History

The Abode of the Message is a spiritual community founded in 1975 by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. His father, Indian Sufi Master, Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, brought a Sufi Message of unity to the west in 1910, which was intended to help “unite humanity in brotherhood and wisdom.” The Abode is the primary residential community of the Sufi Order International. The Abode is dedicated to honoring the unity, truth and wisdom of all the world’s religious traditions.

Most of the Abode's Main Campus structures were built in the mid-19th century by the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village community as housing and workspaces. Formally established in 1787, the New Lebanon Shaker Society (renamed the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society in 1861), was the second major Shaker society formed in the recently created United States of America. The society established its home at the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, which became the primary Shaker spiritual residential community.

The Mount Lebanon Shaker Village was organized into family groups living in clustered buildings sited around the property. Three main groups of buildings survive as of 2011. The Church Family property is occupied by Darrow School, a private residential high school. The North Family property is occupied and being restored by the Shaker Museum and Library historical society. The South Family property was owned by the Shaker Village Work Group,  a camp for urban teenagers established in 1947 as the Shaker Village Work Camp, until it was purchased in 1975 by the Sufi Order International, which established it as a new spiritual residential community—The Abode of the Message.

In the spring of 1975, Sufi Order initiates came from all parts of the United States to found The Abode of the Message. Over 75 adults and 25 children worked hard to restore the farm and repair the buildings. There were few bathrooms, no central heating, and electrical wiring was sparse and out-dated. The community spent countless hours just preparing for that first winter. One year later, the community had woodworking, stained glass and sewing shops, which produced and sold handmade items. The Abode also established a bakery, a Volkswagen repair shop and a small school with three teachers and 15 students. Pir Vilayat lived in a small white house and loved walking up the hill to his little round office to write and meditate.

During its first years, the Abode, like most new communities, experienced growing pains and struggles, which were tempered by the joy and personal growth of so many people that spent some part of their lives here. Today, the Abode population is smaller than it was in the beginning, but the organic farm still tills four acres. The elementary school, the healing arts center and the retreat center in the Shaker buildings also continue to flourish. The Camp on Mt. Lebanon, located in a magnificent hilltop forest, accommodates 175 people for conferences and other activities. Pir Vilayat’s son and successor, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan continues to teach here. The Abode evolves and the work continues.

Read the Mission of the Abode

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Get directions to 5 Abode Rd, New Lebanon, NY 12125.  Also View maps of the abode property.

"Eleven years ago, I discovered the Mountain camp. It is so beautiful I have been back here as its caretaker every summer.."