Toward
the new Education
A talk given by the Master at Manav
Kendra at the inauguration of Manav Kendra Education Scheme,
June
21, 1972.
MAN HAS BEEN
REGARDED as the crown and glory of this
creation. “Not only is man at the origin of development, not only is he
its instrument and beneficiary, but above all he must be regarded as its
justification and end.” Man , as Lord
Jesus told us, whom God made in His blessings. But alas! The man of
today has belied most of our expectations. Increasingly, his vanity has led him to regard himself as the
center of the world, and made him oblivious of his shortcomings. The education system which could have
remedied all ailments and promoted his all round development has proved
woefully inadequate. Somehow a student
of today is unable to get true knowledge, which could have helped him to
acquire the right understanding of life resulting in right thoughts, right
speech and right action. In fact, the
real aim of education is to develop the character and individuality of a pupil,
his mind, will and soul power. The best
education is that which teaches us that the end of knowledge is service.
This
“service” is another name for love and fellowship bring with them peace,
gentleness and humility, basic values
of life whose significance has been repeatedly stressed by the sages and
prophets of India and the world. To
nurture these values, to practice them, and to adopt them wholeheartedly in
life, is what is known as Spirituality .”Spirituality” is not a name of a few religious
dogmas. In fact, there is no room for
dogmatic assertion in spiritual life.
Once Huen Tsang pur a question
to Shil bhadra, the head of the Nalanda Univerity; “What is knowledge?” He
replied, “My child, Knowledge is
perception of the principles or law or life.
And the best principle of life is fellow feeling sharing with other what
you have.” He says that those who cook
food for themselves alone are thieves.
Jesus once asked his disciples,
“what does it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world and lose
his own soul? “ The voice in them which
brought forth the answer, “None, Jesus,
none,” was the voice of Spirituality. The tenth Guru says, Those who put food
in the mouths of the poor and the needy, they put it in my mouth.
This capacity
to share is known as Spirituality, without which all education is a sheer
exercise in futility. As Gentile, a
great thinker, says, “A school without
a spiritual content is an absurdity.”
Modern education is largely egocentric and makes men spiritually and
socially incompetent; and they enter life with a view to gaining money on earth
and applause for their own personal enjoyment,
forgetting that true happiness begins only when one goes out of one’s
little self-the ego-and seeks the larger Self.
The most
important thing about education is its relation to life. “ Knowledge without action is empty as a
shadow.” “Education is not a withered
parchment but the Living Water of the Spirit.”
The school should be a home of teachers and students who reflect in
their studies, and on the playground
and in their daily lives, the cherished virtue of humility. Till our knowledge enables us to imbibe the
noble things of life, it has not served its purpose. Al-Ghazali, a man of scholarship and meditation, says in his book
Child, “Know, my child, that knowledge without action is insanity, and the
noblest action is service.”
The chief
malady of current education is that it results in the disassociation of heart
and head. It lays emphasis on the
development of head, and does sharpen the intellect to some extent. But more essential is the liberation of the
heart. That will be done when the
reason is awakened in sympathy for the poor, the weak and the needy. Sacrifice grows out of the heart, so the
heart is required to be unfolded.
The young should: (i) strive after the ideal of sacrifice and not emotions
(ii) be simple, for
simplicity is strength;
(iii)
learn to cooperate with all, and not
let differences in creed or political opinions stand in the way of solidarity;
(iv)
accept the creative idea, which regards humanity as one and
service as the end of all knowledge.
Teachers
should train students in the spirit of sympathy and love, blending information
with inspiration and knowledge with love.
A man may pass university
examinations and yet remain ignorant of the realities of life. He may have read a thousand books, yet be no
better than a boor. But true education
will make him truly cultured; and the soul of culture is courtesy. Scholarship may be proud; culture is humble.
Paradoxically
enough, culture and agriculture are similar in many ways. The soul’s Kshetra [field] must be
cultivated by disciplining desires and emotions. Who could have put it better than Buddha who, while dilating on
the analogy, observed, “I plow and sow
and grown, and from my plowing and sowing,
I reap immortal fruit. My field is religion; the weeds I pick up are
passions; my plow is wisdom; my seed is purity.” Our Rishis have prayed, Tamso
manifested Jyotirgamaya (“ Lead me from darkness to light.”)
But this
darkness cannot be illumined in just a day. Bricks, mortar, comforts and
luxuries cannot give any such training.
It is the proper atmosphere which can deliver the goods; that is why
emphasis in the school should be on atmosphere more than on rules, textbooks
and buildings.
The tender
heart of a child calls for very
delicate handling. In fact, education begins even before birth and therefore
better care must be bestowed upon every pregnant mother. It is a constant
association with gentle forces which breeds virtuous persons. A child is the
center of creative life. It needs to be
opened as a flower is opened, gently, by sympathy, not by force. Do not let the
child be imprisoned in the examination machine; never let him be snubbed and
scolded.
The fruits of
fellowship are four-fold. The first fruit is Artha, which indicates the
economic aspect of education. The second is Dharma, which preaches reverence
for law. Kama provides for the freer and fuller growth of human beings. The
most important is, of course, the fourth fruit, i.e. Moksha, the complete
liberation. This is liberation from our petty selves, which impels us to shed
all our bigotry, narrow-mindedness, and chauvinism. If education does not enable
us to raise ourselves from the levels of our ordinary selves, our average minds
to heights above our normal vision, it does not fulfill its very purpose. It is a lamentable fact that present
education, which should insure an integrated growth of human personality,
provides a very incomplete and insufficient preparation for life.
In this
process, the situation of the school also plays a major role. The German
words kindergarten is quite suggestive
in this context. Kinder means child, and
garden, indicating that every school should be situated in a lovely spot
of nature. In ancient India, every
Ashram was a garden of nature. The
Manav Kendra is situated at a healthy and picturesque spot in the Doon Valley,
presenting a glorious and tempting view of the snow-clad peaks of the
Himalayas. In the true tradition of
Manav Kendra-the Man Center-it belongs to all mankind for the creation of
understanding, peace, and progress. The institution is dedicated to the concrete
realization of human unity and is projected as an entirely new concept of
integral education and moral living according to the ethics of spirituality.
Human body is the true Temple of God. God resides in the temple of the made by
Him in the womb of the mother, and not in the temples made by the hands of man.
Without an inner change, man can no longer cope with the all-round development
of his life. To accomplish this vital
and indispensable task, the very nature of education has to be transformed so
that it can give society young men and women who are not only intellectually
but emotionally trained for vigorous, realistic and constructive leadership. We
envisage such an atmosphere where persons will be able to grow and develop
integrally without losing contact with their souls.
The aim is to
make it a place where the needs of the spirit and concern for human progress
will take precedence over material satisfactions, pleasures and enjoyment.
Certainly the education will have to be spiritually oriented and given, not
with a view to passing examinations, getting certificates and diplomas, and
seeking employment, but for enriching the existing moral, ethical and other
faculties and opening up new vistas and horizons to fulfill the dream of
Reality.
THE MASTER’S TALK
Are You Even Half a
Disciple?
IN THIS VAST
OCEAN we call the world, who is a true one? O Nanak, think of the True One as
the Truth. God, who is ever-existent, unchangeable, permanent, He who never
declines nor diminishes, and is the sustainer of all things-He is known as the
True One. And the God which came into expression-From one Source, millions of
rivers sprouted forth –that is called the Truth. So who is true, of all those who have received the human
birth? He who has realized the Lord is
true.
What kind of
thing is the Truth? The Jap Ji says, He
was when there was nothing; He was
before all ages began; He existeth now,
O Nanak, And shall exist forevermore.
Truth is eternal-something even beyond eternity. There are many who boast of being true –“I
have realized the Truth,” etc.—but true is he who is true to his real self—both
outwardly and inwardly. Outwardly his
mode of living follows after the Lord. Inwardly he is ever at one with and
constantly aware of the Truth. Human birth is a great blessing, and to realize
the Truth should be that human endeavor above all others, for in that human
life alone can it be realized; in the human life alone can the soul become a
true one.
When the
Master says, “I am ready to kiss the hands and feet of Him who has realized the
Truth,” he is acknowledging that noble aim.
The true ones, the Masters, have ever come to this world, and ever
will. Their work was always successful,
and always will be. It is due to a
man’s great good fortune if he ever meets a soul who has realized the Truth. We
call such a personality a satguru—true dispeller of the darkness. Guru
Amar Das Ji searched for the
Truth for more than 70 years, and when he eventually came to the feet of his
Master, Guru Angad Sahib, he saw the reflection of the Truth, and said Without
good fortune, one cannot meet such a satguru. It is a very high destiny. With
good karmas a satguru is met. If the Lord gives special grace, one gets the
experience from a True Master, and he says he is prepared to kiss the hands and feet of such an
enlightened soul, which is an expression of gratitude.
During the
life of Guru Arjan Sahib, a certain family of devotes who were talented in
singing the holy scriptures approached the Guru for some financial help to
cover the cost of the daughter’s marriage. Guru Arjan said, “All right, it will
be given.” They waited for some days, but nothing further was said, so once
again they faced the Guru and said, “Maharaj, we do not want very much; so if
each sikh [i.e., disciple] could give one take [two pice—about a third of a
cent] that would be enough.” Guru Arjan replied, “All right, tomorrow we will
see.” The days passed by without further development, and again they approached
their Guru, saying, “please do something quickly, for the date of the marriage
is upon us.” The Guru said, “All right,
tomorrow I will give.” When they came
to him the following day, he took out four and a half takas and gave it to them. They looked at the small amount in surprise,
and said, “Maharaj, what is this? You have such a huge gathering of disciples,
and yet you have given us only four and
half takas.” Guru Arjan replied, “ you said you wanted one taka per sikh. The
first sikh was Guru Nanak, the second was Guru Angad, the third was Guru Amar
Das, the fourth was Guru Ramdas, and, well, the half taka is for me—I am only
half a sikh—and that makes a total of four and a half takas.” It was a sharp
lesson to those who had thought to be clever, and a wonderful example of the
humility of Guru Arjan.
What then is the criterion of a sikh? Guru is sikh—sikh is a Guru; both give
the same teaching. He who becomes a
true disciple becomes a Guru—from server to Master. The family of singers did not appreciate their Guru’s lesson and
they began to demur, saying, “who would have known of Guru Nanak but for our
singing?” A true sikh can tolerate anything but an attempt to defame the Guru,
and showing his displeasure Guru Arjan said, “All right, brother, you can
go.” Others of his followers observed
the Guru’s anger and begged him to forgive the offending persons. The Guru said, “All right, they will be
forgiven when the mouths that have insulted will sincerely sing His praises.”
Everyone can
learn something from this incident. He
called himself half a sikh, although he himself was that same Light that all
Gurus are; in actual fact, the Guru never dies. Through the ages, the Supreme
Power is the same; That is our Guru.
When Guru Nanak was asked who was his Guru, he replied, Shabd is the Guru; the
attention is the disciple. The unchangeable permanence which came into
expression and is known as the Truth—that is the Guru. When Kabir Sahib was asked a similar
question, he replied, Our Guru is above the gaggan [focal point of the soul],
the disciple is in the body; When the attention and Shabd meet, never will they
be separated. Do you begin to
understand what a disciple really is? And a gurusikh is a disciple of a
Guru. The Guru is first a complete disciple.
Then the disciple becomes a Guru.
The same theme continues on, for Truth is one. If a bulb fuses, another is put in its place, and when that
fuses, another is placed, and so on. The power which continues is called God
Power, or Christ Power.
During my
last tour of the United States I gave a talk on December 25, 1963, on the
subject “Christ lived before Jesus,” in which I told them that Christ Power and
Guru Power are the same. Similarly, the
Shabd, the Word, the God –into-expression Power, and God Himself are all the
same, and that Power working at the human pole we call a Guru. That very talk has been printed under the
title, God Power, Christ Power, Master Power.
There are
three stages of a disciple: sikh, gurusikh, and Gurumukh becomes the mouthpiece
of the Guru, and the Guru is the mouthpiece of God. Himself, although outwardly
they appear to be coming from a human
throat. Another Master says, Whatever word come from the Beloved are given out.
Also, O Nanak, the servant speaks as ordered.
The
question arises: If we consider the
Guru to be a sikh, them how can one become a gurusikh? There should be no misunderstanding on this
point, for the followers of a Master would wish to know, “How can we become a
gurusikh? How can we be the loved one of the Guru ? How can we become a worthy
son or daughter of his?” Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, clarified the
matter by calling the true disciple a Kahalsa. There is no difference between a
gurusikh and a Guru . He says, The Khalsa is my True Form; In the
Khalsa do I reside; Khalsa is my True
Companion; Khalsa is my Perfect Master
From the beginning to the end, and in between also, the Guru will never leave
those he has taken under his wing.
When I recommended the spiritual
diary, it was to help you all to become gurusikhs. You have not yet become
gurusikhs. You will be a gurusikh when
you leaves your body and transcend above, and have your Guru’s Darshan in all
crystal clearness, and can talk to him.
This is what is necessary to be a sikh. Then if you advance further, to become his mouthpiece,
you will be a Gurumukh, when they say, “There is no difference between us!”
Just see what a noble future is awaiting you! You can become ambassadors of
Truth, but first see where you are standing now.
The Master
approach this problem as a man-problem: Recognize all humanity as one. They do not give different teachings to
Hindus and different to Sikhs, Christians, and so on. They say .simply, “
Become a sikh –a true disciple.” But man is the disciple of the mind and the
senses—of money, property, fame, and sensuous enjoyments. The Guru’s disciple is the sadhu, and mind’s
disciple is the rest of the world. Here the sadhu means one in whom the
Lord has manifested—such is the Guru’s true disciple. The rest of us are disciples of worldly things. These words may seem rather harsh, but they
are to help you realize the situation.
