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EspañolH. W. L. POONJA
'Sri H. W. L. Poonja' (Hariwansh Lal Poonja),
★ 13 October 1910 in Punjab, (now Pakistan, earlier India); † 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India; also know as "Poonjaji" or " Papaji“. Although Poonjaji denied being part of any formal tradition, he is considered by many to be a yogi-saint of the Advaita Vedanta and Vaishnava Bhakti Traditions.
H. W. L. Poonja was born in Gujranwalla, in western Punjab, which is now Pakistan. His mother was the sister of Swami Rama Tirtha, one of the most famous saints of India. At the age of eight, he experienced nirvikalpa (formless) samadhi, an exalted state of unitary consciousness. He was persuaded by his mother that he could reconnect to this unitary experience by practicing devotion to the Hindu God Krishna, and so he gave himself over to Krishna Bhakti (devotion) with vigor. He proved to be a prodigy of sorts and while still a boy he began to have visions of Krishna. This is known in the Vaisnava tradition as receiving the "Darsana" of God. Playfully interacting with his visions of Krishna while simultaneously experiencing the bliss of spiritual union, he spent his youth in intimate relationship with Krishna as his Friend. As an adult he led an apparently normal life, married, raised two children and even joined the British army, while secretly his love for Krishna (and his visions of Him) continued. Pursuing the life of a devotee he was not satisfied with having sporadic visions and was deeply troubled when Krishna did not appear. He became obsessed with a longing to have the experience of seeing God all the time. He continuously repeated Krishna's name (japa) and traveled throughout India asking sages if they could deliver the ability to produce the darshan of God at will. For this reason in 1944 he traveled to Tiruvannamalai in southern India to meet the sage Ramana Maharshi . Ramana pointed out that the only God who is with him continually was the One who had seen the Visions of God, and unlike the God who he saw with his eyes, that One ( Consciousness ) does not come and go. He told him to find out who the seer is. Poonjaji had a deeply profound experience when he heard this, but it did not deter him from continuing to do his japa of Krishna's name and he was not impressed with the advice as such.
At this point Poonjaji continued pursuing his devotional path, having many visions of Hindu Gods. He was not yet convinced of the value of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which Ramana was known for but was attracted to him nonetheless. This came to a head where he even had a vision of Ramana telling him that Krishna devotion was the only truth, and became convinced that Ramana was a secret bhakta himself. It was only later, when Poonjaji went through a devotional crisis, one which he trusted Ramana ( the secret bhakti) could help him with, that he completely recognized the Self or Atman . Suddenly, after a lifetime of devotion, he found that he could no longer bring his mind to think of God, do japa or any other spiritual practice. Deeply concerned, he asked Ramana for help and was told that this was not a problem, that all his practice had carried him to this moment and it could be left behind now because it had served it's purpose. On hearing this and bathing in the silent gaze of his guru, Poonjaji felt his body purified and remade atom by atom totally transforming him as if he were being given a new body one atom at a time. It was then that he suddenly understood what he was and always already had been. After his transformation he stayed in southern India until 1947, when during the partition of India, despite Poonjaji's desire to stay with his master, Ramana sent him to his old home in the Punjab ( then in the new country of Pakistan ) to bring his family to the safety of Lucknow, India. Ramana's last words to him were: “I am with you wherever you go.” In the following years, Papaji earned money to support his family and travelled throughout India, Europe and the Americas. In 1966 he retired and went again back to Lucknow, where he received visitors from around the world. He died on September 6, 1997.
Poonjaji always refused to identify himself with any tradition and was decidedly radical in the directness of his teaching.
During his satsang his teaching was most close to the ultimate truth as described in the Advaita Vedanta teachings, while his teaching style has been compared to the early Chan ( Zen ) masters. His message was always that the Self is already enlightened and free. He emphasized that there is no difference between guru and devotee, stating that there is no teacher, no disciple and even no message. His teaching emphasizes again and again that words can only point to ultimate truth, but never are ultimate truth. Intellectual understanding without directly realizing the truth through our own investigation is not enough. This investigation which he called self-inquiry consisted of locating a person's sense of existence (or non -existence) by asking "who am I?" and to actually look directly. This is also the teaching of his teacher Ramana Maharshi. Like his master Ramana, he was quick to point out that devotional bhaktas such as Kabir, Ravidas, Sukdev and Mirabai were also awakened in the same state of Freedom known as Sahaj Samadhi, which they called God. He stressed that teaching through Silence was more important than teaching through words. A powerful transmission of awareness, presence, grace, love, bliss or shaktipat was reportedly experienced by many who met him, often dropping them directly into an experience of the Self. Also like his master, while there are many people who consider Poonjaji their spiritual master, he himself claimed no lineage. He was reputed to have said "Where there is lineage, there is corruption."
