July 30, 2006
Hi Nick,
That’s such a great quote by Needleman I opened a new quotes file, “Materialism and Spiritual Poverty”. Sophia ain’t gonna give up though, coz she’s the essence of us, and she doesn’t stand for any rubbish. Hell hath no fury than Sophia scorned. If we don’t use our limbs, they wither and we collapse; if Sophia doesn’t get regular attention, She puts us out of our misery sooner rather than later. Rather we take ourselves out. God or Sophia have no feeling or mercy.
You say:
“Naturally this cannot satisfy the subtle needs of the heart which will lead to further dependence on materialism and escapism into imagination for partial compensation.”
Mm-hmmm. But there is no “compensation” that brings real happiness. There is no hiding from God, no hiding from our true natures, no hiding from the ways and Laws of nature. Its retribution is truly frightening. I’ve seen a lot, but a group of alcoholics at a picnic table in the park drove home this awful reality lately; one woman screamed basic language at the top of her lungs, red-faced; her 4 zombified companions seemed hardly able to notice her. Such intense retribution is not escaped by anyone on the foolishness-wisdom continuum. The sooner we realize we are God, the better off we’ll be. But there are two types of God-men: those who believe they are God (institutions are full of them), and those who know they are God. But don’t believe me; prove what I tell you for yourself. One must experience being God. In my case, I sank quite low, and God in me didn’t let it go. He never does – He brings suffering. And who saved me? Only God in me. Here I speak like a religious fanatic, but that’s not the case. I just don’t care if anyone misunderstands. I don’t communicate for literalists or paranoid people. There’s only one key to “the Kingdom”; I mentioned it once, and once is enough.
I enjoyed the materialism quote that follows, in a book full of “guru” worship and advocacy of foolish asceticism; some may “survive” the delusive references to so-called “saints” who may be described thus:
“His face was that of a rishi, as described in the ancient texts. Noble-headed, abundantly bearded, he always sat firmly upright, his quiet eyes fixed on Omnipresence.”
hehehehe. Seems to imply that Tweety Bird may not be wise.
(from crystalclarity.com/yogananda/chap7.html)
(Paramahansa Yogananda, in Autobiography of a Yogi, writes of Bhaduri Mahasaya, who left a wealthy family – he “renounced riches and comforts”):
“I have left a few paltry rupees, a few petty pleasures, for a cosmic empire of endless bliss. How then have I denied myself anything? I know the joy of sharing the treasure. Is that a sacrifice? The short-sighted worldly folk are verily the real renunciants! They relinquish an unparalleled divine possession for a poor handful of earthly toys!”
(PY writes:) “I chuckled over this paradoxical view of renunciation – one that puts the cap of Croesus on any saintly beggar, whilst transforming all proud millionaires into unconscious martyrs”.
“The divine order arranges our future more wisely than any insurance company.” The master’s concluding words were the realized creed of his faith. “The world is full of uneasy believers in an outward security. Their bitter thoughts are like scars on their foreheads. The One who gave us air and milk from our first breath knows how to provide day by day for His devotees.”
Those who know can extract the truth; literalists, like the blind, end up “in the ditch”. But ditches and false teachers should not be feared. Once one is in one’s own ditch, one may miraculously find the only thing that can lift one out of it – God within. To be happy, once must first suffer. That suffering is a blessing, but only the courageous few can learn anything from it. There are two things I know that keep me real: that I am or will always potentially be a fool, not matter how much I grow; and that happiness, wisdom or whatever you want to call it, are not for the fearful.