Samuel L. Lewis
Encyclopedia
Samuel Lewis was an American mystic
and dance teacher who founded the Dances of Universal Peace
movement. He was also known under his Sufi name Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti and was addressed by his mureed
s and others as Murshid. This is an arabic word that means, "Exalted Teacher." He was popularly known as Sufi Sam.
jeans manufacturing company. His mother was Harriett Rosenthal, the daughter of Lenore Rothschild
of the international banking family.
To his parents' dismay Lewis showed a keen interest in religion and spirituality from an early age and later rejected their attempts at as business career for him. Lewis studied mathematics at Columbia University
in 1916.
In 1919 Lewis entered a Sufi community in Fairfax, California
where he met and was influenced by the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan an India
n Sufi teacher and musician . A year later he began Zen
study with Sogaku Shaku, a disciple of the Rinzai Zen Buddhist Abbot Soyen Shaku
. The twin spiritual influences of Sufism and Zen were to remain central throughout his life.
Lewis remained in the Fairfax Sufi community through the early 1920s. In 1926 he collaborated with Nyogen Senzaki
, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk, in opening the first official Zen meditation hall (zendo
) in San Francisco.
Lewis continued to study Sufism and Zen, as well as yoga
. He developed an interest in horticulture
and promoted seed exchanges internationally.
In 1956, he visited Japan
, India
, Pakistan
and Egypt
, seeking the company of other mystics and teachers. In 1960, while visiting Pakistan, he claimed he was publicly recognized as a Murshid
by Pir Barkat Ali
of the combined Chisti-Qadiri-Sabri orders, founder of Dar ul Ehsan. In 1966, he was ordained a "Zen-Shi" (Zen Master) by Korean Zen master Dr. Kyung-Bo Seo.
In 1967, whilst recovering from a heart attack
in a hospital Lewis claimed that he heard the voice of god say, "I make you spiritual leader of the hippies." For the remainder of his life Lewis traveled around California
developing and teaching the Dances of Universal Peace
, which draw on all the spiritual traditions he had encountered. The movement he created continues today in a formal way as Sufi Ruhaniat International
, as well as informally through the wide adoption of the Dances of Universal Peace by many other Sufi and non-Sufi groups.
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and dance teacher who founded the Dances of Universal Peace
Dances of Universal Peace
The Dances of Universal Peace are meditative, spiritual practices using the mantras of all world religions to promote peace. The DUP dances, of North American Sufic origin, combine chants from world faiths with dancing, whirling, and a variety of movement with singing.-The Dances:Conducted in the...
movement. He was also known under his Sufi name Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti and was addressed by his mureed
Mureed
Mureed is a village and union council, an administrative subdivision, of Chakwal District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, it is part of Chakwal Tehsil....
s and others as Murshid. This is an arabic word that means, "Exalted Teacher." He was popularly known as Sufi Sam.
Life
Lewis was born to Jewish parents. Lewis' father Jacob Lewis was a vice president of the Levi StraussLevi Strauss
Levi Strauss was a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm, Levi Strauss & Co., began in 1853 in San Francisco, California.-Origins:...
jeans manufacturing company. His mother was Harriett Rosenthal, the daughter of Lenore Rothschild
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
of the international banking family.
To his parents' dismay Lewis showed a keen interest in religion and spirituality from an early age and later rejected their attempts at as business career for him. Lewis studied mathematics at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1916.
In 1919 Lewis entered a Sufi community in Fairfax, California
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 115 feet...
where he met and was influenced by the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Sufi teacher and musician . A year later he began Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
study with Sogaku Shaku, a disciple of the Rinzai Zen Buddhist Abbot Soyen Shaku
Soyen Shaku
Soyen Shaku was the first Zen Buddhist master to teach in the United States. He was a Roshi of the Rinzai school and was abbot of both Kencho-ji and Engaku-ji temples in Kamakura, Japan...
. The twin spiritual influences of Sufism and Zen were to remain central throughout his life.
Lewis remained in the Fairfax Sufi community through the early 1920s. In 1926 he collaborated with Nyogen Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki was a Rinzai Zen monk who was one of the 20th century's leading proponents of Zen Buddhism in the United States.-Early life:...
, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk, in opening the first official Zen meditation hall (zendo
Zendo
or is a Japanese term translating roughly as "meditation hall". In Zen Buddhism, the zen-dō is a spiritual dōjō where zazen is practiced...
) in San Francisco.
Lewis continued to study Sufism and Zen, as well as yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
. He developed an interest in horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and promoted seed exchanges internationally.
In 1956, he visited Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, seeking the company of other mystics and teachers. In 1960, while visiting Pakistan, he claimed he was publicly recognized as a Murshid
Murshid
Murshid is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher". Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Sufi teacher. The term is used by other branches of Islam as well, e.g. by the Nizaris, the main school of Ismā‘īlī Shiites....
by Pir Barkat Ali
Sufi Barkat Ali
Hadrat Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali Al-Ludhianiwi , also referred to as Babaji Sarkar by his disciples was a Muslim Sufi saint who belongs to Qadri silsila of Hadrat Abdul-Qadir Gilani born in a small village of Brahmi in the Tehsil of Ludhiana in Northern India.Hadrat is founder of the...
of the combined Chisti-Qadiri-Sabri orders, founder of Dar ul Ehsan. In 1966, he was ordained a "Zen-Shi" (Zen Master) by Korean Zen master Dr. Kyung-Bo Seo.
In 1967, whilst recovering from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in a hospital Lewis claimed that he heard the voice of god say, "I make you spiritual leader of the hippies." For the remainder of his life Lewis traveled around California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
developing and teaching the Dances of Universal Peace
Dances of Universal Peace
The Dances of Universal Peace are meditative, spiritual practices using the mantras of all world religions to promote peace. The DUP dances, of North American Sufic origin, combine chants from world faiths with dancing, whirling, and a variety of movement with singing.-The Dances:Conducted in the...
, which draw on all the spiritual traditions he had encountered. The movement he created continues today in a formal way as Sufi Ruhaniat International
Sufi Ruhaniat International
"The Sufi Ruhaniat International is the Universal Sufi Order founded by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis shortly before he died in 1971. The Ruhaniat is composed of sincere mureeds who tread the Path of Initiation and Discipleship, seeking the truth of the Inner Life through personal practice and direct...
, as well as informally through the wide adoption of the Dances of Universal Peace by many other Sufi and non-Sufi groups.
Quotations
- "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."
Books
- In the Garden (ISBN 0517524120)
- The Jerusalem Trilogy: Song of the Prophets (ISBN 0915424037)
- Sufi Vision & Initiation: Meetings with Remarkable Beings (ISBN 091542410X)
- Spiritual Dance & Walk: An Introduction to the Dances of Universal Peace & Walking Meditations of Samuel L. Lewis (ISBN 0915424134)
- This is the New Age in Person Published by Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society (1972). Omen Press (ISBN 0912358130)
- Murshid - A Personal Memoir of Life with American Sufi Samuel L. Lewis by spiritual secretary of Samuel Lewis, Mansur Johnson (http://www.mansurjohnson.com/ - ISBN 0-915424-16-9)
External links
- Sufi Ruhaniat International , the Sufi Order founded by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis
- The International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace founded by Samuel L. Lewis