Dear Dassan Das ji,
I am still being amazed at the universality of Guru Nanak’s teaching. Sat Naam is the Name of God in Christianity as I pointed out before. I have set up a website to bring knowledge of Naam simran to a Christian audience. I have been getting a positive response. Following is a copy of the material. Although the site is targeted at a Christian audience the CD is universal with no religious content but merely an introduction to meditation on Sat Naam. The Christian scripture would consider Sat Naam as Christ.
John Theobald
http://www.learncontemplativeprayer.com/
This type of meditation will open you up to directly knowing the Divine in whatever way he reveals himself, just as you would if you spent time with another person, except this Person is Love itself. This is the reason you were born, to become children of God.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
Contemplative prayer is a loving, listening, joyful look at the Reality of God. St. Augustine said “Simply stated, it’s a personal experience of God”. Contemplative prayer leads to a direct connection to God deeper than the senses.
The use of the prayer word is a method of quieting our mind enabling us to open to the experience of God within. This method of prayer gets to the core of Christianity: Finding inner-meaning and peace, and experiencing Christ within.
This method of Satnaam deep contemplative prayer is a specific method leading to the practice of Centering Prayer, which has dozens of books in publication. The difference is that in Centering Prayer, the practitioner chooses a word to use, and there is no initiation, while in the Satnaam practice, the Name of God is planted at a deep level of the mind through the initiation. Simply stated: By planting the Name of Christ like a seed in the mind, one enjoys the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Why Contemplative Prayer
When Jesus was asked how to pray he responded with Matt. 6:6 “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” When this is rendered in the original Aramaic which Jesus spoke, it translates as “close off your senses to the outside world and go to that symbol of the divine.” Contemplative prayer is a turning of the mind and heart to God beyond the senses in a direct openness to the Holy Spirit. Early Christians called this monologistic prayer or prayer on a single word usually the Name of God.
“But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.” — John, 1:12-13
ABOUT YOUR PRAYER WORD SATNAAM
Sat Naam is the Sanskrit translation of the Name of Christ.
Sat, literally means truth or reality in the biblical sense of the word, as when God told Moses He is Reality.
Naam, literally means name. Therefore Satnaam is Sanskrit meaning the Name of Truth and has the same meaning as the Logos or Word of God. St John stated, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1)
Satnaam is also the Name of each person of the trinity as well as the whole trinity itself.
The Father is Sat or Truth in the sense of Reality and the Naam is the Name of that Truth, one Truth one God. The Father is Truth: Where God is represented as speaking to Moses, when asked for his Name stated “I Am” which from it’s root meaning would therefore be “He who is self-existing (Sat Naam), the personification of Truth (Ex iii 14). The Son is Truth: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the Truth, and the life (John 14:6 NASB). The Holy Spirit is Truth: “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (John 16:13 NASB).
WHY A SANSKRIT PRAYER WORD
The reasons for using a Sanskrit prayer word are twofold. First; the word has no other associations which could interfere with its use, and keep us stuck in thoughts. Secondly; over many centuries, Sanskrit has been traditionally held to be a language which has a vibratory quality consistent with its meaning.
Most other languages have meaning by association rather than sound. In the modern understanding of neuroliguistics therefore, a word can be auditory digital, which is meaning, and auditory tonal, which is the vibratory quality. An animal for example, responds to auditory tonal primarily. A dog can be soothingly told it’s a “bad dog” and happily wag its tail. Satnaam has both the meaning and vibration of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. By embodying Satnaam we can, with God’s grace, become sons of God. According to ancient traditions, if one can introduce a sound or "thought form" at the most subtle level of thought, right at the function point of pure consciousness and matter where the initial vibrations of creation begin to unfold, then that thought form will manifest.
What we put our attention on grows. If we put our deepest attention on the Name of God (Satnaam) knowledge of God grows and with grace we can become the embodiment or sons of God.
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SATNAAM IS UNIVERSAL
I think the expressing forth of Sat Naam is going far beyond the group that thinks of itself as “Sikh”. The Naam is truly universal and is the root and Name of God of every major religion. I personally am finding interest in the Naam arising in many religious groups. As I said in an earlier post Sat Naam is a Name of God which can be universally understood and is consistent with all beliefs. In a world where people argue about “which God” they are worshiping this is sorely needed. I suspect the impact of this internet group and the ability of people to receive the blessing of Naam is, and will be much farther reaching than anyone now imagines. To paraphrase Guru Nanak Ji’s original statement, There is no Moslem, Jew, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or seeker for a higher Truth no matter what form. Below is the earlier post.
JUDAISM
Ex 3:14
“God said to Moses: I AM WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you“. God is saying He is the identity of existence.
Sat Naam means the Name or Identity of Absolute Existence. Sat means Absolute: Existence, Truth, Being, and Good, while Naam means the name of, or identity of. Sat Naam is therefore the Sanskrit translation of the Name of God, as understood in the scripture of Judaism and the Old Testament of Christianity..
CHRISTIANITY
John 14:6
"Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life"
When Jesus says He is the Truth, he is saying his identity is Truth. Sat Naam means the Name or identity of Absolute Truth. Sat Naam is therefore the Sanskrit translation of the Name of Jesus, as understood in of Christianity. It is also the way to the Truth, for by transcending on Sat Naam we follow it to it’s source.
ISLAM
A Name of God, in the Qur’anic verses is stated: "That is because God, He is the Truth" (22: 6) and "God, He is the manifest Truth" (24: 25).
He is the Truth means His identity is Truth. Sat Naam means the identity or manifestation of Absolute Truth, or Sat.
As can be readily seen the Name of God, Sat Naam, expresses the same understanding of God, translated into Sanskrit, as the understanding of God held by the three major monotheistic traditions.
John
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REPLY FROM DASSAN DASS JI IN ITALICS:
SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SAT NAAM SADA SADA SAT NAAM
DHAN DHAN SAT NAAM PARIVAAR JI
KOTTAN KOT DANDAUT PARVAAN KARNA JI
Thanks to Almighty for giving us the opportunity to have a Sat Sangat of people like John Ji. This is an excellent piece of divine wisdom, the person who can understand this from any part of this world can meat the God, this is a universal truth. Thanks to John for his kindness and for bringing this piece of divine wisdom to the readers. This is a Gur Parsaad in itself.
I think the expressing forth of Sat Naam is going far beyond the group that thinks of itself as “Sikh”. The Naam is truly universal and is the root and Name of God of every major religion. I personally am finding interest in the Naam arising in many religious groups. As I said in an earlier post Sat Naam is a Name of God which can be universally understood and is consistent with all beliefs. In a world where people argue about “which God” they are worshiping this is sorely needed. I suspect the impact of this internet group and the ability of people to receive the blessing of Naam is, and will be much farther reaching than anyone now imagines. To paraphrase Guru Nanak Ji’s original statement, There is no Moslem, Jew, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or seeker for a higher Truth no matter what form. Below is the earlier post.
That is an absolute truth – SAT means divine truth and that is the Naam – God is represented by the eternal truth, never changing. remains same, not perishable, stable and is infinite, no dimension, no depth, no boundries – same for the entire creation, same for every manmade race (human race is the only race though created by the Creator), so it is for the entire human race, we will say for the entire creation, because it is not only humans that can do meditation, it is the entire creation that is based on the Naam, for the entire creation the foundation is Naam, the Naam of the Creator. So when there are no boundries that means there are no Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Jews – it is the Human Race. So Naam is same for the entire creation – for the entire human race – eternal truth – and God Himself is defined by His Naam and that is SAT – Truth, divine truth.
So you are absolutely right the Sat Naam is for the entire human race.
JUDAISM
Ex 3:14 “God said to Moses: I AM WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you“. God is saying He is the identity of existence.
