Universal Sufism
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The Universal Sufi Movement (Universal Sufism) is a spiritual and universalist movement founded by Hazrat Inayat Khan in the early 20th century. The philosophy of Universal Sufism revolves around a unity of all people and religions, as well as the ability to find beauty in all things. Universal Sufism is one of the forms of Sufism that does not exist within the traditional framework of Islam.
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[edit] History
Hazrat Inayat Khan is the founder of Universal Sufism, which he established while traveling throughout the West between 1910 and 1926. His eldest son Vilayat Khan, second son Hidayat Khan, and grandsons, Murshid Fazal Inayat-Khan, and Pir Zia Khan are commonly regarded as his successors.
[edit] Beliefs
- Universal Sufis believe that there is only one God who is the source of all creation.
- God is a non-corporeal spiritual essence manifest in all things, and is Universal Intelligence, the common Sufi term is Aql-i Kulli(Ar. al-‘aql al-kulli).
- Throughout time an important element of Universal Intelligence manifests in the human conscience. This particular element is called the Spirit of Guidance, which is equated with the "Word of God, the Logos."
- The Spirit of Guidance is somewhat similar to the idea of Buddha Nature.
- All beings have the Spirit of Guidance within in them, and it is through inner meditation that one realises this.
- Universal Sufis believe in an essential unity of the great religions of the world. However, this does not mean they believe the various religious creeds and doctrines are identical. Rather, they view all religions as having sprung from the same spiritual source. The social and outer forms of different religions vary due to the circumstances at the time that they were founded. Other differences in doctrine and belief can be attributed to later accretions, after the death of the founder.
- Every person has a fundamental "essence", which does not end with death, but rather goes on to further better itself, until finally it realises union with the Universal Intelligence, which is in fact its true nature. Heaven and Hell are creations of the mind, Heaven being Realisation of one's true nature - and thus peace, and Hell being ignorance of it. The Sufi practices teach one to realise oneself in this lifetime (this concept is linked to that of Sach Khand in Sikhism and Moksha in Hinduism, and more closely to Nirvana in Buddhism.
[edit] Credal Statement
Hazrat Inayat Khan set forth ten thoughts, which form the basic creed of Universal Sufism:
- There is one God the Eternal, the Only Being, None exists save God.
- There is one Master the Guiding Spirit of all souls, who constantly leads all followers toward the Light.
- There is one Holy Book the Sacred Manuscript of Nature, the only Scripture that can enlighten the reader.
- There is one Religion the unswerving progress in the right direction, toward the Ideal, which fulfills the life's purpose of every soul.
- There is one Law the Law of Reciprocity, which can be observed by a selfless conscience together with a sense of awakened justice.
- There is one Family the Human Family, which unites the Children of Earth indiscriminately in the Parenthood of God.
- There is one Moral Principle the Love which springs forth from a willing heart, surrendered in service to God and Humanity, and which blooms in deeds of beneficence.
- There is one Object of Praise the Beauty which uplifts the heart of its worshipper through all aspects, from the seen to the unseen.
- There is one Truth the true knowledge of our being, within and without, which is the essence of Wisdom.
- There is one Path the effacement of the limited self in the Unlimited, which raises the mortal to immortality, in which resides all Perfection.
[edit] Christ
According to Hazrat Inayat Khan in The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Volume IX; The Christ spirit cannot be explained in words. The omnipresent intelligence, which is in the rock, in the tree, and in the animal, shows its gradual unfoldment in man. This is a fact accepted by both science and metaphysics. The intelligence shows its culmination in the complete development of human personality, such as the personality, which was recognized in Jesus Christ by his followers. Hz. Inayat Khan tends to refer to the Christ spirit in terms of the Spirit of Guidance, which is what his Invocation prayer is directed towards. This and Jesus seem to be one and the same spirit, however he sees this spirit also manifest in all beings in line with the Sufi belief.
[edit] Practices
[edit] Structure
- A Universal Sufi initiate has an association with a spiritual teacher, or guide , who prescribes individual spiritual practices for the intiate. From time to time, the Pir (head of the Order) may prescribe practices for the Mureed (students) to do as well.
- There are Universal Sufi centers throughout America and other parts of the world, with Center Representatives who provide classes and group practices. These are often open to the public, not just initiates.
- Universal Sufis have a clergy that perform the Universal Worship Service. They are called Cherags. The service honors the world's spiritual traditions with readings from the holy books of different religions. Cherags take a class in learning about the different religions and the spiritual essence of these traditions. A Seraj is a person appointed to oversee this training and to ordain Cherags.
- Cherags perform the Universal Worship Service regularly, in which readings are taken from the various religious traditions, and candles lit in honour of each religion. Meditations and Dance also occur during the Universal Worship.
[edit] Common Member Practices
- pray three times using the prayers given by Pir Hazrat Inayat Khan in a spirit of meditation.
- Meditate and perform inner Dhikr.
- do not consume drugs, although alcohol and tobacco are personal choices.
- lead a healthy life, eating a healthy diet.
The religious life of a Universal Sufi is comparable to the Sant Mat lifestyle, in that the worth of one's family religion is not disregarded, and no conversion is required, merely a dedication to one's Pir/Guru accompanied by meditation.
[edit] Prayer
Hazrat Inayat Khan recommended reciting these prayers daily, in prayer, the Sufi orients him/herself inwards rather than towards a particular direction, as is the Islamic rule. Therefore, a Universal Sufi does not face any specific direction, preferring being in private and in a meditative state of mind.
The three Sufi prayers are read at Sunrise, Midday and Sunset respectively.
[edit] The Morning Prayers
[edit] 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.
[edit] Saum
- Praise be to Thee, Most Supreme God,
- Omnipotent, Omnipresent, All-pervading, the Only Being.
- Take us in Thy Parental Arms, raise us from the denseness of the earth,
- Thy Beauty do we worship, to Thee do we give willing surrender.
- Most Merciful and Compassionate God, the Idealized Lord of the whole humanity,
- Thee only do we worship, and towards Thee Alone do we aspire.
- Open our hearts towards Thy Beauty, illuminate our souls with Divine Light,
- O Thou, the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty,
- All-powerful Creator, Sustainer, Judge and Forgiver of our shortcomings,
- Lord God of the East and of the West,
- of the worlds above and below,
- and of the seen and unseen beings.
- Pour upon us Thy Love and Thy Light,
- give sustenance to our bodies, hearts and souls,
- use us for the purpose that Thy Wisdom chooseth,
- and guide us on the path of Thine Own Goodness.
- Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our life,
- until in us be reflected Thy Grace, Thy Glory, Thy Wisdom, Thy Joy and Thy Peace. Amen
[edit] Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan -- A Prayer of the Gayatri
"May the Message of God reach far and wide".
- Recited eleven times.
[edit] Pir
- Inspirer of my mind, consoler of my heart, healer of my spirit,
- Thy presence lifteth me from earth to heaven, Thy words flow as the sacred river,
- Thy thought riseth as a divine spring, Thy tender feelings awaken sympathy in my heart.
- Beloved Teacher, thy very being is forgiveness.
- The clouds of doubt and fear are scattered by thy piercing glance,
- All ignorance vanishes in thy illuminating presence;
- A new hope is born in my heart by breathing thy peaceful atmosphere.
- O inspiring Guide through life's puzzling ways, In thee I feel abundance of blessing. Amen
[edit] Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan -- A Prayer of the Gayatri
[edit] Prayer for the Universel
- O Thou, Who art the Maker, Molder and Builder of the Universe,
- Build with Thy own hands, the Universel,
- Our temple for Thy divine message of Love, Harmony and Beauty.
[edit] The Mid Day Prayers
[edit] 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.
[edit] Salat
- Most Gracious Lord, Master, Messiah and Saviour of humanity, we greet Thee with all humility.
- Thou art the First Cause and the Last Effect, the Divine Light and the Spirit of Guidance, Alpha and Omega.
- Thy Light is in all forms, Thy Love in all beings:in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child, in a helpful friend, and in an inspiring teacher.
- Allow is to recognize Thee in all Thy Holy Names and Forms: as Rama, as Krishna, as Shiva, as Buddha; let us know Thee as Abraham, as Solomon, as Zarathustra, as Moses, as Jesus, as Muhammed, and in many more Names and Forms, known and unknown to the world.
