In late 1925 Hazrat Inayat Khan journeyed to America, stopping first in New York City for more than a month. We have posted several of his talks from that period, and this lecture, from January 29th 1926, is the last he gave to the mureeds of the New York Sufi Centre before leaving for other cities in the USA. It is interesting that for his farewell instructions he did not choose any deep metaphysical subject, or, as he says ‘big thick words…of deep mysticism’, focusing instead on the attitude–for if our attitude is not right, then what is our ‘Sufism’?
Blessed mureeds,
I would like to speak a few words on the subject of our attitude towards others as the members of the Sufi Movement.
Our attitude towards such societies as occult, mystical, or philosophical societies, must be a Sufi attitude. If not, we shall be the same and act the same as everybody else. If we look at them with a critical eye, there are many things that we shall criticize, and by doing so we shall hurt their members in some way. Also we shall be answered in the same way as we speak. To throw a stone in the mud is to get splashes upon oneself. At the same time there is good in everything; nothing can exist without some good in it because it is the power of good that allows everything to exist. Even what we call the devil could not exist if there were not some good part in him. It is the little good in him that makes him exist. If he were altogether ‘devil,’ he could not exist. If there is a little society, or a movement with hundreds and thousands of members attracted to it, that means there is some good. If it is not honey, it is gum or glue–it is something. If you do not look at it as honey, others do; let them take it.
Besides, we can respect ourselves by proving that we respect others. We do not need to follow the teachings of other societies or other people. We do not need to admire them; we need not be insincere about it, nor say good things about people we do not know. Nevertheless, we should always avoid speaking against them. And if anyone spoke about our movement and about the teachings given in the Sufi Movement favourably, so much the better if they are pleased; and if they spoke unfavorably—then it is a time that we are put in a test whether we can prove better than the person thinks. If we give way, it proves that his criticism is right. We ought to prove by our example, by what we say, how we act, what we are, not by words. If they do not know us, if they cannot understand us, they might live three hundred years in order to understand us. We only have to take it all, to assimilate it all.
There are two qualities, the quality of earth and the quality of sky. Whatever you throw in the earth, it brings out. If it were fruits or grains or thistles, all come out, because it is hidden in the denseness beneath our feet. But the sky which stands over our head, its character is different: whatever goes into it, it assimilates, it is gone. Man is both, earth and heaven. His earthly part gives back all as it comes, but his heavenly part takes all that is undesirable, and assimilates it. It does no longer exist, it no longer take seed, it has disappeared, it has gone, it has been eliminated.
The other day I had a dinner and I was asked what do I mean by spiritual attainment? It is a deep question to be put at a dinner table. Instead of telling them in big, thick words of occultism and psychology and deep mysticism, I answered in the appropriate words of the evening and said, spiritual attainment is for a man to become a person. A soul is born an individual, but that individual is not necessarily a person. It is the evolution of an individual which culminates in a personality. But you might say, is personality such a great thing as that? What we have read in books is to get out of personality. That too–but out of which personality? Out of the false conception of personality. Development of the true personality is going towards the fulfilment of the purpose of life. Our great poet Ghalib* says that, “No doubt everything is difficult, however simple it may seem to be. But it is difficult even for a man to become a person.” To become a hermit, a monk, or a very orthodox person, or to know of dogmas and rituals, all these things are for some purpose. But the way is not the goal. I do not mean that all these things are wrong. Only all these things are the way, they lead to something. But if, in spite of taking all different ways, one does not arrive at that goal, he has lost his time, he has lost his time, he has fooled away his time and lost his opportunity. The further one advances, the more one comes to understand that there are many opportunities in life, but life itself is the greatest opportunity. And the further we go in the path, the more we can look at the time we have passed with repentance, and that is the real repentance; and that repentance is: why did I not consider the value of opportunity?
Childhood, youth, middle age, old age, all is opportunity. Life is not without opportunity. Whatever be the condition, poverty, riches, failure, success, all is opportunity. A person may profit more by pain than by joy, even sometimes much more if he takes that opportunity, if he appreciates it. Therefore, in the path of spiritual attainment, life becomes such an opportunity that its value is much greater than a person can conceive of. And to lose that opportunity by meaningless doubt, useless thought, fanciful feelings, worthless actions, is undesirable. The more we value the opportunity of life, the more we can profit by it. We must be conscious of this fact from morning till evening, that we are placed in life to become fully profited; and in all situations of life, if we can watch for this opportunity, the purpose of our life becomes fulfilled. Those who do not understand this principle, for them life is a burden. But for those who understand, this burden is easy. He thinks, this burden is my opportunity. You may ask what opportunity is it, what comes out of it? But as soon as a person begins to know his opportunity, there can come nothing else but benefit out of it. Whatever comes out of it will be to your benefit. As the wise have always said, all that happens, always happens for the best. Sometimes things seem worthless, sometimes things are against our desire, sometimes they are as we wish them to be. But at the same time as a point of fact, they all are fulfilling the message of destiny and therefore it is the only thing that is best for us. But this we only realize if we are wakened to the secret of life.
To be continued…
*Mirza Ghalib (1797 – 1869 CE) was a prominent Urdu and Persian language Indian poet. His grave is in New Delhi, not far from that of Hazrat Inayat Khan.
Thank you, dear Nawab, for sharing this talk. A beautiful reminder that all of life is a practice and that we benefit by holding this attitude. My same life can be a blessing or a prison depending on my attitude.
With gratitude, Sabura