Living Cosmos

From SFS (SPiritual Freedom Satsang):

Introduction to
Shabda Meditation

by Michael Turner
(c) 1996, 2007

"In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God,
And the Word was God."
- John 1:11

"Spirit is the golden thread, so fine as to be invisible, yet so
strong as to be unbreakable, connecting all beings, in all planes, in
all universes, throughout all time - and beyond time - into eternity."
- Paul Twitchell2

Ever since the late 19th Century when British rule of India began
bringing eastern philosophy westward, and especially since the dawn
of the modern new age movement in the 1960's, people have been
interested in a wide variety of occult, metaphysical and spiritual
paths. All of these paths (or areas of interest) are like facets on
the diamond of God.

Those engaged in the spiritual quest must ask themselves one
essential question: "What is my goal?" Is it gaining knowledge about
various subjects, acquiring virtues, powers, health, and abundance?
Or is it spiritual freedom, attaining liberation from the endless
cycle of death and rebirth, and serving God?

Most philosophies, metaphysical systems and occult theories appeal to
the former perspective. There is a vast amount, and variety, of
information to be acquired and knowledge gained. It is rather like
going to a university with a thousand elective courses, each as
attractive as the next. We could spend a lifetime studying, and
still not be satiated. This semester that we call "life" would be
over, and we would want to enroll for another - just one more class,
just one more experience. And so it goes, around, and around, and
around.

This desire for experience, for knowledge, for metaphysical prowess -
in fact, just plain desire, period - is the underlying root cause of
karma and reincarnation. We will explore this in depth at another
time. Let us suffice to say for now that if we desire to learn about
such psychic arts as astrology, Theosophy, crystal work, aura
balancing, healings, psychedelic neurologic, ascended masters,
manipulating various cosmic rays, channeling, tarot, palmistry,
etc., there is plenty of information available. And we will have all
the time in the world to learn it.

However, if we wish to attain spiritual freedom, and be released from
the wheel of karma and reincarnation, that is another thing
altogether. The quest for spiritual freedom is really a quest for
soul-knowledge and God-realization, a quest to know ourselves in our
ultimate, core spiritual essence, and to directly experience God of
Itself. This may seem like a tall order; but every major spiritual
teacher has taught that soul-realization and God-realization are the
only goals worth pursuing. Paul Twitchell stated this very clearly
when he wrote:

"It is a spiritual law that we must first seek the Kingdom of God,
which is God-realization. There is little need to seek His
attributes, like love, wisdom and understanding, for they are
secondary causes and will be attained provided we have first the
enlightenment of Divine Reality . . . It was during His great Sermon
on the Mount that (Christ) urged all, ıSeek first the Kingdom of
Heaven and all else will be added unto you!ƒ° Thereafter, He
reemphasized the spiritual law of God-realization as the primary goal
of one's life in practically every public speech."3

This postulate, of itself, raises three basic questions: What is the
true nature of the Self? What is God? And how do I attain their
respective states of realization?

I. The Nature of The Self

Simply put, our true identity is Soul (also known as Surat, Jiva,
Atma or Tuza) ƒ² an eternal spark of Divine Love in the Body of God.
As the 15th Century mystic poet Kabir put so succinctly:

"O Kabir, the soul is a particle of the Lord."4

Kirpal Singh, a 20th Century Satguru, reiterated:

"...Soul is a conscious entity, a drop of the Ocean of All
consciousness, and in its miniature capacity carries all the divine
attributes of Godhood. Since it is environed by mind and matter, it
has lost its heritage and forgotten its origin, the True Home of the
Father. The Masters come to our help, to awaken us from this long
slumber of ignorance. All the past Masters including Christ have
been stressing the importance of this inner development of soul."5

Soul is a timeless unit of pure awareness. It is not the mental
body, or the causal body, the emotional body or the physical body.
These are all protective sheaths it wears in order to function and
communicate within the harsher vibration levels of duality, psychic
energy, space, time and matter. They may be compared to a car used
for locomotion, or a deep sea diving suit used to protect the
physical body from the pressures of oceanic depths.

