Sat1176

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2014 at 7:16 AM, BhagatSingh said:

4. walking from one place of the house to another

- bring your attention to your feet and feel the floor/carpet you walk on

- think about the texture and the hardness

- feel the muscles of your feet in action

 

Some people do jaap of Gurmantar to keep the mind present during a walk. Wahe left foot, Guru right foot.

 

The Practice of Concentration While Walking Outside

 

All men and women have in them, without knowing it, an enormous reserve of strength and energy, much of which remains unused. If these forces are not consciously channelled and constructively utilized into some form of physical, intellectual, or artistic work, then, like milk that turns sour when left standing, these forces will turn negative, or even become destructive—as can often be seen in many children and adults.

 

For special reasons that may not be comprehensible to the ordinary person, life always procreates in an excess of abundance—but cosmic laws demand that nothing in the Universe can remain static or unused or be wasted. When unproductive, these forces will—depending on the person’s type and temperament—either go inward, acting against the person himself and eventually destroying him without his being aware of it, being used up in worries, anxieties, and restlessness, or they will flow outwardly, into sensuality, propagating tensions and strife around him—and even, on a wider scale, in engendering wars! These extra energies in the human being are destined to be utilized for his spiritual quest and struggles, as well as to adorn the world with the beauties of great artistic creations. When these higher aims are not fulfilled, then, as always, gravity will pull these forces in the only other direction they can go—downward.

 

Most states of depression, negative emotions, and sensual desires are generally indications of unused energies. A vigilant aspirant should immediately recognize these symptoms when they arise in him and try to give his forces a positive and creative outlet before they turn rancid and seep through his being, secretly flooding it with destructive thoughts and feelings.

 

The further one rises up a mountain, the more the atmosphere is rarefied and pure; and the nearer one approaches the peak, the more the perspective becomes vast and imposing. Similarly, there are different levels of consciousness in the Universe, from the highest to the lowest. In the higher mysterious spheres, the Devas (sublime gods) reign, reflecting their divine splendor all around in the form of spiritual light, exalted sentiments, and inspiring artistic accomplishments; while the inferior regions are inhabited by the Asuras (demonic gods), spreading dark influences everywhere. And the human being carries these two extremes hidden in him. If he does not consciously struggle to rise to the superior levels of himself, then the lower aspects of his nature will inevitably dominate and use him without his perceiving it, fruitlessly sapping his vitality.

 

A wise and heedful aspirant will carefully watch over and protect his forces from being stealthily drawn away from him, wasted in negative emotions, futile imaginings, and unprofitable activities. He knows that he needs every drop of his energy for his spiritual struggles, and that economizing that energy is essential for him. However, if, on certain occasions, the aspirant finds himself in a disturbed, restless, or depressed mood, and for some reason or other he is unable to muster the strength to disengage himself from it, then, before this state gathers too much momentum in a downward movement and increases its hold on him, it is better that he leave his room and take up another form of spiritual practice while walking outside—a form of spiritual practice that he should, in any case, always do whenever he happens to be out of doors.

 

Not only will this way of walking use his energies productively on days when his inner state is too difficult to control, but it will also open new avenues for him toward deeper spiritual insights and self-knowledge. The difficulties he will have to cope with in this exercise will help him see better the imperative need to remain in a state of intense self-recollectedness in action also, and not only when quietly meditating behind the walls of a monastery or in his room. Failing this, all his spiritual achievements, no matter how lofty they may be, will not have been put to the test in active life, and he cannot know how he will react or stand up to the unpredictable and fierce winds of the outside world when destiny unexpectedly flings him in their midst. For, even though he may be able to withdraw from outer life for a certain time, sooner or later he will be made to leave the protection of his seclusion and share with an agonizing humanity the fruits of his spiritual harvest—which must not, by divine law, be kept for him alone.

 

This important new exercise mentioned above consists in concentrating all one’s attention on the soles of the feet while walking in the street. Generally, when someone is out walking, he is never present and aware of himself in the manner in which he really should be. He moves about in a state of mental absence, lost in a maze of futile imaginings. So that an aspirant might begin to understand the sense of his existence, and what is required of him by the supreme universal Mind that gave him his breath of life and intelligence, it is at first necessary for him to understand this dramatic problem of the strange state of oblivion in which he passes his life. And he needs every possible bit of help for that. He will be greatly assisted in his efforts at remaining present to himself in this exercise by feeling the soles of his feet each time they touch the ground. In this particular work, concentration on the extremities of the legs will show the aspirant the paramount need there is for him to get away from his head and his habitual thinking so as to permit a new sort of consciousness to arise in him and occupy the place of his ordinary mind. If his lower self does not remove itself—to some degree at least—to make way for something more worthy in him, then this luminous consciousness that he unknowingly carries in the depths of himself cannot come to the foreground of his being sufficiently to make its presence felt.

 

It will be expedient for the aspirant not to venture upon such a difficult and unusual battle without some inner preparations first—otherwise he will either forget to do it most of the time, or he will not have gathered in him the necessary strength and determination to maintain such a delicate struggle. His efforts will consequently be lukewarm and not enough to bring him any positive results.

 

Each time he is thinking of going out, he should inwardly prepare himself, even though it be for only thirty seconds. And, before starting to do this, or any other, spiritual exercise, the aspirant should always first try to feel what is at stake for him at such moments. Instead of letting his mind wander aimlessly in vain reveries, he must make it a habit always to occupy his attention in this important work with the utmost of his sincerity. He should tenaciously continue this particular exercise until he is able, at will, to remain connected inwardly to his higher Source throughout all his outer life activities, until there comes a day when this temporary support will no longer be necessary, or he may need to come back to it only in times of inner difficulty.

 

This special work should not be given up because of the strong resistance the aspirant will encounter in himself at first. As he will notice, the slightest unexpected movement or sound can suddenly distract him from his aim: it may be a passer-by who accidentally jostles him, a fly insisting on settling on his face, or the loud bark of a dog—but, whatever it is, before he realizes what has happened, he is no longer “present”!

