Dances of Universal
Peace
(continued)
Often feeding his students from
his own kitchen table, Murshid Sam lived
his peace program: “Eat, dance and pray
together.” He gave his students the
essential teachings of Sufism, integrally mixed with
insights and teachings from the Buddhist
tradition and other streams of awakening.
 The Dances of Universal Peace embody the universal
perspective of SAM's teacher Hazrat Inayat
Khan on the unity of religious ideals. Today
all around the world, this teaching that
each religious tradition is a "ray" of the
one Truth finds reality as Buddhists,
Christians, Jews, Muslims and others engage
in the Dances, often finding therein the
mystical core of their own faith as well as
a deeper understanding of other traditions.
For a complete biography of the events
in Murshid Samuel Lewis' life, visit
http://www.ruhaniat.org/lineage/SAMBio.php.
In 1987 Saadi Neil-Douglas-Klotz and
Tasnim Fernandez founded the PeaceWorks
Center for the Dances of Universal Peace. A
mentoring program was established to enable
leaders who were not Sufi initiates to lead
the Dances in the stream of blessing of
Murshid Sam. The Mentor Teachers Guild (MTG)
became a body of DUP teachers who help to
ensure the integrity and continuity of the
original Dance transmission as the Dances
have grown. For more information, visit
www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org. For
other DUP links, be sure to visit
Resources. Since Murshid's death in 1971, the Dances of
Universal Peace have spread around the world
to over 40 countries as a grassroots,
nonsectarian movement. Many cities now have
regular Dance circles meeting monthly or
weekly.
The Dances of Universal Peace can be
difficult to describe in words, for they are
about the experience of the dancers, not
premises. Why Dance? Murshid Sam said it
best: "The spiritual dance has no other
purpose, no other aim than to elevate (hu)mankind
beyond self-thought to joy, to bliss, to
realization and to peace... The
sincere dancer is one of the best workers
for universal harmony, and so for universal
peace."
Still
wondering what the Dances of Universal Peace
are all about? Why not watch this inspiring
22-minute video documentary filmed at the
the 2006 Canyonlands DUP retreat entitled
Invitation to the
Dance.
To purchase a full quality DVD of this
video, please contact the PeaceWorks North
America office at 760-922-2551
(California). |
