21 February 2015

Continuously Unfolding

Any path of any teacher can rapidly become a dead end for followers and does not lead to freedom for most.

But is that what spirituality is supposed to be about: freedom?

That was never my motivation. For me, I sought the final truth because I was lost in my mind. I was confused by so many concepts from Western Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy, science, politics, economics, etc., and all I found were myriads upon myriads of concepts, most of which contradicted other sets of concepts that I also felt had a degree of truth.

But even from an early age knew there were alternatives to scientific, religious, and spiritual knowing, and that was “searching” for a bedrock of faith, a fundamental state, or that elusive final truth by looking within.

But searching within can be at least as confusing as searching outside for truth, especially given all the neo-Advaitin teachers who guide people with direct pointing to the simple-minded and superficial discoveries they have made concerning the emptiness of concepts including the concept of a personal self. Yet these superficial discoveries seem to satisfy the spiritual hungers of a vast number of people, at least for a time, just as other spiritual concepts found in fundamentalist Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths, satisfy an even larger number of people the world around.

And in the area of spirituality and religion there are so many experts who gain followers through eloquence, or simplicity of their teaching, or clarity of concepts, or promise of spiritual powers, or promises of finding peacefulness and silence within, or finding bliss, joy, aliveness, or Self. People who follow these teachers can gain the ends those teachers teach and be satisfied for a while with Emptiness, silence, bliss, unity consciousness, Self-Realizations of one sort or another, only to—years later—find these ends wanting, initiating a new round of internal discomfort and abandonment of those earlier hard-won concepts or spiritual states. You see, they did not find their own truth, but found someone else’sand made it their own.

I am not saying that because you discover in yourself something your teacher found in him or herself, that the experience for you was not real.  No indeed.  The places found within are definitely real and may offer salvation and joy.  But it was not the culmination of your own ultimate path.  Yes, maybe you stayed in Robert’s Arhat  Nirvana for a few years, or stabilized in Sahaj Samadhi, or discovered the light of Consciousness.  But only that? Is that all?

Is there a final truth, an ultimate teaching? Or, like Buddha after seven years of seeking, turn within and say to himself, I will kill myself unless I find my truth. Thereafter he finds the truth of Nirvana, or attaining a no-desire state of purity which later becomes teachings of emptiness and no-self, by relying only on himself and deep meditation under a Bo tree. He found his own ultimate truth which may have matured over the rest of his 47 years of teaching, but apparently the peace of the Arhat is what he settled on.

Me? I know that for myself I am pursuing a path of endless openings and growth having followed many paths with many awakenings, and many truths. It is a path of life-long adventure, of unfolding one’s own truth by being a light onto oneself yet being completely open to listening to the truth of others to find if there is something worthwhile to explore. (I know many of you will not believe I am open to listening to the truth of others.  But I am if they are offering something different from the paths I have already traveled and left behind, such as Neo-Advaita, Buddhism, Zen, Advaita, and even Kashmir Shaivism and depth psychology.)

But, while I have found many truths, many states of being, many kinds of emptiness, bliss, and energy levels, that which I most prize is my ability to love others as myself.

I have one cat, Buddy, who I love so deeply that we have become fast friends. I know his ways as well as my own. I feel his sentience, his life-force and his openness to me in my heart area—literally, I feel his tenderness and consciousness existence as my own, and delight in his happiness. But this delight is always undermined by the fact he is not well and the vets don’t know what is wrong with him. His death will affect me deeply when it comes to pass, but that is the price you pay when you love someone or something deeply.



Buddha blew out that flame of love in himself and it transformed into a generic compassion to teach people how to go beyond love, attachments, desires to the Nirvanic peace of no desires, no self and no suffering—to kill the ego so to speak. And some day perhaps even this ability to love so deeply and with such attached concern on my part may die in me, for I realize nothing in life stays still.

There is no final state, no ultimate teachings, Sahaja Samadhi is just another dead end path for me no matter how happy it makes some others, or provides some with a captivating goal. Ditto attaining the Void, or attaining constant bliss, or stillness or Christ Consciousness. All of these I have experienced and they are all transcient, even as is life.


What I am transcends all of these teachings and experiences. I am beyond all teachings, all experiences, all truths because I contain them all. Still, for me, the most important thing in life is having somebody or something to love. It keeps the ever-present Void from getting too cold, too remote, too dispassionate.


Buddy likes spending time here with his deceased brothers and sisters



11 comments:

  1. If in fact Sahaj Samadhi is just another "dead end path", does that spoil it for those who not only aspire to it but eventually may even attain it? My understanding is that it was the state that characterized Ramana(as it has likely other sages) but would even he have recognized it as just dead end path and as such lack the motivation to go beyond? Hard to imagine but perhaps true, I can't say.

    Mark

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  2. Oh my God, Edji, I have chills and my heart leaps up in recognition ... I feel your love deep in my core, knowing that love is my essence. You write living words, Edji.
    You have triggered such exquisite tenderness in my middle. My heart is laid open and my center, my womb is filled with the light of love.
    The living energy within your expression has struck me to the core like an arrow....that's all I can even say .... Syndria

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  3. I agree, Edji. My life has led me to the same conclusion, thanks for sharing and emphasizing that. In fact I got into spirituality because I was afraid I couldn't stand a world with only such violence and hate, a world without love; and I was afraid I was unable to love. Thank God there is hope! Love, Matthew

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  4. The understanding of love Ed that you speak is in fact error Spiritually, true humanly. I Am, THAT, is 'LOVE'. The differences is that one is human love(which you speak) and the other Spiritual Love - The Absolute.
    You often speak as if there is someone to gain or lose Love - That which you are is LOVE, you are THAT. It is so you that you cannot know it - it is YOU already. As you mentioned Buddha blowing out the flame of Love. There was no human love there to be blown out. HE IS LOVE. Generic compassion? Human compassion and Absolute Compassion are very different as in Human vs Spiritual Love. Compassion IS THAT!

