Date: 20/12/04 

Every soul seeks after beauty, and every virtue, righteousness, good action is nothing but a glimpse of beauty.

Beauty (Vol. XI, Ch XII)

Beauty, which the knower appreciates and a lover admires, is worshipped by the mystic. It is useless to try to put into words what beauty is, but if anything can explain it, it is the other word for beauty and that is harmony. It is the harmonious combination of colours, the harmonious combination of grouping lines, and the harmonious blending of the objects of nature that suggest to us the idea of beauty. In order to be beautiful an object most be harmonious, for in point of fact, harmony is beauty. If there is anything in the word that makes man unconscious of himself, in other words that makes him lose his self-consciousness, if there is anything that makes man humble, that makes him surrender willingly, it is beauty. Beauty is something that conquers without a sword, that holds without hands, that is more tender than the petals of a flower and stronger than anything in the world. The Prophet has said, "God is Beauty and He loves what is beautiful."

Beauty can be divided into three aspects. The first one is beauty of the objective world, of objects. This aspect of beauty is to be seen in nature. What attracts man unconsciously to the beauty of nature is the harmony which it expresses. The sea, the mountains, the rivers, and the blue sky, the rising sun and the setting sun, the crescent and the full moon, they all seem to blend together so that a divine vision is produced that begins to speak to the soul. That is why the beauty of nature is uplifting. For the mystics, the prophets, and the sages this was a means of rising to that pitch where they could feel God. Then there was no longer a question of their belief in God for they felt God in the beauty of nature.

The other is the objective beauty which is art, the creation of man. This beauty appeals to one because it is a production, an imitation which the soul admires. Very often those details which one cannot see clearly in nature are noticeable in art. Thus art is sometimes the finishing of beauty which is expressed in nature. An image drawn by an artist can be more beautiful, for the reason that the artist has finished what nature had left unfinished. But who is working in the artist? The Creator Himself; what the Creator has left undone, He has finished through the artist. Therefore creations of art are also uplifting. It is most inspiring when a person listens to the song of birds, yet a song sung or composed by a human being can be even more uplifting, for man has completed that beauty; it was is mission to complete it. It is for this that the world was created, that man might finish in his own way that which was not yet finished in nature, so as to make beauty complete.

The second aspect of beauty is personal beauty, the beauty of the living being, whether in form and feature, or in thought and imagination, in merit and qualifications, or virtue and higher qualities. What is goodness? Beauty. What is right and wrong? That which is beautiful is right, that which lacks beauty is wrong. Is there then no such thing as what the religious people call sin and virtue? That which is beautiful is virtue, and that which lacks beauty is a sin. Are these not two opposite poles? They are when we look at them as opposite poles. When we look at the two ends of a line we see that there are two ends, but when we look at the centre of the line we see that it is one line. These opposite poles appear to us as two only when we look at the two ends. When the carpet on the floor is not laid down, as it should be then we say it is wrong, but there is no ruIe as to how it should be laid, it is only a sense we have of recognizing beauty. This sense is disturbed by seeing that the carpet is not laid straight, and so what is wrong is the lack of beauty.

The third aspect of beauty is the beauty of God, which means beauty in its perfection. In order to see this beauty one must develop spiritually, so that this beauty may manifest to one's view. All that seems good and beautiful one can imagine in perfection as far as one's imagination reaches, calling it the beauty of God. For beauty is only manifest to our view in its limitation; it is in God alone that we see beauty in its perfection. There is no object of which we can see that it is perfectly beautiful, nor is there anyone except in our ideal that we can attribute all beauty. We can make something as beautiful as possible but in reality a beauty belongs to the one and only, and that is God.

There are two ways of discovering beauty. One way is to find it in the distribution of all things and beings. What one person lacks another has got, what one tree lacks the other tree has, what the river lacks the sea has, what the desert lacks is to be found in the forest, what the earth lacks is to be found in the sky. Therefore, when we take beauty as a whole, we begin to get a glimpse of what it is. Beauty is never absent but when we take a part of it and look at only that, we shall certainly see some lack of beauty. Those who see beauty cut up in division, in sections, become critical. They are in pursuit of beauty, but they do not find it, they find a little in one person and a lack of it in another. Even when they find a little beauty in one person, they still find something lacking too. When we compare this with all the perfection of beauty, then the lack of beauty manifests much more to us than the beauty itself. Naturally therefore man becomes critical, and this tendency makes him blind to himself.