Many people experienced the way he interacted with others as a vital part of his message: Even when he became a popular guru, he remained available, welcomed newcomers to his home, never took money for teaching, founded no ashram or organization and asked for nothing from those he met. He also enjoyed seeing people sing and dance during satsang.
During satsang he told his devotees to go home and share their experience and the teachings with friends. He called them ambassadors and messengers. Thousands of people he sent back with this mission and many teachers or gurus in the west refer to him as their teacher, for example Gangaji, and Isaac Shapiro.
★ Ramana Maharshi
★ Papaji: Interviews ( A collection of Interviews with Poonja) by David Godman, published 1993 by Avadhuta Foundation
★ Papaji Interviews & Reflections (earlier Indian edition, essentially a different book) , published 1992 by Pragati
★ Nothing Ever Happened ( A three volume biography ). by David Godman, published by Avadhuta Foundation
★ This: Prose and Poetry of Dancing Emptiness (the essence of Papaji's teachings) Edited by Prashanti, published by VidyaSagar Publications and Weiserbooks.com
★ The Truth Is (the essence of Papaji's teachings with dialogues) Edited by Prashanti, published by VidyaSagar Publications and Weiserbooks.com
★ Wake Up and Roar: Satsang With H. W. L. Poonja ( two volumes ), edited by Eli Jaxon-Bear
★ Meeting Papaji: First-Hand Accounts Gathered by Roslyn Moore
★ My Master is My Self, by Andrew Cohen and Murray Feldman, ( 1989 account of his relationship with H.W.L.Poonja before the schism)
★ The Fire of Freedom: Satsang with Papaji by David Godman, published by Avadhuta Foundation
★ Avadhuta Foundation, Papaji's Homepage
★ Satsang Bhavan in Lucknow
★ More on Papaji
★ Satsang DVD with french subtitles
★ 13 October 1910 in Punjab, (now Pakistan, earlier India); † 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India; also know as "Poonjaji" or " Papaji“. Although Poonjaji denied being part of any formal tradition, he is considered by many to be a yogi-saint of the Advaita Vedanta and Vaishnava Bhakti Traditions.
| Contents |
| Life |
| Message |
| Ambassadors |
| See also |
| References |
| External links |
Life
H. W. L. Poonja was born in Gujranwalla, in western Punjab, which is now Pakistan. His mother was the sister of Swami Rama Tirtha, one of the most famous saints of India. At the age of eight, he experienced nirvikalpa (formless) samadhi, an exalted state of unitary consciousness. He was persuaded by his mother that he could reconnect to this unitary experience by practicing devotion to the Hindu God Krishna, and so he gave himself over to Krishna Bhakti (devotion) with vigor. He proved to be a prodigy of sorts and while still a boy he began to have visions of Krishna. This is known in the Vaisnava tradition as receiving the "Darsana" of God. Playfully interacting with his visions of Krishna while simultaneously experiencing the bliss of spiritual union, he spent his youth in intimate relationship with Krishna as his Friend. As an adult he led an apparently normal life, married, raised two children and even joined the British army, while secretly his love for Krishna (and his visions of Him) continued. Pursuing the life of a devotee he was not satisfied with having sporadic visions and was deeply troubled when Krishna did not appear. He became obsessed with a longing to have the experience of seeing God all the time. He continuously repeated Krishna's name (japa) and traveled throughout India asking sages if they could deliver the ability to produce the darshan of God at will. For this reason in 1944 he traveled to Tiruvannamalai in southern India to meet the sage Ramana Maharshi . Ramana pointed out that the only God who is with him continually was the One who had seen the Visions of God, and unlike the God who he saw with his eyes, that One ( Consciousness ) does not come and go. He told him to find out who the seer is. Poonjaji had a deeply profound experience when he heard this, but it did not deter him from continuing to do his japa of Krishna's name and he was not impressed with the advice as such.
