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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 1:03:06 PM
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Adyashanti has just released a new book, The Way of Liberation. It's pretty exciting as this is a practical, stripped-down, bare essentials, 53 page guide to liberation/awakening.
I always felt like the guy has a lot of good stuff to say, and understands the paradoxes involved in awakening, is talented at cutting through the self-deceptions people tend to get caught up in, yet at the same time he has a tendency to ramble and be a little unfocussed in his delivery. Sometimes, if taken out of context, his talks can even verge slightly on the neo-advaitic "there's nothing you can do/practices are pointless" unhelpful-ness, yet if you look at what he says in the right context he does advocate practices, just extremely subtle practices that avoid identifying yourself as "the practiser", or getting caught up in seeking impermanent/altered states of consciousness.
The book is free for download as a PDF and you can get it here: http://www.adyashanti.org/wayofliberation/
He says:
“This is not a book about spiritual betterment, self-improvement, or altered states of consciousness. It is about spiritual awakening—going from the dream state of ego to the awakened state beyond ego as quickly and efficiently as possible.” -- ADYASHANTI" |
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Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 4:38:50 PM
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Thanks Mr Anderson 
Am looking into it!! |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 6:03:31 PM
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hope u find it useful :-)
There's some clear common ground here with AYP, which is nice to see.
For example, on page 29, Adya makes a clear distinction between 'relational' and 'non-relational' self inquiry (although he doesn't use the terms relational/non-relational - he talks about the distinction of self inquiry grounded in the stillness of being, and 'intellectual' type inquiry).
He also refers to energy awakening as he calls it (kundalini in AYP) and the value of grounding. He also mentions that the primary focus should be on stillness, rather than getting caught up in energy (as Yogani has Deep Meditation, cultivating inner silence/stillness, as the core practice and suggests not getting over-involved in the scenery - energetic experiences).
Furthermore, from page 38 onwards, Adya goes on to talk about what in AYP I guess we would call "stillness in action" - actively engaging with life, from a place of greater inner stillness. Embodying our true nature, as Pure Being/Bliss Consciousness etc and shaking off old conditioning and worn out ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, which were based on ego, separation and fear.
"This inner revolution is the awakening of an intelligence not born of the mind but of an inner silence of mind, which alone has the ability to uproot all of the old structures of one’s consciousness." - Adya, p.38 |
Edited by - mr_anderson on Dec 30 2012 6:07:29 PM |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 6:47:08 PM
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Hi Josh,
Thanks so much! I recently finished reading it and also thought it was very much in sync with AYP. Very well written and very concise. The practices Adya recommends are essentially my core practices - meditation, inquiry and samyama. Although he calls it contemplation, the technique is that of AYP samyama. Hurray!
Adya has become one of my favorite teachers with his pragmatic approach.. By the way, there is a Way of Liberation course that is listed on his website, which is a Skype instruction/discussion for a few consecutive weeks with him.. I'm considering it strongly 
Hope you are well..
Love to you  |
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Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 7:27:08 PM
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I just finished reading it.. very well written, very clear and informative.
Thanks again |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 7:51:30 PM
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I skimmed through the book and even found that the Awakened Adyashanti actually condones the use of a mantra! So kind of him to permit the use of an object to dissolve one's awareness into deeper levels of samadhi--for I am not gifted enough to reach the Absolute Awareness by merely "allowing everything to simply be". Hurray Adyashanti!  |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 01:13:30 AM
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Hi All:
I have been through "The Way of Liberation" also. Thanks for bringing it up, Mr. Anderson. It is a nice summary of Adyashanti's teachings. It does seem to gravitate more than his previous writings toward some common sense overlaps with several important features of practice and experience found in AYP, as touched on in the posts above.
Of course, there are still some significant differences in both approach and practices. The most glaring one is that he insists that a sincere longing for the ultimate "Truth of Being" beyond the identified ego is the only way to start and move forward. This is essentially telling people what their ishta (chosen ideal) must be on day one in order to unfold realization.
