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SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT CLAREMONT
MMIC 10017021308
 aN
al

Theology
»

1325 North College Avenue

Claremont, CA 91711-3199
(800) 626-7820
 lalks Holiness

MM. oh Guru Bawa

 Acknowledgements

Narrators:
Lex Hixon—WBAI, New York
Will Noffke—KQED, San Francisco
Translator:
Prof. Mohammed Mauroof
Editors:
Carolyn Pessolano
Myrna Miller
Crisi Rudnickit™
| aia Library,
Photographers: reel
Wahvammah - C
Carl Marcus
Suvikash @@CH

fer aru ‘SCHOOLCLAREMONT

Jules Paz y Miflo "yheology Librar A

Production Editor: OF THEOLOGY

Rodger Hayne Claremont, CA
Coordinating Editor:
Mitchell Gilbert

Copyright © 1974 by The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship

5820 Overbrook Ave.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131
All rights reserved.
Portions may be reproduced in order to share Truth and
Light, but only with written permission from the
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship.
First Printing: June 1974
Second Printing: February, 1980
Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Card Number: 74-76219

ISBN: Hardcover 0-914390-03-1
Paperback 0-914390-04-x
 Contents
Forward by Lex Hixon .... ul

Preface by Mitchell Gilbert

Interviews with Guru Bawa
WBAI, June 17, 1973 .... 11
WBAI, October 14, 1973 . 39
KQED, October 27, 1973 YO
WBAI, December 16, 1973 113
 Foreword
Imagine the F.M. radios within a sixty-mile
radius of New York City. Then imagine a
human being who has been wandering
through the Middle East, India, China, and
Ceylon for the decades of our century and
more, immersed in the experience of Ultimate
Reality. Now bring the two images together:
an experimental civilization of electronic
media communication—and a_ primal
civilization of holy life communion. The two
make friends. As a result, countless dwellers in
the super-city of the twentieth century feel
within themselves the actual vibrations.of an
ancient sage, a sage totally untouched by
commercial society, who is speaking from
beyond the space and time of any society, a
doorway between dimensions, a fountain of
living water, freeing to the spirit, purifying to
the mind, refreshing to the body, uncanny yet
wholly natural.
Dialing at random across the F.M. band on
Sunday morning. Patches of classical and
contemporary music separated by hissing
static. An occasional human voice transmits in-
formation. Then, at the listener-sponsored
Pacifica station near the dial’s center, we tune
in aremarkable sound, a high-pitched, ecstatic
bird-speech: the language is unrecognizable
but is pervaded by a profound musicality and
clarity. It is a secret song from the jungle of

5
Ceylon: the language is Tamil, the instrument
is the voice of a being free from anger, desire,
and death, a being full of tranquility, com-
passion, and life, a being who is called “Bawa,”
but who remains fundamentally beyond name
and form. For this is the way Bawa is ex-
perienced over radio, as formless. The mellow
voice of the translator now interrupts, giving
our minds a sense of direction. Yet in the
spiritual center of our:consciousness, Bawa’s
voice rings alone, uninterrupted, like a bell or
a stream, needing no translation. On and on
flows the discourse: a symphony, a generous
spring rain soaking into the thirsty core of our
being. And now another voice is heard. That of
an interviewer. A more familiar dimension is
now added to the experience. Someone from
our civilization, a kind of tentative,
sympathetic seeker and intellectual, is actually
walking into the sacred space of this discourse
to pose questions, questions a bright child
might ask of its father or mother. ‘“What does it
feel like to be fully grown?” “Why did the
earth begin?” There is no way this child can
receive answers it will competely understand,
but the interchange is refreshing, even
touching.
| was that interviewer. | walked into that
sacred space, that infinite space where, sur-
rounded by microphones, a tiny human being
with white beard, white turban, white
clothing, and bright eyes smiled at me, spoke
to me in a strange language, embraced me,
placing his hand upon my forehead and my
heart, opening doors of illumination, doors to
the landscape where the Sun of Truth is
forever shining. There was no crash _ of
thunder, no flash oflightning, just adeepening
of love and understanding, aripening in gentle
sunlight, in purity of heart. Countless sisters
and brothers invisible to my eyes shared this
spiritual experience with me over the radio.
Not just with me butas me. It is in this feeling of
oneness with my radio-family, oneness with
my whole humanity-family, that | offer our
gratitude at the shrine of Wisdom where Bawa
sits, forever praising the Infinite.
Lex Hixon

7
 Editor’s Preface
The Truth itself is a vibration, an ef-
fulgence, a sound heard without ears, a light
seen without eyes. From the beginning there
have been those such as Guru Bawa who, hav-
ing understood that Truth, had to find ways to
reveal that which cannot be realized except
through direct experience.
To the intellectual mind, it would seem
impossible for that Truth to be conveyed in a
book such as this. First, because the words at-
tributed to Guru Bawa were originally spoken
in an ancient language called Tamil. They were
translated as they were spoken by Professor
Mohamed Mauroof. Next, when the word-
for-word transcript was examined, it became
apparent that the vibration in Guru Bawa’s
voice transmitted meanings that simply were
not as clear in printed form. So it became
necessary for a small team of editors to work’
on the text.
Yet, as this book unfolded, it became in-
creasingly certain that each reader could ex-
perience that Truth in the words printed on
these pages. It became clear that the same One
God out of whom that original Vibration
comes Is also the God within each of us who
receives that Vibration and understands.
For example, in conversations after the
fact, both Lex Hixon and Will Noffke talked
about the special quality each experienced

8
during their radio interviews of Guru Bawa.
While both have long experience interviewing
spiritual leaders on their programs, each found
themselves asking questions as genuine
seekers—not. as_ professional radio per-
sonalities. Specific thanks should be given to
the Pacifica radio network for seeking out and
airing such interviews.
Professor Mauroof, who so graciously
traveled to New York andto San Francisco in
order to translate for these programs, des-
cribed the experience this way: “There really
isn’t any translating going on at a conscious or
intellectual level. It is as though the ex-
planation needed at that moment simply ex-
ploded inside of Guru Bawa and came out
through His lips as a sound called Tamil. That
sound explodes inside of me and comes out as
a sound called English. So if that sound called
English also explodes inside the listener,
everyone has heard the same thing.”
The editors had similar experiences. The
Vibration edits itself just as surely as it allows
itself to be heard as sound. When the eyes of
one of the editors passed by a passage that
needed greater clarity, the words would blur
and the eyes automatically seemed to return to
the previous sentence. Similarly, when the im-
pulse came to make an_ intellectually-
motivated change, the hand often became
heavy and unable to write.
Undoubtedly, the reader will have similar
experiences. That which most needs to be
understood now, will make itself understood.
At some later date, when more understanding
is needed, the reader will return to this book
and find exactly the meaning that is needed
then.
As Guru Bawa hassaid, ‘‘Itis God who sees
God.”
Mitchell Gilbert

10
 Truth & Light

WBAI Radio
New York

Sunday morning |
June17 1973

FUOQOOUE
(GEHUQUNOEOUNONGNUGUOQUOOUONOGUOOUOUCONEONGQUQUEONOONOUOUOOUOOUOUEOUNONOUEQUOQEQUEONNQONOQOONNCTE
SQATONNNONONSNGGNOONNGONSOONAOOENOOUOONDOONDOOOUOOUDOOUDOUOUONOORUONGHOOOOONOQOROOOUGN0QOR0COO0OON

11
 GURU BAWA
To my most loved children,to the children
who are within love and who are most deter-
mined, to all of you, to all of the male children
and to all of the female children, | express my
most heartfelt love and greetings.
In this world, among all of the creations,
among all of the various beings, | am the most
lowly and the smallest one. There are not many
things that | know about the various ex-
planations of the world and its meanings.
When | look at them, all of the creations of
God seem to me to be greater in wisdom than |
am. Among all the creations of God, | have not
seen anything that is lowlier than myself. Like
an ant or a fiber, | am very small and a slave of
God. With compassion, | am aslave to all living
beings. | am not educated. | havenotitles. |am
not aswami. | am not a guru. | am not a great
person. | am very small and the very least in
wisdom. These children have asked me to
come here today, and it is not possible to
disappoint them, so | have come.
Since | am not imbued with a great
amount of education and a great amount of
wisdom, there isa certain amount o: tiredness
and lack of courage felt. So if there are any mis-
takes in what is being said, either in the ques-
tions or in the answers, | seek your pardon.

LEX HIXON
You are listening to “In the Spirit.” This
12
morning we have an unusual situation. We are
in Studio C with about 100 people, and we
have Guru Bawa with us, who isa teacher from
Ceylon. He has been visiting this country, in
Philadelphia. He is going to answer our ques-
tions and give a discourse, and perhaps he will
also sing. Mohamed Mauroof is going to be
our translator this morning, as Guru Bawa
speaks in Tamil.
Guru Bawa, in our culture, today is
Father’s Day, and we wish you from our hearts
a happy Father’s Day!

