You are not what others see in you. You are what God sees in you.
-- Light and Sound on the Path -- A Digest of Spiritual Quotes, Sant Mat Satsang Discourses, and Announcements
Rumi: "If Light is in your heart, you will find your way home."
"Always
respect time. Time gone shall never come back again. Realize the
importance of the present and benefit from it to the maximum. Human life
is a process of transition from mortal consciousness to
God-consciousness. Utilize each and every breath in the recital of God's
Name." ("Spiritual Gems", Shri Anandpur Publication)
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A
million speak of love, yet how few know; true love is not to lose
remembrance even for an instant. It can only be called love, if you
yearn for the Lord in the same way as a man is yearning for air, when he
is drowning and fighting for his life under the water. You can only be
said to have a thirsty heart if you can drink the whole ocean and your
lips will remain dry like a desert. Only such blessed soul will reach
the highest goal of life.
When
the soul begins to awake from its deep slumber, no worldly forces can
undo with the tears and yearning of the heart. At that blessed moment
the life takes a turning point and the search for the Lord starts. It is
the Lord from within our own heart calling us back home. From that very
moment the destination of the soul is fixed. The cry of the heart will
not stop until the goal of the heart is reached and the union with the
Lord is accomplished.
-- Lars Jensen, from, "With Cries from the Heart, the Search for a True Guru Begins"
So
spirituality starts within your own heart. It is like a wildfire that
has caught into flames in the heart -- like the fire in the forest,
nobody on earth can extinguish it, it will go on and on. This wildfire
burns all the desires of the world and makes everything of this world
appear dry and empty. The only thing that remains in the heart is the
thirst for the water of life and the yearning for the Lord. This
yearning for the Lord should be our rolling passion of life, and it
should be just as strong as the hungry yearns for food and the thirsty
yearn for water. Even God Himself looks for such a soul. Where there is
fire, oxygen will come to help. Where there is a burning heart who
yearns for the Lord, help will also come. So you only need develop such a
condition, and you do not need to look for God, because God Himself
will come after you. The blind one can not find the hand of the seeing
one. Only the seeing one can take the hand of the blind one and lead him
to the right place. So He selects us. The God Power from within will
draw such a soul to the feet of a Competent Guru, just as happened to
the young boy Ramanugrah Lal (Maharshi Mehi).
Pray
to God that He may come to you, because this world is a jungle of
so-called masters. It is almost impossible to find the true Guru by our
own effort. After all you can not find Him, if He doesn't want to be
found. Only He can find you. Only the seeing one can find the blind one,
never it can be the opposite. So make a prayer to God that He will come
to you!
But
if you have a thirsty heart which holds you awake all night, then the
God Power from within your own self will draw you to the right place
where the true Guru is to be found. So all that is needed is a thirsty
heart, because even God Himself looks for such a Soul.
So
Spirituality is very simple indeed. You only take away your attention
from the world and instead direct it to God. Spirituality is just as
simple as that.
-- Lars Jensen, from, "With Cries from the Heart, the Search for a True Guru Begins"
A
great Master by the name of Huzur Baba Sawan Singh was once asked, "How
long does it take you to go to Sach Khand (the Spiritual Realm, Sat
Lok, Heaven)"? He closed his eyes for fifteen seconds, and then opened
them again, saying, "Just that long". We're already in heaven if we did
but know it. This is the real Secret of Secrets.
Mystic
Verses by Swami Achyutanand Ji Maharaj. I offer my humblest obeisance
at his lotus feet and dedicate to him the following translated verse
(taken from the latest edition of his book "Satsang Bhajanavali").
O Guru, kindly bless me with the gift of your bhakti. |
May I shun bad company and keep Satsang (noble company) always; kindly accept my humble prayer. ||
I am drowning in the ocean of mundane existence; pull me out holding my arm. |
May my mind stay ever clear of defilements; please show favour unto me. ||
Holding your lotus feet I pray with folded hands; please take me under your shelter. |
If not much, O Lord, kindly take, says Achyut, some care of me. ||
-- Living One, Swami Achyutanand Ji Maharaj, from, "Satsang Bhajanavali"
The
Word is the fundamental principle of all the religions. The difference
lies in the extent to which their adepts ascended up the sound current
or the Word.
