ABOUT PIR VILAYAT KHAN
Pir Vilayat Khan. (June 19, 1916–June 17, 2004) was a teacher of meditation and of the traditions of the East Indian Chishti Order of Sufism. His teaching derived from the tradition of his father, Inayat Khan, founder of The Sufi Order in the West, combined with western culture. Accepting the challenge to follow in his father’s footsteps circa 1950, he taught in the tradition of universal Sufism, which views all religions as rays of light from the same sun. Pir Vilayat traveled and lectured extensively, expanding the Order and establishing Sufi centers in several countries. In 1969 he met Murshid Samuel Lewis, who affiliated his circle with Pir Vilayat’s organization. The seventies were a time of spiritual and social experimentation, and the Sufi Order drew many young people from the counterculture. Pir Vilayat appreciated the idealism of the age, but was wary of its unbalanced excesses. In 1975 he founded the Abode of the Message, which serves as the central residential community of the Sufi Order International, a conference and retreat center, and a center of esoteric study. In the course of his long life, Pir Vilayat initiated thousands of mureeds and spread his father’s Sufi Message far and wide. On hearing of Pir Vilayat’s passing, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote, “I have much admiration for him. His passing is a great loss, especially for those who not only follow the spiritual path, but also believe in tolerance for other religious traditions.”
FAMOUS QUOTE
"Sometimes there’s a sudden change from one condition to the next. And that‘s what is happening now and that .s why we call it a New Age. A sudden Change, which effects millions of people. And that is what we are experiencing just now."