A different point of view

[Guest guest]

Dear Holy Family,

 

The belief has been prevalent, probably from the beginning, that if

one is interested in doing serious sadhana, it is necessary to go to a

mountaintop, or to an isolated place apart from "the world", or to a

monastery or convent, etc. to conduct that sadhana. I think the times

require another point of view.

 

Whether one listens to the Christian prophecies, or the Hindu, or the

Buddhist or the Mayan, or to Nosterdamas, or to the New Age folks, or

to the contemporary holy people who have spoken to the subject, there

is a consensus among them all that the times we are presently living

in are critical and transitional in nature.

 

The best time for sadhana has always been thought to be junction

points, for instance, between night and day, or between different

phases of the moon or sun or seasons, or during the transition between

two phases of ones life. At those points one is advised to do sadhana

to prepare for the next phase or cycle, or, depending upon ones

aptitude and interest, to slip between the two phases and be free.

 

The present time is considered to be a big one--a moving from what has

always been known to something that has never been seen before. If

that is correct, then this is not a time to be afraid of the new, but

a most auspicious time to do sadhana.

 

But who is to do that sadhana? The monks and nuns and hermits, as has

been so traditional? I would like to suggest that if we took a world

census of of all the monks and nuns (whose numbers are rapidly

diminishing as we speak) they would constitute the most diminutive

minority of all the minorities. And, personally, I would wonder if

their numbers and resume are up to the task of leading the whole world

into a new age.

 

I would suggest that a new point of view is in order. If a system is

to change, what is integral to that system, its component parts, need

to change. I.E. in this age the very people of the world-the "worldly

people"-need to carry the burdon and not rely-exclusively-on a very

few holy people to come and bless us and make our problems alright-to

make it go away.

 

The system itself, the people of the world, who are a part of the

world, must shoulder the burdon, make the changes, do the sadhana

and, individual by individual, "raise the vibes", if we wish the

change to be auspicious, and not inauspicious and random.

 

[interesting note: when I wrote the word "inauspicious" every dog in

the neighborhood started howling in a way I have not heard them do

before. I went outside to see what was going on, but can't see

anything that would cause it.]

 

I personally think that we are up to the task. Because there IS a

God, because there are gurus to give guidance where necessary, and

because human beings have always shown unsuspected courage and heroism

when their backs are to the wall.

 

In fact, it is to create just such a circumstance that the ascetics

have always gone to the mountaintop to brave heat and cold and hunger

and various self-imposed limitations, i.e. to put their backs to the

wall. Now the world itself is becoming our mountaintop, and, possibly,

along with the rest of it, that is exactly the plan.

 

Respectfully,

 

Tanmaya

[Guest guest]

, "Nanda" <chandimaakijai> wrote:

>

 

Dear Nanda,

 

Thank you for reminding me of Swamiji's comments about the mountain

sadhus. Swamiji's words are always directly to the point, preeminently

practical, and spring from an all-compassionate heart who has been

there and done that.

 

By the way, I should add that I don't mean in any way to denegrate the

professionals of spiritual life in my comments that you are referring

to, because I don't believe that the world as we know it would last

one month if the truly holy people were to depart for greener

pastures. I do believe, however, that what they have always tried to

teach the rest of us needs to "take" this time, as never before.

 

And, everything is in place for that to happen. Instant communication

has brought everyone into each other's living rooms, (or, better, puja

rooms). There is a spiritual sophistication, sense of unity, and

downright spiritual hunger, in a large, and growing, portion of

humanity, and Mother Earth is prodding us to open our hearts, first to

suffering others, then to Earth Herself, and then to God.

 

There are some who are pessimistic, and point to the negative side of

things in the world today, but they are overlooking the great

discovery of the anthropologists a couple of decades ago who noted

that a new behavior pattern, once learned by only one hundred monkeys

on an isolated island, instantly translated to the whole monkey tribe

on all the other nearby, but entirely separate, islands.

 

I believe that there is a similar critical mass that can be reached in

collective spiritual evolution as well, in which a (relatively) small

number of dedicated people, repeating the same mantra('s), whether

physically together or spead throughout the world, can reach a

harmonic intensity that could turn the whole thing around in a

historical heartbeat.

 

The opportunity to do this exists today because, due to instant

communication, it can be coordinated, inspired, and directed on a

world-wide level.

 

And the opportunity to participate in this transformation (from our

perspective) of a dead rocky planet covered with competitive

evolutional creatures into a beautiful unified being composed of a

body, mind, heart and soul. i.e. into a God-Goddess is unprecedented.

 

I would imagine that that opportunity and task would be worth

descending the mountain for; and I absolutely believe that the great

leaders and their followers who have dedicated themselves to that task

are the new gods and goddesses, and the new professionals, on Earth.

 

Respectfully

 

Tanmaya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Namaste Tanmaya,

>

> Thank you for your post . I would like to share a Q&A with Swamiji

that appears on page 273 of "Before Becoming This"

>

> ============================

> Interviewer : How important is that ?(referring to Satsangha)

>

> Swamiji: Very important. Satsangha creates an opportunity for people

to grow by receiving inspiration and feedback from others who are

practicing in a similar way.

>

> Interviewer: Does it make the path more difficult if a person is a

lone practitioner, living someplace where satsangha is hard to find ?

>

> Swamiji: You want to maintain satsangha. We were just in Montana

(Nanda's note - this interview was conducted a few years ago) and we

met a group of people who practice Sufi dancing. They created the

Greater Rocky Mountain Sufi Dancing Club, and they dance together once

a month. People come from Colorado, Montana,Idaho and North Dakota to

dance. They drive three or four hundred miles, because they need to

dance together. It is not enough to be off by yourself dancing. There

comes a point in the evolution of every seeker where you want to dance

together. We have to give it away in order to make it grow.

>

> Interviewer: What about the sadhus in India who live in the

mountains by themselves? Is that a different stage?

>

> Swamiji:It is a different stage, but no one ever staus on the top of

the mountain. They go up there, but no one stays. Either you dont find

what you are looking for and you have to come down because you need a

new inspiration, or the calls of the body require attention, or you do

find what you are looking for and you have to come down to share it.

In either case, you require satsangha. Nobody stays on top. You can

climb to the top of the highest mountain and stay there for the

longest period of time, like many yogis have, but every one of them

came down.

>

> ======================

>

> Jai Maa

> Nanda

>