From time to time on the spiritual path one has a really strong, even overwhelming, ‘hal’ that shakes us to the very core.Read ,for example,the story of Eckhart Tolle if you want a specific example of this.Although these states are essential and life-changing ,they may not be the most important aspect of the path overall.
There are three more subtle states that I have been encountering on a regular basis recently that people may more easily be able to relate to than than the ‘blasted away” state of Mr.Tolle. I call them 1) ‘the shabd”;2) the Pristine state and 3_) the Love. Let’s go over them one by one.
The ‘shabd’ or the Divine sound current.This state has been most accurately portrayed by the Sikhs and specifically by the Santmat or Radhaswami of Beas movement.It involves a subtle sound current that is directly connected to the Divine.I believe the satsangis,as they are called, use this current to help their adherents ascend to the higher ‘heavenly stations”.Although it is perhaps best defined by Santmat ,it is in fact available to all spiritual seekers regardless of their practice.And it is a sign they are on the right path.Stay with it and your spiritual state(hal) improves step-by-step
The Pristine State: This state has several characteristics.The objects of visual perception suddenly become clearer(pristine).The mind empties(no perceptible thoughts).And the feeling becomes light and peaceful.All is well in the best of all possible universes.Sweet!P.S. I find it is most available at the time after the sun has set although it can occur at any time of day or night.
Love: Probably the most overused word in the English language outside of the ‘f’ word lol.This love can be directed to almost any object-people,places,things.There’s the love of the partner,the love of the child,the love of the parent ,the love of a pet etc,.etc.Of course the greatest love is the love of God but actually that is a misnomer since the love of God is Allah’s love for Himself. He is the ‘mujqallib al qulub” the controller of hearts .Without His ithan(permission) you cannot love anyone or anything. So consider every love experience a gift from your Lord. When you get to experiencing the love of Allah for His entire Creation ,you will have arrived! But until then you can be thankful for any experience of love that you have since all Love is made of the same substance.It only varies in intensity and breadth.
So try recognizing and riding these three different wave forms and tell me how you are doing,if you wish.Have a good and spiritually uplifting day.And thank God for anything and everything positive in your life.This is NOT good karma.It is Mercy and Compassion.We don’t really deserve any of it!It is all Generosity on His part.
(Responding to a defender of the Satsangi spiritual path)Interesting that you avoid any references to Islam,Peter.And yet as surprising as it may seem to some modern people some if not most of the answers to being balanced are there.For example,in reference to the Kirpal Singh model of meditate in every possible moment I substitute the erxample opf the Sahhabi ,I believe it may have been Abu Dhar who was reproached for spending every day fasting and every night praying.He was corrected for not giving his wife and his family their rights.The Prophet saws said to him: This is not our way ,Abu Dhari.We stand in prayer and we sleep:we fast and we eat.This is the way of moderation” I.e.The Middle Way.”
The problem with approaches like that of Sant Mat and other Hinduistic ways is not only that of the modern world vs. traditional societies.There is a deep-seated metaphysical,theological error contained within it.If our only purpose in existence is to meditate and join with the Absolute(Nibbana,satori,samadhi,moksha or whatever else you like to call it)why were we created in the first place?! The Light and the Knowledge existed before us and will continue to exist for eternity.Or as the Sufis say God is Self-sufficient.He doesn’t need us or our practices! I believe Ramana Maharshi said something to the same effect-that it doesn’t matter whether we get enlightened or not,the Light continues to exist.But his thought was not complete because he couldn’t answer the question of the purpose of our individual,separate existence- a serious problem for the Non-dualists.
(In response to a miraculous healing story connected with Kirpal Singh) Impressive stories and I have no reason to challenge their veracity.However,after having treated and known personally several people who follow this way coming from Bawa Sawan Singh and usually known as Radhaswami or Santmat ,I can tell you that there is an important flaw in this spiritual teaching-something not uncommon in many of the Indian subcontinent transmissions .It is unbalanced in the direction of otherworldliness and the rejection of the needs of our embodied souls in this world.The disciples are taught to follow essentially a vegan diet which does not suit many people and even the naturopaths let alone regular doctors consider unhealthy.Secondly they are strongly encouraged to be celibate.They will vehemently deny this but if you read the writings of Kirpal Singh and other teachers in this lineage it is very clear.They are taught that sexual activity destroys the ‘ojas’ and thus one’s spiritual energy.The vast majority of us are not like Baba Sawan Singh or Kirpal Singh for that matter but have basic bodily needs.Denying these needs leads to couple break-ups(even if the individual is able to maintain his asceticism,often the partner becomes resentful) and sexual activity unbecoming to anyone on the spiritual path let alone satsangis.This is a parallel phenomenon to the Catholic priests who became pedophiles because their ‘normal’ sexual needs were repressed.The amount of suffering thus created is considerable.
