₦airaland Forum

. Harold Klemp's Link with a Long Line of Living ECK Masters

. The present Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp, studied under Paul Twitchell, who studied under numerous teachers, including the Tibetan Rebazar Tarzs. This unbroken chain reaches back through time. There have been countless ECK Masters in this lineage. Some have been historical figures, but most have worked silently or with small groups.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Living ECK Master Belongs to the Order of Vairagi, Providing Guidance Home to God

. When the Living ECK Master steps down from his position, he usually takes on a different mission in the heavenly hierarchy. Shamus-i-Tabriz, who served as the Living ECK Master over four hundred years ago, now teaches in a wisdom temple on one of the other planes.
. The brotherhood of ECK Masters are members of the Order of the Vairagi. The Sanskrit word vairagi means"detached." These Masters are detached from the passions of this world. Their only mission is to guide Soul home to God. They do not have a social agenda and usually stay away from political and other causes. Through the Spiritual Exercises of ECK, many ECKist work with some of these ECK Masters.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The ECK Masters

. These ECK Masters are also on every plane and planet in the universes of God. Their work is to help forward the evolution of humanity, to find and train disciples. They see that these disciples come to the Living ECK Master so that he can take them under his charge to bring about qualities of love and wisdom in this world.

. The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad
. Book Two

. Much has been written about guardian angels. In fact, there have been so many reports of angelic visitation that national research groups have been formed to record and investigate the phenomenon. Sometimes these angels appear physically during a life-threatening episode, then disappear. Other times, accompanied by blue or white light, they appear in an inner vision or dream. Sometimes they appear as invincible friends to children. One common thread in all these appearance is that, through the experience, people's lives are changed for the better.
. In Eckankar, these angels are ECK Masters. You've read about several of them already. Eckankar literature is rich with the stories of people who were helped by the ECK Masters. They include inner healing by Lai Tsi, an ancient Chinese ECK Master, and help during hardship by a female ECK Master, Kata Daki. And accounts of animals or favourite pets being protected by Prajapati, another ECK Master. Their appearance makes an impression that lasts a lifetime. Often these occurrences take place before people discover Eckankar for themselves.
. Probably the most common occurrence is the appearance of the"man in blue" or the appearance of a blue light. This is the Living ECK Master.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Each Initiation Is an Invitation from the Living ECK Master to Take the Next Step on the way Home to God.

. The Living ECK Master is the only one who can approve an initiation for an ECKist. The First Initiation usually comes within the first year of study. It is entirely an inner initiation. Sometimes the student of ECK will remember this, and sometimes not. It can occur in the dream state, or it can be experienced during a spiritual exercise. There is no outer ceremony to mark the First Initiation.
. Each person, regardless of his outer initiation, is capable of spiritual greatness. Each initiation is an invitation from the Living ECK Master to take the next step on the way home to God.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Initiations Are Private and Sacred

. The clergy of Eckankar are from the ranks of the Higher Initiates, those in the Fifth Circle or above. And teachers of Eckankar classes must have reached at least their Second Initiation. Yet these are not distinction which one ECKist uses to compare himself to another, or to gain status in the community. The initiations of ECK are private and sacred.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Real Initiation Occurs Inside

. Only the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master can link up Soul with the ECK through initiation. The outer initiation is simple and easy. As with many experiences in Eckankar, the real event occurs inside each of us. The outer initiation is a physical acknowledgement of the inner spiritual event. It is the inner event which makes all the difference.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Rules Change From Plane to Plane

. The initiations of ECK can have a dramatic effect on our spiritual lives. If, as a Second Initiate, we become accustomed to operating on the Astral Plane, we may expect the rules and system learned there to work for us everywhere. Many who take the Third Initiation are puzzled to find out that the Causal Plane operates in a different manner. They must learn the new rules. This process constitutes part of our spiritual growth.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Consciousness Has to Be Earned Moment to Moment


. Of course, obtaining the Fifth Initiation in Eckankar does not guarantee spiritual balance or understanding. Consciousness always has to be earned moment to moment. Regardless of spiritual statue, a person can become confused, experience a spiritual setback, and have to start on the path again. The road becomes narrower as we move into the higher worlds. With greater spiritual freedom comes greater responsibility and accountability.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Each Initiation Corresponds to a Different Plane of Existence

. Each initiation corresponds to a specific plane. The Second Initiation is related to the Astral Plane, the Third to the Causal Plane, the Fourth to the Mental Plane, and so on. The Fifth Initiation is especially significant, because it corresponds to the Soul Plane. This is the beginning of the pure spiritual worlds, above space and time. At the Fifth Plane, the usual laws of karma and reincarnation no longer hold sway.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Initiation Pace and Frequency Vary

