Dramatis Personae
Principal Characters (422)
in Alphabetical Order
A
Adams, Ansel: (1902-1984) a legendary, fine-art photographer of wild America.
Adamson, R.L.: associated with Aquarian Arcane College in Liverpool, Australia.
Affifi, Abul Ela: wrote The Mystical Philosophy of Muhyid Din-Ibnul Arabi.
Ahmed, Shamseddin (aka S. Ahmed): a disciple in Lahore, Pakistan.
Akbar, Emperor: (aka Akbar the Great) (1542-1605) a wise and enlightened ruler.
Alawi, Shaikh Ahmad al-: (aka Sidi El-Alawi) subject of Martin Lings’ A Sufi Saint of the 20th Century; recognized Murshid’s makam when he came to San Francisco.
Albanese, Margaret: a poet friend of Murshid.
Ali, Sufi Barkat: Murshid’s Murshid in Pakistan.
Alpert, Richard: see Ram Dass.
Amertat: see Fred Cohn.
Amin: (aka Stan Quance) a disciple, b. 1943.
Amina: (aka Katherine Erikson) a disciple, b. 1941.
Anandashram: in Kanhangad, South India; the ashram founded by Papa Ramdas.
Arasteh, Reza: wrote Rumi the Persian.
Arberry, A.J.: (1905-1969) English translator of Rumi and others.
Aristophanes: (c. 448-380 BC) Greek playwright.
Arlock, William: associated with Great Books of the Western World.
Arthur, Gavin: (1901-1972) astrologer; grandson of U.S. president Chester Arthur; friend of Murshid.
Ashby, Thad and Rita: Mansur’s LSD connection in Mexico.
Ashvaghosa: (or Avaghosa) (AD 80-150) considered India’s greatest poet until Kalidasa in the fifth century.
Atiya: (aka Charlotte Brautlacht) hosted Murshid, Saul, and Mansur in Seattle.
Atkinson, Dr. Henry: secretary of the World Church Peace Union.
Auliya, Nizamuddin: (1238-1325) a saint of the Chishti Order; disciple of Fariduddin Ganjshakar; teacher of Amir Khusro.
Austin, Jack: a friend of Murshid in England; edited The Western Buddhist.
Austin, Leonard: a personal friend of Murshid.
Avalokitesvara: the Bodhisattva of compassion in Buddhism.
Azam: an Israeli Arab.
B
Baba, Meher: (1894-1969) an Indian avatar; attracted Rabia Martin, whose
successor, Ivy Duce, Baba supported to start Sufism Reoriented.
Baer, Steve: designed the architectural dome at Lama Foundation.
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Bahm, Archie J.: (1907-1996) philosophy professor at the University of New Mexico.
Bailey, Alice A.: (1880-1949) a popular psychic.
Baipal, K.S.: Consul General at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
Baptiste, Walt and Magana: yoga teacher friends of Murshid.
Barbara: (aka Ayesha Moffat) a disciple, b. 1944; mother of Summer.
Basira: (aka Gypsy Updike) a disciple, b. 1946.
Beck, L. Adams: wrote Garden of Vision.
Begg, W.D.: (aka Mirza Wahiduddin) from Ajmer, India; newsletter editor; wrote
The Holy Biography of Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Hasa Chishti and The Big Five
of Sufism in India.
Bell, Gertrude: (1868-1926) traveled in the Middle East; friend of Lawrence of
Arabia.
Besant, Annie: (1847-1933) a leader of the Theosophical movement.
Best, Joyce: from Middlesex, England; the daughter of a longtime Sufi.
Bethmann, Erich W.: director of research at American Friends of the Middle East
in Washington, D.C.
Bhajan, Yogi: (1929-2004) kundalini yoga master from India.
Bhakti (Engle): mother of Jelila Fraley; wife of Fatha Engle, who was one of Hazrat
Inayat Khan’s secretaries.
Bibijan: the aunt of Saadia Khawar Khan; (not to be confused with Suzanne
D’Mitrieff aka Bibijan).
Blighton, Father: (aka Rev. Earl) founded The Holy Order of MANS in San
Francisco.
Bloom, Alfred: professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene.
Bois, J. Samuel: author of The Art of Awareness: a text on General Semantics.
Brand, Stewart: editor of the Whole Earth Catalog.
Brautlacht, Charlotte: see Atiya.
Brinner, Dr. William M.: chairman of the Department of Near East Languages at
UC Berkeley.
Bruner, Helen D.: director of public relations for American Friends of the Middle
East.
Brunton, Paul: (1898-1981) wrote A Search in Secret India.
Bucke, Richard M.: author of Cosmic Consciousness.
Buddha: (c. 560-480 BC) the fountainhead of Buddhism, born in India.
Bulwer-Lytton, George Edward: (1803-1873) wrote The Coming Race.
