Look without, not within, is the best spiritual advice

For thirty-five years I belonged to a guru-centered religious organization, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), whose teachings centered around a meditation approach aimed at "going within." 

Through the repetition of a mantra, visualization of the guru, and observation by one's inner senses of theorized divine sound and light, the promise was that realms of reality beyond the physical would be experienced on the road to God-realization.

Nice idea. Never happened to me. Nor did it happen to anyone else associated with RSSB who I talked with over those thirty-five years. And believe me, I talked with lots of RSSB initiates.

Now, the whole notion of going within doesn't make much sense to me. I meditated in that fashion for over three decades. Eventually I realized that this sort of meditation can lead to concentration, but it isn't a useful means of living a more satisfying life, since life is lived without, not within.

Buddhist'y meditation, which typically involves following one's breath, being mindful of external perceptions, and having the eyes open at times and closed at times, strikes me as a wiser form of spirituality.

In Thomas Metzinger's book, The Elephant and the Blind, which is about the experience of pure awareness either in meditation or in everyday activities, he makes an astute observation in the "Coming Home" chapter.

For now, we can simply conclude that on this reading -- treating it as something aimed at successful practice (not as metaphysics) -- the classical motif of "recognizing your own true nature" would really describe the possibility of a shift in the unit of identification: the possibility of pure awareness becoming that from which the world is now experienced, as opposed to that at which the meditating self looks.

Metzinger says that a common mostly unconscious belief in the brain holds that (1) we have a preexisting, perhaps innate, true nature, and (2) this nature can be recognized. This certainly fits with the RSSB meditation I was taught which theorized that our true nature is soul, but soul is disguised by coverings of mind and matter that need to be removed so our pristine immaterial nature is recognized.

Maybe, but I deeply doubt it. 

What seems much more likely is that we do not possess any sort of enduring, unchanging true nature, commonly termed the Self. Instead, we are an ever-changing collection of qualities that arise from countless causes and conditions extending for vast periods of past time -- all the way back to the big bang, really.

As I frequently say to myself, No self, no free will, no problem. 

If I look within, I won't find anything very interesting. Just more of me. Thoughts, emotions, memories, anticipations. When my mind is silent and still, there's a certain peace, but this is an absence, not a presence. Deep dreamless sleep is peaceful also, as is death. Why would I want that before I die?

I enjoy a certain state of pure awareness where I feel what Metzinger said in the quotation above: becoming that from which the world is experienced. It's hard to put into words what this feeling is like for me. 

One way to put it is Douglas Harding's well-known adage of having no head. At first this seemed ridiculous, since obviously I and everybody else has a head.

But what he means is that when we look with eyes open, what we see is the world, not a head. A head only appears when we look in a mirror, or at a photograph of ourself, which entails making an object of ourself.

Our subjectivity, our consciousness, has no head. There is no place where we could "go within." That's a fantasy, an abstraction with no basis in reality. What is real is our awareness from which the world is experienced. It makes no sense for awareness to be that at which the meditating self looks, because awareness is what is doing the looking, and we can't look at what is doing the looking. 

Expressed in words, this sounds confusing. But in my actual life, it is very simple. At times throughout the day, I feel the breath passing in and out of my nostrils. Centered in that physical sensation, I view the world as if it were my head. Which indeed, it is, for the only way I can know anything is by being aware of it.

Looking without rather than within feels better to me. Again, the world is much more interesting than I am. My thoughts and feelings are very familiar to me. I much prefer to have the world be my head, rather than my head be my head.

That may sound crazy to you. It does seem that way when I read the words I just wrote. All I can say is that it reflects how I feel, albeit imperfectly. That's the problem with words. They aren't reality.

Comments

[um]

It was an interesting reading it does tell about many things.
The things, the conditions that make an spiritual practice possible and fruitfull.

If the world one perceives is full of ever changing joyful experiences, as easy to be had as the food in supermarkets and one loves these experiences and is devoted to them ...than why would anybody do otherwise?
OR .....
Is even ABLE to do so?

What is described in the blog I suppose is indeed, the fate of most westerners. They all live in general a comfortable, material, social and cultural life. If added to that, that they find the socializing with others comfgortable and if they too have no frictions with the organisation, why would they not stay?

