Who is this Rama guy? Was he an Indian or a Westerner. What did he look like?
--- In [email protected], Peter Sutphen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Thanks for the response Unc. I've enjoyed reading > about your experiences with him. Quite amazing stuff. > -Peter > > --- TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > You may have missed out. I worked with a > > spiritual > > > > teacher who took his students to Disneyland > > often. > > > > http://ramalila.net/RoadTripMind/rtm13.html > > > > > > Unc, how have you "come to terms (if that's the > > right > > > term)" with your powerful experiences with Rama > > and > > > his rather bizarre death and less than > > "enlightened" > > > behavior at times? > > > -Peter > > > > In two words, "Shit happens." > > > > I had already left his study a couple of years > > before > > he died, and thus wasn't as affected by it as a lot > > of > > folks who hung in there to the end. I don't really > > know > > anything about the "whys" of it all; it's a koan. I > > spent > > some time pondered it in one of the stories I wrote, > > at: > > http://ramalila.net/RoadTripMind/rtm53.html > > > > As I suggested in a recent post, for many reasons I > > do > > not believe in the idea that the enlightened are > > perfect > > and don't make mistakes. I don't think they're any > > different than anyone else, except on the level of > > subjec- > > tive realization. So I have no tendency to suggest > > that > > odd or questionable behavior means that someone > > wasn't > > enlightened. All it suggests to me is that they > > indulge > > in odd or questionable behavior. So did many > > teachers > > whom history regards as enlightened. Big deal. > > > > I'm also not a person who is terribly impressed by > > the > > ability to perform siddhis, and wasn't when I met > > the Rama > > guy. I got to see and experience some neat stuff, > > and > > enjoyed it, but I did not then and do not now make > > any > > link between being able to, say, levitate and turn > > invisible > > and do fascinating things with light and that > > person's state > > of consciousness. The main thing that impressed me > > about > > the guy was his ability to meditate. When you sat > > with him > > in the early days, it was just silence -- pure > > samadhi. It > > was *impossible* to have a thought. All the other > > stuff > > was bells and whistles, IMO. > > > > To be honest, not all of his students felt as I did. > > They > > definitely consider the enlightened perfect by > > definition, > > so his suicide fucked with their heads Big-Time. If > > you > > believe that your teacher is enlightened and that > > the enlight- > > ened are by definition perfect, then you have to > > jump through > > a lot of mental hoops to justify suicide. I'm not > > much in > > touch with them, so I can't tell you how they've > > come to > > terms with things. > > > > For me, it was a wild and wacky Mister Toad ride > > that I shall > > always be thankful for but don't spend a lot of time > > missing > > or even thinking about. Right here and now is too > > wild and > > wacky and wonderful to leave much time for that. > > > > Unc > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Or go to: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > > and click 'Join This Group!' > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! Mail Mobile > Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/learn/mail To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
