SPIRITUAL SOARING
Part - II

THE IDEAL VS. THE ACTUAL

 The two points are poles asunder - the ideal and the actual. The distance between them is so daunting. The ideal is, generally, all lilies and roses. The reality, so crude and rude! This contrast is painfully true of principle vis-à-vis practice, of Dharma vis-à-vis Karma, as well. With all the breathtaking advances achieved by man in every field, it has not been possible to bridge the chronic gulf between the ideal and the reality. It is, indeed, a profound and perplexing problem a challenge for philosophers, psychologists, social scientist sand even sages, seers and statement for centuries. What then is wrong and where? The common man does not doubt the supremacy and excellence of high pristine values fortified by the essence of all religious. But where he fumbles is the point when he steps into the realm of practical reality and action. His ideals and principles then clash with his personal and gross self. He then bids good-bye to all high values forthwith and behaves like a self-seeking brute. For instance, every individual and nation swears by peace. They, however, plunge into violence and war, the moment their personal and material citadel is at stake. The devil overpowers the divine.

 I hold the conviction that man, the crown of creation, had not seriously applied his head and heart to the fundamental problem of living up to high ideals in actual practice. No Five Year Plans and projects for reconstruction of human character and personality, to bridge the gaping gulf between the ideal and the actual. For, this naturally embraces the entire gamut of human breeding, education and training all along the line.

 The individual is, no doubt, the unit of human society. We would have a society of heroes or villains, according as we make an individual a hero or villain. In this context, the home is naturally the matrix and cradle of breeding the human child, ideally. The crucial question for consideration is how and to what extent, home, sweet home, is being reared to streamline the breeding of the child. Have the parents prescribed a specific time everyday for streamlining the breeding of their children? The answer in more than 90% cases is "no". How to fix and earmark such a period? No amount of laws can do the needful. What is, actually, needed is an all-pervasive and holistic consciousness and the urge to elevate ourselves and our children to a higher level of life of sterling values. It is just like the contemporary consciousness to have a clean environment, and a daily bath. This consciousness for public causes will have to be created with the aid of media, i.e. the newspapers, the radio and the television. Actually, it would be a simple process of family gathering at the break and close of day. The gathering should open with a fervent prayer to God to improve us every day, in every way. The prayer should be followed by inspirational instruction by the mother or the head of the family to lead a noble and moral life. Such an instruction should give the pride of place to cultivate the higher values of humanism, selfless service, broad-mindedness and universalism. The evening gathering should be devoted to self-appraisal of our performance during the day of practicing the aforesaid values. Such a moral and spiritual exercise, day in and day out, would positively raise the quality of our life.

 The next institution for the uplift of our character and personality is, of course, the school. Here the Education Department should prescribe compulsory a specific period daily for moral and spiritual instruction, theoretical as well as practical. Such a period must be fixed everyday for colleges and universities students, as well. Every school, college, university and competitive examination must have a compulsory paper, practical and theoretical, on moral, social and spiritual education. High jobs in public and private sectors should be reserved by rules and regulations for candidates with high score in moral and social education.

 The Nirankari Mission reiterates that the panacea for all moral, social and spiritual ailments is, of course, God-consciousness and good-reliance. The Nirankari Baba has happily introduced an innovation in the shape of Bal and Yuva Sangats (children and youth congregations) of the Mission. These Sangats function independently, though under the active guidance of seasoned stalwarts. The guiding star and the focal activity of the Yuva Sangats is to inspire and yoke youngmen in practical constructive and selfless service of humanity in floods, famines, earthquakes and other natural calamities. Coupled with the spirit of service is the constant practice of God-remembrance and participation in congregation. This new class of young missionaries would, naturally, constitute a nucleus of altruistic and active band of selfless workers right from their infancy. This reform would forge ahead into a revolutionary force for regenerating and redeeming mankind of all evils.

 Such a enterprise would help establish the much coveted Kingdom of God, so fondly cherished by our True Master, by transforming our character and personality. Let us pray for the transmutation of the crude reality into enchanting realistic ideal.

TAKE IT EASY

 Do you moan and groan frantically when assailed by any affliction? And, do you go into ecstasy in case of a sudden boon or windfall? Well, both the states are abnormal eruptions of emotions, unbecoming of the dignity of an illumined personage. The latter does not wear his heart on his sleeve. He takes it easy, rain or shine, distress or delight, pain or pleasure, success or failure, grace or disgrace, kicks or kisses. Such opposite developments or states are all integral attributes of human life. They are just two sides of a coin, neither good nor bad. Shakespeare said, rightly, " Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so." It is our mind's reaction to sour or sweet sensations or experiences that makes them appear good or bad. The Gita enjoins that these opposite sets of experiences should be endured calmly.

 The guiding star of saints and seers is to keep their cool under all circumstances. They invariably maintain their balance and serenity. They are not ruffled or upset by the fall of a hat or even sky. In spiritual terms, this state of serenity is known as "Sahj Avastha" or a spirit of stoicism. The greatest benefit of such a calm stance is that it enables us to preserve and promote our reserve stock of energy for outstanding achievements. For instance, even if a person of high caliber falls a prey to gusts of passions like extreme anger, he forfeits all love and reverence in society. He is also rendered incapable of doing any solid or creative work. Serenity, on the other hand, lends us great strength and endurance. It is also an embellishment of great men, saints and seers.

Emotional outbursts are not controlled by counter-outbursts. Fire never quells fire. This job is done by cold water. Similarly, a simmering mind is set at rest by the balm of cool temper.

 The source and fountainhead of serenity is, of course, God-consciousness. God is, in fact, the reservoir of infinite peace and serenity. Hence those, who integrate themselves with the Almighty, are a beacon-light of peace and tranquillity. On the contrary, those, who alienate themselves from the Lord Master, run amuck like brutes and beasts and cause havoc all-around.

A serene and steady state of mind, free from tensions, liberates us from upheavals and eruptions and serves as the key to salvation, here and hereafter. It makes us Jivanmuktas (liberated beings), the envy of angels. Many glowing instances of evenness and equanimity can be cited. Horrific consequences entailed by loss of balance, too, are not wanting. Loss of composure has led people to lunatic asylum or even to commit suicide. If the rulers and generals of various countries learn to keep their mental balance and cool in spite of selfish motives and irritants, war would certainly vanish. A golden age of peace would dawn. In case every man were to keep an even temper in day-to-day life, the Kingdom of God would be round the corner.

Once a miscreant hurled a volley of abuses on Lord Buddha, without any rhyme or reason. The letter smiled and put a simple question to that fellow: "Supposing a person does not accept a gift brought by a friend, what would happen to the gift?" The miscreant blurted out,  "The gift would naturally remain with the person who brought it." Lord Buddha quietly said, "My friend, I refuse to accept your gift (of abuses)."

The wife of Socrates, the eminent Greek philosopher, was a lady of violent temper. Once when he came home a bit late, she hurled a pitcher full of water on his head. The philosopher said, softly, "Madam, you have today been able to refute the popular proverb: Thundering clouds seldom rain."

A wicked Pathan once spat a hundred times on the face of Saint Ek Nath, each time the latter came out after having a dip in the Ganges. The Pathan was determined to violate the saint’s high image of equanimity. The saint, however, remained unperturbed all through. The Pathan’s stock of saliva was exhausted after the hundredth assault. The smiling face of Ek Nath transmuted the Pathan and he fell at the feet of the saint to seek forgiveness.

One fine morning, when the morning Sangat (Congregation) was in progress, Baba Buta Singh* put a question to the devotees whether any change was evident in the expression of Baba Avtar Singh, who was participating in the congregation as usual. There was no tangible difference in the expression of Baba Buta Avtar Singh and the devotees said so. Baba Buta Singh then led the devotees to the inner room of Baba Avtar Singh’s house and showed them the dead body of Baba Avtar Singh’s son, who had expired the previous night. The death of his son had, however no effect on Baba Avtar Singh’s evenness.

While nailed at the cross, the last wish expressed by Jesus Christ was, "Father, forgive my tormentors. They do not know what they are doing."

