Sant Mat As It Is -- Light and Sound on the Path, January 2012
Below in this first Sant Mat Satsang Society digest/newsletter of 2012:
*Links to Podcasts and Sant Mat Websites;
*The Ascension of the Soul;
*Spirituality Part of Daily Life;
*Meditation Improves With Practice -- Never Give Up;
*Do Simran -- Do the Meditation;
*About the Practices and the Ahimsa/Ethical Foundation of Sant Mat: Five Precepts, and Eight Limbs of Yoga;
*The Four Essentials of Sant Mat;
*Bhajan of Huzur Maharaj: The Secret of Life: Contained Within This Human Form Are All the Portals and Inner Regions of the Cosmos;
*How Karma Operates (Essays on the Bijak of Kabir, A Genuine Satsang Template of Sant Mat)
and....
*Happy New Year 2012! -- Five New Year Messages;
Jai Sat Naam -- Jai Guru -- Radhasoami!
Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts with James Bean @ Youtube:
Daily Spiritual Quotes: Sant Mat at Facebook:
Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog - Number One Sant Mat Blog on the Web:
Daily Spiritual Quotes: Sant Mat at Twitter:
Daily Spiritual Quotes: Sant Mat at Tumblr:
"Better than a thousand useless words
is one useful word,
hearing which one attains peace.
Better than a thousand useless verses
is one useful verse,
hearing which one attains peace."
-- Buddha, Dhammapada
"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)
"Those that say that individuals are not capable of changing anything are only looking for excuses" (Vaclav Havel)
"The eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend." (Henri Bergson)
Starve the ego,
Feed the soul.
"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself." (Thich Nhat Hanh)
"I think it's very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person." (Oscar Wilde)
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." (Oscar Wilde)
Souls are God-Particles: "The soul is a particle or wave (ansa) of the Supreme Being just as the ray of the Sun is an emanation of the Sun."(Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhasoami)
"The pathway to the liberation of the 'jiva' (individual soul) already exists within each one of us." (Baba Devi Sahab)
"God and Love (Bhakti) are one and the same thing". (Baba Devi Sahab)
"Look within yourself with the inner eye. The whole expanse inside is replete with the refulgence of the Divine Light." (Sant Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic)
"Remember, I can only show you the door, you must walk through it". (Morpheus, in, The Matrix)
The Ascension of the Soul, By Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj
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 qualities (natural tendencies) of the sense organs draw us 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. 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 sixth chakra, the Third Eye Bindu, Center between the eyebrows). Therein lies the path for our return. This is the act of leaving the gates of the sense organs and becoming established in the soul. .... 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 [the Ocean of Love and All-consciousness]. 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, Harmony Of All Religions)
Spirituality Part of Daily Life, By Swami Harinandan Baba, Living One and Current Acharya (Teacher) of Sant Mat at Maharshi Mehi Ashram -- in Guru Kabir/Sant Dharamdas/Sant Dariya Sahib/Sant Tulsi Sahib Lineage -- Translation from Hindi into English Provided by Pravesh K. Singh Ji
This faith, loyalty and dedication precisely are the proof of one's honesty. We should forsake neither three times meditation a day nor satsang (company of noble people). Those who develop the habit of attending satsang daily, feel as if they have committed some crime if they somehow miss satsang, even for a single day. Similar is the state of those who practice meditation regularly. If they don't sit in meditation as scheduled, they feel restless as if something really important has gone amiss, feel bereft of mental peace. Another thing is that only they who meditate regularly find concentration and genuine pleasure in it. Which is why, our Guru Maharaj (Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj) would say, "Attend satsang daily, and meditate daily as well". If you could fix and strictly observe a particular routine for meditation, that would be even better. Get up at 3 AM, also known as 'Brahma Muhurta'. There is no disturbance at this hour. Ambiance, also is perfectly calm. This is the best time for meditation.
Meditation Improves With Practice -- Never Give Up, By Swami Harinandan Baba
Initially when we sit in meditation, 'dhyAn' [true meditation, all encompassing concentration] does not take place; it is as if we are pretending to meditate. But as we tenaciously persist sincerely with our practice, one day dhyAn does happen in its true sense. Otherwise those are extremely rare to find who can do dhyAn perfectly. DhyAn has been described as "dhyAnam shUnyagatam manah" (Dhyan means the mind getting completely void of any thoughts or agitations). He who can accomplish perfect dhyAn finds that his mind has become empty. Thus Sants exhort us not to sit in the lap of disappointment (if we don't succeed in meditation) but to persevere whether dhyAn is effected or not.
