Part III
Excerpts from Letters to Seekers and Disciples
1948–1951
1. You must all have been deeply grieved at the departure on 2 April of our late beloved Master from this physical plane. The satsang suffers an irreparable loss. The enchanting figure is no longer before our eyes. But the Master never dies. His Radiant Shabd Form is within every one of us. He is functioning from the higher planes and is helping his disciples. They should diligently work upon his instructions and they will find him within themselves. He has commanded me to be at your service and I will do my best to carry out his command.
2. Spiritually speaking, the human body may be divided into two parts. One part is from the soles of the feet to the eyes, and the other part is from the eyes up to the top of the head. The lower part, including the eyes, is meant to function in this material world. This is known to everyone. But what is not known to most people is that the upper part is meant to connect the soul and the mind with higher regions.
This connection begins at the eye centre, after the soul and the mind have vacated the lower portion by means of repetition with the attention fixed at the eye centre. The object of repetition is to accomplish this. Repetition is not an end in itself, but is the means to an end. The repetition of the five holy names takes the mind and the soul to a point which leads to the upper portion. When this point has been gained, the Sound Current lifts the soul towards the top of the head, in order to establish connection with the higher planes.
3. I am in receipt of your letter and appreciate your sentiments. I am very glad to learn that you realize the nature and significance of the real problem – the temptations of the mind. This is the problem. Soul is of the essence of Nam and naturally feels a strong attraction towards its source or origin. However, it is held down by the attractions and temptations of the mind, like a gas-filled balloon which is moored to the ground by strings.
You cannot conquer the mind by intellectual reasoning. It can be stilled only by drawing the attention inwards and upwards by means of simran, which collects all the attention currents at the eye centre. When this course is complete, one is able to contact the Shabd. One can hear it earlier also, but at that stage it does not pull because our consciousness has identified itself with the body. The mind finds the Shabd so attractive and delightful that it does not crave other pleasures. Till this state is reached, one should reason with himself, increase the practice and wean himself away from outward pleasures as far as possible. You cannot go out and go in at the same time.
Other problems should also be attended to in the spirit of duty, and solved in the light of personal knowledge and experience and the advice of friends. For health, the physician should be consulted when necessary, though a good, clean, cheerful and active life automatically makes for good health and happiness.
Faith and love make things easy, especially when they are supported by regular meditation.
Please keep to your meditation periods regularly and, if you have any difficulties, refer them to this place whenever you like.
4. Do your best and leave the rest to God. We are so hedged in and our so-called free will is so much conditioned by both, the outside circumstances as well as our inner reflexes, that it can hardly be called ‘free’.
By treating the patients and relieving them of their pain and disease, the doctors do not lay up bad karmas. By using aspirin or similar pain-relieving remedies, you do not postpone the period of suffering to a future date. Yes, it is best to avoid medicines which contain glandular extracts or other substances of animal origin.
5. Man is the top of all creation, the perfect handiwork of nature in all respects. He contains within himself the key to unlock the mystery of the universe and to contact the Creator. It is the greatest and the highest good fortune of any sentient being to be born in the form of man.
But his responsibilities are also correspondingly great. Having come up to the top of the evolutionary ladder, he should now step onto the ladder of Nam and tread the spiritual path that will ultimately lead him to the divine home whence he came. If he fails to do so, he slides down and, according to his karmas, his desires and inclinations, he will have to sojourn in this world of change and go through the various forms of creation.
In the human body, the eye centre is the spot which represents the end of one course and the beginning of the other. Man may go up or he may slide down.
This is the message which all saints and Masters have given to the world, in their own time. Our dearly beloved Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji, in whose memory we have gathered here today, preached this very truth for forty-five years. He helped those who accepted his teachings and is indeed helping all of us still, and I can do no better than to call your attention to this vital message of our Great Master.
6. The first step towards spiritual practice is to understand the object of hearing the Shabd. The function of Shabd is to lift the soul upwards and inwards, to the higher planes. But the Shabd is unable to lift the soul so long as it is not withdrawn from the entire body and collected in the eye focus. Just as a fine piece of cloth, which is entangled in a thorny bush, is torn to shreds if one tries to pull it up forcibly without first disengaging it from each thorn, similarly the Shabd would not lift the soul up so long as it is permeating every pore of the body, though the sound may be audible.
Therefore the first step is to withdraw the attention currents from the body up to the point where the Sound can lift it. This is brought about by concentration of the attention in the eye centre, which is possible only when the mind becomes motionless. There are various methods for making the mind motionless and for collecting the attention currents in the eye centre. But the simplest and the easiest of them all is the repetition of the holy names prescribed by the saints while the attention is fixed between the eyes. In fact, it is the mind that does the repeating.
It is not an easy matter to bring the mind under control and to make it tranquil and motionless. It requires years of patient labour. When concentration is complete and the soul currents have been withdrawn up to the eye centre, the attention should be kept up there with the help of dhyan, which is contemplation on the Radiant Form of the Master.
7. The attention currents should be collected into the eye focus. The attention should be fixed at the place between and above the eyes, where one ordinarily keeps the attention when thinking. The bell sound does not lift the soul until the attention currents from the entire body have been collected in the eye focus.
8. The message of the Masters is natural, not artificial. The entire macrocosm is within the human body, which is therefore called the microcosm. The only way to study the macrocosm is through the microcosm. Christ called the human body “the temple of the living God”1 for the same reason. Not only the creation, but God, the Creator, also lives within man and can be met within this temple. The result is that the spiritual journey from this material plane to the highest plane of pure spirit lies within the human body. It begins from the toes of the feet and ends at the top of the head.
This journey is divided into two parts: The first part is from the feet to the eye centre. It consists of concentrating the mind and making the attention stay at the eye centre, so that the attention currents are withdrawn from the entire lower portion of the body into the eye centre. The second part is from the eye centre to the top of the head. Here the concentrated soul is able to catch the Sound Current which descends from the top of the head to the eye centre. The soul is gradually lifted up from the eye centre to the top of the head by means of the Sound Current.
We pass through five vast planes in the course of this journey. The Sound Current is one and the same, but in passing through the different regions it assumes different aspects. The method of the Sound Current is complete while all other courses, such as pranayam, mudra, etc., are incomplete.
If during our lifetime we travel the path which we have to traverse after death, then death loses its terror for us. It is the object and goal of human life to take the soul to the region whence it originally descended. Thus the soul is liberated from the cycle of births and deaths.
9. As you proceed with your meditation, you will feel peace and bliss, but it should be a lasting and not a momentary feeling. This will come when you have practised and devoted considerable time to the Sound Current. Sanskaras, i.e. impressions of past lives, enable some people to hear the Sound easily, but to hear alone is not enough. You must be one with it. Your love for the Master and the repetition of the holy names enables you to do this. There is power, happiness and bliss in Nam, also called the Word, Shabd or the Sound. And the real form of the Master is also Shabd. It is that which we all seek.
The service which we value and appreciate most is that which helps the disciple, and that is Surat Shabd service, or devotion to the Sound Current. It is good to be helpful to others, but to be able to render proper and effective help to others in their spiritual uplift, one must first of all be in a position to do so, i.e. he should have worked his way up sufficiently for this purpose.
Nothing should stand in the way of your meditation, and no disciple should plunge so deep into worldly affairs as to enable them to interfere with his bhajan or affect his mental poise.
10. I want you to progress still further on the spiritual journey. Increase the concentration of your mind, and take your soul to the portal which opens into the astral plane, after vacating the entire body. The Master’s astral form can be contacted at this gate. He will talk to you and reply to all your questions. You say that you had contacted the late Master in a past birth, but it is clear that you did not gain the higher planes then; otherwise it would not have been necessary for you to undergo the pangs of rebirth into this physical world. I wish that you try your best to reach the spiritual region during this life, so that you may not have to come here again. Please devote as much time as you can to spiritual practice. Your spiritual progress will be helpful to your deceased mother also.
There are very few real seekers after truth, and fewer still who can conform to the restrictions prescribed for spiritual progress. Therefore working hard for your own spiritual progress should be your primary object. Besides the regular time, almost the whole of your spare time and attention should be given to that end. Much time should not be wasted in ‘helping’ others. If you find anyone keenly interested and prepared to conform to the mode of life of a follower of Sant Mat, you may lend him books and refer him to me.
11. The Creator Himself is within us, including all that He has created in the material, mental and spiritual regions. As the spirit is drawn up higher and higher, things will be clearer, and the how and why of things also will become intelligible. This world is only a projection of the mental world. And whoever has studied and explored the mental world automatically knows this world too, infinitely better.
Sant Mat does not enslave, but teaches the disciple to be really independent by means of self-control and self-knowledge.
Such things are usual with one who goes in, but the knowledge or information should not be given out. It is seldom valued properly by others, and you really suffer a loss. Silence is a great virtue.
12. A satsangi should not court worldly pleasures. In fact, he should avoid them as far as possible. When a patient takes a doctor’s medicine, he also has to follow his instructions regarding diet, etc., and abstain from things which he has been asked to cut out. Likewise, a satsangi should follow the other instructions along with meditation.
In the beginning, the disciple still feels the attraction of worldly pleasures and glamour, although he resists them. He pays attention only to the things which are necessary and rejects the others. Then comes a stage in his progress when he has contacted Nam within, and he enjoys the spiritual delights. In comparison with that, the worldly pleasures are uninteresting and meaningless, and have no appeal for him. He uses the world, but is not attracted by it.
As for books, they are good to read, enjoy and confirm your inner experiences, but they cannot take you in.
13. Many religions take Brahm as the highest spiritual region and the creator of all. Their inquiry is incomplete and limited. Brahm is not the maker of all creation. His creation and rulership extend to the second stage only, and herein also he can neither create nor destroy souls. All that he does is to keep the souls confined within his domain by putting them in physical, astral and causal bodies, frames or cages. He thereby makes them forget their origin or home, which is in the fifth stage. Transmigration according to the law of karma is the system of his government. Birth and decay, and the dualism of good and evil, pleasure and pain are the order of his domain.
Most religions in the world have been promulgated by Brahm and they aim at keeping order in this creation. Brahm does not want a single soul to get even an inkling of what lies beyond him. Through the agency of revealed books, prophets and incarnations, he makes himself known as the highest spiritual stage of development and the maker of all creation, and his law as infallible.
