J. Krishnamurti Versus U.G. Krishnamurti

December 20, 2016

Renowned mystic-philosopher Jiddu (or J.) Krishnamurti (1895-1986) had no use for gurus, religion, or even the term “spirituality.” His teachings of self-liberation could, perhaps, best be classified as “radical psychology.” I used to attend Krishnamurti groups in San Diego in the ’70s. I even traveled to Ojai, California, where Krishnamurti lived, to hear him speak. From my perspective at the time, no message could have been more liberating than his.

J. Krishnamurti’s message, in a nutshell, is: practice effortless, choiceless awareness from moment to moment. This will free you from your self-created bondage and enable you to awaken “real intelligence.” Although J. Krishnamurti occasionally alludes to a transcendent dimension, which he calls “the Highest,” he never refers to it as Spirit and doesn’t emphasize mystically uniting with it.… Read the full article

Rudolf Steiner: A Great Philosopher and Esotericist?

December 1, 2016
I have read four books by Rudolf Steiner, and have no plans to read more. In my opinion, Steiner is among the most overrated 20th-century spiritual teachers. Moreover, even though he had a PhD in philosophy, with an emphasis on epistemology, his writings on the subject pale in comparison to Ayn Rand’s in her “Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology.” The iconic Valentin Tomberg eventually recognized Steiner’s limitations, moved on to Christian Hermeticism, and penned his classic “Meditations on the Tarot.”

Below are my three Amazon reviews of Steiner texts and an article by me on Tomberg’s “Studies on Rudolf Steiner’s ‘The Philosopher’s Stone” (which Tomberg wrote while still a Steiner acolyte).

An Overrated Epistemology Text [My three-star review of “Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path.”]   

“Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path” is a mixed bag. It has positive aspects—its stress on ethical individualism (which mirrors Ayn Rand’s rational self-interest) and it emphasis on thinking as a “spiritual” tool – but as a text on epistemology, it is teeming with flaws.… Read the full article

Reviews of the Writings of the “Traditionalist” Julius Evola

November 16, 2016

The writings of Julius Evola (1898-1974), the renowned, iconclastic “traditionalist,” or “perennialist,” provide a stark contrast to much of contemporary spiritual and sociopolitical literature. Whereas the Divine Feminine is in vogue nowadays, Evola was a staunch advocate for the Divine Masculine; whereas equality and egalitarianism are now prevalent themes in the zeitgeist, Evola argued for a social hierarchy, with military and spiritual “warriors” at the top of the pyramid, in a monarchistic rather than a democratic sociopolitical order. Evola eschewed pacifism, and as his writings make clear, he viewed even the spiritual quest in terms of battle.

Evola has recently been “discovered” by factions of the Alt-right, who are enamored with his arguments for nationalism, patriarchalism, and anti-semitism. Curious about Evola’s quasi-fascist sociopolitics, I recently decided to give his controversial, again popular “Revolt Against the Modern World” a read.… Read the full article

The Integral Life/Ken Wilber Challenge

October 31, 2016
Earlier today (October 30, 2016) I, along with other Integral Life subscribers, received the email below, written by Jeff Salzman. Salzman is a liberal (really liberal-fascist) who serves as the political “front man” for Ken Wilber, who seemingly doesn’t have the balls to put his own face on the front of Integral Life’s political proselytization. Over the past few years, I’ve received numerous left-wing political messages from Salzman under the rubric of Wilber’s “integral” organization “Integral Life,” while Wilber, like a little girl, hides in his “integral” political closet.    

I not only think that Ken Wilber is a political wuss, a pansy-ass libtard who hides his left-wing fascism behind the façade of “integralism,” I also think that he is an overrated spiritual “pandit.” (Check out my reviews of his books in my archived August 2015 article “My Amazon reviews of Ken Wilber’s Books.”)

I would love to debate Wilber on the subjects of sociopolitics and spirituality (though I doubt he would risk taking on a virtual no-name like me). But if anyone who reads this can, by any chance, arrange a “confrontation of Dharmas" between us, please contact me at lrongardner@hotmail.com.… Read the full article

Fourth-Way Flotsam (Gurdjieff-Ouspensky Gobbledygook)

October 28, 2016

I briefly participated in a Gurdjieff-Ouspensky group in San Diego in 1971. The group didn’t even suggest that I read anything by Gurdjieff. Instead, they recommended P.D. Ouspensky’s “In Search of the Miraculous” – probably because they knew that Gurdjieff hadn’t written anything very useful for spiritual seekers. Unimpressed with the group and “the Fourth Way,” I left Gurdjieff and Ouspensky in my rear-view mirror and focused my attention on other spiritual paths.

Now, decades later, I’ve reviewed Ouspensky’s “In Search of the Miraculous” (two stars) and Gurdjieff’s “Meetings with Remarkable Men” (two stars) and “Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson” (one star) at Amazon, and I’ve decided to post the reviews here to make clear my POV on “the Fourth Way.”… Read the full article

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →