By any chance, does anyone here know of any Kabir poems
published by a Sufi source? I believe Kabir is considered
to be a Saint by the Sufis.

Regards,

James

[KABIR]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KABIR
[Sufi_Poetry]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sufi_Poetry

Poems of Kabir


Kabeer is the child of Allah. Says Kabeer, listen, O men and women:
seek the Sanctuary of the One. Chant the Name of the Lord, O
mortals, and you shall surely be carried across.


First, Allah created the Light; then, by His Creative Power, He made
all mortal beings. From the One Light, the entire universe welled up.


O mortal, why are you so proud of small things? With a few pounds of
grain and a few coins in your pocket, you are totally puffed up with
pride. With great pomp and ceremony, you control a hundred villages,
with an income of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The power you
exert will last for only a few days, like the green leaves of the
forest. No one has brought this wealth with him, and no one will
take it with him when he goes. Emperors, even greater than Raawan,
passed away in an instant.


Other than the Lord, who is the Help and Support of the mind? Love
and attachment to mother, father, sibling, child and spouse, is all
just an illusion. So build a raft to the world hereafter; what faith
do you place in wealth? What confidence do you place in this fragile
vessel; it breaks with the slightest stroke. You shall obtain the
rewards of all righteousness and goodness, if you desire to be the
dust of all. Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints: this mind is like the
bird, flying above the forest.


Says Kabeer, O mortal, your tasks will be accomplished, when you
merge in the Celestial Lord; let your doubts run away.


The clay is the same, but the Fashioner has fashioned it in various
ways. There is nothing wrong with the pot of clay - there is nothing
wrong with the Potter. The One True Lord abides in all; by His
making, everything is made. Whoever realizes the Will of His
Command, knows the One Lord. He alone is said to be the Lord's
servant.


O people, O Siblings of Destiny, do not wander deluded by doubt. The
Creation is in the Creator, and the Creator is in the Creation,
totally pervading and permeating all places.


The Lord's Saints are steady and stable forever; they worship and
adore Him, and chant the Lord's Name.


The Divine Light has dawned, and darkness has been dispelled.
Contemplating the Lord, I have obtained the Jewel of His Name. Pain
runs far away from that place where there is bliss. The jewel of the
mind is focused and attuned to the essence of reality. Whatever
happens is by the Pleasure of Your Will. Whoever understands this,
is intuitively merged in the Lord. Says Kabeer, the residues of my
sinful mistakes have been obliterated. My mind has merged into the
Lord, the Life of the World.


The Lord Allah is Unseen; He cannot be seen. The Master has
blessed me with this sweet molasses. Says Kabeer, my anxiety and
fear have been taken away; I see the Immaculate Lord pervading
everywhere.


I shall merge in the Lord like the water in the sea and the wave in
the stream. The soul will merge in God and like air I shall look
upon all alike. Then why shall I come again? The coming and going is
under the Will of the Lord and Realising This Will, I shall merge in
the Lord. (Selected from the Adi Granth)

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{"That Supreme Being has created everything from one drop,
out of which have emerged millions of fathomless oceans."
  -- Swami Ji Maharaj}

Classic Repost

The Yoga of Love -- Becoming a Lover of the Beloved

By James Bean

Copyright March 1998

Bhakti Yoga according to the "Dictionary of Mysticism" is "the yoga
of love, the quest of union with the Divine Spirit through Bhakti-
marga (the path of love and devotion)." (Frank Gaynor, Philosophical
Library)

Bhakti is a Sanskrit word for love and devotion, and love is the
quintessential truth of all religion, spirituality and mysticism. In
the New Testament Saint Paul said that "love is the most excellent
way." The Bhagavad Gita and the other world scriptures say the same
thing. The mystic-lovers of history have taught that "God is an
infinite Ocean of Love and each soul is a drop from that Ocean." By
approaching simran/zikhr (a spiritual exercise of repeating God's
Name or Names), prayer, the singing of hymns or meditation with an
attitude of love and devotion (prem and bhakti), we elevate our
consciousness; the practice of love brings us into harmony with the
Supreme Being, our own true nature, and with everyone else. "Even as
the sun shines and fills all space with light, so shines the Lord of
Love and fills the hearts of all created beings." ("The Upanishads,"
Eknath Easwaran)

"When you meet the Sat Guru, he will awaken your heart; he will tell
you the secret of love and detachment." ("Songs of Kabir,"
Rabindranath Tagore, Samuel Weiser Books) The 19th century Master
Shiv Dayal Singh (Swami Ji Maharaj) described the highest heaven as
an infinite Reservoir of Love and the way to reach there is also by
love:

Such is the peculiar efficacy
of the Path of Love and Devotion
that if you adopt it,it will
transport you to the Reservoir
of Ambrosia. In the Source or
Fountain, i.e., in Radhaswami
Dham [the Eighth Heaven], there
is absolutely no trace of maya
[illusion]. There it is all love
and love alone. It is an immense
Reservoir of Love, having no
beginning and no end."
("Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry")

Bhakti is the religion of love; it is heart-centered, focused on the
cultivation of love between the soul and the Oversoul, between lover
and the Beloved. India's Nirguna Bhakti Sants (Saints) are madly in
love with God; their relationship with the Supreme Being is that of
divine romance. The 16th century mystic Mira Bai said:

To the Lord's abode I will go,
for He alone is my true love.
I'll gaze upon His charming face
and ever remain enthralled.
In the calm of the night
I will arise and go to him,
and return at dawn.

PRACTICES OF LOVE AND DEVOTION (BHAKTI) FOR THE SUPREME BEING

According to Saint Tulsi Das there are several modes of Bhakti
practice. One major practice is called Satsang -- the society of
realized Saints. Satsang means "association with Eternal Truth" as
well as "association with God," and is to some extent comparable
to "church" or "temple," but not in any institutional sense. A
saying of Jesus in the New Testament provides a good definition of
Satsang: "Where two or three are gathered in My Name, I am there in
their midst." When devotees or initiates of a Saint sit together for
worship and meditation, the Masters teach that there's a great
spiritual energy present, a stronger manifestation of the loving
Presence of God and a kind of 'communion of Saints,' past and
present.

Satsang is also an experience of spiritual community, an opportunity
to be uplifted by the collective energy of our brothers and sisters
on the Path, for we're influenced by the company we keep! Devotees
make this a time and place of spiritual Remembrance, and this helps
to keep us on the Path. Mira Bai said:

In minutes, Satsang will lead to
Jiva-Mukti [the salvation or
liberation of the soul].

The format of Satsang can include: a spiritual discourse, instruction
on putting the Path into practice, a video of the Master giving a
talk, readings from the writings of the Masters, the reciting or
singing of banis, bhajans or kirtans (hymns of worship composed by
Sants), and silent group meditation. It's considered the greatest
of blessings if it is a Master who conducts the Satsang in person.

The effect of Satsang is that of DIVINE REMEMBRANCE, thus, with such
a spiritual boost, encouragement and support for the spiritual
journey, those who go to Satsang are much more likely to stay-on-the-
Path and put effort into their own daily spiritual practice at home.
Thus will the life of the Bhakta (lover, devotee, disciple) become
more and more God-intoxicated by imbibing the spiritual wine, the
nectar of divine love.

THE POWER OF GOD'S NAME

Repeating a Name (or Names) of God with love and devotion, called in
the east "Simran" or "Zikhr," is one of the key spiritual exercises
used to cultivate love for God and to invoke the Positive Power in
our daily lives, making it possible to live a life of love. This is
usually done mentally, is a mental repetition of a Name of God done
during meditation, AS WELL AS this practice is done during available
moments throughout the day and night as a way to remember
God all the time. Says Tukarama:

Such is God's Name
that it heals the disease of the world.
Whosoever repeats the Lord's Name
while engaged in earthly duties,
remains ever in a blissful state of divine communion.
One absorbed in the Lord's Name, O Tuka,
has truly attained liberation while living.

This spiritual exercise of repeating God's Name helps to uplift our
day, to bring some of the heaven and bliss of meditation into our
down-to-earth daily experience, and is a way to remember in a world
of forgetfulness, to remain awake in a world of spiritual slumber, to
abide in Truth, no longer dominated by the forces of illusion. Be who
you really are wherever you go!

Of this practice of repeating God's Name(s) Sant Darshan said:

He bears a thousand Names, call on Him by any;
summon Him to the assembly of your thoughts and
adore Him. Suffuse your life-blood with His Name, and
fix Him in your soul. You surely will meet Him, just let
your soul soar, He is close to you, just call for Him.

Most of the great Saints and Mystics of history have also been poets
or composers of hymns, psalms, odes, banis, bhajans -- mystic songs
of love and devotion.

Closely related to the chanting of divine names (mantra, simran or
zikhr) is the practice of reciting or singing kirtanas, shabds and
banis (hymns). India's Saints of Love for thousands of years now have
composed their own devotional hymns and poems. India's Mystics have
left behind an immense treasure of devotional literature, the
scriptures of Sant Mat. If Westerners aren't able to sing these hymns
in their original languages, reading translations of them is in
itself a spiritual exercise of great benefit, for these beautiful
words carry a loving spiritual charge that helps to keep one mindful
of the spiritual Path, as well as it helps to prepare one for daily
meditation practice. Babuji Maharaj of Agra used to advise his
followers to recite several hymns a day, prescribing certain hymns of
Swami Ji Maharaj and Rai Saligram (his Master) "to be chanted in the
morning, before meals, and before going to bed at night." To be sure,
it is indeed extremely helpful to read a couple of hymns or poems of
the Saints each day. For access to a big collection of hymns of the
Saints online, see: http://www.sikhs.org  Also, the message archive
area of Sant Mat Fellowship has become an online library of Sant Mat
classics and literature, providing samples from the writings of many
Sants, Sufis and Gnostics -- the lovers of the Beloved -- the
Friends of God, past and present. Sant Mat Fellowship Message
Archive; GO TO:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/messages

Traditionally in India the Saints and Masters have also used hymns
and mystical poetry as a way to COMMUNICATE THEIR TEACHINGS to the
people -- communicating the truths of the Saints directly to the
hearts of those who listen. "Govinda [God] says, 'I go wherever
devotees sing my praise.'" (Garab Das) That quote from Sant Garab
Das very much reminds me of a passage from the Hebrew Book of
Psalms, "God inhabits the praises of His people."

This is a translation of a hymn (shabd) by the 19th century Mystic
Tulsi Sahib titled, "Shabd surat jin ki mili."

Whose soul is attached to the Word,
revels ever in cosmic flight;
Revels ever in cosmic flight,
and realizing the Lord,
plays with Him.
The mystery of the Inaccessible
and the secret of the scriptures he unravels:
He reaches his Home within and its Essence
he comes to know;
In the lotus feet of the Beloved
he sees his true destination.
The happily married woman
rejoices with her Spouse every moment, O Tulsi,
For her soul is attached to the Word,
and revels ever in cosmic flight.

The compositions of Tulsi Sahib are bhakti (devotional) in tone, and
at the same time allude to the mystical experiences of the soul
achieving cosmic flight by becoming attached to the Word -- hearing
the Celestial Music of the Spheres during meditation. Through the
divine Word the mystery of the Inaccessible Plane (called by
Mystics "Agam Lok") is made accessible. Shri Tulsi described his
experience of the Beloved Lord as a marriage consummated in mystical
union. This merger of lover and Beloved is the final destination of
lovers. Dadu, a Master in the Kabir lineage said of this oneness:

The lover is converted into the Beloved.
That indeed is called true love.
Forgetting his own ego, he remains
absorbed in the One.

In their hymns, the Masters of Bhakti and Shabda Yoga sing of the
power that the Spirit of Love has to transport souls back to the
original Home of all souls -- the Ocean of Love and Compassion
(Anurag Sagar). By approaching spiritual practice with love, we will
be elevated in spirit to places beyond our wildest dreams! And for
those who are skeptical of their own ability to experience the Way of
the Saints, Swami Ji Maharaj said in one of his hymns:

It does not matter if your bhakti is imperfect.
Perform bhakti! Radhasoami [the Lord of the Soul]
graciously declares that you should perform bhakti
in whichever way you can. Fear not. He will grant
you the Treasure of Love. You will be a recipient
of the Gift of Love. ("Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry," Vol. II)

I'll leave you with a poem by the 16th century Mystic Dadu who
outlined the Sant Mat vision of the spiritual life to be pursued
during our time here on planet Earth:

Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers
and take the route of the anguished lover in separation.

Keep the Master's grace in your thoughts,
and reflect on his pure teachings.

Develop love and devotion with endearment,
and keep the thought of the Creator always before you.

Try to merge yourself into God like water in water.

Fix your mind within by following the Path of the Sound Current.

A yearning will arise; make then an intense and anguished call.

Repeat the Name of your Beloved,
day and night,
again and again.

With care in thought, word and deed,
you will cross to the other shore.