To confound people and to entangle them in the karmic complications, nothing beats meat eating and the use of intoxicants – particularly alcohol – and nothing appeals to people faster than a show of miracles. Therefore the prophets and incarnations of Brahm generally take a lenient view against the use of liquor and we quite often find them permitting such things. The lower the stage of the prophet, the greater the freedom allowed in the use of these things.
The work of the prophets and incarnations of Brahm is to see that the creation in his charge remains intact and confined within his sphere, and that no one deserts it by going to real spiritual regions which are beyond Brahm. On the other hand, the work of the saints is to free the souls, which are imprisoned by Brahm, and take them to their spiritual home of eternal bliss. The saints positively prohibit the use of meat and liquor, and they also discourage the performance of miracles, as that is against the laws of nature. These three acts are strong barriers, par excellence, which stand in the way of crossing the boundary of Brahm.
14. The usual procedure for every individual after death is that he is taken to the court of Dharam Rai to render an account of his karmas. Jesus says that people will have to render account to “the uttermost farthing”. In some cases, however, there is an interval between death here and their appearance before Dharam Rai. Some good, clean souls, after death and before appearing in the court for rendering account and returning to this world, go to higher regions within the sphere of Brahm to enjoy the fruits of their good actions. Similarly, very dirty souls, after death and before rendering account and coming back to this world, suffer for their evil deeds in the form of ghosts and goblins in subastral regions. Both of these conditions may be taken as a continuity of their lives here.
15. A very important though ordinarily unknown factor – we might call it ‘x’ – in these matters is the influence of one’s past karmas and past achievements.
The sufferings of good men with evolved minds is not inexplicable. They have surely been very good and have done nothing in this life to merit such suffering, but what about the past – about that unknown factor? Only those who go in sufficiently can see the cause. And, again, our present life is already determined before we are born. All human beings have necessarily to get their share of good and bad karmas for, if their karmas were all good, they would be somewhere on the astral plane and, if wholly bad, they would be subhuman.
Sant Mat, however, does not teach us to get away from the world, but to rise above it. Outwardly, one should be in the world, but inwardly, away from it.
16. Thank you for your letter offering me wholehearted devotion and cooperation.
Not only all true Masters are one in Shabd, but also all human beings are one in Shabd. The only difference is that the Masters have realized the truth within themselves and have become one with the Shabd, and one with each other. Other human beings have not realized the truth.
My only wish is that you try to contact the Radiant Form of the Master within you, so that you may become sure by actual experience of the great truth taught by the Master. This is the greatest service that a disciple can render to his Master. All other services – that of body, mind and wealth – are subservient to this great objective and should lead to it. Please accept this short note in reply.
17. Masters are able to carry on the functions of the body and their daily routine in the world by means of the diffused spirituality, while their spirit remains and works in higher planes.
18. A man who has derived benefit from a Master should be full of gratitude and love for him and should feel proud in proclaiming his Master’s name. In the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib, it is a sin to conceal one’s Master. This attitude of concealment often arises from the consciousness of fear of losing one’s reputation or prestige.
Not only in America but also in India and everywhere else it is easier to preach than to practise. It is not an easy matter to act upon the teachings of the Masters. That is why the teachings are apt to be forgotten and misrepresented after the Masters have departed. Instead of practising those teachings, the followers begin to issue commentaries and wrangle about them. Yet that does not mean that we should not treat that person with the respect and consideration due to a religious preacher.
19. It is true that there is only one Giver and He gives to whomsoever He likes. “The wind bloweth where it listeth.” It is equally correct that humility is the true sign of greatness. We have a proverb that the branches of a tree laden with fruit bend low. So it is with the truly great.
I have read the enclosed literature about ———. You may, if you feel like it, take some to supplement your food. But in spite of the great strides that science has made and the wonderful achievements of the science of nutrition, some unknown factor always seems to crop up just when we think we know everything. On the one hand there is the cry ‘back to nature’ and on the other, scientific knowledge isolates nutritional factors, prepares them synthetically and makes us artificial. Can’t we agree with the poet when he says, “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise!”
20. Let the dying year with all its memories and regrets, pleasant and unpleasant, bring home to us satsangis the impermanence and unreality of what we behold, and strengthen our resolve to rise above the phenomenal existence and reach the glories of the Word, the Nam that was, is, and will be.
The soul is of the same essence as Nam, and will enjoy real bliss only when it reaches the region of Nam and becomes one with Nam. You have been initiated into this mystery. It behoves you therefore to travel the path as far as possible, for this is the only thing that really matters. But we are not to neglect our worldly duties. With a heart full of love and faith, devote yourself to the task. Also discharge your worldly obligations. With this motto as your guiding principle, may the new year bring you success and happiness.
21. What you say is all the result of your love and faith, and this is a very important factor in successful meditation.
There is no alternative to concentrating your attention at the eye centre and then going up with the aid of Shabd or Sound Current, unless it be wandering about in various forms in this phenomenal world. As long as man is tied to himself, he is tied to the world. When he rises above the nine doors of the body and frees himself from the bodily or sense relations, which he will do when he will completely vacate the body and concentrate all his attention at the eye centre, he is freed from all ties and the world.
The path of the Shabd is the highest and the complete path available to humanity. All others are incomplete in comparison, and it is our duty to tread the path firmly and devotedly.
22. It is wrong to use violence of any sort. Sant Mat is based upon love and sympathy. Persuasion may be used, but violence never. Soami Ji says: “All those who understood the teachings and acted upon them crossed over with the Master.”2
The object of satsang is to draw attention to the weaknesses and to uplift the disciples mentally and spiritually. If the disciple does not utilize his opportunities and does not labour on the path, he will naturally remain a slave to the mind and the senses, and will come to grief. When in trouble, he will sooner or later turn in and begin his bhajan, for the inner pull is always there – though the fate karma, the pralabdh, also has to be gone through. But saints exercise mauj unfailingly at the time of death. If before that they shower their grace upon one who is still ruled by the pleasures of the senses, so much so that the soul is held fast and cannot rise above them, he cannot profit by the grace, and the daya (mercy) is also wasted.
Your reply is very apt. You grasp the significance and the essence of Sant Mat. Hold fast to it and keep happy. Arguments and discussions seldom bring conviction, and partisans would never be convinced. Why waste time?
When a disciple, whether initiated in Sound or not*, hears the Sound, he should look upon it as a mark of the Master’s grace and try all the more to withdraw his consciousness so that he may hear it better.
23. Whether it is repetition of the names or meditation at the eye centre, or attending to the Sound within, all three lead the same way and point to the same goal. I am writing to ——— also on the subject. We have to leave plurality and come into unity, and should therefore not encourage plurality. Of course, the best way to achieve unity is to leave this material cage, the body, and come to the centre behind the eyes.
Let not the organization smother the spirit. Otherwise, people may come to you for worldly help instead of spiritual help, and it may become like a church, an organization for helping the people in their worldly difficulties, or a society in which the rich members help the poor. I would suggest that you confine yourself to spiritual work, helping individuals when necessary and keeping organization in the background. There should be no building, no office, etc. Please do not mix parmarth (spiritual work) with swarath (worldly work). Take care of the spirit and other things will take care of themselves.
When our Master was urged to permit the opening of a girls’ school here, he said that he would not countenance any school other than the spiritual school. Going in, contacting the Sound Current and starting the upward spiritual journey is the greatest good that you can do to yourself and to others. And whatever stands in the way of your accomplishing this task should be rejected.
24. I look upon all people travelling the Sant Mat path as my fellow pupils and regard them as my brothers and sisters. If they are younger, I call them my daughters and sons.
The soul and the mind currents which are permeating every pore of the body should be collected in the eye centre by means of repetition of the holy names. This is essentially a slow process. One is apt to expect quick results. It involves the labour of years to vacate the entire body below the eyes and to collect the attention and hold it at the eye focus. When this is the case, the body below the eyes feels numb and senseless but one is conscious within, sees the light and hears the Sound clearly. Before that, the Sound is heard but it does not pull the soul. Therefore the primary object should be to vacate the body by means of repetition, and in doing repetition you should not try to hear the Sound. That would divide the attention. Do not strain your muscles or attention to catch the Sound. The Sound will come of itself and will become clearer as the concentration grows deeper.
Let all your efforts be directed towards increasing the concentration. The Master is inside and tries at times to catch our attention by his voice or by giving us glimpses of his astral form. That is a sign of his mercy and grace, for by showing himself and by talking to us, he tries to encourage us in our practice.
25. I am sorry to note that a fellow disciple should have broken his word to you. It is probable that in the beginning the intention was honest. This is the most charitable view of the matter. Of course, you are the best judge. All disciples are not alike and you should remain on your guard. It so happens that the zeal of most of the disciples everywhere is liable to cool down, as success in the spiritual practice and concentration is difficult to attain without hard labour and pure living, in which many of them fail miserably. It is a lifelong, uphill task. Without successful meditation, few can keep up the zeal and ardour which they show in the beginning.
I am sorry to know of the hard life you have had to lead, but adverse or easy circumstances in life depend upon past karma, which should be borne patiently and resignedly. In future, only good actions should be performed to avoid creating bad karma. And there is no better action than that of listening to the Sound Current, for this cuts at the root of karma and frees us from the karmic tangle.
Everyone is helpless, however good he may be. He has to bear the consequences of past karma, but is free to sow good seeds for the future. Performing repetition and listening to the Sound Current is making the best use of one’s life on this earth. Therefore you should try to do your utmost in the circumstances in which you are placed, and devote as much time as you can to your meditation.
The confusion of mind and brain is not the result of meditation. It is possible that the mind goes out during repetition, and on account of worldly worries and difficulties, the mind does not stick to repetition but confuses the brain by generating external thoughts. It should be kept quiet and peaceful at all times, and at least during meditation. I know that the struggle is very hard, especially for one placed in your circumstances; still we are born for struggle in this world, and it is brave not to lose heart. There is no other way out. While living and struggling with the difficulties of this external world, a disciple has to fight with his mind and bring it under control by making it motionless.
Regarding worldly relationships, it may be pointed out that all relationships are based on selfish motives on this material plane. Husbands, brothers, wives, sisters, other relatives and friends are attached to us because of the advantages that accrue to them from us, and are apt to cool down in their zeal and love towards us when they feel that we are of no use to them. Do not expect much from them, but do your duty towards them and care for them, even if they fail to reciprocate your love. This should be the case especially in your relation with your husband. Love and obey him and try to be useful to him. Win over his heart with your love and service.
