F.: To continue with the reponse to your inquiry about “Why Advaita,” another question must also be addressed: “When Advaita?” A consideration offered yesterday asked, “Am I truly tired of being fooled?” The only accurate answer that a person can give is, “No. I’m very comfortable being fooled. I like being fooled so much that I’m not about to give up the play-acting. I’m lost in the ‘Drama of the Lie,’ and I’m going to play this role out ‘til the end. I may be fooling others as well as myself, but I’ll keep playing that part. Oh...and another thing: I'm not being fooled at all...you are!” And most will continue as is, actually convinced that they’re not tired, not bored, not anxious, not obsessing, not depressed, not sleepwalking, not just "phoning it in" day after day, and not lost in all of the games being played culture-wide. So two more prerequisites for beginning the “journey”—in addition to the willingness to begin questioning it all—are presented: doubting the lies (especially the ones that persons tell themselves) and finally being tired…being really, really tired. Yet other prerequisites must typically be met even before those, so the prerequisites shall be offered and then discussed in upcoming postings:
1. An “age prerequisite” exists. While some young seekers have followed the “path” to realization, Advaita is not really for youth. Youth, to survive and to gain any ability to sustain themselves in the cultures that they have been cast into through no choice of their own, must have their personal experiences if they are to provide food, clothing, shelter, etc. for themselves.
2. Another prerequisite is that persons must first play the play. How can persons be freed from the drama in which they are trapped if they have not first entered the drama and taken their parts to be "the real"?
3. Next, persons must tire of the play or (as happens most often with persons) must have the play unwillingly pulled from their grasp. That can happen (a) when one is thrown out of the cast (“husband” leaves “wife” for another person willing to play the role of “wife” or “wife” leaves “husband”) or (b) when the play ends when one of the players “dies.” For example, “husband” may have been playing his role with an always-required co-dependent counterpart…in this case, “wife.” Then, wife “dies.” The curtain is drawn of that particular play. Of course, option (c) is always a possibility and one role-player merely gets tired of the play or that role and decides to exit, leaving the other co-dependent player without a play to play.
4. Touching the relative truth of disappointment, sadness, a sense of loss, an overall sense of emptiness and a lack of fulfillment, or realizing that happiness is not happening, persons must then begin a search. The search is always geared outward, seeking some power outside Self and some answers outside Self and some knowledge from "experts" outside Self. Opinions of “others” are given value. Their “experiences” are taken to be helpful. Their “suffering” is touted for having value, along with "the lessons" (more knowledge or "learned ignorance") that can be accumulated. More and more "knowledge" is sought.
5. In the process of looking outward, the next prerequisite happens: one must be fooled (see yesterday’s posting).
6. After being fooled, persons must try all of the foolishness that is prescribed as a treatment for what is supposedly ailing them, including but not limited to: holy books; books written for specific groups rather than those written for all humankind; rituals; dogma; use of tools; adhering to strict disciplines; giving up what one is told to give up; attending book studies of the holy texts; reading related books, books and more books; attending meetings and more meetings or services and more services; and finally...believing it all.
7. Next, persons who could be an eventual candidate for the Advaita “journey” will have to be objective enough to admit that after doing all that they were advised to do, all of that has failed to provide a real solution. Persons must also see that the ones offering all the advice don’t truly have the solution working in their own lives.
8. That source must be abandoned and then others sources must be sought.
9. The seeking often covers several years and must involve many avenues (for example, one might begin with a particular religion, then try one denomination or sect after another within that religion until those are exhausted; then, an entirely different religion might be sought; then ideologies might be bought into; then cults or spiritual movements might be turned to; next, philosophies might be studied. Seeking and more seeking must typically happen).
10. More doubts must set in at that point as one movement or religion or ideology or program or philosophy after another is studied, accepted, and rejected because they all failed, were all based in man-made concepts, and all failed to reject the false in order to allow the truth that has always been within to be known. It is only there that it can be found. All Advaita teaching is intended to end the outward search for power and for more knowledge and to turn the protege's search inward. All Advaita teaching is intended to end all learning. All Advaita reading is intended to end a need for study. All Advaita teaching is intended to end the need for "attendance." All Advaita concepts are intended to result in the casting aside of all concepts, ideas, beliefs and the always-resulting emotional intoxication. All Advaita seeking is intended to end all seeking. No Realized Advaitan seeks a following of proteges to attend regular meetings or sessions. No Realized Advaitan has a holy book with teachings to be studied repeatedly, followed faithfully, and practiced daily. No Realized Advaitan seeks regular, on-going, lifetime monetary contributions. The Realized Advaitan lives naturally and invites proteges to do the same.
11. Doubt must inspire questioning it all.
12. Then, at the same time persons must be tired, very tired of it all. One can chase the butterfly across the field all day, then sit exhaustedly at sunset, and only then might the butterfly alight upon one’s shoulder.
Why is it that when you are looking for your keys they are always in the last place you look? Because it was there that you found your keys. Who would continue seeking after having found? Only persons who think they have found but have not, truly. They'll keep going back to the same place over and over though they have not found the solution there. They'll go to services or meetings that admit up front that the best they can offer is a temporary respite and no real solution: "You must come back forever, so...see you tomorrow," or "See you on our next holy day" or "See you at the service on our upcoming special day." When Realization happens, there is no doubt. It strikes like a ton of bricks. It is seen as the “Eureka!” moment that it is; it’s coming is marked with, “Oh…my…gosh! I was a fool! They fooled me, and they are so fooled that they didn’t even know they were fooling themselves and me! But now I’ll never be fooled again!”
