Aakhan-Jor: The Great Surrender
Aakhan-Jor: The Great Surrender (to WaheGuru): “A direct reciprocal relationship with God in which we can clarify inner doubts, receive answers to further queries, and deepen our understanding of both ourselves and the nature of reality.”
Aakhan-Jor: The Great Surrender (to WaheGuru)
"Wahe"Is a statement of awe and ecstasy.
"Guru"Is the one who brings us from darkness to light.
"Wahe Guru"Is an expression of complete ecstatic awe of the Divine.
"Har"Is Shakti (power) mantra.”Har"Is the creative energy of God.
AAKHAN JOR
THE GREAT SURRENDER
Aakhan nah jor, chupai nah jor,
Jor nah ma(n)gan, dhaen nah jor.
No power to speak, no power to keep silent.
No power to beg, no power to give.
Jor nah jeevan, maran nah jor,
Jor nah raaj, maal man sor.
No power to live, no power to die.
No power to rule, with wealth and occult mental powers.
Jor nah surathee giaan veechaar,
Jor nah jugathee chhuttai sa(n)saar.
No power to gain intuitive understanding, spiritual wisdom and meditation.
No power to find the way to escape from the world.
Jis hathh jor kar vaekhai soe,
Naanak ootham neech nah koe.
He alone has the Power in His Hands, He watches over all.
O Nanak, no one is high or low.
Har har WaheGuru, Har har WaheGuru,
Har har WaheGuru, Har har WaheGuru,
Har har WaheGuru, Har har WaheGuru,
Har har WaheGuru, Har har WaheGuru ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaYMmLXcP-w&feature=related
Meditation and the Art of Questioning
Published on 07-08-2010 10:24 PM Number of Views: 29
By Sri Dharma Pravaraka Acharya
The beginning of all spiritual life begins with asking the big questions: "Why am I here?” "Who am I?” "What is God's will for my life?”These and other such questions form the very basis of a self-reflective life. The process of sincere inquiry, and the reciprocal receiving of real and satisfying answers is a course of action that continues all throughout one's spiritual journey. This is one thing that, in fact, makes the path of Yoga and Sanatana Dharma very different from almost all other spiritual traditions: unlike the Western Abrahamic religions, sincere questioning is actually actively encouraged in our spiritual tradition.
Sanatana Dharma is a spiritual world-view that is predicated upon the idea that we are all free and unique beings. We are respected as persons who have the ability to make our own choices in life, and who deserve to have our choices honored. As free beings, it is incumbent upon us to progress spiritually by the strength of our own sincerity, dedication, and free inquiry. The tradition of Dharma, from this perspective, can almost be called the religion of questioning and free inquiry.
Throughout the Dharmic scriptures (the Vedic literature), we see again and again thousands of examples of free and open dialogs that take place between students and teachers in an attempt to understand the truth of a particular question or philosophical problem. Whether in the Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, or any of the other scriptures of Sanatana Dharma, we repeatedly read about various philosophical discussions that take place between either a guru and disciple, or a king and a guru, or a god and a human, etc., etc. Indeed, only in Sanatana Dharma is there even a scripture known as the Prashna Upanishad, or the"Upanishad of Questioning.” The most important of Dharmic scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita, is itself an open philosophical dialog between a princely warrior and God Himself.
In the Bhagavad Gita, we have God Himself engaging in free and open dialog with His student Arjuna, in the attempt to bring Arjuna to a deeper understanding of the truth of his own self-identity, and his relationship with God. This vision of God as the Supreme Person who is compassionate, loving, and secure in His own being enough to have a down-to-earth conversation with His devotee is in stark contrast to how the Abrahamic (Judeo-Christian-Islamic) god is depicted in the Biblical and Koranic texts, as an unapproachable being who only engaging in a one-way dialog with his followers. The encouraging of sincere and open questioning is found throughout our spiritual tradition like with no other religious tradition on earth.
It is understood in Santana Dharma that the process of questioning is in itself an art. The important thing to understand about the process of philosophical questioning is that the questioning itself has to follow the proper methodology if one is to receive real and truly authentic answers. Questioning is itself an art and a spiritual discipline. Above all, it is the motivational attitude, even more so than the cognitive abilities of the questioner, that is of operative importance. In other words, the important factor in questioning is not how smart the questioner thinks he is, but why the person is asking the questions in the first place. A philosophical question needs to be presented in a way that is sincere, humble, open, and direct. Anything less than this attitude will not lead to real answers. Even a question as seemingly benign as"What is God?”, for example, can be asked in such a manner as to receive a real answer, or it can be asked in a manner that is arrogant and demanding. Only the former, asking with humility and openness, will lead the questioner to Truth. Asking with arrogance will only lead to further ignorance.
The Bhagavad Gita provides us with a very clear description of the science of asking:
"Attempt to learn that truth by approaching a spiritual teacher. Inquire submissively from him and render service to him. The self-realized sages will initiate you into true knowledge for they have themselves seen the truth.”
