Exploring the World Religions:
The Spirituality of Mary Magdalene
By James Bean
Copyright December 2006
Were Mary Magdalene and Yeshua Married?
As I begin this exploration of the teachings of Mary Magdalene, also known as Miriam of Magdala, I should first of all address the question of Mary's relationship with Yeshua (Jesus). You might be interested in the actual historic basis for the belief that Mary and Jesus were married or at least were more than just good friends. While there has been much speculation about this over the years, there is an actual ancient text which preserves this understanding, showing that as far back as the Second or Third Centuries AD, probably much earlier then that, many held the view that Jesus and Mary had some kind of special intimate relationship. The text that documents the basis for this view is called the Gospel of Philip, one of the newly discovered gospels unearthed at Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt. At Gnosis.org you can access the Gospel of Philip online. Philip is a holy book once used by a denomination known as the Valentinians, named after a mystic and spiritual Master from Alexandria by the name of Valentinius.
Several places in the book of Philip Mary Magdalene is described as "the companion" of Christ, saying that Yeshua loved Mary, was closer to Mary than the other disciples, and also records that Yeshua used to often kiss Mary on her mouth. Actually that last part: "often kiss Mary on the...[mouth]", is a restoration of the text, is likely what it said according to Coptic scholars. On this page of Phillip in the original Coptic papyrus it reads: "used to kiss her often on her [......]", then there is a lacuna or break in the text with the last word missing. Given the other comments from the disciples, who asked: "Why do you love her more than us", and that Mary is "his companion", I would say this is likely to be an accurate rendering. Also, the surrounding context in the Gospel of Philip is about marriage, the bridal chamber, and sexuality. Sacraments, in particular the sacrament of marriage, are a major theme in the Gospel of Philip.
Books On Mary
Some great books on this subject include: "The Gospel of Philip, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union"; "The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary -- The Sexual Mystery at the Heart of the Christian Tradition", both authored by Jean-Yves Leloup, and both are published by Inner Traditions. A very key book to have, the one has gathers together many of the ancient texts and quotes attributed to Mary is: "The Gospels of Mary -- The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus", by Marvin Meyer and Esther A. De Boer, Harper Collins. I find the best translation of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene to be contained in, "The Complete Gospels", edited by Robert J. Miller, a great collection of what survives of around twenty gospels from antiquity. The largest number of chapters attributed to Mary, a series of questions of Mary to Jesus along with her mystical interpretation of the Hebrew Book of Psalms and another work known as the Odes of Solomon, can be found in a holy book called, "Pistis Sophia", translated by G.R.S. Mead.
A Gnostic-Buddhist Connection?
The phrase "the Blessed One" appears in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene: "When the Blessed One had said this, he greeted them all, saying, 'Peace be with you. Receive my peace to yourselves'". The thing is, the Buddha is referred to as the Blessed One in countless Buddhist sutras. "Compassionate One" is a popular Buddhist phrase and somehow also turns up in Pistis Sophia, another Gnostic gospel: "Jesus, the Compassionate, answered and said to Mary: 'Mary, thou Blessed One, whom I will complete in all the Mysteries of the Height [inner planes or heavenly realms], speak openly, thou art she whose heart is more directed to the Kingdom of Heaven than all thy brothers'" And Mary herself is also called a "Blessed One" in another verse of Pistis Sophia: "Mary, thou Blessed One, thou Pleroma [Heavenly Fullness] or thou all-blessed Pleroma, who will be blessed among all generations". Those are the ones I have noticed, and I'm sure there must be lots more. These four examples could make one wonder if perhaps there might have been a Buddhist influence in the West during those days.
The Very "Eastern" Sounding Mystical Teachings of Mary Magdalene
A saying of Yeshua found in the Gospel of Mary: "When the Blessed One had said this, he greeted them all. 'Peace be with you!' he said. 'Acquire my peace within yourselves. Be on your guard so that no one deceives you by saying, "Look over here!" or "Look over there!" For the Seed of True Humanity exists within you. Follow it! Those who search for it will find it.'" Some commentary found in a footnote of the same translation adds: "The disciples must search within themselves, to find the Seed of True Humanity that is within each person. They must guard against those who try to lead them astray by requiring that a person conform to what is outside." (The Complete Gospels, Robert J. Miller) Regarding "the Seed of True Humanity", another translation renders that as "Son of Man" or "Son of Adam", "the Son of Man is within you". The Eastern term is "atman", the true self or Spirit of Life within.
For the mystic-soul there is no need to construct outward temples made of wood and stone, as the human body itself is already a temple of the Spirit. I'm sure this "within you" message of the Gnostic or mystical gospels is one of the reasons why they were not politically useful to some in antiquity, and thus they were banned. The saying above reflects a theme found in the teachings of countless mystics and Masters, that the focus is "within", not elsewhere in the outer world of the five senses. Thus contemplative meditation for mystics serves as a kind of "portal" or "doorway" to the Divine. In the poetry of the Indian mystic Dadu it says: "God is within the self; He is close to the worshiper. But leaving Him aside, men serve external constructions, lamenteth Dadu. This is the mosque, this is the temple, so has the Master shown. The service and salutation are performed within. With happiness and bliss within, there is happiness and bliss in all places. Without happiness and bliss within, none was seen happy. The treasure is nowhere to be found, that treasure is within everyone. There are two hearts inside, one obscure and the other lustrous. Within the obscure heart nothing is visible, but within the lustrous the Supreme Being is revealed. I found the true home within the house itself. Entering the state of blissful meditation, dwell within. Thus hath the Master discovered and taught. For the sake of that home, I wandered everywhere, but the Lord has been revealed within my very self. The doors of the palace have been thrown open, the Everlasting Abode has been shown. All fears, doubts and delusions have disappeared. That state of bliss has it entered, where the self, transcending the body, ascends." (Sant Dadu Dayal, Criterion Publications, New Delhi)
Mary was an apostle or Master who was a visionary, one who saw many visions of various inner planes or heavenly regions during her meditations. A beautiful passage from the Gospel of Mary about a soul Mary saw during one of her visions when she was exploring the Second Heaven. This soul was being questioned by a being or power given the name "Desire": "The soul answered saying, You did not see me nor did you know me. You mistook the garment I wore for my true self. And you did not recognize me." There is a similar passage in one of the Mandaean Gnostic texts from Iraq that goes something like: "The soul says, 'I dwelt in your midst but you never recognized me, you never really knew me.'" How easy it is to only see the surface, to in fact be wasting away whole lifetimes being a surface-dweller, neither knowing one's self nor seeing the true identity of others as souls. In truth we are all particles of Light dwelling within bodies, we are Notes that make up a divine symphony: "All beautiful forms and tones of this world are mere reflections of some aspect of that ultimate Love-Music of the Great Creative Word. Within the vast complex of creation, each individual spirit is himself/herself a spark of that Eternal Song of Love." (George Arnsby Jones)
In Gnostic texts such as the Gospel of Mary, unenlightened human existence is portrayed as a kind of night of the living dead, souls living in a world of sleep caught up in dreams of illusion, trapped in spiritual ignorance somewhere in time, limited to only a couple of dimensions, tethered to material existence seemingly unable to become aware of anything more. One of my favorite passages from Mary is when a liberated soul exclaims: "I was set loose from a world and from the chain of forgetfulness that exists in time!" In history there have been many "Dr. Quantums" (experiencers of realms beyond). Dr Quantum visits Flatland (earth), coming to liberate flatland souls, making us aware of the existence of other dimensions previously undreamt of in our philosophy. (What the Bleep) Another "Mary" further to the East by the name Mira Bai once said,
"My mind, birth after birth,
lost in slumber,
Awoke on hearing the Sound
my Master gave."
Path of the Masters: Sant Mat - Santmat, Radhasoami - Radha Soami, Satsang, Inner Light and Sound Meditation: Surat Shabd Yoga, Audible Life Stream, Quan Yin Method, Spiritual Science, Spirituality, Kabir, Maharshi Mehi, Kirpal Singh, Gnosticism, Third Eye, Out Of Body Experiences, Near-Death Experiences, Inner Space, the Kingdom of the Heavens Within, Mystic Poetry, Vegetarian Vegan, Ahimsa, Love, and God. The term "Sant Mat" was coined by Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras during the 19th Century.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
My Heart's Desire Is That My Soul May Meet the Beloved
My Heart's Desire Is That My Soul May Meet the Beloved
Sant Mat Fellowship:
Sant Mat Fellowship
{The one who has purity of character, who practices diligently the Yoga of Sound, and who can explain *clearly* Sant Mat (the complete Path of the Masters with nothing missing), can be accepted and trusted as Satguru/Teacher.}
JPG Image of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras 1:
My Heart's Desire Is That My Soul May Meet the Beloved
Shabd of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib from, "Shabdavali"
My Beloved has left me in an alien region. I have been separated from Him. Alas! Wretched sleep is not coming to me, nor, 0 friend, am I blessed with the advent of the dawn. Weeping all night, tears have been flowing from my eyes, and I have been sighing and bemoaning. Waves of yearning keep on biting me like a cobra and, without the Beloved, my restlessness is intense. Like one struck by lightning, I smart in pain and agony and my heart palpitates. A great fire rages in my heart, although it does not give out any smoke. I lie alone on my bed as though my separation had been preordained. From whom shall I try to know of my Beloved's whereabouts and where to shall I write letters enquiring of him? I shall smear my body with ashes, and put on the garb of a Jogin (female ascetic). On having found the Sat Guru, I shall adopt His Saran (refuge), and I shall follow the path to my Beloved's abode. My heart's desire, says Tulsi, is that my Surat ** may meet the Beloved.
Beware That the Vision Within You Be Not Darkness --
Light-givers Guide Souls Into the Experience of Light Within the Temple of the Body
Shabd of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib from, "Shabdavali"
The sun has set. It is all dark. Pitch dark pervades the body. If the Guru is met, He alone can show the path and darkness will be dispelled from the body. Then only can you understand what Sants say. Your eyes will open if you apply the collyrium * of Surat **. The lock will open and you will witness illumination there if you discard the key, as it were, of the hold and sway of the world on you. Surat ** will then rush to the abode in the Sky and then you will know the secret of the Inaccessible State.
Whosoever has concentrated his soul has been redeemed from the fear of Death. She has ascended the firmament with force, and has found refuge at the feet of the Lord. She has taken abode in the infinite region and has attained union with the Beloved. Indeed, 0 Tulsi, she has been delivered from delusion, suffering and fever of countless lives.