But if we turn our gaze to the place where, this practise orgginated. Have a look at the circumstances of life we can dedect another picture. One of poverty for the most. If we look deeply into the social cultural conditions, we too can find an complete other world that ours. If then after many years we delve deeply into the biographies of the Indian saints we come to learn about what for them devotion and love is.

Just delve in the life of Baba Faqir Chand, read his live, not once but several times and drink in how the man lived, than it will become easy to understand why he could experience what is out of the reach of most of us in the west.

Writing this I remember the words of the late MCS ..It is impossible to attache by detaching

So

Yes the writer of the blog is correct IF the love for this world cannot be replacced by and attachment to something else, something better, nobody NOBODY will be able to change his course of life.

BUT ...the biougraphy of the sainst tell us that it CAN be done by humans, but only if the right circumstances to do it are available.

[um]

@ Ron E.

With reference to yesterday in that other blog entrance: about the price to be payed.

In order to go in there is energy needed, emotional energy.
It seems to me that those that go through this or that emotional trauma, find there that needed energy that others find in faith and love.

No car runs without fuel.[ love ]
No car runs without an energetic spark [trauma]

That is what I came to understand about the psychology behind going within

The pull [ or drive] must come from within.
If it is not there it is just not there
AND ..
there is nothing you can do about it

P.S.
The Narrative of the saints, has an answer for those that do not have that pull or a pull that is not strong enough or the circumstances of live are to averse. That answer that solution is not discussed much in detail but it is there. The known version is that story about 4 lives.

Salmons swim against the stream it needs power, energy to reach the final destination from where they came.

[um]

I hardly dare to say but on my way making myself an cup of coffee, a thought did arise in my mind that:

The conclusion of this last message in this blog must be that whatever one writes to prove that there is nothing beyond the world of the senses, irrespective the level of expertise, in the end is nothing but an psychological escape mechanism in order not to face the cruel truth .... that whatever one wants to prove to one selves and others as "not existing", does exist but it is out of reach and only available to a very small "happy" few.

No scientist in any field of academia will ever come up with such an proof of none existence, the every growing sophistication of the research, is only retarding that cruel enlightenment of the truth .. it is there

Surrender to this cruel brutal truth, is probably a blessing in disguise....it is a final blow to the ego and the rise of the son of humility

The question is who is better of in the mean time as human being, the believers, the people of simple faith or the skeptics, the rationalist, the logicians, the atheists and the philosophers and researchers of consciousness

or .. the coffee drinkers.

[M B Sharma]

Has anyone got the update on the court case against GSD ..last time l heard he made excuses not to show in the court and then he asked not to disclose his Income details to Public
Later his wide died after having complications from a weight loss surgery ( not sure if he agreed to that surgery)
What happened after that? Has that case closed?

[um]

@ Mr Sharma

What do we have here?
A mister Sharma that lives somewhere in the outskirts of the civilized world, without modern media?

Be assured the very moment something happens to him of importance to the the public, it will be in all global media the next moment..

And do you need to know anything about him before having your cup of tea?

[umami]

The wisdom of Sunil Godhwani...

1) "Successful Business Based on Successful Team."
2) "You don’t build an organization by pointing fingers. It's not what they did, it's what you did not do."
3) "Sharing the growth, sense of ownership, differentiation between ownership and management should be the core value of a visionary firm."
4) "In the situations when promoters are interfering, professionalism becomes an escape go [sic?]."

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/19448003.Sunil_Godhwani

[umami]

Should it read, "...professionalism becomes a scapegoat?"

[M B Sharma]

@um

It seems l strike your painful nerve. I was genuinely asking because I haven’t followed GSD’s news for a long time. The last I recall was around two years ago when GSD made excuses to avoid appearing in court, which seemed to contradict the public image he tries to maintain. I know how slow the Indian judicial system can be, and with political backing, cases can easily be dragged out for years. I just hope justice is eventually served, and that the people whose lives he has destroyed or is still destroying finally receive the justice they deserve.

[um]

@ Mr Sharma

What nerve did you painfully strike.
Tell me and I will let you know if it is correct.

[Ron E.]

Yes, In Chan/Zen Buddhist meditation it is usual to meditate with the eyes open, either focusing on the floor a few feet away or facing the wall. I believe this enables the senses to be alert – but not inundated – rather than having the eyes shut which can facilitate streams of thought.

