Book Review: Chasing the Avatar

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Sorry this is a little long. #5 below is something that I've encountered alot

of ignorance with several devotees over the past month. For God's sake, if

you're committing to a guru, read their FFFFFFFFing teachings!!!!! Stop

worshiping a person! You'll have less problems!

 

I'm a little over 1/3 through this book and would like to share my thoughts on

it so far:

 

1. Skim/Skip the first chapter, it's written in a manic aimless style hard to

see the point. It's a chapter that happens later in the story, like a preview.

The book was published at a small firm, obviously no professional editing for

clarity or vetting of information.

 

2. Skim over the metaphoric passages, you'll know what I mean when you get to

them. They also seem out of place and useless.

 

3. Keeping in mind this is supposed to be fiction based on real life, I think

the author was at the ashram a while ago. So while it's nice getting a look

back in time, it's not nice to know that the sewage problem has yet to be

addressed after all these years.

 

4. The story of Karthika, in the book, of going insane due to too much

meditation is in accordance with Amma's teachings (Hindu teachings). Contrary

to the author's idea that the over-meditating created emptiness that allowed

demons to come in, the real cause is overloading the nadi's that still have

chit, karma and all kinds of stuff along them that need gradual clearing, not

forced. But she is right about people becoming weak from " letting go " . I

have a friend that refuses to stop meditating for even one day, even though he

suffers from the typical symptoms of too much meditating. Amma's teaching on

the subject is to stop meditating for a few days. From experience, I know

that this is to stop the constant flow of blood and body-energy in the upward

head area, and to aid in upping your body's metabolism, supporting normal states

of consciousness.

 

5. People forget Amma's teaching that celibacy with sadhana creates Tejas

(radiance) that will attract the opposite sex, and enhance beauty in any form

(voice, movement, etc). That's why bramachari's, and monks and nuns of any

religious order appear attractive and stunning. Virginity (purity) helps to

enhance this. In some cases, it's in addition to Amma shakti from being in the

inner circle. But............. Once the person reaches critical mass (IF

they ever), that radiance should diminish as the shakti is then directed at the

spiritual body and burning karma (hence health problems). It's like when you

make a fire, the brightness of the initial peak of intensity of raw wood is

never as bright again, no matter how much more wood or coals there are than the

beginning. That brightness won't be matched. I myself experienced this

during my early sadhana years, when I would lead satsang and there were even

married women that seemed fixated on me like I was a celebrity or something.

It was very disturbing, but demonstrated Amma's teaching on the subject.

 

I'll write more later as I read more of the book.