An important extension of this principle to understand is that, while
we are atoms in the body of God (or drops in the Ocean of All
Consciousness), we are also individuals who will continue to exist
throughout eternity. There is no point along the path to
enlightenment wherein we lose our individual consciousness and merge
back into the Universal Mind or Great Void of the Unconscious. We
are Souls. We are eternal. And we simply become points of attention
in the great wave of
Divine Love.

II. The Nature of God

The second question is, "What is God?" The Supreme One has been known
by as many names as there are languages. The closest I can come to
describing God is: an incomprehensibly vast vortex of pure,
conscious, golden Love.

It is neither an old man on a throne in the sky as seen by
traditional patriarchal religions, nor the maternal earth goddess
favored by wiccan, neo-pagan and some Hindi schools of thought.
These, and all other stated attributes, are mere reflections of the
One. Neither male nor female, Brahma nor Kali, Jehovah nor Gaia, God
nor Goddess, IT is beyond all duality. IT JUST IS!
One of the best descriptions of the indescribable - the Supreme One -
was written by Guru Nanak in the late 16th Century. In the prologue
to his classic Jap Ji, Nanak declared:

"There is one Reality, the Unmanifest-Manifested
Ever-Existent, He is Naam (Conscious Spirit)
The Creator; pervading all
Without fear, without enmity;
The Timeless, the Unborn and the Self-existent;
Complete within Itself.
Through the favor of His true Servant, the Guru,
He may be realized.
He was when there was nothing;
He was before all ages began;
He existeth now, O Nanak,
and shall exist forevermore." 6

While it is natural to be interested in the attributes/reflections of
God, they of themselves will not lead to God-realization. However,
God-realization with lead to the attainment of these attributes ,
and much, much more. In other words, such skills as telepathy,
prophecy, channeling and psychic healing will not bring about
enlightenment. However, enlightenment will bring about these
capabilities.

III. The Holy Spirit (Shabda)

Having addressed the questions of self and God (or creation and
Creator), you may ask yourself: "Well, how do I get there?" The
answer is simple: through conscious linkup with the creative essence
of God. This essence is known by such names as the Holy Spirit, Holy
Ghost, Name of God, Word of God, Ruach, Logos, Kalma, Kalam i Ilahi,
Shabda, Bani and Naam. It is a singular flow of pure, golden,
creative love energy, manifesting Itself as Light and Sound, and is
the source and foundation of all that exists.

We can learn from a living spiritual teacher how to harmonize our
awareness with the return flow of the Holy Spirit and allow It to
gently lift us up above body consciousness and into the pure positive
worlds of Soul-knowledge and God-realization. In doing so, we
achieve the goal of spiritual freedom ("Jivan Mukti"), are liberated
from the bondage of karma and reincarnation, and are free to be
creative, loving co-workers with God.

Writing about the Holy Spirit is a challenge for me. When I pick up
my pen to describe this wondrous God Force, all words and form drop
away as I am immersed in Its glory. The ringing radiance that flows
out of the heart of the Supreme One surpasses all. It is almost
beyond comprehension.

The simplest way I know how to put it is: GOD IS! Out of Its heart
flows an audible Stream of Life and Divine Love which can be heard as
Sound and seen as Light. From God, It flows out to the farthest
reaches of creation, creating and sustaining all of existence. The
great Shabda Meditation Master Sawan Singh expressed this exquisitely
when he wrote:

"The Shabd . . . is the quintessence of the Lord and . . . sustains
millions of universes and regions. It is the soul-current of
consciousness. It is the Celestial Melody. It is the life-current
which originates from the Lord and pervades everything. The Lord
creates and sustains the entire universe through this great Current
of Power. It gives life to the whole of creation and can take every
living being back to his Original Home or the Lord. The currents of
the Lord pervade everywhere, like radio waves . . . The Shabd is the
basis of all true religions, for religion means Ĩthat which connects
us with the Lord."7

