Lost Secrets of the Sethian Gnostics and Other Mystic Paths, by James Bean

 

Lost Secrets of the Sethian Gnostics and Other Mystic Paths, by James Bean

At one of the forums I belong to someone asked me about why mystic paths like the Sethian Gnostics kept the techniques of the spiritual practice a secret, for initiates only, between master and student. My reply is below.

Have attempted to find out what the Sethians used the names for according to a few scholarly texts on Sethianism: The Five Seals: Baptismal Rites in Sethian Gnosticism, by By J. Pedro Feliciano, Apocalypse of the Alien God, Dylan M. Burns, also, Sethian Gnosticism and The Platonic Tradition, by John Turner.

The five Sethian names (Harmoz-el, Oroia-el, Daveithai, El-eleth, and Autogenes, the “Self-Begotten One”) likely were used at an initiate’s baptism, five immersions in a river (living water). Since these names also correspond to five heavenly realms, one wonders if these names, these passwords of power, were also used in their spiritual practice as part of the ascension of the soul. Names corresponding to heavenly regions are used that way in other schools of spirituality (Kabbalah, Sufism, and Sant Mat). Also, even the baptism itself might have been about more than a water ritual bath and could have had a meditative component, a mystical experience. Some of the texts suggest this.

On secrecy. The downside of secrecy is that these sorts of mystic traditions do quickly get lost, are quite fragile. Usually mystic paths die off or dry up after a few generations. Without a master there are no more students and the secrets disappear. There are many reasons why esoteric paths keep their practices secret. If their methods were in the public domain such far-out talk of visions and experiencing the heavens would invite persecution from various hylic brethren committed to other religious ideologies that have no room for mysticism or a present-tense kingdom of God. The hylics seem to be really good a wielding the sword.

Another reason for the secrecy is to preserve their ways from being corrupted by those who would plagiarize and set up their own neo Sethian paths. Inner experience is something not only taught, but also caught. Students meditating with a genuine master are given a jump-start. The heavens open more easily in the presence of such saints.

So the purity of the path rests upon it being lead by a competent spiritual teacher who himself or herself experiences the heavens and mysteries being discussed. Thus the secrecy factor is an attempt at accreditation, to preserve the integrity of a line of masters, successors, with them and only them initiating people.

This never is a complete success however. There are opportunists in every generation giving rise to fake or deceptive gnostic teachers, fake sants, fake sufis, pseudo kabbalists, and so on. But there is at least some hope many will reach a good teacher who was legitimately appointed by their teacher and faithfully lives the path they represent.

My friend Don Howard has written about this: Evaluating Spiritual Teachers — In Search of a Worthy, Genuine, Competent, Qualified Spiritual Teacher: https://spiritualawakeningradio.com/QualifyingASpiritualTeacherByDonHoward.pdf

One of my blogs: Recognizing Genuine, Advanced Spiritual Masters of Inner Light and Sound — Helpful Points: https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/recognizing-genuine-advanced-spiritual-masters-of-inner-light-and-sound-helpful-points-976f3f2c730d

Mystic Verses of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar on Meditation from the Dariya Sagar (Ocean of Dariya)

Mystic Verses of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar on Meditation from the Dariya Sagar (Ocean of Dariya)

Rhyming Verses of Sant Dariya Sahib (followed by Sakhis, Chaupais, and Sorathas further below) 

Sakhi (Couplet)

In the lotus of eight petals, hums the bee—

Hear that Sound, ponder deeply and see.

Steer your mind into the inner stream,

Cast off delusions, awaken from the dream.

Chaupai (Quatrains)

The primal Word resounds with radiant light,

Hold your awareness on that single site.

Tie the thread of attention with care,

The primal Word alone leads you there.

The sun and moon arise from one domain,

Follow that thread—delay not in vain.

From primal Sound flows all Sounds divine,

Dwell where that echo does shine.

