Manbody is the highest in all creation. It is an golden opportunity we have got, because in this manbody alone we can know God. And to know God we have to know ourselves first. Because God cannot be known by the outgoing fa­culties, by the mind or intellect. With the intellect we only try to grasp cer­tain things. It is the soul alone that can know the oversoul, because soul is of the same essence as that of God. God is All-Consciousness and our soul is a drop of the ocean of All-Consciousness.

So to know God we will have to know ourselves first. Like knows the like.

But unfortunately our soul is environed by mind and outgoing faculties. Our soul is under the control of mind, mind is under control of the outgoing fa­culties and outgoing faculties are dragged like anything by the outer enjoy­ments. So all Masters said that we should know ourselves first. "Know thy­self! " East and West makes no matter, you see. Those who have known God, they say the same thing. To know ourselves, we will have to know it not at the level of feelings or drawing inferences, but by self-analysis, by rising above body-consciousness.

How to? The outgoing faculties will have to be controlled, mind to be stilled and intellect also to be ceased for a while after understanding what is what. Only then we can know ourselves.

It is a matter of pure self-analysis, rising above the body-consciousness. To know God at the level of feelings or drawing inferences are subject to error. Seeing is above all. And this practical experience of rising above body-con­sciousness is to be had at the feet of someone who rises above body-conscious­ness daily.

Saint Paul said: "I die daily." Dying daily means what? We have to undergo the same process as at the time of death, when the soul leaves the body. Plu­tarch tells us: "Those who are initiated into the mysteries of the Beyond, their soul has the same experience of leaving the body as it has at the time of death."You know, the outer expression of the soul is attention. At the time of death the attention is withdrawn from all outside. When anybody goes to a man who is just dying, this man does not recognize anyone, because his attention is with­drawn from all outside. Then the lower body is benumbed, lower chakras are broken, we come up to the seat of the soul in the body which is at the back of the eyes. Then the eyes are upturned.

Learn to die, so that you may begin to live!

So knowing oneself – as I told you, this experience or demonstration can be had at the feet of somebody who rises (above the body) daily. He is also com­petent to give you a demonstration of the fact that you are the very life in the body and not the body, you see?

So this manbody is a wonderful house we live in; in which there are so many apertures: that of the eyes, of the ears, of the nostrils, mouth and two under­neath. But we cannot run away out of it. We are controlled. So our body works so long as we are in the body. And we are in the body so long as we are con­trolled in the body by some higher Power, which is – according to the scrip­tures – the God-into-expression-Power, called Naam or Word. When that Pow­er is withdrawn, we have to leave the body.

So, rising above body-consciousness by self-analysis gives you practically what is knowing oneself. When you know yourself, you see that some Power is con­trolling you.

One is leaving the body when the karmic link is broken, when the silver-cord (which is based on the reactions of the past) is broken; such a soul never re­turns. But if you know how to rise above body-consciousness while alive, this process is the same, but then you watch some Power is controlling you.

As I told you the other day, one atheist was at the deathbed. He had in his room a big motto: "God is nowhere!" A child came up and began to read: "G-o-d i-s n-o -w h-e-r-e: God is now here!" And that dying man said, "Yes, child, some Power is there."

So it is knowing oneself by self-analysis, it is just rising above body-conscious­ness. When you know that Power, which is controlling us now in the body, that Power becomes apparent.

In the manbody alone we can know God. All the world is full of practices (rit­uals and rites), you see, we do one way or the other, so many things. Those are only preparation for the ground. So, those are good actions, of course. But, to have some models before us, it is just to understand something, but to see that thing for which that model stands, that is something else.

The other day I also explained that God is Wordless, Nameless, Ashabd. When He came into being, into expression, that Absolute God wanted: "I wish to be many", there was vibration that resulted in two things: Light and Sound.

God is Light. God is Music of the Spheres – Nada.

These are the two outward expressions of God-into-expression-Power which is controlling the whole universe and also controlling us in the body. That can be contacted when we rise above body-consciousness to the seat of the soul in the body, which is at the back of the eyes. So, it is a practical question which can be demonstrated. When you see for your own self what is what, then on­ly you can be convinced, not before.

