Tune In and Call Home

During an exchange with Baba Ji, a young woman asked him to please tell Maharaj Charan Singh how much she loved him and missed him. Without missing a beat Baba Ji said something like, no need – you can just dial him up directly. Just imagine, you can direct dial the Lord! How? Through our meditation, we are in touch with him 24/7.

The masters constantly remind us, cajole us, urge us and, by their example, inspire us to do the meditation taught to us at the time of initiation. We are to focus our attention at the eye centre with the help of simran – repetition of the five holy names given to us at the time of initiation; bhajan – listening for the Shabd, the sound current within; and dhyan – contemplation on the form of the Master if we have seen him physically. Through these essential practices, we can tune into the Shabd, enabling the soul to begin its journey back to the Lord.

Meditation facilitates our inner connection to our Master. It allows us to communicate in his language, using the names that he has given to us. These names are saturated with his presence and power. Through simran, we can hone and strengthen our relationship with him. Bhajan and dhyan are his gifts that flow from simran.

Maharaj Charan Singh once was asked, “With our simran, are we really calling to the master all the time?” He answered:

Yes. In meditation, there is nothing else. In meditation we are calling the master at every stage, all the time, even to the last moment. For a disciple, meditation is nothing but the master, at every level.
_{Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. II}

So, we do not struggle alone. According to Hazur, we are receiving help from within at all times and in all places – in front of us and behind us, pushing and pulling. He tells us in Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III: “We are never left alone. We are not orphaned. All the help we need, we always 
get within.”

The mystics encourage us to have faith that our Master knows what is best for us and that he will give us the strength we need. Even if we find ourselves thoroughly mired in difficult circumstances, the mystics always encourage us to continue meditating and to practice gratitude, including taking whatever comes as “his sweet will.”

Mystics support their disciples at every step of this journey. Through meditation we begin to grow in awareness of the help we receive from him. Hazur tells us that it is the Master alone who plants the seed of love in the heart of the disciple. We can only marvel at the range and reach of his grace. In Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III, we read:

The disciple will never love the master unless the master plants that seed of love in the heart of the disciple, unless he nourishes that seed in the disciple, strengthens that seed in the disciple, pulls the disciple towards him. His inner hand of strengthening that seed of love is always there at the back.

Our role is simply to faithfully attend to our meditation, thereby nurturing our connection with him. This is how we can tune in and direct dial home. Baba Ji was once asked to summarize what we are supposed to be doing in meditation. His short response was that all we need to do is sit down, close our eyes, think of the Master, and start simran.

It’s that simple. We wonder how something so simple can be so hard. However difficult meditation may seem, it will be easier if we remember the essential step: think of the Master.

This should give all of us hope. The image of the Master as helmsman of his great seaworthy ship of Nam is a familiar spiritual metaphor. Although we may stubbornly cling to our frail, leaky ego-driven boats, the grace of the Master can easily lift us, along with our heavy load of accumulated karma, out of the stormy seas of this world and onto his ship. However, we do have a part to play; we must seek his help, rely on his strength, and take refuge in him. If we want safe passage on the spiritual journey to our true home, we need to take refuge in the only one who can guide us and knows the way – the Master.

Sant Mat disciples need never feel disheartened on this path. The Master provides refuge, and for that refuge, we can feel eternally grateful. Through meditation we can reverse the outward flow of our attention and direct it inward. Yes, it is a struggle to bring our attention up to the eye centre; but with simran we can bring it back every time it runs out. Our role in meditation is simply to put in our best effort. Our daily meditation is the foundation upon which our lives can and should rest. We simply are to do the best we can as we continue to persevere.

We need only to remember:

• Meditation is how we plant the strength of the Master in our heart.
  
• Meditation is how we learn to live in his will.
  
• Meditation is how we grow love and gratitude.
  
• Meditation is how we take refuge in him.
  
• Meditation is how we tune into the sound current.

The invitation to meditate is his gift. It is a standing invitation, available to us all the time. We simply need to tune in and direct dial home. The line is always open. He’s waiting for our call.