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

What About Those Who Get Re-Initiated? - Light and Sound on The Path: Sant Mat Radhasoami

 

What About Those Who Get Re-Initiated? - Light and Sound on The Path: Sant Mat Radhasoami, by James Bean

At a group I belong to someone was asking who their spiritual master is if they have been initiated more than once, which can happen in this Path of the Masters. My reply: 

Who is your true Master, your Sant Satguru? The one you say it is… the one you have the most love (bhakti) and respect for… the one you are the closest to above all others in this world and in the worlds beyond. He’s the one you’re working with, and he is it who is working with you, mentoring you… the one that came to you in your hour of darkness offering light (light-giver, the one who takes the darkness away). He’s your Beloved, your Gurudev, the one who will come to you in all Radiance. Some have been initiated more than once. Being re-initiated is not necessarily disrespect for the previous guru. Being re-initiated happens sometimes in Sant Mat. Soamiji Maharaj said to consider one’s previous guru as being “in” or part of your current satsang affiliation*. And if one has a Christian background and you have much respect for Jesus, bring Jesus with you. Or, in other words, continue to have respect for the teachings of Christ, as Sant Mat does, and other past masters. All true masters have been co-workers for the One God. The Path is One.

* NOTES: 

 See Sar Bachan Prose, Book Two, Sayings of Swami Ji Maharaj Given in Satsang, Sayings 250, 251 and 252 for various principles regarding past guru affiliations.

RSSB Translation:  

https://archive.org/details/SarBachanRadhasoamiProseSwamiJiMaharajRSSB/page/n159/mode/2up?q=in

Dayalbagh Translation: 

 https://archive.org/details/SarBachanRadhasoamiProseDayalBaghTranslation/page/n169/mode/2up

Also see: Baba Kehar Singh’s book, Question and Answers, Part One, Pages 48 and 49 on Guru Bhakti (the spiritual teacher you are most devoted to):

sant mat, radhasoami, initiation, reinitiated, satsang, path of the masters, living master, spiritual teacher, sants, satgurus,

Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog Archive: 

https://SantMatRadhasoami.blogspot.com

Blog Archive RSS Feed: 

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About Spiritual Masters, Competent Qualified Teachers, Guides, Sant Satgurus of Sant Mat

 

About Spiritual Masters, Competent Qualified Teachers, Guides, Sant Satgurus of Sant Mat

Some in the West have encountered teachings about Inner Light and Sound Meditation indirectly and then eventually heard that this form of meditation practice actually is derived from a rare spiritual path from India called Sant Mat (the Way or Teachings of the Saints). Spiritual seekers also may have discovered one of our spiritual classics, the book, Path of the Masters, by Julian P. Johnson, were blown away by, it and wish to learn more. 

Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast: About Spiritual Masters, Competent Qualified Teachers, Guides, Sant Satgurus of Sant Mat - Listen, Download, Subscribe @ the Podcast Website: 

https://SpiritualAwakeningRadio.libsyn.com/website

@ Apple Podcasts: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiritual-awakening-radio/id1477577384

@ Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/show/5kqOaSDrj630h5ou65JSjE

@ Google Podcasts: 

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5saWJzeW4uY29tLzIwNzIzNi9yc3M

& @ Wherever You Subscribe and Follow Podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Audible, PodBean, Overcast, i Heart Radio, Podcast Addict, Gaana, CastBox, etc...): 

https://linktr.ee/SpiritualAwakeningRadio

"While we sojourn in this dark region of matter, we have to deal with the negative power. With him we must contend in our struggles for spiritual freedom. It is his duty to try to hold us here, while it is our duty to try to escape. The resulting struggle purges us and makes us strong, and fits us for our homeward journey. This everlasting fight, this struggle in a welter of pain and blood and heart cries, is designed by the supreme Father to purge us and make us clean, ready for our homeward ascent. Let us never become discouraged. All of this is designed by the Father for our benefit. It is much as if one enters a gymnasium to take exercise. If we meet these difficulties in the right spirit, we shall greatly profit by them. The idea of pain and struggle is to purge us and inspire in us a longing to rise above the regions of pain and shadow." (Julian P. Johnson, Path of the Masters)

