Spiritual Letter 52 - Outline & Summary Version About Spiritual Letter 52 Title: "On Security and Peace" Date: September, 2, 2003 Written by: Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen (Jonathan Granoff) Written to: The brothers & sisters of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Outline & Summary: added by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Library Navigation Tree Spiritual Letter 51 Letter 52: Related Material Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 52 Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum wa-rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu kulluhu. Wa 'alaykum al-salam wa-rahmat Allah wa-barakatuhu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessing of God be upon us all. May God help us all. Here is a beautiful wisdom letter by our dearest loving brother, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen (Jonathan Granoff), for your reading enjoyment. We have added an Outline to help us navigate around the letter, a Summary to help in the study of all the wonderful wisdom points included in the letter, and a section called Summary and Text, so we can read both of them together, both the summary and the text for each outline topic, all of which you can access at the top of this page, or above. To read a copy of this letter in its Original Version, without this additional material, without the Outline and Summary, please click HERE, or above. In the summary for each outline topic we bring in other, similar, wisdom points, from the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), to reinforce the wisdom point that Ahamed is stressing, from the perspective of this child living at the feet of our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). The Summary section is designed to be read straight through, for all of the outline topics, and to be accesses from the top of the page, while the Summary & Text section is designed to be read straight through or by topic, and to be accessed either from the top of the page, or from the Outline of topics. Finally, the material in the Summary section and in the summary part of the Summary & Text section, are the same for each outline topic. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. My love you (anbu), my dearest loving brothers and sisters - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). Outline of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter 2. The Nature of Peace - is the understanding that comes from properly living our life, of properly walking the path of God with God back to God 3. The Nature of Prayer - it opens the heart to God's Love, to inner peace, to wisdom, to clarity, to unity, to Al-hamdu lillah, and Allahu Akbar 4. The Nature of The Journey To God - it is becoming "God happening" within us 5. The Nature of The Absence of Peace - the absence of faith and peace is fear, is fear of death, is fear of getting caught by the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him) 6. On Ending The Cycle of Fear - we are the place where faith in God overcomes fear of death, and once we become victorious in our life, once our wisdom successfully reasons over our fate, then we are the ones who can end the cycle of fear 7. America The Beautiful - was founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance, on man's innate nature of goodness or Godness, not evil or hellness 8. Understanding The Difference Between Real and False Faith - real or true faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real or true faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone 9. In Truth We Are All One - in truth we are all One, and as such we are witnesses of God, of the "presence of God" in our life, and in all life 10. On Truly Saving The World From Destruction - begins with at least one of us saving ourselves from death before we die, by joining in partnership with God within us before we die, of at least one of us becoming truly alive before we die 11. The Justice of God - the justice of God must become the justice of kings, as the justice of kings must then become the justice of man, as the justice of man must then become the justice of conscience Summary of Spiritual Letter: 2. The Nature of Peace Peace is the understanding that comes from properly living our life, of properly walking the path of God with God back to God. It is knowing that "wisdom is the light to guide our life, faith is the path of our life, and that truth is God", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) so beautifully teaches us in the book, "The Wisdom of Man" (see back cover). 3. The Nature of Prayer Prayer opens the heart to God's love, to inner peace, to wisdom, to clarity, to unity, to Al-hamdu lillah, and Allahu Akbar, to the realization that all praise and praising belongs to God and to God alone, and that only God is great. In this way, prayer opens our heart to going on the journey to become again One with God within us, returning to God with the understanding of the Oneness of God and True Man, which in truth is God and True Man within us. 4. The Nature of The Journey To God The journey to God that we are all currently on, whether we know it or not, whether we even like it or not, is the journey from "separation and differences" to "Oneness and Unity", to "Justice and Truth", and to "Compassion and Unity". It is the journey from the false "one of us" on the outside of us to the true "One of us" on the inside of us. It is the journey of the "Three of Us" within the "Three of God" within us, which is the - Disciple, Shaikh, and God - within - Ya Allah, Ya Rasul, Ya Muhaiyaddeen - within us. It is the journey of the Three within us again becoming the One within us, again becoming the true "One of Us" within us, and in this way, starting to answer God's question of God in Aathi, in the time before the beginningly beginning, the question, "Who am I?". And the first part of the answer is, "You are True Man", the second part of the answer is, "You are God", and the third part of the answer is, "You are the Oneness of God and True Man". It is becoming "God happening" within us, by first becoming "True Man happening" within us. And in this way, it is becoming sanctuaries of peace, becoming examples of True Man within the Creation of God within us, examples of a peaceful secure human. This is our true work, this is the work that we have come here to do. 5. The Nature of The Absence of Peace The absence of faith and peace is fear, is fear of death, is fear of getting caught by the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him), is talking about peace without first obtaining peace, is playing upon the fear of others to further our own agenda in the world, to further our own agenda in our family, in our community, and in our country. It is always the same, lack of true faith in God, in the Oneness that is God, faith in anything other than the Oneness that is God, like faith in oneself as "separate from" God, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God within us, which manifests in the world as faith in family, in groups, in race and religion, equals fear, equals arrogance, equals "separation and differences". In this way, the nature of the absence of peace is living with our brothers and sisters in the world that we see in our collective ignorance as existing outside of us, is living as what God has discarded. 6. On Ending The Cycle of Fear We are the place where the cycles begin, so we are the place where faith in God overcomes fear of death, and once we become victorious in our life, once our wisdom successfully reasons over our fate, then we are the ones who can end the cycle of fear, first within ourselves by joining in partnership with God within us, and then as the example, as the "good grasshopper", the calming influence, among the "swarm of locust" that destroy everything in their path. 7. America The Beautiful America was founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance, on man's innate nature of goodness or Godness, not evil or hellness, as man being "made in the image of God", as man being of God not as man being of the world, and not even man as being of the Creation of God. And a country governed by profound insights into the human condition, such as man being very susceptible to evil, that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and the importance of having a sense of humility, and of checks and balances as the antidote to jealousies and rivalries, and finally, that in truth, in all things, Al-hamdu lillah and Allahu Akbar, all praise be to God, and only God is great. Such is the true beauty of the founding of America. 