When
a Master initiates a soul he brings to that soul, at that moment, the
ability to become conscious of this sound current. During all the
millions of years we have been wandering around, lost and blind, we have
forgotten our true selves and our Maker; we have lost the way (the
sound current). Now it will be different. We are to meet our Creator
through the sound current, which keeps creation in being.
"A
sound is vibrating in the whole of creation. When you open your inner
ear you will hear a continuous sound, which will lead you across all
limitations of mind and matter. My Beloved is speaking to you all the
time. Alas! you do not hear his Voice." -- Shah Niaz
When
we first hear this wonderful sound it is very soft, but gradually it
amplifies in volume, tone and character. In reality, our finer senses
develop and we thereby appreciate it better. So long as the mind remains
attached to the body and its desires, it cannot grasp the Word.
--
From, "Encyclopaedia of Saints of India, Volume 19: Radhasoami", By Dr.
S.R. Bakshi and Dr. Sangh Mittra, Criterion Publications, New Delhi
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)
"To
be glorified art Thou, the Father Supreme, born of Thy First-born in
the silence and tranquility of meditation." -- Saint Thomas in India,
from, "The Song of Praise of Thomas the Apostle", translated from the
Syriac in, Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles
"He
who will drink from my mouth will become as I am. And I myself shall
become he, and the hidden things shall be revealed to him." (Saying 108,
Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas)
"We have come from the Light, where the Light has originated through itself...." (Saying 50, Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas)
"Who else is Christ but the Sound of God?" (Acts of John)
"Go
on regularly with your practice, keeping your mind and senses
undisturbed as far as possible; and trust in the mercy of the Supreme
Father to grant you strength gradually as you advance. You progress
inwardly daily; there is no such thing as retrograde movement." (Letters
of Huzur Maharaj)
Bhakti is Essential For Successful Meditation Practice
"The
practitioner who does Jap [simran, manas jap] sitting in a secluded
place with the right method and immense love, becomes the excellent
devotee." (Bhagirath Baba)
"Meditation
saturated with adoration and love binds the Lord, who then reveals
Himself in the striver's horizon of consciousness. Meditation enjoyed in
with love and devotion pulls the Lord with a magnetic force, filling
the aspirant with eternal bliss and peace. Filled with a divine elation,
the devotee is lost in the ecstasy of trance. Divine experiences then
come with a natural inevitability, only to the sincere devotee full of
love." (Quest For Eternal Peace, Shri Paramhans Advait Mat)
"Eighty percent of success is showing up." -- Woody Allen
"Any
minute we devote to meditation is to our credit and we definitely
experience the effect of that meditation, in one way or another. Every
effort that we put in meditation is a step forward. Even if we devote
five minutes, it does us good. The Lord praises it. If you scratch a
stone, you do make an impression on the hard stone howsoever little you
may have scratched. So no matter how little time you devote to
meditation, whether you achieve any result or not, is added to your
credit. All attempts are appreciable. To form a habit is essential
before you can learn to practice meditation." (Quest For Eternal Peace,
Shri Paramhans Advait Mat)
"Enrich
your mind and soul, so that you can live with peace and you can die
with peace. To enrich your mind, satsang is essential, and to enrich
your soul, you have to practice meditation." (Swami Ashutosh)
Importance
of Saran (Taking Shelter Under the Protecting Care of the Supreme
Being, the Merciful Lord of the Soul), By Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra,
Volume One
A
devotee should consider Radhasoami Dayal [Ra-Dha-Swa-Mi, Merciful Lord
of the Soul, Ocean of Love and All-Consciousness] as the Supreme Lord,
Omnipotent, All-merciful and the Prime Mover of everything, and be
should seek the protection of His Holy Feet in such a way that, whatever
he may do, the result of it all may be left to His Mauj or Holy Will.
