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Surat Shabd Yoga or Surat Shabda Yoga is a form of spiritual practice that is followed in the Sant Mat and many other spiritual traditions. As a Sanskrit term, surat means "soul," shabda means "word" and yoga means "union." However, according to K. Singh, "Surat Shabda Yoga" means "Union of the Soul with the Essence of the Absolute Supreme Being." Other expressions for Surat Shabda Yoga include Sehaj Yoga (an easy path leading to Sehaj or equipoise) The Path of Light and Sound, The Path of the Saints, The Journey of Soul, and The Yoga of the Sound Current. Spirituality is, in a broad sense, a concern with matters of the spirit, but it is also a wide term with many available readings. ... Sant Mat (or Path of the Masters) is an esoteric religious movement active in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and especially India. ... The Sanskrit language (Skt. ... The soul according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. ... Hatha Yoga posture performed at a Hindu temple. ...

Basic principles

The purpose of Surat Shabda Yoga is to realize one’s True Self (Self-Realization), True Essence (Spirit-Realization) and True Divinity (God-Realization) while living in the human physical body. This Journey of Soul involves reuniting in stages with the Essence of the Absolute Supreme Being, the Shabd. Attaining Self-Realization and above also results in jivan moksha/mukti (liberation/release from the cycle of karma and reincarnation while in the physical body – spiritual freedom here and now). Initiation by an Outer Living Satguru (Sat - true, Guru - teacher) is required and involves reactivating the Shabd and stationing the Inner Shabda Master (the Radiant Form of the Master) at the third eye (tisra til) chakra. The spiritual exercises (sadhanas) include simran (repetition, particularly silent repetition of a mantra given at initiation), dhyan (concentration, viewing, or contemplation, particularly on the Inner Master), and bhajan (listening to the inner sounds of the Shabda or the Shabda Master). Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ... Human anatomy or anthropotomy is a special field within anatomy. ... In Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva is the immortal essence of a living being, subject to maya. ... Moksha (Sanskrit: विमोक्ष, liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: विमुक्ति, release) refers, in general, to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. ... Basic definition: Karma is a concept of eastern religions about the entire cycle of cause and effect. ... Past Lives redirects here. ... Initiation rites are formalized, ceremonial rites of passage as an individual moves from stage to stage within a social career or formally acquires such status. ... Satguru means true guru. ... A guru (गुरू Sanskrit) is a teacher in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. ... The minds eye (or third eye) is a phrase used to refer to ones ability to see things (such as visions) with the mind. ... In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga and in some related eastern cultures, as well as in some segments of the New Age movement, a chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body. ... Sadhana means spiritual exercise in Hinduism. ... The term Simran refers to the vocal repetition or recital of the God Names - Naam or of the Holy Text from the Two Granths of the Sikhs - the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Dasam Granth. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... A bhajan or kirtan is a Hindu devotional song, often but not necessarily of ancient origin. ...

Surat Shabd Yoga cosmology depicts the whole of creation (the macrocosm) as being emanated and arranged in a spiritually differentiated hierarchy, often referred to as eggs, regions, or planes. Typically, eight spiritual levels are described above the physical plane, although names and subdivisions within these levels will vary to some extent by mission and Master. In this arrangement, Self-Realization is attainted in the third heaven level, Daswan Dwar, Spirit-Realization is attained in the fourth heaven level, Bhanwar Gupha, and God-Realization is attained in the fifth heaven level, Sach Kand (Sat Lok). (One version of the creation from a Surat Shabda Yoga perspective is depicted at the Sant Ajaib Singh Ji Memorial Site in “The Grand Scheme of All Creation”.) All planes below the purely spiritual regions are subject to cycles of creation and dissolution (pralya) or grand dissolution (maha pralya). Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) world + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the universe in its totality and by extension mans place in it. ... Macrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of reality. ... Emanationism is a component in the cosmology of certain religious or philosophical systems that argue a Supreme Being did not directly create the physical universe, but instead emanated lower spiritual beings who created the world. ... A plane of existence (or plane or dimension) is in esoteric cosmology and metaphysics, a theoretical region of space and/or consciousness beyond the known universe, or the region containing the universe itself. ... The term origin belief refers to stories and explanations which describe the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, and the universe (cosmogony). ...