8. Understanding The Difference Between Real and False Faith Real or true faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real or true faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone. While false or weak faith is the hallmark of one who claims to be infallible, of one who is arrogant about his ignorance, of one who deeply fears differences (any point of view different from his own), which is always seen as a direct challenge to a fragile faith in something other than God, other than the Oneness that is God, to a fragile faith in whatever one holds most dear, and relies upon, to make it through the day and night, other than a direct personal relationship with God within us, other than a direct personal relationship with our wisdom or Shaikh within us, and with our truth or God within Him. This is the true difference between true and false faith, between good and evil, as true goodness is the taste of God, of "Oneness with", and true evil is the taste of hell, of "separation from". Know it now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, and start to act accordingly. 9. In Truth We Are All One In truth we are all One, and as such we are witnesses of God, of the "presence of God" in our life, and in all life. Witnesses of the guiding force within all life, of the One who "conducts our entire life, and everything that happens to us, not us, as the One who carries out everything, not us, as the One who is responsible for the cause and the effect, not us", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) teaches us, on page 141, in the Epilogue to the book, Islam and World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi. 10. On Truly Saving The World From Destruction Truly saving the world from destruction begins with at least one of us saving ourselves from death before we die, by joining in partnership with God within us before we die, of at least one of us becoming truly alive before we die, so all of those around us can see what it means to be truly human, to be truly alive, allowing them to do the same, if that be their true intention. For the justice of God is that, "whatever we intend is what we will receive", and in the end we will all get exactly what we want. In this way, our own life answers the question, "what do we want", because what we end up with is what we truly wanted. The only question is, "What do we want?" Do we want God, do we want Oneness with God, because that is what God is, "Oneness with", or do we want the world, do we want Creation, do we want "separation and differences", because that is what the world and Creation are, "separation from", and that is the way we are all currently living, "separate from" God, "separate from" each other, and "separate from" the Creation of God within us. Know this now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, before it is too late. So we all must wait for the Messiah to appear, or at least one of us can become the Messiah for the rest of us, becoming a true human being for all to see and emulate, before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, and destroys all of us and the world outside for all of us, sending all of us to hell, to an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all think about this a little. It is very, very important 11. The Justice of God The justice of God must become the justice of kings, as the justice of kings must then become the justice of man, as the justice of man must then become the justice of conscience. And all of this must happen within one of us before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, only then will man live together in the "presence of God", so teaches our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). Summary & Text of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter May God's grace and peace be with us. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate. 2. The Nature of Peace Summary of Topic: Peace is the understanding that comes from properly living our life, of properly walking the path of God with God back to God. It is knowing that "wisdom is the light to guide our life, faith is the path of our life, and that truth is God", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) so beautifully teaches us in the book, "The Wisdom of Man" (see back cover). Text of Topic: We are all interested in peace and security. Inner peace, the source of peace, is an inside job. 3. The Nature of Prayer Summary of Topic: Prayer opens the heart to God's love, to inner peace, to wisdom, to clarity, to unity, to Al-hamdu lillah, and Allahu Akbar, to the realization that all praise and praising belongs to God and to God alone, and that only God is great. In this way, prayer opens our heart to going on the journey to become again One with God within us, returning to God with the understanding of the Oneness of God and True Man, which in truth is God and True Man within us. Text of Topic: One important aspect of a healthy inner life is prayer. The evidence of real prayer is whether it opens the heart to love, regardless of whether we pray quietly, out loud, within a tradition, out of a tradition, facing the east, the west, up or down. If it's prayer, it opens the heart to God's love. If it doesn't, it's not prayer. The evidence of prayer is love and the evidence of love is caring for other human beings. The evidence of that caring and that compassion is service. And the evidence, experientially, of service is a clear conscience. The evidence of a clear conscience is inner peace. Inner peace gives us the capacity to receive wisdom. Wisdom further reinforces our humility as we realize it is a gift, not something we can achieve through egocentric willful effort. Gratitude follows, and with that gratitude, openness and love. Wisdom tells us that we are dependent and connected to the Divine and that all other lives are so connected. All lives, all objects, all things are relational. The only thing that is sovereign is God's absolute generosity, grace, love, and Being itself. A consequence of that realization is a deep tranquillity of heart, a profound appreciation for the miracle of consciousness and knowing and a sense of purpose. We awaken to praise that Wonder that is God; we praise in our seeking to know ourselves and in that knowing discover the Source; we praise in working to enhance our lives by living within God's qualities. We praise by living close to love and service. It is a cycle, an actual turning within the Divine. Our life can become a journey within That. That is peace and security. 4. The Nature of The Journey To God Summary of Topic: The journey to God that we are all currently on, whether we know it or not, whether we even like it or not, is the journey from "separation and differences" to "Oneness and Unity", to "Justice and Truth", and to "Compassion and Unity". It is the journey from the false "one of us" on the outside of us to the true "One of us" on the inside of us. It is the journey of the "Three of Us" within the "Three of God" within us, which is the - Disciple, Shaikh, and God - within - Ya Allah, Ya Rasul, Ya Muhaiyaddeen - within us. It is the journey of the Three within us again becoming the One within us, again becoming the true "One of Us" within us, and in this way, starting to answer God's question of God in Aathi, in the time before the beginningly beginning, the question, "Who am I?". And the first part of the answer is, "You are True Man", the second part of the answer is, "You are God", and the third part of the answer is, "You are the Oneness of God and True Man". It is becoming "God happening" within us, by first becoming "True Man happening" within us. And in this way, it is becoming sanctuaries of peace, becoming examples of True Man within the Creation of God within us, examples of a peaceful secure human. This is our true work, this is the work that we have come here to do. Text of Topic: It is this capacity of transcendence that is everyone's birthright regardless of historical circumstances, regardless of joy and sorrow. It must exist independently of attraction and repulsion. It must exist independently of identification with race, tribe, religion, gender, class. This journey of the soul takes place beyond the symbols of the intellect, beyond separation. In that journey we can be sanctuaries of peace. That's what the world needs more than anything: the example of what it is to be a peaceful secure human. It means that regardless of circumstances and what governments do, and what the person sitting next to us does, and what our spouse does, and what our children do, and what our parents did, and what our neighbor does, we know there is no excuse for not doing this. This is the work that we have to do and it's a personal secret work. We are ultimately responsible to only one Being. Make no mistake, we are responsible for doing this work. If we don't do this work and we do everything else, we will not be saying thank you at the end of our lives and we won't be ready for the next part of the journey. 5. The Nature of The Absence of Peace Summary of Topic: The absence of faith and peace is fear, is fear of death, is fear of getting caught by the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him), is talking about peace without first obtaining peace, is playing upon the fear of others to further our own agenda in the world, to further our own agenda in our family, in our community, and in our country. It is always the same, lack of true faith in God, in the Oneness that is God, faith in anything other than the Oneness that is God, like faith in oneself as "separate from" God, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God within us, which manifests in the world as faith in family, in groups, in race and religion, equals fear, equals arrogance, equals "separation and differences". In this way, the nature of the absence of peace is living with our brothers and sisters in the world that we see in our collective ignorance as existing outside of us, is living as what God has discarded. Text of Topic: This lack of readiness will cause us to live in fear. As my Teacher, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said, "Fear is a thief who is forever afraid of being caught. Afraid of facing the truth." When the angel of death comes, if we have made good friends with fear, we are going to be afraid of getting caught. Fear continues to govern the vision of many of the world's leaders and they instill it in the people in order to further their own fear-based agendas. "Why of course the people don't want to go to war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece?" "But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy. And it always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy." "All you have to do is tell them they're being attacked. Denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." Herman Goering's testimony at the Nuremberg Trials. 6. On Ending The Cycle of Fear Summary of Topic: We are the place where the cycles begin, so we are the place where faith in God overcomes fear of death, and once we become victorious in our life, once our wisdom successfully reasons over our fate, then we are the ones who can end the cycle of fear, first within ourselves by joining in partnership with God within us, and then as the example, as the "good grasshopper", the calming influence, among the "swarm of locust" that destroy everything in their path. Text of Topic: Fear based on ignorance creates a cycle of armaments and war which reinforce the causes of fear. We want to create cycle where cooperation and trust reinforce disarmament which in turn reinforces our good qualities. We are the place where the cycles begin. Since the end of the Cold War, the world has spent more than $10 trillion on armaments. The United States alone spends approximately $100 million every day to keep its nuclear arsenal at ready. Other nations squander assets as well. Neither security nor our humanity is enhanced thereby. The nuclear arsenals are on the ready, just as they were at the height of the Cold War. Yet, the entire budget of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for all the inspections in the whole world last year was less than $90 million, which is less than the United States spends on one weapons system a day. One of America's great military leaders, General Omar Bradley said, "We live in an age of nuclear giants and ethical infants. In a world that has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. We've solved the mystery of the atom and forgotten the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount. We know more about war than we know about peace. More about dying than we know about living." 7. America The Beautiful Summary of Topic: America was founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance, on man's innate nature of goodness or Godness, not evil or hellness, as man being "made in the image of God", as man being of God not as man being of the world, and not even man as being of the Creation of God. And a country governed by profound insights into the human condition, such as man being very susceptible to evil, that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and the importance of having a sense of humility, and of checks and balances as the antidote to jealousies and rivalries, and finally, that in truth, in all things, Al-hamdu lillah and Allahu Akbar, all praise be to God, and only God is great. Such is the true beauty of the founding of America. Text of Topic: America is a nation founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance. Fear was not the model upon which America was founded. Even amid the crucible of real international threats and conflict, the founders of America were governed by profound insights into the human condition and the importance of having a sense of humility. The Capitol was burned in Washington by the second decade of the 19th Century. Yet, curtailing civil liberties to create greater governmental efficiencies did not rule the day. Enough were informed by the intelligence of John Adams who had said that, "Jealousies and rivalries have been my theme, and checks and balances as their antidote, till I am ashamed to repeat the words." Inefficiencies were intended to check the quest for power and the hand guided by greed and not justice. The oversight of courts, the Congressional system of debate and protections for dissenters, and even the Supremacy of Treaties, as well as many other political mechanisms, were designed to ensure that the arrogance of power did not crush the experiment of freedom based on faith. Although not particularly religious, many of the creators of America were men of faith in God. The importance of dissent and open discussion even arose from their faith. They were familiar with John Stewart Mill's analysis of the basis of freedom of speech where in his famous essay On Liberty he stated: "To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility." The subtext is that only God is infallible. 