But all the steps of preparation (1 through 12 above) must be met. Then, one is ready, but even at that point, few will ever cross paths with a teacher who has also traveled that entire "path" and Realized. The odds are slim of a person finding a Realized Advaitan and being ready at that moment to discard it all and come to The Understanding of the Functioning of the Totality. Now, readers can see why my teacher said first that only 1 in 10,000 would “get it,” a decade later said that only 1 in 100,000 will “get it,” and then a decade after that revised his estimate and predicted that only 1 in 1,000,000 will ever Realize Fully. So, your question is returned to you: “Are you ready? Are you ready to abandon belief in every lie and to know the truth that cannot be named or stated?” The readiness is all. Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
1. An “age prerequisite” exists. While some young seekers have followed the “path” to realization, Advaita is not really for youth. Youth, to survive and to gain any ability to sustain themselves in the cultures that they have been cast into through no choice of their own, must have their personal experiences if they are to provide food, clothing, shelter, etc. for themselves.
2. Another prerequisite is that persons must first play the play. How can persons be freed from the drama in which they are trapped if they have not first entered the drama and taken their parts to be "the real"?
3. Next, persons must tire of the play or (as happens most often with persons) must have the play unwillingly pulled from their grasp. That can happen (a) when one is thrown out of the cast (“husband” leaves “wife” for another person willing to play the role of “wife” or “wife” leaves “husband”) or (b) when the play ends when one of the players “dies.” For example, “husband” may have been playing his role with an always-required co-dependent counterpart…in this case, “wife.” Then, wife “dies.” The curtain is drawn of that particular play. Of course, option (c) is always a possibility and one role-player merely gets tired of the play or that role and decides to exit, leaving the other co-dependent player without a play to play.
4. Touching the relative truth of disappointment, sadness, a sense of loss, an overall sense of emptiness and a lack of fulfillment, or realizing that happiness is not happening, persons must then begin a search. The search is always geared outward, seeking some power outside Self and some answers outside Self and some knowledge from "experts" outside Self. Opinions of “others” are given value. Their “experiences” are taken to be helpful. Their “suffering” is touted for having value, along with "the lessons" (more knowledge or "learned ignorance") that can be accumulated. More and more "knowledge" is sought.
5. In the process of looking outward, the next prerequisite happens: one must be fooled (see yesterday’s posting).
6. After being fooled, persons must try all of the foolishness that is prescribed as a treatment for what is supposedly ailing them, including but not limited to: holy books; books written for specific groups rather than those written for all humankind; rituals; dogma; use of tools; adhering to strict disciplines; giving up what one is told to give up; attending book studies of the holy texts; reading related books, books and more books; attending meetings and more meetings or services and more services; and finally...believing it all.
7. Next, persons who could be an eventual candidate for the Advaita “journey” will have to be objective enough to admit that after doing all that they were advised to do, all of that has failed to provide a real solution. Persons must also see that the ones offering all the advice don’t truly have the solution working in their own lives.
8. That source must be abandoned and then others sources must be sought.
9. The seeking often covers several years and must involve many avenues (for example, one might begin with a particular religion, then try one denomination or sect after another within that religion until those are exhausted; then, an entirely different religion might be sought; then ideologies might be bought into; then cults or spiritual movements might be turned to; next, philosophies might be studied. Seeking and more seeking must typically happen).
10. More doubts must set in at that point as one movement or religion or ideology or program or philosophy after another is studied, accepted, and rejected because they all failed, were all based in man-made concepts, and all failed to reject the false in order to allow the truth that has always been within to be known. It is only there that it can be found. All Advaita teaching is intended to end the outward search for power and for more knowledge and to turn the protege's search inward. All Advaita teaching is intended to end all learning. All Advaita reading is intended to end a need for study. All Advaita teaching is intended to end the need for "attendance." All Advaita concepts are intended to result in the casting aside of all concepts, ideas, beliefs and the always-resulting emotional intoxication. All Advaita seeking is intended to end all seeking. No Realized Advaitan seeks a following of proteges to attend regular meetings or sessions. No Realized Advaitan has a holy book with teachings to be studied repeatedly, followed faithfully, and practiced daily. No Realized Advaitan seeks regular, on-going, lifetime monetary contributions. The Realized Advaitan lives naturally and invites proteges to do the same.
11. Doubt must inspire questioning it all.
12. Then, at the same time persons must be tired, very tired of it all. One can chase the butterfly across the field all day, then sit exhaustedly at sunset, and only then might the butterfly alight upon one’s shoulder.
Why is it that when you are looking for your keys they are always in the last place you look? Because it was there that you found your keys. Who would continue seeking after having found? Only persons who think they have found but have not, truly. They'll keep going back to the same place over and over though they have not found the solution there. They'll go to services or meetings that admit up front that the best they can offer is a temporary respite and no real solution: "You must come back forever, so...see you tomorrow," or "See you on our next holy day" or "See you at the service on our upcoming special day." When Realization happens, there is no doubt. It strikes like a ton of bricks. It is seen as the “Eureka!” moment that it is; it’s coming is marked with, “Oh…my…gosh! I was a fool! They fooled me, and they are so fooled that they didn’t even know they were fooling themselves and me! But now I’ll never be fooled again!”
But all the steps of preparation (1 through 12 above) must be met. Then, one is ready, but even at that point, few will ever cross paths with a teacher who has also traveled that entire "path" and Realized. The odds are slim of a person finding a Realized Advaitan and being ready at that moment to discard it all and come to The Understanding of the Functioning of the Totality. Now, readers can see why my teacher said first that only 1 in 10,000 would “get it,” a decade later said that only 1 in 100,000 will “get it,” and then a decade after that revised his estimate and predicted that only 1 in 1,000,000 will ever Realize Fully. So, your question is returned to you: “Are you ready? Are you ready to abandon belief in every lie and to know the truth that cannot be named or stated?” The readiness is all. Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
