Vilayat Inayat Khan

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Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, (19 June 1916 - 17 June 2004) was the eldest son of Sufi Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, head of the Sufi Order International. Pir Vilayat’s mother, Ora Ray Baker, was a cousin of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science movement.

Born in London, England, Pir Vilayat was a teacher of meditation and of the traditions of the East Indian Chishti Order of sufism. His teaching derived from the mystical tradition of the East brought to the West by his father combined with his knowledge of the esoteric heritage and scholarship of western culture.

Vilayat Inayat Khan was educated at the Sorbonne, Oxford, and L'Ecole Normal de Musique de Paris. During World War II he served in the British Royal Navy and was assigned the duties of mine sweeping during the invasion at Normandy. His sister, Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan served in the French Resistance as a radio operator.

After the war, Pir Vilayat pursued his spiritual training by studying with masters of many different religious traditions throughout India and the Middle East. While honoring the initiatic tradition of his predecessors, Pir Vilayat continually adapted traditional Eastern spiritual practices in keeping with the evolution of Western consciousness.

Pir Vilayat initiated and participated in many international and interfaith conferences promoting understanding and world peace.