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| Anonymous feedback. Tell us what you think. (more info) |
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As always, many thanks for the online meeting... |
Hi John As always, many thanks for the online meeting and all the work you and Carla are doing. The "vichara" has taken over and my ordinary life, that was always there, is filled with mystery and wonder. How strange it is that the true gift has always been there. How strange it is that we lose ourselves in trying to become something other than what we are. How strange it is that the concepts of separation fade and "ordinary" life is seen to be beyond our wildest imaginings. I find it hard to express with words what is essentially unbelievably simple. No wonder those who find themselves teaching, have a hard time trying to convey this shift in perception. I have always felt your teaching to be direct, cutting through all the unnecessary trials and tribulations we put ourselves through in our attempts to become free. I was once teaching a blind Spanish man English and when we got to colors he was obviously interested in associations and concepts related to colors. He was very quick to learn and I saw how in many ways it looked like he knew the colors. But how different it is to actually see the color when we have eyes to see: no knowledge needed, no concepts required, simply look, not even needing to know the name. And how completely unrelated are the concepts and ideas to the actual experience of seeing the color. I heard you mention this to someone in the last meeting: The idea of red is so different to actually seeing the color red. And that is how we take to the teaching. We have put so much faith in knowledge as a tool to help us that it has taken over so completely that we live concepts of reality which blind us, bind us and are the cause of our suffering. But I feel all is in order and all has its place and perhaps most of us have to live through all these phases. I remember a Tibetan Buddhist once telling me, after I had inquired into why the temple had to be filled with so much stuff, so much ritual, so much doctrine, and he said it was to catch the ego. The ego has to be seduced into the web. It will not take the medicine unless it feels it's going to get something out of this. Desire is used to trap the ego: I want Nirvana. I want freedom from all this. And so the offers are out there all painted in wonderful words, bright colors and sounds to seduce us. I was certainly taken in. The obvious danger is that we get stuck in the web and make that our home. But even so, if that happens, life will eventually show us the way out. We are impatient and we want to see results for all our efforts and we get discouraged when suffering comes along again and again. To do the vichara without expecting any reward or any sign of "Victory" is hard for us. Nevertheless suffering pushes us on and the kind words of encouragement and inspiration that comes from those who find themselves "teaching" like yourself John, become the beacons of light we all move towards. Such is the wonder of this life; we have the ability to communicate. It's a marvelous but limited tool however thanks to that the dharma wheel will turn. It seems that there is a huge expansion in human consciousness right now and we have every reason to feel and live this in the vichara. It is ultimately positive and seeing the truth is the inevitable result of the vichara. Once more I send heart felt gratitude to you and Carla for all your work. All the best. See you in the next meeting! Always OM Love N.
Madrid, Spain |
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| Worldwide Online Meeting | ||||
Saturday, March 13 at 1 pm PT (GMT/UTC -8) People all over the world gather together online with John for a couple of hours. John is available to listen to your questions, and to help you sort out any difficulties you might experience in your own practice of the vichara. This is very much like a call-in radio show. If you simply want to listen to the meetings, all you need to do is to install the software and have speakers attached to your computer. If you wish to speak with John, then you will need a headset with microphone. You can also use earbuds and a microphone. |
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All our events are always free of charge. All are welcome, with no regard for religious and spiritual beliefs and practices. Spontaneous donations for the support of our work are always welcome and gratefully accepted. |
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| Featured Letter of the Month | ||||
| We receive many, many beautiful and useful letters. Every month we try to feature one here that seems especially valuable and instructive for one reason or another. | ||||
| Podcast | ||||
A Meeting with John Sherman - February 13, 2010 "Self-reliance is not easy. Self-reliance is full of mistakes, stumbling blocks, false trails and premature conclusions. Self-reliance isn't pretty. Self-reliance is hard, it is not easy. It is easy to abandon self-reliance and try to find answers in other people's understandings and experiences. That's easy. Trying to manifest experiences that we have come to believe to be what we need to be in order to be free and happy and satisfied and fulfilled, that's easy. But it is not self-reliance." John Sherman Complete, live recording of a Worldwide Meeting with John Sherman broadcast live from Ojai, California on February 13, 2010. |
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| Video Blog | ||||
Our Work First, last, and always, my advice is only to look at the feeling of being you, without the mediation of understanding, the need to resolve paradox, or the requirement that this looking lead to any conclusion. Simply make every effort just to look, and persist in that effort as often as you can. In this effort, understanding is irrelevant, belief is irrelevant, even duration is irrelevant -- the briefest look, repeated over time, does all the work. A Message from John Sherman, videotaped in Ojai, California on May 15, 2009. |
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Our work is to bring the vichara to all who are interested. The only problem anywhere to be found is the false belief that you are at the mercy of your life, and the only solution is the truth, which is everywhere and always present and self-evident. Ridding oneself of the false is as easy as repeatedly tasting the truth of being here, unmovingly, unchangingly here. This repeated looking directly at oneself is the infallible method of the vichara. Although our meetings are free of charge, they are certainly not free of cost. The money needed for this work must come entirely from the generosity and compassion of those who, like us, have seen for themselves the immense worth of spreading this good news to all humanity. Please help provide financial support for the work of making this method more widely available in the world by making a donation or a monthly pledge in any amount now. All gifts to the RiverGanga Foundation are fully tax-deductible as charitable donations. |
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