From jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca Mon May 11 22:42:46 1998
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
Subject: Integration Through Self-Knowledge
From: jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca (James Shannon)
Date: 12 May 1998 05:42:46 GMT





                    
                     INTEGRATION THROUGH SELF-KNOWLEDGE
                                    
                                    by 

                           Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
      
                              (1894 - 1974)                           
                 
                    
                    This is the translation of a talk 
                    given by Master Kirpal in Hindi on 
                    the evening of April 2, 1973, at 
                    Manav Kendra, Dehra Dun, India. It
                    was published in the June 1973 
                    issue of Sat Sandesh magazine.
                    ----------------------------------
                    

   If you want to regain your happiness then - "Know Thyself." Tulsi 
Sahib once said, "Yes, brother, the whole world is full of woe from one 
misery or other, be it physical, financial, or mental." He was asked if 
anyone at all is happy, and He said, "Yes, the devotee of a Sant."
  
   Who is the Sant? A Sant is one who has realized Himself - that He is
a conscious entity, a drop of the Ocean of All-Consciousness, by which the
machinery of the whole physical system functions. If a factory runs on 
power, then the different departments get contact with that power through 
various switches. Each department can be shut down operationally by 
switching off its supply of power. If the main switch is thrown, then all 
the machinery will stop. Like this, the machinery of the man-body has 
different departments, all of which are alive and functioning because of 
us - the soul consciousness. Our whole being is alive because of our 
"Self."
  
   You must have experienced many times that when we are deep in thought
over something, and the attention or surat is directed and focused in a 
particular place, we are not aware of the sounds around and will not even 
hear if someone speaks directly to us. When asked why we have not heard a 
certain thing, we would reply that our attention was elsewhere. So if the 
attention is not connected with the sense of hearing, the ear is as good 
as deaf. If a man is in deep thought and a person passes near him, even 
though he passes in front of the eyes, yet the eye will not register and 
the person will not be recognized. These departments of the physical 
system are the five senses, which can only work through the power of 
attention. In other words, everything is working on the strength of the
soul.
   
   The Masters have realized or solved this profound riddle of life, and 
They naturally advise the people, "O man, know thyself" - who you are, what 
you are, what your connection is with the physical form and the world, and 
what that Controlling Power is which keeps you in the body. Those who have
found the answers to all these questions through spiritual experience are
known as Sant, Sadhu, Mahatma, etc. These forms of address do not imply
any particular outer action, or the wearing of yellow, blue or green 
clothes; only that person can be truly addressed as such who has actually 
realized himself. When He chooses, at will He works through the body's 
machinery; and whenever He feels so inclined, at will He rises above it all.
  
   So how can we become happy? Our attention, which is an expression of 
perfect bliss, emits that happiness when it is attached to something, and 
that happiness remains as long as the attachment lasts. When the object of 
attachment is removed, or the attention is directed elsewhere, the 
expression of happiness ceases. There is no juice in a bone, but if the dog 
cuts its jaws on the sharp edges, he will enjoy the taste of his own blood. 
When the attention becomes attached to something it becomes the very image 
of that object, and enjoys it. It has the ability to do this because its 
nature is all bliss. With all that bliss available, yet we have no peace 
... can there be a cure for such a predicament?
  
   The Masters say that those who desire true happiness should take up the
service of the Lord. This means in fact to surrender oneself to Him. To 
gain this perpetual happiness, some direct contact is required: "He who 
never dies" - "When you are in constant touch with That, there can be no 
sorrow." Such is the Complete Supreme Lord, Who is ever-existent. And where
is He? He is the Maker of all things and exists in all things; and 
furthermore He is the Controller or Controlling Power in all things. That 
Power which controls the world has tied us to this physical form and has 
placed us here in the world. But sadly, "In the same company, in the same 
house, but they do not converse together." The two brothers - the soul and 
God - reside in the same dwelling, but the tragedy is that the soul knows 
not how to talk to Him. Why is this? Because that outer expression of the 
soul - the surat or attention - through connection with the mind and the 
senses has become the image of the physical form and considers himself to 
be the physical form alone. It can see the situation clearly only by 
withdrawing itself from these shackles.
  