- We adore Thy Past, Thy Presence deeply enlightens our being, and we look for Thy Blessing in the future, O Messenger, Christ, Nabi, the Rasul of God! Thou whose heart constantly reaches upwards, Thou comest on earth with a Message, as a dove from above when dharma decayeth, and speakest the word that is put in thy mouth, as the light filleth the crescent moon.
- Let the star of the Divine Light shining in thy heart be reflected in the hearts of thy devotees.
- May the Message of God reach far and wide, illuminating and making the whole of humanity as one single family in the Parenthood of God. Amen
[edit] Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan -- A Prayer of the Gayatri
"Pour upon us Thy Love and Thy Light".
- Recited eleven times.
[edit] Nabi
- A torch in the darkness, a staff during my weakness,
- A rock in the weariness of life, Thou, my Master, makest earth a paradise.
- Thy thought giveth me unearthly joy,
- Thy light illuminateth my life's path,
- Thy words inspire me with divine wisdom,
- I follow in thy footsteps, which lead me to the eternal goal.
- Comforter of the broken hearted, Support of those in need,
- Friend of the lovers of truth, Blessed Master, thou art the Prophet of God.
- Amen
[edit] Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan -- A Prayer of the Gayatri
[edit] Prayer for the Universel
- O Thou, Who art the Maker, Molder and Builder of the Universe,
- Build with Thy own hands, the Universel,
- Our temple for Thy divine message of Love, Harmony and Beauty.
[edit] Prayer for Peace
- Send Thy peace O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting, that our souls may radiate peace.
- Send Thy peace O Lord, that we may think, act and speak harmoniously.
- Send Thy peace O Lord, that we may be contented and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
- Send Thy peace O Lord, that amidst our worldly strife, we may enjoy Thy bliss.
- Send Thy peace O Lord, that we may endure all, tolerate all, in the thought of Thy grace and mercy.
- Send Thy peace O Lord, that our lives may become a Divine vision and in Thy light, all darkness may vanish.
- Send Thy peace O Lord, our Father and Mother, that we Thy children on Earth may all unite in one family.
- Amen
[edit] The Evening Prayers
[edit] 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.
[edit] Khatum
- O Thou, Who art the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty, The Lord of Heaven and Earth,
- Open our hearts, that we may hear Thy Voice, which constantly cometh from within;
- Disclose to us Thy Divine Light, which is hidden in our souls, That we may know and understand life better.
- Most Merciful and Compassionate God, give us Thy Great Goodness,
- Teach us Thy Loving Forgiveness,
- Raise us above the distinctions and differences which divide us,
- Send us the Peace of Thy Divine Spirit, And unite us all in Thy Perfect Being. Amen
[edit] Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan -- A Prayer of the Gayatri
"Disclose to us Thy Divine Light".
- Recited eleven times.
[edit] Rasul
- Warner of coming dangers,
- Wakener of the world from sleep,
- Deliver of the Message of God, Thou art our Savior.
- The sun at the dawn of creation,
- The light of the whole universe,
- The fulfillment of God's purpose,
- Thou, the life eternal, we seek refuge in thy loving enfoldment.
- Spirit of Guidance, Source of all beauty, and Creator of harmony,
- Love, Lover and Beloved Lord, Thou art our divine ideal. Amen
[edit] Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan -- A Prayer of the Gayatri
[edit] Prayer for the Universel
- O Thou, Who art the Maker, Molder and Builder of the Universe,
- Build with Thy own hands, the Universel,
- Our temple for Thy divine message of Love, Harmony and Beauty.
[edit] Remembering God
It is natural to want to proceed on the spiritual path in a hurry. To want to attain enlightenment now, and then to want to do any practice or method which will hurry one along to this goal. Certainly there are any number of practices from the various traditions which focus on energy and kundalini. However there seems to be a danger of putting the cart before the horse and losing one's way. Perhaps the best advice is to focus on God and to let enlightenment follow, as opposed to focusing on enlightenment in order to find God (Jesus Christ is famed for giving this advice when he said "Seek First the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you"). So rather than focusing on kundalini one might focus on God. Perhaps, then, do the practice which aides in kundalini, but only with a God focus. Thus this first intention may aide in the balanced unfoldment of spiritual attributes.
