My Spiritual Experiences in Eckankar (Ancient Wisdom for Today) – Lachu Bharwaney
I came across teachings of Eckankar in 1980 but it was not until 1997 that I started to follow the teachings and gave up the Hindu PATH TO SELF-REALISATION. This also meant that I had to give up the Hindu rituals of worshipping the pantheon of deities. However, this was not a conscious decision. I did not weigh one teaching against the other to take the decision, although I did meet a few people in Eckankar and they were happy to speak of their experiences. They came from Hindu, Muslim and Christian backgrounds. The push to change came from the inside. As it is said the master comes when the disciple is ready.
Sri Harold Klemp – The Mahanta – the Living Eck Master (the guru of all those who follow Eckankar) – has said many times that, and I quote – “ there are many routes we can take to heaven. God has established so many different paths and means for us that there is a way for everyone ….. if you are ready, the Spiritual exercises of ECK will help you to find your own custom-made approach to the Kingdom of God.”
Eckankar – “The Religion of the Light & Sound of God” – literally means knowledge of the beyond. The basic text is – Shariyat-Ki- Sugmad which means Way of the Eternal. The teachings have ancient roots and we believe that Eckankar is Never without a Living Master. In the modern times the teaching resurfaced in 1965 when Paul Twitchell introduced it to the world. The present Living ECK Master is Sri Harold Klemp. His sole mission is to help seekers find their way back home to God.
Our basic beliefs are that each one of us is a SOUL – which is our true SELF. It is a divine particle of God. A soul is here because God loves it and it is on a journey of Self Discovery and God realisation. We believe that the destiny of soul is first to know itself and then experience God. To help us on the way is our SATGURU – The Living ECK Master. This is what attracted me to Eckankar. Having joined Eckankar I have experienced the presence of the Master frequently. He is always around and answers all questions including what we may consider very petty ones. He is the Guru in the old traditions of India but the disciples do not live in a gurukul.
The Master teaches us by discourses – written and verbal but most importantly teachings are given in dreams by-passing the mind as the mind creates serious difficulties because the knowledge of The SELF and GOD is beyond the mind. The mind always wants to discard what it cannot comprehend.
When one joins Eckankar one receives acceptance as a chela of the master in a dream – it generally comes within the first few weeks. This is the First Initiation. Then, as one makes progress on the spiritual path, further initiations follow – both physical and spiritual. Each subsequent initiation is linked to a different plane of existence – second initiation corresponds to Astral Plane, third to the Causal Plane, 4th to the Mental Plane and the FIFTH (very significant) to the SOUL Plane. At this plane the usual laws of karma and reincarnation no longer hold sway.
The Astral plane is generally the home for souls after the death of their body on earth. The Causal plane is the library of all our past lives. The Master helps us to understand the current life by sometimes showing us the relevant past life. The Mental plane is the source of the Mind. The word AUM comes from this plane and Brahm is said to be the ruler of this plane. We believe that only the Mahanta, the Living Eck Master can link up soul with the ECK (divine spirit) through the initiations and raise our consciousness to different levels.
All initiations are given by the master even though the physical initiator may be a different person. I believe that the initiations are a way the Guru tells a disciple that he is on the right track and encourage him/her to go on. At each level the disciple gets experiences. However, each individual experiences the same truth in a different way; but slowly and surely the level of awareness increases and one begins to feel the love of the Master. The disciple also begins to get the feeling of being one with the creation.
Maybe it is easier to understand the initiations if we consider each initiation a rung of a ladder. As you climb on each rung your vision expands and the awareness of God increases. The universe starts to reveal its secrets. You begin to understand that there are no accidents in life. Whatever happens is all a play of karma and maya. When you reach the top of the ladder you find that you have a 360 degrees vision and all the illusions disappear. What you see is only YOUR SELF. The world becomes a huge mirror and you find that your TRUE SELF IS REFLECTED from everywhere.
A cornerstone of Eckankar is the value of personal spiritual experience. All chelas are encouraged to discipline themselves and practice the spiritual exercises as given by the Master.
Our basic sadhana is to chant HU (pronounced as hue ending with a long UUUUUU). The chanting opens the heart to Love. The Master says that LOVE – UNSELFISH, UNCONDITIONAL AND UNLIMITED LOVE is the key, which opens all doors including the door to God’s chamber.
Regular chanting of HU – morning and bedtime – 15/ 20 minutes each time has helped me to open my heart to receive God’s love. It has helped me to overcome all the negativity floating around, to be at peace with myself and live a stress free life in the service of the Guru.
Everybody is trying to be happy but anybody rarely is. Happiness is a state of mind and one can get into this state of Being by the grace of the Guru, which is showered upon the disciple if the disciple faithfully practices the spiritual exercises under his guidance.
Many people new to Eckankar have reported having several different experiences/visions while chanting HU. Many have heard the sound of flute, bells generally called the anahata sound (the unstruck sound) that is said to be heard by yogis after several years of sadhana. At some point all illusions will disappear. Spiritual liberation in this lifetime is available to all.
Lachu Bharwaney
Note: If you wish to find out more about Eckankar please visit the international website – www.eckankar.org. You can also visit the UK site at www.eckankar.org.uk. Most of the material in the above article has been borrowed from the Master’s books.