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Sant MatIntroduction Sant Mat (or Path of the Masters) is an esoteric tradition established by Shiv Dayal Singh (181878). Sant Mat is based on the practice of Surat Shabd Yoga, the yoga of the Sound Current, or more simply shabd yoga, a technique taught and practiced originally in northern India. Sant Mat derives extensively from both Hindu and Sikh traditions, and incorporates the twin doctrines of karma and reincarnation as part of its teachings. Practitioners of shabd yoga position the path as not requiring the physical torture of penance and austerities that marked many of the yogas and spiritual paths of the time or throughout the ages. Geographical Reach Sant Mat while virtually unknown outside India prior to the 1960s, has since spread to parts of the West, prominently the United States and several Latin American countries. Practices While there are innumerable variations in the ideologies and principles adhered to by the many Sant Mat factions (see Politics below), there are definitely commonalities to be seen in many of the basic fundamentals. Perhaps the most central tenet is the need to be initiated by a living, human master or Satguru (true guru or master) who is competent in the practice and technique of listening to the inner sound, contemplating the inner light, and leaving the human body at will - a practice sometimes referred to as "dying while living". In other words, the principal intent of the Sant Mat path is to teach initiates to achieve progressively "higher" altered states of consciousness that enable them to travel into the spirit realms while being guided by the Satguru who is compulsorily an already accomplished practitioner. Teachers of the path contend that the wisdom thus attained, leads to enlightenment and perfection, either in this life or future ones. Specifics of this process include connecting ones soul or attention, called Surat (soul) with the inner Current of Light and Sound of God, the Shabd, through the union of meditation, Yoga. Ritual meditation, an essential component of the practice, involves sitting still with eyes closed, with one's attention focussed at the "eye center", located between and behind the two eyebrows, while (mentally) repeating one or more mantras given by the guru to the disciple at the time of initiation. Adept practitioners are considered to be able to journey into the inner realms: the astral, causal, and supra-causal regions until they finally merge their souls into God. Also important is the concept of Satsang, which serves as the formal meeting place of the master and his followers, and is a ritual gathering where the master imparts his spiritual teachings to his initiates. Not everyone automatically qualifies for initiation; many teachers require that prospective followers be spiritually ready. There does not seem to exist any definite set of criteria for judging whether or not a person is indeed ready. Initiates are largely dependent on the subjective choices of the initiator. Some teachers stipulate a few objective conditions such as giving up smoking, liquor and the use of drugs, eating only vegetarian food, avoiding sex outside marriage, etc. Origins David Lane notes that "..it appears that surat shabd yoga in one form or another was prevalent in the Upanishadic period of India." Indeed, a translation of the Nada-Bindu Upanishad by K. Narayanasvami Aiyar contains the following verses: - ..The Yogin being in the Siddhasana (posture) ...should always hear the internal sound through the right ear. The sound which he thus practises makes him deaf to all external sounds. ...In the beginning of his practice, he hears many loud sounds. They gradually increase in pitch and are heard more and more subtly. At first, the sounds are like those proceeding from the ocean, clouds, kettle-drum and cataracts; in the middle (stage) those proceeding from Mardala (a musical instrument), bell and horn. At the last stage, those proceeding from tinkling bells, flute, Vina (a musical instrument) and bees. Thus he hears many such sounds more and more subtle. When he comes to that stage when the sound of the great kettle-drum is being heard, he should try to distinguish only sounds more and more subtle. He may change his concentration from the gross sound to the subtle, or from the subtle to the gross, but he should not allow his mind to be diverted from them towards others. The mind having at first concentrated itself on any one sound fixes firmly to that and is absorbed in it. ...Being indifferent towards all objects, the Yogin having controlled his passions, should by continual practice concentrate his attention upon the sound which destroys the mind. Having abandoned all thoughts and being freed from all actions, he should always concentrate his attention on the sound and (then) his Chitta becomes absorbed in it..
These directions are largely similar to instructions passed on at the time of initiation to initiates from their masters in most, if not all, Sant Mat groups. For a more complete list of religious and spiritual traditions that are similar to Sant Mat, see Similar Movements below. Politics As is to be expected within any large spiritual movement, there are many factions and rival "perfect masters" within the Sant Mat tradition. For anyone seeking an understanding of the myriad Sant Mat splinter groups, the books and essays of Mark Juergensmeyer and David Lane offer an excellent starting point. Since, lineage is considered an important factor in determining the authenticity of any purported master, each group usually posits that its current leader is the true spiritual heir in the Sant Mat genealogy. There are even many incompatible views regarding the lineage of the Sant Mat founder, Shiv Dayal Singh. Some influential sub-traditions such as the Ruhani Satsang group set the start of the Sant Mat movement even earlier than Shiv Dayal's time, asserting the existence of an "unbroken" line of spiritual succession starting with the poet saint Kabir, on to Guru Nanak and the other nine masters of the Sikh religion, and ultimately to Shiv Dayal Singh. This assertion is, however, not accepted by most other groups within Sant Mat. In a similar vein, groups such as the Beas Satsang, the Tarn Taran Satsang, the Manavata Mandir Satsang and the Sarai Rohilla Satsang hold that Shiv Dayal Singh was but another "saint" in the tradition of Nanak and Kabir. In contradiction, the view of the Radhasoami group (primarily held by Rai Salig Ram, the most popular of Shiv Dayal's successors) holds that Shiv Dayal was unique in human history. As David Lane points out in his work, The Radhasoami Tradition, - "..guru succession is oftentimes a struggle over controlling theological doctrines, membership ranks, and property rights. Hence, gurus do not merely represent their own inner callings, but various material interests, ranging from the 'right interpretation' of Radhasoami teachings to the governance of sadhu and household members of outlying branches to ownership rights over inherited sacred property. With such larger 'worldly' issues at stake, it is little wonder that guru politics can turn into an ugly slugfest between sister-related communities. The decades long legal battle between Dayal Bagh and Soami Bagh over worship rights at Shiv Dayal Singh's samadh is perhaps the most graphic illustration of how social factors play a central part in succession contests."
and - "..what I have discovered after fifteen years of research in this area is the remarkable humanness of it all. Despite all the claims to the contrary - upper region attainment, transcendental all knowingness, God intended meaning--the common denominator in guru politics is the human factor.."
Similar Movements The Sant Mat path has been compared variously to spiritual traditions followed by the Pythagoreans, Hermeticists, the Sethians, Theraputae, Essenes (and other mystics within Judaism), the original Jewish Christians, the Gnostic religions, Manichaeans, some Catholic monasteries, monasteries of the Orthodox Church -- including the great mystery school atop Mount Athos in Greece, and the Sufi mystics of Islam who practice Zikar of the Spirit, Light, and Sound. Sant Mat also has notable similarities to the more contemporary Quan Yin method of meditation promoted thought the spiritual teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai. The somewhat controversial religious movement Eckankar is considered by many to be an offshoot of the Sant Mat tradition. Links * Nada-bindu Upanishad (Translated by K. Narayanasvami Aiyar)
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