Aboriginalwisdom

WeWesternersliveinaworldofcontinualandunrelentingdistraction.Ourdaysbeginwiththe
newspapersinthemorning,ourworkworldduringtheday,andtelevision,otherentertainments,orthe
internetintheevenings.Inaddition,thereareourselfpromotingschemesandoureverchanginglife
styles,repletewithfamiliesandfriends,restaurantsandfilmsandvariousculturalandendlesssporting
events,allofwhicharepartofthemultileveledtemplateofdistractionthatwecalllife.

Accordingly,throughoutourdays,andournights,ourmindsarenever,everstill.Theinternalchatter
inourheadscontinuestosurgethiswayandthat,dealingwithourproblemsandourfearsandour
widelyflungnetworksofrelationshipswitheveryone,everywhere.Inresponsetoallofthis,we
Westernersworry...andweworryalot.

TheIndigenousWorld

Thisbringsmetoconsideraquitedifferentstateofbeing,onethattheindigenouspeoplesoftheworld
knowwellastatethatfewintheWesternworldremember,althoughasImakethisstatement,Ihave
toacknowledgethatthoseworthieswhohaveameditationoryogapracticewillknowexactlywhatI'm
talkingabout.

AmongsomeoftheAustralianAboriginalpeoples,thisstateofbeingisknownas'dadirri,'atermthat
literallytranslatesintoEnglishas'deeplistening.'Someinformationaboutthisisincludedin
AwakeningtotheSpiritWorld(bySandraIngermanandHankWesselman,2010).

Severalyearsago,Ireceivedanemailfromsomeunknownsoulanunexpectedmissivethatincluded
thewordsofanAustralianAboriginaleldernamedMiriamRoseUngunmerrBaumann.Ihadnever
heardofherbefore,butasIreadthroughherbriefstatement,Irealizedthathernarrativewasfilled
withpowerinitssimplicityanddirectness.MiriamRose'smessageisclearlyforallofus,andsoI
sharesomeofitwithyouhereenhancedbysomeadditionalinformationaboutAboriginalthought.

Forstarters,MiriamRosedefinestheabilitycalleddadirriasaspecialqualitythatallowseachofusto
makecontactwithadeepspringthatlieswithinus.Toconnectwiththatspringrequiresthatwe
achieveastateofquiet,stillawareness.ItissimilartowhatweWesternerscall'contemplation'or
'meditation.'Shamanicpractitionersknowitwell.

Dadirri

ForthetraditionalAboriginals,MiriamRoseproclaimsthatthiscontemplativefocuspermeatestheir
entirewayoflife,theirwholebeingthatdadirricontinuallyrenewsthemonadaytodaybasis,
bringingthempeace,creatingharmonywherethereisdisharmony,producingbalancewherethereis
imbalance,restoringhealthwherethereisillness.

Therearenogreathiddentruthshere,no'secretknowledge'hiddenawayforcenturies,waitingfora
bunchofNewAgecharismaticswithpowerpointpresentationstorediscoverthem,excavatethem,and
writeabookaboutthem,proclaimingthemasthesolutiontoallourproblems,personalandcollective.

Thiswoman'smessageconveysasimpleandunmistakabletruththatthepracticeofdadirrimakesthe
Aboriginalsfeelwholeagain.Shesharesthattheycannotlivegoodandusefullivesunlessthey
practicedadirriandthattheylearnedhowtodothisfromtheirancestors.
AsaWesternanthropologistwhohasdoneconsiderabletimeintheindigenousworld,Icanappreciate
thistraditionalwoman'swords.DuringmyyearsspentamongthetribalpeoplesofAfrica,oneofthe
thingsthatIlearnedisthattheyarenotthreatenedbysilence.Tothecontrary,theyarecompletelyat
homeinit.Theirtraditionalwayshavetaughtthemhowtobestillandhowtolistentothesilence.
Accordingly,theydonottrytohurrythingsup.Rathertheyallowthemtofollowtheirnaturalcourses
liketheseasons...andtheywait.

