Contemporary Sant Mat movements

Contemporary Sant Mat Movements, mostly among the Radha Soami tradition, are esoteric philosophy movements active in Australia, Europe, Latin America and the US, but especially India. These movements assert that Sant Mat shares a lineage with Sikhism and contains elements of thought found in Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation. They further assert that Sant Mat also contains elements found in Sufism and has inspired and influenced a number of religious groups and organizations. They refer to this spiritual path as the "Science of the Soul" or 'Sant Mat', meaning 'teachings of the saints'. More recently it has been described as "The Way of Life" or "Living the Life of Soul". It incorporates a practical yoga system known as Surat Shabd Yoga.

Contemporary Sant Mat movements claim to incorporate a personal and private path of spiritual development in the common tradition of mystics past and present. They discuss the irrelevance of rituals, priestly class, mandatory contributions, or compulsory gatherings.

Introduction

The basic teaching of contemporary Sant Mat, as described by its Masters, is that everything lies inside us and that God is within. The outside world is only an image or a reflection of the inner reality. So self-knowledge or knowledge of the higher self and God-knowledge (taken as a practical project rather than a theoretical inquiry) are the topics of Sant Mat.

Kirpal Singh describes Sant Mat as a synonym for Surat Shabd Yoga, the yoga of the Sound Current, or more simply Shabd yoga, a meditation technique he asserts was taught and practiced originally in northern India. Singh writes that practitioners of Shabd yoga position the path as not requiring the physical torture of penance and austerities that marked many of the yogas and spiritual paths throughout the ages. Thus it is sometimes called "Sehaj" (easy) yoga.

Widely accepted translations of the Indian term "Sant Mat" are "Teachings of the Saints" and "Path of the Masters". These are both incidentally the titles of prominent works on the subject. Another commonly accepted definition of the term is found in Man Know Thyself by Sant Kirpal Singh:

Geographical reach

Contemporary Sant Mat movements exist all over the world.

Radha Soami Satsang Beas, the mission begun by Jaimal Singh at the turn of the 19th century, has its headquarters known as "Dera Baba Jaimal Singh", near the river Beas in northern India since 1891. His master Shiv Dayal Singh had perhaps 500 initiates, and if one wanted to see the Master it was necessary to travel to his home in Agra. His lineage continues at Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh, Agra in India. The Dayalbagh Agra lineage follow Shiv Dayal Singh - Salig Ram -Maharaj Sahab - Kamta Prasad Sinha- Anand Swarup - Gurcharan Das Mehta - Makund Behari Lal and recently (Since 2003 Prem Saran Satsangi. Jaimal Singh had perhaps 2500 initiates and did not travel more than a few hundred miles from Beas while he was a Master. Sawan Singh did not travel outside of India, but is believed to have had as many as one lac (100,000) initiates, some of whom were foreigners. Jagat Singh also did not travel outside India. Charan Singh did travel overseas and the present master Gurinder Singh, travels to nearly 90 countries. Today the Radha Soami Satsang Beas is leading the way forward and encompassing all the teachings of the saints. The various spiritual leaders who claim to lead this movement now frequently travel all over the world.

General tenets

The most central tenet is the need to be initiated by a living Master or Satguru ("sat" meaning true and "guru" meaning Master or Spiritual Teacher). "Competent Master" is another common formulation: the Master must be competent in the sense of having been commissioned by God, not just a person who feels like working in the role of a guru:

<blockquote>It is a sad affair that there are thousands of imitators, of false copies, but it doesn't mean that the world is devoid of truth and that a Master is not available to the people...It has always been a law that at least one complete master would be on earth to bring God's truth to the people. One such Master can benefit the entire world just as one sun can glorify and light up the entire world. [16] </blockquote>

Sant Mat practice involves listening to the Inner Sound, contemplating Inner Light, and (eventually) leaving the human body at will - a practice sometimes referred to as "dying while living". The principal intent is to awaken the Soul and unite it with God. Sant Mat is a practical and not a theoretical investigation.

Contemporary Sant Mat movements claim to be different in a radical sense from other disciplines or kinds of knowledge, which can be taught. It claims to be a meta-knowledge or method of going beyond knowledge and deprecates the mind and mental processes, at all times describing a dichotomy between the mind and the soul, in which the mind is only a negative copy or imitation of the soul. The mind is to become still and quiet so that the soul can begin to experience itself.

The second essential tenet is the mystical role of the Sound Current:

<blockquote>Prajapatir vai idam-agree asit Tasya vak dvitiya asit Vak vai Paramam Brahma</blockquote> (from Vedas)

<blockquote>In the beginning was Prajapati (the Creator),

With Him was the Vak (the Word), And the Vak (the Word) was verily the

Supreme Brahman.</blockquote>

Proponents compare this with the verses of John 1 John to assert their special use of comparative religion (seeking the common thread in all religions and esoteric phenomena). Naam or Word [https://www.ruhanisatsangusa.org/naam/contents.htm], written by Sant Kirpal Singh, explores this theme. It asserts that the Sound Current is the esoteric form of God, which is available to human beings. The Guru, who is a human being, has merged with the Sound Current in such a manner that he is a living manifestation of it, (the Word made flesh). However, not just the Guru can achieve this, but all human beings are inherently privileged in this way A self-introspective diary or daily diary tracking ethical lifestyle in five cardinal disciplines is sometimes recommended as a way to self-monitor one's own ethical condition. The five cardinal virtues tracked by the diary are Ahimsa or Nonviolence, Truthfulness, Chastity, love for all regardless of caste, creed, wealth, or intellectual attainments (i.e., Humility), and finally the maintenance of a strict Vegetarian diet. Drugs and alcohol are also to be avoided, as is the company of worldly-minded people.

Selfless Service or Seva means devoting oneself to mental, physical, or financial service to the Guru, and the sangat (or devotees). Mental service means keeping constant remembrance of God by means of repetition of the Mantra (known as Simran) or by other means keeping the Guru in mind. Physical service means doing some physical work, as in the situation where one helps dig a well at an ashram or gives a talk about the Master to the public. Financial service means giving money to the mission of the Master (to his organization) instead of spending it on oneself. The concept of Financial Seva is quite similar to tithing as known generally in Christianity. Also, just as a very general rule, at least 10% of one's time should be spent in meditation.

In contemporary Sant Mat movements, not everyone automatically qualifies for Initiation; many teachers require that prospective followers be spiritually “ready”. This was especially true in earlier times, when people made more time available. There are definite criteria for judging whether or not a person is indeed ready for initiation: they must be ready to eschew drugs and alcohol, lead a disciplined and chaste lifestyle, avoid spiritual healing and other forms of meditation, and commit to several hours of meditation per day. Mark Juergensmeyer has also extensively studied groups related to Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

The new religious movement Eckankar is considered by some to be an offshoot of the Sant Mat tradition. Paul Twitchell, who founded Eckankar, was an initiate of Kirpal Singh. Satpal Maharaj also established the Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti.

In the West, detailed indications and advice have been given by Edward Salim Michael in his book The Law of attention, Nada Yoga and the way of inner vigilance. Ajahn Sumedho, from the Thai Forest Tradition teaches the practice of this inner sound.

References

External links

Sant Mat, Kabir Panth, and Radhasoami Guru Lineage Charts
Pier Franco Marcenaro - Living Sant Mat Master

;official websites

Contemporary Sant Mat movements

Introduction

Geographical reach

General tenets

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Introduction

Geographical reach

General tenets

Related movements

See also

References

Further reading

External links