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{"Repeat the Name of your Beloved, day and night, again
and again. With care in thought, word and deed, you will
cross to the other shore." -- Dadu}

Kabir's Raag Prabhaati: Read the Translation and Hear it Chanted

*JPG IMAGE: Guru Kabir Mandala:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/480_StKab.jpg

*JPG IMAGE: Kabir, the "Weaver" of God's Name:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/Kabirwev.jpg

*Real Audio and MP3's: Hymns (Banis) of Guru Kabir Online:
(The Second hymn listed at this keertan website, Raag Prabhaati, is
translated into English below.)
Kabir's Raag Prabhaati is ten minutes, eleven seconds in length:
http://keertan.waheguroo.com/?Query=kabir&swhat=0

BIBHAAS, PRABHAATEE, THE WORD OF DEVOTEE KABEER JEE:

    Guru Kabir,
    Pages 1349 and 1350 of the Khalsa Consensus Translation
    of the Adi Granth
    at Sikhs dot Org:
    http://www.sikhs.org/english/frame.html

Page 1349

My anxious fears of death and rebirth have been taken away. The
Celestial Lord has shown His Love for me. || 1 || The Divine Light
has dawned, and darkness has been dispelled. Contemplating the Lord,
I have obtained the Jewel of His Name. || 1 || Pause || Pain runs
far away from that place where there is bliss. The jewel of the mind
is focused and attuned to the essence of reality. || 2 || Whatever
happens is by the Pleasure of Your Will. Whoever understands this,
is intuitively merged in the Lord. || 3 || Says Kabeer, the residues
of my sinful mistakes have been obliterated. My mind has merged into
the Lord, the Life of the World. || 4 || 1 || PRABHAATEE: If the
Lord Allah lives only in the mosque, then to whom does the rest of
the world belong? According to the Hindus, the Lord's Name abides in
the idol, but there is no truth in either of these claims. || 1 || O
Allah, O Raam, I live by Your Name. Please show mercy to me, O
Master. || 1 || Pause || The God of the Hindus lives in the southern
lands, and the God of the Muslims lives in the west. So search in
your heart - look deep into your heart of hearts; this is the home
and the place where God lives. || 2 || The Brahmins observe twenty-
four fasts during the year, and the Muslims fast during the month of
Ramadaan. The Muslims set aside eleven months, and claim that the
treasure is only in the one month. || 3 || What is the use of
bathing at Orissa? Why do the Muslims bow their heads in the mosque?
If someone has deception in his heart, what good is it for him to
utter prayers? And what good is it for him to go on pilgrimage to
Mecca? || 4 || You fashioned all these men and women, Lord. All
these are Your Forms. Kabeer is the child of God, Allah, Raam. All
the Gurus and prophets are mine. || 5 || Says Kabeer, listen, O men
and women: seek the Sanctuary of the One. Chant the Naam, the Name
of the Lord, O mortals, and you shall surely be carried across. || 6
|| 2 || PRABHAATEE: First, Allah created the Light; then, by His
Creative Power, He made all mortal beings. From the One Light, the
entire universe welled up. So who is good, and who is bad?

Page 1350

|| 1 || O people, O Siblings of Destiny, do not wander deluded by
doubt. The Creation is in the Creator, and the Creator is in the
Creation, totally pervading and permeating all places. || 1 || Pause
|| The clay is the same, but the Fashioner has fashioned it in
various ways. There is nothing wrong with the pot of clay - there is
nothing wrong with the Potter. || 2 || The One True Lord abides in
all; by His making, everything is made. Whoever realizes the Hukam
of His Command, knows the One Lord. He alone is said to be the
Lord's slave. || 3 || The Lord Allah is Unseen; He cannot be seen.
The Guru has blessed me with this sweet molasses. Says Kabeer, my
anxiety and fear have been taken away; I see the Immaculate Lord
pervading everywhere. || 4 || 3 || PRABHAATEE: Do not say that the
Vedas, the Bible and the Koran are false. Those who do not
contemplate them are false. You say that the One Lord is in all, so
why do you kill chickens? || 1 || O Mullah, tell me: is this God's
Justice? The doubts of your mind have not been dispelled. || 1 ||
Pause || You seize a living creature, and then bring it home and
kill its body; you have killed only the clay. The light of the soul
passes into another form. So tell me, what have you killed? || 2 ||
And what good are your purifications? Why do you bother to wash your
face? And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque? Your
heart is full of hypocrisy; what good are your prayers or your
pilgrimage to Mecca? || 3 || You are impure; you do not understand
the Pure Lord. You do not know His Mystery. Says Kabeer, you have
missed out on paradise; your mind is set on hell. || 4 || 4 ||
PRABHAATEE: Hear my prayer, Lord; You are the Divine Light of the
Divine, the Primal, All-pervading Master. The Siddhas in Samaadhi
have not found Your limits. They hold tight to the Protection of
Your Sanctuary. || 1 || Worship and adoration of the Pure, Primal
Lord comes by worshipping the True Guru, O Siblings of Destiny.
Standing at His Door, Brahma studies the Vedas, but he cannot see
the Unseen Lord. || 1 || Pause || With the oil of knowledge about
the essence of reality, and the wick of the Naam, the Name of the
Lord, this lamp illluminates my body. I have applied the Light of
the Lord of the Universe, and lit this lamp. God the Knower knows.
|| 2 || The Unstruck Melody of the Panch Shabad, the Five Primal
Sounds, vibrates and resounds. I dwell with the Lord of the World.
Kabeer, Your slave, performs this Aartee, this lamp-lit worship
service for You, O Formless Lord of Nirvaanaa. || 3 || 5 ||

A good translation of the words of Kabir contained in the Adi Granth
is, "Songs of Kabir in the Adi Granth",
By Nirmal Das, SUNY Press, NY

Websites on Kabir Books:
http://www.sirreadalot.org/islam/sufkabirR.htm
http://www.dabase.org/kabir.htm

Kabir Association Website with online
shabdas and ramainis of Sant Kabir:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kabirweb

The Bijak of Guru Kabir -- Book Review:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/message/1979
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/message/1985
JPG Image, Front Cover:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/bijak.jpg
JPG Image, Back Cover:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/bkbijak.jpg
JPG Image, About the Author:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/JDas.jpg

Hi. Sorry for the delay in replying. Just got back.

Type in the word 'kabir' into the search box at the main group and
you'll see hundreds of Kabir posts, usually mystic poetry from many
sources:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/messages

Kabir websites:

*********The Anurag Sagar of Kabir Online:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/files/AnuragSagar.pdf

KABIR PANTH
http://www.freezone.co.uk/kabir

KABIR PANTH: KABIR ASSOCIATION OF CANADA: kabir.ca:
http://www.kabir.ca

KABIR WEBSITE: A Great Site: Songs of Kabir, Translated by
Rabindranath Tagore
100 Mystic-Poems of Guru Kabir:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sok/index.htm

KABIR WEBSITE: ANURAG SAGAR:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship/files/AnuragSagar.pdf

KABIR WEBSITE: Kabir Web:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kabirweb

KABIR WEBSITE: Sahebkabir:
http://www.geocities.com/sahebkabir

KABIR WEBSITE: Songs of Kabir, Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
http://www.upanishad.org/kabir/kabir.htm

KABIR WEBSITE: boloji.com:
http://www.boloji.com/kabir

KABIR WEBSITE: colostate.edu:
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kabir.html

KABIR WEBSITE: indranet.com:
http://www.indranet.com/potpourri/poetry/kabir/kabir.html

KABIR WEBSITE: kabirweb.com:
http://www.kabirweb.com/intro.htm

KABIR WEBSITE: world_civ_reader:
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/k
abir.html

KABIR: Dabase.net:
http://www.dabase.net/kabir.htm

KABIR: Kabir Ashram.com:
http://www.kabirashram.com/index.html

KABIR: Songs of Kabir:
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/other/kabir.htm

KABIR: bhaktanet:
http://welcome.to/bhaktanet




BHAKTI Sant Poet-Mystics: Real Audio: Kabir Bhajan (Hymn):
http://osl.cs.uiuc.edu/~jamali/sindh/res/audio/links/mohan4.ram
santmat_mystic  Edit  Delete  Cut
   BHAKTI Sant Poet-Mystics: Real Audio: Kabir Poems Read By Robert
Bly With Sitar:
http://www.vix.com/menmag/poemkabi.ra



ajaivyas <ajaivyas@...> wrote:
Hi,
     Regards from a new entrants to the group. Does anybody know of an
online resource for scripts or translations of Kabir poems? Thanks in
advance,
AJAI

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{"Blessed is the one who meditates on the Naam
with all the love of his soul. -- Adi Granth Sahib}

Other New Announcements and Posts:

***Retreat/Satsang/Meditation -- Ashford, Connecticut:
Saturday, June 12th and 13th;
for information GO TO:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sant_Mat_Announcements/message/9

***Three Initiations: New York, NJ and Boston Programs - August 19 -
24, also The Cruise;
for details GO TO:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sant_Mat_Announcements/message/8

***New Jersey Details -- Public Talk Followed By Initiation:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sant_Mat_Announcements/message/10

***Letters From The Masters -- Spiritual Elixir:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MeditationSangat/message/2377

Mystic-Poetry of the Sants of India: Tukarama and Kabir

Bhajans of Kabir and Tukarama of Maharashtra

Tukarama: Invoke God With Love, and Utter His Name Time After Time

When I utter Thy name, my mind becomes composed. The tongue enjoys a
stream of ambrosia. Good omens of all kinds take place. The mind is
colored in Thy vision, and becomes steady on Thy feet. One becomes
satisfied.........Desires come to an end........Happiness meets
happiness, and there is no limit to blessedness". "The whole body
feels cool when one meditates on the Name. The senses forget their
movements. . . . . . By the sweet nectar-like love of God, one is
full of energy and all kinds of sorrow depart it immediately". "The
body which was hitherto unclean, becomes lustrous by the power of
the Name, the mind is purified, and repentance puts a stop to one's
accumulated Karma". "The evil passions are conquered; all the
impulses are nipped in the bud by the power of the Name".  "One
should sit at a place, concentrate his mind, invoke God with love,
and utter His name time after time. I swear by God's name, says
Tuka, that there is no other way of reaching God: indeed, this is
the easiest of all ways."

(Mysticism In India -- The Poet-Saints of Maharashtra, R.D. Ranade,
SUNY Press, NY)

Kabir: Your Heavy Load is Taken Off -- Meditation Will Remove All
Your Burdens

Meditation leads to salvation's door:
Go to heaven --
why go back to the world?
In the house of the fearless One,
where music, unstruck, sounds,
you shall play trumpets.

Meditate upon Him in your heart.
Without meditation there is no salvation. (Rest)

Unfettered meditation
brings salvation:
Your heavy load is taken off.
Welcome Him in your heart,
so you will not be born
again and again.

Blissful meditation
will light a lamp inside you
that does not need any oil.
This lamp will make you immortal;
this lamp will draw out the poison
of lust and anger.

Pierce this meditation
that gives you salvation,
and wear it around your neck.
Never take it off.
Meditate always:
Your guru's grace will get you across.

Meditation will free you
from dependence on others:
You will sleep on silken sheets at home.
Your heart will be at peace;
your life will blossom:
Deeply drink this meditation.

This meditation
will erase your blemishes;
you will be free from Maya's touch.
Meditate, meditate, and sing,
"Hari, Hari" [God, God]. You will obtain
this meditation from your true guru [Satguru].

Always, always meditate day and night:
When you rise, when you lie down,
when you breathe in, when you breathe out.
Waking or sleeping,
relish the taste of meditation --
meditation will bring union.

Meditation will remove all your burdens;
meditation upon Ram's name
will become your support.
Kabir, says, "He is limitless."

(Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth, Nirmal Das, SUNY Press, NY)

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{"Each day of forgetfulness of the Bestower of joy to life,
is a day wasted". -- Guru Arjan Dev}

Kabir Says, I Am Not Form, I Am Formless Spirit

The bhajan or psalm of Kabir translated below reminds me of some "I
Am" verses I've encountered where what's being spoken is coming from
the Divine (Shabd Sat Guru or Inner Master Power) within the
teacher, not the outer form of that teacher. Kabir's "I Am not....."
verses remind me of several passages in various world scriptures:

I am beholding through the eyes of all.
I am working through all hands, I am walking through all feet. The
brown, white, olive, yellow, red, and black bodies are all mine.....
I am the wind of wisdom that dries the
sighs and sorrows of all humanity. I am the
silent joy of life moving through all beings.
(Paramahansa Yogananda Ji)

I Am the Light that is over all things. I Am all: from Me all came
forth, and to Me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I Am there.
Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there.
(Jesus, Gospel of Thomas)

I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become
intoxicated from the Bubbling Spring that I have tended.
(Jesus, Gospel of Thomas)

I am the taste of Living Waters and the Light of the Sun and the
Moon. I am AUM, the sacred Word of the Vedas, the Sound in silence.
(Krishna, Bhagavad Gita)

I am the silence that is incomprehensible.
I am the Voice whose Sound is manifold
and the Word whose appearance is multiple....

