Satsang / Satsanga / Satsangam is a word which comes from Sanskrit, meaning to associate with true people, or to be in the company of true people. It is also related to sitting with a sat guru, or in a group meeting seeking that association.
The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various connotations can be found alongside each other.
Guru is a Sanskrit term for a "teacher, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, guru is more than a teacher, in Sanskrit guru means the one who dispels the darkness and takes towards light, traditionally a reverential figure to the student, with the guru serving as a "counselor, who helps mold values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge, an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student". A guru is also one's spiritual guide, who helps one to discover the same potentialities that the guru has already realized. In the Tagalog language, Indonesian and Malay the word means teacher.
Paramsant Dr. Chaturbhuj Sahay Ji established RSM in the year 1930 in Etah in Uttar Pradesh, India, naming it after his Guru, Lala Ji Maharaj, Paramsant Mahatma Shri Ram Chandra Ji. At the behest of his Guru, he openly laid out the secrets of methods of spiritual evolution kept closely guarded by the Saints since time immemorial. The main methodology is transfer of Soul Power. Breaking away from the centuries-old norm, He openly propagated the teachings of his Guru to all, and these methods and principles are applicable to and adaptable by people of any and all religions. Love is the objective of all Spiritual Methods. In this school 'Love' is mingled in all its methods. The central focus is on the Spiritual Master, who is looked upon as a father/ mother figure by all and who by Soul -Power uplifts the aspirants and makes them experience the higher stages of spirituality without aspirants having to make effort for it on their own. Periodic dosage of this transfer of power brings about an altered state within an aspirant. The mind has to be centered before higher states can be experienced; therefore, this school has evolved its own system of meditation, designed not only to bring the aspirants up to the level of receiving and experiencing the Soul Power (the goal of spiritual evolution and the main objective of every religion) but also to make the higher states flow automatically one after the other and even thereafter to keep the aspirant on track.
The soul, in many religious, philosophical, and mythological traditions, is the incorporeal essence of a living being. Soul or psyche are the mental abilities of a living being: reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, thinking, etc. Depending on the philosophical system, a soul can either be mortal or immortal. In Judeo-Christianity, only human beings have immortal souls. For example, the Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but argued that only human souls are immortal.
This is probably the only school of its kind, where the method of transfer of Soul Power has evolved to such an extent that power is transferred not only on one to one basis but from one to many. At the tri-monthly meets known as 'Bhandara', organized by this Satsang, thousands of aspirants receive this power at the same time. Overtly, all are seen only to practice meditation, but each one notices and experiences the altered state upon leaving the Bhandara.
This system of Sadhana/Satsang is a synthesis between action Karma (duty), Upasana (devotion) and Gyan (knowledge). Aspirants are required to keep in touch with the Master and to meet with the Master at the least once in every three months and to do Dhyan (meditate) every morning and evening for 15–20 minutes when not in company of the Master till they achieve the desired goal.
Karma means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and bad rebirths.
Upasana literally means "Worship" and "sitting near, attend to". The term also refers to one of three khaṇḍa of Vedas, one that focuses on worship. The other two parts of Vedas are called Aranyakas and Upanishads, sometimes identified as karma-khaṇḍa and jñāna-khaṇḍa.
Dhyana in Hinduism means contemplation and meditation. Dhyana is taken up in Yoga exercises, and is a means to samadhi and self-knowledge.
Ramashram Satsang Mathura publishes a Monthly Spiritual Magazine in Hindi, called "Sadhan" Authentic and Official literature about the teachings and messages of Ramashram Satsang is published by Sadhan Press, Dampier Nagar, Mathura
History
The journey began back in around 1873, the year when Param Sant Mahatma Sri Ramchandra Ji Maharaj was born in the north Indian province of Manipuri.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Related Research Articles
Knowledge is a term used by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj to denote a formulation of four specific techniques that were imparted in a process of initiation. The term continues to be used by two of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj's sons, Satpal Rawat and Prem Rawat.
Sant Kirpal Singh was a spiritual master (satguru).
Contemporary Sant Mat Movements are esoteric philosophy movements active in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and especially India. These movements assert that Sant Mat shares a lineage with Sikhism and contains elements of thought found in Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation. They further assert that Sant Mat also contains elements found in Sufism and has inspired and influenced a number of religious groups and organizations. They refer to this spiritual path as the "Science of the Soul" or ‘Sant Mat’, meaning ‘teachings of the saints’. More recently it has been described as "The Way of Life" or "Living the Life of Soul." It incorporates a practical yoga system known as Surat Shabd Yoga.
Surat Shabd Yoga or Surat Shabda Yoga is a type of spiritual yoga practice in the Sant Mat tradition.
The core of Prem Rawat's teaching is that the individual’s need for fulfillment can be satisfied by turning within to contact a constant source of peace and joy. Rather than a body of dogma, he emphasizes a direct experience of transcendence, which he claims is accessible through the four techniques of meditation which he teaches. He calls these techniques "Knowledge" and says that Knowledge will take "all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you."
Radha Soami, or Radhasoami Satsang, is a religious organization founded by Shiv Dayal Singh in 1861 on Basant Panchami Day in the Indian subcontinent. The nameless God beyond the gods is given a name: it is Radhasoami, according to those who follow the Agra branches of the movement. Repetition of the name enables the seeker to gain access to their energy to lift his/her own internal energy currents to the higher levels of God-consciousness, the realm of ethereal light and sound. The Radhasoami conception of the interior realm alluded to by the sants is articulated in considerably greater than it was by the sants themselves: it has multiple tiers, the discovery of which involves a journey through increasingly rarefied strata of consciousness., states Mark Juergensmeyer in his book "Radhasoami Reality: The logic of a modern faith".
Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) is an organization dedicated to a process of inner development under the guidance of a spiritual teacher. The present teacher is Gurinder Singh, who lives with his family at the main centre in northern India. The main centre of RSSB is at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh Ji, located on the banks of the Beas River, in the northern India state of Punjab. Although RSSB is not defined as a religion, the organization's fundamental teachings are in direct conflict with those of other world faiths. Primary conflicts focus on RSSB's belief that the master, currently Gurinder Singh is a living manifestation of God.
Shiv Dayāl Singh Seth, called by the honorific "Soamiji Maharaj" by his disciples and devotees, was born on 24 August 1818 in Agra in the Ceded Provinces of British India, and died on 15 June 1878 in the same city. In the Radhasoami Faith, Shiv Dayāl Singh is worshiped as the first physical incarnation of the Supreme Being Radhasoami.
Born Shri Beli Ram Ji, Shri Swami Swarupanand ji Maharaj, was an Indian Guru of Shri Paramhans Advait Mat lineage. He is also known as "Shri Nangli Niwasi Bhagwaan Ji", as "Hari Har Baba", as "Sadhgurudev Ji" and as "Second Guru". Born in village Teri in Kohat district, India, the young Beli Ram Ji was initiated into the sanyasas in the early 1900s in Teri by Shri Paramhans Swami Advaitanand Ji, who named him Shri Swami Swarupanand Ji. During Swami Advaitanand ji's life, Swami Swarupanand ji created an order of sanyasis in northern India and founded several centers with the purpose of disseminating his master's teachings.
Yogiji Maharaj, born Jina Vasani, was a Hindu monk and the fourth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan in the denomination of Swaminarayan Hinduism According to the metaphysics of BAPS, Yogiji Maharaj is considered to be the next iteration of Akshar after Shastriji Maharaj in the Guru Parampara, an unbroken line of "perfect devotees" who provide "authentication of office through Gunatitanand Swami and back to Swaminarayan himself." Together with Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who acted as the administrative head of BAPS, he was instrumental in nurturing the growth of BAPS "through new programs, expansion into new areas, and the construction of temples". As guru, he consecrated over 60 temples and visited over 4000 towns and villages. He was particularly effective in attracting the devotion of youths and initiated a large number of them as ascetics. Furthermore, his multiple tours to Britain and East Africa were integral in the overseas expansion of BAPS. He died on 23 January 1971 after appointing Pramukh Swami Maharaj as his successor.
Gurinder Singh, also known as Baba Ji to his followers, is the current spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB). He succeeded Maharaj Charan Singh Ji, his uncle, as spiritual head, or guru, of RSSB in 1990. The headquarters of the society, called Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, are located beside the river Beas near the town of Beas, Punjab, in northern India, and have been a center for satsang since 1891. RSSB has centers located worldwide.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is the head of the international non-profit organization Science of Spirituality (SOS), known in India as the Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission. To his disciples he is known as Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj. SOS has hundreds of thousands of members worldwide. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is internationally recognized for his work toward promoting inner and outer peace through spirituality and meditation on the inner Light and Sound.
Jagat Singh (1884-1951), called Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh, was a college chemistry professor, a disciple of Hazur Maharaj Sawan Singh, and finally the third Master of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Remembered as quiet, inconspicuous, and unassuming, he was called "the perfect disciple."
Adhyatma Niketan is an ashram in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated on Koteshwar Road, Near Vinay Nagar sector-1, is around 7 km from the Gwalior Railway station.
Baba Devi Sahab (1841–1919) was one of the leaders of the Sant Mat religious movement, popularizing it throughout North India and Pakistan.
Shri Paramhans Swami Advaitanand Ji Maharaj, also known as Shri Paramhans Dayal Ji(born Shri Ram Yaad), son of Shri Tulsi Das Ji Pathak, was born in Chapra, Bihar, India. Shri Paramhans Dayal Ji is also known as the "First Spiritual Master" of the Shri Paramhans Advait Mat and Brahma Vidyalay and Ashram lineage or Parampara. He initiated the "Second Master", Shri Swami Swarupanand Ji Maharaj in the early 1900s.
Mastana Balochistani was an Indian saint and the founder of the socio-spiritual organization Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) on 29 April 1948 in Sirsa. He was originally from Balochistan, and later moved to Sirsa.
This is a list of gurus who gave teachings about the Path of Sound.
Dr Chaturbhuj Sahay ; known as Guru Maharaj, 3 November 1883 – 24 September 1957, was an Indian mystic and capable master. Due to the spiritual atmosphere at home the love of God was sown within him in early childhood, and his heart was colored with a slight color of detachment. From a young age he used to meet Saints and Yogiraj or learned ascetics (Sanyasi), and was influenced by several religious traditions.
RadhaSoami Satsang Sabha is the Chief Working Committee Of Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh. The teachings of Radhasoami Faith are based on the spiritual teachings of Shiv Dayal Singh Ji
and dedicated to a process of inner development under the guidance of a spiritual teacher. The Present Guru Maharaj Of Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh is Revered Prof Prem Saran Satsangi Sahab who is a retired academic Dean Of IIT Delhi and a System Scientist and Physicist.
