Spiritual Awakening Radio

"To the one who meditates on Him, there comes a perfect peace, and all pain and sorrows depart. Meditate on Him, who contains this universe, whose Holy Name is the whisper on the lips of the entire creation." (Book of Sukhmani) This podcast, as always, is about an in-depth exploration of the teachings of the Saints and Mystics, the Path of the Masters, unedited, unfiltered, and unaltered, as presented in their own words, from their spiritual discourses, poetry and prose, a satsang (spiritual gathering) without walls. (Sant Mat Satsang Podcast) References, Subjects, and Sources Include: Guru Arjan Dev, Book of Sukhmani, a section of the Adi Granth. "Sukhmani" literally means "Jewel of Happiness"; two verses from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas (sayings of Yeshua - Jesus) in rare translations you've probably never heard before: mystic verses of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar on the temple within the human body; Swami Ram Bihari Lal from The Way Out is IN, on freedom of soul, religions and finding the Kingdom of God, published by the Sant Garib Das group: Radhasoami Satsang Sarai Rohilla, Delhi, India; Bahadur Jagat Singh and Baba Ram Singh on having daily satsang and meditation; Carl Sagan quote; mystic verses (a bhajan) of Baba Somanath; The Light Of Ajaib, By Sant Ji on simran practice as well as about the Soundless/Wordless/Nameless State beyond the Light and Sound Currents; Kirpal Singh on Surat Shabd Yoga Meditation Practice; a satsang discourse by Baba Ram Singh titled, Once We Come To The Eye Center, The Progress Further In The Inner Planes Is Much Faster -- on the Four Stages of Concentration in Meditation: the Path of the Ant, the Path of the Fish, the Path of the Spider, and the Path of the Swan; and mystic verses of Kabir. (Songs of Kabir) In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami) James Bean A Satsang Without Walls Light and Sound on The Path Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com  

"The fruits of accepting a true master are immense. Unfortunately, true teachers are few and difficult to find... A spiritual master who is wise, pure and a practitioner of the Yoga of Divine Sound gradually imparts his or her virtues to the student. The good will of the spiritual teacher cannot but help affecting the aspirant in a positive manner because one is affected by the power of a higher vibration." (Maharshi Mehi, The Philosophy of Liberation) My Ode to the Sant Satguru: In Praise of the Sant-soul of love who has reached the Spiritual Realm above, and merged in God. Hail to the Competent Living Master, the Qualified Teacher, rare to find in this world, so few and far between, the True One, a genuine mentor of souls, righteous and worthy Guide, a Fearless Being, Light-giver, leader of a spiritual community. With gratitude to the Competent Living One! In a Sea of Samsara -- illusion and world of changes, of falsehood and posing, there is a bright Light in the darkness. A silent Music becomes audible. At the feet of such a Loving, Radiant One, the soul can not help but find inner Light and slip into deep samadhi meditation. In the eyes of a Saint are love, wisdom, light, compassion, grace, a reflection of God in this realm of the material plane. The Master-Power connects the soul with the Supreme Lord of Love. (my Guru Purnima Ode to the Living One, The Sant Satguru) References, Subjects, and Sources Include: No Guru 'Bling' Factor - on Spiritual Not Worldly Wealth; Masks of Spirituality, commentary on Guru Nanak's Asa Di Vaar by Ajaib Singh from, In the Palace of Love; my Guru Purnima Ode to the Living One, The Sant Satguru; The Worth of Spiritual Satsang Discourses, mystic poetry by Sant Ramdas of Maharashtra; Buddha Mani-Christ: You Rescued Souls from Samsara Ignorance and Gave Wisdom, from the Great Song of the Gnostic Prophet Mani, some mystic poetry from Manichaeanism; Eavesdropping on Hathras, Teachings from the Hathras Tulsi Sahib Satsang on Complete Mahatmas, Genuine Saints; An Accomplished Living Teacher, by Shri Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj; On the Recognition of a True Spiritual Master, by Maharshi Mehi Paramahansa Ji Maharaj from, The Philosophy of Liberation (Moksha Darshan); Every Day is an Opportunity to Meditate and Study the Teachings of the Masters, by Baba Ram Singh; The Eye Through Which I See God is the Same Eye Through Which God Sees Me, by Meister Eckhart; The Third Eye in Meditation, by Sant Kirpal Singh; a Satsang Discourse by Baba Ram Singh; Loving God With His Own Love, from the Spiritual Letters of Hadewijch, a Beguine Mystic from Antwerp, Belgium; and, In Praise of the Name, mystic poetry by Sant Eknatha of Maharashtra (peace and blessings to all) In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami) James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Will the soul remain stuck in the programming that has been forced upon it after birth during this life or will it awaken and break free, choosing a higher path of spirituality this time through, during this incarnation? We get to decide. Today during this Sant Mat Satsang Podcast we explore the wisdom of the Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaean Gnostics, Baal Shem Tov of Kabbalah, the Sikh Scriptures (Adi Granth), the Earth as a Garden of Souls by Julian P. Johnson, Rumi, Kirpal Singh, Yeshua from the Gospel of Matthew, Buddha, Kabir, Sant Tukarama, Sant Ramdas of Maharashtra, There is No Spirituality Without Spirit from the Dayalpuri Radhasoami Spiritual Seekers Guide, the Sar Bachan Radhawami Poetry of Swami Ji Maharaj, the Padavali of  Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, the Ethical Precepts of Sant Mat, the Eight Limbs of Yoga, a Satsang Discourse by Baba Ram Singh on awakening from illusion, delusion and maya, followed by Bhajans (Mystic Poetry) of Baba Somanath, and we conclude with two prayers to the Ocean of Love. (Sat Purush Anami Radhasoami, the Lord of the Soul)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami)   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

In the Anurag Sagar, India's most Gnostic scripture, souls are depicted as being held captive inside the Palace of Kal, the lord of time and illusion (called "the Demiurge" by the Gnostics). The Satguru does battle with Kal to free the souls. The genuine Living Teacher, the Sant Satguru, guides his or her students through this internal struggle with the mind or ego (the agent of Kal in the matrix of mind), this labyrinth of self-sabotaging, limited belief-systems of the negative power (Kal Mat: the teachings of Kal), so that the initiates may experience Divine Love, Light and Sound within and follow the Path back to God (Dayal, the Merciful One), the Ocean of Love. Today we explore the following, a outline or playlist of what we're covering during this satsang podcast: mystic poems of Sant Dadu Dayal of Rajasthan: The Results of True Love, and, The Vision of the Beloved; a saying from the Gnostic Gospel of Judas which sounds a bit like a Rumi poem; definitions of the term "Demiurge" from Platonism, Gnostic Christianity, Judaism, and the Sant Tradition of India; definitions of the eastern term for the Demiurge: the Kal Niranjan: a false god, negative power, lord of time and illusion as described in footnotes by Russell Perkins in the English edition of a key Sant Mat spiritual classic, India's most Gnostic scripture: The Anurag Sagar (The Ocean of Love, about the teachings of Kabir and Sant Dharam Das); Kal Mat vs. Dayal Mat, Illusion vs. Truth, by Shiv Dayal Singh, also known as Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra from his collection of mystic verses called the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry; also a description of Swami Ji's meditation room-within-a-room and on how we too can create our own meditation space at home; several mystic terms are defined based on the Glossary of Sant Mat and additional footnotes from, The Anurag Sagar; a satsang discourses by Hazur Baba Sawan Singh titled, What's Really Going On Here -- During This Life the Disciple or Devotee Contends With Mind as They Attempt to Merge into the Positive Power; a satsang discourse by Baba Ram Singh titled, If You Really Resolve To Have A Desire To Go Within And Transform To God Almighty, That Is Possible In This Human Form; and I conclude with mystic poetry verses from: Sant Ramdasa of Maharashtra, Maharshi Mehi Paramhans from his Padavali (Hymn 135); a reading from the Sukhmani of Guru Arjan Dev, also from Guru Ram Das (both from the Adi Granth, Sikh Scriptures). The Gnostic Demiurge vs. The God of Love (KAL Mat vs. Dayal Mat) - Anurag Sagar Studies on Spiritual Awakening Radio In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami) James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/anurag-sagar  

Today I begin with a reading from the mystic verses of Sat Saheb, the initiating spiritual master of Sant Dariya Sahib. Sat Saheb was one of the earlier Sant Satgurus of the Sant Mat guru lineage living a couple of generations prior to the time of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras. His mystic poetry is quite beautiful and composed in the style of the Anurag Sagar and other scriptures of the earlier Kabir-Sant Dharam Das line of masters. Then I share some letters from Sant Kirpal Singh on meditation practice. Those are quite wonderful, and helpful for the satsangi seeking to improve the quality of their meditation experience. Then there's a short discourse from Baba Somanath about becoming the "form of Truth" by focusing upon the teachings of the masters. In conclusion, two satsang discourses by Sant Ram Singh: having focused attention during simran practice that purifies the mind, and, about becoming a gurumukh following the instructions and guidance of the masters instead of being held captive by the limited thoughts of the mind, thus remaining a disciple controlled by the dictates of the mind, a manmukh. "Follow Their Teachings, overcome sorrow, and not only that, you will get the joy of going within. And you will also achieve the purpose for which you have been given this life." (Baba Ram Singh)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami)   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

As the podcast title suggests, a right-to-the-point, in this case fifteen-minute summary of the essential beliefs and heavenly goals of this spiritual path called Sant Mat, which is defined as the Path of the Masters and Teachings of the Saints (Sants). Also explored are the ethical precepts, the low karma peaceful lifestyle followed by initiates of this path (satsangis). And you'll learn about the spiritual practice called Surat Shabd Yoga, which means being yoked to, or to become one with, the Inner Light and Sound of God (the Positive Power) during meditation. This Sant Mat Satsang Podcast concludes with a mystic poem of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras on transcending the material realm and leaving the conventional world of religion behind, seeking and finding a living gnostic path during this life and experiencing communion with the Divine in the here and now (!)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami)   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Three Ways We Can Honor the Soul, the focus of today's Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast. References, Subjects, and Sources Mentioned or Commented Upon During Today's Podcast Include: a spiritual classic by the Spanish mystic Miguel de Molinos called, The Spiritual Guide on the bliss, tranquility, and happiness found as a result of following the Inward Path; mystic poetry from the Padavali of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans; a couple of my essays about spiritual seeking and finding something beyond the shallow spirituality of the typical bookstore shelves and social media realms: Not All Saints Are Dead, and, Living Students Have Living Teachers; a saying of Sant Kirpal Singh on transcending mind and matter by leaning the spiritual practice; Swami Bhagirath Baba on the Third Eye Center; The Bijak of Guru Kabir; discourses on the three ways we can honor the soul: 1) Satsang ("Where Two Or Three Are Gathered in My Name I Am In Their Midst"), being taught about the path, making the teachings of the masters one's primary focus, and then following the path, which can for some become like an NDE, near-death experience of ascending through the various heavenly realms; 2) Ahimsa Ethics: Good Thoughts, Words, and Deeds, The Supreme Soul Assuming Control: seeing God in others, the ethical wisdom of Sant Mahavira of Jainism, the meaning of "Namaste", "Bandagi Saheb" and "Radhaswami", and 3) Become Your Real Spiritual Self In Meditation, with Sant Mat Satsang Discourses from Baba Ram Singh on the transformational power of satsang, on karma and cleansing the mind, on the importance of daily Bhajan-Simran (Meditation Practice: Surat Shabd Yoga, the Sound Current), the wisdom of Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram; and bhakti prayers from Swami Ji Maharaj (Seth Shiv Dayal Singh) from his Sar Bachan Poetry. (Radhasoami, Radhaswami)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Santmat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Everyone has their own third eye whether they realize it or not. Through the Divine Path of Initiation one will learn of the spiritual practices that make it possible to access the third eye center, the seat of the soul, within the temple of the human body. We will discover for ourselves the Mysteries of the Spirit. The Kingdom of the Heavens will open up before us on this inward journey of the soul as we travel through vast realms of Light, Sound and Love on our way back to God. Today we explore Initiation, East and West, at first making use of Marcion's Reconstructed New Testament Apostolicon featuring an amazing, rather old and Gnostic sounding, translation of Saint Paul's First Corinthians chapter two, verses 6 through nine complete with archons and aeons. This manuscript from antiquity actually uses the word "Initiation". The goal of this Initiation is seeing in a new way with another kind of inner spiritual vision, the eye of the soul, and inner hearing with the ear of the soul. This is where we leave the outer world of the five senses behind. This is where we progress from theory, religion or philosophy to the world of practice, of inner experience. This is where the spiritual path truly begins. Also explored: The Gospel of Thomas on what "Eye Has Not Seen, Nor Ear Heard"; the mystic poetry of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras on the ascension of the soul; The Inner Journey Of The Soul Back To Its Origin, by George Arnsby Jones, an initiate of Kirpal Singh; words of encouragement and satsang discourses from Sant Kirpal Singh on Initiation and Surat Shabd Yoga, Inner Light and Sound Meditation practice (sadhana of simran, dhyan and bhajan); recent satsang discourses by Baba Ram Singh also exploring this inward journey of the soul that takes place during meditation, the interior voyage back Home. The goal of this Path is not simply going TO the various inner planes or heavens of creation but to pass THROUGH them on our way back to the Most High Supreme Being given many names such as The Ocean of Love (Anurag Sagar), The Nameless One (Anami Purush, Sat Purush), and The Lord of the Soul (Radhasoami). (RadhaSwami)   The Third Eye in Meditation: “Close your eyes as in sleep, and look sweetly, lovingly, intently into the middle of the darkness lying in front of you. You will see a dark veil. That which sees the dark veil within, without the help of your physical eyes, IS the inner eye.” (Kirpal Singh)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

