A Providential Ticket (Cez, France)

For many weeks I had been waiting to get official permission for prolonged leave so as to go to India to be with Maharajji. This exceptional leave was granted one Friday, a week before my departure date.

As I was going to be absent for many weeks, I had to take care of many problems relating to my work before leaving. So every half-day, from Monday to Friday, during the five days before my trip, I was extremely busy with different appointments and meetings. I was to leave the following Saturday. I then realized on Sunday evening that I had not yet applied for my visa at the Indian consulate. I was only able to find time in my programme to make the application on Monday morning and get the visa on Tuesday afternoon.

Since the consulate had been closed on the Friday before, the very long queue on that Monday morning was already almost fifty metres long when I arrived. I had never seen such a long one. After waiting for more than three hours, when I was ten metres from the consulate, we saw that many people were coming out more and more quickly. In answer to our queries, some of them informed us that no more tickets were being given out for applications to be submitted, and that they had been told to come back the following morning. They therefore advised us to stop waiting, since it was now a waste of time.

It would be very difficult for me to come back the following morning. While inwardly asking Maharajji to help, I continued advancing with the queue, and so did most of the other people in line, as they wanted to hear for themselves that they would not be received. After several minutes, at last I entered the hall of the consulate where I was indeed told by the personnel that only those with tickets could remain there, and that the others would have to come back the following morning.

I remained, however, waiting for Maharajji to do something. What exactly? I had no idea, but I could not bring myself to leave for then it would be difficult for me to get the visa in time and the departure date could not be changed. I persisted in waiting for several minutes in one of the queues with those who had tickets, although having none, I would certainly be sent away when I reached the counter. I continued praying to Maharajji for help.

Suddenly, someone beside me said that there was a ticket on the ground, just at my feet. I immediately picked it up. No one nearby had lost his. I was therefore able to keep it and so go up to the counter where I gave in my application.

I even got the visa for the following afternoon as I had wished, while most of the other people had no other choice than to come back two days later because of the high number of applications to be dealt with.

I really had the feeling that it was indeed Maharajji who had answered my prayer in that way.

Guru Purnima 2007

On the calendar of religious festivals in India there is to be found a special festival, Guru Purnima, devoted to the Master, called Guru in that country. This festival is celebrated every year at full moon in the Hindu month of Ashad throughout India and in Hindu temples across the world. This year, at Sacha Dham, Maharajji’s ashram in Rishikesh, it will be celebrated on Monday, 30th July.
On this occasion, disciples from all over India and even from abroad will participate. On that day, there will be a ceremony in the ashram temple and Maharajji will deliver a message to all his disciples. The ceremony will end with the blessings which the holy Master will shower on all, present or absent.
It is highly recommended that we inwardly connect ourselves to this ceremony and to Maharajji on that special day.

Why is there Such a Festival?
From a historical and traditional point of view, this festival is celebrated in memory of the great Instructor and Master, Vyasa who, it is said, wrote the Vedas and certain other important books of the Hindu Scriptures. Vyasa, also called Veda-Vyasa, has thus become the Guru of Hinduism. Later on, this festival was held to honour all the Gurus who, from age to age continue to spread divine light for the benefit of all beings.
The word “Guru” (Master ), is formed from two syllables of which the first “Gu” means “darkness”, “ignorance”, and the second “Ru” meaning “light”. The word “Guru” therefore means the one who dispels darkness and brings light.

Destructive Doubt
One often hears this question: Why is it that in India there are many saints and through all the ages, without exception, contrary to other parts of the world? In fact, one of the main explanations is to be found in this special relationship which Indians have with their Master, their Guru. Indeed, for Indians who are just as monotheistic as those who claim to be so in other parts of the world, God, who is inaccessible in His transcendance (Parabrahman is the Absolute, the transcendent One), manifests Himself fully through those who have attained spiritual realization, so as to be accessible to men. Consequently, for a Hindu, the Master, the Guru represents the living incarnation of the Divinity.