"The message of the Masters fills the world with hope, and at the same time it offers a rational foundation for such hope. It not only tells people what they should do, but it offers them a definite method of doing it. In the march of the ages, cycle after cycle, in every planet where human beings reside, the great Masters are the Light-Bearers of that world. Until the end of the ages, they will remain the friends and saviors of those who struggle toward the Light." (Julian P. Johnson, Path of the Masters)

In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Radhaswami,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

https://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/sant-mat

O Soul, Return to Your True Home, the Abode of the Beloved Lord -- Light and Sound on the Path

 

O Soul, Return to Your True Home, the Abode of the Beloved Lord -- Light and Sound on the Path -- e-Newsletter/Blog/Booklet of Rare Spiritual Quotes & Satsang Discourses

 

(My mission is to share the wisdom of the masters, mystics or lovers of the Beloved Supreme Being, the Ocean of Love, worldwide via the web and radio.)

 

 

"O Soul [Surat]! Who are you and whence have you come? This world is a net spread by the mind. Why do you get entangled in it? You are a ray from the Purush (the Supreme Being) and an inhabitant of the purely Spiritual Region. Kal [the lord of time] has put a noose round your neck. Turn back and go to your Home, by the grace of Sat Guru and in the company of Sadhs (those who are engaged in Parmath [spirituality]). Listen to Anhad Shabd within, says Radhasoami." (Soamiji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Volume One)

 

 

"Radhasoami is the moon; Radhasoami Himself is the moon-kala (moon-beam, the moonlight and moonshine and all its phases of waning and waxing, rotation and revolution). Radhasoami is the akash (gagan [mystic sky]) and He Himself is the akash baani [Sound]."

"Radhasoami is the Ocean (of Love and spiritual zest, i.e. anshi); Radhasoami is also the drop (i.e. the ansh or the jiva surat [the soul])."

"Radhasoami Himself [the Lord of the Soul] is ever present (omnipresent), whether it is day or night (i.e. He looks after His disciples every moment whether he is in distress or in delight); Radhasoami is there to redeem him every instant and in all parts of day and night. Radhasoami is the sunshine; He is the shade. Radhasoami is the sun and He is the moon..."

"Develop and activate that love and longing for the Satguru as the fish has for the current of water and as the red-legged partridge (chakor) has for the moon, at which it looks fixedly; develop that trust in him which would illuminate and light up your inner self. But then none of this can be attained without the required luck without which one remains helpless; and yet this luck can be possible only with the grace of the guru."

"Those who have developed such a love for the master (as that of chakor-bird for the moon) are the gurumukhs [true disciples, faithful devotees], and they are accepted by the guru as his own." (above, some moon verses from the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry of Soamiji Maharaj)

 

"How could the love between Thee and me sever?
As the leaf of the lotus abides on the water: so thou art my
Lord, and I am Thy servant.
As the night-bird Chakor gazes all night at the moon: so Thou art
my Lord and I am Thy servant.
From the beginning until the ending of time, there is love
between Thee and me; and how shall such love be extinguished?
Kabir says: 'As the river enters into the ocean, so my heart
touches Thee.'" (Songs of Kabir)

 

"O my heart! let us go to that country where dwells the Beloved,
the ravisher of my heart!
There Love is filling her pitcher from the well, yet she has no
rope wherewith to draw water;
There the clouds do not cover the sky, yet the rain falls down in
gentle showers:
O bodiless one! do not sit on your doorstep; go forth and bathe
yourself in that rain!
There it is ever moonlight and never dark; and who speaks of one
sun only? That land is illuminate with the rays of a million
suns." (Songs of Kabir)

 

"Maya [illusion] is devoid of truth, therefore forget her and look at the Truth within. Realizing this Truth, you will silently feel pearl-drops of nectar inside. You will intuitively see the light of the moon and the sun, and the shining light of eternal knowledge. There will be no more aimless wandering of the mind. You will feel a shower of love all around, and the door to God opens for you."

"O Ocean of Love! Through your merciful glance, shower such mercy on us that we will be absorbed in your true love."

– Sandhya Path/Book of Prayers, published by the Kabir Association

 

NOTE: To see and enjoy all the content as you're scrolling below, including photos, if you're viewing this via email, always click: "Display Images", or "Show Images".

 

A Satsang Without Walls: This is the JUNE 18th, 2017 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 attended by the leadership and representatives of several branches of Sant Mat & Radhasoami lineages.

