Religious Gathekas

[guest88]

Excerpt taken from Religious Gathekas Number 43, The Religion of the Heart (2)

...It is said by the Sufis, Ishq Allah, Mabud Allah. the same that one reads in the Bible, that 'God is love.' And if God is love, where is He to be found? Is He to be found in the seventh heaven or is He to be found in the heart of man? If He were so far away as to be in the seventh heaven then it is most unfortunate for man to be kept far away from the very life and the very reason of his being. And it is toward this realization that God is in the heart of man that all religions have taught in different ways and different forms.

But so many in this world only know the word 'love', but to understand what love is or to speak about it or explain it is impossible. For whoever tries to express love makes an effort in vain, it is like trying to express God in words. Neither God can be expressed in words nor love. There is a saying of a Persian poet who was an emperor, 'I was destined to have so many slaves serving me, but from the moment love was born in my heart I became the slave of my every slave.'

The moment love is produced, that person does not need to go and find out where the Truth is, the Truth is born. For it is the loving one, the loving heart which is capable of understanding, of comprehending Truth. The reason is that the Truth is not outside of self, it is within us. For instance when a person's heart is melted by a terrible suffering in life, it is then that what he says, or what he thinks, or what he does, in all is a fragrance of love. What is called in the Old Testament by words, 'tongues of flame' or 'words of flame,' what are they? It rises when love has risen, it revivifies the thought, word, and action.

What, generally, man knows about love is the give and take:' if you give me twelve pence, I will give you a shilling.' For as long as one sees life in the form of business, in the form of give and take, he does not know love, and it is a great pity, when, after knowing something of love, the heart has turned cold and bitter. And what reason is there? The reason is this, that when one digs the ground one must dig until the water comes. But if one digs halfway, then there is no water, there is mud.

But what is love? Love is a continual sacrifice. And what does sacrifice mean? Sacrifice means forgetting of the self. As Rumi says in his poem, the Masnavi:

The Beloved is all in all, the lover merely veils him.
The Beloved is all that lives, the lover a dead thing.
                                       Mathnawi I, 30

More here,
https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/religious/rg1.htm

[Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us?]

Eric; I found the link at the end of your article more interesting to me then the article itself. This is what I found informative and helpful about it. It describes the levels of sensitivity to those around us.

(To be read at the Service of Universal Worship)

Religious Gatheka Number 1

The Religion of the Heart


If anybody asks you, 'What is Sufism?' What religion is it?' you may answer, 'Sufism is the religion of the heart, the religion in which one thing is most important, and that is, to seek God, in the heart of mankind.'

There are three ways of seeking God in the human heart. The first way is to recognize the divine in every person and to be careful of every person with whom we come in contact, in our thought, speech and action. Human personality is very delicate. The more living the heart the more sensitive it is; but that which causes sensitiveness is the love-element in the heart, and love is God. The person whose heart is not sensitive is without feeling, his heart is not living, it is dead; in that case the divine spirit is buried in his heart. A person who is always concerned with his own feelings is so absorbed in himself that he has no time to think of another. His whole attention is taken up with his own feelings, he pities himself, he worries about his own pain and is never open to sympathize with others. He who takes notice of the feeling of another person with whom he comes in contact practices the first essential moral of Sufism.

The next way of practicing this religion is to think of the feeling of the person who is not at the moment before us. One feels for a person who is present, but one often neglects to feel for one who is out of sight. One speaks well of someone to his face, but if one speaks well of someone when he is absent, that is greater. One sympathizes with the trouble of someone who is before one at the moment, but it is greater to sympathize with one who is far away.

And the third way of realizing the Sufi principle is to recognize in one's own feeling the feeling of God; to realize every impulse that rises in one's heart as a direction from God; realizing that love is a divine spark in one's heart, to blow that spark until a flame may rise to illuminate the path of one's life.