This attitude creates in the student a true link of confidence and firm faith in his Instructor. The effect of this is that the disciple more easily has access to the soul of the Master, for there is a spiritual law according to which, if a believer or a disciple doubts his Master or any Divinity, he can never create a spiritual relationship with him. Why is that so? It has been explained that doubt raises an impassable barrier between the disciple and the Master (or the Divinity). From the time a barrier is created, the light from the Master cannot reach the one who doubts, and so he remains in darkness. There is a good reason why Scriptures in all religions have always recommended that the believer have faith. It was not at all because there was the desire to have submissive people, who never thought about what they were told, but on the contrary is was so that people would not raise a barrier between them and the Divinity. One who doubts can follow all the yogas and disciplines he likes, but this will be to no avail for each spiritual discipline is not only a set of techniques, but also a psychic and spiritual link which connects the Master and the disciple.

Consequently, when, through faith, confidence and sadhana, the disciple gains access to the Master’s soul, the latter can transfer directly to him his own light and knowledge on the subtle planes.

Masters Act According to the Law of Harmony
Does one find elsewhere than in India disciples with the same attitude of confidence and faith in their Master? In these regions other than in India, does the society acknowledge the existence of Masters? Do they not try systematically to discredit anyone who calls himself a spiritual teacher? Isn’t he often suspected of being an imposter or a person trying to live at the expense of others? Unfortunately, the few cases of fraud are seen as being the rule and today in certain countries, the word “spirituality” itself is looked upon with suspicion. It is therefore not surprising that those regions of the world do not produce as many Masters, and the very few ones who incarnate there are obliged to work anonymously.

Masters act according to the law of harmony. A Master manifests himself in a place where the spiritual atmosphere is conducive to his physical existence from the vibratory point of view on one hand, but also that of his spiritual work on the other. He cannot carry out his work where no open hearts aspire to infinity. No doctor would want to operate a sick person in a place full of germs. Thoughts of suspicion, doubt and mistrust towards a Master are like germs and cannot attract him for they are very inharmonious. And do not count on him to waste his time justifying who he is. He will only shake the dust off his feet and go far away from there.

The Bridge of Confidence and Faith
If, on the other hand there is faith, if there is confidence, and if, added to this there is a sincere effort to seriously follow one’s sadhana, then one has started off on the highway to spiritual enlightenment. Faith alone is not enough, but without it, nothing can be done.
All those who have read the Gospels remember that Lord Jesus Christ insisted on one having firm faith. We remember the example of how Peter, who was walking quite well on the water as his Master had told him to, started to sink as soon as he became afraid (Matthew 14:25-33). We also remember the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who, with faith, asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus did so saying “Go your way, your faith has made you well” and he immediately recovered his sight. (Mark 10:46-53)

The Bhagavad Gita, in chapter 4, verses 39 and 40 stresses :
"The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued all the senses, obtains (this) knowledge; and, having obtained the knowledge, he goes at once to the supreme peace.
The ignorant, the faithless, the doubting self proceeds to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other nor happiness for the doubting."

Hindus who have understood these spiritual laws for millenniums know, and rightly so, the place of the Master on the Earth, and they are right to consider that God is the Guru and that the Guru is God. This can seem shocking to certain people, but in the long run, which other country has seen as many saints as India? Hasn’t this country’s practice proved to be effective? Time alone decides what the value of each thing in the world is...

A Summary of the Present Task

As we have seen, according to Maharajji and the Masters of the Sacha lineage, a great cycle is starting off at the present moment, and will progressively bring light to the world. From now on, each person must turn his consciousness towards God in order to be in harmony with the powerful vibrations and energies of this cycle. Turning towards God does not at all mean retiring to monastic and religious orders as formerly. Turning towards God today means making God the centre of one’s life by devoting to Him even a minimum of one hour a day in prayer, meditation or any other valid spiritual practice. But along with this spiritual practice, one must have a loving heart, be tolerant, open to others, concerned about the Common Good. At the same time, one must live a normal family life, carry out one’s professional activities, thus serving society to the best of one’s ability.

