It is said that with one ray of light the whole world was created. When God said, whole world was created. When God said, “I want to manifest myself,” there was Light. It can be likened to a potter who makes small and large pots perhaps even an elephant or a horse, or cup, or pitcher – but the same clay. So this is our condition in the world. Because people are unaware of and have no contact with the reality, the world is full of unrest and trouble.

The Master say that with the same Light the whole world was created so who is good and who is bad? The physical body is a miniature Brahmand,* or you can say it is a tiny world in itself. It is said that he who searches within this miniature Brahmand will find Truth. Both the body and the world, which is a bigger brahmand, are made of matter. Each individual is consciousness, or has his own personal consciousness. Outer temples, mosques, churches, were made in the image of man – dome-shaped like the head, or forehead – shaped (mosques) or nose-shaped (churches) and in all religious places the Holy light is represented in one way or another. If the same Light is lit in all holy places, then what is the difference between the various forms of worship?

All outer images were made to help people to understand the Truth: that the Light is shining within man. it is the life of the soul, this Light. the body which we carry around is the temple of God. “In companionship, within the same house, both brother are dwelling; but they do not converse with each other.” These two brother are living together: the soul and God. what a great misfortune! They live together but do not talk to each other. The reason? He, who has to realize the other, is tossing about outwardly from place to place. He does not know that he has to withdraw and rise above the senses to realize who he is. If he did that, he would see who is see who is sitting beside him. The men who became realized all have said that the body is a living temple of God. the outer temples are made by the hand of man.

When I was in London during my world tour, I gave a talk pointing out that all Master's have said that God does not reside in temples made with stone. On Christian minister, a Reverend Stubbs stood up and said, “You have thrown a atom bomb on all our churchianity!” We have made the churches, mosques and temples with our own hands, but the true temple of God – the physical form – was made by God Himself. The indweller of this true temple is frequenting the man made temples – is it not a sorry state we ourselves made the copies of our own temple, within which the Light I burning day and night. sometimes thou sands of true temples are sacrificed for the sake of one imitation. Is it not so? I only holy building is defended or insulted by any other religion, thousands die because of it.

All outer places of worship are for those whose eye is not open. Nevertheless, from our heart we should have respect for them. Why? Because we sit there in remembrance of God for which purpose they were made. When a child is in the womb of the mother, what machinery makes his eyes, nose, ears, hands and feet, etc.? It is some unseen power of which man knows nothing. That Power is the one who abides in the temple which he himself has made. This human temple comes to man through great good fortune or destiny, but is not valued enough. Forgive me if I use such words, but we consider it to be merely sack full of waste matter. But beautiful palaces also have latrines. So the body has its own municipality which takes out the filth every morning. But we are living in it, and our life giver – God is also living there. We should even kiss this body with reverence, in acknowledgement that it is truly the temple of God. that is why Master's have indicated to “tap inside”. 

When we look at the human form it seems just five or six feet of physical body, but inside is a very big world. The whole of Brahmand is residing within; go inside and see. Maulana Rumi Sahib says, “Oh man, close the doors of your shop. Open the inner shop, then will the work be done.” All Master's say similar things in their various languages. “I searched for the hidden inner path, but only through the Master was the secret revealed.”

What is a Gurumukh? He who has searched inside the human form. That is what is written in the Gurubani (words of the gurus). Even if outwardly the wisdom of the whole world has been sifted mentally and intellectually with the help of the senses, but yet the inner search has not been made, then the real thing cannot be attained. The Master's, after withdrawing from outside, traveled inside by leaving the body and transcending above it – above the physical, astral and causal planes. Those who have transcended all this have reached their true home. Whatever they saw and heard has been recorded in the holy scriptures. Whatever they saw inside, you should also go in and see; and then you will be able to describe your experience. Whosoever saw such wonders all said the same things. Now do you understand this?

“He who sees, describes that very thing in the very same way.” In India, the realized souls expressed themselves in Sanskrit. They have given the same description: that inside, there is a very big sun in Brahmand in which the Sound is vibrating. The hidden teaching of this was given by Ingrid Rishi to the son of Devki, Lord Krishna. The Master's who came in Persia gave the same information in Persian. In Punjab, the Gurus who came said the same things in their language. “A contact with the ringing radiance of God within will develop love of God in thee.” Paltu Sahib came and said, “there is an inverted well in the gagan (seat of the soul), where the Lamp burns without wick or oil, and form the light of the Lamp a sound is reverberating. Only he who goes into Gian Samadhi (rises above body consciousness) can hear it.” that lamp is alight for all the twenty four hours in each day, and from it a sound vibrates. Who can hear that sound? Go into deep meditation and then hear it. he who sees, knows the same thing. The truth is that this body is a temple of God – and the whole world is a temple of God. it is a statement from those who searched into the inner regions.

Do you know that no temple has been erected here in Sawan Ashram? Can you see any temple, mosque, church or other sacred building here? there is none – and why? Because this is a place called Ruhani Satsang (spiritual gathering). Beneath us is the ground and above, the skies; this is our temple of God. that is all. And then, this body we have got- there is no “ism” attached to it. I Congratulate all the “ism” or religions which have helped man in discovering the real truth lying hidden in the body – but what is the world doing today? Instead of trying in search out the truth within, as we are told to do, we have started fighting amongst ourselves in the very name of religion – killing each other!

So, self-realized people always advocate to go within and realize oneself. To do this, one just has to have the curtain of darkness drawn away. How is that done? He who has already withdrawn that curtain will do so for others too. He who has not done so – how can he help others? If the doubt has not been removed form the heart one will always own a difference between a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, Buddhist, Jain or Turk. These are all labels which we have stuck ourselves. It is an important thing to fully understand. here in the Ashram, there are no “ism” – but the life of all “isms” is here! whatever talks are given, the facts are presented in their true colors.

So, remain in your own religions and become true Hindus, true Muslims, true Sikhs, true Christians. How? By realizing it inside you. A house without a lighted lamp has no charm. If there is no lamp burning in a church or mosque, the place seems deserted. So this body’s true beauty can be apparent only when the light is within it. “beautiful is the man body in which the Lord is manifest.” That souls physical form is very beautiful in which God has appeared. A married woman’s face becomes radiant when she is sitting beside her husband. This is a worldly example. The beauty of the body lasts but a few days, for it is attractive only when we the soul, are in it. but this attractiveness is not apparent if the Light has not been ignited within. A mansion can have no grandeur without a light shining out. would it not appear deserted?

