 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Gift of HU |
 |
||||
Our consciousness is important because, after all, it is the only thing Soul carries with it after this life. Your state of consciousness is the base or foundation from which you, Soul, live this life. All Soul’s experiences here, your job, your family experiences, love, hate, fear, joy, all add to and become part of your state of consciousness. What you accept into your life and manifest into your life reflect Soul’s state of consciousness, and what you learn and gather from this life becomes integrated into what you take with you from life to life, on your way back to God. This is a natural process of spiritual evolution, but unassisted, it takes eons to make significant progress. The proper use of the right mantras at the right time in Soul’s unfoldment provides a fast-track to spiritual growth, helping Soul achieve the increased level of consciousness it is here for. The wise choose and use their mantras carefully, just as they would use a medical prescription carefully, because they know each mantra is meant for a specific purpose. As a society we have lost the truth behind the power of the word; but individuals and certain groups have continued to successfully incorporate into everyday life, the use of sound for spiritual growth. Those, whose hearing hasn’t been deafened by the din of material existence, can still experience the ecstasy of hearing the majesty of The Word manifested deep in their own being. They recognise the vital role sound played in their spiritual quests. The sound, expressed as a song, word or mantra, has had wondrous powers attributed to it since before the first written records of humanity, when the truths of life were passed down by word of mouth. Jelal-ud-Din Rumi explained, “Although every soul suffers pain to a certain degree, and every soul will describe the cause of that pain differently, yet beneath the different causes is one cause, and that one cause is the captivity of the soul. In other words, that the word has been lost.” 4 The seeker may ask what it is about a word or sound that is so intimately connected to our being. Sufi Inayat Khan’s answer in the 1920s was, “In answer to this I would say that there is no expression of life more vital than words; because the voice is the expressive manifestation of breath, and breath is life itself.. There is nothing [as] important as a means of raising ones consciousness than and nothing that can be of greater use and importance in the path of spiritual attainment than the repetition of the right word.” 4 So how does the seeker know which is the right word, the best mantra? Is there only one? Do all words have the power to help us achieve our spiritual goals? The spiritually fit can bring their right word out from within their own consciousness at any time for their protection, encouragement, motivation and spiritual progress. The right word is not only deeply personal and individual but can change as the owners consciousness grows. Spiritual fitness is like physical fitness. We are not automatically physically fit. We have the necessary muscles but we must exercise them regularly, in the right way, to become fit. Different levels of fitness allow us to achieve different goals. Some people are satisfied to be able to walk to the corner store without puffing. Others want to climb mountains. The wise beginner gets help from an instructor who can point out the safe, effective ways to exercise for the individual to reach their fitness goals. After a certain amount of training, individuals get to know the methods that work for them, and their effects. It takes spiritual fitness to recognise your own secret word and bring it out from within to your conscious life. This state is reached in the same way that physical fitness is reached. Get yourself an experienced instructor who’s been where you want to go. If you wanted to climb Mount Everest, you’d ask Edmund Hilary to guide you. How does a spiritual instructor help in the search for your own best word? Their methods vary, as do their motivations. Not all have the spiritual progress and welfare of their students at heart. To achieve real success in using a mantra in your life, it helps to have a guide who has mastered the use of sound and understands the secrets of unlocking the power of the word within you. The correctly qualified spiritual guide can help you discover your spiritual (as opposed to psychic) muscles and learn the safe effective ways to exercise them, until you can discover your own ‘right word’ or mantra within yourself. Sufi, Inayat Khan says,”... when a teacher gives a method... words are selected and given to the pupils by the...Guru... as a physician would give a prescription, knowing for which complaint and for what purpose it is given.” 4 “The Mahanta, The Living Eck Master, may select the mantra on the basis of his insight into the spiritual condition of the individual chela(student) or, alternatively, he may instruct the chela to bring the mantra out of his own inner self ..” 7 HU can help each individual find the next best step for their spiritual growth, whether it is a more meaningful way of living life, or finding the best guide to assist them along the next stage of their spiritual journey so they can be helped to find their own true mantra from within. As with physical exercise, persistence is the key to success with spiritual exercise. You may have to do quite a few sit-ups before that strong flat stomach is a reality. In the same way, you will have to repeat the HU more than once, to see the results in your life. Repeating HU to yourself, silently or aloud is a powerful spiritual exercise guaranteed to bring an expansion of consciousness. What are the effects of the mantra on the individual? “The mantram becomes one’s staff of life,’ declares Mahatma Ghandi, “and carries one through every ordeal...It is no empty repetition. For each repetition has a new meaning, carrying you nearer and nearer God.” 1 “Mantra chanting produces a whole series of spiritual effects, mainly that of love. By concentrating the mind on the mantra a deep sense of peace and love arises just as often as the doer puts himself into any degree of concentration. It is a function which is used to focus the mind to a sharp point that is capable of penetrating through the ordinary thoughts to the deeper layers of Soul which lay beneath.” 