Volume 1 Issue 3 The Chanting Experience

At first one is inclined to think critically about the effects of chanting and to de-personalize its significance. Oh, its just another thing that one can do, if one is so inclined. This is how we are likely to approach it. Unfortunately as long as we speculate or intellectualize about the process we are actually closing the door to it. The real value of chanting needs to be experienced first hand. Its reality transcends mental definition. Little does the thinker imagine that chanting the name of God is really being with God! It seems impossible until one tries it. As one chants, one undoes the mind and opens to individual soul to the reality of Oneness. Oneness is really real! It is not a concept but the essence of Being. The more one chants and establishes a regular habit of doing so, the more one lets go of limiting thought forms, and the more one begins to trust in the experience of Godhead or Oneness. Trust will dissolve the negative thought forms and doubts that diminish ones relationship to God. Trust is the foundation of a living relationship to God. God and his name are One. Hari Om. .editor Robin Armstrong

h a r io m@ i a st r o . c o m

Jan. 18, 2002

Chanting at the Hari Om Ashram in Surat, Gujarat

Mota Maharaj (Bhagat) This is an excerpt from a 99 page document put out by the Hariwani Trust entitled Pujya Mota Jeevan Darshan. This document is a full biography of Mota, complete with pictures. The author is not mentioned. Their website is www.pujyamota.com. Worldly Circumstances It was once during these periods of turmoil that, from the small number of workers outside jails, Bhagat had to work both as superintendent of the Harijan Ashram at Navsari and as Secretary of the whole Gujarat Harijan Sevak Sangh. ("Aantyaja Seva Mandal" and "Antyaja Ashram" were changed into "Harijan Sevak Sangh" and "Harijan Ashram" in 1932. Mahatma Gandhi gave this new name to 'Antyajas' to raise their social status. The word 'Harijan' has a historical background. As early as in the 15th century Saint Narasinh Mehta, belonging to the highest sub-caste even among blue blood Brahmins, went to Antyaja quarters where he sang devotional songs. He was therefore outcaste. He retorted in a song saying that those who kept away from 'Harijans' (men of God) were wasting their precious lives and running after tinsels. Gandhiji picked up that expression after his historic 'fast unto death' in Yervada Central Prison in 1932. An agreement annulling separate electorates for Antyajas (for that would have created bad blood and break among Hindus and consequent very severe oppression of Antyajas) made

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The Life and Sadhana of Mota Maharaj (Bhagat)

between caste-Hindus and Antyaja leaders and endorsed by the British Government ended his fast and saved his life. Earlier also, for accepting an Antyaja family as inmate of his Ashram, he had faced banishment and his Ashram had come to the brink of an empty chest owing to the withdrawal of support by casteHindus. The Godsend rich donation through a reformer millionaire had saved the Ashram.) His duties at the Harijan Ashram at Navsari alone were difficult enough. As Secretary moreover he had to look after the finances and management of the Sangh's institutions. In addition a new problem faced him. The Navsari Ashram, then under the Indian State of Baroda. The Ashram was situated at a solitary place nearly a mile from the town. Before Bhagat took charge, the Ashram was already used by civil resisters as a very convenient resort for their secret plans to fight the British Government. Bhagat himself had already gone to jail and suffered lathi blows. Civil resisters naturally therefore had expected all possible aid from the Ashram and from Bhagat, for companionin-arms. But Harijan Sevak Sangh, with its branch Harijan Ashram at Navsari, was avowedly and strictly an institution devoted solely to the social service of Harijans. The C.I.D. (Central Investigation Department, Police) had begun to suspect that the Navsari Harijan Ashram had of his dilemma, when Bhagat was a teacher in a Harijan boys' school in Nadiad, he took all his students to the bank of the Shedhi River three miles away. The boys indulged in fun and frolic and he himself plunged into the depths of prayer and sadhana. With the very willing approval of the Harijan boys of the Navsari Ashram, they decided to spend a night on the lonely bank of River Supra, a few miles away. Equipped with their kits, including food, in a handcart, they started for a quiet place on the sands of the river. It was a lovely trip. They indulged freely in jokes and chats. At their destination, the boys collected wooden sticks scattered thereabouts and lighted a cheerful fire. The younger boys kept the night watch until about 10:30 p.m. Then the older boys took their turn for the purpose. Bhagat kept the vigil all along, of course with his continuous silent chant. After midnight the climax was reached in the entrancing beauty of the environment. The stars in the heavens above shone brilliantly. The river, as it flowed, sang a Baliyog melodious song. The soft touch of Darshan of the Guru the gentle breeze quieted the This entire disturbance had its mind. The sight, the sound, the inevitable effect upon his mind. touch together played the part of a He was ill at ease and feeling that lullaby (song to put child to he was steadily but surely losing sleep). Nature had gone into ground, declining from the high something like a samadhi. That spiritual state he had come to. And had its overpowering effect on that consciousness only intensified Bhagat, but in a way different his agony. It seemed to him from the usual somnolence or impossible to remove himself from sleep it produces. His silent chant the network into which he saw of 'Hari Om' on the background of himself caught. During this period his mind affected by the become a centre of Anti-British activities. Bhagat saw that the Harijan Ashram and the Harijan Sevak Sangh had got to be saved from the possible heavy hand of the Baroda State under pressure from the paramount British power. He had therefore to take a firm stand against his own men, his political co-workers. For this courageous insistence he incurred their displeasure, but cleared the air of the Ashram.