Certainly nothing wrong with hungering for ultimate Truth, if that is where it starts for us. However, for those who start there, the path will still be incremental rather than instantly complete (as espoused in neo-advaita), just as it will be incremental for anyone who begins to meditate to reduce stress, overcome addiction, improve health, become more happy, creative, successful in daily life, etc. Adyashanti says that only the search for Truth will lead to lasting progress, and all those other things will not. Whereas, in fact, the vast majority of seekers start with something other than an all-out search for Truth as their chosen ideal, and move forward from there.
So it seems to me he is shutting the door on a lot of seekers unnecessarily. Not his intention, I'm sure, but that is what an insistence on a single chosen ideal will do. What he seems to miss is that any chosen ideal can be utilized to move forward in cultivating abiding inner silence, and all of its later stages of development, if the practices are effective. There is no argument about the importance of stillness, or end stage developments. It is only that we would like to put as few limitations on the front end as possible. That is the AYP approach anyway.
With any sincere chosen ideal, plus effective practices leading to the emergence of abiding inner silence, the ishta will evolve naturally over time to have more universal qualities, ending in the place where Adyashanti insists we all must begin. We know from innumerable cases in the AYP community that chosen ideals most often evolve from personal needs to universal divine flow -- stillness in action (ultimate Truth). Any sincere longing accompanied by a willingness to engage in practices for as long as it takes will lead incrementally to the same realization of Truth.
It is an important point. Everyone sincerely longs for something that is dear to them. Ultimately it is for the eternal Truth of our Being. But it may not be seen primarily as that in the beginning. We'd all like to live a more fulfilled life, whether it is called ultimate Truth or not. If the practices are effective, we can work with any longing, and move forward gradually from there. It is an approach that can accommodate many more people than requiring everyone to adopt ultimate Truth as their chosen ideal before they are ready to. That would be non-relational, right?
It may be difficult for Adyashanti to work with seekers with such wide-ranging chosen ideals, because the practices he offers are geared largely for those who already have at least some abiding inner silence to work with. He does admit in this small volume that if the inner silence isn't enough, then additional means may be necessary. Right!
Like AYP, Adyashanti's teachings have been a work in progress over the years, attempting to help as many people as possible. I commend him for it. But in order to reach more people effectively, beyond basic inspiration, he is going to have to accept and work with the sincere longings of seekers, no matter what they may be, which means adding effective practices that can carry them forward from wherever they may be. Until then, his teaching will be reaching a limited receptive audience, no matter how many people show up at satsangs to sit at the feet of the "enlightened guy," seeking to fulfill their particular personal longing (chosen ideal), something that may frustrate him at times. Writing the chosen ideals of the many out of the equation is not going to work for reaching a much larger population of seekers with effective teachings. It is simply not possible to tell people what they ought to believe and long for. Much better to work with what they do believe and long for. It can be done.
Meanwhile, Adyashanti is being very helpful to many who have utilized the AYP practices to one degree or another, who are ripe for that kind of teaching. No complaints there. Whatever works! 
Just some food for thought.
The guru is in you.
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 10:55:13 AM
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Hi Yogani,
Thanks so much for your insights.
quote:
Originally posted by yogani
It is an important point. Everyone sincerely longs for something that is dear to them. Ultimately it is for the eternal Truth of our Being. But it may not be seen primarily as that in the beginning. We'd all like to live a more fulfilled life, whether it is called ultimate Truth or not. If the practices are effective, we can work with any longing, and move forward gradually from there. It is an approach that can accommodate many more people than requiring everyone to adopt ultimate Truth as their chosen ideal before they are ready to. That would be non-relational, right?
Very true. It is really hard for one to know what the "ultimate" truth is, within the context of their own beliefs and lives. However, having heard many of Adya's talks and read his books, I have not found him to be insistent upon the ultimate Truth or anything else for that matter (perhaps I have not noticed it ). What he does insist upon is that we find out what our deepest longing is, because we will eventually get what we desire the most. In his own journey that he describes in several talks, his initial longing was wanting to be a good Zen meditator; and being very frustrated with his teacher for not giving him that on a platter (my summary). It was only after he "stumbled" upon self-inquiry spontaneously that his desire for being a good meditator gave way to the desire for the "ultimate truth".
