It's All Too Much: The Story of Kirpal Singh (long)
Michael Turner
For Explorers of God's Inner Sound & Light
Volume 3, Issue 8 © August 1996
It's All Too Much: The Story of Kirpal Singh
by Michael Turner
"When I look into your eyes,
Your love is there for me.
And the more I go inside,
The more there is to see."
- The Beatles
This month we take up the life of one of the greatest
Satgurus to have ever graced this planet, and one of two
major successors to Hazur Sawan Singh: Sant Kirpal Singh.
What can one say about this Great Soul? Oh Kirpal, Kirpal,
Kirpal! I am struck speechless trying to describe you.
Every time I try, Your Light and Song consume me. A single
hair on Your beard eclipses a thousand suns and moons. If
only I could sit at Your Holy Feet and sing your name
endlessly. Kirpal, Kirpal, Kirpal!
As difficult as it is - I've spent weeks trying to begin
this - I will try to offer a thumbnail sketch of Sant Kirpal
Singh Ji. As a quick note, the information for this biography
was drawn from Portrait of Perfection, SK Publications, and
A Brief Life Sketch of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji, Ruhani Satsang
Books, with most pertinent facts coming from the latter. I
ask your forgiveness if my words fall short of doing Him
justice. It is all I can do to put them on paper.
Kirpal Singh was born on February 6, 1894, in the
village of Sayyad Kasaran, in the Rawalpindi district of India.
His parents were devout Sikhs who prayed for a spiritually-
minded child, and there were several early portents that their
prayers would be answered. It has been said that the name
"Kirpal" itself means "The Gracious One." Moreover, his
parents' names were also auspicious, "Hukam Singh" (His
father) meaning "Bearer of Divine Will" and "Gulab Devi"
(His mother) meaning "Goddess of Roses." And, of course,
the name "Singh" means "Lion." Indeed, to borrow from
historical novelist Taylor Caldwell, the name "Kirpal Singh"
could be taken to mean "Great Lion of God."
As I mentioned a moment ago, Kirpal's greatness was
manifest at a very early age. By the time He was four, He
had already developed a meditation technique by means of
which He could leave His physical body at will and explore
the inner regions. This youthful predilection for inner ("soul")
travel foreshadowed that of His famous American student,
Sri Paul Twitchell, as well as Paulji's successor (and my
Master) Sri Darwin Gross, both of Whom we will study in
the near future.
It was also during Kirpal's childhood that He made
the decision to be a strict vegetarian, announcing to his
parents that he didn't want his body to be a "graveyard." He
also developed a well-defined sense of what was spiritually
appropriate and what wasn't. For instance, Kirpal had such
"paranormal" talents such as transvision, precognition, healing.
Yet He was anything but enamored with them (and, in fact,
often yearned for a normal boyhood). He intuitively knew
that such abilities were of a psychic nature, a distraction from
God and, as such, to be avoided at all cost. All that mattered
to Him was being an obedient instrument of Divine Will. Kirpal
commented on this many years later when He wrote,
"Miracles, spiritual healings, psychic
phenomena, fortune-telling, akashic records
and worldly desires are all to be left aside, for
these are positive hinderences on the Path.
The entire energy is to be conserved for
internal progress. ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,
and all things shall be added unto you.'
...The miraculous powers achieved
after a lengthy period of time are instrumental
for doing both good and harm, and as they
are utilized more for harm than anything
else, they are termed as a disease by all truly
spiritual persons. The Masters are in
possession of Supreme Power but their
mission is sacred . . . To hesitate to believe
in a Master without seeing miracles is as
foolish as our refusal to believe that a certain
man is a multi-millionaire unless he shows us
his money . . . Those who are anxious to see
miracles are not true seekers . . . Making
prophecies and performing miracles are
simply collections of mind."
Regarding spiritual healing, He further stated,
"Spiritual healing is prohibited by the
Masters. It has reasons and deeper significance
behind it, which ordinarily people ignore,
considering the face value of the profits
accrued and attributing it as service to the
suffering humanity. The inexorable Law of
Karma is supreme and demands adjustment
of each farthing . . . (T)he reactions of past
karma must demand adjustment and as such
are too borne by the victim. The healer,
whosoever he may be, conducting this
service, takes the karma on his head, to be
borne by him at a later stage . . . Again,
this sort of healing becomes professional and
at times encourages corruption and misery.
It not only invites malpractices, but brings in
more of mental agony and wretchedness in
multiplied form added with interest. This is a
causal postponement of payment for a future
date, and adds strong fetters over the soul."
In keeping with the above admonition, Kirpal never
performed any overt miracles or healings throughout His
life. Instead, He aided the suffering humanity by selflessly
serving those in need (such as in the case of the flu epidemic
that broke out during World War I), tending the sick,
administering medicine and using good old fashioned TLC to
comfort those who suffered.
In addition, being influenced by the life of the Indian
Saint Ramanuja, and possibly the Aryan Samaj (an Indian
sovereignty and populist group), He was convinced that God's
blessings should be openly shared with all who desired them
(as opposed to the conventional wisdom that they should
only be doled out to those who were "worthy").
