29

Develop all around

Morning Darshan, 18 December 1970

Questioner: Sometimes in my meditations I feel afraid; I'm about to break through the Light.

Kirpal Singh: You see Light. What colour?

Questioner: Bright.

Kirpal Singh: The further thing is to learn to look into the middle of the bright Light not the whole – That will burst.

Questioner: Sometimes I feel the Light start to break and I become afraid.

Kirpal Singh: Don't worry, just look into the middle and that will open, break. You'll pass through – you'll find Master's form at the back. Perhaps you may think you are dying. You won't die, I'll give you that in writing. Rest assured that you won't die. But you will learn to die. What is death? It is only a matter of transference. I have left that place – I am dead there and alive here. But I'm the same man, am I not? You won't die. Sometimes a man is afraid, sometimes breathing is involved. If breathing is not involved or you are not conscious of the body – then there is no fear. If you're conscious of the body – you sometimes are conscious of the breathing going on and you say, I'm going to die. So when you sit for meditation consider you are dying. These outer entanglements won't let you go up. There is nothing to be afraid of, you see. If you find the Master there, then won't you be pleased? Won't you be pleased? But you have to take cross daily. Taking cross daily – what does it mean? Do you know? What is a cross like? It is just like: [Master outstretches His arms in a cross-like position.] This is a cross. Take up your cross daily. [Master makes a vertical portion of the cross going up.] You are taking cross, are you not? You are simply carrying that symbol. That's a symbol. Taking cross daily. It does not say to carry the cross daily, no. It's not carrying the cross but it is taking the cross. You'll rise up.

This is what is meant to die while alive. That is why they said, The Kingdom of God cannot be had by observation, so long as you are outside – observing from outside; it is within you. It is a very glorious thing. It is joyful. Why don't you go? Why are you afraid? Your attachments outside won't let go. You'll have to pay the price: take cross daily, that's all. But at the same time, I assure you, you won't die. The reason is that the Karmic link with which we are bound with the body, called the Silver Cord, is not broken. Unless that is broken, you cannot leave the body and go forever. Do you follow this point? Then be joyful. Go and meet your Lord There.

Mira Bai, a Saint in India, says: My Beloved is awaiting me, but you have to take the cross shuli. Shuli means, there is a cross – the cross is like that. Shuli is like that, learning to rise above. We have to sacrifice by coming to the cross. And see. If you find your friend beyond this wall, this hedge, won't you plunge? You will plunge – that's all. That is plunging into the Beyond.

Take the case of a child. He's sitting on top of the roof. He sees his mother – he plunges. Then, do you think the mother would let him fall down? She'll catch him. It is a plunging into the Beyond, that's all.

I think you don't like to meet the Lord within? Yes, Then you must pay the price. And what is the price? Take cross daily. No money is to be paid. Take off the dirty clothes and go up. This earth, physical body, are only the clothes we are wearing, that's all.

In Gita, Lord Krishna says: We have to change our clothes. Take this off, then take off the second layer, take off the third layer, then you are There. So we are identified with outer forms so much that we have forgotten ourselves. You have got the tickets and you don't like to go to the other world. It is just like that. Train is waiting for you, God is giving the train signal, Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and you don't even like to entrain yourself? An airplane leaves only at the airport, not at any other place. And this is the airport. [Master points to the region of the third eye.] You have got the ticket. Those who have been initiated, they have been given a ticket, now it is for you just to go. You've not to be anxious or worry, no effort, nothing. Simply hear, come in contact. All worries will go. When you put any filth into the fire, all is burnt. All worries, disappointments, hopelessness, everything is burnt away when you come in contact. But we don't like to remain in the Light – that's all.

Questioner: When Light comes, darkness will go.

