SYMPOSIUMS
LECTURE
No. 4 – AN APPROACH TO PRAYER IN AUMISM
No. 4 – AN APPROACH TO PRAYER IN AUMISM
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Friends,
I am very honoured to present this talk to you: “An approach to prayer in Aumism”.
It is fascinating to look at humanity as a whole in its diversity, but also in all that brings it together and unifies it.
Its spiritual and religious components are many, rich and varied, and yet we find in them one universal element: prayer! It is a precious force.
Throughout the ages, the faithful have expressed their spiritual dimension by connecting through prayer with their beliefs, drawing near to the Divine, whatever His Name, and communing with Him.
Whether we observe Christians in the expression of their rites, Muslims prostrating during their namaz, Jews chanting their liturgical songs, Jains singing their sacred hymns, or Buddhists, Hindus and Yogis immersed in their meditations, we see a kaleidoscope of many practices. What they have in common is prayer! It is a precious force for humanity. Even the most unusual forms, such as that of the whirling dervishes moving towards the Motionless, speak to us of the search for God and the experience of God.
Over the centuries, all forms of prayer have expressed this imperative need of the human being to connect with God, that Infinite which at first seems to be outside us but which in fact dwells within our own heart.
Thus each of the world’s religions and spiritualities unfolds forms of prayer in various ways.
With respect for all their specific features, we invite you to share a few aspects of prayer in Aumism.
We will therefore look at:
- An overview of prayer in Aumism
- Prayer to achieve our legitimate goals
- Prayer for our evolution towards spiritual liberation
- Prayer to help humanity and creation
I – AN OVERVIEW OF PRAYER IN AUMISM
In His Book La Réintégration Divine par le Yoga (p. 183), the Divine Breath of the writings of His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, founder of Aumism, reveals to us:
“Prayer is an impulse of the soul, in which thought, word and gesture unite in an aspiration to obtain a grace from the Most High. It is addressed either to the Divine Consciousness, symbolised by the image of a personal God, or directly, without the support of a form. Its effectiveness depends on faith; only the modes of expression differ.”
He continues: “Prayer is the essential fuel to put into the engine of your soul.” [1] “Prayer is the moment when the consciousness of the body enters into communion with the consciousness of the spirit.” [2]
We see that in Aumism prayer is much more than a discursive process of thought. It is regarded above all as a tool for self-transformation, as an Energy that carries a living knowledge, a spiritual heritage still imbued with the force of its Founder.
Whether we come to our Spirituality and our Faith through meeting its Spiritual Master, through discovering His writings or through direct contact with His disciples, one of the first surprises is to receive a very practical Teaching. It allows us very quickly to learn to pray and to experience its effects quite independently.
The fundamental dogma of our religion is that of the Unity of the Faces of God, who, as one and indivisible Energy, is the same for all religions. This allows us to respect the beliefs of every human being.
The sound AUM or OM is the first name of God: the foundation and the summit of prayer in Aumism are built on the architecture of this sacred Sound, which the Founder describes as “the song of love, the song of eternity, the song of infinite light, the song of infinite compassion, the bridge between the finite and the infinite…” [3] Our prayers, for example, celebrate God under different Names. We chant and repeat “OM Jesus OM, OM Buddha OM, OM Allah OM, OM Yahweh OM…”
Many terms relate to prayer in Aumism: repetition of sacred Names, ascetic practices, mystical chants, breath control, visualisation, concentration, meditation, identification, union with the Divine Consciousness and many more.
II – PRAYER TO ACHIEVE OUR LEGITIMATE GOALS
It is natural to wish to succeed in what we undertake with a right spirit and with respect for others, and also to want to provide materially a decent life for our family, our relatives and the people dear to us. Prayer of petition may then prove necessary.
