Be in Charge of Your Machinery

December 22, 1970 — heart-to-heart talk by Sant Kirpal Singh
(Light of Kirpal, chapter 34)

It’s cold outside, isn’t it? Do you feel? A little? All right. Yes? Going strong each one of you? Going on all right with your meditations? Thank God. When a man is Within he does not feel cold. It’s only when he’s thinking of the body and outside that he feels cold. Keep your consciousness engaged. In that way you will be air conditioned, you see? Then you won’t feel cold.

Once it happened, I’m talking now of fifty years back, that I was detailed by my Master to give talks. It was a hot season. There was a big room, of course, but it was very hot. The ceiling fan, and the other fan broke; each man was perspiring. I said, “Look here. Engage your attention here. [Master points between the two eyebrows.] You won’t feel the heat.” They listened to the talks for an hour and never felt heat. It is we who feel, because we are identified with the body and outside. When you get an injection (from a doctor), you just concentrate, “All right, now do it.” Then you feel very little pain. The more you are concentrated, the less you will feel. So it is a question of controlling your attention. You are attention. You give strength to the body. The whole machinery works on account of you. It is you who is working at the back. If you come to your own Self, then the whole machinery is at a standstill, this is what you have to learn.

It is all a play of your conscious self. We have not known ourselves, who we are. We have known as a matter of inference or as a matter of feeling, but not as a matter of self-analysis. A factory, any factory, is run by a powerhouse, there are switches connected with each department of the factory. Whichever switch you turn off, that department ceases to work. And if you turn off the main switch the whole machinery stands still. It is on account of you that you are hearing, you are seeing. It is because you do not know how to cut off from outside, that’s all.

You may have had this happen in your experience too: Sometimes you’re sitting very absorbed; somebody calls you, your ears are open but you don’t hear. He calls you once, twice, thrice. He comes up to you and says, “Well you have not heard me? I have called you so many times.” — “No, I have not heard.” . . . “Why?” — “My attention was engaged somewhere else.” So similarly it is your attention that gives life to all your outward things. You are the giver of all attention to these things and you are dragged by all these things. How shameful it is, I would say. The whole thing is topsy turvy. It is you who give the strength to your mind, to your outgoing faculties; and what has happened now? Outer things attract your outgoing faculties; and faculties control your mind. Mind controls intellect. And poor fellow, Soul, is being dragged about. Is it not so? Just come to your own self, that’s all I can say. You know who you are? Now you understand? Forget all outward forms, everything like that. Master does not give you anything new, only [the opportunity] to come to your own Self, that’s all. You may learn it in a day, ten days, ten years, ten births. Why not learn now? Man-body is the golden opportunity you have got. In this body only, you can do it. This is really your own work, personal work. All other works are the question of give and take, finish off. Wind up the whole thing.

Do you feel cold now?

[Master tells us about His appointment today at Manav Kendra — The Man Center being built under His daily supervision.]

Everybody runs there, you see, because man is in search. He’s doing something and still with all that he is not satisfied. By talking about bread your hunger won’t be appeased. You see? By taking food, digesting it, your hunger will go. Everybody is doing something in his own way, with all that he is not satisfied.

So when death comes, it is no bugbear; it comes. Man will shudder, “Oh,” if he has been only talking about these things and not lived up to them, that’s all. This is a Way which We can give to you, of practical self-analysis, rising above body consciousness. If you want That, daily rise and go, and you’ll feel pleasure. When there is heat outside and you go into a cold place, well naturally you feel very different, you see. So try to put in more time [in your spiritual practices] and make the best use of the time you are here. That’s all I can say. There also that God Power is within you, with you, guiding you when you go back. If you withdraw you can say that. We are one There.

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