A Quarterly Journal
Vol 1 Issue 2
April-June 2011
International journal OF
TO RISE ABOVE NARROWNESS LEADS TO TRUTH
Truth is existential. Truth is beyond Time and space! Know this as Spirituality!
SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH AHMAD FAROOQI MUJADDADI ALIF THANI (Q)
A Production of
Naqshbandia – Mujaddadia – Mazaharia – Ramchandria Tariqat
The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat
The International Journal Of
Naqshbandi Tariqat © The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat And Taoshobuddha Meditations
All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, withoutprior written permission of the original publisher TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONSTM and TAOSHOBUDDHA.
Printed and Published by TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS Cover design and graphics:
Anand Neelambar
CHIEF EDITOR:
ANAND NEELAMBAR, TRINIADAD
ASSISTANT EDITOR:
LARS JENSEN, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
ADVISORY EDITOR:
MAULWI JALALUDDIN AHMAD AR-ROWI, MALAYSIA
HONORARY EDITOR:
SAHABZADA MOHAMMED ZUBAIR MUJADDADI, ROZAI SHARIF DARGAH-E-MUJADDADI, SIRHIND SHARIF, PUNJAB INDIA
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Editorial Staff
Sheikh Taoshobuddha Anand Neelambar Lars Jensen, Stockholm, Sweden Maulwi Jalaluddin Ahmad Ar-Rowi, Malaysia Prof. Rattan LalHangloo, Bhatinda, Punjab, India Sahabzada Mohammad Zubai Mujaddadi, Rozai Sharif, Sirhind Punjab, India
Managing Editor
Anand Neelambar
Assistant Managing Editor
Lars Jensen
JNT EDITORIAL OFFICE:
66 College Street St Augustine Trinidad, W.I. Phone: 1-954-381-1227 1-8680683-8587
Skype.Com:
Taoshobuddha1
Website:
http://dhyan-samadhi.webs.com/
Email:
mailtaoshobuddha@gmail.com mailtaoshobuddha@yahoo.com avatar411@gmail.com Jensen@gmx.at Rowi_naqsh@yahoo.com
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Contents
1
Editorial
4
2
Photo Gallery
5
3
Profile – Sheikh Taoshobuddha
30
4
Golden Chain Naqshbandiyah-Mujadadiyah-Mazahria-Ramchandria
33
5
Message from Sheikh Taoshobuddha
37
6
Message from Maulwi Jalaliddin Ahmad Ar-Rowi
41
7
Origin and Evolution of Naqshbandi Tariqat
42
8
Naqshbandi Tariqat – The Way or Tariqat of Sufis
44
9
What is Naqshbandi Design?
62
10
Understanding Ego
63
11
Always Choose to be Happy
74
12
Books of Taoshobuddha
75
13
Book Review – Essence of Sufism
86
14
Beyond Narrowness
89
15
Spiritual Gathering at the Shrine
91
16
Master appears when the disciple is ready
94
17
Naqshbandi path and Indian Sub Continent
116
18
Sheikh Ahmad Al Farooqui Mujaddadi Alif Thani
119
19
Naqshbandiyah Tariqat Hindu and other influences
129
20
Submission of Articles
138
21
Contributions and Donations
139
22
Video links of Maraqba and Shrines in India
140
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Editorial Welcome to our second issue. We continue the path of surrender, the path on mysticism. Sufis dabble in the realm of parables. Parables indicate towards truth in a manner understandable to the common intelligence. In this issue we delve into the some parables. Sheikh Taoshobuddha has so beautifully presented the inner essence of these parables. The Sheikh has also presented some contemporary utterances that have evolved into techniques of meditation. When one begins to unravel mysticism and the inner world, one always think in terms of a past masters and past books. Here the Sheikh is presenting contemporary masters and recent utterances made by them that can lead the sincere saliq into the realm of spirituality. The past is dropped and indeed the past has to be dropped if one is to enter the inner realms of Sufism. The past is not only a burden but a very hinderance. Nothing of the past can help or lead to inner transformation. The Sheikh has also repackaged and rebranded the essential message of the masters into a palpable contemporary language. Yet he has preserved the mystical dimensions. The Sufi world is mystical and any attempt to demystify Sufism becomes itself a mystical experience. The seeker is transformed by merely entering into the Sufi world. This is inexplicable and is the path of mysticism. Iron transforms into gold by the mere touch of the Midas. Mysticism transcends space and time. The ancient message of Masters has transmutative power even to this day and will do so far into the future. The Sheikh via this Sufi Jornal is making such Masters available, moreover, not just the Masters‘ words but the Masters‘ presence. A mystical milieu is created in that physical space where the Masters are discussed. In that ambiance, transformation happens to all who enter with sincerity and a burning desire to recover the spiritual dimension. Sufi Anand Neelambar
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Photo Gallery In Indian sub - continent the streams of Tigris and Euphrates merged with Ganges and Yamuna to emerge as the path for inward journey. In English language each of these 'tariqah’ is known as a ‘Sufi Order’. Ultimately, all of these orders lead directly back to the Beloved Prophet Muhammad. And thus continues the path and the process of transformation.
SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH AHMAD FAROOQI MUJAZZADI ALIF THANI (Q)
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Sheikh TAOSHOBUDDHA, Naqshbandi, Mujaddadi, Mazaharia, wa Ramchandria in Fateh at the SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH AHMAD FAROOQI MUJAZZADI ALIF THANI (Q)
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Sheikh Taoshobuddha and Sahabzada Mohammad Zubair Mujaddadi at the Shrine Sheikh Ahmad Farooqi Mujaddadi Alif Thani Ra
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Shrine Sheikh Ahmad Farooqi Mujaddadi Alif Thani Ra
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SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH MOHAMMED MASOOM RA, Rozai Sharif Sirhind, India
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DR Sharad Saxena Naqshbandi and Sheikh Taoshobuddha at the SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH MOHAMMED MASOOM RA, Rozai Sharif Sirhind, India
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SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH MOHAMMED MASOOM RA, Rozai Sharif Sirhind, India
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Sheikh Taoshobuddha in Fateh at the Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Safuddin Al Masoom Farooqi RA, Rozai Sharif, Sirhind, India
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Sheikh Taoshobuddha and Sahabzada Mohammad Zubair Mujaddadi in Maraqba at the Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Safuddin Al Masoom Farooqi RA, Rozai Sharif, Sirhind, India
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SHRINE SHAH BAHAUDDIN NAQSHBAND (q), BOKHARA
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SHRINE SHAH BAHAUDDIN NAQSHBAND (q), BOKHAR
SHRINE SHAH BAHAUDDIN NAQSHBAND (q), BOKHARA
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SHRINE MOHAMAMD BAQUI BILLAH (q), NEW DELHI, INDIA The first Naqshbandi Sheikh sent to Indian Subcontinent
SHRINE SHEIKH AHMAD ALI KHAN (KHALIFA SAHIB)(q)
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SHRINE SHEIKH FAZAL AHMAD KAHN (q)
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Rakesh Mohan Naqshbandi at the Shrine Hazrath Muradullah Shah RA, Lucknow India
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Lakshmi Sahai Naqshbandi and Sheikh Taoshobuddha at the Shrine Hazrath Muradullah Shah RA, Lucknow India
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Hazrath SHEIKH RAMCHANDRA (LALA JI) (q)
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SHRINE SHEIKH RAMCHANDRA RA – LALAJI, FATEHGARH, INDIA
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Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Raghuber Dayal RA – Chachaji Kanpur, India
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Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Raghuber Dayal RA – Chachaji Kanpur, India
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Sheikh Taoshobuddha and Naqshbandi Lakshmi Sahai at the Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Brij Mohan Lal and Sufi Shakuntala Devi Ra, Lucknow, India
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Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Onkar Nath and Sufi Shyamwati Devi Ra, Lucknow, India
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SHEIKH TAOSHOBUDDHA
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Sufi Devendra Nath Naqshbandi Ra (Son Hazrath Sheikh Brij Mohan Lal Ra) Devoted to his brother Pir Hazrath Sheikh Onkar Nath Ra
bujugR gujrte hE bujugIR kI rah se buzurga gujarte hain bujurgi ki rah se Master follows the path laid by masters Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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Naqshbandi Prabhat Mohan (Son of Hazrath Sheikh Onkar Nath Ra), Hazrath Devendra Nath Ra and Sheikh Taoshobuddha at the Shrine Hazrath Sheikh Raghuber Dayal – Chachaji Ra Feb 8 2011
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Sheikh Taoshobuddha
kaz #sI trIk pe Ada merI nmaj hae, yar ke paynaj pe mera sre inyaj hae. KAASH ISI TAREEQ PE AADA MERI NAAMAJ HO YAAR KE PAYANAAZ PE MERA SARE NIIYAZ HO
May all my prayers be for this gesture and Countenance of the master And my salutations be at the holy feet of my master!!! Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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Profile Naqshbandi Sheikh Taoshobuddha TAOSHOBUDDHA IS BORN IN INDIA IN A FAMILY OF NAQSHBANDI SUFI MASTERS. He comes from the tradition of Naqshbandi Sufi Ram Chandra RA – Lalaji, Naqshbandi Sufi Raghuber Dayal RA – Chachaji, Sufi Brij Mohan Lal RA, and Sufi Onkar Nath RA. A the age of eight months his Nana Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Brij Mohan Lal transferred the nisbet and thus prepared him for what he represents the Naqshbandi Tariqat in its pristine clarity. The Sheikh says, “I am here for all that existence wants me to be. Therefore I go on allowing happening all that existence has sent me for. And whatsoever the existence does not want to happen I will not allow happening. My being is absorbed in God. This is totality. And this, the word „God‟ means to me. This is flowing in God or cosmic harmony. And the moment this happened, I became suddenly all-infinite-OCEANIC... AND NOW DWELL IN INFINITE SKY EFFORTLESSLY....” On the meaning of the name Taoshobuddha the Sheikh said: ―The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‗tao,‘ ‗sho,‘ and ‗Buddha‘. The word Tao was coined by the Chinese master, Lau Tzu. It means that which is and cannot be put into words. It is unknown and unknowable. It can only be experienced and not expressed in words. Its magnanimity cannot be condensed into finiteness. The word Sho implies, that which is vast like the sky and deep like an ocean and carries within its womb a treasure. It also means one on whom the existence showers its blessings. And lastly the word Buddha, implies the Enlightened One; one who has arrived home. Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom the existence showers its blessings and one who has arrived home. The Enlightened One!‖ Scores of his videos are available on various paths and masters on you tube www.http//youtube.com - taoshobuddha; and many other sites. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat He has worldwide meditation in Trinidad, Florida, Boston, New York, Sweden and many other cities of the world. Scores of his books can be purchased at major sites worldwide and book stores. For the complete list log taoshobuddha on any search engine List of books: From Sterling Publishers, New, Delhi, India 1. Meditation he Way to Self Realization 2. The Secrets of Bhakti 3. The Essence of Sufism Books published from Www.http//I.proclaim.Com Pittsburg PA
1. Haripath-The Hidden Splendor
2. Fruits the Essence of Life Vigor 3. Meditation the Ultimate in Healing 4.Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 1 5.Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 2 6. Shah Bahauddin Naqshband - Life and Works 7. Maraqba-I-Naqshbandi 8.Maraqba-I-Rumi 9.Japji Sahib Songs of Nanak 10. Sri Rama Gita 11. Om Ganeshyah Namah 12. Quest for Birth And Death In Savitri Of Sri Aurobindo 13. Savitri - Review by Taoshobuddha 14. Tasuwware Sheikh 15. The Secrets of Spiritual Life (Talks Of Taoshobuddha) By Lars Jensen 16. Srimad Bhagwad Purana Introduction 17. Parables - Naqshbandi Design for Transformation and more books are in publication.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat The following Titles are published from www.http//CreateSpace.Com
and simultaneously available on www.http//Amazon.com
1. Haripath-The Hidden Splendor 2. Parijaat – the Celestial Flower 3. Know your Samskaras 4. Meditation the Ultimate in Healing 5.Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 1 6.Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 2 7, Shah Bahauddin Naqshband - Life and Works 8.Maraqba-I-Naqshbandi 9.Maraqba-I-Rumi 10.Japji Sahib Songs of Nanak 11. Sri Rama Gita 12. Quest for Birth And Death In Savitri of Sri Aurobindo 13. Tasuwware Sheikh 14.The Secrets of Spiritual Life (Talks of Taoshobuddha) By Lars Jensen 15.Parables - Naqshbandi Design for Transformation Score of his free documents are available on docstoc.com; scribd.com and issuu.com E MAIL: mailtaoshobuddha@gmail.com mailtaoshobuddha@yahoo.com PHONE: 1-954-381-1227 WEB SITE: http://dhyan-samadhi.webs.com BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM 1. www.http//i.proclaim.com 2.www.http//createspace.com 3. www.http//amazon.com
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1. Prophet Muhammad-ur-Rasoolullah s.a. (d. 12 Rabbiyul Awwal 11AH) – Medina 2. Hazrath Abu Bakr Siddique r.a. (d. 22 Jama‘dil A'lhar 13AH) – Medina 3. Hazrath Salman al-Farisi r.a. (d. 10 Rajjab 35AH) – Medina 4. Hazrath Imaam Qasim Bin Muhammad Bin Abu Bakr r.a. (d. 24 Jama‘dil (Awwal/A‘khar) 107AH) – Medina 5. Hazrath Imaam Ja‘far al-Sadiq r.a. (d. 15 Rajjab Murajjab 148AH) – Medina 6. Hazrath Bayazid Al Bastami Tafur r.a. (d. 14/17 Sha‘ban 261AH) – Bastam 7. Hazrath Abul Hassan Khurqaani r.a. (d. 15 Ramda‘n 425AH) – Khurqan 8. Hazrath khwaja Abul Quqsim Ghurghani r.a. 9. HazrathAbu Ali Farmadi r.a. (d. 4 Rabbiyul Awwal 477AH) – Mashad 10.Hazrath Yusuf Hamdani r.a. (d. 27 Rajjab 535AH) – Turkistan 11.Hazrath Abdul Khaliq Gajadwani r.a. (d. 12 Rabbiyul Awwal 575AH) – Bukhara 12.Hazrath Muhammad Arif Riwakari r.a. (d. 1 Shawwa'l 615AH) – Tajikistan 13.Hazrath Mehmood Abu Injir Faghnavi r.a. (d. 17 Rabbiyul Awwal 715AH) – Bukhara 14.Hazrath Azizane Ali Raamitni r.a. (d. 718/721AH) - Bukhara Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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15.Hazrath Muhammad Baba Samasi r.a. (d. 755AH) – Bukhara 16.Hazrath Sayyed Amir Kulaal r.a. (d. 772AH) – Bukhara 17.Hazrath Kwajaha Shah Bahauddin Naqshband r.a. (d. 2 Rajab al-Murajjab, 791AH) - Qasr-e-Aarifan (Bukhara) 18.Hazrath Shah Alaa‘uddin Attaar r.a. (d. 20 Rajab 802AH) - Jafaaniyan (Mawralnahar) 19.Hazrath Ya‘qoob Charkhi r.a. (d. 5 Safar, 851AH) - Charkh (Bukhara) 20.Hazrath Ubeydullah Ahraar r.a. (d. 20/29 Rabi al-Awwal, 895AH) Samarqand (Mawralnahar) 21.Hazrath Muhammad Zaahid r.a. (d. 1 Rabi al-Awwal, 936AH) - Wakhsh (Malk Hasaar) 22.Hazrath Darwesh Muhammad r.a. (d. 19 Muharram, 970AH) - Samarqand (Mawralnahar) 23.Hazrath Khawazah Muhammad Waaqif Akanki r.a. (d. 21/22 Sha'baan 1008AH) - Akang (Bukhara) From here on the Naqshbandi path enters the Indian Sub – continent via Sheikh Baqui Billah through the capital city of New Delhi, India 24.Hazrath Khwazah Mohammad Baaqi Billaah r.a. (d. 25 Jumaad al-Aakhar, 1012AH) - Delhi (India) 25.Hazrath Imam Rabbani Hadhrat Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Mujaddid Alf Thani, Sirhindi r.a. (d. 28 Safar, 1034AH) – Rozai Sharif Sirhind (India) 26.Hazrath Khawazah Muhammad Ma‘soom Farooqi r.a. (d. 9 Rabi al-Awwal, 1079AH) - Rozai Sharif Sirhind (India)
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 27.Hazrath Saifuddeen Bin Ma‘soom Farooqi r.a. (d. 19 Jumad al-Oola, 10951096AH) - Rozai Sharif Sirhind (India) 28.Hazrath Noor Muhammad Badyooni r.a. (d. 11 Dhul Qa‘dah, 1135AH) Cemetery Lodhi Road, New Delhi (India) 29.Hazrath Mirza Mazhar Jaan-I-Jaanan r.a. (d. 10 Muharram, 1195AH) Khanqah Mazharia, Turkman Gate, New Delhi (India) 30.Hazrath Abdullah Shah Naimullah Behraichi r.a. (d. 22 Safar, 1240AH) Behraich U.P. (India) 31.Hazrath Muradullah Shah r.a. (d. Dhul Qa‘dah, 1248AH) - Lucknow U.P.(India) 32.Hazrath Sayyed Abul Hasan Sa‘eed Naseerabadi r.a. (d. Sha'ba'n, 1272) Rai Bareli U.P.(India) 33.Hazrath Mawla‘na Khalifa Ahmad Ali Khan r.a. left on 04.11.1904(AD) Kaimganj, Distt. Farrukhabad (Uttar Pradesh) 34.Hazrath Mawla‘na Shaah Fazl Ahmad Khan r.a. (1857-1907 A D) QusbaRaipur Distt. Farrukhabad (Uttar Pradesh) 35.Hazrath Mawla‘na Abdul Ghani Khan r.a. (1867-1952 AD) Qusba- Bhogaon, Distt. Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) From here the Hindu influence became predominant in the tariqat and Hadhrath Abdullah Shah Naimullah Shah Bahraichi had predicted the advent of Hindu Influence in the Tariqat. 36. Mahatma Ramchandra (Lalaji) Ji Maharaj (1873-1931 AD) r.a. Fatehgarh (Uttar Pradesh) India 37. Mahatma Raghubar Dayal (Chachchaji) Ji Maharaj (1875-1947 AD) r.a. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh India
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 38.Mahatma Brij Mohan Lal (1898-1955 AD) r.a., Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India 39. Mahatma Onkar Nath (1941-2008 AD) r.a. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh,India
After Shah Bahauddin the tariqat got divided into many sub paths and each considers itself to be the authentic one. These evolved as many new streams arising from the main stream of Shah Bahauddin Naqshband r.a. May the noor of Allah Subhan Wa Taala shine through all the paths and be a beacon light to the seekers along the path. Subhan Allah!!!
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Message from Sheikh Taoshobuddha Sufism is the path of Love! Love brings Trust! Trust your Love! Trust your being! A new meaning will certainly arise in life. Life will be a benediction. This is my Certitude or Yakeen. Beloved friends on the path I welcome you all now and ever. It does not matter who you are or what is the particulars. The most important thing is that you are on the path. This is what matters to a Sheikh. And your spiritual journey begins from where you are. It is from there alone the Sheikh starts working on you so that the murid journeys through the realms of Jazb and Suluk. And then ultimately attain to fan and baka. All paths evolved out of Allah Subhan wa Taala. All other Sufi tariqats evolved out of Hazrath Ali Karmullah RA. However Naqshbandi Tariqat is the only one that evolved out of Holy Prophet Hazrath Mohammad Raroolallah pbh. It is the occasion of joy as we are now presenting the second issue of the International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat that was launched earlier this year as QUARTERLY JOURNAL dedicated to NAQSHBANDI TARIQAT. The purpose of this publication is to make you familiar with the Tariqat and present the Tariqat, life and works of various sheikhs of the Golden chain of Naqshbandi Tariqat in authentic way. There has been tremendous response to this first issue. Many messages were received from world over. I am not here to teach you the spirituality within the framework of Islam or Hinduism, or Christianity. I teach you a tariqat that is beyond all religions, caste, and creed. Truth is to be experienced in a state of inner harmony, oneness and silence. The master disciple relation has become a business. Where people play other game they play the game of master disciple. A master who can bring about transformation is indeed rare. The rest is only ego trip. Remember Sufi masters have a unique way of transforming the seekers. The methodology is simple. On the surface it may appear ineffective. But deep within it creates a magnetic pull. The seeker never knows and yet still transformation happens. George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff followed the Sufi techniques of transformation and carried these to the west. Sufi masters use parables and through these impart their teachings. I use every possibility to bring about inner change or transformation in the mureedin. IT happened once. There was a conference of the learned ones. Somehow a master happened to reach there. In that conference he read a couplet. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat imla jae maEka tae raek dU<ga mh;r ihsab tera pF<Uga muhBbt ke vae ksIde sun ke h<s prega Aajab tera IF I EVER GET THE OPPORTUNITY, CERTAINLY I WILL STOP THY DAY OF JUDGMENT! WHY? I WILL RECITE THOSE COUPLETS OF THY LOVINGNESS AND GRACE. LISTENING TO WHICH YOUR ANGER SHALL VANISH!! He recited the first line, which meant, ―If I ever get the opportunity, certainly I will stop the day of judgment.‖ It was customary belief among the people then and even today as well that on the Day of Judgment Allah will punish all those who have deviated from the path. Listening to these words everyone in the congregation got very angry. But then a silence descended. Everyone got quiet when he recited the second line, which meant: I will sing the glories of Thy Love! Also I will chant Thy magnanimity! I will overflow of Thy compassion! I have lived those moments. Listening to these words Thy anger will certainly vanish. Such is my certitude. My trust! This is my love! This is my being. This is my presence. No one could escape this energy field of the master! All those who had gathered there now drowned within the mystical energy field or Tawwazjoh of this master. No word! Just an indrawn mystical stillness and tranquility! A stillness that is alive! A stillness that is pulsating! A state of meditativeness descended. Everyone got quiet because it was TRUTH echoing. It was Love overflowing. Both truth and love are synonymous. And when Truth manifests itself there can be no better song! No better melody! It was the song of the being! The pulse of cosmos! The very essence of the master! This is Sufism. The path of Love! It is the path of Trust! Trust your Love! Trust your being! A new meaning will certainly arise in life. Life will be a benediction. This is my Certitude or Yakeen. Sufism evolved as the inner kernel of Islam. It is the fragrance of the Holy prophet. If Islam is alive today it is because of the Sufi path. And shall continue erelong, as long as human heart is alive with love! Sufism evolved in the deserts of the Middle East. Inflicted by intense heat and the Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat dearth of greenery it flourished amidst the desert of life. It evolved within the inner sanctum of the Sufi masters. The breath of the cosmos, the inner light of the Holy Prophet, the soil of trust, and the waters of the separation with the whole, all provided a congenial environment for the growth of this eternal tree of mysticism as SUFI PATH. Later the awareness, intuition, and trust of the various masters of the following Orders nourished and nurtured the path with their love as the energy field and their understanding through various upheavals of life and living. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Chishti Order (India) (1143-1223 AD), Suhrawardi Order (India) (1234-1335 AD), Mevlevi Order (Turkey) (1273), Naqshbandi Order (Afghanistan and India) (d.1642 AD), Nimatullahi Sufi Order (Iran) (at the end of the 14th century AD), Shattari Order (India) (d.1485 AD) Quadriyah Tariqat - S. Abdul Qadir Gillani(Iraq) (1430-1517 AD),
This process still continues unabated in the name of an ecstatic Naqshbandi master Sayyidina Abul Qasim Gurgani who chants erelong: YA ILAHI TA ABAD KAYAM RAHE YAH SILSILA!
