In order to potentiate the experience, the ego-identity should be subdued to allow transmutation. In other words, our head can't get in the way, a typical problem that arises in attempting to unite with something more expansive. Hence, a practice geared towards stillness is key, where in order to experience the expansiveness of spirit, ego-death (removing the human/animal identity) is needed to experience a broader state of awareness. These states of consciousness are significantly broader than human constructs. Hence, typical traditional, cultural, and societal beliefs, all designed to manage our material world, hinder our conception of the spiritual world. That is why in Hinduism, four stages of life are depicted, with the first two stages geared towards management of the material world (including religion), and the last two stages geared towards discovering "Self". Hence, the final two stages are geared towards hermitage (getting away from society, tradition, culture), then as a wandering ascetic (to teach what has been experienced in a materially detached manner). Jesus, Siddhartha, and Mohammed practiced such hermitage, where what was learned was dispensed to the public thereafter. Do note, that none of these three taught or fully expressed themselves before their hermitage experience, nor were they attached the material world thereafter. In order to understand spirit, what we know of and understand spirit to be needs to be diminished, where knowledge is also considered maya, an illusion. Those that have pierced beyond the veil, speak of it in terms above Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club", where it is not that you can't talk about it, it's more like there are no vocabulary terms to describe it, as it is simply an experience. Hence, terms like Brahman and the Tao are used to describe this expanse, but feels unknowable by the definitions provided by our masters. Even the term "Allah", which is an Arabic generic term for "God" used before Islam, and used today by Christians in the middle-east, means "No-Thing", as in the indescribable beyond the tangible world of form. Hence, once the tangible is blown-out, Nirvana, what remains is the experience of the formless, Samadhi.
Most exoteric religions and their practices fall under dualist teachings, the right hand path. Duality, or Dvaita-Vedanta beliefs are that we have an individual soul that is separate from the almighty soul aka God. Because of the separation, the human containing the soul has to follow righteous disciplines in order to purify oneself in order to liberate the soul. This is where concepts of morals, ethics, etc., all come into play creating external practices to avoid or cleanse oneself of "sin". However, the majority of tantrik practices are non-dualist teachings, the left hand path (Within the left hand path, you have another grouping of right-hand/left-hand which is more akin to light/dark, hence, high tantra and low tantra). Nonduality, or Advaita-Vedanta holds that the individual spirit known as Atman is not separate, but the same as Brahman. As described in the Upanishads as well as the Shaivas practical text the Vijnanabhairava, Atman is like the air inside of a jar, and Brahman is the air outside of the jar. Hence, the whole purpose of higher tantrik practices is to associate with the air within and around the jar as opposed to the jar itself. In the material world, our culture, traditions, societal structures, our learning, etc., is all associated with the jar. By identifying with the jar, what many label as the "ego", we perceive our relative existence with limitations, all of which have been defined and created by society. Hence, our minds become completely associated with the jar, and those of the dualist path seek external guidance [Deity(ies), Angels, Etc.]. We've (as in our Spirit) has gotten completely lost in the realm of matter, in the realm of separation, that even many in Advaita-Vedanta (including myself) use separate spiritual guidance to tap into one's own inner resonance. It's like dualist teachings are a stepping stone to recognize our connection with everything, the "all that is" permeating from source. Again, so why the odd practices? To realize Advaita is to realize that spirit is always pure and pristine despite what occurs in matter. In other words, our soul has always been and remains untainted, despite what occurs in the material realm of density. Nonetheless, we're so psychologically ingrained with dualist cleansing teachings of pure and impurities, that "extreme" practices are needed in order for one to realize that Brahman still flows through you as it flows through all, within this illusory game that we're all playing (Maya-Lila). Add law of attraction beliefs in the mix where beliefs manifest in the material realm, imagine the experience one creates for his/herself with constantly labeling and believing oneself to be a "sinner". The majority of us walk around with such sentiments, not knowing that such beliefs manifests itself through our experiences. So long as one seeks "Self", the Brahman behind the jar labelled as Atman, sin is an illusory construct that must be removed not just consciously, but subconsciously, which becomes difficult given that Yogis (meditators; consciousness explorers) have realized that the subconscious is also tied to the collective conscious. Hence, the need for odd external practices are for those that cannot remove the psychological guilt of sin, shame, etc., that has been forced upon our psyche from birth (and prior life-times) given the dominance of dualist teachings, and the elites attempt to manage humanity.