. The pace of spiritual progress varies from person to person. A number of years normally pass between ECK initiations to ensure that each person has built strong spiritual foundations at each level.
. Some may experience their next initiation inwardly six months or more before they receive the outer invitation from the Master. For others, the significance of the initiation may not be fully understood for months after the initiation.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Initiations Process

. Beyond the First Initiation, which occurs in the dream state, initiations in ECK are given both physically and spiritually. The Living ECK Master authorizes each initiation. A letter is sent to the ECKist, which is an invitation to receive the initiation. The ECKist then makes an appointment with an ECK Initiator.
. The initiation takes less than an hour to complete, and includes instruction and contemplation. In some initiations, a new spiritual word is given, to be sung during spiritual exercises.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Each of Us Enters Eckankar with a Different State of Consciousness

. Harold Klemp says in How to Survive Spiritually in Our Times, "Your ECK initiation can open the window of heaven. Your state of consciousness means nothing more than your state of acceptance."
. Each of us enters the path of ECKankar with a different state of consciousness. Our own level of unfoldment depends on our experience in this life and in previous incarnations. Some have studied the ECK teachings in past lives and therefore take to the path quite easily. For others it may be their first contact with the teachings of Light and Sound, and they may feel more comfortable proceeding slowly.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. How Many Initiations Are There?

. The inability of the mind to comprehend those areas beyond the Soul Plane limits us in our understanding of the various heavens and their corresponding initiations. From the physical perspective, we can identify fourteen levels of initiation. Yet there is always a plus factor in Eckankar. There is no end to the spiritual universe. The God Worlds are not finite areas surrounded by borders.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Initiations Links Soul to the Audible Life Stream

. The ECK is the essence of Sugmad, or God. It flows from the Creator down into the lower worlds and then returns again to the Source. It supports and sustains all life. Over the centuries It has been given many names. The Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Logos, the Word, Divine Spirit, the Bani, and the Vadan are a few of these names. Many religious traditions refer to the ECK in some way.
. Divine Spirit is also called the Audible Life Stream, because It can be experienced audibly, as Sound. It is awareness of this Sound that distinguishes Eckankar from many other religions. When Soul is ready, the Mahanta links It with this Sound. This allows Soul to travel at Its own pace back to God.
. As individuals progress spiritually, they become eligible for further initiations. Each initiation strengthens the bond of love between the individual and God.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Initiations

. At the time of initiation the chela(spiritual student) is imparted vital secrets, which facilitate his growth and speed up his karma. The highest, perfect directions for the Spiritual Exercises of ECK are given. These help him to unfold his inner hearing and inner sight, and with them he begins his ever growing inward and upward pilgrimage to the Sugmad.



The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad
Book One

. Solving Problems

. The spiritual life is not meant to finally end the succession of problems, for they are given as opportunities for Soul's unfoldment. What the spiritual student does develop, however, is the inner link with the ECK, the Holy Spirit. Thus he taps into the Supreme Creative Force that guides him around all the blocks in his path that once defeated him.
. One's ability to take charge of his own life increases. This is a solid step toward self-mastery and that state of consciousness called the Kingdom of Heaven.


Sri Harold Klemp
A Modern Prophet Answers Your Key Questions about Life

. The Waking Dream

. A variation on the principle of the Golden-tongue Wisdom is the waking dream. The waking dream is another vehicle through which Divine Spirit communicates to you. But these experiences are more couched in symbols, similar to dream experiences.
. Say a man is shown a picture of a butterfly, but in his mind it looks like a bee. A few hours later, he hears his wife mention the letter B. A week later, a friend asks if he is getting enough B vitamins. Now the connection between all three events become clear to him. He starts taking extra B vitamins, and a health problem problem he'd asked for help with improves.
. Soul, the higher self, made sense of the symbolic events, and the message made its way to the conscious mind. This is an example of the waking dream.
. To learn more about the theory and practice of the ECK-Vidya, you can read The ECK-Vidya, Ancient Science of Prophecy by Paul Twitchell. More specific information on the Golden-tongue Wisdom and the waking dream can be found in Harold Klemp's books The Art of Spiritual Dreaming, The Eternal Dreamer, and The Dream Master.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Golden Tongue Wisdom

. There are two elements of the ECK-Vidya which play a role in the life of the average person. These are called the Golden-tongue Wisdom and the waking dream.
. The Golden-tongue Wisdom is a phenomenon which trains people to look for spiritual guidance in the most mundane of events. For instance, you could be shopping in a store when the clerk suddenly makes a casual remark to you. Though innocent enough in itself, the comment has some specific spiritual meaning to you.
. It's as if the ECK is speaking to you through the unwitting channel of the store clerk. Or perhaps you turn on the radio and begin listening to the lyrics of a popular song. The message inspires you, and you see the solution to a current problem. With an open heart, you can hear Divine Spirit speaking to you through the Golden-tongue Wisdom.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Never Use Knowledge to Manipulate Others

