Samuel L. Lewis also known as Murshid Samuel Lewis and Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (October 18, 1896 January 15, 1971) was an American mystic and horticultural scientist who founded what became the Sufi Ruhaniat International, a branch of the Chishtia Sufi lineage. After a lifetime of spiritual study with teachers East and West, primarily

Inayat Khan Inayat Khan Rehmat Khan ( ur, ) (5 July 1882 – 5 February 1927) was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. At the urging of his ...

and

Nyogen Senzaki Nyogen Senzaki (千崎如幻, 1876–1958) was a Rinzai Zen monk who was one of the 20th century's leading proponents of Zen Buddhism in the United States. Early life Details of Senzaki's early life are unclear. Town records in Fukaura, Aom ...

, Lewis was recognized simultaneously as a Zen master and Sufi murshid (senior teacher) by Eastern representatives of the two traditions. He also co-founded the Christian mystical order called the

Holy Order of Mans History In 1961 the Holy Order of MANS was organized initially as the non-sectarian Science of Man Church in San Francisco by Earl Wilbur Blighton. Classes and meetings on the Ancient Mystery Teachings were held by Blighton on a regular monthly b ...

. His early interest in international seed exchange and organic agriculture also established him as one of the pioneers of green spirituality. His most enduring legacy may be the creation of the

Dances of Universal Peace The Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) are a spiritual practice that employs singing and dancing the sacred phrases of the world's religions. Their intention is to raise consciousness and promote peace between diverse religions according to one stat ...

, an early interspiritual practice that has spread around the world in the 50 years since his passing.

Life

Lewis was born to Jewish parents. Lewis' father Jacob Lewis was a vice president of the

Levi Strauss Levi Strauss (; born Löb Strauß ; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm of Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 in San Francisco ...

jeans manufacturing company. His mother was Harriett Rosenthal, the daughter of Lenore

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by sign ...

of the international banking family. Lewis showed a keen interest in religion and spirituality at an early age and, to his parents' dismay, he later rejected their encouragements to become a businessman. In 1919 Lewis entered a Sufi community in

Fairfax, California Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population was 7,605 at the 2020 census. History The Coast Miwok Native Americans occupied ...

where he met Murshida Rabia Martin, a student of the Sufi teacher and musician

. A year later he began

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

study with

, a disciple of the

Rinzai The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...

Zen Buddhist Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Abbot

Soyen Shaku Soyen Shaku (, January 10, 1860 – October 29, 1919; written in modern Japanese ''Shaku Sōen'' or ''Kōgaku Shaku Sōen'') was the first Zen Buddhist master to teach in the United States. He was a rōshi of the Rinzai school and was abbot of bo ...

. The practices and tenets of both Sufism and Zen continued to influence him throughout his life. Lewis remained in the Fairfax Sufi community through the early 1920s. In 1923 a vision of

led Lewis into initiation by the Pir-O-Murshid. In 1926, he collaborated with

, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk, in opening the first official Zen meditation hall ( zendo) in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Lewis continued to study Sufism and Zen, as well as

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, the latter with Swami Ramdas of Anandashram. He also developed an interest in horticulture and promoted seed exchanges internationally. Additionally, Lewis was an adherent and promoter of the

General Semantics General semantics is concerned with how events translate to perceptions, how they are further modified by the names and labels we apply to them, and how we might gain a measure of control over our own cognitive, emotional, and behavioral respons ...

approach to psychology, language, and translation begun by

Alfred Korzybski Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (, ; July 3, 1879 – March 1, 1950) was a Polish-American independent scholar who developed a field called general semantics, which he viewed as both distinct from, and more encompassing than, the field of se ...

. In 1956, he visited

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, seeking the company of other mystics and teachers. In 1960–62, while visiting Pakistan, he reported that he was publicly recognized as a

Murshid ''Murshid'' ( ar, مرشد) is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a spiritual guide. The term is frequently use ...

by Pir Barkat Ali, founder of Dar ul Ehsan. In 1966, after further Zen study with, among others,

Sokei-An Sokei-an Shigetsu Sasaki (佐々木指月 (曹渓庵); March 10, 1882 – May 17, 1945), born Yeita Sasaki (佐々木栄多), was a Japanese Rinzai monk who founded the Buddhist Society of America (now the First Zen Institute of America) in N ...

