http://www.adyashanti.org
If you run into Adyashanti, and his wife Annie, in the grocery store (as a good friend of mine did, recently - yes, it was Whole Foods … 
) - you’re much more likely to have the impression of somebody’s amiable next door neighbor, rather than having the impression of a spiritual teacher who is rapidly becoming known throughout the country, and throughout the world.
Most well-known Western “gurus” either follow an Eastern path, primarily - or develop their own system and philosophy (example: Gurdjieff).
In my experience, Adyashanti is unique - and a rare jewel among spiritual teachers, in that you don’t have to be interested in yoga, eastern thought, God, or any specific flavor of God, to benefit from Adya and his teachings - you only have to be interested in reality.
And mean it.
Adyashanti doesn’t initiate disciples, though he has many students who refer to him as their primary spiritual teacher.
He grew up in a regular home in the San Francisco Bay Area, and spent fifteen years practicing Zen Buddhism, at which time (as he describes it), “Oops – I awakened out of Zen!”
If you’ve never been exposed to Adyashanti, I highly suggest visiting his site - specifically the Teachings section, and specifically the video clips and/or audio – you can get a “feel” for him from those clips.
http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=teachings
I also highly recommend his book “Emptiness Dancing”, as a solid augmentation to any spiritual information you study or have studied.
http://www.adyashanti.org - I couldn’t get the “Bookstore” link from his site to paste correctly – so please just visit the main link, and then click on Bookstore.
And I personally find great value not only in his teachings, but in the energy of his presence (experienced profoundly as recently as last Wednesday evening).
And finally, if you’re interested in an example (other than Yogani … ) who is from the West, and who has “made it” – and still primarily lives a “regular life” (drives a Toyota, goes to the grocery store, goes to the emergency room when he drops a 10lb. steel weight on his finger, etc.) … I highly recommend Adya as a literally shining example!
Peace & Namaste,
Kirtanman
Kirtanman,
I had a quick look and I’m positively impressed so far.
From what I can see so far, among high-profile ‘gurus’ he seems to stand out as neither having an inflated self-mythology, nor sh1t for brains. Which is saying A LOT. That’s a rare combination.
Let’s hope he doesn’t get ‘the disease’. Please don’t give it to him, anyone…
I really like Adyashanti too.
Me 4, I’ve listened to a fair amount of his stuff as well, really enjoy it and think he speaks the truth. Thanks for the reference Kirtanman. 
peace brothers, (<- I just felt like using some “new agey” colloquialism 
)
A
Yep, I like that guy! =) He really comes through in the video clips! Thanks a lot for introducing him, Kirtanman!
Kirtanman,
I have read Adyashanti’s teachings too on his site and I like what I read, and he appears genuine. I haven’t seen him write about kundalini, so if you talk to him I thought it could be interesting to know if he also has gone through kundalini awakening and have ecstasy merge with inner silence to reach enlightenment, like Yogani describes. Or, if he has gone through another route.
Actually, he has spoken about it, but very subtly – and I have literally been meaning to talk with him about it. When a person chats with him during Satsang, they audiotape it - so when I do, I’ll get the tape, so that I can give a good report of what he has to say.
Per a few lines I’ve read in Emptiness Dancing, i.e. [paraphrasing] “In Zen, we used to say that if you sit facing a wall long enough, things will happen - and they did to me – I had visions, Kundalini experiences, blissful experiences, terrifying experiences - but they were all still experiences. The truth is not an experience. It can only be experienced - but is not an experience.” – my guess is that Adya ultimately went through the same neurophysiological evolution that we’re all in the midst of … my guess is, it’s a necessity - I don’t think there is another route.
There are other starting points, to be sure … the Hindu (Sanatana Dharma) expression, “There are a thousand paths, and they all lead to God” - is more than just a nice catchphrase - it’s a powerful pointer to the truth.
