Comments on: The Advaita Show #028 - No Guru Required

By: Cameron

Cameron — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 08:17:46 +0000

Hi Carol, the easiest way is to plug this address into itunes (itpc://advaita.thepodcastnetwork.com/feed/).
Or go to Yahoo (http://tinyurl.com/y8nsgo).

By: Carol Long

Carol Long — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 06:48:31 +0000

Thanks for your really funny and helpful podcasts! How do we access the first 25 podcasts? I don’t see them listed on the homepage.

Thanks and hi to Bob and Eliot and Barbara–Carol in Santa Cruz

By: Cameron

Cameron — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 21:13:30 +0000

Thanks Silent Mind. Yes there is another show scheduled for next week but I need people to join me on it! Check out the latest post of the blog for details.

By: Silent Mind

Silent Mind — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:05:32 +0000

I’m fairly new to all this stuff and spent the entire weekend listening to all of these podcasts. Bob or no Bob (no pun intended), the shows are all great. I espeicially enjoyed this one (#28) with Cameron and Steve. The spontaneous exchange of ideas was exhilarating. Any plans for another show anytime soon?

~A mirage is not real, but yet we see it.

By: Steven Witt

Steven Witt — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 03:32:38 +0000

Cameron is therefore admitting to being what is known as a “podcasting prostitute.”

But hey, it’s just happening ….

By: Cameron

Cameron — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 03:21:05 +0000

Q, Bob just got bored with the show. There’s only so many times you can answer the same questions from the same people each week before even the guru runs out of things to say. He’s been doing it in his living room for 30 years but it’s a new stream of people all the time, so it’s a different vibe.

Re coming to central Europe - I’d love to. Get 50 people to put $100 into my bank account and I’ll be there. :-)

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:24:15 +0000

Hi Cameron,

If you could ask you, what was the reason of Bob’s refusnig to take part in the next shows? Haven’t been there any comment from his side? Not at all I am missing the guru, but I am just curious about the official reason. (I might silently guess.)

Another question - is there any possibility of your visiting central Europe in the future? I know you are not planning but for the instance…

By: Cameron

Cameron — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:39:20 +0000

Smu, yeah I’m in SL somewhere. I think my nick is Cameron Switchblade. Haven’t really been in there for 6 months or more though. Signed up to check it out a year ago. Havent really had the urge to go back in yet though.

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:02:28 +0000

Hi Cameron and everyone else,

Don’t know how many of you are aware of a virtual 3D ‘world’ (metaverse) on the internet called ‘Second Life’ http://secondlife.com/

It’s a 3D Metaverse in which you have a digital ‘avatar’ with which you travel throughout the Metaverse. You communicate with each other live, by typing. It’s an interesting new opportunity for people all over the world to communicate.

The whole Metaverse has been built by its inhabitants and if you were to scale it up it would currently be twice the size of Manhattan. And because it has been built by its inhabitants it has everything that the phenomenal universe has… from red light districts at one end of the scale…. and shopping centres and university campuses …. to temples at the other end of the scale.

There are currently about 10 copies of existing ‘real world’ Tibetan Temples in there. There are also a few Zen temples that I know of.

I’m attracted to the potential of a metaverse such as Second Life because I think it is a great way to communicate with others who have the same interests… without geographic distances getting in the way. It is possible to hold Nonduality Q&As in there or even satsang.

If you’re interested in meeting me in there, just go to http://secondlife.com/
and join. It doesn’t cost anything, all you need to do is download the software so you can access it via your computer. Once in ‘there’ you’ll be able to find me by doing a search on my name, Sunyata Mu.

