SPIRITUAL
PHENOMENOLOGY IN RADHASOAMI FAITH
TOWARDS INTEGRATING EASTERN ARTS AND PHILOSOPHY OF
CONSCIOUSNESS AND WESTERN PERSPECTIVES OF SCIENCE
(Rhythms of Macrocosmic Universe and Human Microcosm :
Consciousness Systemology Perspective)
Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi
Leader of Radhasoami Faith, Dayalbagh
Chairman, Advisory Committee on Education
Dayalbagh Educational Institutions, Dayalbagh, Agra, INDIA
Excerpted
from book entitled Consciousness : Integrating Eastern and Western Perspectives,
Satsangi and Hameroff (Eds.) New Age Books, Delhi, ISBN: 978-81-7822-493-0,
October 2016, Chapter 1, pp. 3-43.
First-Person Inner Experience Of Spiritual
Phenomenology Through "Surat-Shabda-Yoga" (i.e. Meditational Practice
of Uniting Spirit Current with Sound Current)
We have oath of
secrecy in our faith (Radhasoami Faith) prohibiting members of the Faith from
sharing inner experiences, but the Mentor or Adept is exempt from this oath and
meditationists may confide in him as they do in other religions (e.g.
confession). Accordingly, the identity of meditationists has been masked by the
Mentor / Adept
under an assigned Code Name before disclosing the first-person inner experience
of spiritual phenomenology for scientific research investigations. As a Mentor or Adept, I have
exercised the privilege of sharing inner experiences under the assigned code
name without disclosing the individual personal identity.
Furthermore, as
an Adept or Preceptor myself, I have the privilege to document my own
experiences for the benefit of the scientific as well as spiritual community.
Accordingly, first of all, I give my own experience of spiritual phenomenology.
Though I bear code name O, but as a special privilege as an Adept, I declare
that it is my phenomenology.
Code Name O : Spiritual Phenomenology
1. I have been frequently experiencing a Massive Flow
of Spiritual Current from Apex of the head outward and downward resulting in
perceptible shaking of body especially legs, particularly while standing, right
since the day of my acclamation (on May 18, 2003) by Radhasoami Satsang,
Dayalbagh as the VIII Sant Satguru of Radhasoami Satsang, Dayalbagh (the first
ever instance taking place when I rose from my seat to acknowledge my
acclamation publicly (in a gathering of approximately 25,000 in size). This has
been continuing right to the present time.
2. Illuminated appearance of the refulgent form of
Param Guru Huzur Dr. M.B. Lal Sahab (the preceding seventh Sant Satguru) in a
brightly resplendent photo-frame, as it were.
3. Internally experiencing the reverberations of the
Original Mystic Word Radha-soami rhythmically while meditating.
4. Internally experiencing progressively ascending
succession of union of my spirit current with the sound current over a period
of time during “induced” meditation practices ranging from “Bell and Conch”
sound through percussion instrumental sounds through-stringed instrumental
sounds to wind-instrumental sounds of flute and lute and further unidentified
superbly spiritually melodious orchestra of regions beyond Sat Lok right
through to the indescribable Region of Original Abode of Radhasoami accompanied
by the Ultimate Realization of Param Sat Chit Premananand Prakash Shabda
(Mystic Name) Anahad Nad in the Apex Region in a state of rapture together with
experiencing its manifestation as reverberation of Radhasoami as the Original
Mystic Name.
Now this is
something which I have not found documented even by my predecessors in
Radhasoami Faith. However, I have experienced it and experienced it progressively
from day one (May 18, 2003) right since being publicly acclaimed as the Adept
of Radhasoami Satsang, Dayalbagh, on succeeding the last Adept about a decade
back. I vividly recall that it was when I rose to acknowledge the Acclamation
as Adept by way of consensus, that I experienced the surge of massive flow of
inner consciousness current which flooded me with spiritual intuition, as it
were. Accordingly, I was not at all at a loss to say what I needed to. This is
the kind of support that an Adept gets. This is what is meant by having the
“hotline of communication” with an elevated level of consciousness. In other
words, the Adept is always in communion with that elevated level of
consciousness and whenever he needs support, he gets consciousness of that
level immediately to answer any questions spontaneously. In fact, I might have
no clue to what is being asked of me, but when the question is posed, I should
be able to answer it from the repository of knowledge or consciousness
available with the level from which my presiding deity comes. So that is the
belief system in spiritual phenomenology. Similarly, it is common place that
the first initiates do get the refulgent picture of their Mentor or Adept at the seat of the spirit or
higher centres of consciousness to which they have gained access, when they
perform meditation. This word Radhasoami, i.e. the original mystic word,
resounds internally and that would take me through all the higher stages that I
have mentioned in the sound clip (Table 1) brought to you as a simulation. I
have undergone requisite inner experience and I can verify those stages.
However, once I cross the intermediate stages and reach the highest stage, I
may directly reach that stage and may not have to pass through the intermediate
stages necessarily explicitly. Thus, it takes only a moment, as it were, to
make the internal communication line hot with my source of consciousness. It
does not take long. So all these successive sounds one goes through if one had
not heard them earlier for a sustained period of time. Once one is endowed with
this status of wearing the mantle of the successor adept, then one must have
that elevated level of consciousness. In a way, that elevated consciousness is
given to you, rather than being earned by you. This encapsulates some of my
unique inner spiritual experiences as an Adept or Preceptor of Radhasoami
Faith.
Code Name'V' :
Excerpts of Spiritual Phenomenology
Excerpts in the
form of English translation from first person spiritual phenomenology of Code
Name V (originally expounded in Hindi) are given herewith :
“I hear “Shabda”
(i.e. Spiritual Sound), viz., mystic word Radhasoami and unstruck celestial
sound during my meditational practice. While Radhasoami name resounds
internally, I am not able to identify the accompanying musical instrument which
plays clearly”.
“I see briefly
“photo-frame” of Adept during meditation practice occasionally.”
“Once I heard
drum-beats while going to bed. I hear sound of thunder quite frequently
internally.”
“Once in Satsang
Hall at Dayalbagh during the regime of the last adept, I was dazzled by the
refulgence radiating from his forehead.”
“On Nov. 6, 2012
at IGCAR, Kalpakkam, while I felt enhanced concentration, I did not hear any
mystic word or celestial sound internally during my individual meditation
session.”
Code Name 'B' : Excerpts
of Spiritual Phenomenology
"A day
before acclamation on 17th May 2003 around 3.30 am, I was in my bed and was
half asleep when I saw the Astral Form of Gracious Huzur Satsangi Sahab looking
at me. I closed my eyes twice or thrice but the Swarup (Form) did not
disappear."
"I have
experienced that on special occasions like Arti, Bhandara, Basant and Holi, the
Spiritual Current flows with a force during morning Satsang. At those times, "I
am dazzled by the refulgence and brilliance emanating from the eyes and
foreheard of Gracious Huzur."
"At
Kalpakkam, during individual meditation session of fifteen minutes, I could
concentrate better and felt peace and calm. During Dhyan, I could also
intermittently see Gracious Huzur’s Swarup (Form). In the group meditation
session also, I felt peace and happiness."
With larger
samples of subject Code names, tentative hypotheses may be drawn, tested
thoroughly and then asserted.
Additional
References :
Readers
of the blog are welcome to post their own experiences.
