We must be sincere

 

We must be sincere. If you have seen the Truth, only then ask the people to follow you. „Dear friend, come and see and have it!“ But if you have not seen the Truth yourself, then why, like the proverbial blind man, lead others into the pit along with you? We must be sincere to our own selves and to our fellow men and women. If you only know the scriptures in theory, say so. If you have seen the Light and can rise above body consciousness, and are also competent to give others some experience of it, well and good. Go and tell the people so. You see, that is the difficulty. People speak so much about the scriptures. You must have heard so many speakers holding forth on the subject. But how many of them are there who have had the first-hand experience of Truth, and are competent to give you also that experience? To talk of spirituality is just like giving a learned discourse on the principles of business without having any capital or practical capability to start the business.

 

When you get experience inside, however elementary it may be, you are convinced of the Reality and can develop it to any length you may like, by regular practice.

 

Preaching was meant to be done only by those who had the first-hand experience of Truth. But preaching has become a source of income; and paid service in all social religions has made matters worse. I am not talking of any particular religion, but what I say is true of all religions. People have made a business of religion and so many have taken to it just as a means of livelihood.

 

But God´s gifts are all free. They pretend to serve Him, but at bottom it is all mercenary. The world is full of them and that is why we are fed up with the very word „Master“. But a real Master does not seek worldly gain. He gives God´s gift - spirituality - freely and free of cost. He has realized God. He is the perfect man. He has transcended the physical consciousness and has seen the Light within. What did Kabir tell the pundit? „O learned pundit, if you want an experience of the Reality, go to some competent living Master.“

 

What sort of Master? asked the pundit. Then Kabir went on to define „Master“ as one through whom God speaks. This is what all the Saints, including Kabir, have said.

 

Thus we have in the Bible: „Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost“ (2 Peter 1:21). Guru Nanak says, „Poor Nanak only speaks what he is bidden“, and „O Lalo! I only say that which my Lord speaks through me.“ A Muslim divine also says the same thing: „The words of the Prophet are the words of God, though they may seemingly appear to drop from a human tongue.“

 

You too have the same possibility in you. But you have not yet come in contact with the Power working in you, because you are still bound to the physical body. As long as you do not lose this body consciousness, you cannot enter into the Beyond. The Bible says, „Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.“

 

You must seek out one who has risen into cosmic awareness and is a conscious co-worker of the Divine Plan. He will no doubt be a man like any of you. But he has realized his own Self and experienced God within. When you sit with him, you will find him quite a different being, full of love and compassion for all: a radiating center of the Divinity in him. The very atmosphere around him is charged with the radioactive rays of spiritual bliss.

 

A man who has attained the highest degree of mastery in any field of activity will at first appear like an ordinary man. He is essentially a man first and last. But he has developed in his own particular way. When you sit with him, you will find him a giant in his own field. This is exactly the case with a Master-soul. When you meet him, you will find him just like any other man at first sight. He himself will tell you: „I come to you as a man to man. I am a man just like you. I had the good fortune to sit at the feet of my Master and progressed in the spiritual way. Those who are in search of the Godway are most welcome.“

 

A doctor is a man first and then a doctor. An engineer is a man first and then an engineer. Similarly, a spiritual man, a Master, is a man first and then a spiritual guide.

 

All possibilities are within man. Great is man. He who has developed in a certain line and has an experience of it, is able to guide you also if you are seeking the same way.

 

The Master Power never leaves you. It is not the human body but the power working through it that remains forever. Christ Power has been working through the ages and shall continue to work; but through different divine instruments and according to the needs of the times. The body alone perishes, but that Power remains. Those who have really seen the Truth within can open your inner eye and make you see it. If they give you some inner experience, however little it may be, you can develop it. One of Christ´s parables illustrates this beautifully: A rich man going out on a journey distributed among his servants some talents - twenty to one, ten to another, five to the third. When he came back, the man who had had twenty talents had made them thirty, the one with ten had made fifteen of them, and the last who had gotten only five had never touched them but had kept them safe buried underground. As no use was made of them, the Master thought it prudent to withdraw them. What I mean to say is, that when you are given some experience, you have to develop it as you do your learning in a school. Initiation does not mean observance of any ceremony, or ritual, or anything of the sort. It is just a practical experience of the science spiritual. The theory is explained first, and then the experience is given, and that is to be developed from day to day. That Master Power overhead which gives the experience protects both within and without, and keeps a constant watch over the disciples.

