Spiritual Wealth

by Ron Fries

Spiritual Wealth can be accumulated in two ways. The easiest way is through meditation. The more difficult way is through complete surrender on our part to the will of the Master. This includes our thoughts, words and deeds.The pivotal or essential theme of this Holy Path of God-Realisation is the Master. There is no path without Him. Therefore, you will agree that the Master’s – Sant Kirpal Singh Ji’s – correspondence and letters have become something very special to all of us. The beauty and the secret of His sacred teachings are experienced in actual living and in following His instructions to the letter.

In re-reading the letters received from the Master over a period of time I have selected a few choice excerpts from them with the hope they may be helpful and of assistance to us in our Spiritual Progress as well as to answer some of the questions most frequently asked by disciples.

If we conclude that the highest study in man’s life is to know himself and God, must we then forsake all else, including worldly endeavours? It is often quoted in literature, lead me from the unreal to the real. The unreal meaning the outer life, the real the Inner Life. Some claim that the world is a dream and Truth exists only within. Some seek shelter from the world in a cave so they may find the real.

However, it is stated in ‘Jap Ji’:

With most of us, it is a matter of common belief that the world is a mere chimera, a dream with no reality about it. This belief is evidently based on the transitoriness of all worldly phenomena. Everything appears like a meteor that flashes for a while and disappears. Hence, it is argued that man’s sojourn here is no more than a dream. But, says Nanak, as the Lord is True, His works must also be true and His creation is not mere illusion but His Holy Abode.

The Master explains the subject further in His correspondence.

He states:

“The disciplined devotees find an extra charm in the physical life and relish to attend to their mundane legitimate duties with earnestness, yet altogether detached and serene within, thinking it to be a temporary abode. They always look ahead to their Eternal Home which is the Ultimate Goal and work diligently for the same. The Holy Sound Current is the Great Comforter and any time you attune yourself within, you will find extra vigour and courage to withstand the allurements of mind and the physical world, and in due time virtues dominate passions.”

What part does the intellect play in unravelling the secret of life? And what about an occupation to earn a livlihood?

These questions were put to Master. He replied:

“Any kind of honest work for the livlihood is the same, but it all depends on your adaption to the work and mainly how much interest you have in that particular kind of work. To your question, ‘what part does the intellect play on the Path?’

Little, where the practical side is concerned, but as man is thricely blessed, he possesses body, intellect and soul and as each has a definite function to perform, each should be made as perfect as possible and as soul is the most important of the other two, there should be given more thought and time for the soul’s perfectian, so that before the opportunity is lost it should be made as perfect as it’s Father.”

“A study of the physical sciences, philosophy, mathematics, etc., is very good and a helping factor in this world, but the study of the Science of the Beyond cannot be achieved on the physical plane, except by and through a Living Master. It is He, in giving the first lesson, Who shows the disciple how to withdraw from the body and know himself. This is only the beginning of this science when you have left the body. The highest study of man is to know himself. In this science the intellcct may hinder rather than help and may be especially distracting during meditation, for just as the soul is withdrawing and sees a way open into the beyond, the intellect asserts itself and projects many ‘whys’ and ‘whats,’ and this stops the progress.”

“This does not mean that the intellect is always harmful to Spirituality. On the contrary, if an intellectual man comes to this Path and sincerely gives himself up to the Master’s will, is obedient to His instructions, he will have a distinct advantage in being able to give out the Truth to others in a manner most acceptable to them. When we understand the theory, it then remains to be practised. Education is very necessary and quite helpful in all spheres of life in this world.”

In one letter the Master was asked the difference between developing spirituality and psychic ability. His reply was:

“Spirituality, as you know, is linking the soul with God-into-expression-Power of Godly Light and Sound which are links for taking the souls eventually to their True Home of the Father. Seeing and experiencing blissful Inner Things by oneself gives conviction and authenticity. Psychic ability fails to give such conviction.”

The Master reiterates over and over again in His letters that Spirituality is the linking of the soul to the Godly Light and Sound within. The Master goes further and states:

“The Master’s path gives Light to the initiate at the very outset. You will appreciate that outward show and miracles result in Spiritual Dissipation, whereas a disciplined devotee of a Perfect Master would enjoy the ravishing bliss from the brilliantly effulgent Divine Light and sweet heavenly melodies of the Holy Sound Current. A world of difference and both apart like the earth and the sky.”

In the ‘Jap Ji’ we find the following passage:

Nanak also forestalls the dangers that lie on the Spiritual Journey.

The power one gains through self-discipline and partial Spiritual Attainment may itself become an obstacle in the way of fuller realisation. One begins to practise these occult powers, and absorbed in them, one tends to forget the real goal. Nanak, therefore, warns us against this possibility. We must not, once we have begun the journey Godwards, rest, waver or wander on the way.

