Dangers of Spiritual Healing,

Dangers of Spiritual Healing, Yoga and Occult Powers

CONTENTS

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The highest form of Yoga

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What is Meditation? – Who is the Master? Positive power – negative power

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Spiritual healing is prohibited by the Masters Spiritual healing and occult powers

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UNITY OF MAN - SANT KIRPAL SINGH A-5340 St. Gilgen - Steinklüftstraße 34 No rights preserved – Reprint permitted

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The highest form of Yoga Sant Kirpal Singh I can address you as ‘dear children’, you see. I am glad to know you are students of religion, too, and this very, this most important subject, which concerns our own very self. The word religion means – ‘re’ means back, ‘ligio’ to bind. To bind back our souls to God, the word religion means that. And ‘yoga’ the word also comes from the word ‘yuj’ – that means to unite our self to God. The social bodies came into being only to teach this, how we can contact our self with God – the ultimate goal of all religions, outer form of religions. So knowledge is the same for the East and the West – that makes no difference. There have been so many yogas – and there is only one task – to know God. So ultimate goal of all yogas is absorption into the Brahm, absorption into God. There are so many yogas. There is Hatha Yoga, there is Prana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Gyhan Yoga (etc.), and the ultimate goal of all yogas is to absorb our self into God – to be one with Him. So the end of all Yogas, as Shankara puts it, is ultimate. They aim at the Samadhi, in which we can have some experience of God. There are two kinds of Samadhi: one is inert Samadhi, the other is conscious Samadhi. You’ll find in many cases, that people have inert Samadhi. (For example) they are put under ground for days together and they again come back. That is not conscious Samadhi. There is another kind of Samadhi, which is a higher form of it, that is called ‘conscious Samadhi’, in which you remain conscious, within you. So Hatha Yoga enables us to keep the body fit – each Yoga has its own scope. Prana Yoga can prolong your life. In ordinary we take about eight to ten breaths in one minute. If you have recourse to the Prana Yoga, then in that case you control your breathing inside (i.e. reduce its frequency) and can prolong your life as long as you can. There is Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion. In that Yoga one man has to form some hypothesis. That is not ultimate rising into Brahm – unconditioned state of. So you know, Paramhansa Ramakrishna was a follower of the Bhakti Yoga – ideal Bhakti Yoga in the East – and worshipped God as ‘Mother’. He saw ‘Mother’ all around – in and out. So he could not rise into the unconditioned state of mind. So he came to his Guru, who was called Totapuri. He told him “I see ‘Mother’ all around, but I cannot rise above this duality. How can that be possible?” Then Totapuri stuck with some glass here between

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the two eyebrows and gave him a boost, so he rose into Samadhi. Then comes the Gyan Yoga, also called Jnana Yoga. In this also you’ll find you cannot have more than dips into the beyond, you cannot remain there all along. So in that case, you find in the eastern philosophy, there are sheaths, bodies covering the soul. There are ‘Ana-mai-kosh’, ‘Pran-mai-kosh’, and ‘vigyan-mai-kosh’ is also a kosh, a sheath – it is not the ultimate goal. Shankara was the one to preach, “it is all unconditioned state of, we can rise into it”, but Ramanuja did not agree with him. He did not appreciate that but gave right to Vasisht (Advaita) Yoga, in which you can say, you can be drenched with the all consciousness Samadhi, but not unconditioned state of mind. Ramakrishna and all these, they all point to the (necessity of) rising above body-consciousness, and they came up. Patanjali organized all Yogas in a system at degrees. So he ultimately evolved two things from there – one thing is, that soul can be above body-consciousness, the second thing is, that it can focus its energies, without having recourse to the arduous ways of pranas. In pranas they have to control their breathing. So he (Patanjali) came up to that goal, that even without pranas you can rise above. So full realization or true Samadhi is not a matter of transcending the physical body, though it is a first step – the ABC of the beyond starts when you rise above body-consciousness. Where the world philosophies end, there the religion starts. This ABC starts from there, when you rise above body-consciousness. So to bring this attention beyond is a very intricate way. Some people without proper guidance may be lost. So for that reason They (the Masters) have given out that we should have some such course, that we may rise out of this bondage. You find Hatha Yoga, Prana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga are not ultimate release, I would say, from the present bondage, not even step by step. We want something which can help us through. Prana Yoga can only lead us to the certain stage. Jnana Yoga can only give us a dip into the beyond, it does not mean staying there all along. That is why Ramanuja did not appreciate the view of his predecessor. He gave out Vasisht Yoga (Advaita), which says that you can have access to the beyond, but not remain there unconditioned always. So there comes the Sound current, which is the highest form of Yoga, which is the natural yoga. This yoga covers all these problems which other yogas have. This is

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most natural and easiest of all yogas, which can be exercised by the old, the young and everybody. So Masters of this yoga teach us, that the Absolute God, though free from attributes in His primeval state, projected Himself into forms and is given two primal attributes: Light and Sound. When God wanted, “I am one and wish to be many”, there was vibration. Vibration results in two things: Light and Sound. So God is Light and God is Sound Principle. God is ‘Music of the spheres’. God is called the ‘Nada’ and the ‘Voice of God’. So there are two outward expressions of the God-intoexpression Power, outward aspects, I would say, of the God-into-expression Power, which is called ‘Word’. “Wordless came into being, it was Word”. “The Word was in the beginning. Word was with God and Word was God”. Whole creation came into being after that. So that God-into-expression Power is called ‘Word’ and in all other terminologies they have called “Nameless came into being, called ‘Naam’”. “It was ‘Ashabda’, came into being and is called ‘Shabd’”. So that is the cause of all creation, controlling all creation and permeating all creation. All this is manifestation of that Power. So all scriptures with us today speak of this – this is natural yoga. It is called Word. It is called by the Mohammedan Saints as ‘Sultan-ul-Azkar’, the king of all meditations. It is called ‘Nada’, it is called ‘Kalam-i-Quadim’ in their terminology. So, “in the beginning was the Word”, as I just submitted, “Word was with God, Word was God, and all creation came into being after that”. So that ‘Nameless One’ or ‘Shabdless One’ – Absolute God, you may say – when it came into being, that Godpower, that came into expression, that is called ‘Word’, ‘Naam’ or ‘Shabd’, or ‘Kalam-iQuadim’. That power has two aspects: Light and Sound. So this is what Christ said, this is also what others say, that ‘Shabd’ is the cause of all creation. This creation comes into being by ‘Shabd’, goes back into ‘Shabd’ and again restarts a new creation. So ‘Shabd’ is a power – from ‘Shabd’ the Light was born. All Masters say, here and there: “When God said, ‘I am one and wish to be many’, there was Light, then further followed by Sound.” So from Shabd also creation came. Shabd is the real essential core of all. Shabd is the direction power, agent of God, cause of all creation. So you’ll find that in scriptures. Shamaz Tabrez tells us, “Creation came into being from ‘Saut’.” ‘Saut’ means sound, ‘Saut’ in Arabic word or ‘Word’, – “and from ‘Saut’ spreads all light.” Moses, you see, he heard the commandments of God admidst thunder and flame. I am quoting you references. Zoroaster spoke of the same thing. He said, ‘Unstruck fire’, ‘Sarosha’ to light and sound. Taoism also speaks of

