Dr. Andrew Rawlinson, eminent historian of religion, will be delivering a talk on Saturday, November 9th at 5PM at PF Gallery as part of the State Of Wonder show. Pulling from a youth of rock ‘n roll spent with among others, with Syd Barrett and Strom Thorgerson, he has written the book “The Hit : Into the Rock ‘n Roll Universe and Beyond.”

The Amazon Review of a previous book “Book of Enlightened Masters : Western Teachers in Eastern” reads:
“Professor and religious historian Andrew Rawlinson has done a monumental service. With an effulgent wit and a critical eye he tells the stories of virtually all the teachers, East and West, who have had an impact on establishing Eastern religious traditions in the West. Three branches of Buddhism, two lineages of Sufism, and innumerable Hindu and independent teachers are all fully represented–from Swami Vivekananda to Alan Watts, Madame Blavatsky to Idries Shah, Ruth Fuller Sasaki to Pema Chodron. A 200-year time line, charts of lineages, and tables of significant groupings supplement Rawlinson’s biographies to great effect. He details historical links and tangential relationships while deftly narrating controversies without taking sides. Find your own master in this guide to spiritual leaders.”

Among other observations in “Enlightened Masters”, Dr. Rawlinson lays out the following model in which he places teachers, their teachings, practices, lineages and so on within four general categories:
“Hot is that which is other than oneself; that which has its own life, it is not something that one has access to as of right. It is powerful and breath-taking, and is associated with revelation and grace. It is very similar to Otto’s numinous.

Cool is the very essence of oneself; one need not go to another to find it. Hence one does have access to it as of right. It is quiet and still, and is associated with self-realization.
The meaning of Structured is that there is an inherent order in the cosmos and therefore in the human conditions. There is something to be discovered and there is a way of discovering it. A map is required to find the destination.”

By contrast, Unstructured teachings say that there is no gap between the starting point and the finishing post. Method and goal are identical. We are not separate from reality/truth/God and so no map is required. Everything is available now and always has been.”