God is known as Sat (ever-existing), and the world is Asat (changing). In the Hindu Holy Scriptures it states that the world is all Asat, and only the soul is Sat. Why is the soul called Sat? Because it is made of one substance only, and that is All-Consciousness. If anything is made of one substance, there is no question of its disintegrating.

    Why is the world Asat? Because it is made of matter in the form of elements, which in turn are broken down into atoms, neutrons, protons, etc.; and any admixture of substances is subject to disintegration. Our body is an exact copy of the Brahmand or the three divisions of creation, for we have three bodies within us corresponding to the physical, astral, and causal planes. God has given us a body made of matter, through which we are working in this world, which is also made of matter. At the time of death, we leave this body and use the astral body that works in the next plane, sometimes known as the "other world." Ahead of this there is the causal body. The purpose of these bodily coverings is to enable us to work in all three worlds whenever we are so inclined, and if we feel like it, to take off all three coverings and go into God's lap.

    When we come to this world, the greatest knowledge we can have is that only in the physical form can we realize the Truth or God. How can we know God? He cannot be known through the senses, mind, intellect, or through the pranas (vital airs). If God is to be realized, only the soul can do it. When can the soul get this experience of realization? When it has freed itself from the mind and the senses.

    What is the condition of the soul at present? The soul is everlasting and cannot die; but because it has come under the influence of the mind, it has become jiva (soul with coverings),
and as such it must therefore travel on the cycle of birth and death. Furthermore, by the connection with the senses and outer enjoyments, it has identified itself with the body and the world, so much so that it has forgotten its true self and God the Creator. We are the soul, in human form: all-consciousness, having a physical covering. In this human form we can realize God, but only when we first come to know ourselves. As long as we do not know who we are, we cannot comprehend what God is. Just consider that this body is the temple of God, and it maintains its glory while the soul is in it; but we are imprisoned in the body--imprisoned!

    In the Upanishads the question is asked, "Who is the maker of this wonderful body?" It has got two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, mouth, genital and excretory orifices, and yet the "indweller" cannot run out of it. The breath goes out, but it does not stay out. Some power pushes it back into the body. It is that Power which we have to know, and that is the Power we call God. While we are with the body, it is glorious, and for how long are we with it? For as long as that Power keeps us with it. When that Power leaves, we must leave also. This very same Power is controlling all levels of creation--there are innumerable planets, stars, etc. It is obvious that they are all working with perfect rhythm and control and do not crash into one another. When that Power leaves the different levels of creation, dissolution and also grand dissolution occurs.

    So all rishis and Saints, no matter from which country, caste or creed they came, have advised mankind in similar words, "Oh brothers, this body has been given to you that you might know yourselves!" The Upanishads and other scriptures state, "Know thyself." There are many different ways of doing so. Some people just say, "I am not the body"; but merely repeating the fact does not give knowledge of it. They are drawing inferences that they are not the body. They repeat, "This is my body; this is my mind; I am not the body; I am not the mind." "I have got intellect, but I am not the intellect." Such people should also ask themselves, "If this is mine, can I take it off?. Can I separate myself from this?" It is one thing to feel that one is not the body, mind, intellect, and pranas; but has one ever separated oneself from them? For example, this is my watch; I take it off and leave it there. This is my handkerchief, and I put it aside. This is my book--I can place it where I like; and all these things, because they are mine. This body is also mine. Can I take it off?. Can I separate myself from it at will?

    On death we do separate from the body, but if we could leave it while living we would see everything with correct perception. As it is, we do not see things in the right light and are going along in an illusion. When we do not know ourselves what I mean is, the soul has to free itself from the mind and the senses, and thereby know itself--if this does not happen, we have not done anything in life.

    To see is something different, for it is not enough to use the intellect to state, "I am not this -- I am not that." One may still the intellect by doing so, but one cannot get out of the forgetfulness. That Power which controls us, whom we call God, also resides in this body with us; but to see God is impossible unless we first know ourselves. So you see, the question of whether we can or cannot see God is a very specialized subject.

