[ANetofJewels] Questioning Advaita's "I am not the body/feeling/thought..I am That"

[Guest guest]

Hi JB,

 

Saw your message posted this am before any comments came in and felt moved

to make a few comments from my heart but "time" did/does not permit ~ but

just this...

 

If anyone claims to be "teaching" Advaita, beware; run 100 miles in the

opposite direction! Advaita is not a teaching, but an understanding that

leads to a knowing that the seeker & the sought are ONE. Any of the "real

dudes" as Sandeep would call them, did not go about "teaching" . Ramana

Maharshi is attributed with being the "re-discoverer" (so to speak) of

Advaita Vedanta. The highest teaching being Silence. Check out

www.leelaa.net if you want an exposure to what Advaita Vedanta truly is

about.

 

Back to swirling in my vortex of packing! ~ : ) ~ ~ ~

 

Love to you,

~jessica

 

 

-

"J B" <JB789

<ANetofJewels >

Tuesday, October 03, 2000 7:15 AM

[ANetofJewels] Questioning Advaita's "I am not the

body/feeling/thought..I am That"

 

> Hello

>

> I am not an expert in Advaita, though I have read some 'teachings'

> and have seen a few teachers.

>

> I would like to mention a friend's many years interest in it.

> He's studied it much.

> He has been organizing satsangs with various teachers.

>

> I've seen him recently, at a satsang. I went out for a cup of tea and

> he followed me, and came to my table. I could sense he needed to talk.

> He also seemed to be somewhat different. His 'devotee' grin was not

> there as ussual. However he had a sober presence about him.

>

> Essentially, he was saying that the 'I am not the

> body/feelings/thought..I am That' has become a boring mantra for him.

> He has seen that this 'formula' has created in him a subtle

> distance /division between his I and the feelings/thought. And

> therefore illusory peace and actual conflict.

>

> Now he saw that he IS feelings/thought. That there Is Nothing else.

> He got interested in J. Krishnamurti's teaching, which, he felt,

> starts with the non-ideational nakedness of the daily what-is-as-it-

> is. He felt a great relief.

>

> I do not know whether his findings are actually in contradiction to

> Advaita. Perhaps anyone of us could fiddle with his words in a

> comparative philosophy-manner and prove that there is no

> contradiction.

>

> However, it seems to me, that he does have a point.

> That _Any_ statement done via-positiva, can affect/stimulate the

> minds attitudes subtly and give it a fragmentary/exclusive direction.

> (and my listening to dialogues with some Advaita teachers, it seems

> to be so that, Questioning/Inquiring into its basic statements, are

> not encouraged)

>

> So, perhaps a 'Not-knowing' moment by moment rooted in

> honesty/sobriety, might be a very healthy base to inquiry.

> (One is uncompromisingly/'ruthlessly' interested in Truth, and not in

> aligning oneself to traditional truths, because they promise 'It'.)

> This is what it seems to me anyhow, to be so.

>

> Comments/feedback welcome.

> jb.

>

>

>

> ANetofJewels-

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jessica,

 

Thanks for the "Seriousness is Pathological" Robert Adams and Joel

Goldsmith site. Great fun, I love Joel Goldsmith.

 

There is *another* branch of advaita that claims to be what "Advaita

Vedanta truly is about," and at the same time it is quite serious about

*teaching* it. They do not consider Robert Adams or Joel Goldsmith

"advaitins," because these men were not in the guru-pampara dating back to

Adi Shankaracharya. I know some followers of these schools who do not

really recognize Ramana Maharshi (though most do!). This is the

Hindu-based formal study of advaita, as in these organizations:

 

The Chinmaya Mission

http://www.chinmaya.org/html/vedanta.php3

 

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam

http://www.arshavidya.org/

 

The Advaita Vedanta Home Page

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/

 

Namaste!

 

--Greg

 

At 10:07 AM 10/3/00 -0700, Jessica wrote:

>>>>

Hi JB,

 

Saw your message posted this am before any comments came in and felt moved

to make a few comments from my heart but "time" did/does not permit ~ but

just this...

 

If anyone claims to be "teaching" Advaita, beware; run 100 miles in the

opposite direction! Advaita is not a teaching, but an understanding that

leads to a knowing that the seeker & the sought are ONE. Any of the "real

dudes" as Sandeep would call them, did not go about "teaching" . Ramana

Maharshi is attributed with being the "re-discoverer" (so to speak) of

Advaita Vedanta. The highest teaching being Silence. Check out

www.leelaa.net if you want an exposure to what Advaita Vedanta truly is

about.

 

Back to swirling in my vortex of packing! ~ : ) ~ ~ ~

 

Love to you,

~jessica

[Guest guest]

Hello Amanda, Greg, Dan, Gloria, & JB - Thank you for your posts, & to All

 

Vestiges of a "shame ego" arise as I am feeling "hungover" from all the

mental stimulation & "getting involved" ( for the already thwacked nervous

system) with juggling moving, working, etc. etc. etc. and posting here

lately. Actually, the question often arises, "What am I doing being involved

in an egroup & posting messages." Rajas looming high! (One of those times

I referred to Michael : ( ) But I have met a few friends along the way and

that has been well worth it. Forgive my unconsciousness as it seems i've

been tripping over my words; into my head and out of my heart, along with

the boxes that are in my house.

 

All my love,

~jessica