Remember the Forgotten Melody -- Light and Sound on the Path -- Digest of Spiritual Quotes, Satsang Discourses, and Announcements
Anurag Sagar: "Kal [time, limited mental perception] has entangled people in illusions to such an extent that they have totally forgotten their Real Home."
Huzur Baba Sawan Singh was once asked, "How long does it take to reach Sach Khand (a term for the Timeless spiritual plane)"? He then closed his eyes for a moment, and replied, "That long." This is the Secret of Secrets: our soul is already in heaven if we did but know it.
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"To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest." (Mahatma Gandhi)
"We have only one consciousness stream. When we associate with Truth, we ascend upwards, and when we associate with untruth we fall down." (Acharya Tulsi, a Jain teacher quoted in, "Harmony of All Religions", by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)
"God is Love; each soul is a drop from the Divine Ocean, and the Way back to God is also through Love." (Kirpal Singh)
"Love is the energizing elixir of the universe, the cause and effect of all harmonies." (Rumi)
"We should understand that bhakti [love] is the life or soul of the entire universe." (Baba Devi Sahab)
The Unseen Subtle Realms (Inner Space)
Seeing the Unseen Within
Sufis use the term "the Unseen" to refer to God and the invisible dimensions of the spiritual domain, and yet also say, "By the Light of Allah I see Allah". In Gnosticism, God is called the Great Invisible Spirit and also has a strong visionary component of mystical practice with the goal of becoming divinized by the Light of God. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God", is an often-quoted passage. The Catholic manual of contemplation called the Cloud of Unknowing describes a divine darkness and unknowing that veils God from the physical sight of material eyes. Some contemplatives within Eastern Christianity are labeled Light-mystics. Their goal is to see the Unseen, to know the Unknown, to contemplate the "Light of the Holy Trinity" with another kind of [Single] Eye, another kind of vision.
Over the centuries contemplative souls have taught that the human body is a kind of temple, and that within this temple are portals that lead to other dimensions, that by looking within this microcosm we may access the macrocosm of the heavens. The Sufi mystic and philosopher Ibn Arabi wrote in his Bezels of Wisdom: "He [Allah] brought the Cosmos into being as constituting an Unseen Realm and a Sensory Realm, so that we might perceive the Inner though our unseen and the Outer through our sensory aspect." We are children of both worlds. We human beings are a Tree of Life with roots in the earth and branches rising into a mystic sky. "The planes of heaven are about us everywhere. One has only to know this simple truth consciously, and then we will be free." (George Arnsby Jones)
Rumi: "Everything you see has its roots in the Unseen world.
The forms may change, yet the essence remains the same.
Every wonderful sight will vanish;
Every sweet word will fade,
But do not be disheartened,
The source they come from is eternal, growing,
Branching out, giving new life and new joy.
Why do you weep? The source is within you
And this whole world is springing up from it."
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen: "There is Unseen Light within you which the eyes cannot perceive. It dwells within you, and you within it, in unity." (The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh)
"My eyes have turned inward. My heart clings to the feet of Ram [God]. I worship only God-within,
nothing else, says Namdev."
Experience the state of super-consciousness
Where the Lord's love surges
And you will see your own form
In each particle of the creation."
-- Sant Namdev
Rumi: "If in thirst you drink water from a cup, you see God in it. Those who are not in love with God will see only their own faces in it."
