Sant Mat Radhasoami

Going Beyond the Universe — Light and Sound on the Path

SantMatRadhasoami — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:33:00 +0000

Going Beyond the Universe — Light and Sound on the Path

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PODCAST: February 2012 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: “The Role of the Master is to Bring Us Into the Direct Experience of God” — also an update about the Sant Mat Library — GO TO: http://bit.ly/y2eMvE

PODCAST: Education For A More Peaceful Planet: The Ethical Foundation of the Masters — a presentation on peace and ahimsa (non-violence in thought, word, and deed) as practiced in Sant Mat as well as Jainism — Spiritual Awakening Radio: http://bit.ly/ApIDvU

“Do not feel lonely; the entire universe is inside of you.” (Rumi)

“Love is fearless in the midst of fear.” (Rumi)

“When I am silent,

I fall into the place where everything is Music.” (Rumi)

“In the modem scientific age, science and humanity is in the search of ultimate truth. Sustained efforts are being made from both the ends of the spectrum but considerable success so far has not been realized. Science and humanity seek to achieve ultimate truth with their limited knowledge of mind and matter i.e. the ordinary consciousness: states of waking and sleep. Ultimate truth is not matter nor it is material — it is Spirit, Pure Spirit and nothing but Spirit. It can only be realized by entering into higher states of consciousness. Transformation to higher states of consciousness is the path traversed towards ultimate truth — God realization. Sant Mat — the Religion of Sants — describes such a path leading to the Portal of spiritual consciousness and the mansion of the Supreme Spirit.” (Gurdeep Singh, Scholar, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India [Abstract of Presentation Papers], from, “Spiritual Consciousness Studies”

– Spircon 2010, Agra)

“The path leading to God is within your heart. Enter into the ajna-chakra [Third Eye Center] and you will find your Beloved.” (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)

“God is not a matter of assumption but a subject of actual perception and realization. He can be seen with the Divine Eye.” (Ashutosh)

“Do the repetition of God and forget Him not (Japi Gobinda bisari jini jai). Fulfill the purpose of your birth by practicing concentration. Be steadfast in the remembrance of God. Practice meditation with love, and sing the glory of God. The human body [within] is the door to jivamukti [salvation, liberation].” — Dadu (Encyclopedia of the Saints of India, Volume 25: Sant Dadu Dayal)

The Third Eye Center is the Place of Purification from the Effects of the Outer Senses and Impressions, and is the Field of Vision for the True Worship of God in Meditation

From the Jabala Upanishad:

Thereafter the sage Atri asked of Yajnavalkya: “How am I to realize the Self which is Infinite and Unmanifest — the Imperceptible Atman?”

Yajnavalkya said: …..”The Infinite Imperceptible Self is worshiped ……. between varana and nasi. What are varana and nasi? Varana is that which dispels all the evils done by the sense-organs, and that which destroys all the sins done by sense-organs is called nasi. Where is that place? That place is at the location of both the eye-brows and the nose. That is also the meeting place of this world and the next.

“The Brahmajnanis [gnostics or knowers of God] worship at this meeting place. By meditating at that Point, they attempt to realise Brahman [God, the Lord of Love].”

(Jabala Upanishad quoted in, Satsang Yoga, Part One, Passages from Hindu Scriptures Compiled by Maharshi Mehi)

Transforming Ordinary Consciousness into Spiritual Consciousness — from Wakeful-sleep to God-realization

“The Merciful Supreme Being and Sant Satguru reveal to their true parmarthi jivas [spiritual souls, initiates, disciples, chelas] that they are Chaitanya [Spirit, Consciousness], are the Ansas [particles, rays, emanations] of the Supreme Being. They should therefore establish their connection with their Father-Mother who is the Supreme Chaitanya and make this connection much more intimate, so that they may attain His Region i.e. the Realm of Pure Spirit, where there is no Maya [illusion], and attain the joy and bliss of His Darshan [divine Vision]. People have been advised to perform the practices of Surat Shabda Yoga Marg [the way of inner Light and Sound Meditation]. The practice of Surat Shabda Yoga, which has been mercifully revealed by the Saints in this age, is beneficial for all jivas [souls]. The Spirit can reach the Original Home, beyond the limits of Maya. The current, which is the current of the Spirit and also the current of Shabda, is the current of the Name. The current of the mind and the spirit which is flowing outward and downward towards the enjoyments of the world and the objects of Maya should be turned away from these and made to ascend upward within oneself.” (Prabha Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Sanskrit, DEI, Agra [Abstract of Presentation Papers], from, “Spiritual Consciousness Studies” — Spircon 2010, Agra)

“The Saints say, ‘O individual souls! Recognize your Supreme Father. You are drowning in the ocean of samsara [this world of changes], full of contradictions, and bearing extreme hardships. Remaining ignorant of your body, mind and senses, you are being variously tortured. With the secrets given to you by the Master, enter the Tenth Door [Third Eye]. Ascending the currents of Divine Light and Divine Sound within, come out of all the coverings [subtle bodies associated with various inner regions: astral, causal, etc...].’ Mehi says, self-knowledge is possible beyond the dualism of mind and body. Then you will recognize your Supreme Father and all your woes will vanish.” (Padavali of Maharshi Mehi Paramahansa Ji Maharaj)

Going Beyond the Universe

By James Bean (Exploring the World Religions Column)

In this Internet Age we seem to be drowning in information, distracted by a million voices. A world of knowledge and opinion my be at our fingertips, yet wisdom remains a bit more illusive. My goal with these articles, blogs, public speaking, and podcasts is not so much about sharing of information as it is about revealing a state of Being and Becoming.

The Less Organization, the Better

Each of the great world religions presents its own version of a “treasure-map” to enlightenment or God, along with voluminous histories, customs, and beliefs, yet souls do not yearn merely to collect “maps” containing information. Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra once said of the world religions: “Without Bhakti [love], they are all hollow and sham, outer husks without a kernel.” It is the inner “kernel” or “seed” of Life we’re really after, not developing attachments to institutions or organizations.

Throughout history, it has often been certain rigid religious organizations that ultimately: 1) become the adversaries of mystics and Gnostics; favoring institutional life over inner exploration; 2) can be fearful of scientific research and academic freedom; 3) might have a tendency to overreach, ever thinking up new and excessive rules or regulations, at war even with their own members; 4) on occasion have banned books and “unauthorized” gatherings of those re-labeled as being “heretics;” 5) often claiming to be superior to all other sects — the “one-and only-true path”, and, 6) have all-too-often been opponents of equality and human rights.

I love this quote by Huzur Baba Sawan Singh about need to always maintain humanity, compassion, genuineness, honesty, and simplicity as the guiding principals and foundation for public gatherings in the name of spirituality, which in the East are called “Satsangs” or “Sanghas”. “‘Satsang’ has more than one meaning: First, it means the meeting of the Master and a disciple. Second, it means the meeting of all Satsangis [followers, devotees] who may attend, whether the Guru is present in body or not. There is no formality about it, none at all. It is a simple meeting of all disciples who can attend. We avoid formality and anything that may have the appearance of a rigid organization. The less organization, the better. And there must be no idea of leadership. The only leader in Sant Mat is the Guru. Just the Master and His disciples meeting together is the only organization we have.” I love the libertarian, heart-centered simplicity of this statement.

Pulling Back the Veil — Being and Becoming — Knowing Ourselves

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a Light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” (Carl Jung) That’s very close to the definition of Guru according to Hinduism: “one who takes the darkness away”, or is, in other words, a “Light-giver”. The role of the genuine spiritual Master is to escort us into Heavenly Realms so we may have our own experience of the divine and see for ourselves the beauty that up to now has remained hidden.

The soul seeks to actually realize the “treasure” of it’s own Self — Buddha Nature, Atman, New Adam, Pearl of Great Value, Christ-within-you, the Light-Spark of the Divine, which is the Real Me/You. Says Namdev: “I wandered through the cosmos in search of the treasure but found it within me.” Says Tulsi Sahib: “Within thine own self, behold the splendor of thy Beloved.” Rumi says, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you; don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want; don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the door-sill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.” “Open a window to God and begin to delight yourself by gazing upon Him through the opening.” (Rumi) “The Lord will make the pupil of your eye his home, and your eye will expand to contain the entire universe.” (Namdev)

This mystic-poem by Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India beautifully reflects upon the inward journey of the soul back to 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).

When we sit for meditation and gaze into the darkness with eyes closed, we’re encountering the world of “within”, opening up to the possibility of seeing via the Third Eye, also known as the Wisdom Eye. This is the Portal or Door to the Kingdom of the Heavens that are inside. This is what Rumi and the Masters are attempting to show us. For those taught the methods of meditation practice by a qualified living teacher and spiritual guide, we soon will discover that the darkness is no longer dark. There is a pinpoint of light, and an inner sky, inner stars, moons, suns, many colors, dark voids, and tunnels that go into the Light.

As the saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher shall appear.” A living teacher, being fully acquainted with the ‘landscape’ of Inner Space, is able to impart to initiate-candidates valuable guidance on how to safely make the journey of ascension to the Inner Regions during meditation. This kind of spiritual transmission and the details of meditation practice are not found in books, old scriptures of the past, and are not for sale, but are given freely.

We also will discover during extended periods of meditation that there is Sound coming from beyond the silence. “When I am silent, I fall into the place where everything is Music,” says Rumi. “Bring the sky beneath your feet and listen to Celestial Music everywhere.” (Rumi) Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has a great description of the Inner Sound in his book, Mind Beyond Death: “It is easiest to hear this Sound when it is quiet, particularly at nighttime. Once you have identified this Sound, then you place your awareness on it without wavering. Resting your mind in the Sound, you continue to listen, going further and further into the Sound itself.”

More On Inner Sound Meditation In Buddhism

“Listening to the inner Sound brings the heart into a position of acute inner awareness. The Sound is always there. We don’t have to create it. It is ever present. So it is a good symbol for Ultimate Reality itself.” (Ajahn Amaro)

“How sweetly mysterious is the Transcendental Sound of Avalokiteshvara [Quan Yin]! Is is the subdued murmur of the sea-tide setting inward. Its mysterious Sound brings liberation and peace to all sentient beings who in their distress are calling for aid.” (Surangama Sutra)

“You can experience the Sound of silence in the mind. You hear it as a kind of high frequency Sound, a ringing Sound….. When you’re just with the cosmic Sound alone, there is pure attention, no sense of a person or personality, of ‘me and mine’”. (Ajahn Sumedho, The Sound of Silence)

“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”, Published by Inner Traditions)

We are all connected to these subtle realms of Light, Sound, and Heavenly Regions but normally remain deaf and blind to them in our day-to-day experience, being always completely enmeshed in the worlds of mind and matter. It rarely occurs to most that it’s possible to explore consciousness itself, the “lost” buried treasure, our true Self or Soul, the Observer.

Beyond the Universe

“The Guru’s word is a stairway to heaven.” (Sant Namdev)

“So long as a spirit does not rise above the body-consciousness, it remains a stranger to the spiritual realms beyond”. (Rumi)

“God is perceivable only through the soul or spirit. But our individual soul has become surrounded or covered by several sheaths or subtle bodies [astral, causal, etc…]. So long as it remains in the captivity of these various subtle bodies and the physical body, it will be under the knowledge of these bodies and organs only, will be under illusory knowledge only, and will not be able to realize God. In order to know Him, the Jiva-atma or the individual soul shall have to liberate itself from these bondage’s. The one who is able to liberate himself from the body and subtle bodies, is able to lift himself beyond the universe, also.” (Param Poojya Shahi Swami Ji Maharaj)

Here, Shahi Swami, referring to his own mystical explorations and that of others who follow this same practice, speaks of Inner Light and Sound meditation — transcendental seeing and hearing, and how it’s possible during meditation to transcend the physical body (rise above body-consciousness), transcend the astral subtle body, transcend the causal or akashic subtle body, ascend beyond the mental subtle body, and shed the etheric subtle body. All that remains is one’s true naked identity: atman, self or soul. After stripping off the garments of the outer worlds (the subtle bodies and corresponding realms they are associated with), the soul exclaims, “I Am That! I Am That! I Am That!” In this sense, the soul has ascended beyond all the universes of space-time and experiences knowing itself in the Timeless State (Akal) or True Eternal Realm. What an amazing thing to proclaim to “child humanity” — we can go beyond the universe.

