Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Loving oneself first.





I feel the need to do a post about 'self-love' after reading a post by EM on the topic.


I also feel the need to call out EM on the sheer amount of BS he is posting of late, and done in the usual "I know everything.. I have 40 years experience blah blah" fashion.


In his latest post he writes that the idea that one has to learn to love oneself first before loving others is wrong, not correct.


He writes:
"There is an old saying that has gained a lot of believers in the West that you cannot love anyone until you first love yourself.

Not only is this overly simplistic, but from my experience, it is just wrong.

How does a toddler learn how to love him or her self?  Easy, by being loved by the mother or father.  At about age three, the toddler has reached the developmental stage where it can .."

It is very tempting to assign an external cause to our lack of self love, be that external cuase parents, teachers, living environment etc.
But as Gotama Buddha pointed out about 2500 years ago, training seems to be required in aquainting ourselves with the real cause of our suffering, lack of love, etc.--> craving, clinging and seeking externally. It is no coincidence that most schools in Buddhism, Vedanta and Eastern mind-related schools train in metta, loving-kindness and compassion for a decent amount of time while also training in attention and inquiry.

The reason for this is because love, self-love, starts at home. We can blame all sorts of events that happened at age three.. but really, loving oneself has to start here and now, in this minute with me first. If I've never encountered the feeling of love, compassion and goodwill, least of all for myself, how could I possibly offer that non-existent feeling or goodwill to an external object or person?
Even the argument that a toddler learns love from his/her parents, may seem true, but in actual fact, if one observes toddlers in horrific home environments, they are fully capable of love, wonder and gentleness despite never having learned from any external source. Self-love, love is actually our true nature, as has been pointed out countless times by sages in all schools.

Training in self-love MUST begin with oneself first. There are many practices that work on training a practitioner in first evoking and coming to know the already existent (but hidden) feeling of loving-kindness, and then once this is mastered, offering it to others and external objects. (External objects and others, which also happen to be internal representations in actual fact-- there are no 'others' or 'things' outside of our own consciousness).

One does not need a lover, mutual love, peer, or even a living teacher to learn how to evoke, come to know, and eventually be a conscious source of love, self-love. "Your earnestness will take you there".



Thursday, November 16, 2017

Vijnana Nauka (The Boat of Spiritual Science) - by Adi Shankaracharya







Vijñāna Naukā


(The boat of spiritual science)
 
By Adi Shankara


 


tapo yajñadānādibhiḥ śuddhabuddhir-


virakto nṛpādau pade tuccabuddhyā


parityajya sarvaṃ yadāpnoti tatvaṃ


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||1||


 


By cleaning of our mind with meditation, sacrifice and charity,


By becoming disenchanted with even king like positions,


And by sacrificing everything, we attain that principle


Of the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


dayāluṃ guruṃ brahmāniṣṭhaṃ praśāntaṃ


samārādhya bhaktyā vicārya svarūpaṃ


yadāpnoti tatvaṃ nididhāsya vidvān


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||2||


 


By worshipping with devotion, the merciful and peaceful teacher,


Who is searching for Brahman and by researching on the form,


The scholar after repeated and profound meditation makes his own,


The divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


yad ānanda rūpaṃ prakāśa svarūpaṃ


nirasta prapañcaṃ pariccheda śūnyaṃ


ahaṃ brahmāvidyaikagamyaṃ turīyaṃ


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||3||


 


Forever having the form of joy which is full of splendor,


Forsaking the world that we see which does not have definition,


And Which can be attained only by constant search and a state full of bliss,


Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


yad ājñanato bhati viśvaṃ samaṣṭaṃ


vinaṣṭaṃ ca sadyo yadātma prabodha


manovāgathīthaṃ visudhaṃ vimuktaṃ


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||4||


 


By that ignorance of this entire concept of the physical world,


By that realization of Atma (soul) , which leads to the loss of this concept,


Which is beyond mind and word ,and also pure and fully free,


Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


niṣedhe kṛte neti netīti vakyaiḥ


samadhiṣṭitānām yadābhāthi pūrṇaṃ


avasthāthrayāthītham advaitaṃ ekam


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||5||


 


By the negative action of the words “Not This, Not This”,


That which shines entirely in those, who enter the state of Samadhi,


That which is beyond the three states (sleep, dream and wakefulness), and which does not have any second,


Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


yad ānandalesaih samanandi viśvaṃ


yadābhāti satve sada bhāti sarvaṃ


yadālocite heyaṃ anyat samaṣṭaṃ


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||6||


 


That due to its bits of bliss makes this world pleasant,


That due to its splendour makes this world full of light,


And that by whose thought this physical world becomes nothing,


Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


anandaṃ vibhuṃ sarvayoniṃ nirīhaṃ


śivaṃ  saṅgahīnaṃ yad omkāragamyaṃ


nirākāramathyujvalaṃ mṛtyuhīnaṃ


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||7||


 


That which is endless, divine and controls everything,


That which is peaceful, alone and attainable through “Om”,


And that which is formless, has great luster and no death,


Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


yad ānanda sindhau nimagnaḥ puman sya-


dvidyavilasaḥ samaṣṭa prapañcaḥ


tadā na sphuratyatbhutaṃ yannimittam


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||8||


 


That sea of bliss in which the seeker drowns himself,


And that wonderful cause which forever makes it disappear,


The ignorance which makes the physical world appear,


Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


 


svarūpānusandhānarūpāṃ stutiṃ yaḥ


paṭhed ādarāl bhaktibhāvānmanuṣyaḥ


śṛṇotīha vā nityam udyukta citto


paraṃ brahmā nityaṃ tadevāham asmi ||9||


 


This prayer written in the style of the search of the form of the self,


If read by men with respect and devotional thought,


Or if heard would lead them forever to blissful freedom,


And Is the divine and perennial concept that we ourselves are Brahman.


 


Translated By P.R. Ramachander

Thursday, November 2, 2017

A meeting with Mark West.





Wed 1-11-17.


I had a wonderful one-to-one meeting today with Mark West. Mark is an unassuming jnani (sage), well versed in aspects of the Advaita nondual teachings, and who quietly lives in the chaotic inner city area of Sydney.


Mark spent a good number of years in India, first as a sanyasi with Muktananda at Ganeshpuri, and later with Sri Nisargadatta in Bombay. Mark left India to return to Australia in the late 70s, and the final flowering and realization of that time spent with sages in India, then happened over the course of a decade. Mark is the author of the book "Gleanings From Nisargadatta", which details his notes and transcripts from his meetings with Nisargadatta in the late 70s.


Mark has a unique, fresh and spontaneous style of pointing (and satsang). Topics ranged from the approach that Nisargadatta took with his different disciples, to approaches from other nondual teachers such as Douglas Harding (Headless Way). There was some exploration and inquiry done, in the moment, with this direct, immediate presence.


It's a great blessing to have someone like Mark available to earnest seekers, considering Mark is one of the few living disciples of Nisargadatta (and others) still currently around. Mark's style of teaching/satsang is unique, and he has certainly gained his own understanding and way of presenting the message. One also gains a sense of the deep conviction that he has in terms of Who and What we really are.


DP.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Love and Self-love.





I recently read a post by a spiritual teacher of nonduality, related to the topic of love, especially that of romantic love and yearning of the heart. This teacher maintains that the search for love happens regardless of tradition, and there is value in exploring feelings, emotions, and psychologies behind this search for love. This teacher also prides themselves on having around 40 years’ experience in the field of Zen, Advaita, and other teachings.

 

While I find the above approach reasonable, I also find that it is so easy to get carried away with the topic of "love". It lends itself into over-analysis into the emotions, psychology, and reasons for why we act as we do. It is like taking the simple message of nonduality and then building a massive super-structure on top that somehow explains the spontaneity of things.

 

Nisargadatta completely deals with the topic of love, by taking it to be Self-love. Love of the "I am"-ness, which starts from the moment we awake in the morning, and goes on until we get to deep sleep at night. In fact, this self-love begins as a child, and comes upon us spontaneously itself. It grows with concepts and ideas, added by those around us. It seeks to experience, know, expand and "be". It is behind all movement towards supposed external objects and "love interests", despite externalities being merely projections of our internal world and beliefs.

 

Rather than attempting to explain how all this works, and how we should be dealing with emotions and feelings due to this love-yearning, why not get to the root of the matter? The "Moola-maya" or root-illusion, being that we are, in fact, this "I am", that needs to seek and perpetuate itself. If I take up a plant by the roots, is there any more need to keep pruning the branches?







Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Jacob Boehme on Christ-consciousness and the path.

selected quotes from The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme, by Franz Hartmann, [1891]



“What hinders men from seeing and hearing God, is their own hearing, seeing and willing; by their own wills they separate themselves from the will of God. They see and hear within their own desires, which obstructs them from seeing and hearing God. Terrestrial and material things overshadow them, and they cannot see beyond their own human nature. If they would be still, desist from thinking and feeling with their own self-hood, subdue the self-will, enter into a state of resignation, into a divine union with Christ, who sees God, and hears God, and speaks with him, who knows the word and will of God; then would the eternal hearing seeing and speaking become revealed to them.” (Supersensual Life, 1–5.)


"In all things received by mere hearsay, without self-perception, there still remains a doubt as to whether that which one has heard is actually true; but that which is seen by the eye and understood by the heart carries conviction with it." (Three Principles, x. 26.)


"I am not collecting my knowledge from letters and books, but I have it within my own self; because heaven and earth with all their inhabitants, and moreover, God Himself, is in man." (Tilk. ii. 297.)


"God Himself is our knowing and seeing. We are nothing, so that He may be All in us. We should be blind and deaf and mute, and know nothing and know of no life of our own, so that He may be our life and our soul, and that our work may be His." (Menschwerdung, ii. 7, 9.)




"The understanding is born of God. It is not the product of the schools in which human science is taught. I do not treat intellectual learning with contempt, and if I had obtained a more elaborate education, it would surely have been an advantage to me, while my mind received the divine gift; but it pleases God to turn the wisdom of this world into foolishness, and to give His strength to the weak, so that all may bow down before Him." (Forty Questions, xxxvii. 20.)







Friday, September 22, 2017

When the seeing ego ceased to exist, the mind did not rise to say ‘I saw’. (Ramana Maharshi quote).





Śrī Aruṇācala Aṣṭakam verses 1 and 2: when the seeing ego ceased to exist, the mind did not rise to say ‘I saw’.


(Michael James translation)



When [the seer] investigated within the mind who the seer is, I saw what remained when the seer [thereby] became non-existent. The mind did not rise to say ‘I saw’, [so] in what way could the mind rise to say ‘I did not see’?

Who has the power to elucidate this [by] speaking, when in ancient times [even] you [as Dakshinamurti] elucidated [it] without speaking? Only to elucidate your state without speaking, you stood as a hill [or motionlessly] shining [from] earth [to] sky.





Thursday, September 14, 2017

Jesus and the Vine - abidance in the Self.



A reference from the Bible / NT. Make of it what you will, however, read in the light of self-inquiry, self-abidance, stabilising in the "I am" etc., -- it makes perfect sense and perfect instruction.




Jesus the True Vine (John 15)


1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.

2 He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Friday, August 18, 2017

The Practice of Forgiveness 1

Forgiveness (practice notes - 1)



"I have invented the world I see." (Lesson 32)
"There is another way of looking at the world." (Lesson 33)
"I could see peace instead of this." (Lesson 34)
"Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world." (Lesson 62)



  • One of the main pillars of spiritual practice.
  • Synonymous with releasing, undoing, non-doing, acceptance, love, openness.
  • Negates and undoes the past in the present.
  • Gentler approach with same goal as Neti-neti

When to use:
  • When striving, self-effort, struggle, stress become obvious.
  • Over-effort or over-practice, trying
  • Stuckness
  • Lack of love & connection
  • Attacking others and self

How:
  • Sit quietly as per meditation instructions or contemplation as usually done
  • "I forgive myself" becomes the verbal object - silent or aloud
  • Hold oneself in loving-kindness, embrace, blanket
  • Await blessings beyond the self - "The peace that passeth understanding"
  • Non-doing
  • Just come back to the open aware feeling of forgiveness and expansive self-love
  • Release, relax as needed or when tension is noticed
  • Short practice reminders can also be used for a whole day of forgiveness

Related:
  • ACIM
  • Nondoing Wu wei
  • Nisargadatta Nisarga Yoga or effortlessness
  • Metta and loving kindness practice (as found in Buddhism)
  • The "Loving-All" method of ML

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The mirror and its reflection.







After a certain time, one has the feeling that life, existence and one's sense of beingness is rather like the reflection in a mirror.