Kirpal Singh reaffirmed this precept, stating:

"...This Naam or Sat-Naam is, then, the controlling power of the
universe. It is the great cementing force whereby various elements,
so very divergent in nature, are held together in the wonderful
mosaic of the many-coloured dome of the universe. It is the string
of life running through the entire creation, and, thus, the
connecting link between the Creator and His creation."8

And Charan Singh, Sawan Singh's grandson, described the Shabda
beautifully when he wrote:

"The Word combines both light and sound. The sound is meant to
determine the direction from "which it comes, and the light to enable
us to travel toward it. All religions embody these two symbols. In
the Hindu temples they use the bell or conch and the lights. In
churches, high above the roof, hangs a bell and candles are lit
inside. The Muslims put lights on their tombs, and their clergy call
from a minaret to awaken people to the remembrance of the Lord.
These symbols were meant to serve as reminders to us that both light
and sound are to be met within, and it is with their help that the
inner path is to be followed and the destination reached."9

From the outer reaches of creation, the Holy Spirit returns home to
God. We, as embodied souls, can experience God-realization and
spiritual freedom here and now with the aid of a living spiritual
teacher who can link us through initiation to this stream of Light
and Sound, enabling us to be lifted and carried back to our true home
in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. By learning how to let go to and
merge with this Life Stream of the Holy Spirit, we can experience the
Kingdom of Heaven while still alive in the physical body. This is
spiritual freedom, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.

What is wonderful about this process is that you can tangibly
experience It. As Darshan Singh put it, by using the human body as
our laboratory, we can employ meditation to see the inner spiritual
Light, hear the inner spiritual Sound, and rise above body
consciousness. This form of meditation is sometimes called
the "Science of Spirituality" or "Surat Shabd Yoga." I prefer to
simply call it "Shabda Meditation." Shabda Meditation offers us a
means by which we can confirm for ourselves the reality of this Light
& Sound Current (Shabda or Holy Spirit) and the existence of higher
levels of awareness, explore higher planes of existence and directly
experience God Itself.

As we practice this meditation, we focus our attention within to see
and hear various frequencies of spiritual Light and Sound. The Light
is seen, with the eyes closed, in the area between the eyebrows.
This point of focus is traditionally known as the "third eye"
or "single eye," as noted in the Holy Bible, "If thine eye be single,
thy whole body will be full of Light." The Sound Current is heard
with the inner, spiritual ear. These colors and sounds correspond to
various frequencies of consciousness. Just as sunlight has different
colors when filtered through different layers of atmosphere (rainbows
and sunsets are two good examples), so too does the pure Voice of God
have different colors and sounds when filtered through the emotional,
causal, mental and etheric states of consciousness.

There are five or more distinct sounds, each coinciding with and
activating a particular frequency of consciousness. These are known
in the east as the five Holy Names or five Shabds. Students of this
path are taught these names at the time of initiation as a means of
contacting and transcending their respective states of consciousness.

One of the names already well known in the West is "Om," which is the
creative sound of the Causal Plane. Many people consider Om to be
the true Word of God. However, it is simply an offshoot, an
attribute of the Master Power of the Holy Spirit. It, and the Causal
Plane from which it emanates, is still a product of the worlds of
duality. Because the beauty of this realm is vastly more radiant
than earth, because time is far more expanded and the wisdom greater,
most yogis and mystics who have achieved this state (commonly called ı
cosmic consciousnessƒ°) believe they have reached the ultimate heaven -
and this is what they teach.

But this perspective turns out to be an illusion, another veil of
Maya. One is still subject to time, space, karma and reincarnation.
Only through the Master Power arising from the nameless ("Anami"
region of Divine Love can this be transcended.