Above all speech, that root remains,

In spontaneous calm, the One sustains.

There, the scent of truth does fill the air,

The soul swan drinks deeply in joy rare.

Become a servant at the true Guru’s side,

Through love and devotion, let ego subside.

O Lord, I call you mine and true—

My mind is bound in love to You.

To break illusion, this is the key:

Let the soul-swan from falsehood flee.

Anchor your focus, guard it well,

Leave behind karma, break that spell.

Who reflects on the True Word,

Shall cross the ocean—pure as a bird.

These truths cannot be fully spoken—

To the Unspeakable, let your mind be woken.

Chhand (Verse)

The path ahead is deep, like the sea—

But merge Sound and thought, and you'll be free.

The undying light, the wondrous Word,

By seeing that, bliss is conferred.

In the unseen realm, where stillness rings,

Fix your mind—let go of things.

Drink the nectar of good and wise deeds,

Taste the fruit that your soul truly needs.

Soratha (Rhymed Couplets)

The deathless light is blazing bright,

The primal Sound holds truth and might.

Fix your mind with steadfast grace—

That river leads beyond time and space.

Chaupai (continued)

The unfathomable calls your soul within—

Keep your lotus-mind free from sin.

When love’s needle pierces deep,

The purest light within will leap.

By diving deep into Self’s true lore,

Your inner lotus begins to soar.

We’ve spoken of this mystic thread—

It’s the sky’s own path, where illusion is shed.

Sakhi (Mystic Couplets) of Sant Dariya Sahib

In the lotus with eight petals, the bee hums — listen carefully and contemplate the divine Word. Look within the ocean of your own consciousness, and abandon all delusions.

Chaupai (Quatrain):

From the primal Sound arises the divine light. Focus your awareness and fix it in one place.

Tie your consciousness with the thread of inner attention — that is the way to attain the primal Sound.

When the moon (mind) and head (consciousness) unite within the same house (inner self), then the inner thread begins to resonate.

The primal Sound begins to express itself — go there and settle yourself.

Beyond the unspeakable, lies the root (source) — dwell joyfully in that subtle realm.

Fragrance, sweetness, and bliss flow from there — the soul (like a swan) drinks and is filled with joy.

Be a servant at the feet of the True Guru, where service, devotion, and love are revealed.

I say to you, O Lord — You are my beloved. My mind is aligned only with You.

Renounce delusion — this is the only path. By it, the swan-soul reaches the hidden, divine realms.

Keep your awareness focused and attentive — abandon the pull of worldly karma and customs.

Whoever reflects on the true Word (Shabd) — that swan (soul) crosses the ocean of existence.

This ineffable truth cannot truly be spoken — but let your awareness reside in that unspeakable realm.

Chhand (Metered Verse):

The path ahead is like a subtle fish — only discerned by those who contemplate the Sound and Awareness.

The eternal Light and the wondrous divine Word — seeing that, one finds true bliss.

In that unfathomable realm, beyond reach of the senses, peace and stillness abide in the mind.

Those who follow the path of truth and righteousness — taste the fruit of immortality there.

Soratha (Metered Verse):

The undying light shines forth — the primal Word is its essence.

Hold your awareness and focus — and behold the river free from illusion and sorrow.

Chaupai (Continued):

Awaken your subtle awareness toward the inaccessible (divine realm), drawing the mind inward.

When the restless mind is pierced by divine yearning — the pure light of love is awakened.

Deep knowledge arises from true contemplation — and even the dark lotus of time begins to shine.

I have told much of this unfathomable story — it reflects signs of the vast divine sky.

In this world, I have come to speak the eternal truth:

Rare are the souls who are absorbed in the path of divine love.

The sweet grace (prasād) is obtained at the feet (of the divine);

One who receives the essence-word (Sār Shabd) is crowned like a swan (a symbol of purity and discernment).

Whoever accepts this sweetness as truth,

Becomes a swan and crosses over the ocean of worldly existence.

