Developing Your Wisdom Circle of Friends--New Spiritual Awakening

Posted on Sep 2nd, 2009 by

Developing Your Wisdom Circle of Friends: Click to hear my newly archived edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio with Justine Toms

http://view.liveindexer.com/ASXGenerator.aspx?mediaSKU=ph9c4V5P7FkRqvIGZ7lFHw%3d%3d

Justine Toms and Michael Toms are the founders of the legendary radio program called New Dimensions, heard on countless community, public and college radio stations, Radio Australia, and other venues. During this program we reminisce about the early days of higher consciousness radio, the early days of New Dimensions, Music from the Hearts of Space, and a program on Radio Canada from Montreal produced by Jacques Languirand called "Par 4 chemins" (The Four Directions). We discuss Justine's new book, Small Pleasures - Finding Grace in a Chaotic World, especially the part of the book about how to develop your own Wisdom Circle -- a circle of friends or community to consult with, a form of spiritual direction.

(NOTE: Clicking the link above activates your windows media player or default player of .ASX files - streaming audio. If it doesn't work but you do have the windows media player, check your file types and make sure .ASX is check-marked. If you're using a Mac or currently don't have a player for real audio, you can download the free Winamp player - that one works really well.)

All for the Love of Wisdom and Radio,

James Bean
Producer and Host
Spiritual Awakening Radio
http://www.HealthyLife.Net
http://www.Twitter.com/WisdomRadio
http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpiritualAwakening

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Tagged with: james bean, spiritual awakening radio, new dimensions, michael toms, justine toms, podcast, archived web radio

Bijak of Guru Kabir: Ramaini 67

Posted on Sep 5th, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

Bijak of Guru Kabir: Ramaini 67

Sant Mat at Gaia Blog:
http://santmat.gaia.com/blog

Kabir Says:

I like that relative who prevents me from going into evil ways, and
guides me into the righteous path;
He is wise who remains on the righteous path; he makes others search,
and never forgets himself;
He is a false guru if he does not show the real path to his disciple.
If the disciple gets the grace of Satguru then he will worship God.
A small amount of success is enough to misguide a man;
Seeing his wealth and family he becomes a victim of pride.

Sakhi: The soul departed and the lamp of life went out; the body became ruined;
Those who died are already dead; let the living save them selves.

Commentary by Dr. Jaggessar Das:

In this ramaini Guru Kabir talks about living on the righteous path. This path is shown to a disciple by a true guru. But there are false gurus, who do not truly guide their disciples on a spiritual path. If the disciple is fortunate to have the grace of a true guru, then he will be shown the way to worship God. True worship of God resides in the heart and it is not an external form, as many people in the world practice. A true guru will, himself, remain on the path, and will encourage others to follow in the same path, so he may also gain freedom from the bondage of the world.

Just as when a person develops pride by obtaining some material wealth, just so a person can develop pride by having a small amount of spiritual wealth. Such a person cannot obtain liberation from this world. There are many false teachers in the world who pride themselves with their learning. But their learning is shallow when it comes to the knowledge of God. They are full of words but not of realization. Such a teacher cannot guide a disciple into a righteous path and help him to obtain liberation.

Guru Kabir emphasizes the point that we should not be concerned about those who have already died. They are gone and cannot be of any help to us who are living. Each one of us has to travel on the path of righteousness and try to obtain liberation for ourselves. We should try to find such a spiritual teacher who has the light of spiritual wisdom shining in him. We should be able to take spiritual light from him and become enlightened ourselves. ////////

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Tagged with: bijak, kabir, kabir panth, the master, satsang, wisdom, ethics, santmat, guru, truth

More on the Yoga of Inner Light, By Swami Achyutanand Ji Maharaj

Posted on Sep 5th, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

More on the Yoga of Inner Light,

By Swami Achyutanand Ji Maharaj, from

the book Vindu - Nada Dhyan

Sant Mat at Gaia Blog:
http://santmat.gaia.com/blog

Continued from earlier recent post by Swami Achyutanand on Bindu Dhyan --- One-Pointedness --- Drshti Yoga: Meditation on the Inner Light(s)

- Translated into English by Pravesh K. Singh

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sant_santati
http://profiles.yahoo.com/praveshksingh)

Vision gets collected or focused by bindu dhyAn. Ascension which is a direct corollary of collection enables the practitioner to pierce the cover of darkness and behold divine radiance. The practitioner arrives, thus, at the centre or the point of origin of the gross realm. He comes to wield total control over the entire gross universe. He acquires supernatural powers called riddhis and siddhis. However, in order to be able to attain to this state of bindu dhyAn, it is highly desirable to practice manas dhyan (meditating on the form of the Guru or the desired deity) first. Having stilled one's sight at the form of the desired deity, bindu dhyAn becomes very easy to perform. Our most adorable Guru Maharaj, Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj, has written:

"prathamahin dhAro Guru ko dhyAn| ho sruti nirmal ho vindu gyAn ||"[First, meditate on the form of Guru. | This will purify the (fettered) soul and brings awareness of bindu.]