A Great Adventure
It is not simple to follow such a discipline, especially in the beginning, for each of us has already acquired so many habits in life that it is difficult to change them. However, whoever wants to achieve such results always does everything in his power to succeed. Each person, when he is motivated enough, always manages to move mountains. Why wouldn’t he succeed in the greatest adventure in his life called the “quest for the Divinity within”? This is the first reason for his coming into the world, it must never be forgotten. Maharajji does not invite anyone to adopt a particular religion. He rather teaches a technique of yoga, an inner attitude based on the heart to find the God within each of us, who is the reflection of the universal God. Maharajji always stresses the importance of the heart, which could be summarized thus : live with your heart, see others with your heart, do everything with your heart, for the heart is the centre of love in man and love is God.

Be Courageous
Much courage is needed to take this step. But is there anything in this world which is of great worth and for which courage and hard personal work are not necessary? Many people remember Lord Jesus Christ’s parable of the hidden treasure in the Gospels when speaking about the Kingdom of God, a symbolical name for the state acquired by those who have attained spiritual realization.

“The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
This is exactly, almost word for word what Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita. (6:22 – 23)
“After Self-Realization, one does not regard any other gain superior to it. Established in this state, one is not moved even by the greatest calamity.”
“The (state of) severance of union with sorrow is known by the name of yoga. This yoga should be practised with firm determination and perseverance, without any mental reservation or doubts."

What Prometheus Accomplished
Naturally, a wise person does not take this path to the Kingdom of God to enjoy eternal beatitude, for that would be selfish behaviour, although not of a low type. Each human being is potentially a Prometheus, the Greek Titan who stole divine fire to give men, although it was a great sacrifice for him. Consequently, a kind-hearted person with a sense of duty takes the path of realizing the Divinity especially because it is necessary to help suffering humanity, show men in a practical manner and step by step the way to peace and endless freedom without hindrance. That is why all true Masters sacrifice themselves. They remain among men to serve them although they do not have anything to learn here. Joy, happiness and divine blessings are only flowers found on the way, but they are not the goal. So with steadfast determination, let us take the path leading to the conquest of our eternity and immortality. In doing so, we will become an agent of the Divinity for the good of all beings who are, in fact ourselves, in spite of how things may appear because of maya (illusion).

A World-wide Chain of Pilgrims
It is marvellous that from now on, this quest for the Divinity within is an adventure which is both collective and individual, in that the entire humanity is involved in it, even though today everybody is not aware of it. But progressively, as the years go by, circumstances will be created and each person will become consciously involved. We will be even stronger if we hold one another’s hands to go up the path together, and lean on one another !

May Maharajji’s peace shine in our hearts and in all our being !

Meditation

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10)

Meditation is a very ancient technique that gives man access to the treasures of God which are in his heart. Its purpose is to create a channel of communication between the physical body and the soul, then with the Atma. There are several techniques for meditation, but we will not list them here.

Besides creating a channel between the upper and lower parts of our being, meditation calms the mind, refines the emotions and purifies the physical body, so that the outer man progressively becomes receptive to the influence of the soul. This results in the development of intuition which manifests itself more and more frequently. More and more often the disciple experiences a certain inner peace which he had never felt before, and which becomes stronger as he practices meditation. He then becomes more tolerant and loving.

It is Said That Patience is a Virtue!

With time, if the disciple meditates regularly, one day the outer man and the soul merge and become one, resulting in the soul’s perfectly ruling the outer man. It must be known that it is necessary to live many lives before these results are manifested, for in nature everything develops slowly. That is why one has to be very patient. Concerning this point, the Masters advise us to always practice meditation without seeking any results, for it is sure that once we have followed the programme given, this will ineluctably bear fruit in due time, when God sees that the disciple is ready... Maharajji usually says that it is little by little that the disciple becomes transformed. In fact, when the disciple meditates, inner transformation takes place in his subtle bodies and in what is called chakras. (We have already indicated in a preceding article how much it is dangerous to try to artificially develop one’s chakras through “miraculous” experiences found in books or on the advice of people who do not know what they are doing”.)

