Spiritual Awakening Radio
Spiritual Awakening Radio with James Bean explores the world of spirituality, The Path of the Masters (Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts), Gnostic Gospels, mystics, world scriptures, God, meditation, mystical experiences, the vegan diet, and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.
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Meditation For Beginners: An Introduction to Sant Mat Meditation
06/28/2022
Meditation For Beginners: An Introduction to Sant Mat Meditation
Introductory Meditation Instructions from Hazur Baba Sawan Singh: "As to any exercises which might help you, until the time of your initiation, I can only suggest at this time that you may sit in meditation, in a quiet place, like your own bedroom or some room as secluded as possible, and with spine and body erect, in a comfortable position, fix all the attention at the center just back of the two eyes [at the third eye], and slowly repeat the word RADHASWAMI ['Ra-Dha-Swam-e'], fixing the mind on the Supreme Being who is your Supreme Father." Remember, this is the Introductory Meditation, not the full practice learned at the time of Initiation. This is only the beginning. Inner Light and Sound Meditation: Surat Shabd Yoga means: The Union (Yoga) of the attention faculty of the soul (Surat) with the inner Light and Sound (Shabd) of God during meditation practice. "The practices which have been taught for purifying the spirit and making it ascend upwards should be performed regularly and with feelings of love." (Huzur Maharaj/Rai Saligram, Prem Updesh Radhasoami) In the Sant tradition, the complete methods and secrets of meditation practice are communicated at the time of INITIATION (Diksha) by a living Master (Sant Satguru, Competent, Qualified Teacher) or a representative of a Master (not a past Saint or holy book). A Living Teacher, being fully acquainted with the 'landscape' of Inner Space, is able to impart to initiate-candidates valuable guidance on how to safely make the journey of ascension to the Inner Regions during meditation practice within. This kind of spiritual transmission and the details of Surat Shabd Yoga (Inner Light and Sound Meditation) practice are not found in books, old scriptures of the past, and are not for sale, but are given freely to seekers by a living Teacher. At the time of Initiation one vows to practice meditation each day. The spiritual path is a life-long commitment. Seeking information on how to be initiated into the meditation practice (the Inner Light and Sound of God)? Email me here: James (at) SpiritualAwakeningRadio (dot) com God is the Ocean of Love. In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be to You, James Spiritual Awakening Radio Website: Introduction to Sant Mat Spirituality and Meditation -- Web Page:
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Hidden Christianity: Forgotten Scriptures, Ignored Saints, Misplaced Mystics
06/23/2022
Hidden Christianity: Forgotten Scriptures, Ignored Saints, Misplaced Mystics
"Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." (from the Book of Jude) The Septuagint Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, made for the Library of Alexandria, was literally "The Bible" of early Christianity, and it included several additional texts (Apocrypha) not found in other Bibles. A translation of it in contemporary English has been published. Aramaic Was the Language of the Original Jesus Movement: There are impressive Aramaic-Syriac manuscripts of the New Testament that have been translated into English, and even older Aramaic-Syriac manuscripts of the four gospels. Discover the Peshitta, and the Old Syriac Gospels (Evangelion da-Mepharreshe) from Codex Sinaiticus. Divine Light in the Dead Sea Scrolls: We next turn our attention to the Dead Sea Scroll discovery of Qumran, and hear selections of hymns (psalms) composed by the enigmatic prophet, who was the founder of this community in antiquity, known only as "The Teacher of Righteousness". Also mentioned is the Book of First Enoch, quoted by Jude in the New Testament, and a popular text at Qumran. The Psalms of Early Christianity Are Back: The book where the Messiah perhaps for the first time begins to materialize, makes his first literary appearance in the first century A.D., is the Book of the Odes. This mysterious collection of ancient hymns written in Syriac, a dialect of the Aramaic language, has been described as "some of the most beautiful songs of peace and joy that the world possesses." These mystical poems and prayers remind me of Rumi and other Sufi poets. Sometimes I refer to the Odes as 'the would-be book of New Testament psalms', and I find the Odes to be a very spiritual book, one of the finest examples of a "lost book of the Bible" that got misnamed, misfiled and misplaced somewhere along the way. And, yes, it was viewed to be scripture in some places, such as Asia Minor, Syria/Mesopotamia and Egypt. The Author of the Gospel of Luke Said "Many" Had Already Composed Gospels Before He Wrote His: We learn about Sayings Gospel Q, a collection of the sayings of Jesus. Quotes from it were included in several early Christian gospels. We also explore a translation containing over twenty gospels and surviving fragments of gospels from the early centuries A.D. The Gospel of Thomas, A Wisdom Gospel or Gospel For Contemplative Mystics Seeking A Present-Tense Kingdom of God Here and Now: The Gospel of Didymus Jude Thomas the Twin, a collection of the sayings of Jesus, went missing for almost two millennia until three copies of it were almost miraculously discovered several decades ago: two sections of it written in Greek found at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and a more complete edition in the Coptic language discovered near a monastery not far from Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt buried under the sands of time in a clay storage jar. This important lost book has been found again. Practically predicting it’s own rediscovery the book of Thomas says: "Know what is before your face, and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything buried which will not be raised." (Saying Five) Also mentioned is the possible inclusion in the Gospel of Thomas of a few sayings of Yeshua from another early Christian scripture known as the Gospel of the Hebrews. If You Don't Want Your Saints and Mystics, We'll Tak'em! In the West, they might not be known, are not usually quoted, and their names are never spoken. Today we remember a few of the "orphan" saints and "homeless" mystics of Christianity, including those from the almost unknown community called "The Church of the East". Shared are excerpts from the out-of-this-world prayers of Joseph the Visionary. This Spiritual Awakening Radio podcast includes a list of recommended reading: translations of the scriptures referring to above, anthologies of apocryphal writings, and also mentioned is the book, Disciples, by Keith Akers, a scholarly, rather thorough and impressive documentation of the vegetarianism of the Jesus Movement (Ebionites or Hebrew Christians). In Divine Love, Light, and Sound, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Christian Meditation and Mysticism Does Exist -- Is a Thing
06/21/2022
Christian Meditation and Mysticism Does Exist -- Is a Thing