 

You will find that such people have been coming to the Masters and asking them as Philip asked Jesus: "Lord, show us the Father and it sufficeth us.“  And what did he reply? He grew indignant and said, „Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Fater in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works.“

 

Christ was a conscious co-worker with the Father or Divine Power within him. Only he who is conscious of the Power working through him can bring you in contact with the Power within. That contact is possible only when you rise above body consciousness and not otherwise.

 

When the Masters come, they tell us of God and the Godway. They remind us of the Reality within. Man is the teacher of man. Can past Masters help us? Yes, we do need them. They are helpful in their own way. We have respect for them, because they gave out the Truth and their experiences of it. Those who came in contact with them were put on the way, and they also realized the same Truth. The scriptures are the treasures of the experiences that they had with their own Selves and with God and we are fortunate to have them with us today.

 

If we had come two thousand years earlier, we would not have the New Testament with us and I would not have given you these beautiful quotations from it. All scriptures deal with the same Truth. But we are familiar with one or another scripture only. When I quote the Bible to you, you have no difficulty. So it is with people of other faiths. They follow easily what is said, when I offer quotations to them from their respective scriptures. All these scriptures make my task easier, as well as that of my listeners. The sacred books are just handy aids in the hands of a man of realization for they all deal with the selfsame subject, viz., God-realization.

 

What we need is someone who has the experience within himself of what is spoken of in the scriptures and who is competent to give us some taste of that experience right now. Call such a man what you will - pir, murshid, Saint or Master  that is immaterial.

 

We have respect for all such persons who came in the past or who are here now in the present age. Those who have seen the Reality can put us on the Path and give us a first-hand experience of it. The need of such a Godman has been felt ever since the world began.

 

Some people say that they don´t need any Master. Well, they will have to rely on books, the holy scriptures. These scriptures are, of course, more reliable than the intellectual commentaries on them by the learned. If the commentators have seen the Truth, they will interpret the scriptures correctly, but if not, they will confound and confuse the reader in spite of all his wits and will lead him nowhere.

 

When you rely solely on books, you ultimately rely on some Master, for the scriptures were after all written by somebody. Instead of this indirect approach, would it not be better if you could meet a man of realization directly? He has practical experience of what the scriptures describe and can give you much more than you can ever get from books; he can give you first-hand experience of the Reality itself. This aspect has been stressed by all the Saints. They enable us to understand how we may have that experience in our lives. In the Gospel of Matthew we have,

 

                                All things are delivered unto me of my Father,

and

 

          No man knoweth the Father save the son, and he whomsoever the son will reveal him.

 

Thus, the son knows the Father and the Father knows the son, and all others to whom the son reveals Him, for he becomes a conscious co-worker with the Father, on the Divine Plan. This is why Christ said: „I and my Father are one. It is not I that am doing it. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If you had known me, ye should have known my Father also.“ In what a forceful way he has put it: Through the man who has known the Father (God), you can also know God.

 

The alphabet of the teachings of the Masters starts where the wordly philosophies end. That is the beginning of true religion. It begins when you come above body consciousness and not before.

 

Naturally, the man who has experience of the truth is the only one competent to put you on the way. You may be able, in the company of such a righteous man, to understand the true nature of things, the real significance of what is highly abstract.

 

So all Masters who have been coming from time to time have been giving out the Truth. The question now arises: what sort of yoga (spiritual discipline) do they teach? We have so many yogas, so many ways of coming to the home of our Father, to reach the state of unchangeable permanence, all peace, all joy, all happiness, which never decays and is not subject to Dissolution or Grand Dissolution.

 

That was the goal which we set before us in our first meeting. I also gave quotations from different scriptures. The ultimate goal of all religions is God. We are worshipers of the same God, no matter whether we belong to one country or the other, East or West, to one religion or another; for that makes no difference. All religions say the same thing. Love God, and further, as God resides in every heart, love all humanity. This is the best way of leading our outer life. If followed naturally, the Kingdom of God would surely come on earth - for which we so often pray but are disappointed.

 

Next we have to enter into the Kingdom of God, reach our true home. The way to it starts when we rise above body consciousness. But how are we to achieve this? All scriptures speak of the Way that leads back to God. We have to find this Way. There are so many different methods that we may follow! But which of them is the most natural, the most easy and can give us the quickest results? - so that we can realize the Truth in this very life and not have to wait till after death.

