Sat Sandesh
May 1972 Volume five number five



From the Master

  • The Purpose of Manav Kendra: The Masters speech of welcome to Dr. V.V. Giri, President of India
  • The Master’s Talk: Is your Destiny Awakened?


  • Other Features

  • The President Visit to Manav Kendra
  • The Ultimate State: The President’s address
  • The Word Made Flesh
  • The Case for Chastity, Part II


  • Poems

  • Life for Love






  • THE PRESIDENT VISITS MANAV KENDRA

     

    ON MARCH 14, 1972, the president of India, Dr. V.V. Giri spent that day in Dehra Dun, during which he graciously consented to visit Manav Kendra.

     

    The usual observances of strict security and protocol having been taken, the President arrived by car with accompanying entourage, and was welcomed by the Master and garlanded in traditional Indian manner.

     

    Enthusiastic effort had been spent to make the simple surroundings of Manav Kendra neat and acceptable for the honor with a little delicate and tasteful decoration as a visual gesture of welcome to distinguished visitor.

     

    Dr. V.V. Giri spoke in praise of Manav Kendra as a project upholding great principles, and remarked on the importance of the Masters work and his amazingly humble way of performing it without publicity or advertisement.

     

    When Bibi Hardevi Ji offered some vegetable juice as refreshment, there was the usual practice of tasting by the chief security officer before the drink was proffered to the President. The tray was then placed before the principles on the dais, and the Master handed one glass of juice to Dr. V.V. Giri. The officials excitedly exclaimed that the glass the Master had given was wrong one – the untasted one – but Dr. V.V. Giri declared that as the Master had given it with his own hands, then he was going to accept and drink it.

     

    After the national anthem, sung very sweetly by forty-three ladies from the center for the blind in Rajpur, the President stepped down from the dais, bade a smiling farewell to the Master, and entered his car. The large audience, invited from various walks of life in Dehra Dun, was then given tea and refreshments before returning to the town.

     

    Thanks to the dedication of our staff in India, we are able to present here the transcript of Master’s speech of welcome to the President, as well as Dr. V.V. Giri’s address. We are also including the subjective comments of Masters Representative in Boston, Mrs. Mildred Prendergast, who was present at the occasion with eyes wide open.

     

     

     

     

    THE PURPOSE OF MANAV KENDRA

     

    YOUR EXCELLENCY, I heartily welcome you on your visit to Manav Kendra.

     

    From the very first, as a boy, I was a voracious reader of books – mostly abstract subjects and biographies. From these I have learned that it is God who made all creation. There is really no East and no West: we have made the East and West. We are all brothers and sisters in God.

     

    I am President of the world Fellowship of religions, beginning from 1957 up to date. We have been successful in bringing followers of different religions together on one platform, and that has done good work for most of the narrow mindedness and bigotry has been minimized by explaining that God made man, and man made social religions. These social religions came into being only after the Masters and great Saints appeared, firstly to keep their teachings alive. So long as there were practical people, the resulting formations which came into being for noble purpose stagnated, and stagnation resulted in deterioration.

     

    Masters have been coming from time to time, to give the right understanding. In the time of Kabir, Guru Nanak, and the Rishis, we find there were two sects at the most, and great narrow-mindedness; but they thought the message that there are no Hindus and no Mohammedans, but all belong to mankind which inherits all religions and all creations. So we are the highest in all creation with the same privileges from God, born the same way with the same outer and inner construction. We have got man-body, but we are conscious entity on account of which the body is working. When Masters came from time to time, they gave out the teaching, Man! Know Thyself – who you are, what you are. We are conscious entities, a drop in ocean of all consciousness as such we are all brothers and sisters of God. As man we are all one, with the same privileges from God, and as soul we are also of the same essence as that of God, though we worship him with so many other names.

     

    As soul, as worshipers of the power, we are already one: the unity already exists, but we have the every words, “I am neither Hindu nor a Muslim.” The people asked, “Who are you?” they said, “My  body is  made of five elements, and I am the conscious entity working through it.” The Upanishads ask, “

    Who is that wonderful maker, who has made this wonderful home in which we live?” this house has so many apertures, but we cannot run away out of it. The body works as long as we are in the body, but we are in the body as long as we are controlled there become higher power. When those  saints who had solved this mystery of life left the scene, the social bodies came into being to keep their teachings alive. As long as there were practical people, the people gained benefit from them; but ever since then, for want of practical people great teaching has stopped in all respects and that has played havoc.

     

    Times have changed now. I have been to the west twice, first for six months and then for eight months. There I was once invited to a meeting called “East and West.” All who were participating gave their talks, and in my talk I said, “Well look here, it is said that East is for the East, and West is for West, and the two shall never meet, but it is you who have made it. God has only one home: the whole of creation is his home, where he lives.” The biggest temple in the world is the earth below and the sky overhead, and in this small cave of the man body is the miniature temple of God in which he also resides. God does not reside in temples made of stone by the hand of man. God lives in the temples which he has made in the womb of the mother by his own hand. So it is a true fact that the body which we are carrying is the true temple of God; but we have forgotten it.

     

    In the west I gave all talks free. People asked me, “Do you not want any money for yourself?” I told them, “No”. they asked, “then what are you after?” I said, “I am here only to revive the truth that the man-body is the true temple of God, and we have forgotten this.” I have written a number of books, and they had no rights reserved. When I came back from America they offered me lakhs of dollars, but I refused. I told them, “I am just initiating.” So the result is that about 185 centers have grown up in America and other countries, and about 80 or so in India. The main purpose is to bring all children of God together on one platform. We are already one, as man, as soul, as worshippers of the same power called by different names; but we have forgotten.

