Listening To Naam

[www.abhiyaas.co.uk]

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

Daas has uploaded a new article on AbhiyaasBlog called "Listening to Naam." Please take time out to read it and feel free to comment or suggest errors.

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Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

[www.abhiyaas.co.uk]

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Listening to Naam

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Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

In this article Daas will talk about the 4 stages one attains as they are practising Naam. These stages come easily to those who practise Naam daily and live under the will of Guru Sahib. To start off Daas will talk about the first stage of Naam practising. Daas will post this article in 2 parts. This article will have the first 2 stages. The second article will talk about the final stages.

Stage one

In this stage one begins to understand that one is here to do Naam Japna. Although Maya and attachments are still part of ones life here they still become a regular practiser of Naam Japna. In these early stages when one practises Naam one can only concentrate their minds on Naam for the amount they practise it. In this early stage one is still learning how to practise Naam in different ways. This is usually someone who hasn’t taken Amrit.

In this stage of Simran one uses different techniques to concentrate their minds on so it becomes more pure. Some concentrate on photos of Guru Sahib for a very long time, some concentrate their minds on pictures in their minds, but after one takes Amrit and Guru Sahib blesses that person with Amrit and Naam then they realise through Guru Sahib that only through concentrating on GurShabad can ones mind become pure.

ieh cwl inrwlI gurmuKI gur dIiKAw suix mnu iBMny ]25]

This is the unique and distinct life-style of the Gurmukhs: listening to the Guru's Teachings, their minds blossom forth. ||25||

During the Amrit Sinchaar one should feel bliss and the spirits should soar very highly into higher stages of Naam. Once the Panj Piyare infuse Naam inside you, you should be feeling Amrit Ras. BUT because most of us have very kuthil Karam (bad fates) and it takes along time for the fates to grow we only feel a bit of sublime taste of Naam, even this is the kamai of the Panj Piyare.

In the first stage of Naam Japna concentration will be very weak. It will be frustrating and hard to concentrate on Naam. Some stay at this stage for a very long time because there frustration holds them back from getting anywhere spiritually and therefore Jap Naam not for the love of Waheguru but to get somewhere spiritually.

Daas would get very frustrated sometimes. Daas use to e-mail a Gursikh and ask repeated questions on how long will it be till daas gets to the next stage, Veer Jee use to piyaar naal say “Veera, don’t worry about stages, live in the love of Waheguru and you will surely get somewhere. Naam Japna isn’t about getting a spiritual stage it is about attaining Waheguru jees love and Darshan.” Daas use to be arrogant and sometimes even jealous of other Abhiyaasi Gursikhs. Daas use to go up to a Gurmukh who has attained Sehaj (The highest and last avustha) and ask why Daas feels no Ras. He told Daas that Naam won’t dwell in the heart if the heart is Katoor (hard like a rock). He told Daas to Jap Naam in sehaj and not worry whether Ras will come or not, or whether the next stage will come.

So in this early stage concentration will be weak, and progress will be painfully slow but it is nothing to stress over, rather it is a motivation that:

mweI mnu myro bis nwih ]

O mother, my mind is out of control.

One must be vary wary of where the mind wanders. During the day one should be concentrating on Naam and watching out when the surti (focus) goes off Naam.

Stage 2

At this stage one begins to feel sublime taste of Naam. One starts to chant Naam every breath and feels joy and pleasure in Naam Japna. This is when the practiser of Naam starts to enter different chakras in the body (daas will write an article in this after the next article.) To begin with the practiser will begin to enjoy sublime taste in the navel area. Ones who do Saas Griasee Simran will know what daas means here. But this is nothing to be exited about as it is still part of the preliminary stage and much progress is to be made before one can do Naam Japna every breath.

At this stage of Naam Japna one will have new inspiration to Jap Naam all the time. Although there are different levels to this stage and the more we practise Naam the more we will remember Waheguru’s name. Even in this stage one tends to forget Waheguru when the influence of Maya is at its greatest. For example when the television is on one may forget Naam whilst watching it.

