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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sant Mat Satsang, Weekly Stream of Updates: Light and Sound on the Path, Dec. 19th




Sant Mat Satsang, Weekly Stream of Updates: Light and Sound on the Path, Dec. 19th:



Rumi: "Love is the energizing elixir of the universe, the cause and effect of all Harmonies."


"In all truth it can be said that the fall of the human being took place when he began to forget himself. That is to say: to forget his Supreme Being, the mysterious Source whence he emerged." (The Law of Attention - Nada Yoga and the Way of Inner Vigilance, Edward Salim Michael, Inner Traditions)


Yeshua: "If your spiritual guides say to you, 'Look, the divine realm is in the sky,' well then the birds will get there ahead of you. If they say, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. No, the divine Reality exists inside and all around you. Only when you have come to know your true Self will you be fully known - realizing at last that you are a child of the Living One. If, however, you never come to know who you really are, you are a poverty-stricken being, and it is your 'self' which lies impoverished." (Gospel of Thomas - Wisdom of the Twin, Lynn Bauman, White Cloud Press)


"O Surat [Soul]! Who are you and whence have you come? This world is a net spread by the mind. Why do you get entangled in it? You are a ray from the Purush (the Supreme Being) and an inhabitant of the purely Spiritual Region. Kal [lord of time] has put a noose round your neck. Turn back and go to your Home, by the grace of Sat Guru and in the company of Sadhs (those who are engaged in Parmath [spirituality]). Listen to Anhad Shabd within, says Radhasoami." (Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry, Volume One)


Youtube: The Audible Life Stream - Ancient Secret of Dying While Living:


Kabir says: "Keep on doing your work. Keep on reciting God's name, and you will live pleasantly in the world."


Guru Nanak: "With the holy Name as one's foundation, this wavering mind is firmly held, and in Truth it dwells. And when in truth one love's the Lord, then the Lord Himself grants union with Him."



Recently my guest on the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast at Blog Talk Radio was Mark Juergensmeyer, author of the book, RADHASOAMI Reality. Click to download podcast MP3 and enjoy:



More satsang MP3s have been added to the Anurag Sagar Page ("Center For Anurag Sagar Studies") along with some other updates:

Anurag Sagar: The Ocean of Love



Recommended Reading: New PDF E Book Online: Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, translated into English by S. D. Maheshwari, containing: A Short Biographical Sketch about Tulsi Sahib, a large collection of Shabds: mystical Hymns from his Shabdavali, and excerpts from the Ghat Ramayan (Dialogue Between Tulsi Sahib and Phool Das of the Kabir Panth, with commentary on the Anurag Sagar, and contains some hymns of Tulsi Sahib, Kabir, Dadu, Dariya Sahib, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, and Soor Das). This collection of Tulsi Sahib writings was originally published in the Hindi edition of, Prem Patra Radhasoami, Volume Six, by Huzur Maharaj of Agra:


Recommended Reading: New PDF E Book Online: Sar Bachan Poetry, Volume One:



Soami Bagh's Online Radhasoami Library: A Through Z - PDFs of: Sar Bachan Poetry (Volumes 1 and 2), Tulsi Sahib, Prem Patra volumes, etc.. 77 Books in English - There is also a Hindi Section:


Helpful Online Sant Mat Glossary - PDF File:


More Recommended Books on the Path of the Masters, Inner Light and Sound Meditation:


Param Sant Tulsi Sahib: "Pure Light is shining within."


Kabir says, "It is the mercy of my Satguru that has made me to know the unknown. I have learned from Him how to walk without feet, to see without eyes, to hear without ears, to drink without mouth, to fly without wings. I have brought my love and my meditation into the land where there is no sun and moon, nor day and night. Without eating, I have tasted of the sweetness of nectar; and without water, I have quenched my thirst. Where there is the response of delight, there is the fullness of joy. Before whom can that joy be uttered? Kabir says: "The Guru is great beyond words, and great is the good fortune of the disciple." (Songs of Kabir, satgur soi daya kar dinha)


Rumi: "O lovers, lovers it is time to set out from the world. I hear a drum in my soul's ear coming from the depths of the stars."


Rumi Says: "Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth."


Soami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry: "Practise the Abhyas of Surat Shabd Yoga. Apply your body and mind to Sumiran (recitation of the Holy Name). Go on beholding the countenance of Guru. Listen to the Sound of Anhad Shabd every day. Cultivate a keen desire to attend Satsang, and do so whenever you can."


