Monday, October 25, 2010

WHO / WHAT IS THE "I" IN "I AM"? Part Three, The Conclusion

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An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Nothingness, 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.

Furthermore, for those who have developed a preference for any non-nisargan yoga or who prefer Traditional Advaita Vedanta, Neo-Advaita, Neo-Vedanta, or Pseudo Advaita: here you will only find the use of the Direct Path Method of Teaching along with the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga, all shared in simple, everyday English.

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FROM A SITE VISITOR: The challenge for those of us who are trying to follow your instruction the never use the pronoun I to refer to anything other than the consciousness is a 40 yr history of using I to refer to the body and to the roles we've played. How to break the pattern?

F.: As "the way out" of the pleasure-pain duality that results when the "I" in "I AM" is not understood and when false identities are subsequently thought to be real identities, reconsider this pointer from Maharaj:

Maharaj: "It is only your mind that prevents Self-knowledge."

So the seat of that which prevents persons from knowing what the "I" in "I AM" truly refers to - that makes persons "believe they are not what they are" and that inspires them to "think of this or that" - is the so-called " mind."

Regarding his pointer that the mind actually blocks Self-Realization, Maharaj was asked:

Questioner: "How am I to be rid of the mind? And is life without mind at all possible on the human level?"

Maharaj answered: "There is no such thing as mind. There are ideas and some of them are wrong. Abandon the wrong ideas, for they are false and obstruct Your vision of YourSelf."

What of the insatiable desires driven by personality which inspire the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain and which attach persons to their ideas and beliefs about needs and wants and fears and the subsequent vacillating between states of pleasure and pain?

Maharaj said: "They have their roots in imagination. A man who is given a stone and assured that it is a priceless diamond will be mightily pleased until he realises his mistake; in the same way pleasures lose their tang and pains their barb when the Self is known. Both are seen as they are - conditional responses, mere reactions, plain attractions and repulsions, based on memories or pre-conceptions."

To know the Self - to understand what the "I" in "I AM" really refers to - Maharaj offered this: "You came here because you are in pain, and all I say is: wake up, know YourSelf, be YourSelf. The end of pain lies not in pleasure. When You realise that You are beyond both pain and pleasure, aloof and unassailable, then the pursuit of happiness ceases and the resultant sorrow too. For pain aims at pleasure and pleasure ends in pain, relentlessly."

Further, to find exactly what the "I" in "I AM" should refer to when used (namely, to the witnessing consciousness) Maharaj advised: "See that You are not what you believe yourself to be. Fight with all the strength at your disposal against the idea that You are nameable and describable. You are not. Refuse to think of this or that. There is no other way out of misery, which you have created for yourself through blind acceptance without investigation. Suffering is a call for inquiry, all pain needs investigation."

Thus, all use of the pronoun "I" to refer to the false identities that you think identify who you are - but most assuredly do not - can end only if You realize the falsity of those identities.

Again, Maharaj: “The way to truth lies through the destruction of the false. To destroy the false, you must question your most inveterate beliefs.”

Then, You can understand that the "I" refers to the Self - actually, to the conscious-energy that is capable of witnessing - and You can eventually abandon what you call "a 40 yr history of using I to refer to the body and to roles played."

In that regard, Maharaj said that "... witnessing is essential for the separation of the Self from the not-Self ... be aware of that state which is only simply being, without being this or that or the other."

Begin today, therefore, a "new history" wherein the "I" is never again used to refer to the body or the content of the mind or to any persona assigned or assumed as an identity. Never use the pronoun "I" to refer to anything other than the temporarily manifested consciousness, and never follow the "I" with any noun or adjective. Let the "I" from this point forward refer only to the "simple beingness" ... to the consciousness that can witness but cannot do.

Please enter the silence of contemplation.

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Much of what Louise has shared has resonated with many site visitors. to that end, some have inquired recently if Louise offers the online Advaita Internet Course. The answer is, "Yes."
Whether taking the course with Louise or Floyd, the price of the course includes all 11 of the Advaita eBooks, questions sent after completion of the assigned readings, replies to your answers, and follow-up as required.
With either teacher, you will be guided through all seven of the steps, in order, that lead from identification with the false "I" to the Absolute (and beyond). For more specific information and details about the course, you may click on the link to the right.
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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.
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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)
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THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
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THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
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LIBERATION
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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
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Received 19 August 2010 from one that just completed the entire course:

I would like to extend deepest appreciation towards you for these teachings that you have offered. It has been most valuable towards what may not have been revealed throughout this manifestation labeled "anthony." Understanding Truth and finding words for gratitude are one as is all. Thank you again for pointing "me" to THAT and the understanding that came as well. Hopeful for future "contact"! Sincerely, Anthony M. W.

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The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders offers the non-duality message by way of a mystery-adventure novel, discussing the movement from pain to healing to awakening to peace.
From Dr. R.F. Maley, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus and former Head of the Department of Psychology, University of Houston: "Floyd Henderson's book, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders, is a fun read and an interesting mystery, but perhaps more importantly it serves as a vehicle for blending Eastern Philosophy and Native American Spirituality to make an intellectually challenging novel. The book's insights into both relationships and authoritarian conditioning of people in our society make it a must read, tracing the roots of narcissistic, sociopathic and psychopathic behaviors to the very core of the culture. This truly witty and politically-incorrect study of the aggressive nature of 'the American character' offers not only a diagnosis but also a treatment plan, making the book an excellent supplemental reading in courses such as psychology, anthropology, philosophy, sociology and counseling."

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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WARS


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