 

I met a man in California who came to me and told me that his Master had said that his inner eye had been opened. I asked him if he saw anything within, to which he said, „No.“ I asked him, what made him believe this? He replied that his Master had said so and therefore it must be so. I advised him not to follow blindly but to see things for himself.

 

Another man came up and said, „My Master says I will have salvation after death.“ But I asked him, „Where  is the proof that you will have it?“ People are after Truth, I tell you. I quite see the search for Truth everywhere in the world. Men have been seeking for Truth for years and years, through books, through rituals, and through countless other means. But they have not gained practical experience of the Reality.

 

I met a very learned man in San Francisco; he is the organizer of all the international religions conferences that are being held now in Japan, France, Germany, and other places. He heard one of my talks in which I dealt with this subject. At the end he admitted that what I said was true and that he had not seen the light within. The people are after it, no doubt, and many of them are quite sincere, broadminded and open to conviction.

 

The question arises: Of the many yogas, which is the best, the quickest and the most suited to our times?

 

The masters teach you the most natural way. Natural ways are always the easiest. Eeasy things can be followed by anyone anywhere. Even a child should be able to see the Light of Heaven within.

 

There are so many yogic practices. We have Hatha Yoga. It gives us physical fitness, a strong body, for one thing; and for another it prepares the way for another type of yoga, the Prana Yoga. Prana Yoga gives control over the respiratory system in the boddy, and enables one to withdraw the motor and sensory currents together to the seat of the soul within. The body is simply left as a clod of earth, without breath or motion; this is technically called Kumbhak. When we achieve this withdrawal of the pranas (vital airs), we see the Light of God and hear the Voice of God within. This is a difficult and arduous way. Everyone is not fit for it. Everyone cannot follow it. The body must be sound and strong. For this we have to take to the Hatha Yoga practices for a long time to make our body fit, and then we can take it up. Those who are physically unfit, if they take it up, they fall a victim to different diseases.

 

Next there is Laya Yoga, which is concerned with the awakening of the kundalini or the serpentine power. That is also practiced through controlling one´s breathing. We have to awaken all centers in the body and go up step by step.

 

There are other forms of yoga as well, which enable one to control his mind. They ask us to visualize within some outer object so that we may have something to concentrate our thoughts upon.

 

Then there is Jnana Yoga for grasping the reality within by the sheer force of intellect - a very difficult path indeed, I may say.

 

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, „To grasp the infinity by the finite intellect is as impossible as to quench thirst by taking wine or to extract oil from sand.“

 

How can the finite intellect grasp the all-pervading Reality within its narrow compass? That is a sheer impossibility. This is why Confucius said: The reality is something which cannot be grasped, cannot be understood and cannot be comprehended. This is why he turned from the spiritual to the ethical side of life.

 

Can we possibly come in contact with that Reality? All the Masters with one voice emphatically say, „Yes!“ Guru Nanak says, „The Lord God of Nanak is visible everywhere.“

 

Swami Vivekananda, who came to America some years ago, began life as an atheist. He would challenge people to show him God. He would question: Is there anyone who has seen God? He was told to visit Dakshineswar (in Bengal) and meet Ramakrishna Paramhans.

 

He went there, all puffed up with his intellectual attainments. Ramakrishna appeared to him like an ordinary man. You see, the Masters do not act and pose. They do not believe in any show. They just behave like ordinary individuals. He found the sage first on the grassy plot adjoining his hut and put to him his oft-repeated question: „Master, have you seen God?“ And What was the reply? „Yes, my child, I see Him just as I see you - only more vividly.“ At these words coming from the heart of a man of realization, Vivekananda bowed down. And throughout the rest of his life he always declared, „Only through that Godman was I saved.“

 

How then is salvation possible? All Masters say, „If thine eye be singl, thy whole body shall be full of light.“ For salvation then we must develop our „single eye“. But how to find it and how to develop it?

 

Guru Nanak tells us that the „single eye“ spoken of is not of flesh and bone, as are our outer eyes. It is the inner eye - the eye within you. And this is to be opened. But how? One who has his own eye opened and has seen the light of God is also capable of giving you first-hand inner experience of it. Seeing is believing, and when you see for your own self, you will require no further testimony. On the other hand, the blind cannot lead the blind. An awakened soul alone can awaken souls slumbering on the plane of the senses. As light comes from light, so does life from life. A man of realization can grant an experience of the Reality to others. He who has risen in Cosmic Awareness, can make others rise in that Awareness. So it is not an impossibility. All Masters have testified to this. Shamas of Tabrez says:

   

            We should be able to see God with our own eyes and hear the voice of God

             with our own ears.