GURU BAWA
Weareall here, and God is Father to usall.
For all creation, for all beings, God is Father.
He has many names, many _ kinds of
appellation; there are many ways of describing
Him, but He is the one Father for all beings. He
is the One who conducts creation, sustenance,
and protection. Even in those situations where
our parents forget us, He is always protecting
us without ever forgetting. So it is to God, our
Father, that we should all pay our obeisance
and respects. In this world, among the
different forms of life, we find different in-
dividuals performing their duties as fathers
and mothers. But they are all of one family, and
the Father of that family is One God. All of us,
the creations, are like a funny family ofGod—a
funny and interesting sort of family. Let all of us
in this family, this funny family, let. us, all
together, pay our well wishes and respects to
13
our Father today.
LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, your children spontaneously
call you Father (Bawa). What is the relationship
between you as father and God as Father?
GURU BAWA
It is like the relationship between the sun
and the earth. In the same way that there is a
relationship between the sun and the earth,
there is that relationship between His Truth
and His slaves, the slaves of God. And in this
same way there is the relationship between
God and His children. So it is God who is the
Father. We are not the Father.
There are two points here. Anything that
disappears cannot be our true Father, since
that thing can be destroyed. But that which
does not disappear, that which is present
forever, That is the Father. To a certain extent,
there is His Treasure and His Wisdom within
us. And there is a duty to bestow that Wealth,
that Wisdom, on others. But other than that,
we are not accepting the other burden.
LEX HIXON
Bawa, when we look at you we see an or-
dinary human being, but is there anything
within you except God and the Qualities of
God?

GURU BAWA
For us, as well as for the children, the sec-
14
tion known as the body is the earth, the fire,
the water, the air, and the ether. This is
something that everyone can see. Yet within
this, there is another Mystery. That Mystery is
something that cannot be discovered by any
means, not even by the power of the atom. It is
not something that can be discovered by
science. It is a Power that is without form or
image. It has no color; It has no hues. It has no
race; It has no religion. It does not recognize
differences. It is a Power of this sort that is
within the human being. And whoever it is
within whom that Power manifests, once he
sees that Power, he will never keep anything
other than that Power within himself. One
who has seen that Power will not keep within
him anything other than that. This is the one
secret, and that is what he has with him.
LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, can you tell us a brief account
of your personal history, or is personal history
not important to you?

GURU BAWA
What personal history can we speak
about? What can we say? This is a school; it is
like a university. There areso many creations in
this, so many beings of God from whom we can
learn. From whatever we see, from the ant that
crawls, to the sun and the moon and all things
beyond that, there are things to be learned. In
everything, there are things for a student to
15
learn. Everything is a wonder! There are so many
colors, so many wisdoms, so many examples.
What colors! What wonders! When we have to
learn from all of the wonders of God, are we to
write of the history of the one who is studying?
What is the point? It is the history of the One who
created all of these wonders that we should be
concerned about. That is the True History. The
history of the student is not the lasting word.
LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, are you going to be reborn
again into this school, or have you graduated
from this school?
GURU BAWA
| am not here to be born again. But | will not
say that | have been graduated. | have not
finished.
LEX HIXON
People in the audience may be wishing to
ask a question of the Guru. We have a hand
microphone which will be passed to the person
asking. So raise your hand if you have a question.
FIRST QUESTIONER
Guru Bawa, could you please tell me which
is more important, faith or meditation? Which do
you advocate, faith or meditation?
GURU BAWA
Without a fire, you cannot cook. Like that,

16
what a human being needs first ofall is a strong
faith. That strength is his first requirement.
Secondly, a human being needs the Qualities
of God, that Love. The third requirement for a
human being is His Conscience. He must
understand that the lives of-others are the
same as his own. He must realize this within his
conscience. Fourth, even if he still sees
differences, he must have Forbearance and
Patience. Having received the Beauty of that
Patience and Forbearance, then he must
receive and utilize the Wisdom of God.
As the first requirement, the first
inspiration, the first cause, it is absolutely
necessary to have faith, determination, and
certitude. Without the Qualities of God,
without having the Divine Qualities of
patience, tolerance, and peacefulness, how
can we worship or meditate upon God? It
would be like trying to take water from apond
without a vessel to take it in. It would be like
looking for light in a house where there is no
light.
SECOND QUESTIONER
Do you think that it is possible to live ina
place such as New York City and attain spiritual
satisfaction?

GURU BAWA
There is no place where there is no world,
where there is no illusion, where there is no
torpor. There is no place where there are no
17
animals, where there are no demons, where
there are no satans, where there are no evil
spirits and magics. All the scenes we see out-
side with our senses also exist within us, within
the body. The essence of the beings of 18,000
universes exists within the body in a formless
state. All of it is within this body. Within the
body are the demons, the spirits, the lion, the
tiger, the snake and the eagle, the peacock and
all of the birds. All things are located here
within the body itself. When all of these things
are kept within us, what need is there to go to
another city or country? Therefore, going here
or there is not necessary. We must destroy the
forest here within us and distill this ocean of
illusion that exists within. We must catch and
chain this monkey of the mind. There are 70
battalions of monkeys within this mind! And
there is a huge dog of desire within us, and
there is magic and torpor and illusion. In the
body, below the waist there are seven hells,
and above, in the upper part of the body, there
are eight heavens. What is known asthis world
is this. [Points to the chest.] The mind is the
world. This mind is the world. If you look
(down) from the uppermost point, the mind is
the eighth sphere. And if you look (up) from
the lowermost point, the mind is the eighth
sphere or world.
But, my children, do not worship asking
for heaven, and do not cry asking that you be
saved from hell. If you reflect and think and
look within yourself and know what you are,
18
then you will realize that wherever it is that you
live, wherever it is that you reside, wherever it
is that your mind travels, wherever it is that
your mind goes to seek solace in the darkness,
whatever house the dog of your desire is
guarding, and wherever it is that your mind,
your intelligence, your wisdom, and your
senses live—that is what hell is. Where your
mind lives here, is what hell is. And it is that
same place that becomes hell there.
Besides the spectacle that the eyes can
show you, they have another Power within.
There is a Light within the eyes. What the ex-
ternal eyes see are the scenes. What is looked
at is what is seen. But within, there is a Light. If
you examine and discriminate and look with
that Light, then you will understand the
difference between good and evil, right and
wrong. If you discard the external vision and
look within, if you look within, then you will
know the Truth of the creation of God.
There are these ears which enjoy all of the
various sounds and musics of this world. But
within, there is aMicrophone which is capable
of receiving the Sound which emanates from
God. It is able to receive the sounds that come
from the heavens, from fairies, from angels
and other Divine beings. It is possible to
receive these sounds with the aerial of Wis-
dom, and if you examine and begin to ap-
preciate that Music, then His Speech, His
Word, and His Explanation will be con-
tinuously received by you. You can hear that
19
beautiful Divine Music.
There is the nose which is constantly
smelling and taking in the fragrance of
everything. It tries to examine the various
smells and utilize them for itself. It says, “I like
this smell; | do not like that smell...” This
ability of the nose to smell is similar to the
dog’s. If there is an object upon which the
blood of an animal or a man is smeared, then
the dog can identify that scent and trace it back
to its source. There is a piece of flesh at the tip
of the dog’s nose with which it can do this.
Whatever has been touched or used by
another, the dog can identify it and recognize
the scent. But besides this kind of ability, there
is another capacity to detect scents herein the
Arsch [at the top of the head], a capacity to
smell that is known as Divine Luminous
Wisdom. If you begin to inhale that Fragrance
through that capacity of smelling called Di-
vine Luminous Wisdom, then all of the Fra-
grances of God and His Qualities will come
there. You will be able to lose yourself in ec-
stasy in that experience.
Man has a mouth. When you came here,
you did not have teeth. During the period of a
year, the teeth began to come. They erupted
very quickly, and once you had them you were
able to grind and masticate and taste all of the
things of the world. And these teeth smile at
the world in so many ways. In 36 different ways
you show your teeth to the world. Very soon,

