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Kosi
Kosi during 2012 Barcelona Interview
Personal
Born
Jill Warner

(1960-10-00)October 1960
United States
Organization
PhilosophyAdvaita Vedanta

Kosi (born in Philadelphia 1960) is a spiritual teacher and author devoted to the living presence and teaching of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. She is also the producer of the widely viewed YouTube video entitled Who Are You...Really?[1]

Early Life

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Kosi's birth name is Jill Warner. She grew up in Northern Virginia in the United States and is a graduate of Virginia Tech. Her father, who passed away in November of 2008, was a B17 pilot in World War II and brother to the famed radio star of the 1930s and 1940s Gertrude (Trudy) Warner.[2]After graduating from college her career led her to the famed Silicon Valley in Northern California where she enjoyed success previously unimagined, but her financial success offered no lasting happiness or fulfillment and her spiritual search began in earnest in the summer of 1996.

Teaching

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Kosi Teaching in Lausanne Switzerland 2012

Her teaching is primarily focused on Silence and Self-inquiry[3]as demonstrated and taught by Sri Bhagavan Ramana Marharshi and documented in the book Who Am I? (Nan Yar)[4] The foundation of her teaching is the purity of the core question Who am I? and incorporates the wisdom of the Vedas: Silence (meditation), Sound (mantra), Satsang (self-inquiry).[5] These three aspects of inquiry are widely believed to support what is known as liberation or Self-realization, also describe as moksha in the advaita vedanta non-dual philosophy,[6] as demonstrated and taught by Ramana Maharshi.[7]

Spiritual Awakening

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In 1997, Kosi, then Jill Warner, had a spiritual awakening and mystical experience of Jesus Christ during a workshop developed by Rev. Matthew Garrigan that was called Excalibur and subsequently renamed The Liberty Experience.[8] She was ordained as a minister in a large public ceremony by Rev. Matthew Garrigan on June 6, 1999 at Radiant Light Ministries in San Francisco.[9] In March of 2006, she began writing articles for A Jesus Blog that, at its height in 2008, attracted over twenty-five thousand people world-wide.[10]

Spiritual Name

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The name Kosi was given as a silent initiation at the foot the mountain Arunachala Siva—the well known Master of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. The Kosi கொஸி (pronounced Ko-she) is also a river in India and is one of the largest tributaries of the Ganga. Its source is in Tibet and its mouth (end) is the Ganga and contains the spiritual significance associated with the Kosi River in India.

Meeting Gangaji

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In June of 2001, a deep and abiding prayer for a true master led Kosi to Gangaji. Since her first meeting with Gangaji, she has attended countless satsangs around the world with her.[11] With Gangaji's support, Kosi directly realized the indescribable presence of our inherent nature—lasting happiness and fulfillment. Before meeting Gangaji she had spent time studying with some of the world's most renowned spiritual teachers; The Dalai Lama, Sogyal Rinpoche, Shakti Gawain, and Gurumayi, but meeting Gangaji was a huge turning point in her life that ended her search for freedom. Within a few days of meeting Gangaji, Kosi devoted her life to the teaching of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.

Satsang

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Photograph taken by Kosi of Gangaji Teaching in Australia 2009

The influence of Gangaji on the satsangs Kosi offers is undeniable, but Kosi's approach to the teaching differs acutely from the widely accepted western psychotherapeutic model of Self-inquiry, which is often referred to as Neo Advaita, or western perspective of Self-Inquiry, which is constrained by the natural limitations of the egoic mind.[12] The Neo Advaita approach does give aspirants a glimpse into the unlimited nature of what is known as the Self, but it is still a dualistic perspective filtered through the sense of, 'I am some body perceiving this infinitude.' This limited perspective is a beautiful beginning, but does not represent what is known as release or true and final liberation.[13]

The teaching of Kosi adheres to is closely aligned with Ramana's prescribed approach to Self-inquiry, which necessitates the repeated use of the question; 'Who am I?'[14] The repetition of this question creates an indescribable energy that burns through the feeling sense, 'I am somebody perceiving the infinitude.' Only when the sense of 'I' is completely burned through is the Self or Totality realized to be the only reality from the perspective of the subject or infinitude rather than the limited perspective of 'I am someone perceiving this infinitude' or the feeling sense of separation from the object or infinitude that is perceived. As long as any sense of 'I' separate from the totality remains, true and final liberation has not been realized.[15]

