THE MASTER ANSWERS PART NO.19, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5115 · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 8:53 am

Q Maharaj Ji, can you give us some criterion or some sort of sign that lets us know that we are too self-important? The great disease is the disease of individuality or self-importance?

A Ego, you mean?

Q Yes, how can a satsangi be made to realize when that disease is too strong in him or her?

A That disease is very common and strong in everyone of us. But for that disease, we would not be in this world. The fact that we are here is a clear indication that we are victims of the disease of ego, and the disease of ego will go from us only when we are attached to the Word, to Shabd or Nam. That drives ego from us and creates humility within us. This Shabd or Nam drives out the "I"ness from us, what we call "I", "I", "I". Then we just become Thou. For example, when we are in love with someone, we never like to do what we want, but we always like to do what he wants or she wants. we are always in readiness to please the other party, crushing our own views, fighting our own views, adjusting them to the other one. The same principle is in meditation. When we merge into the Shabd, when we fall in love with our meditation, with devotion to the Lord, to the Master, slowly and slowly and automatically this "I-ness" i being driven out of us. We take pleasure in merging, in blending into Him, rather than making Him bend to our dictates. This ego is automatically driven out.

Without attachment to Him you can never be detached from anywhere in the world. Attachment to worldly possessions, attachment to worldly faces, is ego. First we always look at things and a distinct impression comes in. Then we want to possess them. In order to possess them we work hard. Then we find that we are a slave to them. For example, a spider has woven its own web happily, and when it has woven it so beautifully, it finds that it has become a prisoner of it and cannot escape out of it. And that is what I think we are doing. We are making so many scientific investigations for modern worldly achievements, working hard day and night; we are weaving our own net and ultimately when we get all that, we find how much a prisoner we are of these things. They have possessed us. They have taken us and we have no more freedom. Then we find it difficult to get out of that net. That is ego. We can break that net only by Shabd, meditation or Nam.

Q We are all the slave of our mind. Mind somehow drives us to all kinds of searches away from?

A The soul is the essence of the Lord and it has taken to the company of the mind, and the mind, in turn, is the slave of the senses. So, our soul has become the slave of the senses along with the mind. Unless the soul leaves the mind, it cannot know itself, nor can it go back and merge into the Lord. It can leave the mind only when the mind returns to its own origin. All the effort of meditation is for the purpose of getting the soul released from the mind, to unknot the mind and the soul, which are now knotted together. We just unknot them, by freeing the mind from the senses, which enables it to go back to its home and take the soul along with it. When the mind merges back into its source, the soul is free to go up to its own Home and merge back into the Lord. It is just that simple, but definitely not easy as long as the mind is the slave of the senses.

In the body, the eye center is the seat of the soul and mind knotted together. From here our mind is being pulled down to the senses, and from this very place it can also be taken up. But first we have to collect or concentrate all our attention up to this very same point and to contact that Shabd or Nam or Word within it. When we are attached to and merged into that Shabd, we find that pleasure to and merged into that Shabd, we find that pleasure much superior to the pleasures of the senses, and with the help of that Shabd, we have to go back to the origin of the mind, which is Trikuti, the second spiritual stage. When the mind goes back to its origin, the soul automatically gets released from the mind. As socrates said, "Know thyself", it is only then that we realize what we are and truly "Know our self", the soul controls the mind and we can really say that we are God, "Whatever Thou art, so am I." So, potentially, every soul is God.

Q The trouble is the mind?

A The trouble is the mind, that is right.

Q Maharaj Ji, what about the force that is sometimes exerted by the universal mind in, let us say, having it motivated by the impulse of the Supreme creator like, for instance, the power of love is greater than the love of power? The Supreme Creator and the universal mind are two, or not two different things? There is a division there?

A You can say, "Mind, pure mind, and still purer or refined mind." After all, mind is mind. We can say, "Soul or God," Soul and God is the same, ultimately. Mind and universal mind is the same thing. The individual mind comes from the universal mind and merges back into the universal mind. You can call it essence of the mind; ultimately it comes to the same.

Q But the mind, the universal mind, can control ---- probably it is Kal, the Negative Power?

A That is right.

Q Can control individual souls?

