Leaving the Matrix, Religion vs. Mysticism
by James Bean
Copyright July 2005
“In the Loka (realm) of Kabir he saw the forms of many Kabirs, but looking again he saw that it was but one form multiplied.” (Amar Mul of Sant Dharam Dass and Guru Kabir)

That sentence reminds me somewhat of Neo in the Matrix. There was a scene where there were many Neo’s. The difference is, the Matrix was a world of illusion created by the Architect, a character most definitely patterned after the Demiurge of Gnostic philosophy, a false and jealous god who seeks to collect souls for himself and attempts to prevent them from returning to the True Heaven above, their true Home, through a variety of tricks. The eastern term for this Demiurge is the Kal Niranjan (lord of time, lord of death, lord of illusion). The Kal also is a metaphor for the universal mind or, one might say, collective ego of the cosmos.

A variety of negative thought-beliefs are used to prevent souls from success in meditation. The fall of Kal as is described in the Anurag Sagar of Kabir is one of the most innovative explanations of the origin of evil I’ve even found in the world religions. One can easily see the drama of Kal being played out every day in the world of self-limiting, false beliefs about why it is impossible to meditate today, why “it is impossible for me to be enlightened”, why “it is impossible for me to taste heaven now”. “Woe, woe, woe is me”. The mind has the potential to be infected with many possible Kal.exe viruses, so to speak: 1) A crazy guru or crazy cult gives all paths a bad name and this reinforces the ego’s desire to remain asleep. 2) One believes one does not have enough “time” to meditate and of course never chooses to make time. 3) One might believe “after the kids are all grown up and they are retired”, then they will meditate. Famous last words, and, no forwarding address. 4) During a sermon a TV evangelist says “meditation is evil” – “satan will get you” – “don’t read Psalm 46:10” – “Do not be still and know that God is God” – “don’t study the mystics, they are heretics”. Don’t leave the matrix? “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” (The Eagles, “Hotel California”) They teach that meditation provides an opening for the devil to enter. Actually, I think it’s the opposite. It provides an opportunity for the devil to leave.

Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not quite yet, it seems. In other words, even amongst the religious, the ego and perception of the material world of the five senses is so overwhelming, that generally most can not conceive of what it is like to take a break and stop being engrossed in one’s own thoughts, for awhile, and to close one’s eyes and stop looking in the outward direction, for a change. Shabbat – Sabbath rest from creation in order to know the Creator.

Many seek to bring god here, to materialize god politically in the world outside, instead of choosing to spiritually ascend to where God is. The ego seeks to create god after it’s own image and likeness instead of letting go and re-identifying with one’s true identity: soul. So much of religion is focused on intellectual understandings and material structures: ‘correct’ doctrine – beliefs in the mind of one sort or another and limited to that – no spiritual experience of that which is talked about, visiting god in physical temples or other external buildings of worship, and the replaying of rituals using physical objects that can, at best, only symbolize spiritual truths.

The Missing Spiritual Dimension

The devotee however, has an internal focus. No need to wait for a second coming. God never left; he is already here, within, in our midst, right now, in this present moment. The human body is the true “temple of the Spirit”. Thus, one closes their eyes and looks within, entering the ‘door’ to the temple via the Third Eye Center, also referred to as the Single Eye and, the Seat of the Soul. In other words, we have the ability to see and hear spiritually. Instead of allowing this ability to remain dormant and unused, the devotee develops his or her ability to see and hear spiritually during meditation practice. The Holy Grail is within us. Instead of being content with “types and shadows”, rituals that only demonstrate eternal truths, the mystic “partakes of the divine nature” each and every day during their meditation. They “eat and drink” God on a spiritual level by contemplating his Divine Light – “darkness is no longer dark to me”, and becoming absorbed in the Sound of heaven, the Music of the Spheres or Song of the Creator playing softly beyond the silence. Living Gnosis Now.

The greatness of a Master lies in the fact that when one meets Him, He initiates him into the Mysteries of the Beyond and gives Him first-hand experience of being born anew, and then by regular practice the initiate may transcend into the Beyond at will and enjoy the ineffable sweet symphonies of the Word which no ears have heard and no eyes have seen on earth.” (Kirpal Singh, Spiritual Elixir) In the Gospel of Thomas found in Egypt, the Master said to his living students at the time, “I will give you what no eye has seen, what no hear has heard, what no hand has touched, and what has never occurred to the human mind. (Coptic Gospel of Thomas, Saying 17)

Naamaste

Awakening and Exiting from the Matrix

Gyani (Kabir, the Gnostic – one with Divine Knowledge) said:

Listen, unjust one, I will cut down all the traps and release the souls. By means of the Sat Shabda, I will destroy all the traps you have created. The soul who catches my Shabda will become free of all your traps. When the soul recognizes my Shabda he will give up the illusion created by you, and will rise above your creation. Making the souls understand the Sat Naam and liberating them, I will take them back to Sat Lok.

HYMN

I will make the souls firm in the Shabda of the Gracious Forgiver, Sat Purush. Such souls will be Sahaj: pure and content. They will do the devotion of the soul, and they will be the abode of pure qualities. By doing the Simran of Sat Purush they will sing the praise of the Immovable Naam. I will send the souls to Sat Lok,…

COUPLET

Spreading the Nectar of Naam I will awaken the souls. 0 Dharam Rai [lawgiver, demiurge], listen carefully. I will humble your arrogance. By doing the practice of devotion, they will get the passport and I will connect them with the Naam of Sat Purush. The Negative Power can’t come near such a soul, and he will bow down to them when he sees their union with Sat Purush. (Anurag Sagar)

Japa Govinda Bisari Jini Jai

Do the repetition of God and forget
Him not.
Fulfil the purpose of thy birth
by practicing concentration.
Be steadfast in the remembrance of God.
Practice meditation with love, and sing
the glory of God.
The human body is the door to salvation.
Do the repetitions of God, the Creator
of the universe
So long as the dread disease
has not come,
So long as Death has not consumed
thy body;
So long as the Sound has not
been withdrawn,
Render thou the service of the Lord.
People remember not God while the
opportunity exists.
When life is gone, none can remember.
So long as one lives, he sleeps. But
later on, he repents.
The servant is engaged in the service
of the Lord.
He alone attains who is wakeful.
For the devoted discipline of the Guru,
Darkness and delusion are dispelled.
He reverts not, and it well set on the
Path.
See thoughtfully and understand, 0 mind.
Thou shalt not find such an opportunity
again.
Having come to the world it is
up to thee to win or lose.
I have explained to thee in so many
ways, again and again, sayeth Dadu.

(Sant Dadu Dayal, Encyclopaedia of Saints of India Series, Volume 25, Criterion Publications, New Delhi, India)