A Culture of Love -- Light and Sound on the Path -- Digest of Spiritual Quotes and Sant Mat Satsang Discourses
"The lover of God will cry and weep until he finds rest in the Beloved's embrace." (Rabia al-Adawiyya)
Kabir: "Without Bhakti [spiritual love] and devotion, nobody can swim across the vast and deep ocean of this samsara [sansaar, world of changes] even if one makes use of lakhs [thousands] of ways and means; but if one takes to the Word and develops love for Shabd [the Sound Current], one will one hundred percent go to his eternal abode." (The Essential Kabir, M.G. Gupta translation)
"In Sant Mat [the Teachings of the Saints], great importance has been attached to Bhakti [love, devotion]; it is the sine qua non of Sant Mat. If there are all other attributes but no Bhakti, then there is nothing." (Maharaj Saheb)
Contents Below -- In This Issue/Mailing/Blog/Digest
* A Culture of Love: The North Indian Sant Tradition of Bhakti;
* Sant Tulsi Sahib's Song of Separation, also Icons from the Hathras Mandir/Ashram;
* Quotes from Kabir, Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, Narada Bhakti Sutras, newly acquired books of M.G. Gupta, Rumi, Sarmad the Sufi Saint, Swami Ji Maharaj, Huzur Maharaj, Baba Devi Sahab, Swami Bhagirath Baba, Maharaj Saheb, Babuji Maharaj, Rabia, Saint Isaac the Syrian, Swami Sant Sevi Ji, Darshan Singh, Kirpal Singh, Julian Johnson, Dalai Lama, Mechthild of Magdeburg (German Mystic), Pistis Sophia (Gnostic Gospel), Epictetus, and Abraham of Nathpar (Syriac Mystic);
* A Drop Merging Back Into the Divine Ocean -- Discourse on Meditation;
* For Spiritual Dreams, A Mini Meditation Just Before Sleep (Satsang in the Dream State);
* Kabir's Body Turned Into Flowers;
* Being Vegan is True Vegetarianism -- A Culture of Compassion;
* A Proven Shopping List of Longevity and Health;
SANT MAT LINKS
* Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts:
* Sant Mat Books -- Online Library -- Recommended Reading:
* An Introduction to Sant Mat (also has a comprehensive collection of links to various sites, pages and resources related to the Path of the Masters):
* Sant Mat Meditation and Spirituality Blog at Medium:
* Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog/Archive -- You can access this, and previous satsang newsletters going back many years:
* Guru Lineage Charts of Sant Mat, Kabir to 2013:
* Facebook: Daily Spiritual Quotes/Quote of the Day/Social Networking:
A Culture of Love: The North Indian Sant Tradition of Bhakti
"Whosoever amongst us believes in this auspicious Gospel of Narada and has faith in it, becomes a lover of God, and attains the highest beatitude and goal of life." (Narada Bhakti Sutras, the Book of Love)
This is a Path of Bhakti as well as Inner Light, and Sound. "All Sants, and Soami Ji Maharaj in particular, have, in their Bani [hymns], laid great stress upon engendering love. The idea is that the task can be accomplished quickly and easily with the help of love. Mere renunciation cannot afford so much advantage, nor can mere comprehension of the Faith confer such a benefit. All activities in the world are going on because of love and desire. If one does not have any feeling of love or he has no interest in a matter, he can do nothing. For the real spiritual welfare of their soul, it therefore behoves all Jivas [souls] to develop real love for the true Supreme Being." (Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhasoami)
"In the north, we have Kabir, Nanak, Mirabai, Tulsidas, and others. Their verses show that love [Bhakti] of God is not a thing which we produce in ourselves by extensive brooding or self-hypnotism or by any other method. It is a permanent flame, slowly burning in the caverns of our hearts. Only however when it gains strength through study and association with other devotees (Satsang) and the company of the Satguru, do we come to know of it.
"There is a spiritual longing in the heart of man, indistinct and undefined, but steady like a flame tapering upwards to the Divine Goal. There is nothing higher than the culture of this love. Hearing and singing the praises of God stimulates its growth .... until it ascends higher and higher, eventually reaching God." -- M.G. Gupta, Indian Mysticism: Rig Veda to Present Day, M.G. Publishers
"Keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best."(Epictetus)
"So plunge into the truth,
find out who the Teacher is.
Believe in the Great Sound!" (Kabir)
Kabir says: "The Satguru is very kind to the humble and the meek, and His advent here has been an act of great compassion. He has shown His grace and mercy to me. The path which could have taken crores [many millions] of births to tread, He has enabled me to negotiate in a moment." (The Essential Kabir, M.G. Gupta translation)
The same need that brought great souls into the world during past centuries is still with us. My experience and belief is that the age of prophets, apostles, masters or saints is still with us, that there is a Living Gnosis Now. There are living Masters in the world today. The reality and not the illusion of having a guru, begins here, with this openness to the possibility of Living Ones Now.