How would this awareness of bindu (Absolute Point) come about? The very next line of Guru Maharaj's above verse says it all: by focusing the currents of both the eyes in a point.

"dou nainA bich sanmukh dekh | ek bindu milai drishTi dou rekh ||"
[Gaze in your front in the centre of both the eyes. | The Absolute Point appears where the two lines of sight intersect each other. ||]

Where is this bindu obtained? Gurudev says,

"sukhaman jhalakai til tArA | nirakh surat dashamI dwArA ||"
[(Through bindu dhyAn) access in Sushumna is had where a dazzling point and a star are seen. | So, keep gazing at the Tenth Door. ||]

It is precisely through the bindu dhyAn that one enters into the Sushumna and the Tenth Door comes into sight to its practitioner. He moves into the Realm of Light, where wondrous, spectacular dazzles are visualized following which the practitioner enters into the World of Sounds:

"jyoti maNDal mein acharaj jot | shabd maNDal anahad shabd hot ||"
[ Spectacular lights are seen in the Realm of Light. | (Subsequently) Countless varieties of sounds are heard in the Realm of Sound. ||]

Anahad shabd/ nAd (sounds) are of numerous varieties. Subsequently, with the grace of Guru, the practitioner gets wholly absorbed in the True Sound, `Sat Shabd', or the Quintessential Word. This is the only way to swim across the ocean of existence, or to get liberated.

"Anahad mein dhun sat lau lay | bhavajal taribo yahI upAy ||"
[Amidst anahad (limitless) sounds (the practitioner's) attention gets intently fixed on the True or Quintessential Sound. | This alone is the way to swim across the ocean of transmigration. ||]

This alone is the true way of meditation and is extremely simple and convenient to practice.

"Mehi yukti saral sAnchI | lahai jo Guru sevA rAnchI ||"
[This technique, says Maharshi Mehi, is quite easy and genuine. | And becomes available to him who is wholly dedicated to the service of Guru. ||]

Goswami Tulsidas Ji, while praying to his Guru, has very eloquently expounded the benefits of bindu dhyAn in his epic Ramcharit Manas:

"shri Guru pad nakh manigan jotI | sumirat divya drishTi hiya hotI ||"

That is, through meditation or constant remembrance of Guru the inner divine eyes are opened. This inner Light is so wonderful that by beholding it, the darkness of delusion or attachment is destroyed; fortune begins to smile on him (the beholder):

"dalan moh tam so suprakAsU | baDe bhAg ur Awai jAsU ||"
[That beneficent Light shatters all infatuation. | Extremely blessed is he in whose heart it appears. ||]

Goswami Tulsidas Ji firmly believes that the sacred inner eyes are opened (through meditation), which results in the follies and sorrows of the worldly night being destroyed. Not only this, he (the beholder) sees all the amazing exploits or plays – direct or hidden - of God within himself. The spiritual practitioners who have become adept at this meditation see all the wondrous plays taking place over the earth, forests, etc:

"ugharahin vimal vilochan hI ke | miTahin dosh dukh bhav rajanI ke ||
sUjhahin Ram charit mani mAnik | guput pragaT jahan jo jehi khAnik ||
jathA suanjan Anji drig, sAdhak siddh sujAn |
kautuk dekhahin sail ban, bhUtal bhUri nidhAn ||"
[The pure eyes of the heart are opened up. | All the snags and sorrows of the night (that is, this world) are destroyed. ||
Various jewels in the form of the feats of Ram (God) become visible -- | those that are manifest as well as those that are hidden. ||
Just as an adept and learned practitioner applying the collyrium (lamp black) to his inner eyes |
Sees mesmerising scenarios – mountains, jungles, different earths (planets) – within. ||]

While narrating his own experience Goswami Tulsidas Ji says that he has attained that pristine divine vision by practicing meditation and only then set out to describe the story of the Lord Shri Ram who is capable of ridding us of the fetters of transmigration:

"tehi kar vimal vivek vilochan | baranaun Ram charit bhava mochan ||"
[Having made my eyes of discrimination pure with that very collyrium | I narrate the tale of Ram who can absolve us all of the worldly ties. ||]

Here it becomes obvious that he who does bindu dhyAn acquires supernatural or divine vision, which equips him (the practitioner of bindu dhyAn) with the ability to see far off through space. In the Upanishads also we find similar reference:

"vindau manolayam kritvA dUradarshanamApnuyAt |"
[Absorbing one's mind into the point, far-sightedness is acquired. |]

In the eleventh chapter of the Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, Lord Shri Krishna gave Arjuna, who was under the spell of delusion, a glimpse of his grand, supernatural form. Lord Shri Krishna says,

"na tu mAm shakyase drashTumanenaiv swachakshushA |
divyam dadAmi te chakshuh pashya me yogamaishwaryam ||"
[But you cannot see me with your (gross) eyes. |
I impart you, (therefore), divine eyes (or supernatural vision); behold My divine majesty. ||]

There were innumerable warriors present on the battlefield; however, none else but Arjun alone could see Lord Krishna's grand form. The legendary sage, Ved Vyas Ji, had granted Sanjay, the attendant of the King Dhritarashtra, the same supernatural vision temporarily (so that he could give live coverage of the ongoing battle of Mahabharata to Dhritarashtra). Therefore, Sanjay, too, could get a glimpse of the supernatural form of Lord Krishna, though sitting in a distant palace, and narrate the same to Dhritarashtra.

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Tagged with: maharishi mehi, maharshi mehi ashram, bhagalpur, bihar, sant mat, babas, living masters

Rising Into Higher Spheres: Studies in the Sar Bachan Radhasoami

Posted on Sep 6th, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

Rising Into Higher Spheres: Studies in the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry of Soami Ji Maharaj, Agra

Sant Mat at Gaia Blog:
http://santmat.gaia.com/blog

[NOTE: It is said that the time between Midnight and 3 AM is extremely critical...... The Saints keep wide awake during these hours and they also keep their ardent disciples engaged in positively spiritual pursuits like satsang, service (seva), recitation of the Great Name, contemplation and meditation. Thus Soamiji Maharaj and other True Adepts of the Radhasoami Faith keep their devotees occupied and engaged.]

Says Soami Ji (Sant Radhaswami Sahib):

The result of keeping awake in the company of the guru during the night is extremely rich and useful. If the surat, fully roused, stirring her stumps, concentrates at the Third Eye, the exercise will be immensely beneficial. (What happens now is that long before the surat ascends to the Third Eye, the mind becomes somnolent and drowsy and becomes fast asleep, unconscious and forgetful.) It is only after long spell of attendance at satsang and practice of meditation, contemplation and recitation of the Great Name that the surat acquires the ability to get into the Third Eye with full consciousness and awareness so that she can catch the glimpses of the inner form of the Satguru and may touch His feet and render real service to him and hear his discourses which will make her bloom ad blossom like a rosebud.

Unless and until the structure made out by the manas or mind becomes topsy-turvy it will not release the surat [attention-faculty of the soul] who is keen to ascend to the Third Eye. As at present, the surat is chained in the dungeon of mind and maya [illusion], bound as it were in a tomb. All the forces operating in the mind are flowing outside and downward.

This vital energy of the surat has become absorbed in maya, i.e. swallowed up. Unless the whole citadel becomes topsy-turvy, the surat will not run inward and upward [during meditation]. Till then the surat will not come into her own and will not be cheerful and delighted. Once the surat becomes inward, she will become ecstatic and every fibre and pore of its being will be exhilarated in the temple that has been built inside ["within" the human body], and then rosebuds will bloom and blossom within........

Here, in the world, the mind enjoys sensory pleasure from every object and becomes so wrapped up in it that it refuses to move forward. For spiritual progress, therefore, the surat has to be put in the company of birat and nirat which will detach her from the objects of pleasure (birat) and will goad her forward (nirat) to greater pleasures. The birat and nirat will become active only by the contemplation on the form of the guru [dhyan]. That is why it is said that spiritual movement and progress without the guru is just not possible, for the contemplation on the beauteous form of the guru will not allow it to get absorbed in the pleasure of any spiritual sphere, till she reaches the final goal The sphere where the surat, birat and nirat become rolled into one --- there alone the surat will become fully absorbed. Before that, through the medium of the contemplation on the form of the Satguru. nirat will ever be roused and both mind and matter will have to accept defeat and will not be able to hinder the march of the surat. But the necessary condition is than the seeker much have ardent love for the form of the Satguru.

The Drop (surat) merges into the Ocean (the Supreme Lord) and then gets to know His sweep and extent, and she being the darling of the Lord, rises into the Timeless and Spaceless Spheres.

