INN OF MADNESS Man spends his whole life exploring the so-called wonders of the world
in outer things and places, but few ever dream of exploring the inner depths of
this wonderful house in which we live--the physical form. Throughout history,
few have solved the mystifying riddle of life. When regarding the body, what do we see? Do we see but a five to six
foot statue of matter? Do we not realize that some Power sustains this human
form, and is, in fact, imprisoned within it? Even though the body has nine
outlets, yet the prisoner within cannot get out through any of them. Why?
Because it is being controlled. Breathing goes on incessantly, and when the
breath goes out, it does not stay out; some Power is drawing it back into the
body. Sometimes a man is shot--perhaps ten or twenty times--yet he does not
die. On the other hand, he might slip when walking and break his neck--what a
grand enigma! We have no knowledge of this Power within; we never give a
thought to it, or to that Source from which it draws life and sustenance. Masters have said that those people who do not believe in God, even
though they may always be near the holy places, are atheists. However, those
who do not know who they truly are, realistically speaking, are more atheistic.
Excuse me, but where God is concerned, are we not all atheists? For no one has
seen Him. A small child is more conscious of his true self than an adult, but
as he grows he becomes more and more aware of the body. When you ask him who he
is, he will open his eyes and mouth wide in an endeavor to express what he
truly is; but when fully grown he will tell you, "I am Ram Das" or
"I am Ram Singh," for he cannot differentiate between his body and
his real self. When you say, "This is my body," have you ever taken it off as
you remove your coat or shoes? We say, "This is my body," but, in
fact, we have become the body. We do not know who 'I' is, or who it is that
says, "This is mine." So, it is a more damaging ignorance not to know
one's true self--that self which must eventually experience the Overself. The self or soul is the conscious entity which enlivens the body and
which depends upon something even greater for its existence. As long as it is
not conscious of its true nature, it cannot experience that Greater Nature; so
in the true sense there are very few theists in the world, for a theist is one
who has realized himself and has realized the Lord also. Intellectually, the
whole world can say, "I am not the mind, I am not the senses, I am not the
intellect, I am not the pranas," and so on; but has anyone ever separated
himself from these things? We can take off our coat and hat, but can we step
out of the body and see who the indweller is? Self-realized people say that the greatest book of knowledge is the
physical form, through which all written scriptures have come. The explorers of
the body, the Rishis, Munis, and Mahatmas, realized the truth of the mystery
and found the power that controls the human being--and that is one's true self.
That, in turn, is sustained by the Overself. Scriptures came through such Men
Who were in tune from within, Who, by analyzing Themselves and rising above
body consciousness, got into higher touch and became the mouthpiece of the
Greater Power. Whatever They said came direct from that Power; They did not
speak at the level of mind or senses, and this is the big difference between
words that come from a Realized Person and words that come from the intellect,
for the intellectual can speak only from that level, whereas the Realized Soul
speaks as inspired from above. Emerson said, Those thoughts which come without thinking
are always perfect. A Muslim fakir
says, Actually you are the mother of all
books; and he also says, When your
outer self finds your real self, then you will see that something is within you
and that God is speaking within you. Guru Nanak says, Whatever comes from the Beloved, I give out. He does not speak from
His own thoughts. Christ said, I have not
spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what
I should say, and what I should speak. When Philip asked to be shown the
Father, Christ reminded him, Have I been
so long with you and yet thou hast not known me, Philip ? He that hath seen me,
hath seen the Father .... I am in the Father and the Father in me. The words I
speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, He
doeth the works. For example, if one listens to a radio that is tuned in, one hears the
sound. From what place does the radio catch the sound? From whatever station it
is attuned to. A God-Realized Person is in tune with the Lord, and in Him the Lord
speaks: Brahm speaks through the physical form: If
there were no physical form, how would Brahm speak? That Divine Link is in each human being: not more in one and less in
another, but the same in all. However, only Those Who have come into
realization and are the mouthpiece of God can see that I and my Father are one. This is because They rose above the mind, senses, and the net of
illusion and saw that the Sustainer of all life is the one Lord. During the life of the Rishi Bhardwaj, a householder by the name of
Shonak went to him one day and said, "Maharaj, what is that thing, knowing
which all else is known? The Rishi looked at him and saw that he was a
householder. You should understand that householders are very different today.
In those days a man would become a householder after twenty-five years of brahmcharya [chastity in thought, word,
and deed], during which time he gained extensive knowledge of the Vedas and
Shastras, the ancient Hindu scriptures. After twenty-five years of leading a
householder's life according to the teachings of the Shastras, he would enter
the Vanprastha ashram [secluded life,
devoted solely to the realization of the Lord], cut off from worldly life and
worldly people. You might say that in this day and age the latter phase has
become more like a business. A man reads one or two books and then starts
giving lectures, but pays little attention to the inner self. If a man's eye is
not open, what can he say on the subject? Kabir Sahib once had a conversation with a learned pundit, and
eventually remarked to him, Oh brother, your mind and my mind can
never agree; I say what I see and you say what has been written. It is entirely different to speak from experience. One can never be
fully convinced by reading someone else's statements, for seeing is believing.