With all the turmoil and injustice in the world, the soul cries out for peace and tranquility, ultimately seeking permanent spiritual repose in heavenly regions. Let us join the caravan of mystics, learn from them the ways of ahimsa: nonviolence in thought, word, and deed, and aspire to connect with the heavenly realms of God. If only the soul and it's heavenly abode can come to the forefront of our attention, we will soon discover that, "It is in Him that we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17 : 28, New Testament)   "In the company of mystics wrongdoings wash away, the fever of passions is left behind and the mind collects in concentration. Attached to a mystic, we detach from all else. When the heart lives for meditation, a peace sets in - a tranquility. Being with mystics leads to devotion to God, to knowing God. Happiness in this world and liberation from it, both are found in their company." (Sant Niloba)   "Carrying only the Name, begin the journey in the caravan of saints, shedding all else that is false and would bind you." (Guru Arjun Dev)   "Live in mutual harmony and practice meditation." (Swami Santsevi Ji)   "I pray to Sat Guru humbly to start Sant Mat openly. I wish that the whole humanity be redeemed, and I may witness this glory. Then I may enjoy great bliss and all may perform Thy Arti [worship]." (Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry of Soamiji Maharaj) "Satsang must go on. Satsang shall spread far and wide in future." (from, The Last Words of Soamiji Maharaj)   "Just as it is important for us to eat food for the body, it is equally important for us to do our Bhajan Simran [meditation]. That is the food for our soul. The Bhajan Simran that we do is like food for the soul. And the Satsangs that we listen to, that is like giving water. So, the Bhajan Simran and Satsang, these are like food and water to the soul. And with that, the soul becomes stronger and it is able to gain prowess over the mind. So, we should have mercy on our soul. The soul, after having come into this world, is under the influence of the mind. And the mind has put it through a lot of torture. So, we have to have mercy on the soul. And, therefore, we have to do our Bhajan Simran. So, we have to always remember our purpose and do our Bhajan Simran." (Baba Ram Singh)   References, Subjects, and Sources Mentioned in Today's Podcast Include: Book of Acts, New Testament, Guru Arjun Dev, Book of Sukmani, Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj,  Bhajan, Simran, Dhyan, Surat Shabd Yoga, Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Audible Life Stream, Shabd, Sound Current, Heavens, God, Radhasoami Faith, Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram, Prem Patra, Sant Radhasoami Sahib, Seth Shiv Dayal Singh, Sar Bachan, Biography of Soamiji Maharaj, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Dayalbagh, Murar Declaration, Sant Mat Fellowship, Spircon, The Radha Soami Movement, Om Parkash Kaushal, Baba Teja Singh, Mastanaji, Santji, The Light of Ajaib, Ajaib Singh, Baba Ram Singh, Mystic Poetry, Sant Niloba. (Quotes, Readings)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth." (says Rumi) "You have ignored the Living One who is in your presence and you have spoken only of the dead." "Look to the Living One while you are alive, otherwise, you might die and seek to see him and will be unable to find him." "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me. I myself shall become that person, and the Hidden Things will be revealed to that one." "I will give to you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, what hand has not touched, and what has not occurred to the mind of man." (selections from the Gospel of Thomas) "It is the mercy of my Satguru that has made me to know the Unknown. I have learned from Him how to walk without feet, to see without eyes, to hear without ears, to drink without mouth, to fly without wings." (Kabir)   Today I begin with some key verses from the Gospel of Thomas (making use of both Greek and Coptic translations) on the Need for a Living Master (a Living One), and not just solely relying upon old writings from the past focused on those who are no longer with us. With old writings of saints, mystics and scriptures, as wonderful as they might be, the danger and likelihood is we remain stuck, trapped in our cultural bias, blind spots and filters never seeing beyond the horizons of our limited understanding tethered to past learning only. If we have contact with a living teacher (a Living One) and spiritual community, we can have our beliefs challenged, our horizons expanded, spiritual breakthroughs, find out the vitally important things we've been missing out on as we interface with an ancient wisdom tradition communicating to us an Initiation into the Mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens, introducing to us the complete methods of spiritual practice we need to travel upon this Path of the Masters. We can experience for ourselves our own Living Gnosis Now, a 21st Century version of the spiritual path described in the Gospel of Thomas, Nag Hammadi Library, Adi Granth and countless other sacred texts of the ages. "Masters come here to give Their Satsang and awaken the soul and then They initiate the soul and help the soul go back to God Almighty. So, that is how They work towards the salvation of the soul. All other worldly people do things to tie themselves and entangle themselves into this world again. Therefore, we should have love and affection for the Master and we should follow His Teachings of doing our meditations on a daily basis. We should have compassion on ourselves and this is work that is given to us to do. It is not going to be done by anybody else." (Baba Ram Singh, from a recent spiritual discourse)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Sant Kirpal Singh: "There lived in India Swami Shiv Brat Lal, a disciple of Rai Saligram [successor of Swami Ji Maharaj], who was advanced in spirituality but he gave out all these things about which I am now referring, in story form. He would bring out these very teachings of the Master in some novel like form in the Urdu language, of course, not in English. He did a splendid work, having brought out two, three thousand books, I think. Somewhere he takes the soul as a prince so that he may bring out a story with all these teachings given here. He did a very wonderful work. He has now passed away. He loved me much. I loved him too. He loved Master too [Hazur Baba Sawan Singh]. In all love, you see, he wrote many stories like that. Novels -- very interesting -- in which all these teachings of the Saints were included -- given out. That will draw many people to the Truth." (The Light of Kirpal, Sant Bani Books)   Today, a Sant Mat Satsang Podcast featuring readings from a rare Radhasoami (Radhaswami) spiritual classic, Light on Ananda Yoga - The Yoga of Happiness, by Baba Faqir Chand's spiritual master Shiv Brat Lal (also known as Sant Daata Dayal Ji). Light On Ananda Yoga, was published in English in 1982 by Sant Bani Ashram with some editing guidance from my good friend Steve Morrow. "Ananda" means bliss and happiness and is Shiv Bral Lal's description of Surat Shabd Yoga: the bhakti (love) of inner Light and Sound Meditation, the spiritual practice (sadhana) of Sant Mat (also known as the Radhaswami Faith.)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"Life is a progression. We progress from childhood to adulthood, from simplicity to complexity, from ignorance to knowledge, from innocence to wisdom and from birth to death. It is the law of life. But there is also a progression from the external life to the internal, from the hustle and bustle of material life to the serenity and silence of internal life. It is in the latter that we experience the beauty of the Self and its connection with Divinity." (Dr. Jagessar Das, Doctor by Chance - Mystic by Choice, also translator of, The Complete Bijak of Guru Kabir, and other translations of Kabir)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Kabir, the "Rumi" of India, one of the greatest Saints, Poets, and Spiritual Masters in the history of the world! Selections: Says Kabir: "Kal (time, ego, limited mental perception) has entangled people in illusions to such an extent that they have totally forgotten their Real Home." "Meditation will remove all your burdens; meditation upon Ram's [God's] name will become your support." "One after another, many births I took; many paths I followed to escape this relentless cycle. Only when I made my mind still did I obtain the state of lasting repose." "Just as the lotus blooms after getting the light of the sun, in the same way the sufferings of the souls from ages and ages are finished after having darshan [vision] of Sat Purush [True Eternal Being, God]." The Bijak is a key scripture of the Kabir tradition: "Just as a coded document shows the way to a Hidden Treasure, just so this bijak shows the way to realize the soul; it teaches such words to the soul but there is seldom anyone to understand them." "Death enshrouds the whole world, including all the superstitious wise-men. Only those will be freed who find the Path of Love." (Satguru Kabir)   References, Subjects, and Sources Today Include: Songs of Kabir culled by Rabindranath Tagore; Sakhis of Kabir (1008 Kabir Vani); The Bijak; Kabir in the Adi Granth; Kabir Parachai; The Story of Ants in a Burning Log -- The mysterious figure of Kabir made his entry into the life of Dharam Das; The Ethical Foundation of Sant Mat -- Ahimsa Values -- The Five Precepts -- Moral Requirements to Qualify For Initiation; Seven Key Practices of Sant Mat Mysticism; Selections from the mystic poetry of Kabir from several sources; Readings from the Anurag Sagar and Baba Kehar Singh's commentary on the Anurag Sagar (Ocean of Love), a spiritual classic of the Sant tradition of India: God is Just Behind Our Eyes at the Third Eye Center; Initiation Into Inner Light and Sound Meditation (Surat Shabd Yoga) and Protection from Above Following the Path of Sants; A Book of Sant Mat Ethics: "1008 Kabir Vani" -- One of the Most Important Books of Kabir, a review of the book followed by selections: the Guru Verification Process; the Kal Niranjan (Negative Power): "This mind is like an intoxicated elephant;" The Repetition of God's Name; Meditation, Prayers of Guru Kabir; and, closing thoughts. (Kabir's name in Arabic means "Great", "Powerful, "Magnificent".)     In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

