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Sahaj Marg (translated, the easy or natural path) is a heart-based meditation system that is said to focus on the "cleaning" of impressions (called samskaras) and then meditating on an imagined divine light in one's heart. The organizational body, Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM), was formally registered in 1945 by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, its founder, commonly known as "Babuji."

History

In 1945, Babuji founded Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and registered in India. Babuji was born on April 30, 1899 in Shahjahanpur, a large town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Babuji passed away in April 1983 at the age of 83. As part of the Sahaj Marg spiritual practice, Babuji adopted a technique called Pranahuti or yogic transmission, whereby the "divine essence" was said to be transmitted directly into the practicants' hearts to speed their spiritual evolution.

Practice

The daily practice includes:

• Morning meditation on divine light in the heart (30-60 minutes);
• Cleaning of impressions of the day (i.e., imagining the day's events evaporating out one's back and being replaced with divine light; 30 minutes);
• A prayer-meditation at bedtime;

Weekly practices include:

• A weekly meditation group;
• Cleaning meditations with a preceptor.

The practice of Sahaj Marg is recommended for those 18 years of age and older and is free.

Controversies and criticism

There have been several disputes over the control, domain and trademark names of the group since the death of the founder (Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur) in 1983.

Famous Users of Sahaj Marg

Dr. Henry C. Lee is said to practice Sahaj Marg daily.

Activities

The SRCM is a non-governmental organization registered with the United Nations..

See also

• Meditation
• Spirituality

References

1. "A Flexible Mind," Elizabeth Denley, Australian Yoga Life, Issue 7.
2. "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation," C. Suntharamoorthy, Daily News, Sri Lanka, August 4, 2003.
3. "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation," C. Suntharamoorthy, Daily News, Sri Lanka, August 4, 2003.
4. "A Flexible Mind," Elizabeth Denley, Australian Yoga Life, Issue 7. "In Sahaj Marg raja yoga the cleaning of the mind is a part of the daily practice or sadhana. Cleaning can also be done by the guru for the practitioners. Yoga – union with the ultimate – is only possible when the samskaras are cleaned away. In fact, before any higher spiritual states can be reached, the cleaning must be done. Otherwise the tendencies and habits of the past pollute and continually pull the aspirant backwards."
5. "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation," C. Suntharamoorthy, Daily News, Sri Lanka, August 4, 2003. "At 9.00 p.m., every abhyasi, wherever he or she may be, should meditate for 15 minutes thinking that all the people of the universe who are already my brothers and sisters, may all their hearts be flooded as my heart is being flooded with spiritual craving, love and devotion for the Divine Master and real faith is growing in them. O Master! Thou art the real goal of human life. We are yet but slaves of wishes. Putting bar to our advancement. Thou art the only God and Power. To bring us up to that state. This prayer meditation is done for about 10-15 minutes by repeating the prayer a few times and meditate on the meanings of the statements therein. Immediately thereafter one is advised to retire to bed so that there will be constant remembrance Unlike the traditional Prayer hymns or songs, the Sahaj Marg Prayer does not ask for anything; it consists of three statements of facts."
6. "A Flexible Mind," Elizabeth Denley, Australian Yoga Life, Issue 7.
7. "Sahaj Marg System of Meditation," C. Suntharamoorthy, Daily News, Sri Lanka, August 4, 2003.
8. "Meditation therapies for attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder," T. Krisanaprakornkit, C. Witoonchart, & N. Piyavhatkul, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2008, Issue 2. "In terms of the adverse effects of meditation, reports exist suggesting that meditation can cause temporary depersonalisation and derealisation (Castillo 1990), and there exist several reports of a possible association between meditation and psychotic state (French 1975; Lazarus 1976; Walsh 1979; Chan-Ob 1999). Studies of meditation in pediatric populations are still limited. For young children, it is not considered advisable for children to sit for extended lengths of time with closed eyes which might in any case 'go against the grain' of the active nature of children. Different meditation techniques have different recommendations of meditation practice for children i.e. Sahaj Marg Meditation, a system of Raja Yoga. Sahaj Marg guru recommends a minimum age of 18 before beginning the practice of meditation, implying this technique is not suitable for younger people.
9. "Local Women Travel to India For Celebration at Ashram," Martha Slater, The Herald, Randolph, Vermont, June 2, 2005
10. "Forestry Companies Take A Cut At Cybersquatters," Steven Bonisteel, Newsbytes, September 21, 2001, Alexandria, Virginia. "Despite the latitude provided by the "in rem" provision, recent cases from that court have made it clear that trademark holders must still attempt to alert domain-name registrants to a pending lawsuit, using e-mail, postal mail and publications. In April of this year in Alexandria, Judge Claude Hilton refused to proceed with an action against Sahajmarg.org unless the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, which sought the domain, published notices of the lawsuit in U.S. and Indian newspapers."
11. UN Listing

• 1945 establishments
• New religious movements