"The deeper one goes in meditation, and the loftier the spiritual states one touches, the more the motion and feeling of time will alter and take on an entirely different aspect. The greater the merger into one's higher state of consciousness, the slower and less perceptible will time become until, in the still more exalted mystical states, it will feel as if it stops altogether." (Edward Salim Michael, "The Law of Attraction - Nada Yoga and the Way of Inner Vigilance", Inner Traditions, Vermont)


Soami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry: "The devotee should sit in a secluded place, turn his senses inward and perform Abhyas [meditation practices]. He will attain peace of mind. He should withdraw the two petals (the currents flowing to the two eyes from the focus), and advance to Gagan [mystic inner Sky]. He will hear Shabd and feel delighted. He will behold Jyoti flame (in Sahas-dal-kanwal), the Sun (in Trikuti), and the Moon (in Sunn). He will reach Sat Lok and settle there. On hearing the incessant resounding of Shabd, his Surat will smile in ecstasy and bliss."


"O devotee! There is a wonderful display within this body. In the darkness of this body is the sky studded with the stars, the Moon and the Sun. There is the subtle body within the physical one and in that subtle body is the causal one. And yet there is the fourth one, that is, the supra-causal body. The fifth body, that is, Kaivalya (Oneness) is without attributes and full of knowledge. Mehi says, the Quintessential Word along with the Absolute, is present within one's body." (Padavali of Maharshi Mehi)


"Whatever a seeker's higher destiny is, and whatever direction his Supreme Being bids him take to accomplish it, he must obey and not let himself be swayed by the persuasive arguments or criticism of others, no matter how logical their reasoning may appear or how harsh their condemnation may be." (Edward Salim Michael, "The Law of Attraction - Nada Yoga and the Way of Inner Vigilance", Inner Traditions, Vermont)


"Those, within whom the Truth dwells, obtain the True Name; they speak only the Truth. They walk on the Lord's Path, and inspire others to walk on the Lord's Path as well." (Guru Ramdas)


"True scriptures are those which teach kindness and compassion towards all living beings." (Nigam soi jo daya dridhave.) -- Sant Dariya Sahib


Just finished watching a review DVD copy of a new film called "I Am". Very inspiring and all about changing in the world, the process of change. Hope everyone can see it. February 2011 it will be coming to theaters. Trailer at Youtube:




"This mysterious path is described in the holy books, but it cannot be found simply by the study of sacred texts. It is found by the grace and guidance of an accomplished teacher." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)






Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Rumi - The Big Red Book Review



Mixed Media: Book Reviews, Film, Website, Food, and Music Reviews, By James Bean

Copyright December 2010 - All Rights Reserved

Book Review: "Rumi - The Big Red Book - The Great Masterpiece Celebrating Mystical Love and Friendship", by Coleman Barks, HarperOne, ISBN 978-0-06-190582-7




Says the 13th Century Poet-mystic Jalaluddin Rumi:

Something opens our wings.
Something makes boredom and hurt disappear.
Someone fills the cup in front of us.
We taste only sacredness.

If you've been wondering which collection of Rumi poems to get, this one, 492 pages in length, represents a most excellent vintage indeed, offering cup after cup of a spiritually intoxicating elixir you'll only find at Rumi's tavern. "Rumi - The Big Red Book", represents the essence or distillation of many decades-worth of translation effort -- Bark's life's work.

Not long ago I had the privilege of interviewing Coleman on my program, Spiritual Awakening Radio. During the course of the conversation he confirmed that it was the Christian Science Monitor that said, "Rumi is the most widely read poet in America." By "liberating Rumi from a scholarly purgatory", as he put it, Coleman's intimate, contemporary English translations have almost single-handedly made Rumi into a household name.

What is that "Something" people are magnetically drawn to in Rumi's verses, like a moth to the flame? From where does this sparkling radiance and inspiration emanate? Perhaps the highest answer is, Rumi gives voice to the Cry of the Soul within us all.

Another answer would be, Rumi was a Sufi Master and mystic-soul. Many may not realize, when they enjoy reading Rumi poetry, they are encountering, perhaps for the first time, teachings that come directly from a living school of spirituality known as Sufism, and Sufis are the gnostic or mystical branch of Islam. When Rumi writes about Shams of Tabriz, he is referring to his spiritual teacher and mentor in a long line of Sufi Masters spanning many generations. And to this day, there are numerous Sufi Orders in the world.

During the interview, Coleman mentioned that he had met the great Sufi teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, at first in a dream! then eventually, in person, visiting with him many times (1977-86). Muhaiyaddeen would often come to the US. Named after their founder, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is a Sufi center located in Philadelphia.

Rumi, with his message of tolerance between religions and spiritual oneness with God, "The Beloved", was so far ahead of his time, he seems right at home here in the 21st Century. The vision of Rumi is a life-affirming one that so desperately needs to be shared with humanity.