The Master sees these transformations with his divine eyes before they manifest outer effects. However, the disciple himself notices nothing in the beginning; he therefore concludes that nothing is happening and often becomes discouraged. This is a common mistake. Practising sadhana is like a farmer sowing seeds in the soil. When he has finished this simple work, nothing seems to happen in the first few days. But the farmer knows from experience what will take place, and so does not become impatient. He does what is necessary, i.e. weed the ground and prevent the seeds from being eaten by birds and small animals. He then waits as long as necessary, and in general after a few days, a small, frail plant comes up out of the soil, on its way irresistibly up towards the heights! The farmer was not worried before the germination, because he knows that seeds go through different phases of transformation in the soil, and that this entire cycle must be completed before the shoot appears above the ground.

Cumulations of the Past

Of course, we see that certain disciples get results quickly, and seem to progress extremely rapidly. This is not due to a miracle or to God showing favouritism, for God is never unfair, and basically miracles do not exist. What seems to us to be rapid progress is due to the fact that these disciples had already attained or got close to those levels in their past lives and so in this life, they simply get back up to that level first of all, before going beyond it, if they pursue their sadhana. Indeed, in each life, one must first of all get back up to the level one had in one’s last life before progressing when one becomes an adult. In fact, the different bodies of a child cannot bear the high vibrations of the soul and consequently, the spiritual level reached in the last life is toned down.

Nothing is Better than a Sure Guide

It can be added that the best thing is to practice meditation under the guidance of one's Master. Certain people will reply that they do not need a Master because they find meditation techniques in books and that all they need to do is just use them, and then all is fine! We will ask these people if they want to visit or cross a forest in an unknown country if it is better to just trust the descriptions given by friends, follow information given in a guide book, or rather go with a person from that region who knows the forest well? Everyone will agree that is is better to choose a guide from the region rather than descriptions from friends or books, however detailed they may be!

And why have we drawn a parallel between meditation and visiting or crossing a forest? Simply because when one meditates, one’s consciousness goes on high planes which are not the physical plane one is used to. So one needs to be guided by a person who is used to being there and who knows them as we know the physical plane. Furthermore, there are certain ways of meditating which can be prejudicial to the disciple. If he has a Master, the latter will step in on the subtle planes to correct these errors.

In Good Hands

Maharajji intervenes in that way from time to time to help his disciples when it is necessary to set right certain situations, whether the disciples be in Rishikesh or at the other end of the world, for his divine eye constantly watches over his disciples. This help can be given through intuition, dreams or direct spiritual perception. If the disciple has spiritual faculties which are developed enough, he can then clearly hear the voice of the Master recommending that he do this or that or correct some wrong way of doing things. But that is not all. The Master is also the one who, when he judges that the disciple has made sufficient progress, gives him additional spiritual energy to raise his consciousness up to a level which the latter alone would never have been able to reach.

The Flowers of Ardent Aspiration

Naturally, for different reasons, certain seekers will not be able to leave their country to go and find a Master living in India or elsewhere. In that case, through spiritual aspiration, prayer and devotion towards the Master one has chosen, one places oneself under his spiritual guidance. The Master is an essentially spiritual being and he knows who, in the entire world, aspires to be guided by him. So if the seeker is worthy, the Master will guide and protect him even if they have never met each other in this life. We have reported such a case in this blog with the story of the Dutch nun in the section “His Disciples’ Stories”. This nun had never physically met Maharajji, but he guided her whenever necessary. Many sincere seekers have successfully experienced this solution. On the other hand, if it is possible to go and see the Master, nothing is better than to go and spend some time with him, for he can better help a student who is available for a short time, free from the daily cares of the world.

Indeed, here we are speaking about energies, and these energies can only be given by the Master when conditions are right, otherwise the opposite results may happen. Seriously ill people are only operated on by doctors when the requirements for hygiene and whatever is necessary for the operation are met, so as not to put the patient’s life in danger. Masters act in the same way. They cannot grant too great a quantity of energy to a person who is deeply immersed in the world, drinks alcohol regularly (one could give other examples of ways of living which are dangerous when one wants to attain high planes of consciousness), whose mind is not calm or who does not sufficiently master his emotions. When one is near a Master, one usually makes an effort to be pure enough and this makes the transmission of energies easier.

