Reality of Sahaj Marg

The Sahaj Marg way neither promises marvels nor suggests images that can stir the seeker’s dreams. On the contrary, Sahaj Marg places the seeker face-to-face with a reality: the need to advance with the help of a simple but decisively effective practice. Why would a human being not move towards the discovery of his or her own being? This subtlety of the being is ignored by science, as it is still so far from the material realm; they stand a world apart. 

- Babuji Maharaj

Babuji Maharaj talks about the “Obstacles” of a Negative Material Plane. A seeker on the path of reality has to overcome these and many more obstacles, each step leading to the goal. What has Sahaj Marg, Shri Ram Chandra Mission (www.srcm.org) to offer in this journey of the seeker. Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga meditation practice, the Heartfulness approach, offers the human beings of the 21st century, a simple system of routine and practice that regulates the mind and moderates the tendencies of the human being.

There are no apparent miracles in Sahaj Marg. The Masters of Sahaj Marg, Chariji Maharaj and Shri Kamlesh D. Patel have always emphasised on the simplicity of the approach towards self perfection. How a simple practice of meditation like Sahaj Marg, when coupled with the power of Transmission from the Master, helps in real transformation. This transformation, when it happens, is the real miracle of Sahaj Marg. Such a human transformation has to be worked for, cannot be just dreamt about. It is hard reality and hard work, not just some magic wave of the hand and lo and behold, something new has come out. It is long and drawn out persistent effort, with sincerity and joy driving the efforts and love at the base of everything. That is the reality of Sahaj Marg.

In Search of Realisation

“The practice of Sahaj Marg allows a significant advancement; a true spiritual journey is a real boon for a fervent soul in search of realisation. It cannot be achieved easily and requires genuine commitment on the part of the abhyasi, but you can be sure the result is worth it. A life is not given in vain; it is an element, both tiny and imposing, of this immense creation that is so amazing at all levels. The benefits obtained by practising Sahaj Marg are not yet recognised for their abundant effects. Substantial changes yet to come will further highlight these effects by promoting the evolutionary cycle of life in the world. Everything is so slow 
at the worldly level. The action of Sahaj Marg is geared towards refining the sensitivity of beings incarnated in an Earthly journey that fosters each one’s evolution. None of this is easy to understand, but these matters must be mentioned in order to prepare and further open up the path to knowledge that will become more accessible to all.” 

- Babuji Maharaj

Some of the points raised in this above divine text from Babuji Maharaj, the founder of Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga Spiritual Practice are key to observe and understand. The advancement needed to achieve the realisation being talked about here is not obtainable easily. It requires true commitment as Babuji says above, but at the same time, the results produced by the efforts that an abhyasi puts in, is obviously worth it. Unfortunately neither the abhyasi knows nor the world understands or recognises the contributions that Sahaj Marg is making towards these evolutionary changes that are happening. But as Master Chariji and Shri Kamlesh D Patel puts it, these changes are happening at the inner-most core of the hearts of abhyasis and not visible to all. This silent work that happens in anonymity is the signature work of Sahaj Marg and its Masters, Preceptors and Abhyasis. Let us all benefit by this inner work, derive our essence of life itself from the Transmission (Pranahuti) that we receive from our Master, Shri. Kamlesh Patel and the hierarchy of Masters, and most importantly, participate in this divine movement to the best of our possibilities.

What is Sahaj Marg

"Behind the drop the sea extends, the sea supports the drop.
To make the drop realize the ocean is all the Reality." 
― Shri Ram Chandraji of Fatehgarh

Sahaj Marg is a simple and natural method of spiritual training that enables the practitioner to efficiently reach profound depths of meditation and achieve a total spiritual transformation. The practice evolved in the early 20th century in North India, and its philosophy is influenced by the rich and deep eastern spiritual traditions of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga, the Vedas and Sufi mysticism. Sahaj Marg translates to ‘Natural Path,’ as it was designed to allow the practitioner to live a natural life without the need for renunciation of the world and family. The ultimate goal of the practice is the merging of our individual consciousness with the divine consciousness. Although the method is simple, the practice allows the seeker to attain this pinnacle of spiritual achievements while maintaining a balanced material life. The Sahaj Marg philosophy states that family life is an ideal training ground for developing love and tolerance. From its origins in India, the method has spread throughout the world and is available free of charge to people from all walks of life; the only requirement is a willingness to participate with an attitude of openness and wonder.

