“I AM THAT; I AM” or just “I AM THAT”? Part Nine

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.

F.: What possible justification for completing the “journey” to full Realization if not to overlay it upon the relative existence, to unblock the blocked Is-ness, to de-contaminate the contaminated Am-ness? WHO (other than a person / persona trapped in an ego-state being supported by egotism) would re-write the summative Advaitin statement and, consciously or unconsciously, eliminate the I AM part?

What possible justification for completing the “journey” to Full Realization if not to bring about a shift in the way that the relative existence unfolds for the remainder of the post-Realization Am-ness, namely, in a way that is free of nonsense, irrationality, stupidity, insanity, and being blindly driven by programming and conditioning as well as by body and mind and personality identification?

Once the consciousness has been restored to its original no-identity, non-dual, no-concept condition, then the former seeker will function in a fashion that differs little overall from the way that all other forms abide:

naturally and spontaneously, with no unnatural desires, with no unnatural fears, with no occupation or preoccupation with "Realization," and with none of the pomp and circumstance associated with persons who think they are better as a result of their supernatural beliefs and practices and explanations.

THEN WHY IS THE RELIGIOUS / SPIRITUAL STEP EVEN REQUIRED ON THE "PATH"?
The entire purpose of moving beyond the second step of the seven-step “path” to Realization is to enter into a religious and / or spiritual role-playing stage that generates not a sense of merely being but a sense of being “really special”;

a stage that allows persons to finally abandon what they took to be their "bad" roles; that brings about the assumption of religious and / or spiritual identities that reinforce the dualistic sense of "good vs. bad" and now being "good" and being "better-than";

which sets the stage for eventual transcendence of the belief in any and all personas, especially the ones believed to be "the really good ones"; and that allows for eventual freedom from the belief that one is...

...(a) “special” and (b) different from non-religious or non-spiritual people and (c) separate from those in lesser roles and (d) that one living supernaturally is better than “others” living naturally.

The entire purpose of moving beyond the religious or spiritual role-playing stage is to enter into a state where there is a total loss of a sense of being special, where there is only a sense of being, and where an AS IF manner of abidance manifests which allows pure witnessing (which is free of any culture’s maddening influence and misery-producing distortion).

So what is the state of those who make claims about how special it is to be “aligned with THAT” or to “be THAT,” devaluing the post-Realization Am-ness? They are as much in a state of ego-state attachment, supported by egotism and other ego-defense mechanisms, as any person who has not even begun the “journey.”

Those emmeshed in such a state of arrogance will believe, “I have been on a ‘journey’ that moved me away from false identities and arrogance and all sense of being ‘special.’ So where am I now that I am ‘fully realized’? I am in the most special state of all—a supreme state, the ultimate state, the highest self state.”

Really?

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to be something or someone that is special, then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to receive benefits now, or to set the stage for some post-Realization existence later, then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to please some Supreme Being, then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to become a better person, then that seeker might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to earn some post-manifestation reward or to avoid some post-manifestation punishment, then that seeker might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to prepare for some “other levels” or for a series of arduous reincarnations, then that seeker might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to improve so that he / she can please a spouse or friends or fellow members of a group, that seeker may as well abandon the “journey.”

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to impress someone whom she / he considers “special,” then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to help others or to help make the world a better place, then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to get closer to some Power that can help and protect, then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If anyone is seeking to Realize Fully in order to gain knowledge that can be used to benefit himself or herself or others, then that person might as well abandon the “journey” right now.

If you determine to understand why each of those considerations are offered, then consider them in light of this:

Post-manifestation, there is no “one” to know anything, to be anything, to “survive” the de-manifestation, to face any judge or Judge, to be rewarded, or to be punished.

You were not born, so You will not die; since You were not born, then You most assuredly shall not be re-born. If you prefer to challenge that pointer (a preference that can only be rooted in programming and conditioning) then You are invited to study something beyond your religious and spiritual beliefs.

Your beliefs can never be substantiated by facts—only by “blind faith”—so You are invited to study the science that is relevant to the topic. Study the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Study the science that proves that elements cycle but that neither energy nor matter can be created or destroyed. Study the science that shows nothing more is being created or destroyed, that shows that what is has always been and shall always be. See, then, that there has been no creation, no birth, and no Creator...just a series of elemental forms coming together temporary and naturally and coming apart naturally at some point as well.

See that there is no “world” to improve because You are not in the “world”…the world is in you.

Understand that there is no personal self to improve, no others to improve, no Personal Being to impress, and no Personal Power to call on when in fear or when selfishly wanting something. Belief in such entities is a symptom of the Ultimate Sickness and a symptom of the mental illness of mythomania that is so widespread around the globe.

