Chilla – A Forty-Day Practice for Murids

Begin a committed forty-day practice. Nothing too extensive, but enough to create the foundations for future practice. You can choose when you begin, but do not let it wait too long. Begin in some formal manner, and keep track of the days diligently.

Maqam 1

The center of your practice is daily zikr. In this case, the formal Chishti-Inayati zikr of our community. Bring this into your daily life for forty consecutive days. Although this zikr may be practiced in silence, for now, practice it jahri, or out loud. Practice at least one hundred repetitions, and if during your practice you feel that you were not very present while reciting, stop on that bead and do several more repetitions before moving on.

Maqam 2

Your zikr should be performed in the midst of a ritual. The ritual is simple: kneel down in the place you wish to practice, perform the External Zikr—“This is not my body; this is the temple of the heart”—with the accompanying movements, recite the Toward the One, complete your zikr, speak a few words of prayer if you wish, read a short passage from a book contemplatively, and then close with the External Zikr—“This is not my body; this is the temple of God.” Later, you will expand this little ritual space to include other practices.

Maqam 3

For your spiritual reading, choose a Sufi work, such as the Gathekas of Hazrat Inayat Khan, or Kimiyya as-Sa‘adat (Alchemy of Happiness) of Abu Hashim Ghazzali. Practice reading for contemplation rather than information or analysis. Read slowly and deliberately with care, being ready to stop and reflect on any word or idea that catches your interest, or which you do not understand. Feel free to move into silence for extended periods of time while you read or listen. You need not read long or much; you are simply ‘seeding the day’ with a little tasawwuff (Sufism).

In this forty-day period, begin to practice the Elemental Purification Breaths, a set of twenty-five inhalations and exhalations in a specific pattern for connecting to the five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether.

  1. First five: in by the nose, out by the nose;

  2. Second five: in by the nose, out by the mouth;

  3. Third five: in by the mouth, out by the nose;

  4. Fourth five: in by the mouth, out by the mouth;

  5. Fifth Five: in by the nose, out by the nose.

Ideally, you might place these within your practice period; but if it is too crowded, you may do them separately also. You might memorize the prayer Nayaz to say before doing them . . .

Beloved sustainer, almighty God!

Through the rays Of the sun,

Through the waves of the air,

Through the all-pervading life in space,

Purify and quicken me, I pray—

Heal my body, heart, and soul.

Amen.

Maqam 4

Other things to memorize in these forty days are the External Zikr, if you have not already, the Toward the One, and at least three definitions of Sufism.

Maqam 5

Over this forty-day period, read the Gathekas, taking notes in a journal on what interests you most, or thoughts and questions that occur to you. Please read the chapter, “Circling the Temple of God” from In the Teahouse of Experience to refine your understanding of zikr.

Maqam 6

For daily contemplation, work with the ten Iron Rules. Memorize, repeat, and apply one each day. Make them themes for contemplation that you llok for opportunities to apply tthroughout your day. For instance, “Make no false claims.” That should be running in your head all day. If you have to write it on the mirror or carry it as a note in your pocket, do so. Say it to yourself before you go to sleep. Since there are ten with which to work over a forty-day period, you will do only one over four days. You should also journal on your experiences of the Iron Rules.

Maqam 7

When you have completed this forty-day practice period, make an appointment to talk with Pir Netanel or Murshid Daniel Jami’.

Maqam 8