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Date Posted: 23:01:53 08/23/03 Sat
Author: Hendrik - 28 May 2003
Subject: Re: Retiring from board
In reply to: Anonymous - 27 May 2003 's message, "Re: Retiring from board" on 23:00:42 08/23/03 Sat

I feel that posting too often on a place like this is counterproductive to sadhana. I do not want to engage in endless monologues either.

A note about intellectuals: Two of my professors in college were intellectual giants. The first one was an asshole, but he had an absolutely incredible memory, appeared to be ominiscient, and nothing would escape his attention. I could hardly memorize a poem in school whereas this man had crammed whole encyclopedias in his head. He looked at bit like Prof. Nerode on this photo. The other one was a very refined character with a vast largeness of mind; he used to be very cautious in what he said, and all his statements were extremely differentiated but without ever becoming vague. These were people with mental capacities I can only dream of. There is a big difference between such people and the many pseudo-intellectuals that pester the yogic scene.

I have found that great scientists often turn out to be modest and undogmatic persons. They work on gigantic theories but seem to be aware all the time that theirs is just one of many approaches to reality and any conflicting data can bring the theory down anytime. They say what they know and are very cautious when speculating about matters that are beyond their proper field of knowledge. That is mental sincerity.

In college also some of the major professors were the real thing, while a number of minor ones and a significant amount of the assistants, lecturers or tutors were mere smart asses engaging in intrigues and jealousy. One that I know even stole intellectual property and when exposed fled to America, perhaps in order to build up a new career there.

More often the followers of a branch create the dogmatism; lacking the originality and flexibility of the great man they jump at his ideas either without really understanding them or give them a different meaning. Too often the original impulse behind the teaching gets lost in this way.

There was a related case in point in early psychoanalysis. Freud - the founder - was known as a man with great healing capabilities. His students applied his system but in the majority of cases they got nowhere with their patients. Freud had intuition and was the originator of the system, whereas many of his students were merely mechanically repeating what he taught.

Those students who became themselves mental healers of renown were individualists like Jung, Adler, or Reich.

I think one should make up one's own mind. In the case of both Gurus and organizations the "fellow disciples" and "ministers" are the thing that should be met with great caution. There are teachings and people that are recognized as authorities by some. One should pick up those one feels most in tune with and not be confused by what others may think; because many people speak actually from the point of view of their own unresolved problems and like to project them onto others. It is a psychological process, but hardly one conducive to yoga. Yoga is better done on one's own, without much community or mediators around.


About Shibendu I want to add that he is generally more inspiring in private conversation than in his messages and talks. According to his horoscope there is a possiblity for 'supreme realization' when he is 64 i.e. 2003. I know his no-mind stuff represents his outer personality in the first place; perhaps there is hope that things will change later on.

Hendrik

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