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Dancing in Peace

 
Peace is a transcendent condition. It is not a product of our thinking or our talking, but rather it is an essential quality of the Divine, much like the quality of Love. Peace is not found by talking or thinking, it is found by direct experience.
 
In the Gathas, Inayat Khan says:
But to what does the love of God lead? It leads to that peace and stillness which can be seen in the life of the tree, which bears fruit and flowers for others and expects no returns, not even thanks in return. It serves and cares for nothing else, not even for appreciation. That is the attribute of the godly.
Jesus said "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you". All of the great wisdom traditions teach the same basic idea, that we have the ability to transcend our own little petty chatter, and find a place of Unity which is beyond all differences.
 
In the wonderful prayer called Khatm, Hazrat Inayat Khan offers us the insight that we can "rise above the differences and distinctions that divide us". The differences and distinctions will never cease to exist; it is we who must change, and the nature of that change is to rise above the distinctions and differences. It is not a task for the rational, logical mind. This is beyond mind, beyond the beyond.
 
Therein lies the key to the door of peace. Going to that still, quiet, eternal place within is the only way to find peace. It must be experienced. It is not found by hunting for peace, it is found by going beyond the beyond. Jesus didn't say "Seek ye peace...", he urged us to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God", to go beyond the beyond and experience directly That Which is awaiting.
 
Here area couple of brief quotes from Murshid SAM's esoteric paper on Takua Taharat: Everyday Life:
Every thought, no matter how noble, takes one from purity and peace. Emptiness alone, or Fana, is a counterpoise very necessary in purification. And this ends finally in realization or self-fulfillment, which in Sufic terms is called Baka...

In times of world turmoil or even of disturbances in one’s family or social milieu, the best practice is to maintain calmness and peace of mind, and in Sufism this is done through the practice of the divine presence (Akhlak Allah)...

This is what is meant that the holy man is in the world but not of it. He partakes of all activities but does not add to samsara. He does not add his thoughts to subjects which are disturbing. Instead, he tries to develop and manifest an atmosphere of calmness and peace, a living calmness, a vibrant peace...

While sensitivity is not of itself evil, too much sensitivity throws one into the turmoil where samskaras are collected and thus stands in the way of peace of heart. One cannot maintain peacefulness and have concern; one must choose. No doubt there are times and conditions when this sensitivity and concern are valuable, but any concern, large or small, makes a mark and stands in the path of peaceful existence.

Here is an extract from one of Murshid SAM's esoteric papers in which he is writing about Inayat Khan's "The Inner Life". (Gatheka is what Inayat Khan had said, and Tassawuf is Murshid SAM's commentary):
Gatheka: The work of the inner life is to make God a reality, so that He is no more an imagination; that this relationship man has with God may seem to him more real than any other relationship in this world; and when this happens then all relationships, however near or dear, become less binding.

Tassawuf: This is exactly what does happen. We pray: "Draw us closer every moment of our lives until in us be reflected Thy Grace, Thy Glory, Thy Wisdom, Thy Joy and Thy Peace." This is exactly what happens when one pursues the inner life. And there is an ever increasing radiance and ever increasing manifestation of Grace. And this also produces the transformation which means a complete change of values.

It is interesting to note that while Murshid SAM's dances had an intense focus on peace, the word peace is seldom mentioned. The power of the Dances is not manifest by chanting "peace, peace we want peace..", but rather the power of the Dances as a tool of transformation lies in the profound personal experience of a safe harbor, a place from which the Divine Presence may be directly experienced and the true depth of Peace discovered.

As Murshid Samuel Lewis wrote:

Forget yourself, get into the spirit of song, rise and fall on the waves of ecstasy, and express [your] pure being. Then you escape all differences, all divisions, all duality, all pain, all sorrow.

 

 

Wishing you love, harmony and beauty,
       wahiduddin

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