[The following are written translated questions from a German man.]
Since I don't speak English, would it be better if I stayed in my room and meditated instead of coming down for darshan?

    If you sit by fire, formed by a charged body, will it not give more effect than thinking of how the fire is ignited and burned and how the body can be charged by electricity? For instance, I see you or you see me. I see here, there, everywhere, but where the attention is receptive, there one gets more. When you look to anybody, fully receptive, even forgetting yourself--that is darshan. Such like darshan gives you more effect, more charging than hundreds of meditations. In Punjabi there are two words: one is to do darshan, and one is to be absorbed in darshan, pershan. So become receptive and when you look, you'll forget all outer forms. Eyes speak to eyes. That is, one lyrical glance of a God-intoxicated man will give you more effect than hundreds of meditations.
    Men have seen Saints, Masters. I think you remember, Judas Iscariot saw Jesus and Simon also saw Jesus. They both had His darshan--there was a vast difference in receptivity, was there not? Judas Iscariot is the one who betrayed Him. There's a difference between darshan and pershan, you see. Do you follow me now? Daily He used to give each man darshan, even eat with them.
    When you become receptive, you're charged. When a charged body touches you, you become charged, do you not? Or if you pass near by a man besmeared with perfume, don't you get the scent of perfume? So this is what is meant by darshan. Maulana Rumi has said, "It is as if you sit in your meditation, your body is sitting but you've not yet fully developed into the beyond. That will take time." Take another example. If you put one gross of match boxes into an oven, will they give any heat? But if you put one ignited match to them, all of the matches will be set aflame. Atmospheric effect, you see. The physical attendance or presence of the Master cannot be underrated. But you can have the same effect at hundreds of miles if you become receptive; fully receptive, not before. This is one thing, now another thing; you were there in your homes. You have spent so many thousands of rupees to come here. What you get in your morning or night talks, did you get in books? ... although they are written in the books. You get something additional. If you sit in the charged atmosphere of the Master, that very charged atmosphere resounds. You must have felt that here in the room? This you cannot have by reading books. Do you follow me?

During meditation, besides repeating Simran, is it all right to think of the Master?

    Can you do two things at one time? No. Before sitting in meditation, you may pray or sing some hymn, maybe of love for the Master, or separation, or hankering. That will create an atmosphere which will help you in your meditations. Don't sit like a wrestler to find Him or catch Him. Sit in a respectful mood, with a humble prayer. That creates an atmosphere in which you can have better effects. One thing more. If you think of or visualize any man of your own category, or lower than you, you'll be able to visualize him all at once. But you cannot fully visualize the One who is higher than you. You may think of the turban, you may think of the back going by, and your mind is roaming from place to place where you saw the Master. Do you follow my point?
    I asked my Master this question a month or so after I was initiated. "When a man is cut off from outside and he has not found Master's form within, then what should he do?" The Master replied, "Look here, you think of the animals, your friends, your mother, your relations. Is a Saint not more than that? You can think of Him also." This was one general question. Then, later on, He told me, "Look here, if somebody's sitting in your room and you come in from outside, whether you visualize him or not, when you enter you will find him there." So when the Master initiates, His astral form resides with the initiate from that very moment. Enter within; find Him. He is waiting for you. Try to go within, that's all. He is anxiously waiting for you but the child is playing outside. So just withdraw within; you will find Him.
    You'll find this to be true at the time of initiation, given here or anywhere. This time, you know, out of 630 there were about 250 who saw the Master within. At times some do also see Him outside. So He resides within you at the time of initiation.
    When Baba Jaimal Singh, Master of our Master, initiated somebody, He used to tell him, "Well look here, now I am residing in you. Don't do anything unbecoming. I am seeing." He sees your every action when once you are initiated.

Should a Satsangi pay attention in his choice of place for meditation with regard to the people who resided there before? Will their vibrations leave any effect?

