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Philip Goldberg: How Vedanta answered my deepest questions

A leading authority on Indian spirituality in the West, Philip Goldberg discusses his spiritual journey, the wisdom of Vedanta, and his new book, 'Karmic Relief'.

by Ashish Virmani
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Philip Goldberg was born in Los Angeles and came of age during the height of the counterculture movement of the 1960s and early ’70s. As a young man, he was irresistibly drawn to Oriental, especially Indian spirituality, a path that he has unwaveringly followed for over 50 years. Author, speaker, meditator, and spiritual coach, Phil’s books, such as ‘American Veda’ and ‘The Life of Yogananda’, speak of America’s fascination with Indian spirituality and spiritual teachers. After four decades in LA, Phil moved to Western Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife, acupuncturist Lori Deutsch.

As Phil Goldberg gears up for the release in October of his new book, ‘Karmic Relief’, he gave an exclusive interview to Ashish Virmani for A Lotus In The Mud. Excerpts:

Ashish Virmani: You got drawn to Eastern spirituality starting from the 1960s. Can you share a key experience that solidified your connection to it?

Philip Goldberg: The process unfolded over time and in a multidimensional way, with books and conversations the primary means of transmission. I was drawn to the wisdom I encountered in a natural way; it was illuminating and transformative, yet in a rational and empirical manner. If I were to name one pivotal experience, it would be when I moved to Boston and someone suggested I visit the Museum of Fine Arts to see the Buddhist statuary. I found myself alone in a quiet gallery, and as I slowly walked from statue to painting to statue, and looked at the serene faces of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, this thought arose: “Whatever those guys had, I want it.”

Why I Was Drawn to Vedanta

Ashish: You are especially drawn to Vedanta and yoga. What is it about Vedanta that drew you to this philosophical system?

Phil Goldberg: It answered the Big Questions I’d been struggling with: Who am I? What am I doing here? How do I relate to the rest of the cosmos? How do I find fulfilment in this life? Importantly, the answers were presented in a rational way. It did not require me to believe in anything preposterous. It was not incompatible with science. It was empirical; the insights of the sages were like hypotheses for me to test through my own reasoning and experience. They pointed to practice, not faith.

Philip Goldberg speaking at the Sivananda ashram in the Bahamas.
Philip Goldberg speaking at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas. (Photos courtesy: Phil Goldberg)

The primary trends in American religion and spirituality over the past few decades are directly related to our growing access to the Indian traditions, principally Buddhism and the Vedantic and yogic aspects of Hinduism. Those trends reflect central features of those traditions: individual exploration is favored over membership in a spiritual institution; spiritual practice and inner experience are valued over belief and dogma. Consequently, respect for traditions other than one’s own has grown, and assertions of religious superiority have declined.

~ Philip Goldberg 

Ashish: Your ‘American Veda’ book documents the influence that Eastern, especially Indian, spirituality has had upon America in the last 300 years. You also mention that it has been a largely beneficial influence. What makes you say so?

Phil Goldberg: I think it’s reasonable to say that the primary trends in American religion and spirituality over the past few decades are directly related to our growing access to the traditions that were birthed in India, principally Buddhism and the Vedantic and yogic aspects of Hinduism. Those trends reflect central features of these traditions: individual exploration is favored over membership in a spiritual institution; inclusivity and eclecticism are valued over exclusivity; spiritual practice and inner experience are valued over belief and dogma. Consequently, respect for traditions other than one’s own has grown, and assertions of religious superiority have declined.

Ashish: How do you account for fake Indian gurus and those who are corrupted by sex, money, or power once they come to America?

Phil Goldberg: Like conmen, grifters, and fraudulent businessmen, charlatan spiritual teachers can be found everywhere, especially in India and America. Seekers are prone to putting gurus on pedestals and projecting qualities of perfection and unqualified goodness onto them. Quite often, they become disillusioned when the guru turns out to be an imperfect human being, and then they tear down the pedestal. Sadly, many throw the baby out with the bathwater. Best not to expect our teachers to be perfect and to learn from them the way we learn from other experts.

Demystifying Karma and Reincarnation

Ashish: Your forthcoming book, ‘Karmic Relief’, tries to demonstrate how to use the Law of Karma to an individual’s benefit. Can you tell us about your learning about karma?

