A Journey Towards the Master

When Baba Ji gave satsang at our regional Centre earlier this year, many of us travelled long distances to see him. An effort had to be made, but driven by our desire to see Master we pulled out all the stops. We re-arranged plans, organized childcare, booked train or bus tickets, woke up early and travelled through the night and morning to sit at his feet and listen to his satsang.

Throughout the world, wherever Master visits, there is the same reaction. Sitting on the train, or in our cars on the way to satsang, we worry that any delays might mean we won’t see him. Driven by this desire, we put Master at the forefront of our minds. We think about him and perhaps we do our simran. This feeling is a gift. Maharaj Charan Singh in Die to Live says:

That is why Christ said: blessed are those who mourn. The Father creates that feeling of separation in us, and when we feel that separation, we long to become one with him.

Imagine what we could achieve if we started every day with the same motivation, not to see the Master in his physical form, but inside through our meditation. In reality Master is always there waiting for us to come and see him. If we really knew this to be true with the same certainty we have when we know we will see Master giving a satsang, we would put meditation at the top of our priority list. Just as we do when travelling to see the Master at one of the Centres, we would get up early – as early as it takes. Or if that weren’t possible, we would find a way to make space for meditation in our lives.

But in reality, when we weigh up sleeping for a bit longer with sitting up in the cold and dark, we think, “Ah, I’ll just do it later in the day, or tonight”. And down Master goes on our list of priorities. When it comes to the crunch we don’t really believe he’s there at all.

What can we do to help us believe it? As satsangis we have some key tools at our disposal. We can do simran, the repetition of the five holy names. This stops our minds from straying into the outside world and helps us focus on our spiritual goal. We have satsang, a regular meeting where we spend time listening to a talk on Sant Mat. There is also the opportunity to do seva in any small way we can. All of these things give us an environment to think of the Master and engender that longing and that love for him in our minds.

So, after our long journeys we reach the Centre scheduled for a visit by Baba Ji, and we feel at peace. We know Master will be there soon. We sit and listen to the shabds and all thoughts of our lives slip effortlessly back down that priority list. When the Master walks up to his seat we know we are in the right place and it all feels so simple. We think, “Of course this is important. How could I not know this all the time?”

Our main tool, of course, is meditation itself. When we allocate two and a half hours each day to meditation, we slowly develop love for the Master. We realize the peace and joy of his presence and take one more step back towards our home with him.

I think continually of those who were truly great.
Who, from the womb, remembered the soul’s history
Through corridors of light where the hours are suns,
Endless and singing. Whose lovely ambition
Was that their lips, still touched with fire,
Should tell of the Spirit, clothed from head to foot in song.
_{Stephen Spender, Collected Poems}