SotheAboriginalwoman'smessagefromAustraliaconveysafamiliarmessageaswellasan
extraordinaryclaimthatthoseAboriginalsstilllivingintheirtraditionallifewaysdon'tworry...that
theyneverworry.Theyknowthatinthepracticeofdadirrithedeeplisteningandquietstillnessof
thesoulthatallwayswillbemadecleartothemintime.

TheAboriginalPerspective

ThetraditionalAboriginalsarenot'goaloriented'inthesamewaythatweWesternersareprogrammed
tobefromchildhood,nordotheyattempt'topushtheriver'whichtheyknowwithabsolutecertaintyis
anexerciseinabsolutefutility.

InMiriamRose'swords:"Wearelikethetreestandinginthemiddleofabushfiresweepingthrough
thetimber.Theleavesarescorchedandthetoughbarkisscarredandburnt,butinsidethetree,thesap
isstillflowingandundertheground,therootsarestillstrong.Likethetree,wehaveenduredthe
flamesandyetwestillhavethepowertobereborn."

Aftermorethan200yearsofassimilationistpracticesinflicteduponthembychurchandstatealike,the
AustralianAboriginalsarestillhere.Theyareusedtotheongoingstruggleandtothelongwaiting.In
thissense,theystillwaitforthewhitepeopletounderstandthembetter.Theyhavespentmany
generationslearningaboutWesternways.Theyhavelearnedtospeakourlanguageandhavelistened
towhatwehavetosay.Yettheycontinuetowaitforustocomeclosertothem.Theylongforthose
thingstheyhavealwayshopedforrespectandunderstanding.

InMiriamRoseUngunmerrBaumann'swords:"Weknowthatourwhitebrothersandsisterscarry
theirownparticularburdens.Wecarryburdensaswell.YetIbelievethatiftheyletuscometothem,if
theywouldopenuptheirmindsandheartstousandhearwhatwehavetosay,wemightlightentheir
burdens.Thereisastruggleforallofus,butwe,unlikethem,havenotlostourspiritofdadirri."

Sheconcludeshermessagebyobserving"Ibelievethatthespiritofdadirrithatwehavetooffertothe
worldwillhelpyouWesternerstoblossomandgrow,notjustwithinyourselves,butwithinyournation
aswell...

"Therearedeepspringswithineachofusandwithinthem,thereisasoundthesoundofthedeep
callingtothedeep.Thetimeforrebirthisnow.Ifourcultureandyourculturearealiveandwell,as
wellasstrongandrespected,theywillgrow.Insuchacase,ourculturewillnotdie,norwillyours,and
ourspiritswillnotbelost.Wewillcontinue,together,asthiswasalwaysmeanttobe."

AboriginalPhilosophy

ThiswonderfulstatementremindsmeofapaperIreadyearsagoinananthologycalledShamanism:
ExpandedViewsofRealityeditedbyShirleyNicholson(1987).Thepaperistitled'TheDreamtime,
Mysticism,andLiberation:ShamanisminAustralia,'anditisauthoredbytheVenerableE.Nandisvara
NayakeTheroPhD,thenthechiefSanghanayakaoftheTheravadaOrderofBuddhistmonksinIndia.

AformerprofessorofcomparativereligionatMadrasUniversity,aswellasdirectoroftheMaha
BodhiSocietyofSriLankaandsecretarygeneraloftheWorldSanghaCouncil,Dr.Nandisvarahad
recentlyreturnedfromaresearchexpeditionwithananthropologicalteaminAustralia,wherehehad
livedforsometimewithanativeAboriginalcommunityinhiswords,anextremelyancientrace
whosewayoflife(huntingandgathering)hadnotsubstantiallychangedforperhaps35,000years.

Inhisreport,Dr.Nandisvaramakesanextraordinarystatement.

"Tothosewhojudgethedegreeof(a)culturebythedegreeof(its)technologicalsophistication,the
factthattheAustraliannativesliveinthesamefashionnowastheydidthousandsofyearsagomay
implythattheyareuncivilizedoruncultured.

"However,Iwouldsuggestthatif(a)civilizationbedefined(by)thedegreeofpolishingofan
individual'smindandthebuildingofhisorhercharacter,andifthatculture(reflects)themeasureof
ourselfdisciplineaswellasourlevelofconsciousness,thentheAustralianAboriginalsareactually
oneofthemostcivilizedandhighlyculturedpeoplesintheworldtoday."