On the web you'll find a lot of talk about spirituality, yet so few rise above body-consciousness and get to experience that Sacred Inner Space for themselves. Reliable information is quite rare. There's so much discussion about "gnostics", "mystics", "sages of philosophy", "masters of the east", or "ancient scriptures" but almost nothing is ever said about the spiritual practices of these gnostics and mystics of the ages. Only with a Living Mystic Path, a Living School of Spirituality is one close to the Inner Circle of Masters and Students where this sort of Divine Path can be made knowable to the genuine spiritual seeker by way of Initiation into the Mysteries. Today, an introduction to meditation for beginners that also provides a glimpse into the world of advanced practice, inner Light and Sound, the path of the masters, East and West, in the various schools of spirituality. "Darkness is no longer dark to me." "There is a Sound emanating from beyond the silence." (Spiritual masters allude to transcendental heavenly senses, eyes and ears of the soul able to see and hear spiritually.)   "Light is always within us. When the mind is settled, we see that Light." (Sant Kirpal Singh, unpublished book on Sant Mat meditation)   “It is impossible to confine love to the temporal and transient levels of life, and it is impossible to confine the grandeur and majesty of God to the dimensions of the mind... I had no fixed starting place in time and space, for I dwelt in a multi-verse that was co-extensive with all the ages. But my inner world was still limited by the boundaries of creation; I needed the guidance of a spiritual adept, within the physical world itself, to give me new birth into the freedom of eternity.” (George Arnsby Jones, disciple of Master Kirpal, author of, An Odyssey of Inner Space)   References, Subjects, and Sources Include: passages about solitude, silence, and meditation from: 1) Thomas Merton, 2) Caroline Stephen, The Lord of Silence (a Quaker publication), 3) Thomas Kelly; 4) Saint Thomas - the Apostle to India; 5) The Gnostic Nag Hammadi Library: Apocryphon of John, Book of Allogenes,  Trimorphic Protennoia, and Thunder: Perfect Mind; 6) The Book of Enoch, 7) Hebrew Bible: Psalm 46: 10 ("Be still and know that I Am God."); 8) The Acts of Peter; 9) The Jesus Sutras of China; 10) The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu; 11) Swamiji Maharaj from the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry - also shared here: "Meditate: Sit still and you will reach your destination. Walk fast and you will go nowhere." 12) Introductory Meditation Instructions, a Convenient Method from Huzur Baba Sawan Singh; 13) Introductory Meditation Instructions from Sant Kirpal Singh (finding Jyoti or Inner Light at the Third Eye); 14) Guidance about Meditation Practice from: A Spiritual Seekers Guide (on how Love/Bhakti is the Key); 15) Maharshi Mehi Paramhans and Shri Bhagirath Baba (Seven Stages of Meditation described in, The Philosophy of Liberation, on correct posture, Brahma-Muhurta/The Hour of Elixir, Thrice-Daily Meditation, Meditation and the Dreamstate); 16) Couplets of Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj; 17) Swami Achyutanand Baba (Yoga of Inner Light & Sound); and, 18) Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram: The Gospel of Sant Mat in a Nutshell: The River of Sound That Connects Souls to the Ocean of Love (God). (Prem Patra Radhaswami)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

In Sant Mat spirituality meditation is successfully practiced when we keep the proper meditation posture, leave behind all our burdens, thoughts, worries, and worldly distractions behind, and focus all of our undivided attention on going within by way of the third eye center so that we may reach that Sacred Secret Place of the Most High where Divine Grace is flowing. Rising to THE PLACE WHERE GRACE IS FLOWING is a great way of describing the benefit of Surat Shabd Yoga - Inner Light and Sound Meditation - as being a kind of inner baptism or letting the waters of Divine Grace flow over the soul. (There is Light and Sound Within You)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

The focus of the Sant Satgurus, the Saints of India (Santmat, RadhaSoami, The Path of the Masters) is not upon constructing earthly temples, building organizational structures, or temples of the mind. Rather, they guide their students into entering the Temple of the Spirit. The Portal or Doorway to this Temple is within, at the Third Eye Center. Masters say: "An intense longing to meet the Supreme Lord during one's lifetime is the first and foremost qualification for Initiation. 'Seek, and ye shall find', is the principle'" (Kirpal Singh). Being properly initiated into the secrets of meditation -- the Mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens (diksha/deeksha) -- by a living Master is the beginning of the Inward Journey. Then, go and do the meditation. (Radhaswami)    "The tenth gate is the gathering point of consciousness. Therein lies the path for our return. The tenth gate is also known as the sixth chakra, the third eye, Bindu, the center located between the two eyebrows. This is the gateway through which we leave the sense organs' gates, enter the divine realms, and finally become established in the soul. We travel back from the Realm of Darkness to the Realm of Light, the Light to the Divine Sound, and the Realm of Sound to the Soundless State. This is called turning back to the Source." (Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj)   "From time to time, great Saints come with the Grace of the Almighty, and They direct the lost souls and get them connected with the Almighty through the Sound, Surat Shabd, and guide them on the Path back. In India, there are several ways of worship. But the Saints have only three practices for getting back to the Almighty. They are Satsang *, Seva **, and Bhajan Simran ***." (Baba Ram Singh)   Notes:  Satsang: Association With Truth;  Seva: Selfless Service; Bhajan Simran: The Meditation Practices of Sant Mat   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com      

"Simran helps  in the withdrawal of spirit-currents from the body. In Simran lies the seed that helps in the development of the soul." "Simran is  a weapon against all dangers. It acts as a  password to all  spiritual planes. It gives strength and sustenance to the body and mind during trouble and affliction, and brings the soul near the  Master." "The five holy Words are to be repeated mentally during  meditation." (Sant Kirpal Singh)   "I give you this advice only because if you will do Simran while you are doing any other work, when you sit for meditation you won't have to sit for a long time repeating the Names to bring your attention to the seat of the soul. As soon as you sit for meditation, within a few minutes you will go up." (Santji - Ajaib Singh Ji)   In Sant Mat, the Path of the Masters, simran is the art of repeating a name or names of God in one's mind (manas jap) for the purpose of Remembering the Divine -- Practicing the Presence of God. It is a way to remain spiritually awake in a world of slumber, a way to remain centered and focused instead of being thrown off-center by the influences of maya (illusion). In this Path of the Saints and Mystics this spiritual exercise of repeating or chanting spiritually charged Names of God is done not only in meditation practice, but as often as possible throughout the day as a way to spiritualize all aspects of life, inner and outer. In Sant Mat, the simran (remembrance) of worldly thoughts is controlled through the Simran (remembrance) of the Charged Names, repeated by a satsangi throughout the day and when sitting for meditation as a means of collecting the thought currents at the Third Eye Center; also used as a password to higher planes and protection from Negative Power influences. (Remembrance, Awakening to the Positive Power)    References, Subjects, and Sources Include: Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj, Baba Ram Singh Ji, Santji, Sant Kirpal Singh, The Sants of India, Mystics of the East, Path of the Masters, Radhasoami, satsang, Sant Namdev, Zikar in Sufism, Krishna, Bhagavad Gita, bhakti, Prayer of the Name, Jesus Prayer, Hesychasm, Mount Athos, Eastern Orthodoxy, Cloud of Unknowing, Tukaram, Tulsi Das, Dadu Dayal, Kabir (Guru Kabir), the Five Names (Panch Naam), Surat Shabd Yoga (Inner Light and Sound Meditation), third eye (seat of the soul), union with God, Lord of the Soul, Lord of Love, the Ocean of Love   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Today I explore some key Sufi teachings compatible with the contemporary mystic or gnostic path called Sant Mat. The Sants and Radhaswamis of the living present highly value the mystic poetry and wisdom of Rumi, Hafiz, Rabia, Sarmad, Hazrat Sultan BaHU, Sanai, Baba Farid and so many other Sufi Faqir lovers of the Beloved, viewing them as being Saints of the highest order. Hear verses of Hakim Sanai on meditating the Mysteries of Creation, connecting with the Subtle Realms of dimensions beyond in what can be called Inner Space, the Kingdom of God within. I focus upon the Inner Sound Mysticism of some of the great Sufi Saints of the ages: Rumi, Fakhruddin ‘Iraqi, Shah Niaz, Hazrat Sultan BaHU, Hazrat Inayat Khan, and Dara Shikoh. An exploration of the vegan verses of Rumi is presented. There is an essay on how mystical schools of spirituality are very fragile and short-lived in this world of illusion, this realm of Samsara, the World of Changes, how usually there are typically only a few generations of living masters and then, after the passing of the last master, a mystic path or branch of a school of spirituality fades from the scene, unless of course it gets hijacked and repurposed, turned into another world religion with a very different focus (zombification). When the latter happens, often the earlier teachings and sacred texts undergo serious edits. What had been a shared knowledge about Inner Sound and Light meditation practices, vegetarian ethics and other key principles might even be reclassified as "apocryphal" or "extra canonical". Although there is an oppressive history of lost teachings of the Sound Current (The Lost Chord), that there are no permanent universities of mysticism on planet Earth, no surviving Pythagorean, or Valentinian gnostic schools of wisdom still with us with roots in antiquity, or a church of the Ebionites with copies of Sayings Gospel Q or the Gospel of the Hebrews, a hopeful message is presented that Life Always Begets New Life. As old mystic paths and sangats fade into the oblivion of time (Kal) they are replaced with new living schools of spirituality -- that it's always been this way. Seneca the Stoic: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." There are also readings from Dr. Jagessar Das,  the Sar Bachan Radhaswami Prose Book One (Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram), Sar Bachan Radhaswami Poetry Volume One (Swami Ji Maharaj), Prem Bani Radhasoami Volume One (Hazur Maharaj Rai Saligram), Tukarama, Russell Perkins (The Stranger of Galilee), and Baba Ram Singh. We conclude with the mystic poetry of Baba Farid the Sufi. Many of his mystic poetry verses are to be found in the Sikh Scriptures, also known as the Adi Granth. (Gurbani)    In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com        

