Over the course of his eighty-eight years of life, the great Sufi mystic and teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan wove the timeless essence of Sufism into the unfolding expressions of contemporary culture and consciousness. A senior statesman of the world spiritual community, Pir Vilayat stood out as one who saw spiritual awakening as not separate from intellectual learning and creativity, or from full engagement with the latest developments in philosophy, psychology, science, culture, and the arts. He spoke five languages, studied philosophy at Oxford, and was an accomplished cellist.

Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, was his father’s (Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan) successor and during his fifty years as head of the Sufi Order International (now succeeded by the Inayatiyya) became an internationally-recognized spiritual teacher and master of meditation. He was an avid student of many religious and spiritual traditions and incorporated the rich mystical heritage of East and West into his teachings, adding to it the scholarship of the West in music, science, and psychology. He initiated dozens of international inter-religious conferences as well as convening spiritual and scientific leaders for public dialogues. He founded the Abode of the Message, a spiritual community in the Berkshires for over forty years, and Omega Institute, a flourishing learning center.