As He approached adulthood, Kirpal faced the choice
all of us face: what to do with His life. He was an exceptionally
bright young man and a voracious reader who could have
written His own ticket in any profession He desired. Instead,
as He often recalled, His choice was "God first; world after."
His decision made, he set out to find a Spiritual Master who
could show Him the way to spiritual freedom as exemplified by
Guru Nanak, and chose a job working for the government
which would not interfere with His spiritual search. It should
be noted here that his commitment was so complete that He
would not even allow Himself to be involved in family legal
disputes, stating at one point,
"Your friends will be my friends . . .
but it is not necessary that your foes be my
foes, as your enmities may be based on
misunderstandings. I have not come to have
enmities and hatreds; I have come to love all
mankind.:
Over the next several years, Kirpal sought out any
yogi, fakir and spiritual teacher He could find in order to
learn the science of spirituality. While He met many people
who could perform a variety of psychic parlor tricks, and
pundits who could endlessly interpret the Adi Granth in a
myriad of ways, none could offer Him a tangible experience
of God-in-Expression. During this time, He also studied every
spiritual text and biography He could get His hands on. Sikh,
Christian, Moslem, Jew, Hindu or Buddhist - it didn't matter.
He relentlessly searched for the Essence He intuitively knew
unified all religions.
In 1917 Kirpal's devotion bore fruit as He began
having visions in His meditations of a Spiritual Master with a
turban and long white beard. Being raised a Sikh, Kirpal
naturally took this great soul to be Guru Nanak. The visions,
and inner journeys, continued for seven years until 1924
when, at the age of thirty, His life was changed forever.
For many years, Kirpal had been interested in India's
rivers, and took the opportunity to visit them whenever he had
a chance. In 1924, while on vacation in the upper Punjab,
He decided to make a pilgrimage to the Beas River. While
stopping in the village of Beas on the way to the river He met
a gentleman who asked if He was on his way to visit the great
Saint of Beas. Kirpal didn't know that there even was a
saint at Beas and, given His spiritual devotion, asked the man
for directions. Waiting for Him at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh
was Hazur Sawan Singh who, much to Kirpal's amazement
(one might say his "amazement was amazed!"), was identical
to the Master He had seen in His meditations. Upon seeing
this Great Soul who had been His constant companion within
for the previous seven years, Kirpal fell to His knees and asked
why the Master had taken so long to reveal Himself to Kirpal.
Sawan reportedly smiled and simply answered that, "This was
the opportune moment for our physical meeting."
For the next quarter century, Kirpal Singh was a
devoted disciple of Great Master. He visited the Dera
whenever He could, often bringing his wife and children,
Darshan Singh in particular, with him. Within a few years,
Kirpal was one of a small handful of chelas authorized to give
the initiation instructions, and an even small group allowed
to give Satsang. There are some wonderful pictures taken
in the 1930's and 1940's of Kirpal and Sawan together,
including one of Kirpal giving Satsang with Sawan sitting
next to Him, and another of Kirpal's son, Darshan, reading a
poem with Kirpal and Sawan observing. It should be noted
here that Darshan Singh (who would later serve as one of
Kirpal's successors) practically grew up at the Dera, and was
very close Sawan's grandson, Charan Singh.
Kirpal's devotion to Sawan was all-consuming and
reflected itself in many ways, among them this poem,
"Gods, men and angels - greater
than these was he; My Emperor was
unparalleled in this world and the next. For
when the veil was lifted, I beheld God Himself
in human form. And O Lord, he was so
different from what I thought him to be. In
all splendour did the Creator manifest to him,
and in all finality was he merged in the Creator.
God Himself was not found separate from him,
nor was he discovered as separate from God.
So enchanted were they with one another that
God was lost in him, and he was lost in God.
In this world of finitude, He was the secret of
Eternity. God dwelt in his frame and he proved
to be none other than God Himself. Come,
let us behold him at the Satsang this day and
drink in the oneness of his eyes, for who
knows what the morrow brings, or when
our end will come."
At the feet of His Master, Kirpal learned the sublimely
simple essence of spiritual unfoldment,
"When I came to my Master I only
asked him two or three questions. I simply
sat by him, listened to what he said and got
everything by radiation. One third of a
Master's teachings are by word of mouth,
two thirds by receptivity, by radiation. Soul
speaks through the eyes; they are the windows
of the soul. Through the eyes you can learn
so many things. They speak a language which
even words cannot express."
Regarding the value of Satsang, Kirpal wrote,
"Once I asked Hazur, "What are your
orders regarding Satsang? What if a man is
sick and cannot attend the Satsang?" He
replied, "If you are sick in your bed, but you
can move, then attend Satsang." Just note,
he did not say that if you have strength to
walk, then attend Satsang. One Sunday at
Satsang time I was really sick, but I could
move in the bed. I remembered Master's
words and thought, "Well, I can move." The
Satsang place was hardly a furlong away. On
the way I sat down four times to take rest.
When I arrived, I was very tired and weak.
I sat down and started the Satsang. That
day the Satsang extended for three hours.
And when I returned - I came running.
Twice a week I used to see Hazur. I
would reach Beas about nine or ten at night
and had the privilege to be with him for any
length of time. One Saturday evening, as I
sat by him, I was thinking in my heart of
hearts to remain with Hazur and arrange for
someone else to give a talk at Satsang on
Sunday. But at midnight, Master said,
"Kirpal Singh, tomorrow aren't you to give a
Satsang at Lahore?" I said, "Yes, Sir." Hazur
said, "Then you should go." So of course, I
caught the train for Lahore and gave the
Satsang. Duty is duty."
Years later, when He was serving as Living Satguru,
Sant Kirpal further elucidated on the value of Satsang, and
the proper attitude to have toward it,
"Love and all things shall be added
unto you. First of all, Satsang is connecting
of soul with God and getting absorbed in Him.
Then comes the Satsang presided over by
the Master, who is Word-made-flesh. In the
absence of this all brothers and sisters should
sit together in meditation and in sweet
remembrance of the Master and God. The
Satsang receives the grace of the Master if
it is conducted selflessly and with loving
devotion to the Master. If it is considered to
be anyone's ‘personal' Satsang, it will lose all
the grace of the Master."
This latter point is particularly important, as it reflects
a cornerstone of Kirpal's spiritual philosophy: service. Not
once in His writings do you find an element of grandstanding,
of promoting Himself over others. For nearly a quarter century
He served His Master, Sawan Singh. Never did He question
His Master's requests.
At one point political infighting at the ashram led to
efforts to discredit Kirpal, saying that He seeking glory and
overshadowing the Master via out-of-town satsangs and
apparent healings. To quiet the scuttlebut, Sawan asked
Kirpal to mellow out on His visits to other villages, even
to the point of not visiting the sick and indigent, so as to
avoid people claiming His mere presence healed their
affliction. Both Sawan and Kirpal knew that self-promotion
was the last thing on Kirpal's mind, but Kirpal complied with
Sawan's request without hesitation.
In later years, when giving talks in public, Kirpal
frequently began them by stating,
"I am a man like you: two arms, two
legs, two eyes, two ears a nose and a mouth.
It is only through the grace of my Master
that I have been able to rise above body
consciousness into self-knowledge and
God-realization. Other than that, I am no
different from any of you."
Reading Kirpal's books, and listening to His tapes,
you find variations on this theme over and over again. Kirpal
constantly extolled the virtues of His guru, and referred to
Himself as only continuing the Great Master's work.
Even when He (with the aid of His son, Darshan Singh)
assisted Sawan in writing the epic work, Philosophy of the
Masters, Kirpal gave sole attribution of authorship to His guru.
All the while, Kirpal continued to work steadily at his
job. Unlike so many people on a spiritual path who want to
drop out of society and grok the Lord in the sanctity of nature,
Kirpal laid great stress upon leading a householder's life, and
staying within one's social community, commenting at one
point,
"You may put in regular hours for
your business and consider it as a sacred
duty to the Master."
In late 1947, Sawan's health began to steadily decline.
Realizing that the monument to spirituality He had built at
Beas had taken on a life of its own, Sawan bequeathed it in
His will to Sardar Jagat Singh, another senior disciple, quite
possibly with the understanding that it eventually be turned
over to Sawan's beloved grandson, Charan Singh. However,
for Kirpal He had other plans in mind. In A Brief Life Sketch
of Param Sant Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, Kirpal recalled,
"On the morning of the 12th of October,
1947, at 7 o'clock, He called me. When I
was present in His August presence, He said:"
‘Kirpal Singh! I have allotted
all other work but have not entrusted
My work of Naam-initiation and spiritual
work to anyone. That I confer to you
today so that this holy and sacred Science
may flourish.'"
Kirpal goes on to say,
"On another occasion, Hazur said:
‘Kirpal Singh! The people will
flock to the place where they would
find the riches of Naam. What have you
to gain from the Dera? You better leave
the Dera (at Beas). When Baba Ji came
from Agra, he brought with him neither
money nor followers. He fetched within
him only his Guru, and through His
blessing the present Dera (at Beas)
came into existence. The sangat is dear
to Me, even now just as it was before.
It is now imperative for the sangat to
do abhyas (devotional meditation) and
go within. By doing so, all will be able
to understand things as they are.'
...Consequently, during Hazur's lifetime and in
strict conformity with His wishes, in November
1947, a proposal for "Spiritual Satsang" (or
"Ruhani Satsang") was laid before Him, the
main objects of which were solely the ethical
and spiritual benefit of mankind in general,
irrespective of caste, color or creed. This was
heartily appreciated by Hazur, who said, "I am
wholly and solely at one with thee in this
endeavor," and directed me to give practical
shape to the scheme. It is, therefore, due to
His blessings alone that Ruhani Satsang
("Science of Spirituality") today is working
successfully in and outside Delhi."
On April 2, 1948, Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj
passed away. In accordance to His wishes, Sardar Jagat Singh
took control of Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, (not unlike Rai
Saligram becoming the key administrator of Soamibagh after
Shiv Dayal Singh's death), and Kirpal departed, with His
family and a few close friends, for Rishikesh, a town by the
Ganges River famous for its population of Rishis and Sages.
For the next five months, Kirpal spent six to eight hours at a
time in meditation, traveling in soul through the dual regions,
soaring into the Pure Positive God Worlds, encountering in
the process many great souls who had come in the past such
as Shams I Tabriz, Rumi, Kabir and Guru Nanak.
After nearly half-a-year in deep contemplation, Kirpal
received an inner nudge to return to society and begin the
work assigned Him by Great Master Sawan Singh. Though
He was not sure how to begin (being, for all outward
appearances, a "self-proclaimed" master), He accepted His
role as an instrument for His Master's - and God's - will,
and in the late fall of 1948 officially inaugurated Ruhani
Satsang.
Ruhani Satsang was further established in the
Physical Plane in 1951 when Beloved Master Kirpal built
Sawan Ashram (so named in honor of Hazur Sawan Singh) in
Delhi. As one of Kirpal's biographers noted,
"This Ashram was to be dedicated to
the sole objective of presenting Spirituality
to mankind. This presentation would be
of a purely scientific nature, shorn of all rituals
or ceremonies. With its inception, Sawan
Ashram has been a focal point of light in a
darkened world, a magnetic center which has
drawn seekers after Truth from all corners of
this planet of pain."
Four years after building Sawan Ashram, in the spring
of 1955 Kirpal Singh made history by being the first Surat
Shabd Yoga Master to do a major tour of the United
States. He began in New York and Washington, D.C. in early
June, traveled around the country throughout the summer,
and returned to Washington, D.C. in September before flying
to Europe for satsangs in England and Germany. During this
tour, many thousands of people in the West received Naam
initiation, and many thousands more became acquainted with
the Light and Sound Teachings for the first time.
The public Satsangs Kirpal gave demonstrated the
value of His early immersion in comparative religious studies,
as He was able to answer the questions of Western Christians
in great depth, eloquently pointing out the true meaning of
such classic Biblical phrases as "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."
He also explained the essential value of a Living Master and
how the Lord always blesses the "child humanity" (as He
called it) with at least one Living Master at all times, all the
while honoring the great Masters such as Christ who had
come in the past.
He also elucidated on the fact that outer temples,
churches and mosques are but reflections of the true Temple
of the Lord, which resides within each of us. He pointed out
that most priests and ministers have forgotten the real meaning
of the lighting of candles and the ringing of bells in church,
taking them to be merely a method of lighting the church and
calling people to worship instead of the Inner Light & Sound
of God which they really symbolize.
Many audio tapes are available of Kirpal's U.S.
Satsangs and, in spite of some audio problems, provide a
wealth of spiritual information and inspiration. There is
even at least one containing questions asked by Kirpal's most
famous American Satsangi. For among His audience during
His return trip to the nation's capital was Sri Paul Twitchell.
Paul attended several Satsangs in September 1955 which
culminated in His requesting, and receiving, Naam initiation
in mid-September of that year.
Over the next two decades, Kirpal kept up a very busy
schedule. He toured the United States again in 1963/64
(during which time He initiated Paulji's fiancee, Gail), and a
final time in 1972. He also organized the first conference of
the World Fellowship of Religions, which elected Him as its
president, in 1957, and followed it up with the first Unity of
Man (later dubbed the "Human Unity") conference in 1974,
just prior to His death. All of this was in keeping with Kirpal's
firm belief that the blessings of the Lord are a human right,
not a privilege, that all faiths originate in Ekankar (One God),
and that the answer to the earth's problems is more religion
(and interdenominational affinity), not less. "A Brief Life
Sketch" (a short biography of Master Kirpal at the back of
the book, "Surat Shabd Yoga"), notes,
"Master Kirpal Singh cherished a vision
of a common forum where representatives of
all religions could meet together and discuss
the essence of Eternal Truth and the practical
means of uniting all mankind in peace and
goodwill. It was ever His aim to foster such
a forum, and He affirmed that men of goodwill
would support such a common endeavor in
spite of their seeming differences in social
conduct, rituals, and modes of worship."
It is in keeping with Master Kirpal's vision of world
fellowship and human unity that I organized the first annual
Spiritual Freedom & Unity Celebration last year. The purpose
of this event is to celebrate the Eternal Light & Sound
Teachings with our brother and sister devotees, regardless
of which spiritual Master, path or organization they belong to.
Last year we had attendees who studied Eckankar,
MasterPath and Ancient Teachings of the Masters in the west,
and Radhasoami Satsang Beas, Sant Bani Ashram, Science of
Spirituality, Ruhani Satsang and Quan Yin in the east. The
seed which was planted when I (partly due to a strong inner
nudge from Soamiji Dayal, and with the gracious assistance of
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj, who has served as an inner mentor
for me during the early part of my mastership) began teaching
three years ago, and which truly sprouted at last year's Light
& Sound Spiritual Unity Celebration, has been growing
steadily. I very much look forward to spending the weekend
with this year's attendees (which will, hopefully, include some
of the other Light & Sound Satgurus, schedule permitting).