Have a nice now,

S’mu

:-)

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 17:10:23 +0000

Ofcourse, mind is unable of getting understand the ultimate state without any doubt about it. My own realisation can be described as the sudden understanding, there is no method at all(: and the ‘process’ - can by any process we could immagine - can lead only to the another proces - such as karma is leading to another karma - no matter how pure can be - what is my argument to the believers of karmic point of view. Absolutely agree with Bob that is no mean we could use to became what we are already. I think most of all here would agree and I have to be one with it in a very core of it. I also do not like statements of ” Iunderstand it clearly, that there is no doer, but….” which sound just bizarre(((((:
Major point of advaita to me, is the understandin beginning in čitta and ending in buddhi. This very beginning is all what can be done - if done perfectly. There is only one think what’s left - the way of nature’s following that understanding in the very deep of our being. Ofcourse it is going on completely without our separate activity or some individual will to do so. No, at that certain point there will be no-thing and no-body and no-individual entity interfering. Remains just a laugh of being LIVING non dual in the common life.

But I mean, would be grat mistake to think there would be such a laugh without having seen clearly that certain beginning - only upon which was the laugh based.

Greetings,
q.

By: zafire

zafire — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:43:40 +0000

The translation of Advaita I believe is to point to oneness all ‘being one’ ‘oneness being’ ‘BEING’ ‘ONE’ if this is excepted any teaching method practice is in fact a contrition. My understanding of Tony Parsons message is that he is not teaching Advaita for that very reason, but has been labelled as a teacher of Neo Advaita by those who simply do not understsnd the pure messsage that is shared and pointed to THIS being the same message that Advaita built its dogma on, as with other well meaning religions the minds simply do not get IT

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:08:30 +0000

Forgot to mention a simple sentence from Sankaras scriptures: “The svaroopa is not averse with nature of avidya” - that svaroopa itself can’t in any case be supposed to be the secret jewel of advaita’s… svaroopa is the Self of each one of us… - but there are many of ignorance and also many of wisdom. The method of advaita is just the principle how to recover that svaroopa from the unconscious and finally rip the duality and avidya to pieces - forEVER.

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 15:56:20 +0000

Exactly that was my intention to describe, sunyata mu.
I must agree with what you mentioned as the syndrome of “no me”, which is often misunderstood by most of neo-advaitins as the real authentic knowing, and present awareness - WHICH CAN OCCUR ONLY AFTER some fight, when all the tricks of individual enetity where defeated…
But at the end I must stand together in the crowds of those who had already been looking the enlightenment so long and desperately, so that the inner Self could finally say its own statement - there is no enlightenment at all except of direct seeing through the fact, only what is is a fake… so take off your guns and all your “becomings” - you cannot become something else, even if you had defeated all the world. Only after right discrimination and non-compromising way of jnana there is the mistake of suggestivity of becoming discovered in the (so called legal) light of experience.
Sunyata mu is speaking from the experience which cannot be supposed to be dualism. I mean, the traditional ways of ancient advaita principles would surprise many of those who suggest, that systeme of non-duality is just the blind arguing “there is no seeker, no enlightenment and so on…” - But I do on the opther side agree with that statement, but not in the way that it’s usual.
Yes, Nisargadatta have been heard to speak of his enlightenment proces such as a period, which define his past as ignorant and the non dual future, where there was no Maruti at all anymore… So there is a small glimpse or lightening as a peak of the proces, in which the whole individuality is swallowed by the awareness. Ofcourse we would be absolutely wrong and driven to the heel of dualistic concepts claimin that the enlightenment mean somethin like “building up the Self” what is totally carazy idea. In that part, there must be taken seriously what Nisargadatta, Maharshi or Sailor Bob are speaking about.

Taht is the reason I am so glad beeing here among those, who understand such a subtle and not understandable thing.

q.
with deep respect

poorna brahma narayana

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:01:47 +0000

Hi guys,

Zafire….I know the syndrome you are talking about… seekers who get caught into a hopelessly dualistic religious system which actually inhibits their chances of awakening to what is ALREADY HERE as clear as day.

And I hear it when guys like Tony Parsons warn against the above syndrome. BUT, my point throughout this whole thread has been that, in this well intentioned warning against the above syndrome there can be… not in all cases, but the majority of cases… a total rejection of any spiritual method at all.

