Humility

The Grace of the Lord and Master cannot be had forcibly.

He melts only on hearing humble prayer.

If you are meek and pray to Him in humility,

He may turn His face towards you and you obtain His Grace.

Therefore give up all pride and vanity

and place the cup of humility before Him,

then it would not be surprising if He fills the cup of the beggar. (Sant Kirpal Singh Ji)

Philosophy of the Masters

Contents

Page

1. The Humility of Guru Arjan; Saint Paltu Sahib

2. – 5. Humility by Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

6. – 8. Quotations

9. Humility from Essential Sufism

10. – 12. Stories

13. Prayers

14. – 16. Humiliy by Dona G. Kelly

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The Humility of Guru Arjan Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

During the life of Guru Arjan Sahib, a certain family of devotees who were talented in singing

the holy scriptures approached the Guru for some financial help to cover the cost of their

daughter’s marriage. Guru Arian said, “All right, it will be given.”

They waited for some days, but nothing further was said; so once again they faced the Guru and

said, “Maharaj, we do not want very much; so if each Sikh (disciple) could give one taka (about

a third of a cent) that would be enough.” Guru Arjan replied, “All right, tomorrow we will see.”

The days passed by without further development, and again they approached their Guru, saying,

“Please do something quickly, for the date of the marriage is upon us.” The Guru said, “All

right, tomorrow I will give.”

When they came to Him the following day, He took out four and a half takas and gave it to them.

They looked at the small amount in surprise and said, “Maharaj, what is this? You have such a

huge gathering of disciples, and yet you have given us only four and a half takas.”

Guru Arjan replied, “You said you wanted one taka per Sikh. The first Sikh was Guru Nanak,

the second was Guru Angad, the third was Guru Amar Das, the fourth was Guru Ramdas, and,

well, the half taka is for me - I am only half a Sikh-and that makes a total of four and a half

takas.”

It was a sharp lesson to those who had thought to be clever and a wonderful example of the

humility of Guru Arjan. (http://www.ruhanisatsangusa.org/disciple.htm)

Saint Paltu Sahib Indian Mystic & Guru

1710-1780

There was another Paltu.

I was mistaken for him and given devotion.

Devotion was given to me by mistaking me for another of my name.

I took the wealth meant for another and secreted it.

It was fated for another but was given to me.

I alone know it, nobody else does.

I offered to return it, but it was not accepted.

This was a mistake by the Great One; what He said I did

Oh Paltu! You are a great sinner

and the Lord committed a mistake.

There was another Paltu.

I was mistaken for him and given devotion.

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Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

Humility (The Teachings of Kirpal Singh)

All the Masters of the past and present say that, “The Kingdom of God is for the humble of

heart.” So many of us, alas, are proud, vain, in ego lost; and blind to the wisdom, we do but

wander from darkness to darkness.

The God that rules millions is the ego; enthrone on your heart the God of Love, and cease to

wander - and what should be done to do so? Become as humble as ashes and dust.

The world is full of the proud of purse or power or learning. Whereas, we should be humble and

simple and empty ourselves of all “self” that the Lord might do with us what He would.

The truly humble are the truly happy. For want of humility, men and women are leading an

unbearable, miserable life. All this misery is from within. It is not a change in our

circumstances, but deliverance from the thralldom of the self, the petty “ego” that sits a tyrant,

robbing us of the bliss that is our heritage as children of God. We are, as it were, in a cage of

self-centeredness, and until this prison is opened by the key of humility, the swan bird of the

Soul is not free and cannot swim to the regions of radiance and joy.

When the light of humility dawns on the soul, the darkness of selfishness disappears and the soul

no longer lives for itself, but for God. The soul loses itself in God, lives in God, and is

transformed into Him. This is the alchemy of humility. It transforms the lowest into the highest.

Saint Augustine said the way to God is, “First humility, second humility and third humility.”

He who is proud of possessions or of learning or of authority will not go to any Saint unless he is

humble. Even if he goes to the Saint, but considers himself superior to Him, he will not listen to

Him. A glass which is kept above a tumbler of water will remain empty - until it is put below the

tumbler. You know what you know; just listen to what the other says. Perhaps we can learn

something from him.

