Satsang with Ed Muzika (in the Robert Adams - Ramana lineage). Notes on Shaivism, Shakti, Bhakti & Beyond.

Found some time to sit in "virtual satsang" with a recent posting by Ed Muzika (Edji). The satsang (around 40 minutes) covers a wide range of topics and seems specifically aimed at his current batch of students. This is a good thing, since any teaching needs to be immediately relevant for the students in question. On the other hand, remote viewers watching this are likely to wonder why EM's focus has switched to a more dualistic type instruction, emphasising the individual and "his/her" energy and doings in the world. I must admit I was pondering this initially, though by the end of the satsang felt more resonance with EM's message and the way he is going about it.

(Blog post here: http://itisnotreal.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/august-10-and-24th-satsangs-now.html)
(Satsang posted here:  http://vimeo.com/79294995)

He makes note that his teachings (or focus) have changed recently, and I am assuming this to be more of a focus on the Love / bhakti aspect, and also the energetic (Shakti) aspect of the teachings, rather than the previous focus on the Absolute and changeless (which Robert Adams & Ramana emphasized).

One thing of note is the wide coverage of ideas in this satsang, from Shaivism's focus on the Divine through manifest energy in the world (Shakti), back to the emphasis on the Absolute and Beyond (in Robert Adams' teachings). There is little "practical" advice given in this particular satsang, though those acquainted with the methods of Ramana, Robert Adams, and Ed Muzika himself (via his site), would probably have little need for practical advice during a satsang and are more in need of allaying their psychological doubts about where they are headed currently "in life". A few laughs were had around the discussion on people's "big problems" in life (mainly employment related).

Overall, I enjoyed this satsang, and am particularly grateful for the work Ed Muzika is doing in continuing to being out details on Robert Adams' life, teachings and experiences. I believe Robert Adams to have been one of those hidden gems or guiding lights of the 20th Century which is just too beautiful (and helpful) to be kept under a lampshade or forgotten or lost in Copyright void. Without Ed Muzika's work on the Internet, it is doubtful I would have ever known about the existence of Robert Adams, who has had an influence on my own realization.

Three points that I'd like to leave here related to the above:

• The focus of energy & phenomena manifesting THROUGH the apparent individual (as the Absolute Itself) is very much a teaching in Shaivism, and can be experienced right now provided an individual has a grasp on WHERE the energy (Shakti) is coming from (ie. the SELF)-- which can be achieved via different means-- self-inquiry being Ramana/Robert Adams' favourite. This Shaivism type offering isn't spoken about much in the Ramana lineage, though Ramana was just as much a Shaivite as a "Vedantin" (of which 90% of people seem to have questionably equated him).
• The divine Love / bhakti aspect flows naturally as a result of the above. 
• Not everyone is ready for the "leave the world behind" focus required for resting as the Absolute. EM notes this could take a while (i.e. several lifetimes). While I don't completely agree with this, he does have a point in shifting the focus onto it being OK if an individual choses to follow the energetic path of Shakti, or the devotional path of Love. Often seekers convince themselves that there is 'one right way' to go about Self-realization, and trying to emulate a teacher (such as Ramana) falsely shifting themselves into a kind of detached "other world" state, only to be dragged back kicking and screaming. EM rightly straightens out this notion.