It is the way
of Master to encourage and praise their followers. If a person does even a little work, the Master will say, “ Well
done.” This happened during the life of
Guru Gobind Singh also, and he said in particular to one certain disciple,
“Bravo, you are a very good gurusikh.” The Master have deep purpose in praising
each individual – to uplift and sustain him—and if the disciple is aware of his
shortcomings, he should feel ashamed at such praise and begin to do
better. When the disciple had returned
to his home, his wife who had stayed near the Guru asked, “Maharaj is he your
gurusikh? I think he is my sikh.’ Guru
Gobind Singh replied, “No, he is a very good disciple.” She said, “ All right,
right, then please test him.” When her husband came in the evening, the Guru
told him, “Get a bale of first quality muslin, and bring it to me early in the
morning.” The disciple relied, “Very well, Maharaj, I will bring it.” He bought
the muslin on his way home, but at about midnight his wife awoke him and said,
“I want that muslin.” He said, “ But
how can I give you that? I have
promised to take it to the Guru Sahib in the morning.” This sort of thing is
happening all the time nowadays. He
promised to buy another for his wife, but she was adamant and said, “No, I want
this very piece.” What could he
do? The next day, when this “ gurusikh”
went to his Guru, the Guru said, “Hello, disciple, have you brought the
cloth?” He said, “Maharaj, I went to buy it, but could not find that
particular cloth so I will go again today.”
So on top of his disobedience, he told a lie to his Guru. Here also some people come and tell lies;
they think, “He does not know.” They
come and give orders—they do not come to learn to become a Gurumukh. So Guru
Gobind Singh said, “ Well all right,” and the wife of the disciple stood up and
said, “Maharaj, here is the cloth you wanted.
Now tell me, is he your disciple or is he mine?”
If Guru Arjan
considered himself but half a sikh, then what are we ? Anyone who learns to
give a short talk on the subject becomes a guru overnight. The mere reading of books and learning of
hymns by heart—shouting, laughing, singing making people cry with emotion—and
finally saying, “Go, child, you are
saved,” does not make a Guru ‘s words on the subject, which speak for
themselves.
If the
Guru-sikhra is seen, again and again will I bow to Him ;
I will
tell my innermost thoughts, and say, O Beloved Guru, join me back to God.
The word
Guru-sikhra is Punjabi, and means a small disciple, or you can say, “half a
disciple.” If one were to meet a small
disciple with even a little of his Guru’s attributes, you may consider him a
Mahatma. Does this not indicate that there are very few even small
disciple? He says he would tell his
innermost thoughts to him: “Maharaj, for birth upon birth we have been
separated from the Lord. After going
round the cycle of life so many million times, we have at last reached you. Even now we are wasting the precious
moments—O help us—we are in misery from the mind and senses.” There are three kinds of miseries: adhi-butik,
adhi-atmik, and adhidevik—misery through the physical form, through the
mind and senses, through trouble which comes from above. The whole world suffers in all three ways;
how can we gain peace? It is the Guru’s
work to give that peace.
During the
days when Guru Arjan was living in Amritsar, some people from Lahore made plans
to visit that city and have his Darshan.
In those days, most traveling was done on foot, and so after some
discussion they decided to break their journey for rest after twelve miles, and
continue to Amritsar the next day.
Everyone agreed to this, except one small child, who stood up and said,
“Why can't we reach there in one day instead of two?” Feeling somewhat abashed that the child had more enthusiasm to be
in the Guru ‘s presence at any cost, they agreed that it was possible to reach
Amritsar in one day, by walking very briefly pausing to gain their breath. So the they next day they set out from
Lahore, and finally reached the outskirts of Amritsar at about midnight. It was a bitterly cold winter season, and
when they arrived at the sikh temple called Pipli Sahib Gurudwara, they were
cold, tired and hungry. Guru Arjan knew their condition, and from his Ashram,
some distance away, he wrapped himself in a huge blanket from head to foot, and
placing a large container of hot halva parshad on his heads he set out to meet
the exhausted disciples at Pipli Sahib Gurudwara. With his identity still veiled by the blanket, he distributed the
parashad among them, and then bent to touch each and every person’s feet. Now every individual has his own aura, which
is a minimum of six inches deep. The
stronger the person is spiritually, the deeper is the aura, for it is charged
with the thoughts of that being. So
when Guru Arjan went nearer to the group of people, those who did a little
meditation became aware of the radiation which emanated from him. They said to themselves, “This must be some
very great should indeed who has served us this night.” They asked their
blanket-covered benefactor what he would like in return for his kindness, and
he replied, “Dear ones, I humbly beg of you, when you go before your Guru, ask
him to bless me, make me a disciple, and also give me the great gift of
humility as long as there is breath in my body.” He then quietly slipped away and returned to his Ashram. A few minutes later, the group from Lahore
arrived in his presence, and saw the same blanket-covered person who had served
them at the gurudwara. This is yet
another example of the deep humility of Guru Arjan Sahib, who termed himself
but half a sikh. What indeed then would
we find in a complete sikh?
Everyone
suffers from the three miseries. There
are perhaps a few who, like the small child, would sacrifice their physical or
mental comfort for the company of the Guru, but most people put the world first
and the Guru afterward. It should of
course be vice versa, but we are inclined to weigh these things as if on a
balance machine. Those who decide that
the Guru has more weight, have crossed the biggest hurdle of life, but those
who weigh the world heavily will remain in the world. He called himself a half-sikh—he who was a gurusikh. Then what are we? We think we are guruaikhs, but in fact we are mansikhs—disciples
of the mind. If we were gurusikhs,
would we not obey the Guru’s wish? If you love me, keep my commandments.
Do we ever
keep his commandments properly? He
tells us that life is but a few days in length, a short span gained from the
Lord’s blessing after so many rounds of births and deaths, and in this life we
can rejoin the Truth. If we do not do
this? This birth slips away—it will not
do this? This birth precious
opportunity will be lost. Who knows
when again you will live in this valuable house within which the Lord can be
realized? With the height of good
fortune came the human birth; If the Naam is not repeated, it amount to
self-immolation. The whole of
creation came into being through the Naam, and is ever sustained by it. All this world you see is the Lord’s image;
The Lord image becomes apparent. Make the Naam your companion.
The Lord is All Consciousness and the soul is consciousness also, which
when connected, becomes more conscious.
Instead of this happening, it became connected and enmeshed with the
lower expression of matter, thereby
getting affected by all the impure things of life in this world. When consciousness diminishes, what happen?
After death, the soul goes to whatever level of consciousness it has at that
time. So now you have the great
blessing of the human form; go and open your heart to a true Master –show him
your condition, and do not hide anything.
We should receive the bread of life which is food for the soul.
Food for the body is through eating and drinking, and food for the
intellect is through reading writing and thinking. But with awakened ness one learns to discriminate Truth from all
untruth.
Naam is the
bread and water of life, the food for the soul—the cure for all ills, be they
physical, mental, or mind ramifications.
The soul is weak because we have not fed it. We only talk about the soul, but mere talking will not feed
it. Can the stomach be filled by
discussing various kinds of bread? If
you are thirsty, will repeating the word “water” in all the world’s languages
quench your thirst? This bread and
water of life cannot be got from those who are materially prosperous, or those
who will give you money, or from intellectuals who offer their vast halls of
learning. Food for the soul can only be
given by a God-realized person, and where does it come from? I am that bread of life… this is the bread
which cometh down from heaven, whosoever partaketh of it will have everlasting
life. It is a wealth of Truth, obtainable from the true Emperor, not from
worldly people
Once Guru Har
Gobind was on tour with the rulin God Emperor of the time, Who set up cam
people very near to the Guru’s camp. A certain, gurusikh who was a grass
cutter, world earned his living by selling the grass he cut, hear that his Guru
had come, and cutting a huge load of grass of the Guru’s horses, he set out for
the camp with the big bundle of grass on his head. Now the Guru’s camp was a
very modest size, but of course the emperor’s camp was huge and grand; and when
the gurusikh saw the large enclosure of tents he thought, “surely this is my
Guru’s camp,” for a true disciple always thinks that his Guru will have the
very best place of all. He folded his hands and cast his eyes down, that the
first sight he would have would be his Guru’s face, and started walking toward
the largest tent. As he walked, he repeated quietly, “O Master, have mercy on
me, I am under the influence of the senses and have forgotten; I am drowning in
a deep black well – please take me out.”
