I'm glad you find it worthwhile also. Since I've been encouraged
I might give my opinion on a couple of other issues.
Are there bad gurus? Yes, absolutely.
Some of the worst examples of narcissistic personalities, such as Jim Jones, portray themselves as spiritual leaders to attract flocks of lost and vulnerable people to their doom. Worse, because 'spiritual awakening' generally involves the progressive removal of various layers of ego-identity (for example, using the
Buddhist Fetter model), it is possible for an individual to have a genuine initial awakening yet an utterly dastardly ego quick to use its limited insights to prey on seekers. This can take the form of exorbitant fees or various physical, sexual or emotional abuses of devotees.
Next up, are there good gurus? In my view, yes, absolutely.
If you want nothing less than the gold standard, that brings us back to Ramana Maharshi. Unlike most, he had no scandals. He never touched money, never had any relationships and his presence was so powerful that many people had life-changing experiences just by being around him in silent sitting. His words carry an immense potency to this day and unlike, say, Jesus, his teachings have been recorded without getting turned into 'churches' dominated by narcissistic and power-hungry men.
Next question, is this all a load of nonsense?
Let's take a look. Obviously, the sense of being an individual person - the 'first person character' perspective - is incredibly strong for most people, most of the time. It escalates throughout childhood and becomes even more extreme when things go wrong in life. There's a 'me' who is at the centre of tragedy and injustice. The mind becomes an unbearable storm of furiously re-telling the story of me and desperately seeking a solution to its list of problems. So there's a lot at stake with this question.
The work of Eckhart Tolle is a gateway for many people, since he is not as directly focused on awakening as introducing people to basic teachings that can bring immense peace without necessarily entailing a radical shift in identity. For example, inhabiting the body by withdrawing attention from the mind. Or noting that all thoughts pertain to past and future, both of which are themselves thoughts; hence 'your entire life consists only of your sensory experience of this moment'. Or 'watch to see what your next thought is going to be'. This can be life-changing compared to the inner poison of mind dominance. Yet, it's only the beginning.
And what about all the nondual business? The idea that there is only a single consciousness and all separation is illusory?
If this message is too radical or too counterintuitive, it will not be considered as a possibility and the rest of your life will be spent being tormented by your own mind, even if you experience all the worldly success you could ask for. And yet, if the message
is believed, this is just as harmful. Now we have an intellectual model of a unitary consciousness and a willingness to indulge in a bit of meditation or to parrot mantras like 'I am not the body'. Unless a radical shift in identity has occurred - not to mention further integration and processing - this is not of value. This is not about adopting a new belief structure or developing a spiritual ego.
And yet, the intellect does have a role in initiating an authentic spiritual search. The trick is that it must be abandoned as soon as you are 'sold' that this is the highest purpose in life. But until then, we can marvel at the historical figures who all arrived at the same conclusion that we are all one. Each religion has had mystical leaders who present this same message using verbiage accessible to its members, such as Bernadette Roberts of the Catholic tradition. It is a common theme of spiritually transformative experiences, after-death communications or near-death experiences that have been reported by millions, the latter of which are commonly verified by medical professionals.
Balancing the ferocious power of the ego identity against the diverse background of trustworthy people claiming that its an illusion ends up a bit like flat-Earth theory. The logic says, I have not personally travelled on a spaceplane and I do not trust the people who have, therefore I stick with my practical experience that the Earth is flat and live within the cult around that. The result will be a lifetime of mental gymnastics to maintain a closed-off worldview. If this works, then go for it. Otherwise, the challenge is to give up everything you think you know, including all beliefs, spiritual ideas, and seek your own direct insights of the true nature of reality.
The ultimate question. Firstly, it needs to be understood as a subtractive process; i.e., one of unlearning rather than gathering knowledge. One of embracing the unknown rather than evading it. Being willing to face the darkest existential fear, or to feel the worst human emotions of shame, trusting that there's something on the other side.
Books written by people in an advanced state - someone like Eckhart Tolle being very accessible, or the teachings of Ramana Maharshi for more advanced seekers - carry little information but transmit power to one who is open and receptive. This has value unless it turns into an intellectual exercise.
The primary practical technique is Self-inquiry, which Ramana is most famous for. This is a very special activity because it satisfies the ego-self that feels that something is wrong and it wants to take action, yet directs that action towards pure consciousness. Normally the essence of the Self is ignored constantly as noise of the mind and passing phenomena of the world captures our attention at all times like a non-stop addiction. So, understood and practiced, the question 'Who am I?' is the most direct key to discovering your true nature. For further information, I can recommend the work of
Angelo Dilullo.
Also, meditation is a valuable practice, and retreats which involve days of silent sitting can be immensely powerful - sometimes dangerously so, unless guidance is available. Speaking of which, time with a teacher will help to expose whatever hidden gremlins we are trying to bypass or being held back by. If all of these steps are followed, you will likely find yourself amongst the large numbers of people who are turning the once esoteric concept of awakening into a mainstream phenomenon - which the world definitely could do with.
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