Separation from You... an original poem

Separation from You 

Separation from You
is the cause of my pain
You are silent and hidden
and somewhere far
I have no peace, my soul is at war 

Kindle the candle of Thy light

And watch the drama of sheer delight

Mad with joy, ready for death

Mkadk arrives

In the candle he dives

He dives in the flame

Your flame, Your flame

Again and again

Again and again 

He loses his wings

And falls in the fire

As he falls in the flame

He utters Your name 

Blazing heat burns his body

Your majesty it shows

Like embers it glows 
 

Melting snow sets in motion

Journey of the drop towards ocean

As it merges with the ocean

It becomes ocean 

Oh God, this is my great desire

To burn in Your love

And become fire

125. The Most Famous Fakir Of Egypt

The name of the most famous fakir of Egypt was Tahra Bey. He had piercing eyes. He had a medical degree and could speak many languages. He had been received by many kings and Signor Benito Mussolini. He was well known for stabbing his body with arrows and knives, and be buried alive. Once he permitted himself to be buried for twenty eight days. He was comfortable in European or Arab dress. Many scientists and doctors had investigated his claims and found them to be genuine. Here is what Brunton has to say about him:

“I, who have seen several of his feats done by half a dozen fakirs in different parts of India and Africa, find no difficulty in believing them possible; whereas knowing the man, I know also, that he actually does possess the powers which he claims”

Brunton gathered a small group of doctors and other professionals to watch his performance.

On the floor were various articles to be used in his demonstrations. Every article was carefully examined by the group.

Tahra Bey touched and pressed certain parts of his temple and the nape of his neck. He seemed to suck air in his mouth. In a minute he was entranced. At the same time he uttered a peculiar sudden cry. He went into cataplexy.  His body became rigid like a board. He would have fallen to the floor, like a dead man, if his assistants had not caught him.

His body was placed on scythe-like blades. A doctor checked his pulse, it was 130.

A large block of stone weighing 90 kilogrammes (approximately 198 pounds) was placed on his bare stomach. The assistant showered blows upon the block with a hammer. Tahra Bey’s body remained rigid and taut, never yielding an inch, as if he was made of iron. Eventually the stone broke.

Tahra was then lifted up into a standing position, still apparently unconscious. The doctors examined his body and did not find the slightest mark from the scythe-like blades. He was then placed on a plank studded with sharp nails. An assistant jumped over his body. When reexamined there was no mark on his skin by the spikes!

Tahra Bey slowly came back to life. His eyes were fixed. He inhaled air violently. He opened his mouth so wide that one could see his tongue curled backwards. He brought the tongue forward with his hand.

Next, Tahra Bey allowed his cheeks to be pierced by hat pins. They also ran thick skewers through his jaws. Tahra Bey was fully awake, and did not elicit any sign of painfulness.

A doctor was allowed to plunge a large dagger into his throat in front of the larynx.

Some of the doctors, who were skeptical, repeatedly checked his pupils, in order to note whether they contracted or dilated. It was thus possible to determine whether he had taken any drug which made him insensible to pain. His eyes were quite normal.

When all these weapons were withdrawn there was not a single drop of blood on his skin!

Doctors were so astonished that they jabbed more needles and arrows in his face, shoulders and chest.

Tahra Bey then showed another power that he possessed. He allowed to be stuck by a sharp knife in the chest. When knife was withdrawn there was no blood. A doctor expressed a wish to see the blood flow to assure himself that the fakir was really wounded. Tahra Bey then allowed the blood to flow. It inundated his chest. When the doctor was satisfied, Tahra Bey stopped all flow of blood by mere will power!

 An assistant passed a flaming torch along the entire length of the fakir’s leg. The audience heard crackling of skin, but Tahra Bey’s face remained calm and composed!

The fakir announced, that this insensitivity to pain lasts for twenty-five minutes

He also showed his power over a hen and a rabbit. He touched some nerves and they became paralyzed, yet conscious. He then reversed the condition to normal

The most important test of the evening came next. Resurrection.