The Master is always within you in his astral and Shabd forms, and is watching over you. Please do not despair. Turn your thoughts to him during your times of difficulty and trouble. Derive satisfaction from the knowledge that the burden of your karma is being lightened day by day, by undergoing and facing the difficulties of your life.
26. You are always free to write whenever you feel like it. Regarding your visit to ——— and the disappointing results, it was certainly your karmas which took you to that place. When the time for the fruition of karma arrives, the intellect is biased in favour of that particular course of action.
I would only say this much: judge things from the worldly point of view, take business advice; then go into meditation, think of the Master and act. Please do your bhajan and simran regularly, so that you may have peace and feel the grace of the Master.
27. Thank you for your letter describing the details of your meditative exercises. Your ardour and love for the spiritual path have borne fruit and you have got the way which you are now treading, but it is a long and weary way, especially in its initial stages. It has been described as ‘the way of the ant’, which slowly and laboriously selects the grains of sugar from the grains of sand with which it is mixed. The Shabd pervades everywhere, and when you are fully in contact with the Shabd or Sound Current in the eye centre and the concentration is complete, then you are able to separate the vital power from the material, just as the ant separates the sugar from the sand.
You may certainly communicate your experiences and your difficulties. The Masters know, but seldom take the initiative on what they know inwardly.
I am glad to read of your experiences and congratulate you on your persistence. This is the essence of the thing, as it were. You have yourself seen that the next time it was far less painful and you practically won the struggle. It is natural that one should feel some pain when the spirit current is first withdrawn sufficiently to cause the lower body to become numb. But once this has been overcome by determination, the task becomes comparatively easier. The pressure, the strain, the difficulty in breathing, the facial spasm, are all indications of a struggle that happily seems to be almost over. Concentrate on the repetition of the sacred names with the attention centred at the eye focus, and when that is complete, the struggle will be won. You need not entertain fear of any trouble, disability or death occurring during meditation.
Yes, the concentration will go on improving if you repeat the holy names lovingly and steadfastly. Short periods of meditation of at least one-half hour each, in addition to the usual regular periods, are helpful and you may utilize such intervals.
To practise meditation at a time when the stomach is empty and the food has been digested is decidedly better.
You need not talk to others about this path, which is new to you, until you have gained a surer footing and richer experiences. Your life, your mental poise and your behaviour will automatically impress others, and they will themselves wonder and inquire as to what has brought about the change.
28. Magic, spiritualism and all such practices are antagonistic to the path of the saints. Anyone who indulges in them cannot expect to make progress in concentration and meditation. No such person can get initiation unless and until he gives up such pursuits. Also, any disciple who wishes to make spiritual progress will have to sever connections with all those who practise black magic, spiritualism and the like.
You should go on giving time to your repetition and concentration. Then no evil influence can touch you.
29. You say that your zeal for the practice of meditation has been weak because the desired results have not been forthcoming. You were initiated about five years ago. An initiate is expected to devote a minimum of two and a half hours every day to his devotions. If you had given so much time daily, even to repetition alone, the mind would have been stilled.
The first step is to make the mind motionless by means of repetition with the attention fixed at the eye centre. During numerous past births, the mind has acquired the habit of wandering out. It is not still for even a moment. Constant and concerted labour is required for many years to make the mind motionless. Unless the mind is still, it cannot go in.
The reason for your inability to go in is not vasectomy, but the lack of regular and continuous practice of repetition. If you want results, you should devote at least two hours daily to repetition with attention, and half an hour to the listening of the Sound Current, regularly. There is no simpler and surer method than this.
Mind is not an ordinary power that will easily submit to our control. It rules the world. So long as our attention is confined within the nine portals of the body, it is out of control. Our control over the mind increases in juxtaposition to the withdrawal of the currents from the extremities of the body towards the eye centre. When the withdrawal is complete and the mind comes under control, the attention is held at the eye centre and is able to take full advantage of the Sound Current by rising and riding on it.
30. I may tell you at once, however, that such practices are not countenanced by satsang, in any way. ——— is expected to know the principles of Sant Mat. There is a still more important point to note and that is that no black magic, charm or such practices can in any way affect satsangis. All that they have to do is to repeat the five holy names – with confidence and love – and the evil influence, if any, dare not approach them. Of course, the more regularly and lovingly you perform your repetition, the more effective is your defence and protection.
Sant Mat is the religion of love and persuasion, and not of force or coercion. It is also wrong to suppose that the Master does not care how we live or what we do if only we go on doing our meditation. To begin with, progress in spiritual meditation is, to a great extent, dependent on our life and thoughts, which are an integral part of the discipline. It would benefit her considerably if she were to devote all her attention to meditation and not think of other things too much.
There is no use in rendering service which is not liked and appreciated. Besides, when children grow up, they change a good deal and it is neither possible nor desirable that they should be forced or coerced. It is we grown-ups who should fit in with the changed conditions.
You should also devote the maximum time that you can, and certainly not less than two and one-half hours every day, to the spiritual exercises (two hours to repetition of the holy names and one-half hour to hearing the internal sound). If you do that regularly and lovingly, the situation will improve.
31. I am in receipt of your letter and have read, with interest, the description of your vision and experience. These are encouragements on the path and should induce you to give more time to meditation, and make you practise even more devotedly. As you do so, you will see and hear many things.
You do the right thing in minding the sound when concentrating on the increasing light. The Sound is always there and it is a good thing that the bell sound comes to you also while going about your work, but you should pay attention to it only when it comes from the right ear or the forehead. It should be ignored when it comes from the left ear. You should attend to no sound, not even the bell sound, when it emanates from the left.
32. You are old disciples and know the principles which should govern the conduct of Sant Mat disciples. Our main business is to go in, contact the Sound Current and thus rise above the struggles of this world. The world is a pit. It has never been, nor is, nor shall ever be at peace. Struggle is a characteristic of this world, and it is hard, very hard, to face it.
Those who go in and contact Nam rise above the struggle and come to dwell in the land of peace and happiness. Those who remain struggling in this phenomenal world will continue to be a part of this changing world and will be born again and again, in various forms and under various circumstances, to fulfil their desires.
However, we have to do our duties and discharge our obligations to the country and society in which we live, but in a spirit of duty and detachment. The advice given to you by our Great Master holds good and is the golden rule. “There can be no harm in joining a society which aims at social uplift, etc., if it does not absorb too much time or if it provides a means of livelihood. Only so much time should be devoted to worldly or other work as is necessary to keep it going.” You may continue to be members, but it should not absorb too much of your time and should not interfere with your bhajan. This is the test. Do your duty but do not get entangled in programmes and organizations. Salvation is an individual problem and there is only one way to it, i.e. by going in and contacting Nam.
33. I am glad that you appreciate the value of initiation, but the real appreciation comes only when by simran (repetition of the holy names) you vacate the body and go in. It is then that you will know what it is to have a Master and you will see for yourself what he does for his disciples. The real aim of initiation is to go in and contact the Master; then, with his help, and under his guidance, to complete our spiritual journey, which begins from the toes and ends at the top of the head.
You need not be sorry for being late in joining the satsang. There is a time for everything, but now the harmony of the family circle is complete. You should try to sit together for satsang, if it is possible to do so without interfering with your duties.
As for other things, try your best and then do not worry, for whatever follows will be for your ultimate benefit. With faith and confidence in your heart, forge ahead materially as well as spiritually.
34. It has given me a genuine pleasure to learn of your happy family life and loving marital relations. This is as it should be.
Hard work does make one feel tired and sometimes sleepy, for sleep is nature’s mode of giving rest to the body. At such times, it is difficult to meditate properly, but one can keep the thoughts on the Master, i.e. inwardly dwell on the Master and Shabd.
Please try to find time for bhajan when your mind is fresh and the body is less tired. If you can manage it, early morning after you have had your full sleep is very good. The meditation that you do now is doubly useful, for it will influence the mentality of the child and will plant good sanskaras – prenatal impressions – on the child. Your thinking of the Master and reading good books, either satsang literature or other good moral books, will have the same effect.
35. The importance of a living Master, as you say, is great, particularly in Sant Mat. Our Great Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji, who initiated you, shook off his mortal coil on 2 April 1948, as you have already been informed, and since then, according to his express command as embodied in his Last Will, I am carrying on his work.
It is not every day that such great Masters come to the world. His reach was immense and his spiritual power immeasurable. Even this short period is enough. He supervises and takes a kindly paternal interest in his struggling children, and can be contacted by such of his disciples who, by intensive bhajan and simran and love for him, are able to go in.
I shall be happy to answer any questions you may like to ask, and render whatever help is possible on the path.
Saints are Shabd or Nam personified – “the Word made flesh” – and if you can withdraw your mind from the world and its attractions, go in and contact Nam, you can be in touch with the Master. Nam pervades everywhere and in you, and it is there, within yourself, that you may contact it.
36. Very pleased to hear from you and to learn from your letter that things have improved so well and that your path has been smoothed out by the Great Master. The inner power is unerring and, if only the disciple has enough faith and love, the response is always there. All things come to him who does his duty and waits in love and faith. I am so glad that your home life has improved and that you have also now got work.
The experience that you have passed through is also very good and is a sign that the hold of the Negative Power is loosening.
37. Pran yoga is an artificial method. It aims at control of mind through the control of breath. At death, pran is left behind and, with it, the means of controlling the mind. It is like putting chains on a bad character. So long as the chains are holding him, he behaves all right; but as soon as the chains are removed, the bad character resumes his old evil ways. Moreover, pran yoga involves danger to health and that is also why the Masters do not approve of this method. The method of the saints is natural. They want to control and concentrate the mind by means of repetition, while the attention is fixed at the eye centre. By constant and regular practice, the attention currents begin to concentrate and the body begins to be vacated from the extremities upwards until the whole body becomes numb and all the soul and mind currents are concentrated in the third eye. And when the Sound Current is contacted, the mind comes under control forever.
No doubt yogis are earnest and sincere, but that does not affect the method they prescribe. The purpose of life is to bring about complete concentration of mind and thereby vacate the entire body. Precisely the same thing happens at death. This is technically known as “separating the animate from the inanimate”. The method of repetition should not cause pain anywhere in the body after the period of meditation. If there is any pain, a doctor should be consulted. You should read all the available literature on this path.
