All About the Sound -- Light and Sound on the Path: In the Beginning was the Sound, and the Tao was with God, and the OM was God
New Book Added to the Sant Mat Library:
Dangers Of Spiritual Healing, Yoga and Occult Powers, by Kirpal Singh.
New Book Added to the Sant Mat Library: "Phelps' Notes: "The Supreme Father is a vast homogeneous Ocean of Pure Spirit." (Myron Phelps)
Spiritual Books from India Online:
The Sant Mat Library:
Some Recommended Reading:
"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)
Idolatry Comes In Many Forms
C.U.L.T. (Controlling Understanding, Limiting Talent): As religious organizations or institutions grow larger and become ever more controlling, the smaller it makes everyone feel. In simplicity, the ideal is being with a Master and his disciples, gathered together around the Bodhi Tree.
"We have only one consciousness stream. When we associate with truth, we ascend upwards and when we associate with untruth we fall down." (Acharya Tulsi, a Jainist teacher quoted in, "Harmony of All Religions", by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Published by Maharshi Mehi Ashram)
"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." (Huzur Maharaj)
"Moving down from the middle of the two eyes is going towards ignorance, and moving up from the middle of two eyes is going towards Knowledge." (Bhagirath Baba)
"The souls are all bound by illusions and are rotating round the great wheel of birth and death. This state of the individual soul or souls is the root cause of all sufferings. In order to come out of these, the only remedy is devotion to God." (Maharshi Mehi)
"Put all imaginations away, and stand fast in that which you are." (Kabir)
"O Jiva [captive Soul somewhere in time]! Give up all blind adherences and beliefs, concentrate within and seek the Supreme Being there, adopting Him alone as your goal. Do ponder over what I say and see for yourself with eyes wide open that there is none in this world whom you can call your own. You should adopt the Supreme Being alone as your prop and support." (Param Sant Tulsi Sahib)
"The highest aim of humanity is to know one's self and to know God. Every moment of our life is most precious. We should not fritter it away in useless pursuits, but devote it in the search of self and God." (Kirpal Singh)
"The true bliss of meeting the Beloved Lord is such that its rapturous absorption does not diminish or wear out. There is continual intoxication of the Holy Name and nectar." (Huzur Maharaj, Nij Updesh Radhasoami)
"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. 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." (Huzur Maharaj, Radhasoami Mat Prakash)
"Through association of Saints, the hearing of spiritual talks and study, wisdom can be acquired. Wisdom is essential in determining what is the right way to live your life." (Maharshi Mehi)
"The place where people are always talking about the secrets of the path of Surat Shabd Yoga, is true Satsang." (Huzur Maharaj)
The Reality Within
"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 with any good result to be obtained within a short time." (Huzur Maharaj)
"The one who has purity of character, who practices diligently the Yoga of Sound, and who can explain clearly Sant Mat (the complete Path of the Masters with nothing missing), can be accepted and trusted as Satguru/Teacher." (Maharshi Mehi)
The true living teacher (Sant Satguru) guides their students into methods of contemplative meditation practice so that the Unseen may become seen, and the Unheard may be heard:
"It is the mercy of my Satguru that has made me to know the unknown;
I have learned from Him how to walk without feet, to see without eyes, to hear without ears, to drink without mouth, to fly without wings;
I have brought my love and my meditation into the land where there is no sun and moon, nor day and night.
Without eating, I have tasted of the sweetness of nectar; and without water, I have quenched my thirst.
Where there is the response of delight, there is the fullness of joy. Before whom can that joy be uttered?
Kabir says: 'The Guru is great beyond words, and great is the good fortune of the disciple.'" (Songs of Kabir, Rabindranath Tagore)
"Seeing without eyes
Hearing without ears
Walking without feet
Working without hands
Uttering His Name without tongue
And dying while living
Is accepting His Will."
-- Guru Angad
From a prayer found in the Mandaean Gnostic scriptures of Iraq: "Thou hast showed us that which the eye has not seen, and caused us to hear that which the human ear has not heard. Thou has freed us from death and united us with Life, released us from darkness, and united us with Light. Thou hast shown us that which the eye has not seen, and caused us to hear that which the human ear has not heard." (Canonical Prayer Book of the Mandaeans)
"With the Divine Eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, a bhikkhu surveys a thousand worlds... I have proclaimed to my disciples the way whereby with the Divine Ear element, he hears both kinds of sounds, the divine and the human, those that are far as well as near. And thereby many disciples of mine abide having reached the consummation and Perfection of Direct Knowledge." (Buddha, The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya)
"All is known in the sacredness of silence." (Rumi)
"There is a silence of the tongue. There is a silence of the whole body. There is a silence of the soul. There is a silence of the mind, and there is a silence of the spirit." (Abraham of Nathpar, Syriac Mystic)
"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."
