Live From the Center of Your Being -- Light and Sound on the Path
Youtube video from The Observer Channel: "The content is a visual representation of my journey (so far) to understand Truth which can be known from the inner vistas of consciousness. The dialogue is about a conversation between myself and ‘Truth’ itself and how it can known 'absolutely'". Music is by Jimi Hendrix - Moon, Turns the Tides Gently: http://www.Youtube.
"Be regular and lovingly devoted to your holy meditations, as that is the central pivot around which the whole sacred teaching revolves and therein an all around development of the soul is granted." (Spiritual Elixir, 140) Great Meditation Instructions For Initiates, by Kirpal Singh, PDF File:
"Practice truth, contentment and kindness; this is the most excellent way of life." -- Guru Arjun Dev
"The purpose of living beings is to assist each other." (Jain Scripture: Tattvarth-Sutra, Chapter 5, Sutra 21)
"Regarding laxity in the prescribed diet, I wish to say to all aspirants on the Path that it is necessary, so long as one is in the physical body, that vegetarianism should be strictly adhered to. Any relaxation in the matter of diet would not only be a definite hindrance in meditation but would unnecessarily contract karmic reaction. The real Goal is to use every means possible to rise into full God-consciousness." -- The Spiritual and Karmic Aspects of the Vegetarian Diet, From letters of Kirpal Singh and Sawan Singh: https://www.
I believe, based on the current practices of the dairy industry in India and around the world, that classic Sants such as Guru Kabir, Guru Nanak, Tukarama, Ravidas, Tulsi Das, Namdev, Dariya Sahib, etc.... if they were here today, would not only be advocating a vegetarian diet but a vegan diet. These days, many are making this transition, including in Sant Mat. This is the direction that the vegetarian movement is headed in. (from a recent edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio)
"Until we extend our circle of compassion to include every living creature, we cannot enjoy world peace". (Albert Schweitzer)
"To act without understanding is to lose the treasure of this human life." (Guru Amar Das)
It is no longer good enough to cry peace,
We must act peace, live peace and live in peace.
(Shenandoah) Native American Proverb
Cosmic Music According to Quantum Physics (The Empirical Path, Science)
"So, physics are nothing but the laws of harmonies on a string. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies you can play on vibrating strings. And the mind of God, the mind of God that Einstein worked on for the last 30 years of his life, the mind of God would be cosmic music. Cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace." (Michio Kaku)
Cosmic Music According to the Path of the Masters (The Intuitive Path, Spirituality)
"There is not a cubic millimeter of space in existence which is not filled with this Music. Sweeter and sweeter its heavenly strains vibrate through every living being, great or small, from world to world, and from universe to universe. Its life-giving melodies may not be consciously heard by those who are not trained to catch them, but there is not one living being in all creation which does not derive its life from this Current." (Julian P. Johnson)
Rumi: "O lovers, lovers it is time to set out from the world. I hear a drum in my soul's ear coming from the depths of the stars."
Rumi: "Bring the sky beneath your feet and listen to Celestial Music everywhere."
Rumi: "So long as a spirit does not rise above the body-consciousness, it remains a stranger to the spiritual realms beyond".
Kabir: "The Shabad or Sound resides in the body without playing like the strings of musical instruments resonating. The Sound has surrounded me within and without and thus the illusions are gone. The Primal Sound (Adi Naam) is our own essence, understand it. The ones, who have known their own essence, have become immortal. There are different types of the Words or Sounds. Pay attention to the Sar Shabad (Essence of the Sounds). Catch hold of the Sound which will take you to the Lord, don't pay attention or follow other sounds."
