Jump to content

Sahaj Marg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.108.255.48 (talk) at 22:12, 18 November 2011 (In the Spirit of accuracy). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sahaj Marg (Hindi translation, the easy or natural path), claimed to be a form of Raja Yoga,[1][2][3] beginning at step #7 of the "eightfold path" of Patanjali, is a heart-based meditation system.[4] The essential features of the Sahaj Marg system are Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer. The "cleaning" of impressions (called samskaras) results in quick progress. Meditation is on the "mere supposition of divine light" in one's heart and it is done for 30 – 60 minutes every morning. Cleaning is done to remove the accumulated grossness in oneself. It is undertaken in the evening after the day's work is over and lasts for 30 minutes. The bed time prayer is 10 minutes. Sahaj Marg claims that by investing 100 minutes a day for yourself you can change things about you and around you for the better.[5]

Practice

Sahaj Marg is offered free of charge. The Sahaj Marg (tm) system of meditation promoted by, and Trade Mark registered to, the California-1997 schism of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM-California 1997), claims the participation of over 200,000 [6] practitioners (abhyasis) in over 92 countries. The system of meditation of the break-away group, the Institute of Ramchandra Consciousness (ISRC) is called "Pranahuti Aided Meditation" or "PAM".

The daily practice of Sahaj Marg (tm) includes:

  • Morning meditation on the supposition of divine light in the heart (30–60 minutes);
  • Evening cleaning of past impressions (i.e., imagining the day's impressions are melting and evaporating out thro' one's back of the system and being replaced with the divine light; 30 minutes);[5]
  • A prayer-meditation at bedtime (10 minutes) ;[7]

Weekly practices includes the following:

  • Group meditation sessions known as 'Satsangh' are held locally twice a week - Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. Satsangh is translated to association with truth (Sat = Truth and Sangha = association or together or group) Satsangh's are held in many centers around the world ;[5]
  • Cleaning sessions or individual sittings with a preceptor (trained prefect) are also available free of charge and they can be scheduled on a one-to-one basis.

Generally individual sittings are taken every other week but if necessary they can be had every week based on preceptor's availability.[7]

History

The organizational body, Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM), was registered in India, in 1945 by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur (aka Babuji), it's founder and first president in honour of his Master. [7] Convinced that God is simple and can be arrived at by simple means, he was confident that seekers of every culture and nationality would embrace the simple and effective spiritual practice that he offered. In 1972 he began taking the method of Sahaj Marg to countries outside India, bringing it to the cultures of Europe and America. He was accompanied on these travels by his attendant and long-time general secretary of the Mission, Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari of Madras (Chennai). Umesh, son of Babuji, was later chosen by Babuji to succeed him as his spiritual representative and president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (Shahjahanpur-1945). Babuji was born on April 30, 1899 in Shahjahanpur, a large town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India and left his body in April 1983 at the age of 83[8]. As part of the Sahaj Marg spiritual practice, Babuji adopted a technique called pranahuti[9] or yogic transmission, whereby the "divine essence" was said to be transmitted directly into the practicants' hearts in order to speed up their spiritual evolution.[7] The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM-Shahjahanpur 1945) registered in Lucknow, India by the founder,is now presided by Babuji's grandson, Navneet Kumar Saxena, son of Umesh. (The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (Chennai-1997) registered in San Luis Obispo, California, USA in 1997) is now presided by Shri Parhasarathi Rajagopalachari (aka Chariji).[10]

Whispers From The Brighter World

The Shri Ram Chandra Mission, registered in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, in 1997 [10], consists of a series of messages channeled by an anonymous lady Medium[11], from the founder,Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur (aka Babuji 1899-1983), with a few from Shri Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, (aka Lalaji 1873-1931), the first Master of the NaqshMuMRa Sufi Stream, (a branch of the Naqshbandiya Sufi Order) who Babuji met a few times before his death in 1931. Lalaji has a legitimate lineage which is separate from this group. There have already been three Whispers (books) published, and there will be a new series of channeled messages published every year for the next 12 years.

Controversies and schisms

After the passing away of its founder, Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur (aka Babuji), in 1983, several groups came into existence due to a clear lack of guidance on who should be the next Master (Guruji), and who contols the domain and trademark names of the group. .[12] Apart from these break-away groups listed below, who claim their lineage from Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, (aka Babuji), there exist several groups derived from the disciples Shri Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, (aka Lalaji), who is claimed as the original Master of Sahaj Marg, founded in 1945, 14 years after Lalaji's death in 1931. Lalaji, until his death, was the Master of the Naqshbandiya Sufi Order, and the adi guru of the NaqshMuMRa Sufi Stream. The original society, headquartered in Shahjahanpur, and registered in India in 1945 by the founder, is still operating. 

Sahaj Marg System of Raja Yoga Meditation http://srcm.org

Some of the break-away groups from the original SRCM, registered in India in 1945:

Activities

The SRCM schism headquartered in Chennai, India, and registered in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, in 1997,[10] is a non-governmental organization registered with the UN DPI (Department of Public Information).[13].

See also

References

  1. ^ "Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices," J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Page 1169.
  2. ^ "What is Raj Yoga?" Elizabeth Denley, Australian Yoga Life, Issue 8 - 2004, pp.45-48, www.ayl.com.au.
  3. ^ "Meditation therapies for attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder" T Krisanaprakornkit, C Witoonchart, N Piyavhatkul, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008 Issue 2, Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
  4. ^ "Local Women Travel to India For Celebration at Ashram," Martha Slater, The Herald, Randolph, VT.
  5. ^ a b c "A Flexible Mind," Elizabeth Denley, Australian Yoga Life, Issue 7.
  6. ^ "About us". Shri Ram Chandra Mission (California-1997). Retrieved Aug 10, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation," C. Suntharamoorthy, Daily News, Sri Lanka, August 4, 2003.
  8. ^ "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation" - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
  9. ^ Pearmain, Rosalind. 2005. "Transformational Experiences in Young People: The Meaning of a Safe Haven." International Journal of Children's Spirituality. 10(3):277-290.
  10. ^ a b c "Copyright, Privacy rights and Disclaimer". Shri Ram Chandra Mission (California-1997). Retrieved Aug 10, 2010.
  11. ^ "An Invitation". Shri Ram Chandra Mission (California-1997). Retrieved Sept. 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ "Forestry Companies Take A Cut At Cybersquatters," Steven Bonisteel, Newsbytes, September 21, 2001, Alexandria, Virginia.
  13. ^ UN Listing
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sahaj_Marg&oldid=461343180"