the spiritual man has within his possession the ability to refine his breath and his consciousness to the degree that he can rise above the grades where these influences determine his career. He can make the wisest use of them to determine his course and his time, or he can reach the plane of the absolute—and this is possible for the advanced souls—where neither will there be any planetary influences nor will any external influences affect him much.

GATHA: The spiritual aspect, which remains untouched in every man, is as a witness in his life, a soul from within who knows not what it itself is, who identifies itself with this other aspect and therefore takes as a reality that which it witnesses, that which goes on before it as a course of life.

TASAWWUF: We can call this the Zat of man, Zat-i-Adam, or we can speak of it as ruh, of soul, being a ray, so to speak, of the Universal God. This ruh has covered itself with garments, taken on certain tunings, placed itself under certain rhythms. Then it watches the result of what it has done and comes to identify itself with what goes on. It is as if the foreman of a factory who had complete charge over all the electricity and machinery, over the power operations and over the manufacturing and assembling operations, became so interested in what was going on that he would not leave the factory, he would identify the life of the factory with his own life and so come to lose all sense of freedom or individuality.

There have been souls on earth who have done that. There have been people who have been so wound up with their work that when they are retired or discharged later in life, they die, they cannot reestablish themselves and they have never learned the meaning of repose. In a certain sense this is true of every soul that has identified itself with the covers it has put on.

GATHA: When once this real aspect of man’s being is awakened, then it begins to see that it has a voice in the matter too, and then it sees that it must fight for its rights, in order to gain liberty. It therefore fights with its own kingdom, which is the other aspect of man’s being which it so long witnessed; and so it gains that strength which enables it in the long run to battle with outer conditions caused by planetary influences.

TASAWWUF: Thus the whole of man’s life is not under the zodiacal influence. The very word zodiac means the animal aspect of things; it is only the karma of man which is under these influences. No intelligent astrologer has ever said that the influence was inexorable, no awakened occultist has ever declared that man is bound upon the wheel, that everything he does may be measured. The very word “Maya” means that which is measurable.

There are in man three principles, one of which is the effect of nature, and another his self-will and the third and highest, the divine being within himself which is his real being. Sufis call these principles Jadar, Kadar, and Kaza. Spiritual training enables the last to manifest and dominate the other two, Jadar and Kadar which are waged in all but eternal conflict, and which dominate the lives of nearly everybody. But the manifestation of Kaza destroys them only in the sense that light destroys shadow, they are evident only in the absence of greater light.

When man comes to the realization of his true being it will then be even as the Bible teaches, that he can cause the sun and the moon to stand still because the sun and the moon within himself are more real than the sun and moon in the heavens, and the one that can control that sun and that moon need never fear any more from the external influences, he can avoid all the undesirable tendencies and at the same time he can take full advantage of all the favorable aspects. This is mastery.

GATHA: It might take one a lifetime to combat, and yet it would be short to gain the mastery which belongs to the soul.

TASAWWUF: Yes, even if we started early in life, it may require all of the life to awaken the heart to that degree that we can feel within ourselves those basic influences which are themselves behind the movements of the planets and the magnetism of the zodiac. All those other forces are essentially mental and individual. When one is no longer caught by individuality, when one is no longer restrained in mental efforts, when the faculty of insight is awakened, then there is a new heavens and a new earth, the product of one’s very being. Thus comes resurrection through self-sacrifice without even dissolution of the body of flesh.

Gatha with Commentary

Naqshibandi: Symbology

Series I

of

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

by

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

(Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 1

An Ocean in a Drop

GATHA: The wise have given lessons to the world in different forms suited to the evolution of the people at a particular time. And the first and most original form of education that the wise gave to the world has been symbolical.

TASAWWUF: It is said that the first Sufi was Adam, the first man, that he was not only the first man but also the Guide to the original persons whose descendants constitute humanity. We can see this in the history of writing, that before there were letters there were pictographs and these pictographs were sometimes direct forms of art-representations and sometimes symbolical.

The first written languages also seem to have been derived from pictographs or from nature, and by modifying the forms we have glyphs, alphabets and monographic writings. This subject has been discussed by Fabre D’Olivet in his Origins of the Hebrew Alphabet. There he shows that written forms sometimes became more and more contracted in meaning, sometimes more and more expansive; or sometimes, after the construction of alphabets, words were created with diverse meanings.

The basic writings of the Chinese and the Egyptians particularly had to be understood intuitively. Indeed before the intellect was developed the intuitional side of man’s nature was not covered, so communication was comparatively easy. Pictographs were easily understood, ideographs were in a sense esoteric, and finally when alphabets were substituted the intellectual or manasic side of man’s nature was developed.

GATHA: This method of teaching has been valued in all ages and will always have its importance. That is not beauty, which is not veiled. In the veiling and unveiling of beauty is the purpose of life.

TASAWWUF: Gayan teaches: “In beauty is the secret of divinity.” It must not be supposed that the intellectual development is the goal of mankind. True, the word man means mental or thinking being.

There is a story in Qur’an that Iblis would not bow before mankind, because man is full of sinfulness. But man was able to demonstrate knowledge of names and forms, i.e., of God’s creation. And the myth is that God created the world and produced man so He could know and understand His own creation.

All peoples have not developed equally in mind, but some retain an understanding of the language of nature, so to speak. This is called instinct when it operates subconsciously, and insight or intuition when it operates consciously or superconsciously.

Much of the earlier art works which have been preserved for centuries show a high development in the understanding of nature and depicting it through human creations, not only in written forms, but in art, in architecture, in music, poetry, and other forms.

GATHA: Beauty is that which is always out of reach. You see it and you do not see it, you touch it, and you cannot touch it. It is seen and yet veiled, it is known and yet unknown. And therefore words are often inadequate to express the beauty of truth. Therefore symbolism is adopted by the wise.

TASAWWUF: If we look at the oldest art works in existence, as the cave-paintings of southern France, we can see appreciations of point, line and curve and their use in recording what is seen or felt. But if we visit even less developed people we find that they do not always think analytically, that analysis is either beyond their understanding or useless. Yet such people have feeling and could communicate this feeling.

GATHA: The religions of the old Egyptians, of the ancient Greeks, of the Hindus and of the Parsis all have symbols which express the essential truth hidden under a religion.

TASAWWUF: We find this especially in Egypt which seems to have the oldest records. We are now finding these records are very ancient. Whenever a principle was discovered and understood it was deified. Egyptians believed in a single Universal God Who however manifested under a multitude of names and forms and abstract principles which not being easily understood, were presented as gods and goddesses to be worshipped in rituals rather than explained. Or they could be centers of concentration and by concentrating on the deity one would develop in oneself the characteristics corresponding thereto. In this way man took on divine attributes because all attributes and faculties were ascribed to some god or goddess.

Sitting before an idol, keeping quiet, one assimilated divinity; this might be called the esoteric aspect of religion. The exoteric aspect of religion was represented through rituals, through celebrations, through ceremonies.

The development of religion came into forms akin to Astrology where the gods and goddesses were assimilated to the days of the week, each with particularizing functions and purposes. This subject is also studied by mureeds. Each day has qualities and the perfection in these qualities came from the meditations performed on these days as such; or in worship dedicated to a divinity thereon.

But now mankind has developed to the worship of the One Supreme God Who is all-in-all and any day, or hour, or minute can be used to the same supreme purpose.

GATHA: There is symbolism in Christianity and in all the ancient religions of the world.

TASAWWUF: Symbolism appears in Christianity which originally used the Fish and later the Cross. Buddhism originally used the Lotus and then the human figure. The Christian symbols are presented in The Unity of Religious Ideals and several of these have been made into special studies.

Sufism has preserved many elements of the ancient times and it may present them differently because Sufism is not only based on monotheism, but says, “God Alone exists.”

GATHA: Man has often rebelled against symbolism. But this is natural, man has always revolted against things he cannot understand. There has been a wave of opposition to symbolism in both parts of the world, East and the West. It came to the East in the period of Islam, and in the West it re-echoed in the Reformation.

TASAWWUF: No doubt Islam began as a heart-movement. We can learn this from the life and institutions of the Prophet and can feel it while studying Qur’an. It was necessary to purge superstition, idolatry and low morality. For often symbolism, degenerating into ritual, has culminated in the degrading of morality. Ritualists only too often substitute ceremonies for proper human behavior. Thus it is said that in Europe and America man sins against man and goes to God for repentance; and in the Pacific Islands man may sin against God and go to man for repentance. There is a difference between deficiency in observance of rituals and in behavior toward one’s fellows.

The Protestant Reformation came after the revival of learning. Rites and ceremonies had become less effective in communication. Traditions had lost their meanings or importance.

The Kabbalistic interpretation of the Scriptures come in consideration of four grades of interpretation. First the literal is concerned, that words mean what they propose and writing is considered as valid. But then comes the poetical expression that words have a broad meaning. And at the next stage everything is seen symbolically.

All of these may be regarded as various grades of exotericism. But then the Scriptures become human experience and so we find a stage or state beyond symbolism. But because there is such a stage, and it is felt intuitively, the ignorant wish to abolish the symbols as of no value; while the wise see their values but also the limitations therein. When man has the inner experiences he may create his own symbols, for the moment or for the age. This is what is done in Zen Buddhism.

GATHA: No doubt when the sacred symbols are made as patents by the religious people who wish to monopolize the whole truth, then it gives rise to that tendency in human nature which is always ready to accept things or reject them.

TASAWWUF: We find this both in the East and in the West. Often the holiness is taken and given to the symbol. Thus the psychologist Carl Jung has overemphasized the importance of the swastika and the mandala far more than one finds them in human institutions. And the whole purport of this approach is that the symbol becomes a divinized end, and practically useless. People who look askance at sun worship or moon worship accept without question created myths of this kind; or else they give values to certain sacred phrases without any idea of how and why these phrases were originally used. It is like worshipping a key instead of the palace which can be opened by the use of the key.

GATHA: However, one can say without exaggeration that symbology has always served to keep the ancient wisdom intact for ages. It is symbology that can prove today the saying of Solomon, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

TASAWWUF: There are some schools which seem to have penetrated symbols and their meaning. The controversial Thor Heyerdahl has claimed that by understanding symbols he has restored meaning to the pictographs, or writing of Easter Island. Whether this is actually so in this particular case, many other writers have made similar claims; and by a study of symbols we can often determine the meanings or intents of ancient peoples. For the symbols are universal in their meaning and people with the same ideals will tend to use the same symbols.

GATHA: There are many thoughts relating to human nature, to the nature of life, relating to God and His many attributes, and relating to the path toward the goal, that are expressed in symbolism.

TASAWWUF: We have this in several forms. In the use of the symbols in Murakkabah or Concentration one is first concerned with the bare form; later with the meaning but often the form conveys the meaning. Or one can find the form as a symbol or idol which is supposed to awaken in the devotee some quality, usually a divine quality, hidden in his soul but not yet brought to the surface.

Such practices eliminate the use (or misuse) of mind and intellect which are the stumbling blocks to inner awakening.

GATHA: To a person who sees only the surface of life the symbols mean nothing; the secret of symbols is revealed to souls who see through life; whose glance penetrates through objects.

TASAWWUF: The development of Glance is also a discipline on the spiritual path. The meditative attunement also makes the consciousness receptive to all things. We say: “Thy Light is in all forms,” and by meditative concentration we become attuned to this Light and the meaning becomes unveiled.

The term “souls who see through life” is to be distinguished from the sense-organ or mind. Sufi students learn from the beginning that “it is the soul that sees.” Therefore a concentration is not only a discipline and exercise, it is also a devotion by which the soul, freed from the veils of form, functions outwardly. The real Spiritual Clairvoyance comes when one sees the divine light everywhere and in every thing.

GATHA: Verily, before the seer the things of the world open themselves; and it is in the uncovering of things in which is hidden beauty. There is a great joy in understanding, especially things that express nothing to everybody. It requires intuition, and even something deeper than intuition— insight—to read symbols.

TASAWWUF: The development of Insight (Kashf) is one of the subjects for spiritual development. Actually all of us have this faculty in childhood but it becomes covered by culture, by social institutions, by education, by customs. The practice of meditative devotion enables man to free himself of these covers. This is the negative side. The positive side is developed by the use of the awakened faculties.

GATHA: To the one to whom the symbols speak of their nature and of their secret, each symbol is a living manuscript in itself. Symbolism is the best way of learning the mystery of life and the best way of leaving behind ideas which will keep for ages after the teacher has passed.

TASAWWUF: Each of these is exemplified in the Symbols presented in the lessons. No doubt these are restricted in number but once the understanding is awakened and the Insight used, one may apply this method to all the symbols of all faiths.

No doubt some of these are no longer in use, but whether we turn to the Egyptians, Hindus, Greeks, Tibetans or any people the same science-art is needed. Otherwise there will be the piling up of intellect which is unable to comprehend inferred meanings.

We may say that the Cross represents Christianity and the Crescent Islam, but there is much more in each than that.

GATHA: It is speaking without speaking, it is writing without writing. The symbol may be said to be an ocean in a drop.

TASAWWUF: It is with this spirit that Symbology is to be studied. The symbols which include the most simple geometric lines and forms have connotations of depth. Also by use of the lines and forms the psychic faculties are awakened in man, and then the magnetic forces—and this without any egocentric endeavor.

In other words, it is vital practice which awakens in man the hidden powers and faculties which are his.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 2

The Symbol of the Sun

GATHA: Light has the greatest attraction for the human soul.

TASAWWUF: The Bowl of Saki says: “There is a light within every soul; it only needs the clouds that overshadow it to be broken for it to shine forth. (July 19)” Gayan teaches: “Out of space arose light, and by that light space became illuminated.” Qur’an declares: “O Mankind! Verily there hath come to you a convincing proof from your Lord: for We have sent unto you a light that is manifest.” (Sura IV, 17)

Light is posited in all Scriptures and today many scientists see that light is fundamental. This has not only become evident in the controversies and doctrines associated with the noted Einstein, but also in the various forms of the ultra-microscope light used as a source of measurements. The ancients used to argue whether the universe was made out of water or air or fire, but they came closer when they posited the ether or Akasha.

RYAZAT: The Wazifa, either in the form of “Allah Nuri” or “Ya Nuri” posits the light and enables one to become aware of it. Salat says: “Thy light is in all forms.” In the concentrations on Salat the devotee learns to actualize the words, so they become part of his active consciousness.

There is also the meditation on light so that one becomes aware of the light which is in, and through, and around one’s being.

GATHA: Man loves it in the fire and in things that are bright and shining, and that is why he considers gold and jewels as precious. The cosmos has a greater attraction for him than the earth, because of its light.

TASAWWUF: We can see this in the study of the original words for “fire” and “light” and “gold” and “copper” in many languages. The working of metals was probably first taught to mankind by a Divine Messenger in some prehistoric time, for the working of gold would be revolutionary in a stone age; and the development of copper smelting would be a remarkable achievement in an age where only gold has been worked.

Many of the arguments used for the adoption of a gold standard have no solid logic in the end excepting that yellow and light are attractive and man has placed great value on them. There is nothing wrong, only it is natural rather than logical. There is much beauty in gold and some in copper and also in their derivatives used in various arts.

When we wish to use a symbol to represent Light or the Sun, we use pigments or even gold-foil for this purpose.

GATHA: As man evolves he naturally ceases to look down on the earth, but looks up to the heavens. The most attractive object that he sees is the sun in the heavens, the sun which is without any support and is more luminous than anything else in the heavens. Therefore, as man is attracted to beauty and surrenders to beauty, he bowed to the sun, as being the greatest beauty in heaven, and man took the sun as nature’s symbol of God.

TASAWWUF: This is found to be true in the study of many folk-religions, both ancient and persisting. There is something deeper than reason behind it; the heart is also attracted both in the aesthetic and the devotional senses.

RYAZAT: The sun-concentration is used to awaken the Sun-qualities in man such as the development of the positive nature and light, and the destruction of sloth. Persons concentrating on the sun will overcome lethargy and also develop warmth in their hearts.

Thus one obtains the expression of power and response to beauty, as Gayan says: “The same light which is fire on earth and the sun in the sky, is God in Heaven.” Qur’an teaches: “God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.” (“Sura” XXIV, 35)

GATHA: This symbol he pictured in different forms. In Persia, China, Japan, India, Egypt, whenever God was pictured it was in the form of the sun.

TASAWWUF: The God in ancient Persia was Ahura which meant “manifest light.” The Japanese emperors are regarded as descended from a sun-goddess. Sun worship continued as a cult in India and as a religion in the Islands of the Pacific. And when Amen-hotep was King of Egypt he changed his name to “Akhnaton” and attempted to introduce a monotheistic sun-worship. The same root was found in Phoenicia as “Adonis” which also meant Love-god. And the Hebrew prayers call God “Adonai,” which really means solar-lord.

GATHA: In all ages man has pictured his Prophet, Master, Saviour, with a sun around his head.

TASAWWUF: This is both true and symbolic. There is no question but that there are radiations around the head which, in a sense, is the spiritual part of the body. These radiations form an aura for the subtle body and an aureole for the spiritual body. These radiations can be both felt and seen.

It is sometimes true for the Messengers of God, and also for advanced souls, that the body becomes a vehicle of pure light. Of Mohammed it has been said that his body cast no shadow in the noon-day sun. And after everybody saw Jesus on Palm Sunday nobody could see him a few days later for he was emanating Light and one had to penetrate that Light to see the physical body.

RYAZAT:

A.  Concentration on the Head as a vehicle of pure light. This can be done from the Ajna center in the forehead; it can also be done by the center at the top of the head called the “Thousand-Petalled Lotus.” This is harder; besides this Center is often opened by divine Grace.

B.   The concentrations of Salat, or from Salat can use each of the Messengers or God, and either picture them with light-radiations from the head; or if the concentrations are successful the devotee will see this light without any difficulty. Indeed that is one way to distinguish the true Prophets and Messengers, and one sees them in light and with light; whereas the false presentations give forms but not light. Even the eyes of the false presentations do not emanate light.

GATHA: In ancient Persia there used to be a gold disk behind the head of the king, picturing him as the sun, and they used to call this disk Zardash. The name Zarathustra has the same origin; the word simply meant the gold disk.

TASAWWUF: In ancient times there was some uncertainty about distinguishing God-ship from King-ship. We can still find it in the prayers of the Hebrew religion. Besides there were what have been called “initiate kinds” that either spiritual men became rulers or the rulers were compelled to undergo spiritual disciplines and purifications. The disk might be a symbol of orthodoxy and authority, but when realized souls became rulers, it was a reality.

This seems to have been particularly true of Egypt, ancient Egypt.

GATHA: In Hindu temples and Buddhist temples around the image of different Avatars there is this sign of the sun, and this symbol was used both in the East and in the West in turbans and hats. There are now people in India who put on their turbans a brass band which represents the sun.

TASAWWUF: The head, like the sun, has the shape of a sphere. Each, in its way, represents light. From this we have the divine name Ahura Mazda, the Light Infinite. The same came into Buddhism as the Amida or Amitabha, the measureless, or as Vairochana. All these represent Universal Light.

RYAZAT: We may use a brass circle or a painted circle in the Sun-concentration. When there is feeling, this develops positiveness and light and energy.

GATHA: A deeper study of the sun suggests the four directions of lines that are formed around the sun. It is this sign that is the origin of the symbol of the cross. The ancient traditions prove that the idea of the cross existed in the East long before the coming of Christ, especially among the Brahmans. It is from this sign that the two sacred arms were made, Chakra and Trishul.

TASAWWUF: We see something like this in the Crux Ansata, the sacred symbol of ancient Egypt, which also depicted immortality and godliness. In Sufism it is not necessary to use this symbol, as with the acceptance of the Universal God with all attributes, the devotee can develop or awaken this part of his hidden personality.

The swastika of India is another form. When we attach too much emotionalism to such symbols we are limited to the symbol itself; when we practice the concentrations we awaken in ourselves those qualities. But while the Sun is a symbol of self-expression, the Cross is a symbol of self-renunciation.

GATHA: Islam, the religion which allows no symbolism, has in the building of the mosque the same symbolism of the sun. Whether the name of the sun be written in Persian or in Arabic, it makes the form of the mosque.

TASAWWUF: Islam has, however, used the crescent moon which stands for reception and receptivity. Unfortunately adherence to empty symbolism does not always bring about the realization which is necessary for fulfillment. The empty mind may be filled, and as we say in Salat: “The light filleth the crescent moon.” The concentrations of Salat help one toward the fulfillment of self and thus to realization.

Even the idea of the mosque-formation was impressed on devotees through their practices and the inspirations which followed.

GATHA: Man, as is his nature, has blamed the sun worshippers and mocked at them, but he has never been able to uproot the charm, the attraction for human souls held by the sun.

TASAWWUF: Every faith seems a compendium of superstitions to followers of other faiths. However, contemporary science, in the area of Anthropology, recognized that each people derives its religion from its environment. Pastoral and agricultural people, especially, recognize their dependence upon the sun. No doubt Arab nomads of the desert felt otherwise, and when idolatry was displaced, sought a unity beyond name and form.

RYAZAT: What has to be learned is that only by actual experience does one really comprehend the symbol. Therefore the Sun symbol is used to develop creativity, positiveness, magnetism, self-expression and all such qualities. Those who are negative, timid, fearful should practice this form of Murakkabah (Concentration) until the heart is awakened, and thus the mind. Artists require it whenever inspiration falters. Also men who are deficient in masculinity.

It is never necessary to correct people dualistically. It is wise to awaken hidden qualities and faculties which are buried deep within them.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 3

The Symbol of the Cross

GATHA: The symbol of the Cross has many significations. It is said in the Bible, first was the word and then came light and then the world was created; and as the light is expressed in the form of the cross so every form shows in it the original sign.

TASAWWUF: This subject is continued in Gatha 8, on the “Symbology of Lines.” Here we consider the Vertical and Horizontal Line. This subject was also presented in the previous lesson.

RYAZAT: First concentration is on the Cross as form, to look at it, hold the image, close the eyes and hold the image. But a symbol is not dead, it is living and the more proficiency in Concentration the more will the Light manifest, and as the Light manifests, so the devotee benefits.

GATHA: Every artist knows the value of the vertical line and the horizontal line …

TASAWWUF: We see how these lines are used in the measurement of space, and also as we approach Art from a scientific point of view, in the applications of different forms of perspective. This subject is also discussed in “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

RYAZAT: Those who are artists should practice drawing of vertical lines, up-down and later down-up and thus learn the differentiations in psychic forms involved. This may be done, may have to be done. Also in the drawing of lines from the left to the right and from the right to the left many times.

This can be done with a head motion. Visualize the line being drawn up-down with a movement of the head; then down-up with a movement of the heart; then left-right and then also right-left. This should be done with careful devotion. And if one can feel the neck-vein, also to use it in these movements.

GATHA: … which form the skeleton of every form. This is proved by the teaching of the Qur’an, where it is said that God created the world from His own light. The cross is the figure that fits to every form everywhere. Morally the cross signifies pain or torture. That means that in every activity of life, which may be pictured as a perpendicular line, there come hindrances, which the horizontal line represents. This shows the picture of life, and that, as it is said, man proposes and God disposes.

TASAWWUF: We can see this in the lines of the hands, that there are horizontal lines which are called “obstacle lines.” Also in the forehead, we see the horizontal lines which show the afflictions which life has brought us from the outside; but the vertical lines, whether in the frown or otherwise, are the obstacles which we produce out of our own egos.

RYAZAT: Concentrate on the Cross and place it in the center of the Heart, or concentrate on the Heart and identify it with the Cross. No doubt this will arouse sensitivity to suffering. Then as one eases one’s breath with Fikr or other practices one can heal one’s own self, and after that help others.

GATHA: Somebody asked the great Master Ali what made him believe in God, Who is beyond human comprehension. Ali said, “I believe in God, therefore that I see that when I alone wish, things are not accomplished.” According to the metaphysical point of view this show the picture of limitation in life.

TASAWWUF: There are many people who pray often and yet their prayers are not granted. Sometimes multitudes pray and there are great official gatherings and still they do not attain. This is because man has separated himself from God. When man effaces himself, this separation disappears; he removes the obstacle from the granting of prayers, this means fana, self-effacement or effacement. That is what Ali meant, that by himself he could accomplish nothing. To him life was “inshallah,” if it be the will of God. If we offered our prayers with inshallah we should find many are granted because it would no longer be a self-request. God may refuse anybody, God does not refuse Himself.

RYAZAT: The prayers of Mohammed and also those of Sufis generally are concerned with the Praise of Deity, not with the seeking. There are prayers called Dowa in which requests are made, but there must be surrender, the feeling of inshallah. With devotion and humility, holding fast to inshallah, one will find many prayers will be granted; or better, one will get the satisfaction even without praying.

GATHA: The symbol of the cross in its connection with the life of Christ not only relates to the crucifixion of the Master but signifies the crucifixion that one has to meet with by possessing the truth.

TASAWWUF: The mystic sees crucifixion as an eternal, ever-recurrent act or fact, not something unique. Mohammed has taught that Jesus was not actually placed on the cross until death. They said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, the Apostle of God’—but they killed him not, nor crucified him.” In explaining this A. Yusuf Ali says (note 663, on Sura IV, verse 157): “Some of the early Christian sects did not believe that Christ was killed on the Cross. The Basilideans believed that someone else was substituted for him. The Docetae held that Christ never had a real physical or natural body, and that his crucifixion was only apparent, not real. The Marcionite Gospel (about 138 A.D.) denied that Jesus was born, and merely said that he appeared in human form. The Gospel of St. Barnabus supported the theory of substitution on the cross. The Qur’anic teaching is that Christ was not crucified nor killed by the Jews, notwithstanding certain apparent circumstances which produced that illusion in the minds of some of his enemies.” There is no real evidence to the contrary of Holy Qur’an and this commentary.

Every great soul passes through the states and stages of fana, effacement, of which fana-fi-Sheikh, fana-fi-Rassoul and fana-fi-Lillah are most noted.

RYAZAT: There is a practice of apprentices to certain churches that they must not merely meditate upon but go into real concentration on Crucifixion until it is like a realization. This may be a practice and it may also be a Grace, for after the crucifixion (fana) comes the resurrection (baqa).

GATHA: The idea of the Hindu philosophy is that the life in the world is an illusion and therefore every experience in this life and knowledge in this life are also illusions. The Sanskrit word for this illusion is Maya; it is also called Mithya from which the word Myth comes.

TASAWWUF: It is not that this life is non-existent, only we do not see it clearly. Reason cannot touch it. Maya means that which is measurable; in other words, finite, transitory. It does not mean unreal.

By the concentration on the Cross we begin to distinguish the abiding, the real, from that which is transitory.

GATHA: When the soul begins to see the truth it is, so to say, born again, and to this soul all that appears true to an average person appears false, and what seems truth to this soul is nothing to an average person. All that seems to an average person important and precious in life has no value nor importance for this soul, and what seems to this soul important and valuable has no importance nor value for an average person. Therefore such a one naturally hides himself in a crowd which lives in a world quite different from that in which he lives.

TASAWWUF: The spiritual rebirth or resurrection or baqa comes after the self-effacement. When the nufs is trampled upon, God manifests. But this is not words; words have nothing to do with it; it consists of processes, experiences. One then gets what is called “the mountain view.” One sees universally; one also sees from the point of view of another. One who calls himself a Sufi and does not see from the point of view of others as well as of himself is deluded.

GATHA: Imagine living in a world where nobody uses your language. Yet he can live in the world for he knows its language. And yet to him the life in the world is as unprofitable as to a grown-up person the world of children playing with their toys.

TASAWWUF: This is the difference between the universal outlook and the particular outlook. It is the substance of the Bayat ceremony and the whole book, The Way of Illumination. No doubt this book has some value as literature and philosophy but its essence is to awaken the reality in man and awaken man to reality. The same applies even more to The Inner Life. False pretenders can not avow that they have experienced the stages presented in this work.

GATHA: A human being who has realized the truth is subject to all pains and torture in the same way as all other persons, except that he is capable of bearing them better than the others.

TASAWWUF: A. Yusuf Ali translates Sura XCIV: “Have We not expanded thee thy breast? And removed from thee thy burden which did gall thy back? And raised high the esteem in which thou are held? So, verily with every difficulty there is relief. Therefore when thou art free (from thine immediate task), still labor hard, and to thy Lord turn (all) thine attention.”

This Sura explains the position of every real devotee. It is truth that will ultimately deliver man and the Divine Grace which is bestowed. And this Grace enables the devotee to bear all burdens.

GATHA: But at the same time when, while in the crowd, everyone hits the other and also receives blows, the knower of truth has to stand alone and receive them only; this is in itself a great torture.

TASAWWUF: Therefore harmlessness is practiced; as one grows, even as one practices, it is as the Grand Sheikh Sohrawardi taught, show fortitude toward enemies and harmlessness toward friends. And the accumulation of power for the self is a danger to the soul. One does not make differences between oneself and the rest of mankind.

GATHA: The life in the world is difficult for every person, rich or poor, strong or weak, but for the knower of truth it is still more difficult than for others, and that in itself is a cross. Therefore for a spiritual Messenger, the cross is a natural emblem, to explain his moral condition.

TASAWWUF: Here Hazrat Inayat Khan was not only speaking of Jesus Christ, but of all prophets and also of his work in the world; for in the end the obstacles proved too great and he was released to function in the unseen. The Cross therefore stands for harmlessness, purgation, selflessness and strength in trial.

RYAZAT: Therefore the Cross is excellent in concentration to enable the disciple to build up inner strength; to feel the Divine Presence in time of trial. It also prepares one for the concentration on the Sufi symbol, which represents baqa, or the Divine Life, whereas the Cross represents fana, or self-effacement.

GATHA: But there is a still higher significance of the cross which is understood by the mystic. This significance is what is called self-denial, and, in order to teach this moral, gentleness, humility and modesty are taught as a first lesson.

TASAWWUF: That is why these qualities are stressed in the early training of the mureeds. Many understand this intellectually; that is not enough. The intellect does not bring in the spiritual deliverance. The more one can remove his sense of self-sufficiency the more he grows in universal-becoming. When the self is mastered, one does not feel the separation from anybody.

GATHA: Self-denial is an effect of which self-effacement is the cause. This is self-denial, that a man says, “I am not, Thou art.”

TASAWWUF: This is the supreme theme of all the Sufi poets. And in a sense this is the meaning of Zikr, which is to deny the ego-self and affirm Allah. But as self-effacement does not always succeed, man has to have the beloved, usually in the form of a living Teacher, but even in the form of a loving mother, kind father, innocent child and helpful friend. And after one has realized the self-effacement through love, one is ready, one has been made ready, one has made oneself ready for the higher realizations.

GATHA: O that an artist, looking at his picture says, “It is Thy work, not mine.,” or that a musician, hearing his composition says, “It is Thy creation, I do not exist.” That soul then is in a way crucified, and through that crucifixion resurrection comes. There is not the slightest doubt that when man has had enough pain in his life he rises to this great consciousness. But it is not necessary that only pain should be the means. It is the readiness on the part of man to efface his part of consciousness and to efface his own personality which lifts the veil that hides the spirit of God from the view of man.

TASAWWUF: Mostly enthusiastic persons and speculative metaphysicians do not experience the depth; they are lost in philosophies and words. Actually we are all the creations of Allah and every thing we do depends on the life-power and life-impetus He has given us. Otherwise we should be mere animals.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 4

The Two Forces

GATHA: The Egyptian symbolism is the most ancient, and for the most part the symbolism of other nations originates from the Egyptian.

TASAWWUF: The Egyptian people collected and preserved the essence of the most ancient symbology. No doubt all people who have developed the use of pictographs have the innate feeling which comes from Insight or Intuition to display symbolically what is within their consciousness. And it is from the pictographs that the hieroglyphics developed. By hieroglyphics we mean the use of simple forms with some esoteric or mystical meaning, the display in form of realization. (This subject is also discussed in “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”)

It is from these symbols that the alphabet developed and especially in the form preserved by the Hebrew peoples from which we have the Tarot, the Kabbalah and other occult traditions and methods. These could be included in ritual or in direct disciplines, and both were available. No doubt there was a connection of these in the Mysteries which spread from Egypt to other lands.

The gods of the Egyptians were, in our sense, archetypes; but the religion of Egypt said that ultimately there was one Supreme Deity. What the Sufis call “Sifat-i-Allah,” the divine attributes, were deified in the ancient Egyptian religion. And today we are gaining this knowledge.

GATHA: The Egyptian symbol of wings with a centre of circular shape and at the sides two snakes looking right and left, is known to many as Karobi. The word really means spirit or angel. This symbol represents the spirit and the power of the spirit which differs in the two directions, the right and the left.

TASAWWUF: By “spirit” we mean breath, but more than the physical and physiological operations. This knowledge was known to the ancients, and in the mysteries disciples were trained to enter into higher stages of consciousness by breath-sciences. The wings represent the breath and its power.

In Sufism one learns the significance of the breath moving in the two directions first, and then in all directions. This comes to its fullness in the consideration of the Sufi Symbol of the day.

GATHA: The heads of the two snakes show the direction of life and energy to either side, and the central circular sign represents the light itself, the spirit, and the wings on both sides represent three aspects of the power of the spirit. One aspect of the spirit is sound, another is color, and the third is external action.

TASAWWUF: Breath flows in and out of the right and left nostrils. We can study this movement and flow.

But the right and left sides of man also have significance, the right side representing Jelal and the left side Jemal—or Ida and Pingala in the Indian teachings. This also appears in the caduceus used by Hermes in the ancient Greek religion. Hermes himself was god of both breath and wisdom, and the significance of the caduceus becomes clear to those advancing in ryazat or esotericism.

RYAZAT: This concentration is good for those who need development in clarity and strength of breath; who are lacking in vitality, who show listlessness. The central circle has the same significance as the sun in Sufic symbology. The wings bring life, and those who need to develop either inward or outward sensitivity to sound, to color or to action are assigned this practice in concentration.

GATHA: This symbol suggests that the spirit is not only a light in the center, but a light directed to the right and to the left, and that it shines out according to the degree of illumination. The light of the spirit is in either direction a peculiar force.

RYAZAT: The disciple who has this symbol will find increased capacity and sensitivity to the light. He can also tell the effect by watching the direction. If a disciple needs more gentleness, sensitive response, mercy and tenderness, he is directed to increase to the left side; and if he needs more courage, strength, fortitude and such qualities, to the right side. But in the end all need balance, and out of balance comes the perfection toward illumination.

TASAWWUF: No doubt there are aspects of this concentration which overlap that of the Sun-symbol taught before, and the Sufi-symbol taught after. Before one can advance in Jelal, Jemal and Kemal he must have some understanding and after the understanding he can either direct his own efforts; or he will understand any phenomena, internal or external, better.

Symbology was presented as a subject without much regard for growth in Insight, Wisdom or latent faculties in man. It is by response to the teacher and teachings that these are developed.

GATHA: The symbol also suggests that in either direction the sound, color and activity change, according to the direction.

RYAZAT: Therefore this symbol is important to those who either have undeveloped psychic faculties or whose senses, inner and outer, are dull. No doubt these faculties and senses developed in the ancient mysteries, but now it is response to teacher and teachings, not to ritual, that is important.

While it is not always necessary to develop many faculties, yet dullness and torpor represent the tamasic side of life, which is existing without fully living.

GATHA: In the Hindu Vedas these two different forces are called Ida and Pingala. The Sufi names these two forces Jelal and Jemal. The great Yogis have experienced the mystery of life by the study of these forces. The central point is called by the Sufi Kemal; in the Vedas this is called Shushumna.

TASAWWUF: Hazrat Inayat Khan told of very ancient Indian writings not known to the western world in his time. After that his disciple, Mr. Paul Reps, went to Kashmir and uncovered some of these writings which appear in the Yoga-system included as the last part of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. These yoga-practices help to awaken in man all the faculties, qualities and ideals presented by this symbol. They are also excellent for awakening in man those qualities and qualifications supposed to be aroused by what the ancients called “the Lesser Mysteries”—which are also part of the Sufi teachings today.

Sufis have many techniques for the awakening and developing of these latent faculties. The Prophet Mohammed presented as moral culture, also the perfection of Jemal, Jelal and Kemal. These can be done by separate exercise, or also in the all-inclusive symbol as is presented here. What is needed is prowess in Concentration (Murakkabah). As one succeeds in what we might regard as outer concentration, at the same time the inner faculties awaken in him.

The caduceus was used by the ancient Greeks and has been preserved by the modern medical profession but they do not know its significance. Besides it is not important to know in this sense as to develop an awakened awareness.

GATHA: It is difficult to picture the finer forms of nature.

TASAWWUF: It is not necessary to picture the finer forces of nature. It is important to awaken them and when they are awakened one will know their significance in his own life. Concentration (Murakkabah) is therefore used by Sufis to bring the inner potentialities to the surface, to awaken what is called “the sleeping giant,”— in other words, the true self.

GATHA: And as it has been the custom to picture the light in the face of the sage as the aura, so these forces are pictured as wings, and not as rays or otherwise. As the body has hands, so the hands of the spirit can only be pictured as wings. Besides this, man, who without illumination is an earthly creature, after illumination becomes a heavenly creature.

TASAWWUF: The purport here is not philosophy or metaphysical, it is spiritual awakening. No doubt there are many ways to spiritual awakening, but man is to avail himself of these ways, not to weigh their particular values.