SO WHY REALIZE?
The only justification for completion of the “journey” to Full Realization is to overlay it on the relative; then, the relative for You will not be marked by nonsensical thoughts and stupid words and insane actions.

Once that natural condition has been restored, then any occupation with Full Realization will end and the remainder of the manifestation will be marked by freedom and peace. Your existence can then happen in the style noted by Maharaj; specifically, it can unfold naturally in a mode that is “something like a deer taking rest in the shadow of a tree.”

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.)

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.

“I AM THAT; I AM” or just “I AM THAT”? Part Eight

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.

F.: In this series, you are being invited to see that, among other things, the Direct Path Method of teaching Advaita with the Nisarga Yoga approach can bring to an end not only

a) all belief in duality but also an end to

(b) all of the confusion that had dominated religious and spiritual debate for five millennia or more, namely, the debate about the supposed conflict between “the spirit and the flesh.”

The debate ends here because, post-Realization, there is neither a “Truly Religious One” nor a “Spiritual Giant” that would advocate transcending “the flesh,” that is, that would advocate disparaging the post-Realization Am-ness while upgrading the Absolute in comparison.

Last night, the “flesh” reveled in the sharing of a gourmet dining event with a daughter. The “flesh” here can revel in all of the delights that can only happen while “the flesh” is manifest, including both the sensory and the sensual, "in spite of" having understood that which is beyond the phenomenal.

It must be asked: "Why seek and find an appreciation of the Essence if one is driven to avoid appreciation of…the essence? Why taste the sweet Nectar of Immortality ('I AM THAT') but refuse to taste the sweet nectar of…mortality ('I AM') as well?"

WHO would choose the former only and reject the latter? Only one who has been deceived to believe that there will be some “one” that will be able post-manifestation to know, to understand, to taste, and to enjoy. It is not so. It shall not be.

Why else this planet-wide willingness to upgrade some illusory “life after” while scorning the post-Realization Am-ness? Why a devaluing of “this” while only valuing THAT? Why the rejection of joy, now?

THE ENNOBLING OF SUFFERING
For 4000 years since Abraham endorsed God-induced suffering as part of “His” plan to inspire the Jews to “get closer to Him,” misery has been given lofty status among the members of that group.

For 2000 years since the crucifixion of an Advaitin called Jesus, and for the two billion persons who now call themselves his followers but have not the slightest clue of what he was really pointing to, there has been an elevated status assigned to suffering. ("I am made Christ-like by way of my suffering. I suffer now as He suffered on the cross for me.")

For more than a millennium, certain Muslims have touted the benefits of bloodletting and self-flagellation. One Muslim male explained the practice this way:

Those adults who engage in self-flagellation with knives, chains or blades, do so with a consciousness of the ceremonial nature of the act, keenly watched by onlookers, children and adults alike, who, though they have seen it all before, continue to be mesmerised by the sheer spectacle of it – the display. This excitement is, for most, mixed with an actual sense of profound identification with the suffering of Imam Hussain, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

Last week, the headlines revealed that Pope John Paul II kept a belt by his side whether at home or on the road, beating himself regularly while depriving himself of a comfortable bed and even food in order to be "more perfect." If the belief is that suffering can make one more perfect, then most certainly the dualistic belief must be that "suffering is good."

For the 6.5 billion who claim to be members of one of those groups or members of groups with similar beliefs, the dualistic message is “Deprivation is good.” [NOTE: Confuse not the sanity of de-accumulation with the silliness of dogma-or-belief-based deprivation in regards to the basic needs of the space or form.]

Add to those the millions more who are members of “self-help” or “step” groups (really just pseudo-religious organizations that reject that fact and claim to be “spiritual”). They spin distortion into dualistic pseudo-truth: “My suffering is now good, for it allows me to help others who are suffering.”

Add in the hundreds of thousands—many drawn from among the ranks of those same step groups, who listen to one of the big names tell them to "Love What Is." One of those charges reported at a retreat here: “She taught me to love my rapist and to accept that it’s all good and that I should love whatever is.”

No, that’s not all good. That's all stupid, all insane. Maharaj: This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.

Why did he point out such insanity as the examples above? Why even mention them here if they might be unpopular? Again, Maharaj: This is the function of the Guru - to make us see the madness of our daily living.

The function of the Advaitin guru is to point out the insanity that is not questioned and to extend the invitation to question, to see, and maybe to conclude: “You know, it may just be that all of these beliefs and practices really are insane!”

THE DENIAL OF SUFFERING
Another obstacle that will prevent persons from enjoying the post-Realization Am-ness is to deny the suffering that exists. Dissociation is often upgraded to “stoic detachment”; “becoming robotic” is subjected to the spin doctor’s distortions and upgraded to “calm acceptance of all”;

and the ego / egotism of taking one’s self to be a “Super Religious Person” or “Spiritual Giant” can easily inspire some—especially the obsessive types—to discount everything in the relative, to claim that they are living in another realm, or to claim that nothing exists.

