Spiritual Letter 40 - Expanded Version About Spiritual Letter 40 Title: The Three Secrets of Man's Life: Faith In God, Certitude In Oneself, and Trust in the Guru Date: January 01, 2003 Written by: Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Written to: The Brother and Sisters of The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Home Page-Spiritual Letters Go To Spiritual Letter 41 Letter 40: Original Version Library Navigation Tree Go To Spiritual Letter 39 Letter 40: Related Material Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 40 Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum 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. My love you (anbu), my dearest brothers and sisters - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). Outline of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter 40 2. Copy of Letter - to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) from Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) 3. The Initial Reactions of Louie Beutler - a brief but painful journey into the depths of hell within Louie Beutler, only to be saved and carried back to the feet of our Shaikh, and of God within Him, to be saved from our false selves by our True Selves, to be saved by our loving Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and by God within Him 4. Reaction by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) - Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar 5. A Short Story - the three secrets of life are: Faith in God, Certitude in Ourselves, and Trust in the Guru Text of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter 40 This child has just received the following letter from our dearest brother Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden), which is very important for all of us to study, reflect upon, and join with our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and with God within Him, in order to understand it and to act upon it correctly. May God help us in this endeavor. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. 2. Copy of Letter - to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) from Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) "Dear Louie, Assalaamu'alaikum, I appreciate the good work you are doing in spreading the words of our Sheikh to as many hearts as will listen. However the reality of life in this time is interpreted in legalities that we have been made to be aware of, and consequently address. During the last several years we have received requests from a variety of different authors, groups and organizations requesting permission to use, access, and reprint parts of Bawa's published material. We have signed agreements with publishing companies outside the United States for translations, printing, and distribution of Bawa's books into other languages as well. In the past we have had organizations translate, modify and distribute parts of Islam and World Peace into other languages totally without permission, supervision or authorization. The modification was not minor, as the authorship of the book was given to Anna Marie Schimmel, who wrote the introduction for the book, and all references to Sufism were removed. There has even been an occasion where an entire book of Bawa's material was printed outside the Fellowship, without permission of the Fellowship and given away at the Fellowship." In response to these circumstances we met with a copyright attorney who advised us that since Bawa gave the rights of his works to the Fellowship, any use of Bawa's material in any way without written, specific permission from the Fellowship, cannot be allowed under any circumstances. The reason being that if we allow someone to use, distribute, display, or sell Bawa's material without written permission from the Fellowship Press we set a precedent that would endanger all of Bawa's works. We would effectively be putting all of Bawa's works in the public domain where we would have no control over how the material was portrayed, the context in which it was used, or the inferences drawn by the author regarding Bawa's words. The attorney's have drawn up contracts ( I gave one to Crisi) for everyone who is involved in handling Bawa's material to sign that would serve as an agreement that no one will publish or do any of the other distribution issues without permission. The distribution of these documents is enough of a legal notice to protect us in the event someone misused Bawa's material. I see how much work you have put into this site. It is done with a lot of love, care, respect, and consideration. I want to look at the contents and see if there is a way to comply with our legal guidelines. I do not know how this will go but we will see what to do next, lets try, and when we work together everything is possible. In the meantime I will get the appropriate information to address this circumstance and will be in touch with you by the weekend. For now Louie, do not worry, all our lives and everything within them is in the gentle hands of our Creator. Be at Peace and have a sweet and Happy New year. God Bless your sweet heart, and if I said anything to worry you or upset you please forgive me. This process is not a bad thing. It is for our protection so no one will find fault with either you or me, and so Bawa's words will be protected in the future. Anbu, Kelly". 3. The Initial Reactions of Louie Beutler - a brief but painful journey into the depths of hell within Louie Beutler, only to be saved and carried back to the feet of our Shaikh, and of God within Him, to be saved from our false selves by our True Selves, by our loving Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and by God within Him Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. When we received this letter we were first very happy to hear from Muhammad Lateef, since we have had no "heart to heart" communication with him for many, many years, and we were very happy that he had sent us a letter. Our second reaction was surprise and confusion with the content of the letter, and with the reference to things like: 1) The reality of life in this time is interpreted in legalities. 2) Any use of Bawa's material in any way without written, specific permission from the Fellowship, cannot be allowed under any circumstances. 3) The attorney's have drawn up contracts for everyone who is involved in handling Bawa's material to sign that would serve as an agreement that no one will publish or do any of the other distribution issues without permission. 4) This process is not a bad thing. It is for our protection so no one will find fault with either you or me, and so Bawa's words will be protected in the future. Our third reaction was to run to the feet of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within this child, and to God within Him, to protect this child from Muhammad Lateef, and from others at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship who were involved in this apparent plot to keep the "Living word of God" from growing and expanding within the heart of the Children of God for this age, which is all of us living in this age, To protect us "true believers" from those who wanted to control the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) so it would not grow beyond them, or beyond their level of understanding, of Shari'at, Tariqat, Haqiqat, and Marifat, or threaten their life or position or livelihood, or the lives of others like them, of those with a similar belief and a similar set of vested interests. Which is what the Muslims did when they changed what Abu Bakar (peace be upon Him) said at the death of the Holy Prophet (Sal.), because it no longer fit their understanding of Islam, or what they believed was needed at that time to protect the Muslims of their time, or for perhaps many other practical and rational reasons, all of which flow out of our life of arrogance, karma, illusion, out of our mind and desire, which Bawa calls the five types of dirt within us. For what Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) teaches us that Abu Bakar said (peace be upon Him) upon the death of Muhammad (Sal.), was, "For those who worship Muhammad (Sal.), Muhammad (Sal.) is dead, and for those how worship God, Muhammad (Sal.) lives." And what Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) teaches us that the Muslims changed it to say, was, "For those who worship Muhammad (Sal.), Muhammad (Sal.) is dead, and for those how worship God, God lives." Which provides us with a very different message about the path of Islam, about Muhammad (Sal.), and about what we have to do to be successful on this path, a very different message about "who we are", about "where we are", and about "what is happening" in our life, for if Muhammad (Sal.) lives when God is worshipped, even after Muhammad (Sal.) dies, then Muhammad (Sal.) is the life of God within each one of us, which we must become "One with" before we die, in order to become "One with" God after we die, or as Bawa teaches us, "For God to accept you, you must first be accepted by your Shaikh. Only then will God accept you." In this way, only by first becoming "One with" our Shaikh, before we die, with the gift of God for our age, which is the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within us, can we become "One with" God after we die. Such is the path of God for the Children of God for this age, for this age of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). Nothing else will bring us back into the "Oneness of God and True Man" within us. Everything else that we do just opens the door of hell for us, everything else is but leading us to the Angel of Death, to the suffering of the grave, to Qiyamah (the Standing Forth; the Day of Judgment), and eventually to an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all think about this wisdom point a little. It is very, very important. And our fourth reaction was to run to the feet of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within this child, and to God within Him, to protect this child from himself, to protect all of the members of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship from Louie Beutler, from the life of "separation and differences" within this child, from the life within this child that would have such negative thoughts about his loving brother Muhammad Lateef, and about his other brothers and sisters at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. Now the finger of guilt is no longer pointing "outside" of me, but is now pointing as Bawa has taught us to point it, at ourselves not at others, now it is pointing "inside" of me, directly at me, directly at Louie Beutler, and not at my dearest loving brother Muhammad Lateef, who we now begin to think about and remember in only positive terms, and it is not pointing at any of our dear and loving brothers and sisters at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, and especially not at any of the hard working members of the Executive Committee, who are always working so very hard to accomplish what Bawa has personally told each of them to do, in order to protect the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and to protect all of the children at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, from any harm that may come to them from the world outside the Fellowship. With this new and improved perspective on things, that everything in truth is Ok as it is, that God is in charge, not us, that "who we are" in truth is but what Bawa is doing within us, and what God is doing within Him, which is to complete God's intention within us, which is to reveal True Man within the Creation of God within us, and to reveal God within the Creation of True Man within us, we started to see the light. We finally became open for the first time to the true meaning of the letter that was sent by Muhammad Lateef, and we could begin to see it clearly as something Bawa Himself is doing within the Fellowship to protect us from the world around us, a world that could damage or harm what He spent His life on earth to accomplish, which is to bring His loving Children to a deeper understanding of just "who they really are", of "how they should conduct themselves" in the world, and especially, "how they should treat each other" when conducting the affairs of the Fellowship. And the guiding principle for all of this "worldly stuff" is that God is in charge, and He is always on the job, providing an envelope of protection and grace for each and every one of us, and our major focus, as members of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, must be, first and foremost, to protect others from ourselves, not from anything or anyone else. This is our main work. Then everything else will naturally proceed according to God's plan, and everything will turn out right. For as Bawa teaches us, "All that is every really happening in our life, in every life, is that we are all sitting on God's lap, and our wisdom is teaching us, is teaching our soul, what we do not know." And why Bawa told us one day, "If you want to protect someone, the first one you need to protect them from is you." With this new and better perspective on the letter from Muhammad Lateef, we next went back to the letter and looked for some positive things that would offset the negative reactions we were first having, and thank God we found plenty of them, like, 1) I appreciate the good work you are doing in spreading the words of our Sheikh to as many hearts as will listen. 2) I see how much work you have put into this site. It is done with a lot of love, care, respect, and consideration. I want to look at the contents and see if there is a way to comply with our legal guidelines. 3) I do not know how this will go but we will see what to do next, lets try, and when we work together everything is possible. 4) For now Louie, do not worry, all our lives and everything within them is in the gentle hands of our Creator. 5) Be at Peace and have a sweet and Happy New year. God Bless your sweet heart, and if I said anything to worry you or upset you please forgive me. 6) This process is not a bad thing. It is for our protection so no one will find fault with either you or me, and so Bawa's words will be protected in the future. 7) Anbu, Kelly 4. Reaction by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) - Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. With our brief journey into the painful hell of Louie Beutler over, our journey into the world of arrogance, karma, illusion, mind and desire that lies hidden deep within Louie Beutler, with this over, at least for this experience of it, at least for this manifestation of it, and having again experienced being successfully saved from permanent residence in my own personal hell, at least for now, having been saved again from the life of "separation and differences" that has grown in my ignorance within me, having been saved by our Shaikh within us, and by God within Him, we celebrate the glory of God. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. "O Bawa, having again come to the point of having nothing to say, and being content with that, we await Your Pleasure." 5. A Short Story - the three secrets of life are: Faith in God, Certitude in Ourselves, and Trust in the Guru One day this child had joined his brothers and sisters to celebrate the Yearly Anniversary of the Coming of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) to America, in 1971, and as a part of that celebration we had all gathered at the Mazar or Shrine of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (where Bawa is physically buried, which is an hours ride outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) to pray and glorify God, and thank God for the gift of God for our age, for the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), that God has personally and ever so lovingly placed both "inside" and "outside" of the Children of God for this age, which is all of us living in this age. One particular brother was from out of town, not living in Philadelphia, which is where the Main Branch of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is located, and was only seen by this child at these yearly celebrations at the Mazar. On this day this child and his brother again met at the door of the Mazar of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) and were discussing what we had learned, especially over the last year, since our last meeting, about