Disciples who are earth-bound or materialistic in their attitudes are not corrected dualistically. They are given practices which require concentration on their Wings, either as in Karobi here, or the Sufi symbol or the Dove. Each of these helps man towards freedom.

This concentration also increases one’s own capacity to light within himself and to recognizing light in others. It is also very good for artists to increase their sensitivity to life around them, to nature and to their own possibilities. All forces are latent in man and need to be aroused. That is one of the purposes of the Sufi Message of the day.

GATHA: The idea of the mystic about these two forces is expressed in calling one the sun-force and the other the moon-force. The mystic pictures them as seated in the two parts of the body, the right and the left. He names also the two nostrils by the same names. By some, the right direction of this force is pictured as male, the left as the female direction.

RYAZAT: The finer forces in man are connected with the breath. No doubt the man by nature breathes more in the right nostril and the woman in the left. But one can correct many weaknesses merely by breathing exercises. The teacher, observing this, may have the pupil breathe through either the right nostril or the left or both or vary this with the purpose of bringing balance and perfection. Disciples should never try their own breathing practices. Many people have done this and then condemned the whole science of Breath. But it is no different from any other sciences—we do not learn Chemistry, Biology, Engineering without teacher-guides.

TASAWWUF: In the ancient temple of Solomon there were two pillars at the entrance called Jachin and Boaz. Jachin meaning beauty and Boaz strength. These are identical with Jemal and Jelal in Sufism. The Masons and other symbologists— who are not to be confounded with mystics and esotericists—have made use of these symbols and have speculated about them.

There are books in the Bible, such as those of the Prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah in the Hebrew Scriptures and Revelation in the Christian Scriptures, which conceal rather than reveal, excepting to illuminated souls, who are illuminating souls. Sufis do not dispense with these symbols, but Sufism has become more universal by recognizing the rituals and symbolisms of all faiths.

GATHA: The serpent has been considered a sacred symbol because it is pictured as representing many secrets of mysticism. The Yogis have learned a great deal from the serpent, as there is a hint in the Bible, “Be ye wise as the serpent and innocent as the dove.”

RYAZAT: The Dove itself is a subject for another Gatha. For those who have difficulty in concentration, in study, in intellectual development, the Serpent is an excellent subject. It teaches stillness, and one-pointedness so essential.

TASAWWUF: There have been many snake-worshippers, in some sense, at all times. Because what we call the “animal world” illustrates the efforts of the Divine Qualities to come into manifestation on earth, and what we call the “human world” illustrates the efforts of the Divine Essence (Zat) to come to manifestation. Inwardly there is first the Essence, then the qualities (Sifat); outwardly there is first the qualities, then the essence and in this sense, as the teachings hold, the heavens are born of the earth.

There are still snake or Naga worshippers in parts of India and Burma. There were the Ophites among the early Christians. And no doubt such of what others call “idolatry” and “polytheism” is what less developed men called “divinity,” picturing the divinity in qualities rather than in essence. It has only been the Divine Messengers who brought the teachings of Oneness and Essence.

In the Hatha Yoga efforts are made to hold to snake postures. In higher forms of Yoga the snake is idealized as a master of concentration (Murakkabah) and by learning from the snake, man acquired the ability to have long slow breaths. The long, slow breaths brought the things of earth, to this must be added refinement. Animals and Hatha-Yogins do not have this refinement. But it comes in the pure spiritual development.

GATHA: This sign shows that man is self-sufficient in his spirit, though incomplete in his body; that in every spirit there is both woman and man. It is the direction of the force of the spirit which makes the male and female aspect.

TASAWWUF: Therefore the Teacher can correct disciples and the generality by the breath, only it is explained to the disciples and not to the generality. One can control the atmosphere by the power, and refinement, of the breath. Before an adept an ordinary person is unable to hold on to common or animal thoughts; he will either run away or change.

In the Bible and again in Rasa Shastra it is explained that both sexes are in mankind (Adam). Adam was created in God’s image and man in Adam’s image. Man has the expressive and responsive aspects. They appear not only in the generative sex forces but in everything and everyone. In this sense one is bipolar rather than bisexual.

GATHA: The central point represents the spirit, and the spirit represents God. As spirit is both male and female, so it is beyond both. It is limitation that turns one into two, but when man rises above limitation he finds that two become one.

RYAZAT: This is made realizable by the Shiva-Shakti practices found in Zen Flesh Zen Bones.

TASAWWUF: When commentaries stimulate the mind they lose their purpose. The development in Murakkabah comes from self-effort.

GATHA: So this symbol reminds man of the power of the spirit, that man may know that he is not only a material body, but that he is a spirit himself, and that man may know that spirit is not an inactive torch of life, but that spirit is full of activity, more than the body is. It also represents that man is not only an earthly creature, but that he also belongs to heaven. This symbol suggests that nothing earthly should frighten or worry man, for he may rise above the earth.

RYAZAT: This is an excellent theme for those of materialistic tendencies. It helps in refining the nature but it also drives away fear. Jemal refines but does not drive away fear; Jelal drives away fear but does not refine. Kemal accomplishes both.

TASAWWUF: Sufism is not a philosophy to be propounded and imposed. It is the Divine Wisdom which is in all the ages, which is in space (Akasha), which is in man. The devotees in ancient Egypt became initiates and the progress of the initiate depended upon his self-realization.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 5

The Symbol of the Dove

GATHA: The bird represents the wayfarer of the sky, and at the same time it represents a being who belongs to the earth and is capable of dwelling in the skies. The former explanation of the bird represents the idea of a soul whose dwelling-place is in heaven, and the latter that of the dweller on earth being capable of moving about in the higher spheres, and both these explanations give the idea that the spiritual man, dwelling on the earth, is from heaven; they explain also that the spiritual man is the inhabitant of the heavens and is dwelling on earth for a while.

TASAWWUF: In ancient times there were sacred birds in many lands. Thus we have the Eagle in the old Olympian religion, sacred to Jupiter and Zeus. The Egyptians revered the Hawk as the sky-bird and the Ibis dwelling below. In India the Goose or Swan was particularly sacred, due in part to the sounds which they gave. They were called hamsa-birds.

Birds were also used as Messengers; the carrier pigeon is a passenger to this day. Both the Dove and Raven are mentioned in the story of Noah. But the sound of the Dove was regarded as specially holy. For the Dove gave off the sound “hu,” which is the sound of the Holy Spirit. And in the Jewish writings the phrase, “the sound of the turtle” represented the principle that the Divine Presence was manifest.

GATHA: The pigeon was used as a messenger, to carry a message from one place to another, and therefore the symbol of the Dove is a natural one to represent the Messenger from above.

TASAWWUF: We have it in the Christian teachings that the Holy Spirit descended as a Dove on the shoulders of Jesus, and it is certain that this sound can be heard. This is also taught in the Mysticism of Sound. And the wings were portrayed on the Caduceus of the god Hermes, who was the Messenger of the Gods. The same term “Hermes” was given to the spiritual initiators in the Egyptian and Gnostic traditions.

RYAZAT: The concentration on the Dove may be given to anyone who has to travel, to move from place to place, not only in the cause of God, but in all causes. Otherwise there would be a separation, a dualism. All the work of a disciple is holy work, even in most mundane tasks.

GATHA: Spiritual bliss is such an experience that if a bird or animal were to have it, it would never return to its kind. But it is a credit due to man that after touching that point of great happiness and bliss, he comes into the world of sorrows and disappointments and delivers his message.

RYAZAT: Concentration on the Dove helps to arouse ecstasy. This is true of all wings of all symbols. They help to raise one above the denseness of the earth. But the Dove is an emblem of return and it is also given to bring sobriety to those who are too ecstatic, and the same is true for those who take to drugs; it is not necessary to correct them. Right concentration on this symbol helps to restore balance.

TASAWWUF: In this Biblical story of Noah we recognize the Saviour type. Indeed he may be equated in a sense to Vishnu. The flood saga is found in the Matsya Purana and other Indian traditions. The Dove does not suffer from the flood. He rises above it. Also the Bodhisattva is one who faces all the turmoils of life and they do not affect him as they do other people.

GATHA: This quality can be seen in the pigeon also; when the pigeon is sent it goes, but it comes back faithfully to the master who sent it.

RYAZAT: This symbol also helps to promote fidelity, to adherence to duty, and thus to concentration. It also builds up selflessness because the dove only thinks of its errand, its purpose, its mission.

TASAWWUF: The Dove was sacred to all the Mediterranean peoples. It was especially associated with the Goddess Aphrodite. This word means “sea foam” and it refers to the condition of being tossed about and buffeted by storms yet able to live through them.

GATHA: The spiritual man performs this duty doubly: he reaches higher than the human plane, touches the divine plane, and brings the message from the divine to the human plane. In this way instead of remaining on the divine plane, he arrives among his fellowmen, for their welfare, which is no small sacrifice.

TASAWWUF: This is the general mission or Dharma of the Bodhisattva, to live on earth, to dwell among men, to carry on earthly duties as if they were divine, and by not separating himself from human-kind and being able to help others. Making differences is not the way to help others.

The Bodhisattva is able to function on all planes. As one great Sufi teacher, Abu Said ibn Abi’l Khayr put it, the Sufi lives like other people; works and plays, marries and begets children, does everything like everybody else but does not forget Allah for one instant. It is the constant Zikr which makes out of man the superman. He is able to withstand the conditions on all planes.

GATHA: But then again he performs a duty to God, from Whom he brings His message that he delivers to the human beings.

TASAWWUF: It has been a great mistake to attribute this function to one person or even to man. Jesus Christ repeated, “Ye are Gods.” It is our work to restore this sanctity in ourselves and in our fellow-man. The restriction of holiness to a few people is one of the prime reasons for the decay of dharma. It is our attunement to and our union with God which enables us to experience life on all planes and not be pulled down by a troublesome world. If the Message is interpreted to mean that only a few or a single person has this ability, this function, it is no Message. The purpose of the Message is to keep mankind in constant Zikr, and therefore thankfulness.

GATHA: He lives as a human being, subject to love, hate, praise, and blame, passes his life in the world of attachment and the life that binds with a thousand ties from all sides. Yet he does not forget the place from where he has come, and he constantly and eagerly looks forward to reach the place for which he is bound.

TASAWWUF: Therefore on the Sufi path there are only certain periods for retirement, called Khilvat. The Sufi does not follow the Indian tradition of temporary withdrawal or the Buddhist practice of monkery. This makes a distinction and difference among mankind.

No doubt there are periods wherein one seems encompassed by loneliness an there are periods in which one benefits from withdrawal.

RYAZAT: Practices such as Zikr and Fikr maintain for the mureed constant remembrance and awareness of Allah. The concentration on the Dove is helpful when one is pulled down too much by the denseness of the earth, when he feels harassment, sorrow, pain. One can also see it when there is strain in the face or countenance; to stimulate feeling then this concentration is very helpful.

No doubt it is not so valuable as the concentration on the Sufi symbol which is harder to hold but more effective when it can be done. Still it is not always wise to try to skip steps in development, and in periods of seclusion, it is, so to speak, as if the wings were folded, were to be folded.

GATHA: Therefore in both these journeys, from earth to heaven and from heaven to earth, the idea of the Dove proves to be more appropriate than any other idea in the world.

TASAWWUF: The Dove may thus be associated with all aspects of breathing; inhalation, retention, exhalation. When one appears to be too ecstatic or “high” more attention should be given to the exhalation, to bring the consciousness downward. And when one is always too sober, more attention to drawing the energy from space. We do not have to derive from chemicals or vegetables essences which are in the space itself.

RYAZAT: Jesus has said, “Be ye wise as serpents and as harmless as Doves.” Here the serpent represents more of Jelal, no doubt, but both Wisdom and Harmlessness are part of Jemal temperament. If a disciple is too quarrelsome, put on this discipline he will become more peaceful. If a person is too self-centered, giving him this concentration will help to balance his nature and functions.

No one can understand the purport of Ryazat until he has had some experience. No doubt some disciples will accomplish this concentration rapidly because of their evolution. Then they should not be kept at this stage.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 6

The Symbol of the Sufi Order

GATHA: The symbol of the Order is a heart with wings. It explains that the heart is between soul and body, a medium between spirit and matter.

TASAWWUF: This is reflected in the prayer: “Give sustenance to our bodies, hearts and souls.” The Heart is the one organ that partakes both of spirit and matter; its form is in matter and its essence is in spirit.

RYAZAT: The actual symbol holds a heart with Crescent and Star. Crescent may be an object (or subject) of concentration. It is needed to make one responsive. If a person is too outspoken, too expressive, this is very good for concentration. But the Crescent used alone without the Heart would increase response without increasing feeling. By using the Crescent, there is response; by using the Heart, there is feeling; by using the Crescent and Heart, there is response and feeling. But by adding the Star (“May the Star of Divine Light shining in Thy heart be reflected in the hearts of The devotees”) then there is expressiveness also. So disciples are given each or combinations of these symbols to awaken certain faculties or attitudes, and this is much better than imposing any outer discipline.

GATHA: When the soul is covered by its love for matter it is naturally attracted to matter. This is the law of gravitation in abstract form, as it is said in the Bible, “Where your Treasure is, there will your heart be also.” When man treasures things of the earth his heart is drawn to the earth. But the heart is subject not only to gravitation, but also to attraction from on high, and as in the Egyption symbology wings are considered as the symbol of spiritual progress, the heart with wings expresses that the heart reaches upward towards heaven.

RYAZAT: Concentration on Heart develops feeling; adding wings to the Heart takes one above matter, “Raise us above the denseness of the earth.” Heart and Wings in combination take man above materiality. This is a step beyond the concentrations of Karobi and Dove.

TASAWWUF: This enables the devotee to be aware of the heart-sphere. This is also of use when the disciple is placed on Zikr which can use the Heart as a drum. When the sensitivity is aroused the life expands, the consciousness expands, the area of awareness expands. The angel-man comes into being.

The Heart with Wings produces transcendency over matter. It increases the faculty of love. It promotes realization. It makes man aware of the hidden treasures within his own being.

GATHA: Then the crescent in the Heart suggests the responsiveness of the Heart.

RYAZAT: To develop Kashf, the faculty of Insight, disciples are shown the concentration of Heart from inside of it. It is not just to picture a heart, it is to become Heart. This develops feeling in one direction and insight in another. And as the breathing and heart-beat become synchronized there is the development of the inner personality.

TASAWWUF: Sufis often sit in Crescent formation around the teacher which produces responsiveness, and the Teacher occupies the position of Heart, being expressive. The Heart without the Crescent is light, a light which shines but to no purpose.

GATHA: The crescent represents the responsiveness of the crescent to the light of the sun, for it naturally receives the light, which develops it until it becomes the full moon. The principal teaching of Sufism is that of learning to become a pupil. For it is the pupil who has a chance of becoming a teacher; once a person considers that he is a teacher his responsiveness is gone. The greatest teachers of the world have been the greatest pupils. And it is this principle which is represented by the crescent.

TASAWWUF: It is very unfortunate that the Sufi Message was brought to the West and taken over by people who did not wish to undergo discipleship, all wanted to be teachers, to lead others. Gayan says: “Leader is he who is leader of himself; ruler is he who is ruler of himself.” Those who self-assume leadership without having been awakened to the state of consciousness suggested by this symbol only bring havoc to themselves and others.

In the Orient there are many great sages who have tried to remain disciples all their lives. It is not unusual for a Sufi Pir to give up his position and work as a peasant or live with the underprivileged and function with them. And when he does that his personality and atmosphere help to awaken the divine life in the simple. And the more one can become attuned to the simple, the more capable he becomes of attuning to others and they to him.

GATHA: The crescent in the Heart represents that the heart responsive to the light of God is illuminated.

RYAZAT: This concentration has already been mentioned, but the end is the awakening of Light. This is done not by concentration alone but by responsiveness and also by preparation to become more aware of Light. Concentration on Light alone sometimes helps but when light and love are united and they are combined with this concentration, it is one of the best means to bring a disciple toward illumination.

TASAWWUF: Responsiveness comes in two forms. In the one form the disciple becomes increasingly aware of the light within. This is a natural process of the devotee. Whether it is prayer, meditation, chanting, all exercises, by them the response to light is increased. This is not symbolic.

There are three forms of light which are reflected in the words body, heart and soul, three ranges of light. All are real, all may be experienced by man, but mostly they come by responsiveness. Responsiveness to the teacher is more important than the teacher himself. In truth God is the only teacher but man cannot achieve God-consciousness until he has accomplished responsiveness. Those who make too much of expressibility return to egoicity (nufsaniat or samsara).

In the Karma Yoga one becomes concerned with service. When it is called “selfless service” it is often unfortunate. True consideration of selflessness excludes any idea of selflessness; it is derived from response to others. Responsiveness is selflessness, not any thought about “selflessness.” So there are two forms of selflessness, one through response to the teacher; the other through ever greater awareness of the light within.

GATHA: The explanation of the five-pointed star is that it represents the Divine Light. For when the light comes it has five points, when it returns, it has four; the one form suggesting creation, the other annihilation. The five-pointed star also represents the natural figure of man, whereas that with four points represents all forms of the world. But the form with five points is a development of the four-pointed form. For instance if a man is standing with his legs joined and arms extended he makes a four-pointed form, but when man shows activity—dancing, jumping—or he moves one leg, he forms a five-pointed star, which represents a beginning activity, in other words a beginning of life.

TASAWWUF: Thus we pray: “May the star of the Divine Light shining in Thy Heart be reflected in the hearts of Thy devotees.”

RYAZAT: The Star is for self-expressing, the Cross for self-denial. They are both aspects of light-manifestation. The line representing self-consciousness disappears in the Cross. Carried too far the Cross devotee can become a masochist, the Star devotee a sadist. Dull disciples are given the Star for concentration, also those who wish to express creativity. Active devotees are given the Cross to calm them down. But when the Star is placed in the Heart along with the Crescent these are all balanced, even to perfection.

GATHA: It is the divine light which is represented by the five-pointed star, and the star is reflected in the heart which is responsive to the divine light.

TASAWWUF: The purpose of all training in Ryazat is for no other purpose. Centration in the heart awakens the pulse, so to speak, and continued practice makes one aware. Chanting also throbs the heart and helps here.

GATHA: And the heart which has by its response received the light of God is liberated, as the wings show.

TASAWWUF: One may draw a parallel to the caterpillar entering the pupae stage and remaining there until the life-force is great enough to permit the wings to function. As the light-capacity, and thus the light, grows in awareness, one also feels a greater response to and with the universe itself. And while this may be called “expansion of consciousness” it must include expansion of sensitivity in feeling.

GATHA: Therefore this sentence will explain in brief the meaning of the symbol: the heart responsive to the light of God is liberated.

TASAWWUF: This whole principle illustrates that Insight (Kashf) is needed for the understanding of Symbolism on the one hand, and the inner devotions on the other which become awakened. People who are emotionally affected by symbols remain at the symbolic stage. The understanding of each symbol, of the operations of heart, breath and light bring the devotee into full consciousness.

One purpose in Sufi meditation (perhaps more than in some other schools) is this emphasis on devotion and responsiveness. To be able to explain symbols without conscious realization thereof is a limitation. To achieve the fullness of the inner life, one must rise above this stage, and the concentrations inferred by this Gatha, when practiced, will bring this about.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 7

Symbology of the Dot and Circle

GATHA: The dot is the most important of all figures, for every figure is an extension of the dot and the dot is the source of every figure. You cannot let a pen touch paper without making a dot first of all.

TASAWWUF: The point may be understood by feeling. One may breathe in intensely, concentrating on a center. This center becomes one’s point. This is called “Bindu” in Sanskrit and these two words come from the same philological root.

RYAZAT: Gaze at a point preferably in black ink or paint at the level of the eyes. Gaze steadfastly at that point repeating, “Toward the One, etc.” Here this One means the point itself. The breath should be in rhythm. One should be relaxed. The point becomes a center of concentration as in archery.

GATHA: It is simply the extension of the dot in two directions which is called a horizontal and a perpendicular line. And again, it is the dot which determines sides; if it were not for the dot the sides, as above, or below, or right, or left, could not be determined.

TASAWWUF: We can conceive space as composed of points. Certain versions of the atomic theory also utilize this approach. The point is the dot statically. As the dot moves it forms lines; but as the dot breathes it forms circles and spheres.

It is not necessary to concentrate on the dot in motion because this also becomes the line in motion. The expanded Dot in this form of symbology becomes the Circle.

GATHA: The origin of all things and beings may be pictured as a dot. This dot is called in Sanskrit “Bindu,” the origin and source of the whole being. Since the dot is the source of the perpendicular and the horizontal lines it is the source of all figures and characters of all languages that exist and have existed, as doubtless it is the source of all forms of nature.

TASAWWUF: In the Hebrew alphabet the dot became the letter Yod and it is said that all other letters grew out of the activity of this Yod. It also was a symbol of masculinity—as the circle became a symbol of femininity. This general symbology is found in many lands.

There is an Islamic tradition that the whole of Qur’an could be contained in a single Sura (The Fateha); that this Sura could be condensed into the opening lines, the Bismillah; and that this in turn could be condensed into the word Allah; the word Allah into Alif, the first of letters; and even the essence of that letter into the dot which is placed over it. Therefore, in this sense all creation is an activity of the dot. This would also mean that the dot could stand for God, the Only Being, in Essence.

GATHA: The principal thing in man’s figure is his eye, and in the eye the iris, and in the iris the pupil, which signifies the dot.

TASAWWUF: This is one example of the dot and circle being found in nature. Actually all biological cells have been symbolized by the dot and the circle, and not only symbolized because one who studies the biological sciences can observe the dot and circle in operation.

RYAZAT: Use a symbol of an eye for concentration and identify with the eye. This requires more feeling than the concentration on the dot, because the eye is a living entity. It is also the organ of Light.

GATHA: At the same time the dot means zero, meaning nothing. It is nothing and it is everything, and the dot expresses the symbol of nothing being everything and everything being nothing.

RYAZAT: After the concentration on the eye statically one should return to the concentration on the dot dynamically. Inhale becoming the dot, and let that dot expand in and with the exhalation.

TASAWWUF: As one breathes and his breath becomes identified with the dot and as the dot activates into expanding creation, so also does one realize the principle of expanding consciousness. This is used in many practices.

RYAZAT: La Ilaha in this sense although practiced with exhalation stands for the nothingness; and el il Allah although practiced with inhalation stands for the everything. However, in dot-concentration one identifies with the point, and not with the universe. In Sufism nothingness is called fana, and everything consciousness is called baqa (consciousness).

GATHA: Amir, the Indian poet, expresses this idea in his well-known verse. He says, “If thou wilt come to thy senses by becoming selfless, free from life’s intoxication, thou wilt realize that what seems to thee non-existent is all-existing, and what seems to thee existent does not exist.” How true it is that in ordinary life we look at reality upside-down; what exists seems to us non-existent, what does not exist in reality, but only seems to exist, that alone we consider existent.

TASAWWUF: Selflessness cannot be demonstrated by verbal or intellectual communication. To say “I am not” is still an affirmation of “I am.” It is only by affirming other than self that one can obtain selflessness.

There are many myths which illustrate this. Such as the story of the struggle of Hercules with the Hydra and later with the old man of the sea. Both of these symbolize samsaric or egocentric activity. Love emphasizes “thou art.” And this is a form of selflessness.

To struggle with the ego must be distinguished from the thought, “struggle with ego.” This thought itself is a dangerous trap. When feeling dominates thought it is much easier to attain selflessness. Salat emphasizes “Loving mother, kind father, innocent child, and helpful friend, and inspiring teacher.” All of these are positive attitudes which take one from the realm of the ego.

Sufism posits fana or selflessness through stages called fana-fi-Sheikh, fana-fi-Rassoul, and fana-fi-Lillah. All of these remove the ego but not the positive point of activity and life.

GATHA: The dot develops into the circle, which shows the picture of this seemingly non-existent developing into all-existing. The iris of the eye is the development of the dot which is called the pupil.

RYAZAT: Disciples are given the concentration on the Sun, itself a circle concentration. One may now concentrate on painted circles of different colors—the blank circle representing the color of the material or paint. This circle should not have an outline. In other words, concentrate on a circle without an outside outline. That is this circle is an expanded colored dot. After one has understood the concentration on the dot, and the expanded dot as circle, one is ready for a fuller concentration on the Dot and the Circle.

In performing this concentration (Murakkabah) one should feel free and may practice it both shutting out impressions and receiving them.

GATHA: A dot added to one makes one ten, and with two dots the one becomes a hundred, and this shows that man is small when he is unconscious of God; when the knowledge of God, Who is the source of the whole being, although non-existent to the ignorant eye, is added to man, he becomes ten, or a hundred, or a thousand.

TASAWWUF: This was one of the original forms of enumeration out of which first the Arabic and then the modern system arose. In a certain sense this dot and circle mean “all and nothing,” consciousness and unconsciousness—or better—consciousness and ever-growing consciousness.

RYAZAT: Concentrate on the dot in the center of the heart. Make it feel smaller and smaller until it becomes the infinitesimal point; make it feel larger and larger until it becomes the beating heart. Make this beating heart embrace and unfold all things.

This teaching is found in the Upanishads as philosophy. With adepts, Sufis, and true Yogis, this becomes experience rather than philosophy. The talib should try all of these concentrations in turn, and report any success to the Teacher.

TASAWWUF: This heart-centration and concentration can become one of the most valuable ways of spiritual development. But in addition to the concentration in which feeling should always control thought, the feeling-in-love should be expanded; sometimes intense concentration to a point itself expands love-radiation. It is like a tiny candle emanating a tremendous aura. Such principles are found in nature, and are being investigated in the Science called Physics.

GATHA: As the dot enriches the figure so God enriches man; as all figures come from the dot so all things and beings come from God; and as destruction must in time break all things into dots so all things must return to God.

TASAWWUF: The essential difference between what is called “living matter” and “inorganic matter” is that the former sees the Dot in action, developing into the Line and into the Circle. In breathing man inhales into the Bindu or Point and exhales into the expansive sea or Sindhu. This is know as Bindhu-Sindhu in the Hindu teachings, and the Dot-Circle elsewhere.

The dot thus posits the Ego, and the circle posits the assimilation of the Ego in the All. In the All, separate entities as such do not exist. We see this in the chemical solution, in the water of the ocean which holds many chemicals, in the biological processes of cells and bodies, and in all manifestations in the forms of “things” which manifest for a time and then disappear.

RYAZAT: Breathe in, concentrating on inhalation until there is a clear idea of the processes of inhalation. Breathe out, concentrating on exhalation until there is a clear idea of exhalation. Breathe in and out, in and out until there is a clear understanding of Breath as it is. Then breathe in Dots and exhale Circles until this is clear. Then expand the Circles—until the more efficient the inhalation with Dot, the more efficient the exhalation until one finds an Einsteinian universe, so to speak, finite but unbounded. Such is the nature of man.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 8

Symbolism of Lines

GATHA: The Upright Line: The upright line suggests the One, therefore also the number one is represented by an upright line. The upright line suggests heaven, or the world above, its extremity being upward. The upright line is perfection.

TASAWWUF: The line, in whatever respect we hold it, suggests movement, dynamism whereas the dot or the zero may represent a static state or potentiality. We repeat “Toward the One” which can, in a sense, be a movement in a direction, usually upward, or also a pulling into a point.

The line in a static sense may be considered both as the first number from which all other numbers arise, or the first element in formations, geometric and otherwise. But actually the universe as considered being made up of lines offers a “masculine” explanation, whereas the dot or circle offers a “feminine” explanation.

In the prayers we raise our arms aloft for certain reasons, including the supposition that heaven is above. So also in the representation of certain prayers and Wazifas the arms are raised aloft as if toward heaven. But this is also a “heaven” in contradiction to an “earth” which is below.

GATHA: Through all forms life has culminated in the end in the human form, which is upright.

TASAWWUF: The Greek word for man is “anthropos” which means “he whose glance is upward.” Psychically this shows a difference between man and animal, even between man and ape. And although man is not the only upright animal, his glance, his tendency is upward.

To have good health the spine should be upward. To have good inner health, the breath also may go up the spine and give a corresponding benefit to our subtle natures.

RYAZAT: When a disciple is not upward either in stance or in character, a concentration on the straight line either as the number 1 or as an upright line is beneficial. Also the breathing which helps to keep one standing erect. There is, however, no objection to using a degree of gymnastics or corrective exercises but in the end the proper breathing is most important.

GATHA: The upright line also suggests straightforwardness, for it is straight upward.

RYAZAT: This concentration is given to people not entirely honest. One does not find fault, for this would weaken them. One must keep the confidence up; say nothing, but offer this as a directive and corrective.

The same is true of people with spine trouble, causing curvature, or anything of that nature. Also one teaches them how to breathe as if up the spine vertically.

GATHA: The upright line also suggests firmness, for it is steady.

RYAZAT: This also helps to correct nervousness although in this case the breathing is different, rhythm being of prime consideration. Also sometimes the repetition of “Allaho Akbar” but more often “Toward the One” is a very good medicine.

GATHA: The upright line also suggests life, for it stands.

RYAZAT: This is good for people who are uncertain, especially the psychological cases; for people who seem weary of life, who have no clear purpose. In this instance, have them repeat: “Ya Hayy! Ya Haqq.” This may be done as a Wazifa. If it be done as a Fikr, either phrase can be used in inhalation and the other in exhalation. This is a very good practice.

GATHA: The upward line also suggests rising, for it goes upward.

TASAWWUF: This is good for people who have difficulties in starting anything, who may talk often and do seldom. This concentration helps them to do, to be active.

GATHA: The upright line also suggests unity, as it shows oneness and the oneness of the whole, all being one.

TASAWWUF: It has already been explained that it may be used in repeating “Toward the One” as Darood or Fikr. But here it means that several people, joining in the same enterprise should have it also as Concentration together, to produce harmony, to overcome disharmony and to achieve a common purpose.

GATHA: The upright line is the form of Alif, the Arabic A, and the name Allah in Arabic writing begins with Alif. The upright line is the first line, and all forms and figures are nothing but the change of direction of that line, and as all is made by God and of God so by the upright line and of the upright line all forms are formed.

TASAWWUF: One aspect of this can be seen in the science of Geometry. Out of this, carpentry and architecture and other sciences and arts have come from the same general basic principles. And out of this also has variety come.

In the Hebrew Genesis the first words are “bara” which means not only that “He created” and “He thinged,” but this was by “ra,” which means a straight line or ray.

GATHA: The Vertical Line and the Horizontal Line.

TASAWWUF: These have already been explained in the lesson on the lines of the Cross. For the Vertical line signifies Jelal or Yang and the Horizontal Line Jemal or Yin.

GATHA: The messenger is pictured symbolically as a Cupid. He is meant to guide the longing soul toward its Divine Beloved, and that part of his work is symbolized by the vertical line.

TASAWWUF: This is partly discussed in the symbology of Cupid, but here the straight line, the vertical line indicates the Path. Generally this is an upward line, it takes one up the mountain, or in other esotericism the ladder. These are outcomes of the same principle.

GATHA: He (Cupid) is also used by Providence to bring together two souls in light who are seeking each other through darkness, some knowing and some not knowing what they are seeking after, which is represented by the horizontal line.

The horizontal line and the vertical line together make a complete cross, which is the sign of Kemal, perfection.

TASAWWUF: This has also been explained in the studies of the cross, and in the symbology of the meeting of rivers and in general in mystical studies.

RYAZAT: If in concentrating on the cross the disciple has a vision showing any unbalance, as too long a line in either direction, or the place of union of the lines it gives the teacher some insight into his nature. The cross of perfection is not the same as the Orthodox or Catholic crosses which have the horizontal line shorter and the crossing on the upper part of the vertical line. But there are also Christian crosses which are evenly balanced, and to them also the circle has often been added. But this brings in other considerations.

GATHA: The vertical line is the sign of God, and the horizontal line is the world.

TASAWWUF: This is an extension of the same symbology and same meanings as have already been presented and we find it in some form or other in the Chinese, Indian and Near East traditions.

GATHA: The vertical line represents heaven, the horizontal line earth. The horizontal line represents this world, the vertical line that world, the next world.

RYAZAT: So when there are talibs who are too ethereal one may give them the horizontal line for concentration and when they are too worldly the vertical line for concentration.

TASAWWUF: Conversely in the interpretations of dreams or visions, if there are many horizontal lines they may represent obstacles or worldly powers. If there are many vertical lines this is a sign of spiritual ascent.

GATHA: The vertical line conveys the meaning Yes, the horizontal line the meaning No.

TASAWWUF: So it is in walking, dancing, art presentations, we can see whether there are positive or negative forces working.

RYAZAT: If a person be too positive, one may assign the horizontal line in some form for concentration and have him look at flat or wide objects or things or pictures. And if a person is too negative, then vertical concentration and also on tall things as obelisks or such. These practices will change the person psychically and morally also.

GATHA: The vertical line denotes life, the horizontal line death.

TASAWWUF: We can see this that many people shake their heads up and down for affirmation and from side to side in negative. And also that living people stand up while the corpse is stretched out flat. It has also been found that people with long noses and who are capable of taking in long breaths often live much longer than people with flat noses who have little capacity for breathing, for the breath denotes life and longevity depends more upon capacity for breath than on anything else.

GATHA: The vertical line represents strength, the horizontal line powerlessness.

TASAWWUF: This also is another aspect of Jelal and Jemal or even of Jelal and its presence or absence.

GATHA: The vertical line spirit, the horizontal line matter. The vertical line the masculine, the horizontal line the feminine. The vertical line the sun, the horizontal line the moon. The vertical line the day, the horizontal line the night. The vertical line positive, the horizontal line the negative.

TASAWWUF: These also are variants of the same teaching one finds in the Chinese mysticism although there they have short and long horizontal lines for symbols in I Ching. Put otherwise the explanations are very similar. This is very close also to some Hindu explanations of Purusha and Prakrit, which we might also call spirit and matter.

GATHA: The vertical line power, the horizontal line beauty. The vertical line God, the horizontal line man.

TASAWWUF: These are all variants of the same general and perhaps universal teaching. When we express the beauty as in Saum or in the repetition of the suitable attribute of God, there is always a direction horizontally.

Here it might be asked why the horizontal line represents man. It means the humanity as the creation of God and not the individual.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 9

Symbolism of the Triangle

GATHA: The triangle represents the beginning, the continuation and the end. The triangle is the sign of life which has appeared in three forms, of which the idea of the Trinity is symbolical. The idea of these three aspects of life has existed for a very long time among Hindus, who named it Trimurti.

TASAWWUF: It is not only the Hindus but the Egyptians also had this symbol and principle. In India the general explanation is that there is Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer or Assimilator. Taken literally or analytically this does not impress the western people who have especially analytical minds. Analysis does not explain anything mystical nor anything concerned with infinity, either in the sense of eternity or divinity. These are aspects of reality and divinity, not necessarily derivations. For the worshippers of Shiva say that Vishnu is an aspect of Shiva and the worshippers of Vishnu may hold that Shiva also is Avatar.

These things mean little to the devotee and even among the great Vedantists there have been divisions and schools when actually these are means for the simplification of presentations of the Ultimate.

In the Hebrew language the word for truth is “Emeth” and it is a word made of the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet. In the Egyptian mysteries and also in Sufism there are the three aspects of divine effulgence, representing the sunrise, the noon and the sunset and in Sufi terms Urouj, Kemal and Zaval. Each of these terms have many explanations and each represents an aspect of life which can be easily recognized.

GATHA: As in the Christian church, the Trinity consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, so among the Hindus the Trimurti consists of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Mahesh or Shiva the Destroyer. By the word Destroyer destruction is not meant but change.

TASAWWUF: It is very difficult to explain the Christian Trinity logically and as the inheritors of the teaching of Mohammed it becomes almost false or at least obscure. For certainly in the highest mystical experiences of reports of the Christian saints there is nothing like a Trinity, or three-in-one.

The Clover or Shamrock has been accepted as a symbol of the Christian Trinity and the Trident has been accepted both in Christianity and Hinduism. These assumed a three-in-one as if equals but the idea of equality and inequality can be applied only to finite matters. God is beyond conception and attempts to explain the inexplicable only lead to confusion.

GATHA: The triangle in all its forms is the basic outline of all forms that exist in the world.

TASAWWUF: This subject has been dealt with at length in Plato’s Timaeus and in the commentaries on it. No doubt this is rather a mystical explanation. We can also see this in the crystalline structures of which so much of the world has been made.

GATHA: The triangle has a horizontal line in it and a perpendicular line, and two triangles can very well form a square.

TASAWWUF: We certainly see this in the pyramid which makes use of both the triangle and the square. This has been a subject of much discussion. While there is symbology in it, it is also a matter of engineering and the controversies and explanations do not throw much light on the nature of man or the universe. The pyramid is a composite, not a simple symbol.

GATHA: The hand, the head, the leg, the palm, the foot all show in their form the triangle as the principal outline. In the leaf, fruit, tree, or mountain, the triangle is the outline.

TASAWWUF: In the science and art of surveying triangulation has been used. It may be asked, since the world is spherical, how can such methods be of value? It can be answered that in practice they are and life is not determined by any limited system of logic. Especially in the mountain form and volcanic cone this is most evident.

GATHA: The triangle is the riddle which has within it the secret of this life of variety.

RYAZAT: Therefore the Triangle is often assigned to those who are confused, who are caught in life’s puzzles or who love enigmas even for themselves. Concentration on it will help straighten the mind.

This concentration also helps one turn from the impractical to the practical.