    Before going further into this talk, I want to explain that this spiritual science is not any particular sect or religion. To whatever religion you belong, I congratulate you, and you should stay in it. All religions are like schools into which we have been admitted. What was the reason for our admission? Was it not to realize God? Naturally, that school is best from which more boys graduate. Say that a certain school is very well built, with beautiful playing fields and smart uniforms for the boys to wear; but no boy graduates from that school--what is the use of that?

    How did all the various religions come into being? Always when a self-realized and God-realized Man came, Who had analyzed Himself from the mind and the senses and had experienced the Lord. Just as I can see you and you can see me, so They saw God. Whoever came into close contact with Them became capable of seeing the same, after freeing themselves of the mind and senses. I have just given an example about my body, my mind, and that one has to rise above this to experience the Lord. In this way they became the ones who could see the Life Sustainer. When They left the world, the religions were formed in order to keep Their teachings fresh; but up to then They Themselves had formed no sect or religion.

    The real purpose of forming a sect was to enable everyone to sit together to realize God, as that particular Master had taught them. Is that not so? Man is a social being and so the social organizations or sects were formed. However, when the sects were formed, customs, rites, and rituals were also introduced; and these come under apara vidya or exoteric knowledge. All this is useful as preparation of the ground. If one's deeds are good, then one will gain a reward. But, the cycle of life and death will not cease in this way. It can only finish when one is able to see that "He is the doer and not I." If a person continues to consider that he is doing everything, then whatever he sows he will reap; and good deeds will bring forth good fruit, bad deeds the opposite. Lord Krishna said that both these types of karmas are like gold or iron chains which bind.

    So the subject is one of self-analysis in a practical way; and when you have come to know yourself, then only will you see God. When we think that we see and understand something, we really only see through the eyes of some past Master by reading His words in the scriptures. They all say, "We have seen God." Have we also seen Him? This is the question we must put to ourselves.

    When you ask a small child, "Who are you?" he gets confused, opens his eyes and mouth wide, and tries to concentrate. He has some awareness of consciousness, but as he grows older the sanskaras or outer impressions have their influence on him. Then he starts saying, "I am Singh, Khan, Jones, Smith," etc. Ask him who he is a few years later and he will say, "I am a Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain," and so on. Isn't that forgetfulness? A small child is more conscious of his true nature.

    Who are we? We are conscious entities. All Masters in the past have said that we should know ourselves and then think about getting to know the Ultimate Reality. Whenever They come They tell us, "Oh man, this body has been given to you through great good fortune." The devi and devta, rulers of the various upper regions, are striving to get back into a human form; so how fortunate we are to have that for which such exalted souls are yearning.

    Have we realized God? If so, it is good; but how many can say that they do see, and can also make others see the Light of God? There are very few. We have merely bookish knowledge or knowledge through hearsay. A Master's greatness lies in the fact that He sees and can show others what He sees. How? He withdraws our attention from the outer environments and takes it above the mind and the senses. He then makes us realize that we are not the physical body. This is what is called an inner experience. Through the intellect we have been declaring that we are not the body, but in truth we must see the fact, and not just say so. We must separate ourselves from the physical, astral, and causal bodies. Upon rising above all three, one will know that "I am the soul." One is then capable of seeing the Controlling Power called God. Even rising above the physical body alone will bring the knowledge that "It is not I, but He Who is the doer."

    It is most important to have this practical experience. Our minds are like huge libraries full of books containing the words of past Masters, throughout which is written that this Master said this, that Master said that. No doubt, all Masters have spoken the truth, and They wrote what They saw; but have we seen anything? Have we, in truth, separated the life from the matter? Words cannot fill an empty stomach. The food for the hungry soul is the Holy Naam (God-into-Expression Power), and the food for the body is bread and water. Food for the intellect is to read, write, and reason. Even those who sincerely try to understand God through books are very few in number. So neither feelings, emotions, nor inferences will help us.