Kirpal Singh: Yes, surely. But we don't make the best use of the thing we have got. This is a privilege you have got. It is said, "One Saint had pity on some very poor man. He gave him one touch stone, which when rubbed on any metal, would turn it into gold. He gave it to him and said, 'All right, you have it for one month; make as much gold as you like.' So he went to the market to find out the price of iron. 'Oh, it has become dearer. All right, we will wait, let it become cheaper.' After a few days again he went. But the rate went up further. 'This is still very dear.' Then he would wait. 'It is dear.' He was waiting and waiting for the metal to become cheaper, but the one month time of allotment was over. He did not make the best use of this touch stone so now he had to return it; it became an ordinary stone."

This is something like we are doing. What do we have to pay? Leave off all attachments. That's all. If you cannot leave off all attachments, come in contact and these will be burnt away. Daily dyings, worldly worries … won't let us go There. We think, 'Let these worries be over then I will go,' is it not? This isn't true. These worries will continue until you leave the body. Why not make the best use of that time now.

You follow me now? Time is passing. Time and tide wait for no man. Someone brought a horse to a water wheel. When the machine is going and the wheel goes around, there's noise … and water comes out. He was standing by that water pump. The man in charge said, Why don't you have your horse drink the water?

No, when this noise is over, only then will I water the horse. The man replied, When the noise is over, there will be no water. So these things go on. We never dream this will happen; that we will have to leave all these things. The only price we have to pay is to take cross daily.

These are different ways of making you understand what is what. The only thing: you have to come in contact. You have to entrain yourself at the railway station, or you can sit in the plane at the airport; not in your streets. You have to go There. You'll cash the check only at the window. That's the window here. [Master again points to His third eye.] Try some day … all worries will leave you. Truly speaking, we have not realized the value of this Truth we have got. So fortunate we are! With all that, still we are worrying, wringing our hands, nodding. So I think the course is not difficult. Only we do not put in regular time. If, say for one, two, three months you put in whole time … cut off from all outer things – even from your attachments to your body; you will have It. There's no question of where, it's already there – we have to invert, that's all. All worries will be over. What is worldliness? It is when you forget the Lord, that's all. Money, family, other things are delusion of Maya. Maya is when you forget God.

If you can take cross hundreds of times a day it would be better. The hanging of the cross – well, this is a symbol to show that you must take cross daily. It is quite a model of the man-body, when you stand like that – is it not so?

Questioner: Master, do you advocate that men should get their hair cut when they become Satsangis? Should you get your hair cut if you have long hair?

Kirpal Singh: No, I don't say that. Whether you have long hair or not, that makes no difference for Spirituality. It is only the social life which may be affected. If the social life is affected, then you can't have an easy time. People of the world will be pointing out: 'Oh heretic, heretic' – they may even hate you. When you've got no social life, what to do … that's a social matter, not a spiritual matter. For Spirituality whether you have long hair or not that makes no difference. But there's some principle behind having long hair. Saints are the worshipers of Nature. They don't destroy Nature. When the leaves are dried, they fall down from the trees; the green leaves don't fall. So we are the worshipers of Life. When you comb hair all dead hairs go out. Even if you cut your hair, even then it will grow. That's Nature's Law. In this age, there's a question of hippies. They are not taken on good terms now – everywhere they are hated because they have been taking drugs. The Indian government doesn't like them. This is a bad habit they have got – otherwise the word hippie means peaceful life – lover of Peace. But are they lovers of Peace?

Intoxication of the soul comes by coming in contact with higher consciousness. They take, they borrow and that goes to mar their consciousness. We have to become more conscious. If you come in contact with the outer intoxicants, naturally your consciousness is affected and you will have to go back to the lower strata of life. Do you follow what I mean to say?

Because you people are stuck fast in the social customs and don't think of the outer things – you simply see from your own angle of vision. Even if you cut finger nails they will grow; that's Nature. If they don't grow, that's all right. So Saints are worshipers of Life. That's all. They leave things to Nature. Any dead hair comes out by combing.

And we are all worshipers of Life: Consciousness. That's the principle behind what I am telling you. Whether you keep hair long or not, that has little to do with your spiritual life.

But for Spirituality you have to rise above the physical body. You've got a ramp to learn how to cross – take cross daily – then whether you have hair or not, what difference does it make. You are not the body.