Thus, equipoise or even stance is an invaluable asset of the realized personages (Brahm Gyanis). Even thunder and earthquake lull them to sleep. So, kindly take a solemn vow to take it easy, in order to make your life and the whole world easy.

PEACE, NOT PIECES

For centuries, the hapless humanity has been pining in vain for the dawn of the peace in and around it. Instead of peace, turmoil and turbulence, generally, fell to its lot. Why lot? The truth is that man, the crown of creation, himself opted for turmoil. He willfully broke himself into (so many) pieces and lost the benign battle and the boon of peace. The pieces and fragments into which man has split himself are surely his diverse castes, creeds, communities, religions and, last but not least, parochial prisons of his selfishness and greed. In sum, man has missed the pristine consciousness of his unitary divine origin. He has reduced himself to a fraction from the whole. He has come tumbling down from the pedestal of fullness and fulfillment and fractured himself into pieces. The holistic spirit of our relationship with the Whole has evaporated from his head and heart. Peace has naturally eloped from man’s heart and habitat. It has practically died, after languishing in coma for centuries.

The problem facing mankind today is how to resurrect the nymph - the divine goddess of peace. The solution is quite simple. We must piece together the scattered pieces of the skeleton of peace and knit them into a living and holistic necklace of universal peace. Yes, the necklace visualize by Lord Krishna in Gita: (7:7)

 All this (residents of the universe) stands hung on Me like gems on one and the same necklace.

 Such a high consciousness of "Togetherness", of being part and parcel of the whole divine necklace, of belonging to the Whole has got to be resurrected. How to infuse life into the gasping nymph of peace? The True Master, the Nirankari Baba has openly proclaimed the triple prescription of Seva (Selfless service), Simran (God-consciousness) and Satsang (participation in Congregations). A daily dose of these three medicines would work like elixir in human spirit. The fragmented feelings of duality, disintegration, multiplicity and otherness for our fellow-brethren shall then be replaced by those of complete harmony and wholeness. The celestial concept of the entire creation located in the creator and vice versa, envisaged in the Gita, must be practiced by us as a loving and luminous reality:

 Arjuna, acquiring that Knowledge, you will no more be subjected to delusion like this, and through it you will see all beings first in your own self and then in Me (the Over Soul). (4:35)

The Yogi, who is united in identity with the all-pervading infinite consciousness, and looks on all with an equal eye, sees the Self-present in all beings, and all beings existing in the Self.

He who sees Me (the Universal Self) presents in all beings, and sees all beings existing in Me, I am never out of sight of him, nor is he ever out of sight of Me. (6:29-30)

 The regenerated peace shall then come running to embrace us. For, we would be ‘pieces’

no longer but ‘whole’. We should pledge to be perfect as our Supreme Father, as enjoined in the Bible and our contemporary True Master.

TOLERANCE WITHOUT TEARS

Can you practise tolerance without tears, while suffering tyrannies of a brutal bully? If you can, all kudos for you. For centuries, we Indians meekly tolerated agonizing atrocities of powerful foreign rulers. This type of tolerance was, in fact, a virtue of necessity. It was a testimony of our cowardice and lack of prowess. The result is an open secret. Our personalities were perverted. Our character and values were debased and depraved beyond measure.

In the medieval age, the Hindus sought refuge from the persecution and intolerance of foreign rulers in the Bhakti cult. Saints like Tulsi Dass, Mira and Kabir taught us the message of tolerance as a divine decree, to put up with arbitrary actions of foreign rulers and their cohorts. We were supposed to reap the rich reward of our tolerance in the next world. How far was this lesson of tolerance a real or empty consolation is a moot point.

In the twentieth century, Mahatma Gandhi, however, gave a new depth and dimension to the concept of tolerance in the form of "Satyagrah". This new stategy meant non-violent but resolute, co-ordinate and organized non-cooperation and resistance against the authors of torture and tyranny. Gandhi Ji’s new technique, ultimately, uprooted even the mighty British in India. His was a lesson of tolerance without tears - tolerance with a grain of salt and moral force. It was not an abject surrender to oppression. Unlimited tolerance, ultimately, spells our doom and destruction. Society is, no doubt, sustained by the doctrine of tolerance and mutual adjustment, but not at the cost of basic norms. It is not humanly feasible to practise unalloyed and unlimited tolerance in our day-to-day turbid life.

 In the domain of faith, religion and metaphysics, tolerance, however, have the pride of place. The Bible exhorts us to offer our other cheek to one who slaps us on one cheek. Christ also said:

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Bible, Matthew 5:5)

 The Quran too projects the message of tolerance in no uncertain terms:

 We believe in what has been revealed to us and revealed to you.  Our and your God is one and to Him we are self-surrendered.
(Quran 29 : 45)

In the Bhagvat Gita, Lord Krishna, too, extolled tolerance:

My face is equal to all creation. (Gita 9 : 29)

 He, who is of the same mind to the good-hearted, friends, foes, the indifferent, the hateful, the righteous and the unrighteous, excels.
(Gita 6 : 9)

He who established in unity, worshipped Me, abiding in all beings, that Yogi liveth in Me, whatever his mode of living. (Gita 6 : 31)

 Lord Buddha proclaimed love, non-violence and tolerance as the essence of his creed.

 Lord Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, went miles beyond toleration.  He made Ahimsa (non-injury) towards all living beings, as the kingpin of his teachings.  A particular principle pronounced by him was that of Sayyadwad.  This principle exhorts us to recognize and tolerate wide diversity in words, thoughts and deeds among different humans, as an inexorable ingredient of life and law of nature.

 The Vedantic tenet of Tat Twam Asi (Thou art That - God), also vindicates tolerance and universalism.

THE TRINITY

On the mystic, modalities of the trinity of mind, matter and spirit, operates the whole panorama of human life.  Under the glamorous spell of matter and mind, man depraves himself into a devil. But he is capable of transmuting himself into the divine. This sublime status, he can achieve, by giving due place to the spirit in his life. In other words, man must integrate his individual spirit with the universal spirit. This requires evolution of a higher or macro order instead of a micro vision and values. Such a vision sees the Supreme (God) seated in every being and every being seated in the Supreme. Hell, heaven and redemption are not outstations in space and subterranean regions for rewarding and punishing man. Actually, they are just peculiar states of the mind and spirit of man ruling in specific moments and circumstances. These states are by and large generated by man’s own thinking and doing.

Immunization against hell

What stance and style of life should man imbibe to immunize himself from the environment of hell? How to secure a safe seat in the kingdom of heaven and redemption? This crucial question has posed a powerful challenge to the philosophers, prophets and seers of the world. But the answer is damned simple. By pampering his mind, matter and senses, man’s life has gone awry. His career has generally become one of simmering torment and turbulence, bereft of all bliss and beatitude. It is the balanced blend of matter, mind and spirit that can ensure abiding peace and bliss for man. This is a million dollar secret. But it is surprising that even after knowing this secret, very few humans strive to strike a balance between the activities of three members of the aforesaid trinity. How little time, care and nourishment do we allocate daily for the welfare of our spirit vis-à-vis our mind, body and material pursuits. The relative weights, obviously, tilts heavily and blatantly towards matter and mind. In our scheme and pattern of life, the spirit gets the last place and priority, if at all. For enriching and ensuring our physical fitness, we eat four times a day, take some sort of exercise once or twice a day, wash our body at least once a day, and earn our (material) living for about six to ten hours a day. Similarly, for refreshing and nourishing our mind, we read a variety of magazines, newspapers and books, see pictures and television hear music and practise various hobbies. But how much time and 'diet' do we spare for our poor spirit, the alpha and omega of life? By and large, our spirit had to face starvation or semi starvation. The disproportionate emphasis on matter and mind and neglect of the spirit, really, explain why human affairs are in dreadful disarray.  The boat of our life is going to capsize because of serious imbalance in the three members of the trinity. Man trips and tumbles nearly at every crucial step for this reason. Like a brute, he is out to prey on and swallow even his own species.