Swami Achyutanand Baba is one of the eldest living disciples and spiritual successors of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, as well as an eminent scholar in the tradition of Sant Mat founded by Param Sant Tulsi Sahab of Hathras. Swami Ji has had the rare fortune of very prolonged close serving association of more than three decades with Maharshi Mehi, who appointed him as the founder editor of the spiritual monthly “Shanti Sandesh” (Message of Peace), published by Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppaghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India.

Swami Achyutanand Ji even at this ripe age has dedicated his life to propagating the ideals of Sant Mat by widely traveling across the length and breadth of India, his mother country.

“Those practitioners who assiduously practice meditation will behold wonderful spectacles within.” (Swami Achyutanand Baba)

He has a number of books to his credit like, Vindu — Nada Dhyan, Santmate Ki Baten, Navadha Bhakti, Bandaun Guru Pad Kanj, Maharshi Mehi Ke Ashirwachan Aur Upadesh, Sukti Sudha Sagar, etc. He also is the current editor of the quarterly “Adhyatma Prakash” (Light of Spirituality), published by Maharshi Santsewi Dhyan Yogashram, Agarpara, Kolkata, India.

Online Sant Mat Book: Yoga Of Inner Light and Sound, by Swami Achyutanand Baba — Audio/Talking Book and Several E Book Options:

http://spiritualawakeningradio.com/Yoga_Of_Inner_Light_And_Sound_.pdf

“My true disciple is one who has seen the Divine Light within during meditation”. (Guru Gobind Singh)

“The process by which the secret of how to realize God is taught is called deeksha or initiation. It is always rewarding to seek initiation from a Satguru or preceptor.” (Swami Achyutanand Baba)

Questions about initiation, locating a satsang meeting in your area? Email me: James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

Jai Guru, Jai Sat Naam, Radhasoami, In the Divine Love, Light, and Sound of the Beloved,

James

At your holy feet lies the sphere of Divine Light even as I have fallen into the dark well (of ignorance).

Save me, O Guru, save me! Ascend me into the domain of your radiant form.

You instructed me to rise through the Sushumna or the Til DwAr, but I am unable to find that path within.

O Gurudev! Have pity on me, dispel the darkness (of my inner sky) and lift me up so that I may move on to the other side of the Til or the Dark Point.

Make me fly high into the star-studded (inner) sky and even higher into the Region of the Thousand-petalled Lotus (sahasra-dal kanwal).

Where Divine Light keeps shining bright, where is seen the full moon’s Light. O Gurudev! Let these secret splendours be manifest unto me!

Trikuti is the source or origin of the three qualities/attributes (namely sat, raj and tam) which is the abode of the Para Brahma.

O Gurudev! I beseech at your sacred feet; Help me so that I may attain to this house (Trikuti).

Here in the Trikuti the Divine Sun shines in all its brilliance.

Where Shuddha Brahma resides and which is renowned as the “ShUnya Desh” (Void Region).

Guide me into the Manasarovar, and make me grasp your own name (the Quintessential Primordial Sound/Word).

The Word (your name) is capable of fulfilling all our wishes and is the essence of the whole creation.

Lend me even greater power so that I may soar into Maha Shunya (Greater Void),

And even beyond…

I may enter into the Bhanwar Gufa (Whirling Cave) — but alas! even here the pain of transmigration is not relieved entirely.

Therefore, O Sadguru, empower me to climb into the Sataloka (The realm of Pure Consciousness or Quintessential Unstruck Word).

O Gurudev! Catapulting me thus into the Sata-loka, make me absolutely pure (free of all coverings, shrouds, veils).

Bless me that I may cross even the attribute-less Sataloka (Kaivalya Region, or the Realm of Pure Consciousness) and attain to the Nameless/Soundless State.

O Lord! This way shower your blessings by elevating me unto my own true Home (the Domain of the Absolute Lord that is, God).

(Padavali of Maharshi Mehi, translated by Pravesh K. Singh)

Practice Bindu-Dhyana everyday like a Chatak bird,

Glimpsing the luminous symmetry of God uninterruptedly,

Enter into the solar sphere immediately;

The Quintessential One known as Raam-Naam is the true voice or Sound,

It emanates from its place of origin and flows down the universes and the solid mass;

Merging Surat [the attention of the soul] with the Quintessential One, meet your Lord,

And eliminate the cycle of birth and death;

Without devotion to one’s Guru and service to the sages, nothing fructifies;

So always repeat the name of Guru and concentrate on his lotus-feet,

With concentration on Bindu, the luminous star emerges,

And then the Sun and the Moon appear,

Along with these the currents without being impaired Sounds are heard,

The Sounds gather — concentrate at a point between the two eyebrows,

And at this point only, the spiritual aspirant witnesses and hears all the Sounds;

All praise to the Satguru who has acquainted Mehi with these applications,

You are magnificent, O my competent Guru!

I seek your shelter day and night, says Mehi. (Maharshi Mehi)

“Man is what he thinks about all day long. One can only live one moment at a time. Emerson said: ‘There is no moment in eternity more important than this moment.’ All real good or evil that may befall him is from himself. If a man lives in a good or bad way in the real present, he will ensure the same in the future. If you have bad thoughts for others, you will harm not them only but yourself as well, as thoughts are very potent. So try to live in the living present, forgetting the past and the future — and fill every moment of your life with simple trust in Him in all loving devotion.” (Kirpal Singh)

“Practice the repetition of the True Name, which alone is of value (sumiru Sat Naam niju kam hai jahi te)……Have kindness in your heart, look with compassion……Being detached, brush aside all worldly delusions, and take refuge under the Satguru’s holy feet, which is the kingdom of eternal bliss…..Be firmly absorbed in contemplation, which alone is of value. Thereby the inner Lotus will blossom, Nectar will flow, and the inner Sky will resound with Melody, hearing which, Kal [illusion, god of time and death] will flee away. There the dazzling Light will shine and the true Sound will resound, which will destroy heavy sins [karma], and place a divine canopy over your head.” (Shabd/Hymn/Mystic-Verses of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar)

Light and Sound on the Path — Sant Mat Satsang Newsletter: February 3rd

SantMatRadhasoami — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:42:00 +0000

Light and Sound on the Path — Sant Mat Satsang Newsletter: February 3rd

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Below: Words of Light and Love for the Spiritual Journey from the Masters — Past and Present:

Sant Mat As Presented by J.L. Chaudhari (Chand, Mataji, Radhasoami);

Mystic Poetry About the Countless Worlds: “Many millions are the skies and solar systems” …. “Through the Word the Worlds Converse”;

Document: “The Definition or Explanation of Sant Mat”;

One of the Prayers Recited Daily in India: “Hail All Sants”;

New Podcast at SoundCloud on the Ahimsa-Ethical Foundation of the Masters of Inner Light and Sound;

More Material Added to the Sant Mat Library;

Wisdom from the Gospel of THOMAS;

Scanned Pages from the Narada Bhakti Sutras, and Kabir;

The Story of Quan Yin (Avalokiteshvara);

Songs of Kabir, by Rabindranath Tagore: http://bit.ly/xjD4vW

“People keep thinking and living on-borrowed-dharma.” (Baba Devi Sahab)

Rumi: “So long as a spirit does not rise above the body-consciousness, it remains a stranger to the spiritual realms beyond”.

Meditation: “O traveler! Seek the path that lies within you. You and your Beloved are in the same body. Your Beloved is pervading everywhere but not being perceived. Those initiated by Guru are able to recognize God within their bodies.” (Maharshi Mehi)

Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras: “The soul’s inner eye has not opened, and though he has his external sight, he is really blind, that is, cannot see things in their true perspective. Without the Satguru, he will drift in the lower centers and will never be rid of his worldly attachments. No other Yuga [epoch] can be compared with Kali Yuga in which Sants [Saints, Heavenly Beings, Enlightened Masters] incarnate themselves. If the Jiva-soul adopts the Saran [refuge] of a Saint, he will get across the ocean of material existence. When the soul (Surat-disciple) meets the Master (Shabd-guru), the Path will be traversed.”

“So plunge into the Truth, find out who the Teacher is. Believe in the Great Sound!” (Kabir)

“The beginning of the Turiyaa state has been said to be the Aajnaa-chakra (the Guru instructs about the Point in between the two eyes where the vision of both unites [Third Eye Center]), and the destination of this is in Kaivalya — the State of Oneness — Pure Consciousness.” (Swami Bhagirath Baba)

“When you reach the state of concentration, then you are surrounded by a protective aura automatically. No power on earth can harm you then. Therefore, do simran and be anxiety-free.” (Anurag Sagar, Volume Two)

“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

“If you are an ocean, I am like a wave; I rise from you and I retire and return unto you.” (Swami Ji Maharaj)

‎”If you know you’re alive,

find the essence of life.

Life is the sort of guest

you don’t meet twice.”

(Guru Kabir, The Bijak — Sakhi 10)

Through the Word the Worlds Converse

And the Highest One gave the Word to his worlds,

which interpret his own beauty,

recite his praise,

reveal his thought,

are instructors of his works.

For the swiftness of the Word is ineffable.

Its course knows no end,

it never fails, it stands.

Its decent and its Way are incomprehensible.

And through the Word the worlds converse.

The mouth of the Highest One spoke to them

and he was made clear by his Word.

The dwelling place of the Word is man

and Its Truth is Love.

(Book of the Odes, Syriac/Aramaic, First Century AD)

‎”Hiding in this cage of visible matter

is the invisible lifebird.

Pay attention to her.

She is singing your song.”

(Kabir)

“Look around inside you,

The blue sky opens out farther and farther,

A million suns come forward with Light

When I sit firmly in that inner world.”

(Kabir)

Many millions are the skies and solar systems.

Many millions are the moons, the suns and stars.

Many millions are the sources of creation and continents.

Many millions are the jewel containing oceans.

Many times has the universal expanse occurred.

The Lord has strung all the creation in His thread.

His limit no one knows.

Many millions go about in many existences.

Many millions have been the incarnations.

Many millions are the creatures of various descriptions.

Many millions of beings, the Lord has made of good many descriptions.

Many millions are the celestial singers.

Ever and ever, the Unique Lord remains the same.

From the Lord, they emanate and into the Lord they merge.

