Sat1176

Following on from my earlier post of the pangtis of Bhagat Kabir Ji bani in SGGS.

I found the following with reference to the western gate.

pashham dhuaarai sooraj thapai ||

The sun blazes forth at the western gate.

THE GATEWAY OF LIBERATION

The saints tell that God is within our body and also tell us the way to find Him. The seat of mind and soul is behind the eyes, between the eyebrows, from where the consciousness spreads throughout the body. This point has been called by early Indian sages 'the third eye' and 'the divine eye'. Kabir also describes the eye center as 'the door to the west', 'east' being the world visible to physical eyes. By 'west' Kabir refers to the

regions opposite to the physical world, which are behind the eyes :

"Above the western gate stands a heavy rock ;

in that rock is a window and above the window is the tenth door.

O Kabir, endless and boundless is what one sees there." (55)

Besides describing the eyes center as 'the tenth door', Kabir also calls it, 'the mole', 'the mole within the mole' and 'the star between the two moles';

Between the two eyes is the Master,The messenger of the Lord, Between the black and the white moles,Is the shining star,And within the star dwells

The unknown and unseen Lord.

The inner eye is equipped with the capacity to see the supreme being and the

everlasting abode of Truth. Kabir says, "That which is visible is perishable ;

contemplate on Him who is invisible. When you turn the key to the tenth door, then

you will have the darshn of the Merciful One". (57)

To open the inner gate is not easy. Mind and soul are fully engrossed in the outer

world. The soul, tied to the mind, is a captive in the cage of the physical body. It is

unaware of its origin, its home and the abiding bliss that awaits it within. The most

important step in spiritual practice, then is to control the mind and consciousness, which are running through the nine portals into the outer world. Kabir says : "On the ninth day control the nine doors, put a dam across the flowing currents of the mind, become oblivious to all objects of attachments and avarice; thus live beyond ages and eons and taste the fruit of immortality.

Apologies NEO if I have taken this topic off it's intended purpose. Feel free to move it to another thread if deemed appropriate.

N3O,

Any views you have on it would be most appreciated.

I wish mahapursh were open about bhagti in general. Personally I think they know most people have an allergic reaction if chakras or any kind of breathing technique is mentioned. That’s why we don’t hear about it on stages of gurdwaras in general. Very few mahapursh can be bothered with people of today because people just want to debate or have justification for everything and not do the practical.

Bro, I'm not getting into the whole Sargun/Nirgun thing because I feel it’s going to lead me down a path where we have to research what is nirgun and what is sargun exactly. I get the gist of it and that is enough for me at this stage. Which one is higher or lower is of no relevance to me at this stage of my spiritual life because I’m a beginner. Too much knowledge can also become a hindrance and not enough can be a downfall. Where is that right balance I don’t know. To me nirgun or sargun roop are one and the same. I have firm faith waheguru knows my simran is for him.

What should we visualize if anything? From what I’m hearing and reading using visualisation of guru’s pictures accurate or not or ik ongkar or the actual spelling of waheguru are all tools you help you still your mind and build one pointed concentration and stop it wondering. There was one pangti I read where it said keep the guru’s charan embedded in the heart/mind. Here is a similar one:

kar sangat nit saaDh kee gur charnee chit laa-ay. ||1|| rahaa-o.

Always keep the Company of the Holy, and focus your consciousness on the Feet of the Guru.

Ang 47, Bani Guru Arjan Dev Ji

What does that mean? Visualise a pair of feet and pretend they are Waheguru’s. One nanaksar mahapursh said focus on the padam you see drawn on the sole of Guru Nanak’s Dev Ji's feet in their famous painting of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. If that helps you achieve mind focus and makes your feel as if your simran stronger and more directional then why not.

I was listening to another mahapursh the other day where he simply stated make your mind one pointed like a compass needle. Like the needle always returns to the north position keep bringing your mind back if it begins to wonder and keep your nishana on waheguru. I liked that analogy. Easier said than done though! Personally speaking I’m shocked at the stuff that comes to the surface when I try and do simran. However at least I’m becoming aware when this begins to happen and you can try and stop it, either by coming back to bhakri bani or temporarily opening you eyes so as to try and drown out your incoming thoughts.

It’s a very personal decision what feels right for the individual to help them achieve this. But eventually there will come a time when we have to rise above this all. Guru ji says the light of divine is within us all and the journey we have to make is internal. I’m sure he knows that at the end of the day our bhagti is directed at him. He is Guru Nanak and he is everyone else. There is nothing but Him….TuHi TuHi Tui Hi.

The jaap of “waheguru” mantar in the literal sense will stop when you know your thoughts/mind are dead. That is what I believe guru ji means when he says be dead while yet alive which I am reading again and again in SGGS.

But that line is very close to point when we enter a sleep state. At that point we are to listen only with our inner ears for a anhad shabad or it might simply manifest itself. Its never been described or is indescribable except saying its like sounds like a particular instrument and we will love it when we hear it.

I’ll be honest and open here, sometimes when I sit down and its quiet I can hear this buzzing/ringing in my ears which is very faint. Is this the anhad shabad or simply the noise of my own inner being or air flowing through my body/brain. Am I supposed to focus on this or not? I know for a fact my thoughts are still coming so I don’t believe this is what I’m searching for. Yet when I do put all my attention on listening to it when I’m thoughtless even if it is for a few seconds I do feel my meditative state is going deeper within.

Think I’ve gone off track so back to your question. From what I’m learning and which agrees with my own interpretation of what SGGS might be trying to convey is that we need to focus on the gurmantar/shabad. The Sound! Sitting down at the trikuti to my understanding doesn’t mean straining your eyes or applying pressure to try and pierce through or bursting open some doors so some light magically appears. It means take all your surti to that place where the 3 nadi’s meet. With your surti there keep on reciting “Waheguru”, as if you are siting outside a door and waheguru is on the otherside, and listerning to the gurmantar with full concentration. We must keep on "kooking" at Waheguru’s door which is at that point. I hope that door will eventually open for us too and he welcomes us in. I don’t believe it’s a door in the literal sense either but a doorway through which we must walk through to take us deeper within.

I still think there are many more things which I’m yet to discover and if and when I find out anything more I’m happy to share. Even though everyone likes to keep it gupt or provide what ever justification to themselves which makes them feel more special than someone else. I can’t honestly believe if we talk about it our bhagti it will lesson or be lost. I personally don't have any kammyee so what could I possibly loose. Yes I do understand that talking about it can lead to inflation of ones ego, or thinking I’m better or higher or know it all. I hope my post doesn’t come across that way because that it is not what they are intended for. To be honest I don’t even know why I’m writing all this. Is it to solidify where my understanding is taking me or is it because there might be someone else out there with the same views as me who is lost who might be searching for those little gems that might make a difference to them, who when reading this appreciates it and says I wish someone had told me that. Bit of both I guess.

The way I understand it is that we need to make it our end goal is to get to Waheguru before our breaths run out, not after we die. Otherwise we are going to be back here again or wherever he chooses to send us because we didn’t make it. That is made quite clear in Sri Guru Granth sahib.

gur parasaadhee man vasai naamae rehai samaae ||

By Guru's Grace, He dwells in the mind, and one remains immersed in His Name.

gur sabadhee har paaeeai bin sabadhai bharam bhulaae ||1||

Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the Lord is found; without the Shabad, people wander, deceived by doubt. ||1||

man rae nij ghar vaasaa hoe ||

O mind, dwell in the balanced state of your own inner being.

raam naam saalaahi thoo fir aavan jaan n hoe ||1|| rehaao ||

Praise the Lord's Name, and you shall no longer come and go in reincarnation. ||1||Pause||

har eiko dhaathaa varathadhaa dhoojaa avar n koe ||

The One Lord alone is the Giver, pervading everywhere. There is no other at all.

sabadh saalaahee man vasai sehajae hee sukh hoe ||

Praise the Word of the Shabad, and He shall come to dwell in your mind; you shall be blessed with intuitive peace and poise.

Guru Amar Das Ji, ang 36

Waheguru.

I am foolish and ignorant; I seek Your Sanctuary. Please be Merciful and unite me with the Lord.

ham moorakh mugaDh sarnaagatee kar kirpaa maylay har so-ay.

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.)

