Newsletter October 2014

INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2014

TOP CD:

“Change happens every moment. 

Mind does not record that change”.

LETTERS TO AAU

Dori, Steehouwer, Utrecht

I enjoyed listening to the cd ‘Change’. In daily life we are caught in so many things, where this talk so beautifully explains how we are conditioned to think something is happening in life. In daily life we so easily think we can change things, or, the other can or should do so. In this we deny the unity of life. The talk is light and full of humour, but for the good listener there is a profound message in it.

Sonja Visser-Fonteye, Belgium

When I read 'read whatever you like' in your reply to my question ‘what should I read’, an alarm bell rang in my head and I knew that I have to read my email again. What you say is profound, but difficult to recognize in daily life, because what you say does not make sense to the mind’s beliefs. Your books ‘Understanding life -series’ with questions and answers are a treasure. They show me how the mind works, I understand now that the question is more important than your answer, because your answers always point back to the questions. If we take a step back and look in our question, the grace is there to see the question directly confronts the ego. Your simple words 'Read whatever you like' where the eye opener. I understood that the mind will read only what it believes in, but not what is profound and wise.

Elisabeth, Netherlands

The articles on 'Essence' are really precious to me. You reveal every aspect of existential nature with so much compassion. In 'Essence and Jealousy' it becomes so clear that you cannot get what you like or want because the doing will happen precisely at the right moment due to the process of evolution by the essence, so you can never be the doer, and then you really can become patient and not jealous. Also enjoyed the chapter 'Controversies' in KG 2 very much. It is so good and so much joy actually to go through everything you share with us, the books, the CD's, the DVD's and the articles.

Gerard Benerink, Netherlands

The articles of ‘essence’, anger, hate, greed, jealousy, laziness and pride are an eye-opener to Humanity!! They are so misunderstood. Everybody has recognition with these.

Very great opportunity to understand. Thank You!!

Diane, USA

"Essence and Greed” is a beautiful self-reflect treasure to cherish and understand deeply, for we are all somewhat (the intensity a variable) greedy, as the first sentence reads: Greed is an undesirable stigma in character that no one wishes to be branded with. It is not to be done away with, suppressed, be ashamed of, because that would be only a superficial understanding. It needs to be understood deeply, essentially for what it is and that is exactly what you give so freely. Thank you for this and your forever sharing. Dr.Shankar you are the embodiment of Life’s always giving nature.

Diane, USA

Your articles keep injecting us with truth serum, and here again with another beauty “ Essence and Patience" reading your words over and over again slowly but surely has the potential to saturate and drown our un-investigated beliefs. This saturation of understanding life as it is versus life as the mind expects it to be is truly living with patience. You are a living example of truth you share. I can’t say it enough. We are so blessed to have you amongst us sharing non-stop your deep understanding of life. Thank you for your endless unwavering reminders of truth.

There is no one who shares and lives it too: ‘What is meant to happen to man will only happen, including the corresponding thought and feelings, and no force on earth can prevent them from happening to him.’ Actually the whole entire world believes and preaches the opposite. You are the bravest of all.

Bill Kelley, USA

Thank you so much for the articles on "Essence". They certainly point the way toward our acceptance and understanding of behaviours in us and others, as well as an appreciation of the movement of Life and trust in it. No one understands this better than you. We are all truly blessed to have what you share with us. Thank you for your presence among us. I miss being with you, as do many of us.

Rebeca Perry, USA

Please let Dr. Shankar know that I have just finished re-reading KG 3 and may start it all over again. What he shares is so powerful and life-changing, like no one else. All the books and CDs are absolute treasures and no doubt I will be re-reading another volume soon. It always amazes how fresh it is even after reading or listening a few times. That is most likely attributable to understanding deepening. My gratitude, admiration and appreciation are eternal.

Linda, Canada

Dear Dr. Shankar,

I have been reading your latest newsletter and the answer you gave to Sonja about reflection being an inherent characteristic of light caught my attention. I somehow had an understanding that when light appears as the form, it is the effect yet you say this is not so. Reflection is part of the characteristics of light and that is causeless. So can it be accurate to say that the illusory world is a reflection of light? And that reflection is ever changing and causeless. We do not see that change as it is: we only see when it has changed, after. So the eyes of the human being cannot see that first reflection as it moves? Or is it that when the pure reflection appears through the eyes, man’s attention goes to the interpretation rather that what is seen? It is a bit confusing to understand clearly. I thank you for your generous help and clarity.