Do not do one thing and its opposite

One last thing before finishing this article. Formerly, people who wanted to practice meditation and a sadhana, generally retired to monasteries, caves or isolated places to escape from the turmoil of life and solicitations of all kinds. This is no longer what is suitable today. Maharajji says that we should practice spirituality wherever we are, and at the same time carry out our duties to society. Each cycle has its requirements. However, this advice does not mean that someone who wants to progress spiritually can give in to whatever goes on in this modern world. One must be, as the saying goes, “in the world but not of it”. Indeed, certain habits are not conducive to progress, in particular indulging in a lot of alcohol, too much meat, too much sensual practices, being too materialistic. Here, it is not a case of morality for, generally speaking, morality is only a deformed image of a natural law which has not been perceived clearly. If we say that these above practices are contrary to progress, that is because they weigh down the subtle bodies instead of refining them. Therefore to indulge in them while following one’s sadhana is like wanting to go somewhere and then taking one step forward and two backwards. What will the result be?

Having said that, all those who up to now have been living like that are not less worthy to start a sadhana than others. Who can throw a stone at his brother, don’t we all go through that stage? What is important is to progressively break with the habits of the past. In the end, Mary Magdalene whose life had not been a model of virtue before the meeting with Jesus, turned out to be more virtuous than certain disciples who had been with the Christ in Palestine from the very beginning ... It is the devotion which one shows to the Path, the Master and to God which counts and not what one is today. When one has a lot of devotion, weaknesses are easily overcome!

May Maharajji’s peace be with all!

Spiritual Realization From a Technical Point of View

The Aim of Life
In a preceding article, we said that man was on the Earth for a specific purpose, i.e. to attain divine realization, also known by several other names such as Self-realization, spiritual enlightenment, cosmic enlightenment, liberation, the Mastery of Life . In fact, all these names designate this state where man realizes, no longer intellectually but permanently, in his every day life, in his whole being, that he is one with the Divinity and with the whole creation. Not only is he, from then on, aware of his immortality, but Wisdom and the Love of God have also become a part of him to the point that he no longer lives for himself as he had been doing for ages, but lives to serve God and for the good of all beings. While the ordinary man’s love for others is always motivated by more or less selfish factors, a realized person, on the other hand, loves each being without any condition, even those who hate him, for his nature has simply become love and no ounce of wrong-doing or indifference is to be found in him.

The Sadguru
He is no longer attracted to worldly things. Never again will he pursue any personal or selfish goals. One who has attained this state is called a Master (he is also given other names) for from then on, he perfectly masters his mental, emotional and physical nature, as well as the laws of nature and spiritual laws. Only the person who has reached this summit is called Sadguru, the true Master, the true Guru, the true Instructor, for having trodden the entire path which leads from dark valleys of ignorance to the summit of the mountain of enlightenment, he is perfectly capable and has all the necessary experience to guide his brothers and sisters who accept to be trained in order to reach this same sublime goal.

A God Who is Unaware of his True Nature
When one reads the Scriptures of different religions of the world, one is struck by the recurrence of the number seven. This is because God always expresses Himself in the manifested world through a combination of seven energies in order to realize His goals. And this is what the Greeks, for example, mentioned in their mythology, an echo of the primordial and eternal wisdom, in giving a lyre with seven strings which sing the mysteries of nature. Therefore it will not be surprising to learn that man also is a being made up of seven bodies which correspond to states of consciousness of the same number, of which the most gross is that of the physical body, and the most subtle is that of the Atma (Spirit), a pure ray of God in man. It is this Atma which makes man a true son of God or a god as the Lord Jesus Christ said in Palestine,
“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, 'I said, Ye are gods' ?” (Bible, John 10:34)
Lord Krishna had taught the same thing three thousand years before, to his beloved disciple Arjuna,
“He who sees that the imperishable Supreme Lord is equally dwelling in all the perishable beings, truly sees.” (Bhagavad Gita 13:28)

The Blocked Path
However, this divinity in man must be realized, activated - so to speak, for it remains latent as long as he has not attained Self-realization. Indeed, the average man does not at all live according to the consciousness of the Atma, the divine Spirit, since he basically expresses himself through what is called the triple lower personality made up of the physical, emotional and concrete mind bodies (indeed there exists an abstract mind to which the average man does not have access.)

