God and You, the Observer -- Light and Sound on the Path
"Despite all we've gained in this scientific age, we've lost something important. Even in a roomful of neighbors, it's highly unlikely that everyone will have the same mental picture of large-scale reality and even more unlikely that any of their pictures is based on real evidence. We're divided on the most fundamental question of any society: what universe are we living in? With no consensus on this question and no way even to think constructively about how we humans might fit into the big picture, we have no big picture. Without a big picture we are very small people."
"Scientific cosmology, unlike traditional cosmologies, makes no attempt to link the story of the cosmos to how human beings should behave. It is the job of scholars, artists, and other creative people to try to understand the scientific picture and to perceive and express human meanings in it. A living cosmology for 21st-century culture will emerge when the scientific nature of the universe becomes enlightening for human beings."
"To the extent that people around the world accept scientific reality, they argue, we have grounds for agreement for the first time on a shared creation story based on modern cosmology and biology." (images and quotes above are from New-Universe 'dot' org)
"In the religion of the Saints [Sant Mat] the relationship between the Supreme Being and the soul is that of Ansi and Ansa*." (Saying of Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Prose, Book Two) *NOTE: An 'Ansa' is an emanation. 'Ansi' means the Source of 'Ansas'. As with other schools of spirituality, in Sant Mat Mysticism souls are drops from the Ocean of Love, or described as God-particles: sparks or rays of the One Light. Souls are part of the One.
"The One is the foundation of all other things and gives them, at one and the same time, existence and location." (Plotinus, the Father of Western Mysticism)
"It is by The One that all beings are beings." (Plotinus)
"Souls are responsive one to another because they all come from the same soul –- The Soul." (Plotinus)
Rumi says: "I am merely a guest born in this world, to know the secrets that lie beyond it."
The Many and The One
We may conceive of a complicated multi-verse of bubble universes and big bangs, higher planes, trillions of light-years of space and time, vast epochs or yugas, multiple realities or dimensions, lokas, lotuses, and khands, yet there is a Simplicity behind and beyond the multiplicity. There is a Formlessness behind and beyond all forms. There is the Lord of the Soul (Sat Purush Anami, Radhasoami). No matter where you perceive yourself to be in the physical realm, heavens, hells, dream states, astral, causal, universal mind, etheric or some other level of inner space -- wherever you may be, know that you are the observer (attention faculty of the soul, surat, atman) and know the Supreme Soul is there with you. Remember this! This is the message of remembrance, awakening, simran. This is the message of the Masters, the Sants, Sufis and Gnostics.
Rumi: "I once had a thousand desires, but in my one desire to know you, all else melted away."
"Look within your heart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram; All the men and women of the world are His living forms. Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is my Pir." (Kabir)
"You are pervading and permeating all places and inter-spaces, O Creator. You made all that has been made. You created the entire universe, with all its colors and shades; in so many ways and means and forms You formed it. You are the support of the unsupported. In all places and inter-spaces you are the Giver, the Great Giver. Everywhere I look, You are. Lord, You have no end or limitation. You are pervading and permeating all places and inter-spaces; reflecting upon the Word of the Guru's Shabad, You are found." (Adi Granth, Sikh Scriptures, Gurbani)
"Beneath the great umbrella of my King millions of suns and moons
and stars are shining!
He is the Mind within my mind: He is the Eye within mine eye.
Ah, could my mind and eyes be one! Could my love but reach to my
Lover! Could but the fiery heat of my heart be cooled!
Kabir says: 'When you unite love with the Lover, then you have
love's perfection.'" (Kabir)
"The Merciful Supreme Being and Sant Satguru reveal to their true parmarthi jivas [spiritual souls, initiates, disciples, chelas] that they are Chaitanya [Spirit, Consciousness], are the Ansas [particles, rays, emanations] of the Supreme Being. They should therefore establish their connection with their Father-Mother who is the Supreme Chaitanya and make this connection much more intimate, so that they may attain His Region i.e. the Realm of Pure Spirit, where there is no Maya [illusion], and attain the joy and bliss of His Darshan [divine Vision]. People have been advised to perform the practices of Surat Shabda Yoga Marg [the way of inner Light and Sound Meditation]. The practice of Surat Shabda Yoga, which has been mercifully revealed by the Saints in this age, is beneficial for all jivas [souls]." (Prabha Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Sanskrit, DEI, Agra, from, "Spiritual Consciousness Studies" -- Spircon 2010 document)
Meditate. It's bigger on the inside!
