The Radhasoami groups

  

   Modern Sikhism relies on Guru Nanak from the middle ages. The most important book of Sikhism is the "ADI GRANTH". The Adi Granth says, “Omkar Ved nirmaye”. ("Omkar revealed Vedas , i.e. Omkar reveales the highest knowledge). Guru Nanaks  statement of "Ek Onm Kar" (there is only one god) is similar. But the here mentioned god is  the creator god (Ishvara) with his Shabda. Even Yogananda speaks in his first teaching-letter about Guru Nanak.

For Guru Nanak  'God himself' was the Guru: TAT NIRAN~JAN JOT(I) SABAAYEE SOHN~ BHED NAA KOYE JEEO APARAN~PAR PAARBRAHAM PARMESAR NAANAK GUR MILIAA SOYE JEEO.

A citation of Guru Nanak : "The drunkenness through NAAM, o Nanak, never ends ", and in the Jap Ji 19: "The whole creation came only by NAAM, and there is nothing which wouldn't start out of him ."  So Naam is a mantra, which represents the Shabda. In Hinduism NAAM is also a Bija-Mantram of Swami Narayana.

But it must be said that this is not the highest divine but an aspect of the Trimurti - divine.

There is only Oankar, and it is called the truth, It exists in all creation, and it has no fear, It does not hate, and it is timeless, universal and self-existent ! You will come to know it through the grace of the Guru. Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 1.

Therefore the highest "Guru" or the 'Supreme Being' is unborn and invisible but certainly immanent in all objects.

Saint Kabir said "Kabir DHARA agam ki, satguru di lakhay. Tahi ulat sumrin kar, SWAMI sang milay." He said that the stream(dha-ra) of Agama-Loka has to be transformed (to Shabda) before it can unite with the Swami. He speaks here about a still higher plane as mentioned in Kashmir Shaivism and in later Radhasoami (Kabir Panth , Bijak).

 Radhasoami and Sant Mat
 

The hinduistic reformation movement "Radhasoami Satsang" (Unification with the master of the soul) was founded 1861 by Shiv Dayal Singh. Shiv Dayal Singh was very much influenced by Sikh-Guru Nanak. He taught about Sat-Nam and Anami.

After Rai Saligram had become his disciple, the teaching changed to the Radhasomai teachings and  the belief was renaimed to "Sant Mat" (Teaching of the Holy).

The teachings about the "rulers of the inner planes" are very different from teachings of Sikhism and the ADI GRANT, which is now the "guru" in Sikhism ! The worldview of Radhasoami goes up to very much higher planes of creation. Typical are guruship and denying of the caste-system.

 Branches of Radhasoami and Sant Mat

" Only Radhasoami Satsang Beas (and some separistics from them who do not deserve mentioning of their names) give this long mantram, mentioned in your web page. Others, including us, give a single "Naam", which was revealed by the Supreme Being Himself, when he visited this world i.e. Radhaswami!" (Prof. Malik from Huzur Info)

...and of course... our Anami-path is the best path: "There is no salvation except by this meditation method."(Huzur-info ... and what is about the role of the gurus)

In the book "Sarbhajan"(from Radhasoami Beas) stands in the last directions of Soamiji before He left the body : "My path is the path of Satnaam Anami, whereas Rhadasoami is the path of (Raj) Saligram. Let him go on with that."  The mission of Raj Saligram (Hazur Maharaj) then flew into the branch of Radhasoami Agra.

Radhasoami faithTherefore we find those scools which give a single "Naam"(Anami) like Radhasoami faith and other scools, who give the long "Jod niran......sat nam"(Agra, Beas) .

Because of the position of the single gurus the movement had soon split into serveral groups (Prof. Lane was a long time member of the movement):

* 'Supreme Master' Miss Ching Hai teaches the Quan-Yin-Method, which is practically the same as Surat Shabda ala Sant Mat(same long Mantra - because of contacts with this movement), but she does not officially belong to Sant Mat but more to White Brothership.

  • Doubtful Sikh Guru Maharaj Ji,  who was at first wanted by his father Hans Yog Prakash (Hans Rawat) but was soon dethroned and married. He needs luxury. and also spreads four exercises..

