The Unknowing Sage

The Life and Work of Baba Faqir Chand

_____________

Edited by David Christopher Lane

The Unknowing Sage

Copyright © 1981 by David Christopher Lane

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means without written permission of the author.

Fourth Edition

ISBN 1-56543-088-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Published by the MSAC Philosophy Group

Printed in the United States of America

To Inner Visions and Running Trains
__________
 Foreword

Faqir Chand [1886 to 1981] was a remarkable

Indian sage who spent over seventy-five years
practicing an ancient meditation technique,
popularly known today as surat shabd yoga,
which attempts to induce a consciously con-
trolled near-death experience. Mastery of this
practice, according to adepts of the tradition,
enables one to experience regions of light and
sound beyond the normal waking state, provid-
ing glimpses into higher realms of conscious-
ness.

Near the end of World War One, Faqir Chand

was recognized by his own guru Shiv Brat Lal
and others in the movement to be an advanced
shabd yoga mystic. According to Faqir's own
account, he could almost daily leave his body at
will and experience exalted states of awareness.
Nevertheless, Faqir Chand was not satisfied
with these attainments and sought for some-
thing higher and more permanent. Eventually
Faqir realized that no matter how subtle or
blissful a meditation experience may be, it did
not in and of itself constitute the ultimate in
spiritual realization. Rather, the ultimate truth
was that no experience could capture or contain
the transcendental mystery of Being. In the
highest stages of development man does not
develop a keen sense of omniscience, but a
radical and irrevocable understanding of
unknowingness. In sum, one realizes that he or
she is nothing but a mere bubble in a sea of
existence which is infinite in all directions. As
such, the bubble simply surrenders its entire
being to that Power which is, in truth, living it.

Thus Faqir Chand became quite outspoken

about how gurus, masters, prophets, and
mystics, posing as all-knowing beings, have
deceived millions of followers by duping them
into believing that they have omnipresence and
omnipotence when in fact they have neither.
What enlightened sages possess, rather, is access
experientially to a higher spectrum of aware-
ness, which, in turn, reveals not final or abso-
lute truth, but a growing awareness of how truly
mysterious life really is. As Shiv Dayal Singh,
the founder of Radhasoami, poetically put it:
"Wonder, Wonder, Wonder; Wonder hath
assumed a form."
Coupled with Faqir's tacit realization of unkno-
wingness, he also exposed for the first time in
the Sant tradition how visions of religious
personages are the products of one's own inner
development. For instance, when one under-
goes a near-death experience and beholds a
Jesus or a Nanak or an Angel in the middle of
the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, it is
not the esteemed figure who is himself orches-
trating the encounter. Rather it is the neophyte
who is projecting the sacred personage on to
the light from his/her own biological and
cultural history. The light may well indeed be a
transcultural phenomenon, part and parcel of a
higher order of awareness or merely a neurolog-
ical event, but the interpretation of who resides
in that light (Is it Jesus? Is it Nanak? Is it my
uncle Joe?) is entirely a personal affair, shaded
by the nuances of an individual's sojourn for
tens of years on a planet we call Earth.

Faqir is perhaps best known for his frank

admissions of ignorance surrounding his
miraculous appearances to disciples during
times of need. He unilaterally confessed that he
was never aware of appearing to his devotees.
Nor did Faqir Chand claim that he had unders-
tood the secret of Reality. As he said on many
occasions, echoing the words of such greats as
Lao Tzu, Socrates, and Nicholas of Cusa: "How
can I make any claims about attaining the
Ultimate. The truth is that I know nothing."
Hence, Faqir Chand raised the slogan of "Be-
Man," arguing that to become a human being,
endowed with discrimination and compassion,
is a great thing in itself. To be spiritual, Faqir
would assert, necessitates that one become a
true man (or woman) first.

The Mt. San Antonio Philosophy Group, while

not advocating any one position in philosophy
or religion, established the Faqir Chand Library
Series in honor of vichar, "clear thinking." As
the late Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh, a contem-
porary of Faqir's, once stated, "Clear thinking is
90% of spirituality." Future volumes in the
series will include works in both science and
religion which promote the Chandian spirit of
honest and frank criticism. This volume, The
Unknowing Sage, represents the first compre-
hensive study of Baba Faqir Chand's life and
work in English.
 Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................ 1
The Life ............................................................. 21
The Interview.................................................... 59
The Work .......................................................... 85
The Exit ........................................................... 111
Conclusion: The Honest Guru ......................... 133
Introduction

After meeting personally with Baba Faqir

Chand, it became exceedingly apparent to
myself and Professor Mark Juergensmeyer (who
visited Manavta Mandir in late August of 1978)
[See Juergensmeyer's book, Radhasoami Reality (Prince-
ton University Press, 1991)] that the old sage was
something of an anomaly amongst Indian
gurus. For, although Faqir Chand had a rather
large and devoted following (numbering in the
thousands), he absolutely disclaimed himself of
any miracles attributed to his spiritual work,
saying quite frankly that they were products of
either the devotee's previous karma or intense
faith. Indeed, it was this very insight which led
Faqir to his own enlightenment.

When Faqir Chand began to initiate disciples

into surat shabd yoga, at the request of his
master Shiv Brat Lal, a most curious thing
happened. His devotees began reporting that
Faqir's radiant form appeared inside their
meditations. Others related miracles that were
caused by Faqir's prashad (blessed food), letters,
or advice. However, all during this time Faqir
claims that he had absolutely no knowledge or
 Introduction

awareness of his form appearing to distant

provinces or performing miracles to the sick
and dying. As Faqir himself wrote, "People say
that my Form manifests to them and helps
them in solving their worldly as well as mental
problems, but I do not go anywhere, nor do I
know about such miraculous instances." [Faqir
Chand, The Essence Of The Truth (Hoshiarpur: Faqir
Charitable Library Trust, n.d.1976?)]

It was at this point when Faqir asked himself,

"What about the visions that appear to me? Are
they a creation of my own mind, and does my
guru also not know about his appearances to
me?" Only then, according to Faqir, did he
realize the truth: "All manifestations, visions,
and forms that are seen within are mental
(illusory) creations."[Faqir Chand, The Secret of
Secrets (Hoshiarpur: Faqir Charitable Library Trust,
1975)]

After his realization, Faqir began preaching his

belief that all saints, from Buddha, Christ, to
even his own master Shiv Brat Lal are ignorant
about the miracles or inner experiences attri-
buted to them. In a paper given to the Ameri-
can Academy of Religion in March 1981, I used
the term "The Unknowing Hierophany" to
describe what Faqir Chand believes; that is, a

2
 The Unknowing Sage

"Divine" vehicle within the temporal world that

is unaware of its spiritual manifestations. [A
revised form of this original paper was published under
the title "The Hierarchical Structure of Religious
Visions," in The Journal Of Transpersonal Psychology
(Volume 15, Number 1)]

Though Faqir is probably the most outspoken,

other great religious leaders, saints and mystics
have expounded on this same unknowingness.
However, it is not seen by most (especially
devotees) as an explanation of their subser-
vience to the Great Mystery, but rather as a
statement designed to exhibit the saint's humili-
ty, or as a tacit attempt for concealing his real
mission and purpose.

Jesus, for instance, is reported in the Gospel of

Mark as asking the crowd that was following
him, "Who touched me?" After this, a woman
who had suffered from a flow of blood for
twelve years came up to Jesus and told him
about her plan for a Divine cure. By a brief
touch a miracle happened, as she was cured
from hemorrhaging. At this Jesus said, "Daugh-
ter, your faith has made you well." [Saint Mark,
translated and edited by D.E. Nineham (Harmondsworth:
Penguin, 1976)]

3
 Introduction

The famed sage, Ramana Maharshi, when asked

about Jesus' power to perform miracles, subs-
tantiates what Faqir Chand had taught for over
forty years: "Was Jesus aware at the time that
he was curing men of their diseases? He could
not have been conscious of his powers. Such
manifestations are as real as your own reality. In
other words, when you identify yourself with
the body as in jagrat, you see gross objects;
when in subtle body or in mental plane as in
svapna, you see objects equally subtle; in
absence of identification as in sushputi, you see
nothing. The objects seen bear relation to the
state of the seer. The same applies to visions of
God."
[Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi, Volume I, II, and III.
(Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 1972), pages 17 and
355]

Along with this "unknowingness" there is also

the internal, ever-present supreme knowledge
which saints and sages have described as the
hallmark of enlightenment. Jesus said, "The
Father and I are one." The Sufi martyr, Mansur
al-Hallaj, shouted before his execution, "ana'l-
Haqq" (I am the Truth). Sarmad, the Jewish-
Indian saint, exclaimed, "I am King of Kings."
And Meister Eckhart, in slightly different

4
 The Unknowing Sage

language wrote, "The eye with which God sees

me is the same eye which I perceive Him."

These quotations illustrate that mysticism is

concerned with spiritual knowledge: the rela-
tionship of the soul with God, and not with any
secondary psychic abilities which may arise as a
result of intense spiritual discipline.

However, this kind of knowledge cannot be

equated with logical, objective learning. The
former is the realization of one's eternal nature,
a transcendental experience of oneness. The
latter is concerned with dualistic thinking,
knowing about things--that which is based upon
an illusory division of the world into two
separate components: the subject and the
object. Thus, when saints talk about the ulti-
mate knowledge, they are referring to the
Ground of Being, that which is the condition
for all subsequent conditions. Consequently, an
enlightened master may not know anything
about academic subjects such as quantum
mechanics, anthropology, or critical history.

As Ken Wilber astutely comments, "I have yet

to see a guru run a four-minute mile with his
`perfect body' or explain Einstein's special
theory of relativity with his `perfect mind'. . .

5
 Introduction

Perfection lies only in conscious transcendence,

not in concrete manifestation." [Spiritual Choices
(New York: Paragon House Publishers, 1987), page 258]

Even though Faqir Chand was not conscious of

his miraculous powers or his healing gifts (nor,
evidently, are most other gurus), does it neces-
sarily hold that all masters are likewise ignorant
about their visionary manifestations? Moreover,
is it true that all religious visions are individual
creations, determined by the faith and concen-
tration of zealous devotees? At first glance, the
answer would appear to be "yes," because many
internal visions are not of factual and historical
human entities, but of amalgamated characters,
mythic beings, and fictional heroines--some
whose life stories may be entirely based upon
the writer's own creative mind.

For example, Paul Twitchell made up the

literary figure, Rebazar Tarzs, claiming that the
Tibetan monk was over 500 hundred years old
and resided in a remote region in the Himalayan
mountains. Although Rebazar Tarzs does not,
in fact, exist, devoted followers of Paul Twit-
chell's religious movement, Eckankar, claim to
have extraordinary visions of him. What is
transpiring is fairly obvious: when one ascends
to a different level of awareness (like in O.B.E.'s

6
 The Unknowing Sage

or N.D.E.'s) they interpret the inner light

according to their own particular cultural
background. Sikhs see Guru Nanak, not Moses;
Catholics see the Virgin Mary, not Buddha; and
Eckists see Rebazar Tarzs, not the store clerk at
7/11.[ For more on this phenomenon, see my chapter,
Gakko Came From Venus: The Invention Of A Religious
Tradition, in Exposing Cults (New York & London:
Garland Publishing, 1993).]

However, on closer inspection it becomes

apparent that some masters claim to know
about their subtle interactions with disciples and
that certain visions may not be merely due to
extreme faith or concentration. This psychic
awareness, as it were though, apparently arises
spontaneously and is not the product of any
sustained conscious manipulation.

A classic example of a fully conscious bilocation

experience comes surprisingly enough from
Ramana Maharshi, a sage who did not show
even the slightest interest in psychic powers or
abilities. Recounts Arthur Osborne, Ramana's
biographer: "About a year after his meeting
with Sri Bhagavan, Ganapati Sastri experienced
a remarkable outflow of his Grace. While he
was sitting in meditation in the temple of
Ganapati at Tiruvothiyur he felt distracted and

7
 Introduction

longed intensely for the presence and guidance

of Sri Bhagavan. At that moment Sri Bhagavan
entered the temple. Ganapati Sastri prostrated
himself before him and, as he was about to rise,
he felt Sri Bhagavan's hand upon his head and a
terrifically vital force coursing through his body
from the touch; so that he also received Grace
by touch from the Master."

Speaking about this incident in later years, Sri

Bhagavan said, "One day, some years ago, I
was lying down and awake when I distinctly felt
my body rise higher and higher. I could see the
physical objects below growing smaller and
smaller until they disappeared and all around me
was a limitless expanse of dazzling light.After
some time I felt the body slowly descend and
the physical objects below began to appear. I
was so fully aware of this incident that I finally
concluded that it must be by such means that
Siddhas (Sages with powers) travel over vast
distances in a short time and appear and
disappear in such a mysterious manner. While
the body thus descended to the ground it
occurred to me that I was at Tiruvothiyur
though I had never seen the place before. I
found myself on a highroad and walked along it.
At some distance from the roadside was a
temple of Ganapati and I entered it."

8
 The Unknowing Sage

This incident is very characteristic of Sri

Bhagavan. It is characteristic that the distress or
devotion of one of his people should call forth
an involuntary response and intervention in a
form that can only be called miraculous. [Arthur
Osborne, RAMANA Maharshi And The Path of Self-
Knowledge (Bombay: Jaico Publishing House, 1982),
pages 93-94.]

Ramana's experience of bilocation indicates that

Faqir Chand's categorical statement about all
gurus not knowing about their visionary
manifestations may need qualifications. Simply
put, some saints appear to know about their
miraculous appearances. The number of these
"fully aware" mystics, however, is so incredibly
small that it is not an exaggeration to say that
Faqir Chand's "unknowing" hypothesis explains
99% of all the so-called guru visions in the
world. The overwhelming majority of inner
visions are projections of one's own mind
which have no substantial "reality check" with
either the outer world or the higher inner
regions. Furthermore, the object of devotion in
these transpersonal encounters are, for the most
part, not aware of their role. Thus, the Chan-
dian Effect is a general explanation which
covers almost all transpersonal visions. Rama-
na's experience and others like his represents a

9
 Introduction

very small, bracketed, "special" case scenario.

As such, it warrants further inspection, but
should not be misconstrued as a general
reference point with which to adjudicate
transmundane happenings.

The Chandian Effect, so named because Faqir

Chand was the first Sant Mat guru to speak at
length about the "unknowing" aspects of
visionary manifestations, designates two major
factors in transpersonal encounters: 1) the
overwhelming experience of certainty (ganz
andere/mysterium tremendum) which accom-
panies religious ecstasies; and 2) the subjective
projection of sacred forms/figures/scenes by a
meditator/devotee without the conscious
knowledge of the object/person who is beheld
as the center of the experience. [I first coined the
term in my article, The Himalayan Connection: U.F.O.'s
and The Chandian Effect, The Journal Of Humanistic
Psychology (Fall 1984).]

Concerning these "special cases," Sawan Singh,

a deeply admired master in the surat shabd yoga
tradition (1858-1948), for whom both Faqir
Chand and his teacher Shiv Brat Lal had
tremendous regard, wrote that the outward guru
can and does know about the inner condition of
his disciples. This knowledge, Sawan Singh

10
 The Unknowing Sage

pointed out, is conveyed to the physical master

via the inner Shabd (Divine Sound), though
only in extreme cases where the outer master's
attention is needed. [See Sawan Singh's letters to
American and European disciples in Spiritual Gems and
The Dawn of Light published by the Radhasoami Beas
Satsang.] Writes Sawan Singh to one of his
disciples:

"Now regarding your question about the Inner

Master and that Inner Master guiding the
disciple, first of all, what is the Inner Master?
The Real Saint or Perfect Master is one with the
Supreme Lord, having merged His Being with
the Supreme. Now, as the Supreme Lord has all
power, so do the Perfect Masters. He can do as
He pleases, and anywhere and always, so that
He may better work with, protect, and instruct
and guide His disciples. Every time He gives the
initiation to anyone, He creates an Astral Image
of Himself in the disciple. And from then on,
the Master never leaves the disciple. The
Double, or Other Self, or Image of the Master
is sometimes what we call the Inner Master.
Now, if anything occurs in the life of the
disciple that requires the personal attention of
the Master, here (in India) in the Body--this
Inner Master at once reports to the Conscious
Master (in India) and the Conscious Master

11
 Introduction

gives the thing his personal attention. The

Master sometimes calls these Doubles of
Himself his agents. They do his work, taking
care of all his disciples. They have the power to
act without limit. They can do what the Master
wishes Them to do, and They obey His orders.
The human side of the Master here (in India)
may not know what is going on in the life of
that person. It may be on the other side of the
globe. He will not be aware of the details, but
He can know them if He wishes. But manifest-
ly, you see how difficult it would be for any one
man, as man, to go to all parts of the world and
take care of so many. If the Master had a
million disciples, He would have an Astral
Double of Himself in every one of them, and
that Agent of the Master would look after the
disciple at all times, reporting to the Master here
(in India) only in case of extreme emergency."
[Extract From A Letter By The Great Master To A
Disciple, Science Of The Soul (June 1985)]

Hence, according to this perspective, the

outward master does not know most of the
time. Similar to Ramana Maharshi's experience,
the Beas master learns of his visionary manife-
stations on only special occasions. The modus
operandi behind how certain masters could
possibly know about their disciple's spiritual

12
 The Unknowing Sage

experiences is explained in a remarkable passage

by Da Kalki (alias Da Love Ananda; Da Free
John; Bubba Free John; Franklin Jones):

"After that time, [when Da Free John achieved

Enlightenment]when I would sit for meditation
in any formal way, instead of contemplating
what was arising in myself, I would contemplate
other beings as my own forms. Instead of my
own psychic forms arising, the psychic forms,
minds, and limitations of others would arise. I
was aware, visually and otherwise, of great
numbers of people, and I would work with
them very directly on a subtle level. In some
cases, these people would soon contact me and
become involved with me in a personal rela-
tionship. Others were people I already knew. I
would work for them in the subtle way, and
then watch for signs and demonstrations in
their outward lives of the reality of that manife-
station. I tested everything in this manner."
[Bubba (Da) Free John, The Enlightenment Of The
Whole Body (Clearlake: Dawn Horse Press, 1978), page
38.]

