An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Noneness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Here, there is nothing that is believed, so there is no one here who wants you to believe anything, either. Here, the invitation is to be free of all that you have been programmed, conditioned, acculturated, and domesticated to believe so that you can be free, period.
F.: Organized religions and spirituality-based philosophies and ideologies share certain basic tenets: that there is a god, or there are superpowers / supreme beings, who are driving events on this planet; that a god or gods have certain expectations of people regarding what people should believe, how they should think, and how they should behave;
that a god or those gods or powers have the ability to make life rewarding now (“blessed”) or miserable now (“cursed”), depending on how closely their rules and wishes are followed; that there is not only life now but also eternal life waiting after “this life”;
that most of this life is to be occupied in doing the will of a god or gods now, making sacrifices to that god or those gods (via their “representatives” on earth), and using this life as preparation for the next life;
that talking to a god or gods and asking for direction regarding every relative issue should happen throughout the waking hours; that each person’s will should be turned over to the will of a god or gods;
that people should always be “good” and never be “bad” (while knowing all along that they will be “bad” anyway and that, in such cases, they should ask a god or gods for forgiveness when they are “bad” in order to have their “slate wiped clean”);
and that if they do all of the above, then they will be assured not only continuity of body and mind and personality but also endless pleasure and bliss during the afterlife which will be experienced by that continuing triad.
Per the dogma of organized religions, the body will experience pleasure forever, the mind will also be pleased and the personas assumed on earth will continue there and they will be pleasured as well (if the criteria set forth by their dogma or teachings are met).
For example, the dogma promises that two persons who assume the roles of “The Husband” and “The Wife” during the relative existence might face some problems (though fewer than the non-religious or non-spiritual) but in the afterlife, their relationship will be “bliss personified” if they but please a god or the gods now.
With such a wonderful deal being offered, why are religious leaders now so concerned about dwindling membership? Of course, the membership pendulum forever swings, as does the pendulum of “Dark Ages” and “Ages of Enlightenment.” Nisargan Douwe Tiemersma explains it thusly:
There are various religions [that] suffer from certain inherent limitations. They couch into fine-sounding words their traditional beliefs and ideologies, theological or philosophical. Believers, however, discover the limited range of meaning and applicability of these words, sooner or later. They get disillusioned and tend to abandon the systems, in the same way as scientific theories are abandoned, when they are called in question by too much contradictory empirical data.
Later, he would also note:
When a system of spiritual interpretation turns out to be unconvincing and not capable of being rationally justified, many people allow themselves to be converted to some other system. After a while, however, they find limitations and contradictions in the other system also. In this unrewarding pursuit of acceptance and rejection what remains for them is only scepticism and agnosticism, leading to a fatuous way of living, engrossed in mere gross utilities of life, just consuming material goods. Sometimes, however, though rarely, scepticism gives rise to an intuition of a basic reality, more fundamental than that of words, religions or philosophic systems.
Relevant to this discussion is the pointer offered by Dennis Waite when he writes, “Opinions and beliefs may be more dangerous than ignorance….” Agreed. For millions of years, humankind may have moved about in ignorance;
yet the term “ignorance is bliss” might properly characterize the human experience for those millions of years when compared to the way that events on the planet have unfolded in light of the inventing of the spiritual opinions and the religious beliefs which have been dreamed up over the last five or six thousand years and which have resulted in invasions and attacks and wars and, subsequently, more deaths than all causes combined except for “natural” causes.
Imagine the shock if the trillions who have been indoctrinated with tales of an afterlife and eternal punishment and eternal reward were to realize that all of those concepts are merely fabrications that have been dreamed up over the ages by persons who would control the thoughts and words and deeds of all humans on the planet.
Imagine the shock if they were to realize that all of the effort—all of the energy wasted in their attempt to assure that the body-mind-personality triad will not only have continuity but will experience for infinity physical pleasure, mental joy, and personality continuation—was spent for naught.
Imagine the relief if they were to discard the learned ignorance which they have accepted as truth, if they were to Realize now, and if they were to understand that there is no continuity now, much less later.
As more than one seeker has been told when here for an Advaitin / Nisargan retreat:
“You are in such misery because of your fear of death and the possibility of eternal punishment, so why not go ahead and ‘die’ now and be done with it? Only if there comes an end to identification with the body (and identification with the content of the ‘mind’ and identification with the scores of assumed personas) can the bliss begin and be known and be enjoyed. Joy can only be known now, never ‘later’. Die now, and then enjoy.”
