Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
I am currently working on a metaphysical synthesis of spiritual philosophies and teachings. I've always liked Meher Baba although I never got into him as much as Sri Aurobindo, although both developed a model of the descent and ascent of consciousness through cosmic evolution. I asked the Google Gemini search summary AI, who provided an excellent overall synopsis not just of Meher Baba's cosmology but overall spiritual teachings. While my own cosmology is closer to Sri Aurobindo, I thought it would be good to have some Meher Baba material.
Currently I am comparing
Neoplatonism
Advaita Vedanta
Kashmir Shaivism
Sri Aurobindo
Maher Baba
Da Free John
All five I have been attracted to. Of these, Neoplatonism gives the best systematic account of emanation.
Advaita Vedanta gives the clearest and simplest account of the identification of the individual intrinsic awareness with the nondual absolute Reality (Atman = Brahman). Its best 20th century representative is Ramana Maharshi, a truly authentic self-realised sage. Eckhart Tolle is a modern Western representative, although more New Agey. The basic non-duality state is actually quite easy to attain, as indicated by the number of partial Realisers in the New Age, Guru, and similar fields. I remember in the Integral movement of the mid to late 2000s, there were a large number of partial Realisers, Andrew Cohen being the best known, who got their very partial experiences from Papaji, a follower of Ramana, and then set themselves up as enlightened beings. A much purer figure from the Papaji tradition is Gangaji. I heard her talk once, she had a lot of Light, a beautiful aura, but nowhere at the level of senior Realisers.
Kashmir Shaivism gives the best systematic account of how infinite consciousness becomes the universe, and also a superior alternative to Advaita. As I would present it, Advaita is the entry level, Kashmir Shaivism the more advanced stage.
Sri Aurobindo gives the most logical and systematic account of the Divinisation of the world, better than Teilhard de Chardin, who is very similar, and Lurianic Kabbalah, which says the same thing in more obtuse symbolism. However he doesn't go into the metaphysics of Involution as much as Kashmir Shaivism. The two in other words complement each other.
Maher Baba presents a quite baroque model that often feels overly rigid with its tramline stages, rather like Theosophy, Anthroposophy, or Ken Wilber. Nevertheless his spiritual presence is incredible, equal to Ramana, but more on the Heart level, whereas Ramana is more jnana yoga.
Da Free John is a very quirky character. During the 1980s I read some of Adi Da, then known as Da Free John, and was hugely impressed by the power and eloquence of his writing. He developed a map of human and spiritual evolution that he called "the seven stages of life", and which is pretty basic and nowhere as sophisticated as the others. Again, he has an incredible presence in his videos, but the antinomian (sex and drugs) element shows a lack of purity, in contrast to the other three figures I mention here. This presents a paradox - perfect nonduality plus lower (tanha or craving) sensuality. Ken Wilber, a former disciple of Da, has written on this. Earlier I mentioned Andrew Cohen, well he was another unpurified guru, but very much a lightweight relative to Da Free John.
A better known antinomian figure, and another heavyweight in the field was Rajneesh (Osho), but I could never get into him the way I could Da Free John.
Still on antinomianism and heavy sensual addiction there is Crowley, who I also couldn't get into. I relate much more to Gurdjieff, a similar powerful occult figure who had a more highly disciplined energy and greatly disliked Crowley. Gurdjieff's student Ouspenky wrote several books, again, incredible esoteric and occult material, but limited by obscure presentation.
I first came across the following Meher Baba diagram in a small book many years ago:
https://x.com/i/status/2080762293009465710
Should we give up the attempt to uncover an ultimate foundation to the universe?
Most of us assume reality is made up of physical matter. In line with this, scientists have built ever larger machines to identify the ultimate particles.
But instead of getting closer to what is elementary in the universe, the particle zoo has got ever more complex and seemingly less like material stuff at all.
Some have proposed that instead of in the material, the ultimate foundation is to be found in consciousness, information, or even mathematics. But such proposals are no closer to identifying ultimate elements than particle physicists.
Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan, cognitive science Professor Donald Hoffman, and post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson debate whether the very idea of an ultimate foundation to reality is a profound mistake. Tap here to join them now. iai.tv/video/turtles-…
https://x.com/i/status/2080707131330769022
The languages we speak are not windows into reality, argues cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky. Only when we learn more languages do we begin to understand how much our words distort our perspectives. Tap here to watch her full studio interview, “The language we speak shapes the way we think”. iai.tv/video/language…
https://x.com/i/status/2080658163288637846
What if the foundations of modern language science were laid thousands of years ago?
Meet Panini [Threads of Knowledge]: The Original Grammarian by Vidya Jayaraman brings to life the journey of Panini and the remarkable tradition of Samskrtam grammar. Through an engaging narrative, the book explores how ancient linguistic ideas continue to connect with philosophy, computer science, and computational linguistics.
Read it to discover how a timeless intellectual tradition still shapes the way we understand language today.
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#MeetPanini #IndianKnowledgeSystems #SanskritGrammar #HistoryOfIdeas #B luOneInk
https://x.com/i/status/2080534862226702696
How is sound approached in the Veda?
We find a very profound and intense experiencing described here
It is precise, focused and capable of catching nuances that the modern sensibility completely misses
It is joyous and innocent, not weighed down by the baggage of experience and memory
Look at the ability to capture and notice the reverberations of notes, the rhythms, and their effects on consciousness that this resonance can bring and how they could replicate it at will with the human instrument as sole technology
The microscopic ability to catch the smallest units of sound and then the universal echoes generated by a musical composition that was a breakthrough for humanity, our first music
And then, to ascend even higher to the planes where this sound is born and move even higher in consciousness into the ultimate sky of awareness
It is breathtaking in measure the vast selection of these poem-ragas as our beginning, that we are still trying to live out fully in potential and envisioning
https://x.com/i/status/2079779519326536086
The entire Veda is an extended shlesha or pun
And it makes sense
The ancient Rishis saw a Universe that was itself many Universes together, interconnected, interpenetrating and, at one poise, intimately One
It was thus natural to represent it with a literary and artistic approach that was itself multiple universes together, each unique, each integral to a single Unity
Dynamic multiplicity in a Dynamic Unity. Such is the structure of the Veda, brilliant and still unrepeatable for humanity so far
It is a puzzle until the key to its mystery is discovered, the Many in One, One as Many as oneself
https://x.com/i/status/2080613716920246579
Vedanta does not just appear at the end of the Veda
It is there right from the first letter, but intense and dynamic, explosive and overwhelming
Each entity that is sung and celebrated is alive and in unity, not in separation or duality
This duality of Veda and Vedanta is a mysterious error that seems to have crept into the insight of even some of the greatest exponents of Sanatana Dharma
That deviation has been corrected by the eternal rejuvenation of the Sanatana Revelation. We see it in the great teachers of dharma in the last 150 years. And it is fitting that this renaissance is accompanied by a renewed interest and appreciation of the Veda
The Vedanta of the Veda is dynamic because it carries within its revelation the boldness and force of Tantra, its mantra and yantra
https://x.com/i/status/2080618271498232234
From Dholavira to Brihadeeswarar, from Ajanta to Nālukettu homes, Śilpa Śāstra reveals a tradition where knowledge, nature, and creativity existed in perfect harmony. And you can learn all about it! #Śilpa Śāstra
Register for the course here: online.rishihood.edu.in/courses/IKS-AC
https://x.com/i/status/2080618205567959063
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