BhagatSingh

Both are part of it and both are important.
You are making one look worse than the other through your words. So half the things that you should be doing, you are avoiding. Thus I imagine you are only getting half the benefit from Gurmati.
God has no symbols but also has many symbols, pick a few and stick to them. Pick the images and symbols which appeal to you. Whether it be chakradhar, sharangdhar, kalgidhar, aswadhar, topidhar. ;)
Be Nehkaram while performing karam, choose the right action, moral action, action that leads to results. Do actions together as a community even as simple as e.g. putting Guru Granth Sahib to sleep, so that your consciousness may be united.
Dhyan lagao also pay others to do so Ragis, Pandits, etc. It is important that people earn a living through this and others will get to hear them sing Lord's praises. It is also important to meditate yourself and become receptive to Divine being.
Do not expect miracles but do not be too skeptical and reject or dismiss any miracles. Have faith in God, but miracles also strengthen faith. So believe in that too. They do happen.
Transcend all tribes but be part of one. Everyone needs a tribe. Be part of a tribe, and contribute to it. However big or small that tribe is. Full khalsa or simply a sect hidden somewhere, be a part of it. Do not slander other tribes.
 
Yog (enlightenment) through Gyan (knowledge)/ Karm (action)/ Bhakti (devotion)/ Raj(meditation)... all are important.

I am not sure if you are working closely with @Lucky bhaji's methodology.
If you are then that's good, you should probably go with it.
 
But I'll share my thoughts on this, in case it helps you or anyone else reading -
 
What is your goal with meditation?
What are you trying to accomplish in the long run?
What do you want out of it now? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? Next 5 years?
Think about this seriously.
Because it is important to have a goal with things that you want to pursue seriously.
 
If your goal is to try to increase the volume of these sounds, the Shabad sounds, to the point where you can hear them above the volume of Running Water, then put your attention on the sounds as much as possible.
Is that what you want to do? Because that is something you can certainly do.
I knew a client who could make the Shabad sound really loud, with such high energy.
He called it the inner Om.
He said he could make it sound louder than the loudest concert.
He had reached really high energy states.
I have also done meditations with the goal of making these louder by putting my attention in them and amping their volume up.
That is something you can meditate on and with.
 
Now... there is a difference between these Shabad sounds, and regular sounds, such as that of Running Water, as @Lucky points out in above post.

When you meditate, you pull back from the sounds of the world and then you head these inner sounds.
When you stop the monologue running in the mind, then you hear these inner sounds.
 
But ultimately even these Shabad sounds, is also an Experience that Consciousness (Atma/Parmatma) is having, just like your other experience of Running Water sounds or the experience of internal monologue.
    These Shabad sounds can be called Anhad Shabad because they are Anhad from the perspective of the World. They are An-Had, Un-Struck, they don't have a source in the world.
But they are Had, struck, from the perspective of Consciousness.
From Absolute Consciousness perspective, they are struck by Absolute Consciousness.
They are coming from Consciousness, just like any other sound from the world.
So from the perspective from Consciousness, these are not utlimately Anhad.
That's why I say that ultimately even these Shabad sounds, is also an Experience that Consciousness is having.
Ultimately Consciousness is Anhad because there is nothing prior to it, nothing strikes to create Consciousness.


So how do you go from these Shabad sounds to Consciousness (Atma/Parmatma)?
How do you listen to the Anhad Shabad that is behind the Anhad Shabad?
What I would do in this situation is to try to keep my focus on the space in which the Shabad sounds are arising.
Think who is listening to Anhad Shabad, and pay attention to that One, who is the space in which you experience the unstruck sounds.

It's well translated already but here is my analysis.

