The Yogi and the Sufi

During the recent retreat, Atum talked about how the different spiritual paths available may have the same goal, but one path may be suited to one person and yet not necessarily good for another. The message was clear, one must look within oneself when choosing a spiritual path. This may be the one of the reasons why some teachers or guides are selective of the students they are willing to work with. For Atum, this brought to mind something Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “Buddhism is purified detachment, while Sufism is purified attachment.”

In this vein, I would like to share an excerpt from one of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s talks given in Amsterdam on the afternoon of January 11th, 1924:

What is the difference between the work a Sufi does and another mystic? In the East the Yogi mystics are the best known, and it is worth while to consider what difference there is. The Yogi tries to touch the infinite by diving deep into his innermost being; and the process he takes is to close himself and move away, as far away from the world as he can. And by doing this he reaches that depth which is the goal everyone is seeking. The methods of the Sufi differ herein from those of the Yogis, in that the Sufi opens himself to all that is good and successful. He says that to go back to the infinite without all that is beautiful here is absurd. He wants to love all the beauty of the earth, and so he opens himself. Therefore his part is very difficult — to love and yet not to be attached; to be in the crowd, and yet in the solitude; to be in the world and yet be above it. He sees God in opening himself to the beauty of the world.