"Truth and Love are wings that cannot be separated, for Truth cannot fly without Love, nor can Love soar aloft without Truth." (Saint Ephrem the Syrian)   "Look at God within yourself, how 'God is Light.' For his Nature is a glorious, many-splendored Light. He manifests the Light of his Nature to those who love Him in all the worlds…" (John of Dalyatha, Syriac Mystic)   "To be glorified art Thou, the Father Supreme, born of Thy First-born in the silence and tranquility of meditation." (Syriac Acts of Saint Thomas in India)   "There is a silence of the tongue. There is a silence of the whole body. There is a silence of the soul. There is a silence of the mind, and there is a silence of the spirit." (Abraham of Nathpar)   "Open your ears, and I shall speak to you. Give Me yourself, so that I may also give you Myself." (Odes, 9: 1-2)   "What wonders has your love effected! When someone is still alive he has left this world: though his bodily condition remains with the world's bodily condition, yet his spirit has been raised up towards You, so that for a period of time he is where he knows not, being totally raptured and drawn towards You." (John of Apamea)   Several scholars have made a convincing case that the Syriac mystics were a major influence upon early Sufism. And Sufism, as many know, has been an influence on the Sants of India. There is a demonstrable connection between East & West via several sources (Syriac mystics of the Church of the East in the Saint Thomas tradition, Mazdakism, Manichaeism and other schools of Gnosticism) and the Sant tradition of India.   Sebastian Brock, Scholar of Eastern Christianity and Aramaic-Syriac Saints, has translated many wonderful texts of Eastern Saints such as Isaac of Nineveh, Abdusho (Joseph the Visionary), John of Dalyatha, Abraham of Nathpar, Martyrius, Babai, Philoxenus of Mabbug, Aphrahat, Ephrem, John of Apamea, Jacob of Sarug, and others, in great books such as, The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, The Wisdom of St. Isaac of Nineveh, A Garland of Hymns from the Early Church (including Odes of Solomon), The Luminous Eye, and several others. "The text-book and pulpit notion that all Christendom is divided between Greek East and Latin West overlooks an ancient and still continuing third stream of tradition: Syriac Christianity. "Cut off from the rest of the Christian world by theological controversy in the fifth century, Arab conquest in the seventh and Mongol invasions in the thirteenth, Syrian Christians continues to celebrate the Christian mysteries, to meditate on Scripture and to apply its teachings to their lives. "Some of them, attempting to realise here on earth their baptismal potential to re-enter paradise, chose a life of asceticism and single-minded devotion to Christ. Their reflections created across the centuries a rich literature. Some passed into the byzantine tradition; some remained unknown to other Christians and have never until now been translated into a modern language. "These Syriac fathers offer the modern heirs of both Latin and Greek Christendom new, yet ancient and enduring insights on prayer and the spiritual life." (The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, by Professor Sebastian Brock of Oxford University)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Experiencing union with God, the Ocean of Love, via Inner Light and Sound Meditation (Surat Shabd Yoga) is the goal of the Path of the Masters, also known as Sant Mat or Radhasoami. Today, spiritual satsang discourses by Huzur Baba Sawan Singh, Baba Somanath, Sant Kirpal Singh, and Baba Ram Singh Ji, also passages from Christian or Gnostic sources and other mystics of the East. Inner Light and Sound Meditation practice makes it possible to transcend the realm of the five senses and begin to explore the heavenly realms beyond, coming to know our self as a spark of the Divine. (Consciousness)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"Listen, open a window to God and begin to delight yourself by gazing upon Him through the opening." (Rumi)   Teachings of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Sant Kirpal Singh, Baba Somanath, Baba Ram Singh, and Santji: The Third Eye is the Portal to the Heavens and Simran is the Key   "Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers and take the route of the anguished lover in separation. Keep the Master's grace in your thoughts, and reflect upon his pure teachings. Develop love and devotion with endearment, and keep the thought of the Creator always before you. Try to merge yourself into God like water and water. Fix your mind within by following the Path of the Sound Current. A yearning will arise; make then an intense and anguished call. Repeat the Name of your Beloved, day and night, again and again and again. With care in thought, word and deed, you will cross to the other shore." (Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic)   References, Subjects, and Sources Include: Philosophy of the Masters, Spirituality, God, Surat Shabd Yoga, Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Meditation, Soul Travel, Dhyan, Bhajan, Simran, Manas Jap, Zikhr, Prayer of the Name, Third Eye, Gnostic, Gnosticism, Mysticism, Mystics, Consciousness, Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences, Inner Space, Kingdom of God, Kingdom of the Heavens, Religion, Spiritual Podcasts, Satsang, Jesus, Christ, Yeshua, Single Eye, Bread of Heaven, Living Waters, Food For the Soul, Surat, Attention, Seat of the Soul, Sound Current, Audible Life Stream, Shabd, Shabda, Path of the Masters, Sants of India, Way of the Saints, Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, Interior Prayer, Mental Prayer, Prayer of the Name, Sacred Name, Sacred Names of God, Lord of Love, Theosis, Divinization, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Sant Kirpal Singh, Santji, Ajaib Singh, Baba Somanath, Sant Ram Singh, Sant Bani Ashram, Kabir, Naam, Nam, Bhakti, Love and Devotion, Initiation, Going Within, Contemplative, Union With God   Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics. (Education For a More Peaceful Planet)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

In many branches of Sant Mat we have a five-name (panch naam) mantra (five simran words). These are sacred names of God associated with the first five planes, heavenly realms of creation. From the glossary of Sant Mat we read: "Simran means Remembrance: repetition of names or thoughts; in Sant Mat, the simran of worldly thoughts is controlled through the Simran of the Five Charged Names, repeated by an initiate throughout the day, and when sitting for meditation, as a means of collecting the thought-currents at the Third Eye Center. These Divine names are also used as passwords of sorts to higher planes, and provide protection from Negative Power influences." (Repeat the Name)   Today: all about the Five Names of Sant Mat, their proper use as an essential technique to concentrate at the Third Eye Center and go within according to Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Sant Garib Das, from the Satsang Discourses of Sant Ram Singh, as well as there is discussion about the origins and history of the Five Names dating back to the Kabir-Sant Dharam Das line of Masters. Also explored: the Five Sufi Names, and about the importance of the Most High name Radhasoami used by Sant Garib Das (Anmol Vachan) and Swami Ji Maharaj (Sar Bachan Radhaswami Poetry). In Sant Mat mysticism there are not five or seven deities but one God, the one Lord of the Soul  manifesting at the various levels of creation. As Guru Nanak has said in his Morning Prayer (Jap Ji): "There is One God, Truth is His Name." (One Love)   Simran is described as a Bhakti practice to be done in a spirit of love and devotion, with passages on this from Sant Tulsi Sahib and Kabir. (God is Love)   Mention is made of a mystical Jewish Gnostic sect of antiquity referred to by scholars as the Sethians who also had a five-name mantra approach, only using five Hebrew names, which are to be found embedded in certain Nag Hammadi and other texts. Recommended are two books that compare contemporary Sant Mat with mystical Judaism including Kabbalah. The program concludes with selections from the mystical poetry of a mysterious figure called "the Master" and "the Teacher of Righteousness", mystic verses found in the Psalm Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls mainly about the experience of Divine Light, but one might also notice references to reincarnation, the liberation of the soul, the Third Eye, and spiritually hearing the Divine Word or Spiritual Sound. Note: practices associated with contemporary Sant Mat were also known in earlier times by followers of various cousin mystical movements and schools of spirituality that have existed over the centuries. Even ideas that became associated Christianity and Gnostic movements such as seeking out living masters or living ones (Odes of Solomon, Gospel of Thomas), vegetarian ethics, humane treatment of animals (scriptures attributed to Enoch and Isaiah), initiations, baptism in rivers of living water, a new covenant (Dead Sea Scroll texts), genesis interpretations that include a lesser demiurge figure and a sophia wisdom figure (Septuagint, Apocryphon of John), the view that the soul needs to ascend through a series of heavenly regions (Book of First Enoch, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, Ascension of Isaiah, Ginza Rabba) are ideas developed during the Second Temple period of Judaism. Continuations and interpretations of Judaic ideas were adopted by many sects and spiritual movements during the first and later centuries AD. (Education For a More Peaceful Planet!)   At the Feet of the Masters, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com  

It's as-if those who composed the Gospel of John decided to create a hymnbook. This is about the little-known discovery of a collection of early Christian psalms called, The Book of the Odes, written in Syriac-Aramaic, described by scholars as "some of the most beautiful songs of peace and joy that the world possesses." The Odes got mislabeled, misfiled, misunderstood, misplaced somewhere along the way becoming one of those Lost Books of the Bible. Time to explore this would-be book of New Testament psalms and that is finally gaining long overdue recognition and popularity in the 21st Century. This is one of two podcasts I've devoted to this inspiring collection of mystic-poems  and music -- The Odes of Solomon -- once viewed as a sacred text by Jewish Christians, Syriac Eastern Christianity, various Gnostic movements -- it's quoted in Pistis Sophia -- and other early Christian writings.  (Lost Books of the Bible)   References, Subjects, and Sources Include    Hymns, Psalms, Odes of Solomon, New Testament, Book of the Odes, New Testament Psalms, A New New Testament, Extra Canonical, Scriptures, Lost Books of the Bible, Bible, Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Gnostic Scriptures, Early Christianity, Jesus Movement, Early Church, Christianity, Restoration, Gospel of John, Logos, The Word, Syriac, Aramaic, Greek, Coptic, Antioch, Syria, John Community, Johannite, Lectio Divina, Contemplation, Meditation, Sant Mat Radhasoami, Santmat, Sant Mat, Radhasoami, Radhaswami, Satsang,  Essenes, Ebionites, Gnosticism, Mystics, Religion, Mystic Poetry, Spirituality, Spiritual Podcasts, Spiritual Radio, Spiritual Seekers, Search For God, Cloud of Unknowing, Metaphysical Meditations, Paramahansa Yogananda, Confessions of Jacob Boehme, Saint John of the Cross, Nag Hammadi Library, Pistis Sophia, Egypt;   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Today during this Sant Mat Satsang Podcast readings from Sant Kirpal Singh's, Spiritual Elixir, Baba Garib Das (Anmol Vachan), Swami Sant Sevi Ji, Don Howard, Jesus (Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas), Baba Ram Singh, and Mystic Poetry of Kabir. "Today's karmas become the fate of tomorrow. According to our last life actions, our mental tendencies are formed in this life. Because of our pure actions we will have the desire to seek the association of Sants (Living Masters) and to meditate." (Swami Vyasnanand, The Inward Journey of the Soul)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Today begins with a brief exploration of the history, providing background on a key book of the Sant Mat tradition of India: The Anurag Sagar (Kabir's Ocean of Love). Then there are spiritual satsang discourses based upon this book and related texts on the journey of the soul through the heavens back to God and the meditation practice of the Masters (Surat Shabd Yoga: Bhakti of the Inner Light and Sound). Find out, as best as we can research this rare history, who wrote the Anurag Sagar; what group originally published and circulated it for many generations; how it was also inherited, preserved, and valued as an essential scripture by Sat Saheb, Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar, Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, then more recently in Radhasoami: Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra, Baba Jaimal Singh, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, and then spiritual Masters up to the living present. (Namaste'!)   As you listen to today's Sant Mat Satsang Podcast, take a look at these Sant Mat Guru Lineage Charts, the Family Tree of the People of the Anurag Sagar, providing at a simple glance some of the names of Masters I refer to during today's program:  https://santmat.medium.com/guru-lineage-charts-the-family-tree-of-sant-mat-spiritual-masters-by-james-bean-a4d4841070db   Recommended Reading. There are free PDF file editions of the Anurag Sagar available for download online at the Sant Bani Ashram website, also via the Anurag Sagar tab of my Spiritual Awakening Radio website (see link below), as well as at the Internet Archive. (Enjoy!)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami   James Bean   Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts   Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts   Sant Mat Radhasoami   A Satsang Without Walls   Spiritual Awakening Radio Website:  https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

One of the great prolific writers and spiritual architects of Sant Mat, the Path of the Masters, also known as the Radhasoami tradition, is Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram of Agra. Such was his stature that his initiating guru Swami Ji Maharaj (Seth Shiv Dayal Singh) of Agra once said, "I do not know whether I am Rai Salig Ram's guru or he is mine." Today's satsang is based on the writings of Huzur Maharaj including: Prem Patra (Love Discourses, volumes one and two) as well as, Radhasoami Mat Prakash (Light on the Teachings of the Lord of the Soul). Radhaswami Mat Prakash is a spiritual classic written in English by Huzur himself. Being the first Sant Mat book to be published in English it was read by many early spiritual seekers in the US and Canada interested in Sant Mat near the beginning of the Twentieth Century. An emissary and spiritual successor of Huzur by the name of Shiv Brat Lal once went on a long journey giving spiritual talks introducing many to the teachings of the Radhasoami Faith, visiting Lahore, Calcutta, Rangoon, traveling to Hong Kong, Singapore, Java, Japan and even San Francisco in the US, where he gave lectures at two locations in 1911!   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