   One must come to know oneself. All Masters who have come, either in the 
East or the West, have recommended the same cure - "O man, awake!" The 
ancient Greek and Roman philosophers said the same thing, in their own 
language, and so did the Persian sages: "O man, you may have known so much 
about everything, but if you have not known your own self, you are a fool." 
Man has learned so much at all levels, physically and intellectually, but 
if he knows nothing of his own self, and the Power which controls him, then 
it really amounts to ignorance and failure. Guru Nanak declared very 
clearly, "O Nanak, without knowing yourself, the illusion will not be
erased." What is this illusion from which one cannot escape? It is 
something not apparent in its original form, but seen only in some other 
form. The soul is Sat, Chit, Anand - ever-existent, all wisdom, and perfect 
bliss - but through contact with mind and senses it has become the image 
of the body and surrounding world. The body is made of matter, and matter 
is perpetually changing, so the body and the world which is also made of 
matter, are both changing at the same rate. If we are identified with them, 
subsequently we will presume that all is stationary. This is a grand 
optical illusion. The Masters tell us therefore that the one and only 
means of solving this enigma is to gain knowledge of the self, in truth. 
Commonly man tries to achieve this by his feelings or by drawing inferences, 
but these two methods are both subject to error. Seeing is above all, and 
seeing is believing. The subject of scientific self analysis has been 
grossly derided and scoffed at, but just consider: this is my watch, I
place it here; this is my waistcoat which I can remove; then if this is my 
body and these are my senses and this is my mind and intellect, can I rise 
above them all and separate myself from them? This is the only true way to
know oneself.
  
   In the Gurbani it is written that only by the Guru's grace can you 
unravel yourself. The Guru is a realized soul Who has already solved this 
mystery of life and Who can give one a demonstration of how to rise above 
body consciousness as a beginning. He will teach one to still the mind and 
senses. Then there is the question of the soul's Companion; for when you 
come to know who you are, you will realize that you are not the controller 
of all this machinery of the body, and that there is some greater Power 
which controls not only your being but the whole world and all Creation. 
These two companions which reside in the same house do not converse 
because one has taken on this illusory image of the world and its 
environments, through the constant outgoing expression of the faculties.
The soul must withdraw from this outgoing expression and it will then be
able to see within itself. I see you all before me, but only if I look 
back can I see those who are sitting behind me. It is all but a play of 
the attention - withdraw that attention from outside and invert within.
  
   When Bulleh Shah went to Shah Inayat he asked, "How can God be met?" 
Shah Inayat replied, "What is there to meeting the Beloved? Just uproot it 
from here and plant it there!" This means one should withdraw the attention 
from without and focus it within. You must first concentrate within 
yourself, and then you will come to know that you are really a conscious
entity - a soul. It is this lack of realization of what we really are that
causes us to direct our whole outlook on life from the body's level. This 
is a very powerful delusion. So when the Masters come, they show the student
how to rise above. The Hindus used to have a special ceremony to make small
children "twice born" at the ages of five, seven, and nine years; they would
see light of the Sun within. Even today that custom continues - they give 
the Gayatri Mantra - but these days only the mantra is given, without the 
inner practical experience. All true Masters say the same things. When 
Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee leader, came to Christ to pay homage, 
Christ told him, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
of God." Nicodemus was puzzled at this - he could not understand how an 
old man could re-enter the mother's womb and be reborn - but Christ was 
adamant: "Ye must be born again," and explained that "flesh is born of 
the flesh and spirit of the Spirit." Nicodemus was wonderstruck at these 
teachings, and Jesus reminded him that he was a leader of the people and 
yet he did not know these things. We must be reborn. To be reborn is to 
rise into the Beyond. "Learn to die so that you may begin to live."

