INITIATION IN THE SUFI ORDER

Initiation among the Sufis has, for one of its many objects, to find a caravan in the hereafter that journeys to the desired goal. Therefore, by initiation it is meant that a Sufi prepares him or herself here on earth to be capable of appreciating the spiritual souls, and unites with them in the brother/sisterhood of initiation on the Path, which may keep him or her connected with the caravan which is continually journeying toward the goal. Our path is a path of the heart. By taking initiation in the Sufi Order International, you enter a family of like-minded souls. Many have described this experience as coming home. Initiation involves a serious commitment to yourself. !o benefit from "hat the Sufi path offers re#uires initiative. !he first step is to contact the Sufi Order community nearest to you. $enters offer ongoing classes from a curriculum designed by %a&rat Inayat 'han and elaborated by (ir )ilayat Inayat 'han and (ir *ia Inayat 'han. !he second step is to find a spiritual guide. +ou "ill find much information about the relationship of guide and mureed in this booklet. $hoosing a guide is an important process. !ake the time you need to become ac#uainted "ith sufi guides. +ou can ask to meditate "ith more than one guide. Select a guide "ith "hom you feel comfortable. ,eveloping trust bet"een guide and mureed is one of the most important steps on the path. (eace and Blessings, %assan Suhra"ardi -ebel Secretary -eneral .lima /ucinski ,irector

The Object of the Sufi Path

Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan It is most essential for my mureeds to think "hat motive, "hat ob0ect they have in their "orking "ith the teaching and meditations given in the Sufi Order. Is it that they "ish to develop occult po"ers1 !hen such po"ers are not promised. Is it that they "ish to learn very much1 But there is not much study given here. Is it that they "ant to be good1 2o special principles of goodness are taught here. If they "ant to be spiritual, "e have not yet made solitudes and seclusions as they have on the top of the %imalayas and in the caves of the mountains, that "e may give up our life in the "orld and retire there, nor do "e "ish for it. !hen "hat is the motive "hich keeps us busy in the Sufi Order, "hat is our ob0ect in taking this path of initiation1 Our ob0ect in this is to become human, to find the "ay ho" to become human, ho" to live a human being3s life to its fullness, ho" to live a life of love, harmony and beauty.

On Initiation
Pir Zia Inayat Khan Abode of the Message 0 !"#!0$ In !he 4ay of Illumination 5)olume 6 of !he Sufi Message7 there3s a section specifically on initiation8 In considering the #uestion of being initiated into the Sufi Order, there is in the first place the inclination to kno" something different from "hat is taught in the "orld. One feels the desire to seek for something though one kno"s not "hat. One feels that the opposites, good and evil, right and "rong, friend and foe, are not so far apart as

one used to think. .t the same time, the heart is felt to be more sympathetic than ever before, and the sense of 0ustice makes one "ish to 0udge oneself before 0udging others. !his all sho"s that one may look for a guide through these unkno"n paths. !hen there is the feeling, especially after reading or hearing something about Sufism, that one is already really a Sufi, that one is at one "ith the circle of Sufis.9 I can3t tell you ho" many times I3ve had discussions "ith people and they say :4ell you3ve 0ust put a name to "hat I kno" myself already to be.9 It3s not a matter of convergence, it3s a matter of discovering something one never imagined there "as any kind of designation for, something one already identified "ith. One may no" feel dra"n to the spirit of the teacher from "hose hand initiation may be taken. .nd thirdly there is the feeling, after studying the books published by the movement, or after speaking to the (ir-o-Murshid, that the message is genuine. !hen the #uestion arises8 "hat is meant by initiation1 Initiation, or in Sufi terms Bayat, first of all has to do "ith the relationship bet"een the pupil and the Murshid. !he Murshid is understood to be the counsellor on the spiritual path. %e does not give anything to, or teach the pupil, the mureed, for he cannot give "hat the latter already has; he cannot teach "hat his soul has al"ays kno"n. 4hat he does in the life of the mureed is to sho" him ho" he can clear his path to"ards the light "ithin by his o"n self. !his is the only purpose of man3s life on earth. One may attain the purpose of life "ithout a personal guide, but to try to do so is to be like a ship traversing the ocean "ithout a compass. !o take initiation then, means entrusting oneself in regard to spiritual matters to a spiritual guide.9