 

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:

https://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com

  

* For Daily Spiritual Quotes/Quote of the Day @ Facebook, See the Sant Mat Radhasoami Page:

https://www.Facebook.com/SantMatRadhasoami

 

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

 

 

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts -- Spiritual Awakening Radio @ Youtube and HealthyLife.Net -- the Positive Talk Radio Network

During June, 2017 on Spiritual Awakening Radio I present an exploration of vegetarianism and veganism in the great world religions -- the world religions that are going vegan. We explore how vegetarianism itself is going vegan. There are readings from early gospels used by the Hebrew Christians, sometimes called the Ebionites, that original Yeshua Movement that formed long before the Apostle Paul's Roman/European version of Christianity. There's discussion about the relationship between the Essene branch of Judaism and the Jesus Movement. Hear readings from Christian and Gnostic scriptures, the Adi Granth or Sikh scriptures, Buddhist texts and other contemporary Buddhist sources. I also mention the Jesus Sutras discovered in China -- that the Church of the Light group that once used those texts also adhered to a vegetarian diet. All for the love of wisdom and radio, James Bean, Spiritual Awakening Radio

* ARCHIVE OF PODCASTS @ YOUTUBE (New Programs Are Added Each Week):

https://www.YouTube.com/user/SantMatRadhasoami/videos?&ab_channel=SantMatRadhasoami

 

* SPIRITUAL AWAKENING RADIO -- Many Podcasts Free and Available Online  -- A Satsang Without Walls -- Subscribe to Podcasts For Free Here, Stream and/or Download:

https://spiritualawakeningradio.libsyn.com

 

NOTE: All shows shown at the podcast page are kept available online for about three months. Good to download the oldest shows A.S.A.P. When you click on a show at the Podcast Page, an audio player will begin playing. To download it, anywhere on the player just right-click and "save".

Subjects include: The Path of the Masters, Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Spirituality, Love (Bhakti), Compassion, Non-Violence (Ahimsa), Peace (Shanti), Being Vegan/Vegetarian, Gnostic Gospels, Rare Spiritual Classics, Saints and Mystics, World Scriptures, Sacred Texts, Poetry and Prose:

6/27/2017   (Upcoming) World Religions Going Vegan -- A History of Veganism, Part 4;
6/20/2017   (Upcoming) World Religions Going Vegan -- A History of Veganism, Part 3;
6/13/2017   World Religions Going Vegan -- A History of Veganism, Part 2;
6/6/2017     World Religions Going Vegan -- A History of Veganism, Part 1;
5/30/2017   The Spirituality and Wisdom of the Lost Books of the Bible (Secrets of the Gnostic Gospels);
5/23/2017   More Lost Books of the Bible (Genuine Gnostic Spirituality & the The Sermon on the Light);
5/16/2017   Lost Books of the Bible Continued;
5/9/2017     Lost Books of the Bible Revealed;
5/2/2017     The Mandaean Gnostic Scriptures
4/25/2017   The Yoga (Path) of Love (Bhakti), Sant Mat Satsang Series, Part 4;
4/18/2017   The Yoga (Path) of Love (Bhakti), Sant Mat Satsang Series, Part 3;
4/11/2017   The Yoga (Path) of Love (Bhakti), Sant Mat Satsang Series, Part 2;
4/4/2017     The Yoga (Path) of Love (Bhakti), Sant Mat Satsang Series, Part 1;

 

 

Sant Tulsi Sahib: "Cleanse the chamber of your heart, so that the Beloved may enter. Remove all the foreign impressions, so that He can take His seat there."

 

"Having been blessed with this human form, one must make proper use of his 'Pradhan Buddhi' or Supreme Intellect by utilizing it for the attainment of Self-Realization and thus make fruitful or productive this human birth." (The "Big Blue Book" -- The Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth of the Shir Anandpur Satsang)

 

 

IMAGE: Chart of the Inner Realms: there are both English and Hindi versions of this chart hanging on the walls of various Sant Mat ashrams and satsang meeting locations associated with Maharshi Mehi Paramhans and Sant Tulsi Sahib.

"O Soul-swan! return to your home; return to your Divine Abode (realization of the Divine within) where the infinite sea of tranquility and joy is brimming. There you will attain eternal joy."