Yes, the branches of a fruit-laden tree bend of their own accord. Even so, the man who, losing

himself, finds God - finds Him everywhere and in everyone - bends before all, offers homage of

his heart to all. This is true humility. It is not a forced sense of lowliness. Such a one lives in

unity with all. He is in others and others are in him.

It is the fake ego-self that gives rise to the sense of discord and separation. When the illusion of

ego is broken, one feels, “I am not apart from others, but others are parts of the One – God - the

Master - and all of us are engaged in the same service of God.”

Each one of us is unique in his own way. There is a divine purpose behind the life of everyone

who comes into the world; no one has been created for nothing. We have something to learn

from everyone. This is the mystery of humility.

The truly humble person does not compare himself with others. He knows that none of us,

however evolved, is perfect; none of us is complete in himself. The humble person does not

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regard one as better than the other; he believes in the divinity of each. If one says and asserts

that he is better than others, then he is not perfect as yet.

It is only when one realizes his nothingness that God comes and fills him with Himself. Where

man is, God is not; where man is not, God is! God cannot enter the heart of the self-seeking

person. He who is full of himself considers himself as above others and so puts a limit on

himself. God is without limit. How can the limitless enter the limited?

True humility is freedom from all consciousness of self, which includes freedom from the

consciousness of humility. The truly humble man never knows that he is humble.

The humble man makes no fuss. He is at harmony with himself and others. He is gifted with a

wondrous feeling of peace. He feels safe and secure, like a ship in harbor, unaffected by howling

storms and lashing waves. He has found refuge at the Lotus Feet of the Lord and the storms of

changing circumstances have no power over him. He feels light as air. The burdens which we

carry all our life - the burden of the self and its desires - he has laid aside, and he is ever calm

and serene. Having given up everything, he has nothing to lose, and yet everything belongs to

him, for he is of God, and God is in him. Having broken the bondage of desire, he is as happy

with a piece of dry bread as with a sumptuous meal. In every situation and circumstance of life,

he blesses the Names of God.

He who would be humble regards himself as a student. He learns many new things, but what is

more difficult, he unlearns many things he has learned. A scholar came to a Saint and said,

“0 Seer of the Secret, tell me what I may do to live the life divine.” And the Saint said to him,

“Go, unlearn what thou hast learnt and then return and sit before me.”

He who would walk the way of humility must renounce his earlier ways of living. He must give

up the opinions he has formed, the standards to which he is accustomed. He must have a new

outlook on life. The things the world would worship are to him of no value. His values are so

different from those of other men. Rich food, fine houses, costly dresses, positions of power and

authority, the applause of men, honors and titles, no longer attract him. He feels drawn to a life

of simplicity. He is happy in living a hidden life in the Hidden Lord.

He is dead to the world; he is alive in God. At times he actually behaves like one dead. Yes, the

truly humble man is, in that sense, the “dead” man. He has “died.” God alone lives in him. His

self has been annihilated. His self has vanished into God, and only God remains. God works in

him and through him, and God emits in his eyes. God speaks in his words. On his feet, God

walks the earth, and through his hands gives His benedictions to all.

Such men are the real strength of the world - its illumination and inspiration. To see them is to

commune with God, for God dwells in them. They are the living, moving Temples of the Lord.

They are the ones who keep the world intact, though they do not know it themselves. The whole

earth depends on them without anyone being aware of it. Their hearts and minds are in tune with

the Great Heart and Mind of humanity. They are in complete accord with all that lives. They

give their love to all living beings, as though they were the sons of the one sweet Mother. They

have broken all fetters and entered into the freedom of the children of God, God does their will,

because they have merged their wills in His. God fulfills their least desire, for it is He who

desires all their desires. They are the little saviors of humanity.

I wish each one of you to follow the lesson of humility, born of love and simplicity.

