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This guy doesn’t even have a website. He’s a carpenter in Vermont who wrote a book and went back to his craft. Frankly, during my search, I was always leary of gurus who stand to gain something from keeping their followers asleep.
For Carse, his awakening happened to be spontaneous or without any spiritual practice. It took him a while to figure out what had happened to him. His book chronicles his experience and what he found out after awakening. Because he was so interested in finding out what happened to him, he has collected an excellent number of quotes from various spiritual teachers and traditions, and presents many of them throughout the book.
Because Carse’s awakening was spontaneous and was brought on by no effort, he has no method of practice to recommend in his writing. However, the real value here is in what he imparts in how he sees and experiences the world following his trip to the jungle in South America, where his awakening occurred.
In many ways this book demystifies enlightenment. At the same time, he also represents it as a happening which cannot be forced or purposefully replicated. Such is the paradox of the spiritual search.
Originally posted by RRokkyy
reply to post by Stormdancer777
The sad truth about Enlightenment is there is no method to obtain Enlightenment. Even the greatest "method", receiving the transmission
of spiritual force from a truly enlightened teacher for decades does not work.
Ramana Maharshi is said to have only enlightened two beings in his entire life of working with people;his mother forcibly at her death and a cow.
Rajneesh denied having any enlightened disciples while alive.
Even Adi Da seems not to have left any enlightened beings.
Enlightenment seems to just spontaneously happen to some. The story of
most of these gurus seem to show that they are compelled to their
enlightenment as their destiny. As if it represents the growth of their nervous system which culminates in enlightenment.
Enlightened Beings have an extraordinary presence which can be
tangibly experienced by spiritually sensitive people. They appear to
be not an other.
So does this David Carse have this presence? Or is he all book and no Shakti?
The One and Only Original Explanation of
No Seeking Explained in Two Words:
www.beezone.com...
"Tip #9 Tell Others to Stop Seeking
Most of the popular Neo-Advaita folks go with this approach, it is very trendy and has a long and misunderstood history in Zen also. But tell people that they are already enlightened BAM! it is all here and now you are done! Forget about the destructive and life altering work, experiences, processes, that the masters all had to endure, all YOU have to do is DROP THE SEARCH AND “BE.” It makes me want to slam one of those Staples Easy Buttons -that was easy. Done! Instant Enlightenment. It was here all along and I never knew it – wow! I bet the Buddha wishes someone would have told him that before the months of pain and fasting or all those dudes who almost died up in caves some place to wake up."
[edit on 23-5-2010 by RRokkyy]
Done! Instant Enlightenment. It was here all along and I never knew it – wow!
Originally posted by _SilentAssassin_
"Death Science" like Eckhart Tolle.
Weak mind individuals.
[edit on 23-5-2010 by _SilentAssassin_]
I think Ramana Maharshi meant that there is no path to enlightenment, it happens or it doesn`t. It`s a realization, and when seen, just obvious, many try to share and show. Check out Tony Parsons, Jeff Foster, Gilbert Schultz, Bob Adamson on youtube or read one of their books. When the individual sees that there is no individual, just this, this moment and the self are one (whole). The individual dissolves into being. So the 'person' who says that they are enlightened still sees themselves as a separate entity. Therefore, the oneness has been missed.
Awakening, realization is all about losing your identity. When seen, the individual realizes that the separate self is an illusion. What, or who is the thing we call 'I' ? We have made false idols of ourselves.