At the
entrance to the tent of the Emperor, a sentry accosted him and demanded to know
his business, but the gurusikh replied with downcast eyes, “Oh don’t stop me, I
am going to see my Guru Sahib – I am going to the true emperor.” The King was
inside the tent, and heart the commotion and called out to know what was
happening. The sentry told the king that the man wanted to go to his Guru Sahib
– the gurusikh, big bundle of grass on
head, eyes closed, hands folded before him, approached the King, saying, “O
Master, have mercy on me, I am under the influence of the senses and have
forgotten; I am drowning in a deep
black well – please take me out.” The king, knowing he had come to the wrong
camp by mistake, replied, “I am not your True Emperor. Your True Emperor is in
the other camp – the one who has got the wealth of Truth and can give it to
others. He is your True Emperor; all rest are false.” This story illustrates
the yearning in the heart of a gurusikh.
When he has
the cure of all ills and unhappiness, why then are our miseries not removed?
Because most people go to the Guru, not for spiritual reasons, but because
their children are sick, they have this trouble or that trouble. If only they
would seek spiritual upliftment alone and forget their woes and worries – the
soul is strong, the whole being is strong. If five or six people are going on
beating each other, when one weak man is struck hard, he will go down very
easily under the onslaught. A strong man will tell you, “Yes, I did get a
beating, but I am alive and well enough to tell the tale.” When the soul daily
partakes of the spiritual food and becomes spiritually strong, unhappiness may
come or happiness, his relatives may die or be born, according to their karmas,
and he will get his own karmic events like others, yet he will not be affected
by all this.
Guru Arjan is
telling us that the cure for all our innermost troubles lies in the hands of
the Guru. If you have not yet found a Guru, yet you have met a true disciple of
God. Even then ask only for spiritual upliftment. But what do people do? Even
if they have found the True Emperor, yet still they ask for money, property,
health, even small supernatural powers. Some desire happiness of the world, and
some want the joy of the other worlds. Why not ask him for the real wealth?
Have you ever heard of going to a king and asking for seashells? He has
everything – whatever you want – dharma, artha, kama, moksha [righteous life,
wealth, fulfillment]. But we should ask for that things which he has comes
specially to give: He gives part of his ver life through which devotion is
learned, and he joins the soul back to God. He gives his own share of the bread
of the Lord. In this world one can find people to give all kinds of things –
but who will give his very life? And what is that life he gives? That is the
Truth. He is the Word, made flesh, which dwells among us. He has come to give,
but no one wishes to accept.
Our Hazur used to say that the Satguru hovers around during the
night, trying to distribute this precious treasure, but the world’s eye are
filled with sleep, completely, unaware that it is available. Man sleeps the
profitable night hours away. If you placed in the four corner of this Ashram
the gifts of wealth, health, supernatural powers, and in the fourth, Naam, you
would find the whole world’s population busily snatching up the gifts of the
first three – who would go to the fourth? If we do sometimes remember the Lord,
it is for our own satisfaction – to demand worldly pleasures. If by great good
fortune you meet are a realized soul, tell him what is in the core of your
heart – your inner most thoughts of misery in separation from the Lord.
Give me
such a message, that my mind may cease to wander.
Our soul is
enmeshed in created matter—it has become jiva—through the connection
with the mind. And the mind in turn has
sold itself to the rule of the senses.
Sometimes it is dragged by one sense, sometimes another. So he asks to be
given something which will stop this vagrancy of the mind—someone should give a
taste of that Nectar, sipping which all worldly wines become tasteless. Leave
all insipid worldly tastes, my friend, and drink the Nectar of Naam. There
is no real and lasting effect in the worldly pleasures, but with Naam one
becomes filled with a deep satisfied contentment. Put wood or oil on a fire and
it will flare up even brighter, but if you throw water or sand upon it, it will
fizzle out. Getting Naam, mind is satisfied; Without Naam life is accursed.
But Naam
cannot be had through money, force, flattery, homage, etc. It can be received
only by serving a true Master. There is no difference between the Sadh and the
Lord. He who is one with Lord is the
Sadhu, and he is the mouthpiece of God.
If only someone would bring us near to that personality. Through ages
past, present, and future will He remain with me; My mind likes that kind of
Personality. Who is he? He is my Truth
Friend, meeting whom all misapprehension is erased. Search the whole world;
such a personality is rarely found. The Satguru has an exceedingly noble
task—to rejoin the souls back to the Lord –but in between is the mind, and
work. The mind must be controlled. If you look at Man’s condition you will
admit that he is helplessly being
dragged along, wherever the senses are leading, wherever his passions are
enticing him. If some beautiful scenery or some beautiful form is seen, the
mind is dragged towards it; if some attractive music is heard, the is dragged
to that; the sight of food alone is enough to stir the taste into anticipation;
the mind is constantly dragged hither and thither. So the poor soul, which
supplies the strength for all this, is being ridden mercilessly. It should have
been in supreme control, but the mind and senses have overpowered it and
rendered it helpless in this degraded position—is it not a very shameful
thing? So the Master says that such a
message should be given which will control the rebel mind. Give us that
intoxication which has a stronger attraction and beauty than all others, that
the mind may ceases to look elsewhere for its enjoyment. That special
intoxication exists only in the Naam. Naam is the same as the Ever-Existent
Lord, and this Bread of Life is received only by those upon whom that Lord
showers His mercy. It you have great destiny, you meet the Satguru. And what
happens? He puts in your heart the
means of serving the Shabd, through the attention. If one should meet such
a Master, one should ask him to perform this spiritual operation.
All Masters
have proclaimed that there is God, and He resides in the physical temple of the
human form. One Muslim fakir advises that if you have definitely decided to
realize the Lord, then place one foot upon your mind, and the next step will take
you to the Lord’s door. In the Koran it is written that he who can control his
mind reaches the door of God. Our soul is attention. The Lord is the Greater Attention. That Greater
Attention has made million of worlds—regions upon regions—can we not even make
a single small town? The whole machinery of the body is driven by us, the soul.
Whatever we turn our attention to can become successful. If you eat your food
without any attention on it, you will not taste it. If you put all your
attention on a certain task, others may shout at you yet you will not hear
them. there is great power in the attention, yet it is unhappily dragged around
by the mind. For the solution to that, we must offer the mind a stronger taste.
For example, if you stir one teaspoonful of sugar into a glass if water, that
liquid will seem sweet. If you stir one
cupful of sugar into another glass of water, that liquid will taste like syrup,
it will be so sweet. If you then taste the first liquid once again, it will
appear to have no sweetness at all. So Naam has got the Nectar of the Lord
which satisfied the mind and renders the small enjoyments insipid.