GATHA: But for these three different aspects which stand opposite each other man would not be able to enjoy life; at the same time it is these three aspects again which are the cause of all the illusion; and if the riddle of the idea of trinity has been solved and out of trinity unity has become manifested, then the purpose of this idea of trinity is fulfilled.

TASAWWUF: There are so many ways of examination here. For instance, reference has been made to the Sufi Urouj, Kemal and Zaval; also that these correspond to the Egyptian Ra, Atum and Kheper. The symbols have the same meaning and are most important not only in mysteries but in the explanation of life itself. Indeed we can present them simply as Growth, Maturity and Senescence (or withdrawal).

Again in the Indian teachings we have the three Gunas which are another way to explain life. These may be termed “life,” “activity” and “darkness” or torpor. Both these forms of “trinity” or tri-une-ness can explain the universe but in a different manner from a different standpoint and none of them detracts in the slightest from the ultimate principle of Unity, which in the end is a basic teaching of all esotericism.

We find this in another way in the German philosopher, Hegel, who gave the idea of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. The fault with this is that it itself is a thesis or idea and the followers of this school and its allies have never considered the antithesis to it or the synthesis therefrom. It is only Sufism among the world’s philosophies which is particularly concerned with the synthesis or better the integration of all outlooks.

GATHA: One can understand this by realizing the truth that it is not three that are one, but one that is three. The beginning and the end of all things is one, it is the repetition of one which makes two and it is the division which produces the three. In this riddle of the ideal of Trinity lies the secret of the whole life.

TASAWWUF: The Roman Catholic Church does not encourage intellection concerning the ultimate nature of things. Instead it presents forms of meditation on particular subjects including the Trinity. It may be questioned whether the Trinity is the ultimate or Unity is the ultimate. So long as the mind of man is concerned with such questions and discussions there will be divisions. It is better here to follow the example of Buddha and not waste time or energy on such discussions.

At the same time there is no doubt that meditation, especially profound meditation can help awaken the light within that helps solve this and all such problems. And for this a concentration on the Triangle itself, using it as a key.

GATHA: The three aspects in which life has manifested and of which the triangle is the symbol are the knower, the known and the knowing faculty—the seer, the seen, and the faculty of seeing.

TASAWWUF: We have here still a different presentation of the Triangle and its symbology. This presentation does not interfere with principles of Unity, Monism and Monotheism. These are aspects of the philosophic dictum, “know thyself” but who is it that is the knower when it is asked, “know thyself”?

The rise of the faculty of insight shows that there is a light and it may be called an inner sight. When this begins to manifest much becomes clear. But this is more than a physical light and upon awakening it will be found that this very light itself is the knower, the known and the knowing; the seer, the seen and the faculty of seeing. But this is only true with the spiritual awakening. It is neither true nor false to those who have reached this stage.

One cannot get a true picture of emptiness, or fullness, until the ego is removed. And for this Concentration is practiced for in the concentrative practices one finds that one’s very nufs produces the shadows which impede true knowledge. In a similar way too much mental consideration of symbols does not bring the desired results.

There are many books on symbology, some very exact. But the reading, even the memorizing of them does not produce the spontaneous explanation of their significance or throw light upon the problems of oneself or another. When one becomes the Triangle, then one begins to express consciously all the phases of existence and then one can be seer, seen and seeing. A mental picture may help a little; it can also become a great hindrance.

RYAZAT: Therefore the concentration on the Symbol of the Triangle, performed with devotion, can awaken the very knowledge desired.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series I: Number 10

The Mushroom

GATHA: The Chinese philosopher is symbolically depicted holding a mushroom stem in his hand. The mushroom represents the earth and what comes from it and what is close to it, and keeping it in the hand means spirit handling or controlling matter.

TASAWWUF: We now have the introduction of a living form instead of a static symbol and this very consideration takes one more into life. The earth as prakriti in a certain sense represents death. It is the impregnation of prakriti by purusha which brings forth the living forms. The mushroom is one of the most simple of these forms.

Scientifically the mushroom is a vegetable that has not the faculty of making its own chlorophyll or “liveness” or for that matter soma-juice, which indicates life in the vegetable world.

Another thing to consider is that matter of itself does not produce growth. The mineral world either sustains itself indefinitely like the diamond and other gems or is subject to constant erosion like we find in deserts. It is the impregnation of form by spirit that brings the life, the evolution and the beauty.

GATHA: At the same time it suggests a moral, that the sign of the sage is to be as tender, as refined, as meek, as humble as a mushroom.

TASAWWUF: This brings another factor into the study of symbology and the practice of concentration (Murakkabah), that of keeping in the consciousness of a living being. No doubt here we are closer to Jungian archetypes but even the consideration of an archetype may be the key to attunement to higher beings.

RYAZAT: This concentration is beneficial to those who need the development of refinement, meekness, humility and such qualities, not only as Jemalic qualities, but to bring to consciousness those morals found in the beatitudes of Jesus Christ.

TASAWWUF: It should be recognized that the use of words, of slogans, or phrases even of Scriptures have only a limited value in effecting awakening or even reformation. Mystics regard Concentration as vastly superior and by having an ideal, even if one has to create that ideal, and keeping it constantly in the mind, is much more beneficial, in effect, than any noble phrase. For Concentration can bring about a change in personality where words fail to reach the depths.

GATHA: It teaches the same moral that Christ taught, “If one smite you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.” If one strikes on the rock one’s own hand will be hurt, but one will not have the same experience by striking the mushroom.

TASAWWUF: The introduction of Christ and his teachings also brings in themes for concentration. If one is able to practice the tasawwur, either by walking or devotion, one begins to find in oneself the Christ qualities. And one of the first evident is a form of harmlessness, but this harmlessness is accompanied by great strength, by much greater strength than one has had before going on this line.

The Chinese sages also had this. In their Tai-chi and other mystical arts they underwent the same dictum as that which comes from Jesus: “Be wise as the serpent and harmless as the dove.” And as one progresses in this line one will discover that power and harmlessness, or wisdom, may come together.

No doubt there is some advantage in studying holy books and the words of sages. But the real gain when one consciously partakes of these is vastly greater. The world has not benefited much by the repetition of words, even of the wisest. But everybody gains when one strives to exhibit the same wisdom, the same strength, the same divinity himself.

GATHA: It also teaches the philosophy that all the produce of this earth, however precious, is in the spiritual sense no more than a mushroom, which is subject to destruction every moment.

TASAWWUF: Again we must bear in mind it is not the subjective philosophy which benefits but the transformation in and of our own selves. It is not only that destruction is at hand every moment but that change also is at hand and this can come from the devotions or considerations of that aspect of Trimurti known as Shiva. Or as Buddha presented in his anicca, that everything is subject to incessant change.

RYAZAT: This concentration is good for those who are like rocks, who have a rock-like nature. It has often been the most tender plants who have destroyed rocks and cliffs and even mountains. Where the strength of might has failed, there is a power in something almost like harmlessness or non-resistance which in the end may be dominating.

All persons have within themselves infinite potentialities, and it is the duty of the wise to help bring those potentialities to the surface.

GATHA: It also teaches the idea of being in life as free and independent as a mushroom, which needs no special care and demands no great attention from others.

TASAWWUF: In the ten Sufi Thoughts it is stated that there is really no other sacred manuscript than that of nature. But this of itself tells us nothing of nature and the way to fulfill this is to become able to obtain the wisdom from all things. And we can best become aware of this wisdom when we accept that God is in the least as well as in the greatest.

Another aspect of this is in freedom. One will discover, however, that freedom really comes when one feels the Divine Presence within and without and through one. For God is our very life and strength. It is from this that came the idea of “A Sufi Message of Spiritual liberty.”

GATHA: If any one will use it, it is ready to be used; if any one will throw it away, ready to be thrown away without causing great loss.

TASAWWUF: The principle of spiritual indifference, presented as a thought or even as a philosophy is often separate from the actual life. If one is fixated, if one is as a rock one will react to the circumstances of life and not be able to withstand sorrows or shocks.

RYAZAT: The Concentration on the Mushroom is not only good for those of stony disposition because of this disposition but of all the related characteristics. It is also good for older people who, while they may attain a sort of firmness also become too fixated, too settled in their habits that they no longer grow. It is only by giving them living things for concentration that they can grow.

GATHA: It also suggests a mystical point: while all other plants and trees respond to the wind and storm and make a noise, the mushroom stands still without uttering one sound. When the body and mind of the mystic are trained to the stillness of the mushroom through all storms and winds of life, then the mystic achieves perfection.

TASAWWUF: It should be clear that philosophies and moralities are confined to the mind. The mind rises and falls and is itself caught in the samsara unless there is the essence of freedom. This comes from mind-training but mind-training itself falters when it tries to control itself of itself and by itself.

Spiritual freedom and discipline go together. The heart can be used to free the mind and the esoteric practices are excellent. But the guidance that comes from a living teacher that sets an example and himself manifests the teaching is the best help. Therefore it is not only the mushroom that is needed but the sage holding the mushroom. It is the sage holding the mushroom that pictures the teacher who has achieved the goal which every one seeks or desires.

So we have in this Gatha, the separate consideration of the subject of the Mushroom as a symbol; the teacher as symbol or reality and the two together which is the ideal which can be of most help to the striver. When he cannot of himself control himself, when he has as yet failed to achieve concentration or mastery of mind, he has before him the picture, the example or the person of the teacher. In his turn the teacher can best help pupils by the exhibition of stolidity, indifference and equalmindedness. This is also of greatest benefit to all disciples.

The metaphysics on this subject is of little benefit until one develops in himself and this comes through the practicing of esotericism and concentration.

Gatha with Commentary

Naqshibandi: Symbology

Series II

of

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

by

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

(Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 1

“Die Before Death”

GATHA: There is a symbolical picture …

TASAWWUF: A symbolic picture is one that has a symbolic meaning. In Gathas I, different elements of cosmic or archetypal symbology are presented, expounded and used in concentration (Murakkabah). In Gathas II, there are pictures and these pictures also in a similar sense, but in a higher dimension, offer us keys to understanding, and also to dreams. The subject of dreams itself is discussed elsewhere.

GATHA: … known in the philosophical world of China …

TASAWWUF: That is to say, “known by sages.” No doubt sages of all countries have used symbology, but in China we have the most perfect records. These records have been preserved for us in the simplest forms in the hexagrams. While the I Ching is not a part of Sufi studies, it undoubtedly belongs to universal occultism. In the new age, the wisdom of all peoples can be utilized, expounded and coalesced in the integrational fashion with other wisdoms and symbologies.

The next stage in China was to pass from the more or less static or linear symbology of the hexagrams into forms first of the mineral world, and then of the vegetable and animal world. Perhaps if we go deeply the same ranges of consciousness will express themselves in the same or similar symbols. We can certainly see this in astrological records in all parts of the world.

GATHA: … that represents a sage with one shoe in his hand and one on his foot. It signifies the hereafter, that the change that death brings is to a wise man only the taking off of one shoe.

TASAWWUF: To the wise, death and change both mean coming into a new condition. The shoe is a covering over a part of the physical body; its removal represents in this case the dispensing with the body itself. This also appears in other symbolical pictures as the removal of a coat or cloak or any covering. In ancient times there was the “Dance of the Seven Veils.” The dancer was supposed to remove those veils or garments, one by one, symbolizing the removal of the vehicles of the soul until it stood bare before God or the Universe.

GATHA: The body of the philosopher in the picture represents his soul, or his person; the one shoe still on his foot represents his mind, which exists after death; and the withdrawal of the soul from the body is like taking one foot out of the shoe.

TASAWWUF: There is a symbology in which all the parts of the human body have a symbolic meaning beyond their actual physiological function. Thus the arm might stand for power or action or forcefulness. The heart for love or wisdom or compassion or tenderness. The mind for thought, sagacity, etc.

Beyond this also there are the functional aspects of each part of the body which are found mentioned in the brochure on Metaphysics, found in the Sufi Message. This work explains the outer and inner significance of both the parts and systems within the body, functioning on the inner as well as the outer planes.

If we carry this further, we have such a sacred work as the Dhammapada, wherein the foot and the walk are regarded not only as elements of spiritual progression but the very progression itself. It is from this source we get the word and idea of “the path,” which has a multifold signification.

GATHA: For the mystic, therefore, the physical body is something he can easily dispense with, and to arrive at this realization is the object of wisdom.

TASAWWUF: No doubt there are philosophical schools which consider the body as the vehicle of evil, and that as soon as man is freed from the body he is free from sin. But the Scriptures also teach that the human body is the temple of the divine spirit. It is to be used and perfected. Therefore, freedom from the body means freedom from control by the body.

In what is called the nufs ammara state, one is led by the body. In higher states of development one leads the body. No doubt there are angelic souls that act as if the body were unimportant and they do not care about it. The point of view of the mystic is slightly different: he does care about it; he lives as if the body were a family pet or servant. He is most meticulous about it, but he does not let it control him. Indeed, to arrive at the state “Thy body shall be full of light,” one retains consciousness of the body, perfects the body, but also always leads the body and is not led by it.

GATHA: When, by philosophical understanding of life, he begins to realize his soul, then he begins to stand, so to speak, on his feet; he is then himself and the body is to him only a cover.

TASAWWUF: We can see something of this in the above explanation.

There are three stages of effacement according to Sufi teachings: 1) fana-fi-Sheikh, 2) fana-fi-Rassoul, and 3) fana-fi-Lillah. In the first stage, one has before him some ideal in name and form, upon whose behavior patterns he can build his own ideas and actions; it is someone living, it is someone he knows.

In the second stage, one knows the name of the ideal and may have some vague idea of the form, but it is not any form he may be contacting through the senses. In this stage however, Rassoul may be manifest if he desires before the devotee. In fana-fi-Lillah, one is seeking effacement in that which is beyond name and form. It depends on functioning in Kashf and Mushahida. In the literature we encounter the word “shahud.” All Muslims pray, “Ash-hadu Laillah el il Allah.” If only they knew what it meant! If they only knew what it meant, they would have the keys to heaven and earth alike.

GATHA: The teaching of the Prophet is to die before death, which means to realize in one’s lifetime what death means. This realization takes away all the fear there is.

TASAWWUF: There are many items in the Hadiths to support this general teaching. The Prophet thought man should always be aware both of Allah and of death to avoid being caught by the intoxication of the moment. Actually, the real death is this being caught by momentary intoxication, which is nothing but delusion and vanity.

Fear can be one of the greatest obstacles in life. Those who have had to die before death, whether by loss of consciousness, or transformation after facing great obstacles or extremes and recovery or by any other type of experience, find that thereafter they are no longer subject to fear. They may not be able to explain it. Evidently there is a transformation and transmutation of nervous energy, so that this part of man’s being seems to have risen above all negativity.

Of course there are ways of facing fear and of overcoming it, such as repetitions of “Allaho Akbar.” But this transformatory experience is something else. It takes us out of the bonds of limitation, it frees us, and it brings us into new vistas without necessarily involving a clear understanding of the renewed life.

GATHA: By the symbol of the shoe is shown also the nothingness of the material existence, or the smallness of the physical being, in comparison with the greatness of the soul, or the spirit.

TASAWWUF: This realization may come in part through designed practices in esotericism, such as the concentration upon the dot and the circle. Yet the shoe may be a symbol of itself. In the Hebraic Bible it is related that God appeared before Moses saying, “Take off thy shoes for thou art on holy ground.” It would appear that Moses physically took off his shoes, and this institution has been preserved in many religions, strangely least of all in the Hebraic and Christian religions, which in theory revere Moses the most.

There is another meaning to it. We pray, “Raise us from the denseness of the earth.” God wished Moses to remove all the defilements of earth. But this also involves the even greater defilement of the ego. It might be interpreted, “Remove thy ego for thou art in the presence of the Lord.” But in all stages of fana, as explained above, the ego is removed. And one functions through the spirit consciously, unconsciously, or superconsciously.

GATHA: Hafiz says in Persian verse, “Those who realize Thee are kings of life,” which means that the true kingdom of life is in the realization of the soul.

TASAWWUF: There is the parallel story that when dervishes meet they greet each other as kings. Yes, those who have this realization are no longer hampered by smallness or by the vicissitudes of samsara or nufsaniat.

GATHA: The idea that one must wait until one’s turn will come after many incarnations keeps one away from the desired goal.

TASAWWUF: Jesus Christ has said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He said, “Come,” and the people came. He did not say, “Come tomorrow.” He also said, “I come quickly,” “The son of man cometh like a thief in the night,” etc.

This doctrine of suddenness is also found in Buddhism. There is an unfortunate dialectical teaching that man must pass through many incarnations before he can hope for deliverance. While there may be a certain truth in it, it is based upon a false assumption that man is and that God may be, rather than that God is and man may be.

No doubt there is a cosmic evolution, just as there is a biological evolution. We can see this in the oldest Upanishads and beyond them even into the Vedas. We find this in the traditions and teachings of many peoples, literate and illiterate. But man is not a creature of chance; he is not so bound that he must stand in line awaiting his turn.

GATHA: The man who is impatient to arrive at spiritual realization is to be envied.

TASAWWUF: Those who are fatalists, those who give all power to chance, are in effect either atheists or have conceived a mechanical God. The soul is ever desirous of freedom, and the efflux of the soul manifests in those who desire to become free forever from samsara.

GATHA: As Omar Khayyam says, “Tomorrow? Why, tomorrow I may be myself with yesterday’s seven thousand years.” He means by this, “Don’t bother about the past, don’t trouble about the future, but accomplish all you can just now.”

TASAWWUF: Paul has said, “I die daily.” We might even expand this to mean, we die hourly; we die with every breath. Indeed there is a way of dying and of being reborn with every breath and this can arise also when one becomes a master of Fikr.

GATHA: Life has taken time enough to develop gradually from mineral to vegetable, from vegetable to animal, and from animal to man, and after becoming man delay is not necessary.

TASAWWUF: Biological evolution has only made its imprint since the time of Darwin. Cosmic evolution has been known or felt for many centuries. Both forms of evolution are now being offered to the world. Actually, every time one practices a meditation, a jnana, a silence, one is somewhat transformed. He may not be aware of it, but he is changing.

All schools of theoretical spiritual development present aspects of this cosmic evolution. Chance or design or purpose works more or less unconsciously until the human stage of evolution is reached. Then self-will begins to express itself. Self-will is really divine will channeled through personality and, therefore, disjunct. The power behind this will is one power; it has one aim. But if freedom is both a means and an end, the universal energy operates as if every drop, every energy-faculty were separate. This continues until man becomes free and discovers such separativeness was illusory.

GATHA: It is true that the whole lifetime is not sufficient for one to become what one wishes to be. Still nothing is impossible, since the soul of man is from the spirit of God; and if God can do all things, why cannot man do something?

TASAWWUF: We must not forget that we have begun here with a symbol. In the study of the Gathas, Series I, Symbology, geometric and archetypical symbols were presented and explained. Their intellectual aspect was but one of many. They were and ought to be used as keys, keys which open doors, doors which open into the rooms of palaces. The same is also true of picture symbols, only picture symbols usually have deeper connotations than the archetypical, elementary ones.

Besides that, every word may be used as the basis of meditation (and concentration). Here we must consider too the words as well as the form. Here we must picture the symbols and then use them as a scaffolding on which to improve. We have to learn to become one with the symbol. When we have become one with the symbol, we may be realizing and no longer needing any explanation.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 2

Fruitfulness

GATHA: There is a Chinese symbol of philosophers carrying on their shoulders peaches, which means that the object of life is to be fruitful.

TASAWWUF: As has been explained, there has always been considerable symbology in Chinese art. When an artist controls his thoughts by feelings, and especially when his inner eyes are open, even when unconsciously and especially perhaps when unconsciously, there will be considerable symbology in his works. Even Zen Buddhists do not deny symbology so much as instrumentalize it.

RYAZAT: The peach may be used in concentration first as a material object on which to gaze. That is the first phase. The second phase is to use the peach—or for that matter any object in concentration—as if it were a crystal ball, and so an instrument of mental purification. But the peach is not dead, it is a living thing, and like all living things it will have a message, its own message.

There is a book called The Golden Peaches of Samarkand, full of symbology and wisdom and a valuable adjunct to a library, especially for devotees along this path.

GATHA: However good or spiritual a person may be, yet, if his life is not fruit-giving, he has not fulfilled the purpose of life. A person whose life becomes fruitful does not only bear fruit to others, but every aspect of life bears fruit to him as well; for him life becomes a fruit.

TASAWWUF: There are two branches of murakkabah for talibs. The first is for individual development, what a person needs on the path of perfection and attainment, to awaken in himself what is important for the fulfillment of the purpose of his life. In the second class a living flower or fruit is used to keep before the devotee life in some form. In the end it should be true of him as Christ has said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

The spiritual life is not one of lassitude. Indeed the spiritual life far transcends persons of tamasic outlook. Action itself is a principle as Sri Krishna has said in the Gita. All things in life may be used to help one on the path toward the goal.

GATHA: If life were only for what people call goodness, life would be very uninteresting. For goodness is dependent for its beauty on badness. As a form cannot exist without a shadow so goodness cannot be without badness.

TASAWWUF: What is goodness? And what is badness? Many wish to enjoy life and seek pleasures and avoid annoyances. They are very pleased when somebody offers them nice words, flattering emotions. They are very annoyed with anything else. And one result has been that it is most difficult to warn people about coming dangers. They will accept warnings that please them, and they will reject warnings that do not please them. When it comes out different, they are often annoyed but do not learn any lesson.

GATHA: If life were for spirituality alone, the soul had better not have been born on earth, for the soul in its nature is spiritual. The whole creation is purposed for something greater than goodness or even spirituality, and that is fruitfulness.

TASAWWUF: The true spirituality is that which is absolutely all-inclusive. The spiritual may include every facet of life. The lives of the greatest spiritual teachers are full of tests, hardships, and symbolical or physical crucifixions. Alchemy is a science of purification, often through fire, often through the most trying processes. It is only so that pure gold can be created—whether in the laboratory, whether in nature, whether otherwise.

GATHA: Goodness and spirituality are the means, not the goal. If there is any goal, it is fruitfulness. Therefore it is the object of life which the symbol of peaches represents.

TASAWWUF: We find something of the same kind in the Indian teachings which differentiate between the sattvic guna and the transcendental state beyond all gunas. As it is said here, sattva provides the means, not the goal.

The angelic life is not the completion of human life. No doubt angelic qualities do appear in highly developed persons. But the sage has what the angelic soul does not have: balance and wisdom.

GATHA: Fruitfulness has three aspects. The first aspect is when man benefits from his own life.

TASAWWUF: The first view of life is that of the self. Then man is involved in the struggle between self-will and the forces of nature or the karmic condition of the sphere. Sometimes the latter is known as “the world.” That is exactly what is connoted in the Tarot, for instance. One has to live in, with, and through the world. It may control him, or he may be able to master it, but not obliterate it.

GATHA: The next aspect is when man benefits from the life outside himself.

TASAWWUF: If we could not benefit from the external life, we might all be resembling each other very much. This would make the spiritual life patterned. No doubt the angelic life is patterned; no doubt angels do resemble each other in attributes and even in a sense which resembles form. But we can see that sages, saints, and devotees do not necessarily resemble each other. The Inner Life tells us of many types of souls. These advanced personalities are both affected by the world outside and yet are able to effect the external world more than others. This is not to be confused by good karma. Good karma indicates some benefit that has accrued to man for any reason whatever. It is benefit without being control. Buddhists call this “punya” (merit).

GATHA: And the third aspect is when man is a benefit to himself and to the life outside, and the life outside is a benefit to him. That is the moment of the fruitfulness of life.

TASAWWUF: Ordinarily man must pay back sooner or later for all his gains. Or he may have suffered losses, or pain, or punishment, or tribulation, and following the principle of Reciprocity, the universe produces an adjustment from which he benefits.

But the life of the sage is different. Devotees on the path of sadhana operate as if they were always evolving in externals as well as internals. They do not measure their accumulations; they keep their eyes and hearts on the goal. It is these personalities which bring benefit to the world itself and help in the cosmic evolution.

GATHA: It takes all the patience one has to arrive at this realization, but it is for this realization that God created the world, that man may enjoy fruitfulness therein.

TASAWWUF: We may bear in mind here that patience as well as other virtues are carefully explored in the early Gatha studies. It is not so difficult to regard the spiritual path as one up a mountain or a range of mountains. Intellectualizing a view which one has not experienced is of no value. But when one enters the path of fana-fi-Sheikh and has before him a living teacher, and also studies the lives of saints and sages, not only of the distant past but also of the recent past and also of his own day, he can take full advantage of both their accumulations and their wisdom.

GATHA: It is the absence of faith and lack of patience which deprive man of this bliss; if not, every soul is purposed for this.

TASAWWUF: One of the most difficult problems with disciples in the earlier stages was their claiming to know the subject matter of lessons. It is not a question of any intellectual knowledge. Ethics has failed as a science because only too often it has not been concerned with the moral standard and behavior patterns of speakers, teachers, audiences, and pupils. Words obtain a value when they mean something to us in our daily life.

Because of intellectual and ego intervention, the bliss which is the natural stage of the soul is covered. It has to be uncovered. Mental Purification no doubt removes all obstacles, hindrances, faults, weaknesses, “sins,” etc. But there is no content here. The content has to be supplied. This often comes through concentration and spiritual exercises, along with internal and external study.

GATHA: For instance, when a musician begins to enjoy his own music, that is the first stage; when he enjoys the music of others, that is the second stage of realization; but when man enjoys his own music and makes others enjoy too, then his life has become fruitful.

TASAWWUF: There are many who enjoy their own music, who have their own pleasures. They may be called primitive, no matter how complex their lives are otherwise. Complexity is not the same as advancement.

Of course, the more kinds of music, the more kinds of art, the more kinds of diversions we enjoy may indicate a certain advancement. But if we want to find out whether we are spiritual, this can be determined by effects on others, especially when we see others enjoy what we do or communicate. And this has been especially borne out by the study of the Sufi Message through the music and the dance.

GATHA: There is a great treasure of blessing within oneself and there is a vast treasure of blessing outside oneself.

TASAWWUF: The treasure of blessing within oneself may be determined or measured by the functions of our own creative nature. We can see this in our own art, in the way we may cook foods or arrange our rooms and personal possessions, in our gardening, in our speech which others enjoy, and in a thousand or more ways. When the heart is awakened, there is no ending to this.

And we can determine the treasure of blessings outside ourselves by our own versatility which enables us to enjoy the works of many arts, all kinds of music, the beauties and blessings of nature, scenery and sights, whether through the telescope, the microscope or with the ordinary eye. The less bored we are, the more things and types of things we find interesting, indicate our coming into the vast arena of blessings.

GATHA: And when one has become able to find out the treasure one has within oneself and to exploit the treasure which is outside oneself, and when there is an exchange between his own treasure, and the treasure outside, then his life has become the fruit for which the soul was born.

TASAWWUF: This is both a quantitative and qualitative development. No doubt it may indicate “riza,” which is to say, contentment. But the real contentment comes along with God-realization, or even from an unconscious awareness of being in the midst of divine blessings.

There may be some indication of whether he is a spiritual man whose music, whose art, whose teachings, whose influence spreads far and wide; or whether he is spiritual applies to a man who is most appreciative of the works of others; who is influenced by others, etc; we might call these sun-realization and moon-realization. To a lesser extent we might find either or both of these in Jelalic or Jemalic personalities. They are balanced in the Kemalic type which are most perfect.

No doubt there are those whose work is to influence others; and there are those who are also influenced by others, or if not influenced, respond. We can see these forms in the saints themselves who may respond according to type, but who should never be judged.

GATHA: There comes a time in the life of the fruitful souls when every moment of their life bears a new fruit, just like a plant which bears fruit at all times of the year.

TASAWWUF: This teaching is also presented in the lessons on Githa for the Advanced Study Circle. But as one grows, one may be able to sense, even to feel, both his own effectiveness and the influence of others and of the life without. This can mean an end to loneliness, boredom, lassitude, etc. This can also mean the fulfillment of our invocation: Toward 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.

 Copyright Sufi Ruhaniat International 1978
These materials are given for individual study by mureeds
and are not intended to be shared outside the circle except by permission.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 3

Symbol of the Dragon

GATHA: The best known symbolical figure of China is the dragon.

TASAWWUF: There is a principle in the lectures on Naqshibandi that in Series I we consider the basic symbols. Thus there has been an Australian named Bliss who made a special study of symbols and suggested they might be a basis of a cosmic language. With this the mystic might agree. Also, in the first lessons it is taught that the symbol might be an ocean in a drop, but this lesson is not easily learned until intuitive language is learned.

In Series II it may be said we are considering a basic art form. We see some of these art forms even in ancient cave drawings and in pictographs. The Chinese may have developed their writing from pictographs, and not a few of their letters, if they can be so called, are indeed modified pictographs. But some are also modified symbols of which the dragon is one. These symbols may have been drawn from dreams, from fantasy, from the subtle world or even from the actual physical world. It is certain after many centuries a form of actual dragon has been found still living on one of the islands of Indonesia.

GATHA: The dragon represents life and death both; life in the sense of eternal life, death in the sense of a change from mortality to eternity.

TASAWWUF: The Chinese still use the dragon in parades and ceremonies. The dragon is something like a serpent and yet not a serpent. It seems to have a form yet subject to constant change. It certainly differs from the serpent in its restlessness and its presumed ability to swallow beings and even processes.

It is interesting to find out that other cultures have mythological entities often resembling the dragon, but whose symbolical meaning is most similar. This would indicate something like a basic symbology also in the subtle world. Madam Blavatsky, the renovator of theosophy, pointed out that there are hidden meanings in myths, legends and folklore. But it has been the scientists rather than the theosophists who have taken steps forward in this direction. It was Sir James Frazier who opened many doors, but Charles Lamb, although having quite different outlooks, also opened several. It has been found silly to ignore these interpretations—even their misinterpretations.

GATHA: Very often a Chinese dragon has an appearance of a tiger, of a seal, its body that of a snake, together with wings of the birds and the paws of the carnivorous animals, also some appearance of man—which means that life is one but it is manifest in many forms, that life lives on life and so hungers for life.

TASAWWUF: We find something like this in the Bible in the animals depicted especially in the Hebrew books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zachariah and continued in the Christian book of Revelation.

Their symbology has been worked out on many levels. But ordinarily man does not go beyond these levels into cosmic language for which they are keys.

There has been a complete commentary on the lessons in cosmic language. These represent in a sense the highest stage of certain esoteric sciences. Symbols with all their seeming profundity actually represent one grade lower, for they are often both abstruse and subject to change as in the dreams (in contrast to visions) where everything is subject to change.

The principle that life is one and embraces all forms appears in the earliest religion of China. Many very ancient doctrines and symbols were later incorporated into and preserved by what we call Taoism and Confucianism, but it is the western world that is the most concerned with the analysis and differentiations.

Universal truth has been preserved both by the word “tao” and “dharma.” In China each has used the same archetypal symbology and therefrom the same canons of art. No doubt these canons are universal, but we can use the Chinese forms often to most excellent advantage.

When it is said that “life feeds upon life,” we may consider both form and spirit. The spirit of man is fed by breath; the spirits of all creatures depend upon the breath and the breath vibrations they assimilate. For instance, the dragon is generally depicted by its inhalation and exhalation of the fire breath. But its powers and faculties being multifarious, it has the wings of a bird—indicates its power over spaces; the paws of beasts—indicating its power over earth; the appearance of a man—indicating its power over mind. Therefore a concentration on the dragon enables the adept to develop power over earth, over space, and over mind.

GATHA: The dragon suggests mortality standing by one’s side, awaiting its hour every moment of our life, and yet man is unaware of it, building castles in the air, depending upon the life of this mortal world.

TASAWWUF: In some sense the dragon looks like the animalization of the breath as if the breath (or spirit) were the reality and the form unimportant. According to Sufi teachings, according to mystical doctrines everywhere, the spirit is life, but to say the spirit is life without giving it a form makes communication very difficult.

GATHA: The dragon also suggests that there is an obstacle on the way to eternity and that obstacle is death, and that can be avoided by conquering the dragon. The dragon is also a picture of man’s selfish ego, which is not only the enemy of others, but which makes man his own enemy. The dragon signifies the lower nature, and the conquering of the lower nature is the killing of the dragon, of which St. George is also the symbol.

TASAWWUF: In the first book of Moses in the Hebrew Bible, the word “nachash” is mentioned and it is translated as serpent. Indeed this word may be etymologically connected with the Sanskrit naga and the English snake. But it also means covetousness, and the lower nature in man has often been depicted as a snake or serpent. Indeed all religions and mythologies either have a reptile or dragon as the genius of evil.

We can find many myths on this subject in all parts of the world. St. George, who has been included in the Christian pantheon, is actually a deification of Horus. In the Egyptian tradition Sut-Typheon is said to have killed his brother Osiris, and in turn was later dispatched by Horus. That is to say, the ego or desire nature in man covers and smothers the divine nature. This happens to all of us born pure, born aware, but soon distracted by the denseness of earth. Then there is a long struggle for the soul to free itself and in the end it must always be that the soul frees itself.

We find stories of the same kind as the slaying of the python by Apollo, of snakes by Hercules, and of Fafner by Sigfried among the Nordic peoples. But perhaps the most interesting is the tale of Sri-Krishna, because in the Krishna myths not only the stories are well preserved but the explanations and higher teachings.

In Sufism the struggle is against the nufs, the ego. No doubt there are many schools of spiritual development which touch upon these principles, but in Sufism it has been made most important in Moral Culture and Mental Purification. (In fact there are books with these titles in The Sufi Message.) We may, if we wish, go deeply into symbology or astrology here, but the main purpose is to eradicate the evil dragon in us.

GATHA: The dragon is a sign of material power, which has its transitory reign over things and beings; and often power can govern or cause difficulty even to spiritual beings, for the reason that even spiritual beings have matter which makes their being and which is dependent for its life and comfort on things of this earth.

TASAWWUF: There is a negative aspect here, and this also involves the problems of bad dreams and of obsessions. Certain wazifas are taught, to be repeated for inner protection. There is something in sacred words which has a tremendous power over evil. No doubt the word “demon,” which originally meant a protective entity, has become a term of almost exactly the opposite meaning in the Christian world. But there are protective entities as well as wicked spirits. Generally, the “good” live in the light; the “evil” in the shadow.

GATHA: But all stories of dragons prove the dragon to be a failure in the end and the spirit alone conqueror over it.

TASAWWUF: There are several considerations here. While we are considering symbols, one of the hidden values in Naqshibandi, Series II, is the key to the interpretation of dreams. Dreams in the larger sense include fantasies, phantasmagorias, visions, and any impressions in forms where there are shadows of any kind. As Holy Qur’an teaches, “In Allah there is no darkness.” Mohammed has taught, “Dreams are from Iblis, and visions are from Allah.” While this may not be exactly so, it does indicate something like a war between light and darkness.

In the religion of Zarathustra, this has become a fundamental principle, and the spirit of darkness or dragon is called Ariman, which can also be interpreted as “shadowed mind.” The shadowed mind necessarily disappears when light enters. Shadow really has no substance. Modern scientists join the mystics in proclaiming Light as most fundamental in the universe. All founders of all religions have proclaimed the majesty of Light.

This also indicates how we can deal with dreams, how we can purify those who are subject to shadowy forces, etc. The repetition of wazifas can become both a science and art in moral, psychic and mental purification.

GATHA: In Chinese art this symbol is kept to the fore, for this one symbol suggests and touches many things.

TASAWWUF: The ancient Greeks and Egyptians also had their good spirits. The Greek word “agathadaemon” has been preserved. Socrates used to say that he had such a spirit, but today we proclaim “the spirit of guidance.” The spirit of guidance may manifest in many forms human, superhuman, and divine; personal, impersonal and cosmic. Yes, whenever we use words a form is suggested.

It is said here, “Symbols suggest and teach many things.” Unless we validate it by having actually “many things,” we are left in shadowy metaphysics. When a disciple reaches a grade of advancement where he can be instructed in the higher Concentration, he will find it is sometimes most difficult to hold a form in mind and keep it there. This is one aspect of it. Sometimes he holds the form, sometimes the form changes—in fact, often it changes—and sometimes the form disappears.

All of these are correct proceedings. Nothing is wrong, but each aspect of manifestation offers an interpretation, and the dream interpretation not only helps in the comprehension of the dream (not important) but in the interpretation of the dreamer (most important).

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 4

Water

GATHA: In the old Scriptures such as the Vedanta and the Old Testament, spirit is symbolized as water. One wonders why something which is near to the earth, as water is, should be considered symbolically as spirit.

TASAWWUF: There is strong evidence to indicate that some material of the Vedanta and the Old Testament came from the same source. We find there are many myths and symbols common to the Mahabharata and to Jewish literature. According to the Hebrew tradition Jithro, who was both father-in-law and Murshid of Moses, was a Hindu. In the Hebrew Bible he is called a Midian, which is to say, a Mittaini, which is to say, a branch of the Indian peoples. There are many parallels also in the teachings of the Vedas and again between certain of the prophetic books, e.g., Jonah and Ezekiel and the Puranas.

The Sepher-ha-Zohar is a diverse commentary on the Hebraic Pentateuch. All of it is presumed to be esoteric and some is quite mystical. One also finds some of the explanations totally in accord with Indian traditions, and there are also explanations given by the actual transmitters of the Kabbalah which are far more in accord with both exoteric and esoteric Hinduism than with the religions of the West.

