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Sant Mat, Radha Soami — Radhasoami, Path of the Masters, Surat Shabd Yoga — Inner Light and Sound Meditation, India's Nirguna Bhakti Sants and Poet-Mystics
"Sant Mat" means: "The Way of the Saints" or "Path of the Masters". It's common knowledge that the term "Sant Mat" was coined by Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India during the 19th Century. The term "Sant Mat" was coined by Tulsi Sahib, but the Sant tradition, with its many guru-lineages or branches, is a spiritual movement that dates back many centuries to ancient India. Tulsi Sahib was of the opinion that the Sant movement goes back to the time of Krishna thousands of years ago, that Krishna knew of Sants during his day, the age of the Bhagavad Gita.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEACHINGS OF SANT MAT, THE PATH OF THE MASTERS
* All souls (jivas) are in essence drops of love from the Sea of God.
* The attachment and association with mind and body makes the soul lose sight of the real Self.
* God assumes the form of a Saint to lead the soul back to its Original Home.
* One must surrender one's entire being to the Ocean of Love of which we are a part, instead of limiting ourselves to sensual pleasures which leave us unhappy and discontented.
* This can be done by the practice of Surat Shabd Yoga [Inner Light and Sound Meditation].
* By attuning oneself to the Life Current which proceeds from the Heart of Anami Purush [God, The Nameless One/Radhasoami] in the form of Light and Sound, one can finally achieve union with the True Self, finding the joy one is seeking. (R.S. White Paper on Religion of Sants and Radhasoami Faith)
* Consider the following as the requirements to attain liberation: 1) Trust and belief in God; 2) commitment to seek the Divine within; 3) devotion to a spiritual master; 4) listening to the teaching of the spiritual discourse including study of the teachings of the saints and the scriptures; and, 5) diligent meditation practice. (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj)
SEVEN TEACHINGS OF SANT MAT
1) God is Real.
2) God is Love, the Ocean of Love and Compassion.
3) All of the world scriptures teach about the same manifestation of God as inner mystical Light and Sound.
4) Our true identity is soul, the Self. Soul is part of God and therefore is, like God, pure love.
5) During this human existence we have an opportunity to experience God.
6) As we experience communing with God's love during meditation — Surat Shabd Yoga, we can rise above body-consciousness and explore Inner Space, the "Kingdom of the Heavens" that are within us. "We travel back from the realm of Darkness to the realm of Light, from the Light to divine Sound, and from the realm of Sound to the Soundless State [Anami, Radhaswami, Anadi Purush, Ram]." (Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj) The drop merges back into the Ocean of Love.
7) As we get initiated into the Mysteries of the Spirit by a Living Teacher (Master, Sant Satguru), the purpose of our life is fulfilled. Reuniting with God is our reason to be here: "It was for the sake of the God-conscious beings that our True Lord created this earth, and began this play of death and birth". (Adi Granth) Kabir says: "For millions of years you have slept. This morning, will you not wake?".
THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF SANT MAT
The Following Principles Below are Recited Daily by Some in India
1. Ultimate Reality is beyond any beginning or end, infinite, beyond birth, beyond the senses, all-pervading yet even beyond pervasiveness. It must, therefore, be understood as the Supreme Being. This Essential Element is known in Santmat [the Teachings of the Saints] as the Lord of All and is the foundation of all things. This Being is beyond both the inanimate and animate aspects of nature. It is without qualities and beyond qualities. Its nature is infinite, imperishable, all-powerful. It is beyond time and space, beyond sound and beyond form — Nirguna). It is the One without a second. The Supreme Being is beyond the scope of the mind, the intellect and the senses. This entire universe is powered by the energy of this Being. This Being is not human. It is not manifested in physical form. It has existence beyond the illusion of maya [illusion], and there is nothing that exists outside of it. It is the Being which is eternal and is in existence from the beginning. Santmat considers this Being to be the Divine Reality, and this [knowing or merging with] this Being is the goal of all spirituality.
2. The individual soul is an inseparable part of the Supreme Being.
3. The physical world of nature was created. It has an origin and an end.
4. The individual soul (jiva), bound by illusion (maya), remains in the cycle of death and birth. This is the cause of one's suffering. In order to escape from this cycle of death and birth we must experience realization of this Supreme Being.
5. By practicing devotion through these four techniques — Manas Japa (Simran, recitation of the divine name), Manas Dhyana (Dhyan, focus on the divine form), Dristi Sadhana (Yoga of Inner Light, Inner Seeing, Inner Light Meditation, focus on the Infinitesimal Point), and Nadanusandhana Yoga (Surat Shabd Yoga, concentration on the inner divine Sounds) — the practitioner consecutively transcends the realms of darkness, Light, and Sound which cloak the Supreme Truth — the Divine Reality. Only in a human body an individual soul is able to achieve unity with the Divine. [In other forms of existence, animal, etc..., it is not possible to tread the spiritual path.]