The test conditions were such that there was no chance of fraud.

Tahra Bey announced that he would be buried alive for exactly one and a half hours.

A coffin was brought. It was carefully examined. The floor of the apartment was checked for trap-doors. Still a rug was placed as a precaution.

Tahra Bey induced auto-cataplexy in him, just as he had done before.

He was examined by doctors. No breathing, no heartbeat!. He was like a dead man. There were no signs of life. It would have been hard to tell the difference between him and a dead body!

His assistants covered him completely with soft red sand.

After the allotted time, the sand was removed. He was put in a chair. Slowly, he became normal.

He had no memory of what happened to him during the time he was in the coffin.

What was the explanation of these amazing demonstrations?

Tricks, illusion and conjuring?

Magic? Just as the Egyptian who had thirty disembodied spirits under his command, or the old magician of Egypt who made the white fowl be killed by genii (blog 122)? Also the bombardment of the haunted house by bones and stones by spirits.(blog 109)

Hypnotism. Like the French woman who could read while her eyes were heavily taped (blog123) and did not show pain when stuck by a needle. The wound was bloodless

Yoga? Like the three tricks performed by the Indian sadhu; being buried alive, rope trick, and levitation. (Blog 124)

Miracles? There are twenty five miracles (supernatural events) described in blog 104-7, performed by men and women of God.

The answer is none of the above!

Tahra Bey claimed himself to be a man of science. There was nothing supernatural. He knew of certain laws of nature by which he could perform these feats. They were little known psychic laws, but nonetheless, laws. He had command over two secrets which enabled him to perform all his feats:

               1. Pressure on certain nerve centers of the body

               2. Ability to enter into cataleptic coma

When one is in cataleptic coma, heart and breathing, both, stop. There is no flow of blood. Body becomes insensitive to pain (similar to a modern operation under general anesthesia). To accelerate the healing of wounds he did two things: he temporarily accelerated the blood flow and he raised the temperature of the blood (which killed the microorganisms).

If a reader wants more details he can read it in the book (‘a search in secret Egypt’, by Paul Brunton)

              

123. Hypnotists

Brunton was well versed with hypnotism, as the following incident illustrates. During his journalistic investigations on cults, he became aware of an ex-clergyman, who had a forceful personality and possessed strong hypnotic powers. He was using his powers for nefarious ends. One evening, by chance, he met a woman on the street, who was a friend’s wife. She told him that she was on her way to the hypnotist’s house, to spend a night with him. Brunton examined her and found that she was completely under strong hypnotic influence. Brunton felt it was his duty to de-hypnotize her and send her home, which he did.

He consulted an Indian friend. He told him the incident, as well as, his investigations about the ex-clergyman’s activities.

The Indian was outraged, and said that he would put a heavy curse on the man. Brunton did not want to go that far, and asked to first give an ultimatum to the man to leave the area immediately. The Indian said that the ultimatum was fine, but he would also lay a curse on him. Which he did.

At the conclusion of the rite (for curse) Brunton left and went to the pseudo-prophet’s house.

He found him in a small hall, with a large body of his disciples.

There was a scene of indescribable confusion.

The hall was plunged in complete darkness. All the bulbs in the house had suddenly exploded with the force of bombs. This occurred at precisely the same time, when my Indian friend’s rite of cursing reached its end point!

People were rushing to get out. Above all the din, harsh voice of their master could be heard, a voice laden with fear and despair.

“The devil is here. This is the devil’s work”

He was lying prone on the platform floor. His followers had heard him fall heavily on the platform.

Brunton gave him the ultimatum.

The man left. He died within one year in an obscure country village.

In Cairo, there lived a French couple, Monsieur Ades and his wife Madame Margueritte. He was gifted with hypnotic power. His wife was a good hypnotic subject. Brunton investigated them and could find no trickery. Here is a narration by Brunton about the demonstration. As a precaution Brunton had also invited a British officer’s wife. All four sat around a table. There were certain preliminary feats. Then came the final experiment. She was put in second degree of hypnotic trance by her husband.

Madame Margueritte eyes were closely taped. The tape also included eyebrows, eyelids and cheeks. As a further safeguard a thick red velvet bandage was tied around her face and head. She could not see through the eyes.

Ades asked us to select at random any passage from any book.

We marked a paragraph from a French book and laid the book open for her.

Ades said in a firm voice:

“Now find the paragraph. Read it, and transcribe what you read on a paper beside you”

Madame Margueritte started writing the passage, word for word. She would write few words, and then turn her gaze at the book. She kept on going alternately from the book to the page. It was clear that she could read the page despite the heavy bandages! Brunton asked her husband to command her to underline the second word of the second line and the third word of the third line. She underlined both words correctly.

She was commanded to write with her left hand. Although not ambidextrous, she performed the task with ease.

The visitor took the hand of the Madame Margueritte in her hand and concentrated strongly upon the mental image of her husband. After a short time Madame Margueritte described the character, capacities, temperament, and even the physical appearance of the visitor’s husband! Most extraordinary was her statement that he was a Government official.

Ades stuck a needle in her hand. The other end of the needle was visible on the other side. Madame Margueritte did not feel any pain.

When the needle was withdrawn there was not a single drop of blood visible on the skin or the needle.

Brunton requested Monsieur Ades to explain the strange feats of hypnotism. He replied that our brain has enormous unharnessed potential. There is a subconscious aspect of our mind. If one puts the conscious state in suspension, by hypnotism, in certain subjects, the subconscious state takes over. It can see or hear, without the aid of normal eyes or ears. He (Ades) had put his wife in deep hypnotic trance, so her conscious mind was suspended. One needs somebody with hypnotic power to put a suggestible subject into a trance. Monsieur Ades had trained his magnetic influence after several years of practice. In a similar vein, one needs a subject who is naturally receptive to this magnetic force. One cannot hypnotize a person who does not want to be hypnotized.

98. God. Part two

 

               After the creation of universe it is running on its own, by the laws of nature. Everything that happens, happens, because of the law of cause and effect. It is an everyday observation. No Divine force, tangibly, intervenes. If one wants to buy a loaf of bread, one has to go to a shop and buy it. No angel from heaven will do it for him. If one falls sick from malaria, he must have been bitten by an Anopheles mosquito carrying Plasmodium parasite. If one is hit by a car while walking on a footpath, it must be due to the carelessness of the driver or a faulty vehicle. An Olympic athlete succeeds where others don’t, because his body is better suited for that sport and he has worked very hard to develop that talent.

So, you see, there is no evidence, that there is no God. If nobody has seen God or talked to God, that does not mean He does not exist. He simply does not want to talk, and maybe He cannot be seen ; He is faceless.

               The second argument, that the world is full of injustice and miseries, does not mean there is no God, He simply chose not to interfere in human affairs. All the miseries are man- made

             The third argument, that everything that happens, happens, due to law of cause and effect, there is no Divine intervention at any point. Off course it is correct, because God made it so. May be it is some sort of experiment of His; He created the universe, He also formulated the fundamental laws of nature, and then left it on its own , to see how it develop             .

How to prove a negative? All we have is that because such and such thing(s) did not happen, which we think should have happened, were there a God, therefore, there is no God

               After dealing with the arguments against God, let us discuss the impact of Copernicus and Darwin on human thought. No other two individuals had as much impact on our perception of man’s place in the universe as these two.