 

In the beginning of his struggles to stay present, the seeker will discover that hardly has he taken a few steps than, abruptly, and in an unaccountable manner, he becomes absent and dispersed again, completely forgetting about this important spiritual work and his intention to remain concentrated. Two, or even five, minutes later or longer, he will be just as surprised when, suddenly, as in a flash, there is a strange, inexplicable and very rapid inward movement that takes place in him—the significance of which he may not appreciate nor understand at first—and he has come back to an awareness of himself again! At that very instant, he will realize that, not only had he altogether forgotten about this exercise, but that—what is even more curious—in an incomprehensible way, the knowledge and feeling of his existence had been strangely obliterated at the same time. He was mysteriously swallowed up and—so to speak—“died” in this state of self-forgetfulness!

 

The aspirant must take particular care not to become irritated and intolerant with himself each time he loses the thread of his attention in this manner. He should patiently and persistently begin again with even greater determination, fixing his attention on, and feeling, the soles of his feet as they come down and touch the ground. Through this way of working, he will, among other things, also start to know himself as he is. He will suddenly notice all his hidden, changing, and contradictory sentiments, his unconscious inclinations to criticize, his desires, tensions, restlessness, and many other things that he otherwise could not have known.

 

If the aspirant finds it too difficult to maintain a state of self-recollectedness during this exercise, then he should try aiming from one tree to another (without necessarily looking at them), using the distance that separates them as an additional support while keeping his attention fixed on the soles of his feet. If there are no trees about, then any other object will do. When reaching this landmark, he must immediately aim at another. But he should gradually increase the distance between them every day until he can finally drop this additional prop altogether.

 

It is this mysterious movement toward oneself that the seeker must arrive at clearly perceiving and understanding. However, this comprehension should not come from his intellect but through his feeling and intuition. He will not fail to observe afterward—that is to say, when he recovers the awareness of himself—how, every time this state of self-oblivion descends upon and engulfs him, it is characterized by his being once more lost and identified with the ordinary aspect of his nature made up of endless fantasies, ambitions, frustrations, worries, and impracticable hopes, all of which, like a kaleidoscope, constantly change and replace one another moment by moment.

 

In contrast, every time this sudden inward movement takes place in him, he experiences for a short instant another state of consciousness that does not last long—an unusual, uninvolved state of consciousness that he may miss, or not clearly see in the beginning. This inward movement is so narrow at first, and it happens so quickly, that he may not realize its profound meaning and importance without an enlightened teacher to point it out and expound it to him. Nevertheless, as the aspirant keeps losing and regaining this special awareness of himself, he will, little by little, come to see and understand more and better this strange phenomenon of his “disappearance and reappearance.” He will begin intuitively to perceive particularly what it was he was lost in the moment before, and to what other state of being he is recalled. He will eventually come to realize that each time this strange and inexplicable movement toward himself takes place it is like a rebirth, and whenever there is the contrary movement, going outward and “away” from himself, it is like a death.

 

He will start to discover how he “dies” in his habitual state of oblivion at every instant of his life without seeing it.

 

When later, after long practice, he is able to remain aware of himself for longer periods, he will then begin to live, see, and hear differently. From this impersonal higher aspect of his being, he will begin—in little flashes at first—to see things as they truly are. He will penetrate the feelings of other beings and read mysterious messages in trees, in mountains, and in all other things his eyes happen to settle upon.

 

A human being can live more fully only insofar as he is capable of being present and connected to his Supreme Source—this mysterious, silent, uninvolved Spectator in him.

 

Strength grows when utilized wisely and constructively. As one puts it into use, it will increase and reward its owner with yet more strength—just as when a farmer makes the initial efforts to plow his field and sow some grains of wheat, and it enigmatically brings forth a far greater harvest than was originally planted. If the aspirant can arrive at finding in himself the necessary force to start making the preliminary efforts of remaining present to himself, and begin to live through the higher levels of his consciousness, he will then muster in himself yet more energy to make further efforts and rise to still higher planes of being. In that way, he will, by his own strivings, aid his spiritual growth and transformation—for no one else can make these efforts on his behalf and work for his redemption, just as nobody can take vitality and profit from the food that is eaten and digested by another person.

 

Strength produces more strength when put to use. By working tenaciously for his own enlightenment and salvation, the seeker will find his inner power of concentration and capacity for attention expanding. And this will develop in him intuition, insight, and intelligence of a superior order, which, when put into action, will continue mysteriously to germinate and augment and give birth to further wisdom on a still higher plane.

 

The more one does, the more one will be capable of doing; and the less one does, the less one will be able to do. If, through his perseverance and ardent efforts, the seeker finally attains some degree of enlightenment and realizes the nature of his True Being, then, whenever moments of self-forgetfulness occur and he suddenly “comes back” to himself again (remembering, that is, to turn his look inward to the presence in him of this enigmatic, impartial, and silent “Spectator”), he will invariably find that this mysterious and luminous aspect of his consciousness is always there, ever-glowing and lighting up his being with its effulgence. In fact, it has been there unceasingly and has never at any time abandoned him. If, on certain occasions, he may have thought it was absent, it is only because he himself had turned his gaze away from it, and had forgotten it.

 

After some time the aspirant will be surprised to find on looking back that, paradoxically, even these periods of “forgetfulness” had their place and meaning in the scheme of things to help him rise to the higher planes of his being. For he will not have failed to notice that (apart from the outer problems and pains this self-forgetfulness brings with it), each time he loses the awareness of his existence, and his attention and interest are once more drawn away from him to be wasted in fruitless reveries and activities, he suffers from a terrible emptiness and solitude in the depths of his soul. He will then begin to see clearly that the only moments he is truly conscious of existing, and has a feeling of the fullness of himself, are the moments when his look is once more turned inward toward the light of his higher nature. Afterward, he will find that, whenever he sinks again into his habitual state of oblivion, it will not be a state of such total forgetfulness as before—because, during such moments, he will experience a curious and unaccountable feeling of being ill at ease. If he is sensitive enough to recognize this condition in himself quickly, he can then turn this strange and uncomfortable feeling into yet another means or reminder to disentangle himself from whatever had so uselessly absorbed him, and to turn back forthwith to the awareness of his higher being and true life, dwelling wakefully in the peace of his celestial inner abode.

