Part 1 of an interview with Dr Harbhajan Singh, held at Kirpal Sagar, 9 February, 1994
Question: What is the message of this World Conference to the world, what are the aims of Unity of Man?
Dr Harbhajan Singh: Actually this is not any new subject. This unity already exist in men but we have forgotten. Masters come in the world just to revive it. The purpose of this conference is very unique, because it helps us to know our position in this world and our position in this man-body. Because we are here to realize what we are, who we are, from where we came, how we came and now what is our purpose of human life and our position also in the world.
All mankind is one.
We are all brothers and sisters in God — and according to Holy Scriptures even these countries are the different chambers of the house of the Lord. So we all have come from the same Source and have to go back to the same Source. And similarly all Masters came like this and they taught the humanity, and they didn’t teach any specific or particular religion. They came for all human beings. And (outer) religions came into being only after their physical departure, but by the so-called followers of the faith.
“God made man and man made religion.”
The purpose of this conference was also to raise one platform where we can have all these four symbols of different religions together. God made man and man made religions. So it is the wish of God to bring all religions together.
All Masters — whether they were from the East or the West they had one opinion — and this one opinion is there in the Holy Scriptures. They never differed but we people differed. Because we people couldn’t understand them after their physical departure. Because this Teaching that is the essence of life and they were capable of giving this essence to us.
After their physical departure we bothered here and there but God helps those who are receptive, who search for Him, and they find the way back. But the solution is not for all people since those who are just searching the attachments and they are doing for their own existence. Such people they would not have a free will to have their power within. So all these problems in the world are due to our outer attachments, outer mode of living and we prefer ourselves than others. In this way we are lost in our wisdom, that is not holy.
The purpose of this conference is to realize the man, is to whom his true Master, and just to get together in the name of one God, who is the Christ-Power, Master-Power, God-Power. And there is no second Doer. And this conference also helps us in realizing ourselves and realizing Godhood within us.
You know, this is a very beautiful subject. If we take up this subject then all our problems are solved.
Christ has told,
“Where more than two sit in my name, there I am.”
— Matthew 18:20
This conference was labelled on the level of man; because so many conferences were already held on the level of religion but the result was that thereafter they became the pillars. So why not to create a conference on the level of man.
It was emphasized by Sant Kirpal Singh, and He told, there is only one solution that when such conferences are held on the level of man. Man must understand a man. And this true faith, true religion is much more within than outside. If we respect the true religion, we respect the Christ-Power, Master-Power, God-Power, Guru-Power. And if we are only identified outside, it is mixed up.
So you will see, you will experience that there would be radiation of that Power, because when we undertake such work in the name of the God-Power then He is there. So it is a great privilege for all of us to join such conferences in the name of God on the level of man.
And moreover we know how to serve each other, how to get together. This world has become very narrow, very small rather and a time was there when it was very very difficult to sit on the level of religion, to sit on the level of man. Now all these barriers are broken and now we have a free will to yearn for a good cause. And that is the purpose of all human beings, whether they are politicians, religious or spiritual leaders. They are all emphasizing on it.
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Question: What further steps can we take to bring this consciousness of inner unity, of this brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God into the whole world?
Dr Harbhajan Singh: Man differs from all the creation on one ground: he has the discriminating power; if we make the best use of this discriminating-power.
Discrimination-power means to know what is what,
to know the true value of one thing.
And whereas people take lot of meanings of one question whereas according to Holy Scriptures there is only one answer to one question. So this is a real way to approach something.
And because there are so many illusions, it is called Maya.
Maya is a name of forgetfulness.
Whatever you do in ignorance that bring you into the reactions. So we differ a lot due to our mind and intellect.
If we use that discriminating-power we will never differ. We will always remain with one opinion.
Now it is a very very important question why we differ, why so many religions, why so many sects and why so many isms have started. There are lot of things to understand and one can rise above these things and realizes all those mistakes himself.
So as for example there is one inner religion and one outer religion. Lot of people are more bound with outer religion than inner religion, because inner religion is little bit hard to understand, because people don‘t want to live with it. So they find an easy solution. But according to the Holy Scriptures version of competent Masters the inner religion is easier to understand and more simple to follow it. Because there is truthfulness, there is chastity and there is a right understanding from man to man. So it is a very beautiful subject and moreover it is very delicate as well.
So now as for example these outer religions they are framed out of rituals and rites, caste, colour and creed, whereas the inner religion is devoid of all these things. And so all this doubts are there.
And now for example I take up a sentence from the Holy Scriptures. There it is said,
“Where the world philosophies end there the religion starts.”
So what does it mean?
It means, the world philosophies does not end in the three worlds, in the physical, astral or the causal world. He has told, where the world philosophies end. So whatever is being taught into the world within the three worlds that is the outer religion. Because there our intellect has the access, our mind has the access. Mind is the king of the three worlds, so it has also access up to the three worlds. So that is the reason.
Kabir has told that
This man body is not five-folded;
not just five elements, but it is of eight elements,
because there is also the intellect, mind and ego.
So whatever we do with the intellect, mind and ego that makes us separate, that develops different thoughts in us. Because it is so wide spread these regions and that is the reason that there are 100.000s masters who are searching this truth in the three worlds but there is no truth there. This is a big problem. And there is no harmony there. Whether it is physical, or astral or causal, they are all made of matter, only difference of charming, beauty and brilliancy not beyond this — matter is matter. It is all destructible. It is all dust. It is not more than that. It is a matter.