The Nag Hammadi Library represents the prose of the Gnostics, but it is the Mandaean scriptures that give us their poetry! Today, meet the Mandaeans. The story of the Mandaeans somewhat resembles the experience of Native American tribes; may they survive; may their ancient wisdom be shared with humanity. John the Baptist is one of the greatest prophets of Mandaean Gnosticism. According to scholars of Mandaean studies like Werner Foerster, indeed the origins of the Mandaeans do go back to the Jewish tradition of the first century AD, the Nasoraean movement, and the region of the Jordan River. The term "Mandaeans" literally means, "possessors of secret spiritual Knowledge or Gnosis." (excerpted from one of my published articles on the Mandaeans)   The role of the Heavenly Messenger is to communicate the mystic experience of Light to souls and eventually guide them back up to the Place of Light, the Mandaean term for the highest heaven where the Great Life (God) resides:    "From the Place of Light I came forth, from you, Bright Habitation. I come to touch hearts, to measure and try all minds, to see in whose heart I dwell. Whoever thinks of me, of him I think; whoever calls my Name, his name I will call. Whosoever prays my prayer from the earth, his prayer I will offer from the Place of Light." (Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"Although awake from without, you are asleep within, and by greedily envying the goods of others, your Inner Eye has gone deeper and deeper into this slumber... Every human being has a Secret Chamber within himself which is called the 'closet of the body.' [Within the human body is the True Temple of the Spirit.] That is higher than the mind and heart both, and provides mind with understanding to a certain extent, and the heart with feelings of love. This Chamber is the Kingdom of God Within Us. This is the Crest Jewel, The Pearl of Great Price. The Saints, when we come in contact with them, open this Chamber by withdrawing all our attention from outside. The test of a true Master is the fact that in his company, the smallest realm opens up within us, and the Light, Divine Light, the expression of the God-into-Expression Power, is seen... So the God-into-Expression Power is called Word, Naam, Kalma; He is the Creator of all, and has two aspects: Light and Sound. And when Masters come, they contact us with that Power within us, you see? They open our Inner Eye by raising us to some extent above the physical body and outgoing faculties; we begin to see... Guru Amar Das says, 'Everyone does worship but on the sensual plane only; so they get no results which end in salvation. But absorption in the Naam purifies the mind and bears fruit in abundance.' You follow? Words are words; but what those words denote is a different thing; that is the Controlling Power of all creation, permeating all creation, and controlling us in the body too. So, the body is the True Temple of God, in which we dwell, and also that Power which keeps us in the body... You see, unless a man rises above the life of senses, the Inner Way is not open. It is you who have to see. That is why it is said, 'Know Thyself O Man, Know Thyself -- Who You Are, What You Are'... The Master's message is for embodied souls caught in the web of mind and senses, unable to release themselves. Masters make no distinction between religions and sects. Their message is for the whole human race." (Sant Kirpal Singh, excerpted from, The Coming Spiritual Revolution, Sant Bani Books)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

At the beginning of today's satsang podcast, some reflections on how we can be spiritually transformed by associating with the eternal truths and realities, focusing our undivided attention upon these teachings. This association and merger with Truth is called "satsang" by the masters. Different levels of satsang are also defined. On the positive influence of satsang upon our meditation practice, Shahi Swami once said: "It requires air in the form of satsang to ignite the fire of meditation." (Have Satsang, Do Simran and Meditate)   Then we explore the theme of 'We Are Birds of Heaven Journeying Back to Our Beloved' about hansas, birds of heaven, the souls making their journey back to God, featuring readings from the mystic poetry of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar, the Sar Bachan Radhaswami Poetry of Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra, a hymn from Prem Bani Radhasoami by Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram Bahadur, passages from Baba Somanath and Sant Kirpal Singh, then a satsang by Baba Ram Singh. During a recent satsang discourse that took place at a spiritual retreat in India for satsang gatherings, initiations and meditations, Baba Ram Singh described the journey of the soul, how the swan-soul was part of God -- in it's true essence remains part of God -- but as individualized drops from the Divine Ocean, souls have incarnated into various bodies in the diverse planes of creation, eventually reaching the astral realm, and finally incarnating into physical bodies, living various lives in the material plane. He speaks of the soul as having forgotten it's true home, it's true origin, but through the meditation practice it can remember again. One may place their attention within, and make the journey back to God. Swan-souls, hansas long parched for many lifetimes, may once again drink the divine milk, meaning the divine ambrosia, the heavenly nectar or amrit, spiritual sustenance, divine intoxication or bhakti (spiritual love), by going within and communing with God during meditation practice, transitioning away from the illusion of separateness from God, back to the state of Oneness in the Timeless Eternal Realm of Sach Khand, The Ocean of Love, Radhaswami Desh. Then we conclude with a mystic poem of Satguru Kabir: "O Swan-Soul, Where Are You Going?" (Bhakti)   We are all hansas or hansas-to-be as we journey back to the Beloved, the Supreme Being in the Ocean of Love and Oneness. (Prem: Spiritual Love)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Hear a truly delightful story about Jesus and his unwashed disciples crashing the temple as uninvited guests. It's found in an unknown gospel given by scholars the catchy name "Oxyrhynchus 840". Then more Brahman-Pharisee parallels: Sant Tulsi Sahib comes to the aid of a member of the Untouchable Caste known as the Sudras. Other compassionate, inclusive readings are from Baba Devi Sahab of Moradabad as well as Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram of Agra. Ritual vs. real spiritual purity today during this Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast. (Happy New Year)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

The out-of-this-world spiritual poetry from the Padavali of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans today during this Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast. Padavali recitations, music and hymns are by Madhulata Arya. Recitations and commentary in English are by James Bean. Today we share: "Close Your Physical Eyes and See With the Third Eye", "The Definition Of Sant Mat", "Seven Principles of Sant Mat", "Hail to the Sants", and "O Traveller! Seek the Path That Lies Within You." (mystic poetry)   "O traveller! Seek the path that lies within you, You and your Beloved are in the same body; Your Beloved is pervading everywhere, but not being perceived, Those initiated by the master are able to recognize Him within their bodies... The glittering Point between the two eyebrows [Third Eye Center] is visible, O brothers and sisters! Closing your eyelids, try to see, Let the two currents of vision converge at the central Point between and behind the eyebrows, Fix your gaze and cross the material sphere and enter the Egg of the Universe; The Sky, studded with Stars, looks so wonderful, Light, like an earthen lamp, is visible that illuminates the darkness of the closed eyes..." (Padavali of Maharshi Mehi)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami, Satya Raam, Jai Guru James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

The heavens or higher planes are not located in some abstract 'elsewhere' countless light-years away, but rather they are within us, accessed within temple of the human body, are within all human beings... thus meditation... thus the need to discover the complete meditation practice by which we may access these realms, the Kingdom of God within (Inner Space.)   References, Subjects, and Sources Include: Carl Sagan, String Theory, Michio Kaku, Julian P. Johnson, Path of the Masters, multiple dimensions, bubble universes, cosmic foam, creation, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, George Arnsby Jones, The Pilgrimage of James - An Odyssey of Inner Space, Audible Life Stream, Sound Current, Divine Sound, Hinduism, Shamanism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Christian Mysticism, Sufism, Santmat, schools of spirituality, Tree of Life, Gnostic universe, charts of the heavens, Dead Sea Scrolls, Ethiopian Bible, Book of Enoch, Marsanes, Mar Sanes the Syrian, Nag Hammadi Library, Gospel of Thomas, The Unknown Silent One, Nameless One, Soundless One, Anami Purush, Plotinus, The Many and the One, Ocean of Love, Anurag Sagar, Surat Shabd Yoga, Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Ajna Chakra, Third Eye, Seat of the Soul, Rumi, Kabir, Kaivalya, Nirvana, Sat Lok, Sach Khand, Saint Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, Param Poojya Shahi Swami, Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, Sant Ram Singh Ji Maharaj, If We Do Our Devotion, Then We Need Not Get Disheartened - God Almighty Will Always Send The Saints To Awaken Us, Without Satsang, Sant Mat Is A Very Difficult Path To Tread On, Bhakti, Prem, Spiritual love and devotion, Simran, Dhyan, Bhajan, Enchanted Land: A Journey With the Saints of India, Yogani Mataji, Radhasoami Mat Prakash, Hazur Maharaj Rai Saligram, The Life of Baba Somanath - Saint and Sage of South India, Book of Mirdad; (Peace)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"According to Mataji, what near-death patients experience is only the beginning of a vast sojourn into great universes of light, love and beauty... How can one sit so still, repeat only holy names and think of God constantly? 'By falling in love,' Mataji answered serenely. 'Because when one is truly in love nothing but the Beloved can enter one's mind. So the secret of Surat Shabd Yoga and of mysticism,' she goaded, 'is not necessarily practice and more practice, but love. To be so devoted to one's Lord that nothing can stand in the way -- this and nothing else is the truth of Sant Mat,' Mataji stressed..." (Enchanted Land: A Journey With the Saints of India)    The Bhakti Teachings of Yogani Mata Ji (Tripta Devi) of the Radhaswami Satsang Hoshiarpur today during this Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast! (Peace Be To You)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

A Summary of, Introduction to, Sant Mat Spirituality and Meditation about: Where God Is, How to Merge With the Divine Through Meditation Practice, The Philosophy of Liberation (Moksha Darshan) According to Maharshi Mehi Paramhans   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami, Jai Guru James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Becoming Free From Illusion - Leaving the Matrix, Merging With the Divine Beloved: This human condition is a story about the limited perception of relying solely upon the outer five senses and being deceived, existing with a severely limited ability to know the full picture, to find what is Real. However, according to the mystics of all generations, there's another means of spiritual knowing, another way of seeing and hearing available to us. There is hope of finding Light in the darkness, and the Music of the Spheres playing beyond, on the other side of silence. In my soul I am free. (Peace Be To You)   The true devotee has an internal focus. The human body is the true "temple of the Spirit". Thus, one closes their eyes and looks within, entering the 'door' to the temple via the Third Eye Center, also referred to as the Single Eye and, the Seat of the Soul. In other words, we have the ability to see and hear spiritually if we did but know it. Instead of allowing these abilities to remain dormant, unused, the devotee develops his or her ability to see and hear spiritually during meditation practice, as revealed in Sant Mat, the Path of the Masters. Sant Kirpal Singh: "The greatness of a Master lies in the fact that when one meets Him, He initiates him into the Mysteries of the Beyond and gives Him first-hand experience of being born anew, and then by regular practice the initiate may transcend into the Beyond at will and enjoy the ineffable sweet symphonies of the Word which no ears have heard and no eyes have seen on earth." (Spiritual Elixir) In the Gospel of Thomas, the Master said to his living students at the time, "I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, and what has never occurred to the human mind." (Coptic Gospel of Thomas, Saying 17)   "Do the repetition of God's Name and forget Him not. Fulfil the purpose of your birth by practicing concentration. Be steadfast in the remembrance of God. He alone attains who is wakeful. For the devoted disciple of the Master Darkness and delusion are dispelled. He reverts not, and is well-set on the Path." (Sant Dadu Dayal)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Today, an Introduction to the Sant Mat Approach to Meditation, the Goals and Methods of Spiritual Practice. (Peace Be To You)   Seven Teachings of Sant Mat: 1) God is Real. 2) God is Love, the Ocean of Love and Compassion. 3) All of the world scriptures teach about the same manifestation of God as inner mystical Light and Sound. 4) Our true identity is the soul, the self, and the soul is part of God and, like God, pure love. 5) During this human existence, we have an opportunity to experience God. 6) The Third Eye is the Seat of the Soul, thus there is the need to look within in order to get in touch with our soul and God. As we experience communing with God's love during meditation -- Surat Shabd Yoga -- we can rise above body-consciousness and explore Inner Space, the "Kingdom of the Heavens" that are within us. "We travel back from the Realm of Darkness to the Realm of Light, from the Light to Divine Sound, and from the realm of Sound to the Soundless State [Anami, Radhaswami]." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj) The drop merges back into the Ocean of Love. 7) As we get initiated into the Mysteries of the Spirit by a Living Teacher (Master, Sant Satguru), the purpose of our life is fulfilled. Reuniting with God is our reason to be here: "It was for the sake of the God-conscious beings that our True Lord created this earth, and began this play of death and birth." ("Adi Granth") Guru Kabir says: "For millions of years you have slept. This morning, will you not wake?" (Seven Teachings of Sant Mat, from the Sant Mat section of SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com)    "By practicing devotion through these four techniques: Manas Japa (Simran, recitation of a divine name or names), Manas Dhyana (Dhyan, focus on the divine form), Dristi Sadhana (Yoga of Inner Light, Inner Seeing, Inner Light Meditation, focus on the Infinitesimal Point), and Nadanusandhana Yoga (Surat Shabd Yoga, concentration on the inner divine Sounds) - the practitioner consecutively transcends the realms of darkness, Light, and Sound which cloak the Supreme Truth - the Divine Reality." (Maharshi Mehi)   "Make the mind quiet as only a quiet mind can meditate. Don't understand meditation as a burden, do it lovingly. Don't pay any attention to the outer sounds during the meditation; concentrate at the Eye Center." (Santji, The Ambrosial Hour)   "If we set a fixed time for our meditation, and we also set a fixed place for sitting for that meditation, then the mind also gets used to it. If we keep changing the time of our meditation, or keep changing the place of our meditation, then that gives an opportunity for the mind to also create havoc with us. And then the mind also reminds us of so many other things that have to be done. And that way, it keeps disturbing us. So, if it is used to sitting at a fixed time, it realizes that, 'Yes, this is the time for meditation,' and then, it leaves us alone for that time." (Baba Ram Singh)   Note: In the Sant tradition, the complete methods and secrets of the full meditation practice are communicated at the time of INITIATION (Diksha) by a living Master (Sant Satguru, Competent, Qualified Teacher) or a representative of a Master. (Jai Guru)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/sant-mat    