These few chapters I read will become the most profound you will ever read on topic of Anhad Naad Sangat ji. MUST MUST READ!!!

It's long but definitely worth it.

If this doesn't inspire anyone to start walking on the path of naam, anhad or whatever else you want to call it then nothing will. I suppose the real question we have to all ask ourselves, myself included, is do we really want to wake up????

 

Nada

 

Part 1

 

Among the various methods of meditation practiced in ancient India to this end was a very important one called Nada Yoga, Yoga of the Sound. The science of this form of meditation seems either totally lost or inaccessible today. It appears impossible, at any rate, to find anyone who has practiced it and has sufficient knowledge of its highly subtle and intricate details to be able to teach it. Its technique will be explained to whatever extent possible in the five chapters that follow; and, because of its profound mystical significance, it will be referred to from time to time throughout the rest of the book, particularly in the chapters on Hatha Yoga. The value of this form of meditation cannot be overstated, especially for those who do not yet know where their attention should be directed, and who thus experience great difficulty retaining their concentration during meditation.

 

Having taken his meditation posture, and prepared himself mentally and physically—by quieting his mind, relaxing, and feeling a deep global sensation of his body—the seeker should now decide firmly not to move any more. Closing his eyes, he should remain as still as possible, listening internally with sustained attention. If he can be inwardly quiet enough and deeply absorbed in the search, he will, if he is truly persistent, suddenly become aware of an unusual, feeble sound that can be heard deep inside the ears and head, concealed from him before and obscured by the din of his incessant mental restlessness. When the aspirant has become aware of the mysterious presence in him of this sound, he may at first be struck with surprise and awe, but no matter how weak or distant it may appear, it will be very obvious that this is no ordinary sound but a mystical one of a higher cosmic order. It could be called the primordial sound.

 

If, at this stage, the seeker can succeed in remaining sufficiently alert and aware while maintaining his effort of intense concentration, he cannot possibly fail to observe that this sound has an extraordinarily uninterrupted continuity about it, a crystal-like vibration that resembles the noise of the ocean with many other different “ultra” sounds superimposed on it.

 

When the aspirant is fully engrossed in his meditation and is sufficiently freed from the grip of his lower self, he will perceive that the more he rises to, and becomes merged in, the higher levels of his consciousness, the louder and more shrill (high-pitched and piercing) the sound will get. He will also begin to note with wonder that this sound has a curious unearthly sparkle about it, somewhat reminiscent of the flickering light of a star, so that it seems almost imperceptibly to oscillate continuously inside his head. In the beginning, he will have to be very finely tuned indeed to catch all its subtle heavenly scintillations (i.e. flash or sparkle of light), fragile movements, and the highly delicate changes of its “ultra-tones.”

 

When the aspirant employs this Nada (inner sound) as the main support for his meditation, he must follow all its slender fluctuations, subtle variations of note, and mysterious jewel-like glitterings, second by second, with the utmost diligence. He will discover that this unusual sound with its strange vibrations, celestial twinklings, and, above all, enigmatic (difficult to interpret or understand) continuity will become a most precious support for his concentration in all his future meditations.

 

From that day onward, the frequency with which he will lose himself in his habitual self-forgetfulness and mental reveries will decrease considerably. He will be protected from blindly wandering into the territory of his enemy—his ordinary state of being and feeling—as he so often did in the beginning of his spiritual struggles.

 

The aspirant should not be surprised if, on certain days, this sound shifts to another part of the head, sometimes vibrating slightly to the right, at other times to the left, and even, on occasions, in the middle or back of the skull. All these changes take place to prevent his meditation from becoming stale and mechanical as well as to purify certain aspects of his mind.

 

The special benefit that the seeker will derive from this mystical sound is priceless. First, it will sustain him in his meditation by giving his attention something definite to hold on to and so allow him to concentrate better with little or no wavering. Second, it will have a particularly purifying and calming effect on his mind as well as his feelings. Third, it will help him, little by little, to rise to the higher and more luminous planes of his consciousness. Finally, it will become the means for an ardent and sincere aspirant to become immediately aware when his attention begins to weaken and waver during his meditation, and this higher state of consciousness in him gets diluted and mixed up again with his ordinary mind—for he will not fail to observe that, at such moments, the sound has either altogether disappeared or has lost its supernal luster and subtle ultravibrations, becoming very distant and pale.

 

When meditating with this Nada, it is essential that the aspirant always seek and follow the particular aspect of it that is most subtle and “ultra” in pitch as well as in brilliance. Even when the sound becomes very shrill (high-pitched and piercing) and loud in moments of deep concentration, he must not be tempted to be satisfied with it merely because it is sharp and resonant. He should relentlessly attempt to rise further and further into ever more subtle spheres of its mysterious invisible kingdom. Discernment (the ability to judge well) and perseverance are indispensable in this delicate and difficult work if the seeker does not want to risk stopping at that stage, losing his way, and starting to slide backward. (See the advice given in chapter 3 if you have difficulty hearing this inner sound.)

 

Later on, the aspirant must be able to turn to this inner sound at will, endeavour to hear it clearly, and try to hold on to it during his various daily activities, whether walking in the street, writing, reading, talking, or eating. When he is finally able to hear it distinctly in outer life conditions as well as during meditation, he will be astonished to perceive that, no matter how tumultuously external noises may thunder all around, they cannot obliterate this sacred sound in him, nor interfere with, nor alter in any manner the resplendent beauty of its tone and sparkling effulgence.

