07.11.10

More on Tikkun/New Atheists

Posted in General at 12:35 pm by nemo

Another comment on Tikkun/The New Atheists from MBFM

MBFM said,
July 11, 2010 at 10:29 am ·
I take breaks now and then, but try always to bring quality material.

PS full disclosure. I am Jewish on my dad’s side.

What I cant stand is bullying in any way shape or form.

And what bothers me yet more is when spiritual leaders who are supposed to know better, participate in contructing a culture of impunity by enabling
known bullies such as Cohen and company.

Liked nemos remark about the Buddhist monks who carve caves in the cliffs and then kick the ladders away–thats our competition.

Actually, they did have means to grow some food, but it would have been the same simple food, day after day after day. None of the variety that we take for granted. It was the eat-it-now-or-die-in-your-cave-diet. No place to run off to if bored.

I heard someone discribe modern malaise as ‘going crazy on a full stomach’

Another reality check: Get and read the book, How to Shit in the Woods if you want a take on how complicated it really is to widdle or bust a grumpy in the woods or a cave.

Jan Willem van de Wettering did a year’s residence at a Rinzai Zen temple that was 500 plus years old. Did it in the 1950s and their toilet facilities were a stench ridden outhouse with a board over a hole, a hole in said board through which one dropped one’s eggs, and flies that hankered after the taste of naked fannies.

Rats were kept away by the presence of a large,tame snake.

(The Empty Mirror by Jan Willem van de Wettering)

Those folks are our competition, too.

PS Nemo and others, theres now a book out that may aid in research. Its a biography of one of the very earliest of the yoga teachers in the US. He was named Pierre Bernard, set up as a tantrik (thats how he spelled it) yoga teacher in Nyac New York in an area where there was already an avid interest in Theosophy, masonic lodges, etc.

His nephew Theos Bernard also grew interested in yoga and published books. I read a couple, wondering how on earth Theos learned about yoga in the 1920s, and from whom he could have obtained contacts to go to India and get the necessary referrals. I was annoyed that Theos did not give any credit and felt he made the whole thing un-necessarily mysterious.

Turned out he had learned much of this from his uncle, Pierre, aka Oom the Omnipotent and after his uncle’s social disgrace in a scandal, Theos never mentioned him by name when on his own path as a yoga instructor.

So…nemo, you may want to study up on Pierre Bernard via this new book. It may be that Rudradnanda and EJ Gold and possibly Lozowick (or Lozowicks own early teacher, Hilda Charlton

Theos published a couple of books but died young, with little time to teach or assemble disciples. Pierre had a longer teaching career.

They are mostly forgotten figures today, but Pierre lasted into the 1950s, though in failing health and he may have played an unsuspected role.

Turns out Hilda Charlton was a friend of Albert Rudolf aka Rudi/Rudranananda.

And Hilda is named as one of Lee Lozowick’s early influences, and as Lee and EJ Gold have collaborated at some events (do searchs on Google), there may be ties between EJ and Rudi as well.

And holy moly, Rudi had studied Gurdjieff work.

(For descriptions first hand of Rudi, get and read Alan Lew’s book, One God Clapping. Lew’s brother was a Rudi disciple. Alan used to visit and would see Rudi touch disciples and make them shake like leaves.)

So for pleasure and instruction, get and read the new book about Pierre Bernard, aka Oom the Omnipotent.

Google Citations here

http://www.google.com/search?q=oom%20the%20omnipotent&spell=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&source=hp&btnG=Google+Search

and here from Wikipedia is information about Rudi, Hilda Charlton, Muktananda and Nithyananada and….eeeeek, Da Free John.