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the same thing ‘Creative Verbum’ and ‘Divine Light’. So ‘Nada’ it is called, ‘Udgit’, the music of the other side, it is called ‘Akash Bani’, the sound coming from above, it is called ‘Shabd’, ‘Naam’, it is called ‘Saut’. So many names were given to it: Bang-i-Asmani, Nida-i-Asmani, Sarosha, Tao, Jyoti, Prakash, Tajall – all mean the same thing: light and sound. When God came into expression, there was vibration and vibration results in two things: light and sound, and light and sound are the way back to Absolute God. You catch the ray of the sun, where will you be led? To the sun, from where it emanates. All other yogas have their own scope, as I submitted, and this is the yoga which has the ultimate goal – to take you back to the Absolute God. In the revelation of John you will find, “His eyes were as the flaming of fire, his voice has the sound of many waters. His countenance was as the sun shineth in its strength.” These are references of those who have experience of the Beyond, of that power which came into expression. “And I heard a voice of many waters, as a voice of great thunder. And I heard the voice of harpers, harping with their harps.” These are references given to whether Christians or Indians, French or Chinese, whether in central Asia or anywhere. Those who went within (all said the same), this is the basic teaching of all. In the East, too, you find it given in the Upanishads. “There is a Sun of Mahabrahmand, the macrocosm. From there proceeds the sound.” This was the secret teaching, which was given to Krishna, the son of Devaki, by Ingresh Rishi – it is the oldest one. These have been the basic teachings of all (Masters). Guru Nanak said so, “There is inside light and from there proceeds the sound. If you come in contact with that, it will take you to the ultimate goal from where all this God-into-expression Power came into being.” The same is also said by Paltu, another Saint. “There is a light within you, from there a sound proceeds. Who can hear it? Only he who goes into a Samadhi, who rises above body-consciousness.” So first step is to rise above bodyconsciousness, and there are ways and ways for that. Prana system is a way, but that is a hard work’s way. Everybody is not fit for that. You have to do Kumbakh – and this is not natural. And in Bhakti Yoga, you have to have some hypothesis to start with, and you cannot rise above duality. In Jnana Yoga you can only get dips into the Beyond, you see, because Jnana is also a sheath over the coverings of the soul as given by the scriptures. So if there is a sheath, how can there be rising into unconditioned state? So the natural way back to Absolute

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God, in which there is no hypothesis, no drawing of inferences – it is a direct contact with the God-into-expression Power, the two aspects of which are light and sound. ‘Nad Upanishad’ is purely for this Sound Principle that gives “First a murmuring sound resembling that of wave of the ocean, the fall of rain, the running rivulets. After this the ‘Bhervi’ will be heard intermingled with the sounds of bells and conchs.” Now you’ll find why this bell ringing stands in our churches? Why in temples? Why there is light lit in the outer churches, temples and other places of worship? They are raised after the model of manbody. Temples are dome-shaped; there you light a candle. Whoever enters, he rings the bell. And churches are long, nose-shaped – there you have also got light and bell ringing going on regular ringing. And now you will find the difference between the two: in the church the bell is ringing on all along (at certain times), whereas in the temples those who enter they ring the bell, you see. These are symbols standing for God, two aspects of the God-into-expression Power, which is called Light and Sound. And the true temple of God is manbody, in which we reside. We are now conscious entities, a drop of the ocean of All-Consciousness. We are spirit in man. As spirit is eternal, why can we be afraid that we will die! So manbody is the true temple of God which is considered to be the highest in all creation. It is next to God. Koran says, “When the manbody was set up, angels were asked to bow down before the manbody.” The only way back to God you can have in manbody only. And this is a golden opportunity that we have got, and all Masters said as I referred to you. I mean to say, Prophet Mohammed heard this celestial sound – music, which ultimately assumed the shape of Gabriel forming itself into Word. And you know, those who pay pilgrimage to Mecca, they first go and visit the cave Hira where Prophet Mohammed sat for six years to hear the sound? He began to have messages from the higher (planes) when he was in tune with that Sound Principle and Light. So you know Baha U’llah? You heard his name? He was a mystic, but he passed all his life in jail. He had references to the ‘Flaming Sound’ or the ‘Ringing Radiance’ as the outer expression of the God-into-expression Power. So there are two powers within us, you see. Socrates, you know, said, “I heard a sound which took me into the new world.” Plato also referred to it as the ‘Music of the Spheres’. Pythagoras referred to it as ‘Music of all Harmonies’ and ‘Truth clothed in Light’. Similarly Zoroaster had the same thing. Upanishads say the same thing, Buddhist

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say the same thing. When towards his last days Lord Buddha called for all his disciples, he asked them, “How to attain a Diamond Samadhi?” All referred to the light and sound and ultimately Lord Buddha gave out, “Let the coming generation know that the intrinsic hearing is the only way back to Diamond Samadhi”. So these are things lying within us. There are two (forms), one is the power of seeing and one is of hearing. First when you enter, you see a candle in gloom, you see the light, then the sound follows. In light you see, where you are, and Sound Principle is the guiding principle, where to go. Some people take up the way of the light only, they are environed, enveloped by all the light and they do not know where to go further. There the Sound Principle guides. And Masters who come, those who are ‘Word-made-flesh’, in whom that power is manifest, They can give you a contact with that by raising your attention from all outside and the body below, and They open the single eye to see the light of God. “If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” So there is Light and there is the Sound Principle which guides you where to go. So ‘Word-made-flesh’ can give you a contact to all that. They are called touchstones, ‘Paras’. One who is ‘Word-made-flesh’, in Him that (power) is manifest. He resides in every heart. Manbody is the house we live in. It has got nine doors open, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth and two underneath. But we cannot run away out of it. Some power is controlling us in the body, with all these doors open. That controlling power is the God-into-expression Power called by so many names by different Masters who came in the past; East or West makes no difference. And the outward expression – two aspects of the God-into-expression Power is light and sound. That light can be seen, you see, that is within each one of us. And Christ said, “I have come to make people see who do not see. And others who see may be blind!” The word ‘blind’ in the terminology of the Saints means: your inner eye is not opened, the single eye is not opened to see the light of God. ‘Blind’ does not mean those who have got no eyes on the forehead, but the ones whose single eye is not opened within. It is also called Third Eye or Shiv Netra, Divya Chakshu, Latent Eye. So, that eye is within everyone of us. The man who is ‘Word-made-flesh’, what does He do? That power already exists in us, but our soul, the outer expression of which is called attention, that is identified with the mind, the outgoing faculties, body and world so much so that we have for-

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gotten our self. We cannot differentiate our self. Now we work at the level of the manbody. And manbody is changing every moment of life. The world around us is also changing at the same speed. As we are identified with this and the two things, which we are identified with, are changing, those appear to be stationary. It is a grand optical illusion. So how to come out of this? Masters gave out: “Man know thyself! Who you are, what you are! Are you the body? No, you have the body, you have got the intellect, you have got the outgoing faculties. It is you enlivening these things.” So to ‘know’ – generally people take it at the level of feelings or drawing inferences – but they both are subject to error. Seeing is above all! And seeing arises when? When you rise above the body-consciousness by self-analysis. The Master who is adept in that way, what does He do? Our attention, the outward expression of the soul which is identified with the body and outside world that we cannot differentiate our self, He withdraws our attention from all outside and from the body below, takes it to the seat of the soul which is at the back of the eyes. Where? When a man dies his eyes are upturned. From here we leave into the Beyond. Plutarch tells us, “Those who are initiated into the mysteries of the Beyond, their soul has the same experience of leaving the body as it has at the time of death.” It is the same process. So you know, this manbody is a strange factory which is run by us. All these outgoing faculties, eyes and everything, gain strength from us and then they are controlling us. Now we cannot differentiate. The first thing that a ‘Word-made-flesh’ gives you is: a demonstration of how to rise above body-consciousness. And they tell us, “Don’t believe in the words of the Master if you don’t see for your own self and you testify to it: “Yes, you have risen above body-consciousness!” This is the first step. As I told you, the ABC of spirituality truly starts when you rise above the body-consciousness. All Yogas refer to that. So this is the most easy, the most natural Yoga – a child can do it. Young man can do it, old man can do it. In the old days there was a system in the East (in the West also the same, they have got their own words for that; they say ‘reborn’, “You must be reborn!” as Christ gave out), they had a system – they made the children of seven, eight, nine years old ‘twiceborn’. One birth into this manbody, the other into the Beyond. And they gave the Gayatri-Mantra. Gayatri-Mantra means to rise above the body, catch the ray of sun, reach the sun itself. There is a prayer, “Oh God, direct our attention to the sun!” And they gave out this mantra, but they also gave them a demonstration of that how to

