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kami
USA
920 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 24 2012 : 11:29:49 AM
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Hi all,
Recently I began reading the 3-volume "Nothing Ever Happened" by David Godman that a dear friend gave me. It is a biography of Papaji, an ardent disciple of Ramana Maharshi. Superb book that is hard to put down..
However, this is the next in a series of biographies I've read where someone is born "close" to enlightenment  He was having experiences of unity as a young child and visions of his ishta. Naturally, the teachings of such great ones is to "do nothing" and "just realize".. I'm trying.. its not happening!!
I'm quite ready to read about someone who has had to struggle through practices and life on this path, someone very "ordinary"
Any recommendations?
kami |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2012 : 5:59:05 PM
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Pretty sure there is a good biography along these lines that is currently being lived and will hopefully be written down in the somewhat near future. Author is someone named "Kami" I believe.  |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2012 : 7:33:36 PM
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Heyy Carson 
Too funny Another dear friend said that today too!!
Being lived, yes.. Written down, no.. Too boring
Miss seeing you.. And think of you often, always with a smile or laugh! Hope to see you soon.
Love,
Kami |
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Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2012 : 6:48:40 PM
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But to give them some credits, the whole Ramana -> Papaji -> Students lineage is really blessed. If you do what he/she says while you are physically near them or have seen some youtube vids of them, the magic realy happens.
Not that I had any lasting realization from them, most probably as I wanted to first fisnish the yogic style, but hey, some of those students got their everlasting ticket from this lineage :) |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2012 : 11:35:25 PM
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| Hi kami, it's true Papaji had experiences as a young boy but he did a lot of bhakti work before meeting ramana. His bhakti work was really intense. I've read the 3 books also.. They are quite the treat... The best bio on someone who have done a lot of practice b4 enlightenment is that of milarepa and there is also the story of rumi and there's sri annamalai swami living by the words of bhagavan book... He's a ramana disciple... Most of ramana's disciple did go through a lot of sadhana... Hope this helps. Much love to you |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2012 : 10:27:42 AM
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Hi Holy and Ananda,
Thanks so much for your responses..
For the last two years or so, I am being continuously drawn to Bhagavan. Even though I've had several of his books for many years, the words are only now "jumping out" at me. I can now not look at his picture or words without either becoming teary-eyed or having my hair stand on end or having some ecstatic reaction. Thiruvannamalai is calling
I am loving these books, so hope there is no misunderstanding on that. I agree totally with you Ananda, that there is so much inspiration for sadhana in these books. Krishna happens to be my ishta too, so it resonates well here. But Papaji was no ordinary soul
Thank you for the recommendations; I will check them out.
Namaste,
kami |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2012 : 2:19:58 PM
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| I'll be in tiru around the 7 or the 8th next month with a friend... Maybe we could meet there. On another not for safety precautions don't go to tiru alone... And yes you should go if u r drawn to ramana... It's unlike what u expect but it's worth it... All love.. Ananda |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2012 : 2:22:31 PM
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| Oh and read no mind i am the self for david godman also... It's a great read on the life of sri lakshmana and saradama... Books by ganesan are great also.... Peace |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2012 : 4:58:29 PM
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hi kami
do you listen to adyashanti / read / watch at all?
he is someone who seems to have started at square one, no obvious divine blessings, just a regular guy who liked the sound of enlightenment and so gave 15 years of his life to Zen, failed to wake up, so left the Zen, started questioning reality for himself, and boom...
I don't know if he has a biography but he talks about his experiences in his teachings a lot. |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2012 : 7:31:19 PM
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Hi Ananda and Mr_Anderson!
Ananda, not this year. But a few of us AYP-ers are planning a trip next July to Thiru, if you're interested
Also thanks for the recommendation; will check out that book too!
Mr_Anderson, I am totally into Adyashanti these days!! I had to smile seeing your post in Jnana - I have been listening to True Meditation almost daily.. And Spontaneous Awakening in the car.. I love his style and humor, and I agree with you; his long sadhana in Zen was not unlike ours Have you seen him or attended a retreat with him? I'm thinking about it..
