Tag: sant mat

During his fifteen-year ministry, Dayal Purush Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj demonstrated how to put spirituality into action and attain spiritual fulfillment within the context of modern life. He believed in positive mysticism, pursuing spiritual goals, while fulfilling duties to family, society, and the world. During his four world tours, 1978, 1983, 1986, and 1988, he expanded the number of Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission/Science of Spirituality centers to five hundred fifty in forty countries. He helped people find peace, joy, and spiritual upliftment through meditation, while spreading love to all those around him.

He worked tirelessly to spread the spiritual message of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj and Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj throughout the world. Under his guidance, the literature of the Masters was translated into over fifty languages. Acclaimed as one of the world’s leading mystic poets writing in Urdu, he won four Urdu Academy Awards. The Dharmic Ramlila Committee also honored him for his poetry. The Government of India produced an anthology of mystic literature throughout the ages and included many of the gracious Master’s poems. His verses are still sung by recording artists and broadcast on radio and television.

On 27th July 1980, he started Master’s Day, an international day of observance to be celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July, in which people of all religions join together to worship their own spiritual founders and saints. In 1981, he presided over the Sixth World Fellowship of Religions Conference and the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace. In 1988, he presided over the inaugural and concluding sessions of the Fifteenth International Human Unity Conference in Delhi.

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj received many tributes and civic honors for his work toward peace. In the United States, he was honored by the House of Representatives. In Colombia, he received the Medal of Congress; and he was given the keys to many cities throughout the world. In New York, he was invited to the United Nations to confer with Dr. Robert Muller, former assistant secretary general to the United Nations and co-founder of the University for Peace in Costa Rica. A pamphlet of their meeting and discussion was later published under the title, “Ambassadors of Peace,” and distributed worldwide.

The gracious Master’s talks have been broadcast regularly to millions of youths in South America. Former President Giani Zail Singh visited him at Kirpal Ashram and participated in many conferences Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj sponsored.

During the course of his ministry, he gave many people an opportunity to enrich their lives through meditation, initiating over 77,000 seekers into the Light and Sound of God.

As a prism reflects the rays of the sun creating the various colors of the rainbow, Dayal Purush Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj reflected God's Light and Love to the world. Through his love, compassion, satsangs, tours, conferences, meetings with social, civic, and religious heads, writings, and sublime poetry, he touched the hearts of everyone he met.

Guru Nanak Dev (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ, (Hindi: गुरु नानक Urdu: گرونانک Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469, Nankana Sahib, Punjab, (now Pakistan) - 22 September 1539, Kartarpur, Punjab, India), is the central figure in Sikhism, and named as the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.

Birth and early life

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born 15 April 1469 into a Khatri family, in the village of Rai Bhoi Ki Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan.

His father, Shri Kalidas Chandarana, later known as Kalyan Das Bedi, also known as Mehta Kalu, was the patwari (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi under the Muslim landlord of the village, Rai Bular, who was responsible for collecting taxes. Guru Nanak's mother was Tripta Devi and he had one older sister, Nanaki.

Gurdwara Nankana SahibThe earliest biographical sources on the life of Guru Nanak recognised today are the Janamsākhīs' (lit. life-accounts) and the vārs (expounding verse) of the scribe Bhai Gurdas.

The most popular Janamsākhī are said to have been written by a close companion of the Guru' Bhai Bala' before Nanak died.[4] However, the writing style and language employed have left scholars such as Max Arthur Macauliffe certain that they were composed after his death.

Bhai Gurdas, purported scribe of the Gurū Granth, also wrote about Nanak's life in his vārs. Although these too were compiled some time after Guru Nanak's death, and are also less detailed than the Janamsākhīs, modern Sikh ideologues tend to hold them in higher regard.

The Janamsākhīs recount in minute detail the circumstances of the birth of the guru. They claim that at his birth an astrologer, who came to write his horoscope ,insisted on seeing the child. On seeing the infant, he is said to have worshipped him with clasped hands. The astrologer then remarked that he regretted that he should never live to see young Guru Nanak as an adult.[citation needed].

At the age of five years Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects. At age seven, his father, Mehta Kalu, enrolled him at the village school as per the norm. Notable lore recounts that as a child Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, which is an almost straight stroke in Persian or Arabic, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of God. Other childhood accounts refer to strange and miraculous events about Nanak such as a poisonous cobra being seen to shield the sleeping child's head from the harsh sunlight.

