Dialogues With Ganga II
With Ganga's permission I am reprinted an email from her in response to my questions. My thanks to her for being so gracious and sharing her insights here.
B:I like your answers and to my surprise most of what you say is precisely
What I have found to be true.
G: Truth is truth..and i simply speak the truth... trust me it doesn't make
you popular...for the most part people do not want to hear the truth they
want their egos fed... they want to control everything... and they don't
know how to get to that place.... how to get beyond their own self created
bondages....living in Rishikesh is no picnic being surrounded by "guru's" and
"sadhu's"
.... the gurus are simply feel good - feed the ego - money collecting -
theory spouting - parasites.... they thoroughly believe their own press....
the ego of humility doing a great service to mankind.... and the sadhus sit
all day and pester everyone for money which they use for alcohol and
cigarettes... no spiritual practice at all..... just begging all day to feed
their habits.... and the "Naga Babas" sit and smoke hash and ganja (no
meditation) just drinking chai and talking crap... oh they are very good at
pulling in the younger crowd putting a rudraksha around someones neck and
making them a diciple then of course the hand goes out because you should
support your guru.....
but if you do not have a good foundational knowledge - and the ones that
come do not..... they get pulled into the whirlwind of Yoga "Teachers" and
Gurus..... when people come here they are under a pre-conceived notion that
this is a spiritual place.... which outwardly there are temples everywhere
and puja done every day... but it is just as spiritually bankrupt as any
other country.... people ask for the same mundane things money etc. etc....
there are very few that are on a spiritual path that is balanced and
sane.... the indians have this false sense of superiority being born in such
a "spiritual" country.... and they are just as blind as anyone else....
although great wisdom comes from here... and there are undoubtedly a few
good Gurus... for the most part what is found is the buisness of
spirituality... a few crumbs for a big price.... a lot of fanfare and of
course for those of other cultures it is exotic and so something new and
exciting...
People must "BEWARE" and be Cautious during this time of "Kali-Yuga"...
B: Do you mind if I forward your answers to other
people?
G: as stated before i am an open book there is nothing to hide... of course
you may forward the answers.... everything must be able to stand in the
light of day...
B:I think we can do something wonderful here. I really like your
perspective, and I will tell you after looking at K from many directions for
decades along with paying close attention to the spiritual scene and all the hoopla
and hype, I am amazed that you have seen similar things.
G: It is not difficult to see once you are removed from the hooks.... when
one is "involved" you cannot see clearly... only when you have stepped back
from involvement does it become apparently clear.... One that is emotionally
caught up in looking for "a way" or a new technique .... one that is
xearching and grasping for straws becomes desperate in their search.... and
the objectivity ends....
when you are in the throes of the full blown kundalini experience the waves
keep pushing you here and there.... and let's face it at that point all we
want is relief.... we will grasp at almost anything that is presented just
to find a little relief.... and unfortunately it is the ego centered gurus
which will of course be right there to give you the cure..... People need
to come to a centering... the middle way..... there is a way to proceed....
but it is not found in quick fix - mystical magical renderings.... however
attractive they may seem....
B: By the way, you sound like someone from the US rather than India, how is
this so?
G: Ah very perceptive....yes the form was born in the US... right in the
center as a matter of fact but dorothy's not in kansas any more.... she
followed the yellow brick road and wound up over the rainbow.... (so to
speak)
B: Are you a westerner who studied abroad? s.
G: i came to complete my path.... it was an unfolding that i knew would take
place in India.... and so i came.... of course the universe put me in touch
with just the right one to break through the last of the conditionings....
it was what i call lovingly the kabir method of the grand slam.... the 2x4
method of spiritual teaching.... in fact it is quite a humorous story....
what you resist will be what you find....
i did not study as such... my time and life has been one of contemplation
and introspection... although did a lot of reading along the way all the
intellectual "knowledge" came to an end in the process... at any rate it has
been an "interesting" journey... before i left the US i went into a bookshop
and there was this tape "Satsang with Rajiv" i looked at it and just said
"Yeah right like i would go to that yahoo... i don't think so".... so where
did the universe send me.... to that very yahoo.... when we met i didn't
place who it was... it wasn't until after the grand slam that was
instrumental in releasing and breaking through the last of the conditionings
that i saw his tapes in his room..... of course at that point i just sighed
and surrendered to the universe..... so who knows where the keys will come
from to unlock the doors.... it will be sometimes from where we least expect
it.... from the very place where we swore we would never search....
hahaha.... the time spent around him was short but it was invaluable to move
me forward to the completion of the path.....