The beauty of AYP is exactly as you state - the ability for anyone with any longing/desire to jump right in. Once we commit to practices, they open us to the inner guru who then guides us to find out for ourselves what our deepest desire is. No matter what this may be, it is the desire for the ultimate truth wearing different disguises. Inner silence ripens us to inquiry, which then systematically cuts through all of those disguises
Very grateful to have found AYP and you 
Best regards,
kami
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k123
118 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 11:37:10 AM
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Thanks Josh, I saw Adyashanti when he came to London. I find him a gifted teacher and love his books, which I find very down to earth. I will download this.
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 2:16:53 PM
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Hey kami - i'm good thanks. did you go to the Spira retreat? hope u liked it if you did.
k123 - hope u like it!
yogani - yes I agree with you. Any motivation that might generally fall under the category of "a better life via inner work (such as meditation)" is most valid. I came to AYP mainly because the concept of ecstatic bliss was very appealing. I got exactly what I was looking for, as ecstatic bliss arose there was no longer a feeling of fear and lack inside me, which had previously motivated many actions. As the majority of suffering dropped away, ishta naturally evolved to truth, as I realized that all sensations are impermanent. bliss, joy, ecstasy - all are experiences and all are ultimately temporary, and no matter how good the sensation or experience, all sensations and experiences arise and then pass away.
With that understanding of impermanence, attachment to 'good' sensations & experiences started to dissolve, and a desire for non-dual, a reality beyond polarities, arose. It took the form of truth, and some sort of awakening happened. Post that experience the desire for some sort of transcendent state has gone. I believe that the enjoyment of all that is impermanent, temporary, flawed, human is part of the human experience.
I don't think humans exist to simply transcend or immediately awaken from ego consciousness. The drama of duality seems to be mainly for entertainment, learning and growth purposes anyway, and therefore has its place. Perhaps our unique blessing is to have the best of both worlds, to know ourselves as the unchanging, ever-free, blissful screen of awareness in which the impermanent drama of human existence plays out, and to also full engage with and enjoy the appearance of ego and duality, when there's some inner liberation which allows us not to be so caught up in its negative side. So far for me it seems here that you can have your cake AND eat it ;-) Ultimately, every second is a mystery, and my own projections of meaning are probably irrelevant :-)
I think Adyashanti desires to appeal to his 'spiritual elite' of the most ascetic, truth-seeking spiritual seekers, and maybe he cuts out a wider audience in the process. My experience is not fully liberated from ego consciousness/identified awareness, neither is it is completely ego-driven/identified, rather there's a happy, healthy balance between the two and I do what I can to keep evolving in the direction my heart desires. |
Edited by - mr_anderson on Dec 31 2012 2:21:15 PM |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 5:28:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by yogani
Until then, his teaching will be reaching a limited receptive audience, no matter how many people show up at satsangs to sit at the feet of the "enlightened guy," seeking to fulfill their particular personal longing (chosen ideal), something that may frustrate him at times.
Precisely. I think Adyashanti appeals to a niche audience, primarily upper middle-class white intellectuals who live comfortably and haven't made any MAJOR mistakes in life. For those of us who've gone off the DEEP end (via addiction or misdirected bhakti), his self-inquiry-based algorhythms aren't sufficient as a multi-channeled approach to tame the monster which rages beneath. His approach is far too passive, far too mental (and in my opinion, far too snobbish--I've seen a YouTube video where he snickers at the use of a mantra, though he doesn't preach against it, and in this book, he even supports it, but of course, only "if necessary"  ).
Anyway, isn't the bigger point that the Truth of this spiritual path is that there are infinite possibilities? Much of Adyashanti's writing always reeks of the illusion of attainment (to me). I think he even said that he had his "final awakening" like 10 years ago. But wouldn't "final awakening" be a pronouncement of the mind fixating on some perceived level of inner silence? Isn't that making the witness stage the end-game? Am I missing something here?