Hold fast to your own true self, O brother, and fix your consciousness (surat) there —

That sacred mark (ṭīkā) will merge you into divine essence.

Before the mark (ṭīkā) comes deep silence (gūlā),

Where the word of love (prema Shabd) is coarse and weighty.

The white banner waves day and night,

Made of nectar, it is very beautiful.

There, diamonds and rubies glow,

Pearls and gems are set in all four directions.

Such is the abode of the true self (nij lok),

Filled with rose-like faces and nectarous breath.

One who applies even a trace of the nectar-element (amī tattva) to their attention,

Easily attains that world.

The eternal word (Sat Shabd) increases divine love

And draws one into the service of saints and sages.

He who has recognized the thief and the true master,

Let him place his mind there — show some love for him, O brother!

Mute and profound is the one who reflects on true wisdom;

Follow the path of divine insight.

The witness of knowledge lights the lamp of vision —

Believe what I have said.

The Guru is a vast ocean —

Understand this and see for yourself, just once!

Chaupai (quatrain):

When all three ages (Satya, Treta, Dvapara) pass away,

Then the pain of Kali Yuga arises.

At that time, the righteous call upon the wise,

Who then explain the words of the Lord.

The Master says, ‘Listen, O servant:

All souls perish in fear of Yama (death).

The Master says again, ‘Listen with attention —

What means can save the soul?’

When the final age (Nastayuga) spreads,

That will be the only nourishment for all beings.

Before this, the world was destroyed by illusion;

Righteousness was abandoned, and the body withered.

All forms and bodies perished;

Even great warriors and heroes met their end.

The Master says again, ‘Listen attentively —

What method will save the soul?’

I call out in the true word (Sat Shabd):

This alone is the means to protect the world.

Let us, the swans (souls), go there —

This is the only way to preserve life (liberation of the soul).

Take with you the merit of good deeds (Sukriti);

The swan of wisdom has flown to the higher worlds.

Take with you the virtue of truth-filled speech —

Truth will ensure you never suffer in the land of Yama (death).

This age is harsh, the land full of darkness —

Let truth, contentment, and wisdom be your guide.

For one who attains knowledge and wisdom,

He never suffers the punishment of Yama's realm.

Whoever knows Me (the Divine), I dwell in them —

I honor such a soul as a true saint.

Those who know only the true Word (Sat Shabd),

They attain the fearless realm of saints.

Such souls dwell always with Me —

They drink the nectar of immortality constantly.

Many are the ways to preserve such a soul —

He becomes immortal, never perishes, O brother.

Rare is the one who truly knows this,

Only saints recognize the path to liberation.

He who contemplates the nectar Name (Amrit Naam),

His dwelling is in the immortal realm.

One who has never slandered, even in dreams,

And remains absorbed in loving meditation —

He sees all beings as one life force,

Sees all as flowing from the same source.

He has never committed spiritual suicide (violence to the soul),

And remains immersed in self-worship (inner contemplation).

He who meditates day and night,

Sings no other Name but the True Name (Satnam).

The essence of Sakhi (sayings) is Satnam —

It alone leads one to the immortal realm.

When one meets the True Guru,

All attachments and illusions are erased.

Chaupai (quatrain)

Satnam is the formless support —

Time (death) has no power over it.

Even those who dwell in Indra's heaven,

Are not spared by Time’s destruction.

Brahma dwells in Brahmaloka,

Even he is crushed by Time.

The single Unmanifest One (Niranjan) deludes all —

Without recognizing Him, no one attains liberation.

Let no one believe false words —

Let mankind contemplate the True Word.

When the lifeless (spiritually dead) or blind are struck by fate,

The Name of the Divine rescues the world.

We came from the higher realms —

By holding to the true Word, we attained joy.

