The Master Answers

A selection of questions and answers with Maharaj Charan Singh

Q: At the time of meditation, what thoughts should we have?
A: I think we should have no thoughts at all. The purpose of meditation is to get rid of all the worldly thoughts which are bothering us day and night. We have to withdraw ourselves from all these daily thoughts. But the first question is, what is meditation? Unless we know what meditation is, we cannot know on what we have to concentrate. Meditation means withdrawing our consciousness to the eye centre and holding our attention there, then attaching ourselves to the Shabd or Nam, the sound current, which is within every one of us, and with the help of that, detaching ourselves permanently, forever, from the lower senses. That is meditation.
_{Die to Live}

Q: Does the Master sometimes communicate with his disciples in ways other than through his Radiant Form or verbally? You often hear of mystic stories where people get messages from their Master via other people.
A: Why should the Master use other people to reach you? Why can’t the Master reach you himself directly? If we can’t reach the Master, the Master has no barrier preventing him from reaching us. Why should he use another medium to reach us? The relationship of the disciple with the Master is individual and direct, not through anyone at all.
_{Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III}

Q: Maharaj Ji, you have said that Sardar Bahadur Ji always lived at the eye centre, and I wondered if you could comment on this. I guess a satsangi can reach the stage where he is always at the eye centre, even when he is walking around during the day.
A: What is meant by being at the eye centre ? It means you don’t let your mind scatter into the world. You don’t lose your balance. Your mind is absolutely still, and you’re always contented and feel happiness, and radiate happiness. That will be the effect of stilling the mind: you’re always happy, nothing bothers you.
_{Die to Live}

Q: Maharaj Ji, how did you succeed in creating love for your own Master?
A: How to create love for your Master? If one honestly thinks about it, I don’t think you can succeed in this unless he gives you his love…. But we can make ourselves receptive by meditation. By living in the commands, leading our lives the way he wants us to lead them, and by attending to our meditation, we are just being receptive and provoking his love. But otherwise, it is all given as a gift by him.
_{Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III}

Q: Can you say something about the value of seva?
A: Seva comes from the heart. It is not a compulsion for anybody – it’s not that you have to do it, but you want to do it. It must come from within, and there must be love in doing seva. There should be no feeling of obligation that we have to do it.
_{Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III}