The other way of seeing divine beauty is to close one’s eyes for a moment to the dense aspect of beauty in order to see the inner beauty. For instance the one who rises above the beauty of form begins to see the beauty of thought, the one who rises above the beauty of thought begins to feel the beauty of feeling, of sentiment, which is greater still; and the one who rises even above sentiment and sees the spiritual aspect of beauty sees beauty which is still greater. There is no end to the realization of the inner beauty. The inner beauty is much greater when compared with outer beauty, yet it does not make a person turn away from the outer beauty. It only makes him appreciate it more than others do.

Once an ascetic thinker was taken to a variety show in New York, where there were all sorts of dances and acts and different amusements; and the one who took him there was eager to find out what his opinion about it was and said to him, "This must disgust you, a contemplative person, to come and see this nonsense going on the stage." He replied, "No, never. How can it be disgusting? Is it not my Krishna who is playing there?" It is those who have touched the inner beauty who are capable of appreciating beauty in all forms. It is not only that they appreciate it, they admire and worship it. If worship is given to anything or anyone it is to the God who is hidden in the form of beauty.

The poems of the Sufis of Persia and elsewhere: such as Hafiz and Jami, Rumi and Farid-ud-Din Attar, are not only philosophical statements, but they are written from beginning to end in admiration of beauty. If one where to dive deep into their every verse, one would find that each one was equal to a hundred books full of philosophy. Why? Because their souls have been moved to dance at the sight of beauty. What they have expressed in their words is living, burning, full of beauty. It penetrates the one who can feel it, who can admire it. Their poetry is their prayer. It might seem that it is sung to beauty, but to whom is it sung? Their song is to God?

Desk of the Peshkar of the Brother/Sisterhood Activity

Date: 31/10/04

Harmony There are different types of attitudes, the attitude towards oneself, the attitude towards one’s loved ones and friends, 
the attitude toward strangers, and the attitude towards God.
Obviously, not everyone is in harmony with themselves,
and consequently cannot be in harmony with loved ones,
with strangers or with God.

The question arises from where comes the tendency to harmony and from where comes a tendency to disharmony. The natural tendency of every soul is towards harmony, and the tendency towards inharmony is an unnatural state of mind or affairs. The very fact that it is not natural makes it void of beauty. The psychology of man is such that he responds both to harmony and inharmony. He cannot help it, because he is naturally made so; mentally and physically he responds to all that comes to him, be it harmonious or inharmonious. The teaching of Christ, "Resist not evil," is a hint not to respond to inharmony. For instance, a word of kindness, of sympathy, an action, of love and affection finds response, but a word of insult, an action of revolt or of hatred creates a response too. And that response creates more inharmony in the world. By giving way to inharmony one allows inharmony to multiply. At this time one sees in the world the greatest unrest and discomfort pervading all over. Where does it come from? It seems to come from ignorance of this fact that inharmony creates inharmony and will multiply inharmony. A person, who is insulted, has the natural tendency to think that the proper way of answering is to insult the other person still more. By this he gets the momentary satisfaction of having given a good answer. But he does not know what he has done by his good answer. He has given response to that power which came from the other and these two powers, being negative and positive, create more harmony. "Resist not evil" does not mean: receive evil into yourself. "Resist not evil" only means do not send back the inharmony that comes to you, just as a person playing tennis would send back the ball with his racket. But at the same time it does not suggest that you should receive the ball with open hands. The tendency toward harmony may be likened to a rock in the sea: through the wind, through the storm the rock stands in the sea; each wave comes with all its force and yet the rock remains still, it stands, it bears all, letting the waves beat against it. By fighting inharmony one increases it, by not fighting it one does not give fuel to the fire, which would rise and cause destruction. No doubt the wiser you become, the more difficulties you have to face in life, because every kind of inharmony will be directed at you for the very reason that you will not fight it. However, with all these difficulties you must know that you have helped to destroy that inharmony which would otherwise have multiplied. This is not without advantage, for every time you stand against inharmony like the rock in the sea, you increase your strength, although outwardly it may seem a defeat. But the one who is conscious of the increase of his power will never admit that it was a defeat, and as time passes the person against whom he has stood firm will realize that it was he who was defeated. Life in the world has a constantly jarring effect. The finer one becomes the more trying it will be, and the time comes when, if a person is sincere and good-willing, kind and sympathetic, life becomes worse for him. If he is discouraged by this, he goes under. If he keeps his courage, then he will find in the end that it was not disadvantageous, because his power will some day increase to that stage, to that degree at which his presence, his word, his action will control the thoughts and feelings and activities of all. He will get that heavy rhythm, the rhythm that will make the rhythm of everybody else follow it. This is the attribute, which in the East is called the quality of the mastermind. In order to stand firm against the inharmony that comes from without, one must first practise to stand firm against all that comes from within, from one's own self; for one's own self is more difficult to control than other people, and when one is not able to control oneself and one has failed to do so, it is most difficult to stand firm against the inharmony from without. Now the question arises: what is it that causes inharmony in oneself? It is weakness; physical weakness or mental weakness, but it is always weakness. Very often, therefore, one finds that it is bodily illness that causes inharmony and inharmonious tendencies. Besides there are many diseases of the mind which the scientists of today have not yet discovered. There are two cases: a person, who is perhaps very ill, is considered insane, and, on the other hand, illnesses of the mind are not taken into account. Persons who suffer from these illnesses are considered sane, and no attention is given to the defects, which come from these diseases of the mind. So they never have a chance to notice the disease in themselves, and they are continually finding faults with others. If they are in an office, if they are in a good position, if they are at home, everywhere they cause inharmony. Nobody understands the cause, for to be treated as insane the person must first be recognized as insane. Health of the mind is so seldom discussed. In fact, as there are more solicitors, more lawyers, more barristers, more courts and more judges, so there are more cases. Consequently, prisons increase, and what is the outcome? After a person has gone to prison and has come out of it,he has forgotten where he was; he follows the same path again, for the disease has not been found out. In court a person is judged, but what is the matter with him psychologically, what caused him to do what he did, is not discovered. There are thousands of people in prison, because something is wrong in their mind. If they were kept in prison for a thousand years they would not improve. Nothing but injustice is awarded to them by putting them in prison. It is just like putting a person in prison because his body is ill. The cause of every discomfort and of every failure is inharmony. What would be the most useful thing in education at the present time is to give the sense of harmony to children, and to develop it in them. It will not be so difficult as it appears to bring harmony to their notice. What is necessary to point out to the youths the different aspects of harmony in the different aspects of life's affairs? The work of the Sufi message, a message of love, harmony and beauty, is to awaken in humanity the consciousness of the true nature of love, harmony and beauty. The training, which is given to those who become initiated in the inner cult, is to cultivate these three things which are the principal factors in human life.

Question: How should we deal with criminals?
Answer: I would suggest that those who are accused of a certain fault should first - before being brought before the judge - be taken to a jury of psychologists in order to see what is the matter with them. Then, after a person is judged, he should be taken again to the this jury.

Question: In what way could they be cured of their fault?
Answer: Instead of being sent to a prison, I think that they should be sent to a special school intended for criminals.

Question: At what age should we begin to develop harmony in a child?
Answer: At the very beginning of a child's growth.

Question: By what means does one develop the sense of harmony in a child?
Answer: I would develop harmony in a child's manner, in his action, in his speech, first by believing that he naturally has love for harmony. The inharmony he shows is not in his nature, and it is not difficult to put out what is not in his nature. With my personal experience, not only with children but also with persons of all ages and of great variety, I should like to say that: never for a moment I think that anything wrong belongs to anyone's nature. I think that it is only something outside which has got hold of him and which can be taken off some time or other. Therefore, I believe that there is hope for everyone, and if a person were accused of being the very worst individual yesterday, today I would look at him with hope and think he has gone far from yesterday. Besides, I consider that to accuse a person to a fault, or to think of a person that he is wrong or inharmonious, creates in him that which you are thinking of. But I must teIl you that it is difficult even for me. It is denying something which is before you, and which is not only standing still but also active. It is just like saying of a person, who is cross by nature and who cross with you, "No, he is not cross."

Question: That will change it?
Answer: It is the same with Christian Science. Of course a person who practices Christian Science likes so much to put his science into words that he makes people revolt against him. But as far as the idea goes, it is a most splendid idea. Denying a thing is destroying a thing, and to admit a certain thing is giving it a root. Even saying, "I have an enemy, and he is so bad to me," is really giving that enemy a strength from your own spirit. But when you put it out of your mind thinking, "WeIl, I have a good wish for everyone, I do not wish to look at anything that is disagreeable," it does not give the other that strength.