I am the hearing which can be attained by everyone.
(Nag Hammadi Library of Egypt)

I am the real Voice.
I cry out in everyone,
and they recognize it (the Voice),
since a seed of me dwells in each of them.

I revealed myself ... among those who recognize me.
For it is I who am joined (who am within) everyone...
(Trimorphic Protennoia)

I am the Word who dwells in the ineffable Silence. I dwell in
undefiled Light and a Thought revealed itself perceptibly through
the great Sound ... And it [the Sound] exists from the beginning in
the foundations of the All.... And it is a Word by virtue of the
Sound ... I (the Word) became a foundation for the All [the
universe]... I cast Sound into the ears of those who know me. And I
am inviting you into the exalted, perfect Light. Moreover as for
this Light, when you enter it you will be glorified ... you will
become gloriously glorious, the way you first were when you were
Light..... And it is a Word, by virtue of a Sound; it was sent to
illumine those who dwell in darkness...I am a Light that illuminates
the All. I am the Light that rejoices in my brethren, for I came
down to the world of mortals... (Trimorphic Protennoia, one of the
Nag Hammadi Scriptures unearthed in Egypt)

Trimorphic Protennoia, is a Sethian Jewish-Gnostic Gospel with many
interesting parallels with Sant Mat mysticism, including that of
Divine Sound. Two thousand years ago in the Middle east, the
Sethians also had a "Panch Naam" or Five-Name mantra practice. In
the case of this earlier School of Spirituality, this consisted of
Hebrew and Coptic Names of God corresponding to five heavenly
regions. -- James, Sant Mat Fellowship
___________________________________________________________

Kabir Says, I Am Not Form, I Am Formless Spirit

SANT KABIR

I am not righteous and I am not unrighteous.
I am not an ascetic and I am not full of desires.
I do not speak and I do not hear.
I am not a servant and I am not a master.
I am not in bondage and I am not free.
I am not free from worldly attachments and
I am not indulgent in them.
I have not been separated from anyone,
and I am not a companion to anyone.
I do not go to hell, and I do not go to heaven.
I perform all works, but I am free of all karmas.
Hardly does anyone contemplate on this philosophy,
in which I remain steadfast. Kabir says, "I do not
install any deities for worship, and I do not remove any".

Commentary by Dr. Jagessar Das, Kabir Association:

This bhajan contains the essence of what spiritual realization is.
If we look at the statements, they are opposing one another. This
leaves a state of neutrality.  Speaking from the point of view of
the soul that has awakened to realization of divinity, there is
neither righteousness nor unrighteousness. There is only a state of
being.  Just so, all the opposites can be reconciled because the
soul just exists in the being of God. It is like saying that God
exists, but God is neither righteous nor unrighteous. God does not
have to speak or listen; He just is. He is not a master or a
servant. The self-realized soul feels itself united with God and
thus is a unitary being.  Such a soul has no need to go to hell or
to heaven. It is content just to be.  Just as God has no need for
heaven and hell and is above them, just so the realized soul is
above them.  The question of being in bondage or freedom does not
arise for the soul that identifies with Divinity. Such a realized
person, though he is active, he is above the actions because he is
unattached, and he seeks no merits or rewards. It is just as saying
that God is active yet He is above all actions. Guru Kabir says that
scarcely does anyone contemplate on this type of philosophy. If they
did, they will advance very quickly to realize the essence of their
own existence. Such realized souls have no need to establish objects
of worship or to remove them.  People do these things according to
their own understanding.  We need to realize that the Spirit is
above them. All contradictions merge into the Unity of Divinity.

The mystic verses of Kabir from above in Hindi (for Hindi-reading
members of the group):

na main dharmi nahin adharmi
     na main jati kami ho,
na main kahata na main sunta,
     na main sewak swami ho;
na main bandha na main mukta,
     na main virat na rangi ho,
na main kahu se nyara huwa,
     na kahu ke sangi ho;
na ham narak lok ko jate,
     na ham swarg sidhare ho,
sabahin karm hamaro kiya,
ham karman ke nyare ho;
ya mat ko koi birla bujhai,
     so atal ho baitha ho,
mat kbir kahu ko thapai,
     mat kahu ko mete ho.

Mixed Media: Book Reviews, Website Reviews, Music Reviews

Website Review

Online Cyber-Book: Songs of Kabir,
Translated by Rabindranath Tagore:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sok/index.htm

There is a "line" where all mysticism dissolves into the
Unspeakable. Poetry alone approaches the line and can help one
across.

Imagine if you will, what eloquence there would be if a passage from
Jalaluddin Rumi found its way into a Sonnet of William Shakespeare!
I envision such a dream-combination to sound very much like
Rabindranath Tagore's translation of Kabir poems, which is rendered
with all the cadence of King James English. Tagore, himself a poet-
mystic, has produced one of the great spiritual classics of the
Twentieth Century, a book called, Songs of Kabir, published by
Samuel Weiser Books of York Beach, Maine. And now this collection of
one hundred poems selected by Tagore is available to everyone online
via Sacred Texts.com

Mixed Media: Book Reviews, Website Reviews, Music Reviews

Book Review:

Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth
Nirmal Dass
SUNY Press, NY, ISBN 0-7914-0561-3
JPG Image: Cover:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/nirmal.jpg

"Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth" makes available the Kabir
material from the Adi Granth (the Sikh scriptures of India) in one
volume. It's a great contemporary English translation and it also
lets the reader see all the various names for God that Kabir used in
his devotional hymns: "Ram", "Hari", "Gopal", "Gobind", "Allah" and
many more. I'm glad that, instead of translating these names all
as 'God' losing the nuances of meaning, Nirmal Dass let's us see the
many Hindu and Islamic terms for God that Kabir used.

Kabir's path was one of love and devotion (prem and bhakti) and
mystic experiences of bliss, Light, and Sound. Ram, the One Supreme
Being (Ekankar) is everywhere, in this creation and in all the
other planes or heavens of creation as well. Says, Guru
Kabir, "Everywhere I look I see Ram."

The bottom line for Kabir is to experience union with Allah-Ram now
and not rely on the untested theory of this happening by itself
supposedly in some future reincarnation or afterlife. For Kabir, now
is the time for jiva mukti, the liberation of the soul from the
wheel of reincarnation. Now is the time to experience the Timeless
Supreme Being in the Anurag Sagar (Ocean of Love). The human form is
a precious Gift. This present moment is the perfect opportunity to
experience the Beloved. Kabir says: "What is known now is known
then." If we are attached to the Beloved now, then we know that we
will continue to be in the arms of the Beloved in the other world as
well. Kabir says: "Now is your chance. Now it's your turn. Look
inside your heart and meditate."

From the perspective of mystics like Kabir, the passage of "time"
doesn't bestow enlightenment by itself; neither does the passing of
the physical body at the time of death. Rather, they say: "What we
put our attention upon, what we're attached to -- that we become!"
Mystics teach jiva mukti or liberation while living. If we're
attached to the Beloved now -- one with Hari "now", we'll be
attached to Him "then" as well. Of this theme of the present moment,
Kabir says:

Friend, hope for the Guest while you are alive.
Jump into experience while you are alive!
think.....and think.....while you are alive.
What you call 'salvation' belongs to the time before
death.

If you don't break your ropes while you're alive,
do you think
ghosts will do it after?

The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic
just because the body is rotten --
that is all fantasy.
What is found now is found then."
("The Kabir Book," Beacon Press, Robert Bly's paraphrases of various
Kabir poems)

In the raga below, a sample passage from, "Songs of Kabir from the
Adi Granth", the Master describes some of the inner stages and
experiences of mysticism: the mystic 'moon', inner 'sun', 'western
door', 'window', and 'tenth door' of the soul. After one reaches the
third or single eye, it is possible to see the inner moon, sun and
sky, and many other stages beyond with "no limits, no boundaries"
while soul traveling in inner space.

Real wisdom is Shiva's city.
Gather there and meditate.
You will understand this life and the next;
no one dies in self-pride there.

I am thinking about my abode there:
Raja Ram is my theology. (Pause)

By the Source's root is my abode:
I place the moon above the sun.
The sun is fiery by the western door;
the Meru-sceptred One is above me.

The western door has a threshold;
above the threshold is a window.
Above the window is the Tenth Door.
Kabir says, "It has no limits, no boundaries."

Merging Into the Essential Shabda, Go to the World of Immortality
____________________________________________________________________

"If he merges into Naam even for a moment, Its greatness cannot be
described." (Anurag Sagar)
____________________________________________________________________

Letters from the Masters:
Huzur Baba Sawan Singh:
Making Up For Lost Time

On Developing A Quality Meditation Practice

The mind is always seeking pretexts for deferring meditation, but we
should not listen to the mind's arguments and pretexts. We should
overrule all its argumentation and perform our daily Repetition
[simran of God's Names during meditation].

You have asked for my instructions to make up for lost time:

1 -- When you begin meditation, expel all thoughts from your mind
and tell your mind that all anxiety and all kinds of thoughts can
wait till the meditation is over.

2 -- Do not allow any kind of idea or thought to arise while doing
your Repetition or listening to the Sound.

3 -- When the mind and soul sit quietly within, the spiritual
progress will begin.

4 -- Clearness and intensity of Sound depend on the degree of
concentration. The greater the concentration, the clearer and louder
the Sound.

-- Huzur Baba Sawan Singh, "Spiritual Gems," letters to various
initiates/disciples
____________________________________________________________________

Mystic Verses from the Anurag Sagar of Kabir, a kind of epic-genesis-
gospel of Kabir's Teachings used in Sant Mat Mysticism and in some
of the Kabir-related lineages (Kabir Panths) of India

How does one get to the Motionless Plane?

COUPLET

By remaining in the Master's remembrance [simran], in thought, word,
      and deed, and by obeying the orders of the Master --
Master gives one who does this the gift of liberation and merges him
      in Naam [Shabda: the inner Current of Sound and Light].

The greatness of merging in Naam

As long as the jiva [soul] doesn't merge himself in Naam, he
      wanders  in this world.
When he contemplates on the Formless and merges into Naam, all
      his doubts go away.
If he merges into Naam even for a moment, Its greatness cannot be
      described.
Everybody talks about Naam but rare ones achieve the formless
      Naam.......

What does one get who receives Naam?

One who gets Sat Naam from the Satguru goes to Sat Lok climbing
      the rope of Naam.
Dharam Rai [Kal, "Mind"] bows his head to him whose soul merges into
      the elementless.

What is the Essential Shabda?

The Essential Shabda is a bodiless form. The Essential Shabda is
      beautiful, wordless.

The body has elements and nature: The Essential Shabda is
      elementless and bodiless.
In all four directions Shabda is talked about -- only the Essential
      Shabda can liberate the souls.
The Naam of Sat Purush [God] Itself is the Essential Shabda and the
Simran of Sat Purush is the Essential Shabda's recognition.
One who merges into It without doing the Simran by tongue -- even
      Kal ["Mind", Yama] is afraid of him.
The path of the Essential Shabda is subtle, easy and perfect; but
      only the brave can follow it......

The support of the soul is in the head, and now I will tell you of
      the recognition of Shabda.
One who gets connected with the Unrepeated Repetition gets to see
      the infinite-petaled lotus.
When he reaches the astral door, he [ultimately] goes to Agam
      [Inaccessible] and
      AGOCHAR [Unknowable] by way of the True Path.
His inner Self -- where Adi Purush resides -- gets enlightened.
Recognizing Him, the soul goes to Him -- and He
      takes the soul to its origin.
The soul is of the same essence as Sat Purush and is also called
      Jiva-Sohang.
Dharam Das, you are a wise saint. Recognize that Shabda which gives
      liberation.

The method of meditating on the Essential Shabda (Naam) --
The way of practicing Master's Path

HYMN

Repeat the Unrepeated and with the grace of the perfect Master,
      test it.
Keeping the wing of mind at rest, see the Shabda; and, climbing
      the mind, finish your Karma.
Reach the place where the Sound is produced without tongue and
      the rosary beads are moved without hands:
Merging into the Essential Shabda, go to the world of immortality.

COUPLET

The glory of the Inconceivable is limitless -- millions of suns and
      moons cannot vie with one hair.
The radiance of one soul is equal to the light of sixteen suns.

-- Anurag Sagar of Kabir (The Ocean of Love),
    Sant Bani Books,
    Sanbornton, New Hampshire
_________
Some Notes

SAT LOK  The Region of Truth; the fifth inner plane, first
completely spiritual plane, and seat of Sat Purush. This is the
stage to which perfect Masters or Sants take their disciples; Sat
Purush Himself takes them further into the Absolute. Guru Nanak
referred to this plane as Sach Khand; the Sufi Masters as Mukam-i-
Haq. It is the Court of the Saints.

