Radio talk by Dr. Harbhajan Singh on Indian Radio, 20 March 1983
Since the beginning of creation, man’s attention has been more and more concerned with the problems of his own worldly existence and the consequences led him to think, as how he came, and why he came and what was the purpose of his human being.
Beliefs and opinion based on stray knowledge and teaching could not quench his thirst for the higher knowledge based on truth.
Propaganda, acting and posing have taken the peace of true knowledge, with the result that the modern man has started to conceal his short-comings behind the screen of warm welcome.
There is hardly a person who can tell us of the .way to peace of mind and the method of approach to it. On the contrary, many teachers who every day cross us by the multitude cannot help us to get out of the grand delusion.
They simply stress us to pin our faith in one or the other way of life but cannot instruct us the way of life taught by all the competent Masters of the world and that exist in one opinion and available in fine record in the Holy scriptures.
They also cannot instruct us about the way whereby those sages and seers of the past realized the truth, and how we can do like wise. They declare that one or the other way of the Holy scripture is a direct revelation from God and prescribe its mere study for the peace of mind, little knowing that the spiritual experiences of the author cannot give us the benefit of the same unless we are able to make those experience our own. Their experiences must become our experience.
Learned as they are they can quote scriptures in support of what they allege, but are utterly lost when asked for practical guidance of which they are as ignorant as their followers.
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One and all tend to drift away by riches and poverty, health and disease, pleasures and sins in the course of existence.
The pelf and power of the world
are nothing in comparison
to the spiritual treasures lying within man.
We are filled with ill will, hatred, jealousy and are charged with pride, greed, and self love. Such one cannot reflect the peace and harmony and can never attain the peace of mind within.
All the competent Masters who so far came in this world taught with one opinion for the non-violence, truthfulness, chastity, humility and selfless-service which are the foundations of every religion and bring peace to the humanity. Guru Nanak says,
“Peace be unto all the world over under thy will, O Lord.”
Truth is above all, but true living is still above truth;
and true living is only possible if we observe non-violence,
truthfulness, chastity, humility, and selfless service.
A Saint says, that the performance of countless austerities and penances, observance of fasts followed by prayers and charity will not be of any avail, if you injure the feelings of a single individual which is the most heinous sin of all.
Again Sheikh Saadi, a Muslim Divine, says that the Grace of God never descends until you love His creation, and God blesses only those who serve and do good to His creation.
Man is next to God.
Man and God are fully embedded in each other and the human body is the true temple of God. Without the light of His life the human body is like a husk without a kernel.
God is Love and Love is God.
Our soul is of the same essence as that of God.
Way back to God is Love, way back to perfection is Love, and way back to peace of mind is only possible through Love. Love knows sacrifice and sacrifice is only possible through selfless service to the humanity.
Once a Rishi announced that he wanted reformers. Next days many came well dressed. Looking on their soul and not on their clothes, he said,
“Wanted reformers, not of others but of themselves,
and who also want to gain the true knowledge.”
With true knowledge, one can be blessed with rare right understanding of it’s special significance, as the true knowledge is purely an action of the soul and it is perfect in itself and is independent of the senses and the sense organs and is the immediate witness of the reality. Even a proverb is not a proverb until it is illustrated in action and in practice.
Ruskin expresses,
“There is no wealth but life,
and life including all its powers
of love, peace and joy.”
Holy scriptures come from the competent Masters. Macrocosm is in the microcosm. They saw everything within and put it in the fine record for the guidance. They say,
“Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.”
Their experiences can become our experience and we can live peacefully, provided we self introspect our short-comings and lead an ethical life. Ethical life is a stepping stone to peace of mind. We have to go more deep to attain the perfection.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see the reality in them and in all, and serve the humanity with love and devotion and attain the peace of mind blessed from within. For continuous peace of mind, we should maintain good life. It is to have good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. True living is a continued Righteousness from beginning to end.
It is for everyone to occasionally pause and introspect deeds.
True living is a continued Righteousness from beginning to end.
It is for everyone to occasionally pause and introspect, as to how far he has succeeded in molding his life. We talk, hear, and read of God, but we seldom practice God in our daily life. If we practice, the outer adversities lose their pinching affect. There are no short cuts on the way back to peace of mind. But he who reaches that height, he alone may glimpse it.
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Thy Beloved is within thee,
and thou art ignorant of it.
He is the very Soul of thy soul,
and thou art wondering without in quest of Him.
— Margrabi Sahib