From jamesjs@interchange.ubc.ca Fri Dec 31 01:00:33 1999
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
Subject: "Meditation and Withdrawal" - Part 3  (Letters from Kirpal Singh to Vermont Initiates)
From: James Shannon <jamesjs@interchange.ubc.ca>
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999 01:00:33 -0800





                 EXCERPTS FROM LETTERS FROM KIRPAL SINGH

                  CONCERNING MEDITATION AND WITHDRAWAL,

                    THE SOUND CURRENT AND ATTENTION

                               [Part 3]



Letter #15

SOUND CURRENT PRACTICE.-

    Hearing of the Sound Current will take away the power of ramification
of the mind and remove difficulty in concentration. This Sound when
developed is heard all through the day, even without closing your outer
ears. This keeps the mind from wandering away when you listen to this
Sound. During the day, when you are free from work, you will hear the
sweet melodies all of the time to control the mind and prevent it from
running away. When you are busy in your work, you should do it with full
attention, but when free therefrom, you should either hear the Sound
Current or do repetition. This will help you in the spiritual practices
in the morning and evening.


Letter #16

    The Sound will change for the higher Sounds. Sometimes when one is
tired and weak as a result of nervousness, fullest results are not derived.

    The Sound you hear, i.e., chirping, rumbling, etc., are lower sounds.
We should not stick to these Sounds, but we should listen closely whether
any higher Sound is coming, and while listening closely, repetition of the
five Names should not be done. This will enable you to catch higher Sounds.

    With regard to the Sound becoming too strong, leave off the practice
of hearing the Sound Current for some time and pay no heed to the Sound.
In this way its intensity will be lessened. One thing is to be borne in
mind: We should hear and follow the Sound coming from the right only.
There are Sounds coming both from the right and the left. You are to
listen only to those coming from the right with the inner ears. Those
coming from the left side have the debasing effects. We need not
confound them with those sounds heard by outer physical ears.

    The purpose of hearing the Sound Current within and also that of
seeing the heavenly life is to etherealize our inner faculties and thus
enable them to contact us with Higher Visions within.

    As regards the Sound of Bina, It somewhat resembles the sound of
the instrument which the snake-charmers use to play to catch the snakes.
Its tune resembles that of a flute -- the difference is that the sound
of the flute is shrill compared with that of the Bina -- just as the
sound of a violin is shrill when compared with that of the flute -- and
the Sound grows more in volume and thicker and continuous as the soul
traverses higher. It is a continuous Sound resembling that of a bagpipe.


Letter #17

    Regarding the Sound, you are not to listen to or pay any heed
whatsoever to the Sound coming from the left side. You are simply to
give inner ears to the Sound coming from the right. While doing so,
you are to stick to your seat in the body at the back of the eyes and
not do Simran along with it nor to direct your attention to the place
from where the Sound appears to be coming. If you do so, the Sound will
become feeble and die out. While sitting at the back of the eyes, you
have only to differentiate the Sound coming from the right. As for the
sounds as chirping or cricketing, you are not to adhere to them. Just
listen intently for any other Sound as that of the Bell, the Big Bell
of a Church, the Conch, or of Thunder or Drum beat. These are higher
Sounds and will bring you higher. You are to listen to these Sounds
only.


Letter #18

    When doing Simran (repetition) the Sound may begin to be heard
along with it: or the Simran may be heard as being repeated in the
Sound Current to men who are of pure thoughts. At times true-hearted
people, who are non-initiates, do hear the Sound, but such a Sound
does not withdraw the soul current usually. If it does, the man is
in great confusion and dreads what is going to happen.

    The power of inner sight (Nirat) and that of inner audition
(hearing the Sound Current) both are helping factors. The Sound Current
(Shabda) attracts us upwards, whereas the inner sight (Nirat) clears
our way up.


Letter #19

    As regards hearing of the Sound Current within, you should sit for
this practice in the posture already known to you with your physical
eyes shut and your outer ears closed. In this practice you are not to
do the repetition of the five Names. You should simply listen to the
Sound Current coming from the right. You are not to direct your
attention to where the Sound appears to be coming from but you are to
remain at the seat of your soul behind the two eyes and listen to the
Sound Current. You should put in at least half an hour for hearing the
Sound Current and increasing this time to one hour in due course.
This practice should be done just after your sitting for Simran
(repetition of the five Names). You will succeed In hearing the
Sound Current with the Grace of the Master.

