A journey of a thousand miles
There is an often quoted saying, perhaps from China, that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step: even something that seems impossible can be conquered if Continue Reading →
Category: Letters to mureeds
Letters to mureeds on the Sufi path
The wine of exaltation
The subject of our conversation was this saying from Vadan, Chalas: Sensation and exaltation are two things: pleasure comes from sensation, happiness from exaltation. In the course of our talk, Continue Reading →
‘Forgive’
When we think about the story that Hazrat Inayat Khan recounted here, of Moses on his way to Mt. Sinai to converse with the Almighty, we can recognise that, regardless Continue Reading →
Giving up
“What are we expected to give to others? Is there a limit?” This question has come up in several recent conversations about the spiritual path, and it betrays a certain Continue Reading →
Longing and ripeness
Around a thousand years ago, Sufis in the middle east began to write poetry about the spiritual journey using the language of love. To the unwary reader, the poems might Continue Reading →
Adaptable reasoning
Sufi stories, especially those involving Mullah Nasruddin, are often like one of those unusually shaped stones we find sometimes at the beach. The stone attracts our attention, and when we Continue Reading →
To whom do we speak?
“Pour upon us Thy love and Thy light…” How do we say these words? As Mevlana Rumi said, there are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground, so Continue Reading →
Light and shade
“Our prayers ask God for His Goodness. But isn’t that only half the picture? There is badness, too.” This question is asked from time to time, in various forms, in Continue Reading →
Learning and unlearning
Our first meeting of the Sufi Movement Serai was held yesterday, with the theme from the Gayan, Boulas : It is easy to become a teacher, but difficult to become Continue Reading →
Die singing
I haven’t come here to settle down, said Yunus Emre in this poem. I’ve come here to depart. Most of us, though, live in a different way, seeking every method possible Continue Reading →