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rise above body-consciousness and how to open the single eye to see the light of God. To five-years-old-children even! Even nowadays that custom still prevails. Some of the Hindus give them the same Gayatri-Mantra, and they are said to be ‘twice-born’, but for want of practical people they do not give the demonstration how to rise above body-consciousness, how to see the light of God. So the light is within each one of us. And Christ said, “Take heed that the light within you is not darkness!” So this light is covered with sheaths, you see. So many sheaths: physical, astral, causal – you have just something to start with (to get rid of these sheaths). Suppose a lamp is there, it is covered by one sheath, one covering, two, three, four, it appears (as if) no light is there. When you take off one cover, you can see some light. When you take off the other cover, still more light (is there), when you take off all covers, full light (will be there). So all Masters referred to the light within that grows more and more as you rise above physical, astral, causal and supercausal plane. So ultimate goal of all Saints has been beyond all these physical planes, in the spiritual planes. You know, in one of the books (of the Bible) it is referred about John, that he was caught in the third plane. They also had that knowledge – for want of practical people however you have forgotten. Now in all our places of holy worship we have got those symbols of light and sound, and that is showing that suchlike light and suchlike sound is within you. Outer models are made only for the beginners to make them understand that suchlike light is within you and suchlike sound is reverberating within you. And so long as there were practical people they gave the demonstration of that – and they gave out: “Don’t believe in the words of a Master unless you testify that it is so, maybe more or less.” Suppose people come and give us a talk on business principles, very wonderful talk. But we poor fellows have no money – what shall we do? So Masters use to give something to start with – a seed which cannot be perished, which cannot be taken away by anyone except by the hands of the ‘Word-made-flesh Master’. So this is one thing, one requirement: Who can give us a demonstration, that we may testify what is what by our own self? And the second thing is: True living. “Truth is above all, and true living is still above truth.” Ethical life is the stepping stone to spirituality. If you have attachments, you are given up to outer enjoyments, how can you withdraw your attention from that? The Masters give you little way up. Because They are All-Attention. And you with-

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draw from outside, from the body below and you see for your own self, light is there, maybe less or more. Those who meet with that thing, for them a necessity is: pure life. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” You see? So Tulsi Sahib says, “Clean the chamber of thy heart so that thy lover may enter.” You cannot expect a king to enter a filthy room, do you? Even a dog – I mean – the lowest of the creatures, when it sits, it cleans the ground underneath with its tail. Can you expect God will manifest in a heart which is filthy, full of lusty and other thoughts, evil thoughts for others? So that is the first step. So Masters, when they come, they don’t touch the outer forms, outer labels that we are carrying of different religions. These religions came into being only recently after the Masters had left the scene. Those who met them there, they had direct knowledge, experience, demonstration of it. When they left, to keep their teachings alive, these schools of thought came into being. As long as there were practical people they had the benefit of that, knowing God. For want of practical people the same formations result in stagnation and stagnation results in deterioration. Masters again come to revive this wisdom. “May I interrupt you and ask a few questions?” Yes, most welcome, to the best I know, yes! Question about light-experience. That’s on the way, when you rise above different planes as I told you – light is there – the lamp is burning, that has some coverings over that. Then, when all coverings are there, there appears to be no light. When you shake off one, you have little light; then take off two, more light, three – more, like that it goes on the way. You attend your meditation hour, did you see light? No? Others they saw! “Yes!” So many – only I think, two or four did not see, all others out of three hundred people over there (did see). So it is a very regular way as two and two make four. Only want somebody who knows the practical way. Moreover some outer requirements are there: to be on strict vegetarian diet, no intoxicants, they can get quicker results. So there are only a few who did not (see), all others had it (an experience). “The different lights – do You remember, Master, You said this morning that some people brought more with them from the past lives.” Background – those who have got background. They have something to start with…

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not all, but some. But they do not know how to proceed further. I have seen suchlike men who saw light. They began to treat their eyes in the eye-clinic. They heard the sound and began to treat their ears by the doctors. Some people do have background, they come up, but they want further guidance, where to go further. “Master, You mentioned also that one should stay in his own religion because Christ taught this same method of reaching God.” Masters don’t touch outer labels, as I told you. It is only made that many people can derive benefit. As long as there are practical people, all people derive the benefit. For want of practical people, you see, – how many are there who can give you a boost like that, a demonstration of that, so you may see yourself? So there should be something, some capital to start with. And to proceed further with proper guidance and help, you can reach the goal, ultimate goal from where the light and sound proceeds, and that is the Absolute God, Wordless State. “May I ask a question?” No reservation, you see! I am also a student of life, you see. Still I continue as a student. Man learns and unlearns all through life. I have been student like you. You people have to take my place – our places – you are the budding hopes of the coming generations! “If Christ taught the same thing, is there any mention of Christ speaking about reincarnation or previous lives?” Christ has given some reference, too. As I join others. We don’t know full history, you see. He gave references here and there. But those who met a Master, why they should think of reincarnation? They won’t come back again to the world. Who sees, who can take a man home, why should they return and have reincarnation again? This is only for those who such Master – ‘Word-made-flesh’ – have not met. Such ones, when they go back home, they have not to return. They come only, are sent only to guide the child humanity, they do not come as prisoners, you see. Question that is not understandable. Yes, yes, there is light within – so it is in each man, even the children see it. There should be some boost given, that’s all. Where the world philosophies end, there the

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religion starts, truly speaking. Physical bodies or outer labels do not form religions, these are social bodies, those are schools of thought. It shows we have joined this particular school of thought to know oneself and to know God. Basic teachings have been the same almost and all Masters – only we have forgotten, that’s the pity, for want of practical people. Masters again come from time to time to revive that forgotten lesson, I would say. Question that is not understandable. You see, I tell you, God indeed (works) through Master. He is Word. When Word is made flesh, we respect Him. ‘Word-made-flesh’, we respect Him. Word is the Guru manifest – He resides in every heart. Where it is manifest, we respect. Teacher of man is a man, man could be a teacher, not voice which comes from the heaven. All Masters, you see, Jesus also appeared in the man form, all others, Prophet Mohammed, and others. So teacher of a man is a man who is according to your own level, he passed through the life and had that experience, and can also communicate the same thing, you testify to it. So all Masters who came, they were all in the human form. That school is better which turns out many successful students, is it not? All these schools of thoughts are schools and we have joined to know God. And if they turned out men like that to know God, I think, all credit goes to them, you see. For want of practical people, we have, I think, forgotten that lesson and Masters come from time to time to give them again. They have again that very thing which we have forgotten. Thank to God and you specially who has managed (this talk) over here!

(Chicago – 19 Nov., 1972) For further explanations see “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh.

