Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (1885 - 1986) was a Sri Lankan Sufi teacher of Islamic mysticism. After teaching in Jaffna and Colombo, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1971 and established the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. Although many of his devotees adopted traditional Islamic practices and lifestyles, he never required them to do so. Early in this volume, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen writes: "If all of you read this book of Sufi wisdom with open hearts free from doubt, separatism, and discrimination, free from all thought of 'my race' or 'your race', 'my religion' or 'your religion', you will realize and understand."
This Sufi master taught that the major challenge for every human being is to acquire God’s qualities. Patience is a quality held in especially high esteem by the author. He believes impatience throws a roadblock in the way of smooth relations between human beings. "Keep with great care / The precious treasure of patience / In the treasury of your heart / And it will elevate your life." The impatience of the mind causes many problems including a restlessness that hinders our acceptance of God’s power over our lives.
Another quality of God saluted on these pages is beauty. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen writes: "Act with and cherish good conduct / And your beauty will become / The radiant beauty of God, / Revealed in your face and in your heart." We adorn our lives by acts of love, compassion, kindness, and generosity. We must never overlook or underestimate our own radiance: "One who searches for beauty in the faces of others forfeits the beauty of his own face."
We were especially taken with Bawa Muhaiyaddeen’s reframing of stealing: "Do not bellow, 'Thief, thief!' / Slandering God’s creations. / Catch and tie up the thief of your mind, / The hungry thief / Who is stealing from you." The monkey mind of distractions robs us of precious time and keeps us from a full and meaningful communion with God.
There are so many gems here, it’s hard to know which ones to quote. Here’s one good answer. " 'Where is the best place for man to meditate?' asked a child. His Holiness Bawa Muhaiyaddeen answered: 'The best place for meditation is the place in which the 'you' and the 'I' do not exist.' " And here’s one of the best saved for last: "One who acquires God’s qualities / will lead a life of undiminishing wealth." The investment of spiritual practice and complete capitulation to Allah will lead to profits not affected by the fluctuations of the market or the rollercoaster dips of the economy.
