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| Spirituality, Consciousness, & Awareness Spirituality, beliefs, the nature of reality, consciousness, awareness, metaphysics, truth, philosophy, religion |
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08-31-2007, 02:31 AM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Banned Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Quebec, Canada
Posts: 3,811
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First, that would depend on your definition of masters/gurus/mystics/sages... and whether you are looking either for a master, a guru, a mystic a sage or someone who encompasses all of the above... If you want someone who encompasses all of the above... I wish you luck... however, let us say that you are looking for a sage... by some standards, guys like Steve or Tony Robbins... (just to name a few) could be considered as being sages or gurus... . |
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08-31-2007, 02:53 AM
| #3 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: India
Posts: 263
|  I know one Self Realized and Stablized master
Yes, I know one Self Realized and Stablized master from India. I have attended his spiritual discourses and he is really wonderful. He have transformed my life throughtly. His name is Tejguru Sir Shree Tej Parakhi ji here is brief introduction to him.. Sir Shree's spiritual quest began 20 years ago. Immersed in his spiritual quest, he practiced many meditations. His quest lead him to various schools of thought, various meditations and various authors. He wanted to understand the source of all religions and hence he tried all paths that lead to truth. But, every time he came to the conclusion that there is something incomplete, something missing. After he finished his studies, he joined a reputed college in Pune,India as a teacher of electronics. His quest in spirituality had brought upon him many opportunities to learn about the mind and unravel its mysteries and hence he started sharing these with his students. To help his students even better, he started researching psychology, mind and brain sciences, etc. What started off as an attempt to help his students soon grew into a self-development institute by the name of M.T.C wherein in the evenings, he started imparting training to people in brain dynamics, mind sciences, human psychology, creative thinking etc. Soon, he had trained more than seven thousand people: students, businessmen, employees, etc. His institute was growing - but so was his thirst to attain the truth. His thirst to spend more and more time in the search for truth lead him to relinquish his college teaching job. His quest gained rapid momentum. The quest ended around 15th August 1997 - the day celebrated as Indian Independence Day. Anecdotal, it may sound: he was born on 26th January - the Indian Republic Day. On enlightenment, he came to the understanding that the missing link in all paths that lead to truth is 'understanding itself'. Sir Shree says: "All paths that lead to truth begin differently - but end in the same way - with understanding. Understanding is the whole thing. And, this understanding is complete in itself. Listening to this understanding is enough." Sir Shree started imparting this final understanding directly to seekers. His disciples gave him a new name "Tejparkhi" meaning 'bright perceptor'. Being the prevalent practice in India, that a teacher is called 'Sir Shree', the title stuck on. Once Sir Shree Tejparkhiji even remarked that the title 'Sir Shree' in his case could mean "Self in Rest". Handing over the self-development institute to others, he dedicated his whole life to wholeness. As a college professor, his greatest skill was his ability to simplify the most complex of topics. Now he simplifies the most complicated topic in the world - spirituality and enlightenment - which he maintains are the most simple. Thousands of seekers attend Sir Shree's discourses and retreats at Tej Gyan Foundation. Since he speaks directly on the end understanding, he does not devote time to explain the very basics of spirituality, the paths that lead to truth, about what happens on these paths, etc. These, he clarifies through books. His books give seekers an opportunity to understand the paths that they are walking on and to clear misconceptions that they are carrying. Having read these books or listening to few basic discourses of Sir Shree, a seeker becomes eligible to get the understanding of the 'first truth'. Then begins the journey of understanding: from first truth to the final truth. |
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08-31-2007, 03:40 AM
| #6 (permalink) | |
| Banned Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Quebec, Canada
Posts: 3,811
| Quote:
When the masters are not easily available, books can be great teachers... . | |
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08-31-2007, 03:42 AM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 586
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Are you familiar with Dr. Hawkins' books and the technique of applied kinesiology / calibration? He was the one who came up with the whole model of Levels of Consciousness (LOC). If you know of a team who is proficient in AK testing and the Levels of Consciousness, you can find out for yourself who the masters/gurus/mystics/sages are in this world. It would be a lot easier if you were familiar with his work... but to give you some pointers... Dr. Hawkins himself is pretty much near the top of the LOC scale, having written a book calibrating at 999.8 out of the possible 1000 in this domain (you had to get there somehow in order to write about it, yeah?) But his function is of a spiritual teacher and writer, not as a guru -- though he does offer one-day lectures in Sedona, AZ, every two months. You can find the relevant information here: Sir