                              RUHANI SATSANG
                          Science of Spirituality
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Ruhani Satsang, as the name implies, is a centre for imparting purely
spiritual teachings and training to mankind, irrespective of class barriers
such as caste, colour, creed, sect, age, education or avocation. As Nature
offers her bounties of light, water, and air etc., freely to one and all,
so is Spirituality offered free to all who are anxious for self-knowledge
and God-knowledge.

In this age of science, Spirituality too has to be treated as a regular
science to make it acceptable to the people. It is In fact, another name
for the "Science of the Soul" but unlike other sciences, it is very
definite and very exact in its premise, theory and practice, and yields
verifiable results with mathematical precision. Its history dates back to
the unknown past, when man first began to reflect within on the meaning of
life. It has ever been the natural urge in man to solve the riddle of life.
In every Age, sages and seers appeared in different parts of the world and
gave out the spiritual experiences which we have with us in the form of the
sacred scriptures. We are indeed very fortunate to possess their fine
records, for they kindle in us a desire and a longing to know, and inspire
us with a hope that one day, we too can unravel the mystery of life and the
purpose of human existence.

So far so good, but beyond this, there is no way out. By mere reading of
sacred literature, we cannot possibly understand the true import of the
esoteric experiences that their authors had within themselves in the
silence of their soul. Book learning and worldly wisdom are of no avail in
exploring the mysteries of the inner worlds. Reasoning is the help and
reasoning is the bar. We may reason things out on the intellectual level,
but cannot go beyond intellect itself. The scriptures cannot talk to us and
answer our questions, nor resolve our doubts and drive away scepticism from
our minds. They cannot grant us the actual inner experiences recorded in
them. What then is the remedy? Are we to float on the sea of life, pass our
allotted days in hectic strife and do no more? Has life no other purpose
beyond that of a stage-actor, who comes on to the stage, plays his part,
and then vanishes to appear no more?

Every problem in life is beset with the difficulties peculiar to it. But it
does not mean that these difficulties are insurmountable, or that they
should deter us in our search for the Eternal Truth. What one man has done
towards this end, another can also do, of course with the proper guidance
and help. All that is needed is to make a right approach to the problem in
the true spirit of a seeker after Truth. God is great and He has His own
ways to fulfill the yearnings of His devotees. There is nothing to despair
of. Every Saint has a past and every sinner a future.

We have, of course, to start with the premise that there is a certain
central controlling Power behind all this phenomena no matter what name we
may give to or what our conception is of this Unseen Power. We see that the
Universe around us is pulsating with life and is a manifestation of the
Life and Active Principle of this Unseen Power, which appears in so many
different forms. However, what this Unseen Power is, and how we may contact
it, constitutes the fundamental problem.

A professor of theology, however learned he may be, cannot with all his
power of elocution give us this contact. Life comes from Life. One who is
embedded in the Life-Principle may, if he so likes, grant us a contact with
the Life-Impulse surging within him. A Master Soul who has realized the
Truth in himself can help us to have this realization, and no one else.
Self realization and God realization are inner experiences of the soul, and
cannot be had on the plane of the senses. Inner awareness comes only when
we rise above outer awareness. We have first to transcend body
consciousness so as to liberate the soul from all outer attachments. The
inner man must first be freed from the outer man, consisting of body, mind,
sense organs, the intellect, and the vital airs (physical energies), for
none of these can contact the Pure Consciousness, which is wholly
nonmaterial in essence, the life of all life and the very soul of all that
exists. These are some of the vital problems with which God-men are
concerned.

Ruhani Satsang then, deals with the most abstruse problems connected with
the soul and primarily imparts instructions in the science of the soul. All
other considerations, physical, social and moral, are but secondary and
enter discussion only insofar as they aid in the upliftment of the soul. As
it is a science of the Beyond, it is termed as Para-Vidya or the knowledge
that the soul experiences directly and immediately, above and beyond the
realm of the senses. It seeks to make the human soul one with the Oversoul,
by transcending the physical plane. The actual awakening of the spirit into
its own, its gradual efflorescence into Cosmic Awareness, is the work of
the Master Power overhead, and is achieved through a regular process of
self-analysis or inversion:

     "0 Nanak! without an experience of self-analysis, one cannot escape
     from the delusion of empirical life".