Without the
Naam, a meaningless life is spent. furthermore, without a perfect Master no one
can get it, even with a million good deeds. It is a very high destiny to meet
such a Master. If, for instance, you enter a perfumery you can enjoy the scent
of the perfume without even buying any. But if the perfumist gives you a small
phial to take away, then? Master have a radiation, and if one sits in full
concentration in their company, one gains the benefit of that. If, in his
intoxicated nature, the Master speaks out, what happens?
In Bengal
there was once a Master named Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. All Master have their own
expressions in praise of God, and this one would say “Hari bol” which means,
“Speak the name of God.” One day he approached some washermen who were washing
clothes by the river, and they thought he was a beggar of no account. But he
sought out one washerman and persisted that he should repeat the words, “Hari
bol.” At first the washerman ignored
his request, but when he persisted and persisted, he agreed to say the words if
only to be rid of the beggar, so he
said, “Hari bol.” Now there was a great
charging in these words, and he could not cease from repeating them in
intoxication. He danced around singing “Hari bol. Hari bol” and soon the other
washermen gathered around him in curiosity, but they too became caught up in
the magic intoxication of those words, and they also began repeating “Hari bol,
Hari bol.” So you see, it is a great, great blessing to meet a Master. Even if
he gives no gift, yet while sitting quietly and attentively in his presence,
you will enjoy sweet and serene peace. And if he gives you the contact by daily
practice, then the whole world’s noxious attractions would fade away gradually.
And whose praises are here being sung? A small disciple’s. but he should be a
real disciple—not a disciple of mind and senses, of this and other worlds.
I give this
mind unto Thee, O Guru,
Show me
the Path.
Our Hazur
once said,” if only you people could give your minds today, you would
immediately go back Home.” One man stood up and said that he was prepared to
give his mind, but Baba Sawan Singh Ji said, “how can a person give something
which does not belong to him? First make the mind your own, and then say you
will give it.” The cure lies within us—not from outside—and that is the
Satguru’s Naam. Satguru is Naam—the Word, made flesh.
How many
people in the world truly pray to God for the sake of God? The Sikhs have a prayer: to be with the Gurumukh, to have
company of a Sadhu, to have the intoxication of the Naam’ this is the true affinity in which Thy Name is
remembered in the heart. They pray
also; Nanak’s servant wants only this happiness; give me the company of a Sant.
Theses are daily prayers in the life of Sikh, but when they do meet a Sant or
Master they insist that they do not need help from anyone.
I have
walked from far off ages;
Now I see,
and surrender myself unto Thee.
We have lived
through many species of life, and have finally reached the human form, supreme
in all the 8,400,000 species. If one taken a step forward from here, one can
reach one’s True Home, but if one step backwards, one reverts again to the
cycle of lives, the wheel of births and deaths. The Master says that after so many births through the ages, he
can now see that the Satguru is competent to release him from this imprisonment
in creation. We are weighed down by karmas from the past actions, some of which
get paid off, but most of which remain unaccounted for. While these accounts are outstanding,
nothing can be achieved spiritually, and the soul cannot be released from the
wheel of life.
When King
Dhritarashtra, who was blind from birth, was asked what he had done to deserve
such a fate, he said, “I know of my past for the last one hundred births, and
can find nothing in them to deserve this blindness.” Then Lord Krishna, who
held the status of Yogishwar which denotes the highest proficiency in all yogic
powers, gave a little attention to the King, and he was able to see that in the
106th birth back he had committed a certain action for which he was
now paying with blindness. So you see, our condition is like an overburdened
donkey which is stuck in a bog and cannot get out. the weight of our past lies
heavy on our heads, and the bog of mind and senses has such strength that we
are sinking further and further into the mire with each life. If someone would
only take true compassion on us! Who can have such compassion, but a
God-realized soul who leaves his home of contentment to descend and bear all
the insults and brickbats of the world, and whose aim and desire is only to
take the dear souls out of their sad predicament. And when he accepts each
soul, he first lightens the burden of those karmas, and then pulls him out. the
Great Guru pulls the attention out.
It is obvious
that those who are at the level of mind and senses can only achieve whatever is
within this same level. If a person wants to realize the Lord, then outer
efforts of prayer, austerities, fasting, reading of scriptures, pilgrimages,
donations, singing, etc., all of which are done at the level of mind and
senses, cannot therefore take the soul above this level. In all these actions, even the very thought
of doing them remains to restrict one from rising into higher levels of
consciousness—the more beautiful realms of Light. That is who the soul cannot
release itself from its plight—it must have help. Shabd burns out ego and
attachment; the Gurumukh receives the Effulgent Light which is God’s own form.
His ego is wiped out, for he sees clearly that he is not doing anything, but
God is working through him. With this knowledge, pride of I-hood leaves.
When the
compassionate Satguru gives the contact with Naam—a connection to the Light and
Sound—then where will that take us? It will take us to its source, and that is
our true home, for when the Lord willed to become many from one, this resulted
in vibration, out of which were born both Light and Sound. So God Himself is
Light and He is Sound—the Nada. The work of the true, Master, the one in whom
the Lord has manifested, is to give the connection to Naam, which is Light and
Sound. What gift could be greater than this? No one but the Satguru is capable
of giving.
To obey, and
to surrender oneself, are two different things. Being obedient to the Guru’s wishes does not mean you have
surrendered yourself, although he who has surrendered is naturally obedient.
But if you have surrendered you will not think of why and what, you will just
do what he says, I have give myself unto Your reckoning, so do what You well.
When Hazrat Ibrahim’s slave was asked where he would like to sleep, what
clothes he would like to wear, the slave replied, “sire, you have brought me,
whatever you wish I will do.” This is what surrender means. It is a very
difficult step to take, for hundreds of doubts enters the mind. When people see
the Guru living like an ordinary human being, eating, drinking, etc., they
become careless in thought and respect. You should always remember that a
Master’s life is two-in one. He is the son of man, accepting all as brothers,
having no ill thought for anyone, living like a true human being, sharing
happiness and misery with others. He also suffers in the sadness of others, and
sometimes sheds tears of sympathy too.
But, as his true Self, he leads souls within and up. Those unfortunate
people who consider him merely a man, remain at the level of man and lose the golden
opportunity. So he advises us to surrender.
And now I
see, and surrender myself unto You.
This is the
only way to crowning success. If a man has four sons, and three of them are
very demanding, but the fourth is content to accept whatever the father gives,
does that mean the father will ignore him? Rather would he have more love for
that son, and unasked for, his full share would be given . this shows
surrender. Guru Ramdas Ji once said, My Guru is a great Dyer and has a huge vat
of color; Whosoever gives his mind will be dyed in it. But we can give all else
but that.
I came with hope in my heart;
O take
away all my misery.
That is all
he desires. Seeing the competency of his Guru, he surrenders himself, and asks
that all his unhappiness may be washed away.
To walk
this path, brothers, benefit from obedience.
The Master
thinks of all humanity as brothers—he does not say that he is God. If ye love
me, keep my commandments. Those who bow their heads to his words will most
decidedly gain salvation. Satguru’s words—words ARE the Satguru. In months, even days success can be ours; but we
have no respect for his words. Yes, outwardly we make a great show of respect,
but we do not obey his instructions. It is a big weakness—we are most lacking
in this. If you start obeying from today, you will see the difference. Since
the day I met the Master heart to heart my days have changed for the better.
