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:
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:
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):
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:
Wishing you love, harmony and beauty, |