    "What I am transcends all of these teachings and experiences. I am beyond all teachings, all experiences, all truths because I contain them all. Still, for me, the most important thing in life is having somebody or something to love. It keeps the ever-present Void from getting too cold, too remote, too dispassionate."

    Ed you have so many human ideas and concepts about everything including Spiritual concepts that one who has gone beyond can see quite clearly where you are coming from.

    In the beginning when we come into the Spiritual Path we are told to Love others and everything, but to LOVE is still human - and we all know where human love ends - this must move toward Spiritual LOVE where your presence becomes the LOVE that exudes from you - no more is there one to try to love because it has become you and it just IS and is ISING through you.
    So one can tell from words written if the teacher or Guru is Self-Realized.

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  5. Another one finger, ultimate truth guru heard from. Some anonymous teacher who has gone entirely beyond humanity and who exudes love with every breath--yet remains secretively anonymous.

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  6. Another one finger, ultimate truth guru heard from. Some anonymous teacher who has gone entirely beyond humanity and who exudes love with every breath--yet remains secretively anonymous.

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  7. Your ISING is contagious!
    steve

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  8. As Robert was dying he said Freedom Freedom your words ed

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  9. Found a dialogue between Robert and SL Explains quite clearly about Love and Hate.

    "SL: Is it good to love the condition. Someone said hate of Hitler, is hate...
    R: I understand what you’re saying.
    SL: In other words if we can really love Hitler easily there's understanding?
    R: If you can't find yourself and understand the truth about your Self then you have to love and hate. That’s natural. You can't tell a person to stop hating Hitler and to love Hitler. They can't do it, it's impossible. Don't try!
    SL: But what if a person actually can love?
    R: No you can't. You’re just putting it on. The only thing you can do is to change yourself.
    SL: It is going to be difficult without that?
    R: Well tell me that when you change yourself. When you lift yourself higher you see a whole new universe. Everything becomes brand new and everything is different. So you have to work on yourself and accordingly make the changes within yourself. It's like the question Pedro asked. Do not try to love or hate anyone. Work on yourself. Transcend the world and then see what you feel.
    SD: So you’re saying that by working on myself my perspective will change? (R: Yes.) It's a matter of perspective. (R: Yes.)
    SX: When you say the world, you also mean the universe and everything, the stars and...?
    R: Yes, because everything is a projection of your mind. So by changing your mind you are changing the universe. I know it sounds strange but it’s true.
    SL: Then with our mind we could actually disarm it.
    R: (laughs) We don't look at it that way. You work on yourself and Hitler becomes a part of yourself. And you see a whole new perspective. What you cannot see now. Now you have to change people.
    SL: This is going to sound wildly ego denying. The reason I feel I can really love Hitler, really is because I know in my earlier condition I felt such rage I actually thought of killing my mother. I mean I didn't actually do it or anything but there were times when she would be dead... (R: Why?) Well I understand my condition then because I was fearful that she would hurt me. But now I love her, I adore her, I wish I could see her again. I completely understand her condition was what made her act that way. So I believe my feelings of fear and rage must be the same kind of feelings that Hitler had I've come through that, I would wish the same for you.
    R: But he is dead.
    SL: Well I mean for that kind of person.
    R: That's very commendable but if that person raped you or hurt you, you wouldn't think the same thing would you?
    SL: My mother hurt me and I did that.
    R: Now you do. (SL: Yes.) But before you didn't.
    SL: But now I have the same perspective of the understanding so I can say that for everything.
    R: Is your mother dead? (SL: Yes.) That's why you love her. But if she were alive, would you love her if she was alive? If she were alive you probably wouldn't love her. It's easier to love somebody when they are dead. (SL: Yeah.) (laughs) But forget about all that. See yourself in reality. Go deep within yourself and expand your consciousness and become free.
    SL: Is this not like on the card you gave us about compassion. Is that not like working on yourself to realize that?
    R: Working on yourself is commendable. But that’s the hard way to try to change your emotions. Rather see who has the emotions. Find out who has them and get rid of the I that has the emotions and then you will be free."

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  10. Anonymous say the spiritual path starts with loving the other. We humans are not capable to do so without grace. In fact there is no beginning or end in spirituality. But to love your neighbour like yourself and God above all. We can not do that without Christ. Without His grace. Have you ever meet a human being capable to love like that? In advaita and selfloving nonduality there is no God. There is I am that. That is a uge misstake. Vanitas! We are cripples and blind pretending to know something. It is a dead end after all. Look at Adyashanti and mr Almaas they complete ignorent to real love. They are uncounsciously serve satan. Believing they are God themselfs and make of Christ a model. O God we are living in a God forgotten time. America is bloeding dead. My hope is on Holy Russia and the orthodox church where the flame of the Holy Spirit still burning for those who are eager to look and humble themselfs. But unfortunattly we are so proud of ourselfes. We think believe we are somebody special. Even enlightened what ever that may be... It is a sinking ship all this selfloving luxcifarian anti Christ proud deleduded neo advaita hinduism buddha looking in the void the black holl of satan. May God have mercy and being light in this terrefying world where WW3 is at the backyard. Where Western Media politics Zionism terrorism is killing Christ at your face! We are all in dreamland living for our personal comforts. But this will soon end!

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    1. No, if you listen carefully enough to the exchange between Adyashanti and Almaas(or even the former by himself), they place a high premium on "Christ Consciousness" which could equally apply to other sages who have evolved to that(i.e., Buddha, Ramana, a few others). So they would hardly be serving Satan.

      Mark

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