 

When the seeker uses this mystical sound as the principal basis and support for his meditation, he will notice that, each time he finishes meditating, there is an unusual sensation throughout the whole of his body that will feel strangely rarefied and weightless. He should appreciate the importance of this subtle physical sensation and learn to hold on to it in his active life as well. It will become an additional support to help him remember himself and remain more profoundly connected to his higher being as well as be more relaxed physically and conserve the vital force needed to nurture and keep the wheel of his spiritual work moving.

 

The aspirant should look upon this Nada as a Divine Grace and rare opportunity, always turning to it with the utmost respect, revering it as the treasured means that can make his deliverance possible. However, it must be stressed that this sound is not to be taken as an end in itself, but only as a temporary prop in his spiritual struggles. If the seeker arrives at a state of higher consciousness during his meditation, then it is to this ineffable light (too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words) that his attention must turn and in which it must be absorbed. The sound, in the end, only acts as a benign (gentle and kind) guide and support toward the greater aim.

 

 

 

Part 2

 

The first time the seeker hears this mystical sound when meditating, it may be very faint indeed—according to his level of being and ardour (great enthusiasm or passion). And, even if he has heard and recognized it, it may keep disappearing and reappearing every so often. It will—so to speak—play with the aspirant, constantly putting him on trial to test his perseverance; or it may vanish altogether, and the seeker will not hear it any more for some time. He must not be disheartened at this but persistently look for it, again and again, until he finally succeeds in hearing it once more.

The importance of this Nada (this sacred sound) cannot be stressed enough. It could be compared to a divine signpost, compassionately indicating the way to a struggling seeker in this difficult quest.

Generally, the human being’s thoughts and feelings are constantly changing. Ever tossed about by the waves of the incessant flux of his thoughts, there is no continuity of being in him. And, in his ordinary habitual state, he cannot know or even conceive what it truly means to have inner continuity of being. Without any real aim in him, he is like a dried leaf being blown helplessly hither and thither by the ever-changing winds of his inner moods, his thoughts, and his desires. And his moods, thoughts, and desires are always being influenced by external conditions as well by all sorts of unseen forces acting upon him.

When the aspirant has recognized this Nada and familiarized himself well enough with it, he will perceive that, contrary to the ever-changing inner and outer conditions that he was used to up to that moment, this mystical sound has a strange unearthly continuity about it. In addition to the description of this sound given in the previous chapter, it can also be compared to the soft whisper of the wind and the continuous hissing noise of the ocean waves, with a shrill “ultra” sound on top of it, composed of all the harmonics in the Universe. On higher spheres, this sacred Nada will have a strange sort of silvery aspect to it, somewhat similar to the uninterrupted jingling sound of very little pieces of glass, with other smaller, ever more subtle sounds superimposed on it, until finally these finer sounds seem to disappear into infinity.

In the beginning, the seeker should fix his attention on the part of the sound that is most shrill (high-pitched and piercing) and, as explained in the previous chapter, oscillating slightly somewhat like the twinkling of a star. It will be easier to hear that way. Later, when the aspirant gets more familiar with it, he will begin to hear two or more sounds at the same moment. At first he may not quite realize, or be really sure, that he is hearing two sounds simultaneously. However, if at such times he listens carefully, he will note that one of these two sounds is slightly more obvious, whereas the other is a little more high-pitched and more subtle. He should listen carefully to both sounds for a while until it becomes absolutely clear to him which of these two sounds is the more subtle and high pitched. It is to this one he must then gently let his attention turn and concentrate on. He must not be tempted to follow the more obvious of these two sounds any more—even though it will keep intruding and drawing him back to it.

If the seeker has reached a sufficient degree of enlightenment and is attentive enough in outer life, he will find that, in the same way as when meditating his attention is at first drawn to the sound that is more evident, so, in the outside world, people without realizing it almost always let themselves be tempted by and attracted to the more obvious aspects of life—whereas the more subtle and finer ones unfortunately escape most people most of the time. This applies to everything that people do and to which they have leanings, including the kind of friends to whom they are drawn, the sort of entertainment to which they are attracted, the things they ordinarily like, and so forth. This tendency is equally applicable to their choice in the various arts—which is very revealing of the level of their thinking and being.

The subtler and more lofty aspects of art seem always to escape the majority of people. In understanding all this, it should be apparent that, if someone is not sufficiently transformed through his spiritual struggles, and has not acquired the necessary inner discernment to deal with this tendency in him while he is still alive, then the same problem will confront him when he leaves this form of existence. He will gravitate blindly to the more obvious states, and the more subtle ones will be lost to him.

When using this mystical sound as the basic support for his meditation, the seeker should also be very alert and attentive as to where the subtler aspects of this sound are drawing him within himself. He will thus, little by little, gravitate to ever finer states of consciousness and will start to sense an out-of-the-ordinary inner continuity of being that is beyond description and that it is impossible for him to experience in his habitual state. As his meditation deepens, it will bring with it a most subtle, transparent, and luminous consciousness that he will finally become immersed in and one with. He will no longer sense himself in the same way as he did in the past. He will become mysteriously transformed into an unchanging and enigmatic “Spectator,” plunged in the vast silence of an eternal cosmic “Nowness.”

As human feelings and thoughts are generally in a constant state of flux, the mysterious continuity that this mystical sound possesses can, in very truth, “carry” the aspirant during his spiritual efforts. Especially at the beginning of his struggles—when he will encounter much opposition and difficulty within himself toward meditation—this sacred sound will be a benign blessing for him. It will also be a boon and an extraordinary prop in all his other spiritual practices as well. Through its Grace and help, he will gradually begin intuitively to understand and feel where he has to be placed in himself—and where, by habit, he never is. He will discover what it means to be.

But this is not enough—for the seeker must now try to listen to this mystical sound in his outer life activities also. He should continuously turn to it, seek it, and, with all his sincerity and might, endeavour to hear and hold on to it while talking, eating, walking, washing, and so on. Only in this way can the will of the Divine begin to manifest itself on the lower planes of being as it already does in the higher spheres—and only in this way can the seeker’s transformation, as well as the transformation of those with whom he comes into contact, start to take place.