Similarly, Christ said:

     "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will
     lose his life for my sake shall find it".

The Path of the Masters needs the guidance and the help of a Living Master,
or an Adept not only in the theory, but also in the practice of the Science
of the Soul. A Master of realized Truth can give us not only a true import
of the scriptures, which are otherwise sealed to us, but can also grant us
an inner contact with Truth Itself and make us theists in the true sense of
the word. The scriptures are to him just as handy aids to enlighten people
of different faiths and beliefs. It is on this common ground of
Spirituality that men of all faiths can meet together and thus constitute
the great family of man. It is Ruhani Satsang that provides this common
ground for people of all faiths to gather together for spiritual
instruction.

It was ever the desire of my Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji, to form a common
forum, where people professing various faiths and religious beliefs, or
belonging to diverse sects and orders, could meet together to discuss the
principles of Spirituality and to practise spiritual discipline under the
guidance of a Master Soul, thereby gaining salvation and peace, both here
and hereafter. A Perfect Master is not concerned with the social order of
things nor does He interfere in it. He brings from God to His children the
message of spiritual emancipation. His is a message of Hope, Redemption and
Fulfillment, to one and all alike. Such Blessed Beings are Children of
Light and come into the world to diffuse this Light among suffering
humanity, as they themselves affirm:

     "Kabir knows the mysteries of the House of God and brings a message
     from the Most High".

     "A Master Soul is known by the catholicity of His teachings, which
     have a universal appeal to all".

Ruhani Satsang is not concerned with the socio-religious codes of conduct,
nor with the performance of rites and rituals, nor with the formal places
of worship. The human body is the true Temple of God, and since God is
Spirit, they who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
Ruhani Satsang is a living embodiment of the teachings and ideals of the
Master Saint, Baba Sawan Singh Ji, and is a centre where the exposition of
His views on life, which pertain to the emancipation of the soul, is given.
The activities of Ruhani Satsang are described under the following
headings:

I. To ingrain in seekers after Truth:

     (a) The true values of life-the everlasting and unchanging nature of
     the soul in the continually changing panorama of life, which may be
     compared to the "still-point" on the ever-revolving wheel, at once
     fixed and yet in seeming motion. "Except for the point, the still
     point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance". (T. S.
     Eliot)

     One learns the true meaning of:

     "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; That which is born of the
     spirit is spirit". (John 3:16)

     "Life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment". (Luke
     12:23)

     "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and
     lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
     (Mark 8:36-37)

     (b) The higher values of life-the greatness of God and the need for
     humility, leading to a pure and honest life of truth, chastity,
     abstinence, and a loving selfless service of humanity. The practice of
     moral virtues has always been enjoined alike by all spiritual
     teachers, as only an ethical life can pave the way for a spiritual
     life. Christ promised the kingdom of heaven to the poor in spirit; the
     kingdom of earth to the meek; mercy to the merciful and the vision of
     God to the pure in heart. Before Christ, Moses gave his Decalogue or
     Ten Commandments to the Israelites. Buddha, the Enlightened One,
     taught the noble Eightfold Path of Righteousness to those who took to
     the order of the yellow robe. Zoroaster, Kabir, Nanak and the Rishis
     of old said the same things in their own words. So it is necessary for
     the aspirants to gradually weed out moral lapses, one by one, and to
     cultivate in their place moral virtues, for which the maintenance of a
     self-introspection diary is a necessity. It is the knowledge of our
     faults and failings that will make us strive to correct them. This in
     turn leads to true spirituality.