ਗੋਂਡ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ॥
In Rag Gaund, by Guru Ramdas.
ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਉ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਬਹੁ ਤਪਤੈ ਜਿਉ ਤ੍ਰਿਖਾਵੰਤੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਨੀਰ ॥੧॥
My mind yearns so deeply for the vision of Hari, the way a thirsty man yearns for a drink of cool water.
ਮੇਰੈ ਮਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੇਮੁ ਲਗੋ ਹਰਿ ਤੀਰ ॥
ਹਮਰੀ ਬੇਦਨ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਨੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਅੰਤਰ ਕੀ ਪੀਰ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
My mind has been pierced by the arrow of His love; only He understands my pain, the pain I feel from having been separated from Him.
ਮੇਰੇ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮ ਕੀ ਕੋਈ ਬਾਤ ਸੁਨਾਵੈ ਸੋ ਭਾਈ ਸੋ ਮੇਰਾ ਬੀਰ ॥੨॥
Whoever tells me stories of Hari, whoever talks about my Beloved, he is my brother, my true brother.
ਮਿਲੁ ਮਿਲੁ ਸਖੀ ਗੁਣ ਕਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੇ ਲੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਮਤਿ ਧੀਰ ॥੩॥
Come together my friends and sing the praises of my Lord, and listen to message of the patient Satguru.
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੀ ਹਰਿ ਆਸ ਪੁਜਾਵਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨਿ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਸਰੀਰ ॥੪॥੬॥ ਛਕਾ ੧॥
Guru Ramdas ji says, O Hari please fulfill our desires to unite with You. When we see You, when we get a glimpse of Your form, we find peace.


What is special about that rahao line is that it describes a state where the mind stops seeking material objects or  imaginary objects, and starts seeking desiring God instead.

There is a fundamental shift that takes place, where the individual atma starts to actually desire Hari.
Most people aren't actually desiring God. They are not clear in their intention to meet God. They are just sort of half-assing it.

It maybe that they are clear about what they want and it's just not God. Or perhaps they want to want God but don't actually want him. Whatever the case maybe, that desire is neither clear nor very strong.

What Guru Ram Das ji is describing is a clear and strong intention of his soul to merge with God. He wants God, like a thirsty man who wants water, like a stranded individual wants to be rescued... and so on. The analogy is meant how real and strong that desire is.

We are connected to the world in a way that is much more real than we can perceive.
 

@Gunahgar
If you chhak the right kind of Amrit, then indeed mokhsh is possible in this lifetime.
 
But now that I think about it ... you mentioned that you have a scientific background, so because of that bhagti may not be the thing for you. It may be so that bhagti is not the type of meditation your being attaches to. So you may need to find other ways of meditation.
This is for your to learn - what kind of meditation works for me?
You can try the self-inquiry approach, which IMO is more attractive to a scientific mind.
 

If it's not feasible to do meditations during activites then you can also try to do mini meditations before an after your activities.

Just do several seconds of mental silence, or conscious breaths or focused simran. And insert these into as many intervals as possible, through out the day.

If you can feel their presence clearly (not maybe... but rather clear presence), then you have already had their darshan.
If you want to experience a clear presence or even more than a presence, then you should do bhagti.
Any spiritual phenomenon becomes more apparent through meditation and through strengthening your intention.
Strengthening attention and intention through devotion, that is bhagti.
Attention is the ability to focus on a single point and intention, is the willpower to move towards your goal.
One example of such a man who had these qualities is Sant Nam Dev ji.
Sant Nam Dev ji was being tortured by a sultan and was about to be killed.
However his bhagti was at such a high level that he manifested Akal Purakh sahib right there.
So you must develop a level of devotion that is somewhat comparable.

1. Yes. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. No, unless it is your time.
4. No. It is not a hallucination but it is also not the ultimate reality. It is another transient, dream like this 3D world.
5. Yes.
6. a) Yes. b) Not sure.
My knowledge of Astral Projection is limited to what I have researched and hear from other people who have claimed to have done it.
However with regards to Samadhi I can speak from some experience.
7. a) Samadhi is related to astral projection in that doing meditation will help you project your consciousness outside of your body. Some people have had astral projection experiences while in samadhi state due to the absorption in consciousness and dissociation from the body.
7. b) Sachkhand isn't some place out there that you travel to. Sach khand is available here and now, and Samadhi is the act of merging with Waheguru and experiencing him here and now.
When the mind settles into its own awareness, then it comes to reside in Sach khand.
 

You are both wrong!