The holy Path of the Masters offers a direct conscious contact with the Divinity within after rising above body-consciousness. This sublime principle differentiates the holy Path from all other schools of thought. Sant Kirpal Singh

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What is Meditation? – Who is the Master? Dr. Harbhajan Singh All of you know very well that the purpose of human life is to meet good end and for that purpose we have to live in the world with higher values of life. Higher values of life concern us to know the very cause of life. Knowledge about the higher values of life lies in man but unless until he doesn’t rise above the plane of senses and the shackles of the mind he cannot know the real cause of this life. Where the world’s philosophies end there the religion starts! According to the teaching of the competent Master our real life starts only when we tap inside. Competent Masters see the very root-cause of this life and they tell us about the higher values of life. Unless until one doesn’t rise above the causal mind, above the causal body, he cannot know the cause and the effect of the world. So the mystery of life or the riddle of life always remains unsolved. It is not so easy to determine the purpose of human life, for that purpose we must have the ruling passion in life. If once we know the very cause of our life then we can know more and more towards this. All of you know that we are the same essence as that of God – man is next to God. And to go back we have to follow exactly what is written in the holy scriptures. You know, now there are faiths after faiths, religions after religions, sects and isms, and those differ from the basic teaching. And how can one know the reality by coming in contact with those people? So never any competent Master so far advised us. The teaching remained one and the same or it is written with one opinion by all competent Masters of the world. Whether they came in the East or West, at different places and at different times, this one opinion exists in the holy scriptures as well. So Masters tell us, “The experience of the competent Master must become our experience.” Today we will know the very important things. If we remember those things we can never be misled in our life. We will never be deluded in the world. Two things are very much needed: what is meditation, and who is the Master. Because now the

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purpose of human life is told everywhere in the world. But where is man misled? When he meditates or in selecting the Master! Most of the people are misled on these two points, because they never know what is meditation, how to meditate. The second thing is that they also do not know who is the Master. If somebody says, “I am the Master”, then we should know that in the holy scriptures it is said, that those who claim themselves as Master, they can never be the Master. And further there is said that there is none in a million, maybe one in a billion. When Christ, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Guru Gobind Singh and all other competent Masters came into the world, how many came along with them? They were few, either one or two, not more than that. There were already hundred thousand such so-called masters who also appeared now. So, during that very time, those competent Masters stressed upon the experience that one must get. Because all competent Masters went through the same way. They are all one. All positive powers are one. Some time this power came in the form of Jesus Christ, some time in the form of Guru Nanak, some time this power came as Kabir, some time as Ravidas, and now this power came as Sant Kirpal Singh. They are all one! So search out of the holy scriptures, their experiences are there. Religion, outer rituals and rites, countries, different faiths, they are no bar to spirituality. Spirituality means you have to learn something. It is a science, it is as definite as two and two make four. Just like in schools and colleges we learn one subject, – this is also a subject: this is the Divine science of the soul and we are thought just to learn that very subject. So today we will try to understand the most important subjects – meditation and who is the Master. The seat of the soul in the body is between and behind the two eyebrows. From here it withdraws at the time of death and just below there is the mind and just little more below there is the intellect. Now, between the soul and the mind there is an ‘iron door’ that separates the lower body from the upper body. The upper part is the true temple of God and below it is the three-(fold) world (physical, astral and causal world) we are living in. Gods and goddesses live there and with the lower body we can transcend to those barriers by various ways (but not beyond). But Masters tell us, where the world’s philosophies end there the religion starts. Just to understand this point is not difficult, because you cannot withdraw from the body-consciousness. You can come above the body-consciousness but you cannot withdraw it. What happens? Now you see everywhere in the world people are meditating. Where they are meditating,

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how they are meditating, that’s the subject. They have not withdrawn from the body but they are meditating. And when they are meditating, their mind and intellect are working. Whereas it (a true experience) is the same experience as it happens at the time of death. So that experience is only possible when you are able to withdraw from the body-consciousness. We cannot do that, it is impossible, unless this ‘iron door’ is opened. This separates the body from the upper part which is called the true temple of God. As for example, we may try our level best – some people may suffer – but they cannot rise above body-consciousness. Because of this iron door which is only opened by the help of the Masterpower. So now for your right understanding, people meditate, they see the light, they remain happy but this is not the practical experience, that is not the positive experience. Because ways are open for the negative power as well as for the positive power. When people meditate without entering through the Third Eye or the same experience which happens at the time of death, the mind overinfluences and takes the soul into the chakras or into the astral plane. There you can experience light that – if somebody wants to come out of it – he cannot do it. And what will be the result of it? Rishis and Munis spent their whole life in this meditation. They became a skeleton of bone, but they could not get rid of it, they could not get out of it. So when the mind is active while people are meditating and their intellect is working, where will they go? They will go where the mind takes them. They are meditating in the presence of the mind, so mind will take them through the tentacles anywhere and when we are stressing forcibly on certain points it is called Hatha Yoga. People may meditate by some so-called masters, it is the same experience as when people stress and they go to the same place. So there are many, many ways, which are revealed by different so-called masters or those who are competent of various other Yogas. Except the way of the Light- and Sound principle, the way back to God – they are all doing with their own systems, which have nothing to do with the reality, with spirituality. Now you know that those so-called masters who give experience, their experience also differs. Anybody who went in any chakra and told about that one, other went into another and he told the glory of the other – their experience in the astral plane differ from one another. Whereas the experience of all competent Masters is one and the same, that does not differ at all. So to go back into the body you can go with many, many ways. But to rise above the body-consciousness there

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is only one way. So this teaching, that tells us the higher values of life, taught and practised by all competent Masters – this is our purpose. What will happen then, we will tell later on. Something has to be remembered and should be recorded in our daily life: that the experiences that lead through the astral plane with the mind are very charming. They have illusionary nature. There can be excess of light, but it is a trap. You can enter into it, but the light is so excessive, that the soul cannot come out of it. Light without sound is stationary, so you cannot be helped there in any way. Those who go this way are all the time caught by the negative power and cannot get free from it. They lose their life – not only in this birth, but they go for a very long journey, till they are helped by a competent Master – and it is a big fortune if someone meets such a Master. So there is no way for anybody who is engaged in this work, who is doing such type of meditation. Where will he ultimately go? Into the domain of gods and goddesses, into the domain of the negative power. They can go into the hell and the heaven – but it is not that heaven where we have to go. That heaven which is explained, it is even worse than the hell. Hell and heaven, they both are in the first plane. Those with good karmas, they settle in the heaven. Avataras also live in the heavens and enjoy their life through the senses. Because gods and goddesses, avataras, they could not get rid of the mind. Whatever problem is within man, the same problem is with them. So those avataras, whose names are very popular in the world, one time they were in heaven and then they were in the hell. And that was the result of their meditations and the result of their karmas and that was the cause of their wishes. – What is the fate of a man who is only meditating on them? Kabir says, “The weed is growing on their heads, they cannot see the water of life.” Do you think, those who are meditating on the level of the mind and their intellect will be taken care of by the positive power or by the negative power? Certainly it will be understood. They are meditating for the negative power and they will be caught by the negative power. They are working as instruments of the negative power. They will remain in the domain of the negative power and there is no way for them to come out. Once they have selected their ways it is very difficult for them to come out of it. Their life is worse than that of a man. Ordinary man is like a white paper, everything can be written on it. But the person who has started like this, there is no hope