______
NOTES
*"Collyrium" is a liquid wash used as a cleanser for the eyes.
** "Surat" or Soul, soul consciousness, the attention of the soul; surat refers to the ability of the soul to concentrate within and experience the bliss of inner regions. It refers particularly to the faculty of the soul to hear within, whereas nirat refers to the faculty of the soul to see within.
JPG Image of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras 2:
Lovable Peeps
Lovable Peeps
"All life is one. The Gurbani says, 'Who is not your child? Everyone is your very own. We have all been created from one Light.' We are all made in the image of God ..... everyone one of us, male, female, black, white, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist.... If we keep the remembrance of God, the simran that we have been given as an anchor, then it will happen by itself [we will be seeing God in others and living a life of love]. We will be able to tell whether we are doing that by how much love is proceeding from us.....The most important thing in terms of outer context for satsangis to do is to be lovable. The more lovable we are, the easier we make it for other people to love us. We benefit them as well as have a good time. It's always nicer to be around people who love us than people who don't."
-- Russell Perkins, from a recent satsang talk in Sebastopol, California
(from a tape I just got in the mail, from the Sant Bani Ashram tape circuit)
Monday, December 18, 2006
A Brief Introduction to the Path of Santmat
A Brief Introduction to the Path of Santmat
Sant Mat Fellowship:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{The one who has purity of character,
who practices diligently the Yoga of Sound,
and who can explain *clearly* Sant Mat
(the complete Path of the Masters with nothing missing),
can be accepted and trusted as Satguru/Teacher.}
Lately I've been corresponding with someone who is an initiate of a branch of Santmat founded by Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar, India. Below is part of a letter summarizing the Path of the Masters from his perspective, a kind of Gospel of Santmat, if you will. It seems right on, a very nice description and introduction to the teachings.
Naamaste' and Happy Holidays,
James
"There is a simple ceremony for initiation in which a saint of this path gives Namdan. The disciple concentrates on this Sabad (nam) and keeps his mindfulness on it. In other words it is the silent sumiran [reptition, remembrance] of the holy name [True Name, Name and Sound of God]. One has to follow ahimsa and avoid taking non-veg food, and follow righteous path. The emphasis is on cleansing the heart of ill-thoughts and develop karuna (Daya [compassion]) for all living beings. "Daya deepak jabahi bare darsan Nam adhar". Satnam ka sumiran kare and you would be soon treading the path leading to enlightenment. May Satnam bless you."
Sant Mat Fellowship:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{The one who has purity of character,
who practices diligently the Yoga of Sound,
and who can explain *clearly* Sant Mat
(the complete Path of the Masters with nothing missing),
can be accepted and trusted as Satguru/Teacher.}
Lately I've been corresponding with someone who is an initiate of a branch of Santmat founded by Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar, India. Below is part of a letter summarizing the Path of the Masters from his perspective, a kind of Gospel of Santmat, if you will. It seems right on, a very nice description and introduction to the teachings.
Naamaste' and Happy Holidays,
James
"There is a simple ceremony for initiation in which a saint of this path gives Namdan. The disciple concentrates on this Sabad (nam) and keeps his mindfulness on it. In other words it is the silent sumiran [reptition, remembrance] of the holy name [True Name, Name and Sound of God]. One has to follow ahimsa and avoid taking non-veg food, and follow righteous path. The emphasis is on cleansing the heart of ill-thoughts and develop karuna (Daya [compassion]) for all living beings. "Daya deepak jabahi bare darsan Nam adhar". Satnam ka sumiran kare and you would be soon treading the path leading to enlightenment. May Satnam bless you."
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
Books Containing Mandaean Scriptures
The Gnostic Bible, edited by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer, Shambhala
The Other Bible, Willis Barnstone, Harper Collins
Mandaean History, Background Information, and Photographs
Gnosis, by Kurt Rudolph
The Gnostic Religion, by Hans Jonas, Beacon Press
The Gospel of Jesus, John Davidson, Clear Press UK
Mandaean Scriptures and Art Online, Websites
MandaeanWorld:
http://www.mandaeanworld.com/mandaeanworld1.html
Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans:
http://www.geocities.com/mandaeanworld1/cpindex1.html
The Mandaean Section of the The Gnostic Library:
http://www.gnosis.org/library/mand.htm
http://www.gnosis.org/library/ginzarba.htm
Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
By James Bean
Copyright January 2006
I sometimes like saying that the Nag Hammadi Library found in Egypt represents 'the prose of the Gnostics', but the Mandaean writings from Iraq are 'the poetry'. Below is a Mandaean psalm-scroll translated by the German scholar Werner Forrester. Below that are a couple of Mandaean Aramaic words defined. And below that, I provide commentary on the meaning of these ancient Aramaic verses from the Middle east, chanted in antiquity. I have always been quite fond of these Mandaean psalm-scrolls translated in "Gnosis II", "The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans" (out of print), and also in, "The Gnostic Book of John the Baptizer" (Kissinger Reprints).
In the Name of the Great Life,
Sublime Light Be Praised.
Naamaste',
James
I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
. . . . .
I became a garment to the worlds of Light. . .
I became a king to the Nasoreans.
I became a king to the Nasoreans,
who received praise and stability through my Name.
Praise and stability they received,
and by my Name they ascend to the Place of Light
and behold the Place of Light.
As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light.
Their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda dHaiye* [Knowledge or Acquaintance with God]
was established in their hearts.
Whoever puts me on, the Treasure of Life, (as a garment),....
I speak to them, [saying]:
"The vine which bears (fruit) ascends,
(the vine) which bears nothing is cut off here (from the Light).
Whoever is enlightened and instructed by me
rises and beholds the Place of Light.
Whoever is not enlightened and instructed by me
is cut off (from the Light), and falls into
the great Ocean of Suf**."
(Mandaean Aramaic psalm translated in, "Gnosis II", by Werner Forrester, Oxford University Press, out of print)
*Notes:
**"Suf" in Mandaic Aramaic: "Sea of Reeds or Sea of the End, a place of unbelievers: like the Egyptians in the biblical narrative: the departure of the Israelites from Egypt was evidently interpreted allegorically as the departure of the soul from the body." (Glossary in "Gnosis II")
*"Manda dHaiye": -- Gnosis of the Great Life (Great Life, a term for God); Knowledge or Acquaintance with God; Divine Knowledge, often personified in the Mandaean texts as "the name of the most important messenger of Light and Redeemer". (Glossary in "Gnosis II")
Commentary
"I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light."
"Understand what the Great Light is". (Apocryphon of James the Just, Nag Hammadi Library) In the Mandaean texts, written in a dialect of Aramaic almost two thousand years ago, a term for God is "Light", very much as in the Gospel of Thomas: Light=God=Christ=Kingdom of the Father. "God is Light and in Him there is no darkness." "Darkness is not dark to Thee." One phrase or benediction often repeated or chanted literally thousands of times in these old Mandaean scrolls is: "In the Name of the Great Life, Sublime Light Be Praised." God is described as "the Great Light", and heavenly realms are called "A Place of Light." Souls clothed in their heavenly garments are described as radiant beings like suns or stars.
The true messenger of God is a "Light-giver".
"Whoever is enlightened and instructed by me rises and beholds the Place of Light."
As wonderful as old writings of saints might be, people are in need a competent living teacher who has become one with God to be their guide, in order to have the right-view, right-knowledge, and right-practice. Otherwise, it is a teacher of a lesser order that is one's influence, or perhaps one's own limited and ever-changing interpretations. We "see through a glass darkly" (saint Paul), which means that what the ego may comprehend is not necessarily the whole picture but a dim outline at best. Only someone who is one with God is qualified to guide others into that divine experience. Rather than the usual "blind leading the blind", someone with Sight needs to be recognized as the guide. Like the Mandaeans of old, we also need a living Light-giver.
What is the result of this spiritual guidance from "a living one"? Souls "ascend to the Place of Light and behold the Place of Light", and, "....Their eyes were filled with Light..." There are visions of the divine Light -- real Light is seen, and ascensions to "the Place of the Light" are experienced.
Clues are provided in the text about not only the luminous visionary results, by at least one of the spiritual practices that was imparted, and it is a contemplative practice universally taught by saints and mystics.
"I became a king to the Nasoreans,
who received praise and stability through my Name.
Praise and stability they received,
and by my Name they ascend to the Place of Light and behold the
Place of Light."
The Prayer of God's Name has been taught, and continues to be taught, by countless saints and mystics. The name or names that one is instructed to repeat may vary from place to place, from language to language, and from tradition to tradition. A sacred word is slowly and prayerfully repeated, either verbally, or even better: mentally (higher, more "within"), and can indeed lead to beatific revelations or visions of Light, and even travels in spirit, "up hither" to the Place of the Light.
"As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light.
Their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda dHaiye* [Knowledge or Acquaintance with God]
was established in their hearts.
Whoever puts me on, the Treasure of Life, (as a garment),....
I speak to them, [saying]:
"'The vine which bears (fruit) ascends,
(the vine) which bears nothing is cut off here (from the Light).'"
Here there is language that is reminiscent of the Gospel of John about abiding in the living vine of Yeshua and hearing the heavenly Voice: life is connected with the Great Life. On a spiritual level, one abides in the teacher, one becomes united to the teacher, puts the radiant form of the teacher on like a garment, and this is an essential stage of the journey of ascension.
Being able go go beyond darkness is extremely important. As has been said, "Watch out that the vision within you is not darkness." "Consider the One who is alive while you are alive, lest you die and then seek to behold that One - and you will not be able to behold." (Bently Layton's translation of Gospel of Thomas, 59) And, "Seek to see Him who is living, while you are living; rather than to die and to seek to see Him when you can no longer see Him!" (same verse, Doresse translation). While others put the spiritual life off till the next life or after some hypothesised "end of the world" scenario at the end of time, the contemplative soul "seeks to see Him" right now in the living present -- the present moment of time. It is necessary to be united with the Light now, in order to know that one will be united with the Light in eternity. "If one does not receive the Light while here in this place, one cannot receive it in the other place." (Gospel of Philip) That which we treasure or are attached to in this life, there we go. "What is found now, is found then." (Kabir) If Gnosis of the Place of the Light -- Knowledge or Acquaintance with God -- is established within our hearts, then our "eyes are filled with Light." "Perfect things have opened to us, and Hidden Things of Truth." (Gospel of Phillip) "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me, I myself will become that person, and the Hidden Things will be revealed to them." (Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas, 108) If you eye becomes Single, your whole body will be full of Light. If you are no longer divided, but become whole, darkness will give way to Light, and you will become a child of the Light.
