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As for Maharaj, you will find here some of his early pointers for beginners but some of his later pointers that are for seekers father along the "path." During his last years, he said of I AM THAT: "That book and whatever was expounded at that time was only relevant for that period. I am speaking differently today" and am "emphasizing different aspects." What he offered later differed considerably from his earlier talks, making clear that the pointers in I AM THAT will take you to the midpoint of "the race" but that his final talks point the way to "the finish line."
F.:[Continued from yesterday]
Authenticity can only happen in the absence of personality. True, Maharaj did say that there will always be a vestige of one's primary type. He was a Type Four, the seeker of authenticity, explaining the fact that he spent his entire existence in the search for the Authentic Self and then guiding others to the same. That was a result of the remaining speck of his primary type, which was set up in his earliest days.
By the age of six, one's primary personality type will usually be set, and that personality type - along with a host of other personas that will be assigned or adopted - will drive thoughts and words and deeds for the remainder of the relative existence.
Most will move throughout the entire existence without a clue that personality - along with each personality type's fears and desires - are controlling every aspect of their existence.
That will remain the case unless one comes to understand the way that personality works, the way that it robs persons of the ability to choose, and then finds a teacher or a counselor to guide them to liberation from the influence of personality.
What are the means available to teachers who guide persons to liberation?
Maybe 5% of the time, Maharaj chose a non-duality topic for discussion, but most often, he invited visitors to share. Never did he assume that what was going to be shared would point the other seekers in the loft to truth.
Instead, the strategy was to (A) allow persons to reveal if any degree of authenticity at all was present (revealed if their words showed certain degrees of being awake and conscious and aware) or most often to (B) reveal where on "the path" that particular seeker might be and what personas were driving that seeker.
Then Maharaj would offer pointers that could allow the seeker to see which aspects of personality were operating, followed by pointers to the next step on the "journey."
Remember that Maharaj claimed that someday science would advance to the degree that it would support all of the non-duality, Advaita teachings; thus, the process of liberating a seeker from personality can be enhanced by use of a scientifically-based tool called "the enneagram personality analysis."
So:
1. Realized teachers such as Maharaj can identify when persons are trapped in personality and can identify, after hearing only a few words or facts about that seeker, which persona or personas are driving any particular thoughts or words that are being expressed;
2. trained ennegram coaches or teachers can do the same;
3. empirical evidence here shows that those who combine Advaita's teachings regarding personality with the enneagram's scientific understanding of personality often find release from personality's influence more readily.
In terms of personality and liberation, some reject the results of an enneagram test completely, dismissing it as "cold reading" as readily as they write off the nonsense of astrological readings (in spite of the scientific and empirical evidence that supports the results revealed via enneagram testing).
Some believe that, when certain predictions about one's personality are offered without seeing that person's actual test results, the forecasts cannot possibly uncover anything about a subject with any certainty; however, find one that understands personality and the enneagram thoroughly and you will find this:
As with a Realized Advaitin teacher, the one that understands both personality and the enneagram can hear a few words or watch a few actions and know exactly what personas are driving an individual.
If you share what a subject has done in terms of earning or gaining money; if you share a few statements that a subject makes about himself / herself; and if you share a few comments revealing the subject's "philosophy" or "world view" ...
... then you might be surprised to find how accurately the one versed in personality and the enneagram can "peg" that person's primary type and other personality drivers.
It comes as easily to one versed in the enneagram as it did to Maharaj when he was able to peg one who was trapped in personality, in personality-driven fears and desires, and in the thoughts and words and actions associated with various assumed personas.
Of course the full test results will reveal the full personality picture, but even without test scores, the one versed in the enneagram can understand a great deal about persons and their hidden motivators.
For example, at the beginning of the last presidential election in the U.S. when it was determined that McCain and Obama would represent the two major parties, a visitor asked if there were any clues about their personalities that would show how they would govern.
The reply:
Floyd: "Explain what you know about their backgrounds."