     

    Good work has of course done through the world fellowship of religions, both outside and in India; Delhi and Calcutta; in Persia, France, and Germany also; we have brought them together and they have come closer. Now all can mix with others, but one danger is ahead. What is that? Now, all followers of the “isms” – Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, etc. – should join together to form pillars. How can there be true integration? How far can we tolerate each other?

     

    This man center has started on the lines of Kabir, Guru Nanak, Christ, and all Rishis of Old: that we are all men first. God-men first. We are first man – physically – then we are conscious entities, drops of the ocean of all consciousness, and worshippers of that same God. As man, soul, and God, we are all one. The main purpose of Manav Kendra starts on these lines. Its first purpose is man-making. I have not touched the social bodies. In the time of Kabir and Guru Nanak there were only two social bodies; now there are over 700. man is a social being and must have some social body to live in. let him remain there, and the purpose for which he has joined – that will bear the fruit of it. That purpose is: to know God. And to know God is to know man first – who we are, what we are. As bodies, we are all born in the same way. So the first purpose is man-making.

     

    For this man-making, I have just a reservoir outside: the earth below has given us – it is very kind of her – she has given us water without pumping, so the big Sarovar is there. This big tank is over 350 feet long and 200 feet wide – oval shaped. It is overflowing with water, and on the other side is a bathing ghat. In front and all round it, we have formed sitting places for meditation, and in front of that is the Satsang ground. So we have got no temple here. The earth below and the sky overhead is the biggest temple, and the man body is the miniature temple which we have forgotten. There will be no temple here. Along with this, there will be not temple here. Along with this, there will be a long library for all the teachings and lives of great men. There is a meeting hall. We have just formed for man-service a hospital block, and for those men for whom there is really no one to look after them an old mans home. There is a guest house, a meeting hall, and other places. These are for man-service, and we are starting a university from the smallest upwards, and God willing, this will include all morals. Along with all this, there will be breeding of animals and agriculture.

     

    You will be glad to know that Guru Nanak was an ideal farmer toward the end of his life. We have got these same three things before us: man making, man service, and land service. In the west, they had appreciated this very much, and have started one or two places like that. So this is all the main purpose for starting Manav Kendra here in India.

     

     

     

    THE ULTIMATE STATE

     

    The address of Dr. V.V. Giri, President of India

     

    Comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen: I am indeed delighted to be present here this afternoon. Kirpal Singh Ji has explained the objects of this great institution – he has done wonderful work in a most humble way, without any fanfare or advertisement, throughout the length and breadth of India. I have also a great belief in this kind of great work; only people must understand the spirit of the things he has explained, and if they can do so they will have real peace of mind. They may be the richest, or they may be in poverty – they may be anything – but if a person understands how to secure peace of mind for himself, he is the most happy of individuals. It is not riches that gives happiness to people. We see many rich people suffering from various kinds of weakness, and they are most unhappy. Therefore let us realize that it is not riches that will secure happiness for an individual; but if he can secure peace of mind, that is greater than all the riches the world may possibly give any individual. We have come into this world naked, and when we die we go out of the world naked. Only in between we think of various things like riches, etc. So long as we realize that all human beings are equal both in the sight of God and man, then we can realize the objectives and principles that Sant Kirpal Singh Ji has placed before us. I always have great respect for all religions: I respect Christianity, I respect Islam, I respect Sikhism, I respect Jainism, I respect Hinduism; but I cannot respect those who follow these religions because they do not follow the ideals that are related in these religions. If only people belonging to those religions, there could be nothing but happiness, and no misery at all in this world. But people generally do not follow what they preach of what they read. They do not put into effect these great principles that underlie all religions everywhere. If only people could understand their religion, there would be no warfare. The Hindu goes at the throat of a Muslim, or at the throat of the Muslim, or the throat of the Christian, and so forth, therefore, while religions have truth that human beings are false because they do not follow the religious tenets of that religions they profess. So I say that I am neither a Hindu, nor a Muslim, nor a Christian, nor a Parsee. I believe in Humanism. Humanism is greater than all religions put together. If you are a human, if you are kind, if you are charitable, if you are humane, you are really following the tenets of all religions; and religions represent what is known as the spirit of humanism.

     

    That seems to be objective of our great individual here, and I am very glad he is trying to inculcate these principles among the people of this country and therefore I am a believer in a world state. I do not believe in India, or Russia, or so and so, but we are all people born on the face of the earth, and therefore we must be in position to claim every inch of the world as ours. A time must come when there should be a world state where everybody is equal to everybody else, where everybody can enjoy the fruits of what is produced in the whole world. An Englishman should not say, “This is England, what is produced here is mine.” The Russian should not say this way, the Indians should not say this way; but the time shall come, if only the principles that our good friend Kirpal Singh is inculcating are realized to the fullest extent, when a world state is bound to come – where everyone in the world can claim every inch of the world as his. But all this can only come and give happiness to the people if they give up selfishness: if they are good, if they are kind, if they are affectionate to everyone, a world will be established where there will be peace of mind. This is the biggest riches any person should desire. At any rate, that I desire – that much and nothing else.

     

    I thank you, I thank Kirpal Ji for inviting me to this place and explaining to me what he is doing in  a most humble manner, without advertisement, without publicity, and I wish him every success. He is doing God’s work. I thank you all for giving me a patient hearing.

     

     

    The Word Made Flesh

     

    The day of the reception of President Giri at Manav Kendra, my Lord and Master showed me plainly my creator, and I am become forever his bond-servant.

     

    On this day  I saw, bathed in a shaft of God’s glorious light, purity, and humility, the body of my Master: a gift to humanity so selflessly extended without blemish that I will ever remain dumfounded at this bestowal of his divine mysterious love.