!his section goes on to describe ho" does one decide "hether a particular teacher is the right spiritual guide. !o become an initiate in the Sufi Order therefore implies a "illingness to agree "ith its teachings and ob0ects. !hen very importantly, a "illingness to cease to attach importance to the differences of the "orld3s various faiths, and to see in all the Masters only one embodiment of the divine Spirit. <urther, that one is not already follo"ing another course of spiritual training. In such a case, "hy go to another kind of teacher as "ell1 It "ould be like travelling in t"o boats, one foot in each. 4hen each boat goes its o"n "ay, although they meet in the end at the same goal, yet the traveller "ill sink in the sea. 2o one could seek guidance under t"o teachers except out of lack of patience "ith the one or lack of confidence in the other, making him still cling to the first9. !his is an important #uestion and one "hich needs more explanation than is offered here because there are some nuances. Sometimes a teacher "ill send a student to another teacher to receive a particular kind of training but ultimately "hat is being discussed here is the distinction bet"een Bayat al-%a##i#ah, the essential commitment, the allegiance of the essential Bayat, and the second kind of Bayat "hich is called Bayat al-Baraka, "hich is an initiation of blessing and provisional training. In the course of this exploration "e "ill perhaps go further into this. 2o" "ith "hat ob0ects should one take initiation under the Murshid1 !o reali&e the self, "ithin and "ithout, !o kno" and communicate "ith -od, "hom alone the "orld "orships, !o kindle the fire of divine love, "hich alone has any value,

!o be able to read nature3s manuscript and to be able to see into the "orld unseen, !o learn ho" to control oneself, !o light the torch of the soul and to kindle the fire of the heart, !o 0ourney through this positive existence and arrive in this life at the goal at "hich every soul is bound to arrive at the end. It is better to arrive in the light than only be transported through the dark. !hen there is a discussion of secrecy8 "hy are the esoteric teachings "ithin the Order kept secret1 In the course of our discussion this too perhaps "ill come up. But let me first consider initiation from the broadest possible perspective. One could say that initiation refers to a venture into the unkno"n, "ith the guidance of intuition, "ith the conviction of the faith of intuition. Imam al--ha&ali, in his classic "ork !he .lchemy of %appiness, says that Bayat, initiation, is like shooting an arro" to"ard a target that one does not see. It is a "onderful image. So one is reminded of perhaps *en archery and the archers "ho shoot the bo" "ith a blindfold. One may distinguish bet"een the various types of actions that one takes in life. $ertain actions are very premeditated and deliberate and are taken strategically "hile other actions arise in a different "ay. +ou could say that they flo" forth. !his is "hat is learned in *en archery; it is not to release the arro" oneself but it is that the arro" is released. !he fingers do it themselves. .nd in fact there are "ithin the body, all manner of processes that are going on, autonomic functions, functions of our various systems and organs that "e are not conscious of, yet they "ork naturally according to their o"n flo". .nd if "e did "ant to exert control of them "e "ould no doubt disturb the "hole balance of our body because they move best in you interrupt the flo" of typing to think about "here is the key, you "on3t be able to type at all, but your fingers have learned, the nerves at the endings of your fingers actually type on their o"n. So this is a

kind of a natural gesture, a spontaneous, intuitive movement and this is the kind of movement that is intended by the "ord initiation. ,r. ,avid Bohm, a great modern physicist, reflecting upon his life, told a story about "hen he "as a child and "as playing "ith some children in the forest. !hey came to a stream and there "ere rocks in the stream. %e "anted to cross over. %e "as a rather cerebral boy "ho "ould never act precipitously, but "ould plan his route in advance, each motion predetermined. But he found in this particular scenario that if he "ere to pause midstream to 0ump onto one rock, then pause to consider his next move, there "ould be no "ay that he could cross this stream because each 0ump had to flo" from the previous one. !he next foot had to be moving into position 0ust at the moment that the first foot "as landing. So he had to adopt a "hole ne" mode of action. !his is a beautiful example of initiation. It comes spontaneously, not arbitrarily, not randomly, but as an act of instinctive flo". It3s not something that is rationali&ed, that is "orked out in all its particulars. It involves a commitment and that is "hat is involved in traversing the stream. +ou have to make the commitment, you have to be prepared for "hatever eventuality, once you3ve made the first leap. So that is all implied "hen -ha&ali says that initiation is like shooting to"ard a target you don3t kno". +ou don3t kno" "hat the end result of all of this "ill be, you don3t kno" "hat is in store for you, but you kno" that your impulse, your natural flo", your intuition is dra"ing you ineluctably in that direction and then you surrender to your o"n intuitive impulse. In the history of initiation in Sufism, one finds there are many bi&arre stories. It3s not at all a case of rationali&ed decisions. On the contrary one finds, "ell first of all, the stories of the encounter of Ma"lana =umi and Shams-i !abri&. Shams-i !abri& "as the "ild dervish "ho ble" in from the desert in 'onia "here =umi "as the great scholar and teacher, but rather bookish. .ccording to one