During this short podcast you'll catch a glimpse of a rare form of Christianity, somewhat estranged from the Western world perhaps, but very much part of Christianity further to the East since the earliest of days: a rich contemplative tradition of prayer, meditation, and living a spiritual way of life "practicing the presence of God", as Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection once described it. Meditation in the Hebrew Bible: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). This passage from the Acts of Peter provides a great description of meditation practice: "Give ear; withdraw your souls from all that appears but is not truly real; close these eyes of yours, close your ears, withdraw from actions that are outwardly seen; and you shall know the reality of Christ and the whole secret of your salvation." Meditation according to Meister Eckhart: "There is a speaking of God in the core of the soul where no creature can enter or speak, for only God lives there and only He speaks. God speaks there when the soul puts aside all that is created, when she silences her powers and gains a vision into the foundation of her pure essence. In this pure and silent soul, God the Father speaks and she hears His Voice." From the Prayers of John of Apamea: "What wonders has your love effected! When someone is still alive he has left this world: though his bodily condition remains with the world's bodily condition, yet his spirit has been raised up towards You, so that for a period of time he is where he knows not, being totally raptured and drawn towards You." Christian meditation and mysticism does exist -- is a thing -- for real, and we will explore it today during this Spiritual Awakening Radio podcast! Hope you'll join me. All for the love of wisdom, radio, and podcasting, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Setting Your Soul Free from Illusion to Experience the Heavens Above
06/16/2022
Setting Your Soul Free from Illusion to Experience the Heavens Above
Today on this Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast, three charming parables about beings with limited perceptions of the dimensions of space-time and yet are attempting to comprehend a vastly more complicated multidimensional cosmos: A Man Trapped in a Well Arguing with the Person Above Holding the Rope, Guru Nanak's, "Point My Feet In A Direction Where God Is Not", and India's version of Plato's Cave: The Frog in a Well. We are that frog dwelling in the "well" of our limited understanding, attempting to come to terms with accounts of vast unknown realms beyond. The Master-Power working overhead reaches out to us, attempting to show us the way forward. There is "level confusion", as it is known, which is when human beings believe they can put God and the heavens into material confines such as temples made of wood and stone here on earth in time and space, or religious organizations residing in buildings of brick and mortar. Humanity tries to make heaven fit into tiny earthy symbolic and ritual spaces rather than taking the natural path of being souls, drops of consciousness, that rise up to the heavenly state and explore it As It Is. In the history of religion, human beings always seem to wish to bring heaven down to the earth-plane rather than leaving attachments and confines behind and ascend up to the heavens As They Are. Kabir says, "The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it wanders in quest of grass." Kabir is advocating the path of exploring inner space through meditation, going within the (true) temple of the human body, saying it is bigger on the inside, with vast heavenly realms of inner suns, moons, stars, and multiverses... and God... and you. Today, readings from: Songs of Kabir, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, The Book of the Knowledge (Gnosis) of the Invisible God, The Gospel of Judas, The Tao Te Ching of Lao-tzu, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry of Soamiji Maharaj, a spiritual Satsang Discourse of Baba Ram Singh defining what is meant by inner and outer satsangs, also shedding light on the interior voyage of the soul back to it's true home beyond the lower worlds of time (Kal), illusion (Maya) and karma. Through the grace of the masters and the power of the Sound Current, the devotee (bhakta) comes to rest in the Lap of of the Supreme Father, the Beloved Radhasoami. "The soul gets very happy, and it gets connected to the Sar Shabd with the Grace of the Masters, and then that Sar Shabd takes the soul to the Sach Khand." This Sant Mat Satsang Podcast concludes with a hymn of one of the greatest bhajan singers of recent memory: Baba Somanath. "Fix your attention at the third eye. Shake off this false dream; remove duality and evil propensities from your within... The Divine Guru is the radiant form of Light: He banishes all darkness. Just like the moon rising in the night sky, He drives away the illusion of ignorance... See the Truth with your own eyes. In the blink of an eye Maya [illusion] is destroyed, and the light (of the soul) merges into the Divine Light (of Shabd)." In Divine Light, Sound, and Love, Radhasoami, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Receiving Inner Guidance in the Silence of Meditation
06/14/2022
Receiving Inner Guidance in the Silence of Meditation
Today, wisdom from the Masters or Mystics of the East and West on the power of silence to guide our every step, so each step brings us closer to our most noble goals, leading us into a life of love, peacefulness, an enlightened existence. The art of listening in the silence of meditation provides us with countless opportunities to see clearly without the usual day-to-day distractions, perceiving the events of our life from a higher vantage point. Silence allows angels to whisper advice into our ears. It also makes it possible for the authentic self to rise to the surface, introducing a new divine power or grace into this dimension of reality. It imparts insight, and ultimately, wisdom borne out of the depths or womb of contemplative silence gives birth to the realization of the soul itself. Most of the time we human beings are distracted surface-dwellers. We live from the levels of conscious mind and ego, with our attention hopelessly held captive by the turbulence and agitation of our day-to-day circumstances. If we can develop a daily meditation practice, learn to take a break and detach ourselves, allowing some space for the silence to speak to us, we will gain access to a higher wisdom. If we can pause and listen, taking time each day to meditate, this will provide opportunities for angels, the Inner Master-Power or the Great Invisible Spirit to communicate, to whisper into our inner ear. "Learn to sit still and be mentally still, and the silence thus generated with be more vocal than words spoken and written; and you will have an instantaneous solution not only to your own personal problems but to the problems of others as well." (Kirpal Singh, The Way of the Saints) "I will come to you in the silence." (Acts of Thomas) “Silence gives us a new way of looking at everything.” (Mother Teresa) "To be pure and still means to be open to purity and stillness -- as a result you can intuit the truth." (7th Century Da Qin Scripture of China -- The Jesus Sutras of the Church of the Light) "Within each of us there is a silence, a silence as vast as the universe. And when we experience that silence, we remember who we are." (Gunilla Norris) "Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continually return." (A Testament of Devotion, by Thomas Kelly, Quaker mystic) "Bestow upon us a spirit of knowledge for the revelation of your Mysteries, to come to a knowledge of ourselves: where we have come from, where we are going, and what we should do in order to live." (Book of Allogenes, Gnostic Gospels, Nag Hammadi Library) "Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit -- the bestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation." (Abdul-BAHA, Bahai Faith) All for the Love of Wisdom, Radio, and Podcasting, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts), heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics - education for a more peaceful planet.