Whatever be His Mauj, he should be pleased with it. As far as possible,
he should devote himself to Bhajan, Sumiran and Dhyan [Inner Sound
Meditation, Inner Light Meditation, and Repetition of the Holy
Name/Simran/Manas Jap], and reading of holy books, service of the Guru
and Satsang. He should place implicit faith in His mercy. In this way,
all those, who act up to it, will be able to carry on smoothly. If one
leaves the result of everything, one does, to Mauj [divine will], there
will be no attachment. While doing anything, he will be free from the
effects of such actions. If by internal devotional practices he has
adopted such a Saran, then by the grace of His mercy all the past and
Sanchit Karmas will be gradually eradicated, and whatever actions are
done with reliance on Mauj, no Kriyaman Karmas will result from such
actions, and the force of Prarabdha Karmas will also be appreciably
lessened. In this way, a smooth life and salvation will be within easy
reach, and a devotee, during his own life, will be able to see all the
three classes of Karmas being rooted out. If the attainment of the Holy
Feet of Radhasoami Dayal is his goal, with a firm determination not to
halt at any intermediate stage and not to rest till he has attained that
goal, and if he continues his devotional practices, always increasing
his love and faith in the Holy Feet of Radhasoami Dayal and detaching
his mind from this world, except to the extent, it is necessary to do
so, then it is possible for him to reach the highest spiritual region,
the abode of the true Supreme Being in one life or in two, or in case of
any deficiency, in three lives. But the next birth will be better than
the present one, in as much as, the spiritual attainment will be
greater, so also the worldly comforts; he will surely meet Sat Guru and
by attending His Satsang, even in a day or two, he will regain the
progress made by him during the course of his previous life.
"Love
for and faith in the Supreme Being Radhasoami Dayal [Compassionate,
Merciful Lord of the Soul] and Sant Sat Guru will gradually go on
increasing in the company of sincere and devoted Abhyasis (meditation
practitioners, devotees, bhaktas). Bliss and joy will also be
experienced in the performance of Abhyas [meditation]. If love and
yearning are intense, the Sant Sat Guru will, by His Will, grant His
Darshan [Vision] and grace. He will advance the practitioner in his
Abhyas by helping him internally as well as externally."
-- Huzur Maharaj from the spiritual discourses known as Prem Patra Radhaswami, Volume Four
The Spiritual Journey and Meditation Practice According to Sant Ravidas
Below is from the book, "The Life and Works of Raidas (Ravidas)", by Winand M. Callewaert, Manohar Publications, New Delhi.
Regarding
the Holy Name or Names, one may wonder what they are, how they are
obtained, when and how they are repeated, and with what result.
The
Holy Names are the sacred utterable words, imparted by the Satguru.
These Names are so surcharged with power by the Satguru that through the
practice of repeating these spoken Holy Names one can come in contact
with the true Naam (the Unutterable Word, Logos, or the Unstruck Divine
Music).
This
repetition of the Holy Names must be carried on at all times. Apart
from one's normal sitting hours (for meditation), even when one is
walking or doing odd jobs with one's hands and feet, one must continue
the repetition by the inner tongue, namely, the mind. With some maturity
in this practice of repetition, it becomes so much ingrained in the
practitioner that it automatically goes on all the time.
The
repetition is to be carried on internally by the mind with one-pointed
attention. It is the most potent means to cleanse the mind of its
impurities, and with the mind being cleansed, the lustrous Internal
Light and the Unstruck Divine Music appear, which ultimately lead the
aspirant to God, the Almighty, the Light of all lights and the Source of
all bliss.
Mystic-Verses of Sant Ravidas from the Adi Granth and the Vanis of Ravidas
Jap Raam Naam kahi gavaiga
After repetition, when thou shalt sing the Lord's Name,
Then thou shalt enter from duality into non-duality.
The Bliss that lies in contacting this Nectar,
In what words shalt thou sing its praise?
Only by the grace of the Guru
is this inner experience attained.
Simran, Remembering God's Name
He who remembereth God's Name,
Having sought the company of a Saint;
His miseries are averted,
Thus doth Ravidas proclaim.