IGNORING, DENYING, OR UPGRADING SUFFERING
At the extreme, it becomes a short step for some to be sociopathic around their detachment: “Care not a whit about others; have no compassion; what does it matter since they do not exist anyway.”

Do they mean nothing matters once the manifested consciousness is no longer manifested, or do they means that nothing matters even during the currently manifested Am-ness? “Kill, bomb, maim rape, love those who toss babies into fires, and / or love your rapist”? Is that all good? Is all of that in the "Love What Is" category?

You are invited to see this: "They" fooled you, but there is no need for your continuing to take over where “they” left off. There is no need to be fooled by those who reverse the non-duality teachings by twisting “I AM THAT; I AM” back into the realm of duality by believing that THAT is good but that this (Am-ness) is bad.

There are no beliefs here, including the belief that suffering is “good,” that misery and pain can make a person stronger, or that suffering now will be balanced out later with eternal reward.

Some are “saving themselves” for eternal bliss later. The pointer: that is a boat you have already missed. If anything is to be “experienced” and known and reveled in, it can only happen via the manifest consciousness—via the post-Realization Am-ness, NOW.

Waiting for a future time? Futile. Waiting for a “higher level experience” in an “afterlife?” Dream only. Waiting for the “right time” and the “right way” to enjoy what is to be enjoyed now? Oops…missed it.

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.)

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.

“I AM THAT; I AM” or just “I AM THAT”? Part Seven

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.

[Continued from earlier this week]

F.: Some (who claim to have realized) also claim that they now abide “in the Absolute.” Of course that is an impossibility. As Maharaj pointed out, “Presently you have to abide in the Am-ness.”

For those who want to argue the point, consider:

** The consciousness now manifested could be said to have been “in the Absolute” prior to manifestation

** The consciousness is now manifested within trillions of forms / spaces on this planet

** The Absolute is limitless and omnipresent—here, now, everywhere—so to that extent, okay, it can be said that the body-cum-consciousness is technically “in the Absolute” since that field of energy is omnipresent, but that is not what such persons are asserting when they reject the Am-ness and claim to be living in the Absolute only

** For the sake of teaching, the distinction is made between the consciousness manifested within a confined space and the consciousness that is not manifested within a confined space

[NOTE: In May of 2007, the following was offered:

In the expanse of space, energy can move via wave and/or particle form. Subatomic particles of specialized energy exist and are moving through that expanse freely. Because the expanse is so vast (limitless in fact), the particles are not forced together into large-quantity clusters or groupings of energy within that space. Consciousness only 'happens' when large-quantity clusters or groupings of energy occur in compact spaces with nervous systems. Otherwise, the background of Awareness IS and energy is moving without confinement in that vast space labeled "the Absolute"; however, by definition at least, "consciousness" capable of being conscious of (as a result of manifestation) is not. Awareness is, even when there is no "one" to be conscious of.

You may visit the archives to read the full explanation in a May 2007 series.]

So for those who want to be technical and to argue the issue, yes, all is “in the Absolute,” but that is not how post-Realization abidance happens. Post-Realization, abidance happens as the natural state and in the natural manner, enjoying the Am-ness...not denying that it exists.

There are, however, other motives that prevent the masses from realizing and that prevent some who suppose that they have realized from living in a Nisarga—natural—fashion.

Among those claiming to be realized but who are trying to live supernaturally rather than naturally, it is grandiosity that can block natural living, that will inspire identifying with THAT only, that can lead to a devaluation of the post-Realization Am-ness, and that can even result in a rejection of the Am-ness itself.

Among the billions who will never realize and who will never live naturally—the billions who are attached to their third-step-of-seven-steps religious and spiritual roles—there is another reason that will prevent their ever living naturally:

MYTHOMANIA
The ignorant have been driven for 5000 years or more by their belief in myths and in mythological gods and goddesses. Such beliefs have led to the most insane words and the most insane deeds imaginable.

Such insanity has always accompanied belief in myths. The effects have only now generated impact on a global basis because there have never before been so many suffering from the form of insanity identified here as mythomania.

[For the thousands of years since persons combined all of their mythological gods into the concept of “a single god” as a result of Abraham’s teachings, the attachment to myth has continued. So pervasive are mythomaniacs now, numbering 6.5 billion or more all around the globe, that the insanity of believing in myths is no longer the domain of the ignorant alone. Now, intelligent persons as well are suffering from the mental illness of mythomania. Why? Because of their having been programmed and conditioned to believe ancient myths and to believe that the mythical god or gods or some Supreme Being or Supreme Beings which are at the heart of those myths are actual, real entities.]