My citation of Da Kalki should not be con-

strued as an endorsement of his mastership; it is
not. Although I am sincerely a great "fan" of Da
Love Ananda's writings, I am a very harsh critic

13
 Introduction

of his personal lifestyle. I have written an

extensive article on this very point--how to
distinguish the message from the medium--
because it is vitally important to remember that
a superb writer/thinker does not mean that by
extension that the person is "God-Realized" or
a "Perfect Master." Moreover, I am not all that
sure that Da Kalki has any psychic experiences.
I just happen to think that his explanation of
possible psychic experiences is clear and
rational. [See "The Paradox Of Da Free John: Distin-
guishing The Message From The Medium." UCSM
(Volume One, Number Two).]

Charan Singh, the late head of the Radhasoami

Satsang at Beas, for instance, chose disciples for
initiation by simply looking at them. I have
personally seen thousands of people file directly
in front of Charan Singh and in a matter of a
few seconds he turns his head to the left or to
the right, indicating whether the seeker was
accepted or rejected for Nam-Dan. [Nam-
Dan is a ceremony where the living Satguru
gives the "Gift of Nam" or Initiation to chosen
disciples. It includes precise details about how
to meditate and withdraw one's consciousness
from the physical body by means of a three-fold
method: simran (repetition of holy name(s)),
dhyan (contemplation of the inner light or the

14
 The Unknowing Sage

guru's form within); and bhajan (listening to the

divine sound current). There are several movies
which have filmed this unusual selection
process for Nam-Dan, including Satguru
(London 1976), The Dera Documentary (Dera
Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas, India, 1970's), and
Guiding Light (Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas,
India 1983). I personally witnessed the event
inside the famous Satsang Ghar at Dera in the
Winter of 1981.] Needless to say, it is an awe-
inspiring sight, and one which I confess is
beyond my limited comprehension.]

During his second world tour in 1970, Maharaj

Charan Singh was asked the following question:
"Is the physical Master aware of all the initiates'
inner experiences?" Charan Singh's answer
demonstrates that the outer master does know
about his visionary manifestations. Responded
Charan Singh: "Our real Master, as I just told
you, is the Shabd and Nam. And when we are
connected with that Shabd and Nam, that
Shabd and Nam takes care of us. The physical
Master, of course, is aware of all that. [My
emphasis.] But, you see, it is Shabd and Nam
which is our real Master, that takes care of
everything." [Thus Saith The Master (Beas: R.S.
Foundation, 1974), page 150.]

15
 Introduction

Another example of extraordinary manifesta-

tions which go beyond Faqir Chand's hypothe-
sis of unknowingness comes from Baba Jaimal
Singh, the first guru of the Beas satsang and a
personal disciple of the founder of Radhasoami,
Shiv Dayal Singh. In the following excerpts,
Jaimal Singh details a most remarkable physical
bilocation of his guru. Recollects Baba Ji:

"Once, during Christmas, the army units were

allowed four holidays. As I had no official duty
assigned to me during that period, I felt that I
could best spend it in meditation in my room.
Accordingly, I told the cook that I should not
be disturbed, that if I needed food I would
personally ask for it. Also, if anybody asked for
me, he should be told that I was out. It so
happened that soon thereafter my presence was
required for writing some accounts. However,
as my door was locked, everybody who came to
call me went back disappointed. Meanwhile, the
officer of the Unit had demanded full account
from the clerk who really did not know what to
do in my absence. Just when a thought crossed
his mind that he should report my absence to
the officer, he saw me and heard me say to him
that he should take down the account. This the
clerk did. Such accounts were rendered three
times daily, and were thereafter sent to the

16
 The Unknowing Sage

officer concerned by the clerk immediately after

he got them. This continued on all the four days
during which I was engaged in meditation in my
room. However, I knew nothing about it, for I
would leave my room only at four o'clock in the
morning and ten o'clock at night just to answer
nature's call. When the holidays were over and I
came out of my room, I was called in for
accounts for the day previous only. I explained
to the clerk that I had been confined to my
room for the last four days and had not given
any accounts at all for the entire period. The
clerk then called the two persons who had been
present at the time the accounts were rendered.
One of them even produced the paper from
which I had actually dictated, saying that I could
myself ascertain whether this was the account
written by me in my own hand. When I ex-
amined this paper, I found it to be exactly what
it should have been. I silently meditated upon
Huzur Swami Ji's Feet and bowed in gratitude
for His unbounded Grace in representing me
during my absence and carrying out the job
assigned to me for that period." [Baba Jaimal
Singh, Spiritual Letters (Beas: R.S. Foundation, 1984),
pages 13-14. In the same book Jaimal Singh relates
several other extraordinary bilocation experiences.]

17
 Introduction

Although Jaimal Singh's experience was ex-

traordinary, there have been other reports by
mystics of similar physical bilocation excur-
sions.[See D. Scott Rogo's Miracles: A Parascientific
Inquiry Into Wondrous Phenomena (New York: The
Dial Press, 1982), Chapter IV, which deals specifically
with bilocation experiences around the world.]

The important point to remember, though, is

that such experiences are the exception, not the
rule in mysticism. The value of Faqir Chand's
revelations of ignorance is that most gurus (I
am tempted to say all) in India and elsewhere
are in the same lot, but falsely parade their
attainments to sincere, if gullible, disciples.
Faqir's startling insights show that most reli-
gious visions are, in fact, products of one's own
mind. When I use the term "mind" here it
should be equated with "imagination." Natural-
ly, all visions are of the mind in the strict sense
of the term, but those manifestations which
cannot be correlated by others either in this
world or the higher worlds are, for the most
part, merely vivid extensions of one's imagina-
tion.

However, we should not take Faqir's confes-

sions as precluding the possibility that certain
rare saints do have access to knowledge far

18
 The Unknowing Sage

beyond our comprehension, and that being

residents of those higher regions have the ability
to directly transmit such information to their
respective followers. [If I may interject a
personal note here, I must confess that I find
myself more and more agreeing with Faqir
Chand and his claims of unknowingness.]

As a seasoned observer of the guru scene, most

of what I discover is petty human motivations.
To be sure, there are gurus who have deeply
impressed me with their compassion and
humility (Charan Singh being, at least for me,
the most impressive), but I have yet to unearth
an airtight, empirical case for genuine psychic
powers. There are always some uninspected
loopholes which reveal that natural (versus
supernatural) processes were involved. I realize
that my skepticism will turn off a number of
parapsychology buffs, but in light of Occam's
Razor I see no overwhelming evidence to
suggest that Faqir Chand's autobiographical
admissions are not right on the mark.

Moreover, we should keep in mind that Faqir

Chand's use of the term "ignorance" has two
meanings. First, Faqir uses the term in an
absolute sense equating "Ignorance" (with a
capital "I") with God, thereby agreeing with

19
 Introduction

many saints and mystics that the Lord is an

unqualified Mystery (as Shiv Dayal Singh put it:
"Wonder, Wonder, Wonder; Wonder hath
assumed a form"). In this reference, there will
most likely be little debate with Faqir Chand.
However, Faqir also uses the term "ignorance"
to describe his realization that gurus do not
know about their visionary manifestations. As
we have noted, there may be exceptions to this
general rule, though they have yet to be empiri-
cally verified.

20
The Life

I was born on November 18, 1886, in a Brah-

min family in the Hoshiarpur district of the
Punjab. My late father, Pandit Mast Ram, was
an employee of the Indian Railway Police. He
being the only earning member of the family
and his pay being very small, financial poverty
ruled our household. Moreover, maybe due to
the nature of his work and/or his monetary
worries, my father's disposition was very strict.
Tormented by the poverty at home and always
fearful of my father's wrath, from the age of
seven years onward I sought relief in the name
of God. My thoughts and actions were virtuous
and in the course of time I studied the Ramaya-
na, the Mahabharta, and other scriptures of
Hindu Dharma. From these works I developed
a love for the incarnations of Rama and Krishna
and meditated upon their forms.

I studied up to the middle standard at Pind

Dadan Dhan in the Jhelum district (now in
 The Life

Pakistan) where my father was posted. Howev-

er, due to lack of resources my education could
not go beyond the middle class. At the age of
eighteen I got employment as a signaller in the
Construction Line of the Indian Railways.
During off duty hours I learned telegraphy
privately with the help of a signaller at the
railway station. At this tender age I came in
contact with the Contractors of the department.
They were all meat eaters and their company
turned me also into a non-vegetarian. Due to
my association with these people I took to
other wrong ways as well. I ate meat for six
months; drank rum on three occasions; gam-
bled once and lost one rupee and a quarter, and
also once visited a prostitute.

It was an extremely cold morning in 1905. The

previous night a terrible earthquake had shaken
the whole Kangra district causing a tremendous
loss of life and property. My cousin, true to his
daily routine, got up in the early morning hours,
took his bath in ice-cold water, and said his
prayers. After his devotional, he prepared the
meals and we sat down to eat it. At this very
time, an employee of the railway station came in
and placed a plate of meat before me. My

22
 The Unknowing Sage

cousin, who was a vegetarian, felt repelled by

the foul smell of the dish. He put both of his
hands on his mouth and nose, and, out of
hatred for the meat, threw two chapattis on my
plate. He was shivering. I could not ignore the
dramatic reaction of my relative. This gave rise
to a discussion within me. I thought: "He is my
cousin. He is following the dictates of Hin-
duism and leading a pure life, whereas my
actions are in the opposite direction. Why is this
so?" For half an hour a mental conflict contin-
ued within me: should I eat the meat or throw it
away? [Meat eating is a highly undesirable act
for a Brahmin.] Ultimately I decided not to eat
the meat and abstained from non-vegetarian
foods for six months thereafter.

All this time I was full of repentance over my

falls from the dictates of Hindu Dharma. Soon
after my act with the prostitute I realized my
weakness for sex and wrote to my father
requesting him to send my mother and my wife
(I was married at thirteen) to live with me.

One day I was going for a walk. On the way I

happened to meet a Jangli village headman. In
the course of our conversation we started to

23
 The Life

discuss the pros and cons of meat eating. He

put his arguments in favor of meat eating so
logically that I forgot about my previous
repentance. Before leaving the headman handed
me a chicken. A class IV employee beheaded
the little creature and prepared it for cooking. I
asked my wife to cook it. When my mother
learned of this, she went inside the kitchen and
bolted the door from inside. My wife knocked
at the door of the kitchen, so that she may cook
the meal. But my mother would not open it.
Then my elder brother and I pounded at the
door requesting her to open it. Frightened
because there was smoke coming out of the
kitchen, I broke open the door with an axe. My
mother came out. The suffocating smoke in the
kitchen, anger, and disappointment over my
accepting the meat loomed large over my
mother's face. Overpowered by affection, I
embraced her and implored, "Why did you not
open the door? Had you been suffocated to
death, where could I have found you dear
mother?" My mother, out of sheer anger,
pushed me away and fell down to the ground. I
rose up, and under the prevailing affection of
my heart, again embraced my mother and asked
her why she was so angry with me. Then she
said, "You have killed the baby of a mother.
The mother hen must be wailing over the loss

24
 The Unknowing Sage

of her dear child. You have committed a terrible

sin." At once, prompted by my conscience, I
made a firm vow that in the future I would
never commit such a sin.

For earning pardon for the four sins I had

committed I prayed to God in the form of
Rama and Krishna. I prayed and wept very
hard. I was helpless to do so. I wanted my
mental slate clean and it was not possible until
my transgressions were eradicated. Perhaps my
tears, shed so profusely, spoke of my conscien-
tious desire to be purified.

My peace of mind was disturbed. I felt restless

most of the time. It was a moonlit night. I was
praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly. There
appeared before me an aged sadhu with a long
gray beard and a tambura (guitar) in his hand.
Most lovingly he asked me, "Dear child, what
makes you weep? 'I have committed four
serious sins. I have known from the Hindu
scriptures that God takes birth in the human
form in this world. I want to see Rama and get
myself pardoned for my sins,"' I said. The kind,
old sadhu assured me thus, "For you, your God
in the human form is already on this earth. You

25
 The Life

will come into His contact and all your sins will
be pardoned." After saying these words the
sadhu disappeared. Following this incident, my
impatience to see God face to face increased.

In the meantime I got a permanent job in the

Indian railways and was posted as Assistant
Station Master at Baganwala. But my craving to
see the Lord did not diminish; rather, during
this time it reached its peak. Once I wept for
twenty-four hours continuously for a glimpse of
the Lord. Doctors were called in. They adminis-
tered medicine to me. At about five o'clock in
the morning I saw in a vision the form of
Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal. He drew water from a
nearby well and helped me take a bath, and then
told me his address in Lahore. I also saw my
father in the appearance and he made com-
plaints before Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal against
me. Then a class IV employee woke me and this
vision came to an abrupt end.

This experience convinced me that God had

incarnated Himself in the form of Maharishi
Shiv Brat Lal. So I started to write one letter

26
 The Unknowing Sage

every week and send it to the address that

appeared in my vision. Inside the letters I
always addressed Maharishi Ji as God. For ten
months I regularly wrote to Shiv Brat Lal. After
this period of nearly a year, I received a letter
from Maharishi wherein he wrote, "Faqir, your
letters I have been receiving regularly. I value
your sentiments and your passion for the Lord.
1, myself, have discovered Reality, Truth, and
Peace at the feet of Rai Saligram Ji of Radhas-
warni Mat. Provided you feel no reluctance in
following this path come and see me at La-
hore."

My craving to see God in the human form had

reached its fulfillment. I had previously submit-
ted an application for leave some time back. As
per His Will, the same day that I received a
letter from Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal a station
master reached Baganwala and told me that he
had come to relieve me. What a coincidence it
was! I handed over the charge to him and left
for Lahore the same day.

I reached the ashram. of Hazur Data Dayal A

(Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal) and prostrated my
humble self at His Holy Feet. He gave me an

27
 The Life

exceptionally affectionate welcome and initiated

me into Radhaswami Mat. His Holiness gave
me a book and asked me to go through it. The
work was Sar Bachan written by Swamiji
Maharaj (Shiv Dayal Singh), the founder of
Radhaswarni. I went through some pages of the
book in the very presence of Hazur Data Dayal
Ji. But I could not pursue it any further, though,
because Swamiji Maharaj had most vehemently
criticized almost every religion, including
Vedanta, Sufism, Islam, Jainism, and Buddhism.
He declared them all to be Kal and Maya. It was
too much for me. I felt hurt and tears rolled
down my eyes. His Holiness noticed my
reaction and inquired for the reason. I broke
out, "Hazur, God is One. I have faded to
understand the justification for condemning all
other religions as incomplete. This is a direct
attack on the religion of my ances- tors." Hazur
very lovingly advised me, "Keep aside this book
and never read it until I ask you to read."
Maharishi instead gave me two other books,
one on the life history of his guru, Rai Saligram.
Maharaj Ji, and the other by Kabir Sahib
entitled Kabir Sakhi. He advised me to attend
the satsangs (meetings) of Radhaswami Mat
wherever available.

28
 The Unknowing Sage

The spiritual practice, as directed by Hazur Shiv

Brat Lal, became part and parcel of my life. As I
was not yet adept in the inward practice of
ascending the higher stages of light and sound, I
remained satisfied with my concentration on the
Holy Form of His Holiness Data Dayal Ji.

On my way back from Lahore I used to stay at

Malkway Railway Station. There a book stall
agent used to give discourses on Radhaswami
Mat. Once the agent refused to share his huqqa
(an Indian smoking pipe used for tobacco) with
me. "We are both Brahmin by caste, why have
you refused to share your huqqa with me?" I
inquired. He surprised me by responding,
"Babu Kamta Prasad Sinha (alias Sarkar Saheb)
is the only true incarnation of Radhaswami
Dayal." [Babu Kainta Prasad Sinha was at that
time head of the Radhasoami Satsang at Ghazi-
pur in Uttar Pradesh.] He meant thereby that I
had not been ini- tiated by a true guru and thus
was not a true satsangi. I very politely said to
him, "Dear brother, God is one. He belongs to
all and all belong to Him. He may manifest to
his devotees in different forms at different

29
 The Life

places and different times. But if you do not

agree with me, then let me write a letter. You
mail this letter to your guru. His reply in any
form shall be accepted as final and I shall abide
by it."

There and then I wrote the letter, shedding

tears of love and devotion for the Supreme
Lord and handed it over to the gentleman to
post it to his guru. After fifteen days I was told
that Babu Kamta Prasad Sinha had breathed his
last and should wait for a reply until his succes-
sor was chosen. From this incident I concluded
that followers of Radhaswarni Mat [Ghazipur]
were not impartial and true seekers of the
ultimate reality. Their approach towards the all-
embracing Truth was narrow and very sectarian.
Hence, I gave up their company and avoided all
blind followers thereafter. Even if anybody
wished me "Radhaswami," I responded with
"Ram Ram."

