The “Sound” is not the “Ground”

[Some of my readers have asked me my opinion of Surat Shabd Yoga This two-star Amazon review of Kirpal Singh's "Naam or Word" summarizes my opinion. Following the review is a short piece from my Facebook group, Electrical-Hermetic Christianity, that considers Surat Shabd within the context of Kashmir Shaivism.]

Naam or Word" is, in a word, disappointing. I'd read Kirpal Singh's "The Crown of Life" a number of years ago and wasn't impressed by Surat Shabd yoga or Singh's description of other yoga paths; but because a friend of mine raved about "Naam or Word," I bought it. The book reinforced what I already knew: Surat Shabd yoga is not on par with the top mystical teachings that I've studied and teach. For example, Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra, Hindu Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism, and Adi Da's Daism are superior Dharmas, and most of the teachings that I've read in these traditions are are better written than "Naam or Word."

Surat Shabd's claim that meditation on the sound current (the "Word") is the highest yoga path is untenable. In fact, in Hindu Kashmir Shaivism's thirty-six "tattva" (constituent principle) hierarchical schema of Reality, Shabd, the Word, is not even close to the top of the tattva emanational hierarchy. According to Kashmir Shaivism, the highest tattvas, or principles, are Siva and Shakti, and the highest yoga practice--Divine Yoga--is uniting Siva and Shakti within oneself.

The writing in this book is poor and unclear. Here's a typical example:

"The inner man, or the spirit-in-man is therefore to be freed from the tentacles of the outer man, consisting of mind and matter, before the Self can rise in self-consciousness and become aware of Cosmic Awareness."

What does the Self "rising in self-consciousness" mean, exactly? Kirpal Singh never clarifies this? And the Self is Awareness Itself; it does not become aware of Cosmic Awareness, whatever that may mean.

Surat Shabd yoga is simply a glorified version of nada yoga, meditation on the sound current, but Kirpal Singh attempts to elevate this tradition to the apex of the spiritual pyramid. He writes:

"In brief, Shabd alone is the true religion - a binding force that rebinds us to our true Source. All the powers of nature depend on or work through the Shabd or sound principle."

I hardly see all of nature as a modification of sound. And none of the Great Spiritual Traditions that I've studied the past forty years - Pali, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism; Hindu Raja Yoga, Advaita Vedanta, and Kashmir Shaivism; Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, and Daism - second the primacy of the sound principle.

In fact, the greatest tantric traditions emphasize the Light principle, describing Spirit as Clear-Light Energy. And unlike Surat Shabd, they emphasize receiving this Supernal Influx into the spiritual Heart-center rather than meditating on the "divine melody" and ascending into "ethereal vibrations," via the Sound principle, as Singh teaches.

If you are interested in truly understanding where Surat Shabd ranks in the hierarchy of spiritual Dharmas, I suggest reading the chapter "The Great Path of Return vs. the Radical Path of Understanding in the text "The Paradox of Understanding, by Adi Da Samraj (Bubba Free John).

In sum, anyone who seriously studies and understands, and can practice, the foremost Dharmas in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Hermetic Christianity will not find this book worthwhile. And neophytes should look elsewhere for teachings that do not make ridiculous claims. In short, I see no reason to recommend this book, given that many other Dharmas (or yoga teachings) exceed Surat Shabd in clarity and profundity.

SURAT-SHABD IN KASHMIR SHAIVISM

The practice of nada (or Surat Shabd) yoga is a prescribed lower practice in non-dual Kashmir Shaivism. It is classified under the umbrella of Anavopaya, the lowest of the Four Means (or Ways) to Self-realization.

In his text “Siva Sutras: The Yoga of Supreme Identity,” Jaideva Singh, perhaps Indias foremost 20th-century spiritual scholar, describes the practice of nada (or Surat Shabd) yoga thus:

“The “anusandhana” or intensive awareness of this nada is called “varna yoga,” or “dhvani yoga.” It is a very ancient form of yoga. Sankara carya in his “Yoga Taravali” calls it “nadanusandhana”. It goes by this name in some of the tantras and in the yoga tradition of Gorakhanatha. Among the medieval saints of noth India, such as Kabir and others, it is called “surat shabd yoga.” In Radhasvami sect also, it is known as “surat shabd yoga.”