PART II: CONFESSIONS

CHAPTER 7
EAST AND WEST
All that I, as a Sufi, a universal being, have learned from my experience in both East
and West is that I can now appreciate the merits and also understand the defects of
both impartially.
Although the East has progressed to an inconceivable extent in certain aspects of
life, this has never been fully recognized. In other words it has not been sufficiently
fruitful, because its progress has been individualistic and not general. Also selfsatisfaction, linked with laziness and recklessness, retard it from material
advancement to a great degree. It is sad to see that Eastern students usually adopt
the most undesirable qualities of the West, such as extravagance, excessive gaiety,
and exclusiveness, instead of its courage, power of organization, and its most
wonderful knowledge of administration.
In many cases Westernized Orientals grow indifferent towards their own people,
owing to the varied direction of thought which retards their unity. The present
unbalanced condition of the East is such that the man with intellect is, as it were,
unbalanced in body, while the sane in body are unstable in mind. The spiritual
person is lost in the spirit, and the material person is absorbed in matter; thus the
one is an angel while the other is an animal. No doubt the unbalanced state of the
East has deprived it for the present of both the world and God.
The East can learn a lesson of order from the West, for the lack of this is at the root
of its downfall. She can also learn balance and moderation in most things, and
cooperation among all classes regardless of caste or creed. Although the East has
taught the lesson of brotherhood to the world, yet her children seem to forget to
practice it among themselves; the brother drags his brother down and selfishness is
on the increase, especially in India.
The East should also imitate the regularity of Western methods of work and rest, as
well as its commercial activity, together with its love of research.
The independent spirit of the West is most praiseworthy among women as well as
men. Their love of travel, the neatness and convenience of their homes, and the
companionship of man and wife all these are very praiseworthy, and especially at
the present time when two extremes, either a great adoration or the complete
subordination of woman, exist in the Orient.
'Man is placed in the prison of the earth, to prove him bankrupt towards
God.' - Rumi
On the other hand, the West should adopt the East's adaptability to circumstances
and its simplicity of living. At a time when modern civilization is increasing the
needs of artificial life to such an extent, and the richer a man gets the more
avaricious he becomes, then the most worthy and needful lesson for the West is the
Eastern code of morality, which European travelers often overlook under its mantle
of simplicity.

Eastern morals extol tolerance, renunciation, confidence, faith, and trust, together
with innocence, contentment, patience, modesty, sympathy, hospitality, and a love
for humanity which can even rise to the utmost heights of self-sacrifice. These
merits, although they are to be found all over the world, are especially idealized and
reach their highest culmination in the East. If the above truths could be fully
understood by those students who are busied with the interchange of ideas and
thought-forms in either part of the world, the Great Harmony which is prophesied
for us all upon the morrow would assuredly come today!
'Love is the net of Truth.' - Abu Said
The rapid evolution in material life seems to have brought the West to such a pitch
that its religion seems lost in its bigotry and narrow-mindedness. At the same time,
its progress being one-sided, the number of unbelievers has increased. As well as a
few believers there exist many who are interested in mysticism but are only actuated
by ignoble curiosity while remaining absolutely regardless of faith or belief, of God
or apostle. These are constantly delving and diving into mysticism and the secrets of
phenomena, which they desire to use in place of more materialistic media in order to
accomplish their worldly ends and aspirations.
I have also found some religious enthusiasts who extol Christianity as a purely
Western faith, forgetting that Christ himself was from the East, and that the East
has understood and adored him much more than is generally known, although the
Christian Church may not be established everywhere and the East may worship in
other houses of the Lord.
Fain for salvation I would come to Thee,
The guide to cross the forest-wilds of life;
Wilt thou not heed when Passion's robber-band
Would snatch from me Thy Treasure's Trinity? - Jain Hymn
There seems to be a growing yearning for esoteric studies in Europe represented by
different so-called mystical and spiritual societies and institutions for mental
healing, but I found most of these to be on a purely commercial basis. Still, I would
not blame them, seeing that the commercial trend of the age would surely not allow
even Christ to preach as he did formerly. Also, this new awakening has produced
one good result, which must not be overlooked. It has aroused the interest of the
people in something higher than the world of flesh, and a door is opened in the West
to allow the Eastern winds of divine wisdom to bear its spirit on towards an ideal
end.
But although this wave of thought has created a longing for the golden paths of
mysticism, yet is has in a way degenerated, owing to its abuse in two directions: the
desire to attain the requirements of daily life through mysticism, and the placing of
the higher aspirations on a lower level.
Among those who are interested in mysticism there are some who have various
objects of gain in view, and thereby, in the place of the true goal of mysticism, they
direct all their energies to experimenting with phenomena. Some desire psychic
powers, others wish to reach the planets, some hanker after glorious reincarnations
in return for their virtuous acts. Some depend on spirits to guide them, and some do

not rise above their undeveloped ego. Others dabble in mysticism out of
inquisitiveness, some for a pastime, others as a profession, and yet others relish the
notoriety their association with the unseen brings to them. I have met some who
never knew what they were seeking, and yet were inordinately enthusiastic.
With the exception of a few chosen ones of God, who were inspired by the light and
glory of truth, I found great difficulty in turning the interest of the people from the
objective to the subjective world; in other words from illusion to stability, and from
egoism to self-negation. It was like steering a ship against the tide. It is the same
even in the East; otherwise every Oriental would be a saint. Still, the environment
and training of the East surely help them in smoothing the path towards the ideal
life.