10

In 1916, during the First World War, I volun-

teered myself for war services in the field in
order to earn more money and repel the
pressure of poverty from our family. Before
leaving for my post on the war front I went to

30
 The Unknowing Sage

Hazur Shiv Brat Lal for His Blessings. He gave

me the book Sar Bachan (which he showed me
on my first visit to him) and advised me, "Study
this book now and devote more time to simran
(repetition of a Holy Name or Names) and
Majan (listening to the inner Shabd, the Audible
Life Stream)." Thereafter I left for Baghdad
where I was to be posted.

During my stay in Baghdad I threw myself

wholeheartedly in spiritual sadhana. I gave as
much time as possible to inward practice
(meditation) and led a life of complete celibacy.
These sincere efforts of mine with a desire to
know the Truth bore fruit and in the course of
time I ascended all the inner regions and
experienced the lights and sounds at each stage
on the inward path. These inner fruits of my
meditation filled me with joy and ecstasy. But in
spite of this achievement I was not yet con-
tented, because I wanted to realize the Truth
which had prompted Swamiji Maharaj to
condemn all religions.

11

Towards the end of 1918 1 was granted annual

leave and I went home to India. I went to His
Holiness at Lahore to spend my maximum time

31
 The Life

in His company. During my stay with Hazur

Shiv Brat Lal I always troubled him with never
ending questions and queries. One day I placed
before Hazur the main agony of my heart in
these words, "My Lord, I have traversed many
inner regions of Sant Mat. I have dwelt in the
Light within and have experienced Shabd (the
Sound Current) in indescribable abundance. No
doubt, these experiences have been a great
source of joy for me. But, still I long to see
myself and know the sublime goal of Radhas-
warni Mat. How and why does the goal of
Radhaswami Mat differ from that of other
religions? I yearn to experience the supremacy
of the Radhaswami faith myself." His Holiness
assured me that he would answer my question
the next day.

My anxiety increased and I was very eagerly

awaiting the next day. It was December 25,
1918. Hazur Data Dayal Ji called me in his
room. I was already waiting for the moment. I
went inside. Lo! His Holiness with a strange
blend of affection placed in my hands one
coconut, five [coins], made a frontal mark on
my forehead and bowed himself to my feet
saying, "Faqir, you are yourself the Supreme
Master of your time. Start delivering spiritual
discourses to the seekers and initiate them into

32
 The Unknowing Sage

the path of Sant Mat. In due course of time,

your own satsangis will prove to be your 'True
Guru,' and it is through your experiences with
them that the desired secret of Sant Mat will be
revealed to you." Touched by these words, I
experienced both joy and sorrow within me.
Hazur noted both expressions on my face and
asked for clarification. I humbly said, "Your
Holiness, I am myself ignorant of the Truth,
how can I lead others on this sublime path?
And when the thought that I have become a
degree holder and would deliver discourses and
initiate people flashed within my mind, I felt
that I had become something and thus a spark
of joy." Hazur then said, "Faqir, you may be
suffering from ninety-nine shortcomings, but
one sure virtue of Truth which is within you
will lead you to your goal in life. You will not
only redeem yourself but will help many others
to attain release." I spent my entire leave at the
Holy Feet of Data Dayal Ji and then left for
Baghdad to join my regiment.

12

In Baghdad I used to sing devotional songs.

Every fiber of my being became saturated with
a passionate longing for the Ultimate Truth. I
always felt over-flowing with love for my Lord,

33
 The Life

Hazur Shiv Brat Lal, who was for me an

incarnation of Rama. My devotion transformed
my personality and made me a center of
attraction for other spiritual seekers in Baghdad.
I came to be regarded as a mahatma, while
some chose me to be their spiritual master.

13

In 1919 1 was posted in Iraq. The aboriginal

inhabitants (known as Baddus) revolted, which
led to a fierce battle, I was inspector in the
department of telegraphy in the railways with
my headquarters at Divinia. The rebels made a
heavy attack on the Hamidia railway station,
killing the entire staff and setting the building
on fire. Military forces from my post were
rushed to Hamidia. I was also ordered to take
charge of the Hamidia rail- way stations as
Station Master. Our soldiers laid down wires in
trenches and occupied their positions. Fierce
fighting continued and there was a heavy loss of
life on both sides. At Hamidia we were left with
a group of thirty-five soldiers and one Subedar
Major. The rest of the army was sent to Divinia
to retaliate anyattack there. With the fall of the
night the rebels attacked us. Our sol- diers,
though less in number, fought back. One of our
men was wounded while casualties on the

34
 The Unknowing Sage

opposition were very heavy. As the firing ceased

for some time, the Subedar Major came to me
and asked that I convey to our headquarters at
Divinia that we were short of ammunition. And,
if we had to face another such attack, our
supplies would not last for more than an hour.
If the ammunition supply failed to reach us
before dawn, none of us would be alive. I wired
the message to the headquarters accord- ingly.
The situation was tense and everybody was
feeling as if the end had come. I too was shaken
with the fear of death. In this very moment of
fear the Holy Form of Hazur Data Dayal Ji
appeared before me and said, "Faqir, worry not,
the enemy has not come to attack but to take
away their dead. Let them do that. Don't waste
your ammunition." I sent for the Subedar Major
and told him about the appearance of my Guru
and his directions concerning the enemy. The
Subedar Major followed the directions of my
Guru. The rebel Jawans came and carried away
their dead without attacking our positions. By
six o'clock in the morning our airplanes came
and they dropped the necessary supplies. Our
fears vanished. We gained courage. We were
safe.

14

35
 The Life

After about three months the fighting came to

an end and the Jawans retired to their barracks.
I returned to Baghdad, where there were many
satsangis. When they learned of my arrival, they
all came together to see me. They made me sit
on a raised platform, offered flowers, and
worshipped me. It was all very unexpected and
a surprising scene for me. I asked them, "Our
Guru Maharaj is at Lahore. I am not your Guru.
Why do you worship me?" They replied in
unison, "On the battle field we were in danger.
Death lurked over our heads. You appeared
before us in those moments of danger and gave
us direction for our safety. We followed your
instructions and thus were saved." I was
wonder struck by this surprising explanation of
theirs. I had no knowledge of their trouble. I,
myself, being in danger during those days of
combat, had not even remembered them.

This incident caused me to question within

myself, "Who appeared to them? Was it Faqir
Chand?" My faith was strengthened and I
concluded, "Whosoever remembers God in
whatever form, in that very form He helped His
devotee." This gave a new turn to my concep-
tion of the Spiritual Master. Henceforth I came
to believe that the Master is no separate entity.
Rather, He is the disciple's Real Self and resides

36
 The Unknowing Sage

within. Happy with this conclusion I came to

India on annual leave in 1921.

15

With all my love and devotion I reached

Radhaswami Dham. in order to worship my
spiritual guru in person. I meekly presented at
his feet one singhasan (throne), a set of bro-
caded clothes, and a huqqa made of silver--all of
which cost thousand of rupees. I worshipped
His Holiness in a mood of supreme gratitude
and ecstasy. I stayed with Shiv Brat Lal Ji for
about forty-five days. During this time Hazur
wrote down for me many poems in order to
dispel my ignorance. At that time I did not
understand them.

Thou be a Faqir, be a Faqir, be Faqir my

brother! I may swim across with they feet; 0!
Faqir Blissful! I am not a devotee of Rama,
Krishna; know not Brahm nor God! I have a
madness for Faqir's name; I accept it alone as
Supreme!

Hazur wrote the preceding simply to lift me up

from my passive thoughts, because I used to
consider myself as the greatest sinner. In
another poem he assigned me dime duties:

37
 The Life

Thou has come in human form; wearing the

garb of a Faqir, Take with thee miserable men;
and lead them to the Guru's abode Man, weak,
helpless and ignorant, is grieved by the continu-
ing torture, by duty is to be compassionate;
impart to people the True Name, 0 thou
generous one. Since his command it has
become my mission in life to perform these
three duties:

1. Your name is Faqir, Be True to your name.

Do not look at the faults of others. Instead
have pity upon the helpless, ignorant and the
weak. With your love and affection help them
out of this sphere of Kal and Maya, guiding
them to their real Home.

2. You have come blessed with a form which is

really unique and wonderful. Your mission is
"welfare of the humanity." Remove the walls
which divide mankind and tell the whole world
how it can live a happy and peaceful life.

3. Liberate the deserving amongst them from

the cycle of life and death. Be their guide and
take them to the supreme state of Nirvana.

16

38
 The Unknowing Sage

In 1922 1 went back to Baghdad. For about

seventeen years (up until 1939) 1 stayed away
from delivering spiritual discourses. However, if
any deserving individuals approached me for
guidance, I did initiate him, and told him to
concentrate on the Holy Form of Hazur Data
Dayal. I stopped giving satsangs. Why? I
thought that if I were to deliver spiritual
discourses I must say the Truth, at least up to
the point that I knew it. If I were to remain true
to my conscience and rise up to the expecta-
tions of Shiv Brat Lal Ji, I had to reveal the
secret about the manifestation of the Guru's
form to his devotees in moments of physical,
mental and spiritual difficulties. And if I did
that, the love, devotion and faith (blind faith) of
people for His Holiness would be reduced. The
offerings in cash, free and voluntary service,
and the like by the disciples of Radhaswami
Dharn ashram may also come down to a
painfully low level. Thus I willfully waited for
the proper time to come, so that Maharishi Shiv
Brat Lal's ashram may not suffer any loss due to
me. Ever since 1919 1 had a very strong desire
to disclose the secret and let the world know
about all types of manifestations within and
without.

17

39
 The Life

In 1938 before His Holiness shed off his mortal

frame, I sent him a telegram with the following
resolution: I solemnly promise that I shall
spread the Truth to the world to the best of my
ability and circumstances." Hazur left for his
Sublime Abode in 1939.

Since his death I devoted all my possible time to

simran, bhajan and dhyan. Thereafter I wrote
two books, both commentaries. One on
"Hidayat Narna," a chapter in Sar Bachan
Radhasowni Poetry, written by Swarniji Maha-
raj, and a second on "Baramassa." Shortly after
the publication of these two books, I presented
two copies of each to Baba Sawan Singh Ji
Maharaj of Beas. [Sawan Singh was the spiritual
head of the Radhasoami Satsang Beas in the
Punjab and was a close friend of Maharishi Shiv
Brat Lal.] Baba Sawan Singh Ji wrote to me, I
have gone through the books. You are a true
Faqir. You are doing highly desirable service to
the Radhaswami Mat." But still I remained
undecided about what I should do. Because I
had a lurking fear in my mind that if I disclosed
the Truth in plain words the narrow minded,
orthodox, and illiterate amongst the satsangis
would turn against me. Thus in 1942 1 got leave
and went straight to Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji
at Beas to explain my fears and difficulties in

40
 The Unknowing Sage

person. I had great reverence for Baba Sawan

Singh Ji and I identified him with my Guru
Hazur Shiv Brat Lal Ji. With utmost reverence I
submitted to Baba A, "Your Holiness, kindly
relieve me from the duty assigned to me by my
Guru Maharaj. Pray, take this burden off my
conscience, so that I may get released from the
sin of disobedience of my Guru." His Holiness
Baba Sawan Singh Ji placed his loving hand on
my back and said ...... You do your assigned
duty fearlessly. I shall be at your back under all
circumstances." Since then I have been doing
the work of satsang and writing books on my
personal experiences and observations.

18

By 1942 1 had initiated about twenty-two

disciples into the path of Sant Mat. Thereafter, I
have not initiated anyone along the traditional
method of initiation. Why? A lady form Jabbal
accompanied by her husband and three children
came to see me at Firozpur, where I had taken a
service as U.D.C. in defense after my retirement
from the Indian Railways. She was a great
devotee and her spiritual practice was on the
second center of meditation (i.e., Trikuti, the
causal region in the terminology of the Saints),
where she used to visualize my form in red

41
 The Life

light. As a result of this, she used to remain in a

state of ecstasy. She said to me, "I want to
devote more and more time to abhyas (spiritual
practice) but my children take up most of my
time and I feel disturbed." Her husband was a
telegraph inspector. He would leave home at
nine o'clock in the morning and return only at
eight o'clock that night. Thus it was quite
impossible for him to share her domestic
responsibilities. The will power of the lady had
immensely increased due to her regular concen-
tration at Trikuti. As such, her desire to get
more time for her spiritual practice had to be
fulfilled. This is the law of nature. So, there was
no way out except one: that she should be
relieved of her children by nature. Before
leaving me she bowed to me and I said, "Your
wish will be fulfilled." When she left with her
husband and children, I told my friend Pandit
Wali Rain, who was sitting with me, that all the
three children of this lady would die. My
observations came true. Within a period of nine
months all of the children died. I was shocked
and thus I stopped initiation, except to those
who had a pure mind and a strong desire for
Self Purification.

Once I happened to visit Agra and I got one

book entitled Prem Bani by the late Hazur Rai

42
 The Unknowing Sage

Saligram Maharaj. In the book it is written,

"Persons with hatred, prejudice and selfishness
in their minds can earn nothing but more
sufferings, for themselves as well as for others
by doing inward practice. But, one, with
shortcomings and faults, who cherishes a strong
desire to get rid of his shortcomings and faults
also, would surely be benefited by simran,
dhyan, and bhajan. The reason for this is that by
daily practice of simran and regular concentra-
tion, the win power of a devotee becomes
strong and he becomes capable of overcoming
his faults and weaknesses." Therefore my advice
to all who seek entrance into Sant Mat and want
to transcend the inner stages of spirituality is,
First of all, make sincere efforts to become a
man in the real sense of the word, because a
pure mind is the pre- requisite of spiritual
advancement. This is why I have named my
ashram (center) Manavta Mandir (lit., "House of
Man") in Hoshiarpur. We can only be spiritual
if we are true humans first.

19

After my twelve year stay in Baghdad I returned

to India and went directly to His Holiness for
Darshan. During my stay in Baghdad I had
traversed many stages of Sant Mat and thus I

43
 The Life

was extremely happy and enjoying peace within

and without. When I appeared before my Guru,
he ordered me thus: "Faqir, since you have no
male child, go home and beget one." I obeyed
and reached my family. During my stay at
home, I continued my abhyas and also enjoyed
marital relations with my wife. I forgot the spirit
of the advice of His Holiness and instead of
going to my wife with the sole aim of begetting
a child, I started to enjoy sex for the sake of
enjoyment. This excess of indulgence in sex
shattered my long earned joy and peace of
mind. My digestion was upset and I suffered
heavily both physically and mentally. As a result
I gave up taking grains, potatoes and rice for a
long span of thirty-five years in order to regain
my strength.

20

Once Hazur Data Dayal Ji sent two gentlemen

to me. They wanted to understand spirituality.
What is spirituality if not a happy life and a
peaceful mind? At that time, I, myself, being
bereft of that wealth, expressed my helplessness
to them and asked them to go away. They wrote
to Hazur about their visit to me and about my
reply to them. His Holiness wrote back to them,

44
 The Unknowing Sage

"He who draws a blank from Faqir can only

hope for nothing from me."

After receiving this letter from Hazur Data

Dayal they again came to see me. I read the
letter and my mind revolted against guruism.
But there was no way out. Tears rolled down
my face and I lost myself in prayers. In mo-
ments I lost consciousness of the world. During
this time of absorption, I heard a voice from
within me say "Lust and Peace never stay
together." I got the answer to my problem as
well as theirs. Thereafter I controlled myself for
the next twenty-eight years. I remained in the
company of my wife, but sex had no place in
our relations with each other. And in the course
of time I regained my lost joy and peace.

21

In the human body semen is God in gross and

visible form; Mind is God in subtle form; and
Surat is God in causal form Those who do not
know the art of moderate and controlled living
all these stages can never attain peace. The
seekers of spirituality must control their passion
and protect their semen. [Here semen means
the vital fluid--sexual energy--which is precious
both to women and men.] Many young men

45
 The Life

and women come me for blessings. Why? They

have not known the importance o celibacy.
They waste their vital energy before attaining
the age of maturity and thus they suffer from
mental and physical ailments... To all young
men and women, my advice is that the should
lead their lives in celibacy. One should use his
vital fluid only for begetting children and not
for sexual pleasures. This is the lesson that I
have derived from my lifelong experience and it
has become the cornerstone of my life.

22

I have lived a very hard and honest life. My pay

used to be very meager in those days and it was
with great difficulty that I met my family's
requirements. However, I did not adopt any
unfair means to supplement my income. During
off duty hours I used to work in a brick kiln
near Miani Railway Stations. Shri Rain Ji Mal
was the owner. He used to pay me five annas
per one thousand bricks from the kiln. Then at
the railway station, during my off duty hours, I
used to work as a coolie. For carrying one item
from outside the platform I used to charge one
anna. I never had a feeling of inferiority in
doing those odd jobs; rather my hard and

46
 The Unknowing Sage

honest earnings gave me inner strength and

moral courage.

