> Has been progressive in a succession as an American story in > transcendentalist spirituality.
"Indian religion adds a transcendental quality that has found popularity worldwide in the form of meditation, and in the mid-1800s American writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson began citing Indian practices after abandoning Christianity. Emerson wrote, "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavat-Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spake to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions that exercise us." -conservapedia & transcendentalism >"dhamiltony2k5" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >Seems though that about every > > generation someone comes forward and re-lights the way. Hence, in > > sequence of spiritual progress a lot has happened since Wm. Blake. > > > > & this progress is very much part of the American experience. > > > > -Doug in FF > > > Emerson, of the 1840's: "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavat- > Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spake to us, > nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice > of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered > and thus disposed of the same questions that exercise us." > > & Not the only but an influencing source, the Bhagavad Gita has been > drawn on a lot by American Transcendentalists since the founding > days. A copy was in Jefferson's library and the Gita was read widely > by the transcendentalists of the 1820's through until late in the > 19th century. > > There was a preceding natural spirituality, then Hindus did come > along carrying the Gita, more than a century has passed since Swami > Vivekananda toured introducing Americans to Eastern mysticism in his > famous 1893 visit to Chicago for the Parliament of Religions, held in > conjunction with the World's Columbian Exposition. > Traveling to the West in the 20th century, gurus such as Srila > Prabhupada, (1896-1977) founder of the International Society for > Krishna Consciousness, > Anandamayi Ma 1896-1982 visiting America in her time. Yogananda of > the middle-third of the 20th century. Muktananda. Maharishi, Mother > Meera, Shree Ma, Ammachi, Karunamayi, Chalanda Sai Ma with others of > late 20th Century and early 21st and the prodigies of the New Age > like Chopra or SSR, or even main-street churches, teaching centering > meditation in the 21st. > > Has been progressive in a succession as an American story in > transcendentalist spirituality. Foundational American Self- evident > truth like, transcendentalist equality, life, liberty and the pursuit > of spiritual practice, > > > Continues in a way now also where there is `yoga' in studios on every > corner, in every church basement, and taught in retirement community > activities rooms; gets taught and people led to spiritual practice. > Jai the Guru, > -Doug in FF > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "dhamiltony2k5" > > > > <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Spiritual Practice Since Blake: > > > > > A lot of spiritual practice has gone on since Blake & it has > > > > > continued or ended in various ways not absolutely stale, > > > > > authoritarian and rigid. There has been a progression which > is > > > in the American experience with it. > > > > > > Yogananda with SRF is a good example of how a group can survive > the > > > death of a founder. Theirs is not unblemished in story; however, > > > they are active and currently guided by a founding generation who > > > knew the guru. > > > > > SRF will likely be in transition again as an aging > > > founding generation themselves pass things to a next generation > who > > > may not have known the guru personally at all. That time in > > > particular seems is really a point where groups are apt to become > > > extra or ultra doctrinal and potentially splinter over doctrine. > > > Generational moves from the shakti experience of the spiritual > > > practice with the founder and the founding generation towards the > > > next generation where the reference becomes the word of `what was > > > said' and the doctrine of that as that word is re-read, re- played > > >and > > > re-told by a following generation. It can become dead > > >administration > > > & and dead doctrine at that point as the shakti of a teaching is > > > administratively let out. > > Utopian spiritual practice in America is > > filled repeatedly and sequentially with variations on this theme. > > > > > > -Doug in FF > > > > > ..x > > Or, another example: the Society of BelieversÂ… the Shakers lived > as > > spiritual practice ashrams with their at least twice-daily > spiritual > > practice of a sitting dhyanna silent meditation (by community > > ordinance) retiring to their rooms to sit upright in half hour > silent > > meditation, not reading, not talking, not sleeping not idling or > > doing stuff otherwise; but, silent inner experience before then > going > > to group worship which included more meditation in group, Was the > > point of their community and industry, to have the time & the > > material resource to do spiritual practice. > > > > Their communities functioned well this