My subject for this evening is: Brotherhood; a subject which needs more attention and consideration at this present moment than ever before. It is natural that from all parts of the world comes the cry: Brotherhood, Brotherhood! But at the same time this cry alone is not sufficient: knowledge of the subject is necessary. We see at the present moment that peace is the desire of all nations but the right method to get at it is the thing most needed.

In the first place the tendency to brotherhood is a natural tendency not only in man but in all creatures which is proved by the fact that all harmless creatures live in harmony and peace together in herds and flocks, this is the law of creation, but animals who have a tendency to fight such as lions and tigers live separately. Therefore the first attempt that was ever made by mankind towards civilization was an attempt at brotherhood. This attempt at brotherhood was the dawning of civilization. All the great religions following each other from time to time were given by the great Masters Who lead humanity, and an these religions teach brotherhood. The schools of mysticism, the occult schools of all times had another object in view, viz the growth of man's soul.

But when religion was given it was with two objects. The first and most important motive was uniting mankind in brotherhood and the second was the uplifting of the soul. In different civilizations brotherhood was formed in different realms of life. In the present time when we think of brotherhood in the West it is the brotherhood of patriotism while in the East you have the brotherhood of religion. In whatever aspect brotherhood may show itself, there is always one link that unites many souls and the existence of this uniting link is the principal condition for brotherhood. Children of the same parents are brothers because the same parentage links them into brotherhood. In a school, college or university the students form a brotherhood united through the link of the university. Those who unite in any enterprise or profession form a brotherhood through the link of that particular profession. The most important thing for brotherhood is the strength of that particular uniting link. The nature of life is love or as the Bible says: God is love, which means: the world is created by Love, it lives by love, it is uplifted by love.

The lesson of love is first learned by human love. When a person begins by saying: I love God, he does not speak the truth because man must first learn to love human beings before he can love God. One begins to love in life one's father, mother, brother, sister, beloved, husband, wife, child; it is the first lesson, the first stage in love. Among Hindus Love is symbolized as water. And as water kept in a little tank is subject to being spoiled after some time, so is the love when it is bestowed on one person and cannot spread itself. It is like the water kept closed up in the tank; a time will come when it turns bad. Nobody, no doubt, is capable of loving many who has not first learned to love one. The first step in love is by loving one; it is the first lesson and he who at the beginning of life says: "I love everyone" or "I love many", has not yet learned his first lesson. After learning that lesson you cannot love one and hate another, you must expand your love and admiration.

Among the Japanese lives a certain sect, who keep an interesting custom, viz two people loving each other very much don't go together to worship their God, which they call a jealous God, as they believe this God will spoil their love. The idea underlying this belief is that a love which is not allowed to spread, but which is kept in narrow bounds, as the water in the little tank, is spoiled by the same spirit that spoils the water. By this man learns the lesson that progress of love is life and its stillness death.

Now coming to the question of today. Humanity has in this modem civilization in reality progressed in different directions, in art, in science, in philosophy; there seems nothing in which he has not made progress and notwithstanding all progress humanity has never met with such a catastrophe before. Not only man suffered, nothing in the whole creation has been spared suffering; even the fishes in the water have been disturbed. It has disturbed the inner world as well as the outer world. As man's external condition influences his inner condition so is the condition of the inner world influenced by that of the outer world. All the floods, famines, plagues, which we suffer on earth are the results of the external condition and the reaction upon the inner world.

Now coming to brotherhood. How is it, that the brotherhood which existed in the world could have allowed a catastrophe to take place like the one we have gone through. And the answer to the question is: it was a brotherhood among nations and not of nations. Nations became brothers of nations for some self-interest. The nature of love is to progress, to expand. When brotherhood did not go further than nations it had to have an undesirable result. For a long time during the period of modern civilization the tendency has been like that of somebody who is only concerned about the welfare of his family. Selfishness on the part of an individual very often seems profitable in life, but it never ends in harmony and peace.

Therefore the Prophets and Masters have warned mankind against the intoxication of self-interest and egoism. The world, the nation, the family can be pictured as one single body and when one part of the body has pain although the other part has no pain, the person feels sick. Therefore you can never be happy unless you see your brother and your neighbor happy also. But very few people think this way; very few see it from the true point of view. All efforts as socialism, league of nations, all peace movements are striving to bring a better understanding, to bring peace and brotherhood but the ideal is not realized. It can be seen in the teachings of the Masters who have come from time to time to earth to give light to humanity. It does not mean that all these efforts directed to harmony and brotherhood are wasted, but the essential part is missing.

For man must have a perfect ideal to which he directs his activities. When the ideal is imperfect the progress is imperfect also. If his ideal is the comfort of his family, he will stop at that and go no further. If the nation is his ideal, he will only go as far as that. But unless the international ideal is as much a living reality as is now the national, we cannot look for better times. The international ideal seems just now intolerable to some people and those who sympathize with the idea consider it impossible. In order to fulfill an object like international brotherhood, there must be a powerful impetus behind every act and that is that we must realize the one link.

However, a spiritual Message has been given to humanity; as long as man will keep himself far from that perfect ideal, all his striving is imperfect. For it is not natural for one race to say: as long as we are only happy that is enough, what do we care about another nation? It is when man does not care what happens to other nations but his own, that he does not come to the perfect ideal. A man who has no idea of brotherhood for his own brother has not learned his first lesson. He who has not shown his brotherhood to his nation is not fit to know the brotherhood of humanity.

Those in the East, whom we call Masters and Sages feel at home in every country, they consider every person as their brother or sister. The children they look upon as their own and feel responsible for them as if they were their own; for the old people they feel the same love and respect as if they were their own father and mother. Friends, what is called spiritual evolution can be proved by the change of attitude towards life. Now it is possible that the beauty of human evolution may be spoiled because humanity has fallen as low as possible and now is trying to rise, but as a person who is intoxicated and does not know what he is doing.

From everywhere we hear the cry of democracy, of freedom, of equality, but we do not see the right attitude that makes man man. For instance if an order was passed by the Government that everybody, every boy and girl were quite free to do and say what they like and that they were all alike and nobody had power to direct them, everybody at liberty to do as they wish - what would be the result? As evolution is human, so is fanaticism human nature. The condition of different nations today which is creating unrest and disturbance is the result of trying to realize ideal without considering it from all points of view. There is no greater law or moral than that of nature. See how all things work together and react on each other. How the moon takes the light of the sun and the planets reflect the same. How the little stream runs to meet the river and the river to join the sea. How every soul born on earth has a certain task to accomplish and needs help and advice.

The Sufi Message as it comes to the Western world comes with this special Message of brotherhood of East and West. East and West are like two hands. On the unity of East and West, on their mutual understanding depends the great harmony and peace of the world. This Message of brotherhood is brought in order to unite different nations and different religions. It presents to the West the hidden treasure of the East which they have for thousands of years searched for with suffering and sacrifice. The Sufi Order is presenting these treasures to those in the West who are ready to listen to the words of Wisdom.