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Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Soul is Free to Fly -- Light and Sound on the Path -- Sant Mat Satsang Newsletter For India and the West




The Soul is Free to Fly -- Light and Sound on the Path -- Newsletter of Spiritual Quotes & Sant Mat Satsang Discourses







"The inner Light does not come or go. It is always there within. It appears only when we are attuned and concentrated and disappears as soon as there is the slightest dispersion. The Light will not vanish if you just keep your inner gaze constantly fixed." (Kirpal Singh)



"Look at God within yourself, how 'God is Light.' For his Nature is a glorious, many-splendored Light. He manifests the Light of his Nature to those who love Him in all the worlds…" (John of Dalyatha, Syriac Mystic)



"...Listen to the Sound that issues forth from the Light." (Some valuable guidance about correct and proper Surat Shabd Yoga practice made by Yogani Mataji.)



"The center-most part of your being -- THERE is the Supreme Region. It is the sacred temple of the Spirit." (Miguel Molinos, Spanish Mystic, The Spiritual Guide)







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A Satsang Without Walls: This is the February 28th, 2016 Sant Mat Spirituality and Meditation Satsang Newsletter (Blog, Digest, Document, E-Booklet,) of much poetry and prose -- words of light and love from various spiritual Masters, spiritual classics or scriptures. Enjoy all of the readings below. May they provide you with some helpful satsang reading material wherever you are in the world, near or far, and lead to a further in-depth exploration of the teachings of the Masters, including from lesser-known or newly translated material you may not have encountered before in English.



This Sant Mat Radhasoami E-Newsletter is dedicated to the Path of the Masters (Sant Satgurus of the Past, the Living Present, and Future), and to the Supreme Being, the Lord of the Soul Who is the Ocean of Love and All-Consciousness, and explores the poetry, prose, spiritual discourses, books, scriptures, letters, prayers, ahimsa ethics, audio, videos, philosophy, cosmology, gnosticism, meditation, mysticism, and history of the Masters from a traditional Indian perspective that's non-sectarian, and might also include quotes from various world religions in harmony with the Way of the Saints, the Path of the Masters and Mystics.



NOTE: This newsletter is for educational purposes only. Fair Use of Quotations: "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research..."



NOTE: This newsletter is supportive of, The Murar Declaration -- the universal principles of peace, affection, harmony and cooperation as outlined at the Sant Mat conclave known as Spircon 2010, a historic event held in Agra.



NOTE: The Usage of the Term "Sant Mat": "Sant Mat" means: "The Teachings ('Mat') of the Saints or Sages" or "Path of the Masters". In India it's common knowledge that the term "Sant Mat" was coined or adapted by Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras during the 19th Century. "Sant Mat" was adopted and popularized by Tulsi Sahib as a new name for this spiritual path or genre of mysticism, but the Sant tradition, with its many guru-lineages or branches, is a spiritual movement that dates back many centuries to ancient India.



"What's the use of receiving this human form if we do not serve others in thought, word, and deed. If we hold our thoughts only on worldly material things and refuse to think of that which is higher and more subtle, then our faith in the Transcendental will inevitably diminish." ("Quintessence of Yoga: Secret of All Success", a Sant Mat publication)



* The ARCHIVE of all past posts/articles/blogs is located here, and includes a search engine:
http://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com



NOTE: If you're reading this post at Yahoo Groups and it's truncated, which sometimes happens, go to the blog archive linked above to read the contents of the post in full.



"We usher in a new era, Sat Yuga -- the Age of Truth." (Proclamation)



Sant Mat Links -- Online Resources







* Spiritual Awakening Radio -- Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts, Free and Available Online -- Current and Up-Coming Podcasts-On-Demand -- Hear and Download Podcast MP3's Anytime 24/7 @ http://hosted.EarthChannel.com/HealthyLife/spa-od.html

NOTE: All shows shown at the podcast page are kept available online for about three months:

