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

PHILOSOPHY 1

PHILOSOPHY 2

PHILOSOPHY 3

PHILOSOPHY 4

PHILOSOPHY 5

MYSTICISM 1

MYSTICISM 2

MYSTICISM 3

MYSTICISM 4

MYSTICISM 5

MYSTICISM 6

MYSTICISM 7

METAPHYSICS 1

METAPHYSICS 2

METAPHYSICS 3

METAPHYSICS 4

PSYCHOLOGY 1

PSYCHOLOGY 2

PSYCHOLOGY 3

PSYCHOLOGY 4

PSYCHOLOGY 5

PSYCHOLOGY 6

PSYCHOLOGY 7

BROTHERHOOD 1

BROTHERHOOD 2

MISCELLANEOUS I

MISCELLANEOUS 2

MISCELLANEOUS 3

MISCELLANEOUS 4

MISCELLANEOUS 5

MISCELLANEOUS 6

MISCELLANEOUS 7

RELIGION 1

RELIGION 2

RELIGION 3

RELIGION 4

ART AND MUSIC 1

ART AND MUSIC 2

ART AND MUSIC 3

ART AND MUSIC 4

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 1

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 2

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 3

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 4

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 5

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 6

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 7

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 8

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

The Law of Heredity (1)

The Law of Heredity (2)

The Attitude

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS

PSYCHOLOGY 4

The Attitude

All affairs of life depend upon man's attitude, and the mechanical work that is psychologically done is such that before man steps forward to work, he sees his attitude being reflected on his affair. For instance, a person starts to do something with doubt in his mind; on that affair he sees the shadow of doubt; when a person wants to do something which he knows is not quite just, before he begins the work he sees the phantom of injustice before him.

The heart of man, as Sufis say, is a mirror; all that is reflected in this mirror is projected upon other mirrors. When man has doubt in his heart, that doubt is reflected upon every heart with which he comes in contact; when he has faith, that faith is reflected in every heart. Can there be a more interesting study and a greater wonder than to observe this keenly in life? As soon as man is able to watch that phenomenon in life it is just like a magic lantern that is making all so clear to him. How foolish in this light would appear to man the cleverness and the crooked ways of the dishonest, who for a moment thinks that he is profiting by it, and who for a moment may seem to be benefitted by it.

Worldly gains which are snatched from one hand to the other, are not worth making the heart be reflected by the element which is foreign to it. This life on earth upon which we cannot depend, even on the morrow, only that which is comforting and consoling through all this life of falsehood is that feeling of purity in one's own heart, when one feels that one's own attitude in life is right and just. The one who experiences it, will certainly say that it is greater than all the wealth of the world. It is the knowledge of this philosophy which seems to be lost from the heart of humanity at the present time. It is therefore that all things go wrong. And if there is any preventative which can be used against it, it is to make one's own life as much as one can an example of one's ideal; although to make it perfectly is most difficult. There is nothing like trying, and if once failed, another time one may be successful.

There are some who will say: "Yes, for certain errors here now a suffering has come; I shall bear it." No doubt he is brave and just; but I personally would prefer that man who would resist against suffering by realizing that his birthright, as a divine right, is happiness alone. And pain and suffering is foreign to his soul; it does not belong to it, he does not want it, he will not have it.

Q. Is suffering necessary for evolution? A. Suffering is helpful to evolution, not necessary. In addition therefore; we must not seek suffering in order to evolve. We must avoid suffering. Every failure to a wise person is a teaching. But it is better if he avoided learning in that way.

Q. Would it be possible to gain the same degree of evolution in life without suffering? A. Certainly possible, but most difficult.