Pir Shabda Kahn

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Pir Shabda Kahn has been a disciple of Sufism since 1969. He is a direct disciple of Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti), and he worked closely with the great American mystic Joe Miller. Pir Shabda is currently the Pir (spiritual director) of the Sufi Ruhaniat International and the director of the Chisti Sabri School of Music.

After living in a community with Baba Ram Dass on the East Coast, Pir Shabda met Murshid Sam and moved to San Francisco in 1969. In the fall of 1970, Pir Shabda had the good fortune to travel with Murshid Sam for five weeks as his personal assistant on the East Coast, which helped deepen his relationship with his teacher and the Path. He received his spiritual name from Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan in 1971, after Murshid Sam’s passing.

In 1972, Pir Shabda was initiated by Pandit Pran Nath, the Master North Indian classical vocalist, and began the daily practice of Raga singing in the Kirana style. Pandit Pran Nath, a Sufi mystic, requested that Pir Shabda carry on the 800-year-old oral transmission under the name of the Chisti Sabri School of Music, now an umbrella for teaching vocal music and performing Raga.

In 1984, Pir Shabda became a disciple of the illustrious 12th Tai Situpa Rinpoche, a venerated Tibetan Buddhist incarnate lama of the Kagyu Lineage.

Pir Shabda has appeared as a musician in concerts, including Visions for a Perfect World at New York’s St. John the Divine Cathedral. He has also performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for New Music America in Chicago, at Delhi University Music School, and at Shivaratri Festival in New Delhi. He is one of a handful of Americans who have dedicated themselves to carrying on the legacy of the treasure of North Indian classical vocal music.

Pir Shabda married his wife Tamam in 1976, and they made their home in San Rafael, California. They have a son and daughter-in-law, two young granddaughters, and many godchildren.

As Pir of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, Pir Shabda directs the Jamiat Khas (the Ruhaniat leader circle), directs the SRI Board of Trustees, and is the spiritual director for the Dances of Universal Peace worldwide. He has a regular zikr meeting in Marin County, California, and travels the world throughout the year spreading the Sufi Message of love, harmony, and beauty. He brings warmth, humor, and clarity in his efforts to help seekers on their path to awakening.

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