From Inayat Khan: "When I first offered these changing meditations as daily practices, I observed that they helped harmonize the entire work effort and attention through the people. At that time, several students were living in the same house with me. They were not coordinated in either their mental approach to living and being of service, nor were they harmonized and integrated with each other regarding respect, social interaction, or pointing toward the same goal and process. It was in this manner that I first approached offering these daily meditations, some of which now comprise what is call the "Bowl of Saki".
I began because of the haphazard nature of these students' minds and intents, and soon found a rhythm that dealt with and coordinated their daily activities into these very words. They soon found that by paying attention to them a theme would deepen throughout the day, and solve, or lead to solving of daily interactions as well. As this deepened, so too did their heart and intention with each other become more harmonized and in tune with the larger effort.
It was here that I found that repetition in other means was necessary for both reinforcing the lessons that were being learned, and also for exploring and delving deeper into the subtleties inherent within each of these areas, or considerations.
The needs determining the outer action or specific meditations were generally two. These are the aspects of both the outer and the inner. The inner were those qualities and lessons that I saw were needed to come to the next stage and the steps to attain or move to that. The outer was both the reactions and difficulties people were at times having with some of the concepts in absorbing them within their daily life, and what they included within the spiritual realm; and also what difficulties they had in their daily integration. Sometimes I would look for or even seek out disharmonies so I could use them as catalysts for further discussion and as themes for meditations. Eventually, after two or three years with this grouping they were no longer necessary and were abandoned.
Within a short time following when I stopped asking that these "sayings" be considered on a daily basis, I was approached by one of my students who was gaining the experiences of guiding. In this phase she was learning how to associate work I was giving into a larger "teaching". In other words, the expression of the Message.
She came to me one afternoon. It was raining I recall, with hints of sunlight streaming down, as rays of inspiration. She placed herself before me and asked if I had objection to using the sayings that were given to her and the others in a broader sense. I said, "No. Why did she ask this?" Because, she said, she had a dream, and in that a vision that they could be used for all the world, for people to help find a way to God. It was then that I first considered the method of transforming them into a teaching or guidance that would be useful for a larger audience.
She took on this work, as she had both been guided and instructed to do, and began organizing the sayings in a way that would be more applicable and useful to a wider audience and in a more general sense. I did little of the actual work on this effort other than to review what was being done, answer a question or two as she felt was needed - for example to make an adjustment in the wording or form of the meditation or contemplation, and eventually to advise on the overall content and approve the final grouping. It then was left up to her to finish the work. I gave approval to the first copy and it was published anonymously as "a student", as she did not wish to take credit for it or have it interfere with the learning; for she did not wish to place herself between the teaching and the learner. Later she gained the knowing and ability to be an intermediary without interfering.
This is the story of the creation of using these sayings as "The Bowl of Saki". She chose the name, together with both my assistance and confirmation of her intuition and vision. For she had been deeply immersed in the writings of Hafiz and felt influenced by him to extend this in the manner of his work, with his blessing and inspiration. It thus took on that name, and is also why the first Harmony relates and refers to it in the way that it does.
In 1930 I appeared to Samuel Lewis, a student of mine and Murshida Martin, who was growing as a guide and teacher. He was one of the few who maintained contact with me in spirit and heart, for he had knowing which far exceeded others who were primarily in an "organization". It was him I chose to continue the next step in the transmission of the "teachings" or meditations.
It became apparent to me that to be extended more, they needed to take on the next level of characteristics, those of function and process - the means and ways in which they work out in life in the multiple levels of creation. Also needed was a way to both relate these contemplations to the several different paths or religions in which they also are expressed, a little differently perhaps, but essentially similarly. There was also the need to correlate them, not only to the teaching, but also to compare the limitations of mind and individualized heart. Who better than to do all these things than Samuel, for he had traveled widely in the inner realms, and, like I, had interest in all the paths and honored all the teachers and prophets as part of the same work. Thus I appeared to him and asked him to bring forward the next step. His recognition and acceptance of this was immediate. Thus the commencement of this transmission began, also immediately. This continued several times during the process of writing, and it strengthened the resolve and conviction that the purpose was real and needed.
This is how we came to you last year and requested that you also continue this work as a way as to provide continuity and feeling to it; and to extend it in a Universal manner. We had also noticed a superficiality to some of the "arguments" or rejection of commentaries as being either shortsighted or not directly applicable. Thus we ask you to continue these as "harmonies" in which they may be blended and extended anew. In this manner the "breath" continues. This is also why, at our urging you have renamed the "commentaries" as "complements", for they are complementary."
Samuel Lewis spoke regarding his work of the commentaries: "This writing is complementary, the complement to the original sayings. They include some of the understanding; bringing forward the needed steps for consideration. I was given the job by my teacher and guide, Hazrat Inayat Khan to continue the work of the Bowl of Saki. He felt that there needed to be a deeper consideration of the functions and processes of the sayings, and felt that the time was right to extend that into the world - both for the benefit of the students then working with sayings and others to come later. He asked me if I would take on that focus and I accepted. Following that was a transmission of the knowing, the intention, of this work in a larger sense. As I worked with the individual writings, the sayings, I then began to get the form and focus of my own work. This was in done in constant contact, fana, with Inayat Khan so that the eyes I looked through and the taste of being were his as well as mine.
I gave the understanding so people could make that next step. Sometimes in form, sometimes function, many times what was needed was a clarification for the time or people I worked with, and those I saw coming. Sometimes it was broader. So the whole world was encompassed within my heart and I felt the need of humanity. In those cases I wrote from the face of being God incarnate. In this case I had to deliberately avoid any personality of "Sam" for he would get in the way of the message needed. To extend this personality I attuned to myself as the same one you also reach when reaching out to the world within.
The work that we now ask you to continue we are calling "harmonies ". These writings now provide the stages of feeling - sensing the step within oneself - the connection to the experience of the words."