THE  INSTITUTIONALIZATION  OF  SPIRITUALITY
(January, 2004)

I have been deprecating the institutionalization of spirituality because these man-made institutions tend to limit the originating spiritual inspiration. Pir O Murshid says: ‘We need a basket to collect flowers or fruit . Of course the amount of flowers or fruit collected is limited by the size of the basket.'

Shall we suggest that the Sufi Order be all-encompassing? I suggest that the answer is not there. Instead it is in building a coherent construct – an organism rather than an organization – to serve as an infrastructure for the vision of the Message.

Yesterday morning at 3 o'clock , all of a sudden, the importance of an infrastructure for the vision of the Message became clear to me. Precisely as our thoughts and our emotions need a body to actuate them in the existential world and the Cosmic Code needs to be actualised in existential circumstances, the vision of the Message needs an infrastructure.

It all starts by the one assigned with prophetic inspiration picking up a message conveyed by the hidden Spiritual Government of the world whose objective is introducing a global awareness. In our day and age this has consequences in people's relationship with their religion and with the religion of others.

Hazrat Inayat Khan:

Church-bell, what do you proclaim?
I proclaim that every head which resounds like mine,
spreads abroad the Message of God.
[Gayan]

The Message is followed by a vision of how it can be actuated concretely in the world. This is where the organization, or rather organism, becomes operational.

That vision is thus the second step. We could learn from the game of chess how this organism is structured. It is based upon a hierarchic principle.

Hazrat Inayat Khan:

How the light of the sun functions in the moon and how the light of the sun is reflected by all the different planets, and at the same time, how the different planets differ in their light and character - and how every planet in the universe fulfills the scheme of nature, there is a model of life that nature has produced before us. Social Gathekas, The Problem of the Day

It is the necessity of life that there should be a hierarchy – hierarchy by election or hierarchy by appointment. The Unity of the Religious Ideals, The Spiritual Hierarchy

Man is born in this world ignorant of the kingdom which is within himself and to attain to that kingdom which is within him is the true aristocracy.Social Gatheka.

To recognize that kingdom in another person is aristocracy and to see the possibility of that kingdom in oneself and to try to fulfill that ideal in life is true democracy. Social Gatheka 15 & Volume 10: The Problem of the Day

If in anything divine origin is seen it is in the aristocracy of the human soul, it is in the democracy of the human ego. Sufi Teachings, The Privilege of Being Human

Real democracy means recognizing the possibility of advancing just as others have done, trusting in that possibility, and trying to advance to the same level as that of the others. Volume 10: The Problem of the Day

The natural consequences of this will bring about the spirit of brotherhood and equality and will result in preparing the outer democracy and the inner aristocracy which is in the nobility of the soul whose perfection is hidden under the supremacy of God. Social Gathekas

Whether there be aristocracy or democracy, there will always be a few souls who will have influence over many. Unity of Religious Ideals, Law

The object of life is not in revolting against someone who is more advanced than we and by this revolt to pull him down to one's own level; that is not democracy. Democracy is seeing the possibility of advancing as the other; and trusting in that possibility, trying to advance to the same level; that is the real democracy. Social Gatheka 15 - The Problem of the Day

But the man who is not evolved, who is pulling the most evolved down to his level, has a wrong conception of democracy; it is going downwards instead of upwards. If lack of manners and consideration can be democracy, it loses its real ideal and true spirit. The Alchemy of Happiness, The Development of Personality

To some people the word aristocracy, when not understood, often sounds very unpleasant, but the real aristocracy is not necessarily the picture of its abuse, its degeneration. Volume 10: The Problem of the Day

The chivalry of the knights and the noble manners, the noble ideals that the ancient people, the aristocratic people had, seem to be finished today. And although we are not realizing it today, there will come a day when we will realize that something which was most beautiful in humanity has been lost. I do not mean to say that we must become today what the world was a hundred years before. It is not necessary, and it cannot be. But at the same time we need not forget and we need not disregard all that was beautiful at that time. The Message Papers, July 6, 1926

Freedom is the soul's purpose, and if, without hindering the conventionalities, one can rise above them, so as to breathe the breath of freedom, that would be the true democracy . Democracy void of culture and refinement can very well be called anarchy. Gatha III

Democracy unfortunately can lead to the governance being decided upon by people unapprised of the vital issues who elected a leader because he or she is charismatic. It is those thus idolized who by dint of their popularity have the makings of dictators.