8. Understanding The Difference Between Real and False Faith Summary of Topic: Real or true faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real or true faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone. While false or weak faith is the hallmark of one who claims to be infallible, of one who is arrogant about his ignorance, of one who deeply fears differences (any point of view different from his own), which is always seen as a direct challenge to a fragile faith in something other than God, other than the Oneness that is God, to a fragile faith in whatever one holds most dear, and relies upon, to make it through the day and night, other than a direct personal relationship with God within us, other than a direct personal relationship with our wisdom or Shaikh within us, and with our truth or God within Him. This is the true difference between true and false faith, between good and evil, as true goodness is the taste of God, of "Oneness with", and true evil is the taste of hell, of "separation from". Know it now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, and start to act accordingly. Text of Topic: What does a man do when he places himself in the position of claiming to be infallible? I believe that such supreme arrogance is usually based on weakness of faith and a deep fear of differences that could present a challenge to a fragile faith. Real faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone. Fear is responsible for closing down dialogue and discussion and denying our interconnectedness. Fearful people can close their hearts and think they have all the answers. Religious and political fanaticism develop in that atmosphere. It also happens in each of us when we claim that the worldview that our mind develops is the actual, real world and from that point claim that our limited point of view is the singular and only correct point of view. 9. In Truth We Are All One Summary of Topic: In truth we are all One, and as such we are witnesses of God, of the "presence of God" in our life, and in all life. Witnesses of the guiding force within all life, of the One who "conducts our entire life, and everything that happens to us, not us, as the One who carries out everything, not us, as the One who is responsible for the cause and the effect, not us", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) teaches us, on page 141, in the Epilogue to the book, Islam and World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi. Text of Topic: We have to learn to walk a little bit more softly on this earth. It doesn't belong to us. We are privileged to be here for a while and then we have to move on. And what we do matters, because we have been placed here as the witnesses of the Divine. It is up to each of us to show what a human being looks like. Human beings are not afraid. As Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said: "If each of you will open your heart, your action, your wisdom, and your conduct, and look within, you will see that every face is your face. Every nerve is your nerve. Each drop of blood is your blood is your blood. Every sickness is your sickness. All hunger is your hunger. All poverty is your poverty. All sorrow is your sorrow. All lives are your life". "You will experience all this in your nerves, in your body, and in what you see. When that state develops inside you, that is God's love. " "That is God's true love because all suffering is His suffering. All sorrow is His sorrow. All hunger is His. All poverty is His and all grief is His. Every torment is inside Him. That is how God does His duty." "Therefore, if you develop that love, you will do your duty in the same way. If that love develops, you will not hurt any other living thing. You will not cause pain, you will not reject any life. And you will not torture any other life. Because if you hurt anyone, it will hurt you." 10. On Truly Saving The World From Destruction Summary of Topic: Truly saving the world from destruction begins with at least one of us saving ourselves from death before we die, by joining in partnership with God within us before we die, of at least one of us becoming truly alive before we die, so all of those around us can see what it means to be truly human, to be truly alive, allowing them to do the same, if that be their true intention. For the justice of God is that, "whatever we intend is what we will receive", and in the end we will all get exactly what we want. In this way, our own life answers the question, "what do we want", because what we end up with is what we truly wanted. The only question is, "What do we want?" Do we want God, do we want Oneness with God, because that is what God is, "Oneness with", or do we want the world, do we want Creation, do we want "separation and differences", because that is what the world and Creation are, "separation from", and that is the way we are all currently living, "separate from" God, "separate from" each other, and "separate from" the Creation of God within us. Know this now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, before it is too late. So we all must wait for the Messiah to appear, or at least one of us can become the Messiah for the rest of us, becoming a true human being for all to see and emulate, before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, and destroys all of us and the world outside for all of us, sending all of us to hell, to an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all think about this a little. It is very, very important Text of Topic: If that love is alive in a heart it is like a magnet for grace. That heart is electrified and illuminated because that heart has the appropriate humility to serve. Politics informed by such qualities guide toward policies of compassion and justice exercised with the humility that affirms our capacity to work together. Such policies alone bring peace and security to a family, to a community and to the world. We can't get angry. We can't give up. We can't answer real questions about complex issues with slogans. We have work to do. The opposite of fear is love. The politics of love affirms human unity. Yet, there is a deeper unity: God lives in us and we live in God. 11. The Justice of God Summary of Topic: The justice of God must become the justice of kings, as the justice of kings must then become the justice of man, as the justice of man must then become the justice of conscience. And all of this must happen within one of us before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, only then will man live together in the "presence of God", so teaches our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). Text of Topic: Law based on this insight always promotes equity and justice. It is always consistent with conscience. Law is a living art, the social expression of our values. Laws of justice find structure to our longing for peace and security. Law is not just something that somebody wrote in Washington 200 years ago, in Mecca 1400 years ago, or in the desert of the Sinai thousands of years before. It's something that's alive now. It's something that humans create out of love and justice. It can, by demonstrating compassion, affirm our unity and connectedness. It must not be afraid to see and address suffering. It is not afraid of anything because it is based on love. Those who seek loves source find the greatest wonder. There is an ocean of love that is our birthright. It is more powerful than the energy in the atom which when harnessed with weapons can destroy the earth. The same Power that put the capacity of a nuclear holocaust in subatomic particles has put a great power in the core of each of our beings. We come from that Power and that Power has also given us the wisdom and the abilities to meet all challenges, even those that nuclear weapons pose. We do have the resources to find peace and security for all peoples. We do have the audacity to assert that all people have a right to peace and security. We do have a duty to work to help all obtain this right. May God make us sanctuaries of peace inspired by love, guided by compassion; those who remember and those who demonstrate that remembrance in our daily lives; as simple as that, and God will guide us. All praises are to God. Respectfully, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen End of Spiritual Letter 52 - outline & summary version - ...................................... or Go To Spiritual Letter 52: Table of Contents Related Material or ( a top-down version of the Library Home Page) (a bottom-up version of the Library Home Page) |