20
the teeth also fall out. Then there is this tongue
which babbles. It says good things and bad
things, things that make sense and things that
do not make sense. It speaks evil things and
vulgar things. It says all things.
But we have to think about this. Among
the creations of God, man is indeed the most
high, the noblest. There exists what is called
Man-God, God-Man. God did not create
anything greater than man. He is indeed the
noblest of God’s creations. Yet at the same
time it is also true that there is no more
dangerous animal than man among God’s
creations. He can become Satan. We do not
have to be afraid of any other Satan, for if man
becomes satanic, it is a total danger. If man
becomes a beast, he does not let any being
alone; it is not possible to escape from him. He
will devour every one. And if man transforms
into Satan, he would destroy the entire earth.
But if man transforms into God, then with
His Love and Compassion he will embrace all
beings. So, if these satanic and_ beastly
capacities and the propensities of the teeth
and of the tongue can be controlled, and if,
with Wisdom, he can extract the taste and the
pleasure of the Divine within him—if this
transformation can take place—if he can take
in that Divine Taste, then he would have
become God.
LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, | have a couple of points that |
21
want very much for you to weave into a dis-
course if you would. The first is the question of
the Guru’s Grace. What is it, and how does it
actually operate?
GURU BAWA
First, about Grace...
LEX HIXON
... The Guru’s Grace...
GURU BAWA
It is possible for the child to ask about
Grace, but how can it be understood? In the
earth, there are 4 quadrillion kinds of colors.
There is petroleum in the earth. There is iron in
the earth. There are various kinds of gems and
diamonds. There are so many things in the
earth—gas, oil, mercury—all these different
kinds of elements are within the earth. One
must be able to recognize what it is that a
person needs. There are some who need lead,
and there are others who need iron. There are
those who need gold, and others who need
jewels and diamonds. Like this, my brother, to
be able to recognize what each person needs,
there must be Grace.
It is not magic. It is not a mantra. It is nota
religion. It is not a color. It is not anything that
has an equal to It. Itis not a moon or astar ora
sun. It is a Power. So, it is only one who knows
about all of the different things that are in the
earth who can provide everyone with what he
needs. .
22
 Suppose you look for a precious stone.
Even after you find the stone, you have to dis-
cover at what point within that stone its
brilliance exists. You must know within the
thickness of a thread just where to cut it, and
you must know exactly how to facet the -
diamond to give it its proper shape. You have
to know all of these things. It is only at this
point that one can give a value to that stone.
Until one can do this, there is aneed to learn,
to study, and to be trained. There is a need to
search for and stay near someone who knows
about these things, to find someone who
knows this section thoroughly and learn from
him.
Studying that within yourself, understan-
ding that, digging and finding and then cutting
and then finally seeing the Power that is
within—that is what is called Grace.
Everything about a man can be measured
except for the heart of man. That cannot be
measured. You must go on separating and ex-
amining and cutting, cutting, cutting each of
the things that are within you with Wisdom.
You have to examine the earth. You have to ex-
amine the fire. You have to distill and discover
the things that are in water, and separate and
understand the powers of the air, and examine
and understand and cut the powers of the
ether and the various colors. If one goes on
cutting away all of these things and discarding
them in this way, he comes to That which can-
23
not be cut, That which cannot be discarded,
That Thing which is of God—Grace. That
which cannot be overcome or cut by Wisdom,
which cannot be cut any more with the thing
that you have, That is God, That is Grace. That is
what Grace is. Before that, if you are told, you
will not understand. Before that [realization],
magic can be shown to you, but the Truth can-
not be told to you. The moon can be shown to
you. The stars can be shown. But This cannot
be shown. Therefore, one who has learned the
Truth will not show anything. You haveto go to
that point, and then everything will be shown
to you. This is the way the Truth is.
What was the next question?

LEX HIXON
What is the difference of approach
between the mind and the heart?

GURU BAWA
There is a thing called love. For example,
take a cow ora bird; whatever it may be, it has
love, the capacity to love. Animals have this
capacity. Even Satanhas this capacity. There is
love in all of these things. A snake loves its
babies very much, but it bites someone else.
The lion is very much in love with its children,
but if something else approaches, it will kill
and eat it. The tiger is the same way. Is this what
love is?
No, it is not this. There is the Love of God,

24
or Divine Love. That Love—that Divine Com-
passion—is the recognition of all beings as
one’s own being, as one’s own self. That is
God’s Duty. With that Love, with that Com-
passion, God can be reached. That is His Work.

LEX HIXON
Sometimes it seems as if the mind is an
analytic tool and the heart is an intuitive one.
Does Guru Bawa see any difference between
them?
GURU BAWA
Outside and inside are there. Whatever
we see that makes us happy, that makes us
laugh, that gives us pleasure and joy, whatever
we love, all of these come from the monkey
mind. But there is another point where,
“Nothing, | am not’, is said. Both are there.
Both the one who isa drunkard and one who is
Divinely Wise are there, and both are right.
One has taken opium, brandy, marijuana, all of
these intoxicants. He is completely drunk and
intoxicated. In his state of intoxication, he
thinks that the road is going up and down, or
that the houses are coming towards him. He
does not consider the fact that he is the one
who is moving and that all of the other things
are stationary. When he is walking on the road
and someone else comes by, the other person
must try to avoid him because this man is sway-
ing this way and that. If the drunkard bumps
into him, he blames the other man, saying,

25
“Why are you hitting me? Don’t you know the
road? What is this?” And in his state of torpor,
he will go and fall somewhere and sleep.
Then a thief will come by, thinking, “That
fellow may have some money in his pocket!”
And he will take the money and go away.
Another fellow will come and take his coat and
go, and another will take his shirt. Finally he
will not even have anything left to cover his
backside. But he thinks that he is at home
sleeping, and he is quite comfortable. He
thinks that where he has fallen is his home, his
palace, and his bed. He thinks he is home with
his wife and children. He does not know
anything.
Now a gnani, a Divinely wise person, is
also like this. He also has nothing. He has a loin
cloth. The world is not near him. He sits by a
tree and stays. He stays looking toward God. It
could be said that they are both in the same
place, or the same state. Neither sees the
world. The drunk does not see the world, and
the gnani does not see the world either. Is this
drunkard therefore a gnani? Does he have wis-
dom? Has he reached God? No, he is in an un-
conscious state where he does not know
anything! There is a difference between the
two states!
The gnani has discarded everything and,
without the faltering of his Wisdom, he has
proceeded in the straight path to God. The

26
other one has destroyed his entire wisdom
and, in a fallen state of wisdom, has lost
everything.
The drunkard, in 12 to 24 hours’ time,
comes back to consciousness and realizes what
has happened, that he has lost everything, and
goes to his house. But the gnani rises and sees
that the world is finished. He rises and
proceeds to God. This is the difference. There
is a similar difference between going with the
mind and going with the Truth and Wisdom.
This is the difference.
In the operation of the senses, there are
five types of consciousness or wisdom. They
are the wisdom or consciousness of the earth,
the wisdom of the fire, the water, the air, and
the ether. These five “wisdoms” or states of
consciousness are within all beings, even cat-
tle. These five are within all. But for man, the
human being, there is another state of wis-
dom: Pahutharivu, or Divine Wisdom, which is
able to separate, to discriminate, and to ex-
amine. Itis like the sieve used in the panning of
gold, with which you pan out all of the dross
and take the gold alone. This section of
Pahutharivu, or Analytic Wisdom, is that
capacity with which you strain out the aspects
of earth, fire, water, air, and ether, and keep
only the section of Man-God, God-Man—that
Power. It separates that out. When it is strained
like this, that which is of value goes to the sec-
tion of God, and that which is of the earth is
27
disca rded. In the section of the earth, there are
countless glitters! But for man, besides the
(outer) five wisdoms or states of
consciousness, there are an inner seven states
of consciousness.
When something comes and scratches
you on your body or your leg—like the sen-
sation that we feel when a mosquito or a fly
comes and bites us—immediately we hit it.
Reflexively we hit it. We think, “What is this
that came and bit me?” and we examine and
see what it was. ‘‘Was it a fly? Why did it bite
me? What is it? Is itan ant? Is it a fly?” So, if we
examine that process we see that first we feel
something. That is unarchi, feeling. Then we
become aware of it. That is unarvu, awareness.
Then there is pudthi, or intellect—that which
tells you what the biting object is. It says, “Oh,
this is a poisonous thing!” and you slap and kill
It.
Like this, when the mind is crawling along,
when these five elements are crawling along
and they are biting, see it with Wisdom and say,
“Oh, what is this?”’ and smash it!
The monkey mind travels all over the
world and brings back all kinds of things. It
looks at all of these things and brings them all
back to you, and then you feel it crawling in-
side of you, within your chest. As you become
aware of this mind, you must say, ‘“Oh, what is
this thing?” When you recognize that they are
the things that the mind has brought, knock
28
them off, push them away! With your pudthi,
your intellect, your intelligence, knock them
away.
With a fourth state of wisdom, we have to
think, “This mind is bringingall kinds of things.
It is building houses for me to.live in. What is
this earth, fire, water, air, and ether? Look at
this [body]—what is this thing? Who am I?
What kind of house should I live in? Where am
| going? What is this thing?” This is called mad-
thi, or judgment, estimating yourself. “Where
am I now, and where were we before [birth]?
And what is this house [body], and whose
house is it? What is it? Is it arented place? Isita
cooperative store? Is it astore? Isitastage? Is it
a music auditorium? There are all kinds of
things happening here: people come; some
dance; others sing; they come and go. What is
this? There are all forms of activity going on in
here. There is one who comes like a ghost;
another comes like a lion; another like a
demon. There are all these entrances and exits.
It is like a big jungle. They have all come here
inside me, and they are performing their acts.
They sing and dance, they come and go and
grab. There is a lot of very dangerous activity
going on. | came here to learn. | came here to
learn my lessons. | am paying my rent, but
there are all of these other forces and people
who have come in here. What is this? They are
not letting me continue my studies. They are
not letting me examine things. They are not
29
allowing me to take my examination. The dog
is on one side, shouting, ‘Aowooo!’ The fox is
on the other side, howling, ‘Aowooo!’ The
demons are on another side, shouting,
‘“Aaaaaaah!”’Their teeth are showing,and they
do not let me do anything. There is this work
that | have come here to do. What is this?
Whose house is this?”
So, | have to examine this house that | live
in now and find what it is and of what
substance it has been made. | must discover
how it is built and in what design it has been
made. And having understood all of these
things, | must think, “I must build a house that
is beyond all of these things, one that will not
be eaten by the earth, that cannot be des-
troyed by fire, that will not be washed away by
water or blown away by wind, a house that is
beyond any kind of decoration that colors can
give to it. It is that kind of house that | must
build, for if |donot havea house like that, then
| cannot exist. |cannot exist in this crowd. The
sections in this present house are warring with
each other. Water is against fire, the earth
is against water. Wind is against water, the
colors are against something else. This is no
good. If | continue to stay in this place where
one is fighting with another, it will be a very big
trouble for me. | cannot stay in this area.”

LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, about the five elements: If
30
God alone exists, then He must have also pro-
jected these five elements. And if there cannot
be anything else but Him...
GURU BAWA
That is true and very important. Everything
is His creation.
The Soul is His Light, a Power. It is from
There. It is something that cannot be con-
sumed by fire or by anything else. It is His
Power. It is indestructable; It is everlasting.
But this earth and all of the other things
are creations and are subject to change and
transformation. If youtakea stone and throwit
into the air, will it keep on going up? No. As far
distant as the power of the moon, everything
that goes up has to come back down because
of the power and pull of the earth. It pulls
things back to it, here.
But, that Power is pulling There. It has no
shadow. God has no shadow—no form and no
shadow. These other things, however, have
shadow. If you light a lamp, that has a shadow.
If you look at an ant, it has ashadow. Whatever
is made by science has a shadow, also. All of
these things that have shadows are subject to
transformation, to change. They come and
they go. They are in one form and they
change to another form.

LEX HIXON
In your consciousness of God there is no
Sit
shadow... Perhaps there are no shadows.
Perhaps shadows are illusory.

GURU BAWA
Whatever has shadow is destructible. It
will be destroyed. Everything that has a shadow
will be destroyed; it will die, it will change, and
it will come in different forms. This is now
called the City of New York. Once upon atime
it was under water. This was ocean. Some other
time it may have been a mountain. At some
point, this area may have been full of forests
and jungles. But now it is a city with the name
of New York. This is something that changes.
That is an unchanging Thing.

LEX HIXON
When one is conscious of this unchanging
Thing, can you still see the changes?

GURU BAWA
Before That can be known, before the Un-
changeable can be known, the changing thing
has to be understood. Without knowing this,
That cannot be known.

LEX HIXON
But assuming that one knows It, as in the
case of Guru Bawa, can he see the changing
and the unchanging simultaneously?

32
 GURU BAWA
[interjects]
| do not know! I do not know! | am still
learning. | have a lot of work to do, | am
studying...

LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, will you sing us asong, for our
meditation and so that the people who are
listening will be able to meditate and people
who are here will be able to meditate?

GURU BAWA
O Treasure unknown to the chest,
O Treasure unknown to the chest,
O Formless Form,
O Treasure unknown to the chest,
O Formless Form,
O rare Treasure,
May You come and comfort the mind.

O rare Treasure,
May You come and comfort the mind
So that the Heart may open;
So that the Heart may open
and so that beings may live;
So that the Heart may open
and beings may live in Completion.
So that the five may transform
and be clear,

33
So that Your Grace may come and shower,
so that Your Grace may come and shower,
Welcome, welcome.
You are welcome,
O God, my Father, You are welcome here.

May You come.

May You be absorbed within lives,
And may You Grace their Hearts
by opening them;
May You Grace their Hearts
by opening them.
You are welcome my God.
You are welcome
my God, my God, my God.

May You exist within the reflection

And provide that Grace of the Word
through which You perform.
May You exist within Clarity
with Love.
May You provide the Grace
and the Meaning and the Bliss.
May Your Grace come here,
may Your Grace come here,
may Your Grace come here,
May Your Grace come,
may Your Grace come,
may Your Grace come,
May You come, may You come,
may You come.

34
O my God, O God,
O my Lord who is my Father,
O my Lord, my Father,
O the expanded Effulgence,
O God who is resplendent,
O the One who resonates within Grace,
O the One who resplends,
O the One who resonates,
O the One who shines all-knowing,
You are welcome, You are welcome,
You are welcome.

May You provide the Word

So that there may be Clarity
in the reflection.
May You provide the Grace
so that the self may melt.
May You provide the Grace,
the Blessing that will last forever.
O my Lord, O my God,
O my God, O my God,
O the Great One
who became the Effulgence,
O Lord who became
the Omnipresent Resplendence,
O the Great One who mingles
within life and food,
O God, my Father, may Your Grace come.

May You live within the chest

and change the thoughts.

35
And may You provide as Love and Grace
in the self within, my God.
O Celebrated Jewel,
O Lord who is the Complete Life
in all of the concealed lives,
O the One who is alone,
Who does not create anything else
like Himself, O my God,
May Your Grace come.
May You pardon all mistakes,
O my Father,
And may You arrive.
May You exist within all lives
and help them all
O my Father, O God, O God.

O the singular Thing

that knows the self,
You are the Grace
that provides the comfort.
You are the One
who bestows Compassion on beings.
You are the Righteous One,
You are the One
of the Blessed Qualities,
You are the One of the Beauty
of the Wisdom of the Divine,
May Your Grace come.
May You regard our plight
and provide Your Grace to beings,
My God, O my God.

36
 May You provide the Grace,
O my God.
O the One who became the Father,
O the Grace that exists
within the self,
O the Treasure known as Effulgence
that became common to everybody,
You are welcome,
You are welcome.
Amin.

LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, if children came to you,
would you accept them as your special
children, would you guide them as their own
personal father?

GURU BAWA
lam aslave. To the children, | do the work
of a slave. | am a servant. The work that has
been told to us, we do. And the work that |
have learned, | train others to do. And the
work that | know of, 1 teach others about. This *
is the work of a slave.

LEX HIXON
Thank you, thank you very much.

wee
37
US
SANPUONDHOONOOUNGOODUORDOORDOONDGOODORODORDOOENOGURDOONAOOUGONUGUROGHROONDGENGONOUNOONNOORA
OAL

Truth & LigINC

WBAI Radio
New York

Sunday morning
October 14,1973

=
HNGUAQNQUSDOOQUQUOGUOQUOOOQ00U0QUQQN0Q0QN0QUEOUQU0QUGU0Q00U0QU0QU0Q0QN0Q00UCQU0QNSNN0ONUOUEEE

39
’ LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, we thank you very much for com-
ing again today.

GURU BAWA
God bestows His Compassion upon all
beings, always, and His Love and His Way is to
bring lives together by pressing them together.
God possesses a Love which spreads and inter-
mingles with all lives. In the same way, among
human beings there is also such a true Love,
such a true, real feeling. When that Love is
operating, when it is working, then it is God’s
work to take it and put it in its appropriate
place. That is the Form of Love. That Love, that
Divine Love, has brought us together as one.
May God bestow His Compassion upon
us, so that that Love will always bring us
together and keep us together. May He
provide us with that Love and that Com-
passion.

LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, there must be some practical
path to contacting the Divine Love, to become
one with It. The word “meditation” is often
used, although there are many meanings to
the word. What do you request your students
to do in the form of meditation? What are the
misconceptions that people hold about
meditation?

40
 GURU BAWA
Itis a big thing that you have asked about.
It is not possible to explain it in a few words.
Later, when we talk and give a discourse, we
can talk about it in greater detail. For now we
will give a short amount, a small point, about it.
Praying, worshipping, and meditation are
not ordinary words. When you say
“meditation,” there is a point in it which is
very, very, very subtle, very sharp. First, it must
be understood: to whom is the meditation be-
ing done? And then, when _ you say,
“meditation,” it must be understood: what is
meditation? What is it that is called,
“meditation?” It has to be understood: who
does the meditation? And it has to be
understood: for whom must it be done, for
whom is it performed? It also has to be
understood: why and with what form should
we do this meditation?
Now, anything we do without knowing
this is not meditation. It is not meditation. Yet,
inthe world, there are tens of millions of things
that are described as meditation. People say
they are meditation.
In a body, there are 15 worlds. In this body
itself, this section called the body, there are
both heaven and hell. There are beasts, there
are spirits, there are ghosts, there is hell, and
there is heaven in the body. God and man are
there, and satan and maya (illusion) are also

41
there. All of creation is in the body. All of the
manifestations of God have been made into
the body of a human.
This is the earth’s world. And here, within
the chest, is the mind’s world; the world of the
mind. There is the earth world here, and there
is the mind world here. Two worlds are here.
And all the things of the earth world exist in the
mind world.
Now, if that mind world becomes a place
‘where a human being exists, then itbecomesa
flower world. Then it is called, “Qalb-pu,”’ the
Flower Heart. The one who lives in that flower
world is God. It is a taste. It is a fragrance. Itisa
smell. It is that taste, that fragrance, that is
known as God.
We have to recognize the point by which
that fragrance can be experienced. For that,
Wisdom is needed. The Power, the Light of
Wisdom are needed to experience the smell.
The path of Love is needed, and there must be
a park, a flower-garden, where Love, Com-
passion, and Kindness bloom. In that park, the
flowers of Tolerance, of Peacefulness, of
Patience, and of Kindness have to bloom, and
there has to bloom the Flower of Truth—the
truth that there is none other than God and
that there is nothing equal to God. It is in that
Flower that the fragrance exists. So, for that, for
the experiencing of that smell, that fragrance,
there is no meditation.

42
 If you take in that fragrance more and
more, if you catch onto that fragrance, then
His Beauty, the Divine Beauty, will increase,
and His Qualities will come into it. His Taste is
the taste, and His Fragrance is the fragrance,
and His Beauty is all beauty. To experience
that, Wisdom is needed.
If Wisdom comes, one may know himself.
If one knows himself, he may understand who
he is. If he knows who he is, it may be known
who God is. If it is known who God is, he will
know that he is nothing, that this one does not
exist. If this one does not exist, then it is God-
Man, Man-God. This is the point.
This is not amantra. It is not a trick ora for-
mula. This is not a religion. It is not something
that is within the confines of arace. There is no
magic for it, and it is not a yoga. It is not within
those things which are described in the four
stages of shariyai, kiriyai, yogam, and gnanum
[stages of spiritual development]. This has to
be understood.
Only if this is understood, will we
understand to whom we are to meditate, who
it is that meditates, and who accepts the
meditation.

