Books, Art, Music and Spiritual Discourse
Gregory Blann
Books by Gregory Blann
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The Garden of Mystic Love: Volume I: The Origin and Formation of the Great Sufi Orders
by Gregory Blann , Robert Frager
$8.25 Kindle; $18.00 paperback; Hardback $36.00. Published March 25, 2015 Albion-Andalus (2nd edition) First edition 2005
The Garden of Mystic Love: The Origin and Formation of the Great Sufi Orders is Volume I of a history of Sufism from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the beginning of the 20th-century, with an emphasis on the Turkish Sufi legacy and the path of the Halveti-Jerrahi Order. Written from a Sufi perspective, this account of the "religion of the heart" is nothing less than an education in Sufi spirituality, full of stories, teachings, poetry, and the lives of the great Sufi masters.
"Muhammad Jamal's history of Sufism is a valuable tool for all Westerners who practice Sufism . . . Those of us who follow this path are obliged to examine our roots, and explore what is most viable and effective for those of us living in the West today."
--- Robert Frager (Sheikh Ragip al-Jerrahi), author of Heart, Self, and Soul: The Sufi Psychology of Growth, Balance, and Harmony
"This well-researched and scholarly book of the Sufi tradition points to a brilliant hope for world peace and a healing balance to the reputation of Islam in our day. Sufism goes to the heart of things and is the door to Islamic renewal in the new millennium. Gregory Blann (Sheikh Muhammad Jamal al-Jerrahi)---following the lead of Lex Hixon (Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi), deserves great credit for bridging us into the heart of Jerrahi Sufism."
--- Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters
The Garden of Mystic Love:: Volume II: Turkish Sufism and the Halveti-Jerrahi Lineage
$18.00 Bookmark (Kindle version to come), Hardback $36.00. Published July 10, 2017 Albion-Andalus (2nd edition)
First edition 2005
The Garden of Mystic Love: Turkish Sufism and the Halveti-Jerrahi Lineage is Volume II of a history of Sufism from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the beginning of the 20th-century. Volume II covers the Turkish Sufi legacy from the time of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi in the 13th centrury C.E. through the formation of the Halveti-Jerrahi Order in the early 18th century under Pir Nureddin Jerrahi down to the modern period when the Sufi tekkes were closed by Mustafa Kamal. The final book in the series, Lifting the Boundaries, continues the history with the life and teaching of Muzaffer Efendi in the late 20th century.
Lifting the Boundaries: Muzaffer Efendi and the Transmission of Sufism to the West
by Gregory Blann , Fariha al-Jerrahi
$10.00 Kindle (color photos edition); $13.50 Paperback; (hardback available at Pir Press)
Published Dec. 23, 2016 Pir Press (Revised and expanded 2nd edition): First edition 2005
Following upon the history of Sufism presented in The Garden of Mystic Love, Lifting the Boundaries chronicles the life and teachings of one of the great Islamic spiritual teachers of modern times, Sheikh Muzaffer al-Halveti al-Jerrahi (1916-1985), who traveled frequently to America during his final years teaching the Sufi path of love to Western spiritual seekers. The text of the book is enhanced by powerful photographic images which convey the central ritual ceremony of divine remembrance, known as dhikr. This revised and expanded edition includes a postscript by Sheikha Fariha al-Jerrahi.
"Blann's eloquent exposition tells stories of discovery, enlightenment and knowledge encapsulated in Muzaffer Efendi's remarkable journeys to the West. Blann's devotion is obvious, his eloquent praise of Muzaffer's spirit and teachings uplifting. Efendi, as Blann makes clear, was more than a teacher, more than a spiritual leader and more than a Sufi sheikh -- he was an inspiration to millions and an embodiment of the bond of spirituality that the East and West can share."
-- Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Cordoba Initiative, author of Islam: A Search for Meaning
by Gregory Blann , Netanel Miles-Yepez
$17.79 Kindle; $18.73 paperback; published March 12, 2019 Monkfish Press
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
When Oceans Merge is a book about the intersection of Sufi and Hasidic wisdom as gleaned from the lives and teachings of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924-2014), the founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement and Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (1916-2004), the head and spiritual director of the Inayati Order (formerly the Sufi Order of the West). The foreword is by Netanel Miles-Yépez who is one of the founders of the Adam Kadmon Book imprint as well as a Pir and founder of a Jewish-Sufi lineage which was blessed and inspired by Reb Zalman and Pir Vilayat. Reb Zalman and Pir Vilayat knew and held each other in the highest regard while still living. Indeed they were initiated into each other’s spiritual community. More than anything, this book shows how a deep spirituality can be developed that is rooted in religious tradition but transcends it.
“For centuries the spiritual cross-pollination between Jewish mystics and Sufi saints has enriched both traditions. When Oceans Merge invites you to learn from two great contemporary mystics, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and to awaken to the Perennial Wisdom each of them shares. When Oceans Merge is a powerful antidote to the ignorance and arrogance dominating much religion today.”
-- Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent
Living Open Space: The Interspiritual Journey of Lex Hixon
by Gregory Blann
$20.00 paperback (Kindle version to come); published December 16, 2021 Pir Press
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Living Open Space: The Interspiritual Journey of Lex Hixon is a spiritual biography and compendium of the universalist teachings of the American mystic, author, radio host, and Sufi sheikh, Lex Hixon, also known as Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi. Deeply inspired by the conviction that there is One Source underlying all the world’s great traditions, Lex passionately embraced and practiced the teachings of Vedanta, Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Orthodox Christianity and Islamic Sufism, as well as other sacred paths, reconciling these diverse sacred ways in the non-dual “open space” beyond the boundaries of sectarian religion.
Lex Hixon found the water table feeding all the springs and wells of humanity's many wisdom and spiritual traditions. One taste of that pure water quenches all thirsts. Let's drink together.
Deepak Chopra, M.D. author of How to Know God: The Soul's Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries
Lex Hixon was an interfaith world all to himself: a rare being who not only felt at home in various religious traditions, but celebrated each with boldness and passion.
Roshi Bernie Glassman, author of The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment.
This book is so fascinating I couldn't put it down. Imagine an intelligent, fun-loving, highly educated American guy being inspired by the Supreme Swan, Sri Ramakrishna, to demonstrate—in a world of religious competition—that all paths lead to the ultimate, to experiential wisdom, love, and joy! And he proved it not only with his pen, but also with his own body, heart, and mind, over many years, living the truths of Buddhism, Hinduism, various Christianities, Judaism, and Islam! His life is a liberation, this book telling it a must-read, destined to be a classic!
Robert "Tenzin" Thurman, author, translator, Columbia Professor Emeritus
Available at Pir Press:
https://www.pirpress.com/collections/lex-hixon
and Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Open-Space-Interspiritual-Journey