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    Chanting Hari OmPage 2 V1 #3, Jan. 18, 2002

    The Life and Sadhana of Mota Maharaj (Bhagat)

    between caste-Hindus andAntyaja leaders and endorsed by

    the British Government ended his

    fast and saved his life. Earlieralso, for accepting an Antyajafamily as inmate of his Ashram,

    he had faced banishment and hisAshram had come to the brink of

    an empty chest owing to the

    withdrawal of support by caste-Hindus. The Godsend rich

    donation through a reformermillionaire had saved the

    Ashram.)

    His duties at the HarijanAshram at Navsari alone weredifficult enough. As Secretary

    moreover he had to look after thefinances and management of the

    Sangh's institutions. In addition anew problem faced him. The

    Navsari Ashram, then under theIndian State of Baroda. The

    Ashram was situated at a solitaryplace nearly a mile from the

    town. Before Bhagat took charge,the Ashram was already used by

    civil resisters as a very

    convenient resort for their secretplans to fight the British

    Government. Bhagat himself hadalready gone to jail and suffered

    lathi blows. Civil resistersnaturally therefore had expected

    all possible aid from the Ashramand from Bhagat, for companion-

    in-arms.But Harijan Sevak Sangh,

    with its branch Harijan Ashram

    at Navsari, was avowedly andstrictly an institution devoted

    solely to the social service ofHarijans. The C.I.D. (Central

    Investigation Department, Police)had begun to suspect that theNavsari Harijan Ashram had

    become a centre of Anti-Britishactivities. Bhagat saw that the

    Harijan Ashram and the Harijan

    Sevak Sangh had got to be savedfrom the possible heavy hand of

    the Baroda State under pressurefrom the paramount British

    power.He had therefore to take a firm

    stand against his own men, hispolitical co-workers. For this

    courageous insistence he incurredtheir displeasure, but cleared the

    air of the Ashram.

    B a l i y o gDarshan of the Guru

    This entire disturbance had its

    inevitable effect upon his mind.He was ill at ease and feeling thathe was steadily but surely losing

    ground, declining from the highspiritual state he had come to. And

    that consciousness only intensifiedhis agony. It seemed to him

    impossible to remove himself from

    the network into which he sawhimself caught. During this period

    of his dilemma, when Bhagat wasa teacher in a Harijan boys' school

    in Nadiad, he took all his students

    to the bank of the Shedhi Riverthree miles away. The boys

    indulged in fun and frolic and hehimself plunged into the depths of

    prayer and sadhana. With the verywilling approval of the Harijan

    boys of the Navsari Ashram, theydecided to spend a night on the

    lonely bank of River Supra, a fewmiles away. Equipped with their

    kits, including food, in a hand-

    cart, they started for a quiet placeon the sands of the river. It was a

    lovely trip. They indulged freelyin jokes and chats. At their

    destination, the boys collectedwooden sticks scattered

    thereabouts and lighted a cheerfulfire.

    The younger boys kept thenight watch until about 10:30 p.m.

    Then the older boys took their turn

    for the purpose. Bhagat kept thevigil all along, of course with his

    continuous silent chant. Aftermidnight the climax was reached

    in the entrancing beauty of theenvironment. The stars in theheavens above shone brilliantly.

    The river, as it flowed, sang a

    melodious song. The soft touch ofthe gentle breeze quieted the

    mind. The sight, the sound, the

    touch together played the part of alullaby (song to put child tosleep). Nature had gone into

    something like a samadhi. Thathad its overpowering effect on

    Bhagat, but in a way differentfrom the usual somnolence or

    sleep it produces. His silent chantof 'Hari Om' on the background of

    his mind affected by the

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    The Life and Sadhana of Mota Maharaj (Bhagat)superb scene completely subdued

    all ripples of disturbing thoughtor sensation and he fell into a

    state of samadhi, wherein there

    was full Self-centred but no out-going consciousness.

    And then it happened. 'Is this

    a dream?' he wondered. Is it aprojection of my unconscious

    mind?' 'Auto - suggestion?' 'An

    apparition?' 'What is it?' Heasked himself, for he saw some-thing in his wide-awake state,

    which his mind could hardly be-lieve to be true. It was the three

    dimensional form of his deceasedGuru, Balayogiji, who had given

    up the ghost years before! The

    vision startled him at first. Thenhe bowed down to him with deep

    reverence and love. At that verymoment came the loud unbraid-

    ing voice of that form, "Youfool ! I am here in perfect, tangi-

    ble reality, in flesh and blood. Ihave come to animate you. Take

    it from me that though your pre-sent circumstances appear to be

    harmful to you, they are deliber-

    ately brought about by God to es-tablish in your heart firmly and

    intensely, your urge for self-realization. God deigns to shower

    his grace and take charge of avery sincere sadhak who pines

    for union with him. He himselflooks after both his yoga and

    khsehma (spiritual and materialwelfare.)"