version, Ma"lana =umi "as sitting at home "ith his students. On the table in front of him he had his books piled up, and of course he "as treated "ith utmost deference and respect by his students. . ne" presence appeared that "as Shams-i !abri& and he seated himself in the corner. .s =umi "as discoursing, suddenly Shams pointed to the books and said, :4hat is this19 =umi "as no doubt impatient "ith this outburst "hich "as a breech of proper adab, protocol, speaking "hen he "as speaking and asking such a ridiculous #uestion, pointing to the books saying :4hat is this19 So =umi 0ust brushed him aside saying, :+ou don3t kno",9 and moved along "ith the discourse. Suddenly the books caught fire, burst into flames, and =umi, alarmed, pointed to the books and said, :4hat is this1>9 .nd Shams said, :+ou don3t kno".9 In the case of Murshid it "as also something very sudden, for he had many tragic experiences in his young life. %is young "ife, soon after marriage, died suddenly and then one after another, those to "hom he "as closest in his family passed a"ay. %e turned "ithin, became very "ithdra"n, and sought to uncover meaning in life, and so he made a pilgrimage to .gra. It came to happen that he began to have visions of a face. %e kne" that he should find a teacher and so he travelled around India and met different murshids. %e said that some "ere very great teachers and others "ere charlatans. %o"ever, he appreciated the experience he had "ith each one of them yet he never felt called to make that special connection until finally he "as at a gathering in %yderabad "ith the Sufi sage Maulana 'hair-ulMubin and suddenly everyone got up. Maulana 'hair-ul-Mubin had asked everyone to rise up because he kne" that Shaykh .bu %ashim Madani "as coming in. Shaykh Madani looked across the room directly at Inayat 'han and said, :4ho is this young man that appeals to me so much19 .nd 'hair-ul-Mubin had the intuition to say he is a young man "ho seeks initiation from you. .nd this "as

indeed his desire and so immediately they recogni&ed each other and at that very moment he "as given initiation and in this "ay the relationship began. So these are some stories that reveal the magic of initiation. In some cases the magic of initiation is immediate and undeniable, and in some cases something is imparted #uietly, subtly. It goes very deeply and is not noticed. .nd only after months or even years, it begins to unfold itself and present itself and the value of "hat has been entrusted comes to be more and more experienced. !here3s a verse in the ?ur3an "hich says "hen you take initiation, you take initiation "ith -od and -od3s hand is upon your hand. So the act of initiation means taking hand. !he right hand takes the right hand and the left is on the left. So there3s a holding of hands "hich forms a circuit of positive and negative energy and allo"s for a flo" of energy "ith the heart of the initiate and the initiatee, connected through this loop. !hen one can imagine that those very hands that are outstretched, those very hands offering initiation had received initiation from a previous teacher, outstretched in the same "ay and that previous teacher, those very hands, had received the hands of a previous teacher in precisely the same "ay. In this "ay the hands "ho have touched a living initiator have touched the hands of each of the saints in our Order through (ir-o-Murshid Inayat 'han. If you have taken initiation in this Order, you have touched the hands of Inayat 'han directly through physical, traceable physical contact, not to mention the inner dimension. .nd those hands can be traced back through all of the saints of this lineage, not 0ust the ones single file, but of course each silsila dra"s in multiple strands and so the "hole history of sacred practice in Sufism. .nd from Sufism branching out to all of the spiritual traditions of the "orld, to the spiritual hierarchy represented by the prophets, saints, and masters of

