Although each one of us is aware of this reality of “being born and having to die” and can see it manifesting everywhere around us, our lifestyle in no way reflects any awareness of it. In fact, it seems hard for us to imagine a time when we were not yet born or a time when we will no longer exist. How is this possible? What creates this blind spot in us? What is the driving force for our limitless addiction for superlatives, our endless quest for “more” ? Most of the time, we cannot even say what it is that we want more of. It is the faint reflection in us of a higher and much more important reality of our human existence, the principle of the eternal existing soul.

To realize ourselves, to recognize our own innate nature and to start searching for our true Home so that we may find our eternal life, we will have to tread the path back to God.

As God is One, the way back to Him can also only be one. This way is made by God Himself and therefore is the most ancient and most natural way: the connection with the active God-Power. It is the only possibility of attaining God-realization.

Sant Mat, which translated means “the Holy Path”, is inherently a practical path. In descriptions of Sant Mat two basic principles are mentioned which are indispensable, namely:
· the competent living Master and
· regular meditation on inner Light and inner Sound.

Two major helping factors can speed up our inner progress:
· an ethical lifestyle
· selfless service.

It is important to find a competent living Master who imparts the everlasting inner connection of the soul with God and who will guide us further until we have reached our goal - oneness with God.

The Master teaches that our inner life is not to be confused with the outer life and that we have to add the higher life of soul to our normal worldly life. The soul is connected to the God-Power.
“God is love, and love is God. He is continuously helping you, serving you and making you like His own self. This is the love of Father God.”

The teachings of the Master are not dogmatic. He says: "Go inside and see for yourself".

A competent living Master is one who has reached perfection and who has been commissioned by God to reconnect the souls with God by transmitting his own life impulse, the active principle of God. The Master enlivens the soul which is lying dormant in the body under the weight of mind and matter, and gives a conscious inner experience of the active God-Power manifesting in these two aspects, inner Light and inner Sound. The activation of the inner connection between the soul and the God-Power is called initiation.

Often the question is asked why Masters of the past cannot help us, but it is a universal law that man can learn only from man. As Light comes from Light, so Life comes from Life. Saints who appeared in the past bestowed their spiritual benefit only on those who came in contact with them; they cannot do anything for the present generation. As a great doctor of the past cannot help a patient of today, Masters of the past were limited in their sphere of working to their own time span.

It is not possible to recognize a competent Master at the level of intellect and mind, but through intense longing for God, or by intense prayers, he comes into our life. On further progressing on the path, the competency of the Master can be verified by the initiate inside, at the level of soul.

For a seeker, one important criteria of a competent Master is that he leads a very simple life without outer show, and that he lives on his own earnings.

“These references to Light and Sound are not figurative but literal, referring not to the outer illumination or sounds of this world, but to inner transcendent ones. They teach that the transcendent Sound and Light are the primal manifestations of God when He projects Himself into creation. In His nameless state He is neither light nor darkness, neither sound nor silence, but when He assumes shape and form, Light and Sound emerge as His primary attributes.”

(Sant Kirpal Singh, The Crown of Life)

Can be described as “single-minded attention”.

Daily meditation is the practice to develop the inner connection. To be able to meditate for longer periods no doubt requires some amount of practice, but with perseverance and patience anyone can develop this ability. While the meditation experiences will differ from initiate to initiate, even an initiate who is very busy with worldly duties and routines will feel peace of mind and a positive change in his life.

It is not an easy task to travel on this path, but with the help and guidance of the Master we will reach the goal.

Striving for an ethical life style serves as a helping factor on the path. This means that
· we follow a vegetarian diet, i.e. to nourish ourselves without killing
· we do not hinder the growth of our consciousness through the use of intoxicating drugs (including alcohol and nicotine)
· we maintain the principles of truthfulness and universal love in thought, word and deed.

The second helping factor on the path is striving for selfless service or seva. Selfless service is any action performed without any thought of obtaining advantage, gain or payment. It means to serve the needy ones as a service to God, provided it is performed according to the recommendation of a competent living Master.

From childhood on I had an inclination to read the scriptures.

I had gone through almost all the scriptures of Indian mythology and the Bible, but I was especially attracted to the Adi Granth, because it was written by the Masters themselves who were working at the level of soul, not at the level of body, mind and intellect.

In all those scriptures it was very clearly written that we are souls and belong to God, that there is no other place for us, that our true home is with God.

But before initiation I could not understand the true meaning of these scriptures, nor did their meaning enter my heart.

After being initiated by my Master, when he had awakened me as soul, I was able to really understand the scriptures because real knowledge and wisdom come directly from God to the soul.

Soul is receptive to God. After initiation God can use your soul to teach your heart, to teach you, to explain to you and to bless you without any interference or confusion from intellect and mind.