We have got labels on us, but are we not just human beings? Withdraw from outside, for the outer things attract us only so long as we attach ourselves to them. This is because our soul is sat, chit and May: ever existent, all wisdom and eternal bliss. As long as it is attached to something it goes on enjoying satisfaction, but when it voluntarily withdraws, or that particular thing is taken away, it becomes unhappy. If only it would then start to come out of it. But if it becomes one with God – then what?

Oceans of happiness are already resounding within us, but at present we are tossing about, searching outwardly, in the holy books or in temples and places of pilgrimage, and in various outer activities. We make outer copies, ring bells, light lamps – but for what purpose ? the purpose is that He should manifest Himself to us. “To visit artificial temples and mosques is but tragedy that will bestow untold misery upon the indweller of the true temple.” We install some image of God in a temple and start worshiping it. It is an attempt to fashion God in stone. In Mecca there is the Hajurool Asved, in remembrance of Hazrat Ibrahim These are copies or images installed in remembrance, and we should therefore have respect for them, but what is better? Realized souls say, “Never say that mosque is better than temple; better is that wherein shineth the Light of God.” 

They tell us no to consider the Kaaba better than the physical form, or the mosque better than the temple or vice versa. Where the Lord’s Light is burning is the best place of all, though that form is the best place of all, though that form may have a black, white, blue or yellow label on it. He might be a Hindu, Sikh or Muslim, for in all faiths Master have come. The question is, how and when to see it? when we withdraw from outer attraction. One might spend one’s whole life searching outwardly, but will not get it. Guru Amar Das Ji spent seventy years in search of God, traveling to holy places with full attention and devotion. In the end, what had happened? In his own words he tells us, “I got exhausted in my search in performing outer rituals, etc.”

Forgive me, but these outer temples are like dolls or playthings. Little girls learn about housekeeping, marriage and many other things by playing, but when they grow up and marry, do they still play with dolls? So, the Master say in very clear words that we are tired of playing with toys – now we wish to see the true countenance of our Beloved. That is all. Kabir says, “ All my doubts vanished when I saw the truth myself.” Nanak says, “Nanak’s Emperor is seen clearly.” They all say that it can be seen. Christ said, “Behold, the Lord.” For example, in what way can one fully realize what strength is? It can be demonstrated by a wrestler doing his exercise. Similarly, if one sits near a realized soul with full, concentrated attention, one will gain assurance that there is a power. Otherwise, one is uncertain, though one may have read thousands or even millions of holy books.

There was a Swami named Ram Tirath, who visited America. Once, he was sitting in samadhi (a state of controlled attention). He used to do his own kind of yoga. An atheist lady was quietly sitting there, waiting to meet him, but Ram Tirath did not get for a long time. There is a radiation which comes from enlightened souls, and when the swami opened his eyes, the lady joyfully told him, “I am an atheist no more.” So to be near the physical form of a Master does give some assurance that there is God. Or one can have the same assurance by seeing within. But remember this, that a wrestler is not made in one day. A strong man revels in his strength, and a weaker man wonders how he got it.

When I was in Lahore, I used to go to the Ravi River at night. In those days there was a certain man named Gunga who became famous all over India as a wrestler. Gunga means dumb, and he was dumb, hence the name; but he was a great wrestler. It was winter, so the days and nights were very cold. His Father used to strip him naked except for a brief loin-cloth, and would turn him out of the house and lock the door. All night the boy would do his exercises. No one had ever seen him exercising, but when he became famous everyone knew him as a wrestler, and wherever he went the people would say, “There goes Gunga, the wrestler, Mahatmas are not made in one day. Rome was not built in a day. Man is in the make. If anyone wants to be a wrestler, after two or three days of practice his body will ache, how will he succeed? For success perseverance is required.

In the Gurubani it is written that purity of thoughts are perseverance are needed. Do you want to become something worthwhile or don’t you? Hearing such words, an interest is awakened, but the work cannot be accomplished in one day. A child, learning to read, reads a few lines and promptly forgets them. He must read them again and again, but after much struggling with learning, he one day may be able to write a book. Every Saint has his past, and every sinner a future. The people who are like us today can become something tomorrow. For this, true guidance is required from one who has seen, not anyone else. The second requirement is implicit obedience to one’s Guru. The Master’s word are not just words alone, but are the Master himself! Added to this, perseverance is necessary.

Just to hear some talk about God, one’s mouth can start watering. A Mahatma, seeing the world with its mountains, earth and sky, gets intoxicated. Now, how did he become what he is, and how can we become that? There is hope for everyone. We should find some God – realized person who has see, and can make us see. Then every day we can increase the inner experience. Today, if a man gets even a little intoxication he thinks he has become a very big Mahatma (great soul). So remember – the destination is very far – very far. Many big rishis and munis (renunciates who sits on thorns, etc.) started on the path to God. They were always saying, “neti, neti” meaning, “This is not it, this not it – there must be something else.” It is said that for generations philosophy has been tried and probed, but God’s word remains unspoken, as it always was unspoken. Guru Nanak has written that the people of the world have exhausted themselves explaining about God, but they have never reached the end of it! It is something like knowing that one ray of the sun is, and is the intellect will not allow that there is anything beyond that. First, we should know this small temple of ours, the physical form. This in itself will give us some awakening as to what the greater form is – the Brahmand.

I will now explain a hymn of Guru Amar Das, but before doing so I would mention that when I take a hymn during Satsang and proceed to explain it, people open their eyes wide and question in their minds, “What a hymn is this?” Even explaining a hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib seems like a new things to them. Some years ago, I went to my home in Sayyad kasran. There were some Akalis there (one section of the Sikh religion) and they were somewhat fanatical. I held a Satsang, taking a hymn from the Gurubani. “I am attached to things that I see, how can I find thee, O Lord?” all through, they were looking at me and wondering where the hymns came from. The hymns themselves are very clear but we never search for the true meaning in them. These holy words contain valuable jewels. Have you ever given a real thought to them? Parrot-like we go on reading them, without understanding anything. One day a Christian gentleman met me, and he said, “Christ is the Light of the world.” I asked him, “Have you studied the Bible thoroughly? For it is written therein, ‘I am the light of the world, as long as I am in the world.’”

A little knowledge is dangerous. First see what is in your own home, the physical house. Go into the folds of the holy books and see what is given there. The same knowledge that I am giving you is given therein, but for the need of a self-realized man we do not understand what is written. Guru Amar Das Ji says, “With the Guru’s blessing, just see that this body that you carry is the temple of God.”