Such a man does not even have access to his soul, which is not as high as the Atma, for it is found half-way between the top and the bottom, in the abstract mind, at the place where the parts consisting of the lower man and the spiritual man meet, and where intuition starts to manifest.

And why is he not aware of the soul and the Atma which, however, are are in his being? Quite simply because in order for the physical man to have access to these states of consciousness, he must clear away, rebuild and embellish the path which nature had initially built for him at the time of his involution (descent from the divine plane to the gross physical plane). With time, this initial and natural path became overrun and obstructed by weeds, the forest of errors and landslides caused by physical, emotional and mental growth which was a necessary stage to gain experience on the Earth and consciously acquire wisdom and love. It can therefore be clearly seen that ordinary man had the divinity within him, but cannot manifest it because he has lost the way.

Very Rare Moments of Grace
One can express the same idea by saying that concerning ordinary man, there is no direct, permanent communication between the soul and the physical brain because of the barrier made up of his thoughts, emotions and physical body which is not adapted. The result is that this man depends only on his brain, emotions and the needs of his dense physical body. Even more so, he can receive nothing from his Atma, which is higher. The fact that he is disconnected in this way from divine wisdom causes him to make many mistakes in his life. This situation is similar to the one where a very small child who is left alone on the ground floor while his parents (the soul and the Atma) live on the upper floors. Not being guided wisely, he will do many wrong things. One can notice that from time to time when man is in a state of great distress or when he is in great need of a solution for some serious problem, momentarily, he will completely surrender. The barrier made up of the lower self is then broken down, the veil is torn for a short moment thus allowing the soul, which always watches over him, to guide and protect, to give him advice through dreams or a remarkable flash of intuition.

But let us come back to the topic. Spiritual realization or enlightenment is obtained when the Atma rules over one’s whole being, from top to bottom, and when man in his physical body lives according to the Will, Love and Wisdom of God which emanate from his Atma, for there is direct communication, from the lower bodies to the higher ones, without obstruction between the Atma and the physical brain. That is spiritual realization from a technical point of view.

Building the golden path
Consequently, one sees from what has been said previously, that consciously progressing on the spiritual path (for there is an unconscious initial stage which precedes these two end stages made up of numerous lives during which earthly experiences and karma constitutes one’s path of progress) takes place in two great stages. First of all, contact must be established between physical man and his soul, and then using the soul, he must build a golden bridge to the Atma. For this, there are several disciplines which the Masters teach us in order to rebuild the path between physical man and his spiritual counterpart. Among them, there is, for example, meditation and japa (repitition of a mantra) which, combined with philosophic understanding and a certain healthy lifestyle, allows us to reach the goal one day if we are steadfast and regular in our effort. Each true Master knows what best suits his disciples.

Can Everyone Practise Spirituality?

The Soul Must be Nourished

We have said that Maharajji is now working hard and without interruption to turn the hearts of men to God. The question which one could ask is whether all men on the Earth are able to practise spirituality today. One could first of all answer that he who has a soul (and everyone does) must nourish this soul in the same way that he who has a body must nourish it. And the soul is nourished by spiritual practice. One could also say that apart from some rare exceptions, today humanity on the whole is advanced enough for all its units to turn to such a practice. Things are more logical than they seem at first glance, as we will briefly explain.

