Light and Sound on the Path (Sant Mat Satsang E-Newsletter)
For the Week of January 30th - February 5th:
This is What I Mean by 'Sant Mat'
Below are spiritual quotes, satsang discourses, links, photos, audio and video (Light and Sound on the Path - Path of the Masters - the Way of the Saints/Sants).
"There are many people who want something from God, but those people are rare who want GOD." (Swami Ashutosh Baba)
"Whoever discovers the meaning of these sayings will not taste death." (Yeshua, Coptic Gospel of Saint Didymos Judas Thomas)
"Those who meditate on the Eternal, like the great ones have done, will discover the Eternal Teacher, residing in their own hearts." (Satguru Kabir)
"One can see that the body is more like a radio, more like a conscious entity in the universe that picks up things. Being born as a separate entity in the universe, we are a Point of Light, a conscious being in a separate form. We tend to assume we are a fixed, solid, physical person, but we are something greater than that -- not so limited, heavy, and fixed as our cultural conditioning makes it sound, or as we tend to perceive." (Ajahn Sumedho, The Sound of Silence)
Somewhere In Time Seeking the Timeless
Anurag Sagar: "Kal [time, limited mental perception] has entangled people in illusions to such an extent that they have totally forgotten their Real Home."
"By seeking the path within, one will go beyond the sensory realm...and will attain the State of Oneness." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Bhagalpur, Bihar)
Non-attachment: "Be valiant of spirit and disentangle yourself, in any way you can, from the web of worldly attachments." (Sant Radhasoami Sahib)
"One who calls himself a Sikh [disciple] of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning and meditate on God's Name":
Amrit Veela: Brahmamuhurta, The Best Time For Meditation
In conversation with Swarmiji, he suddenly bursts out enthusiastically with "Brahmamuhurta!" This, I learn, is the time between 3.00 AM and 6.00 AM known as the most favourable time for Sadhana (one's spiritual practices). During Brahmamuhurta, so called as it is considered the most auspicious time for meditating on Brahman (God), the mind is calm and less engaged with worldly thoughts, worries and anxieties. Also the atmospheric energy during this time is more charged with sattva (purity), increasing the likelihood one's practice will go deeper, with the corresponding health and well-being benefits. (from the article, Meeting an Enlightened Master, Rishikesh, Sanctuary of Sadhus, Sages and the Occasional Enlightened Master)
The world is an inn where travelers assemble from different directions for the night and by morning take their respective destinations.
"The body shall turn to dust, and the soul shall fly away". (The Little Book of Spiritual Wisdom, by Jatinder Singh)
"To act without understanding is to lose the treasure of this human life." (Guru Amar Das)
"There is no meditation for one who is without wisdom (knowledge), and no wisdom for one who is without meditation. He, in whom there are meditation and wisdom, is close to Nirvana." (Dhammapada)
Satsang: Associating with Living Saints (Not Institutions)
"Remembering God, life is successful, if spent in the service of others." (Sant Dadu Dayal, quoted in the Dadu Vani)
"Through association of Saints, the hearing of spiritual talks and study, wisdom can be acquired. Wisdom is essential in determining what is the right way to live your life." (Maharshi Mehi)
"Explaining 'Word' or Sound Current, Kabir says that for practical purpose the Sound Current assumes the form of Guru in this world and reforms the souls. Satguru carries a message from God and ties us to the thread of Naam Simran (i.e. concentration on the Word)." (Anurag Sagar)
Truth (Sat) Always Wins: "Truth should be the guideline in the performance of all activities, spiritual or temporal, for a satsangi. Nothing that falls short of truth should be acceptable to him [or her]." (Agam Prasad Mathur, Petals of Love)
"The Eternal Abode is Truth. Truth is the only religion. Truth is the name of God. Truth is the True Guru. Truth is Enlightenment." (Book of Brahm Nirupan)
"The Master always advises people to explore the Shabd in the depth of their hearts. But they ignore the pleas of the Master -- how then will their inner eyes open? Rare is the deserving soul who makes the teachings of the Master the foundation of his/her life." (Sant Radhasoami Sahib)
"This world is perishable and so also is all that pertains to it. A wise man is he, who, having closely examined the nature of existence here, has realized that it is all transitory and illusory, and consecrated his human form by devoting himself to Bhajan and Simran...." (Sant Radhasoami Sahib)
"You have slept for unnumbered ages; this morning will you not wake?" (Satguru Kabir)
"One who sleeps or shows indifference to the spiritual aspect of life remains buried under maya [illusion]. One who remains awake to the needs of the spirit automatically sleeps or becomes indifferent to maya." (Swami Ji Maharaj)
"We should understand that bhakti [love] is the life or soul of the entire universe." (Baba Devi Sahab)
"Deep within the nucleus of the self is the jewel." (Guru Amar Das)
Note: Various quotes below from Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj of Bhagalpur, Bihar, were translated into English by Pravesh K. Singh, Veena Howard, and a couple are from the new Inward Journey blog by Amit Jyoti, sevadar for Swami Ashutosh Gurusnehi, Santsevi Dhyanyog Ashram.
