Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A new model for satsang

It might be called something like "mind and heart satsang," or "integrated awakening to truth," or whatever, but it coalesced during and between my dreams
last night. Looking at the clock at 130, 200, 400, 600, etc, the idea faded in and out. I kept willing empty mind to calm it, and focused attention on the "third space" in front of the 6th chakra. But in essence, here is the idea so far:
Satsang has two distinct components, one being the deepening of heart allowing unconditional or universal love, the other being removing delusions from the mind, or empty awareness. Empty awareness and heart fullness, emptiness and fullness, truth and love.
It appears there are two general types of satsangs and sanghas directly leading to awakening: inquiring, and surrendering; gnani and bhakti; finding and letting go. These have important characteristics that cause them to appear as a duality, as I have just stated. Together they will lead to the final duality of emptiness and fullness, which resolve into true nondual awareness. This duality can actually be resolved anywhere along the way, as I have experienced at least twice, or it can result in stuckness, which is quite common, as I have seen, heard, and read. How to prevent sticking in the duality of emptiness or fullness, one without the other?
A true teacher could be said to offer both emptiness and fullness in the teaching, and even go as far as recognizing the need for each in individual students. Students don't know that they are missing emptiness and risking becoming stuck in bliss, or missing heart and risking isolati8on into emptiness. People mistake emptiness or fullness alone as nondual awareness. Teachings right now are rampant with ideas that emptiness is the same as nondual awareness. How can that be if the heart with its vibrant flow of love, is missing? Bhakti sanghas devote and prostrate to the teacher who leads rituals, chants, and burning of incense. Students are stuck in bliss, content and with no need to go deeper, and no guided inquiry. Can a satsang offer both?

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