Milan

A few Satsangis were at the airport to receive the Master, and followed Him to the Hotel Bristol, where He was to stay. At 4 p.m. about 30 people assembled in the meeting hall of the hotel to hear the Master. Since this was His first visit to Milan, all the dear ones present were introduced to Him. The Master said that He was glad to meet them all and asked them what they would like Him to speak on. The dear ones humbly requested the Master to give them any message He liked. So He told them that we all have the man-body, which is the highest in all creation and next to God; that to know God, we must know the self first; that it is essential that we still the mind and intellect, so we can rise above body consciousness. To do this, we must see the Inner Light of God, which we cannot do unless our Inner Eye is opened. Masters always advocate that seeing is above all, and give you some demonstration to start with which we must develop from day to day.

The Master spoke at the Yoga Institute, Milan, at 9 p.m. to a large gathering. The audience seemed to be impressed by the personality of the Master and took many photos and movies. The Master began His talk by saying that we are all brothers and sisters in God – that all mankind is One, and that it is our turn to meet God. For this, we must control the mind, which at present is drawn outside, to beautiful sights and music. He gave the example of Lord Krishna jumping into the river Jumna and controlling the serpent-mind by playing the flute, which is a parable pointing the way to control of the mind by means of the Inner Sound.

The Master mentioned briefly various yoga systems, such as Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Hatha Yoga, etc., and said they all have their place but are limited in scope and time consuming. The Surat Shabd Yoga as taught by the Masters is comparatively easy and is the natural way, being suited for all men.

After the talk, some people expressed unhappiness about the way in which various yogis had extracted money from seekers. The Master told them that He had nothing to do with that, and that the gift of Naam is being given free like other gifts of nature.

Later that evening, the Milan group leader and others requested the Master to give Initiation on the following day to those who really wanted it. The Master kindly agreed and fixed the time at 10 a.m. So the aspirants began to gather in the Conference Hall of the hotel, and by 10 o’clock the hall was full and many people were sitting cross-legged on the carpet as there was no room for chairs.

Some of the people had not yet fully grasped the reasons for the vegetarian diet and abstinence from intoxicants. The Master lovingly explained that use of meat, etc., and intoxicants retards the progress into higher planes, and that it was therefore necessary to adhere to the strict vegetarian diet. After about 45 minutes, the Master started initiation and began to explain the Inner Theory.

One man still had some doubts, however, and began asking questions on the same subjects. As initiation had already been delayed, the other people suggested to this gentleman that if he was not satisfied, he should first have a heart to heart talk with the Master and remove his doubts, rather than wasting the time of everyone. The Master told him that He would talk to him later and clarify anything he wanted, but now he should not stand in the way of so many. So the man left.

There were 62 persons initiated, including two priests, and many of them saw the Radiant Form of the Master. Only one man was not receptive during the sitting, and when the Master touched his forehead he also saw. Everyone was also connected with the Sound Current within, and the Master explained to them that it was God’s Grace that they had been blessed with these experiences, and they must maintain that by being regular, devoted and accurate in meditations so they can progress from day to day.

He instructed them all to keep Spiritual Diaries and send them to Him for further guidance and removal of any difficulties. In the meantime, the man who had had doubts and left sat outside the Conference Hall for about two hours and had undergone a change within, so that he had become very receptive. The Master was told that the gentleman refused to move until he talked to the Master. When they met, the man begged for forgiveness and asked for initiation, saying that he could not go to his home.

The Master was kind to him, and told him to go to his work and grasp the theory of the Path, and the God-Power would help him be put on the Way in due course. The man thanked the Master, and was so filled with joy that he kissed His garment.

That afternoon, the initiates again assembled in the Conference Hall at 3 p.m. The Master reminded the dear ones that they must put in regular time for their meditations every day and maintain the self-introspection diaries. He said that he who develops receptivity will derive benefit from thousands of miles.

He emphasised strongly the need to attend local Satsangs without fail, since they serve as a protective hedge around the young sapling of initiation.

One final meditation sitting was arranged for those who could attend – about 50 persons, the majority of whom had Inner Experience with His Grace.