David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. Awhile ago, it was discovered that only 4 people in the world alive today calibrate over 600, which is the beginning of stages of enlightenment. This means that most true teachers are not fully enlightened but are awakened (i.e. partially enlightened), and that many teachers (especially in India) are actually false gurus (roughly ~50%!) who are expert at the art of spiritual deception. Hence, the need for the use of AK testing / calibration to make sure if you're dealing with real teachers or wolves in sheep's clothing. This doesn't mean that one cannot benefit from teachers -- even if not completely enlightened, they still can provide immense benefit to the beginning seeker. There are many such teachers, but again I advise strong discernment (hopefully accurate AK testing) and (many) credible testimonials before traveling across the globe to live in their ashram  |
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08-31-2007, 04:06 AM
| #8 (permalink) |
| Banned Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 90
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Thanks. I'm looking up on it. It's not going to be easy becauase I doubt many of them will have a website. I'm thinking of just flying to India and seeing what happens. I heard that the villages are very open to "seekers", and I probably can get advice from people in the town on whose good and who's not and where I can go and all of that stuff. Sri ramana maharishi has an ashram where you can stay but they don't do teachings, and maharishi has passed 20 years ago. Mooji was a disciple of harilal poonja, but poonja just recently passed as well. So the search continues.
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08-31-2007, 05:59 AM
| #9 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 375
| Quote:
It stands to reason that if we want to measure the depth of a pond with a rope, it needs to be longer than the depth of the pond. Similarly, if one wants to measure the spiritual maturity or level of a Saint, one needs to be a Saint; an average person is not equipped to make the judgement of whether a particular person is a Saint. Sainthood cannot be bestowed upon a person by people below the spiritual level of a Saint. A child in the 4th grade would not be able to discern the difference of knowledge of a graduate student or a post-doctorate student. Hence, it would be ludicrous to ask the child as to which of the students is more knowledgeable. We tend to infer whether a person is a Saint based on our thinking of what a Saint should be. This generally leads to a gross misjudgment on our part. | |
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08-31-2007, 08:23 AM
| #10 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 584
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Hi ericwordelman, I sense you're more likely to find what you seek when you can clarify what it is to a greater degree. Some seekers will simply say "enlightenment." It pays to go deeper. A mentor or guide will only be helpful to you if you're also willing to help yourself. Remember, the truth is the truth for what it is, whether or not you agree. If your ultimate goal is to express your own truth, you may be preparing to remain exactly where you are. In order to clarify what you seek in a guru, clarify what the idea means to you, and what kind of assistance you ultimately seek. As part of your process, you might consider the ideas of dualism, semi-dialism, non-dualism, and pure non-dualism. They are discussed in A Course in Miracles (ACIM) and in Gary Reynards' book called The Disappearance of the Universe.  Last edited by Liara Covert; 08-31-2007 at 08:26 AM. |
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08-31-2007, 08:33 AM
| #11 (permalink) |
| Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: India
Posts: 27
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I live in a village in India. My personal suggestion is not to blindly believe in sages with own webpages. Just as a sage avoids 'wealth' and 'pleasure', he should avoid 'fame' also. I had seen some saints not allowing to take their pictures or publish their stories. They were famous within the local mass only. |
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08-31-2007, 11:38 AM
| #13 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: India / Los Angeles
Posts: 232
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Agree with shivraj. It's sad to see that antiquated or mythic ideals of sages still exist, such as poverty being an essential attribute, or sine qua non of an Enlightened Master. King Janaka of ancient India was a wealthy King, yet firmly established in the truth of Reality, and a true sage. Outer appearances are no index of inner realization. One key way to distinguish a real Enlightened Master is the feeling of deep peace and bliss you will experience in their presence. Your mind stills without any effort. @ericwordelman: My own Master is Paramahamsa Nithyananda. He has been recognized to be the present day Master in the unbroken succession of Masters who hail from Arunachala, home of Ramana Maharshi. You may watch his videos on Youtube and see whether what he speaks resonates with you. Nithyananda's meditation programs have opened in me a vast inner space of Realization, and an ever present blissful awareness which never leaves me. He is the Master who truly awakened me. |
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08-31-2007, 05:35 PM
| #14 (permalink) |
| Banned Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 90
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O.K let me rephrase. The type of person (saint, sage, mystic, enlightened being, MASTER, whatEVER) I'm looking for is the type that lives in poverty in India. One who has nothing and desires nothing. That's the kind of "master" I am looking to meet.
