Today's Considerations
To review the reaction by many
seekers when a “teacher’s” or a “guru’s” message changes:
One critic of Maharaj’s evolving message
said, “I really hate him for telling people in his later talks to stop reading I
AM THAT and that his message has changed completely from what he shared in
those early talks.”
How the Spiritual Giants do hate to hear him advise: "Forget spirituality."
How they hated to hear him encourage seekers to follow "their normal inclinations," that is, to follow their natural tendencies, to abandon all of their spiritual work and just abide naturally - not unnaturally and not supernaturally (i.e., neither "religiously" nor "spiritually" nor "philosophically").
How they hated it when he told visitors, "Do your normal duties" and "just give up spirituality."
How they hated to hear him advise seekers to stop reading the book I AM THAT and to heed his later teachings (advice offered after he witnessed clearly that spirituality and spiritual exercises and the adoption of a spiritual persona did not cure the Sickness but actually aggravated its symptoms).
How the Spiritual Giants do hate to hear him advise: "Forget spirituality."
How they hated to hear him encourage seekers to follow "their normal inclinations," that is, to follow their natural tendencies, to abandon all of their spiritual work and just abide naturally - not unnaturally and not supernaturally (i.e., neither "religiously" nor "spiritually" nor "philosophically").
How they hated it when he told visitors, "Do your normal duties" and "just give up spirituality."
How they hated to hear him advise seekers to stop reading the book I AM THAT and to heed his later teachings (advice offered after he witnessed clearly that spirituality and spiritual exercises and the adoption of a spiritual persona did not cure the Sickness but actually aggravated its symptoms).
And how those embroiled in the
Self-Inquiry process hatred to hear him say: "I got involved in
spirituality, in the business of spirituality; finally, I lost that love of
Self also. I have no more love for the Self."
He lost interest in - and love
for - the Self, the Supreme Self, the Ultimate Self, the Real Self, the
Godhead, the Godself, or whatever else supposedly noble identifiers can be
called. See? The "Realized" have transcended
both the false self / selves and even "the True Self" and even "the Supreme SELF," so all that happens among "the
Realized" merely happens spontaneously.
To review another pointer shared recently as well:
Interesting, is it not, the way
that persons hate when their teachers, preachers, gurus, guides, etc. “grow” in
wisdom? Persons are usually only comfortable with the familiar, “Lite” version of
any messages (that is, with "kindergarten level" messages, as Maharaj
classified them). So when he stopped sharing non-duality + religious messages
and stopped sharing non-duality + spiritual messages and focused on the
actual mental roots of the Ultimate Sickness, the critics came forth.
Yet consider: a year ago when a friend had
surgery, the doctor she choice to perform the procedure was chosen because the
doctor had abandoned her earlier methods and was now using surgical robotics (which reduce by an amazing degree the
time required for the surgery, reduce the invasive level of surgery, and
reduce the post-surgery recovery time).
If informed of all possibilities,
who would suggest that the doctor set her new understanding aside and use only her
old, less effective methods? Was the doctor in the pre-robotic days using with
the sick who came her way for help with their illness the most effective approach that
she was aware of at the time? Of course, but once she because aware
of a far more effective means for treating the sickness, then what she offered
changed drastically.
The same eventually happened with
Maharaj and the same happened here in regards to the method used to address the
symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness.
The onus is upon the seeker to
find not only which of the five basic methods of teaching non-duality that a teacher
is using and not only to finds what the teacher was teaching five or ten or
fifteen years ago but also to find what the teacher is offering now. For those
who read I AM THAT only, so it is, but those seekers who only read the
"Early Maharaj" and not the "Later Maharaj" will only see
"The Tip of the Iceberg of Maharaj's Ultimate Teachings." Thus, some
research on the part of all seekers is required if they want to avoid being
"surprised" and if they want to understand why any changes in messaging came
about.
Here, it is explained that if one prefers the Traditional Advaita Vedanta method, the Neo-Advaita method, the Neo-Vedanta method, or the Pseudo Advaita teaching method, fine, but none of those will be found here.
Here, the disclaimer also makes clear that Nisarga Yoga is offered rather than guru-yoga or hatha-yoga or jnani-yoga or bhakti-yoga or raja-yoga or karma-yoga or kriya-yoga or mantra-yoga or kundalini-yoga or swara-yoga, etc. Again, some research on the part of the seeker is required.