    There is some Power in control that is called God. Saints or Masters have called that Power Naam (Name). That Naam is the Controlling Power or God-into-Expression Power. It is that Power that is upholding us and has tied us to this body. The past Masters have expressed in the books the helping factors and the hindrances on the spiritual path. Such books are most valuable, and we are blessed that we can read about Their experiences. However, if you go to one Who sees, He will say, "Come, sit down, and I will show you what I have seen," which is vastly different.

    There have always been very few such spiritual Masters in the world at any time, and even now there are not many. However, the world is not without Them. For feeding the intellect one can find many masters. To be very frank, if a person has not broken free from the delusion, how can he give Light to anyone? He will say, "It is either this or it is that"--but in truth, what is it? No one can give an experience unless they are themselves connected. "... And no man knoweth Who the Son is but the Father; and Who the Father is but the Son, and He to Whom the Son will reveal Him."

    These are the facts about True Masters. They also ask, "How was your body made?" Have you ever thought about it? Just from one small sperm. And, what is the Power that makes the form in the womb of the mother? The eyes are made, nose is made, hair, etc.; everything perfectly made. Is there not some Power doing all this? There must also be a Power, a Maker of this world. Have we seen that Power? Just think, there are millions of stars in the sky and in what rhythmical control they are moving! There are some planets that are seen by man only after the passage of five thousand years. To consider all this, one's intellect reels! These stars do not collide with one another, for there is some Power that is holding them in their correct positions. The same Power is holding us. What is that Power? The Masters say that you may want the answer to this great mystery, and you will get it; but you have to know yourself first.

    Kabir Sahib, a past Master, said that there is no difference between the soul and God. God is All-Consciousness, and the soul is a drop of that Consciousness. With one thought from that All-Powerful Consciousness, millions of worlds were created. Our soul is also very powerful, but can it even make one small city? What is the reason for this? We are micro-gods, too; but we have become so weak and helpless. We have come under the influence of the mind and the senses, and all our power is scattered outwardly. If we could but control it, withdraw it, and release ourselves from the mind and senses to become single-pointed, then our soul would be very powerful. This is a practical subject. We have got such power that we could give strength to others, but we have become the body; we have become the senses and the mind. So all Masters have said again and again, "Man, know thyself."

    Both Kabir Sahib and Tulsi Sahib in almost identical words have said that God and the soul are one and the same. The soul is eternal--surat or attention, is full of bliss, just as God is. It has the same quality as God--on a miniature scale it is a reflection of God. I will give you an example to illustrate this. Many times we have helped to take dead bodies to the cremation ground by carrying them on our shoulders, and have perhaps lighted the fire with our own hands; but even then we cannot seem to realize that we also have to go. Why is this? Because this body contains the reflection of God. If there is a big fool among other fools, he will think there is none more clever than himself because of that reflection of God in him. Everyone is eternal in himself because he is the same as God. The Masters say that we are so much in God that our soul is in God and God is in our soul.

    When we meet a spiritual Master, we begin to understand what Sat or Truth is. He gives us an experience of the Beyond. An experience means that He frees us from the mind and the senses and makes us see who we are--not through intellect or feelings. First we should know who we are. We are conscious entities. We are the children of a lion and have great strength, but we have made ourselves weak and helpless. For another example: the rays of the sun do not burn us; but if we pass them through a convex lens, those rays become concentrated and can burn anything upon which they fall. So, we have got that Power of God, but it is not concentrated. If it is concentrated it can become the mouthpiece of God.

