Sufi Prayer of the Heart & Breath Awareness Meditation (Khorasan: 1200 AD)

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Heart Prayer of Abdul Khaliq Gujduvani.....Khwaja Abdubalik Gudjduvani, was the Grand Master of the Inner Circle of the Masters of his time....Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220)

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Khwarezm has been known also as Chorasmia, Khwarezmia, Khwarizm, Khwarazm, Khorezm, Khoresm, Khorasam, Harezm, Horezm, and Chorezm.

"Gudjduvan was a large village 18 miles from Bokhara.... part of the kingdom of Harzem (usually spelled Khwarazm), soon to be destroyed by the Mongolian Jenghis Khan......among his chief innovations was the `Prayer of the Heart', (Zikr-i-Qalbi...Pas Anfas), not previously known to the Sufis and said to have been imparted to him directly by the Prophet Khidr.....(But most probably derived from the mantras practised by the Buddhist monks of the Hindu Kush.)".......THE MASTERS OF WISDOM OF CENTRAL ASIA by J. G. Bennett

Zikr-i-Qalbi...Pas Anfas, in Persian, means guarding every breath..... Zikr is performed with the heart using breath as the medium.:

1. Hush der dem. Be present at every breath. Do not let your attention wander for the duration of a single breath. Remember yourself always and in all situations.

2. Nazar ber kadem. Keep your intention before you at every step you take. You wish for freedom and you must never forget it.

3. Safar der vatan. Your journey is towards your homeland, Remember that you are traveling from the world of appearances to the World of Reality.

4. Halvat der endjuman. In all your outward activity remain inwardly free. Learn not to identify yourself with anything whatsoever.

5. Yad gerd. Remember your Friend, i.e. God. Let the prayer (zikr) of your tongue be the prayer of your heart (q'alb).

6. Baz gasht. Return to God. No aim but to attain Reality.

7. Nigah dasht. Struggle with all alien thoughts. Keep your mind on what you are doing whether outwardly or inwardly.

8. Yad dasht. Be constantly aware of the quality of the Divine Presence. Become used to recognizing the Presence of God in your heart.

Eight laws according to Abdulhalik Ghujduvani, 11th century......The Inner Work (3 volumes) ....by Reshad Feild, chapter "The Way of the Masters"

"Abdulhalik ..... among his chief innovations was the `prayer of the heart', (Zikr-i-Qalbi), not previously known to the Sufis and said to have been imparted to him directly by the Prophet Khidr.....( But most probably derived from the mantras practised by the Buddhist monks of the Hindu Kush.) "....THE MASTERS OF WISDOM OF CENTRAL ASIA by J. G. Bennett

"Zikr-i-Qalbi...Pas Anfas, in Persian, means guarding every breath..... Zikr is performed with the heart using breath as the medium. When you breathe in, imagine that the word Allah penetrates the depths of your heart and when you breathe out, the word ‘Hu’ strikes the heart or the Latifah on which the Zikr is being performed.....After doing Zikr on it for some more time, start the meditation. The body should now be relaxed and the mind set at ease."

Habs-i-nafas and Pas-i anfas as Methods of Invocation....
Pas Anfas.....Breath Awareness..... ( The Jikr of Breathing).......Pas Anfas means inhale/exhale.....pas-i anfas (breaths-vigilance)...pas-i anfas (anfas being the plural of nafas) or breaths-vigilance, which is more rajayogic than hathyogic, is specifically concerned with exercising vigilance over the dual act of breathing by reciting allah silently with each ingress and invoking hu with every egress.....In pas-i anfas (breaths-vigilance) the aspirant is to be attentive to the regular alternation of inspiration and expiration of breath......from Uyun al-Ma’arif (Fountains of Wisdom) by Shah Wahhaaj al-Din Qalandar
Habs-i-nafas......Breath Control.....The practice of habs-i nafas (breath-control) arrests the intrusion of thoughts (khatrat) in so far as the process of respiration remains suspended due to which the cycle of creation (takhliq) comes to a standstill, microcosmically speaking....Habs-i nafas or breath-control is a method of the regulation of breath similar to the hathyogic practice of pranayama meant to awaken the higher states. It is done by invoking la ilaha silently while breathing in and then keeping the breath confined for a while. After it the breath is thrown out saying illa’ Llah....from Uyun al-Ma’arif (Fountains of Wisdom) by Shah Wahhaaj al-Din Qalandar

"The double phases of breathing-in and breathing-out correspond to the two-fold orders of reality, that is, the lahut (Universal) and the nasut (individual). The breaths in question provide the key to unlocking the mysteries of both the worlds and a fortiori they are called the nafas-i rahman (The Breath of the Merciful) .... http://www.islamicpluralism.org

"Abd al-Ali i......emphasizes that one must not confuse ruh-i hayvani of the Sufis with that of the ancient Greek philosophers and physicians which is none other than the bodily heat (hararat-i jismi). The latter can be more properly called the ruh-i tibbi (‘medicialist’ soul) which in the opinion of a majority of Unani physicians is a vaporous body made up of rarefied humours (latif akhlat) particularly blood. On the contrary, Galen and his followers and also Diogenes and Heraclitus, as testified by Aristotle, believed that soul is formed out of air."....a Persian treatise, Wahdat al-Wujud (The Unicity of Existence) by Abd al-Ali Bahr al-Ulum, Delhi, 1970

".... in Sufic esotericism...... the various practices such as nayaz, kasab and shagal, the disciple is trained carefully so as to obtain longer breaths without upsetting rhythm or equilibrium......There is a form of nayaz in which drinking in air is used. .....There are some whose breath has volume, or breadth, but not much length, and there are others who have length and no breadth. But it is the balance of the length and breadth of the breath which gives balance to the mind.......there is a third element here which is refinement of breath. When the refinement is added to the length and breadth, one has a more fully developed and balanced existence.".....Gatha with Commentary......Pasi Anfas: Breath by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

"...... Perpetual Invocation (Yad dasht)..... yad dasht which is also called pas anfas, and always concentrating one’s attention on the heart, which is beneficial in acquiring the reality of ihsan........Allamah Shah Muhammad Isma’il Shahid Translated by Shaykh Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Principles of the Naqshbandi Path.....the first eight principles are from 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220)........The Golden Sufi Center..
1. Awareness in the Breath / Awareness in the Moment (Hush dar dam)......."Every breath which is exhaled from within must be exhaled with awareness and presence of mind and so that the mind does not stray into forgetfulness........Baha ad-din Naqshband said: "The foundation of our work is in the breath. The more that one is able to be conscious of one's breathing, the stronger is one's inner life. It is a must for everyone to safeguard his breath in the time of his inhalation and exhalation and further, to safeguard his breath in the interval between the inhalation and exhalation.......remembering the breath......focuses on each breath until it is expired......Sa'd ud-din Kashghari added: "Hush dar dam is moving from breath to breath so there is no heedlessness but rather there is presence, and with each breath that we take should be the remembrance of the Real.".
2. Watch your Step! (Nazar bar qadam).........Direct yourself constantly towards the goal.....when the beginner's attention is taken by shapes and colors outside of himself ...his heart loses its collectedness, and his mind becomes scattered....... Nazar bar qadam is an expression which refers to the wisdom inherent in one's natural disposition.
3. The Journey Home (Safar dar watan)....Your journey is towards your homeland. Remember you are traveling from a world of illusion to a world of reality.
4. Solitude in the Crowd (Khalwat dar anjuman)......There are two kinds of retreat. One is the outward kind in which the seeker, far from people, sits alone in his cell until he comes into contact with the spiritual world. This result comes about because the external senses withdraw themselves and the inner senses extend themselves to signs from the spiritual world.....The second kind of retreat is the hidden one, where the seeker is inwardly witnessing the secrets of the Real while he is outwardly surrounded by people. Khalwat dar anjuman is of this second type of retreat....In all your outer activities remain inwardly free. Learn not to identify with anything whatsoever.....Close the door of khalwat (solitary retreat) and open the door of sohbat (companionship)." Baha ad-din Naqshband said in this connection: "Our path is in companionship....."
5. Remembrance (Yad kard).....remembrance is practiced in the silent dhikr.....The purpose of the dhikr is to keep one's heart and attention entirely focused on the Beloved in love and devotion.......The dhikr is not just repeated as words, but is in the heart......Remembrance of the tongue becomes remembrance of the heart. 6. Returning (from distraction), Going Back (Baz gasht)......Single-minded pursuit of divine truth.
7. Attentiveness (Nigah dasht)......Be watchful. Be aware of what catches your attention. Learn to withdraw your attention from undesirable objects. This is also expressed as "be vigilant in thought and remember yourself......Nigah means sight.....Nigah dasht is when the seeker at the time of the dhikr holds his heart/mind upon the meaning of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH so that thoughts do not find entrance into his heart...
8. Continued Remembrance / Perpetual Invocation (Yad dasht).......the last stage before transformation is completed. The seeker becomes aware that his loss of "self" will be compensated by essential love....

"Khwarezm has been known also as Chorasmia, Khwarezmia, Khwarizm, Khwarazm, Khorezm, Khoresm, Khorasam, Harezm, Horezm, and Chorezm....C.E. Bosworth however, believes the Persian name to be made up of (خور) meaning "the sun" and (زم) meaning "Earth", designating "the land from which the sun rises", although the same etymology is also given for Khurasan.....Gudjduvan was a large village 18 miles) from Bokhara.... part of the kingdom of Harzem (usually spelled Khwarazm), soon to be destroyed by the Mongolian Ghenghis Khan

"Anapana sati, the meditation on in-and-out breathing, is the first subject of meditation expounded by the Buddha in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta,......The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli) or Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as an initial focus for meditation.....The Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra, as the text was known to Sanskritic early Buddhist schools......The earliest translation of Ānāpānasmṛti instructions was by An Shigao in the 2nd century AD........The Buddha states that mindfulness of the breath, "developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, great benefit."....Ultimately, it can lead to "clear vision and deliverance."......Nanamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati): Buddhist Texts from the Pali Canon and Extracts from the Pali Commentaries. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….June 2014

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