There are so many other gnostics, mystics, and heretics also doing time in various "scholarly purgatories" of academia, wooden translations of obscurity. I know a thousand "Rumis" the world needs to hear, to be soothed by the Voice of the Soul that speaks through them all. Hafiz, Shams of Tabriz, Sarmad, Kabir, Rabia, Mira Bai, Daya Bai, Sahjo Bai, Tukaram, Hazrat Sultan Bahu, Baba Farid, Guru Nanak, Dariya Sahib, Tulsi Sahib, Surdas, Namdev, Ravidas, Paltu, Sant Radhaswami Sahib, Maharshi Mehi, and many more besides, up to the living present -- countless are lovers of the Beloved.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Inner Lotus Will Wither Without the Water of Love


The Inner Lotus Will Wither
Without the Water of Love






From the Dariya Sagar ("Ocean of Dariya") by Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar:


Carry on the repetition of the True Names,

taking it to be your very life-breath.

Obtain thereby the True Sound.


Sat Naam is the essence of all.

Recognizing it within yourself,

Cross the ocean of this world.


The Boundless Supreme Lord who

is in the beginning and the end,

Has descended to this earth.



Aeon after aeon
He has been coming
to impart wisdom to you.


Understand His teachings

And be immersed in His wisdom.

When one looks within ones heart,

being awakened,

One is pulled up by a magnet-like Divine Sound.


Without that Sound, a living being

is comprised of mere bones and blood,

Covered with skin on the outside.

In a moment life comes to an end,

And all our kith and kin are left behind.


But if the disciple follows

the instructions imparted by the Guru,

And takes to heart the words from the Satgurus tongue,

Then ones inner eye is illumined

And one finds the Source,

Laden with blooming flowers of immortality.

One then attains the pure-swan state,

And is rid of the vices of the wicked crow.

Such a one joins the family of the pure swans,

And is never lost in the ocean of the world, says Dariya.


Hold fast to the Sound Current,

And offer your body and mind to it.

Have love and endearment for Naam,

And you will not be lost in the ocean of the world.


There can be no devotion without love.

The inner lotus will wither without the water of love.

So long as the technique of love is not gained,

Whatever one talks of knowledge is in vain.

But when one is merged

into the Satgurus tranquil Sound Current,

One automatically obtains the taste of the nectar of love.

Just as the bee is allured by the lotus flower,

And being unable to bear the agony of separation unites with the flower;

Or just as the moon-birds heart is absorbed in the moon;

So should one be in love with the Sound Current

without ever being forgetful.




For More, see the Sant Dariya Mission Website:

Saturday, December 04, 2010

December 2010 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast at Blog Talk Radio


December 2010 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast

Go to the Blog Talk Radio Sant Mat Page and click "Play" or "Download":

(Program Length: 65 minutes)

Program Contents: The spirit of Sant Mat "ecumenism" and dialogue of the recent Spircon conference held at Dayal Bagh in Agra; also some Sant Mat history speculation on the origins of the Radhasoami Faith: the ashram of the Tulsi Sahib group in Hathras, "the People of the Anurag Sagar" or the "Esoteric Santism" of Sant Dariya Sahib and the Dharamdasi Branch of Kabir Panth.

Am back for a new season and series of Sant Mat Satsang PODCasts. My guest today is Mark Juergensmeyer, director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, professor of sociology, and affiliate professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an expert on religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics, and has published more than two hundred articles and twenty books, including, "Radhasoami Reality - The Logic of A Modern Faith", Princeton University Press; "Songs of the Saints of India" (Mystic Poetry of Guru Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ravidas, Mirabai, Sur Das, and Tulsi Das), Oxford University Press; contributed chapters to, "The Sants - Studies in A Devotional Tradition of India", Motilal Banarsidas Books of Delhi; also: "Gandhi's Way", University of California Press, and many more:

We discuss the recent "Spircon 2010 International Seminar on the Religion of Sants - Radhasoami Faith - Spiritual Consciousness Studies", held recently at Dayalbagh, which is associated with the Radhasoami Satsang Dayal Bagh, Agra. Other branches of Sant Mat/Radhasoami that participated in this historic event include: Huzuri Bhawan/Pipal Mandi (Agam Prasad Mathur), Radhasoami Satsang Tarn Taran (Baba Kehar Singh), and Radhaswami Satsang Dinod (Sant Kanwar Singh).

If you are seeking initiation into this form of meditation practice (Inner Light and Sound), are looking for books, are searching for information, a local satsang or meditation group to attend in your part of the world, email me at this address:
James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

Jai Guru,
James



Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Rumi: Coleman Barks Interview on Spiritual Awakening Radio


Coleman Barks Interview on Spiritual Awakening Radio

Here is a link to my newest show, featuring a spirited conversation with Coleman Barks, famous translator of Rumi poetry, one of my mentors. It was a pleasure speaking with him recently.

The Coleman Barks Interview: "Rumi and the Sufi Poet-Mystics, Part 5" - Program Length: 60 Minutes.

*Click to Download MP3 Podcast and Hear This Edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio:

*Or Listen To Streaming Audio via the Silverlight Player: