TOWARD THE ONE, THE PERFECTION OF LOVE, HARMONY AND BEAUTY, THE ONLY BEING, UNITED WITH ALL THE ILLUMINATED SOULS, WHO FORM THE EMBODIMENT OF THE MASTER, THE SPIRIT OF GUIDANCE | | |
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ISSUE 24 ~ FEBRUARY 2024
An Interview with Pir Shabda Kahn, by IAS
Urs Mubarak Pir Moineddin
Wali Ali Treasury, by Paula Saffire
Sunrise in the West, by Wali Ali Meyer
Connections, calendar, links
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"... what Sufi means to us is:
when you light a piece of incense,
it is the fragrance that comes, not the form."
-Pir Shabda Kahn, interview excerpt
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Pir Shabda, after singing raga in honor of the 97th Urs of Hazrat Inayat Khan,
Feb 5th, New Delhi, India - photo courtesy of Douglas Stevenson
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Insight: You are the spiritual director for the Dances of Universal Peace Worldwide. Can you please tell us about the Dances of Universal Peace and their significance as a Sufi practice?
Pir Shabda Kahn: Wonderful. I will try to give an umbrella context. Like all of your readers, my heart has the aspiration to fulfill the purpose of life, to awaken to our true nature, and to be of service. In that context, I became a disciple of a Sufi master named Samuel Lewis – Murshid Sam, or his Sufi name, Sufi Ahmed Morad Chisti. He is and was in a Sufi lineage under his guide Hazrat Inayat Khan. That Sufism comes from Mother India, and Hazrat Inayat Khan was among the first Sufi masters to come to the Western world in 1910. That’s how my Teacher met him. It’s in that river that we’re swimming. That river, coming from India, is a universal form of Sufism, recognizing that liberation can’t be owned by any vehicle. It is wonderful to have an excellent vehicle to drive to get to a destination, but the destination is not the vehicle. In that way, it honors all the world’s religions and all the greater founders of them, those known and unknown....continue reading
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Blessings! Lunar New Year of the Wood Dragon | |
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Urs Mubarak ~ Pir Moineddin Jablonski
Jan 1, 1941 - Feb 27, 2001
Beloved Pir of Sufi Ruhaniat International from 1971 -Feb 27, 2001
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Pir Moineddin, 1993, photo courtesy Aziza Vancura | |
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"The servants of love are the
masters of life."
"Let your weaknesses become keys to
your strengths."
"Wholeness in variety is Heart;
wholeness in unity is Soul."
"Murshid's living voice sings through
the heart of his every mureed; a
thousand springs of inspiration rise
from a single Weeping Rock."
A few selections from A Gift of Life, Aphorisms and Poems by Pir Moineddin
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The Treasury ~ Stories of Murshid Wali Ali Meyer
by Paula Saffire, with Zardusht van Wert and Tawwaba Bloch
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Murshid Wali Ali Meyer, 2012, photo courtesy of Paula Saffire | |
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I want to tell you about an experiment and invite you to take part - or at least read some intriguing stories.
Three days after Wali Ali's death, memories and stories kept arising unbidden, over and over. I was moved to write them down - an attempt to console myself. Not cute stories but teaching moments. Wali Ali communicated so much without words, or as the unvoiced subtext to the words he spoke. These moments cannot be captured in the words he wrote nor in the classes he taught.
To my surprise, my fingers suddenly typed words of invitation: “What are your most precious gifts? I would love for us to know this man together.” And so the Treasury was born. While memory is fresh, let’s capture these stories!
Wali Ali would have little interest in a collection of stories unless they point the way. Remind us. Inspire us. Serve as a compass. Is that possible? THAT’S THE EXPERIMENT! One person can’t do this alone, but maybe together we can. If we try and fail, no regrets. If we don’t try …
Over the past year, 30 of our friends have shared stories.
I invite you see them here:
Wali Ali Treasury
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I know there are many more stories. I am hoping for at least 101 storytellers. They are beads on one tasbih. Each one is precious and as a totality they form a blessing. Some stories may seem stark in their singularity. As the collection develops, patterns emerge: Wali Ali’s capacity to give darshan, his love and warmth, his Fudo streak, his acceptance of life as it flows, his lack of pretense, the power of his voice, his wry sense of humor, his ability to find what I call the “tailor-made gift” – a gift that might not mean anything to anyone else in the world and yet which feels, to the recipient, life-giving or life-saving.
Wali Ali had the ability to meet us as universal essence, but also to grasp fully our individuality. I will never forget his energetic reading of a passage from Physicians of the Heart: “ 'The ocean exists, but a unique fish is swimming in it.' ” To which he added, looking at his audience one by one, “YOU ARE THAT FISH!”
Can we fill the Treasury full of recollections of the fish? The aim is to sketch a picture of Wali Ali as he was, not to polish the halo of a tin saint. Diversity of voices is beautiful – and essential to the power and accuracy of the Group Portrait that will be created from the Treasury stories.
Will you contribute a story? Want to discuss the project? Please email me: psaffire@butler.edu
With gratitude to Wali Ali, and to all story contributors,
Paula Saffire
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Sunrise in the West
by Murshid Wali Ali Meyer
We are thrilled to announce the release of a special hardcover edition of this long-awaited book on the life and teachings of Murshid SAM.
We are offering this special edition at a premium price of $101 + $15 shipping (USA shipping only) to help cover the many costs incurred to write the book. Thank you for your support!
Order here
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With a profound inner life, Samuel Lewis became known as both Sufi and Zen master. He also came to embody the deep teachings of living Hindu saints, the Kabbalah and the Christian mysteries. His horticultural endeavors and engagement in political and social causes throughout the world earned him international respect, and his spiritual realization generated a devoted following of spiritual seekers that is flourishing today.
- Pir Shabda Kahn
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Donate to Sufi Ruhaniat International | |
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Your donations help us to answer the continuing call of our mission. We are grateful to our donors, volunteers, teachers, the Murshids' Circle and the Board of Trustees, who help us in our work and service. Thank You!
Legacy Giving
The Ruhaniat is a container for a living transmission that is anchored in the lineage practices and teachings that have been handed down to us through centuries. Please support the future of our organization by including Sufi Ruhaniat International in your will or trust. Help us pass on a thriving and vital organization.
To include SRI in your will or trust, click here for information
Deepest thanks to all of you who have already arranged for a legacy gift to the Ruhaniat!
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Connections
major camps, recordings and online communities
~ click the calendar link for more listings ~
Calendar of Events
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19th Annual Northern California Sufi Sesshin
Healdsburg, California, Mar 3-8
Ruhaniat Jamiat Ahm - Europe
near Lauterbach, Thuringia, Germany, Apr 2-7
Ruhaniat Jamiat Aam - USA
Madison, Wisconsin, Apr 25-28
Ozark Spring Sufi Camp
Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Missouri, May 23-28
Lama Foundation Sufi Sesshin
Lama Foundation, New Mexico, Jun 26-30
Mendocino Sufi Camp - 50th Anniversary
Mendocino, California, July 14-21
Northwest Sufi Camp
near Vernonia, Oregon, August 4-6
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Ruhaniat Family Zoom Gatherings
Recordings: Video and Audio
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Content Submissions
ruhnews@ruhaniat.org
Send us poetry, art, videos, essays, interviews, musings, suggestions, feedback, and support. Include your name, city and country. Your submission implies permission to use now or in the future. We reserve the right to edit content. We may not use all the content that we receive.
Hu.
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