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Enlightenment
May 2009 
Namaste, Swami dude!
Posted on Apr 13th, 2009
by 
Michael
Michael
I've evolved a new view, that just as Gaia puts it, this here is either "Blog / Journal" blog or journal. All my other posts were really Journal entries, until Michael Says . . . which is, to me, a blog. A what-I-think thing.
Though now that I have the other account, I now see that there are "Articles" instead of blogging, maybe they won't sort by date.
Why the difference? Welp, between the two things, being and doing I'd like some clarity. That is, well, let's go back and bit, when duality disappeared at first it seemed like liberation, which of course it was, but now imagine some time passing, not much changing. Imagine further that you're no longer fascinated to sit in front of some teacher anymore (which is where these subjects are discussed), and in many areas of life, you suddenly find yourself no longer part of the pack. You're no longer in the same boat. And as time goes on, if you even have a question, there is no-one there to answer it! Bummer, eh? *smile* Anyway, that's what it was like for me. I knew I was in deep trouble when a revered Swami on sabatical in Boston (most Americans don't know it, but in Boston and Providence big-time Swamis from the Ramakrishna Society get away from their mad life in India and sababtical here. They speak about three times a week only, to about 15 people who show up, most of whom have no idea that thousands of Indians would give their eye-teeth to just once in their lives get so close. I've seen it. Honest.) Anyway, this dude, I got invited to join a sacred feast or something, and the dude like, sort of gently motions me to sit nearby and asked some questions, all these reverent people watching, listening to every word, it was wow an intense moment, Americans are so uptight in comparison, so like I said, he asked and I answered, and his eyebrows go up and he says, "You are standing on the head of the Gita." which I did not understand like I do now. If I had understood then, I would have said, "Yes, but what do I do now?" Instead we just smiled and that was that. (For the next few weeks/times I showed up, I noticed this little bow-ie kind of thing when I walked by people... another crowd I can't hang around with!) One year, a new Swami showed up (actually the one I just mentioned) and he sat on a little dias just off the floor, which was new, so I popped on up front and sat near him on the side, I felt disapproval from behind, like "how dare he go near the Swami?" then the Swami smiled at me, kept glancing, and slowly some of the Indian people came and joined me on the floor and it all felt so warm and lovely. So that's an example of where I do fit in society, great lovely moments like that.
So where was I? Dualism. Right, so like after a while I started to realized that indeed dualism is the way the world runs. Yet I wasn't "believing" in the illusion and that is where the "problem" is. Imagine you are god, you got the whole universe running ok, and here's planet earth with these people running around just fine, and then after a while you haphazardly occupy a human and you think, "Hey this is cool, I think I'll do this more often," and then every twenty four hours you wake up inside one of those humans. What a trip! Especially for god! So you say, wow, this is cool.... but really, I pop right out as soon as I remember I'm god . . . so what should I do? I know! The next time I wake up in a body, I won't remember I'm god! Then I can really enjoy this, stay inside the body, get to experience the whole thing! But little does god know that being eaten alive which is just one of myriad possibilites here, is not as much fun as watching someone else being eaten alive! What a revelation that is . . . but wait, you don't have that revelation because you are god but forgot you are god! Holy shit. So what happens? Well you start to look around for a way out. Oh! There's this dead guy people talk about, his picture right there in Yoga Today, Buddha they call him, clams there's a way out of suffering. So you try that and lo and behold you wake up, everything shiny and new and you see the illusion, you see the formless and you never have to suffer again. Cool! Still though, you're in a body, only just have woken up enough not to suffer in ignorance, which is all Buddha offers, really. Don't get me wrong, not-suffering is really cool thing to do, but it isn't godhead, it isn't the whole enchilada. So here you are, just like me, saying, well, I still have some time to serve here -- apparently -- after all, I woke up as I this morning didn't I? I don't know what's going on or why, but here it is, here I am in the middle of it, I might as well join the game. So you do your best to forget you're nobody, and there you are sitting next to god who forgot s/he's god and you forgot you are not you and well, here we all are, blogging away.
Though now that I have the other account, I now see that there are "Articles" instead of blogging, maybe they won't sort by date.
Why the difference? Welp, between the two things, being and doing I'd like some clarity. That is, well, let's go back and bit, when duality disappeared at first it seemed like liberation, which of course it was, but now imagine some time passing, not much changing. Imagine further that you're no longer fascinated to sit in front of some teacher anymore (which is where these subjects are discussed), and in many areas of life, you suddenly find yourself no longer part of the pack. You're no longer in the same boat. And as time goes on, if you even have a question, there is no-one there to answer it! Bummer, eh? *smile* Anyway, that's what it was like for me. I knew I was in deep trouble when a revered Swami on sabatical in Boston (most Americans don't know it, but in Boston and Providence big-time Swamis from the Ramakrishna Society get away from their mad life in India and sababtical here. They speak about three times a week only, to about 15 people who show up, most of whom have no idea that thousands of Indians would give their eye-teeth to just once in their lives get so close. I've seen it. Honest.) Anyway, this dude, I got invited to join a sacred feast or something, and the dude like, sort of gently motions me to sit nearby and asked some questions, all these reverent people watching, listening to every word, it was wow an intense moment, Americans are so uptight in comparison, so like I said, he asked and I answered, and his eyebrows go up and he says, "You are standing on the head of the Gita." which I did not understand like I do now. If I had understood then, I would have said, "Yes, but what do I do now?" Instead we just smiled and that was that. (For the next few weeks/times I showed up, I noticed this little bow-ie kind of thing when I walked by people... another crowd I can't hang around with!) One year, a new Swami showed up (actually the one I just mentioned) and he sat on a little dias just off the floor, which was new, so I popped on up front and sat near him on the side, I felt disapproval from behind, like "how dare he go near the Swami?" then the Swami smiled at me, kept glancing, and slowly some of the Indian people came and joined me on the floor and it all felt so warm and lovely. So that's an example of where I do fit in society, great lovely moments like that.