In the Sufi Order the teacher raises his or her initiate

… to the same throne upon which he himself is sitting and even higher if he can; for in raising the initiated one the Initiator himself is raised high. Verily the greatness of God is brought unto Him by the greatness of man. Sangitha I

At the top the unity of the overarching principle is polarized as the King and the Queen. This counterbalancing principle is to be found in the game of chess. To protect the King against his enemies, the Queen restrains the King from becoming a dictator. She takes upon herself the risk of being knocked out by those who oppose themselves to the authority of the King. Should she be out of action, the king is checkmated – the whole organism breaks down.

It could be the other way round: the Queen abusing her position could overrule the King. In this case Shakti has become Kali. This is illustrated by a statue where Shakti is standing over the reclined body of Shiva. Spirituality aims here at converting Kali into Sita.

Sita, also called Janaki in Hindu mythology, the consort of Rama, is the embodiment of wifely devotion and self-surrender. Her abduction by the demon king Ravana and subsequent rescue are the central incidents in the great Hindu epic Ramayana.

According to Hindu mythology, the divine monkey Hanuman aided Rama in recovering his wife Sita from the demon Ravana. The monkeys under his aegis built a bridge between India and Sri Lanka – the bridge over troubled waters. Hanuman is sometimes depicted as having wings, because, not content with that bridge, he crossed the strait between India and Sri Lanka in one leap.

Hanuman represents the transmutation in the evolutionary process from our animal ancestry to even surpassing the human condition and is therefore worshipped in India as a God.

This is also illustrated in the Parsifal legends where the Queen of the Night, whose king had intercepted the arrow of the Grail, becomes converted by Parsifal, who retrieved the arrow of the Grail, so that the chalice could sparkle again in the temple of the Grail. The arrow symbolizes the king and the chalice the queen. The king needs to be rescued from the temptation of the Queen of the Night, Kali, so that the queen, Sita, may find her place in the divine order.

This very same process takes place when our psyche is transmuted by the power of the Holy Spirit so that the immaculate core of our being may prevail over its defilement.

The game of chess illustrates this. The vision needs to eschew any distortion by failing to assess it and be protected. The queen's strategy is protected and reinforced by the castles. Their movements are restricted but are assisted by a coherent configuration of the pawns while the king himself cannot move.

The whole success of the operation is dependent upon the authority of the king. Thus the need for the loyalty of the other pawns, the knights and the castles, and of the ordinary pawns.

This is why according to the Qur'an our very existence is based upon a covenant of fealty: “Am I not your Lord.” And, our answer: “I testify that you are my Lord and I am your vassal.” It is this covenant that establishes the order of the existential world.

The strategy of the king is carried out by the knights.

The question thus arises what your position is in this infrastructure that institutionalizes the Message and we call the Sufi Order International. Participating in the Sufi Order therefore cannot be reduced to receiving the teaching but calls upon you in addition to take responsibility. The message of unity is embodied in a vision by Hazrat Inayat Khan and concretized in the Universal Worship which he called the Church of all Churches which he founded.

Hazrat Inayat entrusted the ritualization of this cosmic vision of his to Murshida Sophia Saintsbury Green who, familiar with the hackneyed Victorian Church of England ritual, formalized it according to her personal capacity to encompass Hazrat Inayat Khan's vast cosmic vision. There is always a danger that in our good-will we create yet another church.

Hazrat Inayat Khan:

And how shall we work? […] We do not need to work as the missionaries of the different churches. That is not our mission. Why? Because we are not the missionaries of any particular church. If we are, we are the missionaries of all churches, our task is different. […] We devote our life and services not for a community, or sect or a limited circle of humanity. [8 . Address to Cherags ]

When a Cherag forces his belief upon those, an unripened soul, incapable of appreciating the beauty of it, he will prove himself to be narrow. By wanting to prove their belief to be better than that of another they expose themselves to all sorts of arguments which will never end, for argument creates argument.[ 9. Address to Cherags ]

I remember that Hazrat Inayat Khan said, “The day will come when the Universal Worship will be celebrated by the priests of the different religions together.” We have tried this, and have encountered resistance – Rabbis who are not allowed to officiate in other than their own religion or Buddhists who consider that Buddhism is not a religion. However if we can overcome that resistance Hazrat Inayat Khan's vision of the Message for our time will be fufilled.