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RadhaSwami Teachings and the Heavenly Spiritual Poetry of Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra, India
06/08/2022
RadhaSwami Teachings and the Heavenly Spiritual Poetry of Swami Ji Maharaj of Agra, India
Soami Ji Maharaj was a mystic traveler of the Heavens and described his explorations of Inner Space in his writings. The out-of-this-world mystic poetry of Soamiji Maharaj today on Spiritual Awakening Radio, a Sant Mat Satsang Podcast. This program is all about the life, teachings and Sar Bachan Radhasoami poetry of Soamiji Maharaj (Seth Shiv Dayal Singh, Sant Radhasoami Saheb) of the Radhasoami Faith (Sant Mat, the Path of the Masters). Swami Ji’s verses are quite intricate with layers of meaning, and contain numerous terms for the various heavenly regions, states of consciousness, visionary and auditory experiences he encountered as he was in communion with his Beloved Radhasoami, Supreme Being, The Lord of the Soul. The Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry (Nazm yaani Chhand bandh) is one of the most other-worldly spiritual classics of India, and is based upon Swami Ji’s own inner travels, experiences and spiritual realizations during meditation practice (Surat Shabd Yoga, Inner Light and Sound Ascension, soul travel). Soami Ji even made use of some Persian or Sufi mystical terminology at times, and composed some ghazals in Persian. "Soami Ji’s father and grand-father were Persian scholars." (The Biography of Soami Ji Maharaj) Soami Ji "acquired a working knowledge of Arabic and Sanskrit", earlier in his life for a time taught Persian, and even "wrote a book in Persian." (Radhasoami Faith -- A Historical Study) Swami Ji himself says, "How shall I openly speak of its process (the process of creation in Pinda: the material universes, And: the astral dimensions, and Brahmand: Universal Mind realms -- this best remains confidential), for none can comprehend its secrets and idioms which I will have to have to employ to reveal them." "O Soul! Who are you and whence have you come? You are a ray from Purush (the Supreme Being) and an inhabitant of the purely Spiritual Region." "Always remember the Lord, and, knowing that He is always with you, imbue yourself with His love." (Swami Ji Maharaj) "Such is the peculiar efficacy of the Path of Love and Devotion that if you adopt it, it will transport you to the Reservoir of Ambrosia. In the Source or Fountain, i.e., in Radhasoami Dham [the Eighth Heaven], there is absolutely no trace of maya [illusion]. There it is all love and love alone. It is an immense Reservoir of Love, having no beginning and no end." (Soami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Volume One) Soamiji’s Cave-like Meditation Room-Within-A-Room: "From childhood Soamiji Maharaj used to shut himself up in a small room which is at the back of another room on the ground floor of his house. For light and air there is a small aperture, otherwise no noise can reach within. This room still exists in a renovated form and is considered as one of the most sacred and hallowed of places." (Biography of Babuji Maharaj) "For about fifteen years, Soami Ji Maharaj used to shut Himself up in a room which is within another room [a meditation room within a room of his home in Agra]. He was all the time absorbed in the bliss of Surat Shabd Yoga." (Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram) After this period of deep exploration of the inner regions and union with his Beloved Radhasoami in Sach Khand (the Highest of the Heavens), Swami Ji emerged and began his Spiritual Mission of holding public satsang and initiating souls into the Mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens. "In January 1861, Soami Ji started publicly explaining the method of Saints (Sant Mat) to a few people who gathered at his home. This satsang [true association, association with Eternal Truth] continued for nearly seventeen years, during which period about four thousand persons -- men and women -- Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sravagis, and a few Christians were initiated by him into Sant Mat (the Path of the Saints), i.e. Radhasoami Path (the Path of the Supreme Being). Most of these were householders; but some (about three hundred) were Sadhus also." (Encyclopaedia of Saints of India, Volume Nineteen: Radhasoami) Radhasoami, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts
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What is RadhaSwami? The Origin of the Sacred Name of God RadhaSoami
06/02/2022
What is RadhaSwami? The Origin of the Sacred Name of God RadhaSoami
This is one of my most important podcasts of the last five years. Today we explore the origin, usage, and meaning of the Sacred Name of God Radhasoami (pronounced "Ra-Dha-Swam-e"). There is background shared on the founder and foundation of the Radhasoami Satsang. In addition to some rare history being presented here for the first time, this is primarily a Sant Mat Satsang Podcast mostly consisting of spiritual readings (Satsang Discourses) from various masters, also mystic poetry (Kabir, Sant Tulsi Sahib, Sar Bachan of Soamiji Maharaj and Prem Bani Radhasoami of Huzur Maharaj). The nature of the Supreme Being and the soul are explored, the Bhakti Path of the Lover and the Beloved. There is a discourse defining The Six Key Goals of Satsang, the format for communicating about the vital teachings of the masters on living a spiritual way of life and correct methods of meditation leading one to exploring the Inner Regions and Heavenly Realms. Shared are the Four Essential Eternal Truths ("the Four Sats"), The Seven Devotional Practices of Sant Mat, also, "The Cosmos Is A Symphony of Vibrating Currents or Strings", by Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram. "The place where people are always talking about the secrets of the path of Surat Shabd Yoga, is true Satsang." (Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram) Sant Tulsi Sahib: "O Jiva [captive Soul somewhere in time]! Give up all blind adherences and beliefs, concentrate within and seek the Supreme Being there, adopting Him alone as your goal. Do ponder over what I say and see for yourself with eyes wide open that there is none in this world whom you can call your own. You should adopt the Supreme Being alone as your prop and support." Kabir: "Keep on reciting God's name, and you will live pleasantly in the world. With true love as your master, your life-map will change." "Dariya meditates on the One Lord, and thereby resolves all problems (mundane and spiritual)." (Sant Dariya Sahib of Marwar) "Resting in the protection of Radhasoami Dayal [the Compassionate, Merciful Lord of the Soul], one should give up all fears, worries, doubts and reveries. Relying on His mercy, one should become free from care and anxiety. It is only when one becomes care-free in respect of this region [the material universe, pinda desh, samsara,], that one will be able to perform Arti [worship, meditation]. This is what the cushion of a care-free state means." (Discourses of Babuji Maharaj) "The Supreme Father is a vast homogeneous Ocean of Pure Spirit. He is perfect, sufficient in Himself to Himself, in an ecstatic state of love and bliss. Before creation, He alone was conscious. There was none but He to see, and none but Him to be seen. There was only the Lord immersed in His own rapturous bliss. That Limitless Reservoir of Love which alone was in existence, with none to adore or exchange love with Him, was an Ocean of Absolute Bliss (ananda). His primary characteristic is love... He is nothing but a Vast Reservoir of Love and Bliss." (Myron Phelps, Phelps Notes) "To know the sweetness of the Infinite within us, that is the cause, the reason, the purpose, the only purpose of our being." (Nicholas of Cusa) "Look for and search for God within yourself, within your own body. God resides inside. Look for him there." (Maharshi Mehi) Jai Guru, Sat Naam Sahib, Radhasoami, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts
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Introduction to RadhaSwami (RadhaSoami) Spirituality
05/31/2022
Introduction to RadhaSwami (RadhaSoami) Spirituality