3/29/2016     (Upcoming) The Yoga of Sound -- Inner Sound Meditation
3/22/2016     (Upcoming) Hearing the Celestial Sound Current During Meditation
3/15/2016     (Upcoming) Seeing and Hearing Beyond the Illusion
3/8/2016       (Upcoming) The One God Who is Given Many Names
3/1/2016       (Upcoming) The Magical Ingredient of Spirituality is Love -- Bhakti
2/23/2016     Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unheard, Knowing the Unknown
2/16/2016     The Path of Love and Devotion - Bhakti
2/9/2016       Ascension of the Soul - God and the Highest Heavens
2/2/2016       Ascension of the Soul - Whirlpool Vortex to the 5th Heaven
1/26/2016     Ascension of the Soul - The Third Heaven & the Great Void
1/19/2016     Ascension of the Soul -- The Second Heaven/Causal Plane
1/12/2016     Ascension of the Soul -- Meditation Practice & Astral Plane
1/5/2016       You Are Not Alone
12/29/2015   The Origins of Sant Mat, Path of the Masters, Pt 5
12/22/2015   The Origins of Sant Mat, Path of the Masters, Pt 4
12/15/2015   The Origins of Sant Mat, Path of the Masters, Pt 3
12/8/2015     The Origins of Sant Mat, Path of the Masters, Pt 2
12/1/2015     The Origins of Sant Mat, Path of the Masters, Pt 1



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"Love is that meditation or method that makes the impossible possible. That which is harsh becomes gentle; the enemy becomes friend; the weak become strong; the concealed becomes revealed. Even though it is said that it takes many lifetimes to realize the Divine, if a devotee performs sadhana [meditation] with true, unwavering devotion, then the Divine will manifest at that moment." (Swami Vyasanand)
 


"Do the meditation practice daily with love." -- Huzur Baba Sawan Singh



"神就是爱,爱就是神,而返回到神的路也是爱。" (Chinese)
""God is Love, and Love is God, and the way back to God is also Love." (English)
"Tuhan adalah Kasih, dan Kasih adalah Tuhan
dan jalan kembali kepada Tuhan juga Kasih." (Malay)
"Dieu est l'amour et l'amour est Dieu,
et le chemin du retour à Dieu est également l'amour." (French)
-- Kirpal Singh



A universal truth of religions, mystics, and near-death experiencers: "We should understand that bhakti [love] is the life or soul of the entire universe." (Baba Devi Sahab)


Those who have near-death experiences (‪NDE‬'s) sometimes report hearing inner Sound: "The next thing I recall was the Sound; it was a Natural 'D.' As I listened to the Sound, I felt it was pulling me out of the top of my head. The further out of my body I got, the more clear the tone became. I had the impression it was like a road, a frequency that you go on…" (Pam Reynolds, Near-Death Experiencer)


"I asked if God was the Light, and the answer was no. God is not the Light. The Light is what happens when God breathes." (Pam Reynolds, Near-Death Experiencer)







The Soul is Beyond Race, Gender, Religion, Age, Nationality, Caste, Social Conditioning: Kabir

"When the soul becomes separated from the body, who can say what is its caste? Who can say whether the soul is black, white, red or yellow, or whether it has a caste or not, or whether it is hot or cold? Who can say if the soul is a Hindu or Turk, or old or young, and whether it is female or male. Think about this! Kabir says, 'No one pays attention to what I say. Whoever accepts my word will understand my teaching.'"

(Book of Vipramtisi -- about priestcraft, verses 27, 28, 29 and 30, a section of the Bijak, Kabir's treasure-map to the soul translated in, "The Complete Bijak of Kabir", by Dr. Jagessar Das)

Thought: May India and humanity in general fully comprehend Kabir's teaching here about the soul.