Question: Could you please give us a more definite idea about the way in which harmony in reasoning and action should be developed in children?
Answer: There are two faults that a child commits in speaking, not knowing that they are faults. One fault is that it sometimes likes to reason in a way in which a child should not reason: when there is no consideration of manner. In that way it creates inharmony, because it says something in a form in which a child ought not to speak. Secondly the child gets into a habit of saying something which psychologically is not right, which has no good results. This idea is very much considered in the East, but it is an idea that should be considered wherever humanity exists. There are many words, which have power behind them; there are many words, which cause bad effects. A child in its play does not feel backward to reason about somebody's death or illness, which psychologically may be wrong, besides being suggestive; in play a child says to another child, "I shall cut off your head;" another will perhaps take a knife and do it! Now as to action - a child is full of activity, and in a moment one child is like a hundred children. He is always active, without knowing what to do. So he is destructive, he spoils things, if you stop him from doing one thing, he goes to another, and in order to stop that in him which is destructive and would make him do wrong things, you should awaken harmony in him. Besides, for a child to consider others, the comfort of others, the importance of the word of others, all are necessary things. There is a saying in the East: good manners in a child means good luck, bad manners means bad luck. One can easily understand the reason of it: good manners attract love, affection and goodwill from all sides, and that helps the child to be good. Whenever a grown-up person sees a child with good manners, his first impulse is to think, "May he be blessed, may he succeed in life." That goodwill coming from grown-up people is not taken by a child if he disturbs them; he is deprived of that blessing. It seems to me that the first lesson of religion should teach children to consider another, the friend, and the well beloved people at home. If children are not trained in this, they cannot understand religion when they grow up. I mean religion in the true sense of the word, not a special form of religion. Religion in the world of today is the betterment of the soul. A good time will only come when the coming generations will try to strive after the improvement of the soul.

Vol.VIII, Ch. IX

Date: 17/09/04

Dear brothers and sisters all over the world, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to pray for peace in the world, and I hope that this is something that we can all join in together. Still more important is, of course, to be an example of 'Love Harmony and Beauty'.

Love can change enmity into friendship. If we only have the courage to stay in love with everybody, people can feel how it is to be loved. Especially the children should be loved. So many children live a life of struggle to survive. We can't help them all now, but at least we can give our love to the children in our neighbourhood.

This time I am posting some words about Love - the way our Master, Hazrat Inayat Khan, teaches us.

If you have any questions about the subject, you are always welcome to send in your questions. Next time the theme will be about Harmony. Love and light,

your sister, Maharani.

***

From   Reflections inspired by the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan by Pir-o-Murshid Hidayat Inayat-Khan: “The heart holds the seeds of thoughts as the earth holds the seeds of a plant, and in the holding power of the heart resides the secret of the fulfilment of the thoughts.”
From The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Vol XI, Chapter XI

“Mystics of all ages have not been known for their miraculous powers or for the doctrines they have taught, but for the devotion they have shown throughout their lives. The Sufi in the East says to himself, ‘Ishq Allah, Ma'bud Allah’, which means ‘God is Love, God is the Beloved’, in other words it is God who is love, lover, and beloved. When we hear the stories of the miraculous powers of mystics, of their great insight into the hidden laws of nature, of the qualities which they manifested through their beautiful personalities, we realize that these have all come from one and the same source, whether one calls it devotion or whether one calls it love. “When we look at this subject from a mystic's point of view, we see that love has two aspects. Love in itself, and the shadow of love fallen on the earth. The former is heavenly the latter is earthly. The former develops self-abnegation in a person; the latter makes him more selfish than he was before. Virtues such as tolerance, mercy, forgiveness and compassion rise of themselves in the heart which is awakened to love. The infirmities such as jealousy, hatred and all manner of prejudice begin to spring up when the shadow of love has fallen on the heart of the mortal. The former love raises man to immortality, the later turns the immortal soul into a mortal being. A poet has said that the first step in love teaches selflessness, if it is not experienced then one has taken a step in the wrong direction, although one calls it love. For man has learned from the moment he was born on earth the words I am. It is love alone that teaches him to say, Thou art, not I. For no soul can love and affirm its own existence. “Love in its first stage may be called affection, a tender feeling towards someone, be it mother or father or child or brother or sister, be it friend or mate. It is in affection that love begins to show itself, and even that first awakening one will see the phenomenon of selflessness. When an innocent child comes with a sweet to its mother and offers it to her, its delight is to see its mother take it instead of itself. There we begin to see love in its incipient stage, and also selflessness taking its first step on the path of self-abnegation. One sees it in the form of the mother’s compassion for the child. The self-sacrifice she shows staying up all night, sharing the pain of her child. Be anxious every moment when the child is away, rejoicing in its pleasures and sorrows over its troubles. In this love, which is without passion, a love which only desires the child to grow and flourish and prosper while the mother's self is merged in seeing this happen, in this love there is self-abnegation. “There is the love of a friend for his friend, the only reason for which is the admiration that one has for the other. But when there is real friendship between two people it gives them the experience of divine perfection, as in the Persian saying, When two hearts become one they can remove mountains. To feel that there is someone in whom we can place our confidence, that there is someone who understands us, whom we can trust, upon whom we can lean and rely, to whom we can open our heart, to know that someone will sorrow in our pain more than he will sorrow for his own troubles, to know that there is someone in the world who will share all that is good and beautiful with us, imagine what a feeling it is! If we put this friend on one side of the scale and the other side the whole world, the side where the friend is will weigh more than the other. “Then there is the love of one's beloved mate, a beloved in whom one can see the beauty of God and hear the voice of God. One can long for that beloved, one can yearn all the time to attain to the presence of that beloved. When there is someone to long for to think about, then one begins to realize the truth in the saying that pain is preferable to pleasure. When one begins to feel the thought of one's beloved, to overlook all wrong that the beloved may have done, when one begins to see that all is right and beautiful and good in one's beloved, then one is raised to experience the paradise of which the legends speak. Rumi says, ‘Whether you have loved man or whether you have loved God, if you really loved you are brought in the end before the throne of love.’ All the different aspects of love and devotion in their beginning may appear wrong or right, but if there is love and devotion one arrives in the end at the stage which sages and masters have experienced; for love is purifying, love is strengthening, love is uplifting, and love gives life. “The one who says, ‘I love someone, but I hate someone else’, does not know what love means. How can one who loves, hate? It is impossible. The heart that is tuned to love, it is incapable of hate, it cannot hate. If it is capable of hate it cannot love, it has never loved. The person who says that he did love his friend once but no longer loves him, has never known the light of love, real love. Love is living and therefore growing, love is growing and therefore expanding, there is no limit to the expansion of love, its source is divine thus its expansion is perfect. “Passions that arise in their various aspects are like smoke; it is affection, it is emotion which is the glow of love, and devotion is the flame that rises out of love that lights the path of the seeker. As God is eternal, so love is eternal. If there is truth in anything it is in love. If there is no truth in love there is no truth in anything. If there are any morals or principles they arise from love for that is the only principle and moral that is real. There are many doctrines and principles made by man, but these are simple laws. Love has its own law and it adheres to the law of no one. “Can a person reach perfection by love alone, without meditation? Man meditates because he cannot really love. The word love is misinterpreted, misunderstood. We use it in everyday life without knowing what it means. When once a soul begins to understand what it means, it is a word too sacred to utter. No one can profess to love, for love should make us just and able to see our shortcomings and infirmities. Once the flame of love is kindled in the heart one feels so ashamed of oneself that one can no more say, I love. People mostly fall in love, as one says in English, but they never rise; though what is intended is to rise through love, not fall. All inspirations are revealed and the mysteries and secrets of life manifest to the view of the one whose heart is prepared by love; all kinds of virtue spring from it. “People talk of ecstasy. Some say that visionary people or those that see spirits and ghosts have ecstasies, but they do not know what ecstasy means. Ecstasy is a feeling that comes only when the heart is tuned to that pitch of love, which melts it, which makes it tender, which gives it gentleness, which makes it humble.