    "Be at ease and rest assured

    that God himself is going to lookafter all your affairs in order tofacilitate your sadhana."

    Since you might feel a strongaversion toward the abuse he had

    hurled at me, I will not repeat ithere. And then came his depart-

    Sathya Sai Baba

    Namasmarana A

    Universal SadhanaBy Sathya Sai Baba, a quotefrom his little but very impor-

    tant booklet entitled

    Namasmarana . It can be pur-chased from the Sri Sathya Sai

    Baba Book & Information Cen-tre, 290 Merton St., Toronto,

    ON. M4S 1A9. Satsangs(chanting) are held at the center

    on Thursday nights and Sundaymornings.

    1. Hindus, Muslims and Chris-tians may differ in some reli-

    gious customs but they are all

    one in the glorification of theName of God. All of them ask

    their followers to recite thename of the One Lord, thoughthe manner in which the Name

    is recited varies from religion toreligion. Each one remembers,

    respects and recites the name as

    formed in his own tongue. Eachone turns the rosary according

    to the direction of his own relig-ion. All the same, for everyone

    there is nothing so fruitful, souniversal, so holy among spiri-

    tual disciplines as this sadhanaof Namasmarana, Japa or Dhy-

    ana.

    Take a memorable quote fromthis article (a pull quote) to pique

    your reader's interest.

    ing admonition: "If even after allI have said, you persist in doubt-

    ing my presence, let me tell youas surely as I have resurrected

    myself before you, a dead bodylies here." Then he drew a circle

    in the sand and disappeared.It was but natural. The whole

    thing had occurred in a flash and

    was too fantastic to be acceptableat once. And yet he was fully

    awake when he saw the form andheard the words of his late Guru!

    Fortunately the Guru had left acue to resolve his doubt. He

    woke up two or three bigger boysand asked them if they could see

    with their lamps any circle drawnon the sand. They found it. Then

    he asked them to dig out the por-

    tion within. After going about 4feet deep they came to a shallow

    pool of water. But still no corpse!He asked them to continue. They

    dug deeper and low and behold,there it was - a dove with its dead

    body dry in water like a lotus-leaf ! All the doubts of Bhagat

    were set completely at rest.

    Pure Love For KrsnaAn excerpt from

    Chant And Be Happy by

    A.C. Bhaktivedanta.

    Pure love for Krsna is eternallyestablished in the heart of living

    entities. It is not something to begained from another source.

    When the heart is purified by

    hearing and chanting, the livingentity is awakened.

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    T i m e i n S i l e n c e a n d S o l i t u d e i n I n d i aof town. It was isolated andquiet. The property beside the

    Ashram and the Maun room was

    a Bamboo grove which mademusic when the wind blew. Noone lived there. Now in 1997

    population growth had made its

    impact. The ashram wassurrounded by homes, mostly

    poor makeshift huts. These hutswere built right on the edges of

    the ashram property, right upagainst the fence. The Bamboo

    grove was gone and one yard

    from the Maun room there werefamilies living in these simpleshelters. Time changes

    everything, and I had been away

    a long time.The Maun Room in

    Kumbakonam had not been usedin many years and it was made

    ready for me. I was very gratefulto Hasmukhlal and Hari Mehta

    because all the other Maun

    rooms on Gujarat were bookedfor the next two years. If I was toreturn to India I felt that I had to

    go into the Maun Rooms again.Through the grace of Mota,

    Hasmukhlal and Hari madeeverything possible. Hari Om.

    The Ashram had changed.The Mehtas were living there

    now. The property had berenovated and the entire property

    had been significantly improved.It was beautiful to see. The treeswere all twice the size as they

    were on my first visit. From theoutside the Maun room looked

    the same. The fence on the oneside with poor people living

    against it was the mostnoticeable difference.

    The Maun room itself had

    changed! A four feet by four feetalter to Ganesh was built into the

    room on one side. The room was

    quite small to begin with so thisstatue was very imposing.

    Looking one way in the room itwas a temple to Ganesh. Looking

    the other way it was a simpleMaun Room. At first I was

    unpleasantly shocked byGaneshs presence, but this room

    was my spiritual home, and itwouldnt make a difference to

    my chanting Hari Om when I

    was in it. So I accepted Ganeshas my companion in Maun.