Love bestirs the heart of the separated lover for God, and God responds by enlightening him. He then realizes that the soul and God are one. (Tisa Tantra/Thirty Gems of Kabir)
The Soul's Awakening from Illusion
"The mind has forgotten its real abode for many ages. Having clung to maya (illusion) and its objects, it acts perversely. Unless it is fully purified, the Inner Eye will not be opened. However, elevation of the spirit shall continue on a subtle level. The path will thus be opened and cleared gradually. When the mind has been completely corrected, and the Surat [attention faculty of the soul] has acquired the strength to partake of the bliss of higher regions, Radhasoami Dayal [Radhaswami: Merciful Lord of the Soul] will graciously open the Inner Eye to some extent, and vouchsafe sufficient strength. He will augment prem (love) a great deal. This will accelerate the inner progress of the spirit. Thus the path will be easily traversed. It is only then that the Jiva [the soul or spirit] will comprehend fully the eminence of Sat Purush Radhasoami Dayal [True, Eternal, Timeless Being, Merciful Lord of the Soul, God], His Shabd, and the mode of devotional practices. He will attain freedom-from-care, and intense bliss." (Huzur Maharaj)
"In the center behind and above the eyes there is an aperture; on this side of it is the material world, in which we are living now; and on the other side is the astral world." "The Word gives out both Light and Sound. At this end, in the physical plane, the Light and Sound are lost in gross matter. On the finer planes - astral, causal, and spiritual - Sound is audible and Light is visible. At the upper end, the Sound is the finest music unheard by human ears - and the Light is of millions of suns and moons in one ray." (Huzur Baba Sawan Singh)
"After meeting the Satguru, one understands the play of Shabda and Surat. It is the union of the drop and the ocean." (Anurag Sagar)
The Sants have advocated two paths only for attainment of Nirvana:
1) The Path of Knowledge [Gnosis, Inner Experience], and,
2) The Path of Bhakti (Devotion for God)
Human birth is most precious and it should not be lost in mere satisfaction of sensuous pleasures, accumulation of wealth and wielding power. Human birth should be utilised for the realization of Pad-Nirvan (God). If this opportunity is lost, none can say when one would be fortunate to get human birth again. Getting human birth is rare. (from the Teachings of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar)
"Adopt a righteous way of life and be content. You may have certain desires, but stop there; don't increase them. Then reconsider the desires and where they will take you. What lies ahead, and what will you take with you? We are hurrying, scurrying through life; we are not even conscious of what we are doing most of the time." (Kirpal Singh)
Says Kabir,
"You will befriend Sages
if that's your fate.
You will receive the fruit of salvation
and there will be no hindrance
on the high and hazardous road."
(Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth,
Nirmal Dass, SUNY Press, NY)
Inner Guidance -- The Silence Speaks Volumes: "To be pure and still means to be open to purity and stillness -- as a result you can intuit the truth." "Detach yourself from what disturbs and distracts you, and be as pure as one who breathes in purity and emptiness. This state is the gateway to enlightenment -- It is the Way to Peace and Happiness." (Da Qin Nestorian Scripture -- Jesus Sutras)
Remember the Forgotten Melody, the Ancient Song That Will Take You Home
"You are to attend to your meditation every day. When you persevere in this practice, His grace will surly descend upon you one day..... Moreover, the Shabd-dhun [Sound Current, Inner Celestial Melody] is the very essence of the Anami [Nameless] Lord, and it is resounding within you all the time. When it pleases Him to merge the soul with Himself, He will do so in an instant. When the soul is as pure as the Shabd-dhun, there won't be even a moment's delay. Ever since the material world was created the mind and soul have been gathering dirt. Never for a spell of ten or twenty years has the soul been fixed in the Shabd-dhun for seven or eight hours. How can it then find a place in the Dhun [Heavenly Melody] so soon? Until the soul has intense longing for the Dhun day and night, how can it merge into the Dhun? Submit yourself and practice daily the technique imparted to you, because the Shabd-dhun Guru is anxious to purify your soul and mind without delay. He showers such grace and mercy that not even for a moment does He forget the time when the soul that He has awakened through the Shabd-dhun will become pure so that by merging it within His Shabd-dhun Form He can take it to Sach Khand [True Eternal Timeless Spiritual Realm]." (Baba Jaimal Singh)
"My Beloved abides in the fourth Lok*." (Soami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Book One) *Spiritual Realm
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. (Yogani Mata Ji, Enchanted Land)
Yogani Mata Ji, Disciple of Baba Faqir Chand:
"If a person adopts a Master and having faith in him, gets himself initiated, does meditation with devotion then he can become a hansa (bird of heaven, pure soul, heavenly being,). Such an attainment is priceless. His Master (the personification of the Word) will take him step by step to the thousand-petalled lotus, Trikuti, Daswan Dwar, Bhawar Gupha, Sach Khand and after a short stay, to Alakh, Agam and Anami Desh which is the highest eternal Region, the Ultimate Abode."