Following on from my earlier post I have come to learn that once air is flowing equally through both left and right nostrils then it a good time to bring your focus and come sit between the two eyes. (trikuti or treveni as they call it.) I've been observing this myself and after a certain time but not always both nostills do open up. When it doesn happen the medititive state does feel much more deeper and stronger. My body and arms feel really heavy as if my consciousness (surti) isn't in my lower part of the body. I'll be honest it does feel very strange indeed and quite scary. I guess you have to persevere on and go with the flow.

I've been reading the following passage in SGGS on Ang 1159


nij padh oopar laago dhhiaan ||
I focus my meditation on my inner self, deep within.

raajaa raam naam moraa breham giaan ||1|| rehaao ||
The Name of the Sovereign Lord is my spiritual wisdom. ||1||Pause||

mool dhuaarai ba(n)dhhiaa ba(n)dhh ||
In the first chakra, the root chakra, I have grasped the reins and tied them.
(I beileve that is referring to contracting the PC muscle, or root lock as it's known)

rav oopar gehi raakhiaa cha(n)dh ||
I have firmly placed the moon above the sun.

pashham dhuaarai sooraj thapai ||
The sun blazes forth at the western gate.

maer dda(n)dd sir oopar basai ||2||
Through the central channel of the Shushmanaa, it rises up above my head. ||2||

pasacham dhuaarae kee sil ourr ||
There is a stone at that western gate,

thih sil oopar khirrakee aour ||
and above that stone, is another window.

khirrakee oopar dhasavaa dhuaar ||
Above that window is the Tenth Gate.[/

I can't figure out the line :
rav oopar gehi raakhiaa cha(n)dh ||
I have firmly placed the moon above the sun.

In Yogic terms Moon refers to the left eye and the Sun refers to the right eye. But how does one place the moon over the Sun? Is it close the right eye and focus your left eye on the left tip of the nose or focus both eyes on the tip of the nose?
Even Sant Isher Singh (Rare Wale)/ Sant Waryam Singh in their books say there comes a time when you need to focus on the tip of your nose.

Also what is being referred to the as the Western Gate? Is it the right ear possibly????

I kindly request that my posts are not reproduced on other forums. This site is a little more open minded than others and I am only sharing my thoughts and basic knowledge. I am blind myself and only have my guru to show me a way. If he desires, then only with his kirpa will I make it to the charan of his lotus feet.

Waheguru Mere Bharaya Hath Rakhe...

Ang 327

man rae pavan dhrirr sukhaman naaree ||1|| rehaao ||

O mind, hold your breath steady within the central channel of the Sushmanaa. ||1||Pause||

oulattee ga(n)gaa jamun milaavo ||

Turn your breath away from the left channel, and away from the right channel, and unite them in the central channel of the Sushmanaa.

bin jal sa(n)gam man mehi nhaavo ||

At their confluence within your mind, take your bath there without water.

Ang 328

sehaj sehaj gun ramai kabeer ||3||26||

Slowly, steadily, Kabeer chants the Glories of God. ||3||26||

Ang 332

guramath manooaa asathhir raakhahu ein bidhh a(n)mrith peeoueeai ||1|| rehaao ||

Through the Guru's Teachings, hold your mind steady and stable, and in this way, drink in the Ambrosial Nectar. ||1||Pause||

Ang 478 - Beautiful description of simran.

har kaa bilovanaa bilovahu maerae bhaaee ||

Churn the churn of the Lord, O my Siblings of Destiny.

sehaj bilovahu jaisae thath n jaaee ||1|| rehaao ||

Churn it steadily, so that the essence, the butter, may not be lost. ||1||Pause||

than kar mattukee man maahi biloee ||

Make your body the churning jar, and use the stick of your mind to churn it.

eis mattukee mehi sabadh sa(n)joee ||2||

Gather the curds of the Word of the Shabad. ||2||

raam naam lag outharae theeraa ||4||1||10||

one is carried across to the other side, holding fast to the Lord's Name. ||4||1||10||

Ang 1123

ree kalavaar gavaar moodt math oulatto pavan firaavo ||

You barbaric brute, with your primitive intellect - reverse your breath and turn it inward.

man mathavaar maer sar bhaat(h)ee a(n)mrith dhhaar chuaavo ||1||

Let your mind be intoxicated with the stream of Ambrosial Nectar which trickles down from the furnace of the Tenth Gate. ||1||

nagaree eaekai no dharavaajae dhhaavath baraj rehaaee ||

There are nine gates to the one city of the body; restrain your mind from escaping through them.

thrikuttee shhoottai dhasavaa dhar khoolhai thaa man kheevaa bhaaee ||3||

When the knot of the three qualities (Tamo gun, Rajo gun, Satogun) is untied, then the Tenth Gate opens up, and the mind is intoxicated, O Siblings of Destiny. ||3||

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.