"God is found not in a man-made Kaba, but in natural Kaba (temple), within your own heart or self." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
Inner Light and Sound Meditation: Surat Shabd Yoga
"In each house (heart) the Light shines, but we are blind [ignorant of that divine Light] so we cannot see it. If we keep looking, we will find the Light and will destroy the shackles of death." (Kabir)
"The individual Soul has descended from the higher worlds [realms 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 natural tendencies of the Soul (Atman) are to move from outward to inward." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"God is perceivable only through the soul. But our individual soul has become surrounded or covered by several sheaths or subtle bodies [astral, causal, etc...]. So long as it remains in the captivity of these various subtle bodies and the physical body, it will be under the knowledge of these bodies and organs only, will be under illusory knowledge only, and will not be able to realize God. In order to know Him, the Jiva-atma or the individual soul shall have to liberate itself from these bondage's. The one who is able to liberate himself from the body and subtle bodies, is able to lift himself beyond the universe, also." (Param Poojya Shahi Swami Ji Maharaj)
"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 sixth chakra, the Third Eye, Bindu, Center between the eyebrows). Therein lies the path for our return." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"In this process of dhyan, the scattered consciousness gets fully collected and there appears a Refulgent Point which, according to holy Bhagwad Gita is the Infinitesimal Form of God. There appears the Refulgent Lights in the inner darkness and our consciousness starts hearing inner divine Sounds. In this state, the true Master guides the practitioner...." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"Whatever little is possible, do meditation everyday. But never ever give up or discontinue meditation. You will definitely meet with success." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"All of you please keep on practicing meditation regularly, everyday. Gurudev will bestow you with success!" (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"We sit in meditation, fail to concentrate, and get upset or fed up. A pessimistic thinking sets in as to whether or not 'I would be able to do it.' No, we should not get nervous, or anxious. Nor should we nurture any doubts in our minds. We must go on trying, with persistence and perseverance." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"The main hindrances to success in the practice of meditation are the following: procrastination and laziness, activity of thoughts during meditation (day dreaming, fanciful imagination, planning, the rising of any kinds of thoughts)." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"Unless we overcome the magnanimous challenge of procrastination and curb the ever-rising tide of mental activity during meditation, we cannot reach our Noble (arya) destination (state of unity with God). The un-vigilant practitioners usually become engrossed in thoughts or fall sleep. These formidable passes must be crossed for success." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"During meditation we should be vigilant and awake. Whatever is our point of focus, we should diligently keep our mind on that goal and we will not be bothered by sleep." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
Quality Meditation - Focusing One's Attention (Surat)
"Without formless or subtle meditation, attainment of Inner Light is impossible. You must get yourself out of darkness. How will this happen? Prat-ya-hara -- bringing the mind back -- is followed by dha-rana, sustaining of focus for small periods. At first this will be for even a small time. Pratyanhara is the repeated practice of bringing the wandering mind to a focus. By repetitive practice of pratyahara we are able to focus for a little while on the object of meditation. This focusing for small periods is known as dharana. When this Dharana continues for extended periods, then the state of dhyana or complete focus occurs." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"If you do the practice for a few days, the inner way will open before you. It is the path to reach the One God, the Most High." (Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras)
"Another indication of love, faith, and fervor is that one applies oneself diligently and enthusiastically to internal spiritual practices (abhyas), and also gets some bliss in it." (Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhasoami, Volume 5)
"Repeating God's Name is a very easy way to find God." (Sant Tukarama)
"Always keep your mind in simran. It will purify the mind. When pure it will be able to hear the inner Sound (Shabd Dhun)." (Baba Jaimal Singh)
Anurag Sagar: "As long as the jiva [soul] doesn't merge himself in Naam [the Sound Current], he wanders in this world. When he contemplates on the Formless and merges into Naam, all his doubts go away. If he merges into Naam even for a moment, Its greatness cannot be described."
