‘By their Fruits ye shall know them …’

by Charles Fulcher

Whenever Conditions in any culture or society have allowed individual persons to make a free inquiry into the meaning of life, there has been no shortage of promoters taking advantage of the situation and offering a variety of panaceas for the seeking populace to choose from. In the time of Christ Jesus, for example, the presence of an occupying Roman army brought in its train a general questioning of previous cultural values and accepted customs. As a consequence, we have in the scriptures His enjoinder to those who approached the Christ for general counsel concerning how they should seek:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

St Matthew 7:15-20

And, again:

Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

St Mark 13:5

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or Lo, He is there; believe him not: for false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

St Mark 13:21,22

True Masters of the Word, Who are authorised by Sat Purush to guide True Seekers to their true and imperishable Home beyond the intervening planes of matter and mind, are always present and living in the world. By outer appearances such True Masters seem as ordinary men, their numbers are few at any time in history, and they are met with only by the most fortunate and careful seekers after Truth.

It is difficult to identify a True Master of the Word and to ascertain with assurance that He guides the initiated soul to Sach Khand. But still such authorised Masters do have certain outer behavioural characteristics which enable the careful seekers to sift Them from all impostors.

1. The first criterion of identification is that a True Master is financially independent from all seekers and from all of His initiates. He pays for all of His own personal expenses in the world from His own earnings. He earns His own worldly living – sustenance and possessions – by the sweat of His own brow. He enjoins those who want to progress spiritually to be gainfully employed in an honourable manner. Furthermore, He advises everyone everywhere to share freely with others whom they know to be in need of the necessities of life, from that amount that they have earned which is in excess of their own simple and basic needs. A True Master of the Highest Order will not accept even as little as a clothing pin for His own material maintenance.

2. The second behavioural criterion is that a True Master does not say that He is a Master or Satguru. He attributes His Spiritual Competence and the Spiritual Benefits that the people derive from Him to the Grace of His Master, saying:

Your benefit is the result of the will and pleasure of my Master.

Sincere humility, simplicity, and benign generosity are the hallmarks of True Saints.

3. The third behavioural criterion is that a True Master is not ostentatious. He does not show off His physical, mental or spiritual powers for the applause of either His initiates or for the multitudes of worldly people ‘seeking of Him a sign from heaven.’ The True Master of Spirituality will be heard to remark that He enjoys simplicity and that He does not want to be paraded before a populace like a circus elephant.

The false master purposely sets up the show of appearances in such a manner as gullible people would want to behave themselves, were they he. The false master promises that he will himself give worldly peace, salvation, an end to war, worldly wealth, success, an atmosphere of love and harmony, physical health, and so on. But there is seldom, if at all, any emphasis upon the requisite development of ethical life if lasting benefit is to be acquired, little or no requirement for a serious discipline for the control of their own minds by his followers, little or no theory concerning the inexorable and ever-revolving Wheel of Life.

On the contrary: the expressed appeal of false masters is aimed at emotional people or wishful thinkers. The false master promises much for little effort and promotes physical longevity, the development of some distracting psychic abilities, or even some ingress into the mental plane. The dangers and pitfalls are not described, and the follower sets forth as if upon an easy venture.

Only as far within as any developed soul has gone can he guide others to reach. Even then, if the guiding soul is not perfectly selfless, the karmic burden will lead to the downfall of both the guided soul and the guiding soul, so that their latter state is worse than their former states.

Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted (authorized) shall be rooted up. Let them (the incompetent spiritual guides) alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

St Matthew 15: 13,14

When the unclean spirit (not ‘pure in heart’) is gone out of a man (the physical body), he walketh through dry places (within), seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house (physical body) from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

St Matthew 12:43-45

4. The fourth obvious criterion is that a True Master is Himself an example of what He requires of others: He has a high regard for all forms of sentient life, enjoining a vegetarian diet, living a chaste life, and requiring all to live up to those ethical and moral requirements that lead to the highest social responsibility as well as the most expedient Spiritual Development. A True Master of the Word explains that the physical world is not our True Home, that the sense enjoyments are perishable and ephemeral, that we will have to quit this physical world one day, and that we should hasten to acquire some experience of the beyond before we have to leave this prison house of the physical human body.

A True Master speaks freely to all of the Inner Journey, of its scope, and of its hazards to the soul which is not competently guided. A True Master speaks of the inexorable Wheel of Life and the binding effect of all karma, as well as of the ever-present actuality of reincarnation for those who do not seek for a Master of Truth whose attainment is perfect, reaching to Sach Khand.

These criteria, as briefly presented here, will enable careful seekers to distinguish a True Master of the Word from
self-styled impostors. Each seeker has the responsibility to seek carefully and thoughtfully and to make his or her own choice. Having made a choice, the seeker should pay heed to the enjoinders of the Master and make the implementation of the Master’s commandments to be the first priority each day in the remainder of his or her earth life. No effort is lost in nature, as each must have what each desires.

On His last world tour in 1972, Great Master Kirpal Singh gave Inner Demonstrations every morning at public meditations, showing the Inner Light of God and how to cross the Inner Stars, Moon and Sun. Hundreds were able to see within themselves the Radiant Form of the Living Master. First-hand Spiritual Experience at the time of initiation is the Inner Criterion by which to distinguish a True Master in this Kali Yuga. But the outer behavioural criteria are essential for the development of Spiritual Receptivity and lasting progress.