Visitor: "McCain is a fourth generation military man; married a beautiful swimsuit model; she was in a car wreck and disfigured; left her and married an attractive, wealthy woman and owns either 6 or 8 or 11 or 13 houses - he's not sure; has a campaign slogan of 'Country First'; sang a song about bombing Iran and laughed; acts like he knows it all."
F.: "And Obama?"
V.: "He seems to want to make the world a better place; had a chance after graduation to get a high-paying job but worked as a community organizer in the poor sections of Chicago assisting people there; his weakness to me seems to be that he allows his opponents to attack him without fighting back - he just smiles - he needs to stand up and fight."
Even without test scores for either candidate, the one versed in the enneagram could see a great deal:
F.: "So, McCain is a Type Six 'Loyalist' (with his 'Country First' slogan), who has a need for security and wants to be taken care of and wants some power source available (also Type Six traits, and is thus one in a long line of four generations of military men) and would have a propensity to fight first and bomb first and only ask questions later; he has a Type Seven addictive wing ('not sure how many houses he owns but probably more than eleven'); he has a Type Five wing (with its 'Know It All' mentality); and he is connected to the Type Three so he will care about looks and appearances, requiring a good-looking woman on his arm to enhance his image."
V.: "And Obama?"
F.: "Obama is functioning as a Type One 'Reformer' with a Type Two 'Helper' wing and a Type Nine 'Peacemaker / Avoider of Conflict' wing."
The one versed in the enneagram has to smile when so many now complain that Obama tries too hard to entice members of the opposing party to compromise (a willingness rooted in the Type Nine) rather than "stand up and fight." It was all obvious from the very beginning to any that understand the enneagram, and no set of scores was required for one trained in enneagram-based personality analysis to know readily which personas drive Obama and to predict accurately how he would govern.
Personality - and personality defects and disorders - are that obvious to those versed in personality and the enneagram. Liberation from personality can be happen when a seeker that is truly ready meets a competent teacher that is Fully Realized and / or one versed in the use of the enneagram tool as a means for identifying and being rid of the personas that are controlling their thoughts and words and deeds.
[See "Services" at floydhenderson.com if you are interested in making arrangements to use the enneagram tool as a part of your efforts to be liberated.]
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
"The essence of liberation is freedom from personality."
Authenticity can only happen in the absence of personality. True, Maharaj did say that there will always be a vestige of one's primary type. He was a Type Four, the seeker of authenticity, explaining the fact that he spent his entire existence in the search for the Authentic Self and then guiding others to the same. That was a result of the remaining speck of his primary type, which was set up in his earliest days.
By the age of six, one's primary personality type will usually be set, and that personality type - along with a host of other personas that will be assigned or adopted - will drive thoughts and words and deeds for the remainder of the relative existence.
Most will move throughout the entire existence without a clue that personality - along with each personality type's fears and desires - are controlling every aspect of their existence.
That will remain the case unless one comes to understand the way that personality works, the way that it robs persons of the ability to choose, and then finds a teacher or a counselor to guide them to liberation from the influence of personality.
What are the means available to teachers who guide persons to liberation?
OPTION I.
Maybe 5% of the time, Maharaj chose a non-duality topic for discussion, but most often, he invited visitors to share. Never did he assume that what was going to be shared would point the other seekers in the loft to truth.
Instead, the strategy was to (A) allow persons to reveal if any degree of authenticity at all was present (revealed if their words showed certain degrees of being awake and conscious and aware) or most often to (B) reveal where on "the path" that particular seeker might be and what personas were driving that seeker.
Then Maharaj would offer pointers that could allow the seeker to see which aspects of personality were operating, followed by pointers to the next step on the "journey."
OPTION II.
Remember that Maharaj claimed that someday science would advance to the degree that it would support all of the non-duality, Advaita teachings; thus, the process of liberating a seeker from personality can be enhanced by use of a scientifically-based tool called "the enneagram personality analysis."
