Showing posts with label Sant Math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sant Math. Show all posts

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Dayalbagh’s Radhasoami Religion on Creation. {63.}

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Radhasoami!

The Radhasoami religion is based in Dayalbagh, near Agra. Continuing in the glorious tradition of the Sant Math or the Religion of Saints, the Faith stresses devotion to and service of the Guru {the Incarnation of the Supreme Lord} as the way to salvation. Several tenets of the religion share their roots with Hinduism, such as a belief in transmigration of the soul, references to Yamaraja or the Lord of Death, and the like.

It is a formidable task to attempt to briefly encapsulate the religion’s understanding of creation, but let me do so. The religion believes creation to have occurred as incidental fallout of a certain subtle spiritual disequilibrium that evoked divine Will to create. The Big Bang was pre-essentially a spiritual-divine phenomenon, and only later transpired in the material dimension.

There are numerous world-systems in existence of the sort that we inhabit. When one of these gets coincidentally place with the higher divine realm called Satloka, then the inhabitants of that world-system are led towards salvation before the world-system gets destroyed altogether. However, the dissolution of a particular world-system -- through Pralay or MahaPralay -- does not bring the entire creation to a naught, but it only ends a minuscule part of it, {which is what this vast universe and its galaxies form of the overall creation}.

It would perhaps not be very erroneous to conclude that the Radhasoami religion is less interested in explaining creation, is more concerned about the dissolution of the universe, and is devoted to the service of universal salvation of all living beings.

Radhasoami!
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Friday, May 14, 2010

I Desire not to Desire. {51.}

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Radhasoami!

I recall the fairy tales
I read in my childhood,
where the child
had a mysterious magic bowl
that fulfilled all her desires.

Everyone always wants more,
and more and more
of this, of that, of everything.

More money, sumptuous meals, designer brands,
attractive spouse, obedient children,
sleeker car, spacious mansions,
and that vague “respect in society”.

Religion has merely thrown in
several newer desires
like more Prashad {sanctified eatables}
and God’s Grace.

The essence of Sant Math
is understood by few Satsangis,
and practiced by perhaps none.

As the Paath {or hymn} lines clearly state:
Duniya ko chahe tu aur Deedaar ko.
Yeh hai mushkil ansamajh hai yaar tu
.”

That is,
“You seek the world and beholding the Lord's Countenance
That is difficult, you are naive, my friend.”

However, we may derive hope
from Maalik’s Bachan of enjoying
both Sansari and Parmarthi laddus
{both worldly and spiritual fruits}.

Desires are virtually endless
and are at the root of
the cycle of
transmigration of soul and rebirth,
which has trapped all jeevas {living beings}.

A desire is a desire,
be it for carnal sex
or for abode in Satloka.

For true salvation to occur,
desires are to be transcended.

Repression is not the answer,
the root must be killed.

Renunciation is the only way
to free oneself forever from
the possibility of desires altogether.

It is not enough to
know or understand sublime truths.
Their practice is necessary,
otherwise a crucial lifetime
will have been wasted.

But, as the proverb goes:
There’s many a slip
betwixt the cup and the lip.

Radhasoami!
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