He says that this body you are taking around is the very temple of God. And when the Guru blesses you with that sight. This temple was made by God’s own hand. He is residing in there as well as us. All through life he never leaves his body, but when at the end He leaves we also have to leave the body. Then the body is taken to the cremation ground.

This body is a temple of God, which has been given with a great blessing. We worship the images of it outwardly. This is all right, and we should show respect to those places where people sit in remembrance of God. But He, God, resides in this body and not in the temples made by man. Those were made in remembrance only. The true Light shines in the human form. Is an image better than the true form? I would say that the true form is infinitely better. With great love, Guru Amar Das Ji has written that with the Guru’s blessing you can see Him inside you. What is a Guru? Forgive me, but these days you can pick up a stone and find a Guru underneath it. One finds so many Gurus (teachers) that it is really hard to find a single disciple anywhere! These days if a man studies any kind of outer attainment, he starts thinking that the man who taught him is a Guru. Brothers, a true Guru is one who takes away the curtains of ignorance and reveals the Light within. The exact meaning of the word: is dispeller of darkness.

What is a Guru’s work? “The Guru has put the colyrium* of knowledge in my eyes, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and filling my whole being with Light.” He says that the Guru puts the colyrium of knowledge into our eyes. It is an example. Our inner eye cannot be opened until we withdraw from outer things, leave the senses, and concentrate behind the eyes, where the soul goes at the time of death. The God – realized man takes our scattered attention from outside and bring it to a point behind the eyes. 

Then that Light, that radiance, burst forth.

Then, he describes the Guru: “He who make me hear the sound, the music of the spheres, he is my Guru who makes one hear the strain of the perpetual celestial music. So now go and find a Guru like that. Again, he says, “Repeat the Word, by which the Light of millions of sun appears and the songs of the Lord’s name is heard.” It means that by repetition of the Naam, the Light of millions of suns shines forth within you. The song of the Lords Name comes through the sound principle. It is a path of Light, or sruti marg, Light and sound principle, Noor and Kalam – I – kadim. All means one and the same thing. You can call it truth clothed in Light, music of all harmonies. These are but different names of the one thing which is already existing. 

God’s expression has two aspects, Light and sound. He who has the power to withdraw you from the outer things and give you a little demonstration of the Truth inside, he is the Guru. Search the world and see how many Gurus like that you can find. Guru Amar Das Ji could not find such a Guru in his seventy years of searching. All outer practices have their own value. If yo do good you will be rewarded. This is a preparation of the ground, but one’s birth and rebirth will not finish this way. It is said, “The Saint has given me capital.” Capital is that which the Guru gives at the start, and which must be increased daily, through meditation. After his long search, how did Guru Amar Das meet his Guru? In his own words, he says, ‘I met my Satguru without any effort of mine.”

The child who has true yearning in him will gain the grace of God, who is residing in each being. When God sees that the child is full of anguish and is anxious to meet him, he makes the arrangement so that the child reaches right source in one way or another. Guru Amar Das used to do outer practices before he met the Guru. Barefoot he went on many pilgrimage in company with his friends. After meeting his Master, he knew what was more beneficial, so he stopped traveling, as if he had reached his destination. When his friends once again set out for a pilgrimage, he pondered over a way to make them understand the truth. So finally, when they were leaving, he said to them, “Brothers, kindly do something for me. take this thumbi* and wherever you take a holy bath, please give this tumbi a bath also.” They agreed and left, leaving him behind. After all, when a man gets what he has been searching for, he wanders no more. When his friends returned, he asked them if they had given the tumbi a holy bath, and they replied that they had given I many baths. So Guru Amar Das cut open the fruit, filled with halves with water, and told his friends to drink. They drank, remarking that it is very bitter. He asked them, “How is it possible that after so many holy dips, it is still bitter?” to further encourage their understanding he went on to tell them that when the mind if full of filth, it cannot be washed clean by merely bathing the physical form; that the world is an illusion and only few unravel its mystery.

You can stay in any religion, but if you are not living a ethical life, it will not benefit you. Full Congratulation can be given to the religion through which one’s third eye was opened to see the Truth. This can only happen when one sits beside a God – realized man. it matteres not what caste he is, or what part of the world he comes from. Mira Bai was a princess, and went to Ravi Das who was a poor cobbler. He was a cobbler, but a completely God-realized soul. King Bhagail singh went to Kabir Sahib who was a simple weaver. The Muslim Saint, Mirza Taki, and other Muslims, went to Tulsi sahib, a Hindu. We have made the caste systems not God. you can liken it to a school; but only that school; but only that school deserves praise where a large number of students graduate. A true Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, etc., is one who rises above body-consciousness and sees the Light of God. the Degree of M.A. is one and the same in all colleges.

So brothers, this is the common ground, where you are sitting today (Sawan Ashram). After a great length of time, sitting at the feet of my Master, I at last understood the parallel study these things and make the best use of them. Remain in your own religions and keep the same rituals. You do not have to change anything. with a great blessing you have got the human form in which God is also residing. Realize him. Sit beside a Master who goes inside. Tap inside. He will give you a small way up. Otherwise your whole life will be spent doing outer observances through the senses, and the cycle of birth and death will never finish. As long as you do not know in truth that he is the doer and not you, you will not achieve anything. 

“when I saw him, I sang; and through singing I got the fruit.” When one’s condition becomes likes this, with the Guru’s blessing the realization will come. He will withdraw you form outer things and connect you with the Light and Sound, already existing within the human form. He will make it audible and visible. Through daily practicing you will be able to increase the experience. Christ told the people that the son knows the Father, and others to whom the son may reveal him. “by the gurus grace you can see that this body you carry around is the temple of God. many have searched for this temple, but found it by contacting the Naam Power within.” That God is nameless and formless. When he said, “from one I will become many”. He said, “from one I will become many”, he expressed himself forth, and that Power is known as Naam (name ) or word. “Through the Naam, the whole world was created” and “by the Naam the khand and Brahmand appeared.” You may call it Naam, Shabd or word, but that power is the same. This expression of Naam is Gods own power. It is the God into expression power. It is looking after everything, controlling everything. If it withdraws form the physical body, we have to leave. Guru Nanak says, “Nanak’s Naam is in control of all; only with Gods grace can it be realized.” That power has tied us to the body, and only by its support are we going along in life. “What can a poor puppet do but the will of the Great Giver?” the wooden doll does no know what is holding her up. That very power, Shabd or Naam, is upholding billions and billions of khans and Brahmans. With what perfect symmetry and motion is it upholding all this! When that power withdraws, dissolution or grand dissolution occurs.