 

This is no new thing. It is the most ancient science and the most authentic.

 

Another Muslim Saint, Moieen-du-Din Chishti, tells us, „You have to open the inner eye to behold the glory of God within. It is already there.“

 

A true Christian must know how to cross over the body consciousness to see the Light of God. A true Muslim must witness the glory of God from the top of Mount Toor, which is our body. The prophet Moses used to go up Mount Sinai to hear the Decalogue in the midst of lightning and thunder. Similarly, a tue Sikh (Khalsa) is one who sees the light of God in his own person. The scriptures tell us that Guru (Master)  is one who can dispel darkness in man by revealing the light of Heaven. The Christians figuratively call this spot (where the light is seen) the mount of transfiguration.

 

This is the goal before us. It is possible and within the reach of everyone. When? When you come in contact with some practical adept. He will be a man as any of you are, but he has inner experience of Truth and is competent to give the same experience to you. If he gives you some experience at the very outset, you can expect more from him.

 

What type of yoga do the Masters teach? I have just mentioned certain types of yoga. There  are other types as well, which enable us to concentrate and dwell on the lower ganglions in the body. They aim at awakening the different supernatural powers therby. But the true aim of life is to know one´s Self and to know God, and not to have supernatural powers. To one who practices the highest type of yoga, by following the Path of the Masters, all such powers come of themselves: one has not to work for them. But a true seeker of God bypasses all such temptations.

 

What then is the most natural yoga? What do the Masters teach? The Path of the Masters is known as Sehaj Yoga (the natural yoga) or the Surat Shabd Yoga (the yoga of the Sound Current). What is surat? It is the soul within each one of us, the outward expression of which is the attention or what is known as consciousness, awareness or wakefulness. When you open and close your eyes successively for some time, you will feel a kind of wakefulness and consciousness behind the eyes. This wakefulness or consciousness is the „Self“ in  you, and that you are. In the waking state it is diffused in the body and is engaged in outer pursuits of the world through the agency of the senses. But it can be withdrawn and concentrated within. The Master helps in withdrawing the sensory currents, collecting them at one center, and gives an inner contact with the „Word Power“ within - the divine link in each one of us. This God Power  is known by different names. St. John speaks of it as the „Word“. It is the „Holy Ghost“ of Christ. The Muslims call it Kalma or Ism-i-Azam, while the Hindu Rishis called it Sruti or Udgit. Zoroaster gave it the name of Sarosha or the „Creative Verbum“. Guru Nanak speaks of it as Naam. It is the great Creative Power of God which is controlling the Universe. This Sound Principle or „Divine harmony“ is the core of all that is.

 

And what is God? You find the same thing mentioned in the Bible. St. John begins his Gospel with the memorable words, „In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

 

Dryden, a great English poet, in his poetic fancy calls it „Harmony“, and ascribes the creation to the great „Power of Music“.

 

This Word existed even before the Creation came into being.

 

God the Absolute is Wordless and Nameless. When that Absolute came into manifestation, it was given different names as said before: Word, Kalma, Naam, Sruti, Udgit, etc. This first and primal manifestation of the Absolute (in the form of the Sound Principle) is the Divine Link within each one of us, and this Power is all-pervading and everlasting. „Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven.“ The Bible further tells us: „By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made.“ That is the creative power: „Upholding all things by the Word of his power.“ The Bible calls that creative principle the „Word“. As I  told you yesterday, unless you know the specialized terminology of the Masters, you cannot know the true import of the scriptures. The Word, as used throughout the Bible and especially by St. John, is one example of such terms; and  so are many others in different scriptures. That Word is lasting, everlasting and abiding forever and forever: „The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.“ The „Word of God“ does not mean the words uttered by the Masters. Their words of wisdom simply express the Word of God and its creative, controlling and sustaining power over all that is visible and invisible. This Power existed right from the beginning. „The Word was with God and the Word was God.“

 

That Divine Link is within every man. The Epistle to the Hebrews (in the New Testament) speaks of the Word of God as: „For the Word of God is quick (which means living) and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“ That power is denoted by the term „Word“.

 

So God is the Nameless or the Wordless One. When that Power came into being and assumed a manifest form, - „God-in-action“ - it became the primal cause, the Causeless Cause, of all creation in the higher and lower spheres. And that first manifested form of the Absolute is the only Way back to God.