                             THE SINGLE EYE OR THIRD EYE
                            from the book "Morning Talks"
          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          CHRIST said that it is better to enter the world with one eye
          rather than two, which will cast you into hell. Everyone has got
          two eyes, which are open in the face. They have been working ever
          since birth. All through life we have been working at the level
          of the two eyes. About eighty percent of all impressions that are
          received from outside come through the eyes. Those who work only
          at the level of the two eyes receive either good impressions or
          bad impressions. Good impressions will react as good actions. Bad
          impressions will result in bad actions. The very impressions that
          are embedded in our heart will overflow. It is a very superficial
          life that we are living.

          The Masters tell us that there is also another eye, called
          variously the third eye, the single eye or the shiv netra. Unless
          you open that third eye (which can be opened only while in the
          man-body), you are nowhere.

          It is the eye of the soul, not of the intellect nor the outgoing
          faculties. We are ensouled bodies, conscious entities, working
          through mind and outgoing faculties. That inner eye is opened
          when our soul, the outward expression of which is called
          attention, is withdrawn to the seat of the soul in the body,
          which is at the back of the two eyes. The attention is now
          working at the level of the eyes through the mind and outgoing
          faculties. We are identified with the body and we have forgotten
          ourselves. Unless that very attention is withdrawn from outside,
          and just extricated above the outgoing faculties, which end at
          the level of the eyes, we cannot know who we truly are. At the
          time of death you come up to this point. Therefore it is said
          that "Those who are initiated into the Mysteries of the Beyond,
          their soul has the same experience of leaving the body and the
          outgoing faculties, as it has at the time of death". That eye
          opens when the attention is withdrawn from outside and then
          dragged up from the level of the outgoing faculties to the seat
          of the soul in the body, which is at the back of the two eyes.
          That is the place where man leaves the body at the time of death.
          Kabir says, "Just direct your attention to the seat above the
          outgoing faculties". When your attention reaches that point, your
          inner eye opens. The inner eye is within all. So that is why it
          is said that it is better to enter the world with one eye rather
          than two, which will cast you into hell.

          This has now been explained to you very clearly. If you can do it
          yourself, well and good. If not, then seek the help of somebody
          who is competent to do it for you. Outward sadhana of japa and
          mantras and outward performances at the level of the outgoing
          faculties, anybody can preach with little effort. It is a fact, I
          would say, of withdrawing the attention from outside and dragging
          it above the eye level of the outgoing faculties, whereby the
          inner eye is opened. This eye is opened to see the
          God-into-Expression Power, which is Light and Sound Principle. To
          give you one illustration, when a hen sits over an egg, she
          produces heat within herself. This heat is conveyed to the egg
          and within the egg, the chicken is born. But the chicken is all
          hemmed in by the outer coverings of the shell. So the hen says,
          "Look here child, there is a very big sun outside, and there are
          fields and vales." The child says, "Mother, it might be so, but I
          am in all darkness." What does the hen do? She just gently taps
          on the shell with her beak until the egg bursts and the chicken
          is freed.

          "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of Light".
          You know what that means? It is a demonstration, a proof, that
          when the third eye opens, you see the Light of God within you. To
          give another illustration, suppose there are one hundred stairs
          in a house, and a man climbs thirty, forty, fifty, sixty stairs,
          but still he does not see any light. As he gets near to the roof,
          he sees flashes of light. When he gets to the top of the roof, he
          sees light. This is only a first step to show when the third eye
          is opened. This we can do only in the man-body, which we have got
          with the grace of God. When rain comes in torrents, it floods the
          whole world. Similarly, when the true Master comes, He brings
          with Him the Water of Life. I use the word "true", as there are
          so many masters flooding the world. They simply give you
          something at the level of the outgoing faculties. Their third eye
          is not opened and they cannot open the third eye of others. The
          greatness of a true Master lies in the fact that He has opened
          His inner eye and can also make others see. Our Master used to
          say, "Well, what is the use of giving the five names, five
          mantras, or any outward thing? That even a little girl spinning a
          wheel can tell you." The outward methods of performing a ritual
          anybody can do with a little training. But rising above, body
          consciousness and opening the single eye, only a competent man
          can do. He will give you a sitting and after that you will see
          some Light. The more accurately you follow His instructions, the
          more Light you will see. Even a blind man has got the third eye.
          On my first tour to the West in 1955, I went to Los Angeles.
          During the meditation hour in the morning, a blind doctor was
          there and he was given a sitting and he saw Light. Masters give
          the eye to the blind man. In the eyes of the Masters, we are all
          blind. They see that our third eye is not open. Kabir says, "I
          see all are blind". Who is not blind? He who sees the Light of
          God within him, whose third eye is open. You follow me now,
          exactly what ! mean to say? When Masters come they flood the
          world, Their rays pour down in torrents and the whole world is
          flooded with the Water of Life. Kabir says, "There is a flood of
          the Water of Life given out by the Masters. People may take away
          as much as they like".