    Once in Maun I realized aspecial meaning in Ganeshs

    presence. Years before when Ihad my vision in Maun room, It

    came as a blast of lightning in adark thunderstorm. The lightning

    seemed to hit the room and blastopen the wall, and then it struck

    me. I expected that I was dead,

    but after a few moments I beganto wonder what had happened.

    As I wondered, I seemed totravel in my consciousness out to

    the source of that lightning.When I arrived there I lostmyself and had a special cosmic

    vision of the nature of the

    Universe. I probably remained ina super-conscious state for

    several days, and I question if I

    ever really returned to what waspreviously normalconsciousness. It was this vision

    of light and of the meaning oflife that led me out of the Maun

    room and back to Canada.The statue of Ganesh was too

    large to simply put in the room.Part of the wall had to be torn

    down so that it could be

    My Return To Maun Room

    After 28 Years ..................

    Robin ArmstrongOn September 1 to 8, 1997, I

    returned to India and spent oneweek in the Maun Room at

    Kumbakonam. My early

    experiences in Maun Room in1968 and 1969 were the mostvaluable experiences in my life.

    They have always stayed withme. It was, however very

    convenient to have them in apocket of my memory, as

    something I had done years ago.It was safe to refer to. What hadhappened could not be changed!

    I could talk about it with beingchallenged.

    Returning to the Maun Roomforced me to bring the past to the

    present. No longer was thissomething that I did. It became

    something I had to do in thepresent. It was no longer safe.

    Everything could change in amoment.

    Irregardless of how much

    time one spends in Maun Room,each day presents its own

    challenges and tribulations. It isnever easy! One has to do anaudit of ones reality. Hari Om.

    Who am I? and where is God?

    Hari Om.The ashram and the Maun

    Room at Kumbakonam hadchanged dramatically since I had

    been there. It did not matter tome because this was home. I was

    born in this room. This spacewith concrete walls was my

    spiritual Mother! Mother hadchanged over time!

    The ashram in 1968 was on

    the Cauvery River on the outside

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    T i m e i n S i l e n c e a n d S o l i t u d e i n I n d i aneighbours awake! Then in the

    daytime hours, I had to dealwith the noises of their domestic

    household activities, whichfortunately were reasonable.This forced me to chant silentlyinstead of openly. A third

    formidable challenge was thepresence of a television on the

    ashram. Electronic vibrationsare a disturbance to sadhana.

    Yes even electronic bhajans are

    at times a disturbance for me.Someone singing bhajans live

    would not have been so soul-less. These challenges created in

    me a stronger need to chantwithin and hold to my inner

    silence. In their own way eachproblem was a blessing, helping

    me to increase my intensity.Fortunately, thanks to the grace

    of Mota, and the love of

    Hasmukbhai and Harieverything else ran smoothly

    and made my fifth time in MaunRoom a meaningful and

    successful venture.It must be understood that

    this Maun Room had not been

    used in many years, but it had

    been maintained as a temple.The functioning of a Maun

    Room would therefore be more

    difficult and not as automatic asthe regularly used

    rooms in Gujarat. I am sograteful that this, my specialroom where I have spent over

    fifteen months of my life, wasmade available for me after my

    being away for such a long

    time. Hari Om, Mota Hari Om.My comments are not meant as

    critical statements but to explainthe nature of my challenges in

    Maun. In coming out of MaunRoom, everyone was really

    loving and considerate, but I

    had difficulty in being aroundthe television. Fortunately itwas not always on, and I could

    usually go down to the river andchant.

    One of the most wonderfulthings about my trip to India

    this time was that I found out

    about the people on the outsideof the Maun rooms and they

    helped me to find out some

    information about the life andperson of Mota. I have only metMota a few times but I have felt

    his inner guidance for years. Idid not have any of his literature

    to read as it was all in Gujarati.Now I have been blessed with

    material about and writings by

    Mota which have beentranslated into English. I have

    found a new relationship to

    Mota and his ideas. Hopefullymore of Motas works will be

    translated into English.On leaving the Maun Room,

    I was renewed again. The Maun

    experience was once again inthe present and not comfortably

    resting in my memories. I havedaily kept up my chanting over

    the years, along withmeditation, and my reading of

    the Bhagavad Gita, andPatanjalis Yoga Sutras. But

    now I had renewed my contactswith the devotees of Mota who

    have affected my life so

    positively, and I have some ofMotas books to study. Hari

    Om.

