Where does the will of God originate?

    Where? It is better you should ask God. Don't you see? It is better to go to Him and ask Him, because there was nothing before. All became only after Him. His Will only after He wished it. Just ask Him.

What does it work through, Master?

    It is His pleasure--why He has done it--we should go and ask Him, I tell you. There is no other reply--all Masters have said like that. Why He did it? One thing: The house is on fire, and we are hemmed in that house. What should we do? Should we find out who the man is who put the house on fire? It is better to get out and then ask.
    Ultimately, all Masters have said, "It is His Will." Why He created it? Kabir says, He is just like a juggler. He sustains all His things." It is all His play. Why did He want it? There's no question of why He did not want it. All these questions cease when the intellect ceases to work. We rise in our own consciousness then, but that's only a drop of water in the ocean. It's a play and can only be given by God Himself, is it not? All Masters spoke like that. When a child stands up by his mother, "Mother, I know you." Well, what can a child, a small child know about his mother? You see? Why did she give birth to him? It is something like that.
    So there's something--these things go on like a mystery circle: was there first the egg or the hen? Which was first, the egg or the hen? Were you first? The seed or the tree? How? He's something going complete in Himself. He put in something--action--all complete in Itself. Nobody knows whether anybody else is at the back of it or if that goes on just of itself: that inner Way. In Jap Ji perhaps you have read, "Once He created It, It is going on of itself, automatically." And why did He keep it? This a man cannot understand. The more you go in, the more you are absorbed, these things are seen. Try to know yourself. Rise above body consciousness. ABC will start from there. ABC will start from there. Where the world philosophies end, there the word 'religion' starts. Philosophies deal with theories, but mysticism is direct contact with the
God-into-Expression Power.

Does it work through the mind, Master?

    Mind is a vehicle. Mind works only when it gets strength from us. There's a difference in the East and the West in the definition of mind--what is that? East considers mind is material. West considers it is conscious. It is soul which gives strength to the mind. The mind's a vehicle.

There is a misunderstanding there.

    And within, when you are absorbed, where's the mind? Or where's intellect? It is we who keep all the machinery going on. Look here--I am absorbed in you, solely; all others are forgotten. If you direct your attention to someone, you see only that much. We have to control our minds. Thought is the outcome of your attention. You are at the back of it. It is like ripples in the sea. The more you come [inside], you'll simply lose yourself, that's all. All Masters were quiet. "There is much more... Nothing more to say." With intellect we say, "It is mine, it is mine. It is not God's plan." The Masters say it is He working.
    We see that all the machinery goes on when we direct it by our attention. In other words, when you are in control, there's no world. We create the world, do we not? Best thing is to know oneself, by self-analysis. Then something comes. When you have got a lantern with you, it means you light the way about ten yards. And when you go further, another ten yards is lit. The more you go, the deeper you go... The Ultimate--it simply baffles your intellect. It is not a question of intellect. You are not the intellect. Intellect is also a vehicle through which we work, that's all. We are at the back of the intellect. We can look into our own selves. That is why it is said: Self-knowledge precedes God-knowledge; or, Self-knowledge is God-knowledge. The more the Self expands, the more it expands into Him, and one loses one's self. These are delicate questions, I tell you. People are baffled in that.
    One lady was in a family way. She asked her mother, "How will I know when the child will be born? Will you please inform me." She said, "You will know of your own self and will tell me." When you come you'll see for your own self. You'll see for your own self. It appears to be a sort of mystery now.
    So by and by you'll know yourself--really know yourself. Not by feelings or emotions or drawing inferences, but by really rising above body consciousness, by self-analysis. Then you'll see things in their right perspective--not before. We are all under a grand delusion, I would say.
That delusion subsides when you rise above it. When you go in a plane, you see the world in its right perspective: very big mountains appear like mounds, very big rivers like rivulets or small channels--like that. The greatness of the world is lost when you rise above it; it is illusionary. Now we are attracted to it so much that we think it is the be-all and the end-all, but it has little or no value. It has use in its own way--that's all right, so long as we are in the body. But when you rise above, you see all the world here is very good for enjoyment. Just as you go up in a plane and see all around--there are so many layers of clouds, one, two, three, five, go up, go up, you'll even see the sun there. Now the sun is covered by clouds. When you rise you see still higher, and that sunlight is very sweet the more you go up. These things are solved of themselves as you go up. So the first thing is to know yourself. All Masters who came in the past gave out: Know Thyself. Guru Nanak says, "Unless you know yourself by self analysis, the delusion cannot be set aside."
    There's a big factory which is run by a power house. The different departments of the factory are run through switches connected with that department and the power-house. Whichever switches you turn off, that department ceases to work. If you switch off the main line switch, the whole factory will stop working. It is something like that. To know one's self is the first thing, and the foremost thing. Unless you know yourself, you are not in a position to know Overself. Even then you do not know fully--you are simply to be absorbed, that's all. It cannot be expressed in words. There are no words to explain.