"Help me and save me in thy Mysteries.
Incline thy ear to me and free me.
Let the power of thy Light save me and carry me
to the aeons on high,
for it is thou who appears to me in the darkness,
savest me and takest me
to the height of thy aeons.
Rescue me, O Light."
(Pistis Sophia)
"Truly, truly, I say to you that I will complete you in all
Mysteries of the Kingdom of the Light." (Egyptian Book of Pistis Sophia)
The Living Teacher gives us:
What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
what no hand has touched, and
what has never occurred to the human mind. (Coptic Gospel of Thomas, 17)
From another psalm-scroll of the Mandaean texts:
From the Place of Light have I gone forth,
from thee, Bright Habitation.
I come to feel the hearts,
to measure and try all minds,
to see in whose heart I dwell,
in whose mind I repose.
Who thinks of me, of him I think:
who calls my Name, his name I call.
Who prays my prayer from down below,
his prayer I pray from the Place of Light. . . .
I came and found
the truthful and believing hearts.
When I was not dwelling among them,
yet my Name was on their lips.
I took them and guided them up to the World of Light. . . . ////////
(a Mandaean psalm-scroll quoted in, "The Gnostic Religion -- The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity", by Hans Jonas, Beacon Press)
Books Containing Mandaean Scriptures
The Gnostic Bible, edited by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer, Shambhala
The Other Bible, Willis Barnstone, Harper Collins
Mandaean History, Background Information, and Photographs
Gnosis, by Kurt Rudolph
The Gnostic Religion, by Hans Jonas, Beacon Press
The Gospel of Jesus, John Davidson, Clear Press UK
Mandaean Scriptures and Art Online, Websites
MandaeanWorld:
http://www.mandaeanworld.com/mandaeanworld1.html
Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans:
http://www.geocities.com/mandaeanworld1/cpindex1.html
The Mandaean Section of the The Gnostic Library:
http://www.gnosis.org/library/mand.htm
http://www.gnosis.org/library/ginzarba.htm
Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
By James Bean
Copyright January 2006
I sometimes like saying that the Nag Hammadi Library found in Egypt represents 'the prose of the Gnostics', but the Mandaean writings from Iraq are 'the poetry'. Below is a Mandaean psalm-scroll translated by the German scholar Werner Forrester. Below that are a couple of Mandaean Aramaic words defined. And below that, I provide commentary on the meaning of these ancient Aramaic verses from the Middle east, chanted in antiquity. I have always been quite fond of these Mandaean psalm-scrolls translated in "Gnosis II", "The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans" (out of print), and also in, "The Gnostic Book of John the Baptizer" (Kissinger Reprints).
In the Name of the Great Life,
Sublime Light Be Praised.
Naamaste',
James
I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
. . . . .
I became a garment to the worlds of Light. . .
I became a king to the Nasoreans.
I became a king to the Nasoreans,
who received praise and stability through my Name.
Praise and stability they received,
and by my Name they ascend to the Place of Light
and behold the Place of Light.
As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light.
Their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda dHaiye* [Knowledge or Acquaintance with God]
was established in their hearts.
Whoever puts me on, the Treasure of Life, (as a garment),....
I speak to them, [saying]:
"The vine which bears (fruit) ascends,
(the vine) which bears nothing is cut off here (from the Light).
Whoever is enlightened and instructed by me
rises and beholds the Place of Light.
Whoever is not enlightened and instructed by me
is cut off (from the Light), and falls into
the great Ocean of Suf**."
(Mandaean Aramaic psalm translated in, "Gnosis II", by Werner Forrester, Oxford University Press, out of print)
*Notes:
**"Suf" in Mandaic Aramaic: "Sea of Reeds or Sea of the End, a place of unbelievers: like the Egyptians in the biblical narrative: the departure of the Israelites from Egypt was evidently interpreted allegorically as the departure of the soul from the body." (Glossary in "Gnosis II")
*"Manda dHaiye": -- Gnosis of the Great Life (Great Life, a term for God); Knowledge or Acquaintance with God; Divine Knowledge, often personified in the Mandaean texts as "the name of the most important messenger of Light and Redeemer". (Glossary in "Gnosis II")
Commentary
"I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light."
"Understand what the Great Light is". (Apocryphon of James the Just, Nag Hammadi Library) In the Mandaean texts, written in a dialect of Aramaic almost two thousand years ago, a term for God is "Light", very much as in the Gospel of Thomas: Light=God=Christ=Kingdom of the Father. "God is Light and in Him there is no darkness." "Darkness is not dark to Thee." One phrase or benediction often repeated or chanted literally thousands of times in these old Mandaean scrolls is: "In the Name of the Great Life, Sublime Light Be Praised." God is described as "the Great Light", and heavenly realms are called "A Place of Light." Souls clothed in their heavenly garments are described as radiant beings like suns or stars.
The true messenger of God is a "Light-giver".
"Whoever is enlightened and instructed by me rises and beholds the Place of Light."
As wonderful as old writings of saints might be, people are in need a competent living teacher who has become one with God to be their guide, in order to have the right-view, right-knowledge, and right-practice. Otherwise, it is a teacher of a lesser order that is one's influence, or perhaps one's own limited and ever-changing interpretations. We "see through a glass darkly" (saint Paul), which means that what the ego may comprehend is not necessarily the whole picture but a dim outline at best. Only someone who is one with God is qualified to guide others into that divine experience. Rather than the usual "blind leading the blind", someone with Sight needs to be recognized as the guide. Like the Mandaeans of old, we also need a living Light-giver.
What is the result of this spiritual guidance from "a living one"? Souls "ascend to the Place of Light and behold the Place of Light", and, "....Their eyes were filled with Light..." There are visions of the divine Light -- real Light is seen, and ascensions to "the Place of the Light" are experienced.
Clues are provided in the text about not only the luminous visionary results, by at least one of the spiritual practices that was imparted, and it is a contemplative practice universally taught by saints and mystics.
"I became a king to the Nasoreans,
who received praise and stability through my Name.
Praise and stability they received,
and by my Name they ascend to the Place of Light and behold the
Place of Light."
The Prayer of God's Name has been taught, and continues to be taught, by countless saints and mystics. The name or names that one is instructed to repeat may vary from place to place, from language to language, and from tradition to tradition. A sacred word is slowly and prayerfully repeated, either verbally, or even better: mentally (higher, more "within"), and can indeed lead to beatific revelations or visions of Light, and even travels in spirit, "up hither" to the Place of the Light.
"As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light.
Their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda dHaiye* [Knowledge or Acquaintance with God]
was established in their hearts.
Whoever puts me on, the Treasure of Life, (as a garment),....
I speak to them, [saying]:
"'The vine which bears (fruit) ascends,
(the vine) which bears nothing is cut off here (from the Light).'"
Here there is language that is reminiscent of the Gospel of John about abiding in the living vine of Yeshua and hearing the heavenly Voice: life is connected with the Great Life. On a spiritual level, one abides in the teacher, one becomes united to the teacher, puts the radiant form of the teacher on like a garment, and this is an essential stage of the journey of ascension.
Being able go go beyond darkness is extremely important. As has been said, "Watch out that the vision within you is not darkness." "Consider the One who is alive while you are alive, lest you die and then seek to behold that One - and you will not be able to behold." (Bently Layton's translation of Gospel of Thomas, 59) And, "Seek to see Him who is living, while you are living; rather than to die and to seek to see Him
"Help me and save me in thy Mysteries.
Incline thy ear to me and free me.
Let the power of thy Light save me and carry me
to the aeons on high,
for it is thou who appears to me in the darkness,
savest me and takest me
to the height of thy aeons.
Rescue me, O Light."
(Pistis Sophia)
"Truly, truly, I say to you that I will complete you in all
Mysteries of the Kingdom of the Light." (Egyptian Book of Pistis Sophia)
The Living Teacher gives us:
What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
what no hand has touched, and
what has never occurred to the human mind. (Coptic Gospel of Thomas, 17)
From another psalm-scroll of the Mandaean texts:
From the Place of Light have I gone forth,
from thee, Bright Habitation.
I come to feel the hearts,
to measure and try all minds,
to see in whose heart I dwell,
in whose mind I repose.
Who thinks of me, of him I think:
who calls my Name, his name I call.
Who prays my prayer from down below,
his prayer I pray from the Place of Light. . . .
I came and found
the truthful and believing hearts.
When I was not dwelling among them,
yet my Name was on their lips.
I took them and guided them up to the World of Light. . . . ////////
(a Mandaean psalm-scroll quoted in, "The Gnostic Religion -- The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity", by Hans Jonas, Beacon Press)
Friday, December 15, 2006
Part Two of: Tulsi Sahib, the Great Grandfather of Modern-day Sant Mat
Part Two of: Tulsi Sahib, the Great Grandfather of Modern-day Sant Mat
Selected Mystic Verses from the Ghat Ramayana of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib
Tulsi's Descriptions of God and the Inward Journey
Utter the Name of the Lord. Oh! do utter His Name. Why has your Surat [soul's attention] become so oblivious? Give up all quarrels and wranglings. The terrible Kal [gnostic demiurge, false god, lord of time and illusion] beguiles you through karmas [actions]. Shake off your illusion and flee to your Original Abode.
Surat alone, by adopting the Sound Current, can proceed beyond the Fourth Lok [realm, plane or inner region]. Take a vow to hold fast to this very method which, really, is the unique religion of Sants.
Worship Sat [Eternal Truth, God] by means of Surat [attention faculty of the soul at the third eye center], and this will enable you to reach the regions beyond the Sky [Gagan]. Seek Sat within, which alone will enable you to reach the region that knows no death and decay, and thus attain great happiness and bliss.
