CN2 INTL=CD BOMBAY VIA RCA 38 29 NLT
SAM LEWIS=
BOX 487 MYRTLE BEACH (SOCAR)=
YOU SHOULD GO TO RABIA MARTIN AT FAIRFAX CENTRE FOR TWO
YEARS AS YOUR WORKING THERE WILL HELP MY WORK STOP SHOW
THIS CABLE TO ELIZABETH AND TAKE CARE FROM HER=
BABA.
RABIA BABA.
February 3, 1948
Dear Murshida:
Your blessed letter of the 18th January is here and the hardest thing is for us both, the writer and reader (whosoever “you” and “I” be) must realize that it takes as many words to describe an affair of the highest plane as of the lowest, yet the weight of the words are not the same. I must confess that I have not always written in a devotional manner. I once had a long and disquieting experience with Murshida Rabia—it ended dramatically—in which I failed in calling her attention that her acts were unequal, those which were done in a hierarchal fashion being infinitely more important than the details she used to do for the cause of God, and the latter in their turn, being almost again infinitely more important than the affairs of her private life. I failed, she had a tragic accident, but I have not changed my point of view.
Your first page, therefore, reads to me like revelation. As we have not received this prior to February 1st, we cannot cable any plans for cooperation with Avatar. Actually point 4 is continuously observed here and by most mureeds. (Continence) Point 1., taking a meal a day might be desirable but would be difficult to work. Point 2., on silence, in part conflicts with our present program, which will be discussed further. Feeding a poor man or woman each day would please me but I have no control over the funds which would make this possible. Point 5, we virtually observe, but I shall try to “institute” it beginning tonight. (Meditation.)
Now the present program is this: failing in almost every instance to find or receive cooperation to get this office in order, I turned in despair to God and the answer came clearly to go out and try to receive new mureeds, using Baba as the head of the Sufi Order, and yourself as His chief representative of the West. And what happened? For one week we averaged a new candidate a day. Three candidates are now ready for Bayat, two of them to receive it on February 5th, the anniversary if Murshid’s passing, and one around the next new moon, inshallah. Besides this, new contacts are being made. I exhausted my immediate list of persons to be interviewed: 1, San Rafael; 1, San Anselmo; 4, Fairfax; 1, Mill Valley. I also have as contacts 3 San Rafael, 2 Novato, 1 Kentfield, 1 San Francisco. The last is a gentleman who will be leaving for the West Indies soon, so we must wait for his return, perhaps. During this period Nuria also has two contacts who want to meet you (father and son, I believe). All of this is entirely without effort on my part. I will give you details later if you desire.
Dr. Ghani’s Work: I hope this will satisfy the cry for a glossary. We simply have nobody here for any such thing.
India: The removal of Gandhi from this plane makes it clear to me that Baba will be merging, seen or hidden, as the one force, which will bring peace there. I now may be writing to the Ambassador, and if so, will send a copy to you.
Muslims: Following another “hunch” I have located the haunt of the Muslims in San Francisco, the Dewey Hotel, and may be calling there soon.
Francis: The only “instructions” Francis has from me are: (1) Sacred papers, (2) Esoteric practices, (3) Interpretations of the above given either in class or in writing.
Yourself: There is nothing in your report I did not feel beforehand though I may have concealed. I have written as a person, not as a devotee, as I have “thought,” not as I have “felt.” If I did the latter you would not get any letter, only poems and psalms of praise. This would produce much harmony but convey no news.
Baba’s House: I would like permission to submit my own inspirations on this subject which were approved by Rabia—I think even written down—then ignored. You would then be in position to OK or reject them and submit your own plan. The house presumably reserved for Baba is occupied by Don and Pete Harling a non-mureed. They eat with us. (The extra room in this house which I had hoped to fix for a bedroom is being used by Hazel’s nurse).
Chairman: This is well marked. Pardon me if I laughed out loud when I read it. That is comment enough.
Murshids: I have felt that there were not many real spiritual leaders on the earth. A question arises about the 56 Masters. I have interpreted this differently from the way Norina and Jean have, but not differently from your letter.
Service: This word is over and under-used but generally misused. I will not go into any details here.
Difficulties: I must call your attention that in addition to all else there has always been a pall, two problems here not started in my presence. The first, about which I have written concerning Theodore, has reacted upon the person involved, who is in serious public difficulty. In the meanwhile she has begun to turn to God. Her husband favors that. But she has a huge ego along with a spirit of devotion.
The other concerned Hazel. There is no use denying the fact that at least one person causing rumors about her is a despicable wretch and some others not much better. I have found that one of her detractors is now definitely afoul of the law and another has made so many enemies he has no time for her. Unfortunately wind of gossip has spread into areas not concerned and minds do not close so readily.
Office Status Here: Briefly, failing to get help from certain persons, when help did come no account has been taken of additional burdens thrown upon a theoretical office by the withdrawal of the secretary entirely, by over attention to too many other things, and by identifying my personality with the constitution of the Sufi Order and Sufi Movement. We have constitutions and institutions. They came either from Murshid or Rabia. They have neither been repealed nor enforced. The moneys given to the Movement by mureeds primarily were for the receiving of lessons, teachings and literature, to help them, and for advice from the teacher. But this has never been followed too literally. At the moment a program is being followed which from my point of view is neither legal nor hierarchal. I am sending Mary Sorenson copy of the report on the status of the sacred papers. In the end it will be yourself and others who will be crying for materials that cannot easily be copied and placed in yours, or anybody’s hands.
Murshid’s Records: This is a wonderful thing.
Prospectus: For a large movement by 1949, even without much effort. But a very cautions and careful distribution of lessons because same cannot be typed by non-mureeds, and available persons are not used to the full potential extent.
Finally: We expect to have Margaret Kraske as a guest soon, and may ask her to speak to us about Baba and Spiritual Dancing.
Faithfully,
Samuel
Jan. 9, 1950
My dear Samuel:
As Don told me you were present at the fire, I would like to know from you what your impressions were at the time—psychic, intuitive, prophetic or otherwise. We apparently had to share Baba’s renunciation of all His ashrams. He is at Benares. You will be interested to know that I have made a down payment on a lot of Ellsworths at Myrtle Beach. I trust to God to be able to pay for it. The year has been a difficult one. My broken foot still suffers and my eye affliction is still most painful. I lost my father at Thanksgiving. I started this year with the heavy grippe astrology indicated. I’ll be glad when Saturn gets out of Virgo.