ya #lahI ta Abd kaym rhe yh islisla, MAY THIS PATH OF TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESSCONTINUE TILL ETERNITY! AMEN…. After the departure of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad from this world in 632 C.E., those who were closest to him passed on his teachings to the sincere seekers of the next generation, who in turn became the perfected guides, or Sheikhs, for the generation after them. This process has continued down to our present time by the Mercy of Allah. In this way, every authentic Sufi guide has a chain of Masters who leads directly back to the Beloved Prophet Muhammad. Such a chain of Masters is known in Sufism as a "Silsila" or a ―Shajarah". Often, one of the Sheikhs may be so prominent, or become so well-known, that his students will identify themselves by saying they follow the way of such-and-such a Sheikh. The Arabic word for way is 'tariqah'. (Plural: 'turuq'). So for example, students of the great Sheikh, Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani, and his successors down to the present day are said to follow the Qadriya tariqah. Similarly, Bahauddin Naqshband gave his name to the Naqshbandiya tariqah. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Khawaja Muin al-din Hasan Chishti gave his name to the Chistiyya tariqah. Abul Hasan Shadhili gave his name to the Shadhili tariqah. Ahmad Faruqi Sirhindi gave Mujaddid to the Mujaddidi tariqah. Sultan Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir gave his name to the Ashraf ya tariqah. Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana gave his name to Mazaharia tariqah. Sheikh Ahmad Farooqi Mujaddadi Alif Thani RA and Hazrath Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana RA belonged to the tradition of Hazrath Shah Bahauddin Naqshband RA. As a result the path came to be known as Naqshbandiya Mujaddadi-Mazaharia. To this Tariqat Naqshbandi Sheikh Ramchandra (q) – Lalaji added a new dimension by bringing Hindu element. The Tariqat that was so far considered Islamic in texture merged with other influences from Indian sub - continent. This did not mean the Tariqat is Hindu or Islamic. Beyond the narrowness of caste creed and religion is the realm of Haq or Truth or Spirituality. Lalaji said:
betaSsubI sdakt kI jan hE In Indian Sub-continent the streams of Tigris and Euphrates merged with Ganges and Yamuna to emerge as the path for inward journey.In English language each of these 'tariqah‘ is known as a ‗Sufi Order‘. Ultimately, all of these orders lead directly back to the Beloved Prophet Muhammad. And thus continues the path and the process of transformation. Recently I visited India, Dubai, and various cities Hollywood, Miami, and Washington in the USA. In India I visited various shrines of Naqshbandi Tariqat. And these visits have been captured as videos for the sake of the seekers who may not reach the shrines. Also it is a rare opportunity to visit these shrines and attend Maraqba along with me and whatever niamat or blessings or grace was received you are part of this.The links to these videos are given in the video section of this journal. SUBHAN ALLAH! LOVE SHEIKH TAOSHOBUDDHA
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Message from Maulawi Jalaluddin Ahmad Ar-Rowi Malaysia
Hadhzrat Sufi Naqshbandi Taoshobuddha, Wa‟alaikumussalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Alhamdulillah, this faqir feels very happy deep inside the heart when I received your email along with all the good news from you, launching the International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat. Congratulations for all the books that you have already published and distributed in the west under your pen name – Sheikh Taoshobuddha. May Allah Ta'ala bless all the great effort to establish the Awliya Allah community in this world to strengthen the religion of Islam and to protect the secrets of Iman and Ihsan of how to attain the Gnostic Ma'rifat of Allah's essence, actions, qualities and pure love of his Mahabbat and pure servitude of his Ma'abudiyat, the lord of the heavens and earths, the educator of the entire creations, the sustainer of the entire universe. All praises and glorifications belong to Allah, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alamin. Thank you very much for the great opportunity and the invitation that you offer me to become as one of the editors and contributors in the International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqatwith the purpose to bring awareness about Naqshbandi Tariqat and its advent in the Indian sub-continent. It is a great service especially to our Hadhzarat Khwajagan and Piran Naqshband Mujaddidan, because they are the illuminating lights that brighten throughout the universe, who prepared themselves to become attracted by the attractions of Allah and attract other people to get attracted by Allah. Our Khwajagan Naqshband Mujaddidan precedes the Jazbah attractions before travelling in the Suluk spiritual journey vertically towards his divine presence. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat I have read the excerpt of the journal.May AllahTa'ala shower us with his blessings and may he take some efforts from us to strengthen the Shari'at, Tariqat, Ma'rifat and Haqiqat of our Hadhzrat beloved Muhammad al-Mustafa Rasulullah wa Ahmad Al-Mujtaba 'Abdullah wa Habibullah. Peace be upon him, his family, his companions and those who follows him with sincere obedience. Wassalam Hadhzrat faqir Maulawi Jalaluddin Ahmad Ar-Rowi Al-Amani 'Afa 'Anhu Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Uwaisi Khanqah Khaliliyah Naqshbandiyah Mujaddidiyah Naqshband academy of Quran Sunnah and Hadiths Gua Damai Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia
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Origin and Evolution of Naqshbandi Tariqat A Sufi path or tariqat began from the Noor of Allah Subhanhu Taala via His Prophet, Hadhrat Sayyidina Wa Maulana Muhammad Mustafa Rasulullah Sallallahu Ta‟ala 'Alaihi Wa Alihi Wa Ashabihi Wa Barik Wa Sallam! In the beginning this Tariqat was called “Siddiqiya” because of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqui RA. The Tariqat continued to be recognized as Siddiqiya until the emergence of Sheikh Tayfur Bayazid Bistami RA. After Hazrath Bayzid Bistami the Tariqat came to be known as „Tayfurian‟. The Tariqat continued to be known by the name Tayfurian until the advent of Hazrath Abdul Khaliq GajadwaniR.A., who died 12 Rabbiyul Awwal 575AH – in Bukhara where his Shrine exists as a source of Noor. There after the Tariqat emerged as ‗Khazaganiah‟ and continued as Khazaganiah until 1318 when the noor of Allah Subhan wa Taala emerged as Shah Bahauddin Naqshband. With the advent of Shah Bahauddin Naqshabandthe Tariqat came to be known as the Naqshbandiyya Tariqah. And from then onwards this remains as Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Naqshbandiyah Tariqah. However with the passage of time many other additions were made but its original design remained. Of the Naqshbandiyah Tariqah, Shah Naqshband said, Our Way is very rare and very precious. It is the curwati-l-wuthqa -‗Firm Handhold‘. It is the way of remaining firm and steadfast in the footsteps of the Prophet and of his Companions. They brought me to this Way from the door of Favors, because at its beginning and at its end, I witnessed nothing but the Favors of God. In this Way great doors of Heavenly Knowledge will be opened up to the seeker who follows in the footsteps of the Prophet. To follow the Sunnah of the Prophet is the most important means by which the door will be opened to you. He said, ‗Whoever is not coming to our Way, his religion is in danger.‘ He was asked, ‗How does someone come to Your Way?‘ He replied, ‗By following the Sunnah of the Prophet.‘ He said, ‗We have carried in this Way humiliation, and in return Allah has blessed us with His Honor.‘ Some people said about him that he was sometimes arrogant. He said, ‗We are proud because of Him, because He is our Lord, giving us His Support!‘ Bahauddin said, ‗To reach the Secrets of Oneness is sometimes possible, but to reach the Secrets of Spiritual knowledge (marifat) is extremely difficult.‘ He continued, „Spiritual Knowledge is like water, it takes the color and shape of the cup. Allah‟s Knowledge is so great, that however much we take, it is like a drop of a huge ocean. It like a vast garden, however much we have cut it is as if we had cut but one flower.
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Naqshbandi Tariqat The Way or Tariqat of Sufis Tariqat means the path, the method. The journey from the outer to the inner! The outer is the circumference, the haqiqat the inner is a centre and tariqat is the radius proceeding from the circumference to the center. The initiative path that leads from outward observance to inner conviction, from belief to vision, from potency to act, from dream to reality is TARIQAT or method, technique, path, way, Tao, or Dhamma. This is the whole science of religion. The circumference is there, the centre is there, but one has to move from the circumference to the center. We have to use a certain radius to move from circumference to the center. Only a radius can join the circumference to the centre. What is the radius that Sufis propose? They are the people of the path because they have devised many techniques. They have the most potential TARIQAT – Techniques.
Dip your prayer mat in wine At this the veiled man removed the veil from his face. It was Khwajah Baqibillah himself! He told the murid, “The man whose funeral prayer you have just read is fana”, he said, “and what you see before you is baqa!” Sufi masters have a unique way of transforming the aspirants. The methodology is simple. On the surface it may appear ineffective. But deep within it creates a magnetic pull. The seeker never knows and yet still transformation happens. George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff followed the Sufi techniques of transformation and carried these to the west. Sufi masters use parables and through these impart their teachings. A Parable is devise of Sufi Sheikhs. The current sheikh uses the sayings and anecdotes of the previous sheikh to carry the message. Stories and anecdotes hang around human mind. Also sometimes sheikh creates a parable of his own to explain the subtlety of the subject or reach to the murid. Now the parable! This parable is from Sheikh Baqi Billah. Something about the Sheikh first before we enter the parable. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat The Funeral of Khwaja Baqibillah One of the murids (disciples) of Khwajah Baqibillah, May God sanctify his secrets, asked him the meanings of the Sufi terms ‗fana‘ (annihilation in God) and ‗baqa‘ (Everlasting subsistence in God). The Sheikh said, ―When I die, ask this question to the person who reads my funeral prayer.‖ The Sheikh had left a condition that only a person who has never missed a single tahajjud prayer (a supererogatory prayer in the middle of the night in addition to the five canonical prayers a Muslim must perform in a day) in his life should read my funeral prayer (namaz-e-janazah) and when this condition was read out during his funeral everyone present lowered their heads and no one dared to come forward to read his namaz-e-janazah. Finally a man, his face veiled, came forward and read the funeral prayer. After the prayer as the veiled man walked off the murid remembered his Sheikh‘s answer and ran to the veiled man and grabbed him by the arm. ―My Sheikh asked me to ask you a question about what is fana and baqa,‖ he said. At this the veiled man removed the veil from his face. It was Khwajah Baqibillah himself! ―The man whose funeral prayer you have just read is fana‖, he said, ―and what you see before you is baqa!‖ IT IS SAID ONCE A MAN CAME TO THE COMMUNE OF THE NAQSHBANDI SUFI BAQI-BILLAH AND SAID, ―I HAVE BEEN READING THE FAMOUS VERSE OF THE MASTER HAFEZ, ‗IF YOUR TEACHER ASKS YOU TO DIP YOUR PRAYER MAT IN WINE, CERTAINLY OBEY HIM.‘ BUT I HAVE A DIFFICULTY IN UNDERSTANDING THIS.‖ BAQI-BILLAH SAID, ―STAY AWAY FROM ME FOR SOME TIME AND I SHALL EXPLAIN THE MATTER FOR YOU AFTERWARDS.‖ AFTER A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF TIME, THE DISCIPLE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE BAQI BILLAH. IT READ, ―TAKE ALL THE MONEY YOU HAVE AND, GIVE IT TO THE GATE-KEEPER OF ANY BROTHEL.‖ THE DISCIPLE WAS SHOCKED, AND FOR A TIME THOUGHT THAT THE MASTER MUST BE A FRAUD OR GONE MAD. AFTER A CONSIDERABLE INNER FIGHT WITH HIMSELF FOR DAYS, HOWEVER, HE DECIDED TO GO TO THE NEAREST HOUSE OF ILL FAME AND PRESENTED THE MAN AT THE DOOR WITH ALL THE MONEY WHICH HE HAD. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat ―FOR SUCH A SUM OF MONEY‖, SAID THE DOORMAN, ―I SHALL ALLOT YOU THE CHOICEST GEM OF OUR COLLECTION, AN UNTOUCHED WOMAN.‖ AS SOON AS HE ENTERED THE ROOM, THE WOMAN THERE SAID, "I HAVE BEEN TRICKED INTO BEING IN THIS HOUSE, AND I AM HELD HERE BY FORCE AND THREATS. IF YOUR SENSE OF JUSTICE IS STRONGER THAN YOUR REASON FOR COMING HERE, HELP ME TO ESCAPE.‖ THUS THE DISCIPLE KNEW THE MEANING OF THE POEM OF HAFEZ, ―IF YOUR MASTER ASKS YOU TO DIP YOUR PRAYER MAT IN WINE, CERTAINLY DO THIS! THE MASTER KNOWS BEYOND ALL KNOWINGS AND DUALITIES.‖ This is a beautiful parable. Let me explain certain things before I go into the actual parable. Science is based on doubt. Doubt is its method! The very climate and the very soul! Science cannot exist without doubt. It is only through questioning, trial and error and constant pestering, that science comes to discover the facts of existence. It is objective. The object cannot be trusted. The object is dead. You have to penetrate the object with as many questions and doubts as possible. Only then the mysteries of the object will reveal itself. Such is the way of the science. An enquiry into the outer world of objects! Religion, on the other is an inward journey. Trust is its way. Trust makes the inner journey possible. Trust is its climate, its philosophy, and the very being. Religion is not concerned with objects or the objective world. Religion is concerned with your own subjectivity. The journey of science is outwards. And religion moves inwards. Science means going outward. And religion means going inward. Although their directions are diametrically opposite yet still both are complementary to one another. Also there exists a harmony between these opposites. The inner and the outer are not enemies, they are in utter coordination. The body and the soul are not enemies, they befriend each other. In fact they cannot exist separately. They can exist only in togetherness. Man and woman; light and darkness; summer and winter; positive and negative; head and tail are all together. Although they are opposites! But they are not enemies. This has to be understood. Opposites and yet complementary! Remember existence is utter harmony. It is like inhalation and exhalation. You breathe in, you breathe out. When you breathe in, it is one process, the breath comes in. And when you breathe out it is just the opposite process. The breath goes outwards, but it is the same breath. Inhalation and exhalation are two aspects of the same phenomenon, opposites and yet complementary.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat So too are religion and science. So are doubt and trust. This has not been understood in the past. This has caused a great calamity to humanity. Such calamity has kept religion and science not only separate but inimical as well. In the past we have not been able to bring a synthesis between science and religion. Because of that incapability the world has become a split. The man who is trained in science becomes anti-religious. And the person who moves into the world of religion becomes against science. This need not happen. This should not happen. Yet still it happened. And continues to happen as well! If you are really intelligent you will be able to coordinate between this pair of opposites. You will be able to bring a harmony between these two. Harmony between doubt and trust! With this evolves the real total human being. An individual who is balanced and harmonized within! What do I mean when I say a great harmony has to be achieved? I mean that when you are moving outwards, use doubt as your methodology. Trust doubt when you are moving outwards amidst the world of objects. When you are enquiring into the world of objects trust doubt! Doubt is beautiful. Immensely beautiful and meaningful as well! And when you are moving inwards put your doubt aside. Trust! Allow trust to grow. Allow trust to grow wings. And the man who can manage this I call a really intelligent person. Let me explain this further. For instance to have come to listen to me, but you did not get the place in front. You got a place from where you cannot see me clearly. Now the sermon begins. You have not heard me before. You are not sure who is speaking. You are seeing me, through your eyes, but you are listening to me as well. You are listening to me through your ears. But the ears cannot see and the eyes cannot hear. Yet still tremendous coordination happens within. You know that you are hearing the same person that you are seeing as well. Your hearing is not yet listening. How to transform hearing into listening? This requires intelligence. This coordination between all that eyes see and all that ears hear is intelligence. Deep down a synthesis happens. The ears are pouring some information, and the eyes are pouring different information. Both are unrelated as far as ears and eyes are concerned. However your intelligence is creating a relationship between them. You are hearing the same person you are seeing. Exactly in the same way, doubt cannot know the subject and trust cannot know the object. Doubt can know the object, and trust can know the subject. Now it is for intelligence to pour their information into one pool and truth is known in both its aspect as inner and outer. This is the real religion humanity needs now. Or, you can call this real science. Something that will not divide man and also that will not cripple man either. Up to now, hitherto, man has been crippled. If you trust then forget the language of doubt. The society becomes unscientific, becomes incapable of tackling so many Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat problems that man has to encounter, and becomes poor, impoverished, ill, and ugly. If you start only using doubt the society becomes better, scientifically better, technologically better, affluent, but the inner world simply is forgotten. Then you don't have a soul. Deep within you remain fast asleep. In both ways man remains lopsided. In both ways man remains partial and cannot become total. The religions of the past have failed in creating a totally balanced man. And such has been the case with modern science as well. Modern science has also failed in creating the total man either. And the total man is the need because only the total man can be contented. Only the total man can be richer both inwards, and outwards. Only the total man can be really in a celebration. The body fulfilled, his soul satisfied, his senses contented, and also his spirit overflowing. This small story is the story of trust, because Sufism is an approach towards the inner. This story is not meant to be understood as against doubt. This has to be understood. For inner journey, doubt is inadequate, only trust is needed. If you want to see, see through the eyes, do not try to see through the ears. Ears are not meant for that purpose. If you want to hear, hear through the ears and forget all about the eyes. Eyes cannot hear. Both are right in their own dimensions. Yet still both are partial, and your intelligence has to transcend such partiality. Your intelligence has to create a synthesis. In the past your intelligence was not trusted, hence you were told either to doubt and become scientific, or to trust and become religious. Neither the so-called religious people have trusted your intelligence and its transcending quality, nor have the scientists trusted your intelligence and its transcending quality either. Both were afraid because the other looked opposite. All that is complementary looks opposite. There is no need to be afraid of the opposite. The opposite has to be absorbed, not denied and then dissolved. Remember whatsoever is denied will take revenge in its own time. Never deny anything. Let this be the fundamental law. Absorb, go on absorbing, howsoever opposite something appears to you. Remember always, existence functions through opposites. And in no other way it can function. It is through the opposites that existence creates momentum, dynamism. It is by polar opposites that the existence creates a dialectical process. Or else there would be no dialectical process. Just think: a world only of men and no women. Would it be rich? It would be very flat and prosaic. Or a world where only women exist! That too would be ugly, and very stagnant. There will be no poetry. From where will the movement come? The opposite is the challenge, and because of the challenge the movement arises. Because of the challenge you cannot become asleep, you become awakened. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat It is through the opposites that existence moves, grows, and thus evolves. It is a very subtle strategy. Such is now possibility. There is a possibility now to understand it in its totality, because we have lived the way of religion for centuries and we have lived the way of science also for a few centuries. Now we know that both are complementary, not opposites. But this story is the story of the religious investigation: it depends on trust. A few things before we enter into the story. And still a few things more before we enter the parable. Hafez says, "Do not travel through these stations without the company of a Perfect Master! There is darkness. Beware of the danger of getting lost!" When you are moving outwards you can move alone, because in the outer world you are never alone. Millions of people are there. When you are moving outwards the reality is very individual, it is not personal. The reality is objective and impersonal too. If you are seeing a rock it is not only you who is seeing the rock; everybody who is standing there can see the rock. The rock has an objective existence. There is no danger of getting into hallucinations. The others' presence, their witness, will keep you away from such hallucinations. On the contrary when you begin to move inwards you are alone. Who is going to decide whether all that you are seeing is true or just a fantasy? When you move outwards there is light, light of the sun and the moon and the stars. There is enough light outside. But when you move inwards first you will encounter great darkness because your eyes have become accustomed to the outer light and they don't know how to look within. You will be falling into an abysmal darkness. You will need somebody who has travelled the inner path. You will need a Master. In the outer world you will need only a teacher who can inform you. Such information you can obtain from the library, or from a computer. The teacher is just there to give you information like the book or the computer. There is no need for any personal involvement with the teacher. The teacher is not there as a person, you need not be intimate with him. The Master means you have to be very intimate with him. It is almost like a love relationship. Remember in the inner world you will need him so deeply that unless you are very close to his heart and he is very close to your heart, it will not be possible to keep his company in the inner darkness. Great intimacy is needed, and intimacy arises out of love, and trust. If you doubt the Master, you will not be able to go on that dangerous journey of inner adventure. Only his love and your love for him will keep you alive. Also it will keep your enthusiasm alive. This will keep you nourished as well!
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Hafez is right when he says, "Do not travel through these stations without the company of a Perfect Master. There is darkness. Beware of the danger of getting lost!" In the outside world there is no danger of getting lost. There are milestones on every road, maps are available, guides are available, and there are millions of people always there who can help you. But in the inner world there are no maps. Each individual‘s subjectivity is different and unique. No maps can be made. And each individual's growth is so unique that milestones cannot be made. Each individual follows such different labyrinths that you will need somebody who is tremendously alert, aware, and enlightened to help you at each step. Otherwise from each step there is a possibility of getting lost. And the greatest problem is: when you lose the outer world you are left utterly alone. And you will not be able to make any distinction between what is fact and what is fiction. The boundaries between fact and fiction start dissolving. For example, in the morning when you wake up you relate a dream to your wife. You know it is a dream. How do you know it is a dream? You are certain because it is only you who dreamt it. Your wife was sleeping on the same bed in her own world. She had no awareness that you had been to the Himalayas, and you had been travelling in the mountains, and you had been visiting places. She had no awareness, and she was sleeping just by your side. In the morning if your wife says that she has also dreamt the same dream; that yes, the journey was beautiful and the mountains were beautiful, and ―Think of that dark bungalow where we stayed.‖ you will become suspicious about whether it was a dream or a reality. And if your son comes in same time and says, ―Daddy, where have you been the whole night? I came twice. Both of you were not in the room.‖ In this case you will become more suspicious. ―Maybe it was real?‖ How do you judge reality? If others agree then you know it is a fact. If nobody agrees then you know it is a fiction. This is the only criterion. The others' agreement makes it a fact. But in the inner world you will be alone, totally alone. There will be nobody to agree or disagree. How will you know what is fact and what is fiction? If you see Buddha in your meditations, how will you ascertain whether he has really appeared or you have simply been dreaming? This is the problem. And one can easily get lost in one's own fictions, and to be lost in one's own fictions is madness. Such is the danger on the inner path. You will need somebody who can be present in your innerness. That is the meaning of trust. Trust creates such a strong bridge Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat with someone that even when you are alone in your meditations he is there like a subtle presence. The Master is always with the disciple if the disciple allows him to be. The Master is absolutely available until the very last moment. Yes, indeed to the very last moment, until God happens to you. The Master disappears only when God has happened to you. Sometimes both things happen simultaneously - the disappearance of the Master and the appearance of God. But up to that moment the Master follows you like a shadow. He keeps you alert and awake. He does not allow you to go astray. Rumi says, ‗Deadly poison looks like honey and milk. Wait! Do not journey without a Master who knows.‘ The relationship between a Master and a disciple is what is meant by the word trust. To others who have never known of it, it will look blind and absurd. It is like love which looks blind to people who have never loved. But ask those who have loved and they will tell a totally different story. They will say, ―We were blind before we had loved. We became insightful only through love. We attained to eyes through love. We had no eyes without love.‖ Ask the people who have known love and they will say, ―People without love are all blind.‖ And that is the case with the disciple who has known love and trust for a Master. He will laugh when you say, ―You are blind.‖ He will laugh at your ridiculous remark, because now he knows what it is to have eyes, eyes into his own inner reality, eyes which can see inwards. You have eyes which can see only outwards, but the disciple starts having eyes which can see inwards. He starts having ears which can hear inwards. His senses are doubled. You live with only five senses. The disciple lives with ten senses: five for the outer journey and five for the inner. The disciple becomes utterly rich. Just imagine five more senses now becoming available. You have the ears which can know and hear the music that comes from the outside. And you are deaf to the inner music. Remember there is an inner music which is continuously flowing in you like the dissolving notes of a melody that was once the farthest reality. That inner music Sufis call Sama. Once it is heard, all outer music just becomes noise and nothing else. You have an inner fragrance. Once it is smelled all outer fragrances are no more fragrances. They start stinking. When the inner eye opens you know a totally different vision of beauty, and a new splendour. And before that splendour all outer beauties simply look pale and dull. Just like faint old photographs, these are reflections in muddy water. When you have known the inner crystal-clarity, everything outside looks a chaos, and confusion! The disciple becomes utterly rich. He starts growing inner senses. He has ten senses instead of five now. And when all these ten senses fall into a harmony something immensely beautiful and blissful is created. That's what God is. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Hafez says, ―Stop this cleverness and planning; and for love, these close the gates of the Divine to the heart of anyone who does not completely lose himself on the Path of Devotion.‖ The disciple has to lose himself into the Master. This is what trust is. Then there is no question of doubt. The surrender is absolute. Then the Master becomes your inner voice. No more separation then! You do not think in terms of separation. The Master is the Kaaba for his lovers. Kaaba is the name of the temple of God in Mecca. The Master is the Kaaba to his disciples. The disciples need not to go to the Kaaba. This is the reason that orthodox Mohammedans do not feel very happy about the Sufis. It is related that when the Sufi Master, Junnaid, asked his disciple, Mansur, to go for a pilgrimage to Kaaba because Mansur was creating troubles. Whenever he would go into his ecstasy he would start shouting in utter joy, ―I am God!‖ or ―Anal Haq.‖ And this is sacrilege to the orthodox Mohammedan. This is arrogance. Junnaid told Mansur, who was his disciple, many times, ―You stop shouting that. I know you are. I know I am. Also I know everybody is. But you stop! Do not say it so loudly. Keep it inside. People are foolish. They will start creating trouble for you.‖ And Mansur would always say, ―Yes, Master.‖ But whenever he would be in his ecstasy again he would shout, ―Ana el Haq!‖ I am God. Junnaid said, ―You promised me, but again and again you go on doing the same.‖ At this Mansur said, ―What can I do? I promise you, but God does not promise you. And when I am lost, he declares. It is not me.‖ And Junnaid knew it, so he said, ―It is good.‖ But just to avoid the whole situation do not say. Rumours were spreading. Reports were against Mansur and Junnaid and their works were reaching the king. And the prime minister was very much against all this. So Junnaid said, ―Just to avoid the trouble you go for a pilgrimage; you go to Kaaba.‖ And in those days going to Kaaba meant for years. You have to go walking thousands of miles. So Mansur said, ―Okay as he agreed.‖ He stood up and he said, ―Okay, so I am going.‖ Junnaid was very happy. He said, ―I was not thinking you would leave so easily.‖ And do you know what did Mansur do? He just went around Junnaid seven times and then said, ―I am back! You are my Kaaba!‖ To the disciple the Master is Kaaba. To the disciple the Master is his God, his temple. And he is also the Qiblah- the direction facing Mecca to the disciple. Qiblah is direction towards which all Moslems pray. Whenever a Moslem prays he keeps his face towards Kaaba; that direction is called Qiblah. Sufis are again very unorthodox. They don't keep their faces towards the Kaaba. Instead they keep their faces towards the Master, wherever and in whichever direction the Master is. For the disciple the Master is Kaaba and the Qiblah too. He is the temple and he is the direction to the temple. In Hadith it is reported that God says to Mohammed, Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat ―Whoever seeks me will find me. Whoever finds me will know me. Whoever knows me will have love for me. Whoever loves me I will love? Whomever I love I will kill. And whomever I will kill, his blood-money I will pay. I am myself his blood-money.‖ This is a tremendously important saying. God says to Mohammed, ―Whomever I love I will kill.‖ The Master has to kill the disciple. The disciple has to allow the Master to kill him. The disciple has to be in a rejoicing when the Master kills him. This statement is for the disciples. You will never meet the master on the Way in the first place if you are not yet disciple. Disciple has to born within you first. That is the meaning of being a disciple. The Master first kills the disciple. This is the beginning of the journey. Then finally the disciple kills the Master. This is the end. Then the Master and the disciple have both disappeared. Then only God is. This is a tremendously pregnant statement by the Zen Masters, ―If you meet the Buddha on the Way, kill him,‖ is the last step of the journey. You will meet the master only if you allow the master first to kill you. That is a pre-requirement. Master will not come on just anybody‘s Way. Master will only come on the Way when you have allowed him to destroy you. And then, certainly, the Master has to be killed. The beginning is with the death of the disciple and the end with the death of the Master. Then the separation is gone. Then there is no disciple, no Master. Then only pure energy is left. That pure energy is God. The disciple has to be in the state Sufis call 'tavern of ruins', kharabat. It is said that Baized Basmati a Naqshbandi Master was in this state when someone knocked at his door. Baized asked, ―Who do you want?‖ The man replied that he was looking for Baized Basmati. Baized replied, ―Ah! It has been years since I have had any news of Baized.‖ The moment a person becomes a disciple he has chosen suicide. He has chosen to destroy himself, because all that he has known is to be in misery. Also that to be is to be in hell. Now he wants to learn the ways not to be. Sufism leads to this state, the state of non-being, loss of self and passing away into the beloved! This is trust. Khwajah Abdullah Ansari has said, ―Oh God! Non-being is an affliction for all, but a blessing for me.‖ Thus whoever enters the path of Sufism in order to achieve a spiritual awareness or high state of consciousness has taken the first step wrongly. The real Sufi is one who goes on the path in order not to be. The Gnostic, Gyanyogi, travels within himself, whereas the Sufi travels from himself. The Gnostic says, ―Know thy self in order to know God.‖ The Sufi, or prem-yogi, or the bhakta the devotee, says, ―Let go of thy self in order to be free.‖ The goal of the Sufi is not self-knowledge but dissolution of the self. The goal of the Sufi is not selfrealization but annihilation of the self, Fana. And the first lesson has to be learned Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat with the Master. To be in a state of not-being in the presence of the Master is called adab. Adab is a Sufi word. It means the etiquette or art of being in the presence of the Master. Literally it means etiquette. But it is not just etiquette. It means the art of how to be in the presence of a Master. In fact, how to be there and yet absent! How to be as if you are not!