Do Simran -- Do the Meditation, By Swami Harinandan Baba
Perform virtuous acts, you will receive happiness. Also do 'sumiran' (remembering God's name, or meditating on the Divine Sound) regularly. The biggest advantage of 'sumiran' is that we do not have to pass through the painful cycle of 8.4 million species again. Those who perform true worship of God, meditate on His name, are rid of the cycle of transmigration. The condition is that meditation be done with utmost regularity. Get initiation from an adept Guru, meditate thrice daily. Whether you see anything (during meditation) or not, never ever discontinue meditation. Initially, it might appear to be a mere show, a 'useless' exercise. People often say that they are going to do 'dhyan', but dhyan does not happen in the very beginning. Dhyan is in fact the seventh limb of eight-fold Yoga* (as enunciated by Patanjali). We have to start with 'yam'**, 'niyam', 'Asan', 'prANAyAm', 'pratyAhAr'; then comes 'dhyAn'. Dhyan is followed by 'samAdhi' (the highest state of meditation) which is the eighth limb of yoga. So dhyan does not happen initially. First we make an attempt to do dhyan, and this process is called 'dhyAn AbhyAs' (practice of dhyan [meditation]).
About the Practices and the Ahimsa/Ethical Foundation of Sant Mat
* The Eight Limbs of Yoga -- Stairway to Heaven -- these steps and stages of ascension are used to varying degrees fairly universally by Eastern spiritual paths:
** Ethical Foundation - The Five Precepts: Two and a half/three hours of meditation per day, and ethcial precepts of Ahisma (non-violence in thought, word, and deed):
THE ETHICAL FOUNDATON OF SANT MAT -- AHIMSA VALUES -- THE FIVE PRECEPTS (Includes Vegan Version)
Moral requirements for Initiation
1. Abstinence from alcohol and drugs (intoxicants);
2. Ahimsa (Non-Violence in thought, word, and deed) including in the area of diet, as in following a vegan (abstinence from animal products) or vegetarian diet (abstinence from meat, fish, and eggs);
3. Leading a truthful life;
4. Practicing non-stealing: an honest, ethical source of income;
5. Loyalty to ones spouse;
Another Version of the Five Precepts
1) Refrain from taking the life of sentient beings. This precept also requires strict adherence to a vegan (no animal products) or lacto-vegetarian diet (no meat, fish, poultry nor eggs, fertilized or non-fertilized).
2) Refrain from speaking what is not true.
3) Refrain from taking what is not yours.
4) Refrain from sexual misconduct.
5) Refrain from using intoxicants.
* Below is on Daily Meditation, Ethical Precepts, and Eight Limbs of Yoga in the book, Philosophy of Liberation, by Sant Maharshi Mehi:
88. Yama consists of five disciplines: satya (truthfulness), ahimsa (non-violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacarya (continence), and aparigraha (control of greed or non-possessiveness).
Niyama also consists of five practices, which are the following: sauca (internal and external purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (penance), svadhyaya (study of spiritual matters) and lsvara pranidhana (meditation on God).
89. In following Yama and Niyama, one exercises aversion from the five sins, serves the spiritual master, attends satsang, and practices meditation as referred to in section 60.
90. A comfortable asana (a pose of sitting or posture) of keeping the head, neck and trunk straight and steady is a must for meditation. Without the ability to sit in such a steady posture for prolonged periods, meditation cannot be practiced.
91. Meditation should be practiced being alert, without being drowsy, shutting the eyes comfortably and without turning the eyeballs or pressing them in any way.
92. The practice of meditation should be an essential part of the practitioner's daily routine. The preferred time of meditation is Brahmamuhurta ([Hour of God: Brahma-mu-hurta, or Amrit Veela: Hours of Elixir]: very early in the morning: 3:00/4:00 A.M.). Likewise one should meditate at mid-morning and then again in the evening time. While falling asleep, one should also engage his mind in meditation. Further, it is good to practice Manas japa [Simran] or Manas dhyana [Dhyan] while working.