the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). At this point this brother said to this child, "The main thing that I have learned from Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) is to love myself." It was like a container of cold water had been poured over me, and my whole system went into overload. This was the exact opposite of my understanding of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), to "love yourself". The teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) was to "love God" over everything else, and to "reject yourself" as what God had rejected Himself, and yet my loving brother who greeted my with such love and warmth each year was now saying that the most important thing was to "love yourself". And there didn't seem to be any way around rejecting what he was saying to me, or I would become a hypocrite, which we certainly did not want to do, especially since Bawa always taught us that hypocrisy was one of the worse sins of our life, but we also did not want to reject our loving brother either, especially since Bawa always told us not to do things like that either, to find fault with what others said, or to reject them. What to do? But I had to reject what he has just said, at least to myself, and as a result reject him also, as a true brother of the open heart, if I was to stay true to what I had learned to understand and love as the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). What to do? Such is the fabric of terrorism, of fanaticism, of religious fundamentalism. Such rigidity of thought, such stubbornness about our way of understanding, of interpreting what has come from God, to each of the Prophets of God, as the words of God for each age, as the Holy Qur'an of Muhammad (Sal.), and now as the "Life and Teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him)", only leads us to our own destruction, not to the Suratul Mustaqueem, the Straight Path, to the path that leads us back into the "Oneness of God and True Man", that God has personally and every so lovingly placed within each of us, which is the whole point, is the truth of God hidden within the words of God for each age, of the "Holy Qur'an" of Muhammad (Sal.), and of the "Life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him)" For as Bawa teaches us at the bottom of page 137, in Chapter 12, "Inner Qur'an", in the book, "Islam And World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi", what really came from God to Muhammad (Sal.) was the life and teaching of God for that age, was the Umm al-Qur'an, the Inner Qur'an for that age, was the Mother of Man's wisdom for that age, the Mother who raised the True Believer in that age, and what came to the followers of Muhammad (Sal.) is what eventually became "public knowledge and part of history", and, "The interpretation of this knowledge later gave rise to religious differences, divisions, and bigotry, which in turn give rise to prejudice, fighting, and wars. This is the state the world has come to". So what were we to do? There seemed to be no way out, either I must surrender my understanding and accept my brother, or surrender my brother and keep my understanding. What else could I do? Thank God for the Third Way. The Third Way was to break the log jam of "my way" or "your way", of "my understanding" or "your understanding", and to bring God into the process, to make "our problem" into "God's problem", and let God solve it, let the Power that is God be applied to the problem, to the problem that in truth is also God, is what God is doing within us, to complete His intention within us, which is to reveal God to God, for the benefit of all of the Creation of God within us. A problem which in truth is our own darkness, which in truth is covering our own Light, our darkness which in truth is our own "separation and differences", which in truth is covering our own "Oneness with", our darkness which in our ignorance we have grown within us, which if left unchecked will eventually become our own hell, which is an eternal life of "separation from" God, but if checked within us, before we die, will become the 7 heavens within us, and within that the 8th heaven of Muhammad (Sal.) or firdaus within us, and within that our soul, the Arsh al-mu'mim, the Throne of the true believer A problem that can only be solved within us by God within us, by the grace, wisdom, and help of God within us, by the "One with" within us, by letting the "Light In", by letting what was there once come back again, by inviting God to come back into our lives, and rule us again, and redeem us, to make us His Property and His Duty. This is why Bawa teaches us, "The reason a room is dark is because you took the light out of the room. To make the room light again, don't curse the darkness, instead, bring the light back into the room, and the darkness will leave all by itself, because the darkness doesn't like the light." So, standing in front of my brother this child said to Bawa Muhaiyaddeen within me (may God be pleased with Him), and to God within Him, "O Bawa, what my brother has said doesn't make any sense to me, to my understanding of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), that the most important thing he has learned from Your teaching is to love himself. Please resolve this conflict within me between my way of understanding You, and his way of understanding You. Please do this for us. Amen." And no sooner than this prayer or Dua' was said by this child that the following clarity came into my heart, "My Son, you are a very good Child of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us), and you have made a good request. His way of loving Me, and of understanding Me, is to see himself as Me, to see Me as the potential of him, as the apple seed sees the apple tree and the apple fruit hidden within it, as the potential of itself, as the potential of the apple seed." "And in this way, the apple seed germinates when it has learned to love itself as the finger pointing to the apple tree and the apple fruit within it, to love itself as the story that it has to tell, that it has come to the earth, to join with the earth, to tell, to tell the story of the apple fruit hidden within the story of the apple tree, all hidden within the story of the apple seed." "This is what your brother means when he says, that the most important thing he has learned from Me is to love himself, is to love his potential, to love his birth right, his true heritage, to love the destiny of his soul, which is the "Oneness of God and True Man" within him." "Now, tell this to your brother, and continue to love him as you love Me. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar." And we did, we told our brother and all those who had gathered around us, what Bawa had just told us, and he was so happy, and this child was so happy, and everyone around us was so happy. And Bawa within us, and God within Him, were also very, very happy. My dearest loving brothers and sisters, such is the true oneness of our lives, of all lives, that is the potential within each one of us, to love ourselves as the Children of God for this age, which is all of us living in this age, this age of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased within Him), when God finally finishes what He has started, within each one of us. Such is the gift of God for this age, the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) for this age, that God has personally and ever so lovingly placed within each one of us, allowing us to love ourselves as the light of God for this age, as the light of God that allows God to complete His intention for this age, as the light of God that allows God to finish what He has started within man, over 200 million years ago, with the coming of Adam (peace be upon Him) into the world, into this dunya or earth world. And that God has nourished and protected for the last 200 million years, bringing it safely into existence as the final act in His drama, in the story that He is telling through each one of us, as the story of True Man within the story of God, and the story of God within the story of True Man, if we will but ask Him to tell them, to tell and complete these Divine Stories within us before we die, and before the world "outside" of