If [Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal] is a saint … he is one who finds his own sainthood exasperating. Unlike the ethereal creatures of hagiography, Ibn Ḥanbal is not only a man of God but also a husband, a father, and a landlord—possibly the only saintly landlord in world literature. Instead of wrestling with demons, he struggles with the problems of daily life…. and, no matter how harsh the choices he eventually makes, he remains convinced that his efforts are never good enough. On one occasion, asked how he was, he launched into a tirade: “How can a man be,” he answered, “with his Lord imposing obligations, his Prophet demanding that he follow the sunnah, his two angels waiting for good deeds, his nafs clamoring for what it wants, the Devil goading him to lust, the Angel of Death seeking his life, and his family asking for money?”
Bismillah Erahman Erahim.In last night’s Quran study group we came across an ayat that has caused considerable consternation and criticism from non-Muslims and thus defensiveness on the part of Muslims themselves.This is ayat 4:89 which says…”Then ,if they turn away,seize them and kill them wherever you find them….”
This ayat has been used to portray Islam as a violent and aggressive religion(Estagfirullah) but that is because it is taken out of context.
The context was a group of hypocrites that were leaving Medina to join up with the Quraysh in Mecca at a time where the Qujraysh were the sworn enemies of Islam.Remember,this is a time of war.If the Allies in WW2 were faced with soldiers deserting to join the German occupation forces in France,what would be the ruling?! Treason and deserting to join the enemy has usually carried execution as the natural punishment.So let’s get real! There is nothing unusual in this ruling.It was a time of war- a time where survival was the first priority.BTW the same is true for apostasy(murtadd). At the time of the Prophet saws the apostates joined the ranks of the enemy.So the punishment was death.This is no longer the case but the Islamic authorities,at least in some countries,have not caught up with the times.What else is new?!
It’s hard to help people who have spent their whole life on the wrong path.That path is the path of ‘shirk'(idolatry- where something other than God is the priority).It can be wealth and financial security,the arts,science,chasing the opposite sex or even caring about the family which is good in itself but bad if it becomes a higher priority than our relationship with our Creator.I pray that peoples eyes and hearts open more to what the Real priorities are.
Contemplation in progress:One of the few people who understood what I was up to was my conservative,female French psychoanalyst.In the midst of an intense analysis she out of nowhere interjected the following: “Oh,I see what you’re up to.You are trying to develop ” le Grand Synthèse! ” How did she know?! Much better than my Jewish psychiatrist,who confounded by the material I was coming up with and it not corresponding to what he knew of neurosis,could only hypothesize that I was a “personality disorder”! There are people out there who would no doubt agree with him lol but what can I do?I will take solace in the fact that two of my greatest heroes,Mohammed saws and Jesus a.s. were respectively considered crazy and socially disruptive by their contemporaries! Pretty good company,I would say!
Eloquence (balagha in Arabic) has to do with the beauty of language-its sounds and its flow. It is not the same as Truth. Truth can be beautiful or ugly or neither.It just states what is. There is often confusion between the two. Something can sound beautiful and be wrong or it can sound ugly and be True. Staying lucid is what is most important.
What is wrong with this society-that it keeps putting out more and more toxic devices and materials-like the new smart-meters?! Sickening -literally and metaphorically.The answer is that the outer toxicity is a reflection of an inner one.The inner toxicity is a combination of greed(disguised as a search for efficiency),insensitivity(to everything outside of “scientific” findings published in peer-reviewed journals) and deafness( to the pleas of victims of all sorts). What a toxic brew!
Who’s crazy?! All around me,I see an epidemic of cancer,Alzheimer’s and Autism! But the journalists are more concerned about a glacier breaking off Antartica.Let me give you an analogy.You’re 30 years old and can’t afford to pay your rent or buy your groceries.But you’re worrying about your retirement savings plan!Believe it or not but I’ve actually seen that- in therapy!
Understood and applied, any one of the posts on this site could change your life-forever!
