Hi Tyler,
Lovely to hear from you!
Tyler: I felt compelled this morning to reach out to you because of the enormous impact your work has had on my life and continues to have. I rarely rarely do this.
James: Appreciation is always appreciated, Tyler.
However, to keep it short, I am a fellow writer. I started out as a reporter at a young age and I quickly became an alcoholic which later shifted into opiate addiction followed by addiction of every street drug that was available. This led to the destruction of a blossoming career, numerous trips to emergency rooms, rehabs, hospitals, jails and eventually prisons.
James: Ah, yes, those pesky vasanas can definitely give you a run for your money. I’m glad you survived.
Fast forward to today and I just recently turned 40. About a year ago I was a little more than a year clean and sober and I was in utter misery, a dry drunk so-to-speak. To make a long story short, I squashed my ego for the first time and humbled myself and doors began to open and I began to cross through them.
Due to constant research into the nature of reality and spontaneous healing and the science of mind over matter, I was listening to Dr. Joe Dispenza one day at work and I had a powerful physical awakening which put me in a state of bliss for weeks with energy levels I’d never experienced before without chemical assistance. This was one of many awakenings.
Eventually, this led me down the path of seeking “enlightenment” and I began meditating daily almost a year ago. Shifting through all the new age bullshit out there, I sought the purest most undiluted no-bullshit path to the purest teaching I could find. I have read hundreds of books and I was fortunate to come across yours. I read the Essence of Enlightenment first, which resonated with me and confirmed what I had been suspecting intuitively, that Vedanta is the best thing we have here on earth and that I needed to take it seriously. As such, it wasn’t until I started reading your book “How to Attain Enlightenment” recently that things started to happen. I must say, your mastery over the vernacular, your prose and pinpoint precision with your take on the truth — highly opinionated nonetheless — is very refreshing. We need more of that.
James: It seems we do if the interest in Vedanta since the publication of How to Attain Enlightenment is an indicator. Do you think the opinions are inappropriate and if so, why? Vedanta—Self inquiry—is a critical tradition. Its basic bias is the idea that suffering and ignorance are undesirable, since people move heaven and earth to remove them, which is a reasonable point of view, I’d say. Unfortunately, what most people deem self knowledge is actually ignorance, so are “opinions” that question people’s point of view actually opinions? It’s understandable that Vedanta rattles the cages of entitled people suffering affluenza, in so far as our definition of the Self…unborn existence shining as consciousness…contradicts the popular opinion that the self is synonymous with the consumer, the body/mind/sense complex, which is not supported by logic.
But yes, undiscriminating people, do think I’m an opinionated son of a bitch. There’s a nice little coterie of bottom feeding James Swartz trolls tucked away in an obscure corner of the internet who seem to have been mortally offended by some of my statements that suggest their gods have feet of clay.
Currently, I am in the process of dispelling these vasanas at this point while I am finishing the book, which I intend to reread and use as a study guide next to the actual scriptures. I also mentor a couple people and I have them reading the work as well.
James: That’s a wise approach. Once you are clear as to the big picture you have a tool that permits you to deal with the numerous topical issues that confront you, particularly your relationship to those pesky vasanas, which accompany us to the grave.
As a writer, I will be publishing my own work in the near future but my gut keeps telling me “awaken first, write later.” The world has enough semi-awakened gurus with worldly aspirations. I could care less about money or fame. I live in the inner city ghetto of Columbus, Ohio, and I am happier than I’ve ever been!
James: Another judicious decision. Many people who are awakened by Vedanta tend to be a tad eager to express their inspiration by ringing the bell and calling the suffering masses to church. It’s not the kiss of death but the tradition counsels against it. It’s best to let the flames die down a bit. A mature mind that glows like hot coals is tends to cook the food properly, not scorch and char it. Look what Jesus got for his trouble.
On your website it mentioned the necessity of an objective teacher in this process so once I finish the book, you will likely hear back from me concerning what would need to happen to obtain the mentorship of your or someone from your organization.
James: Good for you. The tendency for self-deception being what it is, the teaching only works in conjunction with a qualified teacher. Ignorance is not only hard-wired, it is clever like a fox. It’s technically possible for an intelligent and particularly humble individual to work out the details without help but it’s virtually impossible to avoid hubris, particularly for intellectuals who tend to have masturbatory levels of self-regard. A Chicago guy with a spiritual vasana who wrote for Newsweek back in the day once told me Mystic by Default, which is the story of my discipleship with Chinmayananda, was the first autobiography he ever read that wasn’t about the writer. All stories are “His” story in the last analysis. In any case, it’s just smart to have a teacher. It makes things a lot easier.
This is a truly and extraordinary time in my life as I feel like I’ve spent the last 40 years, even during my brightest days, in utter darkness and you have helped me find the light switch, which has been inside me all along. From the depths of my heart and being: Thank You! And Namaste!
James: Isvara is merciful indeed! I’m glad I have been of service. Write anytime or set up a Zoom call once you need a little help.
Love,
James