DHARAM RAI  The Lord of judgment or Law; another name for Kal, often
used in Anurag Sagar.

SIMRAN  Remembrance; in the writings of the Masters, refers to
Remembrance of God through the repetition of His Five Basic Names,
as given in the form of a mantra by the Master at the time of
initiation. This repetition is done "without tongue" (see next line -
that is, mentally -- and is one of the three basic meditation
practices of Shabda Yoga. It is also a means of keeping in a state
of remembrance at all times even when not sitting in meditation, and
a protection against Kal.

RECOGNITION  This is a very interesting line. The first half is an
explicit declaration of the esoteric identification of the Naam
(i.e. Name of God with Shabda; the second half says that the ability
to "recognize" -- i.e., hear and be pulled up by -- the Sound
Current is dependent on the completion of Simran. This refers to the
way in which the spiritual practices of Shabda Yoga lead to one
another.

JAPA  Repetition of a mantra, usually orally, which distinguishes it
from Simran -- although the two words are sometimes, as here, used
as synonyms. This line means that the ultimate Path of the Sound
Current is above all Simran or Japa, because only those who have
completed and gone beyond that practice can walk it.

UNREPEATED REPETITION  Ajapa jap; often used in Sant Mat to refer to
the Sound Current or Shabda.

ADI PURUSH  Original Person; another name for Sat Purush.

SOHANG "I am you." Its use here as a name for the soul emphasizes
the identity of the soul and God referred to in the first part of
the line; its coupling with jiva underlines the irony of the soul's
bound and forgetful condition when seen in the light of its true
nature.

KARMA  The law of action and reaction, based on desire and I-hood,
which causes continual wandering in the cycle of birth and death
(transmigration) throughout the three worlds (physical, astral,
causal) ruled by Kal, and which governs the fate or destiny of each
life. Actions done in one life (whether in thought, word, or deed)
form the basis of the karma of subsequent lives.

Kabir's Message to Humanity

O SADHU! my land is a sorrowless land.
I cry aloud to all, to the king and the beggar, the emperor and the
fakir--
Whosoever seeks for shelter in the Highest, let all come and settle
in my land!
Let the weary come and lay his burdens here!

So live here, my brother, that you may cross with ease to that other
shore.
It is a land without earth or sky, without moon or stars;
For only the radiance of Truth shines in my Lord's Durbar [Abode].
Kabîr says: "O beloved brother! naught is essential save Truth"
[Sat, Haq].
_________________________________________________________________

MORE than all else do I cherish at heart that love which makes me to
live a limitless life in this world.
It is like the lotus, which lives in the water and blooms in the
water: yet the water cannot touch its petals, they open beyond its
reach.

This ocean of the world is hard to cross: its waters are very deep.
Kabîr says: "Listen to me, O Sadhu! few there are who have reached
its end."
_________________________________________________________________

TELL me, O Swan [soul], your ancient tale.
From what land do you come, O Swan? to what shore will you fly?
Where would you take your rest, O Swan, and what do you seek?

Even this morning, O Swan, awake, arise, follow me!
There is a land where no doubt nor sorrow have rule: where the
terror of Death is no more.
There the woods of spring are a-bloom, and the fragrant scent "I Am
He" is borne on the wind:
There the bee of the heart is deeply immersed, and desires no other
joy.

The swan has taken its flight to the lake beyond the mountains; why
should it search for the pools and ditches any more?
Your Lord dwells within you: why need your outward eyes be opened?
Kabîr says: "Listen, my brother! my Lord, who ravishes my eyes,
has united Himself with me."
_________________________________________________________________

O MY heart! you have not known all the secrets of this city of love:
in ignorance you came, and in ignorance you return.
O my friend, what have you done with this life? You have taken on
your head the burden heavy with stones, and who is to lighten it for
you?
Your Friend stands on the other shore, but you never think in your
mind how you may meet with Him:
The boat is broken, and yet you sit ever upon the bank; and thus you
are beaten to no purpose by the waves.
The servant Kabîr asks you to consider; who is there that shall
befriend you at the last?
You are alone, you have no companion: you will suffer the
consequences of your own deeds.
_________________________________________________________________

GO thou to the company of the good [satsang], where the Beloved One
has His dwelling place:
Take all thy thoughts and love and instruction from thence.
Let that assembly be burnt to ashes where His Name is not spoken!
Tell me, how couldst thou hold a wedding-feast, if the bridegroom
himself were not there?
Waver no more, think only of the Beloved.
_________________________________________________________________

OPEN your eyes of love, and see Him who pervades this world I
consider it well, and know that this is your own country.
When you meet the true Guru, He will awaken your heart;
He will tell you the secret of love and detachment, and then you
will know indeed that He transcends this universe.
This world is the City of Truth, its maze of paths enchants the
heart:
We can reach the goal without crossing the road, such is the sport
unending.
Where the ring of manifold joys ever dances about Him, there is the
sport of Eternal Bliss.
When we know this, then all our receiving and renouncing is over;
Thenceforth the heat of having shall never scorch us more.

He is the Ultimate Rest unbounded:
He has spread His form of love throughout all the world.
From that Ray which is Truth, streams of new forms are perpetually
springing: and He pervades those forms.
All the gardens and groves and bowers are abounding with blossom;
and the air breaks forth into ripples of joy.
There the swan plays a wonderful game,
There the Unstruck Music eddies around the Infinite One;
There in the midst the Throne of the Unheld is shining, whereon the
great Being sits--
Millions of suns are shamed by the radiance of a single hair of His
body.
On the harp of the road what true melodies are being sounded! and
its notes pierce the heart:
There the Eternal Fountain is playing its endless life-streams of
birth and death.
They call Him Emptiness who is the Truth of truths, in Whom all
truths are stored!

There within Him creation goes forward, which is beyond all
philosophy; for philosophy cannot attain to Him:
There is an endless world, O my Brother! and there is the Nameless
Being, of whom naught can be said.
Only he knows it who has reached that region: it is other than all
that is heard and said.
No form, no body, no length, no breadth is seen there: how can I
tell you that which it is?
He comes to the Path of the Infinite on whom the grace of the Lord
descends: he is freed from births and deaths who attains to Him.
Kabîr says: "It cannot be told by the words of the mouth, it
cannot be written on paper:
It is like a dumb person who tastes a sweet thing -- how shall it be
explained?"
_________________________________________________________________

WHERE Spring, the lord of the seasons, reigneth, there the Unstruck
Music sounds of itself,
There the streams of light flow in all directions;
Few are the men who can cross to that shore!
There, where millions of Krishnas stand with hands folded,
Where millions of Vishnus bow their heads,
Where millions of Brahmâs are reading the Vedas,
Where millions of Shivas are lost in contemplation,
Where millions of Indras dwell in the sky,
Where the demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered,
Where millions of Saraswatis, Goddess of Music, play on the vina --
There is my Lord self-revealed: and the scent of sandal and flowers
dwells in those deeps.
_________________________________________________________________

IS there any wise man who will listen to that solemn music which
arises in the sky?
For He, the Source of all music, makes all vessels full fraught, and
rests in fullness Himself.
He who is in the body is ever athirst, for he pursues that which is
in part:
But ever there wells forth deeper and deeper the sound "He is this --
  this is He"; fusing love and renunciation into one.
Kabîr says: "O brother! that is the Primal Word."

-- Sant Kabir, "Songs of Kabir", Rabindranath Tagore, Samuel Weiser
Books;

*The complete Songs of Kabir Online:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sok/index.htm

*The Ocean of Love (Anurag Sagar) Online:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sadhuramjisatsang/files/anuragsagar.pdf

*More Kabir poems:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kabirweb/

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"We came into the world for this purpose --
That we might show God to His creatures." -- Kamal, son of Kabir}

Weekly E Newsletter: Post for the Week of 1-18-2004

Book Review: The Bijak of Guru Kabir,
Volume One: Ramainis --
The Mystical Teachings of Guru Kabir,
Dr. Jagessar Das,
Published by The Kabir Association
# 208 - 14770 64th Avenue,
Surry, B.C. CANADA V3S 1X7
ISBN 0-9686313-0-4
Kabir Association Website with online
shabdas and ramainis of Sant Kabir:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kabirweb

JPG Image, Front Cover:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/bijak.jpg
JPG Image, Back Cover:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/bkbijak.jpg
JPG Image, About the Author:
http://www.geocities.com/santmat_mystic/JDas.jpg

By James Bean

A "Ramani" is a type of poetical or musical composition. Guru Kabir
was a composer of various types of hymns, including ramainis,
shabdas, sakhis, and bhajans.

A number of years ago Linda Hess and Shukdev Singh published some
selections, but now there is an ambitious new project underway by
Dr. Jasessar Das of Surry, B.C. Canada to translate into
contemporary English the entire Bijak: Ramainis, Shabds, and the
Sakhis of Kabir. Volume One has been completed and published,
featuring the Ramainis, the mystical teachings.

Given the growing popularity of Kabir's poetry as well as that of
other great poet-mystics of the East such as Rumi, Hafiz and
Mirabai, it is a great blessing for Westerners to finally have
access to one of the most authoritative and influential writings of
Sant Kabir.

In this book Dr. Das describes the Bijak as a kind of "map" to the
treasures of the soul. Indeed, the teachings of all Satgurus in each
generation serve to guide souls into union with the Supreme Being.
The very definition of a Sant Satguru is someone who guides souls
into the experience of knowing one's self or soul (the treasure),
God, and the experience of the Naam, that River of inner Light and
Sound that flows back to the Source of all creation.

Below are a couple sample verses, as well as selections from the
commentary of Dr. Das. Further below that is an article providing
some background on Kabir along with selections of his mystic verses
from several different collections, as well as a list of recommended
Kabir books, various translations of Kabir that are available in
addition to this new volume of the Bijak.

Know Thy Self

Guru Kabir:

You have been enjoying your desires for ages
and have not tried to attain realization;
Kabir says, emphatically, that your life is wasted
without any realization.

Commentary:

All spiritual life is geared to attaining realization of your own
inner nature. That is why Socrates had said: "Man! Know thyself". To
know yourself means to know that you are a spiritual being, with the
consciousness of God dwelling within. Attaining this type of
realization sets you free from all the doubts and illusions, and all
passions, which keep you entangled in the web of worldly life.
Realization of the true self gives immense peace and bliss, and
fills the heart with abiding love for all.

Getting Off The Wheel --
The Call to Awakening from the "Sleep" of Maya and Materialism

Guru Kabir:

The truth of the soul and God is explained as the love of the chakor
for the moon;
but the intellect of man turned things around.
The four stages of consciousness are but a dream to them.
They understand falsehood to be the truth.
No one knows what is false.
In this way all have lost their way.
They lost everything in the false hope of the future;
thinking this way, man cannot attain God even in a dream.
He who rises above the thirty-four letters (alphabets)
will be able to understand what is sin and what is virtue.

As you speak so you become;
why don't you escape from the traps of illusion?
Kabir says: "Come to me! I am standing here calling you.
Why do you lose your life in falsehood?"

Commentary:

The chakor is a mythological bird which gazes longingly at the moon
as if transfixed with great love. The soul similarly has a great
yearning for union with God, but man, in his "sophisticated" wisdom
has produced all kinds of philosophies, dogmas, creeds, religions
and rituals, and have thus confounded themselves, and have strayed
from the path of simple Truth. There are four stages of
consciousness: waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep and super-
consciousness state.

People generally, do not pay attention to these, but are preoccupied
with their material existence. They ought to realize that life is
meant for salvation (jiva mukti) which is, in effect, the
realization of the fourth stage of consciousness. They have hopes of
a better future, but they continue in the same old merry-go-round.
They lose sight of the fact that they will reap what they are
sowing, according to the Law of Karma. Unless people improve
themselves day by day in thought, word, and deed, there is no chance
of their ever realizing God or obtaining liberation. In order to
attain God Realization, people have to rise above the alphabets,
i.e. all the scriptures. The scriptures do not give God Realization.
God resides in the hearts of all people, and that is where He will
be found. Guru Kabir is beckoning to all devotees to free themselves
from the traps of falsehood and illusion and to come to him. He is
genuinely interested in the welfare of humanity. Unless people
follow the path of Truth, they would lose the opportunity given to
them, in this precious lifetime, of obtaining God Realization.

God Realization, the Formless, Super-Conscious State (Nirguna)

Guru Kabir:

In that state there is no air or water, and no creation or creator;
There is no bud or flower, and no fetus or semen;
There is no education or Vedas, and no word or taste;
There is no body or settlement, and no earth, air or space;
There is no guru or disciple, and no easy or difficult path.
That state is very strange. I cannot explain it.
It has no village or resting place.
That state is without qualities. What name can one give it?