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Love is the “Light of Life.” This love is developed the more you pray from your heart and not

lips, the more you are in contact with the Light and Sound Principle of God-in-Action Power, the

holy Naam or Word with which you have been given a contact. This course of life will develop

true humility of the heart, which is the secret of growth in God, for the lack of which you are

easily offended, become suspicious, upset when others speak ill of you, have secret desire to be

popular, become dictatorial in your talk and conduct, irritable, artificial, ostentatious,

complicated in your life and unkind to all those around you and below you. The true “superman”

is the great man, who serves God with humble heart. He is humble, simple, straight-forward,

gentle, kind and reverent to all. When we forget this, we have quarrels, controversies in the

name of the Holy Cause we represent. (ruhanisatsangusa.org/pdf/Teachings.pdf)

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

Humility and faith purify the mind and make it a fit instrument for God's grace. (The Teachings of Kirpal Singh, v. 3, 119)

Depression and despair breed in egoistic hearts. If you will inculcate a keen sense of humility by

self-abnegation and effacement, you will enjoy more ineffable bliss and harmony. Humility is

the sheet anchor with the dear ones. It is an adoration of the Saints who work in this physical

plane by keeping their divinity hidden from the public gaze. How safe and sublime it is to work

humbly on behalf of the Master, by rolling on all credit to Him. You are a personal testimony of

the sacred truth that when you work for the Master for channelizing the divine grace, how

graciously you are compensated. The golden principle of attributing all success to the Master

Power and failure towards your own personal weaknesses to be overcome gradually, should be

followed lovingly. Ego is a human element. It is annihilated very slowly by meditating on

Sound Current and Light Principles. Gradually it will dawn upon you that you are a doll in the

hands of divine powers dancing to His bid. (ruhanisatsangusa.org/pdf/Teachings.pdf)

Oh Lord and Master, whatever is happening is due to Your Grace. (Philosophy of the Masters, Humility)

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Question: Could you kindly speak more on humility because we need it so?

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji: You become humble only when you see some higher Power working, that

you are merely a puppet in his hands. When you see some Higher Power working and you are

merely at His beck and call, what are you? How humble. “Blessed are the humble,” the Bible

says, “for they inherit the Kingdom of God.” When there is no ego, that is humility. The word

“world,” W-O-R-L-D means world. If you take out one L out of it, what remains? Word. Word

is God. So humility means striking out the “I” from within you. You are Word personified.

Those who are Word made flesh, come up of themselves and reside with us to guide us on the

Way. Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. And that is the Bread of Life. This Bread of

Life comes down from heaven to work on the physical plane along with you. But He is the Son

of God, not the son of man, the Word in man, God in man, you see? Whosoever partaketh of It

shall have everlasting life. (https://www.ruhanisatsangusa.org/lok/dont-forget.htm)

Ego is the self-assertive principle in man that makes him feel that “I do this” or “I do that.”

When one rises above body consciousness and knows himself and he becomes a conscious co-

worker of the Divine Plan, he sees that he is not the “doer” but is a mere puppet in the hands of

God, he will cease to be responsible for his actions and will become jivan mukta, or a free soul.

The ego in man is part of the grand delusion that he is laboring under. It will cease to act or will

be nullified only when a great degree of purity has been attained by the disciple, in which all of

his actions will reflect the Master in him. Like Christ, he will proclaim, “I and my Father are

One.” (ruhanisatsangusa.org/cagesoul.htm)

True humility produces sweetness in our heart and the words uttered by us would be sweet. All

life currents would also be delicious. The sweetness would be the same for all. Our neighbors

and others would feel its sweetness. All our sayings and actions, whether great or small, would

be full of humility. They would dye their relations and others in the same hue. Guru Nanak says

that sweetness or humility and meekness is the essence of all virtues. He who has this virtue is

the fountain-head of all virtues. (Philosophy of the Masters)

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Quotes

Humility is not denying the power you have. It is realizing that the power comes through you,

not from you. (Fred Smith)

I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility doubt of his

own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a curious under-

sense of powerlessness, a feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them; that they

could not do or be anything else than God made them. (John Ruskin)

Of myself I can do nothing; the Father that dwells in me, He does the work. (Jesus Christ)

As life unfolds itself to man the first lesson he learns is humility. (Hazrat Inayat Khan)

Humility is the solid foundation of all the virtues. (Confucius)

Humility is the mother, root, nurse, foundation, and center of all other virtues. (John Chrysostom)

It was pride that caused the fall of Lucifer and Adam. If you should ask me what are the ways of