23

Throughout my life I have never used any

undesirable method to supplement my income.
Not to talk of accepting bribes (while there
were many chances) in any form. I never used
the official stationary for my private use. My
father was Constable in the Indian Railway and
ever since I came to age I stopped taking food
at his place. Once, when my father was posted
at Pind Dadan Khan Railway station, he fell ill. I
came to him after crossing the river Jhelum. My
father asked me to have dinner with him. I
made an excuse and said that I did not have an
appetite. After spending some time with my
father I left and reached the Bazaar. There I had
my meals at a hotel. In the meantime an old
class fellow of mine came in the hotel and saw
me eating there. He went to my father and
casually told him that he saw me taking my
meals in the hotel. My father felt very much
annoyed and he came to me the next morning
to know the mason of my eating at a hotel and
not with him. I said, "Father, you are in the
department of police and you accept bribes;
there- fore, I did not take food with you." From

47
 The Life

a worldly point of view this act of mine was not

good. Perhaps I should not have done like this.
It was nothing but my ego. But after this
incident my father never accepted any bribe for
the rest of his life.

24

I was married at the age of thirteen. in the hills

the bride- groom is carried in a decorated
palanquin. At the time of my marriage, I too
was carried in a palanquin. When I was being
carried I felt a great pleasure and prayed to
God, "May I be married again, so that I may
enjoy this pleasure of the palanquin again." The
result of my prayer was that my wife died after
sometime. My second marriage was arranged. I
was again made to sit in the palanquin. Then the
old scene of my first marriage flashed in my
mind. I repented and, instead of enjoying the
palanquin, I felt unhappy and sad. As you think,
so you become. Your earnest desire is sure to
be fulfilled; it may be good or bad.

25

I often ask parents that they should not beat

their children, because I know the result of
beating the innocent young ones. I was studying

48
 The Unknowing Sage

in the fifth class; I had my younger brother

named Wazir Chand. He was very small and I
had to carry him when my mother was cooking
or doing some household chores. Many a time I
was beaten for him. Once I was carrying Wazir
and playing with him. Suddenly my foot hit
something and I fell along with my brother.
Wazir started weeping. My mother heard him
and came running. She gave me five to seven
blows as if it was my fault. My mother again put
Wazir Chand in my hands and directed me to
keep him in a playful mood. I came outside with
my brother in my arms. I still remember the
place where I stood and prayed to God in these
words, "0! God, I am beaten for this child,
either kill me or take him away." Within three
months my brother died. My teachings are
based upon my practical life. I do not say
anything which I have not experienced or
realized myself.

26

I was posted at Sunam Railway Station. One

day, while sitting on a chair, I went into a deep
trance. After sometime, when I came down to
physical consciousness and opened my eyes, I
found one handcuffed dacoit accompanied by a
policeman sitting by my side. He was fanning

49
 The Life

me. I asked him, "Who are you?" He replied,

"Maharaj, I am a dacoit." I said to him, "You
are not a dacoit; you are a devotee." In a state of
ecstasy I told the police- man, "He is not a
criminal; you please set him free." It was a very
hot day in the summer. Barefooted and bare-
headed I left for SR's office which was situated
in the market. Shri Bhagwan Singh was superin-
tendent of police. When he saw me in such a
state, he came out of his office and inquired as
to why I had come to his office on such a hot
day and that too barefooted and bareheaded. I
told him about the criminal and stressed that he
was not a dacoit and so wanted that he should
be set free. The superintendent advised that this
gentleman should become an approver and
should tell everything; then he could to be set
free. The advice of the S.P. was accepted. The
gentleman was released. He promised to live a
noble and honest life. I invited him to my home
and served him food. He did live a changed and
happy life.

27

In her old age my wife developed heart prob-

lems and some trouble in her teeth. Sometimes
blood used to come out of her teeth. So during
moments of pain, she occasionally used to say

50
 The Unknowing Sage

very harsh words to me. But I never felt her

words, because Hazur Data Dayal's samskaras
had a great impact upon my mind. Due to my
spiritual bent, for a long time I had been
indifferent towards my wife. Once I came on
annual leave and went to His Holiness for
Darshan. He directed, "Bring your wife along-
side, otherwise I shall not meet you." Ob-
edience to Data Dayal has been my religion. I
went home and returned along with my wife to
His Holiness. His Holiness said, I ask who is
she?" I replied, "Hazur, she is the daughter-in-
law of Pandit Mast Rain Ji." His Holiness asked
again. Then I said, "Hazur, she is the daughter
of Shri Surjan Ram R." Data Dayal asked me
for the third time [sic]. I said, "Hazur, I have
not been able to understand." Then His Holi-
ness most compassionately said to me, "She is
my daughter, if you hurt her you win hurt me."
This samskara of Hazur Data Dayal Ji guided
me in my family life and I lived very respectfully
and peacefully with my wife.

28

Once I was coming to India from Baghdad on

my annual leave. At Makina Camp I was waiting
for the ship for my home- ward journey. As
there was yet some time for the arrival of the

51
 The Life

ship, I thought I would have some puffs of

"huqqa" (tobacco). So I went to the kitchen of
some labourers to collect fire from their place.
The workmen had left for their earnings after
finishing their meals. A four anna coin was lying
near the fireplace. I looked all around (to
confirm that nobody was seeing me) and picked
up the four anna coin, collected the necessary
fire for my "huqqa" and returned to my bed.
When I reached my place, I thought, "you
receive 500 Rupees per month. Why have you
picked up this coin so stealthly (sic)?" I re-
pented 'upon my fool- ish act and gave away
that coin to someone. It is very easy to preach
and sermonize others, but most difficult to be
practical in one's life.

29

I was in the prime of my youth when I went to

Baghdad. I stayed in Basra-Baghdad for twelve
years. But I never went out to see the cities
because the ladies of those towns had great
beauty. Thus I avoided any visits lest my mind
may not drag me down. One day I was sitting
all alone in my quarter. The door of my room
had a bamboo grill. From within my room I saw
that two beautiful women were heading toward
my quarters. These women generally used to

52
 The Unknowing Sage

visit our camp for meeting their friends and

have enjoyment with them. On seeing the ladies
at a distance I shut my door and sat inside
silently. But after moments I got up and peeped
through the door to see the women. What a
pity! Who can believe the workings of the mind
and who can dare to live free from it? This
mind is not to be believed. It can bring you
down to the lowest ebb in moments after taking
you to the highest glory.

30

Once I was posted at Miani Railway Station. A

train from Bhera arrived in. A young, beautiful
and well dressed girl also got down from this
train. As I was on the gate, she handed over to
me her ticket. But as I saw her, my mind went
its way. In order to control my mind I slapped
my face in the very presence of the girl. How-
ever, the girl went away. I did not know who
she was. But the girl knew my mother. She
directly went to my mother and told her about
this incident. When I came home my mother
inquired as to why I slapped my face when the
girl handed over to me her ticket. I said to my
mother, "Mother, now I am of age, please do
not ask me such (a) question." Saint Kabir has
written: I presumed mind as dead; it became

53
 The Life

ghost after death. Becoming ghost, it follows

me; Tis such an undutiful son."

31

When I married I had a desire that my children

should not have lust, anger, greed, attachment
and ego. I wrote to Hazur Data Dayal about my
desire and prayed for his blessings. His Holiness
replied, "Whatever you wish shall happen." I
was blessed with a daughter. At that time Hazur
was away to North America. I visited his hut at
Lahore and brought home all his worn out
clothes because I was very much emotionally
attached to Data Dayal and His belongings. I
handed over those clothes to my wife and asked
her to wrap the new born child in them. The
same was done. The result is that my daughter
is as I wished her. She remains happy in the
worn out clothes, whereas there is no dearth of
new clothes for her. She would stitch the old
ones and continue to wear them. Her mother
died, but she expressed no attachment with her.
This is the result of my own samskaras and
desires for my child. Your thoughts and sams-
karas are carried to the womb of your wife
along with your semen. You are responsible for
procreating obedient, noble, wise, loyal and

54
 The Unknowing Sage

healthy children as well as disobedient and

irresponsible ones.

32

I tell you another instance of my life regarding

procreation of better children. I had no male
child. I cherished a thought to procreate an
honest, obedient, intelligent and noble son. I
did get a son, who due to such virtuous and
noble thoughts for him has never given me a
chance of complaint till this very day. He is
most sincere, obedient, and intelligent. He holds
one of the top posts in a big government
concern and draws about 3,000 rupees per
month. He has so much regard for me that he
does not sit in my rickshaw. He does not allow
my servants to work for him. These instances of
my life are being written for you so that you
may learn some lesson of living a good and
happy life.

33

During my visits to Hazur Data Dayal I used to

trouble him too much, because I considered
myself as the greatest sinner. But his Holiness
always tried to lift me up from my negative and
weak thinking. He used to say, "Faqir, you shall

55
 The Life

be the greatest among Faqirs." He always

encouraged me and the result is my present
position. He wrote a lot for me, but hereunder I
repro- duce (selections from) His last writing to
me:

Who is happy in this world? Happy is only one,

Faqir. What is this world? Tis a dream, and a
dream too, for a Faqir. He dwells in ecstasy
every moment, morning and evening. Faqir
neither worships nor is worshipped. His is free
from this show. Happy appearance, joyful heart,
ever pure in his soul. Who you see in this state,
accept him as a True Faqir. He is sage of both
worlds, and a seer [sic] of two worlds. Whatever
I have realized, I lay down here for thee. Thou
had spread thy bossom [sic] cloth that is being
filled today. Merged am I in my Self-, [Thee]
too should merge one day. Ye shall attain thy
destination; tis disclosed just today. That is why,
above all others, I am proud of thee. Thou will
illuminate the Nama--tis the voice of my heart.

34

In 1933 1 was posted at Sunam Railway Station.

His Holiness Data Dayal visited my place. On
the request of a large number of people satsang

56
 The Unknowing Sage

was arranged. In that general satsang Data

Dayal said to me:

“Faqir, the time shall change. The traditional

way of preaching shall not be acceptable to the
public. Therefore you must change the mode of
preaching before leaving your physical body.”

In my obedience to the command of my

Satguru I am obliged to speak out my expe-
rience and my research to the world.

35

Now at this age of ninety-four years, I live a life

of peace and happiness. While knowing, I lead
my life as if I know not. The entire creation is a
game of one Supreme Power. Whatever we see,
feel or know is a mere play of that Supreme
Power. Whatever happens, good or bad (or
beyond these both), is within His Order. By His
will man can achieve the state@ of Nirvana;
and under His will man must continue to
remain in the cycle of transmigration. To His
will I bow, to Him alone I surrender. This is the
last stage of my lifelong research. His will is
Supreme. Whatever happens happened for the
Good. This belief gives me peace. By virtue of
this knowledge I remain detached and do not

57
 The Life

identify myself with the trinity of body, mind,

or soul. I always keep myself busy (work is a
must in life) with selfless service to mankind in
various ways. Inwardly I remain conscious of
my Self and resigned (Sharan) to the Supreme
Lord, beyond the regions of the gross, subtle,
and causal.

58
The Interview

Editor's Note: Professor Mark Juergensmeyer,

who is currently Dean of the School of Hawaiian,
Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of
Hawaii, interviewed Faqir Chand in August of 1978
at Manavta Mandir. Professor Bhagat Ram Kamal of
Government College, Hamir Pur, Himachal
Pradesh, transcribed the interview and published it
under the title, The Master Speaks to the Foreigners.
The following edited version contains corrections
(and explanations) which were not present in the
original published interview.

Mark Juergensmeyer: As I have come here, I

would like to ask you something about your
development in spiritual understanding. First,
you were a disciple of Swami Shiv Brat Lal?

Faqir Chand: Yes, I am a disciple of Maharishi

Shiv Brat Lal. You have seen His Statue there
installed in the hall. He is my spiritual Father.
His spiritual Father was Rai Sahib Salig Ram,
who was a Post Master General. Rai Salig Ram
Sahib was the disciple of Radhaswami Shiv
Dayal Ji, but I have got liberal ideas. I was born
in a Brahmin family. From the age of 7 years
there was a craving in me for something
 The Interview

Unknown which I used to call Rama, Krishna

or God. Now I feel that the Unknown thing
which I wanted or searched for was Peace, but,
at that time, I used to worship Rama, Krishna,
God or Goddesses.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Where was this place?

What place was this?

Faqir Chand: It was at my village Bhanjal, then

in District Hoshiarpur and Punjab State. I have
been doing worship from my childhood
according to the ideas given to me by my
parents. When I was 16 years old I joined
service. I passed only my middle school exami-
nation. My father was a constable in the Railway
Police. He could not give me higher education.
So I joined communication service. There I met
permanent way inspectors and contractors of all
types. I was alone in the Communication
section. In the society of those inspectors and
contractors I took to wrong ways. I ate meat for
6 months, drank rum three times, once even
gambled and lost one rupee and a quarter and
once I went to a prostitute. You understand
what I am telling you? In 1905 when the Kangra
Valley was ruined by an earthquake my though-
ts changed. After going to the prostitute I wrote
to my father that I had done such and such

60
 The Unknowing Sage

wrong things, so please send my wife. I was

married when I was only 13 years old. At that
time I was meditating on the image of Rama
and Krishna, according to the Hindu philoso-
phy. When I was at Baganwala Railway Station
as Assistant Station Master Lord Krishna used
to be with me, whether I was working or
walking.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Did you ever go to

some Krishna Temple?

Faqir Chand: No. I used to pray to him within

my own mind. I never went to any place. Once
I was going and Lord Krishna was going ahead
of me. There was some cow dung lying on the
ground. That image of Lord Krishna asked me
to eat that cow dung. I took a morsel of cow
dung and ate it. When I reached home I
thought that in no religious book is it written
that an image of Lord Krishna or Rama has
ever directed any disciple to eat cow dung. So I
thought that it was not the real Krishna who
had asked me to eat the cow dung. Because I
am a Hindu, and I had been given this idea that
the Lord takes birth in the human form time to
time, thus I started praying to Him. I wept
continuously for 24 hours crying out to God
that I wanted to see Him in the form of a

61
 The Interview

human being. After 24 hours a doctor was sent

for and after examining me he said that I had
gone mad. But that morning at 4:00 a.m. the
image of my spiritual Father [Shiv Brat Lal]
appeared to me while I was asleep. It made me
believe that He was the incarnation of Lord
Rama. Then I wrote to him a letter every week
regularly for 10 months. After 10 months he
wrote to me, "Faqir, I am receiving your letters.
I admire your aspirations. I have realized
Reality, Truth, Bliss and Peace in the fold of
Radha Swami Faith from Rai Salig Ram Sahib."

Mark Juergensmeyer: Where was Maharishi

Shiv Brat Lal at that time?

Faqir Chand: He was at Lahore at that time.

But now he is dead. There is only a samadh
[burial tomb] of his. I went to him in Lahore
and he initiated me in the Path of the Radhas-
wami Faith. After about 10 years I went abroad
in the First Great War. I remained there alone
without my family, and I did a lot of sadhana as
is written in our religious books. I saw the Light
within and listened to the Sound as is written in
the texts of the Radhaswami Faith. But I could
not get peace, though I had happiness.

62
 The Unknowing Sage

You understand me? I got happiness; I got bliss;

I got inward pleasure and I also got miraculous
powers, but not peace. Then I used to worry my
spiritual Father asking him to tell me about that
thing on the authority of which Swami Ji and
Kabir had condemned all religions. Because in
the books of Radhaswami faith and by Kabir it
is written that none except the Saints have
realized the Reality. They have said that Rama
and Krishna were the incarnations of universal
mind and not of the Real God. These saints
have further claimed that Muslims have also not
reached there and the Christians too have not
reached there. So I could not understand that
religious philosophy. Once I come on annual
leave from Iraq. I went to Hazur Data Dayal Ji
Maharaj, my spiritual Father, and troubled him
a lot with my love. I followed him everywhere
like his shadow. At last he said, "See me tomor-
row." Next day, when I went to him, he put one
coconut and five [coins] in my lap and said, "I
give you an order, obey me: The Real Master
shall meet you in the form of your disciples."
That is what my spiritual Father told me.

Mark Juergensmeyer: What stages or regions

did you reach within according to the Radha-
soami faith?

63
 The Interview

Faqir Chand: There are different stages,

different colors and different sounds. I had seen
all. But I was not satisfied with all this inward
abhyas. So he gave me this work just to make
me realize the Reality. When I came to this line
as a guru or as a master my eyes were opened.
Why? Because those who regard me as their
guru and those who consider me as their master
my image appears to them in their meditation,
in their dreams and even in a state of wakeful-
ness and guides them, whereas I remain una-
ware of all this. You understand me, what I am
telling you? I want to be very frank with you.
You have come for research. I am telling you
my personal life. Daily I receive many letters.
Some people write that I went there in an
airplane to take a dying man; some say that I
come on a horse; and others write that I come
in a palanquin at the time of the death of a man,
whereas I do not go anywhere. All what they
see in meditation, in dreams or in wakefulness,
all proves to me that all what we see inside is
nothing but subtle matter or illusion. I think
you are following me.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Yes, I follow.

Faqir Chand: There is a student. He says that

when he went to the examination hall for a

64
 The Unknowing Sage

science paper he did not know that difficult

paper. He prayed to me. I appeared there, sat
under the desk, and dictated the answers to
those difficult questions. The student got 98
marks out of 100. The truth is that I myself do
not know science, nor did I go to his examina-
tion hall. About five days ago a lady sent me
two packs of apples and some other fruit, along
with a letter that she was having her bath in a
river in Kashmir. Suddenly a wave of water
came and took her away for 10 or 15 yards. She
writes that when she was drowning I appeared
there, caught her hand, and brought her out of
the river and said to her, "You have yet to do a
lot of work." Now she writes to me in her letter
to let her know as to what work she is to do?
Now neither did I go there to save her, nor did
I tell her that she has yet to do a lot of work.