So where was I? Dualism. Right, so like after a while I started to realized that indeed dualism is the way the world runs. Yet I wasn't "believing" in the illusion and that is where the "problem" is. Imagine you are god, you got the whole universe running ok, and here's planet earth with these people running around just fine, and then after a while you haphazardly occupy a human and you think, "Hey this is cool, I think I'll do this more often," and then every twenty four hours you wake up inside one of those humans. What a trip! Especially for god! So you say, wow, this is cool.... but really, I pop right out as soon as I remember I'm god . . . so what should I do? I know! The next time I wake up in a body, I won't remember I'm god! Then I can really enjoy this, stay inside the body, get to experience the whole thing! But little does god know that being eaten alive which is just one of myriad possibilites here, is not as much fun as watching someone else being eaten alive! What a revelation that is . . . but wait, you don't have that revelation because you are god but forgot you are god! Holy shit. So what happens? Well you start to look around for a way out. Oh! There's this dead guy people talk about, his picture right there in Yoga Today, Buddha they call him, clams there's a way out of suffering. So you try that and lo and behold you wake up, everything shiny and new and you see the illusion, you see the formless and you never have to suffer again. Cool! Still though, you're in a body, only just have woken up enough not to suffer in ignorance, which is all Buddha offers, really. Don't get me wrong, not-suffering is really cool thing to do, but it isn't godhead, it isn't the whole enchilada. So here you are, just like me, saying, well, I still have some time to serve here -- apparently -- after all, I woke up as I this morning didn't I? I don't know what's going on or why, but here it is, here I am in the middle of it, I might as well join the game. So you do your best to forget you're nobody, and there you are sitting next to god who forgot s/he's god and you forgot you are not you and well, here we all are, blogging away.
Access: Public
Can I Comment on my own blog? ah . . sure I can, perfect spot for mentioning that the graphic (picture) at the top of this entry is a picture of a suddha or sidhi, not a real swami. I just ain't got no swami pix. If I find one, or you send one, I'll replace it.
I really lucked out in finding the Ramakrishna swamis in Providence. It's not often easy to be around truly dedicated and remarkable people, and I recommend anyone interested to go visit them. I've given a really hot tip here, this access info. Anyway, what I wanted to say about the Swamis is that they don't claim enlightenment or anything. In fact they teach out of books which were written around a person, Ramakrishna. Hence “The Ramakrishna Society.” They are extremely dedicated men, something the West hasn't had for generations. (Well, as a general part of society.) But they are likely to be not-awake, too. If you wake up, you don't need to dedicate or try or effort or any of that. But my point is … well, I'll give an example.
One time I introduced Thomas Hübl who was staying with me at the time, to one of the Swamis, and later I told the Swami, “Thomas, he had his identity fall away.” Swami looked at me. “I mean, he describes it as if everything he ever believed, just, fell away.” Swami replied, “Ah, that. I have not been so blessed, myself.” and I saw he meant it. Not been so blessed, his ID still intact. Just a little tinge of the Swami's personal identity showed up, just enough, a little thread, and I could see he wished it would happen. But he's a real Swami, he lives for others, he wishes nothing for himself. Truly lovely spiritual and worthy of reverence. Sensible reverence. Though India-born Hindis tend to drop in prostration to touch these Swami feet. A little too much for my Western sensibilities, but I appreciate their's. ( The 'reason' they touch swami feet is the belief that swami spiritual energy, which is a flowing thing, can be found where it flows into the earth - - hence they can partake of the Swami's energy without actually invasively touching the Swami.) ( I can stomach religionism in direct proportion to the distance it is from me, and socially, prostrating myself is so far removed, it doesn't bother me to see it. I dig it - - for those partial to it. )
Thomas Hübl is available at sharingthepresence.com (you may need to click on the British flag if you are bound to English like I am) and at his events, which I warn you, are German language. But if you're really advanced, it's even more fun if you can't understand the language. (that is an in-crowd statement, don't think about it unless you already understand!) If you can get near him (he does speak English perfectly fine) Thomas is a good person to be near, spend some time near. Young guy, so he's likely collecting around him still I imagine, so I don't know how personally accessible. Having no information, I can't recommend or not his events/teachings. But Thomas the incarnated person, lovely, for sure!