Dec 13, 2013 — OJAI, CALIFORNIA (SUN) — An Objective Critique of Adyashanti's Zen Authenticity
Chapter 4
Fragments of Truth
"Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth,which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart." (Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 1 Creation, Chapter 1 Questions by the Sages, Text 2)
Fumbling Around
One of the things common to all the New Age faiths is the awkward fact that buried within a whole lot of confusing nonsense, some of what they teach does contain glimpses of axiomatic truth. It's those small portions of wisdom that attract the soul. That's why people get involved with these organizations and feel so grateful and committed to them. Adyashanti bloviates so much that on occasion he actually says something that makes sense. This is generally true about the whole New Age movement and the same principal could even apply to much of what is taught by the less philosophically rigorous faiths as well.
Much of what the Neo-Advaitas have to say about the illusionary world and the rascal mind is consistent with what Krishna teaches. Where we take issue is in the conclusions that the impersonalists unilaterally declare as "True".
For example there are a whole lot of New Age reverends that preach about the "Oneness" (Non-dual) aspect of our human experience. What they are talking about is "Brahman" realization. Many of these cosmic teachers also glean an awareness of paramatma which they tend to refer to as their "Higher Power". However, they have not been properly trained in the subtle science of self-realization. All they can do is speculate about these things. Consequently, they are unable to explain any of it very nicely. Yet because they have some transcendental awareness of these things they are very committed to the path they are on and their respective teachers.
Where Adya and the other ministers of the Oneness movement are doing a terrible disservice is that they lead people to believe that Brahman realization is the grand zenith of spiritual awakening. They don't understand the distinctions between Bhagavan and Paramatma because the don't have access to this knowledge and for the same reason they have no clue particularly about Bhagavan realization.
"Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance 1) Brahman, 2) Paramatma or 3) Bhagavan." (Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 1 Creation, Chapter 1 Questions by the Sages, Text 2)
The prophets of the New Age fumble around occasionally getting a few things right but they completely miss the most essential aspect of the "Absolute Truth" identified here as Bhagavan realization. Because the Mayavadis make no distinctions between God's inferior, marginal, or superior energies all their confusing words cause a great deal of unnecessary havoc for everyone. These Advaita people love to TALK about entering into the "Silence" but in that regard they can't even follow their own realization. If they were serious about the Non-dual path they claim to follow, they would go to the mountains, sit down in a quiet place, meditate by themselves and stop polluting the ether with their piecemeal blend of occasional truth-bits lost in a tsunami of verbal slag.
Stop Thinking and Just "Be"
The most insidious by-product of all the Neo-Advaita propaganda is the assertion that even the concept of the self is an illusion. René Descartes concluded: "I think, therefore I am" , but the Mayavadi version of that statement is: "I think, therefore I am still deluded!"
Consider the two following quotes. In the first one Adyashanti speculates about objects, perception, awareness, consciousness, and formlessness. After rambling on about rudimentary claims he then leaps to the conclusion that: "…NOBODY…perceives!"
"…most people are paying attention to objects, to what they perceive – rather than to the ultimate perceiver, the background. Either way, awareness is happening 100% of the time... Me is only a thought. You are before this me thought.-p49 The human being is what links consciousness to its own infinite expressions in form. Through the form of an awake human being, consciousness becomes conscious of itself as both formlessness and as all forms.-p71 There is only the perceiving, there's no body that perceives." (Adyashanti, "The Impact of Awakening", p. 73)
This is another example of how the guru from Cupertino speaks in such a way that it's difficult for lay people to comprehend. While the brain attempts to unravel constructs like, "…consciousness becomes conscious of itself…", he slips in the expected Neo-Advaita conclusion that there is nobody doing the perceiving.
Adya speaks in concepts that are vague, unfamiliar and of little tangible benefit to our daily life and that's exactly why his audience sucks it all up. They don't want to change anything about the way they are! He then asserts his unsubstantiated opinion that there is no individual soul. Now let's compare what Adya says to how Krishna explains these concepts…
"A person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them." (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter 2 Karma-Yoga Action in Krishna Consciousness, Text 8-9)
Krishna speaks in terms that are very clear and concludes that the soul is aloof from the senses. Adya says there is no individual self but Krishna confirms that we are all unique individuals not destined to merge into the homogeneous "ONE" that the Neo-Advaitists are obsessed with. He even trumps Adya's goofy conjectures and unequivocally states that the individual self/soul is eternal.