Spiritual Letter 52 - Outline & Summary Version About Spiritual Letter 52 Title: "On Security and Peace" Date: September, 2, 2003 Written by: Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen (Jonathan Granoff) Written to: The brothers & sisters of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Outline & Summary: added by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Library Navigation Tree Spiritual Letter 51 Letter 52: Related Material Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 52 Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum wa-rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu kulluhu. Wa 'alaykum al-salam wa-rahmat Allah wa-barakatuhu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessing of God be upon us all. May God help us all. Here is a beautiful wisdom letter by our dearest loving brother, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen (Jonathan Granoff), for your reading enjoyment. We have added an Outline to help us navigate around the letter, a Summary to help in the study of all the wonderful wisdom points included in the letter, and a section called Summary and Text, so we can read both of them together, both the summary and the text for each outline topic, all of which you can access at the top of this page, or above. To read a copy of this letter in its Original Version, without this additional material, without the Outline and Summary, please click HERE, or above. In the summary for each outline topic we bring in other, similar, wisdom points, from the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), to reinforce the wisdom point that Ahamed is stressing, from the perspective of this child living at the feet of our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). The Summary section is designed to be read straight through, for all of the outline topics, and to be accesses from the top of the page, while the Summary & Text section is designed to be read straight through or by topic, and to be accessed either from the top of the page, or from the Outline of topics. Finally, the material in the Summary section and in the summary part of the Summary & Text section, are the same for each outline topic. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. My love you (anbu), my dearest loving brothers and sisters - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). Outline of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter 2. The Nature of Peace - is the understanding that comes from properly living our life, of properly walking the path of God with God back to God 3. The Nature of Prayer - it opens the heart to God's Love, to inner peace, to wisdom, to clarity, to unity, to Al-hamdu lillah, and Allahu Akbar 4. The Nature of The Journey To God - it is becoming "God happening" within us 5. The Nature of The Absence of Peace - the absence of faith and peace is fear, is fear of death, is fear of getting caught by the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him) 6. On Ending The Cycle of Fear - we are the place where faith in God overcomes fear of death, and once we become victorious in our life, once our wisdom successfully reasons over our fate, then we are the ones who can end the cycle of fear 7. America The Beautiful - was founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance, on man's innate nature of goodness or Godness, not evil or hellness 8. Understanding The Difference Between Real and False Faith - real or true faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real or true faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone 9. In Truth We Are All One - in truth we are all One, and as such we are witnesses of God, of the "presence of God" in our life, and in all life 10. On Truly Saving The World From Destruction - begins with at least one of us saving ourselves from death before we die, by joining in partnership with God within us before we die, of at least one of us becoming truly alive before we die 11. The Justice of God - the justice of God must become the justice of kings, as the justice of kings must then become the justice of man, as the justice of man must then become the justice of conscience Summary of Spiritual Letter: 2. The Nature of Peace Peace is the understanding that comes from properly living our life, of properly walking the path of God with God back to God. It is knowing that "wisdom is the light to guide our life, faith is the path of our life, and that truth is God", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) so beautifully teaches us in the book, "The Wisdom of Man" (see back cover). 3. The Nature of Prayer Prayer opens the heart to God's love, to inner peace, to wisdom, to clarity, to unity, to Al-hamdu lillah, and Allahu Akbar, to the realization that all praise and praising belongs to God and to God alone, and that only God is great. In this way, prayer opens our heart to going on the journey to become again One with God within us, returning to God with the understanding of the Oneness of God and True Man, which in truth is God and True Man within us. 4. The Nature of The Journey To God The journey to God that we are all currently on, whether we know it or not, whether we even like it or not, is the journey from "separation and differences" to "Oneness and Unity", to "Justice and Truth", and to "Compassion and Unity". It is the journey from the false "one of us" on the outside of us to the true "One of us" on the inside of us. It is the journey of the "Three of Us" within the "Three of God" within us, which is the - Disciple, Shaikh, and God - within - Ya Allah, Ya Rasul, Ya Muhaiyaddeen - within us. It is the journey of the Three within us again becoming the One within us, again becoming the true "One of Us" within us, and in this way, starting to answer God's question of God in Aathi, in the time before the beginningly beginning, the question, "Who am I?". And the first part of the answer is, "You are True Man", the second part of the answer is, "You are God", and the third part of the answer is, "You are the Oneness of God and True Man". It is becoming "God happening" within us, by first becoming "True Man happening" within us. And in this way, it is becoming sanctuaries of peace, becoming examples of True Man within the Creation of God within us, examples of a peaceful secure human. This is our true work, this is the work that we have come here to do. 5. The Nature of The Absence of Peace The absence of faith and peace is fear, is fear of death, is fear of getting caught by the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him), is talking about peace without first obtaining peace, is playing upon the fear of others to further our own agenda in the world, to further our own agenda in our family, in our community, and in our country. It is always the same, lack of true faith in God, in the Oneness that is God, faith in anything other than the Oneness that is God, like faith in oneself as "separate from" God, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God within us, which manifests in the world as faith in family, in groups, in race and religion, equals fear, equals arrogance, equals "separation and differences". In this way, the nature of the absence of peace is living with our brothers and sisters in the world that we see in our collective ignorance as existing outside of us, is living as what God has discarded. 6. On Ending The Cycle of Fear We are the place where the cycles begin, so we are the place where faith in God overcomes fear of death, and once we become victorious in our life, once our wisdom successfully reasons over our fate, then we are the ones who can end the cycle of fear, first within ourselves by joining in partnership with God within us, and then as the example, as the "good grasshopper", the calming influence, among the "swarm of locust" that destroy everything in their path. 7. America The Beautiful America was founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance, on man's innate nature of goodness or Godness, not evil or hellness, as man being "made in the image of God", as man being of God not as man being of the world, and not even man as being of the Creation of God. And a country governed by profound insights into the human condition, such as man being very susceptible to evil, that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and the importance of having a sense of humility, and of checks and balances as the antidote to jealousies and rivalries, and finally, that in truth, in all things, Al-hamdu lillah and Allahu Akbar, all praise be to God, and only God is great. Such is the true beauty of the founding of America. 