(Adi Granth, Sikh Scriptures)

PODCAST: Some Radio For Peace — Education For A More Peaceful Planet: The Ethical Foundation of the Masters of Inner Light and Sound: lecture on peace and ahimsa (non-violence in thought, word, and deed) as practiced in Sant Mat as well as Jainism: Spiritual Awakening Radio — Program Length: 45 Minutes [via SoundCloud]: http://SoundCloud.com/santmat/spiritualawakeningradio293

Recently Added to the Sant Mat Library of Recommended Reading

PDF File of the Shri Satyadeo Baba translation of “Philosophy Of Liberation”;

Kirpal Singh: “Dangers Of Spiritual Healing, Yoga and Occult Powers” (Sant Mat is not a “new age” psychic path);

Kirpal Singh Poetry: “Divine Melodies”;

Darshan Singh Poetry: “Love’s Last Madness”;

Western Plagiarisms of India’s Sant Mat Tradition: “The Making of a Spiritual Movement – The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar”, authored by David C. Lane;

“Evaluating Spiritual Teachers” – In Search of a Worthy, Genuine, Competent, Qualified Spiritual Teacher, by Don Howard;

“The Bijak of Kabir” – Ahmad Shah Translation;

“57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan”;

“Why I Don’t Eat Faces – A Neuroethical Argument for Vegetarianism”, by David C. Lane;

Youtube: “The China Study” – Lecture by T. Colin Campbell;

“Vegans Are Cool”, by Kathy Divine;

New Vegan Cookbook;

“The Book of Compassion – Reverence For All Life” (Vegan Jain Publication);

“Reducing Our Himsa (Violence) Footprints”;

“Lost Books of the Bible”, and, “Summarizing the Spiritual Message of the Gospel of Thomas in the Context of Syriac Mysticism”;

“The Stranger of Galilee – The Sermon on the Mount and the Universal Spiritual Tradition”, by Russell Perkins;

“Sophia’s Passion: Sant Mat and the Gnostic Myth of Creation”, by Dr. Neil Tessler;

John Davidson: The Gospel of Jesus – In Search of His Original Teachings (via Google Books)

The Sant Mat Library:

http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/library.html

‎“If your spiritual guides say to you,

‘Look, the divine Realm is

in the sky,’

well then the birds

will get there ahead of you.

If they say,

‘It is in the sea,’

then the fish will precede you.

“No, divine Reality exists

inside and all around you.

Only when you have come to know your

true Self will you be fully known –

realizing at last that you

are a child of the Living One.

If, however, you never come to know

who you truly are,

you are a poverty-stricken being,

and it is your ‘self’

which lies impoverished.”

(Yeshua, Saying Three, The Gospel of Thomas –

Wisdom of the Twin, Lynn Bauman translation)

“In all truth it can be said that the fall of the human being took place when he began to forget himself. That is to say: to forget his Supreme Being, the mysterious Source whence he emerged.” (The Law of Attention – Nada Yoga and the Way of Inner Vigilance, Edward Salim Michael)

‎”We are in physical bodies. We are conscious entities. We are so much tied up with mind and matter that we cannot differentiate ourselves. We have to leave the physical, transcend the astral, go further beyond the causal, supercausal, and reach the true home of our Father. That is the true destination for each one of us.” (from, The Night is a Jungle, By Kirpal Singh, Ruhani Satsang Books)

Kabir says: “God suits His language to the understanding of His hearer.”

“The whole process of evolution, for the spirit, is an awakening to the truths, and the means of implementation of those truths, that are eternally present in itself. What was implicit has to become explicit… When you discover for yourself, however dimly, that you are rooted in something that is infinitely vast potential, you have found the soil wherein you grow unconsciously into a most wonderful tree, the Tree of Life blended with knowledge.” (Lord Mahavira)

The Definition or Explanation of Sant Mat

1. Stillness or steadiness is the essence of Shanti.(A)

2. He who has attained Shanti is a saint.(B)

3. Sant Mat encompasses the thoughts and teachings of the saints and sages.

4. It is natural for human beings to desire Shanti. Inspired by this inherent desire, seers of ancient times searched for the inner peace and found the path to attain this inner peace, and expounded this way in the ancient teachings of the Upanishads.(C) Similar views have been expressed by saints in more recent times such as Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahib. They expressed their teaching in the Punjabi and Hindi vernaculars, respectively,(D) for the inspiration and edification for the common masses. The teachings of these latter saints are referred to as Sant Mat.

However, the Upanishads are considered to be the foundation of Santmat, because they uniquely and abundantly describe the means for attaining Shanti, and contain a comprehensive explanation of the Divine Word-Sound which leads to the Highest Wisdom. The Upanishads explain the yogic techniques and present a systematic path for transcending thought in order to attain the Absolute through the use of sound (the Yoga of Surat Shabda).(E) Santmat follows the yogic path prescribed in the Upanishads and specifically, employs Surat Shabad Yoga in its practices. [Therefore, it is to be understood that the teaching of the saints is a later expression and development of the teaching within the Upanishads.]

When viewed on the surface, the teachings of various saints sometimes seem to contradict one another [or even to contradict the principles of the Upanishads]. But upon deeper analysis, it becomes apparent that there is an unbreakable unity in the spiritual views of all saints. Saints have appeared in different times and in different places, and their followers name their tradition in respect to the particular saint [for example, Kabir Panth and Dadu Panth]. The apparent differences can be attributed to variations in time, place, language, and labels given to the views, but in reality, they are the same. It also happens that excessively zealous followers tend to accentuate these seeming differences. When sectarianism and the forms of the particular time or place of the teachings of a saint are removed, the basic principles of Santmat are in unity.

Footnotes by Veena Howard

(A) Shanti is a Sanskrit word which can be understood in English as peace, tranquility, and bliss. It is the peace which results from participation in some degree of Divine communion.

(B) The term “Sant” is derived from the Sanskrit Sat (truth, reality). Thus the “one who knows the Truth,” and who has experienced Ultimate Reality. Even though the word sant does not cognate with “Saint” it is often translated in English “Saint.” In this book, for the sake of convenience, we use the words ‘sant’ and ‘saint’ interchangeably. A saint in the Santmat tradition is one who experiences the mystical state; it is a title conferred because of yogic achievements. This is different from the way this word is commonly understood in Western traditions, where a saint is considered to be morally correct and is only canonized as a saint after death on the basis of some form of miracle that he/she had performed during their life times. In the Sant Mat tradition, a saint is a living person who leads a moral life and has achieved realization of the Divine. Clearly, many of those who are considered to be saints in the Western view would also be included in the Santmat definition of saint.

(C) The Upanishads are ancient Vedic texts that define and categorize the mystical teachings and the philosophy of Yoga. In the chapter on the Vedanta, we have dealt with these teaching in great detail.

(D) The seers of the Upanishads composed in the Sanskrit language. This was not a language of the common people. Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahab describe the same Upanishadic views in languages understood by the common man.

(E) Surat Shabad Yoga is the practice of transcending the mind in order to enter the level beyond the mind. This is the level of ultimate unity. The vehicle for this inward journey is sound.

– Maharshi Mehi, quoted in the book, Harmony Of All Religions, and, Philosophy Of Liberation:

http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/Harmony12-ChapterSeven-santmat.pdf

‎”Through inner meditation the jivatman (individual soul) begins its ascent toward the Soundless State [Realm of God/Ultimate Reality Beyond Light and Sound] where it will eventually merge with the Divine. When the soul thus experiences oneness with the Divine, it will attain ultimate peace and supreme joy. Sant Mat teaches a path to the attainment of this joy and peace. This is the significance of the way of saints and the importance of Santmat.” (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)

The Path of the Masters — The Way of Inner Light and Sound

“The real message of man’s life is ‘Be Man’. The question is, how to follow this principle and what should we do to adopt this principle and formula for finding a way to God, which is nothing but salvation.

“The only way is to surrender oneself at the lotus feet of a spiritual master. After this surrender, the disciple and master become one, because a true surrender makes a man free from the bondage of senses, dilution, affection, etc, etc… So far as we are under the control of worldly desires, the surrender is not possible. So the first step is to be free from worldly desires. But that does not mean that the needs for earthly life should not be fulfilled. In fact, needs should be fulfilled, and not the desires. If we have taken birth as a human being, some food (energy) is necessary for the body to work, but it is not necessary that we always aspire for multi-course meals. It is necessary to put on some cloths to cover the body, but not necessary that silk linen is put on. It is necessary that there is a small shelter for living, but not necessary that a marble fitted house is something to be attached to.

“As a human being we have to survive in this world without caring for ourselves much, without looking to the ills of others. Rather, by looking towards the ills of ourselves, purifying ourselves first, we then can do something for the purification of others. This is the life of a “lotus” on a pond, and this is why Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, wisdom and intellect, sits on the lotus. The lotus flower blossoms in a muddy pond, but any one looking at the flower exclaims, ‘Wow! How beautiful this flower is!’ The whole world is a muddy pond and we have to survive in the midst of mud like a lotus flower, which does not care for mud but it blossoms for the pleasure and happiness of others. Every morning with sunrise, the lotus blossoms. This is what we should also follow. The divine Power and Light emanated by the spiritual master makes us to blossom like the lotus flower, provided we have full trust and faith in our spiritual master.

“Sant Mat does not look at the race, cast, sect or any other identification for a person. Rather, it looks to the true sense of service, sacrifice, surrender, devotion, determination, trust, and belief of a person towards the master. Those who have such characteristics may belong to any cast, race, country, or direction. Those of any identification can join this Yoga. But for this a true spiritual master is a must. I don’t know whether you have adopted some spiritual master or you are under the shelter of someone as a spiritual master. If so, please do surrender yourself to him or her for all what you desire to attain and achieve. The spiritual master is not the body. Rather, it is the Divine Light, the Divine Sound, and your own wisdom, your own conscious, and your own perception, which is selfless and without any expectation from anyone on this earth.”

Yours in Him,

J.L. Chaudhari

‎”Listen within day and night; you will hear blissful inner Sounds. Within everyone, reverberates Shabd [Sound Currents], about which no one knows. The Brahmand [cosmos, inner planes] is represented in the body in every respect. Says Tulsi, open your inner eyes, and the Sant will show it to you.

“Glittering Light shines in the region of the Sky, which only a brave one can behold. If one seeks the Truth, one will not go down the transmigratory cycle. If one meets the Merciful Sat Guru, one will come to know of all the secrets from Him. If one renders service to a Sant, he will tell one of the whereabouts of the Abode. Says Tulsi, it is only by being dead whilst alive* that one can find the Perfect Guru.” (Sant Tulsi Sahib)

*NOTE: “Being dead whilst alive” or “death before dying”: a popular saying used by Sants and Sufi poets espousing the view that rising above body-consciousness or soul travel during meditation practice is a preparation or rehearsal for the afterlife. Hazrat Sultan Bahu: “Let us die before dying, O Bahu, only then is the Lord attained.”

Hail all Sants,

Hail all Sants!

Oh, too mean is our intellect

to extol the Sants!

Hail all Sants!

Smashers of sorrows,

breakers of worldly fetters

Treasure of wisdom,

they are the world’s benefactors!

Yoga of Light,

Yoga of Sound,

In an easy way everywhere they propound!

Hail all Sants!

Great are all the Sages, great was Lord Buddha

Foes of sins, great were Shankara and Ramananda.

Glory to Sant Kabir who was so great

Glory to Guru Nanak who was so great!

Hail all Sants!

Goswami Shri Tulsidas Ji

Great benefactor Sahab Tulsi

Dadu, Sundar, Sura, Svapach,

Ravi the great seer

Jagjeevan, Paltu — they robbed us of all fears!

Hail all Sants!

Satguru Devi (Sahab) and all those who have been, are

And who ever will be! Prostrate at their feet we are!

I, Mehi, sing their glory, express my appreciation

And place at their lotus-feet all my expectation!

Hail all Sants!

O Hail all Sants!

(Prayer of Maharshi Mehi,

Translated into English

by Pravesh K. Singh)

Narada Bhakti Sutras, 1-4, Translated by Swami Tyagisananda

“Receive initiation from the Guru in the true secrets of Shabd. Practice the modes of Surat Shabd Yoga with love and affection. Listen to the reverberations of Anhad Shabd within you. Regularly practice Surat Shabd Yoga. Contemplate the Guru’s Form. Behold beautiful scenes and spectacles within. When Radhasoami Dayal [the Merciful Lord of the Soul] is pleased to shower His grace, He will elevate your soul along the Current of Shabd. You will then ascend to your True Home.” (Huzur Maharaj, Prem Bani Radhaswami)

‎”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, Sabdatit Pad (State beyond Sound). The Yoga of Sound must be practiced in order to attain the Nameless State (Anami, Anadi).” (Maharshi Mehi, Philosophy of Liberation)

Kabir says: “If you merge your life in the Ocean of Life, you will find your life in the Supreme Land of Bliss.”