Feast your eyes upon the eternity that is the present moment!
Shiv and Shakti both arise out of Mahakal, the supreme Time.  Both consciousness and Energy, Shiv and Shakti, are merely arising and falling in Kaal, boundless Father Time! They both arise in the present moment. Mahakal hai Pita Apara. In his body, exists countless consciousnesses, countless forms of energy.

Kaal consumes conscious, energy-filled entities for breakfast. Thus Time is ultimately real. All else is false. Time alone is Timeless.
None can escape the jaws of Mahakal!



Get wrecked

Oh no friends. No joke.

All measurements (theories) that say time is relative is only really relative to the measurement that is being made.
All consciousness that perceives time is only perceiving a portion of time (time that is relative to consciousness).
All measurements performed and all consciousnesses perceiving, are getting only portions of time, not the vast present moment in they were measuring and being aware.
Time is beyond measurement and it is beyond consciousness.
It is the all encompassing eternity.
It is the eternal now.
The immeasurable now.
It includes all relative time that you can understand. But it beyond all relative time. Black holes come and go from existence, consumed by time.

It is Mahakal, incomprehensible, immeasurable, imperceptible.
 
You guys understand your paradigms well.

Wakeup you understand the paradigm that is Consciousness-centric. You think time and energy are within the field of consciousness. And that limits you from understanding the energy-centric paradigm which Opal presented and time-centric paradigm that I presented.

Opal you understand the paradigm that is Energy centric. You think consciousness and time are within the field of energy. And that limits you from understanding the consciousness-centric paradigm that Wakeup presented and time-centric paradigm that I presented.

Now I want you to go into your experience of your paradigm. The most pure experience you can generate.
Really do it.

Clarify your experience, trust it and let it sit and observe it.
Can you see how that appears as Consciousness and Energy and Time depending on how you approach it?

See the reality of it all, that transcends any individual paradigm, including your own.

Lol. Indeed he is. wink wink ;)

They are all badass.

They are different representations of that which is at the center of everything.

One person might call it consciousness, another might call it energy and another might call it time. The consciousness guy says energy and time are illusions. The energy guy says consciousness and time are illusions. The time guy says consciousness and energy are illusions.
It is important to be in touch with that pure essence.

I personally prescribe to the Consciousness-centric worldview similar to WakeUp, which is what is expressed in Guru Granth Sahib also, using not the name 'Shiv' or the english word 'consciousness' but instead the names, pictures and stories of - Hari, Vishnu, Ram and Krishna.

But I understand other paradigms like that of Adi Shakti (which Opal presented) and that of Mahakal (which I presented), both of which are also discussed in Dasam Granth.
 
One should go into the very deepest essence that one can access. Never lose sight of that essence in all the worldviews and belief systems that exist. That essence alone is ultimately real and not the beliefs you prescribe to.

But it is also important to have beliefs. Beliefs are the backbone of your spiritual growth. They are tools that you will use to hammer your intellect and transform it into something beautiful.

It is important to have beliefs and to stick by them like Baba Namdev ji did in the court of the Muslim Emperor who wanted him killed for not chanting Allah instead of chanting Hari and Ram. He stood by his belief system even though he understood the belief system of the emperor. While under attack, he rattled his chains and sung of Ram.

Namdev ji himself taught do not chant other names, only stick to chanting Ram. It means to stick to a belief system so that you can progress spiritually and learn to taste the essence. Ram was the center of Namdev ji's belief system so that's what he taught.

But some people take the wrong meaning out of it and start rejecting other belief systems as ignorance. They say mine is superior and yours is all nonsense. They devote their attention to this pursuit and not the pursuit their belief system is encouraging, thus they do not progress spiritually.

Other people take the easy route and accept everything as true without understanding the essence. They say every belief system is good, they become lazy and don't follow any system. They remain ignorant. Thus they do not progress spiritually either.

Namdev ji says one who follows a belief system and makes progress in that system is the enlightened one.

Now perhaps this shabad will make more sense, when read again in a new light -

In the post below, I am explaining the different faces of God. It is difficult to see them without meditation and developing what is traditionally known as Divya Drishti, divine sight, which comes from meditation and grace.

Avoid reading theories upon theories without meditating. It will not get you anywhere.
So this post is not a replacement for meditation. and this post cannot be understood fully without meditation.

