February 28, 1971 — Heart-to-heart talk by Sant Kirpal Singh
(Light of Kirpal, chapter 70 — “Clutching — There Must Be Some Definite Purpose”)
Question: How do you prevent clutching in meditation?
Master: What should a beggar do who sits at the door of a donor? He should wait. It is all a gift, no compensation for anything you have done–nothing. What you get is a sheer gift. He may or may not give; it is all His Grace. Sit at the door and wait. Wait and see — clutching will be over. Clutching is business-like, “Oh, this has not come. You have not given this thing. You have not given that thing.” You have no claim to that. Whatever is given is sheer Grace, a gift in return for no effort on our part. It is a gift. ls it not? With that understanding, clutching will be over. Very simple. Do you follow how the clutching should be overcome? You sit at the Door and wait — that is all. Yours is only to sit at the Door, quite cut off from all outside, nothing else.
Question: We must learn this?
Master: What learning? Is any educational career involved? When a donor gives, it is at his mercy. You have to come to the Door, that’s all. Who are those who get? Those who come to the Door. Those who do not come to the Door? Then? If the children, one on that side, one on this side hardly come to the door, but are dragged outside, then? I think they will be the last men to be given, is it not?
Moreover, when you sit at the Door, your purpose should be very clear. Why should you sit at the Door? Are you after having some of these worldly things, or the things of the other world, or what? You must be clear. If you sit at the Door with any definite purpose, you will have everything, you see. You will have even the worldly things given you, those things which belong to the other world and also God Himself, but you should sit at the Door with a quite definite view of what you want. Do you sit at the Door with that purpose in view? Then?
Perhaps you have heard the name of Majnu. He was in love with one princess — Laila. The princess used to distribute alms on a certain day. One day he also stood in the line. All had their bowls — she put something in them — passing on. When his turn came, she struck the bowl in his hand and the bowl broke. He was enjoying this! “Oh! This is very strange. Your bowl has been broken and you are enjoying! Why? What happened?” Do you follow what is meant?
Question: Not exactly.
Master: Try to follow. There is nothing short for those who sit at — go to His Door with anything they sincerely want. There, you can have worldly things; you can have the things of the other world, and if you want God, He will give you. He will give you Himself, too. But you must have some purpose in view. So others came to Laila wanting worldly things. Well, she gave them. When Majnu came up he was after Laila, not worldly things. She broke the bowl saying, “Well, what you want cannot come in this bowl.”
So sit at the Door with some definite purpose. Go all alone, not dragging children, friends, gold and evil of the world. He is all alone. He wants everybody to come all alone, bringing not even your body. Don’t feel the body, nor the intellect. Sit at the Door. How much does it cost? Is it not simple? When you go to beg at someone’s door you have some purpose in view.
You may have read the book, “Prayer”? But you have not read this stated so directly. It is there. We are simply taking a “bird’s eye view.” You have been simply ruminating, but I will now tell you — it is there. We are simply surface reading, you see.
There is nothing short at His Door. He can give things of this world, next world things. He can give God. He can even give you Himself.
When you sit with some purpose in view, your wish should be definite — clear. Sometimes we sit, but we don’t know what we want. I read of one child, Whittington by name, who used to strengthen the thought of his becoming Lord Mayor of London by repeating always, “Whittington, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London.” This was when he was only a child and the day did come when he became the Lord Mayor of London. You must have something definite before you. You’re adrift. Sometimes we want this thing, sometimes that thing.
Sometimes you say: “World first, and God next.” Sometimes, “Oh no! God first and world next.” This vacillation goes on, you see?
So in prayer, you must be definite to whom you are talking, praying.
We don’t know. You must also be confident of His competency. You must be definite about what you want. With Him, everything is possible. You can have everything, things of this world and the things of the other world. The Master usually comes for things of the other world, not this world, but He can give these things too. So if there is any deficiency it is within us.