Youtube: Bodhisattva of Compassion: Meditating Within and Being Compassionate Without — The Story of Quan Yin (Avalokiteshvara):

http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=PkG8Q-z38LE

Countless Are the Earths, Spheres, and Devotees: Countless are the gospels, sutras, odes, upanishads, gathas, quatrains, abhangas, gitas, granths, vanis and vedas. As Guru Nanak says in his Morning Prayer (Jap Ji): “Endless are the harmonies played by the minstrels; the players prepare endless tunes and measures to sing to Thee, 0 bountiful Creator. Thy Light is within the beings and the beings are all within thy Light….. countless are the countries, earths and spheres. Millions assign to Him ever new names, 0 Nanak.”

Lost Books of the Bible — The Gospel of Thomas in the Context of Syriac Mysticism

SantMatRadhasoami — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Two Articles Below: Lost Books of the Bible, and, Thomas – A Gnostic Gospel

Thomas – A Gnostic Gospel From A Parallel Universe or Past Life — Summarizing the Spiritual Message of the Gospel of Thomas in the Context of Syriac Mysticism, by James Bean

In 1945 this mysterious ancient text known as the Gospel of Thomas was unearthed in Egypt along with forty-nine other fascinating writings from the early days of monastic Christianity in the Egyptian desert. The Book of Thomas was also used as scripture by the Valentinian sect in Egypt and elsewhere around the Roman Empire in the Second and Third Centuries, a Gnostic movement with a version of Christianity that’s seemed much more “Eastern,” in many ways closer to Hinduism and Buddhism.

Meeting An Unembedded Messiah For the First Time

Have always been a fan of this contemplative “wisdom gospel,” with its format of proverbs and parables. It contains absolutely no narrative whatsoever. It’s comprised solely of one hundred and fourteen unvarnished sayings of Jesus, one after the other, and that’s it. There is no commentary, no spin, and no story. No more Roman centurions, scribes, Pharisees, and locusts to block our view. Rather than being presented through the “lens” of others, the reader encounters a more direct, unfiltered historic Jesus. The picture goes from black and white to color and HD (Hi-Def). The intention by those who compiled and circulated this collection is to encourage readers to deeply ponder each and every saying for themselves, leading them to their own personal insights and revelations, to internalize the words and be transformed by them – lectio divina.

This collection of sayings allegedly recorded by the Apostle Thomas has a definite allegiance to the Inner Circle of Hebrew Disciples or Ebionite Movement that was originally lead by the Apostle James of Jerusalem. “The disciples said to Jesus, ‘we know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?’ Jesus said to them, ‘No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.’” (Saying Twelve)

The Gospel of Thomas was missing for almost two millennia until three copies of it were almost miraculously discovered several decades ago: two sections of it written in Greek found at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and a more complete edition in the Coptic language found near Nag Hammadi buried under the sands of time in a clay storage jar. This lost book has been found, and now has it’s own home page on the worldwide web. The “second coming” of Thomas has occurred – it is a “resurrected” or “reincarnated” book, if you will. Practically predicting it’s own rediscovery the Book of Thomas says: “Know what is before your face, and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything buried which will not be raised.” (Saying Five)

Though nowadays associated with Egypt, these surviving pages are copies of an even earlier Greek manuscript most likely originating from Syria, which was, and remains, home-base of the “Saint Thomas Branch of Christianity,” the Syriac-Aramaic Church of the East. It is said that Saint Thomas during the First Century AD headed east, eventually ending up in India, where he spent the rest of his life. That’s recorded in another holy book known as the Acts of Thomas, one of several writings in the Thomas tradition: Gospel of Thomas, Thomas the Spiritual Athlete, Psalms of Thomas, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Acts of Thomas, and The Apocalypse of Thomas. For more on “Sayings Gospels,” type the word “Logia” into the search box at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logia.

Summarizing the Spiritual Message of the Gospel of Thomas

in the Context of Syriac Mysticism

The Living Master said to his initiates: “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 Seventeen) “Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the Hidden Things will be revealed.” (Saying One Hundred Eight) The Master taught his disciples that in order to see the spiritual realm, they must “fast from the world” and enter into heavenly repose (Sabbath rest) – rise above body-consciousness, mental impressions, memories, worries, and agitations. They must set aside some time to rest spiritually, to temporarily close their physical eyes (and ears) to the outside world in order to “see the Father”, the Supreme Being, with the eye of the soul. (Saying Twenty-Seven)

Quite frequently mystics describe inner visions as something that spontaneously appear when they reach a certain level of interior awareness called “pure prayer,” a term used for what we might call “meditation.” The Egyptian mystic Evagrius wrote: “The offspring of pure prayer is swallowed up by the Spirit. From this point on, the mind is beyond prayer, and prayer has ceased from it now that it has found something even more excellent. No longer does the mind actually pray, but there is a gaze of wonder at the Inaccessible Things which do not belong to the world of mortal beings.” (The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life) “We have come from the Light.” (from Gospel of Thomas, Saying Fifty-One) “For you have come from it, and you will return there again.” (from Saying Forty-Nine)

Becoming a Child of the Light

Many of these spiritual movements of Essenes, Gnostics, Friends of God, Ebionites, Manichaeans, etc… have described themselves as “the Children of the Light.” It was not an old scripture dating back many centuries, but a living teacher by the name of Yeshua who once taught his living students at the time that they would be able to experience “entering the Kingdom,” the other dimensions of Inner Space in the present-tense by seeing Divine Light. Note: the usage of the word “Light” here is not as a metaphor for intellectually understanding teachings, but refers to a real Divine Light that is mystically seen during contemplative meditation with the eye of the soul.

“If your eye be Single, your whole body will be full of Light.” (Saying preserved in Matthew 6:22) “For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with Light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness.” (Yeshua, from Saying Sixty-One, Gospel of Thomas) Becoming “a Single One,” a spiritually whole person united with God, was the goal of the Thomas tradition of Syrian mysticism. “When you make the two into one… then you will enter the Kingdom.” (Saying Twenty-Two) The spirit, mind and body of the mystic all become united in God; its new way of being is “Singleness.” The word for “Single One” or “Singleness” in the Syriac-Aramaic language is “Ihidaya,” and is used to describe souls that enter into mystical oneness. (“Ihidayutha, A Study of the Life of Singleness in the Syrian Orient,” ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies) According to this book by Sebastian Brock of Oxford, the hermits of the Syrian tradition eventually were called “the Ihidaya.” However, “Ihidaya” isn’t merely a title, office, or a robe that one puts on, but is a matter of spiritual realization, an interior state of being, an individual experience, a mystical level of awareness that is reached by a contemplative soul.

“There is Light within a Person of Light, and it illuminates the entire cosmos.” (Saying Twenty-Four, Gospel of Thomas) Kabir said, “The Light of one soul is equal to that of sixteen suns.” “When the Father, who alone is good, visits the heart, he makes it holy and fills it with Light. And so a person who has such a heart is called blessed, for that person will see God.” (Valentinus of Alexandria) “Faith in Christ is living, noetic Light. The Light of Jesus is noetic [spiritual] Light, and blessed is the soul which is accounted worthy to see it!” (Saint Isaac the Syrian) “The sun of consciousness within my heart keeps on shining and shining, all the time. Neither does it set nor does it rise.” (Maitrey-Upanishad) “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)

“Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.” (Saying One, Gospel of Thomas)

Recommended Reading

“The Gospel of Thomas” – Scholar’s Version Online: http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/Trans.htm

“The Gospel of Thomas – Wisdom of the Twin”, Lynn Bauman, White Cloud Press (See Amazon );

“The Gospel of Thomas – The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus”, Jean-Yves Leloup, Inner Traditions (See Amazon );

“The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated and Explained”, Stevan L. Davies, Skylight Illuminations (See Amazon );

“The Gospel of Jesus – In Search of His Original Teachings”, John Davidson, Science of the Soul Research Centre (See Science of the Soul Website): https://ssl.perfora.net/s112005287.oneandoneshop.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=154cbe2bc2c073f/shopdata/0025_SSRC+Books/product_overview.shopscript

“The Stranger of Galilee – The Sermon on the Mount and the Universal Spiritual Tradition”, Russell Perkins, Sant Bani Ashram (Ordering Information at Bottom of Web Page): http://www.santji.allegre.ca/books/galilee.html

Lost Books of the Bible

By James Bean

“The god of time (illusion) has put a cover over the teachings of Saints and thus concealed them from humanity.” (Swami Ji Maharaj, Agra, India)

“There is nothing hidden that won’t become exposed, and nothing buried that won’t be raised.” (Jesus, Saying 5, Greek Gospel of Thomas, Discovered at an ancient rubbish dump in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt)

Voicing the suspicions of many, a teacher once said, “Transmigration is another word for reincarnation. It is a very Eastern term. You don’t hear it that often in the Bible, because the Bible is not complete, as all of you know. It has “transmigrated” for 2,000 years or some time, so some things may be missing there. The true Bible is locked up somewhere and we are never allowed to see it. But some of the newly-dug books from ancient sites – the Bible in some part has come out, and some of it mentions reincarnation.”

Based on my exploration of the lost books of the Bible, I find those sentiments to be fairly accurate. During the last 200 years many ancient Jewish and Christian documents have been rediscovered in the Middle East. And, I should mention that some Christians have been curious about apocryphal scriptures and have preserved some of these “other books” for 2,000 years. Many other interesting collections of psalms, letters (epistles), gospels and revelations have survived the centuries, even though only a small number of open-minded seekers have valued their spiritual wisdom.

I want to share with you my encounter with the books of the other Bible. I want to impart to you information about books of mystical poetry, discourses on gaining enlightenment and other amazing documents which might be very helpful to you on your spiritual journey. It’s time that this knowledge is revealed so anyone can know how to find the lost or hidden books of the Bible, the ‘other bible!’

PROTESTANTS REMOVED THE APOCRYPHA

A long time ago when I was involved in making a major study of the Bible (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek New Testament), I noticed that Catholic Bibles contain several additional books that aren’t in the Protestant Bible. These books are called “the Apocrypha” in the Protestant tradition. Although the original King James Version of 1611 AD did contain these books, it seems that Protestant Bible societies took them out of the Bible a couple hundred years ago to make smaller, cheaper Bibles available to the masses. Today most Protestants think of these disputed books as “Catholic” but, the truth of the matter is the books of “the Apocrypha” for millennia have also traditionally been included in the old Bibles of the Greek Orthodox, Syrian, Russian, Armenian, Egyptian and in the bibles of the other ancient churches. Translations of most of these books were also found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls. The original Greek translation of the Old Testament made in Alexandria around 200 BC also included these other books – books that have now vanished from the Protestant Bibles in the US!

From my perspective, the two most interesting books of “the Apocrypha” are The Wisdom of Solomon and The Wisdom of Sirach – two very large collections of proverbs and wise sayings very comparable to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

Many people think that the Bible as we know it was put together by Jesus and the apostles during the 1st century AD, but that’s definitely not so! For a longer period of time than the US has been a country – for centuries – the early Church had no such concept as a closed canon of scripture, a collection of books that they viewed as the “final,” “complete,” or “only” revelation concerning spiritual matters. Rather, Christians during that creative period felt free to compose new scriptures, psalms, odes, proverbs, letters that they felt were inspired, and other documents of a spiritual nature. This was during the early years when Christianity had living apostles and saints, and Christianity was a much more supernatural religion; a mystery religion that put a great deal of emphasis on experiencing the “Kingdom of God,” or the spiritual realm.