In the blessed company of Sants [Masters, Sant Satgurus, Saints], I have been able to know of the secrets of the true and indescribable One who has neither form nor any line of demarcation and is also invisible. I have described in detail Sat Mat with which worldly ways are incompatible. I have tasted the bliss of the Original Abode which alone is true. The world, on the other hand, is only a fleeting show, and only if one ponders over this, one will be able to realize the essence of Sat Mat and then alone will one's boat of life be able to cross the ocean of worldly existence. Great reverberation of Shabd [Sound] is going on within. One should fix one's attention on It and dance with joy. Blessed with the merciful gaze of the Satguru, I have been able to get Darshan [Vision] of the Invisible Being. My goal is Sat Purush whose abode is Sat Lok. He is all-merciful and is beyond Triloki [three worlds, physical, astral, causal]. My attention is riveted on His holy feet and I have His Darshan all the time. I have reached the Original Abode, which is beyond Kal's net. This world is perverse. I have been blessed with Darshan of the Supreme Being. I have seen the entire Brahmand [regions of universal mind], not to speak of this And [astral realm], which is only a very small region. I have vanquished the mind as well as Kal and, discarding this world, have become rid of it. I have seen the entire expanse of the earth, the sun and the moon. I have won the battle with Kal thanks to Sant Mat [the teachings of the Sants], which alone is true. Traversing the path within, I have been able to get the Vision (Darshan) of the Supreme Being.
0 soul! Give up all blind adherence and beliefs, concentrate within and seek the Supreme Being there, adopting Him alone as your Isht or goal. Do ponder over what I say and see for yourself with eyes wide open that there is none in this world whom you can call your own. You should adopt the Supreme Being alone as your prop and support.
Mention has been made of the states of wakefulness, dream, deep slumber and Turiya. The Trans-Turiya state lies beyond them and it is realized only by one who practises true Yoga.
The Shastras have described the four kinds of Bani (spiritual sound), namely, Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama and Baikhri. All this is known to the Gyani and Yogi. This is what the Gyani says. The secret. of what lies beyond is something unique, which is known only to Sants.
I (Tulsi) pierced the Sky and went beyond and met the Essence. My Surat darted above like an arrow shot by bending the bow. It proceeded beyond the three worlds, and reached the fourth Lok whose deity is Sat Nam Sat Purush, who took me in His arms.
The Supreme Being whose abode lies further ahead, is unique and only Sants know about Him. He is Nameless (Anami, Soundless: Anadi) and free from Maya. How to explain what He is. He has no colour, no form and no line of demarcation. Shabd is unmanifest in His region. I am worthless and know nothing but I had the good fortune of reaching His Abode. By placing my head at the feet of all Sants, I could reach that Original Abode which knows no decay. The three worlds are created and they perish, but I have taken my Surat beyond the Fourth Lok.
Surat darts forth with all-attention, and catching hold of Shabd, soars high like a kite secured to a cord.
ESOTERIC INSTRUCTIONS
Steadfast Attention Fixed at the Infintismal Point, the Third Eye Center Which Becomes a Portal to Mystic Light and Sound
He who has been able to know the true nature of the mind, has recognized Surat [inner hearing] and, by awakening Nirat [inner seeing], has repaired to the highest region. Sants, after realizing the truth themselves, have given out the secrets and I also join them. I have known the ways of the mind and recognized Surat, and I can assure you that the true path cannot be traversed without the participation and cooperation of Surat. After recognizing Surat [reaching the third eye center], one should partake of the bliss of higher regions, and then only will one be able to find the path to the Original Abode. One should fix one's Surat on the Current of inner Light and Sound with your attention as steadfast as that of a turtle fixed on its eggs, never looking to any other thing. One's Surat should partake of the bliss of Shabd in the manner of a Chakor-bird looking at the moon with steadfast attention. One should apply one's Surat so steadfastly to Shabd that ambrosia drips forthwith and one is able to partake of the bliss of the Shabd.
During Surat Shabd Meditation Traversing Inner Regions
Back Up to the Eighth Heaven -- Kaivalaya or Oneness with the Soundless One
Surat will unite with Naam or Shabd when it reaches the Kanwals [Lotuses]. Sants have said that if one seeks the shelter and protection of Sants, one's Surat will be able to see the Kanwals and will thus develop true faith. Above the third eye center is Neel Shikhar (Blue Mountain Peak). From there one should fix one's gaze at the Portal to the Inaccessible. One will then be free from the clutches of Kal and be rid of worldly pursuits.
One should constantly keep one's Surat fixed at Gagan [Mystic Sky in the region of Brahm] and keep on looking through the perforated screen. On thus applying Surat to Shabd all the time, one will not think of any other goal. Thus frolicking at the Portal, Surat strolls in the region of Shyam Safed. In the region of Shyam (black), there is a white island, where, in between a conch and a wheel, there is an oyster, and beyond them lies the unique citadel of Bank Nal [Crooked Tunnel].
Proceeding through Sukhmana [central energy current which runs from the eye center into the higher spiritual regions], one gets across Mansarover [Lake of Amritsar or Nectar in the region of Daswan Dwar]. Beyond that is Triveni [confluence of three sacred rivers]. Going past it, Surat takes to the route leading to the Inaccessible Region. If, after taking one's bath in Triveni, one proceeds onward, towards the Inaccessible, then only will one be able to meet the true Satguru.
There is a Four-Petalled Kanwal or Lotus within, proceeding through which, one will reach the Twelve-Petalled Lotus, viz., Sat Lok. Beyond that, one will have Darshan of the Supreme Being (Anami Purush) who has neither form nor colour and who is Inaccessible as well as Indescribable. Sants have described His region as the Eighth Lok. Some have described that region as the Eighth Terrace while others have called it the Eighth Mansion.
-- Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras, from his Ghat Ramayana
For more information on the meditation practice, see the online book, The Philosophy of Liberation, by Maharishi Mehi:
http://www.thewayofsages.com/new_page_7.htm
There are two books in English featuring the writings of Sant Tulsi:
"Param Sant Tulsi Saheb", translated by S.D. Maheshwari: The Maheshwari family in Agra -- they now have a website: radhasoami-faith.info
and,
"Tulsi Sahib -- Saint of Hathras", by J.R. Puri & V.K. Sethi: scienceofthesoul.org
Selected Mystic Verses from the Ghat Ramayana of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib
Tulsi's Descriptions of God and the Inward Journey
Utter the Name of the Lord. Oh! do utter His Name. Why has your Surat [soul's attention] become so oblivious? Give up all quarrels and wranglings. The terrible Kal [gnostic demiurge, false god, lord of time and illusion] beguiles you through karmas [actions]. Shake off your illusion and flee to your Original Abode.
Surat alone, by adopting the Sound Current, can proceed beyond the Fourth Lok [realm, plane or inner region]. Take a vow to hold fast to this very method which, really, is the unique religion of Sants.
Worship Sat [Eternal Truth, God] by means of Surat [attention faculty of the soul at the third eye center], and this will enable you to reach the regions beyond the Sky [Gagan]. Seek Sat within, which alone will enable you to reach the region that knows no death and decay, and thus attain great happiness and bliss.
In the blessed company of Sants [Masters, Sant Satgurus, Saints], I have been able to know of the secrets of the true and indescribable One who has neither form nor any line of demarcation and is also invisible. I have described in detail Sat Mat with which worldly ways are incompatible. I have tasted the bliss of the Original Abode which alone is true. The world, on the other hand, is only a fleeting show, and only if one ponders over this, one will be able to realize the essence of Sat Mat and then alone will one's boat of life be able to cross the ocean of worldly existence. Great reverberation of Shabd [Sound] is going on within. One should fix one's attention on It and dance with joy. Blessed with the merciful gaze of the Satguru, I have been able to get Darshan [Vision] of the Invisible Being. My goal is Sat Purush whose abode is Sat Lok. He is all-merciful and is beyond Triloki [three worlds, physical, astral, causal]. My attention is riveted on His holy feet and I have His Darshan all the time. I have reached the Original Abode, which is beyond Kal's net. This world is perverse. I have been blessed with Darshan of the Supreme Being. I have seen the entire Brahmand [regions of universal mind], not to speak of this And [astral realm], which is only a very small region. I have vanquished the mind as well as Kal and, discarding this world, have become rid of it. I have seen the entire expanse of the earth, the sun and the moon. I have won the battle with Kal thanks to Sant Mat [the teachings of the Sants], which alone is true. Traversing the path within, I have been able to get the Vision (Darshan) of the Supreme Being.
0 soul! Give up all blind adherence and beliefs, concentrate within and seek the Supreme Being there, adopting Him alone as your Isht or goal. Do ponder over what I say and see for yourself with eyes wide open that there is none in this world whom you can call your own. You should adopt the Supreme Being alone as your prop and support.
Mention has been made of the states of wakefulness, dream, deep slumber and Turiya. The Trans-Turiya state lies beyond them and it is realized only by one who practises true Yoga.
The Shastras have described the four kinds of Bani (spiritual sound), namely, Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama and Baikhri. All this is known to the Gyani and Yogi. This is what the Gyani says. The secret. of what lies beyond is something unique, which is known only to Sants.
I (Tulsi) pierced the Sky and went beyond and met the Essence. My Surat darted above like an arrow shot by bending the bow. It proceeded beyond the three worlds, and reached the fourth Lok whose deity is Sat Nam Sat Purush, who took me in His arms.
The Supreme Being whose abode lies further ahead, is unique and only Sants know about Him. He is Nameless (Anami, Soundless: Anadi) and free from Maya. How to explain what He is. He has no colour, no form and no line of demarcation. Shabd is unmanifest in His region. I am worthless and know nothing but I had the good fortune of reaching His Abode. By placing my head at the feet of all Sants, I could reach that Original Abode which knows no decay. The three worlds are created and they perish, but I have taken my Surat beyond the Fourth Lok.
Surat darts forth with all-attention, and catching hold of Shabd, soars high like a kite secured to a cord.
ESOTERIC INSTRUCTIONS
Steadfast Attention Fixed at the Infintismal Point, the Third Eye Center Which Becomes a Portal to Mystic Light and Sound
He who has been able to know the true nature of the mind, has recognized Surat [inner hearing] and, by awakening Nirat [inner seeing], has repaired to the highest region. Sants, after realizing the truth themselves, have given out the secrets and I also join them. I have known the ways of the mind and recognized Surat, and I can assure you that the true path cannot be traversed without the participation and cooperation of Surat. After recognizing Surat [reaching the third eye center], one should partake of the bliss of higher regions, and then only will one be able to find the path to the Original Abode. One should fix one's Surat on the Current of inner Light and Sound with your attention as steadfast as that of a turtle fixed on its eggs, never looking to any other thing. One's Surat should partake of the bliss of Shabd in the manner of a Chakor-bird looking at the moon with steadfast attention. One should apply one's Surat so steadfastly to Shabd that ambrosia drips forthwith and one is able to partake of the bliss of the Shabd.
