Guest guest Posted October 1, 1999 Report Share Posted October 1, 1999 In a message dated 10/1/99 11:58:28 AM Central Daylight Time, hluthar writes: << 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. .........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.>> I love it! very true - diana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 1999 Report Share Posted October 1, 1999 >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 pick 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 1999 Report Share Posted October 1, 1999 In a message dated 10/1/99 9:58:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time, hluthar writes: << 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. >> Dear Greg: Ah, so true. Such pathos. I have seen this. Sadly, many years ago, I have seen me responding in much the same way. I at least avoided the error of responding to the students praises and requests for more special study sessions and how it should all be "taken on the road" and make a big to do out of it. Then I was at least wise enough to quit and tell everyone that I was taking a vacation from teaching groups how to find themselves. LOL So here I am...I think I found myself, at least. I am in the "I'm found stage." No need to punish myself in the "I once was lost...what a wretch like me" stage. As Always, deepest regards and good will. Blessings Love, Zenbob <<<(:~})> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 1999 Report Share Posted October 2, 1999 Hi friends *s* I am playing with Greg's Blue ~ "Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" wrote: > From Greg Goode: > > In my experience, the freeze and fear in some seekers come from the > understanding they have of nondualism. > > **Well also fear is the flavour ego is attached to (which enables us > to enter into illusion) ~ it seems to me ~ > > Now when we do connect to the transcendental energy which can, will, & > does wipe us from attachment to limiting ego view .. we do experience > Fear ! I know I do :-) > Fear rises to try to keep us in illusion ** > > 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. > > ** I say it's when the experience That! That's when it gets scary > mysterious unfamiliar, dangerous even ~ ** > > There is no place to stand, which is exactly what the teaching points > to. > > **Yes no floor, no walls, no familar friends, nobody & nothing! :-) ** > > Some seekers cannot understand the teaching unless they understand it > as a psychological state. > > **Well until you experience no mind ~ that is understandable ~ :-) ** > > > 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. > > **Alternation occurs between higher and lower ~ inner & outer > self/Self ~ > > It seems to me Harmony & sanity come through learning to bridge the > Two ~ This bridge to me is the process ~ > > I Am process (don't cling, .. let go into constant renewal ~ ) > > No Thing to hold on to! ** > > A lovely read Greg .. Thanks! > > Love, > > Colette > ~*~ > With love, > > --Greg > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 1999 Report Share Posted October 2, 1999 At 07:49 PM 10/1/99 , ZEN2WRK wrote: >ZEN2WRK > >> >Dear Greg: > >Ah, so true. Such pathos. I have seen this. Sadly, many years ago, I have >seen me responding in much the same way. I at least avoided the error of >responding to the students praises and requests for more special study >sessions and how it should all be "taken on the road" and make a big to do >out of it. Then I was at least wise enough to quit and tell everyone that I >was taking a vacation from teaching groups how to find themselves. LOL > >So here I am...I think I found myself, at least. I am in the "I'm found >stage." No need to punish myself in the "I once was lost...what a wretch >like me" stage. You were teaching? What kind of things - like this? Nondualism? A friend of mine used to teach the Sedona Method - but the power and the high from being in the teacher's seat went to his head. Now he doesn't teach that method anymore. This understanding is one thing - teaching it is quite another. Many teacher leap into it too quickly. Love, --Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 1999 Report Share Posted October 2, 1999 At 11:50 PM 10/1/99 , Colette T wrote: Hey Colette - I must say, you have the prettiest calligraphy I've ever seen on the Internet - and all with squigglies and other typewriter characters. I really like the way you employ them as punctuation marks and decorations. Love, --Greg >Hi friends *s* I am playing with Greg's Blue ~ > >"Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" wrote: >> From Greg Goode: >> >>In my experience, the freeze and fear in some seekers come from the >>understanding they have of nondualism. >> >>**Well also fear is the flavour ego is attached to (which enables us to >>enter into illusion) ~ it seems to me ~ >> >>Now when we do connect to the transcendental energy which can, will, & >>does wipe us from attachment to limiting ego view .. we do experience >>Fear ! I know I do :-) >>Fear rises to try to keep us in illusion ** >> >>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. >> >>** I say it's when the experience That! That's when it gets scary >>mysterious unfamiliar, dangerous even ~ ** >> >>There is no place to stand, which is exactly what the teaching points to. >> >>**Yes no floor, no walls, no familar friends, nobody & nothing! :-) ** >> >>Some seekers cannot understand the teaching unless they understand it as >>a psychological state. >> >>**Well until you experience no mind ~ that is understandable ~ :-) ** >> >> >>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. >> >>**Alternation occurs between higher and lower ~ inner & outer self/Self ~ >> >>It seems to me Harmony & sanity come through learning to bridge the Two ~ >>This bridge to me is the process ~ >> >>I Am process (don't cling, .. let go into constant renewal ~ ) >> >>No Thing to hold on to! ** >> >>A lovely read Greg .. Thanks! >> >>Love, >> >>Colette >> ~*~ >>With love, >> >>--Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 1999 Report Share Posted October 3, 1999 In a message dated 10/3/99 11:22:32 AM Pacific Daylight Time, goode writes: << You were teaching? What kind of things - like this? Nondualism? A friend of mine used to teach the Sedona Method - but the power and the high from being in the teacher's seat went to his head. Now he doesn't teach that method anymore. >> Like this and also Socratic approaches to critical thinking, nature of reality, mind, being, responsibility, Prana Yoga, etc. I did so reluctantly and would do so again quite reluctantly. Having taught electronics for 8 years for a private College was quite enough for a while. When students try to develop dependent relationships that is when the teacher vanishes (when I am the teacher, at least). Thanks for the good insights. Warmly, Blessings Love, Zenbob <<<(:~})> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 1999 Report Share Posted October 3, 1999 In a message dated 10/03/1999 2:22:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, goode writes: << Hey Colette - I must say, you have the prettiest calligraphy I've ever seen on the Internet - and all with squigglies and other typewriter characters. I really like the way you employ them as punctuation marks and decorations. Love, --Greg >Hi friends *s* I am playing with Greg's Blue ~ > >"Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" wrote: >> From Greg Goode: >> >> Col's on vacation for a few days, just fyi. L*L*L ~ bo ~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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