The Sant Mat teachings

The soul must pass several lower spheres with their rulers who want to capture the soul into their kingdoms, before it reaches Radhasoami, the highest Lord (-> but in reality it can only reach the feet of the highest planetarian Lord - the planetary ONE).

Only after the initiation of a living master, who gives a long mantram "Jod- nir...-.-.so ham - sat-nam", and by a meditation on the "inner SOUND and LIGHT", closing the ears with the thumbs and concentrating on "inner light and sound", the highest goal, the UNITY with RADHOSOAMI, can be finally be reached (sometimes Naam is mentioned).

Devotion to the guru and long meditations and introspection(diary) are essential parts of this lifestyle.

Several  sounds can be heared :

  1.  In Astral plane (the first plane) the sound : Ringing of a bell.
  2.  In The Causal plane the sound (the second plane) : Beating the big drums.
  3. In the Daswan dwar plane the sound (the third plane) : Lyre,lute, the sound of mandall, harp
  4.  In the Banwar ghupa (the fourth plane) : The Flute
  5.  In the Sat Lok or Sach Khand (5th plane) the sound : The Bagpipe.

Depending on the teaching of the guru Radhasoami knows up to 18 planes of creation, similar to the worlds of Eckankar (sugmad), whose first guru was 1955 initiated by Kirpal Singh.

Radhasoami sees the Logos of our planet and of the other planets and stars (like the ONE from Sirius) only on the higher mental planes. (Huzur-Info).

Therefore Radhasoami does official  not know any cosmic divine hierarchies neither cosmic initiations.
It knows ONLY ONE GOD RADHASOAMI, who is the (alleged) personification of love, mercy and grace. The satgurus are HIS inkarnations. Therefore Radhasomai declines avatars (:" On their heads grows Watergrass", Kabir - did he not know the universal path ...?) and does not know the cosmic avatars ala A. A. Bailey.

Hinduism knows instead unifications or pairs like "Radha with Krishna" and "Rama with Sita" and  "Jiva with Paramatma" as steps to enlightenment.

==  Huzur Swamiji's teachings  ==

The given names of the up to 18 planes and the worldview differ slightly depending upon the gurus.

* 1. Radha Swami - as highest lord (He is comparable to the planetary logos of Alice Bailey)

== Akaal(Anami) ==
* 2. Agam(intermediate region] ( --> Paramshiva )
* 3. Alakh(intermediate region)  (--> Primordial Shiva )
* 4. 1st Heavenly region - Sat Nam or Sat Lok or Sach-Khand; Divine World
== Maha-Kaal(Paar-Brahm) ==
* 5. 2nd Heavenly region - Banwar Gupha (an intermediate region - evtl. Ishvara)
* 6. 3rd Heavenly region - Mahasunna - Great void
* 7. 4th Heavenly region - Daswan Dwar - liberated souls void
== Kaal ==
* 8. - 5th Heavenly region - Trikuti - region of Gods Heaven
* 9. - 6th Heavenly region - Sahasdal Kamal, Crown chakra; Lower Heaven
* 10. 1st ganglion Ajna - abode of soul Lowest Heaven
* 11. 2nd ganglion Vishuddha - prana - dreaming
* 12. 3rd ganglion Anahata - Shiva - subtle body
* 13. 4th ganglion Manipura - Vishnu - gross prana
* 14. 5th ganglion Swadishthana - Brahma - physical
* 15. 6th ganglion Muladhara - Ganesha

Swami Ji Maharaj: "The Supreme Being Sat Purush Radhaswami is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. His attributes are Grace, Mercy, Love, Light, Bliss and Peace."

(My comment: ...he must have seen HIS feet from a distance...and have no direct contact - or he is lying ! - which attracts disciples. The above attributes like Mercy are lower aspects of the ishvara and not qualities of the higher SAT, which follows a higher divine plan.)

* Radhasoami mat prakash, or, A brief view of Radhasoami faith : being a message of eternal peace and joy to all nations by Huzur Maharaj, 1829-1898

== The rulers of the planes  and the five names ==

* A Diagramof the chakras and the worlds

The full SHABDA is first heared at higher stages of the path and disappers finally (see -> Blavatsky : The vioce of silence). So the existence of the "rulers of the planes" (in this form) must be doubted, alike the meaning of the five names : "Jod-nir..-...-...- so ham - sat nam".