Doing simran in any sangat can be very rewarding and uplifting. What makes the experience even more divine is when the sangat does it in totally harmony and in sync. What totally throws me off is sitting next to someone who decides they want to be louder than everyone else and slightly faster or ahead. Completely makes me loose track and get frustrated. My ears are not adept enough to filter them out... Especially when they decide have their vocal cords on full blast.

Is there a reason behind chanting simran very loudly when doing kirtan - as in AKJ style? The almost shouting, beating of the tabla; very aggressively etc. Its quite common these days with many kirtaniye. On the other hand I think you have Guriqbal Singh, who does it quite slowly and softly. Is it a personal preference or is the effects different from a spritual/psychological POV?

I explanation I have heard recently for chanting simran loudly is so that you force your mind to listen to the Shabad and stop it wondering. Its like beating it with a stick. But eventually you will get tired and have to lower the volume and enter a more sehj state. i.e. Bhakhri to Madhma...

Dear Learned GurSikhs,

I have been reading through Kabeer's bani in Sri Guru Granth Sabhib Ji and am puzzled by some particular lines. They are on Ang 481. Can some learned gursikh please explain the underlying message?

Many thanks,

http://www.searchgurbani.com/guru_granth_sahib/ang/481

pihlw pUqu ipCYrI mweI ]

pehilaa pooth pishhairee maaee ||

First, the son was born, and then, his mother.

guru lwgo cyly kI pweI ]1]

gur laago chaelae kee paaee ||1||

The guru falls at the feet of the disciple. ||1||

eyku AcMBau sunhu qum@ BweI ]

eaek acha(n)bho sunahu thumh bhaaee ||

Listen to this wonderful thing, O Siblings of Destiny!

dyKq isMGu crwvq gweI ]1] rhwau ]

dhaekhath si(n)gh charaavath gaaee ||1|| rehaao ||

I saw the lion herding the cows. ||1||Pause||

jl kI mCulI qrvir ibAweI ]

jal kee mashhulee tharavar biaaee ||

The fish of the water gives birth upon a tree.

dyKq kuqrw lY geI iblweI ]2]

dhaekhath kutharaa lai gee bilaaee ||2||

I saw a cat carrying away a dog. ||2||

qlY ry bYsw aUpir sUlw ]

thalai rae baisaa oopar soolaa ||

The branches are below, and the roots are above.

iqs kY pyif lgy Pl PUlw ]3]

this kai paedd lagae fal foolaa ||3||

The trunk of that tree bears fruits and flowers. ||3||

GorY cir BYs crwvn jweI ]

ghorai char bhais charaavan jaaee ||

Riding a horse, the buffalo takes him out to graze.

bwhir bYlu goin Gir AweI ]4]

baahar bail gon ghar aaee ||4||

The bull is away, while his load has come home. ||4||

khq kbIr ju ies pd bUJY ]

kehath kabeer j eis padh boojhai ||

Says Kabeer, one who understands this hymn,

rwm rmq iqsu sBu ikCu sUJY ]5]9]22]

raam ramath this sabh kishh soojhai ||5||9||22||

and chants the Lord's Name, comes to understand everything. ||5||9||22||

Where is it written that he was bachelor for 9 decades?

'I'm healthy and I enjoy sex with my wife. I think it's very important for a husband and wife to have sex regularly,' Mr Raghav, from Haryana in northern India, who spent nine decades as a bachelor, told The Sun.

Well one needs to scrutinise Why he did not have child when he was young,did he have a late marriage ?

According to this site he spent 9 decades as a bachelor. Bachara!!! He's got some catching up to do....