B: I have got some Ideas I will run by you when I have fully developed them.
G: Would love to hear them anytime.....
B: Another question, what do you advocate people do for spiritual work who
have already awakened Kundalini?
G:there is what you could call a path of no path which helps to center and
to move you forward.... every moment can be used for spiritual sadhana...
it must become a mindset... a natural way of Life.... there are some
techniques that you can use.... it takes moving forward one step at a
time.... Here is a short list but it is only a beginning.... these are tools
that i have found along the way....
if you haven't started this practice then begin... so we have
1. staying in the present (no past - no future)
2. focusing on ONE experience - one thing at a time
3. watching the thoughts (active vipassana)
4. Rejecting everything that you hold to be "you" that is transient
in nature until you come to what remains..... the Essense
5. living your highest Truth at ALL times
6. seeing Every Moment as Sacred and conducting yourself as such
7. to relax just be aware of your breathing.... go into the breath
and completely relax... don't attempt to slow it just be aware of it
and then be aware of the body within centered in the heart... (right
side of the chest)
8. do the mantra OM .... first be aware of the sound the vibration
and then switch and be aware of the silence....
9. audible mantra which is very good is "I Am that I AM"
10.open eye mantra while walking OM THAT I AM.... no matter what you
see say OM That I Am..... (it breaks down your feeling of separation
from existence and life)
Well that should be enough tools for now...Hints for centering and
slowing....
B: Ramana Maharishi, by the way, is my favorite Sage from India. My other heroes are Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and all the people quietly serving others in every hour of every day.
G: Very good list... Ramana Maharishi you could say is the last of the great
liberators for me....it was through this avenue that the path ended with the
knowledge of the Absolute.... in direct perception all the pre-conceived
notions and illusions of truth are shattered... and the kundalini process is
terminated as far as the difficulties... the vasanas and the samskaras are
blown out.... it is a much more gentle process than the kundalini.... it
completes the kundalini process....
... you can learn something about how to live a day to day spiritual life of
sadhana by watching these lives... how they unfolded....
B:I like your down-to-earth spirituality. This shows balance which you sadly
do not always see.
G:Ahhh you come to this point eventually.... until then we want the mystical
etc.etc.... sometimes it takes the hard route of traveling through the
mystical to get to where the true mystery is... and that is simply day to
day existance.... we play the small games until we get to the largest game
which is simply the JOY the BLISS which is LIFE....
Life is the Divine Puja - here is a writing on that..
DIVINE PUJAIn Divine puja you are All...The body is the action.
The wisdom you ascertain is the light.. the light of Consciousness
The senses are the wafting fragrance of Life in the transient realm...
The whisk is the breath of life - which gives life to the vehicle of
form.....
and the Prasad is the ego self layed at the feet of the Divine...
When ALL ego self and action and outcome is surrendered totally....
All that remains is the All - or God - The Source - the Divine Constant -
That Which Is - Truth - Consciousness - Bliss....
beyond the ego form, of seeming bound divisions is the Truth of Existence...
All Existance is a Divine Puja and you are the Divine Prasad...
Ego - is the offering - Form or body -the action - and That Which Is
offered to is Self devoid of ego sense, Truth Beyond Division...... yet also
form in the transient....
Non - dual ...... forever Non-Dual..... ever in Form and Non-Form....
the transient that rests in the Constant.... Nature seen and spirit unseen
form the One..... and yet beyond is the void or emptiness of Truth,
Consciousness, and Bliss..... the Self of All... beyond birth and death.....
permeating All and yet separate and distinct.... beyond the paradox of minds
illusions and forms divisions.....
The Ocean of Divine Consciousness is the basis of All Life.... All that is
seen and unseen..... That Which Is... Beyond All Concepts and divisions yet
seen in all its glory within the seeming duality called life and
existence.....
