(How to create a bookmark)

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

Gayan: Song

Vadan: Playing on Musical Instruments

Nirtan: Dance

The Bowl of Saki

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

Alapas: God speaking to man.

Alankaras: The fanciful expression of an idea.

Boulas: A kindled word.

Chalas: An illuminated word.

Gamakas: The feeling of a poet's heart, keyed to various notes.

Gayatri: Prayers.

Ragas: The human soul calling upon the beloved God.

Sura: God speaking through the kindled soul.

Talas: The rhythmic expression of an idea.

Tanas: The soul speaking with nature.

Sayings

Gayan: Song

Boulas: A kindled word.

Heaven and hell are the material manifestation of agreeable and disagreeable thoughts.

All the good deeds of a lifetime may be swept away in the flood caused by a single sin.

A learned man without will power is like a head without a body.

All that one holds is conserved; all that one lets go is dispersed.

A pure conscience gives one the strength of lions, and by a guilty conscience even lions are turned into rabbits.

The only thing that is made through life is one's own nature.

Be either true or false, for you cannot be both.

Truth is a divine inheritance found in the depth of every human heart.

It is only out of consideration for others that the kingly soul obeys the law; otherwise, he is above the law.

He who can live up to his ideal is the king of life.

The God who is intelligible to man is made by man himself, but what is beyond his intelligence is the reality.

The closer one approaches reality, the nearer one comes to unity.

A lifetime is not sufficient to learn how to live in this world.

Man looks for wonders; if he only saw how very wonderful is the heart of man!

Many evils are born of riches, but still more are bred in poverty.

Do not weep with the sad, but console them; if not, by your tears you will but water the plant of their sorrow.

The spirit of controversy is fed by argument. Reform has a scope in every period.

When man touches the ultimate truth he realizes that there is nothing which is not in himself.

Reason is the illusion of reality.

Death is preferable to asking a favor of a small person.

Lull the devil to sleep rather than awaken him.

Movement is life; stillness is death.

There is no action in this world that can be stamped as sin or virtue; it is its relation to the particular soul that makes it so.

Reality itself is its own evidence.

It is of no use to try and prove to be what in reality you are not.

Pleasure blocks, but pain clears the way of inspiration.

A biting tongue goes deeper than the point of a bayonet, and cutting words pierce keener than a sword.

The human heart must first be melted, like metal, before it can be molded into a desirable character.

The mystic does not wait until the hereafter, but does all he can to progress now.

Power demands subjection; but if you cannot resist power by conquest, win it by surrender.

The fountain stream of love rises in the love for an individual, but spreads and falls in universal love.

He who makes room in his heart for others, will himself find accommodation everywhere.

Each human personality is like a piece of music, having an individual tone and a rhythm of its own.

One should take oneself to task, instead of putting one's fault on another.

A tender-hearted sinner is better than a saint hardened by piety.

The way to overcome error is, first, to admit one's fault; and next, to refrain from repeating it.

The human heart is the shell in which the pearl of sincerity is found.

Rocks will open and make a way for the lover.

Man makes his reasons to suit himself.

Singleness of mind ensures success.

Love of form, progressing, culminates in love of the formless.

When man rises above the sense of duty, then duty becomes his pleasure.

The external life is but the shadow of the inner reality.

The secret of all success is strength of conviction.

Those who try to make virtues out of their faults grope further and further into darkness.

When envy develops into jealousy, the heart changes from sourness into bitterness.

A worldly loss often turns into a spiritual gain.

Patient endurance is a sign of progress.

The ideal is the means, but its breaking is the goal.

Many feel, a few think, and fewer still there are who can express their thoughts.

The value of sacrifice is in willingness.

Nothing can take away joy from the man who has right understanding.

Do not fear God, but regard carefully His pleasure and displeasure.

Optimism is the result of love.

He who is a riddle to another is a puzzle to himself.

When the miser shows any generosity he celebrates it with trumpets.

A sincere man has a fragrance about him which is perceived by a sincere heart.

If you are not able to control your thought you cannot hold it.

All that detains man on his journey to the desired goal is temptation.