So:
1. Realized teachers such as Maharaj can identify when persons are trapped in personality and can identify, after hearing only a few words or facts about that seeker, which persona or personas are driving any particular thoughts or words that are being expressed;
2. trained ennegram coaches or teachers can do the same;
3. empirical evidence here shows that those who combine Advaita's teachings regarding personality with the enneagram's scientific understanding of personality often find release from personality's influence more readily.
In terms of personality and liberation, some reject the results of an enneagram test completely, dismissing it as "cold reading" as readily as they write off the nonsense of astrological readings (in spite of the scientific and empirical evidence that supports the results revealed via enneagram testing).
Some believe that, when certain predictions about one's personality are offered without seeing that person's actual test results, the forecasts cannot possibly uncover anything about a subject with any certainty; however, find one that understands personality and the enneagram thoroughly and you will find this:
As with a Realized Advaitin teacher, the one that understands both personality and the enneagram can hear a few words or watch a few actions and know exactly what personas are driving an individual.
If you share what a subject has done in terms of earning or gaining money; if you share a few statements that a subject makes about himself / herself; and if you share a few comments revealing the subject's "philosophy" or "world view" ...
... then you might be surprised to find how accurately the one versed in personality and the enneagram can "peg" that person's primary type and other personality drivers.
It comes as easily to one versed in the enneagram as it did to Maharaj when he was able to peg one who was trapped in personality, in personality-driven fears and desires, and in the thoughts and words and actions associated with various assumed personas.
Of course the full test results will reveal the full personality picture, but even without test scores, the one versed in the enneagram can understand a great deal about persons and their hidden motivators.
For example, at the beginning of the last presidential election in the U.S. when it was determined that McCain and Obama would represent the two major parties, a visitor asked if there were any clues about their personalities that would show how they would govern.
The reply:
Floyd: "Explain what you know about their backgrounds."
Visitor: "McCain is a fourth generation military man; married a beautiful swimsuit model; she was in a car wreck and disfigured; left her and married an attractive, wealthy woman and owns either 6 or 8 or 11 or 13 houses - he's not sure; has a campaign slogan of 'Country First'; sang a song about bombing Iran and laughed; acts like he knows it all."
F.: "And Obama?"
V.: "He seems to want to make the world a better place; had a chance after graduation to get a high-paying job but worked as a community organizer in the poor sections of Chicago assisting people there; his weakness to me seems to be that he allows his opponents to attack him without fighting back - he just smiles - he needs to stand up and fight."
Even without test scores for either candidate, the one versed in the enneagram could see a great deal:
F.: "So, McCain is a Type Six 'Loyalist' (with his 'Country First' slogan), who has a need for security and wants to be taken care of and wants some power source available (also Type Six traits, and is thus one in a long line of four generations of military men) and would have a propensity to fight first and bomb first and only ask questions later; he has a Type Seven addictive wing ('not sure how many houses he owns but probably more than eleven'); he has a Type Five wing (with its 'Know It All' mentality); and he is connected to the Type Three so he will care about looks and appearances, requiring a good-looking woman on his arm to enhance his image."
V.: "And Obama?"
F.: "Obama is functioning as a Type One 'Reformer' with a Type Two 'Helper' wing and a Type Nine 'Peacemaker / Avoider of Conflict' wing."
The one versed in the enneagram has to smile when so many now complain that Obama tries too hard to entice members of the opposing party to compromise (a willingness rooted in the Type Nine) rather than "stand up and fight." It was all obvious from the very beginning to any that understand the enneagram, and no set of scores was required for one trained in enneagram-based personality analysis to know readily which personas drive Obama and to predict accurately how he would govern.
Personality - and personality defects and disorders - are that obvious to those versed in personality and the enneagram. Liberation from personality can be happen when a seeker that is truly ready meets a competent teacher that is Fully Realized and / or one versed in the use of the enneagram tool as a means for identifying and being rid of the personas that are controlling their thoughts and words and deeds.
[See "Services" at floydhenderson.com if you are interested in making arrangements to use the enneagram tool as a part of your efforts to be liberated.]
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