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08-31-2007, 05:40 PM
| #15 (permalink) |
| Banned Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 90
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I realize that parahamsa nityananda is a master. I realize that. But I also relize that it would be extremely unlikely for me to be able to learn and study directly from him. He has most likely a multi millionaire, I'm aware he has all these companies and foundadtions. I'm also aware that he studied with the greats including ramana maharishi. I've seen nityananda's videos on youtube. I'm looking to do similar to what he did, he studied with the great masters for 6 years in poverty in India. That's what I'm looking for so I'll probably have to search somewhere else. Nityananda says "Disciple-Disciple relationship is hell" That's because it's the blind leading the blind neither know what the hell they're doing. That's why I'm looking for a "master" to have a one on one relationship from, so I can get out of hell and stop having blinds try to lead me into a ditch  |
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08-31-2007, 11:27 PM
| #16 (permalink) | |
| Banned Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 9,613
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09-02-2007, 08:28 AM
| #18 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: India / Los Angeles
Posts: 232
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I think you seem to have missed my point about poverty vs. Realization, so let me briefly elaborate and clarify in answer to what you have said: 1) Nithyananda is not a multi-millionaire (or even a millionaire). He still lives by the ideals of being a Paramahamsa, and has no personal property. He still lives a very modest life at the ashram (where I also stay and work / study). 2) To encounter the kind of Masters that Nithyananda did, requires a seeker to venture out on a serious quest towards the truth. You won't find them by asking on an internet forum If nothing else matters to you, but the goal of Enlightenment / Realization, and you are prepared to even die for it, you will encounter a true Master. The parivrajaka (wandering monk) lifestyle that Nithyananda undertook, where one begs for food and has no security whatsoever in life, requires tremendous courage. Do you have that in you? 3) Why do you consider poverty such an important attribute of a Master? Do you not think it possible that a modern Master who lives in the world yet is not of the world can offer as much as or even more than a recluse in some remote location who may not even have the inclination to accept you as a disciple? In addition, the type of Masters you envision may not even be able to communicate with you in English. 4) Yes, there are Masters in India who live in poverty (or modest circumstances); one good friend of mine studies with such a Master who has a small group of disciples. However, for every one true Guru that you may encounter in India, there are hundreds of ignorant pretenders who are only social parasites. How will you discern the true Master? With that said, all that matters is your sincerity and burning intensity of desire for liberation. Existence then has no choice but to bring into your life a true Master. Just don't let your preconceived notions of how an Enlightened one should live cloud your awareness; otherwise even if the most ideal Master steps into your life, you will miss him. Good luck on your journey  Quote:
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09-02-2007, 09:39 AM
| #19 (permalink) | |
| Member Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 99
| Quote:
An enlightened being may be pure enough that they have no desire either way whether they have wealth or not. | |
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09-02-2007, 03:35 PM
| #20 (permalink) |
| Family Member Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,123
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The problem is listening to "just one person" or so... that's how religion starts, so they enclose their beliefs. There's always the Beatles recordings. It doesn't get any better than that (they were four, by the way). |
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09-03-2007, 07:09 PM
| #21 (permalink) |
| Banned Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 90