all religions. It is all infused through this tactile, genuine transmission of energy. (ir-o-Murshid says in the book, . Sufi Message of Spiritual /iberty, it3s like a string of lights, like $hristmas lights, all strung up on a single current. .nd to receive that current is to be plugged into something that is greater than any one possible human achievement. It is that sum total of generations and generations of spiritual aspiration and attainment "hich is perpetuated through the initiatic act and becomes, as you could say, a kind of entity in itself. !he consciousness of all of the saints, each reflecting back on his or her predecessor, form a single consciousness, a unified field of perpetual blessing. !hrough initiation you have the benefit of a spiritual force that is other"ise extremely difficult to assimilate. Murshid says @ one might be surprised to find this @ that in the Sufi Order the learning, the study of teachings, is not the primary thing. %e says that the practice of meditation, the disciplines of breathing, of modulation of consciousness, this too is not actually the primary thing. !he primary thing, he says is that bond, the bond bet"een the mureed and the murshid. !hat is the essence, something that can hardly be described. It is so delicate and yet so strong. It is something that some begin to experience as a tangible reality, not only a notion or idea, but a substantial link. .nd that link, as it is cultivated through practices of reflecting upon, envisioning, of attuning to the beloved murshid in all circumstances, that link is reinforced and the presence or proximity of the murshid becomes attracted, becomes reali&ed. . thread bet"een the heart of the initiate and the heart of the murshid exists "hich is a constant source of connection. It is a tremendous blessing. It3s also a tremendous responsibility and a covenant. In fact that "ord is used in that same passage of the ?ur3an, the "ord for covenant, Aahada, because the murshid has committed himself or herself "holly, entirely, to the

mureed. !here is a saying of 'h"a0a Moin-ud-,in $hishti, a saying that came over from the other "orld after his passing in "hich he says he is not in heaven, he has not entered into paradise. %e stands outside of heaven saying, :I "ill not enter heaven until every last initiate of my lineage is "ith me.9 .nd so the murshid puts the salvation of the mureeds before his or her o"n salvation. .s Murshid said, :!he murshid is there for the mureed.9 .nd there is reciprocity in that relationship. !hat the murshid has offered himselfBherself spiritually so entirely also implies the "illingness, the responsiveness of the mureed to attend to, to cultivate that relationship, to be true. In this "ay in proving true to the murshid, to learn trueness to all humanity, to act "ith conscientiousness and consciousness in the presence of the guide, in the presence of the murshid, one learns a respect. .nd that respect then is manifested in all of one3s relationships and to"ard -od. !he "ay of Sufism is ultimately the "ay of relationship, relating to -od, relating to humanity, and "e do so first through a relationship of utter intensity and utter purity, the relationship bet"een murshid and mureed. !hat relationship comes to be more important than anything else. It may be that one looked for the murshid to find one3s sense of inner peace. But then as that relationship develops it may become that one "ould prefer disease over ease at the expense of proximity to that connection "ith the Spirit of -uidance through the spiritual hierarchy and through the murshid. I3ll give an example of "hat I mean here. !here3s a story that Murshid tells of a peasant "ho "as deeply interested in spiritual sub0ects unlike all the people around him in his village. It once happened that a great master "as passing through and all of the to"n3s people "ent to go see that master, saying that this is a man "hom if you get his blessing, you "ill be assured entry into paradise. .ll of them "ent to see him except this one young man.

!he master, having heard that one person "as especially interested in spirituality and yet had not come to see him, made a point to go visit that young man. Cpon meeting him he said, :4hy didn3t you come to see me19 .nd the young man said, :I had a murshid and he has passed on and the people of the village are saying that a blessing from you "ill guarantee entry into heaven. My murshid "as a man of limitation. %e "as a person like all people and I can3t say for sure "here he is in the hereafter, "hether he is in heaven or the other place. But, this I kno", I don3t "ant to be forced into heaven if I find out later that he3s not there.9 !hat "as his devotion. Dven if his murshid "ere in the other place, for him that "ould be a heaven because it had proximity "ith his ideal. !hat really represents the beauty of this relationship. It is a relationship, as "ith all relationships, that evolves and there are stages in "hich the aspirant pro0ects their o"n ideali&ation based on their prior acculturation, assumptions of "hat is good, "hat is right. One puts the murshid upon a pedestal based on all kinds of prior 0udgments, and denies the humanity of the murshid, "hich ultimately is essential to being a "hole human being. So there may be stages of stripping of the veils and even of disillusionment, but "hat is essential is that in all of this process, there is an essential mutual commitment of love. On the part of a true murshid, that must al"ays be present, it can never be said of a true teacher that he does not have at heart "hat is best for the mureed. .nd so it is a continuous 0ourney in "hich even murshid and mureed may both evolve together, but they are united in a single unified covenant, "hich itself gives propulsion to the spiritual path.

