--The idea that the desire for Enlightenment is the greatest obstacle
to attaining it is a bunch of Neo-Advaitin nonsense. Total trash.
One might as well say, "The desire to acquire a million desires is
the greatest obstacle to it".
The statement would be true if all it took were for people to go
around saying things like: (alone the lines of HWL Poonja)...
1. Awaken to the realization that you are already Enlightened.
2. Give up all techniques and just "Be".
One might argue that acquiring a million dollars is in the category
of "getting something", whereas Enlightenment is "undoing".
OK, fine - but getting something and undoing (especially the latter);
in real life is not an instantaneous affair, and - if you question
lots of people - you will find that even those
advocating "instantaneous Awakening" have a long history of prior
Sadhana before coming to that realization.
Take HWL Poonja. As he narrates in the biography by David Godman, at
one time he was an ordinary dude with no strong interest in spiritual
matters, when his work as an engineer took him to Tamil Nadu and the
region of Tiruvannamalai. (near Arunachala, the abode of Ramana
Maharshi).
He comes into Ramana's cave and after getting over the initial blast
of Shakti, tells Ramana about his recurring visions of Krishna.
Ramana says, "are you having a vision of Krishna right now?".
Poonja realizes or "AWAKENS" to the fact of the "already" prior,
innate ground of being, and becomes Self-Realized on the spot with no
Sadhana at all.
But then if one reads further, Poonja says that he was an advanced
Krishna Bhakta Yogi in his previous incarnation.
Therefore, his Sadhana was already done/finished before walking into
the Presence of Ramana to receive the last blast of Shaki coupled
with simple statements.
Then, years pass - from the 40's into the 70's and 80's. People
flock to see Poonja and pay him to say "give up all techniques and
just Be".
That's what Poonja did in the presence of Ramana, but AFTER
undergoing lifetimes of Sadhana.
The bottom line is, the usual "Satsang" messages of the many Neo-
Advaitins don't work.
Let's try it now: When we hear "You are already Enlightened, give up
all techniques right now and just "Be"!
Did that work? Didn't think so.
Though "undoing" is in a different category of effort than "doing",
if one fills a ditch with dirt and undoes the work, the undoing takes
an equal amount of effort.
In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Arhata Osho <arhatafreespe...@...>
wrote:
>
>
>
> It is good that the desire for enlightenment seems far away,
because the
>
> desire for enlightenment is the greatest barrier in attaining it.
>
>
>
> It is one of the eternal questions for the seekers of truth. On the
one
>
> hand the masters go on saying, "Attain enlightenment, " and on the
other
>
> hand they go on saying, "Don't desire it." And it has been a great
puzzle
>
> for the poor disciple. The master is saying both things: desire it,
and
>
> don't desire it. Desire it because it is the only thing desirable;
don't
>
> desire it because desire becomes a barrier.
>
>
>
> Not to create that puzzle for you, my way of working has been
different.
>
> Just being with you, talking or not talking, just giving my whole
heart to
>
> you and creating a situation in which you can taste something of
>
> enlightenment. .. even that small taste of enlightenment will be
enough for
>
> you to stop here and now in this moment. You will forget all
desires,
>
> enlightenment included.
>
>
>
> If a situation can be created in which you are so blissful, so
contented,
>
> that just for a moment there is no desire in your mind, you have
learned a
>
> great lesson -- that if this state of no-desire can continue every
moment,
>
> you need not bother about enlightenment: it will come to you. You
have not
>
> to go to it. It is not an object sitting somewhere that you have to
desire
>
> and find and work hard and go to it. It is simply your own state
when there
>
> is no desire.
>
>
>
> This desirelessness is the most blissful state possible, and
enlightenment
>
> is another name for it. Knowing it even for one moment is enough,
because
>
> you are never given by life two moments together; it is always one
moment.
>
> And if you know the secret, the alchemy of transforming this
moment, you
>
> know the whole secret of transforming life, because the next moment
will
>
> also be the same. You can do to it what you have done before; you
can
>
> continue in desirelessness.
>
>
>
> ~~ from The Path of the Mystic, ch 2
>