Commentary, Dr. Das:

In this Ramaini Guru Kabir is speaking of the state of God
realization, or a state of consciousness, in which the individual
Self or Soul, realizes its unity with the Universal Self or God.
Since this is a state of consciousness, it is beyond all physical
things, and so Guru Kabir lists the various things which the state
is not, such as, a state where there is no air or water, creation or
creator, bud or flower, fetus or semen, etc. This state of
consciousness is often called the Super-Conscious state, to
distinguish it from our ordinary everyday consciousness. To attain
this Super-Conscious state, one has to withdraw the mind from all
the external physical manifestations and concentrate on the Soul
within, and through meditation, arrive at a realization that the
Soul within and God are the same "thing" in Spirit. This state lies
beyond the functioning's of the mind, the body, the emotions and
above all types of knowledge and scriptures. It is an intuitive
experience which cannot be explained to anyone else. This is why
Guru Kabir lists what it is not, and said that he cannot explain it
to others. One has to purify oneself in thought, word and deed, and
practice meditation in order to realize that state which leads to
salvation.

Kabir -- Everyone's Saint -- A Universal Mystic

By James Bean

Kabir was one of the world's greatest poet-mystics and Masters of
spirituality. He was found near Banaras, at the Lahartara Pond, by
Muslim parents during the fifteenth century. He became a weaver by
trade.

Kabir described himself as "a child of Ram and of Allah."
Transcending the outer appearances of religion and caste, Kabir
taught that the one True God resides within everyone.

Through Kabir's grace, the Path of the Sants became a worldwide
movement. Today, Kabir has over twenty-five million devotees in
various Kabir Panth or Sant lineages, and is universally loved by
Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims alike. In truth, Kabir is everyone's Saint.

Kabir was:

*a great Sat Guru of Surat Shabd Yoga/Nirguna Bhakti Sant Mat;

*a musician and poet of Bhakti (love and devotion for the One God:
the Beloved Lord);

*a teacher of Eastern mysticism;

*peace maker between Hindu's and Muslims;

*a social reformer in India who denounced the caste system;

*considered by many in Islam to be a Sufi, a great Master or Murshid;

*considered by Hindus to be one of India's greatest poet-mystics
and a Vaishnava;

*considered a Bhagat by the Sikhs. Many of his hymns are included in
the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh bible);

*And some Christian missionaries at first thought Kabir might have
been a Christian mystic or Gnostic due to his frequent use of the
term "Word" or "Shabd," which reminded them of the Gospel of John,
chapter one: "In the beginning was the Word...."

Kabir freely used both Hindu and Islamic names for God. He attempted
to make peace between Hindus and Muslims by pointing out that there
is not a separate God for the East and West, but one Supreme Being
for all. For Kabir, God, called "Allah" in the West (from India)
and "Hari" in the East (from Mecca), can be experienced directly in a
rapturous meditative state of Love, Bliss, Visions of Light, Heavenly
Sound -- a total oneness of soul and God in the Eternal Ocean of
Love.

Truly, Kabir has uplifted the destiny of the world, was a river from
the Ocean of Grace that brought love and life to many souls in this
Kali Yuga.

Kabir's spirituality was a blend of Prem and Bhakti (love and
devotion for the Beloved) as well as Surat Shabd Yoga (mystical
experience of union with the Word).

Kabir is considered by many to be one of India's greatest poet-
mystics and devotees to the one God. The following represents
selections from, "Songs of Kabir," translated by Rabindranath Tagore,
Samuel Weiser Books, York Beach, Maine; also from: "A Weaver Named
Kabir," Charlotte Vaudeville, Oxford University Press.

The Hindu says Raam is supreme, the Muslim, Rahim;
Both die fighting each other neither knowing the Truth.
_____

Worlds pass away reading scriptures none the wiser;
He who understands the word 'Love' is the wise one.
_____

The effulgence of the Supreme Being is beyond the imagination;
Ineffable is His beauty, to see it is the only proof.
_____

How could the love between Thee and me sever?
As the leaf of the water abides on the water:
so Thou art my Lord, and I am Thy servant.
As the night-bird Chakor gazes all night at the moon:
so Thou art my lord and I am Thy servant.
From the beginning until the ending of time,
there is love between Thee and me;
and how shall such love be extinguished?
Kabir says: "As the river enters into the ocean,
so my heart touches Thee".
_____

O servant, where dost thou seek Me? Lo! I am beside thee.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque: I am neither in Kaaba nor in
Kailash:
Neither am I in rites and ceremonies, nor in Yoga and renunciation.
If thou art a true seeker, thou shalt at once see Me: thou shalt meet
Me in a moment of time.
Kabir says, "O Sadhu! God is the breath of all breath."
_____

The Lord is in me, the Lord is in you, as life is in every seed.
O servant! Put false pride away, and seek for Him within you.
A million suns are ablaze with Light, The sea of blue spreads in the
Sky,
The fever of life is stilled, and all stains are washed away; when I
sit in
the midst of that World.
_____

Hark to the unstruck bells and drums! Take your delight in love!
Rains pour down without water, and the rivers are Streams of Light.
One Love it is that pervades the whole world, few there are who know
it fully:
They are blind who hope to see by the light of reason, that reason
which is the cause of separation --
The House of Reason is very far away! How blessed is Kabir, that
amidst this
great joy he sings within his own vessel.
It is the Music of the meeting of the soul with soul;
It is the Music of the forgetting of sorrows;
It is the Music that transcends all coming in and all going forth.
_____

Tell me, O brother, on what prop does the sky rest?
Happy is he who has pierced the Mystery!

On that canopy of the sky, stars appear:
Who is the clever artist who painted them?

Him whom you seek is not up there --
He has His dwelling in Immortality.
Says Kabir,
He alone will know Him who has Ram [God] in his heart
and Raam on his lips.

That which pervades the universe lies within the body:
He who searches will find it there:
Says Kabir: THERE is the Supreme Reality which the Perfect Guru
reveals.

Your God dwells within you like fragrance in the flower;
musk lies within the deer yet she seeks it afar.
_________________________________________________________________

Recommend Books on Kabir:
. "The Bijak of Guru Kabir," Dr. Jagessar Das, The Kabir Association
of Canada;
. "Lord Kabir," Sharan Mahotra, SK Publications, 4S 175 Naperville
Rd, Naperville, IL 60563;
. "A Weaver Named Kabir," Charlotte Vaudeville, Oxford University
Press;
. "Kabir Sakhi - Spiritual Gems of Kabir," Jagdish Das Shastri, Kabir
Association;
. "The Kabir Book," Robert Bly, Beacon Press;
. "Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth," Nirmal Das, SUNY Press, NY;
. "Songs of Kabir", Rabindranath Tagore, Samuel Weiser Books;
NOTE: Songs of Kabir by Tagore is now online:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sok/index.htm
. "Praises to a Formless God," David Lorenzen, SUNY Press, NY
. "Kabir - The Weaver of God's Name," Radha Soami Books;
_________________________________________________________________

The Jewel Lost in the Mud: Jewel=Pearl of Great Price=the Soul
__________________________________________________________________

When the pearl is cast down into the mud, it becomes greatly
despised, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil will it become more
precious. But it always has value in the eyes of its owner. Compare
the children of God: wherever they may be, they still have value in
the eyes of their Father. (Gospel of Philip, Nag Hammadi Library)
__________________________________________________________________

The Jewel Lost in the Mud

The jewel is lost in the mud,
and all are seeking for it;
Some look for it in the east,
and some in the west;
some in the water
and some amongst stones.
But the servant Kabir
has appraised it at its true value,
and has wrapped it with care
in the mantle of his heart.

-- Kabir, Tagore translation, "Songs of Kabir"

BHAJAN

sadguru piya mori ranga de chunariya...Ch.
ap rango chahe mol manga doh, prem nagar ki lagi hai bajariya --
lal na rangiyo pili na rangiyo, aisi rango jaisi swami ki pagariya --
dhoi dhoi hari ranga nahi chhutai, dhobi dhoye chahe sari umariya --
dharamdas ki araj gusainyi, pahir ke jaihon guru ki sejariya –

Meaning:

O my beloved Satguru!  Please colour my clothes;
Either you colour it yourself, or have it done at a price,
The bazaar of the city of love is being held;
Please do not colour it red nor colour it yellow,
But colour it in the colour of my master's turban;
Let the colour not fade after washing again and again,
Even if the washerman washes it for his whole life;
Dharmdas makes this request of you, O master,
I need to wear it to go to the bed of my Master.

Commentary:

A humble devotee wants to be as close to God as possible. In this
bhajan Dharam Dass is requesting of his Guru, Satguru Kabir, to
colour his clothing in the colour of his master's turban. This is
symbolic of the soul wanting to be "coloured" in the colour
of God.

Once obtaining that colour, it must not fade. Devotion and love of
God must never diminish. The city of love is the Divine Abode, a
state of God Realization. The bazaar is the meeting place of souls
aspiring to obtain the spiritual wealth of God, just as in a bazaar
shoppers obtain material goods. A soul deeply in love with God
thinks of itself as the bride who longs to go to her beloved
husband. This symbology is common in mystic poetry.

-- Dr. Das, Kabir Voice newsletter, Kabir Association

Kabir, Mystic Poetry: Book Review: The Nirmal Dass Translation

"Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth" makes available the Kabir
material from the Sikh Gurbani (Adi Granth) in one volume. It's a
very nice translation and it also lets the reader see all the
various names for God that Kabir used in his devotional hymns: Ram,
Hari, Gopal, Gobind, Allah and many more. I'm glad that, instead of
translating these names all as 'God', Nirmal Dass let's us see the
many names for God that Kabir used -- many names for the One God
(Iik Ong Kaar/Ekongkar/Ekankar).

In the second raga below, Kabir describes some of the inner stages
and experiences of Sant Mat Mysticism: the 'moon', 'sun', 'western
door', 'window', and 'tenth door'. After one reaches the third or
single eye, it is possible to see the inner moon, sun and sky, and
many other stages beyond with "no limits, no boundaries" in inner
space.

Kabir's path is one of devotion (prem and bhakti) and mystical
experiences of Love, bliss, Light, and Sound -- in other words,
Surat Shabd Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Ram is everywhere, in this
creation and in all the other planes or heavens of creation as well.
Says Guru Kabir: "Everywhere I look I see Ram."

The bottom line for Kabir is to experience union with God now and
not rely on this happening by itself in some future reincarnation or
afterlife only. For Kabir, NOW is the time for jiva mukti, salvation
or enlightenment. Now is the time to experience the Timeless (Akal)
Supreme Being in the Anurag Sagar (Ocean of Love). The human form is
a precious Gift. This present moment is the perfect opportunity to
experience the Beloved. Kabir says: "What is known now is known
then." If we are attached to the Beloved now, then we know that we
will continue to be in the arms of the Beloved in the other world as
well. Kabir says: "Now is your chance. Now it's your turn. Look
inside your heart and meditate."

In the Name of Ram,

James Bean
Kabir at Yahoo Groups

Kabir, from Raga Bhairo

9:
Serve the Guru and be devoted:
Put human birth to good use.
Even gods yearn for human shape --
serve Hari through this body.

Praise Gobind. Forget Him not:
That's the advantage of human birth. (Pause)

Before old age stains you,
before death clutches your body,
before your tongue stutters,
praise, 0 my soul, Sarangpani.

Worship him now, not later, 0 my brother.
The end comes-you can't do it then.
Now is the time for everything --
or you'll regret not crossing over.

He teaches service to His slaves:
And So they find Niranjan Deva.
Meet the Guru, and the gates will open:
You shall never be in the womb again.

Now is your chance. Now it's your turn.
Look inside your heart and meditate.
Kabir says, "Whether you win or lose,
I called out, I called out to you so many times."

10:
Real wisdom is Shiva's city.
Gather there and meditate.
You will understand this life and the next;
no one dies in self-pride there.

I am thinking about my abode there:
Raja Ram is my theology. (Pause)

By the Source's root is my abode:
I place the moon above the sun.
The sun is fiery by the western door;
the Meru-sceptred One is above me.

The western door has a threshold;
above the threshold is a window.
Above the window is the Tenth Door.
Kabir says, "It has no limits, no boundaries."

-- Guru Kabir Sahib,
Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth,
translated by Nirmal Dass,
SUNY Press, NY,
ISBN 0-7914-0561-3

A Prayer

The following prayer is called the "Prarthana-panchak se" by
Ramesvarananda Saheb, a Guru in the lineage of Kabir. It was
translated in David Lorenzen's book, "Praises to a Formless God",
SUNY Press, NY.

O Gurudev, give me peace, Give
worthy feelings, worthy intelligence.
Give mutual cooperation.
Give purity to my heart.
Let there be pure feelings in my mind.
Let there be pure conduct by my body.
May my speech be free of falsity and slander.
May the sentiment of devotion increase.

