Dear James,
Thank you for your work, effort, art, charm, humour and your reliability. It’s like having an ongoing monologue with you since you came into my life. You’re definitely my unbroken source for spiritual inspiration. It even feels wrong to say spiritual, as if there would be anything else.
One thing became clear to me during the seminar; you’re giving an education from a to z. And we students need it! It doesn’t matter if you give a clear Vedanta lesson or tell a story, comment on politics, etc. It comes together in one package and is about preparing the mind, maturing, being honest with ourselves about our attachment to beliefs and opinions. How could somebody who sees himself as an “advanced“ Vedanta student be concerned about the legality of vaccinations? Of course I have sympathy for people who are ignorant and for myself when I catch myself thinking in an ignorant way, but when people get defensive when they don’t like a particular teaching, it irritates me. I know that Self knowledge is not about creating a specific kind of person. It’s about getting rid of the notion that there is a person to begin with.
But still James is (seemingly) there, Glenda is there, Ramana Maharshi was there walking around, behaving, reacting, enjoying etc. And the way you react seems familiar, right and appropriate. Life, including vaccines and viruses and people’s reactions are all Vedanta, particularly when it comes from you.
It’s really beautiful to “experience” the fruit of the knowledge as being (most of the time) a cool, relaxed and cheerful person without having the notion of being a cool, relaxed, cheerful person. Life is unfolding and I witness it. Thank you lord for taking care of it all! Thank you lord for removing the ignorance about my true nature! I hope to see you soon on another seminar and I still will write to you!
James: Appreciation is much appreciated, Glenda. You have the correct view of the teaching and the teacher. Vedanta is practical. It’s about life. Everything is Vedanta. It’s not some kind of pretty escapist philosophy. My views about things in this world are based on reasonable logic. Most of the emails generated by my views on fear, the virus, the quarantine, Trump, and the evil cabal of rich oligarchs who are taking our money and enslaving us were very positive, but there are always people whose emotions cloud their reason and find it necessary to vilify me. There seems to be a supposition that spirituality implies a particular political and social stance. But a reasonable person is liberal on appropriate topics and conservative on appropriate topics according to a higher principle. Our view is that taking a stand on one side or the other out of habit or as a matter of principle is not smart. Life will make a fool out of you if you do. Anyway, do stay in touch. It’s the cool thing to do without being cool. 😉
Love,
James