When in doubt always meditate (instead of thinking). Thinking cannot clear doubt.
 
You (and me) are defining God as consciousness. Yet consciousness is also something within creation.
This is because God Consciousness is not the same as Man Consciousness. Absolute Consciousness vs Relative Consciousness.

God Time is not the same as Man Time. Absolute Time vs Relative Time (that changes with perception and gravity).
 
So when Guru Granth Sahib is talking about God Consciousness and says time is an illusion. They are speaking from the point of view and from the belief system of Consciousness, where time is changing or a measurement of change.

Guru Granth Sahib says Consciousness is ultimately outside of Time. That it is God Consciousness who is entering Time-Space to protect devotees for instance. Guru Amardas ji tells the story of Prahlaad ji, for whom the God Consciousness, Narsingh, appeared before everyone to save him. Absolute Consciousness (Narsingh) entering Time-Space to protect devotees for instance.

Guru Amardas ji says
ਭਗਤਾ ਕਾ ਅੰਗੀਕਾਰੁ ਕਰਦਾ ਆਇਆ ॥ ਕਰਤੈ ਅਪਣਾ ਰੂਪੁ ਦਿਖਾਇਆ ॥
He always protects his devotees. Once again, the Creator, Narsingh, has showed himself!

Dasam Granth considers God Time as the reality and speaks from that and says that Consciousness entering and leaving Time, that is not God. Consciousness is not absolute, consciousness is consumed by God Time.

According to Dasam Granth (in Vachitra Natak Granth),
ਨਰਸਿੰਘਾਵਤਾਰੰ ॥ ਵਹੈ ਕਾਲ ਮਾਰੰ ॥
Narsingh is simply something appearing in Time, that was destroyed by Time (Kaal) afterwards.

From the perspective of Time, Consciousness appears and disappears, Time does not.


In Guru Granth Sahib Narsingh is Absolute Consciousness. Hence why they worship Narsingh.
ਕਹਿ ਨਾਮਦੇਉ ਹਮ ਨਰਹਰਿ ਧਿਆਵਹ ਰਾਮੁ ਅਭੈ ਪਦ ਦਾਤਾ ॥
Says Nam Dev, I meditate on Narsingh, the giver of fearlessness, the liberator.
 
So Guru Granth Sahib is saying Kaal is an illusion inside Narsingh. And Dasam Granth is saying that Narsingh is an illusion inside Kaal.

Two very different paradigms.
 
Yes and Time is the ultimate oneness and is unchanging and contains all changes.

Every change is happening in Time. It is the Eternal Present Moment. Time is also perceived as a moment but the perception also takes place in Time.


Dasam Granth (in Vachitra Natak Granth) -
ਜਿਤੇ ਹੋਇ ਬੀਤੇ ॥ ਤਿਤੇ ਕਾਲ ਜੀਤੇ ॥
All things that came into being, were conquered by Time.
ਜਿਤੇ ਸਰਨਿ ਜੈਹੈਂ ॥ਤਿਤਿਓ ਰਾਖ ਲੈਹੈਂ ॥੭੫॥
Whoever goes into the sanctuary of Time (called Present Moment), they are saved.

 
Scientific theories are always limited to a certain paradigm. Current science lives in the materialistic paradigm that the Physical Universe is the ultimate reality and everything exists within the Physical only, and the Physical Universe has generated Consciousness through evolution.

That's one face of God.


We believe that Consciousness generates the physical universe. Physical universe lives inside Consciousness. Hence why Vishnu is called Shri Niwaas, the house of the world itself.

Rupert Spira is very good at explaining this.
That's another face of God.

Keep watching and Rupert also gives a Time-Centric explanation at - 12:38. Maybe you'll understand him better than me.


Paradigms with Time at the center is another face of God.

Eckharte Tolle is very good at explaining this Time-centric view as well. Read "The Power of Now".

In terms of scientific theories - If you listen to Stuart Hammeroff's theory of consciousness. He says it is Space-Time Geometry that collapses into Happenings, which is defined as a moment of Perception. He is essentially saying Time generates Consciousness.

