--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I'll be giving my Non-Dual Satsang every Wednesday
> night. Beer and pretzels will be served.
And all will be one bud wiser? (every 15 minutes).
(gretchen wilson song)
>
> --- akasha_108 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > The Dangers of Pseudo-advaita
> >
> >
> > BELOW THE INTRODUCTION
> > FROM A PAPER BY
> > AZIZ KRISTOF
> >
> >
> >
> > INTRODUCTION
> >
> >
> > Although not always thought so as such,
> > Advaita actually falls
> > under the auspices of the three main branches of
> > VEDANTA:
> >
> > 1. Dvaita Vedanta - the dualistic
> > approach
> >
> > 2. Advaita Vedanta - the non-dualistic
> > approach
> >
> > 3. Kevala Advaita Vedanta - the pure
> > non-dualistic school.
> >
> > The main exponent of Vedanta was the great
> > sage Adi Sankara
> > who was an adept of the Kevala Advaita Vedanta path.
> > In western
> > circles it is not unusual to blend the last two
> > together as well as
> > interposing the words Advaita and Vedanta as having
> > the same meaning,
> > becoming in a sense euphemisms of themselves
> > ("satsang" is often
> > included as well). Generally speaking it works OK,
> > but when fine
> > tuning the specifics then a more indepth process is
> > usually required.
> > (source).
> >
> > Jerry Katz, in a further clarification, in
> > his Nonduality FAQ
> > website, presents the following as well:
> >
> > Advaita means nonduality. Vedanta means "end
> > of the Veda." The
> > Vedas, the most ancient texts of Indian literature,
> > are books on
> > mythology and sacrifice. Their origins are
> > superhuman, their authority
> > divine, the Orthodox believe. The end of the Veda
> > marked the coming of
> > the Upanishads, which are books on the nondual
> > nature of reality, but
> > which offer different levels of nondual
> > understanding, and have even
> > given rise dualism, which says that God and the
> > human body are
> > eternally separate.
> >
> > Providing the Introduction:
> > the Wanderling
> >
> >
> >
> > The Dangers of Pseudo Advaita now proceeds:
> >
> > We would like to express our concern regarding
> > the recent
> > phenomenon of 'satsang-culture' which in our opinion
> > has impoverished
> > seriously the Orignial Spirit of Advaita. These days
> > many individuals,
> > who have very little or no knowledge at all about
> > the Process of
> > Awakening, feel qualified to give satsang and lead
> > other souls on the
> > Path. Enlightenment has become very cheap these
> > days. Nobody actually
> > really knows what is the meaning of this term as it
> > virtually means
> > everything and nothing. Nowadays, it is sufficient
> > to say 'I am
> > Awakened' in order to give satsang.
> >
> > Because of the unverifiable nature of
> > Enlightenment, this term has
> > been much manipulated. Satsang has been
> > Americanized. In an average
> > satsang-gathering everybody is laughing, showing
> > signs of euphoric and
> > unauthentic joy, while the teacher tries to look
> > like he or she is in
> > a bliss. Just like a TV show. Very few actually
> > meditate. Why to
> > meditate if we are already all Awakened?
> >
> > But Is this really Advaita? Is Advaita a poor
> > repetition of a
> > several slogans like 'There is nobody there,' 'You
> > are That,' You are
> > already Awakened' or 'There is no Path', etc.? Has
> > this anything to do
> > with teaching of great masters like N. Maharaj or
> > Sri Ramana
> > Maharishi? Ramana sat in caves for 20 years before
> > he could be really
> > complete. In his presence disciples had to meditate
> > for months and
> > years before they could receive from him the glimpse
> > of the Self.
> >
> > It is true that New Millennium is a time of
> > global awakening. But
> > this awakening is mostly partial and relative to the
> > level of most
> > people's unconsciousness. It was Jesus who said that
> > there would be a
> > time when many false teachers will teach in the name
> > of Light. It
> > seems to be happening now. Many of these teachers
> > are not necessarily
> > 'bad people' but simply unqualified and lost, in
> > truth. They have
> > believed too quickly in the thought 'I am now ready
> > to teach!'
> >
> > It seems that the pauper-isation of satsang
> > culture began after
> > the death of Poonjaji. Many of his followers started
> > to claim that
> > Poonjaji approved their 'Awakening.' It seems that
> > they just took him
> > too literally. It is an Advaita custom to say 'you
> > are already
> > Awakened.' This is however more a teaching device
> > than a reflection of
> > reality. And even if some of his disciples had a
> > glimpse of Awakening,
> > Poonjaji knew very well that in most cases neither
> > it was permanent
> > nor the final state.
> >
> >
> > An example was Andrew Cohen who was sent to
> > give satsang in
> > the west. He was meant to represent Poonjaji and
> > attract more
> > westerners to Lucknow. But he and others thought
> > that Poonjaji
> > actually conformed his Enlightenment. For that
> > reason, Cohen became
> > very hurt when Poonjaji started to criticize him
> > when he began to act
> > as a master. From this wound came later the magazine
> > 'What is
> > Enlightenment?' which more represents Cohen's own
> > insecurity and an
> > unsuccessful attempt to heal himself than a genuine
> > search for
> > clarity. By the endless investigation into states of
> > all possible
> > masters, and not being able to come to any true
> > conclusion, he has
> > been just confusing his students. The only thing
> > which at the end
> > remains clear from his seemingly 'sincere' efforts
> > to find clarity is
> > that nobody has the least idea 'What Enlightenment
> > Is!'
> >
> >
> > It is not our intention to suggest that nobody
> > reaches
> > Enlightenment. We just wish to make it clear
> > (similar as to what is
> > found to be said in ENLIGHTENMENT: CAN YOU DO IT?)
> > that Complete
> > Enlightenment and Understanding of its nature is
> > still an extremely
> > rare phenomenon on the planet earth, which a plane
> > of low evolution.
> > And equally important, we wish to emphasize that a
> > partial or
> > pre-mature experience of awakening does not qualify
> > one at all to take
> > a role of a Self-realised being.
> >
> > Enlightenment is not as cheap. Many seekers seem
> > to be unaware of
> > a very simple fact that there are actually many
> > levels of
> > Self-realization as exemplified in the Eight Jhana
> > States, the Wu Keng
> > Chuan (Five Degrees of Tozan) and the Five Varieties
> > of Zen. There is
> > an enormous difference between initial Awakening
> > such as say Kensho
> > and the actual State of Enlightenment. But who
> > cares?
> === message truncated ===
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
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