The world and its destruction- daily!

It can happen: we are struck by the sheer monstrosity of "the world". A meaningless world, which appears much like a horror movie with characters and frightening scenes. Sometimes the movie becomes a black comedy though, due to the sheer stupidity of the way events and people play out in the world.

Beggars on the street, people scooping old cigarette butts from garbage bins, others sitting in McDonalds with food splattered on their faces, office workers "dressed-up" playing the part, shop workers running around frantically under the supervision of a "manager", cars blowing their horns because someone has blocked a traffic lane. No need to search for hell in the Middle East or Africa.

As Gurdjieff said, "The terror of the situation", and "all food for the moon".

Of perhaps as ACIM points out "A meaningless world engenders fear."

Or perhaps as the Chaos mages point out, the only reasonable response to an insane chaos universe is laughter.

I actually found my self enamoured with Lord BHAIRAVA today, the terror aspect of SHIVA, worshipped by several sects in Shaivism and Tantrism.

Bhairava stands for destruction and terror, but more importantly the destruction of the ordered, meaningful and yet impossible universe built by the logical mind (and egoic self). This also includes the universe that "needs to be saved" by "compassionate means", as some practitioners would say. Some tantric adherents intentionally "break all the rules" in an attempt to bring down the mind structure.

Destruction of the illusory universe (or maya) by various means also appears in Tibetan Buddhism through Vajrapani (a wrathful diety/bodhisattva) representing skilful means in attaining the goal of realization of Reality. Skilfull means includes any means, the test being effectiveness and success.

By invoking Bhairava, the dream-forms we have invested with reality (and thereby becoming both the beauty and horror duality of the world) are seen through, and thus destroyed instantly. This requires that we are working on a basis that the universe is instantly created each moment by our own (defective) mind- (the "drshti-shrsti-vada" view in Vedanta). Otherwise, taking the progressive creation view (srshti-drshti-vada), we need to take a more gradual approach to the destruction of our illusions that have taken lifetimes to crystalize.

But why the need to "destroy" the universe, since isn't it all part of the Wholeness or Nondual consciousness anyway? (says the Neo-Advaitin). True, but is that YOUR experience right now?

By invoking Bhairava, the terror of the situation is destroyed by the Lord of Terror.

As one side of a duality cannot exist without another, the Consciousness ("chit") side of reality becomes clearer (with the removal of the illusory side of the coin). Yet, even this is a duality (illusion+reality), yet a step in the right direction. This is surely felt by the instant feeling of peace ("ananda") which comes along with a higher degree of conscious awareness.

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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.