Man is afraid of dying for two reasons: The first thing, we do not know how to leave the body. We are not accustomed to it. We are so much attached out­side that we cannot dare to withdraw from outside. Sometimes we wish to withdraw from outside, but we are so much identified with the outside things, even if you want to leave, you cannot leave, you see? So, for that reason we have to withdraw from outside. If you know how to leave the body day to day, if you die daily as Saint Paul said, if you take the cross daily (the upright stand­ing man with his arms stretched out shows the cross), then death becomes a matter of joy. Because all glory and beauty lies within you. The astral plane is more beautiful than the outer physical plane; causal is still more, and high­er plane is still higher beauty and higher bliss. So, once a man has an expe­rience of that, he would like to go, any time even, he would possibly go. Now as you are not in contact with that, mind is just given up to the outward en­joyments and used to that little bliss.

Now what are we doing? We make models of the manbody. Manbody is the true temple in which we live, and also that Power, that controls us in the body. Whom we want to contact and the one who wants to contact – both are in the same body.

But we cannot see Him, because our soul is under the control of mind, mind is under the control of the outgoing faculties, and outgoing faculties arc dragged like anything by the outer enjoyments. We have ourselves identified with it so much, that we have forgotten our (real) selves.

If you know how to rise daily, there is no sting of death in there.

Hindu scriptures tell us, when the soul leaves this physical body, man expe­riences terrible pain, like a scorpion's bite. In the beginning it is just like pinch­ing, then that gives terrible pain. Death can be compared to one thousand scor­pions stinging together.

Mohammedan scriptures tell us, "When the soul leaves the body, it feels pain like that, as a thorny bush is taken through the rectum and torn through the mouth." You see, how terrible man feels, if he has not learned how to die. Mas­ters tell us, “Learn to die so that you may begin to live!" All Masters said the same in their own language.

And the second thing is, we do not know, what will be our fate after leaving the body. For two things we are afraid of death. If we sit at the feet of some­body who can give us a demonstration of how to rise above body-conscious­ness and gives us a link of the God-into-expression-Power – which is Light and Sound – that's the way back to the Absolute God, direct way, no by-pass is being made. That is natural yoga, you see?

When mind gets that bliss, then naturally you would like to avoid outer en­joyments like anything.

Now what are we doing? We have made the models of the manbody outside: all temples are dome-shaped (like the human head); churches are nose shaped and mosques are forehead-shaped. We have put in two symbols of God-into-expression-Power: There is Light and Sound. We go there. There is a model to show that suchlike Light and suchlike Sound is within you.

So long as there were practical people (with practical experience), they gave others a demonstration as how to rise above body-consciousness, how to have a contact with that Light and Sound which is the outward aspect of the God-into-expression-Power. They were convinced. But for want of practical peo­ple, these things have become the be all and end all. They were only models to show that suchlike Light of God and Sound Principle is within you. For want of practical people, there was nobody to demonstrate the Light within us. So we simply go to the churches and the mosques and light the candle there, ring the bell there. Both things are outer worship. So you see, we follow the models which only show that suchlike Light is within you, and show that we are to rise above the physical body and have a contact with the true Light, with the true Sound which is reverberating within the man-body and all crea­tion.

If you see in the air, there is nothing to be seen. Is there nothing in this air? There is of course. When you see through a microscope that magnifies all things about 700 times more, you will see that it is full of insects. They are there even now; either those things are magnified to come up to our level, or our inner eye is so much etherealized, that we come to their level. Then we can see.

There is God in us. Masters say that they have seen Him in this very man-body. Those who are trying to find Him in outward practices or observanc­es, they will never get Him. These are good actions, of course. They (the Mas­ters) don't deny, but ego is there, doership is there. You have to sow; and as you sow, so shall you reap! Good actions will bring you good, your coming and going will go round and round, you see?