The Great Journey
According to Eastern teachings and also that of certain Western mystical brotherhoods, men have not come to the Earth by chance. There is a divine Plan which governs his stay here which is a very long journey, the aim of which is to acquire more divine wisdom. Consequently, when the time for what we usually call “creation” comes, (which is, in fact, only the awakening to a new activity of God’s life in the manifested universe after a period of rest, these cycles of activity-rest being repeated endless), successive waves of life descend from the divine plane to come down to the Earth so as to start their period of learning and return to God’s bosom once they have acquired wisdom. This whole process of coming down and going back up to the Divinity could rightly be called the Great Journey and it has been going on for millions of years... And humanity on the whole is beginning to start its upward journey. Naturally, certain human units started off before others, for certain reasons which we will not mention here so as not to make our article too complex. These units in advance are those who are Masters, including those of the Sacha lineage.

The two Guides
This period of learning during the Great Journey takes place under the aegis of two great divine laws, that of Cause and Effect or karma and that of successive rebirths. These two laws lead to a third which is the law of Love-Wisdom, love and wisdom being the two sides of the same coin.

The Law of Justice
The law of Cause and Effect is a law according to which each cause produces a similar effect or consequence. It is also rightly called the law of Compensation. For example, if someone does something good for someone else, sooner or later he will benefit from an act of similar kindness from another person when he most needs it, this other person only being the intermediary used by the law of Cause and Effect. On the other hand, if he acts wrongly, thus causing his brother to suffer, sooner or later someone else will act towards him in a similar way, and so he will suffer in the same way, at the most suitable time, in order to learn the lessons which he most needs to learn. This law is called the law of karma in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. It is a law of justice which, in both the spiritual and material domains, gives each one exactly what he deserves. In short, and as it is often said, each person reaps exactly what he has sown. The aim of this law is not to punish, but to guide people unfailingly through time (and thus during different lives), towards wisdom and love by making people understand the right lessons to be learnt from their behaviour, whether in the domain of thought, word or deed.

Moreover, as long as an individual creates karma, whether it be the type which brings satisfaction (this is usually called “good” karma) or suffering (“bad” karma), he cannot attain perfection and has to come back again and again to reap the fruit of this karma. Only a selfless action does not create either good or bad karma. This is stressed in the Bhagavad Gita 3:19,
“Therefore, always perform your duty efficiently and without attachment to the results, because by doing work without attachment one attains the Supreme..”

The Law of Time
The law of successive births or the law of Reincarnation is the one according to which as long as an individual has not attained divine wisdom, he must come back to the Earth as often as necessary to continue his training. Consequently man lives several successive lives which bring him closer and closer to divine perfection. Finally, all this seems logical for in the material world, as long as a young person in a school has not yet passed the diploma which he needs to get a job, he comes back year after year to study in a school or university. A person who would require that man reach perfection in only one life to go and sit with God and His angels would not at all be wise...

An Essential Knowledge
If one wanted to make an analogy between the Great Journey and school, one would say that spiritual perfection is to the Great Journey as the final diploma is to the school, the law of karma representing the mark scheme (the karma gained by a person represents his marks) while the successive lives play the role of the different school years.

Put together, these two laws explain in most cases, the differences in material wealth and the level of spiritual evolution between men. However, there are exceptions concerning material things, since, for example, the wealth which a robber gets by looting is not at all provided by karma, but by the temporary violation of this law. Later on, this law will catch up with the robber and will demand that he completely pay for his acts, for no one can escape from its justice.

When one does not know about these two important laws, it sometimes happens that one thinks that finally, either God does not exist in the way religions present Him, or that if He existed, he would be unjust because there is too much misery and suffering in the world and He does nothing about it, when He is said to be a God of love. This partial understanding has puzzled so many people, and even leads to atheism.

How To be Useful?

The Solid Foundations
We have just given the story of the Sacha lineage according to tradition. The illustrious Masters who showed the way, Kacha Baba, Sacha Baba Girnari, and Sacha Baba Kulanandji have laid the solid foundations on which the Temple of a new era can be built. Their work, on the inner planes, certainly reached the whole world, but the people in countries other than India did not at all know about such an undertaking and so they could not consciously cooperate. Today, under Maharajji’s guidance and according to Sacha Baba Kulanandji’s predictions, this work will be be known all over the world.