 

Part 3

Just as it is not possible for a subject to decide on his own initiative to go and see his king when it pleases him without any preliminary preparation or authorization, and, especially, without an intermediary or a guide to escort him through the various halls and corridors of the palace leading to the royal chamber, so it is with an aspirant’s spiritual quest and his desire to reach the royal abode of his supreme Lord. Here also a seeker—unless he is very exceptional indeed—needs an intermediary between the Divine and himself, an intermediary that takes the form of the Sacred for him.

It is essential for the aspirant to understand this and clearly see the importance and value for his spiritual search of this Nada, this mystical sound that can be mysteriously heard inside the ears and head. For this Nada is an inestimable sacred intermediary between that which is higher and divine in him and his ordinary self. It is his prodigious hope, his ever-present and trustworthy friend, his necessary guide and benign support in his various spiritual exercises and meditations. In it lies the possibility for his redemption and the fulfilment of himself.

 

In the beginning of his struggles, it is an indispensable means to help him find his way inside the seemingly complicated labyrinth of his being, until he reaches the royal chamber of his supreme Lord and King. Having found it, he will marvel to see how strangely simple the way to it is after all. It had only escaped him in the past through its extraordinary simplicity. And what is still more curious is that this princely aspect of his nature—its sublime beauty and transparent purity unceasingly present in him—has always been imperceptibly and silently waiting there to receive him, secretly giving meaning to his existence without his having known it. Whenever he remembers to turn his look inward, he will always find it there, ever awake, unchanging, never affected nor sullied in any manner by anything that has taken place in his life.

 

To remain connected to the divine aspect of one’s nature necessitates at every second renunciation and “dying” to one’s customary state of being and of feeling oneself. It is a difficult thing to achieve, but if done intelligently and with understanding, this renunciation will inevitably make it more and more possible for one to live in and through one’s higher aspect, until the great moment of deliverance one day dawns, heralding the ardently longed-for liberation from bondage to one’s lower nature with its never-ending exigencies (an urgent need or demand) and tormenting cravings.

 

In the beginning of their quest, it is necessary for most people to make very great and sustained efforts with the utmost sincerity and determination. But they also need some definite thing to hold onto that can assist and guide them in this difficult spiritual journey and prevent them wandering blindly, trying to find the secret door to their True Being, hoping by chance to fall upon it. That is why this inner mystical sound is like a precious sacred rope thrown down by Divine Grace to a drowning seeker—by the aid of which he may eventually pull himself out of the dark pit of his lower nature up to the light and vast expanse of his higher consciousness.

 

Before someone can even be allowed to pass through the gates of a palace, let alone appear before his monarch, he must prepare himself in all kinds of ways. He has first to learn the necessary etiquette, clean himself, and dress in a fitting manner, thus making himself worthy of such a royal encounter. Likewise, it is necessary for an aspirant to purify himself from at least some of his undesirable tendencies, negative emotions, and warped thinking before it is possible for him to rise to higher spheres in himself and be permitted to enter and abide in such sacred regions. It should be understood that it is impossible for a seeker to climb to the higher realms of his consciousness if his being is still tainted and heavily encumbered with unprofitable worldly desires, useless fantasies, all sorts of unfulfilled dreams, and his unsound judgments and misdeeds—like so much dust that has collected on him from some remote past and his present terrestrial journey.

 

Before one can look through a window and view the light that is on the other side, one must necessarily clean it first. Similarly, the cleaning and ordering of the aspirant’s inner “home” are imperative—at least to some extent—before he can be authorized to have access to sacred territories within him and contemplate the Sublime beyond his limited, ordinary self. Otherwise, as stated earlier, each time he attempts to rise in himself, he will simply be flung down again to the state that conforms to his level of being. Furthermore, he will keep suffering from this condition, without at first understanding its true cause, until a sufficient degree of transformation has finally taken place in him to allow him to maintain himself in these luminous regions for longer periods at a time without losing them so easily as before.

 

When the seeker concentrates on this inner mystical sound during his meditation, it acts as a sacred intermediary between him and the Sublime in himself, indicating the way and, at the same time, helping free him from identification with his lower nature, drawing him further and further away from it to the higher realms of his being through which the purification of his ordinary self will start taking place. The concentration on this sacred sound will occupy the aspirant’s attention in such a manner as to make it easier for him to keep away from unwanted thoughts and remain inwardly more collected and quiescent during his meditation. This will, little by little, allow another state of consciousness to begin mysteriously manifesting itself to his inner vision, a vastly different consciousness from the one he is used to in his routine existence.

 

In the beginning, this state will seem to most people to be merely a strange emptiness that they cannot comprehend. It may not mean much to some at first, while others may be disturbed and even frightened by it. Because their being is still not refined enough and prepared for such an experience, they will not be able to recognize and appreciate a thing of such profound magnitude—just as, in a similar way, an ordinary person cannot at first be expected to understand and appreciate the fineness of great works of art if his level of being is not yet sufficiently raised. However, in the case of a sincere aspirant, even though he may not yet be fully ready to understand and recognize this superior state of consciousness in him as being something of a higher cosmic order, he will, nevertheless, begin to experience an unusual peace and a feeling of remarkable well-being that will greatly help and encourage him in his future efforts.

 

If, at times, especially in the beginning, the seeker experiences some difficulty in hearing this mystical sound, then, immediately on waking up first thing in the morning, he should turn his attention inward to look for it, and listen intently. He will find it astonishingly shrill and loud at that particular hour. It will be clearly heard, oscillating gently and sparkling with such sublime beauty that, as said earlier, it may only be compared to the jewel-like twinkling light of a heavenly star.

 

It should always accompany the aspirant in his struggles, sustaining him in all his meditations and other spiritual exercises.

