The Wisdom of GG

[Guest guest]

>From Greg Goode:

 

In my experience, the freeze and fear in some seekers come from the

understanding they have of nondualism. They see this teaching and the notion of

realization/enlightenment as some kind of super-state, to be held onto forever.

Sort of the mother of all objects. Some people, like a friend of mine named

Satya, want enlightenment so as to solve personal problems such as relationship

or career issues. Satya works in television in a technical job, but really

wants a singing career and a boyfriend. So she began to go hear advaita

teachers. I've talked to her for over a year about this viewpoint, and once she

stopped looking to improve the furniture of her life, she stopped going to

satsang and is actually happier and actually closer to achieving those goals

than I've ever seen her.

 

 

When some people hear that nondualism is not a state of mind or emotions, or

that the Peace/Bliss are not emotional or phenomenal objects that protect the

entity forever, it gets scary. There is no place to stand, which is exactly

what the teaching points to. Some seekers cannot understand the teaching unless

they understand it as a psychological state. Believing it is a state makes

some people very jittery, like a stock trader trying to keep up with the

market. But hearing that it is not a state makes it incomprehensible and scary,

insecure. So the learners revert back to the more comfortable understanding,

hoping their vigilance will maintain the bliss forever. Hence the freeze-up.

 

 

You can't blame the seekers for this kind of approach to nondualism. Many of

the **teachers themselves** explain it just like this, even if their rhetoric is

sophisticated enough to say that it is beyond the mind, not an object, etc.

There are teachers who say that you relax into the Peace and then always

maintain vigilance to stay in the Peace, or that you must maintain constant

recognition that you are Consciousness, and then the Ananda aspect will be

yours forever. It gives the basic idea of a problem-free psychological entity

being cradled in the arms of bliss forever. I call this the Cotton Candy or

Marshmallow Fluff teaching of non-dualism. No wonder the students vacillate!!

Some people are on a wonderful high when the satsang is in session, but they

don't make it to the parking lot before the separation anxiety sets in, feeling

that they've already lost IT.

 

 

In fact, many of the Cotton Candy advaita teachers themselves vacillate, go

through swings of mood, philosophy and teaching emphases. Several well-known

teachers who visit NYC have their own issues of romantic relationships, money,

inter-teacher rivalries (who has more followers?), etc. You can notice from

satsang to satsang if you look closely, that when things are looking up

personally for these teachers, their teaching is at its marshmallow-y best.

It's All Love, I See Myself in You as we both lock eyes and Rest in the

Vastness. And yet these same teachers might visit again 6 months later, with

money problems, or a few of their satsang engagements canceled on them, or

someone broke up with them. Their teaching flip-flops, and instead of It's All

Vastness, they teach a lot of what amounts to improving the personality or

ethical development. They will offer unsolicited relationship advice to

couples, or come late to satsang, look depressed when they get there, and pi

ck people out of the audience to make personality observations about. But next

time the flip will flop back again, and it's back to transmitting the wonderful

Gift that their Teacher Transmitted to them.

 

 

It's all perfect teaching for its time and place, however. It is wonderfully

illuminating and comforting for some listeners. And when it is no longer

fulfilling or doesn't make sense, they gravitate to other teachings/teachers.

 

Sorry so long!!

 

With love,

 

--Greg

[Guest guest]

Dear Greg, Harsha and All:

 

My Heartfelt thanks to Greg for your wisdom in writing the post below and to

Harsha

for posting it and a few other recent laughter is the best medicine type

posts. I will admit, even thought I hate to admit it :-), that sometimes

I feel somewhat overwhelmed by all the talk that goes on and on, flying

around and about my head, when it is my Heart that needs to be fed. I am

not referring to this group or any group but to a general ambience to some

of the quotes that often spins my brain into oblivion. Fortunately, my Heart

always stays in the same place.

 

And it is so good to hear that it is OK to be miserable some of the time,

um, superficially and unreally and surreally and ethereally, or whatever you

want to call It :-). I was beginning to feel, well, a certain rebellion

(me?) to all of the Cotton Candy (thank you, Greg :-) talk about peace and

bliss that I sometimes seem to miss. There has been much going on in my

personal life in the past year which has literally ripped me and my

superficial, unreal family apart.

 

And I don't want to debate on whether it is fate, or free will, (or Free

Willie) It just Is.