This year's gathering will be held in Tucson over the weekend
of October 19-20 (full details on the last page of this issue of
The Sonic Spectrum) and will be held in the future on the third
weekend of October every year.
This Spiritual Unity Celebration could not occur, had
it not been for the pioneering work of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
Maharaj. In His service to Sawan Singh and Sat Naam, He
laid the foundation for the establishment of Surat Shabd Yoga
in the west. Virtually every western Light & Sound group
owes its existence to Kirpal. From His initiate Paul Twitchell
sprang the missions of Sri Gary Olsen, Sri Jerry Mulvin, Sri
Harold Klemp, John-Roger Hinkins, Sri Darwin Gross (my
Master) and my own. In addition, three major successorship
lines arose in the east after Kirpal's passing on August 21,
1974: that of His son, Darshan Singh (who in turn was
succeeded by His son, Rajinder Singh), Ajaib Singh and Thakar
Singh (who, in turn, initiated the first major female, and
Vietnamese, Satguru in modern times, Suma Ching Hai).
The significance of Kirpal Singh's work cannot be
overstated. Not only did He open a portal for Shabda to flow
to the west through His tours, and the world through His
World Fellowship of Religion and Unity of Man conferences,
not only did He initiate over 80,000 souls in Holy Naam
during His quarter century of Spiritual Mastership, He also
authored some of the best spiritual texts to appear in the 20th
Century. Among them are "Night is a Jungle," "The Crown of
Life" (a study in comparative yogas), "Morning Talks" and
"Heart to Heart Talks" (transcripts of His talks with primarily
western students, now retitled "The Light of Kirpal"), "The
Wheel of Life and the Mystery of Death" (an excellent look
at the nature of karma), "Prayer: It's Nature and Technique,"
"Spirituality: What It Is," "Naam or Word" (an in-depth
study of how principle of Shabda/Naam/Word is the
foundation of all religious teachings), "Godman" (a look at
the nature of Satgurus, their mission and how to recognize
one) and "A Great Saint - Baba Jaimal Singh, His Life and
Teachings." The latter work was His first work, published in
1949, less than a year later after Sawan Singh's death. It is a
volume saturated in love and devotion and, in many ways, ranks
as one of His best. There is also an excellent pair of compiled
works, "The Teachings of Kirpal Singh" and "The Way of the
Saints," as well as an absolutely superb photo album/biography
entitled "Portrait of Perfection."
Kirpal also developed the "Self-Introspection Diary," a
tool by which individuals can monitor their spiritual progress.
The diary form is designed in such a way that, at the end of the
day, we can look at ourselves and see how many times we
have fallen prey to habits of negative action, speech and
thought, by making notations in a series of columns as to how
many times the passions of anger, lust, greed, attachment and
vanity expressed themselves throughout the day, week, month
and year. They also have an area for recording our meditation
time every day and its success.
The Self-Introspection Diary is based upon the principle
that, as we learn to take control of our attention ("surat"), we
become aware of negative traits as they appear closer and closer
to their source, eventually tracing them back to their point of
origin and, through the application of Shabda via meditation,
heal the wounds that gave them birth. In doing so we gradually
cease to be the effect of our habits of thought, word and deed,
and instead - as we rise into soul-consciousness - become their
master. The diaries also facilitate receptivity to the Spiritual
Current through the agency of the Master; for as we do them
every evening, our attention naturally is turned toward the Master
and, through Him/Her, toward God ItSelf. Kirpal had this to say
about,
SELF-INTROSPECTION DIARIES:
"Spiritual diaries have been prescribed
after careful thought, and with deep purpose.
Daily self-introspection must be kept up, and
through this you will be able to see for yourself
how far you are coming out of the senses'
influence. With the Satguru's mercy one gets
a little connection with the Light and Sound
Principle, but if the life is not kept pure and
chaste, the curtain of darkness will obscure the
Light again. You must be regular in your
meditation to maintain the Light; there are
important reasons behind the keeping of
diaries."
And,
"Every thought, every word and every
deed, good or bad, leaves an indelible imprint
on the mind and has to be accounted for. Hence
the necessity for right thoughts, right aspiration
and right conduct, all of which constitutes the
hedge around the tender sapling of spirituality."
Furthermore,
"When at the end of the day, you recall
your failures in thought, word and deed, in
which direction will your mind be turned?
Naturally, it will go to the One who has asked
you to keep it. So keeping the diary is also
remembrance of the Master; you are saying
something to Him. If you remember Him,
then, He remembers you, and, in time, you
will develop receptivity to Him wherever you
may be. There can be no true spiritual progress
without receptivity, and the daily maintenance
of the diary with full attention and a true
yearning to be freed from the lapses which
are recorded therein goes a long way to
developing this receptivity . . .