God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is still

humility. Not that there are no other precepts to give, but if humility does not precede all that we

do, our efforts are fruitless. (Saint Augustine)

The first quality or virtue we have to develop, before we aspire to have God, is humility. You

have in fact to unlearn what you have learnt. You must become simple, unsophisticated, and

childlike. (Papa Ramdas)

Humility is to the virtues what the chain is to the rosary: remove the chain, and all the beads

escape; take away humility, and all the virtues disappear. (The Cure d’ Ars)

Even if you be otherwise perfect, you fail without humility. (The Talmud)

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A humble person can do great things with uncommon perfection because he is no longer

concerned about his own interests and his own reputation, and therefore he no longer needs to

waste his efforts in defending them. (Thomas Merton)

Looking foolish does the spirit good. The need not to look foolish is one of youth’s many

burdens; as we get older we are exempted more and more, and float upward heedlessly, singing:

“Thanks be to God that I am what I am.” (John Updike)

A great man is always willing to be little. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Humility, like darkness, reveals the Heavenly Lights. (Henry David Thoreau)

He who knows himself to be insignificant, even among the uncultured and the ignorant, who

lives in darkness, shall have the Divine Light dwell within him. (Israel Baal Shem Tov)

Where there is humility and patience, there is neither anger nor vexation. (Saint Francis of Assisi)

One is only as obedient as one is humble, and one can never be humble if one is not obedient. (Saint Catherine of Siena)

Humility is the most difficult of virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think

well of oneself. (T.S. Eliot)

All streams flow to the ocean because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power. (Lao Tzu)

Humility is the path of immortality. Vanity is the path of births and deaths. (Swami Sivananda)

Humility is the acceptance of the possibility that someone else can teach you something else you

do not know already, especially about yourself. Conversely, pride and arrogance close the door

to the mind. (Arthur Deikman)

No man is humble who does not believe in God. (Bishop Fulton J. Sheen)

True humility involves opposites. The truly humble work in silence. Because they do not speak

of their accomplishments, credit for them can never be taken away. (Lao Tzu)

He that is down needs fear no fall; he that is low, no pride; he that is humble ever shall have God

to be his guide. (John Bunyan)

Be lowly and humble, only thus can you rise. The lark builds its nest on the ground, but it soars

high in the sky. (Ramakrishna)

If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what

you are. (Mother Teresa)

A humble person is generally well-liked and respected because he or she does not challenge

others. When the ego is not attacked, not put on guard, it has a hard time gathering strength to

attack another. (Shantidasa)

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I find hidden, somewhere away in my nature, something that tells me that nothing in the whole

world is meaningless, and suffering least of all. That something hidden away in my nature, like a

treasure in a field, is humility. (Oscar Wilde)

It is not a great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are

praised is a great and rare attainment. (Saint Bernard)

It was pride that changed angels to devils; it is humility that makes men angels. (Saint Augustine)

If you would become a pilgrim on the path of love the first condition is that you become as

humble as dust and ashes. (Ansari of Herat)

One of the commonest manifestations of vanity is a pretended humility. (Julian P. Johnson)

These are a few of the ways we can practice humility: speak as little as possible of oneself. Mind

one’s own business. Avoid curiosity. Do not want to manage other people’s affairs. Accept

contradiction and correction cheerfully. Pass over the mistakes of others. Accept blame when

innocent. Yield to the will of others. Accept insults and injuries. Accept being slighted,

forgotten and disliked. Be kind and gentle even under provocation. Do not seek to be specially

loved and admired. Never stand on one’s dignity. Yield in discussion even though one is right. (Mother Teresa)

He who humbles himself shall be saved; he who bends shall be made straight; he who empties

himself shall be filled. (Lao Tzu)

Be humble, that you may not be humbled. (The Talmud)

The tree laden with fruit always bends low. (Ramakrishna)

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Humility Essential Sufism

Humility might be defined as “taking one’s true measure” and then not hiding from the truth of

that realization. Humility, Sufis aver, is a state that is achieved, not through practice, but through

awareness.

Benjamin Franklin, at one point in his life, made it a practice to work on one virtue each week.

He was making excellent progress, he felt, in his self-development until he worked on humility.