    Various kinds of Sounds are heard inside, out of which the Sounds
of the Big Bells and Conch, Thunder and Drum beat are higher Sounds.
When these higher Sounds are heard, they may be followed.

    The crawling-like sensation felt on the spine need not be paid any
heed. You must be careful to let the breathing go on quite unconsciously.
In this way this crawling sensation will go off. Such sensations are
felt in practicing Laya Yoga, which concerns the awakening of the
Kundalini (Serpent Power) through direction of the Prana current to
lower ganglia (chakras) in the body. This is the way of Yogis and not
the Way of the Saints.

    We are not to follow the Sound coming from the left side. You may
please keep a regular diary, recording all the failures in your ethical
life and the hours put into your spiritual practices for withdrawal and
hearing the Sound Current as that will improve matters. You will please
adopt the posture best suited to you in which you can sit for a longer
time and put in equal time to both the practices. If you sit for the
practices regularly and accurately, you are sure to have your inner
vision opened and the Sound Current becoming audible.


Letter #20

    The Sound Current, when developed, is heard all the time. This will
stop the mind from wandering away to outer objects. There are two parts
of the spiritual practices. One is for withdrawal of the spirit (sensory)
current from the physical body and the opening of inner vision and the
other is for hearing the Sound Current. If you should try to do both
practices at the same time, the work of withdrawal and the opening of
the inner vision will remain incomplete. So when doing Simran, do Simran
with the attention at the back of the eyes. And when hearing the Sound
Current, you are not to do Simran while sitting with the attention at
the back of the eyes.

    Fix your inner gaze on the dark veil behind and betwixt your two
eyebrows (as if it lay in front of you) intently, minutely, and
constantly without thought of the body below or outside and without any
consciousness of the breathing going on or the withdrawal of the spirit
current from the body. Thus your mind will not wander away. The mind
runs away when you cease to look intently at the dark veil. If it runs
away, you bring it back and fix your gaze there. A few days accurate
practice will give splendid results.

    As for hearing the Sound Current, You will please put in equal time
for that soon after your sitting for withdrawal. If, however, this is
not possible, you may devote time separately for each practice.

    While hearing the Sound Current, you are not to do repetition of the
five Names. And you are to hear the Sound coming from the right side only
while your attention remains at the seat of your soul behind the eyes.
The Sound will thus become audible. By hearing the rapturous strains
of the Sound Current, your mind will lose its power of wandering away,
and you will have peace. As to the time for meditation, you may give any
time which is convenient to you, preferably before dawn. If, however,
you are not able to give time in the small hours of the morning, you
may give time which suits you best.

    If you do the spiritual practices In an accurate way, you will lose
all fascination for women, etc.  If, however, you make it a habit not to
look into the eyes of any woman, temptations will not affect you.
Self-introspection will also help you to remove the failures in this and
all other respects. My best wishes are with you and you will receive help.
You are simply to be regular in your daily practices. If you still have
any difficulty, you may write to me.


Letter #21

    Yesterday was the day of Initiation here. All of the initiates had
experience of complete withdrawal, inner vision opened, and Sounds heard
of Big Bells and Conches, Thunder and Drum beats. About 15 of them saw
Master along with Master Sawan Singh. Out of them, there were people who
had not seen or heard about Master Sawan Singh before. They recognized
Him only when a photograph was shown to them. There was one also who saw
Swami Ji, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji, Master Sawan Singh Ji, and Guru Swaroop.
In fact, all of Them are working overhead. There were about 150 old
initiates of Master Sawan Singh Ji who were allowed to sit at the second
sitting, and they all experienced withdrawal, etc., by the Grace of
Master Sawan Singh. It is all His Grace working.



Letter #22

ATTENTION.-

    It is not the Light, Stars, or Sky that come and go. When the spirit
current is withdrawn from the physical body, we have a view of such 
things within. But our attention is just diverted from there downwards.
It is the attention which recedes after momentary vision and not the
Light, etc., that goes out of sight. It is therefore necessary that we
should continue fixing our gaze on the Light, etc., coming in view and
try to stick to it. In this way, those views will stand before you. The
Sky will be there studded with Stars and in their midst there will be
a Big star to go through. As regards the sounds of Bell, Conch, Thunder,
these are high Sounds and they are to be stuck to. It is not the Sounds
that come and fade away. That Sound is continually going on. We hear the
Sound at a distance and to catch that Sound our attention is directed to
the place from where the Sound is coming. By doing so, the Sound becomes
weaker and weaker until it dies out. To insure success you should stick
to your seat at the back of the eyes and while sticking there (and gazing
into the foreground as in meditation), hear the sound coming from the
right and do not follow it to the place from where it seems to be coming.
By doing so, the Sound will become stronger and stronger and come nearer
to you, and you will hear it as if it comes from above the horizon.