Not A Caveman Fixated on Bugs and Bees After All: John the Baptist's Wilderness Vegetarian Diet - Locust Beans Not Bugs - An Exploration of Early Christian Writings and Scholarly Texts Today on This Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast. Nevermind the old Sunday school notion of John the Baptist being some weird caveman dude dining on bugs! John may have a tarnished caveman reputation of eating locusts and honey out in the wild, but this is really a story about copyists mistranslating a Greek word as "locust" ('a-k-r-i-d-e-s') instead of "carob"       ('e-g-k-r-i-d-e-s'). (Henry Ford: "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." Albert Einstein: "Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.")   Since my original research on this topic, a couple more early Christian apocryphal writings have come to light, have been made available in English. These add to the surprisingly large collection of vegetarian references in early Christian writings regarding the diet of John the Baptist. New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. III, by Tony Burke was published and some John the Baptist books are included. In one of the earlier volumes there was a John the Baptist text made available for the first time in English that has a vegetarian passage regarding John's diet in the wilderness. Included in the third volume are, The Birth of Holy John the Forerunner, and, The Decapitation of John the Forerunner, both containing plant-based passages about John's diet consisting of "locusts from the tree" (in the Middle east called "the Saint John's Tree", and "Carob Tree") and "wild honey", also "an abundance of bread and wild honey dripping from a rock". Clearly there was an understanding in early Christianity that this was referring to locust beans (carob pods), not insects. Carob pods do look a bit like locusts hanging from tree branches, hence the name. Locust beans can be ground up and used to make a kind of Middle eastern carob flour flat bread. There's a "cakes dipped in honey" reference in the Gospel of the Ebionites. The wild "honey" was not from bees but sticky desert fruit of some kind. So, as you'll hear being documented during this pod...cast, there are all these plant-based references to John's diet coming from many different sources, and scholars have noticed and discussed these: "Probably the most interesting of the changes from the familiar New Testament accounts of Jesus comes in the Gospel of the Ebionites description of John the Baptist, who, evidently, like his successor Jesus, maintained a strictly vegetarian cuisine." (Professor Bart Ehrman, Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew) "His [John the Baptist's] food was wild honey that tasted like manna, like a cake cooked in olive oil." (The Other Gospels, Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament, by Bart Ehrman)   John the Baptist was a prophet with large number of followers in Israel and Transjordan regions. After his passing, several of his successors headed what became various rival Nasoraean (Nazorean) sects, one of those being Jesus and the Jesus movement. "Again Jesus said to his disciples: Truly I say to you, among all those born of women none has arisen greater than John the Baptizer." (Matthew 11:11, George Howard's translation of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, described as "the oldest extant Hebrew version of the Gospel of Matthew")     May the Blessings Be James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"The Father's kingdom is already spread out over the earth, and people do not see it." (Gospel of Thomas) This saying is a lament really, about souls in a condition of spiritual poverty unable to recognize the spiritual reality already here and available. This is the Invisible Spiritual Path We Follow, having a spiritual practice, a form of meditation that pertains to seeing the Unseen Realms with another kind of sight. The heavenly regions are not visible to those limited only to the outer material world of the five senses. In order to have mystic-vision, we're going to need another kind of Eye to be able to gaze into those subtle realms beyond. "The Lord will make the pupil of your eye his home, and your eye will expand to contain the entire universe." (Sant Namdev)  The third eye is the gateway which leads to realms above the purely physical world. It is situated behind and between the two eyes. "The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love." (Meister Eckhart, Rhineland Mystic)   It is the birthright and evolutionary destiny of each and every soul to participate in the subtle divine worlds within, to become a child of both the outer creation, the cosmos, the universe we see all around us, AND to be a traveler of inner space, the kingdom of the heavens -- the Divine Ocean of Love -- accessed within through a very special kind of meditation of inner seeing and inner hearing. The Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi once wrote in his Bezels of Wisdom: "The Supreme Being brought the Cosmos into being as constituting an Unseen Realm AND a Sensory Realm, so that we might perceive the Inner through our Unseen [facilities] and the Outer through our sensory aspect." We are, in other words, meant to be children of both worlds. (Best Of All Worlds)   "This new life of the Spirit begins from the day of Initiation into the Mysteries of the Spirit... The life of the spirit begins not with the theoretical exposition of the spiritual science but by a practical demonstration on the spiritual plane of the spirit-current made manifest. Here the invisible and inaudible life-stream is made both visible and audible to the Spirit within, converting the atheist into a theist in the true sense of the term. It is imparting the life-impulse and making It throb in every pore of the body. This coming back of the soul to the realization of her true nature and rising into Universal or Cosmic awareness beyond the walls of finitude is the true resurrection or coming to a new birth and a new life. To die in the body while living, is to live in the Spirit." (The Celestial Music, An Introduction to Kirpal Singh, by L. Gurney Parrott)   That last sentence, "To die in the body while living, is to live in the Spirit" is referring to the meditation practice that is followed by those initiated into Inner Light and Sound Meditation on this Path of the Masters. (Go Within)   "We should sit very lovingly in our meditation. We should focus at the Eye Center and do our Simran -- repeat the Simran in the mind. When we do this, the impurity of the mind, which has been cast on the mind by us for eons, for so many millions of lives... that gets washed off." (Baba Ram Singh)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com        

Says Vegan Rumi: "I have existence and I value it so much, so have all the beings on earth and they too, try to preserve it. Then, how can I kill even the tiniest creature just to satiate my palate? Even a seemingly lifeless stone has a degree of consciousness; respect it. To me, even milk is forbidden. Look at all animals as you look at humans. If we consume an animal, its blood and gore will make us act like a slaughterer. We began as mineral. We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states, except in early Spring when we slightly recall being green again." (Rumi, the King of the Sufi Poet-Mystics and often quoted by Sant Mat Masters)   It's quite significant finding these vegan verses of Jalalaldin Rumi, as many would assume or presume Rumi would have followed the more conventional mainstream halal (similar to kosher) diet. And Rumi is not the only example within Sufism of saints advocating vegan or vegetarian values. In the past I've shared podcasts regarding Rabia of Basra, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, and other Sufi mystics. There's even vegan sayings of Jesus preserved in Sufi circles. But knowledge of these things soon gets forgotten and lost in various traditions of world religions. ("The god of time [illusion] has put a cover over the teachings of Saints and thus concealed them from humanity." - Sar Bachan Poetry of Swami Ji Maharaj)   And not many dairy cows are living blissful happy lives roaming free in the Slovenian countryside or in some idyllic sunny pasture as some might also assume (or would prefer to imagine in order to rationalize defending old customs), but rather end up at the very same slaughterhouses as other factory-farmed animals killed for their meat... when the milk runs dry, when all is said and done. Thus, we must not drink from the tap of illusion (maya) but do the research, become informed by the science pertaining to diet-related diseases, and evolve in our thinking, taking the high road, going in the direction of compassion for all life, both human and animal! (Peace Be To All)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com  

The earliest references to the story of Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand do not include any mentions of fish, only bread. The early church father Irenaeus, writing between 180 and 188 AD, does not say anything at all about the fish, only bread in connection with this Miraculous Feeding of the Multitude as if the gospels he was reading at the time didn't include anything about fishes with the loaves. The historian Eusebius, Arnobius, and several other early Christian writings also never include anything about "fishes" with the loaves, only the loaves, only the bread. It was originally an account about people being given bread. This has lead to some, including Keith Akers, author of the book, The Lost Religion of Jesus: Simple Living and Nonviolence in Early Christianity (also see his wonderful scholarly book, Disciples), to conclude that the making of this popular miracle story into a fish tale must have taken place sometime after Irenaeus and 188 AD. After that date must be when the final edit took place, when fish got added to the story about the Feeding of the Five Thousand, transforming it into the more familiar version people are acquainted with. Today, we examine the case of the missing fish, as well as textual variations between different manuscripts of the New Testament, including the spectacular example of a vegetarian saying of Jesus present in the Old Syriac-Aramaic Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe manuscripts of the Gospel of Luke but not present in the Greek manuscripts. This is another installment in a series of podcasts documenting the vegetarianism of the original Jesus Movement, also known as the Ebionites, Nasoraeans, grandchildren of the Essenes, Hebrew Christians, The Apostles, the Disciples, Christianity-Before-Paul: the folks in the early church Paul was arguing with about diet, including James the Just (of Jerusalem.)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Traditionally, Sant Mat and the yoga philosophy have advocated the lacto-vegetarian diet: abstinence from meat, fish, fowl, and eggs, but allowed dairy. Vegan means complete abstinence from all animal products and strictly adhering to a plant-based diet: no dairy, eggs, or meat of any kind, or products made from animals. Based on the current cruel practices of the dairy industry in India and around the world that violate the principle of ahimsa or non-violence, plus all the scores of medical studies showing that dairy consumption adversely affects our health and well-being, I believe if they were here today, the classic Saints such as Mahavira, Guru Kabir, Guru Nanak, Tukarama, Ravidas, Tulsi Das, Namdev, Dariya Sahib, etc...  would not only be advocating a vegetarian diet, but a vegan diet. These days, many are making this transition to vegan, including a growing percentage of those following Sant Mat. This is the compassionate direction that the vegetarian movement is headed in. (Vegetarianism is going vegan!)   In the East as well as in the West, the Gnostics and other advanced mystics: those serious practitioners of soul travel, inner Light and Sound meditation, have universally adhered to a plant-based diet. It's hard to reach more subtle states of tranquility in meditation on an animal flesh diet based on the suffering of other beings. "A man of spiritual intensity does not eat corpses." (George Bernard Shaw)    Today a satsang edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio about the spiritual and ethical reasons for going veg, or better still: vegan. There are readings from Pythagoras, Kabir, Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Darshan Singh, Kirpal Singh, Sawan Singh, Diet and Spirituality, by Dona Kelley (from Lotus Leaves), and... a document called, "My Visit to a Dairy Farm -- The Reality of Dairy Cruelty -- the Final Destination of Dairy Cows is the Slaughterhouse", published by Pravin K. Shah of the Jaina Education Committee of Jainism (the Vegan Jain movement.)     In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