               Copernicus published his work, in 1543, the year he died. Kepler, Galileo, and Newton further developed the Copernican theory. Kepler wrote the three laws of planetary motion, by which the planets move.  Newton discovered his three laws of motion which operate in the whole universe and explain the movement of all bodies. What is the importance of Copernican theory? To understand it one must study the human thought before and after Copernican theory

               For thousands of years, human beings saw a flat, stationary earth. Earth stayed in one place, whereas the sky revolved around it. Sun and moon rose in the East and set in the West. Stars filled the sky and even they moved during the night. Man was the most powerful of all the creatures.  Everything moved with clock-like precision, like a nicely crafted watch. Can a watch construct itself, without a watch maker? If a watch, a house, cannot develop by itself, there had to be a creator, which made this grand universe. Everything pointed towards the earth as the center of the universe, and a Creator of this universe, the God. Religions taught the same thing, with the added twist that the man was the center of the universe, created by the God in His image, and he was the designated ruler of the world and its creatures, as His assistant. Plants were for him, animals were for his use, sun was provided for light and heat, rain for his harvest. Earth was not very old, may be few thousand years old. This is called geocentric (earth is the center) theory. It was the accepted truth from the time of antiquity to 16^th century (with few dissenters, like Aristarchus of Samoa)

               Copernican theory gave a heliocentric (sun is the center) concept. Earth was not stationary but moved, on itself, and around sun. Other planets in the solar system did the same. If one could go far away, the earth would appear as a pinhead of light, hardly visible, amongst thousands of other stars. How could it be the center of the universe? All these millions (in fact, billions) of stars could not have been made for the sake of earth, and for the convenience of its inhabitants (most important was man)

               Whereas Copernican theory diminished the importance of earth and man, it did not diminish the importance of God. Universe could not have emerged by itself, somebody must have made it. Every creation, be it a plant, an animal, a human, or a heavenly body, had thousands upon thousands of components, each working in a precise and prescribed way, as if a higher force, laid down the laws of their governance. Everything, for a thinking man, was a source of joy and wonder. A far far wiser and powerful entity, alone, was capable of such achievement. Without God, universe could not have come into existence. There was an essential need for the presence of God to explain this puzzle.

              

To be continued

 

97. God. Part one

I have thought about God for several decades. It has been my obsession in life

Do I have the answers to all my questions about God which had perplexed me for all of my adult life? Yes, almost.

Can I convince others, who don’t believe in God, the presence of God? No, I cannot.

You might think that the reason I cannot convince others, is because there is no objective evidence. That is not the reason. The reason is that the evidence is anecdotal. You know how scientific community hates anecdotal evidence. I, myself, have been involved in bench research on cell biology for 6-7 years; therefore, I understand the limitations of preliminary evidence. This type of data by itself is not definitive but becomes the basis for further research. One tries to get experimental evidence, by designing experiments in a laboratory which prove or disprove the hypothesis. If it is clinical evidence, one may, finally, have to do a randomized clinical trial with at least two almost similar arms in a significant number of humans, in which one arms gets a treatment, while other does not. If the treatment arm derives statistical benefit, then the hypothesis is tentatively right. If multiple observers, away from each other in time and space, repeat the experiment, and have the same results, then science accepts it as a fact. If there is enough circumstantial evidence (facts), one tries to discover the laws of nature, which tie the facts. Once one has discovered the laws, one tries to formulate a theory (or hypothesis) which explains the laws.

What I have described above is the scientific method. Conclusions are reached, based on the facts, wherever facts lead one. One starts with a presumption, but if the experiments prove it wrong, one has to abandon it, and reach a different conclusion, based on the new data.  One does not start with a preconceived conclusion. In contrast, the religion, starts with predetermined conclusions, and finds the facts which support its views, and discards the facts which do not support it. This ‘pick and choose’ method of data-collecting is completely and utterly unacceptable to science. Anecdotal evidence picks and chooses, selecting only those anecdotes which support a particular point of view, instead of picking all anecdotes.

The trouble is that with God, you cannot get evidence by designing experiments. The evidence against God is zero; one cannot prove by science or logic that there is no God. The evidence in support of God is miniscule, like the proverbial needle in the haystack, and indirect.