Even on the surface the Hindu word “mayam,” meaning waters, looks like a plural of maya. If we interpret maya as meaning measurable, coming from the root “ma,” meaning the feminine principle, it is no longer a coincidence. And when we go further and look into passages in which the word water appears, the teachings become very similar, if not entirely identical.

GATHA: The nature of water is to give life to the earth, and so the nature of the spirit is to give life to the body. Without water the earth is dead, so is the body without soul.

TASAWWUF: The ancients taught that the cosmos has resulted from the interplay of two forces which we may regard as positive and negative, although this is a parallel rather than an exact explanation. The Hindus call them purusha and prakrit. The Hebrews mention “mi” literally meaning “who” and symbolically meaning personality, even cosmic personality, and so purusha. They refer to “Mah” literally, “what,” as representing formation, which is to say, nature or prakrit, which is to say, the feminine or responsive side of existence.

Body without breath is corpse. Breath makes it alive as the Scriptures teach. Food and water do not suffice. Water is necessary for plants, for animals, for food. The first organisms were in the ocean. They were adapted to the land where there was much rainfall. As the rainfall diminished, the plants and animals established their own ocean within, as sap, as blood, as lymph, etc.

The Bible distinguishes between the waters above and the waters on earth and the waters under the earth. Each has its function in the cosmos, and each has its special meaning esoterically. Part of this esotericism is known to deep students of astrology and others.

GATHA: Water and earth both mix together, so the spirit mixes with matter and revivifies it, and yet spirit stands above matter, as water in time lets the earth sink to the bottom and stands itself above the earth.

TASAWWUF: According to the Sufi teachings—contrary to those of Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy—there is some spirit in all matter. It is found in adhesion, cohesion, gravitation and other natural forces. Without the spirit there would only be amorphous matter at best; there would be confusion.

The late Jagadish Bose demonstrated in the laboratory that even metals suffered from strain and stress and fatigue. In other words, they had their psychological behavior patterns. He discovered much more about plants which after all are living organisms. Some knowledge of mineral and metal psychology became necessary for the airplane industry. The pragmatic acceptance of plant psychology has been much slower, partly due to the fact that industry has not found much benefit from it.

Earth and water are both considered by mystics as basic elements. Something of the kind is held by occultists in all parts of the world.

GATHA: But one may ask, “Is the spirit hidden under matter as the soul in the body?” I will answer, “So the water stays beneath the earth.” There is no place where water does not exist, there are places where earth is not to be found. So there is nowhere in space where spirit is absent; only the absence of matter is possible.

TASAWWUF: It may be the absence of matter which produces the phenomena we call space. At one time not so long ago it was believed that space was filled with ether, but nobody knew what the ether was. It was supposed to have been a vehicle for light. Closer study by physicists and especially by the late Dr. Einstein revealed much more about nature and the behavior of light than had been known. This led to radical changes in the beliefs of many.

But no one has been able to prove the absence of spirit. It may be that the spirit itself has been the means energies utilize both in and out of manifestation, both above and below.

No doubt a huge commentary could be written covering the passages in the Bible, both the Christian and Hebraic sections on this subject. The very fact it has been ignored is one of the basic reasons why the divine message had to be re-presented in the modern age. The truth does not change, but the word truth standing alone has been devitalized. Even theoretical discussions do not help much. There are many books. They do not often transform human nature. They do not help very much toward realization.

GATHA: The symbolic way of expressing high ideas does not come from the brain, it is an outcome of intuition.

TASAWWUF: Intuition is a natural function which belongs to all of us, covered by the intoxication of life. The universe itself is replete with intelligence. The intelligence is there but it is not always perceived. Vast subjects such as cosmic language and mental purification need more than simple reading. They need application and very often reading and application become roadblocks instead of guides. Yes, we do use cookbooks, cookbooks are very valuable. It is only a skilled chef that can dispense with them. It is very true therefore that many are deluded by reading and external study.

All the words of the brain do not awaken the mind to its fullness; only to the level at which it stands. To go further, something more is needed.

Today we see that some of the keen intellectual people have gone much further than those who call themselves occultists, metaphysicians, and so on. This very attitude may close the door to heart development and the function usage of intuition. Therefore, Kashf is an important study to disciples of the elementary study circle. It becomes more important when it functions. It functions when it is used, especially when it is trusted.

GATHA: The beginning intuition is to understand the symbolical meaning of different things, and the next step is to express things symbolically.

TASAWWUF: At the one extreme we find brilliant minds like that of Manley P. Hall who can describe everything. They describe as if they knew, but they only know the outer signs. If we study the art of the world, beginning with the earliest archaeological remains, we can see that man innately may be expressing himself in symbols; also it may be that he does so consciously. Even the basic themes of early weaving, basketry, pottery embellishment, etc., indicate that the soul of man is always expressing itself through the usage of the creative talents. The same psychological states invariably, perhaps always, produce the same symbols with the same meanings.

Thus, we can find similar feelings utilizing the same or similar symbols. It may be difficult to trace the early forms of astrology in different parts of the world. There are remarkable correspondences among people and cultures who outwardly seem to have had no connection. That is to say, their languages are totally dissimilar; sometimes their cultures and social usages are mutually unintelligible, yet the similarity of their symbolic expressions is most remarkable.

GATHA: It is a divine art in itself, and the best proof of it is to be found in the symbol of water, which is so fitting to express the meaning of spirit.

TASAWWUF: There are so many aspects of it that we can be amazed. Water may be used internally and externally for many purposes. The Christian Bible teaches, “There are three witnesses on earth, water and breath and blood, and these three are as one.” This is one of many Biblical passages which for practical purposes have been bypassed by the clerical institutions through the ages. It has received almost no attention at all. It is this devitalization of religious wisdom by the church leaders themselves that has ultimately produced the downfall of theologies and orthodoxies; this rather than the presumable logical criticisms and oppositions to traditional theologies and orthodoxies.

If we take up such studies as the Tarot, which is a short, symbolical series of keys, we can note that the items and elements presented on and by the different cards must be related to each other like the letters of the alphabet are related to each other in words. There as in the Bible and all Scriptures, water is of fundamental importance, as represented by the four elements, and also as represented by itself standing alone.

If we consider such subjects as the Creation, the Deluge, Baptism, etc., each of these may produce monuments of study and consideration. But the first stage should be consideration. We have in the Sufi esotericism both the consideration of the science of consideration and the science of mysticism, although there are many other aspects to this subject. One can become water by a concentration on water, whether we use a glass filled with it or a pond or a stream or the ocean—all can become effective especially if the concentration is devotional. Then we have another aspect in the consideration of the water element. Here we must learn to use the breath, to use the voice, the walk, etc. Mysticism is such a vast subject that we can only refer to it here. It becomes even more vast when we perform the requisite esoteric practices.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 5

Wine

GATHA: Wine is considered sacred, not only in the Christian faith, but also in many other religions. In the ancient religion of the Zoroastrians, Yima Jamshed, the bowl of wine “from which Jamshed drank deep,” is a historical event.

TASAWWUF: Wine is used in the communion service of the Christians. There it symbolizes the blood of Christ. In the Gospel of St. Thomas and in various Logia—that is, sayings of Jesus not found in the official Bible—Jesus is recorded as having said that wine meant his blood. It could hardly mean blood in the ordinary sense, because very little of his blood was actually shed. Esoterically, this is a very important subject.

Zoroastrians have always used wine as the essence of the living earth, derived from the fruits of the trees planted in the ground. In early times it is said they partook of the homa plant, homa also signifying universal life. Wine which was produced by transformatory processes also symbolized transformation in any form, but more especially those transformations which were not destructive.

Wine has always been important in the Jewish religion, but most especially at the Seder service. The ritual of this service is filled with symbols which have esoteric import. The meanings are largely lost, although some of them are preserved in a certain sense in the encyclopedic Talmud.

GATHA: Among Hindus, Shiva considered wine sacred. And in Islam, though wine is prohibited when on earth, yet in heaven it is allowed.

TASAWWUF: No doubt intoxication is blinding. According to Sufi teachings, there are many forms of intoxication. Indeed candidates for Bayat are usually taught that life itself is intoxicating. These intoxications are usually subtle, whereas alcoholic intoxications are quite evident. Still many people caught by the denseness of earth, cheated by exploitations of all sorts, have found a certain comfort in imbibition. It is very easy to condemn. Officially Islam has condemned wine, in which the Prophet said it is two parts evil to one part good; and they have permitted ignorance, displays of temper, and all forms of inhumanity which were entirely condemned by Mohammed. It would seem his lesser injunctions have been more scrupulously obeyed than his more important ones.

There is the story in the Bible that after the flood Noah (Nuh) partook of the grape and became intoxicated. The Hebrew word is “shikor,” which corresponds to the Sufi sukr. Esotericists know that Noah entered into a state of divine ecstasy. Indeed the very word “Noah” means “the repose of nature,” or the attainment of nufs salima which is the highest state possible under risalat itself. When we study Scriptures exoterically; when we perceive cosmic experiences as belonging to heroes of other ages or to archetypes, we miss entirely their import. All the great Scriptures rerecord cosmic potentialities and actualities, no doubt reflected in history but signifying very much more. If this were not so, the study of symbology would be useless.

GATHA: Hauzu ’l-Kausar, the sacred fountain of heaven, about which there is so much spoken in Islam, is a fountain of wine. Although the bowl that was given to the Prophet in the Meraj, the authorities of Islam say, was filled with milk, yet I doubt it. I should not be surprised if it were not the invention of the authorities, to keep the faithful followers away from wine. For it is natural that the followers should like to begin drinking the wine on earth, which the Prophet drank in heaven.

TASAWWUF: Milk is nourishing, but wine is intoxicating. When Jesus is said to have turned water into wine, it also signifies that the very life which seems to attach us to the denseness of earth can be transmuted and transformed. The Bible has said, “Ye are gods.” The Indian cosmic metaphysics shows that life has many grades of consciousness, evolution and being, but that all of these may manifest under human form.

The mysteries from most ancient times have ceremonialized such processes as awakening, rebirth and transformation mostly through agricultural symbols. Indeed, there have been scholars such as Robert Graves who have spent years in research in agricultural and particularly tree symbology.

The Meraj experience of Mohammed was one of complete changes of consciousness. He experienced the various grades of being. But he also said that he was a man not a superman. This would indicate that his experiences were not peculiar. Jesus is supposed to have come to make it possible for human beings to realize they are children of God. Hazrat Inayat Khan taught, “What I give to you, you should give to others.” In The Unity of Religious Ideals it is proposed not only that all living faiths have value but also the religions of the ancients were means of having higher realizations. Thus, “The Golden Ass” of Apuleius and other myths and legends which have come to us from many centuries back.

A question may arise, why should wine be used as a symbol at all? There are many factors to be considered. The changing of the sugar contents to alcohol enabled the ancients and the undeveloped people to have foods and drinks which could remain in such a state without further contamination. The addition of wine to water also purified it from certain germs and chemicals which undoubtedly harmed man. Also it removed sometimes obnoxious tastes and odors.

The main factor was that of transformation, and it was as if the purification came first, and then the transformation.

GATHA: Wine is symbolical of the soul’s evolution. Wine comes from the annihilation of grapes, immortality comes from the annihilation of self.

TASAWWUF: When the ego is purified and transmuted it passes from the mortality to the immortality. It is never life that dies, it is death that dies. The life in us is from God, and it goes on ever and always yet ultimately returns to Him.

In the Christian Bible there is the story of the transmutation of water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. There is something in love and marriage which also transforms the ego, which leads it into and through union with what seemed to have been separativeness. Such experience also brings an ecstasy, an upliftment. And in the Catholic Church in particular we have the ceremony of the spiritual marriage, that the aspirant is united to Christ and so to God through Christ. But in a real sanctified marriage also both the bride and groom can be led to God through the other.

GATHA: The bowl of poison which is known in many mystical cults suggests also the idea of wine, but not a sweet wine, a bitter wine.

TASAWWUF: There are many traditions about tests which are given and also the teachings of the Scriptures (not usually taught by the sects of various religions) of bitterness turning to sweetness and sweetness to bitterness. And in the almost universal striving for outer satisfaction the wisdoms of the ages have been lost.

All sages agree that the spiritual awakening comes with a transformation and this requires a change of consciousness involving the ego of man. While many condemn psychedelic drugs and with some rationale, usually the condemnations come from those who are utterly attached to ego, who are afraid of any form of transformation and transcendency. They are beguiled by words but fear such experiences even more than they fear death or danger, for such experiences compel a transformation of ego.

What is poison is poison to the ego, not to life. Many fear any change to the ego far more than they fear death. But real spiritual aspirants are adventurers, willing to face death, willing to face hazard, willing to face anything for the sake of the Beloved.

GATHA: When the self turns into something different from what it was before, it is like the soul being born again. This is seen in the grape turning into wine. The grape, by turning into wine, lives; as a grape it would have vanished in time. Only, by turning into wine, the grape loses its individuality, and yet not its life. The self-same grape lives as wine, and the longer it lives the better the wine becomes.

TASAWWUF: There is a teaching in Buddhism concerning Nirmana Kaya. This has been translated as “transformation body.” It simply means a body or vehicle with no permanent ego mind. This is not a teaching peculiar to Buddhism. It is found in all the mysticism of the world. It is part of the experience of all advanced souls. We can see it in the physical world as in cloud formations. The same amount of water and its adhesing materials form clouds which exhibit the phenomena of constant change. But this is true of everything; Buddha taught this. If Buddhists had been able to apply it to their own ego-self instead of to doctrines, there would not have been the desecration and decadence which has set in.

From the very beginning of instructions on the Sufi path, the neophyte is told about fana, which is translated as annihilation, but this annihilation applies only to form not to essence. Life cannot die; only death dies. Or as we read in Gayan, “The world is what it is, you cannot change it, but you can change yourself.” Actually we are always changing. We are given the choice of whether we change ourselves voluntarily or permit externals to change us.

When the grape turns to wine it attains a comparative immortality while also increasing its usefulness. When the soul of man, so to speak, becomes assimilated variously, it increases its usefulness, its faculties become enhanced, it attains and functions in a greater appreciation and manifestation of life.

GATHA: For a Sufi, therefore, the true sacrament is the turning of one’s own grape-like personality, which has a limited time to live, into wine, that nothing of one’s self may be lost but, on the contrary, amplified, even perfected. This is the essence of all philosophy and the secret of mysticism.

TASAWWUF: The effacement of self brings to man realization and knowledge. This state is called baqa. Philosophers and writers on mystical processes which they themselves have not realized tend to identify the Sufi fana with the Buddhist Nirvana. They are right, but they are not absolutely right. There is another aspect to it.

You can see this also in mathematics. Even schoolboys learn that the negative infinity and the positive infinity are identical. But philosophers, even those remarkably skilled in mathematics without having some deep internal experience, do not see much value in it. The mathematician George Kantor, who had done such excellent work on the transfinite, has been criticized on the grounds that his work is useless. But mathematicians of all ages have given us oppositions, theorems, and doctrines which were considered worthless in their time and later were found to be most valuable. Indeed some mathematicians have expressed pride in what they have called a pragmatic uselessness of their inventions. But this is nonsense. Applied mathematics has not only become a vast subject, but a most valuable one in the complexities of the day.

The heart life is one which penetrates the spheres of mind and matter. The deeper we go into universal consciousness, the more we find ourselves in realities of love and grandeur, of compassion and mercy, of tenderness and power. We can either self-benefit from them or we can give the fruits of our actions to Allah or Krishna. The new age wise are no longer constricted by words. They want essences and rightly so.

One can go over the Ten Sufi Thoughts; one can go over “The Way of Illumination” and all the commentaries thereon and one will still seem to be at the beginning. Actually in infinity there is no “beginning” or “end”; there is only ceaseless ongoing. Or as is said in Gayan, “Life is motion and stillness is death.”

Nirvana is not this stillness. Nirvana is more than the negations of the Prajna Paramita Sutra. One might ask if this Sutra is true, does anything exist? Does anyone exist? Is anything at all? To the Sufis, while the Zen Buddhists and other Mahayanists are also correct, there is also a positive side to things. They recognize the Zat-i-Allah which is the uttermost essence, but they do not separate it from the Sifat-i-Allah which is the compilation of presentable attributes of God and existence.

According to the Sufis therefore, when there is the complete realization, it is both inclusive and exclusive. This means that the inclusion is the exclusion and the exclusion is the inclusion. This is not anti-logical; this is superlogical. If one goes into it deeply, therefore, the logistics of infinity whether presented in mathematics or psychology or mysticism or anything else is essentially the same logistics.

We can therefore look upon wine as symbolic of all transformations. We can see it in the “Eureka!” of Archimedes, and in the joyous explosions of mathematicians as well as other non-mystics. With the mystics it is warm and warming, joyful and contagious, heart-touching and heart-expanding.

 Copyright Sufi Ruhaniat International 1978
These materials are given for individual study by mureeds
and are not intended to be shared outside the circle except by permission.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 6

The Curl of the Beloved

GATHA: In the Sufi literature, which is known to the world as the Persian literature, there is much talk about the curls of the Beloved, and many have often wondered what it means. The curl is a symbol of something which is curved and round. The curve denotes the twist in the thought of wisdom.

TASAWWUF: Persian literature and poetry are filled with figures of speech. This is part of the genius of the Persian language itself, coupled with the heart attitude of the people of this land. In many respects the Iranians are what we might call Jemali types. Besides this, the language is of such a nature that there is ample room for rhymes, alliterations, puns, and symbology in general.

When we add to this the appearance of so many poets of the highest caliber in Iran and the use of the Persian language itself by people of Iranian ancestry and education, there is a vast field here for both personal expression and devout inspiration.

In concentration one is taught first to look at the linear symbols such as straight line, cross, circle, dot, etc. Then later, one is taught to make improvements. When one has behind him the theme (and it is not necessarily so different from the Zen koan) of the curved line (in contrast to the straight line), out of this curved line various forms may appear such as heart, smoke curve, and further on, cloud formations.

GATHA: Very often a straight word of truth hits upon the head harder than a hammer. That shows that truth alone is not sufficient, the truth must be made into wisdom. And what is wisdom? Wisdom is twisted truth.

TASAWWUF: We may even compare the corpse to an immobile line. The living body moves and functions curvilinearly. No one has said we must be absolutely honest—that is in no commandment of no great religion; even less in the behavior of people of high or low evolution. Indeed, when the heart and feelings are awakened and everything moves despite Newton, nothing seems to move in a straight line.

If one has to communicate with a little child, one often does this softly to be effective. It is only when discipline is needed that one should be otherwise. We want to make impressions, but if we wish to impress, we do not necessarily do it by hammering. Then we may be repelled.

The Rahmat is often used in our work. A higher step is not only to be compassionate, but to regard another an aspect of oneself. In dealing with one’s ego self, with one’s real self, or with one’s self as reflected in and through another, bluntness often prevents communication.

GATHA: As raw food cannot be digested, and therefore it is cooked, although raw food is more natural than cooked food, so the straight line is more natural, but it is not digestible, it needs to be made into wisdom.

RYAZAT: The straight line is often used in concentration to help start disciples on the spiritual path. There may be a vertical line, a horizontal line, a perpendicular line. When the devotee starts using them, he may find some difficulty in keeping the line before him straight. Actually both his failures and his successes are of spiritual importance because they reveal his state of evolution.

When there is some success in this concentration or when constant effort shows the devotee can only hold on to curved lines, then the curved line is substituted in the concentration. But the curved line may take on two forms, one as on a flat plane and the other as a helix, a smoke curve, or a gradually widening course into three or more dimensions.

TASAWWUF: When we consider Holy Qur’an from a certain point of view, it is a very simple Scripture. Verbally it was given to comparatively illiterate people. Yet Mohammed himself said, “Qur’an was revealed in seven dialects, each with a hidden and outer meaning.” He gave the straight line to the multitudes; he left room for the curvilinear formations. The Brethren of the Heart, the sahib-i-dil of his time (who were called “People of the veranda”) found it easy to come to the depths of meaning. There were exudations and emanations of his personality which were superverbal. Perhaps it was these even more than the written word of Qur’an that became the basis for the transmission of the divine teachings.

GATHA: And why is it called the Beloved’s curl? Because truth is of God, the Divine Beloved, and truth is God; and that twist given to His Own Being, which is truth, amplifies the divine beauty, as the curl is considered to be the sign of beauty.

TASAWWUF: We have the phrase, “Ishk Allah Mahbood Lillah,” in which God is presented as Love, Lover and Beloved. No doubt an intellectualized love might be rectilinear, but there would be no feeling in it. Therefore it would not be love. We can verbally separate love from beauty, that is easy. But in function, can we? And if any of us have experienced love in any way and were called upon to symbolize it, we know very well it would be expressed curvilinearly and not rectilinearly. The straight line seems to symbolize law, the curved line love and wisdom.

GATHA: Then what is not straight is a puzzle. So wisdom is a puzzle to the ordinary mind.

TASAWWUF: Logicians who have gone deep into their study find that they are in danger of merely complicating tautology. It has not always been the logicians who praise logic, but the egocentrics, the dialecticians, the mentally minded.

Wisdom is always spontaneous. It may not consume time as we understand it. It is never a dualistic communication. A straight line has a beginning and an end. But it is also true, while we are in limitation, while we function in time and space, we are in the world of form.

GATHA: Besides, the curl hangs low down; so the heavenly beauty which is wisdom is manifested on earth. In other words, if someone wishes to see the beauty of the heavenly Beloved he may see it in wisdom.

TASAWWUF: There is a universal symbology here. There may be something like the masculine and feminine aspects of truth. In the Greek language, in the wisdom of the pre-Christians and Christians the word was Sophia. Sophia has been symbolic of divine wisdom and also of the heavenly mother.

Strictly speaking, it means understanding and understanding is often regarded as a feminine attribute of divinity, of life, and of human functions.

So womankind has been regarded as the beloved and mankind as the lover. The woman is pictured as being subject to moods which even allure and tantalize the lover. But without them, there may not seem to be any love at all. And what is beauty? It is very indefinable but it is easily felt. It becomes so fundamental also that it is often bypassed by the intellect.

GATHA: Wisdom is traced not only in the human being, but even in the beasts and birds, in their affection, in their instinct. Very often it is most difficult for man to imitate fully the work which birds do in weaving their nests. Even the insects do wonderful work in preparing a little abode for themselves which is beyond man’s art and skill.

TASAWWUF: From this we can see that instinct is unconscious wisdom. What causes instinct to manifest? What is its origin? There are so many terms used by the learned and often in the sciences that are quite devoid of meaning. In fact they may cover as well as reveal. But there is no doubt that there is a spirit of guidance and that many animals are subconsciously or not so much subconsciously aware of it that they follow certain patterns as if these were rules of life, and mostly these patterns show an innate wisdom. It is not only “swallows returning to Capistrano,” but all the aspects of migrations of bids and animals and insects; all the facets of lovemaking and home building, of methods of obtaining food, hiding from enemies, etc. In all of these there is evidence of a spirit of guidance.

We cannot say that the lower creation is consciously aware of divine guidance, but we can become aware that there is such a guidance.

GATHA: Besides this, if one studies nature, after keen observation and some contemplation upon it one will find that there is perfect wisdom behind it. Once man has thought on the subject, he can never, however materialistic he may be, deny the existence of God.

TASAWWUF: We must be very careful here not to fall into the confusion from words. Egocentric philosophers, of which the so-called existentialists are the clearest type, use the word “nature” in such a way that no biologist or geographer could understand it. When the word “nature” is used without any reference to the biological and geological habitats, it is most misleading.

The mystic has another approach; he may meditate or concentrate on objects or things from the mineral, vegetable or animal worlds. If he progresses in these arts, he may be able to enter into an attunement with them which can be called a yogic condition. In this attunement, he may be able to learn more than he can from external observation of them. This has always been the practice of the spiritually minded. We must be careful here and the only way to avoid confusion is actually practicing meditation on the stone, the tree, the flower, the family cat, the wild bird, etc. Without such practice there can be little wisdom or understanding.

And then comes a wonder. The mystic finds the existence of the same divine life, as it is said in the prayer, “Thy light is in all forms.” But now the same thing has been discovered by the scientist in his studies of cosmic rays, the ultra microscope and various other peregrinations into the depths of the real creatures, the real elements of the world about us.

We can philosophize and comment endlessly on this subject, but the wisdom is gained by the meditative attunement. This is part of the higher training of disciples of all schools of mysticism and wisdom.

GATHA: Man’s individuality is proved by his wisdom and distinguished by comparison. The wisdom of God, being perfect, is unintelligible to man. The glass of water cannot imagine how much water there is in the sea. If man would realize his limitation he would never dare question the existence of God.

RYAZAT: In Mushahida and in the deeper stages of yoga, the devotee practices Tat Tvam Asi. Literally this means, “that Thou art.” Or, “subject and object are one.” Therefore, one must feel that everything upon which his mind focuses is nothing but part of himself. If it is not already part of himself, he should sit in posture and feel it so. If it is an old experience, the devotee practices union with it. If it is a new experience, the devotee becomes as a mother giving birth. As one progresses, either by way of attunement or they way of giving birth, he begins to understand his own divinity. When by experience he begins to realize his own divinity, then he would never more question the existence of God.

GATHA: The symbol of the curl also signifies something which is there, attractive, and yet a puzzle, a riddle. One loves it, admires it, and yet one cannot fathom its length and breadth. It is that which is wisdom.

TASAWWUF: Millions repeat the Prajna Paramita Sutra, which is translated, “Scripture of the perfect wisdom.” Prajna means the immediate comprehension of whatever is about one of which one is conscious. In other words, this word is associated with actual yogic attunement and attainment. Many fail to appreciate this. Wisdom is not something apart from man. Wisdom is a function and attribute of man. It has been divinized as a woman, in Tibet as a goddess, because man must be in the state of receptivity in order for it to function. So also in another form it has been divinized as Isis, as Ishtar, as Sarasvati.

The greatest obstacle to this is the continued function of intellection. But mental disturbances are not overcome by mind. They may be overcome by breath; they may also be overcome by heart. As feelings are used, they become more alive; as they become more alive, they establish a new normalcy or pattern. Prajna is the same as the Sufi Kashf. We can study about this in the Gathas on the subject, and also in the commentaries thereon.

GATHA: Its surface is human, but its depth is divine.

TASAWWUF: That is to say, on the surface there is individualistic function, and in the depth there is collective function. On the unconscious level we find this in the behaviors of flocks of birds, hives of bees, herds of cattle, many functioning as one. On the superconscious level, it is the reciprocally opposite—one functioning as many. Superman is not an individual human with more outstanding faculties or abilities; superman or supermind is the activity of the spirit of guidance, vehicling an individual to influence a multitude.

GATHA: It could be hell or heaven, and the knowledge of it can enable man always to keep in touch with his heaven, instead of waiting for it till the hereafter.

TASAWWUF: The first step no doubt would be to affirm that heaven is here and now. As the adept develops through prowess in breathing, in concentration, in self-effacement, he finds it very easy to obliterate all influences from without and to experience more and more the influences from within. It is then that the heavens are at his feet. In the Sufi esotericism in particular, the various inner and outer sciences are taught which bring this about.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 7

The Glance

GATHA: The Persian poets, in the Sufi literature, very often speak of the glance. And their symbolical expression for the glance is, very often, a sword, and it is called a sword for various reasons.

TASAWWUF: The sword has always been a symbol of power, and sometimes it is also considered as a symbol of masculinity, of positivity. Thus in the Tarot, which is concerned chiefly with occult symbology, there is a whole suit of cards called swords. Each one of these cards has a particular meaning and the whole suit reflects the activity of positivity.

The eye has been called the window of the soul. It is really the soul that sees. No doubt if a greater portion of the nervous structure were exposed to the surface there could be a very different and vastly operative type of seeing. This subject has not yet been fully dealt with by biologists and psychologists. Suggestions by the French philosopher Henri Bergson, who was also in some respects a scientist, have been left, so to speak, in mid-air. No doubt future research will bring us more knowledge.

Jesus Christ has said, “The light of the body is in the eye.” The eye has been given great consideration by mystics of all times, and also some Islamic scientists who were also disciples in Sufism have added greatly to the science of optics.

There is also the symbol of the three monkeys, and one of them is depicted with his hands over his eyes, interpreted as, “With my eye I shall see no evil.” But this has another interpretation also, that one resists being upset by anything unfavorable or agitating which comes through his seeing.

RYAZAT: People who are lacking in willpower may be given the sword for concentration. It has one effect with the eyes open and another with the eyes closed. With the eyes open willpower is strengthened; and with the eyes closed magnetism is strengthened.

GATHA: In the first place the glance has a projecting effect. An intelligent glance has a crossways movement, like that of a sword. But besides this, from a psychological point of view a keen glance sees through an object, as though a thing had been cut open by the sword and manifested to view.

TASAWWUF: We have to consider this from two points of view, the exoteric and esoteric. Human beings seem to know instinctively many aspects in the function of the glance for varied purposes. It is not only the lovers, it is every type of person who sometimes may be using the glance or the eyes for various purposes of nonverbal communication.

Tawajjeh is a practice whereby the teacher uses the glance both for the purpose of communication and also for arousing latent potentialities in disciples. It is a mistake to conclude this is used for mind-reading. When a person uses the glance for any private reason the magnetism involved may be only that which he as an individual has stored. But when he uses the glance, acting as an instrument for the whole, that is “United with all the illuminated souls who form the embodiment of the master, the spirit of guidance,” it brings to the surface what is said in Saum, “Pour upon us Thy love and Thy light,” it is then that the divine love and light use the seer as an instrument. So strictly speaking a seer is not a superior magician who has obtained some miraculous power; a seer is one so profound in emptiness that he has become an instrument of power.

GATHA: The glance is a power; very little is known about it. The power of the glance can hold lions at bay. Therefore it is also symbolized as a sword.

TASAWWUF: When the commentator was first trained in fana-fi-sheikh, he went out walking one morning and was halted by a huge beast, half-dog, half-wolf. He did not know what to do. He used the glance, repeated internally “Allaho Akbar” and growled at the animal. It suddenly took fright and ran away. It does not matter here whether the glance at the moment was from the personality or from the universe using the person as its instrument.

Animal trainers and others, consciously or unconsciously, have been using the power of glance in all times. It has been used endlessly but somehow or other has not been given proper, serious consideration.

Tawajjeh is the use of the glance for a particular purpose and could be said to be the norm of the Pir who may be working to help people, both disciples and non-disciples. Such is the particularization of the glance for some specific purpose as in healing or soothing the hot-tempered, etc.

Darshan has been translated as meaning “view,” “outlook,” “idea,” (the word “idea” itself seems etymologically connected with the use of the eye)—in fact darshan has been used to mean everything from simple glance to total philosophy. At the same time, the term darshan has been applied in a particular sense to a person using his eyes for purposes of communication and magnetism and blessing to one or more people, either in a matter-of-fact way or in ceremony.

In the highest instances, the glance has been used by teachers to help elevate pupils and audiences. No doubt it has been degraded, it has been ceremonialized, it has even become mere theatrical play. In such instances the receptive persons have merely had their own magnetism involved and aroused as in drinking intoxicants. Then there is no real benefit.

GATHA: The glance of a brave person is very often more powerful than a sword, for the willpower works through the glance.

TASAWWUF: It is said that Mohammed had a glance which was more powerful than the sword. He used it at the battle of Vedr and then later realized that although he had been victorious by the glance and the use of the wazifa “Allaho Akbar,” it was his mission in life to win hearts and not merely battle; to lead all the Arabs and not just certain factions. By this experience and especially after being defeated at the battle of Chad, he was thereafter entirely successful in all his endeavors. People became charmed by his glance and his mannerisms.

In the case of Lord Buddha, it has been said that multitudes became enlightened just by his glance. If one visits the caves at Arjunta, there are wall paintings which exhibit in a marvelous manner the Tathagata and his glance and even these seemingly flat-surfaced figures have a majestic and magical effect.

GATHA: Besides its precious work, which makes the eye superior to every other organ of the body, it is the expression of the beauty of body, mind and soul.

TASAWWUF: It is not our purpose here to present mere intellectual philosophy. We have to learn from our own experiences and growth inwardly and outwardly. In Series I Gathas, the dot and circle are offered as subjects in symbology and therefore as themes for concentration. The dot and circle are elements of flat surfaces; the eye is roughly spherical and cannot be used in the same kind of concentration. That is to say to begin with, the eye would be transcendental to the dot and circle.

In the next place the eye is a vehicle of light. It is because it is a vehicle of light it may express the beauty of body, mind and soul. According to Sufi teachings there are three aspects of light which may be called physical, mental, and spiritual. Although physical light has been studied for many centuries, it has properties which have remained unknown, such as electrical and magnetic aspects. It is also a subject in the study of plants as in photo-intensity and photo-periodicity. It has been proposed that if plants respond to varying exposures of light in time and in intensity, and these have been well marked, the same might also be true of exposures of animals to light in time and intensity. While these subjects have been confined chiefly to specialists, they realize that light even on the physical plane plays roles not always known to the generality.

When it comes to light on the mental plane there are many aspects of it too profound to discuss here. Besides such considerations without corresponding inner awakening would be confusing and useless. Therefore it is most useful as well as inwardly beneficial to develop in accordance with the three purposes of the Sufi Order.

GATHA: Sufis, therefore, symbolize the eye by a cup of wine; through the eyes the secret hidden in man’s heart is reflected into the heart of another.

TASAWWUF: Realization comes from experience and not from any discussion. When the commentator was first ushered into Hazrat Inayat Khan’s presence a glance penetrated deep into the personality. This seemed also to have been true of the others who became disciples at the same time. The difference between the lover and the Sufi is that whereas the lover often recognizes the heart language from his beloved, the Sufi may see it in all mankind. And the more the devotee can realize it the better he is.

The commentator was present when Hazrat Inayat Khan and Nyogen Senzaki the Zen monk met and a single common glance brought them both into Samadhi. The same experience occurred years later when the commentator was ushered into the presence of the Zen Roshi Soen Asahina at Kamakura Japan. After that, the experience was repeated at the same and different levels in meeting realized souls of different faiths.

The picture of a teacher or saint may be used in concentration and devotion. Mohammed’s interdiction of the use of form was needed in his time when people were gross idolaters. At a higher state of general evolution, the situation is very different. The same medicine is not used for all diseases, nor can the same prohibitions be applied to all peoples.

The ancient Greeks had a legend of three old women called “grai.” It is said they had only a single eye. The hero Perseus came and snatched it from them. This eye was symbolic of light operating on the physical, mental and spiritual planes. The term “grai” literally means “gray one.” We can under stand this if we regard human beings as creatures of mixed light and darkness. Greek legends are full of myths and symbols which have cosmic meanings. Although Madame Blavatsky and some of her co-workers realized this, they did not go very far in succinct interpretations and so have left this work to others.

The symbology of wine has been presented in other places. But as in the Christian mysticism, especially, it always means transmutation from a state of pseudo sobriety or ignorance into bliss and exaltation.

GATHA: However much a person may try to conceal his secret, yet the reader can read it in his eyes, and can read there his pleasure, his displeasure, his joy, his sorrow.

TASAWWUF: One of the follies of commercial advertising is the assumption that concealment is easily accomplished, and that over-accentuated and over-emotionalized words can have a successful effect. Sometimes there is an effect but often it is largely hypnotic. And there is a reaction to this because the eye of the soul and the ear of the heart are often repelled rather than charmed.

It is an almost cosmic tragedy that when we look into the lives of actual persons resorting to such methods, they ultimately face cosmic retribution. They are easily replaced, and the same pattern is repeated to no benefit to anybody.

GATHA: A seer can see still farther. The seer can see the actual condition of man’s soul through his eyes, his grade of evolution, his attitude in life, his outlook on life, and his condition, both hidden and manifest.

TASAWWUF: There are two ways by which this may be accomplished: the path of purgation and the path of attainment. Much of the path of purgation is presented in Mental Purification and its commentaries.

There are several ways toward attainment: one is a particular path of the development of sight, supersight and insight by special practices for this purpose. Another is the general evolution which awakens and utilizes Kashf as is explained in the Gathas on the subject and the commentaries. But besides both the seemingly negative and positive way towards seership, the ultimate comes when one realizes “This is not my body, this is the temple of God.” So the true seer is one who is the instrument of the universe on the outer plane.

GATHA: Besides, to the passive soul of a disciple, knowledge, ecstasy, spiritual joy, and divine peace, all are given through the glance.

TASAWWUF: We have these words in the prayers. We have these teachings in the literature. But we do not always have accomplishments. There is a procession of spiritual vitality, passed from soul to soul, so to speak, in what may be called dharma transmission on one hand and procession of Baraka on the other. Ultimately, these become the same, and in the future ages the various schools of spiritual endeavor and mystical training will recognize this and each other.

As Sufism is now presented we can use the darshan of Buddha without necessarily emphasizing the personality of Buddha. We can use the teachings of Buddha to promote knowledge, ecstasy, spiritual joy, and divine peace. For this only glance and meditation are needed, thus perhaps the accomplishment may follow, does follow. It would seem we are imparting these things as experiences and not as intellectual considerations. And these are done through various ranges of magnetic communication on various levels as is presented in the teachings on Sufi psychology, both those offered to the disciples and to the generality.