    Moreover, you should try to increase the time for both of those
practices. In this way you will have quicker and splendid results.
Master-Power is always overhead and extends all feasible help at all
times. I wish you would put in more time so that Master may appear
to you within and you talk with him face to face.


Letter #23

    It is appreciated that you feel Inner oneness with the Master inside
and surrounded by Shabda (Sound Current) all of the time. In such a state
of stillness, man receives impulses from within which are mostly accurate
and correct. But there is a vast difference between a man lying at a door
waiting and one consciously in the lap of the Master. I wish you may enjoy
the latter consciously. You have seen Lights within. That is commendable.
This shows your inner vision is opened. But we have to penetrate further
to see the Master face to face and talk to Him at your will. This is not
very far off for a man who is really after it. Master's Grace comes to
help such a man and to give him a lift to realize that state, and my best
brotherly wishes are always with true seekers after Truth. In that way a
man comes in constant contact with the Master inside and receives
conscious guidance in all matters.

    If your inner gaze remains fixed constantly and you see minutely,
sleep will not come, just as a man who is intellectually absorbed in
something or worrying over something loses all sleep. There can be, of
course, some helping factors also. When you sit for Simran, do it
consciously and wide awake. For that you may have a full bath or wash
your hands and feet before sitting, or drink water. If you still feel
sleepy, stand up and do a little exercise: stretching, etc., and walk
a little, and then sit down. It may be that you cannot rise early. You
may have your full sleep and then rise, and then `first thing' after
answering the calls of nature, you devote time to Bhajan and Simran.
Early hours are the best -- all Saints have talked highly about these
hours, but if you are as yet not accustomed to early rising, you may
rise at 5, 6, or 7 a.m., and do the practices also before going to
sleep at night.

    When, by practice, you have control over your Surat (attention)
sleep will not overtake you. You will become the Master of yourself --
then you will go to sleep only when you want it. Those who want to
progress on the Way should avoid taking more than an average amount
in their diet and talking too much.


Letter #24

    A brief description of the actual method of inversion to which I
refer follows.

    The method is the same as that given out by our Hazur Maharaj Baba
Sawan Singh Ji, but the majority have not understood this practice
thoroughly. Unless an experiment is done in an accurate way, success
cannot be guaranteed. I will describe the method in a few words as under:

    Sit In any easy pose -- cross-legged or otherwise -- straight and
relaxed, without any tension in the body. Close your eyes and leave them
as in sleep. Sit in one pose and do not move your limbs, head, or
physical eyes. You will see a dark veil within. That which sees the
dark veil within without the help of the physical eyeballs is the inner
eye. With the inner eye, fix your gaze (without any strain) on that
part of the dark veil which is just behind and betwixt the two eyebrows
(and not on the outer skin or the bone betwixt the two eyebrows). If
you do that (i.e., fix the gaze on the skin or bone), you will have
strain on the muscles of the physical eyeballs and forehead and headache
and heat in the head will follow. Your inner gaze should fixed and
constant without a break, i.e., you look with full attention at that
part of the dark veil minutely, and continue looking constantly. In
this way the mind will be fixed there and will not run away. The mind
runs away only when you cease to look constantly at the particular place.

    One should Increase the time of sittings to 3 to 4 hours daily.
Do Simran (repeat consciously the five Names) and fix your gaze into
the eyes (within) when you see them. If those eyes are of the Master,
the full figure of the Master will come before you. If, however, those
eyes are produced by the Negative Power, they will disappear when you
do Simran. In the case when you see the Stars, you should find a Big Star
out of them, and fix your inner gaze on the Big Star which will burst
and you will cross it; then you will see the Moon and cross it to see
the Master standing on strong Sunlight. If, however, the eyes still
stand, while you do Simran, you should fix your inner gaze into those
eyes and the Master will appear face to face before you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3.



