Radha Soami Satsang Beas:  An Introduction

Radha Soami Satsang Beas is also known as Sant Mat, and is as old as creation itself. Other names for Radha Soami Satsang Beas include The Path of the Masters and The Path of Love.

Radha Soami Satsang Beas "is a scientific method of … [God realization] within us, while we are still living in the here and now," according to Maharaj Charan Singh, the previous Living Master. It is "a school of practical spiritual training for God realisation" and "does not consist of any rites, rituals, ceremonies, dogmas, priesthood, or church or temple worship."

"Living in the world and discharging all our obligations towards wife, children, relatives, friends, and humanity, we have simply to turn our heart Godward. The saints' teachings are very simple. They say that all the woe, misery, and anguish that is the lot of the human race are due to our sad separation from God. This world, which we love so much, is not our true home.

"Unless [the soul] returns to its ancient original home, its sorrows and sufferings cannot and will not end. For this purpose, it need not seek anywhere outside of itself. Our body is the temple within which the Lord resides.

"The method of God-realisation taught by all the saints, to whichever country or religion they have belonged, has always been the same and will ever be the same. It is the Lord's own design and is as old as the creation itself. It consists of three parts:

"First is simran, or the repetition of Lord's holy names.

"Second is dhyan, or contemplation on the immortal form of the Master. This helps in keeping the attention fixed at that centre.

"Third is bhajan, or listening to the Anahad Shabd or celestial music that is constantly reverberating within us. With the help of this divine melody, the soul ascends to higher regions and ultimately reaches the feet of the Lord.

A disciple, or satsangi, practices lacto-vegetarianism, abstains from drugs and alcohol, upholds prescribed high moral values, and works for a living (no renunciation of the world). Sant Mat initiations are personal and the spiritual experiences one has during meditation are not to be shared with others as this asserts the ego, thus hindering spiritual progress. Significantly, the Master and Dera (his community in India) are self-supporting and money is never charged for any Sant Mat related activities. A true living Master never accepts any money from his disciples. This is one sign of a true saint.

After the great Persian saints, Shiv Dayal Singh was the first to introduce this spiritual discipline in 1861 in Agra, north India. Known as the Surat Shabd Yoga, the soul of the spiritual aspirant is connected to the primal word, or sound current. Once awakened by the meditation techniques prescribed by the Perfect Living Master, or Sat Guru, the shabd is heard and experienced through the inner senses. Through initiation by the Living Master and practicing the spiritual exercises, the radha soami disciple, or satsangi, is able to transcend the lower regions which are ruled by a negative force known as Kal, and connect with that which cannot be described (God).