--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> Turq, excellent points (below) and I feel that both Edg and you
> are both following Basho's point of seeking what the "men of old"
> sought.
>
> What makes both Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta different (IMO)
> from other teachers, Maharishi included, is that they both
> emphasize the seeker's own immediacy and self-sufficiency in
> sadhana as opposed to intermediaries (either by technique,
> teacher, or ritual). Essentially they both say "you've got
> two good legs right underneath you; now walk over in that
> direction and you'll find what you'll find", whereas
> other teachings (just to arbitrarily over-generalize)
> emphasize the "follow me and walk this way" approach,
> ("mind the thornbushes over there; nice view right about
> here, etc.").
I completely agree. I like that about both of these
guys a great deal, and I also like the tendency to
*not* see the seeker as someone who is "broken" and
who needs to be "fixed" to realize their enlighten-
ment. That had an *immediate* resonance for me when
I first encountered their thinking; I had far more
resonance for it than I'd had for the I-spiritual-
teacher-you-peon-do-what-I-say-and-follow-me model.
> It's my feeling, congruent with whatever experience I've
> had, that either approach *does* lead to the same place
> (as Doctor Bronner says, "All One") but I'm not really
> concerned whether or not that's true or real or universal,
> and I'm certainly not concerned in convincing anyone of
> that either.
Gotta agree there. If they don't lead to the same
place, they lead to two somewheres that look enough
alike so that travelers who have gone there can
talk about their respective experiences over a beer
or two and understand each other.
> Similarly, it doesn't seem to me that you and Edg are on
> different sides of the issue; or if you are, it's the two
> sides of the same coin.
Yup. And in my case, the coin is still in mid-flip.
I don't see it as coming down on *any* side of the
coin anytime soon, at least not soon enough to
settle any side bets made on "heads or tails." :-)