For many, the term "meditation" suggests merely a practice about attaining a more relaxed state and only represents a series of techniques about stress reduction. For the Initiate of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven however, meditation represents a Portal to the Divine, a Door in the Heavens leading to Realms Beyond, is a Bright Star in a Mystic Sky that turns into a Tunnel of Light or River of Divine Light that flows into the Eternal Ocean of God! (Gnosis)   "A Light of utmost splendor glows on the eyes of my soul. Therein have I seen the inexpressible ordering of all things, and recognized God's unspeakable glory - that incomprehensible wonder - the tender caress between God and the soul... the unmingled joy of union, the Living Love of Eternity as it now is and evermore shall be." (The German Mystic Mechthild of Magdeburg, Flowing Light of the Godhead)   "Now has Divine Light delivered me from captivity, and joined me by gentility to the Divine will of Love" (The French Mystic, Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls)   "Those who transcend the realm of mind and the senses and enter the regions of Pure Spirit come to know, as a Living Reality, that dwelling within all forms of life, human and otherwise, is One Pure Light and Love... though encased in so many types of veils due to karmic impressions." (Baba Somanath)   "This 'Single' or 'Third Eye' provides an ingress into the spiritual worlds - the Kingdom of God - now a lost realm to most of us... Of this inlet or ingress little is known by the people at large." (Sant Kirpal Singh)   Swami Sant Sevi Ji: "What is the glorious destination that we are striving for? When we see darkness with our eyes closed we are in the realm of death and re-birth because we are not aware of our true nature. When we come out of the realm of darkness and enter into the Realm of Light, we will at the same time escape the web of death. If we remain in darkness it is not possible to be free from the cycle of birth and death. Only when we achieve the Inner Light - the Divine Light which represents the glory of the Divine - can we be liberated from the cycle of birth and death." (Peace)   "Seek the refuge of the Satguru, O Dear One, for He will free you from your karmic debt. The entire world is consumed by forgetfulness and confusion. No one appreciates the unique message of the Saints. The unfortunate ones of this world are dominated by Maya [illusion], and they do not attain the Immaculate State. Those upon whom the Grace of the Primal Creator is showered, alone have the desire to drink the Nectar of Immortality." (Baba Somanath)   "So, the point of telling you is that this Path, which has been sent by God Almighty Himself - the Surat Shabd Yoga [Inner Light and Sound Meditation Practice] - that can be attained only by initiation from a True Master... Therefore, all the Masters, at all times, have always talked and sung the praise of Surat Shabd. And that has been the message of the Masters in various yugas [epochs of time]... Therefore, when we are initiated by our Masters, it is necessary for us to get connected with the Shabd [the inner Light and Sound Current] every day - to do our meditation every day. And, by doing so, we are helping our Master to help us..." (Baba Ram Singh)   Asks Kabir: "For Millions of Years You Have Slept, This Morning Will You Not Wake?"   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com      

Today... explaining the rule in Sant Mat about not sharing one's own personal inner experiences with others - why is that? It's all about keeping experiences private, authentic, free from ego and free from outside contamination or mental phantasmagoria, also free of pressures and expectations about what one "should" be experiencing. Everyone is at their own unique level or place in Inner Space. We need only to focus on our own inward journey, stay in touch with That, and keep it real, keep it 100! (Namaste')     Seek To See God Now - Liberation During This Life - Mystic-Poem of Sant Tulsi Sahib   "In this life, the concept of salvation all describe;  To meet the Lord by dying while living [meditation], none discloses.  They all speak of the goal of salvation after death;  How to attain it while living, no one says.  Were they to reveal the method of achieving release while living,  Then alone would Tulsi be convinced of their words.  Who speaks, after seeing with their own eyes,  and teach the method of salvation during life,  They are of the stage and stature of Saints,  for they reveal the quintessence of the soul."   The Expanse Above, from Saint Isaac the Syrian's Spiritual Works, Translated by Mary Hansbury      "By stillness of the body and ceasing from this world, solitaries imagine the true stillness and the withdrawal from nature which will occur at the end of the corporeal world. By means of the mind, the solitaries are united with the world of the Spirit. By means of meditation, they are involved in the expanse above." (Peace)   Awaken to the Resplendent Light Within You - Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, Mystic Verses from the Book of Shabdavali     "Listen, O swan-soul, ascend to your true abode. So says the Master again and again. You do not pay attention to his words; O finish your sorrows and joys and transmigrations. If the deluded soul were to unite with her Source, Never again would she be encumbered by body and mind. From the Source of the Divine Ocean opens a Portal to the Light; O awaken that resplendent Light within you." (!)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

One of the Greatest of Spiritual Masters and Poet-Mystics of Sant Mat in the History of India: Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar, today on this edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio, a Sant Mat Satsang Podcast. (Namaste', Sat Naam Sahab, Jai Guru, Radhaswami)   From the "Love Chapter" of Saint Dariya    "Blessed is the eye which is permeated with love. Without love it is like a pebble or stone. Like a gardener without a garden,      the eye remains empty without love. What is the state of a human being without love? He is like one who is denied all delicacies,      and whose mouth is filled only with dust. Without love one does not find the flow      of the Sound Current. But when the flower of love blossoms,      its fragrance is praised by all.   "Many are the paths prevalent in this world Knowing the proper wisdom, work out your own salvation. He who obtains a wise and discriminating Saint, Recognizes the path of salvation.   "The technique of love is truly the root of spirituality. Follow this technique as imparted by the Master. When with his grace the inner lamp is lighted, The true Naam, the support of all, comes to sight.   "Just as the lotus resides in water, It does not come to bloom by water. Only when the light of the sun appears, Does the lotus open its petals, As the contemplative (inner) eye opens to see.   "The spiritual lotus likewise resides in the human body      which is like a pond. Its sustaining water is close to the lotus. But only when love for the Satguru arises, Does the inner lotus bloom, And one becomes a devotee of the Lord's holy feet.   "Without love, there is no spiritual path. The path lives in love.   "With intensification of love, one comes in contact      with the True Sound, And like a lotus in water, abides in its peace and bliss.   "When love and endearment are firmly ingrained, One attains the elixir of Naam, and enjoys its bliss. Being firmly entrenched in love and endearment, And being well-steeped in devotion,      one obtains the true love.   "Without love one does not find the flow      of the Sound Current. But when the flower of love blossoms,      its fragrance is praised by all."   -- Mystic Verses of Sant Dariya Saheb of Bihar   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com   Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet. (Peace!)  

By developing a spiritual practice, on demand we are able to find respite from the madness of the world, this turbulent ocean of samsara, gaining our freedom from serving as pawns of a demiurgical, kalistic culture of conflict and agitated minds. (Peace Be To You)   "What our modern world has suffered from most of all is runaway ideology, the agitated attachment to ideas that thereby become the playthings of infrahuman energies. This is the great danger of all ideologies, whether political, religious, or academic." (Jacob Needleman expressing some thoughts about the Gospel of Thomas)   "Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it." (Thomas Merton)   The goal of this Sant Mat Satsang discourse is to shed more light on the meditation practices of the Sants which liberate the soul, provides a spiritual oasis for souls to be free from the agents of the negative power, ever-and-always agitating minds in this world, keeping them off-center so they never get around to going within, finding their true self and exploring the Divine Realms available inside during spiritual practice. (Meditate!)   We must rise above during our meditations in order to ultimately return to the Ocean of Love and All-Consciousness known as God... above this bodily existence, above this material plane, above time or KAL, above mind, above maya or illusion and all these outer planes of creation. As it says in the Greek Gospel of Thomas "we enter into Rest." And as Rumi has written in his mystic poetry, To Him We Shall Return. (Peace)   "If the soul is to see God, then it must see no temporal thing, for as long as the soul is conscious of time or space, or of an idea, it cannot know God." (Meister Eckhart, German Mystic)    This discourse is also deliberately mindful of the lineage of Sant Mat Masters spanning many centuries, tracing this Path of the Masters back through time to Satguru Kabir. (Satnaam Saheb)   References, Subjects, Sources and Segments Include: Rumi, Gospel of Thomas, The Empty Tomb of Satguru Kabir (The Story of Kabir's Body Turning Into Lotus Flowers), Plucking Flowers of Spirituality Within Your Body Through the Meditation Practice of the Sants, The Anurag Sagar (Ocean of Love) and Sant Dharam Das), the Prakash Mani Gita on Inner Sound Meditation, Sat Saheb and Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar, Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, Maharaj Girdhari Sahib of Lucknow, Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra (Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry), Sant Garib Das of the Radhaswami Satsang, Rohilla, Delhi (book of Anmol Vachan), Baba Jaimal Singh of Beas, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Baba Somanath, Sant Kirpal Singh, Sant Ji (The Light of Ajaib), and Baba Ram Singh's Satsang Discourse on Kabir and Sant Dharam Das - Anurag Sagar commentary: The Saints are Instructed by The Almighty to Fetch the Troubled Souls. "The Almighty has promised the souls who have left Him and into the world of Kal, that if they are in trouble, or if they remember Him, He shall come to fetch them." (Baba Ram Singh on the liberation of souls during this Kali Yuga age)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

"A heart devoid of love or affection is as hard as stone, and does not form a suitable receptacle for the light of Heavenly Grace and Mercy... Where pure love dwells there sheds the light of Grace, as it forms a link with the Spirit or Love Current from It's Source, the Supreme Being...  Love or the power of attraction is the basis of the whole creation and the cause of its sustenance and preservation... Every wave of love rising in a lover's heart brings tidings of goodness and joy from the Beloved, and every thought springing up in such a heart is a harbinger of good works and good services for the sake of the Beloved." (Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram Bahadur)   "In a nut-shell, the Radhasoami Faith is a Gospel of Love. Love towards the holy feet of Radhasoami Dayal [Merciful Lord of the Soul], love towards the Guru of the time and love with all the human beings is its cardinal message." (Agam Prasad Mathur, Petals of Love)   "The practice of Surat Shabd Yoga is dependent on the love generated in the devotee's heart for the Supreme Being Radhasoami Dayal [Merciful Lord of the Soul, Anami Purush]. The Radhasoami Faith [Sant Mat] therefore advocates the blending of Yoga with Bhakti [devotion]." (Agam Prasad Mathur)   Sant Mat Devotional Practices   "It should be noted that all the following activities are included in devotional practices (Abhyas)     (1) Sumiran [Simran: Repetition of the Holy Name] (2) Sumiran and Dhyan [Repetition of the Holy Name along with Contemplation of the Holy Form] (3) Bhajan [Listening to the Sound Current] (4) Recitation of holy books or listening to their recital in Satsang intelligently (5) Discussing the principles of the Radhasoami Faith or listening to such discussion (6) Thinking about and reflecting on matters pertaining to the Radhasoami Faith and its practices and pondering them; and (7) Examining the ways of one's mind and senses daily, keeping them under control as far as possible." (Huzur Maharaj, Prem Patra Radhasoami, Volume I)   Huzur Maharaj published the writings of Shiv Dayal Singh as well as his own writings. Huzur was one of the great prolific writers of the Sant Mat tradition of India. I was greatly influenced by his many volumes, especially Prem Patra Radhaswami, volumes one through six, an encyclopedia of Sant Mat teachings, Prem Bani Radhaswami (bhakti hymns and mystic poetry), volumes one through four, Prem Updesh Radhasoami, Jugat Prakash (instructions for initiates), Radhasoami Mat Darshan, Huzur's Letters to Satsangis, and Radhasoami Mat Prakash, which was the very first Sant Mat publication from India to appear in the English language, near the beginning of the 20th Century. (Radhaswami)    In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Essential Key Teachings According to the Satgurus in the Sikh Scriptures, the Guru Granth   ONE - Living Masters Having Living Disciples - The Need For The Living Satguru and For Initiation Into the Meditation Practice    "There can be no jnana (true knowledge) without meeting a Master-soul, nor meditation without a first-hand experience." (Guru Arjan Dev, Bhairon M5)   “Meet a Satguru and take his initiation. Surrender thine all and peep within.” (Guru Nanak, Gauri M1)   "Prays Nanak, But for Society of the Saints, the whole world is false." (Gopal Singh translation)   "In the Guru-given Gnosis is contained the wealth of the Lord's Name, and the Lord's Name, the Guru imprints in the man's mind." (Manmohan Singh translation)   “In utter darkness, the Master's Word (Guru-Mantra) shines forth into Light. In the company of the Master, all are rescued and saved.” (Guru Arjan Dev, Gond M5)   “The Master has given me the perfect Word or Mantra.” (Guru Arjan Dev, Bhairon M5)   TWO - Surat Shabd Yoga, in Meditation Hearing the Unstruck Melody of the Sound Current (Anhad Shabd, Naam, Nada According to the Sikh Scriptures)   Living Masters have always initiated their disciples into meditation practice (Naam Dhan), and this includes the practice of hearing the Anhad Shabd (Unstruck Celestial Melody) within one's self during meditation practice. "The Unstruck Melody that one seeks to hear, hear it thou in the instruction of the Guru's." (Sri Rag M. 1)   "Within me rings the Unstruck Melody of the Lord's flute, yea, He in whose presence one's mind is attuned to the Sound of the Inner Music." (Sri Rag, Kabir)   "At the (tenth) door rings the Unstruck Melody. The Lord echoes thus in every heart." (Vadhans M. 5)   THREE - Non-Violence (Ahimsa) in Thought, Word, and Deeds Including Following a Non-violent Vegetarian Diet in the Adi Granth and Other Texts   Shri Guru Nanak Dev abstained from animal food and enjoined against cruelty to animals: "Having prohibited his disciples to drink wine and eat pork, he (Nanak) himself abstained from eating flesh and ordered not to hurt any living being." (Mohsin Fani, Persian Scholar of Comparative Religion, Author of the, DABISTAN-E-MAZAHIB)   "Kabeer says, the dinner of beans and rice is excellent when flavored with salt. Who would cut throats to have meat with his bread?" (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 1374)   "One who does not steal, commit adultery, slander anyone, gamble, eat meat or drink wine will be liberated in this very life (i.e. Jeewan Mukt)". (Guru Gobind Singh, 10th Sikh Guru, Sudharam Marag Granth)   "Living by neglect and greed, the world eats dead carcasses. Like a goblin or a beast, they kill and eat the forbidden carcasses of meat. Control your urges, or else you will be thrown into the tortures of hell." (Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 723).   Bhai Gurdaas Ji said: "They eat meat by cutting throats, what will their own condition be?" (Vaar 24, Pauree 17)   “To take what rightfully belongs to another, is like a Muslim eating pork, or a Hindu eating beef. Our Guru, our Spiritual Guide, stands by us if we do not eat those carcasses. By mere talk, people do not earn Liberation. Salvation only comes from the practice of truth." (Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 141)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com  