LEX HIXON
Guru Bawa, does one need some sort of
technique or mantra to get to this point, or can
one just begin at this point of tasting?

43
 GURU BAWA
Yes. If you begin tasting, it will be very
good.
If you know yourself, then you can know
God. And if you do not know yourself, then
you cannot know God.
God has said:
“There is My creation, and | know all of
the works in My creation. It is My work to
create, to sustain, to nourish, to give judgment,
and to raise from the dead. Even for the little
atom-like germs that crawl, |am the sustainer, |
am the Father.
“For all things—for things that move and
for things that do not move, for things that
speak and for things that do not speak, for
things that glitter and for things that do not
glitter—for all of these things—I am the
Protector. | have created them. | am the one
who provides food for them, and |!am the one
who summons them. It is My sounds which
come through the winds and through the trees
and through various things and which may be
taken in by various languages as certain
specified sounds. | have created: all
things—and, having distilled everything, hav-
ing purified everything, having examined
everything and taken the best, | have created
the human being as My treasury, as My bank,
and as My son in sucha purified and in suchan
exalted way. That is what a human being is.

44
 “It is for that human being that | Say, ‘I
know him, and he knows Me.’ If !am to be ex-
plained, all of My Wealth has been bestowed
upon him. So, he can understand Me, because
all of My Wealth is within him. His wealth is
Me. His bank is Me. So lam his bank, and he is
My Bank. All of My Grace is within him, and all
of his things are within Me. This is the way |
have created him in a most exalted way.
“If he knows My Beauty, My Qualities,
and. My Self, thento him | bestow the Kingdom
of God. My Kingdom is for him. My Kingdom is
for My son. For this exalted action, for this ex-
alted characteristic, the name ‘human being’ is
given. A human being must understand who
he is.”
There is only one point between these two
things. Even atoms worship God. Satan also
worships God. Satan may destroy others or
mislead others, but he worships God. Illusion
worships God and even the earth worships
God. There is nothing that does not worship
God.
These things have feeling, awareness, and
intellect. Even though a being may defecate
where it eats and sleep where it defecates, it
has the ability and the tuning-in to worship
God. It worships through the air, through
sound, through breathing. Even the atoms are
like that.
But, these things do not have the power of

45
knowing God, of analyzing things, of separat-
ing things and judging, “This is right, this is
wrong; this is good, and this is bad.” They do
not have the power to analyze, separate and
understand what a glitter is and what is not a
glitter; what a moon is, what a star is, what a
sun is, or what alight is. They do not have that
kind of discriminatory capacity. They do not
have the point by which they can meditate
upon God, having understood Him and
known what He is, what His shape is, what His
form is, and what He is from. The difference is
Wisdom, or consciousness.
Now, there are what are known as six
kinds of lives. In the human being there are six
kinds of lives, and in man there are also six
kinds of Wisdom, or six states of
consciousness. Now, in these six forms of lives,
earth itself (which is one kind of life) has four
quadrillion and 10,000 kinds of life forms. It is
the mother of the glitters of maya (illusion). It is
the mother for all creation, for all lights, and
for all illusions. It is the mother
for all the man-
tras of the five-letter code—the pungacharam.
It is the mother of Om. It is the mother of all
the formulas of aiyum, kilium, sabum, poium,
[deceitful acts]. It is the mother of that which is
known as “Angena-devi’’—the five kinds. That
[earth] alone has so much power.
Fire has 1,008 forms. Whatever you put
into it, whether it is good or bad, it will burn.

46
Water. also has 1,008 [forms]. For air, there are
another 2,128, and for the ether, for the
heavenly forms of the sun, moon, and stars,
there are 1,008. So each of these has great
amounts of power, or sakti. But all of them are
within the Power of God. He has with Him the
power to control all of these things.
These things are not gods. They are not
God. Are they God? Are they Divine? They are
things which have been made to be by God.
They have been created by God. They have
been changed by God, they are being con-
trolled by God, they will be destroyed and
then they will be created again by God. °
Anything that can be destroyed and then
recreated is not God. He who controls them,
He who is able to create them, and He who can
destroy them, is God.
So you must have that Determination.
That is a treasure which already exists within. It
isa mysterious thing, and there is no mantra for
it. You must smell it out. That is the smelling.
And that is meditated upon by consciousness,
by Wisdom, through your consciousness,
through your Wisdom. You must understand:
“1 am not earth; | am not fire; | am not water; |
am not air; | am notether.” Then you must say,
“This is all nothing. However far this goes, it
has to come back down. The waves of the earth
are connected to the earth. This is earth’s
connection.”

47
 But God’s connection, the Divine connec-
tion, is something which has to be thrown
upward. One has to fly with Wisdom and carry
that Divine connection. Fly on consciousness
and, with that Wisdom, carry it and take it and
lodge it within Him. This Divine thing is His.
The other is for the world.
So, when you talk about meditation, you
must realize this through Wisdom, through
analysis. Only after that consciousness has
been developed, only after Wisdom has ar-
rived, and only after the analytic power has
developed, can we talk about meditation. The
rest are just things which go on in the world.
This is something we must think about.
What is called meditation is a separate
thing. Sacrificing the self is meditation. It is
called “samathi.” Samathi is completing the
Qualities of God, fulfilling the Qualities and
the Contentment of God. So “Sama-athi”
means the containment of His Qualities. It ex-
ists where Completion and the fulfilling of the
Compassion of God exists.
For that Truth, the meditation is the sac-
rificing of the entire self. Meditation is sac-
rificing oneself and fulfilling the Qualities of
God. We will understand what meditation is
only if we understand it with our Wisdom.
It is like television. On television we see
various things and then discriminate between
right and wrong. So, this is something you ex-.
amine and then perform.
48
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 CHAPTER VI.
CARRYING THE NEWS.

“I can do it, and I will!”