     (c) The expansion of the self. In this connection, we have in the
     Gospels:

     "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that
     hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute
     you". (Matthew 5:44)

     "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
     soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
     And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
     thyself". (Matthew 22:37-39)

     It is therefore necessary that we must learn to love all living
     creatures, and more so our fellow man, as all are the children of the
     same Supreme Father. Thereby, we are not only true to ourselves, but
     true to the community. to the nation or country to which we belong
     and, above all, to humanity at large. This leads to the progressive
     expansion of the self until it embraces the entire universe and makes
     one a world citizen, with a cosmopolitan outlook in its truest sense,
     deserving of God's grace. Further, what is the nature of love? It
     should be an unselfish love, a love which workers no ill to anyone, a
     love which fulfills the law of God, which enjoins loving service with
     a pure heart. Such a love is the means to Self and God realization:

     "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love''. (l-John 4:8)

     "Hear ye all. I tell you the truth-only those who love can know God''.
     (Guru Gobind Singh)

     "Do thou love God for without love thou canst not have peace here or
     hereafter''. (Kabir)

     So love God and love all his creation, man, beast, birds and reptiles,
     for they are all members of the family of God.

II. Science of the Soul

     As theory precedes practice, it is but essential that one must have a
     crystal clear idea of the theoretical aspect of the eternal truths of
     life, which are conveyed through the correct interpretation of the
     various scriptures, the right import whereof can only be explained by
     one who has actually realized Truth for himself, and has established
     eternal contact with the Divine Link within him. The ultimate Truth
     is, of course, one and the same in all religions, but the sages have
     described it variously, each according to the measure of his own
     spiritual advancement on the God-Way. One who has actually traversed
     the path completely is termed a Perfect Master or Sant Satguru. He,
     being fully conversant with the various details of the journey, can
     explain matters suitably and reconcile the seeming differences, if
     any, in the scriptural texts. He is a guide on the spiritual path from
     plane to plane, as the soul, after voluntary withdrawal from body
     consciousness, proceeds along with Him. The different scriptures are
     but wares in the hands of the Master for convincing those who have but
     little faith in one or the other, of the religious beliefs. By apt
     quotations from sacred books of different religions, the Master Saints
     emphasize the essential unity of all religions on the common ground of
     Spirituality, for each embodied soul, after transcending body
     consciousness, escapes from all denominational labels attached to the
     physical body. It is a practical question of "Self knowledge'', and an
     actual experience thereof is given by the Master to each individual at
     the time of Initiation. Testimony is always directly based on first
     hand experience and not on hearsay or book learning.

     Sant Kabir says,

     "0 Pandit (one well versed in religious learning), you and I cannot
     possibly agree in our conclusions, for you speak of things as you have
     read in sacred texts, while I speak what I have seen".

     Again,

     "Listen ye to the true testimony of the Saints, for they give out what
     they verily see with their own eyes".

     "Nanak does not utter a single syllable of His own, except as He is
     moved from within".

     Christ said,

     "I do nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak these
     things".

III. Practice of Spiritual Discipline

     Insofar as the theory of the Science of the Soul is concerned, it is
     essentially an experimental science and has, therefore, to be judged
     on the level of actual experience. It is said that an ounce of
     practice is better than tons of theory. The scriptures even tell us
     not to put faith in the words of a Master Saint, unless He is able to
     give some inner experience of what He talks about. But with all that,
     one must have at least an experimental faith, so as to do what one is
     asked to, just for the sake of the experiment itself. The spiritual
     science, as explained above, is the most perfect and exact in every
     detail, just as two and two make four. Everyone who has grasped the
     theory and is receptive, can be a direct witness of the inner
     experience, however little it may be that the Master gives at the very
     first sitting.

     The Absolute Truth is of course, imageless, but the Power of Truth or
     God-in-action, is a vibratory force pervading everywhere. Its primal
     manifestations come in the form of Light and Sound, and it is for the
     Master Saint to give an experience thereof by helping each soul to
     rise above the sensory plane, if only for a short while. If this
     contact is established on the super-sensual plane, one can, under the
     guidance and with the help of the Master, develop it to any extent he
     may like. The contact of Light and Sound are the "saving lifelines"
     within each individual, and the Master who manifests this Light and
     Sound is called a Saviour, a Messiah, or a Prophet, or just as one may
     wish to call Him. The eternal soul principle is described variously as
     "Sruti" in the Vedas (that which is heard); "Udgit" in the Upanishadas
     (the Song of the Beyond); "Akash Bani" or "Ned" in the Hindu
     scriptures (Voice or Music from the Sky); "Kalma" or "Kalami-i-Kadim"
     in Al Quran (Divine Utterance or the Most Ancient Call); "Sraosha" by
     Zoroaster; "Word" in the Bible; and "Naam" or "Shabd" in the Holy
     Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture.

