About this episode
Shaykh Burhanuddin Herrmann is a contemporary mystic of the ancient Sufi tradition, called to the path at a tender age. He went through the classic dervish training, which involved an intense daily practice of meditation and prayers under the direct guidance of the Master, accepting his instructions for inner and outer life (including raising a family), extreme solitary spiritual retreats, pilgrimages, and regular challenging tests in daily life. He received direct transmission of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, one of the most ancient and authoritative of the forty existing Sufi Orders, known variously through the ages as the ‘School of the Masters of Wisdom’, the ‘Way of the Scientists of the Soul’, and the ‘Path of Love’. When Shaykh Burhanuddin was 18 years old, he invited to his hometown in Germany the Grand Master and world guide of the Naqshbandi order, Maulana Shaykh Nazim al Haqqani ar Rabbani, may his secret be sanctified. When he saw him the first time he fainted in the middle of the street. Meeting a Master, a saint who has gone beyond fears and who lives in the freedom of love is an unforgettable and life-changing experience. Henceforth he was constantly at his beloved Master’s side for thirty-five years, accompanying him around the world spreading the Sufi touch of grace and love. As an appointed shaykh (spiritual guide), he was trained to develop an eye to detect the expressions of Beauty in Life, whatever shape they may take. He was taught that in order to become human beings we are called to practice love and respect towards the Creator through the Creation and His creatures. He was taught gratitude for everything that he had and that he had not. Maulana replaced in him the feeling of the need to strife in life, with an unshakable joyful faith that everything, good or bad is coming from the same Loving Source, and that it carries a message and a teaching for your own evolution. He finally provided Shaykh Burhanuddin with the means and the drive to present a life-changing self-realization Method, the Uwaysi System, in a modern and universal key, beyond any belief or requirements. For 30 years Shaykh Burhanuddin Herrmann has been leading spiritual growth meetings and retreats all over the world, in service of people’s spiritual needs. His simple and revolutionary method, the Uwaysi System, aims to awaken people to the real meaning and purpose of their lives, to remind them their highest origin and destination, and to help them to live a life of the heart, in peace, happiness, creativity and gratitude whatever their life circumstances may be. Shaykh Burhanuddin is the author of three books (all in Italian): Il cammello sul tetto. Discorsi Sufi. Una guida mistico-pratica alla Via dei Dervisci Il derviscio metropolitano. Vivere oggi la tradizione Sufi Il sufismo. Mistica, spiritualità e pratica Website: sufiway.eu He is also a musician and the founder of the Dervish Orchestra. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded July 20, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:14 - Conveying the Longing for the Divine 00:08:18 - Direct Experience of God in Sufism 00:13:32 - Understanding Traditions and Becoming Human 00:19:04 - The Full Emptiness and the Path to Single-player Mode 00:24:44 - The Center of Life Energy 00:30:44 - The Importance of Accepting Life as It Is 00:35:01 - Life has no end 00:38:31 - Higher States of Consciousness and Enlightenment in Sufism 00:42:21 - Becoming Humans in a Time of Transformation 00:46:22 - Seeking Spirituality from a Young Age 00:50:37 - Childhood in the Forest 00:54:22 - Silence in the Himalayas 00:58:23 - Seeking Help from a Master Healer 01:01:59 - Healing Miracles and Personal Transformation 01:05:16 - Functioning in the Real World 01:08:48 - Klaus' Family and Spiritual Upbringing 01:12:08 - Encountering Khidr, alayhi salam 01:16:12 - Sufism and Cultural Heritage 01:20:05 - Meeting J. Krishnamurti and the Power of Silence 01:24:16 - Speaking the Truth 01:28:10 - Importance of Dreams in Sufism 01:31:50 - Rumi and His Importance 01:35:38 - Dressing in the Presence of the King 01:39:55 - Breaking through the Barrier of Fear 01:43:44 - Punishment for Misleading Information from Doctors 01:48:16 - The Revolutionary Prophet Sufism 01:51:26 - The Power of Thankfulness 01:54:55 - Embracing the Good Reasons 01:58:04 - Traveling Around the World 02:00:43 - Farewell