There were many laughs at Tony Parsons’ talk today in Hampstead, London. What a ball. It was nice to go with a few people connected with this blog too. Unlike the satsang I went to a few weeks ago, this meeting was alive and vital. No chance of boredom. The room was packed, probably about 130+ people. I said a quick hello to him at the end and told him I would love to talk with him on the phone but daytimes were difficult. He said to email him my number and he would call me one evening. Now, who else would offer that?
It’s hard to put the meeting into words – you kinda had to be there. Words are not there to describe it and if I were to describe it, it would be a second-hand attempt and probably something would end up being added. Nonetheless I’ll give it a go and I jotted down a few snippets for you:
“There’s no such thing as free will and choice – it’s part of the dream.”
“We’re discussing the possibility of the end of individuality.”
“The way it reveals itself is by not being known.”
“There is no knowing of liberation although there can be expression of it but this comes out of nothing.” (paraphrased)
(This one was in response to a question I had about there being a sense of the me being no more, and that life becomes different and therefore, my question was is this a kind of knowing.)
“If cause and effect were real there would be such a thing as real time.”
Ref I AM – “There’s no “I” to be “I Am” ” I Amness is just another game.”
And lastly, “Awareness is that which feeds separation.”
Now, on the last quote – this evening as I checked my email there was one about “one of the pioneers of non-duality” who is giving a talk. The thought came that I should go just to see what this person has to say, but then I watched one of this person’s videos and decided against it. In one video, he was propounding awareness as one’s true nature, and then encouraged the listener to “cease allowing tension to settle on thoughts, ie pause thinking.” So, if you pause thinking that’s the direct method to enlightenment? If you get to awareness you’ve, err, what exactly? Awoken? Become realized? It’s a nice idea, but it doesn’t work quite that way – not from where I’m standing anyway.
The message in this video, to me, was not vital nor alive. It was simply an idea. It was a message of there being a process by which you could get to awareness and thus get there – whatever the ‘there’ was that this person thinks is ‘there. Because that’s what it is – a method to get somewhere. Hmmm!
As Tony Parsons said today (and what a cheeky chappie ‘he’ is!): “Eckhart Tolle, Gangaji, and now Andrew Cohen are on a path of saving the world.” That was so funny.
Only up to a few weeks ago I had been watching Gangaji and had thought she had something great to offer. And then I got it. These people all have some method to offer, and they sit there as if they have achieved something that all those who come and listen to them, can also now achieve, thanks to their teaching and ‘transmission.’ (lol). The whole teacher-student thing jars badly with me. It creates a separate-type scenario whilst trying to teach Oneness – how contradictory can you get.
But where the teacher sets themself up as a teacher, it’s like they set themselves up as God or a special spokesperson for Oneness, and it all becomes very much based upon them as an individual. The student becomes dependent on them, and compares themself to the teacher. And so the game of becoming better continues, only now it seems elevated since the word ‘spiritual’ has been added. Yet it has become even more of a subtly and inadvertently deceptive process and one that can never stop, like a runaway train.
Same with this guy in the email today. All these people who set themselves up as teachers are simply advocating ideas that come from separation. If they came from Oneness, the teaching would be ‘I can teach you nothing because you are already That’ but instead what they say is ‘close your eyes, remove thought, and bingo, you’ve realized yourself’ Or teachings of awareness – and as Tony Parsons says, awareness needs someone separate to be aware of something separate. So where’s the Oneness in that?
Well, obviously, even separation is Oneness by the very nature of Oneness, but it’s the teachings that these teachers put out that are in question and keep the seeker constantly seeking. What’s even more funny as well as subtly deceptive is that some teachers will speak of ‘my teacher’ (eg Papaji or others) – but if they are realized then why would they need to keep referring to ‘their teacher’? Why would they hold on to that story? How come they even use the word ‘my’ in the phrase ‘my teacher’? (Now, I had several really good teachers but they were called school teachers…lol)
As you can see, I’m not in favour of following a spiritual teacher. You don’t need a teacher, for that would be like saying there is something wrong with you, or something needs fixing. You don’t need a teacher, and there isn’t something wrong with you, and you don’t need fixing. You just need to be prepared to let the me-story collapse. To just be prepared for that. You don’t have to do it, and you can’t do it. But just be prepared. Mind you, even that sounds like a process in some way, but I guess what I’m saying is stop searching for it, cos it’s here already and everywhere.