Frankenberg has had part of his jawbone removed—cancer. He is still very distrustful of Baba because Baba didn’t cure him. I do not want him to know the school burned in the event you write him at any time. I will tell you the reason later. His wife is so crippled with arthritis she can hardly move.
Norina told me that it was beautiful to see Baba, when he received your letter of surrender to Him in India, hold the letter near His precious head and pour out love to you. Treasure the master’s love, Samuel and do all you can to deserve it. Pray that He may come to us soon!
Will you please tell me whether or not there was any particular reason Murshida used no heading on her stationery—just the symbol? I wondered if she had gotten into any difficulty with the Europeans?
Now that you are home I wonder if you would go over your papers carefully someday and see if you can find anywhere a letter from I. Khan to Murshida. I still do not understand why there were no letters between the years 1918 and his death except the one letter written from France in 1923 after his return from America. I went through everything at Ashbury. I am always wishing I could lay my hands on something that would prove to dissenters how he trusted her to the last. Frankenberg had a mureed who wrote to Dussaq about me and Baba and received the usual replies although D. was kind in his remarks about me, but he quoted that I. Khan’s international constitution says nothing must be studied in the order except his own words. I can’t believe this. There are still some angles that I haven’t gotten my hands on. Was Murshid in this country at the time we incorporated? Our only ace in the hole is the fact that our incorporation papers are two years older than theirs. I don’t hope to change any one’s mind about anything—only Baba can shake up all these complacent people—but I would like solid ground under me when newcomers ask questions about the past. Baba has appointed me to my task, and I don’t need any other appointment although I have Murshida’s appointment of me.
I will appreciate any assistance you can give Don in teaching him how to conduct the services and things like that.
I hope your college work is making you happy. I found myself in such disagreement with the professors most of the time that I would find it hard to take. May the New Year be most fruitful for you!
In Baba,
Murshida
33 West 67th St.
New York 23
Feb. 1, 1950
Dear Samuel:
I assume that a formal acknowledgement of your resignations is in order, so I hereby accept them.
It would take me volumes to reply to your completely inconsistent letter of Jan. 12th and I have not the time. When you stand before the altar of God and with hands upraised swear an oath to regard Baba as your master and to be loyal to me as your Murshida, and also write out on paper in detail your attitude, I am certainly flabbergasted when you refuse to answer a question on the ground of samskaras and then proceed to sow them all over the place by starting another of your sniping campaigns against me by writing to Norina whom I saw again last week in Myrtle Beach, and to old mureeds like the Skinners in Detroit and God Knows who else, but which like everything else you do, always becomes known to me in time.
You have been consumed with jealousy ever since I was appointed to this work. You dislike Don because I have relied on his responsibility and services despite the fact that he might not have as much esoteric learning as you have. You have fought against every woman you ever had to work with. I have protected you from far more than you will ever know; I have given you loving kindness and shared my table with you. You have betrayed me over and over in this work even when it is only by innuendo and damning with faint praise and hints of injustice and all that. I have warned you to make sure you stand before Baba with clean hands because He has appointed me to this work, as well as Murshida Rabia. What you do against me you do against Him, and against God in all of us. He has renounced three ashrams and everything in the world, but when your Murshida asks that our work on the national boards be made more national by the inclusion of other states, you cannot give up one seat even though it would have been nominally so.
If you cannot await Baba’s arrival for your next appointment that is up to you, but don’t talk to me about samskaras!
I would also advise you not to brag about taking the Sufi School with you when you left. I regret to say that most people do not understand the esoteric meanings you are hinting at and there is already considerable speculation in Marin County as to whether or not you had any part in this holocaust since you were there that day and no one was there that night. I must say here and now that I do not believe this at all. There was no Baraka or dharshana there except the rock Murshid blest. The backbiting and fights and gossiping and performances of all sorts sent out no Baraka. I am sure it was to free the place form just such samskaras that the place burned down and through its purification we have a clean slate for Baba’s New Phase and the new era that is soon here.
Faithfully,
Murshida Ivy
November 12, 1961
Lahore, Pakistan
My dear Ivy:
I doubt very much if you know what it means to be under practical house arrest, watched by the communists and half in fear that the American authorities in some places think I am putting on a stunt. The complete failure of one Rev. Samuel Brown to get his surveys accepted has been followed by my walking into the very traps both he and the Sufi police advised. I have spent about $50 in postage this last month and hardly a letter of any kind has reached me or mail or money and I don’t know where my Passport is.
Under such circumstances one feels very much like writing his last will and testament, but thanks be to Allah, there are Sufi and plenty of Sufis and I don’t care who says what or who he be anywhere those statements are wrong and someday or other this will come out in court. It will come out in court when I return because either myself or the State Department will arraign Rom Landau whom you hardly consider a friend, but in the testimony against Landau which would then go on court records, under oath, it will prove that a lot of blindly accepted remarks are not true on earth at least. Whatever may be true in some “higher sphere” is of no account legally or intellectually. The Sufis are here, they are now, there are many of them and more true Murshida than you will accept—but under oath both at the courts and before the foreign Affairs committee’s facts will come out—not conjectures, not dreams, not ideas or ideals.
The Embassy at Karachi pulled three boners on me and then I was assured things would not be that way at New Delhi. A long distance call at my own expense followed by an oath was that there was no mail for me. This proved one of three things:
I am under closer surveillance than I had imagined.
I was not believed at home.
There was also inefficiency at New Delhi.
Well, despite that oath, a latter arrived yesterday which was held up one month at New Delhi in the Embassy and was my first report on communism sent to Senator Fullbright. This shows that some of my things get through and that they are given serious consideration. But if Ed Murrow does not give me consideration I am going to Washington and fling in his face the Hobson’s choice of Senator Mundt, Fulton Lewis Jr. or worse. There is a cold war going on.
That my mail gets out is also evidenced by the fact I received one letter in regard to my Passport which was by a divine mistake sent to the American Friends of the Middle East. I have since tried to check my mail with the assistance of the USIA bureau here. But no letter which proves either more inefficiency or a definite interception of mail. Because the FBI (and thank God for the FBI) advised me never to do any counter-espionage, I have not. But I don’t thank God for the CIA knowledge beforehand the demise of Tibet, Viet-Minh and Laos all because certain very good friends of mine were disbelieved; warning about Bagdad and disbelieved; warning four times about Cairo and seeing it. For my friends are found all over the world and I have never made use of them—before.
And you will recognize I am in a fighting mood. Nothing else is possible. I realize now that I was tricked and demoniacally tricked on Palestine. I have given parts of my plan three times to UN officials and they all said it was the only sensible thing they ever heard. Having a background in Jewish religious history and contacts with real Sufis and others, I am in the best position, perhaps of anybody on earth to propose compromises which will be heard. I am very sorry if private individuals differ. They will now have to face the fact that in standing against me as an individual they have done much to promote Russian interests though asinine and easily preventable divide and conquer.