Stuart is the guy on the left with the white beard and bald head.

 

It's not that sharing makes you spiritually "dumber", it's that when you share the other person might start to develop an expectation of that same experience.
The key is not to expect what the other person experienced in your own journey, rather trust God and remember he has a unique experience that is only for you, unique to your journey.

Yes if you had a desire to save your brother then if you misdirected the assassin, that will be coming from a place of truth.
If you had a desire to save your brother and if you told the assassin the facts, then that will not be coming from a place of truth.
This is known as truthful living in that quote by Guru Nanak Dev ji.

Recognizing the situation for what it is (knowing the truth) and acting from from a place of recognizing this truth (truthful living) and doing so with utmost clarity and equanimity (truthful living) is what Guru sahib was talking about.
 

Chalisa is Chali - sa, meaning 40 chaupais.
Chaupai is chau - pai, meaning 4-line poem.

Sukhmani sahib is in Ashtpadi, Asht - padi, meaning 8 steps. Each step is 10 lines.

10 lines x 8 = 80 lines. A Chalisa is 40 x 4 = 160 lines

So my guess would be that you read 2 Ashtpadis with each Nitnem.

Anyways I don't know what the puratan maryada is so maybe someone else can chime in on that.

My answer is the same as it is for all things in life -
Step 1 Set a Goal for yourself
Step 2 Accomplish the Goal
Many on the forum will tell you not to focus on the sound rather focus on Mantra. This is because they have set that goal for themselves that we are only going to focus on mantra and then they try to accomplish this goal and try to ignore the distractions that take them away from the goal.
For me personally, I like to experiment and I like to set different goals. I sometimes set the goal of focusing on my mantra but at other times, I set other goals like focusing the sounds or other spiritual experiences.
In Guru Granth Sahib the various poets describe the sounds differently and they tell us that there are 5 types, sometimes more. They say it sounds like several instruments.
1. So I set a goal that I will focus on the sounds and clarify them more. Try to separate the sound of silence into distinct sounds - tones, vibrating strings, atmospheric sounds, etc.
One of my clients told me that they are able to listen to Anhad naad, he called it Om di dhwani, even when there is loud noise outside, and he said he can increase the Dhwani to be even louder than the loudest sounds. So I wanted to try this for myself.
2. So sometimes I try to make the sounds louder and louder by focusing my attention on them.
3. Sometimes I try to carry the sounds with me into noise.
All this time, I am setting goals, and moving towards the goal while ignoring other distractions on the path.
I train my concentration in whatever activity I do. It is not limited to sounds and stuff. If I am taking a dump, I'll practice my concentration on that and have a more satisfying dump. It's a good time to meditate and everybody wants a really satisfying dump lol

@tva prasad
Learn to relax while the faces and eye are appearing.
This is something you can do inside your mind and body. Is to become silent and relax all muscles and memory when the eyes and faces are there.
You said you become uncomfortable and you start wondering why they are there.
Becoming uncomfortable - is an example of tension in teh mind and in the body.
Wondering why they are there - is an example of mental noise.

You must become quiet and relax into the meditation. When you have an experience of seeing eyes and faces, then you must be quiet.
If it helps, think of the eyes and face as a gift from God, and watch the show with full engagement, full atttention but also full silence and full relaxation.

Here's an example, I just thought of -
If God invited you to watch TV with him, would you become uncomfortable and wonder why you are watching TV with God? Or would you be silent and enjoy the process of watching TV with God?

@tva prasad
Does it bother you that they are watching?

What do you feel when you see the eyes and the faces?

Can you close your eyes and see them right now as we speak?
Do not think "why it is happening". Think "This is happening by God's grace". Now try to fully immerse yourself in the experience without distracting yourself with extra thoughts. Does the experience change in any way?
 

Relax and simply watch the play of eyes.

What happens?

What do the eyes do?

What else do you see?

Are you able to become fully relaxed as you watch the show?

Can you go deeper into silence and relaxation?

In addition, you can be a celibate while having sex.
Just like you can be Nehkarm (without action) while performing karm (action).
The person who is able to hold energy the energy without letting it spill, know him to be Brahmchari...
...whether they have sex or not.