6. Lying, stealing, intake of intoxicating substances, adultery, and violence (including harming other beings) are the five sins to be avoided. Eating meat or fish is also considered to be a form of violence and should be avoided. The aspirants of Santmat must abstain from these vices.*
(* Note: In Buddhism these five abstinences are known as the Panch Shila (the Five Precepts — see below).
7. The following are considered to be the requirements for the attainment liberation: (A) Trust and belief in God; (B) Commitment to seek the Divine within; (C) Devotion and service to a satguru — spiritual Master; (D) Satsang, listening to the teaching and spiritual discourse including study of the Teaching of the Saints and the scriptures; and (E) Dhyana, diligent meditation practice. (Maharshi Mehi, from, The Padavali of Maharshi Mehi, also quoted in the Book, Harmony of All Religions)
THE ETHICAL FOUNDATION OF SANT MAT — AHIMSA VALUES — THE FIVE PRECEPTS
Moral requirements for Initiation
1. Abstinence from alcohol and drugs (intoxicants);
2. Ahimsa (Non-Violence in thought, word, and deed) including in the area of diet, as in following a vegan (abstinence from animal products) or vegetarian diet (abstinence from meat, fish, and eggs);
3. Leading a truthful life;
4. Practicing non-stealing: an honest, ethical source of income;
5. Loyalty to ones spouse;
Another Version of the Five Precepts
1) Refrain from taking the life of sentient beings. This precept also requires strict adherence to a vegan (no animal products) or lacto-vegetarian diet (no meat, fish, poultry nor eggs, fertilized or non-fertilized).
2) Refrain from speaking what is not true.
3) Refrain from taking what is not yours.
4) Refrain from sexual misconduct.
5) Refrain from using intoxicants.
INITIATION INTO SURAT SHABD YOGA — INNER LIGHT AND SOUND MEDITATION
The Master said to his students: "What your own eyes cannot see, your human ears do not hear, your physical hands cannot touch, and what is inconceivable to the human mind — that I will give you!" (Jesus/Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas, Nag Hammadi Library of Egypt, one of the Gnostic Gospels or Lost Books of the Bible, a contemplative gospel for mystics)
In the Sant tradition, the complete methods and secrets of meditation practice are communicated at the time of Initiation (Diksha) by a living Master (Sant Satguru, Competent, Qualified Teacher) or a representative of a Master (not a past Saint or holy book). A Living Teacher, being fully acquainted with the 'landscape' of Inner Space, is able to impart to initiate-candidates valuable guidance on how to safely make the journey of ascension to the Inner Regions during meditation practice within. This kind of spiritual transmission and the details of Surat Shabd Yoga practice are not found in books, old scriptures of the past, and are not for sale, but are given freely to seekers by a living Teacher.
Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, from the Sant Mat classic, Harmony of All Religions: "The individual Soul has descended from the higher worlds [realms of the Divine] to this city of illusion [bodily existence]. It has descended from the Soundless State to the essence of Sound, from that Sound to Light, and finally from the realm of Light to the realm of Darkness. The qualities (natural tendencies) of the sense organs draw us upward (by withdrawing consciousness) from the darkness to the realms of Light and Sound. In other words, to go inward from the external sense organs to the depth of the inner Self. The natural tendencies of the Soul (Atman) are to move from outward to inward. The Current of consciousness which is dispersed in the nine gates of the body and the nine senses must be collected at the tenth gate (the sixth chakra, the Third Eye Bindu, Center between the eyebrows). Therein lies the path for our return. This is the act of leaving the gates of the sense organs and becoming established in the soul. .... We travel back from the realm of Darkness to the realm of Light, from the Light to divine Sound, and from the realm of Sound to the Soundless State [Anami, the Ocean of Love and All-consciousness]. This is turning back. This is what dharma or religion really intends to teach us and it is the essence of dharma. Masters say: "An intense longing to meet the Lord during one's lifetime is the first and foremost qualification for Initiation. 'Seek, and ye shall find', is the principle."
At the time of Initiation one vows to practice meditation each day. The spiritual path is a life-long commitment.
