International Sufi Movement
Summer School
Katwijk, Holland
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Summer School Address, Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, 1926
Spiritual and Religious Movements, June 15, 1926
Blessed Mureeds, I wish to say some words about the work in the Summer School. We are beginning our work with the help of God, and the first thing we must keep in our minds is to cooperate with one another most heartily. To extend our courtesy to those who newly come here. To be friends with them, to help them, to make them understand the work of the Message. That each one of the members of this order must consider this their responsibility. One must not think, "Because I am not a Cherag I must not do this work, because it is a Cherag's work; or a Murshida must do it, or a Representative. " No, every mureed must do his best to cooperate, to make others feel happy, not to make them feel in a new place, not to make them feel that everybody is exclusive, indifferent. We must show our sympathy and outgoing tendency to everybody that comes, to meet them, talk to them, interest them in the Movement. For the very reason that the Sufi Movement is small we must be more outgoing, because of the smallness of the number of our Movement.
One must never think that exercises are only for the beginners. They must know that Paderewski is playing simple scales as a beginner would play on the piano, and he plays them oftener than a beginner would play. Therefore never think that in order to advance spiritually you must have other practices or new practices. That is not necessary. If you continue every day the practices that you have, especially when you are here, it will be of great help. Besides that, there is a certain attitude of mind that is necessary while one is in the Summer School. That attitude of mind is such of friendliness, sympathy, tolerance, forgiveness; an attitude to tolerate, to forgive and forget anybody's faults. We are all limited, we all have our faults and limitations. If another person has a little more, perhaps our faults are hidden. Maybe we have more faults than anybody else.
The best thing is to overlook it. Besides, in the worldly life, all year long there are many chances to say, "That person is not good; that person does not please me; he is wrong; that person I cannot tolerate; that person I hate." These three months that we come away from worldly life it is better to give up absolutely that feeling of malice, intolerance, prejudice; it must be entirely thrown away. If anybody comes and inspires with that feeling, take it differently. As there is a saying of a Sufi at the king's table, the king asked him when he was taking a glass of wine, "It is prohibited in your faith, is it not so?" "Yes, but when it touches my lips it turns into water." The same thing we must do.
There come situations where one feels irritated, disgusted, intolerant, agitated. We have to live in the world, in the midst of all the jarring influences. In order to practice that we must practice. Remember, without practice you cannot do anything: we cannot sing if we do not practice, we cannot even live among people. We have all to live in the world. If not, one person is not like the other person. And every other person has a jarring effect upon the other person. And how much a person seeks association with people, at the same time, when you ask his soul, it wants to run away from it all, each soul. What does it show? It shows that if we went on naturally reacting against every influence that comes in our life, we shall never feel peaceful. The only way of feeling peaceful is only one way, that is to practice how to live in the midst of the world.
It is not two days' practice. Piano one can practice for twelve years, then it is finished, but this practice you have to do all your life. It is strange, people do not think about simple things. Tell them about occult science, mystic things, they are very pleased. But ordinary things of everyday life, how to live and move among our friends, that is such a difficult thing. It seems to be the easiest. The problem of every moment of life we seem to forget. It must be remembered that during the time of the Summer School, if we continue the practices, attending of the silences, trying one's best to keep one's mind pure from all influences which are poison and having our outgoing sympathetic attitude towards one another, then we shall accomplish work successfully. God Bless You.