The Sacred %in&

Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan Initiation is a sacred trust, a trust given by the murshid to his mureed and a trust given by the mureed to the murshid. !here should no longer be a "all from the moment of this initiation; for if there is a "all, then the initiation is not an initiation any more. .nd "hen the "all bet"een the mureed and the murshid has been removed, then the next step "ill be for the "all to be removed that stands bet"een -od and the "orshipper. Besides the Sufi Order is an order of mysticism, and there are certain thoughts and considerations "hich should be observed. One of these is that "hen once a secret has been entrusted to one, it must be kept as one3s most sacred trust. One must also accept all the teaching that may be given to one; "hether it is bitter medicine or s"eet, the patient takes it. !here is a time for everything, and so illumination has its time. But progress, the real progress, depends upon the patience of the pupil, together "ith his eagerness to go for"ard. (eople make a great many mysteries out of the name initiation, but the simple explanation of initiation is trust on the part of the pupil and confidence on the part of the initiator. I heard from my murshid, from my initiator, something "hich I shall never forget, A!his friendship, this relationship "hich is brought about by initiation bet"een t"o persons is something "hich cannot be broken, it is something "hich cannot be separated, it is something "hich cannot be compared "ith anything else in the "orld; it belongs to eternity.3

Initiation
Pir 'i(ayat Inayat Khan 4hen one observes ho" intelligently the structures of life and their unfoldment are planned, it becomes obvious that "e sho" unmistakable lack of ob0ectivity "hen "e believe that in our o"n lives and those of our loved ones, destiny strikes blindly and unfairly. It takes the insight of one "ho has been up on the mountain, "ho has lifted himself above the sub0ective assessment of himself and his o"n "ishes and "hims, to see the reason behind the reason behind the reason for the "ay things :happen9 :to him.9 !he causal relationships bet"een events transpire before his inner eye in the form of immutable la"s, and behind these is a highly deliberated guidance. !he :(o"ers that be9 take receptivity into consideration, and respect our freedom, sometimes seemingly unfortunately so, "itnessing the breakdo"n of communication bet"een the spheres as a dialogue of deaf and dumb, "ith the exception of urgent communications. .s "e advance "e seek guidance o"ing to the difficulty in reaching the celestial guides directly. One looks for one "ho is sufficiently in harmony "ith the hierarchy of the masters, or sensitive to their "ishes, to act as a go-bet"een or even lift the consciousness of the pupil to the point that he is able to reach some measure of guidance directly. If such a master is authentic, he "ill refer to the one hierarchically above his o"n position for his briefing 5"hether incarnated or not7, and the latter refers to the spiritual superior beyond that position. !his is the chain of transmission "hich reaches to the source of all initiation, the One beyond, of "hom naught can be said. !he interrelationship existing bet"een the masters is firmly and solemnly established, ratified by a covenant that has karmic implications. !his is "hat is called initiation, ordination, consecration, baptism, the

