His Presence
Often while travelling on the spiritual path, there are times when we are challenged with the onslaught of karmas that come our way. These karmas may be with family, friends, work or even with our meditation. At those times we may ask ourselves, “Does he really know what I am going through, does he know how difficult life is?”
Maharaj Charan Singh in Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III, says:
Your Master is always within you. He is not anywhere outside at all. We should try to reach him, seek him who is our constant companion. He never leaves us, though we may leave him.… We are never alone – our Master is always with us.
What an incredible concept this is! The thought that wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whatever karmas come our way, he is “always with us” and guiding, supporting and encouraging us from within. He is our nearest and dearest friend. He is nearer to us than the hairs on our head.
Hazur continues in the same volume of Spiritual Perspectives:
We can shut everybody out, but we can’t shut him out. The Lord is everywhere. We can’t deceive him. We can’t shut him out. He is always watching us, whether we are conscious of it or not. If we could realize this spiritual truth – that there is one Lord; he is within everyone of us and the path leading back to him also is within; and whatever we do, we are being watched and have to account for that to him – I think everybody’s life would change in a second.
Whatever you do in this world to keep your Master within you or keep yourself with the Master is meditation, is a part of meditation. Whether you are sitting or just sitting quietly, full of love and devotion for the Master … if your Master is with you in your mind, in your heart, if all your dealings conform to the teachings, to the commands of the Master, then you are with the Master. That is why we say that Sant Mat is not only meditation; it is a way of life. We have to mould ourselves to that way of life so that we are always with our Master, in all activities of life, so that we don’t forget him anytime, anywhere.
Ultimately, the gift he has given us is initiation; and the method is our meditation. It is the solution to all our challenges. Hazur says: “Nearness you will only feel from within if you are attending your meditation.”
So we should always try to find him within and then, wherever we are living, whatever karmas we are going through, we can try to be at that level of consciousness where we can be with the Master and realize that he does know what we are going through, that he does care what we are going through and that he is helping us along the way. There will be no separation at all. As Hazur says in Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III, “Is there any place the Lord doesn’t walk?”
Your real Master is Shabd and Nam within – the spirit within – and the soul is the real disciple. So the soul should try to search for its Master within this temple of the living God. And that will give him the constant company of the Master, where there’s no separation at all.