—–
Middle years
At age 20, Rudolph – now calling himself “Rudi” – “experienced a deep spiritual awakening”. He also developed a serious interest in Asian art and began collecting sculpture.[4]

Albert Rudolph (Rudi)
Due to downsizing at the textile company, Rudi’s employer helped him to enter North Carolina State college, where he studied textile engineering. After college, Rudi returned to New York, where he became an engineering trainee at a textile company. During this time, Rudi began to attend meetings based on the teachings of Gurdjieff, which he continued for 5 years.[4]

Rudi wrote that when walking in Greenwich Village, he saw a storefront with a “FOR RENT” sign in the window. It was small and in terrible condition. He reported that he heard a voice whisper, “This is your store, this is your store, this is your store.” He soon opened “Rudi Oriental Arts” in the Seventh Avenue space, with just a few hundred dollars and some of the sculptures he had collected. Early on, Rudi supplemented his income by working evenings at the Village Vanguard nearby. In the next years, Rudi established an international network of Asian art suppliers, collectors, and distributors in several countries.[2]

Rudi joined the Subud organization, studying with its founder, Pak Subuh, and helping to establish the group in New York. In 1958, Rudi met Shankaracharya of Puri during his first visit to the United States, and lived with him in New York for 4 months.[1][2]

In early 1959, Rudi declared himself a spiritual teacher and began teaching students individually in his store. Rudi’s method was to sit opposite a student and gaze intently into their eyes for perhaps five to ten minutes, said to allow him to transmit shaktipat energy.[2]

In 1960, Rudi began to hold classes in his apartment, which consisted of an open-eyed meditation where he “transmitted shaktipat energy” in a group setting, followed by a lecture. Spiritual teacher and friend Hilda Charlton was frequently in attendance. Occasionally after classes, Rudi would invite the students up to his living room to play poker, or he would take them to dinner in Chinatown.[2]

In early 1961, Rudi sat for a painting by Edith Montlack, an artist in New Rochelle, New York.[5]

In 1961, Rudi first met Swami Venkatesananda in India, and they became lifelong friends.[5]

In 1962, Rudi became a student of Swami Muktananda in India. In 1966, Rudi traveled to Ganeshpuri with the intention of obtaining the title of ’swami’ from Muktananda. Muktananda did not want to give Rudi the title, and so Rudi spoke with Chakrapani Ullal, a Vedic astrologer, about the situation. Chakrapani Ullal agreed with Rudi and persuaded Muktananda to give him the title, ‘Swami Rudrananda’. In 1971, Rudi dissolved his affiliation with Muktananda.[1]

In 1964, Franklin Jones, who later became the controversial guru Adi Da, became a close student. For two years, Rudi’s influence on Jones was pervasive. Jones eventually traveled to India to meet Swami Muktananda, who encouraged Jones to abandon his studies with Rudi and study with himself directly, which Jones did. Later, after joining the Church of Scientology, Jones severed all contact with Rudi, though they spoke again years later.[6][7]

By 1967, Rudi’s business had expanded. He traveled to the Asia at least two or three times per year.[1][2][5] In 1968, Rudi moved his store, Rudi Oriental Antiques. The new location was five times larger, and in attendance at the gala opening was Japanese Zen master Eido Tai Shimano.

That autumn, Rudi began searching for a location to establish an ashram. After a few months, he discovered a small Borscht Belt resort in the town of Big Indian, New York. Rudi purchased and named it Big Indian Ashram. He traveled there on weekends, giving classes and supervising the restoration of the property by his students.[2]

Rudi was said to be an excellent chef.[2] He enjoyed the performing arts and music, movies, television and mystery novels.[5] Rudi was gay, and was often frank about his homosexuality with students.[8]

[edit] Later years
Albert Rudolph (Rudi)
Rudi’s 44th birthday party was significant. Hundreds of people attended, some traveling from around the U.S. Renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson performed for the guests.[2][5]

In September 1972, Rudi traveled to India with four of his students. While in India, they visited Swami Chidananda at the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh.[2]

By end of 1972, Rudi had established fourteen ashrams in the US, and three in Europe.[1] His Manhattan store housed one of the largest Asian art collections in the world.[2] In early 1973, Rudi published Spiritual Cannibalism, his only book.[1]

On February 21, 1973, Rudi died in a small plane crash in the Catskills. The three other occupants walked away with only minor injuries. He was dictating a journal entry, and his last words were, “…a deeper sense of surrender”.[4][9]

Permalink