Sat1176

Sorry Veer, multimedia programming is not my speciality.

This reply is caste-ism in the truest form. When people begin to create a hierarchy of backgrounds. Dhan ho Sikho tusi dhan ho.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji (Kaleran Wale) and Sant Baba Isher Singh Ji (Rare Wale) from this family background? If I can swim down to their depths I will consider myself very blessed indeed. Differences exists in background which you can't take away. Whether this be language, way of life, habits, customs etc. But to look down upon others as inferior is just plain ego talking. We all have a long way to go. Seeing Waheguru in all is so far away if we can't even cross the barriers of caste.

Only a person who makes it to the finishing line and been through all the stages can answer that question Sahib.

I'm now beginning to understand that true anhad sounds are very powerful, loud and distinct. They are not the subtle background sounds we hear from time to time but you can use them as indicators that your mind is becoming more and more still.

Thanks for the nomination Jaikaara but this is not something I'm comfortable doing.
Sharing experiences and knowledge (right or wrong) is one thing. Leading a sangat session is taking it to the next level for which I'm definitely not qualified. There are already slow simran broadcasts every friday on mysimran.info youtube channel if you want to follow those. Previous sessions are also up there.
Each of us does simran differently and at different paces and rhythm. Someone during their jaap might speed up which could cause others issues if they tried to match the pace. Leading a sangat group comes with responsibility of knowing what your doing and being able to guide should someone have an experience either positive or negative.
Humbly accept my apologies.

I always used to wonder what this harmonic sound I hear internally quite a lot is. It's just like this gong. Especially like when he rotates stick around the gong.
 

Someone posted this on Facebook today.
Sant isher singh rara sahibs bachan
Firstly, focus the attention on physical saroop of Guruji and do Gurmantar abhiyaas. Simran is done with tongue and thought. This will purify the thoughts and concentration will improve and Anhad Shabad can be heard soon after. Then, leaving simran and dhyaan behind, the concentration has to be on abhiyaas of listening to the Anhad Shabad, the intensity of which will keep increasing and five different types of the same shabad will be heard, concentration will ride the waves of that shabad and keep rising towards Sachkhand. Crossing many other destinations full of lights and many other amazing scenes, it will finally enter the inaccessible world (ਅਗੰਮ ਲੋਕ) where it will forget its self and merge forever. Only thought-free and absolute Waheguru will remain. The soul will rise above the body and merge in the Creator and liberated state will be achieved.
ਸੰਤ ਔਰ ਰਾਮ ਏਕ ਹੀ ਹੈੱ ।

@Ragmaala when you do the Jaap try and listen to Jaap with your ears for maximum benefit.

Here's something interesting I picked up recently. How does one know when your ready to progress from Baikhari Bani (verbally), Madhma (whisper) to doing it with internally with the voice of the mind (Pasanti)?

Start of with Baikhari i.e. doing it loudly until your mind is listening and not off wondering thinking about other things. Ensure your eyes are closed otherwise your mind will try and leave through the eyes and start looking around and your attention will be outside. You will know your mind is present because it will come to sit behind the two eye lids. Make it recite and focus on the sound of the gurmantar. You will be breathing through the mouth in Baikhari and Madhma stages. I do not believe it is physically possible to inhale and say Wahe at the same time. You can however still pull in the navel with Wahe, but it will not be synchronized with the breathing, this will just happen normally.

So,

Say “Wahe” pull navel in
Say “Guru” release navel i.e push back out

Stage 2.
If you feel you mind is becoming steady begin to lower the volume to a dull whisper so only you can hear it. (Madhma)

Continue with Baikhari and Madhma until your mind becomes steady thought free and your mind is listening to the shabad.

You should not need to focus your eyes on the trikuti. This will all happen naturally when the shabad/parkash begins to manifest itself. You should not force it. Learn to just listen to shabad and the sound of your own voice and stop the mind from wondering. (Very difficult to do).

Note when reciting WaheGuru, there is a slight pause (about 0.75-1 second) between saying Wahe and Guru.

When doing Madhma (whisper) you might find yourself going internal with the simran, i.e. no sound from the mouth and it beginning to synchronize with the breath and becoming swas swas simran.

Wahe (inhale) and (hold - about a second) say Guru (exhale).

This will have the effect of balancing the air flow between the two nostrils and help still the mind further.

Occasionally close the mouth and breathe through the nostrils. If you feel that both nostrils are active, which you can also check by placing your finger underneath your nose, then this is the ideal time then take your simran internally. (Didn't know that was possible as I thought only nostril is active at any given time.)