Key Words: Path of the Masters: Sant Mat — Santmat, Radhasoami — Radha Soami, Satsang, Inner Light and Sound Meditation: Surat Shabd Yoga, Audible Life Stream, Nada Yoga, Quanyin, The Quan Yin Method, Shurangama, The Way of the Surangama Sutra, The Sound of Silence — Transcendental Hearing in Buddhism, Spiritual Science, the Soul, Spirituality, Kabir, Anurag Sagar, Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kirpal Singh, Gnosticism, Third Eye, Out Of Body Experiences, Near-Death Experiences, Inner Space, the Kingdom of the Heavens Within You, Mystic Poetry, Vegetarian Vegan, Ahimsa, Love (Bhakti), and God.
- December 2011 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: The Dharamdasi-Tulsi Sahib Connection: The Five Names and Anurag Sagar: Sant Mat History is the focus of this edition of the Sant Mat Podcast. What is the family tree of Sant Mat? Where does this spiritual path come from? Who used the Five Names (Panch Naam) before the time of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras? Who was Tulsi Sahib's Guru (one of the successors of Sant Dariya Sahib in Bihar)? Who are the People of the Anurag Sagar? Who used the Anurag Sagar (Kabir's "Ocean of Love"), a sacred text of Sant Mat, before the time of Tulsi Sahib and Radhasoami? I make the case that the lineage of Masters begins with Guru Kabir, goes to Sant Dharam Das (the Dharamdasis), then perhaps to one of Dharam Das's successors, such as Churamani Naam, to Dariya Sahib's Guru, to Dariya Sahib of Bihar, then to one of the successors of Dariya (Guna Das or Teka Das), to Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, and branched out from there. Program Length: 30 Minutes. Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- June 2011 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: Readings are from: "Spiritual Consciousness Studies – Spircon 2010", featuring an excerpt from the "Sar Bachan Poetry" of Soami Ji Maharaj, the great Saint of Agra, India, on the States Beyond – the Inner Regions; Edmond Bordeaux Szekely on the Three Holy Streams (Life, Light, and Sound); another reading from the "Sar Bachan Poetry" of Swami Ji Maharaj on how Saints attempt to liberate their students from their limited thinking. Normally we human beings are bound by mind and maya, the "tomb" of illusion that keep most jiva-surat-souls from making spiritual progress; a reading from "The Biography of Huzur Maharaj" (quoting from the Letters of Huzur); instruction about meditation practice from the new book, "Yoga of Inner Light and Sound", by Swami Achyutanand, recently translated into English by Pravesh K. Singh; "Phelps Notes" about the God of All Consciousness, the Ocean of Love; pondering about how Sant Mat is as much a path of Bhakti (love and devotion for God) as it is a mystical path of out-of-body exploration via Surat Shabd Yoga (Inner Light and Sound Meditation); a Mystic Verse of Sant Dariya Sahib; some thoughts about the essential key elements of successful Sant Mat practice; also, The Four Essentials of Sant Mat: "True Guru (Sat-Guru), True Name (Sat-Naam), True Association (Sat-sang) and True Love (Sat-Anurag)"; and, The Principals of Sant Mat. Program Length: 30 Minutes. Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- January 2011 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: My Guest is Veena Howard, translator of, "Philosophy of Liberation", by Maharshi Mehi, and the book, "Harmony of All Religions", by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj. All about Traditional Sant Mat from an Indian Perspective. A delightful conversation introducing listeners to a rare spiritual path from India known as Sant Mat, which means, The Way of the Saints. It also can be translated as, The Path of the Masters. Program Length: One Hour and 17 Minutes. Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- December 2010 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: My Guest Today is Mark Juergensmeyer: The spirit of Sant Mat "ecumenism" and dialogue of the recent Spircon conference; also some Sant Mat history speculation on the origins of the Radhasoami Faith: the ashram of the Tulsi Sahib group in Hathras, "the People of the Anurag Sagar" or the "Esoteric Santism" of Sant Dariya Sahib and the Dharamdasi Branch of Kabir Panth. Am back for a new season and series of Sant Mat Satsang PODCasts. Mark Juergensmeyer is director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, professor of sociology, and affiliate professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an expert on religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics, and has published more than two hundred articles and twenty books, including, "Radhasoami Reality – The Logic of A Modern Faith", Princeton University Press; "Songs of the Saints of India" (Mystic Poetry of Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ravidas, Mirabai, Sur Das, and Tulsi Das), Oxford University Press; contributed chapters to, "The Sants - Studies in A Devotional Tradition of India", Motilal Banarsidas Books of Delhi. We discuss the recent "Spircon 2010 International Seminar on the Religion of Sants - Radhasoami Faith - Spiritual Consciousness Studies", held recently at Dayalbagh, which is associated with the Radhasoami Satsang Dayal Bagh, Agra. Other branches of Sant Mat/Radhasoami that participated in this historic event include: Huzuri Bhawan/Pipal Mandi (Agram Prasad Mathur), Radhasoami Satsang Tarn Taran (Baba Kehar Singh), and Radhaswami Satsang Dinod (Sant Kanwar Singh). Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- July-August Sant Mat Satsang PODcast 2010: "Happy Guru Purnima": Master's Day: Reflections about the role of Sant Satgurus: The Competent Living Master, a Qualified Teacher, The True One, Genuine Mentor, a Righteous and Worthy Guide, A Fearless Being, Light-giver, Leader of a Spiritual Community. An Ode to the Sant SatGuru. Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- June Sant Mat Satsang PODcast 2010: "Inner Sound According to Sufi, Buddhist and Sant Mat Sources." Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- March/February 2010 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: "Guru Nanak's Conversation with the Siddha Yogis." Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- January 2010 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: "Chand Mat" (As in Baba Faqir Chand). Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- December/November 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast: Hear readings from the following sources: a book called, "Petals of Love", by Professor Agam Prasad Mathur of Agra, on the history and spirituality of the classic Sants of India; verses of the Devotional Poetry of Saint Namdev from a text known as the "Hindi Padavali"; "The Harmony of All Religions", by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, on the primary goals of this living school of spirituality from India known as Sant Mat; also a reading about the astral plane or region known as The Thousand Petalled Lotus (Sahas-dal-kanwal), from the book, "Enchanted Land". That reading includes a passage from the "Sar Bachan Poetry" of Soami Ji Maharaj, Volume One. On the ahimsa ethics of the Masters, there will be a reading from the "Saakhi Granth" of Guru Kabir. Click to Download MP3 and Hear This Edition of the Sant Mat Satsang PODcast [via Blog Talk Radio]:
- October 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- September 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- August 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- July 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- June 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- May 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- March 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- February 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- January 2009 Sant Mat Satsang PODcast
- Sant Mat Library: Recommended Reading: a comprehensive collection of links to Sant Mat, Radhasoami, and Surat Shabd Yoga E Books, also, Audio/Talking Books: *CLICK*.
- Sant Mat at Twitter, a news feed about the latest Sant Mat blogs, posts, quotes, announcements, podcasts, websites, and videos: *CLICK*.
- Sant Mat at Tumblr, a news feed about the latest Sant Mat blogs, posts, quotes, announcements, podcasts, websites, and videos: *CLICK*.
- Sant Mat Radhasoami at Facebook: All About Sant Mat, Radha Soami, Surat Shabd Yoga – Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Love and Devotion (Prem and Bhakti), Union With God, Music, Poetry, Radio, Podcasts, Prose, Book Reviews, Quotes from Spiritual Classics and Scriptures from India, Satsang Discourses from Ancient Times up to the Living Present – the Path of the Masters: *CLICK*
- Sant Mat at Google+: *CLICK*.
- The Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog at Blogger.com: Spiritual Quotes from: Sant Mat Mystics, Sufis, Gnostics, Lost Books of the Bible, World Scriptures, Sacred Texts, Spiritual Classics, from Lovers of the Beloved, Exploring the World of Spirituality, Comparative Religion, Books, Websites, The Path of the Masters: Radha Soami, Poet-Mystics and Other Rare Books of the East, Christian Mystics, Vegetarian Vegan Diet, Inner Space, Surat Shabd Yoga – Inner Light and Sound Meditation, soul travel, Union with God, also Spiritual Awakening Radio Announcements: *CLICK*.
- Sant Mat Fellowship LINKS PAGE at Yahoo Groups: This is the most comprehensive links page online dedicated to the Path of the Masters. The research that has gone into this page is intended to provide online resources from an inter-faith, non-sectarian perspective exploring Inner Light and Sound Meditation – Surat Shabd Yoga, Sant Mat, The Path of the Masters, Radhasoami, Kabir Panth, also Online Books including Sacred Texts from India: *CLICK*.
- Sant Mat Radhasoami at Yahoo Groups: *CLICK*
- The Sant Mat Satsang PODcast at Blog Talk Radio, an online library of PODcasts available on-demand – Sant Mat Radio: *CLICK*
- Sant Mat Radhasoami Channel at Youtube: *CLICK*
- Sant Mat at Myspace, an Introduction: *CLICK*
- The Sant Mat Blog at Myspace – Sant Mat Mysticism, Inner Light and Sound Meditation, Spiritual Quotes: the Wisdom of the Masters and Saints, Sacred Texts of India, Sufis, Gnostics, World Scriptures, Spiritual Classics, Mystic-Poets of the East, Radhasoami, Lovers of the Beloved, also Radio Announcements: *CLICK*
- Sant Mat Fellowship at Yahoo Groups – Light and Sound on the Path – Interfaith or Universal Sant Mat: a weekly e-newsletter based on the Path of the Masters, including the Teachings of the Classic Sants of India: Mystic Poetry, Satsang Discourses, Book Reviews, History, Esoteric Teachings, Comparative Mysticism, one of the most comprehensive sites on the web for the study of Sant Mat: *CLICK*.