May my thoughts not be agitated
by the ripening of innate karma.
May my body and mind be healthy,
may my worship be free of obstacles.
May I remain in the presence of Saints
and be filled with the sentiment of devotion.
May I swim across the ocean of samsara, the ocean
filled with passion, hate, change and fear.

Let there be neglect for wicked persons
and compassion for the destitute,
Happiness among those of good conduct
and friendship with good people.
May buffoonery cease and may we delight
in the words that lead across samsara.
May we be merry in the study of wisdom;
may we keep our minds under control.

May we have hope of refuge with the Satguru,
may we have no fear of lust and other vices.
May we ever yearn for self-awakening
and have faith the the words of revelation.
May the darkness of ignorance be destroyed;
may the lamp of knowledge be lit.
May the law of death be forgotten,
and immortality be expanded.

May there be no harm done to living beings
through my words or my actions.
May I never feel the least attachment
to the objects of my senses.
May there always be happiness
and the absence of desire.
May there be an end to the power of samsara,
and a beginning to the knowledge of God.

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"This human form has come into your possession. It is your
opportunity to realize the One who sustains the universe." Guru
Arjun}

Remember Ram (God)

By the Source's root is my abode:
I place the moon above the sun.
The sun is fiery by the western door;
the Meru-sceptred One is above me.

The western door has a threshold;
above the threshold is a window.
Above the window is the Tenth Door.
Kabir says, "It has no limits, no boundaries."
_____

Praise Gobind [God]. Forget Him not:
That's the advantage of human birth. (Pause)

Before old age stains you,
before death clutches your body,
before your tongue stutters,
praise, 0 my soul, Sarangpani.

Worship him now, not later, 0 my brother.
The end comes-you can't do it then.
Now is the time for everything --
or you'll regret not crossing over.
_____

Creation is a huge painting --
forget this painting; think of the Painter:
This painting is beautiful -- that's the problem:
Forget the painting; think of the Painter.

May I see You with my eyes,
hear Your name
with my own ears.
Speak Your name
in my words, O Lord;
rest Your flower-like feet
on my heart.

Kabir says, "Listen, O mortal,
put aside all doubts in your heart.
Repeat only His name,
and enter His shelter."

There is no salvation
without Ram's name.
Those who want to solve the riddle
will know all if they repeat 'Ram.'

If Hari is merciful
He will place love in your heart,
and you shall obtain
the fruit of His name.
By the guru's grace
you will find Hari's treasure,
which will go with you
even in the end.

Kabir says,
"Nothing is of use to me:
Ram's name is wealth enough
for my soul."

Remember Ram, remember Ram,
remember Ram, O soul:
So many have drowned
without remembering Ram's name.

If Hari is merciful,
then I shall unite
with Him,
by my guru's grace.

If you are dead,
though you live --
you shall live when you die:
Never again will you be reborn.
Kabir says,
"Those who are steeped in His Name --
their love will blend
with the infinite Silence."

Wherever you go,
you shall find solace --
and maya will never trip you up.
Kabir says,
"My heart is happy,
ever since it was absorbed
into love
for Ram."

Love for Gobind scattered my doubts
about birth and death.
I have blended into eternal Silence,
though I am still alive.

I have come to know
my own reality.
My light has blended with Light.
Kabir says,
"I understand finally:
My heart has blended with Gobind."

I now recognize
the One in all beings --
there's no need to quarrel.
Kabir says,
"I have found God, the complete:
Ram has been merciful to me."
_____

Gone is my fear of death and rebirth:
He has shown me solace in His own time.

Light awakens; darkness is erased.
Meditation has given me Ram's gem. (Rest)

Bliss reigns, sorrow is so distant:
The heart encloses the jewel of love.

Whatever happened, happened because of You:
Those who realize this blend with the Infinite.

Kabir says, "Sin is humbled:
My heart has merged with Jagjivan."
_____

If Allah lives in a mosque,
to whom belongs the rest of the land?
Hindus say His name dwells in an idol:
I see the truth in neither.

Allah, Ram, I live by Your name.
Be merciful, 0 Sain. (Rest)

The south is Hari's abode; Allah's camp
is in the west. Look inside your own heart --
inside your heart of hearts -- there is His abode, His camp.

Brahmins fast twice a month twenty-four times;
qazis fast in the month of Ramadan:
Neglecting the remaining eleven months,
they search for treasure in one month.

Why go and bathe in Orissa?
Why pray and go on a hajj to the Ka'aba.

All these men and women --
they are Your forms.
Kabir is the infant of Ram-Allah;
everyone is my guru, my pir.

Kabir says, "Listen, 0 men and women,
seek only one shelter:
Repeat His name, 0 mortals.
Only then will you swim across."
_____

In the beginning
was Allah's radiance;
all souls are His creation.
From this radiance was born the Word --
who can ever turn good into evil?

0 mortals, 0 my brothers,
do not be mistaken:
The Creator is in the creation;
the creation is in the Creator.
He is everywhere. (Rest)

The sole True One is in everything;
everything is His creation.
Only they who recognize His command,
and know Him to be the true One
will be called His servants.

The indescribable Allah
is beyond words.
Kabir says, "My doubt has vanished:
I see Niranjan in all."

-- Sant Kabir, Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth, translated by
Nirmal Dass, SUNY Press, NY, ISBN 0-7914-0561-3

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"This human form has come into your possession. It is your
opportunity to realize the One who sustains the universe." Guru Arjun}

Path of the Masters, Part 7: I Remember Now!
__________________________________________________________________

The Coming of Kabir Sahib to Earth from Sat Lok [True Realm] to
Initiate Dharam Das Ji

Satpurush said:
"...He went, but has not come back to the Country of Peace, Sat
Lok.
Sukrit [Dharam Das] went into the ocean of the world, and being
trapped by Kal,
he forgot.
O Gyani [Kabir], go and awaken him so that the Path of Liberation may
continue.
In the home of Sukrit My forty-two essences will be incarnated.
O Gyani, go quickly and cut the snares of Sukrit."

Kabir said:
"Bowing my Head to Him I started and, Dharam Das, now I have
come to you.
...
You are my very dear soul about whom I worried a lot.
With the orders of Sat Purush I came to you, and made you
remember the previous things.
I gave you darshan only because of that. O Dharam Das! this
time you recognized me.
I will tell you Sat Purush's Words: 'Recognize the Shabda and
have faith.'"

Dharam Das fell at the Feet, and from his eyes the tears came.
He grew very excited and said, "O Lord, You have finished the
deception of my soul."
Even after having all this explained to him he could not calm
down. He was like a mother who, after being separated from her
child, is reunited. (The Ocean of Love - Anurag Sagar of Kabir)

After innumerable wanderings, the jiva [soul] got the noble human
form. But alas! he is smitten here by the mind and senses.

Sant Sat Guru admonishes him again and again, and reveals the Path of
the Tenth Door.

Radhasoami says, "Raise your surat [attention-faculty of the soul] to
the gate of heaven." (Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry)
__________________________________________________________________

The soul is sometimes described by Masters as a drop of water from
the divine ocean that yearns to be reunited with its Source. It wants
to go home.

The first move in that direction is to gather up what fragments of
divine energy already exist within. At birth, according to one
Radhasoami teacher, the surat that is the spiritual essence of the
jiva [soul] locates itself at a point beneath the center of the
forehead and then is diffused downward through the body. It tends to
concentrate in six internal regions, each of which has its own focal
point. These are the six chakras, "wheels" of spiritual energy that
are commonly found in hatha yoga and other traditional Indian
portrayals of the spiritual anatomy. The lowest of these is located
in the bowels, the next in the genitals, and then come the centers of
the stomach, the heart, the throat, and the special one above and
between the eyes. This "eye center," as it is usually described in
Radhasoami literature, is sometimes identified with the pineal gland,
It is the point at which the Sant Mat devotee attempts, through
meditation, to concentrate the surat, the soul-consciousness that has
become diffused elsewhere throughout the body. It is from there that
the soul can flee the body into higher (though still interior)
realms.

Even if it does, however, the soul is not yet fully free. Once it has
left the body, through death or through techniques of soul projection
during its earthly life, the soul can lodge itself in other forms of
selfhood. But these ethereal bodies are also spiritually
insufficient. They are snares in the path of true spirituality, and
the soul must extricate itself from them as well. One of these forms
is called the astral and another is called causal, and the soul may
be burdened with each in turn before it can disencumber itself of the
need to be attached to any form at all and reunite with its parent
cosmic soul....

Once it has rejected the physical, spiritual and mental artifices of
Kal, the soul is ready to slough off this world and begin its ascent.
But how should it proceed? The first words in the Radhasoami answer
to that question are "not alone," for one must have a guide, a master
to beckon and befriend the soul both in the physical plane and in the
higher, interior planes. We have already seen that the Radhasoami
view of salvation requires trust in the master, and now we can see
why: the passage out of the material realm requires a master skill in
navigation, for the deceptions of Kal make an independent voyage
virtually impossible. As one Radhasoami writer puts it, the
master "steers [the soul] safely from plane to plane and explains
on the way. . . the dangers of the unknown." In time, master and soul
become "joyful riders together" through cosmic seas.

(Radhasoami Reality, Mark Juergensmeyer, Princeton University Press)

Sakhis of Kabir -- Mystic Verses and Notes

.......For those with more of a heart for poetry and devotion
(bhakti) than things esoteric. Actually, in this case, both the
poetic and the noetic are together as one, for Kabir's poetry is both
Bhakti as well as Surat Shabd Yoga -- a mysticism of merging with his
Divine Beloved.

James
Sant Mat Fellowship

The Experience

When I was, Hari [God] was not,
and now Hari is and I am no more:
All darkness vanished,
when I saw the Lamp within my heart.

The effulgence of the Supreme Being
is beyond the imagination:
Ineffable is His beauty,
to see it is the only proof.1

It was a good thing the hail fell on the ground,
for it lost its own selfhood:
Melting, it turned into water
and rolled down to the pond.2

Him whom I went out to seek,
I found just where I was:
He now has become myself
whom before I called 'Another!'

In the Unattainable, the Inaccessible,
there shines the Light.3
There Kabir has brought his homage
where 'merits' and 'sins' cannot reach.

The bird has flown to the Sky
while its body remained in a strange land.4
There, the bird drinks without a beak
and has forgotten this country.

Love lit up the cage, 5
an eternal Flame sprang up, 6
Doubt vanished, joy awoke,
when I met my Beloved Spouse.

My mind entered the unmani stage,
heaven was scaled:
Where moonlight shines without a moon,
there dwells Niranjan, the invisible King!

-- Kabir, "Kabir" Volume One, Charlotte Vaudeville, Oxford University
Press
_____
NOTES (from the translator, Charlotte Vaudeville):

1): The only acceptable proof or evidence is direct vision.
2): Hail, to which is soul is here compared, is really noting but
water (i.e. the One Reality, God); once it has fallen on the ground,
i.e. once the soul was incarnate in the human body, through the
Experience, it lost the consciousness of its own falsely assumed
identity and was reabsorbed into the One.
3): "Light" or "Jyoti" here refers to the Divine Light which the
Quran calls "Nur:" "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth."
4): The liberation of the soul (the "bird") through mystical
Experience is expressed here in terms alluding to the Tantric
sadhana. The "bird" which has flown to the "Sky" has taken the place
of the kundalini-sakti which rises along the susumma nadi up to the
mystic "Sky", known as gagana-mandala and situated within the skull:
through this process, the Yogi reaches the supreme stage of sahaja,
and becomes totally estranged from the samsara: only the appearance
of his body remains "in a foreign land," i.e. in the world. (Many
Nath Yogi terms are used by Kabir.)
5): The "cage" of the body.
6): The Light of spiritual awareness.

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"This human form has come into your possession. It is your
opportunity to realize the One who sustains the universe." Arjun Dev}

The Resident of the Heart (Soul)

Selections from "The Bijak of Kabir Sahib with the Commentary
Bijakartha Prabodhini," by Hajura 1008 Sri Prakasamaninama Sahib,
published by Kabir Ashram, Jamnagar, India:

That Sentient God, called Ram, who moves in all the embodied beings
generally and who dwells in the heart (soul), is the only Highest
Essence while all this phenomenal world is unreal. Due to lack of
awareness, God seems very far.

Emancipation is not possible without knowing one's self and Hari
(God). The real preceptors (Satgurus) have been pointing the way to
meet the real Master for ages, but few listen to them.

The unaware, wandering frequently, run into all the ten directions of
the earth in search of emancipation. They have unsteady
concentration. Hence, their vitalizing (life-reviving) medicine in
the form of Ram [God] and emancipation are not available. If the mind
is steady, emancipation is a certainty.