us is prematurely destroyed by one of us, for all of us. If we will but join Him in the telling of these stories, and having joined Him, to let Him tell these stories, to let Him destroy us and reveal Himself, to destroy us as "separate from" Him, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God within us, and to reveal us as Him, to reveal us as His Iman, His Wisdom, and as His 'ilm or divine knowledge, to reveal us as His grace, His light, and His power, as His Triple Flame and as the One within this Three, as the "Oneness of God and True Man" within us, for the benefit of all of the Creation of God, which is the 18,000 universes in the dunya or earth world within us, within the sukun or circle on top of the Arabic letter "mim". Destroying in the process the world of illusion, the dream of "self existence" that we are currently experiencing with our brothers and sisters, in the world that we see in our ignorance as existing "outside" of us, destroying the tiny world that we currently inhabit "separate from" God, "separate from" each other, and "separate from" the creation of God within us, a temporary world that is but the "nuqat" or dot under the Arabic letter "Ba". Finally, the truth within the beautiful explanation given to us by Bawa years ago, at the door of the Mazar of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), came home dramatically to this child recently, when we again read, at the feet of our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and began to see it for the first time, the following explanation given to man by the Katpaha Virudcham (the wish-fulfilling tree or Sidratul-Muntaha), by the Primordial One, "By the wisdom within wisdom in the man who knows his mind, and therefore his life." About the three secrets of man's life, of a True Man (of a man-the-divine or manu-eesan), as beautifully presented to us by Bawa at the bottom of page 98, Chapter 28, "The Tree in the Desert", in the book, "The Pearl of Wisdom", "Dears, those born with Me, listen. The Lord, the Graceful God who created all lives, penetrates our bodies, and knows all the secrets of our heart. He provides food for each one of us. This is the secret of the life of man, and all other lives who are fed by Him." "There are three secrets of life. They are: Faith in God, Certitude in Oneself, and Trust in the Guru." "Those who trust in every one of these three will receive the sacred divine mantras (Magical words). They are the three functions of Creating, Sustaining, and Destroying, with the bliss of the Aathi Param (Primordial One)." "The Primordial One exists as wisdom within wisdom in the man who knows his mind, and therefore his life. Realize this." Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. 6. Closing Comments And Prayer Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum 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. This has been a wonderful journey, my dearest loving brother and sisters, a journey that we can only take once we have learned the truth of these three secrets, and begin to trust in all three, in God, in Ourselves as the Story of God and True Man within us, and in our Shaikh, who we have come to, to join with, to tell these Divine Stories within us, realizing that the completion of the story of True Man within the story of God within us, is True Man within the Creation of God within us, within the earth world or dunya within us, within the 18,000 universes within the sukun or circle of the Arabic letter 'mim, and the completion of the story of God within the story of True Man within us is God within the Creation of True Man within us, within the hereafter or akhirah within us, within firdaus the 8th heaven within the 7 heavens within us, within the Kingdom of God within us. This is our true birth right, our true heritage, the destiny of our soul, nothing more and nothing less, this is what happens to us, when we willingly and voluntarily chose to die so True Man and God within us can live, so the Divine Stories can come to completion within us, revealing the "Oneness of God and True Man" within us, but if we fail to do this, if we chose something less than this, if we reject to return to a life as "One with" God and True Man within us, then we will get an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all know this now, and begin to act accordingly. This is why Bawa teaches us, "The justice of God is that whatever you intend is what you will receive." And why Bawa teaches us, "All that is left at the end is God, and what has separated from God, and what separates from God in the end, is what has maintained up to the end, has declared up to the very end, in everything that they say, do, think, and intend, in spite of all that God has done to prove the opposite, that they are indeed separate from God". As far as the letter that was written to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) by our good and loving brother Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) - Al-hamdu lillah, Allahu Akbar - and my following personal comments to Kelly reflect my complete support for his efforts. "My dearest loving brother Muhammad Lateef, thank you for your sweet letter, and please forgive your brother Louie Beutler for his temporary journey into hell, as reflected in the beginning of this letter, his journey into his personal hell, into his temporary life of "separation from" God, of "separation from" each other, and of "separation from" the Creation of God within us." "At the direction of Bawa we have included this first part of the letter (The Initial Reactions of Louie Beutler), which was my initial reaction to your letter, in the final version of this letter, as a personal example of the dangers of "self importance" and of a mistaken belief in one own correctness, of having a corner on what is right for the Fellowship, for other people, and how best to protect others from the world. What a lot of silliness." "And please accept the full support from your brother Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) for what you are trying to do, for your efforts to protect the teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) from misuses in the world. We will certainly do everything that we can to support whatever decisions you and the other Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us) make in conducting the affairs of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship." [Note: in addition to the personal message above, a letter was also sent on January 1, 2003, to Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) from Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler), offering his full support for his efforts, which you can read by clicking HERE] My dearest loving brothers and sisters, please give my love and salams to all of the brothers and sisters of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, and tell them that Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) loves them very, very much, and that all of them are always in my prayers. We are all so very, very blessed to have each other, especially in this time in the world, when people are being made to make very difficult decisions in their life, but God is always there to help us, if we but turn to Him, as we saw in the unfolding story of the struggle of this child, to do the right thing, in this letter. Also, please share this letter with our brothers and sisters, it is very important. Only then, by openly sharing what we have learned, by joining in partnership with our wisdom, and with the truth of God within us, by joining with our Shaikh within us, and with God within Him, with all of the warts exposed for all to see, will we become the "Common Wealth" of God for this age, and learn to do the "Heart's Work" of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), that God has loving placed within each of us. Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. My love you (anbu) - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). End of Spiritual Letter 40 - expanded version - .......................... or Go To Spiritual Letter 40: Table of Contents Original Version Related Material or ( a top-down version of the Library Home Page) (a bottom-up version of the Library Home Page) |