Since the beginning of creation, every living soul in this transient world has been going through various afflictions. Each soul imprisoned by the darkness of ignorance, within the nine-gated body (the body has nine orifices, therefore, it is known as "nine-gated"), endures the cycles of death and rebirth. The captive soul experiences three kinds of suffering: physical, mental, and countless afflictions caused by natural forces and subtle inner passions. The soul is consumed by the conflagration of the desires of the five senses; it is trampled by the mind that is livid like an elephant in rut. Distractions such as greed, lust, and attachment haunt the soul. They are like robbers that deprive the soul of its peace. Sadly, in spite of being a child of God the soul thinks of itself as a slave of the senses and sense organs, and is lost in the quagmire of sensory desires and temptations. In such conditions, the soul is very restive and frantically searches for truth and tranquility. Having witnessed this state of humanity, the Saints say: "O Soul-swan! return to your home; return to your Divine Abode (realization of the Divine within) where the infinite sea of tranquility and joy is brimming. There you will attain eternal joy." 

-- Swami Vyasanand, The Inward Journey of the Soul -- Chala Hansa Nij Desh! ("O Soul-swan! return to your home!")

 

 

"In the Loka of Kabir he saw the forms of many Kabirs, but looking again he saw that it was but one form multiplied." (Book of Amar Mul)

Says Kabir, There is One Sound and One God Manifest In All

The Anurag Sagar is one of several Dharamdasi "dialogues gospels",  conversations between Sant Dharam Das, the disciple, and Guru Kabir, the Master. The Anurag Sagar (Ocean of Love) has been published in English but the other Dharamdasi Kabir Panth texts are generally only available in Hindi. Sukh Niddn and Amar Mul, have been discussed in the book, "Sant Kabir, Mira Bai, Shaikh Farid, Bhikan, and Surdas", Edited by O.P. Ralhan, Anmol Publications, New Delhi:

The following is from an abstract of the Book of Amar Mul:

[From Chapter Nine] The Sat Guru [Kabir] explains that all sense of duality is due to Maya [illusion], that when man knows himself he becomes himself, and when he realize himself he unites with God. Until he knows himself he weeps and cries, and wades through the swamp of delusion.

The Light of Knowledge shines forth
when God abides in the heart.
Then Karma and Dharma are obliterated;
then there is neither coming, nor going.
As it was, so it is,
and all intervening delusion disappears.
All apparent contradictions are reconciled
in the Fullness of Knowledge.
God himself is the Word that cannot be uttered,
and himself the Word that speaks to all;
himself is Formless and himself is all the forms;
he is both Nirguna [Formless] and Saguna [Form].
Dharam Dass is warned that he must first
purify his own heart and mind before
he can so preach to others that they
can obtain Mukti [liberation/salvation, jivan mukti]
and escape from the toils of transmigration.
All reasoning and religious writings
are the work of Maya [illusion];
what is required is devotion
and Tattwa-gyana, (the Knowledge of Essentials).
All delusion is removed through meditation.

The Sat Guru explains that he was once in Satya Loka [First True Plane or Heaven or Realm], or rather beyond it, and that he then saw what is indescribable; that the form of Purusha was wonderful, to be imagined, not described; that the abodes in Satya Loka were innumerable and that in all Hansas [souls] was discernible the one Word. In the Loka of Kabir he saw the forms of many Kabirs, but looking again he saw that it was but one form multiplied. In the light of the true Shabda all is one, there is no second.

The people of the world are taught by means of stories, but for those who understand, all such stories fall far short of the Truth. All apparent distinctions are the creation of the mind. He who knows the letter thoroughly suffers no duality to enter into his mind. The only difference between God and Jiva [the soul] is this, that the latter is the reflection of the former.

[From Chapter Ten] The Sat Guru tells how once when he was in Satya Loka Purusha appeared to him and said:

"Kabir, you and I are one;
entertain no thought of duality.
I am in you and my form is in all the earth.
There are eighty-four lakhs of species and I live in all.
Beside me there is no second.
All creation is delusion.
All the countless gods and sages,
even Brahma himself,
are entangled in delusion."