Ek Ong Kaar Sat Naam Kartaa Purakh Nirbhao Nirvair Akal Moorat Ajoonee Saibhang Gurprasaad Jap Aad Sach Jugaad Sach Haibhee Sach Naanak Hosee Bhee Sach: The Creator of All is One - Truth is His Name - Jap Ji - from the Morning Prayer of Satguru Nanak:
"When we receive initiation from a Saint, practice Naam Simran to retrace our consciousness from toes to a spot behind the eyes [3rd Eye]. Only then something is accomplished." ("Anurag Sagar", Volume I, commentary by Baba Kehar Singh)
Beyond the Darkness, There is Light
"When we see darkness with our eyes closed, we are in the realm of death and re-birth [we are unaware of our true nature]." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"What is the place to be reached? When we close our eyes and see darkness, this is the realm of ignorance. When the Light dawns within you, then you understand that you reside in noble regions. In darkness resides ignorance and in Light resides Knowledge." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"Man's soul shall become, when it leaveth the body, a great flood of Light, so as to traverse all the regions until it cometh into the Kingdom of Mystery." (Yeshua, Gospel of Faith-Wisdom/Pistis Sophia)
"Seek, all of you, after the Light, so that the power of your soul that is in you may find Life. Do not cease seeking day or night until you find the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you, transform you into pure Light, and guide you into the Kingdom of the Light." (Yeshua, Gospel of Faith-Wisdom/Pistis Sophia)
"When we come out of the realm of darkness and enter into the realm of Light, we will at the same time transcend the web of death. It is not possible that we can remain in darkness and be free from the net of birth and death. Having achieved Inner Light we can be liberated from the cycle of birth and death." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
On the Other Side of Silence, there is Heavenly Sound
"The Lord in Shabd form is always with you and is never far. (from a letter of Swami Ji Maharaj to Rai Saligram)
"Those are fortunate who are intent on listening to the inner celestial Sound of unqualified nirvana." (Jagjivan Sahab)
"He, who carries on the practice of the true Sound, beholds the Truth from the beginning to the end within his body. By realizing the true Sound with rapt attention, he attains the status of a pure swan. Such a devotee reaches the Immortal Abode, and there he sees mysterious and wondrous sights." (Sant Dariya Sahib)
"Consciousness that is traveling beyond Sunna (the Void) and Maha Sunna (the great void), traverses the realm of Banwar Gupha (the Whirling Cave). There it experiences the Sound of Truth (Sat), which is the Original Sound. This Sound embodies the essence of the spiritual preceptor. O practitioner! Hold onto that Sound and become one with that True Sound." (Maharshi Mehi)
"Where that Purusha (Supreme Being) resides, nothing else exists. This I know (from my experience). Whoever understands what I say [this mystery], has achieved Nirvana." (Kabir)
"When a soul is absorbed on the peak (highest inner realm) of Emptiness, then it experiences rapture." (Sant Charan Das)
"In the state beyond thought in Samadhi (deep meditation, Sunna, Emptiness), neither maya (illusion) or the web of mind exist. Only the gracious God exists." (Satguru Nanak)
"I have found the essence and truth of all practices and religions upon tasting the intoxication of the Beloved." (Sant Dadu Dayal)
"Through inner meditation the jiva-atman (individual soul) begins its ascent toward the Soundless State where it will eventually merge with God. When the soul thus experiences oneness with God, it will attain ultimate peace and supreme joy. Sant Mat teaches a path to the attainment of this joy and peace. This is the significance of the way of the Saints and the importance of Sant Mat." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"Listening to the Sound of silence, you can begin to contemplate non-thinking, because when you are just listening to the cosmic Sound there is no thought. It's like this -- emptiness, not-self. When you're just with the cosmic Sound alone, there is pure attention, no sense of a person or personality, of 'me and mine'". (Ajahn Sumedho, The Sound of Silence)
Ultimate Reality: On the Other Side of Sound There is Anadi Purush, the Supreme Being
"We travel back from the realm of Darkness to the realm of Light, from the Light to divine Sound, and from the realm of Sound to the Soundless State. This is turning back. This is what dharma or religion really intends to teach us and it is the essence of dharma." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)
"There is a Being who is Inaccessible (Agam), unfathomable (Alakh), and Nameless (Anami), and who has no locality, and is not confined to space." (Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India)
Seven Stages of Mystic Ascension to Heaven According to Sant Mat - Three Important Requirements - and - Meditation Practice
The Seven Stages of Mystic Ascension to Heaven:
1) Praise or Bhakti [banis, bhajans];
2) Prayer;
3) Manas japa (simran, praying without ceasing, repeating the name of God -- mantra, the first stage of meditation);
4) Manas dhyana (visualising the form of the Master, second stage of meditation);
5) Dristi sadhana (seeing Inner Light at the Third Eye Center, third stage of meditation);
6) Nada Sadhana (hearing the Inner Sounds -- Surat Shabd Yoga, fourth stage of meditation);
7) Reaching Kaivalya (Oneness);
Soundlessness (Anadi, the Fifth Stage)
"Nameless [Anami], Unapproachable [Agam], Unseen [Alakh], is the Abode of Truth (the Supreme Reality). When the consciousness (soul) immerses in this Reality, the Saints declare it reaches the State of Nirvana." (Maharshi Mehi)
Three Important Requirements: Praise, Prayer, Meditation
By Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj
Harmony of All Religions
There are three important requirements to be met in the practice of a person who pursues devotion to the Divine and seeks to attain liberation. First is praise; second is prayer; and third is meditation. We know that when we are indebted to someone, we should express our gratitude and appreciation. God has blessed us bountifully.