- RADHASOAMI REALITY at Yahoo Groups explores the teachings of the Radhaswami Faith, the Spiritual Classics of Agra, such as the Sar Bachan Radha Soami Poetry and Prose of Soami Ji Maharaj, and, Prem Patra Radhasoami Series of Huzur Maharaj: *CLICK*
- Radhasoami Surat Shabd Yoga Community at Live Journal: *CLICK*
- Online Sant Mat Books: The Center For Anurag Sagar Studies – Kabir's Ocean of Love – Two Different Translations of a Key Sacred Text used by Sant Mat and the Dharamdasi Branch of Kabir Panth, Five MP3 Satsang Talks Based on the Anurag Sagar, Links to the Bijak of Kabir, Prakashmani Gita, The Brahm Nirupan of Guru Kabir, Book of Amar Mul, Book of Satsang Prayers, and Kabir at Yahoo Groups: *Anurag Sagar Studies*
- Online Sant Mat Books: Radhasoami: The Writings of Soami Ji Maharaj: Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Part One, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry, Part Two, Sar Bachan Radhasoami Prose, Soami Ji Maharaj's Letters to Huzur Maharaj, Swami Ji's Commentary on the Jap Ji of Guru Nanak, and, Last Words of Soami Ji Maharaj: *Writings of Soami Ji Maharaj*
- Online Sant Mat Books: "Harmony Of All Religions" (Sarvadharma Samanvy) – about Inner Light and Sound Meditation in the Great World Religions and the Sant Mat tradition – by Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, Translated Into English by Veena Howard: *Harmony Of All Religions*
- KABIR at Yahoo Groups – all about Guru Kabir, Kabir Panth, the spiritual classics of the Kabir line of Masters including: The Anurag Sagar – The Ocean of Love, The Bijak, Songs of Kabir in the Adi Granth, The Saakhi Granth, many more: *CLICK*
- Kirpal Singh Satsang at Yahoo Groups: *CLICK*
- Sant Mat Library: a comprehensive collection of links to Sant Mat, Radhasoami, and Surat Shabd Yoga E Books, also, Audio/Talking Books including: Anurag Sagar, Songs of Kabir, Bijak, different translations of the Adi Granth, The Sants, Radhasoami Reality, Mysticism in Maharashtra, Sacred Songs of India, Harmony of All Religions, Philosophy of Liberation, The Radhasoami Faith – A Historical Study, RADHASOAMI MAT PRAKASH – A Brief View of Radhasoami Faith – Being a message of Eternal Peace and Joy to All Nations, Light on Ananda Yoga, The Coming Spiritual Revolution, along with links to more from the Kirpal Singh Library, also the teachings of Sant Dariya Sahib of Bihar; *CLICK*
- Myspace Tribute Profile and Blog Dedicated to the Teachings of Swami Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, SantMat Master – Sant Satguru – Scholar-Sant – A Qualified Teacher of Divine Love, Light, and Sound: *CLICK*
- SadGuruMehi.com: Great Website on Sant Mat: The Faith of the Sants *CLICK*
- TheWayOfSages.com: *TheWayOfSages*
- SantMatSatsang.com: Swami Ashutosh (Gurusnehi) Website *SantMatSatsang*
- SantMatSatsang.com: Swami Ashutosh (Gurusnehi) Inward Journey Blog *InwardJourneyBlog*
- TheSantMat.com: *TheSantMat*
- Sant Mat Radhasoami Forum at BeliefNet: *CLICK*
- Listen to Spiritual Awakening Radio and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Online via the Archive Page of Spiritual Awakening Radio.com – GO TO: *Shows-On-Demand – Listen Anytime*
- Download Editions of Spiritual Awakening Radio as MP3s, or Hear Them as Streaming Audio, via HealthyLife.NET. Scroll down and click on the latest program. A new show is added each week. GO TO: *Spiritual Awakening Radio – Shows-On-Demand*
- Hear Recent Editions of Spiritual Awakening Radio via the Current Podcast Page of SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com. A new show is added each week: *CLICK*.
- Sant Mat Radio – The Sant Mat Satsang Podcast at Blog Talk Radio: *CLICK*
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Photography by Marilana Rufo.
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