Abiding as the "I am"-ness, or beingness is key. We need to start from where we find ourselves in life. For most, this is in total identification with the body-mind complex. We have been conditioned to believe and know ourselves only as this body-mind. Conditioning that has happened over the long course of our entire life (from around age 2), and over the course of the collective human existence as a whole. We cannot think or analyze our way out of this situation, any more than we can think our way out of eating lunch today.
 
By abiding as the "I am" for as much as possible, and whenever possible, we slowly come to know the situation as it really is. A subtle sense of being more than just the body-mind complex becomes apparent or intuited.


The life that we thought we 'owned' starts to reveal itself as merely the play of forces, conditions, and factors, which themselves are reflections in the 'mirror' of being. But this has to be experienced directly, rather than thought about or believed.. lest this too become another belief system parking-spot.


The mirror, its light and the play of the light (appearing as the dancing reflection) is just one wholeness- hence the term 'nonduality'. Any duality appearing in the whole, such as the reflection and its seeming parts, can't be outside or separate from the whole- any more than waves could be separate from the ocean (to coin a commonly used metaphor).







Sunday, August 6, 2017

Attention to living feeling thinking

"You live, you feel, you think. By giving attention to your living, feeling and thinking, you free yourself from them and go beyond them. Your personality dissolves and only the witness remains. Then you go beyond the witness. Do not ask how it happens. Just search within yourself."

Nisargadatta


This is a result of abiding in the I-am, instead of being absorbed in living, feeling and thinking objects.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Ego preservation strategies (1)



Saw this conversation recently online in a 'nonduality' forum:


Questioner: What do people think about the ego? It's hard to find when it is looked for. Maybe these practices are just engaging the ego itself?


Respondent 1: Well I've never found the ego.. I don't know what people are talking about when they talk about 'ego'.


Respondent 2: Who's asking??


----------------


Are these sorts of question / answer sessions really helpful?


No. Neither for the questioner who is none the wiser, nor for the respondent.


What are these sorts of responses, actually?


Ego preservation strategies.


Ego preservation strategy 1) Blatant denial of the ego by the ego-- "It doesn't exist!", "What? There's no such thing as an ego.. find me one!", "I can't find any ego here!"


Ego preservation strategy 2) Over-exertion or over-effort in trying to extinguish the ego by the ego-- "Kill the ego!", "I need to fight the ego, suppress it, and conquer it!", "I need to detach from the ego!"




Stay calm. Keep practicing.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Pure awareness- note.





I recently found a quote with the book 'The Seven Steps To Awakening' (ed. Michael Langford). It contained a quote from the Yoga Vasistha (The Supreme Yoga), an ancient Indian yogic text, that states:


"Consciousness does not truly undergo any modification nor does it become impure."


further,


"Nothing is created in or by cosmic consciousness, for it remains unchanged and unmodified."


I would like to draw attention to the idea of 'pure consciousness', which is spoken about in nondual teachings.


This term does not actually mean that consciousness can be or become 'impure', or that there are two types of consciousness- a mixed, impure consciousness and a pure unadulterated consciousness. It is also not referring to pure in terms of good/bad, morally speaking.


The term is rather a pointer to the idea of consciousness alone. When starting to work with the idea of consciousness (or awareness), a beginning point is often emphasized- to become acquainted with just consciousness, rather than the objects appearing in consciousness. Likewise, the idea is introduced to become more familiar with the subject of experience, rather than objects appearing in and as experience.


This pointer achieves 2 aims- 1) the seeker is led to the discovery that consciousness or awareness must be prior to the appearance and disappearance of objects that arise in one's experience, and 2) consciousness cannot be denied or negated, since the very denial must also appear within consciousness. There is also the added bonus that allows one to become less identified and enchanted with objects, events etc. appearing in one's experience, and more interested in the actual source of such objects and events in one's experience.


Ultimately however, it may be seen and experienced with increasing duration, that consciousness cannot be separated from the objects that appear in experience. Can a border between subject and object be found? Likewise, the search for consciousness is being conducted by consciousness itself, which has no observable characteristics, being self-evident only. The practice of self-enquiry and self-investigation (e.g. "Who am I?") is a practical and useful way to investigate and repeatedly experience this point.





