The Sufi Message Vol.VIII

by Hazrat Inayat Khan

This is the eighth volume of the Indian edition of all the works of Hazrat Inayat Khan, the great Sufi mystic who lectured and taught in the western world. This book and other volumes in this series contain his lectures, discourses and other teachings as taken down in shorthand.

It covers a wide range of topics as wide apart as Vaccination on the one end and the Awakening of the Soul on the other. The general themes under which the 68 papers can be listed are the following: Sufis, Human Life, The Will, Philosophy, Religion, Balance, and Inner Life and Spirituality.

This book thus forms a complement to the previous volumes. At the same time it serves as an excellent introduction in its own right to the Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Its author, Hazrat Inayat Khan has produced these tests in the form of lectures. It is marvelous to see how his views seem to have gained in value over time. They present a wonderful informal type of guide book through life, without any rules or regulations. He often refers to the inner path of the Sufis. He instituted an esoteric school which is incorporated in the Sufi Movement, and which helps people along who feel moved by this book.

Table of Contents:

• Preface to the Series
• Preface to the VIII
• Part I - History of the Sufis
• Sufism
• The Sufi’s Aim
• The Different Stages of Spiritual Development
• The Prophetic Tendency
• Seeing
• Self-discipline
• Physical Control
• Health
• Harmony
• Balance
• Struggle and Resignation
• Renunciation
• The Difference between Will, Wish, and Desire
• PART II - The Law of Attraction
• Pairs of Opposites
• Resist not Evil
• Judging
• The Privilege of being Human
• Our God Part and our Man Part
• Man, the Seed of God
• Evolution
• Spiritual circulation through the Veins of Nature
• Destiny and Free Will
• Divine impulse
• The Law of Life
• Manifestation, Gravitation, Assimilation, and Perfection
• Karma and Reincarnation
• PART III - Life in the Hereafter
• The Mystical Meaning of the Resurrection
• The Symbol of the Cross
• Orpheus
• The Mystery of Sleep
• Consciousness
• Conscience
• The Gift of Eloquence
• The Power of Silence
• Holiness
• The Ego
• The Birth of the New Era
• The Deeper Side of Life
• Life’s Mechanism
• The Smiling Forehead
• The Spell of Life
• Selflessness
• The Conservative Spirit
• Character-building
• Respect and Consideration
• Graciousness
• Overlooking
• Conciliation
• Optimism and Pessimism
• Happiness
• Vaccination and Inoculation
• Marriage
• PART IV - Love
• The Heart
• The Heart Quality
• The Turning of the Heart
• The Turning of the Heart
• The Soul, Its Origin and Unfoldment
• The Unfoldment of the Soul
• The Soul’s Desire
• The Awakening of the Soul
• The Awakening of the Soul
• The Awakening of the Soul
• The Maturity of the Soul
• The Dance of the Soul.

About the Author:

Hazrat Inayat Khan (July 5, 1882 – February 5, 1927) was an exemplar of Universal Sufism and founder of the "Sufi Order in the West" in 1914 (London). Later, in 1923, the Sufi Order of the London period was dissolved into a new organization formed under Swiss law and called the "International Sufi Movement".

He initially came to the West as a representative of classical Indian music, having received the title Tansen from the Nizam of Hyderabad but soon turned to the introduction and transmission of Sufi thought and practice. His universal message of divine unity (Tawhid) focused on the themes of love, harmony and beauty. He taught that blind adherence to any book rendered any religion void of spirit.