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for him. He can only be helped by the grace of a competent Master who transcends him above the body-consciousness and gives him the fresh positive experience. He must forget that very negative experience – only then there is the possibility. Black magic, spiritual healing and lots of miraculous things are the offshoot of these meditations. One can fulfil lots of wishes and help others to fulfil their wishes. Such people become the doers of those wishes, and there one is caught. When one starts to work as doer and starts to give miraculous promises, there is no hope for such people. I am telling you the truth now, please remember it. With these negative forces hundred thousand human beings are misled from their ways and their houses are spoiled. If you meditate on them they will spare you, if you do not meditate on them, if you do not obey their orders, they will create problems in your house. Murder, accident, suicide, these are created by the antiforces in the whole atmosphere. All worldly problems are created by those powers. Whatever Kabir has written that is beyond explanation. Whatever negativity is prevailing in the world that is only due to these powers, with the Riddhis and Siddhis, miraculous things and all those antiforces which are increasing in the world day by day. And this is the time when these powers have started to multiply in the world. In this time they will start to create very attractive design of their power. They have the power to deceive man at any stage and at any time. I tell you, there is a definite way to overcome all these forces. It is not only that you can simply overpower them, you can (also) help a lot of people to overcome these problems. There are hundred thousand forces which are working there, but there are very few positive forces who are on the defensive side. Today I am telling you what is going on everywhere and how to get rid of the effect of these things. You should have the outlook to know what is going on in the world and what is good for you and what is bad for you. Somebody tells you, “Here is the Master, yes, you come, he is a very good Master, he is God himself.” What is the proof with you that he is a Master, that he is a God? You must have a proof also. For that purpose, if you do not trust those words, at least go back to your holy scriptures. What do they tell us? A competent Master will give you a very different experience. He will first withdraw you from the body-consciousness, take you through the Third Eye and lead you this way through the darkness – he takes you a straight and very narrow way within, but then it is open. And there is a way to come back. If you want initiation, you can go everywhere in the world (and try to get it). What is the crite-

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ria to prove (if you can get a true experience there)? You are here – here is the seat of the soul. Here we withdraw from the body-consciousness. Ask that "Master", “You withdraw me from here, you withdraw me through the Third Eye, take me through the darkness and show me the door, the heaven within.” He will withdraw you into the sky... I am telling all those things very openly because here people are misled. They are knowing each and everything but when they come over here (at the Third Eye) – here they are misled (by so-called masters). Everyone says, “Our Master is the best”, but who is the real Master? The radiant form of the Master is our Master, and that is in the body. So this is the biggest criteria which Master has laid down before you. Whereas, if you are doing these outer Yogas, and when this serpentine power (kundalini), from the root of the spinal cord starts, transcending all the chakras and opens over here (the Purush in Sahasrar), it is a death trap for you. And we have seen many, many persons who are suffering from this disease and there is no way (out). Last time when I was here, one person asked me, “Are you a Master?” I said, “No”. “Then who are you?” I said, “I am doing the work of my Master! What do you want to tell me? I am the borrowed servant of my Master, I am doing my duties. Whatever duty He has given, that duty I am doing.” And he was affected with this problem (which I described above): he had been initiated by some person but his body started to burn. He was very receptive, and receptivity (but wrong meditation) took him to a lot of problems. For four years he could not get rid of these problems, day and night he was restless. It was an awful life for him. Then I asked him, “What happened with you?” He said, though he went to his Master lots of times and each time he gave a fresh initiation and every time his problem grew more and more. “But today”, he said, “while sitting in Satsang, this problem went away and I feel refreshed. There is no sign of any problem here.” This is the help from the Master. Masterpower could get rid of his problem which he could never do (out of himself). Even if he tried his level best until death, this power would not leave him. It is very easy to jump into such meditation, but the consequences are very bad. The outer effect of this meditation is only to go into the trap of the negative power. There you are caught and you will never be let free. You are caught there for all the times. When in the holy scriptures it is said that Rishis and Munis became a skeleton of the bones, they could not solve the riddle of life – after all, where did they go? Did they go to the Godpower? They had not solved the mystery of death, so where did they go? Where they meditated! They are caught all the time in the net of transmigration and there is no hope for them. They could not control their mind, what to say of their

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passions. Mind becomes more active while doing this Yoga. So this is why I tell you: those who meditate on this very subject they will speak much, but they do not have the practical life. Those who speak too much, they are empty from within. They are caught by the negative power. When you go to such persons, they will talk a lot of things, but they will keep you there where they are. They are caught, they cannot get rid of this power. Once this power starts to take work from them, it will not leave them. So you cannot solve the problem through your mind, because mind itself is the problem. It will create more and more problems. I mean to say, those who are meditating over here at the level of the mind. Only when you withdraw from the body-consciousness you will come to the level of the soul; only when this door is opened to you – then the effect will be positive for the soul. You will forget the body, your mind will be stilled, your intellect will not move at all and you do not know what is going on in the body below. This is the positive experience and Masterpower will withdraw your attention as you can remove the hair from the butter. So easy it can withdraw from the body-consciousness. The teaching of competent Masters is very simple, easy to understand, easy to digest and easy to get. And also easy to overcome all other problems of the worldly things. With the Word of the Master you can transcend all the barriers and come back. Negative power cannot stand. The fear is withdrawn from the soul. The way back to God is full of vibration, love and harmony, because there is oneness in this path. There is no second way. Each step you are getting the new life within. You are getting more and more vibration within and in the worldly way souls gets strength. Then one is able to overcome his short-comings and is not afraid of any consequences of the world. When one is initiated by the Masterpower, he doesn’t get anything new – it is already there in man. He only awakens this power (in us) and negative power cannot come. If it wants to stay with it, it will start to burn. Man is next to God. Gods and goddesses, avataras – these negative forces, they are the servants of the holy body. But we became the slave of the senses and the negativity therein. So directly or indirectly man is giving food to the negative power through the senses and is miserably misled day after day. The fate of man is just like that if he cuts his throat with his own knife. Now, just for self-realization you believe the teaching of Christ with very few words, “You cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you are born anew!” When you shut the ten doors of this temple you can see the heavenly light within. So with all those

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Yogas neither you are reborn nor are you able to shut the ten doors of this temple. Try to understand – it is very easy to understand. The teachings of all Masters say one and the same thing: you need the help of somebody who can shut the ten doors of this temple. This means that you are withdrawn from the seat of the soul in the body, you are taken back (again) to the seat of the soul so that all your five senses – eyes, ears, nose, mouth and touch, these are the five senses – stop working. This is the outward expression of the soul and there is also the inward expression of the soul. That leads you to the thoughts. Thoughts are very potent. If you are withdrawn from outside and the inward expression of the soul starts to work, it is very potent. You cannot get rid of it. So Masterpower helps you both the ways – outside and inside. Inside He overcomes your thoughts, He transcends you on that very place from where you came down into the body, where there is the seat of the soul – what a great difference. And from there He withdraws you above, that is the big difference (to all other Yogas). You understand now? If you understand that very secret, then there is no problem. You take these two words: “It is our turn to meet God.” Everyone needs it, no way out. If you do not solve it (the riddle of life) now, when will you solve it? All Masters say that all others are side-issues. Do it right today! Don’t delay it, it is your work! You have neglected your work so far. You are very lazy. You do not obey the order of your Father. Your work is pending. Who will do that? Nobody can help you. You have to help yourself! (Extract from a tape dated 18 October, 1989)

Positive power – negative power Television Interview with Sant Kirpal Singh Commentator: Master, we would like to ask You if You are in accordance with the opinion of Pope Paul? Master: What is his opinion? Commentator: That the devil is the cause of all the ills and badness in the world. Master: The truth remains that God made the universe. There are two aspects: one

