From the book "Morning Talks" written by Sant Kirpal Singh
1968-01-22, Delhi, Sawan Ashram
Talk available as mp3 at audio.sant-kirpal-singh.org
If you wish to learn something of education, you will find it only in the schools or colleges. If you would like to have some medicine, you go to a hospital. Similarly, when you want clothing, you go to a cloth seller. If you would like to find God, then you must go to a true Saint or Master.
What is a Master? He is Word made flesh, who dwells amongst us. God is everywhere, but He is made manifest in the Master. Satsang is called the company of Sat. Sat is Unchangeable Permanence. It is ever existent. Our soul, when divested of mind, matter and outgoing faculties by the process of self analysis becomes the knower of the Controlling Power which is already within us, controlling us in the body. That Controlling Power, or God, is within each one of us. But our souls are identified with the mind and outgoing faculties so much so, that we have forgotten ourselves and forgotten the Overself, or God. So where such a soul is there, who has known Himself by self analysis, by rising above body consciousness, He sees God as I see you and you see me. Such a person is called a Master or a Saint. Wherever He sits, radiation will be there. Radiation comes from every pore of His body but the special place of manifestation is through His eyes. Eyes are the windows of the soul. His soul is intoxicated with the love of God and if you look into His eyes, radiation will be there.
To derive full benefit from the company of a Saint, you must be pure yourself. When you come to a place where a Master is sitting, you should forget everything. Forget the environment around you and who is sitting by you. Just be fully attentive to the eyes of the Master, which is where His soul has its play. You must become receptive to derive the full benefit of the company of a Saint. Those who come near the Master and their mind is, what you say, tossing about from one place to another, and ripples are constantly arising in the pond of their mind, cannot develop receptivity. They cannot receive the full benefit of the radiation which comes from the Master, through His whole body and specially through the eyes. This benefit you can derive even when sitting thousands of miles away. Through a radio, you hear what a man is saying from a long distance. Through television, you also see who is speaking. The Word is everywhere. Word or Naam or Shabda are all one and the same. So the vibration of the man in whom the Word is manifest permeates through the whole world. Those who become receptive by stilling their mind and intellect, derive full benefit. Kabir says, "If the Master resides thousands of miles across the seas and the disciple resides this side, he should just direct his attention to the Master". The Word is everywhere, you have just to become receptive. When you become receptive, you will derive the full benefit of Satsang. So if you want to find God, then go to a place where a Master is sitting. Let nothing stand between you and the Master, not even His body. If you absorb your whole attention into the eyes of the Master, you will get full radiation and have bliss-giving intoxication. This is the quickest and easiest way to derive full benefit from the company of a Saint. When you become receptive, you will get higher intoxication. The world will be forgotten. You will derive more pleasure, more bliss from the Beyond when you become receptive, as compared to outside things. We are conscious beings and should become receptive or in contact with the Word or Naam, the outer expression of which is Light and Sound. The more you come in contact with the Word or Naam, the more bliss and intoxication you will have as compared with anything outside. The mind will be stilled.
The Upanishads say, "What is that, by having which, you do not need anything more". It is to come in contact with the Light and Sound Principle of the Word made flesh. So the company of One who is the Word made flesh is called Satsang. Therein you can find the radiation of God and you can have it even from thousands of miles, if you become receptive. That is why Maulana Rumi says, "If you have only twenty minutes to sit by a Saint, the result of the benefit that you derive from that short period cannot be had by thousands of years of true penances". When the fire is burning, sit by it. When the fire is ablaze everything is burned (i.e. it is far more effective and easier to have our sins burned away by the company of the Master than by the practice of penances). When the Word becomes manifested somewhere and you become receptive to it, your mind will be stilled. You can reflect your own self in it and can also reflect God within you. The only thing that stands in the way between God and you is the mind. You are not to put in anything from outside. It is already there. When the turbulent waves of the mind are stilled you can see your true face in it. Do you follow now, how to derive full benefit from the company of the Master?
God is found not in books, as only statements about Him are given in them. Neither can He be found in temples made of stone by the hand of man. In these we gather together only to pray to God, or to thank Him for all that He has given. He resides within 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. But you can have His radiation where He is already manifest. Sitting close to the human body where God is manifest, even for a short time, will give you quicker results. That is why Satsang, or the company of a Saint, is talked of very highly in all scriptures. The process is quickened by radiation. The same God Power is within you but is not awakened. It will be awakened at the time of Initiation and further, it will be given a boost by the radiation from the Master. That is why it is said that one lyrical glance from a Saint that is radiated to your soul from outside can bring you up into your own self and you will see the Light of God within you. So one grace pouring glance from a Master is sufficient for us. That will give a boost. That is what is meant by, "Have the company of a Saint, the more you get the better". The more receptive you get by sitting near Him, the more benefit you derive. Simply to come and go won’t do. It is receptivity that gives you substantial benefit. The more time that you can spend in the company of a Saint, the better. Even if you are not in the direct company of a Saint, you can benefit by sitting in your rooms, even at far off places, by developing receptivity. That receptivity comes only when everything between you and the Master is removed, though maybe at thousands of miles away. Nothing should stand between you and the Master, neither worldly things nor even your body or mind. Simply sit sweetly and you will develop receptivity. We cannot underrate the value of the direct company of the Master of course. The more you become receptive to Him, the more benefit you can draw and you can develop it even at a far off place. When you have developed receptivity, only then will you be able to derive more benefit from distant places. When you are with Him face to face you get it direct, and naturally that will give you power. If you develop receptivity, then from thousands of miles you can have the same benefit.
When people apply for Initiation I simply sanction it and instruct the Representative, "All right, give him a sitting." The man to whom the sitting is given gets the same experience as he would if in direct contact. This is worked through the Shabda or Word, which is everywhere.
So I think that you will appreciate that you can derive more benefit by becoming receptive. The more time you have in direct contact, so much the better. If not, because it is not possible to have it 24 hours of the day, then develop receptivity by sitting in your rooms. If that is developed, then you can go anywhere and still have it. So the Word is pervading everywhere. It vibrates throughout the Universe and is specially concentrated in the Word made flesh. One vibration from Him also vibrates throughout the Universe. It is only a question of becoming receptive to it, that’s all. In that way, it makes no difference whether a man is sitting here or afar. It is a matter only of becoming attentive, receptive to the Word or Shabda, which pervades everywhere. Where it is manifest, that vibrates and that vibration goes on throughout the world. You know who the Master truly is now? Suchlike Masters are spoken of in all the scriptures.