And my point has been that this blanket ‘all spiritual methods propagate the illusion’ attitude can backfire by allowing the ’separate seeker delusion’ to stay intact by giving it the ’safe harbour’ of a useless intellectual understanding.

Zafire, I agree with you. You said, “There are those who awaken , some with and some ‘without’ a history of spiritual seeking where it is seen by no one that the idea of achievement at any level is a laughing matter.”

It’s true, in some cases, there has been no seeking period, but this is rare. In most cases there has been a period of seeking and probably a spiritual method. And YES, what a joke that seeking and any method at all had to actually take place!… because when seeking comes to and end it’s realised that, as you say “….it is seen by no one that the idea of achievement at any level is a laughing matter.”

But the fact that the seeking DID occur doesn’t mean that it continued for the whole life of that biological unit. Not all seeking gets caught up in the hopeless syndrome which I first mentioned at the beginning of this reply.

Even Nisargadatta had his period of seeking, but boy oh boy didn’t he transcend it? ! Sailor Bob had his period of seeking, so too did John Wheeler, so did Sunyata Mu, so did Ekhart Tolle, so did Adyashanti, so have many… but the thing is that in all those cases the seeking came to an end.

Much of this thread has been fuelled by my pointing out the difference in results from different nondual teachers. Namely the difference between an intellectual pseudo-awakening as opposed to a DIRECT KNOWING awakening.

I’m just been warning against the subtle ( yet TOTALLY altering) shifts in Advaita which I see occurring which are creating something which LOOKS JUST LIKE ADVAITA BUT ISN’T.

By settling for the belief (THE THOUGHT) ‘there is no me’ the ‘Unspeakable LIVING Truth’ is swapped for a DOGMATIC BELIEF SYSTEM. This is not unlike the fallen state of contemporary ‘Christianity’.

Those who are just settling for the thought ‘there is no me’ instead of the DIRECT KNOWING are unwittingly setting up a dogmatic BELIEF/FAITH BASED so called ‘Advaita’ which goes under the name of Advaita… BUT ISN’T ACTUAL ADVAITA AT ALL.

That’s how belief/faith systems sneak in and USURP control of the ACTUAL LIVING truth. They enforce a THOUGHT BASED version of the truth by giving it the SAME NAME as the ACTUAL truth… Therefore tricking the seekers into DOGMA. And the ones pushing this intellectual so called ‘Advaita’ are equivalent to the dogma ridden pharisees and priests which Jesus spoke out against.

Actual LIVING truth is NOT a THOUGHT.

It INCLUDES thoughts, but is PRIOR to thought.

IT IS UNBORN.

love to you all,

S’mu

By: zafire

zafire — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 19:43:59 +0000

There are a lot of apparent spiritual seekers out there who study scriptures worship their enlightened idols, past and present. they meditate and have varies practices to perform. Sometimes get a glimpse and assume they are enlightened these ‘want to be’ gurus teach to anyone who will listen, the subject do as I did and be like me, There are others who awaken , some with and some ‘without’ a history of spiritual seeking where it is seen by no one that the idea of achievement at any level is a laughing matter

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 11:57:03 +0000

Something in adress of Ramana - like that he himself said something in very dualistic way and that it is a pure ignorance. But I am not judging him at all, just there is - for me at least - a fact, Ramana could not say anything in inadequate way cause he hadn’t been frozen in ignorance to do so. If we like it or not, thre are differences between men which can also affect our position towards advaitic understanding and realisation.
But you can ofcourse make your own opinion by seeing the short movie, which can be easily downloaded from his website - there are just few of them. I am sorry, but I do not know the exact adress I almost do not visit it at all and not remember much of it.

greetings, q.

By: zafire

zafire — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 10:30:08 +0000

What did he say ?

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:16:06 +0000

I like your insight into the problematic of enlightenment, sunyata mu.