(Nag Hammadi Library: Thunder: Perfect Mind, a Gnostic Gospel)
"Each celestial body, in fact each and every atom, produces a particular sound on account of its movement, its rhythm or vibration. All these sounds and vibrations form a universal harmony in which each element, while having it's own function and character, contributes to the whole." (Pythagoras)
And there are different levels of meaning with the quote from Pythagoras. I am reminded of this passage by George Arnsby Jones: "All beautiful forms and tones of this world are mere reflections of some aspect of that ultimate Love-Music of the Great Creative Word. Within the vast complex of creation, each individual spirit is himself/herself a spark of that Eternal Song of Love."
"That eternal Sound is in everyone, but dormant. One has to 'awaken' it with love, devotion, recitation of the Name and meditation. That Sound is unceasing and unfathomable, and is full of bliss." (Prakashmani Sahib)
"The Eternal Truth ('Sat' or Eternal Word) is hidden in every being. Without the Satguru it does not become known." (Prakashmani Sahib)
"The Satguru imparts knowledge of Surat Shabd Yoga, and control of the mind and senses. When both are controlled, we glimpse the essence of everything. Thus we bow down to Him that reveals this essence.
"The Satguru came into the world to remove bondage from the souls. Those who had positive and good thoughts and pure hearts came close to Him. He showered his grace on them and freed them from the worldly bondage. Whenever the devotees called for him, he appeared and, with the power of the Word, alleviated their suffering and taught them the essence of all knowledge. We need to take refuge in the Satguru who is the manifestation of the Word." (Prakashmani Sahib)
"Light and Sound arise from the Primal Shabd. Let one make one's attention one-pointed, and let the Surat catch the Sound Current with rapt attention! This is the only way to rise to the Primal Shabd. One should fix one's attention at that point where the sun and the moon meet (at the eye-center). One will find a Resounding Melody emanating from the Primal Shabd. One should merge oneself into that Melody. There the Thousand-petalled Lotus blossoms, although the Primal Source is above the Akah Lotus. There arises a unique fragrance from the Thousand-petalled Lotus, enjoying which the souls are thrilled with great delight." (Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar)
"When using this Mystical Sound as the basic support for his meditation, the seeker should also be very alert and attentive as to where the subtler aspects of this Sound are drawing him within himself. He will thus, little by little, gravitate to ever finer states of consciousness and will start to sense an out-of-the-ordinary inner continuity of being that is beyond description and that it is impossible for him to experience in his habitual state. As his meditation deepens, it will bring with it a most subtle, transparent, and luminous consciousness that he will finally become immersed in and one with. He will no longer sense himself in the same way as he did in the past. He will become mysteriously transformed into an unchanging and enigmatic 'Spectator', plunged in the vast silence of an eternal cosmic 'Nowness.'"
"The aspirant should look upon this Nada [Mystic Sound] as a Divine Grace and rare opportunity, always turning to it with the utmost respect, revering it as the treasured means that can make his deliverance possible." (Edward Salim Michael, "The Law of Attention - Nada Yoga and the Way of Inner Vigilance")
"When meditating with this Nada [Inner Mystic Sound], it is essential that the aspirant always seek and follow the particular aspect of it that is most subtle and 'ultra' in pitch as well as in brilliance. Even when the Sound becomes very shrill and loud in moments of deep concentration, he [or she] must not be tempted to be satisfied with it merely because it is sharp and resonant. He should relentlessly attempt to rise further and further into ever more subtle spheres of its mysterious Invisible Kingdom." (Edward Salim Michael, "The Law of Attention - Nada Yoga and the Way of Inner Vigilance")
Guru Baba Sahib propagated the secrets of Sant Mat [Teachings of Sants].
We were all marching ahead in darkness,
Not being acquainted with the inner secrets of Sant Mat.
Guru Baba Sahib explained to us all about these secrets.
First of all, he asked me to close the eyelids and further advised not to allow the mind to wander outside,
He directly helped me catch the star lying in front of my nose and between the two eyebrows.
The Soundwaves rose up in the very house of Sushumna [middle passage within],
And Surat [attention of the soul] mounted up with the help of Drishti Yoga [inner seeing].
Catching, with the help of Surat, the Quintessential Sound among the multiple Sounds,
By way of Surat-Shabd-Yoga [Yoga of Inner Sound], the devotee ascends,
Leaving the intricacies of the multiple Sounds,
That keeps him engrossed in deep illusions.
Guru has given the secrets of the Yoga of Sound, Surat-Sabda-Yoga.