You should not be anxious about other seekers. God, who is their maker, will look after them. You should care for your own spiritual advancement. Yes, you may meet the followers of the Masters, who are themselves engaged in the practice of repetition. Their society will counteract the influence of the other school. Also read books on the path, to give strength to your conviction. In India too, all the people do not realize the purpose of life, and it is only very few who follow the teachings of the Master.
Do not try to catch the sound. Try to bring about concentration by means of repetition. When the concentration grows, the sound will come of itself.
38. You may write to me freely about your progress as well as your difficulties. Meditation is a mental process, and if one can take the attention in at any time, it is easily done. Regularity of time, seclusion and adoption of certain postures are aids to the process of concentration, and are very desirable because they prevent the attention from being distracted. But if it is not possible to keep certain hours, meditation and concentration may be practised in any posture and at any time which is convenient to you. Likewise simran or the repetition of the holy names can be practised quietly, especially when one has leisure.
It is good that you occasionally feel the proximity of the Master. This is the result of your faith and love, and your devotion to your spiritual duty.
For your physical ailment, it is right to contact a doctor and follow his advice.
39. I also note your difficulty regarding the sex problem. You have been in the army and may be said to be a technical man. You would do well to grasp the technical connection between the mind and the body. The object of initiation is to enable the disciple to concentrate all his attention and consciousness at the eye centre (the thinking centre) so that he may be able to contact the Shabd, the divine melody which is resounding within and, with its help, go up and reach the highest spiritual region whence it emanates.
As long as the mind is attached to outward forms and is ruled by the sense pleasures, it cannot go up to the thinking centre. Yielding to the senses also weakens the intrinsic power of the mind, for then it has to depend for its pleasure and enjoyment on external objects instead of upon itself. Forms change and their pleasures also are short lived, besides occasionally giving one a severe shock. If man were to make himself independent of outward forms and seek happiness and enjoyment within, he would grow strong and be able to go in at will. Then he would shed all his weaknesses and hold the mind and senses in control.
Lust is perhaps the strongest of the five deadly enemies and must be fought. Adding fuel to the fire only increases the conflagration and certainly does not extinguish it. I would suggest that you control it consciously:
- by dwelling upon its harmful effects.
- by developing the opposite qualities, i.e. controlled and virtuous life, and realizing the immense help it gives in spiritual life.
- by keeping yourself busy with your duties.
When means and circumstances permit, you may marry and settle down, and lead a controlled married life.
40. You now have the technique for meditation and you should find regular time for it every day. If you cannot sit for two and a half hours at a time, you should sit as long as you conveniently can and then increase the period gradually. If pressed too much for time you may divide it into two periods, but it is always preferable to have one long sitting. The important thing is to withdraw the current of consciousness from the body and hold it at the eye centre.
Your being an initiate should make you a more loving son than before. You should never try to force your views on them but should win them over by your conduct, and if you are true to your spiritual duties, it is bound to influence them.
41. We go to different places mostly to finish up our karmas and square up our accounts, so you need not be very sorry for your coming to ——— but look upon it as one of the phases of your life. It is good that things now wear a better look.
Please try to find a better house and, till you get another, try to make yourself as comfortable as you can under the circumstances. One should strive, but without being affected by the results.
Above all, do not miss your bhajan and simran. Attend to it regularly please and also look after your worldly interests, and the Master will bless you. But please remember that your spiritual duties are not to be neglected under any circumstance.
42. I am sorry to learn of your financial and other troubles but I may at once tell you that black magic will not touch you if you are true to your pledges as a satsangi and do your repetition of names properly. Black magic affects only weak-willed people. Even non-satsangis cannot be affected by it if they possess a strong will.
Troubles and disappointments and even failures do come to us in life. We should face them with a strong will and with faith and confidence in the Master. You have been taught to rise above these distractions by faithful and regular repetition of the sacred names. Similarly, when you fear adverse influences, you should not think of them but of the Master and Nam and try to take your attention to the eye centre with quiet mental repetition of the five holy names given to you at the time of initiation.
As for your relations with your wife, I would advise you to bear with her patiently. You may be able to convert her by love, forbearance and tolerance but not by petulance and peevishness or disagreement. If she or other people criticize the teachings, you should not get offended for they are unaware, but you are the knowing one. If better and more harmonious relations are established between you and your wife, not only would you be happier but ….
Pray inwardly to the Master and then with a kindly and hopeful heart do what you think is right to meet the situation, and please remember that all things are not settled by argument. A spirit of mutual accommodation is far more helpful than cold logic.
43. It is true that there is no happiness in this world. We get only temporary satisfaction. Soon we get fed up and turn elsewhere, but with the same result. Happiness comes by going in and contacting Nam because there is no change in the regions of pure spirit or Nam. The phenomenal world is the world of change and the spiritual world is the world of eternal bliss. The way to it lies within you.
By concentration and repetition of the five names you have to withdraw the current of consciousness that now pervades the entire body, up to the eye centre and thence catch the Sound Current. If you devote yourself earnestly to this task, you will hardly have much time for other things, and your desire for overindulgence will automatically vanish. You have tried so many things. Now try this also in right earnest and see the result.
44. In the first place I shall strongly advise you and, in fact, all the followers of Sant Mat to cleanse their minds of all superstition and superstitious suspicions. Please remember that our troubles in this life are due to our actions, past and present, and that no one has any power to do us any sort of harm by his so-called magic influence. Sant Mat followers should have a stronger mind than to attribute their troubles to the evil influence of others.
Everyone is accountable for his own actions. The wife will not be held responsible for her husband’s actions and the husband will not have to suffer for the shortcomings of his wife. Each one will have to undergo the result of his or her own actions. Therefore if anyone does not conform to the vegetarian diet, it is he alone who will have to suffer for the delinquency. Radha Soami does not impose this diet for the sake of form. He warns everyone, whether he be a follower of Sant Mat or not, that a flesh eater or winebibber will have to suffer. Those who do not heed this warning will have to account for it.
45. I am glad to learn that you now feel better. If we do our part faithfully, help is always vouchsafed. Help is, in fact, always given but we cannot know and realize it unless we go in. It is then that we really feel that our doubts are being settled. I would appreciate your giving proper time to meditation. Think of worldly business when due, but also find time for the most important business of life. Out of twenty-four hours we are enjoined to devote only two and one-half hours, and if circumstances be unfavourable and we cannot find two and one-half hours at a time, we are allowed the concession of completing this quota in two or three instalments.
Our true mission in life is to withdraw our attention to the eye centre and contact Nam, and thereby become superhuman, but we are not to neglect our worldly duties and should earn our living in an honest manner by following whatever trade or profession we are fit for or can take to easily. A life of spiritual meditation does not mean a life of sloth or haphazard careering. We should work with a determined will in both spheres.
46. The deep longing that you cherish and the thoughts about the Sant Mat path becoming prevalent in your country that are constantly with you are indications of your good sanskaras or past impressions. You want to share the good things with your countrymen. It all depends upon their karma and His grace. It is certainly not impossible. Such thoughts have a chastening and purifying influence on the mind.
It may not be possible for you to come here physically, but in thought and spirit you can, by devoting yourselves to repetition of the holy names and listening to the Sound Current. The Sound Current is ubiquitous, pervades everywhere and receives the messages of loving hearts. Those who are in tune with it feel its presence. It is a question of tuning in, like the radio.
47. Ups and downs in business and in most things in life are natural, but worry never helped anybody. The proper thing is to handle the situation in the light of your experience and worldly wisdom and with faith and hope.
To be helpful and selfless is certainly good, but we should not identify ourselves with such work. We should help in a detached spirit and to the extent that it does not constitute a burden on our minds. Perform your social duties and discharge your obligations, but do not neglect your own proper work which is that of going in. In other words, do not get entangled. The one unfailing test in all such matters is, “Does it interfere with my bhajan?” If it does, discard it unhesitatingly.
Before sitting down, clear your mind of all thoughts, then do your simran (repetition of the five holy names) with love and faith. If thoughts of business or other worries interfere during your meditation period, suggest to yourself quietly but firmly that you will attend to them afterwards and not now.
48. Thank you for the appreciation of the Master’s help. He does what he thinks proper. If we do our duty, why would he not do his? We should proceed in love and faith and see that we do not transgress his commandments. The best and most appropriate way of appreciating his kindness and expressing our gratitude is to give more and more time to bhajan and simran, so that we may go in and contact Nam, and thus have a first-hand experience of everything.
49. Am glad to know that you appreciate the privilege of initiation and are putting in the regular hours of meditation. It is, however, a very slow process, except in the case of those who have trodden the path in a previous incarnation. You should not expect results too soon. Slow and steady wins the race. Also, what is achieved and consolidated gradually is lasting. The more effort you put in, the more will you make things easier, not only for yourself but for your wife also.
50. The real appreciation comes when one is able to vacate the body, go in and contact Nam.
You may change your residence if it suits you. As to diet, simple, easily digestible vegetarian food is all that is required. If you like uncooked food and it suits you better, you may adopt it. The important point is to withdraw your attention and concentrate it at the eye centre. It is not accomplished in a day, of course; but everything becomes easy by practice. Regarding benevolence and development of other fine traits of character; when you devote yourself to meditation and Nam, these things will come automatically.
51. I am sorry to hear about your long illness but, as you seem to realize yourself, you are paying off your karmic debt. However, this does not mean that you should not have recourse to treatment. On the other hand, you should do all in your power to combat disease and recover health, leaving the result to the Master. Physical pain is compelling and disturbing, no doubt, but the habit of simran at the eye centre makes you indifferent to pain to a very great extent.
While working on a lathe, you may softly hum the names but not too audibly.
Regarding friends asking you for spiritual help, satsangis may offer solace and comfort – and that is not a negligible thing – but not spiritual help in the sense that you attempt to heal the sick by your power, for you have not yet developed that power and it would only scatter what little you have got. However, you may draw their attention to spiritual realities and spiritual comforts, and render whatever physical service is possible.
I appreciate your love and gratitude, and would ask you to utilize it in going within and meeting the Master there.