(Bhagavad Gita, 4:34)
It is only in approaching the search for truth with such an attitude of openness, humility, patience, and sincerity that the truth will be revealed to you.
In the same way that we can approach an embodied guru or sage with sincere inquiries, we can also engage in such a student/teacher relationship with God Himself as the antaryamin, or the inner witness within our hearts. While it is imperative that we have a living, embodied guru to whom we can approach and receive Divine knowledge, God is ultimately the source of all Truth, and the eternal Guru. Thus, through the process of meditation, we can both confirm the realizations that we receive from the embodied guru, as well as engage in a direct reciprocal relationship with God in which we can clarify inner doubts, receive answers to further queries, and deepen our understanding of both ourselves and the nature of reality.
There are always two people involved in spiritual inquiry: the student (shishya) and the teacher (guru). Likewise, the general process of inquiry consists of a two way process. It requires not only the asking of questions on the part of the student, but also the ability to receive and accept answers from the teacher. These two steps are necessary whether the teacher is an embodied guru, or God Himself. When we are inquiring directly from God, these two steps are found in the form of 1) prayer and 2) meditation.
Through prayer, we are communicating our concerns to God, and through meditation, we are allowing God to reveal Himself to us. Thus, the communication is a two way street, and not a one way monologue. One of the problems that we often find with the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is that these religious constructs tend to lay a great emphasis on prayer alone, or speaking to their god and petitioning him, without any understanding of the reciprocal need of stilling the mind in meditation and allowing their specific divinity to then reveal himself to them. Prayer, for the Abrahamic faiths is a one way form of communication alone.
Too many of us want to speak to God, ask Him questions, ask for favors and gifts, but so few of us are ready to then sit in the silence of meditation and allow God to respond to our queries. Would it not at the very least be considered rude if someone were contantly speaking at you, asking your questions, petitioning you for favors, but never allowing you an opportunity to actually respond? This is what we are doing to God when we only pray, but never open ourselves in meditation for His response to us. In Sanatana Dharma, it is understood that"listening"to God in meditation is often of much greater importance than talking to God, since it is in humbly and openly listening that we learn and grow. Both, speaking and listening to God, however, must be present if we are to fully experience what it means to commune with the Absolute.
It is in devotional meditation that we are in the most intimate communion with God. God, being purely spiritual in nature, the only way to truly communicate with, experience, and thus truly know God is in the pure realm of consciousness. In meditation, the pure atman that is our true self is in closest proximity with God. And the deeper and more advanced the meditator is, in direct proportion is she able to experience and understand the eternal Truth free of egoic mediation. It is when there is no medium left separating the meditator from the object of meditation (God) that we can then experience pure and eternal knowledge being revealed to us directly from the mercy of God Himself. At this point of pure meditative absorption upon the Absolute, nothing remains unknown to us. This, of course, is the ultimate goal (artha) of meditation, and takes years of dedicated practice, sincerity, focused determination, and great devotion to attain.
As for the question of getting immediate answers to ones questions through meditation, the answers that one gets will be in direct proportion to one's spiritual advancement and God's grace. The path of Sanatana Dharma offers us the greatest, most systematic, and most effective vehicle for making spiritual advancement and for experiencing the infinite grace of the Divine.
About the Author
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) has been practicing and teaching Dharma for over 35 years. With a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is the Founder-Acharya of the International Sanatana Dharma Society and the Director of the Center for Dharma Studies.
Sri Acharyaji is currently recognized as one of the world's foremost scholars on the Yoga tradition, Dharma and meditation, as well as being a truly authentic spiritual teacher.
With a very large international following, Sri Acharyaji is especially renowned for his highly authentic approach to spirituality, his authoritative and scholarly method of teaching, and his clear emphasis on serious spiritual practice and direct experience of self-realization. He has lectured on Dharma at dozens of top universities, such as Harvard, Columbia, Rutgers, Cornell, and Northwestern. He has also served as a consultant for such Fortune 500 companies as Ford Motor Corporation and Lucent Technology.
Sri Acharyaji's teachings stress the achievement of enlightenment through the practice of meditation, Yoga, and directly experiencing the presence of the Divine. Another overarching aspect of Sri Acharyaji's teachings focuses on the importance of love, compassion and service toward all living beings.
Whether speaking to an audience of thousands, or having a heart-felt discussion with only one person, Sri Acharyaji vividly conveys a deeply moving sense of compassion, peace, humility, and spiritual insight that has endeared him to thousands of students and admirers throughout the world.
For more information on the life and teachings of Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya, please visit: http://www.dharmacentral.com
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You have the author's permission to publish and/or forward this article for educational purposes only if it is left thoroughly unaltered, unchanged and unedited (with the inclusion of this notice), and if full credit is given to the author.
Brahman"Is not an object of prayer, but of meditation and knowledge.” IT"can be understood only through direct spiritual experience.”