His secrets are so very deep, says Mehi, that they were not known to the world. However, Guru Baba Sahib kindly made these secrets public for the benefits of all. (Padavali of Maharshi Mehi)
"Various sorts of Sound Currents reverberate in the human system from which the initiate has to pick up the right one and listen to it, otherwise he will go astray and lose his equipoise. The practical Guru forewarns his disciple and directs which Sound to listen to and which one to discard." (Shiv Brat Lal)
"'Maulana Rumi, the great Sufi mystical poet, wrote of the plaintive strains of the flute, played upon the top of a mountain', remarked the Master. 'This flute melody tells of the separation of the soul from its True Source'......As my Master had informed me, the Whirling Region and all the realms below it -- supercausal and causal, astral-mental and physical -- must eventually fall into dissolution. Dissolutions of a relatively frequent nature and short duration extend to the top of the causal region, while the immeasurably longer and far less frequent Grand Dissolutions extend through the supercausal realm of the Cosmic Lake of Purification into the high realm of the Whirling Region. And so the aspiring soul must journey further upwards in order to attain true spiritual liberation; for only the Abode of Love, the Fifth Inner Region above the plane of the physical universe, is unaffected by the many cosmic dissolutions, great and small. It is the Abode of Love that is the true home of each and every human soul." (The Pilgrimage of James -- An Odyssey of Inner Space, by George Arnsby Jones)
"I listened carefully and my consciousness was now permeated with melodies and harmonies that were partly reminiscent of the finest string compositions that I had ever heard in the physical world. However, such a comparison is totally inadequate, for I was now enjoying the Unstruck Music, that celestial melody that sounds endlessly in the exalted levels of the cosmic universe." (The Pilgrimage of James -- An Odyssey of Inner Space, by George Arnsby Jones, Peacehaven Press)
Nada Yoga: Inner Sound Meditation, the Music of the Spheres
By James Bean
Copyright November 2004
"The person, who is in tune with the universe, becomes like a radio receiver through which the Voice of the universe is transmitted." (Hazrat Khan)
"This creative current, filling all space, may be likened to the electromagnetic waves of the radio." (Julian P. Johnson)
"...The Great Creative Current flows outwards and downwards to create, govern and sustain all regions. It passes out from this region somewhat like the radio emanations going forth from a great broadcasting station. It is the Audible Life Stream, the most important factor in the system of the Masters. This Stream permeates the entire system of universes. A thing of great importance to us is that the music of this ever-flowing current, the stream of life, can be heard by a real Master and also by his students who have advanced even a little on the Path." (Julian P. Johnson, The Path of the Masters)
"The subject of Shabd (Inner Sound, The Music of the Creator) is such that we cannot do justice to it by discursive reasoning. All that can be said is that 'Shabd' implies the Power of God that has created and is sustaining the various grand divisions, divisions and sub-divisions of the vast creation of God. It is a current from the Ocean of Consciousness and is characterized by Sound-vibration, or in other words, It is a live and active principle which, emanating from God, is enlivening all creation. It is the instrument with which God creates, controls and sustains His vast universe. It acts as a life-line between the Creator and His creation and serves as a golden bridge between the two. The divine currents, like the ethereal waves of a radio, are spread out in the atmosphere in all the directions of the compass, giving out delectable strains of music. We, however, cannot catch the ethereal vibrations and listen to the divine melody until we get in tune with the Infinite by adjusting our mental apparatus. Therefore we become etherealized more and more as we come in tune with the heavenly music. Shabd is the connecting link between God and man." (Sant Kirpal Singh)
"The vibrations of this Sound are too fine to be either audible or visible to the material eyes or ears..." (Hazrat Khan) Yet, as Masters and mystics often point out, there is another kind of hearing and another kind of seeing. The eyes and ears of the soul -- the spiritual senses -- can be developed. There is Light coming from beyond the darkness, and there is Music coming from beyond the silence, for those who have ears to hear -- those who desire to meditate and discover the wonders of inner space for themselves.
Nada Yoga, Inner Sound Meditation, in Hinduism
Hinduism is very much a religion of divine Light and Sound; many Indian scriptures and spiritual traditions teach about the universe being created through the Sound of AUM, the ecstasy of hearing the cosmic flute of Krishna, or hearing the Unstruck Melody (Anhad Shabad) of God that reverberates throughout the universe. Yogis of Nada Yoga and Masters of Shabd Yoga Meditation impart to their students knowledge about developing their inner spiritual sense of transcendental hearing.
