Letter # 18: "Are we One?"

A new reader of this letter, born and brought up in a completely western culture, wrote to me and ended her statement with "We are one". Let's pause to reflect on this crucially important idea.
Hazrat Inayat Khan, of the Sufi tradition, in his book Sufi Teachings (1994 ISBN:81-208-0684-0) writes on P216:"When we look at racial distinctions, we see that the hatred of one race for another has always increased with civilisation. Colour prejudice, class distinction, differences between East and West, and the dominion of one sex over the other are not yet out of sight; rather they are on the increase ." Then he infuses a positive note: "The races in the coming era will mix more and more every day, developing finally into a world-wide race."Is the Sufi tradition alive today? I say yes. In Vancouver, the most prominent evidence of it is in the Sikh religion. Guru Nanak, 1469-1539 CE, put down the foundations of Sikhism (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Nanak). He was brought up in a Vedic environment, where respect for all was taught in the scriptures e.g.:"The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge , see with equal vision a leaned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater" [Bhagavad Gita 5:18 Translation by Srila Prabhupada].Guru Nanak saw that the practices of the people were not always in accordance with the true intent of scriptures. In his endeavours to explain the true spiritual intent of the scriptures, he traveled far and wide. One of his companions was Muslim. Guru Nanak saturated his spiritual poetry with Sufi philosophy. It is said that no-one surpassed him in spiritual discourse. He was loved by all who came into contact with him. Love for him is still being expressed. This weekend, in all the Gurdwaras (Sikh Temples), millions devotees are celebrating his birthday. You might have notice that I end these letters with "Nanak Naam Chardi Kala tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla." Let me translate that for those who don't know Punjabi:"Nanak (Nanak, the author, says), Naam (the name of the Supreme) Chardi Kala (hallowed let it be) Tere (By Your) Bhane (Will) Sarbat (all living creatures, including me and you) Dha Bhalla (wellbeing)." The verse's message is like that in Matthew 6.9 "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name ...your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So let me render the whole of Guru Nanak's spiritual stanza into English:Nanak says, "Hallowed be Your Name, and by Your Will all creatures enjoy wellbeing." He prays for all. I agree with my reader,"We are ONE."


God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.

Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2007
“Practicing goodwill makes for a good life."
Tel: 604 273 6641 (also for fax on request)

http://jasbhopal.com/

References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.