Adb phla krIna hE muhBbt ke krInae me< ADAB PAHLA KARINA HAI MOHABBAT KE KARINO MEIN Adab or etiquette to be in the presence of the master as an absenceegolessness is the first criteria of love and eternal proximity!! The story is told of a disciple who was once in the presence of his Master, the great Junnaid. He was standing with total reverence and respect, like one who is praying to God. The Master said, ―You are standing superbly, but it would be better if you were not to be at all.‖ That is adab. To be in the presence of the Master as an absence, so his presence can fill you to all nooks and corners of your being is adab. Not to give him any resistance that is adab. Not to have any armor around you is adab. Not to defend yourself that is adab. But this is what we constantly go on doing. We are constantly defending ourselves. And it is perfectly okay in the outside world. You have to defend there. There is a constant struggle to survive and you have to keep armor, otherwise you will be exploited. People will take advantage of your vulnerability, and your openness. So when relating in the world you are required to keep a certain quality of resistance. You have to be on guard, and that is okay. But if you have that same attitude and manner when you are with the Master then your being with the Master is just futile. There you have to surrender all your defences and such strategies. You have to open your doors and windows so the Master can flow in you like light and breeze and rain, so the Master can simply penetrate you without any resistance from your side. You have to be just receptivity, you have to be feminine. That is adab. And trust is the fundamental of adab. Now the parable: IT IS RELATED THAT A MAN WENT TO THE COMMUNE OF THE NAQSHBANDI MASTER BAQI-BILLAH AND SAID,
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat ―I HAVE BEEN READING THE FAMOUS VERSE OF THE MASTER HAFEZ, ‗IF YOUR TEACHER ASKS YOU TO DIP YOUR PRAYER MAT IN WINE, CERTAINLY OBEY HIM,‘ BUT I HAVE A DIFFICULTY IN THIS STATEMENT.‖ In the world of the Sufis, Satsang is called the assembly of the Master, darbar or COMMUNE ‗Master's court‘, because the Master is a king as far as his disciples are concerned. In fact who else can be a king? All other kings are just poor beggars compared to the kingdom of a Master. His kingdom is the kingdom of God. He is really rich. He may be living as a beggar or as a king that is irrelevant. But he is rich, and only he is rich. Sufis are right to call his assembly ‗the court‘, as darbar. The Master is not a teacher; it is not a class. The Master is really the Master. The disciples are those who have surrendered their whole being in totality. They no more exist separately. They are just obedience and nothing else. They respect the Master as the king, as the real king. IT IS RELATED THAT A MAN WENT TO THE ASSEMBLY OR THE COMMUNE OF THE NAQSHBANDI MASTER BAQI-BILLAH AND SAID, "I HAVE BEEN READING THE FAMOUS VERSE OF MASTER HAFEZ..." Reading can never help you to know the truth. You cannot understand what you read. The meaning is not in the words. It can never be. You read the words but the meaning is supplied by you. The interpretation is always yours. Words come to you, empty, and then you pour your meaning into those words. To understand Hafez you will have to be a Hafez, to understand Jesus you will have to be a Jesus. There is no other way. Your consciousness has to rise to that level. If you think you can understand Jesus without becoming a Jesus, you are utterly wrong. This is not the way to approach great statements, the statements of the realized ones. Now this man says, ―I was reading the famous words of the Master Hafez.‖ You can read it but you will not understand. In fact you will miss-understand it. You will understand in your own way. You will understand the way you can understand. THIS MAN SAYS, "I HAVE BEEN READING THE FAMOUS VERSE OF THE MASTER HAFEZ, ‗IF YOUR TEACHER ASKS YOU TO DIP YOUR PRAYER MAT IN WINE, CERTAINLY OBEY HIM,' AND I HAVE A DIFFICULTY." Naturally, because this can be one of the most sacrilegious statements possible, to dip your prayer mat in wine: ‗Hafez must be mad! What is he saying? He cannot be a Moslem. What is he saying? Dipping your prayer mat in wine?‘ Naturally, he has great difficulty in understanding it. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat He is puzzled; he has started doubting. He is still calling him ‗the great Master Hafez‘, but now great doubt has arisen in him. Ninety-nine percent of our lives consist of doubts. Because ninety-nine percent of our lives is extroversion! We live in doubt. And doubt has become almost our nature. Our first approach, attitude, tendency, is that of doubt. First we doubt. And then unless it is proved otherwise we continue to doubt. We need proofs to trust. For doubt, we do not need any proofs. Doubting has become our habit. The disciple has to change this habit. He has to learn trusting. Trust unless proved otherwise. Doubt only if it is proved. Otherwise there is no need to doubt. This is a great change. This is what makes an ordinary man a disciple. This is the transformation required. You see a stranger. The first idea that arises is that of doubt. Maybe he is a thief, a murderer, who knows? Unless proved otherwise, you carry doubt without any proof. You do not trust him. The disciple has to change his attitude, at least with the Master. And then slowly, slowly with the other disciples of the Master as well! That is how he becomes a part of the family of the Master, of his commune, by dropping this ugly habit of doubt. And it is good in the marketplace, but the marketplace should not be your total life. You should leave something for some other world, for some other dimension. You should leave at least a small corner of your inner being as a shrine of trust. If you become full of doubt, then you are full of illnesses. Then you do not have any source of well-being in you. Whenever you can trust a person you feel great joy. That's why love is so joyous. With love you can trust a person. It is said of Adolf Hitler that he could never love a woman because he could never trust anyone. He never allowed any woman to stay with him in his room. Why? And it was not that he was not having some relationships with women. He was having relationships with women, but he would never allow any woman to stay in his room in the night. Who knows? She may poison him. Who knows? She may be a spy. He was incapable of friendship. He was one of the loneliest men in the world. If you cannot love, if you cannot even trust a woman, certainly you will be living in a kind of constant paranoia, fear. He could not marry a woman his whole life, because if you marry a woman then you will have to trust her. Then she will stay with you, then she will prepare your food, she will sleep with you, and you are unnecessarily becoming vulnerable. He certainly did marry a woman, but only before he committed suicide, three hours before. When he had already decided, ‗Now I am going to commit suicide,‘ he married. Now there was no fear. What else could she do? He was already going to commit suicide, hence now it seemed logical to marry; there was no problem. What Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat else could she do? At most she could poison him. But he himself was going to poison himself. Now there was no need to be afraid. Death was approaching. He married just three hours before. In the middle of the night a priest was awakened from his sleep, brought to the basement where he was staying. Half asleep, not understanding what was happening, somehow he managed the ceremony. No friends were present, no relatives were present, just a few guards. And after the marriage what did he do? Did he make love to the woman? No, they both committed suicide. That was the only thing that he did after marriage. Maybe he wanted somebody to follow him in death, so he got married. Adolf Hitler may be an extreme case, but if you watch your own mind you will find that in each individual the same kind of doubt exists, to different degrees. Even if you live with a man or a woman for years, still the doubt persists there. You are always watching from the corner of your eye: ‗Who knows?‘ Husbands and wives never trust one another. This is a way to create hell for you. Find at least one man in your life with whom you can be utterly open. And that will be your first lesson of love and your first lesson of God and your first lesson of transcendence. The man said, ‗Now I am having difficulty.‘ That is the way people are living. If you had come across this statement of Hafez, "If your teacher bids you stain your prayer carpet with wine, obey him," you would also have suspected, doubted. It goes against all your religious teachings. It goes against all your life experiences. You have been told always to be on guard; that's why you are so tense, that's why people cannot relax. If you cannot trust you cannot relax and if you cannot relax you cannot know the taste of life. BAQI-BILLAH SAID, ―STAY AWAY FROM ME FOR SOME TIME AND I SHALL ILLUSTRATE THE MATTER FOR YOU.‖ Because when you are close to a Master, many times you start having illusions of trust. Because the very presence of the Master goes on changing your inner chemistry! His very presence is alchemical. You start trusting not because trust has arisen in you, but only because the Master is present there and his constant showering. His vibe, can give you the delusion that you trust him. This is the reason many times the master sends his disciples far away, for months, and years, just to give them a real experience of where they are. Here, you are riding on a wave. Here, the presence of the master and other fellow disciples is creating an energyfield which can possess you, turn you, toss you, can create a dance in you, and can bring a song to you. And naturally you will think this is your dance, this is your song, and it may not be. It may be just the impact. It may be just that you were caught by the momentum of the energy. It is good sometimes that the disciples are send far away. And unless the Master decides otherwise! Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat That may be a necessary step for you, a need of your being. You will come back enriched. You will come truer when you come back. You will know what is yours and what is not yours. And it is very good always to remember all that is yours and all that is just an impact of a great whirlpool of energy! Baqi-Billah said, ‗Dwell apart from me for some time.‘ because if the Master had said something right then, there was every possibility that the disciple would have accepted it. He could not accept Hafez‘s statement because Hafez was not his Master. And Hafez was dead long ago. Centuries divided him from Hafez. He knew nothing of Hafez. He had not tasted the wine or the being of Hafez. Hafez was just scripture. But when his own Master, Baqi-Billah, was there, if the Master had said something he might have done it believing that he trusted. He may not have doubted although the doubt would be there deep in the unconscious. The Master sends him away so that he becomes more normal, more real, more as he is. So when the contact with the Master becomes loose, the impact of the Master fades away, wears down only then crystallization happens. ―DWELL APART FROM ME FOR SOME TIME AND I SHALL ILLUSTRATE THE MATTER FOR YOU.‖ And that is the way of the Sufis. They always illustrate. They are not interested much in answering intellectually. Their whole effort is to create situations so those situations can illustrate things to you. It can use doubts also as steps. It can make doubts serve trust. It is not a question of dropping doubts, it is a question of gaining more and more trust. Then the doubts can be transformed, can be used. And it is bound to be there, because a master‘s commune is a situation. AFTER A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF TIME, THE DISCIPLE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE MASTER. IT READ, ―TAKE ALL THE MONEY YOU HAVE AND GIVE IT TO THE GATE-KEEPER OF ANY BROTHEL.‖ Now what kind of advice is this? THE DISCIPLE WAS SHOCKED. And naturally! You cannot be angry with the disciple. But this is how human beings are. They are always watching from the corner of their eye. They are always suspicious. Even if they believe, trust, it is only on the surface, only so far. They can go with you only to a certain extent, and then their mind starts functioning. This is too much. I cannot go beyond it. What do you think of me? Am I a fool? ―THE DISCIPLE WAS SHOCKED. And when you are shocked, you think, naturally, that something is wrong with the Master. This is not intelligence. The Master may deliberately be shocking you. The shock may be a shock-treatment. You can ask the psychiatrists, who are slowly, slowly being known as ‗shockiatrists‘ as they have started giving electric shocks to people, insulin Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat shocks to people. But the Master may have known it all along, that at some time a real shock is very good to the system. It shakes you alive, it helps you come to your senses, it gives you vitality, and it makes you again alert. THE DISCIPLE WAS SHOCKED, AND FOR A TIME THOUGHT THAT THE MASTER MUST BE A FRAUD. The disciple may be thinking that the master is having some illicit relationship with some brothel, now I have to pay. This is very tricky! What kind of order is this? And no explanation attached to it!‖ The Master never gives explanations. The Master simply gives you an order, and it has to be done. If you ask for the explanation you have missed the opportunity, because explanations can be given but they only satisfy your reason. And if your reason is satisfied and then you do something, it is not trust. It does not help your trust to grow. This is becoming more and more a settled attitude in the world. That's why religion has evaporated. It has become a settled thing in the minds of people that to believe is foolish. To trust is to be stupid. And not to trust and to doubt continuously is the way of intelligence. It is not. Yes, if you are in scientific research work, doubt is intelligent. But if you are inquiring within your consciousness, then trust is intelligent. Intelligence knows what method is needed, and where. Intelligence never messes around with different methods which are useful in different directions. Intelligence knows what to do in a certain situation -And you have to understand the disciple. He is you! He is the quintessence of all so-called disciples in the world. Suspicion has arisen. ―Now this Master seems to be a fraud. THE DISCIPLE WAS SHOCKED, AND FOR A TIME THOUGHT THAT THE MASTER MUST BE A FRAUD. AFTER WRESTLING WITH HIMSELF FOR DAYS, HOWEVER, HE WENT TO THE NEAREST HOUSE OF ILLFAME AND PRESENTED THE MAN AT THE DOOR WITH ALL THE MONEY WHICH HE HAD. Yes, there were many doubts, but still deep down there was some trust. That is why the Master had sent him away - to struggle on his own - because if he could find some tacit trust somewhere inside himself, he will have found the rock on which the temple of life can be built. Had he been in the presence of the Master, he would have immediately said ―Yes, sir.‖ He would have gone and given the money, but that would not have been of much help. It would have been superficial, and the doubt would have remained and would have come in some way or other and with vengeance. It always happens. If I say to you to do something and you do it because trust is required – that is why you do it - and the doubt is there but you keep it repressed, then sooner or later it will start coming, in different ways. It will start finding new outlets. It will poison you. Trust is good if it comes without repressing doubts, if it gives doubts full expression and then surfaces, if it gives doubts all opportunities Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat and, then too, ultimately wins over. That was the device of sending the disciple far away for a long time. THE DISCIPLE WAS SHOCKED, AND FOR A TIME THOUGHT THAT THE MASTER MUST BE A FRAUD. ... AFTER WRESTLING WITH HIMSELF FOR DAYS... That wrestling is of importance. Now he was divided. A part of him was saying ―How can the Master be a fraud?‖ He has known him, he has been in intimate closeness with the Master, he has seen the man with his own eyes, he has felt his life, his light, and he understands what he is. A part of his heart goes on saying ―Trust‖, but the whole mind, the outward-going mind, creates a thousand and one doubts. The struggle is between the mind and the heart, the outgoing energy and the ingoing energy. The struggle is between exhalation and inhalation. And it is good to go through this turmoil. The master creates many devices to go through this turmoil: they create a thousand and one situations in which trust is needed. And naturally all kinds of doubts arise, and you have to wrestle and you have to fight your way out of the mess. If you can fight your way out of it, if you can go through and through and come out of it intact, something tremendously valuable has been achieved. So the purpose of the same groups in the West is different; the purpose here is totally different. The purpose in the West is somehow to help you to become a little more mature about your life, a little more accepting of your life, to make you a little more alert so that you can function in a better way, so that you don't go unnecessarily into neurotic patterns. The purpose of these same groups in the West is psychological. But in a master‘s commune it is not only psychological. Yes, it is that, and much more. It is spiritual. The psychological purpose is only minor. The spiritual purpose is major. The spiritual purpose is to bring your whole turmoil to the surface. All your doubts, all possible doubts that you may have carried for many lives have to be brought to the surface, because only from the surface can they evaporate and disappear. They have to be brought out of the basement, out of your conscious, unconscious, and collective unconscious. From every level of your being they have to be brought to the surface so that you can encounter them. And it is not only a question of becoming a little more mature, a little more accepting, and a little less neurotic, a little more normal, no! The purpose is to help you to grow into trust. That is not the purpose in the West. God is not the purpose of all the humanistic psychotherapy groups in the West. God is the purpose here. That is why sometimes it happens that when a therapist from the West comes, if he is very arrogant, egoistic, and if he thinks that he knows all about these groups, he is not much benefited, because he does not know that we are using these groups as a means to Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat some faraway end. I feel sorry for the man. If he had been a little more open and vulnerable here, this duality would have dropped. And this is my observation about him: that he needs crying, he needs surrender, not only from the surface but from the deepest core. But he didn't give an opportunity to me and to my people. We were trying to create the turmoil in him. He had to wrestle, but he escaped, and now he is wrestling there, alone. And it is not of much we. AFTER WRESTLING WITH HIMSELF FOR DAYS, HOWEVER, HE WENT TO THE NEAREST HOUSE OF ILL FAME AND PRESENTED THE MAN AT THE DOOR WITH ALL THE MONEY WHICH HE HAD. Finally, the trust wins love. And when trust wins over without repressing the doubts, it has a truth in it. ―FOR SUCH A SUM OF MONEY,‖ SAID THE DOORMAN, ―I SHALL ALLOT YOU THE CHOICEST GEM OF OUR COLLECTION, AN UNTOUCHED WOMAN.‖ AS SOON AS HE ENTERED THE ROOM, THE WOMAN THERE SAID, ―I HAVE BEEN TRICKED INTO BEING IN THIS HOUSE, AND AM HELD HERE BY FORCE AND THREATS. IF YOUR SENSE OF JUSTICE IS STRONGER THAN YOUR REASON FOR COMING HERE, HELP ME TO ESCAPE.‖ THEN THE DISCIPLE KNEW THE MEANING OF THE POEM OF HAFEZ, ―IF YOUR TEACHER BIDS YOU STAIN YOUR PRAYER CARPET WITH WINE, AND OBEY HIM.‖ Trust knows how to obey. Trust only knows obedience. And through obedience, the ego slowly, slowly disappears. The question is between ego and egolessness. The Master's whole function is how to help you to die as an ego, and all kinds of means and methods have to be used. Remember it. Don't escape too early. Give a chance to this alchemical lab. All kinds of turmoil will be created, deliberately created. All kinds of doubts will be provoked, deliberately provoked. You will be given absurd orders to be fulfilled. He may not come across such opportunity for many lives. It is still not too late; he can come. My doors are always open. But one has to remember it: do not come here to be supported in your ego and your expectations. Come here to die! If you love me, I am going to kill you. And only when you are killed, one day, will you have the opportunity to kill me. And that day is the greatest day: when the Master and disciple both are killed - then only that which is remains. God is in the Master, God is in the disciple. Thus the disciple and the Master have both disappeared, only God is left. And that is the goal of Sufism, and that is the goal of all religions, and that is the goal for which we are working here. ONLY THIS MUCH FOR NOW!!! Reproduced from: Parables Naqshbandi Design for Transformation Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The Naqshbandi way is a unique path of transformation of human consciousness. Nothing is said, nothing is done yet still something happens. Just as the aspirant lives within the energy field of the master, something begins to grow and evolve from deep within the aspirant. The word Naqshband comes from two words: Naqsh and band!Naqsh literally implies impressions or designs, and band refers to the one who makes those designs. Naqshband therefore means the designer. Naqshband is the designer! Designer that makes the design. Such designs are not the designs of an ordinary one. These are the designs that a master makes on the inner being of the aspirants. Thus a master carves out the design or the path of the journey for the aspirant. The design is like the yantras of Hindus. These contain within the entire scheme or the design of transformation. Shah Naqshband Bahauddin was a potter by profession. He used to make beautiful designs on the pots that was his profession. On these he used to carve intricate spiritual design. He poured his entire energy in the profession that he was involved for his sustenance. Such is the way of the masters. Kabir remained a weaver throughout his life. He weaved his design or the scheme into the cloth he was weaving for sustenance. When his master Amir Kulal came to know of this he said you are indeed Naqshband. You are designing the path for individual seeker. The path from now on will be known as NAQSHBANDI-the DESIGNER. This is a Naqshbandi design?