The obstacles to achieving our goals are often negative thoughts coming from ourselves or even from others. To overcome them and support our efforts, let us mention, among others, two means offered by Aumism that we can all try for ourselves:
1 – Dynamic visual or sound positivations, which increase mental strength and help master the unconscious, such as: “I am more and more master of myself”. And also affirmations such as: “I am divinely protected, inspired, guided…”
2 – “Aumist Metaphysics”, in which, by integrating affirmations energised by the repetition of sacred sounds, we visualise and anchor within ourselves the results as if they had already been achieved. Then, with detachment, we entrust to the Divine the best possible way of bringing them about. Then great things are accomplished. This whole study is found in the Book Le Yoga de la Vie pratique.
These two powerful levers help ensure success in our lives without letting us be enslaved by the pursuit of material goods alone.
Lord HAMSAH MANARAH tells us: “Pray occasionally to be relieved of the material worries that hinder your recollection; but pray often to further your spiritual evolution and attain Fusion with the Divine Consciousness.” [4]
III – PRAYER FOR OUR EVOLUTION TOWARDS SPIRITUAL LIBERATION
According to the highest Traditions, the purpose of our lives on Earth is to spread Love and Peace among our fellow human beings and to evolve towards Spiritual Liberation.
This dynamic of Spiritual Liberation, discussed at the 2022 symposium, awakens us to the value of an inner path, a spiritual journey that brings true Happiness.
Our Spiritual Master sparks within us a true revelation, which we can keep in the diamond of our hearts.
He tells us: “Our true purpose in life is to become what we potentially are…” [5]
And: “We have come to Earth to progress and to learn to love” (from the film Sur les Pas du Messie).
Prayer is therefore what allows us to advance towards Spiritual Liberation, that infinite journey in which each step of progress is measured above all against oneself, and each advance brings us closer to the Goal.
We can walk this Path thanks to different orientations of prayer, such as prayer of identification with the Divine, or selfless prayer to help others.
The capacity to pray then becomes a tremendous lever for evolving, transforming ourselves and radiating more understanding and love for others.
But we must remember that every practice, every Prayer that increases the power of thought and the Energy of crystallisation in matter, needs to be preceded by moral work to purify our unconscious. This involves mastering our mind, for with every initiatic key we receive, we take on a real responsibility!
All the observances and precepts that accompany most religions follow this common-sense approach.
It is necessary to cultivate kindness and the capacity to forgive, for prayer develops the power of thought.
In practical terms, our prayers include, among other things, sending blessings, affirmations and evolutionary wishes for humanity and creation, as we experienced this morning during the Meditation for the Unity of Nations.
The language used for wishes, blessings and songs is that of the country where the practice takes place.
The liturgical formulas of the mantras are mainly expressed in ancient sacred languages such as Sanskrit or Latin.
Different ways of praying:
– We can pray alone, but also in a group, which multiplies the effects.
Our Aumist liturgies include periods of meditation and periods of repetition of sound formulas, the mantras, whose effects are highly beneficial: repeating a Name of God allows identification with the manifested divine Consciousness.
– Prayer can be said aloud, murmured or mentally. It can be accompanied by concentration on the force centre of the Heart to develop divine Love, and on the centre of the third eye to develop Knowledge.
Regulating the breathing through breath control adds a further dimension of effectiveness. As for the places and periods favourable to prayer, which multiply its effects, Aumism makes available the wealth of teachings gathered from many traditions.
Let us also remember that serving others, an action offered to humanity as to God without seeking reward, is in itself a true prayer. This is the principle of Karma Yoga, the Yoga of selfless action.
– We can pray anywhere and in all circumstances:
Lord HAMSAH MANARAH tells us: “We can serve humanity effectively in the greatest silence, the greatest secrecy, in a humble dwelling as in a palace, a city, a solitary cave, a forest, a desert, a boat, a train, a plane…” [6]
Thus the different ways of praying establish a personal relationship with the Divine, a source of strength. With practice, the rising of our impulse towards the Divine increasingly favours the descent of the Divine Energies within us.
IV – PRAYER TO HELP HUMANITY AND CREATION
As we saw at the beginning of this symposium, by transforming ourselves, we transform the world. It is important to pray selflessly and altruistically, to help all beings.