    Any place is always charged by the atmosphere of those people residing therein. You're sitting here. Sometimes you find resounding, charging here. I remember when my Master went to Lahore there was a room in which He sat and talked. I locked that room. Any man who entered heard the atmosphere resounding. I used to go. So any place is charged by the one who is residing there. All remaining atmospheric effects--either good or wrong--will affect you. In some places you feel very inconvenient. You'll feel burnt out like anything. The atmosphere is charged. Sometimes you feel, "Let me commit something wrong." That atmosphere is charged like that. What to do, that's the question. Suppose, for example, a prostitute was living in some house; don't use that place if it becomes vacant. Or if some butcher who butchers animals is living in any place, don't use that place. The pity is we are not aware that each man has his own atmosphere--charging. So just sit in whatever house you're in and pray. This is the general system. Just start with any of your rituals. Sing some scriptures, doing one sort of prayer or another; or sing some hymn to create a good atmosphere. This is one suggestion, and the other suggestion is if you have any place, just reserve some room or portion of the room for meditation. Let nobody enter that room with any thought other than the love of God or the Master. That place will be charged, and whenever you enter, you'll find it resounding. When you are developed yourself with that higher charging, then Hafiz says, "When the night sets in, my Minstrel comes in playing music, un-paid."

I like eating very much... [Everyone chuckles but Master stops them saying, "No, no. It is a question for all. Not one--everyone--most of us are doing it."] . . . but I don't want to think so often of eating. However, since I manage a vegetarian kitchen, my profession draws my mind there. Would another job help resolve this?

    I think I have told you so many times. Do one thing at a time, wholly and solely. When you are in the kitchen, be there doing your job. Take only food that agrees with you and only as much as you need. Let one half of your stomach be filled with food, one fourth be filled with water, and one fourth left vacant. The best criterion is to leave the table when you're still hungry. Eat a morsel less than you need. Have control over that part. No need of changing your profession. It will be all right if you behave like that.

When new Satsangis read your writings, they want to become perfect at once, but they don't weed out their imperfections; they repress them.

    Look here; Rome was not built in a day. Rome was not built in a day. A wrestler cannot become a wrestler in one day. Time factor is necessary.

But we forget this often.

    You must fill your diaries for that purpose. That is a hard taskmaster over your head every moment. I think I have told you, when I was just reading in third primary, I heard one man giving a fluent talk. I looked into his mouth, "From where is he reading?" I tell you my ignorance. I wondered how he spoke, from where he read, and now I find it not difficult. So time factor is a necessity. He did not become perfect in one day. Food does not give strength unless it is digested. Mere ruminating over books won't do. Read, digest, and then live. Read, just see what you have followed, understood. That also won't do unless you live up to what you have read and understood. You cannot become a Master the very first day. Every Saint has his past and every sinner a future. There's hope for everybody.
    I used to read scriptures--Sikh scriptures. But I read only one hymn, not one page or two hundred or ten hymns, only one, and I put it into writing. This is today's lesson, and the whole day was given up to this. Then only you'll understand the meaning. But that also won't do unless you live up to that lesson. Lord Krishna gave the whole of the teachings of the Gita to Arjuna, and he even showed him his astral form. With all that, last of all he asked, "Well Arjuna, have you heard?" There is a difference between hearing, and hearing with full attention. "If so, how much have your doubts been cleared?" Lord Krishna gave his teachings in the Gita which is in eighteen chapters. There are very long talks on every subject, yet with all that, at the last moment, "Have you heard me; are you hearing me?" There's a difference between hearing with attention and without attention. Without attention you don't remember what I have said. "Have you heard me," he asked Arjuna. We don't even remember what we ruminate over. So do you understand what I have now told you about the questions you have asked? Have you heard?

Yes.

    Then live up to that. Have no more questions like that in the future. Live; live according to what was said. The food which is digested gives you strength and which is not digested gives vomiting, motions, pain in the stomach. You will have trouble from that indigestion.