1. Niz told people to stay focused on the I AM.
2. Ramana told people to do self-inquiry.
3. Papaji told people to seek freedom. (he also told other people to seek other things in other ways, but we'll ignore that for purposes of this discussion.)
4. Soto Zen Masters tell people to count breaths, watch the breathing process, ATA, do zazen, etc.
5. Rinzai Zen Masters tell people to do those same things and also pursue their questions through koan study.
6. Enigma tells people to notice.
7. Tat tells people to observe the observer.
8. Tibetan Buddhist masters tell people to recite mantras, practice loving kindness, do visualization meditations, etc.
9. Tony Parsons tells people that there is nothing they can do because who they think they are does not exist.
10. Vipassana masters tell people to practice mindfulness and breath awareness.
11. I tell people to bear their questions in mind, ATA, look within, trust themselves 100%, and be persistent.
You are seeking understanding, and if you keep seeking understanding, you will find exactly what you're looking for. Maybe you have very specific existential questions or maybe you have one general question, such as "What's going on?" on "What's the truth?" Forget Papaji or anyone else whose advice doesn't ring your bell. Just be true to yourself. You know what you want to know, and that's all that matters. You can select one single approach, or you can experiment with all of these approaches.
Personally, freedom was never an issue for me. As E. explained, because I never thought it was something missing, I never went looking for it. Like you, I only wanted understanding. I conceived my search for understanding in scientific terms, but after my first experience of non-duality, I realized that my search had been incorrectly conceived and based upon false assumptions. Even though this was the case I still found what I was looking for (the truth).
By reading this forum, and through your own intuition, you already know that what you're searching for is beyond the mind. It doesn't matter which questions primarily concern you; if you search for the answers hard enough, you will find what you're searching for.
Imagine that the brain has two circuits. One of those circuits is the intellect or mind. The other circuit is a direct connection to what E. calls "Intelligence," or what Zen folks call "Big Mind." If you bear in mind what you want to know long enough and hard enough, a switch in the brain will flip, and you will discover that you are directly connected to the infinite. The infinite will answer all of your questions because your questions are being generated by the infinite and not by you. Who you currently think is thinking the questions does not exist. This proves that the infinite has a good sense of humor!
2. Ramana told people to do self-inquiry.
3. Papaji told people to seek freedom. (he also told other people to seek other things in other ways, but we'll ignore that for purposes of this discussion.)
4. Soto Zen Masters tell people to count breaths, watch the breathing process, ATA, do zazen, etc.
5. Rinzai Zen Masters tell people to do those same things and also pursue their questions through koan study.
6. Enigma tells people to notice.
7. Tat tells people to observe the observer.
8. Tibetan Buddhist masters tell people to recite mantras, practice loving kindness, do visualization meditations, etc.
9. Tony Parsons tells people that there is nothing they can do because who they think they are does not exist.
10. Vipassana masters tell people to practice mindfulness and breath awareness.
11. I tell people to bear their questions in mind, ATA, look within, trust themselves 100%, and be persistent.
You are seeking understanding, and if you keep seeking understanding, you will find exactly what you're looking for. Maybe you have very specific existential questions or maybe you have one general question, such as "What's going on?" on "What's the truth?" Forget Papaji or anyone else whose advice doesn't ring your bell. Just be true to yourself. You know what you want to know, and that's all that matters. You can select one single approach, or you can experiment with all of these approaches.
Personally, freedom was never an issue for me. As E. explained, because I never thought it was something missing, I never went looking for it. Like you, I only wanted understanding. I conceived my search for understanding in scientific terms, but after my first experience of non-duality, I realized that my search had been incorrectly conceived and based upon false assumptions. Even though this was the case I still found what I was looking for (the truth).
By reading this forum, and through your own intuition, you already know that what you're searching for is beyond the mind. It doesn't matter which questions primarily concern you; if you search for the answers hard enough, you will find what you're searching for.
Imagine that the brain has two circuits. One of those circuits is the intellect or mind. The other circuit is a direct connection to what E. calls "Intelligence," or what Zen folks call "Big Mind." If you bear in mind what you want to know long enough and hard enough, a switch in the brain will flip, and you will discover that you are directly connected to the infinite. The infinite will answer all of your questions because your questions are being generated by the infinite and not by you. Who you currently think is thinking the questions does not exist. This proves that the infinite has a good sense of humor!