Sat Naam means the Name or Identity of Absolute Existence. Sat means Absolute: Existence, Truth, Being, and Good, while Naam means the name of, or identity of. Sat Naam is therefore the Sanskrit translation of the Name of God, as understood in the scripture of Judaism and the Old Testament of Christianity.
This is an excellent piece of divine wisdom and thank you for bringing this up. It is very simple to understand – Naam is the identity – If we want to reach you then we would need to know what is your Name, once we know your Name is John Theibold then we can find your address and once we find your address then we can make arrangements to travel to your place and meet you. Same way Naam gives the identity of God – so here God is the entity which we want to meet and this is identifieable by the Naam SAT – Truth, and once we have the Naam – SAT then we will be able to find Him or realize Him or feel Him or exoerience Him in all physical senses. This path to the eternity has been defined as Gur Parsaad (God’s Grace)– and only the one who is chosen by the God to receive this Gur Parsaad will be able to get this Gur Parsaad – and who can be chosen according to the law of Karma – law of destiny – as you sow so shall you reap, it depends upon your deeds – if they are truthful or not and when you accummulate enough truthful deeds that are considered by the God as enough and makes you capable of receiving the eternal grace then you are blessed with this Gur Parsaad of Naam, and when you serve the Naam then you keep on getting closer and closer to the Almighty and when your Heart becomes as pure as SAT then Sat physically appears in your ownself. So basically it is the SAT that matters – eternal truth that matters, that is why TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.
CHRISTIANITY
John 14:6
"Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life"
When Jesus says He is the Truth, he is saying his identity is Truth. Sat Naam means the Name or identity of Absolute Truth. Sat Naam is therefore the Sanskrit translation of the Name of Jesus, as understood in of Christianity. It is also the way to the Truth, for by transcending on Sat Naam we follow it to it’s source.
Excellent piece of divine wisdom, there is no difference between Guru Nanak, Mohammad and Jesus Christ – they are same and ONE and they belong to the entire creation, similarly at the present time the ones who have become SAT – Puran Braham Gyanis belong to the entire creation. The life element that keeps the creation going is the SAT – in the human being the life power is the God’s power, it is the God’s Jyot – divine light and that divine light is SAT – Sat is life and SAT is truth, that is why Sat is the Naam. SAT NAAM means SAT is the Naam – truth is the Name. So the teachings of Christ were same as teachings of Guru Nanak or for that matter any Puran Braham Gyani.
ISLAM
A Name of God, in the Qur’anic verses is stated: "That is because God, He is the Truth" (22: 6) and "God, He is the manifest Truth" (24: 25). He is the Truth means His identity is Truth. Sat Naam means the identity or manifestation of Absolute Truth, or Sat. As can be readily seen the Name of God, Sat Naam, expresses the same understanding of God, translated into Sanskrit, as the understanding of God held by the three major monotheistic traditions.
This another excellent piece of divine wisdom, it is same, exoerienced by Mohammad, Jesus, Guru Nanak or Mahatma Budha. The essence is SAT – truth and this is the Naam, which leads to the realization of God in all physical and practicle senses.
Dassan Dass
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MEANING OF SAT NAAM
SAT:
being , existing , occurring , happening , being present
lasting , enduring, real , actual, that which really is , entity or existence,
the true being or really existent, the self-existent or Universal Spirit, reality , truth,
NAAM:
nama [naam]: name; the name of God
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THE NAME OF GOD AS A UNIFYING FOCUS IN MANY TRADITIONS
People represent the world using the visual (images), auditory (sounds), kinesthetic (touch and internal feelings), gustatory (tastes) and olfactory (smells) senses.
People are also linguistic beings. To a great extent the way we understand the world is based on the words we use to describe things. This is especially true when we deal with spiritual understandings. The words we use to describe God may tend to limit our deeper understanding of God. The many traditions of the world have diverse ways of describing God, or even the highest, as non theistic Absolute Truth.