Hazrat Inayat Khan:

There awaits a duty, a task, [ which is beyond comprehension. ] … those among us desiring to render their services for the Cause must realize that this aspect of the Sufi Movement which is called Universal Worship will one day be the future religion of the world. I do not mean to say that all existing in the world will come and join the Sufi Movement by this. I mean to say that all will partake of the Message directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously in the future. Those among us whose souls without the slightest doubt accept this and believe this, then what remains for them is to make up their minds to do what little they can in furthering the Cause. One must be conscious of its significance before one begins to work; and its significance is the future religion of the world.

Yes, just now we feel the great lack of workers… So far Europe and the United States seem respondent, but now in Asia an awakening is anticipated. … No doubt, when we look at the vast world and our limited means and small number of workers it is distressing. But instead of allowing ourselves to be distressed, … we ought to feel a greater responsibility that we are so few, that our task is so great, that our means are so little. … we should be wide awaken and feel more responsible, and at the same time feel more privileged and blessed to have to work at this time of need. For there are many friends, but a friend in need is the great friend. …

If we only knew what is in store for the Message, if we only realized Whose Message it is, if we realized to Whom we offer our services in serving the Cause! He is responsible for it Whose Message it is; we are only workers. We must do our best, and leave it to Him, Whose Message it is, to accomplish it. …

When a person says to me: "I cannot work because people are not respondent," or, "I cannot accomplish anything because no one listens," or, "I cannot do because I cannot work outwardly," or, " I cannot do because I am not gifted," or, "because there is opposition from my family," or, "from those around me," or, "from those hostile to the Cause," or, "those who live in my house," or, "from my neighbours," or, "associates," - these excuses all sum up in one thing, and that is that the person is not yet ready to do the thing. Once the desire is born in the heart, nothing in the world can stand before you. Remember therefore that no excuse of any kind must disappoint you, once your heart has heard the call from within. You must go on in spite of all disturbing and opposing influences, and with faith and trust you will overcome all difficulties, and climb the summits. [8 . Address to Cherags ]

This is the reason why there are several grades of initiation according to the dedication to the service of the Message.

Hazrat Inayat Khan:

A world-in-the-making can be likened to a great jigsaw puzzle whose separate parts have life and are capable of independent movement. Each part has its own particular place, in its relation to every other part; and no thing or being can live to itself alone; but if they are in their wrong places, the hand of God must move them before the complete picture can be revealed. The way by which man can find his own place is to tune his instrument to the keynote of the chord to which he belongs. Sangatha III

The higher the grade, the greater the responsibility in continually correcting any deviation from the vision of the cosmic outreach of the message. This could be illustrated by a conductor who continually stops the orchestra to correct a false note or a faulty interpretation as he or she understands the intention of the composer. Failing this the order becomes disorder.

To make this happen, our way of handling problems in our relationship with people and the way our leaders exercise authority in the centres needs to reflect the principle of an organism as described above. Otherwise indeed the originating inspiration is lost.

On the other hand, following the principles actuated in the game of chess: hierarchy needs to be counterbalanced by synarchy. The reason for this is because otherwise the king would become a dictator. Moreover it is important for the king to receive feedback from the grassroots. This is the role of democracy counterbalancing aristocracy.

The danger is that institutions open the way for power games so that just as at the individual level, we need to pass through fana (that is the break-down of the personal ego) in order to reach baqa , reinstatement. For the institution to reflect its originating inspiration those serving it need to eschew being tempted by power games and affirm their initiative while respecting that of those with whom they are co-operating.

Bach:

I am contriving to sketch in my music a model for the human commonwealth: not a melody with subsidiary accompaniments, rather for each theme an instrument or voice; each enjoying a degree of freedom yet constraining its free scope in the interest of the whole. Such is the harmony of the stars.

It is the same principle that determines the atomic structure of chemicals, which are based upon a complex symmetry, which Bach actuates in his Toccatas and Fugues. In them he interrelates as much as 6 themes. Beyond that our mind's capacity cannot reach. And then quizzicaly he says quaerendo inventis :

Find it yourself.