RIGGING THE CURRICULUM

Christianity, like other religions, underwent the process of “mainstreaming” – settling down or crystallizing – into a standardized, organized faith. The mainstream churches were taught to believe that “the age of the apostles and prophets was now past.” So, since masters and saints (who acted as oracles of the Divine) were no longer being recognized by the masses, some people started to look to past masters and writings for guidance. Christianity entered the stage where the Book became the master, the Book became the guru. The state church of the Emperor Constantine created a fixed list of books which would serve for all time as the rule of faith. They also made lists of books that were to be weeded out of circulation, no longer to be considered as scripture. This process of canonization and censorship, for the most part, happened during the fourth century. It was during this time that most of the “other books” lost their status as scripture, and the other forms of Christianity that used them were branded as “heretics.” Only a small number of books made it into the this Fourth Century Orthodox Bible and sadly, many important mystical books were left out.

EXAMPLES OF DELETED SCRIPTURES

Many years ago when I was reading the New Testament book of Jude I discovered an amazing quote – a quote which opened me up to the ‘other’ books of the Bible. Jude, in verse 14 of this short book preserved in the New Testament, quoted from the book of First Enoch 1:9. He also quoted another apocryphal book called the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs. I was amazed to find out about the existence of these other books and decided that if Jude, during the 1st century, had access to them, then I wanted to check them out myself! So I started to collect apocryphal writings once considered to be scripture long ago.

The term “apocryphal books” has three basic definitions: 1) secret or hidden writings of an esoteric spiritual nature; 2) books not considered inspired by the church but are, nonetheless uplifting/o.k. to read; or 3) fictitious writings or fantastic stories. In existence are hundreds of apocryphal books representing all three categories. I’ve tried to collect all of the available apocryphal writings and have found a number of important books amongst them that contain absolutely essential spiritual wisdom and instruction, the spiritual discourses of saints and masters who once lived in the west.

The Books of Enoch were found in some Ethiopian Bibles and amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls. They describe the heavenly journeys of Enoch the prophet, through the Seven Heavens! Like Hermes Trismegistus of Egypt and the great Medieval mystic Kabir from India, the prophet Enoch described his visions of ascent through the higher planes.

ODES OF SOLOMON – THE WOULD-BE BOOK OF NEW TESTAMENT PSALMS

Out of all the apocryphal writings I’ve collected, I think the Odes of Solomon is the most beautiful. It is the would-be book of New Testament psalms! The Book of the Odes has been described as the first known hymn-book of early Christianity. One scholar said of the Odes, “Here are some of the most beautiful songs of peace and joy that the world possesses.” Bentley Layton in The Gnostic Scriptures says that the Odes were considered to be inspired scripture and were chanted by Christians who lived in Syria and Mesopotamia about 2,000 years ago. A follower of the Unity School of Christianity published an edition of the Odes a few years back and created daily affirmations based on this ancient book. These ecstatic hymns remind me of Rumi or Sufi love poetry in the tradition of “the lover and the Beloved.” They also remind me of the Sikh scriptures of India. Many have adopted the practice of meditating upon the Odes and report being brought to a deeper level of devotion (bhakti); being caught up in a love-affair with God, the Ocean of Love. That’s also been my experience.

FROM THE ODES

There is no hard way where there is a simple heart,

Good thought finds no wounds,

Nor is there any storm in the depths of illuminated thought.

Surrounded on every side by the beauty of the open country,

one is free of doubt.

Below

is like above. (from Ode 34)

Open your ears, and I shall speak to you;

Give me yourself, so that I too may give you myself.” (Ode 9)

He filled me with words of truth

that I may speak the same.

Like the flow of waters truth flows from my mouth,

and my lips reveal its harvest,

and it gives me the gold of knowledge

for the mouth of the Lord is the true Word

and the Door of His Light.

And the highest one gave the Word to His worlds,

which interpret His own beauty,

recite His praise,

confess His thought,

are heralds of His mind,

are instructors of His works.

For the swiftness of the Word is ineffable

and like His statement are Its swiftness and sharpness.

Its course knows no end,

It never fails, it stands.

Its descent and Its way are incomprehensible.

Like His work is Its end

for It is the Light and the dawn of thought,

and through It worlds converse…

The mouth of the highest one spoke to them

and he was made clear by His Word.

The dwelling place of the Word is man

and Its truth is love.” (Ode 12)

The Book of Odes even contains some passages which describe a feminine aspect of the Godhead, like: “I rested on the Spirit of the Lord and She lifted me up to heaven.”

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARY MAGDALENE

A few copies of the Gospel of Mary have been found in Egypt. The preeminence of Mary Magdalene in this Gospel gives one excellent example of the leadership roles of women in early Christianity. Mary is described as an apostle, equal in every way to the twelve apostles and part of the inner circle of Jesus. But more than that, Mary was a kind of spiritual successor to Christ, taking over His role as the spiritual teacher of the other disciples. In every way, the text affirms that her leadership of the other disciples is based upon superior spiritual understanding.

As a recipient of the secret teachings of the resurrected Christ, Mary, in her Gospel teaches the other disciples spiritual knowledge and gives detailed accounts of her visions and travels through the higher planes or heavens accompanied by the Radiant Form of her Master, the resurrected Christ. She relays to the other disciples the spiritual instructions, the words of Christ that she heard during these encounters, which probably took place during times of deep prayer – long periods of meditation.

THE ACTS OF PAUL AND THECLA

Speaking of women apostles and saints in early Christianity: The Acts of Paul and Thecla, is the record of the life and times of Thecla, an initiate of Saint Paul, the apostle. This book is brimming with accounts of many supernatural and miraculous events during the life of Thecla, very much calling to mind the Desert Fathers and Mothers of Egypt. This book describes Thecla as “an apostle of God,” who, sometimes traveled and at other times lived a monastic life in a cave. She was also a spiritual leader and teacher who instructed people “in the oracles of God”. The text records that “many of them abandoned this world, and lead a monastic life with her.” She was so highly esteemed that a temple was erected and dedicated to her! A copy of the acts of Paul and Thecla can be found in, The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden. The best translation of the Gospel of Mary is included in, The Complete Gospels, Robert J. Miller, Polebridge Press.

THE TEACHINGS OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST

After studying the four Gospels of the New Testament I became very curious and puzzled about how each of them concluded. Each of them only devotes a short chapter or two to the teachings and activities of Christ after the resurrection. Logically, wouldn’t you think that if someone rises from the dead, that this would immediately become the central, electrifying event that becomes the main focus, if not the obsession of the writers to record these events with extreme detail??? Wouldn’t you think that the words and deeds of the resurrected Christ would deserve to be the focus of many chapters, if not entire books?? And yet, the New Testament simply (and cryptically) says that “there were many other things that Jesus did,” and that “he continued to appear to the disciples and instruct them about the Kingdom of God.”

Apparently the post-resurrection teachings of Christ were regarded by the early church as secret or advanced, meant only for those followers who were ready for a deeper commitment to contemplation and the spiritual journey. Clement of Alexandria said that there were introductory gospels for new Christians and more advanced teachings for contemplatives or Gnostics.

Though they are more difficult to find, there are other documents that do contain alleged post-resurrection teachings including: The Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Dialogue of the Savior, Apocryphon of James, The Books of Jeu, The Letter of Peter to Philip and The Book of Pistis Sophia (Faith-Wisdom). These are some of the holy books once used by the Syrian and Egyptian Christians of the Middle east, during the early days of the Faith.

THE BOOK OF PISTIS SOPHIA (FAITH-WISDOM)

The largest Gospel ever discovered, Pistis Sophia, was brought to London from Egypt and purchased in 1772 by A. Askew, a London doctor and collector of old Coptic manuscripts. The book was published and one of its most famous readers was the great poet-mystic William Blake, who was greatly influenced by it. This text does document that there was a time when some Christians did believe in the concept of reincarnation and the preexistence of the soul. Like St. Paul’s “Damascus Road” experience recorded in the New Testament, Christ is said to have appeared to His followers as an incredibly brilliant Light and many Rays of Light. Many interesting dialogues between Christ and His initiates are recorded in this document – about eleven years-worth!

Pistis Sophia also contains many beautiful hymns and prayers. Though reincarnation is mentioned as a reality, the goal of salvation was to liberate souls from material captivity, reincarnation, the wheel of fate, and go back to God again. Ignorance was overcome and souls were given the ability to mystically travel from Earth to heaven via the Holy Stream of Light. Jesus said, “Seek, all of you, after the Light, so that the power of your soul that is in you may live. Do not cease seeking day or night until you find the mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you, make you into pure light and lead you into the Kingdom of the Light.” This inner vision of God’s Light took place during periods of solitude: contemplation (meditation).

THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY DISCOVERY IN EGYPT!

A number of ancient Christian, Sethian (Jewish Gnostics), and Hermetic books were discovered near the city of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. This almost 2,000 year old “time capsule” (a large sealed storage jar containing parchments written in the Coptic language buried by monks during the fourth century) now known as the Nag Hammadi Library, has set in motion a spiritual revolution. Buried under the sands of Egypt for centuries, these censored and forgotten scriptures from the early years of Gnostic Christianity may impart to spiritual seekers of today, knowledge of several mystical traditions that once existed in the West. This ancient library contains spiritual discourses from Christian, Gnostic, Jewish, Pythagorean, Hermetic and other spiritual movements. What has been returned to us are the teachings of various mystics: Gnostics who initiated their students into the “Mysteries of the Kingdom of Light,” and wrote down descriptions of their otherworldly journeys into inner space. One of the most talked about books of the Nag Hammadi Library is the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of the wisdom sayings of Jesus on gaining enlightenment/salvation. Thomas is a book in the Jewish tradition of wisdom literature.

SAYINGS OF JESUS ABOUT THE LIGHT AND SOUND

The Gospel of Thomas is a “sayings Gospel,” a collection of the proverbs and parables of Christ about discovering the Kingdom of God. The theme of these sutras of wisdom is that the Supreme Being is Light, our soul is made of Light, and that by contemplating the Living Light we can reenter paradise – find the present tense Kingdom of God. In the Book of Thomas it is recorded that Jesus was a Master who taught His disciples that: “we have come from the Light, from the place where the Light came into being by itself…,” “there is Light within a person of Light, and it shines on the whole world,” and, “if one is whole, one will be filled with Light.” Also, “He who will drink from my mouth will become like Me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to that person.” The image of drinking from the mouth of Christ is describing the process of listening to the Sound, Word or Voice of God which transforms the listeners, transporting them to the higher or hidden realities of God. The quotes are from, The Gospel of Thomas – The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, Marvin Meyer, published by Harper Collins.

For much, much more on Sound, see my collection of passages in a post titled: Meditation and Sound or Auditory Mysticism in Gnostic & Christian Mysticism

LIGHT MYSTICISM OF THE GNOSTIC CONTEMPLATIVES, THEN…AND NOW

One of the central teachings of Gnostic Saints was the experience of the inner Light. In fact, having visions of divine Light is a universal experience. People around the world in all cultures have recorded visions of heaven and encounters with “the Light within”. Many have eloquently described in their sacred texts encounters with Light coming from beyond the darkness. Many saints and mystics, including those who wrote various Nag Hammadi texts, describe God, the Supreme Being as a GOD OF ALL-ENCOMPASSING, PURE, BRILLIANT LIGHT. They also believe that we, as souls (our true spiritual identity) are “sparks of the Light,” that we are, in reality, “Children of the Light.”

The experience of Light mysticism (seeing inner Light) takes place during one’s time of contemplative prayer meditation).