Love,
Kami |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2012 : 7:38:05 PM
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hey,
I was thinking of going to his omega institute retreat in rhinebeck, NY, I think its september 7 to 14. 7 day silent retreat.
But I'm going on a 7 day retreat with Rupert Spira at Omega August 10 to 17, and following up with an Adya one the next month felt a bit excessive!!
So I'm going to go next year almost undoubtedly. He comes to Omega once a year I think.
Haha, glad you are enjoying his stuff |
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k123
118 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2012 : 09:57:48 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by kami
Hi all,
Recently I began reading the 3-volume "Nothing Ever Happened" by David Godman that a dear friend gave me. It is a biography of Papaji, an ardent disciple of Ramana Maharshi. Superb book that is hard to put down..
However, this is the next in a series of biographies I've read where someone is born "close" to enlightenment He was having experiences of unity as a young child and visions of his ishta. Naturally, the teachings of such great ones is to "do nothing" and "just realize".. I'm trying.. its not happening!!
I'm quite ready to read about someone who has had to struggle through practices and life on this path, someone very "ordinary"
Any recommendations?
kami
Hi Kami
I was thinking and some books I have read and that I really enjoyed are as follows
Chasm or Fire or Daughter of Fire by Irina Tweedie (the second is shorter, but they are both the same account of awakening. This is the story of a Sufi Master and his pupil Irina Tweedie. She was a middle aged Russian/British woman, who went to a Sufi master and the account tells of her extreme difficulties and her final awakening, after much emotional pain and physical difficulty.
For other people who talk of struggling towards awakening, which is something I like as I have a fair amount of emotional stuff going on, I particularly like Jack Kornfield.
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2012 : 3:34:08 PM
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| You can read mine when it's published ordinary, no trips to India. I don't suggest I'm enlightened though, just sharing a journey. Lots of background, going to work, getting sick of jobs, doing stupid things, family back ground etc. I'm just not as famous and never will be |
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k123
118 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2012 : 2:48:46 PM
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Karl, that sounds fascinating. For me the more ordinary the better!
If you need anyone to proof it, or simply read it, I would love to. Really just an excuse for me to read an account of a spiritual path |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2012 : 5:23:52 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by k123
Karl, that sounds fascinating. For me the more ordinary the better!
If you need anyone to proof it, or simply read it, I would love to. Really just an excuse for me to read an account of a spiritual path
I'm nearing the end now so with a bit of luck I should have it all done by December. It's slow going when its the first one, but its been a really good experience. I will put you on the list
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2012 : 5:45:09 PM
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Hi k123 and Karl,
Thanks so much!
One of my dearest friends here gave me his copy of "Daughter of Fire".. Been meaning to finish it.. Just finished Jed McKenna's trilogy; as soon as I find my bearing (yes, Jed's books are something else), I'll start that one..
Karl, can't wait!!
Love,
kami |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 08 2012 : 12:20:24 PM
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What did you think of Jed Mckenna's trilogy Kami?
It's pretty good! With Jed I realized, maybe enlightenment/non-duality is just what is true, right now, always and forever. After that, the belief systems gradually collapsed, leaving just 'what is'. |
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stevenbhow
Japan
352 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2012 : 04:34:52 AM
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"Play of Consciousness" by Swami Muktananda is good.
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2012 : 1:20:50 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
What did you think of Jed Mckenna's trilogy Kami?
It's pretty good! With Jed I realized, maybe enlightenment/non-duality is just what is true, right now, always and forever. After that, the belief systems gradually collapsed, leaving just 'what is'.
Hi Josh!
Not a light read, for sure
These books help clear any misconceptions about awakening, IMO. I enjoyed reading about Jed's day-to-day life after awakening as much as his writings about the thing itself. Each of them took it to a deeper level, and the thing I enjoyed the most (due to my fondness for the Gita) is his take on the Mahabharata and the Gita itself. Opened up my own understanding of it as well..