Hmm for that I don't think it's necessary to break good habits.
It's not like you pull away from 9 doors, from external perception and enter the 10th and then you are done lol. There is no end goal to achieve here. It's a daily practice until you die. So you still have to get back into it the next day and your habit (that got you there in the first place!), will be necessary vehicle to get you back in to the door.

The habit is what you fall back on when temporary spiritual experience has passed. So you just have to make sure you have developed good habits.

Now you mention attachment to ritual... let's be honest, there could be attachment to anything, ritual or not. You could get attached to the idea of not having a ritual, of not having a habit or whatever. You could get attached to being a spiritual person, attachment to the image of one who meditates. Any of these can be road blocks. The best thing we can do is to develop and sustain good habits and continue to practice developing a thick stream of concentration.

Gosh this gyan is so deep that it's so difficult to absorb.
I somewhat remember the slide that used to be shown on mysimran.info
God  |  You
where the line represents your thoughts (khoor da paal) dividing the two.
 
Problems in Meditation and Their Equivalent When Dying
 
The aspirant will notice (if he is honest enough and truly seeks to know himself) that, in the beginning of his spiritual practice, when he is still struggling with the initial efforts to remain as “present” and as concentrated as he can during his meditation, he has a hidden desire to stop most of the time—and is almost even relieved when he finishes meditating. It is as though he is secretly glad to return to his customary outer-life conditions, once more settling into the ease of his usual vain reveries, habitual feelings, and ordinary preoccupations, preferring all this—including the worries, turmoil, and endless pains this condition brings with it—than to have to make the requisite effort to remain concentrated and present to himself; it is as if, in some inconceivably strange way, he needed all these inner and outer problems to fill an emptiness in his life, which would otherwise be too intolerable to support.
 
The aspirant must clearly see what is happening in him during his meditation (something which, in the usual course of events, would remain concealed from his knowledge) so that the reverse of this way of meditating starts to take place in him. That is to say, instead of secretly wishing to finish his spiritual practice quickly so as to go back to whatever is drawing him outwardly, he will actually long to accomplish rapidly whatever is preoccupying him externally in order to be able to return to his meditation—failing which, there will always be a hidden conflict in him while he is trying to meditate, and his spiritual efforts may then come to nothing. He may finally even be prompted to give up his meditation altogether—something that happens to many seekers without their realizing the true cause for it. But what has been said above must on no account be taken to signify that the seeker should neglect or fulfill his outer duties poorly—for everything must be used as a means to render one more refined, noble, and worthy.
 
When, during his meditation, the aspirant begins to be touched by the effulgence of his Supreme Being, he will, of himself, little by little—through a quiet and subtle discernment that will have imperceptibly germinated in him—start to feel the uselessness of the ordinary aspect of himself in which he has passed the greater part of his earthly existence. He will begin to wish to return continually to this blissful state of reverential inner silence each time he becomes separated from it, in much the same way that someone wants to hear again and again the inspiring strains of a sublime and highly moving piece of music for the feeling of great beauty and subtle truth it inexplicably echoes in the depths of his being. The seeker will, from then onward, ardently look forward to every moment he can get away from his ordinary preoccupations in order to come back to his meditation. And, as he goes deeper into himself, experiencing ever greater states of inner tranquillity and ecstasy, not only will his meditation become less and less difficult, but there will naturally grow in him an untiring desire and love for it.
 
This beatific and immutable state that he will experience during his meditation will become for him the only true reality there is in these ever-changing conditions of an impermanent worldly existence. He will now yearn to be able to maintain this unusual state of inner presence in active life as well. He will perceive for himself the urgent need there is for it. For he will find that the more he can remain present to himself in outer life, the more it will afterward have a positive effect on his meditation as well; and the deeper the absorption in meditation, the more present he will be able to be in active life also. Thus, the one will help the other. At the beginning of his practice, a sincere seeker may have noticed that not only was his restless mind refusing to give up its preoccupations and making him even secretly long to finish meditating in order to return to outer activities that kept surreptitiously calling him to them, but that he was also at times using all kinds of subtle inner arguments and pretexts to cease his meditation and get up—because of the necessity to attend to all sorts of important matters first that urgently needed settling. What he may not really see in the beginning is that to all of these things he was, and still is, painfully attached.
 