Some claim that various forms of insanity are genetic, but most insanity is rooted in environment; that is, insanity can become the abnormal norm in cultures where myths are passed along early on as truth to children by persons in their environment who also accepted as truth the lies that they were told to believe as children...and told to believe without question.

That conditioning is now pervasive and happens among those who are walking about unconsciously, trapped in the Dream / Nightmare of the Planet. Consider: a married woman invited her college roommate and the roommate’s husband to spend a weekend with her and her husband. While the men were on the golf course, the women began preparing a roast for dinner that night.

While the woman was preparing the vegetables that would be cooked along with the roast, she asked her college friend to use the cutting board and a huge knife to cut the roast in half; to season both parts of the roast; to take out two small pans and fill them with a few inches of water; and to place the two pans in the oven.

The guest said, “You have a large roasting pan like the one I use at home. Why not put the roast in that for cooking?” The woman said, “I’m not really sure, but that’s the way mom always cooked roast when I was growing up at home.”

The guest said, “I don’t get it,” inspiring the hostess to call her mom and inquire. Her mom explained, “I’m not exactly sure why, but that’s just the way your grandmother always cooked roast, so it’s the way I have always cooked roast.”

The hostess then called her grandmother and asked, “Grandmother, you know how you always cut a roast in half and put it into two small pans for cooking? Did you do that to shorten the cooking time, or maybe to help the roast absorb the seasonings? Why have we always done it that way?”

The grandmother said, “I don’t know why you and your mom do it that way, but I always did it that way because we only had two small pans—we never had a large roasting pan.”

Maharaj: This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.

Why have you believed what you have believed? Why did you not question the things that could have been seen as totally senseless if you had investigated objectively? What stifled your willingness to investigate objectively? (Usually, threats of punishment accompany the charge to accept teachings with blind faith, and even if a child is curious enough to inquire, inquiries are soon stymied.)

What inspires the widespread acceptance of nonsense as fact? Why do persons accept it, without question, when persons claim that natural events (hurricane, earthquakes, floods, etc.) have some supernatural cause and some Supernatural Causer and some Supernatural Motive?

If you still accept as truth the 5000-year-old myths that were dreamed up by totally ignorant persons, then is it not time to begin a thorough investigation that is free of the constraints of the “blind faith” that has left you mentally and emotionally handicapped because of faulty programming and conditioning?

Is there any hope at all for a sane existence to happen, is there any hope at all for one to stabilize in the Am-ness, if your thoughts and words and deeds are being driven by your belief in lies and in fictional entities and in supernatural causes being assigned to natural events?

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.)

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.

“I AM THAT; I AM” or just “I AM THAT”? Part Six

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.

F.: Recently, a regular visitor to this site asked about a pointer from another teacher who suggests that "nothing exists, despite appearances." Question: Does energy exist? Is it something? Does matter exist? Is it something?

There is such confusion among the masses, and such confusion, too, in the venues that would point the masses away from the confusion. It is fact that, pre-Realization, I am not who I think I am and you are not who you think you are.

However, the “I am not” in “I am not who I think I am” does not mean that I AM NOT should be added to the summative statement of the teachings. Freedom from the relative problems that result from deceptions and misperceptions does not require a denial of the Am-ness nor a belief that things do not exist.

As suggested here before, bend over, lower your head, and run as fast as you can into a brick wall; then, try to convince me, from within the painful state which would follow that collision, that the wall does not exist. Tell me that your head does not exist.

Of course both the wall and your head exist. Of course the entire body exists. The teaching is simply that You are not Your body. Regarding the wall, the Advaitin teaching is not that the brick walls you see do not exist. The pointer is simply that a wall is not really what it appears to be, a fact that can be proved if one were to view the bricks through an electron microscope and see that, at their core, the bricks are a swirling mass of subatomic particles.

Therefore, freedom from the relative problems that are rooted in misidentification with the human body and human mind and personas comes about not by claiming that what exists does not exist.

Freedom (from delusion and misperceiving) comes by understanding that anything that exists is not what it appears to be, is not what you have been told it is, and is nothing close to what persons will take it to be.

To conclude that nothing exists is to deny the Am-ness, and Maharaj often pointed out that You, as the Absolute, are not the Am-ness but that presently you have to abide in the Am-ness. The result of Realization is not that you believe the Am-ness is false (“I AM NOT”) nor that you abide only as the Absolute (“I AM THAT ALONE—FORGET THE I AM”).

Questioner: Can I stop this "I Amness" and be before the "I Amness"?
Maharaj: What natural processes can you stop? Everything is spontaneous. Presently you are in the consciousness, which is stirring, vibrant. Don't think you are something separate from this stirring, vibrant consciousness.