My (inner) tongue is constantly preoccupied with repeating God's
Name,
And my hands are constantly engaged in doing my work.
Thus have I become carefree,
God will take care of me, sayeth Ravidas.
The threefold miseries of the world
Fleeth away from him
Who carries on repetition of the True Name,
Fixing his attention within, 0 Ravidas.
Steeped in meditation with one-pointed attention,
Practice devotion to God, 0 Ravidas.
Let the automatic repetition be continued within,
Reverberating the True Naam.
When the soul (surat)
mergeth into the Sound (Shabd)
and becometh one with it,
Then one obtaineth the supreme Bliss.
The lamp burneth inside, 0 Ravidas,
And Divine Bliss ariseth within.
Have mercy on me, 0 Lord.
With every breath I repeat Thy Name,
My mind will be delighted only on meeting Thee.
Thou art merciful, gracious
and the Ocean of Compassion,
Thou art the Lord and the companion of the poor.
Grant me Thy shelter night and day,
Let me not wander about anywhere else,
0 my Lord.
Only by Thy grace can vanity and pride be removed,
And the Nectar of the alchemy of God's Name
be obtained.
Such an intellect I beg of Thee, 0 Merciful One,
That it may not go anywhere else leaving Thy Holy Feet.
Ravidas hath taken refuge in Thy Holy Feet,
Take him to Thy heart considering him Thine own.
Seeing the Beloved,
Brightness prevaileth within the temple
of my mind.
From a humble hut, I have now acquired the ninefold treasures,
Lord, the Creator, hath showered His grace.
I have obtained my Beloved,
separated for myriads of births,
The entanglement of life after life is over.
"Renouncing
all thoughts of the past and future, keep your spirit immersed in Shabd
at the time of Bhajan [listening to the inner Sound Current during
meditation]." (Swami Ji Maharaj)
Do Bhajan and Simran Every Day.....
"There
is nothing more important than meditation. Increase this practice from
day to day; never decrease it." (Baba Jaimal Singh)
"Bhajan
and Simran is our real work. This will always accompany you because it
is the gift of the Sat Guru. It may grow more, but it will never
diminish.
"Please carry on your Bhajan and Simran every day and read from the Sar Bachan [of Soami Ji Maharaj] every day.
"The real greatness is in Shabd Dhun and Naam.
"Therefore,
fix your 'surat' and 'nirat' and 'nij man,' with devotion, in the Shabd
Dhun. If you listen for ten minutes, or five minutes, or four minutes,
or two minutes, or even one minute, with love and devotion, millions of
sins and obstacles will be removed. And after being purified, and
testing and distinguishing the notes of the Dhun, you will merge into it
and enjoy the Bliss. You will know which note to by-pass and which one
to merge into.
"In
this very life you will reach Sach Khand, but you should not hasten,
please. Whenever you are free from ... duty, you should not waste your
time even a little, nor fritter away the attention of your 'chit' [mind
stuff, memory], for this time will not come to you again, even for a
minute and we have to carve a place for ourselves in the Shabd Dhun
while we are still in this body." (Baba Jaimal Singh)
"Listen
to the Sound Current every day when you are free, and do Simran even
while walking. Then all your worldly work will by done by the Master
Himself. Do not worry in any way. The Lord Himself has given you this
Way to meet Him, so you should consider this your great good fortune and
you should always hold onto the Sound Current. One day it will surely
take you to Sach Khand." (Baba Jaimal Singh)
Thrice-Daily Meditation -- Three Times A Day
"The
practitioner, if he sits for meditation, always must keep his/her head,
neck and spinal cord (back) completely straight. The respiration
process will naturally become slowed if one sits straight, and thus it
is a helping factor in meditation and Jap [simran].
"Sants/yogis
have fixed times of meditation. Those times are: 1) in the pre-dawn,
i.e. three hours before sun rise, 2) after taking a bath during the day
[mid day], and 3) during the evening (after the sun sets). Meditation
done in these three time is called Trayakaal Sandhyaa (thrice-daily
meditation). A practitioner must sit for meditation in these three
times, and also should do Maanas Jap (repeating the Guru-instructed
mantra), or Maanas Dhyaan (involving mind in visualizing Guru's form
inside), while doing worldly work.