During Surat Shabd Meditation Traversing Inner Regions
Back Up to the Eighth Heaven -- Kaivalaya or Oneness with the Soundless One
Surat will unite with Naam or Shabd when it reaches the Kanwals [Lotuses]. Sants have said that if one seeks the shelter and protection of Sants, one's Surat will be able to see the Kanwals and will thus develop true faith. Above the third eye center is Neel Shikhar (Blue Mountain Peak). From there one should fix one's gaze at the Portal to the Inaccessible. One will then be free from the clutches of Kal and be rid of worldly pursuits.
One should constantly keep one's Surat fixed at Gagan [Mystic Sky in the region of Brahm] and keep on looking through the perforated screen. On thus applying Surat to Shabd all the time, one will not think of any other goal. Thus frolicking at the Portal, Surat strolls in the region of Shyam Safed. In the region of Shyam (black), there is a white island, where, in between a conch and a wheel, there is an oyster, and beyond them lies the unique citadel of Bank Nal [Crooked Tunnel].
Proceeding through Sukhmana [central energy current which runs from the eye center into the higher spiritual regions], one gets across Mansarover [Lake of Amritsar or Nectar in the region of Daswan Dwar]. Beyond that is Triveni [confluence of three sacred rivers]. Going past it, Surat takes to the route leading to the Inaccessible Region. If, after taking one's bath in Triveni, one proceeds onward, towards the Inaccessible, then only will one be able to meet the true Satguru.
There is a Four-Petalled Kanwal or Lotus within, proceeding through which, one will reach the Twelve-Petalled Lotus, viz., Sat Lok. Beyond that, one will have Darshan of the Supreme Being (Anami Purush) who has neither form nor colour and who is Inaccessible as well as Indescribable. Sants have described His region as the Eighth Lok. Some have described that region as the Eighth Terrace while others have called it the Eighth Mansion.
-- Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras, from his Ghat Ramayana
For more information on the meditation practice, see the online book, The Philosophy of Liberation, by Maharishi Mehi:
http://www.thewayofsages.com/new_page_7.htm
There are two books in English featuring the writings of Sant Tulsi:
"Param Sant Tulsi Saheb", translated by S.D. Maheshwari: The Maheshwari family in Agra -- they now have a website: radhasoami-faith.info
and,
"Tulsi Sahib -- Saint of Hathras", by J.R. Puri & V.K. Sethi: scienceofthesoul.org
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Sant Mat Sites -- Inner Light and Sound Meditation Online
Sant Mat Sites -- Inner Light and Sound Meditation Online
Sant Tulsidas says: "'The association of the saints brings association with the Divine, and alliance with people who are engrossed in the world leads the way back to this world again and again.' To attain Ultimate Liberation it is essential to have association with the saints. Saints, having realized the true form of God, become that True Form." (The Harmony of All Religions)
According to Shri Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj in his book, The Harmony of All Religions, there are three levels of satsang: 1) Association with the Writings/Teachings of Saints, hymns, poetry, and spiritual discourses of the Masters; 2) Association with Satgurus, sitting at the feet of a living teacher; and, 3) Association with Sat (the Eternal Truth), the highest level, an inner Sat-sang Communion with God during meditation practice.
For the first level of satsang, books and internet can be avenues to the teachings of Sants. Below are links to sites that offer writings, the poetry and prose of Sant Satgurus and other helpful information about the resources that are available online.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Naamaste',
James
Selected verses from The Philosophy of Liberation by Maharishi Mehi, and, The Harmony of All Religions:
http://www.thewayofsages.com/new_page_7.htm
Online Library at my website including the Anurag Sagar:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/library.html
Sant Mat Fellowship Main Page, Files, Photos, Links:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
Links Page of Sant Mat, Radhasoami, Surat Shabd Yoga, Online Books and Other Information on Books, Kabir, Sikh Gurus, Adi Granth Online, Long List of Websites:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/links
Radhasoami Reality, Sar Bachan, Prem Bani, Prem Patra Radhaswami:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Radhasoami-Reality
KABIR, Shabds of Guru Kabir:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KABIR
Meditation Sangat -- Sant Mat Meditation:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MeditationSangat
Sufi_Poetry_and_Wisdom:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sufi_Poetry_and_Wisdom
*Spiritual Awakening Radio:
http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com
Several Charts of Sant Mat Guru Lineages
Upanishadic Sants in Ancient Times? jpg:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/UpanishadicSants.jpg
1a Chart.jpg:
Param Sant Tulsi Sahib and those after him in Hathras, Agra, and Bihar:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1aaaRSLineageChart.jpg
1b LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas, Sawan Kirpal and Ruhani Mission, Chart, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1bRSLineageChart.jpg
1c LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Agra Radhaswami Branches,
Chart.jpg, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1cRSLineageChart.jpg
2 LineageChart-1.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Tulsi Sahib and Agra, ChartTwo.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/2RSLineageChart-1.jpg
3 LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Huzur Maharaj -- Rai Saligram-related Agra Branches, ChartThree.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/3RSLineageChart.jpg
4 LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Baba Jaimal Singh, Sawan-Kirpal, Somanath, Mastana Ji, Tarn Taran, ChartFour.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/4RSLineageChart.jpg
5 LineageChart.jpg:
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
One:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/5RSLineageChart.jpg
6 LineageChart.jpg:
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
Two:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/6RSLineageChart.jpg
7 Chart of the Inner Planes of Creation, PDF File:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/chart.pdf
8 Another Chart of the Inner Planes of Creation, JPG:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/HeavenlyChart.jpg
Sant Tulsidas says: "'The association of the saints brings association with the Divine, and alliance with people who are engrossed in the world leads the way back to this world again and again.' To attain Ultimate Liberation it is essential to have association with the saints. Saints, having realized the true form of God, become that True Form." (The Harmony of All Religions)
According to Shri Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj in his book, The Harmony of All Religions, there are three levels of satsang: 1) Association with the Writings/Teachings of Saints, hymns, poetry, and spiritual discourses of the Masters; 2) Association with Satgurus, sitting at the feet of a living teacher; and, 3) Association with Sat (the Eternal Truth), the highest level, an inner Sat-sang Communion with God during meditation practice.
For the first level of satsang, books and internet can be avenues to the teachings of Sants. Below are links to sites that offer writings, the poetry and prose of Sant Satgurus and other helpful information about the resources that are available online.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Naamaste',
James
Selected verses from The Philosophy of Liberation by Maharishi Mehi, and, The Harmony of All Religions:
http://www.thewayofsages.com/new_page_7.htm
Online Library at my website including the Anurag Sagar:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/library.html
Sant Mat Fellowship Main Page, Files, Photos, Links:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
Links Page of Sant Mat, Radhasoami, Surat Shabd Yoga, Online Books and Other Information on Books, Kabir, Sikh Gurus, Adi Granth Online, Long List of Websites:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/links
Radhasoami Reality, Sar Bachan, Prem Bani, Prem Patra Radhaswami:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Radhasoami-Reality
KABIR, Shabds of Guru Kabir:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KABIR
Meditation Sangat -- Sant Mat Meditation:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MeditationSangat
Sufi_Poetry_and_Wisdom:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sufi_Poetry_and_Wisdom
*Spiritual Awakening Radio:
http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com
Several Charts of Sant Mat Guru Lineages
Upanishadic Sants in Ancient Times? jpg:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/UpanishadicSants.jpg
1a Chart.jpg:
Param Sant Tulsi Sahib and those after him in Hathras, Agra, and Bihar:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1aaaRSLineageChart.jpg
1b LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas, Sawan Kirpal and Ruhani Mission, Chart, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1bRSLineageChart.jpg
1c LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Agra Radhaswami Branches,
Chart.jpg, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1cRSLineageChart.jpg
2 LineageChart-1.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Tulsi Sahib and Agra, ChartTwo.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/2RSLineageChart-1.jpg
3 LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Huzur Maharaj -- Rai Saligram-related Agra Branches, ChartThree.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/3RSLineageChart.jpg
4 LineageChart.jpg:
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Baba Jaimal Singh, Sawan-Kirpal, Somanath, Mastana Ji, Tarn Taran, ChartFour.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/4RSLineageChart.jpg
5 LineageChart.jpg:
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
One:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/5RSLineageChart.jpg
6 LineageChart.jpg:
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
Two:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/6RSLineageChart.jpg
7 Chart of the Inner Planes of Creation, PDF File:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/chart.pdf
8 Another Chart of the Inner Planes of Creation, JPG:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/HeavenlyChart.jpg
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Sant Mat History: We Are All One, the Opposite of "Not One Of Us"
Sant Mat History: We Are All One, the Opposite of "Not One Of Us"
By James Bean
Copyright December 2006
One of the most mysterious passages recorded in the New Testament:
"'Teacher', said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your Name
and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.'
"'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my Name
can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not
against us is for us.'" (Mark 9: 38+39)
One can wonder who this mystery person was and what group he belonged
to, since the disciples had apparently never heard of him. There is a
passage somewhere in the New Testament which says, "I have sheep not
of this fold", also implying multiple groups or disciples, more than
one "true" group of devotees out there somewhere, in other words.
The initial reaction of the disciples is quite typical -- human
nature. Some things never change. "Same as it ever was" (line from a
Talking Heads tune). I've seen people react this way many
times: ".....We told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
I was given a video tape once from someone in Oregon. They said it
was from Kirpal Singh's group, Sant Mat. I watched this video, but
none of the faces looked familiar to me. None of the names, buildings
or the locations looked familiar either. It was like seeing a satsang
in a parallel universe or meeting "cousins" you didn't know you had.
It was at a place called Kirpal Sagar ("Ocean of Kirpal"). Eventually
I discovered that this was a gathering in India at a school
associated with an initiate of Master Kirpal who said he was told by
Master Kirpal to look after this school and satsang center. It was a
different branch of Ruhani Satsang that did not join with any living
Guru after the passing of Master Kirpal Singh in 1974.
According to Ruhani Satsang there were thirty six teachers that
emerged after the passing of Master Kirpal who claimed to be his
spiritual successor: 36! Most of these teachers are not known to us
in the West but have ashrams or small satsangs in various parts of
India.