    pushed into the room. The part

    of the wall that was torn downwas the very same part that in

    my vision almost thirty yearsbefore, was hit by the divine

    stroke of lightning. Behind thestatue of Ganesh was a white

    sun with the word OM in the

    centre of it. The very placewhere that white sun was on the

    wall, was where the lightningflash of my illumination had

    struck. And it had an OM rightin the middle of it. To me this

    had significant repercussionand was far more than

    coincidence. As I chanted in theMaun Room I felt that I had

    witnessed the birth of a God

    over time. Where the vision ofmy life was, there now sits a

    stone image of Ganesh. Fromhere on I enjoyed thoroughlythe company of Ganesh in

    Maun. During my week in

    Maun the statue of Ganeshchanged its appearance several

    times. As I walked around theroom chanting Hari Om, the

    statue of Ganesh kept changinginto the image of Sathya Sai

    Baba. This happened repeatedlythrough the first three days of

    my stay in Maun.The first challenge of my

    week in Maun was overcome

    by my acceptance of Ganesh'spresence. The second

    challenge, and a much moredifficult one was the close

    proximity of the poor familiesat the side of the Maun room.

    I could not in all consciousnesschant loudly through the night

    or early morning hours as I wasaware of it keeping the

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    My Time in the Dark

    Room, by Bina Desai

    (Translated from the

    G u j a r a t i m a g a z i n e Haribhav Sept. 2001)

    The experiment of the DarkRoom created by Pujya Shree

    Mota is unique in the wholeworld. In the dark room, one

    problem that arises is due tothe perspirations and dirtiness

    inside body that comes outand we are challenged to keep

    chanting whole time. We canfeel good also. If we have

    some diseases, we usually go

    to doctor but here inside thedark room, Pujya Mota

    removes diseases of our bodyas well as our mind. I hope to

    come here thrice a year. HerePujya Shree gives us thepower to stay inside.

    I appreciate the treatment

    given to me by Hari OmAshram while in the dark

    room. The work is done by

    volunteers. It is also verycheap, 5 Indian rupees per dayfor pure and vegetarian

    lodging. They are very politeand speak softly.

    My Time in the Dark Room,

    by Jagjivanbhai Tailor

    (Translated from the Gujarati

    magazine Haribhav Sept.2001)

    After waiting for one year I got

    my turn to sit in a dark room inthe Surat Ashram. I got a letterfrom them but I had fever and I

    couldnt take food. My wife

    told me not to go and she cried.But I collected strength and

    went for my turn anyway. I feltsome problems first but after

    that I felt happiness and peace.I started swinging* with

    chanting of Hari Om. I felt the presence of Pujya Mota all

    time. At present most saintscollect money from society and

    build temples, but Pujya Motacollects money and builds

    rooms for schools in small

    isolated villages.

    Comments about Solitude(Maun) Room on May 28,

    1968, by Robin Armstrong( after 98 days aloneFeb.20,1968 to May 28,1968)

    HARI OM

    Many volumes could bewritten andstill nothing would be said.Silence and solitude must beexperienced.How can it be expressed?The Lord placed me in maunroom.The Lord has sustained me.Three and a half months ofchanting Hari Omhave passed with lightningspeed.The Lords grace is alwaysupon eachand every one of us.

    HARI OM

    T i m e i n S i l e n c e a n d S o l i t u d e i n I n d i a

    C h a n t i n g H a r i O m i n S u r a t , G u j a r a t

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    The State of BeingBy Mota Maharaj,

    (translated by Pratapbhai

    Upadhyaya, edited by RobinArmstrong)

    HARI OM

    17. By His repeated touch, Hedoes his work;

    Being does its work by oftenmaking inroads.

    18. It is not certain that Being,

    though awakened and active,flows uniformly everywhere.

    19. As Being flows on and

    makes its way deep down,

    It meets with halts and hurdleson the way;

    20. By nature Being knows not

    to halt,only, some instruments act as a

    hurdle.

    21. However, by the constanttouch of Being,

    It plays its part invariably.

    22. When the practice of

    sadhana gets going in the heart,And when it goes on

    continuously,Being oozes grace;

    23. One who, at all times, hasthe thoughts and contemplation

    of Being,

    experiences the feeling of Beingin the heart.

    24. One who but once tastes the

    feeling of Being at heartis pulled by its attraction, deep

    into the state of Being.

    25. Thoughts, propencities orany other feelings

    Do not prevail in the state of

    Being.

    26. The state of Being is notstatic in life.

    The action of the state of Beingis definitely

    to put one in touch withconsciousness.

    27. When the state of Being

    becomes profoundly continuous

    in the higher plane,It begins to spread deep downinto the very depth of crevices.

    28. The proper background andproper qualification

    for coming in touch with thebeing

    Comes forth through the practice

    of remainingin the continuous feeling ofbeing.

    29. When the heart swells with

    joy through such practice,The State of Being emerges

    when the deep concentration is

    There.

    30. Such an innate State ofBeing may not emerge in the

    heart by itself.One must practice intensely as

    though intoxicated.

