On Being as little Children

by Katherine Lloyd

Except ye be as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

We often hear these words at Satsang or read them in scriptures or Master’s writings, yet many times there is some confusion or lack of comprehension in their True Meaning.

Many people infer that this statement requires from the seeker an attitude of blind faith. But Master always cautions us against such a posture. He reiterates that one should test the verity of a True Master against these criteria:

1. That the Master lives by the fruits of His own endeavours and not from the charity of others. He is merely a treasurer Who distributes gifts and offerings to those who are in need, keeping nothing for Himself.

2. That the initiate has some experience of the esoteric mysteries at the very first sitting, no matter how slight this first experience may be. The strength of the oak is not determined by the size of the seed.

But Surat Shabd Yoga is a science, not merely another creed, and as a science it is verifiable in its results and should, therefore, be carefully observed and checked by the neophyte before acceptance so that he does not waste his life’s efforts following a false master. Once the seeker is convinced that the Master is the genuine possessor of the Master-Power, then, and only then, should he place his hand in that of the Holy One with implicit trust.

So we have seen that what is meant by becoming as little children is something other than blind faith. Perhaps the shortest way to right understanding is through the observation of a little child. I have been privileged to have the opportunity by watching my own three-year old daughter whom Master has shared with me. Some of these experiences are too valuable not to pass along with hopes of furthering the comprehension of the Shabd discipline.

One day as I was working in the kitchen I could hear my husband scolding our daughter Kirsten upstairs in his office. I was sure that she had been in there and scattered some of his papers, for he was repeatedly emphasizing,

don’t ever touch it again,

in the sternest voice he could muster. This continued for a minute or two until at last Kirsten broke in and exclaimed,

But Daddy! I love you!

Naturally, this took the starch out of his sermon.

I couldn’t help but be amused. However, this incident made me see the kernel of one of Master’s lessons. There are times when all children must be corrected. A father who never corrects does not love his child. We are Master’s children, and He stresses two things that are paramount for Spiritual Progress: receptivity and obedience. The former is largely determined by the latter. Receptivity is the key that unlocks the door to the Guru Dev. But how can we become receptive if we do not hear – and more importantly – obey the commandments of the Master? '

If ye love me, keep my commandments,

is both map and territory for our journey. It is for this purpose – for the reading of our own maps and to see how much territory has been covered – that Master requires the keeping of the diaries.

However, being the infirm and/or uncomprehending creatures that we are, we err again and again. Those who keep their diaries faithfully inevitably find themselves marking failures in the same old columns month after month. Patient as Master is, there comes a time when we all must be corrected.

When this time arrives, it is our own attitude that makes the difference. Do we sulk and pout? Do we feel offended and hostile? Do we think, ‘I’ll show Him!’ Or do we simply say-as a child – ‘But Master! I love you!’

Then one evening as Kirsten and I were standing on the front porch, I noticed the full moon was out. I said,

Look, lamb. See the moon! Isn’t it beautiful?

She lifted her lovely little face and said so sweetly,

Oh, yes! My Daddy’s going to buy me one just like that.

I thought,

Of all the beauties in human expression, what can be superior to such loving, thorough faith?

Surely each one of us should reward the untiring efforts of our selfless Master by just this same expression. He has never failed us and constantly assures us of His reliability. It should be our joy to abide in trusting faith and self-surrender.

More insight came through an episode which occurred in an elevator. I had driven my husband to the doctor and we had taken Kirsten with us. She had been quite concerned about his ill health as he is usually so robust. When the doctor appeared with him after the examination she said,

Are you well now, Daddy?

Of course we all laughed, and explained that it would take some time yet for Daddy to fully recover.

She seemed thoughtful as we waited for the elevator and said nothing as we stepped into it past two other occupants. We started our descent in the usual awkward silence imposed upon strangers confined to a small compartment when Kirsten, placing her small hand in her father’s, said quietly,

Daddy, I love you.

Just then, every breath, every cubic foot of air was swelled with that sentiment and each of us united as one, sharing but one thought-love. The atmosphere was charged. No one spoke, looked about or even changed expression. Yet for that wonderful moment all differences had vanished. There was no friend or stranger. We were merely beads strung on the cord of love and came close to feeling, if not actually realising, the Divinity within ourselves for at least those few lovely seconds. We stood there together – loved ones and strangers – in an ordinary elevator, isolated for ever so short a time from the pressures of mundane affairs, basking in the radiation of pure innocent love bestowed from a little child. Surely this is what Master means by becoming as little children.

Love and all things shall be added unto you.