Attitude Towards the Practices and the Movement

by Hazrat Inayat Khan

I wish to speak to my mureeds a few words about their practices. There are three things, besides all other practices, which are most serious.

Firstly: The twenty breaths of purification which are given to all mureeds, because this is a kind of air ablution which prepares every person going through the spiritual path for every activity which he is going to take in daily life, and as necessary as one's everyday ablution. And by this I can promise you, that if you will keep up the prescription of purification regularly and steadfastly, it will become as a guarantee of your health. Besides this it prepares to keep your intuition factor clear, so as to think rightly and to act rightly. Therefore spiritually and physically both, it is the most valuable prescription for you to keep up.

[These twenty breaths are the four Element Breaths, repeated five times each.] Secondly: The prayers Saum and Salat are the prayers which are meant to be the prayers for today, for this time; therefore their power is much greater than can be imagined. It is a battery itself, by which a great activity is developed. It is the prayer which the spheres repeat, and someday will reach every part of the world: no part of the world will be left without. These prayers will touch every soul one day or other, either directly or indirectly. By seeing and knowing this more and more, you will realize the power of these prayers a thousand times more than ever. One may say them more times a day than is prescribed. And if you say them more than once, it is better. And if you are able to do them with the movements in all humility, it is best.

There are two ways of saying them: one way is standing; the other bending, bowing, prostrating. It is not a subject which should be considered secondary. For the movements have a great power. No one who has the slightest idea of the occult laws will for one moment think less of the power of the movements. Yet if behind the movement there is no sense, the whole movement is a lost movement. When that movement comes with a great thought, it has a great power, it is dynamic.

All mureeds are free to do one kind of movement or the other, or to do no movement at all. No mureed is forced to do, no one is urged to follow. You all follow freedom, and freedom is our rule. Only I must tell you what great opportunity you have, what can be of great benefit in your life.

Thirdly: When one unites with Murshid in thought at the end of one's practices, it is only in order to feel that we are receiving the divine inspiration and blessing of God. That we are open, that we do not close our hearts to our Murshid, who has taken our life's interests into his heart, who can only be happy in our happiness, and who sorrows in our sorrow. Besides this, if your devotion makes you feel inclined that you might help your Murshid in thought, to be in thought with Murshid's task, it will make your work easier.

[Hazrat Inayat Khan, our Murshid, urges us to think of him.] The continuation of the practices without break every day is the very best thing, and if one drops them one day that does take away some kind of sustenance of the practices. Regularity in practices is a great thing.

 
But now coming to the practical questions of life. There might be mureeds who think, "I am quite willing to do work for the Cause, but Murshid does not depend upon me for something fixed." You must never allow such thoughts to come into your mind. The initiation has appointed you for the work, and to do all the things you can for our Cause. Besides this you can always help those who have the responsibility of the work. This is a work of love and sacrifice. You can all work. By partaking of the responsibility of all, you can do so much.

For ourselves, what we can bring is love, harmony, beauty. Therefore the first experience in ourselves is to forgive one another, thinking that all human beings have their shortcomings. The main thing which is in our mind must be this: that all the troubles and difficulties should not hinder our Movement, because we shall stand firm.

Can you imagine what a battle it is for your Murshid, a continual battle, and to what extent does it hurt? And if it were only a battle with adversaries, it would not be so bad. But if mureeds should make battle among themselves, what difficulties there will be. It is not the battle outside which gives the greatest fight, but the battle in ourselves which is the hardest.

What I ask my friends is to have understanding for the sacrifice their Murshid has to go through and to understand that they share his sacrifice by their devotion. One great hope I have: that I have not the slightest doubt about your devotion and faith, and I know there are souls who will stand by me through all my strife and through all my life.

God bless you.