Fatalism is one side of the truth, not all.

Keep your goodness apart, that it may not touch your vanity.

When man denies what he owes you, then it is put on the account of God.

A refined manner with sincerity makes a living art.

The longing for vengeance is like a craving for poison.

The truly great souls become streams of love.

God is the central theme of the true poet, and the portrait which the prophets paint.

He whose love has always been reciprocated does not know the real feeling of love.

True belief is independent of reason.

Wisdom is like the horizon: the nearer you approach it, the further it recedes.

When the soul is attuned to God, every action becomes music.

It is the spirit of hopelessness that blocks the path of man and prevents his advancement.

The unselfish man profits by life more than the selfish, whose profit in the end proves to be a loss.

Sincerity is like a bud in the heart of man, that blossoms with the maturity of the soul.

Success is in store for the faithful, for faith ensures success.

No one will experience in life what is not meant for him.

It is not possible to be praised only and not to incur blame at any time. Praise and blame go hand in hand.

To be in uncongenial surroundings is worse than being in one's grave.

Science is born of the seed of intuition, conceived in reason.

Truth alone is success, and real success is truth.

The key to all happiness is the love of God.

By accusing another of his fault you only root him more firmly in it.

Death is a tax the soul has to pay for having had a name and a form.

Before trying to know the justice of God, one must oneself become just.

To whom the soul truly belongs, to Him in the end it returns.

In order to realize the divine perfection man must lose his imperfect self.

When the cry of the disciple has reached a certain pitch, the teacher comes to answer it.

The best way of living is to live a natural life.

Do not take the example of another as an excuse for your wrongdoing.

People who are difficult to deal with are difficult with themselves.

All situations of life are tests to bring out the real and the false.

The true seeker will never stop half-way; either he finds or he loses himself entirely.

It is sympathy rather than good food that will satisfy your guest.

The hereafter is the continuation of the same life in another sphere.

The man who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

Not only man but even God is displeased by self-assertion.

Those who live in the presence of God look to Him for guidance at every move they make.

It is not by self-realization that man realizes God; it is by God-realization that man realizes self.

If you wish to follow the path of saints, first learn forgiveness.

Be sparing of your words if you wish them to be powerful.

As the flower is the forerunner of the fruit, so man's childhood is the promise of his life.

The gardener uses roses in the flower-bed and thorns in making the hedge.

Love which manifests as tolerance, as forgiveness, that love it is which heals the wounds of the heart.

The greatest love in life is often that which is covered under indifference.

Indifference and independence are the two wings which enable the soul to fly.

To offend a low person is like throwing a stone in the mud and getting splashed.

The self-made man is greater than the man who depends upon another to make him.

False politeness is like imitation jewelry, and false kisses are like imitation flowers.

The unsociable person is a burden to society.

Divinity is human perfection and humanity is divine limitation.

The wise show their admiration by respect.

Many admit the truth to themselves, but few confess it to others.

It is the twist of thought that is the curl of the Beloved.

Do not accept that which you cannot return, for the balance of life is in reciprocity.

Those whom their individuality fails seek refuge in community.

Taking the path of disharmony is like entering the mouth of the dragon.

Satan comes in most beautiful garbs to hide from man's eyes his highest ideal.

Life is an opportunity, and it is a great pity if man realizes this when it is too late.

Behind us all is one spirit and one life; how then can we be happy if our neighbor is sad?

The human heart is the home of the soul, and upon this home the comfort and power of the soul depend.

Resignation is of no value except after a deed is done and cannot be undone.

Love is the Divine Mother's arms; and when those arms are outspread, every soul falls into them.

The greatest tragedy of the world is the lack of general evolution.

There is nothing that is accidental; all situations in life work towards some definite end.

Forgiveness belongs to God; it becomes the privilege of mortal man only when asked by another.

Before you can know the truth you must learn to live a true life.

Life itself becomes a scripture to the kindled soul.

Every moment of your life is more valuable than anything else in the world.

He is an unbeliever who cannot believe in himself.

Love is a weapon that can break all obstacles on one's path in life.

Self-pity is the cause of all the grievances of life.