From that very day the real meeting? There are two kinds: one is just to see
someone, and the other is when one hear becomes one with the other is when one
heart become one with the other, through inner sight. This latter is the true
meeting, and from then on? True association is with Master. Master have said
also that such a meeting washes away all sins. Not through just looking
physically.
Life is short, but it came with a great
blessing: it is thy turn to meet God. This is time to realize the Lord. And
when you meet a God-realized soul, speak out all your innermost thoughts—and
then do what he says. Know you have met the Satguru, when you lose all
attachment by rising above body consciousness. First above the physical, when
attachment to the body leaves, and then above the astral and causal, in that
order. This is the fruit of meeting a Satguru, and there is only one condition
laid down—that is obedience. Each one of you has been told to keep a spiritual
diary, but how many keep them correctly? Five per cent at the most. Those who
keep the diary correctly are succeeding in meditation. Who knows when you will
get this human birth again? Kabir Sahib says, Each human breath is valued as
the Three Regions combined. Just
consider then how ruthlessly we waste our lives.
Renounce
the mind’s thoughts, and rise above duality
Leave
whatever the mind tells you—obey only the Guru’s words. Further-more, leave all
impressions and influence begotten of ignorance. God is in all—each one has a
soul, which is His entity. We are all brother and sisters in God, and the body
is the very temple of God. Leave now all ignorant attitude—put it behind you.
Lord Krishna says, He who sees all in me, and me in all, is surely my loved
one. In your diary is a column for humility. Sometimes a person thinks of his
riches, his education, his position, or power over others. Remember that God is
in every form; when He is sitting within us, why all this pride? If the master
is sitting and the servant standing, this is the result of karma—action and
reaction—and there is really no difference between the two.
When you get
a glimpse of the Lord, this heat wave will not affect you.
You must go
through all the ups and downs of life, but if you follow the Guru’s behests,
this things will have no effect upon you. Our Hazur used to say that the thorns
that are spread along life’s way cannot be swept aside, but why not wear strong
boots for protection? Join you soul to God – from within. The greatest sin in
this life is hatred for others, because of Him who lives in each and every one.
If you are hating Him, how do you expect to meet Him? If you desire to meet
your Beloved, injure nobody.
I myself
do not know how to speak – the words which come are God’s orders.
Guru Arjan
Sahib now explains that the words he utters are not his own, but come through
the Lord’s direction. What more could he say? It is like a proclamation, for
Master are conscious co-workers in the Divine plan, and they always acknowledge
that He is the Doer, and not them, God speaks through them, that humanity may
know the way back to Him.
The
treasure of devotion to the Lord is a gift of the Almighty, given out of
compassion through Guru Nanak.
Devotion to
the Lord is a valuable treasure – and it is a gift given out of the compassion
of the Guru who distributes it. Unfortunately people do not realize its value.
I age so
much, all my hunger was satisfied.
Desire no
longer torments if the hunger becomes satisfied. This gift will satisfy all
hunger and thirst, for contact with God is food for the soul. That is the
connection with Naam. To see the Light and hear the Sound is the daily bread
and water of life.
Whenever I
see even the small Guru-sikh, again and again I will bow to him.
To see the
Light of the Guru in even the smallest disciple deserves homage. Out of
compassion this gift is given, but no one wants it. Guru Arjan says that when
he received this gift, all desires was satisfied. Now I will take a short hymn
on what the disciple’s program should be:
He who
calls himself a sikh of the Satguru
Should
arise before dawn and meditate on Naam.
Guru Arjan
has spoken of half a sikh. Now Guru Ramdas tells us what a sikh should do. The
disciple of the Satguru the one who is the image of the Truth should arise very
early and meditate upon the Naam. When the soul is contacted with the Naam, it
sees the Light and hears the Sound, which are within Naam. This is the true
meditation, and between 3 a., and 6.am is the best time for meditating. Be wide
awake – have a bath if necessary. But sit down refreshed and buoyant for
meditation. Those who meditated upon Naam had all their trouble resolved; O
Nanak, their faces was radiant with freedom. Not only were their faces glowing
with the Lord’s presence, but many others received freedom through the. A
Gurumukh frees millions with a tiny ray of Naam. A Gurumukh is an enlightened
soul. Macrocosm is in the microcosm; he who traverses the physical (pind),
astral (And ) and causal (Brahmand)
bodies, finds the Truth.
He should
rise before dawn, and take a bath in Amritsar.
The outer
Amritsar is a city which was started by Guru Ramdas, and completed by Guru
Arjan. But the Master means here that the soul should go up and take a bath in
the inner Amritsar—the Pool of Nectar. In another hymn, Guru Amar Das says, The
true Amritsar is within this body; when the mind drinks of it, he becomes
emancipated. Whoever reaches that Pool of Nectar with love and devotion, having
risen above Pind, And, and Brahmand, can take a bath within it. It is called
also the tenth door (Dasam Dwar), or Haus-I-Kauzar, or Prag Raj. That is where
the soul should take its daily bath, and this should be the Sikh’s program: he
should rise above the three planes and have a bath in the Pool of Nectar.
With the
Guru’s word, take God’s Name;
All sins
and misery will be washed away.
If the Guru’s
initiation is followed by absolute obedience to his wishes, all sins will be
washed away forever, along with all the miseries of the worldly life. And then,
after transcending the physical, astral, and causal planes, and taking the bath
in the Pool of Amit, what should one do?
At sunrise,
sing the Gurbani, after meditating upon the Lord’s Naam.
Gurbani are
the scriptures containing the holy words of many Master, and these should be
read daily. It is something like sitting in the mother’s lap, where one feels
uplifted and reassured. Furthermore, one is reminded of the valuable jewel
which lies within one’s being. The words tell us where and how that bread of
life can be contacted, and through
whom. It is a most helpful thing to read the words of the Master. But notes
that he says one should read after meditating. There is much difference between
reading and meditating; the former is not a substitute for the latter. The
books do describe how the soul can rise above all three planes, and go into the
fourth stage—beyond which lies SatLok or Sach Khand. It is good to refresh this
lesson daily. But the trouble is that we have forgotten to meditate and are
stuck with the holy books alone. We must become connected to that, within. The
perpetual Sound is food for the soul; Nanak says, he whose Satguru is perfect
will get it. The Music of the Spheres continues perpetually, and if your
attention is controlled you can hear it when working or resting. Sitting or
standing, meditate upon God’s Name.
He who
with each breath remembers God –
That
gurusikh gains the Guru’s pleasure.
The Guru
loves one who meditates upon Naam day and night. The Guru loves one who take
his teachings to heart and lives up to them. khalsa is my True Form; In the
Khalsa do I reside; Khalsa is my True Companion; Khalsa is my Perfect Master;
In these words there’s not the smallest falsehood; I take my Par Brahm Guru
Nanak as witness. The child who obeys the Guru’s words will get whatever he
wishes. Is he not the Guru’s beloved child? Although of course, such a child
never asks for anything; he has not need, for his greatest dharma is to live on
the Guru’s will and pleasure. Brother, do you want to be someone in the Guru’s
favor? Then these are the two things you must do. But we say we have no time –
so who is going to keep the dairies? What is the result? We are just delaying
what we will have to do. Remember, when we meet the Satguru . . . Know you have
meet the Satguru when attachment and desire are finished. From that day, your
good days will start – but not by waving your hands, dancing, jumping around,
showing outer enthusiasm and demonstration. Only one who respects and follows
the Master’s words – is utterly truthful before him – will gain the spiritual
riches. He is sitting within, remember, and the we want to trick him as well as
others. Furthermore we want to hide things from him. There is an old Punjabi
saying: “In front of the Guru and the doctor, one should hide nothing.” Some
even call him a liar. When will happen to such people? They will remain
imprisoned in creation and the births and deaths, and will continue around the
cycle of 8400000. But eventually they will have to do the work.
