A Point of Light – The Physical Form
God has no form. He exists for us only as a concept, and concept cannot be an object of love. The Master, because he has a human form, can engage our love at every level. Through the master, the Lord is, in a manner of speaking, made real to us. As Maharaj Sawan Singh put it:
The Masters become a bride which we may cross. By loving a perfect Master, our soul eventually comes to love the formless and indescribable one and only God. Although the Lord, like electricity, pervades everywhere, the Master is the point where he shines out as light. — Maharaj Sawan Singh quoted in Legacy of Love.
A Point of Light – The Physical Form
The purpose of our work on this path is to develop our love for the Master. As we work our love grows and grows until we find it very hard to be parted from him. We reach a stage where separation is so painful that we are compelled to seek him inside, through our spiritual practice.
O my guest
I feel so confused and restless.
Set on fire, my heart explodes
With the pain of separation
— Rumi
In Die to Live Maharaj Charan Singh writes that
“This longing for the physical form, this longing which you can not fulfill, leads you towards the Radiant Form of the Master, which will ultimately take you back to the Father”.
Baba Gurinder Singh often reminds us that we need to go beyond the physical, but even so, the physical presence of the Master is of great importance to us. Why else would the Master spend so much time traveling around the world to meet his Sangat? On a long-awaited visit to South Africa, he pointed out that we know the teachings and there is not very much to say — he just wanted to spend time with his Sangat.
So the physical form is a valuable gift which we should not waste. We should take care not to underestimate the value of the physical form. Maharaj Sawan Singh summed it up when he said,
“The outer form is the means of bringing a devotee in touch with the inner form; hence priority in importance goes to the outer form.”