There are millions of souls in India and around the world that follow the Radha Swami Faith. Today, information about the founder of this spiritual path: Soami Ji Maharaj, the central text, a beautiful collection of mystic poetry and prose known as the Sar Bachan, and about the spiritual teachings and meditation practices of the Radhasoami Satsang! "This world is perishable and so also is all that pertains to it. A wise man is he, who, having closely examined the nature of existence here, has realized that it is all transitory and illusory, and consecrated his human form by devoting himself to Bhajan and Simran (listening to inner Sounds and repetition of the Holy Name of the Supreme Being) and who, taking the fullest advantage of the various faculties which the Supreme Father has graciously endowed him with, has translated the invaluable jewel within him, which is Surat (spirit) or the essence of his being, to its original abode." (The Teachings of Soamiji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Prose, Book One) Devotional Practices of the Radhasoami Faith According to Huzur Maharaj in Prem Patra Radhasoami: "It should be noted that all the following activities are included in devotional practices (Abhyas): (1) Sumiran (Simran: Repetition of the Holy Name); (2) Sumiran and Dhyan (Repetition of the Holy Name along with Contemplation of the Holy Form); (3) Bhajan (Listening to the Sound Current in meditation). (4) Recitation of holy books or listening to their recital in Satsang intelligently; (5) Discussing the principles of the Radhasoami Faith or listening to such discussion; (6) Thinking about and reflecting on matters pertaining to the Radhasoami Faith and its practices and pondering them; and, (7) Examining the ways of one’s mind and senses daily, keeping them under control as far as possible." (Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram) All for the Love of Wisdom, Radio, and Podcasts, Radhasoami, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Radhasoami Reality, Mark Juergensmeyer Interview
05/26/2022
Radhasoami Reality, Mark Juergensmeyer Interview
My guest today is Mark Juergensmeyer. Our conversation explores: the spirit of Sant Mat "ecumenism" and dialogue of the historic Spircon conference, the International Seminar on the Religion of Sants -- Radhasoami Faith -- Spiritual Consciousness Studies; also some Sant Mat history speculation on the origins of the Radhasoami Faith: the ashram of the Tulsi Sahib group in Hathras, "the People of the Anurag Sagar" or the "Esoteric Santism" of Sant Dariya Sahib and the Dharamdasi Branch of Kabir Panth. Mark Juergensmeyer is director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, professor of sociology, and affiliate professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an expert on religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics, and has published more than two hundred articles and twenty books, including, "Radhasoami Reality, The Logic of A Modern Faith", Princeton University Press; "Songs of the Saints of India" (Mystic Poetry of Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ravidas, Mirabai, Sur Das, and Tulsi Das), Oxford University Press; contributed chapters to, "The Sants - Studies in A Devotional Tradition of India", Motilal Banarsidas Books of Delhi. I've always been supportive of the goals of, The Murar Declaration, which lead to the Spircon event: the universal principles of peace, affection, harmony and cooperation as outlined at the Sant Mat conclave known as Spircon 2010, a historic gathering convened in Agra attended by the leadership and representatives of several branches of Sant Mat and Radhasoami lineages: "We are all pilgrims treading the same path and desirous of reaching the same destination ultimately. Satsang movement has been started to spread the true religion and peace and tranquility in the world and to draw people towards the Holy Feet of Huzur Radhasoami Dayal. This object can be better served by maintaining mutual affection and brotherly relations among different Centres of Radhasoami Faith and working in cooperation to attain the common goal 'as the object of worship of everyone is the same (i.e. Merciful Radhasoami) and the Original Home of everyone is the same (i.e. the Abode of Radhasoami) and the real teachers of everyone are the same Bani and Discourses of Merciful Radhasoami, obviously then, all should have amity and heart-felt love and affection for each other.'" (Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram Bahadur, Prem Patra Radhasoami) Radhasoami, Peace Be To You, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts For An Introduction to Sant Mat and RadhaSoami Spirituality, GO TO:
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Lost Books of the Bible, Introducing Wisdom From Forgotten Gospels
05/25/2022
Lost Books of the Bible, Introducing Wisdom From Forgotten Gospels
More Lost Books: Post Resurrection Gospels and The Sermon on the Light There is a very clear Light-motif in the world scriptures, including Western holy books such as the Hebrew Bible, Ethiopian Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, Zohar, Books of Enoch, New Testament, Nag Hammadi Library, Gnostic Gospels, Pitstis Sophia, Corpus Hermeticum, Mandaean and Manichaean texts, as well as in countless writings of Kabbalah, Syrian, Coptic, Orthodox, Catholic, and other mystics. Saying of the Resurrected Christ: "Do not cease seeking day or night, and do not let yourselves relax until you have found all the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you and make you into Pure Light and lead you into the Kingdom of the Light." (Yeshua, Book of Faith-Wisdom -- Pistis Sophia) "If thine eye be Single, thy whole body shall be full of Light". (Yeshua, New Testament) "If one is whole, one will be filled with Light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness..." (Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas) "Close your eyes as in sleep, and look sweetly, lovingly, intently into the middle of the darkness lying in front of you. You will see a dark veil. That which sees the dark veil within, without the help of your physical eyes, is the inner eye.., As you look within, you will see a sky, or blue sky: If you look minutely into it, you will find it studded with stars, or you may see pinpoints of Light. If so, try to locate the big star out of them, and fix your whole attention on that. Then you may see the inner sun or moon. If so, focus all your attention into the middle; it will break into pieces, and you will cross it. Beyond you will see the radiant form of the Master or his Master." (Kirpal Singh, from the Introductory Meditation Instructions) "The Tenth Gate is also known as the Sixth Chakra, the Third Eye, bindu, the Center located between the two eyebrows. This is the gateway through which we leave the gates of the sense organs and enter in the divine realms and finally become established in the soul. We travel back from the Realm of Darkness to the Realm of Light, from the Light to the Divine Sound, and from the Realm of Sound to the Soundless State. This is called turning back to the Source." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj) God is the Ocean of Love. In Divine Light and Sound, Peace Be To You, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts
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Lost Books of the Bible, An Introduction!
05/24/2022
Lost Books of the Bible, An Introduction!
"There is nothing hidden that won't become exposed, and nothing buried that won't be raised." (Jesus, from Saying 5 of the once-buried-but-now-raised Greek Gospel of Thomas discovered at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt) Covered during this Spiritual Awakening Radio podcast: 1) The Case for the Book of Enoch, called "scripture" in early Christianity, once part of the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible at Qumran, and Enoch remains part of the Ethiopian Bible up to the present time; 2) the King James Version of the Apocrypha; 3) the Would-be Collection of New Testament Psalms called the Book of the Odes; 4) the author of the Gospel of Luke said "many" gospels were being composed back then; and, 5) a discourse based on sayings of Jesus in the Greek Gospel of Thomas and the more recently unearthed Gospel of the Saviour, about one of the key goals of contemplative spiritual practice: the ascension of the soul (spirit). God is the Ocean of Love. In Divine Light and Sound, Peace Be To You, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts
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Sant Mat's Message To Humanity: Every Human Being Has A Secret Chamber Within
05/19/2022
Sant Mat's Message To Humanity: Every Human Being Has A Secret Chamber Within