 

This mystical sound is like a sacred hook of Grace cast down to the seeker to help draw him away from his ordinary state of being. Getting away from his habitual way of thinking and feeling and “emptying” himself constitute the preliminary essential step to allow something of a higher order to fill the void he will have created in himself. Only in this way can the holy descent of Grace take place in him and pervade his being with its divine flame—the indispensable instrument for the purification and transformation of his lower nature, which will eventually render him worthy and strong enough to be able to stand in the presence of his supreme Monarch and bear his royal look and light without cringing.

 

When the seeker has undergone sufficient purification and transformation, and insofar as he has learned to “die” to himself, he will then inevitably rise and become merged with this effulgent light in the same way that evaporating water rises into the air and merges with it under heat from the sun.

 

 

Part 4

The aspirant must arrive at the understanding that it is not enough to have had the Grace and privilege of hearing this inner mystical sound. What is more important afterward is how he listens to it, with what aim, and what spiritual value he attaches to it for his salvation.

He will be very much helped in all this if he observes how his interest changes all the time. He will see it continuously falter, weaken, and alter its course with the slightest association of thoughts that arise in his mind. His interest has to be constantly renewed and redirected onto its intended track and main spiritual objective each time it deviates from them—and this must apply to whatever other forms of yoga the aspirant practices and whatever other means of support he uses for his attention during meditation. How the attention is directed to and poised on this sacred inner sound, and with what determination it is held there—in both duration and depth—will determine the degree of the inner spiritual freedom and spiritual light the seeker will experience during and after his meditation. And the appearance and experience of this spiritual light, as well as the exalted feeling that will follow from it, will act as a benign token, enheartening him to make yet further efforts to remain connected to this luminous aspect of his nature.

The aspirant has to teach himself always to be in a state of alert watchfulness. At any moment, robbers of all sorts can enter the doorways of his being and steal away his attention if he is not sufficiently on his guard. Then this unusual expanse of pure consciousness in him will become adulterated again and recede once more into the background. If a seeker is not wary enough, all the pleasurable or painful impressions he receives from the outside world—and especially how he receives these impressions—can often enmesh him and stick to him, leaving in him, long afterward, inner disorders, confused thoughts, and troubled feelings difficult to disentangle himself from. He must learn to become very discriminating in what he allows to enter into the gates of his being. If he is advanced enough on this spiritual path, and if he is sufficiently enlightened, he will see how impartial and unaffected he can be by certain outer impressions and how much protection he can also benefit from by remaining internally ever-attentive to the mysterious song of this sacred Nada.

Apart from his concentration on it when meditating in the seclusion of his home, by constantly seeking to hear this mystical sound in active life as well, he will gradually learn to be more distant and free from the aspect of himself that is open to temptation and vulnerable to the unprofitable outside influences that make him forget his spiritual aim. As he becomes more aware of himself and more experienced, this sound will permit him to see more rapidly when his attention is being solicited and about to be taken away from him again. It will also help him observe how his attention is being enticed by these marauders (raiders) disguised as friends.

If one could see these seducers as they really are, in their true form, there would be no problem. The trouble is that they never come openly in their real guise, but always as seemingly pleasant friends and benefactors offering dreams of future delights—most of which are in reality unattainable—or instant pleasures that could ultimately greatly hinder the aspirant’s spiritual evolution. Anything that entices, claims, and in the end totally absorbs and ensnares his attention is his real and only enemy. And, each time he forgets his supreme inner Lord and falls asleep in himself again, he commits without realizing it the most serious sin there is against his own being.

At such moments, it can truly be said that the fall of the human being is nothing more nor less than this curious forgetting of himself—that is to say, the forgetting of his higher nature and the awareness of his existence. It is in this state of self-forgetfulness that all wrong actions are performed in life.

With the aid of this mystical sound, the aspirant will have a better chance of remaining vigilant and connected to his inner Source, abiding for longer and longer periods in a state of self-recollectedness. He will ultimately come to see for himself that he is conscious of his existence solely during moments when he feels this state of inner presence. The rest of the time, when he is in his habitual state of oblivion, he feels his existence little and—according to the degree to which he is absent—may even have no awareness of it at all.

Through all this work, the aspirant, if he is sincere and serious enough, will one day suddenly discover that, without his having known it before, he is all the time living on many different planes simultaneously, and that whatever he thinks or does on a certain plane instantaneously colours and affects all the other planes for better or for worse. When, during moments of profound inner presence, the seeker is intensely touched by feelings belonging to the domain of the Sublime, they will pervade and light up all the different planes of himself from the inside toward all the outer layers of his nature in a manner of which one cannot conceive if one has not yet experienced the remarkable spiritual elevation that being present to the higher aspect of oneself confers. If the aspirant can have the strength not to give in to any bad or unprofitable external influence and impression, not allowing them to enter and colour his being, then it will be his innermost nature that will shine forth its effulgent light toward the outside of himself and fill him with its radiance.

Part 5

 

Sooner or later, the day will come when the seeker will be faced with the imperative necessity to have to make the firm decision to try to remain attentive to this sacred sound at all times—no matter where he is or in what other spiritual exercise he is engaged—until he finally succeeds in establishing in him a certain degree of inner presence. And he will have to make this effort through the full understanding of the need for it, so that there will be no unnecessary and harmful violation of himself while trying to achieve this aim.

 

This will inevitably involve the continuous renunciation of his habitual state of being, with all its ever-changing cravings, day-dreaming, and useless fancies. The aspirant will then be confronted with the vital problem of having at all moments voluntarily to agree to forego or “die” to a certain aspect of himself—at least in some measure to start with—so that something higher in him can come to the foreground of his being and occupy its place. He will clearly see how hard this renunciation is.

 

For various reasons, he may not be able to keep up such an intense and prolonged effort. He will probably in time tire of doing it, and, unknowingly, slide backward little by little, settling once more into his old habitual state of being. Without perhaps realizing it, he will then start to sleep inwardly again, thinking that he is still working by being merely satisfied with the intellectual knowledge and memory of certain limited spiritual experiences he may have had in the past.