The Reality and Not the Illusion of Having A Guru -- article -- some thoughts:
Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras
Tulsi's spiritual path was classic Sant Mat -- the Sant tradition of India, and its spiritual practice known as Surat Shabd Yoga (Bhakti of the Inner Light and Sound of God, Anami Purush).
Tulsi Sahib said: "Nanak, Dadu, Dariya Saheb, Mira Bai, Soor Das, Kabir and Nabbaji have all reached the Mystic Sky and have given out the secrets. Their souls have got across and merged there.
"Though their teachings are one and the same, their ways of teaching are different. Indeed, all Sants have proceeded along the same path. All of them ascended along the same Current of Shabd (inner Sound), and got across......
"What Sants have said about Sant Mat is what they saw with their own eyes. They have sung of it in the form of couplets and hymns.....Sants have spoken of the secrets of Shabd and the path on which Surat has to proceed......" ("Param Sant Tulsi Sahib", translated into English by S.D. Maheshwari)
Maheshwari: "Tulsi Sahib's works consist of Shabdavali; Ratan Sagar, Ghat Ramayan and a small unfinished book called Padma Sagar. Shabdavali is a collection of miscellaneous compositions set to different ragas (scales) of Indian classical music, and deals with various aspects of Sant Mat. Ghat Ramayan and Ratan Sagar have been written in the form of dialogues with disciples and seekers. Ghat Ramayan deals with the various religious doctrines prevalent at that time, and explains their meaning in the light of Sant Mat. Ratan Sagar deals with the mystery of creation, heaven and hell, Kal or the Negative Power, karmas, mind and death. It also sings the glory of perfect Saints and extols the value of their company and satsang. Lastly, it explains how Saints take care of the soul of the disciple when it leaves the body."
Hathras Mandir (Ashram): The name of the Gurus: upper right: Shri Sant Tulsi Sahib; upper left: Shri Sur Swami Sahib Ji; lower right: Shri Sant Prakash Sahib Ji; and on lower left: Shri Guru Dayal Sahib Ji.
"This spiritual path and its destination is divine love.... The remover of difficulties is the one spiritual Teacher who has given you the secret knowledge (spiritual guidance and experience)." (Baba Devi Sahab)
The Journey Into Divine Light and Sound Accompanied by the Beloved -- Mystic Verses of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras (The Song of Virah)
[The following is the complete translation, made by Shweta Sharma, of Sant Tulsi Sahib's Shabd of Virah, a song sung when the lover suffers from the agony of separation from his sweetest Beloved.]
"Saawan is the month of love, of longing for the Beloved and as the drops of rain touch the earth, the soul thirsts more and more for union with the Beloved, the Guru.
"Tulsi weeps, Saawan without my piya (the Beloved, the husband) is nothing, the pangs of separation rise like waves in the ocean do, in the inmost core of my heart. Uttering and hearing words do not entertain me or suit my mood, my body and mind are convulsing with immeasurable pain.
"The sorrow caused by the absence of my Beloved husband is so intense that it makes me wander like a mad woman. My heart seethes with anguish, this separation torments me like a thorn that pricks the skin. In this severance from the Beloved guru, all the money and wealth of this world has become to me like the dust of this earth.
"Dark clouds laden with moisture have now become my enemies as they roar and whirl. I feel the twinge of the aching cry of the peacock and with this, the rumbling and twirling of the clouds fills my inner being and I become one with the turbulence of the skies. My soul begins to whirl and swing between the chakras (the doorsteps of these stations within) and I lose all awareness of the world outside.
"If my Beloved comes along with me, I would undertake this journey within the realms of my inner being day and night. Surat (the soul that is a drop from the ocean of the Supreme Being) is the current that moves up when it engrosses itself in the Divine Shabd [inner Sound] and Nirat [inner Seeing] (the current that detaches the Surat from the Shabd so that the journey of soul does not get hampered by getting stuck at one region of higher bliss).
"Tulsi makes a string of Surat and Nirat and ties this string with a pole that he makes of his mann (mind) and intellect. He merges with the rhythmic waves of the Divine Word that he encounters higher up and the Surat rises swinging with these waves.
"This rainy season, Tulsi says, get active in pursuit of true satsang ('sat' or truth, plus 'sang' or company: company of the true Guru, the Beloved, the husband). Only those who cross the third til [third eye] climb up and down this thread of Surat and Nirat and realize the path of Truth." (Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras)
"The world has fallen in love with a dream." (Kabir)
"For millions of years you have slept. This morning, will you not wake?" (Kabir)
"If you can't find where your soul is hidden,
for you the world will never be real!" (Kabir)
"The truth is, you turned away yourself,
and decided to go into the dark alone.
