Nuremberg

On 30^th August, the Master left Berlin for Nuremberg. About 35 initiates travelled in the Master’s plane just to be with Him a little longer. When Master arrived, it was discovered that many more initiates had arrived from Berlin, either by car or train. A large, eager, but well-disciplined crowd greeted Him at the airport.

Everyone followed Him into the Grand Hotel, where He was to stay.

The Master gave a talk and answered questions at 4 p.m. at the hotel. Many non-initiates were present, and some of them asked for initiation. The Master told them to first grasp the theory and observe the dietary regulations and their applications would be considered. He told the people that many of them were put on the Path many years back, and asked them if they were progressing from day to day. He said that we must take stock, see where we stand, and take all necessary steps for improvement. One person said that he had difficulty observing chastity. The Master explained that marriage means selecting a companion in life for weal and woe, and both should help each other in life and help each other to know God. They should learn to control their passions and live a sober life. Self-introspection is very necessary. He emphasised that chastity is life and sexuality is death. One who lives a chaste life does not require any ‘tonics,’ etc., and lives a healthy life. He cautioned that we should not look into the eyes of others, especially of the opposite sex, as such passion flares up from the eyes.

Someone wanted to know how receptivity can be developed. The Master explained that it required constant effort by the initiate. True Living, chastity, implicit obedience of Master’s commandments both in word and spirit, are prerequisites. He said that the Master is constantly watching the endeavours of His children. If we develop Love for Him, He will radiate more loving thoughts to us, and we will become receptive.

Before concluding, the Master said,

For a few minutes I will look at you and you keep on looking at me.

He then gazed at each one individually and radiated loving Life-Impulses to everyone. After the meeting, a few people discussed their problems with the Master privately.

Later on the same night, Master gave a heart-to-heart talk to a large audience, including many newcomers, at the hotel. He said that we are all men first and then Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc. We are not only body but something more – conscious entity. Man-body is a wonderful house we live in. In spite of the nine apertures in the body, we cannot run away from it as some hidden power is controlling us in the body. This Power is called God, the contact with which can be had in the body. Thus we have to take a dip inside, which is not an easy task; to do it, we have to take help from someone who has found God and can guide us. The scriptures contain personal experiences of the Saints of the past, which inspire us to want the same experiences. Like all other arts, Spirituality can also be taught by a Competent Guide Who is well-versed in the subject. The Master has a body like us, but He is competent to guide us in the beyond. Just as wrestlers put in long hours in physical exercises, seekers after Truth also have to put in strenuous effort under the competent guidance of a Living Master.

The Master explained that God is Love and Love is God. The Way back to God is also Love, and we have to develop Love for all as God lives in every heart. That same night at 8:30 p.m. the Master gave still another talk. This time He told how, when He was in Lahore, He used to go to the riverside for meditation and stay there all night long. Another man would also come there and do physical exercises all night, while Master was doing Spiritual Ones. His name was Gunga, and he later became a famous wrestler. So in any field of endeavour, sincere and earnest efforts are necessary.

The Master knows the way and He can guide us on the Path. He has controlled the outgoing faculties and traverses into the beyond. So long as we have not done it, we have to work for it, under the guidance of Him Who has done it. While going to churches, temples, etc., is a good thing, we must remember that the human body is the real temple which God made in the womb of the mother, and by delving deep into it we can have first-hand experience of God. The outer temples and churches are made in the image of the human body, and the symbols of light and sound are kept in them to remind us that the Light of God and Music of the Spheres or Naam is within the human body.

The Master said that while He was in service, there was a Christian working under Him. During a religious discussion, the Master asked him to find out from the Bishop of Lahore why they ring the bells in churches. The Bishop said that it was only to call men together! The Master pointed out that in other faiths, the bell is rung by the worshipper himself after entering the temple; and that in all religions the bell is symbolic of the audible Life-Stream. But for want of people who have gone inside and heard the Bell Sound within, we have forgotten this. The Master said that in earlier times, even children of five, seven and nine years were made twice born and given the Gayatri Mantra as well as contacted with the Inner Light referred to in that Mantra.