Some Radhaswami Verses of Shiv Brat Lal from His Book of Hymns/Poetry/Bhajans: Shiv Shabd Sagar

Some Radhaswami Verses of Shiv Brat Lal from His Book of Hymns/Poetry/Bhajans: Shiv Shabd Sagar

Verses of Awakening

Refrain: My awareness, now wise, awaken!

My awareness has become wise, a devotee, forgetting its conscious form.

Trapped in the noose of time and illusion, it fails to see the essence or support.

Awaken now! My awareness, a traveler, has gone mad, lost in the delusion of the world.

This world is nothing but the expansion of the mind's desires.  

Awaken now! My clever awareness, entangled in worldly illusions, cannot discern the mystery of delusion.

Those who swing in the cradle of doubt, how can they taste the essence of truth?

Awaken now! My wise awareness, intoxicated with pride, trapped in ego and arrogance.

Bound by the chains of "mine" and "yours," it is tied in the bonds of bondage.  

Awaken now! My wise awareness, filled with remorse, has come to the company of the truth.

Radhasoami, the form of compassion, has spoken, taking refuge in the true Guru.

Awaken now!

Where Shall I Seek Happiness?

Refrain: Where am I, searching for happiness?

All that exists is within me—truth, consciousness, and bliss.

Without opening my eyes, how can I be amazed by the moon in my heart?

Where am I? I am a drop, my movement is in the ocean, like waves and bubbles.

I speak openly, but none believe; the restless mind remains unsteady.  

In me are the soul, nature, and God; in me is the infinite, the indivisible.

I am present in every fragment, my form is the cosmic egg.

In me, the creation of the universe unfolds; I am the child, the father, the mother.

Birth and death are my play; I come and go nowhere.  

Through service to the Guru and the company of saints, a being may realize this.

Radhasoami, I surrender at your feet, recognizing my true form.

Note: "Radhaswami" means "Lord of the Soul". Shiv Brat Lal was a disciple and spiritual successor of Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram of the Radhasoami Faith, a prolific writer. It's quite valuable to be able to access his writings from the early days of the Radhasoami movement.

मेरी सुरत सियानी चेत अब ॥टेक॥ सुरत सियानी भई भज्ञानी, चेतन रूप बिसारा। पंड़ी काल माया के फन्‍्दे, लखे न सार असारा ॥ चेत अब सुरत सियात्री हुई दिवानी; भरम रही संसारा। यह संसार और कुछ नाहीं; मन संकल्प पसारा ॥ चेत अब सुरत सियाली भव भरमाती, भरम का भेद न बूके। भ्रम ईिंडोले जो कोई झूले, कैसे तत्व की छके ॥ चेत अब सुरत सियान्री मद लपटानी, मान गुमान फसानी | मोर तोर की बंधी जेवरी, वन्धन वन्ध बंधानी ॥ चेत अब सुरत सियानी उपजी गलानी, सत संगत में आई। राधास्रामी दया रूप निज .बाना, ली सतगुरु शरनाई ॥ चेत अब

[७८२६६ ]

सुख को किसमें कहां हूँ हूँ ॥टेक॥ जो कुछ हैं सब मेरे भीतर, सच चित्त आनन्दा। आंख खुले बिन छक्के कैसे, घट के छरज चन्दा।॥ कहां हूँदँ मैं हूं बुन्द॒ सिंधु गति मेरी, लहर बुलबुले पुभमें। खोल कहूँ माने कोई नाहीं, धीर चुलबुले म॒कमें॥ ? मुझमें जीव प्रकृति ईखर, मुभमें अक्न अक्ांडा। मैं हूं खंड खंड में व्यापा, रूप है मेरा अंडा ॥ ! मुभमें सृष्टि की रचना फैली, मैं बालक पितु माता। जनम मरन मेरी है लीला, आता कहीं नजाता॥ ?# गुरु की सेवा साध की संगत, करे तो जाने प्रानी । राधास्रामी चरन शरन बलिहारी, अपना रूप पिछानी॥ ”

Mirabai Mystic Verses

Mirabai Mystic Verses

LONGING FOR THE LORD

I am struck with longing to meet the Lord,

To meet that dear One, and reach

      my true Home.

