Satsang is a compound Sanskrit word that means “keeping the company of the Self.” The Self, Awareness, is the true nature of everyone and one keeps company with it by continually meditating on it in many ways. One of the most effective methods involves discussing non-dual teachings with someone who has realized his or her identity as the Self, to get clarity with reference to Self inquiry. The satsangs posted here are the questions of many people around the world who are interested in enlightenment and find that Vedanta is their preferred means of Self knowledge. Since I am a teacher of Vedanta, a time tested means of self inquiry, I am qualified to reply to these questions.Search & Read
ShiningWorld Reader
A Feeling Based on Knowledge
Seeker: Ramji, thanks a million for the answers, quite enough to chew on. I really wish I could just travel around with you and listen to Vedanta all day. Who knows, maybe someday when life is simple enough? It was so funny when I heard you mention Frederick Lenz in one of your talks. One of my previous meditation teachers was a student of his, who provided me a free place to stay for 10 years in San Francisco while I pursued the peyote path. Rama, as Lenz was called, encouraged him to do computer work in New York, so he was and still is quite wealthy. I guess indirectly I was a beneficiary of all that craziness. Lenz died naked in a swimming pool with a dog collar around his neck. Ha, ha! Small world. Don’t worry too much about responding to all my emails. I’m sure others are more fucked up than me and require much more time. Still, it’s nice to stay in contact. All this contemplation has me feeling like everything is fine. God is handling the results and I don’t need any recognition or attention. It’s a great feeling. What’s really even better is that it’s a feeling based on knowledge, so if I lose it I can easily find it again.
James: Lenz had one of the most advanced cases of enlightenment sickness in the last half of the last century until Adi stole the crown. I wasn’t surprised by the circumstances of his death. Somebody told me it was a sex ritual gone wrong. Like Adi Da, he was desperate for attention. He had no teaching. It was all experiential. Or Andrew Cohen, the latest to embarrass himself. It’s funny how it goes with those kind of guys. One day they are all the rage, and before you know it they are completely forgotten. Crazy wisdom was popular in those days. It seems to have abated somewhat these days. I feel so fortunate to have found Vedanta. It isn’t a flash in the pan. It’s been here forever and will be here forever. I’m privileged to add something useful to the tradition.
In any case, what I really liked about this email is that if you lose the feeling that everything is fine; you can get it back instantly because it is “a feeling based on knowledge.” Knowledge is the only access to something that you are and it is instant.