Monday, December 29, 2008

Teachings of Baba Fareed-uddin Ganj Shakar 3

With regard to the basis for spiritual progress -referred to in the last email- Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia
went on to explain the final habit. His explanation is as follows:

'After that the master told the following story about a certain chaste saint.
Many times he used to say that all virtuous deeds, such as prayers, fasting, invocations, and saying the rosary [wird
are a cauldron [a large pot], but the basic staple in the cauldron is meat. 
Without meat you do not experience any of these virtuous deeds.
Finally they asked the pir: "Many times you have used that analogy, but now explain it."

"Meat," replied the saint, "is renouncing worldliness, while prayer, fasting, invocation, as well as repetition of the rosary -
all such virtuous deeds presuppose that the one who does them has left the world and is no longer attached to any worldly thing.
Whether he observes or does not observe prayer, invocations, and other practices, there is no cause of fear, 
but is friendship with the world lingers in his heart, he derives no benefit from supplications, invocations,and the like."

After that the master observed: "If one puts ghee, pepper, garlic, and onion into a cauldron and adds only water,
the end result is known as pseudo-stew. The basic staple for stew is meat; there may or may not be other ingredients.
Similarly, the basis for spiritual progress is leaving the world; there may or may not be other virtuous practices.

Renouncing worldliness does not mean, for instance, that one becomes naked, wearing only loin cloth and
sitting [in solitude]. Renouncing worldliness means, instead, to wear clothes and to take food while at the same time
keeping in continuous use whatever comes to hand, feeling no inclination to hoard and no attachment to 
material objects. That [disposition alone] is tantamount to renouncing worldliness."

Hazrat Mehboob-e-Elahi -may Allah be pleased with him


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