covenant "ith 2oah and Isaiah, the ne" $ovenant and the most ancient one. Such a master "ill generally link the one "ho asks him for counsel finally to the hierarchy by the same contractual ground that he himself has solemnly taken on, "hich includes the karmic responsibility for the gro"th of the initiate, "hom he, of course, does not take solely upon his o"n shoulders, but shares "ith the hierarchy in perfect measure to "hich he refers to them for the guidance of the pupil. !he very incidence of this act may precipitate a transformation in the initiate, if its timing corresponds to a real threshold that the initiate is passing through in the natural unfoldment of the path before him. In these circumstances the initiation acts as a catalyst, accelerating a slo" process. One3s progress along the path proceeds through certain stages, stations and states, Ma##am. Dach ne" station corresponds to a cosmic initiation "hether or not by an ackno"ledged master in a consecrated order. Dach time a being stumbles on a ne" reali&ation that gives further dimension of freedom, untold numbers of beings are thereby affected and express their 0oy in 0ubilation. !he higher the initiation, the more beings are involved in that 0ubilation. Initiation is the reiteration of the covenant "hich "as made at the birth of one3s soul, "hile, according to the ?u3ran, "hen "e "ere :in the loins of .dam,9 "e made a vo" to proclaim the ,ivine sovereignty, and therefore our proclamation that establishes our relationship to the Source as individuals gifted "ith a relative free "ill. .ccording to the *oroastrian -athas, "hen "e "ere still in the angelic state, "e vo"ed to incarnate upon earth in order that "e might become channels for the transfiguration of the "orld, to insure the victory of /ight over darkness. Our struggle on earth is the enactment of this pledge, the Bayat, the rene"al of the pledge "e made in eternity.

Initiation corresponds to the lifting of the veil of ignorance. <urther a"akening is al"ays preceded by a purification "hich may assume the form of a test or a trial. One may be forced to make a choice :"hether one3s heart is on earth or in heaven,9 says (ir-o-Murshid Inayat 'han. One3s life may break do"n and familiar "orlds crumble. One may suffer incredible in0ustice and lose confidence in one3s ability, and undergo terrible buffeting. One is called upon to forgive, overcome recriminations, give love instead of receiving it. !he initiation takes place on completion of the test "hen the lesson has been learned. It is al"ays a victory over limitation and ignorance. !he end is celebration. ,epending on the nature and grade of initiation, different strata of beings may be called upon or involved. 4hen initiation is connected "ith service rather than personal progress it is ordination, passing from the aegis of Dli0ah to that of Melchi&edek. 4hen it involves the teaching of the mysteries, it passes into the realm of Dnoch or %ermes. 4hen it involves militant social action it is under the 0urisdiction of .rchangel Michael; healing, that of =aphael; and "hen it is prophetic it is in the realm of the .rchangel -abriel. !hus particular initiation may affect one of one3s multi-dimensional aspects connected "ith a particular cosmic principle, such as planetary, lunar, solar, galactic and even universal initiation. 4hat can one give in thankfulness for so much 0oy, if not to pledge oneself more consciously than ever1 If anyone "as instrumental in bringing this process to fruition, one is indissolubly linked "ith him or her karmically beyond the "heel of becoming. Such is the bond linking the masters in the hierarchy and these "ith their pupils. :.nd the glory "hich !hou gave me I give them that they may be one as "e are one.9 Eohn 6F8GG.

<riendship here reaches its &enith. !he pupil is present in the heart of the teacher as a grain of sand becomes a pearl in the flesh of the oyster. !he teacher says to the pupil, :+ou are the master I learn from, for our bond is the noblest and purest love, leading to that love beyond all love, the love of -od.9 /ove means that "e live in one another sharing 0oy and suffering, feeling oneself responsible in one another in -od, linked by the same magic of love to the "hole hierarchy of masters, saints and prophets "ho form the spiritual hierarchy of the government of the "orld, the embodiment of the master, the Spirit of -uidance.

The Meaning of Initiation

Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan !he meaning of the "ord Ainitiation3 can be understood from its association "ith Ainitiative3. It is a fact that every child "hich is born on earth is born "ith initiative; but then, as it gro"s, that spirit more or less dies a"ay, because the kno"ledge it gathers in its lifetime makes it doubt. !his doubt, increasing more and more, very often makes a man lose the po"er of initiative, and then he does not "ant to take another step until he is sure "hether there is land or "ater in front of him, and very often "ater looks like land, and land looks like "ater. .ccording to the mystics life is an illusion, and thus man bases his reason upon illusion. 2evertheless, the reasoning po"er "hich he ac#uires helps him in his life in the "orld, although it is very often 0ust this reasoning "hich holds him back from taking "hat is called the initiative.