My life story has long since been accepted here, let alone the mass meetings. There is a very special meeting going on this afternoon and I have been invited. I asked them why—“Because you are a Murshid.” All right, you have several thousand people’s opinion. I have never asked for it. It is my time to come to bat, be it cricket, be it baseball, be it life.
On top of that I was later asked to write a paper on “Aspects of Future Agriculture in Pakistan.” It has been promised write-ups in all papers, Urdu and English and the editor who has asked me has his fingers in everything. Embassy aside the OIC and Washington State people now know me and what I am doing and if and when I am permitted to proceed to New Delhi so will the scientific mission of the US there. Why experts came down from Rome to Cairo to meet me and much more has been accomplished since.
I am no longer concerned of personality reactions. Whether this is the end of life or the beginning of a period of power and fame (which the saints, seers, sages, sadhus and Sufis unanimously predict) there will be justification through action and life. You may have gained property but that “you can’t take it with you.”
This firmness and sternness was long ago impressed on me but not always followed. I have seen the terrible tragedies of the result of Gandhianism, wonderful though it appeared in some directions. You can’t add anything to God not even nonresistance. Sufism is divine wisdom and divine wisdom is everywhere through all and not in particular personalities—though they may claim it and a lot of rivals also claim it. This I hope to answer when I return in a book against Koestler. It is time to pass from “realism” and face reality—that is facts, persons, names, dates and events, which can be either substantiated in court or placed in court, of the Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Senate under oath.
I have been writing that I know you are anti-communist but how far. For when I name in court or before the Foreign Relations Committee where the centers of communism are, you may have to face a shock. Here it is among the Sufis but the vast majority of Sufis are sternly and strictly anti-communist. They are seeing the commies are arrested, not because they are against the U.S. but because they are against brother Sufis.
I do have a program, “Vindication not Revenge.” There is no time or thought for the latter but I shall not permit any whispering campaigns. I am not ashamed to admit I have been wrong in lots of things lots of times. But one thing I have not indulged in is whispering campaigns even against my worst enemies.
Someday, Ivy, if God wills, I shall return to Fairfax. If I live elsewhere in America (I do not include Asia here) it will be of my own consent and due to circumstances outside my present purview. I love that country, people, weather, trees and soil. It would appear now that some Sufis will be coming with or after me. We are going to have our say inshallah. And if God ordains it, or if I receive any investiture publicly, believe me that title will be used accordingly. Your name is in the telephone as a Murshida you know.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
SAM Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
Sufism Reoriented
July 27, 1963
Meher Publications
Room 320, 406 Sutter St.
San Francisco 4, Calif.
My dear Samuel:
A large box of all your papers has been waiting for you to claim it for many, many months. We did not feel it was up to us to hand it over to anyone else. The box is now in Don Stevens’ basement and you can arrange to pick it up at your mutual convenience. He is making a quick trip east next week but arrangements could be made shortly thereafter by phoning him, I am sure.
Mr. Duce has made three long trips to the Middle East in the past couple of years, having gone twice since this past January, so I do not know where you get your information from.
Very truly yours,
1088 Fulton St.,
San Francisco 17, Calif.
August 12, 1963
My dear Murshida:
No end of thanks can be conveyed for the placing back in my hands the materials given to you some years ago. Few people may realize at this time the importance of the event. The strange termination of a position as esoteric secretary for a few people will ultimately end, Inshallah, as esoteric secretary for the whole Sufic world.
Whatever shortcomings Sufis and Dervishes may have, and however incomplete their outer work, it is now going to be possible through contemporary methods of instruction and communication, to unite all the Orders on new bases without interfering with the old.
The old ones have been through Hierarchy, which still functions, even though efforts to point to names, facts, places and other data are spurned. The split between China and Russia and the signing of the test-ban agreement were long conveyed both by inner and outer means. The inner means are found in “Cosmic Language”, the outer means through objective interchange of living persons.
But even the writings of Hazrat Inayat Khan will no doubt be integrated with the teachings of other Sufis of this century who alike felt there should be a renovation of expressions to the modern world. The first instructions to harmonize science and mysticism will come to an outer fulfillment in the University of Islamabad, now being constructed in Pakistan. That institution will certainly take seriously the methods of “Cosmic Language and “Healing,” if not more. Gone is the day when doors and gates are barred without summoning of Divine Invocation.
It is awkward that in the Western world it is almost impossible to present the “Cosmic Language” to others and persons who have tried it have run into the same road-blocks with the usual charge of “egotism” against the possessor of siddhis.
This contracts so much with the scientists. Long ago while still living at Fairfax I was amazed by the joy in which every little report was received by scientists and even the name attached to tiny discoveries. As life has proceeded this same recipiency has been observed at all levels, even to the top grades though it has become impossible to communicate the latter, even if in writing, to metaphysical people who judge everything by personalizes. “The stone that is rejected has become the corner stone” is a monument in the history of all religions. One can refer to Shams-i-Tabriz among the Sufis and the Sixth Patriarch among the Buddhists and others. “The first shall be last and the last shall be first” is not a part of any ecclesiastical religion but belongs yet to truth.
It is with no joy that the reports concerning Terry have been confirmed. Our paths have crossed many times, as this is part of a larger scheme of things.
God bless you,
Samuel L. Lewis Sufi Ahmed Murad
August 31, 1963
My dear Murshida:
I must thank you for the return of “Akibyat,” a work which had quite escaped my memory.
All the things you have returned will now be of great use to mankind. Not only are the Sufis of other lands recognizing Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, but a man with whom I was associated socially in Lahore turns out to have been a friend in turn of the late Hasan Nizam of Delhi; of the man appointed by Hazrat Inayat Khan as his Khalifa for that part of the world; of the man appointed by Murshida Rabia as her Khalifa in that part of the world. I did not know of either of these persons, now deceased, but this has clarified my path very much.
The publications in Pakistan now recognize this person as a Sufi and all his articles appear in print. This means the outward operation in what the West would consider as two quite different areas, mysticism and applied science.
Whatever has been the history of the past, one can always hold what Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan declared, “True in the end shall win.” However any work done here will not be doing using directly the term “Sufi.”
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
S. A. M.
Sufi Ahmed Murad
772 Clementina St.,
San Francisco 3, Calif.
