Kirpal Singh

The Presidential Address

Delivered at the General Convention of the World Fellowship of Religions, 8 February 1970, by Kirpal Singh, President

Dear Brothers and Sisters

It is my privilege and pleasure to address the international assembly present at this Fourth World Fellowship of Religions Conference, in particular Her Excellency Shrimati Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, and Indian heads of state, the delegates from the various countries and the representatives of the world religions, and members of diplomatic missions.

Since the third Conference was held in February 1965 we have become aware of the many problems that beset the societies in all countries, which have made us realise the importance of an organisation such as the World Fellowship of Religions to help solve them. These problems affect our social, religious, moral and Spiritual Values. The chief aim of the World Fellowship of Religions is to work for better understanding between world religious leaders so as to promote the highest level of toleration possible of one another’s beliefs. To this end, it is necessary to form an organisation which can bring leaders of all religions together on one platform, in order to arrive at a solution to the problems that I have just mentioned.

Representatives of the religions of the East and West are meeting here to share their points of view. It is a fact that Unity already exists, but we have forgotten. Man is one at the level of the soul and its relation to the Over-Soul, or God. Truth and piety, which are the essential parts of religion, existed even before the advent of religions, but man has forgotten their practical utility, which has become subordinate to outward rites and rituals. Righteousness, or Dharma, does not need any scriptures for its exposition. The essence of Dharma lies in man. To become attuned with the God-into-Expression-Power of Light- and Sound-Principle is True Dharma, and reference to this may be found in all religions. Nothing can be achieved by stressing the superiority of one’s own religion over others. One may remain within the social fabric of his own religion and still realise the underlying Unity of all religions, which has been spoken of by all Masters and Rishis Who came in the past. Truth is One, though sages have described it variously. It is necessary that our thoughts, words and action be motivated by this Universal Truth. In this way only can man live at peace with his fellow man. After all, all men are born in the same way; they have the same outer and inner construction; their souls are drops of the Ocean of All-Consciousness, or God, and the same Controlling Power is within all of them. We are all brothers and sisters in God.

However, it is only an Awakened Soul that will give man this right understanding, and what is more, can give him a practical demonstration of his Inner Divinity. Such a One will explain that man is an ensouled body and is controlled by some higher Power, which is keeping him in the body. Right understanding will result in right thoughts, from which will flow right speech and right actions. Only this right understanding, lived in a practical way, can bring the longed for Kingdom of God on earth. Man searches for peace of mind in outer pursuits, which, being of an evanescent nature, cause him still greater unhappiness. The lasting peace that he is looking for has its roots in his own Divine Nature. All Masters and Rishis have preached this Truth to all who came to Them. They left Their golden legacies in the form of the scriptures of the great world religions, and Their message is still relevant for all nations and for all time. To gain the Peace that passeth all understanding, They have further advised, Man, know thyself. Once man has gained the knowledge of his Self, he becomes the knower of the Overself, or God, Who controls and sustains all creation.

The World Fellowship of Religions was founded by Muni Sushil Kumar Ji in 1957. It has prospered over the years through the combined efforts of dedicated groups of men and women. Its purpose is, as I have already mentioned, to bring about a better understanding between the leaders of the world religions. The cornerstones of a better understanding are Love and humility. Love is the cementing power which cannot only unite man with man, but man with God.

Guru Gobind Singh said,

Hear ye all, I am telling you the truth; Love for all leads to God.

In the Bible, it is written that,

Those who do not know Love, cannot know God.

Similar statements may be found in all religions. They all enjoin that a man should treat others as he himself would wish to be treated.

The Purpose of Religion

God made man and man made religions, the labels of which all men bear. If we look at history, we will find that the basis of all religions was the teaching of some Master-Soul. So long as there was some practical Master, the teachings were kept alive in their pristine purity. Religions only came into being after the Masters left this world, to keep alive Their teachings, but unfortunately, with the passage of time they became rigid formations, which gradually resulted in stagnation and deterioration. The different customs, rites and rituals in the great world religions is due more to the environment and prevailing climate than to anything else. For example, the Hindu considers it a necessity to take a bath before going to prayer, whereas the Muslim living in Arabia considers it enough to wash only his feet, hands and face before offering his prayers. If we look at the environments of the country where each has his home, the reason for the different customs is quite clear. In India, where there are many great rivers and streams, water supply is not so much of a problem as it is in Arabia, which is a desert country. To give another example, when people attend church in the West, they enter bare-headed but with their shoes on. In the East, however, it is quite to the contrary. An Oriental would never enter a mosque or gurdawara without first covering up his head and removing his shoes. Again, the Hindu does things a little different from both of them. He enters his temple to pray with his head uncovered but without his shoes.

