28 November 2012

It is all about presence and loving


     I do not teach theory anymore and have not done so for some time.  I do not talk about the causal body or subtle body, or I Am as if they exist as real entities.  They are only concepts that point to somethings that you ay not recognize as you yet. But I no longer talk theory like you find in Siddharameshwar’s or Nisargadatta’s books. That stage is gone for me.  Such discussions are only philosophy and go no deeper than mind, despite Nisargadatta's belief that correct words are all that is needed for awakening.
     Instead, I try to show you, YOU, directly from within, by waking the experience of You in you.  

     I do this with exercises, meditations, word images and stories, and by wrapping you in the presence of our lineages, the Ramana-Robert and Nisargadatta-Dunn lineage of classic Advaita. Some teachers refer to this "power that knows the way," as Consciousness or shakti to take the student's attention away from the personal, and make it an impersonal process.  But it is personal when I use the term "lineage" because the "energy" acts through the individual entities that comprise the order, whether Robert, Nisargadatta, Jean Dunn, me, Rajiv, Deeya or Ruby.

     I also encourage you to love intensely and frequently, everything and everyone that arises before you. Love, devotion, serving are quickest way to self-realization. The love of another is really your own self seeing the Self in another, and the 'you' recognizes the love you feel for the other is really you.  You are love itself.  It is your own nature, the experience of which was not caused by the other, but only triggered by another.
     Many people have told me, and a learning I received from Robert, the experience of one's own spiritual presence comes easier from sitting in the presence of the lineage and its particular flavor of Shakti. That is, sitting with the teacher in Satsang or Darshan attunes you to the shakti, or the power that knows the way as manifest by a line of teachers.

     Of course constantly abiding in one's sense of self also accomplishes the same end of developing that sense of presence, but loving another, or sitting within the "presence" of the lineage expands the opportunity to grow your sense of presence, the love of which creates sensitivity to internal energies, bliss and ecstasies, that eventually become the explosive recognition of Self.
     What I try to do is set the stage for the breaking out of the explosion, the volcanic eruption of energy and light that happens when you first see your Self, which is my Self, and is the Self of all.  The Bhagavad Gita refers to this experience allegorically, when Krishna reveals his true nature to Arjuna.  Nisargadatta calls it attaining Krishna Consciousness.
     This experience is beyond the emptiness that Robert taught, that you are nothing, no thing at all.  It is beyond the Voids of the Buddhists because it fills those voids with an etheric presence of bliss and light, and empowers you to move worlds by being a vessel for its activity.  It is this Self energy that brings the void to life. 
     Now Robert's own awakening experience was of a classic self-realization experience where he was blown away by a volcanic explosion of energy and light arising from within and exploding the world, mostly he talked about nothingness and disappearing the individual sense of self. Yet, he did not directly teach how to be self realized except through various forms of self-inquiry.  Though he talked about the bhaktic approach, it was not his primary teaching modality.
     Very soon we will have weekly satsangs in LA, meeting at my house either Thursdays or Fridays, then going out to dinner at Follow Your Heart or a quieter restaurant I know nearby.
     I need to be with you more in the flesh.  As it is it is hard to make room for visitors who come for a day or two to LA.  The meetings have to be more consistent and extended.  Single meetings for a day or so do nothing.  It is repetition of exposure to the power of the lineage that does everything.
     I love you all.

12 comments:

  1. Imagine someone far away, reading your words without having the chance to come and sit with you or any other awakened person.

    What should she/he do ?

    Kathy

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  2. Kathy, If you are sincere and earnest, making the best possible use of what is here on this site: the writings, online satsangs, downloadable materials, then you will do well.

    Love,

    Lila Joan

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  3. Respectfully, Ed, do you think it's a good idea to point people towards an enlightenment experience so explicitly? Is the point of all this really to attain that "breaking out of the explosion, the volcanic eruption of energy and light"? I've had various "profound" experiences over the years, whether spontaneously, in meditation, or through psychedelics, but once the afterglow of those experiences wore off, I realized that they were insignificant. I'm sure you know what you're doing, but I want to understand why you've suddenly flipped your position like this.

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  4. Flipped my position?

    In my view there highest experience if self-realization that arises when the Self decides to reveal itself. Everything else is foreplay,

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  5. "In my view the highest experience is self-realization that arises when the Self decides to reveal itself. Everything else is foreplay."

    Yes Edji. Even the glimpse of reality, though temporary, or the so-called Kundalini experiences can come so unexepectedly. They come "as a thief in the Night" to paraphrase Jesus.

    Anonymous, perhaps I understand why you say Edji has flipped his position from the perspective you presented. What I see is that Edji is right on target. He is offering us a sefety net. His teachings, while challenging are also safe.

    I have met persons who have had subtle mind experiences. Explosions of force that the Hindus refer to as kundalini. Those experiences were devastating, disastrous and terrifying to their mental well being. If they had the guidance of a competent teacher or a yogi, they could have been placed into proper perspective. They would not have lost so much precious time, or worse become more unbalanced.

    We have the good fortune of having a guide who offers himself as a safety net. Especially here in the West,where people often "play" at spirituality by whatever name it comes by.

    When reality reveals itself, it may be the outcome of some question one asked and perhaps did not even remember it. (Maybe even in a previous life?). "Ask and you shall receive" is a truism. Seekers place their intention out to the Universe. When the answer arrives most of us are not prepared for the response.

    That seems to be the key. Being ready. Edji and other great souls of various lineages can do just that. Guide us to be ready.

    Gratefully, Mike

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  6. Apologies if I've offended. By "flipped your position," I was referring to your new decision to emphasize experience rather than a non-experiential understanding of that which is prior to experience - maybe "intuition" is a better word than "understanding," actually.

    Quote from a post you wrote less than two months ago:

    "At some point you realize that all of this experience, all of the world, all of consciousness including the various samadhis, blisses, ecstasies, love, and self-realizations are happening to that basic principle of sentience, that which is aware of the coming and going of consciousness. Even Turiya is witnessed, but by what?

    Consciousness may come of these huge experiences, all of these life-changing experiences of self-realization, unity, oneness, bliss, ecstasy, yet there is a principle which is aware of all this, and then also is aware of all this passing away into ignorance. Consciousness and the lack of consciousness, with the disappearance of consciousness, are both seen as not touching that basic principle of sentience which witnesses both, which is prior to both, which is prior to consciousness and unconsciousness."

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    Replies
    1. holding unto non-experiential or holding unto experiential, is same holding?

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  7. Why not flip? :D

    If you have been reading Eds blog for a long time, actually you would realize that it is very 'systematic' guidance throughout lots of parts you will encounter on the path.
    in my view...

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  8. Thanks for the comments, Mike and Arvydas. Perhaps I've just misinterpreted this whole thing. I've just become a little skeptical over the years that any particular experience is the endpoint. I will think about what you guys have said more carefully.

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  9. Who said there is an end point? Self-Realization, or the first seeing of the Self is only the beginning of the beginning. After that, everything changes hour by hour, day by day. Each day a completely new person and world.

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  10. Thanks for the clarification, Ed.

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  11. With this last comment, Ed, my longing to awaken has got a strong, strong kick!

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