In this course we will endeavor to show that with the proper understanding, there is a Name of God which is consistent with the scriptural names of God used by many traditions. We will give some of the scriptures of these traditions including the, Judaic, the Christian tradition, Islam, and the Sikh tradition.
Understanding the deeper meanings of this Name of God can lead one to an understanding of the very nature of love, and their own relationships with others. This Name is Sat Naam.
The word SAT NAAM is a name which is not only the Sanskrit translation of the scriptural name of God in all the monotheistic traditions but also the highest focus of Truth in the non theistic traditions such as Buddhism and others.
The literal translation of “Sat” is, Absolute, transcendent, formless; “Truth” in the sense of the source of, “Existence”, “Being”, “Reality”, or “Good”, while the literal translation of “Naam” is; “Name”, “Word”, “Identity”, “Logos”, and “Expression of”.
Absolute Truth itself is unknowable as it’s transcendent, and like the Tao, is beyond all form or concept. Inherent in Gods nature however, is both the transcendent Truth and it’s first full manifestation or Naam, they together are one God. Sat Naam preexists, and is independent of all created reality, and is in itself both the Source of reality (Sat) and it’s full expression, the ground of reality (Naam).
In this course we will be using the term God to denote Sat Naam which can be thought of as the Absolute transcendent Truth, as well as the total complete Manifestation of that Truth, both inseparable and eternally singular. Because there is an observable every day reality of the personal, Sat Naam is generally understood as the Personal ground of being.
God as SAT, unmanifest absolute eternal Truth, completely and totally displays it’s whole reality as Naam, the Logos, the personal aspect of God. Sat, because it’s Absolute and unmanifest, without form, it can only be fully be known by it’s complete manifestation in the Logos or Naam. This complete sharing of self, is what is known as love. One can therefore say with accuracy that the source (Sat) and ground (Naam) of all existence is Love. Without this ground of being, nothing exists by definition. Even the smallest particle of matter, comes into existence from and through Sat Naam. Sat Naam exists independently, beneath and before all of creation.
Sat Naam can also be understood as the Spirit of Truth. The Naam expresses and creates time. Although the absolute reality of Sat Naam is Being, When it operates in time it provides the element of becoming. When is has fully become it is what it was when it started, Sat Naam.
As the Spirit of Truth unfolds from the innermost part of everything it creates each element within time. The Spirit of Truth, the Naam provides the informing intelligence which cause single particles of matter to evolve in a pattern of increasing complexity into molecules, which are inwardly impelled to form more molecules of greater and greater complexity until the Naam is expressed as life and finally as intelligence.
This is the process of evolution which can be seen involves continuing creation at every moment with matter and energy arising from out of Sat.
If this process of evolution continues to it’s terminus, the “fullness of time” the Naam has fully expressed the total reality of the Sat, or transcendent underlying Truth. This is the sense in which some religious traditions say that God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, Sat Naam to Sat Naam, only one reality, God is all in all.
Just as Love is the nature of Sat Naam, so it’s nature is to express being as much as possible, in every possible way, since at the level of Sat Naam which is eternal, is in itself, the full expression of the whole of the infinite Being of the Sat into the Naam.
Love between people is therefore expressing being to others, as much as possible, in every possible way, and creating the opportunity for them to be as much as possible in every possible way. This is merely a sharing of the Spirit of truth, moving through time towards it’s full expression as love arises from the hearts of individuals. The more people are able facilitate this expression, the more fulfillment they personally experience.
In Christianity Jesus is considered to be the full human embodiment of Sat Naam, the Logos or Word. He reveals the Truth of the Father, Sat.
As all love between people is a partial experience of the Naam knowing the Sat, as they begin to embody the Naam. This idea would correspond in Christianity, to the love between Christ and the Father becoming increasingly known by the Christian, as he embodies Christ more and more. No love exists except the love between Sat and Naam (nor does anything else exist independent of Sat Naam). When people unite in love they are consciously or deliberately facilitating the expression of the Naam through time and space, on an individual and collective level.