"Oh Dharam Das! If a person gives up all doubts, meditates regularly on Naam imparted by the Master, and behaves in the manner the saints behave and follows in their footsteps, that is, he listens to the Sound Current within himself, then he can tread the path of saints in search of the Highest Truth. There is a Sound Current coming from the Final Abode and calling you to come. So if you listen to that Call, then you can ascend like saints." (Anurag Sagar, Tarn Taran Edition)
"You should listen attentively to the reverberating divine Sound. The Celestial Sound is coming to take you back to the Source." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"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)
"When one begins to hear Shabd [the inner Sound Current], one's mind is brought under control. By no other means will it come round." (Soami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry, Book One)
Collect Your Diffused Spirituality,
By Sant Radhasoami Sahib
O nightingale! Recognize the flower garden, where a
great variety of flowers are blossoming. (1)
Come along and live in close association with Guru.
Go on elevating your mind and Surat. (2)
Collect your diffused spirituality and be whole-heartedly
attentive. You will gradually merge in Jyoti [Light]. (3)
Remove the two slabs or curtains, and behold the
Thousand-petalled Lotus of Sahas-dal-kanwal. (4)
Peep into the creation there, then dwell freely and
openly. Pass over the bridge and get across. (5)
There, whiffs of sweet fragrance of sandal are enjoyed,
and Surat and mind are cleansed of impurities. (6)
The obstacles created by Kal will disappear, and
then, your Surat will apply itself wholeheartedly to
Shabd. (7)
Extricated from the mire of Karma, you will proceed
on and meet RADHASOAMI [Radhaswami, the Lord of the Soul]. (8)
-- Swami Ji Maharaj, Bachan 20 -- Shabd 23,
Sar Bachan Poetry, Volume One
"God [Hari] is my companion
in life and death.
Hari, who rescued
the drowning creature.
"Hari, the Giver of joy
is always with me.
I am immersed in
the name of Hari
says Namdev."
Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers
and take the route of the anguished lover in separation.
Keep the Master's grace in your thoughts,
and reflect upon his pure teachings.
Develop love and devotion with endearment,
and keep the thought of the Creator always before you.
Try to merge yourself into God like water and water.
Fix your mind within by following the Path of the Sound Current.
A yearning will arise; make then an intense and anguished call.
Repeat the Name of your Beloved,
day and night,
again and again.
With care in thought, word and deed,
you will cross to the other shore.
-- Sant Dadu Dayal
Only the day spent
In repetition of the Lord's Name
Is reckoned fruitful
In the court of the Lord.
He who is absorbed in the Name,
The Lord is always with him
As his companion.
The day spent in repetition
Alone counts in the Lord's court.
Ceaselessly burns the lamp of Maya,
And men and gods, like moths,
Rush blindly into its flames.
Having attained the state
Of poise and detachment,
Kabir, the Lord's slave,
Has swum across the ocean
And reached the haven.
-- Guru Kabir, from the Kabir Granthavali
"O traveler! Seek the path that lies within you. You and your Beloved are in the same body. Your Beloved is pervading everywhere, but not being perceived. Those initiated by Guru are able to recognize Him within their bodies. O traveller! If you wish to go alone on the path of the Lord, look for the path within and do not delay. The four spheres of darkness, Light, Sound and Soundlessness [Anadi, Anami] -- they all lie within the temple of your body." (Padavali of Maharshi Mehi)