When one gets further into this stage and the concentration increases to the heart or neck level then Naam becomes more of a mental recitation. Even if ones lips are closed Naam is still audible. At this stage one can Jap Naam every breath and is very close to meeting Waheguru. Daas hasn’t experienced this stage yet so daas wants to be careful when writing because anything passed this point will be knowledge and not experience. Daas hopes Guru Sahib does kirpa.

To start off with progress on Naam would have been painfully slow, frustrating, and hard to concentrate and one will not (according to past deeds) get much spiritual experiences. But in the closing stages one will get everything very quickly. This is what daas has learned from Gursikhs. When one gets to the final levels of stage 2 then everything one desires will come true. What else could a Gursikh want at this level?

ivxu quDu horu ij mMgxw isir duKw kY duK ]

To ask for any other than You, Lord, is the most miserable of miseries.

dyih nwmu sMqoKIAw auqrY mn kI BuK ]

Please bless me with Your Name, and make me content; may the hunger of my mind be satisfied

When one gets to the level where all one wants is Naam then everything will come quickly. Spirtual powers, bliss, joy, experiences everything which one couldn’t get before gets it easily in these stages. But daas must say that even in preliminary stages you may get some spiritual powers, a little bit of bliss and Guru Sahib will bless you with experiences. But all a Gursikh wants is Naam and rang (love) for waheguroo these gifts from Guru Sahib will come easily to those who practise Naam with every breath. Even now you must ask your self if you are doing Naam japna. Whilst reading this article, is Naam in your mind. If not then it shows we have a long way to go.

A long wait

One should not get disheartened when realising that there is a long wait for most of us to meet Waheguru or to get anywhere spiritually. We have to realise we have very good karam even knowing about Naam and the one who actually wakes up Amritvela and does Naam japna or does sangat anywhere to Jap Naam then this shows immense Kirpa and very good fates.

We have to realise that we must build a good fate, most things in our life are already pre-destined but we have access to change it. The more we do good deeds, sangat, Naam Japna the better our fates will get, but best of all as soon as we meet the true Guru by taking Amrit this happens:

pUrY Bwig sqguru imlY jw BwgY kw audau hoie ]

By perfect good fortune, one meets the True Guru, when one's destiny is awakened.

As soon as one takes Amrit they want something spiritual straight away. Daas has heard of some who have cut their and become sakats (faithless people) because they attained nothing after they took Amrit. This was their loss because Simran Abhiyaas is not about spiritual experiences, these come easily to those who are in rang (love) with waheguru and care not for little experiences.

There are also some poor souls who have completely gone off the path because they have been doing Abhiyaas for such a long time and haven’t attained anything. They now have joined this Satnaam cult in which some fake Guru baba has showed them something spiritual and they join his cult. This baba tells them it is ok to cut hair and enjoy life as a manmukh and still get somewhere spiritually very fast. Daas can say this is not true at all. This cult baba is no where himself and is just manipulating people to use their money and wealth.

Our Satguru is only Sri Guru Granth Sahib and only through Guru Sahib can we get anywhere in our spiritual life.

ibnu Bwgw AYsw siqguru n pweIAY jy locY sBu koie ]

Without good fortune, such a True Guru cannot be found, no matter how much all may yearn for Him.

One should be grateful they are on this path and do ardaas that Guru Sahib keeps them on this path. To start off everything will be hard and painfully slow but as soon as ones karam are made then everything will come very fast; bliss, concentration, pooran gursikhi jeevan all this will come in time and then finally one will get ik-mik (one) with waheguru. If waheguru can have patience to meet us then why can’t we.

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

~ - ~ - ~ Next weeks article Listening to Naam - Stage 3 and 4 ~ - ~ - ~

[KKV]

Gurufateh!

thanks Veer Ji / Bhen Ji - good read! Lookin 4ward 2 the nxt couple! :TH:

Gurufateh!

[wannabekaur5]

waheguru waheguruuuu :D