Stage 3. – Pasanti

Cease any speech and do simran synchronized with the breath and voice of the mind and listening with the inner ears.

Inhale into chest + pull in stomach/navel (very slightly) + “Wahe”
Hold (about a second)
Exhale + release stomach/navel + “Guru”

Some people do extreme thrusts with the stomach which is wrong and can have the adverse effect of your navel pulsating on its own which is not good. It will evoke too much agni in the pit of your stomach which is not good.

As your mind become more and more still your head will begin to relax and drop. Keep the jaap going on internally and try and stay awake rather than falling asleep.

The more and more simran your do synchronized with the breath the more you will learn to do it subconsciously, i.e. auto pilot, ajapa jaap.

As you mind goes deeper and deeper within, you might see different coloured lights. These are associated with the 5 primal elements/chakras.

Listening to Sant Hari Singh's explanation of letting it all happen automatically is another approach. :-)

I in no way profess to be an expert in the subject matter but in fact a absolute beginner who is looking for guidance to progress on this path. Like other people on this forum I believe that there shouldn't be so much secrecy behind simran. I am sure there are so many others out there like me desperate to be shown the way who are not in the regular service of mahapursh or affiliated with a single Jatha, although have satkaar for all. I am therefore merely sharing any knowledge I am gaining and posting it on this forum. The choice is entirely yours whether you choose to utilise any of it should you find it useful.

I was reading Bhagat Kabir's bani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and came across the following pangties:

Ang 333
oulattath pavan chakr khatt bhaedhae surath su(n)n anaraagee ||
I turned my breath inwards, and pierced through the six chakras of the body, and my awareness was centered on the Primal Void of the Absolute Lord.

aavai n jaae marai n jeevai thaas khoj bairaagee ||1||
Search for the One who does not come or go, who does not die and is not born, O renunciate. ||1||

Another interpretation I read somewhere was "I reversed my breath". After a bit of research I found out there is a yoga technique called Reverse breathing which goes as follows:

As you inhale expand your chest but at the same time slightly pull in your navel. I was surprised in that this was the very technique I was shown of how to do saas giras simran. This is also what I believe Sant Baba Isher Singh (Rare Wale) says in one of his audio recordings about applying a little pressure on the navel to invoke rom rom simran. Anyone reading please note you are not supposed to pull in the stomach more than half and inch. Its a very slight tug, which should be hardly noticeable. Its NOT kapal bhati!!!!

So with inhale, say Wahe mentally + pull in navel
whilst exhaling, say Guru + release navel.

Takes a bit of getting used to and feels quite strange, but the more you do it the more easier it becomes.

Focus on the sound of the mantar with your inner ears and NOT put your diyan into the navel going in and out.

Only point I will add to Lucky's list, that I only recently became aware of myself is to breath through the mouth when doing whisper/mental saas saas simran (i.e. inhale/exhale method). Benefit of this is it acts as a by pass of ida/pinguala of the nose and helps balance the two channels more quickly than breathing through the nostrils. Secondly you will begin to feel the sweet amrit taste in the mouth. It puzzled me for ages how comes I was experiencing this sweet taste so quickly with what I deemed was very little effort on my part. I got a habit of breathing through my mouth anyways so this habit coupled with a whisper/silent Waheguru simran very quickly results in sweet nectar taste being experienced.

The rest is down to Waheguru's grace..

They are available online now on the Ratwara Sahib website.
 

Heard of about this book from a talk given by Sardar Inderjit Singh (Canada) who translated the original writings.
Taajudins-Diary-Nanak-Makkah.pdf (sikhmissionarysociety.org)
 

£100 - £300 depending on model and brand.
https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/ninja-catalog/ninja-air-fryers/
https://www.argos.co.uk/search/air-fryers/?clickOrigin=searchbar:search:term:air+fryers
 
 

Sad loss for the Sikh panth.
Waheguru

Costco and Argos do other brands with glass windows. 
 

Costco and Argos do other brands with glass windows. 
 

My wife wanted an Airfryer after our circular halogen oven broke down. 
We bought the Ninja AF300 and there are a few things that bother me now that we have used it for a few months. 
Previously we had a glass halogen oven and you could see how food was cooking and whether it needed to be turned or was ready. This is not possible with Ninjas and you have to keep checking by open the trays every 10 mins. Yes the food cooks faster but your also required to toss and shake your food around more frequently as it burns more quickly. I find cooking with the ninja requires me to be more around in the kitchen when cooking than before. Consider one with glass door. I wish we did. 
- Not so good for large portions as trays are smaller with smaller surface area to work with. Get the bigger model if you have the kitchen space.
+ trays are easy to clean
+ great for heating bakery products (2-3mins to restore that freshly baked condition) and cooking frozen products. 
+ useful when cooking two separate items that require different temperatures or different cooking times.
 