8. Understanding The Difference Between Real and False Faith Real or true faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real or true faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone. While false or weak faith is the hallmark of one who claims to be infallible, of one who is arrogant about his ignorance, of one who deeply fears differences (any point of view different from his own), which is always seen as a direct challenge to a fragile faith in something other than God, other than the Oneness that is God, to a fragile faith in whatever one holds most dear, and relies upon, to make it through the day and night, other than a direct personal relationship with God within us, other than a direct personal relationship with our wisdom or Shaikh within us, and with our truth or God within Him. This is the true difference between true and false faith, between good and evil, as true goodness is the taste of God, of "Oneness with", and true evil is the taste of hell, of "separation from". Know it now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, and start to act accordingly. 9. In Truth We Are All One In truth we are all One, and as such we are witnesses of God, of the "presence of God" in our life, and in all life. Witnesses of the guiding force within all life, of the One who "conducts our entire life, and everything that happens to us, not us, as the One who carries out everything, not us, as the One who is responsible for the cause and the effect, not us", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) teaches us, on page 141, in the Epilogue to the book, Islam and World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi. 10. On Truly Saving The World From Destruction Truly saving the world from destruction begins with at least one of us saving ourselves from death before we die, by joining in partnership with God within us before we die, of at least one of us becoming truly alive before we die, so all of those around us can see what it means to be truly human, to be truly alive, allowing them to do the same, if that be their true intention. For the justice of God is that, "whatever we intend is what we will receive", and in the end we will all get exactly what we want. In this way, our own life answers the question, "what do we want", because what we end up with is what we truly wanted. The only question is, "What do we want?" Do we want God, do we want Oneness with God, because that is what God is, "Oneness with", or do we want the world, do we want Creation, do we want "separation and differences", because that is what the world and Creation are, "separation from", and that is the way we are all currently living, "separate from" God, "separate from" each other, and "separate from" the Creation of God within us. Know this now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, before it is too late. So we all must wait for the Messiah to appear, or at least one of us can become the Messiah for the rest of us, becoming a true human being for all to see and emulate, before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, and destroys all of us and the world outside for all of us, sending all of us to hell, to an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all think about this a little. It is very, very important 11. The Justice of God The justice of God must become the justice of kings, as the justice of kings must then become the justice of man, as the justice of man must then become the justice of conscience. And all of this must happen within one of us before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, only then will man live together in the "presence of God", so teaches our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). Summary & Text of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter May God's grace and peace be with us. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate. 2. The Nature of Peace Summary of Topic: Peace is the understanding that comes from properly living our life, of properly walking the path of God with God back to God. It is knowing that "wisdom is the light to guide our life, faith is the path of our life, and that truth is God", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) so beautifully teaches us in the book, "The Wisdom of Man" (see back cover). Text of Topic: We are all interested in peace and security. Inner peace, the source of peace, is an inside job. 3. The Nature of Prayer Summary of Topic: Prayer opens the heart to God's love, to inner peace, to wisdom, to clarity, to unity, to Al-hamdu lillah, and Allahu Akbar, to the realization that all praise and praising belongs to God and to God alone, and that only God is great. In this way, prayer opens our heart to going on the journey to become again One with God within us, returning to God with the understanding of the Oneness of God and True Man, which in truth is God and True Man within us. Text of Topic: One important aspect of a healthy inner life is prayer. The evidence of real prayer is whether it opens the heart to love, regardless of whether we pray quietly, out loud, within a tradition, out of a tradition, facing the east, the west, up or down. If it's prayer, it opens the heart to God's love. If it doesn't, it's not prayer. The evidence of prayer is love and the evidence of love is caring for other human beings. The evidence of that caring and that compassion is service. And the evidence, experientially, of service is a clear conscience. The evidence of a clear conscience is inner peace. Inner peace gives us the capacity to receive wisdom. Wisdom further reinforces our humility as we realize it is a gift, not something we can achieve through egocentric willful effort. Gratitude follows, and with that gratitude, openness and love. Wisdom tells us that we are dependent and connected to the Divine and that all other lives are so connected. All lives, all objects, all things are relational. The only thing that is sovereign is God's absolute generosity, grace, love, and Being itself. A consequence of that realization is a deep tranquillity of heart, a profound appreciation for the miracle of consciousness and knowing and a sense of purpose. We awaken to praise that Wonder that is God; we praise in our seeking to know ourselves and in that knowing discover the Source; we praise in working to enhance our lives by living within God's qualities. We praise by living close to love and service. It is a cycle, an actual turning within the Divine. Our life can become a journey within That. That is peace and security. 