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Though I'm a bit different, where I also call on the lighter shades akin to angelic kingdoms of the most humble Christs. For that is my interpretation of nonduality, it is all one. My current spiritual practice looks more like peace-loving hippie vibes, as compared to my prior Crowley-style magick where I was trying to discover the truth of such material. Nonetheless, now I see that both paths hold the same aim, to connect with the Higher Self aka Holy Guardian Angel. The is the practice of Self-Empowerment, not empowering an external entity. I consider Jesus and Christ teachings to be one of the greatest blessings I've received in this life, but I also consider the road of bringing light/wisdom to be my path. Basically, I see Jesus differently then the modern typical Christian, whose logic I cannot fathom. To love the beauty recognized in our separation where God is something more expansive than our human-selves, or to love the brilliance recognized in our connection to "all that is" showing us that we are more expansive than what we have thought ourselves to be. That's really the difference between the right hand (Dualist/Exoteric/Separation) and left hand (Nondulaist/Esoteric/Unity) path. I do not subscribe to a "jealous" god, or one that demands that I call it a particular name, or face the infernal wrath of a hel(l). To me, that sounds like manipulative domination, as opposed to liberation. I subscribe to a path that uses guides to help me recognize the divinity within. We see the humility and compassion that is Jesus, the one who asked for our karma to be forgiven. But, to feel the same with the opposer, sheitan, is another story where we've been raised to deny our darker shadow selves, our base-animal reptilian-brain complex, that was meant to really be synthesized with our higher self (Spirit+Matter). We don't love the opponents, those that make us heroes on our journeys, including the inner-opponent that we try to bottle up or deny. The aspects of the Universe that we find to be dark, are only different shades of the one infinite light. For a candle flame enlightens a darkened space, but the dark space doesn't harm the light. Knowing the darkness found within (and without), and bringing love and light to such, is to integrate the shadow side, ... you know, that thing Jesus taught, forgiveness. For one cannot heal one's own darkness, without shedding some love and light on it. That's the judgment that we meet when we find ourselves in deep reflection, you know, that place of our Cross-roads. It is the clearing of that which is hidden within our subconscious, which manifests as blocks that inhibit our full expressions. In my innerchild healing meditation, it was that 16-20 something early college self, where that innerchild wanted to be called "hellfire", a rebellion springing forth as a result of a fear based condemning Christian education. But this innerchild aspect wasn't some rebellious stage, it was my search for something more beyond the box of faith-based religion, something the masses could not understand and would possibly fear, as shown through historical persecution resulting in "secret" societies. This meditation was a feeling of integration of two separate halves of myself. I saw and felt what it would be like for Jesus to hold and completely love Lucifer (the collective belief is that of an "evil" being, not the historical "light bearer", which can appear in our subconscious as it is tied to the collective conscious). I felt Lucifer in the form of Baphomet, protected by Anubis, where Lucifer actually felt loved by Jesus and shockingly returned the same. Spirituality is a paradox, hence the highest is not some form, but it is "truth" only found in "wisdom". We are Spirit, and these characters are merely archetypes that we seek to unite psychologically, hence, yoga. It is a practice to truly understand who we are and what we are capable of doing with our consciousness
My meditation concluded with visuals of Jesus and Lucifer in complete transparent embrace, as if they were actors playing a role, but recognizing who they were behind the character, one. For was not the being who tempted Jesus while Jesus practiced his meditation, none other than Jesus' own shadow emerging to be recognized and enlightened, just as we all face our own inner-"demons"? This is a teaching that will be difficult for many to embrace externally, as well as within themselves. This may be the reason why esoteric sciences have been kept hidden, for it is hard to love what is often feared, especially something lurking within ourselves. The goal is to integrate, transcend, and ascend to the next level, or what the masonic George Washington would say, apotheosis.