Here, it is explained that if one prefers the Traditional Advaita Vedanta method, the Neo-Advaita method, the Neo-Vedanta method, or the Pseudo Advaita teaching method, fine, but none of those will be found here.
Here, the disclaimer also makes clear that Nisarga Yoga is offered rather than guru-yoga or hatha-yoga or jnani-yoga or bhakti-yoga or raja-yoga or karma-yoga or kriya-yoga or mantra-yoga or kundalini-yoga or swara-yoga, etc. Again, some research on the part of the seeker is required.
So this has been shared to
clarify:
In the case of the first 8,000 or so who came to hear "floyd," the fact is this: the pure consciousness - yet blocked - was not able to speak as the totally-unblocked consciousness speaks (to the relative misfortune of those who listened back then).
In the case of the first 8,000 or so who came to hear "floyd," the fact is this: the pure consciousness - yet blocked - was not able to speak as the totally-unblocked consciousness speaks (to the relative misfortune of those who listened back then).
Moreover, it is a tendency among many other persons to only "hear" what they want to hear. As with "Early Maharaj," some came for what they
took to be "a religious message," and they heard one. Others came
later for what they took to be "a spiritual message," and they heard
that.
In both cases, seekers were hearing "Maharaj Lite" (and here, the earliest visitors were hearing "Diet Floyd"). Both drinks were intoxicating for those who came for nothing more than reinforcement of their bogus beliefs but who were actually, subconsciously, content to remain thirsty . . . totally dry . . . even parched.
Both "Maharaj Lite" and "Diet Floyd" were yet adulterated and therefore unable to quench the thirst for Truth or Understanding or Realization or freedom from the ravages of the Ultimate Sickness which some were seeking. Later, when the unadulterated versions of the drinks were offered, more popular, Big Name Teachers were sought by them.
Many who come now claim that they really are placing an order for a "Big Gulp of a BS-Free Beverage," but when the order is filled and they receive their first taste, it becomes clear that what they really desire is a big dollop of "Super Sweet Spiritual Cream" dropped on as a topping in order for that "Heavenly Splotch of Sugary Syrupiness" to provide a more palatable taste, a flavor more like what they are accustomed to.
Maybe pointing to the truth WILL set persons free, or maybe pointing to the truth COULD set persons free, but more often than not it is only going to really infuriate those who come seeking more rather than less.
Only those who understand that what is to be sought is freedom - namely, freedom from all ideas, concepts, attitudes, perceptions, misperceptions (a.k.a., "beliefs") - only those will also come to understand that if they become free of all of that, then it matters not what "Maharaj" or "Floyd" say.
In both cases, seekers were hearing "Maharaj Lite" (and here, the earliest visitors were hearing "Diet Floyd"). Both drinks were intoxicating for those who came for nothing more than reinforcement of their bogus beliefs but who were actually, subconsciously, content to remain thirsty . . . totally dry . . . even parched.
Both "Maharaj Lite" and "Diet Floyd" were yet adulterated and therefore unable to quench the thirst for Truth or Understanding or Realization or freedom from the ravages of the Ultimate Sickness which some were seeking. Later, when the unadulterated versions of the drinks were offered, more popular, Big Name Teachers were sought by them.
Many who come now claim that they really are placing an order for a "Big Gulp of a BS-Free Beverage," but when the order is filled and they receive their first taste, it becomes clear that what they really desire is a big dollop of "Super Sweet Spiritual Cream" dropped on as a topping in order for that "Heavenly Splotch of Sugary Syrupiness" to provide a more palatable taste, a flavor more like what they are accustomed to.
Maybe pointing to the truth WILL set persons free, or maybe pointing to the truth COULD set persons free, but more often than not it is only going to really infuriate those who come seeking more rather than less.
Only those who understand that what is to be sought is freedom - namely, freedom from all ideas, concepts, attitudes, perceptions, misperceptions (a.k.a., "beliefs") - only those will also come to understand that if they become free of all of that, then it matters not what "Maharaj" or "Floyd" say.
[Speaking of surgery, will be
assisting for a couple of days someone who is having a bone graft procedure and
oral surgery.]
To be continued.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
[NOTE:
The four most recent posts follow. You may access all of the posts in
this series and in the previous series and several thousand other posts as well by clicking on the links in the "Recent Posts and Archives" section.]
