Sheikh Salik - Jean Pierre David
Initiated in the Sufi Ruhaniat International in 1973 in San Francisco. His guide was a mureed of Murshid Sam, Majid Elbers. He was initiated in the Sufi Ruhaniat as a Sheikh in 2002 by Murshid Sauluddin and Pir Shabda. He was initiated in the Dervish Healing Order as a Shafayat in 2006. His practices include the prayer of remembrance (Zikr) of Hazrat Inayat Khan, the walks of Murshid Sam as walking meditation (Fikr), and the heart sutra from the Zen Buddhist contemplatives, prayers, and healing ritual of Hazrat Inayat Khan.
As in the Sufi tradition, he lived in the world (always doing spiritual practices) and worked in the hospitality industry in the USA, married, and has 5 daughters and 9 grandchildren. He is now a resident of the Algarve, Portugal.
As his mentors before him, he seeks to inspire others to find the wisdom and light ever present once turning within our own heart. Hazrat Inayat Khan called it the Spirit of Guidance.
Majid Elbers was Murshid Sam student. She became a leader in the Sufi Ruhaniat and initiated Jean Pierre in 1974. She welcomed him in her home, and he lived with her family for 6 years.
Majid encouraged her student to live in the world and go back to school where he earned a master's degree from Cornell University in hospitality. He had a successful career as hotel and club executive until his retirement.
Salik / Jean Pierre god-parents who inspired him most during his spiritual journey and touched his heart.
In San Francisco, Jiyu-Kennett was a diner guest and Jean Pierre offered her some wine. The Zen contemplative Buddhist monks did not drink alcohol at the monastery, but he did not know as he was himself a novice student in Sufism. She accepted the wine at the dismay of five monks looking in disbelief. She said: 'the first lesson in life is compassion and heart, what is offered with love, you receive with love from your host.' and then she added: 'the second lesson is moderation, nothing could cause much harm if practicing moderation.' Then all the monks accepted red wine that evening and this heartfelt teaching was included in the book written after her passing. She was the head of the Mount Shasta monastery in California. From that day in 1975 Jean Pierre started the practice of reciting the heart sutra up to today. Gate, gate, Paragate, Parasum Gate, Boddhisattva.
Joe Miller, president of the Theosophist Society in San Francisco was leading walks in Golden Gate Park where i met him on Thursday afternoon and we also had dances of universal peace. He said often: 'There is more stinking in thinking that there is in drinking, but to feel is for real.' He was all heart and had a thundering voice expressing his beautiful love and spirit.
Hidayat Inayat Khan is the son of Hazrat Inayat Khan and was the head of the Sufi Movement.
The friendship of heart developed over more than twenty years until his passing at the age of 99 years made a deep impression. Hidayat, raised in Suresnes loved to speak French among many of the languages he mastered. He shared many of his writings including the booklet on Spiritual Liberty and the music of the zikr as sung by his father every evening.
Moineddin became the leader of the Sufi Ruhaniat after the passing of Murshid Sam. He inspired me to continue working with the dances of universal peace as lead by Sam.
Papa Ram Dass is another godparent in our spiritual family. Jean Pierre spent nine months studying Vedanta and Yoga in an ashram in San Francisco in 1973. The leading teacher was then Swami Vishnu Devananda. He studied the Bhagava Gita and practiced Pranayama, asanas, dhyana, bhakti, kundalini and Savasana.