   What is Spirituality? It is no spiritism, no spiritualism, no hypnotism, 
no mesmerism. It is purely a subject of self analysis - of knowing one's 
self and of knowing the Overself - seeing Him face to face. And the ABC of
Spirituality starts when you rise above body consciousness. Plutarch says 
that those who are initiated into the mysteries of the Beyond have the same
experience when leaving the body as the soul has at the time of death.
  
   The one whose soul has experienced the Lord - whose soul, by self 
analysis, can distinguish the difference between the mind, the matter, the 
outgoing faculties, through experiencing that Power which is controlling 
within and without - can be termed the manifested God in man. The Master 
is the very image of Truth. He knows Himself for what He is, in truth, and 
He experiences the Lord within Himself. His senses are inverted and 
withdrawn from outside. People normally withdraw only at the time of death 
to the position behind the eyes, then rise above the body and travel into 
the Beyond; at which time an awakening occurs and the soul suddenly knows 
who it is, and sees the Power that controls everything. The competence 
that enables us to do this at will can be learned only in the man-body and 
in no other form. This is the real reason why man is accepted as the 
highest expression in creation. But mind is under the influence and power 
of the senses, unfortunately, so the soul has forgotten who she is, and 
has also forgotten the Life Sustainer. You can say that illusion is just 
another name for forgetfulness, and this forgetfulness began when the soul 
first took on the physical form. It is true we have got a body, but we are 
not the body; and when one rises above the body consciousness one's whole 
angle of vision automatically changes. So rising above the body is the ABC 
of Spirituality. It is the first step toward achieving the true meaning of 
the word yoga - when consciousness is separated from matter. Further into 
the Beyond there are many mansions in the house of our Father. "The Lord is 
in the physical form; he who searches shall find Him." There is the physical 
plane, the astral plane, and so many others beyond that. Spirituality 
actually means to know oneself by analyzing the spirit from mind, senses,
and intellect; when you rise above these, the Life Sustainer is apparent.
  
   "The whole world is in fear of death; yet he who lives, cries." Why should
we all fear death? It is no bugbear; it is merely a change. I have come 
from Delhi to this place (Manav Kendra) - so I am not in Delhi, I am here. 
Death is but a word which means to rise above the physical plane. The sun 
sets in one place and rises in another; just like a transfer.
  
   The children used to be taught this self analysis, which they called 
giving the Gayatri Mantra; but when the personalities who gave practical 
experience left the world, the people made these schools and colleges which 
we call religions, and the labels of which we wear. They were formed with 
a noble purpose that more people might benefit; but really the true benefit 
was received only during the lifetime of those practical personalities. 
With the dearth of these competent people, the preachers of the stomach 
took over and the Truth was forgotten. The solution to this tragic plight? 
To rise above the delusion we live in - to rise above all forgetfulness 
to discover that the soul is the entity of the Lord and the Lord is all 
love. Love's nature is to join to something; and the soul, being
consciousness, should have rejoined the All-Consciousness, but became 
involved with the world instead. This is attachment, and wherever your 
desire lies, there will you be attached. One great Master says, "O soul, 
you can discern the Truth from untruth; Receive the Truth and absorb it 
unto yourself." Another Master prays, "Lead me from the unreal to the real."
  
   What will happen if you rise above the body? You will experience an 
elevation. People are fearful of death because they do not know how to rise
above, which is a very natural yoga. This natural method was taught to 
children from the age of five years up; but unfortunately, when the 
competent people leave the world, people become worshipers of the past. 
If a blind man leads a blind man, surely both will fall in the ditch. In 
the ages past, only those men were authorized to preach to others who first 
led a chaste life for 25 years and studied fully the Vedas and Shastras; 
then lived as ordinary householders and brought up one or two children; 
then, after bringing up their children, they left family life for some
lonely place to try and experience that which they had read and studied. 
At this point in life, they would try to unravel the great mystery of life, 
and those who succeeded would return to go around teaching the people what
they had experienced. This is the real sanyas - true renunciation; but these
days preaching has been turned into a profession.
  
