The most natural way II

Extract from a lecture by Sant Kirpal Singh in Philadelphia, September 13th, 1955

[…]we have to enter into the Kingdom of God, reach our true home. The way to it starts when we rise above body consciousness. But how are we to achieve this? All scriptures speak of the Way that leads back to God. We have to find this way. There are so many different methods that we may follow. But which of them is the most natural, the most easy and can give us the quickest results? – so that we can realize the Truth in this very life and not have to wait till after death.

[…]
The people are after it, no doubt, and many of them are quite sincere, broadminded and open to conviction. The question arises: Of the many yogas, which is the best, the quickest and easiest, and the most suited to our times? The Masters teach you the most natural way. Natural ways are always the easiest. Easy things can be followed by anyone anywhere. Even a child should be able to see the Light of Heaven within.

There are so many yogic practices. We have Hatha Yoga. It gives us physical fitness, a strong body, for one thing; and for another it prepares the way for another type of yoga, the Prana Yoga. Prana Yoga gives control over the respiratory system in the body, and enables one to withdraw the motor and sensory currents together to the seat of the soul within. The body is simply left as a clod of earth, without breath or motion; this is technically called kumbhak. When we achieve this withdrawal of the pranas (vital airs), we see the Light of God and hear the Voice of God within. This is a difficult and arduous way. Everyone is not fit for it. Everyone can’t follow it. The body must be sound and strong. For this we have to take to the Hatha Yoga practices for a long time to make our body fit, and then we can take it up. Those who are physically unfit, if they take it up, they fall a victim to different diseases.

Next there is Laya Yoga, which is concerned with the awakening of the kundalini or the serpentine power. That is also practiced through controlling one’s breathing. We have to awaken all centers in the body (chakras) and go up step by step. There are other forms of yoga as well, which enable one to control his mind. They ask us to visualize within some outer object so that we may have something to concentrate our thoughts upon.

Then there is Jnana Yoga for grasping the reality within by the sheer force of intellect – a very difficult path indeed, I may say. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, “To grasp the infinity by the finite intellect is as impossible as to quench thirst by taking wine or to extract oil from sand.” How can the finite intellect grasp the all-pervading reality within its narrow compass? That is a sheer impossibility. This is why Confucius said: “The reality is something that cannot be grasped, cannot be understood and cannot be comprehended.” This is why he turned from the spiritual to the ethical side of life.

Can we possibly come in contact with that Reality? All the Masters with one voice emphatically say, “Yes!” Guru Nanak says, “The Lord God of Nanak is visible everywhere.”

Swami Vivekananda, who came to America some years ago, began life as an atheist. He would challenge people to show him God. He would question: “Is there anyone who has seen God?” He was told to visit Dakshineswar (in Bengal) and meet Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He went there, all puffed up with his intellectual attainments. Ramakrishna appeared to him like an ordinary man. You see, the Masters do not act and pose. They don’t believe in any show. They just behave like ordinary individuals. He found the sage first on the grassy plot adjoining his hut and put to him his oft-repeated question: “Master, have you seen God?” And what was the reply? “Yes, my child, I see Him just as I see you – only more vividly.” At these words coming from the heart of a man of realization, Vivekananda bowed down. And throughout the rest of his life he always declared, “Only through that Godman was I saved.”

How then is salvation possible? All Masters say, “If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” For salvation then we must develop our “single eye.” But how to find it and how to develop it?

Guru Nanak tells us that the “single eye” spoken of is not of flesh and bone, as are our outer eyes. It is the inner eye – the eye within you. And this is to be opened. But how? One who has opened his own eye and has seen the light of God is also capable of giving you first-hand inner experience of it. Seeing is believing, and when you see for your own self, you will not require any further testimony. On the other hand, the blind cannot lead the blind. An awakened soul alone can awaken souls slumbering on the plane of the senses. As light comes from light, so does life from life. A man of realization can grant an experience of the reality to others. He who has risen in Cosmic Awareness, can make others rise in that awareness. So it’s not an impossibility. All Masters have testified to this. Shamas of Tabrez says: “We should be able to see God with our own eyes and hear the voice of God with our own ears.” This is no new thing. It is the most ancient science and the most authentic.

Another Muslim Saint, Moieen-ud-Din Chishti, tells us, “You have to open the inner eye to behold the glory of God within. It’s already there.”

A true Christian must know how to cross over the body consciousness to see the Light of God. A true Muslim must witness the glory of God from the top of Mount Toor, which is our body. The prophet Moses used to go up Mount Sinai to hear the Decalogue in the midst of lightning and thunder. Similarly, a true Sikh (Khalsa) is one who sees the light of God in his own person. The scriptures tell us that Guru (Master) is one who can dispel darkness in man by revealing the light of Heaven. The Christians figuratively call this spot (where the light is seen) the mount of transfiguration.

This is the goal before us. It is possible and within the reach of everyone. When? When you come in contact with some practical adept. He will be a man as any of you are, but he has inner experience of Truth and is competent to give the same experience to you. If he gives you some experience at the very outset, you can expect more from him.