Spiritual teachers have expressed this in a variety of ways. Charan
Singh stated:

"What do the saints teach? They tell us to withdraw our body-
consciousness to the eye focus and there contact the ever-resounding
music of the Word or Logos. This is the Word that can neither be
written nor read nor spoken. It is the Word that can be heard
without the ears, seen without the eyes, touched without the hands
and reached without the feet. It is God's own voice which is
ceaselessly calling us back home. It emanates from the house of the
Lord and its harmonies resound in all human beings behind the eyes.
When we attach our attention to it, we travel inward and upwards and
reach its source."10

And Paul Twitchell also noted:

"To be one with Spirit means you are within Spirit, have knowledge of
It, and are able to be possessed by It. This Spirit is what Kirpal
Singh calls the Master Power. You never accept this Spirit, or
power, but It accepts you. Once you have received It, then you are
able to understand that It has taken you over. You are then
omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient - all present, all powerful and
all knowing. Not that you are, but that Spirit is working through
the instrument of the flesh!"11

This is what sets Shabda Meditation "union with the Holy Spirit"
apart from other systems of yoga, meditation and metaphysics. To
rise above the subtle snares of duality and seductive traps of
illusion or Maya, we must know how to focus the attention inward and
tap into the pure singular essence of the Holy Spirit as It flows
from the true God worlds.

This is one reason for having a living, God-realized teacher. Unless
the teacher is both a living human being, and has explored the
higher reaches of pure Spirit, he or she cannot truly guide us
there. While it is possible, as Paul Twitchell once wrote, to
explore the inner regions without the benefits of a living guide, a
living, God-realized Satguru certainly helps to streamline the
process. The role of the living spiritual teacher was well expressed
by Kirpal Singh:

"At the time of Initiation, the Master imparts His own life impulse.
When we remember Him, He remembers us, with all His heart and soul.
He is not the body. He is the Word made flesh. To get the full
benefit of the Master Power, the disciple must develop receptivity."12

While much of the ancient science of spirituality must be learned at
the feet of a living awakened soul, some things can be told to the
casual reader. First and foremost, just as there are spiritually-
charged words through which we can tap into the psychic realms
(e.g., "Om"), there are also words which harmonize us with the pure,
positive spiritual vibration.

Among these is the word "Hu," a name of God which has been practiced
by God-realized mystics and sages since time immemorial. Many Sufis
consider It the Holiest of the Holies, the most sacred Name of the
Lord. Long a closely held secret, handed down by word of mouth from
guru to student, It was brought out into the open in the west in the
20th century by such luminaries as Hazrat Inayat Khan, Julian
Johnson and Paul Twitchell.

Little can be said or written of Hu. It must be experienced by the
individual. As Harold Klemp put it, one must "Be the Hu."
Pronounced either "hooo" or "hue," It is best practiced in a quiet
place, where you won't be disturbed, for a half-hour or so. Sit
upright, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and then sing It
in one drawn-out sound. Do this a few times, and then sit and pay
attention to what you see and hear. Then do it again, mentally, with
the tongue of thought. Gradually, you will begin to feel your heart
open up and golden, Divine Love pour through, lifting you up into
ItSelf. Hu is both God's gift to Soul, and Soul's love song back to
God.
When you do this spiritual exercise consistently - for at least a
half-hour every day, preferably at the same time each day - you will
begin to see spiritual Light and hear spiritual Sound. The Light may
take the form of a starry sky, which then gathers into blue, golden
or white light - like a sun or moon - on the inner screen. The Sound
may appear in a variety of forms, such as the ocean, a conch shell,
drums, a ringing bell, crickets, bees, violins, a flute, bagpipes,
harp, and a spectrum of other sounds.

Sing Hu with an open, loving heart - be still - and pay attention to
any light you see, or sound you hear from the middle or right hand
side. What you will hear and see, in whatever form It takes, is the
ringing radiance of the Holy Spirit lifting you above physical,
emotional and mental consciousness, the Voice of God calling you back
to your True Eternal Home.