Your question is very good: How can you overcome clutching? All these things have been given in Prayer. But has it ever struck you? I am telling you no new thing. Read less — digest. Come to the purpose — then sit. Sometimes you want this, sometimes you want something else, then?
After my educational career was over I had ambition in life, too. I was a very voracious reader of books. I wanted big libraries, this and that thing. But I had to decide what to do — pursue my worldly ambition or place God first. It took me more than a week or ten days to decide, in the evening, after office hours, I used to go to some wilderness area to decide. I was discussing for and against with my own self until sometimes one, sometimes two in the morning. I finally came to the conclusion: God first and the world next. And ever since, step by step… Men are advancing, you see. If you have got some definite purpose before you, every step brings you closer to your goal. Sometimes you go two steps forward… Sometimes we dig two feet here, three feet here, then leave that hole and dig another pit again, two, three, four, five feet; then again we dig another pit. Water is not found in any, but if you go on digging in one place, water is underneath, you know. You will reach it.
You must have something definite in view. These are the things to be learned. I spoke about Whittington, as a child. As a child, reading in the third primary, I used to think of America. I had to go! There must be some purpose in view, you see. You must have something definite before you. What do you want? Sometimes this, sometimes that, sometimes the other. There should be tenacity of purpose, and perseverance-both. And for that— a chaste life. Three things. Definite purpose in view, then tenacity of purpose, perseverance, and chastity of life. I am giving you the kernel of the teaching I have come to know. Whatever question you ask, I have gone through myself.
You’ll remember now? Decide some definite purpose in view, even if it’s of this world, all right. Do it! If you want to become a wrestler, all right, work for it. You’ll become a wrestler and all the world will know you. If you would like to make some purpose in view, work for it day and night. Go on digging there in one place — you will have it. After all, perfection is God. Is it not?
“Be ye as perfect as your Father is in heaven.”
— Matthew 5:48
Don’t you have this in your Bible? And the Gurus say, “From the perfect Man, you will become perfect,” but nothing will have diminished in Him, you see. He is one with the Perennial Source. Mind though, He will make you perfect.
Is it not common sense I am telling you? No inferences. Talks at our Satsangs should be of that nature which will awaken people, even if they are there for the first time — everyone will get something. People are searching — how to meditate, what to do, what not to do, how to get spirituality.
You say, “There are five planes; on the fifth plane God lives and we’ll go to the fifth plane. This is the way.” If you repeat, but may never tread on the Path, then? There are many people who are tired of asking, “We want to know this, we want to know that,” but they would not practically put their feet on the Path. This shortcoming is within us: We speak of things but we never follow them practically. That’s all. Is this not a good lesson? No new thing.
You do all these practices — what for? Not for the sake of the practices only, but to know yourself. When you rise above body consciousness, you see you are not the body. We are just coming, trembling here, a little hesitant, we won’t cross into the Beyond because sometimes we think of the other world, sometimes we think of this world. We do not stay. You peep and say, “That’s a good thing.” You see this Door — “Oh this is very pleasant.” Then what do we do? We leave.
So sit at the Door with some definite purpose in view, with full confidence in the competency of Him to whom you speak and definite purpose of what you want. That is why Christ said, “If you ask God He may or may not give you (because you are not definite to whom you are talking). If you ask God in my name, He may give you, but if you ask me, you’ll surely have it.” What is the purpose behind that statement? If you have full faith in Him [the Master], He will give you. He has got It.
So work for it, that’s all, and in working for it, two, three things are necessary as I told you. You must he definite, confident. When a lady who had been healed came to Christ, He said,
“Thy faith hath made thee whole.”