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He alone has the right to break, For he alone can mend what is broken He that knows how to tear apart; Whatever He sells, He buys something better in exchange. He lays the house in ruins: Then in a moment He makes it more habitable than before. Since He mends what is broken, His breaking is in reality mending. RUMI MASNAVI I: 3882-6
A PARABLE:
H
ASAN CAME TO RABIA ONE DAY WHEN SHE WAS SITTING AMONG A NUMBER OF ASPIRANTS, AND SAID, ‗I HAVE THE CAPACITY OF WALKING ON WATER. COME, LET US BOTH GO ON TO THAT WATER YONDER, AND SITTING UPON IT CARRY OUT A SPIRITUAL DISCUSSION.‘ RABIA SAID, ‗IF YOU WISH TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THIS AUGUST COMPANY, WHY DO YOU NOT COME WITH ME SO THAT WE MAY FLY INTO THE AIR AND SIT THERE TALKING?‘ HASAN SAID, ‗I CANNOT DO THAT, FOR THE POWER THAT YOU MENTION IS NOT ONE WHICH I POSSESS.‘ RABIA SAID, ‗YOUR POWER OF REMAINING STILL IN THE WATER IS ONE WHICH IS POSSESSED BY FISH. MY CAPACITY OF FLYING IN THE AIR CAN BE DONE BY A FLY. THESE ABILITIES ARE NO PART OF REAL TRUTH. THESE MAY BECOME THE FOUNDATION OF SELF-ESTEEM AND COMPETITIVENESS, BUT DEFINITELY NOT SPIRITUALITY.‘ THIS is ego game. Games of the ego are very subtle. There are many instances of such dialogue between Hasan and RABIA. RABIA was a beautiful master. And Hasan always wanted to convince that he is master as well. He chooses many ways to Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat convince RABIA. This dialogue is such an effort of Hasan. Listen to the dialogue attentively. And if you are trying to drop the ego they become more and more subtle. And if you have really decided to drop it anyhow, the ultimate strategy that the ego can use to protect itself is to become egolessness. This is the subtle state. This involves pretending humility, and humbleness. This is to show that 'Now there is no need to fight with me, I am not at all.' The ego is one of the most fundamental problems man has to face. The ways of the ego have to be understood rightly otherwise you will never be able to get rid of it. And until you get rid of the ego there is no possibility of meeting God. It is the ego that functions as a barrier between you and reality. The ego functions as a barrier because it is one of the most unreal things possible. The ego is a fiction. It is not a reality. It is maintained by conditioning, hypnosis and a thousand and one props. It is a fiction because existence is one. It can have only one center, not millions of centers. What is the ego? The ego is the idea that ‗I am the centre of the universe.‘ ‗I‘ cannot be the centre of the universe but everybody has the idea that ‗I am the centre of the universe.‘ And the second part of the ego is: its separativeness. It is a fiction that separates you from the totality. It gives you the idea that you are independent, and you are an island. And in reality you are not. Existence is a vast infinite continent. There are no islands. You are not separate and you are not independent either. And remember, when I say you are not independent I do not mean that you are dependent. The very idea of dependence is an outcome of ego. There is nobody to be independent and there is nobody to be dependent. We live in interdependence. Interdependence is mutual existence. We are parts of each other. We are connected to one another. The trees, the rocks, and the rivers are all penetrating you. And you are penetrating the rivers and the trees and the rocks. The farthest star is connected with you. And when you blink your eyes you change the quality of the total existence. All is infinitely interconnected, interwoven. Nobody is separate from one another. So nobody can be independent and nobody can be dependent. Independence and dependence are both aspects of the same coin called ego. A real person is neither of the two. A real person simply does not exist as a person. He has no boundaries. He exists as God, not as a person. On one hand the ego creates separation. And on the other hand it creates anxiety, and fear -fear of death. The fear of death comes out of the ego, otherwise there is Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat no death. There has never been death. Death exists not. If I am one with the whole then how can death exists? The whole has never died. The whole has always been there and the whole is going to remain there always. The ocean never dies. Only ripples and waves come and go. Once the wave thinks ‗I am separate from the ocean,‘ then it will have great anxiety. Then death is inevitable. It is on the way. It is coming. And the fear and the anxiety are there. But if the wave knows that ‗I am not separate, how can I die? To die you have to be separate. If I am one with the ocean, whether I am like a wave or not like a wave does not matter. That which exists in me is the ocean. It has been there before me, it will be after I am gone. In fact, I never came and I never went, it was just a manifestation of the universe. Only then death disappears and birth too. Otherwise the ego creates the fear that ‗I am going to die‘ and there is a constant trembling in the heart. You can never be at ease with the ego. Your anguish is your ego and nothing else. If you feel the boundary then you are limited. Then your limitation gives you pain, and anguish. Then you want to become big. Just see the mechanism of the ego. First the ego makes you feel small. It creates a sort of inferiority that ‗I am so tiny against such a big world; I have to be big - big in money, and big in power. I have to be the president or the prime minister or the richest man of the world, or I have to become Alexander the Great, or something.‘ The ego makes you feel limited and nobody likes limitation. Then the desire to become bigger arises. And you go on becoming big but the bigger you become, the more egoistic you get. See the absurdity of it. The bigger you become, the more egoistic you are. You start thinking ‗Now I am somebody.‘ And the more egoistic you become, the smaller you feel. It is paradoxical: the bigger you become, the smaller you feel. And again and again the desire arises to become bigger. With the ego nobody can become big. It is impossible. Only by dropping the ego does one suddenly become big. It is wrong to say one becomes big. One becomes infinite really. Because then you do not have any boundaries. Then if there are any boundaries to existence those are your own boundaries and there are none. Existence is un-bounded. It has no possibility of ending anywhere, neither in time nor in space. In both dimensions it is infinite, and it remains infinitely infinite. But do not start dropping the ego. You cannot drop it because it is a false not a fact. If you start dropping it you will create another fiction. And the fiction is that you have become egoless. If you start dropping it, and you become humble. Then you practice humility, you will become egoistic again but in a totally new way. You will start thinking ‗I am the most humble man in the world, the humblest.‘ Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat This is how the human ego functions. You cannot drop it. Because it is not! How can you drop it? You can drop something if it exists. You cannot fight with it. How can you fight with something which is not? You cannot kill it either. How can you kill it when it is not? Then what can one do? One can only understand. One can look into the mechanism of it. You will come to know how this whole fiction works. Once you have looked into the fiction through and through, from one corner to another, from A to Z, it is not that you drop the ego in that very insight the ego disappears. In fact, to say that it disappears is not right it was never there. You come to realize that you believed in a non-entity. It was not there from the very beginning. It is just as if you stay in a room and somebody has told you that there is a ghost in the room. Now you cannot sleep. It is not that the ghost is there, it is the idea that there is a ghost and if you fall asleep there may be some danger. The ghost may jump upon you. May sit upon you, or drink your blood or something else. Ghosts are always unreliable people. One never knows what the ghost will do. You cannot sleep. In fact you cannot afford to sleep. The more sleepless and the more tired you become, the more you will believe in the ghost. It is proportional because the weaker you are, the stronger the ghost becomes. In the middle of the night, when the whole world has fallen asleep and everything is silent, you will become more afraid. Now you are absolutely alone. Everybody has fallen asleep. Even the traffic has ceased. Now there is nobody. If the ghost comes you are left alone. Even if you scream nobody is going to hear you now. Now you will be more troubled. And a small rat passes by, or just a bird flutters outside in a tree, or a dry leaf moving on the road in the wind that is enough! You can lose all your consciousness. And there was nothing from the very beginning. You created the whole thing. You got into an idea and the idea became a reality. Now you cannot fight with this ghost, you only have to see whether the ghost is or is not. You only have to understand. You have to see the mechanism how the idea of the ghost is manipulating you. It is just an idea. It is all your idea. Exactly the same is the case with the ego. The ego is a ghost. It is unreal. Utterly unreal! But it has been deeply rooted in you for certain reasons. First, the society needs it. Without creating a kind of ego in you, you will be dangerous. Through the ego you can be manipulated. Just think if you do not have any ego nobody can frighten you. It is almost impossible. You can only be frightened through death. That is why Jesus was not frightened, also Mansur was not frightened. Many Sufis have been killed. When Mansoor was being crucified, one hundred thousand people had gathered to see. And somebody asked because he was laughing, laughing like Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat crazy - somebody asked, ‗Mansur, have you gone mad? You are being crucified, why are you laughing? This is death. Are you not aware of the fact?‘ And Mansur said, ‗That is why I am laughing. They are killing somebody who is not. That is the whole ridiculousness of it. That is why I am laughing!‘ It is as if somebody is killing a wave. Maybe the wave disappears, but how can you kill a wave? It will be there in the ocean. It will still be there. It will be absolutely as it was before. Only the form is not there, but form does not matter. Mansoor says, ‗They are trying to kill somebody who is not there in the first place, and that is why I am laughing.‘ Many Sufis have been killed and they accepted death with such joy. From where do that joy and that courage come? It is not the courage of a soldier. No! It is not at all. It is the courage of a man who has come to realize that there is no ego that ‗I am not, so how can you kill me?‘ The courage of the soldier is different from the courage of a saint. The courage of the soldier is a well maintained courage. Deep down he is afraid. Deep down him goes on trembling like a small child. But he has been trained to be brave for years. In the army he has been trained to be brave. A soldier‘s bravery is a trained attitude. It is his habit to be brave. But deep down is the suspicion. Deep down is the fear. Even the greatest soldiers feel fear. It is quite natural. The difference between the brave soldier and the cowardly soldier is not one of fear. The difference is only that the brave soldier goes into the war, into the front, into death, into fire, in spite of the fear. The coward cannot go. He escapes. But the fear is there in both. The brave man just has an idea of bravery. He has been conditioned. His ego has been strengthened in such a way that he has to remain brave. It is against his ego to escape. It is against his ego to run away. Otherwise he goes on shaking like a leaf in a strong wind. The courage of a saint is totally different. It has nothing to do with the courage of a soldier. He knows he is not, so how can you kill him? He knows there is no death because there has never been any birth. He has dropped the fallacy of birth so the fallacy. Death disappears. He has dropped the fallacy of the ego so all other fallacies also disappear. All other fallacies hang around the basic fallacy of the ego. And how does one drop it? Just by seeing into the ways of it, how it comes. You pull it out from one side, you push it out from one door and it comes in from another door, from the back door, in a subtler form so you cannot recognize it. The society needs the ego, otherwise people will be uncontrollable. The state needs it, otherwise people will be so rebellious and people will be so authentically themselves, that it will be next to impossible to create slavery, to create these automatons you see walking on the roads, working in the offices, factories, this and that. It is a political stratagem. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat And it is utilitarian too. You have to refer to yourself in some way. It will be confusing if you start using your name to refer to yourself. First the society needs to create an ego in you because only then it can manipulate you. Then it can manage you, very easily. How does it happen? Once the ego is created, it becomes possible to manipulate the child. Then you can tell him that he has to come first in the class. If he has no ego you cannot create ambition in him. He will laugh at the whole idea. ‗Why first? Why me first, why not others? What is wrong if somebody else comes first?‘ Small children do not see the point because they still do not have crystallized ego. A small child can come from the school and happily declare to the house, ‗I have failed again.‘ He has not yet been poisoned. But sooner or later it is going to happen. How long can he survive without being poisoned? The whole system of education is a subtle trick to create the ego. Hence so much competition and ambition is there. Be the first! Come at the top of the list. Be a gold medalist. And this goes on and on. It does not end with school. It continues beyond school. Even old people are hankering for rewards, awards, Nobel prizes, and things like that. They are still childish. Once the idea has entered into your bloodstream that ‗I am‘ then everything is possible. You can be made afraid that if you do not do this you will lose. And if you do this you will profit. If you do this you will succeed, otherwise you will fail. With the idea of the ego, fear of punishment and greed for profit become possible. This whole society exists in greed and fear. Once a child has learned the ways of greed, then for his whole life he will be rushing after money or power or prestige. He will be losing his whole life in something absolutely nonessential. Money is not important, remember, money is important because you have got the idea of the ego. Many may people drop money, or they may renounce money it is simply ego trip. In India it happens that people renounce their money and they think they have renounced something really essential. It is nothing. Money is secondary. One never loves the money for money's sake. Instead one loves the money for the ego's sake. You have one million dollars, your ego feels puffed up. And now you can renounce one million dollars and you can go to the Himalayas but you can still feel puffed up with the idea that ‗I have renounced a million dollars. Many people have a million dollars but how many renounce them?' Now you are getting still higher. The very idea that very few people can renounce such a lot of money with such ease will make your ego a little bigger. So those who renounce have very subtle egos. If you are a president of a country and you renounce it and you say, ‗Now I am going to become a sannyasin and I will go to the Himalayas and meditate‘. Sitting there in a Himalayan cave you will still enjoy the idea that nobody has ever done that before. You renounced being president of a country so you are the greatest Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat monk in the world. The ego has come, following you like a shadow. It will be there in your Himalayan cave as well. You cannot escape from it so easily. It is a subtle phenomenon. It needs much awareness to drop it. Just by running away you cannot drop it. How can you run away from yourself? And this mechanism is inside you, it is not outside. If it were outside, you could drop it. But it is inside you, it has become part of you. It is your very style. You have lived with it for so long that you do not know how to live without it. So whatsoever way you choose to live, the ego will remain there hiding behind it. The society needs it, the state needs it, the parents need it, the leaders, and the politicians need it. The priest also needs it. In fact everyone needs the ego. Only you do not need it. Only you become miserable because of it. Only because of it do you miss the kingdom of God. So you have to be very, very alert, otherwise the whole society and the state and everybody is conspiring. They want you to have the ego. You have to decide whether you want to go into this trip or you do not want to go into this trip. You have to see what you have gained up to now by going into this trip. What is your gain? What joy has arrived? What bliss has happened? You can change. You can become the other-worldly person. Who is not really so other worldly? You can say, ‗In this world there is nothing, this world is all nonsense. Death comes and everything is taken away. I will seek some eternal power.‘ But it is still power. ‗This world‘s money is not very significant. I will seek some other kind of treasure which is eternal, and will remain with me perennially.‘ Then again you become an egoist with new names spiritual and, miraculous power. There are three ways that the so-called spiritual man can fall into the same trap again. Either he becomes very knowledgeable then he has the ego that ‗I know and I know much more than anybody else.‘ Or he can become an ascetic. He can torture himself. He can be masochistic with himself. He can fast. He can start committing a slow suicide or he can tell the world, ‗I am the greatest mahatma. Look I have renounced all, even my body.‘ Still there is the third way. It is that he can start using psychic energy as power. He can become a miracle monger. There are great energies in the psyche. They can all unfold. And when you start moving into deep meditations they start unfolding. The real spiritual man will not use them at all because he knows that that will be a trap and that trap will bring you back into the mire of the world. A real spiritual man never uses any power. If miracles sometimes happen around a real religious man they happen on their own. He is not the doer.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat A man came to Jesus, touched his garments, and was healed. He wanted to thank Jesus. He was thankful, he had been ill for years and the doctors had said that there was no remedy for him and now he is all right. He could not believe his own eyes. He fell at the feet of Jesus to thank him and Jesus said, â&#x20AC;&#x2014;Man, you need not thank me at all. Thank God. In fact, thank yourself it is your own faith that has healed you. I have nothing to do with it.â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; This is the quality of the real spiritual man. If something happens he is not the doer. Yes, miracles happen but they are not done. And when a person starts doing them he is no longer spiritual. He has fallen to the status of a magician. Now there is nothing of spirituality left. Just as people want to show their money he wants to show his psychic powers. But the showman is there. So he is as much part of the show business as anybody else. Around a spiritual man miracles happen, real miracles. Around a really spiritual person real miracles happen. People transform, change, and people start attaining new spaces of being. People start moving into new dimensions of joy and life and eternity. People start being more loving and more compassionate. People start blooming. Fragrance arises. People start dancing. Their heart for the first time pulsates with celebration. These are real miracles. People start feeling that God is, people start trusting that God is. People start becoming aware of who they are. People start losing their sleepiness. Their eyes start opening. People become whole, no longer divided within or fragmentary. Instead they are integrated. These are real miracles. These certainly happen. But they are not done. Nobody is doing them. If somebody is there to do them ego still exists. And with the ego, the world comes in. With ego, comes in all darkness. So you have to be alert. Nobody will be in favor of you dropping your ego. Your wife will not be in favor, your husband will not be in favor, your children will not be in favor because once the husband drops the ego he has no ambition, so the wife will not feel good. The wife wants you to go on and on earning money, purchasing bigger and bigger houses, having more diamonds, more gold, more money in the bank, bigger insurance policies and all that. If you lose the ego your ambition disappears. Then you are concerned with ambition no longer, and then you are not driving yourself mad any more. Of course you will be healthy, but who bothers about a healthy husband? You will not have ulcers, that are right, but wives are not interested in whether you have ulcers or not. They are interested in having a bigger house, two houses one in the country, one in the city. They are more interested in you having a yacht and things like this. They are more interested in you having power and prestige and pull.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat You will not have ulcers once the ego disappears. Ulcers will disappear. Ulcers are the footprints of ambition. You may not have cancer any more. The cancer may not be possible at all because cancer is chronic anxiety. When anxiety becomes too much for the body to absorb it starts moving towards death! The body starts creating situations where it can die easily. Cancer is an effort to die. Things have become unbearable, now there is no point in living. You want to die. Cancer simply shows your will to death. You may not be courageous enough to recognize it but your unconscious is helping you to die easily. That is why there is no cure for cancer. The man has really lost his joy of life. He has lost his joy of life in futile things. But wives are interested in bigger things. And the husband is also interested that his wife should be beautiful. Not that he loves his wife; she is a show-piece. He takes her around. He can brag around that he has the most beautiful wife in the world. He does not care for her a bit. He may not have seen her face for many years. She is something that helps his ego. The ego feels very hurt when you start moving with an ugly woman, naturally. ‗So this is what you have got?‘ There is no other interest; not at all in the person of the woman, only in the personality and that too for worldly ends. This is how things are. So if you start dropping your ego nobody is going to support you. Everybody will be against it because everybody's interest is that you remain egoistic. Even people who teach you to be egoless! If you really drop the ego they will not feel very good, because then who are they going to teach to be egoless? Even the priest who goes on teaching you to be egoless will be disturbed if you really become egoless. He will not like the idea at all. I have heard about a dog who was a kind of preacher. He used to preach to other dogs of the town that God has made the dog in his own image. ‗Look,‘ he used to say, ‗even the word ―dog‖ is just made of the same letters as God. Just see. It is God in reverse. Just a question of changing the direction and the dog can become God.‘ And it appealed to other dogs. Only one thing was difficult. He was very much against barking. Priests are always against some-thing which is impossible to stop. Now it is impossible for dogs to stop barking. This would be too much against their dog nature. They enjoy barking. Barking is their joy. This is their poetry, their dance, their celebration. When they feel happy, what else can they do? They bark. When it is the night of the full moon, they bark. Full moon night is a great celebration for dogs. They go almost mad. It is beautiful what else can they do?
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat He was against barking. Priests are very, very cunning in finding things which you cannot drop. They have found sex. You cannot drop it. They are against it. They have found taste. You cannot drop it. They are against it. They have found all those things which are difficult for you to drop. They are against them. You are not going to drop them and they will go on preaching to you, ‗Drop them!‘ He preached day and night. Wherever he found a dog barking he would immediately go and start preaching. The dogs were tired of it although they knew that he was right. It is useless to bark, they also knew it, and there was no need to convince them. And he was very logical. But one day they decided: ‗Our leader has grown so old and we have never given him any joy, at least for one night we should not bark.‘ It was the great leader‘s birthday so they thought, ‗This will be a good present. Let him be happy at least once. Tonight we are not going to bark at all.‘ They all decided. It was a full moon night and it was very difficult. It was almost impossible. They were just lying down in dark holes, holding themselves somehow. Probably in yoga postures! Repressing, and the more they were repressing, the more the bark came to their throats. And the leader went around, and he looked, and not a single dog was barking. He became puzzled. What has happened? It was going to be a surprise gift, so nobody had told him. What has happened? Have dogs really changed? Then he became worried. ‗Then what will I do? If they have really stopped then my whole business has gone. Then what am I going to do?‘ He went around. He trusted dogs‘ natures; they would bark. He knew them very well. His whole life he had been teaching and nobody had stopped barking. Sometimes he would find a few disciples who would stop for one or two days and then they would escape. They would say, ‗This is too much. We do not want to go to God. Please let us remain dogs.‘ But what has happened? A miracle! He went around and around and he saw that dogs were not even visible and nobody was barking. And he could not teach. And it was getting late, it was the middle of the night, and for the first time he himself felt a great urge to bark. In fact, it had not been felt before because he had to talk so much morning, evening, night that there was no energy left to bark. For the first time he had not found a single disciple to teach. The energy accumulated. And a great urge to bark arose. He was surprised because he had not barked for many years. He had almost forgotten how to bark. A great thrill came to him. And he decided, ‗No dog is here why I should not try? What is wrong in it?‘ And all such thoughts come to everybody. ‗Once it is okay. It cannot Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat be such a sin. Not all dogs are going to hell.â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; He knew that it was natural, but he had lived such an unnatural life, the life of a priest. So he went into a dark corner in a street and started barking. The moment he started barking, suddenly there was a great explosion all over the town. All the dogs started barking. Everybody was boiling within. And when they saw that one had broken the vow they thought that it was somebody from amongst themselves and they could not think that the priest would do this. That was impossible. They had known him for years. Somebody had broken the vow so there was no need to repress any more. The whole town exploded into barking. It had never been like that! And then out came the leader and started teaching them again that this was not good. It is only because of barking that we are not kings of the world, otherwise we would be the kings of the world. Just this one thing is destroying our potential. Priests who go on telling you to drop your egos will not be very happy if you drop ego. Because the moment you drop your egos you will be beyond the control of the priest! So you will have to move into this direction alone, all alone. Nobody will be helping you and everybody will be against you. But unless you understand that the ego is your hell you cannot be blissful. MEDITATE OVER THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN HASAN AND RABIA. SUBHAN ALLAH
Reproduced from: Leaves from a Sufi Heart Volume 1
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ALWAYS CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY It was Naqshbandi master Abdul Khaliq Gijadwani who coined the following phrases which are now considered the principles of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order as spiritual commandments. Over the period of time certain principles are added to it. Bahauddin Naqshband added three. Another one „Always Choose to be Happy‟ was introduced in this category as the works of another Naqshbandi master Shakuntala Devi. Thus there are twelve such commandments. These form the basis of meditation techniques. Each moment life presents different situations, circumstances and conditions. Certain are acceptable to human understanding while others are not. In all circumstances you choose to be unhappy. And to human understanding this is normal while to a meditator it is not. In all circumstances you choose to be unhappy. And slowly and slowly this becomes your musculature. And your entire life centers on this unhappiness. To be happy is your choice and right. To be happy is a conscious choice only you can make. But in all situations you choose to be unhappy. Remember a happy heart is the door to the beyond, or door to the inner, or door to the being. You tend to be happy or unhappy because of the other or the circumstances. No one chooses to be happy for no reason. A happy heart is filled with gratitude towards the WHOLE. To be happy is the greatest blessing. It unfolds a totally new unknown and unknowable realm. One Sufi Naqshbandi master Shakuntala Devi, always used to bless any one bowing to her by saying ―BE ALWAYS HAPPY‖. If you really decipher these simple words, these will manifest a totally new realm. When a master says something, the seeker needs to introspect on these words. The master can never be wrong or unconscious. The very fact that he or she is a master implies now something has changed within. A master may look like you, but in reality he differs in his understanding of the cosmic phenomena and awareness. None of his actions are ever guided by unconscious. Even when he moves his hands he is totally aware of this. Let this be your meditation each moment. A new meaning will unfold in life. Serenity, blessedness will engulf you. Only then it can be said that you are living in the image of a master. Then something of the master, his awareness, his understanding, will be part of you as blessing. [LINK: YOU TUBE.COM TAG TAOSHOBUDDHA 9 „AUDIO MEDITATION – CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY 2 PARTS‟]
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Books of Taoshobuddha on Amazon.com and Create space e store
Books will teach you something of the outward aspects of the inward, and so will Meditation Talks. Without them you will make really no progress in inward journey. Remember the outward is the conductor to the inward. But why should we not be able to do so without books? For the same reason, remember you cannot think without words. I have to give you words so that your thinking pattern can change. Once your thinking pattern is changed then one day I will take away the word from you and then I will connect you to your inner silence. This is journey from WORD to WORDLESS. This is the work of a MASTER. Whenever the darkness of ignorance, despair, and disappointment stare in your face, a passage from here and there will certainly revive the inner cords of your being and thus will continue the inward journey. This is my certitude. Someone asked why do I go on writing so many books, almost an inconceivable number and go on giving talks not only on Sufi Path instead on all conceivable Paths of Spiritual Attainment? Books will teach you something of the outward aspects of the inward, and so will meditation talks. Without them you will make really no progress in inward journey. Remember the outward is the conductor to the inward. But why should we not be able to do so without books? For the same reason, remember you cannot think without words. I have to give you words so that your thinking pattern can change. Once your thinking pattern is changed then one day I will connect you to your inner silence.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat You have been reared on books. Your mind is so altered by books and talks, by hearing and speaking, that the inward can only speak to you through the outward. Whatever you pretend you can perceive! Man ultimately becomes what one pretends to be. However the tragedy is that you are not interested in books. I have to create designs for interest in books again. This is Naqshbandi Design. Books are the Tawwazjoh or the energy field that the master creates as Designs for Transformation. 1. Meditation the Ultimate in Healing:Meditation and Healing Series Authored by Taoshobuddha, List Price:$10.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Black & White on White paper 156 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456344788 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456344781 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality This is an investigation how healing can happen. It begins with a passage from Sri Aurobindo‘s Savitri‚ The fathomless zero occupied the cosmos and your world of finiteness. Your physical body is mere showcase of all that happens at other planes or bodies. Then the question comes, from where can healing really happen. Since physical body is mere showcase definitely it cannot be the beginning. Regular medicine begins here but not meditation. Can you start at bio-plasmic level? Or you still have to go a step beyond. There are so many unresolved issues in each one of you that need to be addressed before the healing can really begin. All these issues are stored in the fathomless zero that occupied the world. The journey of healing has to begin from this point. Through these meditations I am creating inner balance between body and the mind. Only then you can attain to meditativeness. This process will continue until new man, one who is beyond body, mind, and intellect, is born out of you.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 2. Shah Bahauddin Naqshband - Life and Works:Naqshbandi Tariqat Authored by Sheikh TaoshoBuddha List Price: $65.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Full Color on Color paper 304 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456346799 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456346792 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality SHAH BAHAUDDIN NAQSHBAND â&#x20AC;&#x201C; LIFE AND WORKS I am ecstatic that once again I have the occasion to speak to you. However this time the overflow is of Hazrat Shah Bahauddin Naqshband, one whose very essence pulsates through the entire Sufi path. Spiritual awareness is like water, it takes the color and shape of the cup. Allah's Knowledge is so great, that however much we take; it is like a drop of a huge ocean. It like a vast garden, however much we have cut it is as if we had cut but one flower says an ecstatic Bahauddin. Yet still the fundamentalists try to cage this sublime awareness of eternal oneness within narrow boundaries of religion and beliefs. Spirituality begins when you cross the narrow boundaries of religion and religious beliefs. The entire ummat or creation is the responsibility of the one who has attained spiritual awareness. But very rarely you find someone who is versatile to speak of various paths and masters with authenticity and thus brings out truth in its sublimity. Sufism is such overflow of love a great experiment in human consciousness: how to transform human consciousness into ishq. It is alchemy. And through this work and others my effort to bring about the alchemical change in consciousness that be possible! This is what I am doing here with you. You may be aware, you may not be aware of it, but this whole experiment is to create in you as much love energy as possible. Man can be transformed into pure love energy. Just as there is atomic energy Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat discovered by physics, and a small atom can explode into tremendous energy, so too each cell of your heart can explode into tremendous love. That love is called ishq. It is atomic in nature. No one can destroy this. You may call this Love or Awareness, or Consciousness or God matters not. What really matters it to be with this energy. Even more significant is to imbibe it into your being. And then let it overflow your being. Also let it surround your life, your living. Sufism is the path of the overflow of energy. This is Naqshbandiyah Nisbet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Tariqat.
3. Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 1: Naqshbandi Tariqat Authored by Sheikh Taoshobuddha List Price: $30.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Black & White on White paper 608 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456343620 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456343629 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality AN INSIGHT INTO NAQSHBANDI TARIQAT When truth manifests itself there can be no better song or melody than this. Truth is an experience. And Sheikh or a master is the embodiment of truth on the earth. This is why when a Sheikh looks into a Tariqat it is Truth or Haqiqat itself. Naqshbandi tariqat underwent through various periods of growth and development. Taoshobuddha takes you through this journey. In the present classic Taoshobuddha looks into Naqshbandi tariqat. With a crystal clarity and understanding he presents various masters along the path and the tariqat. The present classic pauses before the beginning of the second millennium with Sheikh Ahmad Al Farookhi Mujadadi, Sirhindi in the Leaves from a Sufi Heart Volume 2. And the Third volume will begin with Hazrath Mazhar Mir Jane Jana.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 1. Secrets of Spiritual Life - Talks of Taoshobuddha: Talks of Taoshobuddha Authored by Lars Jensen List Price: $25.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Black & White on White paper 238 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456348168 (CreateSpace-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456348167 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality The Secrets of Spiritual Life (Talks of Taoshobuddha) So I say: My beloved ones, I love you. And I would like you to fill the whole world with love. Let that be our religion. Love is simply love. In love you can be a Christ. In love you can be a Buddha. But there is no Buddhist love or Christian love and there is no Hindu or Muslim Love. In love you disappear, your mind disappears. In love you come to an utter relaxation. I call you a Buddha. Yes indeed you are that. And I speak to you of Buddhas. Because they have come to know a different space within themselves! A space which cannot be confined by the mind and which cannot be defined as part of the functioning of the mind! That silent space when thoughts are no more! No ripples arise! This is the beginning of the psychology of the Buddhas. This is the realm to which master belong. To this realm I want to take you to. This is just the beginning. Know this as „The Secrets of Spiritual Life‟. This is my message as my gift to you. The celebration of ‗Enlightenment‘ as the ‗Ultimate Flowering of Your Being‘ NOW AND EVER AND ANON! As ‗The Secrets of Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Spiritual Life‘ Do not think of Enlightenment just as an inner experience alone. In the beginning it is an inner experience. Then slowly bring it into your outer life. This is what I have been telling you every day. Remember whatever you experience in meditation sessions never think the work is over. The experience that happens in meditation has to be relived and present in your day – to – day affairs and life. Know this as ‗The Secrets of Spiritual Life.‘ … TAOSHOBUDDHA
2. Tasuwware Sheikh:Insight into Sheikh Brij Mohan Lal (q) Authored by Sheikh TaoshoBuddha, Authored with Sufi Lakshmi Sahai List Price: $68.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Full Color on Color paper 322 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456348304 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456348302 BISAC: Religion / General TASUWWAR-E-SHEIKH – INSIGHT INTO SHIEKH BRIJ MOHAN LAL This work is NAQSHBANDI CLASSIC BY SHEIKH TAOSHOBUDDHA DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN ONCE STARTED. In this work Taoshobuddha explains the methodology that a master uses to bring about transformation in the disciple. His way and means are unique, beyond human comprehension, he says. When truth manifests itself there can be no better song or melody. Tasuwware Sheikh is such a moment to moment journey through the remembrance of the sheikh in the process of inward journey. Tasuwware Sheikh has been coined by Shah Bahauddin Naqshband in 13th century. And since then it has been recommended by the sheikhs as an essential dhikr for the murids. This present classic on Tasuwware Sheikh is the journey of a Fana-fe-ul-Murid of Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Brij Mohan Lal. Riding the wings of the reminiscence of Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Naqshbandi Lakshmi Sahai Sheikh Taoshobuddha has woven a classic presentation through his command on language, understanding of the tariqat, and Nisbet-EIllahi. Whatever be your faith and whoever be your sheikh one thing is certain this classic will certainly connect you to your sheikh, tariqat and in the process will become a dhikr-e-qulb in the process of transformation. Various chapters Like ‗What is a Sheikh ‘ and ‗Master appear w hen Disciple is ready‘, explains the inner state of a sheikh and inner preparation on part of the murid is essential. The moment disciple is ready Master appears. Various other chapters have been designed to bring an insight into life and works of Sheikh Brij Mohan Lal and Naqshbndiyah tariqat and its advent in Indian sub-continent, As you move through the pages feel Nisbet-eIllahi deep within. Subhan Allah!!! 3. Maraqba-I-Naqshbandi:Insights into Naqshbandi TariqatAuthored by Sheikh Taoshobuddha List Price: $15.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Black & White on White paper 172 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456348502 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456348507 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality INSIGHTS INTO NAQSHBANDI MARAQBAS Though maraqba begins in the mind, it is not real maraqba. Begin with the mind. One day you will attain maraqba. When the mind ceases, you are beyond it; only then real maraqba begins. Even to go beyond the mind you have to use the mind itself. However, use the mind negatively. You will certainly attain maraqba. To me the most distinguished Naqshbandi Order is the way of the Companions of the Prophet, the sheikh and those who follow them and thus the tariqat. Sheikhs follow the path laid by the sheikhs. This is tariqat. The designation of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain has changed over the period of time. Only outer apparel changed not the outer. Many new tributaries and subVol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat streams developed. As a result the way of teaching saw changes in the techniques of maraqba. The is change was to suit the murid however there was no change in tariqat and its inner understandings. With changing mind patterns and social and cultural values that have bearing on mental capabilities of the murids each sheikh has made certain changes. This current classic looks into these aspects. Sheikh Taoshobuddha has created certain techniques of maraqba for Nafs and the modern man. This will remain a classic for all those who seek Naqshbndiyah Nisbet and also seek inner transformation. May this work of Sheikh Taoshobuddha be accepted to the Sheikhs and Allah Subhan wa Taala. 4. Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 2:Naqshbandi Sufi Tariqat Authored by Sheikh Taosho Buddha List Price: $68.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Full Color on Color paper 436 pages PRODUCT ID 3500978 ISBN-13: 978-1456345853 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456345850 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality Sufism is great celebration. I invite you to celebrate it with TAOSHOBUDDHA. The Volume 1 of Leaves from a Sufi Heart paused at Bahauddin Naqshband. I thought enough has been spoken. No, yet still much has been left unspoken of his methodology. So when I began the Volume 2 of Leaves from the Sufi Heart I had to begin with Bahauddin Naqshband. After Bahauddin the path developed many off shoots. From Rasulallah Salallah Allahe Wassalam to Bahauddin the path was single tracked. From him the main stream had developed many tributaries. Therefore it was essential to begin with Post Bahauddin Era. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat However before I could do this his methodology the unique way through parables needs to be explained. This has not yet begun something else was knocking the consciousness. When I looked deep within it was the entire Sufi Doctrine - the explanation of various terms. Thus the journey of the Volume 2 of Leaves From a Sufi Heart began. This work is the outcome of the grace, the nisbat, the faiz, or the inayat of Allah S u bh an wa Taa‘la and the Khawajans that this volume is now in your hands as the Makhtoobats of the masters. Without the faiz or the nisbat it could not be possible and the effects that it is creating within the readers. May Allah shine His Noor along the path of every aspirant whom I have met and also those whom I have not yet met? Maybe I may not meet physically, kindle their path through the Gaibana Tawajjoh each finite moment. Kudrat-E-Illahi is beyond human comprehension. ALHAM DIL ALLAH, SUBHAN ALLAH, ALLAH HO AKBAR. ‗I think your books are highly recommended for the true seekers , especially for the seekers of the highest spiritual order Naqshbandiyah Mujaddidiyah in English language. ‗I pray to Allah Ta'ala may your book „THE LEAVES FROM A SUFI HEART‟ is acceptable to Allah Ta'ala, His Prophet and the whole Ummah‘. Maulawi Jalalludin Ahmad Ar-Rowi, Naqshbandi, Malaysia. 10. Parables - Naqshbandi Designs for Transformation:Naqshbandi Tariqat Authored by Sheikh Taosho Buddha List Price: $25.00 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Black & White on White paper 372 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456354671 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456354671 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality PRODUCT ID 3502897 PARABLES - NAQSHBANDI Designs for Transformation Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat A parable is neither a lie, nor a truth. It is a design, a NAQSHBANDI. Maps have been invented to help you. They are arbitrary. Never become too obsessed with a map. Use it if you can; if you cannot, forget all about it. It has nothing valuable in it beyond its use. Why parables? Just as a Ladder is a design or a devise to reach to the top and once you reach to the top the use of ladder is finished. So too a parable is a design for transformation. Parables have been designed by Naqshbandi Masters as devise based on the teachings or the sayings of the past masters as a unique way to Tariqat. Someone asked why do I go on writing so many books, almost an inconceivable number and go on giving talks not only on Sufi Path instead on all conceivable Paths of Spiritual Attainment? Books will teach you something of the outward aspects of the inward, and so will meditation talks. Without them you will make really no progress in inward journey. Remember the outward is the conductor to the inward. But why should we not be able to do so without books? For the same reason, remember you cannot think without words. I have to give you words so that your thinking pattern can change. Once your thinking pattern is changed then one day I will connect you to your inner silence. You have been reared on books. Your mind is so altered by books and talks, by hearing and speaking, that the inward can only speak to you through the outward. Whatever you pretend you can perceive! Man ultimately becomes what one pretends to be. This is Naqshbandi Design. Parables are the sayings of the past Sheikhs that are used by current Sheikhs as Designs for Transformation. 11. Maraqba-I-Rumi:Sufi Maraqba Series Authored by Sheikh Taoshobuddha List Price: $20.00
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) Black & White on White paper 280 pages ISBN-13: 978-1456338565 (Create Space-Assigned) ISBN-10: 1456338560 BISAC: Religion / Spirituality MARAQBA-I-RUMI BY SHEIKH TAOSHOBUDDHA There is something mystical in these compositions of Jalaluddin Rumi for which I have no words to explain. However certainly there is something. Through these compositions and meditations Taoshobuddha has created such level of beauty through the use and mastery of musical rhythm and rhyme with the play of words, that the reader and listener not only can appreciate the wisdom contained in these compositions, but also reach levels of ecstasy and mystical energy that is seldom found in other such compositions. Certainly these connect to your being. Taoshobuddha calls these as Maraqbas. The mastery of rhyme and rhythm is such that very often he creates a new vocabulary, using the same old words, yet creating new feelings that are associated with the insights of Rumi. Furthermore, often he has such mastery of play on words or at other times he uses the same word with a different accent or vowel twice or even thrice in the same composition, with a different meaning each time. One cannot help but marvel at the linguistic mastery that Taoshobuddha displays through various compositions and meditations that he has created. One can simply drown in the essence of it and thus get connected to your being. In any case, the end result is the same. The experience of artistic beauty of these compositions, voice modulations, rhythm and ecstatic energy, and alpha brain wave patterns all combined together with the mental understanding of the wisdom conveyed take the listener to the state of meditation. This is as close as one can get to the mystical experience itself, without actually being present with Taoshobuddha. Published by Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd, New Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi 110020 Tel: 26387070, 26386209; Fax: 91-11-26383788 E-mail: mail@sterlingpublishers.com www.sterlingpublishers.com
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Book Reviews Essence of Sufism by Sheikh Taoshobuddha ISBN NUMBER:ISBN 978 81 207 5694 6 Published by Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd, New Delhi India Tariqat prepares you as an individual along the way and Tasawwuf preserves your awareness. This work comes to you as a prelude to Leaves from a Sufi Heart, which is a comprehensive work on Naqshbandi Sufi masters, their lives, and the tariqat starting from The Holy Prophet. Because of the voluminous work the book has been divided into three volumes. Volume 1 signifies the preNaqshbandi era. Volume 2 signifies the post-Naqshbandi era with the advent of Hazrat Sheikh Ahmad Al Faruqi. This was the beginning of the Mujadaddi era and the beginning of Naqshbandi nisbet in the Indian subcontinent. Volume 3 signifies the break in trend when the nisbet defied the narrowness or tasubbi and came to Sheikh Sufi Ramchandra who came from the Hindu tradition. This was the Mazaharia Era. The Mazaharia era began with Hazrat Mazhar Mir Janae Jana of New Delhi in India. )kIrI beinyaj hE. Faqiri beniyaz hai! SPIRITUALITY IS BEYOND ALL HUMAN BONDAGE DUALITIES AND CONFLICTS! This present work is the combination of the kalam of Prof. Rattan Lal Hangloo and other masters and composers like Taoshobuddha, Mirza Ghalib, Amir Khushro, Jalaluddin Rumi, Brij Narian Chakbas, Mahadevi Verma, Naqshbandi Sufi Ramchandra, Naqshbandi Sufi Brij Mohan Lal, and Lalleshwari. The essence of these compositions is blended with the Naqshbandi nisbetto createmaraqba.*It was just a coincidence that while sitting with Prof. Hangloo one evening, the foundation of this work was laid. No effort had been made in the past for such a venture. It is for the first time that this approach has been used to create the spirit of Sufism by this Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat union between Sufi poetry and the energy field of a master to create Maraqba. And thus allow the journey of transcendence. This is way of the masters, so that the aspirant or saliq can continue his inward journey. This work will be remembered as a new beginning, now and in times to come. The beginning of a new era in Sufism! Poets sometimes reach to such a height of consciousness where even a master cannot reach. However, such a state is not a permanent happening. Therefore, this is an effort to create Maraqba around such insights, so that in the process of inward journey the saliq can clear the states of nafs or ego and attain to inner harmony and oneness. Around each poetic composition a Maraqba is weaved by Sheikh Taoshobuddha so that the tawajjoh or the energy field of the master can envelop you along the path. And transformation may be possible. This is the way of tawajjoh or Tasawwuf of all the masters or nisbet to work in you so that you can journey through the realm of nafs and reach to the realm of ruh. This is the only way one can really attain to taqmeel. ‗Learning the path of the Sufis or the Tariqah is the key to reach the Ma’rifat (gnosis) of Allah‘s essence, qualities, attributes, names, and actions and by practicing on the path it will lead the seekers to reach the Haqiqat (reality). Practicing the path will enable the seekers to understand the sayings and utterances of the Sufis and to understand their poems or poetries by understanding their sacred path. The sayings are so beautiful that they touch the seeker‘s heart. Allah‘s words are the most high above all the words of the Creation that nothing can be compared to them and the Holy Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam’s words are the best words amongst the Creation. Other than that, are the poets who express their love and affection towards Allah Ta‘ala, the sustainer of the entire universe! Their words contain greatwisdom and teachings that have enlightened the hearts of seekers for hundreds of years. This book The Essence of Sufism is a great book for those true seekers who want to grasp the knowledge of the Sufis, and I am very thankful to Hadhrat Sufi Taoshobuddha for giving me this opportunity to write the foreword for this very valuable and precious book. May Allah grant him great reward for sharing the understanding of the Sufi poetries such as Hadhrat Maulana Rumi, Amir Khusroo, Kabir, Jigar Mooradabadi, Sufi RamChandra, Sufi Brij Mohan Lal, Janab Rattan Lal Hangloo, Janab Brij Narain Chakbas, etc. May Allah shower us with his blessings through these Maraqbas.‘ Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Maulawi Jalaluddin Malaysia
Ahmad Ar-Rowi Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Uwaisinm
Tasawwuf has its own radius and circumference within Sufism. The nature of that form of the radius and circumference is determined by various things, including the geophysical and other regional specificities in this world, but the content remains the same. Poets are very often connected to the Absolute Consciousness or Christ Consciousness and in those moments such compositions happen. When I looked into the planning, structure, language, clarity of thought, and style of the book it was indeed my pleasure and privilege to acknowledge that such meditations could be created around these and many more compositions like these. This book of Taoshobuddha has come at a very crucial time as we live in a deeply divided world caused by misconception of religions, particularly of Islam. September 11 changed the history of Islam, or at least, the view of the Western world on Islam. The depth and beauty of these compositions and the meditative insights of the writer show how all religions are in search of the true meaning of love. It is humanity‘s deepest longing for God! While acknowledging works of such a nature, which are not only innovative, comes like a fresh breeze of awakening, presenting insights into the message of the masters. I urge Taoshobuddha to create more such meditations around the message of masters, like Nanak, Jesus, Rumi, Buddha, etc. And I can assure you that with the insights and command of language, Taoshobuddha will certainly do this. This is an effort to bring more serenity and harmony within each one of us. And certainly the light will reflect in the outer world. To compliment these compositions is the mystical voice of Taoshobuddha that creates ―Meditative Channels,‖ as Buddhists call these in their temple or Groves in your Consciousness for the process of transformation to continue. I am thankful to my friend Professor Hangloo and Taoshobuddha for giving me this rare opportunity to write an introduction to The Essence of Sufism. Thank you very much for reading this introduction. And now is the time to enter the realm of Tasawwuf along with Taoshobuddha and his mystical voice. With love in the name of this Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omniloving One! *Dr. Visier Sanyü is a renowned scholar of Asian Religions,at Monesh University, Melborne in Australia. mail: nukpao@gmail.com Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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betaSsubI BEYOND NARROWNESS betaSsubI sdakt kI jan hE. Naqshbandi Sufi Ramchandra TO RISE ABOVE NARROWNESS IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF TRUTH. TRUTH IS BEYOND ALL DUALITY AND NARROWNESS. The first and the basic tenet to be understood is that truth is attained in emptiness and is lost in words. Truth is attained in silence andis lost in speech. Truth has no language. All language is untruth. Sufi Ramchandra ra is a Naqshbandi master who visited this planetbetween Feb 1873 and 14 Aug 1931! Nearly one hundred years before his advent, a forecast was made about his coming. He lived in a small town called Fatehgarh, of district Farookhabad. His entire life is an embodiment of truth beyond all narrowness. To his disciples he gave the message of truth in its sublimity beyond all narrowness. He used to say: To rise above narrowness leads to truth! Language brings narrowness. As such all languages are created byman! There are more than 300 languages. And whatever man creates has limitations based on cognition. Truth is not created by man. It is his discovery. Truth is. It is neither to be created nor to be proved but only to be unveiled. And this unveiling of the truth happens only when all the noise of language and all dualities and narrownesses inside stop. Remember language, your understanding is the veil. Thoughts are the only obstacle. Language, thoughts, the outer world, and its cognition narrow your vision. Together these veil the manifestation of truth. When a child is born he has no language. He does not come with any scripture, any religion, any caste, or any nation. He arrives as emptiness. The sacredness of emptiness is unique. Emptiness is the only virginity, the rest is all perversion. The child arrives like a fresh flower. There is not even a scratch on his consciousness. He does not know anything. But the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s capacity to know is pure. He is like a mirror on which nothing is reflected yet, but the mirroring capacity is total and pure. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Later on as he grows there are many reflections. Knowledge increases but the capacity to know goes on decreasing. In the process that emptiness is filled with words. And then the emptiness ceases to exist. It is as if the reflections on the mirror go on sticking to it and do not disappear from it. Then, the mirror‘s capacity to reflect goes on decreasing. A child is born; he does not know anything but his capacity to know is pure. That is why children learn quickly and old people learn with difficulty. It is so because the old person‘s capacity to learn has become less—he has had enough of everything. A lot has been written on his slate; his paper is no longer blank now. For writing something new, the paper has to be made blank all over again. You can attain truth only if you can become again like the newborn child. This is innocence. What is the significance of the Holy Prophet being illiterate or Ummee? Knowledge makes a person cunning. Knowledge brings narrowness. Prophet‘s being illiterate and Allah‘s asking him to read symbolizes the missing dimension. This symbolizes that the Holy Prophet was innocence. His awareness was child-like. Only in the state of innocence, truth descends. Only to such a being, truth dawns! So the arrival of the child in this world is the first birth. And the second birth is when innocence is born in him consciously. Whosoever goes through the second birth is learned. This state is described by different religions by different names. The scriptures say that all are born like untouchables. It is very rare that someone really becomes a learned. Most of the people remain full of words. And thus breed narrowness. Who is a learned? Not the one who knows the scriptures? Anyone can know the scriptures. To know the scriptures, grammar and memory is needed. Memorizing the scriptures is just memory, not true knowledge. But only he is learned who has experienced truth. Man goes on memorizing the rules of grammar. Thus he moves on a different journey. This is the journey that leads to narrowness. This is outer journey. Truth on the other hand is an inner experience. It is the experience of inner oneness, serenity, and harmony. betaSsubI sdakt kI jan hE. TO RISE ABOVE NARROWNESS OF ALL DIMENSIONS LEADSTO THE ONENESS WITH TRUTH! Love has appeared from Eternity and will continue till Eternity and none has been found in eighty thousand worlds that could drink one drop of it until at last he is united with God.RÂBI„A Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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Spiritual Gathering at the Shrine
SHRINE SUFI NAQSHBANDI RAGHUBER DAYAL FEB 8, 2011
Naqshbandi Sufi Ramchandra RA is popularly known as LALAJI by his disciples. He was born on Feb 2, 1873 on the Basant Panchami day according to Hindu calendar. It was Lalajiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s younger brother Chachaji RA who started the urs or gathering during his lifetime to celebrate the birthday of his beloved brother. The celebration eventually took the form of a large gathering wherein a lage number of gathering is there. The celebration continued even after Chacha ji took Samadhi. And now every year on the fifth day in the month of Jan-Feb the function takes place. As usual this year Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat the the date fell on Feb 8th 2011. The shrine being on a busy Kanpur-Hamirpur road there is large gathering of even the passers-by. Usually the function begins with Maraqba at the shrine. This is followed by the talk. Meals are also prepared. And the function that begins in the afternoon ends around 7 in the evening. Although large number of people flocks all day long the energyfield remains intense. Lalaji was born in Fatehgarh district Farookhabad on Feb 2nd 1873 and two and a half years on October 7th 1875 his younger brother Chachaji was born. About the advent of both Lalaji and Chachaji were predicted nearly 100 years ago by the 33rd Sheikh of the Naqshbandi order Hazrath Sheikh Abul Hasan Naseerabadi to his kahlifa Sheikh Ahmad Ali Khan RA, ‗I am seeing that two persons from Hindu religion will come to you. They are the true inheritor of this tariqat. Do not hesitate in giving them the tariqat.‘ Maulvi Ahmad Ali Khan waited his whole life for these two persons and when his time came to an end and he was leaving he spoke to his kalifa Hazrath Sheikh Maulana Fazal Ahmad Khan RA, ‗ May be my master saw your image in me and this prediction is for you. Be aware.‘ And then the waiting was over one day Lalaji came formally in the company of his master and thus the forecast attained fruition. Although Lalaji used to pay his regards to the Sheikh as he passed in front of the Sheikh‘s room. Thus began the life of togetherness between the current and the Sheikh in making.And one day Maulana Fazal Ahmad Khan said, ‗I have prepared only one person and that person is Bhai Puttulal ji.‘ This is how The Sheikh called Lalaiji RA. In subsequent issues I will speak more of this flower. Lalaji RA used to say: ―If you sit by a fire, you feel warm. If you sit by ice, you feel cold. Why then will you not get transformed if you sit with a person who is perfect in spiritual discipline (have developed the same qualities as God)‖ Remember master is the touchstone. By a touch of the touchstone alone iron is transformed into Gold so too the barrier between ―murid‖ and ―God‖ begin to dissolve. And one day the murid attains to the states of fana and baka. Master is the touchstone that can transform you from within. So being in the company of a spiritually evolved soul, that a master is indeed, essentially brings transformation from within. And then one day the inner beauty, harmony and oneness manifests in the outer world of objects and beings as you interact. But masters are of different Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat degrees. Kamal, the adopted son of Kabir once told that there are four kinds of masters: ―The first kind is like my father Kabir. Whoever touches Kabir‘s feet becomes a Kabir himself. So just being in the company of a true master you are transformed. The radiation or the energy field of the master penetrates and transform all being within his energy field. The energy filed of Master radiates to all who are around him, just as the sun is shining equal to the sinner and the noble people, but it is a matter of receptivity, that makes the difference. It is only the one whois receptive will get the benefit of the Masters Company. The best way to be receptive to the master is to develop love for master. Love is like a magnet that captures your attention to the beloved and the master‘s attention as well. Therefore your love makes you more receptive to the master‘s radiation. One of the beloved disciples of Lalaji speaks form his own practical experience. Dr. Sri Krishan Lal Ji, a close disciple of Lalaji,who happen Lalaji‘s cousin as well speaks about the importance of love for the Guru in the process of transformation. He has revealed the secret of transformation with these beautiful, simple and practical words (as translated by B.K. Saxena): ―Take the help of such a personality who has already trodden the path…This is to accept or adopt a Guru (as an idle of Love). …Love of Guru does not develop at once in the beginning. However, it develops gradually. In the beginning just as much as we love our parents, brother and relatives, we may love Guru to that extend only. Then gradually, as we understand his greatness, love and faith in Guru develops. Thus faith increases gradually. This is called awakening of consciousness. First of all the disciple loves the Guru in the physical form and likes to render service at physical level, such as messaging his holy feet, arranging for his bathing and washing his clothes etc. [Editorial Note: In the preparation of this article Lars Jensen of Sweden has helped tremendously through his research and love for the path.]
