Sahaj Marg

Sahaj Marg (The Natural path), a form of Raja Yoga,[1][2][3] is a heart-based meditation system.[4] The essential features of Sahaj Marg system are Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer. The "cleaning" of impressions (called samskaras) is claimed to be unique to this method. 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.[5]

Contents

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Practice

Sahaj Marg is offered free of charge to peoples all around the world. Sahaj Marg system of meditation is practiced by over 400,000 practitioners (abhyasis) in over 92 countries.

The daily practice includes:

Weekly practices includes the following:

Generally individual sittings are taken every other week but if necessary they can be had every week based on preceptor's availability.[6]

History

The organizational body, Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM), was formally registered in 1945 by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, its founder and president, called "Babuji."[6] Babuji was born on April 30, 1899 in Shahjahanpur, a large town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India and attained Mahasamadhi( on April 19th, 1983 at the age of 83.[7] As part of the Sahaj Marg spiritual practice, Babuji adopted a technique called pranahuti[8] 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.[6]

Whispers From The Brighter World

These books consist of a series of messages channeled,[9] 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) who Babuji met a few times before his death in 1931. There have already been three Whispers (books) published.

Controversies and schisms

There are some break away groups and some controversies have spun out on who controls the domain and trademark names of the group after the death of its founder in 1983 (Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur). The court verdict was given in favor of his nominated representative.[10]

Activities

The SRCM is a non-governmental organization registered with the UN DPI (Department of Public Information).[11]

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. ^ a b c d "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation," C. Suntharamoorthy, Daily News, Sri Lanka, August 4, 2003.
  7. ^ "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation" - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
  8. ^ Pearmain, Rosalind. 2005. "Transformational Experiences in Young People: The Meaning of a Safe Haven." International Journal of Children's Spirituality. 10(3):277-290.
  9. ^ "An Invitation". Shri Ram Chandra Mission (California-1997). http://www.spiritualityfoundation.org/subscriptions/whispers/invitation.html. Retrieved Sept. 4, 2010. 
  10. ^ "Forestry Companies Take A Cut At Cybersquatters," Steven Bonisteel, Newsbytes, September 21, 2001, Alexandria, Virginia.
  11. ^ UN Listing