Thank you . . . with Love,

Michael

***************************************

"Listen to the absorbing tune of the flute,
And understand the tale it is relating.
In reality it is telling the story of separation,
The separation of the soul from God."
- Rumi

"If union with God be obtained by going about naked,
All the beasts of the forest shall be saved!
What does it matter whether man goes naked
Or wears a deerskin,
If he does not recognize God in his heart?
If perfection be obtained by shaving the head,
Why should not sheep obtain salvation?
If the continent man is saved,
Why should not a eunuch obtain the supreme reward?
Says Kabir, ıHear, O my brothers and sisters.
Who has obtained salvation without the Lord's Name?"
- Kabir

"Those who have communed with the Word,
Their toils shall end,
And their faces shall flame with glory.
Not only shall they have salvation,
O Nanak, but many more
Shall find freedom through them"
- Guru Nanak

"The flute is giving its melodious note. One can hear it by
contemplating the form of a Sant. Guru enables me to hear this
flute. I am pierced with arrows of love. I quit the physical and
astral regions, rush to the shelter of the True Lord and hear a
unique melody there. I bend the bow and shoot the arrow of Surat. I
hear Shabd and meet Hansas. This flute belongs to the family of Sat
Naam. I sip Nectar in the Undecaying Region."
- Shiv Dayal Singh

************************************************

FOOTNOTES

1. Holy Bible (King James ed.)

2. Paul Twitchell: quoted in Ancient Teachings of the Masters
video, by Darwin Gross. Rick Spalla Video Prod., Hollywood, CA. 1993

3. Paul Twitchell, from In My Soul I Am Free, by Brad Steiger.
Illuminated Way Press. San Diego, California. Pg. 163.

4. Kabir: Gond 871-10.

5. Kirpal Singh: The Way of The Saints. Sant Bani Ashram.
Sanbornton, New Hampshire. 1976. Pg. 329

6. Kirpal Singh: Jap Ji: The Message of Guru Nanak. Pg. 87.

7. Sawan Singh: Philosophy of the Masters (Gurmat Siddhant).
Series IV - The Lord and His Name. Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Punjab,
India. 1981 ed. Pg. 121.

8. Kirpal Singh: SPIRITUALITY: What It Is. Ruhani Satsang, Sawan
Ashram, Delhi 7, India. 1965. Pgs. 100-101.

9. Charan Singh: Spiritual Discourses. Radhasoami Satsang Beas,
Punjab, India. 1977 ed. Pgs. 29 30.

10. ibid. Pg. 24

11. Paul Twitchell: from a letter to Gail Atkinson, December 20,
1964

12. Kirpal Singh. The Way of the Saints. Pg. 376

**********************************************

About Michael Turner

Michael Turner was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1958, and raised in
California. An avid inner spiritual explorer from his earliest days
in Sunday school, he unfolded under the influence of Jesus, Ram Dass,
Paul Twitchell, Darwin Gross, Harold Klemp, Rumi, Shiv Dayal Singh
and Sant Kirpal Singh, among others, with his primary focus being
Shabda Meditation.

After two decades of study, Michael Turner began teaching Shabda
Meditation in 1993. Since then, he has given weekly public Satsangs,
written a monthly spiritual freedom discourses which have been
published in hard copy, as well as online via the Usenet Newsgroup
alt.meditation.shabda and through http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFS

Michael Turner offers an ongoing, open-ended approach to spirituality
designed to facilitate inner exploration and personal spiritual
evolution. Using the laboratory of our human body, we can experiment
with Shabda Meditation and, over time, personally experience self-
realization, God-realization and spiritual freedom. Michael honors
all Shabda Satgurus, living and past, and offers Shabda Meditation
instruction and initiation free of charge. Michael¡¦s goal is to
communicate a new covenant between God and humanity, and offer
initiation and instruction in Shabda Meditation to all who are
sincerely interested, and be a friend to those who wish to blossom
into spiritual freedom in this lifetime.