The Supreme Being, a Boundless Ocean of Spirit and Love

The Supreme Being, a Boundless Ocean of Spirit and Love

Radhasoami Reality:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Radhasoami-Reality
{Radhaswami Dayal ki Daya Radhaswami Sahai:
"Grant Merciful Radhasoami Thy Grace and Protection"}

48. Love for Supreme Being

108. This practice can be conducted easily and comfortably if the devotee has a little love for the Supreme Being. Without love it will be too hard and difficult to practice Surat-Shabd-Yoga [Yoga of the Audible Life Stream, Inner Sound] with any good result to be obtained within a short time.

1. The Supreme Being, being a boundless ocean of spirit or love; and, human being, being a drop or current of spirit or love from this ocean; and, love being the very essence and means of existence of the whole creation, it follows that no effort in any direction, temporal or spiritual, unless actuated by love or affectionate regard, can be crowned with success, and, the work or labour rendered easy, sweet and harmonious.

2. Love is most sublime, having its origin in the highest region, the abode of the Supreme Being. In whatever heart it sprang up, it will gradually raise and carry the fortunate possessor of this lofty and noble passion to the highest region.

3. All good qualities and goodness itself will gradually find their home in the heart in which love dwells and all bad qualities will be rooted out by and by.

4. Whatever a human being, full of pure love thinks or does, is all wisdom; while the thoughts and works of worldly wise persons are full of selfishness and folly.

5. Knowledge without love for the Supreme Being is futile and tends towards untruth or darkness or materialism, while love turns everything to good use and leads to enlightenment and truth. Even worldly love, such as filial and conjugal, is attended with goodness, happiness and comfort to all concerned. How much more good would then result to mankind in general if the same loves become spiritual, and be directed towards the Supreme Being, the merciful and Kind Parent of the whole creation.

6. Self-love brings on egotism or pride, and sows the seed of hatred, jealousy and disregard in the minds of kindred, associates and neighbours; while pure and sacred love for the Supreme Being creates in the heart humility, meekness and an affectionate regard for kindred, neighbours and humanity in general.

7. Pure and holy love is always ready to spend (regardlessly) whatever it has for the sake of its beloved, the Supreme Father, and the benefit of mankind without any distinction; whereas self-love or love of world always tries to appropriate everything to itself, even at the risk and loss of others.

8. Pure and holy love is always ready to sacrifice anything whatever to gain admission into the presence of the beloved, the Supreme Being; whereas, self-love will never part with anything except for the sake of its own aggrandizement and indulgence in sensual pleasures.

9. The noble passion of love is most powerful and strong. It removes all obstacles and thorns in its way and discards all superstitions, doubts and skepticism.

10. Where pure love dwells there sheds the light of Grace, as it forms a link with the spirit or love current from its source, the Supreme Being.

11. Such is the strength and effect of affection and kind treatment that it subdues ferocity and other injurious and dangerous characteristics in beasts and other animals, that is to say, they begin to love and have an affectionate regard for their keepers and trainers.

12. A heart devoid of love or affection is as hard as stone, and does not form a suitable receptacle for light of Heavenly Grace and Mercy.

13. Sincere love is reciprocal, so if one has a heart full of love for the Supreme Being, one is sure to be attracted towards Him by Grace, Mercy and Holy Light which will gradually illumine his inner-self, and then all menial and worldly affections and desires will gradually disappear.

14. Love or the power of attraction is the basis of the whole creation and the cause of its sustenance and preservation.

15. The Supreme Being loves and takes special care of those who love Him with all their heart and soul, and gradually draws them towards Himself, the Grand Centre of Pure Light and Attraction; while those whose hearts are imbued with worldly love and passions recede from this centre, or in other words, they of themselves fly away towards the circumference or darkness and untruth.

16. Every wave of love rising in a lover's heart brings tidings of goodness and joy from the beloved, and every thought springing up in such a heart is a harbinger of good works and good services for the sake of the beloved.

17. Love has no bounds, knows no restrictions, and is not limited by conditions, and like its source is extensive and far reaching in its beneficial results.

--- RADHASOAMI MAT PRAKASH - A Brief View of Radhasoami Faith ---
Being a message of Eternal Peace and Joy to all nations ---
Originally written by Hazur Maharaj in english and published in the year 1897A.D.
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/radhasoami/rsmatpra/rsmatprakash_7.htm

Emphasis on Love and Devotion. Reviving the bhakti traditions of Medieval India, the founders of Radhasoami faith emphasize the devotional aspect of religion. According to them bhakti alone would bring salvation to the suffering humanity. One should engender true love for the formless Supreme Being and take shelter (saran) in his divine will (mauj). Hazur Maharaj says that "a heart devoid of love or affection is as hard as stone and does not form a suitable receptacle for the light of Heavenly Grace and Mercy…The Supreme Being loves and takes special care of those who love Him with all their heart and soul and gradually draws them towards Himself – the Centre of Pure Light and Attraction." Love, therefore, is the keynote of Radhasoami faith.


A practical Religion – Blending of Bhakti and Yoga. The founders of the faith have essentially made it a faith of actual practice and behaviour. The philosophical moorings and thought-processes are subsidiary elements in it. It is through practice alone that teachings would prove efficacious. The founders of the faith set the motto: "Practice and observe the results yourself." They introduces a mode of spiritual exercise – surat-shabd-yoga – and claimed to have based it on scientific lines. The practitioner of this yoga would derive practical benefits in the world and feel no pain at the time of death. An abhyasi [meditation practitioner] dies while living. He gets absorbed in the bliss and ecstasy of higher and spiritual life and attains the status of a sthitpragya [state of stabilized cognition, tranquility, peace]. Hardly does he feel the joys and sorrows of the world. The founders assert that surat-shabd-yoga is the easiest and best of all modes of yoga ever practiced in the country in the past or present. It can be practiced by all alike – men, women, old, young, rich and poor. A person leading a family life with all his temporal preoccupation can practise it as effectively as a recluse.

The faith also presents a harmonious blending of yoga and bhakti. The key to surat-shabd-yoga lies with the guru of the time. A practitioner must, therefore, practise bhakti of the guru as a prerequisite to successful performance of yoga. When the practitioner serves the guru with body, mind and soul and with all love and humanity dissolves his ego, he himself witnesses a transformation of his life within and without, and achieves remarkable progress in spiritual pursuit. The founders have, thus, delivered the message of love on practical grounds. They have affirmed that the path of love excels everything. True and selfless love is itself the yoga. Surat-shabd-yoga is the devotional mode of self-realization.

--- RADHASOAMI FAITH - A HISTORICAL STUDY
by Prof. A.P. Mathur
M.A., PhD, F.I.H.S., F.R.A.S. (London)
Former Vice-Chancellor, Agra University, Agra, India
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/radhasoami/rsfaith/radhasoamifaith.htm

Making Spirituality More Real in Our Lives Through the Power of Satsang

Making Spirituality More Real in Our Lives Through the Power of Satsang
By James Bean


The term "Satsang" is used by various spiritual paths from India including Sant Mat: The Way of the Saints -- Path of the Masters of the East. It literally means "Association" (Sang) with the "Eternal Truth" or God (Sat, Haq, Anami, Great Invisible Spirit). It is used to refer to spiritual gatherings, but it goes much deeper then that. It is more than about attending meetings. One is encouraged to ponder, ruminate upon, and internalise the teachings one hears during satsang or reads in the writings of Sants one contemplates during one's own private satsang-time at home just before going into meditation practice. Satsang is an influence in one's life, a series of opportunities for spirituality to not only be taught, but caught.

Satsang is not Maya's Place

Satsangs are a time and place where the Mysteries of the Beyond are disclosed openly, where the Secrets are spoken freely. If a satsang is facilitated according to the principals of the genuine Sant tradition, one will only hear teachings of scriptures and Sants (Saints, Masters, Sant Satgurus) during such a meeting. Done correctly, there are no lost teachings, forgotten saints or censored writings. One may hear chanted, recited or quoted, verses from the Bijak or Anurag Sagar of Guru Kabir, Adi Granth, Banis and Bhajans of: Dariya Sahib, Mirabai, Dadu, Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Sant Radhaswami Sahib, countless other Sant mystic-poets, or more recent Sants. The true "template" of satsang consists of the words of past, and present or living, Sant Satgurus. The teaching of all Sants IS the template of satsang, and may consist of readings from the writings of any past or present Sant, along with commentary in contemporary language. Better still if we have the great fortune to attend a talk directly given by a living Master in person, or a recording of such a talk.

Satsang is not run like a board meeting of a multinational cooperation or like other approaches to meetings. Satsang also never digresses into discussions about lower levels of the supernatural or astral plane, politics, or other matters of mind and matter that are off-topic. Satsangs do not even consist of warm/fuzzy talks or cute stories, as harmless as those appear to be. Rather, satsang discourses are dedicated to guiding souls into the Timeless Eternal Truth, are focused on how we as souls, as spiritual beings, may experience/associate ourselves with/become one with that Eternal Truth (Sat) for ourselves during our own spiritual practice. Satsang discourses also inspire us to develop, more and more with each passing day, thoughts, words, and deeds in harmony with that Eternal Formless Reality, the Ocean of Love.

Group Meditation

"Where two or three gather in My Name, I Am in their midst." There is a wonderful group energy that is an indispensable helping factor on the spiritual journey. When a group of seekers-after-Truth meditates together, one can notice significant improvements, an acceleration in inner progress, more experiences of inner Vision, Lights and inner Sounds. This, in turn, will help deepen one's own regular daily meditation practice at home.

Below is from a spiritual discourse by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Paramahansa from the book, The Harmony of All Religions, from Chapter Seven titled, Santmat. This is a new book translated into English that has recently become available in the West. It serves as one of the best introductions to Sant Mat mysticism you could ever hope to find, exploring several meditation techniques as well as many important guiding principals on the journey back to God. It is also a great book about comparative religion and comparative mysticism, pointing out the universal truths and common threads present in the esoteric traditions of the major world religions: Hinduism, the Essene-Judaeo-Christian tradition, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Sikh.

The Blessings of Satsang, by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Paramahansa

Param Sant Tulsidas Ji says: "Without the association of great saints, there is neither discourse of the Divine nor the understanding of the scriptures. Without these two, selfish attachment does not loosen its grip. And without dispelling attachment to the world one cannot attain the realm of the Divine and the true devotion that is essential to realize the Divine."

Guru Kabir Sahib says: "Discord and delusion can be removed by the power of the association of saints [satsang]. For those who associate with saints, suffering dissolves and they will remain immersed in joy. Joy arises from noble company and pain arises from association with the wicked", says Kabir, "go to a place where saints dwell and their association is possible."


On the Three Levels of Satsang, by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Paramahansa

The word satsang is comprised of two words: 'sat' and 'sang'. What is sat?

Sat is that which can never be destroyed. It is the essential element which is indestructible and beyond the limitations of time. And it is Truth. Sang means association or contact. Thus association or coming in contact with Sat or Truth is satsang.

In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says:

"Whatever is Truth always exists and is never non-existent. That which is non-Truth has no existence whatsoever."


* The First Kind of Satsang (Association with God)

What is this element which is indestructible, has always been constant and will forever remain as such? That element is the Supreme Being of the universe. Association with this Being, in reality, is association with Truth (satsang). But, what is it that would associate with this Supreme Being? Is it the body or the senses? The answer is that it is neither of these two. It is only apart from the body and senses that we will be able to associate with the Supreme Being. This is because it is only our soul that is an inseparable part of the Divine. It is only we (our soul) that is capable of merging with the Divine. Our individual soul is truth, and also, the Supreme is Truth. True satsang is the unity of the soul with the Supreme Truth. This is the highest kind of sat-sang. However, this highest kind of satsang, unity with the Divine, does not occur all of a sudden. This category of satsang requires many lifetimes of good actions and spiritual imprints (samskaras).


* The Second Kind of Sat-sang (Association with the Saints)

Sant Tulsidas says:

"The association of the saints brings association with the Divine, and alliance with people who are engrossed in the world leads the way back to this world again and again."

To attain Ultimate Liberation it is essential to have association with the saints. Saints, having realized the true form of God, become that True Form. The accomplished great beings who have attained unity with the Divine, and who have experienced the Supreme Being even while living in this body, have become the Supreme Being [They become one with their true Divine Form]. Association with these saints is this second category of satsang. However, finding such a saint is not an easy task. A true saint is rare and difficult to find.

Sant Tulsidas says:

"Without accumulation of many good deeds one will be unable to gain the association of a great saint."

When our good karmas permit, we are able to come to experience the association of these sentient beings. A more important point is that even if we have a direct encounter with such a saint, we often do not have the wisdom to be able to recognize a genuine sage.

A great Sant, Tulsidas, says:

"If someone says 'I have recognized a saint,' then I put my hands on my ears in astonishment. [It is not an easy task.]"

If ordinary people could recognize saints, then why, since antiquity, have so many great saints, sages, and prophets been tortured, maimed and killed? Many saints have had to face horrible atrocities. This simply would not have happened if we were able to recognize the genuine great saints.


* The Third Kind of Satsang (Association with the Writings of Saints: Sant Satgurus)

In daily life we need the guidance of a great sage or saint. Even though we might encounter many so called mahatmas or sadhus, the task of finding and identifying an accomplished guide is difficult. So, in consideration of this, how would satsang (association with a true saint) be possible? The answer is that we can study the teachings of the great saints of the past, because in their teaching we will find the elaboration of the Truth. This then is the third category of sat-sang. Generally, when we speak of satsang, it is this third category that is meant. This kind of satsang includes the study of scriptures and the words and writings of the saints and prophets of the past.

As we continue diligently in this third type of satsang we accumulate the meritorious karmas which will lead to the meeting with a true saint. Then we will be able to do the second category of satsang. As we continue in association with a great saint, and with the saint's blessings, we will gradually begin to meditate and undertake the prescribed spiritual disciplines. By diligently practicing these disciplines, we will one day, experience the first category of sat-sang -- the association with the Supreme. When we have thus accomplished the highest category of satsang, our life's purpose will be fulfilled.

-- Swami Sant Sevi Ji Paramahansa