The satsangs that Kosi is offering incorporate all three of the ancient Vedic traditions of Silence (meditation), Sound (mantra), and Satsang (self-inquiry), which are viewed in India as the essential support for true liberation from endless cycles of suffering caused by the egoic mind. This approach supports the absolute truth of the Supreme Silence realized by Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, as well as other well known gurus; The truest and undeniable teacher is the Living Presence of the Heart.[5]

Her first Europe tour occurred in 2012 and was held in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Switzerland.[16] During the 2012 Europe tour she was interviewed on the Veda Verda radio program in Barcelona.[17]She was interviewed by Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump in August of 2013 BATGAP Interviews August 2013 and July 2018. She was also interviewed by Michael Comyin of Ireland National Public Radio. RTE Ireland National Public Radio Interview.

Meeting Sri Amma Karunamayi

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In July of 2011, she received shaktipat initiation from Sri Amma Karunamayi (also called Amma by her devotees) who is recognized throughout the world as a living Saint and Avatar—one who is born enlightened as the embodiment of the Divine Mother. Sri Amma Karunamayi's meditation retreats, homas, and use of Vedic mantras supports the widely accepted view that the ancient Vedic teachings combined with Silence and Self-inquiry, offer essential support for true liberation.[18]The the inexplicable appearance of Sri Amma Karunamayi in Kosi's life coincided with a significant shift in her perspective of Advaita Vedanta and a deeper abidance in the teaching of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.

Amma's mysterious appearance also revealed that Gangaji's teaching and perspective is constrained by the limitations of what is widely viewed as Neo Advaita and, to her surprise, effectively ended Gangaji's role in her life as master and final teacher. In spite of this major change in Gangaji's role, Kosi is deeply grateful for the love and support she has received from Gangaji since 2001, and continues to view Gangaji and her teaching as an essential stepping stone on the pathless path of Self-realization as well as a profoundly deep introduction to Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and his Master; Arunachala Siva.

Neo Advaita

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After over eleven years experience with the teaching of Gangaji, Kosi recognizes that her Neo Advaita approach, even though Gangaji does not view her teaching in these terms, infuses Gangaji and her students with a false sense of awakening based on either a deep experience or experiences of recognizing the limitless nature of the what is known as the Self. These experiences effectively put students in a 'comfortable mental zone' based on what is described as the 'phantom me' or egoic mind. This unwittingly causes her students to perceive these experiences as true liberation, when in actuality, it is only the reflective consciousness of the mind that leaves the ego, even though it might be subtle or phantom ego, in charge. A perfect metaphor for this phenomenon is the idea of putting a fox in charge of a hen house or a thief in charge of a bank.[19] In the deepest sense, only through the endless application of Self-inquiry can one realize absolute consciousness or true Self-realization as described in detail by Ramana Maharshi.[20]

The Neo Advaita approach effectively relegates Self-inquiry to an idea that negates the necessity of its repeated application in combination with the grace of true devotion to the limitless nature of the absolute consciousness of the Heart recognized as the inner teacher; the Satguru or Self instead of the form or personality of the physical or outer guru or teacher. In effect her version of Self-inquiry embraces a psychotherapeutic form of inquiry, which does have tremendous value in breaking free of conditioned patterns of behavior that appeals to a wider western audience. Gangaji's teaching also serves as a powerful introduction to Ramana; however, if the desire is for true liberation from the egoic mind, the actual work of Self-inquiry is required. The consistency of the repeated use of Self-inquiry creates an inexplicable energetic transference of the Self (unlimited consciousness) as well as the essential annihilation of the sense or feeling of separation based on the egoic identity. This complete annihilation of the sense of 'I' or phantom ego is the essence of true liberation.[21]

Recognizing the traps of Neo Advaita, Kosi has made every effort to ensure that the purest teaching of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi is maintained and presented in the appropriate context. She also recognizes the value of the ancient Vedic texts and practices that have been utilized for centuries as essential support for true awakening.[22]

Wisdom Rock Foundation

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Wisdom Rock Foundation is the 501C3 non-profit that supports the work of Kosi worldwide.[23] The purpose of Wisdom Rock Foundation is to end suffering through the awakening of all and is based primarily on Self-inquiry as demonstrated and taught by Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. In May of 2012 in Kosi began offering satsang in Kauai Hawaii and has since been invited to offer satsang in different locations around the world.