When someone says, ‘I love the formless’, he professes something which is inaccurate.

Especially after the war and the pain that the world has experienced, people are beginning to think on the subject of reconstruction. But no doubt every mentality, and in this way the ideas about reconstruction of the world differ very much. Considering the condition of the world as it is today, in the first place when one thinks of the financial condition, which is most essential for order and peace, it is so confused and has become so difficult to solve that it seems that there are many with their intellect and brain and understanding, helpless before this most difficult problem. No doubt there are many who will tell us that there is no other remedy for the betterment of humanity than the solution of the financial problem.

But at the same time it seems that the financial problem is becoming everyday more and more difficult and bringing nations and races and communities to a greater and greater destruction, and before this problem is solved it is no wonder if a great deal of damage is done to nations. And although intoxicated by the absorption in his own problem of life, man does not think enough about these things; nevertheless in the end the world in general will realize the weakness, the feebleness, caused by this disorder and unbalanced condition of the financial problem of the world.

As long as nations and people profit by the loss of other nations and people, for the moment they may think that they are benefited, but in the end all will realize that we human beings, as individuals or as a multitude, all depend upon one another. For instance, if for the cause of one part of one's body the other part suffers, in the end it will prove an unbalanced condition, a lack of health in the physical body. What does health mean? Health means all the organs of the body in good condition, and so the health of the world means all nations, all people in a good condition.

When one leaves this financial condition and comes to the problem of education, in spite of all the progress that has been made in the educational world, no-one with thought can refuse to consider the little child, what is his age, what is his strength and what work is given him to accomplish. It seems that in the enthusiasm of making education richer and richer, a kind of load has been put on the mind of the children and what happens? It is like a dish which was meant to be ready after half an hour's cooking, made ready in five minutes time. What has happened? It is perhaps burnt; it wanted a longer time. The child knows too much for his age, what he does not require, what he does not value, what is a load to him, what is forced upon his mind.

