Our Gift to the Master

Imagine if we could give our Master a gift, a gift that he would truly appreciate. Probably we’d all like to give him something that would, in some small way, thank him for all he has given and continues to give us. But he neither wants nor accepts worldly material gifts from his disciples. So is there anything we could possibly offer that he would value if we cannot offer material things? Yes, there is.

We know that we can all offer him our obedience and gratitude as we follow our vows and try to live as good human beings. Love and devotion might also be on the list of what we can offer. But the most valuable gift we can offer, worth more than gold on this spiritual path, is our attention.

As human beings we can choose where we place our attention. We have the faculty of discrimination and are able to direct our thoughts, our attention, throughout every waking moment. When we give constant attention to our Master, our whole day becomes a day devoted to him and his service.

But it’s neither simple nor easy, is it? Wanting and doing are two completely different things. Probably we all want to give him our constant attention and be devoted disciples who are always focused on the spiritual goal. There may well be advanced disciples who are able to do this, but for the rest of us it’s a hit-and-miss business – generally more miss than hit!

This inconsistency must not make us despondent. The desire alone is praiseworthy. In this incredibly fast-paced stressful world, how many fortunate souls are there who even want to give a spiritual master their attention? We are so blessed that every day we are able to present to the Master whatever little efforts we are able to make.

However, we must also realize how much more we could be doing in this sphere of our active lives. We need to strive consciously to become more aware of where we are directing our precious attention and how can we improve the quality of the gift that we offer?

Saints tell us that we should strive to become good human beings. This means that we should be mindful of our general behaviour, including our diet and our lifestyle. We should generally ensure that we are behaving in a manner consistent with our stated objective of spiritual liberation.

All of this requires attention, a monitoring of our thoughts. If we aren’t constantly mindful, then this mind of ours just sets off on its own mission, giving in to the promptings of the ego and the senses.

The most important part of our spiritual journey is to meditate for at least two and a half hours every day for the rest of our lives. This is where our attention is most crucial. Every aspect of our meditation requires focused, concentrated attention.

The one thing we learn as we travel on this path is that meditation is made immeasurably more difficult if we haven’t kept our attention on the goal as much as possible throughout the day. If we never rein the mind in during the day, how do we expect to do it when we sit for meditation? Maharaj Charan Singh said:

To live in the teachings, to live in that atmosphere is itself a meditation. You are building that atmosphere every moment for your daily meditation. Everything you do must consciously prepare you for the next meditation.
_{Die to Live}

Our priorities, our goals in life, must be reflected in where we choose to focus our attention. And the seriousness with which we view those goals must be demonstrated by how we live our lives, how we think and how we choose to interpret our Master’s requests. Our whole day needs to prepare us as much as possible for our mediation. For any disciple on the path leading to reunion with God, the single most important activity in our lives must be meditation.

The meditation technique we are taught by our Master consists of three aspects: simran, bhajan and dhyan. Simran is the repetition of the five holy words shared with us at the time of initiation. In bhajan we are asked to try to listen for the inner spiritual sound, and in dhyan we are asked to visualize our Master. Simran is the first and initially most crucial ingredient and requires the exercising of our faculty of attention. This is the gift we can give our Master, the one he will always appreciate.

Our Master wants us to reach the spiritual centre situated in our forehead, known as the third eye or eye centre. Simran is the tool he has given us to collect our attention and focus it at the eye centre. The masters tell us that the real spiritual journey only begins once we have reached the eye centre, so we just have to keep on trying to get there. Maharaj Sawan Singh said:

The first essential thing, therefore, is to enter this laboratory within ourselves, by bringing our scattered attention inside of the eye focus. … It is our job and we must do it; and we must do it now, in this very lifetime.
_{Spiritual Gems}

He also said:

The problem is not complicated at all. The whole thing is just attention, and then unbroken attention, at the eye center, allowing no other thought to intrude itself into the consciousness and lead you away from the center.
_{Spiritual Gems}

The treasure is our Master in his Radiant Form, and the Shabd itself, waiting for us in full glory. So what exactly is the Shabd? What is the Radiant Form? And why must we contact and connect with them? The Shabd, the Word, is the creative power of the Lord.

Mystics tell us that, originally, only the Lord existed. When he ordained creation, this creative power became manifested and created everything. We all arise from Shabd and we will eventually merge back into it. Without Shabd, the mystics explain, everything would simply disappear.

Throughout the ages, all true mystics have taught this one central spiritual truth: God himself is the Shabd through which he ordained and created every living thing. Maharaj Sawan Singh said:

The beginning and end of all things is Shabd. All gross matter, the sky and so forth, subtle matter, sound, form, taste and scent are all Shabd. Whatever exists is Shabd. Whatever is manifested from Shabd cannot be anything but Shabd. Shabd is our creator. Shabd is our sustainer. We are of Shabd and Shabd is ours.
_{Philosophy of the Masters, Vol.IV}

This formless power, which cannot be discerned or experienced in any ordinary fashion with our normal human senses, is everywhere and is everything. It is also the cornerstone of the teachings of all true mystics. This is what the path of Surat Shabd Yoga is all about. The path tells us that our true selves are of this Shabd, which is God’s own power. So, to connect with it, let us commit ourselves to giving our Master our love and devotion by giving him our attention. Our precious attention is our own unique and individual gift. Let us direct it to him every day.