London

After four days in Paris, the Master was scheduled to visit London. Many of the dear ones came to the airport to say goodbye, and seven travelled with the Master, Who was waiting in the departure lounge at the airport along with all the other passengers. But when the British European Airways – with whom the flight was booked – realised that the Master was there, the pilot came to the lounge and personally escorted Him to the plane a few minutes before the other passengers. By this gesture, the airline honoured the Master.

The plane reached London at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, 11^th September 1972. On arrival a senior officer of the airline received the Master and escorted Him through customs. The Public Relations officer of the Indian High Commission received the Master and assisted in completing the customs formalities. Then the Master came to the VIP lounge where a large number of initiates, including a number of Indian families with children, were waiting very eagerly for the Master. All were smiling. The Master spoke to each one and then was driven to the apartment earmarked for Him during His stay in England. Immediately, many dear ones started coming. A little later the gathering became so big that they were accommodated in two separate rooms. The Master met first with the Indian families and spoke to them in Hindi; then He went to the Western initiates in the second room. He told them how happy He was to be among them after a number of years. He emphasised the importance of Spiritual Progress, pointing out that we all have to die some day. Are we prepared? He reminded us that it was not too late. Even now it is possible to solve the mystery of life. Even after doing our daily work, there is time for at least two hours of meditation. He gave the example of a man who thought he saw a blanket floating down the river, and jumped in to get it. When he reached it, he found it was a bear, which overpowered him. The people on the bank shouted at him to come back, but the man had to shout back that even though he would like to come, the blanket-bear wouldn’t let him. He compared the condition of that man with our daily life, and brought home that we are under the influence of mind, and even if we want to get rid of it, we cannot. That is why we have to sit at the feet of One who has done this, and allow Him to help us. We are not to leave our families, but serve them to liquidate our give and take, along with maintaining our self-introspection diaries and weeding out failures, which will create a strong foundation for the seed of Naam.

Then the Master gave some personal interviews.

That evening at 6:30 p.m. the Master gave a public talk at the packed hall of Polytechnic of Central London. He emphasised again the urgency and importance of unravelling the mystery of life. He explained that the value of our body is only because of the consciousness in it, which is the Controlling Power we call God. That same Power is controlling stars, planets running in their orbits, etc. That is all Wisdom, all Joy, all Eternity. Our soul is of that same Essence. We are also all joy, all happiness, but we do not know it because we are totally immersed in the senses. Everybody wants joy, but it is possible only by knowing our self.

When people ask the Masters, ‘Have You seen God?,’ They reply that the God-into-expression-Power can be seen in the form of Divine Light and Sound, which are its vibrations. When the Single or Third Eye is opened, you can see the Light of God. But you have to fix your whole attention on one point so that you forget everything else. The Master gave an example of Newton who was so engrossed in solving certain mathematical problems by the roadside that he did not notice a band which passed by playing. But this requires purity of heart.

The Master told of the man who thanked God after his horse was stolen. When he was asked why, he said that he was glad that he was not riding on the horse, or he would have been stolen too. It is not a matter of laughing, Master said: he saved himself by letting go of the horse. We are in a worse position. We are sticking to the body (horse) and forgetting about the self.

A meditation sitting was given the following morning at the Polytechnic Hall at 9:30. Not only initiates but many newcomers as well reported seeing the Inner Light after meditating as Master instructed them. Thereafter, questions were invited, and the Master said that nobody should have any reservation in opening their hearts so that all doubts could be removed.

A lady who had seen Light during the sitting asked what she should do further as she was not initiated. The Master advised her to grasp the theory, attend Satsang, and then apply for initiation if she was satisfied with the teachings.

Other questions relating to Spiritual Progress were asked, and the Master explained that the Science of the Soul is accurate, and Inner Results must be enjoyed if the practices are carried on lovingly, regularly, and sincerely, with a strict watch over day to day living. Purity of mind is essential.

At 3 p.m. the Western initiates sat with the Master again. The Master mentioned that Baba Sawan Singh Ji told Him, despite the fact that He was a family man and had a full-time job, to devote at least four to five hours daily for meditation, and the more the better.

When someone asked how we can develop Love for God, Master pointed out that we cannot love what we cannot see.

So we have to see the God-into-expression-Power and that will develop more Love in our hearts. And that we can do with the assistance of Someone Who has done it.

The Master spoke again at the Polytechnic Hall, which was full to capacity, at 6:30 p.m. He said that unless we improve inwardly we cannot enter the Kingdom of God, because the omnipotent God is well aware of our activities and the trend of our mind. We must change our habits and become pure in thought, word and deed. Outer cleanliness is not enough. The fish lives in Ganges water, but still has a bad smell. It is a question of Inner Cleanliness.