When we use Sat Naam as a focus for transcendent contemplation in this course, one must remember it is still only through the free gift of God that we are able to move towards unity with Sat Naam. Sat Naam is an arrow pointing very accurately to the underlying Reality.
Sat Naam not only has the meaning we have discussed, but it’s sound also facilitates the mind in searching for that meaning at ever deeper levels of our consciousness. Sat Naam is known as a bija mantra. This means that it is a seed of the reality which it represents.
In Eastern Philosophy there is a Sanskrit term “Ritam Bhara Pragyam“. By this is meant the underlying reality (literally translated as "It is real"). Therefore a thought perceived at a deep level and transcended, is experienced as real. This is discussed in detail in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
People, are what some psychologists call neurolinguistic perceivers. What this means is that we structure our perception of reality through the lens of past experience. We do this using the five senses however we primarily use three channels for this information, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic or body sensation. We use these channels both externally and internally. For example, when we see an object, we are using the visual external channel. When we remember seeing an object we are using our visual internal channel. The same is true of the auditory channel, when we hear a sound we are using our auditory external channel while, when we remember a sound we are using our auditory internal channel. The auditory channel in people can also include a further breakdown. When we hear a word it has both a sound and a meaning. We call this auditory digital for the meaning, and auditory tonal for the sound. Sat Naam has meaning on both levels.
The ancient Sanskrit language is thought to transmit information, both in linguistic meaning, as well as in the experience communicated by the sound vibration of the word. The word Sat Naam is considered by ancient tradition therefore, to convey the reality of the concept of God both in it’s meaning and in the sound of it’s vibration. This makes it particularly useful for it’s use as a focus of contemplation where the mind is allowed to settle into increasingly deeper states beyond verbal meaning and eventually beyond all experience, into transcendent unity with the underlying Reality, Sat Naam.
Sat Naam is what is known as a Panj Shabd mantra. Ancients traditions considered that it contained the primal sounds of all creation, Sa Ta Na Ma. Sa is the primal sound of creation coming into being from out of the Absolute. Ta is the primal sound of life. Na is the primal sound of death or cessation, while Ma is the sound of resurrection or being on a new level. These sound vibrations are all contained in compressed seed form, in the Name of God, Sat Naam.
Experimenters at the University of Arizona set up a pilot study using a P.E.T. scan – Positron Emission Tomography, to see changes in metabolism in different areas of the brain. They used the primal sounds of Sa Ta Na Ma, followed by a mantra given by their teacher. The results showed a powerful shift in the function of the left hemisphere to the right frontal and parietal regions. The metabolic shift suggests a strong positive mood enhancement, which would tend to counter any tendency towards depression.
Even though there are strong physical results from practicing contemplative prayer with this Name of God, one must always remember that this unity is the gift of the underlying intelligence, not a result of our efforts. All our efforts are doing is removing the obstacles and creating the optimal neurological condition for our minds to receive the gift from God.
There is another advantage to the use of Sat Naam in contemplation. Because “Sat Naam” is not an English word, there are no other associations to interfere with its use as a focus in a method of prayer designed to go beyond thoughts and concepts. This makes it ideal for use as a prayer word for example, in centering prayer.
Another benefit, is that frequently those who use this prayer word, seem to develop an intuitive sense of the relationship between the Persons of the Trinity. God gradually becomes understood as unknowable transcendent God fully expressing “God self” in an act of pure agape love. God’s unknowable essence becomes known through the Logos, One God, Sat Naam.
Your CD is designed to guide you into a prayerfully receptive initial experience, which you then will deepen with daily practice. What you will be practicing after your initial experience, is very consistent with what is taught in the centering prayer approach, revived by Thomas Keating.