What is given in love is beyond price.

It is our perception of time which passes, not time itself; for time is God, and God is eternal.

Man learns his first lesson of love by loving a human being; but in reality love is due to God alone.

That person becomes conqueror of life who learns to control his tongue.

Optimism comes from God, and pessimism is born of the human mind.

The mystic begins by marvelling at life, and to him it is a phenomenon at every moment.

You need not look for a saint or a master: a wise man is sufficient to guide you on your path.

The man who cannot learn his lesson from his first fault is certainly on the wrong track.

There is a pair of opposites in all things; in each thing there exists the spirit of the opposite.

A clean body reflects the purity of the soul, and is the secret of health.

It is the purity of the soul itself that gives the tendency towards cleanliness of body.

A pure life and a clean conscience are as bread and wine for the soul.

Righteousness comes from the very essence of the soul.

Reserve gives dignity to the personality; to be serious and yet gracious is the way of the wise.

When even our self does not belong to us, what else in the world can we call our own?

All things in life are materials for wisdom to work with.

Overlook the greatest fault of another, but do not partake of it in the smallest degree.

There is no source of happiness other than the heart of man.

Not until sobriety comes after the intoxication of life does man begin to wonder.

A life with a foolish companion is worse than death.

The pain of life is the price paid for the quickening of the heart.

Endurance makes things precious and men great.

The fulfillment of every activity is in its balance.

The heart of man is a temple; when its door is closed to man, it is also closed to God.

Faithfulness has a fragrance which is perceptible in the atmosphere of the faithful.

Spirituality is the tuning of the heart; one can obtain it neither by study, nor by piety.

A person's morality must be judged from his attitude rather than from his actions.

Right and wrong depend upon attitude and situation, not upon the action.

In the belief of every person there is some good for him; and to break that belief is like breaking his God.

Reason is a flower with a thousand petals, one covered by another.

He who does not recognize God now, will sooner or later recognize Him.

Fighting against nature is rising above nature.

Success is achieved when free will and circumstances work hand in hand.

A sincere feeling of respect needs no words; even silence can speak of one's respectful attitude.

Simplicity of nature is the sign of saints.

The heart is the gate of God; as soon as you knock upon it, the answer comes.

Every impression of an evil nature should be met with a combative attitude.

There is no greater phenomenon than love itself.

Those guilty of the same fault unite in making a virtue out of their common sin.

Life can be full of blessings when one knows how to receive them.

Where the body goes the shadow goes also; so is truth followed by falsehood.

Life in the world is false, and its lovers revel in falsehood.

Nothing false will succeed, and if it apparently succeeds, it can only bring a false benefit.

All that produces longing in the heart deprives it of its freedom.

Possibility is the nature of God, and impossibility is the limitation of man.

It is the exaltation of the spirit which is productive of all beauty.

One virtue can stand against a thousand vices.

Wickedness manifesting from an intelligent person is like a poisonous fruit springing from a fertile soil.

Failure in life does not matter; the greatest misfortune is standing still.

Consideration is born in the heart and developed in the head.

Indifference is the key to the whole secret of life. Life is differentiated by the pairs of opposites.

There is nothing we take in this bazaar of life that we shall not sooner or later have to pay for.

A diamond must be cut before its light can shine out. Beyond goodness is trueness, which is a divine quality.

A guilty conscience robs the will of its power.

The answer that uproots the question from its ground is truly inspired.

A jest lightens the intelligence and clears away the clouds of gloom that surround man's heart.

If man only knew what is behind his free will, he would never call it "my will," but "Thy Will."

The service of God means that we each work for all.

If you wish to probe the depths of a man's character, test him with that which is his life's greatest need.

It is the lack of personal magnetism that makes a man look for magnetism in others.

Love develops into harmony, and of harmony is born beauty.

Devotion is proved by sacrifice.

It is God who, by the hand of man, designs and carries out His intended plan in nature.

As fire can cook food or burn it, so also does pain affect the human heart.

Every desire increases the power of man to accomplish his main desire, which is the purpose of every soul.

The word which is not heard is lost.

