Conference on World Religions 1994 07 NY Queens

Author(s): Council for The Conference on World Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 43

Bawa rarely demonstrated miraculous powers. In fact he would rarely even talk about himself. "When I am here, God is not; when God is here, I am not." He consistently lived by the assertion that God alone is the reality of every being and that no man is higher or lower than any other. He said we must separate from ourselves that which separates us from our fellow man and that the only miracle of any value is in changing our qualities -- changing from haste to patience, hate to love, selfishness to compassion, and illuminating consciousness into wisdom through this process of transformation. That grace awakened illuminated love infused consciousness that he called wisdom is capable of understanding to whom praise and prayer should be directed, the nature of reality and illusion, the discovery of that formless treasure of love in the open space of the heart and the truth that God alone exists. This process of realization that "I am not; God alone exists," is a miracle worth achieving. Yet, in this instance, what appeared to me to be a miraculous wonder occurred.
Bawa calmly, deeply and gently opens his arms and tilting his head, as if to expose his neck further, says "Will taking my life bring you the peace your soul is craving?" He offers no resistance at all and as he speaks he becomes increasingly vulnerable and open. He seems to grow younger and more innocent before my eyes.
And this is the wonder. There is a pronounced almost physical presence of divine love emanating from his tranquil smile and his open armed gesture. Bawa's entire being is emanating a purity of essence from the realm of essences. One can feel the area filling with love and comfort. Those who have gone into the heart know of this pure love. It is unbounded and without object, pouring forth on all objects.
The room fills with this love and it showers upon the man with the knife. His body appears to lose all internal power and energy. The knife drops from his hands and he collapses onto his knees next to me, his head resting on Bawa's bed. Bawa comforts him and tells him to attend to certain specific affairs and return later. The man leaves and Bawa continues his duties to the stream of visitors without a ripple, without carrying the event for one second.
Why? How? There was no one to be killed by the knife. The true Sufi is one who had died before death, died to the world and whose entire being is forever focused on and in God alone. I bear witness to having lived with a man who lived this reality and he stated its secret: "Love all lives as your own."
Respectfully and with devotion, love and thankfulness, from one upon whom a small drop of His beneficence has fallen, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen (Jonathan Granoff) The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship 5820 Overbrook Ave., Phila. PA 19131 215-879-6300
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Jain Education Intermational 2010_03
Jain Education Interational 2010_03