Ascension. Throughout my life, from loved ones to educators to simple acquaintances, I've constantly been in conversations where the other individual is assessing God's will. Such seems to be the most prevalent when it comes to judging someone else. As an example, just recently someone expressed that God has to teach another a Karmic lesson due to certain intimate circumstances. Going through a strict protestant education, I've always felt the mental anguish of "who are you to decide God's will". It seems this sect believes they have a stronger connection to God as compared to every other creed, giving them the ability to consistently judge and look down upon those not of their creed. I didn't buy into that as a child, and I'm mean really, how is our puny human ego brain capable of understanding the infinite and beyond to the point where we can judge another's story. It's Wayne Dyers, "how people treat you is their karma, how you react is yours". (summation). These conversations seem to stem from the whole "karma" or "judgment day" ideologies, one where there appears to be a guiding hand that's not afraid to put the smack-down. Currently, I'm attempting to assess the truth of such philosophies, now believing that they are "malleable" concepts that need to be shifted for the modern world. For me, for God to be unconditional love, then God cannot condemn as described in our ideologies. As better expressed in prior posts, Karma is basically "limiting thought forms/beliefs". Judgment Day is better defined as assessing a situation. When assessing the merits, the polarity of a circumstances, we seek the truth, a "revelation" if you will, akin to our adversarial judiciary system. However, karma and judgment day are not punishment as expressed in our penal system, but modes of acquiring truth, the great "revelation". Sure, you can wait till your metaphorical "end of days" to finally assess your life, or you can do it in the present by invigorating your own logic to seek wisdom regarding one's present circumstances. Though such task is rather difficult, particularly in a world obsessed with remedy, penalty, and overall pointing the finger outward as opposed to inner exploration, to point the finger at oneself can spiral one into depressions. We judge others harshly to the point where we fear that finger of shame pointed at self. Just take a look at modern politics, with the top two opponents pointing the finger at each other whenever their own record is brought up for display. As an example, Trump's employment record regarding discrimination against veterans was recently pushed forward, where Trump's response was to blame Hillary for not supporting the troops more. Hillary has similarly done vice-versa. A distraction and "poison the well" type of argument, it nonetheless seems to work on the masses. Though we can blame our leaders, we as "just little individuals" continually do the same. Hence, our inner world is reflected in the external circumstances, in the bigger picture. It seems the ancients believed the universe to be a "relative" reflection of the individual. Hence, Tibetan Buddhists have to learn to love every aspect of the Universe, as the Universe is a mirror, a reflection, of the self. Therefore, to unconditionally love the Universe, is to unconditionally love the self. Getting there is the "purgatory" where we constantly either ignore our karmic/judgment thought system until it blows up, or we be our own "judge" and seek Truth/Wisdom from assessment of our circumstances. That seems to be the case in doing this type of "judgment" practice, where I've constantly dug within my subconscious to find more dirt that seems to be holding me back from my heaven. Often times, what I find is emotionally addictive leaving me in a depressive complex until higher consciousness/thinking pulls me from my shadow. Well, simply put, it's just much easier to point the figure then to walk through hell. To sum it up, I think our masters taught to assess "oneself" instead of pointing the finger that is more so prevalent in our society. It's the whole "let ye who is without sin cast the first stone" teaching, which is most likely the most ignored teaching. Sure, I can banter and play the role of judge, that's the way we've been raised to think. But, I'm finding that self-exploration, particularly when a trigger arises, is the real spiritual work in helping shine light into my shadow. On a larger scale, I'm finding that this practice may be better suited for the world, where we have sought to destroy in the name of divinity as opposed to strengthen one's own search. Again, we tend to point the figure outward more, as opposed to walking through one's own "valley of the shadow of death". We would much rather prove our adversary wrong, as opposed to discover our own truth.