Jesus was not Christian. Guru Nanak was not Sikh. Muhammad was not Muslim. These labels get created later on. The strange thing is, great souls came to this world to remove these kinds of distinctions to form one humanity, yet human beings continue to be divided because of customs and traditions. 'Be Good -- Do Good -- Be One'. (Kirpal Singh)



We are all made in the image of God


"All-life is one. The Gurbani* says, 'Who is not your child? Everyone is your very own. We have all been created from one Light.' We are all made in the image of God ….. everyone one of us, male, female, black, white, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist…. we are all made in the image of God…. If we keep the remembrance of God, the simran* that we have been given as an anchor, then it will happen by itself [we will be seeing God in others and living a life of love]. We will be able to tell whether we are doing that by how much love is proceeding from us…..The most important thing in terms of outer context for satsangis* to do is to be lovable. The more lovable we are, the easier we make it for other people to love us. We benefit them as well as have a good time. It's always nicer to be around people who love us than people who don't." -- Russell Perkins, from a satsang talk in Sebastopol, California

*Notes:

"Gurbani": The Sikh scriptures, also known as Adi Granth or Guru Granth

"Simran": a term for remembrance, identical to the Sufi word zikhr, referring to the mantra or repetition of a name of God as a spiritual technique for remembering God. Simran is the technique of verbally (jappa) or mentally (manas jappa) repeating God's name as a spiritual practice, not only during meditation, but at any place and any time, day or night, whenever we have (or create) the opportunity, in order to be centered on God. Simran is a way to re-center, to refocus again and again, to "practice the presence of God."

"Satsangis": disciples, initiates, devotees, followers of a living Master, those who attend his or her spiritual gatherings (satsangs)







The Earth is a Temple, by Kirpal Singh


The whole creation is the temple of God. There is no place where He is not.
In minerals life is sleeping; in plants life is dreaming;
in birds and animals life is awakening; and in man
life is awake.
As such we are brothers of all creatures, of plants, of
birds and animals. So the flowers and trees, sparrows,
and doves are as members of our own order.
How simple, pure, loving and beautiful they are!
We should learn lessons of leading lives of purity,
holiness, simplicity and Divine Love from them.



Going Vegan to Reduce Our Methane Footprint, Violence and Suffering in the World, by James Bean

Some seek to reduce global warming by lowering everyone's carbon footprint, and we in the vegan world are already lowering our own personal methane footprint by abstaining from all meat and dairy products. Methane in another major greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. In this life-long quest we're out to educate as many people as possible in order to reduce suffering in the world. Recently I joined some Indian vegan social networking groups. Am glad India is beginning to stir towards awakening about this issue of the cruel treatment of dairy cows everywhere, including India, and the connection between global and personal health and the negative effects of consuming dairy (cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cancer). I have a large and growing Indian listenership-readership, thus one of my goals for 2016 is to, more than ever, promote vegan awareness.

If Buddha, Krishna, Mahavara, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Tulsi Das, Tulsi Sahib, and so many other great Saints were with us now, I am convinced they not only would be vegetarian, but that they would be advocating the vegan diet as the ideal in keeping with ahimsa values of non-violence and peace for the 21st Century.




I keep empty coffee cans in my office and kitchen, so if there's an insect like a spider or ant, I can easily catch it and take it outside. It's usually easier than the old "kill-on-site" approach I used to have. Win-win. Phone call from the governor. Ahimsa! No need to kill anything today.







Plants seeking the light.




"Your earnest desire for helping the people at large is appreciated. When the candle is lit, it should not be kept under a bushel but it should be placed prominently at such a place wherefrom others may take inspiration. You can discuss the sacred teachings of the Masters (but not the inner experiences) with your friends and acquaintances, and guide them to take up the Holy Path." -- Discussing the Path, "Letters from Sant Kirpal Singh to Initiates in the New York City Area"



Why Masters of Inner Light and Sound Instruct Students Not to Share With Others Details About Their Inner Experiences, by James Bean

Not everyone is at the same level. Each person's spiritual or mystical experiences are unique to themselves based on the amount of time spent in mediation, how accurately they follow the meditation instructions, the depth of their focus or concentration, and karmic background/mental impressions from past lives/samskaras. Each person needs to focus on their own experiences and progress without being contaminated by the beliefs or expectations of others about what "should" or "shouldn't" be happening, or be discouraged if their experiences aren't as wonderful as someone else's are alleged to be, or get egotistical if they have great experiences. I appreciate the master's approach of not seeking a revival tent or carnival atmosphere where people would be eager to "share" about experiences, making the whole thing into a corrupt farce of public bragging and false mental beliefs, which of course would interfere or subvert one's authentic process of inner seeing and hearing.