"The goal is to catch and rise up on the Sound Current to our Eternal Home. The Saints have only one message to give and that they give in the manner that suits the times. Their message is: "Soul! Thou has forgotten thy Source. That Source is Sach Khand. The Sound Current within you is the way to it, and we guide you to That." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji)    Today, the wisdom of the Great Master Hazur Baba Sawan Singh covering several major subjects central to the spiritual journey of the soul back to God: prayer to, and faith in, the Supreme Being Radhaswami (The Lord of the Soul, also spelled Radhasoami); Each Soul is a Drop from the Ocean of God, a Soul-Drop from the Ocean of Love; A Discourse on the Spheres of Kal, the Demiurge, Ruler of the Lower Planes of Time, Samsara, Impermanence and Illusion, and the Means of Salvation, of the Liberation of the Soul Through the Word, also Known as the Logos, the Shabda, The Sound Current; Why Does Sant Mat Follow Vegetarian Ethics? The Fleshless Diet of Those Whose Goal is God-Consciousness, to... in Spirit... Rise above the Flesh, to Rise Above Body-Consciousness and Make Heavenly Ascents Upwards via the Third Eye Center; The Way of the Sound Current: Our Duty to Follow the Sound Current Back to Sach Khand During Meditation Practice (Surat Shabd Yoga); Hazur Baba Sawan Singh on Our Spiritual Mission During This Life to Find the Pearl of the Soul and the Soul's Natural Habitat: Sach Khand, the Sphere of the Soul, and Ascend Back to that Heavenly Spiritual Realm Again Through The Hymn of the Pearl, The Audible Life Stream, The Holy Stream of Sound, also called The Sound Current, the True Name or Naam of God. (राधास्वामी)   Other texts quoted during today's satsang podcast include: the Gnostic Parable known as the apocryphal Hymn of the Pearl, The Hymn of the Soul, embedded in The Acts of Saint Thomas in India, the 2023 edition of the Sant Mat Glossary, Rumi, Kirpal Singh, Baba Devi Sahab of Hathras and Moradabad, and a saying of Jesus from an unknown Coptic language gospel fragment discovered in Egypt: "Now therefore have faith in the love of My Father." (RadhaSwami)    In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

A rarely discussed amazing history of vegetarianism and even veganism in the great world religions and philosophies:    Akhenaten the "Heretic" Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who ruled for 17 years   Hebrew Bible, First Book of Moses: Genesis   Yoga Shastra, a sutra or scripture of Jainism   Bhagavad Gita of Krishna   Srimad Bhagavatam   The Laws of Manu, a kind of "Hindu Torah" or Book of Laws   Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans   Porphyry,  a 3rd century AD Neo-Platonist philosopher   The Vegetarian Prayer of Thanksgiving in the Epilogue of Asclepius of the Corpus Hermeticum, and the same prayer again, as it also turns up in the Nag Hammadi Library of Egypt, the Gnostic Gospels   Early Church “Heresy Hunters” that used to require meat-eating on Sundays as a way to discover who the veg Gnostics were in their midst   Philo of Alexandria's description of veg meals at a Jewish Therapeutae monastic community in Alexandria perhaps related to the Essenes   The Bahai Faith: Baha'u'llah, ‘Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi -- prophecies of a vegan future of humanity   Vegetarianism in Islam: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Rabia of Basra, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and the Sufis   John the Baptist, who ate locust bean (carob) flour, not locusts -- BEANS NOT BUGS   And blessed are the textual variants: the Mystery of the Missing Veg Saying of Jesus found in Luke 21: 34 of the Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe --  the Old Syriac-Aramaic manuscript of the New Testament Gospels but is no longer present in Greek manuscripts. (Peace Be Upon You)   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com   Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.   

"O Guru Sawan, work Your alchemy on Your disciple Somanath. Touching this iron with the philosopher's stone, transform it through and through into purest gold. Going beyond the astral and causal realms, I have become absorbed in Your holy lotus feet."   -- Hymn (Bhajan) of Baba Somanath   Hazur Baba Sawan Singhji was very pleased with Somanathji's seva and behavior and initiated him into the path of Surat Shabd Yoga in January 1928. He stayed at Beas for three and a half years, practicing Surat Shabd Yoga and achieved his cherished goal. In 1932, He sought the gracious permission of his Satguru to return to Mumbai. Sawan Singhji blessed him and commanded him to propagate the principles of Sant Mat in South India, where it was almost unknown.   When Hazur Sawan Singh instructed Baba Somanath to leave the Dera and return to South India to propagate the teaching of Sant Mat, He said: "Somanath, the body in which your soul dwells is highly suitable for spreading the teaching of Sant Mat in South India for you have both the understanding of the ways of the people of the South and with the Grace of the Masters have perfected the meditation after passing through every lower stage of the journey. Go and commence the work of Satsang."   Christopher McMahon: "I would like to mention here that it is entirely possible that there have been souls of the highest spiritual order in the Sant Mat tradition living in South India in the past, but they were simply not well-known and could even have come from a different lineage." (The Life of Baba Somanath Ji, Sant and Sage of South India)   "During the time of Swami Ji, the British were in control of the outer life of the Indian subcontinent. They avoided religious persecution and kept communal tensions at bay, and so the Sant Mat teachings could be presented in an open way, unlike in earlier times when Saints often cloaked their teachings in an esoteric language for the sake of avoiding confrontation with religious zealots of all persuasions. It is said,'Those who see God face to face shall all tell the same thing.' The differences come in only because of the means of approach in each case, the language of the time employed, the mode of expression then prevailing, and the intellectual level of the age. Again, these differences are not in essentials but only in non-essential details." (Kirpal Singh)   "O Protector of the lowly ones, most merciful Lord, Self-Existent, Bestower of Light, Somanath has contemplated upon Your lotus feet. Unceasingly, he will sing Your praises. You free all the jivas [captive souls] from the desires and afflictions of this world."    -- Hymn (Bhajan) of Baba Somanath   In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Santmat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/sant-mat   Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.    

The great Masters teach that the Sound of God is within everyone -- this Holy Stream of Sound is within every living thing. This is why those given to exploring Inner Space through a contemplative meditation practice, be they from the East or the West, have discovered this Reality playing within themselves. (Go Within) This Sant Mat Satsang Podcast is a spiritual gathering, a satsang without walls, dedicated to exploring this ancient school of spirituality, the Path of the Masters, Mystics, Gnostics, and Saints, today focused upon the spiritual practices of inner seeing and hearing, finding the inner Light and Sound of God present within the soul. The form of meditation making it possible to access the mystic Light and Sound is freely taught and communicated via the guidance of a competent Living One, a Living Master who is fluent in the spiritual experience of not only transcendental seeing and hearing, but also of traversing Inner Space, the Kingdom of the Heavens within, the inner regions, heavens, realms of consciousness beyond the physical-material confines that hold captive the attention of most people. The Sufi mystic and philosopher Ibn Arabi once wrote in his Bezels of Wisdom: "He [the Supreme Being] brought the Cosmos into being as constituting an Unseen Realm and a Sensory Realm, so that we might perceive the Inner though our Unseen [facility] and the Outer through our sensory aspect." We are children of both worlds. We human beings are a Tree of Life with roots in the earth and branches rising into a Mystic Sky! "The planes of heaven are about us everywhere. One has only to know this simple truth consciously, and then we will be free." (George Arnsby Jones, disciple of Kirpal Singh) As with the Gnostic Universe, the cosmos and multiverse of the Surat Shabd Yoga Tradition of Inner Light and Sound Meditation has the lowest or outermost plane being the realm of matter and dark matter, followed by progressively more subtle and luminous astral and akashic or causal regions, also a Universal Mind or Demiurgical (pronounced "Demi-urge-ah-KAL") plane. Above these lower and middle regions of mind and matter are levels of pure spirit, eternal, above time and space, and these are considered to be the True Home or Paradise of the soul, where we prodigal souls came from before the beginning and, full-circle, where we will return to again, as we awaken from the soul-slumber of the ages. "We have come from the Light and will return there again." (Gospel of Thomas and Mandaean Ginza Rabba paraphrase) As Kabir once said, "For millions of years you have slept. This morning, will you not wake?" (Peace Be To You) Today, readings from the mystic divine love poetry of Bhai Nand Lal Ji, disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, The Acts of John (New Testament apocryphal writing), the Sikh scriptures (Adi Granth, Gurbani), Naam Or Word authored by Kirpal Singh, Baba Ram Singh from a January, 2023 collection of satsang discourses on Naam: Sant Mat Meditation of the Inner Light and the Sound Current, the Sufi poets Rumi and Shah Niaz, Ajahn Sumedho on "The Sound of Silence" (from the Buddhist world), also from Anmol Vachan, a rare book of Q and A by Sant Garib Das of the Radhasoami Faith (another spiritual successor of Swamiji Maharaj), Shiv Brat Lal's Radhaswami spiritual classic Light on Ananda Yoga, Kirpal Singh's Spiritual Elixir, and... the mystic poetry of Edmond Bordeaux Szekely. (Namaste')  In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com