The world Messengers have come to humanity with the great ideal of liberating the various religious diversifications from the dogmas and speculative theories about the abstract that have persisted through the centuries, maintaining thereby the specter of ignorant fanaticism even in this age when science has successfully catapulted factual knowledge as far as the surface of the moon.
There are so many historical facts about mystics and prophets, but have we ever given thought to the fact that “Buddha was not a Buddhist, Jesus Christ was not a Christian, Mohammed was not a Mohammedan. They were bringers of one and the same Message continually renewed, projecting the light within, upon humanity at large, beyond distinctions and differences which divide. To the question, ‘What is the Message?’ the answer differs in accordance with the understanding, because each person represents a different point of view, yet all claim to drink from the same water of truth, whether it be called a stream, a river, a lake, a sea, an ocean or the Divine source itself.
A world Message could be understood as an abstract energy, which becomes intelligible to humanity through the inspiration of those who, all down the ages, have re-kindled the light of the one Message, and whose magnetism resonates from age to age in the hearts of the devotees, varying in accordance to the interpretation given to the original word. The preservation of that resonance through the ages has always been dependent upon a continuous renewal of the original inspiration, and the characteristics of those renewals have always been related to the local social conditions, and cultures in the areas where they expanded. The mission of those renewals could be identified by the term “religion.” A religion, which is the materialization of the original Message, is continually reshaped over time, according to the understanding of various cultural reformers, who impose a way of thinking, adapted in word and form to the educational standards of the multitude, whereas the parallel development of science has always been focused on the search for definable facts, structured according to logical realty.
Over the centuries, the spiritual values of religion have been diversely formulated by the Callers from the pulpits, besides also variously understood by the followers of the followers, who do not realize that preconceived dogmas have nothing in common with the original word, which has always been destined to offer a helping hand toward the realization of Truth. Regrettably, the original Ideals are confined within the limitations of religious theories and are clad in artificial garments by those who do not see that following theoretical regulations in order to attain spiritual realization cannot be the goal; the goal is further still; and if one argues over the authenticity of the path, one is misled by the many differences, and one can never ever reach anywhere, other than disappointment.
Each religion strikes a characteristic tone, and if all would come together, alike as a religious symphony, one would then encounter the possibility of a unity of all original ideals, beyond the boundaries of religious differences. However, this does not mean indulging in a federative initiative; it only means discovering the golden thread running through all religious structures that reveals a profound oneness at the level of the original inspiration.
Sufism is neither a new religion nor a cult, neither a doctrine nor a secret institution. Perhaps one could say that Sufism is the same religion of the heart that has always been, ever since wisdom was wisdom. Therefore, the term “Sufi,” meaning wisdom, does not refer only to the ancient schools, known or unknown, where spiritual concepts have blossomed through the ages and subsequently materialized within various orders, but it also indicates the concept of wisdom revealed in the purification of the mind from pre-conceived ideas and illogical thinking, especially with regard to abstract concepts.
For a Sufi, the diversity of names and forms of the world’s religious tendencies are like veils covering the phenomenon of the Spirit of Guidance constantly manifesting at all levels of evolution. This explains why one of the great ideals of a Sufi is a broader outlook, reaching far beyond concepts of faith and belief, with a compassionate attitude when facing the tragic misunderstandings which divide the earnest followers of so many religious and philosophical traditions.
The Sufi thoughtfully avoids making a display of speculative concepts, only using the language of the heart when communicating with others, with respect for the various interpretations of the word Spirituality. Sufism is the path of renunciation of the ego, it is the path of love for mankind. It is not a speculative adventure; there is no searching after phenomena. Sufism does not mean being any better than anybody else, but to simply be a true human being, so that others might perhaps benefit from the example.
Sufism is a universal Confraternity of brothers and sisters, and before even venturing to tread on the spiritual path. It is a challenge, as far as one’s own conception of good and bad goes, but it is not a school where one learns how to crush the ego of others. To be victorious does not mean having victory over others, which is in fact an inner defeat. To be defeated is not necessarily a defeat; it might be an inner victory, the victory over the ego.