"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter 2 Contents of the Gita Summarized, Text 12)
For even further clarity Krishna confirms again that He and the individual are distinct and that they both reside in the body side by side with Krishna riding along as the guardian of the soul.
"Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer, who is the Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul." (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter 13 Nature The Enjoyer and Consciousness, Text 23)
This distinction between the Supreme Lord and the individual living entity is one of the main themes that run all the way thru both the Bhagavad-gita and The Srimad Bhagavata Purana, the two most significant scriptures in the entire Vedic canon. Adhya dismisses these scriptures as just thoughts, and then proceeds to replace them with his thoughts!
There may be waiting lists to get into one of Adhya's seminars but that doesn't mean he is offering anything of significance. It's also sometimes hard to find a parking place at Walmart but that's because a lot of people want something that is easily accessible and cheap. People seeking quality goods don't look for them on the shelves at Walmart. People serious about getting a legitimate spiritual education don't go to shadow puppeteers like Adyashanti.
"Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krsna, the deliverer from evils." (Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 2 The Cosmic Manifestation, Chapter 3 Pure Devotional Service: The Change in the Heart, Text 19)
Cheaters like Adyashanti are there to fill the market demand for those who want something easy and cheap. He has proven to be quite adroit at making unsubstantiated opinions sound like prophetic proclamations. This is how Adya has made a good business out of cheating those foolish enough to accept him as a legitimate guru. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami describes all this posturing as the dance of the "Cheaters and the Cheated."
"Everywhere, this way they are cheating people simply. In religious life also. These rascals, 'Guru-ji has come. He says there is no need of book; he is self-sufficient,' and people are following him. They have no sense that every education is obtained through books. Where is that educated man who has never read a book?... People have become so lowest degree intelligence. So naturally they are cheated by so-called scientists, so-called religionists, so-called avatara, so-called philosopher. All people are simply cheated. Simply cheated. My Guru Maharaja therefore used to say, 'The whole society is a combination of cheaters and the cheated.'" (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Morning Walk, Los Angeles, Sep. 16, 1972 Transcripts - Fidelity check pending)
Conned into Spiritual Suicide
The people we turn to for guidance reflect a portion of who we are. Some get trapped up in trying to wrangle meaningful advice out of a cryptic statement like:
"This awake silence is available to anyone in this moment. All you have to do is stop using your mind to look for it. It doesn't know where to find it". (Adyashanti - Paraphrased from web site audio clips)
However, well-adjusted individuals seek clear advice from reputable sources that have no need to codify their scam in cryptic riddles like the Delphi of Greece.
"If we believe in absurdities we shall commit atrocities." (Voltaire; DFANA, p130)
What the general public doesn't realize is that Adyashanti is plagiarizing the Advaita teachings popularized 1300 years ago by Sankaracarya. Sankars' deviations were immediately rejected by the erudite brahmanas in his day for two distinct reasons. The first is that nobody in this age of Kali is qualified to pursue the Advaita path successfully. The second reason is that even if one could perfect the total control of ones' senses as required by the Non-dual yoga process… it only brings one to the Brahmajyoti which is the glaring white light everyone is talking about.
It should also be mentioned here that in the Non-dual path, one's consciousness must be fully absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord to even qualify for entry into the Brahmajyoti.
"Somehow or other, one must consider the form of Krsna very seriously. Then, by one of the five different processes mentioned above, one can return home, back to Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however, being unable to think of Krsna's form in any of these five ways, cannot attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Krsna, whether in a friendly way or inimically."
