This is the conclusion of the talk given by Hazrat Inayat Khan at the San Francisco Sufi Center in April, 1926. As a bonus, two questions are included at the end.
The law of the mystic is the understanding of the law. The average man says, “This person has taken the best of me. I must sue him.” For the mystic, his outlook is different. He says, “No one can get away with anything from this world without paying for it. For every grain of food one eats, every drop one drinks, every breath of air one takes, there is a tax to be paid.” One is continually paying, and yet one does not know it. And that shows that behind it all there is a perfect justice working just the same. One cannot get the slightest comfort and pleasure without having to pay for it; and yet nearly no-one knows about it. Every pain has its own reward. And therefore, behind all this falsehood and injustice we see continually, there is a perfect wisdom working day and night. A mystic sees it with open eyes in everything. And that is the great phenomenon. For a mystic life is a puzzle, in the next place a bewilderment, and in the third place a phenomenon. It is a puzzle when the law is not understood, a very interesting puzzle. There is no better game than to be in that puzzle, to try and understand it, to solve it. It is so interesting that there is no sport or game that can be compared with it.
And then it is a bewilderment in this way: how everybody looks at it, and how in reality it is. There comes a stage that a person says, “They are all mad, or I am mad. But there must be someone mad.” For the point of view of all is one thing, and the mystic’s point of view is different. Yet he can see from the point of view of all and from his own, which is quite the contrary. For instance, the teaching of Christ where he says, “If anyone asks you for your coat, give him your overcoat also.” A worldly man will say, “It is not practical. If one asks me every day, I will have to buy one every day.” And at the same time, it is more than practical from the point of view of the master, that you cannot give in whatever form without getting it back in some way or the other. Pure thought, goodwill, a little service, your time, whatever you give, it is never lost. It all comes back to you according to your willingness in giving. Something comes to you a thousandfold more, in accordance to your willingness. Therefore, one is never the loser by being generous. One only gains. The mystic, therefore, sees the law working in all things. This gives him an insight into life. He begins to see why this misery has come, why this pleasure has come, why this pain has come; why one is prospering and the other one not, why one is progressing, and the other one not. All these things become clear to him because he sees the law working in all things. Therefore, the law of the mystic is not the law of the people. It is the law of nature. It is a real law.
And the way of the mystic to perfection is the way of annihilation of the false ego: that in man there is a real ego, and that real ego is divine. But that divine ego is covered by a false ego. And every man has a false ego, because it begins to grow from the birth of the child.
There is a story of a dervish. A young man met a dervish on a journey; and the young man became very fond of this dervish, having heard from him beautiful things pertaining to life and nature. And when parting, the young man asked, “Shall I have the pleasure of seeing you again?” He said, “Yes.” He asked, “Where can I see you?” The dervish said, “In such place, in such village you can come and ask for my address.” And the address he gave was, “the place of liars”. The young man was amused at the idea that, however much a lover of truth and reality, the dervish lived in a place called ‘the place of liars’.” When he came near that village and asked for it, no one knew it, but by asking further, people brought him to the dervish. And this young man asked as his first question, “Please tell me, why did you tell me this name?” He said, “Come along with me and see.” The place was a graveyard. The dervish said, “Look here, this man who is buried here, once they called him a general, the head of an army. Today you are walking over his head. And this man, he was a qadi*, the leader of the town. He is lying here now, helplessly. Whether he did justice or not, today he is dead. Were they not all liars, calling themselves this and that and thinking themselves this and that? What are they? If they are not that today, even then they were not what they claimed to be. Therefore, I call them liars.”
Therefore, mankind develops in itself a false idea, and that false idea is identification with something which they call themselves to be. They say, “I am a professor,” “I am a lawyer,” “I am a barrister,” “I am a doctor,” “I am a priest,” or “a king,” or “a lord,” or something. But whatever he claims, he is not that. Be his claim humble or proud, in either case he is not that.
Therefore, the perseverance of the mystic in the spiritual path is to wipe it as much as he can, by meditation, by concentration, by prayer, by study, by everything he does. His one aim is to wipe it as much as he can, that one day reality may manifest, which always stays buried under the false ego. And by calling the name of God, by repeating the name of God, in the form of prayer, or in zikar, or in any other form, what the mystic does is to waken the spirit of the real, that it may manifest just like a spring that rises out of a rock or a mountain, that as soon as the power and strength has come into the water, it breaks through the stone and rises as a spring. So it is with the divine spark in man. By concentration, by meditation, it breaks out and manifests. Where it manifests it washes away the stains of the false ego and becomes a greater and greater stream, which becomes the source of comfort and consolation and healing and happiness for all who come in contact with that spirit.
God bless you.
Q.: Has the difference of one place from another to do with the persons who have lived in that place?
A.: Among some certain people prophetic people have been born. Their contact has inspired people with mysticism. In every land where there is an inspired man, by his influence people are helped. Besides, there is much to be said about a place, there are certain places the magnetism of which is much greater than that of other places. Geographically a certain value cannot be ignored. Then there are houses which are said to be lucky or unlucky houses. I myself found that in different places the vibrations are more inspiring and uplifting and give a greater vitality and enthusiasm. And the vibrations of other places rob it from one and make one less inspired and enthusiastic. For instance, if I were to compare San Francisco with New York, I found a great difference. San Francisco is a very inspiring place. The spiritual vibrations of this place are vital and of a greater value, whereas New York is different. And Chicago is different still, quite different.
Q.: Is celibacy essential to mysticism?
A.: A mystic is not limited to any particular rules. But at the same time, for certain experiences celibacy is of great importance. Therefore, a mystic never restricts himself to a certain law, even of celibacy. But if it is necessary in their life that they should be fasting, or be celibates, or that they must live a vegetarian life, or that they must live in a remote place, in seclusion, or any such thing, they can prescribe it to themselves and can get benefit out of it. But at the same time, one cannot say a mystic must do this or that or that he must live a certain life, because Solomon with his palace and grandeur and with his kingdom was as great a mystic and wise man as a hermit in the forest, away from it. One cannot judge a mystic by the appearance. If he is a mystic he may be a king in the midst of the treasures of a court, or sitting clad in one mantle. He is a king just the same, whatever he is. Money, a court, or life in the world do not take him away from his mysticism, nor being in the solitude. If he chooses that, it is his fancy. If he wishes to be in the crowd, he may just as well be there. If he sits in a remote place in the forest, or in a barber’s shop, it cannot touch him. People think that mystics must sit in solitude, that they fly in the air. That is a very good conception to make; but when it comes to truth, there is no aspect of life that can deprive a mystic from his mystical spirit. He may be rich or poor, in the midst of the world, or he may be away from everything, he is a mystic just the same.
And now, friends, this is the last address. But I do not think it is the last. As they say, “If providence will grant it, we shall meet again.” Besides, I have always felt a great sympathy in San Francisco. I am always drawn to America because when I left my country I came to America, and then to Europe. Therefore, I had from America the first impression of the Western world and the work. And it started from San Francisco. And therefore, there is a great sympathy for this city. And if I have to leave here, it is with a heavy heart and with the hope that I shall come here and have the pleasure and happiness of seeing you all again. And if I go away, I leave thoughts and feelings and blessings for you all.
God bless you.
*=a Muslim judge or magistrate
Dear Nawab,
This 3-part text is a wonderful journey culminating in a rich paragraph of practical activities. Thank you for sharing and now to practice.
Blessings,
Sabura