Consideration is the sign of the wise.

Faith in oneself must culminate in faith in God, for faith is a living trust.

Man's attitude is manifest in the expression of his countenance.

Happiness alone is natural and is attained by living naturally.

The mind must be one's obedient servant; when it is a master life becomes difficult.

Every experience, good or bad, is a step forward in man's evolution.

It is no use saying you know the truth; if you knew the truth, you would keep silent.

The trust of the one who trusts another and does not trust himself is profitless.

Human suffering is the first call we have to answer.

Sin is the fuel for virtue's fire.

The first lesson that the seeker after truth must learn is to be true to himself.

Subtlety is the art of intelligence.

People build four walls around their ideas, lest their minds escape out of the prison bars.

It is easy to become a teacher, but difficult to become a pupil.

The soul is either raised or cast down by the effect of its own thought, speech, and action.

Love rises in emotion and falls in passion.

As poison acts as nectar in some cases, so does evil.

The whole course of life is a journey from imperfection to perfection.

Every virtue is but an expression of beauty.

Every soul has its own way in life; if you wish to follow another's way, you must borrow his eyes to see it.

The answer is in the question; a question has no existence without an answer.

The one who lives in his finer feelings lives in heaven; when he puts them into words, he drops down to earth.

Man's personality reflects his thoughts and deeds.

Reason is learned from the ever changing world, but wisdom comes from the essence of life.

Finding apt words to express one's thought is like shooting at a target.

A true life enables man to realize God.

The whole of life is a chemical process; and the knowledge of its chemistry helps man to make life happy.

The domain of the mystic is himself; over it he rules as king.

The water that washes the heart is the continual running of the love-stream.

The moment a person becomes straightforward a straight way opens before him.

No one can be human and not make a mistake.

A humiliated conscience dims the radiance of the countenance.

The development of one's personality is the real purpose of human life.

Man expresses his soul in everything he does.

Out of the shell of the broken heart emerges the newborn soul.

In beauty is the secret of divinity.

There is no better companion than solitude.

He who realizes the effect of his deed upon himself begins to open his outlook on life.

Life is what it is; you cannot change it, but you can change yourself.

To be alone with one's self is like being with a friend whose company will last forever.

Speech is the sign of living, but silence is life itself.

He who keeps no secret has no depth; his heart is like a vessel turned upside down.

Wisdom is attained in the solitude.

Every desire in life has its answer; if it were not so, creation would not have gone on.

He to whom life's purpose is clear is already on the Path.

In the complete unfoldment of human nature is the fulfillment of life's purpose.

What God makes man mars; what man makes God breaks.

All things are good; but all things are not good for every person, nor right at all times.

If in truth we shall not build our hope, in what shall we build?

Life is progress, and ceasing to progress is death.

Truth is hidden in the heart of nature; therefore, man naturally hides all that is precious.

The false ego is a false god; when the false god is destroyed, the true God arrives.

The lover of nature is the true worshipper of God.

One who worships God and despises man worships in vain.

We give way to our faults by being passive towards them.

When a person does not listen to us, we must know it is because we ourselves do not believe.

When a defect becomes common, it is considered as the normal state by the generality.

Love in its beginning lives only on reciprocity, but when fully developed it stands on its own feet.

The present spirit of humanity has commercialism as its crown and materialism as its throne.

Without humor human life is empty.

To see life as a whole is beyond the power of the generality.

All aspects of life meet and share in common in that one central point which is the divine Mind.

Patient endurance is the strongest defense.

All that is good and worthwhile is difficult to obtain.

The more you make of your gifts, the less becomes the value of something which is priceless.

Lack of understanding of human nature brings about all conflicts and disagreements.

The more a man explores himself, the more power he finds within.

The secret of life is balance, and the absence of balance is life's destruction.

All that is from God is for all souls.

It is not our situation in life, but our attitude towards life that makes us happy or unhappy.

Gain by the loss of another is not profitable in the end.

Speaking wisdom is much easier than living it.

Charity is the expansion of the heart.

All that is not plain is a puzzle; therefore, wisdom is a puzzle to the ordinary mind.