Diet for spirit

What exercise and 'diet' does our spirit need to enable it to play a dynamic and creative role? The sovereign prescription according to the consensus of saints and sages, consists in Satsang (participation in congregation), Simran (God-consciousness), and Seva (selfless service or sacrifice). On this triple exercise hinges the efflorescence of our spirit. Then our spirit will function for us like Allah's Lamp in all our activities. And Allah's Lamp is for more powerful than the proverbial Allah Din's lamp.

Role of mind

The role of human mind in establishing a nexus between the individual spirit and the Supreme Spirit is extremely significant. Mind is, in fact, the bridge between the body and the soul. It has a powerful potential for good or evil. By stilling the mutations of the mind and achieving its one-pointed concentration on the spirit, we can acquire supernatural or Brahmic powers for self-evolution. Thereby spirit will become a channel for flow of divine powers and bliss in our life. If left unbridled, out mind will, however, run amuck and drag us down the drain. Let us mind our mind and strike a blissful balance between the members of this trinity to enjoy a happy and joyful life, unruffled by weal or woe. The Sant Nirankari Mission is playing a vital role in this direction.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SCRIPTURES

The hymns of nearly all scriptures are remarkable for their symphony, sweetness, sublimity and serenity. Even a passer-by cannot fail to be fascinated by the melodious notes of scriptural hymns chanted in a temple, church or Gurdwara. The common man meshed in the mud-puddle of workaday life is transported into higher regions of bliss and beatitude by the impact of mystical hymns. Despite the magical charm exercised by scriptural hymns, even some of the devotees various religious, however, possess only limited or superficial knowledge of their scriptures. This anomaly or lacuna is obviously due to the erosion in the values and vision of the bulk of mankind in the moral and mystical life of the spirit. Materialism, mammon, and scramble for the sordid self have obviously accentuated the animal and savage spirit in man. Perverse violence, and brutal terrorism, is rampant in all corners of the globe. Compassion, love, fellow feeling and altruism seem to be on the run. I am convinced that such a steep decline in our moral and spiritual values is due to lack of knowledge and faith in our scriptures. Needless to say that scriptures enshrine our most valuable heritage of high idealism. To brush or throw aside such a gold mine is to slash the tree on which we are sitting.

Doubtless, scriptures are the fulcrum and foundation of human civilization and brotherhood, as also our identity with God, our Supreme Father.   On analysis, love for the Lord and our neighbour is the highest common factor and master key of all scriptures. For, love is, after all, the heart- beat of all creation. Scriptures teach us to salute the divinity immanent in all beings. They also bring home to us that God is the source and sustenance of the entire creation. And, separation from the source positively spells our doom. Scriptures further enlighten us that our peace, prosperity and poise, hinge on our remaining in tune with our source, i.e. the omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient God.

ARE YOU DEAD OR ALIVE?

Are you dead or alive? If alive, you had better die to yourself. And the sooner, the better. A cynical verdict? No. Dying to oneself ultimately opens the entrance to life abundant, eternal - the life of the spirit. So said Christ and Kabir, two celebrated seers:

 Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it dies, it beareth much fruit.
-Bible (John 12:24)

Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. -Bible (John 3:3)

 Kabir, Ji’s Marne Te Jag Darey
            Mere Mun Anand
Marne Hi Te Paiyey
            Puran Parmanand

(Death, which is dreaded by the world, imparts perfect solace and bliss to me.)
-Kabir (Adi Granth, p.1365)

 Philosophy of Death and Cross

The above mentioned classic quotations convey a profound philosophy. Eternal bliss, bloom and a berth in the Kingdom of God can be attained only through death, rebirth and the cross. Physical death and rebirth? No. In the current context, these terms carry a mystic and figurative connotation. Actually, it is the gross values that have to be put to death. And in their place, have to be installed higher values of the spirit. This is indeed the real import of the illumined injunctions of Christ and Kabir.

