Ruhaniat Press
Welcome to Ruhaniat Press, an updated imprint from Sufi Ruhaniat International (2016). With reinvigorated focus, Ruhaniat Press moves forward with important publications that add to the wealth of spiritual wisdom inspiring seekers toward inner and outer love, harmony, and beauty.
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See more wonderful publications in the Ruhaniat Bookstore.
In the Vision of God
Experience in Continuation of IN QUEST OF GOD
by Swami Ramdas
Anandashram Trust: Kerala, India, 1995
Ruhaniat Press 2018 (reprinted by permission)
ISBN-10: 0997399936
Paperback
$19.95
Swami Papa Ramdas was a being who was so fully awakened that he both was limitlessly free, and lived life to the fullest in human form. Through his continuing spiritual autobiography, the transmission of his awakening, his joy, and his wisdom, and the guidance of how to live in the world move right off the page into the reader's heart.
After receiving the initiation of Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram from his father, Papa Ramdas, then known as Vittal Rao, renounced the worldly life in 1922 and wandered as a mendicant sadhu all over India and the Himalayas in various states of God-intoxication, with heart as his only refuge and with Ramnam—Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram—ever on his tongue.
After his awakening, he wanted to test the mettle of his realization. In the Vision of God is his first-hand account of those ten years of pilgrimage, which joyfully captures his path of complete surrender to the Will of God in a most inspiring way.
"Remember, God brought me to Papa. I needed an element of Bhakti for my own development. I feel personally attached to Anandashram, and believe I shall so feel till the end of my days." – Murshid SAM
Praise
Papa Ramdas has been one of the most important guides in my life. I find his autobiography amongst my very favorite books in the English language.
Pir Shabda Kahn, co-author of Physicians of the Heart
Fatima's Touch
Poems and Stories of the Prophet's Daughter
by Tamam Kahn
Ruhaniat Press 2016
ISBN-10: 0997399905
Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook
$30.00 / $19.95 / $10.49
From the author of Untold: A History of the Wives of Prophet Muhammad comes Fatima's story in narrative and poetry, rarely told in the English language, revealing here her loving connection with her father, Prophet Muhammad, and bringing forward this important woman, known and loved in the Islamic world.
Praise
Each and every one of the poems in Fatima's Touch resonates in the mind and in the heart long after the page is turned.
Lesley Hazleton, author of After the Prophet and The First Muslim
This is daring poetry that tries to examine and heal some of the great spiritual and political divides.
Coleman Barks, author of The Essential Rumi
Each one of these gorgeously crafted, deeply researched, and authentically felt poems is a multifaceted gem. Their generosity will guarantee Kahn's book a wide appeal.
Annie Finch, author of Spells, Calendars, and A Poet's Craft
In Fatima's Touch, Tamam Kahn liberates the woman and prophet Fatima from layers of hagiography, idealization that have made her into an Islamic icon. Even if you don't normally read poetry, you will find this a moving and eloquent journey.
Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz, author of The Sufi Book of Life and Desert Wisdom
...a magisterial accomplishment as poetry, marrying narrative power to formal virtuosity, memorable and conducive to meditation.
Marilyn Hacker, National Book Award Winner, author of A Stranger's Mirror
The Bowl of Saki Commentary
Daily Insights for Life
by Samuel L. Lewis
Edited by Wali Ali Meyer
Ruhaniat Press 1981, revised edition 2012
ISBN-10: 0988177802
Paperback, Ebook
$19.95 / $9.95
This book of 366 daily aphorisms by Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan with commentary by Hazrat Murshid Samuel L. Lewis is a wealth of spiritual wisdom to help illuminate the sometimes rocky path of daily life. The Saki (or Saqi in the original Persian) is the pourer of wine in Sufi poetry, symbolizing the bringer of ecstasy and the longing of the Divine to be deeply known.
Murshid SAM's commentaries on these aphorisms draw out hidden meanings in the sayings, exploring multi-dimensional philosophical, historical, and spiritual contexts. Hazrat SAM wrote and rewrote commentaries on the teachings of his teacher Hazrat Inayat throughout his whole adult life. He never ceased receiving fresh inspiration from this study.