When you see that He is the worker, your ego is lost, naturally your coming and going is ended. So this is what Guru Amar Das said. When you come to the feet of a Master, He gives you a contact with that God-into-expression-Power, which is called Word, Shabd, Naam. Then you see for yourself: God is there! But God Absolute not, I tell you, God-into-expression-Power, the two aspects of which are Light and Sound. You see the Light of God, you hear the Music of the Spheres. Now he thanks God: "O God, I thank you very much, I sacrifice myself to you. I have been in a long, seventy years long search, then I thank to my Guru at whose feet I got this experience. I sacrifice my­self not one time – hundreds of times to the Master, who had made God man­ifest in me!"

So you see, we need a teacher at every step. Even the children need parents, brothers and sisters to teach them. In schools we want teachers. In all outer aspects, all subjects which are related to the outgoing faculties, mind or in­tellect, we want guidance over there.

And for this subject – which is: How to rise above body-consciousness, to rise above outgoing faculties? – don't you need anybody? You do need some­body! But we are afraid of it. Because the world is full of teachers, excuse me, now I say. Christ also said, "They come as lambs, but they are ravening wolves."

There is so much acting and posing going on, the people cannot decide, what is what. And Masters lay out one criterion for that: Unless you see for your­self what the Master says, and unless you testified it, don't believe the words of the Master. It is really a great criterion! This can differentiate right from the wrong.

Guru Amar Das says, "O God, I am thankful to my Guru who had made that God-into-expression-Power – after which I was seventy long years - mani­fested. Thank God!" One who gets that experience, there is gratefulness in such a heart.

Now he says, "First thing is that Naam, God-into-expression-Power, which has got two aspects. When you come in contact with it, that gives you ever­lasting life." Amrit means Water of Life which gives you everlasting life; you'll never die. Once you learn to die, you'll live forever. "Learn to die, so that you may begin to live!"

That Water of Life is had only when you learn how to rise above body-con­sciousness physically. That gives you a taste, a sort of intoxication and bliss, with which mind forgets all outward enjoyments. In manbody only we can have it. And this thing we can have at the feet of the Master. He rises above physical body daily, hundred times a day at will if He wishes, and makes oth­ers to rise above body-consciousness. A practical demonstration of it is giv­en by Him, and then they see for themselves really and rise above body-con­sciousness. Some get more, some others less (experience). But some capital is given to each one to start with.

A man who is coming to give you a talk on business principles, a wonderful and information talk, but the men, to whom this talk is given, have got no money. What will your talk help them?

When people come to us and give us very sweet stories of the Beyond, are they also able to give us something to start with? They are only giving beau­tiful talks. Where all the world's philosophies end, there the religion starts. You must have something to be able to start with, maybe little or more, you see? So man can have this experience. And it is very sweet – there is sweet­ness, bliss in it.

Now he says, to rise above physical body is very difficult. Yogis have spent hundreds of years to rise above the physical body. They performed kumbhak, control of the breath at the different centres (chakras) in the body. Ultimate­ly the came up to the sixth chakra at the back of the eyes which is the seat of the soul in the body. Then they saw and came in contact with the Sound Principle. How long it takes!

And when the Masters come, they give you little attention, and – whatever number of people there may be – all (their) outer attention is withdrawn, goes up, and the inner eye is opened. They get some experience of the Light and Sound Principle to start with. What a great concession that is in these days!

So how does He give? It is very difficult to rise above body-consciousness. And you are given some experience – more or less of how to rise above body-consciousness. You get some capital of Light and Sound to start with. Then you have to develop further!

Where the world's philosophies end, as I told you, there the religion starts. Religion means: "re" – means back, "ligio" – to bind; to withdraw your at­tention (which is the outer expression of the soul) from all outside and con­tact it with God within you.

Now the question arises, how Master gives this. Guru Amar Das gives the one example of collyrium which is put on the eyes, you see? God gives the collyrium of that inner knowledge, which is to be experienced at the seat of the soul (at the back of the eyes). It is given in a very practical way. When the collyrium is put in the eyes, you see. And similarly some Godman or some Saint or some – name Him by any name you like – withdraws your attention from outside, withdraws it and brings it to the back of the eyes. Then you see Light.