Spiritual Letter 40 - Expanded Version About Spiritual Letter 40 Title: The Three Secrets of Man's Life: Faith In God, Certitude In Oneself, and Trust in the Guru Date: January 01, 2003 Written by: Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Written to: The Brother and Sisters of The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Home Page-Spiritual Letters Go To Spiritual Letter 41 Letter 40: Original Version Library Navigation Tree Go To Spiritual Letter 39 Letter 40: Related Material Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 40 Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum 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. My love you (anbu), my dearest brothers and sisters - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). Outline of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter 40 2. Copy of Letter - to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) from Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) 3. The Initial Reactions of Louie Beutler - a brief but painful journey into the depths of hell within Louie Beutler, only to be saved and carried back to the feet of our Shaikh, and of God within Him, to be saved from our false selves by our True Selves, to be saved by our loving Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and by God within Him 4. Reaction by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) - Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar 5. A Short Story - the three secrets of life are: Faith in God, Certitude in Ourselves, and Trust in the Guru Text of Spiritual Letter: 1. Introduction - to Spiritual Letter 40 This child has just received the following letter from our dearest brother Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden), which is very important for all of us to study, reflect upon, and join with our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and with God within Him, in order to understand it and to act upon it correctly. May God help us in this endeavor. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. 2. Copy of Letter - to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) from Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) "Dear Louie, Assalaamu'alaikum, I appreciate the good work you are doing in spreading the words of our Sheikh to as many hearts as will listen. However the reality of life in this time is interpreted in legalities that we have been made to be aware of, and consequently address. During the last several years we have received requests from a variety of different authors, groups and organizations requesting permission to use, access, and reprint parts of Bawa's published material. We have signed agreements with publishing companies outside the United States for translations, printing, and distribution of Bawa's books into other languages as well. In the past we have had organizations translate, modify and distribute parts of Islam and World Peace into other languages totally without permission, supervision or authorization. The modification was not minor, as the authorship of the book was given to Anna Marie Schimmel, who wrote the introduction for the book, and all references to Sufism were removed. There has even been an occasion where an entire book of Bawa's material was printed outside the Fellowship, without permission of the Fellowship and given away at the Fellowship." In response to these circumstances we met with a copyright attorney who advised us that since Bawa gave the rights of his works to the Fellowship, any use of Bawa's material in any way without written, specific permission from the Fellowship, cannot be allowed under any circumstances. The reason being that if we allow someone to use, distribute, display, or sell Bawa's material without written permission from the Fellowship Press we set a precedent that would endanger all of Bawa's works. We would effectively be putting all of Bawa's works in the public domain where we would have no control over how the material was portrayed, the context in which it was used, or the inferences drawn by the author regarding Bawa's words. The attorney's have drawn up contracts ( I gave one to Crisi) for everyone who is involved in handling Bawa's material to sign that would serve as an agreement that no one will publish or do any of the other distribution issues without permission. The distribution of these documents is enough of a legal notice to protect us in the event someone misused Bawa's material. I see how much work you have put into this site. It is done with a lot of love, care, respect, and consideration. I want to look at the contents and see if there is a way to comply with our legal guidelines. I do not know how this will go but we will see what to do next, lets try, and when we work together everything is possible. In the meantime I will get the appropriate information to address this circumstance and will be in touch with you by the weekend. For now Louie, do not worry, all our lives and everything within them is in the gentle hands of our Creator. Be at Peace and have a sweet and Happy New year. God Bless your sweet heart, and if I said anything to worry you or upset you please forgive me. This process is not a bad thing. It is for our protection so no one will find fault with either you or me, and so Bawa's words will be protected in the future. Anbu, Kelly". 3. The Initial Reactions of Louie Beutler - a brief but painful journey into the depths of hell within Louie Beutler, only to be saved and carried back to the feet of our Shaikh, and of God within Him, to be saved from our false selves by our True Selves, by our loving Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and by God within Him Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. When we received this letter we were first very happy to hear from Muhammad Lateef, since we have had no "heart to heart" communication with him for many, many years, and we were very happy that he had sent us a letter. Our second reaction was surprise and confusion with the content of the letter, and with the reference to things like: 1) The reality of life in this time is interpreted in legalities. 2) Any use of Bawa's material in any way without written, specific permission from the Fellowship, cannot be allowed under any circumstances. 3) The attorney's have drawn up contracts for everyone who is involved in handling Bawa's material to sign that would serve as an agreement that no one will publish or do any of the other distribution issues without permission. 4) This process is not a bad thing. It is for our protection so no one will find fault with either you or me, and so Bawa's words will be protected in the future. Our third reaction was to run to the feet of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within this child, and to God within Him, to protect this child from Muhammad Lateef, and from others at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship who were involved in this apparent plot to keep the "Living word of God" from growing and expanding within the heart of the Children of God for this age, which is all of us living in this age, To protect us "true believers" from those who wanted to control the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) so it would not grow beyond them, or beyond their level of understanding, of Shari'at, Tariqat, Haqiqat, and Marifat, or threaten their life or position or livelihood, or the lives of others like them, of those with a similar belief and a similar set of vested interests. Which is what the Muslims did when they changed what Abu Bakar (peace be upon Him) said at the death of the Holy Prophet (Sal.), because it no longer fit their understanding of Islam, or what they believed was needed at that time to protect the Muslims of their time, or for perhaps many other practical and rational reasons, all of which flow out of our life of arrogance, karma, illusion, out of our mind and desire, which Bawa calls the five types of dirt within us. For what Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) teaches us that Abu Bakar said (peace be upon Him) upon the death of Muhammad (Sal.), was, "For those who worship Muhammad (Sal.), Muhammad (Sal.) is dead, and for those how worship God, Muhammad (Sal.) lives." And what Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) teaches us that the Muslims changed it to say, was, "For those who worship Muhammad (Sal.), Muhammad (Sal.) is dead, and for those how worship God, God lives." Which provides us with a very different message about the path of Islam, about Muhammad (Sal.), and about what we have to do to be successful on this path, a very different message about "who we are", about "where we are", and about "what is happening" in our life, for if Muhammad (Sal.) lives when God is worshipped, even after Muhammad (Sal.) dies, then Muhammad (Sal.) is the life of God within each one of us, which we must become "One with" before we die, in order to become "One with" God after we die, or as Bawa teaches us, "For God to accept you, you must first be accepted by your Shaikh. Only then will God accept you." In this way, only by first becoming "One with" our Shaikh, before we die, with the gift of God for our age, which is the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within us, can we become "One with" God after we die. Such is the path of God for the Children of God for this age, for this age of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). Nothing else will bring us back into the "Oneness of God and True Man" within us. Everything else that we do just opens the door of hell for us, everything else is but leading us to the Angel of Death, to the suffering of the grave, to Qiyamah (the Standing Forth; the Day of Judgment), and eventually to an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all think about this wisdom point a little. It is very, very important. And our fourth reaction was to run to the feet of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within this child, and to God within Him, to protect this child from himself, to protect all of the members of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship from Louie Beutler, from the life of "separation and differences" within this child, from the life within this child that would have such negative thoughts about his loving brother Muhammad Lateef, and about his other brothers and sisters at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. Now the finger of guilt is no longer pointing "outside" of me, but is now pointing as Bawa has taught us to point it, at ourselves not at others, now it is pointing "inside" of me, directly at me, directly at Louie Beutler, and not at my dearest loving brother Muhammad Lateef, who we now begin to think about and remember in only positive terms, and it is not pointing at any of our dear and loving brothers and sisters at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, and especially not at any of the hard working members of the Executive Committee, who are always working so very hard to accomplish what Bawa has personally told each of them to do, in order to protect the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and to protect all of the children at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, from any harm that may come to them from the world outside the Fellowship. With this new and improved perspective on things, that everything in truth is Ok as it is, that God is in charge, not us, that "who we are" in truth is but what Bawa is doing within us, and what God is doing within Him, which is to complete God's intention within us, which is to reveal True Man within the Creation of God within us, and to reveal God within the Creation of True Man within us, we started to see the light. We finally became open for the first time to the true meaning of the letter that was sent by Muhammad Lateef, and we could begin to see it clearly as something Bawa Himself is doing within the Fellowship to protect us from the world around us, a world that could damage or harm what He spent His life on earth to accomplish, which is to bring His loving Children to a deeper understanding of just "who they really are", of "how they should conduct themselves" in the world, and especially, "how they should treat each other" when conducting the affairs of the Fellowship. And the guiding principle for all of this "worldly stuff" is that God is in charge, and He is always on the job, providing an envelope of protection and grace for each and every one of us, and our major focus, as members of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, must be, first and foremost, to protect others from ourselves, not from anything or anyone else. This is our main work. Then everything else will naturally proceed according to God's plan, and everything will turn out right. For as Bawa teaches us, "All that is every really happening in our life, in every life, is that we are all sitting on God's lap, and our wisdom is teaching us, is teaching our soul, what we do not know." And why Bawa told us one day, "If you want to protect someone, the first one you need to protect them from is you." With this new and better perspective on the letter from Muhammad Lateef, we next went back to the letter and looked for some positive things that would offset the negative reactions we were first having, and thank God we found plenty of them, like, 1) I appreciate the good work you are doing in spreading the words of our Sheikh to as many hearts as will listen. 2) I see how much work you have put into this site. It is done with a lot of love, care, respect, and consideration. I want to look at the contents and see if there is a way to comply with our legal guidelines. 3) I do not know how this will go but we will see what to do next, lets try, and when we work together everything is possible. 4) For now Louie, do not worry, all our lives and everything within them is in the gentle hands of our Creator. 5) Be at Peace and have a sweet and Happy New year. God Bless your sweet heart, and if I said anything to worry you or upset you please forgive me. 6) This process is not a bad thing. It is for our protection so no one will find fault with either you or me, and so Bawa's words will be protected in the future. 7) Anbu, Kelly 4. Reaction by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) - Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. With our brief journey into the painful hell of Louie Beutler over, our journey into the world of arrogance, karma, illusion, mind and desire that lies hidden deep within Louie Beutler, with this over, at least for this experience of it, at least for this manifestation of it, and having again experienced being successfully saved from permanent residence in my own personal hell, at least for now, having been saved again from the life of "separation and differences" that has grown in my ignorance within me, having been saved by our Shaikh within us, and by God within Him, we celebrate the glory of God. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. "O Bawa, having again come to the point of having nothing to say, and being content with that, we await Your Pleasure." 5. A Short Story - the three secrets of life are: Faith in God, Certitude in Ourselves, and Trust in the Guru One day this child had joined his brothers and sisters to celebrate the Yearly Anniversary of the Coming of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) to America, in 1971, and as a part of that celebration we had all gathered at the Mazar or Shrine of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (where Bawa is physically buried, which is an hours ride outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) to pray and glorify God, and thank God for the gift of God for our age, for the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), that God has personally and ever so lovingly placed both "inside" and "outside" of the Children of God for this age, which is all of us living in this age. One particular brother was from out of town, not living in Philadelphia, which is where the Main Branch of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is located, and was only seen by this child at these yearly celebrations at the Mazar. On this day this child and his brother again met at the door of the Mazar of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) and were discussing what we had learned, especially over the last year, since our last meeting, about