A The soul has taken to the company of the mind and has become the slave of the mind, so mind is controlling the soul at this stage. Now the exact position is that mind is controlling the soul, and mind itself is the slave of the senses. We want to reverse the process. We want the soul to control the mind, and the mind to control the senses. So, by meditation, we have just to reverse the process, to enable us to merge back into the Lord.

Q How can soul be aware of itself without mind?

A It can be. The soul has the power of direct perception and the mind is supposed to be only its instrument for functioning in this world, but the instrument has taken the upper hand and has itself instrument has taken the upper hand and has itself become the slave of its own instrument, the senses. So, that is why I say, unless the mind merges back with the universal mind, and the soul gets released from the mind, the soul will never know its Reality. But at this stage, as long as the soul is a prisoner of the mind, it is only with the help of the mind that the soul can go back to its origin. Mind is our greatest enemy as long as it is the slave of the senses, for it is constantly being pulled down from the eye center to the senses, with one excuse or another. Its tendency is always towards the senses, and it is always trying to find justifications for this, not realizing that is is a slave of the senses, and it is worst enemy.

When, through meditation or concentration, the attention collects at the eye center, and with the help of Nam or Shabd it returns to its own original home, there can be no better friend than the mind. When it is on its way back to its own home it becomes our friend, because only when the mind is on its way home, can the soul also be on its way along with the mind. They are knotted together until the mind reaches its own home, and it is only then that the soul is released and is free to go up on up to its Source. So, we have to convert this energy into the channel leading upward instead of downward. Mind is a very powerful friend when it has devotion for the Lord. So, the Master gives us the key, puts us in touch with the Sound, and with the help of that we have to convert this enmity into friendship. Then the soul automatically goes along with the mind to the mind's origin, leaves the mind at its own source, and continues onward to its true Home. Therefore, ultimately we have to leave the mind --- drop it. Then only can we go back and merge into the Lord.

Q Is it possible that good can come from certain types of spiritualism? Can there be two spirits...?

A In spiritualism you never contact any soul. All that you contact is your own mind. It becomes your medium and tells you all that. Initiates should not dabble in spiritualism at all. It is absolutely no good. The fate or end of the spiritualist is terrible.

Q Well, I think Sant Mat says the mind will never comprehend the pure spiritual regions. If the mind could figure that out, there would be no reason to meditate?

A That is right. This mind and intellect have a limited way of thinking. That can take you only to a certain extent, but not beyond their own level. All our reasoning, our thinking, our intellectual discussions, are just with the mind.

Q I know, we need to accept, but one still wonders----?

A Even this acceptance is that of the mind.

Q But even in our daily life we have insights and ways of knowing ordinary things; that is, superior knowing than trying to figure out the why and cause and the effect of certain circumstances, and we use a faculty that takes us much nearer to the point. So, why not try to understand the enormous things?

A No. As long as the intellect is there, it has to be satisfied. "Why" and "How" are kings of this age. We call it the scientific age. So, "Why" is the first thing; "Why" should I do? "How" should I do? Because the intellect is there, we must try to satisfy the intellect, at least to some extent; otherwise, it will not let us try to meditate. Intellect is a great barrier in our way and we have to pierce this barrier with the intellect itself. Unless the intellect is satisfied, our mind does not go at all on the path of meditation. So, we have to satisfy this intellect with the intellect, by these things. That is the purpose of all these discussions, all the satsangs, all this literature, all these group meetings. It is for no purpose other than to satisfy the intellect. We must first be satisfied that it is the right path and it can lead us to the Lord. So, we have got to satisfy our intellect, but intellect does not solve all our problems nor answer all our questions.

Q Well, then the reason we do not eat meat or we do not take alcoholic drinks or we accept you as Master is largely an intuitive knowing?

A That is right, but we still try to satisfy ourselves that we have done it intellectually. These decisions are made on a much higher level. But in order to satisfy ourselves, we always say that our intellect has done it.

Q Master, when the intellect is satisfied that is more or less proper, then one can really begin to get into the meditation? And with cooperation; in other words it does not fight?

A Then, sister, faith and practice will take us there, not the intellect. If you bring intellect in the way, it will be a barrier. We have to satisfy the intellect with the intellect and then leave the intellect. Then what we need is faith and practice. If still you will bring intellect in your way, then you can never practice. But if an intellectual man is once satisfied, though it may take him a long time to start, he is generally never misled.