SAYINGS ABOUT LIGHT FROM DIFFERENT SAINTS, SCRIPTURES, AND RELIGIONS

“The rays of primordial Light that illumine purified souls with spiritual knowledge not only fills them with benediction and luminosity; they also, by means of contemplation of the inner essences of created things, lead them up to the Noetic heavens. For this reason Saint Neilos says, ‘The intellect’s proper state is a noetic height, somewhat resembling the sky’s hue, which is filled with the Light of the Holy Trinity during the time of prayer.’” (The Philokalia, Volume IV, writings of Greek Saints, Faber and Faber Books)

“God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness.” And, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (The New Testament)

“Understand what the Great Light is.” (Apocryphon of James)

“I AM the Light that is over all things.” (Gospel of Thomas)

Saint John of the Cross: “The soul is always invested by the Light of God; the Light dwells in it by nature.”

“The Light of God is within everyone.” (George Fox, Quaker mystic)

Koran: “God is Light, and He guides whomever He wants to His Light.”

“Then we went up to the Sixth Heaven. And I gazed up on high and saw a great Light shining down on the Sixth Heaven.” (The Apocalypse of Paul, The Nag Hammadi Library In English)

It says in The Dead Sea Scrolls – A New Translation, Harper Collins: “From the Fount of His Knowledge has my Light shot forth; upon His wonders has my eye gazed.” Also from the Dead Sea Scrolls: “Your Holy Spirit illuminates the dark places of the heart of your servant with Light like the sun.”

Further to the East, the medieval Saint Kabir said: “The light of one soul is equal to that of sixteen suns.”

Guru Nanak said: “The Light of God is in every heart.”

“The Supreme God shines like the sun.” (Hindu Upanishads)

The Mandaean Religion of Iraq has many beautiful hymns and prayers to the Light (God), and visions of heaven that often resemble NDEs (modern day near death accounts): “His Light illuminates and His radiance irradiates all the worlds, and the divine beings who stand before Him and shine in their radiance and in the radiance of the Great Light which rests upon them.”

MORE GOOD BOOKS

“Pistis Sophia” is published by E. J. Brill Books. Enoch, Odes of Solomon and Thecla are found in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden, Meridian, an imprint of Penguin Books. The Books of Thomas, Mary, James, and others are found in The Complete Gospels, Polebridge Press, also in, The Nag Hammadi Library in English, James M. Robinson, Harper Collins.

An excellent anthology of apocryphal books, Gospel of Thomas, Odes of Solomon, Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic Gospels, Jewish mystical texts, Mandaean and Manichaean scriptures that I highly recommend is The Other Bible, Edited by Willis Barnstone, Harper Collins! A good translation of the Catholic Bible is: The New Jerusalem Bible (with the Apocrypha), Doubleday Books.

SUMMARY

As you can see from this brief sampling of apocryphal scriptures, the books that were left out of the fourth century orthodox Bible tended to promote personal spiritual experience of the Kingdom of Heaven via contemplation. The teachings of the early Christian Saints of the Jewish church, Syrian and Egyptian Christianity were never fully understood and embraced in the West, and that’s the reason, in my view, why these other books were left behind. George Bernard Shaw was right: Christianity has never failed – it hasn’t been tried yet!

Yet, in this age we are free to read, to discover the teachings of the Saints, to understand what the great Light is, and experience it for ourselves.

“Hearken to the word; understand knowledge; love life, and no one will persecute you, nor will anyone oppress you, other than you yourselves.” (Jesus, Apocryphon of James)

Sant Mat As It Is — Light and Sound on the Path, January 2012

SantMatRadhasoami — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Sant Mat As It Is — Light and Sound on the Path, January 2012

(Pictured Above: Soami Ji Maharaj)

Below in this first Sant Mat Satsang Society digest/newsletter of 2012:

*Links to Podcasts and Sant Mat Websites;

*The Ascension of the Soul;

*Spirituality Part of Daily Life;

*Meditation Improves With Practice — Never Give Up;

*Do Simran — Do the Meditation;

*About the Practices and the Ahimsa/Ethical Foundation of Sant Mat: Five Precepts, and Eight Limbs of Yoga;

*The Four Essentials of Sant Mat;

*Bhajan of Huzur Maharaj: The Secret of Life: Contained Within This Human Form Are All the Portals and Inner Regions of the Cosmos;

*How Karma Operates (Essays on the Bijak of Kabir, A Genuine Satsang Template of Sant Mat)

and….

*Happy New Year 2012! — Five New Year Messages;

Jai Sat Naam — Jai Guru — Radhasoami!

Social Networking in India: New Sant Mat Page (and Blog) at SpeakingTree:

http://www.SpeakingTree.in/public/6lhpifd3dj81kde6euberrxo7/blog

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts and Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts:

http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/archive.html

Sant Mat Fellowship at Yahoo Groups:

http://groups.Yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship

Sant Mat Library of Online Books:

http://SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/library.html

Daily Spiritual Quotes: Sant Mat at Facebook:

http://www.Facebook.com/SantMatRadhasoami

Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog – Number One Sant Mat Blog on the Web:

http://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com

Daily Spiritual Quotes: Sant Mat at Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SantMat

Daily Spiritual Quotes: Sant Mat at Tumblr:

http://SantMat.Tumblr.com

“Better than a thousand useless words

is one useful word,

hearing which one attains peace.

Better than a thousand useless verses

is one useful verse,

hearing which one attains peace.”

– Buddha, Dhammapada

“This mysterious path is described in the holy books, but it cannot be found simply by the study of sacred texts. It is found by the grace and guidance of an Accomplished Teacher.” (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)

“Those that say that individuals are not capable of changing anything are only looking for excuses” (Vaclav Havel)

“The eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” (Henri Bergson)

Starve the ego,

Feed the soul.

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” (Thich Nhat Hanh)

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.” (Oscar Wilde)

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” (Oscar Wilde)

Souls are God-Particles: “The soul is a particle or wave (ansa) of the Supreme Being just as the ray of the Sun is an emanation of the Sun.”(Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhasoami)

“The pathway to the liberation of the ‘jiva’ (individual soul) already exists within each one of us.” (Baba Devi Sahab)

“God and Love (Bhakti) are one and the same thing”. (Baba Devi Sahab)

“Look within yourself with the inner eye. The whole expanse inside is replete with the refulgence of the Divine Light.” (Sant Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic)

“Remember, I can only show you the door, you must walk through it”. (Morpheus, in, The Matrix)

The Ascension of the Soul, By Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj

The individual Soul has descended from the higher worlds [realms 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 (natural tendencies) of the sense organs draw us upward (by withdrawing consciousness) from the darkness to the realms of Light and Sound. In other words, to go inward from the external sense organs to the depth of the inner Self. 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 nine senses must be collected at the tenth gate (the sixth chakra, the Third Eye Bindu, Center between the eyebrows). Therein lies the path for our return. This is the act of leaving the gates of the sense organs and becoming established in the soul. …. We travel back from the realm of Darkness to the realm of Light, from the Light to divine Sound, and from the realm of Sound to the Soundless State [the Ocean of Love and All-consciousness]. This is turning back. This is what dharma or religion really intends to teach us and it is the essence of dharma. (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Harmony Of All Religions)

The Word, and, OM, by The Moody Blues (‘The Fountain’ film motif continues!) — Youtube: http://youtu.be/IfkUfarjVO8

Swami Harinandan Baba

Spirituality Part of Daily Life, By Swami Harinandan Baba, Living One and Current Acharya (Teacher) of Sant Mat at Maharshi Mehi Ashram — in Guru Kabir/Sant Dharamdas/Sant Dariya Sahib/Sant Tulsi Sahib Lineage — Translation from Hindi into English Provided by Pravesh K. Singh Ji

This faith, loyalty and dedication precisely are the proof of one’s honesty. We should forsake neither three times meditation a day nor satsang (company of noble people). Those who develop the habit of attending satsang daily, feel as if they have committed some crime if they somehow miss satsang, even for a single day. Similar is the state of those who practice meditation regularly. If they don’t sit in meditation as scheduled, they feel restless as if something really important has gone amiss, feel bereft of mental peace. Another thing is that only they who meditate regularly find concentration and genuine pleasure in it. Which is why, our Guru Maharaj (Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj) would say, “Attend satsang daily, and meditate daily as well”. If you could fix and strictly observe a particular routine for meditation, that would be even better. Get up at 3 AM, also known as ‘Brahma Muhurta’. There is no disturbance at this hour. Ambiance, also is perfectly calm. This is the best time for meditation.

Meditation Improves With Practice — Never Give Up, By Swami Harinandan Baba

Initially when we sit in meditation, ‘dhyAn’ [true meditation, all encompassing concentration] does not take place; it is as if we are pretending to meditate. But as we tenaciously persist sincerely with our practice, one day dhyAn does happen in its true sense. Otherwise those are extremely rare to find who can do dhyAn perfectly. DhyAn has been described as “dhyAnam shUnyagatam manah” (Dhyan means the mind getting completely void of any thoughts or agitations). He who can accomplish perfect dhyAn finds that his mind has become empty. Thus Sants exhort us not to sit in the lap of disappointment (if we don’t succeed in meditation) but to persevere whether dhyAn is effected or not.

Do Simran — Do the Meditation, By Swami Harinandan Baba

Perform virtuous acts, you will receive happiness. Also do ‘sumiran’ (remembering God’s name, or meditating on the Divine Sound) regularly. The biggest advantage of ‘sumiran’ is that we do not have to pass through the painful cycle of 8.4 million species again. Those who perform true worship of God, meditate on His name, are rid of the cycle of transmigration. The condition is that meditation be done with utmost regularity. Get initiation from an adept Guru, meditate thrice daily. Whether you see anything (during meditation) or not, never ever discontinue meditation. Initially, it might appear to be a mere show, a ‘useless’ exercise. People often say that they are going to do ‘dhyan’, but dhyan does not happen in the very beginning. Dhyan is in fact the seventh limb of eight-fold Yoga* (as enunciated by Patanjali). We have to start with ‘yam’**, ‘niyam’, ‘Asan’, ‘prANAyAm’, ‘pratyAhAr’; then comes ‘dhyAn’. Dhyan is followed by ‘samAdhi’ (the highest state of meditation) which is the eighth limb of yoga. So dhyan does not happen initially. First we make an attempt to do dhyan, and this process is called ‘dhyAn AbhyAs’ (practice of dhyan [meditation]).

About the Practices and the Ahimsa/Ethical Foundation of Sant Mat

* The Eight Limbs of Yoga — Stairway to Heaven — these steps and stages of ascension are used to varying degrees fairly universally by Eastern spiritual paths:

See: http://yoga.about.com/od/theyogasutras/p/eightlimbs.htm

** Ethical Foundation – The Five Precepts: Two and a half/three hours of meditation per day, and ethcial precepts of Ahisma (non-violence in thought, word, and deed):

THE ETHICAL FOUNDATON OF SANT MAT — AHIMSA VALUES — THE FIVE PRECEPTS (Includes Vegan Version)

Moral requirements for Initiation

1. Abstinence from alcohol and drugs (intoxicants);

2. Ahimsa (Non-Violence in thought, word, and deed) including in the area of diet, as in following a vegan (abstinence from animal products) or vegetarian diet (abstinence from meat, fish, and eggs);

3. Leading a truthful life;

4. Practicing non-stealing: an honest, ethical source of income;

5. Loyalty to ones spouse;

Another Version of the Five Precepts

1) Refrain from taking the life of sentient beings. This precept also requires strict adherence to a vegan (no animal products) or lacto-vegetarian diet (no meat, fish, poultry nor eggs, fertilized or non-fertilized).

2) Refrain from speaking what is not true.

3) Refrain from taking what is not yours.

4) Refrain from sexual misconduct.

5) Refrain from using intoxicants.

