The Master

When I first met Kathy, I was so relieved, so excited, so enamored that I wanted to shout it from a rooftop – and practically did, telling everyone that I knew about being initiated by a living Master, even though I had very little concept of what that meant at the time. More than one of my friends then were skeptical, and one woman that I had spent some time with before meeting Kathy announced to a room full of my friends that she didn’t need a guru, that no one did. “God is inside of all of us, and I can find Them there myself,” she told the group. Others chimed in, agreeing that there was no need of a Master. I learned pretty quickly to keep my mouth shut about it, because I really didn’t have any reference other than my own heart, my own soul, my own knowing that regardless of what they needed, I definitely needed a Guide.

I understand a bit more now and I understand why we need a Master – well, as much as someone can know all that a true Living Master walking on earth does – which admittedly is not much. Dr. Julian Johnson, a disciple of Maharaj Sawan Singh, writes about the traits and identifiers of a perfect Master in his book The Path of the Master, quoted here from Kathy’s book The Living Master:

1.      First and most noticeable of them all is the outstanding fact that real Masters never charge for their services, nor do they accept pay in any form, or any kind of material benefits for their instructions. This is a universal law among real Masters of the Word….Masters are always self-sustaining. They are never supported by their disciples, by ‘love offerings,’ or by charity.

2.      True Masters never boast of their mastership, or of their spiritual powers or attainments. If any man claims to have attained the highest in spiritual development, that claim of itself may be taken as conclusive proof that he has not attained so much. True Masters never make such claims, and always show the utmost humility; but they never make their humility obtrusive. They never do anything to advertise their humility or to exhibit it to the public gaze.

3.      True Masters never complain of their treatment at the hands of others. Even if you abuse a true Master, he will not reply angrily, nor will he speak of it afterwards. They never speak of their difficulties, or of the ingratitude of their beneficiaries.

4.      Masters never find fault or blame others, either to their faces or behind their backs, no matter what the provocation. They speak no ill, and they never lecture others concerning their shortcomings. They exalt the positive virtues, keeping silent about evil, except to answer questions or give necessary warnings.

5.      The great Masters never punish anybody, even their worst enemies or those who may have mistreated them….The Masters’ lives are governed entirely by the law of love. They give freely of their light and love, even as the sun gives of its light and heat, asking nothing in return.

6.      The Masters are never given to ascetic practices or unreasonable austerities. This is one quality that differentiates them from many types of yogis. The Masters insist that everyone should give attention to the health of his body, as well as his mind and soul. They always teach that it is a duty to keep the body clean, healthy and well-nourished.

7.      Masters never go about begging their living. They are always self-supporting. The Master is always the great giver, never a beggar. Neither does he permit his disciples to beg their living, while they sit around in idleness.

8.      A real Master never performs miracles for public exhibition. He may do them for disciples on special occasions and for particular reasons. But in the case of a living Master, they are kept a secret from the public.

9.      All great Masters teach and practice the Word of God, the Audible Life Stream or Sound Current. If a man preaches and practices the Life Current, it is presumptive evidence that he is a true Master, although it is not conclusive. That is the central theme of all their discourses, the very core of their meditations. As this Current is the life of the world itself, so it is the life of every True Master throughout all of his daily actions.

What I know now is that there is really no describing a Master. While there are indeed tenets in which to recognize them, they are often hidden and only reveal themselves to their own marked souls – those disciples that are for them to take back to the Lord. And there is definitely no defining their behavior. I have asked myself often, since Kathy left Her mortal coil, “What would Kathy do?” and the answer inside of myself is often the same – no clue what She would do. She was a perfect Master, a Param Sant Sat Guru, or the highest level of Master that comes to this plane of existence. Her behavior was often shocking to me and whenever I thought I knew how She would respond in a situation, I was often wrong. They come here solely to take Home those souls that are allotted Them, and in the process, remove a lot of worldly karma. If I were pressed to offer one word that best described Kathy, it would be Love. Love and more Love. Capital “L” Love. And that often took different forms.

It is truly rare to meet a real Master, and rarer still to be given initiation. It is the highest gift one can receive on this earth, and I have no idea how I got so lucky. Ultimately, I know that my longing and yearning, my intense desire for God, is God’s longing for me, fulfilled by initiation from Kathy. She used to say that you wouldn’t go to a friend for brain surgery any more than you would take directions from someone who had never been somewhere that you needed to go. There are so many regions inside and it is easy to be distracted. It is only with the loving hand and guidance of a living Master that a soul can follow the true path Home.

Yet there is no time wasted in seeking, no time wasted in spending a whole life looking and arguing and researching for the way Home. Ultimately, the seeker will meet their Teacher and be given the gift of Nam. If not in this life, then in another. A true Master will tell you to research everything, get out all of your questions, and They will patiently answer them. Believe me, I know. I had nothing but questions for years, as did many of the other seekers under Kathy’s wing. And She loved nothing more than to answer them and to speak of God, of meditation.

I know in my soul, and She says it Herself in The Living Master, that for us Her disciples, She is forever. And She will remain for us, forever. Once a Master initiates a soul, they are responsible to see that soul all the way Home. I am so blessed. I am so grateful. And trust me, if someone like me can meet a living Master, then it is for anyone to meet a living Master. If the desire is strong and the seeking sincere, when a student is ready, the Teacher will appear.

Sending so much Love,

Kelly