    31. In the heart of such a onesprings forth the State of Being

    - Bhava.

    32. He who is continuously

    pervaded by the feeling of Beingin life,

    can be fully carefree about hisactions.

    33. He need not ever plan for his

    actions.His actions follow his intuitive

    inspiration,

    Such is the impact of the Being,the inner Master.

    34. The awareness of proper andimproper grows spontaneously.

    35. He recognises his original

    self in the heart

    The State of Beingis the total reflection of soul.

    The S ta te o f Be ing , By Mota Mahara j

    M o t a M a h a r a j

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    S w a m i S i v a n a n d a

    Benefits of JapaExcerpts for Japa Yoga bySwami Sivananda

    Japa checks the force of the

    thought-current moving towardsobjects. It forces the mind to

    move towards God, towards theattainment of eternal bliss. It

    eventually helps to have Darsanaof God. The Mantra Chaitanya is

    hidden in every Mantra. Wheverthe Sadhaka or spiritual aspirant

    shows lack of vigour in his Sad-

    hana the Mantra-Sakti or powerof the Mantra reinforces the Sad-

    hana-Sakti of the Sadhaka. Con-stant and prolonged repetition for

    some months cuts new groovesin the mind and the brain.

    During Japa all the divinequalities steadily flow into your

    mind from the Lord just as oilflows from one vessel to another

    vessel. Japa transforms the nature

    of the mind. It fills the mind withSattva.

    Japa changes the mental sub-

    stance from passion to purity,

    from Rajas to Sattva. It calmsand strengthens the mind. It

    makes the mind introspective. Itchecks the outgoing tendencies

    of the mind. It eradicates allkinds of evil thoughts and incli-nations. It induces determinationand austerity. Eventually it leads

    to the direct Darsana of God, theIsta Devata, or tutelary Deity, or

    to God-realisation.

    What Is Japa?An excerpt from The Wisdom of

    Sri Chinmoy, by Sri Chinmoy.

    There are many Sri Chinmoy

    Centres around the world. In To-

    ronto his devotees run a wonder-ful vegetarian restaurant named

    Annapurna at 1085 Bathurst St.

    (just south of Dupont).Japa is the repetition of a

    mantra. If you want purity, thentoday repeat the name of God

    five hundred times. Then every

    day increase the number by onehundred. That is to say, tomor-

    row you will repeat the name ofGod six hundred times, and the

    day after, seven hundred. After

    one week you will repeat thename of God twelve hundred

    times. From that day start de-creasing the number daily by one

    hundred until you again reachfive hundred. Continue this exer-cise, week by week, just for amonth. Whether you want to

    change your name or not, theworld will give you a new name.

    It will call you by the name Pu-rity. Your inner ear will make

    you hear it. It will surpass your

    fondest imagination.Let nothing perturb us. Let

    our bodys impurity remind us ofour hearts spontaneous purity.

    Let our finite thoughts remind usof our inner infinite will. Let our

    minds teeming imperfections re-mind us of our souls limitless

    perfection.The present-day world is full

    of impurity. It seems that purity

    is a currency from another world.It is hard to obtain this purity, but

    once we get it, peace is ours, suc-cess is ours.

    Let us face the world. Let ustake life as it comes. Our Inner

    Pilot is constantly vigilant. Theundercurrents of our inner and

    spiritual life will always flow onunnoticed, unobstructed, un-

    afraid.

    God may be unknown, butHe is not unknowable. Our

    prayers and meditation lead us tothat unknown. who has to walk,and he does so. Neither the one

    who is dragged not the one whodrags can be happy. Likewise,

    God says, My divine children,

    in your inner life, I give you in-spiration. It is you who have to

    aspire with the purest heart toreach the golden beyond.

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    Sri Ramana Maharshi

    Reality In Forty VersesBy Ramana Maharshi, excerptsfrom The Collected Works of

    Ramana Maharshi,edited by

    Arthur Osborne. There is anexcellent website for Ramana

    Ashram that includes manyphotos and all of Sri Ramanas

    works. Visit them on line at

    www.ramana-maharshi.orgInvocatorya. If there were not being could

    there be any idea of being? Sincethat which is free from mental

    concepts and is within oneself,who is there to contemplate it? It

    is called the heart. Know that to

    remain within oneself as being isto contemplate it.

    b. Those who have great fear of

    death seek refuge at the feet ofthe Supreme Lord who iswithout birth and death, in order

    to overcome their fear. They thendie to themselves along with

    their adjuncts (sense of I andmine). Will those who are

    (have realized themselves to be)

    deathless entertain again thethought of death?