October 17, 1965
Mrs. James Terry Duce,
1330 Jones St.,
San Francisco, Calif. 94109
My dear Murshida:
Several days ago a change of address notice was received here. I regret inability to attend Terry’s funeral because my favorite aunt passed away almost the same hour.
The last conversation with Mr. Duce was that I had been successful in getting the Sahara Desert Reclamation Project. This was headed by one St. Barbe Baker. He had since gone to New Zealand and how has left there for further research, either in Africa or Kuwait.
In the letter from his secretary a statement is made that a petroleum product is used in harnessing the dunes in parts of Africa. One is sure Terry would have been very happy to hear it.
Desert research is now going on in several parts of the world, including the University of California at Riverside. This, of course, is only one of the several heritages of your late loved and revered husband.
My sojourn here is almost compulsory due to the troubles between India and Pakistan. Armed forces now occupy the very territory which was to have been my agricultural experimental station.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
October 22, 1965
Dear Samuel,
Thank you for your letter of October 17. I am receiving letters from many parts of the world which indicate that my husband’s great wish for making the deserts bloom is slowly coming to fruition.
In our moving we have found more of your writings, which are at the Center. I feel that if you ever truly learned your Murshid’s lessons on reciprocity, you would have by now returned to me some of the material which you removed from the Fairfax Files in Ted Reindollar’s car. As I told you in 1948, I do not need papers to teach, but I feel very strongly that at least one copy of all of the material given to us by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan should be preserved in our files.
A little later in the Fall, you can call me for an appointment and I will meet you at the Sufi Center and show you that Hazrat Inayat Khan is as fully revered there as ever.
Sincerely yours,
Murshida
IOD:mi
November 14, 1965
My dear Murshida:
A heavy program has delayed answering your letter of October 22nd. Besides local private matters I am engaged full time in following up research to help, Inshallah, the solution of food problems, or in being in college part time. The college studies in turn are either concerned with Horticulture or universal mysticism and mysteries.
When I checked on what was taken from Fairfax, there was not a single paper or Sufic book saved. The materials I have included only some of my poetry, my notes on Buddhism, a few scattered notes on Fabre D’Olivet, my writings on the spiritual aspects of the arts and a very few commentary papers, to which have been added the complete set of these papers which you so kindly returned.
I did not have a single Gatha, Githa, Sangatha or Gatheka in their original form. I received a few Gathekas and had the promise of Gathas from Vilayat but got the Gathas from another source. This is all I have had from the original papers—and I have had to reconstruct many papers from the commentaries returned. If anybody ever wanted to check on these matters, they would be at liberty. I did get a very few of Pir-o-Murshid’s scattered notes, just notes at random, not papers, and they are not in any literary form. I have had no time to go over these, but if this is done you may have copies.
An army is occupying my putative home abroad and I do not even know which one. So time and energy are being devoted to a peace program. At least I am a personal and spiritual friend of the President of India and a spiritual brother of the President of Pakistan.
At least God has graced me by contacts with many top people in all parts of the world concerned with Desert Reclamation Schemes. Indeed without these schemes I do not believe we shall have either peace or prosperity. I shall be glad to telephone at some point of relaxation but at present I am fully engaged seven days in the week. God bless you.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Sufi Ahmed Murad-Chisti
June 3, 1966
Dear Samuel:
Yours of May 30th. I do not write because you promised not to write to me, at the time I saw that your papers were restored, but you have broken your promise many times. I am answering this letter to tell you that you are in error when you say only Aquarians and no Pisceans are fighting the psychedelic mania. I have printed 5000 summaries on the dangers of the drugs, have printed another pamphlet for Berkeley, have helped a number of Harvard professors in their strenuous activities on TV radio and the written word against the drugs, and have received letters from Bob Kennedy and the like. I have also printed a book discussing consciousness and the illusions of drugs.
You have caused me great embarrassment in many ways in regards to my work. You antagonized and angered the Musheraff Khan group when Witteveen lectured here and they blamed me for your unseemly and impolite behavior, thinking I had “planted” you there. You do not live your Murshid’s teachings. You can put your money into any kind of institute you want, but as long as you reject the Avatar of this Kali Yuga Era, it will not last. I told Musheraff Khan that I have no interest in a Sufi “Movement”—I am only conducting an esoteric school.
Very truly yours,
Murshida
January 29, 1969
Dear Samuel,
The goodwill and care of your two letters was very touching and I wish only that there were the opportunity to go into even a few of the subjects you raise. I guess it comes down to as simple a fact as that long ago Murshida Martin gave her students the choice of following her under the guidance of Meher Baba or giving up their relation to her as a teacher. While I was so backwards that I could not sense a bit of the stature of Meher Baba, I had learned to trust Murshida so much that I took Baba in faith in her. I have never regretted that decision, and only shudder that I might not have made it so. From there all went along more vigorously than I had ever dreamed. Perhaps there were other paths to have gone, other persons to trust, other guides to follow. Murshida always taught that one has the guide that the state of one’s heart merits. I have no questions, only great happiness in what the course of events has brought me. I hope I will continue to merit as much.
Thank you again Samuel for all of your obvious well wishes and thoughtfulness.
As ever,
M
Murshida had asked me to contact you while she was ill only because both of us misinterpreted your interest re publishing in your letter, and am deeply sorry to have made such an awkward confusion. My apologies, Samuel.
August 15, 1969
Dear Murshida:
High in the Rockies one feels almost like Paul Brunton in the Himalayas, kept in on a rainy day. One was summoned here by a number of young people, most of whom had regarded themselves as followers of Meher Baba. They had been convinced by him that there should be a living Teacher in the flesh and after he had left his physical form they began to look for living Teacher, and for the time being have selected another American of some fame and myself.
One had kept aloof from the Baba movement and still has a rather dispassionate outlook toward those who form legal entities and tend to keep man away from Universal Brotherhood.
They are forming communities and communes of various types, much more spiritual and decidedly more moral than those usually here of in California. They are interested in various forms of mysticism and esotericism, but do not wish to be excluded or exclusive, so they sent for this person and so far have been convinced that he is a master of esotericism. This point will not be argued. Until recently Asians almost unanimously thought he was and Westerners almost as unanimously thought he was not.
It is certain that one has met many Masters in this lifetime. Also Masters and Madzubs and curiously they all seem to like this person and communicate, sometimes by glance, sometimes by magnetism, sometimes in their own language, sometimes in English. It is certain that their common predictions—and they all predicted there name, have been coming to pass in the objective world. And this impetus, their blessings and cosmic communion are making many things possible which were denied in the past by now mature Americans. No doubt in many things Americans may say: “Anything you can do we can do better,” but this does not apply to transcendentals.