"We are in physical bodies. We are conscious entities. We are so much tied up with mind and matter that we cannot differentiate ourselves. We have to leave the physical, transcend the astral, go further beyond the causal, super-causal, and reach the True Home of our Father. That is the true destination for each one of us." (Sant Kirpal Singh, The Night is a Jungle) "O soul, since you took birth into the world you have developed the habit of seeing things, and so your outer eye is open, but the eye which is used to see within became more securely closed. Although awake from without, you are asleep within, and by greedily envying the goods of others, your inner eye has gone deeper and deeper into this slumber... Every human being has a secret chamber within himself which is called the 'closet of the body.' That is higher than the mind and heart both, and provides mind with understanding to a certain extent, and the heart with feelings of love. This chamber is the Kingdom of God within us. This is the crest jewel, the pearl of great price. The Saints, when we come in contact with them, open this chamber by withdrawing all our attention from outside. The test of a true Master is the fact that in his company, the smallest realm opens up within us, and the Light, Divine Light, the expression of the God-into-Expression Power, is seen... So the God-into-Expression Power is called Word, Naam, Kalma; He is the Creator of all, and has two aspects: Light and Sound. And when Masters come, they contact us with that Power within us, you see? They open our inner eye by raising us to some extent above the physical body and outgoing faculties; we begin to see... Guru Amar Das says, 'Everyone does worship but on the sensual plane only; so they get no results which end in salvation. But absorption in the Naam purifies the mind and bears fruit in abundance.' You follow? Words are words; but what those words denote is a different thing; that is the Controlling Power of all creation, permeating all creation, and controlling us in the body too. So, the body is the true Temple of God, in which we dwell, and also that Power which keeps us in the body... You see, unless a man rises above the life of senses, the inner Way is not open. It is you who have to see. That is why it is said, 'Know thyself O Man, know thyself -- who you are, what you are'... The Master's message is for embodied souls caught in the web of mind and senses, unable to release themselves. Masters make no distinction between religions and sects. Their message is for the whole human race." (Sant Kirpal Singh, excerpts from, The Coming Spiritual Revolution) All for the Love of Wisdom, Radio, and Podcasts, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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The Hidden Sayings of John the Baptist
05/18/2022
The Hidden Sayings of John the Baptist
The Lord's Prayer of the New Testament is modeled after the Prayer of John the Baptist. “Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Gospel of Luke) In light of this, today we begin by examining the Lord's Prayer from various translations including some that are rather mindful of the Aramaic roots of the Jesus Movement. We also consult with the Gospel of the Nazoreans. Shared as well during this program is: 1) a Prayer of John found in a Syriac Aramaic manuscript; 2) a vegetarian saying attributed to the Prophet John present in the Slavonic Book of Josephus; 3) another vegetarian saying of John located in the Scroll of John the Baptizer (Drasa d-Yahya); 4) along with several passages from the famous Mandaean Gnostic scholar Ethel Stefana Drower commenting on the vegetarianism of the original John the Baptist sect of the Trans-Jordan known as the Nasoraeans (Nazoreans). And then 5) the main feature of today's Spiritual Awakening Radio podcast: readings from the Hidden Words of John, a collection of wisdom sayings found in the Great Treasure, some ancient manuscripts written in the Mandaic dialect of the Aramaic language. This 'proverbs' or 'sayings' type format of "The Instructions of John the Baptist" reminds me very much of another book from antiquity, and it also happens to be attributed to John's most famous disciple Yeshua: The Gospel of Thomas, "hidden words that the living Jesus spoke." Readers of the New Testament and extra-canonical scriptures of the various early Jewish, Christian and Gnostic sects typically aren't used to seeing many actual direct quotes from John, and yet there are many sayings to be found if one knows where to look. Today's podcast is dedicated to the teachings of the Prophet John (Yuhana) the Baptist, a mysterious "voice crying out in the wilderness." All for the Love of Wisdom, Radio, and Podcasts, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Evidence That John the Baptist Was A Vegetarian
05/17/2022
Evidence That John the Baptist Was A Vegetarian
Due to a mistranslation of a particular Greek work in certain gospel manuscripts John the Baptist has gained the most unfortunate cave-man reputation of being a bug eater, an eater of locusts. It's supposed to be locust beans ("egkrides"), used to make a kind of Middle Eastern flat bread or cake from carob flour, not bugs ("akrides")! If we examine early Christian writings and learn of the Nasoraean movement the Prophet John was associated with, a wilderness sect operating near the Jordan River apparently related to the Essene branch of Judaism, we will discover references to the vegetarianism of John the Baptist and his disciples (Sabians, a "People of the Book"). Contemporary scholars have also recognized this and written about it. Today on this Spiritual Awakening Radio podcast we'll sort through the evidence, including a surprising number of fascinating passages from ancient sources, as well as learn about "Saint John's Bread" and the "Saint John's Tree" of the Middle East. All for the Love of Wisdom, Radio, and Podcasts, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Sant Mat, Hinduism, and Maharshi Mehi
05/11/2022
Sant Mat, Hinduism, and Maharshi Mehi
Maharshi Mehi Paramhans and other Sants (Saints and Mystics) of India have done, in the cultural context of Hinduism, what Sufis, Gnostics, and Christian Mystics have often done in relation to their respective traditions: focusing on the esoteric passages and teachings contained in their scriptures. They find mystic jewels or gold embedded in the "mud" of tradition, including references to the all-loving God beyond space, form and ritual. While not paying much homage to institutions or outer temples made of wood and stone, they make the heart of their message a contemplative meditation practice that promotes the exploration of the Light and Sound of Inner Space in the "temple" of the human body. Jai Guru, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts
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Who Was Kabir? Kabir's Treasure of Spiritual Wisdom
05/10/2022
Who Was Kabir? Kabir's Treasure of Spiritual Wisdom
Guru Kabir is considered to be one of the primary founding masters of Sant Mat spirituality, the Sant tradition. Kabir is also the "Rumi" of India, a wonderful bhakti poet-mystic and lover of the Beloved Lord of the Soul, the Ocean of Love. Sant Kabir lived during the fifteenth century, raised near Banaras by Muslim parents. He was a weaver, a simple and unlettered man, who earned his living at the loom. It is out of the heart of the common life that he sings his rapturous lyrics of Divine love. “Kabir” is an Islamic name popular in the Muslim world — it’s one of the “Ninety-Nine Names of Allah” found in the Koran, meaning, “The Greatest”. Today, Kabir has over twenty-five million devotees in various Kabir Panth and Sant lineages, and is loved by Sikhs, Hindus, Jains, Christians, and Muslims alike. Kabir’s hymns are still sung in the satsangs of various paths all over India and around the world. Everyone’s Universal Saint, Kabir was: - a Master or Sant Sat Guru of Surat Shabd Yoga, a founding Guru of Sant Mat and Kabir Panths; - a musician and poet of Nirguna Bhakti (love and devotion for the One Beloved Formless God); - a great teacher of Eastern Gnosis (Gnosticism or mysticism); - peace maker between Hindus and Muslims; - a social reformer in India who denounced the caste system; - thought of by many in Islam to be a Sufi Master or Murshid; - believed by Hindus to be one of the greatest poet-mystics and Vaishnava devotees in the history of India; - considered a Bhagat by the Sikhs — many of his hymns are included in the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptures); - influenced by Goraknath and the Nath Yogis, and the Nath Yogis of northern India were, in turn, influenced by Tantric Buddhism; - Kabir’s spirituality is a blend of Prem and Bhakti: love and devotion for the Beloved Lord, the One God (Ek Ongkaar), and mystical, soul travel experiences of a visionary and auditory nature (Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Surat Shabd Yoga). All for the love of wisdom, radio, and podcasts, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Living A Life Powered By Spirituality
05/04/2022
Living A Life Powered By Spirituality