   The Truth is already there: the basis of all teachings is the same, and
that Truth is absolute. When the Absolute Lord came into expression, He was
known as God and by other names. He is in fact Nameless, Soundless, 
Wordless, Formless. His expression is also known as Naam or Name, Shabd or
Word. Regarding the attributes of the Word, it has been said that "Naam is
the Sustainer of Khand and Brahmand." We have also in the Bible, "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 
After this, the whole creation came into being. So God is the innate Nature 
in man. When He wished to become from one to many, there was vibration, 
and from that vibration emitted forth two aspects, Light and Sound. So God 
is in the form of Light, and God is Sound Principle, the Music of the 
Spheres. If you make a careful parallel study of all religions, you will
uncover the same basic teachings in all. Even the Greek philosophers spoke
of these things. Socrates referred to the Sound that he heard, which took 
him to a new world. Plato also mentioned it, as the Music of the Spheres. 
Pythagoras told of the Harmonies of all Harmony, and Truth Clothed in Light. 
The great Persian sage Zarathustra called the Light the Unstruck Fire, and 
the Sound Sarosha.
  
   It is written* that when Lord Buddha was about to leave His body at the
time of death, He called His disciples and asked them how they had attained
the golden samadhi. Each one recounted how he saw the Light and heard the
Sound. Lord Buddha exhorted, "Hear ye all, ye coming generations: the way
back to golden samadhi is through intrinsic hearing." (*In "The Surangama 
Sutra." See the Master's book "Naam or Word," pp.43-63.) It is mentioned in 
the Vedas and Shastras, and the great Masters like Guru Nanak, Kabir, and 
others have all said the same thing in different languages. All have 
declared the true path to be the one of Light and Sound. So these are the 
two paths within, and they proceed from the Absolute Lord. The Lord is not 
this, He is not that - He is nothing that can be described - but this is 
the way back to Him, the path that Masters have taught through practical 
and scientific experience. All have stressed the importance of this inner 
experience. "If I do not see with my own eyes, I cannot believe even my 
Guru's words." With all his enthusiasm, still the student's belief is a 
blind belief, unless he sees for himself. And - the Light is born in the 
Guru's company.
  
   Temples are dome-shaped; they are made on the model of man himself. You 
will find symbols of Light and Sound inside a11 temples. Church spires are 
usually nose-shaped, again from the man model, and they also keep symbols 
of Light and Sound therein. The gurdwaras of the Sikhs used to have these 
symbols, but nowadays they are used on certain special occasions only: then 
they put a lighted lamp on an upturned pitcher and beat a drum while the 
lamp burns. So these symbols are found in most of the religious places, and 
they represent the true Light and Sound of God which already exist within 
the manbody.
  
   Guru Nanak went to Persia, among other countries. A certain priest there,
named Hukam Din, asked him, "You are a very big fakir; you must have seen 
God; please describe His home to us." Guru Nanak replied, "Yes, I have seen," 
and began to describe the human form; concluding by saying that at the top 
of God's house He Himself is resounding. Unfortunately, the world is 
sleeping: man either does not know how to enter the "foxhole of the brain,"
or if he does happen to enter he does not know how to proceed and progress
further.
  
   A true Sikh is one in whom the perpetual Light is burning; he is called
a khalsa (the pure one). To wear the label of any particular religion 
signifies that one is studying in some school; but only when the true Light 
of God is effulgent within can one be termed a disciple. We are really all 
worshipers of the Living Light, and the company of the Guru can make that 
Light apparent. The human form is the temple, mosque, or church in which 
this Light of Truth is shimmering. God has made all men with the same outer 
and inner construction and each is the same conscious entity. "While the 
companion resides within, the body lives; When the companion leaves, the 
body crumbles" - and who cares for it when the soul has left it? But now we 
are imprisoned in this form of matter.
  