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
that a god or those gods or powers have the ability to make life rewarding now (“blessed”) or miserable now (“cursed”), depending on how closely their rules and wishes are followed; that there is not only life now but also eternal life waiting after “this life”;
that most of this life is to be occupied in doing the will of a god or gods now, making sacrifices to that god or those gods (via their “representatives” on earth), and using this life as preparation for the next life;
that talking to a god or gods and asking for direction regarding every relative issue should happen throughout the waking hours; that each person’s will should be turned over to the will of a god or gods;
that people should always be “good” and never be “bad” (while knowing all along that they will be “bad” anyway and that, in such cases, they should ask a god or gods for forgiveness when they are “bad” in order to have their “slate wiped clean”);
and that if they do all of the above, then they will be assured not only continuity of body and mind and personality but also endless pleasure and bliss during the afterlife which will be experienced by that continuing triad.
Per the dogma of organized religions, the body will experience pleasure forever, the mind will also be pleased and the personas assumed on earth will continue there and they will be pleasured as well (if the criteria set forth by their dogma or teachings are met).
For example, the dogma promises that two persons who assume the roles of “The Husband” and “The Wife” during the relative existence might face some problems (though fewer than the non-religious or non-spiritual) but in the afterlife, their relationship will be “bliss personified” if they but please a god or the gods now.
With such a wonderful deal being offered, why are religious leaders now so concerned about dwindling membership? Of course, the membership pendulum forever swings, as does the pendulum of “Dark Ages” and “Ages of Enlightenment.” Nisargan Douwe Tiemersma explains it thusly:
There are various religions [that] suffer from certain inherent limitations. They couch into fine-sounding words their traditional beliefs and ideologies, theological or philosophical. Believers, however, discover the limited range of meaning and applicability of these words, sooner or later. They get disillusioned and tend to abandon the systems, in the same way as scientific theories are abandoned, when they are called in question by too much contradictory empirical data.
Later, he would also note:
When a system of spiritual interpretation turns out to be unconvincing and not capable of being rationally justified, many people allow themselves to be converted to some other system. After a while, however, they find limitations and contradictions in the other system also. In this unrewarding pursuit of acceptance and rejection what remains for them is only scepticism and agnosticism, leading to a fatuous way of living, engrossed in mere gross utilities of life, just consuming material goods. Sometimes, however, though rarely, scepticism gives rise to an intuition of a basic reality, more fundamental than that of words, religions or philosophic systems.
Relevant to this discussion is the pointer offered by Dennis Waite when he writes, “Opinions and beliefs may be more dangerous than ignorance….” Agreed. For millions of years, humankind may have moved about in ignorance;
yet the term “ignorance is bliss” might properly characterize the human experience for those millions of years when compared to the way that events on the planet have unfolded in light of the inventing of the spiritual opinions and the religious beliefs which have been dreamed up over the last five or six thousand years and which have resulted in invasions and attacks and wars and, subsequently, more deaths than all causes combined except for “natural” causes.
Imagine the shock if the trillions who have been indoctrinated with tales of an afterlife and eternal punishment and eternal reward were to realize that all of those concepts are merely fabrications that have been dreamed up over the ages by persons who would control the thoughts and words and deeds of all humans on the planet.
Imagine the shock if they were to realize that all of the effort—all of the energy wasted in their attempt to assure that the body-mind-personality triad will not only have continuity but will experience for infinity physical pleasure, mental joy, and personality continuation—was spent for naught.
Imagine the relief if they were to discard the learned ignorance which they have accepted as truth, if they were to Realize now, and if they were to understand that there is no continuity now, much less later.
As more than one seeker has been told when here for an Advaitin / Nisargan retreat:
“You are in such misery because of your fear of death and the possibility of eternal punishment, so why not go ahead and ‘die’ now and be done with it? Only if there comes an end to identification with the body (and identification with the content of the ‘mind’ and identification with the scores of assumed personas) can the bliss begin and be known and be enjoyed. Joy can only be known now, never ‘later’. Die now, and then enjoy.”
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
Now you can receive for $40 a downloadable computer file version of the same 7-hour satsang that seekers receive when they visit for the Advaita Retreat with Floyd. You will be guided through the seven steps from identification with the false "I" to the Absolute (and beyond).
For more information or to order, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
SIX WAYS THAT SEEKERS HAVE REALIZED:
1. BY WATCHING the 4-Disk Video (DVD) Set, or the same retreat available as a downloadable file. Either will provide an entire seven-hour retreat / series of satsang sessions showing three seekers being guided through all seven steps by Floyd and can provide viewers with an “experiential,” step-by-step series of satsang meetings that will move the viewers from identification with the I to abidance as the Absolute and then to abidance as That Which Is beyond
Some seekers are already using the computer file version and the DVD sets for meetings in groups in homes, playing the retreat, pausing for discussion, etc.
To find out more or to purchase the DVD set or the downloadable computer file version of the retreat, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
Option “A” is for the downloadable file version, Option “B” is used to order the DVD set for delivery inside the U.S., Option “C” for international orders.