Attending Christian educational institutions has been difficult for a non-Christian. I grew up never once questioning the existence of Jesus, however, I could not let go of my love for the Eastern belief systems. That created a major psychological fight within, where as a child, I was constantly told hell would await those who look at anyone other than Jesus. So who would be the recipient of my prayers, Krishna, Shiva, Buddha, or Jesus? I'm not sure it's due to being raised with a different belief system, but it became very evident at an early age that I saw Jesus very differently than other Christians. As an example, the "judge not lest ye be judged" teaching seems to elude most Christians, where I would find constant judging of others including the incessant condemning others to hell. Another words, and to quote a fellow colleague of my elementary school, if you attended this institution as a non-christian, you were persecuted. Essentially, I was like the sinner who would receive the verbal stones of persecution, though I attempted to hide the fact that I was not Christian. In comparison to Jesus' teachings, I saw Christian hypocrisy the same way that Aleister Crowley (the Beast) and Anton LaVey (Satanic Bible) saw Christian hypocrisy, which led us to seek answers elsewhere.
The Temptation of Christ Just like Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), Mohammed, and essentially every Yogi, Jesus secluded himself from the collective and placed himself in a position where sensory objects were minimal. Just as Siddhartha Gautama was given his last temptation, his last karmic attachment, by the great illusion (Maya) who has the ability to create disillusions resulting in delusion from our real reality, our real Self, Jesus was similarly provided with his temptations. This was Jesus' pivotal moment, just as it was Siddhartha Gautama's pivotal moment, where they became the Christ/Buddha. If you believe that these individuals were always Christ/Buddha since their birth, well, they needed to tackle their last temptation before they started teaching. Hence, like in yogic tradition, there is the need to subdue the ego self to fully bring forth the Higher Self. Yet, in my 12 years of Christian schooling, never once has this concept been fully articulated where the temptation of Christ has been left to a simple "Jesus conquered the devil" teaching. Overall, when deprived of sensory objects, you are forced to take a deeper closer look at yourself. You're forced to discover the truth of yourself by being your own judge. We are are own worst enemies at first, but transparency of our desires and beliefs lead us to new heights/insights. The Crucifixion of Christ Almost every Christian that I've come across will focus on the torture and death of Jesus, as opposed to his teachings. They are quick to discuss sin/hell, but fail to truly understand forgiveness. However, the higher teaching that Christ tried to show us is not what happened to Jesus, but how he responded. Despite outrageous rumors, vicious torture, and outright humiliation by those he wished to assist, Jesus still responded with "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". His death is NOT our salvation, but his response of forgiveness teaches us the way to break our attachments, our karma, to attain salvation/liberation. Forgiveness is the emotional cutting of situations/circumstances that keep us limited in our ability to unconditionally love. To focus on his death with the simple belief that all you need is Jesus in your heart is completely evasive and dilatory for the higher work that needs to be done, forgiveness. Jesus stated "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". He had to find and embody his true Self, that which can see/know beyond the veil of illusion, samsara, where he then recognized that those committing such acts are simply deluded. All of our sins are simply from not recognizing who we truly are beyond the veil, better articulated in Buddhist teachings. When we are deluded, we need to ask and give forgiveness from an emotional perspective in order to clear those triggers that delude us. Lastly, Jesus is said to have been resurrected from the dead. The closest teachings that I have come across in terms of "resurrection" are with regards to the Buddhist practice of Dzogchen, or rainbow light body. To attain this status, one must realize that every external individual and experience is simply a mirror to the Self. Hence, in order to attain rainbow light body, you have to unconditionally love all, which in turn means loving your Self. As a metaphor, your true Self is like a flame, everything else is simply a mirror of a different aspect of that flame, including every-other individual. Hence, the statement Jesus made that what you do to/for others, you're doing for "me", makes so much more sense showing you we're all essentially one entity attempting to reach harmonious unity. The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. At the heart of the teachings of our great masters lies the concept of unconditional love and unity. Unconditional means without the need for a certain circumstance to occur, it just happens. In other words, you love regardless, including those that you need to emotionally forgive (including your own ego-self). Now we have to ask ourselves, with the numerous wars and violations committed under the name of God (including over doctrine within the same religion), with the incessant judgment of others (and our own selves) that only leads to depressive humility as opposed to enlightening clearing, "What Would Jesus Do?".