    All Masters have confirmed Guru Nanak's words: "It is not I who speaks, but I say whatever God makes me say." They become the mouthpiece of God. Hazrat Mussa, a Muslim prophet, has said, "I do not speak; but whatever He asks me to say, I utter those words." They become the conscious co-workers of the Divine Plan, and in all clearness see God doing everything, thereby knowing They are not the doers Themselves. We also say that we are not the doers, but we do not see the fact. It does not matter how often we declare this, for in the end we will still feel that we are doing everything--we just cannot believe it. We must break this I-hood; otherwise, we will achieve nothing.

    Karmas or actions come under the heading of Karma Yoga, which means being bound by our own actions. How can we go through action without getting a reaction? Only when we truly see that self is not the doer, but God is. It is useless to merely say, "I am not doing it; I am not doing it"--who is doing it? Deep in folds upon folds of the mind we are thinking that we are the doers, and while this continues we will have to continue to pay for our actions. If you sow a chili seed, the plant which sprouts forth will bear hundreds of chilies. Similarly, if you plant a mango sapling in the same ground, you will get mangoes. Therefore, the sharpness of the chilies and the sweetness of the mangoes will come out from the same soil. Whatever you sow, you will have to accept the similar fruit; and there is no escape for anyone as long as we do not become reactionless in action. Only that person who enjoys the inner experience of the Holy Naam will come to see that God is doing all and not himself. He will then be called neh-karma which is to be actionless in action, as a conscious co-worker, with the Power of God in accordance with the Divine Plan.

    One Muslim fakir said that the great wrong we have done to ourselves could not even be done by one who is not only blind without eyes, but blind in reasoning also. That wrong is that we have forgotten the owner of this house--we, the soul, the indweller of the body. That which is controlling us in the body is called God, so God and the soul are both residing in the same house. When one starts seeing the Truth, one's I-hood will break away from one's heart. We have forgotten ourselves in the Maya (illusion) of forgetfulness which started when we became conscious of the physical body. This consciousness of the body quickly developed into acceptance of the body as our identity. From then on we regarded the world from the level of the body.

    Now, the body is changing and the world is changing at the same minutely slow speed. Having decided that we are the body, we consider that this is the Truth and nothing is changing. What a great forgetfulness! The literate and illiterate, the rich and poor, are all affected alike. For an example, a boat containing a number of people is drifting on the river. The speed of the boat and the water are both the same. One man gets out and stands on the shore. He shouts, "Oh, brothers, come out quickly, for the boat is drifting away!" The people gaze at the water and at the boat, and think they are at a standstill, so they shout back, "What nonsense are you saying? We are not moving at all!" If only we would come out of our worldly "boat" and see that in truth we are drifting away! The Masters tell us, "You are building castles out of sand," for They have seen the Truth and we only draw inferences.

    Those who have seen continue to admonish with such words: "You are the soul, a part of God Who is residing within you. Through the illusion of the body you also became attached to material objects, and the result is that wherever your attention is, so you become that. You are under the influence of the mind, and senses are feeding the senses through the outgoing faculties; and the more you feed them the harder the mind will work and the more strength it will get."

    As the mind is surrounding the soul, the soul must take the consequences and suffer. It is true that the soul never dies; but because it is tied to the mind, it has to be responsible. This knot has to be untied, and then it will know who it truly is. This human being is really both attention and awakened attention. Outward expression of soul is called surat--attention or dhyan.

    There is no doubt that we have got this human form through very high destiny. In this form we can do that great work, and in no other form. What is that great work? To realize God. We know so much about the body: how to keep it healthy and how it becomes sick. There are many kinds of doctors attending on it. The ayurvedic practice is the oldest, then unani came, and after that the allopathic system, homeopathy, electric and radiation treatment, naturopathy, etc. On how to keep the body fit, our knowledge is vast.