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ing admonition: "If even after all I have said, you persist in doubting my presence, let me tell you as surely as I have resurrected myself before you, a dead body lies here." Then he drew a circle in the sand and disappeared. It was but natural. The whole thing had occurred in a flash and was too fantastic to be acceptable at once. And yet he was fully awake when he saw the form and heard the words of his late Guru! Fortunately the Guru had left a cue to resolve his doubt. He woke up two or three bigger boys and asked them if they could see with their lamps any circle drawn on the sand. They found it. Then he asked them to dig out the portion within. After going about 4 feet deep they came to a shallow pool of water. But still no corpse! Take a memorablecontinue. They He asked them to quote from this article (a pull quote)behold, dug deeper and low and to pique your reader's a dove with its dead there it was - interest. body dry in water like a lotusleaf ! All the doubts of Bhagat were set completely at rest.

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The Life and Sadhana of Mota Maharaj (Bhagat)

superb scene completely subdued all ripples of disturbing thought or sensation and he fell into a state of samadhi, wherein there was full Self-centred but no outgoing consciousness. And then it happened. 'Is this a dream?' he wondered. Is it a projection of my unconscious mind?' 'Auto - suggestion?' 'An apparition?' 'What is it?' He asked himself, for he saw something in his wide-awake state, which his mind could hardly believe to be true. It was the three dimensional form of his deceased Guru, Balayogiji, who had given up the ghost years before! The vision startled him at first. Then he bowed down to him with deep reverence and love. At that very moment came the loud unbraiding voice of that form, "You fool ! I am here in perfect, tangible reality, in flesh and blood. I have come to animate you. Take it from me that though your present circumstances appear to be harmful to you, they are deliberately brought about by God to establish in your heart firmly and intensely, your urge for selfrealization. God deigns to shower his grace and take charge of a very sincere sadhak who pines for union with him. He himself looks after both his yoga and khsehma (spiritual and material welfare.)" "Be at ease and rest assured that God himself is going to look after all your affairs in order to facilitate your sadhana." Since you might feel a strong aversion toward the abuse he had hurled at me, I will not repeat it here. And then came his depart-

Sathya Sai Baba

Namasmarana A Universal Sadhana
By Sathya Sai Baba, a quote from his little but very important booklet entitled Namasmarana . It can be purchased from the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Book & Information Centre, 290 Merton St., Toronto, ON. M4S 1A9. Satsangs (chanting) are held at the center on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings. 1. Hindus, Muslims and Christians may differ in some religious customs but they are all one in the glorification of the Name of God. All of them ask their followers to recite the name of the One Lord, though the manner in which the Name is recited varies from religion to religion. Each one remembers, respects and recites the name as formed in his own tongue. Each one turns the rosary according to the direction of his own religion. All the same, for everyone there is nothing so fruitful, so universal, so holy among spiritual disciplines as this sadhana of Namasmarana, Japa or Dhyana.

Pure Love For Krsna

An excerpt from Chant And Be Happy by A.C. Bhaktivedanta. Pure love for Krsna is eternally established in the heart of living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, the living entity is awakened.

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Time in Silence and Solitude in India

My Return To Maun Room After 28 Years .................. Robin Armstrong On September 1 to 8, 1997, I returned to India and spent one week in the Maun Room at Kumbakonam. My early experiences in Maun Room in 1968 and 1969 were the most valuable experiences in my life. They have always stayed with me. It was, however very convenient to have them in a pocket of my memory, as something I had done years ago. It was safe to refer to. What had happened could not be changed! I could talk about it with being challenged. Returning to the Maun Room forced me to bring the past to the present. No longer was this something that I did. It became something I had to do in the present. It was no longer safe. Everything could change in a moment. Irregardless of how much time one spends in Maun Room, each day presents its own challenges and tribulations. It is never easy! One has to do an audit of ones reality. Hari Om. Who am I? and where is God? Hari Om. The ashram and the Maun Room at Kumbakonam had changed dramatically since I had been there. It did not matter to me because this was home. I was born in this room. This space with concrete walls was my spiritual Mother! Mother had changed over time! The ashram in 1968 was on the Cauvery River on the outside of town. It was isolated and quiet. The property beside the Ashram and the Maun room was a Bamboo grove which made music when the wind blew. No one lived there. Now in 1997 population growth had made its impact. The ashram was surrounded by homes, mostly poor makeshift huts. These huts were built right on the edges of the ashram property, right up against the fence. The Bamboo grove was gone and one yard from the Maun room there were families living in these simple shelters. Time changes everything, and I had been away a long time. The Maun Room in Kumbakonam had not been used in many years and it was made ready for me. I was very grateful to Hasmukhlal and Hari Mehta because all the other Maun rooms on Gujarat were booked for the next two years. If I was to return to India I felt that I had to go into the Maun Rooms again. Through the grace of Mota, Hasmukhlal and Hari made everything possible. Hari Om. The Ashram had changed. The Mehtas were living there now. The property had be renovated and the entire property had been significantly improved. It was beautiful to see. The trees were all twice the size as they were on my first visit. From the outside the Maun room looked the same. The fence on the one side with poor people living against it was the most noticeable difference. The Maun room itself had changed! A four feet by four feet alter to Ganesh was built into the room on one side. The room was quite small to begin with so this statue was very imposing. Looking one way in the room it was a temple to Ganesh. Looking the other way it was a simple Maun Room. At first I was unpleasantly shocked by Ganeshs presence, but this room was my spiritual home, and it wouldnt make a difference to my chanting Hari Om when I was in it. So I accepted Ganesh as my companion in Maun. Once in Maun I realized a special meaning in Ganeshs presence. Years before when I had my vision in Maun room, It came as a blast of lightning in a dark thunderstorm. The lightning seemed to hit the room and blast open the wall, and then it struck me. I expected that I was dead, but after a few moments I began to wonder what had happened. As I wondered, I seemed to travel in my consciousness out to the source of that lightning. When I arrived there I lost myself and had a special cosmic vision of the nature of the Universe. I probably remained in a super-conscious state for several days, and I question if I ever really returned to what was previously normal consciousness. It was this vision of light and of the meaning of life that led me out of the Maun room and back to Canada. The statue of Ganesh was too large to simply put in the room. Part of the wall had to be torn down so that it could be

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Time in Silence and Solitude in India

pushed into the room. The part of the wall that was torn down was the very same part that in my vision almost thirty years before, was hit by the divine stroke of lightning. Behind the statue of Ganesh was a white sun with the word OM in the centre of it. The very place where that white sun was on the wall, was where the lightning flash of my illumination had struck. And it had an OM right in the middle of it. To me this had significant repercussion and was far more than coincidence. As I chanted in the Maun Room I felt that I had witnessed the birth of a God over time. Where the vision of my life was, there now sits a stone image of Ganesh. From here on I enjoyed thoroughly the company of Ganesh in Maun. During my week in Maun the statue of Ganesh changed its appearance several times. As I walked around the room chanting Hari Om, the statue of Ganesh kept changing into the image of Sathya Sai Baba. This happened repeatedly through the first three days of my stay in Maun. The first challenge of my week in Maun was overcome by my acceptance of Ganesh's presence. The second challenge, and a much more difficult one was the close proximity of the poor families at the side of the Maun room. I could not in all consciousness chant loudly through the night or early morning hours as I was aware of it keeping the neighbours awake! Then in the daytime hours, I had to deal with the noises of their domestic household activities, which fortunately were reasonable. This forced me to chant silently instead of openly. A third formidable challenge was the presence of a television on the ashram. Electronic vibrations are a disturbance to sadhana. Yes even electronic bhajans are at times a disturbance for me. Someone singing bhajans live would not have been so soulless. These challenges created in me a stronger need to chant within and hold to my inner silence. In their own way each problem was a blessing, helping me to increase my intensity. Fortunately, thanks to the grace of Mota, and the love of Hasmukbhai and Hari everything else ran smoothly and made my fifth time in Maun Room a meaningful and successful venture. It must be understood that this Maun Room had not been used in many years, but it had been maintained as a temple. The functioning of a Maun Room would therefore be more difficult and not as automatic as the regularly used rooms in Gujarat. I am so grateful that this, my special room where I have spent over fifteen months of my life, was made available for me after my being away for such a long time. Hari Om, Mota Hari Om. My comments are not meant as critical statements but to explain the nature of my challenges in Maun. In coming out of Maun Room, everyone was really loving and considerate, but I had difficulty in being around the television. Fortunately it was not always on, and I could usually go down to the river and chant. One of the most wonderful things about my trip to India this time was that I found out about the people on the outside of the Maun rooms and they helped me to find out some information about the life and person of Mota. I have only met Mota a few times but I have felt his inner guidance for years. I did not have any of his literature to read as it was all in Gujarati. Now I have been blessed with material about and writings by Mota which have been translated into English. I have found a new relationship to Mota and his ideas. Hopefully more of Motas works will be translated into English. On leaving the Maun Room, I was renewed again. The Maun experience was once again in the present and not comfortably resting in my memories. I have daily kept up my chanting over the years, along with meditation, and my reading of the Bhagavad Gita, and Patanjalis Yoga Sutras. But now I had renewed my contacts with the devotees of Mota who have affected my life so positively, and I have some of Motas books to study. Hari Om.

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Time in Silence and Solitude in India

My Time in the Dark Room, by Bina Desai (Translated from the Gujarati magazine Haribhav Sept. 2001) The experiment of the Dark Room created by Pujya Shree Mota is unique in the whole world. In the dark room, one problem that arises is due to the perspirations and dirtiness inside body that comes out and we are challenged to keep chanting whole time. We can feel good also. If we have some diseases, we usually go to doctor but here inside the dark room, Pujya Mota removes diseases of our body as well as our mind. I hope to come here thrice a year. Here Pujya Shree gives us the power to stay inside. I appreciate the treatment given to me by Hari Om Ashram while in the dark room. The work is done by volunteers. It is also very cheap, 5 Indian rupees per day for pure and vegetarian lodging. They are very polite and speak softly. My Time in the Dark Room, by Jagjivanbhai Tailor (Translated from the Gujarati magazine Haribhav Sept. 2001) After waiting for one year I got my turn to sit in a dark room in the Surat Ashram. I got a letter from them but I had fever and I couldnt take food. My wife told me not to go and she cried. But I collected strength and went for my turn anyway. I felt some problems first but after that I felt happiness and peace. I started swinging* with chanting of Hari Om. I felt the presence of Pujya Mota all time. At present most saints collect money from society and build temples, but Pujya Mota collects money and builds rooms for schools in small isolated villages. Comments about Solitude (Maun) Room on May 28, 1968, by Robin Armstrong ( after 98 days alone Feb.20,1968 to May 28,1968) HARI OM Many volumes could be written and still nothing would be said. Silence and solitude must be experienced. How can it be expressed? The Lord placed me in maun room. The Lord has sustained me. Three and a half months of chanting Hari Om have passed with lightning speed. The Lords grace is always upon each and every one of us. HARI OM

Chanting Hari Om in Surat, Gujarat

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The State of Being, By Mota Maharaj

The State of Being
By Mota Maharaj, (translated by Pratapbhai Upadhyaya, edited by Robin Armstrong) HARI OM 17. By His repeated touch, He does his work; Being does its work by often making inroads. 18. It is not certain that Being, though awakened and active, flows uniformly everywhere. 19. As Being flows on and makes its way deep down, It meets with halts and hurdles on the way; 20. By nature Being knows not to halt, only, some instruments act as a hurdle. 21. However, by the constant touch of Being, It plays its part invariably. 22. When the practice of sadhana gets going in the heart, And when it goes on continuously, Being oozes grace; 23. One who, at all times, has the thoughts and contemplation of Being, experiences the feeling of Being in the heart. 28. The proper background and proper qualification for coming in touch with the being Comes forth through the practice of remaining in the continuous feeling of being. 29. When the heart swells with joy through such practice, The State of Being emerges when the deep concentration is There.

Mota Maharaj
24. One who but once tastes the feeling of Being at heart is pulled by its attraction, deep into the state of Being. 25. Thoughts, propencities or any other feelings Do not prevail in the state of Being. 26. The state of Being is not static in life. The action of the state of Being is definitely to put one in touch with consciousness. 27. When the state of Being becomes profoundly continuous in the higher plane, It begins to spread deep down into the very depth of crevices.

30. Such an innate State of Being may not emerge in the heart by itself. One must practice intensely as though intoxicated. 31. In the heart of such a one springs forth the State of Being - Bhava. 32. He who is continuously pervaded by the feeling of Being in life, can be fully carefree about his actions. 33. He need not ever plan for his actions. His actions follow his intuitive inspiration, Such is the impact of the Being, the inner Master. 34. The awareness of proper and improper grows spontaneously. 35. He recognises his original self in the heart The State of Being is the total reflection of soul.

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stance from passion to purity, from Rajas to Sattva. It calms and strengthens the mind. It makes the mind introspective. It checks the outgoing tendencies of the mind. It eradicates all kinds of evil thoughts and inclinations. It induces determination and austerity. Eventually it leads to the direct Darsana of God, the Ista Devata, or tutelary Deity, or to God-realisation.

V1 #3, Jan. 18, 2002

What Is Japa?
An excerpt from The Wisdom of Sri Chinmoy, by Sri Chinmoy.

Swami Sivananda

Benefits of Japa
Excerpts for Japa Yoga by Swami Sivananda Japa checks the force of the thought-current moving towards objects. It forces the mind to move towards God, towards the attainment of eternal bliss. It eventually helps to have Darsana of God. The Mantra Chaitanya is hidden in every Mantra. Whever the Sadhaka or spiritual aspirant shows lack of vigour in his Sadhana the Mantra-Sakti or power of the Mantra reinforces the Sadhana-Sakti of the Sadhaka. Constant and prolonged repetition for some months cuts new grooves in the mind and the brain. During Japa all the divine qualities steadily flow into your mind from the Lord just as oil flows from one vessel to another vessel. Japa transforms the nature of the mind. It fills the mind with Sattva. Japa changes the mental sub-

There are many Sri Chinmoy Centres around the world. In Toronto his devotees run a wonderful vegetarian restaurant named Annapurna at 1085 Bathurst St. (just south of Dupont). Japa is the repetition of a mantra. If you want purity, then today repeat the name of God five hundred times. Then every day increase the number by one hundred. That is to say, tomorrow you will repeat the name of God six hundred times, and the

day after, seven hundred. After one week you will repeat the name of God twelve hundred times. From that day start decreasing the number daily by one hundred until you again reach five hundred. Continue this exercise, week by week, just for a month. Whether you want to change your name or not, the world will give you a new name. It will call you by the name Purity. Your inner ear will make you hear it. It will surpass your fondest imagination. Let nothing perturb us. Let our bodys impurity remind us of our hearts spontaneous purity. Let our finite thoughts remind us of our inner infinite will. Let our minds teeming imperfections remind us of our souls limitless perfection. The present-day world is full of impurity. It seems that purity is a currency from another world. It is hard to obtain this purity, but once we get it, peace is ours, success is ours. Let us face the world. Let us take life as it comes. Our Inner Pilot is constantly vigilant. The undercurrents of our inner and spiritual life will always flow on unnoticed, unobstructed, unafraid. God may be unknown, but He is not unknowable. Our prayers and meditation lead us to that unknown. who has to walk, and he does so. Neither the one who is dragged not the one who drags can be happy. Likewise, God says, My divine children, in your inner life, I give you inspiration. It is you who have to aspire with the purest heart to reach the golden beyond.

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The Text 1. Since we perceive the world we must agree unanimously that there is a power which is capable of becoming multiple. The picture of name and form, he who sees it, the cloth on which it is based (painted) and the light which illuminates it are all oneself. 2. Every system of thought postulates the three fundamentals; the individual, God and world. Only the one appears as the three. It is only as long as there is an ego-sense that one says that the three are really three. The best thing is to renounce the ego-sense and remain in ones true state. 3. The world is real, No, it is a false appearance, The world is sentient, No it is not, The world is happiness, No it is not. What is the use of such disputes? That state is agreeable to all in which, ignoring the world, one knows ones Self, abandoning both unity and duality and the ego-sense is gone. 4. If one has a form the world and God will also have forms. If one has no form who is there to see their forms, and how? Can anything be seen without the eye? The real eye is the Self which is the eye of Infinity. 5. The body is of the form of the five sheaths. Therefore these five are included in the term body. Is there a world in the absence of the body? Has anyone ever seen the world without a body?

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R e a l i t y i n F o r t y Ve r s e s b y S r i R a m a n a M a h a r s h i
6. The world is of the form of the five (kinds of) sense-objects and nothing else. These five sense-objects are known by the five sense organs. As the one mind knows the world by means of the five sense organs, is there a world apart from the mind? Answer me. 7. Although the world and awareness of it rise and sink together, the world is perceived through awareness. That in which the world and the awareness of it rise and set is the Plenitude (purnam) which shines without rising (or setting). 8. Under whatever name and form one worships That which has no name and form, it is only a means of perceiving it. To know the truth of ones Self as the true reality, and merge and become one with It is the only true perception (realization). Understand this. 9. The dyads and triads always depend upon the One. If one sees within ones mind what that One is, they disappear. Only those who have seen this have seen the Truth. Know that they will never be perturbed. There is no knowledge apart from ignorance and no ignorance apart from knowledge. Who is it who has this knowledge and ignorance? That Knowledge which knows the Self which is the basis of both, is the real Knowledge.
10.

S r i R a ma n a M a ha r s h i

Reality In Forty Verses

By Ramana Maharshi, excerpts from The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi,edited by Arthur Osborne. There is an excellent website for Ramana Ashram that includes many photos and all of Sri Ramanas works. Visit them on line at www.ramana-maharshi.org

Invocatory
a. If there were not being could there be any idea of being? Since that which is free from mental concepts and is within oneself, who is there to contemplate it? It is called the heart. Know that to remain within oneself as being is to contemplate it. b. Those who have great fear of death seek refuge at the feet of the Supreme Lord who is without birth and death, in order to overcome their fear. They then die to themselves along with their adjuncts (sense of I and mine). Will those who are (have realized themselves to be) deathless entertain again the thought of death?

11. Is it not ignorance to know all else, without knowing the Self

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11. which is the source of knowledge? Can it be knowledge? When the Self, which is the basis of knowledge and the object of knowledge, is known; ignorance and knowledge cease to exist. 12. What is neither knowledge nor ignorance is (real) knowledge. Knowledge of (objects) cannot be real knowledge. The Self, which shines without there being anything else to know or be known, is knowledge. Know that it is not nothingness. 13. The Self, which is knowledge, is alone the truth. The knowledge of multiplicity is ignorance. This ignorance, which is unreal, has no existence apart from the Self, which is knowledge. Have diverse gold ornaments any reality apart from the gold of which they are made? 14. If the first person exists, the second and third persons will also exist. If the reality of the first person is enquired into and the first person ceases to exist, the second and third persons will (also) cease to exist, and all will shine as One. This is ones true nature. 15. The past and the future depend upon the present. They are also present while they are current. There is only the present. Without knowing this truth, trying to know the past and the future is like trying to count without the unit (one). 16. When we look into them, what are time and space apart from us? If we are bodies we are involved in time and space, but

Chanting Hari Om
are we? We are the same now, then and at all times; here, there, and everywhere. We exist; we who are beyond time and space alone are. 17. To those who have not realized the Self as well as to those who have, the body is I. To those who have not realized the I is limited to the body. To those who have, within the body, realized the Self; the I shines boundless. Know that this is the difference between them. 18. The world is real to those who have realized (the Self) as well as to those who have not. To those who have not realized, the world is merely the world; to those who have, truth is formless and shines as the substratum of the world. Know that this is the difference between them. 19. The dispute as to which prevails, fate or free will, interests only those who do not know the source of both. Those who have realized the Self, which is the ground of fate and free will, are free from them. Will they again resort to them? 20. Seeing God without seeing the Self who sees, is only a mental image. Only he who has seen himself has seen God, since he has lost his individuality and nothing remains but God. 21. If it be asked, What is the meaning of the old scriptural texts which speak of seeing oneself as seeing God? The reply is how, being one, one can see oneself? And if one cannot see oneself how is one to see God? Only by being swallowed up by God.

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Kirpal Singh Naam: What It Is?

Excerpt from Naam or Word, by Kirpal Singh

Naam: What It Is?

Excerpt from Naam or Word, by Kirpal Singh (p.27) All scriptures speak of Naam but have not been able to say adequately enough as to what It is? It is impossible to define and delineate It in so many words. It may conveniently be described as lifeimpulse or consciousnessprinciple. When it begins to vibrate, it produces tuneful sound, which is termed as Naam or Shabd. This Soundcurrent proceeding from the deep Silence of the Formless Kutasth is responsible for all forms and colours, visible and invisible to the naked eyes. All life hangs on this life-principle. No life can exist without Naam. The Sound-principle is all-pervading, though it may or

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conveying ideas and emotions from man to man, just as many other animals would do. Outer-Sound then serves as the first step, in the study of the science of the spirit. Theory precedes practice and the Master-saint has to make use of it, for explaining this most abstruse subject. Again Japa or Oral repetition of certain words or names of God is to be done by Varn-Atmak Shabd. The preliminary training of the mind is the first essential on this Path and hence the need for outer sound or Shabd. Japa is of four kinds: (1) Baikhri or oral one, performed by tongue. (2) Madhma or one done mentally at the seat of the Shakti in the Kanth or throat. (3) Pashianti. This too is a mental sadhan, but done at the seat of the heart. (4) Para. It is also a mental process but is performed with attention riveted at the seat of the navel. All these types of japas do give solace of varying degrees and one gets peace of mind of a temporary nature because the various bodily ganglions involved in them are of a lower order, situated below Shiv-Netra or the Third Eye. Besides these, there is Simran or Japa of the indescribable and hidden Soundcurrent that proceeds of itself from the depths of the Great Silence. It is technically termed ParaVidya (knowledge of the Beyond) or Dhun-Atmak

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Shabd. In this type of Japa, one has just to listen to the all pervading Naam or Shabd. As this Sound cannot be expressed in any symbolic form, it is expressionless. It may be contacted above the sensory plane, behind the center of the two eye-brows. The true significance of Naam, the Creator of various planes and divisions of the endless universes may be known by one who is an adept in the Surat-Shabd-Yoga or has united his soul with the Sound-principle. He who performs Japa with the tongue of thought, knows the true nature of the Sound-current (Word or Naam). ..Malar M.1 No doubt Dhun-Atmak Shabd is the very essence of ones soul, but one cannot apprehend it without the help and guidance of a Master-soul or Adept in the line, and without Surat-Shabd Yoga, i.e. establishing a contact of the spirit or soul with the essentially liveprinciple (through a regular process of inversion or selfanalysis). One does not get lifes richest gift; for the spirit is engaged all the time in outer pursuits by constant association with the mind and the senses, reveling in the enjoyment of the world and worldly objects. Emerson, the great American philosopher, speaks of inversion as tapping inside. Lord Jesus metaphorically speaks of it: Knock and it shall be opened unto thee.

may not be felt, yet it is reverberating from top to toe. It is the Kernel, and the Essence and at once both the material and efficient Cause of the endless universes in which this physical earth is but a speck. O Pipa! This universal vibration is the Primal Causeless Cause, but can be apprehended only through a Master-soul. In all religions, God is spoken of as the Sound-manifest. It is a current, live and conscious and has in It the germs of creation. It is spoken of as LifePrinciple. It is because of this link between the Creator and the creation, that the spirit or soul of a person can cross over the physical body and traverses the spiritual regions to reach the True Home of our Father The Sachkhand. From scriptures we learn that Sound-principle or Naam is of two kinds: (1) the outer and (2) the inner. The former comprises, words of mouth or words that may be spoken out or written down and recorded. This constitutes all learning and knowledge at an intellectual level and is termed as Apra-Vidya or knowledge of the world and worldly surroundings. All worldly wisdom is included therein. It is also calle Varn-Atmak, for with it Atma or Soul can express itself and functions in the world. All book knowledge is because of Varan-Atmak Shabd. Comprehension of world and wordly relations depends on this type of Shabd which helps outwardly, i.e. in the physical plane. It serves as the means of

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UPCOMING MEDITATION AND CHANTING EVENTS: Monday Night, Jan. 28, 2002 at 7:00 pm: Full Moon Meditation and Chanting of Hari Om. The Full Moon brings a heightened awareness of the pulls and attachments of both past and present. It is a potent time to secure our sense of oneness with each other. Group chanting and meditation at the time of the Full Moon strengthens spiritual and social awareness. If one can avoid being pulled out into the dualities in life, then Full Moon chanting generates affirmations that will carry you through to the next Full Moon. This evening of chanting and meditation will be held at Alain Passenauds home, 517 Pape St. at the corner of Dingwall (use the side entrance on Dingwall). Alains phone number is 416-465-5263. As usual there will be chanting, reading from spiritual texts, more chanting, and then a pot luck vegetarian dinner. Everyone is requested to bring something for the meal, but if you cannot do so, you are still welcome. There is no charge for the evening. Monday Night, Feb.11, 2002 at 7:00 pm: New Moon Meditation and Chanting of Hari Om. New Moons are the peak points of subjective impressionability in the month. Receptivity to core insights and to God are accentuated. Chanting on a New Moon will give an extra vitality to your efforts over the following month until the next New Moon. A holy environment and spiritual companions are are great blessing.

Chanting Hari Om
This meditation will be held at Tanis Hargrave's home, on a farm 40 minutes north of Toronto, just outside of Aurora. Her address is 16527 Kennedy Rd. (between Aurora Rd and Mullock Drive). From Toronto drive North on Hwy 404, East on Aurora Rd, North on Kennedy, on the right hand side. If you need transportation call Robin at 416-465-4113. As usual there will be chanting, reading from spiritual texts, more Chanting, and then a pot luck vegetarian dinner. Everyone is requested to bring something for the meal, but if you cannot do so, you are still welcome. There is no charge for the evening. Wed. Night, Feb.27, 2002 at 7:00 pm: Full Moon Meditation and Chanting of Hari Om. This evening of chanting and meditation will be held at Alain Passenauds home, 517 Pape St. at the corner of Dingwall (use the side entrance on Dingwall). Alains phone number is 416-465-5263. As usual there will be chanting, reading from spiritual texts, more chanting, and then a pot luck vegetarian dinner. Everyone is requested to bring something for the meal, but if you cannot do so, you are still welcome. There is no charge for the evening. Wed. Night, Mar. 13, 2002 at 7:00 pm: New Moon Meditation and Chanting of Hari Om. This meditation will be held at Tanis Hargrave's home, on a farm 40 minutes north of To-

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ronto, just outside of Aurora. Her address is 16527 Kennedy Rd. (between Aurora Rd and Mullock Drive). From Toronto drive North on Hwy 404, East on Aurora Rd, North on Kennedy, on the right hand side. If you need transportation call Robin at 416-465-4113. As usual there will be chanting, reading from spiritual texts, more Chanting, and then a pot luck vegetarian dinner. Everyone is requested to bring something for the meal, but if you cannot do so, you are still welcome. There is no charge for the evening. Wed. Night, Mar. 20, 2002 at 7:00 pm: Spring Equinox Chanting of Hari Om. The Spring Equinox is a time when the forces of light and darkness are momentarily in balance. It occurs in the midst of the most intense and rapid changes of light into darkness. Chanting at such a time powerfully implants the name of God into our life and it inspires actions towards the light. We will chant Hari Om for 3 hours without stopping. This will build an intensity that will stay with you throughout the Spring. As light increases so does activity. Let God drive and direct the chariot of your life! The location of this function is not yet determined. If you are interested call Robin at (416)465-4113. Any comments or questions, or personal insights are welcome. Please contribute as you are inspired. When there is enough information we will send out another newsletter. Hari Om