Spirit Reaching Out to Us

“Inspiration ... an inner impulse that leads the mind and soul towards the Divine; an indrawing of the mind and soul towards God; ... also, spiritual strength and encouragement stimulated by some source, such as a person or a book.¹

Once longing for the Divine has been awakened within us, our life and our whole being starts going through an ever-deepening process of radical change and transformation. To an aspiring and struggling soul, the Divine has many aspects. For those initiated by a living Master it is initially the outer Master, who in his role as spiritual guide and teacher, constantly urges us to seek the Lord, the Creator within ourselves. He is the ideal person to encourage us. His teachings become a part and parcel of our life, guiding, inspiring, and helping us to keep on track. The Master’s teachings, either in the form of books or satsangs, help shape or mold our lives in such a way that spirituality gradually becomes our first and foremost priority.

Masters often talk about the importance of creating an atmosphere, attending satsang whether the Master is physically present or not (he is always there) doing seva of any kind, and above all engaging in the spiritual practice, all help create that atmosphere. These will help carry the atmosphere of meditation into our daily life, bringing more and more awareness of Master’s inner presence throughout the day.

We should desire always to be conscious – so far as we may – of the lively inspiration of grace brought about by the spiritual presence of God within our souls.
_{Walter Hilton, Ladder of Perfection²}

Waking up to the Truth within, becoming aware of a different reality, realizing the potential of the gift of life, are just a handful of realizations resulting from our daily meditation. His grace is always there in subtle ways and bringing with it a spiritual sweetness which fuels our longing for the Shabd master and the Divine. Our currents of attention, once an unstoppable outward pulling force, are directed within. An ever increasing awareness of the unseen presence of the inner Master gradually takes hold of us. We start living on the fringes of life, becoming observers of an outward spectacle, and most of its attractions and allurements become insipid over the course of a lifetime. Amazingly, a shift of perception takes place and the pull from within has slowly gained the upper hand. It is a process beyond the workings of ego and mind, it is the Shabd master’s doing. It is said in the teachings that once a Master has initiated one of his allotted souls, he becomes the helmsman navigating the ship of Nam through the ocean of existence, with us on board. He is fully in charge of our life, and in our stumbling and falling and getting up again and again, we have come to fully rely on him. And what a staunch and unfailing companion and friend he has been!

The sun’s rays give both light and warmth together. Inspiration is a ray of grace bringing light and warmth to our hearts: light to show us what is good; warmth to give us energy to go after it. All living things in this world are numbed by winter’s cold; with the return of spring’s warmth they come to life again – animals move more swiftly, birds fly higher with livelier song, plants gaily bud and blossom. Without inspiration, the life of the soul is sluggish, impotent, useless. Once the rays of God’s inspirations strike us, however, we are aware of light and life – our minds are enlightened, our wills inflamed and quickened with strength to intend and fulfil whatever may lead to our salvation.
_{Franḉois de Sales, Love of God³}

It is in satsang that “the rays of God’s inspirations strike us.” Satsang is complimentary to our meditation. It is the place where the teachings are being discussed, but also the place where Masters’ presence can be experienced. It is due to our receptivity, our capacity to absorb the love, the depth of our longing, that the inspiration given by satsang transports us deeper into the spiritual dimension. It is the essential fuel we need in order to keep that inner fire burning. It gives us the hunger for the spiritual food our souls hanker after. Shining through the teachings is the Master’s love for his sangat. And what a blessing it is, to be a part of his sangat! From satsang we take with us a treasure of spirituality, to be digested in our meditation. Being able to attend satsang on a regular basis helps create a most beneficial habit. In the words of Huzur Maharaj Ji,

The seed of Nam is planted within every initiate, and it must sprout. We are advised to protect this crop and preserve the sanctity of this treasure. A crop in an open field will certainly grow without protection, but it remains vulnerable and is easily plundered. We must, therefore, surround our crop, which we grow through meditation, with the fence of satsang, the company of the Masters and saints and their devotees.⁴

A mysterious force draws us to satsang. It is truly Spirit reaching out to us. In satsang one is filled with renewed strength and perseverance; it is ever fresh and invigorating. It is Master’s soul touching the soul of his devotees.

In satsang the Master, through his spiritual currents, bestows the gift of new life on the devotees, with the result that like moths they sacrifice themselves on the fountainhead of light and become one with it. For then, their life does not remain their own. It becomes that of the Master. Thus, they attain the state of completely merging in the Master.⁵

We can’t be grateful enough for the immense blessing of having been initiated by a living Master. We can only show our gratitude to our Master by putting his words into practice. As Baba Ji so often used to say, we should take the action. We don’t need any more grace, it’s already there in abundance. At initiation we were given the five Holy Names, and it is up to us to find out and appreciate what they stand for. Repeating these sacred Names is our knocking at heaven’s door. They instantly connect us to the Shabd within and cause divine vibrations to be stirred in the inner regions. Ascending the ladder of Simran brings with it an otherworldly joy. As Great Master says, “Ceaseless Simran is the ladder by which to reach the mansion of the Lord.”⁶

We all have a unique relation with the Divine and the Master who initiated us. From the time of our birth – and who knows for how many incarnations preceding the present one – the Master has been watching us. Our present birth is the most precious incarnation ever. We’re going back home. Spirit is reaching out to us. We’re speeding upwards on wings of love. Master’s power in the form of Simran is always with us, protecting and guiding us.

The results of repetition will be in direct proportion to the love and faith brought to bear upon it. Carry out the Simran of the Lord with love and faith. His Names have a great power. When done with faith, one feels intoxicated with joy, with the result that we forget our body and ourself and we become aware of the presence of the Lord. How potent and blissful is the Name of God, for it creates in the devotee a fast-flowing current of bliss, peace, and soul force, and he gets truly blessed.⁷