Whoever needs it and has a desire may bring his vessel and fill it with knowledge and bliss, each as he deserves and according to his own requirements. The disinterested services of thousands of selfless workers can not come anywhere near what one God-realized person can achieve for humanity. One who realizes God gets the authority for service. His very existence is a boon to mankind, and even to the universe. God's grace bestows on the soul the human form; but the Master's grace absolves it from the round of births and deaths.

It is difficult to understand the grace of the Master. If by temporarily hurting, you permanently effect a healing, your apparently cruel act of hurting is, in reality, a blessing. Similarly, if by effecting temporary healing, you are creating a permanent hurt, this apparently kind act of yours is, in reality, a curse. A doctor cutting open a boil and causing much pain to a patient may, at first sight, be considered an enemy. But when all impure matter is removed and the disease cured, he is, after fuller appreciation of the results, considered to be a friend. So the Master is at first taken to be an enemy, when he tries to remove the sins, take away the desires and wipe out the impressions of the aspirant by imposing strict discipline. But when, through the grace of the Master, the ecstasy of union with the Divine Beloved is attained, he is seen to be a real friend. There is always the difference between the apparent and the real. Of course, one should go to a Perfect Master. To consign one's soul to an imperfect Master is like making a mad man sit on one 's chest with a razor in his hand.

Continued in Volume 11 Number 4 Page 1