 

Yet, deep inside, I know that everything is exactly as it must be for me, in

this moment. Mine is not to question why. That is what I define as

surrender even when I am feeling trapped or painted into a corner. If it

were not for that abiding belief and my simple faith in God (Yes, in

God...how non-nondualistic of Me!!! Well, I never said I was a Sri, in fact

don't aspire to Be one, but I do *know* that God is me and you and you and

you, too), I probably would just crawl into a hole and stay there forever

and a day. But then if I did that, I would miss all of the beautiful

satsang here and a few other places that I visit. Besides, one big thing I

have learned directly through experience, the best Teacher...you can run,

but you cannot hide :-)

 

So amidst the tears and the fears, the voice my head still hears, is the One

which speaks from and to my Heart and still fills me with unconditional

love. Bottom line...God is my Guru...Me, my Self and "I" and you, too,

through and through. Oh, and Lady Joyce, who cannot contain her squeaky,

bodacious seven year old voice even for a New York minute, says..." Sri

Ramana Maharshi says I am perfect. And I agree, wholeHeartedly. So there!!!"

 

With Love and peace and bliss and All That,

 

Joyce

 

 

 

 

 

-

"Harsha"

<>

Cc: <NondualitySalon>

Thursday, April 17, 2003 11:27 AM

The Wisdom of GG

 

> From Greg Goode:

>

> In my experience, the freeze and fear in some seekers come from the

understanding they have of nondualism. They see this teaching and the

notion of realization/enlightenment as some kind of super-state, to be held

onto forever. Sort of the mother of all objects. Some people, like a

friend of mine named Satya, want enlightenment so as to solve personal

problems such as relationship or career issues. Satya works in television

in a technical job, but really wants a singing career and a boyfriend. So

she began to go hear advaita teachers. I've talked to her for over a year

about this viewpoint, and once she stopped looking to improve the furniture

of her life, she stopped going to satsang and is actually happier and

actually closer to achieving those goals than I've ever seen her.

>

>

> When some people hear that nondualism is not a state of mind or emotions,

or that the Peace/Bliss are not emotional or phenomenal objects that protect

the entity forever, it gets scary. There is no place to stand, which is

exactly what the teaching points to. Some seekers cannot understand the

teaching unless they understand it as a psychological state. Believing it

is a state makes some people very jittery, like a stock trader trying to

keep up with the market. But hearing that it is not a state makes it

incomprehensible and scary, insecure. So the learners revert back to the

more comfortable understanding, hoping their vigilance will maintain the

bliss forever. Hence the freeze-up.

>

>

> You can't blame the seekers for this kind of approach to nondualism. Many

of the **teachers themselves** explain it just like this, even if their

rhetoric is sophisticated enough to say that it is beyond the mind, not an

object, etc. There are teachers who say that you relax into the Peace and

then always maintain vigilance to stay in the Peace, or that you must

maintain constant recognition that you are Consciousness, and then the

Ananda aspect will be yours forever. It gives the basic idea of a

problem-free psychological entity being cradled in the arms of bliss

forever. I call this the Cotton Candy or Marshmallow Fluff teaching of

non-dualism. No wonder the students vacillate!! Some people are on a

wonderful high when the satsang is in session, but they don't make it to the

parking lot before the separation anxiety sets in, feeling that they've

already lost IT.

>

>

> In fact, many of the Cotton Candy advaita teachers themselves vacillate,

go through swings of mood, philosophy and teaching emphases. Several

well-known teachers who visit NYC have their own issues of romantic

relationships, money, inter-teacher rivalries (who has more followers?),

etc. You can notice from satsang to satsang if you look closely, that when

things are looking up personally for these teachers, their teaching is at

its marshmallow-y best. It's All Love, I See Myself in You as we both lock

eyes and Rest in the Vastness. And yet these same teachers might visit

again 6 months later, with money problems, or a few of their satsang

engagements canceled on them, or someone broke up with them. Their teaching

flip-flops, and instead of It's All Vastness, they teach a lot of what

amounts to improving the personality or ethical development. They will

offer unsolicited relationship advice to couples, or come late to satsang,

look depressed when they get there, and pi

> ck people out of the audience to make personality observations about.

But next time the flip will flop back again, and it's back to transmitting

the wonderful Gift that their Teacher Transmitted to them.

>

>

> It's all perfect teaching for its time and place, however. It is

wonderfully illuminating and comforting for some listeners. And when it is

no longer fulfilling or doesn't make sense, they gravitate to other

teachings/teachers.

>

> Sorry so long!!

>

> With love,

>

> --Greg

/join

>

>

>

>

>

> The Heart is the Self. The Self is the Heart.

>

> Your use of is subject to

>

>

>