The mixed train from the south was drawing slowly out of Wenham
Junction, as Phil Hardy simultaneously uttered this speech and threw
himself upon the back of old Jim, his father’s farm horse. It was in
the early part of April, and the mud along the country roads was
deep and soft, which fact was shown by the appearance of the horse
and its boyish rider.
Phil was the eldest son of ’Squire Hardy, one of the leading citizens
of Basinburg. He was a harum-scarum youth of eighteen, who
always seemed to be mixed up in every affair of a shady character
taking place within a radius of twenty miles. Like boys of his ilk, he
ever seemed to be present whenever anything of an unusual nature
was taking place, and “to get his fingers into the pie,” using a
common expression current at the time in the quiet, out-of-the-way
hamlet of Basinburg. Not another boy in town would have ridden five
miles through the mud that day to have been in Wenham at this time.
But Phil had not missed it, and as he picked up Jim’s reins, heading
the horse homeward, he added to what he had already said:
“They oughter know it just as quick as they can, and they shall!
Won’t they stick out their eyes, though? Let me see. This train goes
by the Bradford loop, makes four stops, and it will use up forty
minutes in getting to Basinburg. Old Jim ought to take me there in
half an hour. He can, and he shall! Go, you old veteran of the plow!
we’re the bearer of the news to Ghent.”
Laughing, as he gave expression to this whimsical speech, Phil
urged Jim ahead at the top of his speed, while the good people of
Wenham had further occasion to comment upon the wild ways of
’Squire Hardy’s scapegrace son.
The road to Basinburg was sparsely settled, so Phil saw few people
until he entered the quiet hamlet, which, as its name indicates, was
shaped very much like a huge basin, with roads around the rim. Most
of the population of the town lived on these circular roads, that met
at the lower end, where was located the post office, church and
store.
The sight of his mud-bespattered figure and the foaming condition of
his horse called the more easily excited of the inhabitants from their
houses, while he shouted at frequent intervals:
“Come and see the elephant! Nothing like it ever came to town!”
Utterly regardless of his grammar, or the comments he was calling
upon himself, Phil repeated his rather incoherent speech, and by the
time he had uttered it a dozen times, the boys began to follow him,
wondering what new scheme their leader was carrying out. This
aroused Phil to more earnest cries, while he prodded poor old Jim
harder than before.
Small wonder if the older people began to rush after the crazy rider,
until a mob of excited men and women, as well as boys, was at his
heels.
“What is it, Philip?” asked the gray-headed parson, running out in his
slippers, hatless and coatless.
“Deacon Cornhill—hoodlums of New York—a mob!” was all that the
anxious crowd could distinguish in the medley of cries.
Still Phil showed no signs of stopping or checking his wild ride, his
course now being toward the little way station about half a mile
below the post office village. On account of the high grade this had
been as near as the cars could come into the town.
At every house the trail of followers was increased by one or more
members, every one believing that something terrible had happened
or was about to take place.
Hardly looking back, Phil rode straight on toward the depot, old Jim
covered with mud and panting for breath. As he came in sight of the
low, wooden building the whistle of the approaching train was heard
a quarter of a mile away.
“I’m in season!” exclaimed Phil, triumphantly. “Come on, you folks, if
you want to see the sight of your life!”
The oncoming spectators needed no urging to do this, and scarcely
had the boyish rider reined up his spent horse by the narrow platform
before the foremost of his pursuers, regardless of the slush, ankle
deep about the station, rushed upon the scene. Others rapidly added
to their numbers.
“What is it, Phil?” asked Lon Wiggles, who had outrun all others in
reaching the place. Phil and he were close friends. “What has
brought you home from Wenham like this?”
“I know!” replied Phil, with a knowing toss of his head, as he sprang
from old Jim’s back.
“I s’posed you did, but that needn’t make a crab of you.”
“Excuse me, Lon. I see Deacon Cornhill on the train down at
Wenham.”
“Is that all?” and looks of disgust and disappointment settled on the
features of those near enough to overhear this dialogue. It is
needless to say that Phil was maintaining this air of mystery more for
their sakes than Lon’s.
“Can’t you wait till a feller has time to think? No, it is not all. The
deacon is coming home with a carload of New York cattle! But here
comes the train; look for yourself. Ladies and gentlemen, Deacon
Cornhill is coming home with all of the poor of New York at his heels.
See for yourselves,” waving his hand in a tragical manner, as the
long train came pounding along the iron rails.
With puffs and snorts, as of rage at being stopped in its wild career,
the engine came to a standstill just beyond the upper end of the
station, so as to bring the two passenger cars nearly opposite the
building.
With a faint inkling of what they were to expect, the spectators stood
looking on with gaping mouths and staring eyes, while the tall, stoop-
shouldered figure of Deacon Cornhill appeared on the rear platform.
His benevolent features were lighted with an uncommon glow, as he
gazed upon the crowd gathered thus unexpectedly about the station.
Hesitating but a moment, he stepped down the steps, and then
turned to look back.
The object of his gaze was soon apparent, for at that moment other
passengers were following him from the car. In the lead of these
came a tall, rather good-looking, but plainly dressed, boy of
seventeen, with pinched features, but flashing eyes, none other than
Ragged Rob, ex-bootblack of New York. Leaning on his arm was a
middle-aged woman, beyond doubt in the minds of the onlookers his
mother. Her countenance was thin and careworn, while her brown
hair was thickly streaked with threads of silver.
No sooner had Rob assisted his mother down the steps than he
turned to help others in lifting a pallid-faced woman, who was an
invalid, from the car. Close behind her came a pale, frightened girl,
who shrank near to Rob at sight of the wondering spectators. They
were Mrs. Willet and Joey.
While the poor invalid was carried to a settee at one side of the
station, a woman, with cadaverous countenance and wild eyes, and
a man who had to be lifted down from the car, reached the platform,
the latter being borne to a second bench. Then an elderly woman,
with a strange-looking peaked cap and squat figure, followed, while
close behind her came a girl of fourteen and five boys, ranging in
ages from ten to fifteen years.
During this brief delay a small lot of baggage had been thrown upon
the station floor, and as the last of the ill-favored passengers
alighted, the conductor waved his hand, the bell rang, the engine
puffed anew, the wheels began to revolve, and the train rolled away,
leaving the little group of fifteen persons the center of observation for
many pairs of eyes.
“For gracious’ sake, what have you been doing, deacon?” asked
’Squire Hardy, a short, thickset individual, who had been among the
first to reach the place. He was troubled with asthma, and the
exertion in reaching the station had put him both out of breath and
good humor.
Though amazed at this most unexpected greeting, Deacon Cornhill
soon recovered his surprise enough to say:
“I have just brung home a leetle comp’ny, ’squire. I——”
“Huh!” was the rejoinder, “Comp’ny? I should say comp’ny! Where’d
you pick that ’sortment of folks?”
“In the streets of New York,” replied the deacon. “Never see sich
sights in my life, ’squire. Why, the ground is just running over with
folks, and sin and wickedness is thicker’n the folks! I swan! it’s too
bad; and so I persuaded these half-starved creeturs to come to
Basinburg with me. I know you’ll lend a helping hand for ’em to have
homes. Them empty houses’n deserted farms on the Hare road can
be as well filled as not.”
All the time he was speaking the crowd pressed nearer and nearer,
causing the newcomers to huddle close together, with half-frightened
looks on their faces. Though used to seeing mobs, and having lived
in crowded streets, there was something about these spectators
which sent a feeling of terror to their hearts. Rob was the only
exception, and as an over-anxious, burly individual pushed his way
close to the helpless man and woman, he stepped brusquely
forward, exclaiming:
“Stand back, sir! you’re crowding a sick man and woman. Seems to
me there oughter be room out here for ’em.”
The man retreated, muttering:
“Be keerful how ye sass yer betters, ye insolent critter.”
At this a murmur went over the crowd, which it was plain to see were
generally unfriendly to the new arrivals. They did form a motley-
looking party.
“They look like furrin truck!” declared some one, whereupon a
general nod of assent was given.
“Please stand back all!” implored Deacon Cornhill.
“Want us to stand here ankle deep in the mud, I s’pose!” exclaimed
one near the background.
“Yes; stand back, one and all!” ordered ’Squire Hardy, and at his
command there was a slight moving back. It was plain he was the
one to whom the majority looked for guidance. If he had said, “Be
friendly to these unprepossessing strangers,” Deacon Cornhill would
have had no cause for further worry over the matter. Unfortunately,
though there was no evidence of it in their outward appearance, this
couple entertained a bitter dislike for each other, owing to an old
trouble. Of course the deacon had his friends present, if no one had
spoken an encouraging word, but they were very much in the
minority. But, as Mr. Hardy appeared disposed to be fair, he gathered
new courage, saying:
“I will explain all as soon as I have made these poor sick ones more
comfortable.”
No one had suggested that they be taken into the station, so their
kindly protector did not offer to do it. But he removed his overcoat
and placed it over Mrs. Willet, so as to keep her warm, while he
arranged the man so that his position was more easy. Fortunately
the day was mild, and as Deacon Cornhill turned to face the half-
angry crowd, the setting sun threw a wide bar of golden splendor
over the western sky, which halo was reflected on the distant hills,
giving to the spring scene a hint of summer. A flaw of April wind
stirred the long, thin locks of the gray-haired philanthropist, as he
slowly raised his spare right hand to admonish silence.
If a calm had fallen on the scene it was the calm that usually
precedes the storm. Deacon Cornhill dreaded it; ’Squire Hardy
expected it; and the aroused spectators were anxious to show their
willingness in sending out of the town this unexpected addition to
their population.
 CHAPTER VII.
THE DEACON’S STORY.