What he found was that, as often as he practiced, and made himself more conscious of humility

in his life, the prouder he became of his own progress.

What then is your true measure? In the context of this world, you are one among billions, here

for but a single breath. You matter to very few people, and even the few who know you may

think about you seldom.

Even if you see yourself as a part of all creation and lasting for eternity, you, as a single human,

are still but a drop in a vast ocean. That ocean is held by gravity to a small sphere orbiting a tiny

star among billions of others. Your time as a separate drop, however important you may seem to

be in your own world, is so brief that the ocean itself may be unaware of your existence, your

forming, or your dissolving.

First there must be action and knowledge, so that you realize that you know nothing and you are

nobody. It is no easy thing to attain this realization. It doesn’t come with teaching and

instruction, nor can it be sewn on with a needle, or tied with a thread. This is a gift from God

and a question of whom He bestows it on and whom He causes to experience it. (Abu Sa’id ibn Abi-L-Khayr)

One day in Nishapur, Abu Sa’id went to a mourning ceremony. The masters of ceremonies

wanted to announce the Sheikh in accordance with their customs, and recite his titles. But when

they saw the Sheikh they were at a loss, and asked his disciples: “What title should we apply to

the Sheikh?”

The Sheikh saw their confusion and said to them, “Go inside and announce: ‘Make way for No

One, the son of No One!’” (Abu Sa’id ibn Abi-L-Khayr)

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Stories

Spurred with the desire to gain publicity for himself, one day Hasan, seeing Rabia in a general

congregation of saints, came to her and said, “Rabia, let us leave this congregation and, sitting on

the waters of the lake, hold our spiritual discussion there.” He said this to display his miraculous

power before others, for he had gained mastery over water as Christ had walked over water.

Rabia remonstrated, “Hasan, put your vanity aside. If you are so determined to separate yourself

from the general assembly of saints, why should we not both fly and hold our meeting in the

air?” Rabia said this as if she had that power. Hasan knew he could not do this and said as

much, shamed by her words. Rabia said, “Know that what you can do fishes can also do –

easily. What I suggested was no more than what a fly does. Reality transcends this miracle-

mongering. Seek humility.”

A young man once received a medal from an organization which used very extravagant language

in extolling his accomplishments. Jubilantly the prize winner proudly repeated the words to his

wise mother. Then he asked, “How many great men are there in the world today?” His mother

pondered for a while and then said, “One less than you think!”

A famous multimillionaire while attending a dinner, heard a discussion on the subject of prayer.

After listening for a while, the man of means exclaimed with a sneer, “Prayer may be all right for

some of you, but I don’t need it. Everything I have today I’ve worked hard for, and I’ve earned

it all myself. I didn’t ask God for anything.” A university president listened politely, then said

to the braggart, “There is one thing you don’t have that you might pray for.” Startled, the

millionaire blurted out, “And what might that be?” The educator replied gently, “Sir, you could

pray for humility.”

When someone asked Saint Francis of Assisi why and how he could accomplish so much, he

replied: “This may be why. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the earth and said, ‘Where

can I find the weakest, the littlest, the poorest man on the face of the earth?’ Then He saw me

and said, ‘Now I’ve found him, and will work through him. He won’t be proud of it. He’ll see

that I am only using him because of his littleness and insignificance.’”

Samuel Brengle who was an early Salvation Army official was once introduced as the, “Great

Dr. Brengle.” He later wrote in his diary, “If I appear great in their eyes, the Lord is most

graciously helping me to see how absolutely nothing I am without Him, and helping me to keep

little in my own eyes. He does use me. But I am so concerned that He uses me and that it is not

of me the work is done. The axe cannot boast of the trees it has cut down. It could do nothing

but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, and he used it. The moment he throws it

aside, it becomes only old iron. O, that I may never lose sight of this.”

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Samuel Morse was born into a preacher’s home in New England just two years after George

Washington was elected the first president of the United States. After finishing his education at

Yale, he went to England to hone his painting skill. Upon his return to America he was

recognized as a gifted artist and was soon in much demand. Morse’s first wife died while he was

away from home painting in Washington, D.C. He did not receive the news until it was too late.