Now you are tangled up in others, and have forgotten what you once knew." (Kabir)
"When the mind becomes calm then the truth is revealed." (Kabir)
"Hiding in this cage of visible matter
is the invisible life-bird.
Pay attention to her,
She is singing your song." (Kabir)
Rumi: "Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray."
"O Soul! Who are you and whence have you come? You are a ray from Purush (the Supreme Being) and an inhabitant of the purely Spiritual Region." (Swami Ji Maharaj)
"From the Source of the Divine Ocean [God] opens a Portal to the Light. Awaken that resplendent Light within you....Repeat the name of the Lord and secure Him." (Shabdavali of Sant Tulsi Sahib)
"Descend into your heart, and in it you will find the ladder which leads to the Kingdom of God." (Saint Isaac the Syrian)
"By seeking the path within, one will go beyond the sensory realm...and will attain the State of Oneness." (Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj)
"If you love truth, be a lover of silence. Silence, like the sunlight will illuminate you in God." (Saint Isaac the Syrian)
"There is a silence of the tongue. There is a silence of the whole body. There is a silence of the soul. There is a silence of the mind, and there is a silence of the spirit." (Abraham of Nathpar, Syriac Mystic)
"Go deeper
Past thoughts into silence.
Past silence into stillness.
Past stillness into the heart.
Let love consume all that is left of you." (Kabir)
"Within the innermost recesses, all spirituality is one and it has never undergone any division. Our spirituality or soul (Surat) is an emanation from the Supreme Being. Within the innermost recesses it is one with God." (Discourses of Babuji Maharaj, Volume III)
"The essence of life is in remembering God." (Kabir)
"It is only by the grace of Radhasoami Dayal [Compassionate Lord of the Soul] that the disciple can cross this ocean of samsara easily." (Huzur Maharaj, quoted in, The Guru In Indian Mysticism, by M.G. Gupta)
"Those who practice true Bhakti [true spiritual love and devotion] save themselves and others, spend all they have in helping others. They speak the truth to all, cherish the True Name in their hearts, suffer not feelings of anger to arise, speak under the influence of the Name, reason about Knowledge [Gnosis, inner spiritual experience], and teach the technique of the Shabda [Inner Light and Sound Meditation]." (Kabir, Book of Amar Mul)
"The love which comes in one moment and goes away in next is not a true love. The Love, which is not lessened anytime, remains always filled in the body (and heart) -- is true Love." (Kabir)
"This life is less than a hollow bubble in the vast ocean of samsara [Ocean of Changes]; it can be pricked by any of the surging waves of this ocean. Hold it like the mirror in your hand and see how long you can see your reflection in it." -- The Sufi Poet Sarmad (Sarmad The Saint, M.G. Gupta translation)
"Oh, Beloved God! Your effulgence is behind the veil and is unmanifest. Do manifest your splendid radiance in human form I am yearning for, so that I may embrace you in my arms. Tell me how long will you remain hidden behind the curtain!" -- The Sufi Poet Sarmad ("Sarmad The Saint", M.G. Gupta)
"Withdrawal from the world and repairing to the solitude would relieve your agony and tensions. You can find a most precious treasure on this earth itself but that is hidden in the secrecy of seclusion and solitude." (Sarmad the Sufi Saint)
"From God's kindness and generosity, I have ever received peace and comfort. I am wholly content with a loaf of barley which gives me confidence, courage and fortitude. Neither fear of the world, nor any controversies regarding religious doctrines have been able to affect my serenity, or shake my faith in and love for my Beloved Lord. Sitting in a corner of this 'tavern', I am at peace with myself, free from all cares, concerns and worries." (Sarmad the Saint, Sufi Poet -- M.G. Gupta translation)
"There is only one thing that I seek from this world, and that is the peace and safety of my soul. Day and night, I only request this world and its people to deny me everything but to grant me repose and tranquillity." -- Sarmad the Sufi Saint (From, "Sarmad The Saint", translated by M.G. Gupta)
A Drop Merging Back Into the Divine Ocean
"Light and Sound are the energy [facets] and eternal forms of Paramatma (the Supreme Spirit). The Sant tradition describes two sequential techniques used to experience the divine nature. The first of these is Bindu Dhyana (Preksha Dhyana). This is the technique of focused seeing, the Yoga of Light. The second technique is Surat Shabda Yoga. It is method to focus on inner Sounds; the Yoga of Sound.....
"Many of the saints discuss the need for mantra japa (recitation of a divine name) and meditation on a sacred form as preparatory practices for Bindu Dhyana and Surat Shabda Yoga. These disciplines enable the practitioner to have success with the subtler forms of meditation." -- Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj
To know yourself means to know that you are a spiritual being, with the consciousness of God dwelling within. Realization of the true self gives immense peace and bliss, and fills the heart with abiding love for all.