Which Direction Will Humanity Take?
As we have said in a preceding article, disciples came from the five continents from the 1980s to be guided by Maharajji, although there had never ever been any publicity about him or any book written. Today, the work of his disciples and of all men of goodwill, while carrying out their spiritual training, is to help Maharajji by informing everyone that this important cycle of the transformation of consciousness and hearts has started. Indeed, it is important for men to know for it is up to us, both individually and collectively, to decide whether we want to enter a civilization governed by light, wisdom, love and brotherhood. On the contrary, we can decide to continue in the present direction, which is leading us little by little to the precipice because of our ignorance and its consequences which are selfishness, injustice and all kinds of violence, be they physical or moral.

Creating a Worldwide Good Climate
By informing a large number of people in the world and creating in this way the desire of men and women of goodwill to follow a sadhana which they themselves have freely chosen, a good atmosphere will be created which will greatly contribute to the success of this undertaking and consequently to the plans of the Great Beings. This is so because it is well known that when several people get together with the same spiritual intention, this meeting in itself automatically brings down divine assistance. We remember that for the sadhana Maharajji recommends that each person should start off by doing an hour a day whether in prayer, meditation or the reciting of a mantra. Later on he can spend more time on it, depending on his inner needs.

Each person, wherever he is, must try to understand that it is his duty out of love for himself and for all beings to turn to his soul so as to use its wisdom, love and spiritual power for the benefit of all.

Peace, as Elusive as the Wind
Maharajji once said,
“If your perspective changes, every action becomes worship. You see God in everything and everyone and at the same time your lower nature is transformed in a positive way.”
We all have an urgent need to change the perspective from which we have considered life up until now. Some of us have been satisfied to just live a life where one tries to find happiness according to the way society defines it. Other believe that getting as much material riches as possible will bring them happiness and peace. Yet others have looked for this happiness and peace through fame, intellectual erudition or by other means. And we all discover bitterly, that unfortunately this is not the case, for if one day our situation satisfies us, the following day this satisfaction disappears. Happiness and peace of heart seem to slip away indefinitely, playing hide and seek with us. Each of these directions seems to lead to a dead-end. And finally, all of them are only some of the many ways in which the mind, not receiving any light from the heart, plays tricks on men, dangling things in front of them which, in fact, are only mirages...

The Hidden Treasure
We must admit that only our souls possess the key to our happiness. As for material things, we must put them in their rightful place, for the Sacha lineage is neither for asceticism, which is destructive and arid nor for unbridled materialism, which is a source of attachment and suffering. Intellectual knowledge had greatly contributed to our scientific and cultural progress, and so is praiseworthy. However this intellectual knowledge by itself cannot be an end in itself, otherwise it will lead us away from our inner divinity. Is it not said that the uncontrolled mind is the slayer of the Real? In our quest for the only true treasures in life i.e. wisdom, happiness and peace, we have forgotten one basic thing, which is that a part of us is human and is made up of our personality, while the other part is divine and is our soul, our atma. To neglect one of these parts to the detriment of the other can only lead to an unbalanced state. Aren’t two legs needed to walk?

The Perfect Way
It is therefore obvious that one must follow the middle way in everything if one want to act wisely and make sure progress. And it is the way of the heart that Maharajji recommends, the heart being the centre of gravity in man, where he meets himself in his essential aspect and where he finds inner peace which is rightly called “the peace of heart”. There, he also meets his human brothers and his God in love and no longer in confrontation, and then, as the Bible says, his joy is perfect, the perfect joy which Indians call ananda, i.e. bliss and which is said to be a part of the very essence of man. One should therefore be able to find it if one knows how to search in the right place.

Speaking about the Sacha lineage, Maharajji one day said,
“The sun has risen over India so that the entire humanity will find happiness. For this, you and I need to be idealistic. That is the Will of God, that is my promise and my work.”
If, on the wings of noble ideals we contribute to bringing light and peace to all men, in spite of the many obstacles on the path, we will be sure to succeed, without the slightest shadow of a doubt, for our hearts will work in unison with That of God’s!