93. Before learning the Nadanusandhana (meditation on inner Sound) in practicing Manas japa (mantra repetition), Manas dhyana (focusing on the form of the master or deity) and Drshti Yoga ([inner Light meditation in the Third Eye Center or Eye-Focus] focusing on a Point that is practicing one-pointedness), one should meditate with eyes and mouth shut. Upon learning Nadanusandhana (Yoga of Sound [Inner Sound meditation]) from the Master, one should also close the ears.
94..........In the initial stages of dhyana (absolute concentration), pratyahara is practiced. [Note: Pratyahara means to bring back. Bringing back or refocusing one's attention during meditation, bringing the mind distracted by worldly thoughts back to the Focal Point during meditation.] Through the means of pratyahara, the mind is brought back repeatedly to the Focal Point. By this constant practice of pratyahara, one is eventually able to concentrate for a short period on the Focal Point. This state of concentration is called dharana (steadiness of concentration or absorption). When absorption is maintained for longer and longer periods of time, then it is dhyana (absolute concentration). Then in this state of dhyana, one is able to grasp the Streams of spiritual Sounds (described in section 60) and finally achieves samadhi (Unity [Union, Absorption, Oneness in deep meditation]). Drshti Yoga (seeing the inner Light -- the Yoga of Vision) will greatly facilitate pratyahara and dharana. ////////
"Whoever sincerely practices the inner meditation comes to experience Light within. First he sees the Light and then he hears Sound also. Sound has a natural, inherent property of attracting the listener towards its Source or Origin. One who is capable of grasping the Sound springing straight from the God Himself gets naturally drawn to Him." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)
In Sant Mat [the Teachings of the Saints],
great importance has been attached to Bhakti;
it is the sine qua non of Sant Mat.
If there are all other attributes but no Bhakti,
then there is nothing. And he, who has no virtues
but is endowed with Bhakti, is possessed of all.
He alone is a devotee and he alone is dear to
Bhagwant (Lord). Even if one performs
Surat-Shabd Abhyas,
[spiritual exercises, inner Light & Sound Meditation]
but is devoid of this attribute,
then one is empty and hollow.
-- Maharaj Saheb, "Discourses of Maharaj Saheb"
The Four Essentials of Sant Mat are: True Guru (Sat-Guru), True Name (Sat-Naam), True Association (Sat-sang) and True Love (Sat-Anurag).
Bhajan of Huzur Maharaj: The Secret of Life: Contained Within This Human Form Are All the Portals and Inner Regions of the Cosmos
Having heard the plight of the devotee, the All-Merciful Supreme Lord spoke, thus showering torrents of Grace and draining away all pains and sufferings. Human life, with its unknown Secrets, is invaluable. Without knowing its Secrets, how may one realize its value?
Like an ignorant oil miller who did not know the value of the Philosopher's stone, he keeps on weighing oil with the precious stone that he has in his possession. Similarly, without knowing the Secret, you have not valued the human form. You have remained entangled with flesh and bones and not understood the inner Reality. Just as the All (the Reservoir of Spirituality), brought the creation into existence, in a similar measure, the Spirit-Entity has created the human body.
Saints have explained for your benefit the Secret of the creation. There is the Pinda [physical planes/universes] and Brahmanda [Universal Mind Plane], and beyond is the Region of Saints. Each of these has six subdivisions. These are explained in detail by Saints. Chakras, Kamals and Padams [Centers, Lotuses, Ganglions of various regions] are the names given to these only. This human body has within itself the images of all the regions or levels of creation. Contact with these inner regions is established when the corresponding portals are opened.
As the good fortune awakens, all these Secret Gateways get opened. The Spirit-Entity gets released naturally and rejoins its Original Source. Besides the human form, no other body provides this opportunity, (for the Spirit-Entity). It is after aimless wandering for crores of births that you have got it [sentient being, the human form]. The invaluable seeds of Bhakti [spiritual love and devotion] are sown by the Saint Incarnations. Apart from this 'soil' of the human frame, it cannot 'sprout' anywhere else. The path of traversing to the Original Abode that the Saints have revealed, cannot be traversed without residing in this human frame.
Therefore, you should be alert and know the great value of this human body. You must realize the immense value of each breath of life that you take.
Now I tell the Secret of the mind that you have been given. This provides a connection between the Spirit and the body.
