Today, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj delivered the inaugural address for a ten-day virtual program commemorating the birth centenary of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj (September 14, 1921 – May 30, 1989), a great poet-saint who spread the message of love, peace, and unity far and wide. Expounding on a few verses from Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj’s poetry, the spiritual Master spoke of how meditation can lead to spiritual awakening.

Meditation, the process of withdrawing our attention away from the world outside and focusing it within, transports us from a state of darkness—a state in which we are unaware of our true self—to one of light, in which we awaken to our true self. Through this process of spiritual awakening, we realize we are much more than the body and mind; we are soul, a part of God.

Contact with God’s love within illumines our lives and reminds us that this life was not given to us to live in pain and suffering but that there is an unending reservoir of happiness and bliss that awaits us. As we meditate, we become immersed and saturated in God’s love. We swim in an ocean of bliss and happiness and yearn for more. It is at this stage, having experienced God within ourselves, that we realize God’s presence in all living beings. We awaken to our oneness and embrace others as our very own. We fall in love with everyone, and this love impels us to give of ourselves to alleviate the burdens and pains of our fellow beings. Thus, through meditation, we experience the joys of selflessness and lead a life of peace and calm.