ON THE ADRESS OF PARSONS AND MANY OF THOSE
WHO ARE “JUST THAT”…

Following what is not adressed concretely to anyone of you all, is just a comment I decided to add into your conversation:

Think the difference between Parsons and Sailor Bob must be clearly seen, to get it and to know how to distinct the svaroopa of the ordinary man and the nivritti of the realized. Offcourse, there is no contrast in the unborn reallity of both of them, but we must distinct between the experience they are living in both cases. In case of the ordinary man, there is just the vritti principle in raw, nature-like form which is unable to realise the state of wisdom. Tamas and rajas completely darkens their view to know only the processing part of “That All”.

They grasp just the proces and know only what the processing reality can build so there is no possibility to get into contact with state of Reality [which can be understood as the only part of being which can't be ever concerned in processing] - unless they throw away their engagement in “becoming” of everyday life.

The problem of Tony Parson’s teaching is i think to any of well-prepared disciples of non-duality which are not about to lie themselves, enough evident. Tony is mixing up together different cathegories which shall not be mixed if we are interested in the attaining of mukti.

I saw Tony once, telling his disciples, that Ramana Maharshi couldn’t think seriously that there are different stages of seekers. By having seen this short peace of his talk I was suddenly perfectly clear about his wisdom-like talks. Not that I do not like what is he pointing out in every of his talks the most, because the very core of it is the same of the advaita’s. But - what there is not emphasized at least a bit is the fact that his method can be useful only for the greatest geniuses who can deeply understand there is no individuality at all so just can fall down to the unborn as it is.

Maharshi has a deep compassion also with those who had not possibility to become real jnanis or sages of perfect wisdom. Maharshi was one of the fellows of who can be without any superlative marked as the sage of nonsense, or just jnani par excellence. His realisation was just like there have been some kind of nondual wind around his body and the persons sourrounding him were [even though he was not speaking at hat time] just suddenly enlightened for the moment, day or the rest of their lives. Evidently his spoken word was also extremely full of wisdom.

Nisargadatta Maharaj himself! - the very beloved of all gurus I ever got into awareness - often used to say great blessings and felt deep respect before Maharshi even though he hadn’t ever possibility to meet with him personally. The moment I must accent very much is that despite Nisargadatta was sat-guru himself, he worshiped his guru Siddharameshwar without asking stupid questions like “why I should worship if I’m already realised and do not need to worship anyone anymore…”

I think the deep respect towards the greatest realised persons must be own for anyone of us even though we are absorbed deeply in advaitic non-duality. Fact Tony Parsons does not feel like that is a small warning…

with love, q.

greetings to Cameron, Bob and all of you.

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:39:57 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o08yFY4io6k

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:27:27 +0000

good

:-)

By: zafire

zafire — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:18:30 +0000

In clarity there are no questions

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:10:46 +0000

…by the way…. what’s the ‘mix of contradictions’ that you are talking about?
Be specific.

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:22:30 +0000

Well that IS bizarre… because they happenned in this SEEMINGLY separate being.

By: zafire

zafire — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:22:07 +0000

I would have to say this character is very well read but I feel from his writings that it stops there. All these words have been written in the same order by varies teachers but the mix of contradictions tells me they were not understood. Originality will always stand out.

Enlightenment is not as simple as ‘you’ THINK…
…it’s SIMPLER then that “WAYNE LIQUORMAN”

Enlightenment, Self Realisation… call it what you like, HAPPENS…
but it happens for NO ONE. “TONY PARSONS”

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:54:22 +0000

‘Enlightenment’, ‘Self Realisation’…. call it what you like, HAPPENS…. but it happens FOR NO ONE.

By: zafire

zafire — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:15:59 +0000

What enlightenment ?

By: sunyata mu

sunyata mu — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:28:19 +0000

Enlightenment is not as simple as ‘you’ THINK …

… it’s SIMPLER than that.