“Ahem!” began Deacon Cornhill, clearing his throat, and while he did
so looking anxiously over the crowd, wondering still how so many
came to be there. “Ahem! I—you see, fri’nds, this is sich a s’prise to
me that I hardly know how to begin. You see I got to New York, and I
never see sich sights, I swan, I never did! I hadn’t more’n got into
town afore a spruce chap stepped up and slapped me on the
shoulder, just same’s Sam Williams would, and you all know Sam’s
terrible common. Wa’al, he claimed he knowed me up here in
Basinburg—told a whopping story ’bout chasin’ a calf out of my
garden seven or eight years ago. But all the time he was arter the
church money, and ’tween him and ernother and a parcel of boys
they eenamost got it, and——”
“Not got the church money, Elihu!” cried a shrill voice from the rear of
the throng of spectators, and then Mrs. Cornhill, who had been
attracted to the scene the same as the others, pushed her way
frantically forward, until she stood on the station platform in front of
the abashed deacon. “You don’t say you hev lost the church money,
Elihu?”
Several among the spectators groaned.
“Don’t get ’scited, Mandy; don’t git ’scited. I didn’t lose the church
money, thanks to this boy here. But if them dog——”
“Hush, deacon! It’s you who is getting ’scited.”
“Wa’al, if you had been where I have, Mandy, and seen what I did
you’d get ’scited. But this boy here got my money all back, and then,
when he tuk me round and showed me how folks live in that big,
wicked city, I swan, I felt like giving ’em all homes right here in
Basinburg!”
“I should think you had brought back a good part of the city,” said
one of the bystanders.
“Pity the poorest if you call these good,” cried another.
“I tuk a fancy to Rob, here,” continued the deacon, unheeding the
interruption, ’arter the good turn he did me. But when I come to ax
him to go home with me, he said he couldn’t leave his mother. I told
him to take her right along, too. But he had fri’nds, and I told him to
take ’em along, though I didn’t s’pose there were more’n a house full.
Lordy me! when I come to see how they lived, I wouldn’t take no for
an answer, with all the land, and fresh air, and room we have out
here.
“Why, it nearly tuk away my breath to just look in their houses. If you
will b’lieve it, Mr. Little,” pointing to the invalid man, “lived in a den
right under the street, with teams driving overhead, and he a
suffocating in a leetle room nine feet under ground. It was only six
feet by eight, and he had no fire, only a part of an old bedstead to lie
on, an old tick half full of musty hay and a dirty pillow. Mrs. Willet and
her darter lived in a house only four feet wide, though the Lord only
knows how high it was. Just think of that, and then of the houses that
stand empty here the year round.
“These youngsters here were running round wild, like colts turned
out to parster, only there weren’t no fences to keep ’em within
bounds, and there was no halter on ’em to lead ’em to their stalls
when it come night. I tell you, it made my blood bile just to see sich
works right in this civilized land. I thought of ’em houses on Hare
road standing empty, and says I to myself, ‘there’s room for ’em, and
I know the good people of Basinburg will turn to and lend a helping
hand.’”
He was perspiring freely, while he showed great excitement, but his
animated speech was greeted with a profound silence. It is true
some one started to cheer him, but he did not have the courage to
give full expression to his feelings. The majority were waiting for
’Squire Hardy to speak, and the rest were too timid to venture an
opinion, until he had spoken. Clearing his throat, he finally said:
“It might have been well enough, deacon, if you hadn’t brought a
carload. It’s a mystery to me how they got money enough to pay
their fares.”
Deacon Cornhill was modest enough not to mention the fact that it
had cost him nearly fifteen dollars to make up for their deficit.
Withholding this fact, he demanded:
“Am I to understand that you are opposed to treating these poor
people like neighbors, ’squire?”
“I’m opposed to nothing that’s humane, but you know there is a limit
to what we can endure. I never was in favor of foreign immigration.
What do you say, good folks?” appealing to those around him. “No
doubt the good old deacon meant all right, but look at the crowd he
has brought among us, and say if you want them.”
“Paupers, every one of them!” cried a voice from the crowd.
“Perhaps worse’n that,” declared another. “They look to me like a
parcel of thieves!”
“Paupers and thieves!” exclaimed a dozen in the same breath, until
Deacon Cornhill turned pale, as he felt that ominous results were
likely to come from his well-meant intentions.
The little party of strangers huddled together in great trepidation,
excepting their leading spirit, Ragged Rob, who had so gladly
yielded to the counsel of their protector and lent his influence toward
getting them here. Something of the spirit of the stern man for whom
he had been nicknamed flashed in Little Hickory’s eyes, and drawing
his figure to its full height with a dignity felt all the more for the
ragged suit in which he was clothed, he exclaimed, in a tone heard
to the limit of the scene:
“Paupers and thieves, never! We are poor, but we are willing to earn
an honest living. Deacon Cornhill, if we are not wanted here——”
“Tut, tut, lad!” said the other, in an undertone, “this will soon blow
over,” though he had his misgivings.
“You see how it is, deacon, and how the people feel,” said the
’squire, with a ring of triumph in his voice. “This settling so many city
hoodlums in our midst is a risky experiment. For my part, I had rather
my house should burn down than to have such people in it.”
“It would be pretty sure to if they were in it,” cried a zealous friend.
“I do not believe there is a house on the Hare road they could get.”
“No, no, no!” came from every quarter.
’Squire Hardy looked exultant, while Deacon Cornhill was
dumfounded. No one had dared to speak a word in his behalf.
“What have you done, Elihu?” asked his wife, who had but a vague
understanding of the situation.
“Don’t get ’scited, Mandy; it’ll soon blow over. Fri’nds,” he continued;
addressing the crowd, “don’t misjudge your neighbors. These poor
folks are all honest, as I am willing to vouch. Why, if it hadn’t been for
this boy I shouldn’t have been living to come home. He not only
saved my money, but my life, and I’ll stand by him now!”
“Good for you, deacon!” some one was bold enough to cry out, when
a faint cheer followed. This encouraged him to resume:
“But if you don’t want these poor folks in your houses, I’ll look ’em up
some places. They can stop at my place to-night. But here we are,
keeping this sick man and woman here, to say nothing of the rest. I
wish I had my two-hoss jingle wagon here, I swan, I do!”
At first no reply was made to this, but finally a farmer from the upper
part of the town said:
“If you want to go arter your wagon, deacon, you may have my team
to go with, only if you’ll leave a barrel of flour that is in the wagon at
Widder Short’s.”
Deacon Cornhill gladly accepted this offer, and he lost no time in
starting, saying, as he clambered into the high-backed seat:
“You can go with me if you want to, Rob.”
“I thank you, sir, but I had rather remain with mother and the rest. I
think it will be best for me to do so.”
“If you please, mister, I would like to go,” said Chick.
“So you can, my boy; and you, too,” nodding to another, a year older
than Chick, and known as Ruddy.
The boys were happy, but Deacon Cornhill was too deeply
engrossed over the situation to pay much heed to his young
companions, as he gathered up the reins and drove away from the
station. This reception was very different from the triumphal entry
into town of which he had anticipated.
“The ’squire is still ag’in me, and he means to make trouble,” he said,
giving expression to his thoughts. “If he won’t let ’em go on the Hare
road, they shall go somewhere. I have it! I’ll put ’em up to Break o’
Day; that’s just what I’ll do. Git along, old Jim! that’s just what I’ll do.”
So absorbed was the good man in his plans that he did not notice he
had already got the raw-boned horse into a smart gait, so that the
old wagon was drawn through the mud and over the rocks at a
tremendous rate, giving the boys about all they could do to hold
upon the high-backed seat, while the barrel of flour rolled about at
the imminent risk of being sent from the vehicle altogether.
“The Break o’ Day is their only hope,” repeated the deacon, as he
rode on.
So absorbed was the good man in his plans and his anxiety to get
back to the station, that he failed to heed the tremendous speed he
had urged the horse to take until by the time they had reached the
outskirts of the village the spirited animal was flying along the
country road at the top of its speed. The way was rough, and the
wagon jolting over the stony places kept the barrel of flour in
constant motion. In fact, an uncommonly severe movement sent one
head flying out into the mud, and the white, fluffy mass within, caught
up by the wind, flew about like a perfect cloud over the occupants of
the vehicle.
“Ginger and snap!” cried Chick, who was enjoying the situation, “ain’t
we spinning, Ruddy?”
“You bet! this is better’n the circus. Get up, old nag! If this is country
life, it jess knocks the spots off’n New York at her best.”
The boys were enjoying the affair if the deacon was not. Then, in the
midst of this wild flight, when it seemed as if the sober member of
Basinburg church had really lost his head, those inhabitants of the
village who had not gone to the station rushed out of their houses to
see what was taking place.
Getting a vague outline of the deacon’s stalwart figure amid the
cloud of flour, they began to cry out in dismay. This only served to
arouse the deacon the more, and, swinging his long whip in the air,
he shouted, louder than ever:
“Get erlong there, Jim Crow. It’s Break o’ Day or nothing!”
The old wagon, making a noise and confusion heard to the farthest
section of the village, the half-crazed deacon and his young
companions, who were shouting with laughter, were borne on at a
wilder pace than ever. In the midst of this they passed the
parsonage, when the horrified minister rushed out of the house,
bareheaded and with outstretched arms, calling out to the horse to
stop. Then, recognizing the form of his respected parishioner
enveloped in the cloud of flour, he shouted, in amazement:
“Why, Deacon Cornhill! what has happened? Stop—stop—st——”
“It’s Break o’ Day or nothing, parson; snowstorm or no snowstorm!
Get erlong, Jim!”
The old man barely saved himself from being run over, as the
deacon and his companions were carried past, the latter crying out in
the ears of the bewildered preacher:
“Did you ever get left on the pavements?”
 CHAPTER VIII.
A PRINCE IN RAGS.