You might ask that if the evidence supporting God is so little, why do billions of human being (more than half of world population) believe in God. The answer is twofold; faith and the law of inertia. Faith is a fundamental part of all religions, one is told not to question the dictates of religion but accept them on faith. The law of inertia hates and resists change: as Newton said “a body in motion will stay in motion, and a body at rest will stay in rest, for ever, provided a force acts on it…………………………………” We are intellectually lazy people; we tend to follow the religious practices of our parents.

Let us, briefly, state, the case against the existence of God

One has four facts in front of him:

1. Nobody has seen God in, at least, the last two thousand years

2. Nobody has talked to God in, at least, the last two thousand years

3. World is full of miseries, and injustice.

4. Every event that occurs, is the result of the law of cause and effect

Let me expound; I have chosen two thousand years (I could have chosen an earlier date), because we have relatively better recorded history of this period. If God had come in open so that people had seen Him and heard His voice, somebody would have written about it and told it to his children and grand children, who in turn would have passed it on to next generations.

History of the last two thousand years is characterized by wars, famines, hunger, diseases, poverty, and natural catastrophes (floods, hurricanes, epidemics, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc). Furthermore, there is injustice to contend with. Powerful have been oppressing the weak. People do good things and bad things. Cruel or bad persons are not necessarily punished; in fact they may have a great life, and the good are not necessarily rewarded . Where is the omnipotent and justice-loving God? Either there is no God, or He is not all- powerful, or He does not care. Years ago I had read that a thinker had said that only two (any two) of the following three propositions can be correct, not all three:

               God is all good

               God is all powerful

               World is full of suffering.

If first two are correct, then our suffering may not be suffering to the Eternal and Infinite Eye, just as I do not care about the death of dozens of billions of RBC’s every day (blog 95)

              

To be continued

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 95. Mysticism. Part three

 

 

Please read blog 93 and 94 for continuity

d). those persons who have a moral compass in them, do not need an external prop of religion to tell them how to be good, they know it intrinsically. In a survey of least corrupt countries in the world, Scandinavian countries were on the top. Another survey found Scandinavian countries to be least religious; almost 20% did not even believe in God.

               e) one to one session with God gives bliss, and bliss helps in becoming good. I quote from blog 83:

 “. Meditation by Kriya Yoga gives such bliss that one likes to do more of it. More of spiritual bliss leads to less of evil passions. Base side of human nature gradually comes under one’s control. In simple words one becomes good. Therefore, Lahiri Mahasaya said, that without such a course, mere moral teachings are ineffective”.

Bliss is lacking in ritualistic practices because there is no intimate talk with God

The two great advantages of spiritual meditation are bliss and guidance

6. How does the process work? I do not know enough. Here are some preliminary conclusions. There are four main factors; God’s light, receiver in the seeker, intervening space between the light (or vibrations) and the receiver, and the exposure time. Let me explain:

               a) God’s light. This mysterious force works on a person, through the receiver. We do not know enough. Is it everywhere, all the time, like radio waves? Does it vary in intensity, in other words some persons receive more than others? Some have said that it is ubiquitous, but it is absorbed only when there is a receiver. Whereas others have said that one has to come in God’s notice. There are perhaps millions of inhabited planets with many having intelligent life. Therefore God cannot possible be aware of one, personally.  One has this difficult task of attracting God’s attention. For instance this mote, at the time of writing these words, has approximately 25 thousand billion red blood cells (RBC) circulating. Each is performing the vital role of carrying oxygen. Each one lives 120 days. Therefore each day many billion RBC are born and an equal amount die. Am I aware of any one of them? Perhaps similar situation exists between man and God.

               b) Receiver. As I have already mentioned people may or may not have a receiver, and the receiver may be strong or ordinary. Receiver can be made more sensitive. For instance fasting, tears, devotion, prayers,yearning for God, chanting, can make the receiver more sensitive. With prolonged, years of practice, receiver becomes more sensitive.