By: zafire

zafire — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:44:42 +0000

S’Mu has a lot to say but then again
All is allowed for in the light of present awareness.
This simplicity is difficult for word addicted minds
which can only contradict them self’s.
So let the blind lead the blind

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:36:30 +0000

O no, absolutely no(:
- If you are considered being nuts by most of your friends, it’s just the evidence of their ignorance at this point…

- its the very sense of advaitic teaching that there is no individuality and of course no mode of explaining to the worldly intellect, that all what appears is not necessarily of the reality how it is seen…

…I do not know if it is so hard to understand, but as far as I can tell is perfectly clear, there is no need of supposing the facts perceived are real, if they are just being observed as pure motion in consciousness…

…I mean, this motion in the conscious space is real as a phenomena arising in the awarness, but not real in the very meaning of this word, in its essence…

…I have found the Advaita understanding as one of the best expressions of truth. My situation is similar. I am not speaking of feeling myself as a crazy amongst normal people, but there is some immaginary wall keeping me in a distance from the mental area of the others. But offcourse, I am not separating conscously, but the others are part of my reallity just as the pure being. The diversity and multiplicity are not important anymore…

…It was a good idea to make advaita show with Bob. Gave me a lot pleasure and was really joy listening to it…

- By the way, where have you first time decided to have recorded these talks with Bob and the other fellows?

With great respect,
q.

By: Cameron Reilly

Cameron Reilly — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:54:49 +0000

qellogathi, good to see someone who gets it. I’m used to having conversations with my friends where they think I’m nuts. :-)
it cracks me up.

By: Qellogathi

Qellogathi — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 02:29:40 +0000

Congratulations Cameron,

your way of provinig there is no free will by pointing out the moment one cannot ever know “how the thought is created” and that there is now possibility of telling how is it done - we are just passive in this process and nobody is ever able to control it…

…and if ever happens, only the control happens and there is stil no controller…

I am well surprised and must say, the teaching of non-duality has already bring its fruits.

- poorna brahma narayana -

By: Steven Witt

Steven Witt — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 23:06:03 +0000

Hey Oxymoron:

Really, can there be less than nothing?

S-mu simply got knickers twisted over my comparing Bob and Tony, which, of you read all the rest of these comments, and certainly if you kinda get the main point, is quite funny. All good simply becasue it all IS, but all funny and ironic to worry over words.

Like any sleeping dream, tell me, does any of this stuff exist? Or not exisit? Neither, correct. One most useful aspect of this understanding/seeing is that it instantly makes all debate highly debateable as to its outcome or purpose.

So……….so it goes……and so what?

Love,

Steven Witt

By: Mike A.

Mike A. — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 22:43:53 +0000

The universe within: From macro to micro. Kinda cool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xePF62tUBW4

By: Less Than Nothing

Less Than Nothing — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:00:48 +0000

Steve Witt … where are you, if, indeed you even are!? I would like to unnerstand your perspective on sunyata’s discussion of why what you said did not make sense. However, if you don’t exist, then your lack of response is entirely unnerstandable.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 14:50:15 +0000

Best show ever! I listened on my iPod as I walked along the Lake Michigan beach on an unexpectedly warm November day, and I really loved the honesty, the humor, the insight. Do more like this!

It flowed!

By: Koen

Koen — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:48:15 +0000

Next to the book “I am That” I found the three books by Jean Dunn are also very very good (they are also transcripts of Nisargadatta’s talks).

The talks in these books are in the last years (even days) of his life when Nisargadatta is getting more & more sick (from his illness, not seekers’ questions :) so he only spoke the most important stuff.

By: TEA

TEA — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 03:58:17 +0000

here are some big chunks of free talks. enjoy: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=elysha&hl=en

there is a possible show in nz, a very juicy one indeed. maybe we’ll see you here one day cameron… cheers!

By: Corey Vance

Corey Vance — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:06:32 +0000

Cameron,
Any luck with the John Wheeler show?

I miss having pointers to listen to. Even if the same things are being said, it helps to keep it all fresh in the mind.

If all these Advaita “Gurus” have nothing to teach why do they all sell cd’s as opposed to giving out free podcasts?

corey

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 11:39:33 +0000

Hi Zafire. Totally agree: Asleep - awake. Freewill - no freewill. Method - no method. It’s all simply happening…

By: zafire

zafire — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 10:29:20 +0000

Method ?, simply happening