...The true purpose of putting these
failures down in front of you is to make yourself
aware of them so that they may be weeded out.
To weed them out, it is not sufficient to cut
off one or two branches; you must uproot the
cause. Once you have become aware of a
failure, you should be able to trace it to a certain
situation, and this situation will help you to
identify the cause of the weakness in you
which has to be eliminated. By and by, the
very cause of the failure will drop off by itself."
And finally,
"The diary forms should be a true
reflection of your own inner state. The
failures made should be as an open self-
confession of the shortcomings which stand
between you and the Master. Similarly,
devoting regular time to the Spiritual Practices
is an indication of the positive growth. If you
live up to the sublime purpose behind the keeping
of the diary, you will progress from day to day,
and achieve your goal in this lifetime."
TRUTH:
"Truth is above all, but higher still is
true living."
AHIMSA (NON-INJURY):
"Ahimsa or non-injury to all living
creatures, and more so to fellow beings, by
thoughts, words and deeds - the injunction in
this behalf being: "Injure not a human heart, for
it is the seat of God . . . I would like to impress
upon you particularly to give up thinking ill of
others. While you do not make the enemy
your friend, you will have no peace within
. . . Purity mainly lies in not thinking evil of
others, in thought, word and deed. If you think
good of others, you will radiate good. If you
purify your mind, you will purify the minds of
others."
FORGIVENESS & LOVE:
"There is no evil in the world. If it
appears to be evil, it is due to the smoky or
colored glasses that you are wearing on your
heart or mind. You will find that if you think
in the way that I have just told you, then
naturally you will have respect and love for
all, even your enemies . . . We should learn to
forgive and forget, which is a golden principle
of life for attaining peace and harmony so very
helpful for having a calm and contemplative
mood, which, in turn, will bless us with
successful meditation. He who forgives is
twice blessed . . . The initiates are advised to
take a stock of their karma every day before
retiring to see whether during the course of
their working day, they have incurred
anybody's displeasure or have wronged
anybody. If so, they should repent and pray
for Divine Grace. Similarly, if others have in
one way or the other done any harm to them,
that should be forgiven in the name of the
Master . . . We must forgive all who have
wronged us before we depart this earth-plane,
which will be helpful for our soul's progress
on the inner planes.
If someone makes a mistake, forgive
him. But people prefer justice to forgiveness.
Remember this, that with justice, the heart is
never cleansed. Outwardly a person may be
emphatic that he forgives; but in his heart he
wants to strike out at the offender and cut the
very roots of him. If you have no compassion
in the mind, how can you honestly say you
forgive? To forgive and forget is what one
must practice in thoughts, in words and in
deeds so that they may become a part and
parcel of daily living . . . Love knows no
criticism, no imposition, no boasting, no
reflection on others' shortcomings, but works
in a constructive way to cement all in one loving
fold of the Master. Love beautifies everything."
THE VALUE OF SATSANG:
"To attend Satsang is like having a
protective hedge around your meditation; it
also increases the incentive to meditate. Attend
the Satsang even if your time is limited. Cancel
some other appointment in order to do so, if
necessary, for the benefits of Satsang are
invaluable . . . Leave hundreds of important
works to attend Satsang."
INITIATION:
"At the time of initiation, the Master
takes His seat at the Third Eye of the initiate
and takes care of him henceforth. The
accepted aspirants who are since and receptive
during initiation do have a perceptive first-hand
inner spiritual experience (there is a difference
between the psychic and the spiritual) at which
time the spiritual (third) eye is opened to see the
Light of God and the inner ear is opened to hear
the Voice of God - the Creative Sound of the
Beyond which has a soothing and healing effect
. . . The Master Power, from the moment of
Initiation guides and protects one, even after
the end of the world, and beyond.
The instructions in the esoteric teachings
consists of the exposition of Simran, Dhyan
and Bhajan, that is to say, repetition (mental,
with the tongue of thought only) of the words
which are charged with the power of the
Master; concentration or meditation (fixing
consciousness or gaze) at the center of the two
eyebrows; and linking the spirit with the saving
lifeline within, ever reverberating in the form
of the perennial Sound Current, the very life-
breath of the Universe, of which the Master
himself is the living embodiment
As soon as a devotee is able to
transcend the physical body, the Radiant
Form of the Master (Guru Dev) appears in the
subtle plane and becomes a guiding force to
the spirit on the journey into higher spiritual
realms, bringing him back to the True Home of
his Father. Henceforth, the Master-spirit never
leaves the soul, but continuously helps and
directs, visibly and invisibly, directly and
indirectly, in this life and the life hereafter,
as the occasion may demand."
THE ROLE OF THE LIVING MASTER:
"Initiation by a perfect Living Master
assures an escort in unknown realms by one
who is Himself a frequent traveler to those
regions. He knows the presiding deities or
powers of these planes, conducts the spirit
step by step, counsels at every turn and twist
of the path, cautions against lurking dangers
at each place, explaining in detail all that one
desires to know. He is a teacher on all levels
of existence; a Guru on the earth-plane, a
Guru Dev (astral radiant form) in the astral
worlds and a Satguru in the purely spiritual
regions.