It is equally certain that University professors of American birth do not see eye-to-eye with “experts” on the Orient born and educated in England and Europe. They are more open to actualities and like the scientists, want the esotericisms and mysticisms based on actual human experiences and often on nothing else. So there are not only new outlooks, there are different attitudes and less and less personality criticisms based on private sanskaras.
It seems in general that the Founders of religions taught something like the sanskara-doctrine and the practitioners of the various faiths excuse their own people for not abiding by these principles, and accuse others, all others for non-obedience. The difficulty here is that the Judgment Day is no doubt for all and God—though not man—is no director of personalisms. To Him all are judged by universal standards; to religionist all are judged by quite different standards.
It is curious that one should be doing today what Baba predicted he would do, but which was not permitted by his followers. They have been unable to detract from either inner or outer knowledge and wisdom. It is not only that one presents the traditional esoteric sciences, one is recovering and re-presenting “lost” Ancient Wisdom, and one is developing psychic sciences. One does not concern with any social or personal acceptance here. Man, not God, has become the Master of the Day of Judgment—in his sight.
Having met so many saints and masters—of which one can give geography and data, and perhaps also joined with them in supernal knowledge and experience one wonders, really what will be the outcome on the Day of Judgment. One realizes today that many writings of Inayat Khan will never be given to the world by those who understand them, but also this may not matter. There are esoteric sciences which he has not mentioned, and republications of his earlier works which leave out the most important teachings. This is man, has ever been man. But this is not the God Whose Voice constantly comes from within. Nor is the teaching the same, when people do not see God in all forms and beings. Cults, movements and religions which do not accept to the full, “Thy Light is in all forms, Thy love in all beings” will have to be replaced ultimately by those who practice this.
A placard on the wall is very nice but has little to do with human behavior. No one has not sought the followers of Meher Baba, they are coming to him and others who are taught the mystical sciences and arts, and to God-Allah is all Praise.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Murshida Ivy Duce
1330 Jones St.
San Francisco, Calif.
Sept. 1969
My Dear Murshida:
As one enters San Francisco one passes a huge sign Happiness Consists in Making Others Happy. Meher Baba.
One cannot of course compel or impose anything on anybody. There is no compulsion in real Sufism. But I am wondering what God would say if he were a man looking at that sign. Is it to be believed and practiced or is it only show? Of course it can be very valid that happiness does consist in making others happy. We are passing I believe from an age of shams, make-belief, and slogans, into an age of honesty and sincerity, but every time I pass that sign there is a vision of the reward or punishment to those who financed the undertaking accordingly as they accept or reject what they themselves have paid for.
During the past months I have met many people who say that at one time or another they were close to Baba. Of course I do not know this. I did find among them many who seemed to believe that happiness does consist of making other people happy and they reject, they scorn the idea of a shibboleth, a slogan as a subterfuge for its reality.
I hope that as time has gone on and you realize you will not be living in this vehicle forever that you might be converted to the very aphorism which undoubtedly you must have helped to finance. A Sufi is said to be one who sees life from the point of view of another as well as himself; that is a Sufi. There is nothing to stop any corporation form adopting Sufi as a fictitious title, and this may even lead to a universal acceptance of some spiritual point of view. It is certain, and I hope you will accept, that happiness-bliss-ananda belongs to eternity and can be taken with you whereas wealth, fame and prestige cannot.
It is awkwardly amusing that some people who proclaim themselves your disciples rather act that happiness consists with finding legitimate fault with others. May be this is true, but it certainly contradicts the aphorism which I assume was partially financed by yourself. Allah is beyond aphorism, but not beyond the Sifat-I-Allah. Everything we have done is known to Allah, we can hide from others and from ourselves but we cannot hide from Allah. Someday each of us will leave this body. Someday each of us will be called to account by the Universe. I personally am too busy in constructive efforts, reaching real people, and perhaps, inshallah, promoting awareness of God and happiness in this world. If your disciples wish to condemn one for this we leave this to Allah.
I am enclosing a copy of a letter just written. There is nothing to be ashamed of in one’s life. I do not weep and wail “Kyrie Eleison.” I accept the judgment of God as absolutely fair and submit myself to it fully.
Love and blessings,
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
Samuel L. Lewis
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, Calif. 94110
September 25, 1969
My dear Murshida:
You may be surprised or annoyed at receiving another letter. If so, it is most unfortunate that you, of all people, are not obeying Baba’s teaching on samskaras. If you are not surprised or annoyed that is most wonderful and shows that you are really on the spiritual path.
Today I have too many disciple and followers to be concerned with others for this keeps one to the limit of capacity. But now no longer are ego-personalities going to stand in the way when one has a message. The day is over when one can be a doormat, and the day is coming when one will be asked—not only permitted but asked— to represent the Sufi teachings at important conferences.
No doubt the most important will be a parliament of all the religions. Even Baba originally sent for me to do this but others would not let me. Perhaps I was not prepared, but today, mashallah, this is not so, and I do not believe that any measures, subjective or objective will stand in the way.
The world needs leadership and guidance and recognition of existence beyond ego-personality. Tomorrow two schools are opening for this person to bring a Message of Sufism. There are too many Sufi disciples in the world to be ignored and if the powers that be, or pretend to be, smother such possibilities, they will pay according to the moral law. No one can abrogate moral laws, no one.
“Truth crushed to earth will rise again” and those of us who are aware of the Presence of Allah may and do respond to it and are too concerned with Him, to react to the foibles of others.
God Bless You,
Samuel L. Samuel L. Lewis
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
Oct. 3, 1969
Samuel:
I have no idea what has incited you to oscillate your calumnious letters but I can assure you it is a waste of time for you to send any more.
With all you have going for you and the achievement of so many desires, why does my very existence bother you? When my students at S.F. State and in other places have reported to me that you have openly proclaimed I am not a Sufi Murshid and Baba is not the Avatar, I have not made answer. You seem to have totally forgotten that you personally resigned from our Sufi order, and I have your letters to that effect.
It might soothe your agitation to know that these days I do not even have the means to help finance a sign-board. But it has not driven me to “charge” for spiritual lessons as you do.
Murshida
[Ed—The envelope addressed to Murshida Ivy Duce is included. It shows, in handwriting: Refused. Return to Sender]
410, Precita Ave.
Nov. 10, 1969
Murshida Ivy O. Duce
Sufism Reoriented
1290 Sutter St.
San Francisco, Calif. 94109
From “My Work” by Meher Baba
“The Way of My Work is the way of effacement, which is the way of strength, not of weakness; and through it you become mature in My Love. At this stage you cannot know what real love is, but through working for me as you should work for Me, you will arrive at that ripeness where, in a moment, I can give you That for which you have been millions of years seeking….
