In the House of Remembering Quotes

“In certain ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures there was often a process of initiation that young people would go through before they became adults. In some Native American traditions, for example, the initiate would be put out into the wilderness without any food or any other provisions for survival. He would have to rely on the Universe and his own soul. During the experience, the initiate would fast. He would experience himself confronting the Universe alone. He would be out there for a number of days. This would open up the initiate to a direct experience of something beyond the usual egoic mind and all of its concerns. The initiate would be thrust into an experience that would take him beyond his small, limited self. Such a process existed in our own Tradition going back to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. What was Muhammad doing in a cave when the first revelations of the Qur‘an began if not going through what Native Americans would call a „Vision Quest “? He received direct revelation and inspiration through this practice. (p. 12)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“In our tradition, God says, „The heavens and the earth cannot contain Me. “We know there are billions of stars and galaxies. Yet the Divine is saying, „No, all of that cannot contain Me. Only the heart of my faithful servant, the knower, is expansive enough to contain Me. “It‘s a very high truth. (p. 80)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“In certain ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures there was often a process of initiation that young people would go through before they became adults. In some Native American traditions, for example, the initiate would be put out into the wilderness without any food or any other provisions for survival. He would have to rely on the Universe and his own soul. During the experience, the initiate would fast. He would experience himself confronting the Universe alone. He would be out there for a number of days. This would open up the initiate to a direct experience of something beyond the usual egoic mind and all of its concerns. The initiate would be thrust into an experience that would take him beyond his small, limited self. Such a process existed in our own Tradition going back to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. What was Muhammad doing in a cave when the first revelations of the Qur‘an began if not going through what Native Americans would call a „Vision Quest “? He received direct revelation and inspiration through this practice. (p. 12)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Coherence comes from a deep center, which is the heart. Ultimately it‘s the heart of the human being connected to Infinite Spirit. When the self is connected to the heart, and the heart is connected to God, you have coherence. It‘s really that simple. The practice we call „the remembrance of God “is the channel to that coherence. (p. 14)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“The word for paradise is actually „garden “or jannah in Arabic. Paradise is not just something that comes after this earthly life. The Qur‘an says, The Garden will be brought near to all those who are in a state of Godconsciousness (Surah ash-Shu‘ara 26:90). To all those who deepen in their remembrance, deepen in presence, The Garden will be brought near. (p. 101)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“The messenger of God, peace be upon him, said, „If anyone travels a path in search of knowledge, God will conduct him through one of the paths of paradise. The angels will lower their wings, delighted with the one who seeks knowledge. And the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, and the fish in the depths of the water will seek forgiveness for him. The higher station of the gnostic over the worshipper is like the position of the full moon among the stars. “The hadith is not talking about the sect of Gnostics, but rather the knowers of God. The knowers of God are the heirs of the Prophet. (p. 90)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“All life is one and everything that lives is holy. Holiness is Reality. (p. 80)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“One of our teachers in the early days of our Path said that one of the things not allowed of the dervish is fear. We cannot afford to be defeated by our fears. We may experience some really rough times so that we can come to know this. The rough times are a gift too. Everything can become a good. Sin can lead to virtue and fear can lead to something beyond fear. The truth is that everything ultimately is a mercy. (p. 9)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“It's said in our Tradition that the human heart is a treshold between two worlds. The treshold is between the limited material world and the infinite spiritual reality. The heart is the treshold. We should be on that treshold all the time, bridging these two worlds. When we live in that reality and are aware of that presence, we are in remembrance. It changes everything. We can realize that we are not just the content of our experience. We're also this beautiful context, which is divine and purposeful, guiding us stage by stage to deeper and deeper truth. Every stage of our life, if we're seekers, leads to a greater richness of meaning in our lives. Then we can be grateful even for the thorns because we know it has come from the Beloved. (p. 26-27)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Worship is taking time from the momentum of our lives to stop and stand before the Face of God for a few minutes. The prostrations in the ritual prayer that are the regular practice of the Islamic tradition, and which Sufis also do, include four to eight cycles of standing, bowing, and prostrating. At most, the ritual prayer takes between five and ten minutes. It‘s a deep and mindful encounter with the Infinite Face of God, not performing a ritual with rote recitations. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, „If your ritual prayer is not done with presence, it‘s not worship. “Presence is absolutely essential to the ritual prayer. The whole normative practice of Islam, its basic practices and rituals, are a spiritual training system when properly understood […] One of our friends, a great Sufi teacher, recently said, „Everything is in the prostration. “When our foreheads touch the ground we enter into that Divine Oblivion. It is oblivion, in the sense that we are so present with the Divine that everything else just disappears. We‘re completely there in the consciousness of the Divine, forehead to the ground, for that moment. It‘s a kind of bliss. (p. 103)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Suleyman Dede was someone who spoke from a place of deep knowing, a place much greater than himself. Suleyman Dede was not just an individual while speaking. He was representing something Infinite. The love, acceptance, and belonging you felt from him made you want to be with him for the rest of your life. It made you want to never leave his side. Some said that in Suleyman Dede‘s embrace you felt as though you were in your mother‘s arms. You felt a real sense of being in a state beyond comparing, free from like or dislike. Suleyman Dede spoke with the genuine voice of the Prophet Muhammad. The love he gave came from a deep center within his heart. His heart was connected to Mevlana Rumi, and the Prophet. He was part of something that was intricately and carefully balanced. Suleyman Dede said chance did not play a role in the people he met. He knew that wherever he was, it was the right place, right time, and that he had been called for a specific service. He was awake to that. Dede said that we are never separated from God. He invited us to enter into the experience described by Surah al-Hadid: He is with you wherever you are. (p. 78-79)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“There is no true justice without mercy. Mercy precedes everything, and it is why we are here. Mercy created us and is what is being revealed. The dervish dispenses, communicates, and shares that mercy. Sometimes wrath may be mixed in, but it is always in the service of mercy. God said to the Prophet, „We sent you only as a mercy to the Worlds. “The dervish is one who is merciful. In Konya, over the entryway to the dergah where Mevlana (Rumi) is buried, is an inscription which says, „This is the Kaaba of the Lovers. Those who entered here became complete. “The dervish walks the Path of completion. A Sufi has complete integration with life while remembering God with every breath. The great majority of Sufis have lived a family life, held a job, and contributed to society, while reaching extraordinary attainments of integrating the finite and the Infinite. They lived in a state of wahdat. (p. 76)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“The eye of wahdat looks out at the world with no judgments. Sufis in a state of wahdat look outwards and have no complaints against God. They see the perfection of everything as it is. It does not mean they see saint and sinner as well as justice and injustice as equal. They see the differences and contradictions, but also see their perfection and usefulness in the beautiful state of wahdat. If there is an injustice, the dervish will try to make it right while still seeing the perfection of the Oneness. (p. 75)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Consider the Sun in its radiant brightness. And the Moon as she reflects. Consider the day as it reveals the world and the night as it veils it darkly. Consider the sky and its wondrous structure and the earth and all its expanse. Consider the sky and its wondrous structure and the earth and all its expanse. Consider the human soul and the order and proportion given to it and how it is imbued with moral failings as well as with consciousness of God. Truly, the one who purifies it shall reach a happy state and the one who corrupts it shall truly be lost.
[Surah ash-Shams 91:1-10]”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“The Prophet Muhammad said, „Die before you die. “We are being told to know the after-death state now, while we are alive. The mystics say that just as the embryo fears being born from the womb into this world, we fear our next birth. We fear being born from the womb of this material existence. The embryo can‘t imagine there is anything better than the warmth, comfort, and easy life it experiences in the womb. When it uncomfortably emerges into the expanded world outside the womb, it finds beautiful colors, fragrances, sensory experiences, and relationships. As human beings, we may similarly fear emerging into the expansive world that is beyond the boundaries of our egoistic existence. It‘s a goal of this spiritual path to be living in two worlds at once. By doing so, we can bring heaven to earth. (p. 33)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“All the heart wants is expanding friendship. It is not the kind of friendship that is a social satisfaction and can even lead to dependency and attachment. Rather, it is the friendship of other conscious hearts, who are in that state of remembrance and in that state of coherence and resonance. That's what lifts and heals us. That‘s why Sufis have their dergahs and communities. Sufism is not arranged as an individual tutorial. It‘s not a path for hermits. There may be periods when one benefits from solitude. However, there‘s transformation in friendship. The transformation results from knowing one another and accepting the truth that everything is purposeful. Whoever walks through the door of the Sufi dergah has been invited. We‘re all friends of the Friend. Community is part of the mechanism of transformation. Because Western society is so individualistic, we find ways of avoiding relationship and seek transformation that will occur at our own convenience or according to our own preferences. Sometimes people reach the stage where they say, „I might be better