This brings into focus the concept of cross and its profound clarion call. In the Christian philosophy, "cross" conveys the message of suffering and self-sacrifice. These twin traits are the open sesame to regeneration and redemption. That is why Jesus said:

 If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. -Bible (Luke:9:23)

Dying to oneself and "cross" are, in fact, synonymous. They represent a self-transforming crisis and catharsis. By carrying the yoke of the "cross", you emerge as a new being, with a new vision.

 Stoicism

Stoicism gives you a new perception of life in all its depth and height. By dying to yourself, you become dead, i.e. immune to all the chaotic cravings of the flesh and the senses. You become a stoic, indifferent to and unruffled by all storms of perverse passions and pleasures. Hell, heaven, thunder and lightning cannot disturb the state of your sovereign balance and unconcern. Such persons though apparently dead (to physical and mental upheavals), are spiritually dynamic. They do not live by the sand-glass but by universal love and light. They transcend the tensions of the transient.

In his teachings, Lord Buddha, too, advocated death of desires as a panacea for human sorrow and suffering. To be dead while alive, also postulates humility par excellence. In other words, this means shedding of egoism, the greatest impediment to bliss and beatitude. Humility is, in fact, the hallmark of an enlightened person. In order to redeem and rejuvenate ourselves, let us take up the "cross" and learn to die to ourselves.

CLEAR THE DEBT

Man is a born debtor. God is an unborn (and undying) creditor. Every object and creature owes a debt to its creator. Man’s debt to God, however, is much deeper and well nigh irredeemable. For, he has been endowed with human incarnation (even though on loan or trust). And human incarnation is said to be the envy of gods. It is pertinent to probe whether any positive step is taken by man to repay the divine debt. The response, by and large, is far from encouraging, though everyone has to beg or borrow from God.

Let us reflect on how God desires us to repay the debt. Surely, He does not want us to ‘return’ our body and soul. All that He expects from us is to remember him lovingly and with gratitude, day in and day out. We should also glorify Him collectively in the congregation. God’s brief but mandatory command to man (according to the New Testament) is "Love thy Lord (God) and love thy neighbour (every man)". The irony, however, is that the love expressed by man towards God as well as man is only lip-love. It does not reach out from the soul and heart. How can lip-love expect to be reciprocated by true love?

The debt granted by God to every human in terms of various organs and faculties - physical, mental and spiritual - is, however, priceless. Just evaluate the price and value of every limb. It runs into lacs of rupees. In lieu of such boons (though on loan), how many hours of minutes do we devote to God-remembrance out of twenty-four hours a day? The assessment is awfully adverse. How ungrateful we are!

Besides individual and personal bounties, God has also placed us under other debts through His agents. These agents are the sun, the stars, the moon, the air, the water (rivers), the mountains, the forests, the fruit - bearing and other trees, etc. The Quran and the Gurbani tell us that at the dawn of creation, God commanded these agents to serve mankind. And they have been doing so faithfully for aeons. Man is the only ungrateful creature out of the entire creation, who has dared defy God’s command "Love thy neighbour". This defiance is downright ingratitude and subversion of the divine debt and decree. Instead of loving his neighbours, he is out to slaughter them on a mammoth scale by means of terrific weapons. Consequently, God has ‘slaughtered’ man’s peace of mind and bliss and cast him into a blazing inferno.

Man is not only a debtor of God, but of man, as well. Man has been enjoying all the rich heritage of human culture, civilization, education, training, breeding and scientific amenities, for ages, as a debt. What had he done to repay this huge debt he owes to human society? The only way available is to render selfless service to humans. Yes, disinterested service with body, mind and money, without expectation of any return. Lord Krishna has emphatically enjoined in Gita (3:12) that one, who cooks only for himself, is verily a thief. In fact, selfless service is the royal road to become supreme and reach the Supreme (Gita 4:31); in other words, to integrate ourselves with the Supreme. This, indeed, is the prime goal of human life. For achieving this goal, God-identification is a top priority. This is the real way for clearing all our debts and enjoying peace and plenty. Last but not least, the boon of God-knowledge bestowed on us by His Holiness the Nirankari Baba is yet another priceless debt on us. This, too, can possibly be repaid by ceaseless service to humanity and God-remembrance.