Every thought, every word and every deed, good or bad, leaves an indelible imprint on the mind and has to be accounted for. Hence the necessity for right thoughts, right aspirations and right conduct, all of which constitute the hedge around the tender sapling of spirituality. I wish you to simplify, simplify, and simplify. To be simple in all aspects of life is to accept life. Try to help all others with a spirit of self-denial. Your self will expand to cover all humanity and other creation. Such an enterprise will lead your soul on to God.

Be pure in thought, word, and deed, and love all. Love is the panacea for all ills of life. Be good and do good. These five words contain in them the essence of all religions of the world. My work shall be amply repaid if you live up to them.

Man is what he thinks about all day long. One can only live one moment at a time. Emerson said, “There is no moment in eternity more important than this moment.”

All real good or evil that may befall a man is from himself. If a man lives in a good or in bad way in the real present, he will ensure the same in the future. If you have bad thoughts for others, you will harm not them only but yourself as well, as thoughts are very potent. Nothing is good or bad in the world, but our thinking makes it so. We, like the one or the other of the seeds, draw upon impulses from the atmosphere as suits our own mental make-up.

The road to perfection lies in walking rather than in talking, and such a thing as judging others or the Master from one’s own viewpoint or understanding gained so far, is hardly justified or proper for anyone. All are on the road to perfection and it is not wise for anyone to find fault with others. Talking is easy. Doing is difficult. Nothing is gained by talking, but by doing one may progress on the Path. Too much talking dissipates spiritual energy. You should try to control your speech by resorting to Simran of the Names silently. You will be able to tide over the difficulty and improve in due course. Think twice before you speak. Think out as to whether what you speak is true, kind and necessary.
The Master’s strong and protective arms and His loving vigilant eyes are always on His fold. He is for their progress. When outer difficulties seem hard, His inner grace increases. If someone says something unpleasant about you, consider it calmly. If what has been said is correct, partly or in the main, try to remove those defects and thank the person for his kindness in pointing out those truths. If on the other hand, those things are incorrect, accept the fact that the person is not fully informed and has spoken through a misconception. Excuse him for it and forget it. Should an opportunity occur to remove this misunderstanding, remove it lovingly and with an open heart. This will hasten spiritual progress and help to clean the vessel which is destined to be filled with the ever-ready and overflowing grace of the Master.

So long as one has not attained universal consciousness, differences of opinion are bound to exist. But if one has understood their cause, one will not allow them to disturb one’s peace of mind. Whatever the outer opposition, whatever the outer opinion of others, if one has surrendered oneself completely to one’s love, then nothing can disturb one’s equanimity or obstruct one’s spiritual course. He who is upset by what others have to say is without question one who is still controlled by the ego and has yet to conquer his self. He has yet to learn the rudiments of spirituality. So whenever anybody hurts your feelings in word or deed, forgive. Forgiveness is the only sweet water that will wash away all dirt. Justice won’t do it, mind that! If you want justice, then that will react. Forgiveness only washes away all dirt. Forgive and forget, this is the way to spirituality.

Good books are helpful but too much dwelling on suchlike books results in bewilderment. An unbiased and careful study of the sacred books published from here will bless you with more of right understanding. These do not require further interpretation. Howsoever, if you will attempt to elaborate the subtle points discussed in them, you shall have to be more receptive by eliminating yourself totally and let the gracious Masterpower work through you. Smooth channels do get moist with the inflow of divine grace and for deriving maximum spiritual benefit you should be more self-abnegating and humble.

The ethical and clean life is most essential, but without some degree of inner conviction, one would generally run the risk of a lapse, (if) under some severe stress and strenuous strain. This conviction and growth, in fullness of bloom, is necessary and the Master, through His sheer grace and kindness, helps to obtain it. Your welfare is as dear to me as a loving Father has for his child.

Try to live by the precept of the Master and then alone your words can have weight with your friends. You cannot preach of chastity with lust in your heart and a leer in your eyes. We should be happy in the happiness of others and suffer in the sufferings of others. If we have helped even one person by removing a little misery from his day, we have done a great service. With sweet words, with kind sympathy, share the unhappy burden resting upon our poor fellow-beings, or it spreads and grows as the days go by. It is indeed a great service to make a dreary child find its way to the Father, and contrarily it is the height of sin and stupidity to prevent one going the right way and to misguide him.
You are beginning to learn that things in life happen according to plan. That plan is a direct result of reactions of one’s own actions. It is therefore stressed that one should act lovingly and sweetly so that further reaction is properly channelized side by side with the liquidation of Pralabdh (destiny) karmas. You are advised to be more calm, patient and tolerant in face of harshness. Suchlike passing phases of trials and tribulations come up as a reaction of past karma and as such should be treated in the like manner. It is sure that laws of nature are very rigid and any transgression must be paid, though their severity is, to a great extent, toned down at the feet of a great Master. Each one has to earn and cleanse one’s own vessel before it is filled with blessings of the Master. There are no windfalls although the labour bears more fruit in the house of the Master.
Yes, the philosophy of karma has a specific place in the Science of the Soul. But it should not induce morbidity nor create a sense of frustration among the initiates and non-initiates. Man is the maker of his own destiny. Though one cannot alter the past, he may forge the future. The past is dead and buried, and repentance, though good in itself, cannot cure or undo it, while the future is chiefly based on the reactions of the past karmas, and is affected to a great extent by what we are doing in the living present. So, if we care for living a nice, honorable and honest life in the living present, abiding by the holy commandments of the sages and seers, there should be little to worry for the past and nothing to become anxious about for the future.

We must, therefore pay proper heed to the sowing and not to the harvesting, for the harvest will come of its own from the seeds sown. Guru Nanak has beautifully said: “It may be very well to worry about events and happenings contrary to the divine plan (which of course can never be) – but what is destined will, of course, happen in spite of us.” Learn the sacred technique of doing one thing at a time and that, too, with one-pointed, whole-hearted, and undivided attention. In this way you will accomplish much more in less time and with far less effort. So the Master tells us that all we need to care for is our spiritual perfection and take the routine round of the fated karmas as superbly beneficial for soul emancipation. In this way we will cultivate a state of perpetual resignation which will be helpful in holy meditations.

It is a happy thing to note that you have a dominant desire to better the world in which you live, and that you worry about the human race and let your salvation take care of itself through good works and clean living. It is a very noble idea. But the practical way of effectively carrying it out is to first grow into a beautiful flower yourself and then to emit fragrance and sweetness to all, as a matter of course. “Service before self” is a very good thing. But very often one does not even know the true significance of service and with all his well-meaning intentions actually does disservice, instead of the much wanted service of which we so glibly talk. Until we discover the true “Self” within us, we cannot visualize, much less actually realize in others the self-same life-impulse vibrating in the universe. This is why emphasis is laid in the first instance on Self-knowledge, for it paves the way to God-knowledge, and when it dawns, one sees nothing but the Spirit of God working in all harmony, in each creature. “Service to others” now assumes quite a different aspect, becoming a dedication to the Spirit of the universe pervading in and around you, because when one grasps the human in himself, he understands all mankind.

So we are to be just and friendly to everyone, to be sincere and to be true to one’s self, to be good and to do good to others, to make others happy, to comfort the sick and the afflicted, to serve the poor and the needy; to love God and all His creation: man, animals, birds, reptiles, and also the least conscious. They are all members of the one family of God.

(Extract from “The Teachings of Kirpal Singh” – Vol. III, chapter 5)