This volume, newly edited by Murshid SAM's esoteric secretary Wali Ali Meyer, presents the sayings and commentaries for deeper study, so that "the overarching purpose of becoming what is meant by truly being a Sufi, a Burzug, or a Bodhisattva stands forth...and...we are led to see how we are all interconnected in such a way that our thoughts, feelings, and realization affect the whole of creation."
In the Garden with Murshid Sam
A Compendium of Stories, Biographical Elements, and Writings
Edited by Wali Ali Meyer
Original edition edited by Harmony Books: New York, 1975
Ruhaniat Press revised edition 2016
ISBN-10: 15412510916
Paperback, Ebook
$15.95 / $8.99
First published in 1975, this collection of remembrances was a natural expression of the rising river of the spiritual movement in the United States. The movement’s remarkable infusion of life had been engendered in large part by what has been variously called the psychedelic or the hippie phenomenon. Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (1896 - 1971) was an American mystic who founded what became the Sufi Ruhaniat International, a branch of the Chishtia Sufi lineage. After a lifetime of spiritual study with teachers East and West, primarily the Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan and the Zen monk Nyogen Senzaki, Lewis was recognized simultaneously as a Zen master and Sufi murshid (senior teacher) by Eastern representatives of the two traditions.
Murshid Sam’s worldwide fame came through the amazing transmission of joy and love in the Dances of Universal Peace, which are now done all over the planet. In the Garden was destined for a smaller circulation, but it has begun the process of introducing Sam through his writings, some wonderful pictures, and a small sampling of the extraordinary stories that people shared of their encounters with him.
Praise
Sam planted a lot of seeds, and he’s had a lot of marvelous results… He was a down to earth person. He wouldn’t give you any fancy trip on a nice pink cloud. No, rather than do that, he would kick you and say: “Now what’s the matter with you? Come off your high horse and look at things the way they are. See things around you as they are. And realize your at-one-ment with the One. And radiate love to everybody.”
Joe Miller, American Mystic
Reprint of the classic 1975 book, In The Garden is a natural expression of the rising of the spiritual movement in the United States. A collection of Murshid Sam's writings, his stories and some biographical information, the volume is an overflowing spiritual gem.
Amazon Review
Illuminating the Shadow
The Life, Love and Laughter of a 20th century Sufi
by Moineddin Jablonski
Edited by Neil Douglas-Klotz
Ruhaniat Press 2016
ISBN-10: 1530006333
Paperback, Ebook
$15.95 / $7.99
Illuminating the Shadow collects the Sufi writings of Moineddin Carl Jablonski (1942-2001), the spiritual successor of Samuel L. Lewis, founder of the Dances of Universal Peace and originator of a branch of the Chishtia Sufi lineage currently called the Sufi Ruhaniat International. The book weaves autobiography, letters, poems, articles and interviews to provide a unique glimpse of an illuminated Western-born mystic. Jablonski faced enormous inner and outer challenges as he sought to establish an authentic, living Sufi tradition in the West.
"We are indeed entering a new era of humanity, a time of massive inner and outer change and growth. Earth herself is giving birth to what she must become. Upheaval—personal, societal, and geologic—are the labor and birth pangs which will create greater consciousness of spiritual reality for all. As each one of us is moved into Soul-consciousness, and we are being so moved, we will select our own modes of spiritual realization. What we now know as 'Sufism' will become vastly expanded and transformed. It will be like the reported meeting of Inayat Khan and Nyogen Senzaki. They entered samadhi together, 'and Sufism and Zen became like yesterday's dream'."
—Moineddin Jablonski, Illuminating the Shadow
Praise
...a rich compendium of anecdote and teaching of the eclectic and universalist shaman, Moineddin Carl Jablonski, direct heir to Samuel Lewis, Sufi and Zen master. Illuminating The Shadow is an important read for anyone interested in the Light and Shadow of our human story, and the journey of the soul. Douglas-Klotz adds to the current mystical wisdom stream with this poignant exposition of the life, love and laughter of this Sufi leader and humble practitioner.