"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 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)." (Swami Bhagirath Baba on Spiritual Practice)
What
is the Name of God? The Many Mantras or Sacred Names of the One
Nameless (Anami), Soundless (Anadi) God -- Simran Practice in the Sant
Tradition of India, By James Bean
The
Nameless God has been given many names over the countless centuries.
There are countless divine names used in various schools of
spirituality. Some are given "The Five Names" (Panch Naam) consisting of
five holy names of God. These are revealed at the time of Initiation
into Sant Mat or Shabd Yoga meditation. These same five names have been
used for centuries in certain branches of Sant Mat connected with Sant
Dariya Sahib and Sant Tulsi Sahib. Others have been given another set of
Five Names, a different version of Panch Naam, and these names have
been used for centuries in certain branches connected with Kabir and
Sant Dharam Das. Still others have been given five Sufi, Persian or
Arabic names of God at the time of Initiation into Surat Shabd Yoga
meditation. These five Sufi or Islamic names have the same essential
meaning as the five Indian names used in Sant Mat, and, as with the
Indian names, also correspond to five basic inner regions.
(In
one of the Jewish Gnostic paths of antiquity, a group known as the
Sethians, there was also a five-named or Panch Naam type mantra
approach, only with five Hebrew names. Those were associated with
certain heavenly regions: Harmoz-el, Oroia-el, Daveithai, El-eleth, and
another word meaning, the "Self-Begotten One".)
Others
are given the name RADHASOAMI (Ra-da-Swam-i, "Soul-Lord" or "Lord of
the Soul") to use in simran practice along one's journey though all of
the various states and stages within. Other Sant Mat lineages use a
two-syllabled sacred word revealed at the time of Initiation, and it
represents another name for the Soundless One, the Most High God.
In
the classic bhajans and banis of the Sants of India appear numerous
names of God. One can read verses exhorting devotees to repeat many
names of the Formless One:
"Repeat the Name of Raam".
"Repeat the Name of Radhaswami".
"Repeat the Name of Hari".
"Repeat the Name of Govinda".
"Repeat the Name of Vitthala".
"Repeat the Name of Allah".
"Repeat the Name of HOO (HU)".
Many
names have used by various Sants: Param-Atma, Hari, Alakh, Allah, Raam
or Rama, Rahim, Agam, Purushotama, Khuda, Gobind, Panduranga, Pandhari,
Vitthala, Narayana, Vitthoba, Sat Purusha, etc... Some of these names
are used by various Hindu paths also, and have different meanings. As
Sant Dariya Sahib once said:
"Consider the four meanings of Ram,
The first Ram (1) is our inner self.
Parashu-Ram (2) is said to be the second one.
The third one lived in Dasharath's (3) home.
The fourth Ram is the Primeval Sat Purush (4)
Call Him (Sat Purush) Ram or call Him Naam,
Ram and Naam are one.
Both are mutually indistinguishable;
Satguru's Sound Current reveals this wisdom."
NOTES:
1) The Life Principle that pervades everywhere, permeating, within all.
2) Parashu-Ram, the son of Sage Jamadagni, is regarded as the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
3)
Ancient king of Ayodhya, the father of Ram. Rama: the seventh
incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of the great epic Ramayana
(Adventures of Rama).
4) The Nirguna or Formless Raam, All-Spirit. ("Dariya Sahib, Saint of Bihar", K.N. Upadhyaya, Mystics of the East Series)
For
the Sants of the East, all names of the One God represent the Nameless,
Formless (Nirguna) God of Love and Compassion Who is Timeless (Akal),
Spirit, and Eternal (Sat).
The True Spirit of Simran Practice is Bhakti
"Simran"
is a term which means "Remembrance", the spiritual practice of
remembering or being mindful of God by repeating his Name. Devotees sing
or chant various names for God. Higher spiritually, and more "within"
is the practice of "manas jap", the mental repetition of God's name or
names "with the tongue of thought" - in other words, chanting names of
God within one's mind. The Sants have always placed much greater
emphasis upon mental Simran over vocal chant.