This is the secret which has been kept so

guarded by all the religions and even by the
gurus of the Radhaswami Faith. They have kept
the public in dark. They have exploited us; they
have robbed us; they have cheated us and they
have deceived us by saying that they go, whe-
reas they do not go or manifest themselves to
anybody. They have admitted this truth before
me. . . My own spiritual brother Bhai Nandu
Singh agreed with me. Now he is dead and in

65
 The Interview

his place Sri Anand Rao is working in Andhra

Pradesh [Sri Anand Rao has since died]. So,
from all these experiences, I have come to
know that whatever we see in the form of our
ideal [depends on our own karmic perspective].
If one's mind is pure then the answer that one
would get from the manifested ideal shall be
true. But if one's mind is not pure, then the
answer will be wrong and there is every possi-
bility that the ideal may put you on the wrong
way of life if your mind is not pure.

Now, at this age, I meditate on light and sound.

And I try to find out, who is seeing the light
within and who is listening to the sound within.
Sometimes after two or three months when I go
into deep meditation my "Self" stands separated
from the Light and Sound. There I lose my own
entity. I forget who am I. I know nothing about
God, I know nothing about my guru and I
know nothing about my own self [ego]. From
all such experience I have come to this conclu-
sion that Who am I? - I am a bubble of super-
most consciousness. That is what my realization
is. This is what I have gained. Now what I feel
is that there is One, Infinite, Supermost Ele-
ment. From it, when it moves, sound and light
come out and from that light and sound this
creation takes place. Cosmic rays and many

66
 The Unknowing Sage

other types of rays come out of this light and

sound and all this gross matter is made. So it is
the Will of that Supreme Power. Everything is
oozing out of it and is merging back in it. There
is egoism in us and it moves us to do this or to
do that.

There are four kinds of egoisms in us: 1.

Egoism of Physical Form; 2. Egoism of Mental
Form; 3. Egoism of Light Form; and, 4. Egoism
of Sound Form. I ask myself, what have I
attained? Silence in the beginning and silence in
the end. Whatever is happening, it is all His
Will. Every philosopher or saint who came and
made inward search for realization wrote his
experience. But their followers in order to gain
fame and name and to collect wealth kept this a
secret from the general public. Though to keep
the secret was necessary in those days, it is not
required now. Today humanity has been divided
into different sects and religions. Every day
there are communal conflicts in the world.
Hindus and Muslims are fighting and Arabs and
Jews are fighting. Therefore, after realizing the
secret, I raised the slogan of Be Man. Why? My
spiritual Father had told me, "Before leaving
your physical frame change the teachings." So I
have changed the teachings.

67
 The Interview

No one on this earth, he may be Christ, he may

be Radhaswami, he may be Kabir or he may be
anybody - none has the right to say that he has
understood the Reality in all respects. That
power is bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger and
bigger. Our senses cannot reach there. This is
what I have understood. So I pass my life
helping others, serving the poor and preaching
the truth. I have three free hospitals here. To
the general public I preach the art of living a
happy life.

You sleep and you enter the state of dream. In

dream you feel angry with one. You hit him in
the dream. Your hand in that state of dream is
moved. You are frightened in your dream and
you speak and your tongue is moved. You
create a woman in your dream and you enjoy
sex with her. Your semen is discharged. These
are the effects of the thoughts of your dreams,
which are not in your control. It proves that the
thoughts of your mind are capable to have
effect upon your body.

In the state of wakefulness we hate others and

we keep enmity with others. All that we do in
our state of wakefulness, with our own will, it
must have its effect upon us. I have proven to
you that if involuntary thoughts can effect our

68
 The Unknowing Sage

body, why not voluntary thoughts should have

their effect upon us? So what I myself practice I
advise others to adopt in their lives. Always be
optimistic. Do not harm others for your
personal benefit. Do not think ill of others. This
is one thing which I preach. Secondly, if
anybody wants that he should not come to this
earth again in any form or in any other life, for
such people I have [the exposed secret] with
me.

Mark Juergensmeyer: What is that Truth?

Faqir Chand: When I am alone I ask myself,

"What have you gained?" I have gained nothing
and I have gained everything. I have got no
desire to achieve now. Because I have realized
that I am a bubble of super consciousness. That
Supreme Power has created this Universe.
Thoughts we take from outside and some bud
out from within. Life is nothing but a dream.
There is only one Truth, which is always one
and only one. After this realization I have got
Peace. Due to my past karmas I am still alive; I
do not know how long that Power shall keep
me in this body. I have a lone desire that after
my death, if I get anywhere, I may be able to tell
the world what happens to me after death. This
is my only desire.

69
 The Interview

Mark Juergensmeyer: Where do you think

you will go after death?

Faqir Chand: So far as my realization is

concerned, bubble will merge in the ocean.
Light will merge in the light. But whatever I
have thought and whatever I have said that will
remain in this Universe. Because matter is never
destroyed. Whatever I am talking now, it shall
remain in this room.

Mark Juergensmeyer: When you hear the

purest sound and see the purest light, what
color is that purest light?

Faqir Chand: That light is white. There are

different colors and kinds of lights within. As
the sun shines in the morning it looks red. In
the evening when it sets we again see it red. It is
due to clouds, dust and other particles that are
in the sky which make us see the sun as red,
otherwise sun is not red. It is all white. Similarly
the red light of soul (atma) is white. Because we
have desires they cover our souls and according
to the desires of the worldly things the light is
different.

Mark Juergensmeyer: The purest light is

white?

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 The Unknowing Sage

Faqir Chand: I cannot say it was white. But I

can say that it is more than white [as in a literal
color].

Mark Juergensmeyer: And the sound?

Faqir Chand: Yes, sound, I used to listen [to] -

bells, thunders of cloud and veena. But now I
listen only one Sound, which is an unbreakable
tune, about which I cannot say any word. It is
what it is. But what does it give to me? It gives
peace and bliss. Now at this age of 92 years I do
not care for the sound and light too. Why?
Because light is seen by "Me" [Self] and sound
is heard by "Me" [Self]. Then who is great?
Light or sound or He who sees it and listens to
it? Who is great? Light is great or "I" [as
Transcendental Self] am great? Sound is great or
I am great? The self of mine is the supermost
Element of consciousness in my body. If that is
not there then sound is of no value and light is
of no value to me. That is what I have realized.
I do not know about myself, brother, what will
be my end. You have come from America.
Whatever I have realized I have told you.

Now, after having a long experience of my life,

I feel that most of the past mahatmas and the
present gurus by keeping the secret Truth

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 The Interview

unrevealed/undisclosed have been unfair to the

public and have often exploited them. They
have taken undue advantage of the ignorance of
the people. They have built their own big
buildings. They have made air-conditioned
rooms for themselves. These gurus enjoy
themselves and the poor people being ignorant
give their hard earned money to these gurus at
the cost of their comforts and those of their
children. I do not deny I receive donations, but
I personally do not use even a single penny out
of these donations. My own son is well placed.
He draws about Rupees 2500 per month. He is
a big metalurgist, Russia returned.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Yes, what does he do?

Faqir Chand: He is at Bhilai Steel Plant as a

metalurgist. So I have my own means of
earnings. Whatever is received here in the form
of donation is spent for the ailing poor and on
publications published by the Mandir. My
publications are distributed gratis. Daily I
receive a lot of mail and some people write that
my form is seen by them and [a miracle has
been done] for them. But I am ignorant of all
that. Whatever sometimes I say to somebody
comes out true, and he thinks that I have done
it. But this is wrong. I have not done it.

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 The Unknowing Sage

Mark Juergensmeyer: Then should one have a

guru?

Faqir Chand: Guru means Knowledge;

without guru we cannot achieve anything. Our
mother is our guru, our father is our guru, our
friend is our guru and the world around us is
our guru. But the Real Guru who makes the
Self free from the bondage of this world is
called the Sat Guru. And to attain the Reality
the Sat Guru must be a perfect man. Nowadays
this guruism has become a source of earning
one's keep.

Mark Juergensmeyer: You know, some

people say that science is also a guru.

Faqir Chand Yes, science is also a teacher. But

excuse me, unless someone is there to explain
to you about it, you will not understand any-
thing about it. Therefore, external guru is most
essential and important. Although the know-
ledge is in the student, he cannot attain that
knowledge without a teacher or a professor,
who teaches him and makes him [come to]
realize that knowledge which is within that
student. But if the brain of the student is not
capable and receptive then teacher or professor
may do anything, he would not be able to

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 The Interview

understand it. Yes, anything else you want to

ask?

Mark Juergensmeyer: Well, after you, will

there be any other teacher?

Faqir Chand: I have no right to say anything

about this subject, but I may tell you that where
there is demand there is supply. It is the law of
nature. When the public will face the troubles
and when they will seek for peace, nature will
create so many teachers. You know, there are
different kinds of brains. If some accident
occurs, some people rush to that place to rob
the victims, some go there to give them food,
some go there to give medical aid, some other
goes there to know the cause of the accident
and to thrash the person responsible for the
accident, and still some other people go there to
find out the ways and means so that such
accidents may not occur again. The great brains
come in this world as per the desires and the
needs of mankind. All the great saints such as
Mahavira and Buddha and others come accord-
ing to the demand of the times. It is His will. I
cannot say definitely, but this much I am certain
that when there is too much heat nature
automatically brings storms and rains. If it is
too cold, then nature automatically brings heat.

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 The Unknowing Sage

It is a natural process about which He only

knows.

About me, there are so many miracles attributed

to me that if I write about all there would be a
big book. But I say upon my honor that I do
none of these miracles. It is either fate or the
faith of the person concerned. In case of some
trouble my disciples remember me, my image
appears to them and helps them and they write
to me, whereas I do not know anything myself.
So from all this I have realized that every man is
perfect. Be true to your own self. That is what
my religion is. Do not think or dream of
harming anybody for your personal benefit.
This is the only religion that I have to propa-
gate; then have this belief that there is one
Supreme Power. Believe Him in any form you
love or like - Jesus Christ, Rama, Krishna, Faqir
Chand or Baba Charan Singh or anybody else.
But have faith in one. Neither [the saint] helps
you nor Faqir Chand helps you. It is your own
faith, your own desire that helps you. . . .

Well, my dear Mark, I do not know whether

whatever I have realized is correct or incorrect.
I do not claim that I am correct, but I have
spent my life very purely. I have been true to
my parents and I have been true to my officers.

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 The Interview

I am a retired military man. What I have

realized after a long search is that one must not
think ill or do any harm to anybody for one's
personal benefit. Second, one must have faith in
only one form, it may be of any God, Goddess
or a Guru. Without Form one cannot reach the
goal.

For instance, you have passion, unless you

consider a lady as your wife you cannot enjoy
your passions. If you have to satisfy your greed,
unless you believe anything as gold or currency
you cannot feel happy. Similarly about attach-
ment. If you do not consider someone as your
son or daughter, you cannot enjoy the feelings
of attachment. So, if you want to reach that
ultimate goal, you must have faith in one Form
thinking him Perfect.

Therefore the worship of Christ, Rama, Krishna

or Guru is most essential. In the beginning it is
very essential. People think me to be a saint or
realized man. Their belief makes them solve
their own problems, whereas I am not even in
the know of such things. It proves that every-
thing is within you and not outside. The
Radhaswami Faith, or the philosophy of saints,
makes a man realize that everything is within
you and not outside. I do not say that my search

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 The Unknowing Sage

is final. Truth is not known to anybody. As you

sow, so shall you reap. This is the law that
governs this globe. Everything depends upon
your own thinking.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Are there some other

disciples of Swami Shiv Brat Lal?

Faqir Chand: Yes, there are a few.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Do they preach the

same thing as you preach?

Faqir Chand: You see, the plane at which I

speak everybody cannot speak. Why? Because I
have got no attachment. I do not want respect,
money or fame. This institution is a registered
trust recognized by the government. Whatever
anybody gives that is spent for the benefit of
the public. Those gurus, who have personal
interest, say things in different ways. My area is
not too vast. Only the educated people come to
me and those who have spent their life in
meditation or sadhana. My teaching for begin-
ners is not suitable. I know it. But I cannot now
teach A.B.C. It is not in my power. Only the
professors, teachers, doctors and judges come
to me the most, because they understand what I
say. Everyone of us is a bubble of conscious-

77
 The Interview

ness. But there is egoism in it. Egoism of body,

egoism of mind, egoism of soul and egoism of
surat. When this egoism goes away what
remains? Silence in the beginning and silence in
the end. Pass your life cheerfully.

Mark Juergensmeyer: Do the women face any

difficulty in realizing themselves?

Faqir Chand: This I cannot say. Ladies must

know themselves. Very frank talk it is. They
know better about their difficulties, but I may
tell you one thing. He who indulges much in sex
cannot realize Reality. This is my final research.
This is what I told the Americans last time and
this is what I shall tell them again.

Mark Juergensmeyer: That means there is no

difficulty to women.

Faqir Chand: No, soul of woman and of man

is the same. When it comes in the material form
only then there is difference. Some soul comes
in the form of a lady or wife and the other in
the form of a man or a husband. The modern
science is proving many old beliefs to be futile.
The angle of understanding is now different.
The present educated people and the scientists

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 The Unknowing Sage

are not going to believe blindly the religion as

we have been believing in the past.

I am not afraid of anything while I speak the

Truth. Last time when I went to America I
delivered a lecture to about one thousand
Americans in the Research Association called
A.R.E. and told them: "You say that Jesus
Christ was the son of God; it was not only Jesus
Christ who was the son of God, we all are the
sons of God." I further said that "In the Bible
[it states that] the earth is flat, whereas the
scientists have proved that the earth is round.
The first scientist who proved this fact was
hanged." When I was telling this my friend Dr.
I.C. Sharma [now Faqir Chand's successor]
pressed my feet, so that I might not speak the
Truth. But I said that was Truth, why should I
not speak it?

Even our Lord Krishna, who is believed to be

the incarnation of God among Hindus, lost all
his children and grandchildren before his very
eyes, fighting against one another after drinking
wine. What could Krishna do? Every man must
reap the fruit of his own deeds. He may be a
prophet, a saint or anybody. Even these incar-
nations have not been free from sufferings for
their own action. Even some very great men

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 The Interview

died a miserable death. I do not know about

myself, how would I die. Though at this age of
92 years I am better than many.

My spiritual Father had asked me to change the

teachings. I do not know what should I change.
He never told me to raise the voice of Be Man.
He never told me to open this Library. He
simply said to me, "Change the teachings." So,
whatever I have realized, if someone cares for
it, let him care, and if somebody does not care
let him not. If someone wants to read my
books, let him read. I do not care. If somebody
wants to give some donation here for the help
of the poor, let him give, and if somebody does
not give, let him not. I have my own means of
livelihood. I have my own home to live in.

Last time I was sick for some days and then I

remained here in this room. When I went home
I paid 45 rupees to the Mandir as a rent of this
room. I might be wrong my friend. It is possi-
ble, but my conscience is clear. I am True to my
"Self." In other ashrams people take service
from the disciples for gardening and other odd
jobs. But I never get such work here from
anyone. If somebody wants to do any service
willingly, let him do it. But I do not want to ask
anybody.

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 The Unknowing Sage

Mark Juergensmeyer: There is a framed letter

from Virginia. Do they proclaim you as their
guru?

Faqir Chand: Yes, they love me dearly.

Mark Juergensmeyer: But you do not want to

be a guru?

Faqir Chand: I have never initiated people as

others do. Whatever I say in my discourses is
the only "Nam" or initiation. Those who believe
me take my hints and act upon them. They are
benefited. If anyone with sincere heart comes to
me with any desire, I wish that his desire be
fulfilled.

Mark Juergensmeyer: What is the significance

of the word Radhaswami?

Faqir Chand: Radha is our Real Self; Swami is

that place from where it has oozed out. Radha
is Real Self, which is neither body, nor mind,
neither light nor sound. To take that Self back
to its origin and the state of reunion of Self with
its Origin is called Radhaswami, this is what I
have understood.

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 The Interview

Mark Juergensmeyer: For meditation, is this

word a mantra?

Faqir Chand: First one must undertake such

meditation as may take the meditator away from
the physical senses. This practice is known as
the repetition of Nam given by the master to his
disciple. So by repeating that Nam, not with
tongue but with mind, here amidst the eye-
brows, you go above the physical senses, as you
go above in the dream while sleeping. Then
comes the mental region, from where the
thoughts ooze out. As the process of thinking
starts, different kinds of pictures and scenes
come before us. To surpass them or to go
beyond the mental region and its creations, you
are to undertake the practice of dhyan of the
master. We people [have a tendency to fall
asleep and dream] by this practice, but by
concentrating on the face of a guru, provided
one thinks him as the real master and Perfect,
then the mental senses will also cease, or the
meditator shall not have any feeling of mental
existence as well.