If the individual soul (hansa, jiva-atma) starts a playful walk
towards the eastern direction of the body which is the Third Eye
Center, the lotus of the heart, i. e., if it starts to dally inside
with bhakti (love and devotion), emancipation is the result. "Seek
within the heart, seek within the heart. This is the Key." This
direction and God are very near to each other but they are the
fortunate few who understand this inner meaning. Realize Ram as the
resident of the heart. One having realized Ram and conducting one's
self in the light of the guidance of one's teacher, does not fall
into the snare of maya.
___________________________________________________________________

Verses from Kabir:

All the men and women of the world
    are His living forms.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram:
    He is my Guru, He is my Pir.

O Satguru! You are my support! You are my only
support;

As long as I do not find You in this life, how can
I obtain peace of mind, though I search the whole
world;

When people face difficulties after difficulties, and
having wandered as if lost, they come to Your door;

Having lost everything in the world, I have been
saved by becoming Yours, O my dear Lord;

No matter how good a swimmer is, unless he takes
the help of Your refuge, he is not able to swim this
worldly ocean;

O Lord! You manifest in all the various forms, You save me
from the deep ocean of this world, as You are eternally great;

I have now come to Your refuge, please give me jiva mukti
[salvation/liberation] O Lord, by listening to the call
of this worldly traveler.

Within this earthen vessel are
bowers and groves, and within
it is the Creator:
Within this vessel are the seven oceans
and the unnumbered stars.
The touchstone and the Jewel-appraiser
are within;
And within this vessel the Eternal
soundeth, and the spring wells up.
Kabir says: "Listen to me my friend!
My Beloved Lord is within."

Kabir - Seven Hundred Sayings

There are some wonderful proverbs of KABIR found in the book, "KABIR -
  SEVEN HUNDRED SAYINGS". Here's some quotes on the back cover about
this book. Robert Bly says: "I love his poems, and are grateful every
day for their gift." Evelyn Underhill, author of the classic
textbook, "MYSTICISM": "One of the most interesting personalities in
Indian mysticism....Kabir belonged to that small group of supreme
mystics who have achieved that which we might call the vision of
God".

From the introduction, Paul Smith, the editor, says of Kabir: "Here
are wonderful words of wisdom from one of the wisest of the wise.
Here are lines of love from a Master of Divine Love, and a human
being who has lived as all human beings should live, with compassion,
honesty and courage".
______________________________________________________________________

Says Kabir, the knowers meet their heaven in one way; the not-knowers
always another law obey; the knowers who've caught the divine Light
in every corner meet His glorious sight.

The brilliant moon sits prominently at night among the planets,
boasting of her light, but, when the glorious sun awakens, see, all
the planets and the moon hide shamefully.

Look, see the sparkling jewel of God's Name [Naam], studded fast in
your heart of excited flame. The Light will spread, Light within,
without, and so He is revealed without doubt.

When our five senses and a sixth, our mind, the Pure Light of the
Eternal of the Truth do find, add last our self, and stop the
floodgates seven, death dares not stop us from gaining heaven.

Outside of your self God is not anywhere. Dig, dig inside. See: God
is there, yes, there!

Whoever goes near to man is near to God too. Who stays far, beware,
for he is far, too. Light is within, Light is without; delight the
eye feels when it perceives all-Light. Wherever I turn, right, left,
below, above, Ram [God] manifests Himself all Light, all Love.

-- Kabir, "KABIR - SEVEN HUNDRED SAYINGS", versions by Paul Smith,
New Humanity Books
______________________________________________________________________

As we've heard the Masters, Saints and Mystics of all ages proclaim,
Kabir views the human body as a kind of Temple of the Spirit, which
can be accessed by remembering, chanting, singing, thinking...the
Name of God. Kabir often laments that human beings usually do not
realize they are temples, that the divine realms are accessed from
within. Regrettably, they search for God "on the outside, amongst
stones, rituals, or up in the sky" of the physical universe, all the
while carrying the Secret around with them unknowingly.

In the Light and Sound of the Beloved,

James

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Said Satguru Kabir to Dharamdas: Give the Message of Liberation to
the souls. Those whom you find to be humble and devoted, tell them
about the Devotion of Liberation. Dharamdas, give Naam Initiation to
him who has mercy, continence, and forgiveness within him. Tell him
the Message of Sat Purush: to remain firm in the contemplation of
Naam [God's Name & the Inner Light and Sound of God] day and night.
(Anurag Sagar of Kabir, Sant Bani Books, New Hampshire)
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

[Radhasoami Reality]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RADHASOAMI-REALITY
{Radhasoami Quotes -- The Spiritual Classics of the Radhasoami Faith}

The Ocean of Love - The Anurag Sagar of Kabir, Part One

                        I. Prologue

		        INVOCATION

SATYA SUKRIT, ADI ADLI, AJAR: ACHINT PURUSH, MANINDER, KARUNAMAI,
KABIR, SURTI YOG SANTAYAN, DHANI DHARAM DAS, CHUDAMANI NAAM, SUDARSHAN
NAAM, KULPATI NAAM, PRAMODH GURU BALA PIR, KEWAL NAAM, AMOL NAAM,
SURAT SUNCHI NAAM, HAKK NAAM, PAK NAAM, PRAGAT NAAM, DHIRAJ NAAM, UGRA
NAAM, GRACE OF GOD, THE GRACE OF THE LINEAGE OF FORTY-TWO
INCARNATIONS.


	  	  MANGLACHARAN: HYMN OF GOD'S GRACE

First of all I salute the Satguru, Who showed me the Inconceivable God
Who, lighting the lamp of the Master's Knowledge and opening the veil,
made me have His darshan. With Master's grace I have achieved Him, to
achieve Whom, scholars worked very hard. His form cannot be described;
His soul is the nectar in which I have absorbed myself.

[Note: INVOCATION  The names listed here after Dharam Das and
Chudamani are the names of their successors in the Kabir-panth
line...]

[Note: SATGURU  Master of Truth or True Master. Exoterically, it
refers to any Master, such as Kabir, who has descended from the fifth
plane or Sat Lok, or who has merged with the Positive Power or Sat
Purush. In this sense it is used throughout the Anurag Sagar as a
synonym for Kabir. Esoterically, it refers to the Master Power
manifesting on the level of Sat Purush, as distinguished from the
same Power manifesting on the lower inner planes as the Radiant Form
or Gurudev, and on the physical plane as the Guru....]

[Note: INCONCEIVABLE GOD  Agam Purush. Refers specifically to the
seventh inner plane, the first (partial) expression of the Absolute
God or Anami.]

[Note: DARSHAN  To have a look at, or to get a glimpse of, someone --
usually someone holy. The darshan of a genuine Master is in itself a
valuable spiritual practice.]


Gurudev is Perfect

The Master is an Ocean of Grace, He showers grace on the miserable
ones. Rare are those who know His secret: He manifests Himself in
those who recognize Him.
Who deserves it?

                                HYMN

Only the connoisseur, who will test the Shabda
And listen to the teachings with full attention
And within whom these teachings will dwell, only he will understand
     this.

He within whom the Sun of Knowledge will manifest and remove
     the darkness of attachment -- only he will understand this.
I am telling you this Anurag Sagar (Ocean of Love) -- only rare
     saints will understand.
Without love one cannot achieve it

                               COUPLET

Any learned saint who thinks over my words and has love in his heart
     will achieve Nirvana.

-- The Ocean of Love - The Anurag Sagar of Kabir, Sant Bani Books

Kabir!

When I am parted from my
Beloved, my heart is full of
misery: I have no comfort in the
day, I have no sleep in the night.
To whom shall I tell my sorrow?
The night is dark; the hours slip by.
Because my Lord is absent, I start
up and tremble with fear.
Kabir says: "Listen, my friend! there
is no other satisfaction, save in the
encounter with the Beloved."
_____

The flute of the Infinite is played
without ceasing, and its sound is
love:
When love renounces all limits, it
reaches truth.
How widely the fragrance spreads! It
has no end, nothing stands in its
way.
The form of this melody is bright like
a million suns: incomparably
sounds the vina*, the vina of the
notes of truth.

[*A vina is a somewhat sitar-like sounding
instrument used in Indian classical ragas,
and is believed to be a very sacred sound.]
_____

The Lord is in me, the Lord is in
you, as life in in every seed. O
servant! put false pride away, and
seek for Him within you.
A million suns are ablaze with Light,
The sea of blue spreads in the Sky,
The fever of life is stilled, and all stains
are washed away; when I sit in
the midst of that World.

Hark to the unstruck bells and drums!
Take your delight in love!
Rains pour down without water, and
the rivers are Streams of Light.
One Love it is that pervades the whole
world, few there are who know it
fully:
They are blind who hope to see by
the light of reason, that reason
which is the cause of separation --
The House of Reason is very far away!
How blessed is Kabir, that amidst this
great joy he sings within his own
vessel.
It is the Music of the meeting of the soul
with soul;
It is the Music of the forgetting of
sorrows;
It is the Music that transcends all coming in
and all going forth.

-- "SONGS OF KABIR," Rabindranath Tagore,
Samuel Weiser Books, York Beach, Maine

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"This human form has come into your possession. It is your
opportunity to realize the One who sustains the universe." Guru Arjun}

JPG IMAGE: Swan/Soul on the Lake of Nectar (Mansarovar), Magazine
Cover, Kabir Voice:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship/files/Swan.jpg

Sri Kabir's Religion of Love, Part One

By Mahant Purushottam Das, "Kabir Voice", Kabir Association of Canada
_____________________________________________________________________

There is a vast mystical literature upon the
efficacy of the Divine Name, but the true
secret is simple. As the chaotic iron filings
pattern themselves spontaneously in the mere
presence of the magnet, the Divine Name becomes
a constant inward speech until it conquers the heart.

-- Mahant Purushottam Das
_____________________________________________________________________

Pure is he who sings
the praise of Ram, the pure:
He is a true devotee
and dear to my soul.

To those devotees
who invoke the Name of Ram,
To those whose bodies
overflow with Ram's Presence,
May I be the dust
of their feet.

With your tongue
and with your mind,
repeat the Name of God.

-- Sri Kabir
_____________________________________________________________________

Sri Kabir of India called God by many names: Vishnu, Hari, Rama,
Sarangapani, Narayana, Vithala, Krishna Govinda and Mukunda. But for
him Ram and Allah are both names of one and the same God. He is
attributeless and formless (Nirguna-Nirankar), is neither born nor
dies nor suffers, he is neither in saligrams (holy stones) found in
the Gandak river, nor in the idol at Jagannath Puri. It is therefore
no wonder that Moshin Fani and Abul Fazl considered him to be a
Muwahid (a believer in one God), and the Sikhs think of him as a
great bhakta (devotee, saint).

Sri Kabir's teachings condemned rituals and caste, opposed asceticism
and laid great emphasis on the religion of love. He called men away
from a dogmatic religion, to something more inward and spiritual, and
directed their labors likewise to break up the excessive esteem of
outward sacraments and ceremonies. Sri Kabir continued the zeal of
the transformer with the humility of a devotee. He regarded the
spiritual basis of Hinduism and Islam as one, and was revolted by the
superstructures of dogma. Sri Kabir was the embodiment of simplicity,
and advocated a universal religion to which no Hindu, Muslim or even
Christian could make objection. He denied uncompromisingly the Hindu
worship of idols, ceremonial rituals, and caste on the one hand, and
on the other the Muslim trust in Prophet Mohammed as the "last"
Prophet, his Book, animal sacrifice, pilgrimage and fasts. He
repeatedly pointed out that we all worship the same God, though the
appellations may be different.

Sri Kabir preached the inner life which he had himself experienced.
His path was that of Naam-Jap-Yoga, that is the repetition (Sumiran)
of the Lord's Name with great love and devotion. He argued that the
mind can create beliefs, dogmas and speculations without end. The
Mind can forge gods or one God, but it cannot unveil Reality. Thought
cannot uncover Reality, because it deals merely with relativity. Even
an epistemological analysis destroys the objective reality of the
world experience, and points to a state of Pure Being which is the
support and substance in the sense in which Spinoza employed that
word of the phenomenal flux. We can also for instance quote E. Kant,
the German philosopher, who never doubted or denied the objective
truth of the Noumenon (the thing in itself) though he affirmed that
our experience of it is always mental. Sri Kabir was emphatic on this
aspect of the mind. The ego is cunning and persistent in wanting to
experience the real. To attain pristine peace, the mind must fall
silent, the ego must dissolve. No amount of mortification or penance
will quell the mind. It will result only in partial subjugation.
Surrender, devotion in mind, body and speech (manasa-vacha-karmana)
with the intermittent repetition of the Lord's name, is one of the
most powerful solvents for dissolving the ego. There is a vast
mystical literature upon the efficacy of the Divine Name, but the
true secret is simple. As the chaotic iron filings pattern themselves
spontaneously in the mere presence of the magnet, the Divine Name
becomes a constant inward speech until it conquers the heart. To Sri
Kabir this itself is the meditation of being, or at least the other
courtyard of the shrine. He was however against any "sad mechanical
exercise". He stressed that the Name must be taken with feeling, and
must be constantly with man coloring his days and nights. The
repetition must become the life, not an exercise for one hour of the
day. Ultimately, other thoughts cease to distract, all other
interests but the remembrance of the Lord's Name, fall away from the
seeker. This leads to great peace and happiness.

