Q.  I am aware of Surat Shabda Yoga as taught by the Radha Soami Satsang in India. Is there a difference between MasterPath and the Radha Soami teachings?

A.  Both MasterPath and the Radha Soami Satsang are the study and practice of Surat Shabda Yoga, a term used by the Light and Sound Masters in India for centuries to describe this spiritual practice. In essence, Surat Shabda Yoga is the practice of merging soul into the Sound Current. Great Saints in the distant past such as Lao Tse, Pythagoras, and Jesus, and more recent Masters such as Rumi, Kabir, Hafiz, Guru Nanak, and Sawan Singh Ji have utilized this spiritual practice. The Teachings of Light and Sound are unchangeable and have remained the same throughout time.  MasterPath, founded by a Western Master, Sri Gary Olsen, is a continuation of authentic Surat Shabda Yoga, and MasterPath’s goals, practices, and principles are the same: The goals are Self and God Realization; the principles include the emphasis on the eternal nature of soul and the indwelling path, the necessity of an authentic living Master, and the instruction on the journey through the light into the spiritual realms of the Sound Current. 

Every Light and Sound Master has given initiation vows to his initiates, and it is the sacred duty of each Master to provide vows that expedite the spiritual unfoldment of his students.  Through history, until its recent introduction into the West, Surat Shabda Yoga has been tailored for the consciousness of the Eastern practitioners and students.  Although the mission of Sawan Singh Ji in the 20th century witnessed a great expansion of these teachings worldwide, the initiation vows, which are the individual choice of the Master, retained their Eastern character. The vows in the East include three hours a day of meditation, a vegetarian diet, and abstaining from alcohol, drugs, and sexual relations outside of marriage.

Sri Gary Olsen has observed how guilt, shame, and the feeling of unworthiness have waylaid many sincere devotees. These precious souls often believe they are unqualified, too impure, or unworthy of being on the path because they are sometimes unable to adhere to the Eastern Light and Sound vows. And if the student does succeed in the rigors imposed by the Eastern vows, it is easy for the Western student, raised in the morality of this culture, to believe that this alone brings the goals of spirituality.  Both of these viewpoints lay a trap for the unwary. Sri Gary’s mission is teaching Surat Shabda Yoga in the West, and in adapting the Light and Sound to Western students, Sri Gary has moderated the vows of initiation. Rather than abstinence through renunciation, the only vow of the MasterPath initiate is to practice the principle of balance in all areas of life. This modification of vows and a balanced participation in a Western lifestyle have circumvented the potential traps of guilt and undue force in self-discipline. This is purely an act of grace, as it is the Master that assists in the dissolving and transcending of the karma of his students.

All Light and Sound Paths teach the student the value and the practice of stilling the mind in order to awaken the spiritual faculties lying dormant within. The Eastern Light and Sound Paths, such as Radha Soami, accomplish this goal through emphasizing the practice of meditation, in which the initiate attempts to clear the mind of all thoughts and focus exclusively on the Master. The mind of a Western student has been trained in this culture to be extremely active, and thus MasterPath teaches a practice that stills the mind through the practice of contemplation. In contemplation, the active tendencies of the mind are actually used toward the goal of stilling the mind, and Sri Gary Olsen recommends 20 to 30 minutes of contemplation a day for his students.

Moderating the traditional Eastern vows and adapting the spiritual exercises for Western students have in no way diluted the purity of this Path of the Saints, and MasterPath remains in full adherence to the spirit of the law.

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