It is through this spirit of initiative that anyone in the "orld "ho has accomplished something great, has been able to do so. .t the beginning of his efforts people call such a person mad or fanatical, or cra&y, or devoid of reason, but "hen they see the result they think that he is most "ise. -reat prophets, the builders of nations, famous inventors, and great discoverers have all proved this. One may ask then if they do not see "hat is before them in the same "ay that a reasoning person does. !hey do, but "ith different eyes. !heir point of vie" is different; it does not al"ays agree "ith the point of vie" of the average person, and so it is natural that people should call them fanatical, although they see perhaps more than do all those around them. !hose "ho have helped themselves to achieve success after complete failure, or to get over an illness after great suffering, have only succeeded in this by the spirit of initiative. !here are different kinds of initiation that souls experience. One is natural initiation. . kind of natural unfoldment for "hich the soul cannot give any cause or reason, comes to a soul, although no effort or attempt has been made by that soul to experience it. Sometimes this initiation comes after great illness, pain, or suffering. It comes as an opening up of the hori&on, it comes as a flash of light, and in a moment the "orld seems transformed. It is not that the "orld has changed; it is that that person has become tuned to a different pitch. %e begins to think differently, feel differently, see and act differently; his "hole condition begins to change. One might say of him that from that moment he begins to live. It may come as a vision, as a dream, as a phenomenon--in any of these forms; one cannot determine the manner in "hich it "ill manifest. .nother initiation kno"n to the mystics is the initiation that one receives from a person living on the earth. Dvery mystical school has its o"n initiation. In the Orient, "here mystical ideas are prevalent and are regarded as most sacred, any person "ho "ishes to tread the

spiritual path considers initiation to be the most important thing. If a soul such as Eesus $hrist had to be bapti&ed by Eohn the Baptist, no soul on earth can say, AI have risen above initiation.3 Is that then impossible1 2othing is impossible. It may be possible for a person to 0ump into the "ater "ith the intention of s"imming to the port of 2e" +ork, but his life "ill be more secure if he books his passage "ith the normal shipping lines. .nd the difference bet"een these t"o souls is the same, or even greater--bet"een the one "ho "ishes to 0ourney on the spiritual path by taking initiation, and the other "ho refuses to do so. Initiation by a spiritual teacher means both a trust given by the teacher to the pupil, and a trust given by the pupil to the teacher. .nd the progress of the one "ho is initiated depends upon ho" much he gives himself to the teacher3s guidance. One might give only a finger, another even a part of a finger, "hile a third "ould give his "hole hand. !hat makes a great difference, for if a pupil says, A4ell, I "ill give a certain amount of my time and thought to your guidance, "ill that be enough13 the teacher "ill say, A+es, if you think it is enough ; A but in reality it is never enough. !hen one might "onder if one "ould not be giving up one3s o"n point of vie" in order to follo" someone else3s point of vie"; but actually if one has a point of vie", one never loses it. !he point of vie" "hich one loses is not one3s o"n. .nd by looking at a thing from another person3s point of vie" one only enlarges one3s o"n8 then one has t"o points of vie" instead of one. If the thought of the pupil happens to be different from that of the teacher, by taking the teacher3s thought his o"n is doubled; the pupil keeps his o"n point of vie" 0ust the same, only no" he has something for his vision from "hich to make his choice; the hori&on of his thought is expanded. But the pupil "ho closes himself and says, AI "ill guard my point of vie" or it "ill escape me,3 "ill never derive any benefit from this attitude.

!he mystical path is the most subtle path to tread. !he relationship bet"een teacher and pupil is too subtle for "ords to express. Besides the language of a mystical teacher is al"ays elusive; you cannot, so to speak, pin him do"n as to his "ords; you cannot ask him to say clearly that something is so and so, or such and such. .nd if a mystic does so he is not a mystic, for a mystic cannot do this. !he mystic may seem to be standing on the earth, but he is flying in the air. !he air cannot be made into a rock, nor can the mystic be made into a gross entity. %is Ayes3 does not mean the same as the Ayes3 of another, nor does his Ano3 mean the same as the Ano3 of others. !he language of the mystic is not the language of "ords; it is the language of meaning. It is the greatest distress for a mystic to have to use the "ords of everyday language, "hich are not his "ords. %e cannot express himself in these "ords. .nd "e find the same in the action of the mystic. %is out"ard actions "ill not express to everybody the meaning "hich is behind them, and that meaning may be much more important in"ardly than the action is out"ardly. !he teacher therefore tests his pupil continually. %e tells him and he does not tell him, for everything must come in its right time. ,ivine kno"ledge has never been taught in "ords, nor "ill it ever be so taught. !he "ork of a mystical teacher is not to teach but to tune, to tune the pupil so that he may become the instrument of -od. <or the mystical teacher is not the player of the instrument; he is the tuner. 4hen he has tuned it, he gives it into the hands of the (layer "hose instrument it is to play. !he duty of the mystical teacher is his service as a tuner. Several initiations may be given to the pupil "hom the teacher has taken in hand, but his progress depends upon the pupil himself. Eust as parents are anxious, so the spiritual teacher is naturally anxious to see the advancement of his pupil. !here is no reason for the teacher to keep any pupil back from success; for as the happiness of the

