My Submission

by Hazur Maharaj Sawan Singh

English
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Preface

My
Submission was written as an Introduction to Gurmat Sidhant (Philosophy of the
Masters), which sets out the teachings of the Great Master, Maharaj Sawan
Singh, the Master at the Radha Somei Satsang ?Beas from 1903 until his passing
in 1948. Since it presents a summary of the teachings of the Great Master that
is both concise and complete, the English version was published as a separate
book in 1959. This edition is a new English translation from the original
Punjabi.

Like
the encyclopaedic two-volume original, My Submission is also divided into two
parts. The first part, Spirituality and Religion, explains the fundamentally
spiritual nature of humanity and our place in the creation. The Great Master
shows how spirituality unites people while religion divides them. He emphasizes
that it is not theory and concepts but the practical application of
spirituality that is essential if one is to derive any lasting benefit. He
concludes this first part with a discussion of the three pillars of
satsang (the company of someone who is alive with the spirit of God); Satguru
(the true living Master who embodies that spirit); and Sat Nam (the true Name,
which permeates and sustains the entire universe, referred to in the Bible as
the Word, Holy Ghost, Spirit, Name or Logos).

In
the second part, Spiritual practice, the Great Master describes the actual
practice of Surat Shabd Yoga, the merging (yoga) of soul (surat)
in the Word (shabd). By listening to the Shabd or Nam, our soul merges with God,
i

212 pages, Hardback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

The human body is a cage. Within it is imprisoned the spirit or soul, which is like a bird in a cage. The bird is in love with the cage and is always singing songs of attachment for the earth. If, however, the covers, or bodies, are cast off from the soul, the bird begins to taste the Truth, and the cage is shattered into fragments. The bird then flies away to its home, which is in Sach Khand [the Realm of Truth]...When the veils are torn, millions of enrapturing joys which constitute the "peace that passeth understanding," are all attained.

Huzur Sawan Singh (1858-1948)
Whatever the earth may temporarily offer us as human beings, one thing is certain: it is not our permanent home. Regardless of scientific and technological advances, the physical universe as we know it will sometime be unable to sustain life, either reaching a point of maximum entropy (a degradation of matter and energy to an ultimate state of inert uniformity) or collapsing in upon itself, taking in its course every living creature. Despite the misplaced hopes of evolutionists, humankind has a limited future-perhaps only a few million years. We are, in fact, only visitors to a land that is destined to die.

Where, then, is our true home? According to genuine mystics from both East and West, humanity's real abode is neither physical or mental but wholly spiritual. That is, we are denizens of an infinite realm of light and love who have lost sight of our essential nature, mistaking a drop for an ocean, a shack for a kingdom, a stone for a jewel. As Ken Wilber eloquently writes: "In the beginning there is only Consciousness as such, timeless, spaceless, infinite and eternal. For no reason that can be stated in words, a subtle ripple is generated in this infinite ocean. This ripple could not in itself detract from infinity, for the infinite can embrace any and all entities. But this subtle ripple, awakening to itself, forgets the infinite sea of which it is just a gesture. The ripple therefore feels set apart from infinity, isolated, separate." As ripples in this infinite sea of awareness, we have grasped that which is impermanent: the body and the world. An authentic master is one who has fully realized his/her prior oneness with the ocean (Transcendent Reality) and who manifests it in his/her outward life.

Huzur Sawan Singh (1858-1948), honorifically called the Great Master of Beas, was such a realized soul. From early childhood he was irresistibly drawn to seek the eternal abode. Born in a Sikh family, Sawan was brought up with the sacred scriptures of his religion, the Guru Granth Sahib (a compilation of mystical poetry written by the Sikh gurus and other Indian and Persian mystics) which spoke at length about an inner music and light that lead a soul back to God. Deeply religious, Sawan Singh associated with a number of holy men whom he questioned about the nature of man's spiritual quest. None of these mystics could satisfy his longing. Sawan was looking for a master of the highest degree. Ironically it was the Satguru (true spiritual teacher) who found him instead. Sawan Singh recalls: "I was fond of Satsang and Parmarth [spiritual topics] from my childhood. I often associated with sadhus and religious people... Later I was transferred to Murrie Hills. One day as I was supervising my work, I saw an old Sikh going up a hill with a middle-aged lady... Little did I think that he was going to be my master. He was no other than Baba Ji himself [Baba Jaimal Singh, one of the spiritual successors to Shiv Dayal Singh, the founder of Radhasoami] and the lady was Bibi Rukko. This I did not know at the time but found out later that Baba Ji said to Bibi Rukko, referring to me, 'it is for his sake that we have come here.' To which Bibi Rukko replied: 'But he has not even greeted you.' Baba Ji said to her, 'What does the poor fellow know yet? On the fourth day he will come to us...' On the fourth day I went to attend Satsang [the meeting of Baba Jaimal Sing