The name of the Lord is to be obtained through initiation from a
qualified Guru. Initiation, which is one of the core processes of all
esoteric paths, is the medium through which the individual soul
(jivatma) learns to transcend the fetters of space, time and
causation, and gets transformed into the Noumenal world of the
Paramatman. The Guru who initiates, is the one who is himself firmly
established in the Noumenal experience. ///// [To be continued.....]

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"This human form has come into your possession. It is your
opportunity to realize the One who sustains the universe." Guru Arjun}

From: "The Yoga of Love -- Becoming a Lover of the Beloved",
By James Bean, Copyright March 1998

Most of the great Saints and Mystics of history have also been poets
or composers of hymns, psalms, odes, banis, bhajans -- mystic songs of
love and devotion.

India's Saints of Love for thousands of years now have composed their
own devotional hymns and poems. India's Mystics have left behind an
immense treasure of devotional literature, the scriptures of Sant
Mat. If Westerners aren't able to sing these hymns in their original
languages, reading translations of them is in itself a spiritual
exercise of great benefit, for these beautiful words carry a loving
spiritual charge that helps to keep one mindful of the spiritual
Path, as well as it helps to prepare one for daily meditation
practice. Babuji Maharaj of Agra used to advise his followers to
recite several hymns a day, prescribing certain hymns of Swami Ji
Maharaj and Rai Saligram (his Master) "to be chanted in the morning,
before meals, and before going to bed at night." To be sure, it is
indeed extremely helpful to read a couple of hymns or poems of the
Saints each day. For access to a big collection of hymns of the
Saints online, see: http://www.sikhs.org   Also, the message archive
area of Sant Mat Fellowship is a library of Sant Mat literature,
providing samples from the writings of many Sants, Sufis and
Gnostics -- the lovers of the Beloved -- the Friends of God, past and
present:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship/messages

Traditionally in India the Saints and Masters have also used hymns and
mystical poetry as a way to COMMUNICATE THEIR TEACHINGS to the people
-- communicating the truths of the Saints directly to the hearts of
those who listen. "Govinda [God] says, 'I go wherever devotees sing
my praise.'" (Garab Das) That quote from Sant Garab Das very much
reminds me of a passage from the Hebrew Book of Psalms, "God inhabits
the praises of His people."

This is a translation of a hymn (shabd) by the 19th century Mystic
Tulsi Sahib titled, "Shabd surat jin ki mili":

Whose soul is attached to the Word, revels
ever in cosmic flight;
Revels ever in cosmic flight, and realizing the
Lord, plays with Him.
The mystery of the Inaccessible and the secret
of the scriptures he unravels:
He reaches his Home within and its Essence
he comes to know;
In the lotus feet of the Beloved he sees
his true destination.
The happily married woman rejoices with her
Spouse every moment, O Tulsi,
For her soul is attached to the Word, and
revels ever in cosmic flight.

The compositions of Tulsi Sahib are bhakti (devotional) in tone, and
at the same time allude to the mystical experiences of the soul
achieving cosmic flight by becoming attached to the Word -- hearing
the Celestial Music of the Spheres during meditation. Through the
divine Word the mystery of the Inaccessible Plane (called by
Mystics "Agam Lok") is made accessible. Shri Tulsi described his
experience of the Beloved Lord as a marriage consummated in mystical
union. This merger of lover and Beloved is the final destination of
lovers. Dadu, a Master in the Kabir lineage said of this oneness:

The lover is converted into the Beloved. That indeed
is called true love.
Forgetting his own ego, he remains
absorbed in the One.

In their hymns, the Masters of Bhakti and Shabd Meditation sing of
the power that the Spirit of Love has to transport souls back to the
original Home of all souls -- the Ocean of Love and Compassion
(Anurag Sagar). By approaching spiritual practice with love, we will
be elevated in spirit to places beyond our wildest dreams! And for
those who are skeptical of their own ability to experience the Way of
the Saints, Swami Ji Maharaj said in one of his hymns:

It does not matter if your bhakti is imperfect.
Perform bhakti! Radhasoami [the Lord of the Soul]
graciously declares that you should perform bhakti
in whichever way you can. Fear not. He will grant
you the Treasure of Love. You will be a recipient
of the Gift of Love. ("Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry," Vol. II)

Here's a poem by the 16th century Mystic Dadu who outlined the Sant
Mat vision of the spiritual life to be pursued during our time on
Earth:

Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers and
take the route of the anguished lover in separation.
Keep the Master's grace in your thoughts, and reflect
on his pure teachings. Develop love and devotion with
endearment, and keep the thought of the Creator always
before you. Try to merge yourself into God like water
in water. Fix your mind within by following the Path
of the Sound Current. A yearning will arise; make then
an intense and anguished call. Repeat the Name of your
Beloved, day and night, again and again. With care in
thought, word and deed, you will cross to the other shore.

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"We came into the world for this purpose --
That we might show God to His creatures." -- Kamal, son of Kabir}

Bly--Kabir Week, Part Two

The Kabir Book -- Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir, Robert
Bly, Beacon Press:

The small ruby everyone wants has fallen out on
the road.
Some think it is east of us, others west of us.

Some say, 'among primitive earth rocks,' others, 'in
the deep waters.'

Kabir's instinct told him it was inside, and what it
was worth,
and he wrapped it up carefully in his heart cloth.
_____

Have you heard the Music that no fingers
enter into?
Far inside the house
entangled Music --
What is the sense of leaving your house?

Suppose you scrub your ethical skin until it shines,
but inside there is no Music,
then what?

Mohammed's son pores over words, and points out
this
and that,
but if his chest is not soaked dark with love,
then what?

The Yogi comes along in his famous orange.
But if inside he is colorless, then what?

Kabir says: Every instant that the sun is risen,
if I stand in the temple, or on a balcony,
in the hot fields, or in a walled garden,
my own Lord is making love with me.
_____

The Guest is inside you, and also inside me;
you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling; none of us has gone far.
Let your arrogance go, and look around inside.

The blue sky opens out farther and farther,
the daily sense of failure goes away,
the damage I have done to myself fades,
a million suns come forward with Light,
when I sit firmly in that world.

I hear bells ringing that no one has shaken,
inside "love" there is more joy than we know of,
rain pours down, although the sky is clear of clouds,
there are whole rivers of Light.
The universe is shot through in all parts by a single
sort of love.
How hard it is to feel that joy in all our four bodies!

Those who hope to be reasonable about it fail.
The arrogance of reason has separated us from that love.
With the word "reason" you already feel miles away.

How lucky Kabir is, that surrounded by all this joy
he sings inside his own little boat.
His poems amount to one soul meeting another.
These songs are about forgetting dying and loss.
They rise above both coming in and going out.
_____

Listen friend, this body is his dulcimer.
He draws the strings tight, and out of it comes
the Music of the inner universe.
If the strings break and the bridge falls,
then this dulcimer of dust goes back to dust.

Kabir says: The Holy One is the only one who can
draw Music from it.
_____

The flute of interior time is played whether we
hear it or not,
What we mean by "love" is its Sound coming in.
When love hits the farthest edge of excess, it reaches
a wisdom.
And the fragrance of that knowledge!
It penetrates our thick bodies, it goes through walls --
Its network of notes has a structure as if a million
suns were arranged inside.
This tune has truth in it.
Where else have you heard a Sound like this?

[Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"We came into the world for this purpose --
That we might show God to His creatures." -- Kamal, son of Kabir}

Bly--Kabir Week, Part One

Poems This Week from Robert Bly's Kabir Book!
___________________________________________________________________

Audio/Visual Kabir to Compliment This Weeks Series of Bly--Kabir Posts

JPG: Picture of "The Kabir Book":
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship/files/kably

APPLET: Kabir Lake of Nectar -- Sant Mat Fellowship Applet:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship/files/KabApp.jpg

REAL AUDIO: Poetry: Robert Bly Reading a Couple of Kabir Poems
Accompanied with Sitar and Tablas:
http://www.vix.com/menmag/poemkabi.ra

REAL AUDIO: World Music: A Traditional Bhajan (Hymn) of Kabir:
http://osl.cs.uiuc.edu/~jamali/sindh/res/audio/links/mohan4.ram
___________________________________________________________________

The Kabir Book -- Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir, Robert
Bly, Beacon Press:

Few major achievements of world literature are as little known to
Americans as the great ecstatic poetry of the Hindus and the Sufis,
as exemplified by the work of the 15th-century Master, Kabir.

Irreverent while being intensely religious, Kabir seems incredibly
playful in his taunting of the sacred dogmas of his time -- to
readers accustomed to the solemnity and ideological fidelity of most
Western religious poems. Kabir has been translated into English only
once before, by Rabindranath Tagore and Evelyn Underhill.***
Unfortunately, Tagore's Victorian English was simply not equal to
Kabir's directness, spontaneity, and irreverent humor. Working from
the Tagore-Underhill translation, Bly has done much more than
retranslate into American diction. A noted poet himself, he has
breathed new life into the work of a fascinating poet.

***NOTE: Much has changed since 1971 when Bly's Kabir Book was first
published. Now there are scores of translations of Kabir poems in
English. Like Rumi, Kabir has started to become known to many
spiritual seekers and devotees in the West.

Selections from "The Kabir Book" -- Kabir Says:

Friend, wake up! Why do you go on sleeping?
The night is over -- do you want to lose the day
the same way?
Other women who managed to get up early have
already found an elephant or a jewel. . . .
So much was lost already while you slept. . .
and that was so unnecessary!

The one who loves you understood, but you did not.
You forgot to make a place in your bed next to you.
Instead you spent your life playing.
In your twenties you did not grow
because you did not know who your Lord was.
Wake up! Wake up! There's no one in your bed --
He left you during the long night.

Kabir says: The only woman awake is the woman
who has heard the flute!
_____

My inside, listen to me, the Greatest Spirit,
the Teacher, is near,
wake up, wake up!

Run to his feet --
he is standing close to your head right now.

You have slept for millions and millions of years.
Why not wake up this morning?
_____

Swan, I'd like you to tell me your whole story!
Where you first appeared, and what dark sand
you are going toward,
and where you sleep at night,
and what you are looking for. . . .

It's morning, swan, wake up, climb in the air, follow me!
I know of a country that spiritual flatness does not
control, nor constant depression,
and those alive are not afraid to die.
There wildflowers come up through the leafy floor,
and the fragrance of "I am He" [Ana HU] floats on the wind.
There the bee of the heart stays deep inside the
flower,
and cares for no other thing.
_____

From: [Sant Mat Fellowship]:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santmatfellowship
{"We came into the world for this purpose -- That we might show God
to His creatures." -- Kamal, son of Kabir}

JPG Image: Great Painting of Kabir: The Book Cover of "Kabir -- The
Weaver of God's Name," V.K. Sethi, RS Books:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sant_Mat_Fellowship_AV/files/rska

Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth, Part Four

Meditation leads to salvation's door:
Go to heaven --
why go back to the world?
In the house of the fearless One,
where music, unstruck, sounds,
you shall play trumpets.

Meditate upon Him in your heart.
Without meditation there is no salvation.

Unfettered meditation
brings salvation:
Your heavy load is taken off.
Welcome Him in your heart,
so you will not be born
again and again [reincarnate].

Blissful meditation
will light a lamp inside you
that does not need any oil.
This lamp will make you immortal;
this lamp will draw out the poison
of lust and anger.

Pierce this meditation
that gives you salvation,
and wear it around your neck.
Never take it off.
Meditate always:
Your guru's grace will get you across.

Meditation will free you
from dependence on others:
You will sleep on silken sheets at home.
Your heart will be at peace;
your life will blossom:
Deeply drink this meditation.

This meditation
will erase your blemishes;
you will be free from Maya's touch.
Meditate, meditate, and sing,
"Hari, Hari." You will obtain
this meditation from your true guru.

Always, always meditate day and night:
When you rise, when you lie down,
when you breathe in, when you breathe out.
Waking or sleeping,
relish the taste of meditation --
meditation will bring union.

Meditation will remove
all your burdens;
meditation upon Ram's name
will become your support.
Kabir says, "He is limitless."

-- Sant Kabir, Songs of Kabir from the Adi Granth, translated by
Nirmal Dass, SUNY Press, NY, ISBN 0-7914-0561-3

Our Reason to Be Here

We are the pearls of the shoreless ocean,
Sometimes the waves and sometimes the sea,
We came into the world for this purpose --
That we might show God to His creatures.

-- Kamal, one of Kabir's sons