[guest88]

i thought you might like that steve! glad i could share something of use for you 

[Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us?]

i thought you might like that steve! glad i could share something of use for you 

There are three ways of seeking God in the human heart. The first way is to recognize the divine in every person and to be careful of every person with whom we come in contact, in our thought, speech and action. Human personality is very delicate. The more living the heart the more sensitive it is; but that which causes sensitiveness is the love-element in the heart, and love is God. The person whose heart is not sensitive is without feeling, his heart is not living, it is dead; in that case the divine spirit is buried in his heart. A person who is always concerned with his own feelings is so absorbed in himself that he has no time to think of another. His whole attention is taken up with his own feelings, he pities himself, he worries about his own pain and is never open to sympathize with others. He who takes notice of the feeling of another person with whom he comes in contact practices the first essential moral of Sufism.

The next way of practicing this religion is to think of the feeling of the person who is not at the moment before us. One feels for a person who is present, but one often neglects to feel for one who is out of sight. One speaks well of someone to his face, but if one speaks well of someone when he is absent, that is greater. One sympathizes with the trouble of someone who is before one at the moment, but it is greater to sympathize with one who is far away.

In the first paragraph I believe being so absorbed with ourselves is ego and makes people too sensitive and thin skinned. They can take little or no criticism without running or perhaps leaving to lick their wounds.

While it is important to sympathize with others people who are unable to communicate for any length of time at a distance, are also unable to sympathize at a distance which is what is mentioned in the second paragraph.

The last Sufi practiced is outlined in this paragraph below;

And the third way of realizing the Sufi principle is to recognize in one's own feeling the feeling of God; to realize every impulse that rises in one's heart as a direction from God; realizing that love is a divine spark in one's heart, to blow that spark until a flame may rise to illuminate the path of one's life.

To actually have all our impulses arising from God and not from a 'sensitive ego' would be quite an accomplisment. Perhaps many of us here have spiritual and Godly inspirations and impulses but we still are at the stage of differentiating them between worldly and ego thoughts.

[guest587]

A book.


https://sulukpress.com/books/social-gathekas

Reviews for Social Gathekas:
“We live in a world that all too often seems to be coming undone at the seams. Yet the world, like our own hearts, is not meant to be broken. There is a path upward, inward, towards healing. The teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan are as timeless as they are timely.  So many tend to focus on love and beauty as quintessential qualities of the Sufi path. Yet Hazrat Inayat Khan insists on harmony being the mediating quality between love and beauty.  And this harmony operates now inward, now outbound.  It is not by choosing inward harmony or outbound harmony, but by cultivating an awareness that toggles forth and back, back and forth till love spills over and manifests as beauty. Social Gathekas is recommended for all who care to bring together spiritual path and harmony in the manifest world.”
– Omid Safi, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Duke University, author of Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition



“Everyone, everywhere, in all times and all places, has need of wisdom: to reveal life’s invisible mysteries, but also as a guide through the complicated world we live in: a world of love, but also hate and intolerance; a world of peace, but also war and violence; a world of love and harmony, but also of inexplicable tragedy; a world of abundance, but also poverty; a world of natural beauty, but also of environmental ruin. How to both make sense of and reconcile these opposites—especially for those on a spiritual path—is the task set forth in this book. Elegantly distilled from the teachings of the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan, Social Gathekas offers an invaluable guide to those who walk both the inner, spiritual path—and the path of service in the suffering world we live in.”
– Pythia Peay, author of America on the Couch: Psychological Perspectives on American Politics and Culture



“This is a rare and beautiful book spoken by a spiritual teacher of great maturity and depth. A series of talks on diverse subjects, the key theme is kinship by which Pir Khan means the greater kinship of all beings living in peace. The teachings are heart-centered and emphasize balance, harmony, and most importantly, love and beauty. Only by living with tolerance, patience, and optimism can we overcome the limitations of self for a more open, loving world. This is a book about soul awakening and overcoming worldly concerns in order to realize the fullness of divine presence and to manifest that presence in outward acts of care, compassion, and joy. Here is a guiding voice for all traditions, masterful teaching in simple, direct language. This book is a treasure, a source of lasting instruction from a true master and a great musician of the soul!”
– Dr. Lee Irwin, Professor Emeritus, College of Charleston, author of Labyrinths of Love: On Psyche, Soul, and Self