I'm more inclined to believe that this spiritual path is more like riding an inward, ascending spiral with ever-expanding plateaus. Yogani seems to imply the same thing. There is no ceiling. There is no "final awakening" or "arrival" at Absolute Truth. There is only walking the path and living through stillness in action, divine love, and service to humanity. Just as the universe is perpetually expanding, so are we as individuals. Simple, although beyond comprehension.
Also, just one more thing about Adyashanti's True Meditation. To me, there's no "digging" in it. There's just "drifting". You kind of just drift in the level of inner silence you're at, so there's not much increase in DEPTH. But with Deep Meditation, refining the sound of the mantra in the mind yields a very gentle "digging" effect that results in more inner silence, as opposed to the "drifting" technique of Adyashanti, which is more passive, and consequently slower in the process of union with stillness.
Hope this comes across as a lovingly critical and honest perspective from my personal experience. Cheers. Dig! |
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Kite
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 8:39:22 PM
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Although I don't have any new insights to add to this post, I wanted to let each of you know how appreciated your comments are. As one who has read from a variety of so called 'enlightened folks,' each with their own recommended paths to the ultimate Truth, it was so refreshing to read exactly why AYP is perfect for so many of us.
Love |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 9:00:18 PM
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"I think Adyashanti appeals to a niche audience, primarily upper middle-class white intellectuals who live comfortably and haven't made any MAJOR mistakes in life"
-I'm not sure I totally agree with that. I know plenty of people who aren't white or middle class who like Adyashanti. I'm not sure it's totally fair or reasonable to any guru to make a blanket statement about who their audience are. Though if you watch his videos, there do sure seem to be a lot of white middle class folks, I will agree!
"For those of us who've gone off the DEEP end (via addiction or misdirected bhakti), his self-inquiry-based algorhythms aren't sufficient as a multi-channeled approach to tame the monster which rages beneath."
-I fully agree with you here. The fact of the matter is, it wouldn't be unfair to say that Adya's teaching is mainly going to appeal to people who have a fairly deep level of inner silence already. I've personally gone off the deep end with addiction, I've experienced total mental and physical breakdown, borderline insanity, uncontrollable thoughts with a schizophrenic ability to act as hallucinations/reality distorters, uncontrollable rage and suicidal depression. Around the time of my 19th birthday I sat with a loaded shotgun in my mouth ready to pull the trigger, the only thought that saved me was the realization of how utterly selfish it would be to leave my mom having to clear up my brains from the floor
No way some chilled out sounding shaved-headed guy telling me to just allow everything to 'be as it is' would've been helpful to me. I would have told him to f&@k off! Staying on the breath and outside of the nightmare in my head for 10 seconds at a time was an impossible challenge. AYP was a thousand times more useful than Adya ever could have been at that point in my life.
But that doesn't mean Adya's a bad teacher, he's just aiming to reach people who are at a different point in the search, who probably already have considerable inner silence.
-"Digging effect" - totally agree here. I believe the mantra digs, in fact I feel it digging. This is something that cannot be ignored if you get really sensitive to this stuff. Refining the mantra does something. However I know a lot of people who find that Adya's True Meditation and AYP Deep Meditation can be complimentary. They serve slightly different purposes. Again, Adya is targeting mature spiritual seekers, who probably have fairly deep pre-existing inner silence and are ready to pop, many of whom might have done a lifetime of practices and spiritual seeking and be getting stuck on some final stuff. Yogani has created something which is open to all.
To me its not really a criticism of Adya, they are just different levels of teaching, and different levels of student. Should a college professor of PhD level pure mathematics design his courses so they are totally accessible to high school students? It wouldn't make sense. The students doing their Pure Math PhD will have inevitably done a lot of groundwork learning that high school students haven't yet had the chance to do.
Likewise, if I'd come to Adya's teaching 9 years ago, at the start of my search, without any inner silence at all, it wouldn't have made any sense of have been useful at all. The pre-requisite inner silence and inner readiness just wasn't there.