Marriage and family life

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was married to Mata Sulakhni Ji. His marriage to her took place in the town of Batala. The marriage party had come from the town of Sultanpur Lodhi. He had two sons from this marriage; Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. The former was a deeply spiritual person and founded a renunciate/ascetic subsect known today as Udasis. The younger son grew up to become immersed in worldly life.

The bhakti movement

The Bhakti movement was an anti-establishment shift in the pysche of the native Indian people, mirrored by the Sufi movement amongst the Muslim population. Far from being an ideology, the tone was set by a number of remarkable religious personalities from all manner of backgrounds and religious dispositions whose teachings became known far and wide. The emphasis was on devotion over and above philosophy, and God over and above thought and circumstances.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji is understood outside of Sikhism mainly in this framwork. His near contemporaries in northern India were personalities like Kabir, Ravidas, and Naamdev. Yet one way in which Nanak stands out is his extensive travels throughout India and beyond.

However, Nanak is not viewed as a Bhagat by Sikhs; rather, these individuals exmply the uniqueness and astonishing nature of the devotes' state. To Sikhs Nanak is a manifestation whereby God was revealed, hence the title Guru. This explains his travel as stated in the previous paragraph. He moved from place to place in order to seek out the devoted, in answer to their religious yearning. As per the janamsakhis, Nanak mysteriously took up the religious form recognisable to different religious groups as he ventured into their different territories - amongst the Shivaites in the south he became like a Shivaite, amongst the Muslims in the west he seemed like a Muslim holyman.

Travels

For over twenty years beginning in about 1497, Guru Nanak traveled by foot throughout India. He traveled as far east as Assam and Burma. To the South he went as far as Sri Lanka (Ceylon). To the north he ventured even to places outside India like Tibet, China and Russia. He also went towards the west into Arabia and Persia, visiting Mecca, Medina and Baghdad, Turkey, Greece and further on.[9]

Last years
As his end approached Guru Nanak Dev Ji would frequently test the devotion of his sons and nearest followers and in doing so demonstrate their state of mind to one another. There were numerous such occasions and one particular devotee, Baba Lehna Ji, rose to eminence because he never faltered in his faith in Guru Ji.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji proclaimed Baba Lehna Ji as the successor Guru, renaming him Guru Angad Dev Ji, meaning 'one's very own' or 'part of you'. This successorhood wasn't a mere gesture. Via a transformation, compared in Sikh tradition as the passing of a flame from one candle to another, the Guru-aspect of Guru Nanak Dev Ji descended upon Guru Angad Dev Ji. Guru Angad Dev Ji became Guru Nanak. In Shri Guru Granth Sahib this is described as having even a physical manifestation whereby Angad in person suddenly appeared to look like Nanak.

(To Sikhs, although there were ten separate Gurus in physical form, there was actually only one single Guru whose metamorphosised light moved from one successor or vessel to the next, granting a kind of rebirth to those personalities on their initiation. Hence they all held the original name of 'Nanak'.)

Shortly after proclaiming Lehna as the next Guru, Nanak announced that the time of his death had arrived, and retreated to a tree whereby he sat in the lotus position and the praan (life-force) was guided upwards and outwards from his body. The date was said to be 22 September 1539 according to the western calendar.

Satguru Kabir was born in a weaver's family and later adopted by childless Muslim weavers named Niru and Nimma, who found him near Lahara Tara lake, adjacent to the holy city of Varanasi.

A Bhakti saint, who sang the ideals of seeing all of humanity as one, his name, Kabir, is often interpreted as Guru's Grace.

A weaver by profession, Kabir ranks among the world's greatest poets. In India, he is perhaps the most quoted author. The Holy Guru Granth Sahib contains over 500 verses by Kabir. The Sikh community in particular and others who follow the Holy Granth, hold Kabir in the same reverence as the other ten Gurus.

Kabir openly criticized all sects and gave a new direction to the Indian philosophy. This is due to his straight forward approach that has a universal appeal. It is for this reason that Kabir is held in high esteem all over the world. To call Kabir a universal Guru is not an exaggeration.

Kabir is also considered one of the early northern India Sants. One source for modern adaptations of Kabir's poetry is Robert Bly's The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir.

Kabir is considered the first (with Nanak) Satguru of Sikh religion and Sant Mat tradition.