. The ECK-Vidya has identified the various cycles which govern man's life here on earth. The responsibility of working with the ECK-Vidya is great, because the information gained can be so easily misused. Many people would be knocked out of balance if they knew what was going to happen to future generations. Others would try to take the information and use it for their personal financial advantage. A rule of Divine Spirit is that we must never use our knowledge to control or manipulate others.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

This Is a Warring Planet but That's Ok

. What does the future hold? Unfortunately for those utopians who believe we can have heaven on earth, our planet is a warring planet. Any period of peace will be followed by one of conflict. It is the nature of the lower worlds to have life and death, joy and suffering. The only way we can have heaven on earth is if our consciousness resides on the Soul Plane. Though we are in a physical body, our attention is on the love of God. Thus we are in this world, but not of it



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. ECK-Vidya looks into Soul Records-Past, Present, and Future.

. Those trained in the ECK-Vidya are able to delve into the past and future. These adepts can look into the Soul records to understand what has happened and why. They can also look into the future and see what is likely to happen. They can do this because they have come to understand the cycles of life.
. This goes beyond astrology, which is the study of planetary influences only. Planetary influences are often overwhelmed by other spiritual forces at work. Knowledge gained from astrology originates from the Astral Plane, only one plane above the physical. The same can be said for other psychic procedures, like numerology or channeling.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. All Life Is Cyclical

. The ECK-Vidya teaches us that all of life can be divided into cycles. These cyclical patterns have their origins in the ECK, or Holy Spirit. Daily cycles are contained within monthly cycles, monthly within yearly, and so on. Because we understand earthly, physical cycles, we can predict when the moon will again be full. This would seem like a miracle to someone unfamiliar with the movement of the earth around the sun and the moon around the earth.
. It is the same with spiritual cycles. All life is governed by spiritual cycles, and the ECK-Vidya adept comes to understand them. Prophecy becomes a natural talent. The cycles governing ideas, nations, and individuals become more clear.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The ECK-Vidya

. If you are open to the Holy Spirit, you will find truth coming to you through the actions and words of other people. This is a facet of the ECK-Vidya, the ancient science of prophecy. I call it the Golden-tongue Wisdom.
. When God speaks to you through others, the words may even come via the electronic media.... Suddenly a sentence pops out that is precisely for you. It may mean nothing to anyone else, but for you it has a significant meaning.


Sri Harold Klemp
The Drumbeat of Time

. Know Greater Love Through the Golden
. Heart

. The key to love is the Golden Heart. If you have it, it is very easy to Soul Travel. Let's take a moment to look within and experience the radiant love of the Golden Heart.
. Begin to visualize a growing, golden light surrounding you. It may be very subtle at first. It embraces you, flows with you.
. Soon you are riding currents of light into the vastness of the cosmic sea. A place you've long forgotten. It's a place deep within your inner being, the dwelling place of Soul.
. Now your consciousness settles on the surface of the sea. Now the sea of love and light begins to emanate from you, expanding. It's deeper than the mind can conceive. You've moved beyond the regions of space and time.
. Ever so lightly, you sense a breeze. You hear the sound of a wind from deep within. It creates tiny ripples on the surface of the sea. Suddenly you realize you're experiencing the Light and Sound of God. You can stay here for a while if you choose, basking in the radiant, soothing ocean of Light and love.
. When you're ready, slowly come back. It should be easy enough to speak of this kind of experience, but words often fail us. We can try to share our experience, but it's up to each of us to open up that awareness within ourselves.
. Truth is not gained through observation, it's gained through experience. The path of ECKankar offers each of us the opportunity to open our consciousness and our hearts to greater awareness, to become the Golden Heart. We can each feel the love that passes on from one world to the next, into the higher planes of reality. But the awakening has to start within your heart.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Love Is Simple

. In Cloak of consciousness, Harold Klemp says, "It is no secret that the power of love is stronger than the power of the mind. The mind enjoys little games and psychic adventures, such as the use of crystal power. Someone who wants the God Consciousness no longer cares for these things. We care about the Light and Sound of God. For this one must have the Golden Heart, which means a heart filled with love.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. . Love

. The very heart of the doctrine of ECK is love. This love is that divine essence which unites all Souls. The higher Soul goes into the other worlds the greater this becomes. Love is the bond which holds the worlds together. . The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad.
. . Book One

. The Etheric Plane

. Marking the border between the low and higher worlds of Divine Spirit is the Etheric Plane. This is the source of our primitive thoughts and the subconscious. The Dayaka Temple of Golden Wisdom is located here in the city of Arhirit, and the guardian of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad is Lai Tsi. You can recognize the Etheric Plane by the sound of buzzing bees.
. As you unfold spiritually, you'll travel through the various God Worlds of ECK. This journey will be a unique experience because we are all individuals, each at a different point in our unfoldment.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Mental Plane