"To have inner experiences of Godly Light and Sound is no small thing and really only the fortunate few blessed from above receive them." (Kirpal Singh)







Importance of Initiation by a Living Master


The Meaning of the Word SANT: The term "Sant" is derived from the Sanskrit 'Sat' (Eternal Truth, Reality, God). Thus the "one who knows the Truth," and who has experienced Ultimate Reality. Even though the word Sant does not cognate with "Saint" it is often translated in English "Saint." In this book [Harmony Of All Religions], for the sake of convenience, we use the words 'Sant' and 'Saint' interchangeably. A Saint in the Sant Mat tradition is one who experiences the mystical State; it is a title conferred because of yogic achievements. This is different from the way this word is commonly understood in Western traditions, where a saint is considered to be morally correct and is only canonized as a saint after death on the basis of some form of miracle that he/she had performed during their lifetimes. In the Sant Mat tradition, a Saint is a living person who leads a moral life and has achieved realization of the Divine. -- Footnote in the book, Harmony Of All Religions


Living Masters: “Without a Master all scriptures are like the whispering of ghosts.” (Sant Tukarama)


"The Master always advises people to explore the Shabd in the depth of their hearts. But they ignore the pleas of the Master -- how then will their inner eyes open? Rare is the deserving soul who makes the teachings of the Master the foundation of his/her life." (Sant Radhasoami Sahib)


"O Soul (Surat)! 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/Sant Radhasoami Sahib)


Kirpal Singh: "The precious moments of earth-life spent in spiritual practices count creditably toward one’s eventual emancipation from the wheel. Be regular and lovingly devoted to your holy meditations, as that is the central pivot around which the whole sacred teaching revolves and therein an all around development of the soul is granted."







The Soul is Free to Fly -- The Message of the Masters

"By living in the Pinda Desh (physical universe or multiverse) for a long time, the Surat (Attention-faculty or awareness of the soul) becomes a servant of Maya or illusion and gets completely enmeshed in Maya. In such a state, it becomes extremely difficult for the Surat-soul to extricate itself from the clutches of ‘Vasanas’, the creation of Maya for numerous lives (the wheel of transmigration and reincarnation).

"As a free bird becomes accustomed to the cage after it has lived there for a long time and loses its power of flying freely, so the Surat-soul or Attention, having lived as a slave of Maya for so long, also loses it freedom to fly and forgets its Original Abode. Although the human soul was pure and free, attachment to illusory objects of creation, the pleasures of the senses, have deluded it and enslaved it. Now, it continues in bondage for birth after birth and is dancing to the tune of mind and illusion (manas and maya) in the three qualities or Gunas...

"The Saints advise that so long as the Attention is not attached to the Shabad or Naam [the Positive Power of God seen as inner Light and heard as inner Sound or Music], peace of mind cannot be achieved. The Surat-soul is in pain and suffering because it is separated from the Shabad. So long as the Surat-soul does not recognize Shabad and unite itself with it, it will never get real happiness nor will it discover the mortality or falsehood of the worldly objects. This is the import of eternal and peaceful life. This is called Surat Shabad Yoga [inner Light and Sound Meditation]. Therefore, the way by which the Surat-soul has descended, it must retrace, and ascend by the same route under the guidance of the Saints. Only then, the aim of human life will be fulfilled and real happiness attained.'

"On hearing these words, there arose a fresh enthusiasm and interest in the hearts of the devotees for meditation. All of them imbibed the Divine Words in their hearts and felt really blessed. The Fourth Master enlightened such a path to the devotees, by treading which, they could attain divine bliss. He told them again and again, 'Open the Divine Eye' and thus infused in them a new spirit to go within and try their best to open the Divine Eye."