Today: A Sant Mat Satsang Podcast featuring readings from Kabir, The Gospel of Thomas, Odes of Solomon, the Mandaean Gnostic scriptures, mystic poetry of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India, also Sufi mystics such as Shah Niaz, Hazrat Khan, Hazrat Sultan BaHU, and Rumi; satsang discourses as well from Swami Vyasanand and Baba Ram Singh on how to "live from the Living One" via a contemplative meditation practice known as Surat Shabd Yoga, Inner Light and Sound Meditation. By way of the Wisdom Eye, the Third Eye, one may access Inner Space, the Divine Realms within you and find the Beloved Supreme Being, the Living One, here and now during this present life. Seek To See God Now, Liberation During This Life -- Mystic-Poem of Sant Tulsi Sahib: "In this life, the concept of salvation all describe; To meet the Lord by dying while living, none discloses. They all speak of the goal of salvation after death; How to attain it while living, no one says. Were they to reveal the method of achieving release while living, Then alone would Tulsi be convinced of their words! Who speaks, after seeing with their own eyes, and teach the method of salvation during life, They are of the stage and stature of Saints, for they reveal the quintessence of the soul." Jesus said, "Look for the Living One while you're still alive. If you die and then try to look for Him, you won't be able to." (Gospel of Thomas, Saying 59) God is the Ocean of Love. Jai Sat Naam, Jai Guru, Radhasoami, Satya Raam, In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be to You, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Living A Life Powered By Spirituality Live From the Living One There is a Divine Voice Calling Out, Summoning Souls to Awakening
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Guru Nanak and the Sikh Scriptures
05/03/2022
Guru Nanak and the Sikh Scriptures
As we get initiated into Shabd Naam by a Living Satguru, the purpose of our life is fulfilled. Reuniting with God is our reason to be here: "It was for the sake of the God-conscious beings that our True Lord created this earth, and began this play of death and birth". (Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth -- Adi Granth) During this human existence we have an opportunity to experience God. As we experience communing with God's love during meditation -- Surat Shabd Yoga -- we can rise above body-consciousness and explore Inner Space, the Kingdom of the Heavens that are within us. The drop of soul merges back into the Ocean of Love. Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj: "We travel back from the realm of Darkness to the realm of Light, from the Light to Divine Sound, and from the realm of Sound to the Soundless State." The Mind is Filled with the Divine Music of the Spheres "The Lord placed the soul in the body's cave, And the breath held the Music of Life. He made each body with nine gates, (1) With the Tenth Gate (2); remaining well hid. And the Tenth Door was opened to him Who truly loved the Guru's wisdom. And there lives the Lord in His myriad forms, as well as the nine treasures of the Name. His limit cannot be found. "Says Nanak, the Lord placed the soul in the body's cave and the breath held the Music of Life. "Listen to this Song of Bliss, you blessed ones, And all your heart's longings shall be fulfilled. You will reach the Transcendent Lord, and your sorrows will depart. All afflictions and sorrows are destroyed at the Sound of the True Word, And my friends, the saints were in ecstasy when the perfect Guru revealed it. Those who speak and those who listen are pure, And they see the All-pervading Lord everywhere. Nanak prays: Attaching to the feet of the Guru, The mind is filled with the Divine Music of the Spheres." -- Guru Amar Das, from Anand Sahib _____ Notes: (1) "nine gates": The nine visible orifices of the body. (2) "The Tenth Gate": The Tenth, or Hidden, Gate of the body: The Third Eye, in essence, is the Portal to inner realms. The Upanishads describe a human being as a city with ten gates. Nine gates (eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth, urethra, anus) lead to the outside world. The Tenth Gate, the Third Eye, opens onto inner worlds: the whole spectrum of levels of consciousness. God is the Ocean of Love. Jai Sat Naam, Jai Guru, Radhasoami, Satya Raam, In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be to You, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts
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The Peace Prayer
04/27/2022
The Peace Prayer
O Gurudev, give me peace, Give worthy feelings, worthy intelligence. Give mutual cooperation. Give purity to my heart. Let there be pure feelings in my mind. Let there be pure conduct by my body. May my speech be free of falsity and slander. May the sentiment of devotion increase. May my thoughts not be agitated by the ripening of innate karma. May my body and mind be healthy, May my worship be free of obstacles. May I remain in the presence of Saints and be filled with the sentiment of devotion. May I swim across the ocean of samsara, the ocean filled with passion, hate, change and fear. Let there be neglect for wicked persons and compassion for the destitute, Happiness among those of good conduct and friendship with good people. May buffoonery cease and may we delight in the words that lead across samsara [this world of changes]. May we be happy in the study of wisdom; May we keep our minds under control. May we have hope of refuge with the Satguru, May we have no fear of lust and other vices. May we ever yearn for self-awakening and have faith the the words of revelation. May the darkness of ignorance be destroyed; May the lamp of knowledge be lit. May the law of death be forgotten, and immortality be expanded. May there be no harm done to living beings through my words or my actions. May I never feel the least attachment to the objects of my senses. May there always be happiness and the absence of desire. May there be an end to the power of samsara, and a beginning to the knowledge of God. -- This is such a beautiful, eloquent prayer. It’s something that one could ponder and recite each and every day for life. It’s called the “Prar-thana-pan-chak se” by Rames-var-ananda Saheb, a guru or sadhu in a lineage associated with Guru Kabir and Sant Dharam Das.
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A Vegetarian Jesus and Apostles at the Beginning of Christianity
04/26/2022
A Vegetarian Jesus and Apostles at the Beginning of Christianity
This is Intended to Be the Most Comprehensive Collection Ever of Vegetarian References Providing Evidence For the Vegetarianism of Yeshua (Jesus), the Apostles, the Jesus Movement (Hebrew Christians, Ebionites,) and Other Expressions of Early Christianity. The Major Segments Covered Include the Following: Evidence That Jesus and The Original Aramaic Christians Were Vegetarians: Dueling Gospel Traditions — Pro-Meat and Pro-Veg; What About Those Pesky ‘Fishes and Loaves’? Textual Variations in Greek Manuscripts; Was John the Baptist Really A Bug-Eater? Christianity Before Paul (The Original Hebrew Christians or Ebionites) and the Essene Connection -- The Essene Branch of Judaism Not Just Kosher But Vegetarian; Thou Shalt Not Kill: The Biblical Basis For Vegetarianism: A Vegetarian Ideal Described In Genesis and Isaiah; Signing Up Paul to the Vegetarian Cause After All; Uncovering a Vegetarian Jesus (Yeshua) at the Beginning of Christianity: Vegetarian Sayings of Jesus; Jesus Stopping Animal Sacrifice in the Temple; The Vegetarian Apostles (Leadership of the Original Jesus Movement) -- Vegetarian Quotes About the Apostles; Church Fathers And Other Later Voices Affirming the Existence of the Earlier Veg Tradition; Inter-Faith Love! An Ebionite Christian author had very nice things to say about those in India who worship One God, follow peaceful customs and laws, and are vegetarian or vegan. The Gnostics Were Vegetarians; The Vegetarian Prayer of Thanksgiving in the Nag Hammadi Library (Gnostic Gospels) and Corpus Hermeticum; An Academic Scholarly Approach: Credible Ancient Texts Only Please; Texts I DO NOT CITE: What About Those Modern-Day Essene Gospels of Peace? What About Those Groups That Call Themselves Essenes: "Neo-Essene" VS. the More Accurate Term: "Ebionite"; Did Jesus Travel to India? Gospel of Isa, another text I AVOID. Real Wisdom from the East: The Spiritual and Ethical Reasons Why Saints Advocate Following a Non-violent Vegetarian or Vegan Diet; Peace Be to You, James Spiritual Awakening Radio
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Rescued By The Light: The Gnostic Soul's Journey Back to God In The Eighth Heaven -- Mandaean Scriptures
04/21/2022
Rescued By The Light: The Gnostic Soul's Journey Back to God In The Eighth Heaven -- Mandaean Scriptures
