Interesting Teaching by Edward Salim Michael

[bodhimind]

https://www.meditation-presence.com/

On looking at his teachings, he firstly acknowledges the use of the auditory jhana-nimitta as an excellent meditation object, and also says that it must be continuously looked at every single moment. He also says that we should pay attention to the sensation of the body at the same time (which I believe to be the tactile jhana-nimitta) which he is referring to.

For example...

Closing his eyes, he should remain as still as possible, listening internally with sustained attention. If he can be inwardly quiet enough and deeply absorbed in the search, he will, if he is truly persistent, suddenly become aware of an unusual, feeble sound that can be heard deep inside the ears and head, concealed from him before and obscured by the din of his incessant mental restlessness.

and here...

When the aspirant has recognized this Nada and familiarized himself well enough with it, he will perceive that, contrary to the ever-changing inner and outer conditions that he was used to up to that moment, this mystical sound has a strange unearthly continuity about it.

It can be compared to the soft whisper of the wind and the continuous hissing noise of the ocean waves, with a shrill “ultra” sound on top of it, composed of all the harmonics in the universe. On higher spheres, this sacred Nada will have a strange sort of silvery aspect to it, somewhat similar to the uninterrupted jingling sound of very little pieces of glass, with other smaller, ever more subtle sounds superimposed on it, until finally these finer sounds seem to disappear into infinity.

And his recognition of it being something beyond:

However, he should not forget that he is only using it with a view to succeeding one day in finding himself connected to another state of being in himself, beyond time and space, and not just simply to hear it.

He also very obviously acknowledges:

This process of repetition and change makes a renewal possible—which unavoidably implies the impermanence of any manifested creation—through which She can pursue her search for a form of perfection which she tries to achieve so mysteriously with a view to meeting an enigmatic need of the Infinite. Yet, contrary to Great Nature who, in her tireless search for improvement, is forever moving, the human being has an unfortunate tendency towards inertia which, once he has learned or experimented with something, drives him, despite himself, to be satisfied with what he believes he has understood.

And his understanding of past-lives evident here:

If he is destined for reincarnation, he will come back into existence bringing with him his habits of the past which, through their constant repetition, will engender the very same conditions of recurrence. He will thus find himself in the same situations from one incarnation to another, filled with the same kinds of desires, irresistibly attracted to the same people (or types of person), devoting himself to the same activities which he formerly held dear, etc., all holding him a prisoner of recurrence—and precisely from which he must free himself if he wishes to attain Nirvana or the “Kingdom of Heaven.”

And fruits of practice:

If the aspirant can attain the stage where his attention is held without fluctuating, then he will begin to feel a most subtle “interiorization” and “descent” into himself gently taking place. A curious heat will start spreading from his abdomen across his body, and a most unusual feeling of continuity of being will pervade him. The singular feeling of being mysteriously weightless will arise in him as if suspended in space like a seemingly immobile cloud hanging in the sky on a windless day, gradually changing to that of beginning to merge into and become the space itself. A most fine and ethereal energy will delicately permeate his whole being, miraculously transforming his feeling of himself and his consciousness. This extraordinary sensation of transparency of being and of consciousness will bring with it an unparalleled felicity and delicious peace beyond any words.

Furthermore, this wondrous Nada will sing its mysterious song inside his head, and his head will seem to become strangely translucent, with his consciousness extending out in all directions around him.

This sublime Nada will sing in his ears with such supernal beauty and intensity that the entire Cosmos will appear to be vibrating with it. Nothing else will seem to exist but this enigmatic song of the Divine, composed of all the subtle harmonies and ultrasounds in the mystical world, ever vibrating through space far into infinity—this strange song eternally giving out a secret message for those who have ears to hear and the sensitive intuition to understand and appreciate it. It could even sometimes seem to the aspirant that this primordial sound or vibration is the Divine!

This is very obviously Kundalini, bliss and beyond. Also he seems to understand the connection of the sound to the Divine.

And...

The whole panorama of outer existence will appear to unfurl in front of him as a sort of strange and fantastic dream. And behind it all, he will mysteriously see through his mind’s eye, so to speak, the unity of all things—”That” which is pervading him and everything else at the same time.

