Talking and Practicing Schools of Advaita

Certain proponents of current day
spirituality or dharma, even some who may be genuine
practioners of a authentic psychological and religious
traditions, generally represent or advocate what can be
called the “talking” school of dharma or spirituality. That
is to say, their method of contact is primarily one of
conversation, and the process in which they engage their
listeners is basically a matter of attendance to verbal
argumentation. They may present their communications with
some basic method or practices but their approach is
primarily preparatory
and of an intellectual basis.

There is even a kind of “Emperor’s
New Clothes” syndrome associated with the “talking” school.
Few, of course, want to acknowledge their immaturity or
unreadiness for the One Thing desired by all. Therefore, the
proud listeners doggedly refuse to acknowledge the necessity
of their own self transcending ordeal of sadhana, and so
they continually talk, listen and discuss the subject and
therefore stay in a prepatory stage of
development.

The understanding and practice of
real Spirituality requires great preparations and real
qualifications. Such preparations include practical
self-discipline, the development of a disinclination toward
the search for the conditional satisfactions and the
achievement of a clear-minded and profound motivation toward
understanding the full scope of what Realization is all
about. Transcendence.

The “talking” school or those
engaged on prepatory practices generally attract those who
have a abstract or minimal capability for understanding of
Yogic discipline, and deep meditation. They are generally
habituated to constantly talking, listening, and thinking.
The “discipline” and the “Realization” in the “talking”
school are generally minimal, weak, superficial, temporary,
and merely mental, and the “talking” school should be
rightly criticized and understood.

Real qualifications should expected
for true understanding of the scope of Realization to be
communicated. Teachers clearly indicate that talking,
listening and hearing is not itself Enlightenment, but it is
only the beginning.

Preparations are necessary before
true listening can be either appropriate or effective. Those
necessary preparations include the development of the power
of discrimination, the power of renunciation, the power of
equanimity, and the motive power of longing.

For further reading see below links.

Preparatory Methods
of Spirituality – Edited and adapted by Beezone

Original
talk by Adi Da
Samraj

Also read:

“Non-dual”
Teachings, Talking Schools and Spiritual
Transmission