In the 1920’s, while Europe was still recovering from the devastation and sorrow of the ‘Great War,’ as it was sometimes called, a mureed asked Hazrat Inayat Khan if the conflict had been the will of the majority or of the minority. It is a question we may find pertinent to our present times, for we can regularly observe public battles between opposing points of view, and it is not always clear that the choices ultimately taken correspond to the will of the majority or of a particularly vocal minority.
Pir-o-Murshid Inayat began by saying that it was the will of the minority, that the few had made the majority follow them, but then he went further. The war, he declared, in truth originated in one mind. Just which mind can never be known, he said, but since thoughts do not arise simultaneously in different minds, it is certain that it began with one mind and then spread to others.
To understand this properly, we need to remember the Sufi description of the mind world as a palace of mirrors; reflection is the essence of this realm. If we watch our own mind carefully, we can see how one thought reflects us toward another, and that thought sends us to a thought still further away, and so on. We might begin, for example, in the contemplation of a flower, and very quickly arrive at something apparently unrelated, such as the cost of a train ticket in another land. We make a mistake, though, if we suppose that our mind is a private space, sealed off from others. When we develop our concentration sufficiently to take control of our mental traffic, we begin to perceive that the sphere of mind ebbs and flows through all of us, that thoughts move from person to person with wanton promiscuity, and it is almost always so that a thought that ‘pops into our mind,’ is not new but has only arrived from somewhere else.
During the recent epidemic we learned about the need for physical hygiene, and saw the sometimes painful consequences of failing to observe the rules. We should consider mental purity to be just as important; thoughts are certainly as infectious as any virus, and can be equally destructive.
Of course, few people have enough mental power to really exclude unwanted thoughts. If we take as an image a garden, it is very difficult to keep out all the invasive weeds, but if we feed and water the plants we wish to cultivate – for their shade, for their perfume and for their fruits – they themselves help to keep the weeds from spreading. Therefore, the wise, in whatever tradition they may live, adopt the habit of prayer, for the words of prayers scatter seeds of love, harmony and beauty on the soil of consciousness. And in these troubled times, we should also think of praying together, for that has a stronger effect. In Gayan Tanas, there is this saying : Wheat-grains, why do you grow so close together?
– Unity is our strength; that is why you seek in us your life sustenance.
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Beloved Murshid
Your post and guidance lands on our lap-tops as a blessing.We are sailing across what seems to be a storm that increases at each new moon and our boats are rocking.Some are on fire, under attack.We hold on to what we can to sail trough while some have nothing else to hold on to and are drowning in an ocean of terrible conficts, violence and cruelty.The other day i saw i video of a little girl in Gaza , amid rubbles , eyes and face covered in dust,looking up asking at the sky in despair : why ? isn’t it enough yet?
It is heart braking.
And we are called to action.
But who’s acting?
Then , perhaps in answer to my prayers, came a text in the Gita , about action and no -action : to realize action in no- action and no- action in action.It is a very profound concept and one that mirrors an inner state that perhaps only few are blessed with amidst the turmoil of this troubled world.( Human collective activity is never perfect, even when guided by the best principles).But none the less, the Gita points to an aspect, both in the inner as well as the outer world, i feel compelled to confront myself with as i feel a calling to act and be of some help for my brothers and sisters in these critical times.As an artist , i feel art has a profound impact on the soul of society and its duty is to reflect harmony, beauty, truth , but in such troubled times art feels as if if it’s not enough.How do we find beauty in the face of horror? These days , as we march in protest and witness all sorts of brutality, one senses the perfume in the air, this incredible beauty rising from this grief stricken world: people’s tears flowing down theirs faces as they wish farewell to a coalition of boats sailing to help the oppressed across the mediterranean sea.Hands holding together in hope , people, walking or sailing, are coming together.Like seeds, we hope and pray for a better world, for the good of all.And we act as we can.And by the grace of God, we shall be guided in our words and actions, sheltered under the shade of the beautiful trees that are growing, stronger than the bad weeds, inside us,in the Garden of our True Self.Truly, the only promise land worth fighting for.
May we be the peace we wish for the world
Beloved sister Huma, thank you for your thoughts which certainly come from the heart. Do whatever seems best to you to help the world, but do not neglect the spiritual work. If we do not find peace in our selves, then it is futile to try to find it or create it in the world. And if we have not given space in our hearts for wisdom, then our efforts to help the world will be like driving blind on the freeway.
Absolutely Murshid
The Beloved dances in mysterious ways.
My spiritual work is my service , my duty, my heart,
My home
Thank you