     

    On this day the formless beauty and perfection of God himself shone forth in the human body of his commissioned one, that all his children might witness how much he loves us.

     

    So stunned and overwhelmed by the vision of his divinity that it is only now at a much later date that some feeble attempt to put into words of what took place on that memorable day when heaven joined Earth is now possible to relate: of my Master standing on the dais before Dr. V.V. Giri, clothed in his Immaculate Giving himself to the children of the world; a rescue from the burning passions afflicting the souls of mankind by the gentle persuasion of Love alone.

     

    O Satguru Dev, give us forever the remembrance of the peerless beauty of your true divinity, that we never forget who our Master is and the Divine sacrifice of his redeeming love for us.

     

    We bow down again and again to the sustaining power and holy receptacle of the light and voice of God in the blissful form of our beloved Master, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj.

     

    MILLIE PRENDERGAST

     

     


    THE MASTER’S TALK

     

    Is Your Destiny Awakened?

     

    No matter which hymn you study from the great Masters, you will find that the subject is the same. Bite on any part  of a sugar toy, and it will be sweet! The theme of all the Masters is the Naam or Shabd – the God-into-expression power. There is a hymn of Guru Ramdas, which is worth giving considerable thought to, for when the subject is unfolded clearly, it is easier to understand. So listen with love and full concentration:

     

    If the fortunate one’s destiny is great,

    He will then meditate upon God’s Naam.

     

    To be given the human birth is a great good fortune, for it is the highest of all the eighty four hundred thousand (8,400, 000) species of creation. All species are born to serve you. Yours is the highest birth. O man, all the earths species were created to serve you. Having gained the human birth, your destiny should awaken and become great; otherwise the life is wasted away in enjoyments along with the rest of mankind. Having been born a human being, then what does he do if his destiny is awakened? He will then meditate upon God Naam. What is God’s name? It is that which all the saints have spoken of – God’s name is the greatest – that which created all. Nothing can be greater than the Naam of the Lord, which gave birth to every thing. It is not just a mere word in any language, it is the very power of God which created and which continues to sustain all creation. And he who meditates upon that power has the very highest destiny.

     

    So much praise has been sung of those who meditate on Naam. Those who meditate upon the Naam had all worries erased; O Nanak, their countenances were radiant, and those in their company gained freedom. Whoever meditated upon the Naam fully, made a complete success of life; all life’s burdens and difficulties faded away. Not only were their faces radiant, but others too got salvation through them. the Gurumukh gives salvation to millions with a little ray of Naam.

     

    So when the Masters come, millions who enjoy their company are carried across the ocean of life. Guru Ramdas Ji also recommended a daily program for the disciple of the Satguru / should rise early and meditate upon the Naam. Anyone who calls himself a disciple of that personality who is the truth personified – the daily routine of such a disciple should be to rise before the dawn every day, and contact the Naam and to repeat the word Naam are two entirely different things. Repetitions of the word is merely to get one started.

     

    It is said also, rise before sunrise; take a bath in Amritsar. Now what is the meaning of this? – for those people who live in Kabul (in Afghanistan) for instance, would not be able to travel to Amritsar every day for a bath! – for Amritsar is in Punjab, India. It is the city which was started by guru Ramdas Ji and completed by Guru Arjan Sahib, and we have great regard in our hearts for this sacred place, the residence of the great Masters. It is not surprising that it is a famous pilgrimage. But to which Amritsar does Guru Amar Das here refer? The true Amritsar is within the physical form, / tasting which purifies the mind. The true Amritsar, which has the precious nectar, lies within the human form. Whereabouts? Beyond Pind, and, Brahmand – through physical, astral and causal planes. It is also referred to as Desam Dwar. Sometimes it is called the Sarovar (pool) of Amrit, and the Muslim fakirs spoke of it as Hauz-I-Kauzar, and the Hindus rishis named it Prag Raj. When bathing in this Sarovar, the soul becomes immortal – free from all dross. So this is why that soul who call himself a disciple of him who is truth-personified should rise early, meditate upon the Naam, and take a bath in Amritsar, daily. He should get that far at least, with Pind, and, and Brahmand left far behind. What else does Guru Amar Das say? After rising, sing the Gurbani (words of the Masters). Having been in communion with Naam, we are then fit to read the Masters words; but we have long forgotten that meditation upon Naam means to rejoin it.

     

    Where is Naam? The giver of the nine varieties of happiness is the Lord’s Naam, which can be found within the human form. It actually exists within us, it is not merely a spoken word. Ultimate, beyond the senses – naam is limitless. It is not an outer practice, for one only contact it when above the senses. Very sweet is the beloved Naam. He says there is a great sweetness in the Naam, and those fortunate ones who meditate upon it are the highest souls – those who meditate with full concentration.

     

    What is gained by such meditation? Why are those who meditate upon it so fortunate? Who gets connection with it? The answers to those questions are found in the Gurbani. Those with good karmas from ages past got connected to the Lord’s naam. Only those soul can receive naam upon whom. O Lord, thy merciful hand has rested. The whole world may be engaged in the verbal form of Naam, but connection with Naam only comes with the shower of God’s mercy. And what is gained? Nanak says happiness rules in that home where the Anhad (unstruck sound) resounds. Happiness and peace is realized through meditating upon the Naam. A man gets tranquility and complete satisfaction when the Anhad sound is awakened within him. The Jap Ji Sahib gives clear details of the advantages in contacting the Naam:

     

    By communion with the Naam one can attain the status of a Siddha, a Pir, a Sura or a Nath;

    By communion with the Naam one can understand the mysteries of the earth, the supporting bull and the heavens;

    By communion with the Naam the earthly regions, the heavenly plateaux and the nether worlds stand revealed;

    By communion with the Naam we can escape unscathed through the portals of death;

    O Nanak, his devotees live in perpetual ecstasy, for the Naam washes away all sin and sorrow.