-- The Fourth Master, Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth, Shri Anandpur







NOTE: In the Sant tradition there are several "big books", huge collections of the prose, poetry and hymns (banis, bhajans, kirtans) of Masters. These include: the Adi Granth (Shri Guru Granth Sahib), the Kabir Sagar (including one volume from it known as the Anurag Sagar), the Bijak of Kabir, the Panch Vani ("Songs of the Five" -- words of Sant Dadu Dayal, Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Hardas), writings of Dariya Sahib of Bihar, Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, the Bachans and Banis of Radhasoami, and the Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth ("the Big Blue Book").







Kabir, from the Kahara Section of the Bijak, and, I AM, the Formless God, Speaks

Kahara is a song set in the morning rhythm. Guru Kabir sings this kahara to teach the perishability of mundane existence, and to awaken people sleeping in delusion.

Always remain in sahaj (meditation). Yes! Remain in sahaj meditation. Remain absorbed in the teachings of the guru. (Sahaj is the state of easy or natural realization of your unity with the Divine).

Make compromise with the world and keep your restless mind steadfast. See all with the eye of love.

Just as you experience suffering now (without meditation), just so you will have happiness afterwards.

If you are not quickly able to control the mind, then at least try to give up anger.   (from Kahara, Chapter 1)


O brave mind! Worship God's name. If you relinquish your desires, then He is quite near. (Hindi: rām nām kā sewahu bīrā, dūri nāhi dūri āshā ho.)  (from Kahara, Chapter 3)


I cover myself with the name of God [rām nām]. My life's business is definitely with Him. (from Kahara, Chapter 4)


Recite God's name, O man! Recite God's name. Look deeply into your mind and be aware. [Hindi: rām nām bhaju rām nām bhaju, cheti dekhu man māhīn ho.]

You have collected a great deal of wealth and have safely buried (secured) it. But you will leave the world empty-handed.

Your grandfather, great-grandfather, and great great grandfather possessed land and pots (valuable articles).

Why did they leave these and go? Are you not aware, or are your inner eyes (perception) blind?

The world is engaged in a futile business. In the end no one stands by you, and you depart alone.

Birth and death are transient and take no time. They are like the shadows of passing clouds.

What is there to boast about relatives, lineage, clan and family when all are transient?

Kabir says that without devotion to God's name all of your cleverness drowned. (Kahara, Chapter 5)


Without of the name of God, O man! you spend your life in delusion.  (from Kahara, Chapter 6)


Below is Kahara Chapter 10 -- I AM (The Formless God/Nirgun Rai) Speaks

I am in all, and yet I am not in all. I see myself differentiated in all forms. (This is a state of samadhi or union with God. This is beyond all forms, and yet manifests in all forms).

I am covered with a single sheet (Maya = prakriti = undifferentiated matter), and people say that I am united with them.

I am one and am always present in all [Ek Nirantar], just as the single moon reflects in jars of water.

I am the same in all, but people do not understand. If they understood this unity, their delusion about old age and death will vanish.

There is no night or day, and the female and male are the same. (The soul, when realized, is beyond the dualities of day and night or male and female.)

I am not a youth and not an old man. There is no instability in me.

In the three stages of life (infancy, youth and old age), I am the same. My name is Nirgun Rai.

If one sends me I do not go, and if one calls me I do not come. I am Omnipresent and remain in the stage of sahaj in the world.

The weaver who does not know the difference between the warp and the weft in weaving, will weave a fabric torn in ten places. (The devotee who does not know how to worship the Supreme Being gets lost in worshipping multiple deities. This could also mean that not knowing the Absolute, he worships the physical, symbolized by ten doors of the body).

There are rare persons who obtain the grace of the guru and understand his teachings.

The mind engaged in countless forms of worship, causes the diamond-like soul to lose its value.

The gods, noble men and sages are in search of the Absolute. Only a few have found some trace of Him.

-- The Complete Bijak of Kabir -- Guru Kabir's Mystical Teachings on God-Realization, translation and commentary by Dr. Jagessar Das







Kabir Says, Seeing is the Only Proof


When I was, Hari [God] was not,
and now Hari is and I am no more:
All darkness vanished,
when I saw the Lamp within my heart.