“These words of Hazrat Inayat Khan echo through time reaching us with a message as relevant today as it was nearly one hundred years ago. Bound by no particular faith and with an open sky view his words invite us into a mystical perspective of social values that show a way forward. To the view of the Sufi the struggles that we face today are the very reason for material existence, and our rise to meet them is dignified as it is the fulfillment of our potential. Should we reach our ideal we will have succeeded at the goal of world reconstruction. The collection of lectures presented here read like a magical how-to for deciphering the conditions of the world through the human experience. With our feet on the ground and our hearts reaching the heavens Hazrat Inayat Khan lets us in on the way of the Sufi, in which the skills needed for repair are studied and gained through relationship (kinship); understood through concentration, contemplation, and realization; and expressed in nature, music, and art. The Sufi view of unity in multiplicity shared in these lectures casts light on the causes and reasons behind the dramas that have lead humanity to strife and unrest. The acculturated life’s knowledge that is rooted in materiality is not what is needed for us to reach our goals. The reader will find inspiration to seek a greater knowledge than that which we have been relying on. By tuning to a higher pitch we may each become receptive to wisdom that continually renews and inspires. Unbounded, it is this wisdom that leads us to freedom, as harmony is wisdom’s nature. That a way can be clearly explained and naturally understood is salve for humanity. Our core wounds can be healed. We may one day be able to trust ourselves with ourselves. If a master can bring anything to humanity it is contained right here, a way to reengage with our lives that transforms our thoughts and actions into holy imaginings and healing gestures that bring about peace.”
– Wendy Jehanara Tremayne, artist and author of The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living

[guest587]

All Is One.

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

God is one, the Truth is one. How can there be two religions? There is one religion, the only religion. ... Yes, we are living in different lands, but under one sky. So, we have many churches, but one God; many scriptures, but one wisdom; many souls, but one spirit, the only Spirit of God.

   ~~~ "Religious Gathekas, #47, The Sufi Movement", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)


The one Spirit of life is given different names, the sacred names. We more easily recognize the [Spirit of life] by the particular name to which we are accustomed. So far we are right, but the mistake we make, and it is to our loss, is to ignore or deny the same truth because it is given to us in another form and under another name. We limit it. We say the truth existed only in that period when certain teachers came to the world, and that after that it stopped. But the spirit of illumination can never stop as long as life goes on. Illumination has continued from the beginning, and will always continue until the manifestation ends; so long will the spirit of illumination continue to spread out its rays.

We accept some forms and ignore others. It is the natural tendency of mankind. It is this that accounts for so many religions. Even if a person cannot see things in this light, he can at least be tolerant of other people's religions. He can respect the religion because he sees others respect it, even if he himself has no respect for its teacher. After all, spirituality means respect, advancement. Man shows his evolution according to his respect, his consideration, his thoughtfulness. If we could only develop that faculty in our mind, it would not matter not believing or recognizing the Spirit of Guidance shown in different human forms. If we held our own teacher or master in the greatest esteem it would do a great deal of spiritual good. The disharmony of the world is usually caused by religious differences, as were the wars of ancient times. The differences are caused by men failing to understand that religion is one, truth is one, God is one. How can there be two religions?

   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_32.htm


God is one, truth is one, and the religion is one. There cannot be two religions; that is the confusion, the illusion of the human mind. When people cannot understand each other, then they say, 'Your religion is different, my religion is different.' But the difference does not belong to God, it belongs to the earth. ... And in the realization of God, in the love of God, what are we expected to do? We are expected to unite with one another in the thought of God, in the love of God. ... All wisdom is from God; from whatever scripture, whatever religion, whatever form, it all comes from one source.

   ~~~ "Religious Gathekas, #39, Universal Worship", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)