Minnesota – Washington – Canada – California
Minnesota
On November 15, Sant Kirpal Singh spoke on the subject of spirituality at the Mayo Memorial Auditorium, University of Minnesota Hospital, in Minneapolis. This meeting was sponsored by the Sikh Study Circle. On November 16, Sant Kirpal Singh flew to Seattle, Washington.
Spirituality discloses what the holy word is and how to commune with it, tells us that the ultimate goal is self-realization and God-realization, or the union of the soul with the oversoul, and teaches how it can be achieved by means of Surat Shabd Yoga or the path of the Sound Current.
Washington
Whilst in Seattle the Master gave two public talks to overflow meetings at the Women's Century Club. Sant Kirpal Singh left for Vancouver on November 18.
Canada - British Columbia
In the evening Sant Kirpal Singh delivered a lecture at the Vancouver Sikh Temple. A thousand people listened in enraptured silence while He read from the Guru Granth Sahib in Punjabi, giving a bilingual commentary in Punjabi and English on this classic scripture of the Sikh faith. East and West were united before Him.
Sant Kirpal Singh addressed an enthusiastic audience at International House, University of British Columbia, where once again all available space in the hall was taken up. Further talks were given in the Y.M.C.A., the Quakers' Center, and the Sikh Temple to crowded and attentive audiences.
Hindus ask me to come; I go over there and give them something from their scriptures: "Your scriptures say that." I go to the Sikh temples; I went here in Vancouver: "Here are your scriptures." Do you know what I mean to say? They consider that their religions probably have something new. Well, I say, although the outer social bodies are different, of course, the inner truth is the same. I go to all different kinds of churches: I met the Orthodox Christians; I met the Coptics, the Byzantines, the Protestants, the Roman Catholics; I met the Jews. Among all, the basic principle is the same.
California
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji flew to San Francisco, California, on November 22, 1963, the tragic and fateful day of the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States. "President Kennedy was truly a great man," said Kirpal Singh as he received the news of the President's tragic death. "If he had lived longer, he would have helped the world situation greatly."
Sant Kirpal Singh gave several talks in the area of San Jose, including two discourses at the Blind Center, San Jose; three talks at the Y.M.C.A., San Francisco; and one talk at the Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto.
On November 25 Sant Kirpal Singh left for the beautiful coastal resort of Carmel where He stayed at the residence of Mrs. Ann Burg. Two talks were given at the Merill Hall, Carmel,
On November 27, the Master presided over the marriage of two disciples. The ceremony was performed on the lawn at the residence where he was staying, and Sant Kirpal Singh stood next to the minister and gave his blessing to the marriage.
Sant Kirpal Singh left for Fresno November 28, where two very crowded meetings were held.
On November 30, Sant Kirpal Singh left Fresno for San Francisco. He insisted on making a detour by way of the town of Sonora where a disciple, Mr. Frank Laginha, was lying sick in the hospital as a result of having both legs crushed while working with heavy machinery.
In San Francisco, Sant Kirpal Singh was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Baptiste who gave a special reception in His honor. Two public meetings were again held in that city, and on December 2, Sant Kirpal Singh left for Santa Barbara, Southern California. Two talks were given at the Church of Religious Science which were extremely well attended.
In my two talks here, I gave out the same subject and also what is required to go further inside to contact the Word Power. On initiation you also had some experience of it, and others who also attended the meditation period had some experience, with the grace of God. This is something that will be with you here and hereafter. This is the most important part of the show. "Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?" [ Matthew 6:25]
We have done so much for the physical body and the intellect; but we must do something for our own spirit, too. For that, you have been given the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. The more you give It, the stronger you win be. The result of coming in contact with it is that you will be in the world, yet not affected by the world. In due course, you will come to know that it is the God Power which is working in you, not you. You will become a conscious co-worker of the Divine Plan. You will see that it is the same truth, the same Light and Sound Principle, reverberating within you and in all of creation. That will cause you to lose your ego. When your ego is gone, then what are you? You are to be physically and intellectually still, and you will know that you are God.
The point is, God is Light and we are also Light. But our Light is enshrouded or enveloped by so many different coverings. We have now begun to know how we can shake off the iron curtain of the body.
Every man who has the man-body has the birthright to know God, I would say. And for that purpose you have joined various religions. Blessed you are. But you have to take up that which is the basic teaching of all religions. All Masters gave out that God is Light; that God is Sound Principle; that that is the way back to the wordless state of God. You have been given that, and the God Power will help you. He is always all along with you. And my best wishes are with you; that's all I can say.
Sant Kirpal Singh
At an informal talk on December 5, Sant Kirpal Singh journeyed to Montrose suburb of Los Angeles. Talks were given at the Spars Heights Community Center; the Unity Church of the Valley, La Crescenta; the Unity Temple, Glendale; and three talks at the local Baces Hall. A very large number of people attended these talks here.
On Tuesday, December 10, Sant Kirpal Singh was presented with an illuminated Scroll, in recognition of His work for spirituality and world peace, by Supervisor Bonelli, on behalf of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles. Before leaving for Tustin on December 12, the Master paid a second visit to Ananda Ashram
Sant Kirpal Singh and His motorcade arrived at the magnificent Cowan Heights Ranch at Tustin, about forty miles south-east of Los Angeles, on the afternoon of December 12. In the evening, the Master gave a talk about various aspects of the Path of the Masters.
The next day, Kirpal Singh and the party from Tustin left for Harmony Grove, a beautiful retreat in the hills of Escondido, where they were to stay for two days. During this short stay Sant Kirpal Singh gave five talks in the large public hall. Tremendous interest was evoked by the theme of Kirpal Singh's talks: "Spirituality, not spiritualism" for Harmony Grove is a large center for the spiritualist movement.
So knowing oneself and knowing God is what is called, strictly speaking, spirituality. What things help us to know ourselves, what things are not helping factors, and how we can analyze ourselves from the outgoing faculties and intellect is a practical subject. This is truly called spirituality. There are other side issues. Spirituality is no spiritualism, no spiritism, no hypnotism, and no mesmerism. These are side issues. Spiritualism means just to come in contact with those souls who have left the body. Spiritism is just a contact with the souls that are earth-bound. Hypnotism is just to influence somebody to think some way. And mesmerism also brings us under the influence of somebody: we are not left to our own free will. So these are side issues. Strictly speaking, they do not help us. They may help us to a certain extent; but, truly speaking, they are not spirituality.
Kirpal Singh returned to Tustin on December 15 after initiating a large number of people at Harmony Grove. A public talk was given at the Unity Church of Truth at nearby Santa Ana on December 16, and two talks at the Y.W.C.A., Santa Ana, on December 17 and 18. On December 19, the Master left for Beaumont, California. Within an hour of His arrival, Kirpal Singh left for Palm Springs, where He was received by the city's Mayor with whom He discussed the World Fellowship of Religion. Later the same day the Master gave a discourse on spirituality at a local hall in Beaumont.
Sant Kirpal Singh flew to Dallas, Texas, on December 21.