4. The Nature of The Journey To God Summary of Topic: The journey to God that we are all currently on, whether we know it or not, whether we even like it or not, is the journey from "separation and differences" to "Oneness and Unity", to "Justice and Truth", and to "Compassion and Unity". It is the journey from the false "one of us" on the outside of us to the true "One of us" on the inside of us. It is the journey of the "Three of Us" within the "Three of God" within us, which is the - Disciple, Shaikh, and God - within - Ya Allah, Ya Rasul, Ya Muhaiyaddeen - within us. It is the journey of the Three within us again becoming the One within us, again becoming the true "One of Us" within us, and in this way, starting to answer God's question of God in Aathi, in the time before the beginningly beginning, the question, "Who am I?". And the first part of the answer is, "You are True Man", the second part of the answer is, "You are God", and the third part of the answer is, "You are the Oneness of God and True Man". It is becoming "God happening" within us, by first becoming "True Man happening" within us. And in this way, it is becoming sanctuaries of peace, becoming examples of True Man within the Creation of God within us, examples of a peaceful secure human. This is our true work, this is the work that we have come here to do. Text of Topic: It is this capacity of transcendence that is everyone's birthright regardless of historical circumstances, regardless of joy and sorrow. It must exist independently of attraction and repulsion. It must exist independently of identification with race, tribe, religion, gender, class. This journey of the soul takes place beyond the symbols of the intellect, beyond separation. In that journey we can be sanctuaries of peace. That's what the world needs more than anything: the example of what it is to be a peaceful secure human. It means that regardless of circumstances and what governments do, and what the person sitting next to us does, and what our spouse does, and what our children do, and what our parents did, and what our neighbor does, we know there is no excuse for not doing this. This is the work that we have to do and it's a personal secret work. We are ultimately responsible to only one Being. Make no mistake, we are responsible for doing this work. If we don't do this work and we do everything else, we will not be saying thank you at the end of our lives and we won't be ready for the next part of the journey. 5. The Nature of The Absence of Peace Summary of Topic: The absence of faith and peace is fear, is fear of death, is fear of getting caught by the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him), is talking about peace without first obtaining peace, is playing upon the fear of others to further our own agenda in the world, to further our own agenda in our family, in our community, and in our country. It is always the same, lack of true faith in God, in the Oneness that is God, faith in anything other than the Oneness that is God, like faith in oneself as "separate from" God, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God within us, which manifests in the world as faith in family, in groups, in race and religion, equals fear, equals arrogance, equals "separation and differences". In this way, the nature of the absence of peace is living with our brothers and sisters in the world that we see in our collective ignorance as existing outside of us, is living as what God has discarded. Text of Topic: This lack of readiness will cause us to live in fear. As my Teacher, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said, "Fear is a thief who is forever afraid of being caught. Afraid of facing the truth." When the angel of death comes, if we have made good friends with fear, we are going to be afraid of getting caught. Fear continues to govern the vision of many of the world's leaders and they instill it in the people in order to further their own fear-based agendas. "Why of course the people don't want to go to war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece?" "But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy. And it always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy." "All you have to do is tell them they're being attacked. Denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." Herman Goering's testimony at the Nuremberg Trials. 6. On Ending The Cycle of Fear Summary of Topic: We are the place where the cycles begin, so we are the place where faith in God overcomes fear of death, and once we become victorious in our life, once our wisdom successfully reasons over our fate, then we are the ones who can end the cycle of fear, first within ourselves by joining in partnership with God within us, and then as the example, as the "good grasshopper", the calming influence, among the "swarm of locust" that destroy everything in their path. Text of Topic: Fear based on ignorance creates a cycle of armaments and war which reinforce the causes of fear. We want to create cycle where cooperation and trust reinforce disarmament which in turn reinforces our good qualities. We are the place where the cycles begin. Since the end of the Cold War, the world has spent more than $10 trillion on armaments. The United States alone spends approximately $100 million every day to keep its nuclear arsenal at ready. Other nations squander assets as well. Neither security nor our humanity is enhanced thereby. The nuclear arsenals are on the ready, just as they were at the height of the Cold War. Yet, the entire budget of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for all the inspections in the whole world last year was less than $90 million, which is less than the United States spends on one weapons system a day. One of America's great military leaders, General Omar Bradley said, "We live in an age of nuclear giants and ethical infants. In a world that has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. We've solved the mystery of the atom and forgotten the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount. We know more about war than we know about peace. More about dying than we know about living." 7. America The Beautiful Summary of Topic: America was founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance, on man's innate nature of goodness or Godness, not evil or hellness, as man being "made in the image of God", as man being of God not as man being of the world, and not even man as being of the Creation of God. And a country governed by profound insights into the human condition, such as man being very susceptible to evil, that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and the importance of having a sense of humility, and of checks and balances as the antidote to jealousies and rivalries, and finally, that in truth, in all things, Al-hamdu lillah and Allahu Akbar, all praise be to God, and only God is great. Such is the true beauty of the founding of America. Text of Topic: America is a nation founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance. Fear was not the model upon which America was founded. Even amid the crucible of real international threats and conflict, the founders of America were governed by profound insights into the human condition and the importance of having a sense of humility. The Capitol was burned in Washington by the second decade of the 19th Century. Yet, curtailing civil liberties to create greater governmental efficiencies did not rule the day. Enough were informed by the intelligence of John Adams who had said that, "Jealousies and rivalries have been my theme, and checks and balances as their antidote, till I am ashamed to repeat the words." Inefficiencies were intended to check the quest for power and the hand guided by greed and not justice. The oversight of courts, the Congressional system of debate and protections for dissenters, and even the Supremacy of Treaties, as well as many other political mechanisms, were designed to ensure that the arrogance of power did not crush the experiment of freedom based on faith. Although not particularly religious, many of the creators of America were men of faith in God. The importance of dissent and open discussion even arose from their faith. They were familiar with John Stewart Mill's analysis of the basis of freedom of speech where in his famous essay On Liberty he stated: "To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility." The subtext is that only God is infallible. 