When everyone fails in this very life,
at one stage or another, His long and strong
arm is always there to help us, both when we
are here and when we quit the earth plane. He
pilots the spirit into the beyond and stands by it,
even before the judgement seat of God. The
Guru's blessing is such that, no matter how
disobedient a child is, yet it will never come
under the rule of Yam Raj (Judge of the Dead)
again . . . The back records of the individual
are transferred from the negative power into
the hands of the positive power - the Guru."
and, in "Godman," Kirpal notes:
"In His inimitable loving way, He takes
everyone from the line of least resistance. He
does not interfere with the creeds and beliefs
of a person, whatever these are, nor does He
meddle with the social order of things. He
simply talks of the spirit, its intrinsic nature,
its seat in the body, its various operative
processes, its latent capabilities, and how it
can be developed in its relation with body,
mind and with God, and how it can be liberated,
made self-poised and turned Godward.
His appeal is directly to spirit, and His
words sink deep into the very depths of the soul."
MORE THAN ONE LIVING MASTER,
AND MASTER'S SUCCESSORSHIP:
"These instances (e.g., the fact that
Nanak and Kabir, Rumi and Shams I Tabriz,
as cases in point, were contemporaries) go to
show that there can be more than one Guru at
the same time, but a persona cannot have more
than one Guru for spiritual perfection. It does
not matter even if a Guru after initiating a
person passes away. Once He initiates an
individual, the Subtle Form of the Master
gets embedded in the disciple, for He
becomes from that moment the disciple's
ideal, and His instructions gradually begin
to bear fruit . . .
After His passing away, one may
derive benefit from the Satsang conducted by
a Gurumukh who is carrying on the duties
of Guru, and may consult him in case he has
some difficulty."
GOD'S GIFTS ARE FREE:
"All the gifts of nature are free.
Spirituality is also a gift of God, not of man.
Why should it be sold? It is not a marketable
commodity. Knowledge is to be given away
free. Do we have to pay for the sun that
shines on all of us? Why then should we pay
for the knowledge of God? It is God's gift,
and it is to be distributed free and freely. So
no true master will ever accept anything in
return. He gives freely."
SURAT SHABD YOGA:
"The references to Light and Sound,
say the Masters of the Surat Shabd Yoga, are
not figurative, but literal, referring not to the
outer illuminations or sounds of this world,
but to inner transcendent ones. They teach
that the transcendent Sound and Light are the
primal manifestations of God when He projects
Himself into creation. In His Nameless state
He is neither light nor darkness, neither sound
nor silence, but when He assumes shape and
form, Light and Sound emerge as His primary
attributes.
When we say that the Surat Shabd
Yoga, communion of the soul with Naam, is
easy, we are using the words relatively. It is
easier when compared with other forms of
yoga: karma yoga, jnana yoga, bhakti yoga,
raj yoga, hatha yoga, the traditional ashtanga
yoga, all of which call for stern and severe outer
disciplines, which a common busy man in the
work-a-day world of today has neither the
patience nor the time nor strength nor the
leisure to do with all the wits about him.
The Surat Shabd Yoga, on the other hand,
can easily be practiced by everyone, man or
woman, young or old, with equal ease and
facility. It is because of its naturalness and
simplicity that it is often termed Sehaj (easy,
natural or real) Yoga."
SHABDA:
"The greatest prayer a person can
therefore offer to God is that He may, in
His unbounded mercy, establish his contact
with His prophets who may lead him Godward.
The Godman, or the Prophet, shows him the
Way - the Grand Trunk Road that leads to
God. It is nothing but the Sound Current or
Sound Principle, differently called by different
sages: the Word or the Holy Spirit by the
Christians; Kalma, Bang-e-Asmani or Nida-e-
Arshi by the Mohammedans; Udgit, Akash
Bani, Naad or Sruti by the Hindus, and Shabd
or Naam by the Sikhs. Zoroaster calls it
Sraosha, and the Theosophists "The Voice
of Silence." Christ speaks of it as "The Voice
of the Son of God." God overflows in the
Guru and unites man with the Word to reach
back to His true Home.
This Sound Current is the means to
salvation. It is the Master Key that unlocks
the Kingdom of Heaven. It bestows life
eternal on man and restores him once again
to the Garden of Eden from which he was
driven away by disobedience to God.
What greater boon can a man seek from
God but restoration to the Kingdom lost by him.
It marks the end of his long exile through
countless centuries as He hails back the lost
sheep to His fold. The Master is the kind
Shepherd who, out of compassion, does all
this for erring humanity. Such high souls hold
a commission from the Most High. No long
is he an exile in the world, but an inheritor
of the Kingdom of God, established once
more in his native Godhead."
