The Supreme Being, a Boundless Ocean of Spirit and Love
Radhasoami Reality:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Radhasoami-Reality
{Radhaswami Dayal ki Daya Radhaswami Sahai:
"Grant Merciful Radhasoami Thy Grace and Protection"}
48. Love for Supreme Being
108. This practice can be conducted easily and comfortably if the devotee has a little love for the Supreme Being. Without love it will be too hard and difficult to practice Surat-Shabd-Yoga [Yoga of the Audible Life Stream, Inner Sound] with any good result to be obtained within a short time.
1. The Supreme Being, being a boundless ocean of spirit or love; and, human being, being a drop or current of spirit or love from this ocean; and, love being the very essence and means of existence of the whole creation, it follows that no effort in any direction, temporal or spiritual, unless actuated by love or affectionate regard, can be crowned with success, and, the work or labour rendered easy, sweet and harmonious.
2. Love is most sublime, having its origin in the highest region, the abode of the Supreme Being. In whatever heart it sprang up, it will gradually raise and carry the fortunate possessor of this lofty and noble passion to the highest region.
3. All good qualities and goodness itself will gradually find their home in the heart in which love dwells and all bad qualities will be rooted out by and by.
4. Whatever a human being, full of pure love thinks or does, is all wisdom; while the thoughts and works of worldly wise persons are full of selfishness and folly.
5. Knowledge without love for the Supreme Being is futile and tends towards untruth or darkness or materialism, while love turns everything to good use and leads to enlightenment and truth. Even worldly love, such as filial and conjugal, is attended with goodness, happiness and comfort to all concerned. How much more good would then result to mankind in general if the same loves become spiritual, and be directed towards the Supreme Being, the merciful and Kind Parent of the whole creation.
6. Self-love brings on egotism or pride, and sows the seed of hatred, jealousy and disregard in the minds of kindred, associates and neighbours; while pure and sacred love for the Supreme Being creates in the heart humility, meekness and an affectionate regard for kindred, neighbours and humanity in general.
7. Pure and holy love is always ready to spend (regardlessly) whatever it has for the sake of its beloved, the Supreme Father, and the benefit of mankind without any distinction; whereas self-love or love of world always tries to appropriate everything to itself, even at the risk and loss of others.
8. Pure and holy love is always ready to sacrifice anything whatever to gain admission into the presence of the beloved, the Supreme Being; whereas, self-love will never part with anything except for the sake of its own aggrandizement and indulgence in sensual pleasures.
9. The noble passion of love is most powerful and strong. It removes all obstacles and thorns in its way and discards all superstitions, doubts and skepticism.
10. Where pure love dwells there sheds the light of Grace, as it forms a link with the spirit or love current from its source, the Supreme Being.
11. Such is the strength and effect of affection and kind treatment that it subdues ferocity and other injurious and dangerous characteristics in beasts and other animals, that is to say, they begin to love and have an affectionate regard for their keepers and trainers.
12. A heart devoid of love or affection is as hard as stone, and does not form a suitable receptacle for light of Heavenly Grace and Mercy.
13. Sincere love is reciprocal, so if one has a heart full of love for the Supreme Being, one is sure to be attracted towards Him by Grace, Mercy and Holy Light which will gradually illumine his inner-self, and then all menial and worldly affections and desires will gradually disappear.
14. Love or the power of attraction is the basis of the whole creation and the cause of its sustenance and preservation.
15. The Supreme Being loves and takes special care of those who love Him with all their heart and soul, and gradually draws them towards Himself, the Grand Centre of Pure Light and Attraction; while those whose hearts are imbued with worldly love and passions recede from this centre, or in other words, they of themselves fly away towards the circumference or darkness and untruth.
16. Every wave of love rising in a lover's heart brings tidings of goodness and joy from the beloved, and every thought springing up in such a heart is a harbinger of good works and good services for the sake of the beloved.
17. Love has no bounds, knows no restrictions, and is not limited by conditions, and like its source is extensive and far reaching in its beneficial results.
--- RADHASOAMI MAT PRAKASH - A Brief View of Radhasoami Faith ---
Being a message of Eternal Peace and Joy to all nations ---
Originally written by Hazur Maharaj in english and published in the year 1897A.D.
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/radhasoami/rsmatpra/rsmatprakash_7.htm
Emphasis on Love and Devotion. Reviving the bhakti traditions of Medieval India, the founders of Radhasoami faith emphasize the devotional aspect of religion. According to them bhakti alone would bring salvation to the suffering humanity. One should engender true love for the formless Supreme Being and take shelter (saran) in his divine will (mauj). Hazur Maharaj says that "a heart devoid of love or affection is as hard as stone and does not form a suitable receptacle for the light of Heavenly Grace and Mercy…The Supreme Being loves and takes special care of those who love Him with all their heart and soul and gradually draws them towards Himself – the Centre of Pure Light and Attraction." Love, therefore, is the keynote of Radhasoami faith.
A practical Religion – Blending of Bhakti and Yoga. The founders of the faith have essentially made it a faith of actual practice and behaviour. The philosophical moorings and thought-processes are subsidiary elements in it. It is through practice alone that teachings would prove efficacious. The founders of the faith set the motto: "Practice and observe the results yourself." They introduces a mode of spiritual exercise – surat-shabd-yoga – and claimed to have based it on scientific lines. The practitioner of this yoga would derive practical benefits in the world and feel no pain at the time of death. An abhyasi [meditation practitioner] dies while living. He gets absorbed in the bliss and ecstasy of higher and spiritual life and attains the status of a sthitpragya [state of stabilized cognition, tranquility, peace]. Hardly does he feel the joys and sorrows of the world. The founders assert that surat-shabd-yoga is the easiest and best of all modes of yoga ever practiced in the country in the past or present. It can be practiced by all alike – men, women, old, young, rich and poor. A person leading a family life with all his temporal preoccupation can practise it as effectively as a recluse.
The faith also presents a harmonious blending of yoga and bhakti. The key to surat-shabd-yoga lies with the guru of the time. A practitioner must, therefore, practise bhakti of the guru as a prerequisite to successful performance of yoga. When the practitioner serves the guru with body, mind and soul and with all love and humanity dissolves his ego, he himself witnesses a transformation of his life within and without, and achieves remarkable progress in spiritual pursuit. The founders have, thus, delivered the message of love on practical grounds. They have affirmed that the path of love excels everything. True and selfless love is itself the yoga. Surat-shabd-yoga is the devotional mode of self-realization.
--- RADHASOAMI FAITH - A HISTORICAL STUDY
by Prof. A.P. Mathur
M.A., PhD, F.I.H.S., F.R.A.S. (London)
Former Vice-Chancellor, Agra University, Agra, India
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/radhasoami/rsfaith/radhasoamifaith.htm