the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). At this point this brother said to this child, "The main thing that I have learned from Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) is to love myself." It was like a container of cold water had been poured over me, and my whole system went into overload. This was the exact opposite of my understanding of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), to "love yourself". The teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) was to "love God" over everything else, and to "reject yourself" as what God had rejected Himself, and yet my loving brother who greeted my with such love and warmth each year was now saying that the most important thing was to "love yourself". And there didn't seem to be any way around rejecting what he was saying to me, or I would become a hypocrite, which we certainly did not want to do, especially since Bawa always taught us that hypocrisy was one of the worse sins of our life, but we also did not want to reject our loving brother either, especially since Bawa always told us not to do things like that either, to find fault with what others said, or to reject them. What to do? But I had to reject what he has just said, at least to myself, and as a result reject him also, as a true brother of the open heart, if I was to stay true to what I had learned to understand and love as the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). What to do? Such is the fabric of terrorism, of fanaticism, of religious fundamentalism. Such rigidity of thought, such stubbornness about our way of understanding, of interpreting what has come from God, to each of the Prophets of God, as the words of God for each age, as the Holy Qur'an of Muhammad (Sal.), and now as the "Life and Teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him)", only leads us to our own destruction, not to the Suratul Mustaqueem, the Straight Path, to the path that leads us back into the "Oneness of God and True Man", that God has personally and every so lovingly placed within each of us, which is the whole point, is the truth of God hidden within the words of God for each age, of the "Holy Qur'an" of Muhammad (Sal.), and of the "Life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him)" For as Bawa teaches us at the bottom of page 137, in Chapter 12, "Inner Qur'an", in the book, "Islam And World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi", what really came from God to Muhammad (Sal.) was the life and teaching of God for that age, was the Umm al-Qur'an, the Inner Qur'an for that age, was the Mother of Man's wisdom for that age, the Mother who raised the True Believer in that age, and what came to the followers of Muhammad (Sal.) is what eventually became "public knowledge and part of history", and, "The interpretation of this knowledge later gave rise to religious differences, divisions, and bigotry, which in turn give rise to prejudice, fighting, and wars. This is the state the world has come to". So what were we to do? There seemed to be no way out, either I must surrender my understanding and accept my brother, or surrender my brother and keep my understanding. What else could I do? Thank God for the Third Way. The Third Way was to break the log jam of "my way" or "your way", of "my understanding" or "your understanding", and to bring God into the process, to make "our problem" into "God's problem", and let God solve it, let the Power that is God be applied to the problem, to the problem that in truth is also God, is what God is doing within us, to complete His intention within us, which is to reveal God to God, for the benefit of all of the Creation of God within us. A problem which in truth is our own darkness, which in truth is covering our own Light, our darkness which in truth is our own "separation and differences", which in truth is covering our own "Oneness with", our darkness which in our ignorance we have grown within us, which if left unchecked will eventually become our own hell, which is an eternal life of "separation from" God, but if checked within us, before we die, will become the 7 heavens within us, and within that the 8th heaven of Muhammad (Sal.) or firdaus within us, and within that our soul, the Arsh al-mu'mim, the Throne of the true believer A problem that can only be solved within us by God within us, by the grace, wisdom, and help of God within us, by the "One with" within us, by letting the "Light In", by letting what was there once come back again, by inviting God to come back into our lives, and rule us again, and redeem us, to make us His Property and His Duty. This is why Bawa teaches us, "The reason a room is dark is because you took the light out of the room. To make the room light again, don't curse the darkness, instead, bring the light back into the room, and the darkness will leave all by itself, because the darkness doesn't like the light." So, standing in front of my brother this child said to Bawa Muhaiyaddeen within me (may God be pleased with Him), and to God within Him, "O Bawa, what my brother has said doesn't make any sense to me, to my understanding of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), that the most important thing he has learned from Your teaching is to love himself. Please resolve this conflict within me between my way of understanding You, and his way of understanding You. Please do this for us. Amen." And no sooner than this prayer or Dua' was said by this child that the following clarity came into my heart, "My Son, you are a very good Child of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us), and you have made a good request. His way of loving Me, and of understanding Me, is to see himself as Me, to see Me as the potential of him, as the apple seed sees the apple tree and the apple fruit hidden within it, as the potential of itself, as the potential of the apple seed." "And in this way, the apple seed germinates when it has learned to love itself as the finger pointing to the apple tree and the apple fruit within it, to love itself as the story that it has to tell, that it has come to the earth, to join with the earth, to tell, to tell the story of the apple fruit hidden within the story of the apple tree, all hidden within the story of the apple seed." "This is what your brother means when he says, that the most important thing he has learned from Me is to love himself, is to love his potential, to love his birth right, his true heritage, to love the destiny of his soul, which is the "Oneness of God and True Man" within him." "Now, tell this to your brother, and continue to love him as you love Me. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar." And we did, we told our brother and all those who had gathered around us, what Bawa had just told us, and he was so happy, and this child was so happy, and everyone around us was so happy. And Bawa within us, and God within Him, were also very, very happy. My dearest loving brothers and sisters, such is the true oneness of our lives, of all lives, that is the potential within each one of us, to love ourselves as the Children of God for this age, which is all of us living in this age, this age of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased within Him), when God finally finishes what He has started, within each one of us. Such is the gift of God for this age, the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) for this age, that God has personally and ever so lovingly placed within each one of us, allowing us to love ourselves as the light of God for this age, as the light of God that allows God to complete His intention for this age, as the light of God that allows God to finish what He has started within man, over 200 million years ago, with the coming of Adam (peace be upon Him) into the world, into this dunya or earth world. And that God has nourished and protected for the last 200 million years, bringing it safely into existence as the final act in His drama, in the story that He is telling through each one of us, as the story of True Man within the story of God, and the story of God within the story of True Man, if we will but ask Him to tell them, to tell and complete these Divine Stories within us before we die, and before the world "outside" of us is