"Our physical and astral bodies, our Indriyas and the mind, all have Sound as their basis. As we penetrate deep into them they only lead us to Sound. As we analyze our individual existence, it takes us to Sound before we reach the transcendent Self." (Sri Swami Sivananda)
"By one who is desirous of attaining perfection in Yoga, Nada alone has got to be closely heard (meditated upon), having abandoned all thoughts and with a calm mind." (Sankaracharya, "Yoga-taravali," quoted in Nada Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda, The Divine Life Society)
"Let yogi sit on Sidh Asana and while practicing the Vaisnavi Mudra, should hear the sound through his right ear. By communion with the Word, he will become deaf to the external sounds, and will attain the Turya Pad or a state of equipoise within a fortnight. First the murmuring sounds resembling those of the waves of the ocean, the fall of rain and the running rivulets and the Bheri will be heard intermingled with the sounds of bell and conch,..." (Nada Bind Upanishad)
The following is from the Nadbindu Upanishad, on the practice of Nada Yoga (Inner Sound) meditation. It's from Thirty Minor Upanishds - Including the Yoga Upanishads, K. Narayanasvami Aiyar, Santarasa Publications. ("Minor" as opposed to the twelve "major" Upanishads, which are most widely translated: Mandukya, Isa, Katha,Chandogya, etc. There are 108 Upanishads in all.)
"The Upanishads represent for the Hindu approximately what the New Testament represents for the Christian. The earliest of these spiritual treatises, which vary greatly in length, were put down in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 B.C." (The Upanishads, Penguin Classics)
Nada Bindu Upanishad: "The yogin being in the siddhasana (posture) and practicing the vaishnavimudra, should always hear the internal sound through the right ear.
"The sound which he thus practices makes him deaf to all external sounds. Having overcome all obstacles, he enters the turya state within fifteen days.
"In the beginning of his practice, he hears many loud sounds. They gradually increase in pitch and are heard more and more subtly. At first, the sounds are like those proceeding from the ocean, clouds, kettle-drum, and cataracts: in the middle (stage) those proceeding from mardala (a musical instrument), bell, and horn.
"At the last stage, those proceeding from tinkling bells, flute, vina (a musical instrument), and bees. Thus he hears many such sounds more and more subtle.
"When he comes to that stage when the sound of the great kettle-drum is being heard, he should try to distinguish only sounds more and more subtle.
"He may change his concentration from the gross sound to the subtle, or from the subtle to the gross, but he should not allow his mind to be diverted from them towards others.
"The mind having at first concentrated itself on anyone sound fixes firmly to that and is absorbed in it.
"It (the mind) becoming insensible to the external impressions, becomes one with the sound as milk with water, and then becomes rapidly absorbed in chidakas (the akas where Chit prevails).
"Being indifferent towards all objects, the yogin having controlled his passions, should by continual practice concentrate his attention upon the sound which destroys the mind.
"Having abandoned all thoughts and being freed from all actions, he should always concentrate his attention on the sound, and (then) his chitta becomes absorbed in it.
"Just as the bee drinking the honey (alone) does not care for the odor, so the chitta which is always absorbed it's sound, does not long for sensual objects, as it is bound by the sweet smell of nada and has abandoned its flitting nature.
"The serpent chitta through listening the nada is entirely absorbed in it, and becoming unconscious of everything concentrates itself on the sound.
"The sound serves the purpose of a sharp goad to control the maddened elephant -- chitta which roves in the pleasure-garden of the sensual objects.
"It serves the purpose of a snare for binding the deer-chitta. It also serves the purpose of a shore to the ocean waves of chitta. The sound proceeding from Pranava which is Brahman is of the nature of effulgence; the mind becomes absorbed in it; that is the supreme seat of Vishnu.
"The sound exists till there is the akasic conception (akasa- sankalpa). Beyond this, is the asabda soundless Para-brahman which is Paramatma."
A good example of Nada (Sound) Meditation practice is found in The Shambhala Guide To Yoga, George Feuerstein, Shambala Books:
"First, the practitioner should block his or her ears with the fingers and focus inwardly, listening for the arising of the inner Sound. To begin with, a variety of sounds may be heard -- the practitioner may hears sounds like: the sound of the ocean, a rain cloud, a drum, a kettledrum, a conch, a bell [ringing sound], a horn, a flute, a lute, or a bee [humming sound]."
The Nada Bindu Upanishad also mentions the possibility of hearing a sound that resembles the Vina, a somewhat sitar-like instrument used in Indian classical music.
These mystic or heavenly inner sounds are always resounding in the soul, thus when one attains a certain level of stillness and concentration, spiritual Sound becomes audible. In truth, the inner Sound is always there, it is we (our attention) who come and go. We gain awareness of the Sound, and this creates the illusion that the Sound has "arrived." When we get distracted or leave off our meditation practice it seems to us that the Sound has "stopped." However, this otherworldly Sound continues, like radio waves flowing through the atmosphere, available to be "tuned in" anytime we wish to listen (do bhajan: listen to the inner Sound in meditation). ////////