With Sant Mat, and with most spiritual paths, East and West, there is
an etiquette of focusing upon your teacher. Each satsang is
associated with a certain guru. Only his photographs will be
displayed at such gatherings, or those of previous gurus in the same
lineage of teachers.
Quite often in many groups there is an ethos that their teacher is
the "one-and-only" competent living guru of the present time, that
usually there is "only one" such teacher or "gurumukh" spiritual
successor at a time on earth. I think of this, not so much a
statement of fact pertaining to history, but more of a "bhakti"
or "devotional truth" for the satsangi. Having a spiritual Master is
sorta like marriage, as it should be. Spiritual promiscuity doesn't
seem desirable and has not been a successful approach that leads to
any sort of enlightenment. As one teacher used to say, "Better to dig
one deep well and hit water than to keep digging dozens of shallow
holes in the ground getting nothing, seeking but never finding." Your
teacher is your "one-and-only", so to speak.
In terms of Sant Mat history however, there has never been a time
during the last several centuries when there was "only one" Satguru
in the world in the Sant tradition. There have been examples of
multiple lineages of Masters contemporary with one another since at
least the time of Kabir and Guru Nanak in the fifteen century. Both
Guru Kabir and Guru Nanak appointed gurus to be their spiritual
successors, each existing contemporary with one another, the Ten Sikh
Gurus in one line of Masters and the successors of Guru Kabir in
another. Kabir Panth soon branched out into many, many lineages.
At the same time the Tenth Sikh Guru (Gobind Singh) was alive, was
another Sant Mat guru with same name. Who was the Master who
initiated this other Gobind Singh? I am not sure. That is probably a
mystery lost to forever to history. This other Gobind Singh was the
Master who initiated Sant Paltu Sahib (1710-1780), who became a well-
known Master. Paltu's mystic hymns are still popular in India even
now.
Meet Dariya Sahib, Saint of Bihar
Dariya was born in 1674 and passed in 1780. At the age of sixteen
Dariya was initiated into Surat Shabd Yoga by a Sant Mat guru. He
eventually became a very powerful Master and founded the Dariya
panth, a spiritual movement with a large number of ashrams and
satsangs all over India with many followers. Dariya appointed two
spiritual successor gurus to carry on after him. Their names were
Guna Das and Teka Das. Eventually Guna Das died so Teka Das became
the guru of the entire sangat.
Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras
Tulsi was born in 1763 and passed on in 1843. He would have been in
his teens when Dariya was still alive. Early in his life Tulsi did
extensive traveling around India. In the book, "Tulsi Sahib -- Saint
of Hathras", it states: "Tulsi Sahib's works include words and
expressions of Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian ..... Marathi .... he
has freely used words of Braj, Avadhi, Rajasthani (Marwari), Gujrati,
Punjabi and Maithili, which leads one to conclude that, like many
other Saints, he must have traveled widely in U.P., Rajasthan,
Gujrat, Punjab and BIHAR." It is my theory that Tulsi might have
received initiation into Sant Mat meditation from Tika Das while he
was in Bihar. There's no way to know at this time, though I am
sending this question to a guru in the Tulsi lineage who has an
ashram center in Bihar, hoping to get his views about Tulsi's guru,
and my theory about Tika Das being his guru. Tulsi said he had a
guru, but this teacher is not named in any of the writings that have
survived. We'll see what this Master from Bihar thinks of my Tika Das
theory and some of the other theories about who Tulsi's guru might
have been.
Back to Tulsi: Tulsi Sahib eventually established a satsang in
Hathras, where he initiated souls into Surat Shabd Yoga. And his
mission was contemporary with Tika Das's mission in Bihar. At the
present time there are still gurus in the lineage of Tulsi Sahib
leading satsangs and initiating souls in Hathras, Bihar and other
places around India. The same is also true in the Dariya Sahib branch
of Sant Mat. Tika Das appointed guru successors. That lineage is
still with us even now. According to Domain Singh, webmaster of the
Dariya Sahib Website, there are "two hundred Saints" presiding over
various ashram centers in the Dariya sangat at present.
From the book, Dariya Sahib -- Saint of Bihar, we read: "It was also
made clear by Dariya Sahib that these successors would have the right
to appoint their own successors and that is how the order would
continue. On being asked by Fakkar Das, his brother, how long this
order would continue Dariya Sahib replied that as long as the
practice of the Sound Current remained central to the discipline, and
the order kept pure and free from external rituals and formalism, the
line would continue. When the practice of the Sound Current is
mingled with outer appearances (bhekh) and external rituals, the
Sound Current (Shabd) will part company. Then the power transmitted
by me, said Dariya, will leave, and the souls will go into the mouth
of Kal. At that stage, he would come to this world and start a line
of the Sound Current once again. This is how, he said, he had been
coming for aeons.
"Thus, having explained everything and all aspects of the saintly
mission, and having fulfilled the purpose of his life, he passed on
his responsibilities to his successors and departed from this world
in ..... 1780."
One devotee of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib was Shiv Dayal Singh of Agra.
Tulsi was the guru of Shiv Dayal's family. After the death of Tulsi
Sahib, Shiv Dayal Singh along with several others became gurus, in
and outside of, the sangat of Tulsi Sahib: Baba Devi Sahab, Surswami,
Radhaswami, Girdhari Das, and Ramkrishna. One branch of the Tulsi
Sahibi group refers to Shiv Dayal as "Sant Radhaswami Sahib."
Due to not desiring to write an entire chapter here, I will rap
things up here, only mentioning in passing, that there were many
recognized Saints/Sant Satgurus part of Swami Ji's inner circle in
Agra. The Sant Mat "Family Tree" branches out dramatically in all
directions ever further after the time of Swami Ji Maharaj, Huzur
Maharaj Rai Saligram, Gharib Das, Bagga Singh, Deva Singh, Partap
Singh, Sanmukh Das, Data Dayal Shiv Brat Lal, Baba Faqir Chand, Baba
Jaimal Singh, Huzur Baba Sawan Singh, Kirpal Singh ..............
etc.............
Of course, I have only written briefly about a few of the "Northern
Sant" lineages. There is another major branch to the south, the so-
called "Southern Sants", such as Sant Tukarama and numerous Sant
lineages of Maharashtra. Typically, the Northern Sants are closer to
Sufism and further away from the Vaishnava tradition to some degree.
The Southern Sants however seem closer to the Gita, Krishna and
Vaishnava. The Hari Krishnas claim Mirabai, Tukarama, Ravidas, and a
few other Sants as their own - Saints in their tradition. At the same
time as there were Northern Sant lineages of gurus, contemporary with
those are many more operating to the south in India.
Tulsi Sahib was of the opinion that Sant Mat dates back to the time
of Krishna thousands of years ago, and that Krishna knew of Sants in
India back then during the time of the composition of the Bhagavad
Gita.
When has there ever been "only one" Sant Mat guru or "Gurumukh
successor" "of the time" in Sant Mat history? The answer is: never
has there been only one guru at a time.
Another general principle of Sant Mat history is: the more we know,
the more the numbers go up. In other words, the more familiar we
become with the various paths in the Sant Mat category, the more
gurus and ashrams and branches we shall discover. A few years back,
some were saying that there must be "around two hundred" gurus and
groups in India in the Sant Mat category. Based on my continued
research, I would say that is a very low number!
Paraphrasing Guru Nanak's Jap Ji:
Countless are the gurus,
Countless the gaddis,
Countless the satsangs,
Countless are the Sant Mats,
Countless are the satsangis.
Of course these groups are not all the same. There are several stages
groups might pass through during their history. Some may be in
the "alive" category, with both guru and disciple having inner
experiences, radiant forms, inner regions experienced and not simply
theories and teachings found only in books. There are groups that
lost their living guru in recent times and there was no successor,
thus no new people are getting initiated in those groups. There is
one very large group which has become a world religion that worships
a book as a kind of guru. Ironically, that very same book says to NOT
worship books! idols made of stone, places of pilgrimage, holy
rivers, etc... There are groups where nobody is having inner
experiences. Those usually don't focus so much on a living Master,
and their magazines tend to feature quotes from gurus who lived many
decades earlier, in the 1940's, 1930's, 1920's or 1520's.
There have been some highly unethical teachers, false, "of Kal",
hurting people, with dead bodies buried in the "backyard" and abused
members coming forward to tell their story. There have been many
honest, loving, radiant, Godly beings that have graced this planet
with their enlightened compassion. There have been Sadhus with some
attainment that have helped the souls that have crossed their path.
Nothing wrong with that. There have been nice-guy gurus without much
attainment, but who have helped to make the world a better place by
spreading SOME of the teachings and ethical ahimsa principals of the
Masters to larger audiences around the world.
In other words, amongst this long list of paths will be found groups
representing many different states and stages of development,
vibrancy and decline, some alive, some slowly becoming another
religion looking to the past for inspiration, with past Saints and
Prophets -- a new "People of the Book" with temples and holy relics.
And there are some that have souls who do go within and successfully
practice Surat Shabd Yoga in a way that is almost identical to the
Ideal spiritual path described by Swami Ji of Agra, with a rich
mystical approach to meditation practice, traveling quite far along
in their journey back to God. For them, these teachings of Sant
Satgurus are not just "talk" or "myth" or "belief" or about
a "hypothesized Higher Self" (a sad but revealing phrase from a Brian
Hines post), but very real experiences that human beings can attain,
seeing with their own eyes, hearing with their own ears, traveling
through Inner Space, "the Kingdom of the Heavens within."
Several Charts of Lineages -- I Promise These Will Help
Upanishadic Sants in Ancient Times? jpg:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/UpanishadicSants.jpg
1aaaRSLineageChart.jpg
Param Sant Tulsi Sahib and those after him in Hathras, Agra, and
Bihar:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1aaaRSLineageChart.jpg
1bRSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas, Sawan
Kirpal and Ruhani Mission, Chart, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark
Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1bRSLineageChart.jpg
1cRSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Agra Radhaswami Branches,
Chart.jpg, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1cRSLineageChart.jpg
2RSLineageChart-1.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Tulsi Sahib and Agra, ChartTwo.jpg, From
an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/2RSLineageChart-1.jpg
3RSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Huzur Maharaj -- Rai Saligram-related Agra
Branches, ChartThree.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's
Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/3RSLineageChart.jpg
4RSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Baba Jaimal Singh, Sawan-Kirpal, Somanath,
Mastana Ji, Tarn Taran, ChartFour.jpg, From an Early Version of David
Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/4RSLineageChart.jpg
5RSLineageChart.jpg
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
One:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/5RSLineageChart.jpg
6RSLineageChart.jpg:
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
Two:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/6RSLineageChart.jpg
This is Not a Complete List -- Partial List of Sant Mat Paths On the
Worldwide Web
These would be paths that teach Surat Shabd Yoga, and use all the
familiar terms: "Satguru", "Satsang", "Sat Lok, "Sach Khand", "Sound
Current", "Audible Lifestream", "tishra
til", "astral", "causal", "Sat
Purush", "Kal", "simran", "Naam", "Shabd," ...................