The constitution of the initiate (the microcosm) is an exact replica of the macrocosm. Consequently, the microcosm consists of a number of bodies, each one suited to interact with its corresponding plane or region in the macrocosm. These bodies developed over the yugas through involution (emanating from higher planes to lower planes) and evolution (returning from lower planes to higher planes), including by karma and reincarnation in various states of consciousness. The Path of Light and Sound involves the initiate traveling the microcosm dharmicly in consciousness (soul) with the guidance and protection of the Outer Living Master in the physical world and the Inner Shabd Master in the higher worlds until the regions of pure spirituality are reached and God-Realization is attained. Macrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of reality. ... The Subtle body is a non-physical energy or psycho-spiritual body or bodies that all beings have, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... According to Sri Aurobindo and other integral theorists, the process by which the Divine manifests the cosmos is called involution. ... Emanationism is a component in the cosmology of certain religious or philosophical systems that argue a Supreme Being did not directly create the physical universe, but instead emanated lower spiritual beings who created the world. ... Spiritual evolution is the philosophical/theological/esoteric idea that nature and human beings and/or human culture evolve along a predetermined cosmological pattern or ascent, or in accordance with certain pre-determined potentials. ... The phrase altered state of consciousness was coined in the 1970s and describes induced changes in ones mental state, almost always temporary. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Dharma (sanskrit, roughly (natural) law or way) is the way of the higher Truths. ... The soul according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. ...

Missions and masters

Surat Shabda Yoga has been expressed through the missions of many different masters. For example, the Sant Mat (Radhasoami) version of Surat Shabda Yoga was established by Shiv Dayal Singh circa 1868. More information on living Masters who currently teach Surat Shabd Yoga can be found in the Sant Mat article. Sant Mat (or Path of the Masters) is an esoteric religious movement active in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and especially India. ... Shiv Dayal Singh This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Sant Mat (or Path of the Masters) is an esoteric religious movement active in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and especially India. ...

Sant Mat also has notable similarities to the more contemporary Quan Yin Method of meditation promoted thought the spiritual teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai. The somewhat controversial religious movement Eckankar is considered by many, including David Lane, to be an offshoot of the Sant Mat tradition. Dr. Reender Kranenborg, a religious scholar at the Free University in Amsterdam who specialized in new religious movements and Hinduism considers Maharaji/Prem Rawat's Elan Vital (formerly called Divine Light Mission) to be Sant Mat derivative. Master Ching Hai talks to her disciples, the Quan Yin practitioners. ... Supreme Master Ching Hai Supreme Master Ching Hai, or Suma Ching Hai, (Traditional Chinese: 清海無上師, Pinyin: Qing Hai Wu Shang Shi; Vietnamese: Thanh Hải Vô Thượng Sư) is the leader of a spiritual group that practices what she claims is the highest method of meditation, ones that she believes... Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God is a new religious movement brought forth in 1965 that emphasizes the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to God. ... Religious studies is the multi-disciplinary, secular study of religion. ... The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ... Prem Pal Singh Rawat (born December 10, 1957 in Dehradun near Haridwar, India). ... a hypothetical force (not physical or chemical) once thought by Henri Bergson to cause the evolution and development of organisms ... The Divine Light Mission (DLM) was founded by the Shri Hans Ji Maharaji in Northern India in 1960. ...

