Surat Shabd Yoga

[Guest guest]

The following is on Shabda Yoga, meditating upon the inner Light and

Sound of God. I found it under "essays," at the website of the Kabir

Association of Canada. By the way, there's some great Kabir poems posted

there as well:

 

http://www.freezone.co.uk/kabir/canopenp.htm

 

Peace,

 

James

 

SURAT SHABD YOGA

 

by Dr. J. Das

 

Surat Shabd Yoga is the yoga of meditation on the Word. The Word is the

soul or the spirit of God dwelling in every cell of our being. This meditation

is an inner journey to realization of God dwelling within. The whole

process occurs above the level of the physical body, the mind, and the

intellect. This is why the physical methods taught by traditional yoga

are not necessary. The goal is realization of, or identification with,

God, Who dwells in all of us and is nameless, formless, self-existent,

unconditioned, and the causeless cause. The preparation and approach

to Surat Shabd Yog requires three conditions to be fulfilled:

 

1. Sat Guru. A Sat Guru is necessary to teach and guide the devotee in

cleansing himself in thought, word, and deed, and make him fit to meditate

and to realize God. He shows the devotee the proper way of meditation

and helps him along the path. Kabir Saheb stated, "The Master is greater

than God," as God put us in this physical life of bondage, but devotion

to the Master carries one back to God and liberation." The understanding

is that God created you and put you into this world, but the Master shows

you the way back to God. It is often difficult to find a spiritual teacher

sufficiently qualified to give an in-depth teaching to the student, but

if the student has an earnest desire to follow a spiritual path, and

an enquiring mind, he or she can do very much to promote spiritual growth.

 

 

2. Sadachar or Dharma. This consists of righteousness in thought, word,

and deed. It consists of high thinking and noble living. Kabir Saheb

has clearly outlined the various qualities necessary in the Gyan Gudri

(Quilt of knowledge). He tells us to develop patience, perseverance,

virtue, simplicity, reason, love, good conduct, spiritual discrimination,

kindness, compassion, attachment to God, forgiveness, noble conduct,

discipline of the body and mind, steadfastness, and to contemplate on

the Reality of God and soul being one, and to worship the Divine Sound,

the Eternal Energy of God, and realize that there is no other God than

the Supreme Unattached Brahm or Sat Purush. Sant Kirpal Singh, speaking

of Sadachar, states: "In brief, it stands for the good and pure life.

It does not imply any rigid code or set moral formulae, but suggests

purity and simplicity, which radiate from within and spread outwards,

permeating every action, every word, every thought. It is as much concerned

with one's personal habits, good and hygienic, as with one's individual

and social ethics." It consists of non-injury to any living being, truthfulness,

purity, universal love, and selfless service to all. A study of the Tisa

Yantra (thirty beneficial instructions) of Kabir Saheb, which consists

of the distilled wisdom of all spiritual teachings, will definitely put

the student on the proper path to a spiritual life. The student must

daily and systematically examine himself or herself, and remove lust,

anger, attachment to worldly things, greed, and egoism. Only by diligent

effort will the student make proper progress on the spiritual path, and

be able to meditate effectively to realize union with God.

 

3. Sadhana (discipline). In order for the student to achieve results,

he should live a disciplined life. He must be committed to the spiritual

goal and be regular in the practice of meditation. He must wake up early

in the morning to meditate. He must practice concentration of the mind

regularly.

 

He must persevere with his practice daily at regular times. He must be

willing to make some sacrifices and undergo some hardships in order to

achieve results. He should make it a regular habit to study noble books.

Throughout the day he should practice remembering God and feeling the

presence of God within himself and in all beings everywhere. He should

sit in a comfortable upright position in a quiet area, and focus his

attention between the eyebrows at the Trikuti or third eye. He should

make his breathing easy and regular, keep all external thoughts away

from his consciousness, and meditate on the Word as energy or sound or

soul which permeates the whole being. He should feel the presence of

the Divine Being within. By constant practice, the process will become

easier and easier. Along with the meditation, the student should endeavor

to feel and realize that all beings are one, as all proceed from God.

 

By following the methods outlined above, the student will be on the path

of God-realization. He will experience inner peace, joy, tranquility,

harmony, and love. His aim is to have inner experience of Reality as

Kabir Saheb said to some theoretical pandits: "How can we agree when

I speak from inner experience and you only from bookish learning?"

 

 

 

 

_________________

To get your own FREE ZDNet Onebox - FREE voicemail, email, and fax,

all in one place - sign up today at http://www.zdnetonebox.com