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Antarananda I must not have clarified. You quote, "If nothing else matters to you, but the goal of Enlightenment / Realization, and you are prepared to even die for it, you will encounter a true Master. The parivrajaka (wandering monk) lifestyle that Nithyananda undertook, where one begs for food and has no security whatsoever in life, requires tremendous courage. Do you have that in you? " And that's exactly what I planned on doing/plan on doing. That precise thing. I just have no idea what part of India I should fly into and what master's I should look for. What you exactly said is the precise thing what I planned on doing. I planned on "renouncing" for the lack of a better word my life to go do whatever. I am two hundred percent aware that I'd beg for food or whatever I'm not scared at all. I'm completely aware of what the reprecussions of such a lifestyle are that's precisely why I posted this thread. If you read some of my other posts then you would realize that security in my life and all these external things are basically pointless to me at this point in my life anyways. To answer your question my courage is insurmountable in your eyes probably, you probably cannot even conceive the amount of courage I have to embark upon this journey. Words cannot express the enthusiasm that occurs within me. Again, these external things in my life are basically pointless I'm ready to renounce my entire life or whatever you want to call it. I live in a pretty nice house, and have some pretty nice plans and goals that I'm already working towards, but those are just pale shadows to what I truly want to do, and that's become enlightened, and I know that I'd have to live in poverty, I think that's part of the fun. It may sound crazy to you using the word "fun", but nothing really matters more to me than this. Earning a million dollars would be a pale shadow compared to becoming enlightened. I'm aware of the reprecussions of the journey and am so ready to embark I just don't know where to begin . If I knew where I could find a true "master" or "guru" then I would be there, but I don't. I was going to get an indian language book this week actually and learn the language. So to answer your question I have more than enough courage. If it costs me to leave my body then it costs me to leave my body. Security is superstition anyways. I have no security in my life anyways. Sure I live in a house, have money, have clothes, have food, but I'd much rather become enlightened. |
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09-07-2007, 04:01 AM
| #23 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 375
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09-07-2007, 04:44 AM
| #24 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 584
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ericwordleman, I'm curious as to why you seek a human being who has nothing and desires nothing. Why is your perception of this person limited to "poverty in India?" I would suggest you look beyond the scope of your current perception. You can create your own miracles. |
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09-08-2007, 02:14 AM
| #25 (permalink) |
| Member Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 91
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Hi Ericwordelman, I've read your posts and the many responses, and I saw that you seek enlightenment. It is a noble path in a person's life. You can begin your journey right now. I've never been to anywhere far off the beaten path to search for gurus or sages; however, I learned to practice from books, ebooks and information online. Here are some web sites: audio dharma this site, you can learn meditations and various talks about your journey to enlightenment Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism This site, you can learn a lot about the way to enlightenment. AbhidhammaVipassana This site, you can learn a lot....I liked the information that was written by Nina Van Gorkom and her teachers; They are very deep and profound information to help you toward enlightenment. BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network This site, you can down load a lot of ebook material to study....I preferred to stick to the Theravada tradition material only... Pa Auk Forest Monastery, Myanmar This site, you can find out about the places for your journey to enlightenment. If I have a chance to go, I prefer the first one on the list. It is a place of community of people that have the same goal to practice toward enlightenment. It is locating in Burma. You can go there to practice as a recluse (monk) or as a layperson. oh by the way, instructions are in English or Burmese. So far, it's been ten years in my life, I read information on the internet and practice at home, at work and sometimes in the backyard. The commitment to practice is the utmost important. In all the meditations out there, you need to learn only two kind of meditions: 1. Focus on the breathing (anapana sati) 2. Concentration (samatha samadhi) You practice concentration to gain calm and temporarily release your mind from past conditioning (Kilesa). Then you practice focus on the breathing to analyze all subject matter to gain wisdom. Wisdom will release you from present conditioning (asava). Very simple combination....it sounds very simple, so make it simple. Don't complicating things. Another simple way, is praticing focus on and analyze the sequents of consequences in details (Abhidhamma). When you realize the details of conventional realities and ultimate realities, you reach enlightenment. I bow and honor you, friend, for thinking off this noble journey.... Johnny5 |
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