 

My wife wanted an Airfryer after our circular halogen oven broke down. 
We bought the Ninja AF300 and there are a few things that bother me now that we have used it for a few months. 
Previously we had a glass halogen oven and you could see how food was cooking and whether it needed to be turned or was ready. This is not possible with Ninjas and you have to keep checking by open the trays every 10 mins. Yes the food cooks faster but your also required to toss and shake your food around more frequently as it burns more quickly. I find cooking with the ninja requires me to be more around in the kitchen when cooking than before. Consider one with glass door. I wish we did. 
- Not so good for large portions as trays are smaller with smaller surface area to work with. Get the bigger model if you have the kitchen space.
+ trays are easy to clean
+ great for heating bakery products (2-3mins to restore that freshly baked condition) and cooking frozen products. 
+ useful when cooking two separate items that require different temperatures or different cooking times.
 
 

Heard of about this book from a talk given by Sardar Inderjit Singh (Canada) who translated the original writings.
Taajudins-Diary-Nanak-Makkah.pdf (sikhmissionarysociety.org)
 

We are sometimes quick to downplay other groups but listen to this incident when sangat ignored radhasoami leader and how Sant Isher Singh (Rare Wale) said they were one and the same. 
https://fb.watch/fgbpd9YHC8/

Heard of about this book from a talk given by Sardar Inderjit Singh (Canada) who translated the original writings.
Taajudins-Diary-Nanak-Makkah.pdf (sikhmissionarysociety.org)
 

Bro I am only stating what I understand from using both mantras as jaapa tools for stilling the mind.
I also really enjoyed just saying Ik Oaaaaaaaankaaaaar. I found that mantra really peaceful and soothing. I even found it easier to focus on that then waheguru gurmantar. It opened up to be a very deep nasal sound when said in a certain way. At the time I was reciting as part of a shabad I was jaaping some time ago. When doing intense japa reptitions you will come across certain words which draw you in more than others just by the way they pronounced and the vibrations they cause within you. Out of all the shabad I was given I used really slow down when saying Ik oankar but speed up with the rest of the words as if just going through the motions to say them. 
When it comes to gyan and vichar on words Bro, I'm way behind. In the unpar pindu category. I try not to over complicate and just keep it simple. We are told by our gurus to do jap of naam. I just want to know what is the most quickest and best way to do it then start walking. Leave the gyan to the gyanis and lecturers.

There is a lot of gyan in mool mantar that can be reflected upon for contemplation, but I don't think you can call that meditiation. For meditation you need to only allow 1 persistent thought. Never the less if you do jap the mool mantar with full focus on the words it will aid you in achiving some level of mind stillness.
One could also use mool mantar if one was practising to increase the length of the swas both inhale and exhale. Saying 1 round of mool mantar will take longer the just saying waheguru. You would really have to stretch out waaaaaaahheeeeguuuuuuurruuuu to cover the same time span.
 
A single word mantar is better for meditation because it should be used as a single point of focus and one word will give your mind less chance to engage in other actions apart from just listening because you do not have to worry about what is the next word to repeat in sequence. It is a repitition of only one sound that you do with full attention.
A single word mantra can be easily synchronised with the breath and Wahe-Guru can be broken into two parts. First half Wahe for inhale and second part Guru for exhale.
The is a great example given in Sri Guru Granth Sahib about churning the milk to extract the butter. Once has to first know how in the olden days this was achived and what utensil was used.
Ang 728 by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Wash the vessel (body), sit down and anoint it with fragrance; then, go out and get the milk.
bhaaNdaa Dho-ay bais Dhoop dayvhu ta-o dooDhai ka-o jaavhu.
 
Add the rennet of clear consciousness to the milk of good deeds, and then, free of desire, let it curdle. 
doodh karam fun surat samaa-in ho-ay niraas jamaavahu.
   
Chant the Name of the One Lord.
japahu ta ayko naamaa.
 
Let your mind be the handles, and then churn it, without sleeping (it is said we are sleeping in the 3 gunas of maya which also constituate our thoughts. To focus on the name of the lord is said to be when we are awake).
ih man eetee haath karahu fun naytara-o need na aavai.
 
If you chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord ,with your tongue, then the curd will be churned. In this way, the Ambrosial Nectar is obtained. 
rasnaa naam japahu tab mathee-ai in biDh amrit paavhu.
 