off alone. I think I‘m getting enough of this spiritual stuff that I could do it myself. “They give up the friction of relationship and the challenge of it, and retreat into their own world. It‘s not usually a healthy sign. However, everyone is free. On this Path, no one is coerced. It‘s not a cult. There‘s no group pressure. If somebody walks away from a Sufi circle, nobody chases after them, except perhaps out of friendship. Sufis don‘t interfere with anybody‘s will. We all have free will. We are happy to find friends who share a common yearning. We are helped and healed by that yearning. We are healed by each other. (p. 27)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Remembrance in its most elementary, tangible form is to chant the names of God. Remembrance is everything. Our destination as spiritually developing human beings is to live our lives in such a way that we are completely within that continual remembrance. That is the world and universe we live in. It surrounds and informs us. It illuminates our perception and softens our hearts. It should also bring us joy and happiness. That is our reality, because looking at life through the distorting eyes of the ego is, at best, a secondhand reality. The word for „remembrance “in Arabic literally means „to mention, “yet we translate it as „remembrance. “When you mention someone, in a way, you‘re remembering the one you are calling to mind. We are remembering our Origin, remembering that we come from God and to God we will return. People sometimes talk about how children have an open channel to the Divine because they just came from God relatively recently. Remembering our Origin is a fundamental truth that we need to call to mind. This is expressed in the hadith „Whoever belongs to God, God will belong to him or her. “In that sense, if remembrance is deep enough, complete enough, it is the Divine remembering in you. In the state of belonging to God, what you want is not different than what the Divine wants. And „God “wants what you want; there is then no separate „you “wanting. There is no duality or personal will pulling in the opposite direction. Rumi calls that being under „the compulsion of love. “(p. 6)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Silence is not a lack of words. Silence is presence itself. (p. 26)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Love brings coherence when a person has a strong heart, a quality of unconditional love, and when the person themselves becomes a source of love rather than looking for objects of love. That‘s also evidence of having attained a deep coherence. Yet another way to talk about this, is that there‘s a channel between your heart and the Infinite. The Infinite is itself the power of unity and coherence. It has the power to come into your heart and so transform your heart. When your heart has been touched by even a little bit of this spiritual energy, the heart is transformed. When the heart is transformed, your very self is transformed. (p. 15)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Our first murshid (spiritual guide), Suleyman Dede, never claimed to do anything himself. When Suleyman Dede visited the United States, he said, „God brought me to this country, and He has taken me to all these different places, and He has arranged for these meetings to occur, for people to come, and He has made me say certain things. It is really amazing because I am not doing anything. “(p. 10)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Whatever any moment may bring, there is that unconditioned Reality, the Infinitely Compassionate, ar-Rahman, the Infinitely Merciful, the ar-Raheem. (p. 10)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“In our Tradition, we use the body to experience the presence of God. We can teach the body what it feels like to surrender to the Divine as our forehead touches the ground during prayer. This is something the body needs to tangibly experience. (p. 6)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“Don‘t put it off, don‘t wait too long. When we truly commit ourselves to a spiritual path and practice, something in Reality rises up to support us. The destiny of what we‘re designed to be becomes real, and the fate of unconscious behaviors is avoided. Or, even if not avoided, our mistakes become learning experiences, blessed by some invisible Mercy. As Yunus Emre said, „Ever since the glance of the mature fell upon me, nothing has been a misfortune. “(p. 5)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“On the spiritual path we choose to give a certain amount of time and effort to be in the company of the Divine consciously and intentionally. It‘s appropriate to have, as we have in our Tradition, times of the day dedicated to this. There are times when we make an effort to bring ourselves into the presence of God. In our Tradition there is a physical effort involved in worship – the postures of bowing and prostration during salaat, or the practice of turning. It‘s „doing, “not just a „being “in Sufi spiritual practice. It‘s „doing “with „being. “The physical efforts in the ritual prayer also are done in time. We undertake the ritual prayers at the times indicated, following what we believe to be a heavenly, ordained pattern, not merely at our convenience, not just when we want to. (p. 3)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“To invite God into a conversation is to open the door of mystery and possibility. It is not about an exchange between two people, with the thought of „I‘ll do this for you, maybe someday you‘ll do it for me. “It has nothing to do with expectation. It‘s not a quid pro quo. It‘s something entirely of a different order and unpredictable. (p. 3)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching

“There's a transformative power that exists in the nature of Reality. There is something that can almost miraculously transform human beings. We need that. (p. 3)”
― Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering: The Living Tradition of Sufi Teaching