Since our Ultimate Goal is to reach God, the question arises, how? At present we are observing rituals on the level of senses, but unless we rise above the physical, astral, and causal planes we cannot have full Inner Development. When the child yearns for God, He contacts him with that Godman where He is manifested so that he can get some Inner Experience to start with.

The following morning the Master gave a meditation sitting and answered a few questions. He told them that it is most important to snatch regular time for meditations, and it is also necessary to attend Satsang and sit together in the name of God.

That evening the Master spoke at the Chamber of Commerce, Southhall, Middlesex, London, at 6:30 p.m., in Hindi. So many came that all the chairs had to be removed in order to accommodate everybody. The Master gave a beautiful talk on the verse of Guru Ramdas, Rama ham dasan das karija, and explained its meanings, pointing out that we should derive maximum benefit from the golden opportunity that we had. In the Satsang, Sardar Puran Singh Ji of Jethiwal, India, a Sikh religious leader, came and met the Master.

At the request of the Eastbourne Satsang, the Master went there on 14^th September by car. Mrs Margaret Waterfield, the group leader, had arranged lunch for everyone, and about 100 brothers and sisters enjoyed it. Then everyone took a drive to the seashore.

In the evening the Master spoke at the Library Hall. He explained that there is a hidden treasure of Divinity in everyone. But how to dig it out is the question. It is only possible by inverting within, which is so difficult that it cannot be done by rituals on the physical level. But a Competent Adept can give us a first-hand experience and connect us with the Inner Power. When we withdraw from outside, we see the Inner Mysteries. We can control the senses only when we are linked with the God-Power.

The Rev. James McWhirter, who had been a delegate to the Third World Religions Conference in 1965, came to know that Master was in Eastbourne and attended Satsang. Afterwards he inquired if the West was progressing or deteriorating. The Master made it clear that the West was awakening gradually. After the talk, the Master drove back to London, reaching there late at night.

The London schedule was very crowded, but a day had to be found to visit a dear Satsangi who was lying ill far away in the south of Wales and was in much pain. So readjustments were made. It was about a 14-hour drive from London, and the Master set out at 11 a.m. When He arrived He found that the dear one could not concentrate, due to severe pain. The Master touched his forehead and closed his ears with His own thumbs. He was intuned within with both Sound and Light and became very happy and peaceful. The Master advised him to pay attention to the Light and be ready to leave the earth plane. We later learned that he died the next day, peacefully.

From the hospital, the Master drove to Liverpool, reaching there at 1 a.m. on the 16^th, covering a total of more than 500 miles. Many dear ones were waiting at the Adelphi Hotel, where Master was to stay, to have Darshan before retiring.

Meditation was held at Lord Krishna Temple, Liverpool, at 9 a.m. At 1 p.m. the Master gave a talk at the Liverpool Methodist Church and explained how the mystery of life could be solved. We have to be born anew and taste the Spiritual Elixir, Amrit or the Water of Life. For this we must have yearning for God. At present we are overpowered by our ten servants in the body. We must liberate ourselves from this bondage as instructed by some Master-Saint Who is well aware of the Inner Intricacies and is competent to guide us.

The Master reached Birmingham at about 4 p.m. by car and addressed a large gathering at the Gurdawara Ravi Das at 7 p.m. in Punjabi. He took the hymn, Ram gur paras paras kanje, from Gurbani, and explained its correct meaning beautifully. After this, the Master paid a brief visit to a big Sikh Temple and was warmly received by the organizers. After spending the night in the Stathallan Hotel, Birmingham, the Master left for Bedford on the following morning, 17^th September. Many Indian families were waiting to have Darshan and hear Him speak in a school where Satsang had been arranged. The Master spoke there in Punjabi at 11 a.m. and took up a hymn of Guru Arjan. He gave illustrations to show that we are building houses made of straw. We must take immediate steps to be on the right Path before it is too late.

Then he drove back to London, reaching there at 3.30 p.m., and gave a talk that evening in the Polytechnic Hall on "Spirituality: What It Is." The hall was full as usual.

On the specific request of many dear ones, the Master imparted initiation to 28 persons, all of whom received first-hand experience, on 18^th September. In the afternoon, on request, He gave another talk in Southall, in Hindi. He gave a digest of Spiritual Theory, quoting from scriptures to demonstrate that the Surat Shabd Yoga is an age-old science taught by Guru Nanak, Kabir, Tulsi Sahib, Christ, and others. It had a great impact on the listeners.

The following day the Master left London for the United States. An account of the first part of His American tour, and the very large crowds that awaited Him in Virginia, will appear in next month’s issue.