[Buddha-l] Eckhart Tolle

[Vaj]

Good Morning Erik:

On Jan 10, 2006, at 6:17 AM, Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:
Vaj schreef:

> <snipped to reduce to acceptable size> So I think those dangerous  
> weirdos who cook up their own version of enlightenment could be a  
> blessing in disguise, because they force some doubt, reflection and  
> discussion at least .

It seems the people who talk most about enlightenment are the ones  
who are trying to "sell" you something--either literally or  
figuratively. I'm thinking primarily of the Transcendental Meditation  
movement who talk a lot about their Patanjali/Advaita version of  
enlightenment, often with a slew of pseudo-science and the occasional  
actual science. They do have some amazing research on the EEG  
signatures for the "sakshin" or witness-consciousness so prominent in  
Advaita-Vedanta. Of course this "scientific sell" is probably  
necessary when you're charging 3000 US dollars to learn intro. mantra  
meditation.

These newer, new age Advaitins are selling the most ephemeral package  
of all and if you don't "get it" you gotta come back for another  
seminar or buy another tape. What is bizarre to me is the rapidity  
with which these people claim their own enlightenment. Of course then  
you can tell others about it. Start your own satsang. Share your new- 
found non-dual awareness.

And they do.

The most prominent trend in this area seems to be the spawn of one  
H.W.L. Poonja (aka Papaji, Poonjaji). Papaji had a number of students  
who he assigned as "ambassadors",  presumably to spread his message  
and as a welcome for others to come experience his non-dual satsang  
in India. Instead these "ambassadors" took this as Papaji's carte  
blanche acceptance of them as enlightened beings! They set up their  
own satsangs. Most prominent of these is Andrew Cohen who set up a  
publishing and teaching empire.

Papaji was not pleased. One of his comments were:

David:  “You used to give experiences to a lot of people.
Why did you do it if you knew that the effect would not be permanent?”

Papaji:  “I did it to get rid of the leeches who were sticking to me,
never allowing me to rest or be by myself.
It was a very good way of getting rid of all these leeches in a  
polite way.
I knew that in doing this I was giving lollipops to the ignorant and  
innocent,
but this is what these people wanted.
When I tried to give $100 bills to them, they rejected them.
They thought that they were just pieces of paper.
So I gave them lollipops instead.

David:  Many of the people  you gave lollipops to left Lucknow  
thinking that they were enlightened.
Does the fact that they accepted the lollipop and left indicate
that they were not worthy to receive the $100 bills?

Papaji: “If one is not a holy person, one is not worthy to receive  
the real teaching.
Many people think that they have attained the final state of full and  
complete liberation.
They have fooled themselves,
and they have fooled many other people,
But they have not fooled me.
A person in this state is like a fake coin.
It may look like the real thing.
It can be passed around and used by ignorant people
who use it to buy things with.
People who have it in their pocket can boast of having a genuine coin,
but it is not real.
It has no value.
When it is finally discovered to be a fake,
the person who  is circulating it,
claiming that it is real,
is subject to the penalties of the law.

In the spiritual world,
the law of karma catches up and deals with all people who are  
trafficking in fake experiences.
I have never passed on the truth to those whom I could see were fake  
coins.
These people may look like gold
and they may glitter like gold,
but they have no real value.
There are many people who can put on a show
and fool other people into believing they are enlightened.”

This quote very nicely encapsulates a common dynamic in this entire  
Pseudo-Advaita movement.

-Steve Feite