He on whom
the Lord’s mercy is showered,
Gains the
message through the Master.
The Guru
gives the message to those whom the Lord Himself has blessed. God sends the
Masters, and He Himself gives the treasure by manifesting Himself in them.
Nanak’s
follower desires the dust of that guru Sikh’s feet,
Who
repeats and makes others repeat the Naam.
The receiver
should know that it is God’s gift, through the Guru’s mercy. He whose ego rises
to confront his Guru does not understand this. The intoxication of Naam, O
Nanak, inebriates day and night. The Master have described that
intoxication again and again. One Satsang is really enough to understand, but
we should then make it our very life live up to it.
It does not
matter to which religion you belong. You can succeed, for this message is for
all Mankind. Different religions and sects are the results of karmic reaction,
but the soul is the conscious entity, part of the All Consciousness which lies
which each and every being. So the body is truly the temple of God, in which
His Light is burning. From today, become a worthy sikh – worthy even to be
called a gurusikh, the beloved disciple of the Guru. You can do this if you
obey the Master word. You will not do it? You will have to do it – if not in
this birth, then in the next. Oh, brothers, what is the use of coming again and
again?
Why not do it
now? If this birth goes, it will not
come again in your hands, and the precious life is wasted.
WITH MASTER ON HAZUR’S
BIRTHDAY
Bruce Cowan reports on the
celebrations of July 26-28-1972
WE SHOULD consider carefully our reasons for
traveling to the Master’s feet, so that we make best use of our time there. To
come to His Holy Feet provides us with the opportunity to step out of the
casing of worldly involvements we have built and dedicate ourselves for a
period of time to the Master’s Love. It is through concentration on this
infinite love of His that we can make great progress on the Path. In addition,
His physical presence allows us to overcome the inhibitions of separateness and
distance which the intellect establishes. When with Him, we benefit most if we
forget ourselves and absorb ourselves In His Love—to become like little
children, depending on all things from our Father.
We (a dear
initiated lady of 65 and I)arrived at Delhi airport in the early hours of the
morning –from winter in Australia to summer in India; from the cold of worldly
attachments to the warmth of His care. We were met even at this time by dear
ones from Sawan Ashram. We had to wait to see Master as He was at Manav Kendra
and my companion’s luggage had been left in transit at Hong Kong. All that day
we were anxious and strained as, no matter how hard we tried, we could not get
telegraphic confirmation that the luggage was located and would be shipped, and
we could not go to Master at Dehra Dun until it came. Yet the very moment we
resolved to leave the problem in the
Master’s hands, the confirmation came! We went to Dehra Dun the next
day.
During my
last visit, Master had put us in meditation at the Manav Kendra site, then
quite undeveloped. Now as we arrived we saw the beautiful Mansarovar peacefully
reflecting the evening sun, Master’s house set amidst the trees and overlooking
the pool, and so many other buildings. Already Manav Kendra has taken on the
role of man-service through medical service to the community from the hospital and a school for the underprivileged
children in the district. Just as we arrived, Master finished talking to a
small group of disciples and came to greet us. The joyous reunion was complete
with Master taking my hand, sitting us both on the porch, and inquiring about
our welfare. My cup could not hold the happiness or the love of those minutes.
For all of
us, the time at Manav Kendra was personal, relaxed, but intensely inward-looking.
Most of our time was spent in beautiful meditation, including morning and
evening meditations on Master’s porch or by the Mansarovar. Master’s talks were
so personal and intense. “you are here only for a short while. Forget the
world outside, your home, your family, your friends…” Long loving glances of grace entranced us so
that almost every thought was for Him. And Master’s Love was so radiant that
the fortunate ones could see His pure white aura extending from His head,
lighting up the sky around…
We returned
to Delhi just before Hazur’s birthday celebrations. The Master was already
lovingly caring for His Indian children who had come from afar and the
happiness of a Father could be seen on His face. He gave meditation
instructions and Darshan to all those who came. They would come with their
problems(Are you keeping your diaries?), with their babies, with their gifts
(which were blessing and returned to the giver), and their parshad (food or
sweets for blessing and distribution ). He stressed the need for spiritual
development and pointed out that a disciple was on probation until he saw and
talked with the Master within.
Many
disciples arrived the day before the birthday. meditation followed by Satsang
was given in the morning, and there was another Satsang in the evening. During
these talks, the Master mentioned, among many other things, that he had asked
Hazur, shortly after his initiation, how long a time each day he should spend
in meditation. Hazur replied, “Four, five, or six hours minimum; the
maximum is the most you can do.” He
also mentioned his devout Muslim friend, a professor, whom he met in Lahore. He
performed his prayers, not only five times a day as required by the Islamic
faith, but much more than that. When Master asked him why, he said that five
times was his duty, but should he not anxious to seek His pleasure? So Master
said that whatever meditation we do, over and above the minimum of two hours He
has laid down, will be a source of pleasure to Him.
With so many
of His dear children gathering, still the Master gave abundant time to the
Western disciples and their problems: taking tender care of those who were ill,
giving them special Darshans in their rooms, etc. but some felt their strength
and appetite return when they heard that he was coming to see them.
On Hazur’s
birthday, about 20,000 people attended the morning Satsang. Master in his
humility talked briefly, then handed over the Satsang to distinguished guests
and initiates of Baba Sawan Singh. Master then spoke again at the very end.
Although we had an interpreter, I was concentrating on the love glances coming
from Masters eyes. (he says that the disciple gets two-thirds from radiation,
and one-third from word of mouth.) Master also inserts key phrases in English
into his Hindi talks, which gave me something to contemplate.
Besides the
talks by various speakers, there was reading of poems (including one in English
by a western disciple), and singing of devotional bhajans, including a group
sung by some Jain nuns who were honored guests and sang very beautifully. Among
the talks was one given in English by Sharleene Sherwin of Long island, on
behalf of the Western disciples.
After the
Satsang, a meal was fed to everyone of the 20000 who wished it. The Ashram
seemed full to capacity as the people were served their simple food on leaves,
by attendants who walked up and down the colorful rows of people. The evening
Satsang was similar to the morning one, with Master allowing all the guests to
speak first, closing with a talk by Himself on the important of initiation.
The morning
after Hazur’s birthday was the time for initiation. When we entered the
canvas-covered area, we found Master walking up and down among the applicants,
weeding out those among the applicants, weeding out those who were not yet
ready. What an experience to see 690 people initiated on that morning! And out
of that number, 300 saw the Master’s Radiant From within. Truly there is no
limit to His power.