Hebrew and Christian Traditions
One of the difficulties for many Christians, is the concept of the Holy Trinity. Even though on an intellectual level we may talk about there being one God, when we speak or think, of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we tend to think in terms of the separateness of the Persons of God. Yet Jesus taught us to be one as he and the Father are one. This linguistic fragmentation, can impinge on our human relationships as well. A deep intuitive understanding of the relationship between the Father and Christ the Word, tends to lead to an intuitive understanding of our relationship with others.
When we look through the scriptures we see God named in various ways. In Hebrew scripture God is named “I Am Who Am”, or “He Who Is”, the Name or Identity of existence or being. In the New testament Christ is referred to as Truth, while the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth.
Sat Naam, as a Name of God which we use as a focus in contemplative prayer, is a word which is the Name of all three Persons of the Trinity
God is both the Absolute source of Truth, Reality, Existence, and Being (and all they imply), transcendent and unmanifest or unexpressed, while God is also the full expression of Absolute Truth, Reality, Existence and Being. It is through God’s full expression, (the Word) that the world was created. As Beatrice Bruteau says in her book GOD’S ECTASY:
John 1:18 reads: “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God, who is in the interior of the Father, that One exegetes.” Some notes help. No one “sees” God because God is not “seeable”; God is formless, infinite. Nevertheless there is the “only begotten God,” the monogenes theos, who is in the kolpon (literally “hollow”) of the Father. It is this One who “exegetes”. So the formless God is interpreted by the Exegeting God who is embedded in the Infinite One.
Because agape Love can be understood as a sharing of being, God’s full sharing of Infinite being, begetting the Logos, is an infinite act of love. This means that the nature of God is Love. In effect God turns “inside out” in a total Self giving act of love. This Love is our Source and Ground of being, as well as the Source and Ground of being of all creation.
This relationship between God unexpressed, and God fully expressed, in the Word or Logos, One God, is described uniquely by the Sanskrit Name of God, “Sat Naam”.
Below are some places where this Name is used in scripture. (although there are more Christian and non Christian scripture which also have names of God which would translate as “Sat Naam”)
Sat Naam is the Sanskrit translation of the names used for God in both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament, as well as in the scriptures of Islam and Sikhs.
HEBREW SCRIPTURE
Ex 3:14
“God said to Moses: I AM WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you”. God is therefore saying that He is the Identity or Name of Existence. This is the exact translation of “Sat Naam”.
Naam means the Name or Identity while “Sat” means Absolute transcendent: Existence, Truth, Being, and Good. Sat Naam is therefore the literal Sanskrit translation of the Name of God, the Father, as given to Moses.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
John 14:6
"Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life"
When Jesus says He is the Truth, he is saying his identity is Absolute Truth. Sat Naam means the Name or Identity of Absolute Truth. Sat Naam would therefore be a Sanskrit translation of the Name of Jesus, as understood in the New Testament of Christianity.
John 14: 16-18
The evangelist refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of Truth”. This also is translated into Sanskrit as Sat Naam, the expression of Truth.
St. John speaks of it further:
John 1: 1-5
"In the beginning was the Word (Logos, Naam), and the Word was with God (Absolute, transcendent Truth, Sat) and the Word was God (Sat Naam). The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of man. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehends it not.
He further states, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Christ, the living embodiment of Sat Naam.
John 1: 14
Christ is the “Word become flesh and dwelt among us”. Jesus is the Word (Logos or Naam) of God (Absolute unmanifest Sat), Sat Naam.
As can easily be seen there is no single English word that can express in one word, a prayer in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sat Naam is therefore the Sanskrit translation of the Name of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Name of Christ used in Sacred Scripture.
ISLAM
A Name of God, in the Qur’anic verses is stated:
"God, He is the Truth" (22: 6) and "God, He is the manifest Truth" (24: 25).
Sat Naam therefore is the Sanskrit translation of the name of God, as understood in the scripture of Islam.