That supreme sphere is the Satt Desh which is soft and tender, without any contradiction or friction or opposition, entirely free from any confrontation or conflict or heat, while in the region of Kaal, opposition is built in, and in every action which the jiva [soul] performs there is reaction. As it is, the domain of Kaal [realm of mind, duality, and time] is not soft and smooth. But in Satt Desh which is completely pure there is Primordial Energy and nothing else, and it is so radiant, so refulgent and bright and lustrous, that it seems as if suns are galore as lotuses: so to say, that land is soft and smoother and is the plane of sun. That is the Sphere, admittance into which will release the seeker from all the burden and load of sins which inevitably multiply in this realm of Mind and matter. So to say, by attaining to that sphere, the jiva-surat will get out of the burden and load of sins and transgressions, lapses and errors.

The jiva-surat which is situated on this earth and shares its burden, ascends to the bluish zone of the Third Eye, and mounts and gets across the mount of Neptune (the top of that bluish zone and then proceeds higher to the Inaccessible Spheres where the guru sits majestically). Those Spheres of the guru as well as the Great Name revealed by the guru are Unapproachable and Inaccessible, and as it is, who can speak of them?

The surat then ascends towards the Spaceless and Time-less Spheres through the medium of the merudand (coseygis or al ajab [core of the spirit, whose central seat is the sixth ganglion]) and breaks into the Und (the lower fringes of Brahmand: Shiva lok, Brahma lok and Vishnu lok) and perceived what is beyond it. Of course. I was a fool, a stupid fellow devoid of all understanding of the core of Reality; but for the grace and compassion of Radhasoami, I would have never got to know anything about it.

(Quintessential Discourse Radhasoami, Volume II, M.G. Gupta translation, M.G. Publishers, Agra, India)

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Tagged with: radha soami, radhaswami, shiv dayal singh, soami ji, sant radhasoami sahib, sant mat, surat shabd yoga, sar bachan

September Inner Light and Sound Satsang Podcast Available

Posted on Sep 13th, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

September Inner Light and Sound Satsang Podcast Available For Listening or Downloading

Click on the Link to go to BlogTalkRadio/SantMatFellowship:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/santmatfellowship/2009/09/12/september-inner-light-and-sound-satsang-podcast

Am very satisfied that this month's Blog Talk Radio podcast turned out really well, communicating some important principles from the Masters about living a spiritual life, successful meditation practice, and union with God.

Guru Kabir says, "The imaginations of the mind are just as innumerable as the innumerable waves of an ocean. If somehow this mind can become quiet by itself, attainment of the true Knowledge-like Diamond will become easily possible (everyone in this world is sad or restless because of lack of Knowledge. This true Knowledge can be attained only when the mind becomes quiet)." One of the effects of adhering to the ahimsa ethics of the Masters is a reduction in tension, in agitation of mind.

The program begins with sixty seconds from an old recording of a Bhajan (chant) of Baba Somanath (disciple of Huzur Baba Sawan Singh), which is quite haunting and otherworldly. Then there is a reading from an ancient Hermetic-Gnostic text from Egypt titled, The Greatest Human Evil is Unacquaintance With God, followed by satsang readings from: The Bijak of Guru Kabir Volume Two (The Shabdas); The Bijak of Guru Kabir Volume One (The Ramainis); The Saakhi Granth of Guru Kabir; Songs of Kabir, by Rabindranath Tagore.

The Bijak and Saakhi Granth of Kabir have always been considered primary texts of Sant Mat, and are genuine "Satsang Templates" providing a holistic approach to life on earth following the Path of the Masters.

Other readings are from: The Philosophy of Liberation (Moksha Darshan) by Maharsihi Mehi Paramahansa Ji Maharaj; a Shabd in contemporary English from a recent translation of the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry Volume Two, by Swami Ji Maharaj; a list of essential Sant Mat principals and techniques for a successful spiritual journey, a Bhajan (chant, hymn from India) by Guru Arjan Dev, and a meditative Bhajan of Sant Surdas titled, "Hai Govind." Additional unlicensed music comes courtesy of my musician friend Paul Alexandre John, who performs Indian classical ragas playing the Bansuri flute, giving me permission to make use of his music on the air.