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Master appears when disciple is ready „The master appears only when the disciple is ready.‟
Sufis have a unique way of parables to say all that cannot be said in words and directly. This has been the Sufi tariqat. From earlier Sufis to Shah Bahauddin Naqshband to present day Sufis all use such parables. Sheikhs even devise their own parables and anecdotes to carry the tariqat. A certain man decided to seek a perfect master. So he read many books. Visited many sheikhs one after sheikhs! Listened to different sheikhs! Practised and argued as well! But of no avail. He always found himself doubtful of all he was doing or hearing. Also he was unsure. Such is the situation of each one of you. After a long search of twenty years he came across a sheikh whose every word and action corresponded with his idea of a totally realized sheikh. The traveller wasted no time. ‗You‘, he said ‗seem to me to be perfect master. If you are then my search is over.‘ ‗I am indeed described by that name and quality,‘ replied the sheikh. ‗Then I beg of you, accept me as your disciple.‘ ‗That,‘ the master responded, ‗I cannot do; because while you may desire the Perfect master, but he, in turn requires only the perfect disciple.‘ This is the whole parable. This happens only with a real master not the counterfeit. A real master will come to you when you are ready. And a counterfeit will advertise for the recruitment of disciples. Or a disciple will interview many masters before he chooses a master. Counterfeit in fact! ‗The master appears only when the disciple is ready.‘ This is not philosophy or Sufi scripture. Also this is not the sufi way alone. Instead this is how it happens in the world of spiritualism. And this never happens in no other way and also at no other time in man‘s eternal journey. When the disciple is ready Master appears. I am speaking out of my own experience. The entire chain of sufi masters bears testimony to it. Sufis have four major paths that have emanated from holy Prophet. These are Naqshbandiyah, Sohrawardiyah, Quadriyah, and Chistiyah. I will not go Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat into details of these tariqats as these I have explained in „Leaves from a Sufi Heart vol 1‟; „Leaves from a Sufi Heart Vol 2‟; and other Sufi works in details. Also my purpose is your transformation. And for this all that is necessary I will have to use. I am like a physician to whom the health of the patient matters not the source, name or anything else of the medicines. This is the reason my purpose is to expose you to various paths so that somewhere along the way you may discover the familiar splendour in an unknown path. Also I am here to give you insight into each and every flower of this garden that is being nourished and nurtured by God himself. Along the path I will take you on a voyage into various such flowers, Socrates, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Lau Tzu, BodhiDharma, Chung Tzu, Lei Tzu, Krishna, Mahabir, Buddha, Ramkrishna, Aurobindo, Osho, Raman, Rama, Mira etc. The flowers are many. Only you have to be prepared for this journey. As far as I am concerned I am visiting this planet only for this purpose so that a religious man can take birth out of you. In the process of growth the disciple has to earn eyes to see the beauty. Flowers are blossoming every moment but if you do not have eyes, you cannot see the beauty. The sky is filled with stars of immense beauty, but not for you. The sun rises in immense beauty and splendour but not for you. Unless you develop eyes there is no beauty. So too if there is no love in your heart overflowing you will not discover the beloved. Only love can discover love. Only lover can discover beloved. Only eyes can find beauty. And only innocence of the ear can find music and melody. The world is full of people who go on searching something outside even without creating a corresponding receptivity within. I have come across many such seekers who go on searching for a master. And remain unaware that the disciple within is absent in them. Disciple within is one side of receptivity. Only this receptivity can attract the master. Remember master is not an objective phenomenon. First the master has to be something inside you. Master inside means disciple-hood! A preparation! A thirst! An intense desire! A passion for exploring truth! In most of the people this is lacking. And then when such a person goes on the search for a master he cannot find. He may come across many masters. But he will go on missing. You cannot find a master unless you are vulnerable. You cannot see a master unless the disciple is born in you. The search for the master begins with the search for being a disciple. A real seeker does not bother about searching the master. His whole concern is to give birth to a disciple in him. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Being a disciple means how to be a learner, how to open to reality. Being a disciple means how to function through innocence. Functioning out of state of knowledge – a priori conclusion is not going to help in the process of inward growth. When you are functioning from the state of knowledge you will find many teachers but never a master. If you know something already or think that you know, you will only find other knower. You can only meet persons like you. A person who functions from the state of knowledge will only find many teachers and will continue to learn. Such a person will never find a master. To find a master you have to be a child like. Utterly innocent – empty of any conclusions! Only full of passion for truth then suddenly you will find you need not go anywhere. The master will come to you instead. „Master appears when the disciple is ready.‟ Such is the promise of God to you. The existence wants you to explore your potential. So it continues to watch your inner preparation. Seek the disciple in you first. Then master will appear. This is one of the basic requirements for a seeker. The seeker has to be a learner. Who is a learner? Definitely not the one who is a – priori conclusions. Instead one who always functions out of innocence and awe? One should not carry any conclusion. Because when you have conclusions you cannot learn. Why? When you have a conclusion you only want a confirmation. And when you go to learn from anyone and something goes against your conclusion, your ego will get hurt. Then you are not learning anything. In such a case only your old prejudice is strengthened more. A master wants you to grow and not gather anything superfluous. A master creates situations for your potentiality to explode. If a master tells you something that agrees with you then you cannot learn. It will simply strength your old mind. And a master cannot do this. He has to destroy the old for new to take birth. He takes away the burden of all that you have been carrying. His role is to create a space in you. When you cling to conclusions, philosophies, ideas, conclusions, and prejudices; you will not meet a master. He has to destroy all these. No speculation about conclusion is needed. He is interested in real thing not conclusions. Iranian mystical poet Omar Khayyam says what you shall gain by talking about those who are drunk. No matter how much is said about anything it will remain far from reality. Reality cannot be put into words. Reality is inexpressible.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Become a disciple. Seek to be a disciple. And when you are ready thus the master will appear. But master appears in strange ways and means sometimes. One thing is certain master always appears. When someone is ripe, God starts coming in many ways. Master is the last visible form, God descends in. Master is the last formful experience. Beyond him there is only formlessness. Master is the last one who looks like you! Talks like you! Lives like you! To whom you can touch! Whom you can relate! However, in fact, he is like you plus much more. Beyond him only silence is. Bodilessness is! An enlightened Raman used to say to his disciples, ‗If you want to be with me, you will have to unlearn. If you do not unlearn, then I have nothing to give you. You are already full.‘ Such is the situation of all the masters. Now the Zen story: Once, a professor of philosophy went to see a Zen master Bankei. The professor asked many questions, about God, Karma, reincarnation and many more. Questions after questions the learned one continued. Listening to this the master said, ‗You seem to be tired. The journey to this place was long. I can see you sweating, coming up the hill on such a hot afternoon. You wait. There is no hurry. You take rest until I make a cup of tea. And who knows while drinking the tea you may get the answer.‘ This puzzled the learned one. People had already told him that Bankei is crazy. He became suspicious whether he was right in coming to this mad man. He thought, ‗How can the questions be answered just by drinking tea.‘ Now that he was stuck. There was no way to escape. So he thought tea is not going to harm. He decided to have tea and then escape. The master brought the tea in a pot and an empty cup with a saucer. Bankei handed over the cup and the saucer to the learned one. As the professor held the cup the master started pouring tea from the pot. The cup got full and tea began to overflow in the saucer but the master continued. Soon the saucer got full as well. But Bankei did not stop pouring the tea. The learned professor shouted, are you mad or what. Can‘t you see that the cup is full, the saucer is also full and there is no more room. It cannot take anymore tea. Bankei gave a hearty laugh and said, ‗So, you are intelligent! You can understand! And understand well! If there is no space in the cup then we cannot pour any more tea into the cup. Is there any space in your head? I would like to pour all that I am. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat But there is no space. You are already full of your conditionings, beliefs and ways of rituals.‘ ‗This is my answer. Come again when you are empty.‘ This is my answer said Bankei. If you are full of knowledge then you cannot hear. Bankei did not say he would like to tell him all he knew. Instead, he said he would like to pour all that he is. This is significant. This is how a master works. Now a Sufi expression! A pundit – the so called learned used to come to a Sufi Naqshbandi Raghuber Dayal. But out of his ignorance that he came from a higher caste he never vowed to this master. Vowing to any master or putting head on the master‘s feet is very significant. The pundit always showed respect to the master but never vowed to the master. It was the last meeting. Maybe something was to happen. It was the last visit of the Sufi to the place where the pundit lived. After that visit the Sufi entered Samadhi. So when the pundit came to see the Sufi somehow he put his head at the feet of the Sufi. At this the Sufi said, ‗Pundit putting the head on my feet will do nothing. If you are ready to put all that is stored in it then something can really happen.‘ The Sufi meant exactly the same what Bankei told the philosopher. When you bow down to a master or put your head on his feet, this is symbolic. With the passage of time people have forgotten the real meaning. And empty tradition has remained in the hands of the people to follow. Many years after the master had entered Samadhi and the pundit had inner preparation he had to go to another Naqshbandi Sufi master Sufi Brij Mohan Lal – the son of Sufi Raghuber Dayal. Another anecdote! A man named Shiv Narain Das followed a master – Latoo Ji Maharaj who was the fellow disciple of Swami Vivekananda. One day Shiv Narain expressed the desire for initiation to Latoo Ji. Do you know what did Swami Ji told him? Swami Ji said, ‗I cannot initiate you. Your share is not with me.‘ Such is the state of a real master. On enquiring Swami Ji told this man to continue what he was doing. Your master will recognize you one day. Many years passed. One day Shiv Narain came in the company of Sufi Raghuber Dayal and later one day expressed desire to be initiated. Sufi Raghuber Dayal asked him to wait until his eldest son Sufi Brij Mohan Lal visits the town and approach him for initiation. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat One day it happened that Sufi Brij Mohan Lal visited the town. As people gathered Shiv Narain tried to introduce him to the master, the Sufi told him not to worry, and there was no need for introduction. He already knew him. This amazed Shiv Narain. Same time he remembered the words of Swami Latoo Ji Maharaj, ‗Your master will recognize you.‘ Such are the ways of Sufi masters. A master is not a person. Instead master is a state of awareness or you can say continuity. I am sharing with you my experiences and interactions with these masters and disciples. Remember knowledge always hankers to argue. A man of knowledge is never interested in learning. Ego hurts. And in learning it feels humiliated. Children can learn because there is no ego. When ego is not the capacity to learn is faster. Children learn very fast and easily. And when you have to learn the same thing after thirty-five and forty years, it is almost impossible. What happens to human intelligence? After years of experience the intelligence should be sharp more than before. But it is not. Usually in the process of growth you gather too much dust and junk. Then the functioning of intellect no longer remains free. It gets burdened. And you feel humiliated when you have to come to someone to learn. You cannot say – I do not know. I am ready to learn. The master in some cases has to create emptiness in you. This is the only way that he can transfer all that he is in you. Hindus have a scripture called ‗Prashnopanishad‘. Six disciples approached a master. Each one of them has one question. The state of emptiness has not happened completely. The master said, ‗I cannot answer any question now.‘ You will have to remain in my place for one year. And then if I feel like answering your questions, I will. If I see there is no need then I will not.‘ To understand masters message inner preparation is needed. Without such preparation the message of the master will not reach you. It happened in the times of Buddha. Once, a philosopher Mudgalyam came to Buddha. He asked certain questions. So he asked these questions to Buddha. Buddha responded, ‗I cannot answer any of your questions now. You will have to stay here for one year. Thereafter, only if I feel like I will answer your questions. Maybe you will not need the answer.‘ At this another monk Sariputta, who was sitting nearby under a tree at a distance began to laugh and said, ‗Mudgalyam if you want the answers get them now. Otherwise you will never get the answers. One year ago Buddha told me the same thing. And now I do not have any question. Just remaining here all questions have dissolved.‘ Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat A master never answers questions. Instead he answers you. In master‘s presence the questioning mind dissolves. A master can fill you when you are empty. So the real search is not for the master. It is a search how to be a disciple. The greatest problem for inward journey is searching the disciple within. This is the first step. And the first step is most difficult. Later on I will explain the methodology to overcome this first step. When your cup is empty! And you come to a master who is overflowing with God, you are filled. Do you know how does a master transfer his being? It happened. Buddha gave discourses for forty years to an almost large crowd of monks every day. One day Buddha came with a flower in his hand. As he came he sat in lotus posture. Everyone was waiting for Buddha to speak. But he remained silent. And when such situation arises many thoughts begin to float in human mind. Such was the situation of all the monks except Mahakashyap. Mahakashyap was in a state of no-mind. No thoughts! No ripples! Just a pool of silence! A silence that was continuously deepening! Buddha looked at Mahakashyap. Two silences merged into one another. A deeper silence! No thought still! No words either! Just merging and deepening silence! How to express this silence? So is the case with other words like fire, food, sleep, rest etc. When such is the case with ordinary words then you can imagine the trouble a mystic faces. Also the direct way of saying or expressing truth is too violent, aggressive and masculine. Truth can only be narrated in an indirect way. No one can be convinced of truth. However you can be persuaded to truth. A real master will not try to convince you of truth. But definitely he will persuade you towards truth. Parable is unique way. Even those who are not searching for truth in any way are usually struck by a parable. Parable makes something available to these people suddenly. And one thing is certain everyone likes stories. Stories have a tendency to hang around your consciousness. You cannot forget them. It is not only a question of forgetting them, you can remember them easily. Stories have a very unique way of reaching to the deepest core of your being. Sufis have been using parables as their device. A parable is entirely different from a Zen koan, or Tao, or Yoga or Tantra way. ‗A certain man decided to seek the perfect master.‘
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat PRELUDE TO THE PARABLE CONTINUES: Remember knowledge is always interested in arguments. Such is the nature of knowledge. Knowledge is not interested in learning at all. In learning it feels humiliated. That is why it becomes very difficult to learn. The more grown up you are less is the possibility for you to learn anything. A grown up person knows a lot but his capacity to learn is negligible. On the contrary, children know nothing but their capacity to learn is tremendous. Children are capable to learn very fast. Also they learn very easily. When you have to learn after the age of 35-40 or 50 years, it is very difficult – almost impossible sometimes. You may wonder what happens to the intelligence of a grown up person. After 40-50 years of experience in the world, human intelligence needs to be sharper than before. But it is not so. In the process of life‘s journey much dust and superfluous gathers on the layers of the mind. Intellect gets too much burdened. And then such a person feels really humiliated in learning anything. Most of the time, this remains the conflict between the youth and the old. How can such knowledge bow down? Knowledge cannot say, ‗I do not know.‘ and a disciple is one who can say ‗I do not know. All that I have known or gathered has not helped me to gain anything substantial in life. Therefore I am ready to learn. I have not come with any conclusions. I am empty. Fill me with thy awareness.‘ To say this or reach to this state of emptiness is most difficult. Once this has happened the other process happens without any effort. The real search is to seek the disciple in you. The real search implies how to empty the cup of your being. So that when you come across anyone who is overflowing with God, you can be filled! Filled to your heart‘s content! Strangely enough everyone is searching for a master. And in the search each is looking for the brand name, labels, number of disciples! Everything outer! But none of such people ever search disciplehood. So they go on missing the master. Then you will come across many people. But still you will feel unsatisfied. The reason for this does not exist on the surface. Instead it comes from your own mind. Let me tell you something about a Hassid mystic – Levi-Yitzhak. He was a beautiful Hasid master. He was so full of God that the song and dance of God overflowed whenever he worshipped or prayed. While worshipping or praying, he used to get so intoxicated that most of the times he would go wild. So it is said that he simply radiated the divine dance in its total wildness. He always worshipped with so much passion that people used to get frightened and move away each time. If he was worshipping in the temple, people would escape. Because while worshipping he Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat would go wild. Nothing existed for him then. When he prayed, even he himself ceased to exist. Now if you come with some preconceived ideas about how a master should be then Levi-Yitzhak appears to you a madman. If you think a master should be dressed a particular way! Or he should be sitting still like a Buddha! Then this man who is turning things upside down or running all over the place or who has scared other worshippers will certainly not fulfil the criterion of a master. But Levi-Yitzhak was a perfect master. God descends in many forms. Sometimes as a Buddha! Other times as a Krishna! Other times as a Mohammed! And remember God always comes in new forms. As a result there is no meeting. Remember all your conclusions are old. If you are born in Buddhist family, then how can you think this Hasid master to be a Buddha? Impossible! If you move with your conclusions, you will land in difficulty. The disciple of one master will not be able to recognize another master as master. As an individual you keep on carrying deep rooted prejudices. To you such prejudices will look very rational.
Now the parable! This parable is unique and beautiful. Each parable centers on Sufi master of the past. The current master will use the anecdotes of the past masters as parables. Sufi masters are unique because they know the art of saying things which cannot be said. Truth cannot be said directly. Saying directly is too aggressive. How can truth be expressed when you have not experienced it? Even in ordinary life an inexperienced thing cannot be told. Only words are conveyed. Truth is not fact. Truth is existential. And can only be experienced. And then can be said in a very indirect way. It can only be hinted at. You cannot be convinced of truth. Only you can be persuaded. And the beauty of the master is that he is not trying to convince of truth. Instead, he is going to seduce you into truth. There is no other word except seduce, to clearly explain the function of a master. By being in his presence, you get persuaded into it. If I have to put correctly a parable is seductive. Even those who were not searching for any truth may be suddenly struck by a parable. Something may suddenly get explored. Also people like stories. And stories have a tendency to hang around your consciousness. It is difficult to forget them. Parables have a way of reaching to the Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat deepest core of your being. Sufis have been using parables for ages. Let us not deviate from the present talk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what is a master. A certain man decided that he would seek the Perfect Master. Now to decide is wrong. Remember all decisions come out of your past experiences. One cannot decide to seek a perfect master. One can only become available in a very impressive way. Seeking, decisions etc are all active ways. One has to be feminine. More alert! More watchful about what one is trying to do. Have you known a master before? Have you any experience of a master? Whatsoever you have heard of a master is borrowed. You are not certain. And cannot, at all, be certain of its truth! So how are you going to decide? And how are you going to decide? Also how are you going to seek a master? What are the criteria for judgement? How will you determine that this is really a Perfect Master? Are you capable of judging a perfect master? If this be so then you are certainly higher than the master. You are sitting in the seat of a judge. You are not humble or a passive disciple. And remember master happens only in your passivity, in your receptivity, in your simplicity. A certain man decided that he would seek the perfect master. And why are you seeking the perfect master? This is the way of ego. Ego always seeks perfection. If you are interested in money ego wants you to be the richest man in the world. If you are seeking to be a moralist ego wants you to be a perfect saint. Ego has a deep desire to be perfect. All egoists are perfectionists. And all perfectionists remain neurotic. Perfection leads to schizophrenia. A humble person knows and accepts imperfections. A humble person never seeks or asks for impossible. It is only ego that goes for the impossible. Why do you need a perfect master? Probably you seem to be seeking perfection in everything, as is the case with almost everyone. And anything less than that will not appeal to you. You need a perfect master or a master who is well recognized, or internationally acclaimed. Ordinary masters would not do? The master has to be somewhat extraordinary. All this will satisfy your humble ego. And the paradox of life is that extraordinary happens in most ordinary manner. A real man does not want to be superior to anyone else. He lives in a world beyond comparison. The very idea of seeking a perfect master is based on comparison. A certain man decided that he would seek perfect master. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat This is the story of each one of you. And if you are the person seeking the perfect master, what would you do? Gather information about a perfect master. So too this man did. And in the process: He read many books.... How can you find a perfect master by reading many books? By reading you will become more and more stuffed with knowledge. And that will be the barrier. But this is what happens. Someone starts thinking of God, or truth or beauty. He will start reading books. Because everyone considers books to be the way to find all one is looking for. This is normal and natural too. But truth cannot be contained in words. I have heard of an Indian poet Rabindra Nath Tagore. Once he was thinking about beauty. He wanted to know what beauty is. A poet is always interested in beauty. He was concentrating on beauty. It was full-moon night. He was in his boat in river Hooghly. The night was majestic. Full-moon in the sky with its reflection in the river! He was surrounded by the silence of the river and the nearby forest. He was all alone in the boat. Occasionally a bird may call. And that was all. And afterwards silence will get deeper. Tagore was inside the boat. Pondering over the question – what is beauty. So he was looking into an ancient scripture. Tagore was seeking the wordless in the word. Or the formless in the form! Only a small candle was lit in his cabin. Tired and frustrated as he was it reached the middle of the night? And Rabindra Nath could not find anything on beauty in the scripture. Only words were there. He blew out the candle. And as he did so, he could not believe his eyes. Suddenly as he blew out the candle, something majestic happened. From the windows, from the door and from all corners the moon light just rushed in. Moonlight was already waiting to come in. He was transported into another world. He rushed out of the cabin. He looked at the moon, and the silence of the night. The reflection of the moon on the river, the silvery river, and the dense forest on the bank too he looked at. This was beauty. In all its splendour beauty surrounded him and he was seeking beauty in the word. All along he was searching in the books. But the beauty was waiting for him in all its glory and splendour. That small candle was preventing the splendour of the night. He was so much engaged in the scripture that he had forgotten that it was full moon night. Rabindra Nath threw the book in the river. That was the last time he ever thought about beauty. He said, ‗Thinking will not help when beauty is there, you have to be Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat available to it. You will have to blow out the candle of ego. Once the candle of ego is blown out beauty comes in many ways.‘ But this is what happens. You start thinking of finding a perfect master. You will go to the book to know how to find a perfect master. Now the book will confuse you. Each book will tell a different criterion. A Christian book only describes Jesus as the criterion. So too a Buddhist book will describe the qualities of Buddha as the criterion of a perfect master and so on and so forth. But none of these can describe in any way qualities of the perfect master. These represent only the qualities of one of the manifestations of the perfect master – a Buddha, or a Mahabir, or a Jesus, or a Holy Prophet, or a Krishna, or a Ramrishna, or a Krishnamurti, or an Osho etc. And once you start reading books your search is doomed to fail. You are already having a preconceived idea. Now you will be looking for a Buddha, or a Jesus, or a Raman, or a Zarathustra, or a Lau Tzu. None of these can be repeated. Once is enough. Nothing is repeated in the existence. A Krishna happens only once. A Rama happens only once. A Jesus happens only once. So too Mohammad happens only once. God‘s creativity is infinite. This is why God is called as the creator. There can never be a repetition. So confusion is bound to happen. Your intelligence may join all the qualities and you will create your own image of a perfect master. With this you will never find a perfect master. It is like taking one part of a donkey cart, another one from Rolls Royce, another from a plane and then putting them together. Definitely you will have something strange. But it will not work. Even a donkey–cart will be better. Howsoever slow, one thing is certain; riding it you will certainly reach somewhere. But the monster that your imagination has created will not help you. But this is what happens. A certain man decided that he would seek perfect master. So he read many books. This happens. First everyone seeks a perfect master. Nothing short of perfection will work. So he starts reading books. In the process some will find books as repetition. And then the end of the journey! While others continue to read! So those who read many scriptures and books create an idea of a perfect master. And such idea is a mere combination of many characteristics. These are collected from different scriptures. It is impossible. Such a person is imaginary and does never exist. You are in fact, searching for mirage or an illusion. This you will not find. Definitely you will come across many masters! But because of your own ideas Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat of a perfect master you will go on rejecting them all. Because of your idea, you will go on missing. Not that masters are not there. They are there always. The world is full of masters always. And remember God is not miser. Jews say there are only thirty six masters in the world at any time. Just 36! Had God become so miser? And why only 36! Jews are still generous than other religions. Jain says that there are only 24 perfect masters in the whole of the creation, from the beginning to the end. So for millions of years there is not a single master. Hindus are even more miser. They say only ten incarnations. Christians are even more miser. They say God had only one son – Jesus Christ. So only these perfect masters. Then how can you find one. Your search will be futile. God is generous. This I say on my experience. There is no fixed number of persons. Masters go on happening. Just people are blind and deaf. This hurts. To know that you are blind and deaf! That is why there are such theories. Only 36! Only 24! Only 10! Or only 1! So if you are not finding a master, nothing can be done because, it is only once in a while a perfect master happens. Just as roses are always available, Lotuses bloom every day, sun rises every day, millions of stars adorn the sky masters are always there. Only you will have to open your eyes. People go on thinking that perfect masters used to happen only in the past. And now they will not happen. Why Hindu incarnations have stopped happening. Has God stopped taking care of his creation? Then why does Krishna proclaim: ‗Whenever there is decline of righteousness I rise from age to age.‘ But Hindus have put a full stop on incarnations and perfect masters after 10. Same was the case in the times of Buddha. There are stories. They used to come to Buddha and enquire, ‗Are you the perfect master?‘ People used to go and ask Jesus, ‗Are you the messiah we are waiting for?‘ So when Jesus responded in affirmative people were offended. Everyone thought how a son of a carpenter could be our messiah. Such questions have always been asked. During Buddha‘s time it was said, ‗in the past there used to be perfect masters. It was true in the days of Vedas and Upanishads. But now these days how can there be a perfect master?‘ A certain man decided to have perfect master. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat So he read many books. Visited sages one after the other! Listened, discussed, practised but always found him doubting or unsure. You can read. You can discuss. You can become very logical. None of these will help you. And your doubts will continue to persist. Nothing will happen until you experiment. Only experience will destroy the doubts. But how you can experience a master? To experience a master you need to be a disciple. This is the first requirement. And what is the requirement of a disciple. Prayerfulness is the requirement of a disciple. Prayerfulness means – capacity to wait. Capacity to be empty! Capacity to surrender! Capacity to be available! This is what a prayer is. If you know how to pray, you will not only come to know a master, instead you will come across God as well. Prayer creates God. Prayer creates perfect master. Prayer prepares you for revelation. You should learn to pray. And once your prayer is complete master comes on his own accord. I repeat master comes of his own accord. Or he calls you forth whenever you are ready. When a master calls you, then the journey is totally different. When you are called forth by a master, not only the quality is different instead the journey is easier as well. Not only the journey is different you feel you are not going, instead you are being pulled. You know that now there is no way that you can resist. The pull of the master is irresistible. It is as if a strong magnet is pulling you. You are helpless. But you are thrilled that you are chosen. You come dancing. And you feel fortunate to be chosen. Just start your preparation wherever you are. Never ask if there is no perfect master, then what the point of preparation as a disciple is. Masters always exist. Rainer Maria Rilke says: ‗Prayer is a radiation of our being suddenly set a fire; it is an infinite and purposeless direction....‘ Introspect over these words. In the beginning you do not know where your prayer is going. It has no address and no direction. You may ask how to pray to God. You do not even know God? That is why you are praying. Certainly you would like to know what God is. But you do not know. As a result you are putting your heart out. Prayer is waiting for the unknown to take possession of you. Know this as faith. Know this as your trust.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat On the contrary the sceptical mind wants to ascertain first whether God is or not, ‗then I will pray.‘ Rilke is right when she says: ‗Oh but I knew this morning how far I am from those greedy one who, before praying, asks whether God exists.‘ ‗We will pray only if God exists,‘ says a sceptical. Then you will never pray. Remember without praying you will never know if God exists. Normally people make impossible conditions for praying. None of these conditions can be fulfilled. You go on praying. And do not ever ask if God exists. In your quest, God is irrelevant at that moment. Just go on making the prayer possible. A prayer is the lament. Prayer is the song of the heart. But it is addressed to the unknown. Maybe He is. Maybe not! But that is not the point. You should be joyous, and ecstatic in pouring your heart out. This is joy on to itself. Prayer is primary. And the existence of God is secondary. Never forget prayer is primary. It reveals God to you. It opens eyes. It opens the petals of your heart. It creates God. Suddenly everything becomes aflame with love. When you are aflame you can see everything around you as divine. Rilke says: ‗If he is no longer or does not yet exist, what difference does it make?‘ This statement is beautiful. This is how a religious person really is. He says: ‗So what if he does not exist yet. Certainly my prayers will bring him into existence....‘ Prayer is the womb. And I will give birth to God through my prayers. Through my prayers I will make him alive. This is the Sufi approach. Rilke is really reflecting the very heart and the essence of Sufism. And this is how poets and mystics have always felt. We will go on doing it. We will go on creating God. In fact let us not call this creation. Because, it is revelation remember for the one who prays! And the person for whom God is revealed for the first time, it looks like creation. It appears as if prayer has created it. In fact it reveals. It removes the thick layer of dark haze from your eyes. Your heart begins to pulsate and you fall in harmony with the whole. Suddenly God is there.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Prayer is naive. It is waiting for someone who never comes. Asking for someone or something that is not there! Not at least now! ‗If there be a God who loves man, let him speak now.‘ The poet Seneca says in his tragedy Thyestes, the prayerful heart is saying, ‗I am speaking to you, I am provoking you. Are you there? Just give me a little hint. A small word! A tiny gesture! And that will do! Are you there?‘ And you continue to shout to the skies even though there is no response. All your prayers disappear into nothingness. And there is no response from the other shore. Yet still the prayer goes on transforming you. The effects of prayers become visible. It may not change the reality outside you. But it will go on changing you. You will become softer and softer. You will become more feminine. And one day when you have really melted. When you are no more solid! No more hard like rock. When you are a flow! The response comes. Not from the other shore instead from the deepest or innermost core of your being. Really that alone is the other shore. And before that happens you will be the link between this shore and the other. Such link is master. And to ask for a perfect master is utter ignorance. Because to be a master implies totality! Replace the word perfect with total. A master is total. If he does not look total to you then you seem to have a certain idea of perfection. And that he is not fulfilling. A master never fulfils anybody‘s idea. He lives his own life. But one thing remains certain. He lives in total harmony. Forget it not, when I use the word perfect, I only use in the sense of completion. I was not using the word in your sense. Or in dictionary meaning! Whatever a master does, he is totally in it. You would have heard the name of Raman Maharishi. He was a silent sage. But he used to get angry at times. He was pure anger. Not contaminated one. It happened. One day a scholar came and stared asking unnecessary questions. And all the questions lacked intelligence and relevance. Raman listened. His questions were very long. And often he quoted scriptures to support his questions. And Raman repeatedly told him to ‗Please Meditate‘. And said the only thing for you to do is ask the question, ‗who am I‘. No other question is relevant. But the man engulfed in his ignorance would not listen at all. And we went on and on. Suddenly the disciple could not believe Raman took his staff and rushed after the man. And the man became so frightened that the man escaped from the room. Raman followed the man to the very gate of the ashram. But he returned laughing. None of his disciples could believe or understand this. Someone gathered courage and said, ‗but you and angry,‘ and Raman responded ‗look at the perfection of it.‘ Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat If you have any idea that master never gets angry, then you would be in great difficulty. If you have any idea that master should not look worried. Then you will have difficulties with Krishnamurti. Very often Jidu Krishnamurti will look worried. He has no worry of his own. He becomes worried for you. He goes on saying one thing and people would not understand and they go on persisting with their ignorance. With this Krishnamurti would get angry. And people around Krishnamurti had problems in accepting him a perfect master. Many times people come and ask the questions to clarify such matters. A master does not have anything of his own to be worried. He is always worried for the sake of his disciples. The very idea of perfection is the creation of your mind. Mind continues to think, the master should be like this or that. Master is not like anyone else. He is just himself. And one thing is always true, master is always total. Whatever he is doing, he is totally in it. He is never partial or fragmentary. If he is angry his anger is total. If he loves, he will be total again. Totalness or totality is the quality of a master. This is what I mean by perfection. All masters are perfect. So never search for a perfect master.