    The Text

    1. Since we perceive the worldwe must agree unanimously

    that there is a power which is

    capable of becoming multiple.The picture of name and form,he who sees it, the cloth on

    which it is based (painted) andthe light which illuminates it

    are all oneself.

    2. Every system of thought

    postulates the threefundamentals; the individual,

    God and world. Only the oneappears as the three. It is only

    as long as there is an ego-sensethat one says that the three are

    really three. The best thing is torenounce the ego-sense and

    remain in ones true state.

    3. The world is real, No, it is

    a false appearance, The worldis sentient, No it is not, The

    world is happiness, No it isnot. What is the use of such

    disputes? That state is agreeableto all in which, ignoring the

    world, one knows ones Self,abandoning both unity and

    duality and the ego-sense isgone.

    4. If one has a form the world

    and God will also have forms.If one has no form who is there

    to see their forms, and how?Can anything be seen without

    the eye? The real eye is the Selfwhich is the eye of Infinity.

    5. The body is of the form of

    the five sheaths. Thereforethese five are included in the

    term body. Is there a world in

    the absence of the body? Hasanyone ever seen the world

    without a body?

    6. The world is of the form ofthe five (kinds of) sense-objects

    and nothing else. These five

    sense-objects are known by the

    five sense organs. As the onemind knows the world by means

    of the five sense organs, is therea world apart from the mind?

    Answer me.

    7. Although the world and

    awareness of it rise and sink

    together, the world is perceivedthrough awareness. That in

    which the world and the

    awareness of it rise and set is thePlenitude (purnam) which shineswithout rising (or setting).

    8. Under whatever name and

    form one worships That whichhas no name and form, it is only

    a means of perceiving it. To

    know the truth of ones Self asthe true reality, and merge and

    become one with It is the onlytrue perception (realization).

    Understand this.

    9. The dyads and triads alwaysdepend upon the One. If one sees

    within ones mind what that Oneis, they disappear. Only those

    who have seen this have seen the

    Truth. Know that they will neverbe perturbed.

    10. There is no knowledge apartfrom ignorance and no ignorance

    apart from knowledge. Who is itwho has this knowledge andignorance? That Knowledge

    which knows the Self which is

    the basis of both, is the realKnowledge.

    11. Is it not ignorance to knowall else, without knowing the Self

    Real i ty in For ty Verses by Sr i Ramana Maharsh i

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    11. which is the source ofknowledge? Can it be

    knowledge? When the Self,

    which is the basis of knowledgeand the object of knowledge, is

    known; ignorance and

    knowledge cease to exist.

    12. What is neither knowledgenor ignorance is (real)

    knowledge. Knowledge of(objects) cannot be real

    knowledge. The Self, whichshines without there being

    anything else to know or beknown, is knowledge. Know that

    it is not nothingness.

    13. The Self, which isknowledge, is alone the truth.The knowledge of multiplicity is

    ignorance. This ignorance,which is unreal, has no existence

    apart from the Self, which isknowledge. Have diverse gold

    ornaments any reality apart from

    the gold of which they are made?

    14. If the first person exists, thesecond and third persons will

    also exist. If the reality of thefirst person is enquired into and

    the first person ceases to exist,the second and third persons will

    (also) cease to exist, and all willshine as One. This is ones true

    nature.

    15. The past and the future

    depend upon the present. Theyare also present while they are

    current. There is only thepresent. Without knowing this

    truth, trying to know the past andthe future is like trying to count

    without the unit (one).

    16. When we look into them,

    what are time and space apart

    from us? If we are bodies we areinvolved in time and space, but

    are we? We are the same now,then and at all times; here, there,

    and everywhere. We exist; we

    who are beyond time and spacealone are.

    17. To those who have notrealized the Self as well as to

    those who have, the body is I.To those who have not realized

    the I is limited to the body. Tothose who have, within the body,

    realized the Self; the I shinesboundless. Know that this is the

    difference between them.

    18. The world is real to those

    who have realized (the Self) as

    well as to those who have not. Tothose who have not realized, theworld is merely the world; to

    those who have, truth is formlessand shines as the substratum of

    the world. Know that this is thedifference between them.

    19. The dispute as to whichprevails, fate or free will,

    interests only those who do notknow the source of both. Those

    who have realized the Self,which is the ground of fate and

    free will, are free from them.Will they again resort to them?

    20. Seeing God without seeingthe Self who sees, is only a

    mental image. Only he who hasseen himself has seen God, since

    he has lost his individuality andnothing remains but God.

    21. If it be asked, What is themeaning of the old scripturaltexts which speak of seeing

    oneself as seeing God? The

    reply is how, being one, one cansee oneself? And if one cannot

    see oneself how is one to see

    God? Only by being swallowedup by God.