     The ancients described It as the "Music of the Spheres" while in
     Theosophy we read of it as the "Voice of the Silence". Without actual
     contact with the Divine Power within, the "Voice of God" and the
     "Light of God", good morals and esoteric teachings by themselves are
     not sufficient. This is why Christ emphasized: "Be ye the doers of the
     Word and not the hearers alone".

IV. Death in Life and a New Birth

     The contact with the Divine Link, as described above, comes only when
     the soul rises from the plane of the senses to above body
     consciousness, and comes into its own on the super-sensual plane, for
     true knowledge is the action of the soul without the aid of the
     senses:

     "Here, one sees without eyes and hears without ears, walks without
     feet and acts without hands, and speaks without tongue. O Nanak! it is
     by death-in-life that one understands the Divine Will and. stands face
     to face with the Reality".

     For this experience, the soul has temporarily to disconnect itself
     from the body and its different sense organs, the mind and the vital
     airs, all of which are too gross to contact Truth. In other words, an
     embodied soul has to disembody itself and become depersonalized,
     before it can come into contact with the Master Power, which is subtle
     and rarefied. Therefore, Guru Nanak says:

     "Unless one rises to the level of God, one cannot know God".

     The Divine Power can neither be comprehended nor apprehended by the
     lower order of things. With all our righteousness, we are but filthy
     rags and when in the flesh, none are righteous. The soul, as it rises
     above body consciousness, shines forth in its pristine purity, rises
     into Cosmic Awareness and feels, as it were, the efflorescence of the
     microcosm into the macrocosm. It is this which is called "Duaya Janma"
     or the "Second Birth" i.e. "Birth of the Spirit as distinguished from
     the birth of the flesh". The Bible tells us:

     "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God". (John
     3:3)

     "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the
     Kingdom of God". (John 3:5)

     "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God". (Cor: 1:47)

     Thereafter, a person walks not after the flesh but after the spirit.
     As the process of soul withdrawal is akin to actual death, one gains
     victory over death, which is the last enemy of mankind. The daily
     dying at will takes away the sting of death. We may find references to
     "death-in-life" in the scriptures of all religions. Kabir, an Indian
     Saint of great repute, says:

     "Death, of which the people are so terribly afraid, is a source of
     peace and joy unto me".

     Dadu, another Saint, affirms:

     "0 Dadu! learn to die while alive, for in the end, all must die".

     In the Quran also, great stress is laid on "Mootu qibal az Mootu" or
     death before the final dissolution of the body. The Sufis lay much
     store on "Fana" (death to the life of the senses) for gaining "Baqa"
     (life everlasting).

     Maulana Rumi speaks of it as:

     "So long as a person does not transcend the sensual plane, he remains
     an utter stranger to the Life Divine".

     Similarly, in the Gospels, words like "I die daily" and "I am
     crucified in Christ", occur. Christ's own exhortation to His
     followers, "If ye love me, take up your cross daily and follow me",
     all point to one and the same thing; viz., a true resurrection from
     one life to another.

V. The Kingdom of God

     The culminating point of the spiritual journey is the Kingdom of God,
     to which the spirit is gradually led by the Radiant Form of the
     Master. It is not something external, for all beauty and glory lie
     within the human soul. Of this Kingdom, it is said that:

     "The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation, the Kingdom of God is
     within you".

     In the Holy Quran, the Kingdom of God is referred to as
     "Maqam-i-Mahmud" or the praiseworthy station--(17:81). It is the
     Buddha Land of the Buddhists, a sublime state of conscious rest in
     omniscience, called "Nirvana".

     Through the grace of the Master, the spirit then regains the Lost
     Paradise, the Garden of Eden, from which it was forced out:

          "In flesh, at first was the guilt committed;
          Therefore in flesh it must be satisfied".