Fromhisconversationswiththeirshamansandspiritualelders,Dr.Nandisvaraconcludedthattheir
spiritualtraditionishighlyadvancedandthattheirreligiousbeliefsareparallelwiththosefoundinthe
variousbranchesofthePerennialPhilosophy.

TheAboriginalelderstoldDr.Nandisvarathatthespiritofahumanbeingisalwaysincontactwiththe
higherspiritualrealmsofbeing,eveniftheremaybenoawarenessofthiscontactinone'sordinary
stateofconsciousness.Theyinformedhimthatthisgivestoeachoneofusanextraordinarygiftinthat
therecanbedirectcommunicationbetweenthehumanandthedivineplanesofbeingwithouttheneed
foranyecclesiasticalintermediaryorpriest.

Inotherwords,inAboriginalthought,thereisquitesimplynogreatimpassablegulfbetweenthe
humanandthedivineaperceptionthatisindirectoppositiontomostesotericschoolsoftheology,
includingJudeoChristianity.ThisiswhytheAboriginalshadnoneedtodevelopanyorganized
religionrunbyabureaucratizedandstratifiedpriesthood.Whattheyhaveinsteadisanauthentic
spiritualegalitarianisminwhichthey,asindividuals,canaccesstheDreamtimethroughtrance,giving
themdirectandimmediateaccessintothespiritualdimensionsthroughtheshamanictechniquesof
ecstasy.

Thisabilitygivesthemanunshakableauthoritytomakehighlyevolvedphilosophicalobservations.For
example,likethereligiousthanatologiesofotherspiritualtraditions,theAboriginalsdescribethe
progressionofhumanconsciousnessafterdeathas"survivalininfinity."Theyknowfromdirect
experiencethattheindividualpointofcontactwiththeinfinitudeofcosmicconsciousnesscontinuesto
expandafterdeathuntilitiscoextensivewithit...untilitliterally'becomes'it.

ThisisnotatheoryfortheAboriginals,norisitaconcept.Itisaperceptbasedupontheirowndirect
experience,arevelationthatisrevealedalsointheTibetanBookoftheDead.TheHindusand
BuddhistsusethewordSamadhitodescribethisstate.TheAboriginalscallittheDreamtime,yetitis
clearfromtheirdescriptionsofitthatempiricallyandphenomenologically,thesestatesarethesame.

EarthandSkyPhilosophies

DrNandisvara'sessayalsoreportsthatthereisatraditionofpersonalspiritualaspirationinAboriginal
societythatissimilartothatfoundinyoga.Thisisnotsurprisingastheshamanictraditionisthe
ancestralprecursortoalltheyogictraditions.

ThefourstagesoflifeinHinduismare:brahmacharyaunmarriedstudent;grihasthamarried
householderwithchildren;vanaprasthaforestdweller;andsannyasawanderer.Duringthelastyearsof
theirlives,manyoftheAboriginaleldersleavetheircommunitiesandgooffaloneintothemountains
toengageinspiritualpractices,muchasinthelasttwostagesoftheHindusystemwhichare
characterizedbysolitaryretirementtotheforest,astrivingforspiritualunderstanding,andpreparation
fordeath.
OneofthetechniquesreportedbyDr.Nandisvarapracticedbysuch"renunciateAboriginalelders"is
gazingattheskywithwideopeneyes.Thisisnotatypeofastronomyorastrology.Ratheritisa
meditativemethodusedtoobtainspiritualinspirationandintuitiondirectlyfromthecosmos.

InBuddhism,Yoga,JudeoChristianity,andotherrelativelyrecentreligioussystems,'skyphilosophies'
predominateinwhichtheconceptsofspaceandskydeitiesareofgreatestreligiousimport.In
oppositiontothisaretheearlierreligiousaswellasindigenoustraditionsinwhich'earthphilosophies'
werethenorm,focusedastheywereupontheEarthasMotheraswellasotherearthlydeities,power
animalsorfertilitygoddessesasthepredominateobjectsofreverence.

