DHIKR KHAFI - Invocation of the heart - suite
by S. Amanullah Philippe de Vos
Following positive reactions and certain requests, I felt that I should give a little more information on the circulation of the internal breath as transmitted by the Central Asian wisdom masters, the khawajagan. First of all, it is a question of measuring the importance of Central Asia as the "Middle of the Empires" (see the book with this title written over 20 years by two sociologists). It is therefore not surprising to find this circulation of breath called "embryonic breathing" and then to a second degree "celestial circulation" in China practiced by the Taoists in what they call the "way of the immortals". I have seen the amazing similarities between this Central Asian practice and those of India or China during some eight trips to China and ten to India in recent years. This is not so surprising if one perceives that it is about RUH, about the circulation of the "Universal Spirit" in us and in the world, the One who guides us to the Supreme contemplation. In India, the famous Babaji, the thousand-year-old Yogi, taught Kriya yoga, which also consists of this internal circulation of the breath in a striking similarity with dhikr khafi and Taoist breathing. The place of retreat of this legendary Yogi who crosses the centuries, where his teaching took place, is the same place as the location of the Khalwa, retreat of Sayyidina l Khidr, in Katarâgama in the south of Tamil Nadu. This is where Mawlana Sheikh Nazim led me in a companionship after which he passed on to me his own Juba, the one he had used throughout our journey, as well as his own ring from Sri Lanka.
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Babaji, figure of the Khidr in India, who reintroduced Kriya yoga or the circulation of the inner breath
Daoist master practicing embryonic breathing
Babaji, the age-old yogi we are talking about, was taught there by the great Rishi Agastyar, one of the "18 Siddhas" who is considered in India to be one of the greatest sages carrying the legacy of the previous cycle. It should be noted that Agastyar, the first of them, had the mission of balancing the spiritual influences of South India and North India. In relation to this, we must be aware of the fact that the Aryans, invaders of India, more than 2000 years before JC, will later settle in North India ! But where did they come from? From Central Asia.
In addition, the great Bodhidharma who brought Chan Buddhism and Zen to China came from Central Asia. He will also be the one who will confirm the science of this internal breath, recognizing it as universal. This was between the 3rd and 4th century AD. On the other hand, between the 3rd and 4th century B.C., it is the Siddha BOGAR who came from South India to bring to China the first elements of NEI-DAN, the internal alchemy (way of the breath as RUH). This date is also the date of the appearance of the famous Lao Tzeu, founder of Taoism. Some even consider that these two characters are one and the same person.
Agastyar, one of the seven saptarishi, whose role was to transfer the perennial wisdom of the old cycle to the new
Bodhidarma, originally from Central Asia, brought Chan and Zen to China
Siddha Bogar brought the Nei Dan from South India to China at the same time that a certain Lao Tzu, the archetypal Daoist Master, appeared in broad daylight.
Swami Lakshmanacharya alias Sheikh Nur Mohammad confirmed to me the similarity between this way of internal alchemy of India and that of China. This wise man of India whom I have just named "Nur Mohammad", also accepted the Sufi way, and it is all the more credible that he remained 92 days locked up in a sealed tomb in Mauritius, without breathing using this knowledge of the original breath of the "true men" (as they are called in China).
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I have all the proofs and witnesses of this experience after which he asked the army itself to build a hospital in Mauritius, according to Ayurvedic medicine, care and beds, completely free of charge. It works to this day like this. It is therefore this science of internal alchemy transmitted by Khidr-Babaji that also circulated through the Naqshbandi brotherhood. To speak of it is not to divulge a secret because no written document can transmit its teaching. It is given to those who are predisposed, in an oral way, in the companionship and to those who intensely seek this knowledge of the Original Man that God created in his image.
Swami Lakshmanacharya, alias Sheikh Nour Muhammad, with Sheikh Amanullah in the desert
Finally, we have found evidence that Imam Ali ('alayhi salam), knew, practiced and transmitted this science. It is not unrelated to this 'ilm al Huruf, the science of letters, animated by the RUH, whose magnificence Imam Mahdi will manifest when the time comes. What I think is important to underline is the almost "scientific" rigor of this practice. This is in line with what Sheikh Abdel Wahid Yahya, René Guénon, said about the initiatory way which is a rigorous science as opposed to uncontrolled mystical states.
Aperçus sur l'initiation (Perspectives on initiation in english) et Initiation et réalisation spirituelle (initiation and spiritual realization in english) : two books without equivalent in any tradition. René Guénon, Sheikh Abdel Wahid Yahya, approaches initiation from a "scientific" point of view which implies a true "technology of the soul".
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It is indeed a "science", a science transmitted by God ('ilm billah) that brings us in line with what the Qur'an calls : "Sunnat Allah", "the custom of God", the one that does not change whatever the times and places. We are talking about the Eternal Law of the Universe which also applies to us if we observe it with clarity. I was able to verify how the functioning of the internal breath, as spiritual alchemy for example, was in accordance with the great laws of medicine as understood in China or India or according to prophetic medicine. The process of transformation of the body, of the psyche, of the whole soul follows clear rules. Perhaps I can give practical examples later on, but nothing beats the experience of a spiritual retreat under the right conditions. All this is included in the famous hadith which says : "Man 'arafa nafsahu faqad 'arafa rabbahu", "he who knows his soul will know his Lord". Knowing the rules of theology can help us to know the protective barriers so that we do not slip, but then it will remain to know ourselves and discover our Rabb al Murrabbi in his extremely precise and pedagogical education. May God inspire us with the attitude of the heart that allows us to receive the teachings of this unchanging and eternal Way in the company of our spiritual family. In front of these laws of creation, both rigorous sciences and poetry of a life in perpetual renewal, we can only remain a humble and grateful seeker.
S.Amanullah