     Having paid the wages of sin through suffering, the process of Karmic
     reactions is finally liquidated by the power of NAAM or WORD.
     Protected and enfolded by the Power of God as manifested through the
     grace of the Master, the spirit forges ahead unhampered, and finally
     comes face to face with the Reality. This state of blissful beatitude
     is spoken of variously as the "New Jerusalem" (where the ChristPower
     appears once again); "Maqam-i-Haq" (the Abode of Truth); or "Sach
     Khand" (the Immortal Plane); a place where there is no sorrow, no
     taxation and no vexation.

VI. Quest for a True Master

     A living, perfect Master is the be-all and end-all of the spiritual
     path. He is the greatest Gift of God and the greatest blessing to
     mankind. The importance and necessity of a competent Master cannot,
     therefore, be over-emphasized. All the scriptures sing praises of the
     "Sant Satguru" or "Master of Truth", who holds a Commission from the
     Lord, to help the souls who yearn for God, to return to the House of
     their Father:

     "Without a perfect Master, none can reach God, no matter if one may
     have merits a million-fold". (Holy Granth)

     "It is the fundamental law of God that none can even comprehend Him
     without the aid of a Master Soul". (Holy Granth)

     A True Master is Master indeed--A Master in every phase of life. As
     Guru or Teacher on the physical plane, He imparts spiritual teachings
     as any other teacher would do, and shares our joys and sorrows. He
     helps us at every step in our daily trials and tribulations. As Guru
     Dev or Radiant Form of the Master, He guides the soul on the Astral
     and Causal planes. As the Satguru or the veritable Master of Truth, He
     leads us into the Great Beyond. Such souls are the salt of the earth,
     and are very rare indeed, but the world is never without one or more
     of such Beings, just as God may ordain. The principle of demand and
     supply is ever at work, in spiritual as in secular affairs. One has,
     however, to guard against false prophets or "ravening wolves in
     sheeps' clothing". How to find such a Master is a difficult problem,
     but patience, perseverance and judicious discrimination always succeed
     in the long run. When God's Light shines, It shines forth in fullness
     and cannot remain under a bushel for any great length of time. "Guru
     appears when the Chela is ready" is an axiomatic truth. This
     readiness, Kabir tells us, consists of intense longing, humility,
     compassion and sincerity. When these virtues adorn an aspirant after
     truth, God within him, who is his Controlling Power, directs the
     Master to find him out wherever he may be. The scriptures tell us some
     of the signs whereby one may outwardly discern a true Master:

     "Never bow ye before him who while claiming to be a Pir (Guru), lives
     on the alms of others". (Holy Granth)

     "A true Master never displays Himself among the people, nor takes
     delight in popular applause. He never collects alms nor accepts
     donations for His own use, however voluntarily made".

     "He who manifests the Infinite in the finite is Satguru indeed and is
     a veritable sage". (Holy Granth)

     "Take Him to be a true Master, who engrafts thee in Truth, and who
     makes thee peer into the unfathomable, and links thee with the Sound
     within". (Holy Granth)

     "All Masters are worthy of adoration; each in his own place and in his
     own way; but Him alone would I worship, who is embedded in the Sound
     Current". (Kabir)

     "A true Master brings the message of Shabd and talks of nothing else
     but Shabd".

     "Hail as a Master Divine He who can draw down the Celestial Music from
     above". (Paltu)

VII. Surat Shabd Yoga:

     No doubt, there are ways and ways of union with the Beloved. But in
     this age, the most natural form of Yoga is the Surat Shabd Yoga or the
     Yoga of the Sound Current. It can be practised with equal ease by the
     young and old alike, and hence it is popularly known as "Sehaj Yoga"
     or the Easy Path. An initiate in this form of Yoga has not much to
     exert himself. He is, of course, to do meditation for two to three
     hours a day, as enjoined by the Master, which consists of sitting in
     sweet remembrance of the Lord and in doing mental Simran or repetition
     of the charged words with the tongue of thought with the gaze or Surat
     fixed at the seat of the soul, located behind and between the two
     eyebrows. One is not to presuppose, visualize or clutch to have one
     thing or another. The opening of the Third Eye is the task of the
     Master. The moment the Master takes charge of the soul, He guides it
     both directly and indirectly, visibly and invisibly, on this earth and
     beyond, in this life and the afterlife, and never leaves until the
     final goal has been attained by the soul. Having had such an
     experience, one realizes the truth of aphorisms like:

     "The Master Power can never leave nor forsake thee till the end of the
     world".

