47 .Waheguru Simran: Naam Rang

Naam is a state of being that imbues the Sikh doing Naam Simran in the Naam rang (color).With Naam Sikh lives connected with the mool (origin).

Guru ji have explicitly stated that  :

ਮਨ ਤੂੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਹੈ ਆਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥

ਮਨ ਹਰਿ ਜੀ ਤੇਰੈ ਨਾਲਿ ਹੈ ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਰੰਗੁ ਮਾਣੁ ॥

-sggs 441
O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light - recognize thy own origin.O my mind, the Dear Lord is with you; through the Guru's Teachings, enjoy being imbued in HIS color.
-sggs 441

When the Sikh begins to be imbued in Naam Rang there begins a transformation. From being a sevak (devotee servant) the Sikh begins to feel HIS presence. The unfolding is from being separate individual towards oneness.

The transformation is brought about by Simran. The Simran is the Gurmat way to make our mind know the sat (truth), accept the sat (truth), belive the sat (truth) and to live as embodiment of sat (truth).

The above words of the Guruji that “Man Thoon Joth Saroop Hai Aapanaa Mool Pashhaan.” is a directive addressed to the mind of the Sikh. The mind has to be told again and again that it is “jyote swaroop”.

The mind by virtue of being a human believes in self identity. The mind believes itself a human body and the self (haume) is the driving force in the world of maya. The life that is being lived and all its behaviour is to vindicate and sustain this belief. The whole maya’s structure of worldly affairs, the emotions and thinking is to keep the individuality alive.

Becoming jyote swaroop is a transformation from a “Haume” (individual self-identity) to a Mool aligned identity with the element of Haume gradually fading away.

Mind resists the change. The resists any inward look. The mind also resists any new ideas. A potent tool the mind uses is doubt and disbelief.In such a scenario how a Sikh can experience Naam rang.

The Sikh has Gurbani. The Sikh that strtches is hand is held by the Guru. The Guru guides the Sikh.The way of the Guru, the gurmat is thepath to travel. The Sikh does Simran for the purpose of being imbued with Naam .The Guru bestows the Sikh with the wealth of Naam.

Let us first see what the Naam experience is and how it unfolds with Naam Simran.

1. The shift begins when reading of Gurbani moves to Vichar and Simran.
  
 2.With Simran the surt (awareness) of the Sikh goes within. The surt likes to rest  within.  The Simran is done within the mind.
 

 3.With Surt being increasingly within while reading Gurbani and during Waheguru Simran there may be experiences of body aches in the neck, shoulders, forehead and experience of heat on top of head. This passes away after some time as the body does re adjustments.

 4. There are faith events in the life. The heath improves, issues get resolved, there is prosperity . The Sikh develops relatioships with the Guru  and become aware that Guru and Akal Purakh are same. The Sikh asks  responsibly from the Akal Purakh and the faith request gets fulfilled.

 

5. Feeling of detachment .Responsible withdrawal from family relationships and social activities. This detachment is not giving up but is more in the nature of becoming an observer. The grip of attachment is lessor.

 6. Quietness begins to develop along with increased "self talk." There is awareness that Shabad Guru is ever within. There is communion with the Shabad Guru within. There develops companion ship with the Shabad Guru.

 7. Intuitive awareness develops. A quit sort of loving  joyous built up comes up at times.A flow of Amrit Ras in the head.

8. A Sikh that does deep Simran meditation may have further faith experiences of seeing bright light, body lightness, visions etc.

 9. As the Surt begins to rest within the Sikh hears Anhad Shabad.

  10. With Guru Kirpa then the Spiritual and the Physical are together in Sikhs life which was the direction of Simran. The Sikh feels the presence of Waheguru within and everywhere in the nature and other beings. The Anhad ever resounds.   In this togetherness of physical and spiritual the starting point of the awareness focus is then increasingly from within behind the eyes rather than outside even with eyes being open and Sikh going about the daily chores.  The Sikh lives in Hazuri and Naam rang then grows further in the Sikh in this Karam Khand. More and more Spiritual experiences unfold with the fading away of the color of Haume.

No amount of words can truly convey the Spiritual development and the Spiritual experiences. The Sikh meditation of Simran aligns the Sikh with The Mool.

Gurbani explains that Waheguruji placed HIS jyote (light) and then sent the body in this world. Gurbani also explains that the world is a dwelling of the Waheguruji – “eh jag Sacheh ki heh kothri, Sacheh ka vich vas”. The nature of reality of the world is different from what it appears. The spiritual path is to know this reality and live connected with Naam.

The way is that of meditation through Simran. Simran means “to remember again and again” which is Jap. The Simran to be done is of Gurbani,Gurbani Vichar and Gurumantra –Waheguru.

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Simran is remembrance with an aim towards knowing, then closeness and then oneness with Waheguruji.

Simran with Gurbani and Vichar unfold the complex concepts so that the mind knows and accepts. The Gurbani states that  

ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ਤਉ ਹਰਿ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥ Man Maaniaa Tho Har Jaaniaa ||

When the mind agrees, only then the God comes to be known.

SGGS 656

The mind holds so many wrong concepts about God and the world we live in,  many of these from primitive time. These are carried over collective consciousness concepts of the mankind. These have been further modified or changed by the group concepts like those of religion and within religion further subgroup. These concepts are a part of our subconscious mind and components of collective consciousness. The subconscious influences our conscious mind and thinking.

The Gurbani aims to correct the wrong beliefs and Simran with Vichar is a way to enable our mind to overcome the collective consciousness influence. The strong focused thoughts of the individual mind then have correct gurmat guided beliefs about the Waheguruji.