Life’s Divine Unity

As seekers on a spiritual path, we are accustomed to using our minds to understand our lives in this world. At our level, the mind is designed to classify, categorize, evaluate, analyze, and build explanations. In fact, we teach these very thinking skills to our children in school. While these skills are helpful, even necessary for navigating our education and careers, they generally get in the way when we apply them to spiritual matters.

We tend to classify our life on the spiritual path as being either “on” the path or “off” the path, and to see ourselves as either a “good” satsangi or a “bad” satsangi, and either at the eye centre or in the world. Many of us evaluate ourselves as a good satsangi if we go to satsang, do whatever seva we are asked to do, meditate every day for two and a half hours, and read as many of the Sant Mat books as we can. We might even give ourselves extra credit for listening to shabads in our spare time. We categorize ourselves as a bad satsangi if we don’t go to satsang, do seva, or meditate for the full time every day. We are also in the habit of categorizing people according to whether they are initiated or not initiated – “seekers” vs. initiates.

Similarly, we tend to categorize sevadars as high-level – important or close to the Master – or low-level, those whose seva we judge to be not as significant. And we define seva as something that is connected to satsang or the Dera or has “something to do with Sant Mat.”

However, the Master does not view us through these lenses. He hasn’t come into this world to judge us, shame us, or divide us. He does not define us as good or bad, a committed or uncommitted meditator, or as a high sevadar, low sevadar or not a sevadar. On the spiritual path, this way of thinking and these categories are limiting and therefore not helpful. The Master sees us as spiritual beings in human bodies who are struggling souls in this world. His message is one of love and grace.

Saint Paltu wrote:

Soft and tender are the saints,
no one else in the world is like them.
There is no one else like them;
they are kind and merciful to all….
They are as tender as flowers;
not even in a dream do they see others’ faults.
_{Saint Paltu: His Life and Teachings}

It is true that there is no one in the world like the Master. Although there may be times when the Master needs to be strict with us or appears to be stern, his purpose is always to take care of us, to encourage us, and to show us the way back to our divine home. He is not looking at our faults; he is looking at our potential. The saints are kind to everyone; they are merciful, tender, and gracious.

Maharaj Sawan Singh (Great Master) tells us in Spiritual Gems: “He is always with us – within us – watches as a mother watches her child. So long as we are on this side of the focus, we do not see him working. But he is doing his duty.”

When we view our spiritual seeking through limiting categories, we are not able to perceive the tenderness with which the Master watches over us. We can’t see him working because our minds are too busy with our lists of categories. Even our use of terms like seva, sevadar, and satsang can become limiting. If we are helping someone without thought of reward, we are doing seva and we are a sevadar. If we are discussing spiritual ideas or connecting to the divine aspect of life, we are engaging in satsang.

The Book of Corinthians in the New Testament of the Bible gives us a boundless definition of love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

The Master does not keep a record of our missteps. He does not classify us. He perseveres with us, trusts us, and hopes that we will turn toward our true home. He is patient and full of kindness. He does not fail in his mission to help us through our struggles. As Great Master wrote in Spiritual Gems:

I am well aware that you have struggles. You have some things within yourself to overcome and some things outside yourself which must be surmounted. But you can do it. If you have full confidence in the inner Master, he will always help you. And often when you find the difficulties greatest and the hour darkest, the light will appear and you will see that you are free. Let nothing discourage you.

For many years, the Masters have talked about the need for us to widen our parameters. When we do that and start letting go of our many categories and classifications, our minds begin to settle down and gently turn within. As we begin to get a taste of love, we start to appreciate the Master’s grace, beauty and tenderness. We gradually grow more grateful for everything the Creator has given us, and we begin to see the divine unity in all of life.