What type of yoga do the Masters teach? I just mentioned certain types of yoga. There are other types as well, which enable us to concentrate and dwell on the lower ganglions in the body. They aim at awakening the different supernatural powers thereby. But the true aim of life is to know one’s Self and to know God, and not to have supernatural powers. To one who practices the highest type of yoga, by following the path of the Masters, all such powers come of themselves: one has not to work for them. But a true seeker of God bypasses all such temptations.

What then is the most natural yoga? What do the Masters teach? The Path of the Masters is known as Sehaj Yoga (the natural yoga) or the Surat Shabd Yoga (the yoga of the Sound Current). What is surat? It is the soul within each one of us, the outward expression of which is the attention or what is known as consciousness, awareness or wakefulness. When you open and close your eyes successively for some time, you will feel a kind of wakefulness and consciousness behind the eyes. This wakefulness or consciousness is the “Self” in you, and that you are. In the waking state it is diffused in the body and is engaged in outer pursuits of the world through the agency of the senses. But it can be withdrawn and concentrated within. The Master helps in withdrawing the sensory currents, collecting them at one center, and gives an inner contact with the “Word Power” within – the divine link in each one of us. This God Power is known by different names. St. John speaks of it as the “Word.” It is the “Holy Ghost” of Christ. The Muslims call it Kalma or Ism-i-Azam, while the Hindu Rishis called it Sruti or Udgit. Zoroaster gave it the name of Sraosha or the “Creative Verbum.” Guru Nanak speaks of it as Naam. It is the great Creative Power of God which is controlling the universe. This Sound Principle or “Divine harmony” is the core of all that is.

And what is God? You find the same thing mentioned in the Bible. St. John begins his Gospel with the memorable words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Dryden, a great English poet, in his poetic fancy calls it “Harmony,” and ascribes the creation to the great “Power of Music.” This Word existed even before the creation came into being.

God the Absolute is Wordless and Nameless. When that Absolute came into manifestation, it was given different names as said before: Word, Kalma, Naam, Sruti, Udgit, etc. This first and primal manifestation of the Absolute (in the form of the Sound Principle) is the Divine Link within each one of us, and this power is all-pervading and everlasting. “Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven.”

The Bible further tells us: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made.” That is the creative power: “Upholding all things by the Word of his power.” The Bible calls that creative principle the “Word.” As I told you yesterday, unless you know the specialized terminology of the Masters, you cannot know the true import of the scriptures. The Word, as used throughout the Bible and especially by St. John, is one example of such terms; and so are many others in different scriptures. That Word is lasting, everlasting and abiding forever and forever: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God shall stand forever.”

The “Word of God” does not mean the words uttered by the Masters. Their words of wisdom simply express the Word of God and its creative, controlling and sustaining power over all that is visible and invisible. This Power existed right from the beginning. “The Word was with God and the Word was God.”

That Divine Link is within every man. The Epistle to the Hebrews (in the New Testament) speaks of the Word of God as: “For the Word of God is quick (which living) and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow , and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” That power is denoted by the term “Word.”

So God is the Nameless or the Wordless One. When that power came into being and assumed a manifest form, “God-in-action” – it became the primal cause, the Causeless Cause, of all creation in the higher and lower spheres. And that first manifested form of the Absolute is the only Way back to God.

What we have to do is to contact that Divine Link which is the supporting power of all creation. We owe our very existence to this powerful link within us, which is uniting the radiant soul with the gross physical body. When that power is withdrawn, the connecting link snaps and the soul departs, leaving the body a lifeless clod of clay. This we call death – the dissolution of the microcosm. When this Power is withdrawn from the world, there follows Grand Dissolution.

This Divine link is in every heart. With that we have to establish contact – a real and living contact. But how? You can find it by transcending physical consciousness. The Bible says: “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” One who is Word personified will naturally be able to join you with the Word within. That Power ever abides in us. It is the Bread of Life and verily we live by it, though we have never recognized it. Christ tells us, “Whosoever partaketh of this bread will have everlasting life.” He never meant his body, but the Word personified and within him. It is often described by the sages as the Water of Life. Christ says, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

But how to get this Bread of Life or Water of Life, that bestows life everlasting? How to sip this elixir? All the scriptures tell us in one voice that it could have been from a living Saint who is an embodiment of this active life principle. It will not cost you anything, not a farthing. It is as much a gift of nature as light, air and water. This experience of Truth you can get through the grace of a living master, competent enough to contact you with the Divine Link within.

What is this experience like? The Bible says: “If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” And further it says: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” That shows there is some experience of light within. And then there is something else as well – the Sound Principle. “Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever.”

You will have to rise above body consciousness before you can come in contact with that Word Power within. It means an experience of light – the Light of God within you. And this is the beacon light that saves: “The righteous runneth into it and is safe.”