In this assessment, I realized my own arrogance. I would love to have the mystical pilgrimages to foreign lands, sitting at the feet of enlightened gurus in India, getting lost in the bliss that is the Temple of Dendera, climbing through the terrain that is Machu Picchu. Moreover, there's not much difference between studying the works of Yoganada-ji, the Hathors, or following the adventures of Drunvalo Melchizedek and David Hatcher Childress. So, using my initial negative assessment as a mirror, what was it that I was attempting to reflect back to myself? In truth, most of us appear to be remedial with enlightenment. We're still trying to figure out who we are. Definitions of a simple creation or an evolution doesn't quite appeal to understanding the soul, especially when the mystics teach of a much closer link to God. That's my interest in treading a spiritual path. But even after all these years of studying, if anything, I feel I may be still just scratching the surface with my limited understanding and possible experience with the "I Am" presence. But, what would separate me from the average seeker who searches the world for mystical truth/experiences? How do I place myself among the ranks of our highly cherished gurus and masters that we honor in each of our societies?
Crowley further addresses the precincts of yoga where he expounds his extreme methods of practice. Extreme being in addition to the traditional postures, breathing, etc., he would cut himself every time a thought arose. However, more akin to what may have been the above masters setting, one of the major keys appears to be limiting all possible stimuli creating a fortress of solitude. As Crowley suggests, "the greatest intelligence is shown by those of solitary habits". It is by freeing the mind from external influences, whether casual or emotional, that it obtains power to see somewhat of the truth of things. -Aleister Crowley, Mysticism (Book Four).
I found myself psychologically struggling with this idea of extreme solitude. In fact, I was getting imaginary flashes of being stuck in a straight jacket in an empty white walled room. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You're faced with the predicament of exploring the only avenue that you have, your self. As an introvert who needs space, solitude, and room to thrive, I know how easy it can be for the negative ego to begin to tear you away. In the western world of accomplishments, where yang energy of "do this, do that" dominates over its feminine counterpart, one can easily get distracted by what one thinks is a "purpose" in our lives. Taking, not a moment, but a sabbatical of reflection can easily lead to guilt of not doing. Even in considering the doing, all kinds of limiting beliefs may arise, including not being good enough, fear of the unknown, etc., among the plethora of sensations that make us feel human. By saying human, I'm not alluding to a positive quality, but qualities that appear to afflict each and every one of us. Again, I can only compare this to being in a straight jacket fighting with oneself.
In summation, we often find ourselves grasping for something beyond our self, such as a mystical adventure, a guru, a secret mantra, and they are valuable tools in their own right and have furthered my own discovery. However, in the light of the three masters above, greatness seems to be achieved by diving into the depths of oneself, dealing with ones psychology, and closing our senses to the objective world and subjective interpretations thereof. Only then does it appear that we become the subject of idolatry among men worthy of espousing illumination. For which, only then does the seeker become that which is seeked. They'll go to sacred sites. |
AuthorOverly educated and continuously exploring and revealing more behind the veil. "It cannot be too highly emphasized that the mystic swims in the same waters in which the psychotic drowns."
-James Wasserman, The Mystery Traditions Archives
August 2019
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