A CHRISTMAS CAROL: CHRIST AND SPIRITUAL MASTERS
Michael Turner
CHRIST AND SPIRITUAL MASTERS
© 2009 by Michael Turner
“Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy,
Which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the City of David
a Savior
Who is Christ, the Lord”
- Luke: 2:10 & 11
As the chill and first snow of approaching Winter nips the air, my
thoughts turn toward the coming holidays, particularly Christmas.
Christmas is a powerful symbol in this culture. Although, for some,
it has become merely an occasion for partying and gift-getting, for
most it endures as a celebration of the birth of the Son of God, the
Savior, the great Spiritual Master, Jesus of Nazareth.
The enduring image is one of God descending into man, taking on a
physical body through a humble birth, living as we lived, dreaming as
we dreamed, suffering as we suffered, and loving as only God can love
– His only goal being to show us the way back home to the Kingdom of
Heaven.
For most Christians, this event remains – like the season in which it
arises – frozen in time. Two thousand years have passed, and our
attention remains riveted on the image of God being born in a stable.
Traditional Christian doctrine declares this to be a singular event,
the one and only time God has become human. The phrase frequently
used in Christian liturgy is “only begotten son” – and most orthodox
preachers will reinforce this, stating that Jesus of Nazareth is our
only hope for spiritual salvation, that without accepting him as our
personal Lord and Savior, we are eternally doomed.
I must respectfully disagree. My experience has taught me that God's
greatest attribute is infinite love. Out of Its love for us, It
always manifests Itself in flesh and walks among us in human form as a
Living Master. It was within this context that Jesus stated:
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
None come to the Father, except by me.”
Jesus was speaking here as a living master of his generation, and
echoing a timeless truth which has reverberated through every living
saint since the dawn of humankind. It is through a living, God-
realized teacher that we are connected with the Holy Spirit (also
known as Word, Name, Shabda and Holy Ghost) and able to make the
journey back home to the Father. Kirpal Singh, reaffirmed this when
he stated:
“...Herein lies the greatness of Master-souls.
They effect a reunion between man and God.
The long-drawn period of separation comes to
an end, and the lost child is restored once again
to the Father. It marks the Grand Homecoming
through endless trials and tribulations.
The Saving Grace of God is stirred by the Godman
and purpose of life is fulfilled. Henceforth,
the Son and the Father are not only reconciled
but become one.”
There have been many names for this Hu-man embodiment of God
consciousness, including Messiah, Avatar, Mahanta, Savior, Teacher,
Guide, Friend, Sat Guru, Spiritual Traveler and Master. I realize
that many Western readers may have a challenge with the term
“Master”. Given our experience in the past few decades with spiritual
megalomaniacs, it is understandable that we have a healthy skepticism
of individuals claiming to instruments of divine inspiration.
However, the true concept of a “Spiritual Master” does not imply an
old-fashioned, authoritarian, top-down relationship of an impossibly
infallible “Master” worshipped and financially supported by his or her
true-believing disciples. It is more along the lines of a master
craftsman or master chef.
Personally, I have always been fond of Rumi's term “The Friend”. For
a living Master, a Satguru, is our truest friend. He or She is always
present in this world in at least one human embodiment at any given
time – the Word made flesh. There was never a time when they are
not. Their only purpose is to reach those souls who are ready to
grasp the brass ring of spiritual freedom, link them with the Holy
Spirit through initiation, and guide them back home to the pure
positive heavens of the Supreme Lord. My Master, Sri Darwin Gross,
stated this well when he wrote:
“The Master's role is to lead the
Atom (or soul) out of darkness
into the divine light of the highest kingdom.
Thus he will gain spiritual freedom and
knowledge which will be the greatest
of all wisdoms, not gained from stories or books,
but from contact with God ITself.”
Likewise, Harold Klemp, the current spiritual leader of Eckankar,
affirmed:
“The Mahanta, the Inner Master,
is the Light and Sound in form.
The reason the Light and Sound
come to many in form is so that
eventually they can partake of the food
of God, the Light and Sound, directly.”
Now, many questions arise when discussing the living Master, such as:
Is a living master necessary?
For starters, a master (living or past) is not absolutely essential
for exploring the inner worlds and directly experiencing God. The
Lord has not established a legal code which forbids entry into the
Kingdom of Heaven without a master. Living Masters are simply gifts
from ‘god to us. They are guides, not unlike park rangers, who are
here to show us around, to help us avoid getting lost in the Yosemite
of the psychic worlds. There are numerous pitfalls and traps on the
path to self and God-realization, and it stands to reason that we
benefit from the guidance of someone who is already familiar with the
way.
Now, assuming that we agree upon the need for some sort of teacher or
guide, the next question that arises is: Why must they be living here
and now? This is an extremely important question, for most people are
followers of past masters (e.g., Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Krishna,
Buddha, Guru Nanak, Zoroaster, etc.) whose living teachings were
fossilized into religious dogma. In addition, a good portion of the
modern New Age community focuses its attention upon either “ascended”
masters (for example, St. Germain) or non-physical beings who channel
through a physical host (such as Seth or Ramtha).
Unfortunately past or non-physical masters are unable to be of much
help. There are several reasons for this. First, because the reality
of God is so vast, it is difficult for the human mind to directly
comprehend it. This is why, in Its great love for us, the Lord
blesses us with at least one living master at all times. Except in
rare instances, we need other human beings for teachers. It is largely
a matter of communication, of expressing the God-consciousness and the
path to achieve it in human language. As Kirpal Singh noted:
“Man needs man to understand,
and so a Sant is the High One
in the guise of a man to whom
those longing for Him can approach.”
Kirpal's son, Darshan Singh, added to this, stating:
“Because God, the Universal
Power which permeates creation
as Word or Naam, is invisible to man,
He cannot give man guidance
except by working through a human pole.
Man cannot learn from an unseen Creator
unless he rises to His level.
Man alone can be the teacher of man.
Therefore, God in His compassion
gives a direct commission to certain souls
to work in the material world
in order to perform the sacred duty of
bringing seekers after truth back to
Him. Such commissioned souls
have been called saints or Masters.”
Another reason that a living Master is so important is that, once
Masters leave this arena, their message becomes subject to
translation and interpretation. Ask a thousand different people what
a particular passage in the Bible or Koran, or Gita means, and you
will likely get a thousand different responses. This is another
reason why God blesses us with living Masters. They keep the divine
message pure and current. There is no need for interpretation,
speculation or conjecture. If you have any questions, just ask the
teacher. Darshan Singh explained this beautifully when he wrote:
“If we want to learn physics,
a physics teacher who lived in the past
cannot help us understand the subject.
But if we go to a living professor of
physics, we will find combined in him
all that was taught by past professors,
and all the latest concepts now taught
in different countries...we will want to
seek out the greatest living exponent of
atomic physics in our times. In the
same way, if we want to perform the
experiment of dying while living, we
need to go the most competent living
teacher, call him by any name: Saint,
Guide, Murshid, Guru, Master....We
will need the help of some living
professor on that subject. And even
then, it is not just a questions of
understanding theory; it is a question
of performing experiments, and
experiencing the science for ourselves.
We honor the old writings of past professors,
old scriptures, prophets, saints and seers;
but if we want the experience for ourselves,
we need the help of a living teacher
in the science.”
Likewise, departed living masters such as Jesus may, through their
compassion and grace, serve as inner guides for those souls who look
to them for upliftment. They are valuable sources of information and
inspiration, as are books by authors who have passed from the scene.
But it is still preferable to also have a living, breathing teacher.
As Paul Twitchell so aptly noted:
“No matter how inspiring a book
or the written word may be,
it is not a guru, and should not be
taken as such. Unless the spiritual
teacher who is responsible for the
written works is living, his writings
are only reference points. Neither is
the same teacher, or master,
of much use to his followers unless
he is in the flesh and can act as
both the outer – and the inner master.
If living, he is a manifestation of the
spiritual power. He is the Word made flesh,
and can function in both the outer
and the inner worlds. Outwardly he is
limited by his own embodiment of flesh,
but inwardly he is free to do anything
or be anywhere,
even in many places at the same time.”
In addition, people who follow past masters frequently fall prey to a
common illusion of their chosen teacher being vastly superior to any
who have come after. These people have a hopelessly romanticized
image of their master which no living, breathing human teacher can
possibly fulfill. This illusion is the result of a play of the mind,
which is ruled by Kal, the Negative Power (known by Christians as
Satan). It is designed to keep us mired in the realm of mental
abstraction so as to avoid meeting, and being initiated by, a living
teacher in the here-and-now and attaining spiritual freedom. This is
the task assigned
Kal.
Finally, living spiritual teachers keep the message of Divine Spirit
grounded here and now in the physical world. They speak to their
generation and time, expressing the eternal principles of Divine Love
and Spiritual Freedom in a language people understand. Like a mighty
river flowing ever onward to the sea, the Holy Spirit is continually
refreshing and renewing Itself, manifesting Its timeless gospel
through the Word made Flesh. This is truly one of the greatest
miracles of God's creation.
So as we move into the Christmas season, let us reflect on that
eternal gift from God - the human birth of the Living Word, symbolized
by the birth of Jesus – which has graced every generation of humanity
since the dawn of time – and shall forevermore.
May God’s Blessings Be – for Everyone!
Michael Turner
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFS/
alt.meditation.shabda