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Home Special Editions Diary for Self-Introspection Spiritual practices - meditation
Spiritual practices - meditation
By Sant Kirpal Singh, excerpts from "The Teachings of Kirpal Singh", Vol. II, page 72 - 75

Spiritual practices form an essential part in the spiritual aspirant's life and should, therefore, be a daily "must". The repetition of the five sacred charged names conveyed at the time of holy initiation, orally or mentally, is not a difficult task and carries a deep meaning. Although it looks so simple and easy at the outset, to obtain proficiency in it one needs extra love and fortitude. You will appreciate that the holy Names carry the life impulse of the Master which works wonders in withdrawing the sensory currents from the body level up to the eye-focus, thus preparing the soul for the eventual inner journey on to the regions of bliss and harmony. Certain hours for meditation should, therefore, be fixed, set apart and pursued regularly and earnestly, for each such repast brings in nourishment to the soul, and one is led within to the Divine Light which dispels the darkness of ignorance. It is like purifying the receptive vessel every day for receiving the Divine Grace. Daily meditations clear the gross dross that one gets at the sensuous level.

The second important part of meditation is listening to the holy Sound Current, the audible Life Stream coming from the right side. It is equally an important aspect of the spiritual practices and should not be ignored or lost sight of. After initiation, it is the disciple's duty to enrich his spiritual experiences from day to day and he can certainly extend his field with the Grace of the Master to any length he may like, opening up new vistas of sublime glory and beatitude.

In short, self introspection helps in cutting the branches and pruning all that is undesirable while meditation (spiritual practices) strikes at the very stem of the tree of worldly life.
God is everywhere, but He is not manifested everywhere. Why? Because our soul – that spark of the All Consciousness – is under the control of the mind and senses, and through its sojourn in creation has become the image of the body and the image of the world, thereby forgetting its true self. It must just know itself, then it can have the experience of the Overself; if it does not rise above body-consciousness, how can God be manifested? Do you understand this?

He resides with you. The body is the true temple of God. When you have understood this, then where do you go to find Him? First within your own Self. Withdraw from outside. Withdraw from the mind and outgoing faculties and come up to the seat of the soul at the back of the eyes. When you concentrate there, your inner eye will be opened to see God within you.

The Master exhorts us to realize Him in our souls, to rise in Him, losing all sense of the little ego in the living temples of our bodies. The kingdom of God is within us. We have to recognize the inner man as the image of God, the physical body as the temple of God, the tabernacle of the Holy Ghost, in which the Lord makes His appearance. In these living temples we have to attune our souls with God and live in closer communion with Him.

Many do say that they are soul – a conscious entity – indweller of the human form – but have they come to prove it and thereby know it in truth? This is my watch, I can place it here. These are my spectacles, I can take them off and put them here. I can take off my clothes, whenever I wish to. But can I become separate from my body? Can I take my body off? It is a question of how to rise above by self-analysis; and who can give a demonstration of this scientific method? By the Guru's grace, you come to know yourself. Only then can it happen, and not before. When you know yourself, then like knows the like, and God-realization is the next step. So God cannot be known by the senses, intellect, or Pranas – only soul can experience the Lord, and this can happen only after it has come to know itself.

To know our Self is not a matter of feelings, emotions or drawing inferences. It is really one of rising above body-consciousness by self-analysis to know practically who we are. When we know our Self and come in contact with all-conscious God, that is the Bread and Water of Life for the soul. All worldly information and outer sciences – the libraries are full of them. If our brain becomes full of them, well, it is not bread to the soul. It is bread and water for the intellect to grow on. So the Bread and Water of Life for the soul is the conscious contact with God or the Overself. These things are to be understood and then lived.

By speaking about bread, your hunger cannot be appeased but you must have bread to eat. That is why Christ said, "I am the Bread of Life. This Bread of Life has come down from Heaven. Whoever partaketh of it shall have everlasting life." Partaketh of it - He is the Bread of Life, of course. He also says, "Eat me and drink me." What to eat? He is Word made flesh. The more you come in contact with and devour that Word, the Light and Sound within you, the more you will be eating of the Bread of Life.

All imperfections will leave you, just as when you sit by a fire, all cold leaves you. By hearing the Sound Current you become the abode of all virtues. By hearing, you can determine the direction in which you have to go. By seeing, your inner eye is opened to see where you are going. Pity it is that we give little time to these things and only waste away our time in trifling things, I would say. So put in more time, please, to your practices. Develop love for God within you. You will be blessed. You will have made the best use of your life.