So these illusions are there. Those Masters who came into the world, They had transcended all these planes and had risen above the cause and effect of the world. So this cause and effect of the world is in the three worlds. Those who are searching the truth in the three worlds they are creating isms, sects and religions. But those who are gone beyond that, They have not created any religion.
So it is said, never any competent Master ever created a religion.
Religion was created after their physical departure
but by the so-called followers of the faith.
In this unity of man-conference we will have that subject, because only by rising above these facts we can have a brotherhood of man in fatherhood of God. If really we follow the Teaching of our competent Masters, then exactly we should follow it in the same way they did. As for example, their experience is all in the Holy Scriptures and their experience must become our experience.
So in this way people are misled because these experiences in the three worlds are not the experiences of any Master. They simply told us to rise above the cause and effect of the world. So far you do not rise above the cause and effect of the world there are illusions and delusions and full of problems and all these forces there, they create misunderstanding in man.
There is no person with right understanding in any (outer) religion, if there is, he will rise above the shackles of the religion.
So is the case, there is no power which does stay in the astral or the causal plane. If there is any power which has the right understanding therein, it will at once rise above the cause and effect of the world. So was the Christ, so was Guru Nanak, so was Kabir and all other competent Masters, and those who are those followers who are blessed by them. They also rose above these planes and they were called the consciousness co-workers of the divine plan.
So here are the problems which is hardly understood by the so-called masters and their followers, because they are all bound to the negative power (Kal) and they are creating lot of disparities and problems and they are not sincere — rather I would tell you — to the humanity. Their purpose is only just to fulfill our wishes on the level of senses, on the level of mind and since we are not the body, we are not the intellect, we are not the mind.
Therefore all this which we gain on the level of senses, that is not our heritage, because we have to leave all these senses, we have to leave this body and still we are not the mind and all the moment we are dictated by the mind. But we are not careful.
I at least – I am not happy if this teaching goes on. Unity of Man meaning — in the true sense — it means to stop further isms and sects. Let those religions who are blessed by some competent Masters or in whose name these blessed religions are existing, let them flourish, but it should flourish with the inner religion and not with the outer religion. So in this direction there can be very big awakening.
All Masters — as an example, I can say in India there was Guru Arjan Dev, fifth Guru (of the Sikhs) and then one more, he was from Hinduism, he was from Hindu community and his name was Bhai Chhajju Bhagat and there was one Mohammedan named Bhai Mian Mir. They all were very close to each other and they taught the same Truth. And they were very friendly to each other and they never differed with their opinion. It is a history that they got together at one time and they worked together rather I will tell you.
But according to the teaching hardly there is any time, it is said, there is none (a competent Master) in a million, maybe one in billion. But who is that who cannot be fond in millions?
There is only one condition: He would never say he is a Master, because he sees that He is the Doer — God is the Doer, Christ-Power is the Doer. But others, those who have not seen their Father and they see themselves working in the three worlds they take themselves as masters, because they can move everywhere whereas these (lower) regions are open for everybody.
Kabir has told, these are the death-traps. Negative power (the lord of the three worlds) invites everyone there and that always remains the wish of the negative power that “all the children of God they won’t leave my circle” — and for that purpose he has lot of messengers, negative messengers those who are preaching this negativity. They create wishes in man, then fulfill them and then create further wishes and keep the soul, keep the man fully occupied with them and during all this time, during all their lives he creates lot of (karmic) reactions just to bring them back into its fold. That is the purpose.
If really one become consciousness co-worker of the divine plan then he does live in this world more nicely, more perfectly, loveably and then he serves others, serves himself, serves his friends, but during all this time he develops and develops others and such a person become an example, become — I will tell you — a conscious example for other people as well. So such people are very rare but according to the Holy Scripture all person can become like this, if real Teaching is given to them, if people understand the true meaning of their life and the essence of Spirituality, which is written in the Holy Scriptures. Then one can rise into higher plane (above the three worlds).
The Purpose of Human Life is to meet good end
and for that we must attain the Higher Values of Life.
Now again the purpose of human life is to meet good end and for that purpose we must attain the higher values of life.
Higher values of life always meant by competent Masters to live and do for others.
What is actually to live and do for others?
It means you must break your contact from the world, you must put away this reaction from your own self.
Master tells us that this man body is a capital given to us, whereas this world is a big market and we are the merchant in it, and whereas we have to undertake a very good business just to pay off the debts. Because since we came into the world we have not cleared these debts.
So in this life if we live and do for others, it helps a lot to overcome the debts. More we live and do with it, more we are free from this world and from this body.
And secondly it is also a need of the time to help others — to the sick and the needy and all that, and all Masters also have told, if you want to serve us than serve the sick and the poor.
For me, I don‘t differentiate among Masters. For me Christ-Power, Guru Nanak, Kabir and all other competent Masters they were one. They came from time to time in different religions, in different country just to make understand the humanity the real purpose of human life, because He is that One that comes into the world. He always taught the same thing whether He comes even after that. His Teaching will not change.
So I would suggest in this meeting, that such meetings should be held all over the world just to bring awakening in the masses. So that‘s all.