GATHA: One sees in everyday life that a person who is laughing in his mind with his lips closed can express his laughter through his glance, and the one who receives the glance at once catches the infectious mirth. Often the same happens through looking in the eyes of the sorrowful, in a moment one becomes filled with depression.

TASAWWUF: We are today promoting this infectious mirth by spiritual means. This does not mean that illness, sorrow, misfortune, etc., are overlooked; it means the eradication of self-pity and the ability to face the rest of life from another point of view. It is remarkable to behold the growing use of exaltation by scholars who realize the limitations of intellect and the infinite potentialities of heart and higher consciousness.

What are they using? They are using the glance, they are using the atmosphere, they are using spiritual phrases, they are practicing the presence of Allah and His praise. They are finding these things more effective than all else. Yet there is no blind optimism, no superficiality, no disregard for others.

GATHA: And those whose secret is God, whose contemplation is the perfection of beauty, whose joy is endless in the realization of everlasting life, from whose heart the spring of love is ever flowing, it is most appropriate that their glance should be called, symbolically, the “Bowl of Saki, the Bowl of the Wine-Giver.”

TASAWWUF: The deeper one goes into the recesses of the heart, the greater will be his capacity for exaltation and cosmic enjoyment. The wise teacher will not hold back his glance, his blessing, his fervor. He can and does arouse the dormant life of devotees and disciples by the glance, and this symbolically becomes wine.

Fana-fi-sheikh, or self-effacement before the teacher, is a normal practice of Sufis of all schools. So long as the teacher makes no effort to build up personal following, aggrandizement and fame, the more he is capable of arousing and awakening the dormant, latent possibilities in disciples and all humankind.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 8

The Myth of Balder

GATHA: The Scandinavian myth tells that Balder, the god of youth, beauty, kindness, and gentleness, was pursued by enemies who wanted to kill him. For his protection a spell had been cast upon all the trees of the forest and every plant that has a root in the ground and grows upward to heaven, that no weapon wrought from any of them should have power to harm him.

TASAWWUF: In the nineteenth century there were independent efforts to collect and evaluate folklore myth. Such men as Andrew Lange and Sir James Frazer have become focus in historical and scientific annals. Madame Blavatsky who was the reviver of theosophy even saw divine wisdom in myths and legends. She was no doubt correct, but the statement of itself does not give us any divine wisdom. It is not enough to collect stories and sagas and märchen and compare them and note their migrations to different parts of the world. This of itself offers little explanation, but we might learn or infer that that which is deep, that that which is based on truth however presented, will tend to find a way into men’s conscious heart.

Balder may be regarded as the higher self in man, as the superman, as the ideal man. It is this man which is called hu-man in theSufi Message, who can be wise as the serpent and harmless as the dove. Balder was such a figure. He was called the god of youth and beauty because the soul is ageless. He was god of kindness and gentleness, qualities which emanate from the purified heart.

Mohammed taught that God has sent a prophet to all people. This statement is also accepted by man any without content. The Sufi goes further, he seeks the content. A Sufi may study folklore, mythology, comparative religion and all related subjects, but he does so with the inner belief that these are vestiges of the revelations given to those prophets which Salat says, “All known and unknown to the world.”

GATHA: But in this charm, the mistletoe had been forgotten, which has no root in the ground, and from its wood an arrow was made, with which Balder was hit and wounded to death.

TASAWWUF: The mistletoe has neither root in the ground no does it grow toward heaven. The life in samsara is very much like this. The various social order, industrial systems or more especially certain institutions theoretically based on them are not doubt parasitic. It is these parasitic institutions and person with such outlooks that have often been the causes of the defeat of righteousness in the world. And we can see also in the Mahabharata that the kuruvas represented such outlooks.

GATHA: Its interpretation is an answer to the question which often arises in an intelligent mind, “Why were godlike people treated cruelly, continually, through all periods of the world’s history, and how could any person in the world think of causing harm to those who attracted the sympathy of almost every soul they met on the earth?”

TASAWWUF: The same idea is found in the Bible where it is stated that the Roman soldiers taunted Jesus Christ asking if he were the son of God why did he not get down from the cross. Here we have a simile no doubt that Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross or tree and that Balder was killed by something derived from a tree.

The well known poet-scientist Robert Graves has done years of research on tree symbology and the attendant myths. He claims that there is much of prehistory in them but he also has seen something far more deep. In the Jewish religion we hear the Torah referred to as “the tree of life.” If we could have a macroscopic view we could understand it, but with a microscopic and analytical view we are lost. We do not see the whole.

Thus we have a very strange interpretation, that the processes of narrow views and analysis make it difficult not to say impossible to have overall pervading views. This means that darkness is overcoming light, for the narrow view, being mutually exclusive, preclude each other and also hinder the wide views. Thus the mass of humanity although sympathetic and even devout towards Balder and Jesus and Krishna have, because of the ego, precluded themselves from the universal outlook, and thus also stood in the way of their own enlightenment.

The whole struggle on the spiritual path is to rise above and beyond ego and narrowness. All truth, beauty, wonder and perfection are found within the depths and can be brought to light.

GATHA: Their adherents spread their teachings and the beauty of their life and character among all, wise and foolish, kind and cruel. They all became more or less impressed by what they learned of the godly souls, even those whose soul had not yet risen to human evolution, who only live like trees and plants, living and yet dreaming, unaware of life, except their own activity.

TASAWWUF: This would indicate that also we have within us a type of godliness. This is also a teaching in The Inner Life and the commentaries on it. In Sufism, as well as in similar teachings derived from other sources, we reach the conclusion that the universe is in man. It is not only to say, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Many do that; it is to make a reality of it. No doubt it is comforting to enjoy Balder and Christ, but what is necessary is to awaken the Balder and Christ within ourselves.

GATHA: But the one who could not be impressed by this spell, whom, even had the spell been cast upon him, it could not have reached, and had it reached only with great difficulty, is the godless, who is like the mistletoe, living without any root.

TASAWWUF: There is a sort of parallel in the Greek legends that Thetis placed the infant Achilles into a magic potion holding him by the heel and that this portion of his body alone was vulnerable. It would seem that there may be a weak spot in all of us, and not only in persons but in the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms. They all have their weak spots. Jesus Christ has said, “In the hour ye think least the son of man cometh.” It happens therefore that great spiritual personalities may manifest without being recognized, even being ignored. It also happens that dangers lurk without being recognized, often ignored.

This has given the pseudo-prophets the opportunity to give false warnings. These warnings disturb all who do not accept that there is a spirit of guidance within. Words may disturb us but vision can save us. We have a true root within us; the tree of life has often been symbolized as representing both the human being and all of humanity.

Mohammed himself was well aware of the godless of his time. Sura CXI reads, “Let the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and let himself perish! His wealth and his gains shall avail him not. Burned shall he be at the fiery flame and his wife laden with firewood—on her neck a rope of palm fiber.”

Now Abu Lahab itself means “father of the flame.” Symbolically this is the nufs of man which can lead him even to hellfire. Actually this also refers to human beings, in-laws of the prophets who led the opposition to him. This also appears in Gayan where it says, “Our greatest enemies are those near and dear to us.” Balder was killed by a blind brother.

When the intuitive faculty begins to operate we can understand symbology in action. If we apply the intellect which has no place here, we tend to restrict parables. Mohammed over and over again said that Holy Qur’an was offered in parabolic form. In Hadiths he said, “Holy Qur’an was revealed in seven dialects, and each with an inner and outer aspect.” History shows and orthodoxy supports the tendency toward a single interpretation, or rather many conflicting single interpretations instead of rising to an overall view.

Parables, legends, myths, and symbolic representations can only be properly understood and applied when the intuitive faculty Kashf or insight is properly awake and functioning. If we look upon the story of Balder as a single incident it is of no importance whatsoever.

GATHA: The mourning for this is continued, in memory of the death of that god. In reality it is celebrating the birth of what was born from him, it was divine knowledge.

TASAWWUF: “The Dying God” was also a theme of Sir James Frazier in the monumental The Golden Bough. It has been offered time and again to all sorts of people in all parts of the world. Sometimes a god is killed or dies without there being any resurrection. In those cases he is usually avenged.

There are mourning festivals among many people for different outward reasons though inwardly it is the same thing. It is applied in agriculture, and it is also applied in ceremonies sometimes connected with agricultural societies and sometimes not so. You can write volumes on this, and it has become an important theme in anthropology and folklore.

No doubt in esoteric practices such as meditation and concentration the cross as a symbol either connected with Jesus Christ or otherwise is often sufficient to awaken mankind to the motifs involved.

Stories of the dying god often present ideas of rebirth, youth and virility. The ancients often had a particular god for one or more of these virtues. Now we have the one ever-living God. But as this God cannot be seen and is difficult to realize, different aspects of the universal life are presented to devotees in devotion and concentration and in study. Thus we may be able to resurrect the Balder which is within ourselves. The mistletoe does not represent anything substantial. It is symbolic of the ego which tends to kill all aspects of divinity as they come to manifestation. On the other hand, especially in Sufism there are all the methodologies which make us aware of the divine life which is within us.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 9

 The Tree of Wishes

GATHA: There is an old Hindu belief, found in the ancient myths of India, that there is a tree which they call Kamana Kalpa Vriksha, a tree that bears all fruits that one can imagine, and if a person is under that tree he has but to wish for what he would like, and in the same moment all fruits, all flowers, everything he can imagine, he will find brought forth by the tree as its fruits; he has but to wish and it will fall into his hands.

TASAWWUF: In Symbology the tree and the cross are related. Suppose one were given the symbol of the cross for concentration. Its significance is self-surrender. But suppose something happened as in the story of Tannhauser, that the wood began to turn into a tree? This is self-fulfillment; in Sufism we have fana, self-effacement; we also have baqa, self-fulfillment. And what is self-fulfillment?

It is the coming into manifestation of the divine life which is in all forms. In other forms this may be unconscious. There is a Sufi saying that every leaf of the tree testifies to Allah. But in the adept the effacement brings the fulfillment, is the fulfillment. Supposing it was necessary for the disciple to have the ego under control; then the teacher might assign the cross as his concentration. But suppose the disciple were a self-debasing type, or really in need, or in the process of growth, then the teacher might give the tree as the subject.

In the studies in Murakkabah, concentration, one is given a theme. Then one may be given a theme in which the devotee might have to use his own devices. He might be assigned a bare tree, like a deciduous one in winter. He would use his inner faculties to bring that tree into bud, into leaf, into fruiting and fulfillment. Thus the Garden of Eden represents the picture of Jabrut or the spiritual world. There is Paradise Lost and there is Paradise Regained. Only man regains by his own effort. It is not true as orthodoxy may proclaim that a human sacrifice or a divine sacrifice returns man to his original state without effort, without trial, without suffering.

Line 57 of Sura XXXVI (36) says, “Therein shall they have fruits, and shall have whatever they require.” This is usually regarded as a heavenly condition. It comes in the heavens of rewards and punishments; in Hindu terminology, Indra Loka. But is this the fulfillment of man’s destiny? To the mystic rewards and punishments belong to the children and perhaps they are necessary in some stages of development. Yes, Jesus has said, “Seek and ye shall find, ask and it shall be added unto you.” But what are we seeking? Is it self-fulfillment?

Man may become one with the Cross or with Jesus on the Cross. He also may become one with the tree with all its leaves, branches, flowers and fruits.

GATHA: If it is within one’s reach one has to raise one’s hand to pluck the flower or fruit of that tree; if it is beyond one’s reach one has only to wish and the branch will reach one’s hand, that one may pick it without any effort.

TASAWWUF: No doubt symbology is very valuable in helping man conceal, also in helping man reveal. This is a teaching of masonry. But this teaching does not help one much until he fulfills Tat Tvam Asi; literally “That Thou Art.” According to Sufism, everything on the heavens and earth belongs to man. Man achieves his Godhead when he realizes his allness. If he looks at the tree, if he sees the tree, if he can paint the tree correctly, he is an artist. But if he can become the tree, he is a yogi or adept. Then it is no longer symbology, it is self-fulfillment.

There is a Hebrew tradition that the manna described in the Books of Moses could take on any taste. It represents an aspect of the fulfillment of wishes. Yes, every wish can be fulfilled, but it will bring about with it its karma also. The wise, therefore, are very cautious about wishing.

GATHA: And there is a story about that tree, that a wanderer, while journeying in deserts, by chance happened to sleep under that tree. And when, after a good sleep, he opened his eyes and looked up at that tree, he thought, “I suppose it must be a pear tree.” No sooner had he thought that than two good ripe pears dropped near him. While lying there he picked them up. “Oh,” he said, “what a wonderful tree! If it were a grape tree, what a splendid thing it would be!” As soon as he said it, the tree seemed full of grapes, and before he raised his hands, the branches bent low and, without any effort, he was able to pick the grapes.

TASAWWUF: This is a similar allegory to that of the manna and its fulfillment. But we must consider the desert also. This means that man is striving toward fulfillment. It also signifies samsara. But it also means that even in samsara there is the Divine Grace.

GATHA: But when he thought, “What a wonderful tree!” he wondered if the tree would yield some roses. And no sooner had he given a thought to it than the whole tree seemed to blossom into roses. This man became so surprised, so amazed and perplexed at this magical tree that he wondered if it was true or if it was only a dream. As soon as he thought of a dream and he looked up at the tree, the tree vanished in a moment.

TASAWWUF: This actually occurs in our daily life. But the processes on earth are slow, in heaven they are rapid. They are slow on earth because man is intoxicated by the denseness of the earth. In fact the divine grace is such that it wishes the self-fulfillment in man. The desire nature wants everything, but wanting and gaining everything does not bring the self-fulfillment. Rather the intoxications of life bring only temporary pleasures and joys.

There was one time an American actor named Douglas Fairbanks who filled the role called “The Thief of Baghdad.” This was an allegoric story written by an Afghan named Achmed Abdallah. It was really a Sufi story. It had to do with the initiations of the five elements. The hero began as a thief; then he was caught and punished; then he underwent the initiations and all sorts of trials. When he passed these tests he gained power over the universe.

This is really the allegoric story of every person, especially all persons who go on the spiritual path toward self-fulfillment. The Persians had variations of the same theme in “The Treasure Chest of Oromades.” Even the Holy Grail is a variant of this theme.

GATHA: There cannot be a better example to demonstrate the idea behind the symbolical tree than this story. For this tree is the whole universe, the miniature of which is one’s own self, and there is nothing that you ask that this universe will not answer, for it is the nature of the universe to answer your soul’s call.

TASAWWUF: We have this symbolic tree in another form in the Jewish Kabbalah. For a similar reason also Sir James Frazier called his monumental work The Golden Bough. In all parts of the world we have variants of the same theme. We can even find it in the human body, both in constructive and destructive senses.

What the devotee needs is the self-realization. The Jewish traditions, both mystical and non-mystical, speak of the Tree of Life. What is this tree? Where is it? Of what use is it if it is merely regarded as a symbol?

Repeating the attributes of God in Wazifas and other sacred phrases man draws from the infinite Godhead all that is required for his fulfillment and perfection. It is the God that fulfills. As we cannot know God in His fullness we can nonetheless attune to and assimilate His various attributes. Then we draw the blessings and these blessings may come to us both in form and in formless ways.

GATHA: Only, if you ask for pears, there are pears, if one asked for a cactus, there is a cactus, if you ask for the rose there will be the rose and its thorns together. And it is the lack of knowledge of this great secret hidden in the heart of the universe which is the only tragedy in life.

TASAWWUF: The great American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was right when he said we must be careful about what we wish for, for we shall surely obtain it. All wishes may come true sooner or later. The wise therefore add the phrase “inshallah” whenever they wish or predict or tell. In this way they avoid any disagreeable karma, even if it means avoiding all karma. There are several aspects to this.

After the devotees are taught Fikr they are asked to observe this sway of breath as if keeping in this breath one was attuned to God. Any change from it would mean lack of attunement. So by Fikr man sooner or later arrives to mastery.

GATHA: When a person seeks for something in the universe and he cannot find it, it is not true that it is not there, the fact is that he does not see it. Besides, he sees something within his reach, he sees something which he desires, and yet he thinks whether it is possible for him to get it or whether it is beyond the reach of his effort and power.

TASAWWUF: Years ago there was a child’s story written in the school books by which reading was taught all over America. It was called the “Wishing Tree.” It had this theme, but very few ever found it. The Bible may say, “Few there be that find it;” or “In the hour ye think least the son of man cometh!” If we wish, we cannot demand also that our wishes be granted by some particular method. If a person has to travel a short distance or a long distance, he knows that he cannot self-select the roads and arrive at his destination also; he must give up something. Either he must abandon his wish or be thankful if it be fulfilled in any manner, for the fulfillment belongs to God alone.

GATHA: And at the same time the end of the story solves the whole question of life, and that is, it is all there and nothing is there. If we think it is everything, it is everything, but if we realize that it is nothing, it is nothing. It is something of which you may say that it is and it is not.

TASAWWUF: Pictures of the universe are offered in many places in The Sufi Message and in all mystic literature. In Buddhism in particular it has been taught that everything may be determined by mind, but a single thought “all may be determined by mind” itself does not determine. Mind is not one of its myriad of thoughts nor can it be a thought of itself. This is a trap into which many fall.

The Psalmist said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” People repeat this phrase and go on wanting. Gayan says, “When a glimpse of Our Image is caught in man, when heaven and earth are sought in man, then what is there in the world that is not in man? If one only explores him, there is a lot in man.” But it takes much more than the repetition of formulae, then the quoting of a maxim or slogan, to bring about self-fulfillment.

We must learn to hold an optimist view, that all things are possible with us and through us. The depths of concentration are in the depths of the heart. With awakening of the heart all may be fulfilled.

GATHA: However, beyond all things of this universe, above all things that this life can offer, there is only one thing and that is God. And what is God? God is truth.

TASAWWUF: Although this teaching has been expressed many times in both esoteric and exoteric literature, it requires the depths of contemplation. Contemplation or Mushahida is an advanced practice among adepts. Lessons about shahud appear in The Sufi Message of Spiritual Liberty and also in studies on Azan, the call to prayer. No doubt these are proper introductions, but the real practice of Mushahida comes when man delves deeply into his whole heart, sees the universe as within his own heart and identifies himself with the Divine Mother, so to speak, feeling the whole creation as if within himself.

The sacred phrase, “Ya Hayy, Ya Haqq” verbalizes this. It is only after one has advanced in concentration and meditation, then one can sense and feel the whole universe, the Garden of Eden with all its trees and blessings within himself and begin the work of Bodhisattva or Spirit of Guidance.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary           Series II: Number 10

The Hindu Symbolical Form of Worship

GATHA: Puja is the name of the Hindu form of worship, which is, from the beginning to the end a symbolical expression of what the seeker has to perform in the path of spiritual attainment.

TASAWWUF: No doubt every form of worship is symbolic, in other words, it has its overtones, it derives from the worlds unseen as well as the seen. It may also be true that many of the principles and elements of Indian Puja have been copied and so influenced other religions. But there is another side to it also. In Series I Gathas on Naqshibandi, many basic elements are introduced. They are like geometry; they also are like the mineral world.

But then the element of activity is introduced. This represents an evolution like the vegetable world out of the mineral world. The elements of the vegetable world have breath and life which is to say movement. So as we advance in evolution, be it material, be it spiritual, be it of the worlds below, be it of the worlds above, we find the same universal principles in operation. And when we pass from the study of one religion to another, we find certain elements in common: the straight line remains a straight line, the curve a curve, sound is sound, silence is silence, bowing has a certain purpose and effect, standing up has a certain purpose and effect, walking has the same meaning, and circumambulation and all basic elements do not change, although they are used in various combinations by the different faiths.

GATHA: After bathing in the running stream of water, which the Hindu calls the Ganges (whatever be the name of the river he at that time believes that it is the Ganges, the sacred river) he proceeds with flowers to the shrine of the deity.

TASAWWUF: Purification comes first in every faith. This is a remarkable fact which analytical minds seeking differences tend to overlook. Islam which was originally religion in the desert could hardly propose bathing in streams, but wazu is regarded as most important. Indeed, Muslims often regarded themselves as superior over Christians because they demanded both wazu and the hamman or bath. Still we can find several forms of water-purification in the ancient Hebrew religion and baptism in Christianity.

The commentator who has partaken of the baptism in both the Christian and Hindu rituals found they were remarkably alike in form but with different words. The commentator himself had this baptism in the Godavari River which was once most sacred in India and in some ways still is. He had this baptism in the very region mentioned in the Ramayana, in the life of the avatar Rama.

In the Hebrew Bible the Jordan River sometimes functions similarly to the Ganges in Hindu mythology. Looking at it from the esoteric point of view, in the art of mythology we find many similarities. And when we look into the blood stream which is within man, we find complete evidences behind such mythologies, a unity from which varieties have been derived. In the Christian Epistle of St. John we may also read that there are three witnesses on earth: water and breath and blood.

The flowers also are emblems of the vegetable world and of life, of sacrifice, of beauty and of purity. Both water and flowers are used in the modern Sufi healing service.

GATHA: He puts on to the deity the flowers, and repeats the mantrams, and stands greeting the deity with folded hands, and prostrates himself before the deity. Then he rings the bell and repeats the sacred word.

TASAWWUF: The mantram corresponds to both prayer and sound. In this Hindu ceremony man is not seeking, man is not asking. He is offering veneration. When the devotee prostrates, he is inferring: I am not, Thou art all. We have the same ideas in other forms of worship by other people.

The ringing of the bell indicates nada brahma, or sabha, that is to say, sound. Sound may reach the deity and also sound may come from the deity if only we know how to listen.

The sacred word is repeated. This removes all mundane words and thoughts. It means a mental purification, just as the water connotes a physical purification.

GATHA: Then he takes rice in his hands and puts it at the feet of the deity.

TASAWWUF: Rice is an offering of the produce of the field. In this respect also it represents the vegetable world. Hebrew people say, “Praise be to Thee O Lord, our God, King of the Universe Who has produced bread from the ground.” We can see in all parts of the world a relation between the products of the earth and particularly the grains. Not only in the old world but even in the new. It would appear that God has sent messages to the world from time to time to instruct humanity how to grow these grains and thus place food in the hands of God’s creatures.

In Java to this day where the people have become Muslims and in Bali where they have retained their ancient forms of worship, rice is offered in worship but then is eaten afterwards. And if we make a deep study of this externally, we can find principles and ceremonies like this among cultured people everywhere.

GATHA: Then the red powder, Kumkum, he touches with the tip of his finger and makes a mark with it on the shrine of the deity and then on his own forehead.

TASAWWUF: This is for mental purification. The mind is used as well as the body and not only symbolically but actually when this can be done. The place where the mark is made is just over the third eye, which has become asleep in most people.

GATHA: Then he touches the ointment with the tip of his finger and, after touching the deity, he touches his forehead with the ointment.

TASAWWUF: The signification of oils and ointments is explained in the lessons on “Superstitions, Customs and Beliefs” and the commentaries thereon. Briefly, this symbolizes the softening of the ego.

There may be a question here why this subject is introduced in the lessons on Naqshibandi and the reason is that the purpose is to instill action rather than thought. It is here not only to understand forms of worship but to be able to partake of them. We have instances in the literature where Sufi saints have gone so far as to worship before idols which seems very contrary to the religion of Mohammed. In his time the idols represented presumably different deities. The Arabs before the time of Mohammed were ignorant and illiterate. Other peoples were not so ignorant and illiterate and saw in their gods and goddesses aspects of the one all pervading deity.

GATHA: He then prostrates himself and makes three circles around the shrine.

TASAWWUF: Here we see the straight line, the dot and the circle—all used in worship. We pass from the static to the dynamic. Prostration and circumambulation are found in the rituals of all faiths with the same meanings. Prostration is like fana, self-effacement. Circumambulation is like baqa, the coming into manifestation of the divine life. We find these also in evidence in the ritual before the Kaaba in Mecca. Wherever they are used they have the same psychic import.

Indeed, one of the purposes of the Sufi Message of the day is to uncover common meanings and to resurrect the psychic aspects of religion and of life. Both prostrations and circumambulations are used, must be used, in our devotions.

GATHA: Then he rings the bell, and thus the service is finished.

TASAWWUF: This ringing of the bell has also passed into Buddhism. In some sects it is an important part of the ceremony. Sometimes it has been elaborated and gongs are used, and occasionally, a wooden block or hollow wooded instrument is used. It can even be practiced so that the devotee identifies himself with sound, and from this also he can begin to understand more of life.

GATHA: Afterwards he goes and stands before the sun and does his breathing exercises while adhering to the sun, and that completes the next part of his worship.

TASAWWUF: The salutation to the sun is very ancient. It seems to have come from the time when the Aryans lived in the north before the separation of the Iranians and Hindus (Aryans). This is also considered in the discussions of the sun in the commentaries on Series I. But we also can internalize all these elements.

As soon as one becomes a disciple in Sufism he practices Nayaz, so that he can avail himself of the rays of the sun, of the waves of the air, and of the all-pervading power in space. From these three sources he can derive endless vitality, even a form of immortality.

GATHA: However primitive this form of worship, at the back of it there seems to be a great meaning. The meaning of the bath in the Ganges is to become purified before one makes any effort of journeying on the spiritual path.

TASAWWUF: There is some question as to what is primitive and what is not. We see the rise of new cults of new sects and they introduce rituals and ceremonies. But they cannot introduce into the human mind what has not already been the mental atmosphere. In this sense as Solomon has said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

It is very curious that while attacks are being made on religion and much is made of the word “superstition,” many anthropologists who are not particularly religious are finding much significance. And while much has been made about differences between science and religion, why not? There is difference between sleeping and eating and working and playing; there are many differences in life, different activities, but this does not mean that they must be at war with each other. Science refers to activities in certain aspects of life, and religion to other aspects of the one common life.

GATHA: The purification of the body and of the mind both are necessary before one takes the first step towards the God-ideal. One must not approach deity before such purification, the outer purification as well as the inner purification, for then alone, when once a person is pure, he will find it easy to attain the desired presence.

TASAWWUF: This whole subject is dealt with at some length in Mental Purification and its commentaries. It is indeed a vast subject and it is indeed a most difficult series of processes.

GATHA: The meaning of the flowers which he takes is that God is pleased with the offerings which are delicate, beautiful and fragrant. Delicate means tenderness of heart, beautiful in color is fineness of character, fragrance is the virtue of the soul. This is the offering with which God is pleased.

TASAWWUF: We speak of God as the perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty. These are outlines, skeleton words. There may be some question as to how beauty has found a place in this life. We can conceive of a world without the loveliness of flowers and trees and fruits. But the fact is that they are, and when we look into it deeply there is not only some beauty but also some wisdom in it.

This introduces the heart element into worship, the feelings. So a pure worship will be one which is operative on all planes of being.

GATHA: He stands with the thought that his self is devoted in perfect discipline to the supreme will of God. His hands folded express no action on the part of himself, but complete surrender. The meaning of prostration is self-denial in the right sense of the word, which means: “I am not, Thou art.”

TASAWWUF: This is the whole spirit of devotion. It is not that religion is going out of existence, it is that true devotion is returning. The Gita says, “When dharma decays, I come.” We find the same principle in the Hebrew Kabbalah. But the thought of self has been so emphasized even by those who belong to faiths which deny the existence of self that ceremonies have become empty and the psychological values behind faiths have been buried.

In the Message of the Day there are many esoteric and some exoteric practices which are used to restore the purity and value behind worship itself. There has been too much emphasis upon a particular form rather than the overt or hidden significance. True devotion means the abasement of the ego-self, that is the nufs, without any hindrance to personality, which is the hidden sun within all of us.

GATHA: Whispering the words and ringing the bell is that the same word is rung in the bell of one’s heart.

TASAWWUF: We are beginning to understand through actual experience what Al-Ghazali said, that “Sufism is based on experience and not on syllogisms.” The practice of Zikr as an esoteric methodology; the continuance of it on and on will evince that as man is calling on Allah, so Allah is expressing Himself to and through man. It is not a one-way operation. It is not some dualistic device called monistic. In the end it will be found that God is worshipping God through man.

GATHA: His touching the red powder means touching the eternal life and when he touches the deity with that powder it means that from this source he is to gain eternal life. When he touches his forehead with it, it means he has gained it for himself. And the ointment means wisdom, and the touching of his own head with it means that he has gained it.

TASAWWUF: This is really part of concentration. We are not always told, but the practice of Murakkabah either in the disciplinary form or the devotional form helps to awaken the hidden part of our being. It comes to life. The so-called “Third Eye” begins to function and often it awakens faculties of which we have not been aware; and it opens up the unseen worlds which are not always in accord with our conceptions.

GATHA: Then making three circles around the shrine is the sign that life is a journey and that journey is made to attain his goal which is God, that “Every step I take in my life,” the Brahman thinks, “will be in His direction, in the search of God.”

TASAWWUF: Pilgrimage belongs to all faiths. It often takes considerable selflessness to realize that the same principles which Mohammed proclaimed as “The Pillars of Islam” are found in all faiths, and that he came as the “Seal of the Messengers,” not as the destroyer of previous revelations.

The reason that Islam has failed as a final religion is that in the hands of the ignorant it has become destructive. The message of Mohammed was even more than that of Jesus Christ, “I have not come to destroy but to fulfill,” which means to finalize and perfect.

GATHA: In the second part of the service when he stands before the sun, by that he means that God is to be sought in the light. And by the breathing exercises he welds that link of inner communication between God and himself.

TASAWWUF: We can begin to realize that all the Gathas, though presented as separate subjects, have their one common purpose. And the over-emphasis on breath is not an over-emphasis at all. It is because man, in his ignorance, has created a difference between spirit and breath, between life and breath, and between God and breath. When we bring these all together, though it may not necessarily advance us, it means the end of stasis, it means the beginning of the awakening or reawakening of life’s currents in it and the transformation which transforms and is not a mere mental operation. It culminates in the rebirth spiritually of every devotee.

Gatha with Commentary

Naqshibandi: Symbology

Series III

of

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

by

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

(Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 1

Leili and Majnun

GATHA: The legend of Leili and Majnun is a story which is known throughout the East, and the Sufi poets have used the characters of Leili and Majnun to express, in this symbolical legend, the philosophy of love.

TASAWWUF: No doubt there are many stories which are derived from the sacred mysteries, and there are many folk-stories often called marchen which are based upon inspired occult foundations, which have allegorical interpretations. These allegories thus preserve the wisdom of the ages, wisdom not only given to the world by the wise but also by the innocent who have clear insight. The Sufi poets and teachers of all times have taken advantage of these stories and traditions to adopt them to their own use, that mankind might learn therefrom when he would not be able to study metaphysics directly.

While Jelal-ud-din Rumi stands out in the first rank of those who worked in this way, he was far from being alone. Nizami, Attar, Saadi, Hafiz, Shabestari and many others used the same method more or less. The last great Sufi poet, who was also a great Murshid, historian, writer and philosopher, was Jami and his poetry is now famous all over the world. The main theme of it was love, love in all its aspects, and he too, made much use of this theme of Leili and Majnun.

Actually the word Leili means night or moon, and it is of the same root as Delilah in the Book of Judges in the Bible. The word Majnun means the inspired one, or the jinn-possessed. Sometimes it is also applied to a madman, for the mad were supposed to be possessed by jinn—and very often those whom we regard as mad are merely possessed by obsessing forces. From another view Leili represents the not-self and Majnun the self; Leili the beloved and Majnun, the lover.

GATHA: Leili and Majnun, when young, were schoolmates, devoted to one another.

TASAWWUF: We may take this literally, and we may also suppose that it would indicate that there are soul-mates. However it can hardly be said this is true in the ultimate, for the essence of the soul is God, mating, and marriage persist through the physical and mental planes but not into eternity. Each person has his own destiny and purpose.

We can also state that regarding Leili and Majnun from another aspect, that originally all souls were in God and therefore “knew” each other when young, and on the heart-plane those who became lovers on earth probably touched each other.

GATHA: Whenever the teacher looked at Majnun’s slate there was the picture of Leili drawn upon it. And when the teacher asked Leili to read from the book she repeated the name of Majnun.

TASAWWUF: In the angelic world, or Djabrut, which is the state of heart by itself, the whole concern is with love. Love, not knowledge, is the all-compelling state. The real teacher brings out that love in everyone although at first there must be love in name and form, in order to understand the love, in order to make it intelligible.

GATHA: So, disappointed with the school, the parents had to take them back home. When difficulties arose owing to caste differences, so that they could not be married to one another according to the caste ideas, in order to make either forget the other, by changing the direction of their minds, someone asked Majnun, “What is there especial in Leili that you love her so much?”

TASAWWUF: The heart of itself is not concerned with questions—or answers. It is the mind that brings up these things. The souls in the realm of heart know no distinctions or differences. When the soul comes to the world of mind it takes on a cover and in this cover is the faculty of self-identity, which we call nufs, which is the conscious nufs in the ordinary state. There are all kinds of grades and differences and distinctions of ego and this makes it impossible for them all to associate one with the other. Egos of different classes do not or should not associate.

Upon this idea the caste distinction came into being. Perhaps originally it had a mystical basis. According to mysticism it is well for fire and air people to associate or get married and for earth and water people to associate and get married. But for the first types to mingle with the second types is liable to produce a condition of misunderstanding.

Now the mind does not understand heart or love, and many parents interfere in the affairs of their children because after passing through the intoxication of love, they come to a state of sobriety. This state becomes all the more fixed when they are intellectual or mental in outlook, and then the sense of feeling is lost and thought does not always understand feeling, or love.

GATHA: “There are many other maidens in the world.” Majnun answered, “In order to see Leili you must borrow Majnun’s eyes.”

TASAWWUF: There are many sources of attraction and pleasure in the world, there are multitudes of things which interest the ego, but which have little effect upon the heart, which may find no response there. Only the heart-awakened understand heart. The others may substitute sex for love or presume that marriage itself will cure many evils, heal many pains. But the mind can only understand heart when it allows itself to be covered by heart, when thought is held with feeling.

GATHA: With great difficulty Leili’s people consented, on condition that Majnun did not show himself odd in his love, but would behave sensibly. On the day for which the visit had been arranged, for Leili’s people to meet Majnun, Majnun entered the room with his parents, who had told him to behave sensibly. It happened that Leili’s dog, which Majnun had known for years, came into the room. Majnun could not for one moment hold to his dignity; he bowed at the feet of the dog and kissed its paws, and the visit became a failure.

TASAWWUF: When heart-love dominates the personality it expresses itself in joyous ecstasy, becoming blind to the world and all therein. How true this is of love and lovers. They seem devoid of reason, they do not heed what is going on around, they have no sight, no sense, no thought for other than the beloved. It is a complete and all-compelling concentration, and indeed those who are not so successful in Murakkabah often reveal a certain lack of love-development, of heart-development. If they could have that without going on the path of pain and difficulty, it would be a blessing.

The mystic who enters into rapport with God has much the same experience, except that he sees the reflection of the Beloved in all. He does not thereby become exclusive or inconsiderate of others. The love broadens him, makes him more tolerant. The character of Majnun is therefore to be used by mureeds who have failed to progress because of lack of love, yet who have been successful in their concentrations of name and form. Thereby they begin to develop their faculty of conception, which opens the way for inspiration. Then they can become vehicles of transmission even without the ecstasy.

GATHA: Disappointed at Majnun’s action, his parents took him to the Kaaba, and told him to pray as they would pray; he said yes. The multitude followed, to see what prayer was going to take place.

TASAWWUF: The mind does not understand the heart-condition, does not know ecstasy. Yet the esotericists have been very careful not to be too different from the people of the world. They therefore follow the established religion and local customs although they see their limitations and know the reason behind them which the multitude do not know. The multitude follows Majnun because in the first place spiritual attainment does not mean loss of anything—one retains the mind and all its faculties and possessions, the body and worldly goods. The multitude also means that the generality will follow the spiritual person, are often seeking a leader but do not know where to turn.

GATHA: On hearing the name of Majnun, Majnun’s parents first prayed, “God, take away the love of Leili from the heart of Majnun.” All the others listened. Then they asked Majnun to come and pray as they did. He said, “Then shall I have Leili if I pray?” They urged him to come and pray. He said, “God, give me Leili.” And all present said, “Amen.”

TASAWWUF: The name “Majnun,” which means obsessed, was given to him when he got into this condition of intoxication. He was taken to the holy place, it being supposed that there he would be relieved of the obsession. People used to use prayer for that purpose. The parents assumed Majnun was afflicted and they prayed for his release. But instead of Majnun being afflicted he was enlightened. It was after his prayers and not after the parents’ prayers that the multitudes said “Amen.” Indeed if the heart is right, prayer will strengthen it. If one is obsessed the prayer may release him, but if he is not obsessed, if he is inspired, the prayer will strengthen him.

GATHA: When the parents became hopeless, then they let Majnun roam about as he wished.

TASAWWUF: The common-sense of the parents was hopeless before the super-sense of Majnun, for it was evident that his state was in harmony with God’s desire, and that they themselves were not attuned to Allah. The heart, being free, was no longer subject to the rules and disciplines—if they can be called such—of the samsaric state, of karma, fate. The one thus delivered becomes master of his destiny, he has realized the purpose of his life.

GATHA: Majnun in the end arrived near Leili’s town and stayed outside the town in an old ruin where nobody lived. Being tired, he was taking shelter there, under that worn-out roof.

TASAWWUF: When one goes upon the spiritual path he is willing to undergo all tests and privations. The traveler may come close to the Goal, but of his own self he cannot and does not enter God’s palace (the town), or cross the threshold; he waits until he is summoned.

