TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE REGARDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AM-NESS VS. THE THAT-NESS: Maharaj's Paramount Shift
Those that have followed this site for some period or who have read the book Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and His Evolution
are aware of the fact that Maharaj's talks evolved through three specific stages, his final shift having inspired many seekers to shift from "Admirers" to "Haters."
Maharaj's shifts each came when a new realization came to him, when a different perspective came to him about what form the Ultimate Medicine should take.
When he spoke early on, there was some evidence that he was speaking at times from the standpoint of the universal consciousness, yet there was also evidence of his being influenced by other stimuli (such as the prescriptions offered by his guru - which he would later abandon - and such as cultural influences exerted by the surrounding Hindu community).
Later, he would be influenced by the Westerners who sought out the loft after I AM THAT was published. Then even later, he would be influenced by having found a version of the Ultimate Medicine which was tailor-made for dealing with the actual root of the Ultimate Sickness.
The shifts - or the "evolution" or the changes in his central message - were inspired by his seeing that neither of the two versions of the Ultimate Medicine which he offered early on were providing a viable treatment for the Sickness.
Originally, he used a Hindu / non-dual compounded version of the Medicine; later, when Westerners with no interest in Hinduism and with a self-image of being "highly spiritual" began to show up in the loft, the version of the Medicine he offered took on the form of a spiritual - non-dual compound.
Eventually, he would abandon the use of both dogma and spirituality in treating the Sickness, advising, “Give up spirituality” and “follow your normal inclinations" and "forget spirituality."
Why? Because he came to understand that the Sickness is not caused by persons having mastered too little dogma; that the Sickness is not caused by persons performing too few spiritual exercises and is not caused by persons having a "sick spirit" or a "spiritual malady";
and because he came to understand that the Sickness is centered in the mind . . . in the distortion-and-delusion-filled minds of the masses whose thoughts and words and actions are being determined subconsciously by the nonsensical beliefs stored in their minds which are the result of nonsensical programming and conditioning and acculturation and domestication and brainwashing and indoctrination.
Having come to understand that the Ultimate Sickness is a mental sickness, Maharaj began delivering pointers which addressed the psychological problems which drive persons to suffer from a Sickness that is marked by three key symptoms which Maharaj identified as "ignorance, stupidity, and insanity."
Some who began judging Maharaj at that point suggested that it was his "ego and egotism" which led him to abandon the spiritual approach; in fact, the approaches he abandoned were discarded because he saw that they were not working.
As he dealt with seekers over the years, his "guesstimate" of how many were "getting this deal" - were truly understanding his talks - was "one out of a hundred thousand"; later, using the original religious and spiritual versions of the Medicine, he modified that and said that only "one in a million" were getting it and being healed of the Sickness. Later, while still using the spiritual version of the Medicine, he changed that to "one out of ten million."
So critics or not, he was wise enough and fearless enough to abandon what was not working - namely, religion and spirituality - and to begin offering a version of the Medicine which strikes at the heart of the Sickness (namely, a psychological treatment plan which addresses the mind issue at the core of the Sickness).
That high "failure rate" is also why why he abandoned his earlier focus on SELF-Enquiry" and said instead that seekers do not need to find "Who You Are" and that "it is enough to find who you are not."
In other words, one need not find and abide as "A Supreme Self," "An Infinite Self," "The Godhead," "The Infinite Self," etc. Why? Because there is no present self-ness or Self-ness, so there cannot possibly be any eternal self or Selfness. It's all an illusion, those "Supreme Ego-States" as false as all of the ego-states assumed during the relative existence.
The summative statement of non-duality is "I AM THAT; I AM." Note that they are given equal billing. One is not identified as superior to the other and one is not identified as better than the other. (Later, Maharaj would "pick sides" and suggest that the focus should be on one above the other, and the one he choose would shock many seekers).
To illustrate the shift in his focus and the weight he gave to each, consider the implications of the following:
His earlier message reflected the balance in the summative statement:
Later, when Westerners began visiting the loft, this shift happened as the THAT-ness and things spiritual were given more weight, more emphasis, the advice being: "Do your SELF-Enquiry and find THE SELF."
Finally, the shift was to this:
The AM-ness carried more weight and significance.
The advice "Abide naturally" became the ultimate message along with "Return to the Child Ignorance Stage / the Child No-Knowing State and enjoy unconditional happiness; just be instead of trying to be 'A Supreme Self,' 'An Infinite Self,' 'The Godhead,' 'The Infinite Self,' etc.; in other words, be natural, not supernatural; stay in touch with reality (as opposed to glorifying 'Reality');
"stop moving mentally to Foo Foo Land in order to escape and avoid and dissociate from whatever it is about the relative existence that you might not like; stop trying to blow rainbows out of your behind; and then start abiding as sanely and as naturally as all other living things on planet earth, none of which are burdened by a mind that has been filled with nonsense (as is the case with humans).
Talk about a different perspective. Not only did Maharaj eventually have a perspective which was different from that of almost all persons on the planet, but he had a perspective which was different from the the perspectives he had during the earlier years.
The approach followed here was the same that Maharaj took. He eventually started advising seekers to "stop reading the earlier talks in I AM THAT and listen to my later talks." Here, the same advice had to be passed on to those who listened to the earlier talks. And here, when a perspective was offered which differed from the popular ones rooted in dogma and spirituality, the critics came forth in droves. So it was. So it still is in many cases. Whatever.
The facts: here, early on, a couple of versions of the Ultimate Medicine were offered; they proved not to be viable versions, for seekers or for "floyd"; a different perspective came and brought with it the stability and peace which come after all dual-mindedness ends.
So that is the perspective being shared now, and that is why a different perspective is now being offered.
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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