20 October 2015

Those who say Nisargadatta is hard or easy to understand, because he does not have a systematic knowledge, a structure for his teachings, but is God speaking from his mouth are really mistaken.

We can easily see Nisargadatta’s teachings as a system if we read the book Master of Self-Realization, which has two sections: Master Key to Self-Realization by Siddharameshwar, which is 80 pages long, and then Part II, Master of Self Realization which is Nisargadatta’s notes on 130 of Siidharameshwar’s satsangs.  Nisargadatta also wrote an introduction to this part of the book on pages 85-87, wherein he states these teachings came to him because of his faith in his guru, loyalty to his guru, and by constantly pondering these talks.

Siddharameshwar’s teachings is a very clear exploration and exposition of the Nath school of Advaita Vedanta’s understanding of the nature of Consciousness and levels of Self from the physical, to the Subtle Body/energy level, to the Causal Body level, then Turiya, than the Absolute Witness beyond Consciousness.
I spend a lot of time explaining Nusargadatta and Siddharameshwar in my book Self-Realization and Other Awakenings on my website, http://wearesentience.com.
Nowhere does Siddharameshwar or Nisargadatta say that the ultimate truths, or one’s ultimate being is ineffable.  You can talk about it and even talk from that experience as does Siddharameshwar, Nisargadatta, and Ranjit Maharaj.

However, both Nisargadatta and Ranjit say you have to get totally beyond the body identification before any true spiritual path begins.  Robert also says this, and so does Ramana who utterly abandons his body from the age of 16.

But part of what these critics of my exposition state is true: you cannot read or understand Nisargadatta from a mind-level.  Your mind has to be supple, open, attentive, and quiet, and just feel the words in your heart and gut, and let them sit there.

Other schools like Kashmir Shaivism take a more round about walk through what Siddharameshwar refers to as the Subtle, Causal, and Turiya levels of Self, but really never let go of the body, bliss, or energies to dwell only as the absolute Witness.

They enjoy all levels combined into Self, from observing the world, the body, the Subtle Body, and Absolute as Shiva all conjoined as One, but with a different ontology than Siddharameshwar and Nisargadatta and do not talk of a Subtle or Causal body, but do of Turiya.

But these critics cannot just abandon the effort to ponder and understand the teachings of a master saying they are ineffable. They are merely admitting they do not understand and think it is because words cannot show the way.  If this were true, why would masters speak in words?

Even Robert and Ramana who talk about the highest teachings are in silence, themselves spoke millions of words, talking from the end state which they have achieved.  But you out there reading these words are not there.  Robert spent 17 years in India deepening his understanding before his curiosity left him.  In fact, he was with Nisargadatta for six months in the late 197s, when he was 50 years old, and even then had curiosity about alternative spiritual paths, by his own admission.  Those who choose to be silent without doing any spiritual work are doomed to never find any awakening.

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