   "Everything is controlled by Naam; With great good fortune it is 
experienced." Where is this Controlling Power, which is called Shabd, Word, 
Naam, or Kalma? The Masters explain in very clear words: "The Giver of all 
sorts of happiness, the Water of Life, is called Naam; In this body it 
resides." When can you meet the Naam? When you withdraw from outer 
environments and transcend them. Then: "Full of nectar sweet is the 
limitless Naam." There is an immense intoxication in Naam. When Guru Nanak 
was once in the company of Emperor Babar, the king offered him a cup of 
strong intoxicant, but the Gurn said, "O Babar, if you drink this in the 
morning the effect wears off by evening, and if you drink it in the evening, 
the effect has gone by morning; but I have an intoxicant, the effect of 
which is perpetual." "The intoxication of Naam, O Nanak, inebriates day 
and night." It is the Bread and Water of Life, which many Masters have 
described by the terms "Light" and "Sound." It is the very basic principle 
of all teachings and forever remains the same.
  
   During the lifetime of Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahib there were two principal 
religions in India, but the followers were but worshipers of labels. Each
group declared they were better than the other. Kabir Sahib came and 
proclaimed, "Neither are we Hindu nor Muslim, just think of both as one."
Guru Nanak, who was his contemporary, for many years, said in similar words,  
"Neither are we Hindu nor Muslim; Allah, Ram, is the very breath of this 
body." The Hindu term Ram and the Muslim term Allah are both given to that 
Lord or God who is One, for all; the One who has given life to all forms. 
They looked at Guru Nanak and said, "Brother, you have the label of a 
Hindu, but what are you?" He explained to them that, even though he was 
wearing a label, he was not that kind of a Hindu; neither was he a Muslim 
in label only, like them. He said, "My body is made of five elements, in
which the invisible is playing."
  
   The matter of which the body is made consists of five elements, and we, 
the soul, are the consciousness vibrating within it. Other than this, we
are worshipers of that Power which controls us in the physical form. So
we should remain in our own religion, for all the basic teachings are the 
same. "Lovers are hundreds, but the Beloved is one and the same." Caste and 
culture also varies, but our work remains constant; and you can call this 
right understanding. There is really no high nor low - all mankind is one 
- and all have the same God-given privileges: intellect, mind, body, 
senses, etc. We have evolved considerably intellectually and physically 
through worldly sciences; so why are we unhappy? Because in the third part 
of man's nature, there is no progress - we are in fact grossly ignorant 
of that. Those who profess knowledge of the spiritual part of man actually 
have acquired merely an intellectual knowledge; they have no practical 
self knowledge, no knowledge of self analysis. It is an ironic situation 
- we are supposed to be the drivers of all this machinery, but we are 
ourselves being driven like anything. The outer enjoyments drag our senses, 
and the senses control and influence the mind. To know oneself is a very 
basic necessity; it is the only practical science, taught by Masters, 
which will take us out of this forgetfulness.
  
   You may know that I was elected President of the World Fellowship of
Religions from 1957 onwards. Through this organization many differences 
were smoothed out between the religions. Previously, the conditions were 
so bad that members of some sects would not take even water from the hands 
of another sect. They did not care to see each other's faces. They would 
not attend each other's religious gatherings. Now it is much improved; 
they do sit together and talk together, as a result of the regular 
conferences which were held for a number of years. However, a great 
danger has developed. The brothers who now lead the WFR conferences want 
to promote their own isms, and as such each religion wants to make a huge 
pillar: all Hindus throughout the world should become one, all Christians 
should become one, all Muslims should become one, all Buddhists, and so 
on. How can this be true integration?
  
