Douglas Harding
Douglas was a sincere gentle soul who found what he was looking for. And which he happily shared with whomever expressed interest, in a easy going, relaxed manner.
Unlike the think-story-think-sit-in-silence-think-imagine methods of so many, Douglas had some simple exercises which anyone could do, in pointing directly to the obviousness of the obvious. Without the need for anything else. Very lovely.
Douglas did not eschew phenomenon but rather embraced it as a celebration of Self. That face in the mirror was to him, unlike so many of the neo-Advaita crowd, not something to be dismissed but rather to be seen for what it was - a natural expression of love by the inexorable stillness at the center of everything.
I was once having coffee with another very well know ’spiritual teacher’ who disparaged Douglas as a ‘one-trick pony’, because Douglas was always pointing people to the clear absence of one’s own head. In fact, many others in the so-called spiritual-teacher-crowd disparaged Douglas quite openly. In essence they said that Douglas’ work was solipsistic. Ah yes, the anti-intellectualism of the spiritual-correctness crowd
. Well, Douglas was the antithesis of a “teacher”, mentioning every now and again how violent and destructive the guru-disciple relationship was to finding Truth. Perhaps this was another reason for the disparagement?
But surely knowing one thing utterly, is all that is required. Just know it well, rest attention only upon that, and everything else becomes clear. Like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marpole who understood the whole of human endeavor by simply putting all of her attention on what happened in her own little village. Douglas knew that secret too - he put all of his attention on finding where his head went when he was not looking in a mirror…. and found that what remained in that absence was the ever present joy of Self.
Another charge which I heard a well-known teacher on the spiritual circuit (who stays in five-star hotels paid for by worshipful satsang attendees) was that Douglas’ vision removed God from the world, putting Douglas in Its place. Well, similar criticisms where made of Mansur. Mansur Al-Hallaj as you may know, was a 9thC CE Sufi who used to go around town saying “I am Truth” (Ana’L Haqq). “Truth” is one of the names of God, so the wise and compassionate townsfolk took it that Mansur was saying “I am God” - which is a blasphemy. The loving Muslims of that time shut him up in a not very nice jail for a decade or so, then when he refused to repent, took some rather sharp knives and cut him, alive, into quite a few pieces before he died. They destroyed most of his written works too. Sigh.
Well, Rumi wrote a famous defence of Mansur’s “I am God” statement, which I feel is very appropriate to all who disparage those who make the claim:
"I am God", is the expression of great humility. The man who says Ana’L Abd, "I am the slave of God" affirms two existences, his own and God’s, but he who says Ana’L Haqq, "I am God", says "I am naught, He is all; there is nothing but God". — Jalalud’din Rumi
So Douglas is in good company
Douglas did not say that thoughts must be stopped, or changed. Unlike the mantra of stilling thoughts of the neo-Advaita, non-dual, neo-Christian, or Zen crowd. Nor did he speak in terms of enlightenment as if it was some kind of goal to be reached - the brass ring of life so to speak. Rather he pointed to the obvious fact that there can be no such thing as awake/not-awake when one simply relaxes.
How refreshing.
Update: Since I wrote this Douglas has passed away. He will be missed.
One time when a friend of mine and Douglas were having coffee together, Douglas mentioned that being was what we are. This is so obvious, that it is ignored by most. Everything is a thing except for that which is looking. Point to a chair - it is a thing. Point to the sky - it is a thing. Point to your lover - it is a thing. Point to your body - it is a thing. Point to the emptiness above your shoulders - it is not a thing, is it?
