Sant Mat, the “Path of the Saints,” reflects the core teachings of saints and mystics through the ages. People new to this path often say they are attracted by its simplicity, integrity, and effectiveness in fostering spiritual growth. Although Sant Mat was born centuries ago in India, it is in many ways ideal for the modern seeker. Followed under the guidance of a living spiritual Master, these teachings couple meditation on the inner Light and Sound with an inclusive, positive way of living.
At the heart of Sant Mat are these simple principles: There is one God of all creation, though people worship the Lord by different names and through different practices. While Sant Mat respects all faiths, it stresses that religion has two dimensions—outer and inner. Sant Mat focuses on the inner dimension—the deep spiritual essence known as mysticism. Mysticism looks beyond rites, rituals, and scriptural knowledge and pursues spirituality as a matter of personal inner experience.
Sant Mat expresses the deepest values of every great spiritual tradition—love for God, compassion for God’s creation, and a daily life grounded in ethical values. Sant Mat’s unique contribution is distilling these noble ideals into a simple, universal spiritual path and then providing the tools and techniques to make them a personal reality.
Sant Mat does not demand that we renounce our families or societies. Instead, we can pursue our spiritual goals while leading normal lives.
Mysticism means that we not only attain our own communion with God, but we desire to help others also attain that goal. We want to share the great blessing and bliss we receive with all humanity. That is why those who have realized God have returned to their communities and society so that they can help make those teachings available to others.
The great saints of modern times have shown us that it is possible to reach God and to still attend to one's responsibilities in the world. Their lives are examples of how we can attend to our worldly work and to our families, help our community, and still snatch away several hours a day for meditation. Even while attending to our daily obligations we are practicing mysticism when we show love and kindness to others. There are so many ways of spreading God's love to those around us. A kind word, a helping hand, a gentle touch can help brighten another's day. As we go about our daily lives we can take every available opportunity to put mysticism into practice so we can not only attain peace for ourselves but radiate it to the whole world.
The Need for a Living Master
A competent teacher speeds our progress. It's a common sense principle of life: studying with one who has mastered the subject we wish to learn accelerates our learning. That's why seekers throughout history have turned to spiritual Masters. By virtue of their own inner awakening, these Masters awaken others. As much as we revere Masters of the past, Sant Mat stresses the importance of a living guide.
Next week check out for "Do Not Wait------Meditate"
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual Master who teaches the oneness at the heart of all religions, emphasizing meditation on the inner Light and Sound of God as building blocks for achieving spiritual illumination. Social, civic, and religious leaders throughout the world have praised Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj for his deep wisdom and efforts in promoting inner and outer peace. Visit our website at www.sos.org
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