At the Third Eye Center the Abode of the Beloved is Found
{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.}
Param Sant Tulsi Sahib: "Give up being limited to this habitation of skin. Adopt the practice of repeating the Name of the Supreme Being. Purify and train the attention faculty of your soul in meditation. By means of inner vision recognise the Abode of the Beloved, and unite with the current of spirituality, the Sound Current (Shabd). Penetrate through the Third Eye and arrive at the cave in the inner sky."
Merging Back Into God is the Goal of Sant Mat
We can think of the human soul, as it wanders through multiple life forms -- the Hindu scriptures speak of 84 hundred thousand life forms. The soul will experience suffering in the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara) -- reincarnation after reincarnation -- until it merges into the Supreme Soul (Divine), which is inseparable from the soul. The Divine exists in the soundless state, but the living soul has descended into this realm of darkness.
Maharishi Mehi Paramhans advises to begin the journey:
"You have descended into this darkness from the soundless state. You are now far from your home in the soundless Divine. You are caught here in this dark realm. Therefore, at this very moment, begin your journey homeward toward that soundless state."
Through inner meditation the jivatman (individual soul) begins its ascent toward the soundless state where it will eventually merge with the Divine. When the soul thus experiences oneness with the Divine, it will attain ultimate peace and supreme joy.
Santmat teaches a path to the attainment of this joy and peace. This is the significance of the way of saints and the importance of Santmat.
Pratyahara is the Repeated Practice of Bringing the Wandering Mind to Focus During Meditation Practice
Without formless or subtle meditation, it is impossible to attain the inner light. You must first get yourself out of darkness. How can this be possible?
Pratyahara (bringing the mind back) -- is followed by dharana, sustaining the focus of the mind for small periods. At first this will only be for a very short time. Pratyahara involves the repeated practice of bringing the wandering mind to a focus. Through diligent practice of pratyahara we become able to focus on the object of meditation for little stretches of time. This is dharana.
When dharana is continuous for extended periods, the state of dhyāna (complete focus) becomes possible.
The Main Obstacles in the Practice of Meditation
The two main hindrances to success in the practice of meditation are as follows:
1. Procrastination and Laziness
2. The train of thoughts during meditation, such as day dreaming, fanciful imagination, and planning.
In addition, silence during meditation lulls many practitioners to sleep. During meditation we need to be vigilant and awake. Whatever the point of our focus is, we should diligently fix our mind on that goal. Then we will not be bothered by sleep. We can only reach our Noble (arya) destination within, the state of unity with God, if we overcome the enormous challenge of procrastination and also restrain the ever-rising tide of mental activity during meditation. Not so vigilant practitioners usually become engrossed in extraneous thoughts or fall sleep. These formidable passes must be crossed for success.
What is the glorious destination that we are striving for? When we close our eyes we see darkness within, it is the realm of ignorance. When the light dawns within you, then you see that you reside in noble regions. In darkness resides ignorance and in light resides knowledge. For example, as we are now sitting in light, we are able to see one another. However, if the electric power goes out, the ensuing total darkness would make us unable to see others. We would not even be aware of other people coming and going.
In this analogy, light signifies knowledge and darkness signifies ignorance. When we see darkness with our eyes closed we are in the realm of death and re-birth because we are not aware of our true nature. When we come out of the realm of darkness and enter into the realm of light, we will at the same time escape the web of death. If we remain in darkness it is not possible to be free from the cycle of birth and death. Only when we achieve the inner light -- the divine light which represents the glory of the Divine -- can we be liberated from the cycle of birth and death.
Sant Kabir says:
"In each house (heart) the light shines. But we are blind [ignorant of that divine light of knowledge] so we cannot see it. If we keep looking we will find the light and will destroy the shackles of death."
(Excerpts from, The Harmony of All Religions, by Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)