Worldly entanglements and fear of slander,

I'll give up in pursuit of true Knowledge.

The door is unlocked, my soul

      shines bright,

And longs for the mansion within the sky.

A dazzling flame appears before me,

Like a flash of lightening in days of rain.

Mira yearns now to behold her dear Lord

And sing His glory in blissful ecstasy.

THE LORD AND HIS NAME

I am attached to the Lord's Name;

His Name alone I now love and cherish.

My loving Friend has entered my heart,

As the string runs through a necklace.

He is within all, yet ever apart,

Not near, not far, is the Mighty One.

Mira now abides in the Lord's shelter;

The fear of birth and death is set aside.

BE STEADFAST

Engage in the Lord's devotion;

Persist in your meditation;

Be steadfast.

Far is the abode of the Lord,

Like the fruit of the date-palm tree.

He who climbs and reaches the top

Tastes the sweet fruit of love;

They come to ruin

Who slip and fall.

Why don the armor?

Why seek the safety of a shield?

He is the true warrior who,

Unarmed, charges with all his might;

For the Master is his armor and his shield.

With the poniard of Knowledge,

With the Master's grace as the scimitar,

And with the lance of detachment,

Take to the field, wage the war;

Never will you face defeat.

Remember, your body is but fragile,

Composed of flesh, bones and nerves,

And endowed with ten senses.

Mira's Lord alone is everlasting;

To Him she is firmly tied

By the delicate twine of love.

Thoughts Become Things -- The Power of Thought -- Light and Sound on The Path: Sant Mat, Radhasoami Spirituality

Thoughts Become Things -- The Power of Thought

The following story is found in the Sawan Singh book, Tales of the Mystic East.

Love Begets Love

When Akbar was once taking a walk, accompanied by Birbal, one of his ministers, they saw a peasant coming from a distance. King Akbar told Birbal that he would like to shoot this man and asked Birbal:

"When we meet the peasant, please find out what is passing through his mind."

When the peasant came near, Birbal, pointing to King Akbar, asked the peasant what he thought about him, saying:

"Please do not hesitate nor cheat, but speak out your mind truthfully."

"I would like to pull out every single hair in his beard," the peasant told him, with some venom.

When Birbal repeated this to the King, he sighed, and said:

"Ah, Birbal, it is as the holy men who visit my court have so often told us. It is love alone that leads us to find a Saint and by him be taken to the mansion of the Lord. Hatred brings only hatred in return, and binds us still tighter to this world." (Tales of the Mystic East)

"Love is the key to the secrets of God." (Rumi)

"This is my commandment, that you love one another." (Christ)

"The Truth do I utter, let all hear:

Who loveth, he alone findeth the Lord." (Guru Gobind Singh)

Thought Elevation -- Focusing Upon Spiritual Things

"Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much

as your own unguarded thoughts." (Buddha)

"With our thoughts we make the world." (Buddha)

"Whatever man thinketh, that he obtaineth. If he were to dwell on the Absolute, he would become immortal." (Sant Namdev quoted in the Adi Granth, Sikh Scriptures)

"Wherever one's thought dwells, there will that person rest. At his pleasure, he may go to the delusion of unreality or he may merge into the Lord of the self. Where thou keepest thy mind while living, to that abode shalt thou go after death. The soul finds lodging in a place wherein it has hitherto been immersed." (Dadu Dayal)

Accumulated thoughts of living beings cause births and deaths for them again and again

"The thoughts are of various types and each thought has its hidden import. The thoughts which are soaked in attachment and illusion, form the basis of transmigration. But the thoughts which are immersed in selfless service (seva), lead one to salvation. The flow of thoughts in the mind knows no end. Not a single moment passes without those, so much so, that during sleep even, they occur in the form of dreams. What are those thoughts? Desire for anything assumes the form of a thought. The moment a desire to attain something or the other, arises in the mind, that very moment, man is thrown into an ocean of thoughts. These very thoughts become the basis of resolutions and options which cause one to enter into different forms after death. Whatever the nature of thought at the time of death determines the next form or birth for that soul.

"All the doubts and desires should be made to merge with the Shabd or Word [the Divine Current of Light and Sound], to get rid of horrible consequences of innumerable births and transmigration. Except for the desire to recite Naam, no other desire should take hold of the mind... By remembering the Lord, one attains God-realization and when this stage is reached, then there is no need to resort to any other means of attain salvation [moksha]." (The Second Master, The Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth)

Repeat the Holy Name - from the Songs of Tallapaka Annamacharya of South India

 

Repeat the Holy Name - from the Songs of Tallapaka of South India

Whenever you're hungry, whenever you're tired

Repeat the holy name, there is no other way

In moments of want, or when you're all alone

If someone captures you and you're locked up

The blessed name of Hari is the only support

If you're forgetful and make mistakes in life

Whenever you're hungry, whenever you're tired

Repeat the holy name, there is no other way

When danger threatens, or you're scandalized

In times of sin, whenever you are in terror

The power of Hari’s name is your true comfort

Search until dusk falls; you'll find no other way

Whenever you're hungry, whenever you're tired

Repeat the holy name, there is no other way

If you're bound in chains, condemned to death

When you're waylaid on the road by creditors

The name of Venkata is the only way of release

Idiot mind, search as you wish, no other way exists

Whenever you're hungry, whenever you're tired

Repeat the holy name, the only way to go higher

-- Annamacharya, Songs of Three Great South Indian Saints, William J. Jackson

Note: Annamayya (1408 – 1503) was a Telugu musician, composer, and a Hindu saint of south India. Divine names to be repeated may vary from tradition to tradition, and even in the mystic verses above, but it's a universal spiritual practice to repeat a sacred name of God, to meditate upon it. "Repeat the holy name, the only way to go higher." (Annamacharya)

Says Kabir: Now What To Fear?

 

Says Kabir: Now What To Fear?

Now what to fear?

Fear merged in Fear,

I know the secret of duality.

Fears always afflicted me,

when I isolated

you from me.

One is he with the One

who sees

the inner-outer as one. 

But brute is he

who led by delusion 

makes low-high division.

Freed from my 'I',

says Kabir,

I saw Ram in all.

-- Kabir, Says Kabir... A Collection of One Hundred and Ten Poems of Kabir

The Three Kinds of People There Are in the World According to the Valentinian Gnostics, by James Bean

 

The Three Kinds of People There Are in the World According to the Valentinian Gnostics, by James Bean

The three kinds of people in the world: "The Valentinian threefold designation of people as hylics, psychics, and pneumatics (people of fleshly body, soul, and spirit)." (Marvin Meyer, The Nag Hammadi Scriptures)

Have always thought of this tripart view of humanity as being rather accurate. We have 1) the hylics ("matter", materialists), 2) the psychics (of soul), and, 3) the pneumatics ("spiritual", from Greek πνεῦμα, "spirit").

Psychics (of the soul) are sort of the in between, between the spiritual and material realms with some belief in supernatural possibilities, and this category also includes people following one religion or another. Mystics in the world are few but followers of religions are many. Pneumatics are in the mystics category, those who are knowers (Gnostics), experiencers, in addition to whatever their intellectual beliefs might be about God, heavens, universes, souls and whatnot.

