Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), along with its international RSSB and Science of the Soul (SOS) affiliates â is a philosophical organization based on the sp.
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Gurinder Singh Dhillon, also known as Baba Ji to his followers, is the current spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB). He succeeded Charan Singh, his uncle, as spiritual head, or guru, of RSSB in 1990.[1] The headquarters of the society, called Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, are located beside the river Beas near the town of Beas, Punjab, in northern India, and have been a center for satsang since 1891. RSSB has centers located worldwide.
Personal history[edit]
Gurinder Singh was born 1 August 1954, into a family of the Dhillon clan who were followers of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
He was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar, in the Shimla Hills of Himachal Pradesh,[2] and obtained his bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University, Chandigarh. He was in Spain working before coming back to India to accept his nomination as the next spiritual head of RSSB in 1990. According to the society, he lives off his own income and in keeping with the policy for all volunteers (khidmatgaron), he does not receive any money or honorarium from the society. He has two sons Gurpreet Singh Dhillon and Gurkirat Singh Dhillon. Gurpreet is the CEO of Religare Health Trust RHT[3]
Philosophy and teachings[edit]
RSSB is a philosophical organization based on the spiritual teachings and dedicated to 'a process of inner development under the guidance of a spiritual teacher'.[citation needed]
That there is a spiritual purpose to human life - 'to experience the divinity of God within all of us' is a central belief.[citation needed]In the Indian language,[which?] Radha Soami means âlord of the soulâ (radha = soul; swami = lord,) satsang describes a group that seeks truth, and Beas refers to the town near which the main center is located in northern India. There are a number of other contemporary movements that use the name âRadha Soamiâ that Radha Soami Satsang Beas is not associated with.
RSSB was established in India in 1891 and gradually began spreading to other countries in the mid 20th century. RSSB holds meetings in more than 90 countries worldwide. It is a registered non-profit society with no affiliation to any political or commercial organizations.[4]
The philosophy teaches a personal path of spiritual development which includes a lacto-vegetarian diet, abstinence from intoxicants, tobacco, alcohol and mind-altering drugs, a moral way of life and the practice of daily meditation. There are no rituals, ceremonies, hierarchies or mandatory contributions, nor are there compulsory gatherings. Members need not give up their cultural identity or religious preference to follow this path.
The meditation method imparted at the time of initiation is known as Surat Shabd Yoga and is practiced according to the Living Masters instructions. It is a solitary practice where the disciple concentrates within, with eyes closed, and performs simran, meditating upon the five holy names taught/imparted at the time of initiation. This is followed by bhajan: an attempt by the disciple to listen to the divine Sound or 'Word' (also known as Shabd) within. Both these practices form the complete method of meditation as prescribed by Surat Shabd Yoga within Sant Mat.[citation needed]
Spiritual discourses[edit]
The Dera, located in Beas, Punjab, is the designated home of the spiritual leader of the organization. Large crowds visit on designated days, usually in the weekends, to hear discourses from him. He also gives satsang at other major centers of RSSB in India.[5] He goes on tour to the various RSSB centers outside of India during the months of AprilâAugust.[citation needed]
See also[edit]References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gurinder_Singh&oldid=934582050'
Shiv Dayal Singh founded the Radha Soami movement.[1]
Radha Soami Satsang Beas based out of Beas is the largest group.
Radha Soami, or Radhasoami Satsang, is a religious organization founded by Shiv Dayal Singh in 1861 on Basant Panchami Day in Agra, India.[1][2][3] It derives its name from the word Radha meaning soul and Soami which refers to True God or One God as swami of His souls as all souls are created by him.[4][5]
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The Radhasoamis, states Mark Juergensmeyer, are considered in Punjab as an offshoot of Sikhism, because the teachings of their founder were based, in part, on those of the founder of Sikhism â Guru Nanak and many recite verses from the Adi Granth during their worship.[6] However, they are also different from the Sikhs because they reject the Sikh idea that there are no present day Gurus beyond their first ten, many reject parts or all of the Khalsa Sikh dress code and rituals such as Karah Parshad. The Radhasoamis are a religious fellowship that accepts saints and living gurus from anywhere.[6]
According to Pierluigi Zoccatelli, there were an estimated 3 million Radhasoami followers worldwide in 2004, with many subsects based on the Guru. Of these, the Radha Soami Satsang Beas is the largest[7] and it had 2 million followers.[8] Radhasoami competing subsects have their own headquarters. There are over 30 different Radhasoami groups in the world.[7] The largest group's contemporaneous headquarters are in Beas, with parallel branches found in India and outside India.[1][6][7] Other subsects and movements influenced by Radhasoami include Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Science of Spirituality and others.[8] Some of these groups have tried to distance themselves from the other.[7] Succession upon the death of previous guru has been a source of controversies and schism in the Radhasoami movement since the beginning.[7]
Nomenclature[edit]
According to Mark Juergensmeyer, the term Radhasoami literally refers to Radha as The Soul and Soami (swami, lord).[5] According to Saligram, quotes Juergensmeyer, these terms are symbolic and mean 'master of energy', derived from the Vaishnava understanding of 'Radha as the power of energy of God' (Shakti). It is a referent to the consciousness in a person and the cosmic energy source, states Juergensmeyer.[5]
The writings of Swami Dayal use the term Sat Nam, rather than Radhasoami. The gurus and the tradition that followed him used the term Radhasoami during the initiation rites, meditation practices and as mutual greeting. This has led to the fellowship being commonly called Radha Soami.[5] In some subtraditions of Radhasoami, states Lucy DuPertuis, the guru's charisma is considered as the 'formless absolute', being in his presence is equivalent to experiencing the incarnation of the Satguru, the guru is identified as the Radhasoami.[9]
Founder[edit]
Radhasoami movement was founded by Shiv Dayal Singh in Agra. His parents were followers of Guru Nanak of Sikhism and a local spiritual guru Tulsi Saheb.[10] After completing his education, Singh gained employment as a Persian language translator, left that role and spent increasing amount of his time to religious pursuits. His discourses attracted followers and thus the Radhasoami movement was founded when Swami ji gave initiation to Baba jaimal Singh ji who practised Surat shabad yoga on the bank of river Beas and the Dera Beas was Created.[11]
Beliefs and practices[edit]
Radha Soami fellowships have featured gurus from many parts of the world.
To the Radhsoamis, six elements form the framework of their faith:[12]
The Radha Soami Satsang believes that living gurus are necessary for a guided spiritual life.[1] They do not install the Guru Granth Sahib or any other scriptures in their sanctum, as they consider it ritualistic. Instead, the guru sits in the sanctum with the satsang (group of Sikh faithfuls) and they listen to preachings from the Adi Granth and sing hymns together.[1] They believe in social equality, forbid caste distinctions and have attracted Dalits to their tradition. They are active outside India, and attracted converts to their movement.[1]
The Radhasoami are strict vegetarians. They are active in charitable work such as providing free medical services and help to the needy. They do not believe in orthodox Sikh ritual practices such as covering one's head inside the temple or removing shoes, nor do they serve karah prasad (offering) at the end of prayers.[1] Their basic practices include Surat Shabd Yoga (sound assisted meditation), initiation of disciple into the path by a living guru, obedience to the guru, a moral life that is defined by abstinence from meat, drugs, alcohol and sex outside marriage. They also believe that jivanmukti or inner liberation is possible during one's lifetime with guidance of the living guru.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radha_Soami&oldid=934898344'
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