Understanding is greater than intellect.

    The right understanding will give you right thoughts. You'll see the things in their right perspective, by understanding: then right thoughts will be the outcome. Right thoughts will result in right speech. And right speech results in right action. There are few who have got real right understanding.

The understanding comes without thought.

    Thought is the result of understanding. You understand one thing, and that you give out. It's almost the same, but still a very fine difference. You understand something, then you say something--mentally or by word of mouth--if you've understood.

You can rise into understanding...

    Yes. If you can control your thought--it is only that thought that entangles; and back of thought is your consciousness.

Master, understanding comes only through experience, doesn't it?

What do you mean by experience? Define that I may give reply. Experience by physical...

You can't understand... can you understand the spiritual realms unless you go inside and see for yourself?

    Understanding is first learned at the level of the physical plane; by learning from word of mouth, seeing or going through the sayings of the teachers who understood. They gave out something to help others to come to that understanding. So these are helping factors. Right understanding is that you are a soul, oversoul--conscious entity. You are a soul--that is Oversoul. That is the right understanding, but you have not realized it. Do you see? That is why Masters say: "Meet somebody who has right understanding, by meeting whom you'll come out of the delusion. View things in their right perspective. Those who have Seen sometimes give you a little demonstration, you might say. When you sit in meditation you forget your body, you see some separate something: This is only a little beginning. When you rise at will, transcend into the Beyond, then that is also not the end. There are veils under veils--physical, then the astral, then the causal. And you are at the back of it. I tell you, these are delicate questions. Unless you rise above yourself, you cannot really follow.
    So first thing is, come out of the house which is on fire. That's all. That happens when He is able to withdraw you from the body for a while--give It to you. Then go, day to day by regular practice. Practice makes a man perfect. Then help others to go out of the house which is on fire, if you can. These things are not very clearly given in books, they're just given in digest form. But I have followed it and found almost all [scriptures] say the same thing. The mode of expression may be different; the way of a language may be different, but the basic thing is the same. I got a letter the other day from one very learned man--he always puts questions in a very intellectual way. So he referred to some book--he says on such page it says like that, on such page it says like that. I appreciate that he's a good, learned man. He's an initiate, but his letters are always intellectual wrestling. So I answered him: it sometimes required one page, two, three pages to reconcile. "The basic principle is that God is Spirit and you are Spirit. You can pray with Spirit only, you see." He says the soul does not dwell in the body or work through the body; what difference does it make? These are his questions. He says some other power works through him. He sees it. We are conscious entities. So these intellectual wrestlings or wrangling, I would say, will lead you nowhere.
    Some letters are very interesting. There was one--40 pages. O my Lord, he asks questions like anything--101 questions. I think three pages of questions--I had to write three pages to answer one question. It's just at the intellectual level. Granted that helps you in understanding a bit, but the whole delusion does not become clear unless you rise above the intellect. So that is why it is said: It is not known by the outgoing faculties, mind or intellect. Be still, then--you'll see you are at the back of it. So these things are explained in different languages, but the basic principle is the same. When we dip into it we See, "Oh it is all the same." You see sometimes the Masters say something from a certain level.