* Literature : Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith, Mark Juergensmeyer (Panch Nam) ,  Mark Juergensmeyer, 1995, ISBN-10 0691010927 ISBN-13 978-0691010922

  • JOD (Jot) is the first flame of creation in the kabbalah, "Jot" means "Divine or Highest"
  • NIRANJAN (Void of passion or emotion, free of falsehood) is a force still above the creation of brahm(Sahans-dal-kanwal)
  • ONKAR (=Pranava) and RARANKAR have the ending KAR - like some vedic gods as OMKAR
  • "SO-HAM" is in hinduism known as the white atmic swan - the individual spiritual soul
  • In Sikhism 'Sat Nam' means : 'Truth is his Name'. Yogi Bhajan spreaded "Sat Nam" as a breathing technique of the "highest kundalini".

It seems that this long mantram does not call some strange rulers of the planes but the "highest  Niranjan in the hinduist Tapo-loka(Trimurti)", whom Satpurusha had pushed down into his own world into the buddhic plane and beyond.

The Radhasoami, the master of the soul and Radha, is so similar to the hinduistic pair Radha-Krishna, so that Radha would have the meaning of the spiritual soul and not of the very first active divine force as in Radhasoami, awakenig the false impression that the disciple gets into the Parabrahman and higher.

The rulers of these planes would have much to do watching the billions of souls and universes (even if it were only a planetary ruler). But there are also black masters or Rudra-masters of the trimurti-planes !

== KAL IS WATCHING YOU  ==

Like other spiritual teachings, Rahasoami knows a big personification of all evil forces, the KAL Niranjan, the lord of time (Kala; Niranjan is also a name of Shiva), who had allegedly fallen off because he had his own plans and wanted to have his own ''loka''. Satpurush became angry about that and created the lower planes out of him (......where erverything is in reality  foreordained..... and so also the fall of Niranjan  - but why should Niranjan want his own loka - as he was alone with Radhasoami ? - ....and, as Guru Huzur admitted : Radhasoami works hiddenly in all things).

This KAL is similar to the fallen Lucifer Satanas of the doubtful  Jacob Lorber, who was thrown down into the lower worlds after a (extraordanary) hard and harassing examination by the lord for ''true godlove''. Is is more probable that this fall was planned to create the lower worlds out of him - which repeats cyclically after eons. Otherwise only the Jainism knows a  cosmic Lokapurusha .

The lower worlds are the result of the various forces of Maya under the influence of the atmic light and then indirect of KALA, the time, ie. the four lower planes of hinduism, with Rudra and Kali as the personification of the evil on the buddhic or causal plane. (Kal is not Brahman but saguna - brahman with Avidya and Maya).

== Six elements form the framework of the faith ==

  • A living guru (someone as locus of trust and truth),
  • Bhajan (remembering Sat Nam, other practices believed to be transformative),
  • Satsang (fellowship, community),
  • Seva (serve others without expecting anything in return),
  • Kendra (community organization, shrine), and
  • Bhandara (large community gathering)

Essential in the teachings of Radhasoami and Surat shabd yoga is the necessity of a living human master, who is competent to initiate disciples into the practice and technique of listening to the inner sound (bhajan), contemplating the inner light (dhyan) and the mystic death (dying while living). [*NOTE: Charan Singh, Die To Live (Beas: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1979)].

The problem of bhajan are the sounds which can be heared - if at all.

The "soultravel" through the planes as described in the book of Mr. Mark Juergensmeyer is more the symbolic travel of a very developed person, who stands in the power of the sounds and of the light, and therefore he has experiences on all planes .
But the normal disciple heares not much, and sounds of all sorts are on all lower planes. Therefore many other Nada-scools use a leading Bija-Mantram like OM (O-Am), AUM and NAAM together with the Bhajan, and i think personally, that Bhajan as taught from Beas without a mantram is a waste of time and can mislead in meditation.

But i do not want to say that there were no Satgurus in the past (perhaps this is the movement with the majority of the known highest satgurus), who incarnated from their high position and helped each other to reach the lost goal again. But for the common disciple these exercises are a bit weak, and from my sight only the hope for a better incarnation within this tradition maybe a real reason to stay here. These gurus cannot give more protection (gurumukh) than other masters, because they stand under the control of the same highest divine, which seldom allows to use the higest power (or to change the karma).