    Intellectually, we have also advanced with amazing strides. A dog has circled the world in one and one-quarter hours. Across thousands of miles we can hear and see things through radio and television. This is all due to the intellect. In olden days, when blind King Dhritarashtra could not see the progress on the battlefield during the Mahabharata war, Sanjay, an advisor, related the proceedings to the king in his own palace many miles away. This proves that there were radio and television in those times; but all that advanced science was destroyed in that great battle, and the process of learning had to begin again. Day by day the world is becoming smaller through the accomplishments of the intellect. A plane has been designed recently which can reputedly travel from America to India in a few hours. You can breakfast in America and dine in India. The question is, however, has all this brought us any happiness? Most definitely not, and the reason? The third part of us, the soul, is extremely weak. We are the true picture of consciousness; but having lost our identity in forgetfulness, we have become one with the body, and regard all things from this level. The result is attachment!

    This human form is also known as an action ground. Christ said, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." All Masters have said the same thing in Their various languages. Guru Nanak said, "This body is the field of tomorrow--whatever you sow, you will have to harvest yourself." Tulsi Sahib said, "You will have to taste the fruit of your actions in whichever way you plant them." Those who have solved the riddle have to repeat the same thing again and again, for Truth is One. All spiritual aspirants should think of this life as a field, and should sow carefully whatever they desire to harvest.

    As I mentioned at first, there is no special caste or creed here. We have taken the first step--that is, we have entered a school. I congratulate you for that; and no matter what thought has led you to this step forward to realize God, you should now do your best to succeed. For good reason, this Ashram is called Ruhani Satsang, which means a spiritual school. There is no need to change anything, either religion, name, outer appearances, etc. Having taken the first step, the second should be to see the true "doer" so that you may become action-free. Good actions will no doubt bring their reward, but you will still be a prisoner. Perhaps some will go into a Class A prison, some Class B, some Class C. Some might get the pleasures of this world and some the pleasures of the other worlds. Heaven and hell will come again and again, for this circle cannot be broken unless one gets out of the illusion.

    A woman Saint, Sahjo Bai, said that all living species of the land, sea, and air are under the Law of Karma. Just look at the lower expressions of life; for instance, the dog. Some dogs are starving without even a piece of bread, and some are looked after like princes with two or more servants to care for them. See the life of a camel: his nose is pierced and a rope drawn through it with which to control him. In the deserts he is pulled from place to place, be it very hot or very cold, and he has to suffer all this. Take the donkey who has so much weight loaded upon his back and is driven around by the stick. When he gets tired he is then pulled and made to work. The whole world is in a sorrowful state, all through the results of karmas.

    The human form, because of the soul within it, is the highest in all creation and is accepted as the form next to God. It is next to God, a part of God, having the same nature is, itself, a conscious entity; and yet with all this it is full of misery. Having tied itself to the mind, the passions and attachments of the senses are dragging it from one place to another. The pleasures of the world control the senses, the senses control the mind, and the mind controls the intellect. This process is called kam (passionate desires and other appetites). Kam also means work; and if we put this desire or drive into reverse and become engaged in the opposite type of work, then we will achieve the true peace of being. A true Master always prays, "Oh Lord, keep my intellect in Your control."

    At present the whole system is wrong, for the horse should have been pulling the cart; but, instead, the cart is in front. The soul should be giving strength to the mind as and how it wishes; but the mind, intellect, and senses are stealing the strength, with the soul a helpless slave to them. It is all wrong. That is why Masters have advised to "Know thyself," for it is the only way to cut the evil from the root. Have you been able to control your senses and make them do whatever you wish, stopping their action whenever you desire? Have you reached that stage? A certain piece of machinery has an electric motor that is connected to the power house. There are many sections comprising this machine, and one can switch off any section in a second. Similarly, we should be in control of our being and be able to switch off our whole machinery if we wish.

    Sometimes with our eyes open we do not see, and with ears open we do not hear. Many people have experienced this. We may be sitting deep in thought and someone calls once, twice, three times; but we do not hear a word. At last when the person says, "I have been shouting at you; why do you not hear me?" the reply would be something like, "My attention was engaged somewhere else." So this attention works wherever it connects itself. If the attention is not in the ears, we will not hear a sound. The ears may belong to us; but if we do not give life to them, they are as dead. Sometimes our eyes are open and someone passes in front of us, but we do not see them. A person can sit down beside us, and after a while get up and leave, and we would not even know they had been there. Anything might happen behind our back, but we cannot see it because our attention is not there; our eyes are not directed there. When we look in front of us with attention, we can see. This all indicates that we, as soul, are giving strength to everything.

