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

1 Practice 2 History 3 Whispers From The Brighter World 4 Activities 5 See also 6 References

Practice

The daily practice includes:

Morning meditation on the supposition of divine light in the heart (30–60 minutes); Evening cleaning of past impressions (i.e., imagining the day’s events evaporating out one’s back and being replaced with divine light; 30 minutes);[5] A prayer-meditation at bedtime (10 minutes) ;[6]

Weekly practices includes the following:

Group meditation sessions known as ‘satsangh’ are held locally twice a week – Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. Satsangh is translated to association with truth (sat = Truth and sangha = association or together or group) Satsangh’s are held in many centers around the world ;[5]

Cleaning sessions.[6]

*Universal prayer: The fundamental elements of sahaj marg practice—morning meditation, evening cleaning and night-time prayer meditation—are primarily meant for personal spiritual growth and development. The universal prayer is a feature of the practice that is dedicated to the welfare of all. The instructions for the prayer are as follows:

“At 9:00 P.M. sharp every abhyasi, wherever he or she might happen to be at the time, should stop his or her work and meditate for fifteen minutes, thinking that all brothers and sisters are being filled up with love and devotion and that real faith is growing stronger in them. It shall be of immense value to them, which their practical experience only shall reveal.”

*Constant remembrance: Meditation, cleaning and prayer make up the basic elements of the sahaj marg practice. Practice becomes dynamic and infused with life and feeling when it leads to the remembrance and experience of our connection with the divine within. One cultivates this ongoing connection through a specific training of mind and heart referred to as constant remembrance.

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 died on April 19th, 1983 at the age of 83.[7] As part of the Sahaj Marg spiritual practice, Babuji adopted a technique taught by his master Lalaji 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]