52. When the concentration is complete, the Sound will come of itself. The function of the Sound is to pull the soul up. The Sound cannot pull it up unless the attention has been withdrawn from the entire body by means of repetition, just as a magnet cannot attract a piece of iron which is lying beyond its magnetic field. It is the function of simran (repetition of the five holy names) to bring about the stillness and concentration of mind. Repetition should be performed while the attention is fixed at the eye centre. In other words, when performing simran, please try to peep into the darkness which is visible to the closed eyes, but without any strain on the eyes. To begin with listening to the Sound, at the sacrifice of simran, is putting the cart before the horse.
Our spiritual journey begins from the toes of the feet and ends at the crown of the head. We come up to the eyes via simran. From there we travel to the fifth stage, at the top of the head, with the help of the Sound Current. Therefore we cannot start with the Sound Current so long as our attention is held in the lower portion of the body, below the eye centre.
This method is natural, though very slow. It requires years of practice to make the mind motionless, accustomed, as it has been for ages, to wander at will. Simran will act as a bridle in the mouth of an unbroken colt. Therefore the time spent on repetition should never be considered wasted.
You are quite right in saying that you cannot picture to yourself any object or person whom you have never seen. So you need not concentrate on the form of the Master but, instead, try to see the darkness within while performing repetition.
No doubt this world is full of people who have no regard for the feelings of others. One feels miserable at the sight of strife and suffering around him. As you complete your concentration, you will also begin to rise above the circumstances that surround you. Again, I shall urge upon you to work hard on your simran and not to expect results in a hurry. Slow and steady wins the race.
53. The foundation of the practice is the ability to withdraw the current of consciousness from the body and hold it at the eye centre, so that it may come in contact with Nam. This is naturally a slow process but, when achieved, the results are indeed remarkable.
Stilling the mind is achieved only by degrees, as the mind is in the habit of going out. Besides, the stored impressions of ages in our subconscious mind begin to come to the surface when we begin our meditation. Simran (repetition of the five holy names) is the only remedy. Repetition, in course of time, will solve all these difficulties and also take you to the eye centre. Please attend to your simran regularly and devote as much time to it as you can.
54. I note your problems and your experiences. There is nothing like inner conviction. However, unless we have elevated our consciousness by simran and concentrated it at the eye centre, this conviction and satisfaction may not be permanent; hence there may be questions and doubts.
One cannot ignore one’s household and domestic duties, but one should accustom oneself to attend to them in a spirit of duty and yet find time for spiritual practices also. As you are able to devote yourself to simran and meditation, you will find it easier to overcome these obstacles and will also find more pleasure in your meditation.
55. Your problem is both physical and mental. The first is easily dealt with, although the physical and mental act and react on each other. A good nourishing diet should replenish your energy and enable you to meet the situation, but to worry is no good. Worry never helped anybody and it never will.
If other people do not behave as they should, try to rise above the situation and do not mind them at all but go on doing your duty, and your mind will be at peace. Your attitude of having good and loving feelings towards others is quite correct and very helpful for, after all, things affect us only as we take them. One automatically reaps what he has sown and, if you sow kindness and goodwill all around you, it is bound to return to you with interest.
Most of us seek the truth, but it is not possible to find truth outside. You must seek it within yourself and, when you have realized it within yourself, you will see it everywhere. You have been instructed in this science and explained the technique of going in and, after you practise the technique diligently, you will make spiritual progress and become indifferent to the squabbles of the world. Your progress is to be judged by the extent to which you have been able to vacate the body, i.e. to make it numb on account of the withdrawal of consciousness. This is the way to rise above the pettiness of the world and make spiritual progress.
56. As a rule, concentration becomes difficult when we have cares and worries, for then the attention sticks to the heart centre instead of rising up to the eye centre. We should take the right steps to meet the situation, so far as it lies in our power, and then worry no more. We should leave the rest to be worked out as the Master thinks fit.
When you sit for your meditation, firmly banish all cares and anxieties for the time being at least and start the repetition of the five names while holding the attention in the eye centre, with no other thought in your mind – not even the thought of going up or of measuring your progress. When you have done this for some time, it will enable you to concentrate on your work too.
It is the thought of what might possibly happen that preys upon the mind and makes you feel so distressed and depressed. Why should you think at all of going insane? Why dwell upon such wrong, and harmful notions? Surely there is nothing in the practices themselves to induce such a condition; rather, it is the reverse. Give as much time to meditation as you conveniently can and do not try to force results. Such a practice should result in happiness and strength.
“How to love the Master?” Repetition of the names should be done diligently, at the proper centre, to the exclusion of all other thoughts. As you follow the path with faith in and reliance on the Master, love will also develop. Faith in the Master while resigning ourselves to his will and utilizing our faculties to the best of our knowledge is one way of developing love.
There are no restrictions on Sant Mat disciples about marriage except that they must avoid overindulgence, and not neglect their meditation.
57. The way of the spirit is so quick that you can get an answer in a few seconds when once the contact with the inner Master has been established.
The view of worldly-minded people about the success and failure of life is utterly wrong and misleading. Their aims and objects are limited to the gains and pleasures of this world only. They do not understand the immense value of human life on this plane, nor its purpose and goal. We should pay no heed to their opinions. They do not realize that the sole object of human life here is to go in and make contact with the inner Master and the Sound Current, so as to get release from the cycle of births and deaths, to which we have been subjected ever since the world was made.
People do immense harm to themselves by failing to see that death will separate them from all that they love and that they may not get the opportunity of a human incarnation again for ages. Blessed are they who have learned this lesson, even through the failures of life, which are indeed better than worldly success if they teach us this lesson.
The primary object of sex is the propagation of the species. It is the law of nature, and there is nothing sinful in the proper use of this function by keeping the end in view. The secondary object is to make home life bright with mutual love. Sex for enjoyment is indulgence, and indulgence should be avoided as it makes meditation and concentration difficult. Everything which hinders our spiritual progress is sinful. This is the distinction between virtue and vice – good and bad – according to the Masters. The real method of overcoming sexual desires is by concentrating our attention currents in the eye focus and connecting them with the Sound Current. This contact brings the sex impulse under control. This is the real and natural victory over sex.
Dreams occur when the attention descends from the eye centre down to the throat centre. The eye centre is the seat of full consciousness. If we go down, our consciousness goes on decreasing until we descend into the navel centre. Then we experience deep sleep and are utterly unconscious. Dreams are mostly the results of our day’s thoughts and actions. Sometimes, in the case of disciples of the Masters, dreams are utilized by the Master to wash away karma. Those who have gained mastery in Sound practice do not allow their soul to descend lower than the eye centre, even in sleep or rest. They take their soul to higher planes and remain wakeful within, even in sleep.
58. Our spiritual journey begins from the feet and ends at the top of the head. It may be divided into two parts. The first is the withdrawal of the consciousness to the eye centre, thereby completing the concentration, which means the separation of the Vital Current from the physical body. This is done by the repetition of the five holy names, which is the simplest and the surest method. The second part is the inner journey from the eye centre upward, and this is done by catching the Sound, which is vibrating in all of us and leads to our eternal home.
The first part is a bit dry and tedious in the beginning, but becomes sweet and tasteful when one experiences the withdrawal of the current from the body.
59. The best way to help others is to set an example of good and chaste conduct, and to work hard on concentration. When a soul is ready, the Master will himself arrange for it to be taken into his fold. There is no need for direct propaganda. If you find somebody who is particularly interested, give him a few hints; otherwise, let others go their way and you go yours.
Yes, your view about the five holy names is quite correct. As the soul’s path from the region of the Negative Power must necessarily take it through the regions ruled by the Negative Power, the Masters have deemed it proper to indicate the names of the rulers of those regions. These rulers are the guardians of the path and place no obstructions in the way of those who carry out the repetition of holy names.
First, it is necessary to eradicate all worldly desires from the mind in order to make better progress in the spiritual journey, as desires lead to rebirth. Secondly, hard labour at repetition with attention fixed at the eye centre is necessary to bring about concentration of mind, which is the first real step toward spiritual progress.
60. I note your concern at your apparent lack of progress after a time … though at first, after initiation, you had “wonderful uplift”; also your inability to focalize your attention sufficiently at the eye centre. As you probably know, our attention has been out for ages and to draw it in again requires both time and effort. The tendencies established for such a long time are at once up against us when we attempt any reorientation. It is certainly not impossible, but it is naturally difficult and slow. For some it is slower and more difficult than it is for others.
The same applies to focusing the attention at the eye centre. Our consciousness permeates the entire body, down to our toes. We have to draw it up again and bring it to the eye centre, and send it upward. It is then that the door is opened. But the drawing up of consciousness or shaking it loose from the material body is a slow and laborious process. It has been called ‘the way of the ant’, which first laboriously picks up grains of sugar from amongst the grains of sand with which it is mixed, then slowly moves up the wall, very frequently slipping down and then laboriously moving up again.
All that is required is to persist with patience, hope and faith. Then success will one day be yours. Leave the rest to the Master and remember that effort is never wasted.
61. I am glad to know that your health has improved by abstinence from animal food and intoxicating drinks. The visions which you have described are due to concentration of the mind and the purity of soul. But they cannot be called voluntary in the sense that you could command them at will. They were the result of accidental concentration, brought about by external circumstances beyond your control. Sant Mat prescribes a method of practice by which concentration can be brought about at will. If you want to get the method, you should contact a true Master.
62. Glad to know that you have received initiation and are trying to practise concentration. You should try to focus your attention in the eye centre, between the two eyebrows. As concentration develops, your soul will have vision of the inner solar system and, after crossing it, you may expect to see the astral form of the Master.
I wish that the Master may grant you more spare time for carrying on your spiritual practice every day. In this world every one of us is bound by past karma, which must be undergone. Every human life has some good and some bad karma, although the proportions of each are not always the same. So every one of us has to pass through some good and some bad times. The same is the case with yourself and your children.
Spiritual progress makes one indifferent to worldly surroundings and enables one to rise above adverse circumstances. That is the only way. While alive, an initiate is to vacate the body in the same way people do at death, but at will, and see what lies beyond. The attention has to be withdrawn from the body and concentrated at the eye centre. This is a slow process and is connected with past karma. It is a lifelong process.