== Limitations of the soul ==

The human soul cannot simply unite with the very highest lord, because such energies are much too high. The soul cannot pass the AGAMA-plane (Agama means : no access). The "future master" must first develop a higher body than the soul to enter these planes.  Such divine developement is (if at all) first for the few masters of step 20 of the Universal Path.

The problem in Sant Mat is that the disciple does not understand, that the Shabda develops and transforms all bodies (transfiguration) as a means of development, and that he does not just have to rise up to the highest planes. His hope is that the master does the rest, comparable to Eckankars mahanta. Master Kirpal Singh admitted that the VAK of an Initiation through a true master is necessary for spiritual progress.

== Master Kirpal singh ==

Master Kirpal Singh was part of this Radhasoami movement, as he was personally initiated by Sawan Singh (1858-1948), the former gaddi nasheen of Radha Soami Satsang Beas at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in the Punjab. [NOTE: It should be pointed out that Kirpal Singh discarded the use of the term "Radhasoami" as a description of his teachings. : Kirpal Singh, The Way of the Saints (Tilton, N. H.: Sant Bani Press, 1976).]

In our time Master Kirpal Singh went from BEAS to New Delhi and made the Surat Shabda Yoga very popular for a time.
He wrote the excellent book "NAAM - the word" and some other books. In this book he praises the NAAM-SHABDA as the best path, similar to a statement in hinduism, which says that Shabda is the best method for the Kali-Yuga.

(* Notice : If the disciple is not initiated with the VAK of a real master like Kirpal (Gurmukh) all this can become a big waste of time especially outside of india ! Therefore in some groups guru-meditation is a third practice.)

This book does not mention any "rulers of the planes". It was written to prove that Shabda leads to the highest goal, but it is mostly a big collection of citates of saints of all religions who speak about the inner sounds. It is also not a proof, that the other (fivefolded) mantra of Sant Mat leads to this highest force or to this goal.

Of course Enlightenment does not depend upon errors in a beleife but on selfrealisation, and therefore many incarnated masters soon received their past enlightenment with simple methods or with the help of their personal master.

* Kirpal Singh admits in his book "Naam" that "only few chosen disciples reach moksha".

As mentioned Kirpal speaks about NAAM  like Sikh - Guru nanak, but he also taught the fivefolded long mantram !

The modern techniques of Sant Mat use a fivefolded mantram "Jod......soham-satnam" and a meditation on "sound" and "light".(Hindrances of meditation by Param Purush Puran Dhani Huzur Maharaj )

The teaching says that the student passes ALL planes until he reaches the true original Nama or Para-Shabda.

But guru Kirpal had also doubtful disciples like guru Thakar Singh (and a quarrelsome son Darshan Singh as successor). Despite from this it makes a doubtful impression to tell the disciples that the "Golden Age" has started, as Darshan Singh stated.

"I am a sacrifice to those who serve the Gurmukh with love; He is free himself, he frees his family, and the whole world."   Here he is not speaking of the Guru but the Gurmukh; and those who serve the Gurmukh sincerely with love not only will receive salvation for themselves, but also for their relatives and friends, for the Gurmukh comes to give salvation to the whole world."   --  "Gurmukh frees millions with a spark of Naam." ("oh dear...")

His resources are everlasting, but those people who have gained a little and start distributing it everywhere only end up with regrets. They are doomed themselves and so are those who follow them."  Kirpal Singh (From : Dr. Harbhajan Singh, Forever with Master, Vol. II)

It is not sure who is the official Sant-Mat-Master at the moment. So You must use your reason to decide what it is all about ! Many years ago i found an email in which "Michael Martin" said that the Guru in Beas had nominated him as the guru for the west, but how can someone be a guru who is not a master of step 20 of the Universal Path, and guru Gurinder in Beas is probably not a master either!

== Literature ==

* Very generally said it is of course still much better to practice lifelong a weak meditation technique or a comparable exercise and so avoid that the soul sinks after death into the darkness, about which the old greek mystic said: "Better to live as a beggar on earth than as a king in the realm of the shadows".

 


 

 

 

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