Maharshi Mehi Ashram (Tulsi Sahibi):
http://www.thewayofsages.com
Maharshi Mehi Ashram (Tulsi Sahibi):
http://www.maharshimehi.net
Sant Dariya Sahib Website:
http://www.geocities.com/santdariya/home.html
Akhil Bhartiya Santmat Satsang (ABSS):
http://www.abssatsang.org
Kirpal Singh
http://www.ruhanisatsangusa.org/books.htm
Sant Ji:
http://www.santji.allegre.ca
ADI GRANTH -- Sikh Gurus, Khalsa Consensus Translation:
http://www.sikhs.org/english/frame.html
Mastana Ji Website:
http://www.spiritualismmba.nstemp.com/books.htm
Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan -- Shri Ashutosh Ji Maharaj:
http://www.divyajyoti.org
Dharamdasi Kabir Panth:
http://www.kabir.ca
Anurag Sagar of Kabir Panth Online, as PDF Files:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/anurag.html
Kabir Ashram.org:
http://www.kabirashram.org
Kabir Chawra Math on Varanasi
Kabir Bhavan.com:
http://www.kabirbhavan.com
Puan Brahm Satapurush Sahib Kabir Ji:
Knowlege about Satapush Kabir Saheb Ji:
http://www.jagatgururampalji.org
Sahebkabir:
http://www.geocities.com/sahebkabir
Shri Kabir Counsel:
http://www.geocities.com/sahebkabir/?200612
Ajeetpraimsingh.com:
http://www.ajeetpraimsingh.com/kabir.htm
MASTANA JI
One of several groups connected with Mastana Ji, disciple of Huzur
Baba Sawan Singh:
http://spiritualism.50megs.com/teaching.htm#W
Spiritualitymba.com:
http://www.spiritualitymba.com/index.htm
MEDIASEVA.ORG
http://www.mediaseva.org
Shri Anandpur: Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth 1:
http://www.ex-premie.org/papers/1-14.htm
Shabd Pratap Ashram:
http://www.shabdpratapashram.com
Sadhu Ram:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sadhuramjisatsang
Sadhu Ram:
http://www.ajaib.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sadhuramjigroup
Soami Bagh Branch:
http://www.radhasoami-faith.info/default.shtml
Agam P. Mathur (DadaJi), Huzuri Bhawan, Pipal Mandi, New Website:
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/radhasoami/main.htm
Dayal Bagh:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/satsang_community
Baba Faqir Chand -- Harjit Singh Branch:
http://www.babafaqirchand.com
Baba Faqir Chand: Manavta Mandir.com:
http://manavtamandir.com
Baba Faqir Chand: New Website: Shoonyo.com:
http://www.shoonyo.com
Jyoti Meditation.org:
Hindi and English Online Videos:
http://jyotimeditation.org
Darshan Singh Website:
http://mysite.verizon.net/bazikr
Dera Baba Teja Singh Saidpur:
http://www.derasaidpur.org
Jagat Singh Website:
http://www.mountainman.com.au/guru_ji.html
RSSB:
http://www.radhasoamisatsangbeas.org
RSSB Books:
http://www.ssrcbooks.com
RSSB:
http://www.radhasoamisatsangbeas.org
RSSB:
http://www.rssb.8k.com
Radhasoami Sahai (related to Dayal Bagh lineage):
http://www.rsdayal.org
Radhasoami Satsang DINOD:
http://www.radhaswamidinod.org/faith.htm
RADHASOAMI: TARN TARAN: Dera Baba Bagga Singh:
http://www.aors-dbbs.org
United Satsang.org:
Shree Mentu Maharaj
http://united-satsang.org
By James Bean
Copyright December 2006
One of the most mysterious passages recorded in the New Testament:
"'Teacher', said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your Name
and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.'
"'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my Name
can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not
against us is for us.'" (Mark 9: 38+39)
One can wonder who this mystery person was and what group he belonged
to, since the disciples had apparently never heard of him. There is a
passage somewhere in the New Testament which says, "I have sheep not
of this fold", also implying multiple groups or disciples, more than
one "true" group of devotees out there somewhere, in other words.
The initial reaction of the disciples is quite typical -- human
nature. Some things never change. "Same as it ever was" (line from a
Talking Heads tune). I've seen people react this way many
times: ".....We told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
I was given a video tape once from someone in Oregon. They said it
was from Kirpal Singh's group, Sant Mat. I watched this video, but
none of the faces looked familiar to me. None of the names, buildings
or the locations looked familiar either. It was like seeing a satsang
in a parallel universe or meeting "cousins" you didn't know you had.
It was at a place called Kirpal Sagar ("Ocean of Kirpal"). Eventually
I discovered that this was a gathering in India at a school
associated with an initiate of Master Kirpal who said he was told by
Master Kirpal to look after this school and satsang center. It was a
different branch of Ruhani Satsang that did not join with any living
Guru after the passing of Master Kirpal Singh in 1974.
According to Ruhani Satsang there were thirty six teachers that
emerged after the passing of Master Kirpal who claimed to be his
spiritual successor: 36! Most of these teachers are not known to us
in the West but have ashrams or small satsangs in various parts of
India.
With Sant Mat, and with most spiritual paths, East and West, there is
an etiquette of focusing upon your teacher. Each satsang is
associated with a certain guru. Only his photographs will be
displayed at such gatherings, or those of previous gurus in the same
lineage of teachers.
Quite often in many groups there is an ethos that their teacher is
the "one-and-only" competent living guru of the present time, that
usually there is "only one" such teacher or "gurumukh" spiritual
successor at a time on earth. I think of this, not so much a
statement of fact pertaining to history, but more of a "bhakti"
or "devotional truth" for the satsangi. Having a spiritual Master is
sorta like marriage, as it should be. Spiritual promiscuity doesn't
seem desirable and has not been a successful approach that leads to
any sort of enlightenment. As one teacher used to say, "Better to dig
one deep well and hit water than to keep digging dozens of shallow
holes in the ground getting nothing, seeking but never finding." Your
teacher is your "one-and-only", so to speak.
In terms of Sant Mat history however, there has never been a time
during the last several centuries when there was "only one" Satguru
in the world in the Sant tradition. There have been examples of
multiple lineages of Masters contemporary with one another since at
least the time of Kabir and Guru Nanak in the fifteen century. Both
Guru Kabir and Guru Nanak appointed gurus to be their spiritual
successors, each existing contemporary with one another, the Ten Sikh
Gurus in one line of Masters and the successors of Guru Kabir in
another. Kabir Panth soon branched out into many, many lineages.
At the same time the Tenth Sikh Guru (Gobind Singh) was alive, was
another Sant Mat guru with same name. Who was the Master who
initiated this other Gobind Singh? I am not sure. That is probably a
mystery lost to forever to history. This other Gobind Singh was the
Master who initiated Sant Paltu Sahib (1710-1780), who became a well-
known Master. Paltu's mystic hymns are still popular in India even
now.
Meet Dariya Sahib, Saint of Bihar
Dariya was born in 1674 and passed in 1780. At the age of sixteen
Dariya was initiated into Surat Shabd Yoga by a Sant Mat guru. He
eventually became a very powerful Master and founded the Dariya
panth, a spiritual movement with a large number of ashrams and
satsangs all over India with many followers. Dariya appointed two
spiritual successor gurus to carry on after him. Their names were
Guna Das and Teka Das. Eventually Guna Das died so Teka Das became
the guru of the entire sangat.
Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras
Tulsi was born in 1763 and passed on in 1843. He would have been in
his teens when Dariya was still alive. Early in his life Tulsi did
extensive traveling around India. In the book, "Tulsi Sahib -- Saint
of Hathras", it states: "Tulsi Sahib's works include words and
expressions of Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian ..... Marathi .... he
has freely used words of Braj, Avadhi, Rajasthani (Marwari), Gujrati,
Punjabi and Maithili, which leads one to conclude that, like many
other Saints, he must have traveled widely in U.P., Rajasthan,
Gujrat, Punjab and BIHAR." It is my theory that Tulsi might have
received initiation into Sant Mat meditation from Tika Das while he
was in Bihar. There's no way to know at this time, though I am
sending this question to a guru in the Tulsi lineage who has an
ashram center in Bihar, hoping to get his views about Tulsi's guru,
and my theory about Tika Das being his guru. Tulsi said he had a
guru, but this teacher is not named in any of the writings that have
survived. We'll see what this Master from Bihar thinks of my Tika Das
theory and some of the other theories about who Tulsi's guru might
have been.
Back to Tulsi: Tulsi Sahib eventually established a satsang in
Hathras, where he initiated souls into Surat Shabd Yoga. And his
mission was contemporary with Tika Das's mission in Bihar. At the
present time there are still gurus in the lineage of Tulsi Sahib
leading satsangs and initiating souls in Hathras, Bihar and other
places around India. The same is also true in the Dariya Sahib branch
of Sant Mat. Tika Das appointed guru successors. That lineage is
still with us even now. According to Domain Singh, webmaster of the
Dariya Sahib Website, there are "two hundred Saints" presiding over
various ashram centers in the Dariya sangat at present.
From the book, Dariya Sahib -- Saint of Bihar, we read: "It was also
made clear by Dariya Sahib that these successors would have the right
to appoint their own successors and that is how the order would
continue. On being asked by Fakkar Das, his brother, how long this
order would continue Dariya Sahib replied that as long as the
practice of the Sound Current remained central to the discipline, and
the order kept pure and free from external rituals and formalism, the
line would continue. When the practice of the Sound Current is
mingled with outer appearances (bhekh) and external rituals, the
Sound Current (Shabd) will part company. Then the power transmitted
by me, said Dariya, will leave, and the souls will go into the mouth
of Kal. At that stage, he would come to this world and start a line
of the Sound Current once again. This is how, he said, he had been
coming for aeons.
