Believers, I’m even more deluded than you think

Fairly often I hear from devotees of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) who urge me to cease my heretical wanderings and return to the fold, as if I’d run off into a burning building and they’re standing on safe ground with a megaphone calling “Brian, get out of that crazy place and come back to us!”

Well, I picture myself standing right behind them saying, “Chill out, dude. We’re both on the same page here. I’m still 100% devoted to the true RSSB teachings. We just differ as to what true means. If you don’t mind me saying so, it could be that I’m farther from the flames of delusion than you are.”

So, the spiritual brothers and sisters who consider themselves part of the RSSB faithful and hope to wake me up from my churchless slumber are facing a tougher task than they recognize. For I don’t see myself as having strayed from the mystical path. Rather, I feel that I’m closer to the Way now.

Thus I’m either doubly deluded—believing that my RSSB heresy (delusion #1) actually is the true RSSB teaching (delusion #2)—or I’m not deluded at all. Or…neither, which I’ll toss into the “not deluded” category.

Here are some quotations from three RSSB gurus that point to what I mean:

Gurinder Singh: “We should burn the books.” “How do you know that I’m not a fraud?”

Soami Ji: “Unless I see with my own eyes, I will not believe the sayings of the Master.” “Know yourself by yourself, and do not rely on the sayings of anyone else.”

Charan Singh: “May your love of the form culminate in the love of the formless.” “Outward forms of worship are better than doing nothing at all, but we should not spend our whole life involved with these games.”

Need I say more in defense of my faith? No, but of course I will.

Gurinder Singh doesn’t mean that we should literally burn the RSSB books. What I think he’s saying is that conceptual knowledge is far less important than direct experience in spiritual practice.

Yet most RSSB initiates fill their heads with thoughts, images, emotions, and imaginings rather than emptying themselves and becoming receptive to unvarnished reality. I used to do this too, so I know whereof I speak.

I’d sit every Sunday in a satsang hall, adorned with photos of the guru, listening to a speaker read from an RSSB book, which taught that after death the Master would meet the disciple and take him or her to Sach Khand and the lap of God.

I’d feel grateful that I wasn’t a deluded Christian who at that moment was sitting in a church, adorned with images of Jesus, listening to a preacher read from the Bible, which taught that after death Christ would meet the disciple and take him or her to heaven and the lap of God.

Eventually the absurdity broke through. I was decrying religion founded on blind faith, yet I had embraced a religion founded on blind faith.

So I started to focus on what I considered to be the essence of the RSSB teachings. Like Soami Ji’s advice: “Know yourself by yourself, and do not rely on the sayings of anyone else.” Including the Master. Indeed, how do we know that he is not a fraud?

By going beyond the forms with which fraudulence can be concealed. Anybody can talk or act spiritual. We can’t sense the soul (if such exists), just the body, and what the body does.

The guru who initiated me, Charan Singh, advises that love of the formless should be our goal. Amen to that.

I’m taking his advice seriously. I wonder if those who write to me, urging that I return to adoration of the guru’s physical form, to attending well-organized talks, to helping construct and maintain the structures at satsang centers, are as committed to taking Charan Singh’s words to heart.

For a long time I thought that outward forms of worship led somewhere. I don’t anymore.

Life is short. Why spend all of it engaged in those sorts of worshipful games? Charan Singh, I agree with you. That’s why I still consider myself to be your devoted disciple.

Comments

[Roger]

Hi Brian;
Enjoyed reading your discussion. Practically, every one is a derivation of the Basic theme. The readings are fun. I hope in the future, you might have another discussion on Symbols and Rituals. I have a number of examples, I wonder might be such or not. This is a nothingish issue, just something interesting to chat about.
Best wishes..........

[tao]

Brian and readers,

Here is an eye-opening site which exposes all the truth about the great myth:

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/

[tao]

Sant Mat and its various branches is nothing but a fabricated religious belief system, built upon a pack of lies which are promoted and defended by dogmatic, insecure, and foolish power and fear mongers.

[Edward]

I am so glad you are reclaiming your evolution in RSSB. These devotional talks, the insistence on the fundamentals, your unwavering focus on the truth of your awakening, if not the methodology: truly an inspiration.

[ben]

Although no spiritual leader would need my empathy, one has to spare a thought for spiritual teachers. Well-meaning devotees spend their time praising the Master, and the Master spends all his time breaking those praises down.

