The Teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan      

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Volume

Sayings

Social Gathekas

Religious Gathekas

The Message Papers

The Healing Papers

Vol. 1, The Way of Illumination

Vol. 1, The Inner Life

Vol. 1, The Soul, Whence And Whither?

Vol. 1, The Purpose of Life

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound and Music

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound

Vol. 2, Cosmic Language

Vol. 2, The Power of the Word

Vol. 3, Education

Vol. 3, Life's Creative Forces: Rasa Shastra

Vol. 3, Character and Personality

Vol. 4, Healing And The Mind World

Vol. 4, Mental Purification

Vol. 4, The Mind-World

Vol. 5, A Sufi Message Of Spiritual Liberty

Vol. 5, Aqibat, Life After Death

Vol. 5, The Phenomenon of the Soul

Vol. 5, Love, Human and Divine

Vol. 5, Pearls from the Ocean Unseen

Vol. 5, Metaphysics, The Experience of the Soul Through the Different Planes of Existence

Vol. 6, The Alchemy of Happiness

Vol. 7, In an Eastern Rose Garden

Vol. 8, Health and Order of Body and Mind

Vol. 8, The Privilege of Being Human

Vol. 8a, Sufi Teachings

Vol. 9, The Unity of Religious Ideals

Vol. 10, Sufi Mysticism

Vol. 10, The Path of Initiation and Discipleship

Vol. 10, Sufi Poetry

Vol. 10, Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Vol. 10, The Problem of the Day

Vol. 11, Philosophy

Vol. 11, Psychology

Vol. 11, Mysticism in Life

Vol. 12, The Vision of God and Man

Vol. 12, Confessions: Autobiographical Essays of Hazat Inayat Khan

Vol. 12, Four Plays

Vol. 13, Gathas

Vol. 14, The Smiling Forehead

By Date

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS

Heading

The Message

Free Will and Destiny in the Message

What is the Message?

Lecture for Mureeds and Friends

Wakening to the Message

Aspects of the Sufi Message

The Message

Relationship Between Murshid and Mureed

Personalities of the Servants of God

Our Efforts in Constructing

Teaching Given by Murshid to his Mureeds

Ways of Receiving the Message

The Path of Attainment

Interest and Indifference

The Call from Above

The Message

Unlearning

Spiritual and Religious Movements

Peculiarity of the Great Masters

Abraham, Moses and Muhammad

Four Questions

The Spreading of the Message

Jelal-ud-din Rumi

Peculiarities of the Six Great Religions

Belief and Faith

"Superhuman" and Hierarchy

Faith and Doubt

Divine Guidance

The Prophetic Life

There are two Kinds Among the Souls

The Messenger

The Message Which has Come in all Ages

The Sufi Message

The Message

Questions Concerning the Message

The Inner School

The Duty of Happiness

Five Things Necessary for a Student

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

The Message Papers

The Message Which has Come in all Ages

The Message which has come in all ages and has been called and known by different names, this very Message is now the Sufi Message, and therefore the work that this Message has to accomplish is not only with a section of the world, but with the whole humanity.

The Message has two aspects, as has been the case in all times, the esoteric aspect and the exoteric.

  • In the exoteric Message it has all that is necessary for that aspect, and yet it cannot very well be compared with many other religions, for the reason that we have in our devotional service in the Church of All, the Universal Worship, a form, and yet the form is taken from the form of all the different religions. We have scriptures, the scriptures of all religions.

    We adhere to the Teacher, but to the Teachers of all religions. And thus it shows from the democratic aspect that it is the Message of the day. That idea that every other religion has held is of holding one's particular Teacher in high esteem and disregarding the other Teachers, considering one's own scripture the only scripture and the others of no worth. Therefore this form introduced in our service proves by its nature two things: its democratic tone and at the same time its being the message of the time.

  • And as in all times there is need of the esoteric side; that need remains and will always remain. This aspect has been taught in the ancient schools and so it is today the same truth which was ever taught in schools of Sufis; it cannot be different. The only difference is the difference of the form in which it is presented with the consideration of the psychology of the time and the people to whom it is given.

In this great work which has been the destiny of our Movement, the only thing that gives me strength, courage, and consolation, in spite of difficulties and troubles, is to find some sincere mureeds around me whose earnestness I feel and in whose faith I have not the slightest doubt. And having some few who are sincere in their faith and belief, and standing firm and steady with their Murshid in the strife, to them I would like to speak to our needs and wants.

Today what we greatly need is the field-workers in the Cause, those who would be willing to travel if they were needed, and those who cannot travel, that they may work in the place where they are; the workers who will make, I am sure, a phenomenon owing to their belief in the Message and what it is to bring to humanity.

They must remember that no message, great or small, has been accepted by all and rejected by none; where there is praise there is blame. Neither do we care for praise nor blame; our ears are closed to both, praise and blame. We do not need to think whether it will be a success or not; if so, we do not know what the Message is or whose it is. We need not let that question enter our minds for one moment, for the success belongs to the One Whose Message it is, Who is the Owner of all success. We are the workers and we must work.

During my tour through America I have felt more than ever this great need of field-workers. If one thinks he is not capable, he will be incapable and with all good intention not able to help; but the one who has trust and confidence in Murshid will see the reason behind Murshid's suggestions.

The true teacher is the true pupil and the true pupil the true teacher. The path of teachership is from beginning to end pupil-ship, and the path of the true pupil is all along a teachership whose heart becomes reflected by a Teacher, so that all he says and does is what the teacher himself would say and do. And therefore every one of my mureeds, sincere and earnest, must know he is the channel of the Message, and must await patiently the call, and answer it without doubt or hesitation, with courage and hope.

The other need just now is the need of a Temple for the Universal Worship. There is no doubt that one day this will be accomplished; it is even possible that it will be before one can imagine. But now that destiny has made your Murshid settle here in Suresnes, not very far from here, in this vicinity a miniature Temple may be erected; and on such a model, however small, that it may be copied in the different countries. There are many ideas for this question, but when the outline is engraved in our hearts the rest will follow. So I hope all mureeds, with their devotion and sympathy, will think of this whenever they can.

Besides this is the consideration of the Message which is noted on paper by now. My earnest mureeds are the trustees of what is given and will be given; to collect it, to guard it, to protect it, and preserve it for future generations. Some may be published and given to humanity, and some of it must be preserved for a time, or perhaps forever; that must be kept with great care. They must be discreet, considerate, and careful about it; and the best way of serving the Message is to make one's whole life that Message, that one may become an example of the Message. The more conscious we become of our responsibility, the more we shall be enabled to accomplish our life's purpose successfully.