As has been said earlier, a reversal of the aspirant’s feelings and way of being during his spiritual practice is of extreme importance and must start to take place in him while he is still alive. Just as, when trying to meditate, something in him refuses to abandon whatever it is preoccupied with and to which it is in fact deeply attached, so, when this momentous hour comes when he will be called upon to relinquish his earthly envelope, the same phenomenon will then take place in him. That is to say, all his thoughts and feelings will, at that crucial moment, be directed out toward the world to which he is unwittingly about to bid farewell and to which he has become accustomed and so desperately attached (it being the only thing he has known).
 
Without being aware of it, his attention will be focused with acute nostalgia and pain mainly on the things he was familiar with, on his unsatisfied desires and on his unrealized dreams, most of which are profitless and weighty baggage, unhelpful to him for the great lone journey he is about to embark upon—a lone journey for which he may now find himself dramatically unprepared. He will sense an inexplicable fear and unconscious refusal to enter and abide in this—hitherto unknown to him—mysterious state, a state of subtle consciousness that will seem to him as an incomprehensible void but which, in reality, is his true condition of Being, the Divine Source from which he and all sentient beings originated. If he has not come to recognize the Sacred in himself while still carrying his mortal body, if he has not arrived at a state of knowing this luminous consciousness and vast cosmic silence during his lifetime—be it only a little—then it will not be possible for him to understand it after he leaves this form of existence.
 
When, in active life, the aspirant learns to be more and more “present”—inwardly connected to his Supreme Source—he will then already and inevitably be practicing this indispensable detachment from the bondage to his ordinary self. And each time he loses the felicity of this inner presence again, he will feel as if shipwrecked and cast on a parched, empty, and harsh desert island. It will then seem to him like a cruel inner death. Like a drowning person gasping for breath, he will feel suffocated and experience a painful need to return once more to the fullness of the celestial aspect of his double nature. He will begin to realize that this is the only true life there is and the only real Source from which a higher wisdom can come.
 
If one’s meditation is to become what it should really be—that is to say, pure in the strictest sense of the word—then it is necessary to be able to perceive clearly whenever this higher state of being has become diluted and mixed up again with one’s ordinary state of consciousness. Meditation in its truest sense requires the utmost vigilance and sincerity on the part of the aspirant. At the same time, care must be taken never to force it.
 
The effort to remain present to oneself, although resolute, must at the same time be a very calm and gentle one. The intensity of this effort has to be in the right proportion, neither too much nor too little. If it is overdone, one will not be able to maintain it, and its aftereffect may be very unpleasant. And if it is underdone, it will lead nowhere: one will simply dream away.
 
The aspirant must also, little by little, learn the subtle art of recognizing when the right and delicate moment has arrived for him cautiously to start relaxing his effort, as well as the extent to which he should do so in order to abandon himself to that which is higher in him without the risk of sinking again into his habitual state. Like a kite that has finally become airborne, he should now let himself be carried by the resplendent light of his Supreme Being and be merged in and “one with” the sublime ocean of this Immutable Celestial Consciousness in him.
 
When the aspirant first starts this spiritual work, he will observe that hardly has he touched a more exalted state in himself than his ordinary self and habitual feeling immediately rise up again like a big tidal wave to engulf it. If, after persistent and patient efforts, he can later find enough strength to sustain this superior state of awareness for longer periods, he will then see with yet greater clarity how difficult it is to keep up the quality of this unusual presence in its purest condition for more than a short while, and how, before he realizes what is happening, this state will have begun to be adulterated once more and mixed up with his customary lower consciousness.
 
If he does not clearly see and understand this problem, then there will always be the risk that whatever light that might reach him from the higher regions of his being will always become mingled with all kinds of fantasies and imaginings from his inferior self, and this ineffable divine flame will once more become smothered before it is given the chance fully to reveal and affirm its august presence in him. And if, during meditation, this luminous expanse of consciousness becomes adulterated and diluted in the slightest degree with his habitual state, it will then inevitably cease to be the Truth. For it cannot mix or coexist with his old self and will unavoidably recede into the background, once more becoming obscured and hidden from him, veiled by the haze of his ordinary thinking. Its place will have been usurped once again by his customary everyday self.
 
