The Atma Jyoti Blog

Many of us suffer from–and suffer because of–what I call the Pinocchio Complex. Pinocchio lived in the continual hope that one day he would wake up and find himself a real boy instead of a puppet. We think that if we just wait long enough and lounge around the vestibule of spiritual life (reading the magazines in the Dharma Waiting Room) we will one day find ourselves out on the track and on our way–and soon at the goal.

We are not really lazy, otherwise we could not even sustain our life on earth, yet effortlessness appeals to us endlessly, especially in spiritual matters. Any yogi who adopts the soap-commercial line about how quick and easy–just like magic–it is to meditate and attain enlightenment will sell very well. His customers will not get anything in the long run, but maybe they did not want to, anyway.

Before we can know our true, inmost self, we must first gain control over our untrue, outer “self.” It is this control that is meant by “self-controlled.” And when we attain that control we restrain the false self in all its aspects. Moderation is not the purpose here, either, but eventual effacement so the true self can resurrect, ascend, and reign (the real meaning behind the same events in the life of Christ).

Further reading:

• Foundations of Yoga
• Three Useful Meditation Tips
• Yoga in Four Words

My friend, Saguna Hejmadi (a cousin of Papa Ramdas), was once at the Anandamayi Ashram in New Delhi (Kalkaji). Somehow an ignoramus standing nearby learned that she was a disciple of Ma Anandamayi and did a great deal of meditation. “Why are you wasting your time with all that?” he asked, “Women cannot attain liberation–only men can attain liberation.” Foolishly she began arguing with the the man, who bolstered his assertions with many scriptural quotes.

In the midst of this altercation, Mother Anandamayi came walking through the room. “MA!” called out Saguna, “Is it true that women cannot attain liberation?” Still walking on, Ma nodded and answered: “That is true. Women cannot attain liberation.” Saguna stood there completely thunderstruck as the man chuckled and chortled at his “triumph.” After standing and stewing for nearly half and hour, Saguna saw Ma returning. Ma came right up to her, said: “And men do not attain liberation either!” and walked on and out of the room.

Then Saguna understood: only those who transcend body identity and “live in the spirit” can attain liberation.

More memories of India:

• Who is a Real Yogi or Sannyasi?
• Kundalini as Primal Consciousness

There are few original thinkers at any time on this earth. George Bernard Shaw was one of the most original thinkers and writers of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, he is known almost entirely through the motion pictures and television dramatizations made from some of his plays. Although his plays were insightful and often humorous, his real work consisted of the extremely lengthy introductions to those plays in their printed forms. There we find a brilliance of thought and expression that completely eclipses the plays themselves. Shaw was undoubtedly the greatest English-speaking philosopher of his time, and remains so today.

The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, written in 1932, was as bold as it was devastating. It is a ruthless unmasking of people’s “gods”–none of which have anything to do with God. When reading it, please keep in mind that the people the black girl encounters are not meant to be satires of the Divine, but satirical exposés of the foolish ideas that are current about God. In the same way, the Conjurer is not a depiction of Jesus, but a depiction of the childish way in which Jesus is presented by Christianity. It is this illusion that speaks to the black girl, not the true Jesus. The same is true of Shaw’s presentation of the popular idea of Mohammed. Reading between the lines we see that Shaw is an uncompromising supernaturalist, more than merely discontent with the prevailing ideas in religion. Again, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God is not a mockery of religion but of the ignorance that substitutes itself for authentic religion.

As is obvious from many parts of this fable, Shaw was outraged at the abuse of Africans by Europeans, and certainly considered all humans to be of equal dignity and value. The inclusion, then, of certain disrespectful epithets applied to Africans was to point out European racism as well as to show that Africans sometimes absorbed it to a degree and even applied such expressions to themselves. His intention was thoroughly positive, as was Jerome Kern’s when in 1927 he wrote the opening words of Showboat: “N——rs all work on the Mississippi; n——rs all work while the white folks play.” He wanted the audience to be shocked and to protest so he could reply: “Why do you object to the word when you do not object to the treatment that goes along with it?”

This short story by Shaw is so full of insight that we have added it in full to our website. Read The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God by George Bernard Shaw here.

From David Hayward at NakedPastor.com

Among the gods, he who awakened to the knowledge of the Self became Brahman; and the same was true among the seers.
–Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Since we are really parts of Brahman (humanly speaking, for Brahman is One [Unitary] and has no parts), Self-knowledge is itself the knowing: “I am THAT” or “I am Brahman [Aham Brahmasmi],” but in a correct perspective. Many golden ornaments are all gold, not one of them is all the gold that exists. The upanishads use the simile of the ocean and a cup of ocean water. The cup of water is absolutely “ocean,” but it is in no way the ocean in its totality. That is why we say that there is no difference between us and Brahman, but there is a distinction between us and Brahman. This is a crucial point for the questing yogi. Those who think they are the Infinite are as insane as those lunatics that claim to be great figures of history. And some even claim to be God!

There is an old joke about a visitor to a mental institution that was accosted by an inmate who announced: “I am Napoleon!” “Oh, really, smiled the visitor, “How do you know you are Napoleon?” “Because God told me,” came the quick reply. A man nearby spoke up and said: “You liar! I never told you any such thing!”

Some “enlightened” “Masters” and “Avatars” need a strait jacket, not an ashram and adoring disciples.

We want to share with you a news piece we came across a last week which was so absurd that it could have been featured on a satirical news show. We found it on Tricycle.com and The China Post.

China announced last month new regulations governing Tibetan Buddhism, including a stipulation that senior monks, known as “living Buddhas,” cannot be reincarnated without government permission.

“The reincarnation of living Buddhas must undergo application and approval procedures,” the new regulations stipulate. “Living Buddha” reincarnations with a “particularly great impact,” such as presumably of the next Dalai Lama, “shall be reported to the State Council for approval.”

The new regulations, which come into effect Sept. 1, were issued by the State Religious Affairs Bureau under the State Council, which implements religious policy set by the Communist Party.

To read more, click here.