Interestingly,inAboriginalthought,bothphilosophiesarepresent.TheEarthisthebasisforall
spiritualstudiesduringthefirstandintermediatestagesoflife.Butwiththeapproachoflife'send,the
basicEarthstudyiscompletedandthereisarefocusingofthestillembodiedspiritoftheindividual
towardtheboundlessreachesofthesky.

Thus,fortheAustralianAboriginals,thehighestspiritualityisassociatednotwiththeEarth,butwith
theshamanicUpperWorldsandwiththeinfinityofspacewithCosmicConsciousnessitself.This
againisincompletealignmentwiththegreatteachingsofthePerennialPhilosophy.

Atthisstage,boththebodyandthemindhavebecomeabsolutelystill.Thisisnotthesamestate
associatedwiththechakrasasdescribedinkundaliniyogaandtheotheresotericschools,foritis
beyondsuchexperiences.Itisinfactawithdrawalofenergyfromthecharkassothattheynolonger
haveanyeffectonthemindwhatsoever.

Thisisthestateofdadirri...thedeeplistening.

Dr.Nandisvaradescribesthisstateastheborderlandbetweenthemindthatisconnectedtothisworld,
andthemindthatisnotconnectedtothisworldthemindthatisabsolutelyfree.Itistheinterface
beentheexplicateandimplicateordersofrealityofthephysicistDavidBohm...theintimateoneon
oneconnectionwiththe'higherself'ofthemystic.

ThisisthestatethattheAboriginaleldersseekastheyleavetheirhomesandgoofftoliveinthe
mountainstopracticegazingatthesky.Thisistheshaman'sinvitationtothespiritualcosmicforceto
approachandembracethefocusofourmind.Itisandwasandwillforeverbe,unionwiththeinfinite
authenticnondualmysticism.

ReconsideringIndigenousWisdom

Itistime,Ithink,toacknowledgethattheindigenoustribalpeopleswerenotandarenotatsomechild
likeformofawareness.Rather,thetimehascomeforusallegedly'civilized'Westernerstoseriously
reconsidertheirworldviewsandtheirspiritualpractices.Fortheirwaysofbeingintheworldhavekept
themandtheirsocietiesaliveandwellfor40,000yearsandmore...whilewewhoconsiderourselves
sohighlyevolvedhaveonlybeenhereforafewhundred...andthingsarenotgoingparticularlywell
thesedays.

Dr.Nandisvaraalsodiscussessomethingelseofinterest...

Alongtheirwaytoachievingthehigherstatesofconsciousness,theshamansinAboriginalsocieties
areabletodevelopvarioussortsofpsychicabilities.Theypossess,forexample,thecapacitytotravel
outofthebodyacrosstheskyinanalteredstateofconsciousnessandvisitanyplacetheywish.

ItisalsoknownamongtheAboriginalsthattheirshamanscanjourneytothemoon,ortoanyother
planetatanytimetheychoose.ThisiswhytheywerenotparticularlyimpressedwhentheApollo
missionsflewtothemoonandback.Infact,theyfailedtounderstandwhywehadneededmachinesto
gothereastheyarebothbulkyaswellasslow.
Dr.Nandisvaraconcludeshisessaybyobserving(withconsiderablereverence)thatthoseAboriginals
stillinvolvedintheirtraditionallifewaysaresopeacefulandquiet,aswellassoharmoniouslyintune
withNatureandthespiritualdimension.Bycontrast,therestoftheworldaroundthem,includingmost
ofthesocalled'civilized'societies,areincrisis,dominatedbymurderandmayhem,political
mendacityandcorporategreed,withpeoplekillingeachotherinthenameofwhatevergodthey
espouse,exploitingtheenvironmentandtheirfellowlivingbeingsofthisbeautifulworld,onlysomeof
whomhappentobehuman.

WecouldobserveinpassingthatthereislittledoubtthatwearetheRomansofourtime.Isittherefore
surprisingthatDr.Nandisvara,whosomehavecalledthe'Pope'ofIndia,haschosentodescribethe
nativeAustraliansasoneofthemostcivilizedandculturedpeoplesontheplanettoday?