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is going into expression, the other is receding back. The word ‘Brahm’ is used to mean the power going into expression, which is the cause of all expression in the universe. This is called negative. The other power is positive, which brings back souls to God. The power going into expression is called by some as Satan or devil. It is called by the Rishis as ‘Brahm’. These are two powers made by God just as electricity somewhere burns fire and somewhere congeals water into ice. The power is the same, but it has two expressions: one going into expression, the other receding back. Had there been no power going into expression called Brahm, there would have been no world whatsoever. That Brahm has the law, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” That Brahm power is very just. Naturally the incarnations of Brahm, when they come into the world, their job is just to punish the wicked, uphold the righteous, and set the world going. This matter is very intricate, I tell you. Further, I will just give an example: The king is the appointing authority of the commander-in-chief; he is also the appointing authority of the viceroy. The two work for the sake of the king; it is the king who has given them power. But their work is different. When a city is in trouble, the civil officers hand it over to the military. What do they do? They punish the wicked, fire and kill some, save hundreds of the righteous. When it is in order, they hand it back to the civil. (The television commentator tries to move on to the next question) Master: This is not the end-all. There are some things further to be explained, a few words more, if you want full; if you want half reply, it is up to you. This will go to the world population, you see. Now we are responsible. The commander-in-chief knows fully well that he has been given power by the king: he destroys, he kills, etc. But he never says, “I convey you the orders of the king”. It is the incarnations of the positive power who say like that; they are the Saints. Those who come like the commander-in-chief, they say, “I order – fire!” Different expressions – although both at heart know that they have got this power from God. And this is done only to have the ‘Word’ into expression – otherwise there would have been no world. Our own actions and reactions bring on these things, all the troubles, killings, this

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and that. The incarnations of the positive power or Saints look after the souls to go back to God. The world does not end. It goes on changing, from Kali Yuga, the Iron Age to Golden Age. Negative power goes on punishing to set the world right and let it go on – not to depopulate, but to get it to continue, to go on. And the positive power works – takes our soul back to God. Mind is the negative power working within each man. Its work is always to keep you away from God – to keep you away in the world. So naturally punishment is there; killing is there; wars are there; all these things; sometimes plagues are there. These are functions of theirs (negative powers) first. Yet righteous people will also come up now – the Golden Age arises from the Iron Age – that won’t fall down from heaven all at once. So awakening is there, in the East and West both. People have thought that they are fed up with all these things, they want a way out – the other way (of the positive power) is what is wanted. Negative power does not spare even its incarnations. They also punish the negative. I will give you an example: Rama killed the brother of Brahma. Then Rama came in the incarnation of Lord Krishna. That brother who was killed came as dacoit in the wilderness and there he killed him (Krishna). He came to Krishna and said, “Well, I have done wrong”. And Krishna said: “No, no, I killed you (before)”. This power does not spare even the incarnations, you see. So the day of judgement is individual and also as a whole – as a class… Commentator: What is the meaning of ‘Science of the Soul?’ Master: The Science of the Soul is God’s work. We are souls under the control of the negative power. So incarnations of the positive power come to save and bring them back to God. The other day in my talk I said that there should be no revolution of the body – not the body, but of the evil propensities of the mind – that which takes man away from God. There should be a spiritual revolution, and that is going on. I replied to this question in my talk the day before yesterday: everybody is now getting such an experience openly, to save – at large. Awakening is going on all around, in the East and West. That means the Golden Age is arising from the Iron Age, and the Science of the Soul is for that. It is a probation, you see. I told you in my talk the other day that a spiritual revolu-

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tion is going on now. The righteous will find that this is not the revolution of the body, but of the evil propensities of the mind. Mind is the slave of the negative power. Had there been no negative power, there would have been no world whatsoever.

(Mexico-City, 11 December, 1972)

Spiritual healing is prohibited by the Masters

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From a letter of Sant Kirpal Singh to an initiate It has reasons and deeper significance behind it, which ordinarily people ignore, considering the face value of the profits accrued and attributing it as service to the suffering humanity. The inexorable Law of Karma is supreme and demands adjustment of each farthing. The human body is the highest rung in creation granted by Providence for the spiritual perfection of soul during this incarnation. The soul in man being the essence of God Himself has the same attributes as those of God, but having been environed by mind and matter has lost its true heritage. Soul in its present state is gravely enmeshed by body and bodily attachments, which are more or less the reaction of past Karma, which it has been contracting all through up to the present incarnation. The present earth life is passing phase in the long journey of the soul from the lower categories of creation on to the True Home of the Father. Physical body is material but the soul is spiritual, but when reaction of karma occurs the man is bound to suffer pain and pleasure. Now the sufferings demanding spiritual healing fall mainly in the domain of physical troubles, which may include even mental agonies such as nervous breakdown etc. These, being the reaction of past Karma, must demand adjustment and as such are to be borne by the victim. The healer, whoever he may be, conducting this service takes the karma on his head, to be borne by him at a later stage. Besides, the bit of spiritual attainment he has attained in silencing his mind, is dissipated in such gestures of a miracle healing. Moreover, this process of healing is administered on weaker minds, which usually fall a prey to their sentiments. What can ordinarily be cured by undergoing a bit of suffering and medicine, is exchanged for spiritual dissipation, and the debt remains standing, awaiting adjustment at a later stage. Again, this sort of healing becomes professional and at times encourages corruption and misery. It not only invites mal-practices, but brings in more mental agony and wretchedness in multiplied form added with interest. This is a causal postponement of payment for a future date, and adds strong fetters over the soul.

Contrarily, the Masters advocate right living and right thinking. A disciplined devotee of the Master is advised to lead a pure, clean, chaste life thereby pursuing a spiritual goal under the protective guidance. The implicit obedience of the dietary regulations and leading a simple, truthful life leads to happiness and joy. If, however, some suffering due to the evolutions of past Karma comes, its severity and duration is much toned down by the intervention of the gracious Masterpower, like a penny for a pound, or a needle prick for the gallows, and the disciplined child disciple comes out unscathed with the grace of the Master. The healing which is said to have been administered by Jesus or others was of higher quality, as when you merge in the cosmic awareness, and lose your identity, you become so spiritual that even thinking of a person or those touching the hem of your garment will get healed, as termed colloquially in the Bible. You have not to exert on your part to heal others. Yet above all, it is the faith which cures, and the sincere initiates do not indulge in these things and rather aspire incessantly for the attainment of their spiritual perfection, which is the highest goal of earth life. The soul which has to go far higher to merge into the Oversoul, is retarded by engaging herself in lower pursuits. The initiates are, therefore, warned not to administer this spiritual healing in their own larger interests, which would result in spiritual dissipation and bankruptcy. It will add strong fetters over the soul and karmic debt will be very heavy to be repaid.