Now the parable: He read many books, visited sage after sage. Listened, discussed and practised but he always found himself doubting and unsure. After twenty years he met a man whose every word and action corresponded with the his idea of a totally realized man. Introspect over this parable. Now the explanation: Certainly this man had been carrying a certain idea within him for twenty years. He has conclusions. He knows what a perfect master is? He is looking for a living photo as a master, one who fits with his idea. It is the idea of a perfect master and now someone has to fit into it. This is ego. It is not humbleness. This is, in no way, how a disciple acts. This person is not a real seeker as yet. He is functioning through a conclusion. And more so, he has already decided his conclusions are right. How can your conclusions be right? And if, at all, your conclusions are right then you yourself seem to be the perfect master. Also you do not need the master then. Why then the search? Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Time flowed on. Search continued. And then suddenly after twenty years, he met a man, whose every word and action corresponded with his idea of the totally realized man. It must be a coincidence though. Sometimes such things do happen. The journey has to continue: so The traveller lost no time. ‗You‘, he said, ‗seem to me to be the perfect master. If you are, my search, my journey is at an end. Such is the way of an ignorant, who considers him to be wise. Such people are in abundance. Observe the statement the word ‗if‘ is there in his statement still. He still says, ‗If you are.‘ He is not sure. In spite of all the knowledge that he claims to have, doubt still persists. Hence the statement, ‗If you are.‘ Also it is so because of his conclusions about the perfect master is the outcome of ignorance. You will find people around you saying and asking such things, ‗I have to look for a real master. I wonder if this master is really good. I do not like this one.‘ People arrive at such conclusions out of their ignorance. You cannot see and feel the flame and yet still want to conclude. Master is the pulse of the cosmos. And when the conclusions are the outcome of ignorance, then trust cannot arise. And if you cannot find anyone who corresponds with your idea, he cannot be a master. And when you find someone who corresponds, that too just by coincidence, now the doubt arises. May be your idea is right. May be it is wrong. Hence this statement! ‗You seem to me to be the perfect master. If you are, my journey is almost complete and search concluded.‘ ‗I am indeed,‘ ‗I am described by that name,‘ responded the master. For a master all these are names. Call him a Buddha, an enlightened one, a Christ, a Messiah, a Nanak, a Zarathustra, a Lau Tzu, a perfect master, a Krishna, matters not. These are just the names for identification. Maybe these are needed by the people. But the master needs these not. He has arrived home. All words are meaningless. He has come to that silence where words do not exist. To that wordless silence he has reached. A realm where the orchestra is mute and yet still a joyous melody overflows! Such is the realm of the masters. Like a gentle breeze he comes, vibrates the inner chords of your being, and the suddenly vanishes in the unknown oblivion. Lucky are those who share a moment or so. Because meeting with such a presence is ecstasy, solace, harmony and thus opens the door of inward treasures. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Once again to the parable! So the master confirms the statement of the person. ‗Yes indeed, I am described by that name.‘ Observe the statement. ‗Described by that name?‘ He does not say ‗I am or I am not.‘ He only says people describe me by that name. However that man is not a disciple yet. One should seek or ask how to be a disciple instead of asking about the master. One should search the disciple in him. This is the first step. And when the disciple is ready the master appears. This man has not searched the disciple in him. But he wants the master to accept him. ‗That!‘ said the master, ‗I cannot do! It‘s simple, because while you may desire the perfect master. And what about him! A perfect master, in turn requires only the perfect disciple.‘ Ummm.... ....Twenty years‘ search wasted in a flash. Twenty years‘ energy brought no result. Because, the whole search was wrong! When the first step is wrong how the final step can be right? And the master is right. If you are seeking the perfect master then what about him? He cannot waste his treasures. He requires a perfect disciple. One who has trust! One who seeks not knowledge? So the master says go and first become perfect. It may sound harsh. But sometimes master‘s compassion flows like this. Twenty years wasted. No gain! All vain! And the master is right. Master is right when he says, ‗What do you think?‘ If you want a perfect master, then perfect master also wants a perfect disciple. Go and become perfect first. Go and be a disciple. Generally everyone thinks disciple hood is meaningless. And there is no need to be a disciple first. Everyone seeks a master. It requires a great discipline to become a disciple. The two words disciple and discipline mean the same. Both have same root – meaning capacity to learn. This man who is seeking a master is incapable of learning. And twenty years he went on moving with his conclusions. He has not learned the basic thing. During this period of twenty years, certainly, he would have come across many masters. But all along his consciousness came in the way. He trusted his conclusions more than those who he came across. The reason is that he had read much. This is the obstruction. Also this beclouded his vision. And now he says, ‗Because you seem to correspond to my idea. And I think you are the perfect master. Not that you are a perfect master. Only you correspond to my Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat conclusion.‘ Now how can you decide? Also what qualification do you have to judge a master – the number of disciples, reputations, social status or miracles? If you are capable of judging a master that will simply mean you are a master. And remember two masters do not judge one another. Each master has a role to perform. The existence wants masters to work at different levels. And in this process master also grows. How can you be decisive? Do you know from where you have gathered all this information - from books or from discussions or from arguments? All such things are borrowed. In your ignorance you have gathered all kinds of nonsense. Generally people gather information from the books. And the fact is that you can read the book but understanding is altogether different matter. Naturally you understand only through your ignorance. You can read a book on anatomy. But you cannot understand. Each discipline has its own terminology, language etc. And when it comes to understand the message of a Jesus, a Buddha, or Prophet, is altogether a different matter. It is like a primary school student is trying to interpret an Albert Einstein. The holy Quran is the fragrance of the flower that Holy prophet is. To understand the scripture you need the heart and the level of consciousness of the Holy Prophet. How can you understand the message of the Holy Gita? To understand the message of Bhagwad Gita you need the consciousness of Krishna. A man in ignorance is almost like a child. What ideas such a person has of perfection, or a master or God. All your ideas are childish. Biological growth does not correspond with the growth of understanding. Psychologists say men grow only biologically while their mental capabilities do not grow beyond the age of a five year old child. You will go on understanding only that which you can understand. Words are just empty. And you will have to provide your meaning. Words do not have any meaning. It all depends. Depends on what meaning you are going to give to them. Whenever you see something or read, always you give your meaning. It cannot be otherwise. All interpretations are yours. So people go on reading books and scriptures and continue to gather rubbish. When you quote a Bible, or a Quran, or Gita you are simply quoting yourself. And this always happens. When a scripture is translated into another language, much changes. It happened in case of Bible. Jesus spoke Aramaic language. Then it was translated into Hebrew. In the process it was translated from Hebrew to Greek and finally into English. In this process original fragrance was lost. You can do a simple experiment. Smell a flower when it is picked from the plant. Let this flower Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat change hands and pass through 10 persons. Smell the flower when it reaches you back. Its fragrance will certainly change. The Book of John 8:24 reads: ‗Except Ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins....‘ But here the word ‗he‘ is not found in the original manuscript at all. Earlier translators were in trouble by the absence of the object in the sentence. And they assumed something was missing. So they changed the statement, ‗Except ye believe that I am.‘ This is the original statement. And the translators changed it as to then this appeared incomplete. Now the statement reads, ‗Except ye believe that I am he – I am God.‘ Thus the immense beauty of the original statement is lost. The Bible still reads the same way. Jesus is simply saying, ‗I am!‘ And this ‗I-am ness‘ is the very quality of the existence. Jesus is not saying ‗I am God‘. Because if you say ‗I am God,‘ then you have already accepted the duality of ‗I and God.‘ Then ‗am‘ only bridges the gap. When Jesus says ‗I am‘, he simply says you can call it God or call it as ‗I‘. It is indeed the same thing. Just two ways of saying or expressing the same thing! When Moses met God on mountain top he asked, ‗People will ask me about you. How can I say something about you.‘ And He said, ‗Just go and tell them that God says: I am that I am.‘ Strange yet still a statement of great significance. When Jesus or Krishna speaks they speak from their consciousness. He pours his consciousness into it. And when it reaches you only empty containers reach you! No contents! His spirit is lost on the way. Then a priest or you try to give your meaning to those words. All scriptures function as mirrors wherein you can see your face. And remember when a monkey looks into the mirror, he cannot find and angel in the reflection. So what happened? This man read many books, Listened to many learned persons. Discussed intricate matters and practised. But doubt remained lurking behind everything he did. The search continued for twenty years. He came across many sages. But none of these could satisfy him. Thus he remained empty. Always doubting! And then one day he came across a man who fulfilled his idea. But when he was ready, and asked the master to accept him as a disciple, the master says: Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat ‗That I cannot do – I cannot accept you as a disciple. ‗Cause while you may seek a Perfect Master. And he in turn requires only the Perfect Disciple.‘ The master is enquiring ‗Had you prepared yourself to be a disciple all these years. You came across me many a times. But you missed each time. And once again you have missed. Such is Sufi approach to have communion with a master. First seek master. Remember master appears when the disciple is ready. A prayer is the lament. Prayer is the song of the heart. But it is addressed to the unknown. Maybe He is. Maybe not! But that is not the point. You should be joyous, and ecstatic in pouring your heart out. This is joy on to itself. Prayer is primary. And the existence of God is secondary. Never forget prayer is primary. It reveals God to you. It opens eyes. It opens the petals of your heart. It creates God. Suddenly everything becomes aflame with love. When you are aflame you can see everything around you as divine.
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Naqshbandi Path and Indian Sub – Continent ‗I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and nurtured by such forces from times immemorial. A land which is ready to explode any path! A land whose very being is not only ready but has the capability to infuse life even in a dead heart. I am sending you to INDIA.‘ Muhammad Khwaja alAmkanaqi (q)
N
aqshbandi path evolved in the Middle East region. As the noor was spreading other regions were also prepared. Islamic influence was spreading in the subcontinent. It was for the preparation of the advent of the new millennium that Hazradth Sheikh Mohammad Al Baqi Billah was sent to India. This was the beginning of the tariqat in Indian sub-continent. The land was already soaked in rich spiritual tradition. Just a spark was necessary to set the flame ablaze. Muhammad al-baqi billah He went to India in the first instance on personal business. There he was attracted to an attraction from God's attraction. Introduction to Baqi Billah: Hadhrath Baqi Billah is the first Naqshbandi master to settle in India in preparation for the second millennium or the advent of Naqshbandi Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Al Mujaddadi Alif Thani Sirhindi. ALlah Agr taE)Ik n de #Nsan ke bs ka kam nhI<, )Ejane muhBbt Aam hE #r)ane muhBbt Aam nhI. ALLAH AGAR TAUFIK NA DE INSAN KE BAS KE KAAM NAHI FAIZANE MUHABBAT AAM HE IRFANE MUHBBAT AAM NAHIN!! IF ALLAH DOES NOT MAKE YOU CAPABLE REMEMBER IT IS NOT IN THE HANDS OF THE FINITENESS OF MAN ORDINARY LOVE IS COMMON BUT THAT LEADS TO DUALITY AND CONFLICT ETERNAL LOVE OR LOVE DIVINE IS NOT COMMON!! ONLY AN ENCHANTED HEART IS FILLED WITH THIS ENERGY –THE SUBLIME AND SANCTIFIED!!!
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat BIRTH AND LIFE: He was born in 972 H. in the city of Kabul in the land of Ajam which was a colony of the Sultanate of India. His father was the judge Abdu-s-Salam. He went to India in the first instance on personal business. There he was attracted to an attraction from God's attraction. He left this worldly life behind and sought spiritual knowledge from the Master of the century. He kept company with masters and saints, until he himself became an ocean of intellect and a saint of spirituality.
SHRINE MOHAMMAD AL BAQUI BILLAH PAHAR GANJ, OLD RAILWAY STATION, DELHI, INDIA
He travelled continuously until he reached the city of Samarqand. There he associated himself to the Master of his time, Muhammad Khwaja alAmkanaqi (q). He received from him the Way of the Naqshbandi Order. In a very short time he received what most seekers require a lifetime to receive. He was elevated also through the spiritual care of Ubaidullah al-Ahrar (q). His honor became known everywhere. His sheikh, MuhammadKhwaja al-Amkanaqi, authorized him to take followers and to train them in the conduct of the Order. He ordered him to go back to India. He predicted, ‗You are going to have a follower who will be like the sun.‘ This prediction was for Imam Rabbani Ahmad al-Farooqi (q). JOURNEY TO INDIA AND WORKS: Baqi Billah was the first Naqshbandi master to come to India. Later he settled in New Delhi. His shrine is in old Delhi behind, Pahar Ganj railway station inside the Mohammaden cemetery. Inside anyone can direct you to the shrine. Lucky are Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat those who can pay the visit to the shrine. And those who cannot reach there for such aspirant meditation considering the picture as shrine will work. This is my trust. This work is the link between you and the master. Only you have to be available. His sheikh, Muhammad Khwaja al-Amkanaqi did not make any changes in the technique or tariqat, however he instructed Baqi Billah to bring even the ordinary ones into the fold. Make this spiritual awareness available to the people who are still not on the path, was the trust and the instruction of his master. Once Baqi Billah visited a master who told him it is good that you have brought so many into this fold. Nearly half of these are incapable on their own. Transform these people. Bring the light divine or Noor into their hearts so that it begins to shine with the Light Absolute and can kindle up the dark being. Sheikh Amkanaqi asked him not to look at the inner capacity of the individual. This way you will never find aspirants. Had Baqi Billah not brought such relaxations in the tariqat a vast cross section would have remained deprived of this inner treasure. Amkanaqi said, â&#x20AC;&#x2022;I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and nurtured by such forces from times immemorial. A land which is ready to explode any path! A land whose very being is not only ready but has the capability to infuse life even in a dead heart. I am sending you to INDIA. India has been the University of Meditation and the BEACON LIGHT not only now but from TIMES IMMEMORIAL. It has created many Buddhas. He moved back to India and stayed in the city of Delhi, which he filled with faith and knowledge and secrets and lights. Through him the Naqshbandi Order was spread with great swiftness throughout the Indian Subcontinent and millions of people were connected to him through his various Khalifas. All nations in the Subcontinent were attracted to his knowledge and his ENERGY FIELD or tawwajzoh and to the Prophetic Characteristics dressing him. It became known throughout the Indian Subcontinent that anyone coming to him and looking in his eyes, or sitting in his proximity doing dhikr, would enter a state of Self-Effacement and intoxication, through which he could reach a state of Annihilation, in a single meeting. By this miraculous power he attracted millions of people, until this Naqshbandi Order was on the tongue of everyone. He passed the Secret of the order to his successor, the Sheikh of this order, the Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Mujaddadi Alif Thani. Thus the name Mujaddadi was added to the already known Naqshbandi order. Later on another name was added to the Shajarah of Naqshbandi order. And now it is known as NAQSHBANDIA MUJADDADIA MAJAHARIA!
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Sheikh Ahmad Al Farooqui Mujaddadi Alif Thani INTRODUCTION Sheikh Ahmad al Faruqi is The 25th Sheikh from Silsila Auliya Naqshbandia. He is the master of the second millennium. With him the tariqat attained a new dimension and a new impetus. Earlier the tariqat was known as Naqshbandi one who designs the path of growth and transformation of the consciousness of the aspirants. With Sheikh Ahmad a new era was ushered into the Naqshbandi tariqat. Accordingly Mujaddadi was added to the path. Now the tariqat is known as NAQSHBANDI MUJADDADI. He is the Diamond of the Crown of the Masters. And the treasure of those who came before and also of those who came after and those who are yet to come as well! In him were combined all their favors and generosity. He is the Sinai of Divine. Manifestation, the Furthermost Bodhi Tree of the Knowing, awareness, and understanding is Sheikh Ahmad al Faruqi.
Shrine Sheikh Ahmad Faruqi Mujaddadi Alif Thani Sirhindi, India
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TAOSHOBUDDHA AT SHRINE SHEIKH AHMAD AL FARUQI MUJADDADI ALIF THANI
(26 TH JUNE 1564 - 10 TH OF DECEMBER 1624)
Also he is the Fountain of the Hidden Prophetic Knowing. The Genius of Scholars is Sheikh. And the Sultan of the Earth, which smiled when he was born and was honored by his existence! He is the perfect Perfected Guide. He was the Caller to Allah's presence, the One Qutb and the Unique Heavenly Imam. He was the Reviver of the Second Millennium, Sayyidina and Maulana (our Leader and Master) Sheikh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi. He is regarded as having rejuvenated Islam, due to which he is commonly called ‗Mujaddidi Alf Thani,‘ meaning ‗reviver of the second millennium‘, referring to the Islamic tradition of Mujaddid. He is said to have had considerable and long lasting influence in India, and to have given "to Indian Islam the rigid and conservative stamp it bears today.‘ Numerous Naqshbandi suborders, such the Mujaddidi, the Khalidi and the Haqqani sub-orders, trace their spiritual lineage through Sheikh Sirhindi, referring to them as ‗Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi‘. Sirhindi‘s shrine is located in Sirhind, India and is referred to as ‗Rauza Sharif‘. BIRTH AND LIFE: It has been related that the blessed day of the Sheikh‘s arrival into this world was Thursday the fourteenth of Shawwal 971 Hijri, or twenty-sixth of June 1564. His place of birth, also the place from where the Sheikh enlightened the world with his presence, was a town called Sirhind. At the time of his birth, some extraordinary events were recounted. His mother relates, ‗After the birth of my son Sheikh Ahmad, I fell unconscious whereupon I had a vision, and saw that my home was full of Awliya‘ Allah who was all congratulating me on the birth of my son‘. The Sheikh‘s father Makhdoom Abdul-Ahad relates, ‗On the day of the birth of my son, I had a vision in which I saw Allah‘s Messenger Holy Prophet-sallallahu alayhi wa sallam reciting first the Adhaan and then the Takbir in the ears of my son.‘ In Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat addition, the khalifa of Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Quddoos Gungohi, namely Sheikh Abdul Aziz, was present in Sirhind on that day, and in a state of Kashf he saw a huge gathering of angels. Sheikh Ahmad was bestowed by Allah subhana wa ta'ala with natural adherence to the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam (another name of the Holy Prophet) right from his first days. He was born with the physical requirements of the Sunnah already fulfilled, and as an infant he was unlike other children. He would not cry, would always have a smile on his face and would never be seen naked. When Shah Kamal Kaythli saw the child, he said, ‗A huge number of practicing scholars and kamil Sheikhs will obtain faiz from this child. The light of his guiding words and instructions will shine until the day of Qiyamath. He will rid the land of innovation and falsehood, and will revive the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.’ After saying this, the Sheikh placed his tongue in the baby's mouth, and Hazrat Sheikh Mujaddid Alf Thani suckled on it. When Sheikh first went to school, he memorized the Quran in a very short space of time. He received his early education through his father and through many sheikhs of his time. He made progress in three tariqats: Suhrawardiya, Qadiriyyah, and Chistiyya. He was given permission to guide followers in all three tariqats at the age of 17 years. He was busy in spreading the teachings of these tariqats and in guiding his followers, yet he felt that something was missing in him and he was continuously searching for it. However he felt an interest in the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, because he could see by means of the secrets of the other three tariqats that it was the best and highest. His spiritual progress eventually brought him to the presence of the Ghawth and Qutb of his time, Sheikh Muhammad Baqi Billah who had been sent from Samarqand to India by his Sheikh, Muhammad al-Amkanaqi. He took the Naqshbandi Order from the sheikh and stayed with him for two months and some days, until Sayyidina Muhammad Baqi Billah opened to his heart the secret of this tariqat and gave him authorization to train his murids in the Order. He said about him, ‗He is the highest Qutb in this time.‘
Shamshuddin HabibUllah Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana
T
he path that was known as Naqshbandiyah initially came to be known as Naqshbandiyah – Mujaddadiyah with the advent of Hadhrath Sheikh Ahmad al Farooqui Mujaddadi Alif Thani. The Journey continued Through the Mujaddadi era and the advent of Sheikh Ahmad al Farooqui, Sheikh Hadhrath Khawaja Muhammad Masoom, Hadhrath Sheikh Safuddin, and Sheikh Noor Mohammad Badayuni as Sheikhs in the order and then another pause came into tariqat. Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat This pause came because of Sheikh Shamshuddin HabibUllah Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana. As a result the path came to be known as NAQSHBANIYAH-MUJADDADIYAHMAZHARIYAH. This is the continuation of the Golden Chain of the path. Naqshbandi Sufi Brij Mohan Lal is the 38th sheikh of the tariqat-i-Naqshbandiyah-MujaddiyahMazhariyah. His full name is Saidyana Shamsuddin Shaheed Feesawi Lillah Hazrat Shah Mahboob Habibullah Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana. He was the Sun of Eternal Happiness. He was the Beloved of Allah, Almighty and Exalted. He was the Spirit of the People of Truth, and he was the Essence of the Spirit of the People of Taste. He was the Kaaba of the Godly and one of the Flags of the Noble Messenger. He elevated the Knowledge of the Religion of Muhammad. He revived the Way of the Naqshbandi Order. BIRTH AND LIFE: BIRTH AND LIFE: He was born in 1113 H /1701 AD in India. From his childhood the light of Guidance and the Traces of Piety shone from his forehead. His features (Mazhar) were molded with the Manifestation of heavenly beauty or tajalli-l-Jamal. He was famous, like the Prophet Yusuf, for his beauty. And everyone loved him because he represented beauty both inner and outer. That is the attribute of God, about whom the Prophet said: ―God is beautiful and he loves beauty,‖ and it is also the attribute of the Prophet, about whom Anas said, ―Your Prophet was the most beautiful in appearance and had the best voice of all prophets.‖ Because of this, Sheikh AbdurRauf al-Munawi said, ―The Prophet has no comparison in his beauty.‖ When Sheikh Mazhar was nine years of age, he saw Sayyidina Ibrahim, who gave him miraculous powers through spiritual transmission. At this age, if anyone mentioned Abu Bakr as-Siddiq in his presence, he would see him appear with his physical eyes. He was also able to see the Prophet and all the Companions of the Prophet as well as all the Sheikhs of the Naqshbandi Order, especially Sayyidina Ahmad al-Farooqui Mujaddadi. His father was one of the jewels in the court of Moughal emperor Aranguez. Every one used to call his father MIRZA SAHAB out of respect. Once Mazhar accompanied his father to court of the emperor, someone asked his name. At this Aranguez responded by saying, ‗The child is the life essence of the father. Therefore this boy is JAANE JAANA.‘ Thus Mirza JANE JAANA was added to his name. He was a poet who composed in Arabic and Persian languages. His father raised him and educated him in all branches of religious knowledge. At a young age his heart was attracted to the spiritual light coming from his Sheikh, as-Sayyid Nur Muhammad Badayuni. His Sheikh opened the eyes of his heart and fed him from the nectar of the flower of the Hidden Awareness and Understanding. The Sheikh Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat took him out of the state of self-awareness and lifted him up to the Highest Realms, which produced in him great astonishment and caused him to faint. When he awoke up he accompanied Sheikh Nur Muhammad in further ascension. The Sheikh allowed him to observe the Mysteries of the Hidden World and gave him gifts from his miraculous Powers and realms. One look of his Sheikh opened in him the Nine Points, the loci of the Naqshbandi Secrets. From the knowledge of the nine points, he delved into the secrets contained in the five of the more powerful points, until his Sheikh authorized him to ‗activate‘ the Nine Points at any time and to use them. Then he brought him back down to be in his presence and only in his presence. He brought him up and down, from one stage to another, and enveloped him with his light and protected him with his gaze, until he achieved the ultimate fruition and awakened himself from Ignorance and inertia. He stood fast in serving his Sheikh with complete truthfulness and sincerity. He continued to progress by entering seclusions in the desert and in the jungle at the instructions of his Sheikh. In these seclusions, his only food was grass and the leaves of trees. During his period of asceticism in the desert and jungle, he wore only what would cover his nakedness. One day, after many of these seclusions, he looked in the mirror and didn‘t see himself instead, he saw his Sheikh. At this stage the Sheikh authorized him to guide Allah‘s servants to their destinies and to the Straight Path, and he put him on the Throne of Succession, and by him the Sun of Guidance ascended the Tower of Happiness. When his teacher passed away, he continued to visit his shrine and for two years he received whatever lights and knowledge his master was able to transmit to him from his shrine. Then he was ordered through his spiritual connection to his Sheikh to connect himself with a living master. He reached the Door of the perfect Saints of his time, Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, Sheikh Safi Sadullah, and Sheikh Muhammad Abid. He attached himself to Sheikh Shah Kalshan and to another Sheikh by the name of Muhammad az-Zubair. He used to attend the session of Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, one of the khalifas of the son of Muhammad Masoom. He visited and studied with Sheikh Abdul Ahad and received from him knowledge of the Prophetic Hadith. During this class, whenever the Sheikh would mention a Hadith, he would disappear through Self-Effacement, and a vision would come to him in which he would find himself sitting with the Prophet and hearing the Hadith directly from the Prophet. He would correct any mistakes that might occur in the Sheikh‘s narration of the Hadith, and was acknowledged as a genius in the science of Hadith. He kept the company of these Sheikhs for twenty years. He progressed further and further in the States of Totality, until he became an Ocean of Bliss and Knowing. He Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat rose in the Firmament of the Qutbs until he became the Qutb of his time, shining like the sun at high noon. Sheikh Muhammad Afzal said, ―Sheikh Mazhar Habibullah was given the state of Qutb and he is the central pivot of this tariqat at this time and will remain so in times to come.‖ His spiritual understanding and awareness attracted people from all reaches of the Subcontinent. In his presence, each seeker would find what he needed, until through his blessing the Indian Subcontinent became like a Kaaba encircled by flocks of angelic beings. In his noble person were combined the energy of four tariqats. He was a master of the Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Suhrawardi and Chishti Orders. He used to say, ―I received the secrets and knowledge of these orders from my Sheikh, Sayyid Nur Muhammad Badayuni, until I attained a very distinguished awareness in these Orders. He lifted me from the Ibrahamic Stage to the Mohammaden Stage, which caused me to see the Prophet sitting in my place, while I was sitting in his. Then I disappeared and I saw him sitting in the two places. Then I saw him disappearing and I saw myself sitting in both places.‖ ALAME GHAIB Bayazid Bistami explains ghaib as that realm of eternity where a master rests after he relinquishes the finite world after leaving the body. All that comes from this realm is not only sublime but transforming as well. About ghaib many misconceptions exist. It is argued that after the master is no more, how can the disciple be nourished and nurtured. Master is the connection or the link between the murid and the realm of ghaib. So when the master is no more how can this link remain. Just as before the birth of child milk descends in mother‘s breasts so too with the inner connection with the master the treasures of this unknown and unknowable realm open for the disciple. What is needed for this? For this unwavering love and trust as the outcome of love for the master is the first criterion. With adab comes in love for the master. Love is the key to treasure realm of ghaib. For an ordinary consciousness this is very difficult to understand. There is no inner connection. Once the realm doors are unlocked you are connected to all the masters that happened in the past and also those who are to happen at some future date. With this inner connection all the inner states of awareness, tariqat and all that is needed for transformation becomes available. It is said that with Mazhar Mir the Naqshbandi tariqat attained to its totality. This should not mean the tariqat was incomplete or faulty. He emphasized that one can be in the world and still follow the path to inward journey. One can continue totally in the outer and its affairs and deep within flows the stream of benediction and Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat awareness. With trust and adab one remains connected with the realm of masters. Remember trust and adab is not an outward exposition instead it is an understanding. And for this no external expression is needed. Then one realizes that that the energy field of the master is always envelops the aspirants. #nayt ka r<g Aaj bdla huAa hE vh hE< ya< jama bdl kr bEQe hu@ jra Apne cZme hkIkI se deoae n yh jam oalI n vh jam oalI INAYAT KA RANG AAJ BADLA HUYA HAI, VOH HAIN YAN JAMA BADAL KAR BAITHE HUYE; JARA APNE CHASME HAQUIQUI SE DEKHO; N YEH JAAM KHALI N VOH JAAM KHALI!!! TODAY THE FORM OF GRACE AND COMPASSION IS DIFFERENT, TODAY HE IS AMONG US IN A DIFFERENT GARB! FORGETTING YOUR PHYSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF COGNITION, LOOK DEEP WITHIN THROUGH YOUR CELESTIAL VISION; NO REALM OR PLACE IS EVER DEVOID OF THY PRESENCE SOLEMN AND SUBLIME!!! The life of Mirza Mazhar is full of anecdotes and incidents. All of these cannot be mentioned. He was quite young when his master Nur Mohammad passed away. Once he had a vision that a congregation of masters descended from heaven. And one the masters resembled Nur Mohammed! At this he sought the confirmation from the master. At this the master responded I am your thought not your master. At this Mirza expressed agony that it was for the first time I have been inclined towards another master. At this the master in question appeared in his true form. He was in fact his master. This he thought was due to any weakness. Thus he attained to the association of 17 masters.