The manifest consciousness—this Am-ness—does most certainly exist; it simply does not exist as perceived / misperceived by persons…a result of faulty programming, conditioning, acculturation, and domestication.

The result of Realization is that the Absolute is overlaid onto the Am-ness so that the no-consciousness, no-belief, no-concept, no-duality, awareness without awareness of peace of the Absolute can manifest during the manifestation; thus, "I AM THAT; I AM."

And, yes, Maharaj did say that “This ‘I Amness’ is otherness; it is an expression of duality”; however, the reference was to the unstable, pre-Realization Am-ness, not to the stable, post-Realization Am-ness.

For Maharaj to point out that all misery is rooted in the Am-ness is referring to the pre-Realization Am-ness. That does not negate the pointer offered here that all peace and bliss and happiness and absence of misery and suffering is witnessed and enjoyed via the post-Realization Am-ness.

Because it is understood today that I am not limited to this Am-ness, then the Am-ness is no longer blocked or contaminated; that understanding allows the Am-ness to happen spontaneously without angst, delusion, misery, suffering, denial, stupidity, or insanity.

Understand that any comment ever made by a Realized Advaitin teacher that might seem to be a critical remark about the Am-ness is referring to the pre-Realization Am-ness, never to the post-Realization Am-ness. The Am-ness which is identified as a sickness, calling for the Ultimate Medicine, is a pre-Realization condition of the Am-ness, not the post-Realization condition of the Am-ness.

The Ultimate Medicine has nothing to do with the Absolute and everything to do with the Am-ness. No “healing” or “treatment” is required for the Absolute. The “healing and treatment” are indicated for the Am-ness alone. It is the blocked or contaminated consciousness that needs unblocking or purifying, not the post-Realization Am-ness.

Questioner: How can I remain in the "I Am"?
Maharaj: It is a stupid question. You are ALREADY that. Are you not already the "I Amness"?
Q: I can't be free from that?
M: A jnani has transcended the "I Amness" and only witnesses it.

To say “For now, I AM” is as close as anyone can ever come to expressing truth. Yet that does not negate the accuracy of this pointer from Maharaj:

When you are the pure I Amness only, there is no fear. Presently you are this I Am, but this I Am is not the truth [that is, it is not the ultimate truth that is to be understood]. Whatever you are prior to the appearance of I Am, that is your true nature.

To abide as one’s true nature is to understand that the Am-ness Is and that THAT Is; is to reject the traits of the Am-ness as exist among the non-Realized; is to overlay on the Am-ness the traits of the Absolute; and, as a result of that overlaying, to abide for the remainder of the manifestation in the peace of those Absolute traits, including…

…abidance with a sense of wholeness and complete-ness rather than a sense of being broken into many pieces (that is, abiding as the One rather than as the many roles that had been assigned or adopted);

...being contaminated no longer;

...being no longer driven by the effects of conditioning;

...being influenced no more by the effects of programming;

...being unlimited rather than limited;

...being certain and sure (but with legitimate grounds at this point);

...being unadulterated;

...being awake and aware;

...being in a state where, after having been made aware of THAT, no longer being occupied with THAT, or with searching, or with seeking, or with wanting to know;

...being free of all beliefs, including belief in any concept or idea;

...being free of identity;

...being free of thoughts;

...being absorbed into the silence;

...being fully stabilized;

...being unambiguous;

...being free;

...being light;

...being in a state where AS IF living happens, living AS IF anything in the relative matters, understanding that it does not, feeling without emoting, witnessing whatever happens to meet the basic needs of an organism without believing that there is some do-er involved in the process;

and then...

...just…being.

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.)

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.

“I AM THAT; I AM” or just “I AM THAT”? Part Five

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.

F.: [Continued from yesterday] Why else is the Nisarga Yoga, offered in conjunction with the Direct Path Method of teaching, the least popular? Because most persons do not prefer a direct approach. They desire that their personas be shown certain respect and kindness, only to be massaged away by the use of the most soothing, gentle kneading methods. Maharaj showed ego-states no such respect:

Maharaj: Insanity is universal. Sanity is rare. Yet there is hope, because the moment we perceive our insanity, we are on the way to sanity. This is the function of the Guru - to make us see the madness of our daily living. Life makes you conscious, but the teacher makes you aware.

If seekers are to be made aware, then the instances of insanity must be made clear, ego be damned. The problem: insanity is so easy to see in others, but all personas come with blinders that make it near-impossible for persons to see the insanity generated by each of their own false selves.

Thus, this series, offered as one means by which persons can “see the madness of their daily living” and can see the insanity of rejecting or condemning the post-Realization Am-ness.

EGOTISM COMBINED WITH PROGRAMMING-INDUCED NAIVETE:
The arrogance that accompanies the persona of the “Know-It-All” also inspires adoption of other “lofty” ego-states as identities, i.e., "The Wise, Reforming Politician," "The Best Teacher of All," “The Religious One,” “The Spiritual Giant.”

