yahoo post #2

Among the gurus in the text, who were your three favorites and why?
My three favorite gurus from the text, The Enchanted Land by David Christopher Lane, are Ramana Maharshi (The Sage), Sawan Singh (The Saint), and Acharya Sushil Kumar (The Monk).
I was drawn to Ramana because I too have asked the eternal question, "Who Am I?" To which I think of Charle Bukowski words as portrayed by Mickey Rourke in the movie, Barfly, "Ah the eternal question. I’ll give the eternal answer, I don’t know." Yet, Ramana was not satisfied with the eternal answer. He understood that humankind’s dilemma lies in its attachment to the material world, namely the body. He knew that "I" was more than the body in the material world, was more than a corporeal being. Ramana’s understanding of "I" went beyond Descartes’, "I think, therefore I am." Ramana posits that "I" is more than just thinking, it just is. It’s a part of something, nothing, everything. "I" is consciousness. What is consciousness? Everything and nothing. It is our questioning of "Who Am I" that allows us to explore being a part of everything that is of the immaterial. It is due to this exploration that we learn that "I" is a part of the infinite, that there is no beginning or no end. That all there is, is the interconnectedness of all beings.
Next, I was drawn to the Huzur Sawan Singh because of his belief that our waking state is not truly our home, not our true reality. The idea that there is something more to this life, to our knowledge of this life is inspiring. That the soul naturally seeks a liberation beyond our understanding is humbling. Huzur Sawan Singh teaches that one must experience the surrendering, to experience consciousness in order to move beyond the material world, to transcend our current reality. So what must one surrender to? The void, the darkness. Why surrender? To experience the death of "self". If one is able to let "self" die, one consciously is turning their back on the trivial pleasures the world has to offer and let go of their fear of dying. By letting go of the fear of dying one is able to move forward in his/her quest to be reunited with the sea of infinity.
Finally, I was drawn to Sushil Kumar because of his belief in the principle of ahimsa, the practice of non-injury or violence to all living things. Sushil Kumar shares that ahimsa is in all of humankind. He stresses that no one faith has a monopoly on ahimsa. He suggests that if all of humanity practiced ahimsa the majority of problems that exist in the world would no longer exist. Why? One acts out of fear because is ignorant to ahimsa. The fear controls an individual to act violently out of self-defense. Once one truly looks within his/her own heart, only then will he/she understand that he/she is part of the problem on both an individual and global basis and the what he/she thinks is important really isn’t. He/she must move past his/her sense of separateness from others, only then will he/she would understand that all things are interconnected. Humanity will be able to move forward to make real change in this world and in the next only after it is able to live from the heart.
What is the message of Faqir Chand?
Faqir Chand message is that man is nothing or no-thing. Said differently, one must shed him/herself an any delusions he/she has about reality. He/she must rid him/herself of his/her arrogance. Why? What is required is an acknowledgment of ignorance. This claim of ignorance gives one the courage to believe and it is this courage to believe that allows one to "Be-Man." To "Be-Man" first allows one to pursue his/her understanding of God, only to discover that he/she is nothing or no-thing, only an infinitesimal part of the whole of the cosmos.
Surat Shabd Yoga
Surat Shabd Yoga is to its followers the "way to God." It is a form of yoga that isn’t concerned with breathing or posturing, instead it focuses on the withdrawing consciousness from the physical self and directing it towards the third eye. One must continuously repeat a holy name to direct consciousness towards the third eye. This is called Simran. Next, one must consciously remain focused on the third eye. This is called Dhyan. Finally, one listen for otherworldly sounds, ride the celestial light, and follow the directions of the guru master on the journey to the divine.
I once experienced something similar to the aforementioned. In my mind’s eye I was back in the womb. I could feel the warmth of the amniotic fluid around me and the beat of my mother’s heart. Next, I was a microorganism swimming amongst reeds during the dawn of time. Finally, I was one with the cosmos. When I was done with this experience I realized I had simply let go. I did not allow fear to enter my mind because I was singularly focused on what was happening, with what I saw within my mind’s eye. Do I think I found a way to God. No, but I do not doubt for one bit that Surat Shabd Yoga might be one way of getting there.