Mariam Baker, author of Woman as Divine: Tales of the Goddess
A book of subtle messages which will challenge and inspire any serious seeker, regardless of ethnic or religious background.
Muneera Haeri, author of The Chishtis: A Living Light and co-author with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri of Sufi Links
This book illuminates, in his own words, the life of a gentle and gifted soul. Over the three decades I knew Moineddin Jablonski we enjoyed many intimacies, including countless hours of music-making, the study of Sufism under his guidance, and open, spacious darshans. I thought I knew him well. But in reading Illuminating the Shadow I received a newly clear, coherent picture of the whole man in all his glories and tortures, and I’ve come to love him as never before. Thanks to this savvy presentation of his writings, Moineddin's vision can now light the way for many more seekers of the realized life
W. A. Mathieu, author of The Listening Book and Bridge of Waves
Moineddin Jablonski came to a true realization of heart and manifested a capacity for great love. This helped him, in a natural and unassuming way, to guide and hold together the community of Murshid SAM's mureeds, which included various teachers who had been empowered by Murshid SAM or Pir Vilayat. Moineddin realized the need for all of us to acknowledge the psychological realm where we are often at the mercy of our ego-demands. He took on the difficult task of getting everyone to see that they would be held accountable for their actions. His numerous letters and writings clearly reveal his depth of thought. And while his manner was saintly and refined, at the same time he stood eternally strong in his relationship with his teacher and united with the great blood stream of Oneness, in which we live and move and have our being. He worked for harmony between all the lineages that trace themselves to Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan. All this and more made him a highly effective Pir, as this excellent book bears witness.
Wali Ali Meyer, co-author of Physicians of the Heart
Sufi Vision and Initiation
Meetings with Remarkable Beings
by Samuel L. Lewis
Edited by Neil Douglas-Klotz
Ruhaniat Press 1986, revised edition 2015
ISBN-10: 0988177854
Paperback, Ebook
$15.95 / $8.99
The story of Samuel Lewis’s remarkable life in his own words, drawn from his letters, diaries, unpublished retreat notebooks and other writings. Sufi Vision and Initiation offers an intimate view of the various budding spiritual movements of the 20th century:
- A moving personal history of how Sufism and Zen came to America
- The story of meetings with remarkable beings like Swami Papa Ramdas, Nyogen Senzaki, Sokeian Sasaki, Mother Krishnabai, Ruth St. Denis, Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, and others who sought to bring East and West together through the universality of genuine mystical experience
- The background story of the role of religion in geo-political machinations in the Middle and Far East
- An early attempt to offer ecological agriculture as an alternative to corporate agribusiness in Asia
- The birth story of the worldwide movement of the Dances of Universal Peace in the words of their founder
The great mystics and sages of the 20th century all play a part in this story of an American scholar and scientist’s search for truth.
Praise
The Dances of Universal Peace… came to stay, and so does the indelible memory of their pioneer, veteran in the art of carrying the experience of meditation on the Divine attributes right into the body.
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
I have no fonder memory of the 60's than the appearance of this strange-looking man, who said things that made me first laugh, then smile, then later pause in appreciation of a spiritual original, a pioneer.
Dr. Jacob Needleman, author of New Religions and Lost Christianity
By being spiritual, Samuel Lewis expanded the range of being human; and by being human he deepened the meaning of being spiritual.
Pir Moineddin Jablonski
Bio
Samuel L. Lewis also known as Murshid SAM and Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (1896 – 1971) was an American mystic and horticultural scientist who founded what became the Sufi Ruhaniat International, a branch of the Chishtia Sufi lineage. After a lifetime of spiritual study with teachers East and West, primarily Hazrat Inayat Khan and Nyogen Senzaki, Lewis was recognized simultaneously as a Zen master and Sufi murshid (senior teacher) by Eastern representatives of the two traditions. He also cofounded the Christian mystical order called the Holy Order of Mans. His early interest in international seed exchange and organic agriculture also established him as one of the pioneers of green spirituality. His most enduring legacy may be the creation of the Dances of Universal Peace, an early inter-spiritual practice that has spread around the world in the years since his passing.