"Shut your eyes and change to and wake another way of seeing, which everyone has but few use." (Plotinus)
"It is now time, leaving every object of sense far behind, to contemplate, by a certain ascent, a beauty of a much higher order; a beauty not visible to the corporeal eye, but alone manifest to the brighter eye of the soul, independent of all corporeal aid." (Plotinus)
"The Masters say that two things are essential for success on the spiritual path: first a genuine urge, a passion for it; and second, regular practice. If either one of these is lacking, our efforts will not be fruitful." (Kirpal Singh)
"Those who meditate on the Eternal, like the great ones have done, will discover the Eternal Teacher, residing in their own hearts." (Kabir)
Within this earthen vessel are bowers and groves, and within it
is the Creator:
Within this vessel are the seven oceans and the unnumbered stars.
The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;
And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth, and the spring wells
up.
Kabir says: "Listen to me, my Friend! My Beloved Lord is within."
"The One does not strive to encircle us, but we strive to encircle it. We always move round the One, but we do not always fix our gaze upon it: we are like a choir of singers who stand around the conductor, but do not always sing in time because their attention is diverted to some external object; when they look at the conductor they sing well and are really with him. So we always move round the One; if we did not, we should be dissolved and no longer exist; but we do not always look towards the One. When we do, we attain the end of our existence, and our Repose, and we no longer sing out of tune, but form in very truth a divine chorus round the One. In this choral dance the soul sees the fountain of life and the fountain of Spirit, the source of being, the cause of good, the root of soul." (Plotinus)
"Unless we overcome the magnanimous challenge of procrastination and curb the ever-rising tide of mental activity during meditation, we cannot reach our Noble (arya) destination (state of unity with God). The un-vigilant practitioners usually become engrossed in thoughts or fall sleep. These formidable passes must be crossed for success." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
"We sit in meditation, fail to concentrate, and get upset or fed up. A pessimistic thinking sets in as to whether or not 'I would be able to do it.' No, we should not get nervous, or anxious, nor should we nurture any doubts in our minds. We must go on trying, with persistence and perseverance." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)
From Darkness to Light, by Swami Bhagirath Baba
On closing eyes everyone sees the darkness inside no matter whether they belong to one creed, caste, country or another, be they young, old, male, female, scholar or illiterate. This darkness has not been created by humans or gods. This darkness has been created by the Supreme Sovereign God. There are three layers (coverings) over the Jeeva-atmaa (Individual Soul). Those are: darkness, Light and Sound. Darkness is the shadow of the Light. This darkness is the first layer that the Jeeva (Individual Soul) or all beings encounter. One who crosses this layer of darkness through a special kind of meditation sees the inner Light within oneself.
This inner Light is called Aatma-Aalok (Light of the Self) or Brahma-Prakash (Divine Light). On achieving this, the Divya-Drishti (Divine Eye, Third Eye) opens completely. While mentally gazing into the darkness that one sees with eyes closed, one should repeat the guru-instructed mantra. This process is called Maanas Jap [simran].
If the Jaapak (practitioner of Jap [simran]) repeats the Jap while doing worldly work as well as practices Jap sitting in a secluded place with love and faith, he/she begins to see divine visions, or hear auditions in the inner sky (the region within where darkness normally appears when one's eyes are closed). (Swami Bhagirath Baba)
One Love!
The Lord is in me, the Lord is in you, as life is in every seed.
O servant! put false pride away, and seek for Him within you.
A million suns are ablaze with light,
The sea of blue spreads in the sky,
The fever of life is stilled, and all stains are washed away;
when I sit in the midst of that world.
Hark to the unstruck bells and drums! Take your delight in love!
Rains pour down without water, and the rivers are streams of
light.
One Love it is that pervades the whole world, few there are who
know it fully:
They are blind who hope to see it by the light of reason, that
reason which is the cause of separation --
The House of Reason is very far away!
How blessed is Kabir, that amidst this great joy he sings within
his own vessel.
It is the music of the meeting of soul with soul;
It is the music of the forgetting of sorrows;
It is the music that transcends all coming in and all going
forth. (Kabir)
When I am parted from my Beloved, my heart is full of misery: I
have no comfort in the day, I have no sleep in the night. To
whom shall I tell my sorrow?
The night is dark; the hours slip by. Because my Lord is absent,
I start up and tremble with fear.
Kabir says: "Listen, my friend! there is no other satisfaction,
save in the encounter with the Beloved." (Kabir)
bhai koi satguru sant kahawai
He is the real Sadhu, who can reveal the form of the Formless to
the vision of these eyes:
Who teaches the simple way of attaining Him, that is other than
rites or ceremonies:
Who does not make you close the doors, and hold the breath, and
renounce the world:
Who makes you perceive the Supreme Spirit wherever the mind
attaches itself:
Who teaches you to be still in the midst of all your activities.
Ever immersed in bliss, having no fear in his mind, he keeps the
spirit of union in the midst of all enjoyments.
The infinite dwelling of the Infinite Being is everywhere: in
earth, water, sky, and air:
Firm as the thunderbolt, the seat of the seeker is established
above the void.
He who is within is without: I see Him and none else.
In the beginning was He alone, sufficient unto Himself: the
Formless, colourless, and unconditioned Being.
Then was there neither beginning, middle, nor end;
Then were no eyes, no darkness, no light;
Then were no ground, air, nor sky; no fire, water, nor earth; no
rivers like the Ganges and the Jumna, no seas, oceans, and waves.
Then was neither vice nor virtue; scriptures there were not, as
the Vedas and Puranas, nor as the Koran.
Kabir ponders in his mind and says, "Then was there no activity:
the Supreme Being remained merged in the unknown depths of His
own self."
The Guru neither eats nor drinks, neither lives nor dies:
Neither has He form, line, colour, nor vesture.
He who has neither caste nor clan nor anything else -- how may I
describe His glory?
He has neither form nor Formlessness,
He has no name,
He has neither colour nor colourlessness,
He has no dwelling-place.
Kabir ponders and says: "He who has neither caste nor country,
who is Formless and without quality, fills all space."
The Creator brought into being the Game of Joy: and from the word
Om the Creation sprang.
The earth is His joy; His joy is the sky;
His joy is the flashing of the sun and the moon;
His joy is the beginning, the middle, and the end;
His joy is eyes, darkness, and light.
Oceans and waves are His joy: His joy the Sarasvati, the Jumna,
and the Ganges.
The Guru is One: and life and death, union and separation, are
all His plays of joy!
His play the land and water, the whole universe!
His play the earth and the sky!
In play is the Creation spread out, in play it is established.
The whole world, says Kabir, rests in His play, yet still the
Player remains unknown.
"To whom shall I go to learn about my Beloved? Kabir says: 'As you never may find the forest if you ignore the tree, so He may never be found in abstractions.'
"O man, if thou dost not know thine own Lord, whereof art thou so
proud?
Put thy cleverness away: mere words shall never unite thee to
Him." (Kabir)
"He who is within is without: I see Him and none else," says Kabir.
There is a strange tree, which stands without roots and bears
fruits without blossoming;
It has no branches and no leaves, it is lotus all over.
Two birds sing there; one is the Guru, and the other the
disciple:
The disciple chooses the manifold fruits of life and tastes them,
and the Guru beholds him in joy.
What Kabir says is hard to understand: "The bird is beyond
seeking, yet it is most clearly visible. The Formless is in
the midst of all forms. I sing the glory of forms." (Kabir)
On Sant Mat Meditation Practice, Including Pratyahara, by Swami Achyutanand Baba
The practitioner should sit in a comfortable posture holding his [or her] body, neck and head motionless in a straight line, closing mouth and eyes. First practice manas japa ([simran] -- mentally reciting or chanting -- without using or moving the lips or the tongue -- the sacred mantra given by the Guru, repeatedly with the fullest attention and alertness). This should be followed by manas dhyana ([dhyan] fixedly gazing at the visualized form of the Guru within us, keeping our eyes closed). Practicing thus regularly and with sincere love, the mind gets purified.
Pratyahara: Bringing the Wandering Mind Back to Focus During Meditation
The mind is, by its very nature, fickle and prone to frequently straying from manas japa and manas dhyan. If that happens while meditating, it should be immediately brought back to focus on its due target. Thus perseveringly practicing pratyahara (the process of applying the mind back, again and again every time it drifts away, to the selected target), the mind slowly gains in strength and is able to hold or stick to its goal. With the mind getting focused thus, the inner Current, the Current of Light, is subsequently easy to grasp, facilitating the journey ahead. (Swami Achyutanand Baba, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound)