Recent Events

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In April of 2011, Kosi produced the now well-known and widely viewed YouTube video entitled Who Are You…Really?[24] This video was copied to dotsub where it was translated into over 40 different languages. dotsub.</ref>

Vedic Prayer

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An ancient Vedic prayer known as a yagyas was sponsored by Kosi in October of 2012 that was focused on the ending extreme poverty and bringing awareness to the plight of Bihar India as well as all of the charitable programs of Sri Amma Karunamayi.[25]

Bibliography

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Books

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  • by Kosi, Lisa (2017). English, Tener (ed.). Organic Awakening - The Great Secret of Living Freedom. One Message Publishing. ISBN 9780974880532.
  • by Kosi (2011). Arunachala Siva - Heart of Ramana. One Message Publishing. ISBN 9780974880525.

References

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  1. ^ Who Are You...Really? - YouTube video produced by Kosi that has been viewed by over 160,000 people world-wide.
  2. ^ Kosi's father is the brother of the late [[]]. The famous radio star of the 1930's and 1940's
  3. ^ Files that can be downloaded that contain an overview of Self-Inquiry as well as the core teaching of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
  4. ^ The core teaching and principles of Self-inquiry as demonstrated and taught by Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi - ISBN: 81-88225-45-2
  5. ^ a b Muir, John (1861), Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and Progress of the Religion and Institutions of India, Williams and Norgate
  6. ^ ^ Consciousness in Indian philosophy: the advaita doctrine of 'awareness only', by Sthaneshwar Timalsina, p. 125
  7. ^ Overview of the Life and Teaching of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi: Ramana Maharshi-His Life by By Gabriele Ebert
  8. ^ The Liberty Experience training was the very beginning of Kosi's awakening and a life devoted to Freedom for all.
  9. ^ Kosi, then Jill Warner, was ordained at Radiant Light Ministriesby Rev. Matthew Garrigan in a large public ceremony in San Francisco California.
  10. ^ Kosi, then known as Jill Warner, is the author of all the articles published by A Jesus Blog
  11. ^ Kosi was a full time volunteer on the Gangaji Australia Tour in 2009 (Please see inset picture that Kosi took during 2009 Australia Tour)
  12. ^ Back to the Truth - 5000 Years of Advaita by Dennis Waite ISBN: 978 1 84694761 1
  13. ^ Jacobs, Alan (2004), Advaita and Western Neo-Advaita. In: The Mountain Path Journal, autumn 2004, pages 81-88
  14. ^ Jacobs, Alan (2004), Advaita and Western Neo-Advaita. In: The Mountain Path Journal, autumn 2004, pages 8-10
  15. ^ YouTube Video describing the Neo Advaita effect or the subtle separation from the Self or Totality or perceive that totality through the limited perspective of identity by David Godman.Who Dies?
  16. ^ Press Release October 2012 - Published by San Francisco Chronicle on October 8, 2012[1]
  17. ^ An Introduction of Kosi to Barcelona translated by Nacho Ammat Radio 4 - Veda Verda Interview (Note: interview is toward the end of this archival recording)
  18. ^ Sri Amma Karunmayi - Hindu leader preaches power of meditation - The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010.
  19. ^ The Mountain Path (2004) page 84
  20. ^ Self-inquiry edited by DR T. M. P. MAHADEVAN, M.A., Ph.D
  21. ^ The Mountain Path (2004) page 84-85
  22. ^ Back to the Truth - 5000 Years of Advaita by Dennis Waite ISBN 978-1-84694761-1
  23. ^ 501C3 non-profit EIN: 14-1870728 GuideStar Non-Profit Listing Wisdom Rock Foundation
  24. ^ This YouTube video, produced by Kosi, which has been viewed by over 1 million people worldwide Who Are You...Really?.
  25. ^ Press Release - With Yagyas Miracles Happen - Yahoo News [2]

Book References

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  • Back to the Truth - 5000 Years of Advaita by Dennis Waite ISBN 978-1-84694761-1
  • The Collected works of Sri Ramana Maharshi by Author Osbourne ISBN 81-88018-06-6
  • Who Am I? (Nan Yar) by Ramana Ashram ISBN 81-88225-45-2
  • Ramana Maharshi - His Life By Gabriele Ebert ISBN 1-4116-7350-6
  • The Truth IS - HWL Poonja edited by Prashanti ISBN 1-57863-175-0
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Wisdom Rock Foundation

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