To those who are just put on the Path of the Masters, there comes a marvelous change in their life and conduct. Steadfast in the Power of the Word, they are saved by it and escape from the cycle of births and deaths. The Dissolutions and Grand Dissolution have no effect on them. It is then said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Mark the words “out of the mouth of God.” This experience (revelation of light) comes about by the grace of an adept in the science of spirituality. The Master has to transmit his own life impulse when he puts us on the Way and gives us a contact with the all-powerful, live and vibrant chord within. With this manifestation within, we learn the significance of the words of the Master Christian: “The son knows the Father and those to whom the son reveals.” And again: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

What I mean to say is that the Word Power has two aspects: one is of Sound and the other is of Light. This is the natural way. The Masters do not touch the breathing system. They do not invoke the aid of pranas, for the simple reason that pranas have an independent function in the body and do not in any way interfere with our daily pursuits like walking, talking, eating and drinking. If we can ignore the pranas otherwise, they can safely be passed by in spiritual sadhnas as well. The work of God can be performed well without the intervention of pranas or vital airs. They have eliminated that part of the show altogether to make the system easier and in accord with the present times. Even a child, if he is made to sit, is given an experience. He begins to see light and hears the tinkling of bells.

This then is the natural way that is given by the Masters. It is the most suitable for these days. The secret of success read in the conscious entity within us. The concentration of attention is all that is needed. Whenever a thing is done with undivided attention, the result is sublime. Even physical exercises with an eye on body-building processes will make you strong and healthy. Similarly, when your attention is directed to the centers of the brain, you become intellectual stalwarts. When you fix your attention or soul on the Divine Link within called the Word, you become spiritually great. Everything can be achieved by the direction of attention. It is why Emerson said, “The key to success is one’s own thought.” All that is required is the proper direction and guidance. For this, you need no outer ceremonies and rituals; You can remain wherever you are. The way is within you. The easiest way, the natural way, to go back to God is therefore by means of contact with the Sound Principle.

This is the most natural yoga that befits our times. On account of our short span of life and other inherent infirmities, we are not hereditarily and temperamentally fit to take up the harder yogic ways. There are other ways as well, but this is the simplest, easiest, and the most profitable.

I visited a village in India where a man had been engaged in Prana Yoga practices for over forty years. I went to him. He was a thin and emaciated figure. (That type of yoga requires a stout and strong body, for which you must have Hatha Yoga practices and others to make you strong before you take to that way.) His body was so weak that he could not even talk or move easily. On being questioned as to the results achieved in forty years of Prana Yogic discipline, he informed me that at times he would see a streak of light and occasionally hear some sound (indistinguishable) within. Just compare the strenuous labor with the insignificant results achieved! When he was told of the natural way and asked to experiment, his joy knew no bounds and he discovered quicker and better results in shorter time.

What I mean to say is that the natural ways are always easier. The natural yoga does not interfere with the pranic system, which is a complicated affair. I do not deny the efficacy of the prana yoga. But are we fit for it? As explained above we are not. The Masters, therefore, simply taught: “Let pranas do their own function in the physical frame. Ignore them altogether as one does when engaged in various activities. Withdraw the spirit currents and see within.” That’s all.

The Surat Shabd Yoga or Yoga of the Sound Current needs initiation or first-hand experience from some competent master in the line who is capable of giving some spiritual experience. When he puts you on the way, you see things for your self. If you can have a little from him in the beginning, you can also expect more from him later. Moreover, the Master being in tune with the Infinite is an unerring guide on the Godway and an unfailing friend both within and without. He has the competency to appear to you within, as some of you had an experience of this morning, and guide you on the inner spiritual planes as well.

A Mohammedan Saint says: “He who can give you instructions outside when on the physical plane, and go up voluntarily while alive, as at the time of death, has the competency to appear to you within and give you guidance there.” Search is the Master!

That’s what I’ve told you. I have not given you any rigmaroles, but facts from the scriptures. Until we come to and sit at the feet of some practical Master, we do not see things for our own selves. When we see our own “Self,” no further testimony will be required. Of course, for that certain prerequisites are necessary. And what are these? To restrict ourselves to a strict vegetarian diet, for the reason that we should have normal lives. The diet which excites passions has to be avoided altogether. It is better to have a light, simple and natural diet, which is an aid to spiritual sadhna or practice. Those who take up the practices concerning the lower centers in the body, do take meat – the Mohammedans and people of other religions. But those who are anxious to rise above body consciousness and go into the Beyond have of necessity to eschew all that. This is the Path that I have put before you. Liberation or salvation is something that only starts when you rise above body consciousness. For that reason, vegetarianism is the first essential.

Another is that of abstention from intoxicants. You are a conscious entity. You have to rise in cosmic consciousness, and go beyond into the super consciousness. The things that go to muddle your consciousness or make you morbid and lose your consciousness are to be avoided; therefore, leave off all intoxicants, liquors, narcotics, smoking and all kinds of drinks unnatural and artificial.

The third requirement, of course, is good character and ethical life, in thoughts, words and deeds.
These are the essential requirements which qualify a man to tread the Godway. If you do not detach yourself from the above things, your further progress on the way will be retarded. Moreover, even in ordinary life, if you observe these instructions, that will give you a blessedness unknown hitherto.

The most natural way I – ethical life

A further talk on yoga: Sant Kirpal Singh, The highest form of yoga

A comprehensive study of the various types of yoga: Sant Kirpal Singh, The crown of life (11961)

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