Sasaki and Sagaku Shaku, Lewis was ordained a "Zen-Shi" (Zen Master) by Korean Zen master Dr. Kyung-Bo Seo. In 1967, whilst recovering from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in a hospital Lewis reported that he heard the voice of God say, "I make you spiritual leader of the

hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

." For the remainder of his life, Lewis traveled

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, developing and teaching new forms of walking meditation as well as the

, which draw on concepts from the many spiritual traditions he had encountered. Lewis' work in the Dances of Universal Peace was also inspired by his time with American dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis, whom he acknowledged as their "grandmother." In 1982, the organization now known as the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace was founded by Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz and Tasnim Hermila Fernandez for the purpose of promoting Lewis' vision of the Dances as a form of "peace through the arts." The organization subsequently published many of St Denis' previously unpublished writings on spiritual dance and the mysticism of the body. In the late 1960s, Lewis began initiating and training students under the banner of Zen, and then later of Sufism. Just before his passing in 1971, Lewis formed an esoteric organization now known as the

Sufi Ruhaniat International The Sufi Ruhaniat International (SRI) is a stream of Universal Sufism and draws inspiration from traditions of Sufism within and beyond historic Islam. SRI is an initiatic order within the lineage of Inayat Khan (''Inayati-Chishtiyya''). Sufi Ahm ...

to help carry on his Sufi initiatic lineage in the

Chishti The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufism, Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Ch ...

Sufi tradition. Lewis died in January 1971 as a result of a fall one month earlier. Before his passing, he appointed as his successor Khalif Moineddin Jablonski, who directed the organization from 1971 until his own death in 2001. Jablonski was succeeded by Shabda Kahn as Pir of the lineage.

Dargah

When Samuel Lewis died, he asked that his body be buried at the interspiritual community of

Lama Foundation Lama Foundation is a spiritual community founded in 1967, located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico, seventeen miles north of Taos. The original commune was co-founded by Barbara Durkee (now known as Asha Greer or Asha vo ...

, near Taos, New Mexico. The grave (called a "maqbara" in the Sufi tradition) became a pilgrimage site and was rebuilt several times in the intervening years. In August 2017, work was completed on a new building, called a "dargah," surrounding the gravesite. It is designed to facilitate visits by pilgrims in the same way that Sufi dargahs in other parts of the world do.url=http://www.ruhaniat.org/index.php/work/dargah-project

Quotations

:''"No mechanical means, no rules, no rituals, nothing controlled by man alone can liberate man"'' :''"The Sufi dervishes, using their feet...rid their minds of useless luggage. The ridding of luggage is more important than the method. What is needed is a method that works, not a philosophy about method which can be very confusing."'' :''"Words are not peace. Thoughts are not peace. Plans are not peace. Programs are not peace. Peace is fundamental to all faiths. Peace is fullness, all inclusive...and must be experienced."'' :''"One of the reasons I am teaching this music and dancing is to increase Joy, not awe towards another person, but bliss in our own self. This is finding God within, through experience."''

Students

*Pir Moineddin Jablonski * Pir Shabda Kahn *Murshid Wali Ali Meyer * Murshid Shahabuddin Less

Books

* ''In the Garden'' () * ''The Jerusalem Trilogy: Song of the Prophets'' () * ''Sufi Vision & Initiation: Meetings with Remarkable Beings'' () * ''Spiritual Dance & Walk: An Introduction to the Dances of Universal Peace & Walking Meditations of Samuel L. Lewis'' () * ''This is the New Age in Person'' Published by Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society (1972). Omen Press () * ''Murshid A Personal Memoir of Life with American Sufi Samuel L. Lewis'' by spiritual secretary of Samuel Lewis, Mansur Johnson ()

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Samuel L. 1896 births 1971 deaths Accidental deaths from falls American horticulturists American pacifists American Sufis American Universalists American Zen Buddhist spiritual teachers Buddhist pacifists Chishtis Converts to Buddhism Religious leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area Religion in the San Francisco Bay Area Rothschild family Sufi mystics People from Fairfax, California Western Sufis