And how few of us stop to think of this question that childhood is a kingliness in itself. It is a gift from above that the child is growing and, during the time of his growth, that he is unaware of the woes and worries and anxieties of life. These are only days for experiencing the kingliness of life, the days when he should play, when he should be nearer nature, when he should grasp what nature gradually teaches. Imagine then that the childhood is devoted to study, study of the material knowledge. And as soon as the child has grown into the youth, the burden of life is put on his shoulders, the burden of life which is becoming everyday heavier and heavier for the rich and poor; and the result of this is that there are parties, there is disagreement between labour and capital, the life full of struggle to which the child opens his eyes and he has never the time to be one with nature, or to dive deep within himself, or to think beyond this life in the crowd.

When we leave the problem of education and come to the problem of nations one becomes still more perplexed. The enmity, hatred and prejudice which exist between nations and nations, and the antagonism and the utter selfishness which is the central theme of communications and connections between nations, that shows that the world is turning from bad to worse and unrest seems to be all pervading. There seems to be no trust between nations, no sympathy, except their own interest. And what is the outcome of it? Its impression falls as a shadow upon the individuals, turning the individuals also to that egoism, that selfishness. And the only thing in the world which was meant to be a refuge was religion. But at the present moment, with the increase of ever-growing materialism and overwhelming commercialism, the religion seems to be fading away. A silent indifference towards religion seems to be increasing, especially in the countries foremost in civilization today. That being the condition, where could man find the solution of the problem of the day?

WORLD RECONSTRUCTION (2)

Now looking at the question from a philosophical point of view. What is construction, what is reconstruction? A construction is that which is made already. A child born is a construction. But after a disorder in the health or in mind, there comes again a need of reconstruction. In the English language there is an expression: "To pull oneself together." The reconstruction of the world today means for the world to pull itself together. The education, the political, the social condition, the financial condition, religion, all those things which made civilization, seem to have scattered and in order for these things to come together there must be a secret of life to be studied. What is the secret of healing power? The secret is to make oneself strong enough to pull oneself together. And that is the secret of the life of the mystic. The world has lost its health, and when one can picture the world as an individual, one can see what it is to lose one's health. It is just like illness in the life of an individual. And as for every illness there is a remedy, so for every disaster there is a reconstruction.

But now there are different ideas that people have. There is the pessimist, he says, "Well, if the world has got to this state of destruction, who can help it, how can it be helped?" It is like an ill person who says, "Well, I have been so ill, I have suffered so much, I do not care. How can I be well now? It is almost too late." In that way he holds his disease and he keeps it, he cherishes it, although he does not like it. And then there is a curious person, who is very much astonished to see the newspaper and see that this money has gone up and that money has gone down, and to see that there is the probability of a war, there may be another war, and he will excite his friends about it.

Then there is another person who says, "Some committees must be formed, there must be some societies, some leagues, some congresses must be formed, we must do something definite." And in this way there are now so many societies and congresses formed and discussing, and so many more meetings, so many more discussions. But there seems to be no end to the discussions and disputes in order to find out the ways and means how the condition must be bettered.

I do not mean to say that any effort in whatever form made towards the reconstruction or towards the betterment of conditions is not worth while, however small. But what is most needed for us is to understand that religion of religions and that philosophy of philosophies which is self-knowledge. We shall not understand the life outside if we do not understand ourselves. It is the knowledge of the self that gives the knowledge of the world. The politician, the statesman, however qualified, will dispute about things for years and years, he will never come to a satisfactory conclusion unless he understands the psychology of life and the psychology of the situation. And so the educationist will try a new scheme and will never come to a satisfactory conclusion, unless he has the psychological knowledge of life, which will teach him the psychology of human nature, what is the manner to solve the problem.

What is today called psychology is not what I mean. It do not mean by the word psychology what they call psychoanalysis. I call psychology the understanding of the self, the understanding of the nature and character of the mind and the body. Friends, what is health? Health is order. And what is order? Order is music. Where there is harmony, rhythm, regularity, cooperation, there is harmony, there is sympathy. The health of mind, therefore, and the health of body depend upon the preserving of that harmony, upon keeping intact that sympathy which is going on in mind and body.

And remember that life in the world, and especially as we live it amidst the crowd, will test and try our patience every moment of the day, and it will be most difficult to preserve that harmony and peace which is all happiness. For what is the definition of life? Life means struggle with friends and battle with foes. It is all the time giving and taking, and it is most difficult in this to keep the sympathy, to keep the harmony which is health and happiness.

