wisdom sadhu of the T E A C H I N G S O F S U N D A R S I N G H compiled and edited by kim comer Please share this e-book with your friends. Feel free to e-mail it or print it in its entirety or in part, but please do not alter it in any way. If you wish to make multiple copies for wider distribution, or to reprint portions in a newsletter or periodical, please observe the following restrictions: • You may not reproduce it for commercial gain. • You must include this credit line: “Copyright 2007 by Plough Publishing House. Used with permission.” This e-book is a publication of Plough Publishing House, Farmington, PA 15437 USA (www.plough.com) and Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5DR, UK (www.ploughbooks.co.uk) Copyright © 2007 by Plough Publishing House Farmington, PA 15437 USA All Rights Reserved C O N T E N T S to the reader vii I . S C E N E S the hungry birds 2 dharma • devotion 4 five holy men 9 maya • illusion 4 the saint 0 santi • peace 5 the scholar 0 jnana • knowledge 3 I I. C O N V E R S A T I O N S the pilgrim 2 darshana • the divine presence 48 avatara • incarnation 1 the lovers 68 karma • bondage 76 moksa • release 85 the prince and the thief 1 dyva vileenam • oneness with god 98 dhyanam • contemplation 15 three seekers 3 seva • service 25 tapas • suffering 1 the king and the farmer 54 amrita • eternity 63 a warning to the west 72 seeker and master 1 background and context 8 sources 196 Seek not to understand so that thou mayest believe, but believe so that thou mayest understand. Augustine of Hippo to the reader As a large, red sun rises from the Punjabi plains, the solitary figure of a sadhu – an In­ dian holy man – comes into view, trudging along a dusty road. In another frame the figure appears again, this time toiling to reach a remote Tibetan village along a narrow, icy track better suited for goats than for humans. In yet another, the man appears at the edge of an ancient marketplace at dusk, mingling with  the crowd as he seeks a place to sit and rest. Wherever to this sadhu appears, those who look into his eyes im­ th e mediately sense his extraordinary humility and peace. rea d e They discover a mystic… r Just as Sundar Singh appeared in such scenes again and again – without prior announcement, with­ out introduction, without credentials – so he appears in this book. “Scenes,” the first section, contains im­ pressions from key events in his life. It is based both on accounts by Sundar Singh himself, and by writers who knew him. “Conversations,” the second, con­ tains dialogues that draw freely on material from all www.Bruderhof.com six of Sundar Singh’s books, as well as interviews and articles. Both sections are interspersed with parables that punctuate the themes. Though structurally un­ usual, the resulting collage allows us to encounter the sadhu in the way his contemporaries did: not as a sys­ tematic thinker, but as a personal teacher. In his teachings as in his life, Sundar Singh offers little by way of rational orientation. He defies catego­ rization and critical analysis. The impact of his mes­ sage, however, is always direct and immediate. His voice rings with a clarity that rises from the deepest, clearest sources of life itself. K. C.  to th e re a d e r www.Bruderhof.com . scenes www.bruderhof.com