               c). There should be nothing to obstruct the light. Wandering thoughts are the greatest obstruction. They don’t let one focus on God. Worries, anger, jealousy, fear, temptations of sex, wealth, and power, ruin the meditation. They act like clouds obstructing sunlight. They are one of the main challenges to a seeker. For the light of God to reflect in the clear water of a cup with muddy water, the mud has to settle. Thoughts are constantly churning the water and don’t allow the mud to settle.

               d) Exposure time. After the strength of receptor, this is the most important factor determining success. Strength of receptor is not in one’s control, but the exposure time is in one’s control. What is meant by exposure time? It is the total time spent in meditation (or one to one session with God); the hours each day, the days in a year, the years in one’s life.

It is my unshakable conviction that those who quit the world ( tiag ) for sake of God and only God, never fail in this path. That is why all great mystics forsake the world, at least, for some time. That is why they went to caves and jungles for meditation. That is why they tried not to marry, so that they would’t have the distraction of family. All this to have more time for meditation. They tried to think of God at night. In order to sleep less, they ate less.

That explains the reason why householders, such as myself, take such a long time for meager success.

That also explains why Swami Ram Das achieved such heights in mere one year( blog 82-5) and Mr Shevani( blog 67,72) in eleven months ( despite the fact that Mr Shevani was in his fifties or sixties ).
                

In these blog I have mentioned many mystics. Here is a list. Many of them, came back to the world, after God-realization, to help humanity.

Narendra (swami Vaveka Nanda), St Threse of Lisieux, Brother Lawrence, Sri Ramakrishna, St John of Cross, Unknown Russian traveler (blog 52 ), Great Qalander (blog 53), Data Gunj Bakhash, Abu-ul-Fazzal Muhammad bin Hassan Khatli, Shahab, Shevani, St Teresa of Avilla, Fray Peter of Alcantara, Therese Neuman, Swami Ramdas, Dilip Kumar Roy, Indra Devi, Sri Aurobindo, Rajab Sain, Mirabai,Krishnaparem, Paul Brunton, Maharishee Ramana, Chandi Das, Sudhei Babu, Ramiah, Yogi from India who always wore dark glasses (blog 64 ), Seeker from England who had been travelling for 25 years ( blog 64) , Qalander who got injured ( blog 64 ), Sri Yogananda,Sri Yukteshwar, Lahiri Mahasaya, Daya Mata,Giri Bala, Nancy Mayorga.

All of them, except, Shahab, and Nancy Mayorga, to pursue the path of God-realization, quit the world.

               I do not mean to imply that to realize God quitting the world is obligatory. It is not. But if one does not quit the world, two things are going to happen; it will take much longer to realize God, and one may not realize God at all, because there was not enough time left in his life. One thing is also certain to happen, he will make some progress and have some gains (like this mote ). God will not let him go empty handed. I quote from my own poem, blog 61 (the riddle);

               “Everybody gets his just reward

               Something if he has worked hard”

 

 

 

 

94. Mysticism. Part two

4. Mysticism is different from religion. In this mote’s opinion mysticism (spirituality) is far superior to religion. However it is limited to very very few. Why is it practiced only by very few is because it is extremely difficult to practice, it is a very long process (often lifelong), there is no worldly reward at the end, it is very difficult to practice without a competent teacher and teachers are rare, and one has to have a spiritual receiver to begin with. Therefore one need not worry that if everybody starts meditating how the world will function. I am simply amazed that how Mr. Shahab considered it inferior to shariat . The bliss of God’s touch on one’s face is ineffable. Words cannot describe it. One touch is greater than thousand ritualistic prostrations. All great saints, like St Teresa of Avilla, and Sri Ramakrishna have said the same thing.

