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Main Index
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| | | Book Name: Sufis - The People of the Path, Vol 1 | Previous Next | |
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happened that a well known Sufi was asked, 'What is invisibility?'
And he said, 'I shall answer that when an opportunity for a demonstration occurs.'
They believe in demonstrations and they believe in opportunities. They will not say a single word if the opportunity has not occurred, if the right situation is not there. You can ask the Master a question and he will say, 'Wait, when the right opportunity occurs then I will show you' -- because he does not believe in saying, he believes in showing.
He said, 'I shall answer that when an opportunity for a demonstration occurs.'
Some time later, the man and the one who had asked him the question were stopped by a band of soldiers. And the soldiers said, 'We have orders to take all dervishes into custody -- for the king of this country says that they will not obey his commands and that they say things which are not welcome to the tranquillity of the thought of the populace.'
And the Sufi said, 'And so you should, for you must do your duty.'
'But are you not Sufis?' said the soldiers.
'Test us,' said the Sufi.
The officer took out a Sufi book....
-- a book that is tremendously respected by the Sufis. It is called THE BOOK OF THE BOOKS. It has only a few sentences written in it, otherwise it is empty.
'What is this?' the Sufi Master said.
-- as if he had not even recognised the book. The soldiers had brought the book which will be a sign of a Sufi -- the moment the Sufi sees THE BOOK OF THE BOOKS he will bow down. It is a great treasure.
The Sufi Master said, 'What is this?'
-- as if he did not recognise the book.
The Sufi looked at the title page. 'It is something which I will burn in front of you,' said the Master, 'since you have not already done so.' He set light to the book and the soldiers rode away satisfied.
The Sufi's companion asked, 'What was the purpose of that action?'
'To make us invisible,' said the sufi. 'For to the man of the world, visibility means that you look like something or someone he expects you to resemble. If you look different your true nature becomes invisible to him.'
The Sufi
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