The Sufi Path
The Sufis are an ancient spiritual freemasonry, of
somewhat uncertain historical origins, which took its present
form in the Mid-East and Central Asia beginning about a
thousand years ago, in a confluence of recognizably
“Sufic” elements reaching back to the Egyptian and
Greek Mysteries, the Zoroastrian Magi, the Kebzeh tradition
of the Caucasus, and Central Asian shamanism, as well as
inner teachings of the Judaic, Christian, and Islamic streams
indigenous to the Mideast. The Sufis’ contribution to
world culture is enormous and has only recently begun to be
documented and recognized.
There are numerous Sufi “orders” throughout the
world. These are really lineages founded and inspired by
one or more historical Sufi masters in an initiatic
succession down to the present day. Each order has its
particular form of ritual and practice, but the inner
teachings differ only in detail. As the basis of this path is held to be inherent in the
structure of the human being and in consciousness itself,
Sufism has had exemplars but no “founder,” and can
be said to have existed since human beings attained their
present form.
The term “sufism” is an unfortunate linguistic
convention. The Sufi “way” is not an “-ism” or a
religion, or a system of beliefs; it is an empirical method of
self-work, designed to nurture the unfoldment of our latent human
potential under Divine Guidance. This work leads to an awakened
consciousness and an abiding happiness which is independent of outer circumstances.
The Sufi approach is not based upon
beliefs or premises but upon direct personal experience.
Sufism has been called “the path of all paths,” the
inner essence underlying all religions, and the heart of the
world’s wisdom traditions. It is these things, but also
a particular teaching and a school of spiritual practice in
its own right, having its own approach and methods which
answer the need of humanity in today’s world in a unique
way.
Practical benefits of Sufi practice that are commonly experienced:
These are not the goals of our practice; they are natural results of
unfolding ourselves as the divine beings which we really are. As we release
ourselves from what we are not, our felt-sense of self moves from one of
contraction and limitation to that of spaciousness and freedom.
Our bodies are star-dust, gathered and animated by an all-pervading life force,
informed and illuminated by a timeless, transcendent intelligence.
Some deep part of us has always known this, and the desire to know it fully is the source of all our outward longings.
This path is the promise of its fulfillment.
The Sufi Order
International
The Sufi approach was brought to the West early in the 20th
Century by the Indian master Hazrat Inayat Khan
(1882–1927) (far left), in a form which is particularly
suited to the needs and outlook of the current age. The order
he founded, the Sufi Order International (known formerly as
the “Sufi Order of the West”) is currently headed
by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan (right). Pir Zia is the grandson of
Hazrat Inayat Khan and was born and educated in America. He
received his training in Sufism from his father, the renowned
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (1916–2004) (left) and from Indian and
Turkish Sufi masters. Pir Zia holds a Ph.D. in Religion from
Duke University and is a recipient of the U Thant Peace
Award.
Audio and text transcripts of Pir Zia’s discourses can be found here and here, on the Sufi Order International website.
Since much of the historical development of Sufism has been in parts of the world where Islam is the predominant form of religious practice, most Sufis worldwide are Muslims. However, the Sufi Order International is an inheritor of a stream of “universal” Sufism which began in India over 700 years ago. We affirm the common ideals of all religious faiths, we do not ask or inculcate an acceptance of any specific religious or philosophical beliefs, nor do we seek to convert anyone from one faith to another. We feel that real development can only take place if people work with what is meaningful for them, and that a deepening of one’s spiritual experience is essential to informed belief. We create a safe environment where people can feel free to be spiritually open and to discover their own inner truth for themselves.
Sufi Spiritual
Direction
The Sufi approach is a path of
initiation and discipleship as well as one of individual
study of spiritual teachings; the written teachings actually
make a living guide necessary, not dispensable.
“Initiation” signifies a deep commitment to
one’s personal growth; it is not “membership in a
club,” but is a linking of the deep consciousness of the
seeker with a profound source of inner guidance and the Initiatic Lineage.
The Sufi Order International is a school that provides a
setting in which real spiritual experience — and
transformation — is possible. We teach spiritual
awakening in the midst of life rather than a monastic
withdrawal from it, and we work towards a balanced and
grounded spirituality. Practical benefits of Sufi practice
can include effective stress management, deep emotional
healing, ability to live and work harmoniously with all
different kinds of people, deeper insight into life and human
nature, greater mental clarity and enhanced capacity for
making effective choices in life, and speaking and acting
with integrity under all circumstances.
The Sufi teacher is not the deified “perfect
master” of other traditions, but rather a spiritual
friend who is living a human life, one who has traveled the
path ahead and knows the territory. The guidance relationship
is one of equal beings whose role and function are different;
the role of the Sufi teacher, especially as articulated by
Hazrat Inayat Khan, does not assume or promote the teacher as
having a position of authority or superiority. Sufi Order
International teachers undergo a rigorous and lengthy
training and mentoring before being deputized by the head of
the Order (the “Pir”), and ongoing training and
supervision are a mandatory part of the function of a teacher
in this Order. “Representatives” and
“Guides” are authorized to confer initiation into
the Order and to give and guide the spiritual practices of
initiates. A “Retreat Guide” is someone
specially-trained in guiding the process and practices of
individual and/or group Sufi spiritual retreat.
Sufi Initiates, and also those just exploring the Path, are
encouraged to connect with an authorized teacher to receive
individualized guidance and instruction in the framework and
practices of the Order.
The Sufi Order in
Seattle
The Sufi Order International in the Seattle area has been
active for over thirty years. We hold regular public classes
for those interested in Sufi mysticism. We also sponsor
frequent visits by senior teachers of the Order, all of which
are open to the public. In addition, there are
regularly-scheduled classes reserved for initiates which
serves the large community of practitioners in the greater
Seattle area.
We also offer individual spiritual guidance and coaching, and
personal private spiritual retreats from one to twenty-one
days; one need not be an initiate to make a personal retreat.
It is our experience that private spiritual retreat is the
most effective method of accelerating one’s spiritual
transformation. The breakthroughs achieved on retreat are
solidified and integrated into one’s life through the
personal spiritual practices which one receives from
one’s guide.
The religious ritual of the Sufi Order International is
called the Universal Worship Service. It is a “Church of
All” where the world’s religious traditions are
celebrated inclusively, offering an opportunity to those
belonging to all faiths to join in worship of the one Source
from which all wisdom flows. Its ministers are legally
ordained and are available to the community and to the public
for weddings, funerals, house blessings/house purifications,
and similar occasions where a spiritual and truly
inter-religious ceremony is desired.
The Sufi Healing Order offers spiritual healing by explicit
request through communal prayer in absentia, or in person
through touch, breath, and Presence in session with
specially-trained and authorized practitioners.
The Ziraat is a mystery school within the Sufi Order,
one whose “transformational metaphor” is farming
and agriculture. Ziraat is an initiatic school which is open
to all who feel a commitment to spiritual awakening and to
the protection of this sacred world. One need not be a member
of the Sufi Order to join. Initiation in Ziraat confirms a
pledge to affirm and cultivate the divine seed within our
being, and thereby to help in the preservation and
restoration of our world.
