Sant_Mat,_the_Way_of_the_Saints

Sant Mat, the Way of the Saints Sam the Writing Guy University of Phoenix REL/133 November 15, 2009 Sant Mat, the Way of the Saints Introduction Throughout most of recorded history, the Indian subcontinent has been the frequent subject many invasions and conquests. The Turks, Persians, Muslims, and Mongols have all played roles in the evolution of Indian Culture. Centuries of forced diversity in the region have provided the world with a variety of religious and spiritual belief systems. Hinduism and Buddhism, in their various forms, are products of a diverse Indian culture. Another lesser-known belief system is known as Sant Mat. Sant Mat, the teaching of the Saints, is based on Shabd, the Word of God manifested as the inner spirit (Singh, 1983). This paper provides an historical overview of the Sant Mat tradition, following its lineage from the Sufi Mystics through the modern day Radhasoami practices. History of Sant Mat The Early Saints The roots of Sant Mat can be traced back over 800 years to the early Muslim mystics, the Sufis, who came to the Punjab, in the northern region of pre-partition India. One of the earliest of these mystics was the Sufi Saint, Baba Farid. Farid was born in 1173, two years after the Muslim conquest of Punjab led by Muhammad Ghori (Medieval History of India, 2008). Following his early religious training, at the age of seven, Farid was sent to Multan for his higher education. During this education, Farid met Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Baktiar Kaki, a Sufi mystic of the Chishtiyya Silsila order, and became one of his disciples. Following the death of Khwaja Qutbuddin Baktiar Kaki, Farid accepted the mantel of spiritual leader and settled the Chishtiyya Silsila mission in Pakpattan district of the Punjab Province (The Canadian Society of Muslims, n.d.). Farid is credited for creating the first literary compositions ever written in the Punjabi language (sikhpoint.com, n.d). His intention was to make the Sufi teachings available to the common people of the region. According to Sant Mat Master Charan Singh (1983), Sufism and Hinduism, in addition to Jainism and Buddhism, all share the same salient principles and belief in “transmigration of the soul, in the karma theory, and in non-violence—not killing for food or for your living (p. 183).” Because of their similarities, Hinduism and Sufism began to merge. The person cited as being responsible for linking the Hindu Bhakti and the Islam Sufism was Sant Kabir. The writings of Kabir helped to inspired Guru Nanak (The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, n.d.). In 1496 CE, Following his enlightenment, Guru Nanak Dev began the Sikh movement in Punjab. Upon recovering from a 17-day meditative trance, Nanak told his followers that, “There was no Hindu, and there is no Musalman (Muslim) (Hughes, 1885/1996).” This statement by Nanak appears to contradict a common belief that Sikhism is a mix of Muslim and Hindu. Hughes suggests that it was Nanak’s intention to do away with the differences between Hindu and Muslim beliefs and institute a new course that would supersede both (P. 586); many believe this was the beginning of Sikhism. Nanak’s shabds, in addition to the shabds of about 40 other saints, including Kabir and Farid, were collected in the Adi Granth by the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan, in 1604 (Singh, C). The Adi Granth would become the most sacred of the Sikh scriptures (Shapiro, 2002). Another common belief is that Sikhism was a precursor to the Radhasoami and Sant Mat traditions. However, Maharaj Charan Singh suggests that both Kabir and Nanak were, in fact, teaching Sant Mat. Singh states, Guru Nanak used to preach Sant Mat to the people, mostly from Kabir and from other well-known mystics who came before him. Then after Guru Nanak, from the second Guru onwards, they started teaching from Guru Nanak’s bani, from his shabds. So naturally, the teachings appeared to be new, because Guru Nanak had just come…the Adi Garanth was compiled just to prove to the seekers that what Guru Nanak taught was not new, it is the same philosophy that had been given by other mystics and then had been forgotten by the people (p. 185). Singh’s statement supports Nanak’s statement regarding “no Hindu and no Musalman.” Nanak was likely suggesting that the precepts of both Hindus and Muslim had been forgotten and therefore, needed to be recreated. The Radhasoami Movement The first of the Radhasoami teachings were formulated and delivered to the world by Param Sant Huzur Soami Ji Maharaj (Supreme Saint Soami Ji), whose birth name was Seth Shiv Dayal Singh (Sar Bachan, 1987/1964). From early childhood, Soami Ji would explicate deep spiritual teachings (p. v). Eventually he would commit his cardinal teachings to writing. His precepts were presented in two volumes, the Sar Bachan in prose and the Sar Bachan in poetry. The teachings in these two volumes were not new. As mentioned above, earlier Saints, such as Kibir, Nanak, and Tulsi, had provided the same teachings hundred of years before Soami Ji’s birth in 1818 (pp. v-vi). The belief of the Radhasoami is that any human being can achieve the highest levels of capability only through repetition of the shabd (word) or nam (name) of the Lord (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). The Sar Bachan states that, “Nearly all ancient religious literature makes reference to the Sound Current, of course, under different names. The Vedas call it Nad; the Mohammedan saints call it Kalma, or Ism-e-Azam; the Bible calls it Word in the first chapter of John, and the modern saints in India call it Shabd (p. vi).” The gift brought to humankind by Soami Ji was the simple elucidation of the practice of the Sound Current presented in his teachings (p. vi). The Radhasoami movement began in Punjabi city of Agra, in 1861 and eventually split into two factions. The original form of Radhasoami remained in Agra. A second form, known as Radhasoami Satsang Beas, was started in 1891 near the banks of the Beas River by a Sikh follower of Soami Ji named Jaimal Singh (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). The Principles of Radhasoami Satsang Beas The Supreme Truth: God In the Punjabi language, Radhasoami means Lord of the Soul; satsang refers to a group seeking the truth. The followers of the Radhasoami teachings are called Satsangis. The