    K i r p a l S i n g h

    Naam: What It Is?Excerpt from Naam or Word,

    by Kirpal Singh

    Naam: What It Is?Excerpt from Naam or Word,

    by Kirpal Singh (p.27)

    All scriptures speak of

    Naam but have not been able tosay adequately enough as towhat It is? It is impossible to

    define and delineate It in so

    many words. It may conven-iently be described as life-

    impulse or consciousness-principle. When it begins to

    vibrate, it produces tunefulsound, which is termed as

    Naam or Shabd. This Sound-

    current proceeding from thedeep Silence of the FormlessKutasth is responsible for all

    forms and colours, visible and

    invisible to the naked eyes. Alllife hangs on this life-principle.No life can exist without

    Naam. The Sound-principle isall-pervading, though it may or

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    may not be felt, yet it is rever-berating from top to toe. It is

    the Kernel, and the Essence andat once both the material and

    efficient Cause of the endlessuniverses in which this physical

    earth is but a speck.O Pipa! This universal vi-

    bration is the Primal Causeless

    Cause,but can be apprehended

    only through a Master-soul.In all religions, God is spo-

    ken of as the Sound-manifest. It

    is a current, live and consciousand has in It the germs of crea-

    tion. It is spoken of as Life-

    Principle. It is because of thislink between the Creator and

    the creation, that the spirit orsoul of a person can cross over

    the physical body and traversesthe spiritual regions to reach the

    True Home of our Father TheSachkhand. From scriptures we

    learn that Sound-principle orNaam is of two kinds: (1) the

    outer and (2) the inner. The for-

    mer comprises, words of mouthor words that may be spoken

    out or written down and re-corded. This constitutes all

    learning and knowledge at anintellectual level and is termed

    as Apra-Vidya or knowledge ofthe world and worldly sur-

    roundings. All worldly wisdomis included therein. It is also

    calle Varn-Atmak, for with it

    Atma or Soul can express itselfand functions in the world. All

    book knowledge is because ofVaran-Atmak Shabd. Compre-

    hension of world and wordlyrelations depends on this typeof Shabd which helps out-

    wardly, i.e. in the physical

    plane. It serves as the means of

    conveying ideas and emotionsfrom man to man, just as

    many other animals would do.Outer-Sound then serves as

    the first step, in the study ofthe science of the spirit.

    Theory precedes practice andthe Master-saint has to make

    use of it, for explaining this

    most abstruse subject. AgainJapa or Oral repetition of cer-

    tain words or names of God isto be done by Varn-AtmakShabd. The preliminary train-

    ing of the mind is the first es-sential on this Path and hence

    the need for outer sound or

    Shabd.Japa is of four kinds:

    (1) Baikhri or oral one, per-formed by tongue.

    (2) Madhma or one donementally at the seat of the

    Shakti in the Kanth or throat.(3) Pashianti. This too is a

    mental sadhan, but done at theseat of the heart.

    (4) Para. It is also a mental

    process but is performed withattention riveted at the seat of

    the navel.All these types of japas do

    give solace of varying degreesand one gets peace of mind of

    a temporary nature becausethe various bodily ganglions

    involved in them are of alower order, situated below

    Shiv-Netra or the Third Eye.

    Besides these, there isSimran or Japa of the inde-

    scribable and hidden Sound-current that proceeds of itself

    from the depths of the GreatSilence. It is technicallytermed Para-

    Vidya (knowledge of the Be-

    yond) or Dhun-Atmak

    Shabd. In this type of Japa,one has just to listen to the allpervading Naam or Shabd. As

    this Sound cannot be ex-

    pressed in any symbolic form,it is expressionless. It may be

    contacted above the sensoryplane, behind the center of the

    two eye-brows. The true sig-nificance of Naam, the Creator

    of various planes and divisionsof the endless universes may

    be known by one who is anadept in the Surat-Shabd-Yoga

    or has united his soul with theSound-principle.

    He who performs Japa

    with the tongue of thought,knows the true nature of the

    Sound-current (Word orNaam). ..Malar M.1

    No doubt Dhun-AtmakShabd is the very essence of

    ones soul, but one cannot ap-prehend it without the help and

    guidance of a Master-soul orAdept in the line, and without

    Surat-Shabd Yoga, i.e. estab-

    lishing a contact of the spirit orsoul with the essentially live-

    principle (through a regularprocess of inversion or self-

    analysis). One does not getlifes richest gift; for the spiritis engaged all the time in outer

    pursuits by constant associa-

    tion with the mind and thesenses, reveling in the enjoy-

    ment of the world and worldly

    objects. Emerson, the greatAmerican philosopher, speaksof inversion as tapping in-

    side.Lord Jesus metaphorically

    speaks of it: Knock and itshall be opened unto thee.