63. Am pleased to note that you are trying to focus your attention at the eye centre, which is the first important step. However, this requires time and perseverance. As you yourself feel, sometimes in the beginning one feels very much elated and filled with a sense of power. Sometimes the attention slips out or down and one has to put in no small effort to bring it back again. Yet this has to be done. At last the attention will be firmly fixed there. Skill and expertise in any branch of human effort depend on constant practice. The control of the mind is not easy. It has been out from the eye centre for ages and will not lose its outward tendencies easily.
The pain in the legs and the lower part of the body is due to the withdrawal of consciousness. It will not last long but it is unavoidable in the beginning. If you find it unbearable, you may slow the pace. Also do not get up from bhajan at once, but gradually, after stroking the legs.
Consciousness is spread through the entire body, right down to the toes, and is very intimately associated with the body. The separation of this long and intimate association is naturally painful, but with practice it becomes easy and natural. Then you will pass through the portals of death and the gates of light, into inner regions. It is easier to bear this pain now, and by degrees, than to bear it in all its entirety at the time of death; for when the consciousness begins to separate from the physical body, pain is inevitable.
Please do not fear nor worry about any faces, however miserable or ill-looking, that you may see; but go on repeating the names with love and confidence, and remember that the protecting power of the Master is always with you. The horrible sights are due to old, maybe age-long associations and affinities, but are powerless to exercise any evil influence as long as you take your stand in Nam. They will disappear of themselves.
64. There should be no strain or effort to see or hear anything. As concentration improves and the consciousness is drawn up, the Sound will automatically become stronger. In the beginning the emphasis should be on vacating the body.
I appreciate your sentiments but the real Feet of the Master are within you and it should be the aim and ambition of every disciple to reach up to the Feet of the Master within. Love and devotion are of great help in realizing this ambition, and the more you devote yourself to meditation and begin to go in, the more will your love increase.
65. The important thing is to withdraw your attention from outward objects and turn it within. The feeling of exhilaration is a sign of concentration, but the body need not and should not be in motion. All thought and energy should be directed towards the eye centre. Please pay no attention to the body, and if there is a movement, discourage it.
You are very fortunate that you have glimpses of the Master. As you learn to hold the attention more steadily, you will be able to see the Master within more clearly and in greater detail.
66. Yes, it is right that everybody is not evolved enough to tread the path of the Masters. But this should not preclude anyone from making a beginning.
Regarding using one’s will power to curb one’s desires, there are two ways of killing desire and attaining desirelessness:
One that is generally followed by common folk is to fulfil the desire and get satiated. The other is to create in the mind indifference to desire by means of reasoning and self-control. Self-control would require an effort of one’s will power. The mind is like a restive colt and loves to go where it is forbidden to go. Like a colt, it should be restrained by degrees and not all at once; otherwise it will break the restraining chains and fly in the prohibited direction with force.
The Masters say that one should give up all animal food and alcoholic drinks before one is fit to tread the path which leads to the control of mind and desirelessness. Therefore besides reading the literature, you should try to give up the prohibited diet and see if you can eschew it throughout the remainder of your life without any bad effect on your health. Then write to me again after acquiring a confirmed habit of a vegetarian and a teetotaller. When it is necessary, the cooking of meat for others is not prohibited, but it is not desirable. However, one should not eat it himself under any circumstances.
67. You should not think of breathing or paying any heed to it while you are doing your simran, just as you do not think of breathing when you are reading a book. Breathing goes on automatically and requires no attention.
68. Apart from the question of taking life, eggs – whether fertile or infertile – are an exciting food, and for persons who engage in spiritual work, non-exciting food is necessary. Our mind is affected by what we eat, and the food we eat conditions the mind. There is a proverb in India to the effect that our mind is according to what we eat. Fertile and infertile eggs should both be avoided.
69. It is, no doubt, a slow and laborious process especially in the beginning, but with steadiness and perseverance the goal is achieved, even as you slowly and steadily have improved your health. When you do your simran intensively with love and faith, it becomes automatic “like the spinning of a wheel”, as you have put it. This is the result of your past karmas.
You may arrange your affairs and household in such a way as to give you convenience and ease in doing your spiritual duty. Then turn to simran while concentrating the attention at the eye centre. When you have been able to vacate the body, the disturbing element would be removed and you will be able to get full advantage from the Sound Current. The test of complete concentration is that you should have no consciousness of the body and should be superconscious within.
There is this important difference: In dream we are at the throat centre, but in bhajan we vacate the body by concentration at the eye centre. Love, faith and perseverance are the keys to success.
70. As you know, meditation is entirely a mental process, and postures in traditional yoga positions are only aids and not absolutely necessary prerequisites. If bodily infirmity or weakness constantly draws the attention to the lower limbs, it is decidedly better to adopt an easier position and to keep the attention concentrated at the eye centre.
.… but the aim should always be to increase these periods gradually so that you can ultimately sit for two and a half hours at a stretch. There should be no hurry in doing so. Rather, the progress should be consolidated.
Pronunciation of these words does not always come easy to western people. By and by you will be able to do so, and there will be no difficulty.
71. I am very pleased to read your letter … and your appreciation of the Great Master. He truly had infinite patience. Even now he helps and supervises the destinies of his flock.
The vision of the dear Master is always pacifying and blissful, and drives ‘the five’ out. As your mind learns to remain concentrated at the eye centre, this vision may be had at will. However, you should not stop here but go on still further so that you may always swim in his love and peace.
72. The Master never dies. He is energy, he is Sound Current and he is always watching over you. You should continue your meditation with love and faith. So long as your attention does not go in and contact the inner Master so as to receive his instructions, you may refer your difficulties to me. You should regularly give time to meditation, try to vacate the body and hear the Sound.
73. Things in themselves do not really matter so much as our reaction to them. Our own mind is our worst enemy but when it is properly and firmly handled, and correctly disciplined, it can also be our best friend and helper. An optimistic attitude is very helpful, but what really and substantially helps us is simran (the repetition of the five holy names). It is a wonderful talisman, the significance and efficacy of which you will realize only when you devote sufficient time (two and one-half to three hours daily) to it, to the exclusion of all other thoughts and cares. Incidentally, it will help you in withdrawing your consciousness from the lower parts of the body to the proper centre, after which real spiritual progress begins.
The hazy atmosphere of bliss should change into more definite and blissful experiences based on light and sound. The Sound Current, of course, pervades all your being but it must help you to go up, pull you up in fact. This will happen only when you loosen your lower attachments, rule out harmful or inadmissible desires and surrender yourself to Nam or Word. This is possible only with an intensive course of simran, and this is also the best and the most practical way of showing your gratefulness to the Great Master from whom you received so much grace.
74. I appreciate your problem. It is characteristic of the mind that all sorts of questions and problems will force themselves on your attention at the time of simran. Dismiss all irrelevant thoughts with an effort of the will. Every time you do that and assert your will, you make your path comparatively easier, even though your success may not be apparent to you.
Simran is the foundation, and the foundation must be strong. It is helpful, very helpful, not only in your spiritual efforts but also in the worldly sphere. There is hardly any limit to what can be achieved by proper and intensive simran, i.e. regular and one-pointed simran, to the exclusion of all other thoughts. You may do the simran during daytime or any other time that suits you, if you find the early morning hours inconvenient.
75. Your progress in meditation is quite satisfactory, and as you persevere you will have still better concentration. The numbness of the lower limbs and a feeling of lightness throughout the body are signs of concentration.
76. The Sant Mat path does not impose dogmatic beliefs. It teaches the successful method used by all the saints, as a result of their research, in their achievement of God-realization. Each one is required to find out for himself the truths discovered by the Masters after going in and ascending to higher regions. You will admit that unless we have faith in the method revealed by the Master, we cannot expect to make progress. Faith in the Master’s instructions is necessary for advancement on the path. If a student has no faith in his teacher, he will not learn.
Karma is washed away by the practice of Sound Current and as the soul goes up, the will power continues to grow stronger. The karma is cancelled by hearing the Sound Current within.
Man is the top of creation and if his deeds are those of a man, he will continue to advance. However, if he stoops to low actions like those of animals, birds or insects, he is bound to become what he made himself while in the form of man.
77. You say that you feel a desire to follow the spiritual teachings of the Sant Mat path but find difficulty in following the vegetarian diet.
God has fashioned the human body in such a masterly way that all the eye can see in the outside world has been placed inside the human body. The microcosm contains the macrocosm, and the Creator has seated Himself within the human body. You can have a full and clear view of the macrocosm and all that it contains by gaining access into the human body, at the eye centre. Christ says, “The kingdom of God is within you.”3 It is nowhere to be found in the outside world. By studying oneself, one can study the universe. The whole secret will be found in the portion of the human body which is above the eyes. But that spiritual structure is behind the curtain of the mind, in the deep recesses of the mind, and our mind has been wandering outside for thousands of lives.
It is to man alone that the privilege has been vouchsafed to withdraw his attention from the outside world and, by thus taking his attention within himself, to study the inner worlds and their machinery. So the first and foremost duty of man is to take his attention back within himself, to the place whence it had come out. That place is called the ‘third eye’ or the ‘centre of consciousness’. It is to that place that the current of consciousness flows down from above. Sound emanates from it; hence Christ called it ‘Word’, and Dr Johnson, in his book, has referred to it as the ‘Audible Life Stream’. This is the straight road that takes us back to our true spiritual home, in the top of the head, whence the soul originally descended into the body. In other words, our spiritual journey starts from the toes of our feet and finishes at the top of our head.
As our consciousness withdraws from the extremities of the body up to the eye centre, or as the spiritual current becomes separated from the matter that envelops and conceals it, our frailties and weaknesses begin to disappear. Lust, anger and other negative passions leave, and positive powers are awakened in us. It is then that man realizes his real value and true worth.
In order to undertake this journey, it is essential that one should abstain from animal food (meat, fish, eggs and anything containing them) and alcoholic drinks. These articles have a tendency to scatter one’s attention. Thus they hinder concentration. They add considerably to the already too heavy debt of karmas, which should be reduced as much as possible. So, one who desires to tread the path of spirituality must give up those articles that are a hindrance in the way. I have great regard and sympathy for you, but you will kindly realize that it is not possible to relax this condition because so long as one does not give up the animal diet, one cannot begin the spiritual journey.