fundamental belief of the Satsangi is that the primary purpose of human life is to “experience the Divinity of God who resides in all of us. It is through this experience that we will realize the truth of the concept that there is only one God and we are all expressions of his love (Radhasoami Satsang Beas, 2009).” Radha Soami Dayal, the Supreme Spiritual Being, is at the top of Radhasoami cosmology. Satsangis believe that all existence emanates from Dayal, and it is from the divine sound, the Shabd, that all creation emerged. One of the primary principles of the Radhasoami faith is that, “In order to realize God in life the force of spirit has to be awakened by adopting the prescribed teaching of the Master of the Time. He is the only person in human form, ‘who’, has realized the Truth – God (radasoamifaith.org, n.d.).” In contrast to the Hindu belief system, which identifies Brahman as the ultimate or highest reality, the Radhasoami faith sees Brahman as lower than the Supreme Being because Brahman has not been freed form the mind and matter (Radhasoami Santsang.org, n.d.). Though the Satsangis of the Radhasoami faith acknowledge Brahman, they see Him on a lower plane of existence than the Supreme being. The Planes of Existence Satsangis believe that through a series of incarnations, karmic debt is acquired and released through a series of incarnations. As a soul passes through these incarnations, it arrives at different planes of existence (Barclay, personal communication, November 14, 2009). In all, there are nine planes of existence, (a) Pind, the physical Plane; (b) And, the astral plane; (c) Brahmand, the causal plane; (d) Sunn, the lower-supra-causal plane; (e) Bhawargupha, the upper-supra-causal plane; (f) Sat Lok, God the Father; (g) Alakh Purush, the unperceivable being; (h) Agam Purush, the inaccessible Being; and (i) Anami, God the prestine. The first three, Pind, And, and Brahmand are the mind and body plane. The next two, Sunn and Bhawargupha are the lower spiritual planes. The highest planes, which are of the pure spirit, are the Sat Lok, the Alakh Purush, the Agam Purush and the Anami (kheper.net, n.d.). God in Man: The Soul Seeking the Supreme truth, God realization, in the physical plane is the goal of all Satsangis. The process of seeking God realization can only be taught by someone who has obtained God Realization, a living Supreme Master. Before Satsangis can start on their path, they must have faith. For without faith that God resides within, one will have no reason to seek God. Once Satsangis has the faith to begin their journey, they begin down the path of God realization guided by their Living Master (Goyal, 2009). The Living Master Both Sikh and the Radhasoami traditions believed that the followers of other religions had placed too much emphasis and dependence on the written word of their scriptures; this is the purpose of a living Master or Guru (Kellogg, personal communication, November 17, 2009). The Sihks had ten Gurus, beginning with Guru Nanak Singh and ending with Guru Gobind Singh, who died in 1708. Each of the ten Gurus, with the exception of Nanak, were initiated by appoint successor by the previous Guru. Gobind Singh was assassinated on the banks of the Godavari River before naming a successor (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). Soami Dayal Singh Ji, was the first of the Radhasoami Masters, followed by Baba Jaimal Singh Ji, and Charan Singh Ji who died in 1990. Today, the Radhasoami living Master is Gurrinder Singh Guru (Kellogg, personal communication, November 17, 2009). Before becoming a Satsangi, one must be initiated by the current living Master. As part of the initiation, a disciple of the Master take four vows, to live a moral life, to abstain from intoxicants, to follow a strict vegetarian diet, and to meditate two and a half hours daily. The reason for following these vows is that failure to do so will interfere with one’s realization of the Supreme truth. The most important of these vows is the vow meditation. According to William Kellogg (personal communication, November 17, 2009), “meditation is the foundation of the Radasoami science.” The type of meditation used is called Surrat Shadb Yoga, which means science of the sound current. This type of meditation involves repeating five secret names of the Supreme Truth that are divulged to the Satsangi upon initiation. Sant Mat Today Today, several factions of Radhasoami exist. The best known of these is Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB). RSSB is holds meetings known as satsang on 90 countries and has published over 70 original books on spirituality. RSSB embraces all religion and considers itself to be a science for seeking spiritual truth rather than a religion (Radhasoami Satsang Beas, 2009). Other factions include Ekenkar, Religion of Light and Soul, founded in San Francisco in 1965 by Paul Twitchell; Eureka Society/Elan Vital School of Meditation, founded in 1968 in Eureka, California by Bruce Avanell; and Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission, founded in 1951 by Kirpal Singh (Melton, 2003). Conclusion Although Sant Mat is viewed by some as a New Age movement, it actually dates back hundreds of years. The words Sant Mat mean teachings of the Saints. The Saints include not only the ancient Mystics and Sikh Masters, but also Christ, Buddha, and Krishna. Sant Mat is not a religion; it is a science of spiritual enlightenment, which calls on the teachings of all religions. Sant Mat is an evolutionary process by which one seeks, and ultimately finds, the Supreme Truth. References Rādhā Soāmi Satsaṅg. (2009). In Encyclopedia Britannica [Electronic version]. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/488418/Radha-Soami-Satsang Goyal, N. (2009). The Importance of a Perfect Living Master. Frederick, MD: PublishAmerica. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://santmatradhasoami.blogspot.com/2009/10/seeking-god-realization-within-our-own.html Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Ganj-E-Shakar, r.a. (n.d.). The Canadian Society of Muslims. Retrieved November 16, 2009, from http://muslim-canada.org/sufi/ganjeshakar.html Hughes, T. (1996) A Dictionary of Islam. London: J. Jetley (Original work published in 1885) Kabir. (n.d.). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. H. Singh (Ed.). 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