Beyond this is the Light. The entity which lives

in the Light, sees the Light and enjoys the bliss
of Light is our Soul or Atma. Beyond that is
Sound or Shabd. When one listens to that

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 The Unknowing Sage

Sound one forgets all about the first three

stages that [comprises a trinity]: body, mind and
light. That is the 4th stage according to the
saints. But I have realized the 5th stage too.
Reference to 5th stage is also made by Saint
Kabir in his writings. But that cannot be
understood by everybody. The 5th stage is that
condition where one loses one's entity as an
individual. Self merges in the Supreme as a drop
mingles in the ocean. So far I have not been
able to merge myself in that 5th stage. I try my
best, but I fail. Why? I do not know. Therefore,
I say that it is not in man's hands to reach that
stage. It is either His Will or the destiny of a
man. So, at this age of 92, I surrender myself to
that Supreme One.

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The Work

One

I do not know whether my realizations are right

or wrong. I do not make any claim that my
realization is final. People say that my form
manifests to them and helps them in solving
their worldly as well as mental problems, but I
do not go anywhere nor do I know anything
about such miraculous instances. At Sarsonheri
a person came to me. He had suffered from a
paralytic attack. Now he was able to walk, but
still the paralytic attack had left its effect on his
left side. However, he was not suffering from
any serious trouble. He was an old man and a
widower. His daughter, who accompanied him,
told me that when her father suffered from the
attack she prayed to me. I appeared there and
told her that her father would be all right. She
said to her father, "Baba Ji has come and says
that you would be all right." Her father said that
he did not see Baba Ji anywhere. Then his
daughter directed him to see straight in front,
and thus he also saw my form standing there.
That man told me that I remained with him for
twenty-two days, until he was well. What is this?
 The Work

Two

I am here not forever. Death must come one

day. For what should I spoil my true self? When
I adopted this path of life, I had pledged that I
would follow this path with Truth and shall
speak to the world my realization of this path.
The writings did not reveal the Truth to me.
Denunciations of my forefathers in the writings
of the Saints pained me, but I had a firm faith in
His Holiness Hazur Data Dayal Ji Maharaj. His
Holiness had directed me, "Faqir, change the
mode of preaching before abandoning this
mortal frame."

Now, after having such experiences with me, I

question myself, "Faqir Chand, say, what mode
of preaching do you wish to change? Which
teachings should I change?" The change that I
can make in the present mode of preaching I
explained in the discourses that I delivered
during my tour. The change is, "O man, your
real helper is your own Self and your own Faith,
but you are badly mistaken and believe that
somebody from without comes to help you. No
Hazrat Mohammed, no Lord Rama, Lord
Krishna or any God or goddess or Guru comes
from without. This entire game is that of your
impressions and suggestions which are in-

86
 The Unknowing Sage

grained upon your mind through your eyes and

ears and of your Faith and Belief." This is the
change that I am ordained to bring about.

Three

Shri Jagan Nath is present here. He offered me

403 rupees for the Manavta Mandir. He told
[me] that I awakened him at 1:30 A.M. a day
before. But I did not go to awake him nor do I
know anything about it. Possibly other mahat-
mas and gurus might have the knowledge of
such instances of manifestations of their forms.
At least I remain unaware. Many of the present
gurus have admitted before me that they remain
unaware about such instances. His Holiness
Data Dayal Ji also said in his last discourses that
he did not go anywhere, but he did not disclose
this Truth in his early discourses. My entire life
and my mission is based upon Truth. My
realization and research is ahead of the realiza-
tions and research of the previous Saints. I have
not followed their trodden path of maintaining
an iron curtain around the Truth. They kept
mankind in the dark. The great Saints of the
past suffered from untold miseries in their lives
perhaps due to this very reason.

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 The Work

The question is why these great Saints suffered?

I have my suspicion that these Saints suffered
because they did not speak out the total Truth
to the world. The cause of their sufferings
might be their untruthful living. I am myself not
aware of my own end. I feel pained when I
contemplate upon the miserable end of the
great Saints. I am not here forever. For what
should I indulge in deceitful acts? To me, my
"Self" is more dear than anything else in the
world; therefore, I always speak the plain truth -
that I do not manifest anywhere, nor am I
aware of my manifestation to any person at any
place. Some people said at the time of their
death that Baba Ji had come in an airplane to
take them along. Others said that Baba Ji had
brought a horse and others said that Baba Ji had
come in a palanquin. But I do not know
anything about such instances. I simply wonder
when people narrate to me such instances of
their near and dear ones. I fearlessly proclaim
and appeal to the present gurus of the religious
world that either they should contradict what I
say, or they should speak out the truth that they
too do not manifest themselves to their respec-
tive devotees. If they too are sailing in the same
boat in which I sail, then why do they keep their
poor devotees in the dark and exploit them?

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 The Unknowing Sage

Four

In obedience to the dictates of His Holiness

Hazur Data Dayal Ji wherever I went during
this tour I said, "O man, be Pure in your deed
and be Pure in your conscience." When these
great Saints, who spent their lives in meditation,
could not save themselves from the fruit of
their deeds, then how can you householders be
an exception? You cherish enmity against your
brothers for selfish gains; you oppose and fight
against your parents and you do not hesitate in
deceiving your friends. You yourself decide,
how would you save yourself? You study your
own life and examine what you do. We pray for
the death of our own real brother, so that we
may inherit his property as well. We indulge in
litigation against our parents, brothers and
sisters for more and more property. Wives go to
the court of law against their husbands and
husbands against their wives. How can such
people aspire for higher values of life and live
happily?

Five

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 The Work

Nowadays this phenomena of manifestations is

the main cause of religious exploitation of the
ignorant devotees. This is the root of commun-
al rivalries. Recently in Benares it led to com-
munal riots between Hindus and Muslims.
Benares remained under curfew for a week.
Why? Because both Hindus and Muslims are
ignorant of the Truth.

In this age of machine Saints incarnate to

reveal the Truth, but unfortunately whatever the
great Saints like Guru Nanak, Kabir and Radha
Swami Dayal have said their devotees do not
adopt it in their lives. Their sayings and teach-
ings are used as tools for gaining personal
name, fame and wealth by the present gurus
and preachers. Ignorant masses are advised to
get initiated, for they shall be led to heavens by
their guru after their death. Had many of the
present gurus not confessed to me that they too
remain unaware about their manifestation I
would have thought that I am in the wrong.
The late Bhai Nandu Singh Ji of Nizamabad,
Shri Anand Rao Ji of Secundrabad and Sant
Tara Chand Ji have admitted that they too do
not manifest themselves to their respective
disciples. Of late another Guru known as
Shehan-Shah, who works as successor to Sant
Kirpal Singh Ji in the Western countries, met

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 The Unknowing Sage

me in the train at Sonepat Railway Station. He is

a friend of Pir Mughan Sahib. He also admitted
that his form also manifests to his devotees, but
he does not know anything about his manifesta-
tions. Unfortunately none of them speaks out
the Truth on the platform.

Six

I tell you an incident of my own life. My

daughter Prem Piari was married for some
years, but she had no child. Once my daughter
and her husband went to Firozpur in connec-
tion with a marriage in the family of Pandi Wali
Ram. My daughter came to me and complained
that her mother-in-law and other members of
the family taunt her and trouble her for being
childless even after five years of married life. I
consoled her saying, "Daughter! you are born to
a Faqir, why bother about children and suffer
pains? What is the surety of life, for what
should you have a desire for children? Do not
listen to others and remain busy with your own
work.

She went away and after about ten minutes,

Shri Des Raj, my son-in-law, came and he also
complained about the necessity of a child. I
promptly said, "Why do you worry about this?

91
 The Work

You shall have many children." This thought

never struck my mind that why I have made
two different statements to my daughter and
son-in-law on the same subject? Neither could I
ever think that my daughter would die. As
preordained, my daughter and son-in-law went
in for a second marriage and now he is a father
of many children.

What I wish to convey by narrating this incident

is that a Saint speaks or tells only that which is
destined to happen. No Saint can cancel the
result of your deeds. What is allotted cannot be
blotted. The punishment for his or her deeds
can be minimized by those who understand this
and then act upon what a Saint says. Simple
initiation into a particular religious sect would
not serve your purpose. It would not save you
from the result of your bad deeds. This is the
plain Truth that I am explaining to you. If you
like, you may come and listen to me. If you
don't, you may not. You may give any donation
to the Mandir or not; you may read any book of
mine or not. At least I do not want to spoil my
"Self."

Seven

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 The Unknowing Sage

During this tour I also visited the Ashram of

Sant Tara Chand Ji at Dinod in Haryana state.
About ten years ago he had come to me at
Delhi. He had thought that if Baba were a Saint
he would give me his left-out food. He came
and sat among others. He had no distinct
clothing, nor did I know him. In the meantime
a cup of tea came for me. I took about two or
three sips, and then handed over the cup to Shri
Tara Chand saying, "Get to work; you shall be
well known in the world." What was this? I did
not say anything intentionally to Tara Chand. It
was destined to happen.

Now I went to his Ashram, which is double of

our Manavta Mandir. There are very big halls.
There are provisions to serve food to at least
one thousand people in stainless steel utensils.
Tara Chand thinks that this is all the fruit of my
blessings. Now, I think that whatever was said
by me to Sant Tara Chand, it was pre-destined
for him. If my blessings can help in establishing
bigger centers than my own then why should
not I give the same blessings to all who come to
me? It is the law of thought radiation that
works. When he came his thought radiations
touched my mind and I involuntarily said what
was due to happen.

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 The Work

On the basis of such experiences I say that no

Saint can give you anything. A Saint speaks out
only that which is to happen. This is what I
have understood. I do not know anything about
others. I may be wrong. I do not make any high
claims. If a Saint can give you anything at all, it
is the true knowledge of going beyond the
ocean of existence. He can tell you the art of
living a happy and contented life. This is all that
a Saint can do. This is what I have realized after
a long search.

Eight

Different people from different walks of life

come to me for blessings. Sometimes I say
something and sometimes I do not say any-
thing. Some time back, a man from Hyderabad
sent a draft of 10,000 Rupees to the Mandir,
with a condition that he should recover from
his illness. I did not accept that draft for the
Mandir, but deposited it in the name of the
sender and wrote to him that life and death
were not in my hands. . . My inner self did not
accept that donation. Thus, I did not allow that
draft to be credited to the Mandir account.

I did not receive any news from that man for

about one and a half months. Now I have

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 The Unknowing Sage

received a letter from his wife that her husband

is dead, and that the money her husband had
sent to the Mandir may be returned to her. I
returned that amount to her. Now the question
is why did I not write to that man that he shall
recover from his illness? To others, who come
for such blessings, I do say so. Why, to that
man, did I hesitate? What is to happen must
happen.

When I reached Dinod (ashram of Sant Tara

Chand Ji), a young man came there and said to
me, "What is your name? From where have you
come and why have you come here?" I thought
him a man of the C.I.D. But later I learned that
he was a journalist. I told him that I was a Faqir;
I had come from Hoshiarpur to bow my head
at the hallowed feet of my Sat Guru Dev Sant
Tara Chand Ji. He further enquired, "Is Tara
Chand Ji your Guru? How is he your Guru?" I
told him that just as Swami Virjanand was the
Guru of Swami Dayanand, but the sublime
Truth was revealed to Dayanand Ji by the statue
of Lord Shiva, similarly I attained the Sublime
Knowledge from Sant Tara Chand Ji and my
other such disciples. Thus I have come here to
pay my respects to Tara Chand Ji, a True Form
of my Sat Guru.

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 The Work

Nine

If thou hast sustained life, impart Sat Guru's True

Name! By imparting the True Name, thou shalt
attain peace!

See what golden words are written, that if you

have come in human body then impart the True
Name of Sat Guru. By doing so, what shall you
gain? Peace. I have attained Peace. Why did I go
to Sant Tara Chand Ji? Why do I respect Dayal
Dass Ji? Why do I have regards for Kamalpur
Wali Mata (old lady disciple of Kamalpur)? Why
did I bow my head to Shri Krishak Ji? Because
from them I have attained Peace. How did I
gain this Peace from them? When they told me
that my form manifested to them and directed
them to the highest stages of spirituality within
but without any knowledge of mine then I was
obliged to realize that whatever forms or scenes
I used to visualize within were nothing but mere
projections of my mental impressions and
feelings. All those inner scenes, colors and
forms that I used to visualize and enjoy proved
a mere fancy and illusion, thus I attained Peace.
I attained the true knowledge of dwelling in my
own "Self."

Ten

96
 The Unknowing Sage

At Dinod people offered me about 1000 rupees

which I handed over to Sant Tara Chand Ji. I
had no right to accept that amount from the
poor people, though I accepted an amount of
1600 rupees from Shri Tara Chand. Sant Tara
Chand told me that I had helped him in reaping
his crop of grams. Other people also narrate
such instances, but I do not go anywhere. I did
not initiate them, but they believe that I am
their Guru. Their belief in me has helped me to
realize the Truth. What Truth? The Truth is
that all these manifestations of Guru, God,
Goddess, Rama or Krishna are not a Reality,
but an illusion. I am convinced of this Truth.
With this realization I have attained Peace. The
root cause of disquietude is mind. Once its real
form is recognized, you attain Peace. I have
recognized the real form of my mind. Sant
Kabir writes:Disciple bows to the Guru, tis
known to all! Guru bows to the disciple, tis very
rare!

This is the secret of Sant Mat (belief of the

Saints) which was kept intact behind the iron
curtain of gurudom. I have removed this
curtain. His Holiness Swami Ji Maharaj revealed
this secret through symbols. Once one disciple
said to Swami Ji, "Rai Saligram Sahib is your
great devotee and true disciple." His Holiness

97
 The Work

replied, "Who knows whether Salig Ram is my

Guru or I am his."

Similarly Hazur Data Dayal Ji Maharaj used to

say about me. Whenever I visited His Holiness
at Lahore, He used to say in his discourses,
"This Faqir has come to enlighten me and to
lead me beyond the Phantasmagoria."

This secret has caused a great harm to mankind.

We householders have been befooled by the so
called gurus. Our hard earnings have been taken
away by them and even then they expect that
we should remain in their very circle ever
bowing to their feet. Many people come and
prostrate before me as well. Why? Because they
are not aware of the Truth. They are ignorant of
the Secret. I often say that I have come from
the Anami Dham, the Nameless Abode, to tell
that "O man, know thyself by thyself."

There is no difference between you and a Guru.

But you are ignorant and you are very much
governed by your mind. You run after the gurus
and sadhus for the fulfillment of your worldly
desires. You make humble entreaties to the
gurus. When these gurus themselves have
disobedient and characterless children, and
when they themselves do not have good

98
 The Unknowing Sage

relations with their wives, how do you think

that they would do any good to you? Therefore,
I again emphasize my point, "O man! your good
lies in your own deeds." A True Guru simply
reveals to you the secret or the Truth. The
Truth is that this world is a field of the deeds.
Whatever deeds you or I have done, we must
face their results. No power on earth can
protect us. This is the Truth.

Eleven

Sometimes I think that whatever I have unders-

tood so far may be wrong. But I do not repent
because my conscience is very clear. I have
never said or done anything for any selfish
motive. I never throw dust in your eyes to get
name or fame for this short life. This is also a
fact - that I need money for Manavta Mandir -
but I never wish to adopt fraudulent methods
for the collection of money. If anybody wishes
to help the Mandir happily, he may, but if one
does not want then one may not. I care not for
the position of a preceptor. I have fear and my
life trembles at the thought of the harvest of
bad deeds, for we all must reap the harvest of
our deeds. If you live upon the hard earnings of

99
 The Work

others, you deceive others and you indulge in

acts of fraud for your selfish motives. Then
where would you go? Who would save you
when great Saints themselves could not remain
safe? O! my Preceptor, I do not know whether I
am right or wrong. I challenge all the Saints and
gurus of the present to denounce me if I am
wrong. I shall not mind. I only tell what has
happened or is happening with me.

Twelve

When I went to Dinod I sincerely thought - did

I go to reap the crops of Tara Chand? No, not
at all. I did not know anything about it until
Tara Chand Ji told me. Now Tara Chand says
that if Baba Ji had not come his way he would
have become an egotist. Whatever form mani-
fests to you it is the form of your own faith and
belief. But we are divided into different reli-
gions and sects on the basis of these very
manifestations. O! householders I have come
for you. Do not be misled by any false promis-
es. Try to understand the Truth and purify your
deeds. Open you eyes, Jagan Nath, I did not go
to awaken you at 1:30 a.m., day before yester-
day. I did not even know about you earlier. You
have donated four hundred rupees. I do need
money for the Mandir. I express my thanks to

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 The Unknowing Sage

you, but I speak the Truth. You may accept it or

not. I have done my duty towards you. If what I
have experienced in life has been the experience
of other gurus and Saints, then I would say
these gurus, whosoever they be, did not do
anything good to us. They befooled us, ex-
ploited us and looted us for their own name,
fame and for establishing their religious estates.

Thirteen

How does one attain peace? How did I gain

peace? I can tell about that alone. When
Krishak Ji came he handed me his diary in
which he had written in detail about how my
form guided him in his inner search from time
to time. I put one coconut and five paisa at his
feet and bowed to him. I permitted him to
initiate the aspirants saying, "You would
yourself realize the Truth." He stayed in the
Mandir for about ten months. I paid eighty
rupees for his expenses and sixty rupees to his
attendant, because he helped me to attain peace.
I did not initiate Dayal Dass nor did I impart
Nam to Kamalpur Wali Mata. It was their faith

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 The Work

and belief that helped them. They accepted my

word as Nam and me as their Guru. But I
gained the more. My entire struggle and search
for the Guru came to an end. I recognized my
mind and attained Peace. Now my practice
starts beyond the regions of mind i.e., from the
Light. The philosophy of Radhasoami faith also
directs that the aspirant should go beyond
mental regions to Satya-Lok. Only then libera-
tion would be achieved.

