Hinduism: Details about 'H W L Poonja'

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Sri H. W. L. Poonja (Hariwansh Lal Poonja), * 13 October 1910 in Punjab, (now Pakistan, early India); † 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India; called "Papaji“ or "Lion of Lucknow“ was an Indian saint of the Advaita Vedanta.

Contents

Life

H. W. L. Poonja was born in Gujrunwala, in western Punjab, which is now Pakistan. His mother was the sister of Swami Rama Tirtha, one of the most famous saints of India. At the age of eight, it is said, he experienced his first samadhi. He



led a normal life, married, raised two children and joined the army. But his love to God was so immense, that he decided to search for him. In 1944 he met his master, Sri Ramana Maharshi and he realized his Self in the presence of the master. In 1947 he went back to Lucknow to join his family. Ramana Maharshi let him go with the words: “I am with you wherever you are.” In the following years, Papaji earned money to support his family and travelled in India, Europe and North America. In 1966 he retired and went again back to Lucknow, India, where he received visitors from around the world. He died on September 6, 1997.

Message

In satsang he pointed only to ultimate truth. This is why he is seen as a saint of Advaita (Sanskrit for 'non



duality') Vedanta (Sanskrit for 'end of knowledge'). He was called “Papaji”, “Poonjaji” or the “lion of Lucknow”. He always pointed out that words only can point on ultimate truth, but never are ultimate truth. He emphasized that there is no difference between guru and devotee, the self and guru and that there is no teacher, no disciple and even no message. In fact, he told them there is just emptiness, which is everlasting freedom. He shared this through his presence, touch, gaze, words or having prasad together. He also liked singing and dancing in satsang.

Ambassadors

During satsang he told his devotees to go home and share the experiences with friends. He called them ambassadors. Thousands of people he sent back with this mission and many teachers or gurus in the west refer to him as their teacher, for example , , and .

See Also

References

  • Interviews, A collection of Interviews with Poonja. by David Godman, published by Avadhuta Foundation
  • Nothing Ever Happened, A Biography of Papaji. by David Godman, published by Avadhuta Foundation
  • This: Prose and Poetry of Dancing Emptiness, The Essence of Papaji's Teachings. Edited by Prashanti, published by VidyaSagar Publications and Weiserbooks.com
  • The Truth Is, The Essence of Papaji's Teachings with Dialogues. Edited by Prashanti, published by VidyaSagar Publications and Weiserbooks.com
  • Wake Up and Roar, volume 1 + 2: Satsang With H. W. L. Poonja, edited by Eli Jaxon-Bear
  • Papaji: Interviews; edited by David Godman
  • Meeting Papaji: First-Hand Accounts, by Roslyn Moore

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "H._W._L._Poonja". A list of the wikipedia authors can be found here.