The key elements of the practice include a morning heartfulness meditation that focuses on the divine light in our heart, an evening cleaning that allows a ‘letting go’ of the daily complexities, and a bedtime prayer that refocuses our attention on the divine before we drift off into sleep. The practitioner is also encouraged to maintain a journal of their spiritual journey and to attempt to remain in remembrance of the divine presence within their heart throughout the day. Preceptors (meditation trainers) are available for individual and group weekly meditation sessions. The unique aspect of the practice is a phenomenon known as pranahuti, or yogic transmission. Pranahuti is the utilization of divine energy for the transformation of the human being. As sound and energy can be transmitted, spiritual essence can also be transmitted. Through pranahuti (prana, or life force, and ahuti, or offering) this spiritual essence is offered to the seeker. This transmission may not be felt by everyone in the initial meditation, but most seekers feel the effects of transmission within 3 months of sincere practice.

The phenomenon of transmission is an ancient yogic discovery that had been passed down for centuries through various spiritual traditions but eventually passed into oblivion. In the late 1800’s, Shri Ram Chandraji of Fatehgarh (Lalaji), a precocious spiritual genius who studied and researched extensively on creating effective spiritual training, rediscovered this ancient art, and his research laid the foundation for the Sahaj Marg practice. But given the limitations in transportation and communication in that time period, this method was restricted to a small geographic area surrounding his home town of Fatehgarh. One of Lalaji’s most capable disciples was Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjanhanpur (Babuji), who dedicated his life to spreading the teaching of his Guru. In 1945, Babuji, in honor of his Guru, established the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM), a non-profit organization created for the purpose of offering the Sahaj Marg method of spiritual training free of charge to interested individuals from all walks of life. Babuji established a network of meditation trainers (preceptors) who were given the capacity to impart spiritual training through pranahuti. In 1983, Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari (Chariji) was appointed the spiritual successor of SRCM by Babuji. Chariji prodigiously spread the SRCM infrastructure throughout the world by building ashrams, traveling extensively to assist practitioners in their journey, and developing a larger base of preceptors so that seekers throughout the world would have access to Sahaj Marg. Chariji appointed Kamlesh D. Patel to be his spiritual successor, and since December 2014 Kamleshji has been carrying on the work as the Spiritual Representative and President of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission. Kamleshji has started a Heartfulness meditation initiative, which makes the Sahaj Marg method of spiritual training more open, accessible, and available to all spiritual seekers.

Practitioners of Sahaj Marg also note several other practical appealing elements of the practice. Sahaj Marg allows this complete spiritual transformation to occur while living a balanced material life. It does not ask for any austerities or renunciation. Seekers do not have to shave their head, wear a robe, practice celibacy, renounce material possessions, or live a monastic life. Practitioners come from all strata of society; they are mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. They work and maintain a family life while still actively pursuing a spiritual goal. The spiritual journey complements their material life rather than becoming a hindrance to material progress. Practitioners often claim that they notice that both their material and spiritual lives are blossoming.

Another appealing aspect of the practice is the absence of dogma; for example, there are no obstinate rules on the type of diet or lifestyle one should adopt. Instead of having a laundry list of do not’s (do not do this, do not do that), Sahaj Marg gently encourages several do’s (do meditation, do think of divinity, do journal about your spiritual progress). With this fundamental shift in approach, Sahaj Marg creates a culture of love and tolerance rather than that of guilt and fear. This culture fosters an atmosphere of acceptance where practitioners can cultivate change at their own pace. As seekers deepen their practice, they note negative habits and tendencies that are unsupportive of spiritual growth naturally fall away. Also, a recurring theme among seasoned practitioners is the profound positive changes in character, temperament, and confidence that they experience; changes which occur in a natural and organic manner without any external pressures. These changes resonate with the deeper changes that occur in the inner canvas of the seeker as various spiritual energy centers are awakened.

In the history of spiritual and faith traditions, Sahaj Marg is relatively new. Its founders felt that there should be a natural way towards divine consciousness. They wanted to create a system devoid of superfluous rituals and unyielding dogmas. Sahaj Marg offers a dynamic practice, offering encouragement and guidance for seekers to advance at their own pace. Preceptors are available throughout the world to assist new seekers on their journey. Practitioners are able to live a fulfilling, balanced life as they progress speedily in the material and spiritual aspects of life.
Sahaj Marg has removed the guilt and fear in the search for God and filled it with love, hope and wonder. In essence, Sahaj Marg put the spirit back into spirituality.

