[jimrich]

Originally Posted by The Necromancer

Self-inquiry and Jnana Yoga can only lead one to the door of the "I Am"...it may even open it to reveal what exists beyond, but it is up to the aspirant to traverse through it to reach the 'other side' of perception.

The teachers and spokespersons that I follow these days claim that this is it and that I (I almost wrote 'we') already are "there" - just as I am, right now. They say that there is no: path, door or a "beyond" - just this right here as it is NOW. I am "there"! If I sit here suspecting that I am not "there" yet and don't feel especially "enlightened" that is the Source, in the form of Jim, feeling unenlightened. All of this is Source or That JUST AS IT IS RIGHT NOW. So these teachers do not speak of = going somewhere, taking up a practice, like yoga or meditation, walking any path, sitting with a guru, reading such and such books or any thing other than to allow me to know that this is it just as it is and that I already am what so many others PROMISE I'll be or find if I follow a path, self inquire, meditate, enter an Ashram, find a guru, etc. I followed this "Who am I?" thing for many years but NEVER found the Source or Self but, listening to Tony Parsons and some other "here and now" teachers has shown me that I am That right now and have always been and always will be - just plain old, normal, sometimes dull, depressed, frightened, hungry, horny, bored or excited me - yet totally complete and whole just as I am - here and now. What a relief to be told that this is it and it's OK just as it is! All my life I believed that some day, if I was lucky, I might be "saved" and find a happier, more satisfying life somewhere and somehow never knowing or being told that THIS IS IT, JUST AS IT IS. LOL, I would not have believed nor accepting such a teaching back when I was young, angry, frightened and desperate for a solution to a miserable life. It would never have occurred to me that the life I was having was GOOD ENOUGH and that everything was OK just as it is.

No book, no philosophy, no amount of knowledge can bring enlightenment and that is why 'advaita' is usually followed very closely by the word 'vedanta' which basically means 'after this, you're on your own'.

Whew, I am so happy that some modern teachers have finally pointed out that there is no "after this", no "you" to get somewhere nor a "before this" but only this here and now so there is no path and no future to "hopefully" find. It's here - right now!

The way through that door is by doing yoga!

My teachers might say, "Do yoga or whatever you wish BUT it won't get you any closer to who and what you are RIGHT NOW!" You ARE that/this!

I'm not talking about physical postures here, but other paths which take over where the path of Jnana Yoga ends...for some, this is Raja Yoga (Meditation)...for others, it is Bhakti Yoga (love)...for others it is Kundalini Yoga or Tantra Yoga...whatever it takes the individual person to transcend the mind...transcend learning and knowledge about 'what is'.

Do all that stuff if you like but you already are "what is". You have become convinced, by other deluded folks, that you are NOT already "IT" so you may need to go on and on with practices and paths until it finally hits you that THIS IS IT and that there is no 'you' to get something or go somewhere - YOU ARE IT!

Like Starman said, people will choose (or the path chooses them) whatever fits their personality and seeing as how everybody's personality is different, then every path will be different...even though this is all mithya as well.

I am so very happy that the new teachers DO NOT talk about "paths" and personalities!
google these folks: John Wheeler, Jim Newman, Tony Parsons, Robert Wolfe, Natalie Gray, Charlie Hayes, Rupert Spira, Kenneth Madden, Richard Sylvester, Nathan Gil, Lisa Cairns, Mooji, Jeff Foster and each of those links will take you to even more pure non-duality spokespersons...........good luck