"In that state there is celestial humming of bees, and it is sweet melody to the ears. There the bees fly without wings, and resplendent pictures are painted without hands, and lightning flashes dazzle the eyes even when there are no clouds." (Book of Brahm Nirupan)
"The Sound you hear, i.e., chirping, rumbling, etc. are lower sounds. We should not stick to these Sounds, but we should listen closely whether any higher Sound is coming, and while listening closely, repetition of the five names should not be done. (Letters to Vermont initiates) You will have more Sounds than one, but you have to stick to that of a big bell, a conch, a shell, thunder, drum-beat, a violin and the flute, which are the higher types of Sounds and leave all the rest. (Spiritual Elixir, 128) As regards the Sound of Bina, it somewhat resembles the sound of the instrument which the snake-charmers use to play to catch the snakes. Its tune resembles that of a flute – the difference is that the sound of the flute is shrill compared with that of the Bina – just as the sound of a violin is shrill when compared with that of the flute – and the Sound grows more in volume and thicker and continuous as the soul traverses higher. It is a continuous Sound resembling that of a bagpipe." (Letters to Vermont initiates) -- Kirpal Singh (Meditation Instructions PDF File linked above)
"Practice the Abhyas of Surat Shabd Yoga [practice Inner Sound Meditation]. Apply your body and mind to Sumiran (recitation of the Holy Name). Go on beholding the countenance of Guru. Listen to the Sound of Anhad Shabd every day." (Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry)
"Pure consciousness and the Primal Sound emanating from its center (God Himself) can be said to be Nirguna (beyond, or without the three attributes or qualities, namely: sat, raj, and tam), and Nirakara (Formless). This Primordial Sound was definitely produced before both the Conscious as well as the Non-conscious prakritis (creations) were formed. This very Sound is variously referred to as Om, Satyashabda, Sarshabda, Satyanama, Ramanama, Adi Shabda, Adi Nama, etc..." (Maharshi Mehi, quoted in, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound, translated by Pravesh K. Singh)
"It is a natural characteristic of a Sound [inner Sound, Shabd, Nada] to attract the perceiving soul towards its Source or Center. Besides, a Sound is itself imbued with the qualities of its source, and in turn, bestows the perceiving soul with the same qualities it itself is possessed of." (Maharshi Mehi)
"The True Word is a magnet, the magnet that guides the soul to the Realm of Consciousness." (Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar)
Albert Einstein: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
The Secret of Secrets is: We're already in heaven — we just don’t know it! 'Iraqi says: "By day I praised you but never knew it; by night slept with you without realizing; fancying myself to be myself; but no, I was you and never knew it!" (Fakhruddin 'Iraqi, Divine Flashes, Paulist Press)
"The center-most part of your being -- THERE is the Supreme Region. It is the sacred temple of the Spirit -- the place where God delights to abide. It is there He manifests Himself to the one He created. He gives Himself in a way that transcends both senses and all human understanding." (Miguel de Molinos, Spanish Mystic, in, The Spiritual Guide)
"First of all I salute the Satguru, Who showed me the Inconceivable God." (from the Manglacharan of the Anurag Sagar)
"Those who meditate on the Eternal, like the great ones have done, will discover the Eternal Teacher, residing in their own hearts." -- Guru Kabir
Guru Nanak says the True Guru unites us with God, gives us a God-ward Focus: "That preceptor is worthy who unites the aspirant with God."
"That which is Infinite in terms of time and space, which never fades away at any time, even after filling the entire endless universe -- That is the Supreme Soul". (Maharshi Mehi Paramhans)
"(1) Ultimate Reality is beyond any beginning or end, infinite, beyond birth, beyond the senses, all-pervading yet beyond pervasiveness. It must therefore be understood as the Supreme Being. This Essential Element is known as the Lord of All and is the foundation of all things. This Being is beyond both the inanimate and animate aspects of nature. It is without qualities and beyond qualities. Its nature is infinite, imperishable, all-powerful. It is beyond time and space, beyond sound and beyond form. It is the One without a second. The Supreme Being is beyond the scope of mind, the intellect and the senses. This entire universe is powered by the energy of this Being. This Being is not human. It is not manifested in physical form. It has existence beyond the illusion of maya, and there is nothing that exists outside of it. It is the Being which is eternal, existing from the beginning. Santmat considers this Being as the Divine Reality and this [knowing or merging with] Being is the goal of all spirituality.
"(2) The individual soul is an inseparable part of the Supreme Being." (Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, from the Spiritual Principles of Sant Mat)
Souls Are Emanations of the Supreme Being
"This Supreme Being is the sole master of the whole creation, and the spirit entities [souls or jivas] clothed in body in this universe are emanations from Him, that is, their essence is the same, and they more or less exercise the same powers as the Supreme Being within their respective spheres or bodies, viz., controlling matter or the forces of nature and elements which work harmoniously in subordination to the Spirit Current." (Huzur Maharaj, Radhasoami Mat Prakash)
The Sants of India all say,
"Repeat God's Name."
Radhasoami Studies -- Techniques For Exploring Inner Regions of Consciousness and Experiencing the Lord of the Soul
Spiritual and Devotional Practices (Abhyas) of the Radhasoami Faith,
By Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhaswami, Book One
(1*) Simran -- Repetition of the Holy Name (Radhasoami).
(2*) Simran with Dhyan -- Repetition of the Holy Name along with Contemplation of the Holy Form.
(3*) Bhajan [Listening to the Spiritual Sound or Sounds of higher regions --the third Spiritual Practice].
(4*) Reading holy books or listening to their recital in Satsang, intelligently.