     

    These are some of the benefits afforded to those who meditate upon the Naam. Communion with Naam (sound principle) is like a blind man’s guiding stick; through communion with the Naam the spiritually blind find their way to realization. It is the only true way to reach beyond the hand of man. God is really nameless, but through Naam we can reach to him. This is why all Masters have sung the high praises of Naam all through all ages, in various languages.

     

    So Guru Ramdas asks: after gaining the human birth, then whose destiny is highest? Those who destiny has come to fruition get to meditate upon the Naam.

     

    Meditation upon the Naam, he gains all happiness;

    Repeating God’s Naam, he becomes as one.

     

    This is how the soul can realize the Lord, and the very sweetness of contact with Naam has been described by many way: sugar, golden sugar, raw sugar, sugar cane juice; honey, milk; all are sweet, but the beloved’s sweetness is incomparable. It is very difficult to describe the sweetness of God’s Naam for it holds a special kind of intoxication. The intoxication of Naam, O Nanak, inebriates day and night. It makes a man forget the intoxicants of the world, for it is the only intoxicant that brings true happiness and lasting peace. So contacting the Naam is the means to bring true happiness and lasting peace. So contacting the Naam is the means to the end; blending with the precious treasure, the Nameless.

     

    God is Nameless. But when he expressed himself, that expression was described as Naam or name. The lowest divine link of that Naam is within each being, but conscious contact with it can only be experienced when the soul above the senses. If one then gets a connection to Naam and hold on to that string, naturally one will travel back to the source from whence it comes the Nameless God head. It is a true and direct way back to him, a true method of becoming one with him. Hafiz sahib gives some indication when he says, no one knows on which story my beloved resides; but the sound of the bells comes from there. If the soul hears that sound and starts following it, naturally it will eventually arrive as its source. So this lowest link exists in each and every one of us, and in that link is light and the sound. You may also call it Udgit, Nad, Akash-bani, the music of the spheres – whatever term you prefer. The work of the Sant, mahatma, or Master is to elevate the soul above the senses, and give the connection. This is then increased by daily practice.

     

    The nameless state is the aim of all Masters, and Naam is the means to realize it. I bow down to the nameless. But the difficulty is that people do not understand what Naam is – some do not even know it exists. They think the outer practices are all in all, but this is wrong. Outer practices are useful; they are like a nursemaid or governess, and the best use should be made of their training for this helps one along the way toward spirituality. But if one desires true and lasting happiness and peace of heart and mind, and the release from births and deaths, al this can only be gained through regular contact with Naam. If you remain enamored of the body and the surroundings environments you will not be able to enjoy the Naam for to experience it fully one must rise above the body, through self-analysis. The secret of this spiritual science can only be learned in the company of a realized soul. While in his presence one receives a little experience which is then increased by daily meditation, and one progress farther. One will oneself admit to experiencing this. It is not like an unproved promise of gaining something after death. logically there is hope of more if one gets a little start with.

     

    Always do the Gurumukh Bhakti – O all living beings!

     

    Everyone should do bhakti (devotion) through the Gurumukh. This indicates that there is another kind of bhakti, done at the level of the outgoing faculties the Gurumukh  as, he who is the mouthpiece of the guru. Then he says, in further praise of the Gurumukh: through Gurumukh bhakti the sound becomes audible; then immortality is assured.

     

    There are nine different kinds of devotion, and all are meant for preparing the ground for spirituality. Tulsidas said in his Ramayana, if you want the light to be lit within and without, then meditate on the Naam power with your life. All the nine types of devotion are at the level of the senses, and although they help to prepare the way, yet you cannot get release from coming and going as long as the doership stands. As you sow, so shall you reap. For complete release it is necessary to follow Gurumukh bhakti, which starts above the senses. This is the Naam contact. This is why it is said that where the world’s philosophies end, there religion (re means back and ligio means to bind) really starts. How to win over the senses – that is true knowledge. Outer knowledge does help, just as the midwife helps in bringing the child into the world, but she does not give birth to it. To realize the  truth, you must get a higher contact than the outer knowledge; and this is received above the senses.

     

    Your heart will be flooded with light, if devotion is there;

    Through the Guru’s knowledge, God’s Naam will be yours.

     

    It is very clear; there can be no misunderstanding. The devoted heart – that is full of devotion. The  devoted heart – that is full of devotion to the Gurumukh – will be full of light. By meditating upon Naam, the light of millions of suns becomes apparent; the darkness of illusion is dispelled. In this way, true love for the Lord is born. meditation on God’s Naam comes with the guru’s knowledge. It means that everything depends upon the Guru bestowing his knowledge upon one. If one does not get that knowledge – the connection – then secret which came hidden with us at birth will remain hidden and never be realized. Only the attention or soul above the body and senses. So Guru Ramdas says that we cannot gain that without gain that without the Guru’s help; this is a fundamental principle. So take this principle into the heart.

     

    In one section of the Gurbani, guru Amar Das says, the beloved orders have come from the beyond: that without the Satguru there is no realization. It is a statement that the Lord himself has declared: until the soul meets the realized soul who is the truth personality, the Lord will not come into that soul consciousness. Only one who is not governed by or under the control of the senses can perform this spiritual  task. Otherwise, how is it possible that one who is under the control of the senses can do it himself? The light cannot be revealed by one’s own effort, or by any other practice, save that of devotion to the Gurumukh. If through some previous background one has already some experience, it is well and good; but without further help one cannot go ahead, and will remain in the same position.

