Thanks, DoB, particularly for the quote from Siddharameshwar re Devotion and Knowledge.
After reading I Am That the other translations edited by Jean Dunn and Robert Powell are/were at first kind of jarring, since the English isn't as polished. However, they are all great reads and the other translations have more of a sense of being in the satsang. Nisargadatta did refer to Maurice as a gyani and I remember reading somewhere a story that Nisargadatta was read some passage from I Am That and said that he never said that but if Maurice wrote it, it must be true because what a gyani says can't be untrue. Thanks, again. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, defenders_of_bhakti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <reavismarek@> > wrote: > > > > Thank you very much for the suggestion. > > Here are some quotations by Siddharameshwar, some stories about Ban > Ganga, some reflections on Ramesh. > > First about Bhakti and Knowledge by Siddharameshwar Maharaj Guru of > Nisargadatta Maharaj, Guru of Ramesh Balsekar from 'Amrut Laya' > obtainable by Chetana Publishers in Bombay: > > > Parabrahman > If one separates Brahman from Parabrahman, then the former is called > Primordial Illusion (Mula Maya).Power and knowledge (Prakriti and > Purusha, as also Shakti and Shiva) are one and the same. Knowledge ia > a very subtle concept or thought. It is true that the God has created > this world, but the world exists only as long as the perishable body > exists. God exists only till the devotee exists and vice versa. So > long as the dream lasts the dreamer is present. However the basis of > all these is Parabrahman, where there is nothing. God has intense fear > of getting destroyed. Whatever is without fear is Parabrahman. In this > 'stateless state' there is no God, no man or woman and no ignorance or > knowledge.If Brahma (God) or Parabrahman were the same, there would > have been no need at all for the prefix 'Para' (beyond). > > > Devotion and Knowledge > One should first attain and then speak. Body is bound by its own karma > (action), devotion is like a farm and knowledge is like a fruit. > > At the beginning of this exposition reverential adoration has to be > offered to Sri Ganesh first, then to Sri Saraswati and finally to Sri > Satguru. What is the reason for this? If somebody asks "If the > sequence of this adoration is changed, will there be confusion?" The > answer has to be "yes, there will be confusion," because Sri Ganesh is > the deity for meditation and contemplation, Sri Saraswati is the deity > who denotes the exposition, (through words). With the help of these > two deities, the deity in the form of light of the Self, which rises > in the heart of the aspirant is none other than the Satguru. Hence the > Satguru has to be adored necessarily after Sri Ganesha and Sri Saraswati. > > Only when the understanding of the subject becomes firm, does the > grace of the Satguru of Self descend. Textual contemplation and > exposition of this subject alone will not lead the aspirant to his > goal.Hence, he should reverentially adore Sri Ganesh and Sri Saraswati. > > Realizing the secret of the principle: first let the manifest form be > seen by the eyes and then Vedanta be extolled, the mouth should chant > the mantra (subtle name) and imprint its significance within. > > All quotations from 'Amrut Laya' by Siddharameshwar Maharaj, Guru of > Nisargadatta Maharaj, Guru of Ramesh Balsekar. > > Book can be obtained by Chetana Publications in Mumbai > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Other books of interest by Nisargadatta, otainable by Chetana > I AM THAT > Seeds of Consciousness > Prior to Consciousness > Consciousness and the Absolute (Final Talks) > Pointers from Nisargadatta Maharaj by Ramesh Balsekar > > =============================== > BANGANGA > > I went to the Samadhi of Siddharameshwar three times during my stay, > just to hang out and meditate, usually after the morning talks of > Ramesh. There is a young Indian, a filmmaker, named Vikram who lives > nearby and gave us a ride. As he just moved there, he one night > checked out the restaurants at Ban Ganga, and went to a very nice A/C > place. After dinner he had the rest of the food backed and wanted to > leave. There, outside at the dood was an Aghori Baba, who was > obviously refused entrance to the costly A/C place. V. gave hom the > packed food, and in addition a 500 rupie note, a lot for an indian, > but just about 10 $ for us. He had it rolled inside a paper. The sadhu > then ask V to donate him a blanket, as he wanted to go to Tirupati > (pilgrimage place in the south). V told the Sadhu to look what he gave > him, whereupon he just roled the paper with the note to produce some > fire or just ashes, I don't remember completely. Then he went. No idea > if this was just a trick or a siddhi. V obviously believed it to be > true. Aghoris usuall stay at Cremation grounds (Smashans), and this is > the place wer Siddharameshs samadhi is. > > > ========================== > > NAVANATH / KARSIDDHESHWAR > > I usualy met an old man there who had somewhat the resemblence of > Nisargadatta. He was a disciple of his, and also still met > Siddharamesh, when he was a child.As there was some discussion among > us as about the actual tradition of Nisargadatta, it is mentioned in > 'I am That' that he belonged to the Navnath Samradaya, which is a > subbranch as I knew of the Naths, Sadhus who have a rather mystic > approach, and usually carry a whistle around their neck, as a symbol > of sound being the basis of creation. As a matter of fact, Aghoris are > also a kind of nath subbranch. When mentioning the Navanath to the old > man at the Samadhi, he contradicted and said that Siddharamesh > belonged to the Kadasiddheswar Sampradaya (obviously a subsect of > Navnath). He said that Siddharameshwar was the last Guru in this line, > and that the whole exposition of teaching, which is purely adhi-atmic > was in the same way, with the same words with the first Guru of this > line.(That is concentrating purely on an advaitic kind of teaching) > > =============================== > > I AM THAT > > Another intereseting note is that Ramesh thought the translation of > the dialogues in 'I am That' by Maurice Friedman to be very inaccurate > and misleading. He would give as an example the use of 'awareness' and > 'consciousness'. which were used for 'Avykta' and 'Vyakta'. Literally > Avyakta means unmanifest while Vykata means manifest. To translate > these as Awareness and Conscousness respectively, appealing to modern > Zen lingo, is indeed somewhat misleading.(Nevertheless 'I am That' is > a beautiful book!) If you are interested in a more authentic > translation, you may refer to one of his later books, like 'Seeds of > Consciousness' translated by Ramesh directly from Marathi. Maurice > Friedman was a dutch guy, a foreigner, who could understand Marathi a > bit, but also English wasn't his native tongue. These just as a few > side notes. > > ========================= > > RAMESH > > > Incidently, if you are interested in Ramesh his teaching approach > also deviates of that of his master, whose exclusive translater he was > in his final year. This quote maybe sums up the difference in the > approach best: > > According to me,"I am That" is the positive way. The meaning is of > course, quite clear, but the positive way is a long path for thze > pilgrim and certainly can cause some confusion: I am That, therefore, > I can do whatever I like! > > On the other hand, the negative way would be: I am only a > three-dimensional object and, that too, the appearance of a > three-dimensional object - therefore, nothing. I am neither this nor > That. I can only be a shadow, without substance, of That which is all > there is. This is the direct path. > > The direct path is the negative way, along which no me-concept can > travel - how can a shadow travel by itself? How can a shadow attain > anything? This is sudden awakening. > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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