Dharam Dass rejoins,

"O Guru, this is your statement.
Is there no need of a second witness?"
The Sat Guru replies that he made this statement
in the Treta age,
and that Madhukar, Brahmin, is the second witness".

He continues,

"Kabir is in all bodies;
the speaker is Shabda.
There is one form and one Shabda.
There is only one form, and one Shabda.
There is only one form,
one Shabda and one Purusha [God], manifest in all.
He who knows One is one;
the second is this world."

Dharam Dass asks how it is that Jivas [souls] fail to realize their unity with God. The Sat Guru replies.

"All the Jivas came from Satya-Loka
undefiled and devoid of Karma.
The clouds lift up the water from the ocean
and rain down pure water,
but in contact with the earth the water becomes impure.
Then is the Jiva embraced by Maya;
the body at birth is defiled by Karma.
As the air purifies the impure water,
so does Gyan [Gnosis, Knowledge or Acquaintance]
remove Karma and the purity of the Jiva is restored.
Knowing itself, it separates itself from the water
and being disembodied
reaches the Durbar [the Abode, Satya Loka].
The Atma [soul] mingles with Paramatma [God],
as the rivers flow into the ocean.
Only in this way
can Paramatma be found.
The Atma without Shabda is blind
and cannot find the path.
He who sees Atma-Raam [the Spirit of God] is present everywhere;
all he sees is like himself,
there is nought else beside God.
'I am he, I am he; the true Kabir.'" (Amar Mul)

 

 

The Path of the Masters: Sant Mat and Maharishi Santsevi Ji

Below provides great definitions of the terms "Sant Mat" and "Sants", and is excerpted from the Biography section of, Harmony Of All Religions, published by Maharshi Mehi Ashram.

Maharishi Santsevi Ji (12-20-1920 -- 6-4-2007) was the exponent (acharya) of Santmat, the branch which is directly linked to the lineage of Sant Tulsi Sahib.

The word Santmat, usually written as Sant Mat, literally means the "point of view" or the "conviction of the Sants and sages." Historically, Santmat was not a homogenous movement; but the term is a generic label for the Sant movement in the northern part of India, beginning around the 12th Century. The early Sants, such as Kabir, Raidas [Ravidas], Namdev and Mirabai, represented a shift in religious and social attitudes -- on the one hand, freedom from sectarian boundaries and ritualistic confinements; on the other hand, direct communion with the Divine without mediation of any authority or liturgy.

The word Sant is derived from the Sanskrit word SAT (Truth, Reality). The root meaning is 'one who knows the truth' or 'who has experienced Ultimate Reality.' Thus, a Sant is a person who has achieved Shanti (inner tranquility [ultimate peace]) as a result of union with God, as in mystical enlightenment.

The word Sant is translated "saint" in English. However, both in etymology and definition, there are significant differences that get lost in translation. The English word saint is derived from the Latin word sanctus, which has come to mean a "good person whose life is moral," or a "holy being." Thus, in English a saint is thought of as a “spiritual exemplar,” and the word has been attached to a wide variety of gurus and holy men and women.

But, in Sanskrit, the dimension of inner unity with the Truth is inherent in the word Sant. Some of the Sants come from the lower castes, and some of them are even from the untouchable class, but they have enjoyed an honorable status in the tradition. (Although we use Sant and saint interchangeably in this book, we imply the original meaning of the word Sant for both.)

Santmat, the Way of Sages and Sants, as we prefer to refer to it, not only emphasizes a life of moral rectitude, but underlines the inner journey for God realization, or Liberation. Therefore, Santmat is not confined to the beliefs, rituals, and dogmas of any specific religion. It is universal in nature and embraces the truths found in most of the world’s sacred texts and religious traditions, even while not advocating any particular religion. Santmat encompasses a set of ageless moral values, a belief in a Higher Power, and even more important, a methodology for realization of the Highest Reality. This method elaborates the path of Divine Light and Sound through which one attains the state of absolute Peace within one’s own self. The unifying philosophy of Santmat leads the way beyond the boundaries of sectarianism, religious fanaticism, and communal distrust which plague our world today. Maharishi Santsevi Ji has taught the teachings of Santmat to more than a million people from multiple religions and from many countries.

