Unifying
Principles in the Spiritual Path
Vedic
dharma has its temples, Christianity its churches, and Islam its mosques.
But the real temple is the heart. God is attained within: the path to God lies
within one’s own self, as all the saints have taught this with unanimity. The
inner path begins in Sushumana, ajana chakra (a place between two eyebrows).
One Faqir has said:
O aspirant! Why are you wandering
aimlessly outward (in the mosques, churches, and temples)? The path lies
within, begins in sushumna, for meeting with the beloved (Lord.)
Furthermore,
The deluded one does
not understand that, although Mohammed is manifested and seen, Allah is unseen.
Sant Maharishi Mehi
says:
Look for and search for God within
yourself, within your own body. God resides in your heart—look for Him there.
The white point shines straight ahead and twinkles. You must concentrate in
sushumna by leaving the restlessness of the mind behind. Where the subtle
sounds vibrate in the ajna chakra, stay and make your dwelling. The door is
subtle and sushumna is the point or window. With great effort, you can go
through.
In
Reference to the Inner Spiritual Practice
The inner spiritual
practices of the major dharmas or religions, though seemingly
diverse, have the same purpose and goal. Japa and dhyāna exist in
Christianity and Islam as well as Santmat founded in the Vedic dharma.
In Islam they are know as zikar and fikar; in Christianity they
are know as chanting and meditating. The beginning of dhyāna pertains to
the physical form of the object of worship. The Sufis meditate on the form of
their spiritual teacher (murshid) and forget their bodies, just as
Sutikshna Muni became unaware of his body while meditating on Shri Ram as told
in a story of Ramayana. By meditating, both become absorbed in their guru.
The practices similar
to Driśti yoga and the yoga of Sound are described in the Sufi
tradition, where they are known as saglenasira and sultanulajakar. Through
these practices the sufi attains the divine states and ultimately merges in
Allaha. Christian and Jewish mystics speak of experience the References to
experiencing the divine glory and divine sound as well.
The experience of
Divine Light and Divine Sound are the arms of God which embrace the aspirant
who practices them, as a child is embraced by the two arms of his father.
Lighting oil lamps in
the temples, churches, and mosques, ringing bells, singing, praying out loud to
extend our voice to God—these are all symbols of the inner experiences of
divine light and sound.
Throughout this book,
references to Mānas japa, Mana, dhyāna and Driśti sadhana and
Nadanusandhan (Sound yoga) are given. In general, all sacred
traditions have these four practices, differently named, differently
emphasized, perhaps, but still present. This progression of practices is a
clearly marked path to God and is open to all—it does not discriminate among
people of different races, religions, or sex (male or female).
The water of the
ocean rises up in mist to form clouds. Then the clouds rain on the tops of the
mountains, but it cannot stand still there. It rolls down into small rivers,
which merge with large rivers, and finally makes its way back to the ocean.
Then the water is no longer known as “river” it becomes the ocean. In the same
way, the individual soul, having separated from God, wanders through 8,400,000
forms of lifexxii. Once the soul has received true instruction from a
genuine teacher, and practices the four forms of meditation diligently, it
finally realizes God and becomes one with Him. The cycle of birth and death
then comes to an end.
Goswami Tulsidas
says:
As the water of a river merges with the
ocean and becomes one with it, so the individual [in God] leaves the cycle of
birth and death.
Santmat teaches and
spreads this knowledge of how one can find and merge with God. This tradition
is not based on any one particular saint. Santmat is an ocean, a universal
tradition. In the ocean many different rivers are merged. In the same way, the
voices of all the saints become one voice.
Goswami Tulsidas
says,
Santmat is the unified way of all
saints. It is devoid of discrimination and supported by the Vedas, Puranas, and
sacred texts.
Caste and class do not
exist in Santmat. In it Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Buddhists,
Jains, Parsis, and Bahai’s are all brothers and sisters. Santmat understands
the world to be one family and therefore, Santmat unifies and harmonizes all
spiritual traditions. It is hoped that by reading this book, the reader will
reach the conclusion: Within the various religious traditions of the world
there exists the one essential Truth and similar essential practices. The
various dharmas are in essence one Dharma, and the path
for anyone who wishes to reach God is one.
Chapter3 https://gurumehi.blogspot.in/2017/02/harmony-of-all-religions-chapter3-what.html
Chapter2 https://gurumehi.blogspot.in/2017/02/harmony-of-all-religions-chapter2-what.html
Chapter1 https://gurumehi.blogspot.in/2017/02/harmony-of-all-religions-chapter1-what.html
Author : Santmat Society of North America 2006
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