"Knowing the Self means being the Self."
- Ramana Maharshi

O DESPERTAR E A ILUMINAÇÃO Workshop-Seminário

Workshop-Seminar taking place this weekend in Lisbon at Casa Semente (Alvalade).

Click here for more details, or see link below for the facebook post of the event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168316283178821

'True Faith'

There is no soil for wisdom and peace to take root unless there is profound, non-conceptual, self-knowledge.
Lacking this, all of our seeking and all of our striving is tainted, and fuelled, by a fundamental self-doubt.
When the recognition of our essence 'spontaneously' blossoms, the primordial split between humanity and nature – between individual and source – becomes resolved, and our life unfolds without resistance...
'No faith required'...

'Individual' truth and 'Universal' Truth. Conditioned mind and Unconditioned Consciousness

As individuals - as a window for consciousness - we are each uniquely positioned in space and time...

But in essence, at the roots of 'our' Being, we are consciousness itself - undifferentiated and unconditioned.

The deepest mystical revelations and spiritual insights amount to nothing more than this.

Self-realisation is a living knowledge of one's essence - not abstract or theoretical - inherently embodying the infinite creative potential as our very Presence.

Theoretical self-knowledge tends to inhibit inspired action - whereas, on the contrary, the awakened Presence is ever flowing with it.

Words cannot contain these truths... but inspired poetry can evoke them...

The 'Truth of our Essence' is world-shattering - it destroys all our beliefs about reality which are based on our sense of 'separate self'.

The Freedom that is sought while there is a constricted experience of separative-existence cannot be found by trying to 'understand' spiritual teachings. There is nothing the mind can do to alleviate this primordial suffering of existence.

But the struggle of the mind to find peace can be seen for what it is, and in that moment there is a lightning bolt of understanding that destroys the fixation on 'separativeness'.

The struggle of the mind to find peace is a symptom of the negation of our essence. While this negation continues the mind will not grasp spiritual truth - it will either reject it or intellectualise it.

There is no freedom found through the mind. There is Freedom in 'seeing through' the mind.

The play of mind is the basis of ignorance (about our essence).

Do not struggle with the mind!

This is mind's struggle! It belongs to the mind.

If you sincerely wish for and are open to Freedom, you must renounce this struggle.

It is not the mind's function to grasp 'reality'.

The mind's function/essence is to interpret and organise experience from an 'individual' (i.e. 'separate') perspective.

But renounce this struggle with mind.

It is not mind that is the problem. It is attachment to 'mind-ness' that brings the feeling of psychological or spiritual bondage.

Receive Spiritual Coaching in Sintra

Sintra is one of the most picturesque and magical places on this planet.

Walk in the forests, visit initiatic gardens and labyrinths, take a picnic on the cliffs looking over the Atlantic, savour the local foods and unique sweets, visit organic farms, or learn to surf, and each day receive an hour (or more) of coaching while soaking in the magic of Sintra.

Now is the time. What better place to unwind and to let yourSelf flower?

Coaching with Peter Littlejohn Cook

information:

Tel: +351 967 045 411

panmandala@gmail.com

Shibendu Lahiri in Portugal - April 2010

Shibendu Lahiri at Quinta dos Milagres, Lagos.

Shibendu Lahiri is giving a lecture tomorrow night (16th April 2010) in Lisbon at 9pm, and Kriya Yoga initiations over the weekend and then a retreat in Fátima.

You can also find information about this and his upcoming events (UK, Germany, India, USA, etc.) at:
www.kriyayogalahiri.com/htmluk/program.htm

He is a true Advaita master - a voice for the Infinite.
His teaching is not 'comforting', it is profoundly disarming and dissolves the 'I'-centred illusion of separation...
If you meet him or 'his' teaching, prepare to be 'blasted'.

The 'Energy of Understanding'

Whether information be the conclusion of experts, a declaration of the pope, or the revelation of angels, prophets, extra-terrestrials, ascended masters, the 'Higher Self', a guru, or God, it is not the source of information and its reputation that determines whether something is valuable or true...

It is always our understanding alone that determines whether information, or 'wisdom' or 'spiritual teachings' are 'valuable' and 'true'.

No authority can substitute our own understanding.

When we allow ourselves to be led by an authority figure or an authoritarian belief system (or 'dogma'), we may believe that we are on a Spiritual path, but really we are simply denying our 'God-given' capacity for deep, individual, alignment with Life.

A Spiritual practice - a 'spiritual life' - is supposed to bring out the best in us, to help reveal the infinite richness of our Divine heritage as Spiritual Beings. (The words 'Divine' and 'Spiritual' can be substituted with 'Original', 'Real', or 'unconditioned' if we do not identify with spiritual/religious terminology.)

If we follow an 'authority' instead of being guided by our own understanding, we are denying our heritage - our roots.

To be deeply rooted/grounded, is to be guided by our understanding - not 'intellectual understanding', but the 'energy of understanding' - the Living Intelligence, the Creative Source.

The essence of Spiritual teachings has usually been Love - God's Love (or 'Life's Love') of humanity, and Love of each other... the 'Brotherhood of humanity'.

If a teaching, even one that is given by 'God', is not understood it is, at best, useless. In many cases, it is actually dangerous because of the fervour with which it will be (mis)applied.

A tradition that emphasises faith in a teaching or doctrine and affiliation with a group, if it leads to alienation of other groups or individuals, will tend towards disrespect of those who are outside of the group (which tends to lead sooner or later to violent abuse).

This is why religion has developed such a bad reputation, especially the religions 'of the Book' (which refers to Christianity, Judaism and Islam).


Understanding is what distinguishes wisdom from dogma.

It is only in our understanding that Spirituality can be truly alive and real.

But ultimately even 'understanding' becomes irrelevant as the sense of 'I' dissolves in the Graceful flow of Life.

*'The Energy of Understanding' is an expression frequently used by Shibendu Lahiri in his spiritual discourses.