(5) Discussing the principals of the Radhasoami Faith or listening to such discussion.
(6) To think, ponder and reflect upon matters pertaining to the Radhasoami Faith and its practices.
(7) To examine the ways of one's mind and senses daily, and to keep them under control, as far as possible.
Considering Merciful Radhasoami as the Supreme, the Almighty, the All-Merciful Being and the Vital Force within all, the devotee should surrender himself so completely to Him that he may leave the result of everything he does to His Will and Pleasure and should conform to it and should, as far as possible, perform the practices of:
Sumiran (1*),
Dhyan (2*) and
Bhajan (3*)
and engage in the path of the Holy Books (4*) and
also in Seva (5*)
and Satsang (6*)
and having strong faith and reliance in His mercy and grace. In this way, all those Jivas [souls] who adopt the above mode of life, can pass their life fairly satisfactorily. If the devotee leaves the result of whatever he does to the Will [Mauj, Saran] and Pleasure of the Lord, he will have no attachment of any kind and he will remain free from the effect of karmas or actions even while performing karmas or actions. And after performing spiritual practices internally, when one surrenders himself so completely to the Lord, all his old and samchit karmas will, through Grace, gradually cease to have any influence on him and his life and if he performs actions in absolute reliance on the Will of the Lord, kriyamana karmas or actions would also not create any attachments and entanglements for him and the force of the 'prarabdha' karmas would also be weakened considerably. In this way, it is possible for the devotee to pass his life with normal comfort and ultimately to achieve salvation. The devotee can thus see even during his life-time, that all the three kinds of actions have ceased to have any influence on him. And if the devotee makes it the object of his life to reach the Holy Feet of Merciful Radhasoami [the Lord of the Soul] and performs his spiritual practices with the fixed determination that he would not stop short of achieving this object and goes on increasing his love and faith.
_____
*NOTES:
1. Repetition (Simran) of the Holy Name Radhasoami, one of the Spiritual
Practices taught in the Radhasoami Faith.
2. Contemplation (Dhyan) of the Holy Form of the Satguru, another Spiritual
Practice of the Faith.
3. Listening to the Spiritual Sound or Sounds of higher regions (Bhajan), the third Spiritual Practice.
4. The chanting of religious or mystic poems or poems of love and devotion for the Supreme Being is called 'Path' [singing bhajans, hymns of the Sants]. At the time of Path, the devotee keeps his attention fixed internally at the spirit center or at other higher centers and chants in a low tone, while feeling all the time that he is doing so in the presence of the Supreme Being or the Satguru. The Path is a great help in concentrating attention internally and as such, it is usually resorted to by devotees.
5. 'Seva' means service. From very ancient times 'Seva' of the Guru or Sat guru has been considered to be a necessary part of the spiritual discipline through which a devotee has to pass. 'Seva' is not only service of the Guru, but includes obedience to Guru's orders and service of mankind. It is held that it is through 'Seva' that one is able to free himself from worldly entanglements.
6. Satsang ("Sat-sang") is association (sang) with Sat i.e. Sat Purusha (Supreme Being) or the Satguru (Spiritual Teacher, Living Master). Generally, it refers to the congregational divine service conducted with the authority of the Satguru or some Saint.
"Kabir has conceived of God, Raam, as one eminently attracting humanity to a Communion of Love, and of man's putting his earthly life to its best use in responding to this. The resulting Communion of Love finds the devotee as totally absorbed into God as is humanly conceivable." (Chapter Seven of "Kabir's Bhakti" in, The Encyclopedia of Saints of India, Volume Two: KABIR, Criterion Publications, New Delhi)
"I have found a Sea of Love, an inexhaustible flood; I have opened a treasure of spiritual knowledge, it diffuses the radiance of a million suns, arisen in Thy worshipper's souls. Unexpectedly, without an effort, I have heard the Eternal Secret, I have learned to know God." (Sant Tukarama)
"Sants reveal this truth. Only a gurumukh (faithful disciple) will believe and understand it." "This Mat (Teaching) of Sants is deep and hidden." None knows it except Sants. Radhasoami has revealed this Faith. Some seekers after truth will accept it." (Soami Ji Maharaj)
Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers
and take the route of the anguished lover in separation.
Keep the Master's grace in your thoughts,
and reflect on his pure teachings.
Develop love and devotion with endearment,
and keep the thought of the Creator always before you.
Try to merge yourself into God like water in water.
Fix your mind within by following the Path of the Sound Current.
A yearning will arise; make then an intense and anguished call.
Repeat the Name of your Beloved,
day and night,
again and again.
With care in thought, word and deed,
you will cross to the other shore. (Sant Dadu Dayal)
