Enlightenment Sickness continued (Part 3)

ZOOM on 23th June of 2024 at 7pm Madrid time

Jun 20, 2024

Dear friends

Last Sunday’s Satsang based on the second chapter of the Kena Upanishad that deals with Enlightenment Sickness elicited a lively discussion. Though some of you may wonder why we are focusing on this, it is an important topic in that it is a normal part of the process of freeing the mind from identification with the egoic doer identity. Related to this is resolving psychological blocks that interfere with assimilation and can also cause an inflated or spiritual ego, which was the point John raised. However, humility and faith in the teachings and the teacher are the most important qualifications for self-inquiry, along with dispassion discrimination, vairagya and speech control. All qualified inquirers, which most of you are, understand the value of the tradition of Vedanta and the teacher who represents it, and you are definitely 'getting it'. As Damian pointed out, there is no substitute for faith in the nondual teachings and the guidance and love of a qualified teacher of Vedanta.

I did not get to give my talk and I will do so this Sunday. In addition to continuing the discussion on ES, I will cover the difference between therapy and self-inquiry, which is important to understand. Therapy has its place in purifying the mind and we highly endorse it as preparation for self-inquiry. But therapy is not equal to self-inquiry. The means of knowledge that Vedanta provides is more than able to help all inquirers, east and west alike, in dealing with their psychological issues, first and foremost, by negating the doer with reference to Isvara. No therapy will ever be able to address the root cause of all suffering, the discrimination between satya, nonduality, and mithya, duality, without which we identify with the body/mind and its story.

If an inquirer is not properly qualified for inquiry, they most likely will benefit greatly from therapy. However, beyond preparation for self-inquiry, it still has its place in helping to identify and release residual samskaras that arise in the nididhysana stage. This is par for the course and does not mean that Self-knowledge is not working or has not assimilated. The means of knowledge Vedanta provides, karma yoga and bhakti yoga in addition to guna yoga are perfectly designed to help inquirers develop the qualifications for inquiry if they are not strong enough, and deal with likes and dislikes, which are the more obvious road signs to our deeper unconscious vasanas, at any stage of self-inquiry.

We hope you will all join us!

Much love

Sundari and Ramji

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8346167587

Meeting ID: 834 616 7587

Passcode: 2023

1. The First Vedanta Cartoon on ShiningWorld by Tyler and Ramji

Ramji: Cartoons are wonderful because of their simplicity, much like Vedanta. Once you grasp the core ideas of Vedanta, you're set for life!

Let us know what you think about it:

2. Video of the Week: The Universe is Benign!

3. Satsang of the Week: There's no Karma-Vedanta

4. Social Media: Who owns the Mind (Part 2)?

To see all comments and posts by Ramji on Reddit, click here:

Ramji on Reddit

To see all comments by Dave on Reddit, click here:

Dave on Reddit

5. Recording from last Sunday: Reflections on my Journey as a Vedanta Teacher: Exploring the Kena Upanishad, Part 2

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6. By Georg: First impression from the 6 month program at Dayananda ashram in Rishikesh:

I had been planning my stay at the Rishikesh ashram, where Swami Dayananda is buried, for a long time, ever since my first visit to the Anaikatti ashram in 2017. Finally, based on Felix's recommendation, a friend from Germany, who attended the same course in 2023, I was able to finalize my travel plans. Being here is an exquisite experience. Spending time among like-minded individuals, constantly surrounded by Swamis, and diving deep into scripture and meditation is truly fascinating. The food has been excellent and if you enjoy Vedic culture, you will find it most exciting here. I can definitely recommend it to anyone. However, be aware that everything is a zero-sum game; for example, the heat is currently extremely intense, and challenges are definitely part of the experience.

Love, Georg