Adyashanti

Adyashanti (Sanskrit word meaning, "primordial peace"), is a spiritual teacher from the Bay Area who gives regular Satsangs in the United States and also teaches abroad. He is the author of several books, CDs and DVDs and is the founder of "Open Gate Sangha, Inc." a nonprofit organization that supports, and makes available, his teachings.

Religious Background

Born as Steven Gray, Adyashanti studied Zen for 14 years under the guidance of his Zen teacher Arvis Joen Justi. Justi was a student of Taizan Maezumi Roshi of the Zen Center of Los Angeles before he requested that she teach. Gray (Adyashanti) was regularly sent by Arvis to Zen sesshins, where he also studied under Jakusho Kwong Roshi of the San Francisco Zen Center. At age 25 he began experiencing a series of transformative spiritual awakenings (see Bodhi). In 1996, around six years later, he was invited to teach by Arvis Joen Justi. However, because Arvis never underwent the traditional Zen ceremony of Dharma transmission, though still instructed to teach by Maezumi, Adyashanti is not an official Dharma heir of any particular Zen tradition. Rather he is Arvis Justi's successor in a lay Lineage originally authorized by Taizan Maezumi. [http://www.wheniawoke.com/Sages/Adyashanti.pdf]

Teachings

Adyashanti's teachings have been compared to those of the early Chán masters of China as well as to teachers of Advaita Vedanta in India [http://www.heartawake.com/Adya.pdf] . Its basic world view suggests nondualism and thus teaches the liberation of beings from the illusion of separation, also known as maya (illusion). This is a classic eastern ideology familiar to both Buddhism and Hinduism. In his book "True Meditation", Adyashanti confirms this view when saying, "...in the end spirituality is not about watching the breath. It's about waking up from the dream of separateness to the truth of unity (pg. 15)."

Theory

The basic concept of this ideology is that humans tend to identify with a sense of self that is essentially not real, or sometimes called empty. The Buddha called this idea no-self, or anatta. Suffering is thus said to be caused by the belief in a separate self that seems to be divided from the world. If someone was to realize that they, as an individually isolated self, was not real, but that there is only one being, known as Buddha-nature in Buddhism or Brahman in Advaita Vedanta, then they would be awakened to the true nature of their being, oneness. To have such an awakening is to realize that there is no me and no other, there is only one. One being, one universe, one everything. Adyashanti illustrates this idea when he says, "There is only life living itself, life seeing itself, life hearing itself, life meeting itself as each moment ("My Secret is Silence", pg. 27)." Suffering, however, does not necessarily end here. After an awakening it is suggested that there is often a long process of embodiment where the old beliefs of the body and mind, sometimes called sanskaras, gradually yield to the new understanding of one's true nature. Structure

Though heavily influenced by his Zen background, Adyashanti's teaching structure is unique from, and is not considered, traditional Japanese Zen. He offers public events known as Satsangs where he gives a Dharma talk and then engages the audience with Questions and Answers. Sometimes these Satsangs are given in an all day, or weekend long, format and are simply called Intensives. He also offers silent retreats several times a year which is an example of his Zen influence. On these retreats participants refrain from speaking for several days, except during the Q&A in Satsangs, and also practice several hours of silent sitting. [http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=events]

Methods

Adyashanti's basic teaching methods are his public interactions at Satsangs, and what he calls "True Meditation". True Meditation is the form of meditation that he suggests his students practice while on his retreats. It has two components, silent sitting and meditative Self-Inquiry. In silent sitting, the purpose is for the practitioner to let go of control and let his/her attention to rest in the natural state that it is already in. He states, "When you cease trying to control and manipulate your experience, meditation spontaneously happens ("The Impact of Awakening", pg 23)." Then, with meditative Self-Inquiry, the student can ask what are considered to be spiritually significant questions. These questions are meant to expose illusionary thoughts and give rise to insight. An example of such a question is the "who am I?" inquiry, popularized by Ramana Maharshi. In "My Secret is Silence" Adyashanti explains, "A spiritual question is like an alarm clock thrown into the dream. "Who am I?" calls into question everything the dreamer believes in, namely him or herself. It disrupts the dream. That's its purpose (pg 25)."

Open Gate Sangha

Sangha is a term used in several Sanskrit derived languages of India to refer to a spiritual "assembly" or community, traditionally a monastic one, but its usage varies. Adyashanti founded "Open Gate Sangha, Inc." in 1996 when he began teaching. This Sangha refers to both the organization itself and his student community as a whole. The Organization runs on a small staff, as well as many volunteers, and helps coordinate Adya's (as he is called by his students) teaching and travel schedule. It also produces audio, visual and written material for publication.

Transmission

Adyashanti has continued the lay lineage that was started when his teacher, Arvis Joen Justi, was given permission to teach by Taizan Maezumi Roshi. The process of inviting others to teach the Dharma is called, by Adya, a "transmission of the flame". This is not to be confused with the traditional or ceremonial process of Dharma transmission that is in other Zen traditions. This "transmission", or the act of inviting others to teach, does not give any official authority to teach in any other tradition but its own. About this matter Adya says, on the "Open Gate Sangha" website, that those he invites to teach, "...stand on their own individual authority and are fully responsible for themselves and their teachings [http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=teachers] ." These teachers are listed below.

*Mokshananda
*Marlies Cocheret
*Shantam
*Norman Scrimshaw
*Sharon Landrith
*Bonnie Greenwell
*Loch Kelly
*Zeida Rothman
*Stephan Bodian
*Muni
* [http://www.sf-satsang.org Jon Bernie]
*Dorothy Hunt
*Larry Melton
*Mukti
*Mike Snider

Books by Adyashanti

* "The Impact of Awakening" (ISBN 1-59179-291-6)
* "My Secret Is Silence" (ISBN 0-9717036-1-2)
* "Emptiness Dancing" (ISBN 1-59179-459-5)
* "True Meditation" (ISBN 1-59179-467-6)

Related Websites

* [http://www.adyashanti.org/ Open Gate Sangha]
* [http://www.now-for-you.com/ A forum to discuss Adyashanti's teachings]
* [http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/384/who_hears_this_sound Interview in "The Sun" magazine]

Works Cited

*Adyashanti. "True Meditation". Boulder, CO: Sounds True, Inc., 2006.
*Adyashanti. "My Secret is Silence". Los Gatos, CA: Open Gate Publishing, 2003.
*Adyashanti. "The Impact of Awakening". Los Gatos, CA: Open Gate Publishing, 2000.

Web References

*1 [http://www.wheniawoke.com/Sages/Adyashanti.pdf Autobiographical Interview with Adyashanti]
*2 [http://www.heartawake.com/Adya.pdf Alan F. Zundel: Adyashanti and Westernized Zen]
*3 [http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=events Open Gate Sanghas Events page]
*4 [http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=teachers Transmission of the Flame]