Meanwhile the crowd about the station had watched the departure of
Deacon Cornhill in silence, but no sooner had he disappeared in the
distance than Squire Hardy held a consultation of a few words with
his nearest friends. Then he turned to address Rob, who, realizing
that a crisis of some kind was at hand, calmly waited for him to
speak.
“Youngster,” began the ’squire, “it must be plain to you by this time
that you and your followers made a mistake in coming here as you
have. In the first place, it can be of no advantage to you, and in the
second place, you are not wanted by us.”
“I am sorry, sir, that it has happened as it has, but it does not seem
to me that any one is to blame. We have come with honest intentions
——”
“It requires honest people to carry out honest intentions. It’s the
doing that counts. Come, it is nearly night, and you have barely time
in which to get out of town before dark. The walking is good on the
railroad track.”
The tone, more than the words, nettled Ragged Rob, and he
exclaimed:
“It will be better or worse before I or my friends go that way.”
“Don’t you throw any of your New York sass in my face, you ragged
dog. You’ll either get out of town pretty lively of your own account, or
we will get help for you in a way you may not like. I give you fair
warning, and five minutes of time to get started in.”
A groan came from the suffering man on the settee, while the others
of the forlorn little group turned pale with fright. But Little Hickory was
made of sterner stuff, and, drawing his slender figure to its full
height, making him like a fairy prince in a disguise of rags, he
replied, in a tone heard by the most distant of the spectators:
“Sir, you cannot drive us away without making trouble for yourself.
We have come here peacefully, and we demand fair treatment. This
poor man here”—pointing to the invalid Mr. Little—“cannot take a
step to save his life. And this sick woman”—now pointing to Mrs.
Willet—“deserves kind treatment at your hands.”
This fearless speech was received with varying effect by the
onlookers. It won the respect, if not the admiration of some, while still
others thought that perhaps the ’squire had been hasty in his
denouncement. Others again looked askance toward the justice,
while he, feeling that he had been openly and defiantly humiliated,
shook with anger, and he exclaimed, in a voice husky with passion:
“Fool! if you think this high-handed piece of impudence is going
through all right you’ll find yourself most —— mistaken.”
’Squire Hardy used a word where I have inserted the dash which I do
not care to quote, while he advanced toward Ragged Rob with a look
of intense hatred. He seemed about to seize the brave boy in his
grasp of iron, when the latter said:
“Lay a hand on me if you dare, Mr. Hardy!”
“Be careful how you make yourself liable for striking the boy,” spoke
up one of the spectators, who was standing at the corner of the
station.
“If it wasn’t for the law I’d throw the young rapscallion into ——”
using another word that may have fitted his feelings, but which
grated harshly even on that exciting scene. “As it is I will make out a
warrant for their arrest as quick as I can find pen and paper to do it,
Johnson.”
“If you do you will have to get Sheriff Stanyan to serve it, ’squire.”
“I suppose you think I ought to let these hoodlums go where they
wish, Johnson. I tell you the safety of the public demands that I stop
them where they are.”
“You mistake my meaning, ’squire. While I may be sorry that they
have come, I believe in fair treatment, and abiding by the law.”
“I should like to know who is breaking the law if it is not them,”
snapped the justice, who was already inquiring for pen, ink and
paper.
“I hardly know what charge you can bring against them, ’squire, but
you are doubtless better posted than I.”
“If I weren’t I’d hold my mouth,” muttered the other, though being
careful not to speak loud enough for Mr. Johnson to hear. In a louder
tone he cried:
“I can arrest the whole crowd for vagrancy, and bring them up as
suspicious characters. I calculate enough can be brought against
them to put them in the lockup to-night, and to send them adrift to-
morrow. At any rate, I propose to see what can be done. I want some
one to go for Sheriff Stanyan. As Mr. Jones, the station agent, may
wish to have his place cleared of such stock before night, I should
advise that the messenger go for the officer with all speed possible.”
At the conclusion of this speech the ’squire turned to see what effect
his words had upon the little group of homeless strangers. He was
disappointed to find that they had not brought any visible show of
trepidation to any of them.
“Look here, Trask,” addressing one of the spectators, continued the
justice, “you have got a good horse. Go to Bradford and find Sheriff
Stanyan. Tell him I will have the papers all made out by the time he
gets here.”
“It’s awful traveling, ’squire, and my horse——”
“Don’t stop to consider the traveling, Trask, at a time like this. The
safety of the public must be upheld. You shall lose nothing by the
trip.”
Without further opposition the man called Trask started for his team,
which was hitched nearby, and a minute later he rode away on his
errand, while ’Squire Hardy went into the station agent’s office to
make out the required paper.
Though there was little display of excitement on the surface, it was
really an exciting situation. The onlookers began to gather in little
knots to talk over the affair, a few blaming the ’squire, but the
majority upholding him in his decisive action. As is usual under such
conditions, the forlorn strangers, ragged and penniless, proved to be
equally friendless.
Ragged Rob improved the opportunity to speak a few words of
encouragement to his companions, trying to assure them that it
would be all right as soon as Deacon Cornhill should return. But
even he felt in his heart that the kindly deacon would be powerless to
meet and overcome the increasing enmity of his townspeople.
 CHAPTER IX.
A STARTLING SURPRISE.

To add to the uncomfortableness of the situation, threatenings of rain

began to appear about this time, but the crowd of spectators showed
no signs of dispersing, one and all waiting with curious interest to
see what the end would be.
In the midst of the lull in the scene the ’squire reappeared, holding in
his hand now the warrant for the arrest of the newcomers under the
charge of Ragged Rob, who stood by the side of Joe and her mother
at this time.
“I reckon I have made it strong enough to hold ’em,” declared the
justice, referring to the paper in his hand. “I hope Stanyan will get
here before dark. Ah, it’s going to rain soon. I wish Stanyan were
here now.”
The same wish may have been in the minds of others, and ’Squire
Hardy was not the only one who consulted his watch and calculated
that it would be fully an hour later before the officer could be
expected.
At this juncture the sound of a wagon approaching was heard, and
all turned expectantly up the road, to discover a double team coming
toward the station at a smart rate of speed. The seat contained one
man and two boys. Covered from head to foot with the flour that had
blown over him, it was no wonder the driver was not recognized until
he was near at hand.
“It’s Deacon Cornhill!” cried one of the bystanders. “But what in the
world has he been doing with himself?”
The deacon did present a singular appearance, but he was
unmindful of this, as he drove his team alongside the station
platform, calling out, in his cheery voice:
“I hope you ain’t got tired o’ waiting, but I went as spry as I could.
Here, boys, help throw the things in, and then we’ll give the sick
ones a boost. Jim, jess hold my hosses.”
“Don’t know as I care about mixing up in sich an affair,” muttered the
man addressed, quickly retreating to the rear of the crowd to escape
a second invitation of the kind.
“I should like to know what you are up to?” demanded ’Squire Hardy,
advancing, while he flourished the document in his hand so the other
might see it. “I have sent for Mr. Stanyan to attend to these folks. I
reckon he’ll be in time to look after them,” pulling out his watch and
consulting it.
“We won’t bother Mr. Stanyan, and there was no need for you to
send for him, ’Squire Hardy.”
“I ain’t so sure about that, deacon. At any rate I have sent for him,
and before I shall let these critters go, I want to know what you are
going to do with them.”
“So long as they are peaceful you have no business to meddle.
Won’t some of you lend a hand here to get this poor cripple into the
wagon?” appealing to the bystanders.
“I asked you a civil question and you haven’t answered it, deacon,”
said ’Squire Hardy, stepping in front of the other.
No one had volunteered to lend their assistance in reply to his
request to help him and Rob lift Mr. Little into the wagon, while the
horses were becoming restive each moment, and there was no one
at the bit. The rain was beginning to fall in big drops, and altogether
it was no wonder Deacon Cornhill began to grow nervous and
discouraged.
“Why not let them go, ’squire?” asked Mr. Johnson, who seemed to
be an honest man. “It’s going to rain hard in a few minutes, and the
deacon needs every moment if he would get under cover before it
strikes.”
With these words the speaker took hold to help, and in a few minutes
the entire party were seated in the wagon, though by that time the
rain was falling fast.
Deacon Cornhill climbed up to the driver’s seat, taking the reins
stoutly in his hands. It needed no urging on his part to start the
animals, and with a series of yells and gibes ringing in his ears, the
good man drove smartly away, glad to escape so easily.
’Squire Hardy stood silent, but his face was livid with rage as he saw
the strange party leave the station. The crowd of spectators had now
sought the cover of the building, and were exchanging comments
with one another upon the singular conduct of the deacon.
“Let the old fool go in the rain,” declared the ’squire. “He ain’t heard
the last of this, not by a long shot. I’ll set Stanyan after ’em, and if he
can’t cook their goose I will, if it costs me all I’m worth. Deacon
Cornhill needn’t think he is going to jeopardize the safety of the
whole town by any such tomfoolery. I’ll give you a dollar, Joe Dollard,
if you’ll foller ’em so as to tell where they go. If the deacon takes ’em
home you will see lively times before morning.”
But Deacon Cornhill had no intention of taking his party home. He
feared too much the sharp tongue of Mrs. Cornhill, whom he had
already found was opposed to his scheme, to hazard such a venture.
So he followed a road which led out of the village on the east, and
drove ahead at a smart gallop through the rain, which was soon
falling in a torrent. As there was no covering to the wagon, the entire
party was exposed to the downpouring elements, though the two
invalids had been so covered with a large rubber blanket in the
wagon that they were partially sheltered from the rain.
The only ones who really enjoyed the ride were the three boys—
Chick, Ruddy and Tony—though two others, known as Tom and
Jerry, joined with them in the outbursts of merriment.
Rob, their leader, realized that the halo had fled from the picture, and
that only the dark background was now revealed. He saw a bitter
struggle ahead in order to meet the dangers likely to surround them
in this new life. In this unexpected crisis his companions were not
likely to prove of help, but he was the last boy to despair. His whole
life had been a battle against adverse circumstances, and he was
not going to falter now.
Thus he spoke encouragingly to his low-spirited companions, and
looked hopefully forward to their destination, trying to form an idea of
the looks of the place, little dreaming in his youthful enthusiasm of its
actual desolation.
The road to Break o’ Day, as the place to which they were going was
known, wound up through a deep wood for over four miles, and not a
dwelling was to be seen on the entire route. Though they were
somewhat protected from the rain under the overhanging forest, it
was a dismal ride, and every one hailed with joy the opening at the
summit of the hill or mountain.
The deacon spoke encouragingly to the weary horses, which started
into a smart trot now that the way was comparatively level.
The Break o’ Day tract of country really consisted of a thousand
acres of wild land, for the most, which had been largely cleared of its
first growth by charcoal burners a few years before, and had been
allowed to send up a second growth of saplings now in that age
termed “sprouts.”
Of course, the strangers to this isolated spot paid little heed to their
surroundings, as one and all tried to escape as much as possible the
drenching rain, which was falling faster than ever, if that were
possible. But Rob looked in vain for any sign of a house until they
had gone half a mile, when he discovered a solitary frame house of
two stories, and which had once been painted red on the outside.
This paint was now worn off so that the broad sides of the building
looked brown and dilapidated in the storm. There was not a whole
window in the house and the door at the front side hung from one
hinge.
But the gaze of the approaching observers was suddenly attracted
by the sight of a couple of horsemen riding up in front of the building
from the opposite direction.
Deacon Cornhill had seen the two men and, pulling up the horses he
was driving, he said, in a low but husky tone:
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