The effulgence of the Supreme Being
is beyond the imagination:
Ineffable is His beauty,
to see it is the only proof.1

It was a good thing the hail fell on the ground,
for it lost its own self-hood:
Melting, it turned into water
and rolled down to the pond.2

Him whom I went out to seek,
I found just where I was:
He now has become myself
whom before I called 'Another!'

In the Unattainable, the Inaccessible,
there shines the Light.3
There Kabir has brought his homage
where 'merits' and 'sins' cannot reach.

The bird has flown to the Sky
while its body remained in a strange land.4
There, the bird drinks without a beak
and has forgotten this country.

Love lit up the cage, 5
an eternal Flame sprang up, 6
Doubt vanished, joy awoke,
when I met my Beloved Spouse.

My mind entered the unmani 7 stage,
heaven was scaled:
Where moonlight shines without a moon,
there dwells Niranjan, the invisible King!

-- Guru Kabir, "Kabir" Volume One, Charlotte Vaudeville, Oxford University Press
___
NOTES (from the translator, Charlotte Vaudeville):

1): The only acceptable proof or evidence is direct vision.

2): Hail, to which is soul is here compared, is really noting but water (i.e. the One Reality, God); once it has fallen on the ground, i.e. once the soul was incarnate in the human body, through the Experience, it lost the consciousness of its own falsely assumed identity and was reabsorbed into the One.

3): "Light" or "Jyoti" here refers to the Divine Light which the
Quran calls "Nur:" "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth."

4): The liberation of the soul (the "bird") through mystical Experience is expressed here in terms alluding to the Tantric sadhana. The "bird" which has flown to the "Sky" has taken the place of the kundalini-sakti which rises along the susumma nadi up to the mystic "Sky", known as gagana-mandala and situated within the skull: through this process, the Yogi reaches the supreme stage of sahaja, and becomes totally estranged from the samsara: only the appearance of his body remains "in a foreign land," i.e. in the world. (Many Nath Yogi terms are used by Kabir.)

5): The "cage" of the body.

6): The Light of spiritual awareness.

7): Transcending Mind.







In that void of nothingness... the Name [Naam] alone will serve you as companion. Guru Arjan Dev:

"In that void of nothingness, where there are no parents, sons, friends or brothers,
There the Name [Naam] alone will serve you as companion.
When crossing through the wilderness, pursued by the ministers of death,
The Name alone will accompany you.
When utter despair threatens to consume,
The Lord's Name brings release in a moment.
While many acts of atonement will not save,
The Name of God will wash away all sins.
O my mind, practice the Name by the Guru's grace!
O Nanak, thus will peace be attained."

-- Guru Arjan Dev, Fifth Sikh Guru, Sukhmani Sahib (Treasure of Peace)







Perfect Peace is Found in the Bliss of God’s Name


"Says Nanak: This perfect peace is found in the nectar of His Name.

"It is the Name of God which dwells in the hearts of His lovers:
Meditate upon it.
It is by meditating on God that one is released from the bondage of rebirth,
One is freed from the fear of pain or death,
And escapes the limitations of mortality.
His enemies will keep away from him,
And he will be safe from all harm.
His mind will be ever aware,
And will not be touched by fear or sorrow.
So meditate in the company of the holy [satsang],
For it is in loving God that one gains all His treasures, O Nanak.

"It is in meditating on the Name that one gains all wealth of earthly goods, of mental powers and aesthetic pleasures.

"In the illumination gained from the thought of God is found all knowledge, all devotion and the essence of wisdom.
Meditation on God is the true contemplation, austerity and worship.
In contemplating God one dissolves all sense of duality and sees nothing but the One everywhere."

-- Guru Arjan Dev, Fifth Sikh Guru, Sukhmani Sahib (Treasure of Peace)







Sant Mat History: On the Origin, Meaning, and Usage of the Sacred Name of God 'Radhasoami' (Pronounced "Radha-Swami")

Soami is Ocean and Radha its First Wave

"The founders of the faith have a few allegorical interpretations to put forward to explain the two components of the word -- Radha and Soami. The second guru says that the Supreme Being may be compared to an Ocean. A creative Ocean cannot be perceived without commotion. The first wave of the endless Ocean is Radha. The original Current is not different from but is identical with the Ocean itself and as it comes out so it is ever drawn towards it. The creative Ocean, therefore, is Soami and the first original wave just identical to the Ocean is Radha. The two together form the Supreme Ocean full of spiritual bliss and truth. Hence Radhasoami...