     "And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out". (Bible)

     To meet a Master Saint and to get Initiation from Him is the acme of
     good fortune and the greatest blessing. He holds the keys to the
     Kingdom of God and leads the world-weary and heavy laden back to His
     Father's Mansion. He rediscovers God for man in the secret chambers of
     the soul. As the Master is the greatest gift of God, so is God the
     greatest gift of the Master, for it is only by the grace of the
     Master, that one can have union with God. In fact, there is no
     difference between the two, for:

     "I and my Father are one. No man knoweth the son but the Father;
     neither knoweth any man the Father save the son, and he to whom the
     son will reveal Him". (Bible)

     In the Holy Granth Sahib of the Sikhs also, it is said:

     "The Father and the son are dyed in the same colour".

     "The Father and the son form a co-partnership".

     Hence, the need for a really Awakened Soul, for without Him, we ever
     grope in darkness and cannot see the Light or have salvation.

     "Hundreds of moons may shine forth; and thousands of suns may be set
     aglow; but despite a blinding lustre like this, pitch darkness
     prevails within. Without the Master, one finds not the Way and goes
     awandering in the dark". (Holy Granth)

     Such a Master Soul may work through a representative in far off lands
     and make him a vehicle for the purpose. There is a vast difference,
     however, between the Master and the representative. The former is
     perfect in His Science, whereas the latter is on the Way, not perfect
     as yet. So we have always to look to the Master Power, working at the
     chosen pole of the physical Master outside, for perfect guidance and
     help until we can commune with the Master Power within.

VIII. The Essence of Ruhani Satsang

     Ruhani Satsang is neither an intellectual nor scholastic system of
     philosophy, nor is it merely an ethical code of rigid moral virtues,
     though to a certain extent it partakes of the character of both,
     insofar as these pave the way for spiritual progress. Spirituality is
     quite distinct from religion, as it is commonly and popularly known
     today, i.e. a social and moral code of conduct and nothing more.
     Ruhani Satsang deals with the Science of the Soul or contact with the
     Inner Self in man. It teaches how the Inner Self can be extricated
     from the clutches of the outer self, consisting of mind and matter and
     the outgoing faculties, so as to enable it to be a witness to the
     glory of God, to see His Light and to hear His Voice in the inner
     silence of the stilled mind. It is an experimental science of
     practical self-analysis, whereby one gains self-knowledge and
     God-knowledge. But this depends solely on the grace of God, for no
     man, however great his learning, wisdom and knowledge, has ever
     achieved, nor can achieve, success in this field by his own unaided
     and unguided efforts. Both God and the God-Way are made manifest by
     the Light of the Godman, who guides the seeker and helps him to
     rediscover God within his own self. This is the grand lesson in
     Spirituality, of which Ruhani Satsang is a living embodiment, and
     which seeks to help all aspirants after true knowledge--the Knowledge
     of Realized Truth, which makes all else to become known and leaves
     nothing unknown. It is the finale of human existence, an efflorescence
     into the Divine.

Cultural Development Through "Man-Making"

     In the preceding pages, the meaning, purpose, aims and activities of
     Ruhani Satsang are described and discussed. The emphasis, not
     unnaturally, was placed on the problems that beset a seeker after
     Truth, and how these problems could be resolved with the help of a
     Living Master, who is fully conversant with both the outer and inner
     difficulties of the practical subject of Spirituality. This is not to
     say, however, that the Master has no interest in the woes of people
     who do not wish to take up the Path in earnest. The Master has love
     for all, and does not limit His benefits to disciples only, although
     of course, they enjoy a somewhat special relationship with Him,
     especially after the change we call death.