     

    You can only love something you can see – how can love develop otherwise? There is outer knowledge and inner knowledge. Outer knowledge comes in the form of scriptures of the different religions man lives in, according to his birth, but this does not give any inner knowledge. Inner knowledge comes only with the Guru’s knowledge; and that is Naam. In the Gurbani we have: O Nanak, the Guru’s knowledge lies in the fact that our attention is absorbed in the Naam that vibrates everywhere. This guru’s knowledge is mentioned in all religions, but the peace does not come until the knowledge is fulfilled – from within. Why otherwise do all Masters sing the praise of Naam? Naam vibrates in every atom, yet we ask “Where is it?” the Master describes this very beautifully:

     

    The diamond, gem, jewel,

    Overflows in all creations ocean.

     

    One inestimable Existence is overflowing in the whole of creation – there is no place without it. Whatever is created is all Naam. To be connected to such power is priceless gift.

     

    Whoever is greatly blessed with good fortune

    Will bring out the truth with the guru’s knowledge.

     

    If one does not meet the Satguru, the knowledge remains hidden. No one is beggarly or hungry, for each had ruby in his bundle; but it is never opened, the ruby never seen, and he is penniless. Most people are not interested in highest knowledge, and so never meet the Guru and the priceless treasure remains burden and unknown. It is not a question of religion or a matter of caste. Drunkards never consider each other’s birth or character: they all drink together. So in the name of Naam, all are equal whether born a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, etc. Simply, whoever has the higher destiny or good fortune to learn how to bring out the truth from within is greatly blessed. Otherwise he leaves this world in ignorance: he became hungry, lives in hunger, and will leave hungry.

     

    That jeweled ruby is the Naam,

    Which the guru brings forth and places in the hand.

     

    It lies in everyone but, when the Satguru is met, you see with your own eyes and realize the truth within the house. Whoever gives a little experience of the truth is a true guru indeed. He will not say, “Go on doing what I tell you, and you will get salvation after death.” the true teaching of the Master is to give salvation while living in this world, for whatever you have learned here will remain with you when you leave at death. do you think that an illiterate man will become a learned teacher just be going through that change which we call death? the Master believe in salvation – freedom from the wheel of births and deaths – during one’s lifetime.

     

    Namdev very frankly declares, if salvation comes after death, then this type of salvation is valued less than coal. What value can it have? The whole life is spent in sorrow and misery, and one dies unhappy too – what is the use of salvation when the life is endured and finished? If we can get some peace and contentment during life, our whole outlook and actions change. It is another criterion of judging whether one has got the contact with Naam. A man must change. If one sits near a block of fire one will enjoy its warmth, and if one sits near a block of ice he will feel the chill. When one enters a salt mine, everything seems salty. Is the Lord’s Naam so, that even after contacting it no change has occurred in you? Rather it means that you have not had the true contact. We go on saying Naam, Naam, but the fact is that we do not know what Naam is. If  you meet a truly realized soul, he will give you the experience of Naam  - do not accept anything less than this criterion. If you listen to propaganda you will be misled, for anyone can speak fine words with a little training. One can pick up a stone these days and find a guru of some kind or other. Gurus, you will find many – but disciples, none. An actual inner experience does not really need any words of support.

     

    When Maharishi Ashtavakra asked king Janak, “Have you received the knowledge?” the king replied, “Yes, Maharaj.” The receiver should freely admit of his own accord that he has achieved something. He can only do this if he gets the experience: it is not a question of mere praise for an individual – “he is a very big Master” – etc., etc. what proof is there that he is by a mere flood of praise? If the seeker gets some experience that he can acknowledge, then there is a definite indication that more can be had; but if he receives nothing, what indication can he judge by?

     

    So the teaching of the  Masters is very free from the bondage, and it makes others free. Service to a free person brings freedom. What can he who is bound do for another? In the Gurubani it is written, if the master is hungry and naked, how can his servant eat his fill? After al, we are healthy enough to take our food – we are very clever about many things; but when it comes to our spiritual wok we are suddenly very naďve – almost ignorant, you might say. Is this an intelligent attitude? An awakened seeker will never be satisfied until he gets something substantial – an experience – be it but little: to give the prospect of greater things ahead. So if you seek employment from one who is himself starving – just tell me, what will you have to eat and drink? The world is blind and works blindly; without the guru the way is not found; when the Satguru comes, the eye can see; and within the house the truth is realized. How clear these words are! Why is it that those who read so avidly the words of the Masters allow themselves to be so easily mislead? One id mislead when one does not fully understand the meaning of the words.

     

    Socially we must live in some religion or other, but the real work must be done. True Masters have always been very rarely found. In the days of king Janak, only one Master could be found capable of giving the knowledge; a first hand experience. Why expect there to be hundreds available today? The more there are, naturally the happier the world will be. It is not the  case of choosing a certain religion or sect; a moth will rush toward any light, be it in the house of a cobbler, a merchant – any class or caste. Spirituality is a matter of life – and life comes from life.

     

    The unfortunate manmukh received nothing;

    The ruby was hidden behind the point.

     

    Those without the special good fortune – the manmukh – remain empty of the spiritual wealth. Guru Amar Das says this of the Manmukh: he is a manmukh who does not know the shabd; he knows not the  fear of jymthe Guru. The manmukh is ignorant of the value of Naam – he has not met a realized soul; or he has met one and yet his mind has no awareness of him (the guru) being the knower of all things, and so he has no fear. Excuse me, but even after meeting the Satguru, we can still remain manmukh, for if his love has not entered our heart, we have not faith that he knows everything. This faith is the things upon which spirituality is founded. Faith is actually the root cause of all religion. How can a strong house be built without proper foundations? Get you heart in tune with the  heart of any truly realized soul, and daily you will progress spiritually. Those who remain the mouthpiece of the senses, whose attention is scattered in outer attractions, remain manmukh, even though they may follow the Guru they will never become Gurumukh. Such people remain in the ignorance of the real truth and the wealth of Naam.

     

    The ruby was hidden behind the point.

     

    Now, if even  a small object is held in front of the eyes pupil, it can see nothing beyond that object. So the curtain of ignorance must be removed, and when the Guru gives a sitting and removes that curtain even a little, the light of God is seen. The more he removes that curtain even a little, the light of God is seen. The wealth already exists behind that curtain, but it cannot be removed by one’s own efforts. If anyone thinks he is capable of such a task, then let him try. But if we can rely on the words of the Masters who all say the same thing in their own ways, no one receives without the perfect Guru, even if one earned millions of good karma.

     

    The inner eye must be opened. Even though we can open the physical eyes, yet the spiritual eye remains closed; and while having everything within, yet we cannot see: there is only darkness. Guru Nanak says in the beginning of Asa Dewar, if hundreds of moons and thousands of suns shone, yet with all this light is dense darkness without a Guru. All Masters have declared that Guru. All Masters have declared that God is light. By meditating upon Naam, the light of millions of suns becomes apparent. The sun be risen, and yet if a person is blind and cannot see it, all is darkness for him. So the matter of greatest importance is to first have the inner eye opened by the realized soul, who opens the eyes of thousands. Maulana Shamas Tabrez says that we have blessed thousands with eyes who were born blind. He is speaking of the inner or spiritual  sight. Even if a physically blind man is given a sitting he will see the light of God within, for he will see with the inner eye. Those are not blind, O Nanak, who do not see the beloved. In the opinion of Guru Nanak the blind are not those without physical sight, but rather, are those who have broken away from God and who have not developed the eye with which to see the Lord. In such cases, the literate and illiterate alike are blind if their inner eye is not open. Hazur Swami Ji says, The Guru says that the whole world is blind, for they have not seen the inner world. It is a very sweeping remark – the whole world is blind. Why? Because most of the world’s population never see this inner or spiritual path which goes across the physical, astral, and causal planes. In the gurubani it states, O blind man, you did not know of the path. This is the hidden pathaway which takes the soul beyond all planes and leads it to the Lord. Guru Ramdas has clearly told us:

     

    The unfortunate manmukh received nothing;

    The ruby was hidden behind the point.

     

    It is a very minute curtain behind which an immeasurable wealth is hidden, and the removal of this curtain is the  work of a God-realized Master. When the Satguru comes, the eye can see; within the house the truth is realized. One then needs no confirmation from other for he will see for himself.

     

    Maya (illusion) and Brahm (the Lord of creation) are not separate, for illusion is the reflection of Brahm. Brahm expression is Maya, so see Brahm in it and do not forget him. Gifts are loved, but the giver is forgotten; one knows not and thinks not of death. If our angle of vision is turned toward the truth then illusion cannot affect us. But these who serve illusion are eaten up by it. The worldly people throw themselves, nay, give their very lives up to the torments of illusion, and never gives an angle of thought to the truth. The whole of mans life goes to waste like this.

     

    If the destiny is written on the forehead form beyond,

    Then the Satguru gives the services.

     

    One can meet a Satguru only if that special destiny is written on his forehead. And what is the Satguru? Satguru is the image of truth. Satguru is one who can bring his soul above the mind and senses at will: one who has become one with the truth. His name is Satguru who realizes the sat purush; in his company the disciple is uplifted – O Nanak, the sing the praises of God truly when the company of a God-realized soul.

     

    So Guru Ramdas has told us that great destiny is awakened, then he meets a Satguru and one has the double good fortune of serving him. The third good fortune is gained by those who keep his commandments. He who sacrifices everything will decorate the altar of the Guru’s commands with flowers. The heart should be receptive to the heart. It is God’s special grace then to be able to meet the Satguru; it is a grace thing. When you meet him, you can be connected to the Naam and from then on enjoy the daily contact, through meditation. In this way both devotion and faith will develop. When the disciple becomes receptive, all the earnings of the Guru will descend upon him.

     

    The saddest part is that even after meeting the Guru we do not become obedient; this is why we remain empty. The Satguru can only be served through devotion, faith, and receptivity. Without the development of receptivity the full benefit is not derived. Guru Amar Das says, the Lord is realized through devotion to the Guru; then easily he resides in the heart.

     

    O Nanak, the gems are received;

    Praise be to the Gurumukh which attracted us to the Lord.

     

    All praise be to the Guru’s knowledge (Gurumuk – the teachings of the Guru) through which God was realized. And with his knowledge, what is received? The invaluable jewel, the treasure of Naam, through which the Lord is realized. With great good fortune one receives contact with Naam, and then one works hard for it. In his hymn, Guru Ram Das has explained  which, among all souls who have got the human form, have the highest destiny and meditate upon the Naam. With such awakened destiny, he develops all round, giving his physical form in service, increasing the scope of his intellect, and along with these he meditates upon the Naam. Such a person truly makes his whole life a success and thereby finishes the succession of births and deaths. This is the teachings of the Masters.

     

     

    LIFE IS LOVE

     

    Tears, drops of torment,

    Wash away the wasted hours;

    And, in their place,

    The labor of effort

    For a blessing.

     

    The heart bleeds ceaselessly,

    Till life is relinquished;

    And grief was sweet,

    When there is nothing left to give

    For Master’ love.

     

     

    ILLENE HANOVER

     

     

     

    THE CASE OF CHASTITY PART II

     

    IN CONTINUATION OF THE ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE, JON ENGLE EXPLORES  THE CASE FOR CHASTITY FROM A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT ANGLE.

     

    We who have been brought up with materially inclined natures have generally had great misconceptions on the nature of chastity. As of late it is more often than not associated with repression, religious fanaticism, etc, and the notion that it is a source of great calm and strength ( of both mind and body) as well as a tremendous joy within itself is all too quickly discarded. This misconception ides stems largely as reaction to those who knew (or may be only preached) “physical chastity” but never attempted control over their minds. All of the Masters and great men who emphasized chastity meant something far beyond outward behavior when they spoke of it.

     

    In the Gurmat Siddhant, the great Master defines chastity as being:

     

    “… the purity of mind, word, and deed. It does not simply mean control of sex organs. It comprises control over all sense organs….. This continence cannot be practiced  by control of the body. Continence should therefore be observed with mind, speech and action. If one controls the body but thinks  of sensual pleasures, it is harmful for the mind pushes the body in that direction, it is harmful for the mind pushes the body in that direction… continence does not mean that one should merely control his lust and sensual passions. It means actually to withdraw oneself from all sense desire.”

     

    With the understanding the chastity is more than just a control over the physical body, it may be taken in the same lines as the purity of which Teilhard Chardin speaks in the divine milieu when he says that three things are essential for drawing one toward “the limitless concentration of the divine in the lives.” Purity, faith and fidelity. Concerning purity he says:

     

    “Purity, in the wide sense of the word, is not merely the abstaining from wrong (that is only a negative aspect of purity) nor even (physical) chastity (which is only a remarkable special instances of it). It is the rectitude and the impulse introduced into our lives by the Love of God sought in and above every thing.

     

    “He is spiritually impure when lingering in pleasure or shut up selfishness, introduces, within himself and around himself, a principles of slowing –down and division in the unification of the universe in God.

     

    “He is pure, on the other hand who, in accord with his place in the world, seeks to give Christ’s desire to consummate all things precedence over his over immediate and momentary advantage.

     

    Still purer and more pure in him, who attracted by God, succeeds  by giving that movement and impulses of Christ’s an ever greater continuity, intensity and reality – whether his vocation calls him to move always in the material zones of the world (though more and more spiritually), or whether as is more often the case, he has access to regions where the divine gradually replaces for him all other earthly nourishments.

     

    “Thus understood, the purity of beings is measured by the degree of the attraction that draws them towards the divine center, or what comes to the same thing, by their proximity to the center.”

     

    Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, writes that “purity of heart is to will one thing” adding that “he who in truth wills only one thing can will only the Good.”

     

    Finally, we will turn back to the Master Kirpal Singh, who says that purity consists simply in “respectful and humble attitude toward God free from all cares and attitudes of the world.”

     

    With the hope that these few examples better define what chastity and purity are, let us continue with another quote of the Masters from the crown of life:

     

    “The way for transcending desire, he will know, is not through repressing it, but meeting it squarely and overcoming it. To him, sanyasa is not a matter of outer evasion or escapism.”

     

    This point of repression may require special attention for all too often a person who practices (physical ) chastity does so at the outward level only and thus it is at the expense of his purity. This misunderstanding has caused many to believe that the best means to freeing the mind is through sexual freedom. However, repression is only these same sense thoughts, attacking from a different angle. In this context, Gautama Buddha, who himself laid every emphasis on overcoming lusts and desires, warns in the Dhammapada that: “Asceticism wrongly practices leads to the downward path.” And Lord Krishna, in the Bhagvad Gita, supports this with the words:

     

    “Attraction and repulsion for the objects of sense are seated in the sense are seated in the senses. Let no one come under control of these two; they are his enemies.”

     

    What is the way beyond “repulsion and attraction? Again from Krishna we have:

     

    “The sense objects fall off from a man practicing abstinence but not the taste for them. but even this taste (for) the man of steady wisdom ceases when he sees the supreme.”

     

    Again he says: “But of all I could name, verily love is the highest, love and devotion that makes one forgetful of everything else, love that unites the lover with me. What ineffable joy does one find through love of me, the blissful self! Once that love is realized, all earthly pleasures fade into nothingness.”

     

    Similarly it is written in the Granth Sahib:

     

    O Satguru, when I came to thy feet

    These five strange aliens came under my control.

    He was pleased and I was blessed with his grace.

    Now they cannot revolt or raise their heads.

     

    And again:

    All the work has been resolved the mind’s hunger satisfied,

    What else can I desire form you but you?

    All else is misery upon misery.

    Give the Naam which renders all fulfilled

    And takes away the  hunger of the mind;

    I have abandoned everything and I am a true servant of the Lord.

     

    In the creative intuition in Art and Poetry, Jacques Maritan states that the creative and higher impulses in man do not come from instinctive urges but are born of a transcendent or spiritual  unconscious:

     

    “My contention then, is that everything depends, in the issue we are discussing, on the recognition of the existence of a spiritual unconscious or rather, preconscious of which plato and the ancient wise men were well aware, and the disregard of which in favor of the Freudian unconscious alone is a sign of the dullness of our times. There are two kinds of unconscious, two great domains of psychological activity screened from the grasp of consciousness: the preconscious of the spirit in its living strings and the unconscious of blood and flesh, instincts, tendencies, complexes, repressed images and desires, traumatic memories, as constitution a closed or autonomous dynamic whole, I would like to designate the first kind of unconscious by the name of spiritual or for the sake of Plato, musical unconscious or preconscious; and the second by the name of automatic unconscious or deaf unconscious – deaf to the intellect, and structured into a world of its own apart from the intellect; we might also say, in quite a general sense leaving a side any particular theory Freduian unconsciousness.