78. There are numerous hidden powers dormant within the human body, which can be awakened and mastered gradually, with effort. When we send a child to school, the schoolmaster does not impart anything to the child from the outside; he merely awakens the child’s dormant faculties in his brain. This is done gradually, through daily exercises. The same is the case with spiritual faculties. The positive proof of such faculties can be had when one looks within himself.
The human body is a laboratory for spiritual research, and proof can be had by taking the attention currents inside. If you can complete your concentration, that is, if you can collect the attention currents (which are permeating the entire body) in the eye focus and can invert your gaze (which means seeing inside rather than outside), you will find that there is intense light within you as are also numberless planes where unceasing music is going on.
If a human being can take his attention inward, probe inside, and take possession of the wealth which the almighty Lord has put there, then the five foes can be conquered. The Sound Current or Audible Life Stream is inside and can be heard by anyone who turns his attention inward. If man inverts his hearing faculties, he can hear it. This is a highly technical process and cannot be explained adequately in books. It can be obtained by personal contact with a living Master. At first, one should try to complete his concentration, for which there are various methods. When the attention has gone in, one meets with prophets and sages at different planes, even though they died long, long ago.
79. As for concert and symphonic music, it is all right. However, the outer music does not feed the soul, but only the mind. It is not taboo, but it should not be a hindrance in bhajan and should not distract your attention at the time of bhajan. This is the acid test. We ought to try to go in, and anything which prevents that or drags us out is harmful. Of course it is different in the case of different individuals. Our aim should be to develop and be one with the heavenly music within.
80. The answers to some of the questions which you have asked can best be grasped after you have made some progress in bhajan. As far as possible, all efforts should be directed towards going in.
Each soul is like a drop from that great ocean of consciousness. By His mauj (will or pleasure of the Lord) souls come down and develop or rather degenerate into separate individual entities by contact with mind and matter. Then, after contacting a Master and by following his instructions, they realize their spiritual heritage, work their way up according to his directions and return to their original home whence they had come and, in time, get merged again into that ocean.
The past karmas as well as the grace of the Lord are the determining factors which bring any individual to the Master.
Spirit is all-pervading and when the coverings of mind and matter are removed it merges in the Word. The Masters say that every plant, every tree and every grain has soul in it. The difference in the degree of consciousness in plant life and in animal life is due to the fact that in this physical plane the soul is under the sway of the mind which, in the lower creation, is not fully conscious on account of deficiency in the five tattwas. All souls are alike. Soul is life, soul is light or consciousness which is clouded by mind and matter, and darkness does not comprehend it. In the lower forms of creation, the darkness increases and consciousness decreases.
It is not quite correct to say that the Masters did not appear in the three preceding yugas. In his books, Kabir Sahib states that he appeared in every yuga, but few people accepted his teachings. In Kaliyug, the number of people who are ready and prepared to try the method of the Masters has increased to a vast extent, as people are weary of the short-lived pleasures of the world. The soul remains within the cycle of births and deaths until contact is made with a true Master.
It is true that the real teaching of Christ is the Word or the Sound Current, and the Sermon on the Mount represents only the ethical teachings.… Do not discuss the doctrine too much but draw attention to “the Word that was with God”, and which is God still, and which can be contacted by proper means. It is wrong for anyone to think that Sant Mat inculcates selfish personal salvation.
81. Sohang means ‘I am He’, but it does not refer to the individual as he is here and now confined in the body and the mind. It refers to a definite stage in the spiritual progress of the individual and is not to be confused with the assertion of those who even in the present imperfect and bound state of the individual claim identity with Brahm.
Let me explain more clearly: We have first of all to concentrate at the eye centre, between the two eyebrows, and repeat the five holy names at least two hours every day, if not more. Thus we withdraw our consciousness, which now pervades the entire body, up to the eye centre. Here, at this centre, we contact the region which is ruled by Jot Niranjan, catch the higher Shabd and reach Trikuti or the mental region, i.e. the region of karan or causal mind. From this region we pass on to the third stage where the soul is free from the three covers – physical, astral and causal – and, being rid of those dragging chains, is strongly impelled onwards and reaches the fourth region or the stage called Sohang in Sant Mat, and to which you have referred. Having shed these covers and realized its spiritual nature and its kinship with the Lord, the soul joyfully exclaims: “I am He!” because it realizes that the two are of the same essence – one is the ocean and the other is a drop from that ocean. You will thus see that it involves no contradiction in any way.
The five names are the names of the lords or rulers of the vast inner regions which the soul has to cross before reaching Sach Khand. Simran or repetition of these names, as directed, brings in concentration. But it is Shabd which will draw you up and take you from one region to another, right up to Sach Khand.
You can hear the Shabd now, in your present state of progress. However, at this stage the Shabd will not be able to draw you up because the attention is still tied in the body.
I hope this explains your question.
82. Time changes and will go on changing, but Nam does not change. The current of Nam goes on as usual. It is Nam which changes the times and brings about all changes. Till we are able to put our consciousness in Nam, we will be subject to changes, now happy and now miserable. That is why the saints repeatedly exhort us to withdraw our conscious attention from the nine doors of the body and fix it in Shabd. As we do this and our attention is withdrawn from the body and enjoys the bliss of Nam, we develop power of endurance and spiritual depth. After crossing the perishable states of maya, we enter the eternal state of Nam and, freed from the cycle of births and deaths, are entitled to everlasting happiness.
From the day the Satguru initiates a person, he internally contrives in such a way that while the person undergoes his pralabdh or fate karma, arrangements for his reaching Sach Khand also go on side by side. If the disciple works with love and faith in the words of the Satguru, and carries out his instructions diligently and faithfully, he will attain peace and calm. On the other hand, if the disciple is negligent in carrying out the orders, he is rocked by pleasure and pain at different times, and only when he is unhappy does he think of the Satguru. This also is for the disciple’s good.
The Satguru makes no mistakes. He is Shabd. He is the Lord in human form. Till one vacates the nine doors of the body and realizes the Satguru within, his dhyan (contemplation) is imperfect and his faith in the Satguru is also not steady.
Does a mother ever wish to see her child unhappy? But when it is ill, she gets the medicine from the doctor and gives it to the child, unmindful of its cries and protests. She has at heart the good of the child.
Do not feel frustrated. Just try to have a peep within. The Satguru is with you and his love suffers no change.
83. Sound, stars and light are all inside. When our mind ascends, it hears the sound and sees the light. But when our mind is disturbed, it falls down and cannot listen and hear. Therefore unless and until our concentration is perfect, i.e. until the mind and the soul – after vacating the entire body – collect in the eye centre, the internal Sound cannot be heard clearly and continuously, and no progress can be made on the path.
It is not an easy matter to take the currents of the mind and the soul out of the body. It is a very slow process and requires hard labour for years. Until one has completed his concentration and until one has gathered together the mind currents at some centre inside, it is a mistake even to think of rendering practical aid to others. No doubt it is a good idea to give spiritual help to others but before that can be done, it is necessary that one should have personal experience. It is not sufficient merely to hear sounds and see lights.
The Western mind is apt to expect quick results. However, it is not the work of months or even a year or two to be able to train the mind which has been accustomed to wander outwards for numerous births in the past. So long as the mind does not turn back and sit still in the third eye, an individual cannot be said to have stood on his own legs and neither can he help others to any appreciable degree.
84. You do well to keep the Master in your thoughts and in your mind. That is our only solace in this wicked world. The Negative Power, which governs our world and the regions up to Brahm, is a cruel magistrate who punishes us for our past deeds whether we know their nature or not. It is karmic debt which he must exact without any idea that the punishment should be for reforming the one who is being punished. Yet our conscience often warns us against an evil deed. This conscience may be born of the results and sufferings of past bad karmas. The world could not go on if the memory of past births were not effaced completely.
Let not the evil and selfishness of the world depress your heart. Remain cheerful in the thought of the love and protection of the Master.
85. Before you begin your meditation, please perform dhyan of the Master for fifteen minutes. Then, when you begin repetition, if any star or the Master’s form is visible inside, continue to look at it. If you see nothing inside, then continue to look into the darkness while repeating the names.
86. Regarding your statement that man is a lonely traveller in the journey of life, by and by, as you vacate the body from below, give up the path of the mind and travel the path of Nam, you will feel that you are not quite alone and that the Master always is your companion.
You say that you are very much afraid of death. As your attention goes in and leaves the body, the fear of death will become less and less.
As to your difficulty in overcoming attachment to worldly things, that will also go gradually, in the same proportion as your attention goes in. He who has separated himself from his body has separated himself from the world and this is the real renunciation.
You complain that your mind keeps wandering during meditation. Watch over the mind. If the mind sees anything inside, whether it is the form of the Master or only darkness, then go on gazing steadily at it, all the while repeating the five holy names. The mind will become still. However, when you fail to fix your attention while repeating the holy names, the mind will wander because the peculiarity of the mind is that it shall not remain idle.
87. No, you are not permitted even to whisper the five holy names in the ear of your aged mother who is ill and who is not a satsangi. Show her the photograph of Master Sawan Singh Ji.
88. When you sit for repetition, you should try to keep the body in one posture for two hours and while repeating the five holy names, fix your attention in the eye centre. Take care that your mind does not do anything else. If you continue this for some time then, by degrees, the currents of the mind and the soul will leave the lower extremities of the body and will begin to collect in the eye centre. Your legs and arms will feel benumbed. When this happens, you should be satisfied that your repetition is going on all right. Please do not change your posture so long as you sit. Keep watch over your mind and do not allow it to generate any thought. It should occupy itself only with repetition at that time. Thus, as your attention slowly withdraws, you will become unconscious of the body. You will be conscious within, and your mind will be repeating the five names. Even if one were to sit in one posture for two hours, without repetition, his legs would begin to feel numb. When you have completed your time of repetition, then sit on your feet, in the prescribed posture, and hear the Sound for half an hour. Listen to whatever sound you can get.
89. Several kinds of scenes and visions appear when the door begins to open. The result is that the devotee gives up repetition and engages himself in seeing those visions or scenes. This is a mistake. When scenes and visions appear, one should not give up repetition nor his seat in the eye centre. It is only then that withdrawal will be complete and that one will be fit to sit inside.
90. There are two paths: The path of the mind and the path of Nam. In the path of the mind, the soul descends below the eye centre and is entangled in the world through the mind and the senses. The path of Nam is the ascent of the soul to regions above the eye centre, after detaching itself from the mind and the senses, collecting all its energy in the eye centre and contacting the Sound Current.