My only concern with what might be said in old Gnostic texts is over the question of WHO has a soul. If some of those folks were espousing the view that not everyone has a soul or the same kind of soul, I would strongly disagree, believing that everyone has a soul, IS a soul incarnate. If they are saying that many people are stuck at the level of the five senses and the outer material world, believe only what they happen to see (the hylics) or are attached to various theological ideas but don't experience the things they believe (God, heavens) and so it's all just abstract theory to them (psychics), then I do agree with that. Gnostics weren't anti intellectual and had lots of ideas, but their goal was to experience, to know. One begins with faith but then moves on to gnosis, to be spiritual, pneumatic, through an initiation into The Mysteries gain access to one's spiritual senses which can have perception of the beyond, spiritual seeing, spiritual hearing. One becomes an explorer of heavenly realms. Gnostic texts are filled with descriptions of visionary and auditory experiences, and the ascension of the soul through the various heavenly realms.

I believe animals also have souls, which is one of the reasons why I'm vegan. Being heavily influenced by Neo Platonism and Pythagoreanism the gnostics were veg or vegan also. See the last verses of the Nag Hammadi book, The Prayer of Thanksgiving: https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/two-vegetarian-prayers-of-thanksgiving-one-is-gnostic-the-other-from-jainism-f34f8e11a7cf

Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj, the Great Scholar Sant, on the Occasion of His Jayanti — Birthday Commemoration

 

 

Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj, the Great Scholar Sant, on the Occasion of His Jayanti — Birthday Commemoration

We Remember Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj (12–20–1920 — 6–4–2007)

The Goal of Sant Mat Spirituality and Meditation: Our Path Back to the Source — The Inward Journey Back to God

“Sant Mat (the path and teachings as taught and practiced by Saints [Sant Satgurus]) delineates the path of union of soul with God. The teachings of the saints explain the re-uniting as follows:

“The individual soul has descended from the higher worlds [the Realm of the Divine] to this city of illusion, bodily existence. It has descended from the Soundless State to the essence of Sound, from that Sound to Light, and finally from the realm of Light to the realm of Darkness. The qualities (dharmas, natural tendencies) of the sense organs draw us downward and away from our true nature.

“The nature of the soul (atman) draws us upwards and inwards and establishes us in our own true nature. Returning to our origins involves turning inward: withdrawal of consciousness from the senses and the sense objects in order to go upward from the darkness to the realms of Light and Sound. [We experience this phenomenon of withdrawal as we pass from waking consciousness to deep sleep.] Another way to express this is to go inward from the external sense organs to the depth of the inner self. (Both of these expressions are the metaphors that signify the same movement). The natural tendencies of the soul (atman) are to move from outward to inward. The current of consciousness which is dispersed in the nine gates of the body and the senses, must be collected at the tenth gate.

“The tenth gate is the gathering point of consciousness. Therein lies the path for our return. The tenth gate is also known as the sixth chakra, the third eye, bindu, the center located between the two eyebrows. This is the gateway through which we leave the gates of the sense organs and enter in the divine realms and finally become established in the soul. We travel back from the Realm of Darkness to the Realm of Light, from the Light to the Divine Sound, and from the Realm of Sound to the Soundless State. This is called turning back to the Source.

“This is what dharma or religion really intends to teach us. This is the essence of dharma.” (Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj, “Harmony Of All Religions”).

Know Yourself and Know God: “Practice ‘Drishti Yoga’ (Yoga of Inner Light) and ‘Nadaanusandhana’ (Yoga of Inner Sound, Surat Shabd Yoga). This will remove the layers of Darkness, Light and Sound (that conceal your Soul from the Supreme Sovereign Soul, i.e. God). You will, thus, get to know ‘Who You Are’. And, when you know yourself, you will also know God.” (Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj)

Satsang Video: Santsevi Speaks about Qualification of the Guru -- Hindi With English Subtitles: 

https://youtu.be/XD69XRKIGq0?si=OZW-_IXChz2fbMVs

For a Biography of Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj, See:  

https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/biography-of-swami-santsevi-ji-maharaj-the-great-scholar-sant-on-the-occasion-of-his-96th-jayanti-d47efe871de0