"The Religious Ones" and “The Spiritual Giants” assert that they know the one cause of everything that happens, namely, their god or power or force.

Such types are identified with whatever they take THAT to be and would have all believe that they have transcended the Am-ness and are now stabilized in the THAT-ness only. Such a belief will prevent any possibility of stabilizing in the Am-ness and abiding in a sane manner. Those persons are of the “I AM THAT ONLY” persuasion, totally religious or totally spiritual or totally godly or totally…God.

Recently, a woman explained that she had finally been given the tool that can now end all of her angst and her prior inability "to understand the ways of God in managing this world." The advice she was given by a big name in her group: “It’s always God. Find God in whatever is confusing you or troubling you. Find God in every event. There is only God’s will, so it's all good.”

Understand the root of the duality of the “God = good” concept: the root of the word “God” lies in the corruption of the Anglo-Saxon word “gūd” (meaning “good,” linked to the earlier Middle Low German “gūt” and other Indo-European versions of the same) and from those root words evolved the dreaming up of the word “God” and the claims that “God is good” (which has now been farther warped into the concept that “It’s all God” and the belief that “It’s all good”).

So the woman has been given an assignment that her adviser intends should last for a lifetime. Imagine the work, the mental masturbation, and the endless mind-chatter involved with trying to find God in everything, having to know it all, having to come up with the single cause of every event when the Advaita teaching is that the cause of all is all.

The deer looks not for God in anything, and the deer most certainly cannot find a God in anything, being mindless and belief-less as the naturally-living deer are.

RECEIVED RECENTLY FROM A SITE VISITOR: Remember when I asked you if you were an athiest? You said “no,” that atheists also have a belief system [but you do not]. I get you when you say that “Being” is just that - Being and nothing else. Sim

There is no debate here, no labels, and no being this or that; yet all lies have now been seen to be lies, allowing the Truth to be understood. If the subject arises, whatever pointer might happen to be offered is aligned with the teachings of Maharaj who—as noted yesterday—declared that religion is based in “concepts and emotions” (and popular versions of spirituality could be included as well).

Why are such questions not ignored but addressed here on occasion? Why did Maharaj not dodge questions about religion? Why did he point out, as he did in yesterday’s quote, the insanity of persons becoming so emotionally-intoxicated by their dogma that they have set themselves ablaze? Again:

Insanity is universal. Sanity is rare. Yet there is hope, because the moment we perceive our insanity, we are on the way to sanity. This is the function of the Guru -- to make us see the madness of our daily living. Life makes you conscious, but the teacher makes you aware.

Therefore, look to the many examples available in order to “see the madness”:

The headline yesterday declared “Pope John Paul II Used Belt to Whip Himself Often.” The article also explained that in addition to self-flagellation, he sometimes slept on the floor to avoid the comfort of a bed and deprived himself of food. In that dogma-based madness, beatings and discomfort and deprivations are believed to be tools that can be used in order to, as he said, “bring him closer to Christian perfection.”

So the unnatural is presented as "the perfect" when trapped in the insanity of myth-based dogma. That will get you some people rocking and wailing at a special wall, will start some holy wars, will inspire suicidal zealots to strap on bomb vests and kill those who are not members of the right religion, will produce politicians willing to drop bombs on others, and will convince persons to fly airplanes into buildings.

Maharaj: This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.

The evidence points more and more to the fact that natural living is sane and that unnatural / supernatural living is insane, all a part of the thought-to-word-to-deed sequence. The stupid thoughts Maharaj referenced will lead to stupid words verging on insanity. What else could possibly follow other than insane deeds?

Not a very popular message delivered by Maharaj, yes? Yet if offense happens when that pointer is offered, find WHO is offended. The deer are feeding again in the front yard here this morning. I could step outside and call them degrading names, could tell them that they are stupid, that they are insane to live in this neighborhood with humans instead of finding somewhere else to live that would be more remote.

The way they “feel” would not be affected at all. Having been somewhat domesticated by neighbors who feed them corn, they would likely just stare at me as I spoke to them. They might run away if I yell the disparaging remarks in a loud voice. But they could not care less about any disapproving remarks directed at them. They are ego-less and un-programmed, so they are not arrogant or stupid or insane or offend-able.

There is no “one” there to take offense. There is no ego that is supported and upgraded by egotism. Further, they are neither mad nor stupid (an occasional case of being paralyzed in the headlights of an oncoming car notwithstanding), so there is no need to invite the deer to see the ways that madness manifests among persons.