    We can control ourselves if only we will withdraw ourselves from the outgoing faculties, for the world is attractive only as long as our attention is on it. If we withdraw our attention and know what we are, we will then be able to see God within us.

    The overflowing pen of God writes our fate according to our present and past actions; so whatever seed we have sown will bear that kind of fruit. If we can see the God-into-Expression Power, that seed can be destroyed, even after sowing, by being conscious of the Divine Plan.

    There are many kinds of karmas or actions. One type is our everyday actions--that is, the new seeds we are sowing. When we got this human form, it was through the prarabdha or fate karmas. Some people are poor, others rich--some are happy and some
unhappy; and all this is due to the prarabdha or destiny of each. There are also those karmas called sanchit which are accounts of deeds in past lives upon lives, lying in store and hanging over our heads.

    It is said that when King Dhritarashtra was asked what he had done to be blind from birth, he stated that for one hundred lives back he knew by yogic power that he had done nothing to cause such affliction. Then Lord Krishna gave him power by which he was able to see that, in the one hundred and sixth life back, he had committed that action for which he was now paying with his blindness. This shows us that the load on our head is heavy with the karmas of life upon life. We can be rid of these sanchit karmas only when we get a human form and succeed in seeing the Reality within. Otherwise, the account will remain and we will continue to add to it.

    When the Masters come They wind up our karmas. How do They do it? By drawing a line across the account and advising that in future one should cease further transgressions. They advise the dear seekers to adopt the way of true living; do not lie, cheat, or steal; do not take anything by fraud or squeeze anyone's blood for self-gain.

    It is most important to be truthful. If you have read the account of the Mahabharata, you will know that when the five Pandav princes went to school, their teacher, Dronacharya, once gave them the lesson that they should speak and live the truth. The next day four of the princes came to school, but the fifth, Yudhishthira, did not attend. After four or five days of non-attendance the teacher asked, "Why is he not coming?" Word was sent to Yudhishthira who sent back the reply, "I am studying the lesson you gave me." After many days he came to school and reported, "I have learned this lesson about the truth." This is really the way to learn. They say that through his whole life he never told a lie.

    The Masters say that one should have tree living and also lead a chaste life in thought, word, and deed. All human beings are the temples of God in which God resides. All are His own children, so we should never look down on anyone with hatred or dislike. Through their karmas some people are sitting on chairs, while others run around to bring chairs for them. Very often, because a man is more learned or rich or in authority, it goes up like wine to his head and he starts to look down on others. This should not happen.

    Masters also tell us that as God is residing in every human being, we should do selfless service toward each other. If someone is physically sick, look after them. If a person is starving or thirsty or has no clothes, then share with them whatever you possess yourself. Through thoughts, words, and actions we should not be violent toward anyone.

    Thoughts are very potent. There is a story about King Akbar who had a minister named Birbal. Once, Birbal was telling the king that thoughts are very potent, and whatever one thinks will affect the other person. The king demanded that Birbal should prove this, so Birbal led the way and they went out of the town. The king's head was uncovered at the time. When Birbal saw a man walking toward them, he said, "Your majesty, think something about this man." The king did not utter a word, but in his mind he thought, "I would like to shoot him." When the man came near, the king said to him, "Speak truthfully and you will be forgiven for whatever you say; but tell me, what were your thoughts when you saw me?" The man replied, "The truth is, your majesty, that when I saw your bare head I felt like smashing it with my fist." This was the result of a thought.

