Part II / VII – I
Mind and Soul
The soul has been imprisoned for ages and it is only through the kindness of the Master that it can be released. There is no other way. You are now on the way. Spiritual meditation aids in inner progress. This is the remedy for attachment to the world. The more the initiates progress within, the less attachment they feel for worldly things. In time all attachment will disappear with the Grace of the Master.
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The spirit or soul is attached to the objective world outside, on account of objective impressions. Unless the outgoing faculties are controlled and the spirit is depersonalized from the distractions of life, it cannot rise above body-consciousness. In order to depersonalize the soul it is necessary to channel our energy inward and upward through the process of inversion and self-analysis.
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When you are at work, be completely absorbed in it, and when there is no work, do not permit your mind to wander aimlessly or to remain idle, for an idle mind is the devil’s workshop as the saying goes. You should resort either to the repetition of the five holy Names during all vacant hours of the day and night as well as keeping your mind in sweet remembrance of the Master wherever you may be, or in listening to the sweet symphonies of the melodious Word, if it becomes audible. This will leave no room for idle thoughts and they will not disturb you in meditation.
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The spontaneous flow of trickling tears goes a long way in washing off the dross of the mind and fortunate is the eye that sheds these, for they leave unending trails of ravishing bliss and harmony. It is the Grace of the Master that He remembers His children and the faithfully obedient ones reciprocate His love and benefit from the Ocean of Compassion and Grace.
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Refer to your question – Jesus Christ is within you. You can never see Him outside. If you want to see Him, you should apply for initiation to Ruhani Satsang method of spiritual uplift. You must also observe strict abstinence from meat, eggs and drink (alcohol). If you follow these instructions and work hard to go to the Higher Regions within, you will meet Jesus Christ there.
*Your idea of serving others is welcome. First of all one must serve oneself and then others. You are in the bondage of mind and matter. Your soul has many coverings over it such as the physical body, astral body and causal body, mind and matter, etc. So long as you are imprisoned in these bonds, what service can you render to others? One prisoner cannot liberate another. The five passions are within everyone of us, and are robbing us of our Spiritual Wealth. The way to become liberated from these five robbers is first to receive initiation and then work hard to reach the higher regions. When you free yourself then it is a real service to try and free others.
* (This section is adjusted to the First Edition of 1967;
Editor’s Note 2011.)
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The involuntary tears that flow down the cheeks in loving remembrance of the Master will wash away all the dirt of mind.
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Whenever you feel lonely or lost, remember sweetly the Master and invoke His help and if it is a time that you can sit in meditation, do so with love and devotion. The true way to God starts when you rise above body-consciousness. There is no other way.
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Great indeed is man. He lives in a God-made temple along with God Himself. His very spirit is just a drop from the ocean of Divine Life.
Between God and spirit, there is no other obstacle but that of a veil of the mind. If this veil were to stop fluttering in the breeze of desires, as it does at present, the spirit can take in directly the Cosmic Energy from its very source.
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I am sorry for the passing away of your dear brother in a plane crash. The major events of life are predestined. Your deep agony over the great loss, your entire family has suffered, is natural. You should please be rest assured that the blood and near relatives of the initiates are granted feasible protection and help in the Beyond. You need not nourish any feelings of sadness in this behalf, as such an attitude will not only affect your spiritual progress, but will cause disturbance to the departed soul.
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As soon as a person collects himself and focuses his attention at the seat of the mind, he stirs up the mercy of God which, in turn, fills him with a strength and fortitude never experienced before. These enable him to find a way out of the difficulty whatever it may be.
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Regarding your experiences with dreams in sleep and on awakening, you are advised to ignore such experiences. It often proves to be a delusion of the mind. Spirituality is above all these experiences. As long as the mind dominates, it tries to put the initiation off the track. Initiates should resort to the repetition of the Charged Names during all idle moments and keep themselves immersed in loving remembrance of the Master.
Such a serene schedule will enable you to have a conscious and perceptible contact with the holy Shabd with the Grace of the Master. This constant contact with the holy Sound Current will awaken you spiritually and eliminate all fear.
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The obstruction caused by petty things during meditation might be attributed to your sensitive nature. The reservoir of the subconscious mind is filled with worldly thoughts, impulses and instincts inherited from past lives. This must be drained out completely before it can be filled with love and devotion to the Lord-Master. Reverential humility and self-abnegation are ennobling virtues. The spiritual aspirants grow in Divine wisdom giving no credit to themselves as they revel in the superb bliss of Divine intoxication.
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‘Work is worship’ and as such all honest work should be honoured and accepted in this sense. The usual fatigue and exhaustion are the routine functions of the physical body, yet you can relax completely by fixing your inner gaze at the eye-centre, releasing the pent up tensions by rolling down all your worries and cares on to the holy Feet of the Master within. You will find a radical change in your thought pattern and will be greatly relieved with the Grace of the Master.
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The scattering of the mind can best be eliminated by looking intently into the middle of the Light and listening to the holy Sound current with rapt attention, as it is during the slackening of the inner attention that outside stray thoughts invade and cause disturbance.
Spiritually-illumined souls do feel hurt at the behaviour of their less gifted brethren who cannot fathom the greatness of spiritual bliss granted by the gracious Master. It is on this score that those who are not on the holy Path cannot behave properly. There are ways and ways to point out shortcomings in others. You must do this in a sweet way, then your words will go to their hearts and will bear fruit.
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Ethical life is a stepping stone to Spirituality. Truth is above all, but True Living is above Truth.
For spiritual progress, stillness of mind and intellect is most essential. Any unnecessary wrestling with the intellect or free play of the mind retards spiritual progress. Concentration means the control of mental vibrations, and may be obtained by attuning within to the Sound Current which is the Astral Manifestation of the Master-Power always present with you.
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I note your inclination for golf and cards. The latter game is harmful and you have done right to discontinue it.
Please stick to your resolution and forget all about it and do not dwell upon past happenings or try to recapture their past pleasures for in that way the mind is fed surreptitiously. Besides you should resort to earnest repetition of the sacred Charged Names with fervent prayer when and if you mind craves for it.
Golf is a good game so far as its physical refreshing aspects are concerned. It is a good physical exercise and if you can afford it, there is no objection to your continuing with it. You know gambling or the like is harmful. You will appreciate that the mind is already full of restless attributes – so feeding it with more of similar disturbing ideas will simply mean adding fuel to the fire.
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You ask about music. Music is not necessarily bad for spiritual meditations as prayerful hymns sometime prove beneficial in awakening the inner impulse. But outer music feeds the mind, whereas listening to the holy Sound Current feeds the soul, with which it is surcharged as it enables it to have regular flights to the regions of the Beyond.
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Refuge in the holy meditation is the panacea for all ills and shall be helpful to you in overcoming the scattering tendencies of your mind. You need not magnify the horrors of mind as it is the Spirit which enlivens the mind. When the Spirit is vitalized with the Divinity within, it becomes strong enough to refuse the dictates of mind. The hearing of the Sound Current with rapt attention will bless the mind with untold tranquility and it will love to remain still at the eye-focus. Please learn to be more composed in your meditations and await patiently to receive whatever is deemed fit and granted.