The greatest sincerity, integrity, and tenacity are vital at the beginning of the aspirant’s struggles. As he advances, he will, little by little, discover the subtle way of sitting still—being actively passive and vigilantly immobile—whereby, in a simple and natural way, he becomes connected to and “one with” the higher aspect of his being.
 
To fully recognize this exalted state in oneself as being the Ultimate and Supreme Truth is to have found the secret key that will open the door of this enigmatic prison in which one is enclosed, eventually releasing one from the tyranny and bondage of one’s lower nature and of duality. One’s purification and deliverance from all the sufferings that ensued from one’s ordinary self will have now begun. It also signifies the extraordinary hope of eventually overcoming death itself—on condition that one has fully understood what death really is. That is to say, in what sense it is to be taken, in what manner one is “dying” all the time without seeing it, and which aspect of one’s nature is subjected to it.

Some of it is pretty wacky but nothing outside the realm of Consciousness.

I think it is important to share your experiences with someone. You may continue to share on the forums as well.
It's in the sinus. For me this type of pressure was due to my jaw muscles being tight. So now I relax them and there is never any pressure.
I used to think it was chakras activating, but chakras you will never feel if they are working properly.
 
If you feel that you are able to breath better then that's good.
But you should also stretch jaw muscles and massage them to relax them as much as possible.

Ideally jaw muscles should be so relaxed that someone should be able to grab your lower jaw and easily move it around.

If you are clenching your teeth throughout the day, then be mindful of that too, so that you are noy unnecessarily tightening up your jaw muscles.
 
This is why it is important to tell someone what is happening inside you. This voice might be a good thing but it might also be bad.

Try to listen to it without judgement as good or bad. Simply treat it as another sound phenomenon like external sounds or inner talk and focus on the meditation.
 
Yes I believe this is why the Saints drew a picture of Supreme God holding the conch and playing the flute.

Kabir ji talks about Kinguri during meditaton on Ram ji.
ਰਾਜਾ ਰਾਮ ਅਨਹਦ ਕਿੰਗੁਰੀ ਬਾਜੈ ॥
King Ram's unstruck Kinguri plays,
ਜਾ ਕੀ ਦਿਸਟਿ ਨਾਦ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਗੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
By his grace my consciousness is attuned to him.

Kinguri is a string instrument and when I first heard these sounds, it was all mish mash but when I started to differentiate them and get a higher resolution, like an HD TV vision of these sounds, then I could isolate the Kinguri.
 
Well that maybe necessary for some people and this is why it is important to share your experience. But from everything I have heard so far, I think you are just on your way to the depths of Consciousness and there is nothing to fear or worry about.

Oh so in your view Naam is realized when the Anhad Shabad is heard all the time?
You are saying one should try to listen to the internal anhad shabad all the time?
And doing so would require one to meditate all the time. One would have to constantly be alert to their Jyoti and be relaxed in order to hear it.
I see what you are saying.
And now I see where @HisServant is coming from.
Did you come to this insight yourself? or was it recommended by another Gursikh or Mahapurakh?

That's a sign of a good meditation session.
Your voice gets deeper as well, and starts resonating from your stomach.
That happened to me a few times during sleep. The first couple times, it caught me off guard, and like you, I started questioning it and it ended when I did.
The first time I got too scared, the other times the fear went away but the excitement was still there.
That excitement was preventing me from Clarifying this experience.
But I didn't know that at the time.
So it didn't happen for a while, and during that time I found a video by this guy called Rich2150x
Rich talked about how when strong turbulent vibrations come, then you have to just stay calm and not get too excited about it and just go "hmm" as if its nothing and simply take note of it in a very detached objective manner.
So then when it happened again, I remembered to stay chill as if it was nothing.
I stayed calm and chanted Ram.
Then something special happened.
But what made the vibrational storm manageable was watching it with a non-excited, non-questioning, non-fearful, detached, objective eye.
This is also applicable to emotional storms.