By Dr Harbhajan Singh, 28 May, 1989, St. Gilgen, Austria

"Who is the Master?" Guru Nanak Dev was asked. "My Master is the word, told by the Christ, Shabda or Word, Kalma, Naam. So what is that Word? Word is the Power, that has sustained the whole creation and sustains us and we have direct and independent contact with that Power. This Power sustains the body and the way back to God is the Light and Sound principle.

When it splits in the forehead, in the third (or single) eye, as told by Christ, then we see the radiant form of the Master. And this Master is not the Master of any particular community or religion – this is the higher Master, who is the Master of the whole creation, of all human beings. There is only one God and that manifests in all human beings – all human beings are having one and the same Master. That is the highest teaching of the Christ, Guru Nanak, Kabir and all other compe­tent Masters. All competent Masters said, "He is the doer!" When somebody (like those so-called masters) says, "l am the doer!", it is not the reality and then this whole matter (this grace) finishes. So gift is in the hand of the giver and not with any human being. He is the giver and so the gift is in His hand.

Now there are a hundred thousand masters in the world. All claim themselves as Masters. But (as) spoken by the competent Master, the Word-personified-form – it is from the teaching – directly or indirectly they are working for the negative power. What do they teach? They give the same teaching, but they give a diffe­rent experience. The teaching is one and the same. With practice someone can teach it, this is no problem. But to give the practical demonstration, the first-hand experience, this is difficult. What then is the difference between a competent and a so-called master? There is a great difference! I tell you, it is easy to come above the body-consciousness and concentrate over there, but it is very difficult to with­draw (completely) from the body-consciousness.

They (the so-called masters) say, "Come above body-consciousness, concen­trate over here! When you fully concentrate over here it means you are coming above the body-consciousness. You are not putting attention into the body, be­cause you are concentrating here." But in this way you are doing your own help. When you stress over here, instead of coming or going up you will be drawn into the body, into the chakras. And by coming down into the chakras this serpentine power is opened. It is called Kundalini-Yoga. It (this power) comes from behind (from the basis of the spine) and it is opened horn (in the head). Then you see the light in the chakras and you can see the light in the head above. And the sound coming there is also (as the light) absorbed inside So it is very hot inside and this makes great problems. Once you come in contact with such a master, you can not leave them, because, once these things are established in you, you won't be able to get rid of them.

So the whole world is suffering from one and the same problem. They are giving the initiation like Master did it, but there is no experience. It is only the competent Master who can take away this body consciousness that will bring you back into the world. You won't be able to solve the mystery of life, the riddle of life. problem. The process which takes you into the body consciousness that will bring you back into the world. You won't be able to solve the mystery of life, the riddle of life.

But the process which takes you above the body consciousness – as accord­ing to Christ's teaching – you must be withdrawn through the third eye (or single eye) above. With this you are reborn. Once you are reborn you won't come into the world. How can we be reborn? This third eye is there between and behind the two eyebrows where we transcend at the time of death. Shut your eyes. Shut your eyes and you will feel something there. (You see) darkness – this is (seen by) the third eye. So with the help of the competent Master your third eye is opened. "lf thy eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light. If this third eye is opened and you are withdrawn from the body-consciousness, you will experience the same process as it happens at the time of death So it is a death before dying. Saint Paul said, "l die daily." Christ said, "Learn to die, so that you may begin to live!" So which kind of death is this? It is a death of the mind. You become inde­pendent from the mind. You rise above the body-consciousness, you rise above the plane of the senses and the shackles of the mind. You will experience a new life within.

So it is a wonderful job which Master does. He knows, f le has already solved the mystery of death and He is liberated. He comes into the world to liberate all of us. His work is very unique – different from the world. His work is different to that of all other masters. So I mean to say: First try to understand that this is the pur­pose of your human life! It is your turn to meet God. Everything is a side issue. What can you do with the side issues? You have to leave (once) – everybody has to leave the side issues. Side issues (are) what you are earning in the world. You are running after something that will not help you, because we are after attach­ments. We only need God if our wishes are fulfilled. If our wishes are not fulfilled, then we say, "We don't need God!" When we hear something (spiritual), we say, "lt is very good!" and intellectually we also say, it is good if we get it. But our heart doesn't need it – the heart is attached somewhere else. The heart is identified with something else. We don't (even) want to put it back. It is a matter of attention and attention lies with the heart. If your heart is attracted somewhere else, how will you get God? Only when the heart and mouth become one, you will get Him. Surely you will get Him.