(From the Engl. Sat Sandesh Vol. 3, August 1970, No. 8)

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Miracles, spiritual healings, psychic phenomena, fortune-telling, akashic records and worldly desires are to be left aside, for these are positive hindrances on the Path. The entire energy is to be conserved for the internal progress. Sant Kirpal Singh

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Spiritual healing and occult powers by Sant Kirpal Singh “Master, can we affect others in meditation if we are in a group meditation? For example in sending thoughts of love to each one, will they be affected?” Do you have enough to spare to be distributed to the others? If you have, then it’s all right. Otherwise you will become bankrupt; you have no money in your bank or in your hand and you issue checks. If you love God – soul is of the same essence as that of God and He resides in every heart – naturally you will have love for everybody. If you have become very much charged, you need not even direct your attention, as by radiation the others will have it. By exerting you’ll feel bankrupt and quit vacant. That is why I always say that I don’t advocate healing. The people who are doing healing, exert. They send love, they send good thoughts, healing thoughts. They become bankrupt and exert in that way. They feel depleted, then they have to recoup. The higher form of healing is always good. Those, who may even think of a Master can be healed. You remember, during Christ’s life one lady touched the hem of His garment and was healed? (He felt and said, “Who has touched me?”) If you have money in your bank, well and good. If you have 1000 Dollar and you give checks away for 2000 Dollar, what will happen? It is a good idea to have sympathy. But if you love God – God resides in them – naturally your love will go to them. Or by radiation the others will have it. You may pray to God, “Oh God, help

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others”. That’s something else. With the little money with you or little water in your tank, do you want to distribute it in that way? Do you follow what I am saying? It is a good idea to have good sympathies, loving thoughts, regard for others; that’s all right. But don’t exert. You may have good thoughts for all. I told you the other day, in my Master’s time, I used to go visiting sick people. Those who were not initiated made a show of those people. “When he comes, the sick will be relieved.” It did happen so and people complained to my Master that I am showing miracles. So Master said, “No, he does not show miracles. It is the radiation that people get.” Do you follow me? Such-like radiation is all right. To have good thoughts for everybody is a good idea. Pray to God to give peace to all; that’s another thing. And moreover, still further. Guru Nanak, who is considered to be Word-made-flesh, prayed, “Peace be unto all the world over under Thy Will, oh God.” He did not exert Himself. “Peace be unto all the world under Thy Will, oh God.” Once you have become the doer, naturally you’ll exert using what you have. “Under Thy Will, oh God” is the best way. So have good wishes for all. We’re all brothers and sisters in God. But by radiation that Power helps (without you being the doer) and doesn’t make you bankrupt. By exertion naturally you can do good to others. After that you’ll feel exhausted. A higher form of healing is wanted. By radiation let everybody be helped. If you have enough perfume within you, everybody will get it, without your wishing for it. So I’m not against good wishes for all the people over, but don’t be the doer, exerting your own shoulders with the little water you have. Pray for them; that’s all right. “Sometimes a healer says when he’s exhausted, he gets refilled with new power afterwards.” Only when they feel bankrupt. First they feel wanting, then they refill, not before. And if they do not refill, then? The Masters used to heal by radiation always. Those who thought of Him were healed. That’s the safer way. Once someone wrote to me from France, “I hear you are not in good health. I will heal you from here.” I told him, “You cannot do it.” And I explained why: “A weaker man will be affected by you, not a stronger man.” You cannot influence one who is stronger than you. You follow me? How can you affect the man who is stronger than you? You may influence the weaker. You may heal others who are weaker in will than you. So I wrote to him that he would not be able to do it. He tried with all

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his powers but could do nothing. You can say, “Oh Master, oh God, help!” - That’s another thing. It once happened in my life that some people – I need not mention who – engaged certain people, giving them all the money they wanted to sit at midnight in the outer open places to do harm to me (through their thoughts). It can be done; but their efforts did not affect me. Once I was travelling on a train, and a man came up who was reading others’ thoughts. He read one, two, three, four. I was also sitting in that compartment on the train. He told me to keep something in my mind and he would read it. “You cannot do it”, I told him. (This was long, long before I met my Master.) But he insisted and others also insisted that I keep something in my mind so that he could read it. “All right”, I agreed, “Do it.” He tried, but could not. He said, “I failed today.” So the stronger man can affect others, the weaker man cannot. On the weaker you can have some effect. All the same, this is no spirituality. These supernatural powers came up by concentration, but if you are engaged in them, your higher power is stopped. That is not spirituality. Spirituality involves no spiritism, no spiritualism, no hypnotism, and no mesmerism. It is purely a matter of self-analysis, rising above body-consciousness, to know oneself and to know God. On the way many powers will come up, but to engage in them is a heinous crime. You’ll retard your progress. Moreover, the karmic law is very inexorable. You will have to suffer for it some day. People do every sort of thing. There was one man in London who could call the spirits, and then they would talk. Five pounds was the cost of the admission ticket. Someone said, “All right, let us go and see. We’ll pay.” We went. All lights were turned off. It was about nine or ten at night. It was pitch dark. He wanted to exert, but nothing could be done. First he sighed, then again he sighed and after about half an hour or so, nothing happened. Ultimately he said, “Well, the atmosphere is not good, so I’m sorry, this cannot be done now.” He did not charge us a fee. It (talking with spirits) can happen, surely. What was the trick? Now I will tell you. He could speak, very like a child, himself. So he used to speak himself, and people considered it to be a spirit. I have found that there is black marketing outside, but there is more black marketing in religious circles. They act and pose. A magician came to a morning meditation sitting in Chicago during my first worldtour. He was a first class magician from Europe, especially invited to America with

the purpose to make me fail. He said, “You are going to give me a sitting, am I permitted to sit?” “Yes, come on.” I gave a sitting. He was sitting at the side, exerting all his work against me. Nothing happened, but he in return fell down, headlong down, unconscious. They had to revive him in my arms, put him into bed and solace him. “Well, never mind, you will be all right. Don’t worry.” Reaction was there. When a wave comes and hits a stone wall, the wave will recede. If there is sand there, then that wave will permeate. So as a reaction, he fell down unconscious. He was a follower of the other party, especially engaged for that purpose. I treated him, giving him medicine, so that he would be all right. Then he said to the whole gathering over there, “I have seen for the first time the love of Christ. What I was being told was all wrong.” He passed away. His wife sends me letters even now. The spiritual people don’t want all of these things. What is the joy of reading your minds, reading this and that thing and influencing others? What is there – some contact with the lower grovelling souls who have left the body, little contact with the higher soul. This is only one side of the show. If you engage your attention thus, your further progress is retarded. So I have encountered all these things in India and outside of India. Nothing happened. My Master was with me, of course. That Power – Godpower – is with me. That is His Grace; if He leaves me, I am nothing. I don’t do anything. That is the safest way. It once happened that a homeopathic physician came to India with his wife. He was initiated by our Master (Baba Sawan Singh). People tried to influence his wife to become initiated, but she would not agree. She was a follower of a Guru from Europe. He requested me kindly to do something so that his wife might also be initiated. My Master told me to take leave for four or five days and just give time to attend to her. I asked her husband to be present when I spoke to her. The very first question she asked me was, “What brought you here to the Master?” So I explained to her for about ten minutes why I had come. “Oh, that is exactly what I want.” She then asked, “Why is it that your Master does not appeal to me?” This was a very direct question. “My previous Guru used to influence me and I was affected by him”, she continued. I told her to look at me for two or three minutes and then I asked if she could say other than what I wanted her to say. “No”, she said. “That is why – your Guru has influenced you. You could not say anything other than what he wanted you to say. My Master does not influence anybody. He leaves it to your good will, free will and pleas-