In his heartbreak he turned away from painting and began trying to develop a means of rapid

communication over great distances. This eventually led to his discovery of the telegraph.

Despite his fame and the many honors that came his way, Morse wasn’t proud or boastful. In a

letter to his second wife he wrote, “The more I contemplate this great undertaking, the more I

feel my own littleness, and the more I perceive the hand of God in it, and how He has assigned to

various persons their duties, He being the great controller, all others His honored instruments....

Hence our dependence first of all on God, then on each other.”

When we walk in pride and are conceited regarding our talents and accomplishments, we are

demonstrating that we do not understand or appreciate the role that God holds in everything we

do. None of us are able to succeed in our own strength or wisdom; we should always remember

it is God that makes what we do possible. (ministry127.com/resources/illustration/the-wisdom-of-humility)

Winston Churchill was once asked, “Doesn’t it thrill you to know that every time you make a

speech, the hall is packed to overflowing?”

“It’s quite flattering,” replied Winston, “But whenever I feel that way, I always remember that if

instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big.”

A truly humble man is hard to find, yet God delights to honor such selfless people. Booker T.

Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth.

Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an

exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not knowing the

famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping

wood for her.

Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his

sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he

carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him

and later revealed his identity to the lady.

The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the

Institute and apologized profusely. “It’s perfectly all right, Madam,” he replied. “Occasionally I

enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it’s always a delight to do something for a friend.” She

shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him

and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some

wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.

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A man received a promotion to the position of Vice President of the company he worked for.

The promotion went to his head, and for weeks on end he bragged to anyone and everyone that

he was now VP. His bragging came to an abrupt halt when his wife, so embarrassed by his

behavior, said, “Listen Bob, it’s not that big a deal. These days everyone’s a vice president.

Why they even have a vice president of peas down at the supermarket!”

Somewhat deflated, Bob rang the local supermarket to find out if this was true. “Can I speak to

the Vice President of peas please?” he asked, to which the reply came: “of fresh or frozen?”

D.L. Moody was the most famous evangelist in the world in the late 1800s. People came from

around the world to attend his Bible Conferences in Northfield, Massachusetts. One year a large

group of pastors from Europe were among the attendees. They were given rooms in the

dormitory of the Bible school. As was the custom in Europe, the men put their shoes outside the

door of their room, expecting them to be cleaned and polished by servants during the night.

Of course there were no servants in the American dorm, but as Moody was walking through the

halls and praying for his guests, he saw the shoes and realized what had happened. He mentioned

the problem to a few of his students, but none of them offered to help. Without another word,

the great evangelist gathered up the shoes and took them back to his own room where he began

to clean and polish each pair. Moody told no one what he had done, but a friend who interrupted

him in the middle of shining the shoes and helped him finish the task later told the story of what

had happened. Despite the praise and fame he received because of God’s blessing on his life and

ministry, Moody remained a humble man.

For many years Sir Walter Scott was the leading literary figure in the British Empire. No one

could write as well as he. Then the works of Lord Byron began to appear, and their greatness

was immediately evident. Soon an anonymous critic praised his poems in a London paper. He

declared that in the presence of these brilliant works of poetic genius, Scott could no longer be

considered the leading poet of England. It was later discovered that the unnamed reviewer had

been none other than Sir Walter Scott himself!

On a visit to the Beethoven museum in Bonn, a young American student became fascinated by

the piano on which Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works. She asked the museum

guard if she could play a few bars on it; she accompanied the request with a lavish tip, and the

guard agreed. The girl went to the piano and tinkled out the opening of the Moonlight Sonata.

As she was leaving she said to the guard, “I suppose all the great pianist who come here want to

play on that piano.”

The guard shook his head. “Padarewski (the famed Polish pianist) was here a few years ago and

he said he wasn't worthy to touch it.”

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Prayers

My Father is the Supreme Lord God, my Master. I am unworthy, but save me anyway. (Guru Arjan)

Many are the tales people tell about me – my Master turns a deaf ear to them all. He has turned a

deaf ear to such tales ever since I surrendered to Him. Ignoring my faults and sins, He has made

me His own. I commit acts of injustice, I’m swayed by lust and anger; but however wicked the

son may be, he is still dear to his father. I am lustful, greedy and depraved, dishonest and low-

bred, but because of my surrender He has raised me up high. Such indeed, O Paltu, is His

gracious treatment of me. Many are the tales people tell about me – my Master turns a deaf ear

to them all. (Paltu)

I am a fool, without wisdom and being full of filth, how can I go and unite with the Lord?