There
is however, more to Simran than the repeating of sacred names. Simran
must be approached with the right attitude, the right spirit, for one's
intent determines how successful the practice will be, and what effect
it will have upon one's consciousness. Simran has never been intended to
be a dry or lifeless mantra practice. The path of the Sants is a bhakti
path, a path of love and devotion for the Supreme Being. Thus, the true
Masters have always instructed their students to repeat God's Name with
love and devotion, as a lover calling out to one's Beloved, the Lord of
Love.
Guru Kabir
Keep your mind ever engrossed in the Name of the Lord
As the lover's mind is ever engrossed in his beloved.
He never forgets her for a single moment -
Through day and night he remembers her.
Happiness rests in ever-repeated simran,
Sorrow and suffering is removed by simran.
Kabir declares with utmost force and clarity:
Practise this simran and be one with the Lord.
What,
then, is the practice of the Name? It is a form of interior prayer by
which a person learns to keep his or her attention always in the Lord,
in every circumstance and situation, at all moments, through day and
night. It is a form of inner remembrance that leads to a heightened
awareness beyond the limitations of the physical world and the portals
of death.
Through meditation on the Name, or Nam bhakti, one learns to draw one's attention away from the outer world.
Sant Namdev
Always be in rapport with the Lord
And enjoy true contentment -
This is the state of ineffable serenity.
There is no peace except in the Name of the Lord -
Meditate on it with one-pointed attention.
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.
0 Nama, the Lord will make
The pupil of your eye his home,
And your eye will expand
To contain the entire universe.
The Simran of God's Name Will Lead One to the True Name: The Sound of God
The
repetition of the holy Names is a wonderful spiritual technique. An
uninterrupted inner repetition of the holy Names given by the living
Master has to be practiced daily with love, devotion, and one-pointed
attention. One thereby transcends one's body and is transported to the
realms of Light.
The
repetition develops into an ever-going spontaneous process, and one
catches the unceasing inner Music which takes one to its Source, and
reveals God face to face. One is, therefore, exhorted to search daily
for the Source of this Unstruck Music. Whatever one does and wherever
one happens to be, one is asked to be a sacrifice unto His Name and to
have ardent longing to behold Him and hear His voice.
Mantras/sacred
names vary from place to place, in different groups and change over
time. The names (simran words, manas jap) given to initiates by a living
Master are kept secret along with the meditation techniques.
There
are two levels of the name of God: an alphabetical name that can be
written, spoken or chanted (either verbally or mentally: jap and manas
jap), and there is the True Name of God. The True Name can't be written
down or spoken, for it is Celestial Sound Current, the Audible Life
Stream. Some mantras mimic it to some extent, such as OOOOMMM, HUUUU,
and the Gnostic vowel chant: AAAAUUUUUIIIIEEEEEEOOOO, but the real name
"above every other name" is Sound, as in the Music of the Spheres, Song
of Creation, Nada, Logos, Tao, AUM, Saut-i-Sarmad, Anhad Shabd or Shabd
Naam. "Who else is Christ but the Sound of God." (Acts of John, Gnostic
text)
Sant Dadu Dayal
From within, the indwelling Lord Himself
tells me.
"The repetition of My Name alone
is true; all else is delusion."
The Name, the essential Truth of the
three worlds, alone is efficacious.
0 Dadu.
With discrimination, repeat it exclusively
day and night, 0 mind.
At every breath be devoted to it, and
thy Beloved will meet thee one day.
Repetition is the path leading to bliss;
thus hath the Master explained.
Be dedicated to God moment by moment,
even if thou art to lose thy life.
No other way is there to support
the self.
Who is that ill-fated one preaching some
other means?
Without the Name, tell me, where can
one find a foothold? asketh Dadu.
Let not the Name be separated for
a moment from within thy heart,
0 Dadu.
Millions have been purified by
repeating God's Name alone.