Religion, therefore, is a life to be lived rather than a set of beliefs, customs or rituals. It should stress the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God regardless of the different labels of societies in which men are born.

Truth is One though sages have described it variously. Truth is infinite and not the monopoly of any one sect or the other. He is the True Lord of all. Cows are of many colours, but their milk is of one colour. Truth is like the milk, while the forms used are many like the cows.

Religion is the way back to God. ‘Re’ means back, ‘ligio’ to bind – to bind the soul back to God. Religion starts when you rise above body consciousness. Where all philosophies end, there True Religion starts. Philosophies deal with theories, whereas True Religion gives a contact with the God-Power direct. The essence of religion lies in the realisation of this underlying Unity.

God has sent His Sons to give this right understanding to child humanity at all times and in different parts of the world. All Masters Who came in the past spoke of Themselves, Their mission and Their relation to God in the same vein.

Christ said,

No man cometh to the Father except through me.

The son knows the Father and others to whom the Son reveals.

Similarly, Guru Nanak said,

The Father and I are dyed in the same colour.

Whenever Nanak opens his mouth, it is God Who speaks through him.

So many Masters have been sent to this world by God, in accordance with the need and the time. No religion can claim for itself a special revelation. He is a True Hindu, a True Muslim, a True Christian, a True Buddhist, who transcends body consciousness and realises his Divine Nature, which is the same in all men.

The Need for ethical and moral Living

All religions have taught the highest ethics as a necessary stepping stone to God. This has a special significance today, when, it is sad to say, ethical and moral values have greatly declined. Hinduism, which is a most ancient religion, places great emphasis on ethical values and the practice of self-restraint. The Sikh Gurus say that Truth is above all, but higher still is True Living. Buddhism gave to the world the noble eight-fold path consisting of right knowledge, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right contemplation, and above all, right association, or the company of the Holy. Christ, in His Sermon on the Mount, gave us the beatitudes. The Koran too is an inspiring guide to right living.

But the basic teachings of all Masters is,

Love, and all things shall be added unto you.

Christ said,

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy strength and with all thy soul. This is the first commandment, and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If we wish to take an example from our own times, we can look to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, who greatly stressed the need for ethical living. He tells us that if you do not love your fellow man, whom you can see, then how can you say that you love God, whom you cannot see?

To sum up the message that religion has for the modern man is to realise that until he lives at harmony with his own self he cannot live in harmony with his fellow man. He must rediscover the Divine within himself, and this he can only do if he puts into practice the teachings of his religion. He must learn the value of tolerating the beliefs of others until such time as all can see Truth from the level of the soul. We are all worshippers of the same God overhead, and the differences in our manner of approach to Him should not be a cause of dissension and strife. God is Love and Love is God and our soul partakes of the nature of this Love.

Message of Religion for modern Times

The purpose of religion is to enable man to advance towards perfection, to make him a complete human being. Man is not truly human unless he has attained the Highest Purpose of human life, which is self-realisation.

What does it profit a man if he gains the possessions of the whole world and loses his own soul?

Religion is a way of life which urges man to experience the profound Unity of all beings in God or the Supreme Self, for this will make him stand fearlessly in relation to himself and to others. Instead of seeking second-hand knowledge of Truth from books, man must experience Reality by himself to perceive a new world of Unity, away from the turmoil of a dualistic mind.

To sum up, the message that religion has for modern man is that he has not to shun the world but let him be an ideal man. Let man’s body be in full blossom, and his soul be full of Glory intoxicated with the Ringing Radiance of God radiating Love all around to the whole creation and wish, Peace be unto all the world over, under thy will, oh God.

Oh hidden Sound vibrant in every atom; oh hidden Light shining in every creature; oh hidden Love embracing all, knitting in Oneness.

Need for the Establishment of an Institution

It goes to the credit of the World Fellowship of Religions for having organised the present World Religions Conference. The main purpose of the Conference is to establish:

1. A permanent committee of Heads of all religions.

2. A place to have its headquarters, where we may acquaint ourselves with the basic teachings of all religions, which are one and the same, with a view to promoting peace and Unity.

3. To have a common ground where members of the different religions can sit together and understand that we are all men first, and then Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, etc., whose labels we are wearing on our bodies.

4. To hold conferences in which they lay down the principles of peace in this age.

5. To give self-evident truths given by all religions and to prepare a Charter acceptable to all religions.

The highlight of religion is to love God, love His creation and have righteousness, viz., good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.

In few words,

Be good, do good, and be One.

I am grateful that so many of you could find the time to attend this Conference and look forward with great expectations to the success that I hope will crown the efforts of all who are endeavouring to further this noble Cause.