One critical difference between religion and spirituality is that religion is a collective formula, whereas mysticism is an individual effort. Religion provides a set of laws, a code of conduct, for a group of persons ( may be in millions or billions ). It tells them how to lead their life and how to build their society based on those set of laws. Mysticism does no such thing. Its aim is only God; to reach God, to be near God, to realize God. Mystics neither care for themselves or society, although their heart does melt at the suffering of others. Indra Devi said it beautifully, I quote from blog 88:

                       “ Her love for her Beloved is the reality of her life. It is like air to her. Whether or where she shall arrive is not very important because all she needs is to love Him and seek Him. There is no urge to become anything at journey’s end. Her prayer is to give herself completely to Him. It is not her aim to help or better the world. Everything which comes from God is a blessing: joy or pain, love or rejection. “Only reveal to me Your will and the way to do it……………………………………………………………………….good or bad, whatever I am, belongs to You………………………………………that You draw me closer to You is all I ask”

               Mystics indulge in their practices not for any material benefit, but because an inner force compels them to do it. They are helpless against this superior force. They do it for God. Most of the times they derive joy from them ( although dry periods come frequently )

5. Does religion make a person spiritual. I don’t know the definite answer, but I have the following observation to make

               a) There is no evidence that, at least since Renaissance, societies based on religion, have been superior to secular societies.

               b) There is no evidence that the set of laws pronounced by various religions are better than the secular laws. In fact there are glaring deficiencies in religious laws. There is no mention of Universal Human Rights ( freedom of thought, freedom of expression,freedom of assembly, and others ) , the Rights of animals, etc. Slavery was not abolished, outright.

               c) I had previously outlined three standard paths ( see blog 26 ). Since then I have learnt of a fourth path; the path of religion. Deeply religious persons may too have a receiver in them. Devotional practices then lead to love of God, which may make them a mystic. Therefore, religious tenets should not be criticized. They serve a good and noble purpose. They attempt to kindle love for God, and be nice to other human beings.

What is missing in religious practices performed by billions ? There is no one to one session with God.  For power of God to work, one has to let it work. One has to invite it, give it time, and stop worldly thoughts. This mote had the opportunity to watch a very religious couple for some months. They performed their five daily prayers, and even an optional 6^th prayer (namaz ). But they performed their namaz in public (often children running around, TV going) and hurriedly (because of the pressure of worldly activities). I once advised them to perform their prayers in private, that way they will get more benefit. Their reply was that namaz was an obligation. They had to do it as efficiently as possible. And yes, they were bothered by wandering of thoughts, but it could not be helped. That couple did not change their habit.

               To be continued

93. Mysticism. part one

I feel that I should tell what I have so for learnt about mysticism, in the final blog of this book, after travelling on this toad for thirteen and a half years. It has to be an interim report, subject to revision. I have not crossed any important landmark, as outlined by other accomplished seekers, and I have not travelled long enough. Great Qalander told my brother that he came in that area fifty-fifty-five years ago. But still I have made some gains, which entitles me to say something. I will write more about my struggle in Foreword. Here I want to talk not about myself but about the subject matter.

I have arrived at some conclusions;

1. Nobody travels on the road to God-realization (or spirituality, or mysticism, or Sufism or tareekat, or real Yoga for God-union) without God’s prior approval. In other words everybody is pre-selected. In blog 8, my categorization was wrong. Still there are 2 groups, so the grouping in blog 8 is correct. But the grouping should be based on age; those who are pious in youth and even childhood, and those who come later in life.

Jesus Christ said “many are called, few are chosen”

Who is called? Those who have a receiver in their soul. Just as a radio or a television set has a receiver which catches the waves in the atmosphere, some people have a receiver but vast majority does not.

The call comes many times in such person’s life, but it bears fruit only when the soul is ready, otherwise, person just ignores it... It may bear fruit in childhood, or in middle age or even in old age. Therefore the classification should be:

               1) People with very powerful receiver. Born yogis and fakirs, such as almost all the mystics that I have written in my two books with the possible exception of Mr. Shevani.

               2) People with ordinary receiver. These people often turn to this path in their fifties or there about, when passions cool off.