Dear people of Spirit,
Namaste - i bow to Brahman who resides in you!
Brahman is unlike the gods of the masses. Having said that, Brahman is the gods of the masses and pervade their holy scriptures. That is why this quote makes so much sense:
“Now, the principle of Mother is in every, every scripture - has to be there!"The Paraclete, Radio Interview 1983 Oct 1, Santa Cruz, USA
"Brahman is said to be eternal, genderless, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, and ultimately indescribable in the human language. It can be at best described as infinite Being, infinite Consciousness and infinite Bliss. Brahman is regarded as the source and essence of the material universe. It is pure being. Brahman manifests as Hiranyagarbha, the"World soul", which also can take many forms or manifestations of the thousands of gods. It was deemed a singular substrate from which all that is arises, and debuts with this verse:
Great indeed are the devas who have sprung out of Brahman.
— Atharva Veda
Essentially, it is also beyond being and non-being alike, and thus does not quite fit with the usual connotations of the word God and even the concept of monism. For this reason, some authors use the word 'Godhead' for Brahman, to distinguish it from the usual usage of the word 'God'. To call this concept 'God' would be imprecise. The closest interpretation of the term can be found in the Taittariya Upanishad where Brahman is described in the following manner:
satyam jnanam anantam brahman
"Brahman is of the nature of truth, knowledge and infinity"
Thus, Brahman is the origin and end of all things, material or otherwise. Brahman is the root source and Divine Ground of everything that exists, and does not exist.”
http://veda.wikidot.com/brahman
The Mother entrenched in all scriptures is Brahman, and the Sure Signs and Great News of the Last Judgment and Resurrection—the heart and soul of the Torah, Bible and Koran—testifies to that. Brahman is unlike the individual gods of the masses, but their sum ........ and far, far, far more.
i remember way back in 1993 requesting to know God Almighty, and not the gods of the masses.
"O Speak Almighty God!
Only God Almighty, would be able to account for all the Messengers sent down to Earth. His Religion had to be Universal, preached by all His Messengers and found in all His Holy Scriptures. He had to be the Ultimate Reality — His Truth had to be All Pervading, All Encompassing, Unchangeable, Indestructible, Flawless and Absolute.
This spiritual song imploring the Almighty Creator—The Universal Soul— to remove the veil of ignorance was sung again, and again, and again:
O Ek suki yaha lakoh mein.
O Only one in a hundred thousand is in bliss.
Ansoo hai croroh ankhoh mein.
There are tears in millions and millions of eyes.
Hum neh gin gin har takdir dekhi.
I have counted and seen every fate for years,
Ek hasta hai dush rote hai
Only one soul laughs while ten are in tears.
Kuch bhol Prabhu yeh kya Maya
O! Speak Almighty God what is this Illusion,
Tera khel samaj meh nah aya
Your Divine Play is all confusion and delusion.
For weeks the Almighty Creator was asked, amid a profusion of tears, to reveal the Truth. Repeatedly He was implored to answer the meaning of life, creation, and this useless, empty human existence. Above all, He was begged for the Truth that would destroy the falsehood that the religious regimes had deluded him and the rest of humanity. What was desired was the Absolute Truth of the Absolute Creator, not the conflicting gods of various organized religions. Any god that could not explain and account for the other Messengers was not God. Any yahweh that only cared for his kind was not Yahweh. Any allah that had only one messenger was not Allah. Any prabhu that was found only in a single scripture was not Prabhu. Any buddha that had no Knowledge of His Kingdom was not Buddha.
The Supreme Creator had to be the Lord of all Messengers that came on Earth. His Truth had to be found in all Scriptures that humans possessed. His Reality had to be Absolute, Irrefutable, and All Compassing. Then, and only then, will be be acknowledged as God the Almighty.”
SHRI ADI SHAKTI: THE KINGDOM OF GOD, 1999, page 50
https://adishakti.org/introduction.htm
Today, 7-28-2010, i know without a shadow of doubt that God Almighty is verily Brahman. There is no temple, gurdwara, synagogue, church, or mosque dedicated to Brahman since IT cannot be worshipped. Brahman is _not_ the gods of the masses as IT"Is not an object of prayer, but of meditation and knowledge.” Brahman"can be understood only through direct spiritual experience.” No guru, except The Mother, would ever be capable of giving the meditation, knowledge and experience required for this summum bonum of Truth.
IT is the summum bonum of Truth ...... past, present and future! That is the only way to describe the supreme importance of Brahman, the singular and ultimate end which human beings ought to pursue at any cost or sacrifice. Brahman is the End of all Sacred Knowledge, the end of all spiritual searching, and an end in itself. IT"Is not an object of prayer, but of meditation and knowledge.” IT"can be understood only through direct spiritual experience.” IT is the tour de force in the pursuit of enlightenment.... past, present and future!
regards to all,
jagbir
www.sahajayoga-shrimataji.org
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