Fourteen

He who gives them [love, affection, and belief]

to others gains himself. So, it is the belief of the
people that benefits them. I do not do anything.
Their faith and belief in me brings their che-
rished fruit to them. It is not "I" who manifests
myself to them.

To give love and affection to others means to

have faith in them, to believe them. I too have
benefited from this. I daily receive a number of
letters in which people write, "Baba Ji, by
contemplating upon your holy form, we
achieved this thing and our difficult problems
were solved." I do nothing. It is their own love
and affection that fructifies. Therefore I say that
whomsoever you believe have firm faith that

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 The Unknowing Sage

He is Perfect, Sublime, and Omnipotent; all

your problems shall be solved and all your
works would be done. He who does not attend
my discourses or listens to me in person, but
contemplates upon forms, he worships the dead
Guru. You do not understand the true meaning
of Guru's worship. You consider that offering
of money to the Guru and bowing at his feet is
Guru worship. These are worldly customs and
norms of our civilization. Those who simply
contemplate upon the form of the Guru, they
worship their own mind, because inner visions
are the creations of your own mind, and
nothing comes from without. This is what I
have understood.

I know that I am speaking of things of a very

high level, but I am helpless. Old men do not
talk like small children. I am obliged to speak
about that condition alone in which I dwell.
People come to me, I speak to them with a very
clean heart and sincere conscience. It is possible
that I may be wrong. I have known the misera-
ble end of the gurus and the Saints. I feel afraid.
I do not know how I shall die, but if I also meet
a miserable end and I remain conscious at the
time of parting from this body then I shall also
proclaim like Alexander the Great who said,
"Keep my empty hands out of my coffin." I

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 The Work

shall say that none should speak the Truth in

this world, none should be sincere and none
should live an honest life, but live as per one's
desires!

Fifteen

I wonder when I study the lives of these Saints

and mahatmas and doubt whether these
mahatmas did any justice to their ignorant
disciples. They did not disclose the total Truth
as they knew it, possibly due to the paucity of
true seekers or due to their selfish motives of
name, fame and wealth. But if a disciple does
not feel indebted to the Guru who imparts him
True Knowledge then that disciple is most
ungrateful.

I proclaim that I do nothing. Not just I, no one

can do anything. Had anybody been able to do
anything then these Saints must have, first of
all, set their own children and wives on the right
Path. Had Data Dayal Ji got any miraculous
power he would not have allowed the disinte-
gration of his own Dham (centre). I had
predicted in 1919 to Hazur Data Dayal Ji that
his centre would totter in ruins. Why did I say
so? Because I had an insight. . . .

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 The Unknowing Sage

You come to me [and] I feel my responsibility

and thus I speak the Truth to you without any
reservation. I do not do any favour to you.
Whatever I do, it is in obedience to the com-
mands of Hazur Data Dayal Ji and Hazur
Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. Hazur Baba Sawan
Singh Ji had said to me, "Faqir, carry on your
work without any fear. I shall stand by you."
Thus [I] speak the Truth without any fear, that
everybody is bound to reap the fruit of his or
her deeds. Do not live in this hope that you, a
follower of Radhasoami, are initiated by a great
Guru or that you are a devotee of Lord Krishna
or Rama and thus you shall go free. Nay.
Whatever deeds you do, fruit of those, must be
reaped by you.

Sixteen

You must have read or listened to the story of

Mahabharata. Arjuna achieved an impossible
victory with the blessings of Lord Krishna. His
power was unsurpassed and his arrows were
irresistible. When the whole tribe of Lord
Krishna died in civil war after Lord Krishna's
death, Arjuna accompanied the remaining
women and gopis to a safer place, but on the

105
 The Work

way the Bhils snatched away all the beloved

wives of Lord Krishna from Arjuna. The
unsurpassing strength and irresistible arrows of
Arjuna could not protect those ladies of Lord
Krishna's clan. This is the philosophy of karma.
Who is safe and free from it? Whatever happens
to us is all due to our own deeds. So why make
a hue and cry when there is any distress for
you? Why do you run hither and thither,
weeping and pleading? Therefore I say time and
again, "O! man you reform your ways and be
clear in your conscience."

Perform your duty with compassion, remain

detached from the world, recognize every
creature like thyself, and attain the imperishable.
Unless you attain to such a practical living, you
can never get released from the cycle of trans-
migration, even though you might be initiated
by a great Guru.

Many a time I question myself, "Faqir Chand,

might you be endowed with some Supreme
Power about which you may be ignorant?" For
example, a beautiful lady goes through a bazaar,
a young man looks at her and his mind is
disturbed, but that woman remains ignorant of
the mental condition of that man. If she could
know the intentions of that man, she would

106
 The Unknowing Sage

positively give him a shoe beating. So, if nature

has endowed me with Something, then why
should I feel proud of it? It is the gift of Nature
of which I can be deprived any time. It is His
Will.

Patanjali, the great sage, has written in his book

on Yoga that if you cannot do any inward
practice then at least contemplate on the holy
form of a Perfect Man. Now the question is,
where would you search for a Perfect Man? I
say that wherever or in whomsoever you have
faith think that He is a Perfect Man and Omni-
potent [and] your purpose shall be served. If my
form manifests itself and helps those who have
faith in me, then the form of other gurus also
manifest themselves to their disciples and helps
them. Leave aside the Saints, you put a wicked
and immoral person on the seat of a Guru,
develop faith in him, his form too shall manifest
and help you like the manifested form of the
great Saints. You are not helped by any Saint or
Guru, but by your own faith and belief.

Seventeen

I question myself, "Faqir, have you gone astray?

Are you misleading the world? Suppose I am
wrong?" I do not feel guilty, because my

107
 The Work

conscience is clear and I have no selfish motive.

If at all I am wrong then the responsibility lies
upon the shoulders of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh
and Hazur Data Dayal Ji. Why did they ask me
to do this work? They were great Saints and had
a great insight. Did they not know that I would
speak the Truth? You will question me, as to
why I have also asked some people to do this
work of Satsang. I have given this work to them
so that they may realize the Truth and their
doubts and whims may vanish. I put Kamalpur
Wali Mai as the Guru of women. Now her form
manifests itself to many women, and she says
that she does not know anything about the
manifestation of her form. From such instances,
if she realizes the Truth, she will attain Peace.
Similarly, I asked Dayal Dass to work for his
own realization and not for exploiting the
innocent people and for deceiving the poor
disciples.

Eighteen

Live a happy life and do not spend more than

your income. Do not make offerings beyond
your capacity. Do not cut short the necessities
of your children to make donations to Manavta
Mandir or to any other Guru and his centre.

108
 The Unknowing Sage

This would be the greatest sin on your part.

Another thing for having a happy life is regular
meditational practice without any break. It
should be a part of your daily routine like eating
and sleeping. Also make daily offerings of one
thing or the other. Do you know what our
forefathers used to do? They used to keep
separate morsels for cow, dog and the crow
before taking their meals. It was their Dharma
not to eat without sharing their food with cow,
dog and the crow. Do we follow their tradi-
tions? If you cannot offer any money in lump
sum, try to save daily one paisa or two for
offering to the needy or the destitute. This will
inculcate in you a habit of sharing the offerings.
If a man gives one lakh rupees in charity today,
but does not give anything for years together, it
would not benefit him as much as a man who
makes daily offerings in one form or other. So
adopt this principle of making daily offerings, to
have daily meditation and to entertain daily new
and constructive thoughts. These will help in
transforming your life. He who gives in charity,
his heart and mind become liberal and gener-
ous.

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 The Work

If you are economically not well off, you

need not make offerings of money. Ladies,
before cooking meals for the family, should
keep one handful of flour or rice separately.
After a week's accumulation of rice or flour,
they should make chapattis of that flour or cook
the rice and offer it to sparrows, dogs and the
crows. I am telling these golden principles from
the core of my heart. They seem to be very
ordinary things. But do not consider them
ordinary. These are principles for attaining a
happy and prosperous life. Follow the above
routine for all the 365 days of a year, and if your
poverty still remains then do not offer flowers
to my photograph but give any ill-treatment that
you can. Our sages were very wise. They knew
the root cause of everything. But today we have
totally ignored the traditions laid down by them.
You try to understand the importance of old
ceremonies and social practices. You do one
good work a day and see how many good works
would be to your credit after a year.

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The Exit

One of the most remarkable aspects about the

Tibetan Book of the Dead (or, more accurately
speaking, The Bardo Thotrol, also known as
Bardo Thodol)[1] is the principle that whatever
one perceives during the dying process is
ultimately illusory. Experiences of seeing inner
light, hearing wondrous melodies, and feeling
sensations of being out of the body, according
to The Bardo Thotrol, are but momentary
reflections of one's own psychological condi-
tion. As such, they are not to be valued in and
of themselves, since they cannot by their nature
reveal the ultimate truth, but only -- even if
magnificently--obscure it.

The reason for this is simple, if profound:

whatever one sees in the dying process is a
projection from one's own self. Since this
self/soul/ego in Buddhism is the root cause of
man's suffering, and not a real and permanent
condition, anything which reinforces, glamoriz-
es, or even elevates its status is misleading and
generative of delusion. The key to Enlighten-
ment in Mahayana Buddhism, unlike Christiani-
ty, is not salvation of the soul, but rather its
 The Exit

annihilation as a continued sensation. There-

fore, The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a
practical text on how to carry out the process of
death to its terminal apex: extermination of the
individual self. At first glance this may seem a
bit extreme, especially to those steeped in
Western religions which place a higher value on
personal immortality, but in light of Buddha's
teachings it is perfectly consistent with his
philosophy which views death -- real death--in a
very positive light.

What is perhaps most intriguing about the

Tibetan Book of the Dead, at least from a
scientific perspective, is its thoroughly rational
and skeptical character. Although the text does
instruct the neophyte to accept the clear void
light as one's own, it does not describe in
precise terms what that light is. Instead, it
concentrates on what the light is not. It is not
anything which can be seen, heard, touched or
felt -- even on a higher or more elevated plane
of awareness. It is, on the contrary, the such-
ness or context or spectrum out of which all
things operate, but in and of itself cannot be
grasped as any particular thing. Thus it is always
identified through negation (neti, neti; "not this,
not that") or through negative images: empti-

112
 The Unknowing Sage

ness, void, vacuity, etc. It is, if we can describe

it at all, no-thing.

The implications for the dying lama are clear:

Do not accept whatever may arise in the
intermediate stage just after death, for each
apparition betrays its real origin, imputing a
sense of reality and permanence upon some-
thing which has neither. Realize, rather, that
nirvana is the source from which all visions
arise and is therefore itself not a vision. Or, put
in more philosophical terms, truth is the
condition from which all conditions arise --
itself not being a secondary effect.

Surprisingly, one of the more lucid insights on

the philosophy of the Tibetan Book of the
Dead comes from a Hindu mystic, named Baba
Faqir Chand who apparently was not familiar
with the original Tibetan text or its English
translation. Although Faqir was not conversant
with the Bardo Thotrol, he was nevertheless
steeped in its philosophy as taught to him by his
guru, Shiv Brat Lal of Gopiganj. Faqir Chand,
like his lama counterparts, spent much of his
life in meditation, attempting to consciously go
through the dying process in order to prepare
himself for his final exit. However, unlike
others of his kind, Faqir left a detailed account

113
 The Exit

of his some seventy plus years of meditation

(ranging from 3 to 12 hours daily) which led up
to his enlightenment. The result is a richly
detailed account which provides a thorough
understanding of how inner visions and the like
are projected in the intermediate stages between
life and death.

"As the Bardo Thotrol text makes very clear by repeated

assertions, none of all these deities or spiritual beings has
any real individual existence any more than have human
beings. "It is quite sufficient for thee (i.e., the deceased
percipient) to know that these apparitions are (the
reflections of) thine own thought-forms." They are
merely the consciousness- content visualized, by karmic
agency, as apparitional appearances in the Intermediate
state -- airy nothings woven into dreams." --Tibetan Book
of the Dead [2]

"Now, you see no Jesus Christ comes from without in

anybody's visions. No Rama, no Krishna, no Buddha, and
no Baba Faqir comes from without to anybody. The
visions are only because of the impressions and sugges-
tions that a disciple has already accepted in his mind.
These impressions and suggestions appear to him like a
dream. No body comes from without. This is the plain
truth." --Baba Faqir Chand [3]

What strikes the reader almost immediately

after reading both the Bardo Thotrol and The
Unknowing Sage is the remarkable similarity
between both texts. Whereas the Bardo Thotrol

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 The Unknowing Sage

is written mostly in second person and third

person, listing instructions for the departing
soul, The Unknowing Sage is in first person,
presenting the reader with Faqir Chand's frank
autobiographical admissions about his medita-
tive life. Yet, in both texts the respective
philosophies coincide: 1) the illusory nature of
religious visions; 2) the limitations of know-
ledge, both rational and transmundane; and 3)
the principle that the ego/self/soul is the real
cause of man's unenlightened state.

Faqir Chand came to this realization is an

interesting story in itself, especially for someone
steeped in the Radhasoami tradition. From a
very early age, Faqir was prone towards mystical
experiences, oftentimes seeing religious visions
of Krishna and Rama, who would, we are told,
instruct Faqir on various aspects of his religious
life. Eventually, however, Faqir became so
distraught in his quest for God-Realization that
he became hysterical and stopped eating. As
Faqir recollects:

"Once I wept for twenty-four hours conti-

nuously for a glimpse of the Lord. Doctors
were called in. They administered medicine to
me. At about five o'clock in the morning I saw
in a vision the form of Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal

115
 The Exit

[Faqir's eventual guru]. He drew water from a

nearby well and helped me take a bath, and then
told me his address in Lahore. This experience
convinced me that God had incarnated Himself
in the form of Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal. "[4]

Faqir's experience convinced him that Shiv Brat

Lal was an incarnation of the Lord. After ten
months of correspondence, Faqir received
initiation from his preceptor into the Radha-
soami faith in 1905. [5] It was not until the end
of World War One, though, that Faqir received
his first glimpse of Enlightenment. For prior to
this time (1919), Faqir accepted whatever inner
sights and sounds he beheld in meditation as
true and objective. The turning point came after
a battle in Hamidia in Iraq. Working as an
inspector for the railway station, Faqir and his
group came under heavy enemy attack. Fearing
for his life, Faqir prayed internally for help from
his guru, Shiv Brat Lal. Almost miraculously,
Shiv Brat Lal appeared to Faqir in his inner
vision. As Faqir recalls:

"I too was shaken with the Fear of Death. In

this very moment of fear, the Holy Form of
Hazur Data Dayal Ji appeared before me and
said, "Faqir, worry not, the enemy has not come
to attack but to take away their dead. Let them

116
 The Unknowing Sage

do that. Don't waste your ammunition." I sent

for the Subedar Major and told him about the
appearance of my Guru and his directions
concerning the enemy. The Subedar Major
followed the directions of my Guru. The rebel
Jawans came and carried away their dead
without attacking our positions. By six o'clock
in the morning, our airplanes came and they
dropped the necessary supplies. Our fears
vanished. We gained courage. We were safe."
[6]

Though Faqir was overjoyed by this miracle, he

did not appreciate its full import until some
three months later when he realized that it was
a projection of his own mind. When Faqir
asked Shiv Brat Lal about his appearance, the
guru said that he knew nothing whatsoever
about it. Moreover, around the time Faqir saw
the miraculous form of his guru, Faqir's friends
were also in danger and prayed to God. But
instead of Shiv Brat Lal appearing to them,
Faqir Chand's radiant form manifested and
saved their lives. When Faqir was informed
about this incident he was "wonder struck":

"After about three months, the fighting came to

an end and the Jawans retired to their barracks.
I returned to Bagdad, where there were many

117
 The Exit

satsangis. When they learned of my arrival, they

all came together to see me. It was all very
unexpected and a surprising scene for me. I
asked them, "Our Guru Maharaj is at Lahore. I
am not your Guru. Why do you worship me?"
They replied in unison, "On the battle field we
were in danger. Death lurked over our heads.
You appeared before us in those moments of
danger and gave us direction for our safety. We
followed your instructions and thus were
saved." I was wonder struck by this surprising
explanation of theirs. I had no knowledge of
their trouble. I, myself, being in danger those
days of combat, had not even remembered
them. "[7]

Thus, it was through a series of remarkable

events that Faqir began to question the authen-
ticity of his inner visions...questioning similar in
depth to the young American Larry Darrell in
W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge,
who experienced a similar epiphany following a
devastating World War One event. It is written
the Darrell character (based on a real person)
eventually Awakened to the Absolute under the
grace and light of a contemporary of Faqir
Chand, the great Indian sage, Sri Ramana
Maharshi, after embarking on a spiritual quest
to India.[8]

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 The Unknowing Sage

Instead of accepting whatever appeared to him

during his voyages out of the body Faqir
doubted them and attempted to find the source
from which all such visions arise. Faqir's
adventures began to dovetail at this point with
the underlying philosophy of the Bardo Tho-
trol: "That all phenomena are transitory, are
illusionary, are unreal, and non-existent save in
the sangsaric mind perceiving them. . . That in
reality there are no such beings anywhere as
gods, or demons, or spirits, or sentient creatures
-- all alike being phenomena dependent upon a
cause. . . That this cause is a yearning or a
thirsting after sensation, after the unstable
sangsaric existence." [9]

Eventually, Faqir dismissed his visionary

encounters as nothing but subtle obstructions
of maya. It was at this point that Faqir's medita-
tion took a new turn: instead of enjoying the
bliss of inner sights and sounds, Faqir turned
his attention to the source from which these
manifestations arose. And in so doing, Faqir no
longer became attracted to visions of Krishna,
Rama, or even his guru, Shiv Brat Lal. Com-
ments Faqir:

"O'Dayal's mother, whom you see within and

whom you love within is your own creation,

119
 The Exit

your own child. You, yourself, create the image

of Shiv Brat Lal in your center of Trikuti, while
other devotees create ideals such as Krishna,
Rama, or other Gods at the same center and
enjoy their vision. Man is basically ignorant
about the reality. Mother Bhagyawati is not a
lonely example. I too suffered many hardships
due to his very ignorance." [10]

Faqir's insights, interestingly, tally with Book

One of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. As
Evans-Wentz comments:

"These Deities [manifestations of various gods

and goddess in the intermediate plane] are in
ourselves. They are not something apart from
us. . . In this esoteric sense, the Lotus Order of
Deities represent the deified principles of the
vocal functions of ourselves. . . ."