Regarding this, another thing that is common with us conceptually oriented humans is the habit of looking down at the ground while walking. This seems to focus attention on thinking rendering the ‘outside’ world to be unheeded. It is now also a common habit that we walk while focused on our smart phones. It seems that when the opportunity to sit and relax occurs, such as in a café, instead of enjoying the people and activity around us we allow our heads to be full of the phone’s contents encouraging more thinking. And yes, the communication enabled from smart phones can be a boon – as well as enabling conspiracy theories and misinformation; all along with missing the actual world about us.

There is also the fact that we do not see the world about us as it is, but how our brains interpret it. I see no problem with this and it needn’t detract from the sounds, sights etc. that we constantly experience; what does seem to be a tragedy is the continual overlaying of our perceived reality with ideas, thoughts and mind created concepts. We have fallen into a habit of living in our heads whether through the habit of extraneous thinking along with the contents streamed at us through the various forms of media. All effectively obscuring what is occurring in the present moment or what is – to use common cliches.

So where does spirituality come into all this? In my view, the term spiritual (and perhaps the actuality) of noticing or being aware of present moment reality, of the world about us is spiritual. Also, perhaps secondly, seeing how we habitually project our mind-created thoughts, our views, opinions and so on onto our reality. Being open to this and seeing this, to me is spirituality.

[God Of Baruch Spinoza]

Posted by: M B Sharma | August 11, 2024 at 10:31 PM

In the past years Baba has established close relations with BJP, Mohan Bhagwat, Modi etc. and it is evident that as long as BJP is in power, hardly any court will go against Baba or pass any order against him.

[God Of Baruch Spinoza]

@ Mr Sharma

What nerve did you painfully strike.
Tell me and I will let you know if it is correct.
Posted by: um | August 11, 2024 at 11:49 PM

Coccygeal (Tail Nerve )

[umami]

Sexual bodhisattvas, lol

[M B Sharma]

I recently attended what is referred to as the national satsang in Haynes, Bedford, UK, and I left with a deep sense of disbelief and disappointment. The event, which draws crowds from all over, turned out to be little more than a recital of selected poetry from saints or teachings from previous RSSB leaders. There was nothing new, nothing profound—just a repetitive cycle of words that seemed designed to maintain a facade rather than inspire genuine spiritual growth.

The Q&A session, which I had hoped would offer some clarity, was even more bewildering. The responses were vague and confusing, leaving me with more questions than answers. It felt as though real issues were being sidestepped, and any attempt at deeper inquiry was subtly discouraged.

The satsang took place in a sprawling mansion, a stark contrast to the simplicity one might expect from a spiritual gathering. What struck me most was the realization that GSD has a private residence within the premises, a well-guarded house that raises serious questions. How did he manage to secure such a luxurious home on land bought under the guise of charity? This residence is maintained by sevadaars—volunteers who provide free housekeeping and other services. It seems this place serves as his holiday retreat, where he spends 5-6 months each year.

Observing the opulence surrounding GSD, it’s hard to reconcile his lifestyle with that of a genuine spiritual leader. Yet, his sevadaars, some of whom are reportedly paid handsomely, work tirelessly to project him as a divine figure, a 'God in human form.' The commercialization of the event was evident—after the program, there were stalls selling food, books, and even photographs of GSD. Donation boxes were scattered everywhere, inviting contributions without providing any receipts, making it impossible to account for the funds collected. Not be surprised if it used for money laundry

Given the substantial income generated, one would expect that the organizers could at least provide free food, especially considering that many attendees travel long distances. However, the irony is that the food sold is prepared by volunteer sevadaars, who then have to pay for it themselves.

I also learned that attendees are not allowed to ask about GSD’s involvement in shell companies or his financial dealings. Questions must be submitted in advance, and only a select few are permitted to speak. This level of control was not seen a few years ago, and it seems designed to prevent any scrutiny.

The security at the event was on par with that of an airport—rigorous checks, and no phones allowed. The atmosphere was more reminiscent of a high-security event than a spiritual gathering.

Having returned after a long time, I couldn’t help but feel that the situation is deteriorating. The contrast between the message of simplicity and humility and the reality of luxury and control was too glaring to ignore. I can only hope that the truth will eventually emerge if there is truly a higher power overseeing all of this.

[AAM]

@M. B. Sharma,
I have to agree the atmosphere at these events have deteriorated, as there isn't much spiritual inspiration. Of course, the representatives are quick to tell you that the problem is with you. You are not receptive. You get what you come to get.
May not be attending in the future.