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 Essay
On Folly
Contributed
by No One In Particular
I asked the Zen
Master, "What is all of this? Why is all of this?"
He smiled. He smiled
and walked away….slowly….softly.
As I sit in my
apartment overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I slowly lean back a little
heavier in my chair. I have been purusing several emails which had come
my way. Rinpoche's, Adi Da, Sri Breeze… everyone seems to be searching
real hard and when they find some light, they try to share it. Nothing
wrong with that. I do it myself.
What troubles me
is the judgment of the advancement of one teacher over another. Rama
said that when a student did this it was a sure sign that they were
a true beginner.
The truly Enlightened
Ones do not need anyone to defend them. The reason -- there is simply
nothing there to defend. In Rama's tape on "How To Tell If You Are Enlightened",
he states that if a person talks about themselves as being enlightened
or even aspires to it, it is a sure sign that they are not Enlightened.
If it means anything to you, then you are not Enlightened. "Enlightenment
is as absence," he said.
However, these
are difficult times we are living in. Uncertainty and doubt seem to
arise out of the thin air. It is understandable that many would seek
out another teacher. As a teacher, I have occasionally sent a student
to sit with another teacher. I believe that this is an eclectic path
that Rama and I share. I believe that there is much to learn from sitting
and studying with other teachers. I believe that all of this falls within
the context of the Path that I have been drawn to.
Ramakrishna, one
of Rama's favorite Enlightened Masters, demonstrated that there are
many paths that lead to Enlightenment. Ramakrishna said, "Enlightenment
is like the peak of a gigantic mountain. Once you reach the top, you
see that there are many and varied paths that lead to it's peak."
I have sat with
many teachers and have benefited form them all. During this process,
however, I have had only one teacher. Rama.
I remember back
in 1983 when Rama said, "I HAVE THE PICTURE OF ONLY ONE TEACHER ON MY
MEDITATION TABLE." It was clear that we, as students needed to commit
to the path we were drawn too and stick with it with a full heart. Now
this can be tricky. I realize that this is a Path of Heart and that
we must follow our hearts. The message seemed to be, study, sit and
be with whom ever you are drawn to, but keep just one picture on your
meditation table at a time.
Abraham Lincoln
said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." We must keep our
selves undivided.
Ramakrishna studied
many paths. It must be noted, however, that when he was a Muslim, he
had nothing to do with the Hindu. When he was a Christian, he had nothing
to do with the Muslim or the Hindu. He stayed totally focused in each
path until he became God realized in that path. He did not go from one
to the other. Rama did much the same.
I will occasionally
sit with other teachers… But there will be only one picture on my meditation
table.
This is my path.
I signed on when I stood before Rama and wanted, with all my heart,
to be his student. Nothing has changed there. It has been a path of
great awakening for me.
Like many others,
I go into states of Enlightenment. I have manifested several siddahs
and have some occult and psychic powers. The room turns gold and I disappear.
This does not in any way mean that I am Enlightened. The temptation
to make this assumption is a trap. My ego wants to say that this is
enlightenment, but in moments of clarity, I can see the ego at work.
There is simply too much of me still around to be Enlightened.
Several times a
week I approach states of mind where I am in a position to give up everything
to Eternity. All my past lives, this life, my future lives, my friends,
family and life. I even give up Rama. I give it all to Eternity and
I go away. Every time some of me comes back. There is not as much there
as before, but still enough to let me know that I have a lot left to
give up. One day I will succeed and dissolve into that which I am already.
Until then, I will continue to wrestle with the ego, look for distractions,
and I will continue to focus on Rama's picture on my meditation table.
It is really working for me.
The fog is rolling
in over the coast. The sun is setting. It is a nice moment.
I understand that
many spiritual aspirants still need a teacher that is in the body. I
wish them luck and God's Speed on their journey into the light. I, however,
do not need that right now. Why would I? Rama is in my heart and on
my case constantly. He is more in my consciousness than at any time
in this life. The Kalachakra Empowerment is blasting away all of the
different selves. I am on fire!
I realize the this
may not be the case for other students. Their fire is being lit in other
ways. That does not make me right and them wrong. It doesn't even make
me better than them. It is simply what is.
Let's just try
to remember the etiquette and stop all of this nasty Guru comparing
and self-righteous judgment on and of each other and get on with the
task at hand… That being the Enlightenment Process. Any action or attitude
that we take without love is a terrible mistake. Let us drop our egos
and start to love and respect each other and allow this wondrous process
to take us all into the Light. If you are drawn to another teacher,
then put that teacher's picture on the meditation table. Take down Rama's.
Commitment is vital to the process. Don't mix your wines. Seek and find
Enlightenment. I am sure that it will be different than mine.
It is night now.
The city lights are like jewels shining in a jewel box. I can hear the
waves crashing on the shore. It is a really nice moment.
It is in moments
like this that I am reminded of the beauty of this world and how at
peace one can be in it. I also know, without a doubt, that this is all
an illusion. As Rama says, "All of this will go away… Nothing will remain…
Only Enlightenment."
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