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From: radams@cerritos.edu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: On telling if someone is a master.
Message-ID: <1991May22.065357.27444@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 22 May 91 06:53:57 GMT
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Organization: Cerritos College, Norwalk CA
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Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov

Some recent posts have raised an interesting question.
How do we know if someone is an enlightened master or not?  Do we check to
see if he or she has a phd. in enlightenment? Do we check to see if what he 
or she says is in accordance with some particular buddhist doctrine?  Do we 
look for a halo over her or his head?  Do we look for certain displays of
powers?  Surely, the above criteria is ludicrous.  Perhaps we might rely more
on intuitive perception:  Do we feel a raising of consciousness or a deep 
feeling of peace in the presence of this person?  Is this person putting on
shows or does she or he sincerely try to help people to see the Reality or
Self within without trying to draw attention to herself or himself.  Does
she or he claim to be a great incarnation or avatar, or displays modesty
and humbleness instead and also displays evenmindedness and calmness in
all circumstances no matter how histerical the people around him or her are
(such as in an emergency or crises).  I don't think that any of us can
come up with an infallible method of telling if a person is a master or not,
but perhaps we can use some common sense and intuitive perception in making
this judgement for ourselves.  Paramahansa Yogananda once said that a master
will display certain characteristics, some of which can be measured by
scientific means: for example he says that masters can silence their 
heart beat (ie. completely stop) and breath for hours at a time at will
and this can happen automatically in certain states of samadhi.  Now I am not
talking about the highest states of consciousness, since the greatest masters
seem to have to lower their consciousness a tad bit so as to still be a
participant in this drama of delusion - just enough so as to be in the world
but not of it - in order to help the rest of us.  And many of the greatest
masters tended to withdraw from alot of outer activities towards the end
of their lives and thus enter into higher states of nirvikalpa samadhi
(oh dear, someone is going to accuse me of reading books again! ;-) which
was not as possible when carrying out their selfless mission to help others.

	Roger Adams

	radams@cerritos.edu               To those in whom love dwells,
	Cerritos College                  the whole world is one family.
	11110 Alondra Blvd                             A Hindu Proverb
        Norwalk, California 90650
	USA
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