"All knowledge, all powers, everything is within. Your destiny is within, your future is within, the ultimate is within." - Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari 

Radheshyam Miryala MD
www.heartfulness.org

Sahaj Marg Clarifies: Yawning during or after meditation

Clarifications from a conversation between Chariji Maharaj and Sanskrit Kannan (SRCM Preceptor), narrated by Sanskrit Kannan.

I asked Rev. Chariji Maharaj once in 1985" is Prana and mind inter-related? " He asked me, " why are you asking me this?"I told Him that even Patañjali refers to this. The texts on HATHA YOGA are replete with such reference. " Chariji said, " You see, in deep meditation the breathing automatically slows down. So this is a natural Pranayama in our Sahaj Marg practice.  The deeper the sitting,  the slower is the flow of air. To compensate for this slowness in breath resulting in lack of oxygen, sometimes you can see some people yawn after a meditation session. You might have seen me yawning after some sittings.  That means the sitting was deep."

One more incident related to this topic is as follows:

In 1985,  when Rev. Chariji Maharaj was in Europe,  after a Sunday morning Satsangh one Prefect chided an abhyasi for yawning after the sitting and said that it was wrong and it reflected grossness. That abhyasi naturally was upset and hurt. I consoled him by repeating what Rev. Chariji Maharaj had told us.  He was happy, but the Prefect did not accept what I said. So, I sent a letter to Rev. Chariji Maharaj narrating this incident, asking for clarification. Chariji Maharaj replied," yawning, during or after meditation is not wrong. "

However, I may add in lighter vein that this is not applicable to those who sleep during the sitting. 

From Kamlesh Patel about "Incomplete Sahaj Marg Sittings"

This is a very nice, short and sweet snippet from the current Master of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (www.srcm.org), Shri Kamlesh D Patel about sittings. Sittings are meditation sessions in Sahaj Marg usually conducted by an SRCM Preceptor or the Master himself. The Preceptor or Prefect of Shri Ram Chandra mission conducts the meditation sessions called as Individual or Group sittings and the abhyasi(s) who are the practitioners of the Sahaj Marg meditation receives the sitting. Let us hear from the Master, Shri Kamlesh Patel.

“Sometimes I play tricks. I do not complete a sitting. Instead I pray during the sitting that, ‘If the abhyasi sits afterwards at home for meditation, he will get the benefit of the remainder of the sitting.’

“If he sits, he will be so mesmerised by how the sitting is so different today. It will boost his confidence level. Babuji used to remark sometimes ‘Ghar jaake dekhna,’ meaning ‘Observe when you go home.” You will see the beauty of my Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga meditation system: this is what he meant. Now I understood the trick! He had left the work incomplete in some fashion. It becomes complete when you make the effort and meditate at home. Then you will see the difference and you will be motivated to do more based on the experience. But those who miss out will miss out completely. Today morning’s sitting was like that.”

- Kamlesh Patel, SRCM President, Informal discussion

Sahaj Marg says – From Source to Matter: Babuji Maharaj

Dr. Sanskrit Kannan narrates this very interesting and profound incident that he heard directly from Rev. Chariji Maharaj.

Once some scientists visited Rev. Babuji Maharaj in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. During the course of conversation, Babuji Maharaj told them about Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga meditation. They asked Him, "What is the use of all this?"

Babuji told them about the efficacy of Sahaj Marg. After listening to Babuji, the scientists asked what benefits he derived by meditation.

Babuji told them that he has realised what he had to, and by His Master's grace, he could know anything. Then, Babuji added, "If you want to test me, give me small experiment".

One of the scientist asked Babuji to explain about the atom. Rev. Babuji Maharaj took a paper and a pencil, drew the structure of atom and its particles and gave them a lecture for one and half hours.

The scientists were spell bound. Then, one scientist got up and said, "Babuji, you are a liar".

Babuji Maharaj asked him innocently, "Why are you saying this"?

The scientist said, "Babuji, you said that you had not gone to any college. But unless you had a Ph.d on this topic, you could not have explained like this."

Then Rev. Babuji Maharaj made this wonderful statement:

“SCIENTIST GOES FROM MATTER TO THE SOURCE WHEREAS THE YOGI GOES FROM SOURCE TO THE MATTER".

About Shri Kamlesh D Patel

Shri Kamlesh D Patel is the President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and the Spiritual Master of the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation. Shri Kamlesh Desaibhai Patel was born in Gujarat, India and his interest from a young age in spiritual matters led him to the practice of Sahaj Marg, while he was in college in India. He became a dedicated disciple of the spiritual teacher, Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, also known as Babuji Maharaj (1899-1983), the founding president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, and later of Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, also known as Chariji Maharaj (1927-2014), who succeeded Babuji Maharaj. Shri Kamlesh Patel’s successful career in pharmacy took him to New York City along with his family, where he became an entrepreneur. This exposed him further to people from many countries and backgrounds, and gave deeper insight into the struggles of modern-day living.