Burbank, Luther: a horticulturalist; knew Inayat Khan; lived in Santa Rosa,
California.
Burckhardt, Titus: wrote Introduction to Sufi Doctrine, b. 1908.
Burdick, Eugene and William Lederer: wrote the novels The Ugly American and
Sarkhan.
Burton, Phillip: (1926-1983) U.S. Representative from California.
Byron, Lord: (aka George Gordon) (1788-1824) English Romantic poet.
C Caen, Herb: columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Cage, John: (1912-1992) experimental musician and composer.
Cameron, George: (aka Yusuf) a secretary of Pir Vilayat’s.
Carl: see Moineddin.
Carlebach, Schlomo: (1925-1994) the singing rabbi; founded the House of Love
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and Prayer in San Francisco and Moshav Or Modiin, near Tel Aviv, Israel.
Carpenter, Edward: Walt Whitman‘s teacher.
Carson, Rachel: (1907-1964) wrote Silent Spring.
Carter, Boake: radio commentator, b. 1899; said, “In time of war the first casualty
is truth.”
Carus, Paul: (1852-1919) American philosopher, born and educated in Germany;
wrote The Gospel of Buddha.
Cassim, Dr. K.M.P. Mohammed: a correspondent of Murshid’s from Ceylon.
Cayce, Edgar: (aka the sleeping prophet) (1877-1945) a popular psychic and
medical clairvoyant; established Association for Research and Enlightenment
(ARE) in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Cayce, Hugh Lynn: son of Edgar Cayce, associated with ARE.
Cerminara, Gina: wrote Many Mansions.
Chandrasekar, Dr.: India’s best demographer, according to Murshid.
Channon, Ram Lal: Murshid’s Indian guru for secular affairs.
Chatterji, Dr. S.C.: professor at Calcutta University in India; teacher of Haridas
Chaudhuri.
Chaudhuri, Haridas: (1913-1975) sent to the United States by Sri Aurobindo;
founded the Cultural Integration Fellowship in San Francisco in 1951.
Chishti, Khawaja Moinuddin: (1141-1236) founded the Chishti Order of Sufis in
Ajmer, India.
Clark (Brown): a pre-1967 disciple of Murshid.
Clary, William: art dealer in San Francisco.
Clemenceau, Georges: (1841-1929) appointed Prime Minister of France in 1917.
Clifton, Robert: (aka Phra Sumangalo) a Buddhist who witnessed the effects of
U.S. foreign policy in S.E. Asia.
Cogswell, Sibley: a disciple, b. 1947.
Cohen, Alan, PhD: a representative of Meher Baba.
Cohn, Fred: (aka Amertat) a disciple, b. 1943, director of the film Sunseed.
Cohn, Julie: a disciple, Fred Cohn’s wife.
Cook, Ruth: an employee of Field’s Book Store in San Francisco.
Cooper, John Sherman: (1901-1991) a Republican U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
Corda, Sheikha Vera: (aka Vera Van Voris) a contemporary of Murshid’s whom he
made a Sheikha.
Cowell, Henry: (1897-1965) American composer and author; teacher of John Cage.
Crumb, R.: an underground, San Francisco cartoonist.
D
Dalton, John: (1766-1844) English chemist and physicist.
Daniel (Lomax): (aka Abdul-rahman) a disciple, b. 1944; one of Murshid’s
secretaries.
Dara: (aka Buzz Rowell) accompanied Sheila to India.
Davenport, Clara: (aka Selima) a disciple, b. 1944; wife of Phillip Davenport,
mother of Kevin and Shirin; Mansur’s Greek dance partner.
Davenport, Phillip: (aka Vasheest) (1943-2001) a disciple; husband of Selima,
father of Kevin and Shirin; editor of the revived San Francisco Oracle; lead sheet
writer for the Grateful Dead; singer in the Sufi Choir.
David-Neel, Alexandria: author of books about Tibet, e.g. Magic and Mystery in Tibet.
Deed, D.M.: wrote an article on Jonah.
Devi: (aka Debbie Churney) a disciple, b. 1952.
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Dignaga: (AD 480-540) Indian Buddhist philosopher and logician.
Diskul, Princess Poon Pismai: Thailand’s president of the World Fellowship of
Buddhists from 1963-1984; attended the Temple of Understanding conference
in Geneva.
Dixon, Jeane: (1918-1997) a popular psychic.
D’Mitrieff, Suzanne: (aka Bibijan) Pir Vilayat’s secretary in Los Angeles.
D’Olivet, Fabre: (1767-1825) French philologist, mystic, and Hebrew scholar.
Donkin, William: wrote Wayfarers: Maher Baba with the God-intoxicated.
Douglas-Klotz, Neil: (aka Saadi) scholar and Sufi Murshid; student of Moineddin
Jablonski; edited Sufi Vision and Initiation.
