F.: Unnatural and/or supernatural living, along with all their accompanying religious dogma or spiritual disciplines, can become additional, fulltime jobs on their own. Natural living happens after full Realization, and natural living is marked by living calmly and only working a job if it is required to meet the basic requirements. After Realization, the search ends, the work that previously was neverending finally stops, and true, honest, natural living begins.
With Advaita, there are no holy books to read on a daily basis and nothing to study for a lifetime. With Realization, there are no remaining questions to ask. There is no effort to acquire power, so that which always follows the accumulation of power—the abuse of power—ends. No Advaitan need be concerned with the dualities of “moral vs. immoral” or “harming vs. not harming” since the desire for power and control (and the fear of not having power and control) end. Persons might label an Advaitan "moral,” but the truth is that natural living just happens in a non-judgmental, non-abusive fashion because the Oneness is known, because no “others” exist, because there are no beliefs (including the belief that one can be elevated by bringing “others” down), and because no accumulation and abuse of power happens.
Upon Realization, there are no disciplines to follow, no dogma to learn, no encouragement to offer monetary contributions, no regularly scheduled meetings or services that require your attendance, nothing mysterious to try to accept, nothing magical to believe in, no distortions to tolerate, and nothing unexplainable to ponder over and over in a way that previously occupied one’s time and stole one’s peace. With Full Realization, the understanding of the functioning of the totality happens. Advaitans know the truth of the statement, “The Realized know that I Am beyond both the beingness and the non-beingness. All the rest are fools.” With that understanding comes the end of being fooled.
Yet the fooled haven’t a clue that they are being fooled. A recent communication came from a woman who claimed that “finally her life is perfect” after “getting rid of the wrong man and finding the right one,” “finding the perfect job,” and building a “network of friends that are as religious as I am.” At least three new ego-states have been added, and she is unaware of those ego-states (as well as the separation from contact with reality that has given birth to those new ego-states). Yet her actual circumstances in 2005 included admission to the hospital three times, regular visits to doctors, high blood pressure and prescribed meds for life, acute anxiety disorder, and frequent instances of emotional intoxication. Is her life perfect (as she claims) or have her newly-assumed ego-states fooled her into believing in the image rather than seeing the reality behind the image? If persons in this culture were to invite an impartial, trained professional to look closely at their rates of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bi-polar disorder, ADD, and emotionally-induced physical problems, nationwide studies already prove that those claiming they’re “doing fine…all’s good…real happy...everything here is OK” might learn that they are really just…fooling themselves. Seeking can end, making a job out of life can end, suffering physically as a result of mental and emotional insanity can end, and being fooled as a result of being out of touch with reality can end. Yet one final “seven-step journey” must be completed, and nothing halts any “journey” like the false belief that one has already reached the destination. How might those persons be recognized? They think they have all the answers and want to pass on their religious or spiritual knowledge. The Advaitan, conversely, invites the questioning of all so that the frustrating search for answers can end. The Advaitan has no knowledge to give, never invites proteges to keep coming back for life, but invites proteges instead to abandon all of the burdensome knowledge ("learned ignorance") that has been accumulated and to go...in peace. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
With Advaita, there are no holy books to read on a daily basis and nothing to study for a lifetime. With Realization, there are no remaining questions to ask. There is no effort to acquire power, so that which always follows the accumulation of power—the abuse of power—ends. No Advaitan need be concerned with the dualities of “moral vs. immoral” or “harming vs. not harming” since the desire for power and control (and the fear of not having power and control) end. Persons might label an Advaitan "moral,” but the truth is that natural living just happens in a non-judgmental, non-abusive fashion because the Oneness is known, because no “others” exist, because there are no beliefs (including the belief that one can be elevated by bringing “others” down), and because no accumulation and abuse of power happens.
Upon Realization, there are no disciplines to follow, no dogma to learn, no encouragement to offer monetary contributions, no regularly scheduled meetings or services that require your attendance, nothing mysterious to try to accept, nothing magical to believe in, no distortions to tolerate, and nothing unexplainable to ponder over and over in a way that previously occupied one’s time and stole one’s peace. With Full Realization, the understanding of the functioning of the totality happens. Advaitans know the truth of the statement, “The Realized know that I Am beyond both the beingness and the non-beingness. All the rest are fools.” With that understanding comes the end of being fooled.
Yet the fooled haven’t a clue that they are being fooled. A recent communication came from a woman who claimed that “finally her life is perfect” after “getting rid of the wrong man and finding the right one,” “finding the perfect job,” and building a “network of friends that are as religious as I am.” At least three new ego-states have been added, and she is unaware of those ego-states (as well as the separation from contact with reality that has given birth to those new ego-states). Yet her actual circumstances in 2005 included admission to the hospital three times, regular visits to doctors, high blood pressure and prescribed meds for life, acute anxiety disorder, and frequent instances of emotional intoxication. Is her life perfect (as she claims) or have her newly-assumed ego-states fooled her into believing in the image rather than seeing the reality behind the image? If persons in this culture were to invite an impartial, trained professional to look closely at their rates of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bi-polar disorder, ADD, and emotionally-induced physical problems, nationwide studies already prove that those claiming they’re “doing fine…all’s good…real happy...everything here is OK” might learn that they are really just…fooling themselves. Seeking can end, making a job out of life can end, suffering physically as a result of mental and emotional insanity can end, and being fooled as a result of being out of touch with reality can end. Yet one final “seven-step journey” must be completed, and nothing halts any “journey” like the false belief that one has already reached the destination. How might those persons be recognized? They think they have all the answers and want to pass on their religious or spiritual knowledge. The Advaitan, conversely, invites the questioning of all so that the frustrating search for answers can end. The Advaitan has no knowledge to give, never invites proteges to keep coming back for life, but invites proteges instead to abandon all of the burdensome knowledge ("learned ignorance") that has been accumulated and to go...in peace. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
TOMORROW: The response to one who said this week, “I was up all night writing, frustrated, seeking answers. How do I find the meaning of life? How do I find my purpose? I cannot believe that the universe would put me here, give me the ability to ask the question, and then not give me the ability to know the answer.”