               3) People with no receiver. Rest of humanity

I have written in great detail about this early process, and subsequent stages in blog, 8, 25, 33-38, therefore there is no need of repeating it.

2. Those who are content with their life will not go on this path. This includes the ordinary religious, devoutly religious, secular humanist, and ordinary worldly people. Only people who are discontent and unhappy with their inner life turn to mysticism. Those who have hunger in their soul, restlessness in their heart, void in their beings, look and search for something more.

Take the example of devoutly religious. One may think that since they follow religious tenets so much they would have great love for God, and thus more prone to mysticism, sine mysticism aims at closeness to God. Religious tenets are nothing but duties to God and fellow human beings

You will be farthest from truth. Often the devoutly religious are so extreme in their views and so narrow minded that it borders upon fanaticism. First they are completely sure that their religion is the best, so what is the need to go to second best. Secondly, they are completely certain that the instructions given in their religion are comprehensive, why to add something more such as meditation, which is anyway a Hindu concept. Thirdly, they have heard that the practice of mysticism requires isolation from society, chastity, etc, which are often forbidden not only in their religion, but are against common sense. If every body starts sitting isolated in caves and houses, how can the society function? Who will earn the living? How will procreation proceed ?

               As for others, they don’t particularly care about God. As my two friends ( one religious and the other atheist ) remarked “ I am not particularly keen to meet God any earlier than I have to” and the religious one added “ I don’t want to think of Him now, I will be with Him, after death, for whole of eternity”

3. What is the purpose of mysticism?  In the opinion of this mote there are several purposes:

               A). To prove that there is a God. Read blog 92 again, Paul Brunton who initially was a disbeliever became a believer. People who watch these mystics closely, get convinced that there is God. They sometimes see supernatural events from them. Furthermore, these sages never tell a lie, therefore if these sages say that there is God, and they have personally seen or felt God, then there must be God. Sri Ramakrishna used to tell a story of a little boy who had never seen his father, but loved him dearly. When asked why does he love his father when he had never even seen him. The little boy replied “ but my mother has seen him “

               b)  To have direct access to God or His representatives, for those who want it. The fire of God brought originally by prophets becomes dim after passage of time. Rituals replace the message. Adaptability, a requirement for any system to remain efficient over time ( telephone, radio, cars, airplanes, etc; to name a few ) is prohibited.

This system allows direct access to the Source, the God. These sages bring the fire again and again to humanity, though not on such a large scale as prophets.

Great Qalander said as much to my brother “ such people are present in all religions, in all areas, and in all times”

These mystics do not bring any new knowledge. They do not bring new guidelines or formulas. There message is the same: Be good to others, love God with all your power, conquer your desires, know your Self 

               c)  These mystics spread the message, they have personally learnt, by daily talk to the visitors, through books, through disciples

               d) They have a healing power emanating from their body, which spreads peace and tranquility around them ( Brunton noted it from Maharishee ). In old times, when medicines were not readily available, these sages taught spiritual practices for common maladies such as headache, backache, scorpion bite, snake bite, etc.

               e) The great adepts have all proclaimed, that once one has realized Self, it becomes an infallible guide to one’s problems. When Brother Lawrence was entrusted to buy wine for the monastery, he was not fearful at all. He told God (Self ) “it is Your problem”

 

To be continued

 

70.  Love for God. Part 3

Love for You is strange

Time does not diminish it

It feeds on Your thought

Your silence does not finish it

It grows with time

It has no decline

 

Human love needs sharing

We share our joys and sorrows

We share our hopes and dreams

We share our todays and tomorrows

There is no sharing with God

He does not talk back

One’s soul may be on fire

One’s body may be on rack

One may cry out! Help me

Lord, I am going to crack

Who cares if one dies?

Eternal silence is Your reply

 

Life and death are meaningless to Divinity

You are God! You live in infinity

Mind does not know of cells it consist

You probably don’t know if we exist

 

Mkadk will keep loving You oh God

My silent, invisible, untouchable, indifferent Lord