When the Master was asked about the ‘resurrection of the dead’ as mentioned in the Christian scriptures, He replied:

“For an initiate the end of the physical world comes up when he rises above body consciousness and the astral and causal worlds and reaches his True Eternal Home. This is the perfect and real resurrection. You have to take things in the light of your own experiences and conviction regardless of what priesthood may have said.”

In one letter passages from the book ‘Phelps Notes’ were quoted. One passage stated that at least once a year association with the Guru or Spiritual Leader was necessary in raising the spirit. In this book, it is also stated that:

Rapid progress can only be made by work in His presence and in His service. There must be a desire for Spiritual Growth and there must be a Sant Satguru to satisfy that desire by imparting Spiritual Food.

To this the Master replied:

“The effect of association is great. Bad society tends to produce low and evil thoughts, and good society gives loving and uplifting thoughts. So avoiding uncongenial society is necessary. If one is not able to get the personal company of the Master – which has its own charm – one should always keep the Master in his mind when it is free. The Master’s loving Grace which is radiated to the children far and wide will be received in unceasing degrees and give quick progress on the way. The Phelps Notes referred to by you lay stress on the importance and necessity of having company of the Master sometime yearly at least, to derive living impulses from Him. This is particularly enjoined in the beginning when the seed has, so to say, sprouted into a small plant, which can be easily damaged seriously by bad company. Shunning bad company is very necessary.

When the plant has grown into a tree it becomes strong to withstand all onslaughts and inclement weather. These Phelps Notes are based on sayings of Kabir. The value of the physical contact with the Master cannot be underrated, but mind that Master is the Christ-Power working at His physical pole. When He initiates He associates Himself with the initiate and never leaves Him, and does not leave Him until the soul reaches the True Home of His Father, the Sat Purush.”

Did not Christ also say:

I shall never leave thee nor forsake thee until the end of the world.

Kabir also said that

Master may be living across the oceans and the initiate this side thereof, he should direct his attention to the Master to receive the full impulse of the Master by becoming receptive. If a radio can catch the voices from thousands of miles away, why a receptive man cannot receive the impulses of the Master, however far away He may be. So you need not worry but carry on with your work.

Another very helpful reply came from the Master relating to our daily activities. His advice was:

“Never let your mind remain vacant. A vacant mind is the home of the devil. When you are at work, be wholly and solely into the work. Work is worship. When you are off the work, you must either have remembrance of the five names, the sweet remembrance of the Master, or if the Sound becomes audible at all times, pay attention and listen to It. This together with regular practices will give progress into your practices as well as save you from the attachment of passions from outside.”

Regarding trying to visualise the form of the Master within, Master wrote:

“The Master-Power is always with you extending all feasible help and protection. He comes to your aid and makes Himself visible whenever necessary. You need not be on the lookout for the Master, but repose fully in the Grace of the Master to appear to you at His will. There should be no clutching on your part to have one thing or the other. The very effort stands in the way. Develop Love and sweetness for the Master. When sitting for the ‘repetition of the Name practice’ you should fully and attentively see and gaze penetratingly into the middle of whatever you see inside and pay no attention to the Sound if It comes at that time. During the practice of listening to the Sound Current coming from the right side, you have to be fully attentive to listening to the Sound, doing neither repetition of names nor fixing the Inner Gaze. Each practice is to be done separately with full attention. Each practice has its own purpose.”

In reference to Master’s presence being with us, even in the event of His passing on before us, He wrote:

“The sacred bonds between the child disciple and the Living Master are superb and inseparable. Time and space do not make any difference, as it is the receptive mind which inculcates and evokes the Mercy of the Master. The gracious Master always sends His loving Life-Impulses for His children and those who are receptive assimilate them for their gratuitous joy. There are many instances when the loving dear ones had the privilege of bearing testimony for this rare and Sacred Truth. It is the mother who first loves the child and the latter reciprocates and runs to her lap. The overwhelming Love and kindness of the Master enables the dear initiates to keep them always saturared with His impulse. Ever since the child disciple is put on the Sacred Path and linked with the Holy Naam, the gracious Master-Power takes over and resides with the child disciple, guiding and controlling his/her destiny. Even if the Master were to ‘shake off this mortal coil,’ His Radiant Form within never leaves nor forsakes the disciple and continues extending all Grace and protection.”

The Master’s promise to each of us is:

“All initiates are destined to reach their True and Eternal Home. Those who would carry on the instructions of the Master in a loving and faithful way will attain their goal during this very lifetime.”