GATHA: Leili, hearing that Majnun was near the town, sent some of her portion of food by a confidential maid, who was to carry it to Majnun. When the maid came and looked in that place for the beloved of Leili there were two persons there, one a person thin and drowsy, the other person rather good looking.

TASAWWUF: There was one person there who had abandoned the world and the other who had not abandoned the world. In this case the action of Leili represents also the Grace of God. The Grace of God is for all, saint and sinner alike. It comes before personality, which has two aspects, the true and the false. The false appears under the material guise, and many are beguiled by its beauty. The true may be hidden even when there is no beauty.

GATHA: The maid thought certainly this person must be the beloved of Leili. With the basket of food in her hand, she asked the man, “Are you Majnun?” “What is it you have brought?” he asked. She said, “Some food for Majnun.” He said, “I am Majnun, give it to me.” He was glad to partake of it, and said, “I shall be glad to have it every day.” So Leili starved for days, sending her food, and that food was given to this man, who for the time became Majnun.

TASAWWUF: This man represents nufs, the false self, which takes on the guise of the true being, with which name and form are identified. So he took on the name of Majnun just as one ordinarily identifies his name and his form, and says of them, “This is I”—although really speaking it is not “I.” This ego feeds upon the food of both planes and arrogates to itself what God has offered through the breath. Then the breath, instead of being assimilated for its life and Baraka, is drawn upon to feed and sustain the nufs, and this is the cause of all the suffering of humanity.

GATHA: One day Leili asked, “How is my Majnun?” The maid said, “He is looking better every day.” Leili said, “It cannot be.” The maid said, “Certainly, be sure of it. He is looking better every day.” Leili said, “Today you need not take the food; take a knife and a saucer, and tell my Majnun that I need a drop of his blood.”

TASAWWUF: True love is self-sacrifice, and the heart would willingly sacrifice. The false ego wants to receive, it would accept anything and call that love. Many people say they are in love, believe it is love when they receive from another. They do not know that true love consists mostly of giving, and of willingness to give.

GATHA: When she came the man came with anxiety, with eagerness to have the dish, but there was a knife. He said, “What is this?” She said, “Leili wants a drop of your blood.” He first looked perplexed, then he said, “I am not Majnun; that may be Majnun, he who is sitting in that corner.”

TASAWWUF: When the test comes one can always discern the spiritual person and distinguish him from the false one, who will not suffer, who will not sacrifice for a great cause. The world is full of false leaders, teachers, pretenders. They delight in honours, favours. When the time comes for their giving of their spirit to others, they disappear, they can stand no test because they lack that inner power which comes from God alone. The false ego will not give up its pleasure, the false ego strives in a certain way to avoid pain and discipline. The true self naturally accepts renunciation; it is part of the nature of the soul to renounce; only by renouncing can it gain its full freedom.

GATHA: By that time Majnun had grown so thin; yet when she asked for a drop of blood Majnun tried by striking the knife on different parts of his body, if he could get out a drop of blood to be sent to Leili. “Ah,” he said, “there cannot be anything more delightful for Majnun than to give a drop of his blood when it is asked for by Leili.”

TASAWWUF: True love delights in sacrifice, it is willing to give up the very self, and indeed ultimately the soul is called upon to give up all for the sake of God. This appears as a test before all, although in another sense it is not a test. It is only the fear of some loss that makes people hold on to what they have, what they know. If they only knew it, in giving up their limitation, they would attain to the Unlimited.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 2

Leili and Majnun (Conclusion)

GATHA: The end of the story of Majnun is that he sat a long time under the shade of a tree and he grew in time like the tree; being near the tree his body and the tree became one.

TASAWWUF: Majnun became utterly devoid of ego. It is said that the chameleon takes its color from the environment and many plants and animals protect themselves or are protected because of simulation or what has been called protective colouration—that is, they cannot easily be distinguished from their surroundings because of their color, shape, form. Majnun also partook of the characteristics of his environment, he became part of the nature in which he sat, his consciousness became one with that of the tree.

There are stories and traditions of tree spirits in different parts of the world and in some of them these spirits are not jinns so much as spirits of human beings who have been turned into trees. Thus there is the very celebrated story of Apollo and Daphne in ancient Greece; Daphne was turned into a laurel tree by her father in order to avoid the embrace of the god. In another story Baucis and Philemon, two kindly people who had unknowingly served the gods were also turned into trees. Frasier in The Golden Bough has made a very complete study of tree-worship and tree-magic without giving any lucid explanation. Many of the stories and myths have mystical explanations.

GATHA: And when a woodcutter came and instead of cutting the wood his axe struck Majnun, Majnun said “Leili,” for that was the only thought there.

TASAWWUF: Majnun had become in form like his environment and in thought he had identified himself with his concentration. This is the consummation of Murakkabah. When there is unity of self and thought there surely is accomplishment. In this sense he may be said to have been in Samadhi; he was unaware of the distinction and difference. In another sense here the woodcutter represents Fate, or again Death.

GATHA: Leili, on hearing this, when she had freedom for a moment, was drawn by some way to Majnun at his last moment on the earth, and called him, “Majnun!” He answered, “Leili.” She said, “I am Leili.” But he said, “I am Leili.” And so Majnun fell and died, and Leili followed him instantly.

TASAWWUF: The power of true love is so great that nothing can overcome it. While we are veiled in limitation we cannot know this, but the very love may carry us beyond limitation. In the highest state the lover, love and the beloved become identical. When Mohammed was in hal and Khadija came to him and when he asked her who she was and she said “Khadija” he also said, “I am Khadija.” When she said she was the daughter of a certain man, the wife of a certain man, the sister of a certain man, he replied: “I am that man.” Because in Union there is only One Being.

Leili, who represents not-self, did not at first recognize the self when she came to Majnun. The self could recognize the not-self, but the not-self was not sure of its identity, it did not possess self-consciousness. In a corresponding way the spiritual teacher recognizes the unity of his spirit with that of the pupil but the pupil does not at first recognize his unity with the teacher. It becomes a duty of the teacher to help awaken the heart of pupils so that through identification they may come to learn the nature of their own beings within and without. This knowledge is veiled before them while they are in nufsaniat, under the cover of nufs.

When self becomes devoid of self and not-self rises out of its state of not-self, names and forms no longer have the same meaning. That is why when mureeds reach a certain stage of development in Murakkabah they are given concentration upon something which is not clear before them, for which they may have a word, but little else to guide them. Nevertheless as they persist in their concentration they come to find the latent life in it and this helps to awaken something in them which may not have been awakened before.

It is only by such means that an individual person can come to the recognition of hierarchy. Otherwise it is just a word. If there is constant and persistent effort in concentration soon that which may have appeared ethereal or imaginative takes on a new aspect and becomes even more real than that which had seemed so real beforehand.

GATHA: The path of the Sufi is the path of devotion, and therefore Leili and Majnun is the symbol that a Sufi takes for God and man.

TASAWWUF: The word “God” is not God, is not divinity. Nevertheless constant repetition of the Holy Name brings with it a realization. It may take a long time because the higher the goal the harder it is to reach, not so much because it is hard as because we have to change our natures, we must refine them, in order to obtain consciousness of the most fine. The attitude that is needed for that is devotion, for which prayer is the first step. Prayer helps to melt the heart, and that in turn softens the ego. As the ego becomes soft, the veils before one disappear, and as they disappear one by one man comes to the threshold of Allah.

GATHA: The soul who journeys in the path of God does not need much learning. What he writes on his slate is the name of God, what he reads in his book is His name. That is the only learning which is most essential in the path of God.

TASAWWUF: The Sufi says in his prayers, “The Only Being,” “Thy Light is in All Forms,” “Alpha and Omega.” Nevertheless it requires constant repetition, constant attention to bring some realization as to the meaning of these words. As words they are helpful, as thoughts they are still more helpful, as feelings they are most valuable. So when we say “Path of God,” that is an all-inclusive path, it does not exclude anything or anyone, for when there is exclusion, there is not God.

GATHA: And no one can distract the mind of the godly toward anything, however attractive; though he may find not one reason to give for his devotion to God, he can only say, “In order to become the lover of God you must borrow my eyes.”

TASAWWUF: All the earthly love we experience is really the shadow of that life, borrowed from that existence. Dante, in his most celebrated poem, “The Divine Comedy,” based everything on that. According to his writings the whole universe and all its movements depended upon love, and love was much higher than anything else, incomparably greater than anything else. This included even the love of man and woman and any power or sign of attraction in the world.

According to the Sufi it is not wrong to behold the picture of God in another, to see human personality as the mirror of God. One may recognize this in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child, in a helpful friend, in an inspiring teacher. All love leads to the Goal. At the same time it is true that as man advances toward God, so God comes toward him. A Christian mystic has said, “The eye with which I see God is the eye with which God sees me.” And in Qur’an we read: “Whoever walks one step toward the grace of Allah, the Divine mercy walks forward ten steps to receive him.”

GATHA: While people think of the differences of their religions and creeds the godly bows before the humblest person, as Majnun did to Leili’s dog.

TASAWWUF: Majnun bowed before the dog seeing in it the shadow of love, and Ramakrishna in his time bowed before the prostitutes seeing in them the shadows of love. When one enters such an attitude the mind does not hold forth its sway and then instead of disputing there is every effort to come to an agreement. Majnun in loving Leili loved all that pertained to her; the real lover of Allah loves all that pertains to Him.

GATHA: And when the prayers of different people will be for themselves, the prayer of the godly is only to attain to the presence of God; and therefore, whatever be his religion, his prayer will be followed by every sincere soul.

TASAWWUF: One can almost always distinguish between the exotericist and the esotericist in prayer. The former will be usually thinking of himself, of his personality, thoughts, ideals, those who he knows and recognizes and admires; the latter does not think in such terms—at least in prayer. The prayer of the esotericist is universal and with the heart fixed upon the Beloved. In this one finds the reason why the ordinary prayer does not bear much fruit, most prayers go unanswered. The prayer of the mystic does not receive an answer because it is not an attempt to get a direct wish-fulfillment. Heart knows neither question nor answer, heart is concerned with praise to God; heart wishes good to everyone. One can see how often a little infant would share even what little he has with another infant; this shows state of heart.

GATHA: Besides, the path of God and of love both, if sincerely trodden, need sacrifice from beginning to end; and the one who is not ready for sacrifice is like that pretended lover of Leili who was ready for the food but was not willing to suffer. Verily who pursueth the world will inherit the world, but the soul that pursueth God will attain in the end to the presence of God.

TASAWWUF: The thought of sacrifice is not sacrifice, and sometimes stands as the greatest hindrance to sacrifice. The Christian Scripture teaches that no one can love God who does not love the neighbor and thousands of years of claims to love God, without this love for the neighbor, have not added much to the welfare of the world. The attempts to compromise and side-step have only led to disaster, even to world-disaster.

That love is a pretense which is connected with exchange, with gifts, with receiving. Much of the humor of the world today is based upon it, and behind this humor is the silent, almost unconscious intuition that there is a love which is not associated with such materialistic and commercial-like attitudes. There is a feeling, however dormant it be, that the true lover does not think of himself, does not have himself in view. The true lover thinks of the Beloved, lives in and for the beloved. This, which seems true in the case of human beings, is even more evident in the case of the mystic, especially of those who have lived in and for God, whatever be their religion.

GATHA: But to what does the love of God lead? It leads to that peace and stillness which can be seen in the life of the tree, which bears fruit and flowers for others and expects no returns, not even thanks in return. It serves, and cares for nothing else, not even for appreciation. That is the attribute of the godly.

TASAWWUF: The godly cannot be otherwise. Once there is the divine vision in the heart, there is a transmutation of personality. One becomes then what one has not been, one’s outlook changes, and the whole of life seems different. For then the Divine Life is reflected in everything and in everyone. One sees God as the All in all—really. Then one cannot seek for anything especially because wherever one looks and wherever one turns, there and that is God.

GATHA: And the godly in the end of his attainment of God forgets himself, as Majnun said even to Leili, “I am Leili.” And what happens then? Instead of man pursuing God, God follows man.

TASAWWUF: That is why Christ who called himself the “Son of Man”—Beni Adam—came to say later, “The Father and I are one,” because in the divine union, there is no longer the feeling of distinction or difference. Of this the Sufis have said, “Ana Al-Haqq” which is to say, “The essence of Ego and Truth are One”—“There is nothing but God and therefore ‘I’ am God.” Christ also declared that when the Kingdom of Heaven had arrived all things else would be added. Which means that one who has attained has attained power over all; realizing the Essence (Zat) of God, all the universe of things belongs to him, there is nothing then that need have power over him and there is nothing then over which he may not exercise his control. Verily the dervishes are the lords of all the earth, the monarchs of all they survey.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 3

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
Christ Walking on the Water

GATHA: The phenomenon of Christ’s walking on the water, from a mystical point of view, is suggestive of a much greater philosophy than only a phenomenon.

TASAWWUF: This is described in several places in the Christian Bible of which the 14th Chapter of the Evangel of Matthew is offered as the basis for interpretation. Verse 22 reads: “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.”

Jesus was anxious that his disciples proceed on their spiritual journey. He sent the multitudes away, meaning that he taught them to get rid of all worldly thoughts, which have to do with things of this world. He hoped that they would reach emancipation which is symbolically expressed in Buddhism as “the other shore.” The ship or ark is the bark of salvation. The Egyptians always used the symbol of the ship; the Nile was their main highway so the spiritual path to them was a river rather than a road. In the Hebrew Bible one reads of Noah, who in principle represents the Saviour (or Vishnu) with the ark or ship of refuge or salvation, the Thebah. The boat in which Jonah journeyed had the same symbolism. There is a part of the Christian church stilled called the nave, which comes from the Latin word for ship. The original Christian churches were shaped like ships and the fish was the first great Christian symbol as was the wheel in Buddhism.

Verse 23 reads: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”

The mountain always symbolizes a high state of spiritual attainment, hal in Sufic terms. In the allegory of the transfiguration and also at the temptation Jesus was taken up onto a mountain—there are no such high mountains in the Holy Land proper so it could only have a symbolic meaning. All the great Buddhist scriptures are supposed to have been revealed or inspirited to or by Gautama Buddha while he was on the top of Vulture’s Peak or some other high mountain. Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the mountain of the moon or receptive mind—which is known today not to be the Jebel Musa in the Southern Sinaic peninsula; Moses does not seem to have gone there physically, but to another mountain further north.

The sentence is repeated “And when he had sent the multitude away” because it means again that Jesus himself entered the inner state, and rose above all the agitations of Samsara, the phenomenal universe. He entered Samadhi, or as it has been known by the Hebrews Jerusalem, the abode of universal peace. He had entered into the cosmic consciousness.

Verse 24 reads: “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed by waves; for the wind was contrary.” The disciples did not have the knowledge of the breath or wind, and without this knowledge they were tossed about and were buffeted by all the affairs of Samsara, which disturb the average man and bring all sorrow.

Verse 25 reads: “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” Which means that he had now entered the fourth stage of meditation, which is called Turia by the Hindus. There it may be said that the initiate reaches perfection. He can control all the vibrations of Samsara, he has the perfect poise, is master over the three worlds.

Verse 26 reads: “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.’” The disciples cannot realize the state of their teacher. They often misunderstand the teacher, trying to comprehend mysteries with their limited minds. They often seek phenomenal proof, which reveals their lack of faith. Yet when there is phenomenal evidence they are even more afraid, fearing magic, not realizing the unity of the teacher with the totality of manifestation.

Verse 27 continues: “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid.’” The teacher is the representative of the One Universal Spirit. He can say, “It is I,” for he has attained to the consciousness of “An’il Haqq, I am the Truth.” In another place Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life”—words that could only be spoken by a realized soul. The disciples here were not conscious of unity, but their teacher came offering peace and blessing.

Verse 28 reads: “And Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, let me come unto thee on the water.” The disciple may be unsure but he is entitled to receive the teachings. These teachings, if followed, will enable him to control all his affairs; in other words, to walk upon the waters, to rise above the samsaric state.

Verse 29: “And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” The ship was the place of training, where the disciples learned the teachings. After that state of learning is completed, then comes another state, to apply what one has learned and that is the time of a really great test. The disciple who passes this grade practices fana, self-effacement, through his surrender—in love and devotion before his teacher or Murshid.

Verse 30: “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Peter had not yet risen to the state of mastery of breath and he could not control the external conditions. He was still affected by them and so by karma. He wanted to hold onto the ego and yet he wanted to advance on the path. Seeing that he could not progress unaided, he called upon his spiritual preceptor.

Verse 31: “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” The true teacher is always ready to help the pupil, yet the real help that comes to the pupil is that which enables him to stand on his own feet, to walk with his own feet. If there is lack of faith, there is lack of surrender and when there is no surrender, there is little progress on the path.

Verse 32: “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” When the teacher enters the sacred place of refuge, he brings his calmness with him and before that calmness all is still, all is peaceful. No more were the disciples agitated; their egos were calmed.

Verse 33 reads: “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, ‘Of a truth thou art the Son of God.’” All the disciples that went through the stages of spiritual training and discipline could reach the stage of realization.

GATHA: The whole universe in all its forms is one single vision of a continual activity. From beginning to end every aspect of life represents motion, and it is the perpetual motion of the whole universe which is called life.

TASAWWUF: Life is therefore much more than form and cannot be limited to or circumscribed by the forms that we call living, such as vegetable and animal and man. Professor Jagadis Bose proved that even the mineral has a sort of life. According to the mystics wherever there is motion there may be life, even the universe and all therein is alive. Only that which is still may be considered as dead.

A careful study of all scriptures shows that all have the same general teachings. They reveal that God sent up a point of light at the beginning of creation, and from it the light radiated in all directions, coming to its culmination and returning to its Source. Then there was play and interplay between different grades and ranges of light (and life), and this has been going on continuously, establishing first the division between the worlds seen and unseen and then separating out the three planes of limitation. Light constantly goes forth and back, breath constantly goes forth and back, life constantly goes forth and back.

GATHA: Therefore the universe is, so to speak, an ocean of vibrations, and every movement represents a wave. Therefore the wise have called it, in Sanskrit, Bhava Sagara, the Ocean of Life.

TASAWWUF: We see practical examples of this in Hindu and Buddhist art. Always the gods, the Bodhisattvas, the sages, the illuminated and holy ones are seated on lotuses or arks, above the waves. The universe is divided between that portion above the waves and that below. Sufis call the former Tashbih, the latter Tanzih.

One mentions lower planes because they are formed out of the more refined planes of the universe, but they are in a certain sense all-pervading. Professor Einstein has said of physical space that it is limited but unbounded. Each plane has certain rather well marked ranges of vibrations. The vibrations of the physical, manifested sphere have their ranges and limits. The vibrations of mind also have their ranges, qualities and characteristics, and so for the sphere of heart. But with respect to karma, one is concerned largely with the worlds of mind and matter.

All action in, round and about itself produces some reaction, and every tendency concerned with a self or thing or name or form causes an activity of attraction or repulsion or both. The universe or essence of this play and activity is known as Samsara by the Hindus and Buddhists and as nufsaniat by the Sufis. Hebrews and Christians refer to it rather as “this world.” Within this universe or world is all self-activity resulting in pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow, good, evil and what is generally known as duality. So long as man cannot raise his consciousness above it he is subject to illusion and delusion.

GATHA: And the great devotees have constantly prayed to be liberated, that they may not sink in this ocean but that they may be able to swim in it, which is called Taran.

TASAWWUF: There is a superstition that to rise out of Samsara one must rise out of form, or at least get away from physical limitation. Some, deluded, have tried to fly through space or rise into the air.

Others have learned to extend the consciousness out into space. They do not see that such phenomenal feats do not release them from their woes and do not add much to their general faculties and qualities. They are still within the web of the ego.

The spiritual path is one from selfhood toward selfless. In selflessness man stands above the vibrations and waves of Samsara. He does not thereby cease to exist or even lose his manhood. Therefore it has been that illuminated souls have remained in the body to teach and assist mankind. It does not stop them from experiencing peace and calm within, and to find the whole universe within their being.

John, the Christian seer, also said in the first verse of the 21st Chapter of the Apocalypse, “And the sea is no more.” The 14th Chapter of the Book of Exodus is still more concerned with this teaching.

The 13th verse reads: “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” Which means, that one should maintain complete inner calm. By that, fear will depart, and all those forces and activities of Samsara, personified as the Egyptians, will be no more.

The 14th verse reads: “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Which is a continuation of the same teaching. When man controls his personal will and feels the reliance (Yakin) upon God, then he is able to absorb into his personality all the powers of the universe. For in maintaining peace he comes to the Ocean of Pure Being. All psychic power and all transcendental faculties arise therefrom.

The 16th verse reads: “But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” But make use of the psychic power which manifests through thy hands and personality, and then thou hast full power over Samsara. The Children of Pure Light, the Initiates, shall live in the midst of Samsara, or the sea, but it will be to them as dry land—that is to say, they will be entirely safe there.

This teaching is elaborated upon in the Sepher ha-Zohar, the Book of Splendor, which contains the majority of the Kabbalistic teachings and traditions and is a compendium of Hebrew mysticism. The teaching of all mysticism is essentially the same. Christ exemplified in a personal sense what the whole race of Initiates experienced in the Egyptian mysteries, which were rewritten by Moses and his associates in a semi-historical form and included in the sacred manuscripts of the Beni Israel.

GATHA: And it is the master-spirit that can rise above these waves of the enormous ocean of life, in which generally the souls are drowned.

TASAWWUF: The idea of a lost soul is not that a soul is damned; it is that the soul has lost the sense of its true nature and comes to regard itself as other than it really is. It then identifies itself with the plane of its temporary existence, and partakes only of the life of nufs, becoming deluded thereby. Thus we find that the people of the world are in a sense stupefied, and that is has been necessary to bring a Message to them from the Most High at various times in order that some of them at least may find their true purpose in life and walk steadily and steadfastly toward that goal.

The 22nd verse of the 14th Chapter of Exodus reads: “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” Which is to say that the initiates not only find salvation while in this world, but the very forces of this world become their servants and protectors. This can be explained further by the 21st verse.

This reads: “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.” Moses used his powers over the manifestations of Samsara, maintaining complete attunement with God. Then the vibrations from the Primordium or Arsh, the Cosmic Breath, ruach ha-Kadam, rudely and vulgarly translated as East Wind by the ignorant, came down into this very world bringing all the blessings of the cosmos and making the world entirely safe for those on the path.

As the story goes the Egyptians were drowned, and it is quite possible that such an event did take place. Geographers who have made a study of the land immediately north of the Sinaic Peninsula, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, have found such a place where there is a narrow belt of sand between the sea and an immense lake. Even today strong winds help to flood that belt. An adept would have no particular difficulty in accomplishing it—if called upon to do so.

Taken literally the story does not have much sense, and there are many mistakes in translation. For the Song of Moses which is given in the 15th Chapter of Exodus has not so much meaning unless one perceives the deeper, mystical sense—as the Kabbalists did. To quote only one verse, 8, it says, “And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.” The Hebrews refer to this sea as Suph which means reeds, and they speak of the Sea of Reeds, and not the Red Sea. The Sea of Reeds has the same meaning as Samsara, the Ocean of Life with its difficulties. The Divine Breath carries Baraka from the innermost to manifestation THROUGH THE MESSENGER OF GOD, in this instance Moses, in another instance Jesus.

GATHA: To be in it and to be able to stand above it and to walk on it is the phenomenon of Christ’s walking upon the water.

TASAWWUF: This same teaching is allegorized elsewhere, and to understand it fully one should have to study about the Flood and the allegory of Jonah in the Bible, the Vishnu-Purana of the Hindus and other scriptures with esoteric meanings such as those of the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians. Everywhere they taught of this struggle in the world and the passing through water, or walking upon water, or traveling in an ark, a sacred boat, which was made to float upon the water; or upon a lotus, also floating upon the water.

Through esotericism and the practices of the initiates one learns to stand before the world, experience all, sustain all and not be controlled by the affairs of the world. It requires most of all that calmness and inner peace by which all agitation is stopped and man’s inner being becomes as a lake of pure light.

The concentration upon this helps one also to rise above his limitations and to attain that peace. It is not an easy concentration, and its success need not bring with it any allegorical understanding of Scriptures. What it will bring is a better understanding of oneself, and the true nature of oneself.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 4

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
Shaqqu’s-Sadr, The Opening of the Breast of the Prophet

GATHA: There exists a legend in the world of Islam, and some believe that it really did occur—some say once, and some say it happened more than once—that the angels from heaven descended on earth and cut open the breast of the Prophet; they took away something that was to be removed from there, and then the breast was made as before.

TASAWWUF: There are many stories of the lives of mystics which are substantially true, but being unusual, they would not be accepted realistically and so become the basis for legends. There are also legends which are fabrications and yet each may be founded upon truth, upon truth rather than upon fact, for truth is that which is beyond words and when placed into words it often takes on an allegorical form. Many books have been written upon this subject and the wise have learned to see beyond the literal interpretations of scripture and holy writings generally.

According to the Hebrew Kabbalah a scripture must be read from four points of view. The one is the literal version, taking it as true facts. The second is the analogical view, which means that one must study the meaning of every word and if a word is found elsewhere with a definite meaning or establishing a precedent or reference it should become the centre of the interpretation elsewhere, or may become so, offering a freedom in explanation. The third method is to explain figuratively, looking into the symbolical meaning of words and phrases; finally there is the esoteric explanation.

In a certain sense these four meanings may be applied to many sacred traditions. Thus we can say that it actually took place, that the angels did descend from heaven and cut open the actual breast of the Prophet. But if we want to know the meaning of angels, who are beings of Djabrut, who do not manifest in Hasut, then it was not that the angels actually came, it was a movement of Breath from Djabrut. When the breath of the Prophet, or of any one reached that degree of purification and refinement, it actually touched the breast and did something there. But if we take it symbolically, it was not the breast but the heart, the centre of man’s body and of man’s being.

Finally if we want to get to the esoteric meaning, it is that as the breath becomes more and more refined, the delicate vibrations of Ishk from Djabrut penetrate the personality of man and make a change in the heart. Yet the full esotericism is not complete until man experiences that through his own development for which the study of esotericism is most valuable, and the training of mysticism is also most helpful.

But if one asks can this attainment be reached through concentration and symbology? Was there such a method among the Naqshibandi Sufis, the answer is that it is so, and that if one concentrates upon the opening of the breast, and continues in that work, perhaps identifying the heart symbol with one’s own heart, there will be a gradual change in feeling first and then in character afterwards so that the piercing and opening of the breast will be one’s own experience. In this sense it can surely be said that it happened more than once to Mohammed.

GATHA: According to the Sufi point of view this is a symbolical legend. It explains what is necessary in the life of man, to allow the plant of divine love to grow in his heart. It is to remove that element which gives the bitter feeling.

TASAWWUF: The heart is the centre of feeling, and when it opens up, by whatever method it is opened, it receives the vibrations of Ishk, and this makes of it the temple of Love and the Shrine of God. Furthermore this brings with it a change in personality so that feelings of envy, bitterness and ill-will disappear as a result thereof.

GATHA: Just as there is a poison in the sting of a scorpion, and as there is a poison in the teeth of the snake, so there is poison in the heart of man which is made to be the shrine of God. But God cannot arise in the shrine which is as dead by its own poison; it must be purified first and made real for God to arise.

TASAWWUF: Man becomes deluded by his thought of self which sends its shadows over his whole inner being and closes the heart. The opening of the heart is an accomplishment toward which every talib of Sufism bends his efforts, and at the same time it may be through Grace that the heart is opened. There cannot be a breaking and freeing effect if man holds tight to the thought of self, and if he does and wants to feel freedom and be rid of ill-will and bitterness, he will not succeed because these arise naturally when the heart is hard and tight and one overcomes them when the heart is opened and expansive.

The purification of the heart is one of the most important things to be accomplished in Sufism and it comes during and after the third grade of study and development in Sufism. When one feels the love coming into the heart, the blood also is purified, it receives the highest vibrations. Such diseases as sarcoma, cancer, diabetes, Bright’s disease will no longer be, they will not find any root in the body when the heart is so purified.

GATHA: The soul who had to sympathize with the whole world was thus prepared, that the drop of that poison which always produces contempt, resentment and ill-feeling against another, was destroyed first.

TASAWWUF: In order to fulfill his mission as Rassoul, Mohammed first had to obtain the world-point of view or universal sympathy. For this he required the complete purification and transformation of heart. When that occurs the heart becomes self-healing and also aids in the purification and healing of the vehicles of soul. This process makes for the perfect man and that was surely illustrated in the later life of Mohammed who openly forgave his worst enemies and turned them into friends.

This concentration is in a certain sense a form of fana-fi-Rassoul, for one to reach a similar state of growth and to perform a similar mission must also have the heart opened. If he release hold of his ego in his love for Rassoul it may be accomplished automatically. If not the concentration upon the opening of the heart, together with Fikr, may help to bring about that condition. For this the heart-concentration of itself is often a preparation and it is also true that some who have the heart-concentration pass from that stage when they feel or see a heart in front of them to a much higher stage or state when the heart that they see or feel is their own, and they identify seer, seen and sight.

The wide view is always encouraged, for no matter how wide it is it must still become wider if one is to attain to that degree which alone entitles one to be called “Sufi.” The broader the scope of vision, the less the possibility that one will hold any narrow view. One recognizing humanity as the Beloved of God will gradually withdraw from contempt, resentment and all feelings of narrowness. It will be natural; no moral lectures or disciplines will be needed thereafter.

GATHA: So many talk about the purification of the heart, and so few really know what it is.

TASAWWUF: First one has to know the meaning of heart and for that there are not only papers and lectures of Sufi teachings, there is the concentration which is given to talibs, and this concentration, if rightfully performed, helps to bring about a clearer understanding than all words can bring. And purification must also be understood which includes among other things, the removal of any thought, emotion or feeling which interferes with the duty at hand. So to comprehend purification of heart, one has to know that it means removal from the heart of all that should not be there, and then learning what are the things that should not be there, and keeping the heart in an expansive state so that these things find no root there.

GATHA: Some say to be pure means to be free from all evil thought, but there is no evil thought. Call it evil or call it devil, if there is any such thought it is the thought of bitterness against another.

TASAWWUF: It is said that God makes and man mars, God makes and man breaks. Thought, like light, thought born of light, does not have to have any qualification such as good or evil. These are born of the dualistic conception which itself arises from ego and not-ego recognition, from the state and habit that “I am different and you are different.” This differentiation keeps people apart from one another, stands before human brotherhood and destroys the possibility of that consideration, justice and compassion which alone are worthy of the initiate.

The narrow state of heart arises out of the shadow thrown over it. As the thought of self becomes fixed and confined the heart becomes narrowed and this shuts out light. Then it is that bitterness may come there. In Ziraat one learns that every thought may have to be thrown out of the heart to purify it, heart being the abode of love and light and life.

GATHA: No one with sense and understanding would like to keep a drop of poison in his body, and how ignorant it is on the part of man when he keeps and cherishes a bitter thought against another in his heart. If a drop of poison can cause the death of the body, it is equal to a thousand deaths when the heart retains the smallest thought of bitterness.

TASAWWUF: In Nirtan one learns that the heart is its own medicine. When the heart is pure it receives the light of soul which purifies, revivifies and heals the vehicles through which life functions. But a single drop of poison in the heart is communicated through the blood-stream to the organs and prevents man from being entirely well. That is why there is so much emphasis upon the psychological basis of disease. The initiates use every effort to get the heart clear and clean and keep it so.

The Hebrew Scripture says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” If the heart cherishes other than God, if the heart is kept closed, then there is not sufficient room for the moral and spiritual qualities which illumine the character and life of man. When he keeps before himself the thought of self, he cannot have at the same time the thought or feeling of the true God. To love the true God there must be no vestige of self-love.

GATHA: In this legend cutting open of the breast is the cutting open of the ego, which is as a shell over the heart.

TASAWWUF: The opening of the breast produces a feeling of expansion, and when there is that expansion there is no tension. Ego depends upon smallness, upon the narrow and narrowing view, and above all, upon the thought of self. There have been those who have compared human personality to a nut with its phases of fruit or cover, shell, cover, nut proper and oil of the nut, which is the essence of personality. To get at the depths of life the hard shell must be opened and removed.

GATHA: And taking away that element is that every kind of thought or feeling against anyone in the world was taken away, and the breast, which means the heart, was filled with love alone, which is the real life of God.

TASAWWUF: Man’s life becomes complete when it is merged with Divine Life. In Divine Life there is no ill-will against anybody, because while people may as individuals have various thoughts and feelings about each other, with respect to God the relationship of each and all is the same, and it is to aspire to that Divine relationship that the disciples of Sufism make every effort.

The average person, even the devotee, often limits God to his thought of God; he calls that thought-form of his “Allah” and yet that thought-form may be devoid of the actual attributes of God. Then unfortunately we see people who deny that God is Love; or if calling God Love, nevertheless act as if it were not so, that God has other attributes to the end that it has been declared, “Your Maker like yourselves you make.”

This teaching of the mystery of the heart has been brought out in The Quest of the Overself by Paul Brunton and is also found in a less precise form in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others who have had the cosmic intuition. According to Brunton this quest of the oversoul brings with it the highest form of happiness and all mystics and sages agree that the nature of the soul is happiness itself.

When one adheres to the heart-feeling, he will recognize and forgive the short-comings in others without following them in their weaknesses or indecisions. In the life of Rassoul this was clearly manifest, and if one studies the history of Mohammed he will learn much about how a person behaves at various stages of spiritual development.

As has been explained, one may have this concentration combining Fikr with it and it may be performed in a prone position in bed just as one is retiring or one is able to arise; or in a posture position. One will also learn the truth of the self as explained in the Upanishads and other wisdom-teachings, that the self is truly as a barley-corn or the grain within a barley corn, yet larger than the universe itself.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 5

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
Meraj, The Dream of the Prophet

GATHA: A story exists in Islam about the dream of the Prophet, a dream which was as an initiation in the higher spheres.

TASAWWUF: Initiation In The Higher Spheres. This is very difficult to understand intellectually because by “higher spheres” one refers to those planes, those aspects of the universe which are beyond the realm of intellectual and individual personality. The ordinary person uses the two words “individuality” and “personality,” and individuality refers to our separated existence and personality to that which is reflected to and through us.

Now in Sufism much attention is paid to personality and the mystic rejoices that modern psychology is also recognizing personality and has not been convinced of individuality. From one point of view individuality leads to the extreme dominance of nufs and establishes monarchy or even tyranny in place of hierarchy. For individuality is like a bare trunk with no leaves and branches while personality is like the tree with its trunk and branches and leaves and flowers, and all harmony and beauty.

The higher spheres bring with them a realization which makes the initiate know that he is not a completely separated being, and when he enters fana-fi-Sheikh, that part of his being which is beyond the heart-sphere and even his heart become one with the teacher. In fana-fi-Rassoul there is even a closer union within and yet this brings even greater freedom without, for the stronger the inner bond the greater the balancing latitude in manifestation. That is why and how the Messenger, one with God within, spreads his influence over a great area and ultimately reaches and influences the lives of many people.

Initiation Through Murakkabah. While concentration begins as an individualistic act and makes one feel his self, even his ego-self, that self gradually broadens through the stages of the science, until one can hardly hold himself together as a separated entity and must, from the very conditions, become as “the dew-drop sliding into the shiny sea.” One passes through visual, imaginative and conceptual concentration until it becomes as if the Spirit of God in man were performing the concentration and that Spirit of God was identical with one’s self, taking a certain aspect which develops the personality further even as the individualistic hold weakens. Then one comes to realize the brotherhood of man in the Fatherhood of God.

Initiation Through Dreams. This is explained in the lessons on Sufic occultism. There are all kinds and grades of dreams but they largely depend upon the condition, grade, and state of a person’s breath, and whether the dream is visual, symbolical, direct, astral or otherwise, its clarity and interpretation cannot be considered apart from the nature of one’s breath and general evolution.

GATHA: Many take it literally and discuss it, and afterwards go out by the same door by which they came in. It is by the point of view of a mystic that one can find out the mystery.

TASAWWUF: It has already been explained that scriptures and experiences of prophets may be interpreted in several ways, each throwing light upon a certain aspect of life. There are even today people interested in wonder-workings and who are attracted toward adepts because they expect from them marvels. According to the Sufi teachings these marvels come only through the Grace of Allah; otherwise they may be regarded as Satanic or delusive; in either case senseless and useless.

The point of view of the mystic is that which takes into consideration all the faculties of breath, the general nature of breath, and the fact that the breath is the lift which takes one to higher planes and gives one a different view of life—through direct experience.

GATHA: It is said that the Prophet was taken from Jerusalem to the temple of peace, which means from the outer temple of peace to the inner temple of peace.

TASAWWUF: A keen student of the Bible will find that many passages are obscure when taken too literally with respect to the temple. The psalmists and the prophets everywhere seem to indicate that the temple was a place for meditation and the psalm, like the Veda, especially Sama-Veda, could be used to raise the state of consciousness of the devotee until he found himself, so to speak, in the inner temple. Thus this experience of Mohammed, in this respect, was not unique.

Jerusalem is called Al-Quddus, the Holy City, by the Arabs; also Dar-es-Salaam, which means door or gate to peace. The idea of the spiritual Jerusalem was that it was a stronghold of peace, and the city described in the Christian Apocalypse was naught else. But peace is definitely a state where there is no agitation, and to reach that there must be calmness within and without. One may say that the inner peace is in no respect different from what the Hindus and Buddhists would call Samadhi, only the Prophet like all wise men used the language of his times to express his spiritual states.