* Below is on Daily Meditation, Ethical Precepts, and Eight Limbs of Yoga in the book, Philosophy of Liberation, by Sant Maharshi Mehi:

88. Yama consists of five disciplines: satya (truthfulness), ahimsa (non-violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacarya (continence), and aparigraha (control of greed or non-possessiveness).

Niyama also consists of five practices, which are the following: sauca (internal and external purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (penance), svadhyaya (study of spiritual matters) and lsvara pranidhana (meditation on God).

89. In following Yama and Niyama, one exercises aversion from the five sins, serves the spiritual master, attends satsang, and practices meditation as referred to in section 60.

90. A comfortable asana (a pose of sitting or posture) of keeping the head, neck and trunk straight and steady is a must for meditation. Without the ability to sit in such a steady posture for prolonged periods, meditation cannot be practiced.

91. Meditation should be practiced being alert, without being drowsy, shutting the eyes comfortably and without turning the eyeballs or pressing them in any way.

92. The practice of meditation should be an essential part of the practitioner’s daily routine. The preferred time of meditation is Brahmamuhurta ([Hour of God: Brahma-mu-hurta, or Amrit Veela: Hours of Elixir]: very early in the morning: 3:00/4:00 A.M.). Likewise one should meditate at mid-morning and then again in the evening time. While falling asleep, one should also engage his mind in meditation. Further, it is good to practice Manas japa [Simran] or Manas dhyana [Dhyan] while working.

93. Before learning the Nadanusandhana (meditation on inner Sound) in practicing Manas japa (mantra repetition), Manas dhyana (focusing on the form of the master or deity) and Drshti Yoga ([inner Light meditation in the Third Eye Center or Eye-Focus] focusing on a Point that is practicing one-pointedness), one should meditate with eyes and mouth shut. Upon learning Nadanusandhana (Yoga of Sound [Inner Sound meditation]) from the Master, one should also close the ears.

94……….In the initial stages of dhyana (absolute concentration), pratyahara is practiced. [Note: Pratyahara means to bring back. Bringing back or refocusing one's attention during meditation, bringing the mind distracted by worldly thoughts back to the Focal Point during meditation.] Through the means of pratyahara, the mind is brought back repeatedly to the Focal Point. By this constant practice of pratyahara, one is eventually able to concentrate for a short period on the Focal Point. This state of concentration is called dharana (steadiness of concentration or absorption). When absorption is maintained for longer and longer periods of time, then it is dhyana (absolute concentration). Then in this state of dhyana, one is able to grasp the Streams of spiritual Sounds (described in section 60) and finally achieves samadhi (Unity [Union, Absorption, Oneness in deep meditation]). Drshti Yoga (seeing the inner Light — the Yoga of Vision) will greatly facilitate pratyahara and dharana. ////////

“Whoever sincerely practices the inner meditation comes to experience Light within. First he sees the Light and then he hears Sound also. Sound has a natural, inherent property of attracting the listener towards its Source or Origin. One who is capable of grasping the Sound springing straight from the God Himself gets naturally drawn to Him.” (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)

In Sant Mat [the Teachings of the Saints],

great importance has been attached to Bhakti;

it is the sine qua non of Sant Mat.

If there are all other attributes but no Bhakti,

then there is nothing. And he, who has no virtues

but is endowed with Bhakti, is possessed of all.

He alone is a devotee and he alone is dear to

Bhagwant (Lord). Even if one performs

Surat-Shabd Abhyas,

[spiritual exercises, inner Light & Sound Meditation]

but is devoid of this attribute,

then one is empty and hollow.

– Maharaj Saheb, “Discourses of Maharaj Saheb”

The Four Essentials of Sant Mat are: True Guru (Sat-Guru), True Name (Sat-Naam), True Association (Sat-sang) and True Love (Sat-Anurag).

Bhajan of Huzur Maharaj: The Secret of Life: Contained Within This Human Form Are All the Portals and Inner Regions of the Cosmos

Having heard the plight of the devotee, the All-Merciful Supreme Lord spoke, thus showering torrents of Grace and draining away all pains and sufferings. Human life, with its unknown Secrets, is invaluable. Without knowing its Secrets, how may one realize its value?

Like an ignorant oil miller who did not know the value of the Philosopher’s stone, he keeps on weighing oil with the precious stone that he has in his possession. Similarly, without knowing the Secret, you have not valued the human form. You have remained entangled with flesh and bones and not understood the inner Reality. Just as the All (the Reservoir of Spirituality), brought the creation into existence, in a similar measure, the Spirit-Entity has created the human body.

Saints have explained for your benefit the Secret of the creation. There is the Pinda [physical planes/universes] and Brahmanda [Universal Mind Plane], and beyond is the Region of Saints. Each of these has six subdivisions. These are explained in detail by Saints. Chakras, Kamals and Padams [Centers, Lotuses, Ganglions of various regions] are the names given to these only. This human body has within itself the images of all the regions or levels of creation. Contact with these inner regions is established when the corresponding portals are opened.

As the good fortune awakens, all these Secret Gateways get opened. The Spirit-Entity gets released naturally and rejoins its Original Source. Besides the human form, no other body provides this opportunity, (for the Spirit-Entity). It is after aimless wandering for crores of births that you have got it [sentient being, the human form]. The invaluable seeds of Bhakti [spiritual love and devotion] are sown by the Saint Incarnations. Apart from this ‘soil’ of the human frame, it cannot ‘sprout’ anywhere else. The path of traversing to the Original Abode that the Saints have revealed, cannot be traversed without residing in this human frame.

Therefore, you should be alert and know the great value of this human body. You must realize the immense value of each breath of life that you take.

Now I tell the Secret of the mind that you have been given. This provides a connection between the Spirit and the body.

The burden of the Adi Karma (original propensity to associate with physical matter) that you carry on your head — the currents of that burden would be falling on this mind now and then.

Call mind a gateway or comprehend it as a pipeline, through which the impurity of Adi Karma would flow out and get emptied.

Without associating with the mind, one cannot reside in the body. Without associating these with the Spirit, the Karmas would not get annihilated.

Without the Karmas being annihilated, one cannot reach the Original Abode. Being sold away in the ‘Bazaar of God of Death’, you would have to suffer misery everyday.

Radhasoami Dayal [the Compassionate Lord of the Soul] reveals, opening up the essential Secret to you, surrender to the Holy Feet to annihilate all the ailments of your body and soul. (Prem Bani Radhasoami)

New Year Messages

Greetings for the New Year!

Hope always springs in the human heart. With this in mind, let us hope that the year 2012 will bring greater harmony, understanding, love and acceptance of one another. May the violence and other atrocities prevalent in the world come to an end, so that people can begin to live according to human ideals.

Throughout history there has been great teachings by our Saints and Satgurus to enshrine Divine Love in our hearts, to live a spiritual life, and strive to realize unity with God and with all in the world. Unfortunately, there has been violence throughout history, and the peace that most people would like to have in their lives, has not been experienced.

With the modern means of communication, good and spiritual ideas can be transmitted worldwide very quickly. However, what is most often transmitted throughout the world are the crimes, misdeeds, violence, immorality and quite often useless information. How wonderful it would be if everyone could see the reflection of Divinity in everyone else’s heart. And for those who do not believe in God, they could see the reflection goodness that is inherent in the heart of everyone. We all need to raise our consciousness from the mundane to the Divine, and let go of trivialities, prejudices, hate, and a myriad of negativities that occupy our lives.

May this New Year bring blessings, brotherhood, understanding and acceptance of one another. Let the innate love that is often dormant in our heart be transmitted to all beings.

Satguru Kabir stated, “Love does not grow in a garden or sold in the

marketplace. Whether you are a king or a poor subject, you need to surrender your ego to manifest love.”

BLESSINGS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Dr. J. Das

Kabir Association of Canada (pictured below)

Message from His Holiness Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Ardhnam Saheb

Satyanaam

Dear Kabir Saheb’s blessed,

My heartiest well wishes to all of you for the New Year and Poornima. I wish and pray that it brings happiness and success to all of you in your endeavours. May the new year bring with it strength and devotion to bring you close to Satguru.

As each new day gives you fresh and new opportunities similarly does the beginning of a new year, glance back and see what was achieved and achievable.

May Satguru help you all in achieving your goals and bringing happiness and health in life of your dear ones.

My best wishes to all of you.

Panth Shri 1008 Hajur Ardhanam Saheb

Sadguru Kabir Prakatyadham Lahartara

Varanasi, INDIA 0091-9415304040

“In the enveloping darkness of these days, I say to all to whom my voice may reach: Turn back to God! He is not afar. He is not in temples and churches: They are no longer centres of spiritual forces. He is not in scriptures which men recite but do not make effort to translate the teaching in deeds of daily living. He is not in places of pilgrimage. He is within you!” (Dada J. P. Vaswani, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, from his New Year’s Message)

“The knowledge of the soul and Supreme Soul is the highest level of knowledge for human beings. It uplifts us from earthly suffering, births and deaths to the State of Salvation (i.e. Moksha, Nirvana).” (Swami Ashutosh Baba)

A New Year’s Message by Sant Kirpal Singh

All scriptures handed down the ages are conclusive that ‘God is Spirit’ — moreover ‘God made man in His own image.’ The image cannot be but spirit.

As God is infinite, i.e. not subject to death, then man in his own essence can also be not subject to death — he is conscious entity, a drop of the ocean of all consciousness, and indweller in the body, and on account of that the body is working. God is a living Presence within our being — controlling us in the body. Both soul and God reside in our bodies, but we are identified with the body so much so that we have forgotten our own self. We are under a grand delusion and cannot see the world in its right perspective. Unless we know ourselves by rising above body-consciousness, how can we know God who is residing with us in the body? Truly speaking, manbody is the temple of God. We should therefore be conscious of our Divine Nature, and try to regain our God-head. For that, you turn away completely from outside and outgoing faculties for a while, and close yourself in the closet of your body. The Ringing Radiance of God will become effulgent. God is eternal, all wisdom, all happiness, so you are the same. Mind that you and God are one, you can never be separated. He is ever with you, enlivening you. His life is your life, and you cannot live without Him — so you have nothing to fear.

Man is what he thinks about all day long. One can only live one moment at a time. Emerson said: “There is no moment in eternity more important than this moment.” All real good or evil that may befall him is from himself. If a man lives in a good or bad way in the real present, he will ensure the same in the future. If you have bad thoughts for others, you will harm not them only but yourself as well, as thoughts are very potent. So try to live in the living present, forgetting the past and the future — and fill every moment of your life with simple trust in Him in all loving devotion. He will manifest in you when you choose and turn your face to Him. As loving advice I give you, from this moment let love be your constant companion and trust Him in all things. God is love and love is God, and the way back to God is also through love. Guru Gobind Singh says “Hear ye all, I tell the truth; God is attained through love.” Rest assured that He is With you always, and be of good cheer.

With all best wishes,

Yours affectionately,

Kirpal Singh

1970 Christmas and New Year’s Message

RuhaniSatsangUSA Website

How Karma Operates (Essays on the Bijak of Kabir, A Genuine Satsang Template of Sant Mat), By Dr. Jagessar Das

“If we wish good things to happen, we have to do good things. We cannot have anger, hate, greed, violence, egoism, lust, jealousy and evil intentions and expect good results. Yet all people expect good things to happen to them, even when they display all the bad and negative behaviour. It simply will not happen. So the violence occurring in the world simply feeds itself in a self-perpetuating manner, as does all negative activities. Good and positive activities will also perpetuate themselves. Bad things in the world will cease only when they are replaced with good, and sufficient time is allowed for the negative karmas to work themselves out in peoples’ lives. This may take several lifetimes, but the start has to be made, otherwise there will be no progress in the positive direction. The good must be in thoughts, words and deeds. It all boils down to the fact that good will not produce bad, and bad will not produce good.