Doyle (Wegner): a disciple.
Drew (Langsner): a disciple.
Duce, Ivy: (1895-1981) successor of Rabia Martin; follower of Meher Baba; founder
of Sufism Reoriented.
Durkee, Barbara: (aka Asha) co-founder of Lama Foundation in New Mexico.
Duncan, Isadora: (1878-1927) dancer; revolutionist.
Dunne, Peter Finley: associated with the Temple of Understanding.
Durrani, Professor: Pakistani yogi; Sufi; renowned physicist.
E
Emerson, Ralph Waldo: (1803-1882) American author, poet, and philosopher.
Erickson, Richard: director of the Alumni Association at UC Berkeley.
Ets-Hokim, Jeremy: San Francisco businessman.
Evenson, Admiral: associated with American Friends of the Middle East.
F Fakir, Asoke: a
Bengali, embraced by Murshid at a
meeting.
Fatha (Engle): see Bhakti.
Fatima: (aka Pat Lassar Jablonski) a disciple, b. 1946; Moineddin’s wife.
Ferlinghetti, Lawrence: beat poet, b. 1919; contemporary of Jack Kerouac; opened
City Lights bookstore on Columbus Avenue in San Francisco.
Fernandez, Zoso (Paul): chief disciple of Nyogen Senzaki.
Ferry, Diane: a disciple.
Fine, Rabbi Alvin: resident of San Francisco.
Fish, Nancy: an actress; one of Murshid’s goddaughters.
Fiske, Vocha: Murshid’s friend, often referred to as “divine mother.”
Fiyazaddin Sahib: (aka Fayazuddin of Hyderabad) the exoteric head of the Nizamun-
din Chishtis in India.
Fleming, Dean: lived at Libre in Colorado.
Fraley, Jelila: wife of Bob Fraley (aka Muni) and daughter of Bhakti Engle.
Frances (von Briesen): a co-founder of Lama Foundation; Hans’s sister.
Frank, Robert: b. 1924 in Zurich, Switzerland; documentary film-maker.
Frank (Welch): (aka Halim) a disciple, b. 1944.
Franklin, H. Bruce: English Professor, b. 1934; author at Stanford and Rutgers
Universities.
Fung, Dr.: minister of the Buddhist Universalist Church in San Francisco.
G Galbraith, John Kenneth: b. 1908 in Canada; Berkeley-educated economist; U.S.
ambassador to India in the early 1960s.
Gandalf’s Garden: a group of hippies in London.
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Gandhi, Mohandas K.: (aka Mahatma Gandhi) (1869-1948) leader of the struggle
for India’s independence.
Garrett, Eileen: a popular psychic.
Geeting, Baxter M.: professor of Speech in Sacramento, California.
George (Matthews): a disciple.
Ghazzali, Abu Hamid al-: (1058-1111) Sufi mystic born near Mashad, Iran; wrote
Niche of Light.
Ghose, Sri Aurobindo: (1872-1950) established Sri Aurobindo ashram in
Pondicherry, India.
Ghose, Sri Surendra Mohan: Indian congressional leader; recommended Murshid
to the Australian, R.L. Adamson.
Gibbings, Rev. Cecil: served Longthrope Vicarage in Peterborough, England.
Gilbert, W.S., and Arthur Sullivan: (1836-1911 and 1842-1900, respectively)
creators of comic operas loved by Murshid.
Ginger: see Jehanara.
Ginsberg, Allen: (1926-1997) Beat poet; wrote Howl.
Giri, V.V.: (1894-1980) Vice President of India from 1967-1969; President of India
1969-1974.
Goddard, Dwight: compiled The Buddhist Bible.
Gold, Marc: a disciple.
Gottlieb, Lou: (1924-1996) commune leader at Morning Star Ranch in Sonoma
County; former bass player for the Limeliters.
Govinda, Lama Anagarika: (1898-1985) a Tibetan Buddhist born in Germany;
author of The Way of the White Clouds.
Gupta, P.K.: an Indian friend of W.D. Begg.
Gurdjieff, George Ivanovitch: (1872-1949) Armenian spiritualist and author.
H Haeckel, Ernst: (
1834-1919) German comparative anatomist, best known for
saying, “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.”
Hafiz: (1317-1390) Sufi poet buried in Shiraz, Iran.
Hammarskjold, Dag: (1905-1961) Swedish statesman; Secretary-General of the
United Nations from 1957 until his death.
Hans (von Briesen): a Lama resident; Frances’s brother.
Harvey, Richard: associated with East-West Foundation in Boston.
Hathaway, Bill: local friend of Murshid.
Hawkins, Dr. Alma: professor at the UCLA Dance Department.
Hassan (aka Sigmund Herz): a disciple, b. 1946; husband of Jehanara.