Over the decades, Kamlesh Patel has assisted his guide, Chariji, in the management of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, which offers the Heartfulness approach to the practice of Sahaj Marg in most countries of the world free of charge. After Chariji Maharaj’s passing on the 20^th of December 2014, Kamlesh succeeded him as the spiritual representative and president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, fulfilling Chariji’s directive. Kamlesh’s every effort is now devoted to providing Heartfulness to one and all, making it possible to experience yogic transmission, the unique feature of this Sahaj Marg meditation practice.

A Turning Point in Humanity Through Heartfulness Meditation

See this article in Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/purnima-ramakrishnan/a-collective-consciousnes_b_7938526.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in

Cleaning of the Mind in the Light of Sahaj Marg

Cleaning of the Mind in the Light of Sahaj Marg

Author: Kamala Ayengar
(Published in The New Times, a Seattle monthly, September 1994, Page 23)

Sahaj Marg (The Natural Path) is a simple, scientific system of meditation. It is modified Raja yoga. "Yoga" means "union with the Ultimate". "Raja" means "king," and the kingly thing in human beings is the mind. Therefore, the mind can be used as a tool to achieve this union once it is properly molded. My master, Shri P. Rajagopalachari of Madras, India, has revealed several truths about life, love, death, etc. In this article, I would like to try and outline some of his teachings so that it may help others to incorporate these teachings in their lives and enable them to change themselves and realize the true nature of the inner being.

According to my master, thought originates from the cosmic region. It is really difficult to pinpoint where exactly the mind resides in the body, even though the organ is closely associated with our understanding of the mind is the brain. Anyway, mind is the in-between process of information inside-out and outside-in. The mind functions at several different levels: the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, the unconscious mind, and the finest/subtlest conscious entity which may be termed the soul. It is this soul which is the root cause of our existence.

According to the philosophy of Sahaj Marg, one of the essential features of the soul at the beginning of creation was its purity and nearness to God. Therefore, it can be said that the characteristic of the soul is to be free and remain unwrapped. However, over eons of time, we have accumulated layers and coverings around the soul in various forms such as the psyche, consciousness, intellect and the ego. Later on, these coverings started becoming cruder and grosser. Spiritual evolution is nothing but a process of "unbecoming" what we are and "becoming" that which we ought to become, i.e., bring about a purity within our existence and achieve inner perfection.

One of the many characteristics of today's existence for most of us is that we identify ourselves mainly with the body and senses. We have either forgotten or do not want to think about the purpose of our existence and are too entangled with "I" and "my". We have become attached to everything around us that is non-essential and does not contribute to our inner growth.

How can we go beyond the dualities of existence and the so-called problems and difficulties of everyday existence? If we can somehow remind ourselves that the soul is beyond the normal senses of perception, it was pure at the time of creation and is thus an integral part of God, we would recognize that attaining the original purity within our self would lead to the realization of the god within. This would lead us to the understanding that essentially there can be no difference between "me" and "the divinity within me".

Therefore, we should adopt simple, easy means to look for the divinity which resides inside ourselves instead of wasting our time by looking for God on mountaintops and searching for him in temples and churches. All that we need to do is to turn our search inside and seek the help of a spiritual guide who, having traversed the spiritual path, can help us find the "self" within each one of us.

How do we find such a person-one who can lead us to God, towards spiritual evolution and realization? It has been said that a sincere cry from a craving heart can bring the master knocking at the aspirant's door. I can tell you from my personal experience that my master, Shri P. Rajagopalachari, is one such person. He once said, "The only difference between 'God within me' and 'me (us)', is the difference between the 'Self' and 'self'-the former is subtle while the latter is gross. Remove the grossness and the whole mystery is solved."

How do we remove this grossness? By using the cleaning technique of Sahaj Marg. The first step is to understand how grossness is being created so that it may be easily removed and then one must try and see that new impressions are not created because the deeper the impressions, the harder it is to remove them.