Although we are unable to repay God for his generous blessings, we can acknowledge this goodness by chanting praises about the Divine Being. When we exalt God through song, we declare the glories of the Divine. In doing this, we remember the grandeur of God. As a natural result, our faith in God increases. Unless we acknowledge someone's qualities, it is impossible to be faithful to that person.
Tulsi Das Sahab says:
"Without having the knowledge of the nature of God it is impossible to know him. And without understanding his qualities we can not have love for God. Without love we cannot have devotion and true faith. This is as unattainable as the mixing of water and oil [which is impossible]."
Therefore, in order to have devotion and faith in God it is necessary to know the grandeur of God. Once the glory of God is known, our heart is attracted to God. This is a great way to keep your heart in devotion to God. Thus, it is through praise that we extol the divine powers of God and draw our mind toward God.
After singing praises to God we, then, pray. Prayer is supplication with deep humility. In general, people have desires and make demands. Only the great sages do not have wants.
Prayer and invocation are not merely concerned with the mindless muttering of requests, but rather, prayer should be the voice of our heart. God always listens to the one who calls out with a pure heart.
Communion or Meditation Practice
The practices of praise and prayer-glorification and invocation-are followed by communion through the practices of contemplation and meditation. The Sanskrit word upasana literally means sitting near God. The saints distinguish four categories of upasana. The four basic practices are:
1) Manas japa [simran],
2) Manas dhyana [dhyan],
3) Dristi sadhana [Yoga of inner Light] and
4) Nada-nu-sandhana [Yoga of nada/shabd/inner Sound].
-- Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Harmony of All Religions
Meditation Practice (Sadhana) According to Sant Mat Mysticism
There are several meditation practices in Sant Mat. There are several techniques described, the specific details of which are taught to students at the time of their deeksha (initiation) into the practice:
1) developing a daily routine, the habit of meditating at the same time or times each day;
2) proper posture with back straight so that one is truly focused at the Third Eye and remains alert and awake;
3) Manas Japa (simran), a mantra repetition of a sacred word or words chanted mentally;
4) Manas Dhyan, the technique of mentally visualising a form of God or one's teacher;
5) Drshti Yoga (Yoga of inner Light), the technique of focusing upon an Infinitesimal Point. This Point will eventually blossom into inner Light or visions of Light. One gazes into the middle of the darkness or the Light one sees while in meditation. Think of the Infinitesimal Point as being like a laser pointer or cursor keeping one focused. One passes from scene to scene and vision to vision always looking toward the center;
6) Nada Sadhana (Yoga of inner Sound or Bhajan), the practice of inner spiritual hearing; and,
7) Reaching the State of Kaivalya: Oneness with the Supreme Being in the Pure Conscious Realm. The ultimate goal is to merge into the Upper Level of Kaivalya known as the Ocean of Love and Compassion, the Ultimate Reality of God in the Nirguna or Formless State, also described with terms such as Radhaswami (Lord of the Soul), Anami (The Nameless One) and Anadi (The Soundless State beyond inner Light and Sound).
A Living School of Spirituality: The Path of the Masters
"A time will come when you will find yourself among people whose company inspires you towards devotion to the Master and Naam." (Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Volume One)
"God, though present everywhere, is not perceived by our senses. Those initiated by an accomplished Master can see Him within themselves." (Maharshi Mehi)
"There is no end to the number of Sants who appeared in the yugas (epochs) of Sat, Treta, Dvapar, and Kali. I sing of the celebrated one I have encountered, and bow my head to all the others." (Jan Gopal, disciple of Sant Dadu Dayal)