Hayakawa, S.I.(Don): President of San Francisco State and a U.S. Senator from
California.
Hawthorn, Nathaniel: (1804-1864) American novelist; wrote The Scarlet Letter and
The Great Stone Face.
Hedgepeth, William and Dennis Stock: visited Lama Foundation researching The
Alternative: Communal life in new America.
Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich: (1770-1831) a German philosopher.
Helen and Ray: Saul’s friends living in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Helmholz, A. Carl: a nuclear physicist at UC Berkeley.
Hoffmaster, David: a disciple, b. 1947; Murshid’s housemate.
Holmes, Steward W.: English professor at Castleton State College in Vermont.
Holzhauer, Betty: Mansur’s mother.
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Hoodbhoy, Samir A.: Executive Secretary of the Pakistan Students Association of
America.
Hoppe, Art: columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Howard (Mussell): a pre-1967 disciple of Murshid.
Hubbard, Earl: edited The Center Letter from Lakeville, Connecticut.
Hujwiri, Ali ibn Uthman al-: (aka Data Gang Baksh) (AD 988-1073) wrote an
ancient Sufi treatise Kashf al-Madjub.
Hunt, Ed: Murshid’s elderly housemate in the late 1960s, briefly.
Hussain: (aka Dennis H. McGinley) a disciple.
Hussein, Dr. Zakir: (1897-1969) third President of India 1967-1969.
Huxley, Aldous: (1894-1963) English author, wrote Brave New World.
I Iamblichus: (
c. 250-325 BC) Neoplatonic philosopher; wrote the Life of
Pythagoras.
Ibn Arabi, Muhyi al-din: (1164-1240) mystic born in Spain; died in Damascus.
Iqbal, Mohammed: (1877-1939) Urdu poet-philosopher; instrumental in the
creation of Pakistan.
J Jaffe, Raymond: official at the Experimental Collegiate Program at UC Berkeley.
James (Pickard): a disciple, b. 1943.
James, William: (1842-1910) worked in and between physiology, psychology, and
philosophy; wrote The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Jasmine: (aka Jill Cogswell) a disciple, b. 1948.
Jefferson, Thomas: third President of United States (1801-1809).
Jehanara: (aka Ginger May) a disciple, b. 1946, wife of Hassan Herz.
Jelaleddin: (aka Jeremy Cave) a disciple, b. 1934.
Jemila: (aka Carolyn Buckmaster Johnson) a disciple, b. 1943; Mansur’s wife.
Jennings, C. Robert: author of Playboy magazine’s article about Murshid.
Jeremy: see Jelaleddin.
Jesus: gave teachings that Murshid took seriously, e.g. “Whatsoever ye do unto the
least of these, my brethren, ye do it unto Me.”
Jilani, Abdul Qadir: (1077-1166) Sufi saint buried in Baghdad.
Johnson, Otis and Mabel: Mansur’s grandparents.
Joyner, Russell: office manager of the International Society of General Semantics.
K
Kaplan, Dr. Abraham: pupil of Daisetz Suzuki.
Kapleau, Philip: Zen master; author of The Three Pillars of Zen.
Kelly, Frank: associated with Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in
Santa Barbara, California.
Kennedy, Susan: staff person in Congressman Phillip Burton’s office.
Kennett, Roshi: (1924-1996) founded Shasta Abbey, Mt. Shasta, California.
Keyser, Cassius: (aka C.J. (Jackson) Keyser) (1862-1947) wrote Humanism and
Science.
Khalif Akbar: (aka Jim Simmons) a disciple, b. 1946.
Khan, General Ayub: (1907-1974) President of Pakistan (1962-1969).
Khan, Fazal Inayat: grandson of Hazrat Inayat Khan, son of Hidayat Inayat Khan.
Khan, Hazrat Inayat: (1882-1927) brought the Sufi Message to the United States in
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1910; established the Sufi Movement; one of Murshid’s teachers.
Khan, Hidayat Inayat: son of Hazrat Inayat Khan; Vilayat’s brother, b. 1917.
Khan, Maheboob: (1887-1948) Hazrat Inayat Khan’s brother.
Khan, Pir Vilayat Inayat: (1916-2004) son of Hazrat Inayat Khan; Hidayat’s
brother; established the Sufi Order.
Khan, Saadia Khawar: born in Pakistan; a disciple and goddaughter of Murshid;
studied at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Khusrau, Amir: (1253-1325) poet, favorite companion of twelfth-century saint
Nizamuddin Auliya with whom he is buried near Delhi.
Kingsolving, Lester: a religion correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Kirby, M.T.: (aka Sogaku Shaku) a student of Shaku Soyen, Murshid’s teacher in
1920; introduced Murshid to Nyogen Sensaki.
Korty, John: film director.