SHRINE HAZRAT MAZHAR MIRZA MIR JA NE JANA, TURKMAN GATE NEWDELHI, INDIA
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TAOSHOBUDDHA IN MEDITATION AT THE SHRINE MIRZA MAZHAR MIR JANE JANA, NEW DELHI, INDIA
kae$ naja< hE tIrae tegaE zmzIr ke dm pr muHe hE )³ dage #Zk kI tnvIr ke dm pr hU ALlah ke isva kuD ‐I inklta hI nhI< mu<h se yh takt Aa gyI dIvane kae jNjIr ke dm pr grIbe rahe %L)t zad hU< duinya se Kya mtlb bjata cEn kI b<sI hU< Apne pIr ke dm pr KOI NAZA HAI TEERO TEGO SHAMSHEER KE DAM PAR MUJHE HAI FAKR DAGE ISHK KI TANVEER KE DAM PAR HOO ALLAH KE SIVA KUTCH BHI NIKALTA HI NAHI MUH SE YEH TAKAT AA GAYEE DEEWANE KO ZANZEER KE DAM PAR GARIBE RAHE ULFAT SHAAD HUN DUNIYA SE KYA MATLAB BAJATA CHAIN KI BANSHI HUN APNE PEER KE DAM PAR SOMEONE EXISTS AS THE OUTCOME HIS OWN EGO THE FALSE, I REALLY BOAST ON THE INNER STRENGTH OF LOVE ETERNAL; WITH LOVE ETERNAL ‘HOO ALLAH’ ALONE ECHOES MY EXISTENCE MY BEING! AND NOW BINDS MY EXISTENCE EACH FINTE AND INFINITE MOMENT, WITH LOVE ETERNAL
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat EVER INTOXICATED I DWELL IN MY MASTER UNCONCERNED OF THE FINITENESS AND DUALITIES: INTOXICATED! NOW EACH PARTICLE OF MY BEING ECHOES THE SONG OF BLISS AND HARMONY!!!
Before beginning the Shazrah or anything sublime one must begin with prayer. Such is eternal etiquette or adab. Never consider this a mere tradition. Something that springs forth from deep within the inner sanctum is not tradition. Know this as your being. Pointing toward this i now begin this overflow. Each finite moment life is plundered with what appears to our individual benediction and at other times as obstacles. All this happens because of the energy field or what we know as God. The source of all this ever remains from human cognition! From an unknown source it springs forth. Sufis call ghaib.
ego as cosmic hidden this as
Guided by an energy field within we interact. Undergo pain and pleasure! Continue to blame others for all states of unpleasantness. Thus moves on life and living. This we consider as our destiny. Ecstatic Umar Khayyam laments: Moving finger writes and having writ, moves on! Nor all thy wit nor piety shall lure it back to cancel half a line!! Such are the ways of human understanding. However this is not Sufi understanding. Generally ghaib refers to the realm that contains within its womb all that is hidden and remains unknown to human understanding. To a Sufi ghaib refers to a state of awareness. It is a storehouse of various energy fields that are capable to transform human consciousness. Bayazid Bistami explains ghaib as that realm of eternity where a master rests after he relinquishes the finite world after leaving the body. All that comes from this realm is not only sublime but transforming as well. Man ultimately gets all that he has earned for. Hindus call this as the law of Karmas. Because of our accumulated actions we assume human form. Each moment we continue to accumulate new actions. With awareness and meditative insights each action exhausts the web of past actions and impressions on our consciousness. And in this process never accumulates any more impressions. Such are the ways of a spiritual life. A life of Awareness! Only benediction happens! Even amidst all vicissitudes and turmoil that life presents. Awake and arise therefore! O Fool! Laments an ecstatic Shankar through Bhaja Govindam – an immortal epic of the being! It is said that at the time of initiation or what Sufis call as bay‘at the aspirant once again becomes childlike. Like a mother the master nourishes and nurtures the Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat disciple even when he is no more in physical form. What flows from a motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s heart as love towards her child flows from the being of a master towards the disciple or murid as compassion or spiritual energy or faiz. This can happen no other way. This is the reason that mother is considered second after God as replica. So too a master is replica of the Whole in finite form. This all happens because of this indomitable unknown and unknowable energy-field or ghaib. All that one attains this way can happen no other way. Initiation is like a mother feeding the child. Unless the mother breast feeds the child the child cannot grow. So too without initiation and its conscious recognition by the disciple no progress is ever possible along this path.
Bayazid Bistami explains ghaib as that realm of eternity where a master rests after he relinquishes the finite world after leaving the body. All that comes from this realm is not only sublime but transforming as well.
***
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Naqshbandiyah Tariqat Hindu and other influences I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and nurtured by such forces from times immemorial. A land which is ready to explode any path! A land whose very being is not only ready but has the capability to infuse life even in a dead heart. I am sending you to INDIA. India has been the University of Meditation and the BEACON LIGHT not only now but from TIMES IMMEMORIAL. It has created many Buddhas. Sheikh Mohammad Al Amkanaqi RA-to Sheikh Mohammad Baqi Billah
N
aqshbandiyah tariqat was the part of the fundamentalist Islamic tradition until it came to Indian sub-continent. It evolved, grew and flourished as an oasis amidst the deserts of the Middle East. However, it was entering a new climate of - political, religious and social fabric. Therefore it could not separate itself from the prevailing influences. Politically Muslim invasions continued from the North West part of the continent. After the invasion Mughal rule of Babar was established because of political disunity and fractions among the Hindu rulers. Because of atrocities of the Islamic rulers there was social, cultural, and political unrest. In the name of religion conversions were imposed. All this was causing unrest. On the other hand Bhakti movement was at its pinnacle. In north and South many streams and tributaries were flourishing. A Sheikh of this Golden chain Hazrath Al Amkanaqi realizing it to be the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala sent Hadhrath Al Baqui Billah to India. Before he actually did he spoke of these words about the land and the climate where this sacred chain was now being sent. Hadhrath Amkanaqi said: ―I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and nurtured by such forces from times immemorial. A land which is ready to explode any path! A land whose very being is not only ready but has the capability to infuse life even in a dead heart. I am sending you to INDIA.‘
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat India has been the University of Meditation and the BEACON LIGHT not only now but from TIMES IMMEMORIAL. Truly its cultural heritage is older than any of the oldest civilizations. Indus valley civilization is even older than the Egyptian or Babylon civilization. Scientific and astrological researches have proved the existence of scriptures that mention of constellation of stars that happened nearly 90,000 years ago. It has created many Buddhas, saints, sages, incarnations and masters. It has absorbed many religions and paths for spiritual development. And in the process has lent its texture to all that once appeared to be alien. Hadhrath Baqui Billah moved back to India and stayed in the city of Delhi, which he filled with faith and knowledge and secrets and lights. Through him the Naqshbandi Order spread with great swiftness throughout the Indian Subcontinent and millions of people were connected to him through his various Khalifas. All nations in the Subcontinent were attracted to his knowledge and his ENERGY FIELD as tawwajzoh and to the Prophetic Characteristics dressing him. It became known throughout the Indian Subcontinent that anyone coming to him and looking in his eyes, or sitting in his proximity doing dhikr, would enter a state of SelfEffacement and intoxication, through which he could reach a state of Annihilation, in a single meeting. By such miraculous energy-field he attracted millions of people, until this Naqshbandi Order was on the tongue of everyone. And the tariqat blended with the existing spiritual trends and textures. His spiritual understanding and awareness attracted people from all reaches of the Subcontinent. In his presence, each seeker would find what he needed, until through his blessing the Indian Subcontinent became like a Kaaba encircled by flocks of angelic beings. The journey of the tariqat continued through various Sheikhs of the Naqshbandiyah tariqat. Along with also developed other tariqats â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like Quadriyah, Chistiyah, and Sohrawadiyah. The Naqshbandiyah path traversed through the Mujaddadi era for which Hadhrath Baqui Billah was sent. The journey passed through Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Mujaddadi, Hadhrath Mohammad Masoom, Hadhrath Sheikh Safuddin, Hadhrath Nur Mohammd Badyuni and reached another juncture at Hadhrath Mirza Mazhar Nir Jane Jana. In the noble person of Hadhrath Mirza Mazhar Nir Jane Jana were combined the energy of four tariqats. He was a master of the Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Suhrawardi and Chishti Orders.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Hazrath Mazhar Mir Jane Jana used to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2022;I received the secrets and knowledge of these orders from my Sheikh, Sayyid Nur Muhammad Badayuni, until I attained a very distinguished awareness in these Orders. He lifted me from the Ibrahamic Stage to the Mohammaden Stage, which caused me to see the Prophet sitting in my place, while I was sitting in his. Then I disappeared and I saw him sitting in the two places. Then I saw him disappearing and I saw myself sitting in both places.â&#x20AC;&#x2013; Although the tariqat was blending within the social and religious fabric of the continent yet still the custodians of the various paths maintained their separate identities and rancor against one another. Religious narrowness continued among the fundamentalists and those who considered themselves the custodians of the path of inner transformation. In the name of religion and conversions many atrocities were inflicted upon the common masses. As a result many revolted. On one hand these custodians (the combination of the priestly communities and the polity) spoke of religiousness, however their hearts were all filled with ignorance and the lack of the understanding of the message of Allah Subhan wa Taala and the masters. Religious intolerance remained the order of the day. As the journey continued the Naqshbandiyah tariqat that once wore a totally Islamic texture began to have other color and hue. Some resented these while others welcomed this as the setting of a new trend. Constant atrocities by the Moughal emperors on the other religious sections especially Hindus in the name of religions saw the emergence of Sikh religion. The masters maintained the spiritual values of both Hindu and Islam and incorporated these as integral part of their religious teaching. Yet still their survival made the Sikh Gurus follow the road to become militants. This was once again the revival of the era of the Holy Prophet when for survival he had to take the sword in his hand. Saints like Tulsidas, Mira, Sahjobai, Tukaram, Kabir, Nanak, and all the remaining nine gurus came on the spiritual horizon along with Sufi Masters like Moin Uddin Chisti, NizamUdin Auliya, Amir Khushroo, Raskhan etc rose to the occasion. All these different traditions, and faiths blended in the main stream of Indian spirituality that was at its pinnacle from times immemorial. Thus evolved new poetry, values, and many influences. Naqshbandiyah tariqat could not keep itself separate from these trends. Both Hindu and Muslim followed the tariqat. Yet still religious narrowness continued. It was in such an environment one of the Sheikhs of this Golden Chain of Naqshbandiyah tariqat made predictions for the setting of a new trends and influence in the tariqat. Shah Bahauddin Naqshband is the 17th Sheikh of the Golden Chain. Therefore I have given the chain in that order. This does not mean there has been no one else Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat who carried on the tariqat. Each sheikh had many khalifas. However the chief among them was handed over the golden chain of the tariqat while others worked in harmony with the main stream. Yet still there were a significant numbers who cut off the links for various reasons and started their own work under the false banner of truth. These I will not mention as this is not the work of the one who seeks light or Noor. And since this is happening it must have the sanction of Allah Subhan wa Taala. Nothing ever happens without the Supreme will. May the masters guide those who have deviated along the path? There has been many other khalifas who have done tremendous work in the process of transformation as part of the main stream. Still they are not the part of the golden chain. Following is the actual chain from Shah Bahauddin Naqshband. 1. Kwajah Bahauddin Naqshband r.a. (d. 2 Rajab al-Murajjab, 791AH) - Qasr-eAarifan (Bukhara) 2. Hazrath Alaaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;uddin Attaar r.a. (d. 20 Rajab 802AH) - Jafaaniyan (Mawralnahar) 3. Hazrath Ya'qoob Charkhi r.a. (d. 5 Safar, 851AH) - Charkh (Bukhara) 4. Hazrath Ubaidullah Ahraar r.a. (d. 20/29 Rabi al-Awwal, 895AH) Samarqand (Mawralnahar) 5. Hazrath Muhammad Zaahid r.a. (d.1 Rabi al-Awwal, 936AH)-Wakhsh (Malk Hasaar) 6. Hazrath Darwesh Muhammad r.a. (d. 19 Muharram, 970AH) Samarqand (Mawralnahar) 7. Hazrath Muhammad Waaqif Amkanki r.a. (d. 21/22 Sha'baan,1008AH) Akang (Bukhara) From here the tariqat came to India and became the part of Indian Sub-continent. There has to be a reason for this. And when it came to Indian Subcontinent that was predominantly A Hindu community how could it keep itself separate. Such is the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala. Yet still fundamentalists maintain the Islamic texture and negate the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala, and go on calling themselves to be on the path. It is time to rise beyond narrowness of all kinds. Only then you will seek the realm of spiritualism. 8. Hazrath Khwaja Baqui Billaah r.a. (d. 25 Jumaad al-Aakhar, 1012AH) - Delhi (India) Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 9. Hazrath Imam Rabbani, Mujaddid Alif Thani, Hazrath Sheikh Ahmad Farooqi Sirhindi r.a. (d. 28 Safar, 1034AH) - Sirhind (India) 10.Hazrath Khawaza Muhammad Ma'soom Farooqui r.a. (d. 9 Rabi al- Awwal, 1079AH) - Sirhind (India) 11.Hazrath Sheikh Sayfuddeen Bin Ma'soom Farooqui r.a. (d. 19 Jumad al-Oola, 1095-1096AH) - Sirhind (India) 12.Hazrath Nur Muhammad Badyooni r.a. (d. 11 Dhul Qa'dah, 1135AH) - Dehli (India) 13.Hazrath Mirza Mazhar Jaan-I-Jaanan r.a. (d. 10 Muharram, 1195AH) Khanqah Mazharia Turk Man gate Delhi(India) 14.Hazrath Abdullah Shah Naimullah r.a. (d. 22 Safar, 1240AH) - Behraich U.P.(India) 15.Hazrath Mawla‘na Muradullah r.a. (d. Dhul Qa'dah, 1248AH) - Lucknow U.P.(India) 16.Hazrath Sayyed Abul Hasan Sa'eed r.a. (d. Sha'ba'n, 1272) - Rai Bareli U.P.(India) 17.Hazrath Mawla‘na Khalifa Ahmad Ali Khan r.a. left on 04.11.1904(AD) Kaimganj, Distt. Farrukhabad (Uttar Pradesh) 18.Hazrath Mawla‘na Shah Fazl Ahmad Khan r.a. (1857-1907 A D) QusbaRaipur Distt. Farrukhabad (Uttar Pradesh) 19.Hadhrat Mawla‘na Abdul Ghani Khan r.a.(1867-1952 AD) Qusba- Bhogaon, Distt. Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) 20.Hazrath Sheikh Ramchandra (Lalaji) Ji Maharaj (1873-1931 AD) r.a. Fatehgarh (Uttar Pradesh) India 21.Hazrath Sheikh Raghubar Dayal (Chachaji) Ji Maharaj (1875-1947 AD) r.a. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh India 22.Hazrath Sheikh Brij Mohan Lal (1898-1955 AD) r.a. Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India 23.Hazrath Sheikh Onkar Nath (1935-2008 AD) r.a. Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat As I have mentioned earlier it was from Sheikh Baqui Billah that the tariqat came to Indian Sub-Continent. With Imam Rabbani Sheikh Ahmad Mujaddadi a new era was ushered in the tariqat. And then with the advent of Hadhrath Mazhar Mir Jane Jana the existing tariqat entered a new phase. And once again after the advent of Mazaharia Nisbet the path underwent another major influence. It was the advent of the Naqshbndiyah Sheikh beyond the Islamic religion, instead from Hindu religion. About this advent a prediction was made by one of the Sheikhs nearly 100 years before the actual happening of the event. It was the 33rd Sheikh Hadhrat Sayadina Hazarat Kutub-i-alam Abul Hasan Naseerabadi who made the following prediction to his Khalifa. And in the process each sheikh waited and then passed on the forecast to the next Sheikh. It was Hadhrath Abul Hasan Naseerabadi who mentioned of this forecast to his khalifa – the next Sheikh Hadhrat Mawla‟na Khalifa Ahmad Ali Khan Kaimganji, who left the body on 04.11.1904(AD). The forecast meant, „I am witnessing the lack of interest among the Muslim community towards this Naqshbandiyah tariqat. I am seeing two persons from Hindu religion will come to you. They are the true inheritor of this Nisbet. Do not hesitate in transferring the secrets of this tariqat and the Golden Chain to these two persons.‟ This was the time of ‗tassubi‘ or spiritual narrowness, division on the basis of religious beliefs and many atrocities in the name of religion. There was division and ignorance as far as spirituality or ‗roohaniyat‘ was concerned. However with this Nisbet came to Hindu Sheikhs beyond the narrowness of religions and religious belief. Spirituality is beyond religions and narrowness of any kind. Almost one hundred years ago a forecast was made by Sayadina Hazarat Kutub-ialam Abul Hasan Naseerabadi. Who in turn mentioned of this to his Khalifa Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan (Khalifa Sahib) Kayamganji. Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan too waited lifelong for these two people. No one came. So when it was the time for Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan to leave the finite realm he spoke to his chief khalifa, Sufi Maulana Fazl Ahmad Khan, who became the next Naqshbandi master: ‗Maybe my master had seen your reflection through me. And this forecast is for you. Take care and be ever aware about this forecast. Maybe these people will come to you. All along Sufi Fazl Ahmad Khan waited. The destined time of the meeting was coming closer. It was rainy night! Thunder and lightning! Amidst such an Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat atmosphere when serenity prevailed amidst turmoil indicating that at the center of cyclone there always exists tremendous serenity. The destined meeting happened! A person named Ramchandra came to the company of the master wading through the external turmoil. This was followed by his younger brother Raghuber Dayal. These were the two destined ones about whom the forecast was made nearly one hundred years ago. Ramchandra and Raghuber Dayal later came to be known as Naqshbandi Sufi Ramchandra or Lala ji, and Naqshbandi Sufi Raghuber Dayal or Chacha ji. The entire system of roohaniyat is based on such forecasts or wisharads. Thus came the dawn of a new era in Naqshbandi order of Sufis. This was the beginning of the Hindu influence into tariqat. Although the outer appearance may differ, beliefs too may differ but the inner state of awareness or truth or Nisbet never changes. And if there is any change in that state then it is not truth. Truth is sublime and most auspicious. Truth is ALHAM DIL ALLAH, SUBHAN ALLAH. OR what Hindus say it SATYAM, SHIVAM, SUNDRAM. Let us dwell in the realm of truth or haquiqat beyond narrowness of all kinds. Remember the words of a Sheikh of this tariqat: ‗BETASSUBI SADAKAT KI JAAN HAI!‘ ‗TO RISE ABOVE NARROWNESS IS SPIRITUALITY!‘
From here the tariqat came to India and became the part of Indian Sub continent. There has to be a reason for this. And when it came to Indian Subcontinent that was predominantly A Hindu community how could it keep itself separate. Such is the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala. Yet still fundamentalists maintain the Islamic texture and negate the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala, and go on calling themselves to be on the path. It is time to rise beyond narrowness of all kinds. Only then you will seek the realm of spiritualism.
Spirituality is beyond religions and narrowness of any kind. Yet still the custodians have tried to muddle it up within the narrow boundaries of religion, caste, and creed. Almost one hundred years ago a forecast was made by the 33rd Naqshbandi Master Hadthrath Sayadina Kutub-i-alam Abul Hasan Naseerabadi. Who in turn mentioned of this to his Khalifa Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan (Khalifa Sahib) Kayamganji. The forecast meant: Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat ‗I am witnessing the lack of interest among the Muslim community as far as roohaniyat is concerned. I am also seeing two people will come from alhe hinud or Hindu Religion. They will be true inheritor of this spiritual treasure. Do not hesitate in giving them this wealth.‘ After this kasf Hadhrath Sayadina Abul Hasan waited life ling for the arrival of these two destined ones. But no one came. When he was leaving the world he mentioned of this to the next master Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan saying that may be this forecast if meant for you. Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan, who lived in a place called Kayamganj in U.P. India, too waited lifelong for these two people. No one came. So when it was the time for Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan to leave the finite realm on 4th November 1904 he spoke to his chief khalifa, Sufi Maulana Fazal Ahmad Khan, who became the next Naqshbandi master: ‗Maybe my master had seen your reflection through me. And this forecast is for you. Take care and be ever aware about this forecast. Maybe these people will come to you.‘ All along Sufi Fazal Ahmad Khan waited. Sheikh Fazal Ahmad Khan was a school teacher. He used to rent a small room in same school compound of Mufti Sahib where Sufi Ramchandra Lala Ji had also rented a room to carry on his studies. Sufi saint used to teach children in his room as part of livelihood. Each time when LalaJI would pass in front of the room of the Sheikh to reach to his room; with door open the Sheikh would wait and LalaJI will pay respect before reaching to his room. Thus the communion continued mystically. The meeting has not yet happened. In 1891 Ramchandra got a temporary job for a very small salary as the financial situation was very tight and the resources were meager to meet the basic needs. He still maintained the room for his studies. The destined time of the meeting was coming closer. It was a dark yet cold wintry rainy night! Thunder and lightning! Amidst such an atmosphere serenity prevailed amidst turmoil indicating that at the center of cyclone exists tremendous serenity. In the night Ramchandra was returning to his room in this cold wintry rainy night. His condition was pitiable. He was shivering with cold as his whole body was drenched in rain. The destined meeting happened! Same time the Sufi master caught the glance of him and looked at him lovingly. The glance came like the warmth from the soul. Sufi said such an atmosphere of thunder and lightning and still you are here. Lalaji used to say these words of Sufi came like panacea for the soul that erelong aspired for the union. Ramchandra came in the company of the master wading through the external turmoil.
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat Even in such a state Lalaji paid his regards of the master. The two eyes met. With this a high voltage current flowed through his body from head to toe. And the body and mental consciousness drowned in that current. It appeared as if a new soul from the unknown and unknowable realm entered his being. The Sufi instructed him to go in and change the clothes. In the mean time he lit the fire-place and asked LalaJI to sit along with him before returning home. Lalaji followed the instruction. The two sat on the same bed as the only sitting place. The Sufi covered him with his comforter to maintain the natural warmth. The two went into the state of meditativeness as the tawwajzoh of the Sheikh Fazal Ahmad Khan overflowed and Ramchandra (Lala Ji) was pulsating at its melody totally intoxicated and blissful. It was a state of intense meditativeness. The effect of tawwajzoh or the energyfield was intense. It appeared as if all outside turmoil was drowning in such energyfield. The inner and the outer states merged into one another. It appeared as if the bliss overflowing from the soul was drowning the body and its consciousness. It also appeared as if all the cells of the body were breaking into its components. This was the first physical commune. The meditative commune lasted for nearly two hours. As the rain had ceased with the permission of the Sheikh Lalaji left for his home. Lalaji explains the state of his awareness as he entered the outer world coming out of the Sheikh‘s room: ‗It appeared as if the sky, the stars, the entire creation, the plants, everything were overflowing the bliss that flowed at that moment. All the psycho-centers of head, heart and the body were opening. Also it appeared as if his Sheikh had dissolved in him – a state of fana-fi-ul-murid.‘ On reaching home he did not take dinner. Instead went to sleep straight away. And at dawn a vision happened. He saw a congregation of Sheikhs and enlightened ones. Suddenly a magnificent platform descended and a glorious sheikh sat on it. Full of etiquette and loving respect Sheikh Fazal Ahmad Khan presented Lala Ji to this sheikh. He was immediately accepted by the Maasheikh saying ‗your life and the being are inclined towards truth since birth.‘ As Lala Ji narrated this vision to his Sheikh tears began to overflow. And wished this vision to be fulfilled! Saying this he became meditative and said, ‗You are very dear to me. I used to see you very often and whenever you paid respect you were being nourished and nurtured by the Tawwajzoh, faiz and nisbate-illahi mystically. Persons like you are rare whose life is for the upliftment of humanity. It appears that the Maasheikh has accepted you and all that happened to you in the first commune rarely happens to others even after a long association. You will not only attain to the state of fana-fi-ul-sheikh instead that of fana-fi-ul-murid as well.‘ Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat With this inward journey entered a new realm, and awareness. Life found a new direction. It is important for me to explain these two terms. Fana – fi – ul – Sheikh: This is a state of awareness in the inward journey of the murid. It happens when the murid is totally in love for his sheikh. There is utter trust. He dissolves his being in the sheikh. Both inner and the outer life and understanding is soaked with the awareness of the sheikh. This is the state of Tasuwware Sheikh – when nothing but all that reminds him of the sheikh appeal to him. The thoughts, introspection on the words of the sheikh and meditating on his continence becomes his way of life. Fana – fi – ul – Murid: This state is very rare. It happens to rare one. One who by his love, understanding, awareness, trust, etc first dissolves in his sheikh? And then a state comes when the sheikh is so pleased with him that his being is dissolved in him as well. Lala Ji was such a rare one who even with his bayat attained to this state of awareness or Fana – fi – ul – murid. This was followed by his younger brother Sufi Raghuber Dayal. These were the two destined ones about whom the forecast was made nearly one hundred years ago. The entire system of roohaniyat is based on such forecasts or wisharads. Thus came the dawn of a new era in Naqshbandi order of Sufis. I will not go into details for now. However you can go to the upcoming book of Taoshobuddha „Leaves from a Sufi Heart vol. 3‟. Now coming back to the life and birth of Sufi Brij Mohan Lal! ***
Submission of Articles Anyone who wished to submit the articles for publication in his journal is free to submit articles as soft copy only. The following guidelines are required: 1. The articles must be related to Naqshbandi Tariqat only. However in exception case the articles on other Sufi Tariqats may be entertained. 2. Type on letter size format with border 1 inch on either side Vol: 1 Issue 2 April- June 2011 – The Quarterly Publication
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The International Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat 3. The header and footer need to have margin of one inch each 4. The images can also be submitted if necessary 5. All articles be addressed to the Chief Editor Journal of Naqshbandi Tariqat via the email to mailtaoshobuddha@gmail.com 6. Upon receipt the articles will be acknowledged. 7. The editor holds the right to edit delete or add any word or sentence as may be necessary according to tariqat and authenticity. 8. All articles published in the International Journal Of Naqshbandi Tariqat shall remain the copyright material of the Journal. 9. It remains the responsibility of the writer that the articles does not violate the copyright infringement and does not contain any derogatory material that may offend anyone. 10. The journal is made available free of charge through various sites therefore no remuneration is possible for articles published.
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VIDEO LINKS OF MARAQBA AND SHRINES IN INDIA MARAQBA AT THE SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH SAFUDDIN BIN MASOOM FAROOQI RA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgwGPhf61Hk MARAQBA AT THYE SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH KHAWAZA MOHAMMED MASOOM FAROOQI RA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg81aUm5xo0 MARAQBA WITH HAZRATH SHEIKH BHAIYYA JI RA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RETdQ81YH8o MARAQBA-I-MUJADDADI AT ROZAI-SHARIF SIRHIND WITH SHEIKH TAOSHOBUDDHA RA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg81aUm5xo0 NAQSHBANDI LALAJI RA AND ISAWAYI TARIQAT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ege7YNFWhQE NAQSHBANDI SHRINES AT LUCKNOW, KANPUR, FATEHGARH, KAYAMGANJ, AND RAIPUR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3emb21AJU4 MARAQBA-I-MUJADDADI AT THE SHRINE HAZRATH SHEIKH AHMAD FAROOQI MUJADDADI ALIF THANI RA AT SIRHIND http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg81aUm5xo0
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