Sant Baljit Singh (born October 27, 1962) is a spiritual teacher in the Sant Mat lineage of contemporary saints.

Initiated by his Master Sant Thakar Singh in 1998, he began working as a Master on February 6, 2005. His teachings include the esoteric practice of listening to the Sound Current, Shabd, Naam, or Word manifestation of God, and addressing the problems of finding self knowledge and God knowledge.

Sant Baljit Singh is the definitive successor to Sant Thakar Singh and has already visited the United States, Europe, New Zealand and Korea in that capacity, according to Know Thyself As Soul International, his worldwide organisation.

Sirio Carrapa (born in Borgagne, Italy, 12 May 1952) is an Italian mystic. He was a disciple of Kirpal Singh and Ajaib Singh, and is a spiritual teacher ("Sant" or Satguru) of Surat Shabd Yoga. He is also an expert in ayurveda and teacher of Ayurvedic massage (Abhyanga).

Biography

After his childhood, he went to Milan where he lived for some years. From 1979 he lives in Ribolla with his wife.

Meeting with his first Master

In 1972, at the age of 19, he had his first spiritual awakening and started an intense period of practicing Yoga and meditation. The year after, during spring of 1973 he went in India for the first time, searching for a Master.

He recognized as his Master Sant Kirpal Singh from Delhi. On 25 April of that year, he was initiated personally from the Great Master to the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga. He then spent two years mostly meditating all the time.

The second Master

In 1977, he became the Italian representative of Sant Ajaib Singh, one of the successors of Master Kirpal (who left the body in 1974), and from that moment he continued to give the Holy Initiation of this Path.

The foundation of the Ashram

Obeyng to the orders of his second Master, Ajaib, he founded in 1979 the Sant Bani Ashram of Ribolla in which he lives with his family. In this place there where placed three european tours of Master Ajaib: in 1980, 1984 and 1989. Hundreds of people participated. After that, every year in that place there were organized retreats of intense meditation. Carrapa also participated, from his initiation, to many retreats in India with his Masters and also after their death.

After the death of Ajaib

After Sant Ajaib's death (in 1997), Carrapa felt that his Master's will (after inner experiences and external signals from Ajaib during their intense relationship of twenty years) was to continue to give initiations and the teachings of his Gurus. Also during the retreat of 1989 in Sant Bani Ashram of Ribolla Sant Ajaib Singh wanted that Sirio Carrapa give the initiation despite of the fact that he was present. This is usually one of the ways of the Masters to show a succession. Ajaib furthermore gave to Sirio the indication to lock the small wooden house that was built in the Ashram for him and use it in the same way He used the underground room in which he meditated for long years in Kirpal's instructions. Also nowadays this little house is used only by Sirio or for giving initiations or private interviews. Sant Ajaib gave this instruction only to Sirio and not to the other disciples that were living in the Ashram at that time. Consequently, some of the initiates accepted this successorship (sometimes after inner experiences). Time after time a new group of devotees to Sirio Carrapa grew up (from various nationality including a big number of Hungary) with whom nowadays there are many retreats every year. So now there are new initiates (by Sirio) and Sant Ajaib's initiates, who recognized in Sirio Carrapa the new Living Satguru and are his disciples and devotees.

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj’s search for a spiritual teacher led him to Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj (1838–1903), initiate of and spiritual successor to Swami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj (1818–1878) of Agra. In 1894 Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj granted Hazur Naamdan, after which Hazur devotedly applied himself to meditation and the spiritual values of life. In 1903, before Baba Jaimal Singh left the physical world, he chose Hazur to carry on the spiritual work.

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj was a reformer of unique importance. He laid stress on honest livelihood, and He Himself lived on His own pension, never accepting gifts from anyone  not even from His disciples.

Hazur initiated souls onto the path of Surat Shabd Yoga or Sultan-ul-Azkar, the ancient and eternal path leading to Reality. His teachings were esoteric: God is in every heart; spirituality is the common heritage of humankind, not reserved for any particular country or nationality; and the goal of spirituality is the union of the soul with God.

During Hazur’s mission, these teachings gained widespread recognition as a natural way of achieving the spiritual goals of self-knowledge and God-realization. His initiates numbered 125,000. Those who visited him from the West carried his meditation practice back with them, and centers were established in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Several books about Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj became well known in the West and attracted many who were interested in learning meditation on the inner Light and Sound.