During the
morning Satsang on Hazur’s birthday, the Master’s visit to the West was
announced to the India disciple for the first time. This will be a time of
great excitement for all Western initiates, and considering the short time that
Master will be spending at each center, it is of the utmost importance that
each disciple make the best use of time by forgetting the world outside,
becoming absorbed into His love, forgetting ourselves and having only thoughts
for Him. Then the blessings will come in Darshan and meditation.
Master gave
us parable once: Love and intellect went for a walk. Intellect said, “Let’s go
and come back.” Love said, “Let’s go and see where to go from there.” Love
knows only the direction of the Beloved. May our loving thoughts be always on
Him while we are enjoying His physical presence.
The Yearning of the Soul
Talk given at Sawan Ashram,
July 27,1972
BELOVED
MASTER AND BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN GOD:
There are nine of us here today from America, Australia and Canada, who
have traveled many thousands of miles to be in the physical presence of our
Beloved Satguru, Kirpal Singh Ji.
We have
His Naam Invitiation and He is deeply embedded in us here and in initiates
abroad as the Holy Light and Sound of God. We receive His radiation even in
America, Canada and Australia as His Power of Love knows no bounds of time or
space. Bur there is something indescribably wonderful in being in His physical
presence and it is the yearning of the soul to bask in His Light and Love which
has brought us here—some over many obstacles. While the obstacle course may be
rugged at times, the reward is supreme—His Darshan.
We come
with cameras trying to capture some of His beauty. Feeble effort! What picture
can capture His love?
It is His
perfection ever before us to inspire us, His Light, Wisdom and Love to guide
us, that will lead us home to God. And so side-by-side we proceeds, His Grace
crowning our efforts with success.
There are
thousands waiting for Master to come to America. Satsang centers are growing in
size and number. It has been nine years since many of us last saw Master, since
He blessed America with His Presence. The memory of one brief Darshan has had
to suffice many initiates for years.
That one
glance of grace to receptive souls from the God-intoxicated eyes of the Master
has been enough to change many lives. For it is in those eyes that we see God,
and the soul is touched.
It is with
deep respect we join in the festivities today along with our dear brothers and
sister here, in memory of the birth of the great Master Saint, Baba Sawan Singh
Ji, with gratitude to Him for His successor, our Satguru Kirpal Single Ji.
Respectful Love
Time McKnight & Ruth
Goodwin
WITH MASTER’S
GRACE, we were given the opportunity to sit at His Holy Feet for a short time
preceding His upcoming world tour. This
was an invaluable experience which we would like to share with His children
abroad who so long to see Him, so that all can benefit more from His Holy
Presence.
One thing in
India which prevails in the minds of all is a feeling of great respect for
others. This is manifest both inwardly through great humility, and outwardly
through respectful actions. All are children of the same Father. When we are
with our Father, these actions and feelings should be paramount. In India, when
Satsangis and visitors come from outside to see our Master, they great Him with
folded palms and bowed head; they keep a respectful distance from Him, thus
allowing Him to move or be seated as He wishes. There is a minimum of hand-shaking
or physical contact of any kind with the Master. He is treated with reverence
as He should be. I think we should try to understand this.
Master knows
what is in the hearts of each one of us. Faith and love for Him should be our
keynotes when we are with Him as well as afar. He knows what each one of us
needs, and in His Grace, will provide. To be at His Feet in India repeatedly
bears witness to this. Again and again, out of crowds of hundreds, our Beloved
Father would single out some soul at some distance away and ask him about his
welfare, knowing full well the questioning heart of His child.
Another thing
we noticed during a recent question period in the evening: Master said that He
wants us to ask Him spiritual questions of importance. He wants that we
understand all aspects of the Path and that we are fully satisfied with its
different aspects. We should, however, limit questions to this sphere alone,
and weigh our words carefully. Often when we would sit by the Master in the
evening, He would ask us, “Any question? Any news?” if there was no response,
Master would begin to speak and automatically answer those things of which we
were unsure. So Master, many people notice that it is almost better to remain
silent in the presence of the Master. He will fill the silence with more than
words.
In India
also, people are very relaxed. I think we can learn from this too. Drawing upon
this idea, perhaps we should try to remain calm and reposed as much as we can,
not running from place to place or pressing the Master for urgent schedules. It
is hard for us abroad to inculcate this habit of peace and relaxation, leaving
Master’s will to take its course. Again, faith , Simran, and sweet thoughts is
the only way we can exist. With these things, all runs so smoothly with Him
Grace.
Master was so
busy while we were there in India. With Manav Kendra expanding, He was working
until 11.30 p.m. many nights, talking to workers, draftsmen, planners and
officials. Returning to Delhi for Baba Sawan Singh’s birthday celebrations,
Master took care of the needs of every single person—sitting with people in
shifts throughout the three days as they came for His Blessed Darshan.
Ceaselessly our Satguru worked. Six Satsangs were held during the three days.
Treating each one as His child, He filled him or her with spiritual food and
quenched mental and physical thirsts also. With such love He serves us! We must
learn to serve Him also. After all had left from the celebrations, Master spent
His time answering correspondence, which had accumulated to large amounts in
the past few days. Also, world tour plans are being formulated and so much work
had to be finished before departure.
The work has
not ceased even for a moment. Master is Godman. No one in the world could do
what He does. Still, He does have a physical frame, which He has taken for our
sake. Being physical, demands can be made on it which are over and above the
laws of Nature. Master do not transcend these laws for their sake or comfort.
Instead, they continue to labor for ours. Let us take this into consideration
when we demand something of our Beloved and ask ourselves if we are deserving
of His sacrifice. He will take care, if we allow Him to. Even if we go beyond
our limits, He will take care, but often we have put our little selves in the
way and benefit is less.
It is always
good to read and reread His circular letters and books again and again. Each
time we read them, His will becomes a little more clear with reference to our
daily life. They can never be read too many times. It is good to carry them
around to read in spare moments even when near Him physically. Then we can see
the words personified.
In these
ways, we can perhaps maintain equilibrium so that our Master can smoothly make
His way around to see all His dear children. This, coupled with the deep love
and reverence which we all feel so deeply, will enable us to truly benefit from
His magnificent presence.
On the Way
Spiraling
stairway of love
to HIS door.
Veils to rip
asunder
Dark valleys
to creep through
Snares to
foil
Move up
HE is there
Waiting so
patiently and sweetly,
even now—
Ruth Coopersmith
“5. Keep your
complete attention on Master’s eyes and face when with Him, and meditate after
seeing Him. With this one-pointed devotion, Master has said, you can derive
more benefit in a few days than traveling with Him for a year with scattered
attention.”
Sharleene also suggested that Master’s stay in each area would be
more beneficial to all and run more smoothly if (a) a place is provided for Him
to eat and sleep in complete privacy: (b.) a place is made available during the
day, with the simple kitchen mentioned above, where initiates can come for
meditation, two or three men could be chosen from among the Satsangis to help
make sure that people do not crowd Him too closely; (d.) if all petty bickering
is avoided.
Helpful in keeping us aware of whom the Master is, who we are, and
why we are with Him, are: the discourse,
“Are You Even Half a Disciple”? , Published in this magazine; the
article, “ Satsang: The Gift of the
Guru,” appearing in the discourse, “Change Your Habits Now,” in the February
1971 issue; and the book Morning Talks. All of these could be reread with great
benefit before He comes and while He is here.