Others are full of virtues. No one knows my name even. Those of my friends who have won the

love of the Lord are sitting under mango tree and enjoying its sweetness. They are happy. Those

virtues are not in me. How can I blame anyone? (Guru Nanak)

“Sir, can you give us an example of a good prayer?” the Muslim gentleman asked. In reply the

Great Master (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh) said, “If I were to pray, I would pray as follows: ‘My

Lord! I am ignorant, I do not know what to ask of you. Give me that which you think best for

me. And give me the strength and wisdom to be happy about what you deem fit to give me and

about how and where you keep me. I have no virtues, no devotion. My actions are all dark and

sinful. I possess no merits and my mind has thoroughly crushed me. For a sinner like me,

O Lord, there is no refuge but Thy Blessed Feet. Please take me under Thy shelter. I want

nothing more. Make me Thy slave, that I may be Thine and Thou mayest be mine.’” (The Call of the Great Master, 134)

-14-

Humility (Dona G. Kelley)

Humility may be compared to a fertile valley of consciousness where the rain of God’s wisdom

falls fruitfully. As on a lofty mountain peak no rain can gather, so also on the high mountains of

ego, no waters of knowledge can gather. Ego shuts the door wherein knowledge would enter.

Conversely, humility opens the door, inviting wisdom to enter. Ego repels people, while

humility exhales a fragrance that is attractive to all. One who has a superiority complex is filled

to the brim with egotism – on the other hand, humility, (which is not inferiority, but the highest

type of wisdom), seeks only for the Truth which leads to the Lotus Feet of the Infinite Father.

All Saints are humility personified.

There are times in the disciple’s spiritual ongoing, (as he begins to make progress on the Path),

when he becomes “puffed up” and feels that he is far above his fellow satsangis. This is a human

trait; it is the taint of the ego, or little self. In that disciple’s heart where God has entered dwells

humility and wisdom. When one realizes that there is nothing greater than Truth, he draws

closer to God. The egotist, in thinking so much of himself, closes the door to God. Did not Lord

Jesus say, “the least”, (or humblest) were “the greatest in the Kingdom of God”?

Man’s attachment to matter keeps the soul confined in the body-prison and prevents it from

finding freedom in the Satguru and in the realms of bliss. The ego attempts to satisfy the soul’s

constant longing for God through material channels. Far from realizing his objective, this

method only increases man’s misery. The soul’s hunger can never be satisfied by indulging the

senses. When one realizes this truth, and masters his ego, that is when he achieves self-control.

Then, life is filled with the Presence of God and with a bliss that is beyond words to express –

and this while still dwelling here, in the flesh.

Devoting oneself to the love of Master – dedicating our lives to unselfish, loving service – is the

only way that we can achieve humility. At first, the demands of the ego will be very strong, and

there may be times when the individual drops back and experiences a brief period of pleasure

and desires, in order to satisfy the ego. Or, he may go into periods of depression, when nothing

seems worthwhile – when he seems to have been deserted – even spiritually. It is a long drawn

out battle with the ego, which senses its diminishing power, and which resents being

subordinated. It is this struggle with the ego which causes such a reaction.

When we travel the path of God-realization, we must be willing to go all the way. We cannot

afford to slight anyone, or to look down upon anyone with a superior attitude, as though

proclaiming our moral and spiritual advancement. Sooner or later, each of us will have to

experience this defeat of the ego – and the sooner the better. During times of stress and struggle,

if we will turn to the Master and ask Him to take over, He will surely see us through. When we

were initiated, He took upon Himself that responsibility, and He never deserts us. Those who

realize that deep humility of the soul, no longer thirst for the low waters of the lower self, for

ephemeral pleasures and the fulfillment of desires, but rather commune with spirit in joy and

love.