SIKH
The Sikh religion says the following about Sat Naam:
Sat Naam -The literal translation is the Name (‘Naam’) of Absolute Truth; Good; Existence; Being; Reality( ‘Sat’ pronounced sut) . It is referring to the Name of God, which is the most powerful and purest of all the names. It is this Name itself which liberates the soul and unites one with God. Saint Gondavlekar Maharaj said "There is no difference between God and His Name. Sat Naam is an ancient sacred bija or seed mantra. It is thought that by meditating on a bija mantra, the reality which it represents will grow within us. God’s greatness is beyond human comprehension. But He can be approached through a ladder called Naam which can take us to His height. Naam, therefore, is greater than everything else "sabte ucha jaka nao" and "wada sahib uncha thaon, uche upar ucha nao." In the Sikh scripture God is called by various names such as Ram, Gobind, Mukand, Madhav, Prabhu, Rahim, Karim, Vithal, etc. All such epithet are known as "Karam-Naam" expressing quality and attribute of God. According to Guru Nanak, His eternal name is "Sat", i.e. Truth. He is true and so is His Naam – "Sacha sahib, sach nae." Sat Naam, an attribute given in the Mool Mantra has been His name even before the primal age – "sat naam tera para-purbala."
INITIATION AND CHRISTIANITY
For Christians baptism is considered the rite of initiation. One is baptized into the Name (Naam) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As discussed above each person of the Trinity translates as Sat Naam. So baptism is actually initiation into the energy and reality of Sat Naam, into God’s very nature.
This vibrational and energetic link is even more direct in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and other traditions, where there is the actual physical transmission linking back to Jesus. These traditions are known as apostolic traditions. When Jesus walked the earth he, as infinite Sat Guru, the full embodiment of Sat Naam, laid hands on his apostles. They in turn physically passed this vibrational energy to their successors with an unbroken succession even until the present day.
Now the transmission of energy is an interesting phenomena. The more coherent the energy is when it starts, the more pure and unchanged the transmittal of the energy. This can be demonstrated by a laser, which is a beam of coherent light. It can be sent all the way to the moon, without diffusing on the way. An ordinary beam of light would be quickly diffused in the atmosphere and very little of the signal would reach much beyond the atmosphere.
Jesus, as the full embodiment of Sat Naam, which includes not only human nature but divine nature as well, is infinitely coherent. Any energy passed down through the centuries does not loose any of its shakti energy. This is true even if the people in the train of transmittal are not enlightened themselves, since there is still infinite coherence in the energy.
In the apostolic traditions, the vibrational energy is passed down in several ways. The Eucharist is another. This being the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, gives the recipient a direct physical energetic and vibrational connection to God, and embodies the fullness of Sat Naam within them. This however, does not necessarily mean a person would be aware of this. Just as a person might pass an enlightened master, and not know it, so the awareness of Sat Naam within, must be cultivated by contemplation on his Name or reality. The CD used in this course is not the initiation connecting one with God, but is merely a way of learning to connect to Sat Naam which already exists within. It is God who does the initiation.
THE REASON FOR THE INITIATION CD
Why can’t one just read a description on how to practice Contemplative prayer from a book? You can, but there is an added benefit in being guided into a state of silence which helps one to be completely open to Grace, at the deepest level of your consciousness.
This is facilitated by being guided into a state of deep relaxation where you can be totally receptive and passive to the workings of the Holy Spirit. If you tried to follow instructions from a book or other sources, your mind would be actively engaged figuring out what to do next, or remembering what you read. You would not be in the same state of receptivity needed to be as open as possible to God’s Grace.
Just as centering prayer is a method of reducing the number of thoughts so one can be open to Grace, being directly guided into a quiet state can facilitate one’s initial experience, giving them a taste of the silence which might take longer to acquire without the initiation.
For further questions or ongoing e-mail support contact John Theobald with the subject line “deep initiation into a prayer of simplicity” theobaldj003@hawaii.rr.com