However, I must say that Spiritual Autolysis as a self-inquiry tool can become an ego-based activity when not relational in inner silence.. Also, although that is the tool he awakened with, I wasn't convinced that other characters in the books using the same technique actually woke up.. Hard to know really.. And it turns out that most of us have used such a technique (journaling, posting here, emailing others in written discussions, etc) to greater or lesser degrees anyways.. I had found that writing in my journal about things I was "stuck" with seemed to pave the way for openings, and the "stuck" issue became irrelevant as soon as it was written about.. Funnily, I can't even go back and look at those issues because I've password-protected all those entries and forgotten the passwords Never thought of it as autolysis until I read these books!
Also, apart from very briefly occurring despair(in retrospect from overload), this whole process of discovering the is-ness has been primarily non-painful and joyful here. So, I could not relate to his repeated descriptions of this being an excruciatingly painful journey..
Thank you so much for recommending these!
Love you,
kami |
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whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2012 : 10:47:51 AM
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Hi Kami!
Hope it's okay to pop in on this topic. I downloaded the Kindle sample of Jed McKenna's first book based on the recommendation here, and then I bought the book and kept reading. The book stirred up rather a lot of questions, and I wanted to put them somewhere.
I enjoyed his bombastic and irreverent style, but some of things he said were truly shocking: "Fear, regardless of what face it wears, is the engine that drives humans as individuals and humanity as a species. Simply put, humans a are fear-based creatures. It may be tempting to say that we are equal parts rational and emotional, balanced between left and right brain, but it's not true. We are primarily emotional and our ruling emotion is fear" (Locations 168-174). (Kindles leave a bit to be desired when it comes to page references.)
Okay, so he favors David Hume over Descartes: people act from passion rather than reason. I couldn't agree more, but why fear? It's not the only passion out there. Is it really the strongest? I don't really believe him on that point, so it's something I need to investigate a bit more. Where does passion come from?
He also emphasizes the destructive aspect of finding the truth, but isn't there a creative side as well? The book I'm reading is evidence that it's not all destruction. Something got created. I'm reading it. If all of my life is simply a fiction, why that's wonderful news! That means that I could do anything! The possibilities are endless, so the question is: what do I want? Right now, job one is to see my kids to adulthood, but after that, I don't really know. I find it exciting rather than alarming. Does that mean I'm rather missing the point? Does truth seeking have to be devastating? What is it that wants to live as me?
Anyway, that's some of what got stirred up. I won't inflict all of it on you. I look forward to reading the next one.
All the best to you!
--Liz |
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whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2012 : 10:50:00 AM
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| Hi Karl! I'd love to read your book! Will you put me on your list, or let me know where I can buy it when finished? |
Edited by - whippoorwill on Oct 13 2012 1:41:27 PM |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2012 : 12:25:48 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by whippoorwill
Hi Karl! I'd love to read you book! Will you put me on your list, or let me know where I can buy it when finished?
Definitely. |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2012 : 2:06:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by whippoorwill
He also emphasizes the destructive aspect of finding the truth, but isn't there a creative side as well? The book I'm reading is evidence that it's not all destruction. Something got created. I'm reading it. If all of my life is simply a fiction, why that's wonderful news! That means that I could do anything! The possibilities are endless, so the question is: what do I want? Right now, job one is to see my kids to adulthood, but after that, I don't really know. I find it exciting rather than alarming. Does that mean I'm rather missing the point? Does truth seeking have to be devastating?
Hi Liz!!
Precisely! That is exactly what I came away with. Why does awakening need to be such a gloom and doom process? Isn't the whole point of creation (Maya) for consciousness to experience all the possible "flavors"?
Love you!!
kami |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2012 : 3:05:06 PM
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Hi Kami, Liz and All:
Neo-advaita especially is "devastating" because it is not based on relational self-inquiry occurring naturally in stillness (witness). Rather, it is based on a simultaneous mental deconstruction and reconstruction. To the extent this leads to an awakening of awareness and a natural outpouring of unifying divine love, it can be true enlightenment. But I do not see that in the case of Jed McKenna or others who approach enlightenment with a mental bludgeoning. Where's the heart in it? Where is the natural flow of stillness illuminating all of life? Enlightenment is not a condition that can be lived in separation from anyone or anything else. Those who think it can be are still living in a mental world.