7 “Once the mantram gets its foot in the door, it looks around inside and sees what a messy housekeeper the ego is. The ego doesn’t dust, it doesn’t sweep, and it can’t stand to throw anything out, so our consciousness is bulging with photo albums, old projects we lost interest in halfway through, tapes of agitated conversations with our friends twelve years ago, even old childhood toys. The mantram slips inside and begins straightening out the living room; it clears out the cobwebs, throws out the old magazines, and opens up all the windows to let in a little fresh air…Only when the entire house is spotless from cellar to attic is it ready for its rightful owner; the Lord.” 1 Believing that “The original spirit was concealed in the mystery of the word, and that in the mystery of the word, the mystery of the spirit was to be found” 4, man sought a relationship with God by searching for the name of God. “Hinduism and Buddhism hold that the divine name has the power to evoke the divine presence. Hinduism, in fact, goes on to say explicitly that the name of God is not a mere word but a spiritual force…This theme appears in the Judeo-Christian tradition too.” 1 “The Supreme Being has been called by various names in different languages but the mystics have known him as HU, the natural name, not the man-made, the only name of the Nameless, which all nature constantly proclaims. The sound HU is the spirit of all sounds and all words, and is hidden within them all, as the spirit [is] in the body. It does not belong to any language, but no language can help belonging to it. This alone is the true name of God, a name that no people and no religion can claim as their own. This word is not only uttered by human beings but is repeated by animals and birds. Research shows that at every stage of man’s evolution, the correct use of the right sounds has been a key to spiritual progress. As far back as the Lemurian Empire, “…the beginning of language lies in something which is similar to song. The energy of thought was transformed into the audible sound. Sound, tone and rhythm were perceived. One did not imagine anything along with these, but absorbed in the soul the power of what was heard.” 6 The Atlanteans too knew the power of sounds and incorporated this inner knowledge into their outer lives, according to Rudolf Steiner. “They not only named things, but in their words was a power over things and also over their fellow-men…For them language was something especially sacred.” 6 Throughout history, man has tapped into the power of sound by repeating spiritual formulas, mantras and chants. These practices have been used from Egypt and the Middle East to Europe and the Americas; by belief systems as diverse as the mystery schools, Christians, the Jewish, Zoroastrians and in Islam. Egyptian history books are full of references to deities of all kinds, representing all manor of divine attributes. The divine name HU appears repeatedly, but is used in a special way. Most Egyptian deities were responsible for an aspect of health, life, death, food, wealth or the protection of a place or group of people. But the HU was recognised as an all-encompassing deity of God of Gods whose distinguishing quality was that it was The Word, divine utterance. HU was described as “the God who personifies the authority of a word of command.” 3 The recognition of a sacred word did not end with the Egyptians. “Pythagoras cured many ailments of the spirit, soul, and body by having certain specially prepared musical compositions played in the presence of the sufferer…it was customary for the Pythagoreans to open and close each day with songs - those in the morning calculated to clear the mind from sleep and inspire it to activities of the coming day; those in the evening of a mode soothing, relaxing and conducive to rest.” 2 The Druids knew HU, the mighty, as their elementary and all-pervading sun-god. “Albert Pike says that the Lost Word of Masonry is concealed in the name of the Druid God HU.” 2 Polynesian mythology is also filled with gods and goddesses with names based on the word HU. The Gnostic text, The Nag Hammadi Library, teaches about the spiritual use of sound. So important is the name of God, that it is sung to the Almighty in gratitude for its gifts to the initiated. In the 1920s a Sufi master explained, “The knower of the mystery of sound knows the mystery of the whole universe.” 4 The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master has once again brought the HU out of secrecy and made it available to all seekers of truth. It is the age-old name of God offered to all souls who wish to benefit from its gifts. HU has the divine power to enhance whatever path the seeker wishes to tread. Our challenge today as seekers of truth in the modern world, is to train ourselves to once again communicate with the divine while continuing to lead loving and productive lives. The two are not mutually exclusive. Escape form society is not necessary. But far from needing a lot of fancy equipment and money; we need only recognise that our own voice is the perfect instrument, our bodies the perfect resonators through which to communicate with that divine spark that is in all of us. The language of Soul is HU. “As you sing the name of God with love, for twenty minutes a day the binding sand bands that constrain Soul begin to unwind ...As these bindings area released, Soul rises above the ground. The higher you go, the farther you can see. And the farther you can see, the better you can plan your life.” 5 Such is the power of HU, but don’t take our word for it, try HU for yourself.
www.eckankar.org or www.eckankar.org.au |
|||||