 

If, after long, arduous, and sustained efforts, an aspirant has arrived at some degree of spiritual awakening and is not heedful enough of this particular kind of pitfall, then, owing to the self-complacency and pride that may surreptitiously install themselves in him through the little knowledge he has gleaned (making it more dangerous for him and everybody else than if he had not known anything at all on such a weighty subject), he will fritter away his further spiritual possibilities and life. Later, if, by chance, he realizes what has happened, it will be much more difficult for him to start making fresh efforts of such magnitude again.

 

There can be no compromise in this matter: either the aspirant’s attention is consciously absorbed in seeking to live in the higher aspect of his being, which demands a certain continual sacrifice of his ordinary self (using this sacred sound as a temporary support for that), or he lives blindly, his attention being constantly taken by his lower nature and wasted in worthless preoccupations that require no effort whatsoever from him—gravity being always happy to drag him down to the inferior levels of his being. The living flame of a lamp can only continue to burn and shine forth its radiance if there is an incessant sacrifice of the wick and oil in the lamp. T

 

The seeker who has embarked on this difficult spiritual journey must realize as quickly as possible—so as not merely to grope his way about, struggling without right comprehension—that his attention is the cardinal element that goes to animate and nourish either the one or the other aspect of his being, rendering its manifestation possible. While striving to remain inwardly attentive to this mystical sound, if he has been favoured with true spiritual awakening he will be very much helped to see, without any mistake, how at every moment of his life the two aspects of his nature are both calling to him to follow them at the same time.

 

In the past, he simply obeyed the dictates of his ordinary self unquestioningly and, by so doing, he has unknowingly made himself what he is today. But, now, he is faced with the personal responsibility of an imperative choice to have to make constantly: the choice between the side of his nature he is to give himself to and uninterruptedly sustain with his attention so as to permit this ineffable flame to continue to shine in his being, and the aspect of himself he must perpetually sacrifice so that the higher can affirm its presence in him. It is a cosmic law that the two cannot co-exist simultaneously—in the same way that it is not possible to put pure water in a jar already filled with crude earth without emptying and cleaning it beforehand.

 

When an aspirant lives through the ordinary aspect of himself, this inner mystical sound will not be audible to him. The more he sinks to the lower planes of his nature, passively letting his interest and attention become involved with its incessant inner clamours and preoccupations, the more this Nada will recede into the background of his being until it is not heard any further. If he has been privileged enough to hear and recognize this sacred sound, he must then make every possible effort to try to remain in contact with it at all moments. He may one day discover that he can even be aware of its presence during sleep. This primordial sound is there, in him, and in all things at all times. In certain mystical states, one can hear it vibrating mysteriously in the Cosmos and in all the heavenly stars, just as it is also vibrating in the Sun in a most spectacular way!

 

The seeker must later endeavour to hear this inner sound in very noisy places. He must choose the busiest streets, and strive to hear this sacred Nada with the utmost of his might until the day he arrives at doing so. He will thereafter be surprised to find that, no matter how loud the uproar thunders around him, it is perfectly possible for him to hear this mystical sound vibrating in him with such clarity that there is absolutely nothing external that can drown it. When he is able to hear it in such conditions, he must then struggle to hold onto it in the most difficult situations possible without losing it.

 

In the beginning, as he tries to hear it while walking outside, he should take a tree or any object ahead of him as a landmark and continually aim at it (looking at it from the corner of his eyes), using the distance that separates him from it as a temporary support to remain aware of himself. When reaching this landmark, he must immediately aim at another, ahead of him, all the time carefully listening inwardly to this sacred sound. This inner Nada will become his most precious ally and alarm signal, warning him when he begins to falter and forget himself again. In that manner, he will begin to be protected from harmful identification with external conditions and the many pernicious influences of the outside world.

 

When the aspirant succeeds in holding onto this sacred sound in such difficult conditions without losing it, a moment will finally arrive when he will become strangely distant from himself, and he will start viewing everything around him from another perspective altogether. He will feel that his vision seems to have inexplicably receded to the outside top part of the back of his head, from where he silently and impartially begins to witness all that is taking place around him. Everything will then be seen to be in a constant state of flux. From this uninvolved position, he will perceive that there is absolutely nothing permanent in any animate or inanimate object that meets his gaze. The whole panorama of outer existence will appear to unfurl in front of him as a sort of strange and fantastic dream. And behind it all, he will mysteriously see through his mind’s eye, so to speak, the Unity of all things—“That” which is pervading him and everything else at the same time.

 

The seeker should never forget the significance and value of this mystical sound. It must be looked upon as a benign friend and salutary aid, always there behind the turmoil of his never-ending outer problems and worries, ever knocking at his door to awaken him and help him to become again conscious of himself in a manner that is not habitual to him. But people are generally too preoccupied to hear its sublime call or pay attention to it when it becomes manifest in them. External matters and their physical needs, as well as all their inner anxieties and incessant imaginings, take up the whole of their attention. It is as if something in them said: “Later, later, I must first finish what I am doing.”

 

But “later” never comes. There is always something else claiming one’s attention—and another precious opportunity is lost. One must learn to be always ready and available to the higher calling of this ineffable aspect of one’s nature so as to render one’s spiritual growth and unfolding possible before it is too late—earthly existence being so uncertain.

 

If the aspirant is really serious in his spiritual practice and has had the rare privilege to have heard this wondrous mystical sound, has recognized it, and is deeply moved by it, appreciating and venerating its presence in him, the latter will, of itself, commence to appear to him suddenly at most unexpected moments of the day. Like a divine emissary, it will knock at the gate of his soul, calling him to himself. How he greets this inner call at that particular moment is of paramount importance for him. For the manner in which he welcomes it will determine the frequency of the future visits of this heavenly messenger. The aspirant’s inner response to its calling must always be: “Yes, and a thousand times yes to Thee.”