Phil Goldberg: My interest in karma began when I first read about the concept in the early days of my spiritual quest. I wanted to believe karma was real. I wanted the universe to be more fair and more equitable than it appeared to be. But I had trouble accepting it in the absence of real evidence. Other aspects of the wisdom traditions born in India were verifiable in my own experience, but karma did so only in a limited way. Over time, however, it began to make more and more sense to me, intuitively. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it’s more likely to be true than not, and that I would be a better person if I acted on the assumption that karmic law is at work in the world. I remind myself that everything I do, say, or think has consequences that eventually come back to me. Over the years, I noticed the term being used in the media and in casual conversations, and I found that it is often misused. That’s when I thought it would be a good idea to write a book about it.

karmic relef book

I wrote ‘Karmic Relief’ because the term is widely used in the media and in casual conversations, but is often misused. The finer details of karma are unfathomable—impossible for our human intellect to identify or comprehend. It is best to keep it simple and focus on the present: act ethically and responsibly, and good karma will result.

~ Philip Goldberg 

Ashish: You mention that an individual’s karma is ‘unfathomable’ and that it is futile to try to trace it backwards into previous lives. Where, then, does the value of living according to the tenets of karma lie?

Phil Goldberg: The concept of karma is easy to understand: every action has consequences, and the effects return to the actor in like form. In the West, we say “We reap what we sow” and compare it to the law of physics that says every action has an equal and opposite reaction. But the finer details of karma, the minutiae, are unfathomable—impossible for our human intellects to identify or comprehend. Sometimes it’s obvious: we slap someone and they hit us back; we run through a red light and have an accident or get a traffic ticket; we do something kind to someone and they express their gratitude in return. However, the vast majority of our actions blend with all our other actions—and our thoughts and intentions—and they all interact with the actions of other people, and so on. It’s too complex for us to say that this event was caused by what I did at a particular time in the past. It’s best to keep it simple and focus on the present: act ethically and responsibly, and good karma will follow; act selfishly or harmfully, and bad karma will result.

Ashish: Much of the literature on Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) has emerged from the United States over the last couple of decades. Several of these accounts, including neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander’s, deal with the afterlife and past lives, perhaps pointing towards reincarnation. The University of Virginia has also been researching the phenomenon for over 50 years. What is your personal view on the validity of reincarnation?

Phil Goldberg: The research you mention is fascinating and, to my mind and others, quite convincing—or at least provocative. But there is a long way to go before reincarnation is proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community, and it’s quite possible that it will never happen. My own experience, primarily in meditation, convinces me that consciousness exists independently of the brain and persists beyond the demise of the body. As to what happens after death, to me, reincarnation is the most plausible model.

Phil at Yogananda Fest 2020

While researching my book, American Veda, I discovered more about Paramahansa Yogananda’s profound impact and his fascinating personal life. I thought it would be a valuable contribution to write an objective biography that delved into aspects of his life that Yogananda either omitted or glossed over in his own autobiography. That’s why I wrote The Life of Yogananda. 

~ Philip Goldberg 

Meditation Has Gone Mainstream

Ashish: You practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) for many years and also taught it. Where does it figure in your life now? Do you think the TM movement has petered out in America and Europe?

Phil Goldberg: I learned TM in 1968, and it transformed my life. I’ve meditated every day since then. It’s the cornerstone of my spiritual practices. I haven’t had any active involvement in the TM organization for many decades, but I’m pleased to note that it hasn’t petered out. It’s not as newsworthy as it once was when meditation was a relatively unfamiliar practice in the West, and celebrities—most notably the Beatles—were drawn to it. Now, meditation is so mainstream that doctors and therapists routinely recommend it, and dozens of different methods are readily available. But trained teachers still teach the practice known as TM, and researchers continue to publish studies about its benefits.

Ashish: What sparked your interest in Paramahansa Yogananda? What did you try to convey in your biography of the author of ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ fame?

Phil Goldberg: I first read Autobiography of a Yogi in 1970, and it was a great help in informing my spiritual path. I’ve since read it many times (along with Yogananda’s other writings) and have taught courses about it. I learned more about his enormous impact and his fascinating personal life when researching my book, American Veda. After that book came out, I thought it would be a valuable contribution to write an objective biography that delved into aspects of his life that Yogananda either omitted or glossed over in his own book. That’s why I wrote The Life of Yogananda. I wanted to tell the story of a great spiritual teacher who was also a human being who faced difficult challenges and enjoyed simple pleasures. I believe there are lessons in that story for all of us.

Ashish: Do you have a guru you follow? What qualities should a genuine spiritual teacher embody? 

Phil Goldberg: I am not a disciple of a guru or the student of a single teacher. I learn from anyone and everyone, and the learning is constant and ongoing. I don’t expect it ever to end. As for the qualities of a “genuine spiritual teacher,” aside from the expected answers—knowledge, communication skills, etc.—I would add authenticity, humility, a sense of humor, and a high level of compassion. That said, everyone’s criteria for choosing teachers are different. We have different needs, different timing, different predilections, and backgrounds, as well as different likes and dislikes. We all need to be discerning and turn to teachers we can trust without giving up our freedom of thought.

To know more about Philip Goldberg and his work, go to: https://www.philipgoldberg.com

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