          When you leave the body at the time of death, you will simply
          repent. You should die while alive and this can only be done in
          the man-body and at the feet of a competent Master whose inner
          eye is opened and who can open the eye of others. Even the blind
          man has got the third eye. Those who do not see light outside see
          Light within when their inner eye has been opened. This eye is
          opened only when you rise above body consciousness. This is to be
          born anew. "Except ye be born anew, ye cannot enter the Kingdom
          of God". "Learn to die so that you may begin to live". At the
          time of death, your soul will be withdrawn from outside and from
          the outgoing faculties. It will come up to the seat of the soul
          at the back of the eyes. If this process is done while living,
          your inner eye is opened to see the Light beyond. All glory lies
          within you. So when the Masters come, there is a flood of
          Spirituality in the world. This is high time to take away as much
          as you can. This is the true wealth that you can gather while in
          the man-body. All other wealth is left here along with the body.
          When the Masters come they cry, "O people, now is the time. Make
          the best use of it. There is a flood of the Water of Life. Take
          as much as you can, it is all given free." Only a little
          devotion, a little receptivity is to be developed, whether you
          live near or far makes no difference whatsoever.

          Why are we fortunate to have the man-body? It is because in the
          man-body only can we open that eye. When your eye is opened, you
          enjoy the Beyond while still living. You should graduate while
          you are here, then you remain the same graduate after leaving the
          body. If you are unlearned now, how can you become a graduate
          after leaving the body ? Our Master always used to say, "Who
          becomes a learned man while in life remains learned even after
          leaving the body. Those who are illiterate here, how can they
          become educated afterwards?" You follow now, why so much praise
          is given to the Masters? Not to the so-called masters, the world
          is flooded with them. If their own eyes are not opened, they
          cannot open the eyes of others. To go on in your present
          condition won't do. You will remain all along at the level of the
          eyes, or at the level of the outgoing faculties. So if you can
          rise above yourself, well and good. What more is required. If
          not, you can have the help of somebody whose eye is open and who
          gives you something to start with, some capital to see the Light
          of God. So you can now appreciate the beauty of the advice, "It
          is better to enter the world with one eye rather than two, which
          will cast you into hell".

          When Masters come, they speak in their own language, but they say
          the same things. The whole world is at the level of feelings and
          emotions, or of drawing inferences at the level of the intellect.
          They have not seen. So feelings, emotions and drawing inferences
          are all subject to error, seeing is above all. Those who have
          seen say the same thing. That is why it is said, "Listen to the
          words of the Master. He says what He sees and He is competent to
          make others see". Books cannot explain these very few words,
          which are very simple, quite to the point and at a commonsense
          level. Our inner eye is closed but it is there and can be opened
          while in the man-body. Why can't we open it ourselves? Because
          our soul, combined with mind, has become a jiva, and by outward
          expressions through the outgoing faculties, it has become
          identified with the body and the world outside so much so that it
          has forgotten its true nature. If it continues for years and
          years all methods of outward worship and uses them for meditation
          at the level of the outgoing faculties, or at the level of the
          eyes, it cannot go up. If it can go up by its own efforts, well
          and good. Otherwise it should take the help of somebody whose
          inner eye is open and who is competent to open the inner eye of
          others.

          -----------------------------------------------------------------

          Return to: Elixir  [Image]