Different levels of consciousness.

    You say so, but really there is no difference. Man sees from one level--that is all right. He is on the way, we have respect for everybody.
    You are given something, the very core. Be thankful to God, you get something. If you have to work through levels, that takes time; after all, this is a shortcut. But you have to prepare yourself by self-introspection. That cannot be avoided. You cannot do two things. You cannot do three things. You must see from that angle. Everything will be clear. If you want all these outer enjoyments when all the same you know they are diametrically opposite... But if you know God and through that angle of vision you see everything, that's the point. I've just replied to the intricate point in a very simple way.
    So first of all know yourself, be able to rise above body consciousness at your will, and transcend. And that is not also the end-all and be-all, but where the ABC starts. That requires time factor. A strong man revels in his strength and the weaker man wonders how he got it. Well, he did not get it in one day. When I was at Lahore, I was very fond of rivers, this and that thing. I used to go to the riverside at night, even in the cold winter. There was a wrestler there. His father wanted to make him a wrestler. He turned him out of his house in cold weather all naked except with one pair of knickers on. The whole night he was exercising to keep warm. When I was there I used to meet him. He was doing exercises all the time till morning--then he turned out to be a strong wrestler. People would say, "Oh, he's a wrestler--he defeats everybody!" How did he become a wrestler? That took time. So regular practice makes a man. Try to understand this--not the words which may not be very good English or very learned talk. Learning sometimes takes you away from the point. I'm giving you in heart to heart talks what I have come to know, with the grace of God, of course. So that is why I always say to make the best use of your time here. You know when you go away you'll be doing other things too. Out of 24 hours you'll have to put in eight to ten hours for your livelihood... looking after your family and this and that--of course those, these things cannot be ignored, but you have to find time for your Practices. Now you are here solely for that purpose. You may live here for a month--make the best use of your time here--you'll learn more than if you would remain here six months and not put in your whole time, full time.
    All time does not count: I mean the time you have really put in meditation, that counts: not only the time by your living near. By living here, if you make the best use of the Radiation, that will help you. That will give you a boost. But if you put in time, that will give you more--better results compared when you do your Practices all alone anywhere else, unless you have developed receptivity; that is different. By developing receptivity you can have the same thing even at thousands of miles away. But until then, the Physical Presence cannot be underrated. That gives you a direct atmospheric boost.
    If you're sitting for meditation, say for five hours, six hours, what is the result? You must progress from day to day--if not, there is something wrong somewhere. And for that, diary is meant. As I told you in my message this time, you remember, right use of the present moment will go on till eternity. You've understood basic things; live up to them, that's all. Understanding also won't do, you see, unless you live up to it. Did you put in time as I explained to you last night?

I put in an hour last night and an hour this morning, but I didn't...

    This morning. You had no time. Please find time.

I had time but I had such bad dreams last night when I woke up in the morning.

    When you woke up you had no dreams.

No, but I was all tense.

    You are not having dreams now--Go and sit down. You have been explained the difficulties on the Way--why you are not having any experience. That, as I explained to you last night: Don't think of the breathing going on--don't think of the withdrawal; don't pay any attention; don't look up, strain your forehead or eyes--just look: intently, minutely to find out what is in there--patiently. If you continue like that . . . If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of Light. This is how the eye becomes single. Follow me? Do it please. You must have something before you. While you live here you surely will have it as two and two make four. You'll have it.
That's the only reply. But you cannot go to Him unless you know yourself by self analysis. So first thing is: the house is on fire. Come out of the house on fire, then ask why this fire was put by somebody. That's the next question. And there the ABC will start.
    Go jolly.