Today our exploration of the Mandaean Gnostic Scriptures consists of three readings from the Great Treasure, also known as the Ginza Rabba, the primary holy book of Eastern Gnosticism. We begin with the story of a soul that finds itself dwelling in a rather anxiety-inducing dark realm and seeks to be liberated from this place before it gets absorbed into that darkness and the soul loses it's Luminescence or Radiance like the other souls that reside here. Then a Light appears in the darkness and communicates a peaceful Divine Message from Above to the soul about it's life-to-come in the world and it's eventual ascension back to it's True Home, the Place of the Light and Life. Our soul is instructed to: "Endure in the world and dwell therein until We are longing for you. When We are longing for you We will reach out and come here to you. We will reach out and come here to you, and We will bring you out and raise you to your Treasure-House (Heavenly Realm)." In the next reading, "The Soul Within Me Yearns For Hayyi (Great Life, Great Spirit, Supreme Being)", we marvel at an all-too-familiar Gnostic cosmology of Heavenly Regions. There is the Earth-realm or material plane followed by Seven Inner Levels or Heavens, and the Plane of Truth that is beyond. The true yearning soul must not be fooled into assuming any of those illusory middle regions to be the Highest of Heavens and True Destination, and thus deceived, detained and prevented from ascending all the way up to The Eighth, the Goal, Ultimate Reality, the Real Home of The Great Life, Hayyi Rabbi, a Mandaic Aramaic sacred name for the True God. The Path of the Masters (Living Gnosis Now, Sant Mat) also has a cosmology of eight Inner Regions with The Eighth, Anami Radhasoami ("Ra-dha-swam-i"), representing the Ultimate Reality where the Beloved Lord of Love resides. This Gnostic Satsang or spiritual gathering online (Spiritual Awakening Radio podcast) concludes with some thoughts about "Sant Mat and Cousin Schools of Mysticism of the Ages": Neoplatonism, Pythagoreanism, Jewish Mysticism or Kabbalah, Hermetic Philosophy, Christian Mysticism, Gnosticism, Sufism, and how Sufism, perhaps with some influence of Manichaeanism, likely served as the major West-East conduit for this otherworldly approach to spirituality to reach India. "From the day when I came to love the Life [God], from the day when my heart came to love the Truth, I no longer have trust in anything in the world… After my soul alone I go searching about, which to me is worth generations and worlds. I went and found my soul -- What are to me all the worlds? I went and found Truth, as she stands at the outer rim of the worlds." (Ginza Rabba, Mandaean Gnostic Scriptures) All for the Love of Wisdom and Radio, In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be To You, James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio
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The Spirituality and Wisdom of the Lost Books of the Bible (Gnostic Gospels)
04/19/2022
The Spirituality and Wisdom of the Lost Books of the Bible (Gnostic Gospels)
Background on the Origins and Discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library and Other Gnostic Gospels of Egypt; Wisdom from Wisdom Gospels; also, the Seven Ingredients of a Living Spiritual Path The History of the Destruction of Wisdom Muhammad ‘Ali al-Samman’s mother would often grab a few pages of Coptic texts to use them for kindling in the morning to light the family woodstove and make tea, perhaps do some cooking also. No doubt it was very nice tea, brewed thanks to the sacrifice of a few pages of unknown and lost Nag Hammadi pages, perhaps from the Gospel of Mary or lost book of Third Allogenes! The misplacing, forgetting, and random destruction of wisdom is all very much part of the story of Gnosticism on planet earth. But perhaps we can remain hopeful like the author of the Gospel of Thomas: "Know what is before your face, and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything buried which will not be raised." (Saying Five of Greek Thomas) Meditation Would you look at that! This passage from the Acts of Peter provides a great description of meditation practice: "Give ear; withdraw your souls from all that appears but is not truly real; close these eyes if yours, close your ears, withdraw from actions that are outwardly seen; and you shall know the reality of Christ and the whole secret of your salvation." "Look at God within yourself, how 'God is Light.' For his Nature is a glorious, many-splendored Light. He manifests the Light of his Nature to those who love Him in all the worlds…" (John of Dalyatha, Syriac Mystic) God is the Ocean of Love. In Divine Light and Sound, Peace Be to You, James Bean
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God is the Creator of the Spiritual Path, and The Inward Journey of Love, Light, and Sound
04/13/2022
God is the Creator of the Spiritual Path, and The Inward Journey of Love, Light, and Sound
What is the source of the spiritual path? God is the creator of the spiritual path. God is the source of the inner Light and Sound as well. The meditation practices of inner Light, inner seeing, as well as inner hearing, the inner Sound meditation, are not the property of any particular sect or religion. Baba Devi Sahab: "Unlike other worship methods popular in religions and sects with different names, these two methods are not man-made. God himself is the founder and operator of these methods. Since the beginning God has kept these two methods inside human beings." Today on this Sant Mat Satsang Podcast, a production of Spiritual Awakening Radio, readings from: newly translated mystic poems of Kabir, Eugnostos the Blessed from the Nag Hammadi Library on the prevailing philosophies of the world and a higher message from beyond, Soamiji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Prose, Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram, Swami Vyasanand's The Inward Journey of the Soul (Chala Hansa Nij Desh! "O Soul-swan! return to your home!"), Param Sant Baba Devi Sahib, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh on Nullifying Karma and Negative Influences Through the Positive Power of the Sound Current, Baba Somanath, The Padavali of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound by Swami Achyutanand Baba, Mind is a Thief in the Form of a Friend by Sant Kirpal Singh on the Soundless/Nameless/Wordless State that is the Ultimate Reality at the highest level of Sach Khand (the Timeless Spiritual Realm), Sant Paltu Sahib, and Satsang Discourses on Simran and Meditation Practice by Baba Ram Singh Ji. "Since this Quintessential Vibration or Sound springs forth directly from God, it is imbued with the qualities of God and it bestows its own qualities upon its perceiver also, and has a natural propensity to attract its perceiver (soul) to its Source, thereby effecting the complete merger of the soul into the Supreme Soul that is God. That is why meditation on the inner Sound has been reckoned by sages and scriptures to be the loftiest of all forms of meditation." (Swami Achyutanand, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound) Says Kabir, "From one Supreme Soul Countless others, All of them merge back Into the One they came from. What's so strange About this? That no-one gets it!"
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The Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl, A Mystical Poem About You!
04/06/2022
The Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl, A Mystical Poem About You!
The Hymn of the Pearl is one of the greatest Gnostic scriptures ever composed, one of several hymns or mystic poems embedded in the Syriac Acts of Saint Thomas in India. This hymn is commonly interpreted as a Gnostic understanding of the human condition, that we are spirits lost in a world of matter, and forgetful of our true origin. Our spiritual breakthrough arrives in the form of a revelatory message delivered by a Divine Messenger. The letter takes on a symbolic representation of Gnosis (spiritual, mystical, inner knowledge or knowing). Divine Grace busts into worlds of time and space to free souls from their captivity. The Great Life, the Supreme Being, calls out to souls, summoning them to awakening, guiding them back to their true home or point of origin. The Song of the Pearl is a narrative poem about a prince's quest for the Divine Pearl. Presented in the Acts of Thomas as a hymn sung by the apostle Thomas, The Song of the Pearl is a moving Gnostic tale of salvation, of liberation, of sleeping in error but awakening to Light, a quest for gaining possession of the Pearl of the self or soul and a return to the Light. "When the Pearl is cast down into the mud, it becomes greatly despised, nor if it is anointed with oil will it become more precious. But it always has value in the eyes of its owner. Compare the children of God: wherever they may be, they still have value in the eyes of their Father." -- Gospel of Philip (Nag Hammadi Library of Egypt) "Love is like a deep sea. Only that lover of God who will dive into it fearlessly shall be able to get the Pearl of ultimate happiness in it. And one who will not be able to muster up enough courage to dive into it, shall remain sitting at the beach. He will remain without love in this world. How will he get the Pearls of ultimate happiness then?" (Kabir 1008 Vani) "We are the Pearls of the shoreless ocean, Sometimes the waves and sometimes the sea, We came into the world for this purpose -- That we might reveal God to His creatures." -- Kamal, son of Kabir "In the Name of the Great Life (Hayyi Rabbi), may the exalted Light be honored. The Pearl came, which gave Light to dark hearts. Radiance sought to be. Light awoke and became." (Ginza Rabba, The Great Treasure -- Mandaean Gnostic Scriptures) The Gnostic Hymn of the Pearl, A Mystical Poem About You -- All Souls -- Remember Who You Are? The Hymn of the Soul -- Today on the Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast with James Bean.
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Honor Your Present Lifetime: Do the Meditation and Do It Regularly
03/30/2022
Honor Your Present Lifetime: Do the Meditation and Do It Regularly
When we close our physical eyes we see darkness inside but as we cross this void of darkness following the meditation practice of the Saints, there is Light. Beyond the silence there is Sound. Indeed, there are many Heavenly Lights, Visions within Visions, Sounds (Music of the Spheres), Mansion after Mansion, Level upon Level in this Inner Space or Kingdom of the Heavens. With the proper guidance of those competent qualified teachers (Sant Satgurus) who have explored Inner Space for themselves, we too can be mentored into cultivating our own successful spiritual practice and communion with the Beloved Lord of Love. Today, a Sant Mat Satsang Podcast featuring readings from the mystic poetry of Sant Namdev, Guru Kabir, Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, the Ginza Rabba and Canonical Prayer Book of the Mandaean Gnostics, and a bhajan of Baba Somanath. There are satsang discourses from Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Sant Kirpal Singh on living in the present moment, and spiritual satsang discourses of Baba Ram Singh Ji. "Always live in the living present -- in the living moment... If you watch your present moment, then everything is all right." (Sant Kirpal Singh) "Be within your body. Light the inner lamp that your within and without may sparkle with Radiance Divine. In it's brilliance let the shadow of your karmas fade." "The Naam helps you steer through this ocean of life and death." (Kabir) "By doing Simran, we are able to reduce the burden of karmas." "The Simran that has been given to us is of a very high order. And where we do Simran, even that place gets purified. At that place, there are no bad influences. No mystical powers also work on you. Neither do the angels of death come and disturb you. Neither does Kal come. And neither does Maha Kal come." "So, therefore, we should listen to Satsang every day. And we should do our Bhajan Simran [meditation] every day. And this is what we have been given this precious life for." "So, it is incumbent for us to do that meditation and do it regularly. That is our true work." (Baba Ram Singh) "Those who accept His teachings, and act upon them with love, gradually return to the purely spiritual Region under His guidance." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh) "O Protector of the lowly ones, most merciful Lord, Self-Existent, Bestower of Light Somanath has contemplated upon Your lotus feet. Unceasingly, He will sing Your praises. You free all the jiva-souls from the desires and afflictions of this world." (Baba Somanath) "She [the soul] is dazed on seeing the refulgence of the Beloved." "Whose soul is attached to the Word, revels ever in cosmic flight." (Sant Tulsi Sahib)
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Gnostic Spiritual Practice and the Ignored Gospels
03/23/2022
Gnostic Spiritual Practice and the Ignored Gospels
Many have heard that there were these Gnostic Christians who wrote some other scriptures long ago. So what else do we know about them, their goals, hopes and dreams, spiritual practices, their way of entering into the experience of the Divine Realms of the Heavens? And also today... the world of podcasting, websites, and television has been fairly good about reporting on a few recent discoveries such as Nag Hammadi and the Gospel of Judas, but these very same sources typically have not been reliable at all about writings that were unearthed several decades ago or more, long before the age of the Internet and cable TV! If some of those texts, such as the Mandaean Ginza Rabba, Pistis Sophia, or the Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, were unearthed last Tuesday, it would be really big news. But rather, if they've been sitting on the shelves of libraries for decades, maybe even centuries, there's no news at all and they are almost completely ignored. For those who take the time to dig deeper, there are far more Gnostic Gospels and other sacred texts available and already translated into English than most realize. After the exploration of the Ascension of the Soul process of Gnostic spirituality, we'll delve into some of the forgotten gospels of early Christianity, including from various sects associated with Gnosticism. "He who possesses the Five Seals of these particular Names has stripped off the garments of ignorance [the material body and subtle bodies: astral, causal, etc...] and put on a shining Light." (Trimorphic Protennoia) "Blessed is he who has crucified the world and who has not allowed the world to crucify him." (from an unrecognized dialogues gospel embedded in the Bruce Codex) "What wonders has Your love effected! When someone is still alive he has left this world: though his bodily condition remains with the world’s bodily condition, yet his spirit has been raised up towards You, so that for a period of time he is where he knows not, being totally raptured and drawn towards You." (John of Apamea)
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The Gnostic Gospels of Nag Hammadi, An Inclusive Rather Than Exclusive Spirituality
03/16/2022
The Gnostic Gospels of Nag Hammadi, An Inclusive Rather Than Exclusive Spirituality
In December 1945 a collection of ancient scriptures -- fifty-two books -- was unearthed near the village of Nag Hammadi in Egypt. These texts had been placed in a clay storage jar, sealed, and buried sometime during the Fourth Century AD. Monks who lived at a nearby monastery founded by Saint Pachomius most likely hid them there at the time. They would have been sacred texts once part of the library of this monastic community, one of several Pachomian monasteries operating in Egypt during those days. Rather than confining themselves to only reading the Old and New Testaments or teachings exclusively from Orthodox Christian sources, these monks had a surprisingly diverse collection of writings that can only be characterized as inter-faith and multi-traditional. In other words, they were also studying the scriptures of other teachers, sages, religions and “cousin” esoteric mystical movements of their day. “And there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing buried that will not be raised!” (Saying of Jesus, Greek Gospel of Thomas)
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Mandaean Nasoraean Gnostic Spirituality
03/09/2022
Mandaean Nasoraean Gnostic Spirituality
A rare glimpse into the origins of Christianity and Gnosticism. Today we explore the history, the scriptures, the mystic teachings and poetry of the root group, the common ancestor, the earlier original spiritual movement in antiquity out of which emerged the Jesus Movement (Ebionites), the Elkasites, and the Mandaean Gnostics. I speak of the Nasoraeans, the followers of John the Baptist. The Nag Hammadi texts may represent the prose of the Gnostics, but it is the Nasoraean Mandaean scriptures that give us the poetry!
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The Science of Spirituality According to Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj
03/02/2022
The Science of Spirituality According to Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj
A Sant Mat Satsang Podcast edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio today featuring readings from Beloved Satguru Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj of the Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppaghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar Dist., INDIA. This program serves as an introduction to a living spiritual mystic path called Sant Mat, the Way of the Saints. Beloved Swami Sant Sevi Ji was a very advanced pure soul and great teacher of old school traditional Santmat. "Blessed are the souls who in today's materialistic world have an inclination towards spirituality." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji)
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Spiritually Awakening From the Dream and Finding Your Soul in Another World
02/23/2022
Spiritually Awakening From the Dream and Finding Your Soul in Another World
"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." (Carl Jung) "Happy is the one who comes to himself and awakens." (Valentinus) "Awakened Souls always draw our attention to the fact that we are being deceived. If at all there is anything true or eternal, it is the soul or the Oversoul." (Kirpal Singh) "Meditate on the True Name, and rise within just like ascending a staircase. Listen to the Music of the Heavens... Ascend on the lifeline of the Sound Current as a spider climbs up the thread." (Baba Somanath) -- Sant Mat Satsang Podcast
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