Thanks for reading.
Comments, as always, welcome.
Love,
Reena
PS. Next Tony Parsons talk in London is on 3rd November. I think I will be going, and if you wish to hook up before-hand then let me know. We’ll probably meet in the Starbucks across the road from Hampstead tube station.
PPS In case you’re thinking this is the opposite of what I’m saying – ie going to see Tony is like going to see a teacher – wrong! Going to see Tony is like going to the Comedy Club 🙂
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The whole teacher-student thing jars badly with me. It creates a separate-type scenario whilst trying to teach Oneness – how contradictory can you get.
Dear Reena ,
The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind. ( First Para of THE GREAT WAY by third Zen Patrirarch)
IF ALL THE SPIRIT-UAL REALISED PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS SAID ,ARE SAYING, AND WILL SAY .THERE IS ONLY ONE . there is only one subject – GOD . rest are infinite objects in the subject .
Then where lies the question of right or wrong, JARRRING OR BLISS . All is perfection personified eternally on all fronts. Some can experience the perfection ,most cant and keep working to reach that frequency to experience it in thier own ways, which they will make it finally, some way or the other, whenever as the DISEASE keeps reducing. EVOLUTION gurrantees it . ( my personal opinion only )
Also from the historic & traditional point of view from the way of YOG ( not YOGA )
the defination of a GURU is a lot diffrent as we understand in todays context and more so outside INDIA . It stands totally changed with Guides, Teachers & Masters from the concept of what GURU has meant in India since times immemorial . (not that India has a monoply over this subject, but from histrocial point of view as on date )
Guru is not a person – not a individual being . It is a flow of knowledge which has been flowing unbroken ( of course through persons only, passed on from teacher to another in succesion ) from 100s of years . Who ever stays with the flow and becomes one with the flow will become that and that is how it has been working in INDIA from so many years irrespective of TIME . And not many gurus are in Public domain really . Though i can count many many guides ,Teachers & Masters in India today in the public domain so what to talk of outside India . Without questioning or casting any doubts overs any ones abilities on any front for all the guides Teachers and Masters all across all i am trying to put on record is the ” Meaning of GURU ” , as it stands in the science of YOG . Please read this in that context only . Nothing more . How many guides Teachers or Masters can truly show that flow . Afterall yog was given by sun god to Ishvakoo , who gave it his son ………..and the tradition has been going on unbroken….to date . It is not necessary that all flows are known and publicised for commercial or name objectives .Who ever wishes to treat this as humbug is most welcome , too . To each thier own .
More over, any guide, teacher or Master is speaking in “HIS NAME ” is in whatever way, so called right or wrong is speaking on the SUBJECT only . They may not have complete knowledge on the subject but they have some, hence they are wanting to dispense it to who ever who does not even have that ,whatever thier motive ( that is why someone gets people to come to them ). BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY ARE TALKING ON THE SUBJECT ONLY .
WHO IS ANYONE TO JUDGE, MAKE OPINIONS , PASS COMMENTS ON THE WORKING ON ANY ONE ONE ? But what to do . THE DISEASE IS EPIDEMIC ALL ACROSS , so it has continued , is continuing , will continue till Eternity . you need to pass time etc etc . most natural………….. !! The success rate in this science has been pathetically very low and will always stay so …………….!! it has to be or else how will EARTH survive with all its Dance & drama if the success rate gets very high . (on the lighter side )
THAT IS WHAT THIS GAME IS ALL ABOUT . TO GET RID OF THE DISEASE AND BE ” LIBERATED FROM THIER ILLUSIONS ” AND BE CURED FINALLY .
WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE . LOVE TO ALL .