Wash your mind in the pool of Truth, and let it be the vessel of the Lord; let this be your offering to please Him.
man sampat jit sat sar naavan bhaavan paatee taripat karay.
 
That humble servant who dedicates and offers his life, and who serves in this way, remains absorbed in his Lord and Master. 
poojaa paraan sayvak jay sayvay inH biDh saahib ravat rahai.
 
 
Watch the video to understand how the milk is being churned to extract the butter.
 
 
The left right pulling action the person is using which is equivalent to our inhale and exhaling breath. Add into the inhale/exhale the gurmantra wahe/guru. This could not easily be achived if mool mantar was being used.
 
Sas Giras simran jugti is explained very easily if you understand and relate it to the above video and lines.
Sit, focus the mind on the sound of your own voice as you say wahe on inhaling and guru on exhaling.
 

There is a lot of gyan in mool mantar that can be reflected upon for contemplation, but I don't think you can call that meditiation. For meditation you need to only allow 1 persistent thought. Never the less if you do jap the mool mantar with full focus on the words it will aid you in achiving some level of mind stillness.
One could also use mool mantar if one was practising to increase the length of the swas both inhale and exhale. Saying 1 round of mool mantar will take longer the just saying waheguru. You would really have to stretch out waaaaaaahheeeeguuuuuuurruuuu to cover the same time span.
 
A single word mantar is better for meditation because it should be used as a single point of focus and one word will give your mind less chance to engage in other actions apart from just listening because you do not have to worry about what is the next word to repeat in sequence. It is a repitition of only one sound that you do with full attention.
A single word mantra can be easily synchronised with the breath and Wahe-Guru can be broken into two parts. First half Wahe for inhale and second part Guru for exhale.
The is a great example given in Sri Guru Granth Sahib about churning the milk to extract the butter. Once has to first know how in the olden days this was achived and what utensil was used.
Ang 728 by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Wash the vessel (body), sit down and anoint it with fragrance; then, go out and get the milk.
bhaaNdaa Dho-ay bais Dhoop dayvhu ta-o dooDhai ka-o jaavhu.
 
Add the rennet of clear consciousness to the milk of good deeds, and then, free of desire, let it curdle. 
doodh karam fun surat samaa-in ho-ay niraas jamaavahu.
   
Chant the Name of the One Lord.
japahu ta ayko naamaa.
 
Let your mind be the handles, and then churn it, without sleeping (it is said we are sleeping in the 3 gunas of maya which also constituate our thoughts. To focus on the name of the lord is said to be when we are awake).
ih man eetee haath karahu fun naytara-o need na aavai.
 
If you chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord ,with your tongue, then the curd will be churned. In this way, the Ambrosial Nectar is obtained. 
rasnaa naam japahu tab mathee-ai in biDh amrit paavhu.
 
Wash your mind in the pool of Truth, and let it be the vessel of the Lord; let this be your offering to please Him.
man sampat jit sat sar naavan bhaavan paatee taripat karay.
 
That humble servant who dedicates and offers his life, and who serves in this way, remains absorbed in his Lord and Master. 
poojaa paraan sayvak jay sayvay inH biDh saahib ravat rahai.
 
 
Watch the video to understand how the milk is being churned to extract the butter.
 
 
The left right pulling action the person is using which is equivalent to our inhale and exhaling breath. Add into the inhale/exhale the gurmantra wahe/guru. This could not easily be achived if mool mantar was being used.
 
Sas Giras simran jugti is explained very easily if you understand and relate it to the above video and lines.
Sit, focus the mind on the sound of your own voice as you say wahe on inhaling and guru on exhaling.
 

Bro I am only stating what I understand from using both mantras as jaapa tools for stilling the mind.
I also really enjoyed just saying Ik Oaaaaaaaankaaaaar. I found that mantra really peaceful and soothing. I even found it easier to focus on that then waheguru gurmantar. It opened up to be a very deep nasal sound when said in a certain way. At the time I was reciting as part of a shabad I was jaaping some time ago. When doing intense japa reptitions you will come across certain words which draw you in more than others just by the way they pronounced and the vibrations they cause within you. Out of all the shabad I was given I used really slow down when saying Ik oankar but speed up with the rest of the words as if just going through the motions to say them. 
When it comes to gyan and vichar on words Bro, I'm way behind. In the unpar pindu category. I try not to over complicate and just keep it simple. We are told by our gurus to do jap of naam. I just want to know what is the most quickest and best way to do it then start walking. Leave the gyan to the gyanis and lecturers.