 

Each time it is there, singing in his ears, the seeker’s attitude to it should be that of a profoundly devout servant, ever ready to answer the call of his supreme Lord and King. At such moments, he must be fully aware, with the utmost of his sincerity, that “It is here! It is here again, singing inside my ears, calling me!”

 

This mystical sound is truly like a hook of Grace. It is the hook of Grace of a divine fisherman trying to drag the aspirant out of the dark quagmire in which he is sadly entrapped.

 

The seeker will abruptly become aware of its presence in him at odd moments of the day, permitting him to see more clearly into the unhappy state by which he had been engulfed a moment before, and to what higher aspect of his nature he is called to turn once more.

 

As his inner awareness deepens, the strange song of this mystical sound will grow correspondingly louder and more shrill in his ears. It will sing inside his head with such supernal beauty as to make him intoxicated with its celestial wine. In that way, it will also encourage and sustain him in moments when suffering cannot be avoided in this form of existence. It will, at all times, help draw him away from his habitual little self and assist him in his efforts to climb out of the mud and unhappy state into which he has sunk and to raise him to the ever-higher realms of his Supreme Being.
 

 

@Mooorakh Most questions have been discussed before although they may be buried deep in some of the longer threads. Take some time out to read through some of the posts in the meditation section. You will gain a lot of guidance from everyone's contribution. It will take time to build an understanding of the deep topics being discussed. We don't always know the answer to every question and hence keep quiet. If we can help then we will surely try and reply. Keep japping and let whatever happens happen. Your surrendering your mind and body to Waheguru. Once the surrender happens Waheguru takes over and you just got to go with the flow. The moment the mind tries to control and analyse the situation, or starts it's chitter chatter, it ends. Trust me on that one.

The problem I see is that there are sometimes opposing views and that creates a confusion on which way you should go. Take your example of falling asleep during simran. Bhai Ragbir Singh Bir says quite clearly he saw this stage as an obstacle which one must cross. You may have also heard of stories of Baba Nand Singh tying his hair to tree to avoid sleep, or meditating on the edge of a well so that he remains alert and aware. 

I was put in a predicament of what do I tell you. Do I confuse you further by offering you an alternative view and approach. I was listening to the posted video by Simranjeet Singh and he explained your question directly. It stood out at me and I thought of your very question and felt compelled to reply. I know this question also bothered me in the past. When you listen to Bhai Simranjeet Singh in the video, he will say this is what happens in the early stages and let it happen. Who do you now listen to? You must develop firm faith in one path and then go with that even though they may both get you to the same destination. I'm not sure if Bhai Ragbir Singh Bir is still alive or not, but if you choose his words, then you need to stick with what he says and then try and get your questions answered by him. On the other hand if what Simranjeet Singh sounds right to you then follow his path. If you use your resources, you can even find out about him and maybe get in touch with him so he can directly answer your questions. There is nothing more rewarding then having a 1 to 1 discussion with someone more advanced and seeking their guidance.

Even Lucky's post alludes to trying to remain aware which is difficult to explain. What I believe Lucky is trying to imply is that a stage comes when the mind rises above body consciousness and exists in some thoughtless, void like, silent state. Some can enter this stage directly, but some like me fall asleep and then enter this state. It is spontaneous and only happens with Waheguru's grace. You can't force it and it will happen when you least expect it. Mind in it's chatter must become small as a tiny piece of a mustard seed so it fits through a tiny hole so to speak to enter higher states. When this happens the mind awakens itself on the other side known as becoming "jagrath". Those steps I shared with you in the above post are a way to try and induce that state at night. Your body goes to sleep but mind tries to awaken, so you can spend the night in the higher states and doing bhagti whilst the body gets rest. Some will question and be sceptical of this form of night time bhagti, as it is not how it is normally preached. 

These are very advanced topics I'm sharing and I'm only just beginning to grasp the concepts myself let alone directly experience them.

Hope that helps you Ji and does not confuse you further. If you keep walking on the path and try and learn, these things will begin to make more sense. It is all difficult to understand when you first hear stuff like this.

@Mooorakh Listen from 12 minutes to what your experiencing.

 

If your doing simran slowly and elongated (with slow long breathing) then sehaj avasta will naturally come as mind stills. Personally I don't think it's a bad thing. Lets say your doing you jaap during the day and you have had a good nights sleep then this is a very good stage. If your lacking sleep then it can also be a natural body response. If once in sehaj there are no dreams and thought, then that is also very good. If your falling into dreams then not so good.

Ideally one need to start hearing anhad shabads in this sunn/sehaj state. This can take time to manifest. In one katha I heard you have to repeatedly keep pushing the mind into this state and eventually the mind begins to awaken within.

When in the stage of no thoughts whether conscious or unconscious two jahaj's take off from that place. One is that of anhad shabad, and the second is that of falling into dreams and into thoughts and visions. You want to take the jahaj that is naam and keep surti attached to that with no thoughts.

If you want to stay awake you will need to do jaap with determination, josh and more faster pace.

I took these notes from Gurmat Meditation youtube channel about how to go to sleep with simran and continue bhagti throughout the night. Maybe it will offer you some guidance.

1.Elongate waaaahe guuuuru jap and listen to dhun. This should help stop thoughts

2.Listen to sehaj dhun if you can hear dhun and fall asleep

3.You will enter deep sleep without dreams

4.Then after some time you will come back for a short moment. Maybe to change sides. Don’t open eyes. Repeat gurmantar with surti or listen to anhad shabad or start gurmantar again.

5.You will fall asleep again.

6.Then you will awake again.

7.Listen to anhad or simran

8.5 shabads will start

9.Anhad Toor (very loud) may come as combined sounds or like loud horn being blown

10.Put dhyan (listen) on Toor if possible after which Parkash may manifest

11.Put dhyan (look) on Parkash (Transparent glistening light - Nirankar)