Well Rick, here is a stream-of thinking answer to your suggestion. It is apparent when reading Guru Dev's satsangs that he was totally sold on the idea of everyone living by the Shastras. So it might be interesting to take a raincheck on that area. He really was quite adamantly against arbitrariness - caste was important as was ritual. He was highly unimpressed with science. He had a downer on Westerners. He seemed to have absolute belief in fatalism. He didn't seem to believe that just doing some worship or meditation was enough, he believed that living by the Shastras was totally necessary (sorry to come back to that first point - but it is so recurrent as to be inescapable). Okay, where were we. Oh yes, he most certainly was completely sold into the idea of rebirth and all the rest of Hinduism's basic beliefs, thus re-enforcing the idea that all things Hindu are right and fine and dandy. But often he makes it clear that he is repeating accepted wisdom. BUT that is entirely contrary to what I understand MMY has been saying. He has encouraged people to believe that being enlightened will give up the answers. i.e. it is consciousness not books that give the knowledge. It is likely Guru Dev lived an exhalted inner existence and was incredibly at peace with himself. It is implicit in everything MMY says about his guru that we are to take it that he was enlightened. However, if one lives purely by rules, Shastras and convention and never makes decisions for oneself, in any real sense, the point of wanting enlightenment gets lost. People want to feel free of the interminable rules and regulations, that's a big part of why they take a dive into the peace to be found beyond thinking.
There must be something there worth discussing, other than the confused way I have laid out the ideas. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > on 2/2/06 5:51 PM, Premanand Paul Mason at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > I have produced a resource of a set > > of webpages offering most of the known material of Guru Dev and have > > offered up translation of recently discovered texts at:- > > http://www.paulmason.info/gurudev/gurudev.htm > > But, with the exception of the 'OM' debate, it has stimulated very > > little response here on FFL. It would be interesting to hear some of > > the issues discussed here. > > Perhaps, That's the way to do it. > > Whether or not anyone takes you up on this offer, perhaps you could give us > links or paste text of some points that you consider most fascinating. That > might get some discussion going. > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 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/
