Powered By Blogger

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Kabir: Plucking Flowers of Spirituality -- A Great Summary of the Spiritual Journey According to Kabir and the Sants of India


Kabir: Plucking Flowers of Spirituality -- A Great Summary of the Spiritual Journey According to Kabir and the Sants of India





The body is a forest of blooming flowers,
But only the wise can pluck them.
How does one attain to this wisdom?

First, go to the perfect Teacher,
And learn from him the inner teaching.
Contemplate on the words of the Saints,
And strengthen your faith day by day.

Second, cast all your doubts away,
And shun the perception of duality.
See the One dwelling inside and outside.
Achieve this and you're a saint.

Third, rise above outer attributes,
And take a seat at the "Third Eye",
This is verily the palatial throne
Where you hear the Divine Melody.

Fourth, reign in the restless mind,
And abandon all your cleverness.
Swing on the swing of Divine Love,
And entreat the Teacher for the gift of devotion.

Fifth, acquaint yourself with the eternal elements.
And exert mastery over the senses.

Sixth, let consciousness pierce the six chakras,
And reaching above them, see the Light.
Make perfect the left and right nerve currents,
And dwell in the cave of the Void.

Seventh, let truth enlighten your life,
And behold the Supreme Spirit in you.
Grab hold of the silken thread of realization,
And climb to the Eternal Abode.

Eighth, let the lotus of consciousness bloom,
And render your heart resplendent.
When in your soul you see the Eternal,
Then you're fit to be called a saint.

Ninth, your portals of perception will open,
When you make an ally of the Perfect Master.
You will see that the soul is not the body,
When the Master shows the soul’s unity with God.

Tenth you'll reach the door of liberation,
Where the Divine Melody resounds.

Kabir says, "Listen to me, my brothers,
Only a rare one considers my teaching."


-- Bhajan of Guru Kabir, Translated by Dr. Das, "The Kabir Voice" Newsletter, Surry, BC Canada, and included in, "The Brahm Nirupan of Kabir".








Friday, October 24, 2014

Remembering God -- Passage from the Adi Granth


Remembering God

"When one is in utter distress and there is no one to support him,
And the adversaries gather-in upon him and even his kinsmen desert him;
When all the props have given way and all hope is lost,
If he then remembers the Lord, even the hot wind will touch him not.
O Master, Thou art the Might of the humble,
O Thou, the Eternal One, the True, through the Guru's Word art Thou known.
If one is weak and is afflicted by hunger and nakedness,
And has no money on him and no one is there to give him comfort,
No desire of his is fulfilled; no work of his is accomplished,
If he, in his heart, remembers the Absolute Lord, he attains Eternal Rule.
If one is full of anxious thoughts, and his body is attacked by disease,
And is involved in his household and suffers sometimes pain, sometimes pleasure;
And he wanders about in the four continents, and no rest finds,
If he remembers the Lord in his heart, his body and mind are cooled...
If he remembers the Lord with all his heart, even for a twinkling of the eye,
he is saved."

(Adi Granth/Guru Granth, Gopal Singh translation)






Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Happy Diwali -- Divali, Deepavali, The Festival of Lights -- May You Experience the Inner Light


Happy Diwali -- Divali, Deepavali, The Festival of Lights -- May You Experience the Inner Light





True Divali is Inner Light: “Within thine own self, behold the splendor of thy Beloved.” (Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras)

"Look within yourself with the inner eye. The whole expanse inside is replete with the refulgence of the Divine Light." (Sant Dadu Dayal)


Spiritual Significance of Divali in India


"While Diwali is popularly known as the "Festival of Lights", the most significant spiritual meaning behind it is "the awareness of the Inner Light". Central to Hindu philosophy (primarily the Yoga, Vedanta, and Samkhya schools of Hindu philosophy) is the belief that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the "victory of good over evil", refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks one’s true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings ananda (joy or peace). Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light.

"While the story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region (festive fireworks, worship, lights, sharing of sweets), the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying Reality of all things, God." (Wikipedia)















Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Happy October Guru Purnima (Full Moon Satsang) -- Words of Kabir, Sant Dharam Das, and Monthly Message from the Acharya of the Dharamdasi Kabir Panth


Kabir: "Without Bhakti [love] and devotion, nobody can swim across the vast and deep Ocean of this Samsara [World of Changes] even if one makes use of lakhs of ways and means; but if one takes to the Word and develops love for the Shabd, one will one hundred percent go to their eternal Abode." (The Essential Kabir, Translated by M. G. Gupta, Huma Books, Agra) 

Bhakti bina naheen nistarae, laakh karae jo koye
sabad sanehi hvae rahae, ghar ko pahunchae soye





Guru Purnima (Poornima, Full Moon) Satsang Message Translated Into English from Acharya Ardh Naam Saheb of the Dharamdas Kabir Panth 

|| SATYANAM || 

KUNWAR POORNIMA 

OCTOBER 7th, 2014 

My well wishes to you all on the auspicious occasion of Poornima of the month of Kuwaar. Each Poornima is the occasion for us to remember and reaffirm the words and messages of the Satguru. 

“Guru aagya nirwahe nema, tab paawe sarwagyi prema”. 

(One who is obedient and true to the words of his Guru wins love and affection of the world.) 

Following the words of his Guru, Dhani Dharmadas Saheb established the importance of Poornima. Bhakti and bhajan are making our lives pure and pious. The night of Poornima is the night of bliss for us. May this bliss be constant in our lives. Darshan of the Sant and satsang on Poornima has special significance. One must make time for this to benefit. 

“Ja pal darshan sant ki, taa pal ki balihari, Sant darash jimi patak tarhi." 

(I am delighted of the moment when I behold a Sant, for the moment will uplift the sinful.) 

In this perspective one shall make this auspicious occasion useful and understand the importance of Poornima. 

Dhani Dharmadas Saheb writes in his entreaty, 

“Kawaar kaul karta se karke karar kar aayen, daan punya tap teerath karan tumko bhijwayen 
Wahan ki yaad bhi rakhna, yeh sansar maya ka phanda isme nahi phasna 
Guru Guru kehna sabki sahna tan ko jan kancha, naam ek Saheb ka sancha." 

(You made a promise to the Almighty and hence you were sent to do charity, pious acts, penance and pilgrimage. Don’t lose sight of the contract, for this world is nothing but a net of illusions [maya].) 

Keep the Naam, as revealed by your Guru, close to heart. Purity of thought, words and action are the greatest means; Poornima inspires us to follow this path. 

I wish happy and healthy life for all of you. 

Best Wishes, 
Panth Shree 1008 Hajur Ardhanaam Saheb