MasterPath is a contemporary American version of Surat Shabda Yoga. The founder and current Living Master, Sri Gary Olsen, contends that several historical figures are Sat Gurus of Surat Shabda Yoga as representatives for the eternal Inner Shabda Master. A few of these Living Masters of their times include Lao Tsu, Jesus, Pythagoras, Socrates, Kabir, the Sufi Masters and mystic poets Hafez and Rumi, the Ten Sikh Gurus beginning with Guru Nanak, Tulsi Sahib, and the Radhasoami/Radha Soami and offshoot Masters, including Shiv Dayal Singh, Sawan Singh and Kirpal Singh. Satguru means true guru. ... Lao Zi (Chinese 老子, also spelled Laozi, Lao Tzu, or Lao Tse) is a major figure in Chinese philosophy whose historical existence is debated. ... // Jesus, or Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, is Christianitys central figure, both as Messiah and, for most Christians, as God incarnate. ... Pythagoras (582 BC – 496 BC, Greek: Πυθαγόρας) was an Ionian mathematician and philosopher, known best for formulating the Pythagorean theorem. ... Socrates This article is about the ancient Greek philosopher, for all other uses see: Socrates (disambiguation) Socrates (June 4, ca. ... Kabir (कबीर) (1440 - 1518)(better known as Kabira) was an Indian Mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one. ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... The tomb of Hafez in Shiraz. ... مولانا جلال الدين محمد بلخى Mawlana Rumi Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi or Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi (September 30, 1207–December 17, 1273 CE) (also known as Mawlawi or Mawlana, meaning our guide or our lord in Arabic and Persian, or Mevlana meaning our guide in Turkish) was a Persian Muslim jurist, theologian, poet... Sikhism was established by ten Gurus, teachers or masters, over the period 1469 to 1708. ... Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Punjabi: ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ) (20 October 1469 - 7 May 1539), the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs, was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. ... Sant Kirpal Singh (6 February 1894–21 August 1974) was a Guru who was born in Sayyad Kasran, a part of the Punjab which now belongs to Pakistan. ...

Variations in missions

Although all missions of Surat Shabda Yoga will have common elements related to the basic principles, notable variations also exist. For example, before he died, the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, nominated the Guru Granth Sahib as the next and perpetual Guru of the Sikhs. Other missions continue to require a Living Master to initiate students into the Shabda. Missions also will vary in the names used to describe the Absolute Supreme Being (God), including Anami Purush (nameless power) and Radha Soami (lord of the soul); the presiding deities and divisions of the macrocosm; the number of outer initiations; the words given as mantras; and the initiation vows or the prerequisites that must be agreed to before being accepted as an initiate. A Sikh man wearing a turban A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab. ... Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Gurmukhi: ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ) (Patna, Bihar, India, December 22, 1666 – October 7, 1708) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... The term God is capitalized in the English language as a proper noun when used to refer to a specific monotheistic concept of a Supreme Being in accordance with Christian, Jewish (as G-d - cf. ... This list of deities aims to give information about deities in the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. ... Macrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of reality. ... Initiation rites are formalized, ceremonial rites of passage as an individual moves from stage to stage within a social career or formally acquires such status. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

External links

• Hafiz on Love
• MasterPath
• Nada-Bindu Upanishad
• Radha Soami Satsang Beas
• Radhasoami Reality
• Radhasoami Satsang - Peepal Mandi
• The Radhasoami tradition: A Critical History of Guru Successorship by David C. Lane
• Ruhani Satsang USA
  • Glossary of Oriental terms and important names of persons and places
• Rumi on Fire
• Sant Ajaib Singh Ji Memorial Site
  • The Grand Scheme of All Creation
• Sant Mat - Die Wahrheit
• The Sant Mat Fellowship
  • Links
    • The Inner Planes of Creation
• Sant Mat Meditation Net
• Science of Spirituality
• Sikhism
  • The Sikh Gurus
• Suma Ching Hai
• Tulsi Sahib Poetry

David Christopher Lane (born April 29, 1956 in Burbank, California) is a professor of philosophy and sociology at Mount San Antonio College, USA and lecturer in religious studies at California State University, Long Beach, California. ...

References

• Holtje, D. (1995). From Light to Sound: The Spiritual Progression. Temecula, CA: MasterPath, Inc. ISBN 1885949006

• Olsen, G. (1999). MasterPath: The Divine Science of Light and Sound, (Vol. 1). Temecula, CA: MasterPath, Inc. ISBN 1885949014

• Singh, K. (1999). Naam or Word. Blaine, WA: Ruhani Satsang Books. ISBN 0942735943