Shri Ram Chandra Mission
Shri Ram Chandra Mission (also named SRCM or "Sahaj Marg") is a non-profit organization and a spiritual movement. It was registered in 1945 in India by Shri Ram Chandraji. It has its current headquarters at Manapakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.[1]
Beliefs and practices
The stated purpose of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission is to "awaken the divine consciousness and provide support on the path of human evolution". According to the movement, the form of Raja Yoga practiced, starts at step number 7 of Patanjali's Raja Yoga.[2] It is based on simple and natural means suited to current living conditions and does not involve mechanical methods involving austerity and penance. It is universal, easily practicable and one can quickly get to find oneself from the inside out.[3] The Sahaj Marg system uses the cleansing of the past impressions (also called samskaras), meditation on the heart and the support of a living spiritual master.[4] The role of the spiritual teacher is said to be essential as he is well aware of all issues and all matters of spirituality and has walked the path of realization or enlightenment of the soul, being a Master of the path. He knows what to do for the traveler.[3] He is regarded by the practitioners as a living example, a teacher by his writings and by his words, deeds and being. It is God who is the true Guru and Master and from God alone we receive the light", wrote Shri Ram Chandraji in his book Reality at Dawn.[5]
Organization
The current president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and spiritual Master of the Sahaj Marg system is Shri Kamlesh D. Patel (b. 1956). This includes SRCM USA, which was registered in California in 1997 (SRCM California-1997) and SRCM India, which was registered in Lucknow, India in 1945 (SRCM-Shahjahanpur-1945). SRCM was founded by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, affectionately known as Babuji (1899 - 1983). He was succeeded as president and spiritual Master of SRCM by Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, affectionately known as Chariji (1927 - 2014). Following the mahasamadhi of Chariji on 20 December 2014,[6] Shri Kamlesh D. Patel has become the fourth president of SRCM and spiritual Master of the Sahaj Marg system.
Babuji was taught by Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh (aka ‘Lalaji’), the Adi Guru of the Sahaj Marg system. Babuji met him merely a few times.[7] Lalalji rediscovered the ancient yogic method of spiritual training based on yogic transmission of divine energy called Pranahuti.
The Shri Ram Chandra Mission is now present in over 120 countries on all continents. Books published by SRCM have been translated to over twenty languages and read widely across the world.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "SRCM World Headquarters".
- ^ "Role of the Abhyasi in Sahaj Marg". Shri Ram Chandra Mission. Retrieved Aug 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Golden Jubilee. SRCM. ISBN 2-906219-17-7.
- ^ Denley, Elizabet. "A flexible mind" (pfd). Australian Yoga Life. 7. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ Sahaj Marg, le Septième Darshana, La Réalité à l'Aube. Infolio. ISBN 978-2-88474-603-8.
- ^ "The Hindu - Obituary". The Hindu. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 13 Jan 2015.
- ^ Mayer, Jean-François (1993). Les nouvelles voies spirituelles: enquête sur la religiosité parallèle en Suisse (in French). Lausanne: L'Âge d'Homme. p. 213. ISBN 2-8251-0412-4. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ "Sahaj Marg system of meditation". The Sunday Times. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2010.