"Satsangi" is a seeker of truth, not a religious devotee

The literal meaning of the Indian word, "satsangi," is someone who associates with truth. However, various religious groups have hijacked the term to mean something else: a devotee of some particular dogma.

Unless all of those dogmas are equally true, some of those "satsangis" are more genuinely associated with truth than others are.

Going further, a real satsangi is open to truth in whatever form, shape, or manner it manifests. Thus a true satsangi can't allow himself or herself to be limited by any dogmatic religious barrier. Truth has to be followed wherever it leads.

These thoughts were stimulated by an email I received recently from a guy who, like me, is an initiate of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) -- one of the Indian organizations which uses "satsangi" as a synonym for "devotee."

He wrote me about how he stopped being a speaker at RSSB meetings ("satsangs"):

Having been unable to VERIFY sant mat, I told the Master that I could no longer feel honest or competent about asserting it to others by speaking in satsang, the same approach as Sawan Singh encourages in Gems. It felt a bit presumptive.

Anyway it should be made clear that the translation of the word satsangi is: one who associates with truth. As contrasted with one who identifies with a congregation of fellow believers.

As contrasted with: one who HOPES THAT WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN WILL TURN OUT TO BE TRUE.

Satsangi does not translate as one who willingly accepts philosophical assertions.

Satsangi does not translate as a believer in hypotheses. Satsangi means....... one who is increasingly open to truth. The truth will set us free.  Simply.

Comments

[Account Deleted]

now this is one of the best thought ever posted on this blog by the author.
I agree with it.Satsang is not a ritual kind thing.
Satsang is a state.
You no need to go to a place and then call your self as satangi,
If you are satsangi you are satsangi,
if you are not then you really are not.
Very simple.

The above thought from the other is the result of his years given to RSSB.

And Brian is one of the Westerner who has profound knowledge about india,its spiritualism and words(along with their meanings) used in it.

[Account Deleted]

just FYI,
I being in RS,i do not go satsang at all,
I do attend only master's satsang.
Local satsang i never visit at all.

For me being where i m ,i m with the truth,
i m the truth i m the company,
i need not require crowd to call it as association
and association to self,is the start of being real satsangi.

[Sita]

Amen!

[Account Deleted]

Tara,
you are asusuall silly,innocent and ignorant.
what brian told the definition of a satsangi i liked it.
he say's rs as cult.i do not agree with that point.
he says rs is dogma(which he himself was involved 30 years-30 years uff..almost half age)but i do not agree that.
what i have to agree i will agree,
and what u have not to agree i will not.

and tara..i m not defensive,
if someone do not have enough knowledge,
and keep on writing incorrect statements,
i m just interrupting the writer,conveying him for gathering the right and real truth and then p

[Account Deleted]

then post.

and tara,the silly,innocent and ignorant lady.

you are calling me FAKE,now how sure you are about it.

just by reading a different point of view makes one fake.

hmm...interesting...
and asusual confusing post from you.

[Account Deleted]

brian can you email me the pdf format of your book Return to the One.

[Randy]

Good post. Hits the bullseye.

[Blogger Brian]

mia, I've made my book available on Amazon in a downloadable Kindle format. I priced it lower than most Kindle books: $8.99. So this is how you can get an electronic copy of Return to the One. See:
http://www.amazon.com/Return-One-Plotinuss-Guide-God-Realization/dp/0977735214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313688461&sr=8-1

[Dogribb]

So does our earstwhile "satsangi" have a hope of becoming "Churchless"...one wonders

[Willie R]

Nothing like a good cat fight!

[Nietzsche]

Nice post to continue my own RS therapy not meant to insult.

I think my problems with RS started right at the beginning. I thought I was special, I was selected, I was getting initiation, I was one of the special few to escape the earth hell. Every other path would lead to eternal suffering, people trying to escape but not succeeding.
How silly I was :)
Than they told me you are special but you must appear humble to others. I was not good at that so I got the rod over and over again. If I am special than hell I am going to show it of!
So I got friends that became jealous. I told them they where going to eternal hell and would be sitting here begging for mercy while I would be drinking coca cola in heaven!
That went not very well. Am I to blame? I believed the RS marketing or the Satsangi close to me believed it and told it to me as the very truth.
Now these Satsangi are still trying to hide that they believe that they are the best while I am getting over the fear of living like anyone else and you know what. When you are over the fear, life is not that scary at all. They told you lies about life and worked on your fears to hide in RS. Is RS the biggest problem? I think the Satsangi are the biggest problem. They don't understand it.
If someone needs to feel special than you can try to humiliate them again and again but perhaps the need to feel special comes from being neglected as a child. How is the rod going to solve that problem?
But the ideas are good. By not meeting other Satsangi's I came to appreciate some of the thoughts on ego. I don't need to feel special anymore today and I found that what I believed in to be the biggest good on earth (RS) was a marketing thing and now I don't advocate it anymore and my friends don't want to have buy or steal it anymore.
Think of that you tell someone that you have the most precious diamond ever and the other person is never going to get it. Yes I know now how to sell air or sugar water as coca cola.
But of course the biggest mistake was my own understanding of RS.

[Catherine]

I understand that the post is about the term 'Satsangi' and not 'Radha Soami'.

My mechanic is rather an excellent satsangi and I guess he has never heard the term or touched anything more eastern than a Subaru. After much trial and error he found out the problem with my car. I was utterly delighted and highly impressed when he proved to me the process of trial and error that he had gone through by presenting a container with lots of little sections and parts that he had found in the engine. Some had been clogged, some worn out etc. I considered framing the lot and suggested he open a detective agency on the side.

[Catherine]

Nietzsche, it looks like you've learned a few valuable marketing skills! That aside, it does seem that many people's religious decisions are often based on fear when getting into and then remaining in religion. It is however very useful if a person can believe that an imaginary person has taken on all their sins or can lead them safely up the garden path!! My opinion is that self- actualisation involves growing the bravery, standing on one's own feet, growing up. Why should this have anything to do with being egotistical?

[PB]

I asked BJ the same question you mention in your post, Brian, because I also felt I didn't really have any meaningful experience to share. And I was satisfied with his answer. Nothing holy. Just do it and see what happens. No need to pretend anything. It has been helpful to me.

[Luigi]

Wondeful Blog, I have always had a spiritual desire, and have been meditating since I was 18, I just focused on my breathing and adding more awareness into my life, I remember once in a RSSB meeting at Malaga, my mum asked the Master wether it was ok if I meditated without the guidance of a master, he said it was not ok, and I should stop practising meditation on my own, when I heard that answer I inmediately knew Radhasoami was full of crap, seeing your blog has confirmed this.