Focusing on God can be difficult for some. Here the Sufi way is to focus on the highest ideal of God one can conceptualize. And even perhaps to conceptualize is an intermediate step. Once the heart is sufficiently open, it is perhaps easier to feel or even sense God than it is to conceptualize God. God love is something that can be felt and even sensed. Experienced. To stay in tune with this is perhaps the Sufi way. To stay in tune with this and then to let the spiritual attributes follow as Jesus said. So perhaps the best practice is attunement to God love, then all the other practices will facilitate growth from that in proper order. Even to love God is an exercise in subject-object experience. Though this aides growth very much and could be employed as a first step, the Sufi tries to go beyond this subject-object love and into this love. The Sufi says God is love, lover, and beloved. In other words God is the object, God is the subject, and God is the love experienced between the two. So definitely the practice is to be it, to be in it. Perhaps this is the primary practice.
[edit] Dhikr
Universal Sufis practice Dhikr, otherwise spelt Zikr or Zikar. Dhikr is literally "remembering." It is the religious ceremony, or act of devotion, which is practised by the various Sufi orders.
Universal Sufi Dhikr does not focus on the Islamic form of Dhikr, but enlarges the term to encompass remembrance of the spiritual in all forms. Usually Dhikr formulas are given specifically to each Mureed individually, and these are kept private.
The practice of Dhkir in Universal Sufism is more closely linked to that of Simran in Sikhism, the practictioner simply focuses the mind on his/her idea of The Divine and repeats a phrase over and over in a chant like fashion.
In fact, the Sikh belief in Nam is very closely linked to the Universal Sufi belief "that God existed before the creation of the universe. The name of God is therefore beyond the language structure created by mankind. The Nam meaning the name is the internal rhythm, that Nam (the internal sound) that a man experiences is the true nature of God."
[edit] Holy days
For Universal Sufis all days are holy, and the local culture and personal taste determines which festivals are celebrated at home. Universal Sufis communally celebrate several festivals:
- February 5th: Urs of Hazrat Inayat Khan, the day he left his physical body.
- July 5th: Viladat Day, Hazrat Inayat Khan's birthday.
- 13 September: Hejirat Day, the date Hazrat Inayat Khan left his native India to bring Sufism to the West.
[edit] Sacred texts
Universal Sufis accept as sacred all the world scriptures, seeing them as steps that guide toward the Ocean of Being. The scriptures are read in the Universal Worship Service, with accompanying meditations. The scriptures of the world religions are not viewed as directly the "word of God" but are seen as "inspired" by the Spirit of Guidance.
However, the Gayan and the Nirtan are specific books in Universal Sufism.
[edit] Quote from magazine
Universal Sufism is described in an article in the magazine Rays from the Rose Cross, in November 1917, entitled “The Sufi Mystics.” The author introduces this article by saying that “the reports of those who have studied them [the Sufis] all laud their transcendent spirituality”. "They are not Rosicrucian, but they have Wisdom, for all that", and he states the reader will “undoubtedly profit” from reading about these wise men. He adds: “There is a striking analogy between the Sufis in their relation to Mohammedanism and the medieval Alchemists in their relation to the then dominant church. Both Sufis and the Alchemists had the leaven of truth and both were forced to hide it under symbols and signs.”
[edit] References
^Universal Sufism, H.J. Witteveen ISBN 1862040931, Element Books Ltd (September 1997)
^Biography of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, East-West Publications, 1979 A Pearl in Wine: Essays on the Life, Music and Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Omega, 2001
^http://wahiduddin.net/hik/hik_origins.htm, Brief biography of Hazrat Inayat Khan
^ The Mysticism of Sound and Music, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Shambhala Dragon Editions. ISBN 1570622310, Revised September 3, 1996
^Wisdom of Sufism - Sacred readings from the Gathas, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Houghton Mifflin (P); Revised edition, ISBN 1862047006, May 2000
^http://www.iis.ac.uk/glossary_list.asp?f=a&t=c&l=en
