The Exoteric Perennial Philosophy, Part 2

February 23, 2017

[Part 1 of this article (available at electricalspirituality.com) focused on Aldous Huxley and Frithjof Schuon’s explications of the Perennial Philosophy. Part 2 will focus on Rudolf Otto and Rene Guenon’s explications. Julius Evola is another Perennial Philosophy exponent worthy of consideration, but because I have already considered Evola’s writings (see my November 2016 Electrical Spirituality article Reviews of the writings of the Traditionalist Julius Evola), I will skip on them here.]

Why have I titled this article “The Exoteric Perennial Philosophy”? Because, in my opinion, none of these Perennial Philosophy exponents does the “Esoteric Perennial Philosophy” justice. In other words, to this point in time, not a single Perennial Philosophy expositor has tied together the common deeper, or esoteric, aspects of the Great Spiritual Traditions. Sans an Esoteric Perennial Philosophy, it is not possible to synthesize into an integral whole the various descriptions of the “higher” dimensions of the En-Light-enment project found in the Great Traditions.… Read the full article

The Exoteric Perennial Philosophy, Part 1

February 9, 2017

If you Google “the Perennial Philosophy,” you’ll find that two names dominate the search results: Aldous Huxley and Frithjof Schuon. This article, Part 1 of a two-part piece, will focus on their explications of the Perennial Philosophy. In Part 2, I will consider the explications of other exponents of the Perennial Philosophy, including Rudolph Otto, Rene Guenon, and Julius Evola.

Why have I titled this article “The Exoteric Perennial Philosophy”? Because, in my opinion, none of these Perennial Philosophy exponents has done the “Esoteric Perennial Philosophy” justice. In other words, to this point in time, not a single Perennial Philosophy expositor has tied together the common deeper, or esoteric, aspects of the Great Spiritual Traditions. Sans an Esoteric Perennial Philosophy, it is not possible to synthesize into an integral whole the various descriptions of the “higher” dimensions of the En-Light-enment project found in the Great Traditions.… Read the full article

Dissing Da’s “Deconstruction” of Kashmir Shaivism

February 4, 2017

Adi Da (a.k.a. Franklin Jones, Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Da Love-Ananda, et.al.), who passed in 2008, was, in my opinion, the greatest guru since Ramana Maharshi. I’m a huge proponent of Da’s spiritual teachings (as evidenced by the “stamp” of his teachings on mine)--but I have major disdain for some parts of his teachings, particularly those that disparage (and misrepresent) certain other spiritual traditions.

In this article, I’m going to focus on Da’s deconstruction of Kashmir Shaivism, because, from my perspective, his “deconstruction” of this great tradition is grossly error-ridden, and so I’m moved to rebut it.

In Da’s text “Santosha Adidam”, he describes the Four Ways, or Means, of Kashmir Shaivism thus:

“The ‘Individual Way’ (or the Way of ‘absorption in the Object’) is the first (or most “inferior”) step in the progressive path of Kashmir Shaivism, and it corresponds to the Devotional and Yogic disciplines associated with the fourth stage of life in both its ‘basic’ and ‘advanced’ phases).… Read the full article

2017 Update: My Plans for the Year

January 13, 2017
I had planned on finishing my book “The Power of Now Meditation Guide” in 2016, and then starting work on a Dzogchen text; but I became absorbed in a study of Mindfulness texts and the Pali Canon, and put work on my own books on hold. I wrote reviews of all the texts I read, and I’ve posted some of them at Amazon, with another dozen-plus to come over the next several months. (I could post the reviews all at once, but I prefer to spread them out.)

My study of Mindfulness texts has motivated me to write my own book on the subject, because, frankly speaking, I’m on a different level than all these authors, and can elaborate the subject better than any of them. The question for me is whether I want to begin work on this book directly after my Dzogchen text, or if I first want to finish my Sam Harris critique. My goal for 2017 is to finish the “Power of Now Meditation Guide” and my Dzogchen text, and then either return to work on my Sam Harris critique or begin the Mindfulness text.

My Facebook group, Meditation-Consciousness-Spirituality, has degenerated into a New Age-level site, but I’ll be starting Power of Now and Dzogchen groups after I finish my books on those subjects, and these will be serious meditation/spiritual philosophy groups that will not tolerate New Age crap.… Read the full article

Dr. David R. Hawkins and the Apotheosis of Applied Kinesiology

January 1, 2017
[Although he is no longer living, the controversial teachings of Dr. David R. Hawkins are still popular. When students of mine ask for my opinion of the late psychiatrist-guru, I direct them to my three-star Amazon reviews of two of his book: “The Eye of the I, “and “I, Reality and Subjectivity.” Below are the reviews.]

A PROVOCATIVE, BUT FLAWED TEXT

David R. Hawkins (1927-2012), the late psychiatrist-guru, was a controversial and interesting fellow. I first learned of him about ten years ago, when two ex-Adi Da follower friends of mine became students of his. After my friends told me about Dr. Hawkins, I immediately bought three of his books, including the "The Eye of the I," generally considered one of Hawkins' best texts; and my reaction to it is the same now as it was then--mixed.

First, the negative. In "The Eye of the I," Dr. Hawkins, like many mystics, impugns the efficacy of the human mind. He asserts that "the human mind is incapable of discerning truth from falsehood." In other words, your mind is incapable of determining if two plus two really equals four; and if someone claims a disabled midget is actually a better basketball player than Lebron James, your mind cannot ascertain if that statement is true or false.… Read the full article

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