     

    These two life of unconscious  life are at work at the same time in concrete existence their respective impacts on conscious activities ordinarily intermingle in greater or less degree and I think never respect in some never rare instances of supreme spiritual  purification does the spiritual  unconsciousness operate without the other being involved. Be it to a very small existent, but they are essentially distinct and thoroughly different nature.”

     

    One draws to Heaven and to earth, the other,

    One is the soul, one living in the sense,

    Drawing its bow on what is base and vile.

     

    MICHELAN

     

    Very similarly, from the pen of great German poet Johann WolfGonvon Goethe is written:

     

    Two souls are dwelling in the breast,

    And one is striving to forsake its brother.

    Unto the world in grossly love zest

    With clinging tendrils, one adhere

    The other rises forcibly in a quest

    Of rarified ancestral spheres.

     

    In a later work, Goethe writes of surrendering of one’s lower natural attain to the highest:

     

    “the individual will gladly perish if he can find himself again in boundless infinity, where all vexations dissolve; where instead of passionate wishes and wild desires, irksome demands and stern obligations, the self will delight in self-surrender.”

     

    In man the unknown, Alexis Carrel supports the case for chastity from a slightly different point of view:

     

    “Mental activities evidently depend on physiological activities. Organic modifications are observed to correspond to the succession of the states of consciousness. Inversely, psychological phenomena are determined by certain functional states of the organs. The whole consisting of body and consciousness is modifiable by organic as well as by mental factors. Mind and organism commune in man, like form and marble. The brain is supposed to be the seat of the psychological functions, because its lesions are followed by immediate and profound disorders of consciousness. It is probably by means of the cerebral cells that mind inserts itself in matter. Brain and intelligence develop simultaneously in children. When senile atrophy occurs, intelligence decreases. The presence of the spirochetes of syphilis around the pyramidal cells brings about delusions of grandeur. When the virus of lethargic encephalitis attacks the brain substances, profound disturbances of personality appear. Mental activity suffers temporary changes under the influence of alcohol carried by blood from the stomach to the nervous system. The fall of blood pressure due to the hemorrhage suppresses al manifestations of consciousness. In short, mental life is observed to depend on the state of the cerebrum.

     

    “these observations do not suffice to demonstrate that the brain alone is the organ of consciousness. In fact, the  cerebral centers are not composed exclusively of nervous matter. They also consist of fluids in which the cells are immersed and whose composition is regulated by blood serum. And blood serum contains the  gland and tissue secretions that diffuse through the entire body. Every organ is present in the cerebral cortex by the agency of blood and lymph. Therefore, our states of consciousness are linked to the chemical constitution of the humors of the brain as much as to the structural state of its cells. When the organic medium is deprived of the secretions of the suprarenal  glands, the patient falls into the profound  depression. He resembles a cold-blooded animal. The functional disorders of thyroid gland bring about either nervous and mental excitation or apathy. Moral idiots, feeble minded, and criminals are found in the families where lesions of this gland are hereditary. Everyone knows how human personality is modified by diseases of the liver, the stomach, and the intestines. Obviously the cells of the organs discharge into the bodily fluids certain substances that react upon our mental and spiritual functions.

     

    “The testicle, more than any other gland, exerts a profound influence upon the strength and quality of the mind… the removal of the genital glands, even in adult individuals, produces some modifications of the mental state…….. Inspiration seems to depend on a certain condition of the sexual glands. Love stimulates mind when it does not attain its object. If Beatrice had been the mistress had been the mistress of Dante, there would perhaps be no divine comedy. The  great mystics often used the expression of Solomon’s song. It seems that their unassuaged sexual appetites urged them more forcibly along the path of renouncement and complete sacrifice. A workman’s wife can request the services of her husband everyday. But the wife of an artist or a philosopher has not the right to do so as often. It is well known that sexual excesses impede intellectual activity. In order to reach its full power, intelligence seems to require both the presence of well-developed sexual glands and the temporary repression of the sexual appetite. Freud has rightly emphasized the  capital importance of sexual impulses in the activities of consciousness. However, his observations refer chiefly to sick people. His conclusions should not be generalized to include normal individual, especially those who are endowed with a strong nervous system and mastery over themselves. While the weak the nervous and the unbalanced become more abnormal when their sexual appetites are repressed, the strong are rendered still stronger by practicing such a form of asceticism.

     

    He that is able, let him arise and follow into this inner sanctuary, nor look back towards those bodily splendors which he formerly admired. For when we behold the beauties of the body we must not hurl over selves at them, but know them for images, vestiges and shadows flee to that of which they are reflections…. How truly might someone exhort us – Let us then, fly to our dear country. Cut away that which is superfluous, straighten that which is crooked, purify that which is obscure labor to make all bright, and never cease to fashion your statue until there shall shine out upon you the godly splendor of virtue, until you have the temperance established in purity in the holy shrine. If you have become this, and have beheld it, and dwell within yourself in purity.. there is now nothing which prevents you from thus becoming one, when you have nothing foreign mingled with your interior never but your whole self is true light and all alone….. for he that beholds, must before he comes to this vision, be truly formed into its likeness. Never could the eye have looked upon the sun that did not become sun-like and never can the soul see Beauty unless she has become beautiful. Let each man first become God-like and each man beautiful if he would behold Beauty and God.

     

    PLOTINUS.