This is a difficult position to reconcile because they are all, at least from my experience, such wonderful and sincere people with a true desire to help others.
What I see the problem now is this: spirituality teachers are describing the experience of no-self and how the world is seen through awareness and presence, but they're not giving any tools to reach the primary understanding of "no self" which is necessary to be able to appreciate these teachings. So their true audience, people no longer being held under the sway of the illusion of self, is not the there: The "absent choir."
It's not that the majority of spirituality teachers are disingenuous or duplicitous but rather that they're not able to bridge the listener from the death grip on the self to the release that opens up the freedom to enjoy the flow of life.
It's like someone sitting in front of a group of people telling them just how beautiful the Grand Canyon is, the vast expanse of openness and wonderful array of colors and how the sunset is so gorgeous..., but they're either unable or unwilling to give a map showing how to get there! So satsangs end up being someone talking about how wonderful enlightenment is and the audience begging in their minds, "Just tell me how to get there!"
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Hear hear, and I so can see what you mean.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why it's like that though. Surely that would be seen?
Have you read the work of James Swartz of www.shiningworld.com ? I've found his approach so beyond this issue and you'll notice a certain agreement from him, with what you've said.
That said - it was your method which was the first map I've ever had anyone tell me about or show me.
I suspect in the case of James, that because he is using an ancient teaching that is well tried and tested, there is a method in "their" methodology of first preparing the mind to be able to see. The effort of being ruthless is largely necessary because of unqualified minds. You'll understand it better from him than if I try to elaborate.
He emphasizes that a prepared mind (one that is discerning, discriminating and dispassionate) is vital for the seeing and for what follows.
You may also appreciate his (traditonal advaitic) teaching on the gunas of tamas, rajas and sattva.
For people of tamasic temperament, there's not enough fire to do the intense work of looking. For rajasic temperaments, the fervour can draws them away to worldly distrations or to too much seliance on their own will.
A sattvic mind has sufficient equanimity to look deeply and to discriminate the real from the unreal.
I think the disturbance on RT is that there's a LOT of rajas.
COMMERCIAL BREAK!! Dancing girls please!
I've taken a brief look.
ReplyDeleteThe whole notion of preparing the mind for enlightenment is an unmitigated disaster. It's like throwing more and more fuel on the fire of delusion with the excuse that the fire needs to be hot enough before delusion can be eliminated.
It doesn't. If you want to eliminate the fire of delusion, you take the fuel away. You remove any false beliefs and egoic supports that stop people from looking at the truth. If it takes ruthlessness to plunge your hands into the flames and take away their source, then ruthlessness is what we will use.
We've seen how well the teaching of gradual enlightenment has served the human race. Most of those flames only get put out by death.
I hate the terms "unfolding" and "opening" that people use to justify continuing spiritual practice and search as if they're getting it gradually, day by day, year by year. Of course teachers and gurus have a reason to push that kind of thing. It's "enlightenment on the installment plan."
ReplyDeleteWhere did the term "unfolding" or "opening" come in?
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great that there are so many angles to what life does to liberate illusions.
I marvel!
I'm with you, Dan, on the bridge. Yes, there are many teachings, but what is really needed is simple seeing of no self. Then there is no need for teachings anymore. All clear.
ReplyDeleteSo unless no self is seen, no real shift can ever happen. It's all just words, no experience.
Yeah, and delusion was my last fear...