We must know that power. We are no separate from it, and it is not separate from us, but the question remains – where is it? when one becomes conscious of oneself, then one can know a little of this truth. These days the attention is constantly attracted by worldly objects. I am seeing you, and you are seeing me, but we cannot see behind us. By turning our head and eyes we can see what is happening behind. So when we withdraw from outside we will see what is happening inside. That is why all Master's have advised to “know thyself.”

“Everyone has searched for Gods temple.” All the other words spoken outside are based on inner sounds. Just take the word Guru, for example. This Guru Shabd is mentioned in the holy scriptures (Eastern). Any word given by a God-realized man is highly charged. You may know of various words, like Ram or Allah, etc. (names of God), but if they were given by a God-realized man they would have strong charging. “Oh my mind, to become one with the Shabd will drench me in its everlasting color.” Here color means Divine intoxication. If you soul gets joined back to the Shabd, we will also start getting intoxicated. Nanak says, “The intoxication of Naam upon Nanak is such that he is inebriated day and night.”

The outer intoxication is that which one experience in the morning and by evening one is sober. Its effect wears off. If one drinks in the evening the effect has gone by morning. But inner intoxication is the food of the soul. Though the soul itself is also intoxication, it is merely a drop of the ocean of All-intoxication; when it becomes one with the waves of that ocean it becomes one with the waves of that ocean of All-intoxication; when it becomes one with the waves of that ocean it becomes full of supreme bliss. “Oh man, Oh soul, the pleasures you enjoy last only while your attention is there, but once you withdraw the pleasures fade away.” So if you want the true intoxication which will never wear off, you have to become one with God.

“True devotion the true temple of God, are only true if the music of the spheres is heard.” They say that this body is the real temple of God. the temples made by man are just temples. What is true devotion? Where the sound principle, Gods music, is heard. To become with that sound is true devotion. Devotion is also called love, but when the soul gets intoxicated from the inner sun, that is called devotion. Where can you find this? Only in the temple of God – not outside. It is already there. One only has to withdraw inside, by withdrawing the attention form outer things.

What is the criterion for knowing that this is it? “When you hear the Sound, which is indescribable and unknowable, then you will have reached true devotion.” Where will it take you? To where it started from. Absolute God thought, “From one I will become many.” This is the way back to Absolute God. for whom is this teaching? All mankind. A Muslim fakir says, “Shame on ye that are so identified with the prison of the physical form, that ye listen not to the holy voice of God.” It means that is very sad that you are so physically bound to your body that you do not listen to the pure voice of the Lord which is coming from within you. “I hear a voice within me calling, Oh Shamas Tabrez return thee to the Kingdom of God.” Every moment a voice is coming to my soul inside the physical form, and it is saying, “Oh Shamas Tabrez, come back to my home.” That voice is continuously vibrating. On this subject, Bhai Nandlal Ji has said in the Persian language. “The sound of the bell is ringing. Hurry up and pack your things, and let us go home to that place from whence the Sound which reverberates, and whosoever enters inside will find it. “Everything is in this house. Nothing is outside.” Whosoever searches outwardly will lose himself in illusion. 

Kabir says, “The thing is in one place and the search is being made somewhere else. You will find it when you take with you he who knows.” If you come across a person who has the knowledge of the Beyond, he will say, “come”, and will join you back through his attention. “If you take the knower with you, he will easily give you the truth. That which takes millions of births will happen in one second.” For many lives and the present one also, man has been in search of God; wandering in the outer environments. If he had gone inside, he would have had the realization. For this process, a Mahatma (great soul) who goes inside himself, is needed to put us on the way up. Then with daily practice one’s condition should become one of confidence. “when a true Master comes all doubts vanish.” Whenever he wants, he can work in the body or he can go into the sukhsham – into the Beyond. So the true temple of God is the physical form, in which the jewel of knowledge shines. knowledge is not gained just by reading and writing. knowledge comes through experience.

To see the inner light and hear the inner sound is real knowledge. “manmukhs (worldly people) ask, ‘how can the man-body be the temple of God?’”. those people who are under the influence of the mind and are doing outer practices say, “How can the man body be the temple of God? this is a sack of filth – who can say it is the house of God?” they are never convinced about it. once, I heard of a great mahatma, who had many followers, so I went to see him. Someone introduced me, and he started giving a lecture. “who says that in the body you can realize God? the body is full of filth urine, blood, etc. How can there by anything inside? If you want to see the sun you must look outside.” So you must understand that there are also mahatmas of this type. In the Gurubani it is written that this kind of mahatma is manmukh. What is a manmukh? “He who does not understand the holy Shabd can be termed a manmukh. The fear of the Guru is not in his heart.”

Firstly, it is very difficult to meet a True Master, and secondly if one does not meet one, naturally one cannot obey him. Such people say, “How can this body be a temple of God?” Eat, drink and be merry is their motto. Dear people, this human form is a true temple, wherein God resides. Withdraw yourself from outer things and realize him. You can only do this while you have a human life. “now you have go this man-body, it is the time to meet God . all the outward actions will not help you. Keep the company of the Sash, and repeat the Holy Naam.” Keep the company of a Sash. What is a Sash? One is whom God has manifested himself, and who can make God appear within others. “In the company of a Sash, you will receive that which is imperishable.” What is that thing which is Imperishable? He, God himself, who is already within you. In the jap Ji sahib, which is read daily by the Sikhs, it is written. “there is a priceless jewel within you; you will realize it if you obey the Gurus teachings.” In the Koran of our Muslim brothers it is written in Persian, “I am a hidden treasure, hidden deep within you.”

If you knew there was some treasure hidden somewhere wouldn’t you like to dig it out? if a thief cam across an unguarded house with no one to see his actions, do you think he would sleep in the night? so many say that God is within us, but even then sleep without caring. Why don’t they dig out the Truth? Even if one meets someone who can help to bring out this truth, and some understanding is given, even then one does not care to do digging. How unfortunate is he! What can we call such an unfortunate person? If he were not conscious of the thing, it would be a different matter, but if someone has shown a little of that treasure inside, and even then one ignores it, then what is to do be done? The usual excuse given is, “I have no time,” is it not? Do you want someone else to dig out the treasure for you?

This is not restricted to any particular faith; anyone can do it. all the outer rituals are good, if one does something good one will be rewarded, but the coming and going in the world will not stop. This thing is an inner science, getting which you will also get salvation. Even if one returns, it will not be as a prisoner but rather as a doctor sent back to help the rest of humanity. “the true temple of the man-body was made by God, and is maintained by his will.” All creation is in Gods control, just as a powerhouse controls all other machinery. He who is in charge of the powerhouse will tell you that not a single piece of machinery can move without his order, or you can call it the Will of God. “Through the Shabd all happiness is acquired, and through love of the True Naam.” Soul is a part of God, just as it is a part of the Shabd. When the soul becomes full of bliss. “If ye long for eternal happiness, surrender thyself God.” Go under the protection of that Power which is perpetually vibrating. The soul is a conscious entity, and God is all consciousness. If you want everlasting permeating rays of the all-consciousness. Such happiness will never end. These teachings are not for a selected few, but for all men.

This secret path be trod without a Guru. When we leave the body at death, the body’s identification which we considered to be so important remains with the body. When you leave, who are you? Just a soul. You will go to a place in accordance with the seeds you have sown, not by what religion you are, but by just what you are. If one is fortunate to find a great man who is a living temple of God, and who can reveal the Light within, what will this great man do? “The Master will lift you above the realm of duality, saving you from judgment in the court of the Lord of Death.” An enlightened soul with the attention takes you above the poisons of the senses and have become the one who sees, then what can Dharm Rai, the Lord of Death, do?

This quotation was from the Gurubani – that book has a place in every Sikh home – but the same thing has been said by all past Master. In the Persian language it is the same. If you open the Sanskrit books, you will find the same teaching there. However, the common man does not understand Sanskrit, which requires the study of a special grammar. When Master come, they speak the simple language of the common man, so that everyone may understand. the latest holy book is the Guru Granth Sahib. Forgive, but for understanding that also, dictionaries are now being compiled. With each age, everything changes. This Guru granth sahib was written in the simple Punjabi language, very clearly, and in such a way that by reading it one gets some intoxication. “Those who commune with the Truth are freed from all worldly sufferings.” “The One is the Truth, Oh Nanak.” The truth is also known as Shabd and Naam. It is both describable and indescribable. it is said that he whose soul become one with the Truth, or Naam, Transcends matter, and the rest get drowned in it, going around the cycle of the Hindu religion, when a person is dying they quickly light a lamp and put it in his hand. They say, “Do it quickly or he will die before he gets salvation.” 

When a Guru initiates a disciple on this path, he will not leave him until he has taken him to the lap of Sat Purush will take him to Alakh, Agam, and Anami, stages of imperceptible, inconceivable and nameless God. A Guru’s duty is very exacting. Even to hear the world Guru, the soul shivers, but people nowadays want to become Gurus very quickly and very easily, like an enjoyment you might say. In truth, a Guru is God himself. In which ever pole God is know as sadhu, Sant or Mahatma, or Master. He never says, “I am the doer,” But always refer to the will of God.

“The bani of the Guru, a sound which gives perpetual bliss, can only be heard by the grace of the Guru.” The bani of the Guru and the Gurubani are two different things. Gurubani – Guru’s word – is what we read. Bani is the name of the Naam or word, of which it is said that in the four yogis or ages, the sound is vibrating continuously, and with the blessing of the Guru that sound is made audible to the disciple. All the holy scriptures started from some enlightened soul. Before each Master came, each book was not in existence. So only a self-realized man can interpret them. The correct meaning cannot be understood on an intellectual level, for men who have not seen will give many different interpretations.

“Those who communed with the Naam became rid of all dross, to merge with the Lord in a state of pristine purity.” Those whose soul gets connection with Naam becomes pure. Only then can they merge into the Godhead. Naam liberates the soul from the lower self. Only he who is clean and pure can reach the lap of God. who else can go? “The true temple of the body is Gods shop where the priceless treasure of Naam is sold, which only a Gurumukh can get.” He says that in the shop of God you can buy the True Naam, Naam Power, which is inside it. but only he who becomes a Gurumukh can buy it. this is not a story for the manmukh. A Gurumukh is he who become one with the Guru, through the eyes of the Guru. Otherwise, how can he become a Gurumukh? We have a habit of saying that this or that person is a very big Gurumukh? We have a habit of saying that this or that person is a very big Gurumukh, but it is not a matter of saying. 

In the temple of God, the mind drags us downward, away from the truth. It is because of mind that we cannot partake of that which is inside us. It drags us down like a weight of iron. In turn the senses are dragging the mind, and the pleasures of the world are dragging the senses. If the attention withdraws from outer environments, leave the senses and calm the mind, then only does it realize that it is soul. Have you understood this? Our mind is the barrier between soul and God. this lesson is not for any particular person or country.

A contact with the philosopher’s stone turns into gold. It is necessary for the iron to come into contact with the magic stone, to turn it into gold. The big difference between this touch stone and a Guru Singh that the touch stone will turn a Guru is that a touch stone will turn iron into gold, but the contact with a true Guru can make one a Guru. In the company of the Master your mind will come to a standstill, because he himself has controlled his mind, from where does this mind take its power? From the soul. You will become very valuable if you can also control your mind and become one with your Guru.

“The lowly became high through God’s grace, and through His grace the sinking stone was made to swim across. Only God’s grace made this sinking stone swim across, so there is hope for everybody. There is a great wealth to be gained through Gurubhakti – devotion to the Guru. You have to earn your reward through using whatever he gives you to start with. So the first step should be through Gurubhakti. One whole lifetime of Gurubhakti is required, and in the next life you will get Naam. The third birth brings salvation, and the fourth you will arrive in Sach Khand, your true home. All these stages can be had even in one span of man-body, with the grace of the Guru. All Master have sung the praises of Gurubhakti. Maulana Rumi says, Maulana Rumi is he hadn’t given himself as a slave to Shamez Tabrez. Guru Nanak says, “Nanak, become a Gurumukh if you want to earn the truth. 

I have laid before you a hymn from the Gurubani. Many of you have read it many times, but was it ever with full attention? If you will open up the meaning you will see the truth in it. one hymn is enough; it is not necessary to read more. If you have a true heart, God Himself will help you by leading you to a true Master, in whom He has manifested Himself. He will give you something to start with; to help you on your way in this birth and even afterwards. If you meet such a personality but do not obey his commands, then what can I say? 

The subject of spirituality pure and simple, has never before been dealt with as clearly or concisely as these morning talks set forth. To those who are sincere, these morning talks will appear as a brilliant shaft of light, which will dispel the dark clouds of ignorance. They tell us what is required in order to develop the spiritual side of our Nature and if we can but translate their contents into positive action, our spiritual development would progress by leaps and bounds.

From the foreword by 
Stanley Shinerock.

What you really want, that you will be given. There is a saying of the Master's that God has promised to give everything what a man wants, what his soul really desires. We simply say superficially that, “O God, we want you,” but at the bottom we want worldly things. If you have got real love for God in your heart, God will come to you, he will manifest to you. But generally, we want only worldly things, here and hereafter. Those who care for the love of God don’t hanker after the worldly things, or the wealth of the other worlds. They don’t even want emancipation. They would like to have only one thing. No heaven, no earthly things, not emancipation, only to be with God , that’s all. If we have really got that hankering in our heart then naturally we must meet God. God will come to us. If we take one step that way, he will precede one hundred steps to receive us. We have to decide what we want at our heart of hearts. Are we here only for the worldly things? Are we here only for the name and fame of the world? Are we here only to have things of the other world, or heaven? Are we really after emancipation from birth and death? A real lover wants none of these things. He wants God and God alone. this is the highest ideal that we can achieve in the man body and in no other. So you have to decide by an honest searching of your heart, what you want. If you want God then God will meet you, sure and certain. If you want something else, you will have it, that’s all. You will get nothing short with whatever you want. But why, when you go to a king, do you want ordinary pebbles and stones? So we should judge how we stand, day by date. The result of reading scriptures, doing penances performing this or that ritual, or doing one pilgrimage or another, all depends on the amount of love that you have got in your heart of hearts. If you have developed love for God, well and good. If not, then ? you must be going round in transmigration. It is a matter of only directing your attention, this way or that way.

Some people see the Master or God with their open eyes, while others don’t see him and wonder how those who do see him have this experience. The strong man revels in his strength and the weak man wonders how he got it. so it is a matter wholly and solely of Concentration on one point. Such like devotion bears forth fruit. People who enjoy this state are just like a wife who is devoted to and always thinking of her husband. The others who are not devoted are like a wife whose heart is attached to other men, even though she may appear to be outwardly devoted to her husband. Well, the wife who is devoted only to one man, she enjoys. Here whole attention is riveted on her husband. A husband would also like such a wife who thinks of no other man except him, who adores him and has nobody else in her heart. A heart that is devoted to so many men outside though married to one man, what good is that? So if you want your devotion your love of God to bear fruit, then be wholly and solely devoted to one. Think of him, see him, hear about him and know him. Bhakti or devotion will bear forth fruit only when you are wholly and solely devoted to him, so much so that you forget yourself.

I was speaking about devotion real bhakti. The first principle the basic principle and I would say the grandest of all, is to know that God is everywhere. We are living in him and he is in us. We live and have our being in him, like fish in the river. The fish lives in water, its whole life depends on water. It lives in water, it lives on water, from whence it gets its food. When God wished “I am one and wish to be many”, the whole Universe emanated, came into being. The whole world is an expression, a manifestation of God. where is that place where he is not? We are in him, he is in us and is our controlling power. All ensouled bodies are the drops of the ocean of all consciousness. When we know this, all is beautiful. God is beautiful and any world made by him manifested by him, is also beautiful. Beauty comes out of beauty, not from ugliness. Anything that appears to be ugly in the world is the result of the spectacles that we are wearing. If the glass of the spectacles is smoky, you will see all smoke. If it is red, everything will appear red. If it is black, everything will appear black. Well, the world is not black, red or smoky, mind that! So we have to change the trend of our mind, of our heart.

Love can be developed in many ways, but the most effective way is through looking at the Master into the eyes of the Master. Eyes are the windows of the soul. The Master is always within at the eye focus, so when you talk to him, you should always be attentive there. He is also attentive when he talks and soul speaks to soul. The Master gives lessons through the eyes without talking. He is overflowing with the love and intoxication of God and the radiation comes through his eyes very strongly. Those who are embedded in his eyes by receptivity get a boost.

Everybody says, “Be chaste, observe celibacy.” For that the only criterion or specific remedy is what? To be self centered. It is we who give power to the mind. It is we who give power to the outgoing faculties. It is we who see good or bad outside. If we become self-centered and somebody touches you, you will not be affected. You will be air-conditioned. But if you touch those who are not air-conditioned that will carry its effect. So for that, all Master's have enjoined “Don’t touch anybody – don’t look in the eyes of others .” these are the outward precautions to save you. Just like when a tree is cut down , first the branches are shorn off and it is then easier to cut the stem. These precautions are only to cut off the branches. But the whole thing will depend on being self-centered.

Watching the eager throng as they waited patiently for the Master to take his seat on the rostrum, I sank into a reverie and my thoughts ran on in this wise:

These children of light, as the Master calls them in one of the many beautiful phrases that flow from him, have gathered here to do homage to that great light that shone in India five hundred years ago in Sant Satguru Nanak. 

It seemed to me that in doing obeisance to his memory in remembering the purity and saintliness of his life and in reflecting on the beautiful teachings he left behind, notable in that exquisite poem, Jap Ji, which our Master has so beautifully interpreted for us, we at the same time do reverence to all the great Master's who proceeded him, back to the beginning of time.

Down the ages came these great sons of God – God clothed in human form, for “the Father and the son are dyed in the same color” – and five hundred years ago Guru nanak took his place as a link in the Divine Chain. Completing his mission, he appointed his successor and departed to his own place. And so with each successive Sant Satguru down to the present living perfect Master, his holiness Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj, in whom it seems the whole of the past is being unrolled before our wondering gaze.

O sons of God in glory clad, the light ablaze within moving in the heavenly Bani, the melody divine, we prostrate ourselves before the Lord Supreme.

Yet each conceals himself from mortal gaze in such perfect humility; the Buddha disdained a throne and in a simple yellow robe first found Enlightenment in solitude and moved in love among his fellow men, teaching the Eightfold path; Christ, the son of a carpenter having nowhere to lay his head, moved in lowly grace amongst the poor and lost, accepting a cruel death; Ravidas, the cobbler, Saina the Barber; Kabir, the weaver; Dhanna, the Jat; Namadeva, the calico printer; Guru Angad, who succeeded Guru Nanak; then Guru Amar Das down to Guru Gobind singh, the last of the great gurus in succession to Guru Nanak; tulsi sahib his royal origin disdained; Soamji; Jaimal Singh, a soldier, followed by Baba Sawan Singh, a military engineer; succeeded by the present living Master, Kirpal Singh a civil servant.

One and all of these great Master's living and teaching the same glorious truths adorning the path of the Master's, display one prominent characteristic – humility. Mightier than any Emperor, no earthly crown for them; no orb, no scepter; no clad in silks nor weighted down with precious stones; no outer pomp or splendor not even a religious emblem upon their persons; no attendant priests and acolytes; no palace, no armed guard and watching sentries; no retunue of servants surrounding them. But in peerless humility, the servant of all, each comes with his clarion call:

Awake! Arise! Stop not until the goal is reached!

So came Guru Nanak, “The servant of the servants of God.” and he calls to us:

Only he is alive. O Nanak who is attuned with him; all else are dead.

And immediately I recall the words of Christ: “Let the dead bury their dead; follow me!”

There is one supreme way in which we may honor Guru Nanak and all past Master's who are no longer linked with earth: this is to sit at the feet of the present living perfect Master, if we may be so divinely blessed, and do his will. Over the Master's chair in the verandah of the bungalow across the way, Christ’s words are writer:

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

It is not enough to read and talk about he Master; not enough to sit in rapt gaze before him, glorious privilege and blessing though his darshan be; not enough to offer him outer reverence. He asks nothing from us save only this: that we keep his commandments, seeking only to do his will. This is the love he will accept. Why? I think perhaps in this obedience which is the test of love, he is enabled to pour out his love even more abundantly upon us.

Even kings and emperors with heap of wealth and vast dominions 
Compare not with an ant filled with the love of God.

My reverie abruptly ended ; there was a stir in the audience the Master is coming – “Go ye forth to meet him” and with his other children I entered into the joy of his presence, hearing him sweetly say: children of light!

2. The para vidya literally stands for the knowledge of the Beyond. It seeks to make the human soul one with God by transcending the physical form, the austral and the casual planes of existence. It has therefore nothing to do with outer forms and ceremonies – rites, rituals, sacrifices, fasts vigils, pilgrimages. These are outer practices. We have to make the best use of them. If they are other to literally adhere to the sacrifices of the spirit, they are positive and hindrances on the path. For instead of leading us Beyond the world of the senses, they fix us more firmly therein. In our Satsang we should not mix up the science of Para vidya with any other kind of movement, which deals with other than this science. We should understand that this is the highest of all movements, which is the goal of all religions as taught by all Masters who came in the past, including Jesus Christ. Of course our substance will be universal and serve as a common ground or school of spirituality devoid of all forms and rituals, for all Masters who will be welcome to give their valuable talks on the theory and practice of science of self-knowledge and God knowledge our main of life is to know our self and to know God. we must never weaver from this and in every action we do, we must consider whether it takes us nearer to of farther away from our ideals and we should ceaselessly try for the same.

Awake, awake and arise stop not until the goal is reached. (Upanishads).

3. What is God and how can we know him? God, as all the scriptures and saints have said, is nameless and unknowable. Then how can we know God? the answer is that the absolute is not knowable, yet makes himself know by manifesting himself as light and sound principles. Most religions tell us that the creations began from these primal manifestation. Now the divine light and the divine sound or “Word” (Know variously as Shabd or Nad among the Hindus Kalma among the Muslims) may be contacted by rising above physical consciousness. They exist in a latent form in all of us. Our goal must therefore be to develop them and contact them within us. To do this, we must through meditation learn to withdraw our soul to its seat behind and between our eyes. Having once contacted the inner Light and Sound, we can progress to what their source, passing from plane to plane until we reach God 

4. To succeed on this inner part, we must find one who has explored it to its utmost limits. A living Master is an inevitable need and indispensable means to the attaining the self-realization. On the purely physical level, he serves as a living example of a perfect life. He tells us of our true home and the way that leads to it. on spiritual side he gives us details of the inner path, intricacies and difficulties, provides us, by using his own attention, with an actual experience of withdrawal from the body and of the inner Light and the sound, and guides us through the most difficult part of our inner journey till we reach our goal. The Master saint is a human saint like any one of us, but through the blessings of his Master and intense spiritual discipline he has risen into cosmic awareness. He has become one with God and he is a conscious coworker of his divine plan. He is a living embodiment of God’s love and does nothing of himself. He is not tormented by any self-interest but works for the benefit of suffering humanity. If we can sacrifice our personality to him, as he has sacrificed his to God, following all his commandments, then alone we can make spiritual progress. To obey the Master is in fact to obey God, for it is God who works through the human pole.

We are all engag4d, as you know, in fulfilling the great cause of the Grat Master, which Singh the cause of Gis, we must therefore form ourselves into a band of selfless workers united in indissoluble bonds of love and fellowship. We, the initiates, whether old or new, are all seekers of the one God, and are equally dear in his eyes, the same Master Power is helping us all alike. Should there be any honest differences of pinion, we must try to resolve them by mutual discussion in a spirit of good will and amity rather than breed rancor and discord that may go to widen the gulf between individuals and groups. IN cases where we cannot decide, the Master may be approached for final decision, we stand for secularity and not sectarianism,. In the grand and glorious service of God there can bee no thought of high or low, for all of us are moved by a spirit of true comradeship.

6. It is very necessary to distinguish clearly the ends from the means. To lay too much stress on the means is likely to make us gradually forget our objective and to become fossilized. Once we know, for example, that abstinence from all kinds of meat diet and spirituous liquors helps us on the spiritual path, it is enough that we avoid them. But to take it as an end in itself is to miss the goal. Offending others because they eat meat is worse than meat eating. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. Live and let others love. Welcome those are who choose to come on the way, but we have no right to hate or offend others because they eat meat. Vegetarian diet is essentially a helping factor for those who would prefer to follow the teachings of the Master. Hafiz, a great Saint, says, “Drink wine, burn the holy scriptures, and put kaba, the House of the God, on fire. You may do all this but never offend or molest any body.” If you are really anxious to meet God you should not offend or molest the heart of anybody, which is the dwelling house of the God. It may however be stated that if one adheres to strict vegetarian diet, that will help a good deal in having normal life, but does not necessarily result in better tempers, control sex life or detachment from gross thoughts, desires and actions, worldly ambitious, possessiveness, lust or greed. Kabir says, “If you leave heart and home and retire to a schedule place and live on pure vegetarian diet, never than the mind does not leave of its base heights.” Along side such essential and positive aids, we must religiously devote regular time to the spiritual practices of contacting the Light and Sound so as to cut down the ramification of mind, with his so very necessary for self realization and God realization, and mold our life accordingly. I would like to add that for thus aspirants on the path it is but necessary that so long as one is in the physical body, vegetarianism should be strictly adhered to. Thee unholy may be sanctified and made holy only when one is all together above body consciousness. And relaxation in the matter of diet would not only a positive hindrence in meditaion but would unnecessarily contract carmic reactions. No doubt there is life principle in all type of diets, yet in the vegetables it is in the lowest form as such the least harmful. The real goal is to use every means possible to rise into full God consciousness. 

1. Similarly the philosophy of karma too has a specific place in the system of Spiritual Science. But it should on no account be made to induce morbidity and breed a spirit of frustration among initiates and non-initiates. Man is the maker of his awn destiny. Though we cannot alter the past yet we can forge the future as best we may. “Thus far and no further” is the deadline which the Master draws for each one of us and it should on no account be transgressed. When you are put on the path of true pure yoga, you become free of past holds of stress and tensions physical and subtle. Calmness and harmony are experienced and purification and true detachment are only realized by the average man through the consciousness of the saints, which if a true Master gives through his divine grace, the heavy mountainous loads of past actions become molehills and molehills become nothing. Guru Nanak says, “what is the good of coming to your feet, o Master, if our karmic debts are not nullified. It is no use taking refuge at the feet of a lion if jackals still be howling on him.” The Master has to do his job and they initiates their own: to push on with full confidence in the Master. There are too many learners on idealistic imagination amongst the initiates and too few who practice. The meditation period should not be one of pretty emotional feelings only. The initiates should surrender there all to the Master and be willing to die and give up their life for God. “Learn to die so that you may begin to live.” The Master knows how to deal best with it. ours is to act well in the living present, as enjoined by the Master. If we act up to his commandments, he will never forsake us till the end of the world. But we feel, on the contrary, that after the initiation we are absolved from all obligations, and free to do what we may by simply putting our trust in his grace. This attitude is a great stumbling block on the path and retards all real progress. It does not pay in the least to purposely close our eyes in self-complacency to the stern reality of the situation that places rights and obligations in equal proportion on each and every individual. We cannot pick and choose, as we may like. We must therefore guards against such a frustrated mentality and have to work our way ourselves for there are no short shifts in the science of the spirit. It is long and laborious process of unfoldment for the spirit and we have of necessity to take care of the higher values of life at each step if we are keen in our search for truth. It is a steep path which if we have to tread without stumbling we must tread with our heart forever fixed on the goal and on the steps immediately before us, for there is no time to look behind; it can only make us shudder and tremble. Ignorance is the only disease from which the soul suffers. It can only be cured by knowledge and the knowledge is the action of the soul and is perfect without senses, though on the physical plane it cannot do without the service of the senses. True knowledge only dawns on the supramental plane where physical senses can be on no avail. But until the stage of direct communications with the Radiant Form of the Master is attained, one has to take care in everything, for the path is slippery and strewn over with hidden traps that may at any moment catch the unwary pilgrim on the path. Once one slips, the golden opportunity is lost and one does not know when one may be able to get a human birth once again. When we lay too much stress on the means, viz., vegetarian diet and Karmas, we should lay still more emphasis on inversion and withdrawal, from the senses and put in more time for the purpose.

Again the Master as you know, does not accept anything for himself. All his personal needs he meets on his own account. He has nothing to do with the voluntary contributions of the Sang at or the brotherhood. These funds constitute the public trust and must be utilized for the public good in America and abroad everywhere whenever needed. This can be utilized in a constant flow of literature and current instructions from the Master through the mail. We must remember that money cannot be used to build a spiritual man. Money voluntarily contributed by the followers can be used only by the Masters for the uplifting benefit of thousands. All Masters did use such money, for the propagation of their mission. Every initiate must remember that if they receive any literature, etc., from the Master that they are only taking what was paid for by someone else. We must see and think in a healthy way about all this. There is no greater service that that of putting people on the God – way that may ultimately take them to the true Home of their Father. In the discharge of the public obligations, we must needs be scrupulously clean and chaste. Every penny that is spent for any of the recognized purposes must be well spent and be properly accounted for. The accounts of income and out-go should be periodically checked, audited and the Nature of expenses be thoroughly gone into, so that not a cent of the hard earned money of the initiates goes to waste and we are able to fearlessly render account whenever called upon to do so. We ought to avoid all grandiose schemes as may strike our fancy and serve to pamper our vanity. The mission of the Greater Master aims at simple living according to the relative values of life. The highest ideal of life being the knowledge of self and the knowledge of God, all our acts and deeds must be judged and measured by this touchstone alone. If we live by the Law of God, the law shall uphold us; and if we fail, howsoever little it may be, we transgress and the entire Law and are found and judged wanting in our ideals.

1. The aspirant will be a true ahimsa (a non- violent person ) ,and this is considered to the highest of all laws of conduct .
2. The aspirant will live a life of truthfulness.
3. The aspirant will develop a high character.
4. The aspirant will have love for all , and hatred for none .
5. The aspirant will live a life of selfless service for the uplift of all humanity.

Galatians 6; 7
The fruit of man can be barrier to his progress on the spiritual path , and although a competent my stick adept absolves the aspirant of much of his past sins, the five basic requirements must become an integral part of his everyday life. The first of these prerequisites, ahimsa or non –violence , not only means that the aspirant should desist from killing , violence, and injury to other living things, but also means abstention from evil thoughts and ill-chosen words about others . The law of “ Nature red in tooth and claw” may hold sway in the jungle, but in the truly civilized man the practice of ahimsa is the greatest virtue of all . The practitioner of ahimsa would assist others to live harmoniously and with joy, rendering both quality and quantity in his needed service to humanity. It is one of the tragedies of our world that a great percentage of its people are living lives of terrible hardship and dire poverty; yet a true ahimsa spirit among nations would assure everybody of reasonable shelter, adequate food, and healthful resources. Ahimsa properly practiced throughout this planet would afford all people vaster facilities for cultural, mental, and spiritual growth.