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The major focus of Maharaji is on stillness, peace, and contentment within the individual, and his "Knowledge" consist of these techniques to obtain them. Konwledge, roughly translated, means the happiness of the true-self-understanding. Each individual should seek to comprehend his or her true self. In turn, this brings a sense of well-being, joy, and harmony as one comes into contact with one's "own nature". The Knowledge includes four secret meditation procedures: Light, Music, Nectar, and Word. The process of reaching the true self within can only be achieved by the individual, but with the the guidance and help of a teacher. Hence, the movement [Elan Vital], seems to embrace the aspects of world-rejection and world-affirmation. The tens of thousands of followers in the West do not see themselves as members of a religion but the adherents to a system of teachings that extol the goal of enjoying life to the full.

• Hunt, Stephen, Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction, pp.116, (2003), Ashgate Publishing, ISBN 0-754-63410-8

Maharaj Ji [teaches] meditation upon the life-force. This meditation focuses on four types of mystical energy, known as the experiences of Light, Harmony, Nectar, and the Word. These allow the practitioner to develop a deep and spiritual self-knowledge.

1. Drury, Michael, The Dictionary of the Esoteric: 3000 Entries on the Mystical and Occult Traditions, pp.75-6, (2002), Sterling Publishing Company, ISBN 1-842-93108-3

Two religious scholars describe these techniques, that originally were called "Light", "Sound", "Name" or "Word" and "Nectar", in somewhat different terms:

Kranenborg wrote that the techniques are officially secret and described them as follows: light meditation means that one closes one's eyes and presses with the thumbs on the eye balls with as a consequence that they move towards each other. After some time one sees the light. Kranenborg says that the original intention of this meditation, as it is practiced in Tantrism, is the opening of the 'third eye' between the eyebrows on the forehead, but only after long training.; sound meditation means that one closes the ears by pressing on them with the thumbs, with the hands on the temples. After some time one hears the noise of blood and finally heavenly music. Kranenborg writes that this technique is a sabda-brahman-meditation in which one assumes the eternal vibrations that form the basis of the universe and form the divine; nectar meditation means that one tries to get one's tongue behind the uvula. If one succeeds then one can taste the nectar. Kranenborg writes that this exercise comes originally from yoga in which is it is a part of elaborate breathing; name meditation consists of following the breath going inside and of using mantras during exhalation i.e. hamsa and soham which means respectively 'swan' (the divinity) and 'I am that' (that is the divine). He also writes that, the now defunct Divine Light Mission as led by Maharaji in the 1970's was special, because the four meditation techniques had been taken out of their context and had been greatly simplified.^[1]

The religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, describes these techniques as follows:

"These four techniques reveal the means of experiencing the divine light, sound, word, and nectar. To experience the divine light, one places the knuckles on the eyeballs, a process which produces flashes of light inside the head. To discover the divine sound or music of the spheres, one plugs the ears with the fingers and concentrates only on internal sounds. The third technique involves concentration upon the sound of one's own breathing. Finally, to taste nectar, the tongue is curled backward and left there for a period of time. Once learned, these techniques are practiced daily."^[2]

While the sociologist Stephen J. Hunt, Kranenborg and others refer to these techniques as being secret, Maharaji only asks practitioners to promise

"not to reveal these techniques to anyone. Let other people go through their own journey, and when they are ready, like you, they can get it. There are no shortcuts to it. There are shortcuts to many things in life, but there is no shortcut when the heart is going to be the judge. The heart cannot be talked into anything. The mind can be convinced, but the heart has to feel the real thing. Let people prepare. Then they, too, can have the techniques when they are ready."^[3]

The sociologist Jeffrey K. Hadden cites Maharaji in saying that

Knowledge is a way to be able to take all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you... What you are looking for is inside of you."^[4] Hunt writes that through the practice of these techniques of Knowledge, which include four secret meditation procedures, the major focus of Maharaji's teaching is on stillness, peace and contentment within the individual. The process of reaching the "true self within", according to Hunt, can only be achieved by an individual but with the guidance of a teacher. Practitioners do not see themselves as members of a religion, rather, as adherents of a "a system of teachings that extol the goal of enjoying life to the full". ^[5]

