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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

To teacher or to non teacher?

Image by MBPblue



 Do I need a non duality teacher? That's been the question of late...and it seems for others too. I opened a post today from Non Duality America  - Q&A with Dr Robert Saltzman #2 on this very subject... but first I'd like to to go back a bit...

Like many of you, over the years I have thrown myself into various spiritual beliefs and had a few teachers along the way. Well kind of. My first experience of a spritual teacher, to whom I totally surrendered my life much to my family's concern, ended up having a nervous breakdown and me running for the hills. After that I became aware of the word 'cult' and was a little reluctant to place so much faith in any one person. So what did I do? I joined the Catholic Church. Why? Safety in history and numbers me thinks! Well... it just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Yep... the church became my next teacher... which didn't last long due to the amazingly obvious outdated beliefs, a very arrogant priest denying me absolution of my sins as I was living with my 'to be' husband (it was 1997)... and too many incredibly boring sermons on Sundays.  I did like the singing and candles bit... and Jesus of course... he was a bit of a spunk.  So I left and took my Jesus into New Ageism and Christ Consciousness,  only to find a man that apparently channelled Jesus himself. Wow!... this was much more entertaining. Unfortunately this guy turned out to be low on the integrity scales and after a rather messy sex scandal with some of the 'ashram' members, I found myself in a clueless, cultless, and teacherless de-sha-vue... vowing never do it again.

Ahh yes...."how soon we forget".... is the seeker's mantra!

It wasn't long and I found another bloke that was sprouting forth about 'non authority' as a way to live life... which sounded great except for the problem of him wanting a lot of say over my choices in life. It was at this point that I really decided to step out of the spiritual seeking merry-go-round, be they individuals or groups, and go it alone.

It was a couple of years before I even let myself near any spritual teachings... or so I thought.  No!... this was different, this was practical, this was about getting my life together after years of floating about with my head in the clouds... this was Manifesting! Yes I joined the millions in the teachings of 'The Secret' and started my own group! Ahhh... no more teachers for me, I was the master of my own destiny now!

Of course, nothing really changed, and I became quite exhausted with these practices... enter Kathy and the non-duality teachings. Now as I've said before, it took me a couple of years to embrace, let alone start to understand these teachings, but over time I have listened to the words of Adyashanti, Jackie O'Keeffe, Scott Kiloby, Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira etc... and of course my friend Kathy.  Which leads me to the question that arose about a week ago... do I need a non-duality teacher?

Coincidently I was listening to a radio broadcast by Adyashanti last week, followed by a video on YouTube called Western Masters of Non Duality (highly recommended) featuring Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira, Greg Goode and Jeff Foster.  They all said a teacher was not necessary but can be helpful. So I took my question to Kathy... in a round-a-bout way. I asked her if she would call herself a 'teacher'? She said no. What I really wanted to ask was 'Would you be my teacher?', but somehow the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth.  She went onto say I didn't need one. I heard the clarity in this, together with a resonance in my body, and after a few days a peace within. So it was with great interest today, when I opened the Non Duality America post, to see that Dr Robert Saltzman calls himself a 'non teacher' and says...

At a certain point, advice and words from anyone—Nisargadatta, Ramana, or the man in the moon—cease to have meaning. Those words may have served as a pointer along the way, and that's fine, but sooner or later you will have to forget ALL those words and go it alone. This is why it is said that if you meet the Buddha in the road, kill him. If you do not kill the Buddha, you will remain forever a disciple and never actually find the ground of your OWN being... (continued here)

 I like that. Mx







Sunday, November 4, 2012

The sound of water falling

Image by MBPblue

I came up from the wave and heard the water falling from my body. It was as if I had never heard this sound before. I mean... I swim in the ocean all year round and delight in diving under the waves to feel the cold water over my head, only to resurface amongst the bubbles of the backwash squealing in childish joy.  I tell myself I am swimming in champagne!

Then the mind steps in... I must know this sound of water falling from my body!... yet it's like I've never heard it before. The sound was so intense, magnified, and new. Then there was a noticing that every sound was somehow magnified and new. The waves, the birds, the wind, and the movement of my body was all in perfect chorus. I laughed in abandon ... a fleeting moment of experience... and the mind steps in... don't get attached Melinda!.

I had been aware for a few days prior of a building sense of quiet or calm. I even spent some time with Kathy and watched how my mind spun out afterwards exhausting me... and yet something else...  deeper, quiet, still was present. I wrote to Kathy asking if I could see her again and shared my recent experience in the ocean. I assured her I wasn't chasing anything but was feeling drawn to spend more time together. She replied:


You are just fine as it is. The noticing that you need to rest is just
that the mind hasn't been met with engaging. It doesn't know what to
do with it.

Stay with the tears and softness.


Wanting to see me again is also chasing an experience. This has

nothing to do with a 'me'. Watch the mind spin another story how
something other than 'now' will be of benifit to a 'Melinda'.

Don't do anything and sit with every feeling with disinterest. Nothing

more than that.

You are not experiencing more levels of presence. The 'you' thought is

not there when what you really are is Present.

Presence never comes and goes.


love,


Kathy



Thanks Kathy... it's always loving to hear truth. Mx