    One should never regard anyone by thought, and even by tongue no wrong should be spoken against any person. No harm should be done through actions. If we really want to realize God, we should consider how unlikely it is that He will appear to us if we are harming His children. Which father would?

    When Masters come They do not disturb the prarabdha karmas, although in one way They do: They start giving food to the soul. To feed the physical form we have to eat and drink. To strengthen the intellect we read, write, and think. All these words are food for the intellect. The soul is fed only with the Bread of Life, which is experience of the Beyond. With such food the soul becomes very strong; and though unhappiness and sorrow may come, it will not have so much effect. If there is a thorny road to travel and one puts on heavy boots, then one will not feel the thorns. Say there are ten people, and they get beaten up physically. One of them is very weak, and after a slight beating he collapses. The others admit they were beaten up but did not feel it much. Similarly, if the soul is strong, happiness or unhappiness may come, but will not have any drastic effects.

    "Oh Supreme Master, what is the use of calling You my Teacher if my karmas have not been wiped out?" A Guru's work is to wind up the karmas. It is also said, "What is the use of going to a lion for protection when even the howling of a jackal can frighten you?" A Guru's work is very important--such work that no one else can take over. Only a true Guru can do it, because God works through Him--because His soul has become one with God and He has become the mouthpiece of God. There is no difference between Him and God.

    Perfect Saints always show us a way to lead our lives so that we are freed from bondage, that we may never return again to this world. They make us wear strong shoes that the thorns may not prick us on life's journey. There are two kinds of Masters Who come: one is called a Sant or Saint, the other an Avatar. Both work with the same Power, just as electricity can give us both fire and ice, even though the source remains the same.

    The Avatars explain, "Whenever there is more sin in the world, and righteous living is gone, then I appear." So you can see that the working of that Power is different. They are not bound by karmas, but come only for a great purpose. That is why They advise that one should not meditate on the outer form of the Master, but on the true form of the Master--Word made flesh. The Avatars' work is such that They sometimes have to take a sword in hand to further Their task of punishing the wicked and upholding the righteous. They must keep the world in proper balance.

    The Saints say, "Whosoever comes to me, I will connect him back to God." The difference between Saints and Avatars can be further illustrated by taking an emperor who has a viceroy ruling the affairs of one of his countries and a commander-in-chief over the army. Both these men have different ways of dealing with matters. The viceroy will never order anyone directly but will say, "In the name of the emperor, I order you to do this," while the commander-in-chief will say, "I order you to fire." The latter knows that he is under the emperor but is in complete control of the army, giving promotion or demotion, and will never allow anyone to go out of his jurisdiction. The viceroy never orders, but says that he is announcing the wishes of the emperor.

    Kabir Sahib says, "I know the Truth, but I have come to tell you the wishes of my Lord." So Avatars improve the condition of the world by giving punishment and reward, and Saints give salvation. There are many prisons in the world, and supposing a man visits one of them to give an uplifting talk to the inmates. He notices the lack of good food there, and so makes arrangement for the food to be improved at his own expense. Another man also visits the same prison and seeing that the prisoners' clothes are torn and ragged, he kindly supplies large quantities of new clothing for their use. A third visitor finds that the prisoners' cells are dark and unventilated, and so he volunteers to remodel the buildings to provide better living quarters. All these things have vastly improved the life of the prisoners, but unfortunately they are still prisoners. Finally another man comes, and he opens the gates of the prison saying, "You are all free; I release you." Who do you think was the greatest benefactor out of all these men?

    When true Masters come, They release the soul from the wheel of births and deaths. A perfect Master is not a small thing. He is the Supreme Power, because God Himself is working in Him. Though one can see that the voice is coming from His physical form, it is not He Who is speaking but God in Him.

    Kabir Sahib says, "Leave this world and go to Sat Lok. That is your true home." Swami Ji Maharaj says, "Your tree home is an imperishable place; but you have tied yourself to this earth, which is merely perishable matter." He continues, "Go to your own home--why do you want to stay where you do not belong?" We do not belong to this place. With great kismet or fortune, this body has been given to us for just a few days. It is the highest form in all the 8,400,000 species. During this life we must unfold the Truth within us and find some way of getting out of the body while living.