Q That is right, but his intellect does not help im on the way. His intellect does not take him to the Lord. He will have to satisfy his intellect first, but after that it is his practice and faith which will take him to the Lord. So, we should try to make as much investigation as we want to or possibly can before coming to the path. Even if our whole life is spent in making investigation as we want to or possibly can before coming to the path. Even if our whole life is spent in making investigation, it is not time lost. It is time gained. But once you have satisfied your intellect that this is the right path, then you should not be intellectually always thinking about this thing or that thing. Then what you should do is the spiritual practice. Then you should give more attention to practice. The reading of literature and attending group meetings is just to create devotion in you, to create that atmosphere in you, to create something in which you have to live for meditation. Then you do not need all of these things to satisfy the intellect, you want them only to develop devotion in you so that you remain on the path. To satisfy the intellect in the beginning is necessary so that it may not become a stumbling block in our way, but the intellect itself will never help us.

Q Maharaj Ji, could you elaborate a little bit on how we go about dedicating our mind, our body, our wealth to the Master?

A Dedicating all these things is simply meant for the purification of our mind, to detach ourselves from our body, to detach ourselves from the wealth and to attach our mind to the Shabd. What you are referring to is the three types of service. Service with the body is to subdue our ego, our self-importance. When we do no some social service, under the instructions of the Master, and move shoulder to shoulder with the common man much of our pride and I-ness is eliminated, and we feel on the same level as any other man. Too much wealth and attachment to it leads to many unhealthy desires and habits. The Master does not want our wealth but when we spend it under his instructions in acts of charity and so forth we are detached from it to a great extent. Service with the mind is to do our meditation and live in the teachings of Sant Mat.

Q Should we strive for intellectual knowledge? Is it not inclined to interfere with spiritual progress?

A Intellect is very good to live by in this world. We know the ways and means to spend our life comfortably with the help of intellect. But intellect does not lead us to the Lord. We have to leave the intellect in order to follow that path. What we require is practice and faith. I do not say an intellectual man cannot follow the path. Intellect is a barrier in our way, no doubt, but we have to pierce this barrier with the help of the intellect. Unless the intellectual man is convinced that the path is right, he will never follow it. He can never have faith in the Lord as long as his intellect is not satisfied. But once his intellect is satisfied, he does not need intellect to follow that path. What he needs then its faith and practice.

I do not say that intellect is not required. For an intellectual man, intellect is required in the beginning to understand everything. But a simple man can also follow the path. He does not require the intellect to be convinced, but as he does not have much of a foundation, he can be led astray. The intellectual man is not led astray. Once I am convinced that this is a horse -- it has all the signs of a horse, even if the whole world tells me that it is a buffalo, I am not going to believe it. If to a simple man two people say that it is a horse, he will say, "Yes, it is a horse." Then if another ten people say to him that it is a buffalo, he will say, "Yes it is a buffalo." The simple man is easily shaken. We do need intellect, but intellect does not lead us anywhere. Ultimately the faith and practice will lead us to that destination.

Q How does one know when one is beyond the intellect? Can one be tricked in that also?

A We will go beyond the intellect only when we are able to subdue our mind. The intellect is a faculty of the mind. So, we have got to control our mind, remove the veil of mind from our way, for then only we go beyond the intellect and "Know ourself" as Socrates pointed out when he said, "Know thyself".

Q Can the intellect ever fully understand the teachings of Sant Mat?

A No. I would say to understand the real teachings of the saints is to experience them.

Q I am thinking in particular of reincarnation. How can one satisfy oneself to this, intellectually, without first going back and meeting or seeing our former life? How can we justify reincarnation intellectually?

A When we find so many ups and downs in this world, when we find so many disparities, the rich and the poor, so many diseases, so many born blind, crippled, idiots, we definitely start thinking why everybody has a different destiny and different fate? We ponder and wonder, and then we think about the past. We can find no other explanation but reincarnation, karma. They must have done something in their past life for which they are in that condition now. Otherwise, how could the Lord be so unjust to them and good to others? Whatever they have sown, they are reaping now.

What is destiny or fate? It is something with which we are born, something that we have to face during our life's span. That is the "original sin" with which we are born, the reactions of past deeds that we have to fulfill in this life. If we accept the theory of "original sin"'' destiny will accept reincarnation too. There is no other explanation.