Another subject found in Sufi teachings is the ‘Alchemy of happiness,’ known in the fairy-tales, as a magic formula used to turn base metal into gold. This mystical illustration symbolizes so beautifully the basic principle of the inner school of the Sufis, where deep consideration is offered to the importance of transforming one’s gross ego, and the awakening of the heart.
Tuning the heart could be compared to the tuning of string instruments, where the strings are stretched to a chosen pitch. However, the tuning of the human heart is incomparably more delicate because the pitch to which it must be tuned is an inner pitch, which is only heard when the doors of the heart are open and the mysterious absence of the self miraculously reveals the silent tone within. What is the heart? Is it not the temple of God? And if so, could we really venture to invite the Divine Presence into that temple if impurities such as the ‘I am’ concept is there, along with all our doubts and fears and wants?
The Spirit of Guidance is the only true Teacher of all teachers; the source of inspiration to the world of science; the motivation of creativity in all Art, and liberty in social awakening. And to the Religious world, the Spirit if Guidance calls aloud for Unity of Spiritual Ideals, which is the condition for raising all understandings to a level of true human behavior.
The Message in our time is a Universal Message, expressed in a Universal Worship inspired by the history of the great religions, known and unknown to the world at large. The emblem representing this great Ideal is a heart with wings, where the heart symbolizes the great power of love, as it reaches upwards, borne upon wings of spiritual liberty into the spheres of Divine Consciousness. In this emblem, the five-pointed star represents the light of the Spirit of Guidance, illuminating the way all along the flight toward inner awakening, and the crescent moon represents the receptive and expressive qualities of the heart set free when the limited self is no more the spectator.
This emblem is one of the symbols adorning what is now known to the world as the altar of Unity of all Religious ideals. Upon this altar the burning lights represent the great world religions, as well as all those who, whether known or unknown to the world, have held aloft the light of Truth through the darkness of human ignorance. A further aspect of this Universal Worship is the reading of passages from various holy scriptures placed side by side, with the object of discovering the similarity found in all, provided that the teachings are received at a spiritual level of understanding, and the blessings of all the great Masters are so profoundly felt when one’s heart is open to the pure essence of all religious inspirations, and when these are seen as so many rays of light coming from one and the same source, which is meant to shine for the welfare of all humanity.
What is really experienced in worship? What is really understood by prayer, contemplation and meditation? Is it not, perhaps, the call of the heart which is then heard?
In the light of this understanding, one might eventually discover that all one wishes to obtain spiritually is already there, waiting silently within. The first and last lesson on the spiritual path is the process of tuning the heart. This process can be traced in all religious teachings, and in this process lies the whole secret of happiness and inner peace.
But what does this all really mean? It means that as beloved ones of God, we are expected to remind ourselves of the noble responsibilities which are ours.
There are numberless methods, numberless schools, and there are perhaps even more masters than disciples, but so long as the mask of the ego has not been dropped, ‘God-consciousness,’ which is in the all-pervading truth, shall never be accessible.
God-consciousness, which one might have been frantically pursuing, is in fact already there. But so long as this consciousness is not an expression of the heart, then whatever be the external appearance of spirituality, piety or morality, this all remains void of Godliness. If God-consciousness could be explained at all, it is certainly an unconditional reality of love, human and Divine; and it is with the great power of this profound realization that all brothers and sisters of all convictions humbly unite on the path of true religion.
Every effort towards the fulfillment of one’s life’s purpose, whether a material or a spiritual one, brings one step by step to the ultimate goal. This process could be seen as a humble contribution to the fulfillment of the Divine goal, since the entire creation is in a constant state of formation according to a central theme, whereby the self is lost, but finds itself again as a result of the widening of the consciousness, like the seed which finds the fulfillment of its purpose when rising as a plant and spreading out in full bloom in the rays of the sun.
Hidayat Inayat-Khan
27 January 2012