91. I am pleased to find that you are making very satisfactory progress. It is due in no small measure to your past karma and the attitude which you have adopted. This is the correct attitude in matters spiritual and it induces humility and curbs the mind.
The experiences which you have described are not abnormal and represent the struggle between matter and consciousness. As you draw up the soul from the lower parts of the body to the seat of consciousness, there is sometimes a wrench. Happily it is over and you can expect to go on smoothly on your upward journey. The numbness of the body is the natural result of concentration and drawing up of consciousness, and you should count yourself fortunate in achieving such satisfactory progress within a very short time. The upward pull also is a mark of quick concentration and when it is complete you will see the light within and the sound also will become clearer and finer.
The sound which you have been hearing for so many years has a spiritual background and has nothing to do with any physical disorder. Hence the doctors were helpless.
92. The gradually increasing numbness of the body is the acid test and a proof of the withdrawal of the consciousness, and so far it was very satisfactory. What you call spinal manipulation or spinal correction within during meditation is not Sant Mat and can be looked upon as an aberration influenced by sanskaras or dormant tendencies of a past birth when practising a crude form of yoga. The rhythmic swinging of the body during meditation is also due to a partial subconscious acceptance of the past tendencies. I am glad you at last resisted it; that is the proper attitude.
Once you are firm and realize that the only correct, natural and proper way for you is to withdraw your consciousness and concentrate it at the eye centre by means of simran, i.e. repetition of the five holy names, without any manipulation during the sitting, this will cease and you will enjoy your bhajan again as before. Please remove all fear and dread, and discard altogether the idea of entity control. ——— was no doubt right in discounting any such idea. For health you may follow the doctor’s advice and take medicines or injections.
Please do not harbour any fear or weakness but be firm and steadfast in the strength and protecting power of the Master. Please go on with your bhajan in the same manner as before and with the same confidence, and resist any movement of the head or any manipulation whatsoever when sitting for spiritual practice. I shall always be glad to hear from you.
Your inner experience is right; inner scenes and lights vary according to the rise and fall of attention.
93. I have gone through your long letter and am really glad to learn that you have got rid of those manipulations and no longer feel them during your spiritual practice. You had to suffer so much pain and mental disquiet. However, all’s well that ends well. The occasional jerk that you experience now and then will also disappear. It should be ignored. It is a pity that your advisers were ill-informed. Anyway, you can always write here for information on any doubtful point.
As for the feeling and pulsations in the forehead, it is all right. Only you should not try to force things but you should do your repetition calmly and gently. Nor should you worry about finding the exact eye centre. It would only distract your attention. When the concentration is complete, the eye centre will be located automatically. The soul will find its own way. There is no reason for disappointment. Slow and steady wins the race. The numbness will be more complete and by practice will also last longer.
You are doing well and there is no reason for you to feel disappointed or dissatisfied. The early morning hours are certainly very good and the late evening hours too may be utilized if they suit you, but do not reduce your food and sleep to such an extent that the body gets weak and you find it difficult to perform normal duties. Nor should you deny rest to the body. But as the concentration becomes complete or nearly so and you get into the habit of gradually increasing the period of concentration, sleep will be reduced without any conscious effort on your part. When the attention goes naturally to the eye centre, that is, without being forced, there is neither sleepiness nor fatigue.
I appreciate your love and devotion; and they are responsible for the experiences you have narrated and the protection you have received. Yes, all these experiences are correct and you should regard yourself as very fortunate in having them.
The experience you had during the so-called five bhajanless days, that is, brilliant white light surrounded by twinkling lights, was real and correct and was due to your attention being subconsciously at the eye centre. It was perfectly natural for the attention to be riveted on the central white light as also the suction. The nearer you draw to this light, the greater will be the suction, for you have to pierce and cross it. You did miss something there, for you should not have battled against this suction. You should have remained relaxed and allowed yourself to be drawn up, mentally repeating the names all the while. Love and faith are the keynotes.
P.S. Subconscious repetition of names may be continued all the day, as suggested, provided it does not interfere with your work. Generally it does not; but there should be no repetition while listening to the Sound. At that time all the attention should be in the Sound.
The top of the head is the place whence the Sound emanates. We hear it in the ear only because we are accustomed to hear sounds through the ears.
94. The first thing I have to say is that the body should be afforded rest when it needs rest and there should be no attempt to force things or to put unnecessary strain anywhere. Whatever is achieved gradually is lasting.
The work of withdrawing the consciousness from the lower centres on which it has been dwelling for thousands of years is not a very easy job and cannot be done overnight; though, of course, love and faith are wonderful accelerators.
The heaviness and forehead sensations are due to unnecessary strain, and strain at a time when the system needed rest. Please do not try to read on such occasions but just lie down and relax, and if you are inclined to repeat the names, do it subconsciously, without forcing the attention up. Do not deny yourself rest.… Your last experience was during this off period.
Yes, you are right in accepting the natural and correct pace. It is a labour of years but there is no reason either for despair or impatience. Let things happen as they do naturally. You cannot hustle the power within.
95. It is satisfactory to learn that your eyes do not feel tired now and you feel that you are more accurately near the eye focus. You need not try to find the focus, for this results in some strain. As the consciousness is drawn up and the concentration becomes complete, it will automatically find the eye focus.
It is good to rest and relax but rest should be mental and not only physical. The mind, in spite of yourself, goes back to the same subject and hence the recurrence of the trouble. Relaxation is not complete and the mind and nerves easily go back to familiar paths.
Nor should you subject your eyes to strain in any way. Every organ should be used only to the extent to which it can be used in a wholesome way. You may read now and then, but lightly, and do not risk any strain. Sewing, etc., is more or less a mechanical work and does not involve any participation of the mind. The strain comes where the mind is involved. Also, please do not analyze the situation too much. It keeps the picture constantly before the mind and stands in the way of complete relaxation.
There is no objection to students of Sant Mat associating with students travelling other spiritual paths but no secrets should be given out.… Yes, it is not blood pressure and there is no use consulting the doctor about it.
I am glad to hear of your progress and you need not feel the slightest hesitation in writing to me. Write as often as you like and long or short letters, as you please. The numbness of the body is a very good and encouraging sign, especially up to the shoulders. By and by it will be complete. It involves some bodily pain, which should be borne, but be gradual and do only as much as can be tolerated easily.
96. I am gratified to note that you have adopted the right attitude. Our past karmas are translated into present inclinations, tendencies and mental attitudes. Our loves and hates, likes and dislikes have their roots in the distant past; but having realized this, we should act in such a way as to rise above them and to free ourselves from their shackles. The right course is to do your duty in a dispassionate spirit and leave the results to the Master.
You know more than your husband does, as he has not the benefits of the Sant Mat teachings and therefore you are expected to be more tolerant. You do well in recognizing your mistakes and avoiding them in the future. Yes, try your level best to undo the wrong and avoid mistakes in the future, even though your husband continues to feel angry and refers to them every now and then, for that is also a way to face and work off your karmas. And last but not least, give as much time to meditation and Sound practice as possible and remember that the Master watches the lives and actions of his loving disciples. Please also remember that argument and reason are not everything. Sentiment also is an important factor in this world and especially in the family. Give up argument and discussion, and things will become easier.
Your husband, whenever he is worried about financial difficulties, not being a satsangi and unaware of the laws of karma, attributes them all to you and becomes unpleasant, but you know better. Whenever you feel dejected or sad as a result of such unpleasantness, turn in and try to repeat the names or contact the Sound. When we are disgusted with the world, we may find it more easy to turn the mind inwards and obtain solace there.
97. My dear and revered satsangis … nurtured and blessed by our beloved Satguru: During the illuminating discourses of Shri Huzur Sawan Singh Maharaj Ji, you must have heard a number of times:
I am the lowliest of all.
Save me, all others are good.
He is a friend of mine
Who in this realization liveth.
Kabir4
Therefore brothers and sisters, if there is any sinner, worthless and guilty, it is I. Why? Because according to the Gurbani:
One should die before one’s beloved.
Despicable is life and all the world
if one lives thereafter.5
Huzur, however, teaches us that, in Sant Mat, greatness lies in surrender to the will of the Master. I am powerless by myself to carry out his commands, and it is his benign grace alone that enables me to do his bidding.
Further, as to your inquiries about Nam, what shall I say save repeat to you the words of Huzur Maharaj Ji, who on reference being made to him that until one had attained Parbrahm, one should not grant initiation, had replied, “The real Nam should be dispensed only by one who has reached Sach Khand and that too with Master’s explicit permission. Without this, the bearing of karmic burden of the initiate is no easy task. I also entrust to the care of Maharaj Ji (Baba Jaimal Singh) whomsoever I initiate.” Now, when this Param Sant (great saint) has thus enjoined, the disciples and devotees can draw their own inferences. I did not grant initiation for nine months, though Huzur Maharaj Ji himself, while in this mortal frame, bade me do so, and even left the command in writing. The reason for this had better be left unexplained.
This Dera belongs to our gracious Satguru. Huzur Baba Ji Maharaj and Huzur Sawan Singh Maharaj Ji have sanctified this place with sixty to sixty-five years of meditation and bestowal of the gift of Nam to seekers. Whatever service of the sangat Huzur Sawan Singh Maharaj Ji has entrusted to me, I shall carry out with his grace and sustenance as long as he wills; and, when he shall call me, I shall depart.
At His behest I came;
When He beckons I shall leave.
Guru Nanak6
There is nothing to be perturbed about. The Satguru, who rescued us from the raging fire of Pakistan and sacrificed his own life to atone for our sins, is every moment watching over and protecting us.
Transcending the cycle of births and deaths,
came our redeemer.
He gave us the gift of Nam and bhakti,
And merged us with the Lord sublime.7
Do not miss bhajan and simran. You have already witnessed the catastrophic happenings in the world around; and as for the future, who knows? The only wealth that can accompany us is our bhajan and simran. Even the body we nurture night and day will have to be left behind. Nothing here is ours. Only two things belong to us – Satguru and Nam – but for these two things we have little love. Whether the mind likes it or not, you must give full time to spiritual practice regularly and without fail. At the time of meditation, try and make your mind motionless and hold the form of the Master in your eye centre. Gradually, the mind will give way and become still. This is not a day’s job – it calls for the labour of years.