parents lies in the happiness of the child, so the satisfaction of the teacher lies in the advancement of the pupil. But then there is another kind of initiation "hich comes after"ards, and this initiation is also an unfoldment of the soul. It comes as an after-effect of the initiation that one had from the teacher. It comes as a kind of expansion of consciousness, and the greatness of this initiation depends upon the distance and "idth of the hori&on of the consciousness. Many may claim it, but fe" reali&e it. !hose "ho reali&e do not claim. .s the more fruitful a tree is the more it bends, so the more divine his spiritual reali&ation is the more humble a person becomes. It is the one "ho is less fruitful "ho becomes more pretentious. !he really initiated ones hardly ever mention the "ord initiation; they find no profit in convincing others that they are initiated. !hey possess their real inner gains so they do not "ant an outer gain; it is the one "ho has not got any "ho "ants recognition from outside. .nd if "e ask "hat profit "e derive from initiation, the ans"er is that religion, mysticism, or philosophy--all that "e gain--should help us to achieve one result, and that is to be best fitted for serving our fello"-men. It may be asked "hether it is desirable for every soul to take initiation. !he "ord Ainitiation3 and the associated "ord Ainitiative3 suggest going for"ard, so the ans"er is that progress is life and standing still is death. 4hatever be our grade of evolution, it is al"ays advisable to try to go for"ard, be it in business or in a profession, in society or in political life, in religion or in spiritual advancement. 2o doubt there is a danger in being too enthusiastic. !he nature that is too enthusiastic may, instead of benefiting, perhaps harm itself in "hatever line it may have taken up, "orldly or spiritual. <or everything there is a time, and patience is necessary in all striving. . cook may burn food by applying more heat in order to

cook more #uickly, and this rule applies to all things. 4ith little children the parents are often anxious and enthusiastic; they think their children should learn and understand every good and interesting thing on earth. !oo much enthusiasm is not right. 4e must give time to all things; the first and most important lesson in life is patience; "e must begin all things "ith patience. It is not necessary for the Sufi to seek the "ilderness for his meditation, since he can perform part of his "ork in the midst of "orldly life. !he Sufi need not prove himself a Sufi by extraordinary po"er, by "onder-"orking or by an exceptional spiritual manifestation or claim. . Sufi can prove to his o"n conscience that he is a Sufi by "atching his o"n life amidst the strife of this "orld. 2o doubt there are things "hich pass the ordinary comprehension of man. !here are things one can teach only by speaking or by acting, but there is a "ay of teaching "hich is called !a"a and this "ay of teaching is "ithout "ords. It is not external teaching; it is teaching in silence. <or instance, ho" can man explain the spirit of sincerity, or the spirit of gratefulness1 %o" can man explain the ultimate truth, the idea of -od1 4henever it has been attempted it has failed; it has made some confused, and it has made others give up their belief. It is not that the one "ho tried to explain did not understand, but that "ords are inade#uate to explain the idea of -od. %o"ever, no one can give spiritual kno"ledge to another, for this is something "hich is "ithin every heart. 4hat the teacher can do is to kindle the light "hich is hidden in the heart of the disciple. If the light is not there, it is not the fault of the teacher. !here is a verse by %afi& in "hich he says, A%o"ever great be the teacher. he is helpless "ith the one "hose heart is closed.3 !herefore initiation means initiation on the part of the disciple and on the part of the teacher, a step for"ard on the part of both. On the part of the

teacher, a step for"ard "ith the disciple in order that the pupil may be trusted and raised from his present condition. . step for"ard for the pupil, because he opens his heart; he has no barrier any more, nothing to hinder the teaching in "hatever form it comes, in silence or in "ords, or in the observation of some deed or action on the part of the teacher.