God gave equal privileges to all human beings, and the only difference between
a Master-Soul and an ordinary man is that one is in tune and the other is not. The embodied soul has got consciousness, for while living in this
physical form, yet it is of the same essence as God, Who is All-Consciousness.
He is the Ocean and we are the drops, but unfortunately we are under the
influence of the mind; the mind, in turn, is being dragged by the senses, and
the senses are dragged by worldly enjoyments. In this way, the jiva [embodied soul; soul in creation]
has become the image of the body and the world, identified so much so with
these that it has forgotten its true identity. For he who has forgotten his own
self, the matter of knowing the Lord is very far away. For this reason nearly all Masters have advised, Man, know thyself. Nanak says, Without
knowing oneself, this illusion will not go. And, when does one see what the
soul is? When the senses are stilled, the
mind is stilled, and the intellect at rest, then only will one know the soul. It is for the soul to experience the Lord--He cannot be known by senses, mind, intellect, or pranas. It is
very clear-cut. Knowledge is like a child of all books. Love is the mother of all books,
for God is Love and the soul, being of the same essence as the Lord, is also
Love. But, what do we do with this Love? At the sense-level we scatter it in
hundreds and thousands of places. One heart and millions of desires; on top
of that more desires; Then where is the place for Him to sit ? If one withdraws from everything else and concentrates in one place,
great power with spring forth. If a pipe has ten holes and you close up nine of
them, the water will simply gush out of the tenth. Up to now our soul has been
under the mind's control; but by withdrawing from the outer influences and
receiving strength, it can gain control of the whole being. Remember that God
is All-Attention, and the soul, having the same nature, is also all-attention
in miniature. When that All-Attention wished to become from one to many, the whole of
creation came into being. The soul also has great power; but under the mind's
influence it has scattered its attention hither and thither, thereby weakening
itself. If only it would withdraw from the outer attractions, it could create a
town, at least. It is with much sorrow that I say that the soul's strength has
been divided into so many avenues. So, all True Masters say that realizing God is a simple matter--What is there to realizing the Lord? Just
uproot the attention from here and plant it there. It is simply a matter of withdrawing and gathering
together the scattered attention. As you know, the rays of the sun under normal
conditions will not ignite anything; but if you pass them through a convex lens
and thereby concentrate them, anything they settle upon will burst into flames.
The whole of this life's purpose is to become still--to withdraw from outer
environments, and to concentrate. You have great strength in you; you are the
child of a Lion. So, when Bhardwaj Rishi answered the householder Shonak's question, he
sought to reply in such a way as to be of help to Shonak in his household
duties. Knowing he was a literate man, the Rishi said, "There are two kinds
of teachings. One is called apara vidya and
the other para vidya.. Apra vidya comes from books, scriptures, etc., and creates some interest
in the seeker, which leads to some devotion, too. For this, customs, rites,
pilgrimages, saying prayers and singing hymns, giving alms, fasting, performing
austerities, etc. will help to create the bhakti
[devotion to God]. However, this is all preparation of the ground and there
is no real satisfaction in it because it will not give salvation or
realization. All these things come under the category of good actions, and one
may gain a heavenly place through them; but again and again the soul will have
to return to earth, for they are all at the level of the senses." These are the first steps to be taken toward the Lord, just as a child
goes to school and first learns how to use a pencil; but you can see just how
much value these actions hold. You all have taken these steps at some time or
other, but now go ahead. Make the best use of the foundation you have built;
the foundation alone cannot take you to the ultimate goal, without your knowing
the self. Brothers, withdraw, become conscious of your self, and get the
contact with the Overself. As Bhardwaj Rishi told Shonak the householder, when you know yourself,
you will know everything. Now you can see that this teaching is for all true seekers of God. God made man, but He did not stick any label on him. The purpose of all
religions is to realize God and to spend this life's journey in peace,
contentment, and usefulness to each other. These were the true aims, but what
was the outcome? He started to realize
God, but in between the mind turned turtle. You may ask, "Have we lost
ourselves?" Yes, most decidedly, yes. One Muslim fakir says that the atrocities man has committed against
himself could not have been done by even the blindest of all. And, the biggest
atrocity? Living in this house, we lost contact with the One Who runs it. The
mystery of life must be solved, no matter to which religion a person belongs. The Masters Who solved this mystery were born into various religions,
just as were Those Who contacted Them and Who, in turn, were taught the solution.