For Spiritual Dreams, A Mini Meditation Just Before Sleep (Satsang in the Dream State)
"In the evening just before going to bed, the practitioner should sit in meditation for two to four minutes and then go to sleep. A practitioner can continue Maanas Jap [repetition of God's Name, simran, zikhr, mantra] or Maanas Dhyaan or keep his/her vision straight inside with closed eyes laying in bed. This practice protects one from terrible, unpleasant dreams, and on the other hand the practitioner can be benefited with the appearance of sages/sants or Satsang in the dream state. The appearance (seeing) of sants/sages in the dream state is an indication of spiritual-upwardness (progress)." -- From: "A Spiritual Discourse by Shri Swami Bhagirath Baba, Sant Mat Tradition" (Bhakti of the Inner Light and Sound of God)
Through photosynthesis plants convert light from the sun into energy. We also can find spiritual sustenance by contemplating the inner Light. For countless ages, souls have described their experience of God's Light.
"Do not cease seeking day or night ... until you have found all the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you and make you into Pure Light and lead you into the Kingdom of Light." (Book of Faith-Wisdom/Pistis-Sophia)
"A seeker through sincere devotion and the inner Light of the soul strives to be one with God." (Swami Santsevi Ji)
"If you want to drink the Divine nectar and to see the Light of God, then you must walk the path taught by the great masters." (Kabir)
"Once you discover this Light and learn to live by it, your whole existence will be changed. Love will permeate your very being and it will burst forth from the very pores of your body, transmuting all dross into sterling gold." (Kirpal Singh, Spiritual Elixir)
"In the march of the ages, cycle after cycle, in every planet where human beings reside, the great Masters are the light-bearers of that world. Until the end of the ages, they will remain the friends and saviors of those who struggle toward the Light." (Julian Johnson, Path of the Masters)
"A Light of utmost splendor glows on the eyes of my soul. Therein have I seen the inexpressible ordering of all things, and recognized God's unspeakable glory -- that incomprehensible wonder -- the tender caress between God and the soul... the unmingled joy of union, the living love of eternity as it now is and evermore shall be." (Mechthild of Magdeburg, Flowing Light of the Godhead)
Kabir's Body Turned Into Flowers
"One of the most loved legends associated with Kabir is told of his funeral. Kabir's disciples disputed over his body. The Muslims wanting to claim the body for burial. The Hindus wanting to cremate the body. Kabir appeared to the arguing disciples and told them to lift the burial shroud. When they did so, they found fragrant flowers where the body had rested. The flowers were divided, and the Muslims buried the flowers while the Hindus reverently committed them to fire." -- Poetry-Chaikhana Website
"Do not go to the garden of flowers!
O Friend! go not there;
In your body is the garden of flowers.
Take your seat on the Thousand Petals of the lotus,
and there gaze on the Infinite Beauty." (Kabir)
More Plant-based Wisdom: Being Vegan is True Vegetarianism -- A Culture of Compassion
I believe, based on the current practices of the dairy industry in India and around the world that classic Saints such as Guru Kabir, Guru Nanak, Tukarama, Ravidas, Tulsi Das, Namdev, Dariya Sahib, etc.... if they were here today, would not only be advocating a vegetarian diet but a vegan diet. These days, many are making this transition, including in the Sant Mat community. This is the direction that the vegetarian movement is headed in.
A Proven Shopping List of Longevity and Health
"On average Adventist men live 7.3 years longer and Adventist women live 4.4 years longer than other Californians. Five simple health behaviors promoted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for more than 100 years (not smoking, eating a plant based diet, eating nuts several times per week, regular exercise and maintaining normal body weight) increase life span up to 10 years.
Eating legumes was protective for colon cancer.
Eating nuts several times a week reduces the risk of heart attack by up to 50%.
Eating whole meal bread instead of white bread reduced non-fatal heart attack risk by 45%.
Drinking 5 or more glasses of water a day may reduce heart disease by 50%.
Men who had a high consumption of tomatoes reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 40%.
Drinking soy milk more than once daily may reduce prostate cancer by 70%."
"Increasing consumption of red and white meat was associated with an increase of colon cancer." (For the rest, see "Adventist Health Studies" at Wikipedia.)
"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." (Dalai Lama)
"What is a charitable heart? It is a heart which is burning with love for the whole creation, for men, for the birds, for the beasts, for all creatures. He who has such a heart cannot see or call to mind a creature without his eyes being filled with tears by reason of the immense compassion which seizes his heart; a heart which is softened and can no longer bear to see or learn from others of any suffering, even the smallest pain being inflicted upon a creature. That is why such a man never ceases to pray for the animals.. moved by the infinite pity which reigns in the hearts of those who are becoming united with God." (Saint Isaac the Syrian)