It’s kind of like, if the goal is New York, and you’re on the west coast of the United States, you can start at any point, but before long, you’ll be on I-(for Interstate)-8, or I-10, or I-80, or I-84, or I-90 … but before you’re (roughly) 3/4 of the way there, you’ll probably be on I-80 … and if your end point is a given address in New York City … you’ll be on the same road as all fellow travelers, before you arrive – and when you arrive – you’re there!
(“Wherever you go, well, there you are!”)
so, “Like That”.
Zen seems to be primarily a “Jnana”-ish, inquiry-based path … closed yogic equivalents are the Advaitic leanings of Nisargadatta, Ramana, and Kashmiri Shaivism (a la the Vijnanabhairava Tantra) – all asking “Who Am I?” until the answer … IS (though the inquiry isn’t designed to produce an answer, but to take the questioner deeper into the questioner, until the fallacy of the existence of the questioner becomes … clear).
There’s a lot of Bhakti in Zen, too, though — Adya says that his gratitude for his lineage of teachers is so powerful, and touches a place so infinitely tender within him, that he cannot speak of it, without weeping.
However (big however) - as mentioned at the start of the thread … Adya points out often that when awakening happened in the realm of “his” body-mind … there was awakening “out of” Zen as well.
As the Buddha (or someone attributing comments to him …) said [paraphrasing] - “When you use a raft to get to the other shore, you don’t carry the raft around on your back forever, after arriving”.
But again, my humble theory is: a human body must go through the evolution Yogani describes so well, via AYP - and other yogic teachers have pointed to, for ages.
Unevolved bodies - those which have not completed the second puberty - don’t have bodies that can conduct the neurophysiological energy, either in terms of power or specifics, that enable living a life of Oneness and Love – any more than a young child can conduct / transmit sexual energy (it may be latent, but it’s certainly not actual, nor or their bodies capable) – very similar (again, per my theory; don’t know if it’s correct).
Namaste,
Kirtanman
Thanks All - glad you’re all enjoying!
Off to pack, and get far too little sleep!
(Yes, you may start the violins …)
: )
Namaste,
Kirtanman
PS - Per my last post, responding to whether Adya went through the neurophysiological evolution AYP addresses … if Yogani is hovering about in “omniscient non-guru-ish forum moderator mode” … maybe he has a comment or two? (And maybe not … : ) ).
Thanks much Kirtanman for your comments on this! As always, your writings are most enjoyable to follow.
About the process of kundalini awakening, refinement and merging with silence, there is of course always the possibility, in Adyashanti’s case and others, that they may have had most of this happened in previous lives, to be born pretty “clean” in this one, and therefore may not have much (recent) recollection of it.
Hi Kirtanman:
Yes, I agree that the process of enlightenment is the same everywhere, determined by the inherent capabilities in the human nervous system, rather than by any particular approach.
Of course, different approaches may “bring it on” in different orders of manifestation (some easier to traverse than others), but eventually all the steps have to be gone through, leading to the integration of inner silence and ecstatic energy awakening we talk about so much here.
Your comments on Adyashanti point to the presence of an energy awakening in conjunction with the rise of stillness/Oneness/no-thingness. Not having traveled the Zen path, I can’t offer further corroboration, but do find a kinship and loving affection for his condition. I believe we stand on the threshold of many thousands entering this same condition. Won’t that be something?
I’m currently finishing up the next AYP Enlightenment Series book on Asanas, Mudras, Bandhas & Kundalini, and have been describing all of this from the other side this time around – weaving physical methods into an overall routine centered on sitting practices, including spinal breathing, deep meditation, samyama, etc. And then looking at the energy awakening from the neurobiological side, and tracing it back into the emergence of Oneness/Unity. Hopefully this will be helpful to the many out there these days practicing mainly physical yoga.
No matter what our path, “experiences” will be a two-edged sword. To move forward we will have them. Yet, to engage in experiences as “the enlightenment” at the expense of our practices will tend to stall our progress. Spiritual progress does not come from experiences. It comes from practices reaching beyond experiences. A very important point that is not lost on the Zen folks, or on anyone who is engaged in effective spiritual practices.
Paradoxically, enlightenment is not an experience. It is becoming that which is beyond all experience, and thereby becoming the experience itself, which then manifests as outpouring divine love in the world.
The different traditions deal with the inevitable rise of energy experiences in different ways. How they deal with this phenomenon has a large impact on how successful they may be in shepherding folks on through to enlightenment.
Unlike the few people who come into this life more or less ready for enlightenment (I agree with you on that, Weaver), many of us may have a longer road to travel with energy experiences associated with the purification and opening occurring in our nervous system. So it is good if we can understand what these experiences are (“scenery”) so we can stay the course, preferably while enjoying ourselves along the way. Ultimately, experiences are transcended, and integrated into the divine purpose, which is stillness in action.
This is what we see in realized people from any tradition. Bring them on!
The guru is in you.
Ady’s awesome. His approach reminds us to smile as we look in the mirror while we brush our teeth. That’s the point of brushing teeth, the beauty, warmth and heart melting of a smile.
Awesome. Those videos is exactly what I needed. Ofcourse, I needed nothing
Very gratifying to see the interest in Adyashanti on this site.Im a bit of an Adya ‘fan’ myself,& currently my only regular practice consists of Hatha Yoga & the Just Sitting approach described by Adya.Now,having discovered Yoganis lessons,Im becoming eager to incorporate them somehow,which leaves me with a question.
Now Just Sitting basically consists of about 40 minutes comfortable posture,keeping the attention within the kinesthetic-sensory sphere.This is to prevent any excessive drifting off into thought,but without attention being tightly ‘fixed’ on any one point.Attention is more or less free to ‘roam’ within that sphere,as long as it doesnt fixate,following its own natural inclination.The idea here is that compulsivity can naturally wind down in its own time,without any dramatic struggle or schedule being imposed on it by the ego.
A consequence of this for me is that any one session of sitting can ‘wander’ through quite a range of experinces,from superficail noise to deep silence,which is fine in & of itself.The point being,deep Silence is not striven for,but simply allowed to occur in its own time.
If I wish to add Yoganis spinal practices to my routine,would it be necessary to include the I AM mantra to,in effect, guarantee a deep Silence in each session? Or would Just Sitting be adequate to process any unleashed energies ? I suspect Im actually quite sensitive to energy practices,& am wary of any potential overloading.
If anyone could give me feedback on this,I would be most appreciative.
Regards,Cloud
Hi Cloud,
Welcome to the forum.
To answer your question… it would be nice if you did add the deep meditation to your routine after spinal breathing. The 2 practices kinda go hand in glove… however, if your current practice of 40 mins of sitting in silence and keeping your focus within the sphere works for you… you can keep it… and add spinal breathing before it.
If you do add deep meditation though, doing both deep meditation and your awareness routine may have a doubling up effect… so keep an eye on how things are going for you during the rest of the day. If, after you add deep meditation to your existing practice you feel groggy, disoriented, irritated, sluggish… you will have to adjust your practice… here in AYP we call it self pacing.
It is always better to stop your other practices when you start the AYP routines (which may not be for long… a week or 2 is enough at time… sometimes it may be more)… till you know how they feel… and then add the other stuff back in if you think it’s required.
Cloud, if you are happy with your current practice, then stick to it… just add 5 mins of spinal breathing before it and see how it feels… If the energy level increases too much… and your current meditation routine is not helping settle it… you could switch to deep meditation. But it is preferable not to mix different kinds of practices, at least not in the beginning.
Wish you all the best in your chosen path.
Here is what Yogani said in another thread
Hi Cloud,
Welcome to the Forum.
As you may have noticed at the beginning of this thread, I’m the person who introduced the AYP community to Adyashanti.
Ultimately, as both Adya and Yogani have said many times, in just slightly different words, “the guru is in you” – and your own inner knowing can and will guide you, as far as the best exact mix of practices - and especially (I dealt with this myself) with respect to integrating any existing practices with AYP - or whether to drop them, and go “pure AYP” (or vice-versa, and not adopt AYP practices. <— meaning, simply: there’s a full spectrum of choice, available to everyone, relatively speaking.)
I agree with Shweta’s (Shanti) comments - if you add in spinal breathing, please do it first. One of the most powerful aspects of AYP, is the specific timing and nature of each practice – Yogani has done an excellent, and clearly powerful job of defining and refining the order of practices, the timing (how long, when to introduce, etc.) and so on.
So, if you start practicing AYP - I believe everyone here would recommend sticking as close to the specific instructions as possible, in order to get the best results.
I would also comment that using the mantra isn’t at odds with allowing things to be – for many of us, the mantra is actually a very useful tool, in terms of training the mind to have the discipline to allow things to be as they are - thereby creating an environment (between our own two ears) where deeper silence can be experienced - more fully, and more quickly.
I’ve attended Adya’s satsangs for the last several years - so have heard his overview of meditation many times (which boils down to: just sit there, and allow everything to be as it is, because anything else is an attempt to do something, which is a habit it would serve most of us to break.)
Personally, I don’t disagree with Adya in any way (not because he’s an enlightened teacher - but just because I honestly agree with his points.) However, as with most of what Adya teaches - I don’t hear any rigidity in his overview which would not allow for inclusion of a mantra - especially if our own inner guidance tells us it’s a good idea.
In fact, I’ve found the combination of the two things - using the mantra, and also allowing everything to be as it is - to be the best of both worlds, so to speak.
Example: if the mantra fades, replaced by thoughts of breakfast - rather than kicking ourselves, or feeling weak - we peacefully allow those thoughts to be present, with every bit as much acceptance as if we were repeating the mantra - while, upon noticing the drift - gently returning to the mantra, as Yogani instructs.
And, as you may know by reading the lessons: there are specific benefits to our nervous system, as well as spiritually / “consciousness-wise” - to repeating the mantra.
I personally have found AYP practices to allow for a quantum leap in awakening; all the things that Adya talks and writes about - namely: realizing our true nature – have become much, much more a part of my daily life since adopting AYP.
So, in my experience, the two sets of teachings can harmonize perfectly - and what exactly that “looks like” will be shown to you by your own inner guru.
When asked for the umpteen-zillionth time by someone how he knew what to do, and how he could say he didn’t have anxiety about the future, etc. etc. — Adya replied, “Easy - I know what I need to know, when I need to know it.”
As Yogani would say:
“Like That.”
Again, welcome to the forum - I hope that overview is helpful.
Peace & Namaste,
Kirtanman
Shanti & Kirtanman
Big Thanx for your replies
Not having had the pleasure of speaking with Adyashanti directly,its gratifying to get feedback from those who have.
Im actually going on a short holiday for a fortnight with lots of alone time,so it will be a good time to try the I AM,& see how I go from there (the only thing is no internet access,but Im quite heedful of Yoganis advice on pacing yourself,so I dont forsee any problems there).
I suppose I really want to make sure that I am well set up to process any energy,so for now I am looking at refining Silence.Ive decided to let that sink in a bit before trying Spinal breathing.
Im quite looking forward to all this actually 
Regards,Cloud
Cloud,
Good to see you here! I like to think of the situation like a cook who owns several good cookbooks. With experience, the cook will settle into a certain groove which will often incorporate a recipe or two from more than one book.
-Yoda
Yoda,its good to “see” a familiar face.
I guess you could say that what I like about Yoganis ‘cookbook’ is the sheer clarity of it all.Straightforward & informative,a fairly rare quality I think.I must confess that Ive found the sheer amount & complexity of material on Daoist Internal Alchemy a bit overwhelming & difficult to digest (I must admit to being a bit of an impatient simpleton in this respect),whereas Yoganis presentation is immediately accesible.
And as I have found myself to be 'lurking ’ quite a bit on this site,I decided it wa stime to do the decent thing & become visible.
Regards,Cloud.
Being in a receptive state of unknowingness is precursory to reach the true destination of nothingness, but isn’t the end of the path, but a paradoxical beginning.
God is unknowable, in essence, but His attributes will be apparent in those that have reached the destination. Christ likened this to a reed, Krishna a flute, Baha’u’llah a Mirror, Hermes a Dweller and so on. All equated the necessary requisite striving and intense fortitude needed to reach the destination and All demonstrated the Power of the Kingdom, as attested to Their Superior Knowingness, Divine Intellectual Capacities, Unearthly Rational Faculties - whose Universal Fruits were apparent to everyone around them, whether skeptic or believer, and encapsulated the past, present and future [AUM]. This is Universal Oneness. This is the Power of God.
In other words, these Pinnacles of Wisdom were fully aware of abstruse matters related to all forms of existence, whether these be physical or spiritual [IE: Hermes was well aware of all sciences], and All were perfectly/rationally/logically aware of the deeper meaning of all things and understanding veiled in allegorical symbology or parable dependent on the intellectual capacity/receptivity of the generation at the time.
The true meaning of the word “nothingness” is used as a comparative term in relation to the Unknowable Source of All things, in its essence, particular to these Dawning Places of Reality. In other words, they were as “nothingness”, as compared to the Unknowable Source of all things and yet were “everything” in comparison to all other Kingdoms: Mineral, vegetable, animal, human.
So, we could say that the vegetable kingdom is unaware of the animal kingdom and this would be true, since there animal kingdom possesses qualities that are lacking in the vegetable kingdom, such as sense perception, etc., and the same would be true of the Human and Divine Kingdoms. In other words it would be obvious to outward reality that someone possessed complete knowledge inherent to all of these kingdoms of reality, having traversed them Themselves. It isn’t simply a question of undoing who we are or pretending that we are pretending that we are something else without purpose. Everything is based on Order and Law and Underlining Reality has Purpose and Intelligence whether we are aware of this or not.
“Thus it is remembered: [O Sun] you who traverse 2202 yojanas in half a nimesa.”
Sayana’s statement comes very close to the actual speed of light, and has been called the most astonishing “blind hit” in the history of science.[7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
Science and Spirituality are one. And when someone has reached Realization they will understand reality. It’s not a matter of deduction to a certain state of consciousness or merely being in a state of not knowing. It is logical. It is real. It is not asking someone to believe something that has nothing to do with reality or not knowing it themselves.
This is my contribution, whether considered applicable or not:
VIL
Actually,here is a question about the relationship between Yoganis techniques & Adyashantis perspective.Or perhaps it would be better to call it a peice of speculation.
From my understanding of Adya sofar,he does make a kind of distinction between the initial Falling Awake,with its freedom from the personal,& then ,once one has grown past being “dazzled” by ones newfound personal freedom,the eventual reengagement with the manifest world from the Enlightened perspective.
Now,for some this transition is smooth & quick.For others,it seems to take longer,this shift from revelling in the relief of ones emptiness to embracing the world anew.
Could it be that someone who has gone through the neurological adaption process that Yogani speaks of may perhaps be less hesitant in moving beyond the initial phase of personal freedom-as-emptiness & into freedom-as-unhesitant worldly engagement.Whereas someone who has not done so as a formal purification practice might possibly be less prepared for reengagement.
Now this is not to say that someone who has not done a formal purification practice WILL have reengagement difficulties.And in Adyashantis case purification was not directly sought for,his formal practice was Zen.But perhaps a purification practice tips the odds in ones favour that the reengagement phase will be less daunting,or less uncertain,or something like that.
Anyhow,I hope I havent done disservice to either Yogani or Adyashanti in this peice of speculation,but it is the way Im inclined to think at the moment.Yoganis may be very much a “form” practice,& Adyashantis “formless”,but the possible connection Im proposing seems plausible to me (not that Im very experienced though,I must admit).
Any feedback on this ?
Regards,Cloud.