And lastly, he acknowledges enlightenment and the need to continue in the Noble Eightfold Path lest his absorptions dwindle away...

Furthermore, whatever the degree of spiritual progress the seeker can achieve, he can never allow himself to be satisfied, because, owing to the law of gravity which reigns over everything which has taken on a tangible form, if he does not make a continual effort to rise, his energies will have no other choice than to sink in the direction of least resistance, i.e., descent; in other words, whilst he is still alive, he always risks losing what he has been able to achieve. Only after death can he hope to retain what he has spiritually acquired with so much difficulty.

I highly recommend his work, and I find it very compatible with the GWV's view.

[Jhanananda]

https://www.meditation-presence.com/

On looking at his teachings, he firstly acknowledges the use of the auditory jhana-nimitta as an excellent meditation object, and also says that it must be continuously looked at every single moment. He also says that we should pay attention to the sensation of the body at the same time (which I believe to be the tactile jhana-nimitta) which he is referring to.

Yes, I agree, Edward Salim Michael (1921-2006) does appear to manifest some of the superior fruit of attainment (maha-phala).  I was surprised that I had not run into him, nor he I, until I realized that he died in 2006.  It is doubtful that they had a website dedicated to him that early, and he may very well have been out of commission in his last few years.

This website is a presentation of Edward Salim Michael’s books and spiritual teaching.

Born in England, Edward Salim Michael (1921-2006) spent his youth in various Eastern countries and lived for a long time in India, his grandmother’s country.

After several years of assiduous meditation practice, he had, at the age of thirty-three, an extremely powerful experience of awakening to what one might equally well call his Buddha Nature or the Infinite within himself.

It was to Buddhism that he felt closest, but, as all his writings come from direct spiritual experiences, to illustrate his words, he does not hesitate to quote Hindu or Christian Scriptures.

[bodhimind]

It is a pity, because he would have been a valuable contributor to the GWV. As an example, Ajahn Sumedho (chapter 12), a Theravadan monk has taken his writings seriously and this effective practice (of listening to the auditory nimitta to reach altered states of consciousness) seems to have spread among the monastic community. Another monk following his lead, Ajahn Amaro, has also went on with it.

In fact, curiously, Ajahn Amaro included the following in the book linked above:

Not everybody can pick up this experience easily in the
realm of hearing. It can be that, because of our character traits,
we have other ways in which we have been conditioned, say for
example because you are a graphic artist, that inner vibration
may be more discernible in terms of a visual quality, a subtle
oscillation in the visual field. Or, if you have developed a lot of
body awareness as a hatha yoga teacher, you might feel it in
the body as a delicate, pervasive vibratory quality, a humming
resonance, a tingling in the hands or a subtle, energetic
presence, a continuous vital current through the body.

He may have stumbled upon the other types of charisms here, although they are not completely intensified. But nice to know that they have not been completely marginalized despite talking about this method which is not found in the Visuddhimagga.

[Jhanananda]

Yes, this work would be aided by other teachers, and contemplatives embracing the concept of deep meditation, and what it is characterized by.  Sadly, neither,  Sumedho nor, Amaro have embraced the larger picture of the GWV, nor even acknowledge our existence, as far as I know.  Also, they both subscribe to the delusional belief system that there is a two-path model described in the suttas.  Such a belief is deeply erroneous, and misleading.

[Jhanek]

Also, they both subscribe to the delusional belief system that there is a two-path model described in the suttas.  Such a belief is deeply erroneous, and misleading.

What do they mean by the two-path model? What is the other path?

[Jhanananda]

What do they mean by the two-path model? What is the other path?

Insight verse "concentration."  The suttas have nothing like this, and considering that the sangha rejects jhana, then we have to conclude that most Buddhist priests are clueless pretenders.

[bodhimind]

From one of his books:



He clearly understands the auditory charism.

[Jhanananda]

I agree with the above quote, so Edward Salim Michael clearly had arrived at the charismatic sound.  The question is, did he develop access to any of the other charisms?