Now you will ask, "Where are we to learn it?" My friends, all education and learning and knowledge are acquired, but this one art is a divine art, and man has inherited it. But, absorbed in the outer learning, he has forgotten it, but it is an art which is known to the soul, but it is his own being, it is the deepest knowledge that he has in his heart. No progress in whatever line that man will make will give him that satisfaction which his soul is craving for, except this one, which is the art of life, the art of being, which is the pursuit of the soul.
In order to serve the reconstruction of the world the only thing possible and the only thing necessary is to learn the art of being, the art of life for oneself and to be an example oneself, before trying to serve humanity. What is the Sufi Movement? What is Sufism? It is that art of which I have just spoken, the art by which that music and symphony of life can be preserved, and by that man can enable himself to become the proper servant of God and humanity.

One can see the beginning of the spirit of brotherhood when one sees the flocks of birds flying in the sky together, when one sees the herds of animals in the forest together and the swarms of little insects all living and moving together. No doubt in man this tendency of brotherhood is pronounced, for man is not only capable of realizing the spirit of brotherhood but of fulfilling that purpose which is hidden in this natural tendency. What is called good or bad, right or wrong, sin or virtue, the secret behind all this diversity is one, and this secret is that all that leads to happiness is right, is good, and is virtuous; all that leads to unhappiness is wrong, that is evil, and if there is any sin, it is that which may be called sin. Then coming to the idea of brotherhood, it is not something which man has learned or acquired, it is something which is born in man, and according to the development of this spirit man shows the unfoldment of his soul.

Coming to the religions which have been given to the world, for instance, when we read in the bible the words of Jesus Christ, what do we read? "Love your fellow man, love your neighbour," from the beginning to the end. If there is any moral that the master taught and repeated constantly, it was this moral, the moral of brotherhood. The different religions which exist in the world, the followers of which are perhaps millions and millions, if one studies what is the central theme of it all, it is the one and same: Brotherhood, love one another, serve one another, be sincere one to the other.

But as man is more capable of loving his friend, so he is more capable of hating his neighbour. The first tendency of brotherhood, of love, brings him satisfaction and happiness to the other. The other tendency of hating his brother brings him dissatisfaction, and unhappiness to the other. Brotherhood therefore is creative of happiness, and the spirit which is contrary to it, is productive of sorrow. When we read the scriptures of the great religions in this world, be it the Bible or Kabbala, or Koran, Gita, or the Buddhist scriptures, in some form or the other in the manner best suited to the people to whom the religion was given, it was the same moral, the same symphony, it was the same music which was performed before them. The great teachers of the world, were they especially engaged in giving the mystical or occult teachings to the world? Or were they engaged in discussing philosophical problems? Not at all, though they were mystics, they knew philosophy, they knew occultism. But that was not the principle thing they came to give. If ever they have done anything, or given to the world anything, it was that simple philosophy which is never new to anyone. Even a child knows, love one another, be kind, be sincere, be serviceable to one another.

And one might ask, "When it is a simple thing, and so simple that even a child knows it, what necessity is there that the great ones, the Godly souls have come and taught it?" It is most simple and yet most difficult to live, and man does not accept anything from someone who does not live it. And if he accepts it, he will not hold it for long. Therefore they came with love from above the world, and lived that simple moral, that simple philosophy of brotherhood. A Mongol emperor of Hindustan who was a great poet - -in history we read his name, Ghasnavi writes, "Born in a palace, and having reigned from the first day I came to earth, I saw nothing but thousands and thousands of people bowing before me. But the day in my life when I learned the first lesson in love, my proud head bent and bowed before every slave that I saw standing before me in attendance; and those who were standing before me as servants, I then felt that I was their slave." What does it show? It shows that coldness of heart hardens one's feelings and closes one's eyes from the light which shows the path of brotherhood.

There are many relations, there are many connections in this world, by blood and by law also. But the great relationship is friendship, which is called brotherhood. Brotherhood means perfect friendship.

BROTHERHOOD/SISTERHOOD (2)

But now comes the question how this simple principle of brotherhood may be lived, how may it be practised. It is most difficult to teach this principle to anyone. The best way of teaching it, is living it oneself. Parents, either father or mother, who show to their children, besides fatherly love and motherly tenderness, that brotherhood, that feeling of a brother with his brothers, in this they can express themselves best to their children, and in this way the children are able to express their best to their parents. A father may be most kind, a mother most loving, but as long as he or she maintains the attitude of holding himself or herself as father, as mother; something different from the children, the children will grow to love them, but will never look upon them as friends.

They will look for friends elsewhere, because there is no brotherhood. And when we come to the teacher, a teacher may be respected by his pupils, he may bear great dignity before his pupils, but at the same time there cannot be established that communication of inspiration and love, of sympathy, of understanding till he has practised with his pupils that manner of brotherhood. When the soldiers, millions of them, gave their lives for the great kings and generals, it was not for the general, it was for the brother. No king, no general, no commander, whatever be his honour and his position, has been able to win the hearts of those who followed him--never.