Ravidas was a cobbler, Kabir Sahib was a weaver, Tulsi Sahib was a brahmin. Man
made castes, but God made the soul and embodied it within the human form. First
rise above the senses, and then tell what you are and what is your religion. No matter which Master's hymns you take, the subject will remain the
same, even though language and expression may vary. Masters do not consider men
from their religious labels, but rather They see everyone as soul in the body,
and regard all from the level of soul. They are not Gurus for any particular
religion, but are Gurus of mankind. Satguru is One Who brings all peoples
together. For the Satguru there is no conflict of caste or
creed--no thought of breaking old traditions or making new ones. In fact, They
do say that there are already more than sufficient religions and sects in
existence. Our Hazoor would remark that there is no point in digging new wells when
there are already more than enough to serve the people. Man must either live up
to his religion, or make a new one. Is it not better, then, to remain in your
present formation? But, while living according to its aims and precepts, seek
for One Who has already solved the mystery of life and Who can help you to
fulfill the same. You may find such a Personality in any religion, and you may call Him by
any name you wish. To become proficient in any certain subject, one must go to an expert in
that study. If a person has a sincere desire to learn about the soul, he or she
should approach a competent teacher of Spirituality--One Who has realized
Himself and the Overself. This is a matter of common sense and needs no
philosophy. All great teachers of this subject say that we are all embodied
souls, living in the house of the physical form from which we can derive the
greatest benefit, if we but make the best use of the situation. The human form is the king of all the species and is the highest rung in
the ladder of creation, for in this form God has placed the power of
differentiation through which one can define truth from untruth and so achieve
that which can be done in no other form. There is a prayer in the Ved Bhagwan which says, Lord, take us from the untruth to the
Truth. But, of course, if a man has no interest in either, what is the use? Swami Ji Maharaj says, Hansni [a
mythical swan-like bird] separates the
milk from the water. You are hansni, O soul. Hansni is said to have the
ability in her beak to separate milk from water, and drinks only the milk. O
soul, you are like that hansni and you can differentiate the Truth from the
untruth. Drink only milk and leave the water. Think of this body as matter; God resides therein, and only He is the
Truth. The body and all things connected are in constant flux, for it is the
nature of matter to be ever changing. Only the soul is true, permanent and
unchanging; try to recognize the soul. Atheist or devotee--manmukh or Gurumukh--what is the difference between
them? To know the atheist--he is lost in the
world; To know the devotee--the world is lost in
him. The manmukh is lost--lost in the whirl of mind and senses. For the true devotee the world does not really exist, for he has the
Lord's intoxication and is awakened to the truth within himself, and has
thereby forgotten both the world and the after-world. Great is man. Do not think of him as merely a form--just a five or six
foot puppet. If the gods and goddesses desire to gain salvation, they also must
inherit this human form. The Upanishads says, Soul
is riding in the chariot of the body; Intellect is the charioteer, mind is the
reins, senses are the horses dragging it into the fields of enjoyments. So, it means that the sole barrier
between us and the Lord is the mind. If we could only cast aside the mind and
the senses, we would realize our true selves and the Lord. If this aim which
has been founded in all religions is not achieved, a man's life is wasted. When Zoroaster was asked for advice, He
said, "Join the Army of God." When He was asked what qualifications a
person required to join this army, He replied, "Good thoughts, good words,
good deeds." This means, live a righteous life in
every way, and this has been advised by all Masters. Of
all dharmas, which is supreme ? Take the Name of God and live righteously. In the Sikh religion it is said, Repeat the Naam and share your food with
others. T he teachings are all the same, and we
want to enter the Army of God; but we enter only the army of religion. And, the
result of this is that men are fighting among themselves. We put God aside and start saying,
"I am a Sikh," or "I am a Muslim," and so on. Kabir Sahib says, No one is Hindu or Muslim; Think of us as One. God made the human being; and man is
older than all philosophies and religions, which were formed long after man's
advent for the noble purpose of realizing the soul. If this aim is not
achieved, where then is the purpose? I can only say that if the leaders of
the religions were to give the correct teaching, the world would be enjoying
peace. Is it not the aim of all religions to pass one's sojourn of worldly life
in peace, to be of helpful use to each other, to realize God? Surely this is
the true aim of all, and if all are devotees of the one God, then why all the
conflict and strife? Hundreds
of lovers, but one Beloved for all. Customs and religions may be separate,
but the aim is the same. But, as things stand, brother is fighting brother, and
both declare that their own sect is better. Is it not clear that all are the
same? Do
not say that the books are all lies; Liar is he who does not absorb. The holy scriptures record the words of
Realized People Who have walked the path of Spirituality. However many steps
They took along this path, so accordingly They taught others. We have respect
for all. Just consider how the Masters regard
life. They are not bound by any special affiliation, and They are not dictated
to by any politics. They are Cosmic Beings. Peace
be unto all the world, under Thy will, 0 Lord. Guru Nanak also
said, 0 Nanak, the Naam is ever-ascending;
Through Thy will the whole world benefits. The hearts of the Masters are so
abounding, everyone can have a place therein. When They come, They come for the
upliftment of all people: all sects are Theirs, all religions, all countries. When I was visiting the West, one place
held a meeting for East and West, and I was invited to represent the East. To
represent the West they invited a certain Frenchman, but at the last minute he
could not attend the meeting; so the organizers said to me, "Well, we will
leave both East and West to You." I replied, "There is no doubt that
the saying is East is East and West is
West, and never the twain shall meet, but some man has said that -- not
God. The whole creation is the house of the
Lord, and there is no East or West in it. All these countries are but so many
„rooms in the one house of our Father." Param Sant Kirpal Singh |