. The source of the mind and its constructs-philosophy, ethics, and moral teachings - is the Mental Plane. It is a grand place populated by advanced spiritual beings. The word Aum, chanted by those in many religious groups, originates from the Mental Plane. Although this is a very spiritual plane, residents of this plane are still subjected to reincarnation. This is because the Mental Plane is still part of the lower worlds.
. To pass into the true spiritual planes, we must drop the mind. Soul uses the mind as a tool but cannot be guided by it. The mind cannot understand the true nature of God. God can only be experienced, the descriptions of God are most often inaccurate because they depend on the power of the mind.
. The Temple of Namayatan, the Temple of Golden Wisdom on this plane, is located in the city of Mer Kailash, and the guardian is the Koji Chanda. You can recognize the Mental Plane by the sound of running water.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Causal Plane

. Memories of past lives are stored on the next higher plane of existence, the Causal Plane. If you are looking for the seeds of your current life, you could visit the Causal Plane and read the Akashic records. The Causal Plane contains more spiritual matter than does the Physical, but it is still governed by the laws of duality. The Sakapori Temple of Golden Wisdom is located here in the city of Honu, and the guardian of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad there is Shamus-i-Tabriz. You can recognize the Causal Plane by the sound of tinkling bells.
. As you travel into a higher state of consciousness, the magnificence of what you behold can be overwhelming. This in itself can be a trap, because the temptation to linger is strong. The impression is always that you have reached the highest state. This is why the Mahanta, the Inner Master, is so important. He will always be near to give you a little nudge, to remind you to continue on your spiritual journey.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Gain Spiritual Understanding From the
. Temples of Golden Wisdom

. Often we can gain wisdom and spiritual understanding by visiting Temples of Golden Wisdom. There are Temples on each plane, each with an ECK Master serving as the guardian of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, the holy scriptures of ECK. Most notable on the Physical Plane are the Katsupari Monastery in Tibet (Fubbi Quantz, guardian); the Gare-Hira Temple at Agam Des in the Hindu Kush mountains (Yaul Sacabi, guardian); the Faqiti Monastery in the Gobi Desert, (Banjani, guardian); and the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota (Harold Klemp, guardian). The sound of the physical Plane is often heard as thunder.

. The Astral Plane

. As you dream, you may spend a great deal of time in a more refined state of consciousness called the Astral Plane. Your Astral body is lighter and functions at a higher vibration. The Astral is the source of human emotion, psychic phenomena, ghosts, and UFOs. The Astral Plane is also home for most humans upon the death of their physical body.
. The Astral Plane is much larger and more beautiful than the Physical Plane and often mistaken for man's final resting place, or heaven. The spiritual beings who reside there seem angelic by earth's standards, and the rules of the Astral Plane appear as gods to those unfamiliar with the planes above the Astral.
. This is the highest plane reached by those practicing astral projection and most occult sciences. Askleposis, the Temple of Golden Wisdom on this plane, is located in Sahasra-dal-Kanwal (Gopal Das, guardian). You can often recognize the Astral Plane by the sound of the roaring sea.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. . The Soul Plane

. Self-Realization is archived on the Soul Plane, just across the division between the lower (psychic) and higher(spiritual) worlds. The Soul Plane is the only plane in the higher worlds where Soul is still cloaked with a form or body. Each plane, whether psychic or spiritual, can be recognized by its own particular sound. The sound of the Soul Plane is the single note of the flute.
. The ECK continues to flow outward from the heart of God, even to the far reaches of the lower worlds. They are the worlds of matter, energy, space, and time. The coarsest material level, operating at the lowest frequency of vibration, is the Physical Plane.
. Life is short here, and the understanding of the spiritual laws is usually limited to a very few. As an ECKists, however, you learn that your experiences is no longer limited to this plane. You also reach a point where, at the end of this lifetime, you may have a choice whether or not you wish to return.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Soul Travel Makes It Possible to Archive God-Realization in This Lifetime

. Learning to recognize, understand, and work with the Light and Sound of God is one of the most unique and exciting aspects of ECKankar. Becoming attuned to the sounds, visual characteristics, and vibrational rates of the God Worlds via Soul Travel makes it possible for the seeker to archive Self-Realization and even God-Realization in this lifetime.
. The God worlds can be best described as planes of reality. Each plane corresponds to a certain state of consciousness and vibration. God, or the Sugmad, is the source of all the planes. From out of the Sugmad flows the ECK. It is the ECK, Divine Spirit, which supports and sustains all life in all planes.
. Harold Klemp experienced the Ocean of love and Mercy in the pure spiritual worlds of God while physical on that bridge in Wisconsin. Sugmad exists at the heart of the spiritual worlds, in the Ocean of Love and Mercy, beyond matter, energy, space, or time. It is in these worlds that you take the journey from Self-to God-Realization.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master