It is only persons who are embroiled in the madness, and while the madness comes from so many sources—homes, schools, media, politics—most insanity nowadays is rooted in religion or kindergarten spirituality among the 6.5 billion persons who have stopped the “journey” at that third, religious step of the seven steps on the “path” to Realization. So, to “see the madness,” apply the “find God in everything” exercise to certain examples mentioned here previously:

Post-Hurricane Katrina flooding that devastated New Orleans, flooding that resulted from a president who stopped levee repairs months before the hurricane hit in order to redirect those levee restoration funds to his war in Iraq. It was God (or the universe or the power or karma)? Find God in that man-made flooding and man-made devastation?

150,000,000 indigenous persons killed in North, Central, and South America. It was God? Find God in that?

In WWII, 6,000,000 Jews, 6,000,000 gay and handicapped persons, and 43,000,000 others killed during that war. It was God? Find God in that?

Haiti: 100,000 to 200,000 killed, thousands orphaned, and a million or more left homeless. It was God? Find God in that?

6000 sucked into the earth. 150,000 set up to be killed by an army of "God’s chosen people." Later, the entire population of the planet, with the exception of one family on a boat, supposedly wiped out by an angry god. It was God? Find God in that?

Who besides the arrogant and programmed and naïve would fall for the “one-cause” and “it’s all god” belief? Those trapped in personality, especially in the personality of the Type Three, the “Spin Doctors” who soon deny any and every “relative mistake” by spinning their way back to perfection.

** The example of the man fired three times for sexual misconduct who cried the first night but by the following morning had put his spiritual spin on the event: “Hey, there’s only God’s will. It’s all good.”

** The woman with “a broken picker” who attracted abusive men into her life time and time again and who eventually became “The Super Spiritual Woman” and determined that (unnatural) abstinence is the spiritual solution to her “relationship problems.”

** The Type Three man mentioned above who assigned the task to “Find God in it,” an exercise accepted without question by the woman who has a Type Three wing to her Type Two personality.

** The Type Three big name in the self-improvement industry who claims to teach non-duality and who prescribes a “Love What Is” mantra. She said of the Nazis taking babies from the arms of their mothers and tossing them into fires: "If Someone (God, ‘what is’), pulls my baby from me - if that's what it takes, I'm there. Take the baby. Tear my baby from me. Throw it in the fire....My discomfort is my war with God....”

See? “It’s all good. There is only God’s will. It wasn't really Nazis burning the babies anyway - it was God pulling them from the arms of their mothers and tossing them into the fire. Always find God in every event and then you'll feel just fine.”

With that mindset, even no-compassion sociopathy is good and is modeled for her protégés. All of those Type Three’s referenced above claim to know it all and claim that they can teach others to know it all. At the core of their teachings is this suggestion: “Everything that happens is God’s doings, so everything should be seen as good and never questioned. Use blind faith and move along.”

You buy that? Or, do you “see the madness”? If you buy into that belief system, then the Advaita teachings will not be for you. The Nisarga Yoga will most assuredly not be for you. If you do not buy into it, you may question the nonsense and may well see the madness and turn from it.

As noted above, there is nothing here 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.

For the thinkers and believers discussed above, if God is the cause of all, then all is, indeed, good / god. For those who are willing to question, Maharaj offers another perspective:

This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.

It need not be so. “The moment we perceive our insanity, we are on the way to sanity.” The Advaitin / Nisargan invitation is to perceive personality disorders and outright insanity and to be free of both. How?

Abandon all unnatural thinking such as that discussed above. Abandon all of the myth-based beliefs that inspire the magical, supernatural type of thinking exposed above. Then awake and enjoy the spontaneity and freedom and peace and sanity of natural living.

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.)

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.

“I AM THAT; I AM” or just “I AM THAT”? Part Four

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.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Still not sure how it’s natural for you to be posting.

F.: Are you sure how it’s natural for fish to be below the surface of water but it is natural for deer to be above the surface of water? Are you sure how it’s natural for some birds such as starlings to swoop about en masse and en sync while it is also natural for some birds to pass the relative existence in a mostly solitary fashion, as does the heron? If so, can you then be sure how it’s natural for some among the Realized specks to enjoy socializing but it’s natural when some do not?

Are you sure how it’s natural that some humans enjoy dancing but it’s natural that some do not? Are you sure how it’s natural that some among the Realized enjoy a Broadway show but natural that some do not?

Maharaj: All this is the show...the expression of consciousness.... It is the dance of the conscious presence. There are so many ways in which consciousness entertains itself, many different forms, abilities, capacities are functioning, but the functioning is merely to entertain itself.

Here, these postings are part of the dance of the now-pure consciousness…just entertainment. This speck enjoys the dance. Other specks of the now-pure consciousness do not engage in the dance. So it is. To continue:

If truly objective witnessing happens, it becomes clear that relative existence dealings with...