[edit] References

1. ^ Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (1982) Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen/Eastern faith movements in the West (Dutch language) ISBN 90-210-4965-1
   Dutch original "De methodes van de vier technieken zijn officieel geheim. Maar geheimen blijven moeilijk bewaard en ook deze vier technieken zijn bekend. Ze zijn bij de Divine Light Mission vrij simpel.
   De 'meditatie van het licht' houdt in dat men de ogen sluit en met de duimen op de oogballen drukt zodat deze naar elkaar toe gaan en als het ware ‘het derde oog’ geopend wordt. Na verloop van tijd ziet men dan het licht. De oorspronkelijk bedoeling van deze oefening, zoals die in het tantrisme beoefend word, is inderdaad het openen van ‘het derde oog’ tussen de wenkbrauwen op het voorhoofd, maar dan wel na een lange en zware training.
   De ‘meditatie van het geluid’ houdt in dat men de oren met de duimen dichtdrukt, met de handen op de slapen. Na verloop van tij hoort men het geruis van het bloed en tenslotte hemelse muziek. Oorspronkelijk is deze oefening een sabda-brahman-meditatie, waarin men uitgaat van de eeuwige trillingen die de basis van het universum vormen en het goddelijke uitmaken. De filosofie van de ook in Nederland aanwezige Radha Soami Satsang is hierop gebaseerd.
   De ‘meditatie van het geluid’ houdt in dat men de oren met de duimen dichtdrukt, met de handen op de slapen. Na verloop van tij hoort men het geruis van het bloed en tenslotte hemelse muziek. Oorspronkelijk is deze oefening een sabda-brahman-meditatie, waarin men uitgaat van de eeuwige trillingen die de basis van het universum vormen en het goddelijke uitmaken. De filosofie van de ook in Nederland aanwezige Radha Soami Satsang is hierop gebaseerd.
   De ‘meditatie van de nectar’ houdt in dat men met de tong achter de huig probeert te komen. Wie hierin slaagt proeft de nectar. Deze oefening komt oorspronkelijk uit de yoga, waar ze een onderdeel vormt van de uitgebreide ademhalingsoefeningen.
   De ‘meditatie van het woord’ bestaat hieruit dat men de adem naar binnen volgt en bij het uitademenen mantra’s gebruikt: hamsa en soham, resp. als betekenis hebbend ‘zwaan’ (de goddelijkheid) en ‘dat ben ik ‘ (namelijk:dat goddelijke). Deze oefening is verwant met de ‘japa-‘ of mantra-yoga, zoals we die ook tegenkomen bij de Transcedente Meditatie en bij de Hare Krishna’s.
   Op zichzelf zijn de vier meditaties niet uniek. Het speciale van de Divine Light Mission is dat ze losgemaakt zijn uit het verband waar ze in passen en verregaand vereenvoudigd zijn."
2. ^ Melton, Gordon J., Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (1992) pp. 143-4, Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8153-1140-0
3. ^ The Keys website. Three promises. The Prem Rawat Foundation. Retrieved on Sept 2006.
4. ^ Hadden, Jeffrey K. and Elliot III, Eugene M. Divine Light Mission/Elan Vital in Melton, Gordon J. and Bauman, Martin (Eds.) "Religions of the world: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of beliefs and practices" pp.428, ABC-CLIO (2002), ISBN 1-57607-223-1
   

The meditation techniques the Maharaji teaches today are the same he learned from his father, Hansji Maharaj, who, in turn, learned them from his spiritual teacher [Sarupanand], 'Knowledge', claims Maharaji, 'is a way to be able to take all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you... What you are looking for is inside of you.

• ^ Hunt, Stephen J. Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction (2003), pp.116-7, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8".
  The major focus of Maharaji is on stillness, peace, and contentment within the individual, and his 'Knowledge' consists of the techniques to obtain them. Knowledge, roughly translated, means the happiness of the true self-understanding. Each individual should seek to comprehend his or her true self. In turn, this brings a sense of well-being, joy, and harmony as one comes in contact with one's "own nature." The Knowledge includes four meditation procedures: Light, Music, Nectar and Word. The process of reaching the true self within can only be achieved by the individual, but with the guidance and help of a teacher. Hence, the movement seems to embrace aspects of world-rejection and world-affirmation. The tens of thousands of followers in the West do not see themselves as members of a religion, but the adherents of a system of teachings that extol the goal of enjoying life to the full."

The methods of four techniques are officially secret. But mysteries remain kept with difficulty and also these four techniques have been confessed. They are at the Divine Light Mission rather simple. The ' meditation of light ' means in that one closes the eyes and with cross one's fingers on the eye balls presses so that these shut to each other and as it were?het third eye? opened becomes. After course of time one then it sees slightly. The original intention of this exercise, as it are practised that in the tantrisme, is indeed opening?het third eye? between the eyebrows on the face, but or after a long and heavy training

The ` meditation of the sound keep in that one the ears with cross one's fingers dichtdrukt, with the hands on sleeps. After course of tij one hears the quivering of blood and finally celestial music. Initially this exercise is sabda-brahman-meditatie, in which one assumes the eternal ultrasounds which form the basis of the universum and divine determining. The philosophy of also the Radha Soami Satsang present in the Netherlands has been based on this.

The ` meditation of nectar imply that one tries come with the tongue behind the huig. He who succeeds nectar tastes. This exercise comes initially from yoga, where she forms a component of the vast breathing exercises. The ` meditation of the word exist that one follows the breath to within and at the uitademenen uses mantra's: hamsa and soham, respectively as a meaning have ` swan (the goddelijkheid) and ` that are I ` (namelijk:dat divine). This exercise is related with the ` japa-` or yogayoga yoga, such as we that also encounters meditation at the Transcedente and at her Krishna's.

On themselves the four meditations are not unique. Special of the Divine Light Mission is that they are detached from the link where they are simplified in treads and far-reaching.