Master explained that sickness, poverty, etc. come up as a result of reaction of our past karma. We should happily accept them, as we are thereby liquidating our give and take. But if we are put on the Way back to God, and our soul feeds on the Bread of Life by contacting the Light and Sound inside, then we become strong and the bad karma does not bother us.

The next day – 31^st August – the Master gave a meditation sitting at 9 a.m. in the same hall. He explained that the Ultimate Goal of our life is to reach our True Home, and for this we have to knock on the door which, as the scriptures say, will be opened. We now have to take a step in the right direction.

Then followed the sitting, in which 250 people had Inner Experiences.

After the sitting, the Master mentioned that we should work hard, stand on our own legs, and help others, physically as well as intellectually, who are in need, as this will invoke more Grace and bring in humility. He added that the Masters send out Their best wishes for peace to all the world over.

At 4 p.m. the dear ones gathered in large numbers in the same hall to hear the Master answer questions. A newcomer who had had Inner Experience in the meditation that morning thanked the Master for the gift, and asked Him how she should proceed further. The Master told her to look intently and minutely into the Light and absorb her whole attention into the hearing of the Sound.

An initiate said that he had pain in his spine during meditation. Master told him to adopt any pose that was comfortable for him, and not to pay attention to the body.

One man said that he was frightened of snakes. Master commented that sometimes children play lovingly with snakes and are not bitten, because they have no ill will. Thoughts are very potent He told a story of King Akbar the Great, who was taking a walk with his minister Birbal. Birbal told the King that every thought had a definite reaction, and suggested that he think something specific about a man who was approaching them. The King thought, that man should be killed. When the man came near, they asked him to have no fear, but tell them honestly what thought had come to him when he first saw the King. The man said that the King’s head had looked like a watermelon to him, and he wanted to break it with his fist. Another initiate asked how Master takes on the karma of His children. Master replied that it was in accordance with the Law of Sympathy. He said that when the first Mogul Emperor Babar’s son, Humayun, was very sick, he prayed to God that he should be sick instead of his son. History tells us that Babar’s request was granted. So, if the sickness of Humayun could be taken over by his father, why shouldn’t a Competent Master take over the karma of His dear ones?

A newcomer asked, if someone sees the Master within before initiation, is that the same as initiation? The Master said

No, it is not.

Some people have a background, and the Master’s Form manifests to them to show them that they are to be guided further by Him. Someone told the Master that he gets frightened for some reason whenever he was alone. The Master very lovingly told him that no one is ever alone; God is with every one. But, he added, sometimes these things have physical causes; if so, it may be treated, preferably by homoeopathy.

A questioner said that he had heard that everybody had to pay karmic debts. The Master said that when one rises above body consciousness, the effect of the karmic reaction is considerably toned down, by Master’s Grace, and the pinch is not felt. But it is necessary for the initiate to have faith and loving devotion for the Master, and there should be perseverance. The maintenance of the self-introspection diary is also very important.

The dear ones asked Master if they could sit in silence for a few minutes and just bask in His loving radiation. The Master kindly agreed, saying that silence speaks more than words.

A public meeting was arranged that night at 8 p.m. in the Meistersinger Halle, Nuremberg, a large hall accommodating 1200. The audience listened attentively as Master touched every aspect of life with the yardstick of Spiritual Advancement and pointed out how miserable we are in the earth life. He explained that the suffering can be overcome and the mystery of life solved, if we learn to die while living under the guidance of a Living Master. Frequently He quoted from Christ, Kabir, and Guru Nanak to bring home to His listeners that the Surat Shabd Yoga is an age-old science taught by Masters in the past, which He had come to revive again under instructions from His Beloved Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji.

At the conclusion of the talk, the audience spontaneously burst into applause. Master asked them to stop; He said it was not necessary to applaud, He had not given them a lecture but had spoken to them from His heart.