Adya could make his stuff more accessible, but it might be at the risk of diluting his message. I followed my intuition, and didn't pay any attention to his ramblings, until suddenly my intuition started saying "You GOTTA check this guy out". And it was the right time, and was tremendously useful. It's not a bad thing to have different teachers reaching different students at different levels.
Not every teacher can aim to catch students at every level on spectrum.
-happy new year to all from the UK where I am spending xmas and new year with my family before back off to NYC :-) I ate too much food and now I can't sleep.  |
Edited by - mr_anderson on Dec 31 2012 9:06:39 PM |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 9:41:21 PM
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Yeah, that's a totally presumptuous and unfounded opinion I posted about Adyashanti's niche audience. Glad you countered it. I mean...if his teaching reaches a poor African boy in the remote Congo who just got a laptop flown in from the Gates Foundation, then hallelujah--seriously. Any route which genuinely leads to inner silence is a good route.
You're full of wisdom and you've come along way, clearly. Thanks for sharing your REAL experience, Mr. Anderson. (And I definitely like SOME of Adyashanti's stuff. It's a LOVE-HATE relationship....hehehe... ). |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 11:45:34 PM
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Thank you Josh for that! Share your sentiments to the letter - not every teacher appeals to everyone. Besides, the same teacher who previously may have drastically influenced us may not have that same "impact" at a later stage of the journey. I had heard of Adya 4-5 years ago and couldn't take it - his teachings were way over my head. Clearly, inner silence is a prerequisite for the kind of work he recommends. Also, I'm one of those people that finds True Meditation very helpful during activities like driving, cooking, etc.. And VERY complementary to DM and other AYP sitting practices.
Bodhi, I'd say a poor African boy would (1) be far more interested in food and staying alive than spiritual growth, and (2) need a laptop to access AYP teachings also... Just sayin'
Happy 2013 all!! Here's to all the teachers in our lives, including everyone on this forum!!
Love,
kami |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 11:54:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by kami
Bodhi, I'd say a poor African boy would (1) be far more interested in food and staying alive than spiritual growth, and (2) need a laptop to access AYP teachings also... Just sayin'
LOL! Superb. Yes, you've got it!  |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 08:00:50 AM
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thank you Yogani for your insights!
bottom line the "teacher" should guide the students according to the level where each student is...and this is very hard to do!
for instance when i now meet people very much into asanas and vegetarianism and reading the books of their gurus and quoting those books.. i do feel the urge to tell them: well all of this is not THAT.
but i have to remind myself (and this is hard) that at some point i was exactly like them! so let them cling to their beliefs for now and let them discover the path for themselves,let them unfold and slowly drop the unnecessary baggage when the time is right for them....if " i tell them the Truth" well they will only feel misery and frustration cause they are still in non relational inquiry, they are still only seeking more peace in their lives,only seeking to improve themselves,improving their body....let them do that for now
who am i to tell them anything? telling them things as they are will only do them harm more than good
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Edited by - maheswari on Jan 01 2013 3:24:48 PM |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 10:26:32 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by maheswari
thank you Yogani for your insights!
bottom line the "teacher" should guide the students according to the level where each student is...and this is very hard to do!
for instance when i now meet people very much into asanas and vegetarianism and reading the books of their gurus and quoting those books.. i do feel the urge to tell them: well all of this is not THAT.
but i have to remind myself (and this is hard) that at some point i was exactly like them! so let them cling to their beliefs for now and let them discover the path for themselves,let them unfold and slowly drop the necessary baggage when the time is right for them....if " i tell them the Truth" well they will only feel misery and frustration cause they are still in non relational inquiry, they are still only seeking more peace in their lives,only seeking to improve themselves,improving their body....let them do that for now
who am i to tell them anything? telling them things as they are will only do them harm more than good
you are the best kind of Guru M. Don't wake the sleeping as they need the rest. |
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whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 1:11:06 PM
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I liked this book by Adyashanti, and I think it's a solid complement to the AYP teachings. Thanks, Mr_Anderson, for recommending it!
