The Master’s Presence

Maharaj Charan Singh offers us a priceless piece of advice on how to live our days with the Master. In Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III, he says:

Whatever you do in this world to keep your master within you or keep yourself with the master is meditation, is a part of meditation. Whether you are properly sitting or just sitting quietly, full of love and devotion for the master, or hearing the sound, seeing the light – whatever you are doing, even worldly work – if your master is with you in your mind, in your heart, if all your dealings conform to the teachings, to the commands of the master, then you are with the master.

Maharaj Ji points out that whatever we do in life can be a part of meditation provided that we have the Master in mind at the time, because when we remember him we are automatically with him. At the time of our initiation we are told that the Master establishes a radiant form of himself within us, which means he never leaves us. But we do not always feel that he is with us because we are not with him.

While sitting in our daily meditation we make a conscious effort to be with our Master. However, when our session ends and we get on with our day, we often forget him until our next meditation session.

The benefit of having a spiritual Master is that we can cultivate a special relationship with him so that he becomes our intimate companion and trusted friend. Being aware that he is always present within causes our mind to stand to attention, and this results in us being more careful about our choices and actions. Gradually we are transformed, becoming more tranquil and increasingly conscious.

In meditation, we attempt to still our minds and become aware of the Master’s presence. This is a huge challenge for our mind. It spends the day racing about in every direction and is reluctant to sit quietly for a few minutes, let alone two and a half hours.

We should make every effort to fulfil our daily meditation commitment, but, if we are unable to sit for the whole period, we should remember that every day is an opportunity to try again. There’s no question of giving up; we must persist in our efforts with renewed vigour.

The important thing is to embrace our daily meditation as a means of pleasing our Master and as an act of gratitude and thanksgiving for his many gifts. If we live according to his teachings, then, as Maharaj Ji said, whatever we do to include the Master in our lives can become a part of meditation. In other words, our daily meditation period can be extended into our entire day.

Whether we are walking, peeling potatoes, rolling rotis or washing dishes, everything becomes an act of meditation when we remember our Master. In this way our lives are transformed into one continuous act of dedication to the Lord – it becomes a song of devotion. The Master then accepts everything from us as an offering of love. To be mindful of his presence throughout our day is a very beautiful way in which to live.

If we are to consciously practise being in the Master’s presence at all times, we have to look at ways in which we can align our thoughts and actions with this objective. We have at our disposal three powerful aids to help us make this happen. These are simran, satsang and seva.

Simran is the easiest of the three to put into practice. When we are involved in other tasks and we repeat the five holy names, we are conditioning the mind to gravitate towards the Master. Our formal meditation sessions then become a pleasure rather than a chore. By engaging in simran whenever possible, we occupy the mind and prevent it from becoming idle, as, according to an old proverb, ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’.

If we begin our day with meditation and end our day with either meditation or reading spiritual literature, we are moving closer to our goal. There are also other opportunities to do simran or to remember him, and simple habits we can inject into our way of life – such as when we sit down to a meal, when we are out walking, when climbing stairs or exercising. In fact, there are many situations that provide us with an opportunity to turn to our Master.

Attending satsang offers additional benefits as it is a reminder of the promises we have made to our Master. It does not matter whether he is physically present or not. When we gather in his name, he is present in spirit, and we experience an atmosphere of love and devotion. Thus we are inspired to continue on the path.

Seva is another great aid to keeping the Master with us. Seva is all-embracing and it includes any selfless service we provide. When we focus our attention on the seva we are doing, we automatically call him to mind. Mindfulness of being in his presence will help us do only that which is appropriate. In Philosophy of the Masters, Vol. I, Great Master says:

The highest service is that of the Guru, and it is also the purest. The Guru is free from all ties and attachments. He is an ocean full of the surging waves of love. By serving him we become free from ties and attachments to the ephemeral world. Then intense love of God is awakened in us.

As we can see, there are many opportunities to bring our Master into our daily lives. And there are also many good reasons to remember him as often as possible. Most importantly, this has to do with our final departure from this life. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna tells his disciple Arjuna:

Whosoever at the time of death leaves his body
  and departs, remembering Me alone, he attains
My Being; there is no doubt about this.
Whosoever leaves his body thinking
  of any being at the final moment, to that being alone
  does he attain, O Arjuna, because of his
  constant thought of that being.
Therefore, at all times remember Me and fight.
With your mind and understanding absorbed in Me,
  you will surely come to Me.

Remembering the Master constantly helps to detach us from the world and its trappings. By putting him first, worldly relationships decrease in importance. The bonds of spouse, parents, children, friends and pets are weakened so that we are not pulled back into the cycle of reincarnation at the time of our own death. In The Dawn of Light, the Great Master tells us:

Mind is influenced by the company it keeps. By association with the people of the world, a person’s worldly tendencies will predominate; and by keeping the company of spiritually illumined souls, one will become spiritually inclined.

As we go through our day we should therefore be consciously aware of the direction of our thoughts. When our thinking takes us into the world it is up to us to resist the temptation of being lured back into the illusion and to turn our thoughts to the Master. As Maharaj Ji has told us:

If your master is with you in your mind, in your heart, if all your dealings conform to the teachings, to the commands of the master, then you are with the master.
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