Response:

Dear Linda,

Colour is not an effect but a reflection of light but colour is understood as an effect of light. This understanding is knowledge and not wisdom. The enlightened sages have rightly proclaimed that life is causeless and effectless meaning without cause or effect. The enlightened sages have long proclaimed that the world is a play of light and sound, meaning a reflection of light, ever changing, causeless and effectless. Correct, the human eye cannot see the reflection of movement. The human mind concludes an action, but does not see a continuous movement.

Dr. Shankar

Linda, Canada

Dear Dr. Shankar

When you say that the human eye does not see the reflection of movement, then what does see or register that? Would light or awareness itself register that movement prior to it coming into the eye of the man or is that movement unknowable even to life or awareness itself? I do understand that intelligence moves as life and it is and was long before man and mind appeared, so has no need for a knower yet it always comes to this. The fire of enquiry happens and there appears a need for an answer and somewhere in there the questioner gets checkmated. Light has no need to understand... yet that burning to know and understand remains or arises. Your reflection of understanding of light is very much appreciated and again I thank you for the help you have given so that it may shine freely as it is without distortion here also. Thank you.

Response:

Dear Linda,

The ego believes what it thinks is seeing. The witnesser is aware and realises that what the mind thinks is not seeing but thinking. Seeing happens to the witnesser and the registration too. He does not bring it about. Light appears as the witnesser to whom a realisation happens that life is a singular movement. Intelligence appears as life in the mind of man, and the ego is the knower, while the witnesser realises that life is light which flows eternally without cause or effect. He is the enlightened. The questioner gets checkmated so that: an understanding may happen that life cannot be questioned, and only the mind is always questioned, and the ego is happy with the answer that fits its beliefs. The understanding will burn brightly; meaning will light up totally at the right moment. Patience is the key.

Dr. Shankar

Comment: Article ‘Essence and patience’

Paula Smit, Netherlands

As soon as we start to undertake something, the mind is busy thinking about the expected future result. The mind, however, is not sure if the result will be achieved. Thinking about the eventual result, impatience slips into our acts. Delay or problems obviously are a source of irritation, as the uncertainty of achieving the final goal lasts therefore even longer. Convinced of being the doer, we do not watch what happens, but we think we know what happens. By which life passes by without us noticing it. Dr. Shankar has shown us, in many ways, that it is essential to understand that we are not the doer. Only when we understand this fully, we will receive the patience to enjoy life as it comes.

Comment: Article ‘Essence’

Marcus Stegmaier, Germany

Remarkable article! Believing that every mother and every father teaches their children, man is blind to the fact that all in life has evolved spontaneously. Primitive parents spoke and fulfilled actions spontaneously without having a teacher or parent teaching them how to speak and how to act. It cannot be otherwise, because every behavior or word spoken must have happened without being taught when it happened for the first time. And therefore it obviously still happens spontaneously but repetition makes man believe in teaching as real. Every parent should think about how he himself as well as mankind came to be what they are a long way of evolution, albeit illusory, in order to evolve as more compassionate especially with their own children, whom they should love more than anything else. When it comes to educate children, modern man is far too quick with judging children's behavior followed by blaming, threatening and punishing or praising and rewarding – let's call it simply manipulation – all based on the belief that parents teach their children how to act and how to speak properly. That manipulation seems to function is an illusion precisely manifested by life! In fact manipulation, albeit illusory, happens in order to condition the mind of parents and children alike in believing that man is a doer, speaker and thinker; this is how life preserves its illusions as real, all as part of the evolutionary process of life’s essence. When manipulation happens in a family, it cannot be denied that fear and anger are the other side of the coin, and love is lost. Pondering what the all-moving essence could be may guide parents and everybody else to a deeper understanding of children and himself. The deeper the depth of understanding that it is not man making himself and others act, speak or think, the less manipulation will happen to man, instead life will guide his children lovingly through mother and father, not in order to shape their behavior but to deepen their understanding of life too.

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