At this point Poonjaji continued pursuing his devotional path, having many visions of Hindu Gods. He was not yet convinced of the value of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which Ramana was known for but was attracted to him nonetheless. This came to a head where he even had a vision of Ramana telling him that Krishna devotion was the only truth, and became convinced that Ramana was a secret bhakta himself. It was only later, when Poonjaji went through a devotional crisis, one which he trusted Ramana ( the secret bhakti) could help him with, that he completely recognized the Self or Atman . Suddenly, after a lifetime of devotion, he found that he could no longer bring his mind to think of God, do japa or any other spiritual practice. Deeply concerned, he asked Ramana for help and was told that this was not a problem, that all his practice had carried him to this moment and it could be left behind now because it had served it's purpose. On hearing this and bathing in the silent gaze of his guru, Poonjaji felt his body purified and remade atom by atom totally transforming him as if he were being given a new body one atom at a time. It was then that he suddenly understood what he was and always already had been. After his transformation he stayed in southern India until 1947, when during the partition of India, despite Poonjaji's desire to stay with his master, Ramana sent him to his old home in the Punjab ( then in the new country of Pakistan ) to bring his family to the safety of Lucknow, India. Ramana's last words to him were: “I am with you wherever you go.” In the following years, Papaji earned money to support his family and travelled throughout India, Europe and the Americas. In 1966 he retired and went again back to Lucknow, where he received visitors from around the world. He died on September 6, 1997.
Message
Poonjaji always refused to identify himself with any tradition and was decidedly radical in the directness of his teaching.
During his satsang his teaching was most close to the ultimate truth as described in the Advaita Vedanta teachings, while his teaching style has been compared to the early Chan ( Zen ) masters. His message was always that the Self is already enlightened and free. He emphasized that there is no difference between guru and devotee, stating that there is no teacher, no disciple and even no message. His teaching emphasizes again and again that words can only point to ultimate truth, but never are ultimate truth. Intellectual understanding without directly realizing the truth through our own investigation is not enough. This investigation which he called self-inquiry consisted of locating a person's sense of existence (or non -existence) by asking "who am I?" and to actually look directly. This is also the teaching of his teacher Ramana Maharshi. Like his master Ramana, he was quick to point out that devotional bhaktas such as Kabir, Ravidas, Sukdev and Mirabai were also awakened in the same state of Freedom known as Sahaj Samadhi, which they called God. He stressed that teaching through Silence was more important than teaching through words. A powerful transmission of awareness, presence, grace, love, bliss or shaktipat was reportedly experienced by many who met him, often dropping them directly into an experience of the Self. Also like his master, while there are many people who consider Poonjaji their spiritual master, he himself claimed no lineage. He was reputed to have said "Where there is lineage, there is corruption."
Many people experienced the way he interacted with others as a vital part of his message: Even when he became a popular guru, he remained available, welcomed newcomers to his home, never took money for teaching, founded no ashram or organization and asked for nothing from those he met. He also enjoyed seeing people sing and dance during satsang.
Ambassadors
During satsang he told his devotees to go home and share their experience and the teachings with friends. He called them ambassadors and messengers. Thousands of people he sent back with this mission and many teachers or gurus in the west refer to him as their teacher, for example Gangaji, and Isaac Shapiro.
See also
★ Ramana Maharshi
References
★ Papaji: Interviews ( A collection of Interviews with Poonja) by David Godman, published 1993 by Avadhuta Foundation
★ Papaji Interviews & Reflections (earlier Indian edition, essentially a different book) , published 1992 by Pragati
★ Nothing Ever Happened ( A three volume biography ). by David Godman, published by Avadhuta Foundation
★ This: Prose and Poetry of Dancing Emptiness (the essence of Papaji's teachings) Edited by Prashanti, published by VidyaSagar Publications and Weiserbooks.com
★ The Truth Is (the essence of Papaji's teachings with dialogues) Edited by Prashanti, published by VidyaSagar Publications and Weiserbooks.com
★ Wake Up and Roar: Satsang With H. W. L. Poonja ( two volumes ), edited by Eli Jaxon-Bear
★ Meeting Papaji: First-Hand Accounts Gathered by Roslyn Moore
★ My Master is My Self, by Andrew Cohen and Murray Feldman, ( 1989 account of his relationship with H.W.L.Poonja before the schism)
★ The Fire of Freedom: Satsang with Papaji by David Godman, published by Avadhuta Foundation
External links
★ Avadhuta Foundation, Papaji's Homepage
★ Satsang Bhavan in Lucknow
★ More on Papaji
★ Satsang DVD with french subtitles
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