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ure to find what is what.” She did not know English; she was French speaking. “All right, if you don’t follow the talk given by my Master, just simply look at Him, sweetly, attentively, nothing more. And then let me know what you find.” She sat in on the talk and in the evening I asked her, “Well, how did you find my Master?” “Oh, He was very attractive, very beautiful.” By radiation these things are effected not by directing your will. I told her that was why my Master did not influence her. He leaves everybody to his own free will and pleasure. If I hypnotize you people then you’ll go and you will feel bankrupt. You may have something for a few minutes, but then you would be bankrupt. Then? So that is why I say there is black market outside, but there’s more black market within.1 So it is necessary to understand the higher values of life and (through that) develop (enough) power of distinction, to be able to draw the attention towards those things, that are helpful and useful on the path with the ultimate goal of self- and God-realization. We should develop receptivity for God and not for certain psychic powers, which are not of higher kind and in no way useful for attaining higher consciousness until one merges with the Infinite.2 Man must have a sincere and ceaseless yearning for the end of all ends, the goal of all goals, not content with a mere mastery of his physical and mental powers.3 The Master sets before us the goal, which is to attain complete oneness with the Lord – the One Being. We can reunite with the Source from which we once emanated, and regain our permanent abode in the Home of our Father, where joy and peace reign supreme beyond the reach of annihilation and ignorance, beyond all miseries of the troubled ocean of life. The Kingdom of God is within us. We have to recognize the Inner Man (the spirit or soul) as the image of God, the physical body as the temple of God, in which the Lord makes His appearance. In these living temples we have to attune our souls with God and live in closer communion with Him. Guru Nanak tells us, “Thou hast got a human birth and this is thy chances to contact God. But alas, thou art engaged in fruitless and bewildering things of life! The night (of earthly life) is nearing its end.”4 So the disciple or seeker of God should take heed, not to take certain supernatural powers, which can come up through different Yoga practices or concentration exercises, as help or even as aim on the way of self-analysis and God-realization. Even if one can attain supernatural or superhuman powers, which can come up through dif-

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ferent Yoga practices or concentration exercises, one should never think that they are helpful or even the final aim of the way of self-realization and God-realization. Even if one can attain supernatural powers in practising certain Yoga practices and one starts to practise with these secret forces and gets deep into them, one will forget the real aim. All this will not bring us the favour of God, without which everything else is useless. So these forces become hindrances on the way to self- and Godrealization. That is why one should know about their existence, their mode of action and the risks they bring.5 So we have to learn to distinguish spirituality from spiritism and spiritualism, as spirituality is quite different from both of them. Spiritism inculcates a belief in the existence of disembodied spirits apart from matter, which are believed by those who believe in spiritism to haunt either the nether regions as ghosts or evil spirits, or even as angels or good spirits in the lower astral regions. At times, they even become interested in the individual human affairs, and for the fulfilment of long cherished but unfulfilled desire, try to seek gratification by all sort of tricks, and those who dabble in the Black Art claim and profess to exercise power over them through magical incantations. But none of the Master’s disciples need bother about them, as no evil influence can come near one who is in communion with the holy Word. Spiritualism goes one step further than spiritism. It is a belief in the survival of the human personality after physical death and the possibility of communication between the living and the dead. The advocates of spiritualism very often hold seances for getting into communication with so-called spirits. Their modus operandi is by mediumship, for they work through some sort of medium, maybe a planchette for planchette writing, a table for table rapping, or even a human being who is rendered unconscious so that the spirit called may make use of his body and communicate through it. This relationship generally works between just the physical or earth plane and the lowest sub-astral planes known as magnetic fields. The results that follow from such communications are very limited in scope, mostly unreliable and extremely harmful to the medium, who suffers a terrible loss at times by deprivation of his intelligence. The Masters of spirituality, therefore, strongly condemn the practice of spiritualism. Their contact and intercourse with the spiritual regions right to the mansion of the Lord (Sach Khand) are direct and they come and go at their sweet will and pleasure, without any let or hindrance and independent of the subjective process

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of mediumship. While their approach is quite normal, natural, direct, and constructive, the spiritualist on the other hand works subjectively, indirectly, and mediately through a process which is fraught with dangers and risks both to himself and to the medium. Spiritualism, apart from the knowledge of survival of spirits after death, adds little to our experience and offers nothing of substance in the way of spirituality. The above remarks apply equally hypnosis and mesmerism, in both of which a person with a stronger willpower tries to influence those with weaker stamina by means of passes of hand or gestures coupled with a riveted attention on the subject. Spirituality, on the contrary, is the science of the soul, and consequently, it deals with all aspects of the soul, where it resides in the human body, its relationship with the body and with the mind, how it seemingly acts and reacts through and on the senses, its real nature, and how it can be separated from all its finessing adjuncts. It describes the spiritual journey with its wealth of spiritual planes and sub-planes, the spiritual powers and possibilities and their intrinsic worth. Spirituality discloses what the holy Word is and how to commune with it, tells us that the ultimate goal is self-realization and God-realization, or the union of the soul with the Oversoul, and teaches how it can be achieved by means of Surat Shabd Yoga or the Path of the Sound Current.6 There are many subsidiary attainments which one gets by the simple process of selfcontrol and concentration, e.g.: – To understand the language of birds and beasts; – to know one’s previous births and have foreknowledge of death; – to read the innermost thoughts of others; – to know the secret and subtle things from afar, like the planets and the stars; – to foretell future events; – to transport oneself to any place in the world; – to heal by touch; – to gain bodily perfection in form, complexion, strength and fortitude, steadiness and physical charm etc. It is necessary here to give a word of caution regarding ‘riddhis’ and ‘siddhis’, or the supernatural powers that one, very often comes to acquire in the practice of yoga sadhana or yogic discipline. They are to be scrupulously avoided, as they are pos-

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itive obstacles in the way of true spiritual progress and the attainment of self-realization and God-realization, which are the aim and end of the yoga system.7 Most of the students devote themselves wholly and solely to the strict observance of ‘yamas’ and ‘niyamas’ only, and as such hardly make any headway on the Path of yoga proper, which aims at self-realization and God-realization. Those who do go ahead a little, do not get further than yogic postures (asanas, mudras, and bandhas,) and are preoccupied with body building processes and muscular development, making them the sole aim of all their endeavours. They confine themselves to the physical culture aspect of yoga, so as to defy disease, senility and an early death. All of these are but means to the higher purpose of yoga and should only be practised as such. The goal of yoga is self-realization by a regular process of self-analysis and withdrawal, so as to enable one to rise above body-consciousness into higher cosmic and super-cosmic consciousness. True yoga is a natural process with no artifice in it. It should be readily intelligible and easy to practise. But for lack of proper teachers, well-versed in the theory and practice of yoga, it has become a burdensome thing and an intricate affair, too difficult to understand and still more difficult to practise. The result is that aspirants begin to mistake this or that branch of yoga as the ultimate, and fritter away their energy in its pursuit, content merely with the acquisition of physical or magical powers,8 which are often employed for winning public applause and wealth. It is not for nothing that the common man associates this yoga with men who walk on burning char-coals, swallow glass-pieces or metal blades, eat snake heads and rodents, hold back running cars, or allow themselves to be run over even by trucks or elephants. Huston Smith, in ‘The Religions of Man’, has put the matter roundly: “Incredible things can be done with the body if this is what interests you and you are willing to give your life to it. But these things have little to do with enlightenment. In fact, they grow out of desire to show off, their mastery makes for pride and so is inimical to spiritual progress.” 9 Who bestows upon spirituality – which is a timeless and inner science with its own unchanging laws and varying modes of operation, with knowledge which is not static, but has developed as men have moved from lower to higher forms of yoga – he will realize that mergence with the Supreme Lord is no mere daydream or hypothetical postulate of a monistic school of philosophy, but a living possibility whose re-

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alization is the true end of human existence and whose attainment, given the right

guidance, the right method and the right effort, lies within the reach of all, irrespec-

tive of age, sex, race or creed.10

1 from “Light of Kirpal” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p. 298–301

2 free rendering of a saying of Sant Kirpal Singh

3 from “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh. p. 18

4 from “Jap Ji” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p. 108–109

5 free rendering of a saying of Sant Kirpal Singh

6 from “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p. 233–235

7 from “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p. 60

8 from “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p. 61

9 from “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p. 96–97

10 from “The Crown of Life” by Sant Kirpal Singh, p.18

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