    Maulana Rumi Sahib has said that this human form is a prison and we are all prisoners; that the body is alive, but we are the Life; and that we should make a hole in the top of the prison and climb out! He is referring to the nine holes in the body and the tenth that lies hidden in between and behind the two eyebrows to where the soul withdraws at the time of death. These Masters desire us to know that this is the only way out of the body to realize the true bliss.

    Kabir Sahib says, "I have not seen anyone who has got a body and who is happy." Again, "The mendicants are unhappy; the whole world is full of unhappiness. The ascetic's sorrow is double that of others. Hopes and ambitions--no one is without them. Only a Saint Who has conquered His mind is enjoying true peace and happiness." Guru Nanak similarly says, "We are all true students in one class or another; but we cannot get that bliss without conquering the mind."

    How can we win the mind around to surrender itself?. This is a thing that we have to understand fully before we can proceed further on the spiritual path. The mind is a lover of attractive and delicious things. Guru Nanak explains this by saying, "Oh man, you are eating a sweetmeat which is coated with sugar, but is bitterly poisonous inside." The consequences are very bad, and we come again and again to this world. The real happiness is inside. The more we search for happiness, the more unhappy we become. We are all bliss. If we get any happiness at all here, it is because for a short time we place our attention upon a certain thing, and are with that thing itself, which plainly indicates that the attention and the happiness lie within. If we separate ourselves from the mind and the senses, all these illusory things will lose their meaning. This separation, combined with the connection to the Lord within us, will bring tree and permanent happiness. Our attention is on small and insignificant things; and when these are taken from us, we become unhappy. Those who desire the permanent happiness will find it only at the feet of the Lord.

    Where is God? There is no place that is without Him, but He is most near to us in our own temple of the human body. We are in it and God is also. The true cause of our misery is that God is within and we are scattered outwardly. Our very soul is a part of Him--His own nature, but the soul and the mind are tied together. The poor soul does not know how to untie himself, and so, more unhappiness results.

    The Holy Scriptures contain wise counsel on helping factors and hindrances given by those who have not only untied this knot but have realized themselves and God. We can say that these scriptures are the past Masters speaking through books. Their words are invaluable; but to understand them correctly we have to approach a true spiritual Master; for if an intellectual man reads something, he will draw inferences through his intellect. I am placing before you that everlasting happiness is within all human beings, but the attention is on things which are perishable. Through the great forgetfulness, we are entrapped in attachment and cannot find any way out. Such a heavy imprisonment--first the world, and then this body!

    As I have related, we have to go out via the tenth door, the knowledge of which we do not possess. The beautiful soul has forgotten that God Himself is sitting at the tenth door awaiting her, but the poor thing is frantically lost in the maze of the other nine doors, and cannot experience her Lord. This body is in truth the real temple of the Lord. The outer temples have been made as copies of this human temple, and in those we also light lamps and ring bells. They were made to remind us that the light is brightly shining within us. He who lights this inner lamp while living becomes the one who sees the Reality. That Reality, we can say, is God Who has expressed Himself, for the Ultimate God no one can see. He is Nameless and Formless, and is the One with Whom we must unite and become One.

    The God within is the God of all--Muslim, Hindu, Christian, etc. All human beings are one and the same. We may have labeled ourselves variously, but first we are human beings, with the same soul, the same caste, as God above.

    That religion is the highest into which more true devotees of God are born, but in truth we are all children of God. All Masters have said the same thing in Their own languages. The Muslim fakirs have said in their language that all human beings have got such a close relationship with each other just like different parts of one body, and all are born in the same way. When will man realize that to have this human life is a golden opportunity, for in this form and in no other form is it possible to know oneself and to know God.