Baba Jaimal Singh Ji (1839 - 1903), was the first Satguru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB). He remained Head of the Dera Seat until his death in 1903. After his death Baba Sawan Singh succeeded him as the second RSSB Satguru.

Baba Jaimal Singh ji was born in village Lath Ghuman near Batala, Distt. Gurdaspur, Punjab, India, in July, 1839. His father was Sardar Jodh Singh ji and mother was Sardarni Daya Kaur ji. She was a dvotee of Bhakt Naamdev ji, and Baba ji started visiting him at the age of four.

He Began his education/studies at the age of five with Baba Khem Singh ji, a Vedanti sage. Within two years he became a good reader of Guru Granth Sahib and read Dasam Granth also.

At the age of 12-13 years he again started studying Guru Granth Sahib at home and came to the realization that this holy book rejects Pranayama, Vairagya, Hatha yoga, Japa, places of pilgrimage, fasting and rituals as means to finding the absolute God described by Nanak and the other sikh gurus. He reached the conclusion that to find God, he must first find a perfect Master, a Satguru who practices Anhad Shabad, the meditation on the inner sound principle. He started the search for a Perfect Master as per the description in the Guru Granth Sahib, undergoing a long and arduous journey around northern India from age fifteen to seventeen. Finally, in Swamiji Shiv Dayal Singh of Agra, he found his Satguru and was initiated by him 1856.

Swamiji ordered Baba Jaimal Singh ji to start initiating "true seekers" in Punjab in Oct 1877. Swamiji advised him not to interfere with the religious choice of a devotee, and to "steer clear of sects and creeds."

Baba Jaimal Singh ji retired from the Army on June 7, 1889 and started living in his village, and later built a hut in village Bal Saran at the bank of river Beas, Punjab, India, and started living there. Slowly, a number of devotees increased and one of his devotees donated three beeghas of land for the colony known as the 'Dera' and Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

He initiated Babu Sawan Singh ji who became his successor as the second Satguru of dera Beas.

Baba Jaimal Singh spent his whole life in the service of Dera Beas and its devotees. He gave up his mortal body on Dec 29, 1903.

Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj, appointed by Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj as his successor, spread the teachings of Sant Mat all over the world through three world tours and travel in India. To make mysticism understood by people in the west, he presented spirituality as a science, one that could be practiced as an experiment within the laboratory of human body.

It is said that he devoted his entire life to love of God and service to humanity, demonstrating how it was possible to live a normal life in the world, attain spiritual enlightenment, and serve humanity. He devised an introspection diary for his initiates, a tool to help them analyze their lives in order to develop the qualities of nonviolence, truthfulness, purity, humility, and selfless service. During his mission, he initiated over 80,000 people into the Mysteries of the Beyond.

He believed in human unity and world peace. In 1956 he gave the inaugural address to the Ninth General Session of UNESCO held in New Delhi, India. His speech, “World Peace in the Atomic Age,” is believed by his followers to be a road map for obtaining and maintaining world peace. Kirpal Singh’s ability to unite people of different religions based on the commonality of all faiths resulted in his being unanimously elected President of World Fellowship of Religions Conferences held in 1957, 1960, 1965, and 1970. These conferences brought heads of different religions together in order to understand one another in a spirit of love and respect.

He founded Sawan Ashram in Delhi and in 1969 established Manav Kendra, a center to help people develop physically, mentally, and spiritually, while practicing service to humanity and the environment.

In February 1974, he convened the first Unity of Man Conference (now called the Human Unity Conference) in Delhi, aimed at uniting people not only at the level of religion, but at the level of their common humanity. He taught that God is one, though called by different names in different countries and religions. It was his lifelong work to help break down the barriers that separated people and unite them as one common family.

His books gained popularity and inspired people to develop spiritually. Among those are: Crown of Life; A study in Yoga; Prayer: Its Nature and Technique; and Naam or Word, all of which bring out the underlying similarities in different religions.

Numerous religious, civic, and social heads honored his work. He was the first non-Christian to be awarded the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta. On his tours he met with Pope Paul VI in Rome where they exchanged views on world peace. In Colombia, South America, he addressed the Council of Cali.

