Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan Archive
In His Own Words — Pir Vilayat's Talks, Writings, and Videos
Pir Vilayat (1916-2004) was an internationally-known Sufi master who taught spirituality and meditation primarily in the West. He described the goal of the spiritual path as "Making God a reality by awakening the God within."
His mission was to spread the teachings that his father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, brought from India, as well as the timeless teachings of the ancient Sufi mystics. He incoporated rich mysticial traditions of other religious traditions, as well as the science and sacred music of the West.
With great happiness, I celebrate the inauguration of this digital library of the teachings of my father, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. I sincerely commend the team that has worked so hard to make this library a reality. May these teachings lift the wings of many seeking hearts.”
— Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Explore the Archive
A Collection is a set of archive items that we’ve grouped together based on a shared theme, such as a retreat, event, or timeframe. Currently there are eight collections for you to browse.
You can select one of the Featured Collections that follow, and browse it on the window that opens. You can also use the Collections button to open a list of all our current collections.
About the Collections
This site contains recordings of Pir Vilayat's talks and guided meditations, transcripts of the recordings, photos, and videos. There are serveral ways you can use the site:
- Use the Search box at the top of the window to look for topics of interest.
- Use the Explore button that follows to open a list of all items in the archive. You will be able to filter and sort the list to find what you’re looking for.
- Browse the Help page for more detailed information about using the archive.
Leadership Statement
The North American Board of Trustees is very pleased to see the launch of the Pir Vilayat Digital Archive! Making Pir Vilayat’s teachings of awakening in life accessible has been a dream and a desire for decades. In 2022, we approved what we call an Adaptive Plan—similar to a Strategic Plan yet reviewed and adapted each year. The Pir Vilayat Archive Project clearly falls within the plan’s #1 priority called “Sharing our Teachings."
One of the goals under this priority is to “provide a container for the preservation and distribution of Pir Vilayat’s teachings and work.” The Pir Vilayat Archive Project is this container.
Featured Collections
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The Abode, Through the YearsRecordings of family talks and retreat sessions given by Pir Vilayat at The Abode of the Message from 1976 to 1990. -
Curriculum of the Sufi OrderIn January of 2000, Pir Vilayat created for Representatives of the Sufi Order (now the Inayatiyya) an in-depth study of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teachings, including “parallels with earlier Sufis, comparative religion, comments and practices,” as said in the opening lesson. Each month, a new lesson was offered to Sufi Order teachers for their students; and subsequently to the murids themselves. The lessons reflected Pir Vilayat’s most current thinking on foundational teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, and with them, instructions on how to experience these essential insights and apply them to daily life. Initially, there were two versions of the Curriculum: one for Representatives that contained resonant pairings of one or more of the Beautiful Names of Allah; and one for murids without the Names. As more and more publications of the Names came into the public arena from other sources, it seemed unnecessary to make a distinction between the two versions’ recipients. Rather, the wazaif (practice with the Names) accompanying specific aspects of the lessons, bring Pir Vilayat’s contribution to the field of commentary on the Names. Thus, the Representatives’ Curriculum is offered here. Invoking the Beautiful Names, is a sacred practice of Remembrance. While honoring the Names as a holy language, Pir Vilayat cautioned against formulaic, “vain,” repetition. He taught that the archetypes of the Names are living beings, and could be realized when the recitation was one of sincere prayer, sacred attunement, creative beauty, penetrating insight and deep meditation. Ultimately, he enjoined us to pledge to live the quality of the Name, becoming exemplars, albeit limited in expression, of those perfected qualities. Thus, there is nothing casual, fanciful, or superficial about them. To invoke a Name is to open to transformation. Above all, the lessons relay the dynamism of Pir Vilayat’s thinking, which he distinguished from static “thoughts,” noting that, as with all living beings, the Curriculum is to grow, evolve, and “keep being improved.” Perhaps, dear reader, to “keep being improved” is our task and joy – to evolve ourselves, inspired by Pir Vilayat’s teachings – and thus keep the thinking and embodiment of these lessons alive and real. We invoke the One Whose Body is the cosmos of the galaxies and our own bodies, Whose Mind courses through our thinking, And Whose Ecstasy arouses our acts of glorification; Whose Personality is customized as our personalities, Whose Presence is always there, Whose consciousness is focalized as our consciousness, And Whose Reality is beyond our reach. ~ Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan Written by Amida Cary -
The Early Years (1916-1937)A photo collection from the first 21 years of Pir Vilayat's life, provided courtesy of the Nekbakht Foundation.