RE: Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Ludovic FONTAINE, modified 2 Years ago at 11/27/21 3:31 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 11/27/21 3:30 AM

Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Posts: 6 Join Date: 10/9/21 Recent Posts
Hello DO Friends,

Today I invite you to listen to my new interview with Greg Goode, teacher of the Direct Path of non-duality as transmitted by Sri Atmananda (Krishna Menon), Jean Klein and Francis Lucille.

English version ( Read by Greg Goode) : https://youtu.be/O7AaJRmBKYc 
Written version :  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dwSJ0FmShGsgltNhx8-PAI9OtO2WYouC/view?usp=sharing
French version (Read by me) :  https://youtu.be/5RuJsYRCqf4

He's the author of "Standing as awareness", "The Direct Path", "After Awareness", "Non Dualism in Western philosophy" and "Emptiness and Joyful Freedom"

He's a very articulate author and teacher and reminds me of Daniel Ingram's precise, open and pragmatic way of teaching.

Topics covered 
His background, teachers, and influences
Greg's views on Non-duality, Neo-Advaita, “awakening”, “liberation”, unconditional happiness possible
The implications of awakening on our emotions and behavior
Are there degrees of achievement?
How would he recommend people to keep their feet on the ground and not bask in illusions about their so-called “achievements”?
The “direct” path vs. “progressive paths”?
Is practice useless?
Are the Awareness and Emptiness approaches reconcilable?
What is the place of the body in the direct Path ?
How to explain intellectually that there is only one consciousness?
Is nonduality a form of solipsism? 
Compassion for the other when there is no other?
Lucid dreaming and awakening
Practical considerations: Are there contraindications to the study of nonduality?
Science, philosophy and consciousness: A possible agreement?
How can we find an authentic teacher?

Enjoy !
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terry, modified 2 Years ago at 11/28/21 1:14 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 11/28/21 1:14 PM

RE: Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Posts: 2426 Join Date: 8/7/17 Recent Posts
aloha ludovic,

   Looked at the interview with gg.

   It reminded me that there are two kinds of teachers: those who come to god through teachings, and those who come to the teachings through god. Those who are awakened, and realize, and those who learn about awakening through symbols and continue to generate more symbols in response. 

   So the end of the two teachings is as different as their start. In god, the ego is eliminated same as the stars disappear when the sun comes out. In symbols, the ego basks in the credit it gives itself for sokving its spiritual problems by eliminating itself!

   Often the two teachings are indistinguishable. In words. Like the "dichotomy" of experience and reality.

​​​​​​​terry
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terry, modified 2 Years ago at 12/5/21 5:22 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/5/21 5:19 PM

RE: Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Posts: 2426 Join Date: 8/7/17 Recent Posts
the idea that there are two kinds of teachers/teachings, depending on whether they originate in thought or in intuition, is elaborated by ibn 'arabi as he classifies men...


Excerpt From: Toshihiko Izutsu. “Toshihiko Izutsu Sufism And Taoism.” 

The first classification divides men into two categories: (1) those whose minds have an otherworldly structure and (2) those whose minds are of a worldly structure. The first category is represented by a man who, pure of mind and heart, free from all bodily desires, can see through things and grasp immediately the realities underlying them. A man like this knows God by ‘unveiling’ and ‘immediate tasting’, not by Reason. Of course, he, too, exercises his Reason within its proper domain, but never pushes it beyond its natural limits. Rather, he readily goes beyond the realm of Reason, and follows the judgments given by mystical intuition. Such a man is a ‘knower’ (‘arif) and a ‘servant of the Lord’ (‘abd rabb).

The second category, on the contrary, is represented by a man whose mind is deeply involved in bodily attachments, who is completely under the sway of desires, and who, consequently, cannot see the reality of things. In trying to know God, such a man depends exclusively upon Reason. He cannot step over the boundaries of logical thinking. Even such a man may taste, on rare occasions, something of the experience of ‘unveiling’. In such cases, his Reason recognizes thathe is experiencing something unusual. But this he knows only by Reason. So as soon as the experience ends, he falls into confusion, and ends up by submitting himself to the judgment of Reason. Such a man is not a ‘servant of the Lord’; he is rather a ‘servant of reasoning’ (‘abd naiar).

It must be noticed that Ibn ‘ Arabi does not simply disparage and deprecate Reason. It has its own field in which to work properly. But it has its limitations. A real ‘knower’ is one who assigns to Reason a proper place and restrains it from overstepping its domain. The prophets and apostles are not people devoid of Reason. On the contrary, they are pre-eminently men of Reason. But they have a wider field at their command which lies beyond the reach of Reason.

In fact, no one is more reasonable than the apostles. But (in addition to Reason) they are (endowed with another capacity by which) they bring informations directly from God.
Thus the apostles admit the authority of Reason (within its proper domain), but add to it something which Reason cannot grasp by its own power, and which Reason rejects it at first; it is only in the Divine self-manifestation (i.e., during the time in which the mind happens to be actually experiencing it by ‘unveiling’) that it admits that it is true. However, as soon as the experience of the Divine self-manifestation leaves the mind, the latter falls into confusion concerning what it has just seen. If the man in such a case happens to be a ‘servant of the Lord’, he immediately subjugates his Reason to Him, but if the man happens to be a ‘servant of reasoning’, he subjugates the truth to the judgment of Reason.

This state or affairs, however, occurs only as long as the man remains in the worldly dimension of existence, being veiled from the other worldly dimensions (which is realized) in the very midst of the present world.
Even the ‘knowers’ of the truth look in this world as if they were in a form peculiar to the present world because of the earthly properties appearing in them. In their ‘interior’, however, they have already been transported by God to the state of being which is peculiar to the Hereafter. There can be no doubt about it.

​​​​​​​So they are not recognizable outwardly except to those whose spiritual eyes have been opened by God to see through things. In reality, every true ‘knower’ of God, (who knows God) through the experience of (His direct) self-manifestation in himself, is actually living in a mode of being peculiar to the Hereafter. Such a man has, already in the present world, been resurrected from the dead and brought to life from his tomb. So he sees what others cannot see and witnesses what others cannot witness. This is a result of a special favor which God grants to some of His servants.
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terry, modified 2 Years ago at 12/5/21 7:02 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 12/5/21 7:02 PM

RE: Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Posts: 2426 Join Date: 8/7/17 Recent Posts
Once upon a time, there were two artists, famed for their skill. While they never competed, many people desired to know which of them was the best.

A contest was devised, and the artists each produced a picture for the event. Judges were assembled, and they viewed the paintings. The first painting was of a vine, and flowers, and fruit. All were amazed at how life like it was; birds banged into it and bees and wasps were attracted to it. Amazing!

The judges turned to look at the next painting, and they told the artist, draw the curtain and let's see it. The artist replied, what curtain?

The judges were mightily impressed, and awarded number two the prize, as it was considered to be more artistic to fool humans than to fool nature.


(from allan watts on maya)
Ludovic FONTAINE, modified 2 Years ago at 11/28/21 2:22 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 11/28/21 2:22 PM

RE: Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Posts: 6 Join Date: 10/9/21 Recent Posts
Thank you for having watched the interview and for your comment Terry emoticon 

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terry, modified 2 Years ago at 11/28/21 7:06 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 11/28/21 7:06 PM

RE: Interview on Non-duality and the Direct Path with Greg Goode

Posts: 2426 Join Date: 8/7/17 Recent Posts
Youre welcome, though I only looked at the text.<br /><br />Nice to feel appreciated.<br /><br />t

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