Peace, Jai Guru,
James
James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

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Tagged with: podcasts, blog talk radio, satsang, sant mat, james bean, spiritual awakening radio, radhasoami, surat shabd yoga, inner light and sound meditation, quan yin

An Introduction to Kabir, the "Rumi" of India -- Click To Listen

Posted on Sep 13th, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

An Introduction to Kabir, the "Rumi" of India

Click the link to hear newly archived edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio:

http://view.liveindexer.com/ASXGenerator.aspx?mediaSKU=J8IDj39SFbhlLeR7WjTdjw%3d%3d

This program features readings from the following books:

The Anurag Sagar, Kabir's Ocean of Love;
The Bijak of Guru Kabir, a satsang template and great manual about living a spiritual life;
The Kabir Parachai, which contains the story of Dharam Das meeting Kabir for the first time -- the story of the burning log filled with ants; and,
Songs of Kabir, translated by Rabindranath Tagore.

(NOTE: Clicking the link above activates your windows media player or default player of .ASX files - streaming audio. If it doesn't work but you do have the windows media player, check your file types and make sure .ASX is check-marked. If you're using a Mac or currently don't have a player for real audio, you can download the free Winamp player - that one works really well.)

All for the Love of Wisdom and Radio,

James Bean
Producer and Host
Spiritual Awakening Radio
http://www.HealthyLife.Net
http://www.Twitter.com/ArchivedShows
http://www.Twitter.com/WisdomRadio
http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

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Tagged with: kabir, guru kabir, radio satsang, bijak, saakhi granth, rumi, poetry, india, anurag sagar, rabindranath tagore

Archived Edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio Online: Satsang

Posted on Sep 21st, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

Archived Edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio Online: Heavenly Music, and the Need to be Part of a Spiritual Community -- Readings from Guru Nanak's Conversation with the Yogis (Book of Sidh Gosht)

Click To Listen:

http://view.liveindexer.com/ASXGenerator.aspx?mediaSKU=uJRE0%2bmsuzTCW9YAivLWhQ%3d%3d

Clicking the link above activates your windows media player or default player of .ASX files - streaming audio. If it doesn't work but you do have the windows media player, check your file types and make sure .ASX is check-marked.

Satsang is a word used in India for spiritual gatherings. According to the teachings of Guru Nanak however, a satsang is not just a meeting, but a fellowship of those that seek to associate with the Eternal Truth or God. Satsang is a very special time when all the distractions and illusions of "maya's place" are to be put aside. It is an auspicious occasion when the Secrets, Mysteries, the Hidden Gnosis or Esoteric Teachings are freely shared out in the open........The New Testament passage: "Where two or three are gathered in My Name, I Am in their midst", is a wonderful description of the group-energy that can be present when people come together to sing, meditate, and focus on the Eternal Truths of the spiritual journey as revealed by the great Masters of the past and the living present.

All for the Love of Wisdom and Radio,

James Bean
Producer and Host
Spiritual Awakening Radio
http://www.Twitter.com/ArchivedShows
http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

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Tagged with: james bean, spiritual awakening radio, guru nanak, satsang, archived show, spirituality, community, fellowship, spiritual gathering

Seeking God Realization Within Our Own Human Body

Posted on Sep 24th, 2009 by

SantMat_Mystic_(James)

Seeking God Realization Within Our Own Human Body

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

It must not be forgotten that the human body is transient and fleeting. It is ours only for a very limited period of time. This body is similar to a hollow bubble that will burst after a short length of time. This body, for which we do so much, is as brittle as glass and may at any moment be shattered to pieces. Once you have seen this light in everything around you, our soul only finds contentment and inner peace seeking the Lord's spiritual union. Throughout our life here on earth, we often experience feelings of loneliness and pain. According to the mystics, God has placed these feelings in our hearts in order to pull us back to Him. If we had not felt this longing, we would not have turned from outside involvement in worldly activities to inside involvement in religious pursuits. The feeling of separation will persist as long as the soul does not return to its original home and meet the Lord.

It is now evident the necessity to seek God realization but realize it is within our own human body. First, unless we have firm faith that God resides within, we cannot begin the search to find Him. A man must have some kind of faith before he undertakes any journey. For example, if a jar of gold coins is said to be hidden underground, then one must first have faith that the jar is actually there. Only then can one begin the labor required to reach this glorious prize. Likewise, a disciple starts his journey on the basis of faith alone, and this faith is proven through the progress the devotee makes. One question is if this is possible to do so and how. We need to seek out a Perfect Master that has actually been through the process and has achieved God realization. It is evident that a Perfect Master comes into this world to show us the path which leads us back to our true Home. Masters do not come into this world by means of their own will; they are always appointed by the Lord.

The Importance of a Perfect Living Master
by Dr. Narinder Ravi Goyal (New Book)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1615463844/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

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Tagged with: perfect masters, sant mat, radhasoami, God realization, within you, surat shabd yoga, satgurus, life, salvation