When we hear of the great ones, the prophets, the seers, the mystics, in what way have they treated their pupils, their disciples? The story of Jesus Christ is known to all, calling the fishermen to come and sit and talk with him. The Master never felt comfortable when they called him "good." He said, "call me not good." The whole idea was, "consider me not superior to you, I am one of you." Think then the picture of the Master washing the feet of his disciples. What does it teach us? It all teaches us brotherhood. No miracle, no great power, no great inspiration, occult or mystical, can equal the phenomenon of that humility, of that fraternity, that brotherhood with which the great ones have become one with all.

To think, friends, about the condition that humanity has passed through during the last few years and what result has been achieved from all the prejudices and disagreement and disharmony which has come up between nations and between people, and it seems that even now it is not lessening, the world seems to be going from bad to worse--the suffering in every way caused to humanity, it seems has not yet ended! No doubt life in the world is so intoxicating that man hardly stops to think about it, and the life such as it is just now has so many responsibilities that everyone, rich or poor, is so absorbed in his affairs that he hardly has a moment to think what is going on in the world. Nevertheless illness is illness, the world is ill. Yes, a person may neglect his illness and may engage his mind in something else, but if that illness is not attended to, it remains just the same. And when we look for the cause of all this disaster we may be able to find a thousand causes, and yet there is one principle cause, which is the lack of brotherhood.

And the absence of anything one could have endured, but the world cannot be happy, and the order and peace of humanity maintained in the absence of brotherhood. The brotherhood which can be learned and that every person has the facility of learning in his life. Think of that master who is kind and who is loving to his servant, who considers his servant his brother, he is blessed. Think of that family, a family in which two members, or three members, or four, or five members, whatever be their relation, that they consider that idea of brotherhood in sharing with one another the pain and pleasure, how happy, how blessed that family will be! Think of a nation, whatever its government, whatever be its constitution, if there was this spirit of brotherhood between the people of different position, of different ranks or occupation, how blessed that nation would be! From where does injustice come, from where unfairness? It all comes from the lack of brotherhood. Think of that condition today, the courts full of cases, the prisons full of prisoners! How many disagreements between people, disharmony between nations, all that is caused by the lack of brotherhood.

Now when we consider that question from a still deeper point of view, we shall find that in the spirit of brotherhood there is the way of illumination. A man who lives by a great principle, or prays all day, or meditates in the caves of the mountains, if he does not show the spirit of brotherhood, he is no good to himself or others. Because brotherhood is the way to develop spiritually. It is not exclusiveness, it is not running away from the world, which is the way of the real spiritual ones. It is to consider one's obligations, it is to keep by one's word, one's honour, it is to prove sincere in every little capacity in which one may be working, faithful to friends, and true before everyone. Those are the merits which develop by themselves when the spirit of brotherhood has become mature in man.

But when we come to the metaphysical point of view we see that element attracts element. For instance, two streams of water will be attracted to one another. There will come a time when they will join together, but there will be efforts made by both to come together. Fire, starting from two ends of a certain line will be attracted, each to the other flame which is coming from the opposite end, and will meet and will become one. And so an artist is attracted to an artist, thinker to thinker, a scientist to a scientist, and the man of action to the man of action. It is not that they are attracted because there is the same element in them. No, no. It is because there is a comfort, there is a happiness there in being attracted by the same element. Think of the joy when two people of the same thought meet together. It is greater than a joy, greater than a satisfaction; it is that happiness which is promised in heaven.

But behind all this world of various names and forms there is one life, there is one spirit. That spirit which is the soul of all beings. That spirit is attracted towards unity. It is the absence of that spirit which keeps it unhappy. A person who has just had some unpleasantness with his brother or sister, to him food is tasteless, the night without sleep, the heart restless, the soul is under clouds. If one may ask, "What is the matter? What is closed before you?" He would give one answer if he knew, and that answer is, "That sunshine has been covered by clouds." What does it show? It shows that we live not necessarily on food. Our soul lives on love, the love that we receive, that we give and take. The absence of this is our unhappiness, and the presence of it is everything that we need. Nothing in the world is a greater healing power, that is a greater remedy, a greater happiness, than to be conscious of brotherhood and be able to give that feeling to one's child, master, neighbour, friend!

The humble efforts made by the Sufi Movement in the service of God and humanity are towards brotherhood. In the form of devotion, of philosophy, of mysticism, or metaphysics, art, or science, or whatever form, the Sufi Movement will present to the world the ideal, the central theme of which is always brotherhood.

MORE LESSONS IN BROTHERHOOD/SISTERHOOD

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