Devotee: When we are in the presence of the living master we reap infinite spiritual benefits.

Master: Do not look at my human form as beneficial, it is the Shabd that is real master, and it is omniscient.

Devotee: Think of the Master's words as coming from the Lord Himself.

Master: Don't listen to my words only, look within for yourself.

Devotee: Initiation from the Master is a true spiritual birth, that has saved you from the clutches of Kal.

Master: Even if a student goes to a good school and receives instructions, but doesn't study, then where is the benefit?

..and so forth..

[Paul]

I am glad to read that you are "still 100% devoted to the true RSSB teachings".
With God's Whisper being one of my favourite reads ever, I was really disspointed to think it might be otherwise.

Master impressed on us, with no room for misunderstanding, both in South Africa and in Beas last year ,that the purpose of an initiate is to experience the "Path" for themselves and NOT to take anything anyone (including himself) says as truth. We have to experience all for ourselves.

I agree with you that many initiates do not seem to understand this and still expect all to happen by divine intervention.

Fat Chance!

[doug henry]

the radha swami masters of the beas lineage were and are the moet wonderful people on earth.

[tao]

the radha swami masters are frauds.

[shilpi sandhu]

i want to know abt Satsang Ghar At city Brisbane, Queensland .We r also satsangi and we r new at brisbane, Australia. We belong To India.

[shilpi sandhu]

We beleive most in BABA GURINDER SINGH JI.. HE is GOD for us.. we pay great thanks to HIM for HIS priceless teachings given to us.. my husband is also blessed by NAAM from HIM..i also want to be Blessed by him..and m also waiting for that moment...
We r here only bcoz f our GOD...
we also feel HIM with us in every moment we r missing DERA so much..
RADHA SOAMI JI...

[respect4all]

RSSB official website: http://www.rssb.org/index.php

[respect4all]

shilpi sandhu

Click on official website: http://www.rssb.org/index.php, then click on Contact, then on map of Australia for contact details.

[Rakesh Bhasin]

Visiting this blog always brings in my mind a sense of elation that my master is being discussed here sometimes very harshly and other times very lovingly. I always say that Brian is more close to Master Charan Singh than me.

The curtain of ego between me and my Master will remain till I am alive and I shall never be able to see him within. It is my shortcoming I know it. My sincerity in meditation will not yield the desired results. I succumb. Yet I vow to tread the path of the Master...............

I must stop now before someone in the blog asks me to shut up.....

['S]

Beloved GAZ ;
Beloved Brian
Beloved Dr David

Yes
From the form to the formless !
I irritated many adviatis ( non-duality ) followers
by the expression :

" It takes TWO to dance the Tango "

This is the reason, I wrote that recommended letter to MaharaJI almost 50 years ago, I referred here to recently.

He showed me a very high place , Sat Nam, Anami
and made me be That
Like David Lane, GAZ , Brian, Observer, Sita, June Tucson : PURE LOVE it was all what I ever wished.

It made me realize that God IS really IS : . . this Giant Hyper Stream of SAINTS
towards a center, which ever increases
This Stream which is LOVE and is God.
Btw : I'm not sant far from that but once made a Good deal - I told already about
The Stream I communicate with, which I received and I got Darshan from Beautiful MaharaJi from Sawan, Jagat Yes,
actual BabaJI, Jaimal, Shiv Dayal, Tulsi and so many many more
from all kind of religions from all corners of the earth and so many planets, universes
We can just dive in all of them, join , in The Sound of/in Them each willing Soul can, each willing empathic soul can already love the ( formless ) sweet tiny and already unbelievable Sound.

No books°, . . GurinderJi is right, no IQ°, NO CHURCH :) ,no speakers, no explanations , . . easy does it.
but reading helps with fine goose bumps
Every word and sentence is SO Relative and SO personal !

So, Let me ever be in this State of Loving the Beautiful form of MaharaJI and the formless Sound AT THE SAME TIME,
which I tried to explain on this blog 2 years ago too :
All Souls : if you want : go Alakh Agam Anami Radha Soami
( just book° IQ_less expressions covering pure "time_space_no time_no space"
The Highest of The High"
I for once only need my Master who gave me and my wife during half a century
so many ever increasing beautiful seconds

( just trying to explain how these new Satsang Ghars around the world give Darshan too and they need no speakers.

777