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quote:
Originally posted by karl
you are the best kind of Guru M. Don't wake the sleeping as they need the rest.
That's awesome.
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Hi Bodhi! I had a similar reaction to Secrets of Wilder. There's a scene where the kid jumps into hurricane-driven waves, gets pummeled by the water and nearly drowns. He finally makes it to the shore and says to the people gathered there: "Don't you think there could be more than what we're seeing here?"
And I reacted... HE'S ON A BEACH IN FLORIDA! WHAT MORE DOES HE WANT? I had just come out of a Chicago winter, and I was thinking about the guy living in a box on lower wacker drive. More???!!!? And I was thinking about the rescue squad who gets called to risk their lives to save some punk-a$$ kid who throws away his life for a thrill ride. More??!!?? I was so mad after reading that scene! 
The first time I read Adyashanti, the message I took away from his work was: "God is in the dust bunnies." That's not what he said -- it's just what I took away from his writing. And it led to huge paralysis and frustration. If God is in the dust bunnies, every time I clean my house, I throw God in the trash. How can I do this? I have to clean my house. !!??!!
The first time I read Byron Katie, I got all mad and frustrated because she says to lovingly accept what is. If my kids' room is a pigsty, does that mean I'm supposed to lovingly accept that? I can't tell them to clean it up? ??!!???
I reacted to everything, from every teacher, based on my own personal story. As the personal story dissolves and fades, the teachings make more and more sense. With the personal story, they make no sense at all.
It's my experience that meditation dissolves the personal story.
So Yogani's approach of "Meditation first and everything else will be added" is absolutely solid, in my opinion.
I suppose it's a teacher's challenge to work with each person and their accompanying stories with love and compassion. Yogani does it very well.
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Edited by - whippoorwill on Jan 01 2013 1:29:06 PM |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 3:34:14 PM
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quote:
you are the best kind of Guru M. Don't wake the sleeping as they need the rest.
i am no guru...far from that....still finding my own way around
it is not about leaving them asleep cause they need to rest...it is about letting them gradually wake up by themselves (by doing sitting practices)...the process can not be rushed.. then if they want to ask a question maybe (or maybe not) i could offer some insights...instead of me hammering them with all the end results (neo vedanta style)... but again insights are always from one's experience they still need to experience for themselves the validity of whatever they hear from others |
Edited by - maheswari on Jan 01 2013 3:35:01 PM |
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whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 4:54:37 PM
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You're awesome, Maha!
Hi Bodhi! I was doing a very poor job of explaining myself in the post above...
I was trying to say that when a teaching makes me angry it's usually because there's some personal, separate sense of self reacting to and judging from its limited perspective. The perspective does change as the separation dissolves. I get a whole lot more out of Adyashanti than I used to. I get a whole lot more out of Yogani's writing than I used to. Even some of Yogani's writing used to make me pretty mad and frustrated.
I don't know how realistic it is to expect a teaching to reach everyone. We are so diverse in our experiences and personal stories! I think Yogani comes about as close as one can by making the practice self directed. All he asks is to just do the practice and see what comes.
Love! |
Edited by - whippoorwill on Jan 01 2013 4:56:47 PM |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 4:56:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by maheswari
quote:
you are the best kind of Guru M. Don't wake the sleeping as they need the rest.
i am no guru...far from that....still finding my own way around
it is not about leaving them asleep cause they need to rest...it is about letting them gradually wake up by themselves (by doing sitting practices)...the process can not be rushed.. then if they want to ask a question maybe (or maybe not) i could offer some insights...instead of me hammering them with all the end results (neo vedanta style)... but again insights are always from one's experience they still need to experience for themselves the validity of whatever they hear from others
Your attitude is one of a guide all we can do is serve those who are stirring and comfort those who are having nightmares. |
Edited by - karl on Jan 01 2013 4:57:21 PM |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 5:09:33 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by whippoorwill
I reacted to everything, from every teacher, based on my own personal story. As the personal story dissolves and fades, the teachings make more and more sense. With the personal story, they make no sense at all.