— Mark 5:34, Luke 17:19
She was confident about the competency of Him to whom she came. Even those who have not seen the person of the Master but are confident of some Power working overhead — God, something, they will pray, “Oh God, I do not know where You are, but manifest to me.” And He will manifest to you in that very Form in which He is working. This has been my fate. I prayed to God always, “God, I want to meet you. There are many Gurus, many Masters, the world is full of them, to whom should I go and to whom should I not go? I am afraid if I go to somebody who has not reached You, my life’s aim will be spoiled. So I am afraid of going to anybody. Can You give me a direct revelation?” I was very confident, very definite about it. Then He appeared inside in the Form of my Master. I had never heard about Him. It was seven years before I met Him physically. I took Him as Guru Nanak. I was a poet — I wrote many poems to Him, in English, in Punjabi too. And so one day when I came to the Beas River, I found Him. I tell you, you must have something definite in your view, even if you don’t know where to go. God controls everything. We are only adrift. I think you’ll get more if you sit in meditation in that way.
Then, you may ask, “What is the criterion of a Master?” This comes up in many cases. There are so many so-called Masters. I went to one saint in my beginning search. I used to tell him, “I have got intoxication, that intoxication will last for months sometimes, sometimes it breaks — for a fortnight or a week or so, and that is very unbearable. What should I do?” Each man has his own background, you see. The very first thing he uttered, “All right, you’ll have to give your own self to me.” I thought, “Who is this who is anxious about my self?” I left, not having confidence in him.
I prayed like that. Of course, God knows. He knows the very trend of our mind, you see. So have something definite in view; in this way you’ll be able to make quicker progress. It may be worldly, I don’t mind.
When a man overflows with that Power, the world, everybody knows. There was a wrestler, King Kong by name, who once came here in contest with another man, Dara. I tell you, man has something within. So I was a judge over there, distributing prizes. King Kong was victorious in one contest, the other time Dara was victorious. I gave them both prizes. Then they had a photo taken. Dara sat on one side of me, King Kong sat on the other. I was with them both and when you see that photo, I am stronger than both of them. [All chuckle.]
So do something for God’s sake, do something. Be something. I don’t say that you need not be after the world. Do something. Let the people of the world know… What are you? Have you even proved to be a friend to somebody? A friend in need is a friend indeed. Are we a friend of only our own personal self? We generally think: What is more useful to us — he as our friend or we as his friend? We are seldom the servant. Be of service to all.
The perfection of everything is God, I tell you. We read the words,
“Be ye perfect as your Father is in heaven.”
— Matthew 5:48
We never go down deeply into the meaning of what we read. I am quoting from the Bible so that you may be sure these are no new things. These messages have been given by all the Masters in their own languages, but because you know the Bible, I am quoting it to you. Dig down, go deep down.
From the Perfect you will become perfect. This is what one Guru said. How can one who is not perfect himself make you perfect? So try to be something. Decide, and work for it with one purpose in view. When I entered the world, I had ambitions. There was one rich man who made me offerings of so many buildings, one or two libraries, according to my taste. But I decided God first and world next. So I think I am committed. I speak books now, you see. All these things you are recording will be put into books.
So please do have something in view and work for it. Leave off all questions. When once you decide, work for it.
If you do a little daily, regularly, like a tortoise, you will reach the goal.
We are running like a hare, jumping, then sleeping. The other who is regular will reach the destination before you. That’s what we do, run by leaps and starts, sometimes this way, sometimes that way, and the distance overhead remains the same. To fall in sin is manly, but to remain there is devilish. The distance still remains before you. You may fall on the way, then rise. Arise, awake then and stop not until the goal is reached. Are these not the same teachings?
So all Saints who came in the past said the same thing in their own languages. The mode of expression was different. The way of expression was different, but they taught these very same basic things; these very things, they taught. So please decide and work for it, regularly. With what?
Definite purpose in view. With faith in the competency of Him from Whom you get instructions and to Whom you pray with perseverance and chastity.
I think that boils down the whole thing — very simply, does it not? Do you understand very well now? Then what remains? To put it into practice, that’s all. So anything else? I think that will do. Thank you kindly. That was a good question today.