     Today, it is becoming more and more difficult for an honest man to
     live in the world. Virtue is on the decrease and is to many the object
     of derision. Vice is on the increase, and its practice is even lauded
     as a virtue. The moral fabric of society, which is its warp and woof,
     is becoming threadbare, and if this process is allowed to continue,
     the fabric will tear apart. Even Art, which in former years was a
     means used to educate people to a nobler way of life, has not escaped
     this destructive process. In the theatre, cinema and television
     medias, the filth and dirt of perverted intellect is spawned forth
     without let or hindrance. Even the most respected of all Educational
     Institutions, the University, is becoming forgetful of its true
     function, which is to produce the highest type of citizen dedicated to
     the service of his fellow man.

     It is to counteract this pernicious process, that Ruhani Satsang has
     established both in India and abroad, training centres or study
     circles, where man can learn the true values of life, as taught from a
     spiritual standpoint. In these centres, the students are trained and
     guided by personal classes, through correspondence and submission of
     progress reports. The progress reports detail the success and failures
     that are experienced in the practical application of the principles of
     true living, which are taught to the students by such classes.

     These classes are conducted by selected initiates of the Master, who
     have themselves made some progress in the art of "man-making", which
     is the means of attaining control over the mind, senses and sense
     objects, which at present bind the soul in bonds of steel. Without the
     knowledge of the science of "man-making", mastery over the self or
     animal man cannot be successfully accomplished, for until this self
     mastery is achieved, the higher or spiritual part of man's nature
     cannot come into play. The most urgent need of society today is the
     active presence of such people, the more there are the better. As
     mentioned above, selected initiates of the Master are responsible for
     the dissemination of the knowledge of "man-making" insofar as they
     themselves have developed it, under the loving guidance of the Master.
     It is also the responsibility of some of these initiates to visit the
     various Satsangs to give talks on the Teachings.

     The main mission of Ruhani Satsang is to bring all children of God
     together on one platform so that they may have the right understanding
     that they are all brothers and sisters in God. Only on such a platform
     can true integration be inculcated in the hearts and minds of the
     people at the level of man, soul and then God, whom we worship by
     different names. It is the intention of this aspect of Ruhani Satsang
     to help to produce a true Work of Art, that is, a whole man, one freed
     from the lower passions and instincts which degrade his true nature.
     Man as intended by God, is a noble being with noble qualities and
     aspirations, which are directed to the attainment of Self and God
     realization in his lifetime. He is not on this earth merely to eat,
     sleep, breed and then die. These are the limits imposed on the lower
     orders of Creation, but man has the spark of God in him, and he is
     intended for higher things.

     The seekers are trained and disciplined in order that they may elevate
     themselves physically, morally and intellectually, which will result
     in true spiritual progress. This will enable them to face successfully
     the trials and tribulations that they encounter in their day to day
     living. To help them in this phase of their development, they are
     enjoined to:

          (1) To maintain a self-introspection diary, which records
          failures in Non-Injury, Truthfulness, Love for all, Humility and
          Chastity. The gradual weeding out of such failures creates the
          right environment for the continued growth of the seed of
          Spirituality, which is implanted in the seeker by the Master at
          the time of his Initiation.

          (2) To be regular in attending Satsang, where the Master gives
          the right understanding of the Teachings, as well as benefitting
          those attending by His radiation. In the West, such Satsangs are
          conducted by Representatives and Group Leaders authorized by the
          Master for this purpose.

          (3) To be regularly devoted to their spiritual practices, both
          morning and evening. This is done mainly at home, although group
          meditations are given in Sawan Ashram under the personal
          direction of the Master.

          (4) The singing of and listening to devotional hymns from the
          writings of the Saints of different religions concerning ethical
          and spiritual subjects is part of the cultural teaching at Sawan
          Ashram.

          (5) To study the sacred literature and books written by the
          Master. A monthly magazine, Sat Sandesh, is published in English,
          Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, which helps to channelize their thoughts
          in the right direction, by keeping constant, sweet remembrance of
          the Master.

     The end result of the training thus imparted fits an initiate for the
     inner journey as well as making him a decent, law-abiding citizen, and
     so an asset to society. Such a one becomes an ideal man, with his
     physical body in full bloom and his soul full of the glory and
     intoxication of the Ringing Radiance of God. He sees himself as a part
     of Creation and wishes, as did Guru Nanak, "Peace be unto all the
     world over, under Thy Will O God."

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This is the text of the booklet: RUHANI SATSANG - Science of Spirituality

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