(a) “The Super Religious Person” or “The Spiritual Giant” or the one identified as "The Ultimate" or "The Supreme" or "The Sacred Self" or "The Divine One" or "The Newly-Reformed One" or "The Purposeful One" or "The One Who Has Been Reformed for More Years than Others" or "The Righteous One" or "The Really Good One" produce no less misery and suffering than dealings with...

(b) “The Arrogant Spouse” or “The Sociopathic Boss” or “The Entitled One” or "The Narcissist" or "The Control Freak."

An understanding of what is offered via the Nisarga Yoga can eliminate all such dealings and all such misery and suffering, so why is it that so few will ever find the Nisargan invitation appealing?

EGO AND EGOTISM:
Not only do those trapped in going and doing and zooming not want to merely be; they want to be something, not nothing; they want to be special, not ordinary. There is a considerable difference in one thinking he is now “living in the Absolute” and the Realized that abide on the borderline of I AM THAT and I AM:

Maharaj: I want you to dwell on that borderline of consciousness / no-consciousness.

But those who want to be something, something elevated and higher and spiritual and therefore different (rejecting outright the “not-two” teaching), those will reject the Nisargan invitation to abide for the remainder of the manifestation without identity…to consider the nothingness as opposed to the something-ness:

Questioner: What gives you the courage to transcend in the nothingness which you know is there?
Maharaj: Your deep urge to understand the Self. Receding only means to go within, your normal inclination is to come out through the five senses and see the world. Now reverse; I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not the senses; now you are stabilized in consciousness. After stabilizing in consciousness, all further things will happen automatically. [NOTE: He did not say, "Reject the Am-ness, reject the consciousness." He suggested stabilizing in consciousness: "I AM THAT; I AM," not merely "I AM THAT."] You expand into the manifest. I was, I am, I shall be in that original state before the "I Amness" came.

On the borderline, all beyond the relative realm has been seen and understood, but to those devaluing the post-Realization Am-ness and claiming to now “live in the Absolute” rather than “abiding with the Absolute overlaid upon the relative in order to enjoy fully the Am-ness,” the Nisargan’s option will be ignored.

ARROGANCE:
Specifically, arrogance as among those who want to know it all and show it all.

During the process of casting aside all belief in duality, it becomes easy to believe in a “new duality” (the duality of a “lower” nature and a “higher” nature) and to assume a new identity with the “higher nature” rather than merely overlaying reality on the remainder of the relative existence.

Maharaj: The borderline between "lower" and "higher" nature keeps on receding, but the two remain until they are seen as one.

Then, the “not-two” regarding the topic being discussed in this series becomes clear, but to those who claim some “higher nature,” the Nisargan option will be refused.

ARROGANCE:
Even more arrogance among those who want to know it all and want to show that they know it all.

Maharaj: That which has no borderline cannot be experienced in the common meaning of the word. One can only be it, without knowing, but one can know what it is not.

Without knowing? Yes. The deer abiding naturally does not know anything, so for those who are playing the role of “The Know-It-All,” the Nisargan option will be refused.

ARROGANCE:
Specifically, as among those who have been blinded when following a big name and thus refuse to question what they are being told. There are big names in the self-improvement movement discussed by Louise in the last series; there are big names in twelve-step groups;

there are big names in political groups; there are big names in religious groups; there are big names everywhere throughout the relative as mental hierarchies are conceived and believed to be real. What Maharaj had to say about religions applies to all concept-based groups that promote a false sense of separation and belief in hierarchies and duality:

Questioner: What does Maharaj think about all the different religions?
Maharaj: As far as I am concerned all religions are based on concepts and emotions. Those emotions are so violent and absorbing that people have immolated themselves. Being one with some other personality emotionally can be so effective that those who have identified themselves with Jesus Christ have had the marks of crucifixion appear on their own bodies. All these experiences are totally useless. One individual has identified with another individual, and unless individuality is given up, the Reality can never manifest itself. Do not repeat what you have heard, parrot-wise, unless you have it with the conviction that I have.

Understand that and you will understand why all twelve-step programs should be named “Parrots Anonymous” and why religions and political parties and self-help programs should all have the word “parrot” somewhere in their titles as well.

Their members do not speak of the understanding that can only come in the no-group silence; nor do they speak of actual truth (a truth that, if understood, would end belief in “an experiencer”);

nor do they understand the truth that cannot be stated (either by big names or in groups or...ever); instead, they merely parrot what they have heard, either in groups or from big name, non-Realized persons.

For those who are driven to talk and to impress and who are content to parrot what others tell them rather than to discuss a common conviction based in a silent experience that removed belief in the identity of “The Improved and Now Lofty Experiencer Who Lives Above and Beyond the Realm of Others,” the Nisargan option will be refused.

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.)

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.