The burden of the Adi Karma (original propensity to associate with physical matter) that you carry on your head -- the currents of that burden would be falling on this mind now and then.
Call mind a gateway or comprehend it as a pipeline, through which the impurity of Adi Karma would flow out and get emptied.
Without associating with the mind, one cannot reside in the body. Without associating these with the Spirit, the Karmas would not get annihilated.
Without the Karmas being annihilated, one cannot reach the Original Abode. Being sold away in the 'Bazaar of God of Death', you would have to suffer misery everyday.
Radhasoami Dayal [the Compassionate Lord of the Soul] reveals, opening up the essential Secret to you, surrender to the Holy Feet to annihilate all the ailments of your body and soul. (Prem Bani Radhasoami)
New Year Messages
Greetings for the New Year!
Hope always springs in the human heart. With this in mind, let us hope that the year 2012 will bring greater harmony, understanding, love and acceptance of one another. May the violence and other atrocities prevalent in the world come to an end, so that people can begin to live according to human ideals.
Throughout history there has been great teachings by our Saints and Satgurus to enshrine Divine Love in our hearts, to live a spiritual life, and strive to realize unity with God and with all in the world. Unfortunately, there has been violence throughout history, and the peace that most people would like to have in their lives, has not been experienced.
With the modern means of communication, good and spiritual ideas can be transmitted worldwide very quickly. However, what is most often transmitted throughout the world are the crimes, misdeeds, violence, immorality and quite often useless information. How wonderful it would be if everyone could see the reflection of Divinity in everyone else's heart. And for those who do not believe in God, they could see the reflection goodness that is inherent in the heart of everyone. We all need to raise our consciousness from the mundane to the Divine, and let go of trivialities, prejudices, hate, and a myriad of negativities that occupy our lives.
May this New Year bring blessings, brotherhood, understanding and acceptance of one another. Let the innate love that is often dormant in our heart be transmitted to all beings.
Satguru Kabir stated, "Love does not grow in a garden or sold in the
marketplace. Whether you are a king or a poor subject, you need to surrender your ego to manifest love."
BLESSINGS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Dr. J. Das
Kabir Association of Canada (pictured below)
Message from His Holiness Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Ardhnam Saheb
Satyanaam
Dear Kabir Saheb's blessed,
My heartiest well wishes to all of you for the New Year and Poornima. I wish and pray that it brings happiness and success to all of you in your endeavours. May the new year bring with it strength and devotion to bring you close to Satguru.
As each new day gives you fresh and new opportunities similarly does the beginning of a new year, glance back and see what was achieved and achievable.
May Satguru help you all in achieving your goals and bringing happiness and health in life of your dear ones.
My best wishes to all of you.
Panth Shri 1008 Hajur Ardhanam Saheb
Sadguru Kabir Prakatyadham Lahartara
Varanasi, INDIA 0091-9415304040
"In the enveloping darkness of these days, I say to all to whom my voice may reach: Turn back to God! He is not afar. He is not in temples and churches: They are no longer centres of spiritual forces. He is not in scriptures which men recite but do not make effort to translate the teaching in deeds of daily living. He is not in places of pilgrimage. He is within you!" (Dada J. P. Vaswani, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, from his New Year's Message)
"The knowledge of the soul and Supreme Soul is the highest level of knowledge for human beings. It uplifts us from earthly suffering, births and deaths to the State of Salvation (i.e. Moksha, Nirvana)." (Swami Ashutosh Baba)
A New Year's Message by Sant Kirpal Singh
All scriptures handed down the ages are conclusive that 'God is Spirit' -- moreover 'God made man in His own image.' The image cannot be but spirit.
As God is infinite, i.e. not subject to death, then man in his own essence can also be not subject to death -- he is conscious entity, a drop of the ocean of all consciousness, and indweller in the body, and on account of that the body is working. God is a living Presence within our being -- controlling us in the body. Both soul and God reside in our bodies, but we are identified with the body so much so that we have forgotten our own self. We are under a grand delusion and cannot see the world in its right perspective. Unless we know ourselves by rising above body-consciousness, how can we know God who is residing with us in the body? Truly speaking, manbody is the temple of God. We should therefore be conscious of our Divine Nature, and try to regain our God-head. For that, you turn away completely from outside and outgoing faculties for a while, and close yourself in the closet of your body. The Ringing Radiance of God will become effulgent. God is eternal, all wisdom, all happiness, so you are the same. Mind that you and God are one, you can never be separated. He is ever with you, enlivening you. His life is your life, and you cannot live without Him -- so you have nothing to fear.