“Considering the above, how do we decide what is good and what is bad? Different people can have different interpretations of good and bad. We give ‘value’, whether negative of positive, to everything in life. Whatever brings happiness, comfort, self-esteem, respect, enjoyment and good health we say is good. Whatever brings suffering, stress, depression, anxiety and illness we say is bad. We mold our behaviour according to the ‘value’ we give to things, and according to our behaviour, we reap the fitting results, good or bad.

“How do we change our behaviour? First, we need to assess our actions in thoughts, words and deeds and decide if they are good or bad, and make the changes. This will require diligence and perseverance. Second, we need to seek the company of those who can guide us in the ‘good’ direction. Third, we need to get in touch with the ‘Source’ of our being. That Source is indescribably good, and has given the gift of life. That source is with us and within us.” ////////

“Be not imprisoned in the jail of ‘ I ‘ and ‘me’. He who hath transcended self, he verily hath attained to the Highest. He hath become Perfect. Such a one knows no difference between the Hindu, the Muslim, the Sikh, the Christian, the Jew, the Buddhist or the Zoroastrian, for God is the Lord of all and in all shines the one picture Divine; we are worshippers of the same Lord. The One is within thee, outside thee, in me, in him and in every place. That One alone doeth speak in all.” (Kirpal Singh)

“In different times and different places saints appear and their followers name their religion according to the sage or saint who propounded that tradition. The appearance of differences can be attributed to time, place, and language. This gives rise to various labels for the common views held by all religions. Likewise, due to excessively zealous followers, these seeming differences are often amplified. When all sectarianism and the temporal and linguistic aspects are removed, the basic principles of all the saints are in accord and the voices of the saints are in harmony.” (Maharishi Mehi, “Harmony of All Religions”)

Let them try to imprison Him in temple, mosque and church!

The seeing eye finds the Beloved’s signs in every mote.

Very near your heart are seekers of your vision;

Those who look at the surface are exiled from the Beloved’s Light.

What can I say of the grace he showers on me within?

Darshan, the moment I close my eyes, the Beloved’s Light begins.

“How wondrous is the instrument of love!

Two hearts join and sing as one.

Indefinable, inscrutable its ultimate design:

Life is forever a constant beginning.”

(Sant Darshan Singh)

– Darshan Singh, New Poetry Website: http://LovesLastMadness.com

Sant Mat Satsang Newsletter/Blog: Light and Sound on the Path: More Light

SantMatRadhasoami — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Light and Sound on the Path: More Light! (“Mehr Licht”) -(Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)

These Solstice-related holidays have the theme of the return of Light or miracles associated with the Renewal or Incarnation of the Light in the physical plane. Happy Holidays of Light and May the New Year Bring Much Wisdom.

Jai Guru, Radhasoami,

Jai Sat Naam, In the Light and Sound of the Beloved,

James

Sant Mat Fellowship

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The universe within is infinitely larger than the universe without. And if the universe without is over 40 billion light-years and expanding, and yet is merely a tiny drop in a Divine Ocean, this implies much about the Heavens or Dimensions that are waiting for us within.

Rumi: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”

“On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.” (Bhagavad Gita)

The December 2011 Sant Mat Satsang Podcast at Blog Talk Radio: The Dharamdasi-Tulsi Sahib Connection: The Five Names and Anurag Sagar

To stream, click this link: http://bit.ly/tAWWmi or to download: http://bit.ly/va43hB

Sant Mat History is the focus of this edition of the Sant Mat Podcast. What is the family tree of Sant Mat? Where does this spiritual path come from? Who used the Five Names (Panch Naam) before the time of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras? Who was Tulsi Sahib’s Guru (one of the successors of Sant Dariya Sahib in Bihar)? Who are the People of the Anurag Sagar? Who used the Anurag Sagar (Kabir’s “Ocean of Love”), a sacred text of Sant Mat, before the time of Tulsi Sahib and Radhasoami? I make the case that the lineage of Masters begins with Guru Kabir, goes to Sant Dharam Das (the Dharamdasis), then perhaps to one of Dharam Das’s successors, such as Churamani Naam, to Dariya Sahib’s Guru, to Dariya Sahib of Bihar, then to one of the successors of Dariya (Guna Das or Teka Das), to Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, and branched out from there.

Other Recent Podcasts Available Online: The Mystic Poetry and Teachings of Darshan Singh — Love’s Last Madness, Parts One and Two; Buddhism and Inner Sound Meditation; A History of Mystics, East and West: Charts of the Heavens — Maps of Inner Space; The Mystic Poetry and Teachings of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India: Poetry Musically Accompanied With Sitar, Flute, Tambura and Tablas — GO TO the Podcast Page of Spiritual Awakening Radio:

http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/archive.html

Let them try to imprison Him in temple, mosque and church!

The Seeing Eye finds the Beloved’s signs in every mote.

Very near your heart are seekers of your Vision;

Those who look at the surface are exiled from the Beloved’s Light.

What can I say of the grace He showers on me within?

Darshan, the moment I close my eyes, the Beloved’s Light begins.

(Love’s Last Madness, Darshan Singh, Hohm Press)

I Hear Your Wordless Song

Light that shines from inner skies,

we watch together.

I hear your wordless song,

of bliss and peace.

Skies illumine with you,

hearts burst with joy,

at your wordless song

of Truth.

No longer tied with earthly ropes

of illusion,

Now free …..freed by your song

of silence! (Jennifer Latham)

The more we meditate,

the more we communicate with our inner selves,

the more we contemplate the Light and the Sound,

the more lighthearted and energetic we will be to help others.

If your Eye becomes Single, your whole body shall be full of Light: “The meditator sees a dark void ahead when he closes his eyes. Light is seen when attention is focused in the center of that darkness. Sant Tulsi Sahib articulates this thus: ‘Attention is stilled in the inner sky and remains seated day and night at the portal of the til (Point).’ That is, the spiritual practitioner who focuses his [or her] attention in the inner void enters into the Gate of Bindu or the Tenth Door.” (Swami Achyutanand, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound)

Seeing the Inner Light of God, by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, translated into English by Pravesh K. Singh

Although the “Drishti Yoga” (Yoga of Inner Light or Vision) is more difficult to accomplish than the “Shabda Yoga” (Inner Sound Meditation), it is important to practice first the Yoga of Light to attain Single-pointedness….

Having attained Single-pointedness, the attention should be focused on the inner Sounds. The consciousness will, naturally, be drawn towards the inner Sounds, leaving the bindu (the Radiant Infinitesimal Point) behind. The extreme bliss experienced when hearing the inner Sounds completely absorbs the consciousness….

While meditating on the inner Sound it is possible for the practitioner to also see the Divine Light. Just as while attending a concert, one cannot help but see (the stage, artists etc.), so also the spectacular scenes of the various Non-Conscious Realms also are seen inevitably when engaged in the practice of the Yoga of Sound. Hence, it has been remarked that ‘the Light is within the Sound’. Not surprisingly, the practice of the meditation upon the inner Sound may transport its practitioner into the Domain of Divine Light. The Sound, nonetheless, is of utmost importance, is the essence of the practice, and not grasping the Sound, therefore, would be the greatest loss.”

“If one is whole, one will be filled with Light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness.” (Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas) “If your Eye be Single, your whole body shall be full of Light.” (Gospel of Matthew) “There is Light within a Person of Light, and it illuminates the entire cosmos.” (Yeshua, Gospel of Saint Thomas) “The Light of one soul is equal to that of sixteen suns.”(Anurag Sagar) “Thus as a result of recollecting all these things the impulses of the mind are extended from the sphere of material things towards those impulses which are without limit, that is to say, wonder at the New World, and the faculty of vision which belongs to contemplation [of God]. For when the vision of the mind is mingled with the Light…., all its impulses become infinite. For none of the Visionaries or ‘Gnostics’ is able to distinguish the identity of the mind as a result of the vision of that glorious Light that is seen ….. for all the innermost chambers of the heart are filled by that blessed Light….”. (Joseph the Visionary, Syriac Mystic quoted in, The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, translated from the Aramaic by Sebastian Brock) “Blessed are those who have approached the divine Light, who have entered it and been absorbed by it, mingled in its brightness.” (Saint Symeon)

The Nameless God (Anami): “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, Gospel of Judas)

“It is impossible to confine love to the temporal and transient levels of life, and it is impossible to confine the grandeur and majesty of God to the dimensions of the mind. When I had come to a partial realization of this fact, wise adepts of the inner realms provided me with guidance through the fragrant mystic universe, the spirito-mental region. They showed me their many magnificent planets of light and wonder. It was they who ultimately persuaded me to roam and explore untold realms of gold within myself. I had no fixed starting place in time and space, for I dwelt in a multi-verse that was co-extensive with all the ages. But my inner world was still limited by the boundaries of creation; I needed the guidance of a spiritual adept, within the physical world itself, to give me new birth into the freedom of eternity.” (George Arnsby Jones)

He has awaited me for countless ages. Yet I did not know the bliss that was so near to me, for my love was not yet awake. But now, my Lover has made known to me the meaning of the note that struck my ear: Now, my good fortune is come. Kabir says: “Behold! how great is my good fortune! I have received the unending caress of my Beloved!” – Guru Kabir

The moral code appertaining to Radhaswami Faith is comprised in two sentences:

All acts including spiritual practice which tend to free the spirit from matter and raise it towards its source are good work.

All acts which tend to degrade the spirit be weighing it downwards deeper and deeper into matter are bad work. Again any action done with a view to help the needy from unselfish motives is good work; and the contrary, bad work in this world.

Radhasoami Dayal says that the highest aim and object of every spirit should be to gradually throw off the coating of matter with a view to return to the Supreme Source. This is what He defines as “Good”. To seek worldly objects, to set the heart entirely on worldly affairs, is a retrograde movement; and this is “bad”. The next aim of every human being should be to do good to his fellow creatures by thought, word and deed as far as practicable, and to avoid injuring them except in the interests of society or for the good of many. (Huzur Maharaj, Radhasoami Mat Prakash)

“This world is perishable and so also is all that pertains to it. A wise person is he, who, having closely examined the nature of existence here, has realized that it is all transitory and illusory, and consecrated his human form by devoting himself to Bhajan and Sumiran (listening to inner Sounds and repetition of the Holy Name of the Supreme Being) and who, taking the fullest advantage of the various faculties which the Supreme Father has graciously endowed him with, has translated the invaluable jewel within him, which is Surat (spirit, the soul) or the essence of his being, to its Original Abode.” (Opening Paragraph of Sar Bachan Radhasoami Prose)

“Who am I; what is the reality of my existence; what is the Truth are some of the questions that agitate a spiritual seeker’s mind. None of these questions can be answered fully, since these questions as well as their answers arise at the level of mind, whereas the truth thereof can only be realized, not by the mind but at a level beyond the mind, at the level of the Self. All the scriptures attempt to provide answers to these questions in their own way, but no explanation or description can be fully satisfactory, as the Truth cannot be comprehended completely in words…..”

“To realize the Truth, one has to first realise the Self, because the essence of the Truth is the same as the essence of the Self…..” (R.K.Gupta, The Science and Philosophy of Spirituality)

“The great philosopher Socrates was asked by Crito ‘in what manner should he be buried?’ It is said that Socrates had replied: ‘In any manner you like, but first you must catch me, the real me. You can bury only my body and not the real me.’ Being the irradiation of the all-shining luminous Sat Purush, the soul is also luminous.” (R.K. Gupta, The Science and Philosophy of Spirituality)

Always, always meditate day and night: When you rise, when you lie down, when you breathe in, when you breathe out. Waking or sleeping, relish the taste of meditation — meditation will bring union. Meditation will remove all your burdens; meditation upon Ram’s name [God's name] will become your support. Kabir, says, “He is limitless.” (Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth, Nirmal Das, SUNY Press, NY)