Korzybski, Alfred: (1879-1950) wrote Science and Sanity: an introduction to non-
Aristotelian systems and general semantics.
Kosygin, Alexei Nikolayevich: (1904-1980) in 1964 succeeded Krushchev as
Premier of the Soviet Union.
Kozicki, Dr. Richard J.: taught a class on Southeast Asia at UC Berkeley; lived in
Burma and Malaysia.
Krishna: (c. 3228-3102 BC) appeared in India for 125 years; gave the Bhagavad-Gita
(Song of God); danced with the gopis, including Radha; considered an avatar.
Krishnabai, Mother: the spiritual consort of Papa Ramdas at Anandashram,
Kanhangad, Travancore-Cochin, South India.
Krishnadas: (aka Duncan Pierce) a disciple.
Krishnamurti, Jiddu: (1895-1986) adopted in India by Annie Besant; subject of a
documentary by Amertat Fred Cohn at KQED in San Francisco.
Kuchel, Thomas: (1910-1994) Republican U.S. Senator from California 1953-1969.
L
Lachelt, Theodore: Murshid’s lawyer.
Lal, Dr.: associated with Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
Lama Foundation: a mountain community in New Mexico.
Lame Deer, Archie Fire: wrote Gift of Power.
Lancaster, Lewis: UC Berkeley professor.
Lansdale, General Edward Geary: (1908-1987) author of In the Midst of Wars: an
American’s mission to Southeast Asia; a CIA legend; a hero of Murshid.
Laura (Mathison): a disciple.
Leach, Margaret: Pir Vilayat’s summer camp coordinator.
Leadbeater, C.W.: leader in the Theosophical movement.
Leary, Timothy: (1920-1996) popularized the use of LSD.
Lee, Chingwah: art dealer in San Francisco.
Less, Lonnie: (aka Shahabudin) hosted Murshid in New York City.
Lewis, Elliott: Murshid’s brother.
Lewis, Jacob E.: father of Murshid Samuel L. Lewis.
Lewis, Murshid Samuel L.: (aka Reverend He Kwang and Sufi Ahmad Murad
Chisti) (1896-1971) initiated a revival of the Sufi outlook in the West.
Lindstrum, Charles and Miriam: old friends of Murshid.
Lingo, T.D.: associated with the Adventure Trails Survival School in Black Hawk,
Colorado.
Lings, Martin: author who wrote A Sufi Saint of the 20th Century: Shaik Ahmad al474
Alawi: His spiritual heritage and legacy.
Lytton, Bulwer: (1803-1873) wrote The Coming Race.
M Maharshi, Ramana: (
1879-1950) among the most renowned Indian sages of the
twentieth-century; lived at the holy hill of Arunchala in South India.
Malalasekera, Dr. G.: the United Nations representative from Ceylon.
Mansur: (aka Otis Johnson) a disciple, b. 1941; one of Murshid’s secretaries.
Marcia (Pavolic): a disciple, b. 1943.
Marpa: (1012-1096) known as the Translator; translated scriptures he brought
from India into Tibetan; teacher of Milarepa.
Martin, Murshida (Ada) Rabia: (1871-1947) Inayat Khan’s first mureed (disciple)
in America; extended invitation in 1923 for Khan’s second visit to the states;
appointed Murshid her Khalif (representative).
Martini, Marion: Murshid’s cousin.
Marty (Peller): a disciple.
Mary Sue (Sitton): a disciple, b. 1939.
Marx, Karl: (1818-1883) a socialist philosopher.
Mathieu, Bill: (aka Allaudin) musician; composer; a disciple; director of the Sufi
Choir.
Matthews, George: a disciple.
McCandless, Mrs.: a literary collaborator with Nyogen Sensaki.
McCloskey, Jr., Paul N.: U.S. representative from California, b. 1927.
McCoy, Don: established Olompali Ranch.
McGee, Norman: Murshid’s godson.
McLellan, Nusi: an old friend of Murshid.
Medlock, Julie: a North American living at Sri Aurobindo’s ashram, Auroville, near
Pondicherry in India.
Melvin: (aka Wali Ali Meyer) a disciple, b. 1942; one of Murshid’s secretaries.
Merchant, Deepak: son of K.T. Merchant.
Merchant, K.T.: Indian professor.
Milarepa: (1052-1135) Tibetan saint; student of Marpa the Translator.
Millay, Edna St. Vincent: a poet Murshid adored; wrote, “The world stands out on
either side, no wider than the heart is wide.”
Mir, Mian: (d. 1635) a Sufi saint from around the time of Akbar.
Miura Roshi, Issho: wrote Zen Dust with Ruth Fuller Sasaki.
Mohammed: (570-632) the last of the prophets; received the Qur’an; founded
Islam.
Moineddin: (aka Carl Jablonski) (1942-2001) a disciple; Murshid’s chosen
successor; Fatima’s husband.
Moore, Marianne: (1887-1972) an American poet.
Morain, Lloyd: secretary of the International Society of General Semantics.
Morris, Craig, and Donald E. Thompson: wrote Huanuco Pampa.
Morse, Samuel: (1791-1872) invented the telegraph and Morse code.
Moscone, George: (1929-1978) senator in California’s legislature; murdered while
mayor of San Francisco, along with gay activist Harvey Milk, by City Supervisor
Dan White.
Mosley, Rufus: described as a saint; one with whom Murshid had a love
attunement.
Mossman, Ruth: from Modesto, California; friend of Murshid.
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Mary, Mother: (aka Mary Mae Hoffman Maier) (1894-1970) spiritual seeker;
proprietor of The Inn at Mt. Shasta, California.
Mundy, Talbot: (1879-1940) wrote Om, the Secret of Ahbor Valley.
Murphy, George: (1902-1992) U.S. senator from California from 1965-1971.
N Nakagawa Roshi, Soen: (
1907-1984) abbot of Ryutaku-ji in Japan; friend of Nyogen
Sensaki; teacher of Philip Kapleau.
Narita, Hiro: a cinematographer; worked with John Korty.
Nasr, Dr. Seyyed Hossein: a professor from Iran who taught at Harvard.
Nasr-ed-din, Mulla Kwaja: a comic character in Sufi stories.
Nathan (Benjamin Johnson): son of Mansur and Jemila, b. 1966.
Needleman, Jacob: philosophy professor; offered classes at UC Berkeley Extension
in San Francisco.
Nicholson, Reynold Alleyne: (1868-1945) wrote Idea of Personality in Sufism.
Nietzsche, Friedrich: (1844-1900) a German philosopher.
Nizami, Pir-O-Murshid Hassan Sani: grand master of the Chishti order in Delhi.
Nottingham, Professor: offered classes on Asian religions.
Nur-un-nisa: daughter of Moineddin and Fatima.
O
OTEC: acronym for ocean thermal energy conversion; a technology for producing
electricity from ocean water; promoted by Shamcher.
Ouspensky, Petyr Demianovich: (1878-1947) Russian-born mathematician and
mystic; played St. Paul to Gurdjieff’s Christ.
P Pallis, Marco: (
1895-1990) wrote about Buddhism.
Parisa: (aka Ruth Wintheil) a disciple, b. 1939.
Parrish, Dean Carroll: of UCLA, visited in Los Angeles by Murshid; formerly, a
secretary of Murshid.
Pat: see Fatima.
Patel, A.B.: a leader of the Sri Aurobindo Movement.
Patel, Villabhai: gave Murshid an interview in India.
Patterson, Elizabeth: a resident at the Meher Baba Center in Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina.
Paul (Rognlie): a disciple, b. 1947.
Perls, Fritz: a psychologist connected with the Esalen Institute.
Plato: (c. 427-347 BC) Greek philosopher; student of Socrates; teacher of Aristotle.
Power, Richard: author of The Life and teachings of Joe Miller.
Premanand, Trikanand: grandson of Papa Ramdas.
Price, Iru: Lama Govinda’s host in San Francisco.
Priebe, Reverend Harold: resident of Ojai, California.
Pythagoras: (c. 569-475 BC) Greek philosopher and mathematician famous for his
theorem, a2+b2=c2.
Q
Qadiri, Hazrat Faqir Nur Muhammad Sarwari: (1888?-1960) born in Northwest
Frontier Province of Pakistan; wrote Irfan.
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R Rabbit, Peter: lived at Libre, an artist’s community, in Colorado.
Radhakrishnan, Dr. Sarvepalli: (1888-1975) second President of India (1962-67).
Rahman, Tengku Abdul: (1903-1990) the first Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Ram Dass: (aka Richard Alpert) joined with Timothy Leary to popularize LSD,
b. 1941; author of Be Here Now.
Rama, Swami: (1925-1996) wrote Living with the Himalayan Masters.
Ramakrishna, Sri: (1836-1866) his message was his God-consciousness; teacher
of Swami Vivekananda.
Ramdas, Swami: (1884-1963) founded Anandashram near Kanhangad in South
India; wrote God Experience.
Ranganathananda Maharaj, Swami: a Vedanta student of Swami Shivananda
in the Ramakrishna school of Swami Vivekananda, b. 1908; considered by
Murshid “the greatest man in the world.”
Rapp, Dorothy: secretary of the Temple of Understanding.
Reinhold, Fred and Corinne: personal friends of Murshid.
Reiser, Oliver: professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of
Pittsburg.
Renee (Sager): a disciple, b. 1920.
Reps, Paul: (1895-1990) (aka Saladin) a disciple of Hazrat Inayat Khan; friend of
Murshid; author who compiled Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.
Rhys-David, Thomas William: (1843-1922) and his wife, both English scholars of
the Pali language.
Robinson, Lois: a psychic.
Roerich Museum: 319 W. 107th Street in New York; founded by Russian painter
Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947).
Rohe, Fred: proprietor of New Age health food store in San Francisco.
Rosenblatt, Martin S.: vice president of Gumps department store in San Francisco.
Rosenthal, Harry: Murshid’s uncle.
Ross, F. Clive: English Editor of the journal Studies in Comparative Religion.
Rudhyar, Dane: (1895-1985) astrologer and author.
Rumi: (aka Maulana Roum, or Jelaluddin Rumi) (1207-1273) poet inspired by
Shams-i-Tabriz.
Russell, Bertrand Arthur William: (1872-1970) Nobel Prize winning British
philosopher; anti-nuclear activist.
Ruth: see Parisa.
S Sadiq, Major Mohammad: Murshid’s friend in Pakistan who healed cancer and
blindness.
Sahib, F. Mawlawi: head of the bureau of Arab information in San Francisco.
Sai Baba, Bhagavan Sri Sathya: Indian guru, b. 1926, has 10 million followers.
Sa’id, Abu: (AD 967-1049) Sufi sheikh born in Turkmenistan, disciple of Abu al-
Fadl and Abu ‘Abbass.
St. Denis, Ruth: (1879-1968) a spiritual dancer.
Sakran, Frank C.: executive secretary of the American Council on the Middle East.
Saladin: (1138-1193) a Kurd born in Tikrit, Iraq; recaptured Jerusalem from the
Crusaders.
San, Master Seo: (aka Hyoo Jung or Chung Hur) wrote Text for Zen Buddhism, b.
1520.
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Sapp, David: accompanied Mansur and Phillip to the Ram Dass interview.
Sasaki, Sokei-An: (1882-1945) transmitted the dharma; one of Murshid’s Japanese
Zen teachers; married Ruth Fuller (whose daughter from a previous marriage
was Alan Watt’s first wife); met Murshid in 1930; died the day before Murshid
arrived for another visit.
Sasaki, Ruth Fuller: wife of Sokei-An Sasaki; wrote Zen Dust with Issho Miura
Roshi.
Satchitananda, Swami: (1914-2002) revered yoga master from India.
Saul (Barodofsky): a disciple, b. 1939; Murshid’s Hakim (physician).
Savio, Mario: (1942-1996) leader of the Free Speech movement at Berkeley.
Schaeffer, Rudolph: founded the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San
Francisco; friend of Murshid.
Scherbatsky, F.I.: (also Shcherbatskoi, or Stcherbatsky, Th.) (1866-1942) wrote
Buddhist Logic.
Schuon, Frithjof: (1907-1998) author of Understanding Islam and Gnosis.
Scipio Africanus Major, Publius Cornelius: (c. 236-183 BC) Roman general who
defeated Hannibal in the Punic Wars.
Secrist, Elsie: associated with Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and
Enlightenment (ARE).
Sekhar, Dr. Chandra: Indian demographer.
Senzaki, Nyogen: (1876-1958) Soyen Shaku’s student; a Zen Buddhist teacher of
Murshid.
Seo, Master Kyung Bo: Murshid’s Korean Zen Master; a disciple of Chinese Zen
Master Tai Hsu.
Shaku, Soyen: (1859-1919) attended Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893;
teacher of M.T. Kirby and Nyogen Senzaki.
Shamcher: (aka Bryn Beorse) Norwegian engineer; a disciple of Hazrat Inayat
Khan; friend of Murshid; built OTEC plants in three sizes at UC Berkeley’s Sea
Water Conversion Laboratory; lobbied the federal government for OTEC from
1976-1979.
Shankaracharya: Vedantic scholar, b. AD 788.
Shams-i-Tabriz: Jelaleddin Rumi’s spiritual consort.
Sharab and Paul: a couple; friends of Murshid.
Shawn, Ted: Ruth St. Denis’ dance partner.
Sheila (McKendrick): (aka Sheyla) a disciple; resident of Olompali ranch; went to
India with Dara.
Shereef, Pir Dewwal: spiritual advisor to Ayub Khan; in 1962 appointed Murshid
representative of the University of Islamabad in Pakistan.
Shibata, Mr.: owner of the Daibutsu, an Asian art store on Fillmore in San
Francisco.
Shikoh, Prince Dara: (1615-1659) eldest son of Shah Jahan; defeated and beheaded
by his younger brother Aurangzeb in a struggle for the Moghul throne.
Shirin (aka Marion Doyle): a disciple, b. 1944.
Sibley (Cogswell): a disciple, b. 1947.
Silver, Ralph: Nancy Fish’s husband.
Singer, Milton: wrote Krishna: Myths, Rites, and Attitudes.
