My wife just turned me onto this gentleman, Mooji, who apparently was a devotee Papaji.
It seems like every other person in our hometown of Boulder was a devotee of Papaji.
Over the years I’ve probably attended 20 or 25 satsangs with devotees of Papaji, of whom Gangaji is the most famous example.
This is “neo-advaita” teaching, which purports to give the “ultimate view” that resides as the final stop along every spiritual journey.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you how to get there, other than to repeatedly say what you shouldn’t do — i.e., “neti, neti.”
You’ve probably heard variations of it before: “Consciousness is all there is.”
Gee, thanks.
What’s so enticing about neo-advaita teachings is that they are packaged as “not for just anybody.” While the rest of us poor schmucks are out here beating our heads against the wall, enlightened neo-advaitins are “just being” in a state/non-state of absolute is-ness… or something… and it’s the simplest thing… so long as you are one of the chosen few whose capacity is deep and wide enough to “get it” in fairly short order. Of course, there’s nothing you can do to “get it,” because it either happens or it doesn’t happen… but, then, there’s nothing actually happening, and for that matter there is no “one” for whom it happens, or doesn’t happen.
Suffice it to say, you just want to shoot yourself in the head after a few years of this stuff.
At a certain point in 1997 or so (can’t be sure, but give or take a year), I had for a close Internet friend a self-confessed Nisargadatta/U.G. Krishnamurti (both of whom I continue to respect and love, by the way) devotee named “El.” As she was gruff and tactlessly honest in all her communication, she was universally disliked on the big neo-advaita discussion boards to which I belonged, but for some reason I was truly drawn to her. Just when I was perfecting my neo-advaita pitch and putting it out there from an authoritative perspective (i.e., I was just sure that it had “happened” to me), El brutally knocked me off my high horse… and after three days of licking my wounds, it dawned on me what a beautiful favor she did me. When I expressed my thanks, she said, “Okay, now you’ve got a chance to go all the way.”
I’m still working on it, but I can definitely say that I am thankful for having moved beyond neo-advaitaism. It took three or four years after the above-mentioned event before I finally dropped it completely, at which point I stopped ignoring the “signs of absorption” that had been asserting themselves since the very early 90’s… and I found a meditation teacher who could not only explain what was happening to me, but who could help me devise a lifestyle that allows “jhana” to do its spiritually-transformative thing with me.
Still a work in process, but let me just say that, having been a “jhana yogi” for four years, I can watch Mooji’s satsang with a mixture of thanksgiving and tolerance. My teacher would say that Mooji is “established in second jhana,” and that sounds about right to me.
More power to him.
He could very well, in fact, have it absolutely right.
Hawk Sr. said,
December 6, 2008 at 9:41 am
Yes, as he says, it is like grace. It is compatible with the moving of the spirit. It happens. It creates. It is. Free freedom.
adreampuppet said,
December 6, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I’m glad you watched the video, Hawk. It’s good to check it out on its own terms without applying all the labels and stereotypes that I’ve employed here. Mooji seems like a good sort who has worked things through over a long period of time, through many varied experiences. I have, however, had mixed results through contact with the “guru circuit,” and am happy to have encountered a “practice strategy” that, without denying the details of what they are saying, gives me a moment-to-moment affirmative way of being that actually supports spiritual transformation. After several years of regurgitating non-dual jargon, I realized that I needed to avail myself of an individualized lifestyle that allows me to give rise to these truths independently of what some teacher says.
But that’s just me!
Ogmin said,
December 13, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Howdy Michael and all,
I have dial-up and haven’t watched the vid but i concur w/ the problems expressed above about neo-advaita. In Vajrayana practice, there is both a ‘creation’ stage and a ‘perfection’ stage. Ultimately we are instructed to merge the two but in practice, the creation stage introduces the view and provides a relatively dualistic paradigm which offers antidotes and skilful means to transform psycho-emotional obstacles. According to Dilgo Khyentse and other masters, to assume the dzogchen view wtihout a good grounding in the preliminaries is like building a house on a frozen lake…. (global warming and all).
adreampuppet said,
December 14, 2008 at 9:03 pm
That’s the thing, Craig. In neo-Advaita, there’s really no “stages.” It’s just, you either got it or you ain’t. They treat the idea of spiritual unfoldment as if that’s just something for crass beginners. Even if what they are saying is “true,” (i.e., dzogchen view), there’s no actual teaching available for those who are not ripe for awakening. Additionally, there is no place for the phenomena of awakening (i.e., jhana nimittas or charismatic phenomena), other than to say, “Just let it go.” I finally came to the conclusion that the whole thing is a mind-trip that keeps people occupied, thereby shifting their ego’s nourishment from one thing to another. I suppose that all religions and/or spiritual traditions do that, but I find that the contemplative ones at least offer roadmaps for stilling the body-mind organism and igniting the transformative potential of divine energy — at which time the “real work” begins.
Then again (as always)… what do I know?