Unless there is a brotherly feeling in your hearts, all the words that you speak or print in My Name are hollow; all the miles that you travel in My Cause are zero; all organizations for My Work are but an appearance of activity; all buildings to contain Me are empty places and all statues that you make to embody Me are of someone else….
First of all, bear in mind that you should not seek appreciation from me or from others. Though this may seem easy, it is very difficult to put into practice. Remember that work in itself is its own appreciation; the moment you seek appreciation the work is undone. Therefore seek not any appreciation for the work you do for me.
I don’t want your money. What I want is your love and a clean heart, which are beyond all the millions of rupees.
Hypocrisy spoils Baba’s Work. Purity of heart and the feeling of oneness with others is required while working for me…. We should talk less and do more work. We should be so much engrossed in Baba’s work that we find no time for petty discussions…. Have 100% honesty or keep your mouths shut….”
A few weeks ago one received a telephone call that you were ill, and asked what we pray for you. Before God, I shall no longer accept, that when someone rightly or wrongly says you are ill, that this person is any way to be blamed either for your illness or for such reports. And before God, and I don’t care what your disciples lie to you, I have never said that you were not a Murshid, but I have said that you were not connected with the traditional Sufi orders. I am concerned with your health. I do recognize spiritual teachers of many schools, and quite a few are my good friends.
I have never kept your letters of the past, and unlike certain disciples of Meher Baba, am too busy doing constructive work to carry around the samskaras of others, but I shall have published, with or without comment, excerpts from “Divya Vani” and I think they are pretty self-explanatory. I have said, and I shall keep on saying, that the difference between the Sufis connected with the great orders and the followers of Meher Baba is that the Sufis connected with the great orders see life from the standpoint of others as well as of themselves, and can even justify the standpoints of others.
I further quote from “The Prayer of Repentance,”
“We repent, O God Most merciful, for all our sins; for every thought that was false or unjust or unclean; for every word spoken that ought not to have been spoken; and for every deed done that ought not to have been done. We repent for every deed and word and thought inspired by selfishness, and for every deed and word and thought inspired by hatred. Most specially also, we repent for every action that has brought ruin to others; for every word and deed that has given others pain; and for every wish that pain should befall others.”
Don’t think I am not going to have this prayer published. Don’t get any ideas that any person, masquerading as a devotee, can be shocked at the failure of devotees of other schools or non-devotees to live up to the injunctions of their prayers. The whole world does that. Religionists of every school pretend to be applied because others do not meet the requirements.
I did not know about “Divya Vani.” I do not throw “my” scripture at followers of other faiths. The chief objection to any prayer for Meher Baba comes in the behavior of devotees and followers who assume that the repetition of such prayer atones for their own shortcomings. I am honored do find that my failure to accept Meher Baba is of importance—you have written it—and that the failure of Governor Reagan or President Nixon or Secretary U Thant is of no importance. I don’t understand this at all, but I accept the honor.
Sufis are always concerned with what they call repentance which means to them, turning from egoicity to Allah. The day when anyone can presume to disobey the injunctions of their own Guru in finding fault with others is over. This prayer, these quotations, are going to be published and perhaps even commented on. I have not kept letters of the past. I am too busy doing that which I feel Allah wishes me to do.
My greatest virtue of course is the fact that my father on his death-bed cried and repented to me, and said he was atoning for all the wrong he did me. This leaves me today in an economic position far better than in the past, and this of course is the virtue. Or is it? I do not have to say anything anymore. Baba has put it in his own words. Of course I would much rather have the Repentance. You could have been a recognized Murshida today and been my superior in the Sufi Movement without any need to transgress items in “The Prayer of Repentance.”
I am praying for your release from dualism, both in this life, and in the world to come.
Faithfully,
Samuel L. Lewis
Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti
Oct. 6, 1975
Murshida Ivy Duce
Sufism Re-Oriented
1300 Boulevard Way Walnut Creek, Ca. 94595
Beloved One of God,
As-salaam-aleikhum. May peace and blessings be with you!
I hope this letter and book finds you well. The writer of this letter was the esoteric secretary of Murshid Samuel L. Lewis and his mureed. I was initiated as a Masheikh in the Sufi Order by Pir Vilayat Khan the current director and I am the director of the Sufi center here in San Francisco. A few years ago at a Meeting of the Ways function I surprised the people in your booth by going over and extending the hand of friendship in the spirit of One God and a very large world which gives scope for many approaches to realization. This was accepted by those present on that occasion.
In addition to the book included herein the widely acclaimed movie “Sunseed” features Murshid Samuel L. Lewis and the Harmony Division of Crown (publishers of Be Here Now) will be coming out with an anthology of his writings called In the Garden with Murshid Sam in a month or so. There are other projects in the works (see enclosed letter) and the peace work in the Middle East undertaken by mureeds under the name “Hallelujah! The Three Rings” is growing in scope all the time, alhamdulillah! One of the articles included in the anthology affirms itself to be done under the spiritual attunement with Meher Baba.
The reason why I go into the above is not to bother you over the past, over rival claims, or samskaras of any kind. “Reality is its own evidence” says Inayat Khan, and I think we could both be content with such a point of view.
There is work presently being carried out here, with myself as chief coordinator, on a biography of Samuel L. Lewis. I would very much, in the interests of truth, like to sit down with you and receive your account of past events and ask you a few questions for the historical record. As I am sure you must know, any biography of Samuel Lewis must cover his period of working under Murshida Rabia Martin, the rise of the Meher Baba movement and so on. I am just hoping that you will consent to an interview in order to deepen our understanding of these happenings.
I also would like to have an interview with you as a simple act of friendship. It is my understanding that we both in our own ways feel that we are working to fulfill the universal vision of the Message originally presented by Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. I would be happy to share with you the way in which we are continuing this work according to our understanding.
Toward the one, the perfection of love, harmony, and beauty, the only being, united with all the illuminated souls, who form the embodiment of the master, the spiritual of guidance.
Very truly yours,
Masheikh Wali Ali Meyer
Sufi Order
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Calif. 94110
Oct. 30, 1975
Murshida Ivy Duce
Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
1300 Boulevard Way
Walnut Creek, Calif. 94595
Beloved one of God, As-salaam-aleikhum:
Thank you for your letter of October 21. I gladly accept your invitation to meet with you and talk about Samuel Lewis, Murshida Martin, Kaaba Allah, the rise of the Meher Baba Movement, correspondence and other related matters. When you have time to dig out the relevant files and make an appointment I would appreciate it very much.
