                            The Cage of the Soul
     Excerpts from a letter ... published in September 1976 Sat Sandesh
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MAN has got himself so enmeshed in mind and the outgoing faculties that his
release from them can only be brought about by struggle and perseverance.
His plight is, in a way, similar to that of a bird that has been kept in a
cage for so many years. Even if you should open the door of the cage, the
bird will be loathe to fly out. Instead, it will fly from one side of the
cage to the other, clinging with its talons to the wire mesh, but it does
not wish to be free and fly out through the open door of the cage.

Similarly, the soul has become so attached to the body and the outgoing
faculties that it clings to outside things and does not wish to let go of
them. It does not wish to fly through the door that has been opened by the
Master at the time of holy initiation, at the threshold of which the
radiant form of the Master is patiently waiting to receive the child
disciple. True discipleship does not start until one has risen above body
consciousness.

It is from this point that the disciple will feel not only comfort, but
will begin to experience the joy and bliss that awaits him in the Beyond.
He will have as his companion the charming radiant form of the Master, who
is ever at hand to impart the guidance that is so necessary in order to
avoid the pitfalls on the way. Until this point is reached, the disciple
is, as it were, on probation, but such probation that cannot be severed. It
is during this probationary period that the soul will feel some discomfort.
It has become so besmeared with the dirt of the senses that it has lost its
original purity of heart and is not fit to be raised up out of the prison
house of the body.

Even though the door has been opened, it is so attached to the things of
the outside world that it does not wish to be free. It is only when the
soul begins to regain its original purity of heart and mind that it can at
last want to be free of the desires of the flesh and outward attachments.
The loving Master tries to avoid all possible discomfort to the child
disciple by explaining what are the vices to be avoided and the virtues to
be developed in order to regard this purity.

Unfortunately, more often than not the words of the Master do not sink in
and little or no action is taken by the disciple to amend his ways.
Therefore, the Master Power must take firmer measures to bring home to the
disciple the importance of the truths that have been explained in words.
Hence the discomfort that is sometimes felt by the dear ones in their
day-to-day living. If implicit obedience would be given to the commandments
of the Master, all difficulties and discomforts would vanish. If a child
gets itself so dirty that the only way the mother can wash it clean is by
using a scrubbing brush, can it be said that the child will feel
comfortable during the scrubbing process? It will only feel comfortable
after the scrubbing has ceased and it is shining clean and pure.

Help and protection is always extended by the Master to his followers. He
looks after their comforts in every way, both outer and inner. Even the
effects of the reactions of the pastfrom the gallows to an ordinary pim
prickso much concession is given. As the mother sacrifices everything for
the sake of her child, even so does the Master sacrifice everything for the
sake of his children. The follower in fact does not dream of what the
Master does for him. He fills his followers with his own thought, with his
own life impulses. When we remember him, he remembers us with all his heart
and soul. He is not the body. He is the Word personified, the Word made
flesh. To get the full benefit of the Master Power, the disciple must
develop receptivity. It is impossible to develop receptivity until implicit
obedience is given to the commandments of the Master. When you pay heed to
the Master's commandments, then that is a sign that you are growing in love
for him and the more you grow in love for him, the more receptivity you
will develop.

When you begin to develop this receptivity, all discomfort will vanish and
you will truly begin to tread the Path in the firm assurance that you are
on the right way, together with the loving companionship of One who will
demonstrate more and more his greatness and his power on each step of the
way until you find that it is the very God Himself who is your Guide and
Mentor, who will never leave you until He has safely escorted you back to
the true home of the Father.

While on the way, one of the main functions of the Master is to wind up the
back karmas of the disciple. It is through conscious contact with the Sound
Current only that the karmas of back lives can be burnt away. This process
is started at the time of holy initiation, at which time the disciple is
given a contact with the Light and Sound Principle, or God-into-Expression
Power. To avoid opening a new account of bad deeds, the disciple is
enjoined to lead a clean life and weed out all imperfections in him by
self-introspection from day to day. This is the sublime principle behind
keeping the diary, which the disciple is asked to maintain in order to
become aware of the shortcomings which stand in his way to God.

Ego is the self-assertive principle in man that makes him feel that "I do
this" or "I do that" When one rises above body consciousness and knows
himself and he becomes a conscious co-worker of the Divine Plan, he sees
that he is not the "doer" but is a mere puppet in the hands of God, he will
cease to be responsible for his actions and will become jivan mukta, or a
free soul. The ego in man is part of the grand delusion that he is laboring
under. It will cease to act or will be nullified only when a great degree
of purity has been attained by the disciple, in which all of his actions
will reflect the Master in him. Like Christ, he will proclaim, "I and my
Father are One."

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