Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan 1916 - 2004

As a renowned lecturer and writer, who traveled tirelessly and was constantly working on cherished writing projects, Pir Vilayat created vehicles for harmonizing spiritual perspectives and practices of East and West, sowing the seeds for the emergence of an awakened global conscience, a beautiful world of beautiful people. Pir Vilayat is unique as a spiritual master in combining deep spiritual roots and perspectives with substantial knowledge of Western science and technology to develop a relationship with the Divine for the contemporary world.

Pir Vilayat’s life work was accomplished through his power to inspire and transform seeking souls. He created national and international organizations dedicated to assimilating and amplifying the impact of his teaching. He sponsored international interfaith activities and promoted social action as an integral part of spiritual life, particularly with the creation of the Hope Project in Delhi, India. He developed and disseminated the spiritual teachings of his father, Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, and the ancient Sufis and traveled extensively to deliver those teachings to a broad audience. He wrote many books, notably Introducing Spirituality into Counseling and Therapy, That Which Transpires Through That Which Appears, and most recently his masterful evocation of the wisdom of the greatest Sufi sages, In Search of the Hidden Treasure: A Conference of Sufis. His dynamic teaching, continually being revised and updated, was consistently informed by his vision of the future, his vast knowledge of history, and his ongoing commitment to study of the world today. For many, Pir Vilayat’s life and personality came to symbolize the Message he served, the awakening of human consciousness to the divinity to be found in the depths of the heart.