How does the Godman or Saint give you this inner knowledge, this collyri­um of Light and Sound? By withdrawing your attention from all outside and taking it to the seat of the soul at the back of the eyes, which Yogis were tak­en hundreds of years to have it. First there is all darkness, when you close your eyes. When He gives you a (meditation) sitting, your attention is with­drawn from outside, goes up and darkness fades away. You see Light! And you testify yourself that it is Light. He does not say you'll have it in hundreds of years, after this life, at the end of life or in ten years. He at once gives you something to start with. First it is all darkness, you see. Then, when you see for yourself, you are convinced. This is how Guru Amar Das tells his story.

All Saints say that those who do not see God and praise Him are like blind men. In the terminology of the Saints a blind man is not one who has got no eyes on the forehead, but one whose inner eye is not opened and who is un­able to see the Light of God.

Kabir says, "I see all blind men sitting around me. Had there been one or two, I would have explained to them. What to speak, everywhere I look, all are blind!" Very sweeping remarks of course, but true. Teacher of the man is a man. God resides in every heart. But only the one, in whom He is manifest, can give you a demonstration of it, that's all.

The grace of God is working in a manbody, you see. "Word-made-flesh" you might say. God is manifesting in the manbody. And that Power withdraws your attention from all outside, takes it up, and then you see Light. Your inner eye or the single eye is opened. That happens when all your attention is withdrawn from outside and you rise above the chakras. You reach the seat of the soul in the body which is at the back of the eyes and you see for yourself!

So, for this reason He says, "Those who are going to find God in all world­ly things outside, practices, their whole labour is just like a man's (labour), who has to work day and night and still gets no pay." So all labour is lost in doing all outward expenses valued according to that.

The real thing is: to know God.

People practice all models. With all that we do not see God. Of course those are good actions, which will give us good results. But ego is not lost, and the coming and going will go on. So, those who are under the control of mind and outgoing faculties, identified with it, they say "How can there be light inside? Who says? When you close your eyes, it is all darkness?" They don't believe. When they see for themselves, then they have to say, "Yes, there is something!" So Master tells not to believe in anything what the Master says, unless you bear testimony to it (may be little or more). That's the work of a Master or a Saint, from where you can discriminate right from the wrong, ra­vening wolves from the lambs. Guru Amar Das says, "With the Grace of the Guru I have found God." How? By self-analysis.

Macrocosm is in the microcosm. When he rose above physical body – there are three different stages of mind: one is physical mind, the other is astral mind, the third is causal-mind – he said, "When I rose from the physical body and the physical mind, then I saw some light. When I rose from the astral mind and astral body, I saw still more light. When I rose still above them, there was still more light."

It is just like a lamp with three or four covers over it. When you light it, you see no light. If you take off one cover, you see some light. If you take off two covers, there is still more light. If you take off three covers, still more light can be seen.

So God is all Light. When we have some experience of the Light and Sound Principle, it grows more and more and gets sweeter, as the densities of the different planes are changed. Guru Amar Das is telling all that, how he got God by analysing himself, rising above the physical body and physical mind, astral body and astral mind, and causal body and causal mind.

Now he says, "Godman or man-in-God, or call any name you like, Sadhu or Saint or elder brother or father, He gives you an experience of the Light by bringing your attention into the eye-centre. Then you see Light. When you sit there, truly you see, and you start to praise God. Those who praise God without seeing Him, they are like blind men! These are good actions of course, the Master does not deny, these are good actions, you see, but the doership is there. Natural: "As you sow, so shall you reap!"

