Faith

The Online Cambridge Dictionary defines faith as “great trust or confidence in something or someone.” In Sar Bachan Poetry, Soami Ji Maharaj writes:

Have faith
  that no one other than the Guru belongs to you.
Go to the Master’s harbour
  and tie your soul to the primal Shabd.
Only the Shabd, and nothing else,
  can liberate you from this web.

We are immensely blessed to receive spiritual guidance from a true living master – he inspires us to take an initial leap of faith to follow Sant Mat. However, taking a leap of faith differs from having complete confidence in the teachings. Unwavering faith can be attained only by practising meditation, which is why in his hymn, Soami Ji urges us to connect our souls to the Shabd.

Undertaking meditation is itself a sign of faith. Without faith, our minds can come up with all sorts of reasons why today’s meditation can be done tomorrow. So, how do we move from a preliminary, intellectual faith to one that compels us to meditate? In Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III, Maharaj Charan Singh uses the analogy of a journey from Beas to Delhi to explain the evolutionary process of faith. Before one starts driving, we must be confident that the road beginning at Beas will take us to Delhi, our final destination. Looking at road maps and speaking to others gives us sufficient faith to start the journey. However, as we drive, all sorts of worries creep into our minds: What if I’m on the wrong road? What if I’m on the right road but the road ahead becomes blocked, or I die in an accident before I get to Delhi? The list of what-ifs goes on and on.

If we let our anxieties get the better of us, we’ll undoubtedly stop driving. If we stop driving, we’ll never know whether we were driving in the right direction. Some of us might find this uncertainty more troubling than the fear of driving on the wrong road or the journey itself. So, with greater determination and a come-what-may attitude, we start anew. This time, we pay more attention to our surroundings than the thoughts swirling around in our heads. Eventually, we’re rewarded with road signs and landmarks that verify we’re on the right path. These experiences are the glimpses that confirm the intellectual faith with which we commenced the journey. The closer we get to the journey’s end, the more our confidence grows that we’ll reach Delhi. But despite our newfound confidence, an element of doubt niggles away at the back of our minds. As Hazur Maharaj Ji explains, absolute, unwavering faith only occurs upon reaching our destination:

If you meditate, you … start seeing the signs and that deepens your faith; that strengthens your faith.… Actual faith will come only when you reach the destination.

Therefore, we must embrace the Master’s teachings with discipline, faith, and perseverance. These virtues should be woven into the fabric of our daily conduct, with our gaze turned inward. By taking the initial leap of faith, we risk nothing, but stand to gain everything. Even in our bleakest moments, we can discover joy if we choose to face the light. We must not forsake our meditation. Our task is to concentrate on repeating simran, gather our focus at the eye centre, and journey toward an existence far more profound than anything the material world has to offer.

Although our spiritual quest presents challenges, with doubts and queries arising as we navigate life’s experiences, an inner force guides us back to the path. The teachings of Guru Nanak attribute this to the purity of the guru’s Word and its transformative power to dispel our doubt and fear. So, despite our struggles and doubts, the guidance of a true master has a profound impact on us, inspiring us to stay steadfast on the spiritual path. In addition to this, satsang and seva remind us of our purpose in life, and reinforce our commitment towards spiritual growth. Approaching our meditation with such determination, we are expressing our gratitude for receiving the teachings from a true living master.

Having a physical master offers us the opportunity to build a relationship with the real master within: the Shabd. If we seize this opportunity with all our might and search for him within, we’ll establish an everlasting relationship that transcends all barriers and leads us back to our divine Father.