Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Queens, New York

Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) along with its international affiliates is a religious organization guided by the fundamental spiritual beliefs found at the heart of most religions, under the mentorship of a living spiritual teacher. In the Indian language, Radha Soami means ‘lord of the soul’, satsang describes a group that seeks truth, and Beas refers to the town near which the main centre is located in northern India. There are a number of other contemporary movements that use the name ‘Radha Soami’ but Radha Soami Satsang Beas is not associated with any of them. RSSB was established in India in 1891 and gradually began spreading to other countries. Today RSSB holds meetings in more than 90 countries worldwide. It is a non-profit organization with no affiliation to any political or commercial organizations. The basis of every religion is spirituality. With the passage of time and changing social values, the basic spiritual teachings often become embellished with extra rules and rituals, and eventually take the shape of a formal religion. Despite its extensive outreach activities, RSSB tries to maintain the integrity of its spiritual core and preserve the simplicity of its teachings. At the heart of the RSSB teachings is a belief that there is a spiritual purpose to human life – to experience the divinity of God who resides in all of us. It is through this experience that we will realize the truth of the concept that there is only one God and we are all expressions of his love. Central to the RSSB teachings is a spiritual teacher who explains the purpose of life and guides and instructs members in a method of spirituality based on a daily meditation practice. The present teacher is Baba Gurinder Singh, who lives with his family at the main centre in northern India.