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    UPCOMING MEDITATION

    AND CHANTING EVENTS:

    Monday Night, Jan. 28, 2002 at

    7:00 pm: Full Moon Meditation

    and Chanting of Hari Om. The

    Full Moon brings a heightened

    awareness of the pulls and attach-

    ments of both past and present. It

    is a potent time to secure our

    sense of oneness with each other.

    Group chanting and meditation at

    the time of the Full Moon

    strengthens spiritual and social

    awareness. If one can avoid being

    pulled out into the dualities in

    life, then Full Moon chantinggenerates affirmations that will

    carry you through to the next Full

    Moon. This evening of chanting

    and meditation will be held at

    Alain Passenauds home, 517

    Pape St. at the corner of Dingwall

    (use the side entrance on Ding-

    wall). Alains phone number is

    416-465-5263. As usual there

    will be chanting, reading from

    spiritual texts, more chanting, andthen a pot luck vegetarian dinner.

    Everyone is requested to bring

    something for the meal, but if you

    cannot do so, you are still wel-

    come. There is no charge for the

    evening.

    Monday Night, Feb.11, 2002 at

    7:00 pm: New Moon Meditation

    and Chanting of Hari Om. New

    Moons are the peak points of

    subjective impressionability in the

    month. Receptivity to core in-

    sights and to God are accentuated.

    Chanting on a New Moon will

    give an extra vitality to your ef-

    forts over the following month

    until the next New Moon. A holy

    environment and spiritual com-

    panions are are great blessing.

    ronto, just outside of Aurora. Her

    address is 16527 Kennedy Rd.

    (between Aurora Rd and Mullock

    Drive). From Toronto drive North

    on Hwy 404, East on Aurora Rd,

    North on Kennedy, on the right

    hand side. If you need transporta-

    tion call Robin at 416-465-4113.

    As usual there will be chanting,

    reading from spiritual texts, more

    Chanting, and then a pot luck

    vegetarian dinner. Everyone is re-

    quested to bring something for the

    meal, but if you cannot do so, you

    are still welcome. There is no

    charge for the evening.

    Wed. Night, Mar. 20, 2002 at7:00 pm: Spring Equinox Chant-

    ing of Hari Om. The Spring Equi-

    nox is a time when the forces of

    light and darkness are momentar-

    ily in balance. It occurs in the

    midst of the most intense and

    rapid changes of light into dark-

    ness. Chanting at such a time pow-

    erfully implants the name of God

    into our life and it inspires actions

    towards the light. We will chantHari Om for 3 hours without stop-

    ping. This will build an intensity

    that will stay with you throughout

    the Spring. As light increases so

    does activity. Let God drive and

    direct the chariot of your life!

    The location of this func-

    tion is not yet determined. If you

    are interested call Robin at (416)-

    465-4113.

    Any comments or questions, or

    personal insights are welcome.

    Please contribute as you are in-

    spired. When there is enough in-

    formation we will send out an-

    other newsletter.

    Hari Om

    This meditation will be held at

    Tanis Hargrave's home, on a

    farm 40 minutes north of To-

    ronto, just outside of Aurora.

    Her address is 16527 Kennedy

    Rd. (between Aurora Rd andMullock Drive). From Toronto

    drive North on Hwy 404, East

    on Aurora Rd, North on Ken-

    nedy, on the right hand side. If

    you need transportation call

    Robin at 416-465-4113. As

    usual there will be chanting,

    reading from spiritual texts,

    more Chanting, and then a pot

    luck vegetarian dinner. Every-

    one is requested to bring some-thing for the meal, but if you

    cannot do so, you are still wel-

    come. There is no charge for

    the evening.

    Wed. Night, Feb.27, 2002 at

    7:00 pm: Full Moon Meditation

    and Chanting of Hari Om.

    This evening of chanting and

    meditation will be held at Alain

    Passenauds home, 517 PapeSt. at the corner of Dingwall

    (use the side entrance on Ding-

    wall). Alains phone number is

    416-465-5263. As usual there

    will be chanting, reading from

    spiritual texts, more chanting,

    and then a pot luck vegetarian

    dinner. Everyone is requested

    to bring something for the

    meal, but if you cannot do so,

    you are still welcome. There isno charge for the evening.

    Wed. Night, Mar. 13, 2002 at

    7:00 pm: New Moon Medita-

    tion and Chanting of Hari Om.

    This meditation will be held at

    Tanis Hargrave's home, on a

    farm 40 minutes north of To-


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