8. Understanding The Difference Between Real and False Faith Summary of Topic: Real or true faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real or true faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone. While false or weak faith is the hallmark of one who claims to be infallible, of one who is arrogant about his ignorance, of one who deeply fears differences (any point of view different from his own), which is always seen as a direct challenge to a fragile faith in something other than God, other than the Oneness that is God, to a fragile faith in whatever one holds most dear, and relies upon, to make it through the day and night, other than a direct personal relationship with God within us, other than a direct personal relationship with our wisdom or Shaikh within us, and with our truth or God within Him. This is the true difference between true and false faith, between good and evil, as true goodness is the taste of God, of "Oneness with", and true evil is the taste of hell, of "separation from". Know it now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, and start to act accordingly. Text of Topic: What does a man do when he places himself in the position of claiming to be infallible? I believe that such supreme arrogance is usually based on weakness of faith and a deep fear of differences that could present a challenge to a fragile faith. Real faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone. Fear is responsible for closing down dialogue and discussion and denying our interconnectedness. Fearful people can close their hearts and think they have all the answers. Religious and political fanaticism develop in that atmosphere. It also happens in each of us when we claim that the worldview that our mind develops is the actual, real world and from that point claim that our limited point of view is the singular and only correct point of view. 9. In Truth We Are All One Summary of Topic: In truth we are all One, and as such we are witnesses of God, of the "presence of God" in our life, and in all life. Witnesses of the guiding force within all life, of the One who "conducts our entire life, and everything that happens to us, not us, as the One who carries out everything, not us, as the One who is responsible for the cause and the effect, not us", as Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) teaches us, on page 141, in the Epilogue to the book, Islam and World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi. Text of Topic: We have to learn to walk a little bit more softly on this earth. It doesn't belong to us. We are privileged to be here for a while and then we have to move on. And what we do matters, because we have been placed here as the witnesses of the Divine. It is up to each of us to show what a human being looks like. Human beings are not afraid. As Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said: "If each of you will open your heart, your action, your wisdom, and your conduct, and look within, you will see that every face is your face. Every nerve is your nerve. Each drop of blood is your blood is your blood. Every sickness is your sickness. All hunger is your hunger. All poverty is your poverty. All sorrow is your sorrow. All lives are your life". "You will experience all this in your nerves, in your body, and in what you see. When that state develops inside you, that is God's love. " "That is God's true love because all suffering is His suffering. All sorrow is His sorrow. All hunger is His. All poverty is His and all grief is His. Every torment is inside Him. That is how God does His duty." "Therefore, if you develop that love, you will do your duty in the same way. If that love develops, you will not hurt any other living thing. You will not cause pain, you will not reject any life. And you will not torture any other life. Because if you hurt anyone, it will hurt you." 10. On Truly Saving The World From Destruction Summary of Topic: Truly saving the world from destruction begins with at least one of us saving ourselves from death before we die, by joining in partnership with God within us before we die, of at least one of us becoming truly alive before we die, so all of those around us can see what it means to be truly human, to be truly alive, allowing them to do the same, if that be their true intention. For the justice of God is that, "whatever we intend is what we will receive", and in the end we will all get exactly what we want. In this way, our own life answers the question, "what do we want", because what we end up with is what we truly wanted. The only question is, "What do we want?" Do we want God, do we want Oneness with God, because that is what God is, "Oneness with", or do we want the world, do we want Creation, do we want "separation and differences", because that is what the world and Creation are, "separation from", and that is the way we are all currently living, "separate from" God, "separate from" each other, and "separate from" the Creation of God within us. Know this now, my dearest loving brothers and sisters, before it is too late. So we all must wait for the Messiah to appear, or at least one of us can become the Messiah for the rest of us, becoming a true human being for all to see and emulate, before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, and destroys all of us and the world outside for all of us, sending all of us to hell, to an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all think about this a little. It is very, very important Text of Topic: If that love is alive in a heart it is like a magnet for grace. That heart is electrified and illuminated because that heart has the appropriate humility to serve. Politics informed by such qualities guide toward policies of compassion and justice exercised with the humility that affirms our capacity to work together. Such policies alone bring peace and security to a family, to a community and to the world. We can't get angry. We can't give up. We can't answer real questions about complex issues with slogans. We have work to do. The opposite of fear is love. The politics of love affirms human unity. Yet, there is a deeper unity: God lives in us and we live in God. 11. The Justice of God Summary of Topic: The justice of God must become the justice of kings, as the justice of kings must then become the justice of man, as the justice of man must then become the justice of conscience. And all of this must happen within one of us before it is too late, before the beast comes out of at least one of us, only then will man live together in the "presence of God", so teaches our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). Text of Topic: Law based on this insight always promotes equity and justice. It is always consistent with conscience. Law is a living art, the social expression of our values. Laws of justice find structure to our longing for peace and security. Law is not just something that somebody wrote in Washington 200 years ago, in Mecca 1400 years ago, or in the desert of the Sinai thousands of years before. It's something that's alive now. It's something that humans create out of love and justice. It can, by demonstrating compassion, affirm our unity and connectedness. It must not be afraid to see and address suffering. It is not afraid of anything because it is based on love. Those who seek loves source find the greatest wonder. There is an ocean of love that is our birthright. It is more powerful than the energy in the atom which when harnessed with weapons can destroy the earth. The same Power that put the capacity of a nuclear holocaust in subatomic particles has put a great power in the core of each of our beings. We come from that Power and that Power has also given us the wisdom and the abilities to meet all challenges, even those that nuclear weapons pose. We do have the resources to find peace and security for all peoples. We do have the audacity to assert that all people have a right to peace and security. We do have a duty to work to help all obtain this right. May God make us sanctuaries of peace inspired by love, guided by compassion; those who remember and those who demonstrate that remembrance in our daily lives; as simple as that, and God will guide us. All praises are to God. Respectfully, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen End of Spiritual Letter 52 - outline & summary version - ...................................... or Go To Spiritual Letter 52: Table of Contents Related Material or ( a top-down version of the Library Home Page) (a bottom-up version of the Library Home Page) |
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