Your Head In The Tigers Mouth

Ramesh Balsekar is one of the great lights of our time. I know, I know, there are tales of some misbehavior. A fall from grace is possible for anyone; enlightenment is Now, not forever. But at the time that three of his books were written, this guru was awake and knew what he was talking about, I'll guarantee you that. You may feel absolutely confident in buying this book, as well as Consciousness Speaks and Pointers from Nisargadatta. Some of his other books leave me a little cold, but this trio is terrific grounding in Advaita the Way of Reality.

This book is remarkably helpful for anyone who is teetering towards Advaita or even self-acceptance after years, perhaps, of working a little too hard on their "spiritual progress". Alot of myths are debunked and the same myths crop up again and are debunked again in a slightly different way, one of which is bound to strike a chord. Too bad about him groping the ladies in his kitchen and the ensuing controversy...but he doesn't claim to be "enlightened"...or does he? Ah well, still lots of good practical advice....just stay out of the kitchen.

Prior to reading "Your Head In The Tigers Mouth", I read "Consciousness Speaks", "Sin and Guilt - Monstrosity of Mind", and "The Ultimate Understanding", all of which provide Sri Ramesh Balsekar's teaching. I had the opportunity to attend his talks in Bombay for three days and I listened to another recorded talk on an audio tape. This gives me sufficient background to comment on this book.The principal message in this book, "Your Head In The Tigers Mouth", is no different from what is available in "Consciousness Speaks". I felt that the talks recorded in this book are not that 'impressive', primarily because some of the questions/questioners were vague, and some of the questioners had no special purpose (which could be shared by other seekers) except to argue (at least as I view). The editorial work is not good, as I see conversations mixed up, as different people are speaking at the same time. Atleast let me say that the editorial setting in "Consciousness Speaks" was better. So, to that extent, a reader does not get much benefit. The Scene on Upanishads was silly. I wish Sri Ramesh spoke of his Understanding of the Upanashadic statements in the context of his message, than some other "Seeker" explaining what Upanishads meant to convey as he understood. I feel the explanations given by the 'Seeker' were incomplete and unsatisfactory and I did not find any help.I feel, the translations of the Abhangas are biased, and do not provide accurate translations. The translations are colored by "Ramesh's terminology", in the new zeal of Sri Ramesh's teaching, though the actual words and thoughts do not necessarily mean that. So, the simplicity and spontaneity of the Abhangas is lost. The mysticism and devotion which provokes a "seeker" to 'discover That' is lost, in these verbose translations.On two/three occations in this book the messages are totally contradictory to Sri Ramesh's present teaching in 2003 (when I personally attended his talks), surprisingly; rather the concepts in these two occassions were totally contradictory to Sri Ramesh's explanation/concepts as of 2003. See below:Page 49: Ramesh: Yes, I know. That is why I say involvement happens all the time because the ego has been conditioned - not for fifty or sixty years that Muralidharan has been living, but for thousands of years. The ego has been conditioned to react to the natural reaction of the brain and gets involved. That is what the ego does, you see ? So the ego does what it is supposed to do. It has been conditioned for thousands of years. ....-----------------Page 171:Estrella: But, I don't understand. If I die - finished ! How can the ego exist in another world ?Ramesh: Whether you call it ego, I don't know. All I am saying, if it is God's will that there should be a connection between a being with a body and a being without a body, why should God not create that connection ? ......-----------------------Page 200: Ramesh: That's right. So, it's all conceptual. My basic question is