Sunday, April 30, 2017

Self-inquiry and Maturity

SELF-ENQUIRY AND MATURITY

The devotee: “It is for that, is it not, that Bhagavan says that the best thing to do is to follow the path of Self-enquiry of ‘Who am I’?”

Bhagavan: “Yes; but in the Vasishtam it is mentioned that Vasishta told Rama that the path of Self-enquiry should not be shown to anyone who is not sufficiently qualified. 

In some other books it has been stated that spiritual practices should be done for several births, or for at least twelve years under a Guru. 

As people would be scared away if I said that spiritual practices had to be done for several births, I tell them, ‘You have liberation already within you; you have merely to rid yourselves of exterior things that have come upon you’.

Spiritual practices are for that alone. Even so, the Ancients have not said all this for nothing. If a person is told that he is the Godhead, Brahman itself, and that he is already liberated, he may not do any spiritual practices, thinking that he already has that which is required and does not want anything more. That is why these Vedantic matters should not be told to spiritually undeveloped people (anadhikaris); there is no other reason.” And Bhagavan smiled.

- Letters no 158

(Ramana Maharshi)

Friday, April 28, 2017

Verse from Guru Vachaka Kovai - on self-inquiry

GURU VACHAKA KOVAI

394 Since pramada, forgetfulness of the Self,  is, in truth, 
death, for those who are attempting to attain immortality, transcending the death that frightens one and all, it is essential at all times to destroy pramada, the real nature of death, without giving it the slightest scope to survive

There are therefore no rules to the effect that the jnana-vichara performed to know and attain the immortal Self should be practiced only during specific periods.

Muruganar: 'Attempting to attain' here means making uninterrupted effort, with the entire attention focused on the endeavor one has embarked upon, until it takes one to the goal. 

Bhagavan: "Destruction of mind alone is tapas. This alone is one's duty. One who is doing his own work will not pay attention to anyone else's work. One should never give room for swerving from the thought of the Self. However many duties one may have, at all the other times not meant for performing duties one must perform only self-enquiry.

While standing, sitting and taking food one can do vichara, can one not? If the mind happens to forget the enquiry 'Who am I?' because of vasanas, when it remembers the enquiry, it should try not to lose hold of the enquiry again. 

– Who am I?;  an early draft

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Is effort required for self-inquiry and Self-Realization?



From Michael James' blog "Happiness of Being", on the topic of whether effort is required for self-inquiry and self-attentiveness.


Is effort required, as do assert some traditional paths of awakening (e.g. early Buddhism, traditional Advaita Vedanta etc.), or is no effort required for what is already present, as do assert neo-Advaita teachers and some modern proponents of 'nonduality'?




1. We are always self-aware, but we must make effort to be attentively self-aware

We are always self-aware, because self-awareness is our very nature (what we actually are), so we do not need to make any effort to be self-aware. However, though we are always self-aware, we are generally not attentively self-aware, because most of our attention is taken up with being aware of other things, since we find it more interesting and appealing to be aware of other things than to be attentively aware of ourself alone.

This self-negligence or lack of self-attentiveness is what is called pramāda, and it is the root of all our problems, because it is the very nature of the ego and the means by which the ego seems to rise, stand and flourish. Therefore all our efforts should be directed towards being self-attentive and thereby overcoming our pramāda.



~ Michael James

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Sufism 1 - some general notes and the use of the Zekr.

Sufism 1 - general notes



بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Some basic notes and conclusions in regards to Sufism:


  • The Zekr is used initially as a meditation calm-abiding tool. This is how it was introduced to me by a Sheikh of the Order. I was told to concentrate on the sound and also some feeling in the heart, until ‘the heart’ took over the zekr and it became automatic throughout the day. I was told to do this for 15 minutes twice a day ideally.
  • The above advice is quite similar to T.M. but less detailed.
  • The use of the Zekr is minimised during formal group sittings with sacred music (Samaa’). At this time, it seems more helpful to concentrate on the music itself. This wasn’t discussed in detail though. The group sessions tend to be more emotive. Some Orders practice group sessions that lead to intense states of emotionality, abandonment, mystical experience, etc.- but which are temporary.
  • Often a group session will involve use another completely different Zekr, introduced by a sitting Sheikh, which is used by the whole group. The session then shares more of a ‘shamanistic’ flavour than introspective. Trance states often ensue in this form of group practice. It would seem the point of such practices would be to activate higher states of devotion, motivation and possible surrender, which can aid later periods of silent introspection and meditation.
  • In some books by JN, it is advised that the in-breath is breathing in ‘the attributes of God’, and the out breath is ‘taking refuge in the essence of God’. This instruction is quite vague, and seems more of a mind exercise, or mindful contemplation which obviously involves thought and conceptual use of the mind. I’m inclined to think that one could not get into a deep jhana / samadhi by using this, but it might serve at quieting the mind provided there is enough interest. There is some chance of behaviour modification as well due to contemplating the more benign attributes of God for a set time.


  • The best way (IME), by far, in using the zekr, after the above has been practiced for a while (I personally practiced the above intensely for several years), would be the advice given by SRM to GM- who was himself an adept at mantra yoga. This advice was given after a period of silent contemplation by SRM while sitting in front of GM. The advice given was to watch where the notion of “I” comes from, and to be attentive to the ‘source’ of the mantra sound. In other words, use the mantra to point back to the Self (Godhead). Both the notion of “I”, and the sound of a mantra arise within and as consciousness itself. Consciousness or awareness is thus prior to the apparent arising and falling of the notion of “I”, and mind objects such as a mantra.
  • The mantra thus becomes a tool for self-enquiry, which was SRM’s standard practical instruction for those that could not simply ‘be’ or imbibe the direct teaching of Silence.
  • The above accords exactly with the aims of Sufism, and all of the mystical poetry written about Sufi love, ‘the drop going back to the ocean’, being consumed in ‘the flame of Love’, etc.
  • However, the above is also a key element missing from almost every Sufi school that I have encountered, both orthodox and non-traditional. I was never given the advice that ‘hllA’ or God, was, simply stated, this ever present, conscious awareness that is present here now as one’s ‘I am-ness’ or beingness. This simple truth is stated openly in some teachings, such as Advaita Vedanta, Dzogchen, Zen and Kashmir Shaivism. It would have been extremely guarded though, in Sufism, which was (and still is) open to attack from orthodox religious forces throughout history. As a result, the above truth had to be encoded in poetry, or guarded from master to very few select students. A similar situation ensued for Christian Mystics in the Middle Ages.


  • Much of Sufism had to be boxed within the confines of Islamic practice, so as to make it acceptable for existing in its societal homeplace, of which, Islam has had much more of a prominent role than other religious system due to its dual political / governance and religious role. The extent of this adjustment changed throughout history as ruling bodies changed philosophy. This wasn’t an issue however, since many core Islamic practices such as daily prayer (devotional ritual), fasting, pilgrimage, charity, memorizing scripture etc. can serve the ultimate aims of Sufism by preparing the mind for more direct practices (such as self-enquiry, introspection, and radical surrender).
  • The standard set of Islamic practices (5 pillars of Islam), and standard teachings on morality (as found in Qur’an and Hadith) are helpful aids towards the ultimate goal of Sufism, provided they are understood rightly and not given to excess, extremes, emotionality, or unskillful action. A master would have been indispensable in this regards- interpreting and advising on standard Islamic teachings in light of the aims of Sufism, rather than the aims of Islamic religious orthodoxy or politico-religious hierarchies.


  • The theme of ‘love’ and longing for the ‘beloved’ in Sufism can be translated into the intense desire for liberation, and the desire for an end of suffering for the individual (and the world).
  • The themes of ecstasy, and love-bliss in Sufism can be translated as peace-bliss (Ananda) and the feeling of loving-kindness.
  • The themes of drunkenness and sobriety can be translated as relating to the bliss of egoic loss (or the loss of subject-object), and the gaining of equanimity of mind, respectively.


  • All of the above are expedient means towards the end goal of Sufism, which is the permanent transcendence and disidentification of ego / personality / “me” / subject-object experience (fanaa’) and permanent abidance as the Absolute only (baqaa’).

 حق

Douglas Harding - 1



Finished reading "On Having No Head" (Douglas Harding)



I love Douglas Harding's work, as it presents a simple, direct way of looking that really does bypass much of the 'hard work' spiritual practices that usually end up short-circuiting people's attempts at liberation. DH had a nondual experience in no less an impressive environment than the Himalayas.. however, he doesn't leave his experience there, but rather attempted (throughout his whole life) to translate the experience into workable steps that anyone could experiment with and gain similar result.




Re: On Having No Head




Quite a revolutionary book at the time, DH sets the scene for a new perspective which is deceptively simple, but also delivers to goods in terms of getting a taste for a more unified perspective on life (literally). He introduces the idea of 'having no head' and the implications for directly experiencing this notion, which may (or may not) lead to the same sort of 'thing' that much of the Zen pointing literature aims at. This book is brief, and more of an introduction into DH's 'Headless Way'. Some of the later books tackle the idea and practice much more in depth. Still, this short book is worth the read, and if the reader can grasp what is being pointed at, and actually put it into practice, then a new way of seeing is definitely possible. One of the most direct (and unique) methods within the nondual literature set.




        

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Ibn Arabi on scholars and 'men of influence'.



It is related of Ibn el-Arabi that people said to him:


“Your circle is composed mainly of beggars, husband-men and artisans. Can you not find people of intellect who will follow you, so that perhaps more authoritative notice might be taken of your teachings?”


He said:


“The Day of Calamity will be infinitely nearer when I have influential men and scholars singing my praises; for without any doubt they will be doing so for their own sake and not for the sake of our work!”


  • From Wisdom of the Idiots by Idres Shah.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Sedona Method



A few notes on the Sedona Method.



My first introduction to Sedona Method was about 15 years ago. I took both courses by Hale and Larry. Although I found it momentarily helpful, I had doubts about whether I was 'doing it right', and also found that my mind often used it in order to seek out non-existent issues and 'release' on them, rather than just be at peace in the moment. The courses, which are self-led, are excellent and both parties have done a great job in delivering the content.


Through some random events, I had been led to the idea of 'releasing' via another avenue. In particular, a Buddhist teacher was recommending 'releasing' and 'letting go', 'relaxing' etc. when performing meditation on an object and after having been distracted.


While I liked the instructions offered, I kept thinking that there may be another way. This reminded me of my previous attempts at the Sedona Method, which is an indepth course on the whole topic of releasing.




I was able to find a nice audio workshop on iTunes by one Sedona Method teacher (KISS - Stephen Seretan) whom I had not been acquainted with before, and went through 6 sessions on the CD. It was actually very good. SS presents Sedona Method as he learned it in the 80s, and in a simplified version, which is likely very close to what Lester Levenson taught.






Lester Levenson is a whole other topic. A total enigma, and like most guru teachers that founded orgs, a lot of myth seems to have been built up around him as well as truths. Some of the more far out claims seem to be around him being a 'Master' in some kind of lineage with 'all the masters' who appear to be mostly from Indian background- ie. Yogananda, Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna etc. etc. -- likely also due to the groups floating around the US at that time. Other lineages aren't mentioned much. Further, lots of weirdness about Lester seems to be accepted, such as he could sleep just a few hours a night, even less, maybe 30 minutes, and be OK. He was financially self-sufficient. He healed himself from life threatening illnesses when given 3 weeks to live. etc. etc.
I have to say, Lester's own recordings (which there are plenty) are excellent in themselves, and one can see the group progression from the recordings in the 60's up until the 80's. A LOT can be gained without even doing Sedona, but just listening to Lester's own audio recordings, where he covers many topics, but always around the central idea of happiness, freedom and the task at hand (as he saw it) which was to release on tendencies, and return back to the nature state of beingness and love.




A discovery for me- was that Lester actually seemed to attain Self-Realization from self-inquiry and inquiry on the nature of love (and performing heart-type practices which would be similar to Metta meditation) .. NOT using his Sedona Method. The standard gist is that he healed himself via releasing, and overcame his physical-mental issues this way. If one listens to Lester's talks in the 60s, they are very Advaita Vedanta flavoured. They are mostly talking about standard ideas in Advaita Vedanta (and early Buddhism), with some minor talk about living in the world, manifesting 'ones desires' etc.. which has always been the rage in the US since Mentalism took hold in the early 20th Century.


I recommend listening to many of Lester's talks (satsangs), which are available on the Internet. His earlier talks are excellent, and present an easy to understand explanation of Advaita Vedanta, and the basic philosophy underlying most Eastern / Indian systems. There is also a pdf floating around which was taken from the transcripts of "Keys to the Ultimate Freedom"- a book written by Lester, now out of print, but thankfully transcribed into a pdf for posterity.






Returning to Sedona, it appears at that Lester didn't invent the Sedona Method until the 70s. The first cut of the course seems to have included only one question, and was quite simple in steering all desires/arisings into the 3 main categories (wanting control, approval, security) and directly asking 'Could you release that wanting ...?'. Later versions of the course added new questions, and came up with different ways for releasing. Hale's course, which is the legit 'Sedona Method' with rights, has about 5 ways to release currently, and probably has the most comprehensive course on the subject. Larry's course is a bit simpler, and tends to use the body and feeling tone as a platform to release directly. Larry is also a bit of a character and quite abrupt in his presentation, which can suit some people.




From the above ideas about Lester, the thought kept coming to me 'But why not go for self-inquiry then, if that was what Lester did originally? And also what he did to 'heal' himself'?' Then a piece of information came through one of the recordings that apparently Lester himself had said it was the highest form, but people weren't ready for it, or had too much garbage present to do it. -- I have to disagree with this a little.. It was Ramana Maharshi's view that anyone could do self-inquiry, and although some preliminaries might be necessary first, such as establishing decent concentration, in the end the actual practice would take care of things. The other major avenue that took Lester to freedom was in doing love/heart practices. One of the audios goes into much detail related to how Lester looked at all of his life events, and meditated on feeling love towards the people, events etc. rather than the need to be loved. Through these intense heart-practices he seems to have entered into the Jhanas (it seems obvious he was going through rapture, energy, tranquility etc.), and most likely attained Stream-Entry via this means (aided by some self-inquiry).






Back to my own recent experience. I used the questions again for several weeks while regularly making use of the Sedona Method in daily life, and in meditation sessions. I had used the method about 15 years back quite intensely, and done all available courses properly. This time, I performed the method very regularly, as I always do with my 'experiments', and as 24x7 as possible.


In the end, I found the repeated questions to be too tedious in the end and had the tendency to place one back 'in their head' rather than release and be restored to beingness/presence. Further, the mind seems to latch onto the idea of continued 'seeking out' further disturbances to release (ie digging up the ground when not necessary).. most of the time, there are no active disturbances operating in the mind. The other ways of using Sedona which don't make use of the 3 Questions may get around this issue. Just welcoming present feelings, for instance, seems a lighter method.


After a few weeks however, the method did work more seamlessly in the background, and aided in spontaneous releasings when tension, or emotional hiccups became obvious. This is likely the intended outcome, rather than conscious interventions where the mind needs to analyse a situation before releasing.


I do find that placing all arisings (disturbances, hinderances) under the 3 Wants, to be a nice trick and helpful. I am not convinced that if one just keeps releasing that eventually they will 'Go Free' (one of the common tenets in the system). Desires / tendencies seem to be endless, unless one gets to the root cause (being the 'I'-thought according to RM, or the ignorance that has created the sense of a separate self (Buddhism)). There doesn't seem to be too many who have been using Sedona for a while who proclaim that they have 'gone free', with the exception of Lester, who himself 'went free' via another route (intense heart-practices + self-inquiry). Incidentally, the only other person I can find who 'went free' via the SM seems to be Pamela Wilson.






I find the Sedona Method to be a valuable tool, and very very helpful for some. Others might find it a bit ho-hum, and take to other forms of releasing (such as through loving-kindness practice, forgiveness, surrender, and many, many other possible forms of release/acceptance). The system is definately worth checking out.











A quiet mind.



"Keep quiet, undisturbed, and the wisdom and the power will come on their own. You need not hanker. Wait in silence of the heart and mind. It is very easy to be quiet, but willingness is rare. You people want to become supermen overnight."
- Nisargadatta


"A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly once your mind is quiet."
- Nisargadatta


"The only way you will ever awaken is through silence, not through analyzation of facts. Not by sorting out good and bad, but through simple silence, letting go. Letting go of all thoughts, all the hurts, all the dogmas and concepts. Letting go of these things daily. Whichever method suits you use it."
- Robert Adams


"Simply keep quiet. Do not do anything and it will happen. Abandon even the intention to get something in the next moment. Do not even make the distinction between "this moment" and "the next moment". Then something will happen instantaneously."
- Papaji