A Spiritual Lifestyle is Not a Big Deal
Ramji,
The post at the bottom raised some question marks in this mind. I talked about it with a friend, so I have added her to this mail as well. It shows much respect for the teaching tradition and apparently has the blessings of some mahatmas. On one hand, it shows respect, it looks like this person has been asking for sannyasa, and does t know what he was asking for. How do you read this? And if I am reading this correctly, how does it work other than an ordinary blessing given by a mahatma or anybody who just says “Good luck with everything?”
Hi Sally,
You’ve got a good sniffer! I read enough of his Facebook page to come away with the following impression.
His Facebook page is an advertisement to join a cult of Personality. Seems like he’s a Mooji wanna be, which is pretty sad in so far as Mooji was just a poor imitation of Osho, who was a complete fraud. You might have noticed that Mooji has cancelled all his events this year and seems to have completely lost his shakti. Someone told me that it was a reaction to two suicides at his place in Portugal, although I have no way of verifying it. I watched a video of him giving a non-satsang and it was a real eye-opener. In mysterious ways Isvara does It’s duty.
Anyway, back on topic, the only kind of ashram that is open to people who don’t want is a spiritual program is a fishhook for worldly people who want to mask their desire for association with people to further their own ends with a spiritual word i.e ashram. I’m not sure why he doesn’t just resurrect the Zorba the Buddha soundbite.
This is a very ambitious seemingly humble person who is unknowingly suffering an undiagnosed case of enlightenment sickness. You’re right, he doesn’t really know what true renunciation means. He thinks it’s only a lifestyle and he wants in on the benefits. He doesn’t understand Swami P’s teaching on renunciation. A renunciate is someone who has renounced the doer and lives a normal life, of which “king” Janaka is the classic example from the Puranas. The Gita calls true renunciation, “jnana karma sannyas,” which means knowing that Isvara is the doer.
“Isvara is the doer” is a statement that describes the knowledge of a person who knows there is no one to claim discipleship or humility or Vedanta knowledge. Swami D says that the first stage of nididyasana removes psychic remnants from childhood and Swami P says the second stage removes teaching remnants.
So a proper sanyasi will confidently say to his or her self and apparent othersif asked, “I was never born. I never suffered. I never sought the truth. I never qualified to seek. I never had a guru. I am not enlightened or unenlightened”, etc.” All these and similar ideas belong to the I when it was apparently deluded. So, if you are still associating these ideas with the I now, you are the I that doesn’t know what it means to be the Self. Yes, you know the Self but….to repeat…you don’t know what it means to be the Self in terms of your existence in this world. This person has indirect knowledge, not direct knowledge. So that is all that people who are attracted to him will get if they bite the juicy bait on his fishhook. Which is OK because you have to first know that the self exists before you learn what it is and what it means to be it.
Yes, this person seems to loves the truth as far as he understands it, which isn’t very far, but it certainly seems he doesn’t realize he is hypnotized by the glitter of an exotic tradition. One of the most salient characteristics of enlightenment sickness is the need to build your brand. So right out of the box you get a lineage, install yourself there, and convince others that they need to look up to you and listen to you. He will find a few takers, probably because there are many desperate seekers out there.
If you are actually the Self, people will acknowledge you no matter what kind of clothing you wear and what kind of words come out of your mouth. Swamiji once brought a dirty, naked ascetic to the temple and installed him on Swamiji’s seat and let him sit there without speaking until everyone was in samadhi and paying attention to the ascetic. Then he told the ascetic that there was food in the kitchen and the ascetic got up and left. Meaning this spiritual thing is no big deal.
His statement of Ramana shows his complete ignorance of Ramana’s life and teaching. Ramana wrote Sat Dharshanam and Upadesha Saram to point out that a person needs to do Self inquiry and that it certainly involves mental activity, which is to say, applying the teaching to the ignorance-inspired thoughts arising in the mind.. Ramana spent twenty-two years in caves doing Self inquiry, in the traditional Vedantic fashion, once he was clear he was the Self. Can you imagine Ramana begging for money and people to help him build an ashram in Greece. What a joke!
It seems this fellow is unconsciously looking for respect and using the appearance of studied humility to attract people. If you are truly humble you don’t need to make a display of your devotion, publish certificates of authentication from gurus, etc. In a way, I hate to publish this satsang, but I am required to give this teaching from time to give people a warning when it is brought to my attention, because there are always gullible people out there who could use a bit of sound advice.
This person, God bless him, will eventually come face to face with the zero-sum rule and start to understand that he’s actually spinning his wheels. He’s not obviously dangerous or manipulative—at least not yet—but he will probably wonder why people move on, which they will. One fine day he will come face to face with Isvara and will learn the actual meaning of humility at that time. The Self is neither proud or humble.
So is Swami P participating in this charade? Swami P, in the tradition of mahatmas like Swami D, who was his guru, blesses everyone who asks for it in harmony with the words of Krishna in the Bhagavad who says, “Even a sinner who is resolved to know the truth is to be respected.” So no, he is just doing his duty and leaving the results to Isvara, which is that this person is doing his level best to make hay out of it. Swami D had a similar situation happen with Swami Sudananda back in the day.
Considering the long list of fallen yogis in the last fifty years I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy ended up as the latest example of greed in the search for fame. He should study the Chinese proverb, “When doing evil avoid punishment. When doing good, avoid fame. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at the studied look of sincere transcendence on his face. May God bless him in the form of the results of his actions.
Love,
Ramji