Be dedicated to God while the body
is in good condition,
Else later on, when the body and mind
are worn out, thou shalt repent,
sayeth Dadu.
The whole world is full of poison; rarely
someone is free from it, 0 Dadu.
He alone will be free from poison
who is steeped in the Name
of the Supreme Lord.
Repeat the Name with the pang of
separation, and sing its glory with
love and devotion.
Fix thy mind in repetition with joy and
dedication, 0 Dadu.
While speaking or listening, giving
or taking, eating or drinking,
Repeat the Name of God at all times,
0 Dadu, thus shalt the self rest
in the inner lotus.
(Encyclopedia of Saints of India, Volume 25: Sant Dadu Dayal)
Practicing the Presence Through the Prayer of the Name
"After many births the wise seek refuge in me, seeing me everywhere and in everything." -- Bhagavad Gita
"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
Sahib
If
one reads or sings the bhajans of the Sants, one will be reminded every
day to repeat God's name. Most every school of mystics in the past,
both East and West, has practiced some form of The Prayer of the Name,
including: Essenes, Kabbalah, Gnostics, Mount Athos or Eastern
Orthodoxy, Sufism, and the Sants of India. Simran is the art of
repeating a name or names of God for the purpose of Remembering the
Divine - Practicing the Presence of God. It is a way to remain
spiritually awake in a world of slumber, a way to remain centered
instead of being thrown off-center by the influence of maya - illusion.
In the Path of the Saints and Mystics this spiritual exercise of
repeating or chanting Names of God is done not only in meditation
practice, but as often as possible throughout the day as a way to
spiritualize all aspects of life, inner and outer.
This
is a spiritual exercise - simran - mantra - zikhr - manas jap - that is
practiced on the 'inner,' when we go within during meditation practice.
Sant Namdev and other Masters have taught how important it is to
develop the spiritual practice of repeating God's Name. This can be done
during meditation as a way to: relax, get centered, still the thoughts
of the mind, and Above All, to invoke the Positive Power to transform
one's meditation through Divine Grace into the experience of God. In
order to still one's thoughts, it is often necessary to retain a sacred
word to focus upon. The author of a manual of Christian mysticism known
as, "The Cloud of Unknowing", suggests the use of a mantra: "If you want
to gather all your desire into one simple word that the mind can easily
retain, choose a short word rather than a long one. A one-syllable word
such as 'God' or 'Love'..." It says in, "The Cloud of Unknowing, "Why
does this little prayer of one syllable such as 'God" or 'Love' pierce
the heavens? Surely because it is offered with a full spirit, in the
height and the depth, in the length and the breadth of the spirit of him
who prays." The answer to the prayer of God's Name is God
Himself-Herself-Itself.
"When
doing spiritual practices, you should sit in one unflinching posture
and do mental Simran only, with your inner gaze fixed. Think of nothing
else except Simran. Sit in a position most comfortable to you, one in
which you can sit the longest without moving; that while sitting in this
position, you are to remain wide awake with your attention directed at
the seat of the soul behind and between the two eyebrows; that you are
to look sweetly and serenely into the middle of the darkness in front of
you, repeating the Simran of five charged names slowly and at
intervals. At the time of hearing the Sound Current, listen to the Sound
only and do not do Simran while hearing the Sound." -- Sant Kirpal
Singh
Who repeats the Lord's Name with each
morsel,
Though replete, gains the merit of a fast.
Glory be to him, the center of all
pilgrimage and holy deeds!
Who repeats the Lord's Name while
engaged in worldly duties,
Remains ever in a blissful state of divine
communion.
Who remembers the Lord while treading
life's path,
Obtains at each step the fruit of holy
offerings.
While indulging in pleasures or spurning
them,
Who repeats the Name of the Lord
Is not stained by actions thus performed.
Know then, one absorbed in the Lord's
Name, 0 Tuka,
Has truly attained liberation while living.
-- Sant Tukarama, Gatha 1096
If the mind stays with the Name of the
Supreme Lord even for a moment,
O Dadu,
All its karmas will be destroyed then and
there, within the twinkling of an eye.
-- Sant Dadu Sahib
You should also carry out God's Simran
in such a way as to merge in Him and to
become Him.
One who by merging in the Light of the Lord
has become that Light,
no longer remains a mere human being.
Whomsoever we contemplate, Him we become.
-- Sant Kabir
Examples of Names of God
The Five Charged Names - Panch Naam in Shabd Meditation, revealed at the time of initiation
Radhasoami (Radha-Swami)
Raam
Vitthoba
Vitthala
Panduranga
Hari
The Maha Mantra/"Great Mantra":
"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare"
[Pronounced as: Hare - ( Ha'ray), Rama - (Raa'maa) and
Krishna - ( Kri-Sh'-Naa) ]
Govinda
Harmoz-el
Oroia-el
Daveithai
El-eleth
Allah
Hall-el-u-jah
AAAA-EE-U-AAA
AUM -- OM -- AAAAAUUUUMMMMMM
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
aoeeoeeeoooiiiooooooiiiiiooooooooooooooooooooo
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Simran
"Radhasoami
Naam -- whoever recites gets across the ocean of life; troubles vanish,
bliss abides, and gone's complete all strife." (Soami Ji Maharaj,
Manglacharan, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Book One)
Chanting the Name Radhasoami
"You
have to walk with Me, with My spirit, with My radiation. Receive My
radiation first, then you can enjoy every radiation with right
understanding and without being submerged and drowned in the current of
attraction and repulsion they call Maya [illusion].
Always
carry My reflection. My aura or reflection is the sum total energy and
My spirit of the universe. I am all strength and courage. I am all love
and mercy. I am the potential of all talents. I am the source of all
riches. I am the light of all wisdom. I am that truth of all truths.
All
exist in Me as they are part of Me and I exist in all of them. They are
nothing but Me. You will see that I am vibrating everywhere, not only
as light waves but also as sound waves, as the creative force, as the
procreative force, as the force of all expansion.
I am the creative force, 'Ra'.
I am the expanding force, 'Dha'.
I come back with all the vibrations, 'Soa'.
I become again one with you all and you feel one with Me as 'Mi'.
Ra Dha Swam i.
(Radhaswami, Ra-Dha-Swam-e, Radhasoami).
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Radhasoami
Chant this Name, this is Me in sound form.
Enjoy Me in sound form, as the magnetic field of love.
(Discourses of Sree Mentu Maharaj, Volume One)
Prem Bani Radhasoami of Huzur Maharaj
The Supreme Father Radhasoami Dayal [Merciful Lord of the Soul] loves you dearly.
He will redeem you in a moment.
Believe what I say is true.
Know that Radhasoami is your True Beloved.
His heart is overflowing with compassion for souls.
He imparts them his own strength and redeems them.
Have no anxiety or worry in your mind now.
Utter
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
'RADHASOAMI'
........ every moment.
Always utter 'RADHASOAMI',
the Name of the Merciful Supreme Being.
Then only will mind and Kal become powerless against you.
Radhasoami is my most Beloved Lord.
None other than Him comes to mind.
I sing praises of Radhasoami again and again
and shall remain at His holy feet ever alert and vigilant.
I discard all the evil tendencies of the mind
and enshrine RADHASOAMI Nam in my heart.
I sing 'RADHASOAMI', 'RADHASOAMI',......every moment.
(Huzur Maharaj, Prem Bani Radhasoami, Volume One)
The Sar Bachan of Swami Ji Maharaj
Radhasoami has imparted a unique message.
The moment I utter the Holy Word 'RADHASOAMI',
all my doubts and misgivings are dispelled.
Radhasoami has taken me in His lap.
Radhasoami will also redeem you.
Repeat the Holy Word 'RADHASOAMI' all the time.
Recite 'RADHASOAMI' all the twenty four hours.
Radhasoami dwells in my heart every moment.
(Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Book One)
"Countless are the countries, earths and spheres. Millions assign to Him ever new names, O Nanak." -- Guru Nanak