   So I have started this Man Centre. All Masters have stressed that the
whole of mankind is one, the true caste of man is one; so we must first 
become true human beings. After this, we can call ourselves by any label 
we like. But we are first man; that is, we are soul - a conscious entity 
within a physical form. That entity is a drop of the Ocean of All-
Consciousness and is the power that drives us. All religions teach that the  
one Power works throughout all creation. There is a difference, however, 
in each individual's approach, and depending upon that approach, so a 
person gains that much understanding. Each preacher has a certain amount 
of understanding, which attracts certain followers - this is how the 
various classes are formed - but when misunderstanding, bigotry and
narrow-mindedness are added to this, then brother becomes separated from
brother. In truth, there is only one God and only one species of human being.
  
   When the Masters come some of the people gain right understanding. With 
right understanding we begin to have right thoughts, and with right thoughts 
we begin to speak right, and subsequently to act right. In the ages past, 
kings and emperors had a guiding principle: to act on the advice of wise 
sages in their courts. History has confirmed this. These sages, you can say, 
had control of the people's hearts, while the government controlled only the 
physical forms; for whatever laws and decrees were passed were formed out 
of the advice and approval of these wise spiritual men. They from their side
considered everything for the welfare and the good of the people as a whole,
and with full consciousness they were able to see the true situation. For 
the rulers, one word from a sage was enough. Rulers can control bodies only,
whereas a sage can control the hearts of all.
  
   Knowing oneself is not an experience at the level of feelings, nor at the
emotional level, nor at the intellectual level of drawing inferences. All 
knowledge at these levels is subject to error. Seeing is above all, and 
this means to have knowledge of the self through self analysis, by rising 
above the body consciousness to see the Truth. Maulana Rumi once prayed, 
"O God, send us the Merciful One (the Guru), Who will take us out of this 
physical box." Seeing begins when by the practical science of Spirituality 
you rise above the body and are able to see the working of the Controlling 
Power. Kabir Sahib remarked quite confidently, "I rejoice in that which the 
whole world fears." All glory and beauty lies within you; why be afraid of 
death? Guru Amar Das says, "The whole world is afraid of death; all are 
searching for life." There are two reasons for this overwhelming fear. One 
is that a man does not know how to leave the body, and the second is that 
neither does he know where he is going when he does leave. This is because 
he has not solved the mystery of life - which is not a simple problem, and 
yet with the Guru's grace it can be solved without effort. If through His 
grace one gets to know oneself, then not only will one act on the Lord's 
orders, but will recognize them for what they are. One becomes a conscious 
co-worker of the Divine plan. Then you can say that your life has been 
successful. We can be conscious of that Power at death, or - if we learn 
to rise above at will - in life. An unbeliever once put a notice on his 
door: God is nowhere. When he lay dying in his room, a small child came 
to the door and read aloud the notice: God is now here. The dying man 
replied from inside, "Yes, child, I do see now that there is some Power."
So if we could only rise above the physical body, we would see that same 
Power controlling all things, including us. This is a science, which can 
only be learned in the human form.
  
   Today is specially commemorated to the Integration of Mankind, for
which noble purpose all Masters have been forerunners, and it is no new 
aspiration. This Man Centre, with all its aims and principles, is also not 
new. You can see there is no edifice here, either temple or other building 
of worship. There is simply the earth beneath and the sky overhead, and 
this is the biggest temple one can find! Then we all have the true temple 
of God - the man-body. "With the Guru's blessing, one sees that the temple 
of God is within." We will solve this mystery of life in the company of 
those who have already solved it. Our poor soul has retrograded to the 
level of mind and senses, and is therefore unable to do anything of its 
own strength - it has become an image of the world. Whatever actions we 
perform, we say, "Oh, we have done this, we have done that." This 
indicates we are at the mind and sense level. Being at this level, all we
do will be from the same level. We can see this for ourselves, from our
own actions. How then can we rise above on our own efforts? It is not
possible. Many people have got some background, and they do see some Light; 
often they seek medical treatment, not understanding what it is. They need 
guidance, for understanding and for further progress - into the Beyond.
  
   There is but one test or criterion to distinguish one who has solved
this mystery of life. He must give a demonstration to show us how to rise
above body consciousness; and the Third Eye must be opened to see the
Light of God. Christ said, "Those that hear, hear not; and those that see, 
see not. " Kabir says, "This world is blind; If there were one or two I 
could make them understand, but all around I see only the blind." Who is 
blind, from the Masters' point of view? "He is not blind who has no eyes on 
his face" - that is not the real blindness: "He who does not see the Beloved 
is blind." "When he sees, he sings, and that song bears fruit." To first 
see and then sing praises is vastly different from singing praises by 
hearsay or bookish knowledge. Guru Amar Das, after more than 70 years of 
intense searching and performing many different practices, came to the feet 
of Guru Angad, and then only was he blessed with the true knowledge. What 
did He say in this context? "One who praises God without seeing is like a 
blind man." If a blind man describes the sun, we know that his description 
is intellectual, for he has never seen it. Do not believe until you have 
seen with your own eyes. It is the prayer of the imprisoned soul which 
cries out, "O Lord, when we are the image of the world, how can we see?" 
But in the human form we can awaken. The Upanishads tell us, "Awake, arise, 
and stop not until the Goal is reached." If so far we have not awakened, 
when do we think we are going to do it? Those who do wish to awaken are 
told by the Masters, "Develop love for God; be conscious." We say we can 
see only the world; living in its society, enjoying every minute - we are 
too involved and become identified with it. How can we love God unless we 
see Him? For that we are advised to "Take the Satguru's teaching." And who 
is the Satguru? The one who has experienced the Truth; the mouthpiece of 
Truth or God; the very image of the Truth, who knows the Sat Purush. This 
kind of personality can be termed a Satguru. "By meeting a Satguru, one 
sees." The third or single eye is opened; and how? "When you put your
attention on the ineffable place beyond all outgoing faculties, you will 
see the Lord within." Focus your attention with - in the Shiv Netra - the 
Single Eye - and the eye of the Light will be opened. In these few words 
you have the basic teaching.
  
   A man once asked Baba Sawan Singh Ji that, since Masters come to awaken 
the souls, why did He not start a new sect for that purpose? Hazur replied 
that since there were already so many wells, why dig another? There are more 
than 700 different sects in operation, and each is basically the same; they 
have forgotten the fact, that's all. Wherever there is true yearning for 
God, Nature's laws work, just as oxygen is there to help fire. God made the 
same arrangement for the child born 6,000 years ago to be nurtured with 
mother's milk, as He is doing for the children born today. Do you think 
this law will change in the future?
  
   The Guru appears when the seeker is ready. Kabir Sahib advises that a
man should not be a hypocrite, with one thing in his heart and another on
his tongue. If he has not received anything he should admit it frankly, and
not lead others astray. He should not hide his faults with cunning words, 
and in his mind should be a desire to give selfless service and express
only humility. When St. Augustine was asked what the steps were to realizing
God, he replied, "First is humility, second humility, and third - humility."
If you have some humility to start with, you will go to someone to learn 
something; otherwise each man is nursing an egoistic pride in himself. Even 
if he goes to learn, without further humility he will not receive; for only 
the cup which is lower than the pitcher will be filled. Whatever a person 
knows, he knows; by going to learn more, he will not lose the knowledge he 
already has. When you go to someone, listen. He may say something which is 
not within your knowledge. The cup which is lower than the pitcher will be 
filled. God is within each and every one, and He knows all. The child who 
is longing for a glimpse of Him will have the special arrangement made for 
him to meet the realized soul. "Rejoin me back to God - anyone!" He is 
already in each being, and that is where the reunion takes place. "My 
Beloved resides in each form, there is no place without Him; but blessed is 
he in whom the Lord is manifested." Although God is in us all, yet He is not 
manifested in all, for due to the scattered attention man has become the 
body and the world of matter. The realized soul, the manifested God-in-man, 
withdraws that scattered attention and gives it an upliftment - a way up - 
and at that point he gives the contact. This is the first step toward 
solving the mystery of life.
  