way for this purpose > > specifically for some decades after their founding guru, Mother Ann > > and the shaker founding generation beyond their deaths. Shakers > > lived well as spiritual practice communities doing this specific > > practice for some decades after the founding generation. > > > > In time they went in to doctrinal spin with generational > transition. > > After some time they did away with the silent meditation as > community > > practice, and then did the shakti dwindle. Shakers in time became > > doctrinal as this all happened such that in their time they did not > > survive the social and industrial change and circumstances then. > > Their shakti experience of the spiritual practice that held them > > together dwindled. Times changed simply towards a form of a dying > > hollow doctrine & work, work, work. So people left seeking fortune > > elsewhere, on their own hook. > > > > Or, likewise again with the Quaker movement in American history. > > Early founded on spiritual practice of group meditations, a silent > > Patanjali-like practice on the discernment of bhuti and purusha > > though using the nomenclature of the 17th Century. They became > > doctrinal in generational sequence in other ways in the face of > rapid > > social changes of the 19th and 20th century. They lasted about 300 > > years with shakti before evangelical doctrinism broadsided them in > > the midst of the rapid social and economic changes of the 19th > > century whence their spiritual practice got split off, plowed > asunder > > and over-run by doctrinal religionists. So it went. > > Yet even today within the Society of Friends (conservative) in the > > middle of their form there is a spark of light to be found. > > > > Likewise it seems in a sequence with European and American > > transcendentalism of the 19th century. Spiritual practice of > > transcendentalism contending with doctrinal `mistake of the > > intellect' religionism in sequence. Seems though that about every > > generation someone comes forward and re-lights the way. Hence, in > > sequence of spiritual progress a lot has happened since Wm. Blake. > > > > & this progress is very much part of the American experience. > > > > -Doug in FF > > > > > > > > > > > > > According to William Blake, movements always end like this-- > > > stale, > > > > authoritarian, rigid. > > > > > > > > Differently, an exact opposite of this kind of stale doctrinal > > fate > > > > like of the TMmovement could be: > > > > > > > > -J.Krishnamurti, 1929 Speech Dissolving his organization, post > > 7513 > > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/7513 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > For example, Yogananda's group SRF now seems to have survived > > the > > > > > death of their guru. They do have enduring active spiritual > > > > practice > > > > > communities facilitating that work. Again last summer they > > > > gathered > > > > > for an annual week `convocation' near LA for about 10 days of > > > long > > > > > group meditations with about 4000 people. In their > communities > > > > they > > > > > do regular long powerful group meditations as part of their > > > ongoing > > > > > spiritual practice. > > > > > > > > > > By a same kind of coin as with TM, it could be as easy to say > > > that > > > > so > > > > > much of the `positivity' of late that the TMorg points to as > > > > evidence > > > > > is actually due to the SRF 4000 meditators in practice > together > > > > last > > > > > summer. The powerful lasting influence of a larger n=squared > > > > number > > > > > by contrast. After all, exponentially 4000 powerful > > > SRFmeditators > > > > > sitting in practice is a lot more strong than 1700 sleeping > TM- > > > > sidhas > > > > > in recline in group. Sit with the shakti of a SRF group > > > > meditation > > > > > if you have not, to judge it. They got shakti that is alive > in > > a > > > > way > > > > > that by contrast the TMmovement group meditations are only a > > > > forlorn > > > > > disheartened hope over what could have been with their > > movement. > > > > > -Doug in FF > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela Mailander > > > > > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > According to William Blake, movements always end like this-- > > > > stale, > > > > > authoritarian, rigid. They begin with fiery spirit and end > in > > > > > ashes. > > > > > > > > > > >He describes the process in some detail and at great depth > in > > > > > >his "Book of Urizen," which I read when I first got my > > children > > > > > >involved with TM, and I thought, hmm, here's a test case, > and > > it > > > > has > > > > > been amazing to see how it went down exactly like the man > said > > it > > > > > would. > > > > > > > > > > >So, perhaps, there is no need to speak of failure. Instead, > > we > > > > can > > > > > realize that this is the natural process for any movement. > > This > > > > does > > > > > not mean that there is anything wrong with the technique. > > > > > > > > > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: "Maharishi Effect" Quantum- > > Failure > > > > > Essay > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ..x