In India, leaders came to him to share ideas on peace and unity. He met with Mr. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the first and second prime ministers of India, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, and Dr. Zakir Hussain, the first, second, and third presidents of India. He also met with Mrs. Indira Gandhi on several occasions. In August 1974, he addressed the Indian Parliament, giving them his message of peace and hope for the future of humanity.

Shiv Dayal Singh (also known as Swami ji) was the first Satguru to start the teachings of Radha Soami faith. His actual name was Seth Shiv Dayal Singh ji. He was born on August 25, 1818 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India on the Janmashtmi day. At the age of five, he was sent to school where he learnt Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Gurumukhi. He also acquired a working knowledge of Arabic and Sanskrit. His parents were the followers of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib from Hathras, India.[2] Sant Tulsi Sahib ji initiated him at the age of six. [3] [4]

He was married at an early age to Naraini Devi, daughter of Izzat Rai of Faridabad. She was of generous disposition and was very devoted to her husband. Shiv Dayalji was selected direct from school to act as a Persian expert to a government officer in Banda. As the job did not suit him, he gave it up and took another job as a teacher of Persian with a talukdar of Ballabhgarh estate. His spiritual cravings, however, were so intense that worldly attainments no longer attracted him and he gave up even this lucrative job. He returned home for devoting his entire time to religious pursuits. [3] [5]

He practiced Surat Shabd Yoga for 15 years and started satsang publicly on Vasant Panchami (a spring festival) in 1861. This schedule continued for 17 years.

Swami ji named his philosophy "Satnaam Anaami". The movement became known as Radha Soami, Radha meaning "Soul" and Soami meaning "Lord", hence "Lord of the Soul". The yoga system taught by Swami Ji is known as Surat Shabd Yoga.

Swami ji has described the secret of divine and true 'Naam'.

He wrote Saar Vachan book in two parts named: [6] [7]

* Saar Vachan Vartik (Saar Vachan in prose)
* Saar Vachan Chhand Band (Saar Vachan in verse)

Saar Vachan Vartik contain the discourses of Swami ji Maharaj, which he delivered in the satsang up to 1878. They cover important teachings of the faith. His poems in Saar Vachan Chhand Band are replete with emotional appeal - a successful blending of popular poetic expressions from different languages of north India such as, Khari-Boli, Awadhi, Brijbhasha, Rajasthani and Gurumukhi.

He departed from this world on June 15th, 1878 in Agra, India.

Shiv Dayal Singh (also known as Swami ji) was the first Satguru to start the teachings of Radha Soami faith. His actual name was Seth Shiv Dayal Singh ji. He was born on August 25, 1818 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India on the Janmashtmi day. At the age of five, he was sent to school where he learnt Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Gurumukhi. He also acquired a working knowledge of Arabic and Sanskrit. His parents were the followers of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib from Hathras, India. Sant Tulsi Sahib ji initiated him at the age of six.

He was married at an early age to Naraini Devi, daughter of Izzat Rai of Faridabad. She was of a generous disposition and was very devoted to her husband. Shiv Dayalji was selected direct from school to act as a Persian expert to a government officer in Banda. As the job did not suit him, he gave it up and took another job as a teacher of Persian with a talukdar of Ballabhgarh estate. His spiritual cravings, however, were so intense that worldly attainments no longer attracted him and he gave up even this lucrative job. He returned home for devoting his entire time to religious pursuits.

He practiced Surat Shabd Yoga for 15 years and started satsang publicly on Vasant Panchami (a spring festival) in 1861. This schedule continued for 17 years.

Swami ji named his philosophy "Satnaam Anaami". The movement became known as Radha Soami, Radha meaning "Soul" and Soami meaning "Lord", hence "Lord of the Soul". The yoga system taught by Swami Ji is known as Surat Shabd Yoga.

Swami ji has described the secret of divine and true 'Naam'.

He wrote two books named as 'Saar Vachan Vartik (Saar Vachan in prose)' and 'Saar Vachan Chhand Band (Saar Vachan in verse)'. Saar Vachan Vartik contain the discourses of Swami ji Maharaj, which he delivered in the satsang up to 1878. They cover important teachings of the faith. His poems in Saar Vachan Chhand Band are replete with emotional appeal - a successful blending of popular poetic expressions from different languages of north India such as, Khari-Boli, Awadhi, Brijbhasha, Rajasthani and Gurumukhi.

He departed from this world on June 15, 1878 in Agra, India.