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.