Kabir, a great Saint, sang thus: “Thou has drawn my love, O Father! Thou has united my heart

with Thy heart, O Father!” Like Kabir, when we are humble in spirit – when we live in joy and

love, beauty will shine from our eyes and wisdom will dwell in our hearts. Then shall the chalice

of the heart overflow with divine nectar and we shall abide at the footstool of God.

-15-

Those who have awakened from “this mortal dream” and are filled with an intense desire to

reach the life divine – they have eliminated the self. To dethrone the ego is to ponder well – to

meditate upon each action of one’s daily life. However, this cannot come about all at once.

Your past actions, thoughts, and desires have fed the ego, making it so strong that it has become

a barrier between you and your Lord. The despotic ego must be overthrown – but not violently –

for this is a task that must be performed skillfully and subtly. In doing this and to become

humble and submissive, one must avoid any “parade of virtues.”

Try to talk less and to avoid the use of “I.” When others come to you with their burdens, listen

sympathetically, but do not preach to them. The best reply to a recital of woe is either, “Try a

little more love” or “Submission to God’s will is the panacea for all ills.” It is only the attitude

of a sympathetic, understanding spirit, filled with compassion, harmony and humility that can

really help those who are in trouble. Regarding excessive speech, a Chinese sage once said: “He

who speaks does not know; He who knows does not speak.” (Tao Te Ching)

Beware of those who lay claim to perfection. Even the greatest Masters make no such claim.

It is better a thousand-fold to walk slowly than to strut and proclaim: “I am the chosen of God!”

So, beware of spiritual pride. The holy Bible says, “Pride goes before a fall, and a haughty spirit

before destruction.” In a letter just received from Master [Sant Kirpal Singh], He says: “The

initiates must, step by step, come up to the proper standard of ethical living, as it is a stepping

stone to spirituality and a fertile ground where spirituality can thrive and develop.” We must

work in love and humility; then He will come down a thousand steps to bless His devotee.

When Master says: “It is not me, but the work of my Master” here again, humility is speaking.

All truly great souls bear this mark of self-effacement, which is cradled in simplicity. The great

fault that lies at the root of our daily living is the desire for possessions, for a gay social life, for

the companionship of many relatives and friends. All such desires bind us to the wheel of

eighty-four – that wheel of birth and death which we should seek to avoid. As we simplify our

living, as we learn to love wisdom and to draw closer to Nature, we shall also draw closer to the

Beloved. A life of prayer and communion with the Infinite will fill our hearts with the Nectar of

Bliss. A great Saint said: “The crowd and its clamor confound me. Each day my heart is lifted

up with longing to sit at Thy Lotus Feet, O Lord! And my joy is in the vision of Thy wonder and

the Light of Thy love.”

A simple soul is a lover of silence, for his silence is blended with the worship of the Lord. The

burdens of this world sit heavily upon the hearts of all men, and the only remedy for this lies in

silence, with the mind ever turned within. Until man sees God in himself, he can neither know

himself nor understand and enjoy the beauty of child-like simplicity, which is the prime attribute

of the man who lives in God. One does not attain this simplicity by running away from life.

You cannot abandon your daily duties. The forest will not give you what you seek. Also,

running away will not help you, for you cannot run away from yourself. Work is the discipline

that you need. Only through working off the debts imposed by karma can you gain freedom.

Master tells you: “Live in the world; perform your daily duties; but be not of the world.”

Therefore, know thyself! Spend time each day in meditation, for to meditate is to retire, even for

a brief period, to a corner and there seek the heights where the failures, the tumult and the

strivings of earth cannot reach you. In the deep silence of meditation alone lies freedom. In the

still, small voice within – in the Light of God within – in the eternal music of the Shabd within –

lies the answer to every perplexing question.

-16-

In the lives of great Saints we find examples of deep humility filled with Truth. They are in

conscious touch with the Supreme Father, yet they think of themselves as servants of the Lord.

In censure, in slander, in pain, in persecution, the humble man of God bows in lowly reverence

to the Will of the Supreme One. This should be the attitude of every devotee, for it will enable

you to surmount every difficulty and when the storms of life come, they will leave you drenched

with a fragrance sweeter than all the rains.

Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles

Kirpalct@yahoo.com

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(Spiritual Quotations for Lovers of God)