MEDITATION:
"God is found not in books, as only
statements about Him are given in them. Nor
can He be found in temples made of stone by
the hand of man. In these we gather together
only to pray to God, or to thank Him for all
that He has given. He resides within you. The
body is the true temple of God."
"When you have understood this, then
where do you go to find Him? First, within
your own self. Withdraw from outside,
withdraw from the mind and outgoing faculties
and come up to the seat of the soul at the back
of the eyes. Once you are able to rise above
body consciousness, you enter into an
awareness of the higher order, which lies
behind the reach of all philosophies and
psychologies, for then you are on your way
to the Causeless Cause, the Mother of all
Causes, knowing which everything else
becomes known of itself, like an open book.
This then is the alpha and omega of
the religion of the soul, which begins where
all religious philosophies and polemics end.
Here all thinking, planning, imagining and
fantasy, as mentioned in your diaries, fall off
like autumn leaves. The whole of this life's
purpose is to become still - to withdraw from
outer environments, and to concentrate. You
have great strength in you; you are the child
of a Lion."
* * * * * *
Baraka Bashad!
Michael
"It's all too much for me to take
The Love that's shining all around You."
- The Beatles
Publisher's Note
The Sonic Spectrum is published monthly by SPIRITUAL FREEDOM SATSANG.
It is an independent journal for explorers of the Shabda, the Inner Light &
Sound of God, designed to facilitate an open exchange of ideas and
perspectives regarding spiritual growth as it pertains to this ancient path
of self and God-realization, and spiritual freedom. The opinions expressed
are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the beliefs of
The Sonic Spectrum, SPIRITUAL FREEDOM SATSANG,or any particular master or
religion. All rights reserved.
For furthur please contact:
SPIRITUAL FREEDOM SATSANG
P.O. Box 42374
Tucson, AZ 85733-2374
E-mail: m.tu...@worldnet.att.net
Usenet Internet Newsgroup: alt.meditation.shabda
Web Site/Shabda Links: http://home.att.net/~h.kight/index.htm
My5koshas2
>had
>it not been for the pioneering work >of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
>Maharaj. In His service to Sawan Singh and Sat Naam, He
>laid the foundation for the establishment of Surat Shabd Yoga
>in the west.
>Virtually every western Light & Sound group
>owes its existence to Kirpal.
>What does Turner base his assertions upon?
History?
"Whatever Name you call Him, He will answer."
David Cullen
Michael Martin
my5ko...@aol.com (My5koshas2) wrote:
>
> >had
> >it not been for the pioneering work >of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
> >Maharaj. In His service to Sawan Singh and Sat Naam, He
> >laid the foundation for the establishment of Surat Shabd Yoga
> >in the west.
What about Ker Singh Sasmus, one of Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji's satsangis, who
went to the state of Washington in 1911, I believe. I consider this the
beginning of Sant Mat in the west, at least with its Indian origins. Walt
Whitman was more or less a contemporary of Soami Ji Maharaj, and he even
preceded Ker Singh Sasmus. Walt Whitman lived (1819-1892), and Soami Ji
Maharaj lived (1818-1878).
>
> >Virtually every western Light & Sound group
> >owes its existence to Kirpal.
>
> >What does Turner base his assertions upon?
>
> History?
> "Whatever Name you call Him, He will answer."
>
> David Cullen
Michael Martin
A Sant Mat Guru
>
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
My5koshas2
Bernie
>Michael Turner wrote:
>>
>> The SONIC SPECTRUM
>> For Explorers of God's Inner Sound & Light
>> Volume 3, Issue 8 © August 1996
>
>snip
>This Spiritual Unity Celebration could not occur, had
>it not been for the pioneering work of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
>Maharaj. In His service to Sawan Singh and Sat Naam, He
>laid the foundation for the establishment of Surat Shabd Yoga
>in the west. Virtually every western Light & Sound group
>owes its existence to Kirpal. From His initiate Paul Twitchell
>sprang the missions of Sri Gary Olsen, Sri Jerry Mulvin, Sri
>Harold Klemp, John-Roger Hinkins, Sri Darwin Gross (my
>Master) and my own. In addition, three major successorship
>lines arose in the east after Kirpal's passing on August 21,
>1974: that of His son, Darshan Singh (who in turn was
>succeeded by His son, Rajinder Singh), Ajaib Singh and Thakar
>Singh (who, in turn, initiated the first major female, and
>Vietnamese, Satguru in modern times, Suma Ching Hai).
>snip
Initially, I thought the above was written by Richard, but after reading
Michael's text, I see that it's a direct quote from him. There was nothing in
Richard's post indicating it was a quote...
>It is too much. Do any of the above listed individuals share Turner's
>views?
What views specifically are your refering to?
>Darwin Gross doesn't. Harold Klemp doesn't. Paul Twitchell didn't.
>Apparently, Suma Ching Hai doesn't. As for Olsen, Mulvin, and Hinkins,
>who knows?
"Doesn't" what? Please be specific.
>What does Turner base his assertions upon?
What "assertions"?
Brian Zischkau
Maren Manz
0049-176-61-570-833
Greetings
Maren