  This special day is for the Integration of Mankind, and at Manav Kendra, 
the Man Centre, the aims and hopes are the same; it is nothing new. There 
are no religious symbols here. This does not mean I do not favor the
religions - I will remain in mine, and you remain in yours. We have taken
the first step, for man is a social being and should remain in some social 
formation; otherwise, either corruption will set in, or some new sect will 
have to be formed. But while living in one's religion and within one's 
religious teachings, one should be sure to achieve the aim and purpose for 
which we joined. That aim is to realize God. I have started a library here, 
to hold volumes of all religious scriptures, etc. One should be a credit 
to one's religion. The school's name shall be honored from which the 
largest number of children graduate. That is why religions and sects were 
made. Our most noble aspiration is to become as perfect as our Father in 
heaven. All these things I learned by sitting at my Master's feet, and also 
through a parallel study of religions.
  
   I was earnestly seeking when but a young student. Being a voracious 
reader of books, I saw that there were three main principles of life, and 
this very idea came into my heart. First is man-making, which is the 
highest. The second is man-service, and the third is land-service. We 
already have the spiritual gathering, Ruhani Satsang, in which the 
principle of man-making is upheld. This was my mission, through the grace 
of God. Whatever I have understood I have placed before you. Now, man-
service and land-service have been added.
  
   Years ago, I used to occupy my spare time before and after office hours
in visiting the sick, in hospitals and in poor localities. We have started 
here a hospital for the poor - those who cannot afford the proper treatment 
for their ailments. They will be helped, for the rich can afford treatment 
anywhere. We have also opened a home for old people, for those who have no 
means and no one to support them. They can live here and their last days 
may be spent in peace. In land-service, we have started a section for 
agriculture, dairy development and husbandry. Guru Nanak was a great 
farmer towards the end of his life. These various schemes are all in the 
make. There is a mansarovar, around which the people can sit in peaceful 
meditation. It is oval-shaped, 350 feet long and 200 feet wide. During the 
early morning and evening people sit around the water in remembrance of 
God. Nature itself has supplied the water-source here; otherwise where
could you get so much water in Dehra Dun? We get a very powerful flow of
water from this spring. A bathing pool has been built nearby, and a 
separate one for the ladies. The library has started, and we are also 
considering starting a school of languages, that our thoughts may reach 
others and theirs may come to us. Everyone is realizing that the present 
system of education is a defective system. There should be a moral base 
to all education, and I have two or three schemes for this. When the 
Finance Minister came here to inaugurate the Manav Kendra Education Plan, 
he liked it very much. The scheme is based on the old style which was set
up in the universities of the past.
  
   So this is all a very humble start, resulting from the loving efforts of
many. Our President, the Hon. Dr. V. V. Giri, came here to spend a scheduled 
15 minutes, but he stayed instead for 45 minutes. I outlined what is being 
done here, and he spoke very highly of it and said, "It is God's work."
  
   We are all brothers and sisters, but we should have the right 
understanding - as man, as soul, as worshipers of the Lord - that we are 
all a one, and that unity exists already, but we have forgotten it. The 
Masters keep coming to revive this, to remind us of this old, old truth, 
but we go on forgetting. In a few words, whatever I have understood, I 
have placed the facts before you. Live in your own religion; it is not 
necessary to change it, for each one was formed with a noble purpose. But 
it is most necessary for us to know the essential teaching which lies within 
our religion. Know that and you will see for yourself that all men are
basically the same, and the inner way to that knowledge is the same for all.

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