|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
kami
USA
920 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 14 2012 : 10:22:00 AM
|
P. S: thought I'd share this - I was in Rome this summer with my family. Entering St. Peter's Basilica, I was washed over with intense emotion; a mixture of awe and devotion, sensing centuries of silence and bhakti in that space. Standing in front of Michelangelo's Pieta, I wept and wept, overcome with gratitude for the unusual perception that seemed to slice through my being. It was a bit later that I realized that I was automatically doing samyama for Yogani for all that 
That experience, the tenderness of watching my kids sleep or the silliness of dancing with them, the uncontrollable giggling that happens when my husband says "you're my zing" after watching a kids' movie depicting Dracula's love life, the excitement of hearing from friends, or even the pain of feeling rejected - through it all, there is a growing sense of "ah, so that's what that feels like".. Curiosity and increasing openness to all of the mundane experiences that make up this drama of living.. I'm loving all of it.
If awakening is a sterile "standing aloof" from all this, then clearly I'm not awakening. So be it. 
Love,
kami
|
 |
|
|
whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2012 : 11:49:21 AM
|
He does have rather a bee in his bonnet for happy people, doesn’t he? 
McKenna says that in order to become enlightened, we need look at where the masters are, not at how they got there. By that reasoning, it isn’t necessary to bludgeon our little selves to death in order to become enlightened. I don’t know why McKenna has such distaste for those who don't!
There’s a really big hole in McKenna’s work. If, as McKenna says, people act from passion rather than reason, how does one become enlightened by use of reason alone? Where do passion, devotion, desire fit in? Where’s the heart, as Yogani says?
Admittedly, McKenna says people act solely from fear. I broadened one emotion, fear, to include all passion, because I don’t take such a dim view of humanity. I also don’t see how it’s possible to abide in non-dual awareness and, at the same time, dehumanize one’s companions, calling them cadavers in the second book and chimps in the third. But anyway, I guess I’ve said enough.
Thanks for your two cents, Yogani!
Your experiences are wonderful, Kami. They’re true gifts! I wouldn’t trade them in either.
|
Edited by - whippoorwill on Oct 15 2012 12:20:40 PM |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2012 : 12:36:06 PM
|
McKenna seems to write in a most excellent way that is very enticing and certainly reveals his enlightened condition.
Kami's got heart! ...which is just as enlightened as McKenna's teaching. |
Edited by - Bodhi Tree on Oct 16 2012 1:13:30 PM |
|
|
|
whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2012 : 4:27:19 PM
|
Kami's got great heart!!
P.S. I think that if one wants to abide in non-dual awareness, it is useful to read about the journeys of those who have managed it. I was just pokin' holes... |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2012 : 8:43:49 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by whippoorwill
P.S. I think that if one wants to abide in non-dual awareness, it is useful to read about the journeys of those who have managed it. I was just pokin' holes...
That's the whole joke though. Who's to say whether or not McKenna is abiding in non-dual awareness? Jed McKenna? Someone who's read all his books? Maybe if you lived with him for a couple months and followed him side-by-side everyday, surveying all his behavior, you could speak with some authority about his condition. But even so, many people have been duped by gurus for long stretches of time--simply because they wanted to believe that the acclaimed person HAD it.
The proof isn't just in the words--it's in the person behind the words--how they live, what they teach, their contribution to the world. Is the teacher really being of service to the world, or are they just capturing audiences with their repertoire--like a showman? And most importantly, does their teaching work for others?...over a long, sustained trial period, with many practitioners testing its validity.
In America we live in a celebrity culture, based on imagery, reputation, the ability to put on a show. Also, part of that culture is about instant results, quick fixes, and selling something that the consumer can buy. I certainly don't think the arena of spiritual teachers is exempt from that trend. It's much easier to offer someone a solution that just involves a few mental acrobatics than to tell them: Well, actually, this path is going to involve a daily effort of devotion in all aspects of your life. People often want the magic bullet, and the various packages of self-inquiry that are on the market tickle that compulsion.
But I think if we want real enlightenment, like the kind that results in an outpouring of divine love as exemplified by saints and avatars (and just normal people too!), we have to dig deep and accept that enlightenment is not just an epiphany or simple shift in perception. It's an evolving path with no ceiling, no limit, no end, no "ego-death" moment. Otherwise, what would be the point of creation and the manifest world? Just a cruel joke of divinity to torture us poor mortals until our moment of enlightenment. I think not.  |
|
|
|
mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2012 : 1:23:22 PM
|
Hi all,
I liked some of the points about Jed here, I agree with many of them. I agree with Yogani's view on neo-advaita. But I sense a slight shade to the criticism which may not be entirely fair to Jed.
I've interacted with him a lot on his web forum. Found him to be kind, humble and helpful. Jed will be the first person to tell you not to believe him or agree with him.
The main message in his first book is: Find out what is true, and be an authority unto yourself, question your beliefs.
I listened with an open-mind, prepared to consider the fact that maybe the absolute truth might be something I didn't want to hear, but also with healthy skepticism, not swallowing anything which just seemed like Jed's unsubstantiated opinion or personal take on things.
I'm very grateful to Jed for two reasons: Firstly, I took the inquiry into what is true, and for the first time, really considered if everything I'd ever believed about reality and who I was, could be wrong. I chucked out the idea that this needed to be a mental bludgeoning, that didn't feel right to me, I did it in a peaceful, meditative way over many months.
The awakening experiences that resulted have completely transformed my life, giving me the first taste of non-dual realization, and breaking down the imagined barriers of separation from others. I'm sure I still have an infinitely long way to go, but this has been incredible, wonderful experience. All the sense of separate identity slipping away.
Secondly: Jed takes this fixed, extreme stance on things. It's a pretty negative/dim sounding stance in some cases. At the same time though, he was encouraging me to think for myself. So instead of completely accepting his teaching, or completely rejecting it, I picked up a great, powerful message to be extremely honest with yourself about what's true, and think for yourself (even if it's incredibly uncomfortable), and did what he told me for the rest of the book: chose to think for myself, and disregard the parts that were just his opinion or personal view on life.
Love,
Josh
|
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2012 : 2:21:19 PM
|
| Bravo, Josh. That is excellent that you are benefiting from the teachings. Rock on. |
|
|
|
mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2012 : 2:32:46 PM
|
Yogani seems to have got it right though in my view. Inner silence really is the key to it all.
The people I know who purely follow advaita, without meditating, don't seem to be getting very far.
Love to you all,
Josh  |
|
|
|
kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2012 : 4:51:54 PM
|
Hi Josh!
Have to agree with you completely. I benefitted tremendously from his powerful books - it was a splash of cold water in that they stripped away every concept of awakening I might have had previously. I *love* his style of writing and dry sense of humor. Also, I found that he is not at all that different in the content of his expositions on Truth from Adyashanti; just that Adya is a lot "softer" At least how it seems to me. While reading Jed's books, I went through a phase of intense dejection and disillusionment..
The only thing that I could not agree with is the process of Spiritual Autolysis, at least how it is used by some of his students in his books. Seemed more of a mental exercise than letting go in silence. Maybe it works.. Don't know.. However, it also seemed that there was a lot of emphasis on nothingness, which is fine and good - but then, what after that? It was in this particular aspect that I felt the books were lacking a bit - integration or rather, the movement from nothing to everything.
Either way, I have to say that I gained much from Jed, and am very grateful for it.
Love,
kami
PS: Liz and Bodhi - [img]icon_heart.gif[/img] |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
Biographies