prematurely destroyed by one of us, for all of us. If we will but join Him in the telling of these stories, and having joined Him, to let Him tell these stories, to let Him destroy us and reveal Himself, to destroy us as "separate from" Him, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God within us, and to reveal us as Him, to reveal us as His Iman, His Wisdom, and as His 'ilm or divine knowledge, to reveal us as His grace, His light, and His power, as His Triple Flame and as the One within this Three, as the "Oneness of God and True Man" within us, for the benefit of all of the Creation of God, which is the 18,000 universes in the dunya or earth world within us, within the sukun or circle on top of the Arabic letter "mim". Destroying in the process the world of illusion, the dream of "self existence" that we are currently experiencing with our brothers and sisters, in the world that we see in our ignorance as existing "outside" of us, destroying the tiny world that we currently inhabit "separate from" God, "separate from" each other, and "separate from" the creation of God within us, a temporary world that is but the "nuqat" or dot under the Arabic letter "Ba". Finally, the truth within the beautiful explanation given to us by Bawa years ago, at the door of the Mazar of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), came home dramatically to this child recently, when we again read, at the feet of our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and began to see it for the first time, the following explanation given to man by the Katpaha Virudcham (the wish-fulfilling tree or Sidratul-Muntaha), by the Primordial One, "By the wisdom within wisdom in the man who knows his mind, and therefore his life." About the three secrets of man's life, of a True Man (of a man-the-divine or manu-eesan), as beautifully presented to us by Bawa at the bottom of page 98, Chapter 28, "The Tree in the Desert", in the book, "The Pearl of Wisdom", "Dears, those born with Me, listen. The Lord, the Graceful God who created all lives, penetrates our bodies, and knows all the secrets of our heart. He provides food for each one of us. This is the secret of the life of man, and all other lives who are fed by Him." "There are three secrets of life. They are: Faith in God, Certitude in Oneself, and Trust in the Guru." "Those who trust in every one of these three will receive the sacred divine mantras (Magical words). They are the three functions of Creating, Sustaining, and Destroying, with the bliss of the Aathi Param (Primordial One)." "The Primordial One exists as wisdom within wisdom in the man who knows his mind, and therefore his life. Realize this." Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. 6. Closing Comments And Prayer Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum 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. This has been a wonderful journey, my dearest loving brother and sisters, a journey that we can only take once we have learned the truth of these three secrets, and begin to trust in all three, in God, in Ourselves as the Story of God and True Man within us, and in our Shaikh, who we have come to, to join with, to tell these Divine Stories within us, realizing that the completion of the story of True Man within the story of God within us, is True Man within the Creation of God within us, within the earth world or dunya within us, within the 18,000 universes within the sukun or circle of the Arabic letter 'mim, and the completion of the story of God within the story of True Man within us is God within the Creation of True Man within us, within the hereafter or akhirah within us, within firdaus the 8th heaven within the 7 heavens within us, within the Kingdom of God within us. This is our true birth right, our true heritage, the destiny of our soul, nothing more and nothing less, this is what happens to us, when we willingly and voluntarily chose to die so True Man and God within us can live, so the Divine Stories can come to completion within us, revealing the "Oneness of God and True Man" within us, but if we fail to do this, if we chose something less than this, if we reject to return to a life as "One with" God and True Man within us, then we will get an eternal life of "separation from" God. May we all know this now, and begin to act accordingly. This is why Bawa teaches us, "The justice of God is that whatever you intend is what you will receive." And why Bawa teaches us, "All that is left at the end is God, and what has separated from God, and what separates from God in the end, is what has maintained up to the end, has declared up to the very end, in everything that they say, do, think, and intend, in spite of all that God has done to prove the opposite, that they are indeed separate from God". As far as the letter that was written to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) by our good and loving brother Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) - Al-hamdu lillah, Allahu Akbar - and my following personal comments to Kelly reflect my complete support for his efforts. "My dearest loving brother Muhammad Lateef, thank you for your sweet letter, and please forgive your brother Louie Beutler for his temporary journey into hell, as reflected in the beginning of this letter, his journey into his personal hell, into his temporary life of "separation from" God, of "separation from" each other, and of "separation from" the Creation of God within us." "At the direction of Bawa we have included this first part of the letter (The Initial Reactions of Louie Beutler), which was my initial reaction to your letter, in the final version of this letter, as a personal example of the dangers of "self importance" and of a mistaken belief in one own correctness, of having a corner on what is right for the Fellowship, for other people, and how best to protect others from the world. What a lot of silliness." "And please accept the full support from your brother Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) for what you are trying to do, for your efforts to protect the teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) from misuses in the world. We will certainly do everything that we can to support whatever decisions you and the other Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us) make in conducting the affairs of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship." [Note: in addition to the personal message above, a letter was also sent on January 1, 2003, to Muhammad Lateef (Kelly Hayden) from Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler), offering his full support for his efforts, which you can read by clicking HERE] My dearest loving brothers and sisters, please give my love and salams to all of the brothers and sisters of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, and tell them that Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) loves them very, very much, and that all of them are always in my prayers. We are all so very, very blessed to have each other, especially in this time in the world, when people are being made to make very difficult decisions in their life, but God is always there to help us, if we but turn to Him, as we saw in the unfolding story of the struggle of this child, to do the right thing, in this letter. Also, please share this letter with our brothers and sisters, it is very important. Only then, by openly sharing what we have learned, by joining in partnership with our wisdom, and with the truth of God within us, by joining with our Shaikh within us, and with God within Him, with all of the warts exposed for all to see, will we become the "Common Wealth" of God for this age, and learn to do the "Heart's Work" of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), that God has loving placed within each of us. Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. My love you (anbu) - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). End of Spiritual Letter 40 - expanded version - .......................... or Go To Spiritual Letter 40: Table of Contents Original Version Related Material or ( a top-down version of the Library Home Page) (a bottom-up version of the Library Home Page) |
This page was last updated on: January 1, 2003