It's my experience that meditation dissolves the personal story.
LOL. Just to be clear about my personal experience...Adyashanti's teachings MAKE SENSE in terms of the non-duality, neti neti-type trajectory he is constantly spinning. I use some of those negations from time to time, from a place of stillness, relationally. They work fine.
All I'm saying is that his approach still lacks the depth and power of AYP in moving towards stillness in action. When I was young and even adolescent, I was abiding in stillness and practicing this kind of self-inquiry (without even knowing how to describe the techniques). But I didn't honor the ecstasy of life and so I was pulled into the temptation of drug use to satisfy that latent urge.
I was witnessing in both waking and dream states for a long time, but that wasn't sufficient. I could release my personal story easily, but I was still lacking something. I had plenty of bliss and detachment, but an inner fire was still stirring.
It wasn't until a few years ago when I had a strong blast of kundalini that it became apparent to me that THE WITNESS cannot remain in a perpetual state of denying one's personal story. The personal story must be honored and used as a characterization of the still flow of God's presence and plan for humanity. The miracle of individuality cannot be denied (well, at least not for me anymore).
If the personal story is continually denied, what arises (in my experience from shunning the ecstasy) is what I would call a "false humility". You don't speak in typical egotistical terms, but nevertheless, you're quietly above it all. You've got the witness, so you're no longer fooled by your personal story. Bravo. But...HERE WE ARE.
So, to me, it's not that Adyashanti's teachings are too advanced. They're actually too elementary. They don't help in dancing with the kundalini energy and perpetual glow that now surrounds me. That's why I need things like Spinal Breathing and other energetic practices (I've made up some of my own ) to honor and celebrate THAT REALITY...which is stillness in action. |
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whippoorwill
USA
450 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2013 : 9:11:43 PM
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Hi Bodhi! Thanks for sharing that! It makes sense.
I'm still discovering and dissolving the personal story and haven't yet had much of an energetic awakening. Although I once had a ballooning nose. I agree Adyashanti acknowledges the energetic side, but doesn't really give you tools for channelling it.
Love! |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2013 : 05:58:42 AM
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I think I know what you're saying Bodhi.
People can actually identify with the position of negation/neti-neti. This leads to less engagement and rejection of life, perhaps just sitting on the sidelines. Not a useful or healthy position.
Relational discriminative self inquiry can help us wake up out of suffering and foolishness which results from identification.
However, as we find this stillness and inner freedom, there's still a call to engage with life. Rupert Spira said "To know I am nothing is a position of understanding, to know I am everything is a position of love."
I prefer the rich, all-embracing position of love. |
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jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2013 : 10:43:24 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
People can actually identify with the position of negation/neti-neti. This leads to less engagement and rejection of life, perhaps just sitting on the sidelines. Not a useful or healthy position.
I don't think that neti-neti necessarily leads one to rejection in life. Like any form of inquiry, it depends on whether one is "defining a position of nothingness" or one is "letting go" of conceptions/fears/issues.
The below quote from the Q&A in the book touches on the same point...
"Q. Sometimes I feel a depth of silence where all intention falls away and even the instruction to allow everything to be or to rest as awareness feels unnecessary. Is it OK to let all intention and technique fall away?
A. At times, even the most subtle intention or technique will naturally drop away on its own when your meditation reaches a certain depth of stillness and simplicity. When you can let go of all intention and technique and not get lost in the mind or fall into a foggy or dull state of awareness, True Meditation is spontaneously happening. The ultimate form of meditation is when the meditator falls completely away."
Too often people "declare enlightenment", when they have only realized clear mind or are lost in a "dull state of awareness". Jed McKenna's books 1 & 2 are a perfect example of this problem. Only in book 3 does he begin to realize that there is so much more in what he starts to call "human adulthood".
Happy New Year everyone!
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Way of Liberation - New book by Adyashanti