Our prayers are directed towards societies, States and those who govern, so that they make choices compatible with social harmony and peace.
They are directed towards human beings, but also towards the other kingdoms of Nature that are inseparable from our lives: animals, plants and minerals.
Their main component is the repetition of the sacred sound AUM or OM…
The sound AUM, the first name of God as one and indivisible Energy, is the highest invocation. It is the Word of the Unity of the Faces of God, found in all religions (Amen, Amin, Aum); it is the prayer for tolerance and respect for differences, for peace among all people and all peoples. It can be repeated in a spirit of goodwill by any man or woman of good will, whatever their path.
In His Book L’Aumisme, La Doctrine de l’Âge d’Or (p. 21), our Spiritual Master enlightens us further: “The sacred syllable AUM, containing all the scales of creative sounds, makes it possible to purify one’s body, one’s psyche and one’s surroundings of the outside world. It raises the vibratory rate.
The sound AUM is the breath of the Absolute throughout the Universe and on the different planes of manifestation. It allows the soul to rise back to God, helping it to break all its earthly chains and, lulled by its sacred rhythm, to find again the sublime pole of Eternity.”
IN CONCLUSION
We note that the life of every disciple, believer and follower of every religion and spirituality always includes prayer in many forms.
This vibratory work of prayer may be silent, but it is no less essential.
Prayer spreads vibrations of peace and harmony over the world, like the Holy City of Mandarom Shambhasalem, which every day radiates a tremendous energy of unity. This energy is generated by the alchemical work of prayer for all peoples and all the kingdoms of nature.
Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, carried by His infinite Love for Humanity, revealed sacred Teachings that allow us to experience and develop our spiritual dimension here and now.
To do so, He travelled all the initiatic paths, with the prayer traditions of East and West. As you will see in the very beautiful film retracing His journey, He thus attained Spiritual Liberation and the Messianic Revelation.
His Holiness made His years of practical research, experimentation and spiritual innovation available to all human beings. His heroic journey offered, in a modern form, a true synthesis of the world’s spiritualities and religions.
Aumism is thus founded on His eternal Energy of Compassion and Love.
The prayer of the Sound AUM, which He brought to life and charged with an eternal Energy, is available at every moment and to every being.
And through His omnipresent Grace, we can practise and explore all its riches every day. We can also pass them on to others!
To close, I would like to read you a Prayer that our Spiritual Master wrote in 1972. He dedicated it “to those who struggle for their own improvement while aspiring to serve ever better the cause of the evolution of humanity”.
“Lord of the Universe,
Give me the strength to keep at every moment
The feeling of Unity with the earth.
Make my spiritual diamond
Sparkle ever more brightly
In the Ray of your Divine Sun.
Help me to keep awake
My spiritual discernment,
To develop more Love for the whole of humanity.
Grant that the offering of my being
For the service of those I love
Be honest and sincere.
May victory over myself,
In deep humility,
Carry and uphold the banner
To be followed by your valiant soldiers.
Grant me Science and Knowledge,
A little for myself, so as to understand you,
But much to serve
Those who will not be taken unawares;
For death leaves no leisure
To those who wallow in narrow ignorance.
If, through your great compassion,
I find myself lulled by the Eternal Ocean,
Grant that through the song of my soul
Human beings may draw closer and become spiritual
Until they know the supreme happiness
Of Universal Reintegration…” [7]
OM
V. ATMAN
Project manager
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[1] Vers un Âge d’Or d’Unité, p. 90
[2] Vers un Âge d’Or d’Unité, p. 142
[3] L’Aumisme, La Doctrine de l’Âge d’Or, p. 32
[4] La Réintégration Divine par le Yoga, p. 184
[5] Le Yoga de la Vie pratique, p. 75
[6] Le Yoga de l’Amour dans la Force, p. 291
[7] Le Yoga de l’Amour dans la Force, p. 327