GATHA: A Burrak was brought for the Prophet to ride on. Jibra’il accompanied the prophet on the journey to guide him. Burrak is said to be an animal of heaven which has wings, the body of a horse and the face of a human being. It signifies the body together with the mind. The wings represent the mind, and the body of the Burrak represents the human body; the head represents perfection. Also this is the picture of the breath. Breath is the Burrak which reaches from the outer world to the inner world in a moment’s time. Jibra’il in this story represents reason.

TASAWWUF: Jibra’il is the Arabic for the Hebrew Gabriel and signifies more properly the light of intelligence, or akl, which means reason in Arabic, but which has a broader significance (see Gatha on this subject). There are two aspects of reason, that which is personal, and that in which reason follows or is accompanied by faith, which is the true reason.

The idea of picturing the breath as an animal is ancient and really it comes out of the worlds of dreams and myths. For instance there is the winged horse Pegasus which was used by Bellerophon, the hero, and this name Bellerophon signifies one who is master of the inner sound and inner light, connected with the practice of Shagal, which practice is also responsible for the experience of the type of Meraj. The ancient Babylonians also used a figure with the face of a man, the legs of a bull, the body of a lion and the wings of the bird. The bull represented the earth element, the lion, fire, the wings, air, and the man, both water and ether.

The Merkabah or chariot mentioned in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel had the same significance, and the wheel of the chariot was symbolic of actual breath movement. The symbols also correspond to the signs Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius and Leo of the Zodiac. The Hebrew Kabbalists considered this a great mystery, a mystery all the more great when the knowledge of breath disappeared from among them. Figures like the Centaurs of Greece, the Gandharvas of India and many others were drawn from the same source of mystery.

GATHA: It is said that the Prophet saw on his way Adam, who smiled looking to one side and shed tears looking to the other side. This shows that the human soul when it develops in itself real human sentiment rejoices at the progress of humanity and sorrows over the degeneration of humanity.

TASAWWUF: This same idea of a divine being looking on two sides with two faces was symbolized by the Roman god, Janus, the Opener of the Door, and one face represented war, the other peace; or one represented Samsara, the other Samadhi. The opener was deified at Ptah in Egypt, and the idea is that there is an opening of heart and breath which takes one to the divine threshold.

Fana-fi-Adam. This is a great mystery. During this experience or “Night Journey” the Prophet met many of the other Prophets, Noah, Moses, Solomon, Jacob, David, Jesus, and from each one he received a blessing, or the spirit of Baraka by which he was enabled to give blessings to the world. He assimilated some of their development and psychic power, and also that inspiration which made his later mission possible. Without this aid and comfort it is doubtful whether he could have succeeded because the opposition which he had to face was tremendous.

As he passed through the planes he ultimately reached the state wherein he experienced the whole of humanity as a unit and found himself at one with the whole race, thus actualizing human brotherhood. In that state there is one single embodiment of the Master, the Spirit of Guidance. One gives this the name Adam which to the mystic symbolizes the whole of the human race. In Lahut one passes from the state of love-individuality of the angel to this cosmic personality of Adam.

Burrak Murakkabah. The breath is the means by which one rises to higher states but the breath must be purified and carried through many stages, otherwise one having a complete concentration of breath, feeling breath as any other than Dar-es-Salaam, the door to peace, might have experiences which would take him to other goals, and lead him astray. That is why devotion must always dominate and the scientific spirit of concentration be balanced or restrained.

Adam Murakkabah. To try this concentration before one has accomplished concentration in name and form may mean to waste valuable time which could much better be used to practical effort. For there is no gain in achieving a mighty state of consciousness and so be drawn into ecstasy that one cannot keep the balance before the world, so that one may not give blessings to the world. For beyond all experiences on all planes there is the Divine Wisdom, which we call Sufism and which would indicate that one only is worthy of this experience who will afterwards convey to mankind the blessings of mercy and compassion Because He Knows Them and Possesses Them. Yet the door should be left open for at any time, by the Grace of God, a Burrak may be sent to one, which is none other than what the Christians call “Holy Spirit.”

When we reach that grade and throw ourselves upon the Mercy of Allah, the words which are contained in the Sufi Invocation become a reality, being realizable. Then we find the same life in ourselves and in all creatures and the teachings which are contained in the higher lessons on Metaphysics and Occultism become as an open book. The planes which we read about in the literature we then find within ourselves and we also discover the correspondences between the universe within and without.

It is said in the Bible that all the rivers flow into the sea, meaning that all life has come from and returns to a common Base. The idea of Adam is that God created a complete Kingdom of Humanity out of which single persons emanate in an endless stream, ultimately finding their way back to their Source. Thus the mystics, while emphasizing Tanasukh or Return, consider it more in the nature of return to the Source, than return to the manifestation. The extreme reincarnationists make man the slave of the wheel and sight is lost of his true nature.

For that reason Mohammed constantly and continually pointed upward and emphasized Unity and Human Brotherhood. The psychological effect was tremendous and made of Islam a progressive community. The universal apathy and attitude of Kismet which came later was not his teaching. He tried to turn the desert into a garden and to improve the surface of the world. He spoke of heaven as being filled with gardens and streams; he wished the earth to be the same and worked even through his individual personality to achieve that end for the benefit of all.

GATHA: The Burrak could not go beyond a certain point, which means that breath takes one a certain distance in the mystical realization, but there comes a stage when the breath cannot accompany one.

TASAWWUF: At that point one may be said to be united with the breath. We find such references in the Holy Scriptures generally, and the prophets speak of being in the breath or spirit. They then become the pulsations of the cosmos. And Yogis who practice suspended animation also depend upon this, that the breath flows into the heart beat and becomes stilled—yet life goes on.

It has been said that much of Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” was based upon the Meraj, knowledge of which came to him partly indirectly from outside sources, and partly directly from his own development. In that work Virgil accompanies him to a certain plane and then can go no further. In “The Thief of Baghdad,” a story based upon myths of initiation, the winged horse takes the hero to the moon, but cannot go up the mountains with him. Moses, Christ and all the prophets also went alone to the top of the mountain. Only the spirit of God can come to the threshold of God. And while there is self, there is not God.

GATHA: When they arrived near the destination Jibra’il also retired, which means that reason cannot go any further than its limit.

TASAWWUF: The ordinary reason cannot go beyond the light of intelligence. The higher reason cannot carry one into the cosmic state because there is there no name and form as we understand them and therefore there is no use for reason and no scope of it either.

GATHA: Then the Prophet arrived near that curtain which stands between the human and the divine, and called aloud the name of God, saying, “None exists save Thou,” and the answer came, “True, true.” That was the final initiation, from which dated the blooming of Mohammed’s prophetic message.

TASAWWUF: One says, “La Illaha El Allahu,” which ordinarily means “There is no deity but Allah,” and mystically means, “There is no one save He.” And the reflection is “Haqq, Haqq,” which we translate as “True, true,” and the practice for which is “Ana al Haqq,” meaning that there is only One Being Who is identical with Truth and for which the Name of God is given in ordinary language, but which is beyond the thought of man and for which really speaking names are inadequate.

By final initiation means the completion of fana-fi-Lillah in which the spirit of the Prophet became absorbed in the Spirit of God and then came the realization or Baqa which corresponds to the attainment of Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration and the Nirvana of Buddha. Then there is none else and the spirit of man and the Spirit of God are identified.

Sufis speak of this attainment as Risalat, the perfection of humanity, in which one verily becomes Rassoul whatever be his mission in life. Of it Christ has said, “Be ye perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” For this, however, no concentration will help. This comes through contemplation in which, from the very beginning the devotee must feel himself as an all-inclusive being, including all within his ken as himself and in his devotions becoming as a veritable god, yet praying as the most humble being to the All in All.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 6

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
The Flute of Krishna

GATHA: Krishna is pictured in Hindu symbology with a crown of peacock’s feathers, playing the flute.

TASAWWUF: Fana-fi-Rassoul. This belongs to the class of concentrations of name only when the form is indistinct and the idea is that one will draw to himself the power and attributes of the form and perhaps the picture also. Although the ancient Sufis used Mohammed in particular as Rassoul, it has been learned by the mystics that the lovers of all the Messengers of God can reach and do reach the same degree of spiritual development when their whole heart is enwrapped and enfolded in their ideal. Consequently the spiritual disciples of the future will have before them the ideals and personalities of Rama, Siva, Buddha, Abraham, Solomon, Zarathustra, Moses and Jesus as well as Krishna and Mohammed.

Nevertheless as these are all alternate forms of the same general degree it is not necessary and it may seldom happen that a disciple will be called upon to concentrate upon all of the Holy Ones, except that they be in the line of teachers, and must become acquainted with the several effects of these concentrations. It is only in fana-fi-Lillah that all unite and so long as man is still attached to name, no matter what name, he has not reached the highest. Yet these practices are so high, so noble, so abundant in blessings, that it is almost beyond the right of man to discuss them.

In addition to the pure form of fana-fi-Rassoul, there is a concentration which many mureeds, especially the devotional ones, may use to advantage and that is to take a picture or form and use that in concentration. Many have used a picture of Christ or a carving of Christ on the cross and who can say that they did not benefit greatly therefrom? The Sufi talib learns from all these methods the various ways of progressing toward the Goal.

GATHA: Krishna is the idea of divine love, the god of love. And the divine love expresses itself by entering in man and filling his whole being. Therefore the flute is the human heart, and a heart which is made hollow, which becomes a flute for the god of love to play.

TASAWWUF: Love, strictly speaking, may be experienced and yet not explained. For it is a heart-seizure and sometimes this seizure seems to come from within and sometimes from without and the general effect is liable to be intoxicating, so much so that the personality is transformed and even may become blind to the problems and affairs of the outer world.

Before his time people identified passion and love—and many since then also. There is the Kama Shastra, a mixture of science, occultism and law, which has formed the basis for love and marital relationships in India, but much of its contents lean toward ego-satisfaction, although in harmony with natural and occult law. But right action does not of itself elevate the inner spirit and what Krishna revealed was that aspect of love which is and will always be elevating.

One may say that the Message may take on two forms, spiritual and practical, that being called spiritual which raises the consciousness of the individual beyond the manifested sphere although strictly speaking that which is persistent in matter may also be called spiritual. The teaching in India took on two forms, one of which became perfected in Bhakti Yoga and the other in Jnana Yoga, the former being the path of love and ecstasy together, the latter that of knowledge and sobriety together. The idea in Bhakti Yoga, which Krishna taught was that by becoming empty of self, one became full. Thus it was that 16,000 Gopis are said to have danced with him on one night when the moon was full; which is to say, when the mind becomes illuminated one may be aware of the presence of the Lord.

Many of the teachings later repeated by Christ were given out by Krishna. As a result some have said that Christ was in India, learned the teachings there. This is an unfortunate idea because it tends to restrict the presence of God to one place and it ignores the fact that practically everything taught by Christ had been given out by others before him. He brought no new teachings; he did exemplify the perfection of humanity through the following of those teachings and by many he has been called the apostle of love, although in another sense Krishna also was the apostle of love.

What does woman really love in man? And what does man really love in woman? We love the sign of life which will bring fulfillment and completion in us. In Bhakti Yoga we find this completion by union with the god or goddess—in a certain stage of development—and with the All-Pervading at the highest stage of development. But in Kama Yoga, if such a phrase be used, the completion comes through union with the mate. So what woman really loves is the divine in man or the divine male; and what a man fully loves is the divine in woman, or the goddess.

Unfortunately some who recognize the philosophy of this and adhere to the philosophy never attain in spirit. The result is that on the one hand there are tendencies to celibacy and on the other hand to perversion or lasciviousness, not warranted by any spiritual teachings, not given out by any Teacher. For the sign of love is the open heart. To prepare one for any concentration connected with Krishna—unless it is shown in hal, one must have the heart-development beforehand or the heart concentration as suggested by the first series of Gathas. This prepares for fana-fi-Rassoul through love.

GATHA: When the heart is not empty, in other words when there is no scope in the heart, there is no place for love.

TASAWWUF: That is why at the appearance of puberty there is a grand awakening in youth which manifests throughout the body. It is said that each person in a limited sense repeats the history of the race. Backward peoples, however, mate with little feeling, and advanced peoples become confused by the intoxication attendant upon love and upon sex-attraction.

Now there is another aspect of emptiness and this occurs in the developed person who is able to rise above any state of hard-heartedness, who is capable of expansion of feeling. If he has not developed in another way it can be obtained through love and devotion to Krishna.

GATHA: Rumi, the great poet of Persia, explains the idea more clearly. He says the pains and sorrows the soul experiences through life are holes made in a reed flute, and it is by making these holes that the player makes out of a reed a flute. Which means, the heart of man is first a reed, and the suffering and pain it goes through make it a flute, which can then be used by God as the instrument to produce the music that he constantly wishes to produce.

TASAWWUF: All growth is acquisition of something which formerly was not self, that then becoming self. Love is an emptying of self, an opening and emptying of heart. It is this which at all stages of development makes growth and learning possible, no matter what the kind of growth or type of learning. This is why true lovers learn so much from each other. They constantly exchange vibrations which take on the form of love and feeling and knowledge. Their mutual attunement brings life and ecstasy. This alone establishes the spiritual marriage whether between lovers or between teacher and pupil.

The practice of concentration becomes impossible if there are many feelings present, if there is hardness of heart. If there is more than one feeling there will either be many thoughts, or the thought will not be held firm, thus making concentration impossible. When there is love there is only one feeling which can readily hold a single thought, the highest and best being the thought of the beloved.

There is a music of the spheres which can be expressed through the body of one who has become empty, and he can even imitate the sound of the reed or the music of the flute because he himself is empty. This music comes from a divine source and is perfected as the feeling becomes fixed upon Allah.

GATHA: But every reed is not a flute, and so every heart is not His instrument. As the reeds need to be made into flutes, so the human heart can be turned into an instrument and can be offered to the God of Love.

TASAWWUF: There is a great mistake made by many, who suppose that the average person or that any person, can by following the dictates of his heart, reach the goal. If this were so no spiritual training would be needed, there would be no reason for the Message. Strange to say there are ignorant people who believe that evolution is natural and that all evolve, and that evolution comes whether we like it or not. There are also many ignorant people who hold that karma has full sway and we cannot escape. But strange people are those who hold to both these views not recognizing their contrariness, that they both cannot be absolutely true.

To become empty one must surrender before name and form first and prove that surrender. Then it is easy to surrender to name alone and then it is easy to surrender and not be confused by the word “surrender” or the thought of surrendering, both of which are snares and delusions.

The ancient Greek devotees of the God of Love, Dionysus, used to drink wine and the intoxication of wine and that of love were regarded as symbols for each other. This symbolism was continued by the Christians who have the drinking of wine as a sacrament, there representing the blood of Christ, and divine love. Sufis have carried on the same principles in their teaching, their poetry and especially their music being used both to represent and to produce a finer form of intoxication than that which comes from wine.

GATHA: It is the human heart which becomes the harp of the angels; it is the human heart which is the lute of Orpheus.

TASAWWUF: Orpheus is said to mean the divine light in speech and sound, and this name was given to the man because of his special character and development. He had the complete knowledge of the mysticism of sound and instructed his disciples in it secretly, to the envy of the unworthy who ultimately martyred him. But the shape of the lute which he played is derived from that of the heart and its sounding board represents the empty heart.

When man has the knowledge of true music, he can use it to awaken the heart and to instill it with love and inspiration. The possibilities of the human heart are endless, if one could know the nature of the heart.

GATHA: It is on the model of the heart of man that the first instrument of music was made, and no earthly instrument can produce that music which the heart produces, raising the mortal soul to immortality.

TASAWWUF: There have been at least two classes of instruments based upon the heart, those which we call percussion instruments and the strings of such families as those of the viol, lute, tar and their many derivatives. The vina, which is one of the oldest of instruments, was based upon the human form and made a sound something like that of the human voice. It has two hollow sounding chambers, which may be equal in size or the lower one much larger than the upper. The lower chamber represents the heart, the upper the head and the instrument symbolizes the derivation of life from the heart and the supremacy of heart over head. For the life of the intellect is drawn ultimately from heart.

Ordinarily music has its physical, emotional and mental effects. Notes and words combine in various fashions to produce pleasing or intended effects. But however much man changes mode or style—and in the West there are constant and innumerable changes—he has not been able to penetrate to the depths of personality and rouse the ecstasy of heart. His music often has a pleasant, a calming, a psychological or beneficial effect, but there is music that arouses the passions also. When man learns the secret of mysticism and can reproduce fine and sweet tones through his personality, then he can draw the blessings of Djabrut and affect others. As deep the source of musical inspiration, so great is power of penetration and influence over others. Therefore it is used by the Sufis in the training of disciples and for their own benefit.

One can listen to the various birds and discern in them the notes of devas and angels, of gandharvas and peri, and even of the yakshas and rakshas—as in the crow and eagle. Birds have fine breath which brings them fine vibrations, according to their type and life of their species, and this is reproduced in their calls and songs. But whatever is found in the animal kingdom is also in man, if he will awaken himself to it.

The concentration upon Krishna and his flute is therefore beneficial to devotees and lovers, to those who should go on the path of Bhakti and also to those who seek spiritual development through music. In this sense the Sufism of the day departs from the older form which was linked with the Islamic religion and includes with it all the Vedic knowledge especially that of the mysticism of sound. For all comes from God and all returns to Him.

There is a marvelous benefit from the use of music whether in the form of Zikr or in any other form. For those who would compose or sing or dance, the performance of deep concentration until they feel unity with Krishna is of highest benefit.

GATHA: The crown of peacock’s feathers leads to a further revelation, that it is the music of the heart which can be expressed through the head; it is the knowledge of the head and the love of the heart that express the divine message fully.

TASAWWUF: It is said of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove. How does a dove descend? When we consider the Holy Spirit as the Divine Breath and realize that the sound of that breath which is heard by many mystics forms ultimately the universal “Hu,” which the dove comes nearest to reproducing in an intelligible form, then we can say that the Holy Spirit descended giving forth a sound like that of the dove. Infants also produce a similar sound, which we call “cooing.” That represents the angelic condition and the angelic music takes on such a form, and that can touch the heart of man when he is responsive.

Heart music appears in speech in a loving, gentle, sympathetic voice. One can notice it in an innocent person and in lovers and saints. The quality of voice always betrays the stage of evolution, and the emotional condition. In spiritual training the emotions are purified through music, but there is no reason why this knowledge cannot be given to many, if they would accept the discipline necessary for its appreciation.

GATHA: Peacock’s feathers have in all ages been considered as a sign of beauty, as a sign of knowledge; beauty because they are beautiful, knowledge because they are in the form of an eye.

TASAWWUF: The peacock feather contains or reflects all the colours and appears as one of the most scintillating and beautiful objects in nature. In addition to that it has a certain psychic and healing power which can be used to remove disease germs. Therefore instead of the possession of peacock feathers being unlucky, the mystic says they are decidedly beneficial.

The eye itself is an instrument for the absorption of knowledge and for radiating light and power. The eye may be used in the form of spiritual instruction called Tawajjeh.

Concentration upon the peacock feather, visually at first, may be used to awaken a sense of beauty, a response to color, and a feeling of immunity against disease.

GATHA: It is by keen observation that man acquires knowledge. Knowledge without love is lifeless. So with the flute the crown of peacock’s feathers makes the symbol complete.

TASAWWUF: In Jewish mysticism, Kether, the Crown, is placed in the first position, above the other Sephira or divine emanations. Tiphereth, beauty, is placed in their very centre, holding the others together. Thus they symbolise the position of heart and head in the human personality and in life generally. They also indicate that the heart is at the centre of life and beauty in the midst of human personality when that has reached perfection, for beauty has been placed at the very centre of the Divine Personality.

Many argue about the relative merits of heart and head. This question can never be settled by argument. But it can be settled by concentration, and any form of concentration which reveals the nature of heart and of head will bring this knowledge to the talib. However most people need heart development and the life of the heart continues even after that of mind, and precedes that of mind.

Although there are said to be different paths such as Bhakti Marga and Jnana Marga, the one is one and the same. If a person wants knowledge he obtains it through spiritual development; and if he seeks love, that search for love is the same as the spiritual search. But for most people love is foremost and essential, and for the life eternal it is not necessary to raise the intellect to the highest degree while one is on earth. There may be no purpose in it and no advantage. Thought, attuned to and controlled by feeling, leads to wisdom.

Questions and Answers (July 20, 1923)

Q:  What is the meaning of the peacock feathers?

A:  The peacock feathers are considered by the poets and mystics as a symbol (sign) of beauty, and a sign of vanity. And they are included in all the kingly grandeurs. And the peacock is the bird upon which rode the goddess of music and literature, Sarasvati. Also the peacock feathers are used at the tombs of the Sufis, by the guardians of the tomb. Also by the healers, that by the pass of the peacock feathers, which is the pass of harmony and beauty, the bad influences may be taken away. Also in India they use peacock feathers in the necklace of a child, and that is a little psychological trick. A child who is susceptible to evil eye is saved from its severe influence, because it is natural that the first glance of a person, instead of falling upon the child, will fall upon the peacock feathers, because it attracts the curiosity of everyone. In that way the first severe glance is, so to speak, shielded by the peacock feathers. And the same thing is done by the lion’s nails which are put in the necklace of a little child.

Q:  Why can we only have knowledge of God through the heart? What part of the mind does the heart represent?

A:  The heart is the principle centre, not the heart in the body, but the heart which is the depth of the mind, for the mind is the surface of the heart. The heart and mind are as one tree: the root is the heart and the branches, fruits, flowers, and leaves represent the mind. The heart is at the bottom of thought, imagination, and all. Feelings always belong to the heart, thought to the mind; so what belongs to the mind can be expressed in words, what to the heart cannot. Everything in the mind is intelligible, but what is intelligible but not expressible, or beyond what is intelligible, that is the heart. Deeper feelings, mirth, kindness, sympathy, all fine feelings which cannot be expressed in words are all activities of the heart. The heart is like the sea, and the waves are its emotions. The brain is all over the body, this fact is admitted by modern science; brain is that susceptibility which is sensitive, such as nerves which are the sensitive feelers of the brain.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 7

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
Tongues of Fire

GATHA: The symbolic meaning of the legend—of the myth—is that there is a period when the soul of the earnest seeker is seeking, which means that it has not yet found the object it is seeking after.

TASAWWUF: The Sufis have always stressed the symbolical meaning of myth and sacred texts, for the real sacred text is not that which is a mere historical record so much as a prophetic or inspired utterance which cannot always be limited to a verbal interpretation. Dreams, visions and mystical experiences especially are not vouchsafed as rewards and do not always mean the highest forms of progress and attainment. They come during certain stages of development and must be distinguished whether they are the result of natural conditions, or because of one’s own state, or whether they have been sent by Divine Grace. Therefore the Teacher is needed for the pupil often errs when he judges himself.

Heart does not fully impress mind without the use of form, and therefore Sufis do not neglect the study of occultism which throws light upon inner experiences. They do not always delight in them, which they call the pleasures of heaven, for they come during the time of search. And when the Message was first brought to the Western world it was largely through the use of myths and allegories, and though it was explained that there was an inner meaning, it was also stated that for this insight was needed. But the world has wanted the inner meaning without the insight and therefore has often obtained neither.

GATHA: In the lifetime of Jesus Christ the beauty of the Master’s wonderful personality and the great intoxication of His presence and the constant outpouring of the Message that He had to give was so much for his disciples that it was beyond what may be called a joy or a happiness or something which is explainable, and all the blessing that they received and experienced during His presence was covered by the Master’s personality.

TASAWWUF: The effect of this was very great and the historicity of Jesus Christ can be proven by the psychic power that he left with his disciples and also from the mystical experiences of those who followed the path he laid out. Nevertheless it must be said that intoxication in the presence of the living teacher constitutes a certain grade of development and if one remains intoxicated with the presence and with the form he will have the utmost difficulty in attaining to fana-fi-Rassoul. For his thought of the teacher will ever remain as a veil over his clear vision of the teacher.

Jesus Christ could not hide his personality from his disciples and from the multitude. Nor could he prevent their falling into ecstasy by coming into his presence. Thus he brought before them the Way of the Heart, and by focusing his heart upon theirs he elevated them. Nevertheless this elevation was largely temporary. He accepted saints and sinners, wise and foolish, learned and ignorant. Some came from curiosity, some from grief, others were attracted by the presence of the crowd, some had a deep longing and some were selfish. Yet all were welcome because whatever their grade of evolution, in the presence of the teacher they might be uplifted.

To understand the heart of the Vairagi one must repeat and meditate on the Gayatri, Pir and Nabi and Rassoul. Many repetitions may be needed and even that may not open the heart. It is difficult to convey this feeling intellectually. Therefore MURAKKABAH is offered through the use of a word or a phrase. Even after one has progressed to the degree that he only has a vague name or suggestion to use, then he must concentrate upon a thing with details, or an episode, and this for the purpose of furthering his inner awakening.

GATHA: And the time of realization of that which they had constantly gained came in their lives after that great change when the external person of the Master ascended and the capacity of realization became open.

TASAWWUF: For while the Teacher was on earth they had to listen to his words and might be blinded by his light as well as by their own ignorance. The withdrawal of a spiritual person always makes it possible for those on earth to advance farther and therefore it is a kindness on his part although his pupils will feel a loss. This loss, coming with great pain, is a boon to the heart and a source of damnation to nufs.

We can see the same thing, that after the departure of Moses, Buddha, Mohammed, there was a greater progress among the disciples and generality. The feeling of a loss, the sense that a great one has been in their midst, and the blessings that have been imparted consciously or unconsciously help in promoting evolution.

GATHA: But after the resurrection, when they had had sufficient time to recover from the feeling that had overtaken their hearts, the seeming separation from their beloved Lord prepared them, so to speak, in time and opened the doors of the heart, giving capacity for that illumination which was constantly pouring out from the Spirit of Guidance, the Alpha and Omega, Who always was and is and will be.

TASAWWUF: There are two types of mystical experiences, those which come in intoxication and those which come in sobriety. In the states of intoxication or wujud, one is, so to speak, drunk. It may be in grief or love or joy. A disciple may have been so won by the teacher’s love that the grief of separation changes his whole nature. Or it may be that his natural evolution has progressed and he feels the opening of the door of his heart. Then he feels such a change that from the material point of view he is unbalanced. It is not so, for afterwards he reveals his progress, but during that time he is not always sensible.

Ecstasy and intoxication are of great value in enabling the consciousness to rise above materialism and the denseness of earth. They do not, however, help much in the development of will, nor can they easily be shared or communicated. Besides there are those who seek the intoxication and we find many of the lesser known Christian sects whose followers claim to have the gift of tongues and other faculties, who from intoxication became slaves to psychic power.

Spiritual sobriety, however, is different from ordinary sobriety and until one has passed through wujud he cannot know this sobriety. For it is sobriety without ego and with wisdom. It is the source of morality and makes it possible to live a life of renunciation. There can be no renunciation until there is something to renounce, and when one has renounced the joy of heaven, verily has he renounced.

GATHA: The symbolic interpretation of the tongues of flame rising from their foreheads is the light of the Message, the rays of the Christ-spirit in the form of thoughts, which were expressed in words.

TASAWWUF: One may see the representation of this in sacred art, especially in that of Buddhism. There the rays are usually placed in the background, forming an aureole. To paint such pictures and to create such art well one must have had a certain amount of this experience oneself. The Sufi talib may be asked to use in concentration a picture of a teacher and if the concentration is performed well he will see this light rising from the forehead of the teacher. AE has written a book called, The Candle in the Forehead—and this phrase is also found in sacred scriptures. This light arises when the light of the heart is kindled. This also accounts for the appearance of the form of the message of the symbol on the forehead and for other phenomena.

What is important, however, on the spiritual path, is self-development and not the beholding of wonders, though they may come and come often. If the light can be kindled in oneself, that is well. The question then is how to develop the rays of the Christ Spirit, and this is a normal portion of that part of the journey called fana-fi-Rassoul, wherein one kindles the light of Rassoul in oneself. For this purpose it is best not to use any form of Jesus Christ but his name only, and to hold onto it a long time lest it become clothed with a form manufactured out of one’s thoughts. Ultimately one will feel the light rising within his bosom and colouring his personality.

GATHA: There is a stage in the life of a seer when the tongue of flame becomes not only an interpretation of the reality but a reality, his own experience. The head is the centre of knowledge and when the centre opens, the light, which was covered, becomes manifest, not only in idea, but even in form.

TASAWWUF: That is to say, during spiritual development, the light which has been latent in man, which is also the Logos and which is the source of intelligence and speech, actually manifests as light. The Zakir experiences it to some extent and when there is a combination of Zikr and the higher forms of Murakkabah one discovers in himself that which he has only heard about in some tale or has attributed to some holy one of the distant past.

The vibrations of the inner planes can most easily touch the heart which is the most sensitive part of the body and which, through expansion in feeling, makes accommodation for them. After that they go into the head and all the processes of mental life unfold. Then there is life and beauty and psychic power in thought, speech and action. The Sufi does not pay so much attention to the opening of any chakras or to any one-sided development of glands. When the whole mental body becomes aflame, so to speak, there one may speak of a certain attainment.

One may read in the Christian Scriptures about this episode of the tongues of flame, which is mentioned in the second chapter of the Book of Acts (or “Deeds”). This begins, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” This might also be translated, “And when the day of Pentecost was fulfilled, the minds of all were attuned to the One Self.”

Pentecost is the Feast of Weeks of the Hebrews, which was fulfilled after seven weeks and one day from the Passover, the word Pentecost meaning “Fiftieth.” The Feast of Weeks was one of rejoicing over the first fruits that came forth from the ground after the planting season. The number fifty also represented the jubilee, or rejoicing because of spiritual emancipation in the Hebrew religious symbolism.

One may interpret it here to mean that the brethren, the disciples of Jesus Christ, were all attuned to one another because they had fulfilled their common attunement and had performed those practices which were assigned to them. The words translated “in the same place” might equally mean the same spiritual degree, the same psychological state, agreement of mind. When a group of persons so attunes themselves they become as one personality replete with psychic power. This principle has been used in the Healing Service, wherein is established a group unit forming an Integrated-Individual or I-I, which means that two or more persons act as one entity.

The second verse reads: “And suddenly there came a Sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” This might be translated: “And suddenly there was an echo as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting in meditation.” Those who have the practice of Shagal and all who have made any progress in the mysticism of sound will recognize this wind at once; it is one of the four aspects of the Universal Sound, described in “The Mysticism of Sound.” It is always a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Other aspects of this sound are described elsewhere in the Bible in relation to the experiences of the prophets of the Old Testament and the seers of the New.

The third verse is usually translated: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” This also might be translated “And divided tongues like fire perched (or reposed) upon each one of them.” This is also a mystical occurrence, and the Hebrew letter Yod, it has been said, was originally derived from such a tongue of flame in space.

The fourth verse in the Authorized Version reads: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” This may be translated: “And they were all filled with the Divine Breath and began to speak with other tongues as the breath gave it to them to speak.” In other words, they were under the inspiration of ecstasy and their personal minds no longer stood in the way, throwing any shadows over the light of intelligence. The divine light filled their being and filled the crescent moon of their state of emptiness.

GATHA: And the phenomenon that was shown the next day, when the apostles spoke all different languages, can be rightly interpreted in this sense, that every soul hears its own language. For every soul has its own word, as every soul has its peculiar illusion.

TASAWWUF: Each soul interprets truth and each soul receives knowledge according to that attunement which it took originally in the sphere of the angels on the way toward manifestation. This establishes the key-note or the key-notes to its visible life and existence. This brings it the knowledge that it can assimilate and it also produces its illusion for it excludes that which it does not receive and regards it as irreality or illusion, while that which it comprehends it calls reality. But the reality for every man and woman may be different except when they are in the state of common attunement as were the disciples of Christ after his departure.

Music, Zikr and common meditations are used to bring disciples closer together in spirit, to enable them to harmonize and cooperate. The harmony between spiritual brethren becomes one of the most important factors in the spreading of the Message, and the words of the Sufi Invocation become more powerful as one includes the fellow initiates in the thought of them.

GATHA: And it is therefore that one person cannot understand another person in this world, and it becomes more than a miracle when one friend, perhaps one person in the world, can understand one fully.

TASAWWUF: Intellectual understanding and the common-sense view do not help much in this, and they may even hinder. In modern times we have the spectacle of Professor Einstein demonstrating that our scientific views have been based upon an egoistic and therefore erroneous basis of time and space. After him came Alfred Korzybski who has shown that words and conventions have different meanings to different people and that real understanding is not so easily attained. As a result the human race is beginning to study itself and seek a more serious basis for the solution of the problems of the day.

Now it happens that those on the spiritual path, which has been called the path of love and wisdom often find themselves in a lonely condition and much misunderstood. The higher they advance the more they may be misunderstood. Therefore the lesson of faith is given, and trust, that by them the spirit of human brotherhood may be engendered. Also such exercises are given to mureeds in their different stages to enable them to harmonize with others while they are unfolding themselves.

GATHA: Which means, in this world the language of each one is not understood by another, and if someone understands a little one feels at-one-ment with that one.

TASAWWUF: This also is becoming clear to the generality. After Korzybski, Stuart Chase has written a book called The Tyranny of Words, and people are beginning to realize that they have been using words without much thought, meaning, or depth. Even sometimes the intellectuals who discover that do not find the solution, they only point out the dilemma. The mystic would agree with their analyzes but would ask, “Is that all there is of life? Is there no hope?”

Spiritual training is largely heart training and with the awakening of heart there comes a faculty by which the sahib-i-dil can touch the mind of another and sympathize to a certain extent. The heart can see into many minds and the teacher in Sufism is there to understand the disciple who may not be understood by others.

GATHA: It was the illumination of the Christ-spirit which brought exaltation in their lives, so that they began to see in every soul the Master and they became at one with every soul, inspired by sympathy and love of Christ.

TASAWWUF: This is the state of Risalat which is the fulfillment of the growth of human personality by which one comes to the awakening of the sense of humanity as a whole. It corresponds in a way to fana-fi-Adam. It also shows that just as the spirit of Mohammed and the spirit of Krishna may be before the devotee as a means to rise in fana-fi-Rassoul, so there is the path of Christ—although in another sense there are many paths of Christ, Mohammed, Krishna and all prophets according to the line of evolution of the disciple, and also there is One Path which leads to the annihilation of the false ego in the real and which unfolds the life’s purpose of every soul.

The 46th Verse of the Second Chapter of the Book of Acts (or Deeds) quoted above usually reads: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” But this better reads: “And they continued every day to be of one mind in their sacred devotions, and at home they broke their bread and partook of food in gladness and singleness (or simplicity) of heart.” This shows that when they had reached this degree of development, there was unity and harmony on all three planes: that of the body, mind and heart. This came from their love of Christ, or the divine love in manifestation.

GATHA: And they understood the souls as they saw them, and so they spoke with souls whose language was never understood. Plainly speaking, they heard the cry of every soul and they answered every soul’s cry.

TASAWWUF: Therefore we read in the 47th verse of the above: “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

The opposite state to this is conveyed in the legend of the Tower of Babel. This shows that when the will of man is dominant and each seeks the satisfaction of his own desires, and when people [decided]/[decide] to take the affairs of the universe in their own hands, their ability to accomplish is limited. If they keep on daring, they will misunderstand for as they rise above earthly things the human intelligence is unequal to the task and each person will tend to interpret life in the light of his limited development. Thus misunderstandings arise and cooperation becomes impossible.

The Sufis endeavor to raise themselves and mankind out of the condition of Babel into that of all-harmony and all-cooperation, but not through sentiment or philosophy. It can only be done through the awakening of heart, and concentration itself serves as one means by which this may be accomplished.

GATHA: The Message means the answer to the cry of every soul. Every great prophet or teacher had in his life many followers attracted to his personality, to his kindness and love; but those who became as the instrument of his Message, whose hearts became as a flute for the Master to play his music, have always been some chosen few, as the twelve apostles of Christ.

TASAWWUF: This does not mean that any Messenger of God has played favorites, he cannot do so and deliver his Message. Only more people are attracted by his personality than by the lessons he brings. They may even be so intoxicated by the personality that they do not develop, and they may remain on the earth for many years, and even repeat in a formal way the practices that he has assigned, but the forthcoming development is limited. Why? Because through all and in all there is adherence to the limited self and no matter what happens, they interpret things in the view of that self and so never rise or reach to the interpretation of tongues and hearts.

The history of the Message of this day has not been different. Many were attracted to the personality of the Messenger, many were won by gentleness, kindness, good-will. Each saw the blessing that was given to him or to her—personally. Few recognized even in the most casual outer fashion the kindness that was given to another. Each wanted some honour, or considered it a great favour to receive the honour personally. Many put little valuation upon the honours or trusts given to others. Thus instead of bringing about brotherhood the differences which divide men were accentuated and the light of Rassoul disappeared in many parts of the world—and destruction threatened or actually followed.

Thus there is a word of warning and a word of comfort. The word of warning is to all those who want to carry their individuality along with them on the path of God—it cannot be done. They may have many visions and dreams and even obtain a degree of psychical power, but that is all. And the word of comfort is for those who can forego the self and feel the heart of another and whose attunement to and with their teacher enables them to sympathize more with others.

The future of the Message may depend largely upon the willingness of mureeds to cooperate with each other. Nevertheless as this willingness cannot be imposed from without, it depends largely upon the heart-awakening of each and of all. For this purpose the teacher assigns those exercises which will help to bring about a new condition so that in this sense there will be a “new heaven and a new earth,” meaning that the minds will change in view of the light of the awakened heart, and the outer behavior will also be modified in the light of the oncoming wisdom.

The spiritual teacher is called upon to play a role like that of cupid to bring the soul closer to God. Also he may help in harmonizing each disciple to another. It may be more valuable in this to be concerned with one’s virtues than with another’s faults. Looking upon faults is keeping the consciousness in shadow whether those faults be seen in another’s personality or in oneself. Love, Ishk, is an all-pervading, all-attracting force and when it is used in a practical manner it can bring wonders to pass. A few persons working together can generate a tremendous amount of psychic power; a few persons working together can produce a channel for the light of God to manifest upon earth.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 8

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
The Story of Lot’s Wife

GATHA: The ancient method of giving the mystery of life was to give it in the form of a legend.

TASAWWUF: The Hebrew word ma’aseh has been applied to these tales and outstanding are ma’aseh berashith and ma’aseh merkabah, the mystery of the creation and the mystery of the chariot (or breath). In later times, however, the word ma’aseh has come to mean only a story. Yet if we study ancient literature, and particularly traditions most carefully preserved, we find in them some psychic or occult power which caused people to treasure them even when unaware of their meaning. In this way the scriptures and the secret and sacred trusts have been preserved through the ages.

If we study the various arts as well as literature we can clearly see this, and although the custom has largely disappeared, the Sufis long assisted in the preservation of ancient mysteries through their teachings, their symbols, their poetry and literature. With the rise of theosophy in the western world there came a movement to collect legends, myths, traditions, and folklore, feeling that there may be hidden values in them. Even scientists, otherwise regarded as materialists, have felt this.

It has also been explained that the words of the wise cannot be limited to any literal interpretation although the literal meaning must not be excluded. The Message may help in uncovering these hidden meanings especially if it is of value to the student.

GATHA: The legend of Lot’s wife is that it was to Abraham that Lot was related, and it was by the love and help of Abraham that the two angels were sent to Lot, to warn him of the coming destruction of the cities and to advise him to go to the mountains. And Lot was not willing to leave the cities, but in the end he agreed to.

TASAWWUF: As has been explained, the Sufi of the day may enter upon the path of Rassoul in such a way as it is said in Salat, “Let us know Thee as Abraham, Solomon, Zarathustra, etc.” Many names are offered which can be used on the path of fana-fi-Rassoul and reference is made to other names and forms known and unknown to the world. So the path is often for all humanity, that all may progress in harmony.

As is explained later Abraham in a certain sense represents God and Lot the human soul. It is the divine love and grace (hari or inayat) which helps most in human unfoldment. The human soul or Lot lives in the cities, which represent Samsara, and the mountains represent spiritual elevation; the two doves are the two aspects of Divine Breath which help man. Man wishes to remain in ignorance but the heart within, touched by Divine Grace, urges him to rise from captivity.

The names of persons often contain the most symbolical ideas and in studying ancient myths and records one ought not to neglect them. Nearly all the names in Greek mythology and in the Hindu epics have deep significance. The same is true of most names in the Hebrew and Egyptian records. Sometimes they do not signify an individual so much as a state of consciousness or development.

Thus the name Abraham means in a limited sense, “Father of Mercy” but in a wider sense it means “Father of Righteousness.” The ancient Hebrew mystics, if we can believe Philo, say that Abraham means “Father of a Multitude of Sounds,” which means that out of Abraham, the universal father, all the sounds, or the tunings of the soul arise. Considered in this sense also Abraham is the same as Brahma in India and Barman or Bahman in Iran. Before the time of Abraham the creative Self was called Iswara in India and Asar in Egypt, which is to say, Osiris.

The word Lot means the concealed or hidden one. For the true self in man which is related to Abraham is kept concealed. That is to say, we identify ourselves with the inhabitants of the cities [Sodom and Gomorrah], the ignorant of Samsara, and are apt to forget our true relationship to God. Sooner or later we shall be called upon to leave the cities and undertake that journey which leads to emancipation.

GATHA: His sons-in-law failed him by not accompanying him, but his wife and his two daughters accompanied him on the journey to the mountain. And they were told that his wife must not look back; and when she did, she was turned into a pillar of salt. Lot and his two daughters remained, and they reached the cave of the mountain, which was Lot’s destination.

TASAWWUF: This gives the idea of attachment and non-attachment. Man is called upon to leave Samsara and the only way this can be accomplished is to leave all behind, even in thought. If there is any holding on even in thought that can become a burden and with such burdens one cannot climb the mountain of salvation. For man is called to climb the mountain, enter the spiritual condition, and to reach the cave.

In the Hebrew traditions the cave is regarded as a place of initiation and transformation of personality. One can read this in the Zohar, which comments upon the cave of Macphelah where Abraham is said to have retired after completing the earthly life. One can see that that cave included all the planes of the universe. The idea of the cave or place of seclusion was of utmost importance in ancient times and was used for initiatory and ceremonial rites in both the greater and lesser mysteries. This was true among the Hindus, Greeks, Egyptians, Druids, and all of whom we have any record, and even in modern times by Tibetans and some schools of Yoga.

GATHA: The two towns that were to be destroyed represent the North Pole and the South Pole, the two poles of the world.

TASAWWUF: Sodom represents the condition of the narrowed ego, which is covered by the denseness of earth, so that it has lost sight of everything other than self. Self-interest alone is its aim and gain. And Gomorrah represents the state of delusion by fancy, where people are attracted by everything, and have no purpose in life, and go from apparent delight to delight, only to find no happiness.

GATHA: For all the treasures of the earth, all possessions and power and fame that belong to the earth are subject to destruction. And that was taught to Lot, the human soul, who was the relation of Abraham—the human soul which is from Brahma, the Creator. The relationship of Lot with Abraham represents the relation of the human soul to the Creator.

TASAWWUF: If we regard Abraham as an Aryan instead of a Semitic word it would mean, “that which is related to, or comes from Brahm.” And Lot was the son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. This simply means the universal or divine light. For each soul is as a ray of light and this light in turn is an emanation or activity of the Creator. The human soul is at one with the Creator in this respect.

It interests certain people to know what was the relationship between the spiritual tradition or sacred doctrine given to the Beni Israel and to the Aryans who later became known as Hindus. According to the mystical traditions of the Israelites the wife of Moses and his father-in-law were Hindus and if we study deeply the book of Berashith-Genesis we may find elements or parallels of Hindu, Babylonian, and Egyptian teachings all commingled. Moses himself is said to have derived the literature background of his work from five books which are named.

The Bible says that Jithro, the guru and father-in-law of Moses was a Midian. Now the Hindus of those times who lived in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley and in the Levant called themselves Mitanni, which is the same name. They used fire in their mystical ceremonies and at Baku there were remains of a most ancient fire temple until recent times where the Hindus visited and engaged themselves in devotion. The ancient mystics who used fire were called Cashdim or Chaldim, both of which words mean “people of the fire.” The Greeks called them Kassites and the same root is found in the name of Kashmir. And while the Sufi does not like to become too entangled in controversial subjects, it is well to find the Common Source of all mystical tradition and the common teachings of all schools.

GATHA: The two angels were the angels of light and of reason. When the light comes to man its first teaching is to warn the soul of the disaster that awaits all that is subject to death and destruction. It is this lesson that is called in Sanskrit the lesson of Vairagya—when man’s eyes open to see all that he loves and likes and wishes to hold and possess is subject to destruction and death.

TASAWWUF: The light of intelligence manifests in the heart of man, and when it is awakened he follows that light and no more makes decisions based upon their relation to his ego-personality. He discovers rise and fall, pleasure and pain, good and evil, and understanding the nature of duality, does not allow himself to be swayed by it. Thus he begins to rise out of Samsara, escape from the wicked cities. There are two of them to represent the state of duality.

The teaching concerning the Vairagi is to be found in The Inner Life and its commentary and also in the higher teachings of Sufism. Vairagi is master of himself, who is not swayed or moved by the affairs of the world around him. He truly is the dweller in the cave of the mountains.

GATHA: There are five bodies considered by the mystics of old to be the vehicles of the soul, which are called: Anandamayakosh, body of Joy; Vijnanamayakosh, body of Wisdom; Manamayakosh, body of Mind; Pranamayakosh, body of Ether; Annamayakosh, body of Earth.

TASAWWUF: There are many discussions as to whether man has one body or three or five or seven or some other number. It depends largely upon the point of view, the use of analysis and synthesis and reason. In Saum one prays, “In us be reflected Thy Grace, Thy Glory, Thy Wisdom, Thy Joy and Thy Peace.” This would seem to be a prayer for blessing or Baraka to manifest in five ways, as if through five different bodies or vehicles and such a view is often most helpful.

GATHA: This last is the receptacle of food. It lives on earthly food; and if it is starved of that it dies, for it is made of earth, it lives on earth.

TASAWWUF: Annamayakosh is the gross body, which has an essential atomic structure, formed of the grossness of prakriti or nature. It requires additional food, or materials from the earth-plane to sustain it and when it does not receive that nourishment or can no longer assimilate it, the time for its usefulness has passed.

GATHA: Another is the receptacle of ether. That part of man’s being lives by breath and by taking in the air. If it is starved of air it cannot live. These two bodies form the material part, the physical part, of man’s being. And it is these two receptacles which are termed in the legends the sons-in-law.

TASAWWUF: The theosophists also speak of this body which they call the etheric body and which forms the aura which surrounds the body. The elements of the breath manifest in this aura and can be seen by a seer. In fact it is possible to diagnose many diseases thereby, and many of the successes in healing by physical therapy have resulted from the improvement of the state of the etheric body which helps to convey the breath to and from the physical body.

GATHA: Then there is Manamayakosh, which is mind, the mental body, and this body has its action and reaction on both sides; it acts and reacts on the earthly bodies, and it acts and reacts upon the soul. Therefore when Lot left the two cities, which represent the physical plane, to journey toward the goal of immortality, his wife was still with him. For it is not necessary that the mental body should stay behind when the journey towards illumination is begun. It is capable of going with the soul towards eternity.

TASAWWUF: This subject of the mind is further explained in the Sufi Metaphysics and also in the literature, such as The Soul, Whence and Whither and The Mind-World, and in the commentaries thereupon. People speak much of the mind without knowing its true nature. To learn that, one must become free of mind, and without meditation and effacement; this is very difficult.

People talk about immortality and some believe in it and some do not. But when this subject is discussed it often occurs that those who dispute are not talking about the same thing. The immortality of the soul has one significance to the mystic and the immortality of the mind or of the ego have different meanings. Besides there are two aspects of mind, higher and lower, the one being like the moon turned toward the sun and the other like the moon turned toward the earth. Or one may speak of the waxing and waning moons.

The waxing moon wherein the light fills the crescent is that state of mind which benefits through spiritual unfoldment. Then it happens that as man grows his mind also grows. We find students who take Bayat who have not much intellectual capacity and perhaps they do not regard ordinary study as important, or perhaps they have little ability to learn in that way, their intelligence quotient, to use the accepted terminology, is low. Yet after years of devotion and meditation one will notice that these people have achieved a certain depth of mind and with it wisdom. This shows how mind can develop and in what manner it takes the journey toward eternity.

The ultimate end is, as the Christian scriptures put it, “to put on the mind of Jesus Christ,” which is identical with the state of buddhi or Buddha-mind. But there cannot be ego-mind and Buddha-mind both, there is one, or the other.

GATHA: And yet its attachment to earth and the physical plane is great, because it is made, it is built, of physical impressions, of all impressions that come from the physical world; and of necessity it wants to turn to see if the physical being or the spiritual being is leading it aright.

TASAWWUF: That is why many people do not advance. They subject everything to personal judgment and as limited as that judgment is so limited are they. The mind is not the self and the mind that is turned toward the earth is affected by the denseness of the earth and thus it is heavier than if one were free and followed always the impressions of heart.

The Sufi training in Murakkabah is so graded that step by step, stage by stage, one may advance and etherealize the mental energy. If one can concentrate upon that which is almost beyond conception and hold the vague concept tight with the power of will and so build impressions upon the mind, that which the mind receives will purify it and elevate it and then one may be building a Sambhogakaya body or glorified body with which one can function in the mental realm or be in that realm without being of it, just as the mystics can live in this world without being of it.

GATHA: The principal nature of mind is doubt, whether one is doing right or wrong. And doubt and faith are enemies. While faith leads to the destination, doubt pulls back. When the mind was so pulled back, attracted by all the impressions of earthly life, it could neither take hold of the earth nor journey with the spirit, and remained, neither earth nor water, but salt.

TASAWWUF: The mind has several faculties, among them that of self-identification and judgment and these faculties make of it a weigher of things, and then when it weighs, it stands still, it does not progress forward or backward. Water in symbology often means spirit and salt is the heaviness of water which is not exactly earth, and yet it is as the earth element in water. The mind in this condition is afflicted with dualism, and subject to the sway of what it considers at the moment right or wrong, which may and do change as life changes.

Students of Sufism are taught the importance of faith which makes progress possible, and yet although the orthodox religions have taught the same thing, the antagonism of much of orthodoxy to reason and to science has made the ignorant turn away from faith. They do not realize that the scientist has faith also, and that without this faith he could not endure hardships in his studies and investigation. For true faith is not antagonistic to reason, true faith leads where reason can only follow.

The awakening of the mind may come through pain, when a person is more sensitive and more responsive. Or it may result by his willingness to follow the teacher and the teachings. Following the teacher alone, as has been explained, does not help much. Following the teachings alone means nothing, for without the teacher one cannot discern what the teachings really are.

GATHA: The only two bodies which are close to the soul followed the soul. Naturally they would follow, for they are closely related to the soul, Vijnanamayakosh, the body of Wisdom, and Anandamayakosh, the body of Joy. The soul bound towards the eternal goal—as it is called, the top of the mountains—then proceeded towards the mountains.

TASAWWUF: This lesson is also introduced in the latter portion of “The Soul, Whence and Whither,” where it is explained that the soul must get rid of mind and all that is associated with it in order to become free in the angelic kingdoms. The soul exists with its cover in Djabrut and without its cover in Lahut, to use the Sufi terms. The body of Wisdom may be considered as the same as the angelic body, and that of Joy or Bliss to be the soul itself.

The character Isaac, in Hebrew, has the same significance as Ananda or bliss. In the story of the Bible Abraham is called upon to sacrifice Isaac; that is to say, the soul is asked to surrender even its bliss to God. This is a test for when the test arrives it is unnecessary for the nature of bliss and the nature of soul are not different. But if there is any adherence to any thought or feeling of joy or for joy, that is a cover and that cover must be removed to attain the Divine Consciousness.

Vijnana stands for intuitive wisdom. When the heart is freed from the chalice of mind, this intuitive wisdom shines forth as a natural function. In the processes of safa this intuitive wisdom or kashf is developed in every mureed.

GATHA: And before they reached the top of the mountains there was the cave, which is called Heaven—in metaphysics capacity, in Sanskrit Akasha—which has the power of holding the soul from going to the top and using the soul for some purpose. And the soul which was bound for the eternal goal remained, so intoxicated by the ecstasy that it received from the plane of joy and the plane of wisdom. And as it ever happens that ecstasy produces purpose, so this joy resulted in a great purpose, in the birth of the Messenger, which in Sanskrit is called Bodhisattva. The Messenger was born of the soul’s experience, the knowledge and the happiness, to bring good tidings to the world.

TASAWWUF: In the Bible Lot enters the cave with his two daughters and they dwell there. The Hebrew commentators, anxious to discredit certain peoples, have failed to realize that this cave which Lot entered was the same cave of Macphelah which Abraham later bought and in which Isaac and Israel were later interred also. Or if they have accepted this possibility they have not always realized its importance.

The birth of Ammon and Moab mentioned in the Bible must not be taken in too literal a fashion. Moab comes from the same root as Nabi and means an intoxicated servant of God. The word Ammon is said to mean “leader of the people” and we find it in the Grecian “Agamemnon” who led the hosts before Troy, it is the same word. But Ammon also is related to Amon, the name of God in the Egyptian tongue.

The ultimate purpose and destiny of the soul is to get beyond all states and stages of transformation no matter how wonderful or desirable they may seem. They are always cloaks and covers over it which prevent it from reaching its goal. Therefore while ecstasy is desirable to help one rise above any condition of denseness, if one adheres to it and its delights, one will not be able to continue one’s journey to the uttermost.

GATHA: A question may arise, why Manamayakosh should be the mother, and Anandamayakosh and Vijnanamayakosh should be the daughters. And the answer is that they are born of mind, born of mind and soul. If there were only the soul there would be neither joy nor wisdom. Mind and soul both produce joy and wisdom. Therefore the latter are the daughters, because mind is the mother.

TASAWWUF: For except soul itself, everything to which we can give name has an element of mind in it. The Sufi says that the mind is the surface and the heart is the depth. In the picture the colours form an essential part but in the soap bubble one sees the colours only on the surface. Thus the life of heart shows on its surface that which is a constituent part of the life of mind. While wisdom may manifest in the mind, it has a world of its own which is beyond mind, which results when the light of intelligence is directed back toward the Centre of the Universe, so to speak.

This aspect of light is symbolized in the story of Joseph with his coat of many colours. Joseph is the beloved son of Israel, the man who sees God; Joseph is also in a sense the body of joy, and from it and upon it all beauty comes, beauty leading to joy and joy to beauty. But speculation upon the finer bodies without every effort at realization may even become a hindrance upon the path. Therefore Murakkabah and other exercises are used so the talib can actualize that which he studies.

Of this the Bhagavad Gita states: “To him ever attached to Me, worshipping Me in love, I give that union with knowledge by which he comes to Me.”

GATHA: The two lower planes are represented by the sons-in-law because they were not directly born of mind and soul; it was a separate substance mind and soul have taken into their life.

TASAWWUF: For the higher planes may be said to be composed of the fine vibrations and the lower planes of the gross vibrations. What has been called the “mind-mesh” is said to lie between these structures. In the Bible one reads that the Sons of God looked upon the daughters of earth and desired them. This refers to the attraction of purusha and prakriti, for in the interplay of these forces, to use the Sanskrit terms, the manifest world was made and sustained.

GATHA: By this story the process is taught how the soul can journey from mortality to immortality and what experiences the soul has to have on its way. But when the Messenger is so created then the father, the soul, rests in peace. It is therefore that the Messenger was called the Son and the original soul the Father.

TASAWWUF: Thus Lot appears as the nephew of Abraham, but Isaac is the son and in Isaac we have a prototype of Jesus Christ who it is said, was also called to sacrifice that the world might be saved. For the Messenger is that soul which manifests on all planes and lives in the dense bodies but is still aware of his finer bodies. He accomplishes the journey while on earth, he accomplishes his immortality without waiting to be lifted from this plane. By so doing he becomes a direct vehicle of Baraka, spiritual blessings, which he communicates to humankind both by his silence and his speech.

The sons of Lot are the sons of man, and Christ himself took the title of “Son of Man.” So Ammon, the son of Lot, was a title of Messiah among many people of that age and Amun was a Divine Name in Egypt, and later throughout the Roman Empire, God was called Jupiter Ammon or Zeus Ammon, the saviour of the people.

With the birth of sons, the soul, Lot, has completed its purpose and remains in the cave, in the state of peace. When a Messenger appears or one becomes a Vairagi, there is then peace, for that one stands firm before all that occurs and attains to perfection in action, which alone constitutes peace.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 9

The Symbology of Religious Ideas

GATHA: The idea that is meant in the Bible by the words of Christ, “Eat my flesh and drink my blood,” is suggestive of the inner being of the Master. It is the eternal life which he meant by his blood, and it is the omnipresent existence which he meant by his flesh. The idea of the Master was to make his disciples know that his physical form that they were attracted to was not his being, his true being was the all-pervading, everlasting life of God; and it is in this meaning that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one.

TASAWWUF: There is a discussion of this subject also in the second series of Gathas on “Superstitions, Customs and Beliefs” and the subject of blood is studied also in the same series on Symbology. Perhaps in ancient times more consideration was given to this subject than we realize although it has been much discussed by the Christians and especially during the early period of the Reformation there were countless discussions, public and private over it and the various interpretations have led in large part to the establishment of many of the Christian sects.

The same problem remains with us at all times that mureeds may be attracted more to the personality of the teacher and when that is so, they do not partake of his flesh and blood. They do not partake of his knowledge and wisdom, they do not know his real outer personality and still less do they know of his inner personality. For in Murakkabah, if one wishes to drink the blood there must be a heart concentration upon the heart of the Teacher or Rassoul. In this we see three stages in the development through love. In the first series there is the concentration upon the heart, as well as upon the dove. Then one has the concentration upon blood. Finally one reaches a grade in concentration where in inner process one partakes of the very blood of Christ.

The spiritual life does not exclude anything of the practical or everyday life. Jesus himself lived as a carpenter, working at his trade and drew his disciples from other trades. Sufis have followed this example and have demonstrated that there can be spiritual development, even illumination, without withdrawal from the world and all its activities. Thus to eat the flesh of Christ is to follow him in the everyday life, to feel his presence in all things.

The drinking of blood is symbolic of eternality. Even the scientists are leaning something about the heart of man and Dr. Carrel has been able to keep a heart beating indefinitely showing that it has an unusual faculty for the absorption of life. But blood is also symbolic of love and in the Qur’an this teaching has been presented.

In another sense the eating and drinking of flesh and blood together, which forms the communion, means to partake of all the things of life together. This lesson has been presented in the Gatha and Sangatha in explanation of the tongues of flame. And in the Pistis Sophia, which was accepted by the Gnostic Christians as the scripture of the risen Christ, this doctrine was also presented as a most important mystery.

GATHA: Christ said to the fishermen, “I will make you fishers of men,” which meant, “As you spread the net and the fishes come into it, so by spirituality your personality will spread in the atmosphere, and the hearts of men hungering for love will be attracted to you as fishes.”

TASAWWUF: This same idea was also given to his disciples by Buddha. The fish itself was used as a holy symbol by the early Christians just as the wheel was by the Buddhists. There is supposed to be the same ideas in it as in the symbol for the house of the Zodiac called “Pisces.” There is the fish that dwells in the ocean of Samsara, and there is the fish that is lifted out of that condition and becomes “Aquarius,” the man rescued out of the water, and so saved.

GATHA: The love of Christ for the lamb symbolically expresses that to the Master that soul made a greater appeal which was simple and harmless as a lamb.

TASAWWUF: Christ has put it another way, “Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” After the resurrection he appeared, it is said, to his disciples and said, “Feed my sheep, feed my lambs.” At another time he called himself the Good Shepherd. This same phrase is supposed to have been used by Orpheus in most ancient times and more than one holy teacher has acted as a shepherd and actually taken care of sheep, and lambs.

GATHA: And the crown of thorns represents tolerance of the thorn-like personalities of which there are so many in the world, constantly pricking their thorns, consciously or unconsciously, and it is this which makes the sensitive annoyed with life in the world.

TASAWWUF: The doctrine of gentleness taught by Jesus is hard to understand, for it means gentleness with strength, only instead of hurting others, one uses his strength to endure the difficulties of life better. The thorns around the crown of the head show how much pain comes through thought and how one must guard one’s thoughts to prevent them from hurting others, and also to withstand the pain directed toward oneself. For the real holy man endures all things. This lesson is also presented in the teaching of Vadan and elsewhere. It is the same as the ahimsa of India, rightly understood.

GATHA: But the teacher, whose heart represents the divine mother and father both, cannot but be tolerant, and can take willingly all the thorns that would come to him, for that is his crown, the sign of his sovereignty in the kingdom of the soul.

TASAWWUF: The spiritual person is both responsive and expressive; he may always be responsive toward the heavens, and he may be either responsive or expressive toward man. The teacher who would help his disciples forbears to give them burdens and willingly shoulders the burdens they bring him in the hopes that some day they may find liberation.

A great opportunity has been lost by those who have not seen what might be called the Masculine and Feminine Aspects of Deity. Argumentation proves nothing and realization may bring that which confounds the generality. There has been much discussion of the androgyny and of the ancient Egyptian symbol, but what do the people that make such discussions mean? What light do they throw upon the inner being of man?

The Sufi says that the perfection of the heart is needed. This does not come through discussion, it comes through following certain duties, and perhaps most through the pursuance of that line of life set before the disciple by the teacher. When man comes to understand himself, perhaps to find both male and female in himself (Male and female created He them—says the Bible), then all becomes clear.

GATHA: Christ said to Peter, “Thou wilt deny me three times before the cock crows.” It explains human nature. The faith of man is generally dependent upon the faith of the multitude; if the multitude calls the pebble a diamond, then man calls the pebble a diamond, everyone will begin to consider it and say it. And if the multitude thought that the diamond was a pebble then everyone would follow the belief of the multitude.

TASAWWUF: Peter symbolizes the man of common sense, the ordinary person with average judgment. He is influenced more by the atmosphere in which he finds himself and finds it very difficult to think contrary to that atmosphere or to rise above it. Christ represents the liberated man and he called upon Peter as the sage calls upon the ignorant man. When Peter was alone with Christ or only the disciples were present, he was drawn into the aura of spirituality and was very faithful. But when he found himself in a place where the atmosphere was not controlled by his Master, he was still very responsive, he had not learned to be negative to God and positive to man; he remained responsive and so denied Christ.

Peter denounced Christ at night, which means during the period of spiritual darkness. He denounced him three times, meaning in body, mind and heart; but the heart could not hold fast against truth and then the cock crowed, which means that at a certain point the heart could stand it no more and felt the cry calling it to taubah or repentance. This symbol of the cock stands out in Sufi poetry and is explained in the lessons on Omar Khayyam as well as in the mystical studies on the Christian religion.

GATHA: The soul of the Messenger, that comes from above (which the dove represents), which is not made by the world nor known by the world, remains unrecognized until the cock crows and the sun rises. His words shine and spread the light to the world.

TASAWWUF: To bring this to realization the talib may be asked by the teacher to take on certain concentrations. Whatever the religion is by which he wishes to advance or whose secrets he wishes to know, the deep concentration is most valuable, and then through that he may advance towards truth.

The lessons on Concentration show how it is possible to learn the secrets of the scriptures by self-unfoldment. Strictly speaking the sacred scriptures are records of the stages of growth of heart, covered over in many ways as history, ethics, poetry, metaphysics. All of these are covers and to uncover them deep meditation, concentration and contemplation are needed. Whether it is the flesh and blood of Christ, of becoming a fisher, or feeding the lamb or learning the mystery of the cock or dove, by becoming those things, one learns their secret. Then one may learn also a secret of nature, how to communicate with creatures for the life-force which is alert in them will also awaken in the heart of the devotee.

GATHA: And the souls privileged with some little recognition, but with a great deal of doubt, may believe for a moment, impressed by the power and grace of the Master’s personality, and yet may deny a thousand times, and doubt and suspect, being impressed by the influence of the multitude.

TASAWWUF: This is true at every period of the world’s history; at one age a martyr, at another time a saint. The very churches and institutions which regard themselves as the vehicles of Divine Will persecute and repent and canonize, and the multitude, which has not even the iota of spirituality, often goes further and destroys ruthlessly. Even in these so-called civilized times it is true.

Now the question is how to obtain the grace of the Master’s personality and his power? It is still the question today. If one observes only the outer form he will always have a shadow before him, and not the light. But by the inner concentration on the teacher’s heart, he may come to perceive that inner light which is in the teacher, which is in himself, and which is in all beings.

GATHA: How true it is, the saying in Hindustani that, “Generally a soul follows the multitude.” There are rare souls who believe in their conviction, and remain steady even if it were that the whole world was against their inner conviction. Verily to the faithful belongs every blessing.

TASAWWUF: This unfortunate habit of human nature has stood out against the spiritual reformation of the world, and even now is leading toward political and economic destruction. One solution or a thousand solutions, and people may choose to suffer in ignorance than to rise to an ideal which may deliver them. Christ, it has been said, was practically alone upon the cross. Few among his followers have been willing to stand alone. But when they have, what strength! what power! what majesty! Whether it be Savaronola or Luther or Servetus, when they stood alone they stood with strength and grace.

But it is also true that as one wills this, and will stand for truth regardless of the multitudes, regardless of the generality, he makes of himself a channel for Baraka and brings grace and power to the world though he be martyred, though he be universally lauded. Thus it is to awaken the human heart to Grace regardless of opinion or the opposition of all the world, knowing that in the end Truth will be victorious.

Toward 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.

Gatha with Commentary          Series III: Number 10

The Symbology of Religious Ideas
The Ten Virgins

GATHA: There is a story in the Bible about ten virgins, the five wise and the five foolish. It was said that the bridegroom was to come and they were to light their lamps; and five were in time and brought the oil and lighted their lamps, and the other five waited until the bridegroom came, and when the bridegroom came then they went to the five who had lighted their lamps and asked of them oil and were refused.

TASAWWUF: This story appears in the 25th Chapter of the Gospel or Evangel of Matthew which begins, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.” By “virgins” pure persons are meant who may be either men or women, for as we read in Revelation XIV, 4: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.” As the lesson further shows, they represent those who go forth to receive light and blessing.

The next three lines read: “And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” That is to say, they went forth, and their minds were empty, but the wise made capacity for receiving and the foolish did not.

The fifth line reads: “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” That is to say, until the spiritual teacher came, they were in a state of ignorance and darkness.

The sixth verse: “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.” This cry was the call of the soul from within and it came at midnight, in the midst of the darkness, for it is also said, “At the hour ye think least the Son of Man cometh.” “Like a thief in the night the Son of Man cometh.” For when dharma decays to its fullest, then the Messenger of God appears.

The text follows: “And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’” The wise had made preparations for the coming of the teacher, while the foolish had wasted their sustenance and were not ready. They wanted to take from the wise the little wisdom the others had, but the wise knew that it would be foolishness on their part to instruct the foolish.

The text continues, verses 10–13: “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.’”

The teacher is not compelled to take everyone as his disciple, but only those that are ready. It requires a certain preparation and a certain discipline for the spiritual path and this is set forth in the teachings of The Inner Life. Those who have not spent their time in meditation and devotion will not behold the bridegroom for they have no way by which they can come to inner realization. It is not so much that they have been shut out as that they have shut themselves out.

GATHA: This story is a symbol of receiving the Message of God. By virgin is meant the soul which is awaiting illumination, innocent and responsive to the light; and by five is meant the multitude. And there are two classes of people; one class are those who have prepared themselves and made ready to receive the Message of God, which is pictured as the bridegroom; and the five foolish are that class in mankind who wait and wait until the Message has come and gone. In all ages there have been these two kinds of souls, one kind who are called in the scriptures believers, the others who are known as unbelievers.

TASAWWUF: We find them even today. There are no doubt many who have accepted some personality of modern times as well as some one or more of ancient times as their prophets and guides. Then there are others who fix the time for the coming of the teacher. They know the day and the hour, they fix it and fix the conditions and deny the very teaching of scriptures that “Ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.” They know all about the conditions under which the Master is to appear yet they have not found happiness in their own lives, they are often burdened with personal problems.

GATHA: In every age the prophecy has been by the Messenger of the time as to the next advent. Sometimes it is said, “I will come,” and sometimes, “He will come.” “I will come” has been told to those who would recognize the same Spirit of Guidance in every coming of the Messenger; “He will come” has been told to those to whom name and form make a difference, and who cannot recognize the same Spirit in another name and another form. For example, the coming of Jesus Christ was the coming of that Spirit, which was expressed in this myth as the bridegroom, and how few at that time recognized Him and how few received illumination. Only those whose lamps were ready to be lighted.

TASAWWUF: We find the same teaching in “The Way of Illumination” but even among disciples there is often such an attachment to the personality of the teacher that they are blinded thereby and also blinded by their own ignorance. They are like the virgins who had no oil, and seeing they do not see, hearing they do not hear. For they divide God from God and man from man and are unbelievers because at all times they follow the dictates of their own minds and wills.

Many schools of Sufis accept a teaching of tanasukh, which means descent and refers to the descent and re-ascent of the spirit of Guidance, which comes at all times in the world’s history to elevate humankind when it has fallen to its lowest ebb. This is not fundamentally different from the Hindu teaching, “I come, I go, when dharma decays I come.” Only some have taken it to mean metempsychosis or reincarnation and instead of seeing in God the Only Being, and the Spirit of Guidance as a movement of the Divine Spirit, they take an atomic view of the soul and have it immersed in matter, to re-ascend and descend again over and over making karma the all-powerful, and leaving a God of Mercy and Beneficence almost outside of His own universe.

In Salat the names of many of the Holy Ones are given—not all, but those best known to the world—and any one of them may be used by the devotee as his example of the Perfect Man. Only it may happen and to some mureeds it happens often that with a concentration upon one name of those connected with the Spirit of Guidance another personality may seem to manifest. This is one line of proof of the unity of masters. The proof is not through reason or any intellectual method; it comes through realization. The purpose of this lesson then is to explain this truth of the unity of masters, but the real lesson is learned through the disciple’s progress in Murakkabah. Then he knows it in himself and of himself.

The Hebrew Scriptures refer many times to Messiah and several persons are mentioned in the texts of the anointed ones who came from time to time to elevate the masses. This was true even back in the times when the Book of Judges was transcribed. But this doctrine was forgotten both by the Hebrews and Christians. The Hebrews refused to recognize Jesus Christ and the Christians made him appear as a unique character. The result was unnecessary differences and inharmonies and many religious changes. Then Mohammed came and announced the teaching of the union of Masters, only to have those who came later declare that he was unique, making another Message again necessary. There is always danger too that the followers of the one who comes and proclaims himself Messenger or who is proclaimed Messenger, will declare forth his uniqueness and then weaken the teachings that he gave forth.

Sufis have a definite technique by which one can prepare himself for the coming of the Master and also recognize him. Besides the methods of Murakkabah and Ryazat, there are those of self-effacement. One goes through the grades of fana-fi-Sheikh, fana-fi-Rassoul, fana-fi-Lillah as well as through certain subgrades. Western people find this way of development most difficult, and few among them reach that evolution which makes the keen perception possible. So they do not readily recognize.

Neither the multitude nor the individual can select the world-teacher. Teaching alone can prove that one is world-teacher, and until there is the complete spreading of the Message that he brought no one is world-teacher. Indeed the calling of titles in this manner is a form of egotism, very subtle and dangerous which does not raise the devotee above the differences and distinctions which divide men. Rather does it add to the differences and the common confusion.

GATHA: Oil in this parable is love and the light is wisdom. And when their lamps were lighted then so many came afterwards; but that blessing and privilege which had come with the personality of the Master had then gone. They had to take the benefit of the light that came from the lamps of those whose lamps were lighted, but the chance of lighting their own lamps was lost.

TASAWWUF: The appearance of the World Messenger results in the awakening of many hearts and the Messenger also comes when the cry of humanity has reached a certain stage. Then some few, perhaps, hear his real Message and that awakens their hearts. They find within themselves the pearl of great price. They are not slaves of his verbalisms; they feel and they find the great love and the great wisdom from his bosom and so become torchbearers of that love and wisdom. It may be that as few as five persons have really received.

When the Messenger departs he leaves his teaching in the hands of those who have really been awaiting him, whose hearts have been set aflame by his presence and who are able to keep their lights burning even after his departure. Those who have not really been won depart, leaving to the few to carry the burden of the Message.

GATHA: The same is with all things in life. Every moment in our lives is an opportunity which brings a benefit and a blessing. And the one who knows how to be benefited by it and how to be blessed by it receives the benefit and the blessing.

TASAWWUF: There is no moment in which it is not profitable to utter the praise of God verbally or silently. The Sufi says that with very breath given with the praise of God in the heart is the only gain, and every breath without that praise is our only loss. These gains and losses may be momentary or permanent in their character. But the one who seizes the opportunity and utters the praise and then prepares to make himself a channel of Baraka is verily the disciple of the Messenger and of God.

GATHA: Everyone seems living and awake, but few souls are really living and awake. There are opportunities of benefit and blessing on every plane of one’s life, on the physical plane, on the mental plane, on the spiritual plane, and every opportunity is invaluable.

TASAWWUF: The Christian Scripture says, “Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ will give thee light.” Which is to say that when one reaches the stage of fana-fi-Rassoul and will bend with all their heart and mind and might in the direction of the Beloved, then the inner spirit will come to life and one will experience blessings upon all planes. And for this again, it must be said that the practice alone is important, that the words of themselves offer little of value.

GATHA: But often one realizes the truth when it is too late. There is no greater and better opportunity than the moment that can give a spiritual illumination, a moment when one can receive the blessing of God. It is a priceless moment. Who knows it and understands it and tries to be benefited by it, is blessed.

TASAWWUF: Verily there is a practice for every moment, for every opportunity. As the lesson teaches, one has to watch every moment, watch the breath, watch the heart, watch the life within and without. There is no time in which the teachings cannot be applied whether to help or to protect. And the more one watches himself the more he will find blessings and happiness. A smooth, calm breath, a heart in repose and a mind that can be used or set at rest as one will point to the real life on the path. When one follows them he will see his way clearly, for the light is there as soon as one puts oil in the lamp. God has never left humankind without the guidance. (Teaching of the Qur’an.)