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Sufism Reoriented

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Sufism Reoriented
File:Sufism reoriented.png
Founded1952
TypeNon-profit religious corporation
Location
Key people
Carol Weyland Conner
Websitesufismreoriented.org

Sufism Reoriented is an American school of spiritual training established by Meher Baba in 1952. In November of that year he signed The Chartered Guidance from Meher Baba for the Reorientation of Sufism. Meher Baba appointed Ivy O. Duce as the first Murshida, or spiritual guide, of Sufism Reoriented. Sufism Reoriented is currently headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, with additional facilities in Washington, D.C., and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.[1][2]

Background[edit]

Sufism was originally brought to the West by Inayat Khan (1882–1927) in 1910. Members of Sufism Reoriented believe that Inayat Khan appointed Rabia Martin as his successor and Murshida of his Sufi Order. In the 1940s, Rabia Martin recognized Avatar Meher Baba as the reigning spiritual authority of the age and surrendered herself and her spiritual order to him. Meher Baba received Rabia Martin as his follower, and agreed to guide her and her Sufi group. However, Rabia Martin died before meeting Meher Baba in person.[3] Before her death, Rabia Martin appointed Ivy Oneita Duce as the next Murshida of the Sufi Order. After meeting Ivy Duce in India in 1948, Meher Baba confirmed her role as Murshida and announced that he intended to reorient Sufism under his guidance and her leadership in the near future. This was realized in 1952 with the creation of Sufism Reoriented.[4] Upon her death in 1981, Ivy Duce named James S. B. MacKie (1932–2001) as the next Murshid of Sufism Reoriented. In turn, James MacKie designated Carol Weyland Conner, the current Murshida, as his successor in 2001.[5]

The members of Sufism Reoriented celebrate Meher Baba as the Avatar, the human incarnation of God and the spiritual authority of this age.[6] This represents a substantial departure from Sufism in either its traditional Islamic form, or in the form taught by Inayat Khan. However, members of Sufism Reoriented assert that Sufism pre-dates the Islamic prophet Muhammad, having existed as early as the prophet Zoroaster of Persia.[7]

The spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented is known as the Murshid or Murshida.[8] Sufism Reoriented asserts that its spiritual director is qualified to provide personalized spiritual guidance to the organization's members.[9]

Meher Baba Publications and Media[edit]

Sufism Reoriented is the copyright holder and publisher of several books by and about Meher Baba including Meher Baba's most important published book, God Speaks: the Theme of Creation and Its Purpose. It also owns and publishes Beams from Meher Baba on the Spiritual Panorama, Life At Its Best, Glimpses of the God-Man Meher Baba. Volume I, and How a Master Works by Ivy Oneita Duce.[10] In addition Sufism Reoriented owns and preserves numerous films and photographs of Baba. These include color 16mm films taken of Baba during his trip to the United States in 1956 by Charmian Duce Knowles, daughter of Murshida Ivy Oneita Duce.

New Sanctuary[edit]

After decades of operating out of temporary facilities, Sufism Reoriented began construction of a new, permanent sanctuary on May 24, 2012. The new sanctuary, designed by the architectural firm of Philip Johnson Alan Ritchie, was formally inaugurated on February 26, 2017.[11] The sanctuary is located on three acres of land in the Saranap neighborhood of Walnut Creek, about twenty-five miles east of San Francisco.[12][13] Carol Weyland Conner, the current Murshida of Sufism Reoriented, has characterized the sanctuary as follows:

“In all spiritual traditions, the design of a sanctuary strives to be an outward expression, in material form, of the still, sacred space at the center of the human heart where man is joined with and can know God. It therefore aspires, first, to be the most beautiful form its creators can envision....My primary aim was to create a beautiful building that is an expression of our worship. The sanctuary’s curvilinear design is based on the form of the circle. Like God, the circle has no beginning and no end. This expresses eternity, the eternal life in God the Infinite. The circle is also recognized as a symbol of unity since all points on the circle are equidistant from the center, as all beings are in relation to God. This symbol embodies the essential unity of Creation and the Universal Love at the heart of all life.”[14][15]

Succession of Murshids[edit]

Name Begin End Notes
Inayat Khan 1914 1927 Founder of the Sufi Order in the West
Rabia Martin 1927 1947 Inayat Khan's designated spiritual successor[16]
Ivy Oneita Duce 1947 1981 Successor to Rabia Martin and first Murshida of the new Sufism Reoriented under Meher Baba's directive[17][18]
Dr. James S.B. MacKie 1981 2001[6]
Dr. Carol Weyland Conner 2001 Current Murshida of Sufism Reoriented

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. MacKie, James (1997). "Participation in Sufism Reoriented" (PDF). Meher Legacy. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  2. "Sufism Reoriented Today" (PDF). Meher Legacy. June 22, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  3. Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba", Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 3069
  4. "Beloved Archives, Inc". 5 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  5. "The House Of Worship The Cheesecake Factory Built". The FADER. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Beloved Archives, Inc". 5 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  7. Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba", Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 1196
  8. "The Murshida, or Spiritual Teacher". Sufism Reoriented Website. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  9. "The Murshida, or Spiritual Teacher". Sufism Reoriented Website. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  10. Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust AMBPPCT PDF file Archived 2007-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Meher Legacy (11 September 2017). "Buz Connor Speaking at the Sufi Sanctuary Opening" – via YouTube.
  12. "See the spectacular Sufi temple built with Cheesecake Factory money". 2017-07-13.
  13. "Contra Costa: Sufism center to open soon; 'Village' still pending". 6 May 2016.
  14. "The House Of Worship The Cheesecake Factory Built".
  15. "Sufism Reoriented". www.sufismreoriented.org.
  16. "Murshida Rabia Ada Martin - meherbabatravels jimdo page!".
  17. Harkins, David E. "Meher Baba / JaiBaba.com - Who Brought the Sufis?".
  18. "Heroines of the Path, Part 7C".

External links[edit]


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