"Thus, having explained everything and all aspects of the saintly
mission, and having fulfilled the purpose of his life, he passed on
his responsibilities to his successors and departed from this world
in ..... 1780."
One devotee of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib was Shiv Dayal Singh of Agra.
Tulsi was the guru of Shiv Dayal's family. After the death of Tulsi
Sahib, Shiv Dayal Singh along with several others became gurus, in
and outside of, the sangat of Tulsi Sahib: Baba Devi Sahab, Surswami,
Radhaswami, Girdhari Das, and Ramkrishna. One branch of the Tulsi
Sahibi group refers to Shiv Dayal as "Sant Radhaswami Sahib."
Due to not desiring to write an entire chapter here, I will rap
things up here, only mentioning in passing, that there were many
recognized Saints/Sant Satgurus part of Swami Ji's inner circle in
Agra. The Sant Mat "Family Tree" branches out dramatically in all
directions ever further after the time of Swami Ji Maharaj, Huzur
Maharaj Rai Saligram, Gharib Das, Bagga Singh, Deva Singh, Partap
Singh, Sanmukh Das, Data Dayal Shiv Brat Lal, Baba Faqir Chand, Baba
Jaimal Singh, Huzur Baba Sawan Singh, Kirpal Singh ..............
etc.............
Of course, I have only written briefly about a few of the "Northern
Sant" lineages. There is another major branch to the south, the so-
called "Southern Sants", such as Sant Tukarama and numerous Sant
lineages of Maharashtra. Typically, the Northern Sants are closer to
Sufism and further away from the Vaishnava tradition to some degree.
The Southern Sants however seem closer to the Gita, Krishna and
Vaishnava. The Hari Krishnas claim Mirabai, Tukarama, Ravidas, and a
few other Sants as their own - Saints in their tradition. At the same
time as there were Northern Sant lineages of gurus, contemporary with
those are many more operating to the south in India.
Tulsi Sahib was of the opinion that Sant Mat dates back to the time
of Krishna thousands of years ago, and that Krishna knew of Sants in
India back then during the time of the composition of the Bhagavad
Gita.
When has there ever been "only one" Sant Mat guru or "Gurumukh
successor" "of the time" in Sant Mat history? The answer is: never
has there been only one guru at a time.
Another general principle of Sant Mat history is: the more we know,
the more the numbers go up. In other words, the more familiar we
become with the various paths in the Sant Mat category, the more
gurus and ashrams and branches we shall discover. A few years back,
some were saying that there must be "around two hundred" gurus and
groups in India in the Sant Mat category. Based on my continued
research, I would say that is a very low number!
Paraphrasing Guru Nanak's Jap Ji:
Countless are the gurus,
Countless the gaddis,
Countless the satsangs,
Countless are the Sant Mats,
Countless are the satsangis.
Of course these groups are not all the same. There are several stages
groups might pass through during their history. Some may be in
the "alive" category, with both guru and disciple having inner
experiences, radiant forms, inner regions experienced and not simply
theories and teachings found only in books. There are groups that
lost their living guru in recent times and there was no successor,
thus no new people are getting initiated in those groups. There is
one very large group which has become a world religion that worships
a book as a kind of guru. Ironically, that very same book says to NOT
worship books! idols made of stone, places of pilgrimage, holy
rivers, etc... There are groups where nobody is having inner
experiences. Those usually don't focus so much on a living Master,
and their magazines tend to feature quotes from gurus who lived many
decades earlier, in the 1940's, 1930's, 1920's or 1520's.
There have been some highly unethical teachers, false, "of Kal",
hurting people, with dead bodies buried in the "backyard" and abused
members coming forward to tell their story. There have been many
honest, loving, radiant, Godly beings that have graced this planet
with their enlightened compassion. There have been Sadhus with some
attainment that have helped the souls that have crossed their path.
Nothing wrong with that. There have been nice-guy gurus without much
attainment, but who have helped to make the world a better place by
spreading SOME of the teachings and ethical ahimsa principals of the
Masters to larger audiences around the world.
In other words, amongst this long list of paths will be found groups
representing many different states and stages of development,
vibrancy and decline, some alive, some slowly becoming another
religion looking to the past for inspiration, with past Saints and
Prophets -- a new "People of the Book" with temples and holy relics.
And there are some that have souls who do go within and successfully
practice Surat Shabd Yoga in a way that is almost identical to the
Ideal spiritual path described by Swami Ji of Agra, with a rich
mystical approach to meditation practice, traveling quite far along
in their journey back to God. For them, these teachings of Sant
Satgurus are not just "talk" or "myth" or "belief" or about
a "hypothesized Higher Self" (a sad but revealing phrase from a Brian
Hines post), but very real experiences that human beings can attain,
seeing with their own eyes, hearing with their own ears, traveling
through Inner Space, "the Kingdom of the Heavens within."
Several Charts of Lineages -- I Promise These Will Help
Upanishadic Sants in Ancient Times? jpg:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/UpanishadicSants.jpg
1aaaRSLineageChart.jpg
Param Sant Tulsi Sahib and those after him in Hathras, Agra, and
Bihar:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1aaaRSLineageChart.jpg
1bRSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas, Sawan
Kirpal and Ruhani Mission, Chart, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark
Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1bRSLineageChart.jpg
1cRSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Swami Ji to Agra Radhaswami Branches,
Chart.jpg, From "Radhasoami Reality", by Mark Juergensmeyer:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/1cRSLineageChart.jpg
2RSLineageChart-1.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Tulsi Sahib and Agra, ChartTwo.jpg, From
an Early Version of David Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/2RSLineageChart-1.jpg
3RSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Huzur Maharaj -- Rai Saligram-related Agra
Branches, ChartThree.jpg, From an Early Version of David Lane's
Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/3RSLineageChart.jpg
4RSLineageChart.jpg
Sant Mat Lineage of Gurus, Baba Jaimal Singh, Sawan-Kirpal, Somanath,
Mastana Ji, Tarn Taran, ChartFour.jpg, From an Early Version of David
Lane's Book, "Radhasoami Mat":
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/4RSLineageChart.jpg
5RSLineageChart.jpg
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
One:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/5RSLineageChart.jpg
6RSLineageChart.jpg:
Kabir Panth Chart of Lineages, "The Influence of Sat Kabir", Angle
Two:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k241/agochar/6RSLineageChart.jpg
This is Not a Complete List -- Partial List of Sant Mat Paths On the
Worldwide Web
These would be paths that teach Surat Shabd Yoga, and use all the
familiar terms: "Satguru", "Satsang", "Sat Lok, "Sach Khand", "Sound
Current", "Audible Lifestream", "tishra
til", "astral", "causal", "Sat
Purush", "Kal", "simran", "Naam", "Shabd," ...................
Maharshi Mehi Ashram (Tulsi Sahibi):
http://www.thewayofsages.com
Maharshi Mehi Ashram (Tulsi Sahibi):
http://www.maharshimehi.net
Sant Dariya Sahib Website:
http://www.geocities.com/santdariya/home.html
Akhil Bhartiya Santmat Satsang (ABSS):
http://www.abssatsang.org
Kirpal Singh
http://www.ruhanisatsangusa.org/books.htm
Sant Ji:
http://www.santji.allegre.ca
ADI GRANTH -- Sikh Gurus, Khalsa Consensus Translation:
http://www.sikhs.org/english/frame.html
Mastana Ji Website:
http://www.spiritualismmba.nstemp.com/books.htm
Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan -- Shri Ashutosh Ji Maharaj:
http://www.divyajyoti.org
Dharamdasi Kabir Panth:
http://www.kabir.ca
Anurag Sagar of Kabir Panth Online, as PDF Files:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/anurag.html
Kabir Ashram.org:
http://www.kabirashram.org
Kabir Chawra Math on Varanasi
Kabir Bhavan.com:
http://www.kabirbhavan.com
Puan Brahm Satapurush Sahib Kabir Ji:
Knowlege about Satapush Kabir Saheb Ji:
http://www.jagatgururampalji.org
Sahebkabir:
http://www.geocities.com/sahebkabir
Shri Kabir Counsel:
http://www.geocities.com/sahebkabir/?200612
Ajeetpraimsingh.com:
http://www.ajeetpraimsingh.com/kabir.htm
MASTANA JI
One of several groups connected with Mastana Ji, disciple of Huzur
Baba Sawan Singh:
http://spiritualism.50megs.com/teaching.htm#W
Spiritualitymba.com:
http://www.spiritualitymba.com/index.htm
MEDIASEVA.ORG
http://www.mediaseva.org
Shri Anandpur: Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth 1:
http://www.ex-premie.org/papers/1-14.htm
Shabd Pratap Ashram:
http://www.shabdpratapashram.com
Sadhu Ram:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sadhuramjisatsang
Sadhu Ram:
http://www.ajaib.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sadhuramjigroup
Soami Bagh Branch:
http://www.radhasoami-faith.info/default.shtml
Agam P. Mathur (DadaJi), Huzuri Bhawan, Pipal Mandi, New Website:
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/radhasoami/main.htm
Dayal Bagh:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/satsang_community
Baba Faqir Chand -- Harjit Singh Branch:
http://www.babafaqirchand.com
Baba Faqir Chand: Manavta Mandir.com:
http://manavtamandir.com
Baba Faqir Chand: New Website: Shoonyo.com:
http://www.shoonyo.com
Jyoti Meditation.org:
Hindi and English Online Videos:
http://jyotimeditation.org
Darshan Singh Website:
http://mysite.verizon.net/bazikr
Dera Baba Teja Singh Saidpur:
http://www.derasaidpur.org
Jagat Singh Website:
http://www.mountainman.com.au/guru_ji.html
RSSB:
http://www.radhasoamisatsangbeas.org
RSSB Books:
http://www.ssrcbooks.com
RSSB:
http://www.radhasoamisatsangbeas.org
RSSB:
http://www.rssb.8k.com
Radhasoami Sahai (related to Dayal Bagh lineage):
http://www.rsdayal.org
Radhasoami Satsang DINOD:
http://www.radhaswamidinod.org/faith.htm
RADHASOAMI: TARN TARAN: Dera Baba Bagga Singh:
http://www.aors-dbbs.org
United Satsang.org:
Shree Mentu Maharaj
http://united-satsang.org
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