Metro

Excuse me but how the title of this thread has Singh is king.He is not Singh.Btw I read this story earlier and first thing come's to my mind is DNA test

Take a chill pill yaar. Don't take everything so literally...

This story made me laugh.

World's oldest dad.

O tera bhalla hovey...

Folks,

Here is a website dedicated to baba ji's dharna kirtan.

http://www.babalakhbirsinghbalongi.org/

Where have these simran master classes been taking place and are there going to be anymore?

Do you know where is baba ji doing kirtan in coming weeks? If you have any further information please post.

Where can we find the english version?

Here is a question that I've been thinking about for a while. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji went around his tours of Asia preaching Sikhi. Most likely spending a few days at each location giving updesh and putting people on the right path to realise Ik OngKar, Kartapurkh. Therefore given all the information, parchar, maryadas, rehits, branches of today has Sikhi become more complicated for us than those of who were given updesh by Guru Nanak Dev Ji?

It is not my intention to discredit or disapprove of anything that is in existence today but wondering have we lost the real essence of what was supposed to be the real simple goal.

Bhul chuk marf if this is a controversial topic and needs to be removed.

Its supposed to be Guru Arjan Dev Ji painted by http://www.artofpunjab.com/

As mentioned above that's a similar problem I face I think I miss words out. Ill be doing ... ik oankar satnam karta purakh.........nanak hosbi sach .... its prob due to a lapse of concentration and wandering of the mind or for some strange reason I'm missing bits out.

Kind of reminds me of the 1, 2 miss a few 99 a hundred lol

If that ever happens to me now i just don't count it because it tells me clearly that my mun wasn't there. Will definately take longer to reach the target but who cares. The objective doesn't become 125,000 paths. (Although will be well chuffed when with guru ji's grace I get there) It becomes more of a method to help steady the mind with single pointed concentration and to want to do more paths to reach the target. Anything else is a bonus!

Kaljug, there are so many ways to reach the same final goal. The more I hear and read the more confused I get about which is the right method, 1 minute i'm doing 1 method then next minute the other. So now I have just decided to stop researching and starting doing. Only advice I can give is pick 1 method which works for you and just do it with sharda. Leave the rest to Waheguru Ji.

May he keep his mehar bharay hath on us all so we reach the stage of darshan of his lotus feet.

i have no idea how can one do sawa lakh in 40 days, it takes me atleast 7-8 mins to do the complete mool mantar 108 times

takes hours of effort like veer ji said above.

I was told this happens of its own accord and not to force the change from silent jaap to mental jaap. Initially you will move on to mental repetition and back to silent utterance, but eventually it becomes completely internal and continuous without conscious effort.

I personally think you need to consciously take that step yourself. One can sit at the stage of vocal recitation (not saying that it's a bad or anything) for as long as one wishes. It is very easy for the tongue to be reciting any jaap and the mind to be wondering elsewhere. To do it with the voice of the mind requires you mun to be involved in the process.

Bhul chuk marf if it contrary to instructions of true realised soul as daas is probably walking the long way round.

Here is another tip. If your mind wonders whilst doing a recitation. Don't count it. Eventually that should teach your mind not to wonder and also teach you to listen to what you are saying and actually absorb what you are reciting. I often find that sometimes I feel I may be going so fast that I might be missing words out.

Here is something i'm struggling with. I'm trying to get to the stage where I can do the mool mantar with the mind but instinctively my tongue begins to move on certain words, hence moving back towards a silient jaap with the tongue. Any advice apart from perserverance?

I also do it whilst walking around throughout the day. Best time i find for me is when I'm on my way to and from work. That gives me a solid 2 hours in which to do it. Walking meditation can be quite an effective way of doing jaap. Think I heard somewhere Guru Teghbahdur Ji also mentions it in his bani. You will also hear and read that most abyasssi's all started doing it during their normal day to day activities. It gets to a stage where when ever you have a few moments you try and slip one in. Although you do loose sight of the counting involved. (let waheguru ji worry about exactly what number you are on) we can only estimate.

Obviously the best way is if you can doing it with full concentration whilst sitting down, but someone of us haven't reached that stage yet.

Go for it fellow Sikher! Don't talk the talk but walk the walk.