No doubt with enough self-imposed or third-party brow-beating (devastation) people can get to a mental condition where they "get" that all perceptions are but shadows in awareness, to the point where that is how they see the world through an ongoing mental translation of perceptions, and proclaim that as "enlightenment." But it isn't. It is only a mental process going on, subconsciously automatic as can occur through an ingrained habit. Something vital is missing in it -- the natural flow of divine love, which reaches far beyond an ingrained mental habit of "getting it."
Kami, your comments (over here) about samyama being the key are right on, with intentions and inquiries blossoming out naturally from abiding inner silence where they have been released. This is something happening far beyond mind or "getting it," radiating out through us and lifting up the world around us. It is not about "getting it." It is about giving it all away in stillness and living in and as the eternal flow of unity.
I don't know of any method for doing this that is not preceded or accompanied by an effective form of meditation, because that is what awakens abiding inner silence within us, the source and fulfillment of our awakening. Enlightenment does not have to be about devastation. It can be about illumination from within, a path of increasing joy, and going much further because it operates beyond the mind.
My two cents. 
The guru is in you.
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2012 : 6:19:31 PM
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Ahhhhhh....now I can breathe again, having read Yogani's post above.
My favorite line is: "Where's the heart in it?" That reminds me of something from Carlos Castaneda, in which the shaman told the young, inquisitive Castaneda: There are many paths to the Spirit, but when you choose a path, make sure you choose one with heart.
AYP's got heart, baby!!!  |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2012 : 08:06:26 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by yogani
Neo-advaita especially is "devastating" because it is not based on relational self-inquiry occurring naturally in stillness (witness). Rather, it is based on a simultaneous mental deconstruction and reconstruction. To the extent this leads to an awakening of awareness and a natural outpouring of unifying divine love, it can be true enlightenment. But I do not see that in the case of Jed McKenna or others who approach enlightenment with a mental bludgeoning. Where's the heart in it? Where is the natural flow of stillness illuminating all of life? Enlightenment is not a condition that can be lived in separation from anyone or anything else. Those who think it can be are still living in a mental world.
No doubt with enough self-imposed or third-party brow-beating (devastation) people can get to a mental condition where they "get" that all perceptions are but shadows in awareness, to the point where that is how they see the world through an ongoing mental translation of perceptions, and proclaim that as "enlightenment." But it isn't. It is only a mental process going on, subconsciously automatic as can occur through an ingrained habit. Something vital is missing in it -- the natural flow of divine love, which reaches far beyond an ingrained mental habit of "getting it."
Kami, your comments (over here) about samyama being the key are right on, with intentions and inquiries blossoming out naturally from abiding inner silence where they have been released. This is something happening far beyond mind or "getting it," radiating out through us and lifting up the world around us. It is not about "getting it." It is about giving it all away in stillness and living in and as the eternal flow of unity.
I don't know of any method for doing this that is not preceded or accompanied by an effective form of meditation, because that is what awakens abiding inner silence within us, the source and fulfillment of our awakening. Enlightenment does not have to be about devastation. It can be about illumination from within, a path of increasing joy, and going much further because it operates beyond the mind.
My two cents.
The guru is in you.
Hi Yogani,
Precious golden nuggets actually Thank you.
Toward the end of the third book, Jed seems almost dejected, like there was nothing left to do but wait to die (at least how it seemed to me). This is in direct contrast to my experience of openings leading to incredible joy, love and peace..
Your comments reminded me of the story of the great sage Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita who was considered a jewel among the enlightened. With those works, he thought (like Jed) that his work was done. However, legend has it that Lord Vishnu appeared to him in a vision and said his enlightenment was incomplete, that it needed to come down from the crown to the heart. So, Vyasa went back to his sadhana and ended up writing the Bhagavatam, beautiful Bhakti-filled stories on the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, including the entire story of Krishna. It was only then that he was considered "purnam", complete.. Those who have read all three will see how different they are, and how they complement each other - masterpieces!!
As they say in Zen, it's going from "there is a mountain" to "there is no mountain" and back to "there is a mountain". It is relatively easy to see nothingness, and the play of maya, IMHO. It is in the return to heart and Oneness that we have to encounter and resolve resistance.. How it seems here..
Thank you again. Eternally grateful for you _/\_
kami |
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Biographies