In this new chapter in Faqir's spiritual quest, he

began to develop a dispassion for anything
which arose in his meditation -- be it delightful
or wrathful. Instead Faqir began to query, "Who
is it that sees the light? Who is it that hears the
sound?" In other words, what is it that expe-
riences this world and worlds beyond it? No
doubt, Faqir reasoned, it is consciousness. But
what is that? wondered Faqir. The answer

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 The Unknowing Sage

would haunt Faqir for the rest of his life, for he

realized that no matter what spiritual practices
he may do he would never know. It was simply
incomprehensible, a mystery without limitation.
To Faqir the haunting aspect about this discov-
ery was that no human being (not even avatars,
saints, or gurus), he surmised, could possibly
know. Indeed, it was this very unknowability
which constituted man's enlightenment, or so
Faqir intuited. Argues Faqir:

"I do not proclaim that whatever I say is correct

or final. Whatever I say is the conclusion of my
experience of life. Nature is unfathomable. No
one has known it. A small germ in a body
cannot know the whole body. Similarly (a)
human being is like a small germ in a vast
Creation. How can he claim to have known the
entire creation? Those who say that they have
known are wrong. No one can describe or even
know the entire creation. Up to a certain extent
to which man's mind has access, one can say
something. But nobody can tell about the entire
universe. It is indescribable."

Paradoxically buoyed by this intuition, Faqir

began to immerse himself more and more into
the clear void light, forgetting himself and his
quest in the process. Although Faqir's extraor-

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 The Exit

dinary excursions took place while he was still

alive, and not in a near-death state, his expe-
riences reinforce the general philosophy of the
Bardo Thotrol about liberation.

"O Son of noble family, (name), listen. Now the

pure luminosity of the dharmata is shining
before you; recognize it. O son of noble family,
at this moment your state of mind is by nature
pure emptiness, it does not possess any nature
whatever, neither substance or quality such as
colour, but it is pure emptiness; this is the
dharmata. . . This mind of yours is inseparable
luminosity and emptiness in the form of a great
mass of light, it has no birth or death, therefore
it is the Buddha of Immortal Light. To recog-
nize this is all that is necessary."

What exactly this emptiness or luminosity is

cannot, by definition, be described. In the
Tibetan Book of the Dead the emphasis is on
recognizing one's true nature, that which is no-
thing in particular but rather the field in which
all things arise -- itself being visionless, though
producing visions; itself being structureless,
though exhibiting structure; itself being non-
existent, though producing existence. The clear
void light is absolutely paradoxical, since the "I"
cannot grasp it, nor can the mind by its sub-

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 The Unknowing Sage

ject/object dualism conceive it. Ken Wilber, a

well regarded transpersonal theorist and practic-
ing Zen Buddhist, describes it this way:

"The Absolute is both the highest state of being

and the ground of being; it both the goal of
evolution and the ground of evolution, the
highest stage of development and the reality or
suchness of all stages of development; the
highest of all conditions and the Condition of
all conditions; the highest rung in the ladder and
the wood out of which the ladder is made.
Anything less than that paradox generates either
pantheistic reductionism, on the one hand, or
wild and radical transcendentalism on the other.
. . . " See also Dark Luminosity.

Thus Faqir, following his Tibetan counterparts,

eschewed even the pure light and sound which
was beyond form, and attached himself to no-
thing, allowing himself, as he so astutely put it,
to "hang on the gallows." But in so doing, Faqir
broke with Radhasoami tradition, which
advocates surat shabd yoga (lit., "uniting the
soul with the divine inner sound"), and even-
tually became regarded as a "heretic." Near the
end of his life, Faqir grew closer to the philo-
sophical principles of Buddhism, particularly
Mahayana, as outlined in the Bardo Thotrol.

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 The Exit

Indeed, if one were only to look at his later

writings, one would come away with the
impression that Faqir came from a lineage of
Tibetan lamas. The following passage is particu-
larly relevant in this regard:

"O' Faqir these satsangis have taught you the

method of hanging at the gallows. Only this
experience of the manifestation of my form at
different places, of which I am never aware, has
changed my life. . . My experiences prove that
Yogi, Meditator, Guru, Disciple and even the
aspirant of salvation are in bondage. . . These
people who create my form with their mental
forces to fulfill their worldly desires are not
interested to know the Truth. They do not hang
themselves on the gallows, because they depend
on the support of my Form. Whereas to a man
on the gallows there is no support. This is the
highest stage." [11]

It is precisely this letting go -- both of the

objects which entice the mind and the mind
itself -- which constitutes the final meditation in
the Tibetan Book of the Dead. When this is
done, no rebirth is possible, since there is no
one left to reap experiences. But what happens
to those who cannot let go into the clear void
light? What is their plight? According to the

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 The Unknowing Sage

Bardo Thotrol, such beings have a series of

lesser options, whereby they can take new births
in higher or lower dimensions of awareness.
Regions upon regions exist where departed
beings are enjoying the fruits of their karmic
actions. Their fall, so to say, from the empty
luminosity is due to one simple, but devastating
mistake: they took the apparitions, the lights,
the colors, the sounds, and the sensations of the
intermediate plane to be real, and not as
projections of their own self-created karma. In a
phrase, they bought the dream as reality and
were thus duped. Concerning these beings, the
Tibetan Book of the Dead says:

"O son of noble family, if you do not recognize

them [the various lights and apparitions] as your
projections, whatever meditation practice you
have done during your life, you have not met
with this teaching, the coloured light will
frighten you, the sounds will bewilder you and
the rays of light will terrify you. If you do not
understand this essential point of the teachings
you will not the recognize the sounds, lights and
rays, and so you will wander in samsara." [12]

Faqir Chand also reiterates the teachings of the

Bardo Thotrol on this issue of karmic propensi-
ties (the principle that karma sways one away

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 The Exit

from the clear void light at death, if one is not

attached beforehand in the empty luminosity).
Faqir's frank autobiographical admissions reveal
that even a sage as steeped in meditation as he
could occasionally fall from the truth and get
caught in the whirlpool of attachment. For
instance, when Faqir Chand went to sleep he
usually attached himself to the light and sound
within, but occasionally would get caught up
with dreams, falsely believing that he was seeing
his father, his son, his wife, trains, and so on. As
Faqir points out:

"This night I had a dream in which I saw

running trains. An accident occurred; I carried
my luggage; my father (whom I was afraid of)
met me ahead. Then I met my mother; my first
wife was also sitting there. I inquired from my
wife, "What about your wounded leg? Is your
leg now alright? Are you not my wife?" Mean-
while I awoke and attuned my Self to the Shabd
(Inner Sound Current). . . All these deeds,
thoughts and feelings where selfish motives are
involved shall positively have their reaction
upon the individual concerned, either in the
waking state or in sleep. Why do I say so? This
is my experience. Ever since the establishment
of Manavta Mandir I have never dreamed about
it. Why? Because my Self is neither attached to

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 The Unknowing Sage

Mandir nor to any of you. But why do my

father, mother, wife and railway trains appear
time and again in my dreams? Because my Self
was attached to them." [13]

Faqir's observation of what occurs in the dream

state also holds true for what happens in the
intermediate plane after death, since both
involve the same fundamental rule: attachment
creates repetition and thus the cycle of samsara
continues. Liberation, both in the Tibetan Book
of the Dead and in The Unknowing Sage, is
non-attachment to anything or anyone. Only
then can the bubble or knot of self-existence be
undone.

When Faqir Chand was asked what would

happen to him after death, he frankly remarked,
"I don't know." When asked to elaborate, he
proceeded to give a gist of his entire philosophy
of life; not surprisingly, as I have attempted to
point out in this paper, Faqir's outlook echoes
almost point by point The Tibetan Book of the
Dead:

"So what I have understood about Nam is that

it is the true knowledge of the feelings, visions,
and images that are seen within. This know-
ledge is that all the creations of the waking,

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 The Exit

dreaming and deep sleep modes of conscious-

ness are nothing but samskaras (impressions
which are in truth unreal) that are produced by
the mind. What to speak about others, even I
am not aware of my own Self (in dreams). Who
knows what may happen to me at the time of
death? I may enter the state of unconsciousness,
enter the state of dreams and see railway trains.
. . How can I make a claim about my attainment
of the Ultimate? The truth is that I know
nothing." [14]

Evans-Wentz, writing some forty years earlier

than Faqir, makes the following observation
concerning the Bardo Thotrol:

"It is not necessary to suppose that all the dead

in the Intermediate State experience the same
phenomena, any more than all the living do in
the human world, or in dreams. . . As a man is
taught, so he believes. . . ." [15]

In the end, Faqir's death was an untypical one.

In April of 1981 he installed his spiritual
successor, Dr. I.C. Sharma, at Manavta Mandir,
Hoshiarpur, and then proceeded to fly to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States to
conduct his fifth world tour. He was ninety-five
years old. But just prior to departing from the

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 The Unknowing Sage

Delhi airport, Faqir was asked in a tape-

recorded meeting by a long-time friend and
devotee when he would be coming back. Faqir,
in an unusually prophetic reply, responded:
"When I come back, it will be in black box."
And so it was. Several weeks later in a Pitts-
burgh hospital Faqir after undergoing a cardiac
arrest and suffering in a coma for several days
died. [16] Days later his body was sent back to
India in a casket for final cremation rights.

One can only wonder if the unknowing sage

melted into the empty luminosity or into the
dream world of running trains.

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 The Exit

References:

1] I will be using two translations here for my

article: Evans-Wentz's famous work, The
Tibetan Book of the Dead (New York: Cause-
way Books, 1973), Preface to Third Edition:
Lama Anagarika Govinda; and Francesca
Mantle's and Chogyam Trungpa's The Tibetan
Book of the Dead (Berkeley: Shambhala, 1975).

[2] Op. cit., pages 32 -33.

[3] Op. cit., page 4

[4] Op. cit., page 22.

[5] For more on the Radhasoami tradition, see

Radha Swami Teachings by Lekh Raj Puri
(Beas: Radha Soami Foundation, 1967).

[6] Op. cit., page 26. Also see Lane's "The

Himalayan Connection" (Journal of Humanistic
Psychology, Fall 1984) for more on the psycho-
logical implications of Faqir's visionary expe-
riences.

[7] Op. cit., page 26. It should be pointed out

that just prior to leaving to Iraq, Shiv Brat Lal

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 The Unknowing Sage

informed Faqir that the ultimate guru was

within one's self, nowhere on the outside. In
fact, during this meeting, Shiv Brat Lal ap-
pointed Faqir as his spiritual successor, blessing
his disciple with the following words: "Faqir,
you are yourself the Supreme Master of your
time. Start delivering spiritual discourses to the
seekers and initiate them into the path of Sant
Mat. In due course of time, your own satsangis
[followers] will prove to be your "True Guru,"
and it is through your experiences with them
that the desired secret of Sant Mat will be
revealed to you." [Op. cit., page 25.]

[8 ]Somerset Maugham material interjected into

the original commetary by the Wanderling
because of its overall relevance to Faqir Chand,
the Enlightenment experience generally, and the
various interconnecting links provided.

[9] Evans-Wentz, op. cit., page 66

[10] Op. cit., page 48.

[11] Op. cit., page 50.

[12] Freemantle el al, op. cit., page 41.

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 The Exit

[13] Op. cit., page 45.

[14] Op. cit., page 47.

[15] Evans-Wentz, op. cit., page 33.

[16] For more on Faqir's death, please refer to

I.C. Sharma's Hindi biography of Faqir Chand
entitled Sidha Satpurusha Faqir Baba.

132
Conclusion: The Honest Guru

Honesty is a virtue that is hard to come by. Sure

people claim to have it or at least aspire to it, yet
very few of us can be totally frank about our
lives, our motivations, our hidden desires. It is
particularly difficult for those who are in
positions of authority. Why? Because it is
precisely when we have some social status,
some social leverage, some social mobility that
we run the risk of hurting another's feelings. Is
a mother totally honest to her child? Does she
not lie or deceive on occasion to avoid hurting
the feelings of her tiny beloved? Is a teacher
completely forthcoming to his student? Does he
not blind himself occasionally from the obvious
drawbacks of his pupil? Naturally, we would all
admit to lying or deceiving at one time or
another. The problematic issue in this is where
we draw the line between harmless social lying
and damaging personal dishonesty. It is a
difficult issue, no doubt, and one which each of
us faces moment to moment, day to day, year to
year.

This brings us to that most remarkable of 20th

century Indian mystics, the late Baba Faqir
 Conclusion

Chand. One would be hard pressed to find a

guru as disarmingly open as Faqir, who, unlike
most of his colleagues in the Punjab, had
repeatedly confessed to his human failings and
his intellectual limitations. And it is exactly
Faqir's honesty which sets him apart from other
spiritual leaders; it is also Faqir's honesty which
raises the question of Truth. Could it be, as
Faqir would have us believe by his own life and
example, that no saint or guru or mystic--
however enlightened, however revered, howev-
er popular--truly knows the secret of human
existence? For skeptics the answer is already
self-evident: nobody does know especially
religious leaders who are more often than not
caught in mythic or pre-rational modes of
thinking. For believers in religious truth, Faqir's
confessions may be viewed as revelatory or
misguided.

But in both camps, Faqir's honesty will most

likely not be an issue. There is a certain trust-
worthiness about Faqir's confessional attitude
which automatically endears the reader. But
perhaps it is more than that, perhaps deep
within our own hearts and minds we intuit that
Reality is indeed greater than we can conceive;
that God--and I am using the term to denote
Absoluteness--is not something to be talked

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 The Unknowing Sage

about, or theorized about, or even proven. God

is that which begins and ends in the Unknowa-
ble, and thus agnosticism is closer to our own
bone than we might wish to admit. We really
don't know, do we? Maybe what makes Faqir
Chand's confession of ignorance so appealing
and so believable is that he is stating a universal
fact--a fact which is evident to every human
being who has ever lived: we simply don't know
the why of our own existence, much less the
reason behind the universe. And this unkno-
wingness may not be a cultural product at all,
but rather an inherent, even biological, response
to the very wonder of the cosmos.

In any case, what we have in the writings of

Faqir Chand is a unique autobiographical
confession about the inner workings of a well
regarded mystic. What we have, in sum, is an
honest guru. Although for Westerners the term
"honest guru" may seem to be an oxymoron, in
Faqir Chand the phrase is perfectly apt and
attests to his distinctive style. How many gurus
are there who say that they don't know what
happens after death? Or that they may just be
plain wrong in their observations? Or that they
have no power whatsoever to perform miracles?
Or that they suffer from the same weaknesses
as other human beings? Certainly there may be

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 Conclusion

some, but the number is exceptionally small.

Moreover, out of this small circle very few have
spoken with the clarity and conviction of Baba
Faqir Chand.

To read Faqir is to read yourself; to end up

where you started in the first place: not know-
ing. Not knowing may be undesirable, it may
even be frightening, but it does have one
immeasurable advantage to those who feel it,
who contemplate it, and who don't resist it: it is
a truthful and honest human response to the
mystery of the universe. Faqir Chand, unlike
most of humankind, dove daily into the very
mystery of his being, and each time he emerged
he came out with the same message: "I don't
know." But instead of finding that discovery to
be useless, he found it, along with Socrates, Lao
Tzu and others, to be the greatest wisdom of
all.

I have never seen two people fight over their

"unknowingness"; however, I have seen wars
fought and millions of humans exterminated
over people claiming they "knew"-- whether
that knowledge be cloaked in the guise of
Communism, Racism, or any host of isms. True
knowledge is knowing that you don't know; true
wisdom is knowing that nobody else does

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 The Unknowing Sage

either. Faqir Chand can be regarded as an

enlightened being in the sense that he came to
grips with the Unknowable. Not by superim-
posing order or meaning upon that Mystery, but
rather by surrendering to its transformative
implication: Transcendental Unknowingness
creates natural humility and an inherent open-
ness to the vagaries of Being.

137