For the download, Paypal will send me a notice that payment has been received and then I will send by e-mail the downloading instruction, password, etc.
[It is recommended that you watch the video with pen and paper in hand. Write whatever you need clarified. You'll see that there are constant reviews and you might find an answer later in the seven-hour presentation. Then, after you watch it all, there will be a common ground for discussion. Purchase of the DVD’s or the file will include the right to clarifications and answers to your specific questions via e-mail.]
2. BY READING these books in this exact order:
IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
[Those two prepare the seeker to question it all]
THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
[Begins to free the seeker of body identification and the desire for body continuity]
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of the false content of the “mind”]
LIBERATION
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of personas]
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
[Provides the final preparation for the seeker to be directed along the “path”]
FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
[Directs the seeker along the “path”]
CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute)
[Allows the seeker to understand the functioning of the totality, the manifestation, and what is involved with the un-manifestation]
FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS
[Provides the seeker the wisdom to understand the Noneness as well as the Oneness]
Purchase an e-Book now and begin reading it in minutes (except with e-checks that can take 7-10 days). Trusting our clients as we do, all e-Books are provided to you in printable form.
SAVE IF YOU BUY ALL ELEVEN AT ONCE:
(You may order the books one at a time or you may use the following link to acquire the entire 11-e-Book set on sale for $99 if ordered at one time with the “Buy Now” button below. For this option, there will be no download links provided; once the near-instant notice of payment is received from PayPal, your e-Books will be sent to you as e-mail attachments. All are printable for your convenience.)
For more information or to order, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
SIX WAYS THAT SEEKERS HAVE REALIZED:
1. BY WATCHING the 4-Disk Video (DVD) Set, or the same retreat available as a downloadable file. Either will provide an entire seven-hour retreat / series of satsang sessions showing three seekers being guided through all seven steps by Floyd and can provide viewers with an “experiential,” step-by-step series of satsang meetings that will move the viewers from identification with the I to abidance as the Absolute and then to abidance as That Which Is beyond
Some seekers are already using the computer file version and the DVD sets for meetings in groups in homes, playing the retreat, pausing for discussion, etc.
To find out more or to purchase the DVD set or the downloadable computer file version of the retreat, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
Option “A” is for the downloadable file version, Option “B” is used to order the DVD set for delivery inside the U.S., Option “C” for international orders.
For the download, Paypal will send me a notice that payment has been received and then I will send by e-mail the downloading instruction, password, etc.
[It is recommended that you watch the video with pen and paper in hand. Write whatever you need clarified. You'll see that there are constant reviews and you might find an answer later in the seven-hour presentation. Then, after you watch it all, there will be a common ground for discussion. Purchase of the DVD’s or the file will include the right to clarifications and answers to your specific questions via e-mail.]
2. BY READING these books in this exact order:
IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
[Those two prepare the seeker to question it all]
THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
[Begins to free the seeker of body identification and the desire for body continuity]
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of the false content of the “mind”]
LIBERATION
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of personas]
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
[Provides the final preparation for the seeker to be directed along the “path”]
FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
[Directs the seeker along the “path”]
CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute)
[Allows the seeker to understand the functioning of the totality, the manifestation, and what is involved with the un-manifestation]
FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS
[Provides the seeker the wisdom to understand the Noneness as well as the Oneness]
Purchase an e-Book now and begin reading it in minutes (except with e-checks that can take 7-10 days). Trusting our clients as we do, all e-Books are provided to you in printable form.
SAVE IF YOU BUY ALL ELEVEN AT ONCE:
(You may order the books one at a time or you may use the following link to acquire the entire 11-e-Book set on sale for $99 if ordered at one time with the “Buy Now” button below. For this option, there will be no download links provided; once the near-instant notice of payment is received from PayPal, your e-Books will be sent to you as e-mail attachments. All are printable for your convenience.)
You may visit The Official Website of Floyd Henderson for information on each book.
3. BY ENROLLING in the Online Advaita Classes
For information, visit Information on the Advaita Classes on the Internet
To enroll visit Enroll in the Advaita Internet Course
4. BY ATTENDING an Advaitin retreat for satsang with floyd and being guided through all seven steps. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
5. BY ARRANGING satsang by telephone in the U.S. or by Skype internationally:
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
6. BY ARRANGING for floyd to travel to your location and meet with you or your group. Use the contact link above to discuss details.
3. BY ENROLLING in the Online Advaita Classes
For information, visit Information on the Advaita Classes on the Internet
To enroll visit Enroll in the Advaita Internet Course
4. BY ATTENDING an Advaitin retreat for satsang with floyd and being guided through all seven steps. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
5. BY ARRANGING satsang by telephone in the U.S. or by Skype internationally:
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
6. BY ARRANGING for floyd to travel to your location and meet with you or your group. Use the contact link above to discuss details.