Sitara: hosted Murshid, Saul and Mansur in Everett, Washington.
Slosberg, Mr.: a banker at Wells Fargo in San Francisco.
Smith, Huston: MIT, Syracuse, and UC Berkeley Professor of Philosophy and
Religion; author of The Religions of Man, re-released as The World’s Religions.
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Smith, Russell: Murshid’s former boss; associated with the Asia Foundation.
Smuts, Jan Christiaan: (1870-1950) South African statesman and soldier.
Snow, C.P.: (1905-1980) wrote Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.
Snyder, Gary: Zen, Beat poet, b. 1930; won Pulitzer prize for Turtle Island.
Snyfeld, Louise: numerologist for Hollywood notables.
Sorenson, Ted: advisor to President John F. Kennedy.
Stockwell, John: associated with the World Union in San Francisco.
Subhuti: the foremost disciple of Buddha in The Diamond Sutra.
Suleiman the Magnificent: (1494-1566) Turkish Sultan for 40 years; rule marked
the apex of the Ottoman Empire.
Summer (Moffat): daughter of Barbara, b. 1965.
Suzuki, Daisetz: (1870-1966) Japanese Buddhist scholar; student of Soyen Shaku.
Swahananda, Swami: a pupil of Swami Ranganathananda Maharaj based in San
Francisco.
T Tai-Hsu: a
Chinese Zen Master; author of Lectures in Buddhism.
Tamalpais: a 2,571 foot mountain in Marin County, just north of San Francisco.
Tansen: a great musician at the court of sixteenth-century, Moghul Emperor
Akbar.
Tart, Charles: a psychologist.
Taylor, Dan: a disciple.
Tedesco, Frank: a disciple.
Terry, Walter: author of Miss Ruth.
Thant, U: Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1961-1971; from
Burma; succeeded Dag Hammarskjold.
Thien-An, Thich: (1926-1980) a Vietnamese Zen master; wrote Zen Philosophy,
Zen Practice.
Townes, Charles H.: Nobel Prize winner in Physics.
Trebitsch-Lincoln: (aka Dr. Ruh) a Buddhist psychic who saw clearly.
Trikanand, Sheela: wife of Premanand Trikanand.
Tussman, Joseph: employee of UC Berkeley Experimental College.
Twain, Mark: (1835-1910) humorist, novelist, wit.
Tyberg, Judith: (1902-1980) a disciple of Sri Aurobindo; founded the East-West
Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
V Van (
Beasley): a
disciple, b. 1946.
Vashti (Morgan): a disciple.
Vilayat: see Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan.
Vivekananda, Swami: (1863-1902) a student of Sri Ramakrishna; attended the
Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 to present Indian philosophy.
von Stahl, Lottie: a clairvoyant.
Voris, Vera Van: (aka Murshida Vera Corda) (1913-2002) met Murshid in 1937.
W Wachob, Bill: Mansur’s cousin.
Wadia, A.P.: economics guru to K.T. Merchant.
Wagner, Eugene: a Buddhist; spiritual advisor to the Maharani of Sikkim.
Wali Ali: see Melvin.
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Wallace, Schatsie (Charlotte): knew about Sri Aurobindo’s ashram.
Wallace, Craig: resident of Ross, California.
Warwick, Dr. & Rev. Neville: Tibetan Buddhist friend of Murshid.
Watts, Alan: (1915-1973) popularizer of Zen.
Wayne (Jaekel): a disciple.
Weismuller, Johnny: an Olympic swimmer, played Tarzan in the movies.
Welch, Holmes: a Harvard professor; wrote The Buddhist Revival in China.
Welch, Lew: (1926-1971) Beat poet; poetry instructor of Murshid at UC Berkeley
Extension; disappeared in the Sierra Neveda foothills at Gary Snyder’s in 1971.
Whiteman, Luther: co-author with Murshid of Glory Roads.
Whitman, Walt: (1819-1892) ecstatic American poet who said, “In all men I see
myself.”
Wilde, Oscar: (1854-1900) wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Wills, Lynn: Vilayat’s youth secretary in Los Angeles.
Wood, Seth: old friend of Murshid from Marin County, California.
Y Yasutani Roshi, Hakuun: (
1885-1973) Zen Master; teacher of Philip Kapleau.
Yeager, Elizabeth: counseled by Murshid.
Yorty, Sam: (1910-1998) Mayor of Los Angeles 1961-1973.
Z Zaehner, R.C.: taught at All Souls College in Oxford, England; wrote Hindu and
Muslim Mysticism.
Zeinob: (aka Clair (Gwen) Bernham) a disciple, b. 1947.
Zenji, Hakuin: (1686-1769) Zen master in the Rinzai school; first asked, “What is
the sound of one hand clapping?”; wrote The Embossed Tea Kettle.
Zitko, Dr. H. John: founder and president of the World University.