Be so devoted to ones Lord that nothing can stand in the Way

Be so devoted to ones Lord that nothing can stand in the Way

{Radhaswami Dayal ki Daya Radhaswami Sahai:
"Grant Merciful Radhasoami Thy Grace and Protection"}

My Most Favorite Spiritual Quote of All-time, from Yogani Mata Ji: The Power of Love

 

 
Mataji exuded a sense of joy and happiness. We talked for more than three hours about a variety of subjects, but I was most intrigued with Mataji's experiences on the inner spiritual planes. I asked her what it was like to leave the body. Mataji responded with a beautiful description of how consciousness can be released from the mortal frame by attaching itself to the stream of celestial music radiating from the top of the head and beyond. To do this, she said, one first must be initiated by a genuine mystic who has gained access to the higher realms. The practice itself, although it may take years to master, sounds relatively simple. The body should be kept perfectly still with one particular posture held for at least three hours. One may choose a cross-legged position (like the yogis in the lotus pose) or a more comfortable, relaxed position in a chair. Keeping the back erect and the mind alert, one continuously repeats God's name as given by his/her guru. This simran, as Mataji termed it, should be done with one's attention centered behind closed eyes.

Coupled with this physical stillness and ceaseless repetition of God's name [simran practice], the next step is to contemplate the Light within. At first, Mataji pointed out, there will be only darkness but eventually Light will appear in the form of either small flashes or small star-like points. In any case, one should focus on the radiance, keeping one's simran intact and allowing the Light to draw the soul inward. The third and most important step, Mataji said, is to listen to the Sound that issues forth from the Light. It is this Internal Music which will numb the body and allow the consciousness to leave its ordinary dwelling. By riding this Current of Light and Sound, like a fish going upstream, the soul will be able to go back to its original home. On the journey within, however, the soul must be guided by a true master so as not to be detained in any of the lower illusory regions. According to Mataji, what near-death patients experience is only the beginning of a vast sojourn into great universes of Light, love and beauty.

Personally I was overcome with the profundity of Mataji's account. Although it seemed plausible, especially given the findings of near-death patients who have been resuscitated, the soul's journey in the beginning stages appeared too difficult. How can one sit so still, repeat only holy names and think of God constantly? "By falling in love," Mataji answered serenely. "Because when one is truly in love nothing but the Beloved can enter one's mind. So the secret of Surat Shabd Yoga and of mysticism," she goaded, "is not necessarily practice and more practice, but love. To be so devoted to one's Lord that nothing can stand in the way---this and nothing else is the truth of Sant Mat," Mataji stressed.... (Enchanted Land)

Spiritual Principles of Sant Mat Mysticism

 

Spiritual Principles of Sant Mat Mysticism
 
1. Ultimate Reality is beyond any beginning or end, infinite, beyond birth, beyond the senses, all-pervading yet beyond pervasiveness. It must therefore be understood as the Supreme Being. This Essential Element is known as the Lord of All and is the foundation of all things. This Being is beyond both the inanimate and animate aspects of nature. It is without qualities and beyond qualities. Its nature is infinite, imperishable, all-powerful. It is beyond time and space, beyond sound and beyond form. It is the One without a second. The Supreme Being is beyond the scope of mind, the intellect and the senses. This entire universe is powered by the energy of this Being. This Being is not human. It is not manifested in physical form. It has existence beyond the illusion of maya, and there is nothing that exists outside of it. It is the Being which is eternal, existing from the beginning. Santmat considers this Being as the Divine Reality and this [knowing or merging with] Being is the goal of all spirituality.  

 

2. The individual soul is an inseparable part of the Supreme Being.  

 

3. The physical world of nature was created. It has an origin and an end.  

 

4. The soul bound by illusion (maya) remains in the cycle of death and birth. This is the cause of all suffering. In order to escape from this cycle of death and birth we must experience realization of this Supreme Being.  

 

5. By practicing devotion through these four techniques: Manas Japa (recitation of the divine name [Simran]), Manas Dhyana (focus on the divine form [Dhyan]), Dristi Sadhana (focus on the infinitesimal point [Third Eye Center -- contemplating the inner Light]), and Nada-nu-sandhana Yoga (concentration on the inner divine sounds [Surat Shabda Yoga] -- the practitioner consecutively transcends the realms of darkness, light, and sound which cloak the Truth -- the Divine. Only through a human body is a person able to achieve unity with the Divine. 

 

  6. Lying, stealing, intake of intoxicating substances, adultery, and violence (including harming other beings) are the five sins to be avoided. Eating meat or fish is also considered to be a form of violence and should be avoided. The aspirants of Santmat must abstain from these vices.  

 

7. Consider the following as the requirements to attain liberation: Trust and belief in the Divine; commitment to seek the Divine within; devotion to a spiritual master; listening to the teaching of the spiritual discourse [satsang] including study of the teaching of the saints and the scriptures; and diligent meditation practice. 

 

  -- Maharshi Mehi from the Padavali quoted by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj in, The Harmony of All Religions

 

The individual soul has descended from the higher worlds [the Realm of the Divine] to this city of illusion, bodily existence. It has descended from the Soundless state to the essence of Sound, from that Sound to Light, and finally from the realm of Light to the realm of Darkness. The qualities (dharmas, natural tendencies) of the sense organs draw us downward and away from our true nature. 

 

The nature of the soul (atman) draws us upwards and inwards and establishes us in our own true nature. To go back to our origins means returning: withdrawal from the sense organs in order to go upward (by withdrawing consciousness) from the darkness to the realms of Light and Sound, in other words, to go inward from the external sense organs to the depth of the inner self. (Both of these expressions are exact special metaphors that describe the same movement.) The natural tendencies of the soul (atman) are to move from outward to inward. The current of consciousness which is dispersed in the nine gates of the body and the nine senses, must be collected at the tenth gate. 

 

The tenth gate is the gathering point of consciousness; therein lies the path for our return. It is also known as the sixth chakra, the third eye, bindu, the center located between the two eyebrows. This is the act by which we leave the gates of the sense organs and become established in the soul. We travel back from the Realm of Darkness to the Realm of Light, from the Light to the Divine Sound, and from the Realm of Sound to the Soundless state. 

 

This is returning back -- the return. This is what dharma or religion really intends to teach us. This is the essence of dharma. 

 

  -- Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj