F.: The discussion will continue by addressing “a” and “b” from yesterday’s list. First, the “price” of seeking more knowledge (being up all night and being frustrated) is a needless price to pay. Second, additional knowledge is not necessary. In fact, all of the spiritual knowledge you’ve already acquired is false and any additional knowledge will also be false. You do not need more; what should become obvious is that all persons need less. Since all religious and spiritual knowledge is nothing more than learned ignorance—nothing more than the “stuff” dreamed up by men of all times who want the power to control others—the less such ignorance is bought into…the better (as far as the relative existence goes).
Persons hate the built-in obsolescence of a car but often accept blindly the built-in obsolescence of the religions and/or spiritual programs to which they are such devotees.
[Before continuing, it should be noted that no pointer is being offered to “ignore religion and spirituality.” Nor is the message to “always avoid religion or spirituality.” One (or both) are necessary since they serve as the third of the seven steps on the “journey” to reality. The pointer is that they must be tried, seen clearly for their inadequacies and inconsistencies, and then transitioned in order to continue along the “path” to truth; otherwise, the ego-states that they generate will fixate persons at a point not even half way to reality by convincing them that they have already arrived.]
Now, to the built-in obsolescence of religions and spiritual programs that is resulting in your “frustration” and “sleeplessness”: any person following a supernatural (religious and or spiritual) style of living will be frustrated at times during the day or up all night on occasion. While proponents promise you that theirs is the way to peace, their results never prove to be consistent or lasting. If you see that frequently their plan is not working and you question them, the blame will be turned on you: “You don’t have enough faith”; “you’re not working hard enough”; “you’re not practicing the disciplines and principles well enough”; “you need MORE.” Also, those living unnaturally join those living supernaturally in being frustrated at times and up all night on occasion. In contrast, all those living naturally were content during the day while you were frustrated and were comfortably asleep at night while you were up. Only one of those three methods of living is sane.
Thursday’s post offered this pointer: 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. When the last ego-state and the accompanying ego dissolve away and Realization happens, the desire for power and control also ends. When ego ends, when a desire to have power ends, and when the desire to use power and influence to control others ends, what also ends is that which religious and spirtual personas call “immoral behavior” or “harmful conduct.”
Conversely, religions and spiritual programs admit up front that their plan is marked by built-in obsolescence, but they still hold such power over you—while never providing all the answers you seek—that they inspire frustration and an inability to sleep. What appears to you to be supernatural living ends up being most unnatural. Hear what they’re really saying: they openly admit that they’ll never be able to shift you to a place where your “immoral conduct” and “harmful behaviors” will end. How do they make clear that inadequacy?
Persons hate the built-in obsolescence of a car but often accept blindly the built-in obsolescence of the religions and/or spiritual programs to which they are such devotees.
[Before continuing, it should be noted that no pointer is being offered to “ignore religion and spirituality.” Nor is the message to “always avoid religion or spirituality.” One (or both) are necessary since they serve as the third of the seven steps on the “journey” to reality. The pointer is that they must be tried, seen clearly for their inadequacies and inconsistencies, and then transitioned in order to continue along the “path” to truth; otherwise, the ego-states that they generate will fixate persons at a point not even half way to reality by convincing them that they have already arrived.]
Now, to the built-in obsolescence of religions and spiritual programs that is resulting in your “frustration” and “sleeplessness”: any person following a supernatural (religious and or spiritual) style of living will be frustrated at times during the day or up all night on occasion. While proponents promise you that theirs is the way to peace, their results never prove to be consistent or lasting. If you see that frequently their plan is not working and you question them, the blame will be turned on you: “You don’t have enough faith”; “you’re not working hard enough”; “you’re not practicing the disciplines and principles well enough”; “you need MORE.” Also, those living unnaturally join those living supernaturally in being frustrated at times and up all night on occasion. In contrast, all those living naturally were content during the day while you were frustrated and were comfortably asleep at night while you were up. Only one of those three methods of living is sane.
Thursday’s post offered this pointer: 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. When the last ego-state and the accompanying ego dissolve away and Realization happens, the desire for power and control also ends. When ego ends, when a desire to have power ends, and when the desire to use power and influence to control others ends, what also ends is that which religious and spirtual personas call “immoral behavior” or “harmful conduct.”
Conversely, religions and spiritual programs admit up front that their plan is marked by built-in obsolescence, but they still hold such power over you—while never providing all the answers you seek—that they inspire frustration and an inability to sleep. What appears to you to be supernatural living ends up being most unnatural. Hear what they’re really saying: they openly admit that they’ll never be able to shift you to a place where your “immoral conduct” and “harmful behaviors” will end. How do they make clear that inadequacy?
Why try religions, see the inadequacies and inconsistencies, and then transition beyond? (Even Christ did exactly that: he followed the programming and conditioning and started out with organized religion, but he transitioned beyond religion, went to homes and hillsides, and offered the Advaita message he had received during his hiatus.) Religions are convinced that what they have to offer cannot insure that their followers can even make it a week without behaving immorally and harmfully, so once you confess and are absolved of the harms done the prior week, they have already scheduled your confession session for the next week, and for every week…forever. The clear implication is that, with their plan, you’ll not make it a week without “doing wrongs.” WHO would rely on such a plan?
Why try spiritual programs, see the inadequacies and inconsistencies, and then transition beyond? Spiritual programs are so convinced of their inability to bring about any permanent shift that (even after you have made amends to all those you harmed) they note that you must look daily at your new wrongs, admit and amend those, and then meet with other members every day…forever. The clear implication is that, with their plan, you’ll not make it a day without “doing wrongs.” WHO would rely on such a plan?
Those who hold dear an amends-making process are the ones who behave in ways that constantly generate the need for making amends. Those who hold dear the ability to be “re-purified” and perfectly “cleansed” by telling an other-worldly entity that they’re sorry are the ones who behave in ways that constantly generate the need for such “re-purification" and “cleansing.” Advaita offers a shift that eliminates the ego-states that generate what persons call “immoral behavior” or “harmful conduct” rather than providing a system that predicts misconduct and offers absolution…over and over again, week after week, day after day.
What kind of “success rate” can either claim when the best they offer is a weekly or daily reprieve from the “immoral” and “harmful” behaviors that they admit their members will engage in and will need to correct either weekly or daily? Depend for your peace and happiness on something with such obsolescence at its core and you’ll have some sleepless nights, you’ll have some miserable days, you'll know no permanent shift, and the moments of happiness that you have (and now credit to them) will be fleeting at best.
There is an understanding that ends those daily or weekly cycles of a glimpse of happiness (that is then followed by misery, misconduct, confession, correction and then starting all over again). There is an understanding that can free you of the insane cyclings of the dualities of “good-bad,” “consistent-unpredictable,” “sane-insane,” “stable-unstable,” “moral-immoral,” “frustrated-not frustrated,” and “sleeping-not sleeping.” Does the sound of that have enough appeal to inspire taking the seven simple steps required to reach Realization and thereby end all the nonsense of supernatural or unnatural living, once and for all?
Why try spiritual programs, see the inadequacies and inconsistencies, and then transition beyond? Spiritual programs are so convinced of their inability to bring about any permanent shift that (even after you have made amends to all those you harmed) they note that you must look daily at your new wrongs, admit and amend those, and then meet with other members every day…forever. The clear implication is that, with their plan, you’ll not make it a day without “doing wrongs.” WHO would rely on such a plan?
Those who hold dear an amends-making process are the ones who behave in ways that constantly generate the need for making amends. Those who hold dear the ability to be “re-purified” and perfectly “cleansed” by telling an other-worldly entity that they’re sorry are the ones who behave in ways that constantly generate the need for such “re-purification" and “cleansing.” Advaita offers a shift that eliminates the ego-states that generate what persons call “immoral behavior” or “harmful conduct” rather than providing a system that predicts misconduct and offers absolution…over and over again, week after week, day after day.
What kind of “success rate” can either claim when the best they offer is a weekly or daily reprieve from the “immoral” and “harmful” behaviors that they admit their members will engage in and will need to correct either weekly or daily? Depend for your peace and happiness on something with such obsolescence at its core and you’ll have some sleepless nights, you’ll have some miserable days, you'll know no permanent shift, and the moments of happiness that you have (and now credit to them) will be fleeting at best.
There is an understanding that ends those daily or weekly cycles of a glimpse of happiness (that is then followed by misery, misconduct, confession, correction and then starting all over again). There is an understanding that can free you of the insane cyclings of the dualities of “good-bad,” “consistent-unpredictable,” “sane-insane,” “stable-unstable,” “moral-immoral,” “frustrated-not frustrated,” and “sleeping-not sleeping.” Does the sound of that have enough appeal to inspire taking the seven simple steps required to reach Realization and thereby end all the nonsense of supernatural or unnatural living, once and for all?
Many respond, “But I like my religious/spiritual roles and all the effort and meetings and services that go along with them, even if they work inconsistently, even if I have ‘up’s’ and ‘down’s’ throughout the day and week, and even if they admit they can't bring about a permanent shift or an end to my 'harmful' conduct'.” First, “WHO is willing to settle for that, and why?” Next, “WHO likes the dishonesty of playing roles?” “WHO likes the work?” “WHO likes the endless going and doing and zooming?” And more importantly, “WHO dislikes being real instead of playing roles?” “WHO dislikes the quiet when extra work can’t be found?” “WHO dislikes the beingness so much that they are driven to perpetual doingness?” And “WHO is so far removed from awareness of Self that they cannot tolerable being with themselves...their false selves?” Please enter into the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