"Radhasoami faith is the religion of pure and spiritual love. Love denotes two components, the Beloved and the lover. The prime Source of all love and spiritual energy is the Beloved and is therefore known as Soami. The first wave of love and spiritual energy arising from its Source and then being attracted towards it again, is the lover and therefore is known as Radha. The Supreme Love is Radhasoami, identifying both the components and fusing them into one." (Agam Prasad Mathur, Radhasoami Faith, A Historical Study)

"In the Radhasoami Faith, this Supreme Being is called 'Radhasoami'. The exponents of this faith hold that this holy name has been given out by the Supreme Being Himself and as it is refulgently resounding within the higher spheres, it can be heard by a person who practises Surat Shabd Yoga. The second Guru used to address his Guru as 'Radhasoami Saheb'. When Hazur Maharaj practised the spiritual exercise of Surat Shabd Yoga and attained the highest spiritual Truth, He listened internally the refulgent resonance of Radhasoami incessantly resounding in the first and highest region of creation and found his Guru identical with the Highest Spiritual Being. He was then filled with divine grace and holy light of love. As such, He addressed Him as 'Radhasoami Saheb' and considered Him to be the incarnation of the Supreme Being. ... It was Huzur Maharaj who revealed the name Radhasoami after he realized in His deep meditation (Abhyas) not only that Soami Ji Maharaj was identical with Radhasoami, the Supreme Being, but also that Radhasoami is an ever reverberating Sound coming from the Highest Abode." (Agam Prasad Mathur, Petals of Love)

"RADHASOAMI Nam was revealed by the Supreme Being Himself. When the humble devotees of Soamiji Maharaj, as a result of their successful Abhyas ([meditation] devotional practices) and Satsang, came to realize His exalted position and immense spiritual powers, and when He too, in His grace and mercy, enabled them to recognize Him, they started addressing Him by the appellation of RADHASOAMI, the Name of the Original Abode from where He made His advent to this world, for showering His grace on Jivas [souls] in this Kali Yuga." (Radhasoami Sahia Bhoomika -- Preface to the Sar Bachan Poetry, by Huzur Maharaj)

"Soamiji tested His disciple and He found that Hazur was capable of spreading His spiritual message. The disciple had realized the Master; and the Master had also recognized the spiritual perfection and glow of the disciple. He recognized in Hazur Maharaj His own spiritual counterpart and on a special request of Hazur, Soamiji Maharaj established the Satsang in 1861. In all eternal radiance Soamiji Maharaj bestowed upon him the most precious and sacred gift -- the revelation of the name 'Radhasoami'. It was the name that Hazur gave to Soamiji Maharaj after the [inner] realization that his Guru was identical with the Supreme Being. The object of Hazur's life had been achieved and he felt contented as never before. Later in 1866, at Hazur Maharaj's stance, Soamiji Maharaj revealed the holy name 'Radhasoami' to His followers." (Agam Prasad Mathur, Petals of Love)

"The Radhasoami mat or Faith derives its name from its original founder, the Supreme Being, Radhasoami, who appeared in this world in human form and designated Himself Sant Sat Guru or perfect Saint or True Guide and Preceptor, and preached holy doctrines to the sincere Enquirer of Truth for the deliverance of their spirit from the bondage of body and surroundings, as well as from the pains and pleasures of this world, and for the ultimate admission (of their spirit entity) into the Holy Presence of the Supreme Being after traversing and breaking through the trammels and impediments in the material spheres." (Huzur Maharaj, Radhasoami Mat Prakash -- Being a Message of Eternal Peace and Joy to All Nations -- Originally written by Hazur Maharaj in English and published in 1897)