Dear Family,
It has been a very rich time since I last wrote! We had an 8 day sufi camp at Ecovillage Atlantida at around 6000 feet in the high valleys of Colombia near Cali. Around 185 folks came from all over Latin America, mostly under 35. I so enjoyed the Latin culture and affectionate hearts of all who attended. And one by-product is that Physicians of the Heart is being translated into Spanish.
Welcome to two new Colombian mureeds, Tatiana Samper and Karen Behar.
I just returned from our annual Jamiat Aam, outside of Charlottesville VA, sharing the responsibilities with Murshid(a)s Darvehsa, Asha and Sauluddin, meeting old friends and making new ones.
In a few weeks I’m off to Europe for nearly three weeks, first a residential retreat an hour out of Berlin, then the annual Federation Harmony Gathering, bringing the different Inayat streams together, and lastly a Scotland residential retreat with Murshid Saadi.
Very proud to announce that after more than a year’s concentration, Physicians of the Heart will be available in German in the next few weeks!
In the beginning of June I am delighted to share a retreat in my own village, San Rafael, with Taj Inayat, and then later in June back to Asheville NC. 30 years ago I felt like a good local teacher, but since I travel so much local events have suffered, so I am always pleased to offer something close to home.
Much love, Shabda
Recite 101x Ya Wahid - Ya Ahad - Ya Samad
65. Ya Wahid (yaa WAA-ḥid)
Al-Wahid is the unique one present in the many, the one that is in everything. Al-Wahid is also the one underlying the many, the uniqueness of God that is reflected in each and every aspect of manifestation. As an abstract noun, it is identified with the state of oneness itself, but it also has the meaning, “the one who is in all.” Everything is a mirror for God’s face.
Al-Wahid brings the vision of infinity in a grain of sand. Every speck reflects the infinite. The result is that we can see a thing as finite and as infinite at the same time. That is called waahidiyyah. The totality— the infinite—can be perceived within each and every finite element. Anything you hear, you hear the one; anything you see, you see the one.
66. Ya Ahad (yaa A-ḥad)
Al-Ahad means total and absolute oneness. It is the one of the one. It should not be confused with the conception of the totality of all things. Oneness is an essential characteristic of Allah. God is absolutely singular and unique. Al-Ahad is the one without a second. It is a unicity. You can’t add the one of al-Ahad to itself and get two. In its concreteness, only one is. It has no opposite. Nothing is like this one. From the view of al-Ahad, of unity, no distinctions are made between the different prophets of God. Each one of them is a complete entity of the whole. Al-Ahad is the center of a circle without a circumference.
67. Ya Samad (yaa ṢA-mad)
As-Samad is the continuity of eternity. It is the circumference of the circle that expands eternally, whose center is everywhere. It is infinite expansive space. The root form samad(an) means continuously. As-Samad is the relationship between al-Ahad, the one of the one, and al-Wahid, the one of the many. Although it may be impossible to conceptualize the coexistence of these two kinds of oneness, in as-Samad they are reconciled.
In recitation, you invoke Ya Ahad, the infinite dot or singularity, and pair it with Ya Samad, the infinite circle that expands eternally. Invoking them as a pair will assist in bringing you true balance in life. As-Samad is connected with the word samdah, which means castle or citadel. It conveys the sense that the ground on which you stand is infinite. See Ya Wahid (65) and Ya Ahad (66).
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TEXT and COMMENTARY to STUDY This month we continue reading Githa Dhyana (On Meditation) by Murshid Samuel Lewis, also known as Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (One Who is Drawn to God by Grace). Read Series I: Numbers 3 through 6(A), pages 10-17. Click here to download the document.
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Sufi Sesshin at Alantida
Murshida Darvesha, Sylvia-our translator, Pir Shabda and Jorge, our host at Atlantida
Dancing at Atlantida
Karen Behar Bayat
Tatiana Semper
Mountains by Atlantida
Birds of Colombia
Jamiat Aam Charlottesville VA
Pilliated Woodpecker outside of Asha's Meditation Cab
in
Roses exploding in our backyard
Upcoming Events and Teachings
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