Re: Quote Only Thread
Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 8:01 am
More from the above source:
In 1993, Jones revealed that he is the reincarnation of Swami Vivekananda (1863–
1902). (He had been making veiled references to this possibility for some time.) As
he explains it, every human being is composed of gross biological elements, derived
from their parents, and subtle spiritual elements that reincarnate from life to life.
Jones believes that his own “subtle core” is Swami Vivekananda, the great disciple
of Sri Ramakrishna (1836–1886). In a curious incident near the end of his life, Ramakrishna
claimed to have transmitted his spiritual power to Vivekananda, leaving
nothing for himself. Consequently, Jones believes that he is also in some sense Ramakrishna.
Even more mysteriously, Jones seems to suggest that Ramakrishna was originally
a reincarnation, or perhaps an emanation, of Jones himself. As the guru puts it:
I Am the One Who Awakened (and, thereafter, Worked through) Ramakrishna. He
Recapitulated the past, in order (by a Spiritual Sacrifice) to Serve the future. I AM the
One Who Worked through (and has now Most Perfectly Awakened) Swami Vivekananda.
He Served the future, in order (even by physical death and physical rebirth) to Transcend
the past (and, Thus, and by Means of a great and Spiritual Awakening, to Bless
and to Liberate the future).
Now and forever, Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda are One, at the Heart, And I
AM the One They have Realized There.
There are several oddities one might recognize in this passage. The most obvious is
the strange capitalization. It is a characteristic of all of Jones’s later writings. He
claims a spiritual purpose for this practice. Ostensibly it serves to undercut the
“egoic” focus of his readers, though there appears to be little coherence to the method.
(For example, why capitalize “Thus”?) More practically, it serves to alienate casual
readers. It does not, in this author’s opinion, serve Jones well, and it certainly
does not expand his readership.
A second oddity one might notice is the dualism of the language. For someone
whose central realization is the oneness of Reality, Jones seems at great pains to
emphasize himself in contrast to everyone else. Few writers use “I” and “Me” more
frequently and enthusiastically than Jones, though he occasionally qualifies the apparent
egotism by pointing out that his readers are really Him anyway, whether they
know it yet or not.
Other oddities include the legalism of Jones’s wording and the constant restatement
he employs. Parenthetical synonyms and paraphrases, following and ostensibly
clarifying nearly every statement, have been an increasingly prominent feature of
Jones’s writing since the 1980s. His most recent work reads like highly esoteric legal
documents or perhaps the fine print at the bottom of a very strange credit card bill.
In 1993, Jones revealed that he is the reincarnation of Swami Vivekananda (1863–
1902). (He had been making veiled references to this possibility for some time.) As
he explains it, every human being is composed of gross biological elements, derived
from their parents, and subtle spiritual elements that reincarnate from life to life.
Jones believes that his own “subtle core” is Swami Vivekananda, the great disciple
of Sri Ramakrishna (1836–1886). In a curious incident near the end of his life, Ramakrishna
claimed to have transmitted his spiritual power to Vivekananda, leaving
nothing for himself. Consequently, Jones believes that he is also in some sense Ramakrishna.
Even more mysteriously, Jones seems to suggest that Ramakrishna was originally
a reincarnation, or perhaps an emanation, of Jones himself. As the guru puts it:
I Am the One Who Awakened (and, thereafter, Worked through) Ramakrishna. He
Recapitulated the past, in order (by a Spiritual Sacrifice) to Serve the future. I AM the
One Who Worked through (and has now Most Perfectly Awakened) Swami Vivekananda.
He Served the future, in order (even by physical death and physical rebirth) to Transcend
the past (and, Thus, and by Means of a great and Spiritual Awakening, to Bless
and to Liberate the future).
Now and forever, Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda are One, at the Heart, And I
AM the One They have Realized There.
There are several oddities one might recognize in this passage. The most obvious is
the strange capitalization. It is a characteristic of all of Jones’s later writings. He
claims a spiritual purpose for this practice. Ostensibly it serves to undercut the
“egoic” focus of his readers, though there appears to be little coherence to the method.
(For example, why capitalize “Thus”?) More practically, it serves to alienate casual
readers. It does not, in this author’s opinion, serve Jones well, and it certainly
does not expand his readership.
A second oddity one might notice is the dualism of the language. For someone
whose central realization is the oneness of Reality, Jones seems at great pains to
emphasize himself in contrast to everyone else. Few writers use “I” and “Me” more
frequently and enthusiastically than Jones, though he occasionally qualifies the apparent
egotism by pointing out that his readers are really Him anyway, whether they
know it yet or not.
Other oddities include the legalism of Jones’s wording and the constant restatement
he employs. Parenthetical synonyms and paraphrases, following and ostensibly
clarifying nearly every statement, have been an increasingly prominent feature of
Jones’s writing since the 1980s. His most recent work reads like highly esoteric legal
documents or perhaps the fine print at the bottom of a very strange credit card bill.