Please understand as a biographer I more than welcome the statement not only of events that you remember, your interpretation of them, but also your point of view in general. It seems to me that that is the only way that a proper biography could be written. I don’t know how open my mind is but I do remember that one of the definitions which Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan gave of a Sufi is “one who can look at another’s point of view as well as his own.”
The Meeting of the Ways event I referred to was some four years ago in Masonic Auditorium, upstairs and in the basement. I only mentioned it to indicate, as you did in your letter to me, that regardless of past karma, as human beings living right now, representing various approaches to enlightenment and world service, we can co-exist harmoniously. Whenever people have enquired about Meher Baba or Sufism Re-Oriented I have also referred them to the proper parties without bias.
The book which I mentioned called In the Garden with Murshid Sam is now out form the publisher (harmony books in conjunction with Lama Foundation). It has a section of six pages (267—273) which affirms itself to be written by Samuel in attunement with Meher Baba and is entitled “The abode for One and All” dealing with the subject of communes ideally seen. I can’t send you a copy of this book, as I don’t have any complementaries to distribute. I am sure the dates mentioned of his formal association with the Baba Movement (1944-46) are not accurate, but at this point I have nothing better to go on.
Thank you again for your cooperation on these matters.
Toward the one,
Wali Ali
Oct. 7, 1976
Eleanor Smith, Office Mgr.
1300 Boulevard Way
Walnut Creek, Ca. 94595
Dear Eleanor,
This note is to confirm our phone conversation of 10/06/76 re our request to interview Murshida Duce on her impressions and recollections of Murshid Samuel L. Lewis.
After Murshida’s return from the East, we would like to set up a convenient time to meet with her so that her part of the story of Sam’s life can complete our research files. Sam used to say, “There is no such thing as a one-sided coin,” and so it is, every part of his life told through the eyes of those who knew him is vitally important for a biography.
Please advise by calling or writing the address or phone number below. Thank you. Wali Ali prefers Thursday, but another day could possibly be arranged.
Cordially, in the Name of God,
Sabira Scott
for Masheikh Wali Ali Meyer
Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
October 21, 1975
Masheikh Wali Ali Meyer
Sufi Order
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
My dear Sir:
I received your letter of October 6 regarding the biography of Samuel Lewis. My organization was not represented at the Meeting of the Ways function, so I imagine whoever you met came from the Meher Baba League at Berkeley, who have no connection with us.
I had contact with and correspondence from Samuel Lewis for some thirty-five years. You say you are willing to hear the negative as well as the positive. I must tell you that this would require an enormous breadth of view and a very open mind. I was a close observer of his relationship with Murshida Martin for the last seven years of her life, and it was appalling. My own experiences were extremely equivocal, but I always felt that his behavior was caused by his unbalanced psychism.
Neither I nor my staff have ever in any way interfered with your organization or Samuel’s claims, and when people would come to our Sutter Street office and ask about dervish dancing, etc., we always referred them to your group. I hope that it can remain that way. As you say, it is a large world which gives scope for many approaches to Realization.
At present I am very heavily booked, but if you still wish to see some of Samuel’s correspondence, I will dig out the files and arrange to see you when I am less pressed.
Yours in the Infinite,
Ivy O. Duce Murshida
Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
November 30, 1976
Masheikh Wali Ali Meyer
Sufi Order
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
My dear Wali Ali,
I am somewhat tardy in sending you the enclosed copies of letters because I had to wait a while in order to locate the photographs I had promised you. I did not make any copies of Samuel’s transmissions, because I feel that most people would reject them, and I do not think you want to have him ridiculed.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would be so kind as to send me two more copies of The Message, vol. 2, no. 11, November 1976. I wish to put them in our archives.
I do not think that I explained to you that the two corporations formed under the aegis of Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshida Rabia Martin were not abandoned when our work was reoriented in 1952. We simply merged the two corporations into one and received our re-incorporation papers on November 16, 1953. However, as I pointed out, we are engaged only in the esoteric work. We do not have any interest in the missionary brotherhoods and the universal worship and healing services. I have no groups anywhere outside of Walnut Creek except in Washington, D.C., where I have thirty-five mureeds who are taught by two Preceptors trained by me back in the forties. I do not intend to have any others; I therefore feel that this assurance precludes any rivalry of any kind in our mutual work.
With every good wish,
Yours in the Infinite,
Murshida
IOD:mr
Enclosures
Dec. 2, 1976
Murshida Ivy Duce
Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
1300 Boulevard Way
Walnut Creek, Calif. 94595
Beloved One of God,
Thank you very much for sending the pictures of Murshida Martin and the copies of letters between you and Murshid Samuel L. Lewis. These will be helpful to me in understanding a period of Samuel’s life essential for any biographer to penetrate. I am grateful also for the long interview, which you granted me on this subject; it helped fill in my understanding as much “between the lines” as otherwise. I would like to request some more data form you if you are agreeable.
The pictures which you sent of Murshida Rabia were not dated. I wonder if this is possible? Particularly, that very striking picture of her is a young woman with the giant heart and wings on her chest. I also regret that because of the length of our interview, I did not have on opportunity to read through the letters of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan which you so kindly offered for my perusal. Would it be possible to receive Xeroxes of these? Needless to any we would be more than happy to bear any expenses involved in the duplication of these and other materials. One wishes to give Murshida Martin proper credit for her role as a pillar of the Sufi order in America for so many years. As I promised you, I am enclosing herewith a copy of a letter written by her to Maheboob Khan on May 29, 1929 in which she states very clearly her viewpoint of the succession and related matters. The letter she refers to with regard to the 1925 conference from Pir-o-Murshid, I wonder if that is still in your possession. I would very much like to see it.
I would also like to request from you any copies you might have of Samuel’s transmissions as you call them. I would like to put them in our archives. It is also important for me to read them myself in order to evaluate the various feelings expressed by yourself and others with regard to them. Of course I have a number of writings in my possession including esoteric lessons written by Murshid Lewis on a number of topics, sometimes in the voice or with the intended attunement to a particular spiritual Master or Rassoul. Some of these are taken quite seriously and studied by selected mureeds at the present time. I enclose a copy of one such transmission, in the name of Moses, from Murshid’s writing on the performance of Zikr. I know there were other types of transmissions, as for example the materials found in what he called “The Book of Cosmic Prophecy,” some of which was reprinted in the recent In the Garden with Murshid Sam published by Crown. This by the way includes a brief section from Meher Baba. That there were other types of “transmissions” which concerned themselves with instructions for the everyday life of Kaaba Allah etc. I also know but have only seen a few scattered pages. It is these that I presume you refer to as being in your files. In any case I would truly appreciate it if you would send any and all materials of this nature from Samuel to me.
Then there is the matter of further interview. I respect your wishes with regard to Murshida Martin’s daughter and will not attempt to contact her. I wonder, however, if you have addresses for Don Stevens, Ted Reindollar or any others that might have known Samuel and the period under investigation well. Any help you can give to me in this respect I will be very grateful for.
Also I would like to refer to another matter mentioned in Murshida Martin’s letter. She says in the next to last paragraph on page 2, ”… he conferred another, most holy Initiation, his last, and that initiation made me his esoteric successor. I have in my possession the sacred directions of that initiation written by his own blessed hand.” Does this document still exist, and if so may I have a copy of it? I know Murshid Samuel Lewis hoped to find certain documents and papers in Murshida Martin’s home at the time of her passing, thus his persistence at that time. I wonder if any documents or papers were eventually found there?
Now, aside from all this, I wish to respond to a couple of statements lest silence be interpreted as a sign of agreement. As you will notice in the first paragraph of page 3, Murshida Martin does affirm the constitutional provision instated by Pir-o-Murshid in later years asking Khalifs etc. to write essays and commentaries upon the teachings. As a matter of fact, Samuel L. Lewis was asked personally by Inayat to write such commentaries. Next your statement that there is no precedent for “transmissions” from a past teacher in the Sufi way is not in accord with the history of Sufism. Only one such example need to be mentioned to prove the point: when Abu Hashim Madani gave his parting statement to Hazrat Inayat Khan to “unite East and West …” etc. he said that it was a direct inner transmission from Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (Moin-ed-din Chisti). The history of Sufism, especially the accounts of meditations in the tombs of departed teachers, gives numerous such examples. Of course this spiritual blessing or power, like any power, is subject to imagination and misconception, even self-delusion, but this does not take any validity from the actual thing.
You should also be aware that the existing policy of the Sufi Order directed by Pir Vilayat Khan is that succession is not a family inheritance, but that the living Pir appoints his successor. There is no election as Murshida Martin rightly argues. That the young Vilayat was marked for Succession by Pir-o-Murshid is also subject to documentation. Murshida Goodenough who was entrusted with this communication yielded to family pressure at the time and did not speak out. Later she affirmed that Vilayat had indeed been appointed by his father. There are other oaths to this effect as well. Nor is it irregular for a son to sometimes succeed his father; in the very branch of the Chisti silsila which we inherit this occurred: Nezam Ul Haq Waldin Aurangabadi Chisti passed the succession on to his son Fakhr Ul Haq Waldin Aurangabadi Jehan Abadi Chishti.
As a matter of fact since our conversation I had the opportunity to speak with Pir Vilayat and told him of our meeting. He expressed the wish to meet you in person sometime in the future, feeling that you would not be so harsh in your judgment of him were you to meet him today.
In the process of typing this letter a calendar has just come to my attention just published for 1977 by someone that I don’t know and who has nothing to do with the Sufi Order to my knowledge. As a matter of fact it is dedicated to the memory of Sheik Sidi Mohan Ben Al Habib al Amghari al Idrissi al Hassani, who is also unknown to me. It contains pictures of different spiritual teachers along with a saying from each. I mention it because it has pictures in it of Meher Baba, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Vilayat, Murshid Samuel L. Lewis and others. As Pir-o-Murshid says in the three objects, “The Universal Brotherhood may form of itself….”
Once again let me thank you for your courtesy and cooperation. With all prayers for good will in the work of all those on the path of love, harmony, and beauty, I am sincerely yours,
Masheikh Wali Ali Meyer
Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
January 4, 1977
Masheikh Wali Ali Meyer
Sufi Order
410 Precita Avenue
San Francisco, California 94110
My dear Wali Ali,
With reference to your letter of December 2, I wish to thank you for sending me the two copies of the Sufi Message and will answer the questions you raise as follows.
I do not have any dates for the two photographs I sent to you of Murshida Rabia. We have one other photograph of her between the time she was young and the time when she was very old (which is one of your photographs), and if you need it for anything, I will have it copied for you.
I am sending you copies of a few of Inayat Khan’s letters. I cannot possibly send you any more of the batch because they were all full of directions from him with regard to her practices and spiritual ongoing. Even the ones I enclose have some small part of that. I think these indicate how closely he cherished her and what a very hard time he himself had in establishing the Message. It seems to be the lot of saints. I do not find any letter with regard to the 1925 conference; however, one must remember all of these letters were gone over and copied by Samuel after being, I believe, taken from her home.
I do not feel that I can be a party to turning over to you or anyone else such of Samuel’s transmissions as I kept. Most of them I burned up, and I intend to have these burned before I die because I cannot agree with you in the least about these transmissions. The one you sent me which he claimed to come from Moses is a very good case in point. If one believes in reincarnation, one must know that after one reaches union with God they no longer come back to or have anything to do with this earth. Moses received his illumination during the burning bush episode. Meher Baba told us that he was slated for God-realization at that time but was unable to stand the light. I have no doubt at all that he either received God-realization before his death or within one hundred years after it.
He certainly was not hanging around to transmit all this nonsense about the Zikr to Samuel.
I do not, of course, know on whose authority you base your statement that
Abu Hashim
Madani told Hazrat Inayat Khan that his mission was given due to an inner
transmission from
Moinuddin Chisti. Personally, I do not believe a word of it. I cannot believe
that any Sufi Murshid would appoint a small boy as his successor. It goes
against everything that one can read in the history of Sufism. That boy would
have had to have his training and development and evolution on the spiritual
path before he could be thought of as a successor. I could enter into long
arguments about all of this, but I put it behind me years ago and am not in the
least interested in what Vilayat Khan or any of his devotees do. I am only
interested in harmony. I wish to be left alone to do my work and I try not to
speak ill of other spiritual teachers. I have been candid with you; let it go
at that.
With regard to further interviews which you wish to make, Murshida Martin’s daughter is named Etta Mehdy and lives on Ashbury Street. You are welcome to contact her by phone and ask for an interview, but I do not believe that she is well enough or would be in the mood to grant it. Ted Reindollar lived in North Africa for many years and died two or three years ago. Don Stevens lives in Spain, and his address is Zurbano #71, Madrid 3, Spain.
I have not seen and know nothing about the 1977 calendar you mention. With good will and best wishes,
Yours in the Infinite,
Murshida
IOD:mr
Enclosures