Less and less….
nusphere said,
February 3, 2009 at 11:46 am
But there is a technique suggested by most of the Advaita/Neo-Advaita gurus and that is self enquiry. Simply asking who you are.
adreampuppet said,
February 3, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Not to sound antagonistic, nusphere (and thanks for jumping in with a comment, I really do appreciate it)… how’s that technique working out for you?
I went through a serious self-inquiry period lasting from 1995 to sometime into the 21st century, and while it seemed to help in terms of “clearing the deck” (i.e., “neti, neti,” not this, not this, must be something else, better keep asking)… it mainly just backed me into a nihilistic corner from which I literally did not emerge until just these past few years.
Ramana Maharshi himself told his followers that only a very, very miniscule fraction of seekers are “ready” to become fully enlightened through self-inquiry. He insisted that such a person would’ve had to have worked through many, many lifetimes of earnest, rigorous and skillful spiritual practice in order to be primed for this technique. Thus, he had many other teachings designed for those who were not primed.
It is no disgrace to admit to oneself that the spiritual life is not for the feint of heart — that it requires a total and complete commitment, a vast re-arrangement, and an absolute surrender to… That… Satchitananda…Self… or whatever it is we call It… and just sitting around asking who we are is very, very likely not going to do the trick.
I would submit that Ramana, who did awaken through self-inquiry, approached the technique with a sufficient level of passionate intensity, commitment and surrender, such that he entered and mastered the various levels of meditative absorption as described by the Buddha. Through this intense practice, “it” eventually happened… but only after all hindrances were eradicated.
Then again, perhaps self-inquiry has done the trick for you, in which case I bow to your enlightenment (which, of course, is a subjective term that’s pretty hard to quantify, if not impossible…).
Blessings,
Michael
Tom said,
May 13, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I really agree with ‘adreampuppet’ about Advaita teachings. I’ve been interested and practising since being in India in the early 90’s. I do think that these is a danger (especially in early practise) that these teachings can subtley nurture some elements of pride and ego involvement in being the ’superior’ spiritual being, but I do balance this with what I recognise in a lot of Buddhists as being very bogged down in ‘paths’ and ‘methods’ for the ego to use to erase itself! as if! and as with most spiritual practitioners who are honest human beings,Buddhists have equally strong pride and ego involvement in their practise as well. I think the attitude of Advaita and Dzogchen is the essense in that mysterious way that is personal spiritual experience that can’t be explained.
But I do find that ‘modern’ westerner Advaita teachers teachers do bang on about being the ultimate realisation- ‘you are that’- no methods needed- (just neti neti -(and better not even talk fo that because it seems like a technique which you don’t need because ‘you are that’)). I wonder why, as Ramana Maharshi who most seem to show as their teacher or their teacher’s teacher, as ‘adreampuppet’ says in his reply to comment 5, DID talk extensively about methods-meditation-mantra-Karma Yoga etc. His main book ‘Talks’ as well as other dialogue books shows him constantly recommending people continue their particular practises when they questioned him as to their use. He pointed the way to the ultimate and in his silence and presence manifested it, but also recommended and talked of the benefits of many spiritual practises as ways of calming the mind and leading to more receptivity to deeper truth. I do get the feeling that many modern teachers tend to gloss over the fact that Ramana did encourage people and talk of the benefits of many practises as a path rather than just stating that no path is needed and ‘you are that’.
Tom said,
May 13, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I find Mooji has a wonderful presence though, and is beyond doubt a deeply spiritual man,and I repeat what ‘adreampuppet’ also says ‘what do i know’. Maybe this type of teaching is just what is needed. Maybe offering purely the ‘highest truth’ allows us to see its validity and we can come to our own conclusions about how we choose to practise. Maybe teachers holding onto this highest truth and expressing this strongly is a beacon thats needed. Because personally when I think of methods and practises, rather than being liberating, often i feel my ego’s arms squeezing me stronger and it feels restricting – allbeit in a ’spiritual’ way, rather than trully liberating.All in all I feel Mooji is doing great work, helping people in a profound way.
Yonah said,
May 30, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Namaste,
There is no neo avdaita. Self enquiry is the direct method in Sanskrit its called Vichar. Vashishtha explains this to Rama in the volumis text Yoga Vashishtha. It is the one and only way the bhaktas know this every marg leads to it. Some start from Bhakti yoga, Raj yoga, Krama Yoga, etc. Its hard to understand Self-Enquiry-The witness beacuse the mind believes it had to do something all the pratices lead the mind to the witness and then one know there is nothing he can do but be this is what all the so called neo avdaita masters are telling everyone go straight to the source no side roads are needed however if one does not have the faith-dependence on the Self then one has to take to the other yoga which will lead them there. Yoga pratice and Self Enquiry are not opposed to each other. Many pratice integral yoga. all yoga pratices leads to Vedanta-Jnana Yoga wich is the end of knowledge.
If you like you can check out my teacher Jyotir mayananda who teached integral yoga.
http://www.yrf.org/
Namaste