Man is what he thinks about all day long. One can only live one moment at a time. Emerson said: "There is no moment in eternity more important than this moment." All real good or evil that may befall him is from himself. If a man lives in a good or bad way in the real present, he will ensure the same in the future. If you have bad thoughts for others, you will harm not them only but yourself as well, as thoughts are very potent. So try to live in the living present, forgetting the past and the future -- and fill every moment of your life with simple trust in Him in all loving devotion. He will manifest in you when you choose and turn your face to Him. As loving advice I give you, from this moment let love be your constant companion and trust Him in all things. God is love and love is God, and the way back to God is also through love. Guru Gobind Singh says "Hear ye all, I tell the truth; God is attained through love." Rest assured that He is With you always, and be of good cheer.
With all best wishes,
Yours affectionately,
Kirpal Singh
1970 Christmas and New Year's Message
RuhaniSatsangUSA Website
How Karma Operates (Essays on the Bijak of Kabir, A Genuine Satsang Template of Sant Mat), By Dr. Jagessar Das
"If we wish good things to happen, we have to do good things. We cannot have anger, hate, greed, violence, egoism, lust, jealousy and evil intentions and expect good results. Yet all people expect good things to happen to them, even when they display all the bad and negative behaviour. It simply will not happen. So the violence occurring in the world simply feeds itself in a self-perpetuating manner, as does all negative activities. Good and positive activities will also perpetuate themselves. Bad things in the world will cease only when they are replaced with good, and sufficient time is allowed for the negative karmas to work themselves out in peoples’ lives. This may take several lifetimes, but the start has to be made, otherwise there will be no progress in the positive direction. The good must be in thoughts, words and deeds. It all boils down to the fact that good will not produce bad, and bad will not produce good.
"Considering the above, how do we decide what is good and what is bad? Different people can have different interpretations of good and bad. We give 'value', whether negative of positive, to everything in life. Whatever brings happiness, comfort, self-esteem, respect, enjoyment and good health we say is good. Whatever brings suffering, stress, depression, anxiety and illness we say is bad. We mold our behaviour according to the 'value' we give to things, and according to our behaviour, we reap the fitting results, good or bad.
"How do we change our behaviour? First, we need to assess our actions in thoughts, words and deeds and decide if they are good or bad, and make the changes. This will require diligence and perseverance. Second, we need to seek the company of those who can guide us in the 'good' direction. Third, we need to get in touch with the 'Source' of our being. That Source is indescribably good, and has given the gift of life. That source is with us and within us." ////////
"Be not imprisoned in the jail of ' I ' and 'me'. He who hath transcended self, he verily hath attained to the Highest. He hath become Perfect. Such a one knows no difference between the Hindu, the Muslim, the Sikh, the Christian, the Jew, the Buddhist or the Zoroastrian, for God is the Lord of all and in all shines the one picture Divine; we are worshippers of the same Lord. The One is within thee, outside thee, in me, in him and in every place. That One alone doeth speak in all." (Kirpal Singh)
"In different times and different places saints appear and their followers name their religion according to the sage or saint who propounded that tradition. The appearance of differences can be attributed to time, place, and language. This gives rise to various labels for the common views held by all religions. Likewise, due to excessively zealous followers, these seeming differences are often amplified. When all sectarianism and the temporal and linguistic aspects are removed, the basic principles of all the saints are in accord and the voices of the saints are in harmony." (Maharishi Mehi, "Harmony of All Religions")
Let them try to imprison Him in temple, mosque and church!
The seeing eye finds the Beloved's signs in every mote.
Very near your heart are seekers of your vision;
Those who look at the surface are exiled from the Beloved's Light.
What can I say of the grace he showers on me within?
Darshan, the moment I close my eyes, the Beloved's Light begins.
"How wondrous is the instrument of love!
Two hearts join and sing as one.
Indefinable, inscrutable its ultimate design:
Life is forever a constant beginning."
(Sant Darshan Singh)
-- Darshan Singh, New Poetry Website: https://LovesLastMadness.com