I was once at my dentist's office and during a conversation with his wife we spoke about the plastic that they were using to handle the instruments. I was concerned about it and asked her if they changed the covers with each new patient. "Yes," she said, "it is the law." She added, "Can you imagine how much garbage we accumulating? It will take five hundred years or more for the total degradation of today's disposal." That is a very long time to wait! Later, I was thinking about my master's statement that all the impressions and samskaras of which we have accumulated around the soul from all our past lives and this life may take many lives to get rid of.

It may be possible for a person who lives a very long life and is in very good physical condition and makes a continuous effort by putting one hundred percent attention on living a saintly life with truthful practice and honest cleaning, to reach the condition where the total uncovering of the soul has taken place. But, as my master says, "We don't have much time, We don't know how long we are going to live; perhaps we may not get up the next day." Therefore, it is logical and better to somehow know one's "Self" in this life so that one can live his/her life purposefully. This reinforces the need for seeking guidance and help of a spiritual teacher.

Coming back to the topic of impressions and how they are created, my master said, "It is our mind blended with our ego which is the main cause generating these layers around the soul." Therefore, spirituality says that every thought or action performed with the feeling of I-consciousness leaves a trail of subtle impressions in the heart. These impressions become the seed for further thoughts and actions, which again lead to the formation of further impressions. Repeated impressions of the same kind thus solidify into tendencies. These solidified tendencies are called samskaras. Therefore, our real aim should be to exhaust the old samskaras and see that we do not make any more new ones.

It can be said that in one way or another, whatever we are today is due to our past samskaras, and one has to go through the bhoga of these samskaras. When we have bluster with pus we have to undergo the throbbing pain, therefore, we can say that we are undergoing the bhoga of the pus. In the same way in our life, we undergo pain, suffering, pleasure, joy, and happiness due to a combination of our mental predispositions and the situations we are putting ourselves into or are creating for ourselves. This real life training can simply be seen as going through bhoga. This way we learn what to do and what not to do.

Coming again to the mind, the thought is the main instrument. By thinking we become what we are, so Raja Yoga is yoga of the mind, and the mind is the kingly thing in us. To keep the mind pure and balanced is one of the purposes and practices of Raja Yoga.

My master says that the first step in yoga is to purify the mind and remove those impressions of the past. That is the work of the master. The second step in yoga is what we have to do ourselves: meditation. The right type of meditation helps us in the unraveling of the impressions and allows us to make a conscious effort so that we do not form new ones.

Impressions may become the cause of suffering in the future, so the cleaning technique in Sahaj Marg is a very important one. By his help, the master cleans our past impressions. Meanwhile the aspirant has to put in his/her own effort by daily meditation, strongly reminding themselves that whatever they are doing, it is not he/she is who is doing but God within.

By thinking in such a manner, one can remain unattached from all types of action and thought. Thus in the Sahaj Marg system of spiritual training, by continuous practice and with the master's help, one can attain the balanced state of mind and maintain a pure heart and mind.

ARTICLE FROM OKANAGAN INTEGRATIVE HEALTH & WORKSHOPS

An Introduction to Sahaj Marg -- A Raja Yoga System of Meditation. A worldwide, non-profit organization that teaches the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation, free of charge, to all interested seekers of spirituality.Sahaj Marg has a presence in almost every country in the world, with a total of more than 1500 training centers.

Inspired by the principle that spiritual evolution to the Highest is the birthright of every human being, Sahaj Marg is a heart-centered meditation practice suited to modern-day life, and serves all of humanity — irrespective of one's race, religion, nationality, education, or social standing. This organization is not affiliated with any political or religious belief. The purpose of this organization is to provide a means whereby all interested persons seeking spirituality in the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga can come together in the name of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission.

The goal of Sahaj Marg practice is complete oneness with God, or the Ultimate. Two unique features set the method apart from all other meditative practices: evening cleaning, by which impressions and complexities are removed from the heart; and pranahuti, by which the master transmits divine energy from his heart to the heart of the aspirant. With the assistance of the master, trained prefects (instructors), and the aspirant's own dedicated practice, the promise of spiritual evolution in Sahaj Marg can quickly become a reality.

We invite you to explore our new and updated web pages and learn more about the history, philosophy, and practice of Sahaj Marg. Here you will find an effective spiritual practice that stays clear of fear, temptation, and dogma. Indeed, the only requirement to practice Sahaj Marg is the student's willingness.

We pray that you may find the spiritual path that is most suited to you and wish you total success in your pursuit of spiritual evolution to the highest.

There is no fee charged to practice Sahaj Marg meditation. However, it is necessary to contact a preceptor of the Mission to be introduced to the practice. Please refer to the addresses in the SRCM Worldwide section of this web page or complete the