Tag: Meditation
-
You Mean Karma Yoga ISN’T Primarily About Being Of Service?
Question: I thought karma yoga had to do with being of service to others. That’s not so? No, not directly–though that’s one type of action that can arise. The target of karma yoga is the ego-self–specifically, its diminution and ultimate “extinction” (The quote marks around “extinction” are meant to indicate that the ego-self never existed…
-
Huang Po’s Uncompromising Direct Pointing Teaching
The Zen master Huang Po (d. 850 AD), whose teaching can be found in The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind, gives you no conceptual handles to hold onto. In this regard, his teaching resembles The Avadhuta Gita, which is a deconstructive wrecking ball also. Huang Po won’t, just won’t let…
-
Ego In Two Senses: Covert And Overt
Question: The nondual teaching says explicitly that the Self is not the doer, and yet I’m still hung up on being the doer. How do I go beyond this idea? Ego In Two Senses In what briefly follows, I don’t mean to suggest that ego “in the two senses” is anything but a stipulative distinction.…
-
Is Atmananda’s Direct Path Teaching The Same As Ramana Maharshi’s?
Question: Aren’t Atmananda and Ramana Maharshi essentially saying the same thing, and can’t their direct path approaches be regarded as versions of the Witness teaching? Excellent question! And just the right one. In short: No! Atmananda’s teaching can be divided into “the lower” and “the higher.” The lower teaching employs the Witness in order to…
-
What, Really, Is Karma Yoga?
One common misunderstanding of karma yoga would have it that it’s about being of service to others. While this view isn’t wrong per se, it largely misses the essential point, which is that it has to do with letting action come without resistance or fetishization while knowing that one is the eternal witness of all…