Do you know what you are, who you are? There is no exception to the rule: We have the body, but we are the indweller of the body. Certainly we have to leave it. So that doesn't belong to us – it is a gift from God. A gift for what purpose? To realize our self and to realize God! That is the only purpose.

I tell you, after knowing the theoretical aspect of life or getting also the practical experience towards the theoretical aspect of life, if you still make a mistake, this is a big sin. It is the greatest sin in the world. You know, sin in the body is mud and our spirit is frog there, (which tries to jump out but always falls back again), which does not know the value of the lotus. It must know the value of the lotus (that blos­soms above the mud), but it doesn't know the value of the lotus. Masters do not say that you (should) quit the world. They tell you the art of life: how to live in the world, how to adjust yourself. If you have a standard life, you won't suffer. You will not suffer in the family way, nor will you suffer in the social life (or regarding moral values). But going through all those factors, you can have the ethical life. This ethical life will give you the pleasure and happiness. Though it is not everlasting, ethical life is the stepping stone to reality, the stepping stone to spirituality. So then you are on the way back and there is a way for you to come up (out of) your problems.

This world is a playfield of positive and negative powers. They are the impelling forces in the world. Their destination is fully fixed and they are doing their utmost. Macrocosm is in the microcosm. So take instead your body: this holy body is also a playfield of the positive and negative (powers). Both are playing inside this body and this physical body is given to us as a capital on lone. We are the trader in it and we have to undertake a good bargain just to repay our debts with good earn­ing. That is our purpose, it is the purpose for which we came into the world. That is the real purpose. Man is very much under debts. He has much to pay and has not paid so far. If you pay your debts, you are free. If you have not paid your debts, you are coming back into the body again and again.

It (this body) and this whole world is also a prison. You are imprisoned there. You have to pay the debts – there is no exception to the rule. When you have re­paid the debts you are withdrawn from the body like anything. Master takes pity on us. He undertakes all your karmas and then He makes you free of the burden. He becomes responsible for your debts. But He says, "Don't create more! Don't create more seeds, so that you do not have to bear the reaction of it!" This is His job.

Masterpower does a wonderful job. He will detach you from the world, from the physical body. When you come above the physical body, you come above the world – you come above everything. When He will withdraw you from the body consciousness, your angle of vision will be changed. You will look at all those things with a different angle of vision. Then you see the price of them, because now you are able to see the price of your own self. You know you had a priceless heritage in the world and it was invaluable. There is nothing that can equal it. Your purpose was higher than all. Then you know what is what.

So this is also up to the Master, to detach you from the attachment. Otherwise it is very difficult to remain unattached in the world of attachment. This is a very big problem. Outwardly one can say, "l can do it" and he will do it for the moment. But seeing this affection everywhere he will again become the prey to that problem.

So this is also up to the Masterpower who will give you the first-hand experience to detach you from all these things. If He will detach you from the body conscious­ness, it means that you are detached from everywhere. If you do it regularly, then you are reborn. Once you are reborn, you won't come into the world. You know, this spirit is the indweller of the skies, but it is concealed in this body. In this – without Master – it is full of darkness. Our soul is living in the darkness and being in the darkness, it does not know the whereabouts. Masters come into the world to tell us.

A lion cub was stolen away by a shepherd and he put it back along with the sheep, where it grew up behaving as sheep used to do. He was also doing "bah, bah" like sheep. A lion just passed by him and said, "Oh, it is a cub of the lion, but why is he with the sheep?" He told him lots of things, but he would never rely on it. "No, I belong to the sheep family. I am no more a lion, I am with the sheep." He was grazing with the sheep, eating with the sheep. To rely on his words the lion took him to the nearby stream. He said, "Now look at my reflection and look at your reflection. I resemble with you. Now I am resounding – you also resound after me!" Then all the sheep and the shepherd ran away. It is just a worldly example, I tell you. You are the sons of God! You have forgotten. Now we have become the servants of the mind. Mind is identified with the body so much, that it has forgotten itself. Like fire it (the mind) is a good servant – but a bad master. Now we are dealing with the bad master. If we don't obey him, it will burn our house. It will create problems for us. So we even do not know, how to get rid of this mind. The whole world is suffering from it. So then again remedy is only in the hand of the Master. I told you, "The gift is in the hand of the Giver."So I tell you: To rise above the body consciousness and to go back, you need His help.