Now again Guru Amar Das further goes, "This manbody is a wonderful house; it has got ten doors. Nine are apparent, one is latent." Two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth and two underneath – they are open, apparent. There are the nine doors open to the sense world and there is the tenth door behind at the back of the eyes, where the soul passes into the beyond by coming to that place where the single eye opens. He says, "As long as you do not withdraw your attention from outside, from the nine doors and come to the tenth door, you will neither see Light nor will you hear the Sound Principle." He gives very clearly all his life experience. People say that Saints keep this thing secret. No, no; they tell out from the platforms like that, you see? It is for all peo­ple. If you can go up yourself, well and good. If not, take the help of some­body!

So what he says? "I withdrew my attention from outside, from the nine doors and came to the tenth door at the back of the eyes. There I heard the sweet melody of the Music of the Spheres, Nada. That is giving highest bliss."

As long as we have no contact with that God Power which is called Shabd, Word or Naam, you will see darkness, when you close your eyes! When you withdraw your attention from outside and come to the back of the eyes, the single eye is opened and then you can see the Light.

Christ said that it is better to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye, rather than two, which will cast you into hell. You see?

"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light!" – "Straight is the gate!" ("Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7,14) Read the scrip­tures! These are references to the beyond – how the soul leaves the manbody.

Now Guru Amar Das says, "Unless the darkness is removed and you see the Light of God face to face, your coming and going (into this world) will not end!"

When you see God, see that He is the power controlling you, your ego is lost and you are not to come back (into this world).

But unless you see the Light of God within you, you are only devoted to the models given in the churches, temples and the mosques for daily worship. Amongst Hindus there is a custom, you see. When a man is on the deathbed, they light a lamp, give it to him and ask him, "Look into the flame of the lamp!" And they read a mantra that means, "This light will lead you to God!" You see, hand and light, both remain here. What Light will be there (in the be­yond)? That light, which is within you already.

You can see it when you reach the tenth door in the body and your inner eye, third eye or the single eye is opened. So he says, "Who has the key?" Sup­pose there is a man who has got a house. You want to enter that house, but the owner has locked up the door of the house and given the key to the agent or the servant or somebody. So first you'll have to seek the sanction of the owner of the house. If he gives sanction, then he asks the servant, "Go and open the door!"

God resides where? God resides in the temple which is made in the womb of the mother. He resides in this manbody.

He has locked it and given the key to whom? To the "God-in-man" or "man-in-God" or Saint, or any name you like. He gives you a sitting, withdraws your attention from all outside to the seat of the soul in the body and you see Light. Of course some get more (experience), some get less according to each man's background, but everybody gets something to start with.

The key of success is with the Saint. The one who made that body – God – He locked it off and gave the key to the Saint to open it whenever He gives sanction. Not all are given initiation, it is God-chosen, we are chosen by Him. It is not with us to choose. It is Him who chooses.

Whom He chooses? Now for an example, there is an office, where there are some appointments vacant. The officer-in-charge over there whose handwrit­ing is carried off very wonderful, he asks all hand-written applications to come to him. He passes on all of them. Hundreds of applications he passes on. What­ever handwriting is very beautiful, he takes out. You see? Because he appre­ciates that qualification which is in him.

God sees those who are hankering more after God as compared for the world. God resides inside, He makes some arrangement to bring you in contact with someone who can put you on the path, that's all. He chooses you. Those who are very yearning for Him, He brings them in contact with someone so that they can be put on the way.

Now Guru Amar Das repeats: "That manbody is the cave which is dark in­side, and God resides in it." "He is so great", as prophet Mohammed said, "but He can just reside in the devotee's heart." He is latent, all this outer ex­pression is also God, all you see is the expression of God. First you only see darkness – but when your inner eye is opened then you see:

"It is all Light, God is everywhere. There is no place where God is not."

But how can that be done? ... It is already there. It is only a question of with­drawing from outside and coming up to the seat of soul. If you can reach there yourself- do your best! If you can – what more is wanted? If you are not suc­cessful, then let you be helped by someone, as you also need the help of a teacher in outer things. Just sit by somebody who gives that free; all gifts of God are free: air, sun, water, earth. This earth is a gift of God. To sit at the feet of someone who gives you all this freely is necessary.