PURPORT
Impersonalists and atheists always try to circumvent the form of Krsna. Great politicians and philosophers of the modern age even try to banish Krsna from Bhagavad-gita. Consequently, for them there is no salvation. But Krsnas' enemies think, "Here is Krsna, my enemy. I have to kill Him."They think of Krsna in His actual form, and thus they attain salvation. Devotees, therefore, who constantly think of Krsna's form, are certainly liberated. The only business of the Mayavadi atheists is to make Krsna formless, and consequently, because of this severe offense at the lotus feet of Krsna, they cannot expect salvation. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in this connection: tena sisupaladi-bhinnah pratikula-bhavam didhisur yena iva narakam yatiti bhavah. Except for Sisupala, those who go against the regulative principles cannot attain salvation and are surely destined for hellish life. The regulative principle is that one must always think of Krsna, whether as a friend or enemy." (Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 7 - The Science of God, Chapter 1 The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone, Text 32)
What people don't realize is that merging into the glowing effulgence of the Supreme Lord is considered to be the transcendentalist's booby-prize because there is no rasa/exchange in the Brahmajyoti. Therefore it can't satisfy the soul which is by nature active and seeks loving affection. Therefore, before long that individual will become very restless when tossed into the solitary confinement of what Buddhists refer to as Nirvana. (Nir = Without Vana = Qualities). When that occurs, they are anxious to return back to this material plane. Only then will the soul have another chance to restore their lost relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and go back home, back to Godhead where we originated from and eternally belong.
The only reason why Sankaracharyas' aberrant teachings survived was because it attracts individuals not well versed in Vedic Scriptures and those who are very proud and envious of the concept of a Supreme Lord. Those are the ones who carried it forward and the Advaita sophistry has had a very controversial history ever since.
Adyashanti is simply perpetuating the deceit. He has dumbed Advaita way down, stripped out everything that would scare away potential followers and repackaged it with Madison Avenue gloss. He keeps refining his act so it will appeal to those who don't want to have anything to do with crosses, burkas, or holy books but still crave for at least a reflection of a "spiritual" fix. The sad thing these folks don't realize is that the Non-dual path is just the negative side of material life. The only thing it changes is it makes those who get involved with it more egocentric, confused, morose and unreachable.
"When the atheistic philosophers or the Mayavadis, being unable to understand the inconceivable energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, imagine an impersonal void, their imagination is only the counterpart of materialistic thinking. Within the material world, there is nothing inconceivable. High-thinking philosophers and scientists can tackle the material energy, but not being able to understand the spiritual energy, they can simply imagine an inactive state, such as the impersonal Brahman. This is simply the negative side of material life. By such imperfect knowledge, the Mayavadi philosophers conclude that the cosmic manifestation is a transformation of the Supreme. Thus they must necessarily also accept the theory of the illusion of the Supreme (vivarta-vada). However, if we accept the inconceivable potencies of the Lord, we can understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead can appear within this material world without being touched or contaminated by the three modes of material nature." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya Lila 6.171p)
Advaita is dependent on dismissing everything because by definition it means: "No Distinctions." The first things that must be pushed out of the way for it to survive are all sociological, religious and philosophical studies that will expose it for the mindless fraud that it is. Adyashanti does this by simply declaring everything contrary to what he claims as just empty thoughts.
"The intricacies of spiritual philosophy and theologies are just a thought within Emptiness." (Adyashanti)
In this way even the superexcellent Vedic scriptures are tossed on the same refuse heap of "Emptiness"along with everything else, including the concept of one's own identity. Therefore any aspect of thinking must be rejected and that's pretty much the way it must be for Advaita to survive. As soon as one applies even the most simplistic reasoning to what the prophets of the Oneness movement preach, all the double standards and inconsistencies become very obvious and the whole thing collapses like a house of cards.
For example consider the following logical progression:
No form of life seeks or enjoys anxiety, fear, confusion or suffering.
It is the angst of the NOW that attracts people to Adyashantis Non-dual "Awakening Seminars."
Adyashanti portends to be an authority on Brahman realization.
Adyashanti provides no logical explanation for why the original, Non-dual Brahman (singularity of pure consciousness) would just up and decide to throw itself into the quagmire of confusion everyone is struggling to transcend.
No! This phenomena does not constitute a divine lila!
No! To say: "Why Not?" is a cop out.
No! To dismiss the question as irrelevant because it comes from the mental platform, is the raw hubris and very madness this whole article is designed to expose.
End Chapter 4: Exposing Adyashanti's Ruse - Fragments Of Truth