-- Harmony Of All Religions (Sarvadharma Samanvy, English Edition), by Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj -- Online e-Book at the Internet Archive with several formats as well as a talking/audio book option:

   http://archive.org/stream/HarmonyOfAllReligions/Harmony-Of-All-Religions#page/n0/mode/1up

 

 

Paying Attention to the Attention-Faculty of Your Soul

"The whole thing depends on the concentration of your attention within yourself. Then, whichever way you direct your attention, you will work wonders." (Kirpal Singh)

"Our mind is ever in a state of oscillation. It is covered with the dust of ages upon ages. All the time our mental faculties are flowing outward into the world, and never for a moment have they known any rest. Until the mind is purified and stilled, one cannot listen to the reverberations of the Sound Current." (Kirpal Singh)

"When doing spiritual practices, you should sit in one unflinching posture and do mental Simran [repetition of names of God] 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

Have Faith in the Love of My Father

"Nothing is impossible unto you in the removal of the mountains. Now therefore have faith in the love of My Father." (A saying of Jesus from an unknown gospel fragment written in the Sahidic dialect of Egypt, translated in, "Texts and Studies," Volume Four, Coptic Apocryphal Gospels section, Kraus Reprints)

"Have full faith in the Supreme Father and Surat Shabd Yoga [inner Light and Sound Meditation, a means of soul travel through the heavens] and full confidence in His compassion and grace, and you will find yourself under the Father’s protection at all times, and your mind and spirit working their way easily though slowly, propelled by love and eager desire to approach the Supreme Father. Don’t be disheartened or discouraged. The Father’s love is full of compassion." (excerpted from a letter of Huzur Maharaj)

 

 

Resting in the Holy Sound, by Huzur Baba Sawan Singh

"Please devote some time daily without fail to Sound-practice and Repetition, as this is the only fruit of our life which we will take with us on leaving this world; whereas, even the kingships of this earth shall have to be abandoned when death overtakes us. Therefore, it is necessary that we should add to our spiritual wealth, which is the only thing to help us at the time of departing. And the only way to increase our spiritual power is by means of Sound-practice and Repetition. The greater our love for Holy Sound, the greater will be our peace of mind and spiritual progress. As far as possible, we should try to make the focus above the eyes, in the brain, our resting place. Just as a man, weary with the day's work, resorts to his home to take rest, so we habituate our soul, on being tired with worldly work, to take rest in the Holy Sound. The attention has to be brought inside, and when it likes to rest there, like the wanderer coming home, it will find peace within."

 

"Since this Quintessential Vibration or Sound springs forth directly from God, it is imbued with the qualities of God and it bestows its own qualities upon its perceiver also, and has a natural propensity to attract its perceiver (soul) to its Source, thereby effecting the complete merger of the soul into the Supreme Soul that is God. That is why meditation on the inner Sound has been reckoned by sages and scriptures to be the loftiest of all forms of meditation." (Swami Achyutanand, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound)

 

 

Awaken Your Divine Nature

"Awaken your divine nature to God. Strengthen your soul (to be) without evil…Seek what is permanent, what is not generated. The Father of everything summons you…You have not come to suffer. Rather you have come to escape from what binds you. Release yourself, and what has bound you will be undone. Save yourself, so that what is in you may be saved…Why are you hesitating? Turn around when you are sought. When you are summoned, listen." (Book of Zostrianos, Nag Hammadi Library of Egypt, one of the Gnostic Gospels -- translation by April DeConick)

Ingredients of a Living Spiritual Path: Seven Gnostic-Sant Mat Parallels

"Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth!" (Rumi)

With a living mystic path, initiation into the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven includes inner direct seeing and hearing. If we can't see or hear, how could we possibly begin exploring Inner Space for ourselves? The information written in restaurant menus might be informative and yet can not resolve one’s hunger. And tales in sacred texts of people who once enjoyed glorious feasts centuries ago does not feed the living.

"When we see darkness with our eyes closed we are in the realm of death and re-birth [we are unaware of our true nature.]. When we come out of the realm of darkness and enter into the realm of Light, we will at the same time transcend the web of death. It is not possible that we can remain in darkness and be free from the net of birth and death. Having achieved inner Light, we can be liberated from the cycle of birth and death." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Harmony of All Religions)

1) living masters/teachers with students (past masters, scrolls, cuneiform tablets or old scriptures are not enough: a living guide is required);

Rumi says, "If you seek to know God, sit at the feet of the Saints".

"People, where are you rushing, so intoxicated and having so fully drunk the strong wine of reasoning unaccompanied by acquaintance? You cannot hold it; already you are about to throw it up. Stop, get sober! Look up with the eyes of the mind [heart or soul] -- and if you cannot all do so, at least those of you who can! For the imperfection that comes from unacquaintance is flooding the entire earth, corrupting the soul along with the body that encloses it and preventing it from putting in at the Haven of Safety. So do not be swept away by the main current! Rather, you who can must avail yourselves of a counter-current, take to the Haven of Safety, put in there, and look for a leader to show you the way to the Doors of Gnosis (Acquaintance), where there is bright Light, pure from darkness; where no one is intoxicated, but all are sober, fixing their eyes on that Being who wills to be seen -- but mentally [with the eye of the soul], for that Being cannot be heard or told of or seen by eyes, only by the mind's eye [the eye of the soul]." (Hermetic Tractate VII, Corpus Hermeticum: The Greatest Human Evil is Unacquaintance With God, Bentley Layton translation)

2) a cosmology of several heavens/inner regions/planes/spheres;

“Blessed are those chosen and unified. The Realm of the Kingdom is theirs. For out of her you have come, and back to her you are returning.” (Saying 49, Gospel of Thomas, Wisdom of the Twin, Lynn Bauman translation)

3) an understanding that souls can access these realms here and now during this present life (a present-tense Kingdom of Heaven available to souls right now, not a spirituality postponed till some magical date on a calendar or hypothesized future age);

"In this life the concept of salvation all describe;
To meet the Lord by dying while living, none discloses.
They all speak of the goal of salvation after death;
How to attain it while living, no one says. Were they to reveal the method of attaining release while living,
Then alone would Tulsi be convinced of their words.
Who speak, after seeing with their own eyes, and teach the method of salvation during life,
Are of the stage and stature of Saints, for they reveal the quintessence of the soul."
("Seek To See God Now -- Liberation During This Life" -- Mystic-Poem of Tulsi Sahib)

4) an initiation into the mysteries of the heavens, imparting to spiritual seekers the meditation techniques and sacred names;

The Living Master said,
"What your own eyes cannot see,
your human ears do not hear,
your physical hands cannot touch,
and what is inconceivable
to the human mind --  that I will give to you!"
(Saying 17, Gospel of Thomas, Wisdom of the Twin, Lynn Bauman translation);

"Come, that I may teach you about secrets no person has ever seen. For there exists a Great and Boundless Realm, whose extent no generation of angels has seen, in which there is a Great Invisible Spirit, which no eye of an angel has ever seen, no thought of the heart has ever comprehended, and it was never called by any name*." (Yeshua, quoted in, The Gnostic Gospel of Judas)

5) visionary and auditory mysticism (inner Light and Sound, spiritual seeing and hearing) -- descriptions of souls traveling within through various inner regions;

"Man’s soul shall become, when it leaveth the body, a great flood of Light, so as to traverse all the regions until it cometh into the Kingdom of Mystery... Seek, all of you, after the Light, so that the power of your soul that is in you may find Life. Do not cease seeking day or night until you find the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you, transform you into pure Light, and guide you into the Kingdom of the Light." (Gospel of Faith-Wisdom -- Pistis Sophia)

"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)

"When your eye turns inwards in the brain and you see the firmament within, and your spirit leaves the body and rises upwards, you will see the Akash in which is located Sahas-dal-kanwal, the thousand petals of which perform the various functions pertaining to the three worlds. Its effulgence will exhilarate your spirit." (Soamiji Maharaj, "Esoteric Instructions")

"At first, Mataji pointed out, there will be only darkness but eventually light will appear in the form of either small flashes or small star-like points. In any case, one should focus on the radiance, keeping one’s simran intact and allowing the light to draw the soul inward. The third and most important step, Mataji said, is to listen to the sound that issues forth from the light. It is this internal music which will numb the body and allow the consciousness to leave its ordinary dwelling. By riding this current of light and sound, like a fish going upstream, the soul will be able to go back to its original home. On the journey within, however, the soul must be guided by a true master so as not to be detained in any of the lower illusory regions. According to Mataji, what near-death patients experience is only the beginning of a vast sojourn into great universes of light, love and beauty."

-- Yogani Mataji of the Radhasoami Faith

"... 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.)

"I am the silence that is incomprehensible.
I am the Voice whose Sound is manifold
and the Word whose appearance is multiple...
I am the hearing which can be attained by everyone."
(Thunder: Perfect Mind, Nag Hammadi Library)

6) they have an ethical code, and this ethical foundation includes a vegetarian diet, then and now;

"In Sant Mat all Masters have decried killing and meat-eating." (Sant Tulsi Sahib, "Ghat Ramayan")

"As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love." (Pythagoras)

7) The Goal of the teachings and meditation practice is experiencing direct union with God;

"Within this body breathes the secret essence. Within this body beats the heart of the Vedas. Within this body shines the entire Universe, so the saints say. Hermits, ascetics, celibates all are lost seeking Him in endless guises. Seers and sages perfectly parrot the scriptures and holy books, blinded by knowledge. Their pilgrimage, and fasting, and striving but delude. Despite their perfect practice, they discover no destination. Only the Saints who know the body’s heart have attained the Ultimate, O Tulsi. Realize this, and you’ve found your freedom (while teachers trapped in tradition know only the mirage in the mirror)." ("Within This Body" -- Mystic-Poem of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras)

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

 

IMAGE: Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj

 

PODCAST: Ascension of the Soul, Part 5: God and the Highest Heavens -- Spiritual Awakening Radio

PODCAST: Ascension of the Soul, Part 5: God and the Highest Heavens -- Spiritual Awakening Radio

PODCAST: Ascension of the Soul, Part 5: God and the Highest Heavens -- Spiritual Awakening Radio with James Bean -- Listen @ Youtube: 

https://youtu.be/l7hjn3NkJ7M

THE FIFTH THROUGH EIGHTH REGIONS

Nirvana -- Kaivalya -- Oneness -- Sach Khand -- The True Eternal Realm Divided Into Four Sub-sections:

5) Sat Lok (True Realm), Sat Naam (True Name), Sat Purush (True Original Being)

6) Alakh Lok (Invisible Realm),

7) Agam Lok (Inaccessible Realm, Nearness,)

8) Anami (Nameless Realm), Radhasoami Lok -- Radhaswami Dham -- The Abode of the Lord of the Soul, The Most High, Ultimate Reality, "The Eighth" -- Ocean of Love -- Upper Level of Kaivalya known as Shabdatita [Sabtatit] Pad -- Beyond the Sound and Light, the Ultimate Reality of God in the Nirguna or Formless, Soundless State

"In summary, one grasps the central Sounds of the lower realms and progressively is drawn upward to the Sounds of the higher realms. Ultimately, one reaches the center of the Original Sound, the Essential Divine Sound, and thereafter attains the Ultimate State, Sabdatita [Sabtatit] Pad (the State beyond the Sound). The Yoga of Sound [Surat Shabd Yoga Meditation] must be practiced in order to attain the Nameless State. This is fully elaborated and described in the Upanishads and literature of the saints. The Yoga of Sound is the only medium to reach this State, no other. The greatest good is in the attainment of the Ultimate State, the Nameless State." (Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, Philosophy Of Liberation)

"The State beyond Sound is acknowledged in the writings of saints as the goal of their teachings. In addition, their writings accept Manas Japa (repetition of a Divine name [simran]), Manas Dhyan (concentration on a form of the Divine), Drshti Yoga (fixing the mind on a Point [accessing the Third Eye Center and inner Light]) and Nada-nusandhana (concentrating on the inner Sounds of the different spheres) as means to reach the Soundless State. These four techniques are therefore essential in Sant Mat." (Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, Philosophy Of Liberation)

Swami Ji Maharaj says, "From one step to another the soul beholds strange things which cannot be described in human language. Every region and everything is utterly beyond words. What beauty and glory! How can I describe them? There is nothing here to convey the idea. I am helpless... Love plays the supreme part. It is all love. So says RADHASOAMI." (Sant Radhasoami Sahib)

"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)

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God is the Ocean of Love and All-Consciousness.

In Divine Light and Sound, Namaste', Gnosis, Peace, Jai Guru, Jai Sat Naam, Bandagi Saheb, Satya Raam, Radhasoami, 

James

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