The word "Gurmukh" means, when your eyes come in contact with the eyes of the Godman, and live is in tune. One third of the teaching is given by the word of mouth and two third by radiation. So devotion is necessary. In devo­tion you develop receptivity. And there you learn more.

So Guru Amar Das says, "When you want to derive full benefit of the man-body, which is the golden opportunity you have got to know God, then sit at the feet of a Saint!" If real yearning is there, God within you sees that you are really crying for Him, He makes some arrangement to bring you in con­tact with someone where you can be put on the way. Then you will testify yourself that it is like that. You may get something, little or more (according to each man's background); you get something to start with.

So this is what Guru Amar Das gave out, when he came to the feet of his Mas­ter. He gave the digest of all his teachings in one hymn.

So every Saint has His past, and every sinner a future. There is hope for eve­rybody. When Guru Amar Das came up to that state, he said, "I was like you some day. I've now come up with the grace of God." What did the grace of God do? "I was like a stone under water – under control of the outgoing fa­culties, He dragged me up and manifested Himself to me."

So there is hope for everybody, those who have got the manbody. That is why manbody is spoken of very highly. Even the angels are asked to bow down to the manbody. All souls of the rishis of the old, when they re­turned after enjoying the higher bliss of the planes, they chose the manbody to enter. You are very fortunate, you have got the manbody.

So this is the highest time to know God. All other things are reactions of the past, give and take. The flowing pen of God has united us as a reaction of our past, some as brothers, sisters, wives, husbands or parents. So, a Godman or man-in-God brings you in closer relation which is already existing. When Christ was told, while many people were sitting near him, "Your mother had come!", he answered: "Who is my mother? Those who do the will of my Father, they are to me mother, brother and sister, they are mine!" This is a true relation in which a Godman unites us, you see? As man you are all one. As soul we are of the same essence as that of God, we are all brothers and sisters in God.

We worship the same God called by different names. So it is high time to see Him. We have got the golden opportunity for it. All who are sitting here have got the manbody for such a long time – twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty years. But have you reached God? If yes, well and good. If not – hurry up! So this is the high time now.

This is what I found by the parallel study of the scriptures and by sitting at the feet of the Master just as Guru Amar Das has placed before you. He has passed seventy years in search of God, and when he got the experience of Him, he showed to others, "This is the way!"

So I placed this before you. I may thank you for your patient hearing. What I found I have placed before you. So thank you for your affording this oppor­tunity of snatching away your time from your busy hours to just have a pa­tient listening to what I have come to know. So I thank you all for all that.

One thing I have to say, specially for those who have already been initiated. For them two things are necessary. First: meditation – it is the bread of life and water of life. No day should pass without taking that food. You are asked to put in as much time as you can, at least two hours daily. When I went to my Master, I asked Him how much time I should put in. I was a family man, I had two children, I was serving also, earning my livelihood. He said: "Put in five to six hours at least, the more, the better!" You see?

After all, it is us who have to work on it. So at least put in two hours, if more – that's all right. It is helping yourself. Two hours of the twenty four hours are not much. One tithe is to be given. One tithe of the twenty four hours be­come two hours and twenty minutes. You are further given a concession of twenty minutes.

The second thing is to maintain the diary. Hitherto these things were given only when the people were ready, when the vessel was clean. Now the times have changed. Who can sit at the feet of the Master for years? So you are giv­en something to start with first and you are asked to maintain it by self-in­trospection, weeding out all failures in life and also putting in regular time daily.

If you weed out all imperfections from within, and also put in regular time and get something to start with already, then that experience will develop from day to day. So for that, self-introspection diary is necessary, so that you may know yourself who you are, what the failures in your life are, you see? It is just like when we go to the church, to the priest, when we make confession and pray: "O God, I have done that, I won't do more!" You see, do it a hun­dred times a day.

So when you get something to start with, that is always to develop, it is helping your own self, is it not? "Learn to die so that you may begin to live!" There is no fear of death, no sting of death to be left. So put in regular time to your bread of life and water of life. Give water of life to your soul first, then give the bread of life to the body. And God will help you.